Tue 08 April 2014 by The Guardian Newspaper

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,885

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‘How France will support Nigeria’s anti-terror war’ From Oghogho Obayuwana, Foreign Affairs Editor

Ex-colonial master to enlist Cameroun, others

RANCE intends to help Fterrorism Nigeria to lay the ghost of and insurgency to

while leveraging on its special relationship with Nigeria’s French-speaking neighbours like Cameroun. Besides, the European pow-

rest by putting high-calibre intelligence reports on offer

er is maintaining that it sees terrorism largely as a regional problem, one that needs not just the collaboration of neighbours but also develop-

ment partners. The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagne de Labriolle, stated this in an interview with The Guardian

at the weekend. It is believed that the shared intelligence reports such that France is now offering, is largely responsible for the recent breakthrough by the Nigerian counter-terrorism team and the military joint

task force in foiling bomb attack plans by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in parts of the North-East. France has defence pact with her former colonies which CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Why confab decisions may not be implemented, by Senate leader

- Page 4

FG okays merger of NCAA, NAMA, FCAA, others - Page 6

Citizens during a candle-light session to mark the one-month anniversary of the missing Malaysian Airline MH370 plane at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur …yesterday. (SEE EDITORIAL PAGE 14 ) PHOTO: AFP

Police ban campaign rallies beyond 6pm in Ekiti - Page 88

Bureau, minister defend N80.2 trillion GDP From Adamu Abuh, Nkechi Onyedika, Chuka Odittah (Abuja) and Olalekan Okusan (Lagos) (with agency report) N insight into how Nigeria’s N80.2 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for 2013 was arrived at was yesterday given by the Statistician-General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale and Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, stressing that the new numbers were the outcome of a painstaking rebasing of the economy using wider data sources hitherto ignored.

Meanwhile, South Africa yesterday hailed Nigeria’s new growth figures, adding that Africa was on the rise economically. But a member of the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi, has faulted the claim that the country was growing, adding that poverty was on the rise in Nigeria. Speaking in Abuja at the public presentation of preliminary results of the rebased nominal GDP estimates from year 2010 to 2013, Kale said that the latest rebasing was done in line with internationally-recognised methodology. He added that sample data

• S’Africa lauds growth, Rep kicks sources were raised from initial 83,733 to as much as 851,628 establishments. The aim, he said, was to obtain more accurate set of economic statistics that truly reflected realities on ground. “The rebasing exercise we have just concluded was conducted in line with internationally-recognised methodology, procedures and guidelines. NBS started the process with an update of its survey frame, complemented by a listing exercise. This meant that the size of sample frame expanded

from 83,733 to 851,628 establishments. In addition, the number of economic activities captured in the GDP computation frame-work increased to 46, compared to 33 in the previous series”, he said. According to him, four internationally-certified statistical methodology were used to compile the rebased GDP, which included application of the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008 version), the International Standard Classification (ISIC Revision 4), the Central Product Classi-

fication (CPC version), and lastly the ongoing development of supply and use table frame-work. Kale noted that the SNA was the internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity, while the ISIC point the way for effective reference and classification of productive activities in any economic environment. He explained that its main objective is to provide wide ranging categories of activities that can be used for collection of and reporting of statistics correctly. Kale maintained that the

CPC formula is a classification based on physical characteristics of goods or on the nature of services rendered, adding however that the Supply and Use Table Framework contains a pair of tables that combine the product balance of all individual products or group of products in a matrix frame-work to present a coherent picture of how goods and services are produced and supplied. He further stated that this year’s rebasing more than any other provided opportunity for NBS to engage key members of the National StaCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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2 Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Bureau, minister defend N80.2 trillion GDP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 tistical System, particularly Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), in addition to working closely with State Statistical Agencies (SSAs). While reiterating that the number of economic activity accounting for 70 per cent of nominal GDP has risen from three to six after the rebasing, the NBS boss hinted that areas covered by the rebasing exercise include mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, repair of vehicles and motorcycles, transportation and storage. Others are accommodation and food services sector, information and communication (cybercafe etc), real estate, professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and support services sectors.

Also covered were the education sector, human health and social work activities, art and entertainment, other services. . According to Okonjo-Iweala, the technique used to arrive at the data is a standard every economy in the world is measured on, we had these people working with us, to ensure quality control, for three months, we invited six Nigerian experts to help us look at the figures after which the international community was invited to do quality control for three months. Speaking on Ray Power programme, “Political Platform” yesterday in Abuja, the minister said that the rebasing exercise has helped government get better information on the state of the nation’s economy, adding that the data would help the Federal Government put in place policies that would improve the lives of Nigerians. The minister said: “Foreign investors would be more attracted to the Nigerian economy than ever before, while domestic investors now have the proper measurement they need to know that they can increase the size of their investments in the economy in order to create more jobs. Even the foreign investors would also know that Nigeria is a very sizeable economy and those hesi-

tating will now come in because they will know that we are going to be an economy to contend with for years and years to come and that we have a strong consumer base. This is a very good signal for the private sector because we are hoping that industries will see it as a signal to create more jobs; that is why we are going to target some sectors where there are potentials for employment.” However, in an address, President of Statistical Association of Nigeria, Dr. Mohammed Tumala, said the new GDP figures place more responsibility on the Federal Government to pursue wealth distribution programmes to meet the needs of the people. He said this was done by the Saudi Arabia and Kuwait governments by deliberately putting dividends of the rich natural resources of their countries in the hands of the masses, saying that Nigeria should toe that line by making sure that education is supported, roads construction and electricity and other amenities provided. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the recalculation of output by Nigeria indicated that the economy of Africa’s most populous nation grew to $453 billion in 2012, compared with South Africa’s $384 billion, according to the World Bank. “The announcement gives concrete expression to the fact that Africa is indeed rising,” said the ministry of finance. The new data was boosted by the contribution of new indus-

tries such as mobile telephones, music and the film industry. According to South Africa, its firms played a “big role in the growth and development” of some of Nigeria’s growing industries like retail and telecoms. Shoprite, South Africa’s largest grocer and Vodacom are some of the companies with a presence in Nigeria. It said the South African government and the private sector “continue to play no small a part in the growth and development of the continent.” Nigeria last updated its gross domestic product figures in 1990. El -Sudi who was guest at the

hot seat forum organised by reporters covering the House of Representatives in Abuja also expressed disappointment with the performance of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) administration. The lawmaker, who represents Gashaka/Kurmi/Sarduana Federal Constituency of Taraba State, remarked that with poverty dealing fatal blow on the citizenry and the infrastructural deficit in the polity, it is difficult to accept the fact that there is an improvement in the economy. El-Sudi, who is a member of the House Committee on Commerce, noted that such

data could just be a figment of the imagination of the NBS authorities since it was not a reflection of the stark realities on ground. According to him: “The Nigerian economy has been described as a voodoo economy, as Janjaweed economy that even experts and professionals have given a thought of what is happening. I am representing people; I am telling you that I am much as confused as anybody. We see figures in the papers, they talk of GDP and say in Africa, we are the richest as far as GDP is concerned but the poverty level is excruciating, painful and is perverting the entire fabric of the Nigerian society.’’

Ukrainian nationalist activists with national flags during a demonstration rally in front of Pro-Russian activists at the regional administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv… yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

‘How France will aid Nigeria’s anti-terror war’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 surround Nigeria. Cameroun and Niger have lately been fingered by intelligence reports of harbouring some terrorist cells apart from the provision of what appears to be safe havens for insurgents who have been striking at both soft and hard targets in North-East of Nigeria. Last month, during a visit to Nigeria, French President Francois Hollande pledged his country’s support in the war against terrorism and insurgency by extremist group Boko Haram as France’s way of defending democracy. Hollande told delegates at a security summit in Abuja ahead of Nigeria’s unification centenary celebrations: “Your struggle is also our struggle.” But Nigerians have largely been in the dark as to how exactly France intends to help the Federal Government. Although Labriolle fought stridently against exposing the nitty-gritty of the French support for strategic reasons, he stressed that the role intelligence reports sharing in the fight against terrorism can never be underestimated. He said: “This is not a matter which is meant to be public. But it includes intelligence, intelligence sharing, strategic information and data. Things like these are not meant to be public as you can see; help is going on, you know in a very useful way which is also that we have good relations with the neighbouring countries and we can share views and bring assistance on what is going on.” As Nigeria takes the new status of being the biggest economy in Africa, the French envoy not-

ed that development could be held back if the menace of terrorism is not tackled holistically. “I see development in this region (West Africa) is a worry in the sense that it is very difficult to say that only one country is concerned with terrorism, it is always more or less a regional issue. Very soon, the terrorist group will stray through the borders, will play hide and seek in the borders trying to take advantage of the rule of law which is basically that you cannot go in another country when you have a security force on ground (sovereignty provision). So, there is room for more co-operation and this has been developed for some time between Nigeria and neighbours already but this is a trend we are now ready to support” He added: “The regional dimension is what I believe is where we can help best. You were saying that the terrorists are coming from Cameroun. They are not coming from Cameroun, they are just coming and going very easily because the borders were not really secured. It is a matter of exchanges, legal and illegal that have gone on for decades that now have a consequence, that is very difficult to prevent people crossing the border which is the problem because security forces of one country cannot go after them in another country, this is not the state of international relations as we speak...” On the collaborative nature the French involvement in the days ahead, he said: “Our ideal which is drawn from the lessons we learnt in the Sahel is

that for a long time, terrorists have been hiding in neighbouring countries, sometimes having deep-rooted shelters and things like that, it is part of the action against terrorism to address this so we came to think that instead of just speaking of borders and trying to see that the specific line between two countries be not crossed, a deep analysis would now be put at the centre of the thinking that it’s a regional wide action that is needed, it’s a borderless region which is at stake with people from both side that may have problems that have to be addressed for terrorism to recede. I have said earlier that terrorism is also a consequence of a certain state of things in terms of economic, social and political development and this has to be addressed within the frame-work of inclusive strategies. That is something that we can help and as we have a good record working with the neighbouring countries, indeed we have been discussing with them and with Nigeria on how best is the way out of this crisis.” According to the envoy, France “certainly believes that Nigeria can use it (intelligence, information), in fact what we’ve been trying to do is to create a new frame-work for new kind of relations between countries, developed countries, developing countries in all the countries, we cannot believe that the traditional co-operation is enough, the needs are too big, the need for money, the need for technology transfer, the need for more relations, so the ideal was held at the summit that the French president organised early in December last year (Elysee summit), that was

a summit which was centred on security issues. What we thought was that after what happened in Mali and how it went should be discussed and this is what we have done and further we discussed why some people turn to terrorism and we ended up discussing management of other issues also, including in the regions of Africa.” “President Hollande said we are close to Nigeria in the fight against terrorism, we for some time, the thinking for Nigeria was that the insurgency was a domestic affair and it has now become obvious in the last two years that even if there is a strong domestic dimension in all these, there is also in the insurgency, a regional dimension and in fact a global dimension, a certain way for some people to believe that terrorism may be a political choice that is legitimate or a genuine line of action, this is not what we think. We think that it is deemed to fail, that is, it deemed to go backwards and all the people involved, we believe that political progress is going in another direction, so indeed we have made it clear that we do our best to help Nigeria fight terrorism because Nigeria’s fight against terrorism is the same with the one we had to fight in the past”, he added. Lamenting last February’s spectre of violence by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, including the earlier massacre of at least 59 students in their sleep at a secondary school in the North-East, Hollande said: “We will always stand ready not only to provide our political support but our help every time Nigeria needs it because the struggle against terrorism is al-

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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4 NEWS Tuesday, April 8, 2014

NHRC declares killing of tricycle riders in Abuja unlawful From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja N a damning report of its investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of eight tricycle riders at the Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday declared that the killing by security agents was unlawful. In an 83-page report presented by the Chairman of the NHRC’s Governing Council, Dr. Chidi Anslem Odinkalu said there was no credible evidence to show that the eight men killed were members of Boko Haram. Consequently, it awarded N135 million as compensation to the relatives of the deceased who met their death in an incomplete building where they were said to have been squatting. It also awarded N10 million to each of the family of the eight people killed during the attack and N5million to each of the 11 that sustained injuries. Accordingly, the council directed the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure compliance with the compensation order and ordered that he must lodge the evidence of payment with the commission’s office within 30 days from now. It said that contrary to reports that the people killed were members of Boko Haram, the security agents did not even interview those wounded in the operation to establish their connection or otherwise to the sect.

• Orders FG to pay N135m to victims relations The council said that before the operation, security agents should have interrogated the owners of the property where the squatters were killed. It also said no arm and ammunition were shown to have been recovered from the property where the squatters were killed and therefore ruled that claims by security agents that the squatters were the first to open fire was not credible or believable in the circumstance. The council urged the military and the Department of State Security to undertake a review and harmonisation the Rules of Engagement gov-

erning the operations of security agencies to bring them into compliance with the applicable rules of international humanitarian law governing non-international armed conflicts. It also required that the security agents to file a certified text of the harmonised and updated Rules of Engagement with the commission within two months. The report said, “having investigated this complaint, heard all the parties and examined the relevant laws, the NHRC, exercising its powers under Sections 5 and 6 of the National Human Rights Commission Act, 2010 (as amended), hereby deter-

mines and declares that: “At the time of the lethal encounter giving rise to this complaint on or about September 20, 2013, there was a non-international armed conflict (NIAC) going on in North-eastern Nigeria involving the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the one hand and an organised armed group, Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad also known as “Boko Haram,” on the other. The theatre of active conflict extended to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. “With reference to the existence of a NIAC in Nigeria, the rules of international humanitarian law, including, in particular, common

Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, are applicable to the parties to the conflict. The rules of human rights law under the Nigerian constitution and other relevant laws supplement international humanitarian law in the theatres of conflict and remain applicable outside those theatres. “There is no credible evidence to suggest or show that the victims in this case were members of the Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad (JALISWAJ) (also known as Boko Haram) or involved in direct participation in hostilities. They were, therefore, protected, civilian non-combatants. “The defence of self-defence asserted by the respondents

is not supported by the facts or evidence. Global Rights, a non governmental organisation (NGO) working for the advancement of human rights in Nigeria had lodged the complaint with the Commission on the 20 September 2013 challenging the legality of the deaths in Apo. Similarly, on 21 September, another NGO, the Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS), lodged a separate complaint with the commission alleging that the killings referred to in the DSS release of 20 September were unlawful and that the persons killed were innocent squatters un-connected with the JALISWAJ.

Cracked windshield forces Overland commuter aircraft to make detour By Ibe Uwaleke DOMESTIC commuter flight 1170 enroute Abuja from Ibadan with 48 persons on board returned to Lagos yesterday when the pilot was said to have noticed a crack on the windshield of the plane. The ATR-42 aircraft operated by Overland Airways diverted from Ibadan to Lagos having left the Ikeja airport earlier. Reports indicate a crack in the window of something like a passenger airliner would not rupture fast enough that would cause the aircraft to decompress and suck the pilot out. As such, smaller aircrafts such as ATR-42 do not fly at great altitudes so there is not

that much difference in pressure that would cause someone to get sucked out. A statement signed by Mr. Supo Atobatele, general manager, Public Affairs of NAMA said the pilot while airborne

noticed some cracks on the windshield and subsequently requested to divert the aircraft to Lagos (being the base of the airline) to allow for change of plane for the passengers.

The statement said, “the plane was airborne around 7.42 a.m, changed course before landing in Lagos at 9.43 a.m.” Forty-two passengers and six crew were on-board the air-

craft as at the time of the incident. Supo said there is no cause for alarm as the diversion was precautionary and this conforms with the basic safety norms of the industry.

Lagos APC flays Obanikoro’s stoppage of housing project By Seye Olumide HE Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned as greedy, wicked and annoying the illegal use of the military by the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro to stop the mass housing project of Governor Raji Fashola at Ilubirin. The party also flayed the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for referring to Fashola as a usurper, saying, “such assertion by the PDP is anti progress and development, which the Fashola-led administration is effecting in the

state.” In a statement yesterday, the APC spokesman, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, on the weird claim that the Ilubirin land belongs to the Federal Government, wonders if Obanikoro was made a minister to further the well-known PDP battle to stifle Lagos and a fifth of Nigeria’s entire population. According to Igbokwe, “the claim by Obanikoro and the PDP that the Federal Government owns the same land reclaimed recently by the Lagos State government is not only ridiculous but entirely outlandish.” The APC, however, warned

the minister that Lagos is not a state that could be intimidated by such primitive tactics as he is using and warns him to steer clear of Lagos land. The APC said it is yet to understand the basis upon which Obanikoro is claiming a part of Lagos, reclaimed by the state government as belonging to the Federal Government. According to Igbokwe, “the minister’s action is condemnable and it shows obnoxious use of the military power to stop a mass housing scheme. “This is the same illegal per-

Why confab decisions may not be implemented, by Senate leader From Tina Todo, Calabar ENATE Leader, Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba has said that resolutions made at the National Conference may not be implemented if the Constitution does not provide for a referendum as there was no provision for in the 1999 Constitution. The representative of the Cross River Central Senatorial District said, as a result, whatever resolutions delegates arrive at would not be applied until the Constitution is amended to provide for a referendum. He explained that it has not been easy amending the constitution, a fact that would affect whatever decisions the delegates reach. “Despite the good intentions behind the convocation of the National Conference, decisions reached by it may amount to nothing if there’s no law for a referendum for Nigerians to endorse them,” he stressed. He stated that so many sections of the constitution were being considered for amendment because of the limitations but that the process was not easy considering the many consultations that have to be made and the need not to repeat the mistakes, which

the military made when it fashioned out the statute book on its twilight. On issues relating to alleged use of chemical weapons by terrorists in the country, Ndoma-Egba described the development as an issue that calls for concern and, which should be investigated as it constitutes a huge threat to security in the country. According to him, “use of chemical weapons in terrorism in Nigeria is a new development, which is frightening and should be checked. This is one allegation that should be thoroughly investigated. We should not encourage it. Security personnel should rise to the occasion.” Commenting on the issue raised by a house member, calling for shift for burden of proof of election malpractices and offences to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the Senate Leader said such bill could not see the light of the day because a lot of senators opposed it on account of the fact that in law, he, who asserts must prove. On the outcome of the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary election in which he was chairman of the Screening

Committee, Ndoma-Egba urged the other aspirants, who lost to work hand in hand with Ayo Fayose’s in the interest of peace in the party. “During the screening exercise it was obvious that we were going to have challenges. Out of the 18 governorship aspirants screened, only Fayose asked for the conduct of primary election. We asked the other aspirants, they each demanded for consensus candidate. But Fayose demanded that whoever emerges as consensus candidate, such a person should meet him at the primary election. “It is a good development that Adeyeye, who was with the aggrieved group is now working with Fayose to bring victory to the PDP.” He noted that Ekiti was originally a PDP state until the Court of Appeal judgment, which set aside the victory to the advantage of the then Action Congress of Nigeria. On calls for the extension of state of emergency rule in the affected states in the North East by the National Assembly, he said the security realities on ground will determine their action and commended the Nigerian military for checking terrorism from assuming a national spread.

petration of crude means to overwhelm and annex Lagos, since the state refused to sign up to the decadent politics of the PDP and all its decrementing values.” Igbokwe added that the APC is now being made to understand that Obanikoro’s appointment as minister was to create enough crisis in Lagos, engage in a battle of sorts with the legally constituted authority and create the same enabling environment to distract, obstruct the globally acclaimed feat made by the Lagos State government in all spheres of governance.

Osaghae to deliver Anyaoku Inaugural Lecture tomorrow HE Vice Chancellor of T Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae will tomorrow deliver the Emeka Anyaoku Inaugural Lecture entitled: “A State of Our Own: Second Independence, Federalism and the Decolonisation of the State in Africa.” Billed for the Chancellor’s Hall (Senate House, First Floor), University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU from 18:00 to 19:30, the lecture will examine the intriguing features of statehood and politics in Africa. It will further analyse the decolonisation process in Africa against the background of the liberation of the state, which retains its colonial cast and remains the locus and embodiment of colonisation. This process is already underway in different forms and at various stages all over the continent under the banner of second independence movements, which object is the appropriation, realignment and reorientation of states that constituents can genuinely call their own. Given the primacy of the deep cleavages of ethnicity, regionalism and religion to the political contests and demands of the second independence to reclaim the state, the lecture will make case for federalism operationalised as a variety of federal solutions, as the most suitable political framework for decolonising the state.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 POLITICS

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The National Conference Debate

Time is running out for Nigeria, says Mimiko Professor Femi Mimiko, a delegate to the ongoing national conference and Professor of International Relations and Comparative Political Economy says the confab cannot lead to the country’s disintegration. In this interview with TUNDE AKINOLA, Mimiko who is the Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) noted that danger lies ahead if the conference fails to compel the restructuring of Nigeria. To him, it is scary to imagine what will happen if nothing significant in the direction of a more equitable federal system emerges. What is your assessment of the developments in the confab since it started? NQUESTIONABLY, the conference has been quite stormy. lt is evident that the division you have in Nigeria is deep, quite deep. There is deep mutual suspicion. The tension in the first few days was almost palpable. But I must say that all of these were not unexpected given the type of nation we have. The good news is that things would now seem to be shapening up, especially with the resolution of the issues of quorum and what constitutes the voting majority. With the seeming resolution of the subject of what would constitute voting majority, one expects to see the conference move forward in the weeks ahead. What are your thoughts on the issue of reaching consensus in the confab? Sure, it would be great to have consensus on all the issues coming up at the conference. But you and I know this is just not possible, not with the level and extent of division I have seen. Positions are ossified. It would have been better to have the voting majority as twothirds. You see, the issue is that this conference has to succeed because time is running out for Nigeria. And success is defined in this case as a significant move in the direction of restructuring. We must move in the direction of real federalism. To assume we can continue to manage a heterogeneous entity like Nigeria on the crutches of a unitary constitution pretending to be federal is an illusion. We need to be able to take some far- reaching decisions, which nevertheless must be agreeable to a preponderance of the geo-political zones. What is your comment on the threat by Lamido of Adamawa to succeed from Nigeria, is this kind of threat a good start for the conference?

Mimiko There is no question about it that that speech was very inappropriate. Indeed, if I were the chairman, I would have counselled that he withdrew the threat, because it was actually a secession threat. But talking about substance, the threat was just an indication of how much division and distrust we have in the system. But I think what is called for is deep introspection and courage to ask the appropriate questions and provide the right answers. The question is why has the country laid prostrate since the mid-1960s? We must

get the structure of governance right, otherwise, it doesn’t matter for how many years we continue to be around as a nation, it would just be a case of unfilled promises. Do u fear this conference might be the end of corporate Nigeria? Not at all. The conference cannot lead to the break-up of Nigeria. Indeed, the scary thing is that it is if this conference fails and we are unable to compel the restructuring of Nigeria thereby that the danger lies. And this is why I say time is running out for the nation. It is scary to imagine what will happen if nothing significant in the direction of a more equitable federal system emerges. But if we succeed in taking a courageous step and restructure, the creative energies of our people will be unleashed and our people will find fulfillment once again. The issue of religion is already at play and the Christian and Muslims are already trading blames in respect of representation at the confab. What are your views in this? Religion is quite emotive an issue, and it is, therefore, understandable if you had some tension. Again, you also would notice that things calmed down after the initial fireworks. I guess this is the pattern we shall continue to see, especially when we come to address equally emotive issues like Resource Control, de- listing of local governments and so on from the constitution. It is one thing to talk, come up with a report and implementation do you see Jonathan having the political will and courage to implement, if at all the confab is successful and a report is presented? The fact that President Jonathan went ahead to convene the conference in spite of the opposition to the initiative from some en-

Why delegates want their lunch monetised From Terhemba Daka and Karls Tsokar, Abuja AST week’s call by some delegates at the national conference in Abuja that their lunch be monetized is informed by the need for accountability and transparent management of funds allocated for the national assignment. The Guardian learnt that the concern of the delegates is further heightened by the fact that the money supposedly spent on each member of the confab, entitled for a full course meal is N60,000 per head, whereas the quality and quantity of food is a far cry from this. According to our sources, the delegates feel the hoax has being taken too far, hence the advocacy that that they should be given the money, but some delegates on the other hand, feel the issue should not be tabled in the presence of journalists, “that is why some of our colleagues are saying there should be some executive sessions where sensitive issues can be discussed away from the cameras. “Our grouse is that, why would they be deducting as much as N60,000 and not be able to give all of us food and this has continued for weeks. Someone is definitely making millions on our head while we go hungry. So we said give us that N60,000 and we would know how to feed ourselves during the lunch break.” The sources said. The controversy surrounding this misadventure of starving some delegates started on day two of the conference, it was only on the day of inauguration, when all the delegates were present that they were well fed. The secretary of the conference Valerie Azinge, two Mondays ago, while apologising to the delegates on behalf of the secretariat for the inability of the contracted caterers to supply food to them as appropriate said the former suppliers,

NICON would come back. Please this will not repeat itself, we are aware that food did not get to some delegates, that is being taken care of, if you remember on the opening, NICON gave us food and it was enough, it went round. So they will come back tomorrow and I believe things will be different,” she assured then. Delegates said after weighing the reactions that may precipitate their call for monetising the lunch, decided that the issue should be handled backdoor without the prying cameras and sharp ears of journalist. A delegate, Musa Elayo who stood up to reiterate his initial call that delegates should have an executive session to discuss sensitive matters, stressed the for transparency in all activities of the Confab.

Kutigi

Before the close of sitting last week, Mr J.I. Ebinum a delegate representing the Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (ARPON) who moved a motion raised the issue, but there was no call for a seconder as it is the tradition. Instead, the Chairman Justice Idris Kutigi called for lunch break. At the resumption however, there was divergent interventions from Dan Nwanyanwu to Josephine Aneni to Chief Ayo Adebanjo. But at the end Justice Kutigi ruled, “I think you are right. All these complaints were rectified all through the week to see that we improve and we’ve been improving.” For now the secretariat would continue to provide the lunch for the delegates as has being done, however with expected improvement in the quality and in quantity as promised by the Chairman.

trenched forces, some of whom were more focused on the next election, is for me a huge demonstration of political will. The inauguration speech he gave was also quite courageous. He outlined the issues so clearly, issues which a less courageous president would have papered over. If all of these are anything to go by, I can see the President going ahead with implementation and that would cast him as the most successful president in Nigeria’s history, especially if the conference comes up with profound recommendations that can take Nigeria off the path of certain perdition if it does not restructure. Being the brother to Governor Segun Mimiko, some people have wondered why you are also attending the conference as a delegate from Qndo State… I sincerely do not understand what they mean by that. I am a Professor of Political Science and have been in this business of interogating the nature of power configuration in newer nations for 30 years. Now the issues at the conference are issues relating to re-engineering of the Nigerian state. So, the question is, should the fact that I answer the same surname with a Governor take my citizenship right away from me? But the good thing about these is that nobody has hinted that Femi Mimko has nothing to offer at the Conference. With all sense of modesty, I am the foremost Political Scientist living in 0ndo state today. Subjects for discussion here are those on which I have researched and taught for thirty years. It is quite illogical to argue that I should not have been listed because I am a Mimko, after all, there are to the best of my knowledge, two siblings at the conference, and at least a husband and his wife. All distinguished Nigerians, each on their own right.

Group seeks reduction of federal ministries to 10 By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo S part of efforts aimed at A producing a workable document for the generality of Nigerians by delegates to the ongoing national conference, members of an AkwaIbom State Union, Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim and Obot Akara Development Union (IKEDOA), Lagos has advocated the reduction of federal ministries to not more than ten. The association in Lagos on weekend also recommends state control of resources, stated out that rather than a blanket control currently exercised by the Federal Government; the states should be made to remit 30% of accruals to the federal purse. A communiqué signed by five of its executive members also recommends a parliamentary system of government with a bi-cameral legislative system comprising of the Senate and the House of Representatives; the states having their separate legal system with court hierarchy up to Court of Appeal and that the legislators should work on part-time basis. The communiqué signed by Mr. Samuel Udo Usoro, Elder Collins Ekpenyong, Mr. Joseph Umoren, Barrister Oscar Amos Ekere and Deaconess Akon Gabriel Essien, President General, Ex-Officio Officer, Secretary General, Legal Adviser and President

Women’s Wing respectively, further pointed out that it decided to toe the line having been persuaded by their that the 2014 conference will produce a progressive nation where peace, justice and happiness will reign. However, IKEDOA listed 38 items which it believes should be in the legislative and policy framework of the state. Some of the items include arms and ammunitions customs and excise duty communication, prisons, electricity, lands electoral system local government and constitution, to mention but a few. Also, the organisation recommended that such items including defence, citizenship, currency and exchange control, foreign affairs population, creation of states, national flag and titles, treaties, stamp duty and immigration should be the exclusive reserve and policy framework of the federal authority. The communiqué stated that: “It should be noted here that we believe in a truly federal Nigeria where diversities are recognised and harnessed for strength and progress of the country. We hope the federating units should explore and manage their resources and only contribute an agreed portion to the federal government. This will reduce the present unwarranted burden of the federal government.”

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FG okays merger of NCAA, NAMA, FCAA, others From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja HE Federal Government yesterday rejected recommendations for merger and outright scrapping of some government agencies by the Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies. Some of the key agencies which the committee, headed by a former Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Mr. Steve Orosanye, recommended to be merged, but which government rejected included the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB). The two bodies were recommended to be merged with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). The government, however, accepted the recommendation of the panel that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) should continue to exist as the central examination body for admissions into Nigerian universities and directs that it must play its regulatory role to ensure that all students for undergraduate admissions into Nigerian universities must pass through JAMB, including direct entries. The committee, which had submitted its report to President Goodluck Jonathan on April 16, 2012, also recommended the reduction of the existing 263 government parastatals and agencies to 161. In a 105-page White Paper on the Committee’s reports which was released yesterday by the Office of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the government also rejected the recommendations of the panel that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON) be merged into one body to be known as the Federal Corporation Broadcasting of Nigeria (FCBN). Also rejected were the recommendations of abolition of Federal Character Commission, but rather the commission should be strengthened to perform its constitutional role and func-

tions; an amendment in name and status of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). However, the Federal Government accepted the recommendation of a single term of five years for the chairman and members of the commission. Also rejected were the recommendations for the merger of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The government was also not disposed to making the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) a parastatal in the Ministry of Power. It also rejected the scrapping of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). The government also rejected the recommendation that the law establishing the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) be repealed and its functions reverted to the National Boundary Commission (NBC). The government also rejected the recommendation that government should disengage from funding current expenditure of the National Institute on Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) from the 2015 fiscal year and limit itself to certain essential capital requirement of the institute. It rejected the merger of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Refugees Commission into one agency to be known as the National Emergency Management and Refugees Commission (NEMRC). Similarly, it rejected the recommendation that the Debt Management Office should become an extra ministerial department in the Federal Ministry of Finance and be delisted from the office of the Vice President. FG rejected the recommendation that the Act settings up the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) be repealed and that road safety operations of the FRSC be reverted to the Highways Department of the Federal Ministry of Works. Government also rejected the recommendation that the enabling law of the National

• Retains NECO, JAMB, NTA, FRCN, VON, EFCC, ICPC, CCB Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS be repealed. Also rejected were recommendations that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) be abolished and their functions transferred to a department under Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also threw away the recommendation that government stops sponsoring pilgrims and pilgrimages with effect from 2012 fiscal year Government rejected the recommendations of the privatisation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian (FAAN ) in view of the security situation in the country. Government rejected recommendation that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC ) and the regulatory functions of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST)) be brought together under a unified management structure to be known as the Communications Regulatory Authority of Nigeria. Government rejected the recommendation for re-introduction of tuition in its universities just as it rejected advice for abolition of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NEDRC). FG rejected the advice that the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) be merged to form a single agency for wealth creation. It also rejected that the Ministry of Police Affairs be scrapped. The government rejected the scrapping of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) with the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) as well as the recommendations that the National Sports Commission reverts to the proposed Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as an agency. The government, however, accepted recommendation for the scrapping of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and directs AGF to initiate necessary action for the abolition. It also directed that the Revenue Mobilisation and

Fiscal Commission should perform the function of the FRC. The government accepted the recommendation that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC)’s enabling law be repealed and the functions of the commission be subsumed under the Revenue and Fiscal Commission. It also directed that the RMAFC enabling laws be amended to accommodate the functions of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission. It accepted the recommendation of the scrapping of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and that the practice whereby certain categories of retirees are opting out of contributory pension scheme be stopped and directed that only the military may withdraw from the scheme. The government accepted the recommendation that the Bill seeking for the establishment of NEPAD as an agency of the Federal Government be withdrawn from the National Assembly as there are already laws relating to most of the activities being performed by NEPAD. Federal Government accepted that the Utilities Charges Commission be abolished and its enabling law repealed. It directed that the process of repealing the enabling law be initiated by the office of the SGF. It accepted the recommendation that the National

Agricultural Insurance Corporation be fully commercialised. Also accepted were recommendations that: • The passed bill on the Nigeria Agriculture Quarantine Service should not be assented to by the President; • the Veterinary Research Council of Nigeria should as a professional body be selffunding and that further budgetary allocation to the council should cease forthwith; • the trio of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA,) the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( (NMA) be merged into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) and their respective enabling laws be amended accordingly to reflect the merger; and that • the enabling law of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology be amended and the college restructured. In the white paper, the Federal Government accepted: • partial commercialisation of NIPOST; • sale of its shares in NIGCOMSAT and directs that government will retain minority shares; • that the functions of NIGCOMSAT that relate to space development be reverted to the National Space Development Agency; • that the function of the Nigerian Institute for

Education Planners and Administrators (NIEPA) be merged with those of the National Teachers Institute; and • the funding of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria. The government accepted that the Nigerian Film Corporation be commercialised from 2013 fiscal year but with government seed funding. Federal Government also accepted that all offices of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies outside Lagos and Abuja be closed down immediately to ensure judicious use of available resources in line with government policy Government accepted that National Council of Arts and Culture be merged with the National Troupe and the National Theatre into one agency called National Council of Arts and Culture. It was accepted that the Nigerian Financial Reporting Council ceases to be funded by government from 2015. Government accepted that the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) be self-funding from 2014. The government accepted that the allegation made by the National Boundaries Commission against the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation over the funding of two non-existent boundary demarcation be properly investigated. Federal Government accepted the management audit of the National Institute for Sports.

President Goodluck Jonathan (fourth right); Chairman, Ken-Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development, Senator Ken Nnamani (fourth left) and other members of the delegation during presentation of report of the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Electoral Reform to President Jonathan in Abuja. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Controversies trail Ondo Reps bye-election From Niyi Bello, Akure ONTROVERSY has continued to trail last Saturday’s C inconclusive House of Representatives bye-election in Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State as both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) expressed different opinions on the conduct sand outcome of the exercise. While the PDP at a press conference addressed by its Chairman, Omotayo Alabi, applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ordering a supplementary election in areas where successful conduct of the last poll was not recorded, the LP urged the electoral body to declare its candidate, Kolade Akinjo, as the winner of the contest.

The PDP Chairman who said that INEC and security agencies did a marvelous job in the conduct of the election, expressed dismay at what he called “the high desperation of the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to win the election at all cost.” According to Alabi, “we note with sadness that in the prosecution of the LP election plan, Dr. Mimiko in the most brazen manner misappropriated and misapplied public funds excessively as he embarked on wholesale bribery of traditional rulers with a view to compromise them and their vote for his party. The action is grossly immoral and an abuse of the office of the governor and its privileges. “As at the last count, we believe and very firmly too,

that governor Mimiko spent approximately N1.8 billion on the election of a federal constituency. This is sad in view of the fact that within the very vicinity of the hotel he used as his base in Okitipupa is the road that leads to Irele and Ese-Odo local government initiated by the Agagu administration that is 80 percent completed and requiring only about N200 million to complete which he continues to neglect since he became governor. “Most disturbing however is his boasting that that he wont mind emptying the treasury to prosecute the run-off election in Arogbo Ward 2 and other outstanding units. The economy of Ondo State is in dire stress because we have a governor who has no respect for due

process and accountability but would rather spend our resources on political programmes of his party.” But the LP, in a release by its National Chairman, Dan Nwanyawu, said the electoral body has no genuine reason under the law for its refusal to declare the Labour candidate winner, since according to the INEC records, the candidate polled the highest votes in the election. According to him, “INEC records show that the Labour party candidate won the election since he had the highest number of votes cast, we know the INEC in connivance with the People’s Democratic Party want to get victory through the back door and this we will not allow to happen” the Chairman said.

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Federal hospitals, states get drugs on vector-borne diseases • Nigeria still bears 25 per cent of infections in Africa, says WHO From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja S part of measures to apply traditional and modern approaches to disease prevention and control, the Federal Government yesterday commenced the distribution of some drugs to its hospitals, states with acute needs and the Nigerian Army. Kicking off the distribution in Abuja yesterday, the Ministry of Health stressed that it was to practically demonstrate government’s commitment to the fight against vector-borne diseases and public health challenges. The drugs, consisting of tablets and injectables, were mainly for Lassa fever, rabies and snake bikes. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that Nigeria

FCIPD Director, Membership Development, CIPM Nigeria, Toyin Ojudu (left); FCIPM-Fellow, CIPM Nigeria, Dr. Chris Imoisili; widow of former managing director, Guinness Nigeria Plc and erstwhile Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential aspirant, Dr. Anel Ubeku, Beatrice, and FCIPM President and Chairman of Council, CIPM Nigeria, Mr. Victor Famuyibo, during a condolence visit to the late Ubeku family in Lagos…yesterday

Olanipekun heads Crowther varsity governing council ENOWNED legal R tioner, Chief Olanipekun, has

practiWole been appointed the new chairman of Governing Council and ProChancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. Proprietors of the university, Supra Diocesan Board West of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), communicated the appointment to him through a letter by its Secretary, Rt. Revd. Humphrey B. Olumakaiye. Olanipekun’s appointment was based on his “invaluable contribution” to the Nigerian education sector and his “enviable record as a man of integrity and excellence,” the diocese noted, adding that the university was glad to associate with his “exemplary performance in the legal profession” and unparalleled positive contributions to Nigeria’s development. The diocese expressed hope that Olanipekun’s tenure as chairman of the council and pro-chancellor of the institution would witness unprecedented achievements that would translate the university into a positive point of reference locally and internationally. Accepting the appointment, Olanipekun thanked the university for the honour and pledged to put in his best, while also commending the calibre of persons in the council, stressing that they have distinguished themselves in their different callings.

College of Education board begs COEASU to shelve strike From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja N appeal has gone to the striking lecturers of Colleges of Education in the country to suspend their fourmonth industrial action to give room for negotiations. Making the plea while touring federal colleges in SouthWest Nigeria, the Chairman, Governing Councils of Federal Colleges of Education, Senator Emmanuel Anosike, noted that the industrial action has more serious implications on the country than imagined, especially at this period of insecurity. Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) laid down tools since December 2013 to draw government’s attention to their demands, which include proper funding of the colleges

in classrooms. So, I am pleading with the lecturers to give more room to the government. Meanwhile, he said the board’s tour of the colleges revealed government’s commitment at transforming the schools through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). However, he called for the utilisation of experts in handling students of Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo. “This is the first and only of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he noted. “This is where teachers and other professionals are prepared to meet the needs of children and adults that are considered exceptional or special because of noticeable and unnoticeable deviation in them when compared to the ‘normal’ children.

Adegboruwa asks court to reject Lagos’ stay of action on Lekki Bridge By Bertram Nwannekanma AGOS lawyer and rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, yesterday filed a counter-affidavit urging a Federal High Court, Lagos to refuse a motion by the Lagos State government seeking an injunction to stay the execution of the court’s judgment on Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge. The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Saliu Saidu on March 27 in Adegboruwa’s favour, had ruled against the

AAU, groups deny cult killing From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City HE Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, yesterday denied the reported cult clash in the institution, during which a suspected cult member allegedly died after the conduct of the Students Union Government (SUG) election last Thursday. A statement by the spokesman, Chris Adamiagbo, said the SUG election was peaceful and devoid of crisis. Also, the AAU Vanguard and AAU Solidarity Movement have denied the reported death, adding that the school has been peaceful. A statement by Ehime

and adequate welfare for lecturers. The body, at their recent Expanded National Executive Council (ENEC) meeting, which was deadlocked, resolved to continue with the action until government addressed the contending issues. However, Anosike urged the lecturers to return to classroom while exploring more rooms for dialogue. “I am joining other wellmeaning Nigerians to plead with COEASU to shelve their four-month strike in the interest of students and their parents,” he said. “This is a trying moment for the country and I would plead with the lecturers to consider the security implications. “It is very tempting to leave students roaming the streets when they are supposed to be

Oseghale, for AAU Vanguard and Isah Lukman, for AAU Solidarity Movement, said “the university has been peaceful and we have not heard any gunshot, any fight or killing within the university community. We are not aware of any cult clash let alone death of student. “The AAU SUG election was peaceful and there was no violence. We are aware there are renewed cult clashes in Edo State but not in AAU. For reasons that are unclear, some rival cult groups went about hunting down perceived enemies and shattering what looked like respite in cult war in the state.”

collection of tolls on the bridge. In the suit, which had the Attorney-General of the Federation, National Inland Waterways Authority, Lagos State government and the Lagos State AttorneyGeneral as respondents, the court held that there was no law authorising the Lagos government and its AttorneyGeneral to collect tolls on the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge. Dissatisfied with the verdict, however, the Lagos government appealed the judgment and also filed a motion seeking to stay execution of the judgment pending the hearing and determination of its appeal. Nevertheless, Adegboruwa, in a four-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by a Litigation Manager in the Law Firm of Adegboruwa & Co., Oladapo Sofola, urged the court to refuse the motion, arguing that the third and fourth respondents have never regarded the authority and integrity of the court. He argued that since the judgment, he has received several telephone calls from friends, colleagues and journalists who wondered if there was ever any judgment delivered in the case by this court, given the way the Lagos government portrayed the said judgment as confus-

ing, erroneous and ineffective, even before filing their appeal. According to him, if the application for a stay of execution is granted without they obeying the judgment, it would send a wrong signal to the judiciary and indeed the entire nation that might is right and that no citizen can secure any judgment against the government or any of its parastatals in court. Adebgoruwa contended that the grounds contained in the notice of appeal filed by the third and fourth respondents were not substantial and did not constitute any exceptional circumstance, as the respondents voluntarily withdrew their preliminary objection on the jurisdiction of the court on April 29, 2013, and again on November 11, 2013. He further argued that there was no other recondite issue raised in the said appeal in respect of the interpretation of the constitution and that the Lagos side should not benefit from an order for a stay of execution of the court while refusing to obey the same judgment, adding that there is no precedence of a party seeking an order of injunction to restrain himself as the Lagos respondents were seeking to do in this case.

alone bears over 25 per cent of Africa’s vector-borne disease burden. However, WHO Representative in Nigeria, Se Rui Gama Vaz, said in Abuja yesterday that the country was making progress in tackling such diseases. Minister of a Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said that though vector-borne diseases are preventable, they constitute the biggest impact on Nigeria’s population, impoverishing, disabling, and even killing people. He spoke against the backdrop of the theme of this year’s World Health Day, “Vector-borne Diseases: Small Bites, Big Threats.” Chukwu explained that, “vectors transmit disease-causing organisms, which spend part of their life cycle in the vector from one infected person or animal to another or from an animal to a human being.” According to him, “common vectors in Nigeria include mosquitoes, bugs, flies (including tse-tse flies, black flies, sand flies), fleas, rats, water snails, dogs and bats, while vector-borne diseases include malaria, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), yellow fever, trachoma, scabies, plagues, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever (Lassa and dengue, among others), and rabies. These, he said, are commonly found in tropical regions,

especially in places with poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation. He added: “The prevalence of some of these diseases is increasing as a result of increasing population, climate change and human activities, such as agricultural and environmental modifications that do not consider the negative impact on health, poor living conditions in camps for refugees or interns and displaced persons.” However, he noted that others have reduced in prevalence or have even been eradicated as result of deliberate health interventions targeted at the diseases and their vectors.” He listed such measures to include health education, improved sanitation and hygiene practices, safe water supply and management, vector control and management, chemotherapy and prophylaxis. He stressed the need to abandon what such traditional practices that promote the spread of these vector-borne diseases. According to him, “such traditional practices include staying late in the open or sleeping outside without cloths or insecticide treated nets, poor handling of goods for food, use of dogs to clean up faeces from children’s bodies, consumption of unwholesome food and water, wading through water infested with water snails, blockage of drainages with refuse and cohabiting with animals and

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UN, others urge action against vector-borne diseases By Chukwuma Muanya HE United Nations (UN) yesterday blamed the high level of poverty and underdevelopment in several regions of the world, especially Africa, on vector-borne diseases which profoundly affect people’s lives. UN Secretary General, Ban KiMoon, in a statement to mark the World Health Day, which was delivered by the Officer-InCharge of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Ikoyi, Lagos, Ms Envera Selimovic, said investing in vector control and disease prevention is a wise and necessary move towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and defining a post-2015 development agenda. The event, to mark World Health Day with the theme “Small Creatures, Big Threat”, was organised yesterday in collaboration with United Nations of Youth Network Nigeria (UNOY). Ki-Moon said: “We have the scientific knowledge and have developed proven interventions to tackle these diseases. In Africa, for example, more than 700 million insecticide-treated bed nets have already helped to cut malaria rates drastically, particularly among children and pregnant women.” The UN scribe said every year, more than one million people die from diseases carried by mosquitoes, flies, ticks and other insects, such as triatomine bugs. These vectorborne diseases, he said, include malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), William Wu Shiyin, in his remarks, alerted the public to the prevalence of pseudo or rather fake antimalaria medicines in the Nigerian market. He, however, said that UNODC is committed to fighting fake medicines. “There are lots of fake medicines for malaria here. So UNODC is committed to fight this issue in collaboration with the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Police.”

