Sun 23 Aug 2013 by The Guardian Newspaper

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Friday, August 23, 2013

Vol. 30, No. 12,657

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim (left); Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Femi Adesina and the state Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeh, during their arrival for the opening of the ninth NGE conference in Asaba, Delta State… yesterday.

Strike disrupts services in federal hospitals .From Chukwuma Muanya (Lagos), Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City), Murtala Muhammed (Kano) and Karls Tsokar (Abuja) (with agency report) S the strike by workers of A federal hospitals entered its second day yesterday, only skeletal services were provided at such health facilities nationwide. But the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has condemned the indefinite nationwide strike embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).

• Minister faults action, doctors pledge to work On its part, the JOHESU faulted the minister, saying he failed to honour a meeting summoned on Monday by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, to resolve the crisis. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), various unions, including the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, National As-

sociation of Nurses and Midwives, and Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals and Research Institutions are participating in the strike. Others are the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, and Nigerian Union of Pharmacists, Medical Technologists and Professions Allied to

Medicine. They are demanding improved working conditions and facilities at various health facilities across the country. The issues the agitation is about include non-skipping of salary grade level CONHESS 10; the National Health Bill; consultancy and specialist allowances and call/shift duty and other professional al-

lowances. While some skeletal services were being rendered by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), no nurse was seen on duty at the Orthopaedic and Psychiatric hospitals yesterday in Lagos following the strike by the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP). NUAHP comprises pharmacists, physiotherapists, medCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Stakeholders, at NGE forum, urge rethink of over-dependence on oil - Page 4

Hope as preferred bidders pay for PHCN’s firms • Polish investors seek role in coal-to-power scheme From Emeka Anuforo (Abuja) and Femi Adekoya (Lagos) IGERIA’S reforms in the N electricity sector have received a boost as preferred bidders for the unbundled companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have substantially complied with the payment schedule. By close of transactions on Wednesday night, all preferred bidders had paid up, except for the Enugu Distribution Company, while the preferred bidder for Sapele Power Station had made appreciable part-payment. Specifically, nine out of the 10 bidders for distribution companies (Discos) paid in full, while Interstate defaulted and did not make any additional payment for Enugu CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

2 NEWS

Minister faults strike, doctors pledge to serve CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ical laboratory scientists, radiographers, dental technologists, occupational therapists, health information managers, dieticians and other related health professionals in teaching hospitals. Although doctors at the Lagos’ Orthopaedic and Psychiatric hospitals were attending to patients, no nurse was seen. Some families are considering withdrawing their patients at the Federal

Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, if the strike persists. “The nurses are closer to the patients than the doctors and since the strike began, the relatives have had to observe the responsibilities of the nurses so that the patients do not lack care,” said Mrs. Sade Williams, a 37-year-old food vendor. She added that the doctor attended to her normally, but she was unable to be admitted because of the strike. Williams said that the hospital extended her appointment pending the time the

strike is called off. Miss Dupe Kazeem, a 33-yearold patient, said she had been at the hospital since morning but had not been attended to. She, however, said that the doctors urged her to be patient and that she would be attended to before the end of the day but the hospital was short of workers. At the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, the environment was practically deserted. Efforts by journalists to interview patients were thwarted by the hospital security personnel. Mrs. Patience Ativie, a patient at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, said that she did not expect the strike as she visited the hospital for her daughter’s routine immunisation. She said: “I came for immunisation as well as to see my gynaecologist, but I can see there is a strike. “I will have to go and register in another hospital for antenatal, because I cannot imagine not seeing a doctor.” Another patient at the same hospital, Mr. Ayodele Adeyemi, said his wife was just delivered of a baby and in light of that, he was disappointed in the health system that could not care for them. He said his wife was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for further treatment. “It is quite sad that the strike is happening at this time. I am appealing to the Federal Government to meet the demands of the workers so that healthcare will be delivered to the people,” he urged. On its part, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, said through its Chief Information Officer, Mr. Alex Ohemu, that skeletal services were being provided by the hospital despite the industrial action. Ohemu said in Makurdi that all critical patients at the hospital were still being attended to. “All patients with critical conditions are going to remain in the hospital despite the strike; the hospital would only discharge patients with

less serious issues. “Also, all heads of departments, doctors, management staff, NYSC members and house officers are not embarking on the strike.” However, the Chairman, Joint Action Unions in the institution, Mr. Moses Shausu, while addressing the FMC members of staff, directed them to join the general strike. He said that the Federal Government deliberately refused to implement their agreement despite the court ruling of July 22. Shausu, who is also the state Chairman of JOHESU, further explained that the unions had earlier given the government a 21-day ultimatum to implement the agreement or face a strike, which expired on August 21. Other government hospitals in the state capital were also affected. Patients that went to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, yesterday were seen groaning, condemning the strike. A majority of the offices were locked, while most of the patients had been discharged. Many of the patients, who were obviously frustrated, claimed to have arrived at the hospital as early as 7.00 a.m. but were not attended to. A patient, who simply identified herself as Yemisi, lamented that she came from Ibadan, Oyo State, with a referral letter to OAUTHC only to find out that health workers were not available. In Yola, Adamawa, the workers have served a seven-day strike notice, threatening to join the strike if government fails to meet their demands. Mr. Jeremiah Ndyakwar, the state Chairman of the union, said in Yola that the National Industrial Court had ruled in favour of the workers in a suit on July 22. He said even though the state union was not on strike, they were watching “with keen interest’’ to support their federal colleagues if government refused to comply with the court judgment. The Public Relations Officer of

