Thur 17 Apr 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth Thursday, April 17, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,894

Plant extract Egyptian court jails 119 may provide Mursi supporters – Page 9 cure for AIDS

www.ngrguardiannews.com

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Unqualified teachers Herbal cure claims for risk jail term, says Okojie Ebola virus, dengue – Page 47 fever, others –Page 33

• ‘Vegetarians have lower quality of life than meat-eaters’ • ‘Tobacco plant could destroy invading cancer cells’ ESEARCHERS at the GerR man Research Centre for Environmental Health in Munich say Geranium plants could hold the key to a new generation of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) treatments.

Another study say vegetarians are less healthy than meat-eaters, a controversial study has concluded, despite drinking less, smoking less and being more physically active than their carnivorous counterparts.

And although tobacco has been associated with and much maligned for causing cancers, researchers have now found that its plant’s defence mechanism could well work in humans to destroy invading cancer cells.

The study was published in the journal eLife.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Global outrage trails Abuja park bombing • ‘Why Nigeria should sign defence pact with U.S. over terrorism’ From Laolu Akande (New York), Olalekan Okusan (Lagos), Emeka Anuforo, Lillian Chukwu and Abosede Musari (Abuja) (with agency report) HE United Nations (UN) T Security Council has condemned the Monday bomb explosion in a bus station in Nigeria that killed 75 persons and injured 124 others.

Also, the United States (U.S.) vehemently condemned the attack while calling for a full investigation into the bombing.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade (left); United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle and representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda, during the opening ceremony of Exercise Obangame Express 2014 in Lagos…yesterday. (Inset: Semantha Lewthwaite, also known as the ‘White Widow’, linked to last Monday’s Abuja Motor Park bombing.)

Hunters, others rescue 80 abducted school girls From Madu Onuorah, Mohammed Abubakar, Abosede Musari (Abuja) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) (with agency report) GLIMMER of hope apA peared on the horizon for the abducted students of Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok Local Council of Borno State as 80 of them were reportedly rescued yesterday morning by a vigilance group, local

• No clue on whereabouts of captured ones • Borno pledges N50m for information on kidnapped students • Confab delegates want Cameroun, Chad, Niger borders closed • Gunmen kill monarch, 19 others hunters and soldiers.

The joint security team pursued the insurgents in search of about 100 school girls they abducted.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday confirmed that it had little

information on how to rescue the kidnapped students as their whereabouts is unknown.

In a related development, the Borno State Government yesterday pledged the reward of N50 million for any

information that could lead to “immediate safe release” of the abducted female students.

Governor Kashim Shettima made the pledge yesterday at a news conference at the Government House, Maid-

uguri, adding that he had instructed security agencies to ensure that the school girls are rescued unharmed.

Similarly, civil society delegation to the National Conference has called on the Federal Government to close the borders between Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroun due to the lingering insecurity.

In the same vein, about 20 villagers, including a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

‘Why Nigeria should sign defence pact with U.S. over terrorism’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 It also re-affirmed its support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.

The 15-member Council re-affirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations was criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation.

It said in a press statement on Tuesday in New York that “wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.”

The UN body re-affirmed the need to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

“The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and

sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice,” the statement said.

Ban Ki-moon, UN SecretaryGeneral, had earlier expressed shock and sadness about the attack.

He strongly condemned all indiscriminate killings and acts of violent extremism.

According to AFP, Washington however, called for a full investigation into the bombing.

“We are outraged by this senseless act of violence against innocent civilians,” State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said. She also condemned a series of attacks on three villages in Borno State over the weekend.

The bomb rocked the Nyanya station on Abuja’s southern outskirts as it was filled with morning commuters, leaving body parts scattered across the terminal and destroying dozens of vehicles.

Just as President Goodluck Jonathan blamed Boko Haram militants for the attack, Psaki called for a “full investigation to identify and bring justice to the perpetrators of these attacks.”

She added: “We continue to stand with the Nigerian government and people as they grapple with violent extremism.”

“Washington was working

with the Nigerian “government and its neighbours to address the growing threat of Boko Haram in a comprehensive manner,” Psaki said, but warned it was too early to say the attack had been carried out by Boko Haram.

The U.S. has designated Nigeria’s radical Islamist Boko Haram network and an offshoot known as Ansaru as terror groups in November, bowing to months of pressure to act.

The State Department has offered a $7 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.

A German non-governmental organisation, Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), described the blast as an attempt to destabilise Nigeria.

Country Representative, KAS, Hildegard BehrendtKigozi, told participants at a workshop in Abuja on ‘The cooperation between Civil Soci-

ety Organisations (CSOs) and the media on security challenges’ that it was unimaginable that such violence could be unleashed on innocent citizens.

She urged the co-operation of the Nigerian government, the media and CSOs to ensure and sustain security in the country.

Journalism professional, Jubril Ndace, recommended more use of the social media to disseminate information and ideas fast, international networking with other CSOs and NGOs to improve professionalism in terms of expertise, experience, values, strategic information management and awareness on how to handle legal, political and socio-cultural challenges.

He called for establishment of CSO report desk by media houses for effective coverage of elections as their reporters cannot be everywhere.

He stressed need for journalism training for CSOs on reporting, openness and sustainable relationship between them and the media via regular updates and need to work out necessary mechanism to achieve peaceful electoral process in 2015.

He stressed the importance of such training to strengthen the proposed platform for effective information sharing as well as the need for the print media to provide columns for citizen education and mobilisation towards 2015 involving CSOs. Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans (CANAN) also condemned the dastardly act of terrorism.

In a statement by its Executive Director, Laolu Akande, it said: “Rising from its first Advisory Board meeting in Houston on Sunday evening, the leaders and the entire membership of the Christian Association of NigerianAmericans, CANAN woke up

Monday morning to the devastating news that another Boko Haram bomb attack had killed at least 75 and injured 124 innocent Nigerians in a satellite town close to Abuja.

“We observe that this killing was set as Christians all over the world entered into the Passion Week leading to the Resurrection Sunday, Easter celebrations. We are therefore not unawares of the wiles of the enemy. Media reports say 16 luxury buses and 24 mini-buses, including some intending to transport people to work and some possibly on their way home heading to the South were set ablaze in several explosions.

“Initial indications are that those targeted in this barbaric attack included several Christians who were travelling to observe the Easter holidays with friends and family. Now and again, families who had expectations of CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

‘Tobacco plant could destroy invading cancer cells’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Extracts of the geranium plant Pelargonium sidoides inactivate HIV-1 and prevent the virus invading human cells.

HIV is divided into two types – HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the majority of cases.

According to the researchers, extracts from the geranium plants could represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 drugs for the treatment of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS.) They found that root extracts from the plants contain a compound that attacks HIV-1 and prevents the virus replicating inside the human body.

They found it also protects blood and immune cells from infection by the virus.

It blocks the attachment of HIV particles to human cells

and, thus, effectively prevents the virus invading the cells.

Several clinical trials have already demonstrated that the geranium extracts are safe for human use and in Germany, they are already licensed for use as a herbal medicine.

Research group leader, Prof. Ruth Brack-Werner, said: ‘(Geranium) extracts are a very promising lead for the development of the first scientifically validated phytomedicine against HIV1. “(The) extracts attack HIV-1 with a mode of action that is different from all anti-HIV-1 drugs in clinical use.

“Therefore, (they) may be a valuable supplement for established anti-HIV therapies.

“Furthermore, (the) extracts are attractive candidates for increasing anti-HIV-1 therapy options

in resource-limited settings, since they are easy to produce and do not require refrigeration.

“The results of our study and the proven safety of (the) extracts encourages their testing in HIV-1 infected individuals as a next step.”

According to the World Organisation Health (WHO), more than 35 million people in the world are infected with HIV, the maHIV-1. with jority Without treatment, HIV destroys the immune system and causes AIDS, which is a disease. life-threatening HIV/AIDS is one of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide.

A study conducted by the Medical University of Graz in Austria found that the vegetarian diet, as characterised by intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain

products, appeared to carry elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

The study used data from the Austrian Health Interview Survey to examine the dietary habits and lifestyle differences between meateaters and vegetarians.

The 1,320 subjects were matched according to their age, sex, and socio-economic status and included 330 vegetarians, 330 that ate meat but still a lot of fruits and vegetables, 300 normal eaters but that ate less meat, and 330 on a more meatheavy diet.

It found that vegetarians consumed less alcohol and had lower body mass indexes, but were still in a poorer state of physical and mental health overall.

Participants, who ate less CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Borno pledges N50m for information on kidnapped students CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 monarch, were killed after gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists, attacked two villages in Borno State on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, security sources and witnesses said.

The insurgents, who were carrying the school girls in Tipper lorries, were alleged to have got stuck in the bush while they were trying to crossover some muddy area between Chibok and Askira/Uba. In a report by a local website, Nigerian Eye, the father of one of the rescued girls, Malam Ali Iliya, said his daughter told him that when the trailer got stuck, some of them jumped out and ran for their lives.

“They were scattered in the bush when the vigilance group and local hunters found them. Some of them were wounded, some were with fracture, which I believe was as a result of jumping from the high vehicle, but we are happy that our children have been rescued.

“Now, we are praying for those who are still with the Boko Haram; our prayer is that every father will have his

child back”, he said.

He added that his daughter, Hajara, was sound and healthy but weak, stressing that “our children told us that when they started running, the insurgents didn’t shoot them.

“They allowed those who could run to go but those who could not run either as a result of fear or wound are still with them in the bush. My daughter said the abductors were over one hundred and that the girls were 243; she said the insurgents asked them to count themselves.”

A statement by Director, Defence Information/Co-ordinator, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, collaborated the online report as he said that more of the abducted students were yesterday freed as troops pursuing the terrorists close in on the den of those believed to have carried out the attack.

The statement said that in another development, troops deployed to restore law and order in Wukari, Taraba State, have apprehended 14 armed men who were involved in the fighting during the civil disturbances in the town early in the week. The fighting re-

sulted in the burning of no fewer than 25 houses and displacement of over 200 persons.

He said: “The troops also captured a building where arms were being fabricated. Four locally-fabricated machine guns, one sub-machine gun, 4 single barrel guns as well as 21 live cartridges were recovered in the process. Normalcy has since been restored as troops maintain patrols of the locality.

Meanwhile, security forces have been directed to continue with the tempo of offensive on all the terrorists’ enclaves anywhere in the country.”

Yesterday’s meeting, according to Maku, was devoted to the Monday’s bomb blast at the Nyanya motor park on the outskirts of the federal capital city where 75 people were officially confirmed to have lost their lives and over 126 persons sustained various degrees of injury.

Information Minister, Labaran Maku, while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, reiterat-

ed the commitment of the Federal Government to protect lives of all Nigerians irrespective of where they live.

Maku, who addressed the media alongside his FCT and Minister of State for Health counterparts, Bala Mohammed and Dr. Khaliru Alhassan in that order, however slammed the media for what he described as insensitive reportage of the Nyanya bomb blast.

Maku said that the Council has not been given full detailed reports on the kidnapping but stated that efforts are on to set the school girls free even as he condemned the idea of resorting to kidnapping innocent school children who are defenseless.

His words: “The criminality of kidnapping young children is what makes the terrorism in Nigeria as one of the worst. What will they be doing with these young children if they claim that their purpose is on religious piety.

Unfortunately, this has happened but we will make sure that we get the children back.

We will make sure that further harm is not done to these children.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Thursday, April 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

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News Controversy trails death toll in Taraba crisis From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo O fewer than 50 persons may have died and over 70 hospitalised with injuries from the lingering crisis in Wukari Local Council of Taraba State, contrary to the state Police Command’s claim of only seven.

A source told The Guardian yesterday that the victims included the elder brother of Daniel Ishaya Gani, the chairman of House of Assembly Committee on Information, Culture and Tourism, and some security personnel.

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Speaking on the crisis, the Special Assistant to the Acting Governor on Media and Publicity, Aron Atmas, said the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, has imposed a 24-hour curfew in Wukari following the violence that has lingered since Tuesday.

According to an eyewitness, the crisis started on Tuesday in Nwokyo village and spilled over to the council headquarters as a result of the mass killing by Fulani herdsmen in the village. It has now spread to Bali Local Council

Area, forcing the Tiv community there to flee.

The source disclosed that several worship centres, including the Deeper Life Bible Church, Christian Reform Church of Nigeria (CRCN), as well as several other houses and business centres were razed by the attackers.

Also, a medical personnel at the Wukari General Hospital, said “shooting is still on and the death toll would definitely continue to increase.

Some of the injured persons have also given up the ghost

here (hospital) because we lack some facilities. Though I cannot give you the exact figure of persons killed, I can confirm that it is far more than what the police gave you.”

Head of the Nigerian Red Cross in the state, Umar T. Waziri, confirmed the lingering crisis in Wukari but added that it was impossible to ascertain the casualty figures because of the raging gunfire in the area.

He said: “Our men are on ground but for now, no in-

formation on ground because as we are talking, gunfire is still raging there. So, it is not possible for us to get the accurate number of casualties.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Joseph Kwaji, had disclosed that only seven persons were killed and that normalcy was fast returning to the area, a comment the Red Cross frowned at.

However, Atmas said the state government, in collaboration with security operatives, was working round the

clock to restore peace to the area. He added that the government has been supporting the security personnel to enable them carry out their assigned responsibilities effectively.

Nevertheless, the House of Assembly member, who lost his elder brother to the crisis, has condemned the acting governor for not deeming it fit to visit any of the crisis areas. He urged the Federal Government to urgently deploy military personnel to the area to quell the crisis.

Strike paralyses activities at LAUTECH teaching hospital From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo CTIVITIES at the Ladoke AkA intola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, have been paralysed following an indefinite strike embarked on yesterday by all categories of workers in the hospital.

Medical doctors, under the umbrella of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), had on Tuesday began the strike, while other workers joined the action yesterday, thereby paralysing all activities in the hospital.

The Guardian gathered that all the patients on admission at the hospital have been discharged by the management following the strike.

Some patients, whose relatives were not available to relocate them, are now stranded.

The Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), comprising all the unions in the hospital, Mr. S. O. Faniran, said the strike was to press home the demand by workers for payment of the three months’ salary arrears being owed them by the authorities.

According to him, the Oyo and Osun owner-states of the tertiary health facility owe the hospital workers three months’ salaries, and efforts to dialogue with the government has hit brick-wall.

He said the workers had on different occasions written to the two owner-states through the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Olufemi Fadiora, stressing that the letters yielded no positive result.

He urged the owner-states to address the problems of nonpayment of salaries, deduction in salaries and the joint ownership tussle affecting the institution.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the governments of the two states on the welfare of the hospital’s workers, declaring that the workers would not be called off the strike until their demands were met.

The CMD appealed to the workers to resume and allow negotiation to continue with the stats’ governments that owned the hospital.

Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii (sixth left); World Health Organisation (WHO’s) Representative, Seun Omobo (fifth right); Chairman, PMG-MAN, Chief Bunmi Olaopa (third left); Swipha management led by Pharm A.S. Sambo (left of the DG) and other NAFDAC directors and staff members during Orhii’s visit to Swipha’s WHO-GMP-compliant facility, the first in West Africa

Govt seeks relocation of Lagos tank farms to Ogun-Ondo

By Moses Ebosele ORRIED by the continW ued presence of tank farms within Apapa metropolis in Lagos State, the Federal Government yesterday urged owners of the facilities to relocate their operations to between Ogun and Ondo states’ axis.

Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Maritime, Leke Oyewole, who spoke in Lagos at a maritime stakeholders’ forum put together by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council

(NSC), argued that any fire incident within the vicinity might claim several lives and property.

Oyewole said: “Obviously, it is very dangerous where they are located now. The situation is a potential danger not only to the port but also to the community around that place.”

He added: “The entire Coconut community is not safe.

The entire Apapa is not safe, even up to the Island. If there should be fire there today, you will watch the entire

Apapa conflagration on Cable News Network (CNN) (God forbid). It is not a thing any nation wants to see. But now, we can still save the situation”.

Urging the owners of the facilities to relocate without further delay, Oyewole said the Ogun-Ondo axis is very good and convenient for the operations and activities of the tank farm owners.

“All the stretch across Olokola is a great location for them. The water along that place is deep. The entire place can be declared as port termi-

nal. Terminal operators will move in and develop the place. They should relocate their operations now”, Oyewole added.

Chairman of Seaport and Terminal Operators’ Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Vicky Haastrup, who spoke earlier at the event put together to sensitise stakeholders on the new role of NSC as Economic Regulators, called for improved road infrastructure.

According to Haastrup, port access to vehicular traffic control system is chaotic along

the axis, adding: “It has reduced the turnaround time of trucks resulting in high cost of haulage and congestion of the terminals. Dependency on only one mode of transport for movement of cargo from the port terminal is a big challenge”.

The group also described what it identified as “uncoordinated and high level on unprofessionalism of freight forwarders” as one of the factors responsible for improper documentation “that delays cargo release”.

NBS releases Nigerians’ income, expenditure pattern From Chuka Odittah, Abuja HE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed details of income and expenditure patterns of Nigerians under its recent preliminary rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to a breakdown of the rebased GDP made available to The Guardian

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yesterday, the NBS put the final consumption expenditure of households in 2010 at N37,535,702.29 billion and N42,652,379.95 in 2 0 1 1 .

In 2012, however, the expenditure level dropped marginally to N42,55,808.45 billion, before scaling up again to N49,708,738.19 billion in

2013.

The consumption expenditure of non-profit institutions serving households was N6,988.71 billion in 2010 but gradually rose to N7,554.00 billion and N9,775.13 billion in 2011 and 2012 respectively. In 2013, however, the expenditure figure further rose to N12, 649.35 billion.

At the level of expenditure of local, states and Federal Government, N5,477,924.49 billion was spent in 2010, before it rose to N6,070,92.11 billion in 2011. But in 2012, a slight increase to N6,813,102.39 billion was captured before it later went as high as N7,392,216.10 in 2013.

Details of export of goods and services also captured

N13,472,902.36 billion in 2010, N19,961,417.52 billion in 2011, N22,24,361.94 billion in 2012 and N21,630,279.88 billion in 2013.

Other details released were expenditure on GDP, compensation of employees, operating surplus, consumption of fixed capital, GDP at basic prices, net taxes on product, GDP at

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Gunmen kill monarch, 19 others in Borno CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 He added that because there are schools spread across the zone, it was therefore not physically possible for adequate security to be concentrated in every school all over the North-East, adding that although this has happened, government will make sure that less harm comes to these children.

“We assure Nigerians that we will make sure that we get those girls back quickly. Our most important concern is to make sure that further harm is not done to those children.

We are pushing their abductors and we will get them very soon”, he said.

Maku, who addressed the bomb blast incidence and its reportage, said that FEC deliberated on the way the media reported the incident, especially with the show of the gory pictures of the victims, which he noted, was not professionally handled.

“Let me also say that we observe with regret that in spite of the great job the media has continued to do, we saw that the way this incident was reported in the last two days has been very insensitive.

“One of the things that we will require to avoid as much as possible is that we should avoid negative comments that will discourage security agencies.”

He added that the nation’s victory over terrorism will depend on how united the people are to confront the issue, adding that “what terrorists want is to divide the people and make them helpless.”

The conference delegates in a statement by its leaders; Femi Falana, Abiola Akiode and Jaye Gaskia respectively, expressed worries over the level of insecurity in the country, stressing:” We are concerned about the deepening sense of hopelessness among ordinary Nigerians

with respect to the security situation in the country.”

In solidarity with other delegates to the National Conference who have unanimously passed strongly-worded resolutions on the issue, the civil society delegates condemned the perpetrators of the attacks on Nigerians, especially the Monday bomb blast in Nyanya near Abuja.

While condoling with the families who lost their loved ones, the delegates noted with disapproval continuous attacks on school children and the abduction of young girls by the insurgents. It, therefore, called for immediate overhaul of the security forces.

“For a country that has been buffeted by such acts of terror on such a magnitude in the past few years, we condemn without hesitation the absolute absence of preparedness capacity on the part of emergency services to deal with the aftermath of the Nyanya bomb blast. We note that victims, both the dead and survivors, were transported on the back of trucks, pickup vans, and even wheel barrows. The emergency services were simply not prepared and were overwhelmed with the scale of the catastrophe.”

“We note that such an incident occurred despite the several check-points between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and condemn the apparent failure of intelligence and the seeming continued lack of co-ordination among the armed and security forces.”

“Furthermore, we are deeply worried about the ease with which insurgents in very visible convoys enter into communities and unleash such violence on innocent citizens without detection by security and armed forces. In particular in this regard, we note the continuous attack on schools and the massacre of children and abduction of young girls

by these enemies of humanity who have decided to wage an unrelenting war on the poor”, the statement read.

Given that according to our constitution the duty of the state and any government is to ensure the security and well-being of citizens, the delegates therefore, urged the Federal Government to immediately ensure “the complete closure of the borders with Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republics; the immediate deployment of security personnel and the armed forces, along with the deployment of modern surveillance technology to monitor and patrol our borders; immediate overhaul of the security

and armed forces to refocus and reorganise the war against the perpetrators of terrorism.”

In one of the attacks, the gunmen on Wednesday morning at about 7.00 a.m. stormed Wala Village, killing 18 villagers and injuring several others.

Wala Village is in Gwoza Local Council, some 130 kilometres southwest of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

A local council official, who does not want to be named for security reasons, said: “We are in difficult times in Gwoza Local Council; deaths and killings have become a daily affair; 18 people were killed in Wala this morning

by the Boko Haram gunmen.”

A senior officer of the Department of State Security Service, (DSS) also confirmed the killing in Wala; but asked not to be quoted.

“We have just received the report from our officers in Gwoza that the Boko Haram gunmen had attacked Wala village and killed 18 poor souls there; it is rather unfortunate and sad development despite our efforts up here”, he said.

The DSS officer also confirmed that some 12 hours earlier, another set of gunmen attacked Sabon-Kasuawa Village in Hawul Local Council, 210km south of Maiduguri, where they killed

a local monarch district head and his guard.

A politician, Hyeldi Bwala, confirmed on phone that the gunmen attacked the monarch shortly after he returned from the mosque where he went to observe the Tuesday night prayers at about 7.30 p.m.

“They simply walked right into the palace and shot him in his bedroom. And on their way out, they also shot his guard before fleeing into the dark night”, said Bwala.

Wala Village is also about 130 kilometres away from Chibok town where over 100 secondary school girls were abducted on Monday night.

UN, U.S., Germany, others condemn Abuja park bombing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 a happy reunion during this time of Christian celebrations are being forcefully fed this cup of sorrow.

“What a travesty!”

CANAN added: “Just over the weekend in two Borno State villages, home for many Christians, another 38 people had been killed by the same despicable terrorists.

“We share in the pain of the relatives of the victims both the dead and the injured and we demand from the Federal Government a serious and effective solution to curb this rising wave of terrorism and violence in the land.

“Three states in northeastern Nigeria have become the hotbed of Boko Haram attacks in recent times and now the attack of a town close to the capital of the country at a time and season such as Easter is another proof of the major underlying target of Boko Haram terrorism.

“CANAN is very annoyed not just at the unrelenting acts of the terrorists to take human life so wantonly, but also at increasing failure of the constituted authorities in Nigeria to protect life and property. This arrant waste of innocent life must stop!

“CANAN insists that the Nigerian authorities must work harder to protect the freedom of Nigerian Christians to practise their faith.

“We agree with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, that

“the perpetrators of this attack and those responsible for the continuing brutal attacks in the North-East of the country must be brought to justice.”

“We again reject the argument that poverty is the main cause of these attacks and hope those making that argument will consider the prevailing poverty in other parts of the country which has not degenerated to the kind of wanton violence perpetrated by Boko Haram. Poor people sure need developmental efforts, but poor people can afford the resources maintaining this prolonged insurgency.

“We reiterate our call to the U.S. government to expedite its plans to help the Federal Government in better managing this situation so as to preserve the lives of innocent Nigerians who are being killed maliciously.

“After its inaugural yearly Advisory Board meeting, consisting of national trustees and chapter co-ordinators of the association across the U.S., CANAN restates its resolve to continue to protect the interests of Nigerian Christians and all innocent Nigerians everywhere, while also projecting the image of Nigerian-Americans here in the U.S. and globally.

“CANAN will also continue to work actively with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to address pertinent areas of concern and welfare of its members and the na-

tion.”

Besides, following the increase in killings by insurgents in the country, Nigeria should immediately consider signing a defence pact with the U.S., former Commissioner at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, has said.

Onwubiko, in an interview with The Guardian, said the need for the engagement of foreign experts was overdue.

Onwubiko, who is also the national co-ordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), said the defence pact could lead to the establishment of a military training camp near Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring Chad.

He said the camp would enable Nigeria’s military and other multi-national forces to be trained regularly and made ready to make the West African region free of terrorists.

His words: “Since Cameroun has a binding defence pact with France and it has helped to stabilise Cameroun for many years, there is nothing untoward if Nigeria can enter a defence pact with either U.S. or UK, I do seriously think that Nigeria should invite the UN to intervene because it is crystal clear that Nigerian state as currently constituted cannot guarantee the security of her citizens.

Since the primary purpose of government is the security of lives and property, it is imper-

ative that the Federal Government takes all measures to protect Nigerians and check ongoing mass murder and massacre of Nigerians by terrorists.”

According to Onwubiko, “Nigeria can quickly work out modalities also to introduce compulsory military training for all adults and issue licences for arms to persons without insanity record and those without criminal past to promote effective self-defence and national defence mechanisms.”

Buttressing his call for foreign military intervention and possible defence pact with the U.S., he said section 12 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended provides legal backing for it.

“All it will take is for the National Assembly to sign on to the decision of the Executive arm in that direction,” he stressed.

He noted further “a stitch in time saves nine. Enough of these mass killings and whereby sovereignty of Nigeria is endangered, no measure to safeguard it and restore Nigeria to the path of strength is too much. Nigeria as a member of the international community must not allow undue national pride to stop government from doing the needful to salvage Nigeria and chase out these terrorists and gangsters. The time for comprehensive actions against terrorists’ threats is now. No half meas-

‘Vegetarians have lower quality of life than meat-eaters’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 meat, also showed a tendency to avoid attending doctors’ appointment for preventative measures such as vaccines, the authors found. It concluded: “Our study has shown that Austrian adults who consume a vegetarian diet are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment.”

The study’s authors have already defended the research against claims that

their work is simply an advertisement for the meat industry.

Study co-ordinator and epidemiologist, Nathalie Burkert, told The Austrian Times: “We have already distanced ourselves from this claim as it is an incorrect interpretation of our data.

We did find that vegetarians suffer more from certain conditions like asthma, cancer and mental illnesses than people that eat meat as well, but we cannot say what is the cause and what is the effect.

“There needs to be further

study done before this question can be answered.”

A molecule called NaD1 is found in the flower of the tobacco plant that fights off fungi and bacteria. This compound also has the ability to identify and destroy cancer, the team discovered.

“This is a welcome discovery whatever the origin,” Mark Hulett from La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science in Melbourne was quoted as saying.

The molecule, found in Nicotiana sylvestris (flowering tobacco) plant, forms a

pincer-like structure that grips onto lipids present in the membrane of cancer cells.

It then effectively rips them open, causing the cell to expel its contents and explode.

According to researchers, this universal defence process could also potentially be harnessed for the development of antibiotic treatment for microbial infections.

The pre-clinical work is being conducted by the Melbourne biotechnology company Hexima. “The preliminary trials have looked

Thursday, April 17, 2014 NEWS 5

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

UK female terrorist linked to Abuja motor park blast • Jonathan, govs, security chiefs meet today From Mohammed Abubakar, Emeka Anuforo (Abuja) Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt) AlemmaOzioruva Aliu (Benin City) with agency report

RITISH international terB rorist, Samantha Lewthwaite, otherwise known as

APC governors addressing the press after visiting victims of the Nyanyan bomb blast at the Asokoro Hospital, Abuja

ACF, JNI seek stronger military presence, collaboration against insurgency From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief OLTED by Boko Haram’s exJthepanding specter of violence, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Federal Government to deploy a stronger military force against the insurgents and their sponsors.

According to the Arewa elders, the terrorists’ recent activities show that they are bent on destabilising the nation at all cost, therefore, all Nigerians should co-operate with the government to end the regime of insecurity.

In a statement on Tuesday by ACF Spokesperson, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibrahim, “the bomb blast that occurred in Nyanya town at the outskirts of Abuja on Monday morning, which killed hundreds of innocent people and injured many, was a national calamity, a disservice to humanity and a great shock to the nation.”

Similarly, the apex Islamic body in the north, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), rose from its Central Council meeting on Tuesday calling

on all Nigerians, irrespective of religious or tribal affiliation, to join hands with the government to address the challenge of insecurity in the country.

In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, which also coincided with the body’s 50th anniversary, the council headed by the Sultan of Sokoto lamented that the country was gradually turning into a theatre of violence and murder, stating that everything must be done to avert disaster in the country.

It also lamented the increase in street begging by young and vulnerable children in the name of Qur’anic education and pledged to collaborate with the government in running almajiri schools in the north.

The JNI, according to a communiqué by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, resolved, “that the country is being turned into a theatre of bloodshed, which requires putting heads together to bring an end to the menace of senseless violence and killings.

“That the phenomenon of

street begging by young and vulnerable children in the name of Qur’anic education still thrives and remains an eyesore and a menace that continues to tarnish the image of the Muslim Ummah.

“That while education is one of the most important tools for national development, it has not received the desired attention and commitment; that for any organisation to function effectively, especially in the modern world, it must have reliable and sustainable sources of financing its activities.

“That the inclusive leadership style of the Sultan has gone far in uniting the Muslims in Nigeria and promoting among them the culture and spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and understanding.”

In view of these, the organisation called on government at all levels to take necessary measures to provide security to all citizens by working with traditional and religious leaders, while Nigerians should put sentiments aside and confront the challenge of insecurity through concerted

‘White Widow,’ has been linked to Monday’s bomb blast in Nyanya, near Abuja, the Federal Capital.

Meanwhile, worried by the heightened insecurity in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan has summoned members of the National Security Council (NSC) to a meeting today for 11 a.m. at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

In a related development, escalating violence across five states in North Central part of Nigeria has killed more than 1,000 people since December 2013, Human Rights Watch has disclosed.

In the same vein, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for a thorough forensic examination of the victims of the Nyanya bomb blast to ensure proper identification.

Though no group has officially claimed responsibility for the act, but United Kingdom security sources think the bombing bore the trademark of the White Widow.

The sources said that the bombing might have been a revenge attack for the death of Lewthwaite’s mentor — alShabaab terror chief, Sheikh Abubakar Shariff Ahmed, also known as Makaburi, two weeks ago.

“Makaburi was always believed to be at the very top of the hierarchy of al-Shabaab”, the security source said.

“Intelligence suggests that he introduced Samantha Lewthwaite to many influential figures within the al-Shabaab network. He guided her on her path to Jihad. His murder was

• NMA seeks forensic identification of victims seen as yet another act of war.”

The 30-year-old is believed to be in Nigeria, Kenya or Somalia “where Islamist terror networks are closely linked, making it far easier for her to evade detection than in Europe.”

Significantly, the world’s most wanted woman was reportedly caught at a checkpoint in Nigeria just six months ago, but managed to bribe her way to freedom,” the UK senior security source said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for Department of State Security (DSS), Maryln Ogar, said she was not aware of Lewthwaite’s connection to Abuja’s bomb blast.

“I don’t know where you guys got that piece of information from. We have not picked that information. There was no such release from this office,” she said.

It is believed that the White Widow commands enormous loyalty and power as a white convert female jihadist, “having proved her worth in previous attacks.”

She is officially being hunted by 190 countries and “is one of the most wanted international fugitives in the world.”

A UK newspaper, Daily Star, said that Lewthwaite, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK, is believed to have widely used the alias ‘Natalie Webb’ and travelled on a forged South African passport.

The paper revealed that Police seized her laptop in 2011 and found details of how to build bombs and many evidences that she was planning multiple terrorist attacks both in Africa and the West.

She has also been linked to grenade attacks at non-Muslim places of worship in Africa and a terrorist attack on western football fans watching Euro 2012 in the Jericho bar in Mom-

How politicians’ utterances caused insurgency, by PDP From Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) utterances IterbyNFLAMMATORY certain key politicians afGoodluck Jonathan won the last presidential election in 2011 sparked off hatred for his administration by their followers, while setting in motion the onslaught by the insurgents, who started demanding President Jonathan’s ouster as bargain not to cripple the system.

This much was explained in a statement on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, following reactions to the party’s allegation on Monday after the blasts at Nyanya bus park in Abuja.

It said that when it mentioned “the All Progressives Congress (APC) is responsible for the spate of terror in Nigeria, many had an emotional response, but it is now time to dispassionately focus on the facts in order to stop the carnage on innocent Nigerians.

“While we concede that insurgency existed in the nation before the advent of the current administration, we wish to point out that inflamma-

tory utterances from leaders, many of whom by design or otherwise are now chieftains of the APC, have succeeded in emboldening them to launch large-scale attacks, maiming and killing our people, believing their actions enjoy the approval of such leaders.”

It observed that such utterances would likely have prompted donations in support of insurgency from followers of such leaders, who thought they were sponsoring a worthy cause. “More so, these key figures never condemned acts of terrorism and the killings until well-meaning Nigerians started pointing accusing fingers at them,” it noted.

“They rather blamed government for not reaching out to pacify the terrorists instead of helping to find solutions. They relished in comments that inspired violence and emboldened insurgents against the system,” the statement noted.

The party insisted that it was not a coincidence that after the former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), beckoned on his supporters “to go on lynching spree should he lose the 2011 presidential election” as candidate of now defunct Congress for

Progressive Change (CPC), an unprecedented violence broke out, claiming the lives of hundreds of innocent Nigerians.

“Not satisfied with the enormity of the mayhem and bloodletting of 2011, Buhari on May 14, 2012, said, “if what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,” the PDP recalled.

“Nigerians have not forgotten that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in a spirited bid to stop President Jonathan from contesting the 2011 election, declared on December 14, 2010 that, “those, who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.

“Atiku’s statement was collaborated by one his close associates, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, who in October 2010, while rejecting the emergence of a president from the South, also said, ‘the North is determined, if it happens, to make the country ungovernable for President Jonathan or any other Southerner, who finds his way to the seat of power…Even if he uses incumbency power to get his nomination on the platform of the

PDP, he would be frustrated out.’

“On January 23, 2014, APC Deputy National Secretary, Malam Nasir El-Rufai said, “the next election is likely to be violent and many people are likely going to die. And the only alternative left to get power is to take it by force; this is the reality on ground.

“Are we not now witnessing a foretaste of the bloodbath promised by Buhari and El-Rufai? Is this not the ‘violent change’ promised by Atiku?

How many people have to die before Nigerians call a spade a spade and not a farming implement?

“We were not surprised when Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, now a leader in the APC, in inciting his followers recently, said, ‘I came to Bori to prove to you that you don’t need to run away from violence. If a man is chasing you with AK-47, you should carry machine gun and the man will call for peace.’

“We also recall recent statement by the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, wherein he posited that the insurgents were better armed and better motivated than our security forces. This was deliberately directed at weakening

and undermining the security forces while emboldening insurgents.

“No wonder that after Shettima’s statement, insurgents were encouraged to launch more deadly attacks on our security forces and stage a comeback to the Federal Capital Territory. This is in addition to statements by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, who continually ridicules the office and person of the president to portray the administration as weak in fighting terrorism.”

The party insisted that the reason the APC leaders were promoting insurgency was not only to distract the president and rubbish his scorecard but also to unleash unprecedented mayhem, divide the people and forcefully take over power when it loses the 2015 general election.

It added that its statement on Monday, which again linked the Nyanya bombing to the utterances of the opposition, was a clear stand and a warning that the PDP would, henceforth, go beyond shedding tears at each carnage to exposing the enemies of the nation, so as to limit all reckless statements that have been fueling insurgency.

basa, Kenya.

The Head of Interpol, Ronald Noble, said there is a global ‘tripwire’ for the fugitive and all 190 Interpol member-countries are aware of the danger she embodies worldwide.

Lewthwaite, daughter of a British soldier, is the most wanted woman in the world.

She is connected with seven murders and the Westgate shopping mall siege that resulted in 67 deaths and 200 severe injuries in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013.

She has been on the run since January 2012. She got the ‘White Widow’ nickname after her husband Germaine Lindsay blew himself up while bombing a London Tube train in what is now referred to as the 7/7 bombings of 2005 where 56 people were killed and more than 700 were injured.

Those expected at the meeting, according to a statement from the Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati include Vice President Namadi Sambo; the Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen Aliyu Gusau, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.); the Chief of Defence Staff,(CDS) Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the Service Chiefs, the InspectorGeneral of Police,(IGP) Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar; the Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS), and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The statement said in part, “The meeting of the National Security Council will be followed at 1p.m. by an enlarged meeting on security developments in the country to which President Jonathan has invited state governors.

“President Jonathan, members of the National Security Council and the governors will review the security situation in the country as well as ongoing national security measures and operations with a view to determining the best way forward.

The failure of Nigerian authorities to investigate the attacks or bring those responsible to justice is likely to exacerbate the cycle of violence in the conflict-prone north central region.

Communal violence, stoked by competition between local farming communities and nomadic herdsmen, has plagued this region for many years and is spreading to other states in northern Nigeria.

“The lack of justice for years of violence resulting from intercommunal tensions has created a combustible situation,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, adding: “The government needs to ensure full criminal investigations and provide justice for the victims and their families.”

The NMA condoled with the families affected and called on relevant government organisations to handle the victims’ bodies with topmost professionalism.

The NMA’s President, Dr Osahon Enabulele, said it was a shame that after 100 years of nationhood, Nigeria was yet to evolve and standardise, adapt and adopt standard operational procedures in handling bodies of victims of mass disasters in line with international best practices.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

6 | NEWS Thursday, April 17, 2014

FG to establish agro-meteorological stations From Joke Falaju, Abuja O mitigate the effects of T climate change on agricultural sector, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has unfolded plans to establish agro-meteorological stations across the country so as to alert farmers on weather conditions.

The minister, who disclosed this while launching the National Agricultural Resilience Framework document in Abuja, pointed out that agro-meteorological stations have become necessary following the 2012 devastating floods, draught that affected grazing reserves and poor yields recorded by farmers due to adverse weather conditions.

Adesina disclosed that farmers would now receive weather reports via there mobile phones free of charge like what is being done under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme, GES. Adesina said: “It is very important to have early warning systems and it is not enough to have disaster management but to have early warning systems in order for our farmers to be able to know ahead of time what the weather conditions are going to be. And for climate information made available on mobile phones, because the most important tool in the hands of the farmer in Nigeria today is the mobile phone.”

The ongoing Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Niger (linking Nasarawa State with Benue State) by the Federal Ministry of Works, under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Rivers Assembly, PDP trade words over N50b bond From Kelvin Ebiri and Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt HE Rivers State House of AsT sembly and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have bickered over the authorisation granted Governor Chibuike Amaechi to source N50 billion loan through bond.

While the PDP accused the governor of piling up loans for future generation, the House of Assembly said the party’s concern is hinged on ignorance and selective amnesia.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Leyii Kwanee, told The Guardian that the PDP’s state-

ment was saddened by the alleged reckless manner the governor has been sourcing for money from capital banks in the past three years for no just cause, was made out of ignorance and self deception.

Kwanee explained that the 2014 Appropriation Bill which has since been passed into law included N100 billion bond which the governor could source from the capital market. According to him, the N50 billion that was approved by the House on Monday has already been provided for in the state’s 2014 budget.

“Early this year, we gave the governor approval to source for money through the capital market. The bond we approved will not be ready till sometimes in August and it is

a short-term loan with low interest rate. The raining season is fast approaching and the government needs money urgently to complete ongoing road construction works, equip schools and take care of several other projects. The PDP is talking from the point of ignorance,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker said the House had recently summoned the Commissioner for Finance to brief the lawmakers on the financial status of the state and the explanation he gave revealed that the state was not piling up debt.

Kwanee said the loans which the state has so far sourced are tied to the internally generated revenue. He expressed optimism that all the debt will be liquidated by the present government before May 2015.

But the PDP through it’s chairman’s spokesman, Jerry Needam, wondered why state lawmakers that are allegedly not properly constituted could give authorisation to the governor to source for loan from the capital market.

“To the PDP, the latest N50 billion loan by the governor is unnecessary and one too many. The environment and the condition of the people and residents do not reflect the claims by the government on the injection of the huge financial revenue and monthly collections by the Amaechi administration since inception. The PDP wonders where the monies, the internally generated revenues, federal allocations and loans collected have all gone. This is what the PDP expects that the governor needs to explain to

the people first before asking for further financial aid from any funding or lending institutions, as not doing that puts more burden on the incoming government,” he said.

According to Needam, the PDP is also worried that members of the Assembly did not take into consideration the implications of their actions.

He said the loan facility to Amaechi is unacceptable and should not be granted by the financial institutions approached.

“The Rivers State House of Assembly remains nonfunctional and illegal in view of the events surrounding its operations, and therefore does not give any of its members any right to approve any loan for the Executive arm,” he said.

Protest trails APC congress in Lagos, Abia results cancelled From Gordi Udeajah (Umuahia) and Wole Oyebade (Lagos) RACKS in the Lagos State C branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) became obvious on Tuesday, as some aggrieved members of the party protest what they described as stealing of mandate in the last ward congress.

Meanwhile, the wards and local government congresses of the APC held in Abia State have been cancelled.

The cancellation was announced by the Secretary of the State Congress Committee, Chief Iyke Ibe, in a press statement dated April 15, 2014 and distributed to reporters in Umuahia yesterday.

He attributed the cancellation to widespread allegations and complaints arising from the wards and local government areas. “We are compelled to cancel the congress in the interest of our dear party. It is the desire of the congress committee to mid-

wife a party structure that will win the next elections in Abia State and Nigeria as a whole.”

The statement advised party members to remain calm, indicating that further directives will be given at the earliest possible time.

Allegations of malpractices, including voting materials snatching, diversion and late arrival at polling points, had trailed the exercise even as the conduct was shifted twice from their originally scheduled dates about two weeks ago.

The protesters, from Ward B, C and E, in Ikeja Local Government of Lagos State appealed to the government, especially the House of Assembly to investigate the matter and make their votes count “for the sake of peace and tranquility.”

No fewer than 150 members of the party defiled the scorching afternoon heat to storm the Lagos Assembly

with placards either calling their leaders unprintable names or seeking “true change”. The aggrieved protesters alleged that their ward congress held penultimate Saturday was fraught with irregularities and that a chieftain of the party “stole our mandate.”

One of the protesters from Ward C, Yinka Banjoko noted that the congress was to enable party faithful elect their representatives through free and fair election, but it was to their disbelieve that the deciding votes were stolen to force some ward chairmen on the electorate.

She said: “They are not thinking of that ‘change’ Asiwaju Bola Tinubu preaches and it is unfortunate. In good faith, we all went to the ward congress and mobilised our women, but our votes were stolen.

That is why we are here. We want our mandate back.

Enough is enough. We’ve had enough of the same wrong

people leading us for 13 years, we want change and it begins from the ward,” Banjoko said.

Another protester, Segun Orji, observed that Ward C congress rekindled the rivalry between two factions of the APC – Justice Forum (led by Kemi Nelson) and Mandate Group (where the protesters belong).

