Tue 29 April 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,906

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Confab panel seeks scrapping of councils, NULGE kicks From Terhemba Daka and Karls Tsokar, Abuja STENSIBLY to introduce O two tiers of government in the country, the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government at the ongoing National Conference has recommended the scrapping of the 774 local councils from the constitution and transfer their ad-

• Govt raises committee on LGs workers’ welfare • Bid to decentralise police fails ministration to the states legislature.

This came as members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) yesterday stormed the National Judicial Institute (NJI), venue of the National Confer-

ence, to protest the decision of the committee.

In a related development, the Federal Government yesterday inaugurated a 13-member presidential committee on the review of the scheme of service for local council em-

ployees.

Meanwhile, arguments in favour of a decentralised police force in Nigeria yesterday suffered a major setback as the advocates failed in their bid to transfer police matters to the Concurrent Legislative

List.

Similarly, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday cautioned a delegate representing Zamfara State and member of the National Conference Committee on National Security, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, to stop telling lies against the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Specifically, the committee, which continued its delibera-

tions with focus on local council administration in the country, yesterday recommended that the list of local councils as contained in the First Schedule, Part 1 of the 1999 Constitution be removed and transferred to the states to be covered by a law of the state Houses of Assembly in a move to rejig the grassroots administration in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Move to end the Queen’s role as head of Church - Page 5 Envoy denies diplomatic rift between Nigeria, Russia over Crimea - Page 5

Some inmates of Agodi Prison, Ibadan, Oyo State appealing to the State Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Badejoko Adeniji for a review of their cases during the CJ’s visit to the prison… yesterday.

PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

Court tells Reps not to probe Alison-Madueke over plane From Adamu Abuh, Abuja OVES by members of the M House of Representatives to probe Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison Maduekwe, for allegedly spending over N10 billion to maintain a chartered challenger 850 aircraft at the expense of the public have met a

brickwall.

Yesterday, chairman of the House committee on media and publicity, Alhaji Zakari Mohamed told reporters that the House of Representatives had been served a notice from an Abuja High Court with an order that it should not proceed with the probe.

Mohammed, flanked by the

chairman of the public accounts committee (PAC), Mr Solomon Adeola who was mandated to conduct the probe and initiator of the motion that led to the resolve to investigate the matter, Mr. Samuel Adejare, disclosed that the House was left with no option but to wait until it ascertained the legality of the

order which he said conflicted with the powers of the legislature to ensure good governance in the polity.

Mohammed who faulted the notion that the leadership of the House was under pressure to drop the probe, said: “The truth is that we expected that she (minister) should be here today but of course we

have been served a court process today notifying us that we should not go ahead with the probe. The import of it is that as a legislature, our responsibility is to expose corruption but of course this is another demonstration of frustration that we face as an arm of Government.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Egyptian court sentences 683 Brotherhood supporters to death - Page 11 Weather Report NIMET predicts cloudy conditions with localized rain in central areas, thunderstorms in inland areas and localized rain in southern and coastal areas today .

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2 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Court tells Reps not to probe Alison-Madueke CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “ However as a law-abiding arm of government, we would tarry a while and of course seek legal opinion as far as this issue is concerned and very, very shortly we would let you know our position.”

Olamilekan claimed that as at yesterday, the minister and officials of the Mr. Andrew Yakubu-led the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were yet to provide useful information to his committee on the issue. “ But so far so good, for all that has been done by the committee, we have written letters and we have received responses from the Vista jet and responses from the executive jet hanger and documentation regarding the flight and everything has already been served. “ The only correspondence we are expecting which we believed will get to us today or from their submissions we would know if they are seeking for more time is that of the NNPC, the response of the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA) who are to produce before the committee the manifest and other details regarding the expenditure relating to the aircraft investigation.” Meanwhile, a group, PDP Youths Volunteers, has lauded the judgment and, saying the minister’s critics were on a political witch-hunt because of the “great and positive reforms she is patriotically pursuing in the oil and gas industry.”

The group, in a statement by Prince Roxy Osobase (its Na-

tional Coordinator) and Udono Clement (National Media Coordinator), urged the minister to “remain resolute, fearless and focused as she has the full backing of Nigerians whose interest she is protecting and we are mobilizing nationwide for her.”

They added: “The appointment of any Federal Minister to what many regard as juicy portfolio is often greeted with a lot of expectation especially when such a person has the required experience and knowledge on the job.

“Because of her wealth of experience in the oil industry Dr. Goodluck Jonathan brought her to head the oil industry so as to bring about a fundamental change. Even her staunch critics acknowledge that Dr. Alison-Madueke as the first female minister of petroleum resources has brought about a new dawn in the industry.

“One would like to ask why the focus on the minister of petroleum? Is it becoming our culture to criticize, to score a political point or are we playing to the gallery due to some propagandists who decide who to witchhunt?

“Certain individuals who earlier served in that capacity attested to her courage, wisdom and achievements.

“Within her tenure, the nation’s crude oil production rose from 700,000 to 2.3 million barrels per day.

“Efforts at increasing the nation’s stock of crude have received major attention with the escalation of oil exploration activities in the inland sedimentary basin especially in the Chad Basin.

“In the midstream, gas supply for power generation and in-

dustrial use has been sustained with supply outstripping demand both in the western and eastern axes. Records available show that the volume of gas available for power generation is unprecedented in the history of oil and gas in Nigeria.

“In the downstream, products supply has been sustained nationwide through a recombination of offshore processing, swap environment and increased domestic refining.

“The Nigerian content initiative has made a remarkable progress. This important bill signed into law on April 22 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan, was pushed and promoted by Diezani AlisonMadueke. The bill is designed to ensure that Nigeria achieves the much desired in country capacity in the oil and gas industry. The Nigerian Content Development Board with the Honorable Minister of Petroleum as the Chairman of the Governing Council has ensured the increased and historic use of made-in-Nigeria pipelines by Exxon Mobil recently at its Edop-Idoho Offshore Field and secured the placement of our 100 kilometers of pipelines order in Nigeria’s only pipe manufacturing company, SCC Abuja.

“As a pragmatic administrator, she sits as the alternate president of OPEC. Efforts are also on to see to full deregulation of the industry with a view to opening the sector for growth as well as eliminating the inherent corruption in the subsidy regime which critics have not been given full support. Instead the critics are busy distracting her from bringing full sanity to the petroleum industry.

“The same critics are also frustrating the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

“When has chartering of jet become an issue when even the critics do same thing. Can her achievements be erased overnight? The answer is capital no. Do we need to throw a child away with the water used in bathing it?

“Is it Alison-Madueke or Goodluck Jonathan being targetted?

What are we looking for, performing ministers or those who just sit and be mentioned as ministers because of their connections in the political arena. We should focus on what the president has done to move the country forward rather than on mundane issues to score cheap political points.

“The progress of any nation lies not in certain sections whose major stock in trade is to see the wrong side of every government official. The main issue to discuss is, has the government performed, what are the indices, what are solutions to move the country forward?

“The campaign against Jonathan’s Government is being taken too far; it is better the critics proffer solutions than to bring issues to create unnecessary bad blood among Nigerians and ethnic jingoism.

“We the youth and people of Nigeria will always stand by all performing public office holders irrespective of their political parties. The attack on the honorable minister of petroleum is a calculated attempt to make the government of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan unstable and Nigeria ungovernable as sworn by some aggrieved politicians, to derail the transformation agenda.”

Govt raises committee on local council workers’ welfare CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 country.

The panel had after its deliberation on the issue last week recommended the removal of local council as a third tier of government and gave express authority to the states executive to determine the number to operate in their states among others, even as it insists that Nigeria would remain a federation with the existing 36 states structure.

But making a presentation to the committee co-chaired by Gen. Ike Nwachukwu and Mohammed Kumalia yesterday, National Vice President of NULGE, Lucky Gospel Ewa, who led other members of the group, faulted the delegates on the position.

He further expressed worry that the status of local council was being threatened at the National Conference.

Ewa argued that the local council, being the sphere of government closest to the people, was the utmost most harbinger of accelerated and sustainable socio-economic development, poverty alleviation and rural democratic mobilisation in any polity.

He wondered why the enviable height attained in the local council cannot be sustained, just as he lamented the efforts he said were being consciously made to further erode the gains already recorded by the tier of government.

While blaming governors for the move as unacceptable, he disclosed that the clamour of the state governments to have dominant control over local

councils was being driven by illusionary rivalry of executive powers being alleged on the part of council chairmen.

He argued that the transfer of the responsibility of local councils to the state government would return local councils to the pre-1976 era and also that of 1979-1983 with its attendant implications and danger of political power concentration.

“Nigeria should not forget in a hurry the condition of the local councils between 1979-1983 when state governments had dominant control over local councils. Our memory should not fail us to recall that no state conducted election into local councils.

“The excruciating handling of local council affairs by the state government contributed to the overheating of the polity that eventually collapsed the Second Republic,” he added.

On the creation of additional local councils, he contended that the power should reside with the Federal Government using population and landmass as major criteria so as to address the problem of imbalance among other recommendations by NULGE yesterday.

“No matter the driving force behind the intention to abolish local council as a tier of government and remove the guarantee of its autonomy from the constitution, be it economic or political or both as we understand it to be, the union wishes to reiterate its recommendations that the system of local council by democratically-elected local government council should

be guaranteed by the constitution,” he added.

The committee yesterday also adopted the recommendation that the functions of local councils as contained in Schedule 4 of the 1999 Constitution shall be transferred to the states subject to the power of the state Houses of Assembly to add or reduce from the list.

It reaffirmed Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution that the system of local councils by democraticallyelected local government council is guaranteed.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, said that the effort would in no small measure help to curb rural-urban drift of manpower. ‘’As it stands today, the teeming youths of this country prefers working in the cities to small towns or villages after graduation, but if the conditions of service are made attractive, most of them would be encouraged to seek employment at the local level’’, the minister noted.

The terms of reference for the committee includes: To review the current scheme of Service (2006 edition), to liaise with the establishment department to incorporate approved cadres in the scheme of service and to produce a draft copy of local government scheme of service, among others.

The minister said that the committee is expected to complete its assignment in earnest to enable the ministry present the documents for validation by stakeholders during the Committee of Local Government Forum (CLGF)/ the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) supported conference slated for second week of June.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Taiye Haruna, said that it is hoped that through the planned review and the ongoing collaboration between the ministry and the UNDP and other stakeholders, effective and sustainable development will be realised at the local level in Nigeria.

Responding on behalf of the committee, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Niger State and representative from the NorthWest, Alhaji Ibrahim Halidu, appealed to the ministry to assist in carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of members of staff in all the councils in the country with a view to identifying ghost workers.

Halidu promised that the committee members would do their best to turn around the fortunes of the local government service commission for the overall benefit of the nation.

The committee drawn from the six-geopolitical zones, Head of Service, NULGE as well as the ministry, has Umaru Amborosa as its chairman and Dr. Rufai Attahiru from the ministry as secretary.

Specifically, in the existing constitution, the Nigerian Police is on the Exclusive Legislative List, which makes it a solely federal matter that only the National Assembly could legislate upon.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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4 NEWS Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Bid to dicentralise police fails

Senate may pass PIB, others soon From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja HE Senate has assured Nigerians of an accelerated passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Constitution and Electoral Act amendment bills, as it resumes from the Easter break.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang while briefing journalists yesterday noted that 12 weeks after the Upper Chamber resumed for the 2014 legislative year, the House could only achieve the passage of the 2014 Appropriation Bill and few other bills shortly before it went on Easter recess.

Most Nigerians are already apprehensive that the PIB, for instance, which was supposed to revolutionise the oil and gas sector in the country, may not see the light of the day in the current senate just as it suffered similar fate in the sixth senate.

The National Assembly would embark on a two-week recess in June to end the current legislative year and upon return, go for their annual eight-week summer recess beginning from July and ending in September.

Going by the time table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the process of electioneering for the 2015 polls would have commenced in earnest with the senators returning to their constituencies to participate at party levels.

On the PIB, Enang said, “As a member of the committee, I can authoritatively confirm to you that the PIB is one of our prioritised bills.”

He added that the senate

T

will give priority to the concluding part of the amendment of the 1999 Constitution, which both the Senate and the House of Representatives had started.

Enang said, “We have the first presentation by the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the proposed amendment, so it becomes necessary to give urgent attention to the Electoral Act. Meanwhile, the senate aside the critical bills yet to be fully considered, is expected to also receive and consider reports on the alleged missing $20 billion oil fund, the immigration recruitment tragedy, and the probe of the aviation sector.

Peter Obi (left), greeting Pope Francis 1 (right) shortly after the canonization of Popes John XXII and John Paul II at the Vatican on Sunday.

Protest in Lagos, Borno over abducted school girls From Ibe Uwaleke, Kamal Tayo Oropo, Odita Sunday (Lagos) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri)

• Foreigners to undergo security checks at airports • Police preach security consciousness

CORES of indigenes of SChibok Kibaki, a community in the town, Borno State

Youth Association pleaded with Fashola to pass on their grievances to President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State that they must ensure safe return of the abducted girls.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Yahaya Chiwar said the decision to take their grievances to the Lagos State governor was due to his outstanding track record in the area of securing the life and property of residents of the state.

Chiwar said the group was worried that 13 days after the girls were abducted, there has been no positive news from the government concerning their safety or any chance of them being rescued.

He added that what was more alarming was that after the parents of the abducted girls took it upon themselves to conduct a search in the Sambisa Forest, they located

where 234 girls were abducted from the Federal Government College by members of the Boko Haram sect, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola in Alausa, Ikeja.

Also, elders of the Chibok community yesterday lamented what they described as failure by the Federal Government to rescue the abducted held girls in Sambisa Forests, two weeks after they were taken hostage.

The protesters in Lagos, including women and children, under the aegis of the Lagos State chapter of Chibok

the camp where the insurgents were holding the girls and immediately reported to the appropriate authorities, but were dismayed when no action was taken.

Chiwar said: “Our parents had no choice than to come back home to inform the security authorities where the girls are being kept. The parents have communicated with us yesterday (Sunday) and there is no information whatsoever yet on whether these girls have been rescued or are in the process of being rescued.

“Therefore we as their brothers have resolved that we cannot remain silent; we are here because of your commitment to security of life and property in the state. We believe the nearest authority to us is you, we believe we can express our grievances to you and you can forward them to the relevant authorities, particularly to President Jonathan”.

Fashola, while responding in an emotional laden voice, commended members of the Chibok Youth Association for their courage and selflessness to stand for their daughters and sisters who became unfortunate victims of the nation’s porous security system.

He condemned the abduction of the girls, describing it as a clear act of hostage-taking which is unthinkable and dehumanizing.

He however cautioned the protesters against nursing the thought that nothing is being done to rescue the abducted girls, saying it is likely that the authorities might be careful not to take steps that would harm the girls in the process of trying to rescue them.

Speaking to newsmen yesterday in Maiduguri, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, the leader of the Chibok Elders Forum (CHEF) said that 43 girls managed to escape from their captors, while over 100 are still being held in the Forest by suspected

Workers, NLC, picket electricity firm over severance package From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan CTIVITIES were yesterday paralysed at the headquarters of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR) blocked entrance to the office.

The protesting workers, who prevented many of the company’s members of staff from gaining entry, said they were protesting sundry issues that emanated from the controversial privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) which included the unlawful sacking of their members by the new owners, non-payment of severance packages to workers who had worked up to 10 years as casual workers, and the issuance of “crazy” bills without supplying electricity.

In the full glare of armed men of the Nigerian Army who had been guarding the office, mobile policemen and DSS

A

operatives, the protesting workers, for hours, sang and displayed placards with various inscriptions which read: “Recall sacked workers now”; “Labour says no to casualisation of workers”; “People that worked for 10 years in electricity industry without engagement: What is our fate”; “No to anti-union stance of the investors”; and “No progress can come with Darlington in charge”, among others.

Speaking during the protest, the chairman of the state NLC, Bashir Olanrewaju, said the labour union was joining members of the NUEE to fight against labour slavery, victimisation and public extortion by the government and the new power investors.

His words: “We have come here today as the second phase. We have come here before. We have had several meetings but they have never fulfilled many of their promises. We are here today to call the attention of the public to the fact that they are being exploited by their nation. They sacked workers without pay-

ing them a kobo, saying that they were casuals, whereas casualisation is illegal in Nigeria. The government said those who were retrenched would get their salaries on time but up till now, many of them have not been paid anything.

“Also, they have prevented Nigerians from unionising themselves. The new investors have banned unions. This is against the right to freedom of association in 1999 Constitution. They said after they have finished sharing our commonwealth among themselves, that it would bring an end of crazy bills in Nigeria. Up till now, they are still bringing crazy bills and many areas in Nigeria are without electricity.”

After a brief argument with security agencies who attempted to disperse the protesting workers, Bashir warned that any attempt by the security men to apply force would lead to the union extending and enlarging the scope, size and duration of the protest.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 While delegates including Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Gbade Adedeji, Senator Tony Adefuye, Chief Okey Ikedife and Chief Adeniyi Akintola canvassed that the time had come for Nigeria to adopt a decentralised policing structure, Alhaji Dambatta Magaji and Col. Usman Farouk kicked against the move.

Those who supported the adoption of state police wondered why given the level of criminality and insecurity in the country, some persons still wanted to keep the police as purely a federal matter. They argued that already, state governments have been funding the police because of the inability of the Federal Government to adequately cater for the agency.

Adebanjo said that a decentralised Police Force was an essential ingredient of federalism and urged delegates to remember that the essence of the power devolution committee was to reduce the burden of governance on the central government. He said that if the country wanted federalism, it should not run away from the things that make a federation.

According to him, the problem of Boko Haram could have been better handled if the country had a police structure that could keep track on the local people and identify deviants before they get out of hand.

On the other hand, former governor of the defunct North Western State, Col. Usman Farouk, opposed the introduction of state police because, according to him, criminals could commit crimes in one state and take refuge in another.

He also expressed fears that the inequality of states in terms of resources could make state police dangerous as the more buoyant state could arm its police so well that it could wage war against the police of another state.

Badeh also regretted that the person who was supposed to be telling the truth was the same person spreading false information about recent developments in the Armed Forces.

Chief of Defence Staff, represented by Assistant Director (Legal Services), Col. Godwin Anyalemechi, stated these in his response to the memorandum by Dan-Ali on the alleged maladministration, corruption, discriminatory legal reviews, illegal detention/extra-judicial trials and counter-terrorism measures in the Armed Forces submitted to the conference subcommittee on Defence Infrastructure.

The CDS said that although the conference committee called for memorandum from the public, he queried “whether it is appropriate for a conference delegate to submit a memorandum on a subject which he may ultimately preside over. This is against the backdrop of the legal principle that a man should not be a judge in his own case.”

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

5

ISSUE IN THE NEWS

Move to end the Queen’s role as head of Church

By Matthew Holehouse HE Queen should lose her constitutional T role as head of the Church of England, Nick Clegg has said.

In comments that divided the Coalition, the Deputy Prime Minister became the most senior politician of modern times to propose the disestablishment of the Church.

Mr Clegg believes that the Anglican Church would “thrive” if no longer “inhibited” by its role at the heart of the British constitution.

The Prime Minister immediately rejected Mr Clegg’s call to disestablish the Church, saying that the proposal was “not a Conservative one” and will not be implemented by the Government.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who as Lord President of the Privy Council is one of the Queen’s most senior advisers, made the comments amid a growing political debate about the role of religion in British life.

David Cameron last week insisted that Britain remained a Christian country, a statement that was attacked as divisive by prominent atheists and intellectuals.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, entered the debate, saying Britain was not a Christian country if solely measured by the number of people attending churches, but that the country was undeniably “shaped by and founded on” Christianity.

The debate over the role of religion has highlighted divisions between politicians.

The disestablishment of the Church would undo a constitutional settlement that has stood since Henry VIII rejected the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.

The Queen holds the title of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

As a Privy Councillor, Mr Clegg swore an oath to “assist and defend all jurisdictions, pre-eminences and authorities granted to Her Majesty”.

The oath, sworn “by Almighty God”, also promised not to “understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done, or spoken against Her Majesty’s person, honour,

crown, or dignity royal”.

Mr Clegg, an atheist, speaking on his weekly LBC Radio phone-in programme, said that Church and State should no longer be “bound up” together in Britain.

“In the long run it would be better for the Church and better for people of faith, and better for Anglicans, if the Church and the state were to stand on their own two separate feet,” he said.

Mr Clegg and the Lib Dems have a longstanding commitment to disestablishment, but this is the first time he has publicly backed the cause since entering government in 2010.

Aides said Mr Clegg believed it was an anomaly for one denomination to have a constitutional role, given Britain is a multi-faith society with almost as many Catholics as Anglicans.

Sources close

to Mr Clegg said he had a “huge admiration” for Christians and their contribution to Britain, but that he believed the Church was “inhibited and circumscribed” by its constitutional role.

If disestablishment took place, “it would be answerable to itself and God, if that’s what you believe, rather than other institutions”, a senior Lib Dem source said. “It’s a liberal stance of self-governance.”

Many countries such as America are more religious than Britain but have no established Church, the source added.

Nevertheless, Mr Clegg said he believed Britain was a country whose history, heritage and architecture are “infused by Christian values”.

“I’m not a practising man of faith but I don’t find it a problem to say we have an important Christian identity,” he said.

“That is not to say we are exclusively Christian; everyone is a Christian; or indeed that we have o n e

Christian denomination. We should remember one of the greatest Christian values is tolerance. We are open to people of other denominations and faiths, of all faiths and none, and that’s what makes our country very special.”

Mr Clegg’s wife, Miriam, is Catholic and his three children are being raised as Catholics.

Mr

Cameron swiftly rejected the comments, and said the established Church was central to Britain’s status as a “Christian country”.

Other faith leaders said that status makes Britain “understanding and tolerant” towards other religions.

“I don’t want to see what the Deputy Prime Minister has set out.

“It’s a long-term liberal idea but not a Conservative one. I think our arrangements work well in this country,” he said.

Mr Cameron last week prompted a debate about the role of the Church in Britain when he declared before Easter that the country should be unashamedly “evangelical” about its Christian faith.

He also disclosed details of his own faith, referring to “Our Saviour” and how he had been “healed” by the Church.

Disestablishing the Church of England was a central demand of Catholics, liberals and Christian nonconformists in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

It is also a demand of many atheists, who believe religion should have no position in the British constitution.

Meanwhile, the Most Rev Justin Welby argued that everything from art and music to the health service and the school system had been “earthed” in Christianity. Even if the number of believers collapsed, faith would continue to shape “what we are, what we care for and how we act”, he said in his personal blog.

“It is a historical fact (perhaps unwelcome to some, but true) that our main systems of ethics, the way we do law and justice, the values of our society, how we decide what is fair, the protection of the poor, and most of the way we look at society … all have been shaped by and founded on Christianity,” he wrote.

The Archbishop added: “It is clear that, in the general sense of being founded in Christian faith, this is a Christian country. It is certainly not in terms of regular churchgoing, although, altogether, across different denominations, some millions attend church services each week.

The Archbishop expressed delight at the debate over David Cameron’s claim that Britain was a Christian country and even welcomed the protests of atheist campaigners, saying that Christianity thrived amid “hatred and opposition”.

NEWS

Envoy denies diplomatic rift between Nigeria, Russia over Crimea

By Oghogho Obayuwana, Foreign Affairs Editor IGERIA’S vote at the United N Nations (UN) against Russia’s position on the referendum and sub-sequent secession of Crimea does not mean there exists any rift between both countries, the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Nikolay Udovichenko, has said.

The vote in favour of Ukraine over Crimea came after a rapprochement following a near diplomatic row over MV Myre Seadiver and the arrest of Russian crew by Nigerian military authorities.

Nevertheless, Nigeria successfully launched two earth observation satellites, which could be used to monitor weather in a region seasonally ravaged by disasters, with Russia’s support.

In 2011 for instance, the NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X spacecraft were lofted into the orbit aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket from a launch pad in Yasny, Southern Russia. And there have been other launches since then.

Responding to The Guardian’s inquiry on perceived row over the Federal Government’s stance on Russia- Ukraine feud, among oth-

ers, Udovichenko said that though Russia “took note” of Nigeria’s position during the UN voting, Russia has yet to send any dissatisfactory diplomatic missive.

“I am respectful to the choice (Nigeria’s decision) and I am not disposed to make far-reaching conclusions and all the more to tell about a deterioration of the diplomatic relations,” he said.

“We just will again and again convince and tell what the specificity of the situation with Crimea is, what Crimea means to Russia, what was the reason for our difficult and - frankly speaking - literally forced decision.”

Diplomatic watchers had in the last couple of days noted a renewed fragility in relations given the strain the ship had earlier caused in the weeks preceding the UN vote.

However, Udovichenko said: “I believe that the case with the MV Myre Seadiver has been completely settled out and I am grateful to the Nigerian authorities for their constructive and well-disposed approach to the whole situation.

“Personally, it was the first experience of the successful settlement of the problems, which can

appear virtually out of nowhere.

And from this case, I derived an understanding of the importance of the extremely honest, mutually respectful dialogue and cooperation with Nigerian partners.”

He further dismissed suggestions of a brewing rift, saying: “As far as the current state of affairs is concerned, I can say that the Russian-Nigerian cooperation is not only steady and stable but also has an obvious resource of development in all areas of mutual interest, first of all in economy, power industry, military and counter-terrorism spheres, education and science. And we intend to do everything we can to strengthen our relations.”

Udovichenko also gave insights into the state of the various economic cooperation between Russia and Nigeria in science, health and education, saying: “I will not trace back to the recent times when during the Soviet Union period we rendered the allround assistance to Nigeria in carrying out the geological exploration works, creating the industrial infrastructure, preparing the national personnel, developing the healthcare system.

“To my regret, the current level

of the Russian-Nigerian trade and economic relations does not correspond to the existing potential.

However, there are also positive indicators. Our mutual striving for the development of the cooperation has guided us to the increase of the bilateral trade volume in the last year more than 30 per cent.

“I believe we should proceed further exactly with the same pace.

Russian companies have a vast experience in such spheres as the development of the gas transportation infrastructure, designing and building the water supply systems of cities, settlements, industrial plants, well drilling, building the local purification facilities.

“In all these and other areas, the Russian business is ready to cooperate with the Nigerian partners.

But we also have many other spheres of the interaction among others now, for instance, together with the Federal Scholarship Board we are working on the selection of candidates for studying in Russia by providing scholarships.

“I can tell you that this is the most important investment in the future of Nigeria. Future

Nigerian specialists after finishing their studies in Russia come back to Nigeria and make a considerable contribution to the development of the country.”

Speaking on the vexed Russian position on the “annexation” of Crimea, the fact that a referendum was conducted in Crimea with Russian backing but without the approval of Ukraine and a likening of that action to a violation of international law, he said: “The UN Charter states the right of nations for self-determination, so there is no violation of the international law here. There was no forcible interference or intervention from the Russian side. The Russian Black Sea fleet being stationed in Sevastopol in accordance with the effective RussianUkrainian agreements didn’t take any part in the events, although it was ready to come to the rescue of peaceful citizens in case of further aggravation of the situation. More than that, the referendum in Crimea was held on March 16 in full compliance with democratic procedures and international legal norms. That is why there are no reasons to challenge the legitimacy of the referendum only because its results are not conven-

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

6 | Tuesday, April 29, 2014

NEWS INTERVIEW

Subject decisions of confab A man of many parts, who played active roles in post independence history of Nigeria, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, Ijaw leader, Senator in the Second Republic, Federal Commissioner for Information during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon and now delegate to the national conference spoke to Abuja Bureau Chief, MADU ONUORAH and BRIDGET CHIEDU-ONOCHIE on a wide range of issues. Excerpts: sinated. President Shagari was the Federal Commissioner for HAT are your views about Nigeria’s celebration of its cente• A new Nigeria will emerge from confab Finance and I was Federal Commissioner for Information. Alhaji W nary?

The Centenary marking the 100 years of amalgamation of the • Govt should declare state of emergency on corruption Shagari became President of Nigeria. Some of us played leading roles. I later became a Senator of this country. Even though a misNorth and the South of Nigeria is very remarkable. It is remarkable that we have lived in this country as one people for 100 years. This is because when the British government decided that the North and South of Nigeria should be amalgamated in 1912, they did it for economic reasons. There was nothing like the North and Southern people meeting to negotiate or discuss the basis of the amalgamation. It came like that and the people accepted it. So, that we have lived for 100 years, from 1914 to date and we have not broken up, even though there were close calls, so, this calls for celebration.

When Anthony Enahoro moved the motion for the independence of Nigeria in 1956, the North said ‘No’, that they were not ready for it. There were arguments but when the Northern Parliamentarians and their people came out of the parliament, they were booed and stoned by those who believed in Nigerian having independence in 1956. The Northerners went back to Kaduna and swore never to come back to Lagos again, meaning that we were not together again. In fact, that would have meant that amalgamation did not exist. But after some time, Nigerian came together again and the three leaders, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Ahmadu Bello went to Britain to negotiate for the independence of Nigeria.

That was the first test after the amalgamation took place.

Thereafter, you remember the coup of January 1966 by the five majors, popularly known as Nzeogwu coup. This threatened the unity of Nigeria. The five Majors took advantage of series of political differences at that time and struck when many people supported the coup. But the coup was only against certain areas as only Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Ladoke Akintola, Chief Okotie-Eboh and many military officers from a section of the country were killed. In fact, General David Ejoor himself said he was at Ikoyi Hotel and only managed to escape. But no senior Igbo officer was killed or threatened. People therefore, felt that the coup was one-sided particularly when Major Nzeogwu travelled through Benin and met Chief Dennis Osadebe, Premier of then Mid-West region. He discussed with him and he did not touch him. He went to Enugu and met with Dr. Michael Okpara, he did not kill him.

Thereafter, Major General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi became head of state, ruling the country as the most senior officer of Nigerian Army. He was of Igbo extraction and the Northerners felt he was trying to govern Nigeria under unitary type of government as advised by senior civil servants that worked with him then.

General Ironsi decided to address a traditional rulers’ meeting in Ibadan where he was the guest of Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. There, Northern officers killed them. That marked the beginning of the trouble, which resulted in the general killing of Igbos or Southerners by Northerners. This forced the Igbos to come home.

Clark Lt Col Odumegwu Ojukwu said he would not accept it and the Igbos decided to secede from Nigeria.

General Yakubu Gowon said ‘no’, that the amalgamation, which took place in 1914 and brought about the unity of Nigeria, must be sustained. Then, the civil war, which would have disintegrated Nigeria, began. But at the end of the civil war, like it made the Americans stronger, the Nigerian civil war in 1970 made us stronger because of Gen Gowon’s position that, “no victor, no vanquished.” He maintained that everybody should come together but not with the notion that some people would be superior to others.

When therefore, the Federal Government decided to celebrate the Centenary, some people played politics with it. They did not want it; either because they are not in government or they did not want the glory to go to a certain class of people. But the government decided to honour 100 people to represent the 100 years. So, they picked people from various fields – artists, politicians, fighters, doctors and so on. My own younger brother, Prof J.P. Clark, Prof Chinua Achebe and Prof Wole Soyinka, who are renowned Nigerian writers were part of the 100 recipients of the Centenary award. Before now, some were being played up higher than the other because they came from the majority ethnic groups as they have always treated us. But this year, Prof J.P Clark, the first Nigerian Professor of English from the University of Lagos was honoured. I was there. I was not honoured and I did not feel bad about it.

Many people were so happy that for the first time, a Nigerian ruler, President Goodluck Jonathan was able to take picture with all the living rulers of this country at the same time. That was something we should be proud of. I know political opponents will not like it but you find that General Yakubu Gowon, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, General Mohammed Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, General Abdusalami Abubakar were all on the stage with President Jonathan. Why should Nigeria be running itself down? These are things we should appreciate.

But what shocked me was a piece in The Guardian, which I regard as my own paper, that I do not deserve such recognition, or that I have not reached the stage of being honoured if 100 Nigerians are to be picked in Nigeria. It didn’t bother me but what bothered me was to compare me with other people. For instance, that a man such as Justice Akinola Aguda, who identified Abuja as the new capital of Nigeria and was Chief Judge in many African countries, was not given, so why should people like E.K Clark and Dr. Rilwanu Lukman be given? I felt hurt because from the First Republic to this day, I have played a role in Nigeria and served this country that if by mistake I was even mentioned, it does not need to attract that callous, vicious and malicious piece done by The Guardian. The next day, I read that it was printer’s devil and that it was J.P. Clark that was meant to be listed. That made it more insulting. So, if where my name was put, J.P’s name was to be there as the correct name, the same person will say that Justice Aguda was more qualified than J.P. Clark? He got everything wrong.

As I said the other day, I have been in General Yakubu Gowon’s government with General Murtala Mohammed. He was then the Federal Commissioner for Communications. He became Head of State through staging a coup against Gen Gowon. General Obasanjo was a Federal Commissioner for Works. He later became Head of State of this country when Murtala Mohammed was assas-

take was made in mentioning my name, it was not the place of The Guardian to denigrate my position in the community. I felt very hurt. But it is all over. Generally, the Centenary was worth celebrating. It made it possible for the various heads of states to come together.

Why do you think there should be a national conference?

You heard what I said about why we came together and why we have not broken up. When the North and the South were amalgamated, the British government did not say that one group would be superior to the other or that one group should be inferior to the other. It was for economic reasons that the amalgamation took place. Apart from that, the British government did not want to spend more money in running part of their colony.

Certain things have happened in Nigeria: some people have ruled this country for over 38 years out of 53 years of our independence.

Others have ruled for 11 years, one has ruled for six months, one has never ruled before until 2010. And the1999 Constitution of Nigeria, Section 137 says that before you can be disqualified from contesting Presidential election, you must have run two terms of four years each. This was the situation in 1979, when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was elected the President of this country.

There were many men of timber and calibre in the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN) from all over the country that could have challenged him but they all followed him. We adopted American system of government. Nobody opposed Clinton when he contested election in Democratic Party. When George Bush took over, nobody contested against him. Then it came to Chief Obasanjo.

Before Obasanjo, Chief M.K.O. Abiola won an election but some people said ‘no’ and cancelled the election. The election was cancelled, Chief Abiola was detained and he died in detention when he would have come out to rule after the death of General Abacha.

No one knew how he died.

When it came to Chief Obasanjo, the Yorubas said because of what happened to Abiola, let us take someone else. That was how Chief Obasanjo, who in 1975 to 1979 behaved as if he was afraid of ruling Nigeria, as if it was General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, his deputy that was in charge of this country, became President. So many people misread him, they even invited him to come and contest. They did not know the kind of person Chief Obasanjo was. So, he became the President of Nigeria, they financed him. In 2003, Atiku Abubakar, his Vice President challenged him, wanted to overthrow him and gathered about 16 governors, led by Chief James Ibori from my state to overthrow Obasanjo so he could contest.

You saw what happened during that period.

Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a very nice man was elected in 2007 with Jonathan as the Vice. Unfortunately, he passed on. But you saw the problem we faced as a nation. To make Jonathan to act as the President was a problem. There was a mini war until the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) led by Pastor Tunde Bakare came to the rescue with Prof Wole Soyinka and others. Then, the Doctrine of Necessity solved the problem of Jonathan becoming Acting President. President Yar’Adua passed on May 5, 2010 and by the Constitution, Jonathan took over.

But today, some Northerners felt that Yar’Adua was entitled to two terms and therefore, the remaining term should be taken by Northerners and Jonathan should revert to Vice President, after that, he (Jonathan) could contest. What kind of country do we belong to if Jonathan is not entitled to two terms simply because he comes from a minority section of the country? However, its the area where the economy of Nigeria is being sustained by the crude oil that comes from that place. Yet, some people believe that someone from that area is not deserving to have a second term: that the Constitution must be ignored with impunity.