Jonathan appoints new secretary for NNPC • Hails Mark at 66 From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan yesterday approved the appointment of

Oyo State Overseer, Deeper Life Church, Pastor Sola Odumosu (left); his Osun State counterpart, Pastor John Adeniran at the pre-crusade press conference of the church tagged “Signs and Wonders from the God PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM of Miracles’’ beginning from Friday, April 11 to Sunday 13 in Ibadan,

Gunmen raid 17 Tiv villages in Nasarawa From Njadvara Musa (Damaturu) and Msugh Ityokura (Lafia) UNMEN suspected to be Fulani insurgents in the early hours of yesterday raided 17 villages in Agaza district of Keana Local Council of Nasarawa State. The attacks came barely five days after the military deployed to restore peace and order in the state killed over 60 insurgents in two separate operations. And from Buni/Gari community in Yobe State came report that two pregnant women fleeing to escape Boko Haram attacks delivered their babies yesterday in a nearby bush, 24 hours after the insurgents attacked a mosque where they killed 17 people. The gunmen in Nasarawa

• Fleeing pregnant women deliver inside bush were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons as they invaded the villages belonging to the fleeing Tiv farmers in Agaza district of the local government situated on the outskirts of Keana town. The affected villages include Iwar, Ugbagyer, Tse-Abebe, Ayeraga Ormtswen, Nenpua Gidan-Aondovihi, TseAnkyuwa, all within Agaza district. No life was lost in the incident as the inhabitants were said to have deserted the areas. The Police Public Relations Officer, Ismaila Nuhu confirmed the development but said only one village was attacked. Numbering over100, the attackers, according to one Aondohemba who narrowly escaped being killed, left a note, vowing that the already fled Tiv people of the area would never be allowed to come back to their ancestral homes.

“With the kind of gunshots we heard from the Tiv villages around us this evening, we are now convinced that the attack is certainly an agenda. It is not the normal Fulani/farmers misunderstanding that usually occurred over destruction of farms,” the victim who wondered when they would return to their father land said. Governor Tanko Al-Makura had, while on a visit to Keana, said there were no insurgents in the area where the highest casualty was recorded in the first operation carried out by the military. The district head of Agaza, Hussein Oduh, who condemned the unprovoked attack, appealed to people of the affected communities not to take the law into their hands. He said the traditional council, in collaboration with the security agencies, was intensifying efforts to ensure quick restoration of peace in the area.

The latest attack is seen as a deliberate measure by the enemies of the Tiv to ensure the victims do not return to their places of abode. It was gathered that with the military intervention, most of the Tiv had started returning to their homes especially the men when the latest raid on their villages occurred to scare them away. The deliveries in the bush were disclosed yesterday in Damaturu by a 67-year old Falmata Barma, while narrating her escape from being killed during which she stumbled on two women in the bush wreathing in labour pains. Her words: “It was terrible my son. The sporadic sounds of gunshots were just too much to bear and I decided to flee for safety. We started running into the nearby bush when we saw the boys burning our houses and shops. As we were running, other women joined us. Two of them even delivered inside the bush.”

Mr. Ikechukwu Oguine as the Coordinator, Legal Services and Company Secretary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). A statement by the Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Oguine has over 29 years of legal experience. He hails from Anambra State. He was previously the General Counsel of Chevron Nigeria Limited and has been a partner in Advisory Legal Consultants, a law firm specialising in oil, gas, power and mining. Oguine replaces Mr. Anthony Chukwuma Madichie, also from Anambra State, who had served as the NNPC Legal Adviser and Secretary to the Corporation since February 2011. Jonathan has also extolled the patriotic dedication of the Senate President, David Mark, to national unity, peace and progress. In a letter written to congratulate Mark on the occasion of his 66th birthday today, April 8, 2014, Jonathan expressed his appreciation of the Senate President’s unflinching support and contributions towards the successful implementation of the Federal Government’s Agenda for National Transformation. “As you mark your 66th birthday anniversary, I extend very warm felicitations to you on behalf of my family, the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “It is my prayer that Almighty God continues to keep and prosper you, especially as you continue to patriotically give of yourself in support of our transformational efforts and in dedicated service to our fatherland,” the President wrote.

Ibori’s case resumes in London court, Ribadu, Lamorde may give evidence From Tunde Oyedoyin, London HE collapsed hearing in the case concerning former Delta State governor, James Ibori, resumes at the Southwark Crown Court, London tomorrow. Court staff, who confirmed this to The Guardian yesterday, said: “It starts on April 9 and

will last for three days.” While it is not yet clear what shape the hearing will take, based on how it ended in December when it was last mentioned in court, it may be necessary for the former governor to be asked to come and give evidence in person as this is the last chance for all parties, par-

ticularly the prosecution and the judge, to finally get this case right and draw a line under it. The mood of the Crown and the judge at the last appearance suggested that nothing will be spared in terms of evidence to prove the guilt of Ibori and the extent to which he looted the treasury of Delta State. Although it is not yet clear if the Crown may drag Oando Oil back into the hearing if they feel that will help their case, former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and his successor, Ibrahim Lamorde may both give evidence, particularly since Ibori’s team had submitted in October last year that their client may have been set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the alleged $15 million cash bribe given to Ribadu. The case collapsed in early October 2013, after the scheduled three-week hearing at the instance of the Crown Prosecutor, Sasha Wass, after Ibori’s team of Ivan Krolick et al started making submissions to the effect that Ibori may not have been guilty of the money laundering offences for which he is currently serving a 13-year jail

term. In one of his submissions then, Krolick had argued that his client didn’t really benefit to the tune of the over £80 million loot which he corruptly acquired during his eight-year reign as governor of the oil-rich state. After listening to the arguments of Krolick, not only did the prosecution team then see that as a window of opportunity to prove their case and get Ibori in the witness box, the judge, Anthony Pitts, confessed that he couldn’t do a good job without giving thought to seeing all the necessary evidence for the case. Crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, then told the court that the Crown had always wanted to call evidence, and that if the case should go back to square one, “it will include getting witnesses here from Nigeria.” As a result, she told the judge: “We would ask that these proceedings be brought to a halt and the case be listed to when we get our witnesses here.” After open consultation between both the defence team and Crown prosecutors, a new date was then fixed for December 9, for preliminary hearing, after which Wednesday’s date was then fixed.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014 |9

PHOTONEWS

Grenada Ambassador to the UN, Denis Antoine (left); Assistant Secretary-General & Deputy Executive Director, UN (Women Affairs), Lakshimi Puri; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji (holding the plague of his investiture as the ‘Builder of the Universe’ by the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs & Associations in New York) and President of the UNESCO Associations, Guy Djoken.

Managing Director, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Chandrasheker K. Tampy (left); Executive Director, Kunle AdeOjo and General Manager, Corporate Services, Bunmi Onafowokan at the press launch of All New Corolla in Lagos. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

A cross section of guests at the presentation of cheques to Muslim and Christian organisations in Kaduna.

Director, Digital Africa, Dr. Ar mstrong Takang (left); Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson; Chairman, Digital Africa, Dr. Evans Woherem; Director, Digital Africa, Phil Okorafor and Chief Executive, Digital Africa, Nneoma Ofodile, during presentation of the Country Hosting Right for the 19th World Electronics Forum recently awarded to Nigeria in Abuja. PHOTO: PHILLIP OJISUA

Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed (left) receiving NANS t-shirt from Chairman, National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) Kwara State branch, Comrade Abdulrasak Ibrahim while Secretary to the State Government, Isiaka Gold (second left) and Kwara State Head of Service, Mohammed Dabarako watch at Government House, Ilorin.

New Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ikeja branch, Adeolu Ogundare (left); President, NSE, Ademola I. Olorunfemi; immediate past chairman, NSE, Ikeja branch, Bola Akinribido and past chairman, Margaret Oguntola at the investiture of Ogundare as the 11th chairman of the NSE in Lagos. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Acting Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Benedict Adeyileka (middle) flanked by Director of General Aviation, Capt. Ayodele Sasegbon (left) and Director of Finance Accounts, Nuhu Ozigi, at the opening session of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One reassessment of Nigeria at Aviation House, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Group Managing Director, Evans Medical Plc, Olubunmi Olaopa (left); Managing Director, Cipla Evans Nigeria Limited, Adewale Oyenuga; Chairman, Evans Medical Plc, Ademola Edu; Managing Director, Meristem Securities Limited, Wole Abegunde and Company Secretary, Adesua Akintemi, during the Completion Board Meeting of Evans Medical Plc in Ibadan.

10 Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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WorldReport Emotional scenes as Rwanda marks 20th anniversary of genocide WANDA yesterday held • Outrage in France over accusations R solemn commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary African nation, culminated grenades. of the genocide, with many survivors overcome with the emotion of reliving the trauma of the massacres that left nearly a million dead. Meanwhile, top-ranking former French officials angrily rejected claims of complicity in Rwanda’s genocide. The events also bore reminders of festering anger as a major diplomatic row broke out over renewed allegations of French complicity in the genocide. Paris had cancelled a ministerial visit in response to the accusations by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and on Monday the French ambassador was barred from attending commemoration ceremonies. Official mourning, which began three months ago with a flame of remembrance touring towns and villages across the small central

when the torch arrived at the national genocide memorial — where the remains of a quarter of a million people are stored in vast concrete tombs. Kagame lit a flame that will burn for 100 days, the length of time it took government soldiers and “Hutu power” militiamen to carry out their plan to wipe out the “Inyenzi” — a term meaning “cockroaches” that was used by Hutu extremists to denigrate and designate the minority Tutsis. The well-planned and viciously executed genocide began late on April 6, 1994, shortly after Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down over Kigali. Roadblocks were set up, with Tutsi men, women and children of all ages butchered with machetes, guns and

An estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and some moderate Hutus, died in the killings. Wreathes were also laid, before ceremonies in Kigali’s football stadium where United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, several African heads of state and top diplomats from Europe and the United States were gathered. At the national stadium, survivors of the genocide recounted their memories of the killings and of their survival. Several people were overcome with trauma, screaming and crying uncontrollably with medical staff helping to carry them out and to provide counselling.

Women cry as they attend a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide at the Amahoro stadium in Kigali…yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Palestinians ready to widen global recognition bid widened and that Israel isn’t HE Palestinians are ready to accession, according to an negotiating in good faith. T sign up a “state of Palestine” Israeli official close to the talks Israel has also accused the for additional international who spoke on condition of agencies and treaties — a step Israel views as highly provocative — if United States peace efforts collapse after an April 29 deadline for a deal, a senior official said yesterday. According to AP, the warning by Mohammed Ishtayeh, an aide to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, came as U.S. mediators tried to defuse the worst crisis in the negotiations since Secretary of State John Kerry persuaded the two sides last summer to resume talks for nine months. Under the terms of renewed talks, Israel promised to release 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners in four groups, while the Palestinians said they would suspend a campaign to sign up Palestine, recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as a non-member observer state in 2012, for as many as 63 U.N. agencies, treaties and conventions. After Israel last week failed to release the fourth group of prisoners on time, Abbas signed letters of accession for 15 international conventions. Israel then said the final prisoner release was off the table. Israel has since asked Abbas to withdraw the letters of

anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the dealings between the two sides with the media. Ishtayeh said the accession requests are irreversible. Kerry originally hoped for a peace deal by April 29. He lowered his sights after months without progress, saying he sought a framework deal by that date. In recent weeks, negotiations focused on reaching agreement on extending the talks into 2015. Ishtayeh said the Palestinians “are keeping the door open for any serious talks” until April 29, but that gaps on almost all issues have only

Palestinians of not being serious about reaching a deal. Ishtayeh said the Palestinians won’t agree to an extension unless Israel first agrees to release the final group of prisoners. If it becomes apparent by April 29 that Kerry’s efforts have collapsed, the Palestinians are set to resume the recognition campaign, Ishtayeh said, without giving a timeline. The 63 agencies, treaties and conventions have been divided into four groups, he said, adding that “the second tranche of U.N. organizations is ready for signing.”

MH370 searchers detect ‘promising’ acoustic lead N Australian navy ship has A detected new underwater signals consistent with aircraft “black boxes”, the chief of the MH370 search said yesterday, calling it the “most promising lead” yet in the month-old hunt for the missing plane. Retired Australian defence force chief, Angus Houston said the acoustics emanating from deep down in the Indian Ocean showed that the multinational search by ships and planes seemed to be “very close to where we need to be”.

The apparent breakthrough comes as the clock ticks past the 30-day lifespan of the emergency beacons of the two data recorders from the Malaysia Airlines jet, which vanished March 8 with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. “The towed pinger locator deployed from the Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield has detected signals consistent with those emitted from aircraft black boxes,” Houston told a press conference.

Egypt court upholds prison terms for activists N Egyptian appeals court A yesterday upheld the jailing of three leading figures of the 2011 pro-democracy uprising, tightening a crackdown on secular activists opposed to the army-backed government. Critics see their case as an attempt to stifle the kind of political street activism common since the uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak three years ago as Egypt prepares for presidential elections next month. A court handed down threeyear sentences to the three lib-

eral activists, Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel, last December for protesting without permission and assaulting the police. The verdict was the first under a new law that requires police permission for demonstrations. The case stemmed from protests called in defiance of the law. The European Union and the United States had urged Egypt to reconsider the verdict. The three men appeared in court inside a metal cage wearing blue prison suits and

chanting: “Down, down with army rule, our country will always be free!” They have one final chance to appeal to a higher court but analysts see little hope of the verdict being overturned. “NAIL IN THE COFFIN” “I was not expecting this sentence at all. I was certainly expecting it to be overturned. That is very bad news,” said another liberal activist, Khaled Dawoud. “This will definitely send a very negative signal to all the young people who supported the (2011) January Revolution.”

UAE okays 15-year jail term for maid torturer Dubai court has upheld a A 15-year jail term for an Emirati woman who tortured her Ethiopian maid to death by forcing her to drink pesticide, media reported yesterday. The 46-year-old housewife was also accused of torturing a Filipina maid and beating up a third domestic worker whose nationality was not specified, Gulf News reported. Her husband, also an Emirati, was jailed for three years for “aiding and abetting the crime”, the daily said. The woman starved her Ethiopian maid, “forced her to drink pesticide and denied her treatment after she developed pneumonia, resulting in the woman’s death”, the Gulf News said. Her husband had confined the maids to a room in the couple’s villa and sealed the windows, it said. The Filipina maid testified at Sunday’s hearing that the housewife beat them with sticks, banged their heads against walls until they bled, and forced them to drink detergent. “She used to strip us, take pictures of us naked and threaten to send them to our friends,” Gulf News quoted her as saying. She said their employer “offered me a huge sum of money to keep silent” following the death of the Ethiopian maid, identified by The National as Khadija Kamel. The Filipina said her employer had forced her to drink detergents because she disapproved of the way the maid cleaned the bathroom, the newspapers reported. The husband and wife have denied the charges and have 30 days to appeal at the Court of Cassation. The United Arab Emirates and other wealthy Gulf states have come in for repeated criticism from rights groups over their treatment of millions of foreign workers, mostly Asians.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 11

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Focus Nigeria’s foreign policy vacuum From its focus on Africa in the 1960s, Nigeria’s foreign policy has witnessed twists and turns under different administrations in the last five decades. OLALEKAN OKUSAN examines various suggestions by the experts on how to rejig the troubled policy T independence from Britain in 1960, with A Jaja Wachuku as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, Nigeria’s foreign policy focused mainly on Africa. The underlying fundamental principles include: African unity and independence; capability to exercise hegemonic influence in the region: peaceful settlement of disputes; nonalignment and non-intentional interference in the internal affairs of other nations; and regional economic cooperation and development. In carrying out these principles, Nigeria became an active participant within the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union (AU); the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations. However, a school of thought believes that while there have been conceptual and doctrinal transitions in Nigeria’s foreign policy, they have not been well grounded to guarantee the country’s long term benefits. According to Atah Pine of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria’s foreign policy in the last five decades could be summed up as “motion without movement, dynamism without surge.” In his paper titled: Nigeria Foreign Policy, 1960-2011: Fifty One Years Of Conceptual Confusionmore, Pine observed that what Nigeria needs is a foreign policy that could contain the crisis of underdevelopment, the challenges of poverty, leadership, political and development; by launching the country as a modern state in the 21st century in order to realize her full potential and craving for continental and global leadership. Under President Goodluck Jonathan, attracting Foreign Direct Investment remains the major focus of Nigeria’s foreign policy. In his recent assessment, Osita Agbu, a Professor of International Relations at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), said: “Nigeria has made the right noises with retinue of diplomatic personnel to push her foreign policy, and has won a few outstanding issues and positions in respect of global activities. But at the same time, it does also appear that there has been some erosion of our clout as a pivotal state, both in the sub-region and also at the continental level. He continued: “It is all a matter of leading by example. In this case, it implies that what is happening internally within the country will give the perception of what the country looks like. As a nation, we have the clout, diplomatic personnel and the resources supposedly to influence other smaller countries in the sub region, within the continent as well as make the right noises at the AU, but when they peep into the country, what they see is a disjointed and riotous situation, where people don’t seem to get things right. “Of course, it will erode their categorization of who you should or should not be. It is not that they do not recognize your potentials, but the fact that you have not managed those potentials well to be able to make an impression on them. I think that is what has affected our foreign policy in recent time.” A foreign affairs analyst, Dapo Thomas, in a recent interview with a national television, argued that Nigeria’s current foreign policy framework exists only on paper, He described the principles as outdated and irrelevant in contemporary times. He said: “It is unfortunate that the way we look at foreign policy or the way we manage our foreign policy in Nigeria has been very lackadaisical, in terms of our response to challenges, dilemmas of the international system.” He said that circumstances in the past had necessitated the formulation of the five principles, which formed the framework of Nigeria’s foreign policy: Respect for the sovereignty of other nations, Non-alignment, Multilateral diplomacy, Decolonization and Noninterference in the affairs of other nations. For Thomas, these fundamentals were

Jonathan adhered to when issues like decolonization was crucial in Africa, particularly in the liberation of South Africa from apartheid regime. He added that the principle of non-alignment was also included a result of the cold war. However, Thomas opined that they are now irrelevant and the other three principles are germane contemporarily. “I don’t know what we are still doing with those two – non-alignment and decolonization,” he said. “When you are talking of non-alignment, you should know that what we have now is the dominance of the United States. The question is, what has been our reaction to this development?” For him, Nigeria’s reaction has been conservative “to the point that we still believe in ‘process as usual,’ meaning, we relate with the U.S. on the basis of a western-oriented or westerncentric foreign policy.” He also picked holes in the current foreign policy, which he said, “is not system driven” but “personality driven,” because foreign policy makers or political leaders in Nigeria (and not the official document) dictate the pace and direction of the foreign policy. “If your policy is system driven, it reacts naturally to whatever changes occur in the international system,” he said. On whether the nation truly has a foreign policy, Thomas said: “the perception is that we don’t have foreign policy, but academically, we have. But in practical terms, we don’t have, because it’s at the dictates of who is at the helm of affairs.” On claims that the framework is afrocentric, that is, placing Africa at the centre of foreign policies, Thomas said that claim made sense in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s but not anymore. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he noted, “diluted the afrocentric perspective.” According to him, Obasanjo made the policy two-pronged in nature. Politically, the afrocentric perspective stands, but economically, “we are now looking at the global order.” Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Adekeye Adebajo, said: “Nigeria likes to see itself as the “giant of Africa.” It has impeccable “struggle credentials,” having played a leading role in the liberation of South Africa. Its peacekeepers helped calm two civil conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s; it was instrumental in building the institutions of the African Union (AU); and it has peacekeepers in Sudan’s Darfur region, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali.” Adebajo, in his article published on arabmoney9ja blog said: “Nigeria has become a giant with clay feet, a regional Gulliver tied down by petty ambitions and often inhumane greed of Lilliputian politicians, who have prevented a country of enormous potential from fulfilling its leadership aspirations in Africa. “Under Jonathan’s administration since 2010, Nigeria’s foreign policy has suffered terminal decline and the country’s international voice

Wali

Agbu

Nigeria’s foreign policy in contemporary global context should necessarily involve the country’s best minds. Hence, there is need for a major re-organisation of the nation’s Foreign Service. Ambassadorial positions should no longer be politicized. Only career diplomats and practitioners who understudy and understand the nuances of international relations and global politics should be appointed as Ambassadors and High Commissioners. The era of armchair diplomacy is gone and appointment of kleptomaniac politicians to represent the country in ambassadorial position should be discountenanced has become muted. Abuja’s feeble efforts to prevent South Africa’s Nkosazana DlaminiZuma from assuming the chair of the AU Commission failed, despite Abuja’s position that no representative of a large African power should occupy the post. “Although Nigeria has the largest troop contingent in the AU-United Nations (UN) hybrid mission in Darfur, the UN brushed aside Abuja’s objections and removed its able special representative, Ibrahim Gambari, from leadership of the mission. Despite Nigeria being the fifth-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping globally, the quality of its soldiers has been questioned; they have often not been equipped to UN standards; and many of the country’s armoured personnel carriers have broken down in mission areas. This has damaged the country’s impressive peacekeeping record.” Adebajo also stated that in spite of Nigeria’s recent peacekeeping fiasco in the Central African Republic, there is a growing sense that South Africa has become a more strategic actor in global diplomacy than Nigeria. His words: “Perhaps the most damaging sign of the loss of influence in Nigeria’s foreign policy is the recent French-led military intervention in Mali. While the elimination of the militant threat in northern Mali is in the interest of Africa and the West, France has, in effect, launched an old-style neocolonial intervention in a country in Nigeria’s backyard. France’s sending of troops to guard uranium mines in neighbouring Niger exposed some of its other interests. Rather than seeking to ensure that parochial Gallic interests are not entrenched and that a genuine international security force is established in Mali under a unified UN military command, Nigeria has instead acted as a cheerleader, deploying 1,200 troops that could become auxiliaries of the French foreign policy in the country.” Delivering the University of Lagos’ ninth Inaugural Lecture, titled: Beautiful Abroad But Ugly At Home: Issues and Contradictions In Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, Professor Solomon Akinboye explained that since the return to democratic era in 1999, “a major trend is clearly discernible in Nigeria’s foreign policy.” This, he said, is the desire to establish and

maintain friendships with countries that have historically shaped global diplomacy while forging new alliances with emerging powers in the global economic arena. He said: “Since the assumption of President Goodluck Jonathan as president, the country has acquired the unenviable notoriety as a veritable theatre of terrorism and implosions unleashed by the Boko Haram insurgency. Thus, this has posed serious insecurity to the country and a threat to foreigners and investors. Nigeria has remained on the front burner of contemporary global discourse. This security challenge has diminished the country’s ability to command global respect.” Former Commonwealth Secretary General and current Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council on Foreign Relations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku pointed out that “the security in the land is a drag on our foreign policy no doubt, because our standing abroad depends on our domestic conditions. So, to the extent that we have insecurity at home, it is a drawback to our foreign policy.” As part of his recommendations, Akinboye said: “Nigeria’s foreign policy in contemporary global context should necessarily involve the country’s best minds. Hence, there is need for a major re-organisation of the nation’s Foreign Service. Ambassadorial positions should no longer be politicized. Only career diplomats and practitioners who understudy and understand the nuances of international relations and global politics should be appointed as Ambassadors and High Commissioners. The era of armchair diplomacy is gone and appointment of kleptomaniac politicians to represent the country in ambassadorial position should be discountenanced. He underscored the need for President Jonathan to demonstrate that Nigeria would no longer slide into a morass of diplomatic trepidation. The president, he further argued, must seize the opportunity to transform the character and framework of Nigeria’s foreign policy, and pursue a dynamic, robust and proactive foreign policy that could profoundly transform the country’s diplomatic milieu and build a firmer base for a new diplomatic order that can stand the test of time.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The National Conference

Will national conference be effective in realising By Ben Nwabueze

aspora; People with Disabilities; and Traditional Rulers. Thus, the conference can fairly be described as a conference of representatives of interest groups, with 204 members, and representatives of governments, both federal and state governments, with 198 members. It is not known what informed the composition of the conference, and the Modalities provide no clue on the matter. No doubt, each of these groups may have relevant ideas to contribute to the solution of the problems facing the country, but the ones among them whose contributions may be really impactful are former political officeholders, the political parties, the media group, the civil society group, labour and NBA, but their membership cannot be a substitute for effective ethnic nationalities representation, the ethnic nationalities being the original and primary stakeholders in the Nigerian state project, and the primary and main targets of all the oppressions, injustices and marginalisations that abound in the country.

HE search for a new, better and united Nigeria reached a critical point with the inauguration on 17 March, 2014 by President Goodluck Jonathan of a National Conference, which was thought to be a necessary first step towards the realisation of our aspirations for national transformation. But, alas, the type of conference so convoked and constituted by the President is totally different from that contemplated in our search for a new, better and united Nigeria.

Nature and type of the national conference established by President Goodluck Jonathan The first thing to notice about the nature and type of the national conference established by the President is that neither its convocation nor its composition, functions and modus operandi, are authorised or prescribed by law made by the National Assembly. However, the conference, with the limited functions given to it, as presently to be noted, is certainly within the authority of the President to convoke. The conference is established by the President entirely by virtue of his inherent power under section 5 of the Constitution (1999), with all the limitations imposed on his inherent power by section 5 itself. The implications of this deserve to be noted. In the absence of a law made by the National Assembly authorising it to do so, the national conference is not legally competent to adopt a new constitution for Nigeria binding, as law, on all persons and authorities in the country, nor could any constitution purportedly adopted by it be sent to the people for approval in a referendum, since people could not just troop out to the street to vote in a referendum without a law authorising such a referendum exercise. A referendum held without its having been authorised by a law enacted by the National Assembly implies the overthrow of the existing legal order constituted by the 1999 Constitution, the principle of the rule of law underlying that constitution, a legislative body, an executive authority, a judicature and other instrumentalities of government. What the conference, though properly convoked, could competently and validly do, i.e., its functions, is thus limited by this factor. The issue of a referendum, otherwise straightforward and easily understood, seems to have been befogged by a statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan during the inauguration of the national conference on 17 March, 2014. He said: “Let me at this point thank the National Assembly for introducing the provision for a referendum in the proposed amendment of the Constitution. This should be relevant for the Conference if at the end of the deliberations, the need for a referendum arises. I therefore urge the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to speed up the constitutional amendment process, especially with regard to the subject of referendum.” This is a confused and confusing statement. How can the need for a referendum arise when the adoption of a new constitution to be submitted to a referendum for approval is not part of the object of the conference and is, in any case, outside its competence? Does the statement envisage the 1999 Constitution in its entirety (which cannot be what is meant) or some aspects of the conference’s decision being submitted to a referendum? Is it a deliberate act, motivated by some hidden interest, that this confusion is injected into an otherwise straightforward issue? In the second place, the fact that the conference is established by the President entirely by virtue of his inherent power under section 5 of the constitution means that it lacks competence to do anything affecting the rights or legal relations of persons, agencies and structures of government in the country. It means that its functions are essentially deliberative and advisory, with no power to implement or give effect to the result of its deliberations. (The difference between functions and powers comes into play here). The conference can talk about anything (with only one exception presently to be noted), but it has no competence to implement or give effect to any decisions it may take. The Modalities issued by the government un-

Who is to blame for the establishment of a National Conference that lacks competence to adopt a new Constitution for Nigeria or bind persons or authorities by its decisions, and which is not a Conference of Ethnic Nationalities? HE blame for the establishment of a national conference that lacks competence to adopt a new constitution or to bind persons or authorities by its decisions, and which is not a conference of ethnic nationalities must be shared by three persons or bodies, viz: the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC), President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly. It was PAC that recommended that, as an alternative to an enabling law made by the National Assembly to “give the National Conference legal backing,” “the President may exercise his inherent power under section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and convene the Conference.” The President accepted the alternative of convening the conference by means of his inherent power under section 5 of the Constitution (1999), despite advice by The Patriots that he would be “well advised to convene the National Conference ONLY on the authority of an enabling law made by the National Assembly, but NOT by the use of his inherent power under section 5 of the 1999 Constitution,” i.e., if the conference is to have power to adopt a new constitution binding on persons and authorities as law after approval at a referendum, and to give effect to its decisions. It was also PAC that recommended a deliberative and advisory national conference, rather than one with power to adopt a new constitution for the country, and that representation at the conference should be by direct election based on universal adult suffrage for each federal constituency, and should not be based on ethnic nationalities representation. Although a proposal was made to, and strongly canvassed before, the Committee for “equal ethnic representation in such a way that each ethnic nationality is represented by one (1) delegate each,” the Committee completely excluded the proposal from the list of four options it considered and chose from — tagged “Options A.B.C and D.” The alternative of establishing the conference by means of the President’s inherent power under section 5 of the constitution, rather than by the authority of an enabling law enacted by the National Assembly, was adopted by the President partly because of the time it was expected that it would take the National Assembly to pass the enabling law, but mainly because of the apparent unwillingness of the National Assembly to enact the law. The hurry to convene the conference and not to hold it up to await the time the National Assembly would enact the necessary enabling law seems to have been dictated by considerations of political advantage; it cannot sincerely and truthfully be dissociated from considerations connected with the 2015 presidential election. The unwillingness of the National Assembly to enact the enabling law in terms desired and proposed by Nigerians, particularly The Patriots, is a real snag — they are still going ahead, undeterred and regardless, with their constitutional review exercise.

Nwabueze derscore the nature of the conference as a merely deliberative and advisory body, a talkshop, with no power to do anything; this is because of the stipulation contained therein that the conference, apart from deliberations, is only to “advise the government on the legal framework, legal procedures and options for integrating the decisions and outcomes of the confab into the constitution and laws of the country.” Its decisions are not binding on any persons or authorities; they have no self-implementing, self-executing or self-enforcing force, but need to be passed on, as an advice or recommendation, to the President and by him, where necessary, and if he so decides, to the National Assembly for any implementing action that the President and the National Assembly might think necessary or expedient. Many delegates think that, whether or not the conference has competence to do so, they are going there to adopt a new constitution for Nigeria, which will thereafter be submitted to the people in a referendum for approval. I do not think that the Conference Chairman, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kutigi, will allow the conference to stray beyond the limits of its competence. The refusal of the members to accept such a limitation on their competence may well be the first test or indication of crisis. It should not be supposed that the conference is altogether without value or use because it lacks competence to adopt a new constitution for Nigeria or to bind any persons or authorities by its decisions. Something good may yet come out of the talking, even although the object of the talking is not the adoption of a new constitution to be submitted to, and approved at, a referendum. The limitation on the conference’s deliberative function is not without significant bearing on its nature. The Modalities stipulate that, “the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria would be the only no-go area for the planned National Conference.” By the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria is no doubt meant its unity. It can be affirmed, as a fact, that almost all Nigerians and ethnic nationalities desire Nigeria to be maintained and preserved as one solid political, economic and social body; they genuinely believe in, and seriously subscribe to, the continued existence, hopefully in perpetuity, of the Nigerian state. But at the same time, they want to be able to re-negotiate, at the national conference, the terms of the Unity acceptable to all, especially as many of the existing terms are considered unacceptable.

The conference is really about the re-negotiation of the terms of our continuing to be together in pursuit of our common aspirations for peace, security, wellbeing and development generally. Such being part of the real essence of the conference, no aspect of the Unity of the country should be excluded from the deliberative functions of the conference. Furthermore, whilst it is the desire of the ethnic nationalities to remain in Nigeria and to help nurture it as one solid political, economic and social body, they also want their right to self-determination, as guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which has been incorporated by our national legislation as part of Nigeria’s domestic law, to be given constitutional recognition and protection, not because anyone wants to invoke the right in order to secede from or break-up Nigeria, but as a protection, a bulwark, against the use or abuse of the power of the Nigerian state by those in control of it from time to time to perpetrate oppression, injustice and marginalisation on others. Perhaps, the most disillusioning feature of the national conference established by the President is that it is not a conference of ethnic nationalities desired and demanded by the generality of Nigerians. Of the conference’s 492 total membership, only 90 members or roughly 18 per cent of the total membership are assigned to the ethnic nationalities comprised in all the 36 States of the Federation, “alongside socio-political and cultural groups.” The method of selection of members, which varied as between the zones, has resulted in the ethnic nationalities qua ethnic nationalities not having any real representation at the conference. None of the members are really there as representing the ethnic nationalities, who are thus effectively sidelined. The rest of the remaining 402 members are government — nominated members, 89, including the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, by the federal government, 108 by the state governments, and one by the FCT, while the remaining 204 members are nominated by a large number of interest groups, some 47 of them, like NECA, MAN, NACCIMA and NESG (representing the organised private sector); Nigerian Youths; Women Groups (notably NAWOJ, FIDA, NCWS, Market women; Political Parties (PDP, Labour Party, APGA and Accord Party); Religious Groups (Christians and Muslims); Civil Society Groups; Media Groups (NPAN, NUJ, NGE, BON); Professional Groups (NBA, NSE, CIB, NMA, NIM, NIA, ICAN, ANAN, NIPR, AAPN and NIESV); the Academies; Former Political Officeholders; ALGON; Nigerians in Di-

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 POLITICS 13

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The National Conference

our aspirations for new, better, united Nigeria? But the President cannot escape a considerable share of the blame in this regard because of his failure or refusal to send an executive bill on the matter to the National Assembly. Had he sent the bill to the National Assembly in response to demands made to him to do so, he would have exonerated himself from blame; the matter would, then, have become one between the Nigerian public and the National Assembly, which would have forced the public to resort to demonstrations and other forms of coercive but non-violent mass action to press home their wishes. A new, better and united Nigeria pre-supposes, and is realisable only under, a new constitution anchored on the people, i.e., a Peoples Constitution N this country, we talk so much about, and pride ourselves as, a Democracy. (We are a Democracy largely in name but hardly in fact. Since the Democratic Revolution that swept across the globe from 1989-1994, democracy is regarded as a magic wand for many things. Tom Mathew describes the transition to democracy worldwide during this period as “the greatest expansion of freedom in human history.” The description is largely true. But democracy has since that time come to be regarded as, not only the greatest expansion of freedom, but also as a gateway to national greatness, national rebirth and national unity. The democracy so regarded is democracy viewed from the standpoint of both the constitution and the form of government instituted by it. Democratisation of the form of government is considered as secondary in importance to the democratisation of the constitution. Both, of course, are important, but democratisation in relation to the constitution is definitely more important as a gateway to national greatness, national rebirth and national unity (as well as a gateway to human freedom) which are hardly realizable otherwise than through a democratic constitution. What, then, is a democratic constitution? A democratic constitution is defined essentially by the process by which it is adopted. It connotes primarily a constitution adopted through the democratic process of a referendum or of a Constituent Assembly specially elected and specifically mandated in that behalf by the people or a combination of the two. Unless it is adopted through this process, a constitution is not truly a democratic one simply because it establishes a democratic form of government. Democratisation rests on a false and weak foundation if a democratic form of government, as enshrined in the constitution, is not in fact the choice of the people expressed by means of a referendum or an election of a Constituent Assembly for the purpose. A democratic constitution must thus be distinguished from a democratic form of government. A constitution must both be adopted by a democratic process and establish a democratic frame of government in order to be a truly democratic constitution. The foundation of a polity or state, that is to say, its super-structure, is its constitution. A polity or state rests on a very weak foundation if its constitution is not anchored on the people as the source of its authority binding on all persons and authorities as the supreme law of the land, or what is otherwise called a Peoples Constitution. Nigeria is a wobbly state in part because its constitution does not derive its authority directly from the people by means of a referendum or by means of a Constituent Assembly specially elected and specifically mandated by the people in that behalf or by a combination of the two. It would continue to wobble until it adopts a constitution anchored on the people. Since the worldwide Democratic Revolution of 1989-94, most countries of the world, certainly more than 85 per cent of them, Nigeria not included, accept and implement the notion of a democratic or a Peoples Constitution as a necessary foundation for the creation of a new, better and united country (as well as the creation of a free society). A democratic or a Peoples Constitution is espoused not as a mere symbolic contrivance, but out of a firm conviction that it is a necessary foundation for greatness, for national rebirth and national unity. The participation by the people in the making

of a constitution through a referendum has a cardinal value which needs to be recalled here. From the standpoint of the government, participation of the people in government, as, for example, in the making of the constitution or other law, enhances the legitimacy, authority and stability of government and its constitution and laws. It secures acceptance of, and respect for, the constitution, and the government too, and so assures the permanence and longevity of the constitution. The will of the whole people expressed in their votes at a referendum for the adoption of a constitution has an overwhelming strength that carries everyone with it — the consenting majority, the abstainers and the dissenting minority; its strength surpasses that of a majority that passes an ordinary legislative measure into law in the legislative assembly. Furthermore, a referendum to adopt or approve a constitution bestows upon it the stamp of public acceptance and recognition of its suitability for the government of the country, and therefore as worthy of respect and obedience. The cardinal value of participation by the people in the making or approval of a constitution is a particularisation of the value of democracy and democratisation generally, which has been so felicitously described for us by the great French philosopher and jurist, Alexis de Tocqueville, in his classic, Democracy in America (1835). He considers it, perhaps, the greatest advantage of democracy that, whilst it may not give the people the most skillful, competent or efficient government, or inspire men with a scorn of mere temporal advantage, whilst it may not bring about a refinement in manners, the cultivation of the arts or the promotion of the love of poetry, beauty and glory, and whilst it may neglect excellence and glorify the average, yet it “produces what the ablest governments are frequently unable to create, namely… a superabundant force… which is inseparable from it, and which may, however unfavourable the circumstances may be, produce wonders” in the way of legitimating the state, its constitution and system of government and creating among the people a sense of identification with it, its destiny and fortunes — pages 110-111. Popular participation brings with it a feeling that everyone has a stake in the state, and that it is the property of all, and not the personal estate of any individual or a few individuals. Such are the underlying reasons why democracy in general, and democratisation of the constitution in particular, is espoused and extolled worldwide.

Nwabueze

stituted by President Goodluck Jonathan. Integrating the decisions of the national conference into the 1999 Constitution is like putting new wine into an old, cracked bottle contaminated by dead decomposing things inside it, the effect of which would be to emasculate our aspirations for rebirth, greatness and unity. Thus, the issue before us is not about what a constitution contains, about its contents, but Reasons why the 1999 Constitution cannot rather about whether it is made through a serve as effective instrument for the realisa- democratic process and whether therefore it tion of our aspirations for a new, better and derives its authority, as the supreme law of the land, directly from the people. The distinction united Nigeria HERE are three main reasons why the 1999 between the contents of a constitution and the Constitution cannot serve as effective in- source of its authority as the supreme law of strument for the realisation of our aspirations the land is a fundamental one. Being so fundamental in nature, and because for rebirth, greatness and unity. First, it is not a democratic constitution. In- the source of authority of our current constitudeed, it is a constitution only in a loose sense of tion of 1999, as indeed all our previous constithe word, but not in the strict, generally ac- tutions, is not the people, the issue is a primal cepted sense of “an original act of the people” reason why Nigeria needs a national conferby which a state and its government are con- ence to deliberate upon and adopt a constitution for the country, which will then be stituted. The 1999 Constitution was not made by the submitted to the people at a referendum for appeople either through a referendum or proval. Third, the 1999 Constitution has become through a Constituent Assembly specially elected for the purpose and specifically man- largely, if not thoroughly, discredited. It comdated in that behalf or both. It was made in- mands or enjoys little respect and obedience stead by the Federal Military Government among Nigerians. It has been deprived of much (FMG) by way of a schedule to a Decree — De- authority by manifold acts of abuse, perversion, cree 24 of 1999. It was a sheer imposition on desecration and even subversion perpetrated with impunity. the people. It was therefore a palpable lie for it to have in- Acts of flagrant violation of its provisions are voked the name of the people in a document legion, as when, for example, a panel investiin the making of which they had no hand at gating allegation of misconduct against Govall, as the constitution did in its preamble: “We ernor Dariye of Plateau under section 188(5) of the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… the Constitution said, in refusing to obey an orDo hereby make, enact and give to ourselves der of the High Court, that no court could stop it carrying out the investigation, or when six the following Constitution. ” Second, the fact that the constitution (1999) members in a House of Assembly of 24 memwas not made by the people constitutes a flaw bers, with the backing of the federal might, in it that cannot be cured. Nothing can change took it upon themselves, in flagrant violation its character as a constitution made, not by the of the constitution, to impeach and remove a people, but by the FMG and simply imposed governor elected by the entire people of the State. on the people by that government. Thus, even if all the proposals to be contained If and when this attitude of disrespect for the in a new constitution for Nigeria were to be in- constitution percolates down the body of the tegrated into it (i.e., 1999 Constitution), it entire society, as is noticeably happening alwould still remain what it is, a constitution ready, then, a situation of incipient anarchy made by the FMG, and would still not meet the would have been created. desire and demand of Nigerians for a new con- The tragic result of these violations of the constitution made by the people themselves and stitution perpetrated with brazen impunity is for themselves, and deriving its authority, as to prevent the constitution from acquiring that the supreme law of the land, directly from the aura of sacrosanctity that enables a constitution to command or enjoy respect, obedience people by means of a referendum. In other words, the 1999 Constitution can and longevity. never become a democratic or a Peoples Con- The 1999 Constitution never enkindled in the stitution by integrating into it all the decisions people the spirit needed for the growth of an and outcomes of the deliberations by the na- attitude towards it as something sacrosanct. A tional conference, as it is established and con- constitution cannot be adequately sanctioned by organised force alone. More important is the sanction of tradition that regards the constitution as something inviolable, something so fundamental in the life of the nation that respect for it should be regarded as almost a kind of religion, and any violation of it as a sacrilege. What this means is that the constitution should be treated as above the game of politics, and should not be tampered with in order to enhance the political fortunes of the rulers or to satisfy their whims and caprices. In short, a constitution should command and enjoy sacrosanctity. It is no blasphemy to say this, since the Constitution of the United States does in fact enjoy something of that status. Among Americans it is worshipped and venerated almost as fervently as a religion, no doubt with occasional abuses for partisan advantage. That is part of the explanation for its longevity. It has now endured for more than 220 years, the longest surviving constitution in the world, and its continued endurance in perpetuity seems pretty well assured. I think the way forward for us in Nigeria is to make a new beginning under a new constitution made by the people and constituting therefore a new political order. In the words of the Daily Independent Editorial of Tuesday February 11, 2014, Nigerians imperatively need to “make a new beginning;” they need to create “a new order that will liberate the nation from the apron-strings of wheelerdealers, and chart a road map to its destiny.” But before considering the translation of these reasons into a worldwide movement towards the democratisation of the constitution, the reasons why the 1999 Constitution cannot serve as effective instrument for the realisation of our aspirations for a new, better and united Nigeria need to be considered first.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

TheGuardian

14 | Tuesday, April 8, 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 The mystery of Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 HE mournful announcement the other day by the Malaysian Prime T Minister, Najib Rasak, that the missing Malaysian Aircraft Flight MH370 might have crashed into a remote corner of the Indian Ocean, has surprisingly not brought the tragedy to a closure as wished. Rather, with supposed new finds, the mystery sadly continues, thus, re-echoing man’s powerlessness in the face of daunting challenges that seem to dog his technological advancement. Besides, given the continued mystery regarding the possible state of the aircraft and its occupants, a traumatising uncertainty has been added to the anguish of families and well-wishers of the 239 people onboard. After weeks of painful apprehension about the whereabouts of the aircraft, which was said to be headed for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur and following investigations and intelligence analysis from British Inmasat satellite data, the Malaysian authorities told relatives of the airline’s passengers to accept ‘certain’ death of their loved ones and prepare for their funerals, stating that with the crash into the Indian Ocean there were “no survivors”. In spite of a painstaking search operation that has so far involved 44 aircraft and 49 ships from several countries covering nearly 470,000 nautical square miles in the vast Indian Ocean, credibility issues over the alleged alteration of the final words from the cockpit to traffic control, frustrating investigations from security operatives, complicated expert commentaries from aviation specialists, and conflicting analyses about the pilot’s pre-flight psychological state, have raised many unanswered questions about the missing Flight MH370. Just yesterday, the Australian military said it has picked up signals from the supposed blackbox of the aircraft. It is hoped that it is not one more wild goose chase. What happened on board before the aircraft went down? Who was in charge of the plane? If the plane was deliberately crashed, what was the motive? According to aviation experts’ analyses, the area in which the plane was said to have crashed is one of the most isolated areas of the world, thousands of kilometres off the aircraft’s planned flight path. If this was the case, why did the plane veer off its flight path apparently taking a U-turn before its disappearance? And lastly, where is the plane itself? Like the many mysterious ‘vanishing’ of planes recorded in aviation history, the disappearance of MH370 would remain a puzzle that may forever tax the human mind. As if a cruel prank was being played on man’s collective intelligence, the disappearance of the aircraft coincided with the 50th anniversary of the world wide web. Notwithstanding the hopelessness which aviation experts, security and intelligence operatives, the Malaysian Airlines and families of the passengers are facing, it is pertinent that the question that must be asked is: what lessons have been learnt from the tragedy to the benefit of air transport service and the aviation industry in general? In recorded aviation history there has been no fewer than seven cases of aircraft that were alleged to have disappeared. Of all the investigations and search missions carried out on these vanished planes, investigations into the missing Air France Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, and disappeared off the coast of Brazil, have been one with relative success. After days of search and full three years of investigations, one of the 40 recommendations of France’s air-accident investigation bureau is that the European Aviation Safety Agency and the International Civil Aviation Organisation should “make mandatory as quickly as possible, for aeroplanes making public transport flights with passengers over maritime or remote areas, triggering of data transmission to facilitate localisation as soon as an emergency situation is detected on board.” Despite its prospect for safer air travels and cost effective potential in the long run, airlines have foot-dragged because of the capital-intensive nature of the installation. Given the fate of MH370, and to forestall any future occurrence, it is high time the International Civil Aviation Organisation revisited and adopted, among other useful reports it has put in abeyance, the recommendations of the investigation into the crashed Air France Flight A330 and make triggered transmission part of its standards and recommended practices. As in all cases of planes known to have been missing or disappeared, there had been no survivor. And since the world has passed through this road before, families, friends and well wishers of passengers of the ill-fated plane should be assisted to brace up to the cruel certainty that their loved ones are no more. In this regard, the Malaysian Airlines should assuage the discontent and anger of these people by deploying adequate trauma management and counselling facilities to enable them cope with the irreparable loss. And where well wishers may resort to legal action to seek redress or compensation, the airline company and its agencies should not aggravate an already bad situation through unnecessary red-tapism and dubious bureaucratic processes. Moreover, the world must learn some hard lessons from the complexities emanating from efforts to resolve the mystery behind the missing Flight MH370. For the finite human mind, despite, its meteoric advance in aviation science and technology, is still infinitesimal compared to the unfathomable immensity of the material universe.