According to him, “The election was initially transparent. But by the time the votes were counted, starting with theirs (Justice Forum), they had 196 votes. Ours (Mandate Group) was already 297 and still counting, before thugs disrupted it.

“Their police started shooting, forcing everyone to run away. It was later that we heard that Kemi Nelson had won the election. How can that be possible, with 196 votes against 297 and still counting? They are a collection of losers that we no longer want,” he said.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 NEWS 7

Editor raises the alarm over strange calls SENIOR journalist, Mr. A Aruga Joe Omokaro (JP), has raised the alarm that he

Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Prof. Philip Murray (left); the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion; Vice Chancellor, Igbinedion University, Okada and Visiting Professor to University of London, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, his wife, Dr. Veronica Osaghae and Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Governing Council, Igbinedion University, Prof. David Awanbor, when Osaghae delivered his inaugural lecture at the University of London…at the weekend

APC accuses Jonathan of insensitivity for campaigning after Abuja blast From John Akubo, Lokoja OR allegedly embarking on campaign to Kano 24 hours after a bomb blast in Nyanya, Abuja, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of exhibiting the traits of an insensitive and utterly hard-hearted leader, especially as news broke that Boko Haram has abducted 200 school girls in Borno.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also renewed its call on the President to urgently convene a stakeholders’ summit and pursue a non-partisan approach towards ending the insurgency, as it is now very obvious that the challenge posed by it is beyond the capacity of the government.

The APC said the President’s quick return to the hustling

F

Opposition’s statement betrays support for insurgency, says PDP was reprehensible and has shown that his visit to the scene of the blast was merely to avoid the kind of flak he received for refusing to visit Yobe where 43 school children were massacred recently. ‘’The message that President Jonathan is sending to Nigerians is that keeping his plum job at all cost is more important to him than the security and welfare of the same people who voted him into office.

Otherwise, the President would not have rushed back to his illegal campaign trail at a time he should be leading the nation in mourning the dead,” Mohammed said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the statement by the APC portraying President Goodluck Jonathan as ‘heartless’ for not shutting down

governance over the terrorist attack in Abuja as yet another demonstration of APC’s support for terrorist agenda against the country.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said: “It is common knowledge that those behind the attacks seek to impose a reign of terror in our country, cow the President, dictate the tempo of government and ultimately shut down governance; a plot which the APC has betrayed its support for the insurgents.

“Stating that the PDP-led Federal Government cannot in anyway be cowed or intimidated to abandon its mandate, the statement stressed that President Jonathan has remained committed to the welfare and security of all Nigerians.

“Indeed, Nigerians are no

longer at loss as to the agenda of the APC. “The APC has again exposed its support for acts directly aimed at shutting down governance and imposing anarchy and reign of terror on our people. They had expected the President to be intimidated by acts of terrorism, which have continued to be motivated by their utterances.

“However, we wish to restate that as a party vested with the sacred mandate freely given by over 160 million Nigerians, the leadership of the PDP and the government we formed shall not be cowed, intimidated, harassed or teleguided by acts of terrorism. The PDPled administration was popularly elected by the Nigerian people and shall never allow terrorists and their supporters to dictate the tempo of government, which has been their direct objective.

APC zones 2015 governorship ticket to Lagos East

By Seye Olumide and Bola Banji-Idowu FTER a brainstorming stakeholders’ meeting held by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday, the 2015 gubernatorial ticket was zoned to Lagos East Senatorial District, which may have ended speculations as which of the three zones would produce Governor Babatunde Fashola’s successor.

The zone includes Epe, IbejuLekki, Ikorodu and others.

Names already fingered to be jostling for the plump job from the zone include Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, who currently represents Lagos West in the Senate but was rumoured to have traced his roots to Lagos East. Former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan, Commissioner for Works, Obafemi Hamzat, member, House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, former aide to Tinubu, Tayo Ayinde and others.

A source, who was at yesterday’s meeting where former governor of the state and a national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, made the clarification, said: “Tinubu’s declaration doused a lot of bottled-up tension, which could have re-

A

Aspirant from Badagry lauds party’s congresses sulted into controversies.”

But the source did not comment on the agitation for a Christian governor in 2015.

His words: “When we get to that bridge, we will cross it.

What is important now is that the only zone yet to produce a governor in the state since 1999, Lagos East, has been cleared and definitely, the next governor will come from the district.”

Tinubu, who governed the state on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) before it transformed to Action Congress (AC) from 1999 to 2003, came through Lagos West, while his successor, Fashola, came from Lagos Central and he will complete his two terms of eight years in 2015.

There is a move by stakeholders in Ikorodu area that Fashola’s successor emerges from the axis.

Already, they have mandated a newly-inaugurated group of eminent persons to shop for a credible candidate for the post.

At a meeting of Ikorodu Division Human Resource Development Board (IDHRDB), its chairman, Prof. Kunle Wahab, said the governorship has continued to elude the division.

His words: “When Lagos was created in 1967, our leaders gave us the impression that

the manpower requirement of government and, indeed, the provision of welfare services and infrastructural development would be spread evenly across the five divisions in the state. The divisions are Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos and Epe. Today, we know better. Ikorodu is no longer recognised as a division. It is only part of Lagos East Senatorial District. As part of Lagos East Senatorial District, it is struggling with others in the district for a position believed to have been zoned to the district. For the avoidance of doubt, the district consists of Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Kosofe, and Somolu/Bariga.

“We have information that Epe is poised for action in the struggle to snatch the governorship position in 2015 from Ikorodu despite the fact that Ikorodu, at one time, precisely in 1992, conceded the governorship position to Epe by outvoting her own son, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, in favour of Sir Michael Otedola.

If one good turn deserves another and if we are to remain politically relevant, we must ask that the governorship race this time be conceded to Ikorodu Division. Epe should therefore refrain from the struggle.

“Lagos East is now beckoned at to search for and present

an acceptable candidate who would be capable of raising the political and economic bars of Lagos State to a higher level. That is the task ahead of us all and it is a task that must be accomplished. Let us search for eminently qualified candidates for presentation to the powers-that-be in the politics of Lagos State.

Thank God we have the numerical strength and the determination to occupy the Oval Office in Ikeja, come 2015.”

The chairman, Ikorodu Division Resource Development Group (IDRDG), Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo, said: “Despite a formidable repertoire of human resources, the governorship of the state continues to elude us. Now, there is a dire need for co-operation and unity of purpose in that regard, irrespective of political or ideological differences.”

Ninalowo alleged lack of equity in regard to political appointments and placements in the civil service structure in Lagos State to the detriment of indigenes of Ikorodu Division.

Meanwhile, a prominent indigene of the Badagry Division and governorship aspirant, Abayomi Babalola Sewanu Sutton, has congratulated the APC in the state for organising one of the most successful political congresses in the country.

has been receiving strange phone calls shortly after publishing two stories.

In a statement, Omokaro who is Editor-in-Chief of The SUPREME newspaper, said: “I wish to alert the Federal Government, all security agencies and the general public that my life is in danger as a result of performing my professional responsibility without sentiments.”

According to him, the lead story in the March 15, edition was titled, “EFCC goes after Sanusi.” And there were kickers thus: “Collates data to prosecute him; Suspended governor to account for AMCON N4.7trn; Spends N1.9bn to airlift currencies; Spends N2.176bn as lunch for police on duty; Deposited N743m in Islamic Corporation of Malaysia.”

Omokaro went on: “The first caller, a male, used an MTN number to call my MTN line.

He called in the afternoon and spoke in Hausa language, pretending not to understand English language. At about 10 p.m, I called the number and he answered in English language.

“The following conversation took place: ‘You called me in the afternoon and you pretended not to understand English.’

Strange caller: ‘You called me first.’ And I replied thus: ‘I never called you, because I don’t know you. Please don’t call my number again, ok?’

And I hung up the phone. The following day I deleted the number from my phone.

“ A few days after, another call came to my GLO line. The GLO line is at the back of The SUPREME newspaper as official line. This time it was a female, who spoke and it sounded like Hausa language and pretended that she does not understand English language.

The number was not a Nigerian number and it read “Niger” on my phone.

“Not oblivious of the previous strange caller who spoke in Hausa language, I responded swiftly in insulting words. At about 5 p.m she called again speaking in the same strange language. I responded again in the same words. The following morning I tried to return the call but the number did not go through.”

Omokaro added: “I have decided to raise this alarm as a result of another suspicious strange call on Monday to my GLO line.

“In our April 11 edition, our lead story was ‘Danger: Foreign shipping firms threaten FG’ with a kicker thus: ‘Berate Nigerian judiciary.’

“A male voice called and claimed that he wanted to advertise in The SUPREME. He demanded for our company’s account number. But I told him I cannot release the company’s account number until I see the space he wanted to pay for and the material. Based on that, he sent an sms of ‘vacancy advertisement’ for trainee marketers to work in any West African country. No office address was included.

Only mobile numbers were included and they are: 08168603237, 08037331769 and the one he called me with 07086536539.

8 | NEWS Thursday, April 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

PHOTONEWS

Registrar, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Rotimi Omotosho (left); immediate past president, ICAN, Adedoyin Owolabi; Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and President, ICAN, Kabir Alkali Mohammed, at the ninth Northern Zonal District Conference of ICAN in Ilorin.

Managing Director, Efugu Nigeria Limited, Chief Audu Ogbe (left); President, Castor Growers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Lawan Ali; Director, Macnes Global Limited, Deacon Gbembe Audam and Director, Centre for Seed Development, University of Makurdi, Professor Lateef Bello, during the stakeholders’ meeting on Castor Seed Processing in Nigeria, organised by Raw Materials Research and Development Council, in Abuja.

PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO.

Director General, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Botwev Orhii (middle) displaying the NIN Slip after his enrolment at NIMC headquarters, Abuja. With him are the DG/CEO NIMC, Barrister Chris ‘E Onyemenam; Director, Operations, NIMC, Cecelia Yahaya and Deputy Director, Corporate Communications, NIMC, Abdul-Hamid Umar.

Solutions Manager, Mobility Solutions, Weco Systems, Omotunde Ogunbiyi (left); Partner Marketing Manager, Cisco Systems, Morenike Alder; Chief Operating Officer, Weco Systems, Nnamdi Onyebuchi; Sales Manager, Cisco Systems, Charles Idusogie and Channel Manager, Cisco Systems, Uzo Atugbokoh at the Weco – Cisco Unified Access Solution (Bring your own device – BYOD) workshop in Lagos.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (middle); senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Senator Gbenga Obadara (second left); members of the committee, Senator Adamu Gumba (left) and Senator Abubakar Tutare (second right) with member, Senate Committee on Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Aminu Maigari, when they called on the governor during their oversight visit to the state.

Pastor, Trinity House Church, Itua Ighodalo (left); First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola; award recipient (post humous) former Principal of Kings College, Rev. Reginald Ajiobu-Kemmer Peers represented by his daughter, Sereba Ajiobu-Kemmer and past president, Kings College Old Boys Association, Dr. Sonny Kuku at the Trinity House Church in Lagos.

PHOTO: CHARLES OKOLO

Executive Secretary, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Tanwa Koya (left); board member, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun; Chairman, Taiwo Shebioba; member, Doyin Owolabi and President of the Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria, Sola Salako, at the unveiling of the commission’s website, toll free lines and complaints boxes in Lagos.

Winners with their prizes at the draw of Slot 5 Promo by Slot Systems Limited in partnership with Infinix Mobility in Lagos.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 | 9

WorldReport Four die, 284 missing in South Korea ferry disaster ferry carrying 462 peoA ple, mostly high school students on an overnight trip to a tourist island, sank off South Korea’s southern coast yesterday, leaving more than 280 people missing despite a frantic, hourslong rescue by dozens of ships and helicopters. At least four people were confirmed dead and 55 injured.

The high number of people unaccounted for — likely trapped in the ship or floating in the ocean — raised fears that the death toll could rise drastically, making it one of South Korea’s biggest ferry disasters since 1993, when 292 people died.

One student, Lim Hyungmin, told broadcaster YTN after being rescued that he and other students jumped into the ocean wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat.

“As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another,” Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean “was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live.”

Local television stations broadcast live pictures of the ship, Sewol, listing to its side and slowly sinking as passengers jumped out or

Rival Somali forces clash over flashpoint zone RMED forces from A Somalia’s rival northern regions faced off yesterday over a contested region, with both the United Nations and United States calling for calm.

Troops from self-declared Somaliland in the northwest and soldiers from autonomous Puntland in the northeast have deployed around the town of Taleh, a contested zone in the northern Sool region.

The two regions claim several areas in border regions including potentially valuable oil blocks, with both sides in certain cases issuing overlapping exploration licences.

Rival forces have clashed repeatedly in the region

before, a lawless area bordering Ethiopia that does not recognise the authority of the weak central government based far to the south in Mogadishu.

“The situation will not be resolved by military means,” UN special representative Nicholas Kay said in a statement.

“All parties must refrain from violent actions, and make immediate efforts to de-escalate the situation and resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue and compromise,” he added.

US special representative James McAnulty expressed “deep concern” at the “mounting tensions” between the regions.

were winched up by helicopters.

At least 87 vessels and 18 aircraft swarmed around the stricken ship. Rescuers clambered over its sides, pulling out passengers wearing orange life jackets.

But the ship overturned completely and continued to sink slowly. Within a few hours only its blue-andwhite bow stuck out of the water.

Some 160 coast guard and navy divers searched for survivors inside the ship’s wreckage a few kilometers (miles) from Byeongpung Island, which is not far from the mainland and about 470 kilometers (290 miles) from Seoul.

Cho Man-yong, a coast guard spokesman, said 16 divers approached the ferry Wednesday night but failed to get inside because the current was too strong. He said the water was very muddy and visibility was poor, but navy and coast guard divers planned to make another approach after midnight.

Egyptian court jails 119 Mursi supporters election that he is expected N Egyptian court sen- throw, judicial sources said.

More than 50 people were to win easily.

A tenced 119 supporters of In another case last month, the Muslim Brotherhood of killed in the October 6 former president, Mohamed Mursi to three years each in prison yesterday in connection with protests last October against his over-

Burundi scoffs at UN warning on stoking of political violence URUNDI accused the B United Nations yesterday of spreading rumors about planned constitutional changes that critics say could upset the country’s delicate ethnic power balance and possibly lead to civil war.

Government ministers said that warnings last week by the U.N. mission in Burundi (BNUB) about possible violence were baseless and possibly spread to justify an extension of its mandate beyond its December expiration date BNUB warned last week that leaders of tiny central African state who have manipulated young people to stoke violence could face international prosecution if human rights abuses are committed.

Also last week, the United States urged Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza to drop the planned changes that might allow him to run for a third term. They have stirred the country’s worst political crisis since a 12-year civil war ended in 2005.

“These are rumors, there is no distribution of weapons and security situation is calm throughout the whole coun-

try. We don’t know where BNUB has picked up this news,” Public Security Minister Gabriel Nizigama said in parliament.

“We think BNUB is finding ways to stay in Burundi beyond its term which terminates by December this year, by spreading over wrong information about increasing violence in the country,” Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana added.

Britain’s Prince George (centre) with his father, Prince William (right) and his mother Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge upon their arrival from New Zealand at Sydney airport…yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Burundi’s political stand-off has raised the risk of another explosion in a volatile region already grappling with unrest in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic.

Government spokesman, Philippe Nzobonariba said on state radio that the U.N. should be ready to shoulder the blame for any fallout from their statement last week.

protests called by Mursi’s supporters, one of the bloodiest days since his overthrow by the military on July 3.

Judge Hazem Hashad acquitted six people in the case.

They faced charges including unlawful assembly and thuggery.

The army-backed authorities have banned the Muslim Brotherhood and driven it underground, killing hundreds of its supporters and arresting thousands in the weeks after Mursi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, was toppled by the military following mass protests against his rule.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who ousted Mursi, declared last month that he would run in a presidential

a court in southern Egypt sentenced 529 Mursi supporters to death in a ruling that drew criticism from rights groups and Western governments.

The Muslim Brotherhood was Egypt’s best organized political party until last year but the government has accused it of turning to violence since Mursi was overthrown. The Brotherhood says the group remains committed to peacefully resisting what it views as a military coup.

Many of the Brotherhood’s leaders, including Mursi, are on trial. Mursi is charged with crimes including conspiring with foreign militant groups against Egypt, which carries the death penalty.

NATO ups military presence amid Russian threat ATO is strengthening its N military footprint along its eastern border immediately in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said yesterday.

Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO’s air policing aircraft will fly more sorties over the Baltic region and allied warships will deploy to the Baltic Sea, the eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere if needed.

“We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water and more readiness

on the land,” Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels, declining to give exact troop figures.

Moscow must make clear “it doesn’t support the violent actions of well-armed militias or pro-Russian separatists” in eastern Ukraine, he added.

NATO’s eastern members — including Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Poland — have been wary following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, demanding a more robust military deterrence to counter neighbor-

ing Russia.

Rasmussen said the new NATO deployments are about “deterrence and deescalation” in the face of Russia’s aggressive behavior.

NATO estimates Russia has amassed some 40,000 troops on Ukraine’s eastern border and could invade if it wished. Fogh Rasmussen again urged Russia to pull those troops back.

The NATO chief did not mention naval deployments to the Black Sea — which Russia would likely see as a direct aggression even

though NATO members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey also border the sea.

He insisted, however, that “more will follow if needed.”

There are also no apparent plans to deploy ground troops to reinforce alliance members closest to Russia.

Rasmussen spoke after NATO’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, approved recommendations from United States Air Force General, Philip Breedlove, the alliance’s supreme commander in Europe, on how to beef up defenses of member states closest to Russia.

Six die as Guinea gold mine collapses T least, six people including women and children, A were killed when a small gold mine in Guinea, West Africa caved in on them, a local official said yesterday.

The accident happened on Tuesday when some of the group were digging in the mine in the country’s remote, mineral-rich Siguiri province when it caved in.

Some small mines in the country employ unskilled workers and it is not uncommon for children to be taken in.

“Since yesterday we have been doing the count and we are at six dead, including two women. Amongst them are also children of less than 12 years of age who were with their parents,” the central government’s local representative for the Siguiri region, Mohamed Cheick Diallo, told Reuters.

He did not say how many were working at the site.

Thousands work in Guinea’s mines, seeing it as a route out of poverty. Mining is legal but notoriously dangerous.

One person was killed in an accident in March in the same area and 25 died in a gold mine explosion in eastern Guinea last November.

Guinea is one of Africa’s richest countries in terms of resources with reserves of iron ore, gold, bauxite and diamonds but it remains one of the world’s poorest in terms of development, ranking 178th out of 187 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index last year.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 www.ngrguardiannews.com

Acting as One-Day Chairman of a local council, Boluwatife becomes new poster for street children

Chairman, Onigbongbo LCDA, Babatunde Oke (left) handing over to the One-Day Chairman, Olanusi Boluwatife... last Friday

from home and later found his way to Oshodi, where he integrated himself with other street urchins in Okomala.

With the honour he has brought to himself and his school, there is a frantic search to locate his paternal grandmother. According to the boy, he doesn’t know his parents. “All I remember is that my parents fought and my father took me to my grandmother’s place in Mowe area of Ogun State,” he told The Guardian.

Recounting his street life experience, Boluwatife said he ran away from his grandmother’s home after committing an offence. As a street boy, life has been very tough and brutish. He was forced to fend for himself and be street smart to avoid being caught in some dirty pranks.

However, his life changed when the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials combed the area and picked him with others.

He said: “Life on the street was difficult.

Before I could eat, I would work as a factory worker where they produce sachet water. I had gone from one home to another but today, the centre has changed me.”

Boluwatife, who desires to go to any good university for higher learning wants to be a footballer and a film actor.

He implored other street children to return home. At the moment, he is learning screen processing with special attention on photography at the vocational training centre located inside the school.

Special Adviser, Office of Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, said Boluwatife’s case is a success story of street boys. “He was rescued at Oshodi on the streets in 2013. There was a talent out there about to be lost but now rescued and his life has changed. If we don’t do it, we won’t know he is talented. He is an orphan, thrown out by the father’s family. He is a brilliant boy. His case is the success story of those boys on the street.

“Ours was just to take care of him. The court put him under government to care for him. His studies go on as he attends classes and trade acquisition training.

Some children find themselves in situation they can’t control. When parents are not alive, those that take care of the children abuse them but it is the responsibility of government to intervene by rescuing them from the streets and placing them in our facility,” he said.

Expressing his delight on the boy’s per-

formance at the competition, Principal, Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Mr. Oluwatoyin Kotun, said parents should show love to their children for them to maximize their potential. “Every child has his own talent. It is just for parents to identify it. Many children have potentials but they lack parental care, love and support.

“At the centre, we give them psychosocial therapy, which helps to identify potentials in them. Other children at the centre are also doing well. We have always been participating in this competition every year and preparing hard for it. We are happy our efforts have been rewarded. This is the first time a student has brought honour to our school, which is good for us because of the problem of poor public perception.

“Children in the school are tainted with a wrong perception by members of the public. It is not all of them that committed crime. Some of the children are in the facility because they are going through abuse, some of them are orphans, who lack care and protection, and some are street children because their parents were fighting over their custody. So, the perception that all of them are hardened criminals and can’t be reformed is incorrect,” he said.

“There is hope for the street children.

When you wear the toga of a street child, there is no hope, but when you take off the toga, there is hope. A child that wants to learn will definitely progress in life,” Badru said, adding that as part of efforts to empower youths in the state, the Office of Youth and Social Development in the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Social Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 7up Bottling Company Plc to train some of the youths in many fields. He said that after graduation, those who do well would be employed in the company. The training runs between six to 12 months.

“Presently, 22 youths are undergoing training in fleet management, engineering, production as well as various fields in which 7up operates. If the youths excel in the pilot case, there is tendency that the company can employ them. If the company is encouraged with their performance, it will make them to do more in the area of training.”

He added that the ministry does a lot of skill acquisition for youths in the state and there is a short-term course in hairdressing, baking, shoemaking and other areas.

man of Onigbongbo LCDA. Though young, now he is old enough to understand the popular axiom that success has many parents but failure is an orphan.

ONDER, it is said never ends; and this was Expectedly, he was swarmed on all sides by repeated in Lagos when Olanusi Boluwat- parents, council workers, well-wishers and ife, a 14-year-old orphan picked up at officials of the Office of Youth and Social DevelOkomala in Oshodi and sent to the Special Coropment, which oversees the Special Correcrectional Centre for Boys in Oregun, emerged tional Centre for Boys. from a Spelling Bee competition to become a A brief ceremony was held at the council secone-day chairman of a local council in Lagos. retariat, where the chairman, Hon. Babatunde He had strode in unannounced on March 17 Oke, temporarily handed over power to into the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa neat- Boluwatife. This was followed by scheduled ly dressed in his school uniform for the annual visits made by Boluwatife and his entourage Spelling Bee competition that would produce to Galaxy Television, Honeywell Noodles, and the One-Day Governor of Lagos State. There was palace of the Awise of Onigbongboland, Oba no reason for any of the children to be spotlight- Muniru Olatunji Yusuf, among other locations ed since it was a gathering of champions, with of interest. participants emerging winners and runners-up For the hundreds of citizens, who came to of a similar contest at their various local counreceive the One-Day Chairman, they were cils. regaled by the tale of the boy who ran away Unknown to many, Boluwatife was not one of the also-rans among the five pupils selected to represent Onigbongbo Local Council DevelopAll I remember is that my parents ment Area (LCDA), but had, in fact, emerged winfought and my father took me to ner of the Spelling Bee competition at the local government level. Not one to flaunt his stuff, he my grandmother’s place in Mowe maintained his unassuming calmness until the area of Ogun State. Life on the results were announced and he emerged third in the primary school category. street was difficult. Before I could From that moment on, he became the cynosure of all eyes alongside Master Olabanji Edun eat, I would work as a factory of Army Children Senior Secondary School in worker where they produce sachet Onigbongbo LCDA, who won the fierce intellectual contest to automatically become the next water. I had gone from one home One-Day governor of Lagos State. to another but today, the centre While Edun awaits his day in the sun to act as governor of Lagos for 24 hours, Boluwatife, last Permanent Secretary, Office of Youth and Social Development, Dr. Adesegun Oshinyimika (left); Boluwatife and has changed me. weekend, got his reward as the One-Day ChairSpecial Adviser to the governor on Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru at a reception for Boluwatife

Tope Templer Olaiya, Assistant Lagos City Editor

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THE GUARDIAn www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

11

Colour, creativity signpost Lasgidi Carnival Tope Templer Olaiya

verging for a party at the TBS. This year’s Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) took off to a AGOSIAnS are not known to spend festivals and public holi- colourful note on Monday morning at Freedom Park, Broad Street. The park resonated with lively music and dance with days indoors and this Easter weekend provides another troupes entertaining guests. unique moment for families to go out and experience fun The Eko Brass Band, Footprints of David, Oyo State Cultural on a full scale. This weekend, residents would be spoilt for Troupe, masquerades from Ogun State and Meboi (Brazilian maschoice with places to visit and be thoroughly delighted. querade brought by the Brazilian Descendants Union in Lagos) Security concerns and depressed economy notwithstanding, the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in the heart of Lagos Island is the were among those that set the park agog with their performancplace to be on Easter Monday for the annual Lagos Carnival. The es.

Declaring the festival with the theme The Music Makers open, colourful and creative decorations already mounted at strategic locations like Falomo roundabout, Outer Marina, Alausa and the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Third Mainland Bridge, have heightened the expectations of Affairs, Disun Holloway, thanked Lagosians for supporting the pleasure seekers. fiesta since its inception.

It is hard to miss the statue of the Carnival Queen at Outer He gave assurance that this year’s festival will not be different Marina, dressed to the nines in a colorful presentation, the from previous ones and disclosed some slight changes in the rhinestones, feathers and flouncy fabric all complimenting its beauty. The peacock at Falomo Roundabout struts her stuff dis- schedule. Guests were treated to some performances and also viewed paintings by children participating in the vision of the playing different colours of the carnival and bringing comchild painting competition. muters, who admire the decoration that seems almost life-like Framed works by the 32 finalists vying for the top prize in the to a standstill. competition sponsored by Diamond Bank Plc were neatly Tagged Lasgidi, the 2014 carnival promises a spectacular display of magnificent costumes, designs, and acrobatics bringing arranged in the Kongi Harvest Art Gallery, while the children explained their works to the guests. the weeklong Lagos Black Heritage Festival to a breathtaking The awards night of the contest themed The Rule of Law and The end, with thousands of Lagosians adorning stunning costumes Law of Impunity, which required participants to interpret the and dancing on some of the major streets in Island before con-

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Shot from Bode Sowande's Mammywater's Wedding at the ongoing Lagos Black Heritage Festival.

House directs agencies to embark on safety rules campaign on waterways that the death-toll was as a result of passengers negligence to adhere strictly to O forestall another boat mishap, the use of life vest.

Lagos State House of Assembly has Testimony of one of the survivors, called for widespread awareness on Queen Idise, informed the House that safety rules in water transport, as it only 13 of the 21 passengers onboard also urged Lagosians to always comply had their lifeguard properly worn and with boarding rules. were able to stay afloat till rescue agenSpecifically, the legislative arm direct- cies arrived about 10 to 15 minutes after ed the state ministry of transport and the boat capsized. relevant agencies to embark on safety Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforicampaign across the state and make ji said it was unfortunate that nigerians guiding regulations of ferry services often find it difficult to keep to simple known to the public, especially the safety rules that would save their lives mandatory use of life jacket. in case of untoward events.

It would be recalled that the AssemHe said: “The problem is clear. When bly had summoned the key officials of there is an emergency like that, particuthe relevant agencies following the larly in a place where your feet cannot mishap that killed eight passengers reach the ground, like in the air or on April 2, 2014. water, people are bound to panic and Presentations by Commissioner for forget the needful.

Transport, Kayode Opeifa; Managing “But it is also a warning to all of us. The Director, Lagos State Waterways truth is that basic rules are often negAgency (LASWA), Olayinka Marinho; lected. We simply take joy in floating his counterpart in Lagos Ferry Services laws and order, even at the expense of Company, Babatunde Williams and our lives.

Chairman of Ferry Operators, Bayo “It is only in this country you would Williams, laid the blame of the accifind a motorcyclist carrying the crash dent on strayed log on the sea, adding helmet on his laps instead of wearing it

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PHOTOS: CHARLES OKOLO

Highlife maestro, Tunji Oyelana performing at Freedom Park yesterday.

LAGOS ASSEMBLY DIARY

By Wole Oyebade

theme in the form of a poem, essay or short story before they painted it, will hold on Friday, April 18 at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island.

Speaking to newsmen after viewing the works, Holloway admitted that he was surprised by the children’s excellent interpretation of the theme.

“I have been most impressed by what I have seen today. When Prof. Wole Soyinka told us the title, some of us were a bit skeptical about the ability of the children to interpret it. We thought it was a pretty difficult theme but you can see what the children have done and I am most impressed.

“Each one of them have taken their time to express what they see of our society and it’s a little bit depressing actually to see that children of this age, who are looking at us, the grownups and what they see have been reflected in their paintings. It’s very depressing but that’s reality,” he said.

The festival continued on Monday evening with the staging of Duro Ladipo’s classic play, Oba Koso. The carnival queen pageant holds on Saturday, April 19 at Freedom Park while the Fitila Procession will take place in Badagry the same day.

The boat regatta coordinated by Engineer Seyi Jawando, will be on Sunday, while the Lagos Street Carnival wraps up proceedings on Monday. Some streets on Lagos and Victoria Islands, including Bourdillon, Onikan and Igbosere will be closed for the carnival.

Highlife maestro, Tunji Oyelana will perform on five nights of the festival at Freedom Park before he is joined for the closing jam on Monday by another highlife great, Jimi Solanke.

on his head while riding. You don’t find that in any civilised setting. Even inside aircraft it takes much persuasion to get some nigerians to put on seat belts for takeoff and landing or to switch off their handsets.

“I don’t know exactly what is wrong with our society. no matter how many laws we make, as far as people find it hard to comply, we will continue to have problems like this,” Ikuforiji said.

Lawmaker representing Ikorodu I Constituency, Sanai Agunbiade earlier remarked that it would not be out of place to commence media campaign on the use of life jackets and penalise any violator of the guiding rules.

He added that the penalty should also be applicable to passengers at the point of disembarking, citing that users were found of unstrapping their lifeguards mid-way into the journey.

Although he observed it was late in coming, Commissioner for Transport, Opeifa assured the House that the Ministry was embarking on one-year safety campaign to create more awareness on safety regulations on the waterways.

Opeifa said the campaign had been approved and would soon commence.

BRIEF LAPO initiates move to enhance brand awareness, awards scholarships S part of its communicaA tion strategy to elevate brand awareness, LAPO Microfinance Bank recently paid a sensitization visit to Four Square Gospel Church, Lakeview- Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State. The event witnessed an overwhelming response from over 120 members of the Church.

The program addressed loans and saving products offered by LAPO MfB and highlighted the vital importance the bank places on improving lives through affordable finance. This captivating outreach initiative is one of many brand awareness programmes the bank plans to conduct this year.

In a related development, finance institution in recognition of its leading social and economic empowerment organization in the country also granted secondary school scholarship awards to 1,402 children of its clients, includ-

ing indigent and physically challenged students across its areas of operation.

To further strengthen its corporate social responsibility, the bank’s basic Skill Acquisition Scheme (BSAS) was initiated in January 2014. BSAS is to compliment the scholarship scheme and aims to support skill acquisition by client’s children, who are out of school.

The latest award brings the total number of beneficiaries under the Scholarship Scheme to 1,442 for Secondary and University education.

Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, the managing director of the bank, said they instituted the scholarship scheme in 2008 with the cash prize of 10,000 US dollars that the Grameen Foundation awarded the bank for Excellence in Microfinance in 2006.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Politics THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Only a Confederal Constitution, loose federation best suited for Nigeria Remarks made by Dr. Braithwaite, Ph.D, Law, at the ongoing National Conference on April 13, 3014.

By Tunji Braithwaite MY name is Tunji Braithwaite, Ph.D, Law; the founder of the revolutionary Nigeria Advance Party. I am in the category of Elder Statesmen at this historic Conference.

Please, listen to an Elder, who has seen and been part of it all — of the journey — so far in what can be called “Project Nigeria.

Before I make my few remarks, which may be very strong, but certainly relevant to the purpose of this 2014 National Conference, let me say that I align myself with many delegates in their commendation of President Jonathan’s Inaugural address to this conference.

But my position in all this is that, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is acting a “Divine Script,” and to that extent, it is GOD Himself, who has intervened at this point in time, in the affairs of the artificially created geographical territory called Nigeria.

Let us briefly consider the record and antecedent of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan: Here is a man who became Governor of Bayelsa State by default. Few years thereafter, he was yet again, by default, catapulted to the pinnacle of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as President; a man, who is now in the saddle at the 100th Anniversary in 2014, of the one-time a British colonial country, Nigeria, like many other countries in the world.

But even Dr. Jonathan is in error, believing that “Nigeria, as a nation, is already 100 years.” (See pages 5 and 18 of his Address) No, Nigeria, — still work in progress — is only 54 years as a nation. Up till October 1, 1960, Nigeria, like other colonised communities in the world, was a British Colony.

Not a nation.

The recent Centenary Celebrations by the Nigerian Government were unfortunately a misplaced celebration, unworthy of champagne-glass clinking.

However, you cannot do justice to a process of constitution-making, review or charting a course for the regulation and the administration of human societies without recourse to histories; because histories with past and present life-experiences, together constitute the Compass needed to navigate and chart a safe course for present and future generations.

Barely five years into Nigeria’s flag Independence, the then Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon in 1966, head of a military junta ruling over the new nation, asserted, and I paraphrase him that “… the basis for one country in Nigeria was not there…”

Some conservative Nigerians, along with elements of the British Government, immediately advised the young man to retract his belief, expressed from his appraisal of the prevailing situation.

Due to time and space, I will skip the tragic story of the ultimate Civil War, albeit its relevance for our present task.

Permit me briefly, to mention the preindependence Constitutional Conferences of 1953, 1957 and 1959 without delving into details, and the fact that the country had British Governors right up to the eve of independence in 1960.

Then came the 1963 Constitution, which made Nigeria a Republic. However, there was another agenda that motivated and influenced the 1963 Constitution.

The on-going treasonable felony trial of

Braithwaite Chief Obafemi Awolowo & Ors, arising out of political crisis in the South West Region of Nigeria from 1962, had ballooned into a serious national impasse.

The 1963 Constitution stopped and prevented appeals from Nigeria to the Privy Council in London, but nevertheless, retained a most scandalous, slavish and oppressive common law of the British darkest era in terms of respect for fundamental human rights!

Incredibly, the slavish doctrine that

reduced human beings to the condition of lizards in the control of governments, i.e., that government can do no wrong — (even up to murder) was actually resorted to and offered, successfully, right through the Nigerian Courts to the Supreme Court in another landmark trial in the Fela Anikulapo case, which influenced yet another Constitution in 1978. (See the court records and especially my book, the Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles, chapter 8) “In 1977, a judge of the Lagos High Court,

Let the word go forth that there are a number of brave, honest, nationalistic persons in this Conference that, hopefully would be able to reconstruct Nigeria in a way that the blessings, peace and prosperity, rightly deserved by the peoples of this country, would be guaranteed by a New Confederal Constitution. The existing six geopolitical zones have uniquely different developmental problems for which a single “one-sizefits-all” solution can never work, in the reality of Nigeria’s diversity. The present 1999 Constitution, aka, Decree 24, is enforcing a country that is destroying its own people, and should be rejected outright. This Conference must, therefore, be as much a development conference as a constitutional one. It is our firm conviction that only a Confederal Constitution or a very loose federation is best suited for Nigeria. I say this because I know that no part of Nigeria is desert.

made some blood-chilling findings of facts in an action instituted by a well-known, popular, albeit non-conformist musician and some others against the military junta ruling Nigeria. In the judge’s own language: ‘There were atrocities, rampage (sic), beating (sic) and knocking around of all the inmates of the plaintiffs’ compound by soldiers who battered the occupants of the house without any consideration… The soldiers rushed into the house and threw everybody out naked except the 1st and 3rd plaintiffs. They entered into the main house, set fire to it and the whole house and the entire contents were razed to the ground… The female members of the organisation were assaulted and battered…

There were as many as 52 people treated for various injuries ranging from laceration, burns, to breaking of bones… It is beyond dispute, of course that many soldiers, a witness gave the figure of 1,000, surrounded the entire buildings, hauling stones and broken bottles. Many of them got inside the building, set fire to it as well as the generator in the compound…’”

“He then concluded: ‘It was hell let loose…’”

But the sustained protests and civil rights activism of the best and the brave in human societies, which always stand as the bastion against denial of freedoms and self-rule on planet Earth, led to the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution, which, in clear and sacrosanct language, enabled, for the first time ever, Nigerians to exercise their human rights. Just imagine, as recent as in 1978 in a so-called Independent Nigeria!

I was Counsel, together with some noble lawyers in that case, just as I was also a young lawyer on the defence team of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1963!

Then came 1983, when the civilian President Shehu Shagari was “advised” that the military would remove him from government for reasons undisclosed.

Shagari himself informed me of this development and requested that our party, the Nigeria Advance Party, and the PRP should join his government in order to ward-off the threat. Suffice to say that, we of the NAP declined the invitation because we saw in the proposal hegemonistic tendencies and neo-colonialist mindset that (divide and rule) set people against themselves.

Finally, let the word go forth that there are a number of brave, honest, nationalistic persons in this Conference that, hopefully would be able to reconstruct Nigeria in a way that the blessings, peace and prosperity, rightly deserved by the peoples of this country, would be guaranteed by a New Confederal Constitution.

The existing six geopolitical zones have uniquely different developmental problems for which a single “one-size-fits-all” solution can never work, in the reality of Nigeria’s diversity.

The present 1999 Constitution, aka, Decree 24, is enforcing a country that is destroying its own people, and should be rejected outright.

This Conference must, therefore, be as much a development conference as a constitutional one. It is our firm conviction that only a Confederal Constitution or a very loose federation is best suited for Nigeria.

I say this because I know that no part of Nigeria is desert.

HE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 | 13

THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

There’s no unity in diversity in Nigeria, says Nwoko Mr. Uwemedimo Nwoko, a constitutional lawyer, an activist and chairman, the Governing Council of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, spoke to Ayoyinka Jegede in Uyo on issues of national unity amid several hiccups, and what the National Conference should do.

OW do we tackle the issue of disH unity in the country?

The slogan of unity in diversity is a fake and false premise of trying to blend together an impossible marriage. Talking about Nigeria as if it’s one indivisible, indissoluble sovereign nation is all deceitful slogans.

We can see it clearly that none of them is practicable and none of them has been effective. To say we are a country that has tribes and our strength is derived from our unity in diversity is all lie.

You can see where innocent students are being slaughtered by people you call your brothers; where a whole community would be run over and over 200 innocent men, women and children are being slaughtered by other people; where is the unity in diversity?

Are we telling ourselves the truth?

Or is it just because the staying together of Nigeria is for the economic gains for a few greedy persons who are the beneficiaries of this British fraud?

Nothing to celebrate (Centenary anniversary); the sooner Nigerians get to tell themselves the truth, the better. It is very sad that the National Conference is going to leave out the most critical aspect of what the conference should actually be for, which is how to discuss and negotiate the separation of Nigerians to their various homes.

If we don’t discuss the unity, basis and terms upon which we can coexist at the National Conference, then we are there to waste money, time and just to deceive ourselves.

Nigerians should, at this stage, be bold enough to face the truth of the impossibility or unacceptability of the continued existence of Nigeria as one nation. That is the only way we will be able to define if we want to continue to stay together on what terms.

The current arrangement and structure of Nigeria in every direction and every aspect do not favour a continuous staying together. We don’t have a federation; we are running a unitary system and we call it a federation deceitfully.

We don’t have fiscal federalism. The component units are not in control of their resources. All the basic parameters of a federation are missing in Nigeria.

The only thing that makes Nigeria a federation is on paper we called the Nigerian federation. The basic concept and ideology that establish the Nigerian federation have been destroyed by the military.

In the 1963 Constitution, section 140(1), the derivation principles stood at 50 per cent to the producing region, but today, it is reduced to zero. The oil producing regions have just managed to get back 13 per cent; is that a federation?

So many things are wrong with the

Nwoko supposed Nigerian federation and it’s a pure fraud on the people who are producing resources that run this country.

But the National Conference is geared towards engendering the elusive unity, isn’t it?

It supposed to be, but you want to discuss unity and sweep under the carpet the problem that brought the disagreement. You cannot discuss unity of Nigeria without discussing the terms upon which we exist together.

We should state the terms of our unity or the basis on which we should separate. Both of them are two sides of the same coin. We cannot say we want to go and discuss the unity of Nigeria without looking at it that unity does not work if the terms are not acceptable. What is the option and how do we resolve that side, which is do we separate?

The success of the National Conference will depend on the sincerity of purpose and how we put all our cards on the table faced up.

There should be no no-go areas and if the Federal Government says we are not going to discuss the unity of Nigeria, then it is just laying a time bomb that’s waiting to explode.

Are you in any way encouraging a break up of the country?

I am suggesting very strongly a break up with a proviso: that if we are not to break up, then we must redefine terms of living together,

the terms of our union.

Marking of the Centenary of the amalgamation of Nigeria is equivalent of the marking of the Hiroshima tragedy when the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

If Nigeria and Nigerians are desirous of remaining together, they should sit down and go back to the terms upon which this country was formed as a federation.

We should go back to the forties and fifties and looked into situations that brought up the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, and not talking about 1979 Constitution.

Everything from 1979 is a product of the destruction that the military foist on Nigeria. If we want to remain as a people together, let’s go back to the foundation.

If Nigerians are to co-exist, we must be able to accept the truth; nobody should lord it over the other. The historical truth, current truth and the truth of our existence and the basis of our unity and terms of coexistence must be revealed.

It is not helpful to declare that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable, whereas you know that Nigeria is living with every available threat of separation that can result in calamitous effect.

HAT would you say about the W celebration of the Centenary anniversary of amalgamation of the

country?

I am of the opinion that we are marking the tragedy of the amalgamation of Nigeria, tragedy of the political contraption that was fabricated by the British just for their selfish economic and political ends.

The celebration of the centenary is the equivalent of the marking of the dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. History of Hiroshima and the atomic bomb is a history of disaster and the history of the amalgamation of Nigeria is a history marking that disaster that the British brought to bear on the political soil of Africa by creating the contraption they called Nigeria.

I call it a disaster and a tragedy because the amalgamation has produced more regrets for the people of the South-South region of Nigeria. There are no positive things that should be celebrated.

When you look at it, you will get to find out that in amalgamating the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria, there was no consideration given to the religions, historical and traditional diversities in component units.

Absolutely no basis for saying that the Hausa/Fulani nomad is a brother to the fisherman of Bayelsa State!

There is nothing that makes a Hausa/Fulani herdsman a brother to the farmer in Benue/Plateau region of Nigeria.

There hasn’t really been anything that we should say this is what we are marking except that for the purpose of history, whether things are positive or negative, there is always a timeline that people mark for whatever it is worth.

You were quoted elsewhere as saying that the amalgamation treaty was signed in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State; what is your evidence?

In every concept of history, there are three major components, which are: the human players, time and place.

If we are to discuss the amalgamation of Nigeria and to mark it, we have Lord Lugard and his wife as the human players; we have 1914 as the year the amalgamation took place. Where did it happen?