What type of agreement did they say they had with him? Why did they not have that agreement with other people? But I was shocked more by one Professor Yakubu from University of Kano talking rubbish that Yar’Adua’s election in 2007 which he contested with Jonathan as running mate should be counted for Jonathan and that what Jonathan is therefore, looking for in 2015 is third term. Can you imagine such a position? So, you can now see why people are asking questions. Our children are also demanding if we are second-class citizens in their own country.

So, things like this is why we need to have a national conference, after all, we have reached the 100 years milestone. Let us have a conference where we can ask questions, where we will determine the basis of our co-existence, where everybody is equal and where every component of Nigeria will develop freely without being held down by others. The conference will decide why some regions have seven states, some have six states and others have five states.

These anomalies have to be corrected at the conference. For instance Lagos State today has 20 local governments. It is the largest state, population-wise. How then could you imagine Kano having 44 local governments after being divided into Kano and Jigawa States? These are the things the conferees should look into.

There are other things. We ought to practice true federalism. It happened before in the First Republic where we had a true federal system of government whereby every citizen is equal and every region of the federation would develop at its own pace. That is, what is produced in your area belongs to that region and you contribute your quota to the maintenance of the Federal Government.

That is what happens in America and other areas where you have federalism. These are some of the things we have to discuss at the conference. We must also look into other areas like education.

What type of education do we have in this country? We must discuss what is responsible for corruption in Nigeria that we have not been able to solve. Is it only in Nigeria that there is corruption? It exists in other parts of the world but it has eaten deep into

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

7

NEWS INTERVIEW

to referendum, says Clark Nigeria’s fabric.

It is not the affair of the government alone. Every Nigerian is involved. The private sector is corrupt, public sector is corrupt and the judiciary is corrupt. Even the military is corrupt. They give you money to buy good equipment, you go and buy refurbished one.

They ask you to go and supervise bunkering and oil theft and you go there to compromise.

We are becoming a country where there is no law and order and where some people are above the law. They are corrupt and nobody has the power or courage to probe them. These are many things we are going to look into at the conference so that we have a decent country, where everybody is equal and no one is superior to the other.

Today, some states are bankrupt unless they come to Abuja with briefcase to collect their allocation. That is not how to run a federation. Some of us believe that this country should have six regions or if you want to create more State, you create more states and they would be subordinate to the regions. If anybody wants to create local governments, create them and finance them at your own cost. Again, areas of employment, we have to examine the unemployment in this country. Is it tilted towards one area and why.

Why should my children be out of job while those who are not as educated as they are have jobs? We want to discuss how a governor who comes from nowhere manages to be governor and at the end of his eight years, he became one of the most powerful men and wealthier than the state he governed.

Will boycott by sections of the country and APC not affect credibility or outcome of conference?

I am very shocked that APC headed by somebody like Senator Ahmed Tinubu, who was in NADECO and whose ethnic nationality has been in the forefront of confab would ask people to boycott the confab. In fact, they wanted a sovereign national conference.

People like late Senator Abraham Adesanya have been talking about national conference. Senator Tinubu controls the lever of government in Lagos. So, when they say they don’t want national conference, it is because it did not originate from them. But some State governors of APC submitted names of delegates. They are participating. When the South West had their own conference, some of the governors attended. So, we are not sure whether they (Governors) are opposed to it or not. And for the North, many of the Northerners who initially had misgivings now saw the desirability and are now attending the national conference. And some of the most prominent men in the North are attending the conference. So, whether a group of people say they will attend the conference or not, it is all part of democracy. Some people will disagree but the conference will go on.

Would you suggest some other issues to be put on the table at the conference?

While some of us opposed the idea of sovereign national conference, we should however recall that a sovereign national conference was held in the Republic of Benin some years ago and heavens did not fall there. If the people agreed that there should be no longer be Republic of Benin, there would be not. If they say the government should go, it would have been dissolved. Here, we have been talking to our Western friends and they have agreed that we should settle for a national conference and not a sovereign national conference to sustain our unity. So, when you talk about a ‘no-go’ area, can a group of people actually sit down, apart from what happened in Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, to say we no longer want to be Nigerians; to say, let us sit down and determine how we will separate. First, let us admit that we are all Nigerians. Secondly, we all believe in a united Nigerian.

Some people have said that decisions reached at the conference should be subjected to the approval of National Assembly The outcome of the confab ought not to be subjected to the approval of the National Assembly. Let me make this clear to you, this is what we discussed at the Southern Nigeria People’s Assembly (SNPA). Myself, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi of Akure and Dr. Alex Ekwueme are the three coordinating leaders and we have agreed that the report of the national conference should be subjected to a referendum. And also it has to be legalized, the conference would also have to take a decision that the National Assembly will not tamper with any part. They should just give it the legal backing. We cannot subject decisions of Nigerians to the manipulations of the House of Representatives or the Senate. This is the position of the Southern Nigeria: that the report will not be subjected to the approval of the National Assembly. From the discussions we are going to have, the constitution made by the people of Nigeria would emerge.

Would you expect President Jonathan to contest the 2015 election?

Constitutionally, President Jonathan is entitled to contest for second term. Whether there is any opposition or not from a group of Northerners, my appeal to them is that we have a united Nigeria where everyone has equal rights. People from the South-South over the years have always supported the Northerners without asking for any reward. They have always been loyal to governments.

Why is it now that it is our turn that they do not want to support us? My appeal to them is to change their stance, co-operate with us and when it comes to their turn, we will cooperate with them. We are not second-class citizens in this country and no opposition from them will stop Jonathan from contesting because he is qualified under the constitution.

The idea that there will be no Nigeria that there will be fire and brimstone or that there will be bloodshed and Nigeria will become a Somalia if a Northerner does not become President in 2015 is uncalled for. They have made several inflammatory statements. So, when people like Asari Dokubo says that there would be bloodshed if Jonathan does not become President in 2015 was a sort of reply. This is why I wrote an open letter to the House of Representatives that they should be fair and just when they passed a motion that the Inspector General of Police should arrest Asari Dokubo. Many people have made several statements threatening the unity and integrity of Nigeria. They should therefore, investigate and sanction all of them if they want to be fair. I am appealing to some of these Northern Nigerians who have ruled us for almost 40 years and who have refused to develop their own people to give

Clark peace a chance.

What happens if the President Jonathan says he is not contesting?

Jonathan will not say so, why would he? He has done so well. It is only when he has not done well that he will not feel he should not contest. Few days ago, he went to lay the foundation of the second Niger Bridge, 50 years after late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe commissioned the first Niger Bridge. What has Jonathan not done? Is it in the field of power? Is it in the railways, agriculture, education and communications? What else do we want in this country? Must minority not rule in this country? Then it is not a country.

President Obama is ruling America today. Yet he is in the minority.

His people form only about 20 per cent of the people. He won the first and they said it was a mistake. And he won the second time.

What is wrong with Nigeria? This country belongs to all of us. I was surprised that the same people who went to see Jonathan a few months ago with a document that the Army that was sent to the North East was committing genocide and waging war against the Northerners are now saying that Jonathan has not visited and that the Army was being manipulated to kill Northerners and that they are not waging war. Enough is enough. Let us live together as one country where everybody is equal.

How do you think the Boko Haram violence could be stopped?

The Boko Haram scourge did not begin during the reign of President Jonathan. It started in 2002 during the regime of Chief Obasanjo. They destroyed key police posts in Bauchi before moving to Maiduguri. The politicians then employed them to fight their opponents. There was a group called ECOMOG, at the end of the elections, their sponsors dumped them and they started fighting again when their leader was captured by the Nigerian Army and handed over to the police. Between the police and the government, nobody knew what happened, the how and why the man was killed. He was not tried. That was how it escalated in 2009.

Politicians who said they would make the Nigeria ungovernable cannot be excused from what is happening today in the North East. Boko Haram members are human beings. They may be faceless to you but they are not faceless to some people. The first thing to do is for all Northern leaders to come together and help the Federal Government to tackle the problem. It is not a matter for the Federal Government alone. Federal Government wanted to declare a state of emergency because of the Boko Haram violence, some people opposed it. When Chief Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Jos, the governor was removed. That is what some of us stood for. The Federal Government should have the courage and political will to remove all the civil administration and appoint senior military officers to administer Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States and give them free hand to handle the situation.

If Nigerians can fight wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other places, why not in their home? We have the competent manpower. But some people do not want to cooperate with the Federal Government because they are the drummers beating the drum for the masquerades dance. I have been to Yobe and part of Adamawa States. The main road from Kano to Maiduguri, the left hand side is Maiduguri and on the right hand side is Niger Republic. It is only the road that separates the two countries. Now, you have these people operating from neighbouring countries come in and attack us. It is difficult for the Nigerian Army to supervise every village and every school at the same time. The press has a role to play.

You exaggerate all kinds of issues and situations thinking you are criticizing the government. This is not how it happens in other countries. The press must help the government in fighting insecurity. Civil servants in the Customs and Immigration Services must put Nigeria first before their ethnic nationalities. The community knows these insurgents. They should cooperate with the government. It is the job of everybody.

How do you envisage Nigeria in the next decade?

After the national conference, I see a leap for Nigeria, enabling us to put so many things in order. Secondly, I believe if Nigerians give Jonathan government another four years mandate he will develop Nigeria and people will remember him for good.

How many governments have given records of their performance?

He did it after two years during Democracy day and during the Centenary celebrations. Within two years, 12 more universities were opened. Education will grow. You find again that elections would be free and fair with one man, one vote as promised by Jonathan. To promote his ethical revolution, I am however, appealing to his government to declare emergency on corruption as it was declared against Boko Haram.

8 NEWS Tuesday, April 29, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Prisons inmates excel at GCE

Contractors get deadline to register with BPP • Bureau prosecutes 156 firms for alleged forgeries From Mathias Okwe (Assistant Business Editor, Abuja ) Y middle of June this year, all contractors and consultants doing business in the public sector for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria would become redundant if they have not completed their registration with the Bureau of Public Procurement ( BPP) to be captured in its data base.

This warning was given yesterday in Abuja by the Director General of BPP, Emeka Ezeh, at a forum with contractors, consultants and service providers to MDAs in the country. The database is part of efforts at sanitizing the procurement process in the public life of Nigeria and check fraud and unethical dealings by contractors.

Ezeh disclosed that already, the exercise which kicked off last year has yielded positive result as the Federal Government is currently prosecuting 156 companies for tendering forged procurement documents while bidding for government contracts.

His words: “ We started the registration of all contractors, consultants and service providers in the country as part of BPP’s reforms in the public procurement system for better monitoring and oversight of public procurement processes in the country.

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As at April 24, 2014, 1,495 companies have started the registration process. Out of that number, only 158 have completed their registration. And by mid- June this year, any company that is not completely registered on our database cannot do business with any government MDA.” The forum, organized by the BPP, was held in order to provide an update on the implementation of the reform in the public procurement system, explain the provisions of the Public Procurement Act of 2007 as they affect contractors as well as enhance the implementation of the 2014 federal budget.

The DG said instead of ensuring that the country get value for money in the execution of government contracts, majority of the contractors, in their insatiable desire to bid for higher paying contracts, prefer to submit fake procurement documents.

“A lot of contractors, especially 80 per cent of the local ones, are notorious for submitting fake documents when biding for contracts.

“We see all manner of fake documents such as false tax clearance certificate, PenCom Certificate of Compliance, false claim of personnel, false audited account and use of fake addresses and submission of fake bank statements.

By Bertram Nwannekanma O fewer than 48 inmates awaiting trial at Ikoyi N Prisons performed excellently

Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, wife of the governor, and a former Accountant General of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the 17th City People Award where they were honoured for their contributions towards societal development

‘Graft, killings, unemployment threaten Nigeria’s survival’

By Felix Kuye and Chris Irekamba IGERIA may be a complex country bedeviled with myriads of problems, the country is too great to be shredded into pieces all in the name of greed, nepotism and selfishness with too much killings. Thee upheavals threaten the survival of our nation. We are on a downward slope.

With these words yesterday,

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Simon Kolawale’s TheCable goes live today ORMER Editor of THISDAY FKolawole, newspaper, Simon will today launch an online newspaper, TheCable (www.thecable.ng)..

In a statement more announcing this recently, Kolawale who is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the medium said since leaving THISDAY in June 2012, his next move was to pursue his childhood dream of setting up a world-class media group.

“In the last 22 years, I have worked in various capacities in the media as reporter, editor, columnist and director. I have also enjoyed the honour of being named among Africa’s Next Generation of Leaders by The Banker of

London; a Mo Ibrahim Fellow at SOAS, University of London; and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. I was also a British Chevening Scholar. I have taken leadership courses at Yale University and Harvard Kennedy School.

“All these, I believe, have prepared me for the next phase of my life.

I’m therefore delighted to announce that I’m starting something new, something refreshing and exciting: I’m establishing a media company.

Our first product is a topclass online newspaper, TheCable (www.thecable.ng).

Our mandate is to “deliver knowledge-driven journalism

in the pursuit of Nigeria’s progress”. It shall be the website of choice on credible news and quality analyses, particularly on politics and the economy. In addition, our coverage of entertainment, lifestyle and sport will be unbeatable.

“We also have a world of special offerings for you, some of which are: • NewsLive!: Daytime live text coverage of news and views, updated every minute • Citizen Police: Citizens’ photos, videos and reports of acts of corruption, indiscipline and government negligence • Hot Celebs: Latest celebrity stories • Jobs: Listing of a million jobs, scholarships and fellowships from around the world,”, he said.

• Diocese of Lagos begins Synod May 4 the Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Rev. Adebola Ademowo lamented the state of the nation, urging all the stakeholders to shun parochial interest and work assiduously together to practically tackle the challenges facing the country.

Ademowo, who is also the Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos, spoke yesterday at a press briefing on the second session of the 32nd Synod of the diocese scheduled to begin on Sunday May 4, 2014 with the theme “Divine Intervention”. He said the church is praying that God should halt Nigeria’s looming descent into the dark age era of insecurity, unemployment and high crime rate.

“All these are indices of under-development. We are suffering in the midst of plenty. The rich are becoming richer and richer. The poor are becoming poorer and poorer. It is painful!” the cleric lamented.

Responding to questions on

the state of the nation, Ademowo said “All I am interested in is how to ensure that there is peace, progress and tranquility in the country and for the Federal Government to ensure that life is not lost again. I’m interested in building a Nigeria where our children will go to school without people policing them about. We shouldn’t continue that way. “ I have nothing to do with anybody or group of people trying to impeach the president. What is important to me as an individual and as a leader in this country, in my own right, is for the government and those at the corridors of power to stop chasing shadows. They should face those things that are important such as security, employment, electricity and so on.”

According to him, the Synod will begin with a church service on Sunday, May 4, in the Cathedral of Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos at 4pm. While on Monday, May 5, is the official opening of the Synod,

at the last November/December 2013 General Certificate of Examination (GCE). They were part of the 102 inmates that wrote the examination last year.

Deputy Controller of Prisons, Mr. Emmanuel Bamidele, disclosed this yesterday during a visit and presentation of gifts to the inmates by members of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as part of activities marking their 2014 Law Week.

Each of the lucky inmates, Bamidele said, obtained the required credits to get admitted into the university.

He said, “when they finally regained their freedom, they can seek admission into any university of their choice, since they are awaiting trial.”

The Deputy Controller of Prisons explained that one key objective of the Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reintegration (3Rs) programme of the prison is to give the inmates a chance to get educated so that they can be useful to themselves and the society whenever they regain freedom.

He disclosed that out of 1,761 inmates in the prison, 186 are convicted while 1,575 are awaiting trial for between five and 13 years.

Speaking at the event, chairman of the branch, Mr. Monday Ubani, raised the hope of the inmates when he disclosed that the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips would visit the prison soon to release those awaiting trial.

According to him, the branch has contacted the chief judge and the Ministry of Justice disclosed that the names of inmates to be released are already being compiled.

Chairman, Law Week 2014 Committee, Dr. Muiz Banire, urged the inmates to take advantage of vocation training provided by the prison authority so as to become better citizens when they are freed

PDP charges members on Jonathan’s re-election • ‘Lanlehin’s exit from APC, good riddance’ From Iyabo Lawal (Ibadan and Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) HE National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday ordered its members to begin immediate mobilisation for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State yesterday described the exit of Senator Femi Lanlehin, representing Oyo South Senatorial district from the party as good riddance to bad rubbish’ and an action worthy of being celebrated.

Lanlehin had in a statement at the weekend announced that he was never a member of the APC and would soon announce his next political destination.

Receiving a former APC member of the House of

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Representatives from Anambra State, Charles Odedo, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) declared that the president had in a humble manner achieved so much and so deserved to be re-elected.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who received Odedo on behalf of the PDP national leadership at Abuja, noted that PDP was the most democratic party , adding that “as a member, you do not need any godfather to get any position.”

“We must ensure that we deliver at least 98 per cent of the votes cast for the President. He is a humble man. Maybe that is why some people are taking him for granted. We are happy that many political leaders are now seeing reason with him.

Give us 98 per cent of the

votes. The people of Anambra loves the President, so he must be voted for” The party through its publicity secretary said Lanlehin was only putting into action his well-known political pedigree of “party flirtation” stating that if the senator had not abandoned the APC, he would have made news as acting against what the world knew him to be.

“No one who knows Lanlehin’s political odyssey would be shocked at his most recent flirtation and betrayal of the hands that fed him. He has travelled a political road that is landmarked by political treachery, abandonment and lack of basic ideology. That it took him this long to show his most recent political destination is a testimony to the fact that the APC is a good manager of political deviants,” the APC said.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014 NEWS 9

Senator accuses Nyako of inciting Northerners against Easterners LAIMS by Governor C Murtala Nyako of • Yobe, Adamawa govs reject calls for absolute state of emergency Adamawa State that President Goodluck Jonathan is an easterner and was using the excuse of a “phantom” Boko Haram to kill innocent northerners are merely grounds being prepared for another pogrom against Ndigbo and easterners, the Senator representing Imo West, Hope Uzodimma, has said.

Delivering a lecture at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Uzodimma described Nyako’s recent letter to the Northern Governors’ Forum, wherein he alleged that President Jonathan was only replicating the killings of January 15, 1966 of northern political elite,

which he said was carried out by easterners, as “very shameful, incredible and treasonable.”

According to him, “it is truly sad that a man who swore on oath to protect the interest of all Nigerians irrespective of tribe or religion could descend so low to incite other ethnic groups against Ndigbo and easterners.” To that end, he advised Nyako to immediately apologize to Ndigbo and the Federal Government over his unguarded utterances or take full responsibility for the fate of Ndigbo in the north henceforth.

Meanwhile, Nyako and Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State yesterday

described Chief Edwin Clark’s call for the suspension of all democratic structures and appointment of sole administrators for the northeast as diversionary and fascist.

The Ijaw leader made the call last week following the protracted insurgencies in the region. However, in a joint statement, the Special Adviser on Press Affairs to Gaidam, Abdullahi Bego, and the Director of Press Affairs to Nyako, Ahmad Sajoh, said that Clark’s comments smacked of “an agenda to sabotage the nation’s democracy.”

Nevertheless, stressing that life is sacrosanct, Uzodimma called on every Nigerian to condemn “any act that seeks

to assault the sanctity of life, particularly through mindless mass murder” such as Boko Haran is unleashing on the country.

“We must all rise in unison to condemn in its entirety the brazen activities of Boko Haram, and in particular the recent bombing in Nyanya, Abuja, which claimed many lives,” he added. “Boko Haram is evil and it is only an evil organization such as theirs that can perpetrate such dastardly act as the Nyanya bombing, which they have claimed responsibility for.”

According to Nyako and Gaidam, Clark’s comments were “unthoughtful, provocative, diversionary, totally out

Fuel subsidy can’t be scrapped now, says Apattason From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City EFORE the Federal B Government commits to a 100 per cent removal of fuel subsidy, it should put certain structures on ground for petroleum refining and distribution to ensure an end to fuel scarcity across the country, a member of the House of Representatives, Peter Apattason, said yesterday.

The former National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), who addressed newsmen in Benin City, Edo State, on several national issues, said he does not believe in the general perception that government cannot handle business.

“My belief is that we cannot continue with subsidy forever, it must go someday,” he noted. “But at what point?

What necessary conditions must we put in place before we can safely deregulate?

“We have from time to time discussed this with government and other stakeholders.

There are certain conditions that are key but are currently absent in our own environment. You cannot totally deregulate on import imperative basis, you cannot totally deregulate when we have flexible currency exchange compared to the American dollar.

“Our currency is very weak; whatever you import to this country is at the mercy of exchange rate. The people who are buying will pay based on the exchange rate and inflation in the country you are importing from.”

He added: “These are factors beyond our local control and so you are going to throw the people of this country into difficulty if you remove fuel subsidy without first making sure that the enabling conditions are in order.

“We are not refining locally, they are not addressing the

issue of refining, and we have to address that. I don’t agree with any impression that government cannot do business. Governments all over the world are participating in business and are doing well elsewhere, including Saudi Arabia.”

However, he stated the need to check corruption in the system because, “if you don’t address corruption linkages, whether regulation or deregulation, we will continue to have issues. So, the principal concern should be addressed first and we can now forge

IQUED by the non-payment P of their pension arrears and other benefits, the disengaged members of staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), alongside the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), went on protest in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, yesterday.

During the protest, they also picketed the office of the new investor, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), located in Ajilosun, preventing both workers and customers from entering the office.

The protest was led by the state’s NLC Chairman,

Comrade Ayodeji Aluko, who accused BEDC of trampling on the rights of the disengaged workers by reneging on its promises in not paying their pensions and allowing them to unionize to fight for their rights.

He threatened that the picketing would last for three days, after which the body would review its tactics. Aluko, aside lambasting BEDC for not including the disengaged workers in its payroll for six months as agreed last October before they were laid off, also condemned the fixed charges being levied on consumers by the electricity company.

He urged the Federal Government to call the management of BEDC to order and

Customs probes 2,000 firms over alleged default in duties

By Moses Ebosele HE revenue recovery team T of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced investigations into the transactions of 2,000 firms over their alleged default in duty payments on concessions.

Reviewing the activities of the revenue team, NCS Comptroller-General, Dikko Inde Abdullahi, also announced the agency’s plans to publish the list of beneficiaries, who defaulted in honouring their obligations on duty concessions.

The alleged defaulters include importers who were given various forms of deferred payments on concessions to avoid accumulation of demurrage and facilitate trade. Others in this category had unutilized Risks Assessment Reports (RARs)

still hanging in the system long after the departure of the service providers who issued them during their dispensation.

“We can no longer tolerate them abusing the privilege,” Abdullahi said. “We are reminding the banks that their bonds were provided to guarantee payment of Customs duty. We have given defaulters only one week to pay all outstanding duties, failure of which their names will be published in the national dailies.”

According to a statement yesterday by the NCS Public Relation Officer, Wale Adeniyi, Abdullahi also directed that the bank bonds secured to cover the defaulting transactions be converted to duty payments at the expiration of the grace period.

The statement explained that within the team’s first month of activities, a total of N2.5 billion was recovered from unpaid assessments and unutilized RARs. It noted that, “on temporary importation, a total of N1.6 billion outstanding has been established against three beneficiaries who contravened the regulations.

“The defaulting beneficiaries applied for and enjoyed temporary importation concession while they had active forms M and Risk Assessment Reports against their names.”

It further explained that the team has over 2000 companies under investigation, and that their RARs transactions and unpaid assessment were undergoing comprehensive audit to confirm evidence of RAR utilisation and duty payments.

Obasanjo’s loyalists decamp to APC From Charles Coffie Gyamfi, Abeokuta

ahead with removal or no removal.

“But, like I said, I don’t think the current situation is sustainable forever. So, we ought to have started working on the enabling conditions. We have been clamouring for this for many years and yet nothing much has been done.

“It is very imperative to put in place economic conditions that will ensure (that) market forces do not price these products out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians who are already suffering in penury.”

NLC, defunct PHCN workers protest non-payment of pensions From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South West Bureau), Ado Ekiti

of sync with democratic norms and values, and unfortunate. The phrase, ‘sole administrator,’ is a constitutional aberration, which cannot be found, even impliedly, in any of the 320 sections of the 1999 Constitution.

“Clark’s comments therefore smack of fascism and are clearly a veiled attempt at sabotaging our nation’s democracy, which should be resisted by all and sundry.”

It faulted Clark’s likening of the situation in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states to the situation in Ekiti State when an emergency rule was declared there during a previous

compel it to fulfill all its promises. He further disclosed that consumers in Ekiti contribute about N2.4 billion monthly as fixed charges while there was nothing to show for it, as residents do not get power supply even moderately.

administration because “the security crisis in the three north-eastern states is widely seen and believed to be criminal and insurgent rather than religious or political.

“It has never led to a breakdown in governance in the three states or resulted in dangerous power struggle among politicians.

“Also, the governors have always responded by doing what needed to be done to protect the lives and property of the people by supporting the security agencies on the ground morally, financially and logistically, even though the ongoing state of emergency means that they do not have control over security operations.”

HE ruling Peoples T Democratic Party (PDP) was hard hit in the gale of decampment across parties, as some of its stalwarts in the faction of former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday defected to opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State.

They included the party’s former national auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha, former state chairman, Senator Dipo Odujirin, and governorship aspirant in the 2011 general elections, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye.

Mustapha, who participated in the APC state congress at the weekend, confirmed the development to newsmen in Abeokuta yesterday, disclosing that Obasanjo did not kick against their decision. He said: “He did not direct us to join the APC, but he wished us good luck when we informed him of our decision to leave.”

Speaking on the political situation in the state, he

described the Labour Party (LP) as an “appendage” of the PDP, adding: it would “collapse with the party in no distant time, hence my decision to team up with the major opposition, APC.” Mustapha had told the APC state congress in Abeokuta that he was joining the party “because it is a party at the verge of taking over the country’s democratic strata in 2015.”

He added, “there can never be a vacuum in politics. If you are in a party and you are not recognized, and another party decides to recognize you, then what are you waiting for?

“The APC, with the development in its states, can replicate these feats at the national level. We never thought (Governor Ibikunle) Amosun could do what he is doing now.”

Mustapha was removed from office by the court, alongside former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, during the tenure of former PDP Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

10 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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PHOTONEWS

Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu (left); Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi and Group Executive Director, Business Development of the corporation, Hajia Aisha Abdulrahaman, at the opening of the combined ceremony of the batches 073 to 079 programme of the NNPC Chief Officers Management Development programme in Abuja

Groom’s mother, Adekunbi Adesanya (right); bride’s father/Special Assistant on Photography to Ondo State Governor, Alade Sam Olusegun, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the couple, Oluwafunmilayo and Olamide Adesanya, member of the House of Reps, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, bride’s mother, Funmilayo Olusegun and groom’s father, Emmanuel Adesanya, during the wedding ceremony of the Sam Alade Olusegun’s daughter in Akure.

Star Music Artiste, Harry Song (left); Brand Manager, Star, Biyi Fagade, and another Star Music Artiste, KCee, during the Star Music Trek held at Umuahia, Abia State

Marketing and Activation Lead, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mrs. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi (left); Marketing Director for West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili, representative of the grand prize winner of the Dettol Price Awareness Mobile Activation, Mr. Kingsley Ntosi, and Brand Manager, (Dettol), Mr. Tolulope Olaoye, at the presentation of a brand new Kia Rio car in Lagos.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma (left); Director General, NCAA, Mr. Benedict Adeliyenka, Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Samuel Ortom, and Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Managament Authirity (NAMA), Mr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam, during the inspection tour to the Kaduna airport, after the fire accident at Control Tower.

Immediate past President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. Doyin Owolabi (left); former Accountant General, Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Prof. Eddy Omolehinwa of University of Lagos, and ICAN President, Kabir Alkali Mohammed, at the ICAN 2014 yearly dinner and awards held in Lagos… recently.

President/Chairman in Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Segun Aina (left); past President of CIBN and celebrant, Prof. Green Nwankwo, his wife, Elizabeth; and 2nd Vice-President, CIBN, Dr. Segun Ajibola, during the 80th Birthday celebration in honour of Green Nwankwo, organised by Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria held in Lagos

Subsidy Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Graduate Internship Scheme, Federal Ministry of Finance, Lassa Samaila (left); Chief Consultant, Supreme Management Consultants, Yinka Fasuyi and Consultant, Supreme Management Training and Consultancy Services Limited, Folarin Animasaun, at the opening ceremony of a three-day GIS orientation and employability training for graduate interns in Lagos.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 11

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WorldReport Egyptian court sentences 683 Brotherhood supporters to death N Egyptian court senA tenced the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and

Egyptians outside the courtroom in Egypt’s southern province of Minya after an Egyptian court sentenced Muslim Brotherhood supporters and its leader, Mohamed Badie to death…yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

682 supporters to death, intensifying a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protests and political violence ahead of an election next month.

In another case signaling growing intolerance of dissent by military-backed authorities, a pro-democracy movement that helped ignite the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was banned by court order, judicial sources said.

The death sentence passed on Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood’s general guide, will infuriate members of the

Obama announces new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine NITED States President, U Barack Obama yesterday • Moscow vows to respond announced new sanctions against some Russians to stop President Vladimir Putin from fomenting the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, but said he was holding broader measures against Russia’s economy “in reserve.”

On the ground, pro-Moscow rebels showed no sign of curbing their uprising, seizing public buildings in another town in the east. Interfax news agency reported that the mayor of a further major eastern city, Kharkiv, had been shot and was undergoing an operation. It gave no details of the shooting.

Germany demanded Russia act to help secure the release of seven unarmed European military monitors, including four Germans, who have been held by the rebels since Friday.

The new U.S. sanctions, to be outlined in detail later yesterday, will add more people and firms to a list announced last month of figures whose assets are frozen and who are denied visas to travel to the United States.

The European Union was also expected yesterday to add targets to its Russia sanc-

tions list. Ambassadors from the 28 EU states met in Brussels and an EU diplomat said they were expected to add around 15 new names.

Washington will also target some high tech exports, Obama said.

But the measures do not yet include the wider sanctions, such as curbs on the Russian financial and energy sectors, that would do the most seri-

ous damage to Russia’s economy.

“We are keeping in reserve additional steps that we could take should the situation escalate further,” Obama said, acknowledging that he did not know if the measures he has ordered so far will work.

U.S. officials have said the new list would include Putin’s “cronies” in the hope

18 die in U.S. tornadoes strike OWERFUL tornadoes killed P at least 18 people as they flipped cars, ripped up homes and uprooted trees across south-central United States, emergency officials reported yesterday.

Rescuers worked through the night using searchlights in blacked-out areas as they sifted through mountains of rubble searching for survivors.

Forecasters warned the twisters would continue to threaten much of the region through today.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said that 15 people were killed

when tornadoes touched down on Sunday, while an official with the Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency said there were at least two tornado victims in the state. Local media reported another fatality in the state of Iowa.

In far-away Manila, President Barack Obama, who is on a tour of Asian nations, offered condolences and promised federal government aid.

“I want everybody to know that your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild as long as it takes,” he said.

S’Africa unveils bust of Mandela DAY after the 20th anniverA sary of the first postapartheid elections, South African President, Jacob Zuma yesterday unveiled a bust of Nelson Mandela.

The president said there could be “no better” way of commemorating the first free elections in the country than with a sculpture of South Africa’s first black president.

The bronze bust, which has been placed in front of the parliament in Cape Town, was sculpted by the son of one of Mandela’s close associates.

“Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to install a bust or any symbol of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in the South African parliament,” Zuma said at the

unveiling ceremony.

“Madiba was then regarded as a persona non grata by the regime and the establishment,” he added, using Mandela’s popular name.

“The South African people were told that he was a terrorist and a prisoner that they should forget about.”

“Thus, there can be no better 20th anniversary gift for South Africans than to have this symbol of Madiba in parliament,” he said, adding that the statue meant that lawmakers would “continue to draw lessons and inspiration from his exemplary life”.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail under white minority rule, is revered by

South Africans for negotiating an end to apartheid and bringing about multi-racial elections without a descent into civil war.

After his release from prison, he served as the country’s first black president from 1994 to 1999.

He died on December 5 last year, aged 95.

Mandela’s political party, the African National Congress, which is now led by Zuma, has been in power for two decades.

Zuma plans to run again for the presidency in elections on May 7, despite a controversy surrounding allegations that he enlarged his private residence at Nkandla at the taxpayers’ expense.

of changing his behavior.

“The goal is not to go after Mr. Putin personally. The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he’s engaging in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul,” Obama said in Manila during a trip to Asia.

group which has been target of raids, arrests and bans since the army forced President Mohamed Mursi from power in July.

The movement says it is committed to peaceful activism.

But some Brotherhood members fear pressure from security forces and the courts could drive some young members to violence against the movement’s old enemy the Egyptian state.

Badie was charged with crimes including inciting violence that followed the army overthrow of Mursi, who is also on trial on an array of charges.

In a separate case, the court handed down a final capital punishment ruling for 37 others. The death sentences were part of a final judgment on 529 Muslim Brotherhood supporters sentenced to death last month. The remaining defendants were jailed for life, judicial sources said.

Death sentence recommendations in the case involving Badie will be passed on to Egypt’s Mufti, the highest religious authority. His opinion can be ignored by the court.

Mass trials in the biggest Arab state have reinforced

fears among human rights groups that the government and anti-Islamist judges are using all levers of power to crush opponents.

“The decisions are possibly the largest possible death sentences in recent world history. While they’re exceptional in scale, they’re certainly not exceptional in kind,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director for Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch.

“It seems that these sentences are aimed at striking fear and terror into the hearts of those who oppose the interim government.”

In an early reaction from a Western government, Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter that the mass trials were an “outrage”. “The world must and will react!”

There have been Western reactions to Egypt’s approach to dissent. But it mostly comes in the form of statements, not action.

Egypt’s relations with the United States, the source of $1.5 billion in annual aid, most of it to the Egyptian military, have been strained in the three years since the overthrow of Mubarak.

12

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Politics THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE DEBATE

‘Confab will accentuate our structural problems’ Dr. Edoba Omoregie is an Associate Professor of Law, University of Benin and currently Head, Department of Private and Property Law of the institution. From a mass of cynicism, he is one of the unheard voices opposed to the idea of a national conference for reasons of timing and the need to engender a truly workable social contract. Among other pertinent puzzles, he told Foreign Affairs Editor Oghogho Obayuwana why the federal government really has no business in the convocation of a conference.

HAT is your view on the propriW ety of the ongoing national conference in Abuja given the calibre of persons nominated into it?

SOMETHING deep down in me tells me loud and clear that the whole exercise would turn out to be a colossal waste of valuable time and the meagre resources of our country.

If, before the handing over of power in 1999, the Abdulsalami Abubakar military junta had called for a national conference or dialogue or whatever name you call it, to deliberate on the constitutional direction of Nigeria, it would have made a lot of sense.

This is given the traumatic political situation the country was unnecessarily and unfairly plunged by the antics of the military government of Generals Babangida and Abacha.

You will recall that these two regimes deliberately took the country through a convoluted political process, which was designed to fail.

We were just lucky to have survived that terrible period.

So, if the Abubakar government, which took over from the discredited Abacha regime, had convened a conference to resolve the lingering issues of our constitutional structure, many Nigerians would have embraced the opportunity.

Perhaps, we would have settled, once and for all, many of the issues such as fiscal federalism, the size of the National Government, the electoral system, police system, political party system, organisation of the judiciary, local government system, power of the President and Governors, and other sundry matters.