LETTER

Citizens pay to get jobs in Nigeria IR: In 2010, the Federal Road agency or ministry. financing their job processes has Sadvertised Safety Commission (FRSC) With the advancements in not only aided corruption, it has vacant posts. It Information also made it difficult to distin-

directed interested job applicants to purchase application forms from various FRSC State Commands at a fee of N1, 000 after the submission of some required documents. The same year, the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) requested job applicants to purchase “access codes” from 21 participating banks at a fee of N1, 500 in order to login to their e-recruitment portal. A year after this in April, the Nigerian Navy conducted an aptitude test at the Navy Secondary School, Ojo. The applicants who came from various states across the federation to write this test had previously paid an online application fee of N3, 000. Last year, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) made public its recruitment exercise and asked applicants to pay N1, 000 application fee. I have intentionally left out the conducts of these tests because that is another set of sorry tales thus, when the NIS charged interested job applicants N1, 000, it did not appear to the candidates as an anomaly. Even when members of the public complained, officials of the NIS not only claimed that the service charge was ‘cheap’ as compared to other government agencies, the Minister of Interior justified the fees as a fee for the IT consultant and not the

Communication Technology (ICT), government agencies now employ the use of Internet technology to whittle down bureaucracies in the recruitment of personnel. Similarly, in order to create a level playing field where applicants are not exposed to the subjectivity of nepotism, Internet job applications create a platform to screen candidates based on their submitted credentials. Nonetheless, this has not really solved the problem; it has instead created opportunities for scam artists to fashion out ways of fleecing unemployed graduates. Our government agencies have set the template where job applicants pay fees to process recruitment processes – unfortunately, it is now a norm. Since government charges its own citizens for jobs, fraudsters have/had cashed in on this to either clone existing government websites or create phony websites claiming to be recruiting for various government agencies. In fact, the Nigeria Customs Service and NSCDC have had to come out in the recent past to issue a disclaimer that they were not conducting any recruitment exercises. This action by government agencies of committing job applicants towards

guish between legitimate and illegitimate recruitment exercises. Governments all around the world have a basic duty to create employment opportunities for its citizenry as well as catering for their welfare. However, the psyche of the average Nigerian has been so bastardised by the socalled ‘Naija factor’ that wrong normally juxtaposes with right. Never is it the duty for a potential employee (whose chances of eventually getting a job are uncertain) to fund the recruitment process. In fact, some employers go the long way of funding the associated expenses candidates bear in the recruitment process because of the inconvenience caused by their actions. The present government talks so much about creation of jobs–it is expected that the least fundamental action Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) take is to include the cost of recruitment exercises in the budget. It is a great disservice to subject citizens to a ‘job tax’ or breed an environment of nepotism where jobs belong to the highest bidders and/or highly connected individuals. Obviously, it is time for our representatives in the legislature to stop turning the blind eye to these unfair job taxes. • Mustafa Yusuf-Adebola,

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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Opinion Is Nigeria now the leading economy in Africa? By Luke Onyekakeyah RDINARILY, the 2013 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which rated Nigeria’s GDP at N80.3 trillion ($509.9 billion), up from $264 billion in 2012, is something that should be applauded for a resounding economic performance. GDP measures the total value of a country’s goods and services. A strong GDP for Nigeria portends a positive picture for the country, especially to the outside world. Investors would be attracted with such strong economic base. The figures, on paper, make Nigeria the new economic powerhouse in Africa over and above South Africa. But in real terms, South Africa is still ahead of Nigeria as the per capita GDP in Nigeria is still lower than that of South Africa, which has a lower population of 51.19 million. Nigeria’s population is put at about 160 million people. South Africa had been the leading economic giant in Africa with a GDP of N60.7 trillion ($370.3 billion), as at the end of 2013. The rebasing of the GDP was done to give an updated economic picture of the country. The new rebasing reportedly included the calculation of some previously unaccounted economic activities and consumption parameters such as telecommunications, music, Information Technology and the movie industry. Nollywood, for instance, which worth N853.9 billion naira ($5.1 billion) or 1.2 per cent of GDP has become a critical factor in Nigeria’s economic calculation. The Statistician General, Yemi Kale, said that the new figure shrank Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio to 11 per cent in 2013 from 19 per cent in 2012. The Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “Nigeria has moved to be the largest economy by GDP size in Africa and has moved to be the 26th largest economy in the world.” “On a per capita basis, Nigeria is number 121 in the world. So, we have a total GDP size where we have moved up to 26th,” the minister who was a former World Bank managing director added. While new service sectors that were not counted two decades ago may have added to the boost in Nigeria’s GDP, it is important to appreciate that economy is still largely mono-cultural with crude

oil as the principal commodity. The issue does not lie on statistical calculations and figures that have little or no relevance on the quality of life in Nigeria. The competition should focus on the welfare of the citizenry. Are the people happy in the scheme of things? Are they comfortable within the framework of the now advertised “biggest economy”? If life is better in South Africa and the people are happier with the basic necessities of life in place while we parade statistical figures, it makes no meaning. Perhaps, it is on that ground that South African economists have pointed out that their country remains the most important economy in the continent despite being overtaken by Nigeria as Africa’s biggest. Roelof Horne, an investor portfolio manager said: “South Africa will remain one of the important economies of the continent, though this rebasing will be a significant step in establishing Nigeria as a true African powerhouse.” While acknowledging that Nigeria’s new position as Africa’s largest economy should be “viewed positively”, Dennis Dykes, an economist with South Africa’s Nedbank said: “South Africa’s $7,508 GDP per capita, higher than Nigeria’s $2,689 was still the most important measure of the economy.” Nigeria’s GDP per capita before now was merely $1,555. The new figure still places Nigeria in the class of Africa’s poor countries. Countries within the same bracket include Chad, Sudan, Cameroon, Senegal and Lesotho, among others. By overtaking South Africa in such dramatic fashion, the new GDP ought to reflect the critical ingredients of a flourishing economy, meaning that the life of the average Nigerian should change for good. Not until that is achieved would the new GDP make meaning to Nigerians. For now, the situation is very adverse for most Nigerians. From that perspective, Nigerians have received the new GDP with cautious optimism. Many are questioning the bases for the ranking against the backdrop of the mass poverty pervading the land. For me, the good thing is that the new position should spur Nigeria to be more aggressive and focused. Efforts should focus on how to tap the wealth of dormant natural and human resources. The legal strictures hampering the exploitation of natural resources by states should be removed.

Coming at a time when the World Bank listed Nigeria among the world’s “extreme poor nations”, the new GDP figures has raised more questions about the true state of the economy. Last week, the World Bank released a report in which Nigeria was listed among India, China, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo among the “extreme poor”. Nigeria has disputed the World Bank classification. Finance Minister said that the analysis was based on the number of poor people in the country without taking into account the level of development. That makes sense. Lumping India and China with Congo is certainly wrong. Nevertheless, the back and forth argument over whether or not Nigeria is poor is irrelevant. Poverty and affluence are physical realities that cannot be hidden. They are like pregnancy – you don’t hide it - it must show. What sense does it make when somebody is hungry and starving and you keep arguing that he is rich because his father left abundant landed property, which he is unable to develop? The fact is that the man is poor. He remains poor until, if the hunger didn’t kill him, he manages to develop one of the properties and be able to feed and dress well. Not until that is done would the man remain poor. Nigeria is poor until our resources are developed. It amounts to self delusion to keep arguing that a hungry wretched man is not poor because he has undeveloped property. It is by accepting the fact that effort would be made to find solution. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are among some multilateral agencies that usually release periodic more reliable economic indices of countries. Rather than debunking whatever indices they released about Nigeria, we should learn to take note and act appropriately to improve on the next index. Somehow, the penchant to consistently refute unfavourable indices released on Nigeria is at the root of no action. At one time, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was so piqued with the criticisms of the international bodies on his government’s failures that he asked his officials to redefine poverty. Years after, we’re still in that frame of mind. It would have been more meaningful if an international agency had released the new GDP figures.

That would have impressed the authorities. Otherwise, the figures contradict the World Bank’s assessment. No one would expect the NBS to give Nigeria a negative rating. That would not be possible. However, I don’t think that any one has said that Nigeria is not developing or not doing well. That is far from the truth. The index merely shows has well we have done. Development has levels. Nigeria is trying. The country has done well. A lot of physical changes have occurred within the past two decades. There are more schools, more road networks, better telecommunication facilities and more productive economic sectors. The country is earning huge sums of money in foreign exchange, especially from crude oil. While these are obvious realities, what the World Bank is saying is that Nigeria has not performed well as it should. This fact is the reason why there are many poor people. How to escape from the poverty trap to economic boom, where mass poverty would be a thing of the past, is the main challenge. It is possible to transit to a more productive, more affluent society if the drawbacks could be removed. The number one single most critical drawback is virulent corruption. Nigeria is going nowhere so long as corruption thrives. Something like epileptic power supply would have been forgotten by now if the $16 billion reportedly spent by the Obasanjo administration had been judiciously applied. It is not that government is not sensitive to the problems confronting the country, but what do you do in a situation where government budgets money for a project but it is stolen? The Jonathan administration, under which the new indices are released, is doing its best to turn things around. But the president cannot be everywhere at the same time to supervise projects. His aides and political appointees are the ones in the field. How they do it impacts on the administration’s record. It is also important to point out that the states constitute a critical engine block for national development. It is the contributions of all sectors of the economy from federal to state, local government and private sector, that determine the GDP and by extension national development. The Federal Government cannot do it alone.

Best practices in Central Banking (2) By Temitope Oshikoya HE practice of emphasizing economic credentials is well estabT lished in developing countries as well. Three of the four deputy governors of India’s Reserve Bank are economists. Half of its board members are economists. The governor of Central Bank of Mexico has a Ph.D in Economics, with policy and leadership experience in central banking and in international organisation. Three of the four deputy governors of Central Bank of Mexico are Ph.D Economists. In Brazil, the governor and seven of the eight deputy governors of the central bank are Ph.D Economists. The same practice is obtainable in Korea, Israel and in several African countries including Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, where Ph.D Economists hold sway in top management and governance structure of their central banks. Kenya has separated the chairman of the Board from the executive position of governor. Yet, both the chairman and the governor are Ph.D Economists. For the CBN, a specialised technical institution, entrusted with the management of Nigerian economy, what is puzzling is the preponderance of non-economists in the governance structure of central banking, formulating and implementing economic and monetary policies. Among the six outside or non-executive board members of the CBN, there is only one member with a B.Sc Degree in Economics. Among the five executive board members, and with effect from July, only one has a Master’s Degree in Economics. Among the 12 members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), only three members are Ph.D Economists. It is, therefore, not surprising that the written statements of some of the MPC members lack depth and understanding of economic issues and the linkages among the goals of inflation, unemployment, and economic growth on the one hand, and economic and monetary policy instruments on the other. We certainly would not have an engineer as the accountant-general, auditor-general, or attorney general of the federation! In a first best world, those who understand the business dominate central banking: seasoned economists. In a second best world, the ideal will be to have seasoned economists, who are also professional chartered bankers in the governance structure of a central bank. But the objective will not be to turn central banking into commercial banking, where processes and deals making rule the day. This will amount to, as has been remarked elsewhere, turning a central bank into “a public cartel of private banks established to protect powerful financial interests.” Independence, transparency and accountability Central Bank Independence (CBI) is a recent global practice that gained currency in the 1990s. Central banks in France, Chile, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela and a host of other countries gained CBI in early 1990s, thereabout. The Bank of England, which is more than 200 years old, gained independence in 1998, same year as

Bank of Japan. Prior to this period, only the U.S. Federal Reserve, Germany’s Bundesbank, and Swiss National Bank have a semblance of legal and operational CBI. The modern economic argument for CBI is a theory of the second best, as the essence of CBI is that monetary policies should be made independently of fiscal policies. On the one hand, fiscal and monetary policies in the first best world would be perfectly coordinated to work for the public good of promoting general economic wellbeing, and there would be no need for CBI. On the other hand, in an imperfect second-best world, politicians tend to favour short-term gains, while discounting long-term costs—time inconsistency. CBI is one way of ensuring that central banks are insulated from political pressures, especially to print money. CBI is expected to enhance the credibility of the institution in focusing on the long time horizon and in formulating monetary policies. There are various forms of CBI: de jure legal, operating/functional, de facto, goal and instruments independence. Legal measures of CBI are those enshrined in the CB Act or in the Constitution as in South Africa. These organic measures usually provide safeguards relating to appointment, terms of office, and dismissal, prohibitions and restrictions on activity of officials, and voting power of government officials on the board. These are matters best left for lawyers to comment on. Operational and functional safeguards of CBI include limitations on lending to the public sector, conduct of monetary policy, regulatory and supervision powers, instruments independence, decisional autonomy, and irreversibility by government of its policy decisions. The functional CBI is generally similar, but not identical, among central banks. The de facto independence is determined by the personalities of the governor and the management, the degree of understanding and interaction between the Governor, the Minister of Finance and other high level public sector officials. Much of the events relating to the CBN that we have witnessed in recent months appear to deal more with de facto independence. Although the economic arguments for CBI appear sound, the political authorities must still take the ultimate decision to grant it. Thus, CBI is a relative term and is not absolute. In order to avoid “a Government within a Government,” the central bank is a non-partisan and apolitical institution that enjoys independence because it is expected to uphold meritocracy and technocracy within a democracy. In line with public choice theory, the incentives for bureaucratic behaviour by central bank and its management to further its own benefits and prestige instead of the general economic welfare become pronounced without effective accountability. There are various means of ensuring that a central bank is accountable to the legislators, executive, and judiciary and the general public. Accountability includes ensuring transparency and disclosure, bi-annual presentation to legislative authorities and auditing of its financial books. Over a period of three to five years, accountability

should also focus on assessing the central bank’s reaction function or use of its policy instruments independence to achieve a well-defined welfare function of Nigerians. It has also generally been established that central banks should not have goals independence. In most countries, the principal goals of a central bank are set by political authorities, as in the CBN Act. In New Zealand, Canada, and England, the governments go further to set inflation targets over a medium-term period, which the central banks’ performance are measured against. For Nigeria, some targets are set within the context of international agreements, such as the convergence criteria on single digit inflation rate of the West African Monetary Zone and the lower inflation target rate of ECOWAS. Once the goals and targets are set, the instruments for achieving them are left independently with the central banks; and their decisions cannot be reversed. The CBI has been discussed in the context of political pressure or fiscal dominance of monetary space. However, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the banker to central banks, recently observed that there was a need to include insulation against pressures from financial markets or financial dominance, which also serve as a threat to CBI. Given a well-defined economic welfare for Nigeria and of Nigerians, the central bank’s primary constituency is domestic rather than playing to the gallery of and pandering to a coterie of foreign analysts and portfolio investors, who have made handsome returns from a combination of high domestic interest rates, short term capital flows, and carry trade, but now threaten exchange rate stability and financial stability. In conclusion, a central bank exists to attain the public good of promoting the economic wellbeing of the citizens. Its principal objective is to minimise economy-wide risks and instabilities manifested in high and unstable inflation, high unemployment and low economic growth. It does this by ensuring monetary, price, payment and financial stability. It is a technocratic economic management institution. All over the world, central banking is a specialised economic function undertaken mostly by seasoned economists, with an understanding of the welfare function for the economy, the macroeconomics of inflation, employment and growth, the microeconomics and financial economics of banking and financial markets, and the monetary economics of monetary policy instruments. It requires independence to discharge its functions creditably, yet it must at the same time be accountable. Unfortunately, the welfare function for the CBN has not been properly defined; little attention has been paid to the welfare cost of disinflation; its governance structure skewed; and now its independence may be threatened. These are the tragedies of the common. • Concluded. • Dr. Oshikoya, an economist and a chartered banker wrote in from Lagos.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Opinion Time to audit 2009 banks’ stress test By Joseph Ehigiator USPENDED CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi Sandrealised how gullible Nigerians could be that we loved to bay blood. After alerting bank customers that banks were about to collapse and they would lose their monies if nothing was urgently done, he carried out a stress test on banks to determine those that would collapse if nothing was urgently done, and pronounce some bank chief executives (CEOs) guilty of stealing depositors funds. This came at a time of global financial crisis; our stock market had crashed and Nigerians were genuinely worried about their deposits in banks. He made himself a cult hero, deal with the banks as he seemingly had planned to and demonise the system he inherited. Strangely, respected columnists toed Sanusi’s line without asking for evidence. Excerpted below is a commentary by a regular columnist in one of the nation’s leading daily newspapers. “But towards the end of Soludo’s tenure, rot and lethargy had set in, and horrible insider abuses held sway. Owners, directors, managers and operatives of banks started looting depositors’ funds unchecked. When Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi arrived in June 2009 as the new CBN Governor, he showcased exploits of a two-edged sword. Coming from risk management background, he sacked a number of errant bank executives. He separated some banks from their founders who committed some of the most monumental acts of thievery on record at that time. To save the banks from collapse he supported them with public funds and later sold them to new investors. But he also set up the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, to arrest the incidence of non-performing loans in our banks. In other words, he was able to provide the cure to the disease that had set into the banking industry under Soludo. But that was where the good deed ap-

peared to end.” So, how did this columnist and his like come to this damaging conclusion? Based on what Sanusi’s CBN said? Is there any statistical or empirical evidence? Which Editor or financial journalist can stand up to say he/she saw the comprehensive report of the audit on banks as we did with the 13-page report of Financial Reporting Council, FRC on CBN’s 2012 Accounts? Where in the world (except in Sanusi’s CBN) do you do an external audit of a bank or quoted company and there is no audit query to respond to the examiner’s findings? The attention of Nigerians should be drawn to a statement credited to the suspended CBN governor who, on November 6, 2009, at the Annual Bankers’ Dinner stated that there was no crisis in the nation’s banks since they were still all performing their obligations to customers. He further stated that it was the sacked bank CEOs that were in crisis. So which statement do Nigerians believe now? There was crisis or there was no crisis? Renaissance Professionals, the combative group that took on Sanusi had reminded Nigerians that the CBN under Sanusi moved against the eight banks it took over “on the basis of a financial stress test which it claimed to have carried out which showed that these banks were in a bad shape and would collapse if the CBN did not take over their management. The CBN did not make the result of this stress test public. CBN-appointed examiners carried out the stress test. No independent review of this stress test was done. What Nigerians know about this stress test and the result is what the CBN has told the public. The public has believed what the CBN says because it is assumed to be true. However, the public should also note that the former CBN Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo recently wrote an extensive article and while defending his tenure in office said that before he left office, he conducted a similar

stress test on the banking system and the result showed that 65 per cent of the banks in the system had a “satisfactory” rating. He said that he stood by the result of this initial stress test of the Nigerian banking industry. We leave it to the public to decide who they want to believe, the current or former CBN governor. Truth, no matter how long it is suppressed eventually pops out. They wrote the above piece in 2011 and they have gone ahead to publish this and their past issues on their website www.renaissanceprofessionalsng.com In fact, on March 30, 2009, then CBN Governor, Professor Soludo gathered all captains of industry, all media owners and editors and Bank CEOs, including Sanusi, then First Bank chief at Eko Hotels, and presented the picture of the nation’s banking industry, problem resolution plans, etc, but urged caution and restraint especially on the part of the media because of the sensitive nature of the industry. The speech was significant because it was delivered at a time of intense global financial crisis. As the CBN governor at the time of the speech, it was important that he clarified how vulnerable Nigerian banks were to the emerging crisis. In his speech, Soludo laid bare his evaluation of how exposed Nigerian banks were to the global economic crisis and what the CBN, under him was doing to counter it. First, he emphasized the fact: “Nigeria cannot afford a bank crisis.” His reason was simple: “The non-deficit part of the FGN budget in 2009 is less than banks’ capital, hence the totality of FGN budget cannot recapitalise the banks if the system should collapse. With the drying up of global finance, and non-bank investing public still nascent, the scope for funding any bank bailout in Nigeria is slim - except by ‘printing money’!” This was Soludo’s conclusion. But Soludo did not deny that the Nigerian banking system was under pressure. He, how-

ever, listed the different measures that the CBN under him was taking to ensure that the global banking crisis does not affect Nigerian banks. Soludo’s Power Point presentation “Banking in Nigeria at a time of global financial crisis” is also available on the Renaissance Professionals website (under past issues) so that Nigerians can also read and make their independent judgment. But just three months down the line, Sanusi came into office and chose to clamp down on his so-called “eight bad Bank CEOs” and gullible Nigerians clapped for him. In his petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, as published in the media, the former CEO of defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola stated, “till today no report of the examination has been made available to me, the management, or the board of the bank. We had no opportunity to learn how the CBN came to its decision, nor were we given an opportunity to respond to the examination report, as is the usual process.” Akingbola made further allegation concerning how Intercontinental Bank after his removal wrote off a loan to the tune of N8.115 billion, in a bank that they were meant to be rescuing. In the petition, Akingbola also alleged that the banks CBN under Sanusi took over are yet to receive any examination report from the CBN to show areas of deficiency and therefore requested that the allegations against him and other bank CEOs should be independently investigated because it is curious “to first send off all management staff before accusing them of wrong doing.” In the light of the disputable actions during his tenure; his statements with the “unremitted NNPC’s revenues” and the alleged sleaze in CBN under his tenure, isn’t it time to subject his stress test of banks in 2009 to proper scrutiny? • Ehigiator is a barrister and Public Affairs analyst.

Odds against polytechnic education By Tayo Ogunbiyi NIVERSALLY, polytechnic education is meant to provide U technical learning that could assist a society in meeting its industrial aspirations. One distinctive mark of polytechnic education is the strong emphasis on practice-based learning. Work attachment is included as part of the practical curriculum and this can vary from between the usual six-eight weeks and six months in certain courses for students to have on-thejob experience. The education provided is directly applicable to students’ future careers. Polytechnics give emphasis to the attainment of crucial skills such as that of communication and presentation as well as problem solving. The objective is to develop students’ self-belief and critical faculties, which are essential for effectual involvement in societal growth and development. Therefore, it is naturally expected that a polytechnic graduate would have limited difficulty in securing a job. In Nigeria, it is, however, sad that polytechnic education is currently passing through a tough and difficult phase. In the last eight months, academic activities at federal and stateowned polytechnics have been suspended as a result of the indefinite strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) since April 29, 2013 in pursuance of a 13-point demand. Unfortunately, unlike the situation when members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, embarked on a nationwide strike for five months during most of the second half of last year, everyone seems to be indifferent about the current ASUP strike. Expectedly, the on-going strike has caused more damages to the already-battered polytechnic education system in the country. It is no longer news that the fortune of polytechnic education in the country has seriously nose-dived. Ironically, the first polytechnic in the country, Yaba College of Technology, which was established in 1947, happens to be the first higher institution of learning in the country. Till date, there are 72 polytechnics in the country, consisting of 22 federal, 38 state and 12 private ones. However, despite the envisioned role which polytechnics are meant to play in the technological progression of the country, polytechnic graduates have continued to suffer from the dichotomy created by employers of labour in the country, with government establishments being the most culpable. This di-

chotomy is reflected in disparity in salary grade level, especially in the civil service where Higher National Diploma, HND, holders are employed on Grade Level 07 while degree holders’ entry point is GL 08. Similarly, the HND holder cannot progress further than GL 14 in his/her civil service career. This variance in employment opportunity is also evident in other sectors. The various security institutions, for instance, are also guided by this entrenched discrepancy in terms of employment as a university graduate is commissioned into service while HND holders are shut out. At present, HND holders who are seeking employment are frustrated because of the tough odds they face in the labour market. According to them, most recruiting firms and organisations prefer university graduates to HND holders. The tragedy of the foregoing is that polytechnics are gradually losing their allure. Currently, it is very difficult to see students who actually opt for polytechnic education. Most of those who find themselves in polytechnics are there due to their inability to gain admission into their dream universities. Parents, who have been victims of the inequality in employment-related matters involving HND holders, swear not to allow their children to attend polytechnics. With this rather dispiriting state of affairs, it is difficult to see how polytechnic education could really fulfil its goal of turning out competent and resourceful technical personnel that would aid the country’s technological and industrial aspirations. In view of the furore that the inequality between degree and HND holders has generated, the federal government has, over the years, attempted unsuccessfully to resolve the issue. Like every other burning issue in the country, the dilemma of polytechnic education is traceable to weak execution of policies. It will be recalled that the federal government once released a circular that was meant to nail the coffin on the disparity between university graduates and HND holders in government establishments. However, it remains to be seen to what extent authorities involved have implemented the content of the circular because, till date, government is yet to effect that 2004 Federal Executive Council decision to remove the ceiling placed on the career progression of HND holders in the government employment. Some analysts have tied the problem of polytechnic education to the slump in the country’s economy. According to

them, decline in the activities of the manufacturing sector is partly responsible for the current plight of HND holders in the country. The manufacturing sector unsurprisingly prefers to employ HND holders because of the belief that they are practical-oriented people who could add value in terms of production-related matters. Regrettably, the downturn in the economy has led to the shutting down of many industries, thereby leaving holders of HND to compete for the few available public sector jobs with university graduates. Based on these facts, improvement of the economy remains one means through which polytechnic education could be saved from imminent collapse. Consequently, all tiers of governments need to provide the needed incentives to resuscitate the moribund industries in the country towards providing more job opportunities for HND holders and, indeed, all job seekers. Undoubtedly, a functional economy would bring about buoyant and vibrant industries which would naturally translate into more jobs across board for all. Also, the National Assembly needs to critically look into the issue with a view to bringing about a lasting and acceptable legislation that could endure the test of time. Equally, corporate organisations, companies, agencies, the civil service and other such organisations that favour degree holders over their diploma counterparts must, for principle of fairness, change this policy. No matter the number of universities in the country, it is certain that it is not everybody that will have the op of passing through the universities to pursue portunity aspirations since there are numerous equally coveted courses at the polytechnics. It is also important to stress that employment opportunities should be based on the competence and resourcefulness of the individuals concerned rather than the institutions attended. After all, it is not a foreclosed argument that university graduates are better than those from polytechnics. Therefore, emphasis in terms of employment and career progression should be placed on the capacity of the individual to deliver and not vice versa. As it has been stated previously, polytechnic education is vital for every society that aspires for industrial growth. Allowing a further disintegration in polytechnic education would, consequently, do a great disservice to the country. All stakeholders have a duty to reason together to save polytechnic education. • Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 17

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TheMetroSection Tunji seeks N7 million lifeline

Briefs Stolen vehicle

• With two kidneys shutdown, he spends N100,000 weekly on dialysis and needs a transplant By Tope Templer Olaiya T’S already nine months since Mr. Iliving Tunji Stephen Ojeawere, 47, has been with two dysfunctional kidneys. For the intervening period, he has been kept alive through the support of family, friends and his church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Staying alive for Tunji, a father of two, has been very tortuous: he is kept alive by keeping strictly to his dialysis appointment twice weekly - Mondays and Thursdays – at the Healing Stripes Hospital, Lagos. This also comes at a huge cost of about N100, 000 per week. His nightmarish condition began last July when he started feeling unwell. “At first, I thought it was typhoid but after series of tests, we discovered it was kidney failure. From that moment onwards, things were just falling apart for me and it was like the end of the road,” he told The Guardian. By sheer grit, encouragement and prayers from his church members, Tunji has defied the odds to keep hope alive on virtually no kidney. While he has made the hospital his second home, beginning from Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta to St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos and presently Healing Stripes, the hours not spent receiving treatment on the hospital bed have been miserable. Reason is that while he is on admis-

tributing regularly to keep Tunji alive. Sadly, the regular dialysis has not solved the problem and the church members are getting weary.” “But as a church, we will try our best to keep him alive and ensure he doesn’t miss his twice a week appointment, while we keep looking for money for his transplant abroad. And one way to go is to go public and hope kindhearted Nigerians will come to his rescue. Already, the church has spent over N2million on dialysis.” Tunji, who hails from Owan West Local Council of Edo State and last worked at Emerald Paints, Lagos, recently made a choice, which almost ended his life. He attempted skipping his appointment in the bid to use the funds provided by the church for his family’s needs. “I made that choice at the time to attend to my wife and children’s needs with the money given to me for my treatment and it was fatal. I went into a relapse and coma for weeks until the Ojeawere church came to my rescue again. It is N7million. sion, his fears are allayed of his condifrustrating spending N100, 000 every Tunji’s spiritual shepherd and pastor- week just to be alive, while my family tion going worse, but once he steps out in-charge of Livingspring Area, Pastor suffers. That is how drastic the situaof the hospital lobby, the countdown for the next appointment starts ticking Joseph Ebata, said as a church, “we tion is,” he said. He certainly needs urdon’t have the capacity for Tunji’s and he can’t wait to be back again for gent assistance. transplant, which is why we have deanother dialysis. Tunji’s details are: cided to appeal to members of the pub- Tunji Ojeawere However, Tunji has decided to damn the shame and reach out for a more per- lic for help.” First Bank account number: “The dialysis is taking its toll on manent solution, which would mean a 3075796472 church members who have been con- Phone number: 08029493233 transplant that would cost him over

Lagos Assembly faults FG on Ilubinrin, Oyingbo sites closure site will accommodate 48 flats, as part of the Own a Home Housing Scheme of the state governHE Lagos State House of Assembly has conment. demned the alleged invasion and closure of House Committee Chairman on Information, Ilubinrin Foreshore and Oyingbo Housing proj- Strategy, Security and Publicity, Segun Olulade arects by the Federal Government. gued that Lagos State government could not have The clamp down by armed military men and encroached on Federal Government’s land to without prior discussion with the Lagos State mount such gigantic projects, as currently imgovernment, “showed the level of lawlessness plied by the closure. and impunity ongoing in the country,” the House Olulade added that the lands belongs to State said. Government and were acquired under the adThe lawmakers’ protest followed similar comministration of Retired General Mobolaji plaint by Governor Babatunde Fashola last Jonhson. Wednesday, when he condemned the military ac- He said: “The Ilubinrin land, which is meant to tion, allegedly led by the Minister of State for De- accommodate 1,800 housing units and Oyingbo, fense. The Lagos State government’s sign posts 48 flats, are being forcefully taken by the Federal have since been replaced by those of the Federal Government at the detriment of the good people Government. of Lagos State,” he said. Ilubinrin housing project was projected to acContinuing, Olulade said: “I am particularly worcommodate 1,800 housing units, while Oyingbo ried that such forceful closure was supervised by By Wole Oyebade

a Hon. Minister of State for Defense, not even Minister for Works and Housing. Moreso, the Defense Minister for State hailed from Lagos State.” “The laudable projects in the two locations were meant to reduce sufferings of Lagosians on housing. What is worst is that the Federal Government will never utilise the land for any meaningful project. However, Lagos State will not allow Federal Government to start grabbing its lands.” Olulade cautioned the Federal Government to stop fighting the masses with “vendetta intent.” He noted that if the Federal Government has genuine reasons for taking over the lands that should have been done before now and through legal means, “not when the contracts have been awarded for constructions on the sites.” “We have to play politics less on matters that have negative consequences on the innocent citizens of the country, and the Federal Government should show example in this regard,” he said.

Wagon Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with REG. No. GG 868 AL, which was stolen from where it was parked by unknown persons. The vehicle with Chassis No. WD CYC7BF4BX193049 belonging to one Mr. Festus Igbomor of Worldspan Holdings Limited was carefully manipulated and stolen on Tuesday, March 25, 2014. All efforts by the owner to recover it have proved abortive. Lagos State Police Command has, however, urged good members of the public to alert the Victoria Island Police Station or any other police station in Lagos, if they have any information on the stolen vehicle.

Association holds confab HE Committee of the InT digenous Associations of Lagos State (CIALS) holds its fifth Conference on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 10.00 a.m. at Awori House, besides Day Star Christian Centre, Oregun, Lagos. The Conference with the theme: ‘National Conference: Answering the national questions’ will be the subject of deliberation with regard to the on-going conference as it affects the indigenes of Lagos State while the sub-theme will be ‘Yoruba Agenda at the National Confab and its implication for Lagos State’. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Director-General, Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Prof. Bola Akinterinwa would both speak on the main theme while Prof. Lanre Fagbohun of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Kunle Wahab, Dean, Faculty of Business Administration, Prof. Rasheed Kola Ojikutu will speak on the sub-theme. Communiqué will be issued at the end of the Conference to be forwarded to the ongoing National Confab as the Association’s contribution.

Afugbuom, 84, for burial HE death has occurred of T Sir Boniface O. Afugbuom at the age of 84. Mass holds today at St. Mulumba’s Catholic Church New Haven, Enugu at 9.30 a.m. and vigil Mass at his country home, Umuarugwu, Uzoakwu Village, Ihiala at 5.30p.m.. Funeral Mass holds tomorrow at St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Odoata, Ihiala followed by interment at noon. Outing service holds on Sunday, April 13, at the same church at 10.00 a.m. He is survived by his wife, Veronica, children, Uche, Louis, Ikechukwu, Njideka and a host of other relatives.

Photonews

A stitch in time saves nine. This open drainage on Sango-Oshodi Expressway in front of Con Oil Filling Station, Ikeja spells danger for any vehicle moving with speed on the expressway

HE Lagos State Police comT mand has begun searching for A Black Mercedes Benz G

A piece of block lying dangerously on the road from Local Airport (MM2), opposite the Police Station. Motorists stand the risk of ramming into it.The accident could be prevented, if the block is removed from the road by the appropriate authorities, as prevention is always better than cure. PHOTOS: ISAAC TAIWO

Afugbuom

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18 Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Fresh hope for Maroko evictees as PENGASSAN donates health centre By Wole Oyebade ORKERS’ unions in the W country, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have something in common. They are either protesting over welfare issues or embarking on industrial action. But a rare show of solidarity played out at the weekend, as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) donated a new primary health care building worth N15 million to Ilasan village along Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos. Coming from an unusual source, the phenomenal gift forced smiles on faces of residents, apparently living in shanties and squalor. The residents have come a long way. It would be 24 years this July, since they were evicted from Maroko, and abandoned to their fate in Ilasan, a perennial waterlogged community. For years, they have waited in vain for government’s intervention on pipe-borne water, fairly good roads and care facilities to treat their ailments. The construction of a new health care facility at the centre of the village has, therefore, rekindled lost hope. Ilasan Health Centre, courtesy of the Mobile Producing Nigeria (MPN) branch of PENGASSAN, is a standard groundfloor hospital complex, made up of a large waiting room, consulting rooms, patients sections, pharmacy, store, toilets (seven) among others. Chairman of PENGASSAN, MPN branch, Jude Nwaogu, at the commissioning and hand-over ceremony, said the centre was part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), aimed at giving to communities where Mobil is lo-

The Guardian, 21 others get AFRIBABY awards

The health centre...Inset is the state of the community cated. Nwaogu said: “Before now, we have been giving food items and other household consumables. It got to a point we decided to do things that are more visible and long-lasting in servicing the need of the community. This is one of it today,” he said. The union lately donated a storey-building hostel to Gospel Village (a motherless baby’s home) in Ekete, Rivers State, coupled with scholarship for five students of the SOS Village in Isolo, in the last five years. Handing the health centre to the community, Nwaogu expressed commitment of the

union in providing equipment for the centre. He said: “We are today opening a new chapter of relationship between Mobil and its host communities. And from here, we will begin the next step of having it (the centre) equipped and open for service to the people,” Nwaogu said. Baale of the community said the people would be eternally grateful to the union for remembering them 24 years since they lost their ‘paradise’ in Maroko. Maroko was a confluence of about 25 communities, adjacent to Ikoyi and on the east of Victoria Island. The low-in-

compete with all manner of creatures and diseases. Along the line came St. Kizito’s Catholic Church, who supported us with a clinic. PENGASSAN is doing the same today. Our people are smiling again and we are very grateful,” he said. Eti-Osa Local Council Chairman, Anofiu Elegushi, who had given the plot of land pro bono, thanked the union for supporting their quest of building at least a primary healthcare centre in each of the wards. Elegushi said: “This is first of its kind in Eti-Osa. The mission is to service the less-privileged, which is why we supported it

Assign demanding duties to corps members, Fashola tasks employers corps member. At the formal closing ceremony of the orientation AGOS State Governor, Bacourse for 2014 Batch ‘A’ corps batunde Raji Fashola, has members, Fashola, who was charged employers in the state to allot challenging du- represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and ties to corps members who Chairman NYSC Governing have completed their threeweek orientation courses for Board, Dr. Wale Ahmed, hightheir one-year National Youth lighted the need to give corps members deserved opportuService Corps (NYSC) and were dispersed to go and im- nity to demonstrate their potential and make fruitful pact to Lagos city and comcontribution to the nation’s munities through their development. primary assignment. He said: “Over the years To him, the idea of seeing corps members as a tool to be NYSC scheme has impacted positively on the socio-ecoused and disposed of must nomic development of this seize, as a lot of training and nation, particularly the rural preparation has been incorcommunities through variporated in each individual

By Ujunwa Atueyi

UARDIAN Newspapers LimG ited is among the 22 comL panies and individuals to be honoured with a Special Recognition Award by AFRIBABY Initiative, an international Non-Governmental Organisation, that is concerned about all that has to do with baby care and mother care in Africa. A release by the Executive Director, Mrs. Olayinka Odiboh, said The Guardian was chosen for the award by the Board of Trustee of the NGO because of the newspaper’s unrelenting and consistent advertorial and editorial support for the infant survival advocacies of AFRIBABY throughout Nigeria. The AFRIBABY Special Recognition Awards, also known as the “Lagos First Lady Awards” was instituted to recognize, encourage and celebrate those (companies, governments and individuals) that have, in different ways, consistently contributed immensely to infant survival in Nigeria, most especially those that have significantly supported AFRIBABY’s activities in the past three years of its existence. It is a yearly event instituted in honour of the Office of the First Lady of Lagos State, which has contributed immensely to infant and maternal survival in Nigeria over the years. This year’s awards, which comes up on April 15, at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos will be personally presented to the awardees, including The Guardian, by the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola who is a Patron of AFRIBABY Initiative.

come area, which attracted a lot of migrants, was said to be sitting below sea level and a threat to residents. In July 1990, the Lagos military administration demolished the community and about 300,000 people lost their houses, in one of the largest forced evictions in Nigerian history. Baale of Ilasan recalled that theirs had been misery since the eviction, especially worsened by lack of proper resettlement plan for them. “We have been here since then, and health care has been our major challenge. Ilasan was an abandoned area when we came. We had to

with a plot of land. People living here are Maroko evictees and they are the best people to have such facility around them. It is partnership of this nature that will ensure sustainable development,” he said. The chairman added that the local council authority would see to the quick take-off of the service centre, adding that drugs would be supplied through Drug Revolving mechanism. Heart of Gold Home in Lagos has pledged eight standing fans to the facility. Vice President of PENGASSAN, Lumumba Okugbawa, who represented the National President, also pledged to support the community with some equipment. Okugbawa was quite elated at the initiative, citing that Mobil branch of the PENGASSAN stands out among the Big-Six. According to him: “They have put PENGASSAN on the humanitarian map and in good light, demonstrating that PENGASSAN is not all about protests and strikes.” The Medical Director, Exxon Mobil, Dr. Muhammed Aliu observed that primary care service is the most important step in the healthcare system, because over 80 per cent of ailments are actually treatable at the community level. He said health is a common denominator among all men, hence efforts at bringing such primary care services to any community is worth commending, and should be encouraged. Aliu urged the residents to put the facility to maximal use. He said prompt treatment of basic ailments was a way of reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary care facilities in the state.

ous community development projects. We have put in place several projects aimed at uplifting the lives of the people and I therefore want to implore corps employers to assign challenging duties to corps members and not see them as birds of passage or tools to be used and discarded”. “I am aware of the several entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and motivational lectures organized to sensitize and prepare corps members for post service self-employment. On our part, we shall continue to assist the scheme to achieve its objectives and the welfare needs of corps

members serving in our state will be addressed within the context of available resources”, he assured. Noting that skill acquisition does not only develop practical ability, he stressed that it develops the attitude that make the beneficiary a creative, innovative and resourceful person. Also in her remarks, the State Coordinator, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, who charged the corps members to put in all they have learnt during the course into their various places of primary assignment, beseeched them to ensure success is achieved in the education, health, rural

development and agricultural sectors so as to realize an economically viable Nigeria. She urged the corps members to be change agents and “be fully involved in the programmes and policies of the present administration aimed at transforming Nigeria. “The skills you have acquired through the SAED programme on camp will make you self-reliant. Whatever your passion, its time to turn it into a career, be focused and remember that selftransformation is a principal key towards societal growth and development,” she said.

Foundation laments scourge of hepatitis in Nigeria • Charges government, others on awareness Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HE Clem Agba Founda(HIV/AIDS). tion (TCAF) on Saturday The Founder, Mr. Clem lamented the scourge of Agba, made the call when he hepatitis among Nigerians formally launched the founand the alarming low level dation to mark his 50th of awareness. It, therefore, birthday. He had earlier emurged relevant government barked on free medical tests agencies and departments and treatments in Edo North to do more in the area of Senatorial District. awareness creation. Speaking at the solemn cereThe Foundation has also mony, the Edo State Comlamented that not less than missioner for Environment 23 million Nigerians live said he decided to set up the with the dreaded diseases foundation with special and lamented that majority focus on Hepatitis largely beof the 23 million Nigerians cause he lost two close perare not aware of their status sons, his mother, Mrs. as regards the ailment that Philomena Agba and is said to have become dead- brother-in-law, Victor Oklier than the dreaded pako, both he said, sucFrom Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City

cumbed to cancer, which was caused by Hepatitis C and B respectively. He said his mission transcended political, ethnic, religious and other differences. “It is about creating awareness about the neglected killer – hepatitis and instituting a foundation to engage in public awareness campaigns, evidence-based data for action, prevention of the causative virus’ transmission, as well as screening, counselling, care and providing further treatment. Hepatitis is a silent global epidemic that has infected 370 million people and responsible for almost 1 million deaths annually.

Recent statistics indicate that not less than 23 million Nigerians are estimated to be infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), making Nigeria one of the countries with the highest incidence of HBV infection in the world. Most of the people who are infected are unaware of their infection and this has resulted in the silent hepatitis infection becoming one of the biggest threats to the health of the world. HBV is about 10 times more prevalent than HIV infection worldwide and the general perception is that HIV virus is very infectious and contagious. However, Hepatitis B Virus is 100

times more infectious than HIV.” He said the foundation would help to fill in the gap for those who may not be able to assess government provisions in the health sector and that it would “also be used to train professionals and undertake research on hepatitis. We will also seek ways to collaborate and synergize with likeminded organizations and individuals to help in the advocacy, treatment and alternative medicine approach to put a permanent end to this scourge that is ravaging not only Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, but several other places around the world.”

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Business LCCI tasks govt on economy’s new ranking By Femi Adekoya OLLOWING the rebasing of the nation’s Gross FDomestic Product (GDP), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has expressed caution over the action, stating that the rebased GDP underscores the need to improve on some major fiscal policy measures of the government. Essentially, the chamber acknowledged some posi-

It is also significant that the rebased GDP has thrown up the very important issue of growing inequality in the Nigerian economy that has implications for economic and social stability. This underlines the need for urgent steps to be taken to reduce poverty and inequality. Given the new GDP ranking, it is clear that the economy has the capacity to make this happen. tive implications of the rebenchmarking of the national output. For instance, in a memorandum signed by its President, Remi Bello, the

chamber pointed out that the rebasing exercise has revealed the new structure of the nation’s economy and would improve the reliability of economic data.

According to the chamber, there is need for caution in celebrating these positives, because of the weak revenue base of government. The chamber noted that

the resultant new GDP figure has emphasized the need for the government to address the implications of the action on key ratios of the economy that have recorded sharp declines. Specifically, the LCCI stressed the need on the part of the administration to address “the ratio of nonoil revenue to GDP, ratio of infrastructure spending to GDP, ratio of capital expenditure to GDP, ratio of private sector credit to GDP, and the ratio of social

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Kyari Bukar (left); Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dahatu Sarki Tafida; and Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema, at the Nigerian Capital Markets 2014 forum in London.

spending to GDP”. “The lower ratio should not be allowed to encourage increasing deficit spending or increased borrowing. The LCCI is in agreement with the coordinating Minister that the lower debt to GDP ratio should not be the reason to increase borrowing. It is also significant that the rebased GDP has thrown up the very important issue of growing inequality in the Nigerian economy that has implications for economic and social stability. “This underlines the need for urgent steps to be taken to reduce poverty and inequality. Given the new GDP ranking, it is clear that the economy has the capacity to make this happen”. Similarly, the chamber expressed concern that “while the nation’s current global ranking on basis of GDP standing at the 26th position, the Global Competitiveness Index is120 out of 148 countries profiled, and the ranking in Human Development Index is 153 out of 210 countries profiled. “The above rankings underpin the need to address the issues of investment climate as well as issues of welfare of the citizens. Only then will the business community and the generality of the citizens appreciate the country’s performance in GDP. “There is therefore a great deal of work to be done to make the economy stronger by improving on the above ratios. On the positive side, the new GDP would improve on some rations such as the ratio of fiscal deficit to GDP as well as the ratio of debt to GDP.”

OPEC’s output falls below 30 million bpd target By Sulaimon Salau with agency report

.Supply falls by 340,000 barrels per day

HE Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped 500,000 fewer barrels per day (bpd) last month due to declines in Iraq, Libya and Angola, according to a its monthly report. Supply from the cartel averaged 29.72 million barrels per day (bpd), down from a revised 30.06 million bpd in February, according to the survey based on shipping data and information from sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.

An oil markets consultancy in Vienna, JBC Energy, estimated that Iraqi production dropped 200,000 bpd and maintenance at Angola’s Plutonio field took 150,000 bpd offline. OPEC members, which include the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are due to next meet in June to re-evaluate a 30 million bpd target unchanged since 2011. The production ceiling, which included a resurgent Iraq for the first time since the last war, does not specify quotas for individual countries.

In March, a drop in Iraq’s northern exports, oilfield maintenance in Angola and further unrest in Libya outweighed extra barrels from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and a further small rise in Iranian supplies. OPEC’s output in March was the lowest since December’s two and half year low, when it pumped 28.90 million bpd, according to Reuters surveys. With the exception of February, OPEC production has fallen short of its nominal target of 30 million bpd in every month since

October. Besides potentially prickly quotas, members have yet to choose a new secretary general for their organisation. The decision between candidates from spare capacity powerhouse Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran has been delayed since 2012. OPEC’s choice of leader will be critical in shaping how it responds to the North American shale boom, which will catapult the US past Saudi Arabia and Russia to the position of top global oil producer by next year, according to the International Energy Agency.