Why do we look at the human participant and the time of event without looking at the place where it happened?

The amalgamation of Nigeria was signed at Ikot Abasi in the present day Akwa Ibom State. The house where Lord Lugard lived is there.

The ‘bridge of no return,’ — where slaves who crossed that bridge could not come back — is there. All those physical features are there.

We are talking about celebrating the amalgamation of Nigeria in Lagos and Abuja without coming to Ikot Abasi where it happened, to start the anniversary.

The selfish interest of those who organised the anniversary would

not allow them to come to Ikot Abasi. They took it away from where it happened and went to where it never happened, to benefit those who belong to that area so that they continue to impoverish, abandon, and neglect where it happened.

History must stand on three legs.

Lord Lugard, the manufacturer of this contraption lived in Ikot Abasi.

There are historical facts, clear evidence that it was at Ikot Abasi and larger part of Akwa Ibom State and the Aba women’s riot took place.

It did not happen at Aba; it happened within the territory of Akwa Ibom State; it only spread to other part. Because Aba was then a multilarger province within the colonial administration framework, it (riot) was tagged the Aba women’s riot.

I know it happened in 1929 because my grandmother, the mother of my father, was exempted from that because at that time, she was nursing my father, who was then a two to three-month-old child.

If we want to discuss such history and we fail to give credence and recognition to the location where it took place, then there is something wrong with such historical facts. It’s missing out certain factors and that’s distortion.

One hundred years of amalgamation and there is Boko Haram insurgence tearing at the heart of the nation; what’s the problem?

What are the Boko Haram insurgents fighting for? Who are their sponsors? Leaders in the North have not been able to summon up the courage to confront the Boko Haram in their territories.

Where are we putting the security responsibilities on if a governor, the chief security officer of a state, can wake up and his state has been taken over by militants, insurgents and the governor throws his hands up in the air and says he is helpless?

There are senators, ex-governors, ex-militant officers, and ex-policemen in those territories. Boko Haram fighters are not spirits, they are human beings and they live among them.

Why is it now that it is during President Jonathan’s period that Boko Haram had suddenly taken over Nigeria and the northerners making volatile statements and nobody is questioning them? Why are they encouraging this upsurge of violence against Jonathan’s government?

There is no security challenge in Nigeria that is not orchestrated and arranged. Northern leaders should ask themselves sincere questions and find out why is it during the administration of the South-South presidency that Boko Haram has suddenly become untamable and unmanageable in Nigeria.

‘North to respond to issues affecting its interests’ From Saxone Akhaine (Northern Bureau Chief) ORTHERN delegates at the N national conference have met and resolved to present their position against the views of other geopolitical zones, as they affect the interests of North.

Coming under the umbrella of Northern Delegates’ Forum (NDF), the members over deliberations by the national conference.

In a statement by the NDF Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony

Sani, the meeting of the Northern Delegates “considered the unfolding developments in the national conference with a view to articulating common positions on issues most northerners share, as well as paying due attention to issues that are peculiar to their states and communities.”

According to Sani, the response of the North to most arguments coming from other geopolitical zones would be handled “with unity of purpose that comes with clear thought, clear morality and

clear expression for the over all good of national unity and interest as they affect the North.”

Besides, he disclosed that the forum had elected the officials of NDF that would handle the affairs of the North at the conference.

“Northern Leaders of state delegates met yesterday (Sunday) under the auspices of Northern Delegates’ Forum, led by the CoChairmen, former I G Ibrahim Coomasie and retired Lt.General JT Useni, who stood in for Prof Jerry Gana,” Sani said.

“Towards this end, and in order to assist the co-chairmen of former I G Ibrahim Coomasie and Prof. Jerry Gana in the task of effective management practices of the Northern Delegates’ Forum, Mohammed Kumalia was appointed the Secretary.

“He is to be assisted by Ambassador Mamman Yusufu, while Mr. Anthony NZ Sani is to serve as the forum’s spokesman, who is to be assisted by Mrs. Binta Garba.”

Sani

TheGuardian

14 | Thursday, April 17, 2014

www.ngrguardiannews.com

Conscience Nurtured by Truth

FOUNDER: ALEX U. IBRU (1945 – 2011) Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it. Uthman dan Fodio 1754-1816

Editorial Rwanda’s genocide anniversary HE genocide in Rwanda in which thousands of Tutsis and Hutus were T murdered re-echoed across the world the other day as the Rwandese held solemn commemoration of the tragic episode in their history. It was a sad but appropriate reminder to humanity and as is customary with such occasions, emotions flowed. Indeed, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, put the feeling across the world succinctly when he said, “we must not be left to utter the words ‘never again’, again and again”.

It would be recalled that following the shooting of the aircraft conveying neighbouring Burundi’s President, Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, on April 6, 1994 allegedly by Tutsi extremists, an instant massacre of Tutsi minority ethnic stock by the Hutu majority ensued. The outcome was mind boggling and within three months, over 900, 000 of Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered even as the rest of the world looked the other way.

A memorial such as this is important for two reasons. One is to address humanity’s capacity to forget easily and fall into the same calamity, all over again. The other is, to reflect on the causative factors beyond the narrow interpretation of the event in elite manipulation of ethnicity. Indeed, commemoration can serve as perpetual reminder of the evil of revenge and acts of massacre against another community or ethnic stock as inimical to humane and civilised conduct.

Although, incumbent Rwandese President Paul Kagame who led the Rwandan Peoples Front (RPF) to capture power in 1994 has accused foreign powers of complicity in the killings by allegedly providing training for Hutu militias, the understanding of the tragedy that happened is to be found in the colonial history of Rwanda. Colonial rule in Africa was underlined by various practices—indirect rule, assimilation and divide and rule among many other administrative experiments. The end goal was to keep the colonised territories and their people permanently subjugated. While Rwanda was fairly homogenous in terms of ethnic composition, which comprises the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa, long years of cultural accommodation were undermined by narratives of a superior race vested in the Tutsis by European historians and anthropologists. Colonial policies played up the Tutsis as Hamitic stock favoured to lead and were thereby empowered through Western education to the detriment of the Hutu majority. In the decolonisation process, the Belgian authorities that were miffed by Tutsi nationalism sought to transfer power to Hutus and gradually replaced Tutsis in the national scheme of things. Post-colonial Hutus’ ascendancy and policy of domination then drove many Tutsis into exile.

This history is important for the incumbent president who has now spent nearly two decades in office without transfer of power to another ruler by means of democratic transition. His policy of forging a common national identity for the citizens who now ostensibly regard themselves as Rwandese, irrespective of ethnic origin, is laudable, but can only be sustained by inclusiveness and democratic practices. Kagame has managed to forge a fragile peace and stability. The time has come for him to transcend the traction of office and ignore the ‘praise’ of the West and chose the Nelson Mandela option of grooming a successor, abdicating and taking the role of a statesman. Tenacity in power could easily undo the tenuous peace and engender a regression into the animosity of the past. What happened 20 years ago could easily repeat itself. Which is why leaders should be aware of the responsibility of leadership without fanning the embers of disunity. The Mandela option typifies the power of example and a timely disengagement when the ovation is loudest and succession still manageable. The reluctance to tow the Mandela option is at the heart of most protracted conflicts in the continent. Said Barre’s tenacity in power and authoritarian exaction in a homogenous Somalia led to the collapse of that country. In Cote d’Ivoire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny’s persistence in power plunged his country into ethnic identity politics and civil conflict after his demise. In Guinea Conakry, Lasana Conte’s tenacity in office engendered a brief authoritarian rule after his death. Robert Mugabe’s long sojourn in office has only resulted in the diminishing of a nation with great prospects. Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, Mobutu Sese Seko all bestrode their nations for long years, but now leave them in turmoil and tatters. African leaders must learn to know when to go.

Nigeria and other countries with diversities should also learn a lesson or two from Rwanda. Strength can be found in such complex diversity when there is respect and a commitment to nationhood. Anything else is recipe for disaster of the kind that befell Rwanda 20 years ago.

LETTER

Egypt may learn more from its faults IR: As General Sisi relinSanticipation quishes military power, in of winning political power, he may discover that things are easier said than done. He may also find out that power exudes only from the barrel of the gun. Sisi may recall in nightmarish circumstances, how he saluted Morsi and how he deposed him, in an apparent coup. Some expect the convoluted hays over Egypt to clear in a SISIPARIAN democracy after the election next month.

To succeed, Sisi must learn from everyone, including the Muslim Brotherhood. You cannot defeat an enemy you do not understand. Listen to the fool you may learn some-

At the Elihu School of Prophecy, we were thought that shiny epaulet democracy would always fail in Egypt, because they are thinkers of the highest degree. Since the White Nile and the Blue Nile must flow only one way downwards, peaceful reign, not rule by force will succeed in Egypt.

thing. The wise is the one, who has learnt from everyo n e .

Egyptians are a wise people. They have embraced scholarship and righteousness since ancient times.

They have done great things that we can see.

The impatience with their leaders stem from the quest for excellence in statecraft. They do not think that they should be put under moronic leaders, who do not know what governance is all about except to distribute posts, create avenues for their fellow morons to grow rich through pretence, intrigue and subterfuges. The only thing that Egyptians learn from history is that they do not learn and they forget very quickly.

At the Elihu School of Prophecy, we were thought that shiny epaulet democracy would always fail in Egypt, because they are thinkers of the highest degree. Since the White Nile and the Blue Nile must flow only one way downwards, peaceful reign, not rule by force will succeed in Egypt. Days after Sisi announced his intention to seek presidential mandate, Obama visited the

Pope with no army, except bodyguards. Russia has always faced isolation since the Second World War, partly self-imposed.

In Nigeria, governance is neglected and as soon as 2015 is in the pocket, without performance, 2019 will be canvassed and the moronic culture will continue. Sisi will not lead Egypt on the path of irreverent musings. We have seen a lot of spilled Egyptian blood. In the name of decency, let there be moderation. Sisi must discard lying compliments and embrace sincere criticism. As Sisi quits the army, he will soon see how easily the people will look the other way and will smile to the new real leader. He will learn that there are many virtuous people with mean minds and where authority abides, that is where the honey is. Is Sisi’s rule going to be Heroine, Herodian, Nassarite, Anwar Sadat style, Pharaoic, just, democratic and humane or like that of Caligula of Rome? The choice is his.

Egyptians should pray from the top of the pyramids because their future seems uncertain.

• Emmanuel Esiemokhai, G e n e v a .

Thursday, April 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

15

Opinion My position towards President Goodluck Jonathan

By Ben Nwabueze T has become necessary to make some clariIstory fications in order to dispel the unfounded in some political quarters that I am opposed to or anti-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Quite the contrary, I have a concern, a sincere concern, for his interest and for the success of his government. I want him to be the president who will transform Nigeria into a new, better and united country, which, to me, is the highest achievement for any president.

At the same time, I honestly think that the transformation of Nigeria cannot be combined with the ambition for re-election in 2015.

For one thing, transforming Nigeria into a new, better and united country and the political ambition for re-election as president in 2015 are mutually antagonistic objects, which cannot be successfully combined together. You have to choose to pursue the one or the other, but not both together at the same time; pursuing both together is like trying to gain the better of two worlds at one and the same time.

It is an impossible dream. And I told the president so in writing. I said that if I were him, I would go for the honour of being the one to transform Nigeria, which would make him the father of modern Nigeria and a national hero invested with immortality. That was an honest, personal advice. An advice as to what I would do if I were him cannot mean that I am opposed to or an enemy of my own interest.

It is the attempt to combine the mutually antagonistic objectives of national rebirth, national greatness and national unity and the political ambition for re-election in 2015 – an adroit political strategy – that has led to the nature and type of the National Conference being muddled up and to its being deprived of the capacity to serve as an instrument for the creation of a new, better and united Nigeria. That is the simple truth, which we should frankly admit to ourselves and to our fellow countrymen and women.

Despite the frustration of the objective of national transformation caused by the intrusion of the ambition for re-election in 2015, there can be no question of me calling on Ndigbo, Nigerians or anyone not to vote for President Jonathan in 2015 if he decides to run, which is his constitutional right, a right no one can take away from him. Yet, I do not understand my sympathy and solicitousness for the president’s interest as requiring me to abandon my role, as constitutional lawyer and analyst of the practice and processes of governance in the country, to criticise, in a constructive manner, errors by him and his government, or to betray my nature and character by compromising truth and principle in order to please anyone. The analyses and conclusions in my two recent write-ups are based on straightforward truth and principle that nobody has faulted; they stand on their feet, quite independently of support for, or opposition to, the president. I owe the analyses and conclusions in the two write-ups to the Nigerian people and to posterity, and I am content to leave it to them to be the judge. The two write-ups are titled: Will the National Conference, as now convoked and constituted by President Jonathan be effective in realising our aspiration for a new, better and united Nigeria?

And The ethnic nationalities are best suited to negotiate the terms of our unity as well as serve as necessary pillars for building a nation.

It is in the honest discharge of that role that I criticise, constructively, I believe, the muddles in the nature and type of the National Conference that deprive it of the capacity to serve as an instrument for the transformation of Nigeria into a new, better and united country. I am deeply pained that the conference should have been turned into what it is, but my feeling is simply that of pain and disillusion, not vengefulness or illwill or even anger towards the president.

But the matter is no longer one of criticism of errors committed in the way the conference is constituted, however constructive the criticism

may be, it is rather how to salvage the conference and make it serve the objective of transforming Nigeria into a new, better and united country. I think the conference can be salvaged even at this stage – by the president summoning the courage to send to the National Assembly an executive bill in terms of the National Conference and Referendum Bill prepared and submitted to him by The Patriots, with such modifications, as he may deem necessary. If he does that, he will have played his part, and it will be left to the Nigerian people to mobilise to get the National Assembly to pass the bill into law in the shortest possible time.

While the bill is in the National Assembly undergoing the usual processes, the National Conference, after the committee deliberations now going on, should set up a committee of its members to begin work on the drafting of a new Constitution, which after adoption by the conference, will be submitted to the people at a referendum for approval. While the drafting committee is working on the draft, the rest of the delegates should go on recess to resume when the draft constitution is ready for discussion. Hopefully, by this time the National Conference and Referendum Bill would have been passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the president.

The issue of referendum has become befogged by unnecessary confusion. There are two aspects to the issue; namely, (1) the amendment of section 9 of the Constitution by the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly to provide for a referendum as a method of either changing the Constitution in its entirety by the adoption of a new Constitution to replace it or as a method of altering specific provisions in it; (2) the enactment of a law by the National Assembly, after step (1) above has been accomplished, authorising the holding of a referendum to approve the decisions of the National Conference.

The argument of the National Assembly is that it cannot enact a law under step (ii) above until

step (i) above has been accomplished, that is, until section 9 of the Constitution has been amended by it and the State Houses of Assembly. This argument, which does not take into account the provisions of section 4, purposively interpreted, is open to disputation. Certainly, the National Assembly has power under section 4, taken together with section 315(1)(a & (4), to abolish the 1999 Constitution by repealing Decree 24 of 1999, to which it (the 1999 Constitution) is annexed as a Schedule. Decree 24 of 1999 is “an existing law” under section 315(1) and, like all existing laws that are within federal legislative competence, is embraced within the National Assembly’s legislative authority to repeal or amend. It would be inconceivable and a manifest absurdity that there should be “an existing law”, as defined in section 315(4), which is beyond the power of the legislative authorities, federal or state, of the sovereign state of Nigeria to repeal. And once repealed, Decree 24, the 1999 Constitution in its entirety, with its section 9 relied on by the National Assembly, disappears completely from existence.

The sequence to be followed in the abolition of the 1999 Constitution (through the repeal of Decree 24 to which it is annexed as Schedule) and the adoption of a new Constitution to replace it is explained and elaborated upon in a five-page write-up I submitted to the president and the National Assembly in 2013. The president was so excited and taken in by the idea, nodding his head repeatedly, when I spoke on it at The Patriots’ meeting with him on 29 August, 2013, (I was also myself so excited when the idea first came to me) but the write-up was soon thereafter shoved away. I am also deeply pained by this.

The President and the National Assembly should put their self-interests aside and put their heads together to find a way to give us a Peoples Constitution that will lead us to a new, better and united Nigeria.

Professor Ben Nwabueze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, wrote from Lagos

Pope Francis and inter-religious dialogue

By Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua T appears that the whole world is being painted with human Iniversaries blood. The media are not tired of reporting violence and anof genocides. On Monday, April 7, 2014, Sky News and many foreign and local media reported: “Rwanda Commemorates Genocide’s Anniversary” that resulted in the deaths of more than one million people. While the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laments that the world body was still wracked by shame over its failure to act 20 years ago, Samantha Power, the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, said genocide is a “devastating reminder that nightmares seemingly beyond imagination can in fact take place.” The statement credited to President Barack Obama that the Rwanda genocide was “neither an accident nor unavoidable” reveals either the depth human wickedness or that something has gone wrong with the human psyche. Tony Blair who has a Foundation to promote dialogue and peace attended the event.

The Rwanda genocide in 1994 was carried out by extremist members of the Hutu tribe against members of the Tutsi tribe and some moderate Hutus. Unimaginable violence! Hutu attackers burned down churches with hundreds of Tutsis inside.

Neighbour turned on neighbour. They entered homes and slaughtered children and grandparents. The killing began on April 6, 1994 shortly after Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down over the Rwandan capital Kigali. Rwanda is only an example of the genocide in many parts of the world today. Human life has become so cheap and devoid of value and dignity. It appears that many political governments of many terrorist countries have exhausted their tactics of stopping terrorism in the world.

What else can we do to stop terrorism from consuming the world? Religion continues to be the accused for violence in many countries. In Nigeria, the ongoing National Conference is trying to avoid religion like a virus from the agenda. In times like this, the option left for faith traditions is to look inward again and do some sincere self-criticism and evaluation. This is why it is important to evaluate the effort of Pope Francis in continuing the mandate of Second Vatican Council to use dialogue as a credible means to promote peace in the world since the dawn of his Pontificate.

The Vatican Information Service reported on March 20, 2013 (Year XXIII, Number 67) that the Pope received the Fraternal Delegates who were representative envoys of Churches, Ecclesial

Communities, and international ecumenical organisations, as well as representatives of non-Christian Religions, who had come to Rome on the eve of his inauguration as Bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter. In his address, he referred to Muslims as people who “adore the one, living, and merciful God and who call upon Him in prayer” (Nostra aetate). Then, addressing all those gathered, he said: “I really appreciate your presence. In it I see a tangible sign of the desire to grow in mutual respect and cooperation for the common good of humanity.” “The Catholic Church is aware of the importance of the promotion of friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions. I want to repeat this: the promotion of friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions. The Church is also aware of the responsibility that we all bear to this our world, to all of creation, which we should love and protect. And we can do much for the good of the poorest, of the weak and suffering, to promote justice and reconciliation, to build peace. But, above all, we must keep alive the thirst for the absolute in the world, not allowing a one-dimensional vision of the human person, in which humanity is reduced to that which it produces and consumes, to prevail. This is one of the most dangerous pitfalls of our times.

The Pope continued: “We know how, in recent times, violence has produced an attempt to eliminate God and the divine from the horizon of humanity, and we feel the value of witnessing in our societies to the original openness to the transcendent that is inscribed in the human heart.”

Vatican Information Service reported on March 22, 2013 that Pope Francis addressed Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See whom he received in audience on March 22, 2013. He said: “It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam. At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated the presence of so many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world. And it is also important to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences which divide and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build true links of friendship between all peoples, despite their diversity” (Vatican Information Service, 22-03-2013, Year XXIII, Num. 69).

On November 28, 2013, Vatican Radio reported that Pope Francis addressed the participants from the plenary assembly of the

Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue on the theme: “Members of different religious traditions in civil society”. Pope Francis underlined the importance of friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions. He noted that due to increasing movement of peoples because of phenomena such as migration, Christians are being challenged to be more open to different cultures, religions and traditions.

He referred to his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, stating, “an attitude of openness in truth and love must prevail in dialogue with believers of non-Christian religions, despite the various obstacles and difficulties, particularly fundamentalism on both sides.

The Pope recommends the fostering of dialogue as one way to overcome “situations in the world where coexistence is difficult due to fear. For Pope Francis, dialogue does not mean giving up your identity as a Christian. He affirms, “true openness means remaining firm in one’s deepest convictions, and therefore being open to understanding others.” Constructive dialogue between people of different religious traditions also serves to overcome the fear, which unfortunately we find on the increase in a more heavily secularised society that often takes a religious dimension.

According to the Pope, the future for inter-religious dialogue lies in the coexistence of respectful diversity, and the fundamental right to religious freedom, in all its dimensions.

For Pope Francis, all means of communication should be employed in dialogue. He said that the Internet was a ‘gift from God’ that could be used to build bridges between different cultures and religions (Kashmira Gander, Thursday 23 January 2014). However, “the desire for digital connectivity can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbours, from those closest to us. To promote peaceful coexistence, we should believe in dialogue that “the ‘other’ has something worthwhile to say, and to entertain his or her point of view and perspective.” However, “engaging in dialogue does not mean renouncing our own ideas and traditions.” If the leaders of all faith traditions especially the Muslim world persist in encouraging intra and interreligious dialogue, the effect in the promotion of peace and security will do what the gun cannot do. Let all religious leaders listen to the Pope and collaborate to put an end to genocide and the madness of senseless killings in the world.

• Fr. Prof. Omonokhua is the director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja and Consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (C.R.R.M), Vatican City, Rome.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

opinion Growth outlook of the services sector

By Robert Orya HE prospect of Nigeria becoming the leading economy in Africa is being realised. For two straight years (2011 and 2012) Nigeria led other African countries as the top destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Divestment of assets by the International oil companies (Iocs) resulted in Nigeria’s slip to second position in 2013 – the year global FDI flows also took a tumble as a result of weak economic conditions around the world. Remarkably though, much of the sold assets by the Iocs were snapped up by Nigerian indigenous entities, as local participation in the country’s oil and gas sector has increased. While this is cheery news, the truth is that Nigeria has made even more impressive progress with structural transformation of the economy. The non-oil sectors are now the key drivers of the country’s GDP growth, which is expected to rise to 7.3 per cent in 2014.

Until recently, South Africa had for years maintained the status of the top destination for foreign investment on the continent: it was the top FDI recipient country, as well as the gateway for foreign investments into other African countries.

Also, Nigeria had usually trailed Egypt in attracting foreign direct investment. But now, the signs are clear; whereas opportunities in South Africa have been significantly tapped, Nigeria has only recently come under the radar of global investors because of its frontier opportunities in several sectors including power, infrastructure, agriculture, solid mineral, retailing and services. Egypt is embroiled in a problematic political transition, while Nigeria is strengthening in democratic governance. Besides, Nigeria’s population of 170 million makes her the biggest market in the African region. This being the case, Nigeria looks set to be the lead destination of private investment in Africa for a long time.

Last year, investment opportunities in Nigeria were headlined by the power sector privatisation programme, which has benefitted tremendously from strong political will of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in pushing through one of the most important sectoral reforms in the country. Since 2011, reform of agriculture has gathered pace. The reform agenda was codified in the Agriculture Transformation Agenda, which places emphasis on value chain development. over a decade ago, sales of mobile licenses to local

T

and foreign investors introduced wider scope in the structural transformation in the Nigerian economy. Private investment in telecommunication, after a transparent licensing round, saw rapid deployment of infrastructure in the sector.

Modern mobile services rolled out quickly and dramatically increased access to mobile communication by all classes of Nigerians. Soon after this was the banking industry reform, which has seen Nigerian banks rapidly transform from small entities to some of the biggest banks in Africa and the world. We also remember the sparkle of modernity in the aviation sector, where private sector management of a key infrastructure has taken place.

Today, the current administration has brought infrastructure investment to the forefront of its commitment to improving the Nigerian business landscape. It is revamping and expanding road, rail and aviation infrastructures.

Beneficiary services sector Investment fund flows into these and other sectors in recent years have triggered a huge demand in the services sector. For instance, the banking sector has witnessed significant growth over the past decade as Nigeria opened up for investment.

Unlike in the past, Nigerian banks are funding private sector investments in the power sector and other infrastructure projects. Until now, the capital and appetite for this was simply not there as the Nigerian economy was seemingly helmed in.

But there is burst of pent up demand, and thanks to much bigger capital, Nigerian banks are committing to the longer term lending needs.

Financial services sector growth itself has triggered demand for IcT services, particularly highspeed Internet bandwidth and software. Policy support to unlock these sub sectors of the services industry are in place. They include clear regulatory framework, which incentivises private sector participation. Huge investments in fibre optic networks are linking the major cities to deliver highspeed Internet connection. coverage of the entire country with modern telecommunication services is becoming a reality. As would have been known to interested parties, the entrepreneurial drive of Nigerians is part of the facilitation of investments in technology as with other services.

Nigerian software services companies are doing

well in meeting the demand arising from rapid growth in the financial services value chain involving (pension) fund custody and administration, asset management, fixed asset management, payment system, human resources management, etc.

Increase in foreign capital flow for investment in Nigeria, has meant increase in inbound international aviation traffic. The need for linkages to the states has fuelled rising demand in the domestic aviation industry. Since Nigerian businessmen are also leading the charge of investment in other African countries, Nigeria is steps closer to being the hub for regional air travel, not only in the West coast, but also predictably in Africa. This trend is also pushing up demand for road transportation to open up access to the vast land and mineral resources across the country.

The hospitality industry is a key beneficiary of the surging domestic and foreign investments. Data collected by W-Hospitality Group affirms Nigeria as the fastest-growing hotel industry in sub-Saharan Africa. Demand for luxury hotel rooms in Nigeria’s political capital, Abuja, and commercial hub, Lagos, is complemented by rising demand for lower cadre hotel facilities in secondary hotel markets including Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Enugu, Abeokuta and Kano, according to W-Hospitality Group.

The big services frontiers In line with Nigeria’s status as the biggest consumer market in Africa, and “Africa rising” being a recent phenomenon, it is easy to distil investment opportunities in the services sector to key frontiers of education and healthcare. Private sector investment has complemented government resources in education across the tiers. But gaps still remain for high quality science, technology and vocational education as well as adequate number of such institutions to train and retrain the teeming Nigerian youth population. In the meantime, unmet demand has resulted in patronage of foreign institutions by Nigerians that can afford it. But this will scale down in the long run. Today, one of the areas of smart investment would be educational institutions and related facilities in Nigeria. We have the population to support sustainable enrolment. We have proven affordability. We also have growing industries to absorb graduates from the institutions. on its part, the current administration has maintained commitment to investing in public educational institu-

tions. Fallen standards are attracting policy attention. But limited public resources have created opportunities for private sector investment.

The health sector shares some similarities with the education sector as service-and knowledge-driven endeavours. Healthcare services constitute a huge market and frontier investment area. Many country-investment analyses have identified healthcare as a viable area for investment in Nigeria. For this reason and based on its own study, the International Finance corporation (IFc), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank Group, has been working to unlock private investment in healthcare services in the country. Again, the critical enabler is government policy. A few years ago, government addressed the big question of affordability of consumers of healthcare services with the introduction of health insurance. It is one of several reforms that have proved successful and impactful in Nigeria.

Investments in healthcare will be driven in large part by the commitment of the government to reverse the current trend of health and wellness tourism and strengthen delivery of secondary healthcare in the country. Also, the huge demand will continue to play a role. This factor has accounted for the leap in investment, extending to pharmaceutical and food production by both local and multinational businesses in Nigeria.

Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank) has been drawn to the investment opportunities in the Nigerian services sector. Since its mandate entails attraction/generation of foreign exchange for the country, it has significantly invested resources in the hospitality and transportation segments; making total funding disbursement of N15.6 billion in the services sector, which accounts for 16.4 per cent of total loan disbursement by the bank. It hopes to scale up the investments and also look into other segments where government seeks to make more impact and the private sector requires some of the resources to deploy which include guarantee and advisory services.

The services sector is the second “S” in its MASS Agenda, which sees NEXIM Bank focus on the manufacturing, agro-processing, solid mineral and services sectors.

• Orya is managing director/chief executive officer, Nigerian Export-Import Bank

odion-Akhaine at 50: Salute to courage

By Felix Oriakhi cANNoT be congratulating Dr. Sylvester odion-Akhaine, my comIniversary, rade, brother and soul mate, on marking his fiftieth birthday anthe golden age, without commenting on the political (mis) fortunes of the Nigerian nation-state. A committed Nigerian patriot, roundly educated, consummate socialist and human rights activist who has made immense contributions to the advancement of humanity, especially in the Nigerian clime and the African continent, Sylvester odion-Akhaine deserved to be so honoured by any Nigerian who is in the “know” about the titanic struggles that were waged by the Nigerian political left working in alliance with some progressive elements in the political right to chase out the military junta from power and office towards the end of the last century.

Sometimes in 1988, the leadership of the Nigerian Students Movement had taken a refuge at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka.

Bamidele opeyemi, currently member of the Federal House of Representatives and the Labour Party governorship candidate in the June 2014 Ekiti State gubernatorial election, who was then the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) along with other members of the executive of NANS including comrades Gbenga olawepo, Gbenga Komolafe and other student activists from UNILAG and other Nigerian Universities met in UNILAG to take far-reaching decisions on tactics and strategies to confront the Babangida junta which was implementing the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) against the wishes and the social-economic welfare of the Nigerian people. But also at that time, the State Security Service had mounted man-hunt for the leadership of NANS which had led demonstrations in some campuses, protesting against deplorable conditions in those campuses. UNILAG was the base from where materials were distributed to mobilise the Nigerian students to take on the Babangida junta. It was in that meeting that I and comrade odion-Akhaine first met.

Nigeria was our main concern. To change Nigeria to a progressive, egalitarian society, where all citizens can get three good meals per day, shelter, affordable clothing and acquire education were our cardinal objectives. With progressive intellectuals and teachers on university campuses running some progressive groups within and outside campuses, we had no difficulties joining or working with revolutionary and progressive groups and movements scattered all over the country. Even as students we have been recruited into these groups to fine-tune our revolutionary potentials.

At Ibadan, the iconic and irrepressible late comrade ola oni was our role model, teacher and leader. In fact, as student activists, “Baba oni,” as we used to call him reserved some rooms for us in his house, which doubled as Labour research centre and library in Bodija, Ibadan. Baba oni with other very senior comrades like the late Professor Bade onimode, the late Reverend Father (Dr.)

oghogho Marumba, comrade Laoye Sanda exposed us to MarxistLeninist and other revolutionary literature. They taught us to be disciplined, honest, focused and organised. Late comrade Alao Aka-Bashorun, late chief Gani Fawehinmi, comrade Femi Falana and several others supported the radical students movement with their resources and defended several students who were either rusticated or expelled for their activisms from several campuses.

Sylvester odion-Akhaine graduated from the radical student movement into a broader canvass of the Nigerian socialist movement to work for a new Nigeria of our dream. His oratory prowess, profound intellectual depth, doggedness and the can-do, fighting spirit of the legendary Benin warriors of ancient times from where his ancestry roots sprung soon catapulted him to the mainstream of the nucleus of the resistance movement which the Nigerian political left in alliance with some progressive elements in the political right had put in place to resist the Babangida junta and the junta’s neocolonial briefs and policies. odion’s ability and unbroken commitment to free the country from the fangs of the junta were self-evident. And so, when the committee for the Defence of Human Rights (cDHR) and later the campaign for Democracy (cD), United Action for Democracy (UAD) were formed towards the end of the twentieth century, comrade Sylvester odion-Akhaine worked tirelessly with other very senior comrades to nurture these Pan-Nigerian organisations to fruition. He started his working career as a bureaucrat in these radical human rights platforms, especially the cDHR where he was the desk officer in charge of Research, Documentation and Publications. As an activist-bureaucrat in cDHR, his outstanding leadership qualities and unwavering courage propelled the leading lights in the cD - which was a broad alliance of varied civil society groups and professional bodies, founded with the objective of sending the military back to the barracks - to elect odion-Akhaine as the Secretary-General of the campaign for Democracy. Again, comrade odion, popularly called Esogban by his comrades and admirers worked assiduously with the late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, the President of cD to give the military junta a good fight. The cD waxed stronger and more daring in the confrontation of the junta. The junta were exposed by cD “rebellious” political activities and so the junta’s security goons lined up against leaders of the pro-democracy group and progressive journalists. And so, the manhunt for odion-Akhaine, which started in his undergraduate days at UNILAG was renewed. After several escapes, dodges and smartness, comrade odion felled to the SSS dragnet in December 1996. He was kept in solitary confinement for well over a year, getting his freedom in January 1997. However, freedom from the walls of the Birnin Kebbi jailhouse was a bobby-trap by the Abacha security goons to eliminate this courageous comrade.

The Abacha security goons had arranged for him to be pushed off from a lorry load of humans that was taking him to Lagos from the

north. He was pushed off the lorry, fell and sustained severe injuries.

But guess what? What was meant to eliminate him became the voyage of his entry into marital bliss, as Dr. Aina, his wife, saw him with bruises and plasters, and then, fell in love. The rest is history as the saying goes.

But the quintessential radical activist would not give in to the blackmails, physical assaults and antics of military despots; he returned from prison to link up with his comrades and intensified his revolutionary work. The immediate challenge for the left was the task to fashion out new tactics and strategies of struggle for a socialist Nigeria in the face of the enthronement of the so-called liberal democracy by the outgoing military junta. The political left, against the thinking of some comrades, decided to sustain the campaigns for a Sovereign National conference (SNc), sustain structures like cD and other pro-democracy groups which fought the military and sustained the struggle for a truly democratic Nigeria, hoping that the civilian right-wing elements who had reaped massively from the struggles of the left against the military to come to power will learn one or two political lessons. As we can see today, no lesson had been learnt by the ruling class (especially its governing wing).

The poverty of governance, the greed of the political class, the rot in the economy, social and cultural life of Nigeria, the sustenance of corruption as an instrument of governance engenders a rethink in the left, and some of us played with the idea of left elements capturing power via the democratic route. And so, “entreism” was contemplated at some left platforms while some other platforms thought of a broad left socialist party to struggle for power in competitive bourgeois elections. These ideas were debated in left circles in Nigeria. comrade odion, working with other comrades across the country, again raised the idea of forming a Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN). And so, in the last four years, socialists across the country formed the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), a party for all working peoples of Nigeria – progressive intelligentsia, workers, artisans, peasants, women, physically challenged persons, the unemployed and the underemployed and all those who believe in socio-economic and political transformation of Nigeria from the present dystopia to a country of producers, disciplined citizens, freedom and all the good things of life available for all citizens irrespective of creed, tribe or religion.

A truly revolutionary socialist, a peoples’ intellectual - deep in reflections and formidable in praxis, a detribalised Nigerian and a visionary, a permanent organiser and astute advocate of commitment to collectivism, comrade odion has passed through thick and thin to develop himself intellectually and otherwise. comrade, I salute you as you turn 50.

Dr. Oriakhi is acting chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Benson Idahosa University, Benin City.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com 17

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Focus N60b unclaimed dividends at risk Shareholders are alarmed about the possibility of the federal government appropriating all unclaimed dividends, currently estimated at about N60 billion.

Dividend warrants belonging to deceased individuals are especially at risk. BUKKY OLAJIDE reports on how shareholders could avoid confiscation HE Indigenisation and Enterprises T Promotion Decrees of 1972, in the context of the oil boom, made many Nigerians prosperous. The decree, promulgated under the defunct Gen Yakubu Gowon’s (rtd) administration, led to foreign interests being sold and Nigerians buying over some of them.

And as local interests took over the enterprises, the capital market also emerged. Thus, indigenisation generated more employment, making it possible for many Nigerians to invest in shares.

However, some people, especially the civil servants, bought shares, sometimes using fictitious names. When the dividend comes, it then becomes difficult for the owners to claim the warrants. This, among other factors, contributed to the growth of unclaimed dividends.

Over a period of time, people stopped receiving or collecting their dividends for one reason or the other. The value of unclaimed dividend warrants from all the quoted companies in Nigeria currently stands at about N60 billion.

A dividend warrant is part of a company’s profit, accruing from the initial investment of an investor. But when nobody comes to claim a dividend paid by the company in question, it becomes an unclaimed dividend. The Federal Government has made a public pronouncement that it would take over the N60 billion unclaimed dividends still hanging in the air and “invest it on infrastructure.”

Charles Fakrogha, a stockbroker and a finan- Stockbrokers in session cial analyst said: “Because dividends also come Jimoh Alubankudi, a financial analyst The Managing Director of GTI, (Nigeria’s first in small values, people tend to overlook it, and based in the United Kingdom (UK) said there private trading floor), Babatunde Oyekunle so, do not make an attempt to claim it.” must be a beneficiary for the fund before According to him, people see a warrant value of, said, “It is high time we really sat down to investment. According to him, if the beneficisay, N100 as too small, hence the dividend accu- solve it (unclaimed dividends). He observed aries cannot be traced, government should that a lot of innovations have been devised up mulates over a period of time.” publicise the investor’s name or allow the Fakrogha also traced issue of unclaimed divi- to solve the problem, part of which “is called banks to re-invest the fund. “Different banks dends to the change of address by shareholders, electronic payment into an account, which should be allowed to invest the fund randomwithout updating the Registrar. He also noted has been embraced by some investors, while ly or periodically.” he said. that some professional stockbrokers do not take some are not in support of this.”

First Registrars listed some of the problems Oyekunle called on stock broking and other time to explain all implications to their associated with share ownership as : noninvestors when they (investors) apply through legal firms to play their roles in solving the receipt of dividend warrants; non receipt of them to buy shares. He recalled that people used problem. He said: “People have died over the share certificate-bond and new issues; loss of years and they have a lot of dividends hanging to sign before they claimed their dividend warcontact due to a change in addresses; late rants, but the signature aspect has now been with the registrars, with some of their benefireceipt of notice for Annual General Meeting, ciaries not being aware. So legal, investments removed, just to make things easier. offer document/rights circulars.

“Now, you can even pay your dividend war- and security professionals should really wake Others are: lack of knowledge about how to rant into a savings account. All these are meas- up to assist beneficiaries in a form of financial handle deceased investors’ shareholdings as advisory, to help them claim the unclaimed ures being taken to reduce the problems of well as the hold-tight syndrome. The firm dividends with the registrars. The issue unclaimed dividend,” he said. advised that shareholders should notify their Experts are of the opinion that companies should also be addressed at the national level registrars of any change in address on time, or at the regulatory level.” benefit when people do not claim their diviand confirm that this had been effected He however noted that, if the government dends. A financial analyst, Ladi Smith, said that through the receipt of a written acknowlunclaimed dividends have become a pool of wants to invest it on infrastructure, it should edgement. And where possible, investors undeserved funds for quoted companies. be accounted for, and there should be a glarshould use their post office box/private mail According to him, in some cases, 50 per cent of ing effect on the economy and on the average bag, which is safer and faster, instead of resiNigerian, “because the income from infradividends are not claimed and nothing is done dential addresses. structure will always be there to benefit the to trace the beneficiaries of such funds.

It added: “If you have a bank account you He said: “Considering that government is very owners of the unclaimed dividend.” may request and complete a dividend manThe Managing Director of the National good at mismanaging funds at its disposal, I date form. This will allow payments to be would not support that such is placed in their Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), Bola passed through your bank account under hands for use. I support the setting up of an Ajomale also said that the money should not advice from your bankers. You can also, agency that would be charged with the respon- be forfeited but held in escrow for the exceptionally, arrange with the registrar for sibility to turn around these funds for the bene- investor. personal collection of your dividend war“Strong e-dividend policies should be put in fit of the unknown owners. I also don’t support rant/share certificates. However, you need to that it remains in the coffers of the quoted com- place to stop the figure from growing. give them early notice of such arrangement. panies, as they have unjustifiably benefitted Investors should be better educated on elec“In solving problems involving unclaimed tronic dividend management to the same from the funds in the past.” items, simply contact the registrar concerned The Chief Executive Officer of Financial Market extent as they were about e-banking electronby personal visit/writing and confirm if your Dealers Association of Nigeria, Wale Abe, also ic dividends payment, dematerialisation of address in their record is correct. If the item disagreed with the government’s intention to shares and an efficient postal system,” he said. had earlier been returned unclaimed, it will However, a financial analyst, Dr. Kayode take over the unclaimed dividends. His words: “I be made available to you after being positiveFayehun, said the money should be taken don’t believe that government should approprily identified as a rightful owner. If not, you ate what belongs to shareholders. The govern- over by the government and invested on will be required to complete an indemnity ment should not appropriate what belongs to infrastructure like refineries, roads, and so on. form to enable them issue a duplicate.”

But he also gave a condition: “The money others. It will be a very bad example.”

Concerning late or non receipt of notices of Like others, he also wants greater attention must be used for the intended purpose.” paid to the dividend payment’s process.

“Majorly, the Registrars who are charged with People have died over the years and they have a lot of dividends hanging the responsibility of paying dividends should take greater pains in truly identifying who the with the registrars, with some of their beneficiaries not being aware. So legal, shareholders are. Even if a shareholder dies, he investments and security professionals should really wake up to assist benwould have a family. Once it is reported, the instrumentation of the law should be eficiaries in a form of financial advisory, to help them claim the unclaimed employed, and whatever is due to such people dividends with the registrars. The issue should also be addressed at the should be released,” he said.

national level or at the regulatory level

Annual General Meetings and offer documents, companies, in practice, place notices of their Annual/Extra ordinary General meetings in the national dailies but notwithstanding, they are statutorily bound to send notices of such meetings within a stipulated period (21 days) preceding the meeting date to all shareholders.

However, for reasons bordering on poor postal system or change of addresses without notice to the registrars, these notices may not get to their destinations.

At times, they are received after the meetings have taken place. While the registrar should strive at all times to ensure that they get to their shareholders, they may perhaps be hamstrung, due to late receipt of document from the client companies.

The various solutions identified in respect of non-receipt of dividends and share certificate shall suffice with the exception of dividend mandate instruction.

Concerning the lack of knowledge on how to handle dividend warrants of deceased persons by their relations, what they (relations) need to do, according to the firm, is to notify the registrar of the death on time, in order to avert illegal or unauthorized transfer of the shares and ensure that a death certificate accompanies the notice sent to the registrar, together with Letters of Administration/Probate as the case may be.

Also, there is a need to approach the registrar in writing with the original documents for sighting only, along with the original share certificates available, and the banker’s letter of confirmation of the administrator’s signature.

According to First Registrars, administrators usually experience delays in getting their names registered due to their inability to comply fully with the requirements. “But when the appropriate documents are available, the share certificate will be suitably amended, to reflect the administrator’s name.”

The firm added: “If you are in possession of unpaid or stale dividend warrants, make same available for revalidation/endorsement and confirm if there has been any dividend payment since the date of the original owner’s death. Also those declared but not claimed by the deceased should be ascertained. If you desire, request for and complete a dividend mandate instruction form so that subsequent dividends can be paid through your bank account. Always ensure that registrars are kept informed of any change in address. Avail your registrar with your original share certificates in the order to effect the new change in name by endorsement.”

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection No more R.I. P. for the dead • Criminals exhume 70- year- old woman’s body, sell skull for N2 million in Imo From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri

RESH criminal activities in some of the 637 autonomous communities in the 27 local councils of Imo State appear to re-enact the infamous 1996 “Otokoto saga” in the state.

That year, a man, the late Innocent Ekeanyanwu, had negotiated with one Unogu and Vincent Duru, a proprietor of the infamous Otokoto Hotel, Amakohia, Owerri, and others, to behead an 11-year– old hawker for ritual purposes.