Having lost that opportunity, I am of the firm view that to embark on a national conference such as currently constituted is an attempt to deny the reality that since 1999, we have put in place a political system, which has gained general acceptance as the legitimate government of Nigeria at the local, state and national levels with all its imprimatur.

This is without prejudice to the widely held view that the system has not effectively served the greater interest of the vast majority of Nigerians.

But many people believe that it is exactly because the current political system seems not to be serving the needs of the people effectively that a national conference is desirable at this point.

I don’t think so. I think President Jonathan did not convene this conference in the hope or belief that it would resolve the problem of ineffec-

tive government. No national conference can deal with that.

The time for a national conference has passed; we should have done it in 1998-99 before this democratic dispensation was put in place.

Nigerians have accepted that a democratic government is in place despite their dissatisfaction with the performance of successive governments, especially at the national level.

Why do you think people go to the polling units to vote each election year? They have accepted the legitimacy of the current democratic system.

What we should see is that those saddled with the task of governance should demonstrate similar faith and regard for the people and their yearnings by providing effective government that meets citizens’ aspirations to have abundant life, liberty and happiness!

So, if the conference cannot provide a way out of our national malaise, and resolve the knotty issues such as true federalism and ineffective government, what would?

I agree with all those who have complained bitterly over the years that our federalism is broken. This is the beginning and end of the problem of Nigeria. Virtually all other issues are merely tangential to the crisis of ineffective government.

The moment we sincerely and sensibly deal with our federalism, we shall automatically set ourselves on the path of having effective government.

There is more than enough comparative literature on federalism dealing with the specific crisis of our federal system.

What I expected President Jonathan to have done, given his academic background, was to quietly commission a technical study of the literature on the theoretical and practical aspects of the federal system, including the reports of previous constitutional conferences in Nigeria, starting from the National Conference held in Ibadan in 1950, which brought about the first attempt at instituting a quasi-federal system in Nigeria.

This should have been done just after the President took office in 2011.

Within one year or less, that study could have been completed. Then, the President could have begun consultation with stakeholders on what he intended to do with the study.

THIS could have been done without any form of dialogue?

Yes, because there is nothing stopping the President from saying clear-

Omoregie ly that the federal government is too large, and that the states should actually be responsible for a lot of what the federal government currently gets involved with. Name it: police, education, including university education, tarring of roads by whatever name called, agriculture and others too numerous to mention.

That is not to say that the federal government should be completely barred from these matters. What we suggest is that the federal government can set national goals in such matters and support the states to get them done through direct management and regulation.

Let the states be the true laboratory of development, as they are in other successful federations such as India, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, and, of course, the United States.

It can easily be argued that consultation with stakeholders may not have been enough. Do you sincerely

I think President Jonathan did not convene this conference in the hope or belief that it would resolve the problem of ineffective government. No national conference can deal with that. The time for a national conference has passed; we should have done it in 1998-99 before this democratic dispensation was put in place. Nigerians have accepted that a democratic government is in place despite their dissatisfaction with the performance of successive governments, especially at the national level. Why do you think people go to the polling units to vote each election year? They have accepted the legitimacy of the current democratic system. What we should see is that those saddled with the task of governance should demonstrate similar faith and regard for the people and their yearnings by providing effective government that meets citizens’ aspirations to have abundant life, liberty and happiness!

think that would satisfy the various interest groups of Nigeria?

I was actually coming to that. Well, after sufficient consultation, the President can put the matter in the public domain for robust debate, contributions and analyses. This can go on for months.

While this is on, the President could also propose an amendment of the constitution to alter Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution to include a referendum as the final process of constitutional amendment.

Then just before the close of his second year in office, the President could have proposed certain amendment to our federal system to reflect the outcome of history, consultation and public opinion, which proposal would then go through the mill of constitutional amendment process, including assent through a referendum of the people.

If that process fails, then no one can blame Mr. President for not trying.

Perhaps, another President can come and continue with it.

There are perceived flaws in the country’s current federal system, which could prevent this from happening.

No. The President can actually demonstrate his belief in the reforms he seeks to bring to bear by taking some policy steps to implement a number of the proposed initiatives.

The President could scrap some ministries that oversee matters, which, in terms of federal principles, properly belong to states, for instance, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Federal Ministry of

Youth and Sports, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Ministry of Health, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, among others.

In turn, the President can have cabinet members over-seeing high level bureaucracy in respect of core national matters. They can establish synergies with the states to implement national goals or agenda set by the federal government.

Such goals could relate to education, social welfare, women affairs, sports, youth development, agriculture, health, water resources, infrastructural development, to name just a few.

The states would directly be in charge, while the federal government would lend active support in terms of technical know-how, funding and monitoring. This way, the President would have set the agenda to justify constitutional changes, which reflect these initiatives.

Apart from the problem of federalism, there are other issues of concern, which the national conference is expected to address.

Yes, you are correct that the national conference is being called upon to deal with a range of issues. However, my honest view is that you don’t need a national conference to deal with issues, which frequently confront democratic systems.

That is why the parliament is there.

That is why political parties exist to set agenda, produce manifesto and fight to secure political power to achieve them.

Despite its chequered history of racism and war, the United States has had only one national conference after it declared itself independent from Britain in 1776. That conference took place in Philadelphia and ended in 1787, culminating in the current constitution of the United States. Since then, the country has had only 27 amendments to its constitution, the first 10 within two years of the promulgation of the constitution.

That is not to say the US is the only acceptable model. But look around, even towards India, a country struggling with enormous problem of poverty and all sorts of religious and cultural challenges; you find that the situation is virtually the same.

The Indians, for instance, have sustained their political system around the idea of democratic engagement through parliamentary debate. That is the way to go in Nigeria, and not by setting up a jamboree in the guise of a national conference.

The impression you get is that we are not a serious lot at all. Even those who profess strong academic understanding and those who actually know better, seem to play cant to the allure of the clear bazaar, which the national conference promises to be.

Many of them have gleefully accepted nominations to the conference.

To do what? Collect honorarium?

This conference will not address our structural problems. Rather, it will accentuate them.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 13

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There’s no crisis in Ogun APC, says Odunsi Despite reported crises in the local chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Akin Kamar Babalola Odunsi, representing Ogun West, Ogun State in the National Assembly, avers that the issue is mere misunderstanding and lack of communication between Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the legislators in the state and federal assemblies on the party platform. He spoke to Seye OlumIDe and TuNDe AKINOlA. OULD you clarify reports of crisis in Ogun C APC and that lawmakers in the state and former Governor Segun Osoba are at loggerheads with Governor Ibikunle Amosun?

As to whether there is a crisis within the Ogun State chapter of the APC, I do not believe in the use of the word crisis. There are some misunderstandings and poor communication within the party leadership in the state.

As far as it affects us in the National Assembly, I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that we, as a group, have nothing against the governor. We have no issues with him; he has issues with us.

You said there was no crisis in the party and that the lawmakers were not factionalised; why were there parallel state congresses on Saturday?

I still maintain my stand there was no crisis.

The parallel state congresses on Saturday were the evidence and manifestation of the misunderstanding and lack of communication I mentioned.

As I said, the local government and ward congresses held earlier revealed a lot about the misunderstanding and lack of communication in the party; the parallel state congresses were a further proof.

And I repeat; we have at several times notified the leadership of the party and we are hoping they would talk to who was to be talked to. We are waiting for their response and we would continue to work towards the progress of the party in Ogun.

As much as I won’t deny what you said happened (parallel congresses), I would also maintain my position there is no crisis in Ogun State APC. What are those issues you alerted the party leadership about?

We have alerted the leadership of the party a long time ago about this ‘so-called crisis’ within the party, which I described as misunderstanding and lack of communication.

We have alerted them and I believe the leadership of the party would look into it. Perhaps, the leadership of the party felt indifferent about it but as we have gone into the congresses, I believe it is obvious that things are not the way it should be in Ogun APC. Is the party leadership divided over these issues affecting the state chapter?

I wouldn’t know. It is a national question but I am just telling you that we, in the National Assembly, representing Ogun State, have at various times alerted the national leadership about the impending issues in the state.

But whether the leadership had spoken with whom they should speak with, we have not seen any sign.

What are those things you saw that made you alert the party leadership?

After the elections in 2011, there were indications that those who laboured for the party during the elections had been sidelined majorly in the appointments that were made by the governor.

We found, for instance, that those who were not part of the struggle were beginning to benefit from it. We discovered some lopsidedness in the appointments that were made by the governor and we thought we should alert the leadership.

I’ll give you an example. The governor proposed the idea of a meeting of the parliamentary caucus, which includes the members of the National and State Assemblies, with him.

But on the day that meeting was to be held, we left Abuja with others and headed to Abeokuta, only to be told that the meeting was not going to hold again.

And I want to say, once again, that after that aborted meeting, not one other meeting had been held since 2011.

There is, therefore, no communication between the lawmakers representing the state in the National Assembly and the State Executive since 2011.

HERE are insinuations of factions among the T lawmakers - some belonging to Osoba’s camp while others are in the governor’s camp.

I cannot speak for our leader, Chief Osoba. The relationship between our leader and the governor — surely you must have read in the papers the amity that surrounds whatever they do.

I cannot sit here and begin to speculate how deep the relationship is or otherwise. All I can say is there is nothing like an Osoba or Amosun faction among the lawmakers. We are APC. If anybody came into the party with a handful of people, and the handful now decided that

they wanted to take over the entire party machinery; that is where we begin to have issues. But ordinarily, there is nothing like Osoba’s faction versus Amosun’s faction.

But could that be one of the reasons some members of the APC in Ogun are defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?

I don’t know about those who are defecting and I don’t know the reason anybody will defect to the PDP at this stage. I believe it is an internal matter that could be resolved within the party by the leaders.

It hasn’t got to the stage that some of us would consider opting out of the party because the party belongs to all of us.

But the way things are going, aren’t you afraid it might get to that stage some people would decide to move?

I am not afraid of anything.

Anything?

Yes. In politics anything can happen and people always have choices. And if some people have exercised their choice, maybe they think they have gotten to the end of it, they could take action.

But as far as I am concerned, we are not at the end yet.

Have you made any personal effort to talk oneon-one with the governor on this issue?

(Laughter) In the past, I had made several efforts to get close to the governor through telephone calls.

I had written letters on the state issues to him and I got no reply. Not even any response by phone calls from him. What else do you want me to do?

Are you saying the governor deliberately or tactically ignored you?

You can say that if you like. (Laughter) You are being frank, which is good. But do you consider the implications of this ongoing scenario for the party, as the PDP is seriously mobilising for the 2015 elections?

We (lawmakers) represent our people. We got our mandate from our people and they are solidly behind us. So, whatever implication it has or it would have, when we get to that bridge, we would cross it.

You think the misunderstanding can’t jeopadise the party’s chances in 2015?

It depends on how the misunderstanding is handled. Once again, I believe the leadership of the party at the national level is looking at how to resolve the misunderstanding.

The 2015 elections are still a couple of months away and I am sure between now and then, a lot of things can happen.

I believe that the governor must be doing some things, that you and I are not seeing, towards ensuring that his re-election in 2015 would be a reality.

OULD you tag the unfolding development W with the governor’s political antecedents — he moved from All Nigerian Peoples Party (now defunct) to the PDP, then APC, and there was rumour he was fraternising with former President Olusegun Obasanjo?

I cannot speak for Amosun. He alone can explain why he is behaving this way now.

You have just spoken about his antecedents; that he moved from one party to another. That tells a story.

If you now say he relates with Chief Obasanjo, fine. He came from him (Obasanjo). They were together in the PDP; therefore, his romance with Baba is nothing new. He is not doing anything out of the ordinary.

And to those who know his political antecedents, I think he is behaving true to character.

You were attacked recently; can you shed more light on this and do you suspect anybody?

Yes, I was attacked but I don’t suspect anybody. All I know is that the attack was unprovoked, and from the investigation that had been done, some people had been fingered and they had been interrogated.

I will leave it at that because I am not an official of the Nigerian security agencies.

Did you notify the governor or confront him over the incidence?

He is my governor. We didn’t have to notify him because it was reported in the media. The governor was aware, I am sure.

What was his response?

I don’t know because I did not confront him.

You held a press conference recently where you talked about how your efforts to develop the area you represent were being frustrated; what is the development on this?

We have made some progress on that issue.

Odunsi The project that I was pushing that was almost disrupted has continued. They finally left that site and work is going on. What happened in the past has gone; we are moving forward.

What is the way forward now?

The way forward is that we should appeal to all those who were flexing muscles and issuing threats to allow peace to reign in the state.

One of the interesting things that I heard was that the National Assembly people paraded with policemen and pilot cars and somebody threatened that he would deflate the tyres of the police vehicles.

That attitude is unbecoming of people who are in positions of authority. I just want to use this opportunity to appeal to those who made such statement to allow peace to reign in the state.

How would you assess the APC administration?

That is an unfair question to ask me but I think the people can see that the government is doing its best.

One thing that is very obvious to everybody is the state of infrastructure and development across the states. We see flyovers, bridges, roads and all that. I think those are symbols of development and you can attest to that that the government is working.

What are the lawmakers representing Ogun and Lagos States doing to draw the Federal Government attention to the deplorable state of Ikorodu-Mosinmi-Ogijo-Shagamu road, as innocent people are dying on the road daily?

That is between Lagos and Ogun States and it falls within the territory of one of my colleagues who represents Ogun East in the National Assembly.

We have made efforts; we have taken pictures, prepared motions calling attention to the deplorable state of the road, but as you know there is politics even to the development of infrastructure in Nigeria.

The road has been totally abandoned. The moment the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was opened many years ago, I don’t think government has looked in that direction again.

I think it’s one of the issues we put before the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), as projects that have been abandoned. I am sure it’s an eyesore, a disgrace and an example of failure of government at the federal level.

HAT would be your position on whether W the outcome of the National Conference should be subjected to a referendum or passed to the National Assembly for debate?

Let the delegates finish the debate first and see what recommendations they would come up

with before we know what the next step would be.

I don’t think there is any provision in the 1999 Constitution for referendum.

Does the Senate support the conference in the first instance?

Ha! I cannot speak for the Senate. You are asking me a question that only a joint resolution of the National Assembly can indicate an answer to. I am not the Senate.

The Senate has never at any time deliberated on the National Conference?

No, no and no. Confab matter brought to the floor of the Senate for debate? No. Is it true that the APC lawmakers in the National Assembly have vowed to strike out any issue concerning the conference any time it is brought for debate?

I am not aware of such a position.

Is the APC not playing double standard on the conference, as the party refused to send delegates while its governors nominated delegates and some of its leaders are there?

Nigeria is a big country and there are many institutions in the country. If you take the case of Chief Osoba, for instance, he is representing a constituency to which he belongs - the Former Governors’ Forum.

Some other people represent other interests. I know some past senators, who represent their professional interests, are in the confab.

So, the argument that the party did not send delegates is not an issue. What is the population of the APC compared to the sufficient interest of many groups who represent many people in the country?

Even the interest of my immediate ethnic group, the Aworis, in Ogun State, is not covered.

How? One of the ethnic groups in the country, the Aworis, is not represented in the ongoing confab at all. That should have been the responsibilities of my governor to ensure that all the major ethnic groups in the state are represented in the confab but he did not pick anybody from there.

Did you protest or call the governor’s attention to this?

My people protested but to no avail.

There has always been agitation by the Aworis to produce a governor in Ogun State…

They class us as Yewa and Awori - but that is another issue - where the next governor should come from.

For so many years of the existence of Ogun State, there has been no consideration for Ogun West to produce a governor; that is it.

There are lots of imbalances and injustice, but when we get to the bridge, we will cross it.

TheGuardian

14 | Tuesday, April 29, 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 Mr. President, please own this war hE state of war in which Nigeria now reels is too ferocious to be denied. The crisis T may have pre-dated the Administration of President Goodluck Jonathan; he may be doing his best, and the military is not without some success, but the intensity of this war is such that he must take steps to own it.

No mollifying rhetoric can negate the barrage of hostilities currently bludgeoning the country. The massacres, either from Boko Haram or other insurgents, are becoming so routine, abductions are carried out with scandalous audacity; and purported herdsmen sack villages and mow down helpless persons as if they are clearing weeds. Amidst this ongoing carnage, a mesmerizing state of perplexity seems to envelope the seat of power. Nigeria is in a state of war, and the President, Commander-in-chief must not only lead but be seen to lead the charge.

The urgency of this call is predicated on the devastating stealth with which the enemies of this country, by whatever name they call themselves, operate. In the last 10 days, they seemed to have gleefully exposed the nation’s vulnerability by carrying out orgies of bloodletting in quick secession, killing scores in Taraba, Plateau, Yobe and the climax of which was the bombing of the Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja, and the abduction of 139 school girls in Chibok local council of Borno State. Only three days ago, 60 bodies were discovered in wells and shallow graves in Nasarawa State.

As if to exacerbate Nigerians’ bruised psyche from confusion to hysteria, a video released the other day showed Boko Haram helmsman, Abubakar Shekau, claiming responsibility for the bombing and issuing a warning: “We are in your city, but you don’t know where we are.”

So far, three theses have been advanced to explain the increasing complexity of Nigeria’s security situation. There is the external content thesis, which attributes the crises plaguing Nigeria to some external or foreign connection. Notwithstanding the religious gambit Boko Haram employed to launch its dastardly onslaught against the Nigerian government, there is the argument that a Sahelian homogeneity, fostered by common racial stock and religion, makes ‘Central Sudan’ (north eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroun, Chad and Sudan), a porous zone to launch any offensive against Nigeria.

Thus the Boko Haram is no longer a local rebellion, but rather a pan-Sahelian insurgency that has crossbred with groups in Mali and Libya, and splintering into factions that are linked to Al-Shabab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Another strand of this thesis argues that some powers, who in a bid to justify their authoritative narratives of Nigeria’s post-centenary disintegration, are making frantic effort to ensure that this comes to pass.

Since the argument of a religious Boko Haram is out of the question, there is the Power Thesis, which views the struggle for power by a section of the elite from the north of Nigeria as the causative agent of the current crisis. Proponents of this position are quick to recall that prior to the election that gave Goodluck Jonathan the presidential ticket, disenchanted politicians from the zone had vowed to make the country ungovernable should Jonathan become the president. The resultant Boko Haram insurgency and widespread violence are thus viewed as a backlash of power tussle.

Given the widely publicised accusation by Governor Murtala Nyako that President Jonathan is himself a supporter of Boko Haram, another thesis, The Regime Thesis, is contrived. This position proposes that the current crises and the pockets of violence restricted to a geo-political section of the country are a machination of the regime to create conditions that would allow for electoral victory, or a break-up of the country. A report of The International Crisis Group was alleged to have noted that there are now “suspicions the ruling PDP and President Jonathan, who is expected to seek a new term, are trying to suppress ballots in the region, which is largely controlled by the newlyformed opposition party the All Progressives Congress.”

Whatever the thesis explaining the pernicious state of security in the country, the duty and obligation to see that this war comes to an end is principally that of the President.

That is the reason he is the leader and commander-in-chief. however, the President, it must be said, does not give the impression of a sense of dire concern and urgency. he himself had alluded to the claim that he had been treating the insurgency with kid gloves, thereby giving credence to the assumption that Boko Haram has become a purpose-driven insurgency.

Well-meaning Nigerians are not likely to side with this kind of thinking. But if persons among the ruling elite harbour this senseless assault on Nigeria as an election agenda, it should be clear that they cannot win.

It is insensitive and inept for any leader or group of leaders to sacrifice the safety and security of citizens on the altar of party interests and petty personality squabbles as Nigerians have observed among members of the ruling class. Nigerians have been killed in Yobe, Benue, Borno, and elsewhere; threats of more killing keep coming. So far, beyond routine statements, the body language and the atmosphere in the seats of power do not reflect the pain and vulnerability of the country. Are the rulers so numbed, so unshockable, so desensitized to sympathise with their own? Leaders must serve the people through whose mandate they got to power. They should go and visit all the places where these atrocious things have happened, for the depth of their leadership quotient is demonstrated by the risk they take on behalf of their people.

President Jonathan must own this war. The offensives against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria are too shameful and belittling to be addressed routinely.

This is a crisis situation that demands the President and those in the chain of command to be thinking on their feet. Like a typical Field Marshal, the President should choose his strategy and terrain to deal effectively with offensives.

This crucial role of the president will not be well served without the support of a loyal and formidable military. The Nigerian military have been outstanding and have done the nation proud in peacekeeping missions in Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Liberia, Cameroun, Tanzania, The Gambia, amongst others. The nation is challenging the Nigerian military to deal with this war in the way and manner they dealt with other rebellions and insurgencies with remarkable success. They should bring to bear on the current situation the commitment, dedication and valour with which they successfully addressed other wars. The President, Commander-in-Chief must lead the way. A certain show of valour as well as winning this war would be a strong factor in the stability of Nigeria.

LETTER

LAUTECh hospital: Burden of two principals IR: Oluwole Ige’s write up in government has always and till sent to early grave everyday.

SSaturday, some newspapers on date fulfilled its responsibili- Unfortunately, the number of the April 19, 2014 on the ties as far as LAUTECh Teaching unnecessary and avoidable strike of workers at LAUTECh hospitals at Osogbo and Ogbomoso refers.

The aspect of the article that is of utmost concern to well meaning Nigerians is the laughable claim of the spokespersons of Osun and Oyo states that they were not responsible for the comatose and financial incapacitation of LAUTECh hospital. In Ige’s write up, the Osun State Commissioner for health, Dr. (Mrs) Temitope Ilori said: “Osun has not failed for once to meet its financial obligations to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology hospital situated in Osogbo, the state capital.” And the Special Adviser to Oyo State governor on media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, when contacted simply said: “Oyo State

hospital is concerned.”

If the two governments washed their hands clean like biblical Pilate from the LAUTECh hospital problems, to who then shall we appeal, and from where would the masses help come from? It is disheartening, irritating and like committing political harakiri for the governments of Osun and Oyo states to allow two principal teaching hospitals to be closed at the same time. It is tantamount to another suicide bomb attack on the masses worse than the recent Nyanya bomb attack on innocent souls.

The pernicious effect of the closure of the teaching hospital is that steadily, innocent lives are

causalities are unknown.

Since democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people, we therefore plead with the Osun and Oyo states governments to reopen LAUTECh Teaching hospital immediately and put an end to the avoidable official termination of lives and causing discomfort to innocent souls.

We also plead with the APC leaders especially the humane and genial Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and find solution to the above imbroglio between the two APC states.

Afterall, the Yoruba adage says: “When the elders are in the market, the new baby’s head should be well moulded”.

• Adegbite Sunday

The Abuja bomb blast how could Reports said that about 257 a hurry how some people swore StimsIR:thatofInbetheretrospect, the lot of all the vic- people were injured, 14 luxury in the past to make the country Nyanya bomb inci- buses were burnt and about 25 ungovernable, if they do not get dent? how did they all find themselves in Nyanya that early morning?

Incidentally, Nyanya happens to be a satellite park located between FCT and Nasarawa State. It is always very crowded, with a lot of commuters and private sector workers. It could be likened to Oshodi in Lagos, Dugbe in Ibadan, etc, Bomb explosion, which started like joke a few years back has now become part of us. But why would anybody or group of people take lives which they cannot create?

people were burnt beyond recognition among the lot killed in the mindless attack on innocent souls. headless, mangled and unrecognisable bodies of Nigerians littered everywhere. Those were men, women and children who had gone out that day in search of their daily bread, only to run into their misfortune at Nyanya because some wicked, devilish souls planted bombs.

The planners, executioners may have had a grouse with the present political leaders.

Nigerians should not forget in

elected. Whether they meant the threat or not is immaterial; everybody is already witnessing the reality of such comments. I hope Nigerians have learnt a lesson from the last civil war.

It is criminal for anyone to take his or her life let alone taking other people’s lives.

The souls of the blast victims will avenge those who are culpable either directly or indirectly while the cries and tears of the injured will not allow the plotters any rest.

• Ransome Oboh, Lagos.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

15

Opinion Republic of the mind and thralldom of fear (2) CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

By Wole Soyinka O begin with our immediate community T here in Nigeria as testing ground, let us consider the ‘People versus Boko Haram.’ Boko Haram represents the ultimate fatwa, of our time. It has placed a fatwa on our very raison d’etre, the mission, and justification of our productive existence. I do not think that this claim is in contention. The next question is: Does the Boko Haram fatwa remotely represent the articulated position of the majority of Moslems in this nation? My reading over the past few years is an unambiguous no! Again and again the declaration that those words represent in Bennoune’s title is the very manifesto with which the nation has been inundated by Moslem intellectuals, politicians, community leaders quite openly in their pronouncements on Boko Haram. ‘They are not true Moslems’ has become the persistent mantra from northeast to west, all the way southwards across the Niger. Grasping the nearest such declaration to hand, only two days old, the governor of Osun state, a Moslem, declared in categorical terms: “A visibly angry Osun State governor called on Moslems to rise against atrocities perpetrated by the fundamentalist group in the name of religion.” In his own words, we must protest seriously against the sycophants who hide under religion to perpetrate evils in our land; it must be done nationwide. We reject everything that Boko Haram represents. Our religion rejects everything these evil characters project in the name of Islam. We must not be silent, because Boko Haram represents evil.”

Now what does that mean, this exhortation that has been echoed by emirs, Islamic scholars, Islamic councils, politicians and lawgivers etc. The least that the intimately connected people of the book – publishers, teachers, thinkers of all faiths can contribute, is to exploit opportunities such as this market of ideas – to spread the word in all possible forms, most especially where an example is provided through the his-

tories of those who failed to rally the mind when encroachment on the space of ideas was still in infancy. What these voices now proclaim, somewhat belatedly, is simply that the edicts of Boko Haram – in short, its fatwa’s - are worthless and unacceptable to the rest of society. Bennoune’s book, the string of words that makes up the title, is the charter of rejection that the Algerians, as a people, flung at the murderous fundamentalists as they battled for over ten years for their freedom. It represents a collective challenge for the rest of us: to go beyond even the contents of the work and actualise its lessons in our lives. To do less is to concede that the will of Boko Haram is the will of all humanity.

Why else are we gathered here? Boko Haram anathemises books, destroys books and destroys their institutions, but we are here, in a surrounding of, and celebration of books. Yes, indeed, a Book Fair is itself a statement of rejection of Boko Haram’s fatwa. It is an implicit yet overt gesture of contempt for the delusions of grandeur of that movement and its homicidal avocation. But then, a Book Fair owes itself the full complement of what renders it – itself. Its mission, as an instrument of enlightenment, must not be compromised by the diktat – implicit or overt - of whatever makes no disguise of its contrary mission and manifests itself as an enemy of enlightenment.

An army that remains in the barracks even when assailed by enemy forces is clearly no army at all, but a sitting duck. We cannot recommend that we all sign up and join the uniformed corps as they make their rescue sorties into caves and swamps in the forest, not only to destroy the enemy but now, primarily, to rescue our children who were violently abducted from their learning institutions to become – let’s not beat about the bush, let us face the ultimate horror that confronts us, so we know the evil that hangs over us as a people – to become sex slaves of any unwashed dog. Those children will need massive help whenever they are returned to their homes. To remain in denial at this moment is to betray our own offspring and

to consolidate the ongoing crimes against our humanity. There is no alternative: we must take the battle to the enemy. And this is no idle rhetoric – the battlefield stretches beyond the physical terrain. We are engaged in the battle for the mind – which is where it all begins, and where it will eventually be concluded. And that battlefield is not simply one of imagination, it is one of memory and history – our histories, what we were, and a consciousness of the histories of others - what happened to them in the past, how they responded, and with what results.

My dear colleagues, there may be hundreds of soldiers out in the forests of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, but this battle is very much our own, primarily ours, and we should display as much courage as those who are dying in defence of what we value most, as writers, and consumers of literature. At least I like to believe so, to believe that nothing quite comes quite that close to our self-fulfillment as the liberation of the mind wherever the mind is threatened with closure. This is what is at stake. At the core of this affliction, it is this that is central to the predicament of our school pupils wondering through dangerous forests at this moment through no crime that they have committed.

We sent them to school. We must bring them back to school.

Why did this nation move out of its borders to join other West African nations to stop the maniacs whose boastful agenda is to cut a bloody swathe through communities of learning, of tolerance and peaceful cohabitation? What does a united world say to the agents of heartbreak and dismay when religion powered mayhem is unleashed against innocent workers gathered at prime time in a motor park to resume their foraging for daily livelihood? It has happened before – let us not forget that, by the way! What, in short, do Book Fairs say as we learn of the steady, remorseless assault on the seminal places of culture, ancient spiritualities and book learning. We have not so soon forgotten the destruction of the monumental statues of Buddha, the historic monuments

and tombs of Timbuktu, her ancient manuscripts - repositories of Islamic scholarship that pre-date the masterpieces of Europe’s medieval age? The true Moslems, the authentic strain of the descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, pride themselves as people of the book; hence those lovingly preserved manuscripts of Timbuktu, treasured and tended through generations of Moslems. In such circumstances, whose side do we take, when children are blown up and slaughtered in their school dormitories, their teachers and parents hunted down for daring to disobey that phillistinic fatwa that forbids learning? Do we remain in our barracks? And I am not speaking of military barracks!

For it has not just begun, you know. We are speaking of the prosecution of a war that, four years ago already, was already galloping to its present blatant intensity. That it has attained the present staggering figures that numb our humanity with the abduction of female pupils to serve as beasts of burden for the enemy, does not disguise past failures, self-inculpating silences, and even tacit collaboration in places.

Try as we might, we cannot insulate ourselves from the horrors to which our children are daily exposed through a fear to undergo, even for our own instruction, the vicarious anguish of others. First, it is futile, the ill wind currently rattling our windows will shortly blow down the flimsy structures we erect around our heads.

Symbolism is all very well and - yes indeed - no one should underestimate the value of this symbolic enclave whose mandate we shall be acting out over the next seven days. The palpable products – albeit of words only – that emerge from within this symbol however is what constitutes the durable product, reinforcing morale and conveying to the maimed, the traumatised, the widowed and the orphaned, the suddenly impoverished, displaced, the bereaved and other categories of victims a sliver of reassurance that they are not abandoned.

To be continued tomorrow.

• Professor Soyinka is a Nobel Laureate in Literature.

Experience must anchor transformation roadmap

By Nicholas Alozie ECAUSE of lingering disappointment in the manner in B which President Goodluck Jonathan has prosecuted a presidency widely anticipated to be a veritable game changer—-at a time when things have essentially hit rock bottom and success virtually awaited any holder of that sacred mandate for merely trying—-some may frown at the prospect of his being referenced as a paragon for change here. But the citation is warranted, just to ground my premise more properly.

The president is on record as having lamented, and quite correctly, that the bizarre way we do things as a people (mostly contrary to best practices in more successful nations) is a major weakness in our endeavor in nation building. (Part of my grouse with his Presidency is that he has done absolutely nothing so far to begin to reverse the malaise, at the same time that many of his actions continue to stoke, foment, entrench, and exacerbate the crisis.)

While hardly novel in substance or attribution, given incessant outpouring of anxiety on the enigma (see, for instance, The Guardian’s editorial of April 23, 2014, titled “Impunity of the High and Mighty”), one must concede that the president has put his finger on a most toxic catalyst much at the root of our nation’s travails. And given his firsthand experience, no doubt inured by his incisive sojourn at the very top, I doubt that anyone would dismiss the President’s thoughts as mere premature sentiment, or arbitrary.

Here, in a nutshell, is a truly pragmatic rendition of the prohibitive attitude, which the President has spotlighted. It matters little what our nation’s constitution intends or postulates about it. Forget what our extant rules and regulations stipulate about it. Indeed, to hell with appearances and how the rest of the people receive, imagine, or process it. Since the end typically justifies the means for us, we’ll do it our way and damn the consequences—-after all, the only befitting narrative and that’s if it matters at all in the end, is the one we append to it, even if the storyline stinks to high heaven.

The strange way we do things explains why, in a country listed recently by the World Bank as one of the five with the largest concentration of poor people (between 60 and 70 per cent of Nigerians is said to be living below the poverty line), the Presi-

dent can, just with a snap of his finger, order Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the nation’s Finance Minister, to set aside a whopping unbudgeted N7 billion for a conference not even formally sanctioned by the National Assembly (NASS) and it is done just like that, without anyone raising as much as an eyebrow. The very unorthodox way we operate is why, in a country with an expansive Freedom of Information Act (FOI), a benign “public” document supposedly filed by President Jonathan declaring his assets as part of his assumption of the Presidency, as required by the 1999 Constitution, has not seen daylight despite spirited efforts by some of our nation’s most influential media organizations to obtain it.

The mysterious way we do things is the reason an accused being formally prosecuted by a government in court will be invited to the nation’s seat of power at Aso Rock to meet with the head of the same government prosecuting him, and anyone who objects to the damning affront is promptly branded as unsupportive (barely days after the meeting, the prosecuting counsel on behalf of the government, reportedly absented himself from a duly scheduled court session without even the courtesy of prior notice to the court). Our oddity explains why the nation’s governors will assemble in a quorum under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and execute a vote that showed a clear victory with a 19/16-vote split, yet the results of that ballot never carried the day, let alone stood the test of time.

Our godforsaken way of doing things is the reason we’re still counting our losses from the same military rule, which did wonders for Ghana. The recklessness of our ways is the reason much of our national patrimony is being frittered away in graft, yet not one of the notable undertakers is in jail. The uncanny way we do things is the reason Taraba State continues to burn from power drunkenness, but no one can seem to do anything about it. Our peculiarity is the reason the 1999 Constitution’s provision of a three-tiered government (federal, state, local) never materialised in practice. Our weirdness is the reason practically all cases which originate in our courts involving “big” men are dispatched on wanton technicality, as opposed to their merit. One could go on and on, but the point has been made. As a people, we just don’t exhibit the type of strategic discipline required for success in self-governance.

I focus on this impactful albatross here because it is more than a cautionary tale. It is germane to the on-going Abuja Confab saddled with the epic task of designing a new governance arrangement for a new and greater Nigeria. We can’t censure the truth ad infinitum: so, let’s be blunt here about what many observers already know that President Jonathan is merely rekindling in his remark. Genuine and sustainable transformation will not come to Nigeria—-not until serious attention is given to the weird way we do things as a people. In fact, this is perhaps the purest and most decisive lesson deducible from our nation’s 53 tortured years of effort in nation building.

Honestly, any roadmap for the future that ignores the enormity of this lesson does so at its own peril, as whatever mess Nigeria is in today occurred irrespective of our best-laid plans.

Our choices are pretty slim. It’s either we change our ways, or we construct a governance pact that can effectively checkmate our idiosyncrasies. Since the former is unattainable in the short-run (it entails generational replacement), our singular realistic option is the latter: to develop a governance accord fully capable of checkmating our excesses. If ever there was one, this should be the formula, underlying principle, dialect, and rallying cry for our nation’s salvation. It is that sacrosanct.

But I’m concerned that this is not the unflinching tune we’re hearing at Abuja presently. Many operatives, conferees and non-conferees alike, have stormed our nation’s capital clutching grandiose theories of what must be done. Fanciful deductions about what other nations have done or are doing abound. Elegant and flamboyant hypotheses about governance systems and arrangements are being bandied around.

Sadly, these are the same profligate errors of the past which routinely sidetracked well-meaning compatriots tasked with the responsibility of drafting constitutions and aligning governance mechanisms for our country, into blindly copying and adapting what they thought worked elsewhere, without specific regard to their suitability for our unique local circumstances. This intolerable blunder must not recur at this critical juncture.