Meanwhile, oil prices could top US$150 if OPEC countries stop investing in new capacity, the Secretary General of OPEC, Abdalla El Badri, has said. OPEC faces increased competition from rivals reaping the benefits of fracking technology, allowing long-time clients, such as the United States to reduce crude imports. “While recent developments in the US have been transformative for its energy industry, we need to see how sustainable this type of production is in the longer term,” he said. “Tight oil wells in the first

year witness steep decline rates. It means that operators need to ‘drill, drill, drill’ just to maintain production.” OPEC will have to ramp up production from today’s levels of around 30 million barrels per day (bpd) to 37 million bpd by 2018 to make up for declines in North American production, El Badri said. In the short term, OPEC producers are forcing themselves to undergo a self-examination as rising production in North America negates the need for some of their exports.

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Agip, Eni’s subsidiary mulls exit from Nigeria By Sulaimon Salau HE Italian oil Giant, Eni, is considering its exit from Nigeria, owing to continuous sabotage attacks on its facilities across the Niger Delta region. The Eni subsidiary in the country, Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has remained the second most attacked oil multinational, after Shell, which has suffered several production shut-in to the economic saboteur. The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Paulo Scaroni said in a parliamentary hearing, last week that Eni has been thinking of pulling out of Nigeria because of the continuous theft of oil from pipes in the country, which has caused the group to lose production. “We are thinking, we thought of leaving Nigeria,” Scaroni was quoted to have said. He told the parliamentary hearing that Eni had produced around 110,000

barrels of oil per day in Nigeria last year, compared with a potential for 170,000 barrels per day. The production was affected by incessant attacks on its production facilities. The latest of the attacks occurred last month, when illicit activities of oil pipeline vandals left holes on a pipeline belonging to NAOC and resulted in crude oil spills in Ikarama community, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The damaged pipeline in Ikarama oil fields was said to be spewing oil from three points into the environment after vandals attacked it. Ikarama is known as a hotbed for pipeline sabotage in the Niger Delta region with Agip raising the alarm that 90 per cent of the spills that had occurred so far in the area were caused by oil thieves. Eni, through its subsidiary, Agip, produces oil in both onshore and offshore areas of the Niger Delta region. A large portion of its production

comes from onshore fields that produce the crude oil blend called Brass River.

A portion of Brass River is lost regularly to pipeline damage and oil theft. As a result, Eni had shut in

varying volumes of production since 2006. In 2012, Eni divested its five per cent stake in three oil

leasesas well as 40 per cent working interest in the OMLs 120 and 121 to Allied Energy Plc.

Partner, Constant Capital, Barbara Iyayi; Head, Developing Markets, Atlas Merchants Capital, Jyrki Koskelo; and Group Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, during a business meeting Atlas Merchants Capital Partners to Skye Bank in Lagos. PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Four institutions bid for commodity exchange By Helen Oji HE Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh has disclosed that four institutions have shown interest through the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) in acquiring the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCE). Oteh, who disclosed this while receiving the ONE Africa Director, Dr. Sipho Moyo and her “Do Agric” campaign group in the commission’s headquarters, Abuja, also announced that the exchange, which deals basically in agricultural produce, is currently undergoing privatization to enable farmers get as much returns on their produce. The ONE Campaign is an international, nonpartisan, non-profit, advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable

diseases, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support effective policies and programmes that are saving lives and improving futures. It is backed by a movement of more than three million members around the world. Oteh commended the group on its efforts at fighting poverty especially in Africa, adding that SEC was engaged in a similar campaign of financial freedom through savings, investing and starting businesses that will culminate in economic growth. She said: “We are happy with what you are doing especially as it is in line with our message of financial security through saving and investing across various regions, geo-political zones, states and cities of the federation.” The commission added that plans are underway to have D’Banj on an SEC programme even as he has committed to releasing

the SEC short films on saving and investing presented to him by the Director General to a International audience, in support of the SEC’s campaign on financial freedom through the capital market. Moyo said the campaign was an effort to push political leaders to adopt better policies that will boost productivity, increase incomes and help lift millions of Africans out of extreme poverty.

Oteh

LASAA initiates national advert regulatory body HE Lagos State Signage T & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) is spearheading the formation of an association, the Outdoor Advertising Regulatory Association of Nigeria (OARAN), to protect the interests of outdoor advertising regulatory agencies in Nigeria. Sources in LASAA said the proposed body would help promote a sustainable economic growth in a vibrant outdoor advertising sector across the country. Speaking on this development, the Managing Director of LASAA, George Noah, noted that outdoor advertising regulatory bodies in Nigeria are faced with several and similar challenges, including the decline of out of home

advertising spending, due to competition from internet, radio and TV. “It is important to have a platform that allows for ideas sharing, protection of industry interests and a general collaboration for sustainability in the emerging world.” Noah listed other challenges as varied standards, rates, human resource capacity and outdoor sites in military and police formations. LASAA, the first structured outdoor regulatory agency in Nigeria, was established in 2006 to regulate and control the display of signs and outdoor advertisements in Lagos State and, following its successful operation, it has become a model for

other states. Some of its key initiatives include the signage and outdoor advertising master-plan to improve the visual communication environment in the state, and it is expected that this collaborating effort of pioneering the first outdoor advertising regulatory association in Nigeria would bring about the much anticipated change and growth within the outdoor advertising landscape across the country. Other agencies expected at the launching of OARAN include the Ogun State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OGSAA), the Ekiti State agency, EKSAA, and their Kwara State counterpart, KWASAA, just to mention a few.

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22 BUSINESS Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Stakeholders lament harrowing experiences at ports From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu HE South-East Amalgamated Market T Traders Association (SEAMATA), importers and various stakeholders, lamented the harrowing experiences of their members at the various ports and entry points in Nigeria. In a statement after their meeting in Enugu, they said the ugly development was threatening trading activities in the zone. They said the situation if not urgently addressed could affect the nation’s economy negatively. The statement added: “The situation has worsened in 2014 to the extent that most of our members have abandoned their goods at these ports because the demurrage charges, outweighs the cost of the items imported. Those who are even ready to collect their goods cannot because they do not have the preArrival Assessment Report (PAAR) to enable them clear their consignments”. The statement signed by the President General of SEAMATA, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, secretary general, Temple Ude and presidents of the traders in the five states of the zone, as well as the Coordinator South-East Traders, Chief Gozie Akudolu, blamed the development on the inability of the Nigeria Customs and Service to issue the PAAR to importers within 48 hours as they claimed they will do when they took over from the Destination Inspection Service

Providers. It added: “Presently, it takes over 60 days to issue the PAAR as against two to three days by the service providers. Our members have PAARS outstanding with their banks and Nigeria Customs Service since December 2013.” They alleged that congestion/demurrage are building up at all the ports and entry points and their members do not know who to approach for waivers and refunds, adding that they are also “worried that their goods might be declared overtime and auctioned, and that all the perishable items imported have been lost by this delay”. The traders further alleged that officials of the Nigeria Customs in the eastern area, especially Owerri saw it as “an opportunity to extort money from unsuspecting importers after issuance of double duty payment by exaggerated debit notes”, and called for the immediate re-deployment of the head of Federal Customs in Owerri. SEAMATA also called on the Federal Government to urgently set up an dependent committee to visit all the ports urgently for an on the spot assessment of the situation at the various ports for the purpose of de-congestion. “The accumulated demurrage occasioned by the delay in the issuance of PAAR be waved and the goods released urgently. “The Federal Government should consider the reappointment of the Destination inspection

Service Providers that had perfected the acts of destination inspection and clearance of goods at our ports over the last eight

years, as officers and men of the Nigeria Custom Service who took over from them appears incapable of executing the job.

“We the undersigned on behalf of our members seek an urgent meeting with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy

and the Hon Minister of Finance to deliberate on the above stated issues and more,” they requested.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Office, Africa Prudential Registrars Plc, Peter Ashade (left); Chairman, Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi; and the Company Secretary, Musa Bello, at the first yearly general meeting of the company, held in Lagos, at the weekend.

Glo trade partners receive 53 vehicles IFTY three top-of-the and distribution of the In the category of the Most Partner Fweekend range cars were over the company’s products and Improved (Activations), Timothy and given out by services. National Operator, Globacom, to its outstanding trade partners across the country. The partners were presented with the cars at Glo Partners’ Awards ceremony held at Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The prizes, included 2014 Range Rover Sport, BMW X6, Mercedes Benz S 550, Toyota Land Cruisers, Mercedes Benz E350 Formatic, Mercedes Benz C200, Ford Explorer, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla cars. Globacom said the partners, who were selected from the six geopolitical zones of the country, were honoured for exceptional performance in the sale

A long-term trade partner, Easy and Quiet Limited, went home with the Mercedes Benz S 550. Easy & Quiet also won in the Best Partner by Division category, taking home a brand new Toyota Hiace bus. Another partner, Don P Communications, was rewarded with a 2014 Range Rover Sport. Don P also clinched one of the prizes in the Best Partner by Division category, and took home a Toyota Hiace bus. Ephybrand Limited won a BMW X6, in addition to clinching one of the prizes in the Best Partner by Division category, which earned him a Toyota Hiace Bus.

Temitayo Ventures and Topef Computer emerged winners from their various divisions and carted home Toyota Hiace buses. A total of 18 winners went home with Toyota Hiace buses in the Category of Best Partner by Division, while another set of 15 dealers emerged winners of a promotion Globacom ran for dealers last year. The entire 15 dealers went home with assorted premium cars ranging from Mercedes Benz E350 to the latest model of Toyota Camry. The top 15 trade partners of Globacom went home with various luxury brands ranging from Mercedes Benz S class to

Range Rover Sports, BMW, Land Cruisers, Ford Explorers and Toyota Camry, The Chairman of Globacom Limited, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, expressed profound gratitude to the dealers for their loyalty and commitment to helping Globacom take first-class telecommunications services to all the parts of the country. He said the company is in the final phase of an aggressive network modernization and upgrade that will make Glo’s network the best not only in Nigeria, but in the entire West Africa region. He urged the business partners to continue to show abiding faith in the vision and mission of the company.

Cross-River moves against fertilizer diversions From Anietie Akpan, Calabar HE Cross River Commissioner for Agriculture, James Aniyom has warned agro dealers in the state, under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES), to desist from diverting fertilizers meant for famers. The GES scheme was only designed for 220,000 registered farmers in the state. Aniyom, who gave the warning in Calabar while performing the official rolling over of this year’s GES scheme in the state, said, “I want to admonish the agro dealers that this year, we will not tolerate diversion of fertilizers. “Please ensure that you do the right thing for this state by ensuring that the farmers redeem the fertilizers as at and when due”. He further warned, “if you

are caught diverting fertilizer, I will deny you; so, please do the right thing by letting our people redeem their fertilizers”. He said that under the scheme, the state was targeting crops such as maize and rice, adding that the Government had also introduced a token to be paid by the farmers. “Last year we gave out maize seeds for free; we gave out rice seeds for free, but this year, it has changed because we found out that farmers were not committed, he said, noting that, “ome of the rice seeds we gave out were not planted by farmers because they did not show enough commitment to this scheme. “If you are given something for free you take advantage but if you commit your money you will do better” hence the farmers

would pay 10 per cent for each bag of rice seed ``which is about N250.00 and N200 for each bag of maize seed.’’ He said the seeds this year were of high breed quality which gives farmers more yield and urged them not to use the ones they harvested in their farms as seeds to plant because “it will not give you the best yield”. According to him, this was to get the beneficiaries fully committed to the scheme so that it would achieve government’s purpose. The Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Cross River, Dr Asibong Bassey said that this year’s GES was special because both generic and value chain redemptions would take place simultaneously. The Director who was represented by an Assistant Director, Iwara Bassey said

the Ministry was planning to set up Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise in the state as “the Agricultural Mechanization Intervention of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is a private sector driven strategy to provide value added services such as leasing/hiring out of various kinds of agricultural equipment for land preparation, harvesting and post harvesting, repair and maintenance of such equipment”. An Agro dealer, Charles Agboeze called on all stakeholders to sensitise and mobilize farmers in the state for the GES scheme noting that handing over the fertilizer distribution to farmers would eliminate corruption in the system and ensure that the real farmers get the product.

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Bayelsa unveils plans to establish SME village in Yenagoa AYELSA State B Government has unveiled plans to establish a Small, Medium Enterprises (SME) village in Yenagoa, the state capital, to service its eight SME clusters in the eight local governments area of the state . The senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Dr. Ebiekure Jasper Eradiri said in Lagos yesterday that each local government area of the state has an SME clusters established to develop products for which they enjoy comparative advantage. Eradiri also said that the state was preparing to host the international conference on Small and Medium

• Hosts international conference on small businesses Enterprises to be organized by the World Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME). The global event, he said, would hold between April 28 and May 4 at Yenagoa N the state capital. He said Nigeria competed for the hosting of the event with countries like India, Romania, Egypt, Tonisia and Morocco, last year in Durban, South Africa where the last edition of the conference was held. According to him, Bayelsa State was chosen for the event after showcasing all its SME activities which included the establishment of N10 billion SME development Trust Fund, presenta-

tion of Bayelsa Road Map for SME development, the adoption of SME Mentorship Scheme, the plan for the development of SME clusters ‘‘Where we have competitive and comparative advantage of products,’’ the planned SME village and SME curriculum in schools. Explaining the development of SME clusters, the special adviser to the Governor on SME development said while Nembe Local Government would have Textile sub –SME cluster, Brass local government would have LNG/Oil and gas SME Cluster just as Ogbea Local Government would have agriculture cluster,

Aero commences scheduled flights to Asaba airport ERO Contractors has comA menced scheduled flights to Asaba Airport, with effect from yesterday, with Lagos and Abuja as the initial routes. This brings to three the number of airlines operating flights from Asaba as Overland and Arik had been on the route since the airport opened for commercial services on July 13 2011. According to the flight schedule issued by Aero, daily operations into Asaba begin from Abuja at 10.10 am and depart for Lagos at 11.45am. The return flight from Lagos departs for Asaba at 14.45 pm while the Abuja flight leaves at 16.20pm. The entrance of Aero reinforces the status of Asaba Airport as one of the busiest and most viable in the country.

After commencing commercial flight operations on July 13, 2011, Asaba Airport has handled 6,331 flights and 192,651 passengers at the end of October 2013. This is aside from the 18 flights and 63 passengers handled before commercial flights began, bringing total operational results to 6,349 flights and 192,714 passengers. Delta State Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah, speaking on the entrance of Aero into Asaba, said the dream of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, governor of Delta State, of building a hub in Asaba is on track to coming to fruition. “It is still early days in terms of the number of airlines and the destinations being services. More routes will be opened as more airlines join the

Asaba operations. More importantly, this development underscores the state of navigational facilities at the airport as being world class. “The equipment installed the airport underwent rigorous screening and evaluation from all the relevant safety agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, National Civil Aviation Authority and other agencies”, Ogeah stated. He said equipment for night flights are being acquired ahead of the commencement of operations at the cargo section of the airport. According to him, direct flights to Europe and other parts of the world for the export of goods are expected to begin from Asaba in the near future.

Kaduna raises IGR target From: Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief ADUNA State Governor K Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has raised a target of N3 billion as monthly total tax remittances by the State Board of Internal Revenue to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) under a strategic move to rely less on revenue from the Federation account According to him, the move was part of Government effort at ensuring that the state becomes self reliant in revenue generation in order to reduce over dependence on federal allocation from sale of crude oil. Speaking at the weekend,

shortly after registering for the personal Tax Identification Number, Yero pointed out that Kaduna State was capable of sustaining itself “if the revenue board is able to collect all due taxes”. The Governor explained: “I want you to widen your scope to ensure that by getting more people to pay tax. If we want to develop our state, we must pay tax from the lowest to highest person. Even gifts are taxable, so those that go from office to office to collect gifts must also pay tax. We must have more people in our tax net.” Alhaji Yero stressed further that those that evade tax have no right to criticize government adding that “it

when you pay tax that you can have the right to criticize government”, adding that “some of the people that are good in criticizing government don’t even pay taxes; they are supposed to be taken to court for tax evasion.”

KolokumaTourism; Sagbama, Industry and Manufacturing; Ekeremo; Deep Seal free trade zone SME sub cluster; southern Ijaw would attract IT SME sub-cluster and Yenagoa to serve as financial centre to coordinate activities of all the SME clusters. Eradiri, who fielded ques-

tions from newsmen after reinstating the state readiness to host the world event, said former president of Brazil Lulu Dal-Silva is being expected as quest speaker to tell participants how he was able to transformed his country in order tom move it out of the list of third world countries, while Liberian President, Sali Johnson,

also being expected, to talk on post crisis Liberia. He said over one hundred companies from South Africa have indicated interest to participate in the business Expo, a specialized programme to run concurrently with the conference, which will be declared opened by the wife of South African President, Dr. Nkosazana Dla Zuma.

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25 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Investors’ risk rises as energy partnership world gets crowded IGH-YIELDING energy H partnerships have lured billions in capital from investors in the past few years and the returns have often matched or beaten expectations. But as riskier kinds of businesses adopt the Master Limited Partnership (MLP) structure, and as interest rates rise, investors are getting a wake-up call about some of the scary stuff lurking in the sector. One of the little-noticed problems is that the partnerships have almost none of the shareholder protections that regular companies offer - meaning that if something goes wrong investors have little power if they want to change management or the board, and also have little recourse to legal action. The MLP world has grown dramatically over the past ten years, surging from investments of just $2 billion in 1994 to $445 billion now, according to Wells Fargo. In some businesses they are big players - for example more than 10 percent of U.S. oil and gas pipelines are owned by MLPs. Cash-generating energy infrastructure companies form the partnerships, which are listed on U.S. stock exchanges, because the structures are not taxed at the federal level, lowering their cost of capital. Investors, or unitholders, like them because they mostly provide higher payouts than dividend-paying companies, and the returns have been beating yields available on Treasuries and most corporate bonds. But unlike publicly traded corporations, the partnerships lack rigorous governance standards. They have few directors who are independent of the controlling shareholders and top executives and there are often no votes on executive pay, dilutive stock sales, or sometimes even mergers. General partners, who control limited partners, hold the power. That means minority investors have little chance to make their voices heard. “If you are an investor who wants to be able to vote for the members of the board and wants to vote on shareholder proposals, then you shouldn’t own an MLP whose general partner is controlled by a sponsor,” said John Goodgame, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who advises on MLP transactions. “You’re not going to have any say in governance.” Filing lawsuits also may not help. A review by the law firm Latham & Watkins of 10 big MLP disputes showed courts usually sided against minorities, with judges ruling that partnership agreements gave broad protections to general partners. That wouldn’t be so bad if the risks in the sector weren’t increasing. A range of businesses - including ones that lack the predictable cash flow of pipeline companies - are now adopting the structure, and they are often far from simple entities to track. MLP investors say the sector has gotten so complex

that less sophisticated mom and pop investors should take a pass. Up to 80 per cent of MLP buyers are individuals, according to the National Association of Publicly Traded Partnerships, though hedge funds and institutions increasingly buy them. “The average MLP is riskier than an MLP was five or 10 years ago, the spectrum of risk from high to low is a lot wider than it was 10 years ago,” said Quinn Kiley, a managing director at Advisory Research Inc, the ninth-largest MLP investor. The partnerships have expanded to include refining assets, a company that manufactures sand used in hydraulic fracturing, as well as exploration and production assets that do not have the same guaranteed cash flow as pipelines.

Even StoneMor Partners LP (STON.N), a company that owns and operates cemeteries and funeral homes, is an MLP although it formed years before the recent surge. MLPs are controlled by general partners who own as little as two percent of the partnership and can take home as much as 50 per cent of the partnership’s distributions. Limited partners, who provide capital and have the bulk of ownership, have little or no say in operations. Because of the “unique attributes” of limited partnerships, the New York Stock Exchange does not require them to have a majority of independent directors, a corporate governance or nominating committee, or a compensation committee composed of independent directors.

Still, there are exceptions. Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP.N) allows unitholders to vote on its directors and the general partner of Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD.N) has a majority of outside directors on its board. While the payout structure of MLPs is in place to align the economic interests of general and limited partners, analysts and investors say those can diverge. “A GP can have debt and need distributions to service that debt, or have other assets that become challenged. That’s not necessarily in alignment with the limited partners’ interest,” said Gretchen French of Moody’s Investors Service. Some have questioned structures like those of pipeline company Kinder Morgan, under which gen-

eral partner Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI.N) controls several master limited partnerships. Kinder Morgan bought the assets that became El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB.N) in May 2012. But El Paso has recently underperformed its sister partnership, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP.N). Over the past six months, El Paso shares have dropped more than 25 percent, compared with a four per cent drop at Overall, MLPs have generated strong returns. The Alerian MLP Index .AMX, which includes 50 partnerships, has delivered a yield of nearly six per cent over the last decade, well above the Barclays US Aggregate Total Return Bond index yield of 2.5 per cent and a two per cent yield for the Standard & Poor’s 500 as of the end of last year.

Units have also outperformed stocks. In the last five years, the Alerian MLP index climbed 138 percent, compared with an 86 per cent gain in the S&P 500. But rising interest rates may reduce the appeal of MLPs. If rates do climb, investors may prefer U.S. treasury bills with similar yields to MLPs “because an MLP is in general estimation riskier than a T-bill,” said Akin Gump’s Goodgame. Even supposedly safe investments like pipelines and storage facilities have had their problems. Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (BWP.N), a $3.3 billion midstream partnership controlled by Loews Corp (L.N) slashed its distribution nearly 80 percent this February on weakening cash flows and a heavy debt load.

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Retailers push into crowded mobile payment market IG retailers are muscling in B on the likes of Visa, MasterCard and Google in a fiercely competitive and growing mobile payment market that promises to cut transaction costs and increase customer loyalty. Stores such as British supermarket Tesco and France’s Auchan hope their “digital wallets” - apps which allow users to pay with their smartphones rather than cash or cards - will also give them more comprehensive data about customers’ shopping habits than ever before so they can target advertising. They are joining a crowded market - banks, card companies and tech firms like Google and Apple are all entering the mobile payment business, each hoping their app will become the industry standard. eBay’s PayPal, well established in e-commerce, is also experimenting with the technology. Retailers hope to attract customers to their own services by giving discounts and rewards to those using them, while also linking payments automatically to loyalty schemes and offering features like saved shopping lists. The global market for mobile payments is forecast to grow about threefold by 2017 to some $721 billion worth of transactions, with more than 450 million users, according to research firm Gartner. The growth could benefit retailers as the competition from a host of payment providers should help drive down the fees stores pay to have transactions processed a service currently dominated by banks and card firms Visa and MasterCard. “We view merchants as overall beneficiaries of the trend toward mobile payments,” said Morgan Stanley, which estimated retailers in developed countries spent up to $150 billion in 2012 to accept card payments. “Expected returns should justify any incremental investments required in enabling mobile payments technology,” it said in a report

in January. However, it is still unclear how the retail mobile payment market will develop, with card companies and banks seen retaining a leading role in processing payments even if physical cards become obsolete. Retailers’ apps might struggle to take off as customers are unlikely to be willing to use a variety of services for different stores, but the success of Starbucks Corp in combining mobile payments with promotions shows big players can succeed. Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee chain, launched its mobile payment and rewards app in 2011. It already has 10 million users and the firm said this month it is looking for ways to expand the program beyond its own network. “The mobile payments platform has given us a higher degree of frequency and higher degree of loyalty and the question is how can we leverage that beyond our stores,” Starbucks Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz told CNBC television. An alternative path is also being explored in the United States, where dozens of top retailers including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have announced plans to set up a joint digital wallet service - the Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX - though no launch date has been set. Meanwhile, an attempt to create a mobile payment app universally accepted by retailers has recently launched in Germany. Yapital, owned by ecommerce firm Otto, has gone live in thousands of stores and also allows users to pay online and make peer-topeer transfers. Yapital Chairman Nils Winkler expects just a few players to survive of the 200 initiatives now clamoring for attention in Europe, with apps tied to retailers more likely to win out than those being developed by telecom and card firms. “The biggest success in this

field will be retail-based. PayPal is a good example that has grown tremendously based on the retail success of eBay,” he said. Tesco, the world’s thirdlargest retailer which pioneered the tracking of customer behavior with its Clubcard loyalty card two decades ago, will launch its digital wallet this year, as it also starts offering current accounts. That is part of the British supermarket chain’s eventual plan to use smartphones - and its own-brand Hudl tablet computers - to allow customers to navigate stores with their devices and scan products to buy them as they shop. Sophie Albizua, co-founder of UK-based retail consultancy eNova Partnership, said her

clients were ready to invest in overhauling outdated till systems to enable mobile payments.

“People spent the last five to 10 years fine-tuning their websites. Now they have time to focus on something else.” French supermarket group Auchan, Europe’s fifthbiggest retailer, launched its “Flash and Pay” electronic wallet about a year ago. It combines payments with coupons, loyalty cards, receipts and a shopping list feature. “Our objective is to minimize costs. To have alternatives to existing solutions. All other solutions try to make costs for merchants,” Arnaud Crouzet, Auchan head of global payments, told the Merchant Payments Ecosystem conference in Berlin. “It is difficult to imagine our data on our customers going through a third party,” he added. Britain’s Centre for Economics and Business

Research said there was a clear business case for digital wallets in terms of reduced costs and improved customer service and sales. UK retailers could have saved 463 million pounds ($770 million) in transaction costs in 2013 by shifting to mobile payments from cash, credit and charge cards, it estimates. Mobile payments could reduce queue length in stores by speeding users through tills and cut the cost of handling cash and card payments, it said. Handling cash - which accounts for over half retail transactions by volume in Britain - is costly for retailers as it needs to be counted and guarded, costs equivalent to about 2.5 per cent of takings, compared with about 2 percent for processing cheques and one per cent for debit and credit cards.

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Appointments Pensioners may involve NLC, TUC in protests From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE Nigeria Union of T Pensioners (NUP) may seek the involvement of both the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in its planned nationwide protests to draw attention of the three tiers of government

• Decries non conviction of pension thieves to the plight of retired worke r s . The National President of NUP, Abel Afolayan, who stated this in Abuja, berated government over the non-provision of payment of pension in the 2014 national budget.

He added: “With the involvement of both the NLC and TUC labour centre, it is certain that all Nigerians workers, who are praying to be pensioners one day, would join us on sympathy ground nationwide protest which may likely

come up in the future. Government should be told that civil pensioners in Nigeria (about five million) form a large voting block and to neglect us is not in the best interest of either the Federal Government or the state governments.” The pensioner body also hint-

The Vice Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Prof.Gbadegesin Adeniyi (left); Former National President, Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Chief John Odeyemi; Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ile Ife, Prof. Bamitale Omole; and Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria Plc, Chief Olusegun Oshunkeye, at the first yearly lecture organised in honour of Odeyemi by the Natural History Museum, OAU, on Thursday, at Ile Ife.

HUCAPAN tasks govt on recruitment By Toyin Olasinde HE Umbrella body of outT sourcing companies in Nigeria- Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN), has advised the Federal Government to partner with registered professionals as part of measures to promote decent work place. Speaking recently at a workshop on “Strengthening the role of private employment agencies in human resources development”, President of HuCaPAN, Neye Enemigan said the group is convinced that with required human capital, outsourcing and government’s intervention through recruitment licence, the challenges faced by job seekers and the issue of casualisation can be minimized in the c o u n t r y . He urged the ministry of labour and productivity to work with HuCaPAN to promote decent work, eliminate quackery and reduce the incidence of unfair labour practice in Nigeria, especially “if we can institute joint monitoring, I trust that with the zeal and commitment of the present permanent secretary, federal ministry of labour and productivity, this objective can be a c h i e v e d . ” Enemigan said: “We note that the unending queue of job seekers has become a common feature of the sorry state of affairs in our country today. The immigration recruitment exercise of March 2014 is still fresh in our minds. The global eco-

nomic crisis had led to an increase in the rate of unemployment as many workers have lost their jobs due to closure of shops by some organi s a t i o n s ” Speaking at an interactive session with Journalists, Enemigan said DREXEL Technologies Limited, the outsourcing company engaged by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), for the March 15, 2014 recruitment interview that claimed the lives of about 20 job seekers nationwide, is not registered. He also faulted reported claims by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abba Moro that the company passed through the Ministerial Tender Board. He said: “The unfortunate death was avoidable. It is something that should not have happened in any civilized country. It is a shame and for me I feel very sad. I express my condolence to the family. The outsourcing company is not our member. But what is worse is that we have taken pain to investigate and we have found out this outsourcing company is not even registered to recruit. For example, the minister said that they followed due process and that they shortlisted four compa nies; Pyrich Global Limited, Bosmos Infotech Limited, Rosebonny Technologies Limited and Drexel Technologies Limited, and that all of them went through the ministerial tenders board. “We have investigated and found out that all the four

companies are not registered to recruit. In other word, the one that got the job, Drexel Technologies Limited is not registered, licenced or authorized by law to engage in that exercise. By Nigerian labour law and to be specific, section 23, 24, 25 and 71 of the Labour Act laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 makes it clear that the Minister of Labour and Productivity, will licence any organization that is a recruiter. So, if you have not been licenced by the Minister of Labour and Productivity as a recruiter, what you have been doing is illegal. It is a shame that the Federal Government will engage a company that is not known by law to carry out this type of exercise on Nigerians.” Making reference to money paid by the applicants, he said: “The company collected according to what the Minister of Internal Affairs said, over N700 million and also by law, no prospective employee is required to pay a Kobo to get a job. You are not required to pay to get form; you are not required to pay for anything. That on its own is also illegal. We want Nigerians to establish that this company is quack and the company should be dealt with in accordance with the law. “The idea thing is to return the money paid by the applicants. The senate has step into the matter and I think it should hold a public hearings. We are hoping that it would be done speedily and as an association, we will like to make presentation and give our professional advice.”

ed that it plans to meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim, towards resuscitating the long suspended periodical meetings of the Presidential Task Force/Committee on pensions which was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan and chaired by the SGF. Afolayan explained that similar attempt at meeting pension committees of the National Assembly did not yield any fruit. Issues the pensioners want to be addressed included outstanding arrears of pension and gratuity due to pure federal pensioners and state pensioners with federal shares; outstanding 33% pension increase and its arrears which have been implemented for military pensioners month ago, and which still remains to be implemented for civil pensioners presumably because they are regarded as ‘bloody civilians’; non-challant attitude towards pensioners welfare by many state governments with exception of a few states; non-harmonization of pension for most pensioners; non-approval of minimum pension for pensioners as has been done for Nigerian workers; ill-treat-

ment of federal parastatals and private sector pensioners; primary school pensioners ill-treatment by state governments; local government pensioners maltreatment by state governments. 5% counter-part funding by Federal and State government for payment of primary school and local government pensioners which has since been stopped has compounded pensioners’ problems thereby bringing untold hardship to them. On the pensioners’ verification and the controversial ghost pensioners, the NUP expressed hope that the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) will soon commence a fresh stress-free verification exercise through which genuine pensioners will be determined and ghost pensioners totally eliminated. It also frowned at the nondeduction of check-off dues from pensioners under the contributory pension scheme saying, “this portends serious danger to the continued future existence of the union. The implication here is that when the last pensioner in the old scheme dies, the union will cease to exist for lack of membership.

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Why polys, colleges of education are on strike, by NASU From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE non-implementation T of the migration of officers on CONTISS 11 and below,

implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS), non-implementation of 65 years retirement age of

staff have been cited as the reasons the Colleges of Education and polytechnics are on strike by the General Secretary of Non-Academic

Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Peters Adeyemi. The NASU scribe, who spoke to The Guardian on the multifaceted thorny issues at the weekend in Abuja, also mentioned the exclusion of NASU from the NNEDS assessment of the public polytechnic in Nigeria and the re-negotiation of the 2009 FGN/NASU agreement and the adequate funding of the polytechnics as other issues in contention. Adeyemi berated government for not initiating any form of dialogue with the union even as the strike gestation period reaches a festering point. His words: “The irony of the issue is that since we started the strike, nobody in government has had the courtesy of calling us for a meeting. The next thing that we saw was

the federal ministry of Education issuing ‘no work, no pay’ circular without assessing the prevailing situation. Government is busy holding meetings with the academic staff union of polytechnics and we don’t have any problem with that but why don’t government also meet with NASU and proffer solution to the problems. Will government force us to work without addressing the issues we have raised? We don’t think that is fair in a democracy environment.” While stating that the issues in contention are virtually the same, he explained that the issue of migration has been addressed substantially with payment of arrears but added that the issue of CONTISS 11 has not been addressed at all in the Colleges of Education.

Indeed, he revealed that the strike action was at point suspended but that the union had to resurrect it because government closed the line of dialogue. Adeyemi asked rhetorically: “How can unions be on strike for months and no government agency is bothered? As I speak, the Colleges of Education and polytechnic are completely on strike.” He also described the decision of government not to dialogue with NASU as ‘silence of the graveyard’ that will not do the education sector any good. He said: “How can government refused to talk? It means we are approaching a state of anarchy. The unions are established to ventilate the grievances of their members while government agencies are there to address issues that affect workers. So, how can they refuse to talk? It is the responsibility of government to engage the unions. The purported propaganda that is everything is well in the Colleges of Education and polytechnics, which have been ascribed to the Minister of state Education, is false. We should ask this Minister what has been done? Why is this Minister against NASU? Why is he not willing to talk to NASU? When he reconstituted NEEDS assessment committee for the polytechnics and Colleges of Education, he omitted NASU, which is a major stakeholder. No one can run business establishment with bias mind and a lot of prejudices successfully.

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NECA, Shell task entrepreneurs on business opportunities in oil sector From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE need to expose entreT preneurs to business opportunities in the oil and gas sector through the instrumentality of local content law as a veritable way of stemming unemployment in the country has been s t r e s s e d . Speaking at a one-day seminar on business opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in the oil and gas sector organized by NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) in collaboration with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the Chairperson, NNEW South- South, Dr. Josephine Diete- Spiff said the forum would create a platform for business diversification, as participants were enlightened on what is available in the Nigeria local content. Beyond business diversification, the forum was also a platform to create business linkage with Shell. She also charged the participants to ensure that a right structure is built around their business. According to the Chairperson, NNEW South- South, the Network thrives to give valuable ideas to entrepreneurs to turn small businesses to multinational Companies with linkages around the world.

Bali lauds elevation of Justice Nimpar From: Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos HE elevation of former Plateau State High Court Judge, Justice Yargata Nimpar, to the Federal Court of Appeal has been described as a justification of her strict compliance with professionalism. The Ponzhi Taroh, General Domkat Bali, made the assertion when he led a powerful delegation on a solidarity visit to Justice Nimpar in her Jos residence. Congratulating her elevation to the revered position of a Court of Appeal Justice, General Bali said it is an indication that she has lived a professional life worthy of emulation. He said Taroh nation is proud of their own, expressing certainty that she will no doubt project the good image of the country especially as she brings her professional ethics to bear. Bali, however, reminded her that to whom much is given, much is expected, and as such she should improve on her unique and exemplary work style. Responding, Justice Nimpar who was full of appreciation for the visit, said the appointment came to her as a surprise and could not help but to thank God for the journey so far. According to her, “I don’t really know what to say but when I look back I praise God for everything. I told somebody that I started work here and there is no aspect of legal profession that I did not touch. I was in the Ministry of Justice; I practised as a private legal practitioner and became the chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association. I became the Attorney General.

In his presentation, the General Manager, Shell local content, Mr. Igo Weli, lauded the Nigerian Local Content Law. According to him, with an enabling environment, the law will bring about change in values, employment creation, and security and build a sustainable economy. His presentation captured areas of Shell business activities that have been inspired by the Nigerian local content law on oil and gas, which include indigenous asset ownership, manufacturing training, supplier development, research and development, infrastructure development. While enumerating different areas where SPDC has

supported indigenous service providers to not only start their businesses in line with the company’s needs, but also helped them to raise their game to world class standards, Mr. Igo added that SPDC supports manufacturing of local tools such as clamps. He was quick to add that financing projects has been a major challenge oil firms confront in Nigeria saying it is in a bid to resolve the conundrum that spurred SPDC to launch Shell Contractors $5 billion fund scheme in collaboration with five Nigerian banks and Shell Kobo fund targeting local/community contractors. He advised participants to

go through the Nigeria local content law and identify what Shell had and where they could fit in. He assured NNEW of their willingness to support and added that Shell would work closely with the Network to ensure members participated at the Shell Annual Exhibition in 2014 including the company’s internship initiative that it has recently launched in conjunction with PETAN. Employee/Industrial Relations and Employee Communications Manager, SPDC and Chairman of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Rivers State, Mr. Steve Ojeh urged entrepreneurs to add value in services rendered.

ICAN charges members on forensic accounting knowledge …Inducts 67 members IVING the rise spate of G frauds in the public and private sectors in the country, the President of the Institute of Chartered of Nigeria, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed has stressed the need for forensic accounting knowledge and expertise among members, law enforcement agencies and regulators. Beside, to put it succinctly, traditional audit skills are not sufficient to detect in today’s fraud. Speaking at the 5th Induction Ceremony recently in Lagos, Kabir said as a process for gathering and documenting financial information that can stand the test of time in the courts, forensic accounting is at the heart of the crusade against fraud and sharp practices. According to him, it is the chief mechanism for the global war against corrup-

tion, money laundering and terrorism financing. He noted that the effort of the institution is not only timely but also a reaffirmation of its commitment to the war against corruption, fraudulent and other socials vices that have impeded the nations smooth match to development. He charged the members to continue to consistently act not only in the public interest but also to discharge the duties to the best possible universal standard with great ethical disposition. He added that they should develop the habit of watching crime related films and court sessions where crimes are fraud related cases are tried, adding that it would exposed them to an emerging techniques on fraud prevention and detection strategies. .

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Trustfund tasks workers, retirees on data update From Collins Olayinka, Abuja

RUSTFUND Pensions Plc has traced the difficulty encountered by retirees in tracing their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) to incomplete data or change of location. Speaking in Kaduna at Trustfund Pensions Plc customers’ forum, the Head of Customers Service, Mrs. Maha Longe, stressed the need for workers and retirees to ensure regular update of their data when they change phone number, house address, email address and jobs. She explained that the idea behind regular interaction with Trustfund enrollees and

…..Clarifies lump sum payment about-to-retire workers is to increase their knowledge about pension and what to expect when they eventually retire. Maha added: “The challenges still revolve around movement of enrollees. Most of the time, when enrollees change jobs, location or event of change of phone numbers, they often forget to update their records with us. So, when this happens, it is so difficult for us to give them update on how well their RSA is performing. Customers begin to complain of lack of information when in actual fact it is they

that did not do what they were supposed to do. Enrollees need to fill customers update form with their current data in order to forestall any difficulty in assessing their RSA.” On the regular complaints of small lump sum that is paid to some enrollees at the point of exit, Maha explained that what is paid as lump sum is determined by how much was remitted while working. However, she was quick to explain that Federal Government workers get more lump sum because of the bond that government offers them.

NSE seeks partnership with FERMA on staff training By Ezeonyejiaku Kenechukwu HE Nigeria Society of T Engineers (NSE) has reached out to Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to tap into the numerous seminars and workshops organised by the society by making their staffers available for quality and professional training. Similarly, they also sought partnership with the agency in the area of internship programme for engineering graduates. Speaking at an industrial visit by NSE, Apapa branch to FERMA office in Ijora, Lagos, last week, the Chairman, NSE, Apapa branch, Ibrahim Aledu said that the training which the society intends to offer to the workers is designed to equip them with adequate management skills which will enhance their on-job skills. Aledu who commended the agency for their wonderful effort in making sure that Lagos roads are motorable noted that more in the area of modern technical-know-how is needed by the staffs of the agency to help them in applying modern techniques that will aid them in the discharge of their duties and also offer comfort to road users. He disclosed that another programme that the branch will be partnering with the agency would be in the graduate internship programme for young engineering graduates. He said that the programme is key to the vision of the President of NSE, Engr. Ademola Olurunfemi and intended to help equip young graduates with rudiments and practical knowledge of the profession. In response, the Zonal Coordinator, South West II, FERMA, Engr. Oladipo FAgbamila welcomed the partnerships stating that the branch should always inform them whenever any of the programmes is close by. On the other hand, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer, FERMA, South-West II, Afolabi Oladele Kehinde Peter noted that there are many avenues young engineers in the branch could be absorbed as interns of which SURE-P programme of the Federal government is one. He disclosed that young members of the society could make themselves available to be engaged in a taskforce that had been recently put together to check the incessant abuses on Federal roads like encroachment on right-ofway through the activities road side operators. Afolabi lamented that the encroachment by these peo-

ple on these roads has become a big problem to sustaining good roads in the country even though according to

him, “most of the roads in Nigeria, most especially in Lagos have approached the designed age.”

Her explanation: “How much retiree gets depends on how much he has and the regulations is very clear on this. The law says whatever pensioner has minus the lump sum; the balance must not be below 50percent of the earning while working. Before a retiree is given a lump sum, we see if what is left is able to pay 50% of the salary while such retiree was still working? But a lot of retirees do not understand this scenario. Pensioner may not be able to get up to the 50% of what he was getting while in active service because the money left is too small to meet the 50percent mark. This affects workers in the private sector more than the public sector workers. Workers in the public sector have Federal Government bonds and that gives a lot of buffers but for the private sector, it is strictly base on what is contributed. Private sector retirees normally go home with

25 percent because the amount remaining is often time not enough to cater for their 50 percent of what is remaining after retirement as prescribed by pension scheme criteria.” Mrs. Longe also posited that the minimum guarantee of initial 18 years coverage after retirement is the minimum saying, “Even after that 18 years, PFAs are expected to spread again after the initial 18 years. But I am sure there will soon be a law that once the first 18 years is collected, and PFAs have invested the money, what will then happen to the money? The law should be able to say what happen should enrollee decides not to continue with the scheme because he is old or he decides to continue till death comes.” She also hinted that the expected opening of pension scheme transfer window would offer freedom to enrollees to change their PFA at will. “Transfer window is not

opened yet. But I can say that Trustfund is very ready to embrace the transfer window and reap bountifully therein. The transfer window will address the issue of some employers forcing their employees to register with certain Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs). With the opening, enrollees will have the freedom to choose their PFA without interference. Movement from one PFA to another will be seamless because enrollees would be expected to use the same Personal Identification Number (PIN) to fill a form that will be given by the National Pension Commission (Pencom), which will spell out from which PFA they are moving from and the new one they are moving to. Enrollees’ funds will then be moved to the new PFA; no enrollee will be required to register anew because of change of PFA,” she said.

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MasterCard, YTF empower 1500 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria By Adeyemi Adepetun ASTERCARD has collaborated with Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) in Nigeria to support 1500 women entrepreneurs by providing them with technology and skillsenhancement programs. Through the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs program, YTF is targeting female business owners from the Niger Delta region, and is providing them with business management and capacity building skills, while deepening their access to financial services. Under the arrangement, YTF recruits and train women entrepreneurs from across nine states in the Niger Delta region including: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Imo, Ondo, Rivers and Edo. Participants will undergo 10 hours of classroom and online training as well as networking events designed to allow for exchange of experiences among fellow entrepreneurs, adding that participants will receive SMSbased messages twice a week with information

ranging from business basics, tools, leadership, money management, sales and marketing as well as banking and credit. Commenting on the partnership with MasterCard, Executive Director of Youth for Technology Foundation Mrs. Njideka Harry said: “we are keen on harnessing the power of technology to transform the lives of disadvantaged people and communities in developing countries. We are very happy to partner with MasterCard in Nigeria to provide female entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta region with practical tools that will bring transformation to their businesses, and by extension enhance their lives as well.” According to her, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential to the development of Nigeria’ economy. The Financial System Strategy 2020, a forward-looking initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, highlights that SMEs represent about 96 per cent of Nigerian businesses and face numerous challenges such as infrastructure and knowledge gaps in addition

to a poor financial support and credit environment. MasterCard works with a number of non-profit organizations around the world to support financial literacy, entrepreneurial empowerment and much more. Vice-President and Area Business Head, MasterCard West Africa, Omokehinde Ojomuyide added: “MasterCard has always been passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs across the globe. In Nigeria, we have found an excellent partner in Youth for Technology Foundation that is already actively at work in Nigeria and other parts of the continent. We desire to see a financially inclusive nation, where citizens across all demographic groups can access financial services and in so doing, enhance their lives. According to MasterCard, the Nigeria women entrepreneurs program is expected to accelerate access to financial products for small and medium size business owners, through skills enhancement to boost business growth and development.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014 | 53

Labour ILO lauds Nigeria’s election into UN Security Council From Collins Olayinka, Abuja

HE international community has been urged to accord due recognition to Nigeria’s leadership position not only as a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) but as a very able representative of African interests in global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council. The new ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Mr Aeneas Chapinga Chuma, made this declaration in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chukwuemeka Wogu, CON. Mr Chuma disclosed that work has reached an advanced stage towards finalization of the ILO Decent Work Country Programme for Nigeria (DWCP II), adding that the document would be ready for signature by June this year. He emphasized the importance of the Decent Work Agenda and assured Nigeria of the commitment of the ILO to working with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the social partners towards the successful implementation of the DWCP 11. Mr Chuma commended the Labour Ministry and the social partners for ratifying the Maritime Convention 2006 in record time last year. “I understand work to domesticates the Convention is already underway. Once again, the ILO is ready to work with you in this area as well as in the area of reporting on this and all the other ILO Conventions Nigeria has ratified,” he added. The ILO Assistant DirectorGeneral expressed satisfaction on the excellent working relationship between the ILO, the Labour Ministry and the social partners which has resulted in the production of the National Action Plan on Employment Creation (NAPEC), Labour Migration Policy, National Child Labour Policy and supporting National Action Plan and Hazardous List as well as the HIV and AIDS Work Place Policy. “I also understand that work on the revision of the Labour Laws and the Employment Policy has commenced in earnest with the preparation of some very good working background studies”, he noted. Mr Chuma stressed further that the ILO was aware of the widespread challenges of youth unemployment in African member-states, adding that an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government would hold in September this year to review the progress and constraints in the implementation of the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of

Action as well as consider and propose new policies and programmes on employment and poverty alleviation. He expressed high expectation of Nigeria’s participation at the Ouagadougou follow-up summit and lauded the Federal and State Governments’ efforts in providing employment and income generation options for Nigerian youths. He stated: “Programmes such as the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (You Win) are all evidence of the Nigerian Government’s resolve to find a long-lasting

response to the problem”, adding that the ILO was ready to offer its expertise in support of the programmes. In his remarks, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chukwuemeka Wogu, requested that the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP 11) be finalized and signed for immediate implementation by mid-2014. The Minister expressed hope that the recent appointment of Mr Chuma would benefit African member-states of ILO and indicated that the longstanding collaboration of ILO and Nigeria has impacted positively on the country’s Labour administration system through the ratification and domestication of over 30

ILO Conventions, Recommendations and Protocols. Wogu disclosed that Government has developed Codes of Practice on Industrial Relations in some critical sectors such as oil and gas, education and health. The Labour Minister indicated that Nigeria has already taken measures in implementation of some priority objectives of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 1 and 11 in the following areas that included: employment of youths and women through the Community Services, Women and Youth Employment (CSWYE)

Project of SURE-P and Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurial Training (TVET) Projects; regular reporting on the ratified Conventions by Nigeria; establishment of Departments of Productivity Measurement and Standard (PMS), Social Security and Skill Development and Certification in the Ministry; establishment of an InterMinisterial Committee on the Development of Social Protection Policy; strengthening Social Dialogue through the establishment of a tripartite advisory body, National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) in line with ILO Convention 144; putting in place relevant policies,

including the Labour Migration and Child Labour Policies and Action Plan; development of National Action Plan on Employment Creation (NAPEC), which has been adopted as a Working document by the National Planning Commission of Nigeria and putting in place a National Policy on Productivity (NPP). The Minister assured the ILO African Regional Director that Nigeria would provide all necessary support to make a success of the country’s partnership and collaboration with the ILO on all labour development issues during his tenure.