When the police at a checkpoint caught Ekeanyanwu with human skull, he fingered others.

The latest form of criminality playing out in the community is the exhumation of the corpse of a 70-year–old woman, late Mrs. Charity Onuoha, in a sleepy community of Nzurum, Umuagwu, in Oguta Local Council to sell at a cost of N2 million, essentially for alleged rituals purposes.

This ugly and strange phenomenon has led to people who lost their dear ones to guard the graves in the state for fear of corpse theft.

Members of the Onuoha family woke up on April 5, and were held to the chagrin when they saw the grave of the old woman opened, exhumed and bones scattered in the compound without her skull.

Everyone began to scamper, thinking that another ghost had appeared.

Investigations later revealed that some suspected criminals quietly entered the compound on April 4, and carefully exhumed the body from the grave, where the remains had committed to mother earth after her death since 2009.

The Guardian gathered that some persons said to be mortuary attendants at a nearby morgue had two weeks earlier approached a family member of the deceased, Pastor John Onuoha, to help exhume the

Investigations later showed that some suspected criminals quietly entered the compound on April 4, and carefully exhumed the body from the grave, where the remains had committed to mother earth after her death since 2009.

F

Imo State Police Commissioner, Abdulwajid Ali

old woman’s body and retrieve her skull for a reward of N2 million.

The offer, according to the source, was rejected.

Thinking it was a closed matter, John went about his business without informing anyone. The night the ugly incident occurred, John and his family members were said to have gone for a church programme when the suspected criminal, now in police custody, allegedly carried out the act and sold the skull to a man for N2 million.

On Tuesday, the Police Public Re-

lations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew Enwerem, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, who was not aware of the incident when The Guardian approached him, later made some investigations and stated that the star culprit was in the cell of the Criminal investigation Department (CID).

He said: “Your observation is, hereby, confirmed. A criminal was caught trying to exhume the body to remove the skull of an old woman, who was buried sometime ago. Somebody fingered in the act is at the command’s CID.”

When The Guardian visited the area, a member of the family regretted that such a thing could go on in the area for love of money.

“This is the height of the lust for money. This is evil and anyone that partakes in such should not exist in a sane society. We shall get to the root of this and ensure that those involved are dealt with, according to the law.”

Last year, precisely on April 11, 2013, a retired principal of a secondary school in the same community, Dr. Bede Osuigwe, was arrested by the then Police Commissioner, Mr. Katsina Musa Muhammad for allegedly killing his mother, Lucy, 13 years earlier, dried the body and kept in a wardrobe in his home.

One of his sons suspected it, saw it and reported to the police, who in turn arrested Osuigwe. The suspect accepted committing the crime, which caused a stir in the area.

This latest development, it was gathered, has led to people guarding the graves of their departed ones in the state; the same way nursing mothers are hiding their babies for fear of abduction.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Abdulmajid Ali, has sworn to deal with the suspects who sold the human skull and capture all other criminals in the state.

NDLEA stops Pakistani drug cartel, seizes 25.400kg of heroin

By Odita Sunday TTEMPT by a suspected A Pakistani drug cartel to smuggle 25.400 kilogrammes of high grade heroin into Nigeria has been aborted by vigilante narcotics officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

This followed the apprehension of a Pakistani student at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos by operatives of the NDLEA. The drug was discovered in the suspect’s luggage during inward screening of passengers on board Qatar airline flight. The estimated street value of the seized drug is Two hundred and twentyeight million naira (N228, 000,000).

Preliminary investigation has shown that the suspect left Lahore, Pakistan with the drugs to Abu Dhabi then Doha from where he connected to Lagos.

He is believed to be working for a Pakistani drug cartel. This is the largest single

seizure of heroin made at the Lagos airport since January 2014.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar gave the name of the Pakistani as Iftikihar Muhammed Arslan.

According to Hamza, “A 19year-old Pakistani by name Iftikihar Muhammed Arslan was found in possession of 25 parcels of brownish substance that tested positive for heroin weighing 25.400 kilogrammes at the arrival hall. The drug was hidden in a smaller bag inside his luggage”.

The commander noted that the suspect was cooperating with the Agency’s team of investigators.

The Pakistani, Iftikihar Muhammed Arslan who speaks English fluently has confessed to the crime.

“I am a student of Punjab College and I am in Nigeria as a tourist because my friend told me that Victoria Island and Ikoyi are beautiful tourist centres. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the Lagos airport, the heroin

was found in my luggage.

This is my first time of coming to Nigeria and I had intended to spend a week or two,” Iftikihar told investigators.

In his reaction to the arrest, the Chairman of NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade said that Nigeria is winning the fight against narcotics.

“This arrest and seizure will further send a warning to drug trafficking cartels that the Nigeria is winning the fight against narcotics.

“NDLEA is prepared to halt the criminal activities of drug barons through a coordinated drug detection strategies. We are working very hard to also identify other members of the criminal group,” Giade stated.

The NDLEA boss stressed that while investigation is ongoing, more proactive measures shall be taken to prevent the use of Nigeria as a transit point for illicit drugs. All suspects linked to the crime would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

Briefs Easter fiesta at Revival Assembly HE Revival Assembly will on T Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, celebrate the risen Jesus in a high praise celebration service tagged Resurrection Praise, at the church headquarters, Revival Assembly Miracle Cathedral, located at Cocoa Road, opposite Guinness Brewery, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos. It will feature– Midnight Crew, Seun Bankole, Minstrel Edith, and a solo performance by Pat King. The church choir, Higher Dimension, will lead in worship and praise.

The Founder and General Overseer, Apostle Anselm Madubuko, said: “Resurrection Praise is about God resurrecting everything that is dead in the life of his children.

Hence, we are going to praise God like never before. God has promised me tremendous blessing of breakthrough and open doors in this event.

Revival Assembly Ministry, popularly known as the Church with the New Anointing, will host the yearly Asuza Conference in July.

Madubuko

Fidau prayer for Sholanke today HE eighth day Fidau T prayer for Alhaja Sidikat Sholanke, who died on April 10 , at the age of 72, and was buried according to Muslim rites, holds today at Bola Tinubu multi-purpose hall, 226, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Apapa at 2.00p.m. She is survived by children and grandchildren among whom is Akeem Bolaji Kassim.

Sholanke

Church holds Easter Explosion 2014 HE New Covenant Gospel T Church (The Excellent Church) has concluded plans

The suspect with the product

to hold a-two day programme tagged: Easter Explosion 2014 on Sunday, April 20 at 3.00p.m. and Monday, April 21, 2014 at 8.00a.m. at 115B, Ikorodu Road, by AP Filling Station Fadeyi Lagos. The host, Rev. Sylvester Eghianruwa said participants would experience the resurrection of Christ.

Guest speaker is Bishop Sunny Ikiedemhen.

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Briefs Nkoyo Toyo, Dabiri-Erewa, others for Women4Africa awards

By Tunde Akinola OMEN4AFRICA, one of the largest celebrations of African women in Europe and the Commonwealth will honour some Nigerians and others at its at third yearly awards night billed for Saturday, May 10, 2014 in London, United Kingdom.

Among those nominated for this year’s awards are: former Nigerian envoy to Ethiopia and a member of the House of Representatives, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, the first Woman to become a banker in Kenya Dr. Mary Okello, Head of the AntiHuman Trafficking Section in Ghana, Superintendent Patience Naa Ashorkor Quaye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Standard Bank Jenny Knott and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Speakers at the event are the Chairman, House of Representatives Diaspora Committee, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Girl Child Network World Wide, Betty Makoni, founder and director of Joy and Joe Limited, Adebisi Osundeko, and founder Premae Skincare Dr Clare Eluka.

The event will be hosted by Lolo1, comedian and on air personality for Wazobia FM Radio and Toya Washington, TV presenter at BEN TV. The prestigious awards, recognitions and special honours to remarkable women identified and nominated by the public and selected by Judges on a merit basis only.

Founder, Women 4Africa Founder, Sam Onigbanjo, said recognition and valuing is a crucial step in development. “It is a Key function of any visionary leader to celebrate merit, in this case, to celebrate the phenomenal achievement of African women which will go a long way in making Africa the “Garden of Eden for the next global generation”

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Elizabeth Nwude, 74, for burial April 19 rites for ElizaFdiedUNERAL beth Eze Nwude, who recently at the age of 74, comes up on Saturday April 19, 2014 at Obugo village in Awgu Local Council of Enugu state at 10.00.am.

She is survived by Mr. Raymond Iloh, Mrs. Justina Oladiti, Mr. Benjamin Eze, Miss Ifeyinwa Eze, Mr. Anayo Eze and Miss Chikodi Eze

Lasgidi promises a big carnival on Easter Monday

By Nike Sotade UST as in previous years, Lagosians and visitors alike are in for a swell time with the oncoming fifth edition of the Lagos Carnival 2014 coming up on Easter Monday.

The carnival marks the high point of this year’s eight-day Lagos Heritage Week. The carnival has grown in its five years of existence by re-inventing itself and drawing more participants and spectators each year. It has also become a vehicle through which the creativity of designers and resourcefulness of the young men mad women of the Lagos State Skills Acquisitions Centres, in which all costumes are produced, are exhibited.

Coming with the theme “Lasgidi”, this year’s event will feature the usual procession that includes the children’s carnival, followed by the adult carnival that includes persons representing neighborhoods and groups in the state such as Campos, Lafiaji, Epetedo, Oko Faji, Isale Eko,

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One of the decorations at Outer Marina, Lagos Ilasamaja, Surulere, Ketu women of the various Alapere, Gelede and so on streets and areas of modern parading in their different day Lagos State that has suscolourful costumes. tained the Lagos Carnival The history of the Lagos way of life, re-enacted at Carnival dates back to the each celebration of Christ19th Century when the remas, New Year and Easter. turnee Brazilians initiated The junior band includes the culture of carnival in junior and senior school the state with the celebrachildren across the state, tion of the completion of which will precede the the Catholic Cathedral in adult carnival. The Junior Lagos. Since that date, this Carnival King and Queen colourful culture has been will also be crowned at the adopted by the indigenes event. and residents of Lagos. It is High point of the festival the continuous replication would be the hosting of the and reinvention of this culMiss Lagos Carnival pagture by the young men and eant and gala night on Sat-

urday where the Queen of the Lagos Carnival will be chosen among representatives of the various carnival groups in the state.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mr. Disun Holloway said a number of roads on Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island would be closed for the carnival procession.

He also hinted that as part of this year’s activities, children from qualified schools in the state will be given opportunity to showcase their talent in painting, while the winning entries will be mounted during the gala evening sponsored by a bank and the winners would be rewarded with handsome prizes The carnival routes include Oyinkan Abayomi, Bourdillon, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Onikan, Igbosere, King George 5, Joseph Street, Ajele, Catholic Mission Street and Tafawa Balewa Square.

It is certainly going to be a kaleidoscope of colors and fun at Lasgidi 2014.

• Lagos blames loggers, unstrapped lifeguards, as survivors recount ordeal to lawmakers

By Wole Oyebade Nwude

STHER Olamiju Adeyemi, E Jerusalem Pilgrim, marks her 70th birthday anniversary

Adeyemi

Presbyterian prelate condemns Nyanya bomb blasts HE Prelate and Moderator of the General Assembly of The PresT byterian Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Emele Mba Uka has condemned the bomb blasts at the Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja in which more than 70 persons are feared dead and over 160 injured.

He lamented such heinous and barbaric massacre of innocent citizens and said that the perpetrators were not only inhuman, but also sick. He commiserated with President Goodluck Jonathan and the families of those who lost their lives in the incident and prayed God to grant their souls eternal rest.

In a statement signed by Director of Information & Public Affairs, Rev. Kalu U. Eme, Rev. Uka called on security agents to effect tighter security controls in the country as it appeared that the orgy of terrorist attacks was spreading more rapidly and with impunity.

“Today, it has happened in Abuja,” he remarked. “Who knows where else the terrorists will strike?”

The Prelate urged the President to engage, where necessary, more global intervention to bring the menace of terrorism in Nigeria to an end to restore security, peace and progress.

Lagos Shift 2014, Season 3 begins

By Isaac Taiwo O discover more youthful talents, a group, Shift Initiative is staging Lagos Shift 2014, Season 3 with the theme: “Innovation Personified” while auditions will take place on Saturday, April 19 and Monday, April 21, 2014 respectively.

The Convener, Charles Kpandei, said Lagos has been divided into seven zones where auditions are expected to produce two candidates each. The grand finale will hold at Tafawa Balewa Square on May 1, 2014 at 7.00 a.m. and the winner, ‘Shift Ambassador’ would emerge.

“Audition centres include: Lagos Island: Resurrection Ground, Jakande; Apapa Road: Redeemers, International School, Apapa Road; Ikorodu Centre: Auntie Betty School by Agric.; Egbeda: 35 37, Alimosho Road; FESTAC: FHA Ground by 24 Road, FESTAC; Ojota Zone: Emmanuel Primary School, Ojota and Abule Egba: Ojokoro Housing Estate.”

Kpandei disclosed that registration takes place at FHA Field, 24 road, FESTAC, Emmanuel Nursery & Primary School, Ojota, Resurrection Grounds, Jakande Bus Stop, Lekki-Epe Expressway and Redeemers School, Apapa Road, Ebute-Metta.

According to Kpandei, while entertainment would be provided

by King Sunny Ade and others, the Guest Speaker will be Steve Harris.

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How Ikorodu boat mishap killed three pregnant women, others

Esther Adeyemi marks 70th birthday on Easter Monday, April 21 2014, at her Oyeyemi Close home, Ajuwon Estate, Agege, Lagos.

She was proprietress of Mulika Food Canteen, by Toyota Bus Stop, on Oshodi Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

Adeyemi is a Lady Superior, Celestial Church of Christ, Ajuwon, Agege, Lagos State.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

HE last has not been heard T of the recent boat mishap in Ikorodu area of Lagos, which killed eight people.

Contrary to claims in some quarters alluding that the incident might be due to the use of expired life jackets, the April 2 accident might not be unconnected with activities of loggers and stray logs often found in the sea.

Top officials of the state Ministry of Transport and relevant agencies said this, as they hinted that three pregnant women were among the eight that died in the mishap en route Ebute-Ero – Ikorodu waterway. One of the pregnant women was just a week away from delivery when the tragedy struck.

To debunk claims by the Nigerian Inland Water Authority (NIWA) that Lagos lifeguards were either fake or expired, the Commissioner for Transport, Kayode Opeifa, during a summon to the Lagos State House Assembly on Monday, said the deceased allegedly did not use their lifeguards as mandated at the boarding point.

But it was one claim that would not be corroborated in the account of survivors, who pegged the time lag between the first hint of danger and eventual capsize, at about five

Ikuforiji minutes. “Could the captain not have ensured everyone had their lifeguards properly strapped in five minutes?” was the question asked by the lawmakers.

Survivors accounts of event, indeed, raised more questions on the rather “impressive” explanations made by Opeifa, Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Agency (LASWA), Olayinka Marinho; his counterpart in the Lagos State Ferry Service Company, Babatunde Williams and Chairman of Ferry Operators, Bayo Williams.

Opeifa said loggers posed one of the challenges currently experienced on waterways in the state, coupled with lingering rivalry with NIWA on ownership and regulation of the waterways.

“On this particular day, we

had information that the boat carried 21 people instead of its 22-seater capacity. When the accident happened, we saw the hole on the boat and the log in the water,” Opeifa said.

He observed that 14 people were rescued on that day but one died in the hospital. “It is remarkable to note, as I was briefed, they found some people in life jackets floating, while some also in life jackets sunk. Those that sank did not lock their life jackets.”

Opeifa confirmed he had met with husband of one of the pregnant women and family of another. Their bodies, along with five others are in the morgue of the Lagos State General Hospital.

One of the 13 survivors is Bolarinwa Ganiyu, a middleaged man who works in Apapa and lives in Ikorodu.

Stepping on the floor of the House, Ganiyu was quick to give commendation to the waterways agency “for the good works it has been doing.”

According to him, “before we boarded the boat, the workers ensured that each of the passengers wore their life jackets. They would be the one to assist you. But you know we Nigerians at times...when you get inside the boat, they’d say ‘this thing is too tight and not comfort-

able’. Then, they will remove it.

“We that wore our own very well that day, we thank God we are alive. As we found ourselves inside water, we just saw ourselves floating. From there, they rescued us within 15 minutes. It was not overloading that caused it.”

Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, asked of how the incident happened, to which he replied: “I didn’t really know exactly what happened until after two days when they invited us to LASWA office. Because I didn’t know what was responsible for the boat leakage, until they took us to LASWA office and showed us the log that caused it. We were just wondering that day, maybe the wave was too much.”

Opeifa had earlier informed the House that the accident was caused by strayed log that the boat ran into. The log of wood caused damage to the boat and eventual leakage that sank it.

Asked whether he heard any sound, possibly of a log against the boat, Ganiyu said: “There was no much sound at all. It was when we saw water inside the boat that we noticed the boat had a leakage. I was on the last seat. Just saw water between one to three minutes before we went down.”

In Plateau, 6,000 persons benefit from free medical outreach From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos ORE than 6, 000 persons in Plateau Central Senatorial District received various medical services during a weeklong free medical outreach organized by the Water Resources Minister, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.

The Coordinator of the Outreach, Pastor Sonnie Reng, who disclosed this to journalists in Jos, said that the outreach, which began last Monday, ended at the weekend with 240 surgeries carried out on persons with serious cases.

Reng said that the entire exercise was not an easy task but very successful.

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According to him, “We were able to attend to over 6, 000 individuals who came to us with different medical challenges. I really appreciate our medical teams for their resilience throughout the period. The minor challenge we had was that of volunteers, some of who unceremoniously left us simply because there were no allowances.”

He said that for the team to conduct 240 surgeries during the period the entire exercise should be described a “very huge success.” He added that no death or serious complication was

recorded during the period and expressed gratitude to the Dr. Wycliffe Dah-led medical team that attended to the patients.

The coordinator called on other citizens of the state, especially public officeholders and wealthy individuals, to emulate what Ochekpe did so as to give back to the society what God has done for them in life.

Ochekpe launched the Free Medical Outreach on Monday last week at the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, for the entire Plateau Central Senatorial

Zone.

The Free Medial Outreach included: Surgery, Dental, Entomological, Gynaecology and Medical Services organised in conjunction with three Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs); ASRI Foundation, Soderia Afrique and Urban Frontiers Ministries as well as Association of Resident Doctors of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

Ochekpe explained that the outreach was borne out of concern for the less-privileged in view of medical challenges people were facing in the hinterlands.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 | 21

Business U.S. overtakes Nigeria in crude oil production

By Roseline Okere HE United States od T America’s crude oil production has increased dramatically in the past few years, from less than one million barrels per day (mbd) in 2010 to more than three mbpd in the second half of 2013, the U.S Energy I n f o r m a t i o n Administration (IEA) has said.

The IEA expects the U.S production to reach 9.1mbpd in 2017.

With this achievement, the U.S, which used to reiy heavyly on crude oil from Nigeria before its exploitation of shale oil, has overtaken the country in crude oil production.

Nigeria produced an aver-

age of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day in 2013, according to a recent report by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The IEA, which made this disclosure in its Annual Energy Outlook 2014 released on Tuesday, however, hinges growth potential and sustainability of domestic crude oil production around uncertainties in key assumptions, such as well production decline, lifespan, drainage areas, geologic extent, and technological improvement—both in areas currently being drilled

and in those yet to be drilled.

It added that as a result, high and low oil and gas resource cases were developed to examine the effects of alternate resource and technology assumptions on production, imports, and prices.

The report, which the IEA is releasing in parts, stated: “The projected trends in oil production vary tremendously in the alternative cases, and those trends hold important implications for the United States. In the high oil and gas resource case, growth in tight oil pro-

duction continues for a longer period of time than projected in the reference case.

“Domestic crude oil production increases to nearly 13 MMbblpd before 2035 in the high oil and Gas Resource case, and net U.S. oil imports decline through 2036 and remain at or near zero from 2037 through 2040.

“The Low Oil and Gas Resource case reflects uncertainty about tight oil and shale crude oil and natural gas resources that leads to lower domestic production than in the Reference

case. In this case, production reaches 9.1 MMbblpd in 2017 before falling to 6.6 MMbblpd in 2040, leading to higher projected dependence on net imports of petroleum and other liquids than in the reference case”.

Speaking on the country’s plan to increase crude oil production, the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakabu, said that the country’s reserves stand at 36 billion barrels of oil and about 182 trillion cubic feet of gas and produced an average of 2.2

million barrels of oil per day in 2013 with a reserve to production ratio of 42 years for oil and 155 years for gas.

“In Africa, only Libya has more oil reserves than Nigeria and despite new discoveries in Sub Saharan Africa, especially in Mozambique, Nigeria still has undiscovered gas potential of about 600 tcf,” Yakubu opined.

The NNPC helmsman maintained that even in recent times with the emerging African oil producers, the discovery of the Ogo field in

Continued on Page 22

NNPC, marketers to boost fuel supply during Easter

By Sulaimon Salau HE Nigerian National T Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) have unveiled their strategies to ensure a robust fuel supply in the system during the Easter season.

The Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Obafemi Olawore, told journalists in Lagos yesterday that the major marketers have ordered for a number of fuel cargoes which as expecting to be berthing from today.

According to him, about 26,268 metric tonnes capable of loading about 1000 trucks is on the high sea, while another 15,000MT belonging to the Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC) is expected to berth today.

Rising from executive meeting of members, which includes, Conoil, Forte Oil, Mobil, MRS, Oando and Total, Olawore said members are ready to flood the market during the Easter season, in other to prevent likely scarcity situation during the festive period.

He therefore appealed to motorists to desist from panic buying which may likely result to queues at the filling stations.

Olawore said the products would be discharges in strategic locations across the federation, such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar.

“MOMAN members are importing more products that are expected in Lagos and Port Harcourt. The PPMC is also expecting about 95,000MT by this weekend and a larger number will be coming early next week. The PPMC is has also assured to make product available at the third party depot in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar,” he said.

The MOMAN scribe therefore warned the marketers against sharp practices, threatening to sanction any erring marketer.

Second Vice President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Oluwaseyi Abe (left); First Vice President, Emmanuel Ohanwusi; President, Ariyo Olushekun and Group Chief Executive Officer, BGL Plc/Chairman, 2014 Stockbrokers Annual National Conference, Albert Okumagba, during a press conference on the 2014 Stockbrokers yearly national conference in Lagos.

CBN guarantees N1.1b facility to 2,060 farmers

By Chijioke Nelson HE Central Bank of T Nigeria (CBN) has guaranteed N1.05 billion to 2,060 farmers under its Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) in January 2014.

The ACGS initiative was scripted to facilitate easy access to funds from the deposit money banks by farmers in the country, through the guarantees provided by the apex bank.

According to CBN’s Economic Report for the month of January, agriculture sector witnessed the prevalence of dry harmattan weather across the country, while farming activities in the southern states were mainly the harvesting of tree crops and fruits; and clearing of land for the 2014 cropping season.

In the northern part of the

Non-oil export profile rises country, the predominant activity was the cultivation of irrigated lands, while in the livestock sub-sector, farmers intensified the raising of broilers and layers to replenish the stock sold off during the festive season.

Further analysis of activities in the sector, showed that the month’s total guarantee represented an increase of 12.5 per cent and 68.7 per cent above the levels in December 2013 and the corresponding month of January 2013, respectively.

However, sub-sectoral analysis of the loans guaran-

teed indicated that the food crop sub-sector had the largest share of N923.3 million (87.4 per cent) guaranteed to 1,653 beneficiaries; the livestock sub-sector received N74.7 million (7.1 per cent) for 192 beneficiaries, while fisheries sub-sector received N27.8 million (2.6 per cent) guaranteed to 84 beneficiaries.

Also, the mixed crops subsector received N18.2 million (1.7 per cent) guaranteed to 65 beneficiaries; cash crops sub-sector got N6.2 million (0.6 per cent) for 20 beneficiaries; and others’ share was N6.1 mil-

lion (0.6 per cent) for 46 beneficiaries.

A breakdown of the guarantees by state showed that 23 states benefited from the scheme during the month under review, with the highest and lowest sums of N500 million (47.3 per cent) and N0.1 million (0.02 per cent) guaranteed to Jigawa and Borno states, respectively.

At end of January 2014, the total amount released by CBN, under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) to the participating banks for disbursement stood at N228.2 billion for 307 projects/promoters.

Meanwhile, the total nonoil export earnings during the month of January, put at

The ACGS initiative was scripted to facilitate easy access to funds from the deposit money banks by farmers in the country, through the guarantees provided by the apex bank.

$379.07 million, represented a 30.1 per cent increase above the level in December 2013.

The development reflected largely, the 191.2 per cent and 22.6 per cent increase in export receipts from agricultural and manufactured sectors, respectively.

A sectoral breakdown showed that proceeds of manufactured, industrial, agriculture, minerals and food products sub- sectors stood at $185.98, $115.36, $56.21, $16.20 and $5.32 million, respectively, while the transport sector recorded no receipts during the review month.

The shares of manufactured, industrial, agriculture, minerals and food products sub-sectors in non-oil export proceeds were 49.1 per cent, 30.4 per cent, 14.8 per cent, 4.3 per cent, and 1.4 per cent, respectively.

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22 | BUSINESS Thursday, April 17, 2014

Nigeria gets first deepwater simulation theatre in Africa From Collins Olayinka, Abuja N indigenous oil servicing A company, Tolmann Allied Services, has opened a Deepwater Simulation Theatre (DST), which is the first of its kind in Africa and third in the world.

The unveiling, which was done at the celebration of the fourth edition of Nigerian local content in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday, was conceived by Tolmann Allied Services Company Ltd in response to the increasing number of companies carrying out exploration activities in the deep offshore and the need to prepare from classroom to installation to overcome harsh environmental conditions that may arise in such industry operations.

Commissioning the facility, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke commended Tolmann Allied Services for investing in such an upscale facility has further removed doubts about the capacity of Nigerians to own and operate key assets in the oil and gas industry.

The Minister explained that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) insistence on indigenous ownership of key assets as a major plank of monitoring compliance is based on the fact that it is the best guarantee that the implementation of the Nigerian Content policy will endure.

“Because Nigerians now have stakes in ownership, we are sure that Nigerian Content will survive even after the current officials in government may have left the scene,” she said.

The Minister, who was speaking through the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, applauded the entrepreneurial spirit of local oil servicing companies who set up key facilities and acquire hi-tech industry assets despite experiencing challenges in the operating environment.

He recalled that local companies under the aegis of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) started the push for indigenous participation in the industry before the Federal Government backed

their efforts with the Nigerian Content policy, which thereafter became a law.

Nwapa credited the successes recorded so far in implementing the Nigerian Content Act to the courage and leadership provided by the Minister of Petroleum Resources and the political will and independence to operate being enjoyed under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Noting that so much had been accomplished in the past four years of implementing the Act, the Executive Secretary said the Board was working to expand the implementation frontiers to create more jobs in the economy.

“It is from these kinds of service companies and investments we see from Tolmann and PETAN companies that jobs will be created and we will push them to make more investments,” he added.

In his welcome speech, the Managing Director of Tolmann Allied Services, Mr. Emmanuel Onyekwena recounted the challenges the company faced while setting up the Deepwater Simulation Theatre, noting that the intervention of the Minister saved the investment.

He listed the company’s goals for investing in the DST to include: addressing challenges in deepwater exploration, building in-country capacity with global reach, creation of employment for graduates and community support, identifying with the ideals and reforms in the sector and demonstrating the capability as the local leading offshore safety training provider in-country.

In his remarks, Chairman of PETAN, Emeka Ene identified innovation and entrepreneurship as the drivers of the oil and gas industry and charged operating companies to patronize facilities and assets owned by indigenous companies, whom he said were providing world class services.

He said the DST facility will not only retain millions of Naira that would have been spent by the Nigerian oil and gas industry to sponsor staff to overseas training programmes, but also attract trainees from the Gulf of Guinea and other oil producing countries around the world.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Andrew Alli,(right); Minister of Economy and Finance, Cape Verde, Ms Cristina Duarte; and Executive Director and General Counsel, AFC, Dr. Adesegun Akin-Olugbade, at the signing in of Cape Verde as a member of the continental body.

Cape Verde joins Africa Finance Corporation APE Verde has become the C newest member of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) with the recent signing of the Instrument of Accession and Acceptance of membership of the corporation, during the inaugural Infrastructure Investment Summit of the AFC – AFC LIVE, Cape Verde signed.

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Cape Verde, Ms Cristina Duarte, on behalf of the Government of Cape Verde, in her brief remarks during the formal signing ceremony stated: “I am very pleased to formalise Cape Verde’s membership of the Africa Finance Corporation.

Cape Verde and the AFC have enjoyed a very productive and collaborative relation-

ship over the last few years.

“As the lead investor in Cabeolica, our award winning $90 million 26MW commercial wind farm, we have firsthand experience of the expertise the corporation can bring to innovative projects.

“The corporation’s commendable track record in partnering with governments to provide innovative financing solutions in natural resources, power, heavy industry, telecommunications and transport is validation of the value of such an international organisation, and is why Cape Verde is delighted to be joining as a member.”

Welcoming Cape Verde as the ninth member of the leading African Infrastructure finance institution, the AFC’s President & Chief Executive

2013 with reserves of about 750 million barrels of equivalent shows that the Nigerian Delta remains one of the most prospective areas in the world.

He revealed that about 49 per cent of Nigeria’s licensed blocks (397) are still open and active stress-

ing that the availability of production allowances would also provide a welcome boost for small fields and profitability would increase in the proposed petroleum industry bill currently before the National Assembly.

“Nigeria’s quest to grow its reserves is promoted in the

ating, acquiring and managing infrastructure, industrial and financial assets.

Cape Verde joins other African countries, notably Nigeria, Ghana, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra-Leone as member states of the AFC. AFC is an African-led multilateral development financial institution, established in 2007, with a mission to improve African economies by proactively developing and financing infrastructure, industrial and financial assets.

It is involved as an investor, developer and financier of various infrastructure projects, and is gaining recognition as the benchmark institution for financing the development of infrastructure projects in Africa.

Ecobank to issue MasterCard debit cards in Nigeria COBANK Nigeria Plc has Ecobank,” observed Patrick Scheme (NIBSS), have comIn 2011, MasterCard entered Ecobank’s menced a consumer awareE announced a 10-year part- Akinwuntan, into a Memorandum of Group Executive Director nership with MasterCard, for ness campaign to explain the issuance of debit cards to the bank’s customers in Nigeria.

The deal follows a licensing agreement between Ecobank Group and MasterCard in January 2014 to provide MasterCard payment solutions in 28 sub-Saharan African nations.

This partnership will see customers in Nigeria continue to leverage the security and convenience of electronic payments, versus cash and other transactions forms.

“Electronic payment platforms provide a cost-effective way to improve financial inclusion in Africa, which is at the core of the vision of

responsible for Domestic Banking. “In teaming up with Mastercard, we are providing our customers with a “best of breed” solution, combining local market knowledge and proven technological expertise with the economies of scale that derive from access to the leading pan-African payments platform.”

Nigeria is currently on a drive to accelerate the adoption of electronic payments, with various stakeholders, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, launching consumer education campaigns.

Nigerian banks, for example, working with the Nigeria Interbank Settlement

U.S. overtakes Nigeria in crude oil production Continued from Page 21

Officer, Andrew Alli, expressed the corporation’s appreciation to The Republic of Cape Verde for acceding to membership of the organisation.

“AFC is delighted to have Cape Verde as the first Island State member of the Corporation. We are committed to helping Cape Verde develop its enabling infrastructure, specifically through the expansion of much needed transport infrastructure and industrial capacity, to drive sustainable economic growth,“ he said.

Alli described Cape Verde’s membership as critical in AFC’s quest to be the premier multilateral infrastructure finance institution in Africa, by driving the fast-tracking of Africa’s economic development through proactively cre-

PIB through a robust acreage management system to be superintended by the Upstream Petroleum Inspectorate, involving the release of acreages that have been held without activity,” Yakubu submitted.

He informed that in the new exploration paradigm

shift, reserves and production decline from existing fields are driving the leading oil and gas companies to formulate new strategies and partnerships adding that the likes of Afren have recently discovered large quantities of resources in the West Offshore Lagos (Ogo Fields).

the benefits of electronic payment platforms, with the aim of increasing their acceptance.

“In Nigeria, increased urbanization, a growing labor force and the rise of online shopping are fuelling demand for more convenient payments,” added Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Jibril Aku, adding that “using electronic payments to penetrate the country’s unbanked population of nearly 80 million also represents a market with huge, untapped potential.”

Division President, SubSaharan Africa, MasterCard, Daniel Monehin, commented: “We envisage a world beyond cash in Nigeria and Africa, where consumers can enjoy the security, efficiency and convenience of electronic payments.

“Our vision can only become a reality through collaborations with key industry stakeholders, such as the Ecobank Group.

Working together with governments, financial institutions, merchants and businesses, we will be able to help modernize the payment industry in Africa.”

Understanding with Ecobank Group, through which the banking group would become an issuer and acquirer of MasterCard products in more than 1,200 branches across Africa. This gives Ecobank’s customers access to over 35.9 million MasterCard acceptance points – including 2.1 million ATMs – in over 210 countries and territories.

According to a statement, the collaboration comes at a time when MasterCard is working in partnership with governments and financial institutions around the world to broaden usage and acceptance of electronic payments, promoting their benefits relative to cash transactions.

Today, it said, over 85 per cent of retail payments globally are still carried out using cash or check, with the percentage being much higher in Africa. However, the combination of a rapidly expanding middle class and steadily improving financial literacy, supported by robust technology, is increasing the appetite for card usage in Africa, providing opportunities for the advancement of a cashless society across the continent.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 BUSINESS | 23

‘How poor asset information logistics shoot up oil, gas projects cost’

By Sulaimon Salau NEFFICIENT asset informaImajor tion management by oil companies has been identified as a major factor that led to increasing capital costs (CAPEX) during the development of oil gas infrastructure projects.

The Avila Consultancy Nigeria and a United States based, Bentley Systems Inc., experts in asset information management solutions, told operators in Abuja recently that the defect also contribute to extended project schedules and increased project risk, as being witnessed on some major projects across the world.

The managing director of Avila Consultancy, Olufemi George, however stressed the need for robust Asset Information Management Solutions (AIMS) in the Nigerian petroleum industry, adding that owners/operators needed to

have complete, accurate and reliable data on their plant assets in order to operate safely and optimize their operations and maintenance activities.

He said the poor AIMS also increases operating costs (OPEX) during the operations and maintenance phase and contributes to downtime, lost productivity, reduced revenue from a project.

According to him: “Poor AIMS also increases the likelihood and consequence of significant safety incidents due to poor quality data or unavailable data required for safe operations,” Presenting the Bentley’s suite of world-leading asset information management and performance management solutions to the Nigerian oil and gas industry, George said: “Given the necessary critteria, it is little wonder that most of the largest and most critical infrastructure projects in the world

today rely on Bentley’s project wise solution to facilitate collaborative design, review and make daily operational and maintenance decisions.

“Take a look at infrastructure projects such as the $45 billion/£27 billion Crossrail Project in the UK, which is the largest infrastructure project in Europe at the moment.

ProjectWise currently is the project’s single repository and currently contains over 1.5m project drawings, models and documents and these are accessed by almost 5,000

professionals working on 85 different contracts out of 65 different offices in nine countries across the world. Yet they all have access to the information they need – the right information made available to the right people at the right time to facilitate the right decisions.

“When you consider that an average of 40 per cent of engineering time is spent finding and validating information from disparate systems (US National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Office of Applied Economics) you can imagine the savings project wise, with its unprecedented version control and change management features, can deliver to major EPC projects in Nigeria,” he explained.

Avila’s Director of Business Development, David Ade, said: “When owner operators do not have accurate plant engineering data we at Avila can carry out 3D laser scanning of the plant and create up-to-date or as-is engineering drawings for the plant,

which will then form the basis for future operating and maintenance activities.

Bentley’s AssetWise is a standards-based engineering data warehouse/asset register to help manage the process and offers the owner operator a complete picture of the digital plant as it is being designed, as it is being built and as it is being operated. Providing access to such trusted data enables quicker, better and more cost-effective decisions through the entire lifecycle of the plant

Okorocha suspends six agency directors From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri HE Imo State Governor, T Rochas Okorocha, has approved the immediate suspension of six directors of various parastatals and agencies for allegedly indulging in financial malfeasance acts considered to be at variance with the civil and public service rules and regulations.

Also suspended were accountants of such agencies.

A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Sam Onwemedo, and made available to the media in Owerri, identified the names of the affected state parastatals and agencies as the Imo Library Board, Imo State Newspapers Limited, Imo State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), and the Bureau for Public Procurement, Arts and Culture and Water Corporation.

The affected officers were directed to hand over to the next senior officers in the estrablishment. The state-

ment added revelation from the inquiry that led to their suspension enabled the state government to save about N2 billion from large scale financial impropriety, irregular promotion, age disparity, employment without waiver and other anomalies that were unearthed.

Meanwhile, the state government has warned those criticizing the free education programme at all levels of the government to desist from such.

In a statement signed by Onwemedo, the government noted that those saying that they were unable to access the cheques from their monarchs were either children of the political opponents of the governor or those who were determined to cheat their parents and claim more money, adding that every machinery had been put in motion to disburse the cheques.

The statement urged those yet to receive theirs to go through the laid down processes and take theirs, acknowledging the fact that every such project must have hiccups at the beginning.

Deputy Country Representative, Deutsche Bank and WIMBIZ Founding Trustee, Mrs. Adeola Azeez (left); Executive Vice Chairman, Techno Oil Limited, Mrs. Nkechi Obi; WIMBIZ Chairperson, Ms. Osayi Alile; and Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Closed Pension Fund Administrator Limited, and WIMBIZ Executive Council Member, Mrs. Yemisi Ayeni, during the WIMBIZ fourth yearly market place forum in Lagos.

FG, Niger to establish staple crop processing zone Government had commis- ecological study and consultHE Federal and Niger State Minna that already, 250 T sioned UNIDO to produce the ants who would handle the Governments will collabo- hectares of land covering 30 master plan for the process- aspect of processing, prepararate to establish a Staple Crops kilometre radius had been Processing Zone in Badeggi, to boost food production in the state, an official has said.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, told newsmen in

secured from communities for the processing zone.

He also said that the state government would not pay compensation for the land.

He said that the Federal

ing zone while the master plan was ready for presentation to the people of the state.

The commissioner said that the Federal Government would be responsible for the

Huawei records 36% revenue increase in Africa, others

By Adeyemi Adepetun LOBAL information and G communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, Huawei, has recorded across all its business areas in 2013 in Nigeria, Africa and other regions an 8.5 per cent increase in sales revenue on a year-on-year base.

According to Huawei, in 2013, it achieved a steady growth in sales revenue of CNY239 billion ($39.5 billion), up 8.5 per cent year-on-year (11.6 per cent YOY growth in dollar), and net profit of CNY21 billion ($3.5 billion). Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region took up 36 per cent of the revenue.

Huawei’s Rotating and Acting Chief Executive Officer, Eric Xu explained that the

financial performance was strong across all business areas in 2013, achieving steady growth and sales revenues of CNY239 billion, up 8.5 per cent year-on-year (11.6 per cent YOY growth in USD), and net profit of CNY21 billion.

“Thanks to the favorable global macroeconomic and industry environment, as well as the effective execution of our company strategy, Huawei basically achieved our business targets for 2013,” said Xu, adding “Huawei has never been more closely connected to the world than it is now. This level of connectivity has two implications. First, ICT technologies have been deployed in more than 170 countries and regions, helping more than three billion

people connect to the world, communicate anytime, anywhere, and easily acquire and share information. Second, this connected world is reshaping politics, economics, business, and production at an incredible speed and with formidable force. ” According to him, Huawei’s significant global presence has helped us achieve stable and continuous growth in the carrier network, enterprise, and consumer businesses.

Furthermore, he said in 2013, Huawei’s carrier network business delivered a solid performance, achieving CNY166.5 billion in sales revenue, up 4.0 per cent year-on-year, adding that the sales revenues of the enterprise and consumer businesses increased tremendously in 2013, by 32.4 per cent

and 17.8 per cent to CNY15.2 billion and CNY57.0 billion, respectively.

According to him, Huawei earned 65 per cent of its revenue from markets outside of China in 2013, and in the Chinese market, adding that it achieved CNY84 billion in sales revenues, up 14.2 per cent year-on-year.

Xu said in 2013, Huawei invested CNY30.7 billion ($5.06billion) into R&D which is about 12.8 per cent of its sales revenue. “And, Huawei’s total R&D investment over the last 10 years exceeded CNY151 billion. Huawei innovates based on customer needs and will increase its investment in basic scientific and engineering technologies as necessary to maintain its leadership position in core ICT technolo-

gies.

“In the past year, to adapt to the future development trend, Huawei published the SoftCOM network architecture in order to develop ICTconvergent products and solutions. The future will hold a better connected world, where everyone can share everything. Alongside our customers and partners, we will build the world’s most efficient and integrated digital logistics system to ensure full connectivity between people, people and things, and things and things. Doing so will facilitate the free sharing of ideas.

We will continue to pursue dreams, spark innovation, and drive the evolution of technologies, industries, and human interaction to create a better connected world.”

tion and marketing of the staple crops.

Matane said that the Federal Government would provide the necessary infrastructure such as roads, rail, power and water, to encourage the farmers to produce high yielding crops for local consumption and export.

He said that Niger and other states — Rivers, Kogi, Lagos and Edo and Kano — had been chosen as processing zones as part of the transformation agenda of boosting food production on a large scale.

He said the state government had fulfilled its part of the project by providing 250 hectares of land, feeder roads and other farm inputs to improve rice production in the zone.

Matane said that N9.9 billion loan given to the state by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) would assist the government to meet its obligation to the processing zone.

He added that the state government would mobilise over 100,000 farmers to participate in rice production within the processing zone and inputs such as fertiliser and seed, among others, would be given to them. (NAN)

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24 | BUSINESS Thursday, April 17, 2014

Right mix of capital injection imperative for SMEs’ growth, says Enelamah Okechukwu Enelamah is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of African Capital Alliance. Recently, he featured as the guest on the weekly Fidelity SME Forum—a radio programme organized

by Fidelity Bank Plc to educate, inform, advise and inspire budding entrepreneurs towards enhancing the capacity of business operators in building sustainable and successful operations. Enelamah, during the interview provides insight on the sources of capital for SMEs, the options and requirements. Excerpts.

OW would you define private equity firms, H venture capital and angel investors? Can they be used interchangeably, and is there a fundamental difference among them?

While they all participate in the capital providing process, I think the best way to think about angel investors are individuals, typically people who are rich enough to have surplus capital that they can provide to a new or start-up business and so angel investors are typically early investors who invest in businesses very early.

They typically tend to invest based on trust, relationship, knowledge of the space in which that particular entrepreneur is playing in.

Venture capital on the other hand tends to be early stage as well. These are capital coming from firms that have been set up to help early stage businesses, to help them go through the delicate phase and as that circle continues, private equity kicks. For us, the best way to think of private equity is expansion or development after business has been formed and its already running and trading.

For someone starting up, what will he consider as the traditional sources or the first level of funding a business requires?