• Dr. Alozie, is professor of Public Policy and head, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences,

16

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Opinion Women who wear trousers

By Patrick Cole HE wearing of trousers by women is an T English idiom suggesting that the wearing of trousers mean transfer of power from men to women. When you say a woman wears the trousers in the house, you imply that the man is henpecked.

There is no corresponding expression that a man wearing a skirt is dominated in the home. In fact, in many societies, men wear skirts – Scottish, among the Ibos nearly all their kings wear long skirts although I know of no reason for this. Women in India, Pakistani, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka also traditionally wear trousers.

The Asiatic societies for long have had a code for women subordination but, it seems a contradiction in terms and an irony that these societies where long history subordination of women (apart from the various dowager empresses of China), the very first female Prime Ministers came India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Israel and Presidents in Philippines, Indonesia, Liberia. All these women came from ironic, well-established families – their fathers or husbands had held high political offices.

I know of Chief Justices, Chief Judges, Supreme Court Justices who are fully “Feminine”, who betray no coordination to the flintiness of some of their counterparts who seem to eat men for breakfast. When we are together with these extremely feminine women they engender respect because they have no airs, they serve guests as Nigerian culture demands; there is nothing haughty about them. Their husbands remain head of the household and there is mutuality of respect and love. I also know some women ministers who exude the same African femininity.

The coup of 1975 institutionalised the appointment of women as political leaders. It was then decreed that each government, state and federal should have nine commissioners each of which at least one must be a woman. No one had asked the leaders of that coup for this but they felt this was a good move. There were many states where this quota could not be met.

Nigeria, at least south, had never discriminated against women in education. The elementary and primary schools I went to over

60 years ago were mixed and many of us were soundly thrashed by women in academics. The girls, most of who went to secondary schools and university, joined the civil service and progressed to various posts without discrimination. Indeed several ministries, then as now, had more women than men especially in the Ministry of Justice and Health; I believe that the law faculty and medicine have more women than men. I may be wrong but I do not think that even if I am wrong, there is a programme of positive discrimination against women. Banking is another profession where women have done well and deservedly so.

I come from a background of female education of several generations. My mother was the third midwife in Nigeria trained and registered number three in Lagos in 1930. Her sister was educated, her brother went to Kings College. All their siblings had been educated. On both my father’s side there are generations of doctors, dentists, nurses, lawyers going back before the turn of the century. But all of us had that essential quality handed down, which we called home training: teaching courtesy, tolerance and a deep sense of knowing yourself and how to serve others in society.

But there are these other women who are at war with nature and all men- who never cease to imply that men are their enemies and must be put down or disgraced at every conceivable opportunity. The attitude is extended over to their husbands who have been reduced to quivering jellies before these amazons. Our culture is one, which has delineated roles for the sexes and there is enough elasticity within these boundaries for adaptation and novelty. These roles exist also between young and old, respect and appreciation flow from these roles.

None of this affects my views, which may be regarded as not politically correct when I meet militant over- bearing women who demand respect, deference and recognition just because they are women.

I am not sure that Nigerian women demand the kind of militant feminism which their counterparts in the US and Europe demand.

But they are on that road.

I have met nearly all women leaders in the world – Benezia Bhutto (Pakistan) Aquino, (Philippines) Sukanno (Indonesia) etc.

Most of them do not have the rotveiller or pit bull characteristics of their Nigeria counterpart. They are decidedly feminine. Our culture does not agree with militant political feminism. So far in Nigeria, the realities are that there are more female doctors, lawyers, and probably in other professions.

There is bonding between mother and child through breastfeeding, which no man can possibly have. Does militant feminism not endanger this basic natural bonding?

Women who work complain that both men and women should share household and housekeeping chores. In Africa and in Nigeria- both do share roles but have different functions.

But do Nigerian women really want to be radical feminist, like European and U.S. women radical feminism which has led to single mothers in Sweden, Norway, and Holland etc who have an almost a – rent – a- child – mentality, causing considerable social malaise.

The female specie provides for her chicks and has a more protective mentality.

Women have innate aggression when their hearth is threatened… this maybe what makes them good for politics; and power.

Most women argue that there is a uniquely feminine quality they can bring into politics and to the boardrooms of business. This may be so but this is hardly our experience in Nigeria. The Ministries of Finance, Petroleum, Aviation, Communication, Education etc have had female Permanent Secretaries and Ministers. There has been little difference that I can see between when men or women ran these establishments. That little difference manifested itself in greater acquisitive powers and shameless exhibition thereof.

I will be accused of sexism, of mysognism etc of not being politically correct, why? Because I am saying what I believe – so be it - a man should not cower under threats. I have never felt superior to women; have not assigned any job specifically to them, nor denied them entry into any field. But there are consequences when any society changes roles between the sexes; these roles may be beneficial to the society but they may also be detrimental.

There are many societies where a woman marries many men at the same time, that is,

many men share one woman. Unfortunately, many Nigerian women are getting more aggressive. Maybe that is what some Nigerian women want since this is what they practice when young and going to school especially, while in the university where they do “runs”.

Universal suffrage is of recent vintage, even in the West – 1930s. Women have come a long way since then. Women’s rights have generally been protected but in the West, there is a tendency towards extreme feminism expressed usually as a pathological distaste for men, and the espousing of lesbianism. In Nigeria, there is a growing incidence of Lesbianism, which is as reprehensible as its male counterpart. I am told that there are two justifications for this based on respect for fundamental human rights: if you accept that you discriminate against homosexuals and lesbians then, you deny them of their human rights – freedom of choice. The second reason is that sexual preference is congenital – that is how the genes of individuals are made – they are homosexual or lesbian not by choice but by nature. Really?

The history and role of women in Nigerian politics since 1999 has not served the cause of women very well. Few of the ministers had been effective; fewer still have left good impression, with a few exceptions. The more exposed they have been politically, the worse they have left of women’s reputations. Generally as a group, they have been given the impression of being more acquisitive; many of the first ladies have tended to hector their husband’s Commissioners or Ministers; and some of those who have been ministers or office holders in the Legislatures have not lived up to the billings.

It is said, by men of course, that the most dangerous of any species is the female especially when she is protecting the young or looking for food to feed the young. This may perhaps excuse some of the excesses which one notices among politically powerful women. I think what God intended was a partnership between men and women, not a slugging match. There are of course a lot of useless and hopeless men, some of whom have held power. Such people should be rightly abused and denigrated, so also should useless and hopeless women.

• Dr. Cole is a Consultant to The Guardian Editorial Board.

Boko Haram: Let truth be told (2) CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

By Raymond Oise-Oghaede T is only in this country that we talk of east, west, south Iseeand northern parts of Nigeria. In the outside world, they us as Nigerians and no one part of the country can isolate itself from the others.

The most painful aspect of the scenario is that Nigerians are easily carried away by worthless endeavours. Or how best can we describe a situation where taxpayers’ money is spent in organising and executing the ongoing Constitutional Conference in the face of insecurity. Personally, I had expected the members of the conference to foreclose every other discussion and concentrate on the state of insecurity in the country. That is the only way Nigerians would trust the sincerity of purpose. What is the essence of creating more states and resolving the issue of resource control or allocation when the rooftop is on fire? The people that are supposed to enjoy the outcome of the so-called conference are presently under siege. If at all they get all other things right, how would it positively impact on the lives of the people that are living in fears? People whose lives and properties are not secured?

Presently, the politicians are gearing up for the forthcoming elections, because they are not really bothered or concerned about the pains the families of those that have been killed and maimed by the activities of members of the sect are going through. What they are saying indirectly is that even if millions of Nigerians are killed today, there will still be millions of people that will participate in future elections. So, ‘who is deceiving who’? Whose interest are the socalled politicians fighting to win elective positions to protect?

It need be mentioned that the United States of America have spent millions of dollars and are still spending more in their involvement in the search for the missing Malaysian Plane because of just about three to four Americans that were on board. That is how a government shows responsiveness and commitment to the plight of citizens.

Just recently, members of Boko Haram sect abducted over 200 girls. Though some escaped by divine intervention, others are still in captivity. What else do you want to hear or be told about the capability of members of the sect? They have proven beyond reasonable doubt that they are fully on ground. The best thing to do at this point in time is to call for peaceful resolution of the matter. The government should be sincere and show commitment to true reconciliation by appealing to members of the sect to sheath the sword and be prepared for true reconciliation through dialogue and negotiations.

My heart is with the families of those that have lost one person or the other to this menace. Same goes to the parents and family members of those girls in captivity. You will not hear any bad news about them by the grace of Almighty God that we all believe and serve.

I will want to use this medium to appeal to the leadership of the sect to please temper justice with mercy by releasing these innocent and helpless girls. I am almost certain that Shekau is human and a father at that. Please, put yourself in the shoes of the parents of these innocent girls who have not contributed in anyway way whatsoever to the root causes of your struggle. You have made concrete statements by your activities of the past and I am very sure the government and people are weighing the option of peaceful and amicable resolution of the matter. You may be aggrieved and disgruntled into embarking on this line of actions, but

please prove it to the world that you are not fighting a selfish war by releasing the girls in your custody. Prove it to the world that you are the commander in chief of the sect by directing that the girls should be released unconditionally. By so doing, you would have proved a point that you are also human and a considerate one at that.

You have abducted these girls for over one week now and nobody has been able to do anything to secure their release.

That goes a long way to show that you are on top of your game and there is no doubt about that but, go a little further to releasing them unhurt and you will be applauded.

Please, remember that the victims of your menace are your brothers and sisters and even your children at that (because all Nigerians are one). There are several ways to be heard without having to shed innocent blood. Be rest assured that you will be protected and supported if you opt for ceasefire.

Thanking you in anticipation of your understanding and cooperation.

I am making this appeal on behalf of the good people of Nigeria including the downtrodden masses you claimed to be fighting for. Be rest assured that if these girls are released unhurt, all well meaning Nigerians will stand up to call for peaceful resolution of this problem in the spirit of no victor, no vanquish without victimisation or harassment of any of your sect members.

Come forward with your terms and conditions and the government and people will be responsive and committed to meeting them.

It is true that some of your terms and conditions might not be met immediately, the government and people will be considerate to the highest level. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Concluded.

• Oise-Oghaede wrote from Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

17

Focus Debate over port reforms intensifies

By David Ogah HE ports play a significant role in the economT ic development of any maritime nation, like Nigeria. Their efficiency is critical to the national supply chain, industrial capacity utilization, market stabilization, employment, monetary and fiscal policies.

But despite their importance, Nigerian ports, before 2006, were characterized by high cost, low efficiency, obsolete equipment, under-funding and high centralization.

These and other factors informed the deregulation of the port sector, with the intention of breaking the monopoly of cargo handling operations by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), after the adoption of studies commissioned by the Federal Government.

The studies were carried out by the Royal Haskoning, which recommended the privatization, through concessional agreement, and the emergence of new port structure under a landlord arrangement.

The recommended landlord model prescribed that investment in the port’s super structures and employment of port labour, which hitherto had been the exclusive preserve of the NPA, should be transferred to private operators, while the port land ownership and administration, regulation, maritime services, infrastructural and environmental care, be taken of by the government through the NPA. In pursuant of the deregulation agenda and reform initiatives by the government, the existing ports were delineated into 27 terminals and handed over to private operators in 2006, after an international competitive bidding process.

Government’s intention then was to break the monopoly of operations to improve efficiency, measured in terms of the speed with which a vessel is dispatched after its arrival; the rate at which cargo is handled and the length of time that it stays at the port prior to shipment or discharge. The intention was also to reduce cost of doing business, promote local and foreign investment in port infrastructure and by so doing, reduce the annual budgetary allocation to the port sub-sector.

But one unfortunate thing about the reform was the failure to provide for the establishment of a commercial regulator, to ensure that port operations are carried out in accordance with the rules and regulations as contained in various agreements between the private operators (concessionaires) and the government, though the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

Other sector, like the Insurance, Telecommunication and a handful of others, which went through the same deregulation process, were given a regulator, like the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that regulates banking operations and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) among others.

There was no established agency to check the activities of the operators or to mediate when there is a trade dispute in the port.

Concessionaires and other service providers seized the advantage of the vacuum created to act arbitrarily. They introduced charges not applicable in the Nigerian situation, contrary to provision in their concessional agreement that all stakeholders, including the NPA, should be carried along in any plan to increase charges.

The increased charges provoked the ire of port users, especially shippers and their agents, who condemned the trend and had to down tools at one point, to protest openly against arbitrary charges.

The Federal Government reacted swiftly to allegations of arbitrariness by shipping companies and terminal operators by putting in place a committee to investigate and review the existing port charges. A Lagos Lawyer, Mr. Chidi Ilogu, chaired the committee.

The committee was asked to examine the pre and post concession local shipping charges and rates with a view to determining the justification of any increase by the providers of shipping services, examine institutional mechanisms for regulating local shipping and related charges, and consider any issues that might assist in solving the problem of arbitrary and unilateral increase in shipping and other charges.

The committee, which completed its assignment on schedule, confirmed all the allegations against the service providers, after observing

Aerial view of the Tin Can Island port that many of the charges including labour, customs examinations, transfer, terminal handling, documentation, container cleaning and other charges by them were irrational and not approved by the appropriate government agencies.

It also recommended the abrogation of safety/security/ISPC code, administrative and tally charges; shipping line agency fee, container deposit processing fee and terminal delivery charges.

Besides, it recommended the abrogation of sorting charge, plant hire and service charges, which until then were being collected by bonded terminals operators.

The committee recommended the review of the Act establishing the regulatory bodies – the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) and the NPA – to enable them sanction terminal operators, shipping agencies, bonded terminals and other service providers caught increasing charges arbitrarily.

This and agitations from port users for the establishment of a commercial regulator for the sector, convinced the government to seriously consider the need for an agency that would regulate the sector.

The issue came up again in 2011, when another committee put in place to evaluate the operations of the concessionaires within the last four years of their operations at the gateways.

In its report, the committee said there was a need for an independent economic regulator, which it described as a critical success factor in the port reform and deregulation exercise.

Emphasizing the importance of a regulator, the port reform evaluation committee said it was needed to monitor all parties to the concession in order to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement, besides the need to give all the parties a level playing field.

The NPA was favoured by some players in the maritime industry to play the critical role, but the committee recommended that it should play the role of technical regulator instead trying to prevent conflicts of interest.

Majority of the stakeholders, who spoke on the matter, said they preferred the council to emerge as the regulator for the maritime sector. They said for the nation’s economic interest, the council should be given the necessary legislative power to emerge as commercial regulator.

Founder of National Association of Government Freight Forwarders, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam was quoted in the shipper magazine recently as saying that the council was the most appropriate agency of the government to regulate the port because of its capacity, mileage and personnel.

He said: “They know everything about the port.

The issue of regulation has to do with all problems associated with the port functions, and they are already doing this in advisory capacity. They have

what it takes to regulate; there is no other agency, either NPA or NIMASA that can do it.

Apart from this, it is going to save the government a lot of money because the structures are already on ground for them to work with.”

The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu also was quoted by the same magazine as saying that the government would be missing the point if it creates a new agency to play the role of a commercial regulator at the nation’s port.

“Nigerian Shippers Council has been established and it had been there catering for the interest of the Nigerian Shippers in all their activities. They have all the data; they have all the facts about how ports are being run in other places.

They are the most suitable government organization that can act as a commercial regulator,” he said.

As the debate on the appropriate government agency to play the vital role was going on, the Federal Government, early in the year, name the NSC as the commercial regulator, pending the enactment of an Act for the establishment of Nigeria Transport Commission, to which it might be transformed.

The choice of the council for the role did not come as a surprise, as stakeholders had attested to its ability to do the work well. They also vowed for its capacity because of its various interventions before now in the maritime sector, as part of its functions, since its establishment in 1978.

The council was established to protect of the interest of shippers (importers and exporters) on matters affecting shipment to and from Nigeria; to serve as an agent for economic development through efforts at minimizing and stabilizing transport cost and to advise the government on matters relating to freight rates, terms of shipment, port charges and facilities and generally on problems of the shipping industry in Nigeria.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who approved the council as the economic regulator for the maritime transport sector, is aware of a bill for an Act to repeal the NSC Act and to provide for the establishment of a national transport commission as an independent regulator for the nation’s transport sector.

By implication, the council will automatically transform into the country’s transport commission whenever the bill is passed at the National Assembly.

No fewer than former nine senators, including the then Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Gbemi Saraki, made a case for the establishment of the transport commission during the second reading of the bill at the senate about three years ago.

The protagonists of the establishment of the

commission were of the opinion that transportation services in the country have been largely uncoordinated and lacking in direction. They also believed that the chaos in the sector had resulted in the perpetuation of all manner of violations and arbitrariness, which have manifested in several adverse effect on the national economy such as huge capital flight, collapse of industries, poor services and blatant perpetuity of monopolies combined with other unfair trade practices.

As an economic regulator, the NSC would be expected to enhance the development of an efficient and consumer oriented transportation system, now within the maritime transport sector, and later in the national transport sector, when the bill for the establishment of transport commission is passed.

These roles would include preventing abuse and monopoly of transport service, reviewing charges and rates, approving and fixing maximum fees for granting licenses, and permits, approving tariffs, rules and regulations, setting appropriate standards in line with global best practices, supervising service quality and ensuring that prices are fair and reasonable.

In the maritime transport sector, the Nigerian Shippers have been the ombudsman, or an arbitrator between the providers and consumer of services, even when it lacked the power to sanction.

In its attempt to play a regulatory role, the council has acquired a lot of experience in economic regulation, within the limits of its legal framework, that would help it as a regulator for both the maritime transport sector and later when it emerges as the nation’s transport commission.

The council successfully negotiated with international shipping lines to ensure zero increase in freight rate, especially between 1986 and 1997 when it helped the country to save hundred of millions of naira, which Nigerian shippers could have paid to enrich the foreign shipping companies.

The intervention of the council at sub-regional level, through the Union of African Shippers Council (UASC), led to the withdrawal of surcharges on Nigeria bound goods by European West African Trade Agreement (EWATA) in 2009.

Through this, the council saved for the country over 2 billion Euros over a period of three years.

To succeed in its regulatory role in this area, the council organized a protest within the West African sub-region and through USAC, which led to the abrogation, in Europe, of EWATA due to its anti-competitive and monopolistic tendencies.

Impressively too, it has negotiated with road haulers within Nigeria, especially the organized group, Joint Action Committee of Transport Owners (JACOTO) in Lagos and environ, to ensure a reduction in haulage rates in the country.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

TheMetroSection Survivors of Ebola face second ‘disease’ of stigma HE doctor has beaten the odds and surT vived Ebola, but he still has one more problem: The stigma carried by the deadly disease.

Even though he is completely healthy, people are afraid to come near him or to have anything to do with him.

For example, the man was supposed to give an interview on Guinean radio to describe his triumphant tale. But the station

would not allow him into the studio.

“We’d prefer he speak by phone from downstairs,” the station’s director told a representative of Doctors Without Borders, while the survivor waited outside in a car. “I can’t take the risk of letting him enter our studio.”

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed more than 145 lives so far. More than 240 people, mostly in Guinea, are suspected of having caught the illness, which causes

One of the survivors of Ebola virus being attended to by medical practitioners

Lagos Assembly begins probe into Ogba poisonous gas pollution

By Wole Oyebade EARLY two months after N the last incident, the Lagos State House of Assembly has finally begun investigation into episodes of poisonous gas emissions in Ikeja, where students of Ogba Junior Grammar School, Ikeja were victims.

The House Committee on Environment visited the school, where 12 students had fainted on March 6, after inhaling a substance suspected to be a chemical.

About 20 students of the same school also collapsed after inhaling similar substance in October 2013.

Affected students had been rushed and hospitalised at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospitals (LASUTH) on both occasions, coupled with immediate

The school...

closure of the school.

Prior to its motion for “thorough investigation”, the Lagos Assembly had on March 17, frowned at the incident, the second in five months around the industrial layout in Ikeja, the state capital.

Vice-Chairman of the Committee, Adebimpe Akinsola, said the committee’s visit was to investigate the remote causes of the incidence, and proffer solution, with a view to preventing future re-occurrence.

Akinsola added that the State Government would do everything possible to uncover the source of the poisonous gas.

Her words: “We cannot afford to lose any student to a preventable occurrence like this emission. Our children

are so important to us and it is the duty of the government to protect the lives of our people,” she said.

The school Principal, Omokehinde Mogaji, who conducted the committee round the school premises, noted that the school had been in existence since 2008 and had not experienced such “a calamity” until October 2013 and then in March, 2014.

Mogaji said: “Each time this incident happens, it is usually on Thursdays, after the students return to their classrooms from break time.”

She appealed to the State government to expand their investigation to the neighbouring Shopping Complex and buildings around the school prem-

horrific suffering, including bursting blood vessels and bleeding from ears and other orifices. There is no vaccine, no treatment and the disease is almost always fatal.

But a handful of the infected do survive.

About 30 patients have survived in Guinea so far, according to Doctors Without Borders. Liberia has not recorded any cases of survival.

Unfortunately for the lucky few, the stink of stigma lingers long after the virus has been purged from their bodies.

“Thanks be to God, I am cured. But now I have a new disease: the stigmatization that I am a victim of,” said the Guinean doctor, who spoke to The Associated Press but refused to give his name for fear of further problems the publicity would cause him and his family. “This disease (the stigma) is worse than the fever.”

Several other people who survived the disease refused to tell their stories when contacted by the AP, either directly or through Doctors Without Borders.

Sam Taylor, the Doctors Without Borders spokesman who had taken the doctor to the radio station, confirmed that the man had been infected and survived.

The doctor believes he caught Ebola while caring for a friend and colleague who died in Conakry, Guinea’s capital. At the time, he said, he did not know that his friend had Ebola.

Shortly after his friend’s death, the doctor got a headache and came down with an intractable fever. And then the vomiting and diarrhea began.

“I should have died,” the doctor said, but he responded to care, which includes intensive hydration, and unlike most other Ebola patients, he lived.

Surviving Ebola is a matter of staying alive long enough to have the chance to develop enough antibodies to fight off the virus, said David Heymann, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

That’s because it’s typically the symptoms of Ebola - severe fever, hemorrhaging, dehydration, respiratory problems- that kills a patient.

Even though he has been cleared of Ebola, the doctor says that people avoid him.

“Now, everywhere in my neighborhood, all the looks bore into me like I’m the plague,” he said. People leave places when he shows up. No one will shake his hand or eat with him. His own brothers are accusing him of putting their family in danger.

Stigma often accompanies the spread of deadly, poorly understood diseases, said Meredith Stakem, a health and nutrition ad-

‘I went to pray at the mosque.

As soon as I entered, all the worshippers left the mosque,’ recounted Soumah, a 30year-old engineer... I was alone. No one around me viser for Catholic Relief Services in West Africa, noting that the terrified reaction to Ebola recalls the early days of the HIV epidemic.

Ebola may incite an even more severe reaction because health workers responding to it wear head-to-toe protective gear that look like space suits, Stakem noted. In this outbreak, the homes of some of the infected in Liberia have been attacked and Doctors Without Borders briefly abandoned a clinic in Guinea that was targeted.

The families of those who die from Ebola face similar problems.

Aziz Soumah, who lives in a suburb of the Guinean capital of Conakry, said his family was forced to move after his brother died, apparently from Ebola.

“I went to pray at the mosque. As soon as I entered, all the worshippers left the mosque,” recounted Soumah, a 30-year-old engineer. “I was alone. No one around me.”

International health organizations are doing extensive community outreach to explain how the disease is transmitted -only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of symptomatic people- and to explain that those cured are no longer contagious.

The most powerful tool to combat stigma is the way health care workers treat a discharged patient, said Corinne Benazech, the representative in Guinea for Doctors Without Borders in Guinea.

“The patient never leaves alone,” she said of when Ebola survivors leave their isolation wards, and health care workers individually shake hands with the survivor.

Discharged patients receive a certificate from the Minister of Health that states they are no longer contagious, said Tom Fletcher, an infectious disease physician with the World Health Organization who is working in Guinea. However, the virus may linger in a male patient’s semen, so men are given a three-month supply of condoms, he added.

The Guinean doctor was treated for about a week before he was declared cured. Fletcher said that’s typical for the miraculous few: “These people should be celebrated, really, as opposed to stigmatized.”

COURTESY: AP

Photo

Senior Public Relations Officer, Julius Berger Nigeria, Grace Ayoola distributing mosquito nets to pregnant women, nursing mothers, on behalf of Julius Bergers, to mark this year’s World Health Day at Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja at the weekend PHOTO : LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Briefs Scores feared dead in communal clash in Imo From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri ET to be identified numbers of persons are feared dead, while scores sustained varying degrees of injuries in a communal clash on Sunday between Azaraegbelu and Ubezeala communities in Owerri North Local Council of Imo State.

As at the time of filing this report accurate figures were yet to be ascertained, but intense fight with dangerous weapons like knives, guns among other objects were said to have been used to unleash mayhem among the warring members of the communities.

A source told The Guardian that a communal crisis escalated into a conflict and open fights following aggravated land disputes and other issues. Several houses were torched, while farmlands were also destroyed.

The source said the feuding communities had initially chased away the few policemen on peace mission and patrol before reinforcement combined with soldiers was mobilized to handle the situation.

Many have deserted their ancestral homes as a result of the crisis.

The Imo State Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew. Enwerem, a DSP, told The Guardian that the Command was yet to get casualty information, adding that it was not ruled out. He also said a good number of policemen have been dispatched to the area to curtail the situation.

Y

APEN holds chess competition May 17 HE Association of Professional Educators in Nigeria (APEN) will T on Saturday, May 17, 2014 begin the APEN Qualifying Annual Chess competition at Oxbridge Tutorial College for the mainland venue and Corona School Ikoyi for the Island venue. With 105 participants registered so far, APEN is obviously excited about her very first tournament in the history of the association.

In a statement, the Executive Secretary of APEN, Folawe Omikunle, said: "We recognize the importance of chess in increasing strategic thinking skills, stimulating intellectual creativity, and improving problem-solving ability, while raising self-esteem.

There will be three categories of players/participants: the primary category (for primary school students), the junior category (for Junior Secondary School students) and the senior category (for senior secondary school students and sixth form schools).

The qualifying participants compete in the finals on May 24, at Straitgate School, Magodo, Lagos.

The event is also expected to be a platform for networking among the students while providing ambience for excitement .

Ekiti enrolls more elderly citizens for social security KITI State Government has begun enumeration of elderly citiE zens in farmsteads yet to benefit from the N5000 monthly social security scheme as part of steps by the government to ex-

pand its scope.

The Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, dropped the hint at Igimookongo community in Ado-Ekiti Local Council in continuation of her empowerment visit to Ekiti farmsteads, last Friday.

She said that her visit to the farmsteads, which had already covered 11 of the 16 Local Councils of the state, was also used to compile a fresh list of citizens above 65 years of age.

The governor’s wife assured the enrollees that the state government was poised to start paying them the N5000 monthly allowance from the end of April to make ends meet.

To date, more than 20,000 citizens above 65 years have been benefitting from the scheme, which Governor Kayode Fayemi inaugurated in October 2011 in keeping faith with his electioneering promise.

Fayemi’s wife said: “As I move round the farmsteads we are compiling a new list of elderly citizens for inclusion in the social security scheme. They will start to receive their money by the end of this month (April).”

“The government under the leadership of Dr. Kayode Fayemi is committed to putting smiles on the faces of the elderly citizens.

I urge you to return him to office with your votes in the June 21 election and more benefits will follow.”

Meanwhile, the governor’s wife has cautioned political gladiators to eschew violence in the build up to the June 21 governorship election.

She challenged those jostling to unseat her husband from the Oke Bareke Governor’s Office to go about their electioneering without unleashing violence on their perceived opponents.

Oba of Benin orders seal off of traditional shrine

By Bertram Nwannekanma HE Oba of Befnin, HRM Oba Erediauwa (CFR) has ordered the sealing off of the traditional shrine (Oguedion) in Ughoton community, Ovia North East Local Council of Edo state.

The Benin monarch in a statement signed by the palace Public Relations Officer, Robinson Osayemwen, at the weekend stated that with the seal- off of all activities at the shrine has been suspended.

“The suspension is sequel to anti-palace activities by the community head (Odionwere) and his loyalists in the community,” the statement read.

Chief Jonathan Idada Erhimwinoghae, who led other palace chiefs to effect the seal up of the shrine, said Odionwere refused to honour the palace invitation over a misunderstanding with the traditional head (Ohen-okun) of Ughoton community, Chief Victor Aigbovbiosa.

The Guardian gathered that misunderstanding arose following a tussle over who is the traditional and administrative head of Ughoton community.

Consequently, the Oba of Benin has appointed the next in hierarchy to the Odionwere, (Ozukpogieva) and the head of the middle age group (Okaighele) to assist the Ohen-okun, Chief Victor Aigbovbiosa, in administrating the community.

The statement recalled a palace statement dated June 7, 2013 and signed by Secretary to the Oba, Mr. Osazuwa Oronsaye-Guobadia through Ohen-okun’s lawyer, U.O Okungbowa, which stated that Ohen-okun is the traditional head in charge of Ughoton community.

Similarly, the Oba of Benin, recently through the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council (BTC) Frank Irabor had upheld Pa. Victor Aigbovbiosa as Ohonkun (traditional head) of Ughoton community.

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Rotary Foundation commissions polio houses, optimistic of eradication of disease in Nigeria

By Isaac Taiwo ORMER Rotary International FFoundation President and the Rotary Trustee Chairman, Dong Kurn Lee, who has been on a five-day visit to Nigeria with the wife, Young, has commissioned the Polio House at the Rotary International Secretariat, GRA, Ikeja and Mobile Polio Billboards, too.

Dong and his wife were received in Nigeria by the District Governor, Rotary International, District 9110, which comprise Lagos and Ogun States, Olugbemiga Olowu.

According to the Chairman, Rotary International, National Polio Goodwill Ambassadors, Funke Akindele (second right), Sani Danja, Rotary Foundation Chair, Dong Kurn Lee, Polio Plus Committee, Dr. Tunji District Governor, Rotary International, District 9110 (Lagos and Ogun states), Oluwagbemiga Olowu, Past District Funsho, the Polio House com- Governor, Richard Giwa-Osagie (second left) and Young Lee at the commissioning of Mobile Polio Billboards after missioned was has been dedi- commissioning the Polio House PHOTO: ISAAC TAIWO cated to polio in the country. in Ethiopia, Somalia and it has one of the biggest budget in “The purpose of the building sidered to have been comspread to northern part of Nigeria. He was optimistic is to create space for our staff pleted.

He disclosed that the only one Kenya. They have been polio that polio would soon be eradito work and to afford Rotary free for five, six and seven years cated in Nigeria.

Volunteer Staff to co-ordinate case left is in Kano State and that with the support of Rotary but because there was no rou- “Nigeria would soon be a with Rotary in the effort to International technical parttine immunization, as soon as polio-free nation and we are eradicate polio in Nigeria.” this very close. Victory is not “The house is also to serve as a ners, polio would be eradicated children infected with polio in Nigeria at the end of this come to any vicinity, the virus far from Nigeria and this is the legacy after polio has been year. spreads and children get inreason for providing the house eradicated in Nigeria.”

“When we started in 1985, fected again. we are commissioning today,” “This building that was conWorld Heath Organization “This is my warning for Nige- he said. Funsho on the comstructed within the space of (WHO) told us that if we could rians too. Leaders in the South- missioning of the Mobile Bill eight months at the cost of ern part of the country are Boards said ‘Funsho Logistics’ N10,000,000 will be kept as a raise the sum of $120 million, getting a little bit complacent has partnered with the Rotary memoire towards the effort we polio would be eradicated in International to spread the immade to end polio in Nigeria.” Nigeria, but we ended up rais- saying polio is only in the North, forgetting that many munization with 15 branded “Our happiness today is that ing up to $240 million. We, trucks as a collaboration effort the result of our efforts to end however, under-estimated the people including children polio in Nigeria has been very challenge because as at today, travel from the North to almost to spread the need to have nothing less than $11 billion every State in the South. Until every child immunized, which encouraging,” he said. polio is totally eradicated in the also would influence more colFunsho said he could recall have been spent by Rotary that about six years ago, there Foundation all over the world world, immunization contin- laborators. ues and even when the world is Lee during his visit to Nigeria were more than 2,000 cases of in the course of polio eradicadeclared polio free world, im- travelled to Abuja to commispolio in Nigeria, which was re- tion.

“Every country in the world in- munization should continue. sion Polio House donated by duced to three last year with cluding those that have been The vaccine we are using is life Polio Ambassador, Mr. Emeka only one case this year.

Ofor, met with Rotary partners The Chairman, however, reit- certified polio-free has contin- virus which kills virus and erated that “one case of polio is ued to immunize their children leaves the body with no virus,” including WHO, UNICEF, Minister for Health, Prof. Onyeone case too much” and that regularly because if they don’t, he said.

Lee in his contribution exbuchi Chukwu and other until the last infected child is polio will come back to those countries. pressed satisfaction that eradi- ministry officials. He was also immunized and free from in Port Harcourt to do the polio, the work cannot be con- “Last year, we had similar issues cation of polio was accorded

Ado-Odo/Ota Council boss honoured for good governance of good governance Responding, while receiving the ItheNinsupport Ogun State, the Chairman of award, Rotimi Rahmon, who Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council, doubles as the ALGON Chairman Rotimi Rahmon was given a meritorious award for being faithful to his promises to the people of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council.

Presenting the award, the Principal Coordinator of the Participation Train, Mr. Bodurin Diejomaoh said that the group had to look into the promises made by the chairman before the 2011 elections in line with the cardinal five- point agenda of his administration. We believe that over 80 per cent of the set goals in that agenda have been achieved.

The Chairman has also been very resourceful, especially in the area of human development initiatives, which is important for domestic and grassroots upliftment of the psych required for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

in Ogun State and Public Relations Officer nationwide, noted that such a gesture was quite encouraging and would indeed, endear him or any progressiveminded personality to render more service to the people.

He, however, cautioned that the group must remain focused to its ideals as progressive citizens, saying that the All Progressive Congress (APC) is a party of progressives and would welcome meaningful contributions that would lead to the betterment of the citizenry.

In his words: “We are a party of progressives and we will encourage you to remain focused to the preservation of progressive ideals that will lead to development of our people”.

He thanked the Participation Train for the award, we he afRahmon receiving the award firmed to be a participant.

Man docked for allegedly stealing N4.3m products

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo FORTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD pharmacist, Joseph Akpemiya, was last Friday arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly stealing Vixa Pharmaceutical Company’s products worth N4.3 million.

The defendant who serves as the regional distributor for the Western region for the company, residing at No 4, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, Oyo State is stand-

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ing trial on a two-count charge of fraud and stealing.

The Prosecutor, ASP Eranus Nnamonu, told the court that the accused committed the offences between Feb. 1, 2012 and March, 2013 at No 13b, Sunny Jigidi St., Ogudu Ori Oke, Lagos.

He said that the defendant obtained pharmaceutical products from the company under the pretence of supplying it to the com-

pany’s distributors in the western area of the country. He said the defendant unlawfully diverted the products worth N4.3 million from the company to his own personal use.

The prosecutor said that the stolen products belong to Vixa Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

Nnamonu said that the offences contravened Sections 285 and 312, of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

However, following his not guilty plea, the charging Magistrate, Mrs Abimbola Komolafe, granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

She said, “One of the sureties must be blood relative of the defendant, show three years evidence of tax to the government and addresses must be verified.”