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Police sack rapist cop, parade teenage murderer, others From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos

HE Plateau State Police T Command has sacked a police corporal, Damudu Bzibu, who raped a fouryear-old girl recently in Barkin Ladi Local Council of the state. Bzibu, with force number, 378612, was attached to the Special Task Force (STF) and deployed to restore law and order, on March 26 at about 9.am at Kassa in Barakin Ladi local council, lured a minor whose name was given as Helen Timothy and had carnal knowledge of her. Parading the suspect along with other criminals at the State police headquarters in Jos yesterday, the Plateau State Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Olakpe, said Helen’s father had discovered when he came back from work that blood was gushing from the pants of his daughter and when he asked her what happened, she said she was raped by a mobile policeman. Olakpe said that the suspect was later identified as Bzibu of 14 PMF (Police Mobile Force) Markudi attached to Sector 7 of STF. He said that the IGP had shown special interest in the rape case, adding that the suspect was given orderly room trial, found guilty and dismissed. Also paraded by the Com-

Briefs Sunday Pedro, 57, for burial tomorrow rites for Mr.SunFwhoUNERIAL day Pedro (alias Peddy), died recently at the age of 57, begin today with a Christian wake at his residence at 35, Ibidun Street, Surulere, Lagos at 5.00p.m. He will be buried tomorrow at Atan Cemetery, Yaba, Lagos after a funeral service at 11.00a.m, at his residence.

missioner was a 12-year-oldboy, who out of anger over a domestic quarrel,

stabbed his elder brother of 14 years to death. Also arrested and paraded

were four armed robbers who invaded the home of a Permanent Secretary,

Mrs. Julie Anpe. The robbers were said to have been arrested by men of

The suspected rapist and the 12-year-old boy who allegedly killed his brother

Group urges FG to investigate alleged killing of 21 Boko Haram suspects By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo OLLOWING the report of an attempted jailbreak at Asokoro headquarters of the Directorate of State Security Service in Abuja, an NGO, Access to Justice (AJ) has called on Federal Government to investigate the death of 21 suspected Boko Haram detainees. The group in a statement signed by the executive Director, Mr Joseph Otteh said that government is under a constitutional and international responsibility to thoroughly and impartially investigate the death of any person who die in prison custody. According to the group, “ No 34 of The United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons

under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment provides that: whenever the death or disappearance of a detained or imprisoned person occurs during his detention or imprisonment, an inquiry into the cause of death or disappearance shall be held by a judicial or other authority, either on its own motion or at the instance of a member of the family of such a person or any person who has knowledge of the case. When circumstances so warrant, such an inquiry shall be held on the same procedural basis whenever the death or disappearance occurs shortly after the termination of the detention or imprisonment. The findings of such inquiry or a report thereon shall be made

available upon request.” The group alleged that there was no clear justification provided by the DSS or Nigerian state for such killing and therefore asked whether the handcuff was locked around the detainee’s wrist or was open. The official statement did not say the extent to which the actions of the detainee threatened the life or safety of the operative, and whether the detainee succeeded in dispossessing the operative of his weapon if he/she carried one.” The statement said that shots were fired at the detainee, but did not say what other detainees did to deserve being killed, where were the suspects when they were fired at, outside of their enclosures or within? Within

the precincts of the DSS facility or outside? How were they fired at? To incapacitate them from escaping or annihilate them? Then, who fired at them? The DSS or the soldiers who came to assist them? Were they fired at to avoid political embarrassment? “There has been no clear, forthright, convincing and consistent statement from the DSS, SSS or government to justify such gruesome and large scale taking of human lives. The Boko Haram sect members face considerable public prejudice given the horrifying atrocities attributed to them; yet, it is this negative perception that renders both their members and even those wrongly associated with them so vulnera-

Glo shows how to use brand new products ELECOMMUNICATIONS T Operator, Globacom, has organized a live demonstra-

Pedro

Church holds programmes OICE of Salvation EvangelV ical Ministry’s second quarterly marathon vigils began from Tuesday, April 1 through Monday, April 21, 2014 at 2:30p.m. at the church auditorium along 12/14, Ademolu Adefuye Street, off Davies Street, Alapere in Agboyi/Ketu Local Council of Lagos.It is tagged ‘Promotion 2014.’ Other programmes include Tuesday morning prayer session at 6am- 8:30 pm, Every last Tuesday of the month is Ministers’ Fellowship at 6.00a.m., second Friday is testimony night at 10.00p.m. among others. Chief host is Evang. J. Olu Ayeni.

‘A’ Division led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Victor Dimkpa. Other suspects paraded included a man, Benjamin Toma, who beat his wife to death and later hanged her to fake the act because she did not yield to his sexual advances. Another suspect, who, along with four others now at large, conspired to kill a 20-year old boy; and a case of child trafficking against one Markus Charles, who stole his son from his mother and sold him for N350, 000. Also paraded was a cattle rustler who came all the way from Benue to steal cows in Jos. The commissioner said that the suspect was arrested with 16 cows. Olakpe said that all the suspects would soon be charged to court, while assuring that the case against the rapist cop would be fully covered by the media. The commissioner also displayed some stolen and recovered cars and enjoined members of the public who lost their vehicles to report to the police with proper identification for collection. He said the command is determined to reduce crime to its barest minimum in the state.

tion of over 10 brand new products and services for the media. The demonstration covers a broad spectrum of the operator’s offerings aimed at improving the way its subscribers live, work and play. The live demonstration of the products and services, which took place at Mike Adenuga Tower, Victoria Island on Tuesday, was graced by Glo Ambassadors, WAJE, Naeto C, Bez, Chee, and Omawunmi, as well as a security chief, the Divisional Officer, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos, Mr. Sunday Olaiya. Some of the services demonstrated include Glo Family and Friends Finder, Glo Game Store, Glo Medicare, Glo Mobile Newspaper, Glo Directory, Glo Borrow Me Credit, Glo Security Tips, Glo Love Zone, Glo Property Tips, Glo Daily In-

spiration and Glo Legal Adviser. According to Globacom’s Marketing Coordinator, Mr. Adeniyi Olukoya, the various offerings came out of rigorous research that spanned several months. Shedding light on each of the products, Mr. Olukoya said Glo Family and Friends Finder is a new security service that makes it easy for friends, family, employers and employees to locate one another anytime, anywhere around the country. All a subscriber has to do is to send the text “find” followed by the telephone number of the person to be found to 5511. The platform will alert the person to be found also by SMS who will in turn reply “yes,” to give consent that he should be located and followed. Each request will be charged at N50 per SMS. The response is free. As soon as the consent response is sent, the subscriber will immediately

receive an SMS from 5511 indicating the location (relative to an existing landmark) of the person to be found. Commenting on the product at the event, NSCDC Divisional Officer, Mr. Olaiya, commended Globacom for introducing Glo Family and Friends Finder, noting that it will provide tremendous assistance to security officials tracking criminals, especially kidnappers in the country. Another product, Glo Games Store, Olukoya said, enables the Glo subscriber to download and play any premium game on any kind of device on a mobile portal. All a subscriber requires to enjoy the exciting offer is an active subscription to Glo Games Store. Everybody can use it as it is available on all types of handset. Glo Medicare, he explained, is an SMS-based service wherein, subscribers are provided with regular infor-

mation on a wide range of health and wellness issues, including how to manage various diseases or health conditions and how to prevent them. Sharing the details of Glo Mobile Newspaper (Glo MPaper), Mr. Olukoya said mobile phone users who subscribe to the service on the Glo network can access news as it is happening, while on the go through SMS news alerts. Glo Service Directory on its part, is a service that offers subscribers access on the go to key information and contact details of millions of business organizations such as hospitals, restaurants, police stations, government offices, workshops, banks, schools, hotels, etc. Glo Daily Inspiration is a service that uses an outbound dialer to call out to subscribers at a specific time each day to deliver fresh and invigorating content that edifies the soul and spirit.

ble to be silenced or violated capriciously.” “The death of anyone associated with this sect must be subject to the highest scrutiny to avoid people getting away with clear homicides only by the sheer unpopularity of the victim’s ascribed label, particularly when it is remembered that military and security forces fighting terrorism in Nigeria have repeatedly acted with impunity and committed grave crimes against many innocent people, in a largely unchallenged way,” the statement read. AJ, therefore, urged government to make inquiry free from external and internal control, and bring to justice any person found to have killed without reasonable and lawful justification.

Some of the content available on the portal are Christian inspirational messages, Islamic Duaa, jokes and the Couples Arena. Glo Legal Adviser, provides subscribers access to legal counsel and legal information via SMS at the touch of the phone through the short code: 4242. Glo Borrow Me Credit enables prepaid subscribers to receive advance airtime during emergency when they have exhausted their airtime and they cannot easily replenish it due to non-availability of vendors. Subscribers can later pay back when they replenish their airtime. Glo Property Tips and Glo Security Tips provide customers information on properties across the country and practical security information, respectively. Glo Love Zone affords subscribers opportunity to tap into a wealth of information on romance and relationships.

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NLC lauds Imoke on rural transformation HE Nigeria Labour T Congress (NLC) has lauded Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State for what it described as his aggressive rural transformation initiative. Chairman of the union in the state, Mr. John Ushie, who could not hide his feelings when he led members of the organised labour on a courtesy visit to the governor in Calabar, said Imoke has proved to be one of the few governors, since inception of the state, who has not only impacted on those he governs, but has also delivered quality governance to those in the rural areas who were hitherto neglected. According to him, “This is the first time in the history of this state that you would have all the communities linked with accessible standard asphalted roads. Some of these communities never dreamt of having graded road, not to talk of asphalted ones. Today, my village is one of the beneficiaries of your several asphalted road infrastructure across the state and I really commend you sir for this effort.” Ushie also commended the governor for his ability to keep workers in the state happy despite liquidity challenges caused by dwindling federal allocation and the loss of oil wells. He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to compensate the state over the loss of Bakassi Peninsula. On the planned institution of the state’s Health Insurance Scheme, the union noted that it would enable ordinary civil servant access quality health-

care delivery services at low cost. Responding, the governor said, if properly deployed, is capable of boosting the economy of the state, especially in revenue generation. Imoke agreed with Labour that the state deserved to be compensated for the loss of Bakassi. He said such compensation should however be in perpetuity. On the issue of revenue allocation, he said: “Revenue allocation formula has to be reviewed because it creates imbalance. The location of tank farms within the Export Free Zone is not economical because despite the environmental hazard cre-

ated, operators do not pay tax to the state government.” The governor disclosed that though the state had faced a serious challenge in the first phase of the state civil servants housing scheme in Akpabuyo, which it paid for 100 per cent because of the inability of the Federal Mortgage Bank to fulfill its financial obligation, the state intends to commence the second phase of the scheme with the building of 400 housing units. The first phase comprised of 200 Housing Units. The governor challenged labour to position itself to take advantage of investments coming into the

state, especially in the area of agriculture because of its multiplier effects, cautioning them to ensure workers are not paid below minimum wage. He explained that promo-

tion examinations for civil servants were intended to acknowledge and recognise merits and hard work, adding that to cancel it would be a terrible mistake.

He said he would insist the state sustains it as a mark of celebrating excellence in civil service. The governor, therefore, appealed for support to strengthen the service.

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72 | POLITICS XTRA Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Isokoland deserves By Ogaga Ifowodo ERE then is an adequate revolution for me to espouse—to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self-abasement. Chinua Achebe, “The Novelist as Revolutionary” The future will have no pity for those men [and women] who, possessing the exceptional privilege of being able to speak words of truth to their oppressors, have taken refuge in an attitude of passivity, of mute indifference, and sometimes of cold complicity. Frantz Fanon, Toward the

African Revolution My fellow Isoko people, fellow Nigerians, I write to announce to you my decision to enter the 2015 political race as a candidate for the House of Representatives in the Isoko Federal Constituency election. I will not begin this letter with the cliché of having been begged on bended knees by “my people” to come and save them from imminent political perdition, though over the years—especially since the call to eternal damnation of the late military tyrant, General Sani Abacha— many kind-hearted citizens have indeed enjoined me to be a more direct agent of change by running for

Ifowodo office. Those calls reached a crescendo in the immediate aftermaths of the fiascos called the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, and, remarkably, after the election and reelection of Mr Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Nor will I claim to have such exceptional wisdom, intellect, or experience as would make me the only person qualified and

deserving to be the lone representative of the Isoko peope in the National Assembly. But while you must be the judge as to who, among the incumbent and other candidates that may join the race, will be found most worthy in learning, character, integrity, and proven record of commitment to the struggle for democracy, justice and equity in our land, I hasten to say that I know without a doubt I am that person. I write, therefore, to declare to you my intention to continue through the medium of political office what I have done all of my adult life without the benefit of a paid office: fighting for democracy, social justice, fair play and the welfare of the poor and oppressed even at the cost of expulsion from the university, delay of my admission to the Nigerian Law School, and imprisonment. I have only one abiding commitment and that is to serve my country diligently and honestly to the best of my ability. I do not seek office as a means of corrupt selfenrichment and to earn the vain title of “Honourable.” The general good, and NOT the greed and interests of a select few with access to the corridors of power, has always been and will forever remain my motivation. In this sense, I am the proverbial zozo, the leech, in the Isoko adage you know so well: zozo re gbile k’omob y ; k v o re ru a t tehe ab k ? True, the leech dances joyfully when no one is watching; what might she do if we clapped to applaud her? Applaud me with your vote, my dear countrymen and women, and see how well I shall represent you in Abuja; how tirelessly I shall work to make Isokoland and Nigeria a better place. This is not the time to lay out a detailed programme, to draw up the “social contract,” the Covenant of the relationship of MasterMessenger (the messenger, needless to say, being me), between us; that will come

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better deal soon enough. Today, I merely announce my burning desire to be your messenger. Permit me, then, to say that I know the pain and suffering of the Isokos. It is true that all of Nigeria suffers as much as we do, all except the treasury looters and their immediate circles of family and friends who profit from exploiting the masses. Yet, the agony of Isokoland is special, being a major oil and gas producing part of the Niger Delta whose natural wealth alone bakes and re-bakes the so-called “National Cake” which the rest of Nigeria shares among its corrupt power elite without as much as a crumb ever falling to us. You know as much as I do that other than a few post offices, successive Nigerian governments, military or civilian, have not thought Isokoland deserving of a single act of acknowledgement that we are part of the nation. None of us, man or woman, has been deemed worthy of a ministerial or ambassadorial position, chairmanship of a governing board, headship of a federal ministry, department or agency (even of those specifically set up to address the marginalisation and ecological devastation of the Niger Delta). In short, to the Nigerian state, Isokoland is “dark region,” void of people save its oil, and its gas some of which is still flared today to further pollute their air and water!

Ifowodo But part of the fault is ours. For too long the Isokos have been content to suffer in silence. While others, even those who have ruled and ruined Nigeria before and after independence, scream at the rooftop about their alleged marginalisation, the Isokos weep into their hands or cry themselves to sleep. Ask yourself, Who Speaks for the Isokos? Who is willing to act on their behalf? Too often, those who purport to speak or act say and do just enough to be noticed

and settled. As Cassius said to Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “The fault is not in our stars but in us that we are underlings.” As our representative in Abuja, I promise to strain every nerve and to use every skill I have to project our pains and our expectations onto the national stage. I will do this in constant consultation with you, and in solidarity with fellow oppressed communities in the Niger Delta and across the nation. I consider this a fundamen-

tal, non-negotiable task; indeed a “revolution” in the sense that the great Chinua Achebe defines it in the first epigraph quoted at the beginning of this Declaration. Let me say two more things quickly. First, that as a lawyer called to the bar 23 years ago, and as a human rights and pro-democracy activist, I will be at home in a legislative parliament. As a poet, writer and humanist, who has had the privilege of traveling the word and living in Europe and America, I know first-hand what incalculable difference responsible law-making and governance can make in the lives of the people when the welfare of the masses is the focus of laws and policies. Secondly, that if we are to have the best representatives in Asaba and Abuja, Isoko people must say “NO, NEVER AGAIN” to money politics. We must continue the trend that has recently begun of voting according to our conscience, to our objective evaluation of the candidates. We must remember that a vote sold for money or material—a length of cloth, Keke NAPEP, motorcycle, even a car—is a licence to the candidate to loot the treasury in order to recover his or her investment, become a

multi-millionaire and save enough for the next election. And that means no funds for the development and job-creating projects, including Constituency Projects, that Isokoland sorely lacks. And it is in this sense that I enjoin the words of Frantz Fanon, that great revolutionary intellectual of African liberation, that form my second epigraph. The Isokos must be ready to speak words of truth to their oppressors and to themselves as well. In one word, what the Isokos need more than anything else for the 2015 elections is CHANGE. Change of the selfish, corrupt and inept leadership that exploits and marginalises us; change in our political attitude by not selling our votes or REFUSING to vote. Change, as you know, is what the All Progressives Congress (APC) stands for.

So get ready your brooms to sweep greed, self-abovecommunity, corruption, self-enrichment at the expense of the people, and visionlessness out of power. We must restore hope to the people, to Isokoland. If you vote for me, I promise to be with you always in our struggle to restore hope to our longsuffering people. Let us all join in raising the cry of CHANGE, HOPE and PROGRESS. Ekurerie! Eruore!! Ewoma avo Onyaharo!!! Isoko wa dooo! Eeeh! Ma no wa dooo! Eeeh! Wa dh ? Ijo! Wa dh ? Ijooo!!! •Dr. Ifowodo, a TEXAS State University teacher, former student unionist and leader, civil and pro-democracy campaigner, poet and scholar, made the above speech at Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South Local Council on Monday, 7 April 2014. .

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Interview

Noi-Polls has a mandate to reform polling in Nigeria Noi-Polls is a foremost private owned company, rendering country-specific polling services in West Africa. It is in partnering with Gallup USA to develop opinion research in Nigeria. In this interview, the company’s Managing Director, Oge Funlola Modie spoke on the modern methodologies used for data collation and other issues. ANTHONY OTARU writes. HAT methodologies does Noi-Polls use in W data collection? Okay, we have like six different methodologies. But we can put them under primary and secondary research methodologies. Under Primary Research, we have the telephone, we have the face-to-face, we have ethnography. In ethnography, we actually go and study, we send people in to observe communities, observe places and they study and gather data on that. We also have focused group discussions, we have what we call key informant interviews. So, for instance key in-depth interviews can be for business when you are talking to business owners, but key informants can be areas where there could be crises, there could be the need to speak with key people, they are called the informants. So those are the five different forms of primary research. Under Secondary, we do a lot of indepth research, collaborative research with institutions within and outside Nigeria. We are talking about institutions in the USA, Europe, also in Africa where we can say okay, what have you done, like the UNICEF, WHO and collaborate that with what we are doing with the primary research area, so these are our methodologies. What gave birth to Noi-Polls? There was need for a platform to measure or evaluate the polls of Nigerians on different topical issues across the country and that was the vision of the founder – Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi OkonjoIweala in 2006. She said there is nothing like a platform that allows you to measure the pulse of Nigerians on socio-economic, business and political issues. So Noi-Polls came with technical partners at Gallop and the first ever poll was conducted in February 2007 and was called, Noi-Gallop National Survey which was the National Poll for 2000 people across Nigeria basically on issues pertaining to governance, issues pertaining to health, issues bordering on education, climate change and banking. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is the body duly recognized by the constitution to provide reliable, correct and adequate data for official use by the Federal, State and Local Government as well as the private sector. Is NoiPolls different in this regard? When we talk about data, it comes in many phases, you have NBS, which is for the Federal Government, you have also the private phases of data. And we fall under the private phases of data. Our data comes from polling – public opinion polling – which is very different from what the Federal Government is doing through the NBS. So public opinion polling is the kind of data that allows you to evaluate the perception, opinion of Nigerians on a broad topic. You also would have some people who will come up with data consulting companies like Agusto & Co and the rest of them. They would come up with data and say this is how this industry looks like based on secondary data, secondary research. But our method of research, which is primary, is that of face-to-face, or telephone, so we come out with data that measures the opinions of Nigerians, measures and evaluates the interventions by the governments in several areas. For example, if you say health, how will the health insurance scheme keep working, we can evaluate that by asking Nigerians how people have health insurance. Or if you are saying, we want to see retail insurance is working well through NICON, we can ask Nigerians, do you have any form of insurance? That is where we are very different, we are providing data that is timely relevant. As you are looking for it monthly, weekly Noi-Polls is on top of the situation and can provide the data quickly. Are we not seeing a situation where we may be heading for a conflicting figure on data collation by the two bodies – Noi-Polls and NBS? I don’t think so. Like I said, we have different sources of data. NBS does its own collation while Noi-Polls does its. I don’t think so. I think at a point they can collaborate in some areas. Like I said and I keep emphasizing, Noi-Polls measures opinion, public opinion. Is it true that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the founder of Noi-Polls? First of all, it is not a rumour. It is true. It is on our website, it is on Wikipedia, if you google

Modie Wikipedia, you will see that it is one of the companies she founded in 2006, Noi-Polls with Gallop. It is in all our documents that goes out. Each time am talking about the company and am saying it was founded in 2006, I always say it was founded by the then Managing Director of the World Bank and now our Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance. So it is not a rumour, it shouldn’t be a rumour. She founded this company in 2006 with the vision to test or to have a platform that can evaluate and showcase the opinions of Nigerians. And then, she went into partnership with Gallop, which is the number one opinion polling outfit in the world. So I think it is very commendable that someone in Nigeria stood up and said look, we need to give voice to the voiceless, we need people to speak up on things that are happening so that it can help decision making across all sectors of the economy. For me, I saw this as an excellent idea to become part of the organisation’s vision. Are we not seeing a situation where Noi-Polls will be usurping the powers of the NBS? No, we are not usurping. There are different data collation sources and NBS is just one of them. There are some information you want from NBS which you don’t get there but you find in Noi-Polls, there are some information you would love to get in Noi-Polls, but you get in NBS. Everyone has its own space and we are playing in our space, which is the public opinion space. You partnered with Gallup in USA, would this not be risky to the nation’s security and economy? Gallup USA is a polling organisation, so I don’t think it can be a threat to national security at all. It’s like saying that MTN that came from South Africa is a treat to us be-

cause they are in Nigeria. It’s like saying the World Health Organisation is a treat to us because they came from Washington DC. No it can never be a treat because it is an institution which is giving technical partnership to a Nigerian institution to teach us the methodologies of public opinion polling. Do we foresee a situation where Noi-Polls could be manipulated positively or negatively in the future to influence government by the authorities? No, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the founder, she is in government, but not part of the organisation. I am the head of the organisation. I have a management team that I work with, we all take decisions day-to-day on what to poll. We take decisions on the businesses we run and we are primarily responsible for a staff strength of 45. We are growing, so if another government comes, it shouldn’t change our focus and perception. We have so far witnessed two different governments in power since we came on board seven years ago. We have gone through two Presidents – Yar’adua and Jonathan in terms of questioning, approval rating, talking about different things even right down from federal to the local governments. We have a CSN value, which comes from our technical partnership, from the founder and the team. We make sure we can defend our results, and then the international polling organisation rules, that we must not be partisan. A change in government should not affect our operations. What are your basic challenges so far? The first challenge we have is that we need people to be more aware of how important opinion research is. The world has moved from just saying somebody has money to buy something, but how much of you in my mind. Governments have also realized all over the world that it is about what people want. The part of us that the media sees is the CSR part, which is,

that we are providing data to Nigerians. NoiPolls wants to be able to provide these things across the globe. What does Nigerians think on health, education, anti-gay or anti-same sex marriage, on the bill, the impact, what do they think on National Conference, who do they want to vote for, what candidates are they looking out for during elections, what kind of candidates are they looking out for, and so on. This is what Noi-Polls stands for. How do you relate with the three tiers of government? Noi-Polls touches all levels of government, we appraise the states and local governments. We hope to launch a national poll by the end of the second quarter. We have gotten the Niger Delta study, we now have the security study from the North East. So, we deal with states and local governments regularly. What data would you advice Nigerians to rely on, NBS or Noi-Polls? Well, it depends on the business information you want. You can use any, depending on what you want. We have information on Nigerians that I don’t think any other company in the country has. What is the greatest achievement recorded by Noi-Polls even as you mark seven years anniversary? I think for us, it is the use of our data, that is the most important thing. We want people to use credible data. We are championing the use of opinion research across Nigeria and Africa. Today, Rwanda, Tanzania and Angola have asked us to come and teach them effective polling. Some other African countries also want our services. We are happy that people are now beginning to take us serious. What is your vision for Noi-Polls? Our vision is to cover Africa. To have Noi-Polls in key countries and really give African a voice. To allow good decision making in all levels of government.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

The National Conference

Will national conference be effective in realising our aspirations for new, better, united Nigeria? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Nigeria must be part of the worldwide movement towards the democratisation of the constitution HE reasons and motivations for this worldwide movement have already been explained above. It all began with the U.S. Constitution of 1787, the first written and longest surviving constitution in the world (apart from the earlier written constitutions of the constituent States of the Union). The significance of the U.S. Constitution of 1787 lies partly in the novel principles, ideas and the frame of government enshrined in it but more perhaps in the democratic process by which is was adopted — through a National Convention in Philadelphia and State ratifying Conventions. In the result, the new Republic was anchored upon a solid moral foundation resting on the will and consent of the people — on “a voluntary social compact… established by peaceful debate,” rather than by imposition by the will and power of an imperial sovereign or a dominant ruling group within the country. Herein lies part of the reason for its longevity; it has lasted now for 227 years. The American precedent of adopting a constitution through a democratic process has since become a worldwide phenomenon since 1989 under the catalytic force of the democratic revolution. With the exception of the Bulgarian Constitution, which was adopted by a national referendum on 16 May, 1971, none of the constitutions in force in communist countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union before the time of the democratic revolution of 1989-90 was a truly democratic constitution. They were all enacted by their parliaments. This is, perhaps, in consonance with the socialist ideology, which recognised sovereignty as belonging only to the working people, not the entire people. In communist ideology, too, parliament represents and embodies the sovereignty of the working people.

It should be stated in parenthesis that, with the transition of society to the full-scale construction of communism in the Soviet Union, the concept of sovereignty, as belonging to the working people only, was considered in 1961 to have served its function, and was, accordingly, abandoned in favour of a new conception of the state as a state of the whole people — a socialist all-people-state. This new concept was explicitly affirmed in the 1977 Constitution of the USSR. Yet, notwithstanding the recognition in the constitution of a referendum of all the people as a method of deciding certain questions of national importance, the making of a constitution or its amendment was still reserved exclusively to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (parliament). Apparently, the societies of the countries of Eastern Europe had not yet progressed to the full-scale construction of communism, since the constitutions of most of them still spoke of the sovereignty of the working people. All this has now been swept away in the wake of the democratic revolution of 1989-94, and the new transition constitutions of the countries of Eastern Europe and the USSR were in each case adopted through a constituent assembly and/or through a referendum. Africa, recognising the great value and significance of a democratic or a Peoples Constitution, is, happily, in the forefront of this worldwide movement towards the democratisation of the constitution. In line with the worldwide movement, the transition constitutions in all but five of the countries of former French Africa were submitted to, and adopted by the people at a referendum on the following dates — Benin on 2 December, 1990; Burkina Faso, March 1991; Mauritania, 12 July 1991; Niger, 12 May 1996; Madagascar (not a new constitution but an extensive revision of the existing constitution) 15 March, 1998; Guinea, 23 December, 1990; Morocco, 11 September, 1996; Comoros, 20 October, 1996; Djibouti, 4 September, 1992; Congo (Brazzaville), 15 March, 1992; Central African Republic, 28 December, 1994; Mali, 12

Nwabueze January, 1992; Chad, 31 March, 1996; Togo, 27 September, 1992; Gabon, 21 July, 1995. Remarkably, none went for a specially elected Constituent Assembly, which was used in some of the countries in the past, all now opting for the real thing — the people themselves in a referendum. In four of the remaining five of these states in former French Africa, transition was effected, not by means of a new constitution, but under the existing constitution suitably amended by a law enacted through the ordinary legislative process, but the existing constitution itself had been adopted by the people at a referendum, — Cameroun (existing constitution of 1972 amended for the purpose of transition by a law of 1996); Cote D’Ivoire (existing constitution of 1960 amended by law of 1990, with further amendments in 1994 and1998); Tunisia (existing constitution of 1959 amended by law of 1988); and Senegal (existing constitution of 1963 amended by law of 1994, as further amended in 1998). The fact that the existing constitution was adopted at a referendum does not, however, justify the sidetracking of the people in the making of a major and fundamental amendment involving change from one-party system to multiparty democracy; after all, as noted earlier, the revision in Madagascar was approved by a referendum. Algeria is thus the only country in former French Africa in which a new constitution, transiting the country from military rule to multiparty democracy, was adopted in 1996 without submitting it to the people for approval in a referendum, but this was apparently because of the state of emergency declared following widespread violence by Islamic fundamentalists; the previous constitution of 1976 had been approved at a referendum. Like in nearly all the countries of former French Africa, a referendum was the method used in adopting the transition constitutions of the two former Spanish colonies — Equatorial Guinea (referendum of 16 November, 1992) and Sao Tome and Principe (referendum of August 1990). So also Ethiopia’s transition constitution of 1995 and Eritrea’s of 1997 are both democratic constitutions; they were adopted by constituent assemblies specially elected for the purpose on 8 December, 1994 and 23 May, l997 respectively. (Ethiopia’s Socialist Constitution of 1987 was also a democratic constitution, hav-

ing been adopted in a referendum). On the other hand, the transition constitution in three of the four former Portuguese colonies — Cape Verde (1990) only an amendment to the existing constitution of 1980), Guinea-Bissau (1991) and Mozambique (1990) — was adopted, not by the people at a referendum, but through the ordinary legislative process, just as was the case with their independence constitutions. In the case of the latter, being the product of victory in the just concluded war of liberation; the unsettled conditions of a war-torn country did not permit of the rather laborious process of organising a referendum. The civil war in Mozambique provided justification for not putting the transition constitution through the democratic process of a referendum. The pre-existing constitution in Angola had not been changed or amended at all, owing again to the civil war there, which had prevented any action being taken on the separate draft constitutions prepared by MPLA and UNITA. Three countries have had no transition or, in the case of Egypt, no need for a transition. Egypt’s 1980 constitution has remained in force since, with the one amendment made to it on 20 May, 1980; both the main 1980 constitution and the 20 May, 1980 amendment were approved at a referendum. It is a remarkable mixture of elements of both constitutional democracy and socialism. As it confirms maximally to the formal requirements for constitutional democracy (except for its socialist element of public ownership of the means of production and central planning), no need arose for further transition. (Some 12 registered political parties had been functioning in the country for some years, with the National Democratic Party as the ruling party). Libya, another of the three countries, has remained without a formal constitution properly so-called since the overthrow of King Idris in a military coup in 1969. It has been governed principally, in the initial years, by the Constitutional Proclamation issued on 11 December, 1969 by the Revolutionary Command Council, and, since 1979, by the Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People issued by the General People’s Congress, by the Resolutions of the Congress, and by Colonel Gaddafi’s precepts as contained in his Green Book. To Gaddafi, “parliaments have become a means of plundering and usurping the people’s authority;” political parties are instruments of a “sham democracy,” and plebiscites, “a fraud against democracy.” Gaddafi had been overthrown in 2010. Somalia, the last of the three countries, is still operating without transition under its 1979 Constitution, which was adopted in a referendum. The 17 countries of former British Africa had all hitherto been shackled by the British tradition of not recognising the people as a constituent power, with authority to adopt a constitution either directly in a referendum or through a Constituent Assembly specifically elected and mandated in that behalf. Every one of them came into existence as an independent state with a constitution made for it by the British government by an order-incouncil. And in every case, too, Ghana excepted, their post-colonial constitutions or constitutional amendments adopted before 1990 were made by the ordinary legislative process — just as in Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union before 1989. Such is the gratifying break with the inherited tradition that nine of the 17 (Namibia included) have transited to multi-party democracy since 1990 with constitutions adopted by the people in a referendum — The Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Sudan; or through a Constituent Assembly specially elected for the purpose in case of Namibia, South Africa and Uganda — the 1983 Constitution of South Africa was approved in an all-white referendum in November of that year by 1,360,223 votes in favour and 691,557 votes against. (The referendum in Malawi and Sierra Leone was not on the entire constitution but only on whether the existing one-party system should

be retained or be changed to a multi-party one; the latter system was approved in both cases — in Malawi by 1,993,996 votes as against 1,080,173). The approving votes at the referendum were 96.7 per cent in Sudan, 87 per cent in Ghana, 73.9 per cent in Seychelles (the first draft of the constitution in Seychelles was rejected, having received only 53.7 per cent of the votes cast in an earlier referendum, instead of the 60 per cent required by the enabling law). In four of the other eight countries in former British Africa, the ordinary legislative assembly was the authority that enacted either a new transition constitution — Lesotho — or amended the existing one for the purpose — Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Of the remaining four countries, three — Botswana, Mauritius and Zimbabwe — have always allowed more than one political party, and so needed no new constitution or constitutional amendment to transit them to multiparty democracy, while the fourth — Swaziland — has remained a no-party state under an absolute traditional monarch who appoints the head of government and members of the National Assembly, thereby making the legislative elections held in October 1993 a sham. There is, however, in the country (Swaziland) an ineffective movement, which is not a political party, called the People’s United Democratic Movement, demanding a republican constitution and multiparty elections. Neither Botswana nor Mauritius has adopted a new constitution since independence, but the independence constitutions have undergone series of amendments, using the amendment procedure provided in that constitution i.e., by an act of the legislative assembly passed in the prescribed manner and form and assented by the president. A new constitution for Tanzania, enacted by the National Assembly in 1981, has remained in force, with amendments, since after transition in 1992. Zambia did adopt a new post-transition constitution in 1991, but the National Assembly enacted this. Proposals for a new constitution for Zimbabwe were submitted to, and rejected by, the people in a referendum in 2001. It follows that only three countries — Lesotho, Zambia and Nigeria — can categorically be said to have remained still shackled by the British tradition of not recognising the people as the authority to adopt a constitution either directly in a referendum or through a Constituent Assembly specially elected and mandated in that behalf. That as many as 10 countries (including Zimbabwe) have embraced the referendum or a specially elected Constituent Assembly as the method for adopting a constitution is, as earlier stated, a gratifying break with the outmoded tradition on the matter inherited from British colonialism. It is noteworthy that the preamble to The Gambia’s transition Constitution of 1996 — a preamble was not in the earlier constitutions — describes the use of a referendum to adopt it as an “accomplishment of a great and historic task” by “the people of The Gambia.” (The absence of a preamble in the constitutions of African countries made by British or shaped by its tradition is another conspicuous legacy of British colonialism in Africa). It is noteworthy, too, that following an earlier innovation in Ghana’s 1960 Republican Constitution, which was adopted at a referendum, the transition constitutions of both Ghana (1992) and The Gambia (1996) make their more fundamental provisions unalterable except by a referendum. We in Nigeria, the giant of Africa, should not continue to pride ourselves as a Democracy until we have democratised our constitution in line with the worldwide movement towards the democratisation of the constitution. The rest of the countries of the world that have, for the crucial reasons noted earlier, democratised their constitutions are wise, and we should emulate their wisdom. CONCLUDED • Professor Nwabueze, elder statesman and constitutional legal luminary, is leader of The Patriots.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

METRO EXTRA Tuesday, April 8, 2014

‘I stack AK 47 guns inside yam flour and smuggle them into Nigeria’ By Odita Sunday HE battle to make illegal gun smuggling through Nigerian borders difficult has begun with the arrest of a multi-million-naira illegal gun dealer, Abdulazeez Amao, by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Command. A suspected international gun-runner who has been on the wanted list of the Police, he was arrested by the Command sequel to an intelligence gathered on their activities on the nation’s gateway in Seme. The alleged gun dealer Amao and his “middle-man” Olatunji Tubosun are now being interrogated at SARS. Recovered from the suspects were 10 new AK47 rifles and 19 AK7 magazines all loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. The alleged kingpin, who spoke to newsmen at the parade ground of the

State Police Command Headquarters GRA, Ikeja, said he was “importing the arms and ammunition from Burkina Faso.” “I was introduced into the business by one Gbenga. I am a serious smuggler, but I do any other business that comes my way, so when Gbenga promised to sponsor me to Burkina Faso, I grabbed the offer because, if there is no venture there won’t be success. One of my wives is from Ouagadougu, capital of Burkina Faso, so I was able to mix up and got connected to one Zakari Watara who brings in arms and ammunition from Mali to Burkina Faso. So I would buy from him and import to my country, Nigeria.” “I was able to beat security operatives in Mali by packaging my consignments into milk cartons. When I arrived Paraku town in Benin Republic, I would now repackage the arms and ammunition into bags containing yam flour (elubo) and then transport them to Ibadan, Oyo

state through Kabo border.” “Gbenga who introduced me into the gun deal is the person that also introduced Tubosun who was bringing buyers to me. I don’t care whom he brings to buy my guns, I was not investigating who he was bringing as what matters to me is my money. I used to buy one AK47 for 600,0000CFA, equivalent of N200, 000 and resold it for N320, 000.Tubosun is a good guy because he used to pay me cash but I was shocked that he was bringing armed robbers to buy arms and ammunition from me,” he revealed. Amao’s middleman, Tubosun, told newsmen that he was only bringing hunters to his master. “I am a farmer and a hunter. We are being attacked in the bush by some land grabbers, we used the rifles to defend ourselves.” The Commissioner Of Police, Alhaji Umar Manko who paraded the suspects said, based on information he received

and subsequent directives, he engaged the Officer-in-Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari . “We were informed that one suspected armed robber Olatunji was arrested at Subaru area of Ikorodu, Lagos, with an Ak47 rifle and after he was quizzed by Kyari he confessed that he bought it from Amao a notorious arms dealer in Ibadan,” Manko said. He noted that his officer deployed “decoy” police team to Ibadan who arrested Amao. “He confessed that he has sold several other AK47 rifles and English pistols to many buyers in Oyo, Lagos and Anambra states. Manko said effort was being made to recover the arms from the armed robbers who bought from him and to arrest the Burkina Faso dealer through the assistance of the International Police (Interpol).

Guns recovered from the suspects

The suspects

Addax Petroleum disburses N39 million micro-credit loan to 433 women in Imo From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri HE authorities of Addax Petroleum Nigeria Limited have begun disbursement of N39 million microcredit loan scheme to 433 rural women selected from the seven communities the company operates in Imo State. Commencing the disbursement at the All Seasons Hotel, Owerri, at the weekend, the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the company, Cornelis Zegelaar, represented by the Deputy Managing Director, Corporate Services, Mr. Tunji Mayaji, disclosed the host communities as Eziorsu, Umuamaka, Ndioko, Ugbele, Orsu Obodo, Amakpu in Oguta Local Council and Ofeakatta, in Mbaitoli Local Council, adding that the beneficiaries were selected from about 30 cooperative societies. While about N27.9 million was disbursed instantly to the first batch, N12 million would be given out, according to Zegelaar.

He said: “The entire scheme is costing us some N39 million out of which the sum of N27.6 million will be disbursed today to the first batch of beneficiaries. The women had selected their businesses and received adequate training from the NGO. We believe that they will be committed to their trades and grow the businesses.” He disclosed that on the average annually, the company expends about N115 million on scholarships programme to youths from the communities, while 114 youths are taken on vocational skills training yearly as a way of showing corporate citizenship in the corporate responsibility package of Addax. Izombe community, he noted, has been helpful to allow the condusively. thrive company Zegelaar commended the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), for support to the project. The Community Relations Manager of the company,

Mr. Emeka Obi, said the concept of the micro-credit scheme has been copied from the example of Bangladesh, stating that it was rewarding to all the stakeholders to move the society economically. Speaking differently, the Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum and Environment, Prof. Okey Okoro, represented by the Permanent secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Nestle Opara, the Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing Development Commission (ISOPADEC), Henry Okafor, the Imo representative the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chidi Uchegbu, the Transition Committee chairman of Oguta Local Council, Dr. Nonye Obodo, a representative of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Gladys Udemba, counselled the beneficiaries on the partnership and sustenance. They urged them to bear in their minds the repayment aspect for cyclical effect.

MTNF integrates the physically-challenged into the society through disability project DRIVE through Maryland A in Lagos with its array of traffic lights would be incomplete without being subtly or sometimes violently accosted by physically-challenged (and able-bodied) individuals appealing to the sympathy of pedestrians and motorists. Such sights are common on many of the busy roads which experience regular traffic jams across Lagos. These are people, possibly challenged by hunger, and driven by desperation and adversity, to roam the streets of Lagos and beg for a living. Being the norm for many decades, this societal anomaly has overtime become entrenched in our sub-conscious, giving it some semblance of normalcy to the average Nigerian. Disabled people are often talked about as though they form one group, but every disabled person face peculiar challenges and health conditions. The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as anyone who has a physical or mental impediment that has

a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out day-to-day activities. These impediments include loss of limbs, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, Down Syndrome, learning difficulties and mental health problems, such as; depression and anxiety, to name a few. Disabilities of any kind present challenges. However, living with a disability does not mean that life can’t be fulfilling. For many people, a fulfilling life means having control over their day-to-day activities and being able to choose how they live. With about 20 million people living with various forms of disabilities in Nigeria, the welfare of this significant segment of the Nigerian society deserves attention and action. The Disability Bill has been fraught with some challenges including funding. Although government’s commitment to changing the fortunes of PLWDs is commendable, there is still a lot that can be done to support the disabled, help them towards achieving a ful-

filled life and arriving at goals they have set for themselves. Government, already buffeted by a myriad of challenges and obligations begging the attention of its limited resources, cannot provide for all the needs of the people, disabled or able. This is what makes the intervention of corporate entities and philanthropic people in ameliorating the conditions of people living with disability imperative. Such interventions are steadily being felt across the society and a few organizations stand out in this regard. The strategic interventions of the MTN Foundation for instance, in enhancing the living conditions and restoring self-esteem to this otherwise largely underserved group of people is noteworthy. As one of its pivotal focal areas, the MTN Foundation, under its Economic Empowerment portfolio, has consistently focused on improving the welfare of people living with disabilities within our communities. MTNF Disability Support Project is

aimed at improving accessibility and functionality of persons with disabilities through the provision of mobility aids and appliances for individuals living with one form of disability or the other. Disabled persons were given different aids and appliances such as wheel chairs, walking sticks, tricycles, Braille machines and Braille wrist-watches, bendable Calipers, Stylus and Mar burgs and talking phones to make recipients lead more fulfilling lives. The distribution, which commenced on December 2009, benefitted over 15,000 Nigerians across 36 states including the FCT by 2012. The foundation did not stop there: it went a step further to empower disabled youths with skills in the areas of tailoring and bead-making, shoe making and welding, to make them employable or better still, entrepreneurs. The MTNF/FOTD (Friends of the Disabled) Skills Acquisition Project, which also com-

menced in 2009, benefited 45 disabled youths in the first phase of the project. The beneficiaries were provided with starter packs such as embroidery tailoring machine; electric arc welding machine and straight shoe sewing machine to set up their own businesses. The second phase, which commenced in 2011, has 46 beneficiaries. Christiana Olowolagba, one of the beneficiaries of the MTNF Skills and Acquisition Programme, was full of excitement at her graduation from the vocational centre. “I have not only learnt how to sew both male and female apparels, children’s wear, and I can also make beads. The centre provided me with shelter and MTN Foundation gave me a monthly allowance of N8, 000 for the two years I was in training. I am graduating today with a sewing machine and it has been a happy and exciting experience for me. I have begun to see myself as an achiever and have set goals for myself.”