In the industry, people typically talk of the three Fs - family, friends and foes. And what they all have in common is relationship with the entrepreneurs when they are building their businesses. People typically go to sources where they have a relationship already because at that stage, there isn’t enough of a track record for what you might call institutional capital or capitals that belong to pension funds or other people. People typically start off with their own savings, with family, friends; and people also use the term foes to mean those who are prepared to support them anyway as an act of trust.

Let’s look at your firm, how do private equity firms operate and what is their modus operandi?

If you think of a firm like African Capital Alliance or a typical private equity firm, the way we operate, think of us as having two sets of stakeholders, customers or people we work with.

On the one hand, we are working with the sources of capital, typically institutional capital or maybe high net-worth individuals as well, who are looking to invest money in a professional way into businesses with the expectation of a good return compared to the risk they are taking. And on the other hand, we also work with businesses to help them attract the capital they need. A private equity firm is trying to, in a professional way, source and deploy these capital to businesses in a structured way. In doing that, we bring a lot more than capital for you to achieve the results you are looking for. The key part of that is the partnership, relationship you build with those businesses and the support system you offer them, along with the capital.

For instance, we sit on the boards of companies we invest in, we help them provide access to market and other financing, and we help them in recruiting the right people. So a lot of that package together with capital is what creates the success story you hear.

Based on your track record, would you have done this overtime?

Talking about track record, the other thing we also bring is that because we’ve invested in so many businesses and not always successfully, so we’ve had our lessons. You can bring down

Enelamah those lessons and experiences to bear on a person experiencing these challenges for the first time. Your experience can ultimately help their business grow successful.

What kind of environment does a start- up company need to thrive and succeed?

I think what is required is what you might call the enabling environment. By this I mean the context in which a business survives or thrives and the context in which an entrepreneur is able to plant or implement his idea successfully or at least increase the odds of success.

One of the key insights is that context matters and one of the things we can do as a nation probably more than anything else is to create the environment where entrepreneurs can succeed. It ranges from basic things like basic infrastructure or soft infrastructure like property rights, being able to register your company and to bringing together the tools that the entrepreneurs will not initially have. An entrepreneur might have a great idea but if you go to places like Silicon Valley, apart from getting people who have experimented or done business in that space, they get mentoring, access to market, access to technology and everything else that is not core to the business. So the core is combined with everything else.

For someone that has a good idea, what can he do to attract funding?

The key thing is that an entrepreneur has to start off first through funding from savings, family friends and foes. From there they can move to the next stage and with the right legislation and encouragement in the arena they find themselves, they can always rise and thrive and then we can also come in to aid them rise to the next level. But they have to make the bold step of starting up first.

What’s the difference between a bank-lendingsupport and private-equity-support?

Bank lending is credit. Banks provide debt, which businesses need as well. But I think a business needs equity as well. Equity is in effect, the core capital on which the business

grows, the bank loan sits on top. The skill set you require and even the risk you take is very different between banking and equity. When you go to a bank, they‘d like to see sufficient security, they won’t want to hear stories when the loan payments are due, the cash flow must support the lending but when you come to equity, you expect that equity provider to grow with you. That means that the equity provider in terms of partnership must understand the business enough to share that risk with you in a way that will go further than banking and which is why when they tried to do the SME Equity Investment Scheme for banks, it faltered because most of the banks did not necessarily have the skill set or even the patient capital required to provide long term equity funding for businesses.

What are the key things you look out for when people come for support?

One of the most important things when you are coming to equity capital or even any other capital is the quality of management. There has to be an entrepreneur manager. Remember that if you have the kind of capital that we have which is from pension funds, we need to see people who are serious and not just speculating. The first thing we test is to see that a person brings a relevant competence. It may be the first time he’s going on his own, but he should have acquired relevant experience from somewhere. The person should also have skin in the game as well, in other words, his own capital is there, so if something were to go wrong, it should keep him awake at night. The person should also play in a space or sector they understand and that is ripe for capital. This means that, in that sector there is a good time for capital to be going in that will not be stifled.

What is your advice regarding SMEs market access and linkage?

One of the things that a private equity firm can provide is the access to market and I say that because we have so many businesses that we have invested in. You can imagine how many

In the industry, people typically talk of the three Fs - family, friends and foes. And what they all have in common is relationship with the entrepreneurs when they are building their businesses. People typically go to sources where they have a relationship already because at that stage, there isn’t enough of a track record for what you might call institutional capital or capitals that belong to pension funds or other people.

market interfaces that we’ve gone through. So that’s why we say that we bring a lot more than capital. I would say, though, that there are many ways to access market and the thing is horses for causes. So you have to understand each business, each sector and the best way to approach the market.

What are some of the reasons why some small businesses struggle or even fail?

The first thing to say is that its very important that we have an environment where it is kind of ‘okay’ to fail. Entrepreneurship and the ability to fail and accepting that failure is not final. It is very important for people to understand that it will aid people to learn from their experiences and move on. But having said that, to increase your odds of success, one of the most important things is proper planning and execution.

Planning is also where the business comes in.

For a lot of people, when I say planning here, I mean the ability to think through and it may not be a fancy business plan but its been well conceived. The second thing is the actual execution. And I would say in execution, the most important thing is to have the kind of people around you that will increase the odds of success. An entrepreneur may bring the idea but he may need a general manager that brings traditional general management skills to organise the team. If he can’t afford that, then he might need somebody else that complements him because two heads are better than one.

You made a transition from the medical field to business where you are now. What was the motivation?

It came from a realisation and a passion that I was interested in business and finance. If you ask me where that came from, I can’t fully explain but I believe that human beings have destinies, a soul and an inspiration and based on that, I reached out.

What are the opportunities for mentoring or for people who want to tap into your wealth of experience in this area of entrepreneurship or in life?

Mentoring is something I am passionate about.

Obviously you can’t do it alone so it’s to create again the environment where mentoring happens. At Capital Alliance we certainly believe in it. So people who want to understand about entrepreneurship and how to grow their business, can reach out to us and we’ll figure out a way to mentor or counsel. When it comes to career changes, it’s the same thing because it also comes to mentoring.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

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Appointments Emerging opportunities for new businesses in Nigeria

By Yetunde Ebosele and Wole Oyebade OB seekers that have been Jblerejected would have a douvision of their predicament.

In one eye is disappointment, loss of self-worth and hopelessness in the socio-economic system. In the other is the urge to emerge from the rubbles of disappointment, affirm self-belief in a skill and engage it in a venture.

Brian Acton, 42, had the latter vision in 2009. As a job applicant, Twitter and Facebook Inc. rejected the American computer programmer. Acton had failed to land his dream job. But he was not done yet.

Acton turned inwards and became an Internet entrepreneur, co-founding what is today known as WhatsApp, a mobile messaging application.

Facebook Inc. that rejected Acton about five years ago bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in February 2014. Forbes estimates that Acton held over 20 per cent stake in the company, making his net worth around $3.8 billion.

Like Acton like the Alaos of Alao Farms Investment Limited in Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Mrs. Alao, accountancy graduate from a prestigious university, wanted a bank job that would not just come around for years. Brick wall of rejection was always waiting each time she applied.

In utter frustration and tears, she turned to poultry farming in August 1999 with about 600 birds.

Last Tuesday, she told a gathering of job seekers and prospective entrepreneursalike that her “small farm” now has over 100, 000 birds, with daily turn-over of a million naira on egg sales.

Her husband left the banking hall to be Chief Executive Officer of the farm with 60 people on its payroll. Today, they are fulfilled and happy.

Acton and Alaos are not alone in the amazing stories of ‘job seeking to job creation’ and rags-to-riches episodes. So are the young men today known as Jobberman, Jumia, Konga and so on.

The moral in their stories is that one-too-many job seekers of today have what it takes to create jobs for themselves and employ others, instead of going to the whole hog of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercise.

Meeting at a career and entrepreneurship fair recently in Lagos, career coaches, accomplished business owners and captains of industry were unanimous that the Nigerian environment avails bundles of employment problems and possibilities – depending on what youths decided to see.

The fair was organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Nigeria, the apex human resource regulatory body in the country.

Vice President CIPM, Victor Arabome said there is kidding about the worsening unemployment situation in the

country, coupled with the challenge most employers face in recruiting the right talents and the huge skills gap that make Nigerian graduates unattractive and uncompetitive in the labour market.

Findings revealed that about 70 million out of Nigeria’s 170 million populations are unemployed. And as population increases, unemployment rate is growing at the rate of 16 per cent per year, because government – being the highest employer of labour is not create new jobs.

Programme Director, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), SouthSouth Entrepreneurship Development Centre (SS EDC), Gbenga Owolabi observed that unemployment is a global phenomenon and Nigeria is just one of countries with an army of unemployed youth.

But what Nigeria youth may be doing differently from other countries is their continuous search for paidemployment, while their counterparts are thinking entrepreneurship, identifying ‘needs’ and meeting them.

Entrepreneurship, Owolabi said, is about creating value and creating jobs. The route to successful entrepreneurship is to understand that jobs are created to meet a need or accomplish a purpose through routine process and performed in exchange for value or payment.

He recalled that what is today known as DMT Mobile Toilet business, started when late Otunba Gaddafi, chief security detail to MKO Abiola, identified the need for mobile toilets in out-door events.

Owolabi, however, warned that entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted.

According to him, an entrepreneur is a resourceful person, driven by passion to accomplish a purpose.

“That is, it is about the mindset. Entrepreneurs are people that are not problem-conscious but focused on solution to problems. Nigerians have become overwhelmed by problems to a point that it has become analysis-paralysis.” It was his way of saying everybody knows the problem but not the solution.

Nonetheless, job creation is an imperative globally and that is where Nigerians youth’s vis-à-vis entrepreneurship must come into the picture.

In the United States, small businesses are responsible for between 65 to 90 per cent of all jobs created. Onus is on the government to create the right eco-system to help small scale businesses thrive and “create value.”

The whole concept of value, Owolabi feared, might be lost in the Nigerian society. “We have equated value to mean money. But value does not necessarily mean money, as it could also mean help, satisfaction, fulfillment and could come from impact created.”

He buttressed his point: “I’m aware Lagos State has an entrepreneurial programme, looking for agro-entrepreneurs. I can tell you for cer-

Famuyibo

Wogu tainty that no matter how well they publicise the agroenterprise programme, they will not get as many applicants as we have for the NIS recruitment exercise.

“In Nigeria today, starting business is no longer fashionable among our people.

Nobody wants to go into teaching business. Yet, these are some of a whole lot of job opportunities out there.

“What has changed is our societal perception to the concept of value. That is why you have thousands of people applying for NIS work, because they would love to do nothing, and get paid at the end of the month,” he said.

The fear-factor in starting a business Several of the packed audience agreed with Owolabi’s analysis of the problem and what to do. But their worries bothered on the risk of starting a business in a rather difficult terrain like ours, where every individual has become a Local Government in miniature, generating own electricity, water, rent and so on.

Owolabi explained that business, just like life is a risk.

Globally, it is estimated that close to 60 per cent of new businesses will die in the first year, and another 50 per cent of the rest will die in the first five years.

“But the truth is that those who survive create the needed jobs. And you have to create new ones to replace those that will die. That is how you can get a positive job creation economy. The more they die, the more we must create new ones.

“U.S. statistics have it that if one in every three businesses can employ at least a worker, the whole of Americans would be employed. The same thing is applicable to Nigeria, if we can buy into the entrepreneurship strategy, which is in the hands of the people.”

He urged prospective entrepreneurs to take advantage of initiatives like Federal Government’s YOU-WIN programme, currently awarding grants to startup businesses.

In its second phase, the initiative is giving a grant of N5 to

N6 million to each of 1600 applicants.

Owolabi added that a lot of State governments and Local Government could also create grants to support startups in their domain.

Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, represented at the forum by his Director of Commerce, Akeem Adeniji noted that the state government was doing its bit, as it preaches, “paid employment is not the only way to salvation.”

Lagos State has initiated policies and programmes to promote entrepreneurship in the

state. Interventions in Lagos today, include provision of free business support services such as market linkages, business information resources, consultancy and advisory services available in the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

There is also capacity development programmes for SME groups in the state. “We fabricate access to business credit through the Lagos State Microfinance Institution; development of small scale industrial estate, enterprise zones and agro industrial farms, all spread across the

state for the growth of SMEs. ‘The State government policy thrust is targeted at empowering teaming unemployed youth through training programmes that help them develop their technical, vocational, managerial and business skill for entrepreneurship and employability, in partnership with the AfterSchool Graduate Centre (ASGC). There is also Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (AgricYES) and vocational centres, where graduates can learn a skill.”

“Entrepreneurship is an

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APPOINTMENTS Thursday, April 17, 2014

PENGASSAN faults NECA over sales of refineries

By Toyin Olasinde ETROLEUMand Natural Gas P Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has said that private investors should concentrate on establishing their own refineries instead of focussing on buying the state owned refineries.

Reacting to a comment credited to the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), PENGASSAN argued that NECA members should build their own refineries instead of struggling to buy the existing refineries, Speaking in Lagos, the PENGASSAN President, Babatunde Ogun, stated that though PENGASSAN is not completely against privatisation but will only support the move when due process and due diligence were done on the national assets.

He argued that selling the refineries at its present state would amount to throwing them away to the buyers at give-away prices, adding that there is no nation that grows while selling its national assets.

Ogun said, “Why is NECA members afraid of competition? Why can’t they go and build their own refinery if they are interested in the downstream sector of the nation’s oil and gas industry?

Why are they bent on buying existing refineries knowing full well that these refineries are national assets and that they will do little or nothing to make them work?

“We are not totally against privatisation but, both unions are prepared to back the government using the Strategic Partnering Model (SPM), where core investor shall take the 51 per cent golden stake, while sector unions and workers shall join the state government and others to buy into the remaining 49 per cent.

Thus a stake sharing in ownership and risks of the assets as well as placing the joint obligation of efficient and profitable operation of the refineries, including the timely maintenance on these stakeholders.”

Ogun noted that the world over, privatization of the energy industry including the oil and gas sector has not successively bring down prices as expected due to the fact that it was attached to the global prices apron, saying that those who are clamouring for the sales of the refineries should advise the government to ensure adequate security for all oil and gas infrastructures, including the pipelines that supply crude to these refineries and those that carry refined products to depots at different parts of the country.

He argued that the inability of the refineries to function was a deliberate attempt by some people in government, who did not allow the TAM to be carried out on the refineries, saying that some of the materials and technicalities needed for the TAM are already in the refineries or being

ordered by the government.

“Those who are clamouring for the sales of the refineries are just interested in the assets but do not have the intereset of the country at heart. How many of the government owned companies that had earlier been privatized now exist. Daily Times, Ajaokuta Steel Company, Delta Steel Company, Nigeria Paper Mill, NITEL have been cannibalized by those who bought them and abandoned. Even where the company existed the numbers of Nigerians working in those companies have been drastically reduced and most of the workers are now on casual and contract employment.

Managing Director/CEO, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma (right); receives the BEST EMERGING AIRPORT - AFRICA REGION Award from Director General, Gulf Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Prince Saif Al Suwaidi during the 4th Annual Emerging Airports Conference and Exhibition 2014, at Abu Dhabi.

Skye Bank appoints Oguntayo, CEO HE Board of Directors of Skye Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Timothy Oguntayo as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer to succeed Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, who will retire on July 31, 2014.

Durosinmi-Etti had notified the Board of his desire not to seek renewal of his four-year tenure at the expiration of his current term and had commenced his terminal leave.

The Board also announced the appointment of Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu, as the Deputy Managing Director for the bank. Both appointments are subject to appropriate regulatory approvals.

The board thanked,

T

Onwughalu

Oguntayo

Durosinmi-Etti for his service to the institution from the period of consolidation, first in the capacity of Deputy Managing Director, and subsequently as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Timothy is an alumnus of the prestigious INSEAD, Fontainebleau in France; a fel-

low of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; an Associate of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; and over two decades of banking experience in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, Business Development, Credit and Marketing, and Operations.

Timothy was appointed to the Board of the Bank and its subsidiary companies in 2009. He was the pioneer MD/CEO of Skye Financial Services Limited (the investment banking arm of Skye Bank) before the Bank’s divestment from it in 2012.

He equally served on the Board of Skye Stockbrokers Limited and Law Union & Rock Insurance Plc and currently a Director on the Board of Kakawa Discount House Limited.

Onwughalu, was appointed to the board on November 30, 2008, as an Executive Director.

She is an astute banking professional with over 25 years’ experience and expertise in commercial banking, retail banking, treasury management and banking operations.

Thursday, April 17, 2014 APPOINTMENT 29

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ICSAN inducts new members

By Joseph Okoghenun EMBERS of the Institute of M Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) have been urged to promote the Nigerian project for the sake of posterity.

Giving the admonition in Lagos recently during the 13th induction ceremony of new members by the institute, ICSAN Registrar, Dele Togunde, said the Nigerian project was too important to be left in the limbo.

While 10 members were inducted as fellows, 33 others were inducted as associates.

And 74 other got inducted as graduate members.

Togunde urged the new members to help the institute sustains its progress, adding that no institute is better than its members.

The registrar added that new members would benefit from the institute in terms of quality professional trainings, even as the institute has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Secretaries And Administrators ICSA, London.

Togunde said: “The institute is making progress and efforts have to be made to sustain this tempo. Recently and specifically March 19, 2014, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with our parent body, ICSA London.

The M OU is designed to clarify the treatment by ICSA of Nigerian members and students who have completed ICSA’s international qualifying scheme and earlier professional programmes. It also sets out proposal for ICSAN and ICSA to work together to develop and establish an ongoing process for accrediting Nigerian stu-

dents qualifying under ICSAN’s professional examinations for ICSA membership.

Nigerian students who, from November 2011 onwards, have completed ICSAN’s professional qualifying scheme programme will be eligible to be awarded ICSA graduate status upon completion of two ICSA specified modules: Company Secretarial Practice and

Chartered Secretaries Case Study. Similarly, all ICSA students completing ICSA’s Chartered Secretary Qualifying Scheme (CSQS) as from November 2011 onwards will be eligible for ICSAN membership upon completion of two ICSAN specific modules: Corporate law and Corporate Secretaryship.

Nigerian Lawyer, Otokhina bags global leadership award OR braving the odds against The story was the personal Fastated sickle cell disease, which dev- experience of the family of his family leading to the death of his two children, a Nigerian Lawyer, Chief Eboh Andrew Otokhina recently, in the United Kingdom bagged global leadership award, along with eight others from different parts of the world.

Otokhina, founder of the TonyMay Foundation, dedicated to fighting sickle Cell scourge through advocacy, enlightenment and support, got the award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in building a new generation of activists and leaders worldwide for the principles of free enterprise, Limited government, and traditional family and moral values.

The award was sequel to the selection of the solicitation presentation made by TonyMay Foundation as best out of eight presentations made by groups from different parts of the world as part of the practical science of fund raising. TonyMay Foundation was made up of five person from different parts of the world.

Otokhina Eboh Andrew and was depicted by characters of Andrew and Edith, the wife. The story titled, ‘‘The Scourge of Sickle Cell in Nigeria’’ almost moved the Panel of Judges of four (The supposed ‘Donors’) to tears.

Chief Otokhina was the Chairman of the group, and took the questions and answers after the presentation by Maria.

TonyMay Foundation was founded in 29th of July, 2011 as a result of the tragedy which befell the Otokhina family in 2009/2010 when between a period of six months, they lost their first son Anthony Otokhina on the eve of his 29th birthday and Mary Otokhina, a week to her resumption at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja after a sound Second Class Upper from the Ambrose Alli University less than six months of Anthony’s death. Anthony had just bagged a Degree in Biochemistry from the same university and was preparing to proceed to read Medicine when the tragedy struck.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 | 31

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ScienceGuardian Graduate student brings Stars, planets, clusters, dry season (12) extinct plants ‘back to life’ herald G ASTRONOMY With J.K. Obatala

J

Eff BENCA is an admitted über-geek when it comes to prehistoric plants, so it was no surprise that, when he submitted a paper describing a new species of long-extinct lycopod for publication, he ditched the standard line drawing and insisted on a detailed and beautifully rendered color reconstruction of the plant.

This piece earned the cover of March’s centennial issue of the American Journal of Botany.

Benca described this 400-million-year-old fossil lycopod, Leclercqia scolopendra, and created a life-like computer rendering. The stem of the lycopod is about 2.5 millimeters across.

“Typically, when you see pictures of early land plants, they’re not that sexy: there is a green forking stick and that’s about it. We don’t have many thorough reconstructions,” said Benca, a graduate student in the Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley.

“I wanted to give an impression of what they may have really looked like. There are great color reconstructions of dinosaurs, so why not a plant?”

Benca’s realistic, full-color image could be a life portrait, except for the fact that it was drawn from a plant that lay flattened and compressed into rock for more than 375 million years.

Called Leclercqia scolopendra, or centipede clubmoss, the plant lived during the “age of fishes,” the Devonian Period. At that time, lycopods — the group Leclercqia belonged to — were one of few plant lineages with leaves.

Leclercqia shoots were about a quarter-inch in diameter and probably formed prickly, scrambling, ground-covering mats.

The function of Leclercqia’s

Benca described this 400-million-year-old fossil lycopod, Leclercqia scolopendra, and created a life-like computer rendering. The stem of the lycopod is about 2.5 millimeters across.

Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Berkeley hook-like leaf tips is unclear, Benca said, but they may have been used to clamber over larger plants. Today, lycopods are represented by a group of inconspicuous plants called club mosses, quillworts and spikemosses.

Both living and extinct lycopods have fascinated Benca since high school.

When he came to UC Berkeley last year from the University of Washington, he brought a truckload of some 70 different species, now part of collections at the UC Botanical Garden.

Now working in the paleobotany lab of Cindy Looy, Berkeley assistant professor of integrative biology, Benca continues to establish a growing list of living lycopod species, several of which will

eventually be incorporated into the UC and Jepson Herbaria collections.

Visualizing plant evolution Benca and colleagues wrote their paper primarily to demonstrate a new technique that is helping paleobotanists interpret early land plant fossils with greater confidence.

Since living clubmosses share many traits with early lycopods, the research team was able to test their methods using living relatives Benca was growing in greenhouses.

Early land plant fossils are not easy to come by, but they can be abundant in places where rocks from the Devonian Period form outcrops. But a large portion of these are just stem fragments with few diagnostic features

to distinguish them, Benca said.

“The way we analyzed Leclercqia material makes it possible to gain more information from these fragments, increasing our sample size of discernible fossils,” he said.

“Getting a better grip on just how diverse and variable Devonian plants were will be important to understanding the origins of key traits we see in so many plants today.”

Looy said.

Benca’s co-authors are Maureen H. Carlisle, Silas Bergen and Caroline A. E. Strömberg from the University of Washington and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle.

New method of screening children for autism spectrum disorders works at nine months old ESEARCHERS, including a R team from Children’s National Health System, have identified head circumference and head tilting reflex as two reliable biomarkers in the identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children that are between 9 and 12 months of age.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASD is identifiable as early as two years old, although most children are not identified until after the age of four.

While a number of studies have reported that parents of children with ASD notice developmental problems in children before their first

birthday, there has yet to be a screening tool to identify those children.

“While the ‘gold standard’ screening tool is the M-CHAT questionnaire, it must be read and completed by parents and then interpreted by a health care provider,” said lead author Carole A. Samango-Sprouse, EdD, and Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

“What physicians are missing is a quick and effective screening measure that can easily be given to all infants regardless of background and identify ASD before 12 months. This

screening is also helpful in identifying those babies who may not initially appear to be at risk and would otherwise be missed until much later in life.”

This study looked at the use of head circumference and head tilting reflex as two biomarkers that can be used during their well-baby visits by their primary care providers.

Both screenings were given to nearly 1,000 patients at the four, six, and nine-month well-baby visits.

At the end of nine months, those infants with a head circumference above or equal to the 75th percentile, a head circumference that was in 10 per cent discrepancy with the

height of the baby, or those who failed the head tilting reflex test were considered at risk for ASD or a developmental language delay.

These infants were then evaluated by a neurodevelomental specialist and pediatric neurologist to differentiate between these disorders.

Of the 49 infants that displayed abnormal results, without previous diagnosis, 15 were identified at risk for ASD and 34 at risk for developmental language delay. Of the 15 children who were identified at risk for ASD between 9 and 12 months of age, 14 (93 per cent) sustained the diagnosis when it was made clinically at the age of three.

LOBULAR clusters are the oldest structures in the Milky Way galaxy—typically dating back to a few million years after the primordial Big Bang event.

They are generally dense, globose aggregates, mainly of old stars, arrayed spherically around the Galaxy’s central bulge. few are visible to the naked eye.

The density and symmetry of globular clusters make them highly photogenic and a favorite target for telescopic observation.

But while the aesthetic appeal of these ancient stellar formations may be greater, open clusters are more accessible to the unaided eye—especially in the eastern sky.

“Unlike the spherically distributed globulars,” notes Universe Today, “open clusters are confined to the galactic plane and are almost always found within the spiral arms of galaxies.

They are generally made up of young stars, up to a few tens of millions of years old, with a few rare exceptions...

“Open clusters also contain only a few hundred members,” the website continues. “Being much less densely populated than globular clusters, they are much less tightly gravitationally bound, and over time, will become disrupted by the gravity of giant molecular clouds and other clusters.

Our itinerary includes molecular clouds. But first, it needs to be noted that the weak gravitational bond of stars within open clusters results, eventually, in the evolution of a third type of structure—the stellar association.

Says Wikipedia, “Open clusters become disrupted over time by the gravitational influence of giant molecular clouds... But cluster members will continue to move in broadly the same direction through space... They are then known as a stellar association, sometimes also… a moving group”.

You are advised to keep these three stellar configurations in mind, as our cosmic excursion takes a sharp eastward turn from Gemini and heads for Taurus the Bull constellation. Our destination is the Hyades and, after it, the Pleiades—two of the best known open clusters in the night sky.

At a distance of 151 light years, the Hyades group is the nearest open cluster to the solar system. It is easy to recognize, from the distinctive “V” alignment of the four brightest stars that are visible to the unaided eye

from Earth—a tiny fraction of the cluster’s 300 to 400 stellar objects.

Glistening at one end of the “V” is Aldebaran, a brilliant giant star, which ancient Europeans imagined to be the reddishorange eye of the mythical bull, “Tarus”. But Aldebaran is just a line of sight object.

It lies only 65 light years from us, and hence cannot be part of the Hyades.

The 800 million year old cluster is very important scientifically, The Sky This Month reports, because astronomers have adopted its 151-light-year distance as a standard candle.

The distance “can be used to derive absolute magni for cluster members

tudes of different kinds,” the website notes. “These values are, in turn, used…for determinations of distances to other stellar aggregates...The distance to the Hyades is [thus] the first stepping-stone in our scale of the Universe”.

Turning quickly to the Pleiades, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, in its Technical Report of 2005,makes an interesting side comment.

The Japanese term for “Pleiades,” it says, is “Subaru”—which is also the name of a popular vehicle, manufactured in that country. “…If you look closely at the next Subaru vehicle that you pass by,” it advises, “you will find that the car company uses the stars in its logo”.

Reputedly the most beautiful star group in the firmament, the Pleiades is also among the best known apparitions. I once interviewed an illiterate farmer in the Ekajuk clan area of Cross River State, who accurately described the cluster—which he uses as a seasonal marker.

The Ekajuk farmer is by no means an isolated instance, in Africa.

Psychohistorian.Org reports that, for many pastoral groups in southern Africa, “the first visibility of the Pleiades in morning twilight …announced the start of the planting season, and usually also marked the beginning of the year”.

Known variously as “M45” (a reference to its position in the Messier catalogue) and the “Seven Sisters,” the Pleiades cluster consists of six bright naked eye stars. A seventh, Merope, is subdued and difficult to see—hence the “Seven Sisters” cognomen for a cluster with six visible stars.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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32 | SCIENCEGUARDIAN Thursday, April 17, 2014

Reducing calorie intake by just 10 per cent extends life expectancy EDUCING calorie intake by R just 10 per cent could make people live longer, new research suggests.

United States (U.S.) researchers believe cutting calorie intake could slow the ageing process and make people less prone to disease. They say it could also reduce the risk of premature death.

Researchers at the University of WisconsinMadison, United States, have spent 25 years studying the effect of diet on ageing in monkeys. They found that monkeys fed a restricted diet have a significantly lower chance of early death and of age-related disease.

The study of 76 rhesus monkeys, which was performed at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, involved the monkeys being given a diet with 30 per cent fewer calories. These monkeys were compared to others that were allowed to

eat as much as they wanted.

The results showed the monkeys that were allowed to eat as much as they wanted had 2.9 times the risk of disease. They also had a threefold increased risk of early death.

The research in monkeys followed previous studies in rodents and flies which revealed that restricting calorie intake, while continuing to supply essential nutrients, extends lifespan by as much as 40 per cent.

The researchers now say the findings could lead to the development of drugs that could have a similar effect on the body as calorie restriction.

“We study caloric restriction because it has such a robust effect on ageing and the incidence and timing of age-related disease,” said author Rozalyn Anderson, an assistant professor of geriatrics.

“Already, people are studying drugs that affect the

mechanisms that are active in caloric restriction. There is enormous private-sector interest in some of these drugs.”

The findings of the Wisconsin researchers contradict a 2012 study, which suggested calorie restriction did not improve survival rates in monkeys.

However, they believe this could be because in the previous study, the control animals were actually also on calorierestricted diets meaning their risk of disease and early death was also reduced.

Ricki Colman, a senior scientist at the Wisconsin Primate Center, who co-leads the project, said: “In Wisconsin, we started with adults. We knew how much food they wanted to eat, and we based our experimental diet on a 30 per cent reduction in calories from that point.”

In contrast, he says, the 2012

monkeys were fed according to a standardised food intake chart designed by the National Academy of Science.

This, he says, actually amounts to calorie restriction.

As the 2012 monkeys that were fed according to a standardised chart, which resulted in a slight reduction in calories, lived for as long as those on a heavily restricted diet, the researchers believe a calorie restriction of as little as

10 per cent could meaningfully improve life expectancy.

While the findings are significant, the researchers say they do not recommend that people cut their calorie intake below the recommended level.

They say they carry out the research to delve into the underlying causes of agerelated disease susceptibility.

“We are not studying it so people can go out and do it, but to delve into the underly-

ing causes of age-related disease susceptibility,” says Dr Anderson. “It’s a research tool, not a lifestyle recommendation, but some people get caught up: “What if I did caloric restriction?”’

Many of the benefits of caloric restriction are linked to regulation of energy, Dr Anderson added. ‘It affects how fuel is utilised. Caloric restriction essentially causes a reprogramming of the metabolism.

Scientists advance in adult vertebrate tissue regeneration HE reason why some aniT mals can regenerate tissues after severe organ loss or amputation while others, such as humans, cannot renew some structures has always intrigued scientists.

In a study now published in PLOS ONE, a research group from Instituto Gulbenkian de

Ciência (IGC, Portugal) led by Joaquín Rodríguez León provided new clues to solve this central question by investigating regeneration in an adult vertebrate model: the zebrafish. It was known that zebrafish is able to regenerate organs, and that electrical currents may play a role in

this process, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear.

Using both biophysical and molecular approaches, the researchers have shown, for the first time, that zebrafish regenerates its caudal fin by a process that involves a specific channel in the cell membrane, called VATPase, that pumps hydrogen ions (H+) out of the cells generating an electrical current.

Understanding these mechanisms underlying adult tissue regeneration may be instrumental for the development of new therapeutic strategies, both in regenerative and developmental medicine.

Cell regeneration is a biological feature of all living organisms with an important role in growth, wound healing, tissue repair and similar biological functions.

Scientists have been investigating the molecular aspects that underline regeneration aiming to understand why some animals have the ability to regrow entire tissue structures after amputation or injury whereas humans can just regenerate few organs, such as the liver or the skin.

The classical approach has been to look at genes and proteins, and only more recently, the relevance of bioelectric signals began to be investigated.

NASRDA predicts lunar eclipse HE National Space T Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has said there would be an astronomical event in April 2014, known as a total Lunar Eclipse.

In a statement by the Deputy Director Media and Corporate Communications, Felix Ale, the astronomical event described as a Lunar eclipse will take place on April 15, 2014 at about 8:44pm Nigerian time. And it is expected to last for 77 minutes, that is, from 8.07pm to 9.24pm Nigerian time.

Although the eclipse will not be visible in Africa, it will however be visible to those in the North and South America and Australia. It should be noted that it will not be seen in Nigeria, but in the regions mentioned above.

In the same vein, there will be an Annular Solar Eclipse, which is expected to occur on April 29, 2014 at 7:16 West African Time.

The eclipse will begin from off of the coast of South Africa through the Antarctica, to the coast of Australia. However, in view of its spread, it will be visible to South Africa from the African continent.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

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33

NaturalHealth

Garlic

Bitter leaf

Herbal cure claims for Ebola virus, dengue fever, others AN herbal preparation C made predominantly with bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdali-

na), bitter cola (Garcinia kola), garlic (Allium sativum), neem tree (Azadiratcha indica), guava (Psidium guajava), lemon grass (Cymbopogum citratus), water yam (Dioscorea alata), corn/maize (Zea mays), sesame (Sesamum indicatum), Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis), sugar cane, (Saccharum officinarum), and Green amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus, inine in Ibo, tete abalaye in Yoruba) provide the elusive cure for Ebola virus disease, Dengue fever and Leishmaniasis?

Nigerian researchers claim they are a step closer to a universally accepted cure for Ebola virus, Dengue fever and leishmaniasis. They claim the herbal preparation has also been successfully used, in clinical studies, to treat hepatitis B and C, cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.

The researchers from Halamin Herbal centre, 10 George Innih Crescent, Apo District, Abuja and Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, Plateau State, found that the poly herbal preparations- DAABS2 and HEPATOSAAB- strengthen the immune system through many cytokines and chemokines regulations.

Amodu is also a member of the committee inaugurated by the Director General of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, to champion the development of herbal medicine through scientific validation of all the cure claims.

The yet to be published new study is titled “Natural and Sustainable Alternative for the Management of Dengue Fever

With the threat of possible outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country and the confirmation of cases of dengue fever, penultimate week, by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, researchers are quickly churning out possible herbal cures. CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes. in West Africa.”

Also results of another study presented, in 1999, at the 16th International Botanic Congress in St Louis, Missouri, United States, indicate that bitter cola (Garcinia kola), a plant widely used in traditional African medicine may contain a compound that is effective against Ebola virus disease.

Executive director of the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme, Prof. Maurice Iwu, explained that an extract derived from the seeds of Garcinia kola could inhibit this virus in cell culture at non-toxic concentrations.

Iwu and his colleagues identified Garcinia kola as a possible source of drugs using the method called Corbel (clinical observation-based ethnomedical lead).

Extracts from Garcinia kola seeds were tested against many complex viral diseases.

The active compound, now known to be a biflavonoid, was found to be active against a wide range of viruses including the influenza virus.

Iwu told The Guardian last week: “The active substance is an extract from Garcinia kola (bitter kola) called Kolaviron, which contains bioflavonoids and prenylated xanthones and benzophenones.

“Work was done while a scientist at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Washington DC in collaboration with Southern Research Institute (SRI).

“But no follow up. Others at Ibadan and other Nigerian universities have done followup work on Kolaviron.”

Also, other researchers have identified asthma herb (Euphorbia hirta), pawpaw (Carica papaya), neem tree (Azadiratcha indica), lemon grass (Cymbopogum citratus), bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and Psidium guajava (guava) extracts as potential cures for dengue fever and other viral infections.

Euphorbia hirta (asthma herb) has been shown to not only to be effective in treating asthma but to possess antiviral activity against Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Euphorbia hirta belongs to the plant family Euphorbiaceae. It is called In Nigeria, asin uloko in Edo, endamyel in Fula-Fulfulde, ba ala in Igbo (Owerri), akun esan in Yoruba.

Euphorbia hirta is also locally known as ogwu ngwo (eczema drug) in some eastern parts of Nigeria is used locally to arrest bleeding in the event of an injury.

Leaves of Euphorbia hirta are used in traditional medicine for the treatments of boils,

wounds and control of diarrhoea and dysentery.

The study published in Journal of Natural Medicines is titled “Potential anti-dengue medicinal plants: a review.”

The study reads: “Traditional medicinal plants have been reported to have antiviral activity and some have been used to treat viral infections in animals and humans.

“To date, 31 different species have been found to have the potential to treat dengue; some of these have not yet been investigated scientifically. In the Philippines, Euphorbia hirta (asthma herb), known locally as “tawa–tawa”, is used in folk medicine to cure dengue fever by people in rural areas.

Practitioners of traditional medicines believe that decoction of tawa–tawa leaves can reverse viral infection and prevent the fever from moving into critical stages, although there are no scientific studies proving its effectiveness.

“Sometimes, tawa–tawa is prepared together with pawpaw (papaya) leaves since

Nigerian researchers claim they are a step closer to a universally accepted cure for Ebola virus, Dengue fever and leishmaniasis. They claim the herbal preparation has also been successfully used, in clinical studies, to treat hepatitis B and C, cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.

papaya leaf extract has a function as an antibiotic to cure fever. While papaya leaf extract kills the bacterial infection that caused the fever, tawa–tawa extract prevents bleeding. In addition, unpublished research has found that Psidium guajava (guava) leaves are a good way to increase platelets, thus helping to avoid bleeding. A water decoction of guava leaves contains quercetin, which acts to inhibit the formation of enzyme mRNA in the virus.”

Researchers have also developed a novel herbal formulation, PONNEEM, made predominantly with neem tree extracts (Azadiratcha indica) against dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

The study was published in Parasitology Research.

Researchers have also found the potential use of lemon seed extracts against dengue fever mosquito. The study was published in Pakistan Journal of Botany.

The researchers from the Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan and Chonbuk National University, Chonju, South Korea wrote: “Citrus seeds and peel contain certain compounds with varied level of bitterness.

These compounds have been tested against insects and proved to be effective. The present study was therefore carried out to test the citrus seed extracts from 10 varieties against fourth instar larvae of dengue fever mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse)…”

Researchers have also

shown that Wormwood (Artemisia annua) inhibits both malaria and dengue fever – two of the most lethal mosquito-borne infections around the world.

Researchers from the University of Delhi found that an extract derived from the leaf of the Artemisia annua plant kills the parasites associated with the malaria and dengue fever infections.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ebola virus disease is one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind between 25 to 90 per cent fatality. The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons.

Transmission of the Ebola virus has also occurred by handling sick or dead infected wild animals (chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope, fruit bats). The predominant treatment is general supportive therapy.

Dengue fever also known as breakbone fever, is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis. The most com-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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34 | NATURAL HEALTH Thursday, April 10, 2014

Herbal remedy for killer diseases

Natural plant compound prevents memory loss in mice CHEMICAL that’s found in A fruits and vegetables from strawberries to cucumbers

Neem CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 mon are cutaneous and visceral. The cutaneous type causes skin sores. The visceral type affects internal organs such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. People with this form usually have fever, weight loss, and an enlarged spleen and liver.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian researchers led by Amodu said that while it is being postulated that there are no specific anti-viral tablets or injections that can kill the virus, the immune system can however be stimulated by a high class concoctions infused from cocktails of fruits, barks, roots, stems etc with the major bioactive constituents of medicinal plants to kill the virus According to the study, this high-class concoction has been scientifically formulated into capsules with different strength. One of the highclass formulations is called DAABS-2.

They wrote: “The constituents of DAABS-2 include Vernonia amygdalina, Dioscorea alata and Zea mays.

The medicinal uses of the constituents of DAABS-2 are well documented in literature.

“But like most traditional medicines in Africa, little or no scientific information is available on this polyherbal component preparation that is akin to the Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) or the India Ayurvedic preparation.

“These active constituents are believed to strengthen the immune system through many cytokines and chemokines regulations.

With the abundant presence of tannins, phlobatannins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, saponins and cardiac glycosides, which are the most important bioactive constituents of medicinal plants, the poly herbal preparation is able to normalize appropriately all the haematological indices and improve health status dramatically.

“Vaccines are being developed against all four serotypes of dengue fever and they will definitely be the most effective way to prevent the disease. Prevention of mosquito breeding has by and large failed in most endemic countries.

“Patients are prone to dehydration hence they should drink plenty of fluids. If necessary a few days of intra-venous fluids can be administered in the form of normal saline or

Lemon dextrose saline.

“This study is therefore designed to determine the clinical activities of DAABS-2on dengue fever and to create awareness to the public and other healthcare workers on the importance of preventing the breeding site of mosquitoes.”

The study population was made of suspected cases of dengue Haemorrhagic fever clients within the age bracket of zero month to 69 years, that came to seek medical attention in Halamin Chemicals Nigeria Limited Centre, Abuja from April, 2012 to February 2013.

Suspected cases comprised of clients that presented with fever and any of the following: headache, pain behind the eye and in muscles and joints enlarged lymph glands, and a maculopapular rash. Sometimes abdominal pain with vomiting and occasionally haemorrhagic symptoms.

Social-demographic data including age, sex, presenting complaints, relevant signs elicited and orthodox drugs pre-treatment were obtained from the clients.

After obtaining the relevant information and explaining to the clients the test procedures, two millilitre of blood was collected aseptically through vein puncture using sterile syringe and needle following application of tourniquet. The surface of the skin was disinfected with methylated spirit on cotton wool and allowed to dry. The blood was transferred to a plain container and allowed to clot at room temperature. The clot was dislodged and centrifuged at 1000rpm for five minutes. The serum was harvested using a Pasteur pipette and transferred into serum containers with caps and properly labeled. The test was performed immediately, unless stated otherwise in which case, the samples were kept frozen.

The Packed Cell Volume (PCV) test was done using the microhaematocrit centrifuge. The platelet count, total white blood cells count and differential, aspartate aminotranferase, blood urea and serum sodium and albumin were carried out in accordance with procedures specified by Monical Cheesbrough.

The results of the findings of dengue haemorrhagic fever clients show that nearly all age groups are affected. All

age groups were infected with the disease.

The administration of the supplements lasted for 12 weeks. The clients were given the DAABS-2 supplement 1000mg twelve hourly for one month. The hemoglobin, platelets, White Blood Cells (WBC), aspartate amino transferase (AST), blood urea, serum sodium and albumin were measured before the commencement of the supplement. An AST test measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood. The measurements were further taken at four weeks interval for two consecutive times.

The researchers wrote: “There was a remarkable moderation of the haemoglobin level of 48g/dL which is a clear characteristic of dengue haemorrhagic fever, to a normal level of 12g/dL in group A clients. This remarkable moderation happened through a period of 12 weeks of the administration of DAABS-2 supplements believed to strengthen the immune system and adaptogenized the generality of the human systems.

“Another unique addendum was the general wellbeing experienced by the clients, the initial complaints of generalized pain, headache, malaise etc. previously noticed by the clients disappeared before the end of the three month. There were equally palpable moderation of the AST and total white blood cell count from 170uL to 28uL and 1.0×109 cells/L to 10.0×109cells/L respectively within the three months use of the DAABS-2 supplements.

“In group B clients that were mostly adults, it was observed among the client despite the fact that they were reactive to IgM of the dengue virus.

However, there was also a remarkable moderation of all the parameters and general improvement in their health status.

“The group C clients, like the group A had an astronomical abnormalities in the Haemoglobin, aspartateaminotranferase, serum sodium, total white blood cell count, albumin and blood urea. This is a clear case of dengue haemorrhagic fever as the clients tested positive to IgG of the degue virus.