Magistrate Komolafe, therefore, adjourned till July 3, 2014 for mention.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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Business NNPC to increase crude oil reserves, production

By Roseline Okere HE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has embarked on fresh exploration cam-

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paigns in offshore, onshore and the inland basins of Chad, Anambra, Benue, Bida and Sokoto Dahomey to increase the country’s crude oil reserve and production.

Specifically, NNPC expects the outcome of the programme to boost the national crude oil reserve and production to 40 billion and four million barrels per day

respectively.

The Group Managing Director of the corporation, Andrew Yakubu made this commitment while delivering a keynote address at the

Group Sales & Marketing Manager, Institute Of Marketing Management, South Africa, Kevin Mottram (left), President and Chairman of Council, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Ganiyu Koledoye; President, Institute Of Marketing Management, Zimbabwe, Professor Rukudzo Murapa, and Council Member, NIMN, Taiwo Owolabi, during a collaboration press conference between NIMN and the Institute Of Marketing Management, South Africa.

Nigeria partners Benin, Cameroun, others on vehicle transit scheme

By Moses Ebosele HE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), at the weekend, flagged-off a new vehicle transit scheme designed to facilitate shipment of automobiles into Nigeria from Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic.

Under the scheme which commenced at Seme Border point at the weekend, imported vehicles are to be handed over to NCS as part of measures to curtail smuggling, enhance transparency and accountability.

The Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Lawrence Olufemi Obisakin, who flagged-off the scheme, commended President Goodluck Jonathan and his Benin Republic counterpart, Yayi Boni, for making the project a reality.

Obisakin said: ‘’The official handover of imported vehicles by the Benin Customs Service to their Nigerian counterpart represents the result of several years of bilateral relationship. ‘’We have to thank God for the friendly and fraternal relationship existing between President Goodluck Jonathan and his Benin Counterpart, President Boni Yayi as well as the diplomatic and customs services of both countries.’’

According to Obisakin, Seme border is strategic for many reasons “including being sited between two commercial capital cities of Cotonou and Lagos,which makes it

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the busiest land border in West African sub region”.

He said the Customs at Seme border and Benin Republic have an important role to play in getting industrialised goods shipped from Nigeria to other West African countries.

Obisakin described Nigeria and Benin relationship as one that dates back to about 1200 years ago, adding that both countries shares 778kilometre border line with some things in common such as both countries being founding members of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Co-prosperity Alliance Zone (COPAZ).

The Customs Area Controller of Seme Command, Willy Egbudin, commended the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko for his vision and professionalism.

According to Egbudin ,regional security,facilitation of genuine trade and improving on the existing synergies between Nigeria Customs and other customs administrations sharing common borders with the country are expected to improve under the new regime.

Speaking through an interpreter, according to a statement issued by Customs Public Relations Officer for Seme Command, Ernest Olottah,the Chef De Brigade of Benin customs at Seme Krake, Captain Imouru Idrissou said the programme will advance

the economic integration agenda of both countries and foster the growth of the existing unity among their nationals.

The NCS, in collaboration with its counterpart in Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Niger recently resolved to streamline the operation of check points through the use of professional tools.

The various customs commands stressed the need for strict adherance to the provisions of transit protocols in the regional economic groups.

A communiqué issued at the end of a meeting held in Abuja called for regional trade and need to foster professionalism in Customs operations.

To this end, the leadership of the customs commands also called for the setting up of dedicated desks in “our Customs Administrations to address the issues and challenges related to transit trade among the proximate Countries”.

Other resolutions reached include need to “collaborate with partner government agencies to reduce non-tariff barriers associated with movement of goods across borders, and implement fast track concessions for compliant traders, in line with international best practices”.

It also stressed the need to “establish focal points within our Customs administrations to communicate within our region movement of goods, and pursue on-going projects related to interconnectivity of our Computer

Systems”.

Besides,relevant authorities should “communicate significant seizures and method of concealment among our Customs Administrations to enable us build formidable risk profiles of cross-border operators.

“Use ICT tools to facilitate exchange of information between our Customs administrations, establish clearly the documents and instruments that will be exchanged between our Customs administrations to ensure transparency and work towards conclusion of mutual administrative assistance agreements between our administrations|”.

The communiqué commended the joint border patrol currently in operation between Nigeria and Niger, and urged the other Countries to make consultations with their Governments to seek necessary approvals to extend same to the rest of the region, work out the modalities, supporting logistics, as well as the command and control structure.

It called on governments to support joint cross borders patrols through the provision of adequate vehicles and equipment and expressed support for current efforts to establish joint border posts between Countries in the proximate region, and take concrete actions to put in place the modalities for actual implementation, among others.

combined graduation ceremony of Chief Officers Management Development programme of batches 069 to 072 in Abuja.

“We are as well carrying out infield developments which have resulted in increased reserve and with the intensified approach, including the expedited action on new projects like Egina etc the reserve and production targets is realizable,” Yakubu said.

The GMD disclosed that over 1,000 square kilometres of seismic data have been acquired in the Chad Basin despite of the security situation in Borno State.

Yakubu said revamping of the corporation’s critical downstream facilities such as the refineries, depots, pipelines and jetties have remained the focus of the management stressing that these spirited efforts will ensure seamless supply and distribution of petroleum products nationwide.

He also expressed NNPC’s readiness to reinvigorate and increase the domestic consumption of the liquefied natural gas, otherwise known as cooking gas, across the length and breadth of the country.

Yakubu noted that as part of efforts to reduce the pressure on kerosene consumption, NNPC is refocusing its strategy to encourage and aggressively grow the consumption of LPG, which provides a cleaner and cheaper energy alternative.

“NNPC’s footprint in the domestic gas market has attained unprecedented growth. With the commissioning of the NPDC’s 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day Oredo gas processing facilities and the acquisition of the new assets, NPDC is now the biggest producer and supplier of gas into the domestic market, contributing over 400 million standard cubic feet of gas per day,” Yakubu added.

He stated that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, is being repositioned to become a medium sized independent Exploration and Production Company with a production capacity of at least 250,000 barrels per day by the year 2015.

According to him, NPDC assets base has grown with the assignment of new oil mining leases stressing that the management under his watch is determined to further pursue new strategies to grow production to the target of 250,000 bpd by 2015 from the current level of 130,000bpd.

The Group Executive Director Corporate Services, Dr. Dan Efebo reiterated the determination of the NNPC to the training and retraining of the workforce saying the members of staff remain the cornerstone of any business concern.

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BUSINESS Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Aiteo diversifies into upstream oil, gas sector Declares competency to handle major oil blocks in Nigeria

By Roseline Okere N indigenous integrated oil and gas companyAiteo, has declared its intention to explore the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, after several decades of being a major player in the downstream.

The company said that the move was part of its diversification and growth strategies put in place to position another Nigerian integrated company on the global scene.

It said that it has the capacity to be a major player in the Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry as well as the Shell oil block.

According to the company, the Shell bid was transparent, with each bidders being given equal opportunity to acquire the oil block.

The company therefore condemned media reports, which classified Aiteo as one of the bidders that do not have the capability and experience to manage such asset.

It stated: “The current Shell bid won by Aiteo is an opportunity to place another Nigerian integrated company on the global scene. Aiteo has also been on the downstream sector since 1999 when it started as Sigmund Company.

“Each of the bidders for the Shell’s asset was given equal opportunity to bid for the oil blocks, so it is unnecessary, unfair and irresponsible for people to start casting aspersion on the capability and experience of Aiteo”.

Aiteo also added in a document that it has embarked on plans to build a 100,000 barrels per day crude oil Greenfield refinery in Warri, Delta State by 2017.

It stated: “Given the longterm un-sustainability of securing all our petroleum products from imports, we have set out on our most ambitious project yet, which is the development of a 100,000bpd Greenfield refinery.

“Our aspiration is to fasttrack the development and construction of the refinery and that actual production from the refinery will come on stream by 2017.”

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Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa (left); Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, MSA, Colin Oliver; and Managing Director, Future Concerns Nigeria Limited, Engr. Tony Oguike, during the commissioning of Future Concerns Safety Service Centre in Lekki, Lagos.

Task force puts minimum electricity need at 15,000mw

By Roseline Okere with agency report HE Presidential Taskforce on Power has put the country’s energy requirement at a minimum of 15 000 MW a year to sufficiently power and ensure supply security and reliability.

The Chairman of Presidential Taskforce on Power, Reynolds DagogoJack at the 2014 Power & Electricity World Africa conference, in Johannesburg, recently, said that this power shortfall has driven President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to embark on an ambitious power reform programme in the last five years.

According to him, the pro-

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gramme aims to privatise Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN’s) power generation, transmission and distribution assets, Dagogo-Jack noted that in December 2010, government established an independent regulator – the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which introduced a multi- year tariff order in June 2012, “that is acting as an enabler for private-sector investment in the Nigerian power industry”.

He added that NERC was reviewing the tariff order, as certain elements in the tariff’s design required a revalidation to provide investors with confidence.

Dagogo-Jack said one of the

conditions for private companies to take effective control of Nigeria’s assets was to independently assess what the loss assumptions were in designing the tariff and to reassess the tariffs.

“It is only fair that we give the new owners a sense of justice so that they can come back to NERC with their own studies. This process also enables them to ascertain whether the tariff structure is correct or whether it needs to be altered to reflect the realities of power-generation, transmission and distribution costs in Nigeria,” he noted.

Dagogo-Jack said that government expected that the tariffs would only be “slight-

ly altered” He emphasised that government regarded this process as important to show that the system was “fair and transparent”.

Also, the Director-General of Energy Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala, explained at the conference that the decision by the Nigerian government in 2005 to reform the electricity sector was motivated by the need to end the energy monopoly by the PHCN. “The PHCN was not providing adequate service delivery and the Nigerian economy did not reach its full potential, owing to the utility’s inability to consistently provide power for manufactur-

Crude oil prices rise on Ukraine tension, economic reports RENT crude rose to the B highest level in seven weeks, widening the premium to West Texas Intermediate, as tension increased between Russia and Ukraine.

Brent advanced 1.1 percent in London. Russia President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine against continuing its anti-separatist offensive after government troops killed five rebels, prompting Russia’s military to begin new drills on the two nations’ border. Prices fell yesterday after data showed U.S. crude supplies at an 83year high.

“Futures are up because of concern that the fighting in eastern Ukraine will spiral out of control,” said Addison Armstrong, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. “There’s a huge amount of crude in the U.S., which should keep a lid on prices. Any rally will soon come under pressure.”

Brent for June settlement advanced $1.22 to end the session at $110.33 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It was the highest close since March 3. The volume of all futures traded was near the 100-day average at 3:07 p.m.

WTI for June delivery rose 50 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to settle at $101.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures fell 31 cents to $101.44 yesterday, the lowest settlement since April 7. Trading volume was 14 percent below the 100-day average.

The European benchmark grade’s premium to WTI grew to $8.39 at today’s close, the most since March 17.

“If it is true that the current regime in Kiev sent the army against citizens inside its country, then it is a very serious crime against its own nation,” Putin said today at a meeting with the media in St. Petersburg. “It will have consequences for the people who make such decisions, including relations between our countries.”

Russia’s latest drills are a response to events in eastern Ukraine and involve warplanes near the border, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, according to Interfax.

An agreement to disarm rebels signed last week in Geneva by Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. is on the brink of collapse. President Barack Obama said today the U.S. and its allies have more sanc-

tions against Russia ready to go because Putin’s government has yet to abide by the accord. Russia is the world’s biggest energy-producing country.

“It’s hard to make a strong bearish case with the tension in Ukraine,” said Bill O’Grady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis, which oversees $1.4 billion.

Futures also climbed after a

government report showed that orders for durable goods poured into U.S. factories in March and a survey showed German business confidence gained in April.

U.S. bookings for goods meant to last at least three years increased 2.6 percent, the biggest gain since November, after rising 2.1 percent in the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed on Sunday in Washington.

ers and heavy industrial operators,” he stated.

“Through privatisation, access to electricity and the reliability of the supply will significantly improve,” Bala added.

“By 2020, we hope to have 40 000 MW of installed capacity and we aim to increase this to 100 000 MW of installed capacity by 2030,” he stated.

The Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ibrahim Babagana added that private investors had taken over control of the country’s 11 transmission companies and its six power generation companies, as part of the unbundling of the PHCN. “The PHCN transmission and generation companies were sold off to the private investors for a collective total of about $2.5-billion,” he highlighted.

Babagana highlighted that the bulk of the funds raised to buy off PHCN assets came from Nigerian banks.

“This is a sign of the growing confidence that local financing institutions are showing in this important programme to improve power efficiency and competitiveness in the country,” he enthused.

SON seals Chinese mobile phone warehouse over non-compliance to standards

By Femi Adekoya O ensure that Nigerian consumers get value for every money spent on procured goods, especially in the mobile phones industry, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has sealed a Chinese warehouse stocked with suspected substandard and fake phones in the country.

The head of Inspectorate and Compliance, SON, Engineer Bede Obayi explained that this move by SON was to restate its mandate of ensuring that only goods that meet the minimum requirements of the

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Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) are paraded in Nigerian markets.

Obayi during an enforcement exercise to the warehouse located in Ikeja, Lagos, recently said the warehouse has in possession, mobile phones that are not registered with SON and also no registered manufacturer or importer thereby making traceability impossible should the products default.

"We have said that after January 1st 2014, any phone we see in Nigeria that we cannot trace the manufacturers and importers or which is not registered, will be seized. Phone manufacturers and importers

must register their products with us to help us know if these products qualify to parade our markets," he added.

"What we have here today are different varieties of phone showing you what these people from Asia are doing here in Nigeria thereby ruining our economy by bringing substandard phones which is not acceptable in their own country. As you can see here, we have different brands here that we cannot even trace the manufacturers or importers and they are out there selling these products to Nigerians," he added.

Obayi said as a result of this, the warehouse will be sealed till further directives from its Director-General adding that if these phones do not meet the minimum requirements, they would be destroyed and the culprits prosecuted.

"This shows that what they are doing here is illegal and we also suspect that these phones are substandard because if you look at them, we cannot identify the manufacturers and SON does not even know how they came in.

Looking at the environment where they operate, you can even see that it is a residential premises where they cannot be traced," he added.

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Firms partner MTN on mobile health insurance scheme

By Adeyemi Adepetun HE Nigerian National T Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), MTN Nigeria and Salt & Einstein MTS, the Mobile insurance services aggregator, have announced a strategic partnership to launch a mobile-based universal health insurance service known as Y’ello Health.

This service, according to the trio will provide Nigerians affordable health insurance cover on a pre-paid basis, adding that through the Y’ello Health, mobile subscribers are able to opt into a micro healthcare insurance scheme through Health Management Organizations (HMO’s) using their mobile phones for a range of pre-defined medical treatments for which affordable premium can also be remitted through the subscribers’ mobile phone.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas, speaking on the rationale behind the new partnership said, “MTN is a large player in the Nigerian economy, having a good number of registered

Nigerians on its database. To be able to reach out to Nigerians, we at NHIS decided to partner with Salt & Einstein MTS and MTN on this new initiative to achieve “Universal Health Coverage” for Nigerians nationwide.

According to him, the time has come to extend health insurance to Nigerians from all walks of life.

Thomas said with Nigeria’s population in mind, NHIS in partnership with Salt & Einstein MTS and MTN is bent on providing more efficient health care service to those who indeed cannot afford good healthcare services, stressing that this this will help pull risk and share healthcare costs equitably across the population.

The Executive Chairman of Salt and Einstein MTS, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe bringing his vast experience in mobile technology and telecommunications in Nigeria to the table, identified the need to leverage the market penetration and unmatched reach of mobile telecoms in Nigeria.

Statics reveal that mobile tele-

coms subscription in Nigeria is over 120 million.

This, Ndukwe noted creates adequate grounds for direct health insurance provision to Nigerians who without this would have no access to the National health Insurance scheme.

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Salt and Einstein MTS, Lai Labode, findings, show that, Nigeria still has less than four per cent of its population covered with basic health care at this time in our nation’s history. “There is no disputing the fact that, one of the best things to do at this time is to come together, working with NHIS and of course, starting off with Nigeria’s leading telecommunications operator, MTN, to bring this health insurance cover to Nigerians who have been hitherto excluded from access to good health care service”.

“MTN has demonstrated that they are interested in the social good and welfare of Nigerians. We hope to create more products that benefit

Etisalat unveils automated recharge, data purchase options IMPLIFYING airtime top-up Sscribers, mechanism for its subEtisalat has announced the introduction of Automated Recharge (Instant and Mandate options) to enable customers recharge their phones or buy data electronically no matter where they are or what time of the day it is.

The Automated Recharge Mandate service allows Etisalat subscribers who have bank accounts and are registered on the internet banking platform to leave an instruction with their banks for their Etisalat line or lines to be credited with the desired amount of airtime on specific dates or once a certain airtime-credit level is reached.

Etisalat explained that customers can also buy credit for themselves, family and friends with the Automated Recharge Instant option, by filling in the details on the Etisalat transaction page provided on their bank’s internet banking platform.

Director, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Lucas Dada, explained that these offerings have the backing of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to ensure safety.

Dada said, “Etisalat has launched these innovative recharge solutions to ensure that our customers never worry about running out of credit again. These options offer customers simple and convenient means of buying airtime and data bundles, as well as making postpaid bill payments directly from their bank accounts through Internet banking.”

He highlighted that customers can access these services simply by logging on to their online banking platform and selecting Etisalat on the NIBSS e-BillsPay in the Payment or Bill Payment section.

“Customers can take advantage of the automated recharge mandate to control spend on telephony by setting up a specific amount to debit and specific date to recharge or buy data bundles.

According to Dada “customers can set up a mandate instructing the bank to debit their bank accounts and credit the same amount to their lines on a specific date

or once a certain airtime-credit level is reached. These innovative offerings are so flexible that a customer can top-up from as low as N50 up to any amount desired”, he stated.

Nigerians across the country”.

He enthused.

According to the Sales & Distributions Executive, MTN, Omatsola Barrow, “MTN’s motivation to partner on the health insurance initiative with the Salt & Einstein MTSand NHIS, is driven by the firm’s passion to reduce exclusion and social disparities by supporting government’s vision of delivering health care for all as well as to make health care mobile by integrating it into the MTN broader digital strategy” According to the Chief Marketing Office, MTN Nigeria, Larry Annetts “the

focus market for the Y’ello Health Cover are Nigerians who have no health insurance cover principally because they cannot afford the regular health insurance services in the market. These individuals like everyone else, need medical care.

“However, without access to insurance, they probably would be having occasional challenges paying for medical treatment, because such expenses would usually be without or at short notice. It is to take away this burden of impromptu medical expenses that we are partnering to introduce this product”. He

also asserted the importance of education and sensitization of the populace about healthcare and commended the NHIS for its drive to provide universal healthcare for Nigerians”, he stated.

Annets said the MTN Yello Health Insurance will enable customers visit the hospital twice monthly or up to seven times yearly to a maximum treatment cover of N80, 000.00 yearly.

According to him, this also gives access to over 6000 hospitals across the country currently registered on the NHIS scheme .

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014 BUSINESS 25

Western Union offers 1.3m Paga customers mobile money transfer service

By Adeyemi Adepetun DEAL expected to give the about 1.3 million Paga customers in Nigeria opportunity to transfer money on the Western Union platform has been sealed.

According to Western Union, the launch of the Mobile Money Transfer (MMT), launch brings the total number of the service deployments to 21, across 18 countries worldwide.

The new service in Nigeria, according to the global payment service provider is directly with Paga, which has more than 1.3 million users.

Western Union explained that upon receipt of the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) from the sender, Paga users now have the option of receiving a Western Union Money Transfer directly into their Paga account.

Furthermore, it stressed that using Paga’s multi-channel platform, customers can withdraw the money by sending it to a bank account, withdrawing from an ATM or through Paga’s vast network of over 4,400 agents nationwide, adding that consumers can also choose to pick-up their funds at Western Union Agent locations across the country.

“International money transfers for pick-up via Paga can be initiated at westernunion.com in 24 countries, or at participating Western Union Agent locations worldwide. The new offering complements Western Union services offered through its retail Agent network of more than 4900 locations in Nigeria as per network data of December, 31, 2013”, it stated.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria had more than $21 billion in migrant remittance inflows during 2012, representing approximately nine per cent of the country’s gross domestic product and 67 per cent of total remittance inflows to the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

The Regional Vice President, Africa, Western Union, Aida Diarra, “Western Union continues to introduce new service offerings to expand its mobile footprint as part of our omni-channel strategy, which facilitates financial inclusion for consumers who may not have access to traditional banking products.

“We are very pleased to

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Putin sees Visa, MasterCard lose market share USSIAN President R Vladimir Putin said Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) will lose market share in Russia after they blocked some transactions because of U.S. sanctions on individuals and banks.

“We don’t see any steps to punish unconscionable partners, but they are undermining trust, hence will lose market share for sure,” Putin said on Rossiya-24 state television in St. Petersburg today, Putin said Visa and MasterCard are “very susceptible to political influence and pressure,” and Russia will continue to create its own national payments system.

broaden the reach of our digital offerings and access points for consumers in Nigeria, as this supports the move towards a cashless society as per the Cashless Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”

Commenting on the initiative, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Paga, Tayo Oviosu added, saying that Paga continues to execute on its strategy of simplifying payments for all Nigerians – whether you are a business or an individual.

“This relationship extends our services to the world – now anyone across the globe who needs to send money to Nigeria can ‘Just Paga it’ through Western Union. Paga is proud to work with Western Union and we look forward to continuing to deliver innovative money transfer services to Nigerians worldwide.”

Group Head, Corporate Services, Unified Payments Services Limited, Felix Edionwe (left); Group Head, PayAttitude, Titi Olubiyi; Director, Information Technology & Operations, Sina Joseph; and Group Head, Payments and Acceptance Infrastructure, Kingsley Ogbonna, at the Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media BoICT Awards where Unified Payments emerged ‘E-Payments Solutions Provider of the Year 2013, in Lagos.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

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IMF tasks Asia on structural changes amid volatility SIAN policy makers must push ahead with structural changes to ensure the region continues to lead global growth and withstand volatility as the U.S. reduces monetary stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said.

Asian economies will face higher interest rates and bouts of volatility in capital flows and asset prices as global liquidity tightens amid a recovery in advanced nations, the Washingtonbased lender said in its Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific released yesterday.

Tightening of global liquidity is one of the four main risks confronting Asia this year and next year, the IMF said. Other dangers include a sharper-than-envisaged slowdown in China, waning effectiveness of growth-supporting policies in Japan, and political and geopolitical tensions that disrupt trade, it said.

“Asia is well positioned to meet the challenges ahead provided it stays the course on reforms,” the IMF said.

“Reforms are critical not only to sustain Asia’s growth leadership over the medium term, but also, in some cases, to maintain investor confidence and secure financial stability in the near term.”

Economic expansion in Asia will be more than twice as fast as advanced nations this year, while growth in the emerging Asian economies, which includes China and India, will be three times faster, the IMF estimates. Even so, productivity has decelerated in recent years and the region needs a new wave of reforms to boost potential growth and to continue to attract inward investment, according to the report.

Asian economies are now more resilient to global

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financial volatility after implementing policies to address their vulnerabilities, the IMF said, noting that India and Indonesia were among nations that were able to better weather January’s rout in emergingmarket currencies and equities as the Federal Reserve began withdrawing stimulus.

Yet a sudden or sharperthan-anticipated tightening of global financial conditions remains “a key downside risk” for Asia, the IMF said. Low inflation in most economies will allow central banks to loosen monetary policy and cushion the blow on growth, it said.

Within the region, the IMF highlighted risks posed by China and Japan, Asia’s two largest economies. It estimates China will expand 7.5 percent this year and 7.3 percent next year, while Japan will grow 1.4 percent and 1 percent.

A sharper-than-envisaged slowdown in China would have “significant spillovers” for the region, especially in economies linked to the regional supply chain and commodity exporters, according to the report.

Increasing stress in China’s non-banking financial sector and high local government borrowing are potential systemic dangers and further news of credit problems or debt servicing issues could “spark adverse financial market reaction both in China and globally,” according to the report.

“The challenge is to slow the growth of credit, especially in the shadow banking sector, and minimize the buildup of risks in the financial sector without causing a steep deceleration in growth,” the IMF said, calling on the government to push ahead with interestrate liberalization and rein

Euro firm on expectations of inflation, dwindling cash HE euro rose to a two-week T high against the dollar on Monday, aided by higher money market rates and expectations inflation in the euro zone will tick up and ease pressure on the European Central Bank to loosen monetary policy.

Sterling soared to a 4-1/2-year high against the dollar, boosted by robust data and expectations of merger and acquisition inflows, after Pfizer (PFE.N) confirmed it had made a bid approach to Britain's No. 2 drugmaker, AstraZeneca.

But most are unlikely to take aggressive positions before major events in the United States and the euro zone.

Policy reviews by the U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan (BoJ) will also keep the market cautious in a holidayshortened week. Many centers in Europe and Asia will be shut on Thursday for Labour Day. Japanese markets will be closed on Tuesday.

The euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.3880 and gained 0.4 percent to 141.95 yen. The euro was supported by a spike in

overnight euro zone rates as surplus cash in the banking system decreased, with banks repaying cheaper loans taken earlier from the central bank.

That repayment shrank the ECB's balance sheet at a time when both the Fed and the BOJ were expanding theirs through asset purchases.

Firm money market rates burnish the euro's appeal to yield-hungry investors.

Traders said expectations that euro zone consumer price inflation could rise when data is released later this week were also supporting the single currency. Euro zone inflation for April, due on Wednesday, is forecast to rise to 0.8 percent year-onyear from 0.5 percent previously.

"We are seeing some inflows into the euro," Altana Hard Currency Fund portfolio manager Ian Gunner said.

"Euro zone inflation should confirm that we have seen the lows. If inflation comes in line with expectations, we could see euro trading at $1.39 when the ECB meets next week."

in money-supply growth.

In Japan, the risk is that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policies could prove less effective than envisaged in terms of supporting growth, increasing nominal wages, sustaining the recent increase in inflation expectations or boosting private investment, according to the report.

“The third arrow of Abenomics -- structural reforms -- is essential for Japan to avoid the risk of falling back into lower growth and deflation, a further deterioration in the fiscal situation and an over reliance on monetary stimulus, with negative consequences for the region,” the IMF said.

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EU nations mull transaction levy UROPEAN Union nations derivatives, but with no strict trading firm’s country of oriE that want a financial-trans- time line. This would be an gin or in the nation where trading takes place. On May 6, action tax remain deadlocked on what trades they should include, as the clock runs down before next month’s European Parliament elections.

The 11 participating countries remain divided on whether to tax all derivatives, only equity derivatives or no derivatives at all, EU documents show. Finance ministers from Germany, France, Italy and Spain, as well as the U.K., which has opted out of the tax, meet in Paris yesterday.

Proponents of the FTT, led by France and Germany, are trying to reach an agreement before the election in a bid to woo voters. The governments are now debating a phased approach that could target a wider range of trades in future years.

“The very big risk is for countries to say OK, we will tax

empty promise” Alexandre Naulot, policy adviser for Oxfam France, said in a telephone interview. “The FTT has to be used to tax the richest people to give to the poorest.”

EU nations should move ahead with the tax and use the funds to combat climate change and help the developing world, Naulot said. He called on nations to adopt a more specific time line so that countries will collect the tax instead of just talking about it.

Tax proponents say officials could tap data collected by financial regulators to make sure that banks and other companies are paying as proposed, while opponents warn that the tax could damage financial markets without raising much money.

The nations pushing for the levy are also split over who should get to collect it -- a

finance ministers from all 28 EU countries will hear a progress report on transaction-tax proposals.

“I do believe that, with the right will, the 11 member states can converge toward agreement on a common FTT,” EU Tax Commissioner Algirdas Semeta said April 25, in an e-mailed response to questions from Bloomberg.

“We are ready to back any compromise that the 11 reach on the FTT, so long as it doesn’t create distortions or enable tax avoidance.”

The 11 participating countries agree with the commission on the tax’s goal, yet they haven’t found common ground on how to move forward. The document setting out the state of play, dated April 14, found that more technical work will be needed.

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All airports have adequate fire cover, says FAAN

By Ibe Uwaleke

•Minister rules out sabotage in Kaduna incident

HE Federal Airports T Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said yesterday, that it has not-

most news reports alleged but that only the cabin of the control tower was affected, as the attached photograph shows.

On the contrary it was the quick intervention of our firemen that prevented the old prefabricated control tower from being razed down completely.

"Secondly, every airport in the country including Kaduna Airport, now has adequate fire cover in line with the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for its prescribed fire cover category.

ed with concern the wrong impression being created by some critics in the media about the adequacy of fire cover at our airports, following the recent fire incident at the Kaduna Airports Control Tower.

In a statement issued by the general manager corporate communication, Yakubu Dati, the Authority said it wished to state first, that the Kaduna Airport’s control tower was not razed down by the fire as

This includes the prescribed number of fire tenders, firemen and related safety facilities. The Kaduna Airport has Category 7 fire cover status and meets all the ICAO requirements to operate under that category, including manpower, fire tenders and requisite fire equipment."

The statement continued:" Between 2012 and 2013, the number of serviceable fire hydrant systems at our airports has been increased from

two to seven, with work in progress at 11 more hydrant systems, while all the airports have received additional modern fire tenders. New firemen have also been recruited, trained and redeployed to airports, according to their manpower needs, in line with ICAO recommendations.

"This is aside from the retraining of all firemen, both locally and abroad, to sharpen their fire fighting skills, in line with current international standards and practices," it added.

Meanwhile, the Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr.

Samuel Ortom has ruled out sabotage as the likely cause of the fire incident at the control tower of the Kaduna Airport.

Ortom made this disclosure after undertaking an inspection tour of the airport and the debris of the Control Tower.

After being conducted round the affected area, he explained that preliminary investigations revealed there was the unlikelihood of sabotage as the cause of the fire in view of the tight security at the airport.

Meanwhile the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and other relevant agencies have

commenced investigations to identify the remote and immediate cause of the accident.

The airport has since commenced operations following the deployment of a mobile emergency control tower from Abuja.

Earlier, the Managing Director of NAMA, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, while conducting the minister round the burnt tower assured the minister that all hands are on deck to return the situation to normalcy.

Wi-Fi coverage expanded on London underground K based Virgin Media has U expanded the Wi Fi network it provides on the London Underground to an additional six railway stations.

The six new stations will bring the total number of connected London Underground stations to 1371 with a more due to be added to the network by the end of the Summer.

More than 800,000 devices are currently registered to the service. Wholesale deals with EE, O2 and Vodafone mean the majority of Londoners can connect to the Virgin Media powered service at no extra cost.

The company also noted that traffic from BlackBerry devices has doubled over the past

year. As more passengers get online underground, the gap between iOS and Android usage on the network is narrowing, with 65 per cent of web page views coming from iOS devices and 30 per cent

from Android devices, compared to a 74 per cent to 20 per cent split a year ago.

All Tube passengers are able to keep up-to-date with TfL travel information and quality London entertainment and

news for free through Virgin Media’s WiFi portal. Virgin Media also offers a Pay As You Go service with daily, weekly and monthly passes3, giving Tube passengers lots of ways to get online underground.

Japan’s retail sales hit 17-year high APANESE retail sales rose in JinMarch at their fastest pace 17 years as consumers went on a shopping spree before a national sales tax hike took effect on April 1, setting the stage for a decline in consumer spending the following month.

The 11.0 percent annual increase in retail sales

matched the median estimate and marked the fastest gain since the last time the government raised the sales tax in 1997, as consumers stocked up on electronics, toiletries and clothes to avoid paying higher prices.

The data suggest that in the immediate aftermath of the sales tax increase consumer spending will fall, but the decline will still be within the central bank's expectations.

Economists also expect sales to bounce back in May, meaning the economic recovery is unlikely to be derailed.

"I don't think there is too much to worry about, because things seem to be moving as the Bank of Japan expected," said Shuji Tonouchi, senior fixed income strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

"Summer bonus payments are likely to increase, which should support a gradual rebound in consumer spending from May." The government raised the nationwide sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent on April 1.

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Appointments AU moves to curb unemployment crisis From Collin Olayinka, Abuja MONG the five continents in the world, Africa is reputed to have the highest propensity for future growth considering the fact that youths constitute the majority of its population.

But in the midst of this high futuristic hope, the continent has the lion percentage of those suffering from acute poverty, ignorance and joblessness.

Indeed, Africa has been described as the only continent that buys what it can produce and export what it needs. The coffee and crude oil conundrum is readily pointed at as classical example where both products are exported in raw form only to be bought back in refined format.

While the continent cannot be said to have remained adamant and refused to initiate a new path to development by devising means of reversing this ugly trend, most of the development policies that are needed for the renaissance, it have been said many times, require time to yield the desired results.

And in the continued search for solution on how to reverse the disturbing trend, African governments, in 2004, held a meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and decisions were taken, which resulted in the nowknown 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty alleviation.

10 years down the line, what are the achievements of this declaration and how to consolidate or refine some of the rough edges influenced another meeting, which is scheduled for Burkina Faso.

As customary, before a meeting is held, a forerunner parley by the experts is often organized to ensure the scientific nature of policies implementation with a view

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improving on it.

This expert parley, taking place in Windhoek, Namibia, is a contribution to an extraordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union devoted to the issue of unemployment and poverty eradication, scheduled for Burkina Faso in September this year.

An implementation report of the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action captures some positive outcomes since then.

The implementation report noted that there have been steady efforts on the continent in producing biennial progress reports by member states of the African Union.

Institutional capacity of labour market infrastructure improved, in particular in the areas of placement, labour market information, employment policy formulation, political leadership and employment funding.

Regional Economic Communities (RECs) intensified their work towards integration of their labour markets through various interventions such as harmonization and coordination of the labour and social security legal frameworks and the adoption of regional labour migration policy frameworks.

It further noted that despite this progress, the continent still needs to address some weaknesses, including the weakness of labour market institutions, the absence of operational coordination mechanisms at national level, limited or inadequate funding of employment promotion programmes, lack of social protection coverage for excluded categories of workers, high levels of youth and women unemployment and underemployment.

In her speech at the opening session of the experts’ meeting of the Special Session of the AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission, Namibia’s Minister of Labour

and Social Welfare, Doreen Sioka said: “Unemployment and under employment are still at high levels, in particular among youth and women. Under-employment currently stands at 75% in many AU member states.”

On his part, African Union Commission’s Director of Social Affairs Dr. Olawale Maiyegun, said: “I would like to underline that the persistent level of under employment prevailing in the informal economy and rural sectors calls for high priority in our policy setting for the next ten years. Combating under employment must be at the top of the African agenda.”

The meeting’s theme is “Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development”, was chosen out of a recognition of the harsh employment challenge being faced by Africans, mainly youth and women.

The LSAC is being held at an important juncture in the history of the African continent, when it is in the process of crafting the 50 year continental development framework known as Agenda 2063, and when the international community is discussing the post 2015 development agenda.

“How we intend to tackle women and youth unemployment and create an inclusive society in the next ten years should feed into this ongoing international discourse,” Dr. Maiyegun submitted.

The experts meeting is expected to review the policy instruments for the next ten years. These are the Declaration on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development and its Plan of Action: as well as the follow-up mechanism.

The declaration is crafted with a focused plan of action built on six key priority areas, and these have been submitted for the consideration of

Jonathan launches workers housing scheme tomorrow From Collins Olayinka, Abuja T is a new dawn for memICongress bers of the Nigeria Labour (NLC) as President Goodluck Jonathan will tomorrow, perform the ground breaking ceremony and launch the N960 billion affordable housing scheme.