Briefs A’Ibom SSS parades priest, others in connection with child sales From Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, Uyo KWA Ibom State Command A of the State Security Services (SSS) yesterday paraded 20 persons suspected to be involved in child theft and sales. The suspects include one Eloka Okoye, a blind man, a Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Joseph Okono of St. Peters Parish Nri, Anambra state and the leader of the syndicate, Chief Uche Onyekaozuru from Imo state. Parading them before journalists at the SSS headquarters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital, the Deputy Director Operations, Fubara Duke, said his men arrested one Mercy Okon Etim and Collins Monday Ukpo on February 11, 2014 which led to the unmasking of the syndicate which has links across states like Anambra, Kogi, Imo, Abia and others. According to him, what Chief Onyekaozuru allegedly does is to commission some foot soldiers that canvassed for children from around these states and once they succeed in “capturing” their victim, they would transport the child to the Chief who would then sell off these children to the end buyers. “Between Mary and Collins alone, over 20 children have been stolen from Akwa Ibom and Abia states.” “We have the group called the facilitators and what they do is to legitimise the sale of the children by way of procuring seemingly genuine documents to support the end-buyers, giving the impression that the children they have bought were duly and lawfully adopted,” he said. According to him, about 50 children were alleged to have been stolen in different homes across the state, adding that in the course of arresting some of the end-buyers, eight children have been recovered. Of the eight children, two aged five and three, were returned to their parents, as they were able to recognize their parents. Narrating his alleged involvement in child theft and sales, the leader of the syndicate who is above 60 years and a father of five, told The Guardian that he went into the business because of pressure from parents who have no children. Chief Onyekaozuru, who claimed to be a contractor and trained technician, said his kind- heartedness and benevolence drove him into the business that has brought him some regret. Ask what he has benefitted from this heinous crime he said: “I benefitted nothing from this business but disgrace, I regret the situation. I started this business in 2012. So far I have sold 12 children, they are all here, they were not used for ritual.” The parents whose children were returned thanked the SSS for making their joy to be full after their children have been stolen since August 2013. According to the SSS Deputy Director, those who are involved is kind of business should desist from it as their time was up, calling those who are at large to heed their call by coming out to give themselves up for interrogation. He warned those families with no children to be wary of adopting children through the back door, but should do the right thing by following government guidelines in adopting children.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 POLITIC EXTRA

Thrills, frills as Ekiti APC re-launches Fayemi From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, Southwest Bureau, Ado-Ekiti) OLITICS is in the air in Ekiti State. And AdoP Ekiti, its capital city, is already wearing a new look. The residents and politicians are upbeat and enthusiastic about the election campaign trains that have the trappings of carnivals. The people’s enthusiasm is expected. The last governorship election in the state was held in 2007, resulting in the longest electoral disputes, which lasted almost four years. Thus, Ekiti indigenes have been eagerly looking forward to this moment, and it has finally come in the All Progressives Congress (APC) kicking-off its “political carnival” on Thursday, March 27. It was a massive rally in Ado-Ekiti, attended by eight governors, to drum up support for Dr. Kayode Fayemi in his bid for a second term in office. Governor Fayemi will face the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ayo Fayose and Labour Party’s (LP) Opeyemi Bamidele, an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, in the June 21 election. The city was at a standstill for several hours, as APC faithful from the 16 local councils in Fayemi the state thronged the colourful Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, venue of the rally. The stadium, recently completed by Fayemi (Zamfara), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ibikunle administration, was filled to capacity. Indeed, Amosun (Ogun), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and the 25,000-capacity arena could not accom- Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), who was repremodate half of the mammoth crowd that at- sented by his deputy, Peter Kishra. Some other APC stalwarts were: former Borno tended the gathering. But respite came for the thousands outside State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff; former Ekiti via several huge television screens provided State Governor and APC National Vice Chairat strategic locations that relayed the activi- man (Southwest), Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; ties live, thus helping the police to control the APC National Women Leader, Sharon Ikeazor; Senator Ajayi Boroffice and the Iyaloja General crowd. It was one rally that did not only parade the of Market Women & Men, Mrs. Folashade Tinbest of Nigerian musicians and theatre ubu-Ojo. Summing up the enthralling event, a 72-yearartistes, but masquerades and the rich culture of Ekiti people were also on displayed to old man, Salami Akinwunmi, said he had the admiration of the governors that came never seen Ekiti people in this large number at a place to support a political party, stressing, from outside the state. Almost all the monarchs in Ekiti State that attended the rally to give their royal blessings, could not but wave their staff of office to acknowledge hundreds of their subjects in Aso ebi, as they danced round the stadium. The APC did not leave its opposition in doubt that it was prepared to mobilise for the June 21 governorship election, which Fayemi had promised would be violence-free and issuebased. No doubt, this message of peace gave confidence to many residents to attend the rally and participate in the accompanying fête. Although the stadium had almost been turned into a dancing stage, the atmosphere became electric when Fayemi and the other governors arrived at the venue in a luxurious bus. They joined their teeming supporters in what looked like a dancing competition. The governor’s wife, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, was a spectacle to watch. Her fantastic dance steps raised the bar and made up for her husband. The governors that joined Fayemi at the ‘Mega Rally’ included Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wa- Bamidele makko (Sokoto), Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar

“Ekiti people are, indeed, ready for this election.” For Mrs. Oluronke Adeyemo, a retired teacher, Ekiti politicians should be commended if they allowed the tempo of peace to continue like this. “I think they have learnt lessons from the events of the past and we shall be glad if it will be fun throughout this campaign period,” she said. In his welcome address, the Chairman of the APC in Ekiti, Chief Jide Awe, said the people were on Fayemi’s side and “they are ready to trust him with their votes at the governorship election.” Awe said that the people had resolved to

move forward with Fayemi in the driver’s seat, stressing that “APC will continue to rule in Ekiti and take over power at the federal level through the 2015 general elections.” Otunba Adebayo said while the APC was fielding a PhD holder and a globally-renowned scholar, as its candidate; “a major opposition party in the state is fielding a candidate that is being tried in court for looting the state resources.” The APC Southwest leader said the opposition candidate was being arraigned in court, “sweating inside the dock before the judge on charges of corruption,” and urged Ekiti people to reject the candidate “that is on his way to jail.” Adebayo said when PDP was in power, Ekiti was in darkness but when Fayemi came to power, there was light all over the state “and the people have now seen the difference.” 0Savouring the tributes paid to him, Governor Fayemi told his teeming supporters that the election was for “total freedom of Ekiti people from the forces of darkness and retrogressive elements” that wanted to turn the people back to the dark era, which the people fought like Kiriji war that Ekiti founding fathers fought to liberate themselves from the shackles of their oppressors. He said he came to the people to seek re-election because he had faithfully implemented his eight-point agenda and fulfilled the promises contained in his inaugural address when he was sworn into office on October 16, 2010. Stressing that he had brought transparency and accountability to governance, Fayemi said he was ahead of his rivals in other parties on the strength of his track record and performance in office, “which is visible in all parts of the state,” adding that what his opponents could offer for now were only promises. “The advantage I am having is that I am running on record and there are people, who will promise heaven and earth but I can tell you what I have done in education and how I have banished poverty among our elderly,” he said.

Ekiti APC members will vote for me, says Bamidele HE governorship aspirant of the Labour T Party (LP) in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said some members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) wanted him to become the governor of the state. He said even half of the cabinet members in the Administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi were backing his ambition. Speaking at a rally in Ido-Ekiti, he said the Commissioners and Special Advisers among others were not only supporting him, they were doing so financially. The member of the House of Representatives said the decision of the people, who are still in the APC, was because they believed in his cause and had seen the deception the current Administration stood for. On the claim by Fayemi that his second term bid was unstoppable, he said the governor

would immediately withdraw from his second term struggle, if he knew the colossal support he was garnering from members of his cabinet. The federal lawmaker noted that as one of the leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the parties that transformed to the APC, his contributions to the party and the welfare of members could not be rubbished. “Our mission is to rescue the state from bad governance and to unite all. Basic necessities of life will be provided and a new dawn will begin in the state,” he said. Among LP leaders present at the rally were the Deputy National Chairman, Hon Joseph Akinlaja, the State Chairman Akin Omole and Prince Akin Olayisade.

Fayose, Adeyeye woo aggrieved Ekiti PDP aspirants From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau Ado Ekiti) KITI State’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) E candidate in next June governorship election in the State, Kayode Fayose and a former PDP aspirant Mr Adedayo Adeyeye have appealed to all aggrieved members of the party to forget the past and join hands to ensure the success of the party in the election. The duo specifically pleaded with the aggrieved 12 aspirants in the party not to leave the PDP but join forces to dislodge the All Progressive Congress (APC) government in the State. Fayose and Adeyeye spoke at the latter’s party secretariat where Fayose met Adeyeye’s political group to chart a way forward for the party. Fayose, who described Adeyeye as a formidable figure in the PDP, that cannot be ignored, however, appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint the former Afenifere Publicity Secretary as Minister to replace Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade, who resigned about a couple of months ago . Fayose said he was not seeking a re-election as

Fayose the governor of the state to scheme vengeance against anybody, but that his utmost task would be to unite all members of the party and the State at large if elected governor.

He said, “I am not coming to Ekiti to be vindictive. I think it would mean I don’t know what I am doing if I should return to Ekiti Government House after seven years and start running after anybody. “I want to plead with all the aggrieved aspirants to bury the hatchet and work for the party’s success in the forthcoming election,I promise not to betray anybody in the PDP, including Adeyeye. “I also want to plead with our supporters to refrain from fanning the ember of discord. Let us be united and ensure that we win this election. This is a great task we have to achieve”, Fayose said. Speaking about his resolve to remain in the PDP despite his loss at the primaries, Adeyeye said, “nobody can be more aggrieved than me among the aspirants on the conduct of the primaries. But as a party man, I have to forget the past and work for the emergence of our candidate in the poll. “I was one of the aspirants who fought vigorously for zoning of the governorship to the South, but the authorities, I mean the powers that be didn’t see it that way.

“But despite this, I promised that I will not join other parties because I believe if we will come together and win the election, everybody will be brought on board. So to me, there would no victor, no vanquished”. Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, has criticised the State government over its alleged refusal to allow the PDP use the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium for the April 8 flag off Fayose’s campaign by President Jonathan. The PDP in the statement alleged that, “the refusal in a letter dated April 2, 2014 and signed by one Mr P.O. Dada of the Ekiti State Sports Council had shown that the APC government had displayed the highest level of political intolerance. “We wish to inform the Ekiti people that the APC government has denied the PDP, the use of public schools and other recreational centres because of the same political intolerance forgetting that these amenities were built with public fund”. The party urged traditional rulers in the State to call the State Governor, Kayode Fayemi to order in the interest of peace and unity in the State.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 07-04-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

MARKET INDICATORS

Tuesday, April 8 2014 MARKET REPORT 79

AS AT 07-04-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

Access Bank grows deposit base to N1.33tr By Bukky Olajide and Chijioke Nelson CCESS Bank Plc said its audited result for the financial year ended December 2013 showed an increase in the deposit base from N1.201 trillion to N1.33 trillion. The result represented 11 per cent growth over last year’s figure, while its loan book rose impressively by 33 per cent, from N609 billion in 2012 to N810 billion in 2013. An analysis of the result, being released at the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, revealed that the bank’s earnings grew to N206.7 billion in 2013 from N206.4 billion in 2012. Similarly, there were improvements in the cost of funds from 4.5 per cent to 4.6 per cent, while non-performing loans ratio decreased to 2.7 per cent from five per cent, a development attributed to the bank’s enhanced risk management framework. Also, it posted a profit before tax of N44.9 billion, which representing 3.4 per cent decrease, compared to the N46 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2012. This was however, attributable to regulatory changes in the operating environment, which include raising of the cash reserve requirements on public sector deposits to 50 per cent from 12 per cent and removal of a number of fee incomes like Automated Teller Machines and Commission on Turnover charges as well as the increase in AMCON levy from 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent.

The Group Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe, said: “Access Bank’s 2013 earnings were impacted by several regulatory changes in the Nigerian banking sector. The Bank’s balance sheet structure during the period further constrained growth and limited the yield on our earnings asset. “Despite the difficult operating environment, the Bank grew its loan book to position it for improved earnings, while driving deposit mobilisation from targeted segments to further reduce cost of funds. We also saw an increase in our non-interest income. As the business continues to grow, risk management remains fundamental to the bank’s philosophy evidenced by the reduction in the NPL ratio.” “I am particularly excited about the next phase of the bank’s evolution. Having articulated our five year strategy plan, we began execution by re-aligning our SBUs to ensure that customer service and delivery are improved at all levels. “With our businesses realigned, we are now placing greater emphasis on providing services geared towards women and SMEs in Nigeria, as they underpin the next phase of economic growth. Infrastructure financing is another key focus for us going forward. Throughout the next phase, we will continue to invest in technology to ensure that we build a customer experience that is both innovative and sustainable.”

‘Only five million Nigerians stake interest in capital market’ By Bukky Olajide NLY five million Nigerians are currently involved in trading activities in the Nigerian capital market, an expert has affirmed. The Managing Director of GTI Securities Limited [Nigeria’s first private trading floor] Babatunde Oyekunle, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. According to him, this is a low percentage figure compared with the fact that we have a high growth potential and stressed a need to harness the growth and make it workable to the development of the market and the investing public. “The 168 million population shows that we have potential to develop our market,” he said. But the Director General, Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals, Olayinka Odutola is even not sure that the number of participants in the stock market is up to five million Nigerians. “From my thinking, a lot of people are still not interested in participating in the capital due to a myriad of reasons, both real and imaginary,’’ he said. According to him, ‘’many still see the capital market as a place for the elites, they do not just see it as accessible to ‘people of their status’’. Olayinka gave level of poverty in the system as another reason why people avoid the cap-

What Happened? The NSE All-Share index depreciated by 22bps (0.22%) and closed at 38,626.11. This represents a year-to-date performance of -6.54%. Market Capitalisation also appreciated 0.22% to close at N12.407 trillion. Total value traded increased 58.76% to N6.07 billion and total volume traded decreased 40.29% to 344.80 million units.

Where? At the close of trading, the banking sector represented 69.98% of the total market value traded, while the breweries sector represented 10.22%. The Top 5 stocks as a % of total market value traded were: GAURANTY (27.51%), ZENITHBANK (23.57%), WAPCO (10.47%), NB (9.68%) and UBA (5.62%). On a volume basis, the Top 5 most traded stocks for the day were: ZENITHBANK (68.14m), GAURANTY (62.33m), UBA (47.36m), FBNH (22.01m) and ACCESS (19.49m).

ital market. “Taking a cue from Maslow’s hierarchy of need, we should understand that the basic need of man is food and shelter, and its only when you are able to fulfil this that you will move to the next level. If you consider the statistics of Nigerians living below a dollar equivalent in a day, you will understand why the capital market is not an issue for many,’’ he said. He also cited low educational attainment as another factor militating good participation in the stock market. His words: “How do you take capital market participation to the level of someone that can neither read nor write? How will he understand the basics? And we all know that the percentage of illiterates in Nigeria is very high as at now. Most market men and women in Nigeria are uneducated and this has really affected the popularity of capital market in the markets especially in the rural communities. “Lack of access to education has also been observed to be one of the causes of rising insecurity in Nigeria, especially in the Northern part of the country. It is of recent that the northern governors and the Federal Government are taking drastic steps to ensure that the trend is reversed by exposing a larger percentage of northern youths to western education as opposed with the almajiri system.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

80 Tuesday, April 8, 2014

GlobalStocks

Investors at the New York Stock Exchange.

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Global equities plunge from six-year high ALL Street stocks fell 1 W percent yesterday, joining a broad retreat in global equities markets from a sixyear high touched last week, while U.S. Treasuries' yields moved lower. The dollar fell against major currencies as comments from European Central Bank policymakers curbed expectations of more euro zone economic stimulus and boosted the euro against the greenback. On Wall Street, losses accelerated and the S&P 500 index of large-cap U.S. companies was on track for a third straight decline and what may be its biggest three-day drop in two months. On Friday, the Nasdaq and S&P indices suffered their worst drop since February. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 147.68 points or 0.9 percent, at 16,265.03, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 19.5 points or 1.05 percent, to 1,845.59 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 56.667 points or 1.37 percent, to 4,071.058. Some investors worried that the declines may run on, even as U.S. momentum shares hit hard last week steadied. Prices of momentum shares, or stocks in fast-growing industries, surged in recent weeks. "The big concern is the overall underlying weakness in so many different stocks," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research in Cincinnati, Ohio. "The picture isn't nearly as pretty when you look under the hood, and

you see various sectors have clearly broken down, and now it's starting to pull down on the whole entire stock market." Pfizer Inc (PFE.N), down 3.2 percent at $31.13, added pressure on the Dow and S&P 500. Pfizer's experimental breast cancer drug nearly doubled the time patients lived without their disease getting worse in a clinical trial. But overall survival was not shown to be statistically significant, researchers said. Earlier in the global trading day, Japan's Nikkei .N225 fell 1.7 percent, while the FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares gave up 1.2 percent at 1,336.11, down from a 5 1/2-year high on Friday. Britain's top equity index, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE, had its biggest one-day decline in a month, retreating from a three-week high as a drop by house builders weighed on the market. The broader FTSEurofirst measure of 300 European stocks .FTEU3 fell 1.25 percent. The MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS was down 0.91 percent, having hit levels not seen since late 2007 on Friday. World equity markets had enjoyed three straight weeks of gains as easing tensions in the Crimea region of Ukraine encouraged investors to add risks. "Markets are overbought over the short term. We have seen a decent run after the Crimean situation cool down a little bit and now it's quite natural to see a breather

from that level," said Gerhard Schwarz, head of equity strategy at Baader Bank. U.S. Treasuries prices rose, extending last week's gains as traders reduced bets the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates in the first half of 2015 after a March jobs report that missed some traders' expectations. The selloff in Wall Street shares also supported demand for U.S. government debt. "After this latest payrolls number, people reached the conclusion they were too ambitious with the Fed's first rate hike," said Mike Lorizio,

head of Treasuries trading at John Hancock Asset Management in Boston. Benchmark 10-year Treasuries were up 8/32 in price to yield 2.6935 percent, while the five-year note US5YT=RR was 6/32 higher, yielding 1.666 percent. The dollar lost 0.24 percent against a basket of six major currencies .DXY. The euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.3742. Comments from ECB policymakers Ewald Nowotny and Yves Mersch on Monday suggested more monetary easing from the central bank was not imminent, which lift-

ed the euro against the dollar. Nowotny said there was no need to act immediately to counter euro zone disinflation, while Mersch said that while the central bank was drawing up plans for largescale asset purchases, it remained some way off "The disappointment in the jobs data on Friday has soured sentiment" toward the dollar, said David Gilmore, a partner at Foreign Exchange Analytics in Essex, Connecticut Brent crude oil fell well below $106 a barrel to

$105.34, snapping a two-day rise and falling more than 1 percent, after Libyan rebels occupying four eastern oil ports agreed to end an eightmonth blockade, raising the prospect of increased supply to world markets. Gold was off, with some investors taking profits after a run-up of 1 percent on Friday credited to a shortcovering rally by investors who had worried U.S. jobs data would top forecasts. Spot gold was down 0.45 percent at $1,298.30 an ounce in early afternoon New York trading.

U.S. stocks decline as Tech, consumer shares plunge further small companies sank 1.3 in two years on April 4 with bearish contracts since May .S. stocks fell, after the percent to an almost two- declines in all but four 7, 2010, the day after $862 bilU biggest drop for the month low. stocks. The gauge sank 0.9 lion was erased from the Nasdaq 100 Index in two years, as technology and consumer companies extended last week’s slide before the start of corporate earnings season. Yahoo! Inc. and Apple Inc. lost more than 1.4 percent to pace declines in technology shares. TripAdvisor Inc. tumbled 5.3 percent to lead a retreat among consumer companies. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 0.9 percent to 1,849.21 at 12:59 p.m. in New York, briefly erasing its gains for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 112.89 points, or 0.7 percent, to 16,299.82. The Nasdaq 100 gauge of the biggest technology stocks fell 0.8 percent, after tumbling 2.7 percent on April 4. The Russell 2000 Index of

“It’s a carryover from Friday’s selloff,” said Wes Mills, chief investment officer with Scotia Private Client Group in Toronto. His firm manages about C$14 billion. “It’s a risk-off move. Markets had risen to the point where people are a little skittish and locking in profits ahead of the earnings season.” The S&P 500 rose to a record last week before trimming its weekly gain to 0.4 percent in the last two days, as the selloff in technology shares overshadowed optimism on Federal Reserve monetary stimulus. Technology shares were hit as traders dumped the biggest winners of the bull market amid concern valuations have advanced too far. The Nasdaq 100 fell the most

percent for the week after surging 35 percent in 2013. The Nasdaq Composite Index, which slid the most in two months on April 4, dropped 1.1 percent today. It trades at 31.5 times reported earnings of the companies in the index. That’s almost twice the ratio for the S&P 500, which trades at 17 times earnings. The selling in the Nasdaq 100 Index has sent anxiety among options traders to the highest levels since the flash crash four years ago. More than 1 million put options on an exchange-traded fund tracking the Nasdaq index changed hands on April 4 as investors sought protection during a 2.7 percent drop in the gauge. That’s the most trading in

value of U.S. stocks in a matter of minutes. Hedge funds that invested heavily in technology shares took a beating in the first quarter as popular holdings such as Chinese Internet company Baidu Inc. fell 14 percent and online retailer Amazon.com Inc. tumbled 15 percent. Paul Tudor Jones, Michael Novogratz and Louis Bacon, hedge-fund managers that profited last year from bets on macroeconomic trends, posted losses in the period as some of those trades turned against them. The losses for macro managers have caused them to cut some of their bigger bets, Anthony Lawler, a money manager at he $120 billion Swiss firm GAM, wrote in a report last week.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 81

Law

Quote of the week Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” –Friedrich Nietzsche

Open appointment process as panacea to judicial corruption Recently, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma-Muhktar swore in 25 new justices of Court of Appeal, urging them to be neutral in the dispensation of justice. She also warned them to shun corruption as they might be called upon to adjudicate in election tribunals after the forthcoming general elections. BERTRAM NWANNEKANMA reports that the admonition has became a wake-up call for judges to live up to their responsibilities of upholding the tenets of justice, as well as ensuring that the judiciary remains the bastion of the nation’s democracy.

FOCUS T was the Chinese philosophy and author of Idictum, the Art of War, Sun Tzu, who in his famous stated: “Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine,” probably to elucidate the efficacy of the judicial process. This dictum was more succinctly stressed thus by an elder in the Mormon faith. “Though the mills of justice grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small with exactness grinds”. Meaning that justice might take a long time, nevertheless, it will surely happen. However, wheels of justice cannot grind fine, no matter how slow, if judges, who sit in the hollow temple of justice, are not courageous to do justice at all times. This was, therefore, the kernel of the admonition by Justice Aloma-Muhktar to the 25 new justices of Court of Appeal during their swearing-in ceremony. Added to this was the recent interrogation of five Nigerian serving justices by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of bribery, corruption, money laundering and abuse of office. According to the EFCC, the embattled justices were quizzed on how they came about with property worth millions of naira and huge amounts of money were traced to their various individual accounts. EFCC’s Spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, was quoted as saying that the investigations into the criminal conduct of all the judges for probe had either been concluded or reached an advanced stage. But many stakeholders believe that stemming the tide of corruption in the judiciary should start with the process of appointment of judges, which they believe, is flawed with irregularities. According to a Lagos-based lawyer, Mark Ibekwe, although all the new justices are qualified to be elevated, there is need for a more transparent method in either appointment of judges or elevation of justices to the higher courts He said: “We need to know whether the newly sworn-in justices are the only ones who are qualified for elevation. “Where applicants for a job are all qualified, the decision rule is to select the most qualified. Are the justices elevated the most qualified? Are they the best from their states? Nigerians should insist on the best. How do we get the best? It is through public competitive examinations and through recommendations”. The lawyer wondered why the current process of appointment was through recommendation. “A person who gets appointed to a high office through recommendation, naturally owes some measure of loyalty and obligation to the person who recommended him or her. This has implication on our justice delivery system. “But if the process is through public competitive examination, the person appointed to high office does not owe such measure of loy-

Justice Mukhtar(CJN) alty and obligation to any person. He believes he got his appointment on merit”. Ibekwe believes that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) should play an increased role in the appointment of judges. The NBA is the most important and most relevant stakeholder group in our justice delivery system. The NBA is, therefore, in a better position to assess the suitability or otherwise of the applicants to judicial offices. “I have always advocated that the process of appointment of judges should be by public competitive examination and not recommendation. Public competitive examination is more open and more transparent than recommendation. “Vacancies should be publicly advertised and the criteria for appointment publicly stated,” he added. The astute lawyer also described the CJN’s advice or warning as right and timely. He cited the dispute between the former President of the Court of Appeal and the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria with respect to election petition concerning Sokoto State governorship poll to justify his position. “The 2015 election is just around the corner and which will definitely result in litigations. The CJN was being pro-active instead of being reactive by warning the newly sworn-in JCAs ahead of time. “But is it possible for judges to be neutral

Time was when corruption in the judiciary and abuse of judicial power were taken to be the exclusive blight of the magistracy and the lower Bench. Now, the cankerworm is eating up the judicial ladder.

Ogunye when their appointments are heavily influenced by political actors?”, he asked. Ibekwe’s position also received tacit support from human rights activist and lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, who said the admonition of the CJN to the newly appointed and sworn-in justices of the Court of Appeal is on point. He said: “It should not be taken as the usual pontifications or traditional homilies that are reeled out on such occasions, just to fulfill all righteousness. “There was a time when corruption in the judiciary and abuse of judicial power were taken to be the exclusive blight of the magistracy and the lower Bench. “Now, the cankerworm is eating deep into the judicial ladder. Recall that even as these appointments were being made, the NJC was dishing out a warning to Justice Dalhatu Adamu, former acting President of the Court of Appeal and currently the most senior justice in the Court of Appeal, who, incidentally, against the run of tradition, has now been passed over in the recommendation of Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa as the President of the Court of Appeal by the NJC. “Of course, that recommendation speaks volumes. Recall also that following the 2003 general elections, for proven and established acts of corruption and abuse of office, regarding the appellate determination of the decision of the Anambra-South Senatorial Election Tribunal, Justice Okwuchukwu Opene, who presided at the Court of Appeal and who was found to have taken a bribe of N15, 000,000.00 (Fifteen million Naira) and Justice David Adedoyin Adeniji, who was found to have taken a bribe of N12, 000,000.00 (Twelve million Naira),

were dismissed from the Court of Appeal. “The President of Nigeria accepted NJC’s recommendation that these two justices were guilty of corruption and abuse of office and that they should be sacked as Justices of the Court of Appeal. “On May 3, 2005, the President, acting under Section 292 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, dismissed those two justices from the Judicial Bench of Nigeria. “Let me also recall the corruption scandal that rocked Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Tribunal set up after the 2003 governorship election. There were five members of the tribunal. During the pendency of the proceedings, the NJC, based on a petition, investigated the allegation that the governor of the state then, Victor Attah, had corrupted four of the judges, namely Chairman, Hon. Justice M. M. Adamu (a lady), Hon. Justice D. T. Ahura, Hon. Justice A. M. Elelegwa and Chief Magistrate O. J. Isede, had been compromised with huge sums of money. “The National Judicial Council (NJC) investigated the complaints through a committee set up for that purpose and found that the allegations were true and that the chairman of the election tribunal and three other members received bribes during the sitting. “They were, accordingly, dismissed from the Bench. One judge, who was not a member of the tribunal, Hon. Justice C.P.N. Senlong of the Federal High Court, was also dismissed for corruption and abuse of office because he was found to have associated with one of the contestants in a corrupt manner.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 84

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82 LAW Tuesday, April 8, 2014

LawPeople

“How good something is should never be determined by its cost, designer, origin, or its perceived value by others.” – Ashly Lorenzana

A call for independent-minded NJC PROFILE By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo the office of the Chief Sof EPARATING Justice of Nigeria (CJN) from that Chairman of the National Justice Council (NJC) has become a contentious issue among legal practitioners in Nigeria. Although the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, allows the CJN to occupy the two offices, as occupied by the sitting CJN, some lawyers have, however, contended that the arrangement is prone to abuse since the occupant of the office wields enormous powers. According to them, the separation of the two offices may just be the needed panacea to the recurring political bickering in the judiciary and corruption in the third arm of government. But others feel that what is needed is to reduce the power of the occupant. Those who want the two offices separated are quick to point to the case of the suspended but now retired President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Isa Salami, which they said, was at the receiving end because of the great influence wielded by the then CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu as the NJC’s chairman in the confrontation between the two. One of such proponents of reforms in the composition of NJC is Chief Gani Adetola-Kazeem, a Lagos-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The revered lawyer is of the opinion that the influence of the CJN on the NJC should be reduced since the CJN is extremely powerful. According to him, although framers of the constitution had reasons for allowing the CJN to preside over the NJC, it, however, has a drawback. “Not just that the CJN chairs the NJC, he/she also chairs the Privileges Committee that decides finally on those to be conferred with the status of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). “So, just like the President of Nigeria, CJN is a very powerful office. So, to that extent, one can say power corrupts, absolutely power corrupts. I think that is the drawback”. But the revered lawyer also recognised that there is still a check against the powers of the CJN. “The CJN, as a career officer, knows that he/she cannot afford to falter because if something happens, it is not impossible for the CJN to be removed from office or for him or her to leave office in ignominy. While, Chief Kareem still wants the CJN to be the chairman of NJC, he would rather want the power of the CJN in constituting these bodies to be reduced, since some of the members of NJC, apart from being ex-officio members, are also appointed on the recommendations of the CJN and those members are likely to pledge their allegiance to the CJN. “I think the power of the office of

Chief Kazeem CJN could be watered down so that we could have more people who are more independent-minded, sitting with the CJN on the NJC rather than just being ex-officio or people who are selected by the CJN, or who are liable to the whims and caprices of the CJN or who could easily be intimidated by the CJN. These are the things, we should be mindful of,” he added. The lawyer, who also wants reforms in public service in order to curb corruption in the service, said: “Section 172 of the 1999 Constitution clearly states that a person in the Public Service of the Federation shall observe and conform to the Code of Conduct and similar provisions in Section 209, that is relating to the state. Now, the Code of Conduct itself is very clear on what to do in the declaration of assets. “The purpose of this is to ensure that when you are there, the system would know what you came to office with. You are also required to declare your assets every four years, thereafter and at the end of the tenure. This permeates both political officeholders and career public

I think the power of the office of CJN could be watered down so that we could have more people who are more independent- minded sitting with the CJN on the NJC rather than just being ex-officio or people who are selected by the CJN

servants. “Ordinarily, if we are in a saner clime, the fact that one does not publicise it would not mean much because it is a public document. Therefore, anybody upon application should be able to have access to it. But that is not the situation in Nigeria. It is wrong! That is why I said because we have people in authority who try to corner or cover everything, that is why I say if you appoint somebody and he is there by your grace, then he pledges his allegiance to you. This is why we have to be more careful in the selection of who will run the system. “Our President is one of the most power presidents in the world by the virtue of his power to appoint and remove judicial officers and other sensitive officers. There are things you ought to look at. “We must ensure that there are serious sanctions. There are things they ought not to do as public officers as there are serious consequences for doing them and people pursue these things. “So, if you have somebody who comes into an office, declares his assets, it should be possible for anybody to approach the Code of Conduct Bureau to avail you with a copy of his declaration of assets and you should get it, without inhibition. Then, if you have any knowledge that an affected public officer did not declare correctly, you should then be able to contradict it. We also know that some people

make what they call anticipatory declaration. It is an offence to make false declaration. “I think we should be able to fundamentally reform the country. I don’t know how far the National Conference can go on this. We have a fundamental need to restructure the country”, he added. Kazeem falls into the category of those who read Law late in the sense that he did not have the opportunity of going to the university early in life. He belongs to the group of people described as self-made as he was already in public service before he enrolled into the university to read Law as a part-time student. He didn’t also have the opportunity of going to secondary school. He left primary school in 1960 and for one reason or the other, he couldn’t get into secondary school even though he was not a dull student. The death of his father in 1963, three years after he left primary school, made him enroll at in commercial school where he learnt Typing and Shorthand. For his excellent skills in Typing

and Shorthand, he was able to pass his external examinations. According to him, that skill turned to become his greatest asset, as he would probably have dropped out when his father died unless there was an opportunity for a scholarship, if he had been in secondary school. “As you can see, I am not somebody of a strong built, which means that there is limitation to what I can do physically. By the time my father died, I had learnt some skills. I had passed some examinations as a secretary and I was able to get into the labour market. I was able to fend for myself. That was where it started. I was in private sector; in fact. I started my working life in a lawyer’s chambers,” he added. The legal icon said although he had the prospect of getting to the peak in his career as an administrator, his love for the legal profession made him to retire in order to pursue his law dreams. “I had never thought I could become a lawyer. It wasn’t my making, but the grace of God. I had already got to the peak as a secretary. I was a senior personal secretary, personal assistant to top ranking officers. There was nothing more to look forward to. I needed to really improve on my qualifications and by the grace of God, I was able to do so. I passed my O and A Levels GCE through private reading and that was how the journey started,” he said. His relationship with Justice Oyesola Oluwa in whose law chamber he started his career before he was appointed a judge, also ignited his desire to read law. Kazeem later sought admission into the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos and was admitted for a parttime programme between 1974 and 1979. Then, it was a five-year programme for part-time students and three years for full-time students. After his graduation, he proceeded to the Law School and was called to the Bar in 1980. It was during his time that the Law School diploma degree was classified into grades and his set produced seven Second-Class Upper Division of which he was one of them. “That was the beginning. But I still remained in public service, thereafter, only for five years more before I decided to practise full-time. In 1985, I retired voluntarily. In fact, I was nearly qualified for pension/ gratuity when I left. I retired voluntarily,” he said. Today, Chief Kazeem has not looked back, having attained the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a dream of many legal practitioners in Nigeria. The revered lawyer is happily married and will be celebrating his 40th years in marriage this year and his youngest child is a lawyer.

Do you know…

Diameter “ Straight line drawn from side to side through the center of a circular, spherical or cylindrical form.” : James Aladu v. The State [1998] 8 NWLR (Pt. 563) 618 at 637, [C.A.] citing Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English at page 238.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 LAW

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LawReport Where native law and custom governing succession is codified, that regulates the mode of succession (2) In the Court of Appeal, Benin Judicial Division, holden at Benin City, on Friday, February 14, 2014. Before their Lordships: Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, Justice, Court of Appeal; Ayobode Olujimi Lokulo-Sodipe Justice, Court of Appeal; Tom Shaibu Yakubu Justice, Court of Appeal. Appeal No.CA/B/19/2006. Cross-Appeal No.CA/B/19a/2006 Cross-Appeal No.Ca/B/19b/2006 Between: Prince Rasak Yesufu Ogiefo –Appellant And HRH Jafaru Isesele I (Onogie of Ewu) The Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs, Edo State Attorney-General & Commissioner For Justice, Edo State Robert Omosu Ehigimetor Aisenonken Iyonagbe Ihimekpen– Respondents T was contended that the mode of succession Ilower to the throne of Onogie of Ewu, as found by the court, is by primogeniture, as codified in Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 (Exhibit P), amply and scrupulously examined by the lower court. It was argued, that the Appellant has not appealed against the findings of fact made by the lower court regarding the primogeniture rule. The Appellant is thus deemed to have accepted the findings in question. See USO vs. Cross River State Newspaper Corporation (2001) 14 NWLR (pt. 732) 116 @ 167. The court is urged upon to accept the reasoning of the lower court (at pages 389 of the Record) regarding the issue of the burial of the Appellant’s late father at Atigie, a place reserved for departed kings. That, it is now settled law, that once the custom governing succession to a throne has been codified by way of a chieftaincy declaration, it is the declaration and not any other custom or usage that regulates succession to the throne. On the whole, the court is urged to resolve issue No. 1 in favour of the first Respondent. On issue No. 2, it was submitted, inter alia, that there is anabundant evidence vide Exhibit G, that the Edo State Government gave approval for the installation of first Respondent as Onogie of Ewu after the performance of the burial rites of his late father. The formal presentation of Staff of Office to the first Respondent had been done when the Appellant and others filed suit No. B/751/97, which was resolved in favour of first Respondent vide Exhibit M. The brief of the second and third Respondents was dated and filed on 28/02/13 by Mrs. P. E. Aziegbemhin, Deputy Director, Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Edo State. The said brief spans a total of seven pages. That issue was argued at pages 3-7 of the brief. In a very nutshell, the submission of second and third Respondents’ counsel is to the effect that the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 clearly recognizes that the installation of an heir apparent as Onogie of Ewu is consequent of requisite formalities consisting of the performances and completion of the burial rites and ceremonies for the deceased Onogie. The succession to Onogie’s throne is by inheritance, which can only be activated and ensure to the benefit of a successor, if the requisite burial rites are duly performed by the intended successor or beneficiary. Instructively, both the Appellant and the 1st Respondent have raised two issues in their respective briefs of argument. I am of the view that the said issues are not at all mutually exclusive. Therefore, for determination of the appeal, I have deemed it apt to adopt the two issues raised in the Appellant’s Amended Brief, anon. The issue No. 1, raises the vexed question, thus: “As between the Appellant and the first Respondent, who is the successor to the throne of the Onogie of Ewu. (Grounds 1, 2, 3 and 4).” As alluded to above, the gravamen of the sub-

mission of the Appellant is that he’s entitled to inherit the throne of the Onogie of Ewu by whatever mode. He urged on the court to resolve the first issue in favour thereof. Contrariwise, the first Respondent maintains that the lower court was right in its finding to the effect that succession to the throne of Onogie of Ewu is by primogeniture and that he (first Respondent) was entitled to succeed to the throne of Ono of Ewu. He thus urged this court to so hold. I have accorded an ample consideration upon the submissions of the learned senior counsel, the illuminating authorities cited and relied upon in their respective briefs of argument visà-vis the Records of Appeal, as a whole. As pointed out heretofore, the present suit was filed in the lower court in the year 2000. Most specifically, both the writ of summons and the statement of claim were dated and filed in the court below on 05/6/2000. See pages 1-6 of the Record of Appeal. Inarguably, both Exhibits P and (PW) DWI are in conflict with one another. It was the finding of the lower court that Exhibit P, the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 was the applicable (customary) Law that regulates the succession to the throne of Onogie of Ewu. There is no doubt at all, that Exhibit DW1 (the Edo State of Nigeria Legal Notice No. 1, 2004) in question was promulgated on 30/9/04 during

Justice Bulkachuwa, PCA

the pendency of the instant suit, which was evidently filed in the lower court on 05/6/2000. In the light of the above postulations, its obvious that the said Exhibit P, the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 is the applicable law for the determination of the instant suit vis-a-vis the appeal. It is provided in paragraph 2 of the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 (Exhibit P) (supra) that: Succession is by primogeniture and females are absolutely barred. Should an Onogie die without a surviving male issue. Succession passes to his eldest surviving brother and his heirs. If the heir-apparent is a minor at his father’s death, his eldest surviving paternal uncle could act as Regent until he attains majority. The letter identified by the first Respondent was admitted by the lower court as Exhibit D. the first Respondent further testified that it was based upon Exhibit D that the then military administrator sent a condolence letter dated 06/10/97, to him, the members of Ewu family, the kingmakers and people of Ewu. Consequent whereupon, the first Respondent got Government permission, vide Exhibit G, to perform the necessary traditional burial ceremonies of the late Onogie and traditional installation thereof as the Onogie of Ewu. Consequent upon the receipt of Exhibit G, the first Respondent, with the support of his brothers and sisters, gave a befitting burial to his late father in accordance with the customs and traditions of Ewu. Thereafter, the Appellant allegedly lobbied the Edo State House of Assembly to change the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 t read “grandson”. The first Respondent insisted that the mode of succession to the throne of Onogie of Ewu is by primogeniture that is, from father to the eldest son. It is trite, that proof of customary law is not one of the areas in the adjectival law requiring corroboration. By virtue of section 14 (1) of the Evidence Act, customary Law can be proved to exist by evidence. Thus, evidence can be proffered on the existence of custom by one or more witnesses. Undoubtedly, a court has the discretionary power to use any book either cited by a party, or even suo motu, which is relevant to the issues before it. In the instant case, pages 327-341 and 66-76 or Exhibit A were admitted by the lower court (pages 152-153 Record) as exhibits B and C, respectively, regarding the native laws and customs of Ewu on succession. I think there is every cogent reason for me to hold, that the use of exhibits A,

B & C by the lower court in arriving at the decision thereof is very much in conformity with the well laid down principles and practice of evidence. I think, I cannot agree more with the above unassailable findings of the lower court. In the instant case, the Appellant’s reliance on the burial of his late father at ‘Atigie’ (a cemetery reserved for departed Onogies) as a basis for conferring on him the status of an heir apparent is preposterous, and rather a sheer afterthought to say the least. I have no hesitation, whatsoever, in upholding the above findings of the lower court, which I believe is unassailable supported by the pleadings and evidence on the record. And the principle is well settled that where findings of a court are duly supported by pleadings and evidence on record (as in the instant case), such findings must not be disturbed on an appeal unless they are perverse. See Nwabueze vs. Okoye (1988) 4NWLR (pt. 91) 664; OShodi vs. Eyifuem (2000) 13 NWLR (pt. 684); Arguably, by virtue of the codification of Exhibit P, the Bendel State Legal Notice No. 70 of 1979 (supra), any other native law and custom hitter to regulating the mode of succession to the throne of Onogie of Ewu has become rather inapplicable. This is so because, the principle has long been settled, that where the native law and custom governing succession to a particular throne or title has been duly codified by way of a chieftaincy declaration (as in the instant case), then it is the declaration that regulates succession to the throne or title, not any other custom or usage, As rightly postulated by first Respondent’s learned counsel, the case of Oguigo vs. Oguigo (1999) 1 NWLR (pt. 638) 283, cited and relied upon by the Appellant at pages 9-10 of the brief thereof, is not on all fours with the instant case, thus unhelpful thereto for some obvious reasons. The mode of succession to the throne of Onogie of Ewu in the instant case is expressly predicated upon primogeniture; which was not so in Oguigo’s case (supra). Secondly, there is an approved and registered chieftaincy declaration, vide Exhibit P, in the instant case, contrary to Oguigo’s case, which had no chieftaincy declaration. In the view of the foregoing far-reaching postulations, there is every cogent reason for me to hold that the lower court was right in holding, as it did in the vexed judgment, that the first Respondent is the legitimate heir (successor) to the throne of the Onogie of Ewu following his father’s demise on August 1, 1997 as the Onogie of Ewu. Thus, issue No. 1 is resolved against the Appellant, in favour of the first Respondent. As alluded to above, the second issue raises vexed question of: “2) Whether the injunctive relief granted is supported by evidence on record. (Ground 4).” Arguably, having resolved the issue No. 1 against the Appellant, there is no gainsaying the fact that the answer to the issue No. 2 must naturally be in the positive, thus liable to equally be resolved against the Appellant. According to the Appellant, the absence of any such chief seeking to declare the installation and recognition of the Appellant null and void have rendered the reliefs of perpetual injunction granted by the lower court non sequitur. Thus, in the circumstance Issue No. 2 is answered on the positive, and same is equally resolved against the Appellant, in favour of the 1st Respondent. And I so hold. Hence, having ultimately resolved both issues against the Appellant, there is no gain saying the fact that the instant appeal is grossly unmeritorious, and its hereby dismissed by me. Consequently, the judgment of the High Court of Edo State, holden at Benin Judicial Division, Benin City, delivered by the Hon. Justice F.S. Erhonsele on 11/02/2005 in suit No. B/457/2001 with particular regard to reliefs 2 5(a), (b), (c), (d), & (g) of the plaintiff’s Amended Statement of Claim, is hereby affirmed. • There shall be no order as to costs.

LAW Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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FamilyLaw

“Too many adults wish to ‘protect’ teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.” – Margaret A. Edwards

Concept of minors under the law law, a minor is a person under a Iity,Ncertain age, usually the age of majorwhich legally demarcates childhood from adulthood. According to Black Law Dictionary, a child is defined as “a progeny, offspring of parentage. Unborn or recently born human being”. In other words, a child is a person who has not reached the age of 14. The term child may include or apply to adopted, after-born, or illegitimate child or step-child. It can then be safely said that in the context of the constitution, no circumstance of birth of the child, in the sense of legitimate, illegitimate or adopted are irrelevant. Other law, which defines an infant, which falls under the definition of a child, is Infant Relief Act. 1874, which is a statute of the general application states thus: “An infant is a person under the age of 21 years”. The age of majority depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is generally 18. Minor may also be used in contexts unconnected to the overall age of majority. For example, the drinking age in the United States is 21, and people below this age are sometimes called minors even if they are older than 18. The term underage often refers to those under the age of majority, but may also refer to persons under a certain age limit, such as the drinking age, smoking age, age of consent, marriageable age, driving age, voting age, etc. These age limits are often different from the age of majority. The concept of minor is not sharply defined in most jurisdictions. The ages of criminal responsibility and consent, the age at which school attendance is no longer obligatory, the age at which legally binding -contracts can be entered into, and so on, may be different. In many countries, including Australia, India, Philippines, Brazil, Croatia and Colombia, a minor is defined as a person under the age of 18. In the United States, where the age

of majority is set by the individual states, minor usually refers to someone under the age of 18, but can in some states be used in certain areas (such as gambling, gun ownership and the consuming of alcohol) to define someone under the age of 21. In the criminal justice system in some places, “minor” is not entirely consistent, as a minor may be tried and punished for a crime either as a “juvenile” or, usually only for “extremely serious crimes” such as murder, as an “adult”(citation needed). In Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and South Korea, a minor is a person under 20 years of age. In New Zealand law, a minor is a person under 20 years of age as well, but most of the rights of adulthood are assumed at lower ages: for example, entering into contracts and having a will are legally possible at age 15. For all provincial laws (such as alcohol and tobacco regulation), the provincial and territorial governments have the power to set the age of majority in their respective province or territory, and the age varies across Canada. Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island have the age set at 18, while in British Columbia, Ontario,

Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick the age of majority is 19. Saskatchewan legal gaming age is 19 while Saskatchewan’s legal drinking age is 19. For Federal Law (Criminal Code, Voting, etc.), the age of majority is 18. In Nigeria, the Child Right’s Act 2003, passed into law in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), defines a child as a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years. However, according to Art 2 of Children and Young Persons Act, enacted in Eastern, Western and Northern regions (hereafter referred to as CYPA, a “‘child’ means (a) person under the age of fourteen years, while ‘young person’ means a person who has attained the age of fourteen years and is under the age of seventeen years.” Furthermore, the Immigration Act stipulates that any person below 16 years is a minor, whereas the Matrimonial Causes Act puts the age of maturity at 21. The latter act becomes irrelevant in practice, since the individual states state their own age for marriage. As for penal responsibility, art 50 of the Penal Code (North) states: “No act

is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age; or by a child above seven years of age but under twelve years of age who has not attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequence of such act.” These are only some examples of different ages enshrined in a multitude of legal texts and in customary law all over the country. The official report admits that laws affecting children continue to be “scattered in different legislations and explains “the perception of Age as a definition of a Child depends on who is defining. It varies depending on cultural background. In Italy, law nr. 39 of March 8, 1975, states that a minor is a person under the age of 18. Citizens under the age of 18 have no right to vote (to vote for senate must be at least 25) and be elected in political elections, are not allowed to obtain a driving license for automobiles nor issue or sign legal instruments. Crimes committed in Italy by minors are tried in a juvenile court. The Civil and Commercial Code of the Kingdom of Thailand does not define the term “minor”; however, sections 19 and 20 read as follows: Section 19 - A person, on completion of 20 years of age ceases to be a minor and become sui juris Section 20 - A minor becomes sui juris upon marriage, provided that the marriage is made in accordance with the provisions of Section 1448 Hence, a minor in Thailand refers to any person under the age of 20, unless he or she is married. A minor is restricted from doing juristic acts -for example, sign contracts. When a minor wishes to do a juristic act, he has to obtain the consent from his legal representative, usually (but not always) the parents and otherwise the act is voidable. The exceptions are acts by which a minor merely acquires a right or is freed from a duty, acts that are strictly personal, and acts that are suitable to the per-

son’s condition in life and are required for their reasonable needs. A minor can make a will at the age of fifteen. In England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, a minor is a person under the age of 18, in Scotland, under the age of 16. The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland is 10; and 12 in Scotland, formerly 8, which was the lowest age in Europe. In England and Wales, cases of minors breaking the law are often dealt with by the Youth Offending Team. If they are incarcerated, they are sent to a Young Offender Institution. Things that persons under 18 are prohibited from doing include sitting on a jury, voting, standing as a candidate, buying or renting films with an 18 certificate or R18 certificate or seeing them in a cinema, being depicted in pornographic materials, suing without a litigant friend, being civilly liable, accessing adoption records and purchasing alcohol, tobacco products, knives and fireworks. The rules on minimum age for sale of these products are frequently broken so in practice drinking and smoking takes place before the age of majority; however many UK shops are tightening restrictions on them by asking for identifying documentation from potentially underage customers. Driving certain large vehicles, acting as personal license holder for licensed premises, and adopting a child are only permitted after the age of 21. The minimum age to drive a HGV1 vehicle was reduced to 18. However, certain vehicles, e.g., steamrollers, require that someone be 21 years of age to obtain an operating license. In the United States as of 1995, minor is legally defined as a person under the age of 18, although 21 with the context of alcohol; people under the age of 21 may be referred to as “minors”.