Nevertheless, the clients observed complete restoration of health status even before the completion of the DAABS-2 medicaments at the

twelfth weeks set for the observation. It should be noted that no such work has been carried out before, this is the first of its kind.”

Amodu said earlier study had shown that the administration of the ploy herbal preparation made predominantly with bitter leaf extracts decreased blood glucose by 90 per cent compared to the placebo treated diabetic animals respectively.

The study published in IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences is titled, “Daabs-2r: A Novel Ethnomedicinal Polyherbal Formulation For The Management Of Diabetes Mellitus.”

The researchers wrote: “This research was aimed at evaluating the efficacy of DAABS-2, a novel ethnomedicinal polyherbal formulation on Insulin Depended Diabetes mellitus and non Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus by using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic laboratory animals and the result showed that the administration of 180mg/kg and 100mg/kg with the corresponding DAABS-2 extracts decreased blood glucose by 90 per cent compared to the placebo treated diabetic animals respectively.

“In summary, the present study results indicate that single i.p. injection of STZ 180mg/kg and 100mg/kg with the correspondent extracts produced no diabetes of any form, while the same i.p injection of 180mg/kg and 100mg/kg with the corresponding placebo produced type 1 or insulin dependent diabetes, however, the latter failed to produce diabetes mellitus. The severity and mortality of diabetes with STZ 180mg/kg is more in comparison to 100mg/kg. The longterm complications of diabetes mellitus and the characteristics of progressive diabetes mellitus in the group with the placebo could be studied.”

Amodu and his team of researchers have also produced herbal preparation for the management of leishmaniasis.

The study is titled “Ethnopharmacological and Pre-clinical studies on HEPATOSAAB used in the management of leishmaniasis.”

The constituents of HEPATOSAABR include: Sesamum indicatum, Vernonia amygdalina, Aloe barbadensis,

Saccharum officinarum, Allium sativum, Amaranthus andcaudatus. The medicinal uses of the constituents of HEPATOSAABR are well documented in literature.

The researchers wrote: “The liver and the spleen which are the culprit organs that visceral leishmaniasis affect can be toned by some herbal extracts. One of such polyherbal formulations used for various ethnomedicinal purposes in Nigeria including the treatment of Hepatitis B and C is HEPATOSAABR. “HEPATOSAAB, an ethnomedicinal poly herbal formulation from the stable of Halamin Herbal Centre has been found to cure Visceral Leishmaniasis which works by inducing high levels of certain cytokines to positively affect macrophage populations and up-regulates the expression of MHC class II molecules on the surface of the macrophage. “ It is clearly demonstrated that this inexpensive, simple, effective and non toxic ethnomedicinal poly herbal formulation has a promising curative role in the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis. The real challenge now will be proper translation, distribution and expansion of the advances made; it is essential that the new treatment options become truly accessible, not simply available, in endemic areas so that they may promote healing and save lives.”

They concluded: “In conclusion, this study has shown that there is a cure for the chronic form of Leishmaniasis. The total clearance of visceral leishmaniasis upon administration of HEPATOSAAB for three months is a testimony to this fact. Therefore, since prevention still remains the key to control, efforts must be made to strengthen strategies aimed at increasing awareness and encouraging people to take seriously the issue of personal hygiene. It is also important for the introduction of biolarvicide to stamp out completely the larvae of this parasite.

“Furthermore to cure and improve the quality of life of people infected with Visceral Leishmaniasis, the novel supplementHEPATOSAAB should be allowed to be dispensed in hospitals and pharmacies across the length and breathe of the country and beyond.”

appears to stop memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease in mice, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered.

In experiments on mice that normally develop Alzheimer’s symptoms less than a year after birth, a daily dose of the compound -a flavonol called fisetin -prevented the progressive memory and learning impairments. The drug, however, did not alter the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, accumulations of proteins, which are commonly blamed for Alzheimer’s disease. The new finding suggests a way to treat Alzheimer’s symptoms independently of targeting amyloid plaques.

“We had already shown that in normal animals, fisetin can improve memory,” says Pamela Maher, a senior staff scientist in Salk’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory who led the new study. “What we showed here is that it also can have an effect on animals prone to Alzheimer’s.”

More than a decade ago, Maher discovered that fisetin helps protect neurons in the brain from the effects of aging. She and her colleagues have since -in both isolated cell cultures and mouse studies -probed how the compound has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on cells in the brain. Most recently, they found that fisetin turns on a cellular pathway known to be involved in memory.

“What we realized is that fisetin has a number of properties that we thought might be beneficial when it comes to Alzheimer’s,” says Maher.

So Maher -who works with Dave Schubert, the head of the Cellular Neurobiology Lab turned to a strain of mice that have mutations in two genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers took a subset of these mice and, when they were only three months old, began adding fisetin to their food. As the mice aged, the researchers tested their memory and learning skills with water mazes. By nine months of age, mice that hadn’t received fisetin began performing more poorly in the mazes. Mice that had gotten a daily dose of the compound, however, performed as well as normal mice, at both nine months and a year old.

“Even as the disease would have been progressing, the fisetin was able to continue preventing symptoms,” Maher says.

In collaboration with scientists at the University of California, San Diego, Maher’s team next tested the levels of different molecules in the brains of mice that had received doses of fisetin and those that hadn’t. In mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms, they found, pathways involved in cellular inflammation were turned on. In the animals that had taken fisetin, those pathways were dampened and anti-inflammatory molecules were present instead. One protein in particular -known as p35 -was blocked from being cleaved into a shorter version when fisetin was taken. The shortened version of p35 is known to turn on and off many other molecular pathways. The results were published in the journal Aging Cell.

Thursday, April 17, 2014 SCIENCE & HEALTH

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WHO dismisses usefulness of traditional birth attendants in reducing maternal, child deaths From Chukwuma Muanya, Luanda Angola ONTRARY to widely held C belief especially in Nigeria and other African countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday dismissed the usefulness of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in efforts to reduce maternal and child deaths in the continent.

The WHO African Region (WHO/AFRO) yesterday at the ongoing first African Ministers of Health Meeting in Luanda, Angola, however, said that TBAs could be useful in providing health education, health promotion and prevention of diseases.

Director WHO/AFRO, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, and Director of Health Promotion WHO/AFRO, Dr. Ketsela Tigest, in their remarks to call by some African Ministers of Health and delegates led by Tanzania during an experts meeting on ending preventable maternal and child deaths in Africa said TBAs have a place in health promotion but not in reduction of maternal and child mortality because they do not have the skills.

Tigest explained: “It is not only access to health care that we are concerned with. In order to improve maternal and child health and reduce deaths we have to improve quality. At community level, if we say skilled attendant it means skilled personnel and the supporting environment.

So that is what is called skilled attendant.

“But we have experience in using TBAs but with no improvement has been seen because they do not have the supporting environment with necessary tools to deliver babies. So what we are emphasizing is institutionalization of child births.

“We are not saying that TBAs are not useful but in health promotion and prevention not actually in delivery.

Because child births can be complicated TBAs cannot be able to attend when complications arise.”

WHO’s position is supported

by Nigeria. Director of Child Health Department, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Dr. Kayode Afolabi, who presented Nigeria’s position on ending preventable maternal and child deaths in Africa said: “TBAs have been used for a number of decades but with little or no improvement resulting from their engagement and the global position is in line with using them to promote healthcare seeking behavior among pregnant women and under five children. We do not completely discountenance their relevance. However, what we are supporting is to use them in promotive and preventive healthcare.

“Because when we are talking about skilled birth attendants we are not referring only to the skilled person, we are also referring to the enabled environment for the skilled person to perform. In the first instance TBAs are not considered as skilled enough to be skilled person and the environment they also practice are also not well equipped to make them have any positive impact in reducing maternal mortality espe-

•Endorses health promotion, disease prevention role •Nigeria adopts integrated community case management cially when it comes to availability of essential commodities.”

Afolabi, however, said as part of efforts to ending preventable maternal and child deaths, Nigeria has adopted new model called Integrated Community Case Management.

He explained: “One very major issue that has been identified here at the first African Ministers of Health Meeting today are challenges and issues are access to healthcare delivery for mother and child. In Nigeria, we have just adopted integrated community case management for the care of underfive and we know that a major causal factor in under five children mortality is delay in accessing care so deployed community directed approach in the care of pneumonia, malaria, diarrhoea as well as referral of sick newborns. These in Nigeria are major causes of under-five mortality and we believe that other countries in the continent who have not adopted this strategy should also key into the strategy to address the issue of equity and poor access to under five healthcare delivery especially in hard to reach areas.

“The second issue that was also very fundamental to reducing maternal mortality is health system strengthening and issues around human resource for health. In Nigeria, to strengthen our health system and also boost human resource for health, we have introduced a new cadre of healthcare provider, which is called community midwives. These are midwives, which are specially trained to work at the community where they are based and where they are supported. The training lasts for 18 months as opposed to the regular nursing and midwifery

training that lasts longer; three years for the basic nursing and subsequently 18 months thereafter.

“These direct community

midwifery programme has just been introduced in Nigeria and it will ensure that once they graduate they will be readily available to accept

deployment to their areas particularly remote areas where we know that majority of maternal mortality and morbidity presently occur.

This certainly will strengthen the health system.

“Also, the federal government of Nigeria is giving

scholarship to midwives who will have to sign bonds that they will be ready to work in rural areas for at least two years after their training.

These are issues we are looking at to strengthen the health system of the country.”

Director of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Dr. Bridget Okoegale (left); Director of Planning FMoH, Dr. Ansa Ogu; and Director of Non Communicable Diseases FMoH, Dr. Anthony Usoro, on Tuesday at the First African Ministers of Health meeting holding in Luanda, Angola PHOTO: CHUKWUMA MUANYA

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SCIENCE HEALTH Thursday, April 17, 2014

Experts decry poor medical facilities in Nigeria From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu ARTICIPANTS in a health P summit in Enugu have raised an alarm on the deplorable state of health service in the country and called for immediate intervention of the federal government.

The experts, drawn from the national body of the Nigeria Health Economics Association, (NIHEA) were of the view that Nigerians were yet to enjoy good health care services, despite the country’s huge economic disposition as one of the leading oil producing regions of the world.

In his key note lecture entitled “From nowhere to somewhere – improving the Nigerian health system with evidence for Universal Health Coverage (UHC)”, the national president of the Nigeria Health Economics Association Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe, regretted that health facilities in the country had become mere consulting clinics due to poor funding.

He said there was total absence of health personnel and essential drugs in many of them.

Prof. Onwujekwe, who is the

dean of the faculty of health sciences and technology at the University of Nigeria (UNN), submitted that a durable health system must have good oversight of resources and power, improvement of health of its population, efficiency equity and quality with respect to service provision, financial risk protection and universal health among others.

According to him: “Judged on these expectations and other factors, it was discovered that Nigerian health system is weak and was ranked 187th out of 191 health systems globally. This was attributed to plethora of factors, including weak governance structure, weak information system, inefficient use of critical resources, sub-optimal financing system and non responsiveness to the needs of the people, others”.

He also observed that the current national health policy was out dated, leaving so much responsibility to the primary health care level. He stressed that there was a disconnect between plans and implementation and planning, as policy making was

not based on evidence.

“On a more practical term, the health system, was viewed from different perspectives from the maternal and child health perspective, there is high maternal mortality ratio and under – 5 mortality rate of 153 per 1000 live births (the figure is higher in rural areas) owing partly to the low proportion of births attended to by skilled health personnel and low coverage of other interventions, and from the perspective of health financing, less than 5 percent of the population is currently covered by financial risk protection mechanism (health insurance) and payment for health care are mostly out of pocket, which are often catastrophic to households”, he added Onwujekwu, disclosed that there were however, some positive achievements in immunization coverage, increased use of insecticides treated nets, through massive distribution campaigns nationwide and some decline in infant and maternal mortality.

While calling for the development of a health system back-

bone, which would usher in the introduction of new cadre of health workers with management skills, strengthening health system activities required for achieving universal health coverage, he noted that improvement of work efficiency, equity and comprehensive sector – wide delivery of essential primary health care services in the 36 states and Abuja, were imperative for the nation’s health care sector to move forward.

The University don further explained that the Nigerian Health Economics Association was a body that constitutes health economics, policy analysts and policy makers, by their official training or practical experience in the field of health economics and policy, adding that the target of the association was to promote and sustain the development, knowledge and application of health economics in Nigeria.

Also speaking, another expert, Dr. Tarry Asoka from Rivers State, maintained that for the health sector reform to yield any dividend, there was need for a systematic change around the three drivers of change namely – agents, institutions and structures.

Lagos Assembly seeks improved screening, awareness on Ebola virus

By Wole Oyebade PPARENTLY worried on risA ing cases of deadly Ebola virus in West Africa, Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts at effective screening at the nation’s entry points.

Citing that the disease has no known cure, the House also called on the State government to intensify efforts at raising awareness on causes, symptoms and preventive measures among the public.

Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in affirming the motion, said: “The House hereby called on the Federal Government to direct relevant agencies to ensure that visitors coming into the country through the various borders from the affected countries be properly screened.

“The House urges the state government through the ministry of information and strategy to urgently embark on a massive enlightenment campaign on causes, prevention and control of the Ebola diseases. The House also urges it members in the Lagos Assembly to go back to their respective constituencies to sensitise their constituents on the outbreak of Ebola virus disease.”

An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been linked to the deaths of more than 120 people, according to the latest World Health Organisation

count.

There is no vaccine and no cure for the deadly virus, and its appearance in West Africa, far from its usual sites in Central and East Africa, has caused some panic.

Prime Mover of the motion, Dr Ajibayo Adeyeye had observed that Ebola virus, first recorded in 1976 in Zaire, is a virulent disease that kills quicker than other diseases.

Adeyeye observed that symptoms of Ebola virus include: fever, headache, Joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and lack of appetite.

Lawmaker representing Ikorodu I Constituency, Sanai Agunbiade noted that the motion was timely and quite important considering some Lagos environment were busy meat, a culprit in the Ebola transmission, is a delicacy.

Agunbiade said it was high time residents in rural settlements of Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry and Ojo among others, be well enlightened on the dangers of the disease and poor hygiene.

“It is not those that may be infected alone, but those around them and susceptible to infection, to be able to call attention to the symptoms,” he said.

Deputy Majority leader, Lola Akande added that the government need not wait to record the first casualty before it starts talking about it to a large population like Nigeria.

Improving cognition later in life through physical activity HYSICAL activity in midlife ularly strong among overP seems to protect from weight and obese individuals. dementia in old age, accordFurther staying physically

Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Bimbo Ashiru; Managing Director and Chief Executive, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Mr Dharnesh Gordhon; Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Adenekan and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Prof. Ganiyu O. Olatunde, during Gordhon’s courtesy visit to the State governor recently

New insight into SIDS deaths points to lack of oxygen ESEARCH at the University R of Adelaide has shed new light onto the possible causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which could help to prevent future loss of children’s lives.

In a world-first study, researchers in the University’s School of Medical Sciences have found that telltale signs in the brains of babies that have died of SIDS are remarkably similar to those of children who died of accidental asphyxiation.

“This is a very important result. It helps to show that asphyxia rather than infection or trauma is more likely to be involved in SIDS deaths,” says the leader of the project, Professor Roger Byard AO, Marks Professor of Pathology at the University of Adelaide

and Senior Specialist Forensic Pathologist with Forensic Science South Australia.

The study compared 176 children who died from head trauma, infection, drowning, asphyxia and SIDS. Researchers were looking at the presence and distribution of a protein called -amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the brain. This “APP staining,” as it’s known, could be an important tool for showing how children have died. This is the first time a detailed study of APP has been undertaken in SIDS cases.

“All 48 of the SIDS deaths we looked at showed APP staining in the brain,” Professor Byard says.

“The staining by itself does not necessarily tell us the cause of death, but it can help

to clarify the mechanism.

“The really interesting point is that the pattern of APP staining in SIDS cases — both the amount and distribution of the staining — was very similar to those in children who had died from asphyxia.”

Professor Byard says that in one case, the presence of APP staining in a baby who had died of SIDS led to the identification of a significant sleep breathing problem, or apnea, in the deceased baby’s sibling.

“This raised the possibility of an inherited sleep apnea problem, and this knowledge could be enough to help save a child’s life,” Professor Byard says.

“Because of the remarkable similarity in SIDS and asphyxia cases, the question is now:

is there an asphyxia-based mechanism of death in SIDS? We don’t know the answer to that yet, but it looks very promising.”

This study was conducted at the University of Adelaide by visiting postdoctoral researcher Dr Lisbeth Jensen from Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and was funded by SIDS and Kids South Australia. The results have been published in the journal Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology.

“This work also fits in very well with collaborative research that is currently being undertaken between the University of Adelaide and Harvard University, on chemical changes in parts of the brain that control breathing,” Professor Byard says.

ing to a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland.

Those who engaged in physical activity at least twice a week had a lower risk of dementia than those who were less active. The protective effects were particularly strong among overweight individuals. In addition, the results showed that becoming more physically active after midlife may also contribute to lowering dementia risk.

Several modifiable risk factors for dementia have been suggested, but further refinement of this information is essential for effective preventive interventions targeted at high-risk groups. Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is a particularly important due to its broader effects on health in general and cardiovascular health in particular. Previous research has yielded inconsistent evidence on the association between LTPA and dementia, possibly because of short follow-up time, intensity of physical activity or population characteristics such as sex, body mass index, age or genetic risk factors of dementia.

Recent findings from the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) Study demonstrated that those who engaged in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) at least twice per week had lower risk of dementia in comparison to less active individuals.

Although these protective effects were observed in the entire study population, regardless of their sex or genetic risk factors, they were partic-

active, or becoming more active, after midlife may also contribute to lowering dementia risk, especially in people who are overweight or obese at midlife. The findings were not explained by socioeconomic background, age, sex, genetic risk factors, obesity, weight loss, general health status or work-related physical activity.

These results suggest that the window of opportunity for physical activity interventions to prevent dementia may extend from midlife to older ages. Results from currently ongoing trials, such as the Finnish multi-center trial FINGER may give more detailed information about the type, intensity, and duration of physical activity interventions that can be used for preventing late-life cognitive decline.

CAIDE participants were derived from four separate, independent, populationbased random samples examined in the North Karelia Project and FINMONICA study in 1972, 1977, 1982, or 1987. The average age at the beginning of the study was 50 years. This study included 1432 participants from Kuopio and Joensuu region, who attended cognitive tests in 1998 and 2005-2008. To account for survivor or selection bias, the analyses were also conducted among those 3242 North Karelia Project/FINMONICAparticipants who were from Kuopio and Joensuu but did not attend the cognitive assessments using dementia diagnoses from registers.

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Breastfeeding and infant sleep N a new article published Inalonline today in the jourEvolution, Medicine, and Public Health, Prof. David Haig argues that infants that wake frequently at night to breastfeed are delaying the resumption of the mother’s ovulation and therefore preventing the birth of a sibling with whom they would have to compete.

It has already been documented that smaller gaps between the births of siblings are associated with increased mortality of infants and toddlers, especially in environments

where resources are scarce and where infectious disease rates are high, and Haig believes that the benefits of delay are such that the selective forces are strong enough to have engendered a significant evolutionary response.

Haig says, “The duration of postpartum amenorrhea is a major determinant of interbirth internals (IBI) in natural fertility populations with more frequent and more intense nursing, especially at night, associated with prolonged infertility. Natural selection will have pre-

served suckling and sleeping behaviours of infants that suppress ovarian function in mothers because infants have benefited from delay of the next birth. Maximal night waking can be conjectured to overlap with the greatest benefits of contraceptive suckling.”

Haig also points out that while less frequent night waking in formula-fed infants is usually explained by the fact that formula is harder to digest, and therefore more soporific, than breast milk, infants who were breastfed

Pfizer partners UCH on kidney screening S part of its commitA ment to working for healthier world, Pfizer recently partnered with University College Hospital, Ibadan to raise awareness on the importance of keeping the kidney healthy.

The partnership, which also commemorated the World Kidney Day, was aimed at reducing the frequency, impact and associated health problems of kidney disease.

Medical Director Pfizer NEAR, Dr Kodjo Soroh, noted that kidney disease had become a common problem in our society, adding that “If detected early, chronic kidney diseases can be treated thereby reducing other complications including death and disability associated with the disorder.”

To avoid kidney disease, it is necessary to undergo regular blood pressure checks, as people with high blood pressure are more likely to suffer kidney failure.

There are several risk factors that is associated with the condition and these include: smoking, obesity, diabetes, high level of salt intake and high level of alcohol consumption to mention but a few.

Guidelines recommend a blood pressure target of 120/80 mmHg for healthy people or 130/80 mmHg for people suffering from diabetes.

Commenting on this event, Prof. B. L. Salako, a Nephrologist with the University College Hospital, said: “This year we decided to increase awareness on the effect of ageing on the kidney and the importance of adequate intake of water.

Over 250 patients were screened and counseled”.

Pfizer in the scope of its Corporate Social Responsibility organised disease awareness programme and free medical screening for the general public, to address the growing concern of kidney disease in Africa.

These screenings, which cover health parameters like blood pressure, glucose and total cholesterol, take place in pharmacies, religious organisations and corporate establishments, in partnership with medical institutions.

In her address, Margaret Olele, Director Corporate

Affairs/Health & Value, Pfizer said, “we all should

learn to imbibe good and healthy lifestyle.”

but were not nursed during the night slept longer than breastfed infants who were nursed at night.

Attention is also drawn to the sleep of infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) — who often have a weak suck and sleep a lot — and infants with Angelman syndrome (AS) — who wake frequently at night. These syndromes are both caused by deletion of a cluster of imprinted genes at chromosome 15q13 but differ in the parental origin of the deletion. These phenotypes suggest that imprinted genes of paternal and maternal origin have contrasting effects on sleep in infants without deletions, with genes of paternal origin promoting suckling and waking. Small-scale

behavioural interventions in which parents were instructed not to respond to night waking by children with AS have resulted in dramatic improvements in sleep quality.

Haig writes: “In the developed world, many of the health advantages of prolonged IBIs have diminished and more reliable forms of contraception have replaced lactational amenorrhea. Therefore, the selective forces responsible for these behaviours have been attenuated but the behaviours remain part of our biological heritage. One should question whether modern sleep practices have had unintended consequences for child health but it would be irresponsible to recommend changes to these

practices, solely on the basis of mismatch, without epidemiological evidence of harm. Mismatch is a medical problem only if it causes pathology.

“Identification of the ‘environment of evolutionary adaptedness’ with the optimal environment for wellbeing conflates questions of fitness and health.

What was best for one was not always best for the other. Genetic conflicts within the family are part of our biological heritage, as are love and care for our children.”

The journal has also published five articles and commentaries that respond to Haig’s paper from varying perspectives, along with a further reply to the responses by the author.

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How obesity, junk food prime colon for cancer, make humans lazy CCORDING to a study in A mice by the United States National Institutes of Health, obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer.

The finding bolsters the recommendation that calorie control and frequent exercise are not only key to a healthy lifestyle, but a strategy to lower the risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancerrelated death in the United States.

Dr. Paul Wade and Dr. Thomas Eling, scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, led a collaborative team that made the discovery. The study appeared online April 1 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Also, a new University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), United States, psychology study provides evidence that being overweight makes people tired and sedentary- not the other

way around.

Life scientists led by UCLA’s Aaron Blaisdell placed 32 female rats on one of two diets for six months. The first, a standard rat’s diet, consisted of relatively unprocessed foods like ground corn and fishmeal. The ingredients in the second were highly processed, of lower quality and included substantially more sugar- a proxy for a junk food diet.

After just three months, the researchers observed a significant difference in the amount of weight the rats had gained, with the 16 on the junk food diet having become noticeably fatter.

“One diet led to obesity, the other didn’t,” said Blaisdell, a professor of psychology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science and a member of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute.

The experiments the researchers performed, Blaisdell said, also suggest that

fatigue may result from a junk food diet.

As part of the study, the rats were given a task in which they were required to press a lever to receive a food or water reward. The rats on the junk food diet demonstrated impaired performance, taking substantially longer breaks than the lean rats before returning to the task. In a 30minute session, the overweight rats took breaks that were nearly twice as long as the lean ones.

The research is currently online and is scheduled for publication in the April 10 print edition of the journal Physiology and Behavior.

After six months, the rats’ diets were switched, and the overweight rats were given the more nutritious diet for nine days. This change, however, didn’t help reduce their weight or improve their lever responses.

The reverse was also true:

Placing the lean rats on the junk food diet for nine days didn’t increase their weight noticeably or result in any reduction in their motivation on the lever task. These findings suggest that a pattern of consuming junk food, not just the occasional binge, is responsible for obesity and cognitive impairments, Blaisdell said.

“There’s no quick fix,” he noted.

What are the implications for humans? Do people who are overweight become less healthy or do less healthy people become overweight?

“Overweight people often get stigmatized as lazy and lacking discipline,” Blaisdell said. “We interpret our results as suggesting that the idea commonly portrayed in the media that people become fat because they are lazy is wrong.

Our data suggest that dietinduced obesity is a cause, rather than an effect, of laziness. Either the highly

processed diet causes fatigue or the diet causes obesity, which causes fatigue.”

A large body of scientific literature says people who are obese are predisposed to a number of cancers, particularly colorectal cancer, Eling said. To better understand the processes behind this link, he and his colleagues fed two groups of mice a diet in which 60 percent of the calories came from lard.

The first group of mice contained a human version of a gene called NAG-1, which has been shown to protect against colon cancer in other rodent studies. The second group lacked the NAG-1 gene.

The NAG-1 mice did not gain weight after eating the high-fat diet, while mice that lacked the NAG-1 gene grew plump.

The researchers noticed another striking difference between the two groups of animals.

“The obese mice exhibited molecular signals in their gut

that led to the progression of cancer, but the NAG-1 mice didn’t have those same indicators,” Eling said.

The researchers looked for molecular clues, by isolating cells from the colons of the mice and analyzing a group of proteins called histones.

Histones package and organize DNA in a cell’s nucleus, and sometimes undergo a process known as acetylation, in which chemical tags bind to their surface. The pattern of acetylation varies depending on the chemical processes taking place in the cell.

Wade explained that the acetylation patterns for the obese mice and the thin NAG-1 mice were drastically different.

Patterns from the obese mice resembled those from mice with colorectal cancer. The additional weight they carried also seemed to activate more genes that are associated with colorectal cancer progression, suggesting the obese mice are

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SCIENCE HEALTH Thursday, April 17, 2014

CMUL provost charges new doctors on dedicated service

By Wole Oyebade ROVOST of the College of P Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof.

Distributors; of the mosquito nets and Officials of Sahara Group Plc, during distribution of mosquito nets to members of Ijora Community, in Lagos.

Lagos IRS exercise records 12,850 beneficiaries

By Wole Oyebade and Paul Adunwoke

• Ijora community gets free mosquito treated nets

O fewer than 51,800 N rooms in 12,850 households have so far been

lation; procurement of adequate quantities of chemicals, pumps or sprayers, spare kits and personal protective equipment for the exercise and capacity building exercise for spray men and supervisors.

He said: “This spray men and supervisors who are community persons recommended by the LGAs and LCDAs have been trained. This comprised a three-day training for supervisors and a 10-day version for the spray men. These spray men have been exposed to the theory and practice of IRS exercise including safe handling of chemicals or insecticides and spraying equipment and maintenance of same,” Idris said.

The exercise, which commenced on Saturday, March 15, 2014 in six LGAs of Ojo, Ikorodu, Badagry, AmuwoOdofin, Kosofe, Ibeju Lekki and their corresponding LCDAs runs concurrently.

He added that a key implementation activity of the IRS exercise also involves community mobilisation by the LGA social mobilisation teams to inform residents about the spray days and scheduled visits stressing that some critical implementation and post implementation activities rest on insecticides susceptibility tests and monitoring as well as quality assurance strategy.

Malaria is a mosquito borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by parasitic protozoans of the genus plasmodium, it has killed many people in the country, both young and old.

However, malaria disease is transmitted by a bite from an infected female mosquito, which introduces the organisms from its saliva into a person’s circulatory system.

To prevent this, Sahara Group Plc, has started mosquito net distribution to the members of Ijora Oloye Community, in Lagos State.

The distribution of mosquito net and campaign are in line with Sahara Group Plc,

sprayed in the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) exercise, still ongoing in six Local Government Areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas (LGAs/LCDAs) of the state.

The 40-day exercise is part of the control strategy of the State government’s Malaria Control Programme.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, during a recent on-site inspection of the indoor residual spraying exercise in Kosofe LGA and Agboyi-Ketu LCDA noted that the exercise, which started a month ago, was part of the Lagos State Government integrated vector management programme aimed at combating malaria.

He explained that IRS is the application of long-lasting chemical insecticides on the walls and ceilings of all houses and domestic animal shelters in a given area, in order to kill adult vector mosquitoes that land and rest on surfaces of walls and ceilings.

Idris added that the aim was to curtail malaria transmission by reducing the life span of vector mosquitoes and reduce the density of indoor resting and indoor feeding anopheles mosquitoes, which are the major means of vector transmission in Nigeria .

He noted that prior to the commencement of the 40day spraying exercise, various pre-implementation activities were planned and implemented with view to ensuring maximum cooperation, acceptance and effectiveness of the exercise.

The Commissioner added that the pre-implementation activities also include, geographical information system mapping exercise of structures and households to be covered in the proposed IRS sites with a view to estimating the types of spray able structures, rooms, households and total popu-

efforts in pursuit of its corporate social responsibility obligations with the views healthcare as a crucial social service that needed support.

Sahara Group Plc, therefore, implemented health intervention programmes in the broad areas of malaria prevention campaign for Ijrora Community members, especially for nursing mothers and pregnant women bene-

fited from the programme, titled net to live and hang your net sleep inside the net every night.

Principal consultant, for Kasher Consulting Limited, Ijaye Oluwale said Sahara Group has sounded necessary to ensure that they are seen as good corporate citizens in the community. “We are here basically to educate the members of the community and campaign about malaria.

Folashade Ogunsola has urged newly graduated physicians and dental surgeons to be dedicated to service and represent the institution well.

Ogunsola, who said this at the recent 2012/2013-induction ceremony of 113 new doctors, stressed that they owe their callings to service of humanity.

Congratulating the inductees, the provost noted that their induction was long in coming, and a huge sigh of relief after six years of rigorous training. However, the race had just begun, she said.

Ogunsola observed that the Nigerian terrain was difficult, though rest assured that the inductees could impact the health sector positively “because you are products of the best Medical School in Nigeria in the University of First choice and the Nations pride.”

The college, established in 1962, is the first college of medicine in the country, with the mission to be a world-class research-intensive medical school, to deliver teaching and facilitate learning of the highest quality, and to play a leading role in the health and economic development of Nigeria.

She said: “Today, we are sending you out to practice your craft in deed and in truth, in the service of your fellow men and women so that they do not suffer or die from lack of adequate medical care.”

Ogunsola also reminded the doctors that the Nigerian health sector was

in dire strait, citing indices like life expectancy of 47.2 years at birth; a lifetime risk of maternal death of 1 in every 23 compared to 1 in 36 for Africa and 1 in 4,300 for developed countries, coupled with infant mortality rate of 88 in every 1000 births.

Miserable as the picture looks, “yet only 6.04 per cent (N279.23b) of the 2013 budget presented to the National Assembly was allocated to the total health sector, compared to N116.4b allocated to the office of National security Adviser.

“This constituted only 40 per cent of the 15 per cent of the budget, recommended by the World Health Organisation that is needed to adequately address the health problems in Nigeria.

“I am not out to scare you but to let you see that there is a task ahead and you have a responsibility to be a part of the solution. We have no doubt that you are more than able. You have been well trained and we expect you to apply your knowledge, skills and creativity to the health issues of Nigeria.

“Be change agents, give more and ask less, remember from whence you came, remember your heritage, CMUL, the college that has fostered many great men and women,” she said.

Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), represented by Prof.

Olugbenga Ogunlewe also advised the doctors to take their oaths seriously.

Ogunlewe observed that there were a lot of untoward events happening in the health system today that are unbefitting of the noble profession.

Why circumcision should be offered ‘like vaccines’ to baby boys, by study IRCUMCISION should be C offered to babies the same way that vaccinations are, an academic has claimed.

The health benefits of male circumcision far outweigh the risks by more than 100 to one, according to Professor Brian Morris.

His study found that over their lifetime, half of uncircumcised men will contract an adverse medical condition caused by their foreskin.

The joint Australian and

American research team said their findings add considerable weight to the latest American Academy of Paediatrics policy that supports education and access for infant male circumcision.

The study was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Circumcision rates for babies in the United States (U.S.) have fallen from a high of 83 per cent in the 1960s to 77 per cent today.

Study leader Brian

Morris, Professor Emeritus in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney, who worked with colleagues in Florida and Minnesota, said: ‘There seemed to be two major reasons for the fall.

“One is a result of demographic changes, with the rise in the Hispanic population. Hispanic families tend to be less familiar with the custom, making them less likely to circumcise their baby boys. The other is the current absence of

Medicaid coverage for the poor in 18 U.S. states. In those states, circumcision is 24 per cent lower.”

He added: “The new findings now show that infant circumcision should be regarded as equivalent to childhood vaccination and that as such it would be unethical not to routinely offer parents circumcision for their baby boy. Delay puts the child’s health at risk and will usually mean it will never happen.”

GSK picture1: From left to right:... Dentist, Dr. Oluwatosin Bada; Brand Manager, Sensodyne & Parodontax Dr. Davis Iyoha; Head, Shell Health, Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) Dr. Martins Obasohan; Pharmacist, SNEPCo, Lagos, Rakiya Iyamabo; Expert Detailing Rep, GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Nigeria Plc, Dr. Oge Nwankwo; and Dentist, Dr. Linda Odiagbe, at a free dental outreach organised by GSK at Shell in Lagos...

Thursday, April 17, 2014 SCIENCE HEALTH | 45

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Complications and management of diabetes ROM our discussions in the Fseenlast two weeks, we have that diabetes mellitus is a disease that is characterised by excessively high levels of glucose in the circulation but not enough inside the cells.

There is not enough inside the cells because insulin, which is supposed to drive the glucose into the cells has failed.

Furthermore, we know that every cell of the body requires glucose for energy production and utilization.

For this reason, complications of diabetes seem to affect every system of the body. The severity of these complications depend on how well the condition is managed; how well the blood sugar is controlled.

There are some lifestyle choices and health challenges that may increase the severity of diabetic complications and these are, a sedentary lifestyle (a life devoid of exercises), smoking of cigarettes, obesity, high blood cholesterol level and hypertension.

Complications of diabetes mellitus These complications can either be acute or chronic.

Acute complications of diabetes that are within the scope of this article include the following: Respiratory infection: Hyperglycaemia (excessive blood in the circulation, a main feature of diabetes), is known to suppress the immune system and also causes inflammation. These, ordinarily should cause infection any where in the body,

but respiratory infections like pneumonia are more frequently encountered because the vascular effects of hyperglycaemia also cause impairment of lung function.

Gum disease (gingivitis): This is inflammation of the gums caused by bacteria which makes treatment of diabetes more difficult. In fact, research has proven that proper treatment of the gum disease can improve the management of diabetes.

Hypoglycaemia: This is a state of abnormally low level of glucose in the blood. It is commonly the result of error in the administration of insulin in type 1 diabetes or in advanced cases of type 2, where insulin administration is part of treatment. Other causes could be excessive exercise without reduction of insulin given to the patient and inadequate diet. In the acute stage the individual may be anxious, agitated, sweaty with cold extremities and weak. He could also become unconscious, a condition known as hypoglycemic coma.

Chronic complications of diabetes Long-term elevation of blood sugar level causes damage to the blood vessels. This is a condition known as angiopathy and depending on the type of vessel affected we have microangiopathy in the small vessels and macroangiopathy in the bigger vessels. The endothelial cells that line the inner parts of the blood vessels usually take up glucose independent of insulin and in the

presence of chronic hyperglycaemia, they can contain very high levels of glucose. This leads to thickening and hardening of the blood vessel as a result of the more than usual level lipids and other deposits such as calcium, fibrous connective tissues and other substances that may be found in the blood.

In the large blood vessels, the plaques deposited form a sort of arteriosclerosis known as atherosclerosis, which can cause diseases like coronary artery disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Due to the nature of this disease, complications can be found in any organ or system of the body. A list of these complications as they affect the organs or systems are, Diabetic retinopathy is due to a microangiopathy, a disease that causes damage to the microvascular network of the blood vessels in the retina. It could also be as a result of the development of poorly formed microvessels in the retina.

These both can cause oedema (swelling) of the retina, which can eventually lead to blindness.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is as a result of damage to the coronary blood vessels that supply blood to the heart.

As I mentioned earlier, atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis of the bigger blood vessels), in the heart vessels cause damage of these vessels leading to heart failure, heart attack and death.

Diabetic nephropathy is a microvascular disease that is caused by damage of the blood vessels in the kidneys. Diabetes is the commonest cause of chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis in the industrialized nations. This is on the increase among Africans, considering the number of them that troop to India and other nations for kidney transplant.

Diabetic neuropathy is characterised by a decrease or loss of sensation in the feet and hands. This condition is more common in the feet and together with microangiopathy of the feet can lead to diabetic foot.

Next week Thursday, I shall discuss more specific complications of, and management of diabetes.

‘We support efforts to improve healthcare in Nigeria’

By Paul Adunwoke HE Chief Executive Officer T (CEO) of Hygeia Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) limited, Mr. Ramesh Kurup, has said the hospital is committed to support the efforts to improve healthcare services in Nigeria, adding that Hygeia Community Health Care has been instrumental in improving access to healthcare to the unorganized sectors with subsidized health funding and the Hygeia foundation plays a significant role in capacity building within medical profession and also HIV/AIDS management.

He said that Industries; of this country will once again have many reasons to be excited about their healthcare plans.

He said this during launch of Hygeia HMO enhanced health plans, titled refreshed, reengineered, relaunched, programme held in Federal Palace Hotel Victoria Island, Lagos. “We are here today to introduce and launch into the Nigeria market Hygeia HMO’s new health plans, the new product has a number of

enhancements on our current products essentially as an outcome of market insights and Hygeia’s repositioning to deliver more value to the consumers of its products and services.

“The health plans address the needs of a cross spectrum of customers in the high end, mid level and basic levels with each plan being differentiated by varying levels of benefits thereby giving our clients and members the option of selecting the plans suited to their particular health needs and corporate ambitions. This is to ensure that everyone can have access to quality and affordable, health care. The launch of these products could not have come at a better time like this when the Federal government is shifting more focus to the healthcare management sector with the introduction of the universal health coverage, which is expected to give medical healthcare coverage to millions of Nigerians. Hygeia HMO has been at the forefront of providing quality managed care for the past 27 year and we intend to continue defining the standards in the sec-

tor”.

He continued: “Our core focus at Hygeia HMO is quality and the best in class healthcare plans designed to empower our members to take charge of their healthcare by providing them with truly robust benefits. We believe that this initiative is expected to once again set us apart from our competition as we continue to find new ways to make Nigerians live more life”, he said.

The Chairman of Hygeia Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Fola Laoye, said that the products launched by Hygeia HMO include HyPrestige plus, HyClass plus, HyPriority plus and HyEssential plus heath plans. “Hygeia HMO has been at the forefront of providing quality managed care for the past 27 years having built an enviable reputation work with a wide network of hospitals including Lagoon Hospitals among over 450 hospitals in their private hospital network and over 1500 hospitals in the public sector network. This network of hospitals, have a nationwide presence including all 36 states and Federal capital territory.

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Education Unqualified teachers risk jail term, says Okojie Recently, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, led a delegation of officials and stakeholders in the nation’s education sector to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a global conference on education organised by United Kingdom-based Varkey GEMS Foundation. On the sidelines of the conference, he spoke to OLAWUNMI OJO on efforts being made by government to reduce the nation’s population of out-ofschool children, how it is investing in infrastructural development at all levels of education and improving Information Communication Technology (ICT) deployment to aid learning and quality of teaching among other issues.

ATHERED at this conference are world leadG ers, ministers of education, experts and other education stakeholders across the globe, all discussing how funding could be increased and how private sector participation could be increased to help in achieving the Educationfor-all target. What efforts is Nigeria making along this line?

In Nigeria, education is on the concurrent list.

Consequently, the states have a responsibility for primary and secondary education.

Although, the Federal Government has unity colleges, they are model institutions, it would seem that through the Governor’s Forum, the Federal Government can impress on them that they have a big responsibility of providing good infrastructure and enhanced quality of teachers for primary and secondary education.

However, the Federal Government is encouraging primary and secondary education through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) by funding them. There is a certain percentage of the consolidated revenue that goes to that funding. So, though the Federal Government is not directly involved in the management of primary and secondary education, it funds it effectively. It has made primary education compulsory for all children of school age. To this extent, government has been encouraging education at that level.

At the tertiary level, we are all key players with the federal and state governments. The private sector and individuals are also actively participating here but with the Federal Government providing the quality assurance structure. In this direction, while UBEC takes care of primary and secondary education, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) does that for technical education, and the National Universities Commission (NUC) oversees university education. So funding is done through these avenues.

We also have development partners and that explains why a lot of time, UNICEF, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and World Bank projects come on board mainly in respect of education. The girl-child education is being funded by the United Nations special fund, and UNESCO is also doing a lot regarding the boychild education in the East.

We are told that, of the many millions of students out of school in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has a very big share – about 10 million.

And this is said to be mainly in the northern part of the country. As a response, government has encouraged the development of Almajiri schools, building structures to encourage and support the traditional Arabic (Muslim) learning system alongside modern education.

So, to a large extent, it is a very complex issue that we are responding to in respect of funding. The private sector is also playing a major role, which has challenged government regarding the quality and delivery of education. However, government is now facing the challenge of meeting the standard set by that sector from primary to the tertiary level.

You pointed out that in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children, and that government is addressing the issue. What level of progress has been made since those efforts began?

In spite of these efforts, we must not expect a dramatic drop in that number yet because it took a number of years for us to get there. But what is happening is that the states are now conscious of this fact. We now have figures telling each state where they lack and they have been facing the challenge. Besides, the total number is not evenly spread.

Recently, the North said secondary school education is free; it is a way of encouraging children to enroll in schools. There is now a huge number of children coming through the UBEC system before they empty into the secondary schools. So with families now knowing that education is free up to secondary level, they are picking interest in sending their wards to school. This would reduce the number of stu-

Okojie dents not engaged over time.

Do not also forget that recently, government wanted to introduce the schools feeding programme, which has not succeeded. We are hoping that a child would be encouraged to go to school and would be assured of getting a good meal daily.

We would continue to sensitise communities so they could take their governments to task and make them make policies aimed at reducing children who are out of school. Already, there is a big model in Bayelsa; the Seriake Dickson government has declared primary and secondary education free and compulsory with each child entitled to free uniform and books.

On government’s part, we would continue giving incentives that would encourage teachers and keep them in the classrooms.

In the East, the boy-child education is being given a boost. How well has it being embraced and have we started seeing any impact?

An average 11-year-old boy in the East thinks of trade. When we approved licence for Renaissance University in Enugu, I was amazed to find out that the proprietor built more hostels for females. He said it was because there were more girls in schools than boys. He said most of the boys take to trade as soon as they are out of primary schools. But we said it is possible for them to be in school and still be in their trades. So what we are encouraging is to build special schools for them just as we are doing for the girl-child in the north. We are also sensitising them to understand that a good education would further help them in future and make them more productive. State governments are also aware and are facing the chal-

lenge.