The President of the NLC, Abdulwahed Omar, who stated this at the weekend in Abuja said the NLC, is collaborating with a private developer, Kristen Lally EPC, to execute the scheme.

He added that the scheme would be replicated in all the 36 states of the federation and that non-members of the NLC can also benefit.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Kristen

Lally, Mustapha Madawaki hinted that President Jonathan would perform the groundbreaking ceremony in Karsana district, Abuja.

The agreement was previously singed on April 6, last year.

The NLC President noted that Congress was motivated to go into the partnership by the need to contribute towards bridging about 40million deficit in the country.

Omar said: “On the issue of housing, we are very serious about it and before we leave office we hope to see that a number of workers would have gotten shelter. The most important thing is that we would have laid a foundation whereby on continuous basis,

Nigerian workers will continue to get houses in a very easy way by just depositing 10 per cent and then get a house that they will continue to pay for over a period of time.”

He added that NLC expects state governors to make land available for the project saying, “We have written letters to so some state governors and the responses have been very positive. They are also very eager; many of them have promised giving us land.”

Omar stressed that apart from Kristen Lally, NLC is also working in a tripartite manner with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, NECA, and also with TUC.

President Goodluck Jonathan the experts. The focus areas are youth and women employment; social protection and inclusive growth, informal economy, social economy and rural employment; productivity, competitiveness and social dialogue;

Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity labour market governance; labour migration and regional economic integration; and partnership and funding for implementation of employment policies.

The meeting will also consider other items such as the

common position on the transitioning of the informal economy to formal economy, and the election of members of the ILO Governing Body for the period 2014-17.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Peoples’Digest

Published in association with

Social media, the future of recruiting and you

By Aruosa Osemwegie GPHR, SPHR

ERE is the plot. LinkedIn conducted a global survey and has come up with the five most important trends shaping the future of recruiting. If you will be a career person in the next 10-15 years, then this is important to you. Hiring managers and recruiters should also be interested in this, for greater success at attracting, hiring and retaining top talent. Human resources departments seeking to get more bucks for their hiring investments will also find this an invaluable treatise.

From LinkedIn’s survey, the trends shaping the form and function of recruiting are: • Social professional networks are increasingly impacting quality of hire; • Employer branding is both a competitive threat and a competitive advantage; • Data is now being used to make better hiring and branding decisions; • Companies are investing in hiring internally to stop top talent from walking out the door; and • Companies are getting more into the mobile recruiting terrain.

Wisdom moderates efforts and results Knowing where and how to direct one’s efforts is what separates the mildly successful from the immensely successful. I recall this story on a lighter but related note.

Some years ago I was elated when I got a couriered letter inviting me for an interview. This was an invitation for a job immediately after NYSC. I was fresh off the bakery (fresh from school) and felt important.

A whole organization considered me good enough to pay a courier to deliver an invitation to my contact address. By the way, that wasn’t where I lived, it was my Uncle’s place, but easier to locate.

With limited mobile phones and very limited internet/emails, having a ‘locatable’ contact address was a required competence then. Bourdillon-Ikoyi was definitely easier for the courier man than Ajangbadi-somewhere. In today’s world, a functional and active email is the one of

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the first requirements. As we settled into emails, in came what we now know as social media. So what about 5-15 years from now? In what proactive ways can individuals and organizations prepare themselves as things change further?

Let’s go back to the results of the LinkedIn survey.

Leverage Social Professional Networks Top on their findings is that social professional networks are increasingly impacting quality of hire. There’s something odd here. Only in these times are ‘social’ and ‘professional’ placed side by side! Some years ago, if it was social then it couldn’t be professional. These are the days of socialising professionals and professionalising socials. Within that fact is the finding that social professional networks are the fastest-growing source of quality hires.

The most important places to find quality hires are: a) Internet job boards; b) Social professional networks; c) Recruitment agencies; d) Employee referral programs; e) Internal hires and Company career website, in that order.

Of all of them, only social professional networks has increased by up to two digits in the last one year, an increase of 11% - going from 26% to 37%. Jobvite’s sixth survey on social media shows the steady increase in the use of social media for recruiting from 28% in 2008 to 94% in 2013.

What are recruiters’ most popular social media, as found out by Jobvite? The winners are: LinkedIn 94%, Facebook 65%, Twitter 55%, Company Blog 20%, Google+ 18%, and Youtube 15%. Asides these major ones, recruiters also use a multitude of specialized, localized and up-and-coming social networks such as Instagram, Github, Xing, Vimeo, Pinterest, Stackoverflow, Yammer, Welbo, etc (ref.

Jobvite). Pls see table below: LinkedIn and the others Top recruiters use social networks at each stage of the recruiting funnel.

LinkedIn dominates all stages of the funnel. Facebook and Twitter show strength in both top-of-the-funnel activities like generating employee brand awareness and bottom-of-the funnel activities like vetting candidates, pre- and post-interview.

LinkedIn: By overwhelming percentages, the survey takers said they use LinkedIn to: Search for candidates (96%), Contact candidates (94%), Keep tabs on potential candidates (93%), Vet candidates preinterview (92%), and Post jobs (91%).

Facebook: Employers showcase employer brand (65%), Generate employee referrals (51%), Post Jobs (48%), Vet candidates postinterview (35%), and Vet candidates preinterview (31%).

Twitter: They showcase employer brand (47%), Post Jobs (43%), Generate employee referrals (31%), Contact candidates (19%), and Vet candidates post-interview (18%) The Professional and Social You Did you know that 93% of recruiters are likely to look at a candidate’s social profile once he or she shows interest in a position? The survey results show that 42% have reconsidered a candidate based on content viewed in a social profile, leading to both positive and negative re-assessments. More recruiters react negatively to profanity (65%) and grammar and punctuation errors in posts/tweets (61%) than references to alcohol use (47%). The respondents were asked, “How would you react to these possible items discovered by reviewing a candidate’s social network profile?” See results in table.

Recruiting is Marketing, Getting Hired is Marketing Jobvite’s Social Media survey posits that

“Year after year, we’ve demonstrated that social recruiting is becoming a must for companies looking to hire top talent. This year, with responses from over 1,600 participants, our results clearly show that it’s no longer a question of whether an organization is recruiting through social media—it’s about how they are leveraging social tools to achieve the biggest benefits.

And this is not just a high-tech phenomenon anymore. With participants providing input from more than 50 different industries, we can see how social recruiting is now a universal hiring practice.”

The report continues, “One of the things most interesting about our 2013 report is that it offers concrete proof that recruiting is essentially becoming marketing, and as a direct result, companies are seeing tremendous new value potential. Social networks enable recruiters to take a highly efficient, multi-channel approach to hiring, in much the same way as marketers target customers.

Through viewing candidates’ social profiles and engaging with and nurturing

them, social media enables recruiters to better understand candidates—and appeal to them—on an individual level. At the same time, by building and maintaining company pages that reflect corporate culture, businesses can more effectively communicate and evangelize their employment brand—a technique that helps build interest even among candidates not currently seeking new employment. Of course, marketers do this all the time to build new business. Now recruiters are catching on—and succeeding.”

Ladies & Gentlemen, Social Media Hiring is for real If you think this is all about saving money, think again. While some companies state in our results that social recruiting has helped to lower hiring costs, others believe the real advantage is in finding more qualified jobseekers, or upping their ability to attract passive candidates.

These benefits have substantial, bottomline value to companies, and we now have definitive dollar signs to prove it. Other interesting results to note in the LinkedIn and Jobvite Social Media reports are: 1) Social media also empowers employees to more easily refer high-quality candidates, with referrals representing the highest quality source of candidates at 64%.

2) Candidates best watch what they put on their social profiles, as an overwhelming majority of recruiters form negative opinions from posts flaunting drugs, alcohol, and profanity—and 42% of recruiters have apparently reconsidered an applicant (either positively or negatively) based on what a social profile revealed. This discussion isn’t over yet.

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Women’s Leadership Style

Angela Merkel, Okonjo-Iweala and Hillary Clinton, powerful women leaders

By Allison Shirreffs Is there a women’s style?

S co-authors Sally Helgesen and Julie Johnson collected research for their latest book, The Female Vision: Women’s Real Power at Work, they noticed a trend: Women were leaving jobs that, at least from the authors’ perspective, looked desirable. They wondered why. “The women were all saying the same thing,” Helgesen recalls, “It’s not worth it.”

What did that mean, “It’s not worth it?” And why were talented, highly skilled women dropping out of the work force at a faster rate than men? To find answers to these questions, Helgesen and Johnson set out to quantify how men and women perceive, define, and pursue satisfaction at work. While they found many similarities between men and women, they also discovered, Helgesen notes, “a certain disconnect between what organizations expected and what women, at their best, had to offer.”

For instance, Wall Street culture may not deliberately discriminate against women, but it may reject leaders whose values aren’t focused on money and power. “If you want that, you sacrifice everything else,” Helgesen says. “Is it a surprise that you end up with a culture that promotes the greediest people?”

Feminine versus masculine traits Lately, much has been written about the benefits of

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leadership traits that are typically regarded as feminine (such as a collaborative, democratic approach that rewards rather than reprimands) and whether or not organizations whose leaders possess these feminine qualities are better off.

According to Alice H. Eagly, professor of social psychology at Northwestern University, the answeris,“Itdepends”,andadded,“Idon’twant to say it’s not true. It’s slightly true.” In her book Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, Eagly and co-author Linda L. Carli, associate professor, Wellesley College, explore why the number of women in power remains rare and why their presence in leadership positions still evokes a sense of wonder. “It’s not a good argument [to say] that women have a better leadership style than men,” Eagly states, adding that it’s also not factual to say women make worse leaders than men. It is, however, accurate to say that women have a more difficult time towing the line between being assertive and being demure.

Society is confused about women According to “Diversity and Leadership in a Changing World,” an article co-authored by Eagly and Jean Lau Chin, dean, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, female leaders are expected to take charge – just like their male counterparts. But they’re also expected to “deliver the warmth and friendliness that is culturally prescribed for women,” the authors write.

“Simultaneously impressing others as a good leader and a good woman is an accomplishmentthatisnotnecessarilyeasytoachieve,and common pitfalls involve seeming to be ‘too masculine’ or ‘too feminine.’”

Bad advice for women Twenty years ago, Helgesen published, The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership.

She wrote the book in part because she felt women were getting bad advice. They were being told, essentially, to leave their values at home and conform to the workplace. Women were finally making it into the executive suite, but once there, others had expectations about how they should behave.

But meta-analyses of men and women’s leadership styles don’t show a dramatic difference between genders. What the data illustrate is that transformational leaders – leaders who stand for what’s good about the organization and behave as such; who are good teachers and coaches, care about their employees as individ-

Google images. uals and can inspire and motivate them to do their best, are optimal to lead today’s modern organizations, Eagly says. “To a small extent, women manifest these qualities more than male managers,” she adds.

Men promote few women If that’s the case, why aren’t women being promoted as often as their male counterparts? “Women have something to overcome,” Eagly says. She blames this on the often small, but insidious, prejudicesandstereotypesthatwomenandotherminorities must cope with. This is especially true in the corporate world. In its recent 2010 poll, only 28 of FORTUNE 1000 companies had women as their CEOs. “There are a lot of women doing a lot of leadership but in the corporate culture? Not so much,” Eagly notes. “It doesn’t make sense except by tradition – people tend to reproduce themselves.” Since men – specifically white men – hold the majority of executive positions in corporations, this tends to work against women and other minorities.

Leadership resists change Some corporations are organized more around networks, but many remain tied to a culture of position and power, and are run from the top down. “I don’t see large and powerful organizations making significant changes if the people at the top are blocking change or inhibiting change,” Helgesen says.

“We need to expand how we define leadership – how leaders develop and how organizations do or do not take advantage of that.”

An idea that’s gaining ground and “that’s good for women,” Eagly notes, is that leadership is ultimately androgynous. There is also a push to have modern leadership theories in corporate diversity considerations – not just of gender, but of race, sexual orientation, culture, and the like. “If [leaders] are

from different social groups, backgrounds, and have the right training, they tend to be able to come up with more creative solutions,” Eagly explains. And if there is more diversity in a company’s leadership ranks, there will be a better understanding of its customer/client base as well.

“There are a lot of arguments for diversity – not just in leadership style,” Eagly adds.

Better support needed Most companies have learned to make the business case for women in leadership roles, but they don’t always back up their rhetoric with structure and strategy, Heglesen says. She’s also disappointed in how few forums – internally and externally – women have to connect and share in productive ways. “Women have a capacity for noticing the details of human relationships,” Helgesen says.

“There need to be ways of bringing that info into the strategic planning sessions.”

Any employee who wants to be a leader and effect change is best served, Helgesen says, by honing those skills most valued by today’s companies – such as line management and international experience.Inadditiontoagoodskillset,potentialleadersmustalsobeabletoarticulatetheirvalue,make themselvesvisible,build“socialcapital”withinthe organization, and create a network of peers who will provide support throughout their careers.

“Women have to understand what the criteria are for rising [in organizations],” Eagly says, “and figure out how to help one another to meet those criteria.”

Allison Shirreffs is a writer and photographer who has worked with The Coca-Cola Corporation and Fortune Magazine, among others. Find out more about her at http://www.womenetics.com/HowTo-Lead/womens-ways-of-leadership

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CIPSMN inducts new members, harps on professionalism

By Femi Adekoya HE Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) has tasked its members on the need to embrace professional procurement practices in the country, even as it inducts new members.

The President, CIPSMN, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu, during the induction ceremony of its new members at the weekend noted that most corrupt practices in the public and private sectors were carried out through illdefined and faulty procurement and contract awards.

He emphasised the need for newly inducted practitioners to adhere to the ethics of the professional procurement practice as part of efforts engender growth and development in the nation.

“There is no national development plan however brilliantly prepared that achieved any meaningful result unless the project and policies are effectively implemented by the right people with right credentials,” he said.

In his words, “Corruption is the misuse of public office for private benefit. It involves underhand activities not supported in law. In some cases, the rich and corrupt become even richer at the expense of the poor and honest.”

Outlining the cost of corruption on public procurement, Aliyu stressed that corrupt procurement practices will increase poverty and inequality by diverting funds away from the attention of economics, social, technological needs adding that, it has no regards for value for money as well as accountability.

“It will engender bad choices,

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FG, Sri Lanka partner on youth empowerment From Kanayo Umeh, Abuja HE Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna has said that Federal Government is willing to partner with the Sri Lanka Government in order to harness the rich potentials of the youths.

The minister disclosed this when he received in audience the High Commissioner of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency, Mr. A. S. P. Liyanage who paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja.

He expressed the view that the Ministry could collaborate with Sri Lanka in area of capacity and entrepreneurial driven to empower and develop the teeming youths in Nigeria and Sri Lanka adding that when the youths acquire requisite skills they contribute to the wealth of the nation.

Haruna emphasized that about 60 percent of the Nigerian population is made up of youth who are vibrant, resourceful and dynamic which calls for a concerted efforts of the government at all levels, well meaning individuals as well as voluntary organizations to groom the youth, adding that the youth are the future leaders of any nation.

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encouraging investment scams, competition in bribery rather than in quality of price while for companies, it will provide unfair, unstable and risky competitive advantage,” he said. According to him, Transparency International has identified some key impacts of corruption on procurement such as financial impact, economic impact, environmental impact and impact on health and human safety.

He said going forward, there is a need to assess the risk of corruption which provides additional information to enable serious government minded officials and ministers alike to be accountable to the people and in most cases, to the parliament on how the taxpayers’ money are used.

He noted that the evaluation

of the risk in corruption aims to provide a clear, full and balanced picture of the real impact of corruption on all funds passing through government systems.

He advised the new inductees to be confident in carrying out their activities in the most truthful and efficient manner saying that in Nigeria today, there are too many non-state actors that are partially knowledgeable in the area of Public Financial Management and Accountability (PFMA).

He therefore urged the inductees to develop the capacity for the Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) assessors, with a view to make them understand the enormity of the job as well as competence required to make an independent opinion.

Africa in motion to halt joblessness CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 Outcomes from the experts meeting will be considered by ministers who will meet on Friday 25th May in Windhoek and their recommendations will in turn be presented for consideration and adoption by the AU Assembly that will take place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 3 to 7 September 2014.

Meanwhile, the ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Aeneas Chuma, has called for focus on job-rich growth for Africa’s development strateg y .

He argued that high levels of youth unemployment and labour market transformation challenges call for more pro-employment policies to promote a job-rich growth in Africa’s development strategy.

Chuma stated this while speaking at the Special Session of the AU Labour and

Social Affairs’ Commission in Windhoek, Namibia.

With 10 to 12 million young women and men looking for jobs each year, youth account today for 60% of all unemployed Africans, only a quarter of the labour force has stable, wage-paying jobs.

His words: “The primary cause for pervasive unemployment remains that the economic growth of the last decade has not resulted in significant and transformative job-creation. It is necessary to understand this distinction and phenomenon in order to ensure that our development strategies do focus on job-creation and growth as integral parts in the design of the development strategies rather than as an after-thought”, African Member States, representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations, international development partners are in Namibia to

assess progress made in the implementation of the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty alleviation.

The special session of the African Union Labour and Social Affairs Commission, hosted by the government of Namibia is organized by the African Union Commission in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The ILO Regional Director added: “Clearly, the creation of employment and decent work that pays decent wages remains a key priority in all our development efforts and in fact, one could argue, underpins all other development priorities. Ten years ago, African Heads of State and Government convened in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and agreed to put employment at the centre of their development priori-

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‘How to overcome talent shortages in Africa’

By Sulaimon Salau and Toyin Olasinde RKED by the recent talent difficulties encountered by employers across the continent, international human resources development experts have identified some strategic factors that could aid the challenges of talent shortages in Africa.

The experts, who gathered at the sixth human resource forum organized by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) emphasised the need to develop capacities and hire for value addition.

A United States based guest speaker at the forum, Thomas Rausch, said employers could overcome the challenges of talent shortages by transferring the wisdom of the older employees to the

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younger ones; expose older workers to tech-savvy, innovative young workers; learn to consciously choose leadership styles and teach coaching as a break through vertical development skill among others.

Rausch, who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Leadership Beyond Limits in Columbus, Ohio and US, however noted that employers should make effective judgment on when and how to apply the “coach approach”, explaining that management by coaching leads to higher productivity, improved communication, better working relationship, quality of life in the workplace among othe r s .

Commenting on the effect of technology on

industrial revolution, Rausch said opportunities abound in technology trends such as mobile, social, virtual collaboration/productivity, big data/analytics and personalization.

According to him, 81 per cent of Middle Eastern and African millennials believed they are on the cutting-edge of technology. He said 712 per cent of the population own smart phones and prefer the internet and social media (43 per cent) to television (34 per cent) and newspapers (18 per cent) for credible news, while 84 per cent believed technology has made it easier to get a job.

Examining a research on usage of mobile phones, he ranked South Africa first with 84 per cent and Nigeria second with 71 per

cent, out of 17 countries examined in Sub-Saharan Africa.

However, Nigeria was ranked the highest internet surfing country in the region. This, he said has impacted positively towards growing small businesses in the country.

Noting that 32 percent is on the way to access the Internet, he said 78 per cent of mobile internet users in Nigeria have engaged in a financial activity using their mobile. On recruiting and retention of best practices in a workplace, he urged the employers to recruit right top performers, who are first identified through an efficient talent acquisition process and then effectively on-boarded, are positioned to quickly contribute and stay with an organization.

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Germany partners Nigeria on vocational education training ERMAN government has G eventually kicked off its year- long proposed Dual Vocational Training Partnership With Nigeria (DVT-PWN), in Lagos.

The flagg-off ceremony as well featured signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the leadership of German government under aura of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria and the Industrial Training Fund/ Industrial Skill Training Centre (ITF/ISTC, Ikeja.

In his remark for the event, the German Consul General, Michael expressed that “it will give incentives not only to German companies but also to European and other companies coming from abroad to set their feet on Nigerian soil for investments.”

According to him “it is a global success taking place not only in Nigeria, but also in the U.S. It is a programme with the presentation of the state of the earth training. It’s important for not only indi-

OSGOF begins staff training From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja HE Surveyor General of the Federation, Prof Peter Nwilo has said that the office has commenced the training and retraining of its staff to bring them in tandem with current development Briefing journalists at the weekend in Abuja, Nwilo noted that the training is geared towards the improvement of the staff and the performance of the office for better service delivery.

He observed that his office is finalizing plans to have training programmes with the Netherlands, India and South Korea adding that about 27 surveyors have been sent to South Korea and 6 to India for training.

Nwilo said his office has concluded plans to map the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and had produced street guides for major cities in the country.

According to him, OSGOF is responsible for undertaking vital surveys and provision of geospatial data required for planning and development while it also generates plans for the exploitation and management of minerals and other natural resources.

He explained that Surveying and mapping products are required to facilitate the planning, design, location and construction of roads, railways and power transmission.

Nwilo pointed out that the Mapping and Geo-information Department of the office has the responsibility to formulate policies on Geospatial and Attribute Database Management and specifications for mapping, Acquisition of all geospatial data for the country including Aerial Photography and Satellite Imageries, Producing and marketing of street guides for the Federal Government and on request from state governments.

On Facilities and Geospatial Information Products Data Centre Project, the Surveyor General said, “The output of this project is digital data repository, office web portal and improved Local Area Network (LAN).

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vidual success but also for sustainable development and success of group of companies.”

On its bilateral relationship and employment role he said it though it centered on boosting bilateral relationship programme with Nigeria, “it was however directly geared towards achieving professional skills, adding that “ companies with interest in manufacturing and production in the country will find it interesting.”

“I have a labour force here that is well trained and have up-to- date -knowledge about doing the work.” On reduction of unemployment, the programme might definitely be a contribution on long term effect; one programme of this kind may not make obvious safety in employment situation in the country, but of course it is going to make contribution to that

purpose, ”he also said.

The DVT-PWN Coordinator, Kehinde Stephen Awoyele in a similar comment expressed that, “curbing unemployment is one of the objectives of the training, if you have increase in employability people will move into jobs and

will be able to display their learnt skills.”

Speaking on the whole essence of the training, The Head, International Business Affairs, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Giessen-Friedberg, Robert Malzacher narrated

that, “The vocational education and training partnership initiated by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCI) Giessen-Friedberg with a special focus on Nigeria joins the German cooperation as one element of sustainable economic development. It focus-

es on the improvement of quality vocational education within Nigerian enterprises by a better combination of theory and practice. With this approach it contributes to the employability among the Nigerian youth and hence to poverty reduction.

Superflux appoints Okonkwo as COO UPERFLUX International Limited a foremost cheque and other security documents printing company has elevated Mr. Gabriel Okonkwo to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Until his appointment he was the Head of Marketing of the company. A seasoned banker, Okonkwo studied Business Administration at the University of Lagos.

A statement by the President of Superflux Group Mr. Tokunbo Talabi also named

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Mrs. Adetutu Sanni as the new Managing Director of Courier Plus, one of the subsidiaries in the Group. Mr. Talabi said the appointments were strategic re-engineering aimed at repositioning the companies to meet the ever increasing needs of their clientele.

While in banking Okonkwo served as a member of the MICR Technical Implementation Committee and Chairman of Sub-committee that produced the Interim Cheque Standard among other key assign-

ments. He has been involved in recent years in the training for several banks on cheque fraud detection and prevention and more recently The Cheque Truncation Operations. Okonkwo is married and has children.

Mrs. Sanni was the Divisional Head, Enterprise Management of Superflux International Limited before her appointment. She is a graduate of Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

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Labour ILO seeks protection of workers against chemicals From Collins Olayinka, Abuja S the world celebrates the A day for safety and health at work, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for necessary actions to ensure workers are protected from chemical injuries.

In its message to mark the day, which theme is “Safety and health in the use of chemicals at work”, a report by the ILO said while chemicals can be useful, necessary steps should be taken to prevent and control potential risks for workers, work-

places, communities and the environment.

The intercontinental labour watch body noted that chemicals are key to healthy living and modern convenience. They range from pesticides that improve the extent and quality of food production, to pharmaceuticals that cure illnesses, and cleaning products that help establish hygienic living conditions.

Chemicals are also critical in many industrial processes for developing products important to global standards of living.

However, it posited that governments, employers and workers continue to struggle to address controlling exposure to these chemicals in the workplace, as well as limiting emissions to the environment.

The report stated that chemicals pose a broad range of potential adverse effects, from health hazards such as cancers and physical hazards like flammability, to environmental hazards such as widespread contamination and toxicity to aquatic life. Many fires, explosions,

and other disasters result from inadequate control of chemicals’ physical hazards.

It further noted that significant progress has been made concerning the regulation and management of chemicals in the field of occupational safety and health but more needs to be done. Serious incidents continue to happen and there are still negative impacts on both human health and the environment.

Workers who are directly exposed to hazardous substances should have the right to work in a safe and healthy environment and be properly

informed, trained and protected.

The report declared that it is difficult to determine the extent of health effects in the workplace related to chemical exposures, saying, “because of the complexity of assessing mixtures of chemicals, strategies to prevent harmful exposure tend to focus on individual chemical substances. This is further complicated by the fact that these substances can also be found combined with mixtures in most workplaces.

They are rarely assessed or tested in the form of a mix-

ture. Standards for individual chemicals routinely address problems with a single chemical.”

The report went further to highlight that the reality is that there are so many chemicals to which workers may be exposed that this substance-by-substance approach will never be able to adequately protect them.

It added: “Most workers are exposed to mixtures, rather than individual chemical substances, therefore the control of mixed exposures is critical for an effective protective programme.

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Asiodu lauds Ajimobi over efficient civil service From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan former Petroleum Resources Minister, Chief Philip Asiodu has commended the governor Abiola Ajimobi over his administration’s commitment towards ensuring an effective, efficient and accountable civil service.

Asiodu who spoke at the Oyo State public service forum lecture organized by the state civil service at the Premier hotel in the state capital said that the idea of federal, state and local government character should be discouraged, stressing that merit should be upheld in order to enhance effective civil service.

He said “while observing the Oyo State Government’s efforts towards the welfare of its workers in terms of prompt payment of salaries and allowances as well as training and retraining of workers, urged other states to emulate the gesture of the Ajimobi administration”.

The retired federal permanent secretary said more resources, better coordination and proper planning should be devoted to training and capacity development of civil servants, adding that civil and public servants should adhere strictly to the core value of integrity, accountability, competence and service delivery.

In his address at the occasion, Governor Ajimobi emphasized that civil servants should be more confident in the discharge of their responsibilities and that they

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should always exhibit courage in dealing with political office holders.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of civil servants in the state, adding that his administration had improved the state civil service and had motivated workers more than any previous administration in the state. ``For the civil service, we have provided more welfare packages than any other government in this state. We have provided training more than any government.

Likewise, we have closed all the loopholes and created more opportunities for career advancement,’’ he said.

Governor Ajimobi stressed the

need for a professional, honest and result-oriented civil service, pointing out that civil servants must be adaptive and assertive.

Also speaking, the state Head of Service, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu disclosed that Governor Ajimobi had approved the creation of a new department in the office of the Head of Service to look after the welfare of senior civil servants.

According to him, the department, known as post service department, is also saddled with the responsibilities of looking after the well-being of retired Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries and heads of extra-ministerial departments and directors.

Govt to review group life assurance policy for federal workers From Anthony Otaru, Abuja HE Federal Government is T to review the Group Life Assurance Policy for Federal civil Servants in order to make it more effective in achieving its desired goals.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji stated this yesterday in Abuja when he held a meeting with the “Underwriters on Group Life Assurance Scheme”, for federal civil servants.

Represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,

Mr. Yemi Adelakun, Aji further said that the current Group Life Assurance Scheme is not benefiting civil servants as much as it should and not in line with global best practices.

In a statement from the office of HOSand signed by Mohammed Manga stressed that the drawbacks in the current policy include, arbitrary allotment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to insurance companies without consideration for competiveness or value propositions, lack of provisions for to premium payments in advance for cover as required by the insurance law of no premium no cover.

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Tuesday, April 29 2014 MARKET REPORT 75

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 28-04-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

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MArKET INDICATOrS

AS AT 28-04-2014

PrIMErA AFrICA

NSE’s All-Share Index depreciates by 0.77%

By Bukky Olajide rANSACTIONS on the T Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) opened on negative note yesterday, with the AllShare Index dropping by 0.77 per cent due to share price losses by large caps last week.

The index lost 299.81 points to close at 38,598.33 from the 38,898.14 achieved on Friday.

The market capitalisation, which opened at N12.791 trillion, also lost N85 billion to close lower at N12.706 trillion.

A breakdown of price movement showed that Guinness lost N9.49 to close at N180.51 per share.

It was trailed by Seplat which lost N8 to close at N590, while Julius Berger dropped N1.01 to close at N68.89 per share.

Dangote Cement and Presco dropped N1 each to close at N227 and N42 per share, respectively.

On the other hand, Lafarge led the price gainers’ table by 80k to close at N110 per share.

Flour Mills followed with a gain of 43kobo to close at N68.43, while Stanbic IBTC appreciated by 20kobo to close at N23.20 per share.

Ashaka Cement rose by 18kobo to close at N16.41, while Dangote Sugar refinery grew by 15kobo to close at N9.50 per share.

AIICO Insurance emerged the most traded equity accounting for 31.33 million shares worth N24.76 million.

Transcorp followed with 14.89 million shares valued at N52.30 million, while Wema Bank traded 12.73 million shares worth N13.62 million.

FBN Holdings accounted for 11.49 million shares valued at N149.30 million, while Skye Bank traded 10.83 million shares valued at N38.71 million.

The volume of shares traded dropped by 48.28 per cent as investors’ staked N1.23 billion on 146.99 million shares in 4,111 deals.

This was in contrast to the 284.19 million shares worth N2.61 billion traded in 5,665 deals on Friday.

At the Over The Counter [OTC] market, activities were upbeat throughout the week as the bullish trend, which commenced in the preceding week, was sustained due largely to continuous demand pressure.

This trend was further strengthened after the midweek auction as the market adjusted to the cut-off rates, which came out lower than the current market levels. We expect a slight slowdown in this trend in the weeks ahead.

Shareholders laud UBA’s expansion, approve N16.5 billion dividend

By Helen Oji HArEHOLDErS of the S(UBA) United Bank for Africa Plc have commended the management for the efficient running of the affairs of the bank, as well as the ongoing restructuring, geared towards strengthening its African visibility.

The shareholders, who spoke at the bank’s yearly general meeting in Lagos at the weekend, extolled the board for consistently delivering value on their investments and sustaining the bank’s profitability, amid harsh operating environment, also approved the N0.50 per share dividend as recommended by the board.

Specifically, the National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders association of Nigeria (ISAN) Sir Sunny Nwosu said “the board and management should be commended for the way they handled last year’s operations of the Bank, they have done well and we look forward to a better dividend next year. “We hope for a better operating environment next year so that the Bank can pay higher dividend.”

Similarly, the President, Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs Bisi Bakare lauded the bank’s e-banking services and its operational efficiencies.

“I commend our bank’s ebanking services, it is excellent, it has increased the bank’s customers savings, the percentage has increased tremendously.” reviewing its performance, the Chairman of the bank, Ambassador Joe Keshi, said

UBA has been able to consistently deliver value to shareholders, due to the bank’s resilient business model, and despite the unanticipated domestic and global headwinds faced by the industry.

He explained that UBA Group recorded gross earnings of N264.7 billion for the period under review, an increase of 20per cent over the N220.1 billion recorded in 2012.

“The headline performance was buoyed by growth in interest income and noninterest revenue.

Loan growth and improved pricing boosted interest income which grew by 24per cent, whilst Non-interest income grew by a modest 15per cent.

Profit before income tax was up by eight per cent to N56.1 billion compared to N52.0 billion in the prior year (2012).”

“We believe the bank is poised to deliver better performance in 2014 as the underlying momentum of the Group’s business continues to be robust,” Ambassador Keshi said.

Also speaking during the AGM, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, UBA Plc, Phillips Oduoza said the bank’s African subsidiaries recorded overall revenue growth of 22per cent, from N41.5 billion in 2012 to N49.9 billion in 2013.

He stressed that revenue growth rate in 2013 surpassed the 18per cent growth in the previous year. Also, the equity base attributable to the African subsidiaries remained strong at N55.2 billion, from N45.7 billion in 2012.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014 77

Law

Quote of the week “I observe to the letter all laws that make sense but combat those that are obsolete or absurd.”

Wilhelm Reich, Listen, Little Man!

Absence of legal framework poses threat to national discourse As delegates settle down in their various committees for deliberation at the ongoing national conference in Abuja, YETUNDE AYOBAMI OJO sought the view of Chief Robert Clarke, a Lagos- based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on the legality of subjecting its outcome to a referendum

INTERVIEW SKED his opinion whether reforms in A criminal justice system should feature on the ongoing national conference, Robert Clarke said the conference should focus mainly on remodeling existing relationships between federating units and interests in the country.

“Do we need to draw a new constitution or not? Do we need to follow the present system of government or not? Do we need a parliamentary system of government?

Has the federal system of government fails? “ These are the areas this conference needs to look into. Other things they are looking into make no sense to me because we are only trying to build on the way we should govern ourselves.

The revered lawyer was also of the view that any attempt at looking into the country’s criminal jurisprudence will amount to nothing.

“Reforms on criminal jurisprudence could be done by the committee under the constitution since we have criminal law in our judicial system. There is no need to make it an agenda in the ongoing national conference.

On his expectations from the national discourse, the learned silk said the national conference, in his view, was put in place to enable Nigerians decide on what system of governance they would agree to stay together.

He said: “My view is that, whether there is a secret agenda or not, as people have been insinuating, at least, I give it to the President for being bold enough to call this conference.

He has given Nigerians the opportunity to come together and discuss our problems. “ But I am saying that the legal framework is defective. We have a parlance in law that you cannot build something on nothing. “Now, what is the legal framework? If this committee or whatever they call themselves comes out with a report, the report will be sent to the President because he inaugurated them.

If the president says, I am going to send this report for referendum, where is the power to do that?

“Under what power will the President of Nigeria decide to send that report for referendum?

He cannot do it. Nigeria’s constitution in Chapter 5, says all executive powers in Nigeria are vested on the President. Sending recommendation to the National Assembly for referendum, is it part of executive powers? No, so what has he got to do, it still depends on National Assembly. Now, if the scenario presents itself, where the National Conference decides that Nigeria should jettison a presidential system of governance because 80 percent of what we spend in governance goes to expenses, or that 80 percent of our revenue or budget goes into governance, how do we change it? If you consider our expenses at present, we can never make it for the next 20 years if we continue with this system of governance, we will not realise the 20-20-20 dream, which this government is championing. We need to change the system of governance. The alternative is the Presidential System. Other alternatives are the French system of governance where we have a president and a prime minister.

Should ministers be appointed solely by the president without passing through electoral processes, should ministers not become members of the National Assembly? Now, the president appoints the minister, he who appoints can sack. If a minister does anything, he is not accountable to anybody. For

Clarke example, we have seen what has happened in the Immigration tragedy and the minister is still in office. He is only accountable to the president and the president has not said anything. So we need to change this type of system of governance where you and I cannot have an input when a public official does something bad. But if you send such recommendation to the National Assembly, the whole member of National Assembly today are enjoying the privileges and allowances attached to their offices. Are they ready to jettison it for a system that just would make them a part- time legislators under the present constitution; they are not mandated to be

full- time? The constitution says they must attend sitting for, at least 167 days, so out of 365 or 366 days in the year, virtually half of it, they may not do anything. So why should they be full-time members. As I said, we cannot afford it. “It is clear that after 14 years of this presidential system of governance, we do not have good railway lines constructed in all parts of Nigeria, we have been unable to generate electricity, unable to build good roads, because 80 percent of our income within this past 14 years had gone on maintaining this system of government. This has to change.