Open appointment process as panacea to judicial corruption CONTINUED FROM PAGE 81 “So, the implication of the warning of the CJN is to remind the new Court of Appeal justices of what had happened in the past so that they could beware of the pitfalls of corruption in the future. It is apt”, he added. To check some of the anomalie, Ogunye said: “Do not forget that Section 237 (2)(a & b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria initially provides that the Court of Appeal shall comprise a President and no less than 49 justices, as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly. “Subsequently by an Act of the National Assembly, the number was increased to 70 and later by another Act, the

number was increased to 90. As new Divisions of the Court of Appeal are created, new justices ought to be appointed. Ultimately, we will have to re-think the appellate system of the Judiciary. He also criticised the procedure of appointing our justices, saying it will not guarantee improved justice delivery. He said: “You know that we are running a unitary judiciary right now and not a federal judiciary, to the extent that appeals go from all the High Courts of the states and from the Federal High Courts and Court Martial to one Courts of Appeal, albeit with many divisions, and from thence, to the one and only Supreme Court. “The ideal situation is for

I have always advocated that the process of appointment of judges should be by public competitive examination and not recommendation. Public competitive examination is more open and more transparent than recommendation

Ibekwe the states of the Federation to have their distinct three levels of court: High Court of Appeal and State Supreme Court, existing side by side with the Federal High Court, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Nigeria. If

a state is too small caseload wise to have a Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, we can have a regional or zonal arrangement. The point I am making is that appointment alone will not guarantee improved jus-

tice delivery, even if the appointment process is very credible and fair. Lawyers or representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are in the Federal Judicial Service Commission and in the NJC should play more roles. The NBA and lawyers as individuals should continue to participate in the appointment process. My worry is that the appointment process is not very open and transparent. For example, names of prospective judges under appointment or elevation consideration should be advertised, so that if any lawyer or non-lawyer wants to participate by objection to a nomination or recommendation, he or she can do so. This is participation of some sort. Apart from this, the NBA, at the level of the branches where appointment and elevation to the Court of Appeal, are made should also play a bigger

role. The revered lawyer expressed worries that the “executive arm of government is playing too prominent role in the appointment process saying this should not be so.” “Do not forget that under Section 153 of the Constitution, both the FJSC and NJC are regarded as executive bodies, regardless of the fact that they are populated by lawyers. There are many brilliant lawyers worthy in character who want to be judges but who cannot be because of the intense, almost suffocating lobby. “I will recommend that the process be thrown open. At the level of each of the branches of the NBA, let open applications be issued every year for vacancies and let these vacancies be filled after examinations, and character and suitability assessment in which the NBA will play a big role. The exercise will become credible, open and transparent.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 LAW 85

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Supreme Court varies verdict in Eletu’s family suit over Osapa community FROM THE COURTS Stories by Bertram Nwannekanma HE Supreme Court of T Nigeria has varied its earlier decision in the protracted legal battle between the Ojomu chieftaincy family and the Eletu family over ownership of the 216, 758 hectares of land in Osapa

Adekoya seeks Hall of Fame for Law Legends

community in Lekki. Ruling on a motion filed by the appellants on December 23, 2013, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen held that the appellants are entitled to the statutory Right of Occupancy of over 216.758 hectares. Justice Onnoghen also held that though by the provisions of Order 8 Rule 16 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, the court can’t review any judgment once given and delivered , it can however vary the judgement or order so as to give effect to its meanings or intention. He said: “ I have listened to the submission of both counsel

and gone through the processes filed therein, it is not in doubt that the counter-claim which was allowed by this court involved a claim for 254.558 hectares of land which the respondents concede to having sold to therein, only 10 hectares of the land was mentioned which is by far less than the claim”. The court had in its verdict by Justice Kumai Bayang Aka’ahs delivered last year on the dispute, gave rights of possession of 10 hectares of the land to the Eletu family. But the apex court but a new ruling on March 18, 2014, increased the portion accruable to the Eletu Family to

216, 758 hectares. The court held that the land in dispute measuring 254,558 hectares belongs to the Eletu family based on the evidence presented to the court, which included a Deed of Conveyance dated August 23, 1977 that was duly registered as No. 36 page 36, Volume 1648 at the Lands Registry, Lagos. The Ojomu chieftaincy family had sold that land vide a registered conveyance to the Eletu family in 1977. In 1987, 10 years after the said transaction, the Lagos State government compulsorily acquired a vast area of land, which included the Osapa vil-

lage. The Ojomu family, alongside other parties, brought an action in Suit No. ID/1883/89 to challenge that compulsory acquisition. The judgment in that suit was delivered on October 18, 1991 and it granted the Ojomu family a customary right of occupancy to the land. The family then sought to enforce this right by claiming the land already sold to the Eletu family. The Supreme Court posits that by instituting an action against LASG, the Ojomu family sought to protect the interest of the Eletu family who now has the right of occupancy, having conveyed

the land to the latter in 1977. “The respondents (Ojomu family) could not claim any legal right to Osapa village merely because the High Court had declared in Suit No. ID/1883/89 that the plaintiffs/ respondents were entitled to the statutory right of occupancy in respect of the whole land. Some of the affected tenants, according to the Eletu family, include UBA and Chevron Nigeria. Meanwhile, the family of Gbadamosi Bandele Eletu has declared their intention to take possession of their land known as Osapa village in EtiOsa Local Council of Lagos.

SENIOR Advocate of A Nigeria, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) has advocated Court dismisses Lagos commissioner’s objection against criminal charge the setting up of a Nigerian USTICE Okon Efreti Abang Bond Group, by representing ruling, held that a failure to accused, and adjourn the adjourned till May 17 for Bar Association (NBA) Hall of Fame to immortalize emi- Jof a Federal High Court that the Group had infracted sign the service copy of a matter to enable the prosearraignment of the accused. Lagos on Friday dismissed an nent lawyers widely acknowledged to have specially impacted on the development of the profession in Nigeria. Speaking against the backdrop of the death of foremost lawyers, Chief G. O. K. Ajayi (SAN) and Chief Theodore Ezeobi (SAN), Adekoya said that such edifice would serve as an inspiration to young and upcoming lawyers to tow the path of honour by emulating these role models and pioneers. Adekoya further said that the Hall of Fame would boost efforts at restoring professional ethics and values among Nigerian lawyers, adding that this has become urgent in view of rising cases of professional misconduct among some legal practitioners. Also another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Augustine Alegeh, in his tribute, said the Bar has lost two legal giants who contributed immensely to the growth and development of the legal profession.SENIOR Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs. Funke Adekoya has advocated the setting up of a Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Hall of Fame to immortalize eminent lawyers widely acknowledged to have especially impacted the development of the profession in Nigeria. Speaking against the backdrop of the death of foremost lawyers Chief G. O. K. Ajayi (SAN) and Chief Theodore Ezeobi (SAN), Adekoya said that such edifice would serve as an inspiration to young and upcoming lawyers to tow the path of honour by emulating these role models and pioneers. Adekoya further said that the Hall of Fame would boost efforts at restoring professional ethics and values among Nigerian lawyers, adding that this has become urgent in view of rising cases of professional misconduct among some legal practitioners. Also another senior advocate of Nigeria, Augustine Alegeh in his tribute said the Bar has lost two legal giants who contributed immensely to the growth and development of the legal profession.

objection raised by Lagos State Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, against a criminal charge on the ground that a service copy of a charge was not signed. Daniel is being charged on six counts, bordering on criminal misrepresentation of facts and deliberate falsehood. In the charge, the accused was alleged to have deliberately made malicious misrepresentations against Alliance and General Insurance Company Ltd., to some agencies, with the intention of damaging the reputation of the company. It was further alleged that he committed the same offences against Fidelity

the Insurance Act of 1997. The offence is said to contravene the provisions of Sections 89 (1) (2) of the Insurance Act 2003. But his counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN) had at the last adjourned date, challenged the service of the charge on his client. Osipitan argued that the manner of service of the charge, robbed the court of jurisdiction to entertain same, since the accused was not personally served. According to Osipitan, the charge was served on his chambers, instead of the accused personally, adding that even the service copy was not signed. He, therefore, urged the court to strike out the charge. However, Justice Abang in a

charge could not affect the jurisdiction of the court. “The jurisdiction of the court does not depend on service of a charge in a criminal matter. This court can hear the charge as a matter of law. “Lack of personal service does not affect the court’s jurisdiction, but can only affect the discharge of judicial power of court in making an enforceable order against the accused. “Put differently, if the accused is not served or properly served, the court cannot entertain proceedings against the accused in his absence, I so hold. “If the accused was not properly served, or served at all, the appropriate thing to do is for the court to set aside improper service upon the

cution serve him personally. The judge added that it would be absurd for the court to strike out or dismiss the charge on the basis of lack of proper service, adding that such order would be an improper exercise of discretion. “Service of the charge on the accused counsel, is not service in law, there is no acknowledgment note that he received the process. “His name, rank, signature and date are lacking in the affidavit of service, as no acknowledgment is attached therein. “Affidavit of service of the charge on the accused dated January 20, on account of my findings is hereby set aside. I so hold,” he said The judge subsequently

Meanwhile, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Kehinde BodeAyeni, yesterday informed the court of a letter from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), seeking to withdraw the case against the accused. Osipitan, in a reaction to this submitted that there was no basis for fixing a date for arraignment, since the intention of the letter was clear. Justice Abang in response, pointed out that his ruling on the issue of jurisdiction had made him a “functus officio”, on the matter. He said other arising issues, should be presented to the court at the next adjourned date.

Lagos celebrates first Pro-Bono Week HE Lagos State AttorneyT General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, has disclosed that access to justice by deserving, disadvantaged self-represented parties who have meritorious legal issues is classified as a right for all Lagosians. He stated that the orientation of the state government has changed and more emphasis is now laid on rendering free legal services to the indigent and disadvantaged in our society. Ipaye said it was for this reason, among others, that the state government launched the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP) in November 2012, as a platform for the state to partner with private law firms and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide pro bono legal services to indigent citizens in Lagos State. He reiterated that the philosophy behind the provision of Pro Bono services in the state is to expand access to justice and further secure the right of every citizen to justice, irrespective of his or her financial means. The Attorney-General disclosed that the LPILP currently boasts of 61 law firms and

four NGOs as its partners, adding that through this collaborative effort, 116 pro bono cases have been screened and transferred to the registered law firms and NGOs, thereby providing a total of 423 indigent persons with quality legal representation

free of charge. He said the state, in collaboration with its partners, has put together programmes to commemorate then first Pro Bono Week, in order to ensure the continued development of the scheme. Some of the activities lined

up for the one-week programme scheduled to commence from Monday, April 7 to Friday, April 11, 2014, include a stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday, April 9, 2014, at Agip Hall, MUSON Centre and a legal clinic on Thursday, April 10,

2014, at the Nigerian Law School Lagos Campus. The legal clinic will afford individual or small-scale business owner who has legal issues and cannot afford the services of a lawyer, the opportunity to free legal services.

Chairman Business Law Academy, Prof. J. O Fabunmi (left); retired Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice E. O. Sanyaolu and Director, Business Law Academy, Olukayode Fabunmi at the Business Law Academy Course on interpretation of contracts by court in Lagos…recently

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

For The Record Regulating power sector in Nigeria: Being text of a lecture delivered by Dr. Sam Amadi, chairman/chief executive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) at the yearly public lecture of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at the Agip Recital Hall of the MUSON Center Lagos THANK the Institute of Chartered Secretaries Ihonour and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) for the of being asked to deliver its yearly lecture. I am delighted to be offered this distinguished platform. I will like to share my ideas about what is happening to the Nigerian power sector and our hopes for a better state of electricity in the near future. The journey to the reform Nigeria has made a major transition from a vertically integrated publicly owned electricity network to a largely privately owned unbundled electricity network. This is a significant transition. It means that unlike 10 years ago when we had only the Nigeria Electric Power Authority (NEPA) being responsible for generating, transmitting and distributing electricity and also responsible for regulating itself, we now have different companies generating, transmitting and distributing electricity in Nigeria and an independent commission responsible for regulating the sector. The separation of the different segments of electricity business is what is called unbundling and was inspired worldwide by the examples of Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain in the late 80s and early 90s. This has become a fad across the world. Another component of the transformation in the sector is that before November 2013, the 10 successor companies that send power to the grid and the 11 companies that sell power to consumers were all owned by the government. Today, these companies are privately owned and the transmission company is now under the management of the private sector. The liberalization and privatization of electricity sector in Nigeria marks the end of a phase in the reform of the power sector but it also marks the beginning of another phase. It ends the phase of structural transformation of the sector and marks the beginning of the phase of cultural and technical transformation. I want to say that this stage is the more important and challenging one. This transition started in earnest in 2001 when the National Council on Privatization (NCP) issued the Nigeria Electric Power Policy (NEPP). The policy argued that the collapse of the electricity sector in Nigeria would only be cured with the liberalization of the sector so as to create a competitive and efficient electricity market that is characterized by the existence of an independent regulator, and utilities that are committed to cost efficiency and cost recovery. The NEPP is premised on ensuring sustainable improvement in electricity supply through enhanced commerciality. The objective is to create a new electricity industry that is based on rules that are enforced by an independent regulator. The regulator will be mandated to ensure that ‘efficient operators recover prudent costs’. This cost recovery is hinged on efficiency. The NEPP was encoded in legislation through the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005. With the EPSR Act, Nigerian power sector reform achieved institutionalization. The standard text in policy reform is that until the reform is codified in an Act of Parliament, the gains of the reform remain reversible. In the Nigerian experience, the institutionalization of proposals of the NEPP in an Act of Parliament secured the reform from the turbulence of politics. During the tenure of President Yar’adua when privatization was briefly stalled, the government could not completely reverse the power sector reform because it was fully established in an Act. For this reason, although the former commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) were arbitrarily suspended, the commission continued to exist until revitalized by President Jonathan in December 2010. Some success stories since the creation of the EPSR Act, 2005: Since 2005 we have achieved so much in the

power sector. NERC has licensed more than 20,000 megawatts of power that could potentially come to the grid in a few years. These licensees have failed to make real progress in executing their projects because up until 2012 the fundamental pieces of the reform were not in place. Independent power producers in the new Nigerian electricity market could not secure financing because of the lack of creditworthiness of the Nigerian electricity market. The creation of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) solved a major problem with bankability of electricity projects. Until the creation of NBET, project developers failed to convince investors and financial advisors to lend them money for project development. The simple reason for the refusal was that the Nigerian electricity industry was bankrupt with huge debts arising from unpaid services and very poor tariff collection. Therefore, it was very risky to lend to a Nigerian independent producer. Besides, until NERC unlocked the tariff policy from bureaucratic control, no substantial investment could come to the Nigerian power sector. The obvious truth is that the reform in the power sector has produced many results and opportunities. First, it has opened the sector to more investment outside the country. One of the crises that the reform seeks to cure is the lack of sustainable investment in the sector which resulted in the collapse of the sector in the late 1980s. The crisis became most manifest with unavailability of electricity for most businesses. This led to massive de-industrialization. For more than two decades there was little no investment in increasing and reinforcing electricity networks in Nigeria. The result of this neglect is that today, Nigeria has one of lowest capita electricity consumption in Africa or even in the world. With a population of 165 million people and an average generation of about 3800MW, Nigeria has a lower per capita consumption of electricity than Ghana. Apart from meager generation capability, the distribution and transmission networks in Nigeria are weak so it is difficult to evacuate more than 5000MW today. The collapse of the electricity industry in Nigeria led to the realization that reliance on public sector financing of sustainable improvement of the industry in Nigeria would be a pipedream. Besides, the huge burden of financing a huge infrastructural gap through public financing raised the urgency of privatization to attract private sector finance into infrastructural development, especially in boosting electricity services. Today, that expectation is realized. The recently completed privatization of PHCN successor companies yielded billions of Naira and the ongoing privatization of the Nigerian Integrated Power Plants (NIPP) will also yield billions of Naira in

The NEPP is premised on ensuring sustainable improvement in electricity supply through enhanced commerciality. The objective is to create a new electricity industry that is based on rules that are enforced by an independent regulator. The regulator will be mandated to ensure that ‘efficient operators recover prudent costs’. This cost recovery is hinged on efficiency.

Amadi acquisition cost. More than that, many foreign and local financial institutions and investors are looking forward to investing billions to upgrade distribution and transmission networks. The real change happening in the sector is financial viability. The lack of financial viability was the main reason why until the full implementation of the Presidential Roadmap on Power there was no substantial foreign investment in the electricity sector. The dramatic illustration of this malady is the fact that the African Finance Corporation (AFC) largely funded by Nigeria did not deem it fit to finance any electricity project in Nigeria. But immediately after the announcement of a cost reflective tariff in June 2012, the AFC has financed many independent power projects and acquisition of distribution assets in the new electricity market. AFC and other financiers could turn to Nigerian electricity market because the regulatory landscape has changed because of the implementation of the reform. Before the reform, tariffs in the Nigerian electricity industry were depressed by government order. The old NEPA was barred by decree from increasing tariff even when the cost of supply of electricity had increased. The result was underproduction of electricity and the absence of investment in the network. Ultimately, it led to inevitable collapse of the system. Cost reflective tariff is critical to any sustainable success we may have with the power sector reform. But the idea of cost reflective is controversial and politically explosive. If the EPSR Act 2005 did not wisely isolate the regulatory commission from the direct control of the government bureaucracy we would not have a cost reflective tariff and the traffic in foreign and local investment in the electricity market would not have happened. Because the regulatory commission is an independent

commission and fixes the tariff after due process and consultation with all stakeholders; and because the tariff is a product of scientific and technical analysis and modeling, it is insulated from vagaries and anxieties of politics. The stability and credibility of the methodology for determining the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) gives assurance to investors to continue to come to the Nigerian electricity market. As long as the regulatory landscape remains insulated from political determination and as long as the regulation of the Nigerian electricity market remains legitimate and credible, foreign and local private sector investment will continue to flow into the Nigerian electricity market. Opportunities are abounding in the Nigerian electricity market as the new owners of distribution companies are committing themselves to better service delivery. Take for example the issue of metering. The committee on metering set up by NERC concluded that the metering gap in the market is very huge with about 50% of consumers, that is, about 2 million consumers without meters. This metering gap has been building over the years. The financial and commercial incentives in the old electricity market of publicly owned companies could not help to close the metering gap. Even when government provided public funds in the name of subsidies, the chief executives of the distribution companies could not meter customers, not even those who paid for meters. Now with the coming of private electricity market the possibility of quickly bridging this huge gap is more realistic. Success will not come in a day. It will take time and huge financial investment to drastically reduce the number of unmetered consumers. But because metering is a crucial strategy for reducing financial losses the new private

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

opportunities, challenges and prospects

distribution companies will have the incentive to make appropriate investment to meter consumers. In a way, the financial interest of the private electricity company can tie with the public good of consumers. This is also reinforced by the regulatory intervention of NERC who could penalize the distribution companies for failure to reach their metering commitment. As part of acquiring the assets, the private owners committed to reduction of aggregate technical, commercial and collection (ATC&C) losses. In the regulatory environment of private ownership it is easier for the commission to more effectively enforce this commitment. So, the reform of the electricity market creates opportunities for investment in all the value

chains of electricity as recovery of cost becomes more guaranteed. With more power available to be sold to consumers because of the liberalization of generation ancillary services (technical and commercial) opportunities for participation will abound. Creative and innovative investors will also be empowered by this momentum to offer solutions to the needs of the sector. There will be a domino effect on allied industries. Already many professionals are gearing up to provide service in this revitalized sector. The regulator is helping to boost services in the Nigerian electricity market through the recent local content regulation. This regulation mandates increasing localization of technology, employment and professional services in the sector. From the evidence of success of local content in the oil and gas sector, we can expect a boom in the local economy as a result of the regulation. The Post- Privatization Era: I said at the beginning that November 2013 marks the end of an era and the beginning of another. It was the end of the era of structural transition. Structurally, the template of a competitive private electricity market is set. What remains to be done are mere decorations and beautification. A few phases remain. The sector will soon enter into the Transitional Electricity Market (TEM). This stage is the stage of full bilateral trading in electricity. Market participants will transact on the basis of their contract. Trading by contract will mark the formal beginning of a competitive electricity market. After the TEM the market moves to the Medium Term when hopefully there will be adequacy of supply in the market and the generation component of the market will be fully deregulated and prices will be on the basis of willing buyer willing seller. The end of structural reform is the beginning of cultural reform. The problems that crippled the electricity industry are not just technical. There are also adaptive. They are partly problems of values and governance. If the old NEPA was well managed the network may not have collapsed and government may not have needed to resort to the bazaar sale as we witnessed. Before 2012 when the regulator commissioned an audit of the accounts of the unbundled PHCN companies, the accounts of the entire electricity industry in Nigeria had not been audited. The governance structure and values of the public agencies in Nigeria easily lend to inefficiency and corruption. That structure and those values contributed to the collapse of the sector. The major challenge of the reform is to change the corporate governance of the industry. It is easier to change the structure of the industry than to change the operative principles and value system of the electricity industry. Without making this cultural change we may not get the full value of the

The obvious truth is that the reform in the power sector has produced many results and opportunities. First, it has opened the sector to more investment outside the country. One of the crises that the reform seeks to cure is the lack of sustainable investment in the sector which resulted in the collapse of the sector in the late 1980s. The crisis became most manifest with unavailability of electricity for most businesses. This led to massive de-industrialization. For more than two decades there was little no investment in increasing and reinforcing electricity networks in Nigeria. The result of this neglect is that today, Nigeria has one of lowest capita electricity consumption in Africa or even in the world. With a population of 165 million people and an average generation of about 3800MW, Nigeria has a lower per capita consumption of electricity than Ghana. Apart from meager generation capability, the distribution and transmission networks in Nigeria are weak so it is difficult to evacuate more than 5000MW today.

structural changes that we have undertaken as part of the power sector reform. To accomplish this cultural change is the major challenge of the reform at this stage. The Six Disciplines for Sustainable Transformation in the Electricity Sector: In previous writings on the reform I advocated series of disciplines that the reform needs to inculcate in order to complete the restructuring. I identified 6 important disciplines that complete the structural change in the electricity industry to ensure sustainable transformation. These disciplines are as follows: The discipline of right pricing for electricity services; The discipline of independent and effective regulation; The discipline of prudent, transparent and regulated public sector funding of the network; The discipline of smart project management; The discipline of consistent policymaking; and The discipline of public participation in sector reform. The Discipline of Right Pricing for Electricity Services: The electricity industry in Nigeria collapsed largely because of the absence of the discipline of right pricing. The freezing of increase in electricity pricing even when cost escalation made it compelling, coupled with the failure of utilities to collect returns for electricity consumed deprived the industry of the needed finance to invest in network maintenance, upgrade and expansion. The most important objective of the NEPP is to recover the financial viability of the electricity industry by providing a framework of regulated pricing that allows utilities to charge fair and reasonable prices for electricity services that recover prudent costs and are affordable to consumers. The emphasis is on ‘right pricing’. What is right pricing? If an electricity market does not answer that question satisfactorily it compromises its sustainability. Pricing is a sensitive issue. But there are key principles that make a framework of electricity services pricing legitimate and acceptable. First, pricing must focus on recovering prudent costs. The work of regulation in a utility market where prices are still regulated is to conduct prudent review of the costs that the utility wants to recover. This prudency review is critical to right pricing. Unfortunately, the process of prudency review is arduous and requires skills that may not be readily available to regulators in emergent markets. Acquiring these skills as soon as possible is a pressing challenge for an effective regulator in an emergent market where prices are regulated. The other aspects of regulatory control of pricing are benchmarking and ensuring cost efficiency. The driver of high prices in utility markets is cost escalation. Benchmarking efficient cost is one sure way of ensuring that consumers pay reasonable and fair prices. This is the idea behind incentive-based regulation. The objective is to incentivize the utility to be more efficient in its production and share the gains of efficiency between it and its consumers. But the most important component of fair pricing is that all the stakeholders- that is, providers and consumers are part of the process of price setting in the electricity market. This harks to the other discipline- the discipline of public participation. Primarily, as it relates to the discipline of right pricing, the regulator must mandate consultation with consumers before approving tariffs for the utilities. In the US jurisdiction this mandate take the form of quasi-judicial rate hearings where a public services commission mandated by law allows consumers and consumer groups to intensely interrogate the rate applications of utilities. In other less ‘democratic’ jurisdictions, participation of consumers in rate-making takes the form of administrative hearing or public hearing, or even written submission by consumer groups and epistemic communities.

The problems that crippled the electricity industry are not just technical. There are also adaptive. They are partly problems of values and governance. If the old NEPA was well managed the network may not have collapsed and government may not have needed to resort to the bazaar sale as we witnessed. Before 2012 when the regulator commissioned an audit of the accounts of the unbundled PHCN companies, the accounts of the entire electricity industry in Nigeria had not been audited. The governance structure and values of the public agencies in Nigeria easily lend to inefficiency and corruption. That structure and those values contributed to the collapse of the sector. The challenge of right pricing is now more urgent in the new Nigerian electricity market than we thought. As soon as the new owners took over the network they started demanding for tariff increase. The justification that was put forward is that the financial and technical benchmarks in the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO), i.e. the 15 year tariff path, are unrealistic. MYTO is based on benchmarks about the levels of technical, commercial and collection losses; projections of available capacity of energy to be sold in the market; the cost of gas and other feedstock; and the prediction of inflation and foreign exchange. If as it is today, the capacity projected by NERC is not attained (we projected about 7,000MW by December 2013 and we actually got average of 3600mws) and the losses levels are not credible, then the demand for rate review is justified. But the question is how to undertake a rate review at this stage in a legitimate and fair manner. NERC’s response to the challenge of right pricing is to initiate a fair process for reviewing and verifying the losses levels. The commission is also establishing a rate review regulation that provides clear and transparent process for rate petition. The regulation grants right of participation in the process to consumer groups and civil society organizations that want to intervene. This secures the legitimacy and credibility of the rate review process. Furthermore, the democratic quotient in the rate review process ensures that the utilities do not capture the regulator and get tariffs that are unreasonable and unfair. It is for this reason of high democratic quotient of rate review processes in the US jurisdictions that electricity tariffs in the US are reputed to be the lowest in the advanced markets. In Nigeria we need this discipline to make sure we achieve a real and lasting transformation of the sector. The Discipline of independent and effective regulation: The underwriter of the success of the private electricity market is an independent and effective regulator. The EPSR Act rightly established an independent regulator. NERC is independent of government and market operators. It can therefore inspire the confidence of stakeholders. The reason for creating independent regulators is to banish fears of excessive regulatory risks especially in countries with a history of government interference in business operations. Such regulatory risks amount to disincentive to investment. So, to secure an attractive investment environment government insulates the regulator from pressure from government bureauTO BE CONTINUED

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NEWSXTRA Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Bauchi records 9, 190 cholera cases

Court sacks Kogi House minority leader

From: Emeka Anuforo Abuja AuCHI State has recorded a total of 9, 190 cholera cases with 53 deaths so far from January 2014 till date, with 11 out of the 20 local government areas in the state were affected. State Epidemiologist, Dr. Jibril umar Muhammad revealed that the state government was working in collaboration with united Nations Children’s Fund, uNICEF, World Health Organisation (WHO), united States Agency for International Development uSAID, Red Cross and Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF) to check the spread of the disease. Meanwhile the Federal Government has donated drugs to the state to curtail the spread of cholera outbreak in the state, the Federal Ministry of Health said yesterday.

From Kolawole Timothy, Lokoja HE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the candidacy of Honourable Afolabi Oluyori Solomon in the Kogi State House of Assembly from Ijumu Constituency. Solomon had contested under the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, now All Progressives Congress where he won the poll and subsequently emerged as the minority leader of the state House of Assembly. However, Hon. Yakubu AbdulGaniyu Kayode, who felt allegedly cheated by his party, dragged the then ANPP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and Solomon as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively before a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, insisting that he was wrongfully substituted, having earlier emerged as the standard bearer of his party.

Chairman, African Research and Development Agency, Mallam Abubakar Sokoto Muhammed (left); National President, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, (MHWUN), Comrade Ayuba Wabba and Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, during the 3rd Annual Guest Lecture of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Abuja yesterday PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

PDP lambasts APC over violent congress, offers help From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado-Ekiti, Abiodun Fagbemi Ilorin and Msugh Ityokura, Lafia AST weekend’s ward congress of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has received a heavy knock from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which described it as a huge embarrassment to democracy. To the PDP, “it is an irony that a party that daily claims it is on a mission to rescue Nigeria could not even conduct its congress successfully.” A statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, condemned “the mind-boggling tales of imposition, cronyism, thuggery and general disdain for the elementary principles of democracy witnessed at the congress.” The PDP said: “The savagery witnessed in the exercise, which came eight months after the registration of the party, offers a glimpse into the confusion and brutality that will be the order of the day if the APC is allowed to hold power in 2015.” Nevertheless, the PDP said it was ready to offer free technical assistance to the APC on how to organize itself in a democratic setting, including the conduct of transparent and credible congress. It said: “We know the history of this party and the pedigree of its leaders will hardly yield to democracy, but we are confident our assistance is handy here.” Noting that from Lagos to Borno, Rivers to Zamfara, it was the same story of thuggery, violence and general disregard for the principles of democracy, it said the congress has “not only exposed the APC as a disorganized party but also a camp replete with political vampires ready to devour even their own.” It further warned members of the other legacy parties that formed the APC that they do not share equality with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which emasculated “their so-called partners in the most uncivilized and barbaric manner, deploying thugs, and using official state apparatus to ensure that they had their way.” According to the PDP, “in

• Police ban campaign rallies beyond 6pm in Ekiti • PDP group wants Jonathan to annul Fayose’s candidacy • Violence mars congress in Kwara, party boycotts council re-run poll in Nasarawa states where the owners of the party felt they could not have their way, the process was manipulated to create confusion, resulting in the shelving of the exercise. “For instance, while the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, was announcing that the congress would go on nationwide as planned, the APC chairmen in Rivers, Plateau, Bauchi and the FCT announced the postponement of the exercise in their states. “The situation was so bad that the congress was cancelled in Adamawa and Katsina while in Kano and Sokoto, there was no voting, as both states chose their ward officials via a strange ‘consensus’ option. These are the ‘progressives’ and ‘democrats’ that want to rescue Nigeria.” Stating that the APC has no business in a democracy, the PDP urged the opposition party to commence the process of its own disbandment. Fearing insecurity, Ekiti State Police Command has ordered all campaign rallies to end by 6pm. Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix uyanna said the order became necessary because of the safety of their members and series of allegations by political parties that opposing parties was attacking their supporters. He, however, warned politicians against raising false alarm capable of undermining the security of the state in preparation for the June 21 governorship election. The police boss noted that the phantom allegations being made by political parties that perceived opponents were attacking them when nothing of such happened, are capable of heating up the polity and derail the 2014 election. The Police commissioner, who spoke through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, appealed to all political par-

ties to always round off their campaigns before 6pm for the safety of their members. He, however, disclosed that the police have arrested some culprits found contravening the electioneering campaign procedure in some parts of the state. uyanna stated that the culprits are now being held in various police stations across the state, adding, “those found culpable after the investigation will be charged to Court.” Meanwhile, some members of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to annul the state congress that produced Mr. Ayo Fayose as the candidate of the party, if the PDP is desirous of winning the June 21, this year governorship election in the state. Addressing a press conference in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, one of the leaders of the group, Mrs. Feyisayo Omotunde Fajuyi said there was an urgent need for the President to intervene in the internal crisis the “fraudulent congress” has caused in the state. Others in the group from across the 16 local councils in the state include, Chief Abel

Bankole Fayori (Irepodun/Ifelodun), Comrade Oluwalana Ayobami (youth president), Chief Ajayi (Ise/Orun), Mrs. Foluke Adetunji (Ekiti West), Com Akinola Adams (IjeroEkiti) and Biodun Ajibadeola (Ikole-Ekiti). Mrs. Fajuyi said “after all known civil and constitutional steps towards addressing the anomalies have been exhausted, with the party national hierarchy pretending that all was well, we took it upon ourselves to encourage our large followership to wait for Mr. President’s return upon which we believe he will intervene with other respected party leaders. In Kwara, security agents allegedly shot two persons during the ward congresses of the state chapter of the PDP. Trouble according to eyewitnesses’ accounts began when suspected political thugs whose identities were not known had attempted the invasion of the Sango PDP secretariat along Old Ilorin/Jebba road, Ilorin. The suspects were allegedly wielding cutlasses and pounced on the gate men but to no avail. Besides, they were harassing some members of

the party brandishing the cutlasses, and making demands for money. However, the timely arrival of the police and some men of the State Security Services (SSS) attached to some officers of the party saved the situation from deteriorating. They sporadically shot into the air, to disperse the thugs. A source added, “but one of the miscreants was resisting the law enforcement agents which made one of the officers to shoot him in the leg. One other thug also received gun shot wounds but I cannot say whether they died or not.” Local Organising Chairman of the party Rex Olawoye, who fingered “the hands of the opposition in the commotion”, said one of the suspected thugs was shot in the leg and rushed to university of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (uITH), Ilorin where he was promptly placed on treatment. “Apart from that case, there was no other case of gunshot not to talk of death. People probably mistook the sounds of releasing tear gas canisters for that of gunshot. We are ready for the PDP enemies in Kwara.” He added that some of the thugs were over powered by the law enforcement officers and whisked them away to the Police force headquarters along Ahmadu Bello Way,

Ilorin. The PDP chieftain added that apart from Alanamu and Oju Ekun Wards in Ilorin where “there was a bit of slight needs for adjustments that caused some delays,”the wards congresses were peaceful in the town. Police spokesman in the state command, Ajayi Okasanmi said he was yet to be briefed of the development when The Guardian contacted him on phone yesterday at 3:37 pm, adding “we are on patrol at present outside Ilorin and nobody has briefed me of the actual thing that occurred at the state’s PDP secretariat.” In Nasarawa State, the PDP yesterday declared that it was boycotting the local government re-run elections in three councils of Akwanga, Obi and Nasarawa respectively in Nasarawa State. State Chairman of the party, Yunana Illiya told journalists at the state party secretariat in Lafia yesterday that the decision became necessary following the fowl play embarked upon by the state electoral body, the Nasarawa Independent Electoral Commission, NASIEC. Illiya noted that the electoral body had announced victory for the PDP in the contentious local council areas in the first conduct of the substantive elections and wondered why it later alluded to same as election being inconclusive.

Minister faults poly teachers on strike From Ali Garba, Bauchi INISTER of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike yesterday lambasted the Academic Staff union of Polytechnics (ASuP) leadership over the seven months old strike saying their refusal to accept payment of their emoluments of N40 billion in two installments was responsible for the lingering strike. The minister, who could not hide his anger yesterday during the North East stakeholders town hall meeting on TETFuND intervention held at 1000 theatre hall of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa university, Bauchi said polytechnic students are still at home today

because ASuP rejected the option to pay in two installment between March and October 2015. Wike stated, “we met ASuP leadership in January and they presented their position that the Federal Government should pay N40 billion, to show that government is committed to their plight, we agreed to pay N20 billion in March and the remaining N20 billion in October but they asked to go back to their executive committee but later came back and said they will not accept the installment unless government pay the N40 billion in full. “Don’t say that government is not doing nothing if they

have accepted by now we would have pay the first installment and October is almost here. That is the stage where we are today and nobody will agree to tell you this truth, all we here is that government is not interested in Polytechnics education, which government is not interested to see that the students are back in school? “Of the five or the six demands that they presented, the Federal Government has implemented almost four or five.” He explained that the Federal Government has made huge investments in the education sector more than any other administra-

tion in the past adding that this include huge investment in basic education, which is the responsibility of the Federal Government but that if the state government in all a bid to promote education development in the country. Wike disclosed that not less than N480 billion has so far been released to federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for various forms of interventions I including research, infra structural development, training among others calling on the heads of the various institutions to access the huge funds lying unused.

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Experts allege plot to weaken EFCC via bill • Egmont group may suspend nation’s Financial Intelligence Unit, Okoro berates anti-graft body

Lamorde From Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna), Bridget Chiedu Onochie and Abosede Musari (Abuja) HE proposed Nigerian Financial Intelligence T Agency (NFIA) bill under consideration at the National Assembly could weaken the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and eventually kill it, some financial experts have said. According to a financial crimes expert in Abuja, the move to remove the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), hitherto insulated by the EFCC and make it a legal entity under the name, NFIA, will open it to litigations from suspected corrupt individuals and politicians, which will eventually destroy its power to investigate such persons. “With a number of suspected corrupt persons being prosecuted by the EFCC in the National Assembly, what they seek to do is kill the NFIU and by extension, EFCC,” the anonymous source said. “This is because, if the unit becomes a legal entity, it can be sued and corrupt persons can get court injunctions to stop it from investigating them or releasing information about their financial activities. That means EFCC cannot proceed with prosecution.” Meanwhile, the global financial intelligence body, FinCEN, has cautioned Nigeria on the NFIA bill, stating that one of the provisions appears to diminish the operational independence and autonomy of NFIU. The observations are contained in a response to an earlier letter by the former Head of Service and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Mr. Steve Oronsanye, seeking the organisation’s opinion on the bill. Oronsanye is said to have asked the Egmont Group and FinCEN to provide comments on the draft legislation before the National Assembly. And unless a legal framework for independent financial intelligence is immediately put in place, Nigeria risks being suspended from the league of Egmont Group, Oronsanye disclosed. Egmont Group is a global body that sets stan-

If this is achieved, it means the EFCC, by extension, is dissolved and cannot operate,” the document said, adding: “Section 39 (of the NFIA bill) seeks to dissolve the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. By law, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit is the EFCC and this section in effect dissolves the EFCC. Is that the intention?”

Oronsanye dard for financial intelligence worldwide and only sends financial intelligence through its secured web to other Financial Intelligence Units (FIU). Also, a look at the position of the EFCC on the proposed bill, which was presented to the National Assembly in December 2013, shows that the NFIA bill could end the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The document noted that when passed, the bill dissolves the existing NFIU, which is the heart of EFCC operation and power to prosecute corruption. “If this is achieved, it means the EFCC, by extension, is dissolved and cannot operate,” the document said, adding: “Section 39 (of the NFIA bill) seeks to dissolve the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. By law, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit is the EFCC and this section in effect dissolves the EFCC. Is that the intention?” According to the source, “by creating NFIA and giving it power to sue and be sued, it could be hampered from investigating corruption. In the long run, it would become an agency at the mercy of politicians and the fight against corruption is likely to return to the pre-democracy days.” The position of the EFCC on the matter, as presented before the National Assembly, is that the NFIA Bill 2013, which, among others, seeks to amend the EFCC Act 2004 and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 should not be considered by the Senate. The agency argued that it was conceived originally as the commission to domicile the FIU. That informed the responsibility imposed on it by Section 6 of the EFCC Act 2003. However, when it was pointed out during the NCCTs process that no provision in the EFCC Act 2003 was made for the domiciliation of the FIU, the Act was amended in 2004 and a new section 2(c) introduced. It states that the EFCC is the “designated Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in Nigeria, which is charged with the responsibility of cocoordinating the various institutions involved in the fight against money laundering and enforcement of laws dealing with economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.” It also contended that the domiciliation of NFIU within the EFCC is strategic as it makes it easier for the agency to perform its functions within and it is in tandem with similar practices in several other countries of the world. Meanwhile, Chief of Staff at EFCC, Mr. Kayode Oladele, who is also an international lawyer, said the Commission received only one bill, though he has heard that there was a second bill. He added that only “the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (Establishment, etc) Bill

Waziri 2013 was made available to the commission. “We understand there is another bill in circulation, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Centre Establishment bill,” he said. “The EFCC has not seen that bill but when we received the NFIA bill, we submitted our comments to both the Senate and House Committees on Narcotics, Drugs and Financial Crimes.” At a retreat organised yesterday by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes in partnership with Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption (MIIVOC) in Abuja, Oronsanye said: “Since November 2013, Nigeria has been disconnected from the secured web of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units due to the concerns expressed by some members over the autonomy of the NFIU. “What this means is that Nigeria can neither receive nor share financial intelligence with other 139-member countries of the Egmont Group on money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as other related matters. “More worrisome is the fact that it is happening at a time Nigeria needs the information most, considering the challenge of terrorism confronting the country presently. Though no formal report has been made, the signal we get is that the recently concluded assessment by the Egmont Group Committee to Nigeria is not positive. “We are, therefore, concerned that if the legal framework is not in place by June 1, 2014, the NFIU stands the risk of being suspended from the league of Egmont Group. This also has wider implication and may hinder the decision on Nigeria’s proposed membership of FATF.” He, therefore, urged lawmakers to review and adopt the Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Centre as a way out. He noted: “The provisions of the bill require further review to ensure that when the Egmont legal assessment team returns to Nigeria for another assessment, Nigeria would be considered to have met the requirements and we can avert the sanctions that may be applied to Nigeria for failing to pass the relevant bills.” Chairman of Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Victor Lar, while declaring the retreat open, assured that the National Assembly Joint Committee would continue to work with the Presidential Committee and indeed, the Ministry of Justice, in ensuring that all observed deficiencies in the new anti-money laundering law is passed into law without further delay.

Lar noted that many issues needed to be discussed on the bill, which is at the completion stage, stressing that the bill has been referred to his committee for further legislative inputs, and to submit its findings after four weeks of deliberations on several issues, including the desirability or otherwise of the board, its size, the composition and the difference it would make from that of the EFCC. For the Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Adams Jagaba, Federal Government’s efforts at getting foreign investments in the country would not yield positive results without the passage of the bill on Independent Nigeria Financial Intelligence Centre. However, anti-corruption crusader and Director General of African Diaspora Initiatives (ADI), Mr. David Okoror, has criticised the activities of the EFCC under DCP Ibrahim Larmode, saying that the agency has proved ineffective in tackling corruption under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Okoror lamented the high rate of corruption in the country today, pointing out that the EFCC’s inability to prosecute big-time corrupt public officers was now undermining the nation’s economy. In a statement, Okoror said that going by the agency’s past experiences and activities, the country was on track to end corrupt practices by public officials, but today, the menace has eaten deeper into government’s treasury without the EFCC prosecuting those found wanting. Stating that the EFCC usually hides under the excuse of interference from the Presidency, he said that President Jonathan recently threw a jibe at both the EFCC and ICPC, telling them, “do your work for Nigerians to see, lest they say I am the one hindering you.” He added: “In almost every international forum of law enforcement agents, Nigeria is always a sore point with regards to bourgeoning cases of financial crimes. Yet, the EFCC seems to have gone to sleep, leaving criminals to have a field day and continue to dent the image of the country while destroying her economy. Again, it is either EFCC is overwhelmed or compromised, or both.”

Egmont Group is a global body that sets standard for financial intelligence worldwide and only sends financial intelligence through its secured web to other Financial Intelligence Units (FIU).