Not only this, government is also attending to the issue of adult education system because it helps a lot. Recently, government had an agreement with UNESCO through what we call Fund-in-trust. Government is making available a huge amount of money and telling UNESCO to help us drive that system so we can take knowledge and information to people in the rural areas who are otherwise not educated. When you do that, you would increase the number of children who want to go school.

We are encouraging the adult education system through the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). This gives tertiary education access to those in offices and even prison yards. It is also possible to go to market places and organise classes out of the conventional school hours for those who are engaged.

A frightening statistics that emerged at the conference says about two out of three or four teachers had no formal training. They are also said not to have access to retraining and good welfare packages. How is the Nigerian government responding to this challenge?

It is not only at the primary and secondary levels that we have unqualified teachers. It happens even at the university level. But government is addressing these issues all at once. There is now a minimum requirement for teaching at all levels, which means quality assurance. For instance, at the primary level, you cannot teach except you have the National Certificate of Education (NCE).

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria is also in place to ensure that teachers who are not registered cannot practice but they have not started enforcing that. There is even a threat of jail if you practice and you are not qualified. So it is a very complex issue. There is nowhere in the world where you would find abundant adequately trained teachers and in sufficient quantity too. It is very difficult except perhaps in Finland.

What this does is that it challenges those who have below that qualification to go back to school through affiliations and sandwich programmes. In fact, government is now training a lot of teachers through these methods. The National Teachers Institute in Kaduna is also doing that; it makes provisions for in-service training for teachers.

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria is also in place to ensure that teachers who are not registered cannot practice but they have not started enforcing that. There is even a threat of jail if you practice and you are not qualified. So it is a very complex issue. There is nowhere in the world where you would find abundant adequately trained teachers and in sufficient quantity too. It is very difficult except perhaps in Finland.

We also have the challenge of training and retraining in our universities. But government has been trying to provide infrastructure and develop information Communication Technology (ICT), with a view to improving the system. So, we are conscious of the fact that teachers’ quality is of great importance. You can also improve students quality when parents are more educated, which is being partly addressed through the adult education programmes.

There was also emphasis on the use of technology to get education across. What is your evaluation of Nigeria’s compliance in this regard?

Much as we agree with this, we also realise that there has been a lot of abuse of technology. Now, children some as young as three years old are playing around with the iPad. And when you ask a child to spell a word or give you the answer to 2x2, he goes to the iPad and punches it before he/she can give it to you.

In my time, you had to learn the times table. We knew the philosophy behind arithmetic and it enhanced our learning ability. What most parents are indirectly encouraging their wards to do is to leave their reasoning out of their brains.

That explains why they consult gadgets for virtually everything. We learnt spelling, speech writing and several things back in the day. But now, a lot of children do not write. What they do is go to the keyboard and type. Today, you have ebooks everywhere and once you plug it, it reads to you. In our days, as you read, you learnt spelling and a lot more. As a result, we are more knowledge than present day kids.

So, what we are adopting and trying to implement is that technology should aid the ability of man rather than take over. Technology should assist in learning and teaching aids in form of smart boards and the likes.

However, we understand that except in private schools, the deployment of ICT is still very poor at our primary schools level. What government is planning at tertiary level is with the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NGREN). We have a $10 million project of fibre optics connection. We have 27 universities now interconnected and they can share e-library facilities and information, and can also go into video-conferencing and tele-conferencing. We are even thinking of how the Association of Nigerian Doctors in the United States can help us in this regard. That said, the traditional method cannot be jettisoned because there is always that student-teacher contact, where students learn mentorship. We cannot separate ourselves from this.

In recent times, there has been a sustained flow of Nigerian students to Ghana for higher education, and the trend is not abating. What is the attraction; can the trend be reversed?

I have always said that people who have poor and low grades and who could not be admitted here are those who go to these universities in Ghana and some other African countries. It is not much because of inconsistency in the system, which is the ready excuse they give.

In any case, recently, I sent a team of education correspondents to Ghana on a fact-finding mission and to confirm what I have always suspected. What they found out was shocking. They

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 eDUCATION 49

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350,000 students enroll in Osun biometric programme

By Joseph Okoghenun O improve planning and T proper allocation of financial and human resources to the education sector in Osun State, biometric enrolment of

Don advocates establishment of more universities From Ali Garba, Bauchi He Deputy Vice Chancellor T (Academics) of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Prof.

Isyaku Mohammed has called for the establishment of more universities and polytechnics in the country in order to create more access to young Nigerians who are seeking tertiary education.

While monitoring the conduct of last weekend’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation examination (JAMB), where over 10, 000 candidates wrote the test in the state, Mohammed said the turnout of candidates for the exercise in recent times has been on the increase.

According to him, the large turnout of candidates was an indication that more tertiary institutions need to be established to absorb the increasing number of persons seeking tertiary education across the country.

He said with the rising number of persons writing the examination in the state, the institution would have to admit more indigenous students in order to address their tertiary education needs.

He reiterated that the post Unified Tertiary Matriculation examination (UTMe) test being conducted by universities was, among other reasons, to ensure that only candidates with genuine results and moral attitude were admitted into the institutions.

students of public schools has hit 350,000 in the state.

The biometric enrolment project, which is being executed by Chams Plc, is expected to provide the government of the state with accurate data on students attending public schools to aid government revolutionise public education in the state.

Deputy Governor of the state and Commissioner for education, Titilayo LaoyeTomori, said that the biometric enrolment of 350,000 students from public schools in

16 local government areas, with enrolment in progress in 14 more local government areas is a significant milestone, adding that without accurate data, a holistic transformation of the education sector in Osun may remain elusive.

She stated that the ongoing biometric enrolments would ensure that the state have accurate data for use in updating her education strategy and pragmatic work-plan to ensure policy success.

“This will enhance the effi-

ciency and effectiveness of service delivery by government to public school students who are present beneficiaries of initiatives that include the Osun elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’meals), School Computer Tablet (Opon Imo) and Osun School Uniform (O-Uniform),” she said.

Laoye-Tomori added that education is a priority in Osun State as the government recognises it as an investment in Nigeria’s future well-

being, adding that improving the quality of education in the state was crucial to ensuring that the state succeeds in the 21st Century in terms of human capital development.

Deputy Managing Director of Chams Plc, Olufemi Williams, disclosed that the firm engaged in the collection of the data of students in public schools in the state to enable the Ministry of education and State Government have useful data for the seamless implementation of its education policy.

Williams said: “This project will change the way resources are being provided for the education sector by the state government as it will promote the matching of funding with the needs of individual students and public schools in the state. With this in place, the education outcomes of students in the state will no longer be determined by the wealth of their parents, ensuring that all students have access to high quality education regardless of their background.”

Kogi teachers protest non-payment of leave allowances, two months’ salaries From John Akubo, Lokoja RIMARy school teachers in P Kogi State Tuesday took to the streets for non payment of February and March salaries and lack of leave allowance for three years running.

The placard-wielding teachers under the Basic education Staff Association of Nigeria (BeSAN) barricaded the gate of the state Universal Basic education Board (UBeC),

which was under lock and key, singing solidarity songs and condemning the non-payment of their salary among others.

Some of the placards read, “Are primary school teachers not human beings,” “What is the difference between primary and secondary school teachers?” SUBeB chairman give us our increments and pay us our entitlements,” “Unnecessary retrenchment

of teachers should be stopped,” and “Alhaji SUBeB chairman, stop trading with primary school teachers salaries. God is watching” among others.

The state chairman of BeSAN, Adumo Sule, explained that they have not been paid February and March salaries while their leave allowances have been withheld in the last three years.

Adumo also informed that

the teachers were last promoted in 2009 and the promotions were not cash backed even as his members have been undergoing screening on a yearly basis since 2011, without results.

Adumo said there was an agreement between the teachers and SUBeB in December 2013, that the minimum wage, which was being implemented at 60 per cent, would get full implementation by March

2014. This, he said has not happened as they were yet to receive their February and March salaries while waiting for the full implementation of the minimum wage.

He indicated that the protest was to bring to the notice of the governor and the entire people of the state that basic education, especially at the primary school was being ignored in the state and that teachers were suffering.

Primary school teachers in Kogi State protesting the non-payment of their two months salary as well as three years allowances at the state Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) office in Lokoja on Tuesday

Unqualified teachers risk jail term

Be of good conduct, Obafunwa charges new LASU students

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ICe Chancellor of the V Lagos State University, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa,

were amazed and appalled to find that students who had six passes in school certificate results were admitted in some of the universities in Ghana.

They also discovered that those so-called private universities are not even registered by the Ghanaian government and they been clamped down.

I have invited over, my colleague who heads Ghana’s equivalent of NUC and when he comes down, we would discuss the issue extensively. I am going to implore him to publish the names of the approved institutions in Ghana. Do you know that public universities are more expensive in Ghana than those private ones? This is because Ghanaians do not send their children there because they know they are not good quality institutions neither are they owned by Ghanaians. So it looks like the Ghanaian government is looking the other way when some of these things are happening.

Here, we pursue any illegal or sub-standard university.

By Ujunwa Atueyi

has warned newly matriculated students of the institution that errant behaviours of whatever hue or shade would not be tolerated in the institution.

Obafunwa sounded the alarm alongside the Dean,

Students Affairs Division, Prof Kabiru Akinyemi, on a day new students numbering 1119 were administered their matriculation oath.

The school helmsman who cautioned the freshmen that the freedom that comes with university education requires much responsibility, and if not appropriately handled, leads to destruction, added that the school’s management has provided adequate

facilities and security services that would enable them maximise their academic potentials.

However, on the issue of morals, he said, “Learn to be honest from the beginning, avoid “sagging” as LASU, as an institution has no provision for homosexuals. Our emphasis is on learning and character building, cultism gives a false sense of protection and the university system does

not tolerate any form of indecent behaviour including indecent dressing among students.”

A foretaste of what was in stock for ill-clad students was on display when some of the freshmen, who were deemed not appropriately attired for the ceremony, by the school authorities were quarantined in a different part of the auditorium by the vice chancellor.

They were to remain upstand-

NISLT inducts 65 graduates, UNIPORT honours Ijagbone eGISTRAR of the National R Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Dr Ighodalo Ijagbone, has been conferred with a merit award by the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State for “his laudable strides in the advancement of science laboratory technology in the country.”

Meanwhile, the NISLT recently inducted a total of 65 graduates of the School of Science Laboratory Technology (SSLT), as associate members.

The induction eventually took place at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT),

Rivers State after several postponements, due to the sixmonth national strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Speaking at the award/ induction ceremony, the pioneer Dean of the school, Professor Anthony Ataga, said: “Today, we have gathered here for the landmark achievements in the lives of the 65 graduands, who have satisfied the conditions approved by the Senate of the University of Port Harcourt for graduation.”

And as the graduates proceed to the labour market, Ataga

urged them to adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession, applying the key skills of science laboratory technology, which include independence, resourcefulness, meticulous attention to details and good team working skills.

Meanwhile, Ijagbone who has been a staunch advocate of science laboratory development in Nigeria, especially at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, called on the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to create an enabling environment for science and technology to thrive.

He also urged the government to encourage and approve policies and regulations that would be conducive for equipment purchase and importation. He stated that Nigeria would continue to suffer setbacks if the challenge of human capacity and relevant equipment is not effectively addressed.

A graduate of University of Ibadan, where he initially trained as a Science Technologist, Ijagbone is also an alumnus of Paddington College, London where he studied under the British Council scholarship.

ing for the entire duration of the exercise. The intervention of principal officers of the school as well as Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Alhaji Nurudeen Calthos, however saved the day for them.

On the issue of fee increment, he said, the university has approved the payment of fees in two installments for new students, 70 per cent of which is to be paid before registration of courses, while the balance is to be paid a month after.

He warned them not to wait until the examination date draws nigh before registering their courses as this has a way of affecting several things.

On his part, Akinyemi, urged the new students to direct all complaints, comments, enquiries about students union activities, bursary, scholarship and sundry issues to the Students Affairs Division to enable them get firsthand information.

A total of 1,582 candidates were offered admission for the 2013/2014 academic session, out of which only 1119 candidates were cleared for matriculation.

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50 | EDUCATION Thursday, April 17, 2014

Ondo begins unscheduled visit to schools to monitor service delivery, others From Niyi Bello, Akure HE Ondo State government T has evolved a system of monitoring the operations of schools across the state. This is with a view to adding value to investments in the education sector as well as achieving effective service delivery in teaching and learning in public secondary schools.

The initiative, the brain child of the state’s Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), will see members of the commission carry out unscheduled inspection tours to schools to, among other things, monitor compliance with teaching service regulations; diligence; monitor commitment among the teaching staff; assess the effectiveness of administrative staff in their official duties as well as assess the standard of discipline among the students.

The process would also afford the body the opportunity to get feedback on the implementation of various government policies with a view to improving on them while also having first hand information about the schools’ environment, particularly those in remote parts of the state.

Chairman of the commission, Dr. Bakkita Bello, while supervising the first round of inspection said the overall objective of the initiative was to achieve government’s aim of providing quality education for indigenes of the state.

According to Bello, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly: “We are being proactive at TESCOM. So, we

will not be comfortable with sitting down in our offices to act only on the information handed to us by our field officers without bothering about the activities of the school managers (teaching and nonteaching staff) in their various duty posts.

“That is why we will regularly, constantly and consistently visit public secondary schools in the state and see for ourselves, the level, which our school managers as well as students comply with rules and regulations in the sector for more improvement.”

Stressing that his commission would frown at any attempt from any quarter to sabotage government’s efforts at providing qualitative education for the citizens, Bello added that, “by doing

what we are doing now, we are putting every stakeholder on alert regarding their duties so that our huge investments would not be in vain.”

“We have also realised that the school management alone cannot deliver effectively without parents playing their roles. For instance, if one-third of the student’s population cannot be in school on time, this calls for concern,” he stated The TESCOM boss therefore, advised parents to always prepare their wards early enough for school and ensure that those who join the free shuttle buses make it to their respective bus stops in good time.

Bello further disclosed that the reports of the first phase of the monitoring exercise,

which was done within a three-day period, and which covered the three senatorial districts of the state, “would be submitted to government to foster improved service delivery in secondary schools.”

At Aquinas College, Akure, Bello frowned at the fact that a sizeable number of staff and students reported late to school, a development that forced him to order the closure of the school gate.

Principal of Igbokoda Grammar School, Ilaje local council, Mrs. Funke Omotehinse, commended the commission for the initiative saying, “the exercise would keep us on our toes and ensure that we put in our best.”

From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia BIA State governor, Dr Theodore Orji has expressed excitement by the overall second best position of the state in the 2013 West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( W A S S C E ) .

The results as released by the examination body showed that 12 states in Nigeria including Abia, recorded percentages that were above national average in the following order: Anambra State (67.85 per cent), Abia State (65.17 per cent), Rivers State (58.56 per cent), Lagos State (56.03), Cross River State (53.34 per cent), Bayelsa State (51.66 per cent), Enugu State (50.22 per cent), Delta State (46.49 per cent), Imo State (46.03 per cent), Abuja (43.9 per cent), Ogun (39.92 per cent), and Kaduna (39.47 per cent).

His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Ajunwa, conveyed the governor’s feeling in a statement on his behalf. In the statement released Tuesday,

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UMA to honour Sultan Abubakar, Aregbesola, others at reunion luncheon ROMINENT Nigerians, P including the Sultan of Sokoto, and President of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar and the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola are among those to be honoured as outstanding Muslims by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA).

The honour would be bestowed on them at the group’s reunion luncheon billed for the Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event will bring together the crème-de-la-crème of Muslim elites from all over the coun-

try, especially those who graduated from the school since its establishment over 50 years ago.

With Political Stability, a Necessity for Economic Development as theme, the event will also feature former Governor of Kwara State, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as guest speaker.

According to chairman of the media sub-committee of the event, Mr. Abdurrazaq Asaju, the reunion will also be used to unveil a number of development and philanthropic projects that association is embarking upon for the benefit of its alma mater, and the Nigeria Muslim

ummah generally.

He said, UMA as critical stakeholders in the affairs of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and as ambassadors of Islam is conscious of its responsibility in working for the good of humanity, hence its motto: “To serve Allah till death.”

Distinguished Nigerians honoured at the past UMA reunion luncheons included the late Seriki of Egbaland and Secretary General of NSCIA, Dr. Lateef Adegbite and former vice chancellor of the university, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe. Other programmes and activities that UMA has instituted over the years for

Muslim students and graduates of the UNILAG are scholarship scheme, economic empowerment programmes and yearly Ramadhan lecture series.

Other awardees at the occasion include the immediate past Minister/Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, the Vice-Chancellor UNILAG, Prof. Rahamon A. Bello and Chairman Murhi International Group, Alhaji Muritala Gbadeyanka.

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) will be the Chief Guest of Honour, while Senator Isiaka A. Ajimobi will chair the event.

Abia attributes performance in 2013 WASSCE to reforms Orji who expressed elation at the development, attributed the feat by Abia students to the new reforms introduced by his government in the education sector.

“That we came overall second position after Anambra State, only goes to show that our decision to invest in the education sector, was a step in a right direction. And I believe that we can do better than this. Since Abia State is number one in the country alphabetically, we must strive to maintain the first position in all endeavors,” the statement stated.

The governor who assured of his government’s continued support to the education sector, stressed that he would ensure that residents of the state have access to qualitative and affordable education in a very conducive learning envir o n m e n t .

He added that education remains the only key that would unleash development in all parts of the state urging parents and guardians to enroll their children in schools as doing so would help them acquire knowledge and ultimately become useful to themselves and their communities.

It would be recalled that during the presentation of the 2014 Appropriation Bill titled, “Budget of Legacy Consolidation” to the state House of Assembly,” the governor had said that education remained the only key to developing the state adding that his government was poised to stamping out every trace of illiteracy in the state by ensuring continuous, increased allocation of resources to the sector.

Thursday, April 17, 2014 EDUCATION

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Edo groups flay government over siting of two proposed varsities From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City HEN the Edo State House of W Assembly last week passed a bill establishing the state’s University of Science and Technology (to be located in Uzairue, Etsako West council area and the conversion of the College of Education Ekiadolor into the state’s University of Education, the news came as a pleasant one to many.

Among other reasons, this development would create employment for many, provide more access to tertiary education for youths in the state as well as up to six, the number of state-owned tertiary institutions.

But since this development came to light, various groups from Akoko-Edo council area including the Akoko-Edo Political Forum, Etuno Solidarity Forum (ESF), Edo

North Youth Solidarity Movement (ENYSM) and several other groups and individuals, have faulted their proposed locations stressing that the area, which does not have any tertiary institution in its domain, has again been marginalised.

President of ESF, Dr James Adanini, in a statement he signed said the Edo State Institute of Management Technology currently in Usen, Ovia North East council was billed to be in Igarra, headquarters of Akoko-Edo council area as proposed by the administration of the late Professor Ambrose Alli as governor of then Bendel State.

The Guardian gathered that various groups from the area locally and those based in Europe and America were planning a protest to the State House of Assembly. But the protests have been temporarily

stalled because the House has proceeded on recess.

A statement last week by a youth leader from the council and former chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Philip Ugbodaga said, “From basic infrastructure to appointive positions, we are always treated with neglect, disdain and opprobrium. What is present day Edo State, at a time, was made up of four divisionsAkoko Edo, Afemai, Benin and Esan divisions. Benin division has since grown to become seven council areas, Esan division into five council areas and the Afemai division (present day Owan and Esatko) into 5 local government areas respectively. Akoko-Edo has remained a single council area making it the oldest, poorest, most neglected, and most marginalised council area in Nigeria, with only one allotment from the

federation account. Other local councils with the status of Akoko Edo have since become states. Its headquarters, Igarra, has maintained a neglected status for close to a century. Other towns, which were provincial capitals like Oshogbo, Akure, Gombe, Katsina, have become state capitals.

Ugbodaga, while calling on relevant authorities to immediately do a rethink and correct the anomaly, described the development as “unjust, inequitable and calculated to keep Akoko Edo people in perpetual servitude. I have variously said that Afemai is severely marginalised in the siting of educational and health institutions in Edo State and advocated a deliberate redistributive formula to enable Edo North people benefit from same but not on this faulty basis.

“I urge all Akoko Edo people to rise up and be counted as we

Babalola blames polytechnic councils for strikes, advises against appointment of politicians From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau, Ado Ekiti) EGAL luminary and LUniversity founder Afe Babalola Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD), Afe Babalola (SAN) has blamed councils of polytechnics for the ongoing strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (NASUP) of the institutions.

Babalola was speaking when the leadership of the Committee of Librarians of Monotechnics and Polytechnics of Nigeria (COMPLIN) visited him to appeal for his intervention in order to

save polytechnic education from total collapse by facilitating an end to the ongoing strike action by the two key staff unions.

He said unless council members come to terms with the fact that they were appointed to serve and lend their experience to the growth and development of their institutions, problems would persist.

The octogenarian, however, advised the government to henceforth desist from appointing politicians (who he alleged, were only interested in making money) to serve on the councils of polytechnics and universities, stressing that whoever was desirous of making money should look elsewhere and not the educa-

tion sector, which he said requires a lot of seriousness, commitment and funding.

The legal icon recalled that he did not receive any allowances or salaries during his stint as Chairman of Council of Federal Polytechnic, Akure and AdoEkiti or as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

He said instead, he used his resources, goodwill and connections to develop the university so much so that it became one of the best around then.

He contended that if the country was genuinely desirous of growth and development, government must

accord education pride of place in its yearly budget, train the teachers very well, pay them very well and look after their overall welfare. This way, he added, they too will be committed and do what they are paid to do diligently.

Babalola who said the dichotomy between polytechnics and universities was unacceptable, asked the polytechnics to write a strong memorandum to the ongoing national conference, marshalling their position that polytechnics should be upgraded to become universities of technology to propel functional education and engender the much desired change in the country’s educational landscape.

take a bold step to assert our dignity as a people by sending a very clear and unambiguous message that enough is enough while urging Governor Adams Oshiomhole not to sign the new universities bill into law until

the interest of Akoko Edo people is taken into consideration because what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. So, let the infrastructure go round.”

UNN pledges to re-create conducive academic environment From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu UTHOrITIES of the A University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka have re-affirmed their determination to re-create the conducive academic environment that saw the medical doctors they produce record several medical breakthroughs in the past.

According to the Deputy ViceChancellor of Enugu Campus of the institution, Prof. Ifeoma Enemo, the present administration has evolved several measures to boost learning, research and enhance staff welfare at its College of Medicine, as a way of bringing out the best from its workforce.

Declaring open the 2014 Homecoming Health Conference of past graduates of the UNN College of Medicine (UNNCOMA), at the Nike Lake Protea Hotel, Enugu recently, Mrs. Enemo, who represented the her principal stated that despite the financial crunch facing tertiary institutions in the country, UNN would continue to give priority to its training and retraining programme.

She reassured that work on ongoing projects at the medical school would be completed soon, even as she solicited the support of the private sector towards realizing this.

Provost of the medical school, Prof. Basden Onwubere recalled that surgeons from the institution led by Prof. Udekwu in 1976 performed the first separation of Siamese twins in Africa, after also pioneering open-heart surgery in the country in 1974, among several other medical feats.

He noted that with improved funding and improved staff motivation, his team of doctors was ready to do more and make a strong statement on the nation’s health sector.

According to him, the medical school with a student population of 2, 500, having started with less than 120 students in 1970, was in dire need of expansion.

He particularly lamented the difficulty the school has encountered it its bid to relocate from the old site in Enugu to the permanent site of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) at Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.

Also speaking, former governor of Enugu State and an alumnus of the school, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, emphasised the need for the adoption of medium and long-term development of the school’s Master Plan to, not only sustain, but build an infrastructure that would match its reputation as the flagship of medical education on the continent.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 EDUCATION

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How ICT-led innovations can revolutionise education, others

By Ujunwa Atueyi AILy, the role of technology in solving the bulk of human problems and making life worth living is gaining ascendency. The deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-led innovations in education, agriculture and the labour market, stakeholders agree, has the capacity to, among other things, fast track the realisation of vision 20:2020 and sundry accomplishments geared towards making the country and indeed the world a better place to live.

At the 2nd edition of the Nigerian Innovation Forum, put together by Microsoft Nigeria and Nokia West Africa & Nigeria in partnership with Dalberg Global Development Advisors, stakeholders who x-rayed the benefits and values that ICT adds to the education and agricultural sectors were united in their conclusion that these innovations possess great ability to aid achievement of developmental goals.

At the forum, which took place at the Convention Centre of Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State, attendees were unanimous in their submission that the deployment of these innovations in education especially, would achieve very little impact if teacher were not made the focal points. In fact, it was unanimously accepted by most participants that the issue of teachers’ capacity and welfare should be looked into since they (teachers) were the

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drivers of the process.

The participants further contended that the plight of teachers will always interfere with any developmental project, since a good number of them are not well trained and motivated even as they opined that the welfare of teachers has been relegated to the background just as the profession has been turned into a dumping ground for never-do-wells.

On the other hand, it was also reasoned that since over 120 million Nigerians were active mobile subscribers, such an advantage could be used to maximise learning, attract young and intelligent Nigerians to the teaching profession and also attract youths into agriculture.

Various speakers at the forum, which had as its theme, “How ICT-led Innovation Can Drive Competitiveness and Growth in Agriculture, Education, Employment and Job Creation,” affirmed that despite the history of political and economic turbulence caused by corruption and mismanagement of the country’s resources, Nigeria is expected to have one of the highest growth rates in the world in the coming years, therefore it needs to rightly position itself for the challenges that come with such attainments.

For the Deputy Director of ICT, Federal Ministry of Education, Uwem Asomugha, inadequate infrastructure; low capacity of teachers; poor delivery methods; poor contents; access; poor integration of ICT and quality learn-

ing environment were some of the issues that needed to be addressed if any success must be recorded in this direction.

She said teachers that were expected to deliver the kind of learning required in ICTled innovations needed to be well trained and motivated if they must discharge their expected functions effectively.

In her submission, the Assistant Director, Research and Development, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mrs. Chinelo Nwosu said: “There is need to make teaching glamourous at all levels; teachers should be well remunerated and be given official cars. Ministries of education across the country should develop curriculums that require critical thinking as it will enable learners to bring out the ingenuity in them using new innovations in ICT.” She charged Nokia and Microsoft to establish business enterprises and produce their products in Nigeria, since “we are a good market to invest in considering our population, and this will help in addressing some of the developmental challenges in our society.”

Former chairman of the University of Calabar chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the state Commissioner for Education, Prof Offiong E. Offiong, posited that no grounds can be covered in any area of our national life if there was no radical improvement in the quality of teachers.

His words: “If the Nigerian

government is sincere about achieving the vision 20:2020, the issue of quality education, retraining of teachers, attracting young intelligent youths into the teaching profession and agriculture using ICT should be critically examined. Other developed nations addressed theirs and today they are benefitting from huge opportunities in the ICT world. We must embrace digital literacy and ensure that critical ICT infrastructure are put in place.”

In his remarks, the General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Kabelo Makwane said, “Microsoft believes that technology innovation coupled with strong partnerships with both public and private, as well as collaboration from all sectors of society were essential requisites for Nigeria to realise her full potentials. We believe that by helping people reach their full potential, our business will naturally benefit their economic prosperity.”

He said the forum was focused on creating a crossindustry business alliance to support and harness innovation in Africa, increase the continent’s competitiveness as well as the national competitiveness of Nigeria specifically.

According to him, “The key themes for the Nigerian Innovation Forum 2014 reflect two of the key areas the forum’s partners believe ICT can play a critical role in driving innovation and competitiveness, namely: A g r i c u l t u r e Entrepreneurship and ‘Education for Employment’

with power as a key enabler for both focus areas and sectors.”

Makwane further revealed that his firm has “invested heavily in ensuring that we have a good impact on the local economy. This includes job creation, support for the youth in Nigeria, software donations to non-governmental organisations and the development of local innovations.

In this direction, he said the firm has “mentored over 50 startups through Microsoft BizSpark, one of which is Gamesole owned by Abiola Olaniran, who published what’s known to be the first gaming app from West Africa to hit six million downloads globally from the Windows store, and engineered an innovative business of selling in-app content.

“We’ve contributed to 45, 000 jobs created within the Microsoft ecosystem of partners, donated $2.4m in cash and software to local nonprofit organizations and 5, 000 of our Nigerian students are changing the world through Imagine Cup, while 70, 000 teachers have been trained through Microsoft partners in learning.”

Also “as part of our new business strategy, we are looking to shape our next 20 years on the continent through the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, which we launched one year ago, signaling an increased focus on improving African competitiveness and accelerating economic growth and development on the continent.

However, Modupe Adefeso,

who facilitated the plenary session, observed that massive competencies exists in the private sector, therefore there was the need to work together to identify modules that would work in Nigeria.

The idea of using old methodology to teach 21st century children, she said must be discouraged, and multi-sectoral approaches adopted.

She urged education managers to liaise with employers of labour with a view to fostering collaborations with multinationals so as to redefine education and make it “to be within the market needs.”

Governor Liyel Imoke, who declared the forum open, in his remarks said that the state has recorded significant improvements in its education sector ever since ICT was deployed into the teaching processes of public schools.

Imoke, who said the exercise was ongoing, stressed that his administration has put in place right policies that would improve the wellbeing of its populace, adding that good initiatives in ICT will overwhelmingly improve productivity and create job opportunities for Nigerian youths.

Nneka Eze who represented Dalberg noted, “For this country to remain competitive in the future, its youths must be prepared to be competitive in the local and global labour markets.” Today’s students, she said, “require new and different set of skills, different way of thinking and interacting with information.”

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54 | EDUCATION Thursday, April 17, 2014

Simon, ex-White House aide to speak at AUN’s 6th Commencement HE American University T of Nigeria (AUN) has announced Ambassador

Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Joseph Ajienka (left), presents a Merit Award to the Registrar, National Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Dr Ighodalo Ijagbone, during the induction of 65 graduates of Science Laboratory Technology at UNIPORT… recently.

John Simon as the speaker for this year’s Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 10.

He will be the sixth annual speaker at the university’s graduation since the inaugural class of 2009.

A graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, Simon recently served as the United States Ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). He is founder and Managing Partner of Total Impact Advisors, a firm of investment consultants, and the author of More than Money,” a report on impact investing as a development tool.

Formerly at the United States Agency for

‘Distinguish yourselves in academics, enjoy motivational package for scholars’

By Eno-Abasi Sunday OR newly matriculated students of the University of Lagos, hard work during their stay on campus would come with loads of incentives and opportunities of a lifetime.

To this end, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Rahamon Bello, has challenged them to distinguish themselves in their respective disciplines in order to enjoy the school’s motivational package for scholars.

At the 2013/2014 matriculations ceremony where 6, 488 freshmen were administered

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the Matriculation Oath, the vice-chancellor explained that a total of 32,764 candidates applied for admission into the institution, while urging the lucky ones to make the most of the opportunity granted them.

While reeling out the benefits of being studious against the background of the scholar’s package, Bello said, “You therefore must have the goal to acquire academic excellence for which this university is reputed.

“I wish to encourage you all to work hard and distinguish yourselves in your academics as our university has a motivational package for distin-

guished students on Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.50 and above.

“Included in the package are a scholarship of N50, 000, provision of accommodation in choice hall, 50 per cent discount on bed space and nomination to participate in seminars and conferences nationally and internationally.

“You shall also be entitled to participate in recruitment tests in the final year, nomination for scholarship from external bodies on request from organisations as well as selection as guest speaker at orientation programmes to

motivate fresh students,” he said.

Insisting that the package was not only attractive, but also inspiring, the vice chancellor said, “I therefore urge you to be good ambassadors of your faculties, alma maters and the university.

Shun cultism, indecent and immoral behavior and other vices.”

The UNILAG’s helmsman, who admonished the students that the journey required determination diligence, focus and resilience, in giving a breakdown of the number of admitted students, said that 728 were in the Faculty of Arts and 940 in

the Faculty of Business Administration.

He said that 1,036, 592 and 398 were admitted into the faculties of Education, Engineering and Environmental Sciences in that order.

The Faculty of Law received 289 new students, 1020, 747 and 177 went into the faculties of Science, Social Sciences and Pharmacy respectively.

A total of 561 new students were admitted into the College of Medicine, Bello who stated that “today’s exercise is the terminal aspect of your admission process into our university,” further informed.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development (USAID) as deputy assistant administrator, Simon was asked by the United States President, Barak Obama to serve in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and as Senior Director for Relief, Stabilisation, and Development for the National Security Council, the first to hold this post.

During his tenure at National Security Council, Simon oversaw the implementation of groundbreaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative. He was also responsible for the U.S. government response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2005 South Asia earthquake.

At OPIC, Ambassador Simon championed the agency’s involvement in the social impact investment marketplace, spearheading efforts to finance housing in Africa, small and medium businesses in Liberia, and large-scale, renewable power.

The AUN was established in 2003 by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. It was conceived as Africa’s first development university. Its mission is to educate leaders who will tackle headlong, the development issues besetting the country and Africa. The University offers Americanstyle education modeled after the curriculum of American universities, with an international faculty using the latest in Internet technology and elearning resources among others.

Babawale charges alumni associations to challenge impunity, corruption in schools

By Abiodun Fanoro HE Director General of T Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), Professor Tunde Babawale, has advocated the involvement of alumni associations in the management of tertiary institutions as a way of curbing the excesses of administrators of such institutions.

According to him, as major stakeholders in the school system, the associations were in good stead to help promote transparency and accountability by challenging the culture of impunity and corruption, which are beginning to take root in most institutions in the country.

He therefore called on alumni associations to be more involved in the process of returning their alma maters to their enviable positions, as they were too important to be left out of the process.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Lagos chapter of the Adeyemi College of Education A l u m n i Association, Babawale also called for the inclusion of the study of culture in the country’s educational curriculum at all levels.

“We must not fail to empha-

sise the significance of culture in the education of our youths, since it is agreed that culture entails all those variables that are essential to the cause of human advancement,” he stated.

Speaking on the topic, “The travails of Higher Education: Role of Alumni Association”, the don said that the world over, higher education was not only central to the knowledge

economy, but was the catalyst for driving technological advancement, industrialisation, agriculture as well as the manufacturing sectors.

The legal luminary who submitted that the current educational system in the country was incapable of meeting the national and individual needs of the citizens, added that the system must, as a matter of urgency, be reviewed and

reformed to avert the continued disastrous implications it poses to the growth and development of the country.

“There is no doubt that the education sector in Nigeria is enmeshed in deep-seated crises. Needless to say that the type of formal education introduced by the colonial masters to Nigeria and many of their former colonies was geared towards making them forever

subservient and dependent.

The type that would makes them consumers of finished products and not producers. It only sufficed for the production of clerks, interpreters, teachers, house helps and so on and was not the type capable of transforming the country from a predominantly agrarian state to an industrialised one.

“The hangover of this type of deficient education system is

what has boomeranged to the present state whereby the swarming populations of university graduates have little productive relevance to the Nigerian economy. It is important to note that it is not education in itself that is unproductive, but the type that aims at mere production of graduates without consideration for the application of their courses and knowledge for the ben-

UI appoints Ogunseyinde acting Provost, College of Medicine ROF. Ayotunde Oluremi 2014. the MBBS degree in June Training Programme of the Surgeons (WACS) by election P Ogunseyinde, has been Postgraduate in 1984. She was appointed 1973. She had her internship National Born in 1948, Ogunseyinde in appointed acting Provost of in the University College Medical College of Nigeria. Lecturer/Consultant College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

The appointment follows the admission of the Provost; Professor Olusegun Akinyinka to the 386th Senior Executive Course (SEC) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.

A statement by the university’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, disclosed that the appointment takes effect from February 14,

had her secondary education at the Queen’s School, Ede from 1961 to 1965, from where she obtained her West African School Certificate.

She was retained in the school for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and obtained the best result in sciences in 1967. She worked briefly as a teacher at Ife Anglican Grammar School, Arubidi in 1968, teaching Chemistry and Biology.

She was admitted to the University of Ibadan as a Western State Scholar in October 1968 and obtained

Hospital (UCH) from 1973 to 1974 and her national service at the Rural Health Centre, Oyan from 1974 to 1975. She was among the first set of doctors to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria.

The Acting Provost joined the services of the UCH in 1975 as a Senior House Officer in the Department of Radiology; and had further medical training in Master of Medicine (M.Med) programme, which later became the Residency

She was appointed Senior Registrar in Radiology in 1978 after passing Part II of the Residency programme. She then travelled to Bristol Royal Infirmary of the University of Bristol for part of this training, which was completed in 1980.

Ogunseyinde obtained the Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College (NPMC) in Nigeria by examination and defense of a thesis in 1980, the first female to do so and the Fellowship of the West African College of

Radiology in 1981.

She was promoted Senior Lecturer in 1985, Reader in 2000 and Professor in 2003 making her the first female Professor in the Department of Radiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

Ogunseyinde is happily married to Venerable Dr. Oluwole Ogunseyinde, the Vicar of Immanuel Anglican Church, Asi, Ibadan, Oyo State and Archdeacon, Asi Archdeaconry. They are blessed with two lovely children and grand children.

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MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 16=04=2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 MARKET REPORT 65

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 16=04=2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

Seplat listing boosts NSE market capitalisation by $1.9b

By Helen Oji HE Nigerian Stock T Exchange (NSE) has announced that listing of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, boosted the NSE’s market capitalisation by $1.9billion, bringing the ratio to 15.86 per cent.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Oscar Onyema, the listing of Seplat indicates a significant opportunity for growth in the nation’s capital market.

He urged the Petroleum ministry and regulators to recognize the NSE primary listing status of Seplat and other oil and gas companies for Local Content purposes.

The NSE boss added that the Exchange is aiming to become the African exchange of choice for African issuers and global investors. “We continue to execute several key initiatives that are aimed at developing a more transparent, liquid and accessible market, with a modern market structure to support the delivery of a wider range of investment products.

“By implementing these initiatives, the Nigerian bourse has regained the confidence of investors after the global financial meltdown. The increase in total market capitalization from a low of N9 trillion in 2008 to the current level of over N16 trillion is an attestation to this fact”, he said.

He, however, encouraged exploration and production companies in the Oil & Gas sector and other unlisted companies in Nigeria, to take advantage of the benefits that exist in the capital market, which include continuity of the company after the founder has retired, lower cost of long

term funding, visibility, enhanced branding, diversified risk of ownership, and enhanced corporate governance amongst others.

The Chairman of the company, Dr. ABC Orjiako, said that the $500 million proceeds of the global offer would allow the company to further implement its business strategy, which includes acquiring new assets.

He said Seplat has a disciplined approach to acquiring new onshore and shallow water assets in the Niger Delta, adding that this would be strictly adhered to.

“We will be proud to be the first dual-listed Nigerian company to have its ordinary shares listed on the LSE and NSE simultaneously,” he added.

Orjiako said Seplat was a leader among the emerging indigenous Nigerian oil and gas operators.

“Our company was founded

by Nigerians for the purpose of investing in Nigerian oil and gas opportunities and we are proud to have been the first Nigerian company to acquire and become operator of onshore oil and gas assets from international oil companies,” he said.

According to him, since Seplat commenced operations in 2010, it had increased oil production and reserves year-on-year, and had grown its revenues and its net profit each year.

He said the company’s target is to grow gross operated production of oil and condensate to 85,000 barrels per day by the end of 2016, with at least 100 per cent annual reserves replacement from its existing assets.

Forte oil posts N 34.8b revenue, N1.26b PBT in Q1

By Bukky Olajide ORTE Oil PLC (formerly AP ) FN34.8 has posted a revenue of billion against N26.6 billion achieved in the corresponding period in 2013.

Specifically, the company’s unaudited results for the three months period ended 31 March, 2014 showed a revenue growth of 31 per cent to N34.8 billion from N26.6 billion same period in 2013, while gross margin increased by 72per cent, from N2.7 billion in the same period in 2013 to N4.6 billion in 2014.

Profit before income tax increased 101per cent to N1.26billion compared to N633million recorded in 2013.

Profit after income tax, according to the company, also increased by 108 per cent to N1.1bn compared N530 million same period in 2013 The company assured that it would continue its expansion drive in the company’s retail network at strategic locations to improve market dominance, as well as embark on aggressive growth and expansion of its industrial/commercial customer base to meet its objective of being the supplier of choice.

The company attributed its revenue growth to increase in sales of fuels, such as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS; petrol), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO;

diesel) and Aviation Fuel.

Power generation, according to the company also contributed 7.42per cent and 44.13per cent to the group’s revenue and profit-after-tax respectively as Forte Oil’s diversification strategy continues to yield positive income streams.

Forte Oil formally took-over Geregu Power Plant on November 1, 2013, following a successful acquisition of the 414 power generation plant located in Kogi State of Nigeria, under the Federal Governmentled privatization programme to divest public power assets.

In line with its vision of becoming Nigeria’s leading integrated energy group, Forte Oil diversified its downstream operations into related energy businesses that include a subsidiary which specializes in the supply of Well Production Chemicals and Drilling/Completion Fluids to the upstream petroleum sector.

The company established Amperion Power Distribution Company Limited - the state Ground Corporation of China as technical partners, the world’s largest power company - to herald its foray into the power sector. Amperion Power successfully acquired the 414MW Geregu Power Plant, located in Nigeria’s Kogi State under the recent federal government-led privatization pro-

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GlobalStocks

Investors

U.S. stocks rise after Yahoo results, factory output data .S. stocks rose, with the U Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbing a third day, as Yahoo! Inc. earnings topped estimates and data showed industrial production gained more than forecast.

Yahoo rallied 5.3 per cent after sales surged at its Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. unit.

Johnson Controls Inc. rose one per cent to $46.86 after the largest U.S. auto-parts maker agreed buy Air Distribution Technologies for $1.6 billion.

Bank of America Corp. retreated 2.8 per cent after reporting a quarterly loss. Semiconductor stocks led declines in the S&P 500 after Linear Technology Corp. sank five per cent as sales missed forecasts.

The S&P 500 (SPX) added 0.3 percent to 1,848.48 at 11:02 a.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 60.76 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 16,323.32. Trading in S&P 500 stocks was 15 percent above 30day average during this time of the day.

“The macro data continues to come in reasonably firm and we don’t think valuations on the stock side suggest we’re overdone,” Jim Russell, a senior equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management, said by phone. “The market is finding some sort of natural trading level to bounce out of and we’re seeing slightly betterthan-expected earnings and second-quarter outlooks from management that seem to be encouraging.”

The S&P 500 gained 0.7 yesterday as earnings from Coca-Cola Co. and Johnson & Johnson outweighed concern about escalating conflict in Ukraine.

The index dropped 2.5 percent from its April 2 record through yesterday as investors sold

Internet and biotechnology stocks, the best performers during the five-year bull market, amid concern valuations had become too expensive before earnings.

The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 0.3 per cent today, buoyed by Yahoo. The gauge had fallen 7.4 per cent from a March high, and yesterday erased a decline of 1.9 percent after nearing its average price in the past 200 days. Stocks in the index trade at 35 times reported earnings, twice the ratio for S&P 500 members.

17 companies in the equities benchmark, including Google Inc. and International Business Machines Corp., report earnings today. Profit per share for the index’s constituents probably dropped 0.9 per cent in the first quarter, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue climbed

2.6 percent from a year earlier, the projections show.