But the question is, will the National Assembly now pass a law asking Nigerians to

But I am saying that the legal framework is defective. We have a parlance in law that you cannot build something on nothing. Now, what is the legal framework? If this committee or whatever it calls itself comes out with a report, the report will be sent to the President because he inaugurated it.

If the president says, I am going to send this report for referendum, where is the power to do that?

say yes or no to what the national conference has done, I believe is a tall order. The president should have first sent a bill to the National Assembly to say: “Look, I intend to call a conference, what ever decision this conference comes out with, I want you to pass a bill that once that decision is passed it will go directly to the referendum without passing through you. If that had been done, I would have said, yes, there is a green light in the tunnel but in the absence of that legal framework, there would be confusion in Nigeria on the decision of the conference.”

On the issue of delays in dispensation of justice in Nigeria, Clarke said the problem of delay started in 1999 when politics came into the life of every Nigerian.

According to him, it now seems that in spite of what people are saying, political matters are receiving speedy trials more than civil and criminal matters.

“We should, therefore, ask why the courts should give preference to political matters at the expense of civil or criminal matters. This allows the politicians not only to dictate how we eat or drink but also how we live in Nigeria, which is not their prerogative. They have been allowed to encroach into other areas of our lives and liberty. So, the question is, is it now correct to have a Constitutional Court? Should we create a special court for political litigation away from the normal courts in the country so that we don’t have this clog disturbing the normal progress in the court? “Between now and before the 2015 general election, I can assure you that there are going to be over 10,000 litigations from politicians resulting from primary elections in all over the 36 states of the federation.

“Let me give you an example, I was talking to a friend last week, who represented Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the last Anambra election. He told me that there were six interlocutory appeals in the Court of Appeal arising from the Tribunal. The Court of Appeal sat from 9.00a.m.- 6.00p.m. to deal with six interlocutory appeals.

This is one election in Anambra. That is why I am telling you that when the political climate begins in about four months’ time, we are going to have about 10,000 cases in all the Federal High Courts, Court of Appeals and Election Tribunals. It gives rise to the question: should we continue to disturb our judicial system because this will not allow the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court to do their normal duties. My answer is, “Please, let our law makers think of Constitutional Court so that cases from tribunals would go straight to Constitutional Court and by-pass the normal court so that the Constitutional Court would be the apex court for constitutional and political matters. That I think will solve the problems of delay.

Another main problem of delay is the system of recording and delivering of judgments by judges. With due respect to the judges, if a judge writes a judgment of 40 pages, 30 pages will be a concise report of what the Writ of Summon says. What the statement of claim says, what the statement of defence says, what lawyers have argued to it and then, five or six pages of the whole 40 page would constitute their own judgment. Like a former NBA president said: why should judges not come to court and say this is my judgment and read the last paragraph of his judgment and make sure the whole judgment is ready, thereby make sure that time is not wasted for one to two three hours reading the judgment. And then, there are interlocutory rulings that could be done in chambers”.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

78 LAW Tuesday, April 29, 2014

LawPeople

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

Benjamin Franklin

Umeh: A conscientious rights advocate PROFILE

By Bertram Nwannekanma S a way of demonstrating the inevitability A of justice in human existence, prominent Italian legal philosopher, Giorgio Del Vecchio, wrote in one of his famous writings: “Without Justice, life would not be possible and even if it were, it would not be worth living”.

In his ontological task, which examines justice’s nature or “the essence of law as it should be, Del Vechio, a former Professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Ferrara, was of the view that the word justice was derived from the actual concept of justness, which acts as the primordial factor for any state to provide for its populace.

The concept of justice was, therefore, vitiated with various welfare, moral and psychological factors.

Harmonious surveillance of these three features acts as a social tool, which makes justice accessible to all.

Justice, therefore, as a generic term, should include both procedural (Natural) and substantive (Social) justice.

This philosophical paradigm, no doubt might influence Kalu Umeh, a renowned rights lawyer to brace all odds as a young lawyer by venturing into social rights advocacy, which involved fighting for the rights of poor tenants in Lagos.

Using the instrumentality of Tenants Solidarity Organisation (TSO), a non- governmental organisation, he founded, Umeh took an unpopular path considered unprofitable by legal practitioners then because of his belief that justice should encompass welfare, moral and psychological considerations.

There was a time in Lagos you would wake up to see court bailiffs in your doorsteps, with a mission, to throw your property out. The landlords would not serve court processes, they would just go and obtain ‘Jankara’ judgments and come early in the morning to throw your things out. It was quite rampant that a lot of judicial officers, who even knew that defendants had not been served the court processes, but would go ahead to give judgment.

But the activism in him could not let him, as he decided to take some of the cases pro bono (free of charge), an action that later became significant in his career as a priest in the temple of justice.

Umeh spoke of the experience thus: “There were cases of people, whose landlords had removed their rooftops during the rainy season at Makoko area of Yaba, because they could not pay their rents. These people had no place to go, their property and belongings were left in the rain. It was very bad in Lagos at that time, so we came to the rescue. Myself and two other lawyers, we were not getting money and because they were poor and could not pay for our services but we were defending them as young lawyers. I took pity on them and decided to take the matter up pro bono and fortunately, the courts agreed with my submissions and ordered their roofs to be restored.

There were so many of such cases, we handled between 1988-1991.

“We were virtually in all courts and my name became popular. I was doing it under Tenants Solidarity Organisation (TSO)”.

Although Umeh undertook this struggle mainly on humanitarian grounds, his efforts soon got rewarded in the sense that he had substantial goodwill and within three years of practice, he became a household name and dotted the pages of major Nigeria’s newspapers and magazines. He said: “They were interviewing me to know what we were doing and because a lawyer really needed some level of publicity, so people, who had more serious matters and

willing to pay started coming to him. The money I got from those cases, I was able to use to do more pro bono cases. That was to give me a lift in my legal practice apart from the spiritual angle,” he added.

Incidentally, Umeh’s was inspired to read law by his paternal grand father, a warrant chief, known for his great intellect.

He was also seen as a village advocate.

As a young man, he grew up in his grand father’s house, where he entertained all manner of disputes from a lot of people.

His closeness to his grandfather was an addendum as he watched with rapt attention how his grandfather settled disputes among his kindred and even neighbouring communities.

Apart from his grandfather’s influence, Umeh’s desire to study law was also reinforced by the prestige and respect accorded to lawyers in his community who were seen as the crème of the society.

According to him, after the Nigeria’s Civil War, lawyers were really respected. There was no decision taken without them, so when the opportunity came calling, he chose to read law. This was also coupled with his poor performance in science subjects and he therefore could not fit in for other professional courses such as medicine or engineering.

Born on August 5, 1961 in Okagwe, Ohafia Local Council of Abia State, Umeh attended National High School, Aba between 1973-1978 for his secondary education.

In 1981, he gained admission to read Law at the Abia State University, finishing with LLB in 1985.

Umeh proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos between 1985- 1986 for his Bar examination and was called to Bar in 1986.

He also obtained LLM from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Lagos in 2007/2008.

His first time in court was in during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, when he represented the Nigerian Railway Corporation at Lagos High Court in 1987.

As a new wig, he was accompanying other lawyers to court, but at a point, out of his desire for a practical experience, he asked and got permission to go unaccompanied in one of their matters at the Lagos High Court.

Although there was the initial fright but because, he dreamt prepared for it, it was easy for him to overcome the fright to appear unaccompanied and he did wonderfully in his first outing.

According to him, the judges in Lagos then, were also cooperative and ready to assist and shield new wigs from the intimidation of older lawyers. The success recorded in his first outing led to his being asked to handle other matters involving the Corporation in far away Zaria.

After his NYSC programme, he joined the law firm of Chike Okoro & Co, who then had a lot of civil cases all over the place both at the magistracy and the High court, this in no small measure helped in preparing him for the challenge ahead.

For his dexterity and tactfulness, his principal soon found him useful and he got a lot of exposure, which later became pivotal in his career, even though, he did that most of the time without pay.

Today, Umeh has risen from that experience to handle several landmark cases as well as become a force in the legal circle, especially in Abia State, where he has been the attorney general in the past five years.

A highly religious person, the astute lawyer attributes his success to the grace of God and some of the cases he handled pro bono as a young lawyer, which gave him a lot

The landlords will not serve court processes. They will just go and obtain ‘Jankara’ judgments and come early in the morning to throw your things out. It was quite rampant that many judicial officers, who even knew that defendants had not been served the court processes, would go ahead to give judgment

Umeh

of media attention.

It was not all roses, as Umeh also recorded some frustrating experiences from judges and judicial officers, which led to his petitioning some magistrates and judges in Lagos.

According to him, there was a time it was really bad in Lagos before the whole thing was sanitized.

“Then more than 80 percent of the judicial officers were dismissed. Some of us complained about the frustration that we had. It was not just at the lower Bench but even at the higher bench, there were cases that we lost which, I know ordinarily, we should not but we had no money to proceed to Appeal Court. Appeal is not what anybody would indulge in without money, especially when you don’t have fund as a lawyer.

“Even when you consider the length of time in which that matter has lasted, even your client will abandon you. These are frustrating moments but I am happy that things are getting better now,” he said.

The astute lawyer, however, applauded the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism in most jurisdictions such as in Lagos saying, it has helped to decongest the courts.

He also described the supervision of judges by the National Judicial Commission (NJC) as a good development, saying judges have now risen to their responsibilities. The Attorney –General, however, wants the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to monitor lawyers, who move applications in court even when they know that the application would not fly.

These, he said, equally encouraged delay and because when ruling is given, you see lawyers going to interlocutory appeals, bring a motion to stay proceeding pending appeal, thereby, truncating the wheels of justice.

“Most times, the idea is just to delay or when there is judgment, they try to make sure that the successful litigant does not reap the fruit of the

judgments. These are areas which I think the Bar has a role, in terms of making sure that justice gets to the doorstep of everybody,” he added.

Umeh has held several leadership positions, which include, a pioneer Secretary-General of Abia State University’s Union 1981/82, NEC member, National Association of Nigerian Students, NEC member, National Association of Law students, President and Founder Tenants Solidarity Organisation (TSO), President, Ohafia Improvement Union, Lagos Branch, Chairman, Board of Governors, Isiama Comprehensive Secondary School, Ohafia, National President, Abia State University Alumni Association.

He is also the Managing Counsel, Umeh Kalu & Associates, Surulere, Lagos, which he founded in 1987, Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters to the Abia State Governor, Theodore Ahamefule Orji, 2008-2009, Honourable Attorney –General & Commissioner for Justice, Abia state, 2009 till date, member Body of Benchers and Council of Legal education.

Umeh has received several honours among which are: Distinguished Ambassador of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Fellowship Award of Excellence in Church Ministry, Structural Evangelism, and Community Development, Hugh Goldie Theological training Institute Arochukwu in affiliation with the Abia State University, Uturu, Okpe Ala Abali of Isiama Ohafia, Ugochinyere of Etiti Ama Nkporo, Ebube Mba of Elu Oha Ututu in Arochukwu Local Council, Abia state A member of the Nigerian Bar Association and a Presbyterian by faith, Umeh relaxes by listening to worship songs, reading and playing lawn tennis.

He is happily married to a lawyer and his first son is studying law abroad.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

79

Corruption cases: The courts are not to blame ISSUES

By Chris Momoh was eminent novelist IthatTChinua Achebe who declared the problem with Nigeria is leadership. Many of his compatriots are however beginning to think that Achebe could not have been right, that the real problem with Nigeria is corruption. It remains to be seen whether failure of leadership could breed corruption.

Combating corruption in Nigeria has been an uphill task.

While many believe that the anti-graft war will remain rudderless until there is a strong commitment from the highest level of government, others argue that the courts and corrupt judges have been the greatest cog in the wheel of the anti-graft war.

Corruption cases litter our courts. Former governors who are having their day in our courts include Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Orji Kalu (Abia), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Sani Ahmed (Zamfara), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Jolly Nyame (Taraba), and Boni Haruna (Adamawa) to name a few.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also arraigned former bank chiefs for alleged financial crimes, including the chief executives of the defunct Bank PHB Francis Atuche and Finbank, Okey Nwosu. Others are Mrs. Cecilia Ibru (Oceanic Bank); Mr. Sebastian Adigwe (Afribank); Bartholomew Ebong (Union Bank), and Dr. Erastus Akingbola (Intercontinental Bank).

Foremost lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) is among those who are worried at the slow pace of prosecution of these cases. He said recently “Not unexpectedly, the Nigerian people have justifiably blamed lawyers and judges for frustrating the anti-graft agencies from successfully prosecuting politically exposed persons and other members of the ruling class accused of corrupt practices and money laundering.”

He also listed the Akingbola Case, Ibori Case and Halliburton Scandal as three cases “which have recently questioned the commitment of the country to tackle the menace of corruption.”

I share the frustrations of the renowned human rights activist. However, it must be stated that the crises rocking the nation’s judiciary is not as simplistic as highlighted.

Falana’s postulation can therefore not be the gospel truth, lest we mistake the symptom for the cause. While Ibori has had his day in court, the prosecution sensationally bungled the Halliburton Case. As to the Akingbola Case, it is only fair that due process is also followed. The zeal to combat graft and financial crimes must neither becloud our sense of fairness nor open the floodgates for trampling on the rights of accused persons as enshrined in our Constitution, more so as the Constitution holds them out as innocent until the contrary is proved. It was the eminent English jurist Blackstone, J. who warned, “It is better to let nine guilty men free than to convict one innocent man.”

That golden rule for judges remains true today, as it was hundreds of years ago.

It can be argued that the Akingbola case cannot be singled out as the only case affected by the elevation of Justice Wale Abiru to the Court of Appeal, moreso, as there was other critical murder and oil

subsidy cases being handled by the cerebral judge. It is also on record that the case had not been concluded, as parties were yet to address the court.

Defence lawyers had also reportedly informed the court of their intention to call additional witnesses.

In fact, the problems of the Nigerian judiciary are well known even to the average person. The reform-minded Chief Justice of Nigeria Mariam Aloma Mukhtar at the commencement of the current Legal Year highlighted much of these problems. Most Nigerian judges still write in long hand, thereby causing delays. Not only do the judges have heavy dockets, the working conditions are nothing to write home about. Libraries are non-existent and infrastructural decay is the norm.

According to Mukhtar, “The simple implication is that our courts are increasingly finding it difficult to effectively perform their day-to-day constitutional roles.”

The fundamental challenges bedeviling the prosecution of graft and financial crimes are equally mutli-facetted. Aside from delayed and shoddy investigations, prosecutors are known to be in the habit of merely waiting to file fresh charges and re-arraign suspects. A perfect example is the dismissal of the Halliburton Bribery scandal case by Justice Abubakar Umar with these words: “It has been over a year now and still the EFCC is coming up with excuses. The EFCC should know that if it is not ready to prosecute and bring cases to conclusion, it should not apply for leave of court to arraign anybody.” Retired Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos also dismissed the amended 26-count preferred against Akingbola over what he described as “serious and professional incompetence” of the prosecution team made up of five Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

Lending credence to the suspicion that some prosecutors connive with suspects to thwart their trial, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice Ibrahim Auta said “There have been sad instances where prosecuting lawyers consciously and deliberately let in loopholes in the course of drafting their charges. The idea is to let the guilty accused escape from the clutches of the law.” The charge of complicity came to a head with the assassination of EFCC’s Head of Forensic Unit, Abdullahi Muazu in Kaduna on September 14, 2010. The prosecution is also known to load its charges against the accused persons, making it very difficult to obtain judgement. Turf battles and inter-agency rivalry as well as poor funding have also been the bane of anti-graft agencies.

While some analysts chide defence lawyers for fomenting delays in the trial of anti-graft cases, this perception can only arise from a poor understanding of the role of a defence lawyer. Like the courts, the defence counsel is, in an adversarial system like ours, not a Father Christmas that doles out favours to the prosecution.

His role is to give his client every assistance within the ambit of law. It is equally noteworthy that Rule 14(c) of the Rules of Professional Conduct in the Legal Profession enjoins counsel as follows: “The lawyer owes entire devotion to the interest of his client, warm zeal in the maintenance and defence of the client’s rights and the exertion of his utmost

Aloma Mukhtar (CJN)

Lamode, EFCC Boss

The fundamental challenges bedeviling the prosecution of graft and financial crimes are equally multi-facetted. Aside from delayed and shoddy investigations, prosecutors are known to be in the habit of merely waiting to file fresh charges and re-arraign suspects. learning and ability to the end that nothing be taken or be withheld from him, save by the rules of law, legally applied. No fear of judicial disfavour or public unpopularity should restrain him from the full discharge of his duty.”

Even more fundamental is the fact that Nigeria’s criminal justice system is long overdue for an overhaul. Save for the recently introduced Practice Directions aimed to fast-track terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and related cases, our adjectival and procedural laws are crying for a review. Interlocutory appeals are a major thorn in the flesh of anti-graft prosecutors.

However, it is now obvious that aside from the above challenges, what has remained an albatross for the prosecution in the trial of Nigeria’s former bank chiefs is the Court of

Appeal judgement obtained by Nwosu in appeal NO: CA/L/601/11. Earlier in 2011 while charges against Nwosu were still pending before the Federal High Court, the EFCC filed stealing charges against him and some directors before the Lagos High Court. Nwosu challenged the jurisdiction of the Lagos High Court to entertain the theft charge. In deciding the appeal, the Court of Appeal held that the Lagos High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

Expectedly, Atuche and his coaccused have asked the Lagos High Court to strike out the theft charges against them in view of the unanimous Court of Appeal judgment. The latest challenge is that by Akingbola now pending before Justice Lateef Akapo-Lawal of Lagos High Court.

In line with the settled principle of stare decisis, it remains to be seen how lower courts may

deviate from extant decisions of superior courts. It is recalled that the Supreme Court had nothing but harsh words for Justice Ishaq Bello of FCT High Court for ignoring this hallowed principle. In BASHIR MOHAMMED DALHATU VS IBRAHIM SAMINU TURAKI & ORS, Justice Bello was invited to apply the Supreme Court decision in ONUOHA VS. OKAFOR & OTHERS (1983) 14 NSCC 494. He refused. Berating the judge, Ogundare, JSC said: “This to my mind is the height of judicial impertinence ever exhibited by a judge of a Court lower than the Supreme Court. The doctrine of stare decisis is fully entrenched in our jurisprudence to ensure certainty of the law. Had the learned trial judge in this case cared to read that case and the various dicta of their Lordships of this Court he would not have exhibited such crass ignorance that ran through his judgment. I think

enough said on this the better.”

That our courts are poised to do justice according to the law is not in doubt. Falana validated this point when he stated that both the trial and appellate courts upheld his advice to EFCC to proceed against an ex-governor – contrary to the advice of a former Attorney General of the Federation - on the ground that no contempt of court was committed by the EFCC at the lower court. Our judges have also shown courage in declining jurisdiction where appropriate, as demonstrated more recently

by Justice Babajide CandideJohnson in the Access Bank London judgment registration saga.

The way forward is to ensure that all facets of criminal justice administration are overhauled for judicial efficacy. It is imperative to reform our Criminal Code, Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act and the Evidence Act to bring them in line with modern realities and demands.

The institutional and regulatory frameworks for waging the anti-graft war must also be overhauled. As former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher discovered to his consternation, his directive to judges to fast-track corruption cases and concludes same within six months could not be met due to these challenges facing the judicial system.

Aside from the innovations envisaged under the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2013, the new Practice Directions seek to establish a specialised system of case management that will provide for fair, impartial, expeditious administration of criminal appeals, eliminate unnecessary delays, enable the CJN to fast-track appeals bordering on the offences of terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering and human trafficking, and reduce the time spent on interlocutory applications at both trial and appellate courts. Only when the courts are so empowered can we chide them for lacking judicial efficacy.

Momoh is a human rights lawyer.

Lagos AG pledges people oriented laws

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo State Attorney LforAGOS General and Commissioner Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye has stressed the decision of the state government to enact laws that will enhance the quality of lives of for Lagos residents.

Speaking at a briefing to mark the seventh year in office of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), Ipaye said that in the past one year, Ministry of Justice has continued to champion the development of the state through the instrumentality of law reform.

According to him,” with the cooperation of the Lagos State House of Assembly, the government has continued to pass laws which are aimed at

strengthening our institutions and enhancing the quality of lives of our citizens.” “ These legislation include: Ibile Oil and Gas Law, 2013.

This is a law to establish the Ibile Oil and Gas Corporation to invest and engage in oil and gas activities in Lagos state.

Cremation Law, 2013 is a Law to provide the voluntary or elective cremation of corpses in Lagos State. It allows for the cremation of unclaimed corpses.”

Other laws include: “Lagos State Christian and Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board Law, 2013, Appropriation (Amendment) Law 2013 which reordered the state budget for 2013 in order to enable the implementation of priority programmes. Lagos

State Public Service Staff Development Centre Law, 2013, Lagos State Emergency Command and Control Centre Law 2014, Regulation of Smoking 2014 and Consumer Protection Agency Law 2014.”

On the issue of cremation, Ipaye said that his ministry was yet to have the statistical record of corpses that undergone it since the law guiding it had been enacted. He however stated that the agencies in charge of cremation in the state would have the information.

“Before the law was enacted, people in the state whose tradition is to cremate the remains of their love ones had been doing it. So the law was only made to regulate the practice that had been in existence.”

Commissioner for Justice also said the state is currently prosecuting 950 criminal cases in various courts across the state and in the nation.

He said the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, is prosecuting 708 cases in various Superior Courts of record, saying this figure included the 42 and 4 cases, which were currently being prosecuted at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court respectively.

“In addition to these, we are prosecuting 242 cases at the Magistrate Courts. All together, the DPP is engaged in the prosecution of 950 criminal cases. In the past one year, judgments were delivered in 76 cases in various matters the Ministry was prosecuting both at the High Court and the Court of Appeal.” He added.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com 81

80 LAW Tuesday, April 29, 2014

FamilyLaw

“The success of marriage comes not in finding the “right” person, but in the ability of both partners to adjust to the real person they inevitably realize they married.”

John Fischer

Seven reasons to seek marriage counselling

By DONNA M. WHITE, LMHC, CACP ARRIAGE rates supposedly are on the decline. While it’s an oft-repeated statistic that 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce, that number has remained unchanged for the past 30 years.

Divorce rates also vary with the partners’ level of education, religious beliefs, and many other factors.

But when divorce does happen, it results in difficulties for adults as well as children. For adults, divorce can be one of life’s most stressful life events.

The decision to divorce often is met with ambivalence and uncertainty about the future. If children are involved, they may experience negative effects such as denial, feelings of abandonment, anger, blame, guilt, preoccupation with reconciliation, and acting out.

While divorce may be necessary and the healthiest choice for some, others may wish to try to salvage whatever is left of the union. When couples encounter problems or issues, they may wonder when it is appropriate to seek marriage counseling. Here are seven good reasons.

• Communication has become negative. Once communication has deteriorated, often it is hard to get it going back in the right direction.

Negative communication can include anything that leaves one partner feeling depressed, insecure, disregarded, or wanting to withdraw from the conversation. This can also include the tone of the conversation. It is important to remember that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it.

Negative communication can also include any communication that not only leads to hurt feelings, but emotional or physical abuse, as well as nonverbal communication.

M

• When one or both partners consider having an affair, or one partner has had an affair. Recovering from an affair is not impossible, but it takes a lot of work. It takes commitment and a willingness to forgive and move forward. There is no magic formula for recovering from an affair. But if both individuals are committed to the therapy process and are being honest, the marriage may be salvaged. At the very least, it may be determined that it is healthier for both individuals to move on.

• When the couple seems to be “just occupying the same space.” When couples become more like roommates than a married couple, this may indicate a need for counseling. This does not mean if the couple isn’t doing everything together they are in trouble. If there is a lack of communication, conversation and intimacy or any other elements the couple feels are important and they feel they just “co-exist,” this may be an indication that a skilled clinician can help sort out what is missing and how to get it back.

• When the partners do not know how to resolve their differences. I remember watching GI Joe as a kid. Every show ended with the phrase “now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” For me, that phrase comes to mind with this situation. When a couple begins to experience discord and they are aware of the discord, knowing is

only half the battle. Many times I have heard couples say, “We know what’s wrong, but we just don’t know how to fix it.” This is a perfect time to get a third party involved. If a couple is stuck, a skilled clinician may be able to get them moving in the right direction.

• When one partner begins to act out on negative feelings. I believe what we feel on the inside shows on the outside. Even if we are able to mask these feelings for a while, they are bound to surface. Negative feelings such as resentment or disappointment can turn into hurtful, sometimes harmful behaviors. I can recall a couple where the wife was very hurt by her husband’s indiscretions.

Although she agreed to stay in the relationship and work things out, she became very spiteful.

The wife would purposefully do things to make her husband think she was being unfaithful even though she wasn’t. She wanted her husband to feel the same pain she felt, which was counterproductive. A skilled clinician can help the couple sort out negative feelings and find better ways to express them.

• When the only resolution appears to be separation. When a couple disagrees or argues, a break often is very helpful. However, when a timeout

turns into an overnight stay away from home or eventually leads to a temporary separation, this may indicate a need for counseling. Spending time away from home does not usually resolve the situation. Instead, it reinforces the thought that time away is helpful, often leading to more absences. When the absent partner returns, the problem is still there, but often avoided because time has passed.

• When a couple is staying together for the sake of the children. If a couple feels it is wise to stay together for the sake of the children, it may help to involve an objective third party. Often couples believe that they are doing the right thing when staying together actually is detrimental to the children. On the contrary, if the couple is able to resolve issue and move toward a positive, healthy relationship, this may be the best decision for all involved.

In my opinion, children should never be the deciding factor when couples are determining whether to stay together. I recall working with an adolescent who was having trouble in school.

She was acting out and her grades were declining. After a few sessions she stated, “I know my parents really don’t like each other.” When I asked her why, she replied, “They are nice to each other, but they never smile or laugh like my friends’ parents.”

Children are generally very intuitive and intelligent. No matter how couples may think they are able to fake their happiness, most children are able to tell.

All marriages are not salvageable. In the process of marriage counseling, some couples may discover it is healthier for them to be apart.

However, for those relationships that can be salvaged, and for those couples willing to commit to the process, marriage counseling may be able to remind them why they fell in love and keep them that way.

Umoren: Exit of a consummate jurist

By Bertram Nwannekanma

Tribute HE Honourable Justice Joseph T Jeremiah Umoren, a retired Justice of Court of Appeal, was one of the few Nigeria’s judges that could be described as a radical conservative.

His radical conservatism stemmed from his strict adherence to ideals of fair-play and justice.

Like the late Justice Kayode Eso, Justice Umoren was one of the few justices that brought sanity to bear in the Bench at a time the hallowed chamber of justice was being desecrated.

His death on February 19, 2014, has, therefore, depleted the rank of such justices, whose wealth of knowledge, the younger judges could tap from, to improve the Bench.

He was a rugged Judge, always standing firm and upright, the qualities, which earned him some enemies in the course of his adjudication.

Justice Umoren was reputed to have had the stamina of sitting for long hours up till mid-night as a High Court Judge.

He fell into the category of judges, who did not gamble but worked hard to earn a living.

His Lordship’s abiding and perhaps, most deserved reputation was as a liberal and steadfast judge.

Throughout his life of service, he held on to a conservative set of personal and public values and gave effect to them in his legal career.

It was these values that branded him a beacon of judicial virtue, thereby, confirming his status as not merely a judge, but a also a historic figure of enduring importance.

His dedicated, persistent and resilient effort for the advancement of the law in our country, were ultimately rewarded by a peaceful retire-

ment from the Bench into private life.

He survived an assassination attempt on his life on April 2, 1998 as a result of his refusal to accept financial gratification in the course of his duty as a Judge.

Justice Umoren’s personal image was part of his jurisprudence. The serious looks seen in almost every picture of him never left his face. Litigants had the confidence that they were in the presence of a benign judge with the clout to administer justice in line with common sense and conventional wisdom premised on the rule of law.

He also interfaced this strict mien with a great sense of humour, which at times, caused counsel to reel in mirth when those jokes came in once in a while. If there was a label for his stance as an adjudicator, it was radical conservatism.

Born on August 1, 1935 to Christian parents in Ikot Essien village, Nung Ita Clan in the present Oruk Anam Local Council of Akwa Ibom State, Ubokudom Udofa Umoren Etokikpa Inyang Ewa, as he was known in his earliest years, was the fifth out of the 15 children of his father, Chief Udofa Umoren Etokikpa Inyang Ewa. His birth was remarkable as it was said that it was the year he was born that the European Missionary of the Qua Iboe Church Mission, Reverend McQueen was able to convert his parents to Christianity.

Umoren started primary education at a very tender age in Ikot Ibritam Group School, Oruk Anam Local Council of Akwa Ibom State.

He had his secondary education at the great Holy Family College, Oku-Abak from 1949 – 1953 where he graduated in Division 2 with credits in both Science and Arts subjects.

After his secondary school education, he taught Physics briefly at the then Ibibio State College, Ukana, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State before his Cambridge result came out.

Thereafter, he proceeded to Lagos where he applied and got a job with

Justice Umoren HM, the Meteorological Service Department from where he was posted to the Camerouns, to serve in stations such as Victoria, Kumba, Bamenda and Santa, until 1954.

On his return to Nigeria from the Camerouns, he worked at HM Produce Inspection Service Department, under Marketing and Exports, in Sapele and Warri in the present day Delta State between 1955 – 1961.

His love for the gown and wig profession was ignited by his father, who called him a lawyer as a child.

This eventually increased his passion for law as he worked hard and saved money to pursue his ambition to become a lawyer.

In 1961, he proceeded to the United Kingdom to pursue the proverbial Golden Fleece, which was the destination of all Nigerians then for the study of Law. When he arrived England, as a selffunded student, he had to work and go to school.

While in London, he attended the

famous University of London, between 1964 – 1967 and was admitted into the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, London in 1967.

He returned to Nigeria after the Nigerian Civil War, attended the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1972.

From 1972, he made tremendous efforts in contributing his quota to the development and advancement of law and was indisputably one of the greatest luminaries the legal profession has produced in Nigeria.

Justice Umoren’s approach was considered liberal by some, but ground breaking enough to mould and shape the primary interest of the law and justice.

It did not, therefore, take time for him to establish himself as one of the notable lawyers in the country, through dint of hard work and determination.

An astute and consummate Bar man, Umoren established his law office, Ekemini Chambers at No. 23, Ibong Road, Ikot Ekpene, and later relocated to No 26, Aba Road, still in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

He participated actively in the affairs of what used to be known as the Mainland Bar of the Cross River State Nigerian Bar Association and rose to become its Chairman between 1980 – 1985.

For his contributions, popularity and goodwill at the Bar, he was dubbed in his days as Etubom Mkparawa (meaning, king of the boys) by other colleagues at the bar.

Umoren found law practice rather exciting and rewarding, thus he preferred private legal practice to anything else.

After spending 33 active years as a minister in the temple of justice, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Akwa Ibom State in January 1989.

Though his decision to go to the Bench was rather belated, he nevertheless

advanced rapidly.

He presided over three High Courts in Uyo Judicial Division (1989 – 1993). He was Administrative Judge of Etinan Judicial Division (1994 – 1995), Ikot Ekpene Judicial Division from 1995 till his elevation to the Court of Appeal in 1999.

At the Court of Appeal, Umoren served in Jos (1999 – 2001), Kaduna (2002 – 2004) and Enugu (2005) Divisions of the Court of Appeal. Throughout his 16 years at the Bench, he was thorough, erudite and unassuming in dispensing justice to all manner of men.

The valedictory court session of November 23, 2005 at the Court of Appeal, Enugu marked the official retirement of Justice Umoren, from the Court of Appeal, thereby adding his name to the roll of great legal luminaries who had succeeded in shaping the Nigerian judicial system.

He was the second Justice of the Court of Appeal of Akwa Ibom State origin.

Justice Umoren had held many public offices among which were member of the South – Eastern States Economic Advisory Council (1973 – 1975); Member, Governing Council of the Polytechnic Calabar (1977 – 1979) and Chairman, Cross River State Marketing Board (1975 – 1977).

His Lordship bagged several traditional titles in his lifetime for his steadfast support he gave the boundary communities of the then Cross River State; though he never used any of such titles, as he believed, being a Prince of Nung Ita Clan, he was already entitled from birth.

Justice Umoren was a serious and committed unrepentant Christian believer, a Roman Catholic and a Knight according to the Order of St. Mulumba.

He was a loving father, who believed in chivalry, a legal luminary, and a judicial giant.

His innings in the legal profession was glorious and will be missed by all lovers of justice.

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Court nullifies govt’s acquisition of Lekki land Stories by Bertram Nwannekanma USTICE Adedayo Oyebanji of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, has nullified Lagos State’s acquisition of AbuleParapo Land in Awoyaya, Ibeju Lekki Local Council of the state.

The land, the claimants stated, was supposedly acquired by the Buba Marwa administration for the Aquaculture Scheme, which was in fact, meant for development as a private estate, and did not qualify as being in overriding public interest.

Some of the land, they said, had been acquired for various schemes but were not done in consonance with the appropriate laws.

Besides, they said the Marwa

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government set aside N2.5 million as compensation, but it was never disbursed, even as 50 hectares promised to be excised to the claimants was not handed over.

Delivering judgment in the suit filed on November 15, 2004, Justice Oyebanji held that the land was not acquired in line with the law.

“The claimants’ claims, therefore, succeed. The purported acquisition of land in dispute by the first to fourth defendants is hereby declared null and void, the defendants having failed to comply with the provisions of Section 28 (6) of the Land Use Act of 1987,” the judge held.

Justice Ayotunde Philips The claimants – Alhaji Mutiu Musa, Chief Tunde Xaidi, Mr. Mufutau Sokoto, Mr. Tolani Bakare, Alhaji Sikiru Towolawi and Chief

Muritala Tijani – sued for themselves and on behalf of 10 villages collectively known as Abule Papapo in Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki.

Lagos State Governor, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the Executive Secretary, Land Use and Allocation Committee and the General Manager New Towns Development Authority are the respondents.

Justice Oyebanji held that that the government did not give the claimants adequate notice before acquiring the land.

“A careful perusal of the evidence of the sole witness for the defendants shows that the defendants led no evidence whatsoever on notice

purportedly given to the claimants, neither was any document or material tendered before this court to prove that the land in dispute was acquired for public purpose.

“The court, has therefore, come to the inevitable conclusion that the requirements of the law relating to acquisition of land in Lagos State particularly sections 28 (6) and (7) of the Land Use Act 1978 was not complied with by the first to fourth defendants.

“There is no scintilla of evidence before this court to prove that a valid notice of any notice at all, of the purported acquisition of subject land was given to the claimants. This issue is

Court rules today on alleged Lagos’ demolitions in Mopo Ijebu land Lagos High Court, without court order.

Investment Co, Ltd as co- on plan N0: WAT/LA297/92 defendants will continues A Igbosere, presided over by In the motion filed through defendants sought the sum of made by Surveyor W.T Adeniji with their acts of trespass and Justice Ebenezer Adebajo will their counsel, Chief Bolanle N100 million severally as dam- dated 21-8-92. they will continue to suffer today rule on a motion filed by Chief Lamoriu Isiaka and Mr Maliki Balogun for themselves and on behalf of the Ismaila Isiaka family, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos against the Lagos State Attorney General and two others in which they sought for an injunction restraining the defendants from alleged demolitions in Mopo Ijebu land

Olugbani. the claimants is seeking for an order restraining the defendants from further demolitions in the disputed land measuring about 55,410 hectares pending the determination of the suit.