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Sports Uche, Odemwingie on top burner, as NFF, Keshi meet over World Cup list ‘We will not change coach’s list’ From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja and Alex Monye HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee will today meet with the chief coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, to harmonise the provisional list of players, which the coach is expected to submit to the committee before it is made public. The meeting, billed to hold at the federation’s boardroom in Abuja, is expected to settle all the tension and misunderstanding, which have existed between the Super Eagles coach and the NFF. It will also finally resolve the status of Villarreal striker, Ikechukwu Uche and Stoke City star, Osaze Odemwingie. Reports say that Keshi has agreed to include Odemwingie in his team, while shutting the door on Uche. Keshi at the meeting is expected to convince the committee why he will not take Uche to the World Cup if he actually decides to do without the striker. The Guardian recalls that the federation queried the coach on his alleged refusal to honour a technical committee invitation to deliberate on the list of players to be invited for the World Cup preparations. Speaking at weekend on the relationship between the Eagles coach and the technical committee, a member of the committee, Austel Elumelu, said the committee has a cordial relationship with Keshi, adding, however, that the request for the list by the technical committee was in order. Also speaking on the meeting, the Technical Committee spokesman, Paul Bassey, told The Guardian that the NFF wants Keshi to succeed at the World Cup, insisting that nobody in the federation is working against the success of the former Malian coach as he prepares the Africa champions for the World Cup. He refuted reports that the committee was meddling in Keshi’s duties by scrutinising the list of players for the World Cup, adding that the technical

committee and the NFF board were behind the 2013 successes of the senior national team and the Golden Eaglets in the Africa Nations Cup and U17 World Cup respectively. “The committee doesn’t have any problem with Keshi, the press is just over blowing the issue of players selection. “The NFF technical committee can never derail Keshi’s preparations for the World Cup because we have worked hard with the coach to make the Eagles regain respect in Africa and the world. “At this point, necessary logistics have been provided for the Eagles to train in the U.S…we have also gone ahead to ensure the Super Eagles get the best apparatus to work with when they arrive Brazil. “Our duty as technical committee is to advise the coach and he has the right to go ahead to do what he likes. “For example, if the committee tells him that Agbim is not the best keeper in the Nigeria Premier League and he takes him to Brazil, that is left for him. The only thing is that we must point out issues for people to know we did our job,” he said. The Super Eagles are expected to come together in May for the international friendly against Scotland, which comes up May 28 at the Craven Cottage in London, after which the team would begin full pre-World Cup

Enyeama

Enyeama banks on Champions League spot for Brazil success UPER Eagles deputy skipSdeclared per, Vincent Enyeama, has that most players of all qualified nations for the Brazil 2014 World Cup are not thinking of the championship at the moment but the fate of their various clubs across the globe. “We are talking of top professionals, who are heavily rewarded for what their clubs get during the season, some are fighting for a place in the Champions League, like my club, Lille Metropol, others are fighting to get Europa league positions and some very good players are

even fighting against relegations for their clubs. “So to many of us, we don’t want to discuss the World Cup at the moment, what we want is good placing for our clubs and then we can shift focus to the World Cup. If my club gets a Champions League spot, for instance, it will help me focus properly on the World Cup and I know Nigeria will do well, trust me,” he said. Enyeama, who has been the regular skipper of the national team in the absence of Joseph Yobo, also called on football authorities to refo-

cus and allow sleeping dogs lie for the good of the game in the country. “We read a lot about happenings in Nigeria, which most times are not palatable but we are the African champions and we must let ourselves enjoy the moment while it lasts so that we can take a very determined spirit to the World Cup. “I trust the NFF people will listen and help concentrate on better preparation for the World Cup. In essence, we don’t want to hear any story of disagreement in the football family, please.”

Glo Nigeria Premier League

Abia Warriors still focused on continental ticket, says Abiaye By Christian Okpara BIA Warriors’ Team Manager, Ofor Abiaye, believes his team will still qualify to play in the continent at the end of the 2013/2014 Glo Premier League season despite the goalless draw they had with Kano Pillars at the weekend in Umuahia. Abia Warriors gained promotion to the elite division last year, but the team is not showing any sign that this is their first time in the top

division owing to the caliber of players in their fold. Two week ago, the Warriors went to Aba to inflict on Enyimba their first home defeat in the league in two years, prompting analysts to place them among the likely top finishers this term. Speaking on the shared points with Pillars, Abiaye said his team was unlucky not to have scored at least two goals in the game. “We tried our best, but it was obvious that the day was not meant to be ours.

And it was particularly painful because following our defeat of Enyimba in Aba, fans from within and outside Umuahia came to watch the game against Pillars. “The stadium was so filled up that we had to plead with fans to go back as the place could not contain everybody. “We promise our fans that we will work more on our strikers so that they will utilise all the chances they create in a game.”

He also revealed that Abia Warriors’ target now is to recoup the lost points with victories over Enugu Rangers in Enugu and Sunshine Stars in Umuahia. Abia Warriors have earned seven points from a possible 15 but with a game at hand. The Umuahia-based side will be the guests of another newly promoted side, Giwa FC in a match day 6 this coming weekend slated for the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos.

NFF delineates duties for Eaglets, Falcons’ management team From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja N a move apparently aimed Inational at preventing further cases of team coaches taking their matters with the federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday summoned the management crew of the national U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets and the Super Falcons to an emergency meeting in Abuja, where it marked out the duties of all the members of the teams’ management. The Guardian gathered that at the meeting, chaired by the NFF Head of Competitions Department, the federation warned all the members of the technical crew and supporting staff that it would not hesitate to relive them of their duties if it observed any form of lawlessness and disloyalty to the NFF. The federation also made it clear to the members of the teams that they did not enter into any written contract with the NFF, saying that it has the right and power to terminate their contract at any time. In the meeting, Sanusi was said to have warned the management team of the dangers of persons usurping the positions of others in the teams, stressing that the chief coach is the head of every national team.

Tuesday, April 8 , 2014 SPORTS

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Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

Amuneke warns Eagles against neglecting Iran, Bosnia From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HIEF coach of the national U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, Emmanuel Amuneke, yesterday warned Super Eagles players and technical crew against underrating Iran and Bosnia Herzegovina in their preparation for the 2014 World Cup. Nigeria is pooled together with Iran, Bosnia and Argentina in Group F of the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Some Nigerian fans and football stakeholders have dismissed Iran and Bosnia Herzegovina as no match for the Eagles. But Amuneke, who led his technical crew and members of the Eaglet’s management team to a parley with the NFF yesterday in Abuja, warned that the two countries could pose serious threat to Nigeria’s second round ambition at the World Cup. He urged coach Stephen Keshi to continue giving his best in training the team, stressing that putting the players in top form is the

• Backs Mikel, Moses to excel only thing that would bring the best out of them at the World Cup. On the current form of two of the Super Eagles strongmen, Victor Moses and Mikel Obi, the Atlanta 1996 Olympics gold medallist noted that their experience would be highly needed in the team despite their lack of playing time in their EPL clubs. “Of course, we have to be on track, the World Cup is not played under two months. We must know the challenges that the competition is going to bring and we must be able to prepare ourselves to confront those challenges. “Here, we boast that Iran and Bosnia are weak and that we are going to beat them. We have to be a little mindful of the great task and be respectful to our opponents. Our main duty is to prepare ourselves. “Do not forget that this same Iran and Bosnia quali-

Moses Masai (right) won the maiden Okpekpe International Road Race.

Okpekpe 10km road race gets WAMCO’s support AMODZI Sports Marketing (PSM) yesterday named Friesland Campina WAMPCO as the official milk company of the second Okpekpe 10 Kilometre Road Race, which holds on May 3 at Okpekpe, Edo State. A statement by the Media Coordinator of the event, Ade Ojeikhere, said that WAMPCO’s sponsorship would help to fulfil the corporate social responsibility objective of the organisers to the host community. It quotes WAMPCO’S Public Affairs Manager, Ore Famurewa, as confirming the partnership with Pamodzi on the race and saying that it was in line with the company’s policy. “We are proud to be associated with the Okpekpe Road Race and we strongly believe that this initiative will go a long way in promoting the values of having a sound and healthy popul a c e . “This is indeed a laudable initiative and we congratulate the team at Padmozi Sports Marketing, Nigeria

Ltd as a company dedicated to promoting good health and nutrition,’’ it said. The statement also said that Friesland Campina WAMPCO would be providing two truckloads (6,000 cartons) of nutritious diarybased, ready-to-drink product. Other products include the Peak School Smart (assorted flavours of chocolate strawberry and Vanilla) and 10,000 notebooks for c h i l d r e n . Meanwhile, one of the initiators of the race, Mike Itemuagbor, has revealed that plans are in top gear to make the event top class, to in part fulfill the conditions spelt out by the International Association of Athletics Federations ( I A A F ) . “We have commenced a series of planning and restructuring to ensure that this year’s race is better than the maiden edition,’’ he said. The IAAF has set conditions for the race to be accorded the `Gold Label Status’ after this edition.

fied from their groups the same way Nigeria qualified. They can also boast good and quality players, which I am sure they will parade at the World Cup. We must encourage our players by preparing them very well because in the World Cup, nobody is going to dash you anything for free. “We do not need to fear, all we need to do is to pray for the team and wish them the best. We also pray that our players can rise up to the occasion. Mikel and Moses are mature players and their experience will be needed in the team. I hope they can also stand up to the occasion,” Amuneke noted.

More schools, local councils register for 2014 Ibile Games in Lagos HE number of schools and local councils as well as Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) willing to be part of the 2014 Lagos State Sports Festival tagged Ibile Games continued to swell following the number of entries received so far by the organisers. At the weekend, the organisers received huge turnout of entries with schools and councils hoping to beat the deadline for registration. The games holds from April 30 to May 10 this year. The premises of the Lagos State Sports Council (LSSC) at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba, has been a beehive of activities with the officers from the schools and the local councils rushing to submit their registration forms in order to beat the deadline. Director of Sports, LSSC, Dr. Kweku Tandoh said that the IBILE Games would be keenly contested this year in view of the large number of secondary schools and LGs/LCDAs presenting athletes for the Games. He added that the LOC and the subcommittees have intensified efforts to ensure a very successful sports fiesta.

Super Eagles’ John Obi Mikel (middle) outpaces Cote d’Ivoire’s Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba during their 2013 African Nations Cup quarterfinal game in South Africa. Mikel is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s chalPHOTO: AFP. lenge at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

Fifty players set for Chess Olympiad trial HE Nigeria Chess Federation T (NCF) has invited 50 players for the first phase of the trial to select players that will represent the country at the 41st World Chess Olympiad slated for Tromso, Norway in August. The list, according to the NCF Technical Director, Bode Durotoye, is made up of 30 male and 20 female players based on performances in rated tournaments. The invited male players include Benjamin Omorere, Hakeem Edunwale, Kolade Onabogun, Onovughe Ochuko, Emmanue l Maduagwan, Oladapo Adu, Olamide Ajibowo, Igboloku, Felix, Odion Aikhoje, Ademola Sorungbe, Dennis Ogbogho, Odum Martins, Rotimi Ajele, Oluwaseyitan Femi, Koko Obele.

Others are Efemuai Benedict, Joma Crim Chuks Okoh, Oyeyemi John Fawole, Bomo Kigigha, Olufemi Balogun, Eugene Ekpoikong, Bunmi Olape, Aniefiok Nekanem, Adeyinka Adesina, Tosin Akinwale, Biola Akinseye, Michael Ijisakin and George Erekosima. In the female category are Doris Adebayo, Ogechi Emmanuel, Nkem Omishogbon, Olabisi Rabiu, Mandy Enarevba, Omolabake Coker, Hafsat Bello-Osagie, Tobi Olatunji, Nsisong Asanga and Irene Ajibola. Also in the list are Modupe Fasola, Tiritfemuwa Ofowino, Blessing Davis, Millicent Aigbogho, Yemi Osundaikin, Beatrice Okwubor, Nneoma Aguta, Queen Princewill, Ada George Jica and Patience

Sylvester. The Technical Director explained that the selection process was based on performance rating of chess players within a calendar year of rated tournaments and all the six gold medalist at the last National Sports Festival held in Lagos. The first stage of the trials, he said, would hold at the Media Centre of the National Stadium in Lagos from April 23 to 25. “We are using the Olympiad time control over eight round Swiss event pairing and Bucholz would be used to break the ties after which 10 players each from male and female will qualify for the final round of the trials which will come up in Ibadan next month,” Durotoye said.

Team Nigeria battles Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, as ITTF African Junior Championship begins IGERIA yesterday began N its quest for glory in the team event of the 2014 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Junior Championship holding in Cairo, Egypt, with the Coach Nosiru Bello-led team contending with seeded teams like Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. Bello is being assisted by Coach Dotun Omoniyi. In the team event draw held

at the Le Meridien Hotel in Cairo at the weekend, Nigeria’s male team will meet host – Egypt, Congo Brazzaville, Djibouti and Congo DRC in Group One, while Tunisia, Algeria, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa are in Group T w o . In the female draw, Nigeria will tackle Egypt, South Africa, Angola in Group One, while Algeria, Tunisia, Congo Brazzaville and Congo DRC

Vice President, Press Relations, Schneider Electric, Thierry Nicolet; winner of the 2014 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, Kenenisa Bekele; Communications Manager, Schneider Electric Anglophone West Africa, Anne Ezeh and Senior Vice President, Corporate and Solution Marketing, Schneider Electric, Jo Hart, at the 2014 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon…recently.

are in Group Two. In the cadet team event draw, Nigeria’s male team will battle Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria in Group One, while Group Two consists of Congo Brazzaville, Angola, South Africa and Djibouti. In the girls’ category, Nigeria will tackle Tunisia, Angola and Congo DRC in Group Two, while Egypt has to confront Congo Brazzaville South Africa and Angola in Group One. The top two teams in each group are expected to qualify for the semifinal of the event. The Nigeria male team is made up of Olasunkanmi Oginni, Babafemi Babatunde, Joseph Osedunkwu and Sunday Akomolafe, while the female team has Tosin Esther Oribamise, Agnes Onoja, Ajoke Ojomu and Halimot Ayinla. Egypt’s quartet of Aly Ghallab, Mahmoud Fathy, Ahmed Mabrouk and Ahmed Dabous are the top seeded players in the Championships Ahmed Dabous currently stands in second place behind Algeria’s Yaniss Douifi, with Tunisia’s Kerem Ben Yahia in third spot. Mahmoud Fathy is in fourth position with Aly Ghallab in sixth spot. Sandwiched in between is Congo Brazzaville’s Gracce

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92 SPORTS Tuesday, April 8, 2014

LMC counsels clubs against damaging comments on the league HE League Management T Company (LMC) said yesterday that it has observed the gradual return to use of languages that bring the league to disrepute by some club officials, warning that it would punish such conducts appropriately in line with the rules. A statement from the office of LMC’s Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar, said the body would no longer condone such comments by club officials, including coaches and managers, as well as their players, whose comments lower the integrity of the League in the eyes of the public. It reminded the clubs that existing regulations have provided appropriate channels for conveying grievances and protests against perceived wrong doings by match officials or opponents. “The LMC wishes to admonish clubs, who have issues with the outcome of matches or conduct of match officials to take advantage of existing procedures and channels of

Enyimba’s Uwadiegwu Ogbu (middle) celebrates a goal in a 2012/2013 league game. The LMC has warned teams against disparaging comments on the league. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI.

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

We are still monitoring players, says Shorunmu By Alex Monye

‘Agbim is the best in local league’

Eagles goalkeepers’ ShasUPER trainer, Ike Shorunmu, revealed that the

had no disagreement with the committee, adding that the ‘Big Boss’ would meet with the NFF soon to discuss the players selected for final preparation for the World Cup. ‘’The Eagles technical crew is still monitoring players’ activities in their clubs to ensure that only the quality ones make the final list for the World Cup. “As we always say, only players in top form would be taken to play in Brazil. There is no cause for alarm because the Eagles coach cannot bow to any pressure to use a player he does not want in Brazil. “Our target is to pick the best legs without sentiments

Stephen Keshi-led technical crew is still monitoring the activities of Nigerian players in both the domestic and foreign leagues with a view to ensuring that only the best legs are taking to the Brazil 2014 World Cup. The former Super Eagles goalkeeper reassured Nigerians that Keshi would not take out of form players to Brazil, adding that the coaches have certain things they expect from any player needed in the national team. On the relationship between the Eagles’ boss and the NFF technical committee, Shorunmu said Keshi

and also build a solid team that would have a sterling performance in Brazil. I can also assure you that all the three goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide and Chigozie Agbim are good for

the World Cup. “As far as I am concerned, Agbim is the best keeper in the Nigeria Premier League at this moment,’’ Shorunmu declared. He assured Nigerians that the Eagles final list would represent the best players available for selection.

ment of the 2014 Federations Cup preliminaries at the state level, while seeking support from well meaning individuals and corporate bodies for successful tourney. The FA has also seeded Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan and Crown FC of Ogbomoso to join other teams in the round of 16. While addressing newsmen ahead of the annual soccer tourney after 3SC’s home match against First Bank at Lekan Salami Sport Complex, Oyo FA acting chairman, James Odeniran said this year’s edition

would witness a lot of new innovation geared towards adding more values and glamour to the annual traditional soccer tourney. Odeniran added that all efforts to get corporate sponsors to this year’s edition is yet to yield fruit, saying, however, that the state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Umar Farouk Alao has assured the FA of adequate support. “I want to assure all the teams in the competition of fair play and a level playing ground… there will be no preferential treatment for any team and every club stand equal chance in the competition,” Odeniran, a retired FIFA-badge referee, said after the draw.

Oyo Governor’s Cup: Brightville College maintains hot streak HE quarterfinalist at the T on-going All Nigeria Secondary School Football Championship, known as NNPC/Shell Cup, Brightville College from Oyo State, has continued its sterling soccer prowess by winning all its first round matches to emerge champion of the Ibadan North Local Government zone of the 2014 Oyo State Governors’ Cup. Brightville College AshiBodija Ibadan mauled Bishop Onabanjo High School 3-0 in the first game of the annual Governor’ Cup tourney and defeated St. Gabriel High School Mokola 3-0, before gunning down Abadina College 3-2 and Islamic High School Bashorun 3-0 in the LG final. This soccer exploit has earned the school a commendation from the Commissioner of Education in the state, Prof.

Solomon Oladapo Olaniyonu, who described the school as “a good ambassador of the state owing to the good conducts and exceptional football talent of pupils of Brightville College.” Also speaking on the exploits of the school, Oyo State Ministry of Education Schools Sports Officer, Sunday Akinosun, urged other schools in the state to emulate the good and disciplined nature of Brightville College, which, he said, is responsible for all the achievements made by the school so far. Speaking ahead of the quarterfinal match in the Shell Cup, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Oyo State, Umar Farouk Alao has pledged to personally supervise the team’s preparation for of its quarterfinal clash slated for April 12 to 14 at Sagamu Stadium, Ogun State.

NSSF hails Abdullahi, tasks Danagogo on school sports development HE former Minister of T Sports/Chairman, National Sports

3SC, Crown drawn bye as Oyo FA Cup begins YO State Football O Association yesterday announced the commence-

seeking redress and desist from making media pronouncements, especially the print and social media which not only prejudices public opinion but also questions the integrity of the League,” the statement noted. It added: “The LMC wishes to also assure clubs and their fans that all acts of proven poor officiating and misconduct on the part of match officials will attract adequate sanctions on the culprits. “While the LMC will not accommodate acts of violent physical and verbal attacks on our appointed match officials and any persons within the jurisdiction of a match, proven acts of misconduct against any of them will be sanctioned in line with prescribed regulations. “Football is a beautiful game that is meant to be enjoyed, in victory or in defeat. Fans and officials must therefore learn to accept results and allow the LMC to take care of disciplinary issues for the game to

Overall winner of the 8th bi-annual athletics meet organised by St. Louis Schools, Egbeda, Master Juwon Alabi (left) receiving his trophy from the Proprietress of the school, Lady Floral Ebhoma (right) and the sports coordinator.

Commission (NSC), Bolaji Abdullahi has been hailed for his efforts at lifting school sports. The commendation came from the President, the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), Ibrahim Muhammad, who however, tasked the new NSC boss, Tamuno Danagogo to emulate his predecessor on grassroots sports development. The NSSF helmsman, said under Abdullahi, school sports was given enough attention, which he said in near future would yield positively. “I want to hail the appointment of Dr. Tamuno Danagogo as the new sports minister but will always commend the

efforts of Bolaji Abdullahi in the area of grassroots sports development through school sports promotion and development. Under Abdullahi, school sports was recognized and given its rightful place in the development of sports. I would like to encourage the new sports minister to follow suit and do even better because the generality of the nation’s children are looking up to him for the development of sports especially from secondary schools. If he embraces school sports, which is the global focus now, his tenure will record successes because the foundation to the elimination of age cheats and proper scouting, discovery and development would have been set,” the NSSF boss said.

Tuesday, April 8 , 2014 SPORTS

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Davis Cup: Britain hopes hit by lack of strength in depth By Russel Fuller HERE was a sense of optiT mism within the British team ahead of the final day

Italy’s Fabio Fognoni in the Davis Cup game against Andy Murray of Great Britain on Sunday. Italy won 3-2 to advance to the semi finals

Pistorius apologises for killing Reeva Steenkamp N emotional Oscar Pistorius has apologised to the family of girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on the first day of his evidence at his murder trial. In a trembling voice, he said he was “trying to protect” her and said he could not imagine the family’s pain. Pistorius said he suffered “terrible nightmares” and often woke up smelling Ms Steenkamp’s blood. Prosecutors say he killed her in February 2013 after an argument. He says he mistook her for an intruder. The athlete told Ms Steenkamp’s relatives that there “hasn’t been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven’t thought about your family”. “I wake up every morning and you’re the first people I think of, the first people I pray for. I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family. “I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise that when she went to bed that night she felt loved. I’ve tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you. But no words will ever suffice.” In the packed Pretoria courtroom, Ms Steenkamp’s mother, June, sat stony-faced while

he spoke. Pistorius said he was taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills. “I’m scared to sleep, I have terrible nightmares, I can smell blood and wake up terrified,” he said. He added that he never wanted to handle a gun again. The athlete, 27, told the court about his difficult childhood after being born with parts of both legs missing and needing to wear prosthetic limbs. After a recess, Pistorius was asked whether he and his family had been exposed to criminal acts. He said there had been many break-ins while he was growing up. Pistorius said on one occasion he was followed by a car into his gated community. He said he had his gun with him and the two men in the car had sped off. On another occasion, he said he had drawn his firearm as he tried to protect a taxi driver who was being assaulted. Pistorius testified: “They started beating him with rocks in his face and in his head. At that point I jumped the lights. I hooted until I pulled up. I drew my firearm. I pointed it at the three people. They jumped in the taxi. They sped off.” Pistorius said he was also attacked at a party in December 2012, and had to

have stitches in the head. He then detailed how important religion was to him, saying: “When I met Reeva, I think it was just a blessing. I’ve always wanted to have a partner that was a Christian. She was a very strong Christian.” He then became emotional again as he said, “my God’s a God of refuge” and his counsel, Barry Roux, asked for an adjournment.

of the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Italy on Sunday, and despite the end result, it was not misplaced. Andy Murray had led the team home in identical circumstances in both September’s World Group play-off against Croatia and February’s first-round tie in the United States, but in Naples, Fabio Fognini was simply too good. Combining excellence and consistency, in a way that often escapes him, Fognini outplayed the Wimbledon champion. His world ranking of 13 does not accurately reflect his pedigree on clay, even if he has often stumbled against a player of Murray’s calibre in the past. Murray admits he needs to spend more time on the surface to become more fluent in the tricks of the trade. An honest assessment is that defeat by such a seasoned clay-court practitioner would also not have been a huge surprise on the clay of the ATP tour. There remains, though, a huge sense of disappointment, and of an opportunity lost - not least of all for a semi-final with Switzerland on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, which would have been a wonderful shop window for the sport. Such has been GB’s success over the past 12 months that about 700 fans travelled to Naples more in expectation than in hope. Was it the wrong decision to pick James Ward ahead of the higher-ranked Dan Evans? Not on clay, where Ward is the more experienced and successful of the two. He played above himself in Friday’s four-set defeat by Fognini - a match, which may not have taken place if Ward had not managed to beat Sam Querrey

in such style in San Diego. Was it unwise to ask Murray, with the remnants of a virus in his system, to play three matches in three days - especially as his singles with Seppi could not be completed until the morning of the doubles? Ross Hutchins and Colin Fleming could have beaten Fognini and Simone Bollelli in the doubles, but they would have started as second favourites, and I believe captain Leon Smith was right to play his strongest hand at every opportunity. The reality is that it is very difficult to progress through the World Group with only one top-50 player. In recent years, Rafael Nadal has had help from David Ferrer, Novak Djokovic from Janko Tipsarevic, and Tomas Berdych from Radek Stepanek as the Czech Republic have won the cup two years in a row. Ward and Evans - with excellent back-up from doubles players like Fleming, Hutchins and Jamie Murray - performed magnificently in taking Britain to the cusp of the World Group when Andy Murray took a step back from the team. But they will always be up against it in the World Group. Britain needs to find another top-50 player before Murray retires. It is hoped that both Evans and

Ward can move into the top 100. Evans, in particular, has time on his side. He is still a month from his 24th birthday. But a lot of resources are now being invested in Kyle Edmund, who at 19 finds himself just inside the world’s top 300. He was not ready to make his Davis Cup debut in San Diego, but pushed Ward close for a place in the team, and impressed everyone with his ball striking as a practice partner in Naples. Experts say that when you compare his achievements with past players of his age, he is on track to be ranked between 50 and 100 in the world. That is purely a projection and, as those with experience of the stock market will testify, your investment can go up as well as down. The 2015 World Group campaign - which incidentally won’t start until the first week of March - is likely to be a little early for Edmund to make an impact. But maybe three or four years from now, with Murray either planning, or clearing up after his 30th birthday celebrations, Britain will have two singles players who could prosper in the World Group. Even if they are again drawn away, and have to play a tie on what Leon Smith described as a “very heavy, thick, mudlike court”.

Glasgow 2014

Fraser-Pryce tips Okagbare for success AMAICAN sprint star, Jbelieves Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce African athletes will provide her biggest challenge at the Commonwealth Games. The Olympic (100m) and World (100m and 200m) champion has yet to decide which events she will take on in Glasgow. “It will be hard,” she said. “You have the African

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce crosses the finish line next to US’ Allyson Felix (left) and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare to win the women’s 100m final at the athletics event of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 4, 2012 in London.

nations Blessing Okagbare. “There are a lot of athletes that are doing tremendously well that will be at the Commonwealth Games.” Nigeria’s Okagbare - an Olympic bronze medallist in the long jump - finished third in the 200m and sixth in the 100m at last year’s World Championships. Fraser-Pryce, speaking to the BBC’s Mark Beaumont, said: “Training has been going well. I won the World Indoor title a couple of weeks ago. “That definitely shows that training has been in full swing and is going very well. I’m looking forward to it.” As well as multiple successes in the 100m and 200m, Fraser-Pryce has also medalled with Jamaica in the 4x100m relay in the past. The 27-year-old was talking about her prospects for the Games while taking part in celebrations to mark the Queen’s Baton Relay in her homeland. The baton, which contains a message from Queen Elizabeth, is currently travelling around the Commonwealth and will play a key role in the opening ceremony of the Games.

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94 SPORTS Tuesday, April 8, 2014

UEFA Chapions League round up

We need a crazy result against PSG, says Mourinho Mourinho immediately JtheOSE turned his attentions from Premier League to the

Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho looks on during a training session at a training ground ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League, quarter final second leg tie PHOTOS: AFP against Paris Saint-Germain.

Heineken ‘Road to Lisbon Final’ winners emerge this week are always eager to be part of Heineken’s team to the final match, just as the remaining eight clubs battle to make the semi final berth. Tonight, while the 39,000 capacity Stamford Bridge of FC Chelsea hug global television attention in anticipation of how the London Blues handle the 1-3 deficit from the first leg last week, hundreds of thousands of passionate fans in Nigeria will still have their minds to the outcome of the transparent draw ceremony to come up at the Lesukka Event Centre in Port

HE suspense and anxiety T that has gripped passionate Nigerian fans of the UEFA Champions League will reach its boiling point during this week’s matches when the five winners of the all-expenses paid trip will emerge from the Heineken ‘Match Your Half Tickets’ promotion. The international premium lager beer, Heineken, will give five lucky Nigerians a trip of a lifetime. Traditionally in the last seven seasons of the competition, this period is always crucial to passionate football fans that

Harcourt where one lucky winner to Lisbon final will emerge during the interval of the matches. In all, 500 participants will have their tickets in the hat for a ‘lucky’ consumer to emerge. “We have concluded arrangement for a hitch free ceremony that will come up at half time of the matches. Considering the fact that a winner emerged from this city last year and was part of the five consumers to the Allianz Arena spectacle last month, we envisaged a fren-

Eto’o may return against PSG TRIKER Samuel Eto’o could Srecent be risked despite his hamstring injury

XI, with Fernando Torres overlooked before returning for Saturday’s win over Stoke. Ramires is suspended, Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are ineligible and Marco van Ginkel could be included on the substitutes’ bench after his lengthy knee injury. Chelsea team (from): Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Lampard, Torres, Oscar, Mikel, Schurrle,

when Chelsea face Paris St Germain in today’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg seeking to overturn a 3-1 deficit. Eto’o has missed the last three matches, including the first leg at the Parc des Princes when Jose Mourinho fielded a strikerless starting

Van Ginkel, Hazard, Ba, Willian, Schwarzer, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Eto’o, Kalas, Hilario, Ake.

zied atmosphere but we urged consumers to be calm all through the ceremony,” the Senior Brand Manager Heineken, Ngozi Nkwoji remarked last night. The following day, while Manchester United and FC Barcelona attempts to turn the heat of qualification against their respective hosts, Bayern Munich and Atletico, respectively, activities will move to Dreams Active Recreation Bar in Abuja where another winner is expected to emerge from the pool of 400 consumers. Heineken House Lagos, the hub of football followership and social activities therefore promises greatest of excitements. Two winners will emerge at the Heineken House Lagos when the second leg final matches of the quarterfinal stage are being played in Madrid and Munich.

Champions League and today’s tie with Paris St Germain after Saturday’s defeat of Stoke. Chelsea stayed in contention at the top of the standings with a 3-0 win over Stoke, after which Mourinho bemoaned the fact teams in title contention and relegation danger have not played an equal number of games. Chelsea’s domestic ambitions are now on hold as Mourinho’s men bid to overturn a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg deficit at Stamford Bridge tonight and reach the semifinals for the seventh time in 11 seasons. “A third defeat would be very bad for our confidence in relation to Tuesday’s (today) match,” said Mourinho, whose side responded from the losses at Crystal Palace and the Parc des Princes to beat the Potters. “It was important to win, to have again a smile on the players’ faces and to get more confidence. “Now we can approach the match against Paris with a smile. It’s what we need for such a difficult match and such an almost impossible job to do. “I think the best way to try to do it is to have a smile and go at them.” Against PSG, Chelsea are bidding to replicate the last-16 come-from-behind win over Napoli en route to winning the 2012 European Cup. Mourinho added: “I want to enjoy that game. I enjoy the difficulty. “Now we know that we need to win 2-0, 3-1, 4-1, 5-2. We know that we need a crazy result against Paris. “We must be ready to go without fear, go at them and no problems and see what hap-

Cavani favours PSG ahead of Chelsea Cavani is expectEDINSON ed to fill the boots of

Eto’o

Today’s Champions League matches Borussia Dortmund Chelsea

v v

Real Madrid PSG

pens. “If we have to lose to lose after a magnificent night of football, a magnificent night of emotion, if we have to lose.” Mourinho’s striker travails mean he is reliant on a strong defensive display against PSG, who are without their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to a thigh injury. Chelsea’s established back five of goalkeeper Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta have started the last 10 games, while the Blues have kept clean sheets in all of their last eight home matches. “If you concede one goal against Paris or a clean sheet we have a chance,” Mourinho said. “If we concede two goals and we have to score five, we can’t do the job. It’s important to defend well against Paris. “A clean sheet would be perfect, but even if we concede one goal we will have always a chance to give them a fight.” Eden Hazard scored a vital away goal in Paris last Wednesday and came off the substitutes’ bench to find Mohamed Salah in a move, which resulted in a penalty and provided a spark for the Blues. Hazard’s performances will be key in the closing weeks of the season and next in the Premier League Chelsea visit Swansea, the scene of the Belgian’s infamous altercation with a ballboy last term. With Manchester City two points behind with two games in-hand and not catching up Chelsea in terms of fixtures played until the final week of the season, Mourinho knows his team cannot control their destiny. “The only thing we can do is try to win our matches and see the way it finishes,” Mourinho said. • Culled from Sportinglife

Real Madrid’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo (left) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg football match.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and believes PSG will finish the job against Chelsea. The French champions will take a 3-1 lead to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with the Blues but will be without star striker Ibrahimovic, who picked up a hamstring injury in the first match. Cavani, who has been heavily linked with Chelsea, has been tipped to fill the void left by the Sweden international hit-man after playing a wider role for the Parisians since his summer switch from Napoli. The Uruguay international has been, at times, frustrated about being played to the left of Ibrahimovic and feels he is far more effective at the head of proceedings. “I am better in the axis,” he said. “This is normal; this is my job. It’s a great responsibility for me. “We have a great advantage. We will be very focused. It will be hard but we can do it. We have a responsibility to finish the job.”

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014 SPORTS 95

Cavendish to miss Grand Prix de l’Escaut ARK Cavendish has M pulled out of the Grand Prix de l’Escaut because of flu. The 28-year-old Omega Pharma - Quick-Step rider has already missed the GentWevelgem, Driedaagse De Panne and Tour of Flanders because of the illness. “I am sad to miss a race that is very close to my heart - my first win as a professional,” the Manxman said. “With a team built around me, I wouldn’t feel right in asking my team-mates to sacrifice themselves if I’m not in condition to perform.” Team manager, Patrick Lefevere says there may now be a rethink about Cavendish’s race programme. He said: “He will probably be at the Tour of Turkey (April 27 to 4 May), at the Giro (May 9 to 1 June) and the Tour of California (May 11 to 18).” A decision will be made next week. The Grand Prix de l’Escaut, which starts tomorrow, is held on a flat course in the Flanders countryside in Belgium, and was won by Cavendish in 2007, 2008 and 2011.

Oyinlola, Alao-Akala for 3rd Funman golf tourney HE serene town of T Ogbomoso will witness unusual excitement on Saturday, April 12, when the 3rd Funman one-day golf tourney tees-off at the Ogbomoso Recreation Club. The tourney, bankrolled by foremost beverages manufacturers, Funman Nigeria Limited, is expected to attract over 80 golfers from across the country that will participate in the annual event. Prominent among the dignitaries expected at the crowdpulling event are the immediate past president of the Nigeria Golf Federation and ex-governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a single handicapper as well as captains of Ilorin, Ibadan, Ikoyi, Ikeja, Kagarko, and Ada Golf Clubs. It is also expected that veteran golfers like Engr. Ponle, Chief Akin Oke, Willie Egba, Prince David Bolanta, Ambassador Layi Oyedele, Rev. Oladokun among others would also participate in the one-day tourney, which is organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Ogbomoso Recreation Club. The president of ORC, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala with the chairman/CEO of Funman, Chief Olayiwola Adeyemi will perform the ceremonial tee-off by 8.am.

Rose

The Masters 2014: Augusta a steep learning curve, says Rose NGLAND’S Justin Rose has E warned Masters debutants they face a steep learning curve at Augusta National when the tournament starts on Thursday. Ryder Cup hopefuls, Stephen Gallacher, Victor Dubuisson and Joost Luiten are among those who have all qualified for the first time. Only three players have won a green jacket on their debut. Horton Smith and Gene Sarazen did so in the first tournaments (1934 and 1935) while Fuzzy Zoeller triumphed in 1979. “The learning curve at Augusta is steep, very steep,” said Rose, the 33-year-old US Open champion, who has never finished outside the top 40 in his eight Masters appearances. Rose was tied for 39th in his

debut and his best result at Augusta is joint fifth in 2007 behind American Zach Johnson. Although Scotland’s Gallacher, France’s Dubuisson and Holland’s Luiten have performed well enough elsewhere to also be in line for Ryder Cup debuts in September, Rose believes just playing all four rounds in the Masters will be a worthy achievement. “I think the general rule is that if you make the cut the first time at Augusta, then that’s a successful performance,” he said. “Certainly that’s how it was framed in my mind in 2003. “Just playing at Augusta is an amazing experience for any first-timer. It’s an amazing experience going for the 10th time, to be honest with you.

“It’s one of the few tournaments where you play practice rounds even though you don’t really need to. You already know the course and your strategy, but you can’t resist getting out there on that golf course. It’s a magical place and I can’t wait to get back there.” English amateur Matthew Fitzpatrick, 19, will also make his Masters bow after winning the US Amateur Championship last August. Gallacher, 39, effectively secured his place in the field by successfully defending his Dubai Desert Classic title at the start of February, although a share of sixth place in the WGC-Cadillac Championship last month confirmed it. His best finish in a major is a share of 18th in the 2010 US PGA Championship, but he

has already secured a practice round with 1988 winner, Sandy Lyle to pick his fellow Scot’s brains on the best way to negotiate Augusta’s unique challenges. Gallacher is also trying to arrange some time with twotime champion Jose Maria Olazabal, who was the last European to win the Masters in 1999. Dubuisson, 23, leads the European Ryder Cup rankings, while Luiten, 28, won twice on the European tour last year. In the absence of the injured Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy is the bookmakers’ favourite, although the former world number one’s best finish at Augusta remains his share of 15th in 2011. He held a fourshot lead going into the final round but collapsed to a closing 80.

Formula 1: No team orders for Hamilton, Rosberg, say Mercedes ERCEDES will let Lewis M Hamilton and Nico Rosberg race freely for the rest of the season following a thrilling battle at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton held off Rosberg at Sakhir on Sunday, and the only demand from their team was that they did not crash. Asked if that policy would continue, Mercedes co-team boss, Paddy Lowe said: “There’s no reason to not do it.” His partner Toto Wolff said: “It’s great watching two drivers of that level racing fair and square.” Rosberg and Hamilton were

side by side several times during Sunday’s race, with each pushing the other to the limits of the track and beyond as they fought for victory. The race, which featured wheel-to-wheel action throughout the field for its duration, came at the end of a weekend in which F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari president, Luca Di Montezemolo had both said the new efficiency-based rules had produced a lack of action. Wolff said: “Not risking the other car and still delivering a mega-show; it doesn’t get any better advertising for F1, in a moment when lots of people

were talking F1 down. “You need the drivers to know that it is important not to risk the image of such a brand. We are representing a big brand and they need to know what to do, and they did it in a fantastic and spectacular way.” Mercedes have dominated in the early stages of the new season, and Lowe said the team felt it was their duty to let the drivers race without interference. “Imagine if we’d imposed team orders from lap two or something,” he said. “What a terrible thing that would be for F1 and the Mercedes philosophy in motorsport.

“It is something we owe to ourselves and the sport. And to the drivers. They are great drivers. They are professionals. You want to give them the opportunity to race.” The drivers were warned by Lowe during a late-race safety car period to “make sure you bring the cars home”. The most intense laps of their battle followed, with Rosberg on the faster ‘soft’ - or ‘option’ tyres and Hamilton the slower ‘medium’, the ‘prime’. Wolff said: “It was just to remind them just before the heat would start to say don’t forget what we discussed. It was not at all a strategic call; it was just a gentle reminder

of where we were coming from.” Hamilton said: “We were both on the knife-edge. When you’re on the knife-edge the risk increases. We were on the limit. “And maybe next time we’ll come back a little bit. But I was not letting up today. He was doing 100 so I have to go to 100. I can’t be 95 and him 100. “But I think he drove fantastically well. He was fair and I like to think I was. It was close, but I like to think we didn’t damage each other’s races. The team put that trust in us, which is great.”

Sangakkara pay tribute to his team-mates UMAR Sangakkara paid K tribute to his team-mates after he steered Sri Lanka to the World Twenty20 title in his final T20 international. The left-hander made 52 not out off 35 balls as Sri Lanka chased down India’s 131 to win by six wickets in Mirpur. Sangakkara, 36, had scored only 19 runs in five previous innings in the tournament. “The side carried me to the final and I was pleased I finally did something for the team,” he said. Victory ended a run of four defeats in global finals for Sri Lanka, who lost the 2007 and 2011 World Cup finals and the 2009 and 2012 World T20 finals. “It was my fifth final and I can’t be happier or prouder. It’s been a long time coming,” said Sangakkara. “It means everything to me. My family and playing for Sri Lanka are the two most important things in my life. We wear these colours with a lot of pride.” Sangakkara retired from international T20s with 1,330 runs in 55 matches at a strikerate of 118, while long-time team-mate Mahela Jayawardene also ended his T20 career with 1,493 runs in 55 games at a strike-rate of 133. “We have been waiting such a long time; we just hadn’t been able to get across that hurdle,” said 36-year-old Jayawardene, who made his Test debut in 1997, three years before Sangakkara. “This is for all the fans in Sri Lanka. There were a lot of emotions; it will take a few days to really know these feelings.” Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga, who bowled brilliantly under pressure in the final overs of the innings to restrict India to a modest 1304, said: “Jayawardene and Sangakkara are two worldclass players.

TheGuardian

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Unfortunately, the issue of First Ladyship becomes more economically challenging when the illegally-benefitted funds are extended to relatives and friends. This illegality is usually packaged under the general understanding of personal assistants, advisers, aides and security assistants

By Femi Omotoyinbo EMOCRACY has been injected into almost D all political circles by the cataclysmic forces of globalisation. Whether it pays us or not is now out of the question: For it is too late to cry when ones head is chopped off. Rather, what is of relevance is that if a toad is necessary for supper, then let it be a fat and juicy one. If Democracy is what is really embraced then let it be practised without dilution It is objectively apparent that the current democracy is a nominal one and not democratic enough in practice. Nigeria, the speculated giant of Africa, like other African nations, has many shadows bedevilling her democracy. Democracy has been diversely misrepresented. Corruption, ethnicism, god-fatherism, hooliganism, maiming, political kidnapping, terrorism and verbal assaults are undemocratic: but they are consistently identified in our democracy. With all these inconsistencies one is forced to seek what real democracy is. Democracy is understood from its etymology – Demo Cratia: Latin words connoting the rule of the people. A development from Old Abe’s point of view is that democracy is a political process whereby the led pre-guides their leaders in the leadership processes. This article will simply identify democracy as a government which governing process is based on equitable franchise. This is plain and lawful. A six-year democratic rule is enough to make a rooster out of the egg. But why do we still democratise like novice? This article will focus on the most generally celebrated misrepresentation in our invalid democratic setup. This celebrated misrepresentation is an undemocratic attachment which was caused by hyper-courtesy. Despite its numerous demerits, its foundation is still being made solid. Without being mealy-mouthed, most of the elections organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were for political offices like those of councillor, local government chairperson, state house of assembly, governor, national assembly as well as that of the president. Entitlements to posts in political environments are usually through election, selection, promotion, succession and sometimes coup d’états. These are usually referred to as due process. If any post will be legally recognised then it must be acquired through due process. A sane understanding of the above will surely put the existence of the “Office of the First lady” into askance. Democracy is far from knighthood or domains of naturally necessary polarities. It is a recherché for there to be such polarities in the animal kingdom: When the lion reigns the lioness rules. But animals are not democratic! An authority may have it that human beings are political animals but that does not license our politicking like that of animals. The INEC has never for once organised an election into the so-called ‘Office of the First Lady.’ So what warrants its explicit existence? This is outrightly a big shadow of democratic representation. The sign of a pure democracy is the constitution and rigid adherence to it. It is of great importance to include the first-ladyship in the constitution for it to have any democratic legality. It will then be a mature practice. If not, first-ladyship will develop to be a cloud of contention especially since it cannot be constitutionally categorised into any of the three tiers of government. It cannot be placed in the executive neither the legislative nor the judiciary. It is not even having full affiliation with public service and the civil service. One will thus call it an economic leakage if any financial benefit is accrued to such office. First Ladyship, in the long run, is also not an advisable practice for a developing community or a society whose economic leakages are

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First ladyship: A democratic misrepresentation (1)

impotently patched with castrated subsidies. A pronouncement from the Auditor-General of the Federation is not needed to validate the tautological truth that coins and papers from the Federation Account are being disbursed into this illegal office.

It is a natural habit nowadays for wives to stop working whenever a political office (i.e. presidential, gubernatorial, local councils) is occupied by their husbands. This has been a social cancer that has spread from the presidency to the local government level. Corruption

The YOUTHSPEAK Column which is published daily is an initiative of THE GUARDIAN, and powered by RISE NETWORKS, Nigeria’s Leading Youth Development Centre, as a substantial advocacy platform available for ALL Nigerian Youth to engage Leadership at all levels, engage Society and contribute to National Discourse on diverse issues especially those that are peculiar to Nigeria. Regarding submission of articles, we welcome writers‘ contributions by way of well crafted, analytical and thought provoking opinion pieces that are concise, topical and non-defamatory! All articles (which are not expected to be more than 2000 words) should be sent to editorial@risenetworks.org To read the online Version of this same article plus past publications and to find out more about Youth Speak, please visit www.risenetworks.org/youthspeak and join the ongoing National Conversations’’. Also join our on-line conversation

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becomes inevitable as voters are thoroughly cheated. Candidacy in political systems is a personal challenge. Mr A was the one voted for and not Mrs A. There should be no reason, therefore, for Mrs A getting unwarranted benefits by virtue of marital affiliation. These lazy women, in order to cover up their dubious roles, will now be setting up foundations that create invisible impacts in the society. Why should we be deceived? These foundations are not funded from the ‘first purses’ of the first ladies – the money is from the Federation purse. There is no reason why the spouse of a politically elected fellow should cease working: she should rather be a full-fledged housewife. Unfortunately, the issue of First Ladyship becomes more economically challenging when the illegally-benefitted funds are extended to relatives and friends. This illegality is usually packaged under the general understanding of personal assistants, advisers, aides and security assistants. This article is not suggesting that political office holders should not have beneficiaries. What is emphasised is that the ‘purse’ of the political holder is large enough. These improvised beneficiaries should hold no plate for direct inflow of national cake. Although omelette is tasty but there should be sympathy for the bird laying the eggs. Disorderliness in families can also be attached with this issue. A rough survey in Nigeria should reveal at least a 75 per cent of local and national politicians who are having political marriages - tricky wedlock often embraced in order to acquire some sudden favour in their political bids. It can also be the engagement of politicians with some daughters of political lords or spiritually powerful women; so as to cover up some political flaws and acquire an extension of influence. Unfortunately, these beautiful women are intellectually ugly to understand this as a mysterious relegation of their personhood. In this regard, the world still waits to see a woman of sincere difference. A family is usually regarded as a cornerstone in societal edifice. It is the tiniest miniature of a political setup. But most of our politicians are without good families/homes. Some of these politicians force strangers as new wives into their home circles just for political advantage. Apart from this breeding of conflict, there is also the fostering of deadly competitions. Not quite a few persons have lost their lives in their competitive bid to acquire favour in the sight of their politically esteemed relatives. The first wife will be struggling to outsmart the newly acquired wife in the race to occupy the office of the First lady. How would people from such family rule a nation well? A gradual move into the society always posits this sort of family as that which is pompously bitter and dangerously volatile. Their relationship with other members of the society is usually unethical. Everyone is compelled to see political power as a gene that is acquirable through family ties. This is as weird as the term bio-politics! The social conduct of these people easily signifies the existence of First son, First daughter, First father, First mother, First grandfather, First grandmother, First cousin, First nephew, First niece, First step-mother, First concubine and not only First lady. The political office holders now steers the society with their mendacious ménage. Is this still democracy? To be continued.