A Commerce Department report showed the pace of U.S. home construction rebounded less than forecast in March, held back by declines in warmer parts of the country that indicate the recovery in residential building will be slow to develop.

Data yesterday showed confidence among homebuilders rose less than forecast in April, as sales and prospective buyer traffic stagnated.

Industrial production rose more than forecast in March after a February gain that was twice as big as previously estimated, indicating U.S. factories recovered after a weatherdepressed start to the year.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks to the Economic Club of New York at 12:25 p.m.

The central bank releases its Beige Book economic survey at

2 p.m.

Russell Investments, the U.S. asset manager that oversees $257 billion, bought protection against a drop in equities shortly before last week’s selloff. The firm acquired puts on the S&P 500 last week’s 2.7 percent slide, Alain Zeitouni, head of multi-management at Russell Investments France said.

“Protection is cheap and we’re a bit cautious,” Zeitouni said in Paris on April 10. “We don’t see a big rally in equities in the U.S. We’ve been expecting a correction.”

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, a gauge for U.S. stock volatility known as the VIX (VIX), fell three per cent to 15.15.

Eight of the 10 main S&P 500 industries advanced today, with consumer and commodity producers adding at least 0.5 percent to pace gains.

Yahoo rallied 5.3 per cent to $36.04. The Web portal posted first-quarter earnings of 38 cents a share, more than the 37-cent average estimate of analysts. Sales excluding some items of $1.09 billion also beat projections. Alibaba reported that net income more than doubled in the last quarter of 2013 and revenue surged 66 percent. Yahoo owns 24 per cent of the Chinese e-commerce company.

Johnson Controls rose one per cent to $46.44. The company is seeking to lessen its reliance on the cyclical auto industry by adding ventilation products by purchasing Air Distribution Technologies from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Moelis & Co. climbed 5.2 percent to $26.30 in its trading debut after raising less than it planned in the first U.S. initial public offering of an invest-

Shares rally for third day amid Chinese statistics concerns TOCKS were higher in Sweek’s trading yesterday as this rally continued into a third straight day.

The development came as China’s slowdown in the first quarter was less severe than expected. The world’s second-largest economy expanded 7.4 per cent from a year earlier, the slowest expansion since the third quarter of 2012, but better than the average forecast of 7.3 per cent growth.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 0.1 per cent to 22,696.01 and the Shanghai Composite added 0.2 per cent to 2,105.12.

The Nikkei 225 index jumped three per cent to 14,417.68 as a weaker yen boosted exporter stocks and Softbank shares surged 8.5 per cent after Chinese e-commerce Alibaba Group Holding, in which it holds a 37 per cent stake, reported strong earnings.

In Europe, Germany’s DAX was up one per cent and France’s CAC 40 gained one per cent. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.5 per cent.

The price of oil however rose yesterday as Ukraine took action against pro-Russian separatists in its east.

Benchmark U.S. crude for May delivery was up 83 cents

at $104.58 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It closed Tuesday at $103.75, down 30 cents.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.6 per cent to 16,358 and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 0.4 per cent to 1,852. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.6 per cent to 4,057.

Investors have a batch of corporate earnings and economic data to look over Wednesday. Before the bell, Bank of America reported a $216 million loss for the first quarter as legal costs stemming from the financial crisis

took a toll. Shares plunged more than three per cent to $15.83.

Technology giants Google and IBM were to release results at the close of market yesterday.

Meanwhile, in a violatile session on Tuesday, the Dow rose 89.32 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 16,262.56, after earlier rising as high as 16,273 and falling as low as 16,063. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 12.37 points, or 0.7 per cent to 1,842.98. The Nasdaq composite index added 11.47 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 4,034.16, climbing back from a low of 3,946.

ment bank since the financial crisis.

Bank of America declined 2.8 per cent to $15.93. The secondlargest U.S. lender swung to a quarterly loss after settling claims on mortgage bonds.

The first-quarter loss of $276 million compared with a profit of $1.48 billion a year earlier, the lender said.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 1.4 percent and a gauge of semiconductors fell the most among 24 S&P 500 groups.

Linear slipped 5 percent to $44.77 for the biggest retreat in the equities benchmark.

Analog Devices Inc. lost 3.3 percent to $51.45.

CSX Corp. declined 2.5 per cent to $27.58. The largest railroad in the eastern U.S. said it expects “modest” earnings growth for 2014 and it’s unclear if 2015 will be “strong enough” to deliver a two-year compound annual growth rate of 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

In China, a report showed that the world’s second-largest economy grew at an annualized 7.4 percent in the first three months of this year, a faster pace than economists had forecast. Gross domestic product still expanded at the slowest pace since the third quarter of 2012.

Investors have also been keeping an eye on developments in Ukraine, where the government accused Russia of fueling “terrorism” in its eastern provinces as troops pressed on with an offensive to rein in separatist unrest. The U.S. and its European allies have threatened a new round of penalties against Russian interests.

Envoys from Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the European Union hold talks in Geneva tomorrow.

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 NEWSEXTRA 69

FG assures N’Delta communities of help after Bonga oil spillage From Lillian Chukwu, Abuja HE Federal Government T has assured areas in the Niger Delta especially shoreline communities of Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states affected by the Bonga oil spillage of relief measures.

Environment Minister

Hadiza Mailafia, who disclosed this in Abuja when leaders of the affected shoreline communities visited her, lamented the devastating impact of the spillage on farmlands and aquatic life.

She stressed the need for an urgent meeting with other industry stakeholders, including Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to discuss the enormity of the multiple impacts and to identify an amicable solution to the spillage.

The spill occurred on December 20, 2011 during a routine export operation to transfer crude oil from the Bonga Floating production and storage facility of the multi-national company.

The minister appealed to communities to sustain the prevailing peace in the region as “government will neither overstretch their patience nor underrate their resolve for a peaceful solution to the unfortunate incident.”

Co-ordinator of the affected

shoreline communities, Francis Monday, sought the minister’s intervention for SPDC to control the environmental degradation engendered by the spillage on the communities. He added that “pollutant” used by the multi-national oil company has created even more problems than the company is attempting to solve.

Earlier, he lauded SPDC’s role in the overall development of the Niger Delta, especially in the provision of

Berger Paints opens centre in Lekki IANT manufacturer, G Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, opens a new Colour World

Environment Minister Hadiza Mailafia

Centre in Lekki, Lagos, in a bid to be closer to the customers on the Island area.

The company said in a statement that the choice of

Lekki’s location would save the customers the stress of coming to the Mainland to pick some of their product requirements.

It stressed that the new centre enhances accessibility, visibility and availability of its

products to its customers.

“The centre will also serve as a channel for distributing all the company’s chains of products as well as produce to the customers’ specification variety of colours,” it added.

social amenities and infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals, electricity and water.

Monday urged the Anglo-

Dutch company to desist from using clean-up chemicals that had been banned in other parts of the world, including the United States

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National Conference Committees and Members CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

16.

COMMITEE ON ECONOMY, TRADE AND INVESTMENT S/No. DELEGATE 1.

ABDULKADIR, IbrahimKhaleel 2.

ADEOLA, Mr. Fola 3.

AINA, Dr. Lawrence Olusegun 4.

AKANDE, Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Onikepo 5.

BAJOMO, Senator (Chief) Felix Kolawole 6.

BELLO, Engr. Mustafa 7.

ERHAGBE, Prof. Eddy 8.

ETAFO, Augustine 9.

EZE, His Royal Highness Eze Elder Agom 10.

IBRAHIM, Barr. Halidu 11.

IKEGWUONU, Nnaemeka 12.

JAMODU, Chief Kola 13.

JUNAIDU, Prof. Sambo 14.

MAFINDI, Alhaji Isa 15.

NWEKE II, Mr. Frank 16.

OBOH, Prof. Sylvanus 17.

OGBONNAYA, Dr. (Mrs.) Patricia Wudhiga 18.

OLEJEME, Mrs. (Dr.) Ngozi 19.

SHAGAYA, Hajiya Bola 20.

SHENDAM, Yakubu 21.

TAWO, Dr. Pius 22.

UGBOAJA, Emmanuel 23.

UKPO, Gen. Anthony (rtd.)

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WAZIRI, Ibrahim D. 17.

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY

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DELEGATE ABDULMAJEED, Abdullahi AJAERO, Joe AKINJIDE, Chief Richard BELLO, Mrs. Maryam Jummai BENJAMIN-AYUBA, Mrs. Sarah BRAIMOH, Senator Yisa BRAMBAIFA, Senator John K. BRIMMO, Arc. Waheed Niyi DAUKORU, HRM King Dr.

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Edmund EZENWA, Mrs. Ifeayinwa IBIANG, Hon. Charles IBRAHIM, Dr. Princess Rabi IBRAHIM, Mallam Muhammadu Biu JUMARE, Dr. Mohammed KILA, Engr. (Senator) Adefemi LADOJA, Senator Rashidi Adewolu McCARTHY, Chief (Mrs) Wosilat Tinuke NALADO, Hon. Muhammad Lawal NWOBODO, Senator Jim OGBOLE, Mr. Dogara Mark OGOH, Mrs. Safiya Ibrahim OLUWA, Prince Rabiu SULEIMAN, Engr. Bello UWAJUMOGU, Chief (Ms.) Chidinma

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COMMITTEE ON RELIGION

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DELEGATE AJAKAYE, Bishop Felix Femi ALFA, Hajia Shetu BAGOBIRI, Bishop Joseph D. DATTIJO, Hadija Dije EKPE, Prof. Obini E. EMMANUEL , Pastor Bosun ERINOSHO, Prof. Layi HANGA, Mal. Muzzammil Sani HARUNA, Prof. Andrew IKE, Monsignor Obiora IYOKE, Barr. Godswill Iyoha JIBRIL, Prof, Munzali LEMU, Alh. Nuruddeen NASIR, Hajiya Talatu NASIR, Justice Mamman (rtd) OBAJE, Dr. Jonathan OLOYEDE, Prof. Is-haq O. OMOTI, Hajia Amina B.

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC FINANCE AND REVENUE

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DELEGATE AGBOTI, Senator Azu AJAKAIYE, Prof. Olu AKANDE, Chief Femi ALAMIEYESEIGHA, Chief D.S.P. ALIERO, HE Adamu Muhammad ANDREW, Esther ANOHU, Dr. (Mrs.) Virginia A. ARIKAWE, Mr. Akin AUDU, Chief Robert Usman AWUSE, Chief Sergeant Chidi AYUBA, Gen. Tanko (rtd) BALA, Hajiya Dije DINGYADI, Muhammad Maigari DOUKPOLA, Chief Francis EDEM, Chief Bassey E. O. FILANI, Prof. (Mrs.) Titilola MANDE, Col. Bala Mohammed MUSA-LAWAL, Com. Barr.

Mohammed Ozigi NGBALE, Mr. Moses OHIOMAH, Alhaji Abdullahi OKPAREKE, Dr (Mrs) Kate OLUATA, Mr. Johnson Oludeinde OSUNG, Chief Okon UCHE, Chief Richard Uchechukwu

20.

COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND RELATED MATTERS S/No. DELEGATE 1.

ABDULLAH, Dr. Maryam C. 2.

ABDULLAHI, HRH

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Dr. Muhammad Zaiyanu ABUBAKAR, Mohammed Badaru ADEKAMBI, Barr. Ayodele AKIKA, Barr. Anthony AKIYODE-AFOLABI, Dr. Abiola ALBERT, Prof. Olawale ALI-KANO, Abdullahi BUKAR, Hajiya Hauwa DARA, John ETIABA, Dame Virgy EZEIFE, Dr. Chukwuemeka FUMUDOH, Chief Joshua B. IBRAHIM, Dr. Garba JEMIDE, Chief Isaac O. LAWAN, Hon. Umar Kareto MAHMUD, Aminu MBA, Chief (Mrs.) Nkechi Okemini MOM, Rommy NNAMANI, Senator Ken PETERSIDE, Dr. Atedo N. A. SHASORE, Mr. Olasupo SAN USMAN, Ramatu Bala UTHMAN, Hon. Justice Mohammed

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Sports SuperSport unveils programme for Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

Etim warns Nigerians against pushing Keshi to select wrong players

By Alex Monye OrmEr Super Eagles star, FNigerians Etim Esin, has urged to allow Keshi to take his time in selecting the best players for the Super Eagles’ 2014 World Cup campaign.

Advising the Eagles’ handler to tread with caution when picking players for the 2014 World Cup, Etim said the coach should be allowed to pick players that are eager to achieve remarkable result in Brazil rather than the call for the inclusion of ‘big’ players in the squad.

He said the Eagles’ technical crew would not disappoint Nigerians in team selection because Keshi succeeded in wining the African Nations Cup by assembling a quality side even in the face of controversies before the competition.

The former Calabar rovers star pleaded with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to assist the Eagles by

organising the best of preparations ahead of the World Cup, adding that good planning would help the team to succeed in Brazil. ‘’Keshi is taking his time to release the World Cup list because he does not want to be underexposure when assembling the team. He has enough quality players to pick from and nobody should intervene in the selection process.

“You should understand that Keshi knows what he is doing because he was the coach that returned the Eagles to their winning way by their victory at the AFCON and qualified the team for the World Cup. “Nigerian football was in a critical stage before Keshi took charge. Any attempt to disorganize Keshi’s selection process would hinder the Eagles’ success in Brazil.

“He is in charge of the Super Eagles, he knows the players that are fit for the World Cup better than any other person,’ ‘he declared.

UPErSPOrT yesterday Ssecured announced that it has the rights to screen all

Super Eagles’ defender, Azubuike Egwuekwe.

Patience Jonathan, Shema, others for Okoku’s children foundation launch

By Christian Okpara rESiDENT Goodluck P Jonathan’s wife, Patience and Katsina State first lady, Fatima ibrahim Shema, are among eminent Nigerians,

Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp targets 400 kids rGANiSErS of the annual O Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp say they are targeting over 400 kids for the third edition of the clinic, which registration has commenced across the country.

The camp is organized by Greensprings School in collaboration with former African Footballer of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu, with the aim of developing talents among

Nigerians, as well as re-establishing Nigeria as a giant in football and other sports.

Also key among the objectives of the seven-day camping is character moulding of the participants, including sessions with Kanu Nwankwo and David Shepherd According to Greensprings’ Director of Education, Harry mcFaul, this year would witness the inclusion of community

service by the foreign coaches.

“This year we will have three new major community initiatives. A four-day Osun Football Clinic organized in collaboration with the State of Osun for hundreds of youths from all over Osun State, a two-day coaching clinic organized in collaboration with the Lagos State Football Association for coaches across the state,” he said.

who will gather in Abuja today for the launch of a programme entitled, ‘improving Children for a Brighter Future.’

The campaign is the brainchild of former Super Eagles star, Paul Okoku, who said he has been involved in such charity programmes in the United States.

Other prominent Nigerians expected at the event scheduled for the Nnamdi Azikiwe hall of the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, are Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye, who is the special guest, former Sports minister, Sani

Man City players are best paid sportsmen ANCHESTEr City are the m best paid team in sport, according to a new study.

SuperSport General Manager, Felix Awogu (second left, front row); Marketing Manager, Dstv, Mrs. Chioma Afe and General Manager, Marketing and Sales, Multichoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho and some Samba Girls during the unveiling of SuperSport’s World Cup programme in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN KUTI.

Ndanusa, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Aminu maigari, Super Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi and Trade Union Congress (TUC) National President, Comrade Babboi Kaigama, among others.

The campaign, which is being managed by Greater Tomorrow Children’s Foundation inc., a foundation founded by Okoku, “is aimed at helping the less privileged children in Africa to achieve their maximum potential by empowering them to create a brighter future, through hunger relief, medical, programmes, educational, sports activities and mentoring.”

the matches of the forthcoming Brazil 2014 FiFA World Cup, which holds from June 12 to July 13.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles and four other African countries, Ghana, Cameroun, Algeria and Côte d’ivoire will lead the continent with hopes of lifting the prestigious trophy.

Speaking at the press conference to launch the campaign, entitled, “We are Brazil”, General manager, SuperSport, Felix Awogu, promised that DStv and GOtv subscribers will get to watch all the matches with the best picture and sound quality available.

He added that there is the added perk of watching live matches on the SuperSport HD channels on DStv. According to Awogu, “in addition to the world class broadcast quality that is our trademark and which our subscribers will enjoy, they will also have access to insightful football analysis and thrilling magazine programmes, which will showcase the stories outside the field of play.”

He disclosed, “we have four special shows specifically produced to further showcase the World Cup, Brazil and the fans. most importantly, we will also give expert insight and analysis from our unmatched line up of presenters and studio guests.”

Also speaking a the event, multiChoice Nigeria General manager, marketing, martin mabutho, announced that they will with effect from today, slash their decoder prices from N27, 000 to N15, 500 to enable Super Eagles’ fans and football lovers in general to watch the World Cup. He added that the offer comes with two months subscription on the Access bouquet and excludes dish installation, pointing out that due to the late broadcast of some of the games, the DStv mobile devices and the Explora decoder will come in handy, in ensuring viewers see all the action and do not miss out during the World Cup. “Walka 7 allows you to watch in traffic, and in the office, while the Explora with its two terabytes memory, gives viewers the opportunity to record all the games, right onto the decoder, and keep them for good.’

research conducted by ESPN. The magazine and Sportingintelligence found City pay an average annual wage of £5.3m to its first-team players, which works out as £102,653 per week.

Six of the top 10 in the list are football clubs, with baseball (two) and basketball (two) also represented.

Premier League clubs manchester United (8), Chelsea (10), Arsenal (11) and Liverpool (20) are all in the top 20. manchester City, purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, are reported to

pay their players more than major League Baseball teams New York Yankees and LA Dodgers, who are second and third in the survey.

Spanish giants, real madrid and Barcelona, take the next two spots. The La Liga clubs, who faced each other in the Copa del rey final yesterday, both pay their first-team players an average of more than £4.9m a year.

Premier League champions, United, have an average wage of £4.3m, while current league leaders, Liverpool, award £3.4m per man.

“The Global Sports Salaries Survey looks solely at earnings for playing sport, not for endorsements or other extra-

curricular activities,” states the Sportingintelligence website.

“The 2014 report considers 294 teams in 15 leagues in 12 countries across seven different sports: football, baseball, basketball, gridiron, cricket, ice hockey and Aussie rules football. The report looks at numbers from either current or most recently completed seasons, depending on availability of accounts and other information.”

Although the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are the only National Basketball Association teams in the top 10, the league is the highest paying with its 441 players each earning an average salary of £2.98m.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 SPORTS

Maurice Greene drills Team Nigeria athletes in California

Midwestern Oil, Gas Junior Tennis Championship debuts May 12 NEW national tennis chamA pionship, the Midwestern Oil & Gas Junior Tennis

• Okagbare is team captain, as ST SAC Relays begin

By Gowon Akpodonor EWLY appointed relay coorN dinator of Team Nigeria track and field athletes, former Olympics and world champion, Maurice Greene, performed his first duty yesterday when he led Nigerian athletes in training in preparation for the Mt. Sac Relays, which begins today in California, USA. Greene, who won four Olympic medals and five world championship titles between 1997 and 2004, was appointed by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) last week to take charge of the country’s relay teams for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, as well as the African Athletics Championships holding in Marrakesh, Morocco in August.

His contract with Nigeria will officially begin at the Mt. Sac Relay in California.

The Guardian gathered yesterday that the presence of Greene aroused great excitement in Nigerian athletes and their officials, who are already in Walnut, California, waiting for today’s flag off of the ST SAC Relays.

The meet starts this afternoon with Nigeria’s best athletes participating. The team has sprinter and long jumper, Blessing Okagbare, as captain.

Okagbare, a double world championship medalist, is likely to compete in the individual event and also anchor the 4x100m women relay team.

Gloria Asumnu, who made the

final of the 60m at the Sopot 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, is also in the team.

Obinna Metu, who won the 100m over the weekend at the Abuja Golden League, is also in Walnut.

Also in the team is Amaechi Morton, whose blistering anchor ensured the Nigeria 4x400m quartet set a new Africa record at the Sopot 2014 World Indoor.

There is also Regina George, a quarter-miler, Nicholas Imhoapermhe, Chukwudike Harry and Noah Akwu.

Others are Abiola Onakoya, Isah Salihu, Orukpe Erayoka, Stephanie Kalu, Khadijah Suleiman, Peace Uko, Omolara Omotosho, Bukola Abogunloko, Folashade Abugan, Josephine Ehigie, Benjamin Ada and Ossai Rita.

In the coaching crew are Daniel Etsebiminor, Eric Campbell, Gabriel Okon, Victor Omagbemi, and Maurice Greene. The AFN President, Solomon Ogba and Secretary General, Olumide Bamiduro, are also in the team.

Ogba left Lagos for Walnut, California, yesterday after a hectic time sourcing for funds to take care of the contingent.

He told The Guardian shortly before departure that participating in Mt. Sac Relays and other meets across America is to get the athletes ready for the IAAF World Relays in Bahamas next month and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 3).

77

Stephanie Kalu is one of the athletes training with Maurice Greene for Mt. Sac Relays, which begins today in California, US.

Africa’s future stars converge for Milo U-13 Championship in Lagos HE continent’s future footT ball stars will from May 29 converge in Lagos for the third biennial Milo U-13 African Championships to be hosted

by Nigeria.

Besides host, Nigeria, other participating nations include defending champion, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

The tournament, bankrolled

by Nestle Nigeria Plc, will hold at the Campos Square Mini Stadium in Lagos Island with the final scheduled for May 31.

Speaking during a press briefing to unveil the programme for the competition, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Dharnesh Gordhon, said the

company was focused on using sports to develop the champion spirit in children across the country.

“We firmly believe that sports is a wonderful platform for our youths to learn important values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect, adherence to rules, discipline, perseverance, resilience and a strong sense of purpose,” he said.

He added: “Dealing with competition, coping with winning and losing, building courage and striving towards sports equips young people with important soft skills that are not easily learnt in classroom.”

Also speaking at the event,

Category Business Manager, Beverages, Doja Ekeruche, said the tournament is a biennial among Nestle Milo countries in Africa with the aim of building the continent’s favourite sport, football.

She added that the competition also encourages children to be in school and benefit from opportunities that will enhance their lives in future.

Unveiling the itinerary for the competition, Ekeruche said the teams would be presented to the public during a gala dinner scheduled for May 29 at the Intercontinental Hotels in Lagos, while the draws would also hold same day at the venue.

Championship, has been added to the Nigerian tennis calendar with the inaugural event scheduled for May 12 to May 18 at the prestigious Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.

The championship, which is part of the ITA Junior Tennis Circuit run by the International Tennis Academy will feature boys and girls singles events in four age groups - 10s, 12s, 14s and 16s.

Speaking on the championship, president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Sani Ndanusa commended Midwestern Oil & Gas for the sponsorship, emphasising that, “the sponsorship will go a long way to consolidate the focus on junior tennis development as means of laying the right foundation for producing world class players in the future.”

The managing director of Midwestern Oil & Gas, Adams Okoene, who was guest of honour at the last CBN Junior Tennis championship in February said: “We are happy to contribute our quota to the various efforts to engage and empower our youths and sports is a truly veritable tool to accomplish that.”

The tournament has been scheduled to run alongside the CBN Senior National Championship with the Midwestern finals coming up a day after the CBN finals.

Ndanusa, who is also the president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, said “both tournaments running side by side will give the young kids an opportunity to see the standard at the senior level and aspire to attain and surpass that in record time.”

He added: “It is an experiment and we shall like to see the impact on the young boys and girls, some of whom might participate in the preliminaries of the senior event.”

Peak explains support for Eagles’ World Cup campaign UBLIC and Regulatory P Affairs Manager, FrieslandCampina WAMCO

Oyo and Cross River states fighting for points during a recent Milo Under-13 Football Championship.... Team Kwara is representing Nigeria at the 2014 African Under-13 Championship slated for Lagos.

Nigeria plc, Ore Famurewa, has explained that Peak brand of milk is supporting the Super Eagles preparation and campaign at the Brazil 2014

World Cup because it knows that such backing would help the team to exceed expectations at the Mundial Coupe.

Speaking during the launch of a campaign to galvanize support for the team tagged ‘World Class Nutrition, World

Class Team,’ Famurewa said the programme would ensure that the Super Eagles did not lack the much required nutrient to execute their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign in Brazil in June.

He added that the launch for

Heineken picks ‘Lucky’ winners for UEFA Champions League final excitement galore at IlastTthewas Heineken House Lagos Wednesday when two of the final five lucky consumers, who will watch the UEFA Champions League final, emerged.

They will enjoy an all expense paid trip to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon Portugal courtesy of Heineken the international premium lager beer.

At half time and with emotions at boiling point at the Allianz Arena in Munich during the epic Bayern Munich – Manchester United clash, as well as in the Estadio Vincent Calderon mastery display of in-form Atletico Madrid’s crushing of FC Barcelona, guests and consumers at the Heineken House Lagos witnessed the transparent draw c e r e m o n y .

Conducted by the Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nicolaas A. Vervelde, there was palpable tension in the jammed packed arena, when the first of the two winners of the night was announced.

Jayne Nelson Uzuegbu, a banker and Manchester United fan, was the first winner out of the 790 participants of the Heineken ‘Match Your Half Ticket’ promotion in Lagos.

However, with repeated calls and nobody in sight to claim the winning ticket and few seconds left for ticket to be voided for a repeat of the draw, a charming lady emerged from the Football Arena Room on the upper lounge with her raffle ticket to ‘match’ the winning ticket.

Expedition to Lisbon...the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nicolaas A. Vervelde (second right) and other participants celebrating with the two lucky winners of the trip to watch the UEFA Champions League final… last week.

the campaign was necessitated by their belief that Super Eagles require super nutrition to support their performance at the World Cup. “The association between football and the brand, Peak, shows its continuous support top enhancing the body and mind performance of Nigerians; encouraging them to believe in themselves. Peak has confidence that this campaign will inspire a winning spirit inn the Super Eagles and Nigerians.

“The campaign runs on various platforms: TV Commercial, Radio &Outdoor and features Stephen Keshi, Head coach o0f the Super Eagles is rated the 27th best national coach in the world and fifth best in Africa; He is also the 2013 Glo-CAF Coach of the Year and the second individual from Africa Nations Cup as a player and as a coach,” he said.

The occasion was also used to flag off a consumer promo, ‘Win with the Super Eagles,’ which, he said, is part of the company’s support to create excitement for the national football team, as they compete in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

78 SPORT Thursday, April 17, 2014

European round-up

Every game is like a cup final for us, says Szczesny OJCIECH Szczesny W would be happy for another four ugly wins if it means Arsenal secure Champions League qualification ahead of Everton.

The Gunners moved back up into the top four after coming from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium, where France forward Olivier Giroud netted a superb finish and German international Lukas Podolski crashed home a brace.

Everton, however, will regain the advantage should they produce a positive result at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening.

The race for the final Champions League place is set to go to the wire and Szczesny insists it does not matter how the FA Cup finalists secure it, so long as they do.

“The energy level was not great after playing 120 minutes (against Wigan at Wembley) on Saturday, but it was important to get three points,” said Szczesny, who was back in the side having been on the bench for the semi-final, where Lukasz Fabianski saved two penalties in the shoot-out.

“In the Premier League we had not won in four games, so it was important to get back to winning ways - three points is all that matters at the moment.

“I will take four or five more

games like that until the end of the season. As long as we get three points, it does not have to be beautiful.

“Every game is like a cup final for us now and we know we have to get the result every time and wait for Everton to drop points.”

Szczesny is confident Arsenal can secure a positive end to a campaign which had promised so much.

“Before the four disappointing results we had recently we were still in the title race, so it has slipped away from us,” the Poland international said.

“But it is important for us to fight for the new challenge, which is the top four now.

We are confident we are going to do the job.”

Giroud went some way to answering his critics - who had plenty of ammunition following a fluffed first-half chance when clean through on goal - with a strike of the highest quality.

Having held off both Andy Carroll and Winston Reid, the Arsenal striker expertly collected a looping ball into the penalty box from Thomas Vermaelen on his left before slotting it through Adrian’s legs with his right boot.

Giroud paid his own respects to the Hillsborough victims, kissing the black armband and then looking to the heavens.

Arsenal's striker Olivier Giroud (left) misses a chance at goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham United at the Emirates St...on Wednesday PHOTOS: AFP

‘My stay at Juve has been worthwhile’ captain Gianluigi JtoUVENTUS Buffon is extremely grateful coach Antonio Conte for persuading him to stay at the club.

The Italy goalkeeper considered leaving Juve in the summer of 2011, when there was an offer from Roma on the table, but he elected to remain in Bianconero colours and, thanks to Conte, his decision has paid off.

Buffon told Sky Italia: “After two seventh-placed finishes, my relationship (with Juve) had deteriorated.

“There were also some

doubts among the club’s fans as to how I would return (from injury).

“These are situations that a player wants to change - the only solution was to leave.

“But, as I always say, the destiny of each and everyone of us is already written.

“Certain events, including the arrival of Antonio Conte, led to my relationship with the club and the president returning to be good again, and it all resulted in me feeling energetic again and wanting to try and win titles.”

Since former Juve midfielder

Conte left his role with Siena to take control of the Old Lady’s first team almost three years ago, Buffon has won two Serie A and lifted two Supercoppa trophies under his supervision.

The 36year-old keeper, who joined Juve from Parma in 2001, is on course to win two more titles with the Turin outfit this season.

The Bianconeri are closing in on their third straight Scudetto as they lead the Serie A table by eight points from Roma with five games

remaining.

Juve are also preparing to tackle Benfica in the semifinals of the Europa League later this month.

“How can I regret not joining Roma when I see how my story with Juventus has unfolded?” Buffon said. “I think that remorse and regrets can only emerge when a decision that one has made proves to be the wrong one.

“My choice to remain at Juve and continue to write the history of a legendary club means there is no room for regrets.”

Like older sister, Chiney Ogwumike is number one draft in WNBA T was a busy draft night for IMinutes the Connecticut Sun. after taking Chiney

The number one overall pick, Chiney Ogwumike (left)of the Connecticut Sun, poses with her sister, Nneka, during the 2014 WNBA Draft…on Monday.

PHOTO: AFP

Ogwumike with the top pick in the WNBA draft on Monday night, the Sun made a blockbuster deal to trade 2012 MVP Tina Charles to the New York Liberty.

The Sun acquired the Liberty’s fourth pick this year, which turned out to be Alyssa Thomas, as well as Kelsey Bone and New York’s first-round pick next year.

Charles had told the Sun that if she wasn’t traded she’d sit out this year.

“We’re not going to be held hostage by anybody,” Sun vice president and general manager Chris Sienko said.

“We had to do what’s best for our organization and fan base. New York came back with a significant offer. ...

That’s a great trade.”

Ogwumike joined her sister, Nneka, drafted by Los Angeles in 2012, as the only siblings to be chosen first in the WNBA. “To be picked No. 1 in front of those Connecticut fans with my family and sister, it’s unreal,” Chiney Ogwumike said.

Peyton and Eli Manning are the only other siblings to be taken No. 1 in the history of the four major American pro sports according to STATS.

“When someone told me that I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s pretty cool,’ “ Chiney Ogwumike said. “We fell into the sport and found our passion in it and now it’s life. To share that moment with my sister, she’s the reason I play, and to be called a No. 1 draft pick is inconceivable.”

Chiney Ogwumike finished her stellar career at Stanford as the top scorer and rebounder in Pac-12 history.

The choice of the two-time AP All-American drew loud cheers from the crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena, where Connecticut plays its home games. This was the first time fans were allowed to attend the draft since it was held in Tampa in 2008.

“The fans were great,” Chiney Ogwumike said. “It was really awesome having them here and having them be part of my draft experience.”

Odyssey Sims of Baylor went second to Tulsa, which means she’ll team up with Skylar Diggins in the backcourt. Sims was happy for a chance to play with her former rival.

“Me and Skylar will make a great backcourt,” said Sims, who finished this season with 1,054 points — second all-time for a single year.

San Antonio took Notre

Dame’s Kayla McBride with the third pick.

“This is surreal,” McBride said. “It was so awesome to have the fans cheering for me, I’m not used to that in Connecticut.”

The Indiana Fever selected Natasha Howard of Florida State with the fifth pick.

UConn teammates Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley went with the next two picks to Washington and Seattle. Hartley was later traded by the Storm to the Mystics to reconnect the Huskies.

Louisville star Shoni Schimmel went eighth to the Atlanta Dream. The Indiana Fever took Notre Dame’s Natalie Achonwa with the ninth pick.

Achonwa tore her ACL in the Final Four and will most likely miss the entire season.

The Chicago Sky took NC State’s Markeisha Gatling with the 10th pick. The Sun drafted injured Duke star Chelsea Gray 11th and her Blue Devils teammate Tricia Liston went to Minnesota to close out the first round.

The ceremony was held in primetime for the second straight year. Training camps open April 27, and the WNBA’s 18th season tips off on May 16.

•Culled from AP.

Buffon

Europa League is now our target, by De Gea AVID de Gea says D Manchester United are determined to ensure that they will be competing in European competition next season.

The reigning Premier League champions have been unable to put themselves in a position to defend their top-flight crown in 2013/14, and have slipped off the pace in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

David Moyes' men - in his first campaign at the Red Devils' helm - sit seventh at present, nine points adrift of the top four and three behind sixth-placed Tottenham.

Edging above Spurs would guarantee them a Europa League berth, and Spanish goalkeeper De Gea claims bringing continental football back to Old Trafford is a top priority.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014 SPORTS

RIO 2016: Team Britain names Steve Cram in Athletics’ Endurance Programme

Odoko sees future champions, as Warri Tennis clinic ends

By Gowon Akpodonor ORMER Nigerian tennis player, Roy Odoko, says the country will rule Africa once again in the game of tennis, if some of the kids discovered in the on-going Warri Tennis Clinic are given the right training.

Odoko, a native of Isoko in Delta State, is one of the five coaches invited from Lagos for the tennis clinic.

The two-week Warri Tennis clinic, organized by IsoBlack Concepts Ltd, a Lagos based outfit will end on Saturday at the Shell Club, Ogunu, Warri, Delta State.

Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Igho Okor, told The Guardian yesterday that some of the participants, who are mainly school children, are clamouring for more tennis action.

“The kids are becoming more excited and they are pleading that we should extend the date,” Okor said.

“Even their parents are very happy with the display of tennis skills shown by the kids. They want the clinic to be a yearly event and we will try our possible best to make it an annual activity,” The Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick is expected to be a guest of honour in

F

Saturday’s closing ceremony. The Clinic is sponsored by various corporate organisations, including SYKES Energiprojekts Ltd, NNPC, Standard Alliance Life Assurance Ltd, Carex, Shell Club, Ogunnu and Promasidor Odoko, a medalist at 1973 National Sports Festival for the defunct Midwestern State, said that the Warri Tennis Clinic was a major success saying: “We have been able to teach young tennis players, especially in primary and secondary school, the various techniques and strategy to adopt for winning matches.

“Most tennis tournaments and coaching clinics are organized in Lagos and as such, people in other urban centers are not opportune to witness and benefit from these tennis initiatives. I see many young tennis players emerging from this clinic to rule the game in the nearest future,” he added.

Over 800 kids drawn from schools like Urhobo College Effurun, Our Lady’s High School, Hussey Boy’s Model College, Federal Government College, Warri, Cambridge International School and Majesty International School, are taking part in the tennis clinic.

79

ORMER world champion Steve Cram has joined FBritish Athletics as an adviser

Catch-them-young….School children being thought basic techniques of tennis at the on-going Warri Tennis Clinic at the Shell Club, Ogunu, Warri, Delta State.

and mentor ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

Cram, 53, joins marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe as part of Team GB’s Endurance Programme.

The BBC athletics commentator, who won 1500m silver at the 1984 Olympics, said: “It’s an exciting time for the British Athletics endurance programme and it’s great to be part of it.”

Mo Farah’s coach, Alberto Salazar, is also a consultant in the set-up.

Cram will work under the guidance of British Athletics head of endurance Barry Fudge, as part of a programme designed to produce Olympic medal-winning athletes in distance races.

Monte Carlo Masters: Federer, Nadal hit 3rd round

OGER Federer was happier R than eight-time champion Rafael Nadal after their straight-sets wins to reach the Monte Carlo Masters third round yesterday.

Federer took just 52 minutes to beat veteran Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-2, while Nadal overcame a rusty start to put away Teymuraz Gabashvili 64, 6-1.

The top-seeded Nadal, who lost the title to Novak Djokovic last year, dropped his opening service game and trailed 3-1 in the first set. But from 4-4, the Spaniard reeled off six straight games, then the Russian qualifier broke his serve again.

Nadal’s body language suggested he was far from happy with his performance. At times he looked glum-faced, other times annoyed with his shots.

His serve was vulnerable, too, as he conceded four breakpoint chances - including in consecutive service games during the second set. He clinched victory with a crisp forehand winner.

Federer, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2011, was far more ruthless as he raced to 5-0 in 17 minutes. He improved his record against the 35-year-old Stepanek to 14-2. The Czech has not beaten Federer in six

years. ‘’A bit surprised how well it went. On clay, when you have the upper hand from the baseline, it’s kind of hard to get out of it,’’ Federer said. ‘’That’s kind of how it was for Radek. I had a good start to both sets, I was solid on my own service games. It was clearly a good match to start my clay-court campaign.’’

The fourth-seeded Federer next plays another Czech, Lukas Rosol, who beat Frenchman Michael Llodra 64, 6-4, while Nadal plays Italian Andreas Seppi, who won 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-4 against Spaniard Pablo Andujar.

Federer has never won Monte

Carlo, losing in three straight finals to Nadal from 2006-08.

They can’t meet again until the final.

Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, seeded third, was in action later against Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Eighth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 10 Fabio Fognini of Italy, and No. 11 Tommy Robredo of Spain also advanced to the third round.

Raonic rallied to beat Lu YenHsun of Taiwan 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1; Fognini downed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4, and Robredo won 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 against Julien Benneteau of France.

TheGuardian

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Afolabi Obasa T’S a shame that Nigerian politicians are fighting over which party or platform to belong. Fact of the matter is no party or platform in the country today is representative of the change we desire as a nation.

As far as I’m concerned, the Centenary celebrations marked the end of an era in Nigerian polity – an era where those who led either had no vision or foresight or worked with those who didn’t; an era I frankly don’t want to remember.

Look around today and what do you see – anger and disgust at a system that has failed her people. But beyond that, I see a people that have chosen to give failure a big unending hug. Where we are today is not the fault of a group of people, it is the fault of a people.

However, I have no intention to dwell on the past. My chief concern is the future and fellow Nigerians that future is now.

Growing up, I have always had a disdain for the Nigerian political scene. Not that there weren’t or haven’t been exceptional individuals, a good example being the Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola. My disdain is predicated on how it has always looked like a chaotic circus filled with nothing but bigotry and neck pulling. It was so hard seeing beyond the parade of agbadas and babarigas with hats to match. It amazed me how most political gatherings started with some serious dancing and acrobatic displays by some cultural troupe and then women in uniform dressing chanting party slogans and singing folk songs – how people gathered not necessarily because they believed in the gospel that was being preached, but just in case there were any freebies —they wouldn’t miss out.

I have wondered why when discussions in the Nigerian political scene arose, phrases like “do or die affair” or “fight to the finish” always came up. I believed politics was something an average Nigerian should look up to with keen interest whether in playing the role of a voter or a public office holder. The contrary is however what holds about Nigerian politics today.

You are seen as messy when you engage in it because “only the messy thrive” and most people are reluctant to vote. They say – “What is the point anyway.”

We have created a political scene no Nigerian is proud of. Isn’t it funny how the same issues come up when we have platforms on charting the way forward – how to tackle corruption, infrastructural problems, improving the educational sector and the likes. Wait a minute!

Doesn’t that mean we are aware of the problems? Not just that, we are well aware of our problems.

So what is the problem? Forgive the pun. A good answer will be this: You don’t get to a position of power based on your proven or believed capacity to bringing solutions regarding front-burner issues, you get there based on your proven capacity to add to the problems. Maybe that’s a bit far-fetched, but then again, is it?

I think it’s time for Nigerians to wake up. Let’s call a spade a spade. If you believe that your party is no longer following its ‘ideals,’ and you no longer want to be a part of that, you really want to show that you are fed up, and it was through that party you came to power, why not terminate your membership of the party and resign from office.

And then you have public office holders jumping from one party to the other while still in office based on claims that their supposed former party has lost its founding principles. Who are you fooling? And then you have their followers who are basically just herd of sheep jumping ship with them.

Politics of self-interest - Isn’t that obvious?

I think by now we should be driving these guys out of their offices or our offices with canes and whips. No, really, aren’t you tired of the same things happening over and over again? I’m I suggesting a revolution? Call it whatever you want. All I know is our destiny is

I

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Governance: My nation, my responsibility

in our hands. The future of this great nation is in our hands.

Consequently, we cannot allow anyone who doesn’t see beyond their backyard to run the affairs of this nation at all spheres of government. We cannot allow individuals who take advantage of a largely unenlightened populace to spread lies just to get to the seat of power and then, make the same mistakes. We cannot allow individuals who place nonissues over issues, who would stand for one ideology today and another, the next. We cannot allow those who see themselves first along ethnic or tribal lines before seeing themselves as Nigerians. I’m tired. Really!

The world is moving fast, and Nigeria seems to be folding her arms. Yes there are claims and there is progress on certain fronts. But

progress at this slow pace isn’t going to get us anywhere.

When I was much younger, I would flip through the pages of magazines looking at beautiful cities round the world and wonder why my country was so different. People talk about travelling abroad with so much joy because when they look home, they are ashamed. They talk about foreign products and places excitedly because their nation hasn’t given them a sense of pride. Those who do are constantly given reasons to have a rethink.

We are people on a journey with great aspirations but a knack for choosing the wrong drivers and then throwing tantrums at them. But we made the choices.

I believe the country should have one developmental agenda. Then, no matter who’s in pow-

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I believe criticisms across board should be based on facts and not sentiments, on ideologies and not ambition, on passion and not hatred, and on a drive to bring positive change to the nation and not on wanting to be a pain in the neck of the opposition. As a matter of fact, I believe we should all have a common opposition and that should be anything that stands in the way of progress for Nigeria

er, the agenda stays the same. The approaches to achieving the agenda might be different, but fundamentally, the crux of the agenda remains unchanged. This would be progressive instead of having every new government come with its own agenda while being eager and happy to trash and sideline that of previous governments.

I believe criticisms across board should be based on facts and not sentiments, on ideologies and not ambition, on passion and not hatred, and on a drive to bring positive change to the nation and not on wanting to be a pain in the neck of the opposition. As a matter of fact, I believe we should all have a common opposition and that should be anything that stands in the way of progress for Nigeria.

I believe a desire to hold public office should be backed by a desire to effecting great change in the life of Nigerians for the better; that servant-leadership shouldn’t just be in words but in deeds. And for those who are thinking ‘if you can’t beat them, join them,’ I say to you, ‘if you can’t beat them, chase them – out that is.’

When I say the future is now, I mean the future is now. Every day I wake up, I do so with the belief that Nigeria is that gift to the world yet to be unwrapped, that the future of Nigeria is full of nothing but colour. But I’m not waiting anymore. I have waited enough.

It’s time to unwrap that gift and no matter how much dust and cobwebs it has gathered, fellow Nigerians, we shall unwrap the gift, now.

• Obasa is a writer, blogger and public speaker based in Lagos.

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