The claimants had in the suit, which also had the New Town Development Authority and Ajayi Apata Property &

ages for alleged trespass.

They are also seeking an order of court nullifying the purported revocation of the their right of occupancy by gazette N0 20 26 dated 13-5-1993 of all that piece of land situate lying and being at Mopo Ijebu, Lagos State, measuring 55,410 hectares , which are particularly delineated and describes

$3.8bn Egina FPSO: LADOL sues Samsung over breach of contract HE contractual battle in T the $3.8 billion Egina oil platform project between the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) and Samsung/Total has deepened as the oil and gas service provider insists that it has legal rights to undertake the local content aspect of the job.

The contract awarded to Samsung Heavy Industry and LADOL by Total for the integration of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform otherwise known as Egina project to be cited at LADOL based in Lagos, became subject to litigation as a result of an alleged schemes by Samsung to exclude the indigenous firm from the juicy job.

LADOL’s counsel , Prof. Fidelis Oditah (QC, SAN), had sought 19 reliefs against Samsung

and other defendants before a Federal High Court, Lagos presided by Justice Chukwujekwe Aneke.

He is asking for a declaration that the contract awarded by Total to Samsung on or about 15 March 2013 is subject to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010.

Oditah noted in his submission yesterday that since the Nigerian Content Act 2010 was enacted for the benefit of all Nigerians, his client being a Nigerian entity has the right to sue for local content breaches, wherein the relevant government agency fails to do so.

According to him, LADOL is a local content partner to SAMSUNG based on the contractual relationship his client had with SAMSUNG to construct Egina FPSO platform

for TOTAL in 2014.

He stated that the contract also involves the construction of a training school at LADOL base for the training of Nigerian engineers and a fabrication yard which will provide up to 30-50,000 jobs.

He stressed that after Total has awarded the contract to SAMSUNG, the company decided to take the project to Korea, thereby denying LADOL of the benefits of the project But Counsel to the first defendant (Total), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), had argued that LADOL being a ‘Contractual beneficiary’ in the contentious project lacked the locus standi to sue for alleged local content breaches.

Further hearing on the matter has been adjourned till June 3

PUNUKA yearly lecture holds May 8 HE 2014 edition of the T PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors yearly lecture with the topic: “Employee and Pension Claims in Insolvency” will hold on Thursday, May 8, 2014 at the Metropolitan Club, 15, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, at 10.00a.m.

The event, which will have Professor André Boraine, the Dean of the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, South Africa and Director of the Centre for Advanced Corporate and Insolvency Law in the university as the lead discussant, will be chaired by a former Supreme Court, Justice, Hon. Justice George Oguntade (rtd.), CFR. Speaking on the appropriateness of the theme, the Senior Partner of PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors, Chief Anthony

Idigbe (SAN) said the topic was critical, as it would focus on the extent of protection and guaranty over employees’ entitlements in the event of corporate restructuring and insolvency in today’s business world.

Also, the 2014 Lecture Committee chairman and partner in charge of Insolvency and Restructuring Practice Group in the firm, Mr. Okorie Kal, said the lecture, would focus on establishing protections available to employees under Nigerian laws in situation of corporate restructuring and insolvency as well as consider whether there are sufficient provisions under our laws, including the Pension Reform Act to address the plight of Nigerian employees, particularly when put into international and

comparative context on how entitlements employees should be treated.

Among the dignitaries expected at the event are the Governor of Edo State, Adams Comrade Oshiomhole, a renowned labour leader who will be the Special Guest of Honour and Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who is also the host.

The PUNUKA Lecture, a yearly event, is aimed at bringing together key industry players and stakeholders on topical issues bordering on law, economy, financial matters, good governance and nation building, amongst others.

PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors founded by the late Hon Justice C. Idigbe OFR CON formerly of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has been in existence since 1947.

They also want an order granting them possession of all that part of land as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their servants, agents, privies or otherwise., however from committing further acts of trespass on the said parcel of land or dealing in any way in consistent with their right in the holding using and enjoyment of the land.

In their writ of summon, the claimants stated that unless the court orders the nullification of the purported revocation of their right of occupancy in respect of the land in dispute at Okun-.Mopo, recovery of possession of the land and declare them owners, the

loo, injury and damages.

According to them, they were ancestrally allotted the land, who founded the village about 350 years ago and have been carrying the activities of farming, hunting and fishing before the alleged illegal government acquisition.

But the Lagos state attorney and the New Town Development Authority (first and second defendants) in their defence contended that the action of the claimants is caught by the doctrine of Waiver having accepted the excision of land as compensation.

In the statement of defence dated February 20, 2014. It was the contention of the defen-

resolved to the claimants,” the judge said.

The judge also held that the doctrine of waiver and estoppel could not avail the defendants, adding that the defendants did not give the claimants any land.

“Interestingly, though the defendants averred and led evidence that a parcel of land was excised for the claimants, the defendants failed to substantiate their assertion that the excision was made.

“The dimensions of the land purportedly excised ware also not disclosed. Based on the processes before the court, I do not believe that any excision was made in favour of the claimants,” Justice Oyebanji held.

dants that the claimants be estopped from denying acquisition of the land having accepted the excision of land and that their right if any in respect of the land in dispute have been extinguished by virtues of Section 34(5)(b) of the Land Use Act and their lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

They also argued that the claims rights of action of the claimants is statute barred by virtues of the provisions of Section 16 (2) (a) “imitation Law, Cap L67 Volume 5 Laws of Lagos state 2003 and their urged the court to dismiss the action with substantial cost for lack of jurisdiction as well as being frivolous vexatious and abuse of court process.

Eminent Nigerians for 2014 NBA- SBL conference HE Speaker of the House T of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is expected to speak at the 2014 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA -SBL) slated between May 26-28, 2014 at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Tambuwal, a lawyer and the first indigenous keynote speaker in the NBASBL conference history, will speak on the topic: “Exemplary Governance: Enhancing Economic Development in Nigeria”, while discussants drawn within and out side the country will discuss the sub theme during plenary.

NBA-SBL Chairman, Gbenga Oyebode, who disclosed this at a briefing in Lagos, said the choice of the topic, was influenced by the recent Nigeria’s Gross Domestic product (GDP) rebasing, which puts Nigeria ahead of South Africa as the continent’s largest economy and the need to sensitive the government on the need for good governance.

Oyebode, who said no fewer than 1000 lawyers were expected at the conference, said the conference would explore how good governance could be translated to development,

which Nigeria needs.

“Nigeria is fraught with all kinds of challenges, be they corruption and lack of transparency, be it securitytype issues, infrastructure deficiency. Those are the evils that bedevil our society. We want to highlight what needs to be done to change these things.

“Our view is, let us speak about these things, not necessarily in a purely political tone, but about how we can use governance to enhance economic development, because at the end of the day, if you create wealth, you’re going to have less people lounging around the streets looking for trouble.

“As business lawyers, the NBA- SBL is interested good governance because its attendant impact in development, if wealth is created for the majority of Nigerians, insecurity would be reduced,” Oyebode said.

On the choice of Tambuwal, the astute lawyer said, the Speaker has not only demonstrated an exemplary leadership in steering a rancour free legislative house but should be allowed to share his experience on how visionary and exemplary leadership coupled with good governance could drive development.

Oyebode said NBA- SBL also decided, as a mark of hon-

our, to recognize one of its own, who has done very well in governance, even though various international speakers drawn from South Africa, Britain and the United States will also speak on the issues raised by the keynote speaker’s address.

According to him, the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU), NBA-SBL has, with the Law Society of England, allowed for reciprocal arrangement, which allowed members to attend international conferences.

Other dignitaries expected at the conference, he said included, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Okey Wali (SAN), Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Justice Aloma Muhktar and the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who is the chief host.

Also speaking on the conference, the chairman of the Conference Planning and Preparatory Committee, Seni Adio, said all logistics had been put in place for a successful conference, while the NBA-SBL’s 21 committees, which include capital market, insurance, pensions, banking and finance, intellectual property, sports and entertainment, will have sessions during the confab.

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Illegal Chinese immigrants held over banned wood factory in Ondo WO Chinese illegal immi• Mimiko tasks security agencies on intelligence gathering T grants operating a wood factory in Ondo have been arrested by the state’s Joint Task Force on Forestry following a successful raid of the banned operating site.

The state government had in 2003 ordered the closure of such three wood factories operating in the area by illegal Chinese immigrants.

It was, however, discovered that one of the companies was still operating in connivance with some state officials.

The bubble burst at the weekend, however, when the state’s Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Mr. Tunde Atere led the state’s Joint Task Force on Forestry to the illegal operating site following a tipoff.

The commissioner and the JTF team had stormed the illegal factory at Akinfosile in Omotosho axis of Okitipupa LocalCouncil Area, covertly inspected the site operated by two Chinese and confirmed that it was working furtively although it had closed statutorily.

The commissioner affirmed that the factory had no required papers to operate with no log books and log evacuation schedule papers while incriminating items were discovered at the site.

The duo were thus arrested and taken to Nigeria Immigration Services, Akure for visa entry particulars verification and certification for subsequent transfer to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Nigerian Police for proper prosecution.

Describing the illegal immigrants as economic saboteurs, the State’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade said they would be dealt with according to the dictates of the law.

He said it was shameful that foreign nationals could come to Nigeria to practise what they can’t do in their own country.

His words, “this is wickedness on the part of these illegal immigrants, because by their nefarious activities in our forests they have wreaked so much havoc. They know the penalty for such offence in their country and there couldn’t have been any reasonable alibi for them to come here to practise what they couldn’t practise in their country.

“The government will not allow this to go unpunished and this is a signal to others like them both national and foreigners who are wreaking havoc in our forests. The game is now up for them as the present government will do everything to ensure that activities of these illegal operators in our forests are stopped.”

Meanwhile, Governor Olusegun Mimiko has called on security agencies in the country to step up their intelligence gathering and be proactive in their operations.

He stated this in Akure while receiving the new Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Andrew Igwe Ugwumba, who has just been posted to the state to replace Alhaji Waheed Popoola.

Mimiko said the issue of security should be the con-

• Northern leaders behind missing girls’ kidnap, group alleges

cern of everyone and commended the contribution of the corps in ensuring adequate security in the country.

The governor equally lauded the synergy among all security agencies in the state, noting that their efforts had played a major role in the sustenance of peace.

He called for the support of the new commandant in maintaining law and order.

Earlier, Ugumba thanked the governor for his continued support for the command and assured of adequate collaboration to ensure peace.

And ahead of the planned march by women on Abuja tomorrow to press for the release of the kidnapped Chibok Government Secondary School girls, whose whereabouts are still unknown, a group, United Alliance has said that Northern elders should be held accountable.

Reacting to the planned all –red attired women protest against the continued detention of the girls, the group, in a statement issued in Abuja by its Northern Co-ordinator, Mallam Bashir Ado said the protesters should not direct their grievance at President Good luck Jonathan, who it said has got nothing to do with the disappearance of the girls.

Rather, the group said, the protesters should direct their grievance at the Northern elders and politicians, who they alleged are the masterminds of the girls’ disappearance, to embarrass the Federal Government.

It said, “the disappearance of the girls is part of the Northern elders agenda to embarrass and distract the Goodluck Jonathan government.

“They deliberately took the girls away to create an impression of insecurity and paint the picture that nobody is safe in the country, whereas they are the architects of these selfinflicting wounds aimed at distracting a working government.”

According to the group, the Chibok school authorities among others in the region deliberately ignored the call made earlier by the Federal Government for students of schools in the area to be evacuated.

“There was an instruction initially to school authorities in the area to evacuate students from schools because of insecurity and the parents are aware of this. Why then would the authorities refuse to yield to such sensitive instruction if there was no pre-conceived agenda to lash on the perceived state of insecurity to organise the kidnap of their own children and put the blame at the doors of the Federal Government.”

Insisting that it is the Northern leaders, who are culpable in the girls disappearance, the group maintained that “the co-ordinated media interviews mothers of the alleged missing girls have been granting showed that a script is being acted.”

The group thus stressed that “those, who claimed to have been born to rule should

direct their energy at how to ensure that the unity of the country is maintained in diversity instead of constantly embarrassing themselves in the name of wrestling for power.”

The group said it would take the North several years to recover from the self-inflicting destruction being experienced in the region at the moment, adding that, “the organisers of the girls kidnap only want to use the act to negotiate with the government.”

“It is high time our leaders in the North come to terms with the reality that these selfinflicting havocs will continue to deplete the value of Northerners and eventually rub us of our place in the Nigeria nation,” it stated.

The group thus “advise and plead with our leaders to effect the release of these girls wherever they are being kept so that all these shameless macabre dances could stop and concentrate on the development of our region instead of chasing elusive power.”

The issue of security should be the concern of everyone and commended the contribution of the corps in ensuring adequate security in the country. The governor equally lauded the synergy among all security agencies in the state, noting that their efforts had played a major role in the sustenance of peace

Mimiko

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Sports Okagbare ready for Frazer-Price in Jamaica

Idah crowned champions of Attah Igala Unity Cup

FRICAN sprint Queen, A Blessing Okagbare, will ignite her hunger to beat the

From John Akubo, Lokoja

best on the tracks as she renews her rivalry with Shelley Frazer-Price in the forthcoming diamond League competition holding in Jamaica on Saturday.

Frazer-Price will lead a starstudded Jamaican contingent, as well as other high profile international athletes to the Jamaican meet.

It portends a busy diamond season as Okagbare, who aims to upset the Jamaican team captain to the London 2012 Olympics in her home country, will proceed from Kingston, Jamaica to doha on May 9 and from there to China eight days later.

Speaking from her base in the United States, Okagbare enthused that she is never afraid of competing with the

at the weekend IfirstdAH emerged winners of the edition of the YSFONorganized Attah Igala Unity Cup U-16 Boys Soccer Championship by beating Bassa by two goals to one in the finals.

Hassan Ajeka and Raheem Akanbi scored from the penalty spot to give the hosts the first half lead. In a swift response, Idris Sani netted his fifth goal of the tournament for Bassa from the spot in the second half, but his brilliant effort was not good enough to deprive Idah the victory. dekina that finished third on the log at the end of the round-rubbing tournament with seven points, won the bronze. elated by his side’s victory, Idah coach, Momoh Sheriff, described the feat as a great achievement for his side, even as he commended the organizers, YSFON for the high-quality competition.

“I feel on top of the world right now; this is a great and worthy achievement for us. I am excited as our strategy to challenge the last minute penalty to our opponents worked perfectly in our favour in the long run,” Momoh said.

At the finals, the sponsor of the YSFON organized agegrade tournament, emmanuel Omebije, who doubles as the deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, said he bankrolled the competition to empower the youths through sports.

Omebije, who was delighted by the standard of competition, commended YSFON and promised improved support next year.

The director and YSFON National Vice President, Mustapha Allah-dey commended the sponsor and participating teams, among others, for their cooperation, urging the teams to uphold the regulations of YSFON on age-grade competition and promised better organisation in the next edition.

Africa Youth Championship Qualifier

Flying Eagles tackles Benin in friendly, departs for Tanzania May 6

By Alex Monye Team Nigeria athletes take the lead in a relay event during an international meet. Ogba says the country would be serious contender for gold medals in this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Our athletes are good contenders for Commonwealth gold, says Ogba

By Gowon Akpodonor by the performItheMPReSSed ance of Nigeria’s athletes at just the just concluded Penn Relays in Philadelphia, USA, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba, has declared that the country will be serious contenders for gold medal when hostilities begin for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in July.

At the Mount Sac Relays in California two weeks ago, Nigeria’s women 4x400m relay team ran the second fastest time in the world. Their male counterparts followed suit by giving a good account of themselves at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia at the weekend.

Speaking from the athletes’ camp at the weekend, an elated Ogba showered praises on the athletes saying that they have proved beyond doubt that they have all it takes to haul gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

“Our 4x400m women have shown that they have what it takes to make a podium appearance at the Commonwealth Games,” Ogba said. “From making the finals of the World Indoor in Poland, the team ran the second fastest time in the world: 3.27, behind USA’s 3.25. This is also the fastest time in the Commonwealth of Nations. If they could run this fast in April, by July and August when they would have

peaked, they will be serious contenders for the gold medal in Glasgow.’’

The AFN boss said that participation in the two major events has revealed the athletes’ area of strength and weakness.

He revealed that the other relay teams are a work in progress saying: “the good thing about the other three relay teams is that they ran faster in the Penn Relays than they did in Mt. Sac. “Participating in the two relays has helped the coaches to know the areas they need to improve on and am sure that before the Commonwealth Games, our athletes will be in great position to make podium appearance.’ ’

He national U-20 team, which has started rounding off its preparations for the African Youth Championship qualifier against Tanzania, will meet Benin Republic in an international friendly on Sunday.

The team is billed to depart for Tanzania on May 10.

Speaking on the game against Tanzania, Flying eagles Assistant Coach, Nduka Ugbade, expressed optimism that the team would beat their opponents in the encounter, adding that the game against Benin Republic would guide the coaches’ approach to the

T

few matches due to injury.

Now that I am back, I will do my best in the remaining two matches and we see how it goes.”

Yobo is also ready to help Super eagles put up a good outing at the World Cup. “One of the reasons I didn’t want to rush my return to action was that I wanted to be fully fit for the World Cup. Now, I even feel stronger than I had ever felt. I know we have the potential to go far at the World Cup and with determination we will get there,” he added.

qualifier.

Ugbade told The Guardian yesterday in that the Flying eagles would depart for Benin Republic this week to persecute the warm up tie against Benin U-20 side on Sunday as part of preparations for the Africa qualifier.

The former Super eagles player passed a vote of confidence on the boys assembled

by Coach Manu Garba for the qualifier, stressing that the boys are poised to write their names in gold.

He hinted that the foreignbased players invited for the cracker were already in camp preparing with their domestic counterparts for the tie.

Warri Wolves vow to crush Bobbies United in FA Cup final

By Gowon Akpodonor UNNeRS-UP in last year’s Federations Cup, Warri Wolves FC, says it would put everything into Sunday’s final against Bobbies United. The

R

Yobo targets gameWhen against I joined the club, I had UPeR eagles captain, Joseph SbackYobo, is delighted to be vowed to help them stay up from a calf injury ahead but unfortunately, I missed a of the last round of english Premiership matches.

Speaking from his base yesterday, Yobo was eager to join Norwich’s fight to retain their Premiership status, saying, “the injury was never as bad as portrayed in some quarters. It is just that one had to take precautionary measures, otherwise, I could have been playing in the past one week.

“As I am talking to you now, I am on my way to training and should play against Chelsea this weekend.”

According to the defender, “I want to give my all to ensure that Norwich is not relegated.

best, but rather see it as a challenge to raise the bar.

The African 100 metres record holder stated that, “Jamaica is a country of champions. everyone knows about their prowess and their enviable success on the tracks, but I am determined to compete on the big stage and prove myself.

“I believe it is doable (beating Frazer-Price in her native country). My records will always get better and so I can only train harder, grow my aspirations and keep my belief aflame.” evidently, a good outing at these world athletic championships would go a long way to position Okagbare as the athlete to beat during the Nigerian trials holding in mid-June, where she will defend her titles.

Director, Youth Development, National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut (left); Vice President of Shell Nigeria and Gabon, Markus Droll; Mrs. Sofia Amisa of NAPIMS; Chairman, National Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM), Yemi Idowu and captain of the winning team, Kalu Moses, at the final of the 2014 Shell Cup in Lagos… at the weekend.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-

match will hold at the Warri Township Stadium.

Wolves lost on penalty shootout to enyimba of Aba in the final of the competition last year at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. The Warri outfit represented Nigeria in the CAF Confederations Cup, where a Tunisian club side eliminated it.

Again, Wolves is in the state final of the competition, thanks to the 4-1 victory they secured against enerhen United in one of the semifinals played at the Oleh Township Stadium.

The match drew a large number of spectators due to the rising profile of enerhen United in domestic football.

The team accounted for the elimination of many teams from the race on it way to the semifinal.

Meanwhile, Amaju Pinnick, who doubles as chairman of delta State Sports Commission and Football Association said yesterday that the eco bank sponsored delta FA Cup final would be live on Supersports on Sunday.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 SPORTS

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How Edo St. Thomas School braved the odds to win NNPC/Shell Cup • Atere wants U-17 players picked from Shell Cup

By Gowon Akpodonor HIRTEEN years ago, St. T Thomas Basic Secondary School of Benin City, Edo

Sports officials from the Southwest states inspecting the facilities at the Teslim Balogun stadium ahead of the DAWN Games, which holds in Lagos…next month.

Tokyo 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championship

Nigeria beats Indonesia 3-0, meets Czech Republic, Belgium XPERIENCE and youthfulE ness came to the fore yesterday at the ongoing 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championship in Tokyo, Japan, when Segun Toriola inspired Team Nigeria to a 3-0 defeat of Indonesia in their opening match of the competition .

Toriola, who also took the challenge of tutoring the team following the late arrival of the national coach, Nosiru Bello to Japan, ensured that the young players followed his footstep when he won his match 3-0.

Ojo Onaolapo, who is making his second appearance in the tournament, followed the script handed to him by Toriola when he also won his encounter at 3-0. Not to be left out, debu-

tant, Kazeem Makanjuola, whose superb form in recent times earned him a place in the team, gave the team

Ojo Onaolapo is in the Team Nigeria contingent to the on-going World Table Tennis Championship, holding in Tokyo, Japan.

another 3-0 victory.

Today, the team will face their biggest challenge when they battle division two giants, Czech Republic and Belgium .

The Czechs, relegated to division two at the last edition in Dortmund, Germany, want a swift return to the elite division.

In Belgium’s armoury is former world champion, JeanMichel Saive, who has been attending the tournament since the 1980s with a lot of experience to his kitty.

The Belgian’s tie against Toriola at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China was the major highlight of the championship, with the Nigerian edging out Saive.

The clash in Tokyo will see the two teams will relying on

the experience of Toriola and Saive, who have both featured in more than five Olympics.

Undaunted by the calibre of players in this championship, a confident Makanjuola says he is in Tokyo to make a meaningful impact.

“This is a rare opportunity and I will want to utilize it to the fullest by giving my best against any player regardless of their ranking, because rating does not win games.

“I am happy winning my first match in Japan and I look forward to learning from Toriola in order to win more matches,” the Lagos Classics bronze medalist said.

Lagos sport trust fund bill scales second reading

By Wole Oyebade

PROPOSED law for sport A in Lagos Ebinum, others win laurels at Apapa Club tennis tourney Statedevelopment has scaled through secBy Adeyinka Adedipe UMBER one seed, Emeka N Ebinum, confirmed his status as the club’s main player when he won the men’s singles title at the Apapa Club’s tennis tournament, which took place at the weekend.

Competing in Group A in the competition sponsored by Heineken, Ebinum confined Tony Ugochukwu to second place in a match that lasted for over two hours 30 minutes. In Group B, Tony Abutu finished first, while Tunde Ayorinde went home with the runner up prize. Tunde Yusuf won in Group C, while Chuks Igbinedion finished second. In the ladies category, Ekwi Okam emerged victorious to win her

first title.

Speaking at the end of the tourney, Ebinum said he was proud to have won the men’s event, adding that being the club’s number one tennis player comes with a lot of hard work.

“It was a tough final. We played three sets and the game, which lasted for two hours 30 minutes ended in tiebreak. I have won three tennis championships in the club and I also play squash.

“We had some upcoming people in this year’s event and it was good competing with those who have improved over the years. Though I wouldn’t want to have stiff opposition in subsequent editions, but it

will be good to see tennis competitions improve at the club.”

Ebinum commended the Tennis Section for bringing up a lot of competitions that would get members interested in the game.

Also speaking at the end of the event, President of the club, Tunde Akin-Taylor, commended the sponsors and officers of the tennis section for getting sponsors to back their tournaments.

He said it has increased the interest of the members to participate in tournaments where gifts are given to winners of the various categories. “We are looking forward to a better competition and a decent performance in the Quadrangular Games.

State, won the All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship, also known as NNPC/ Shell Cup for the first time.

Since then, the school had not been able to come near the title and so the young lads decided to fight a tough battle at the weekend to reclaim the crown, beating a hard fighting Brightville College Ibadan, Oyo State in a final played at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, on Sunday.

Though the Edo State lads won 4-3 on penalties after a 22 draw in regulation time, the players, their officials and some spectators left the stadium accusing the centre referee from Lagos of ‘biased’ officiating, which nearly marred the match.

After a goalless first half, St Thomas opened scores through Moses kalu, whose free kick outside the box sailed into the net in the 60th minute. In the 72nd minute, Onyeji Abiye of Brightville College equalized and the Oluyole Warriors took the lead four minutes later. The Edo State lads leveled scores in the 77th minute also through a free kick, which was stylishly taken by Kalu.

The centre referee from Lagos State kept blind eyes to the offside flag raised by his assistant and awarded a controversial penalty to the Oyo State team in the dying minute of the game. It was too much for the Edo State team to bear and the boys staged a walk out from the pitch. It took the intervention of some people who persuaded the boys to return to the pitch. Brightville College lost the penalty kick.

“How come the organisers picked a Lagos State referee for a Shell Cup final involving a school from neighbouring Oyo State?,” one of the fans queried.

With scores at 2-2, the match was decided on penalty kicks, which ended 4-3 in favour of St. Thomas School, as their goalkeeper stopped two of the kicks taken by Brightville College.

For the victory, St. Thomas won the star prize of N2.5 million and each of the 20 players got a cash prize of N50, 000, while the runners-up (Brightville College) got N1.5 million, with each of the 20 players pocketing N45, 000.

Government Model School, Kontagora, Niger State placed third, while Danagogo Secondary School, Bungudu, Zamfara State finished fourth.

Ten students from the participating schools were awarded scholarships for distinguishing themselves in the tourney.

Among the beneficiaries are Lucky Johnson from Niger State, Sheriff kazeem (Oyo), Abdul Abdulmuminu (Niger), Emmanuel Ode (Zamfara) and Sadiq Tajudeen (Oyo). The rest are Eghosa Osaze, Suleiman Mohammed, Kehinde Kehinde (Oyo), Bashiru Shehu (Zamfara) and Moses Kalu from Edo State. Kalu also emerged as the Most Valuable Player of the competition, while Suleiman Mohammed from Government Model School, Kontagora won the highest goals scorer’s award.

He scored seven goals in the championship.

Speaking with The Guardian at the end of the final match, USbased former Golden Eaglets captain, Fatai Atere, urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to look at the direction of the Shell Cup in picking U-17 players for the country.

Also speaking, Shell’s Vice

ond reading at the State House of Assembly.

The executive bill aims to establish a trust fund, largely sourced from private bodies and investors, and managed by a board of trustees.

Following a unanimous satisfaction on the objectives of the bill, Deputy Speaker of the House, Kolawole Taiwo, who presided over the plenary, passed the bill to House Committee on Sport and Social Development. The committee has four weeks to put finishing touches to the bill.

Chairman, House Committee on Sports and Social Development, Lawrence Ayeni had earlier explained to the House that

the bill had a robust provision for improved funding for the development of sport facilities and activities in the state and should be supported by the House.

Ayeni, representing Oshodi/Isolo I Constituency commended Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) for proposing the bill, as an improvement on existing Lagos State Sport Endowment Fund.

He observed that the state government had been solely funding sport in the state, without the needed legislation to empower board to source fund from private sector as is the norm in developed countries.

Mufutau Egberongbe, representing Apapa I Constituency observed that the trust fund initiative avails the best option to effectively fund sport, which he described as

capital-intensive and often beyond state resources in the face of other pressing needs.

Their counterpart from EtiOsa II Constituency, Gbolahan Yishawu added that the bill would make sport marketable in the state, coupled with high accountability in the sector.

He observed that such trust fund initiative for security, had transformed state of security in the state, adding that youth and sport development would not be an exception, when the bill becomes law.

As contained in the bill, the board of trustees, headed by a chairman and appointee of the governor, will consists of four members, representing Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Ministry of Home Affairs and Tourism and one Local Government Manager.

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Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Goke Omolade HERE was once a legendary Plato’s republic, T in the ancient Greek society, which constituted of three main segments of people; philosopher-kings (rulers/leaders), gladiators (lawenforcement agents) and producers (labourers). Within this republic all were, ab nitio, born equally but differently manifested in their calling and endeavour. While those who reigned then were gifted with the superior power of reasoning which largely distinguished them from the rest of the pack; and their primary concern was to make better and much more improved their citizenry’s lot than hitherto.

As obtained, the producers were consigned to the rung of the society and at this pedestrian base, their fate and entire disposition were decidedly at the whims and allowance of those who not only ruled but tenaciously reigned!

This portion of the populace only existed rather than living a fulfilled life. Ironically, it was the same Greek art of governance that birthed what humanity has come round to tag as democratic form of modernising human affairs; its inherent imperfections nonetheless.

Readily, the gladiators represented the corps of those who were disposed to riding roughshod over others as obliged by the oft-standoffish rulers and these gladiators were so amenable to the biddings of the reigning philosopher-kings.

Over the ages, here lies the coercive power of assertion which makes absolute power to corrupt quite absolutely as once quipped by British Lord Acton of blessed memory. Set against the background of the vain glory often pursued by man, human excesses know no limit especially in a place where moral bankruptcy contends with corrosive corruption. What then predominantly pervades is a siege mentality of underdevelopment and negative growth.

On their own, the Philosopher-Kings, wholly or singly, were so determined about their narrowly defined aspirations and pursuits which made nothing else or less to ever matter in the power play. To a large extent, the wills and wiles of such tin-gods contrasted the yearnings of their subjugated fellow beings.

However, the reality of our contemporary world is not much different from what obtained then and taking a cursory look at the geo-polity of the 20 first century, on a universal parlance, it may be observed that our modern-day philosopher Kings can be described either as altruistic leaders or scheming rulers.

In the more developed world of western democracy, their Philosopher-Kings are seemingly alive to the expectations and aspirations of their citizens and perhaps this has to do with their level of societal enlightenment vis-à-vis high degree of functional education. Also, both leaders and citizens of the western world tend towards the hallmarks of history, ipso facto, how posterity would weigh them long after their exit from the perks and privileges of power or make-believe sophistry of prevailing societal reckoning.

Coming to this part of the world, particularly in the region often tagged (under) developing, third world; it is widely contended that a nation deserves the crop of rulers it is saddled with owing to the typically sown seeds; either of inertia, corruption, greed/other human immoralities or the breathtaking virtues clothed in merit, competence, justice so obtained in each milieu. Indeed, the chequered vicissitudes of sheer misery and life-threatening poverty on all fronts that have been the lot of Africa and its other fellows in the world at large since time immemorial are to put it mildly enervating and mind-blowing.

That the so-called third world is still being assailed with this ilk of self-minded philosopher kings is not because the region is bereft of requisite resources-both human and natural. Rather, it has to do with sheer greed for power and, whosoever possesses/commands (political) power wields all that matters. It is so serious

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Our philosopher-kings

that such rulers operate on a scotched-earth policy! Ridiculous enough, since the foundational base (i.e., political stability) of the region is fundamentally distorted; it then obtains that the super-structure (economy) and other associate structures/sub-structures would be dysfunctional and hardly can anything perform as expected. Regardless, since nothing human is static and given the dynamics and fervency of collaborative ideas of our continually convergent global village; no nation/ruler can afford to hold its citizens to ransom in perpetuity. Not any longer.

However, for a desirous, new lease of life; our own philosopher-Kings just have to pay the needed price of committing class-suicide by divesting themselves of power tenacity, moneygrubbing kleptomania, political/character assassination, sheer greed, ethnic cleansing and, for once, embrace the all-purpose virtues

of fellow-feeling, altruistic leadership and have a visionary focus on what posterity would record of them upon exit from power. Only then can we have a society devoid of antiquated/failing infrastructural facilities, iniquitous justice system and unfair economic order. But then, if only wishes were stallions, beggars would have had a jolly ride to a utopian Jerusalem!

Dealing with any human weakness requires fundamental, deep-rooted approaches, one of which is a holistic overhaul of the socialisation process and in this regard thoroughbred procedures of dismantling the entirety of obstructive vices and in their place cultivate values and ethics of good citizenship cum benevolent leadership. At the outset of putting modern China in place, in the 1940s, an abounding tribe of cynics and jingoists railed so relentlessly against it that it took the lion-heartedness of its

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then precursors to weather the storms and, today, the average Chinese is the better fellow for it. In essence, individual honour and integrity are a sine qua non for overall success and a vibrant heartbeat of societal development.

For a well-balanced socialisation process to excel, the entire citizens, right from the formative age, have to be carefully attuned to the civic obligations and expected responsibilities as well as what make individual life meaningful. On the heels of refined socialisation process are the consequential effects of roundly nourished family values and if extensively nurtured, a functional nation can be equated with a virile plant/tree system that has a healthy, symbiotic relationship: A connecting trunk, leafy branches, abiding seeds and positive fruits. Ditto is a nation with a deliberately guided set of virtues. Inevitably, in a place of different stocks of individuals no matter how homogenous, divergent issues may procedurally emerge and the in-built redress mechanisms would experientially accommodate and resolve such.

Instructively, a society that sets high standards for honour, integrity, diligence, merit, equity and equality as indexes of achievement; rather than sheer idiocy, god-father/corruptive tendencies as qualifying measures, would be a beacon of respect in the comity of nations. Save for its contagious shortcomings, the United States (i.e.

America) is one admirable nation that accords its citizens the latitude and resources for selfactualisation. That the world’s best in human endeavours cohere with the worst of immoralities in America is so ironic. Effortlessly, the latest scientific/technological breakthroughs interface with the condemnable cultural fads of anomie and moral decadence. America is one nation where obviously dedicated gospel ministers have direct, unhindered, round-the-clock connection to God’s heartbeat while on the other hand, it is in this same nation where ungodly recluses continually and annoyingly dare the Creator in their behavioural exhibition of lowerinstincts and advanced state of deviance/nonconformity.

However, the somewhat-eternal vigilance for individual rights and diverse freedoms as expressly guaranteed by its constitutional frameworks coupled with other complementary institutional provisions act as guard-posts against possible human excesses and these abounding networks are widely regarded as minimal standpoints that its philosopher-kings consciously operate upon.

On balance, weighing human excesses on the vices that typical philosopher-kings strive, it would be noted that the platitude of righteousness and virtues of godliness uplift individual beings and, by extension, nations. In total contrast, it leaves to reason that the more humanity pooh-pooh the God-factor (i.e., the primacy of God in human affairs) so too would the evil consequences of typical philosopher-kings avoidably ravage all and sundry. Put differently, the principalities and powers of human excesses can pointedly be tackled when virtues of godliness, good nature and merit prevail. Indeed no nation or any one is insulated against the wiles or devastations of human excess. Even then, the more determined and purposeful are the citizenry, particularly the just-have-to-be-altruistic leaders in position of power and authority, ready to stand and be counted against existing excesses, so would they and their yet-to-manifest generations be more enhanced.

Evidently, a world without the excesses and subterfuge of human devices would be a safer place to inhabit and what is more, a new era of flourishing prosperity, accountable governance, transparency, sincerity of purpose comes handy.

In some contrasting ways, humanity is willy-nilly poised to shed off its old forms because so penetrating is the irresistible power of eclectic ideas of righteousness and merit that human excesses, vast and varied, would be on the retreat.

• Omolade, gokeomolade@hotmail.com