the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Malam Adamu Dodo, said that the strike had severely affected the services of the hospital. However, Dodo said that the hospital was now rendering skeletal services to the patients. In Kaduna, workers of the National Eye Centre and the Federal NeuroPsychiatric Hospital joined the strike. The Chairman, Medical and Health Workers Union, Psychiatric Chapter, Mr. Atule Emmanuel, said all patients had been discharged from the hospital to their various homes with the help of the social welfare workers.` The Chief Medical Director of the University of IIorin Teaching Hospital, Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, confirmed that the institution was providing skeletal services to save lives. Olatinwo said in Ilorin that the provision of the skeletal services at the emergency department and other vital organs of the hospital did not mean the hospital workers did not join the strike. On his part, the Chairman of the Kwara branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Mikail Buhari, said skeletal services were being provided in vital areas of the hospital. The chairman said that medical doctors, nurses and other health workers were rendering medical services at the emergency department and attending to those on admission. At the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, hundreds of patients seeking medical attention at the hospital were denied attention. The hospital management discharged inpatients considered stable enough. But the assistant director public affairs at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Aminu Inuwa, insisted that the hospital would still function on some critical facilities, including accident and emergency unit, general operation unit and special baby care unit. The Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union in Dala Orthopaedic Hospital, Karibu

Lawal, told The Guardian that members would not join the strike for now till further notice. He noted that the leadership was still consulting on the next line of action. But the state chairman of the union, Kabiru Ado Mingibir, told The Guardian in a telephone interview that members in federal health institutions in Kano were very much prepared to join the strike. The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of the Psychiatric Hospital in Benin City yesterday accused the management of the hospital of planning to truncate the strike. A statement yesterday by the chairman and secretary of the union in the hospital, Kennedy Oriakhi and Theophilus Osifo, alleged that the Medical Director of the hospital, Sunday Olotu, had issued a directive that correspondence from the union relating to the strike should not be received and also used security operatives to prevent the union from meeting with its members on the premises. But in a reaction yesterday, the hospital’s spokesman, Efe Stewart, told The Guardian that the EXCO members were in the office. In an interview with The Guardian, the minister slammed the JOHESU for embarking on the strike which he described as illegal because the matter was still in the Appeal Court. In reaction to the strike, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has directed all doctors nationwide to remain at their duty posts and render uninterrupted services, particularly for emergency cases, in all public hospitals. The NMA, yesterday, in a statement jointly signed by the President NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, and Secretary General, Dr. Akpufuoma .L. Pemu, said the charge became necessary because information revealed that plans were being made by some hospital support members of staff to prevent doctors from providing healthcare services in public hospitals.

Polish investors seek role in coal-to-power scheme CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Disco. Four bidders paid in full for generating companies (Gencos), while bidders for Sapele and Shiroro plants paid partially. The completion payment now entitles the preferred bidders to take full possession of the 15 PHCN unbundled entities (10 distribution companies and five generation companies). The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday after a confirmation that the investors had met the August 21 deadline. Nebo described this as a great milestone in the electricity reforms that should give hope to all Nigerians. The minister said he would soon formally declare the transition in the electricity sector to enable the investors commence business in earnest and further drive the process.

He also assured Nigerians and investors of government’s resolve to pursue the transformation agenda to the end, and protect the interest of both the citizenry and the investors. He stressed that the stability of the national grid was being enhanced to ensure effective transmission of any quantity of power being generated in the new dispensation. According to the minister, efforts are also on to provide more electricity off-grid, especially for the rural areas, while also sustaining subsidy for low-income electricity consumers in the nation’s tariff structure. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to aid the flow of investments in the country through the exploitation of its resources, the minister has assured Polish investors of opportunities for coal exploitation. In a statement made available to The Guardian, yesterday, the minister while

receiving the visiting Polish envoy, Przemyslaw Niesiolowski, said the coal-topower scheme was at the forefront of the Federal Government’s mining plan. According to him, the Nigerian government is ready to concession large acreage of coal deposits for genuine Polish companies with guaranteed yields for between 25 and 30 years as it would provide coal for the power plant to be built. According to him, the abundant coal resources which Nigeria is endowed with must be fully utilised. Nebo assured the Polish that with clean coal technology available now, little or no emission was expected from the coal-to-power scheme . He added that such companies must have technical competency and the willingness to invest, noting that government would be consistent with its policy framework. According to him, coal is a

good source of alternative energy, and that more than ever before, Nigeria is determined to have a robust energy mix for its national security. The ambassador had earlier informed the minister that his visit was a follow-up on the discussions during the state visit of Prime Minister Donald Tusk in April to Nigeria, when many Polish businessmen showed interest in Nigeria’s coal-to-power programme . When asked about the outcome of his meeting with the minister, Niesiolowski said his visit had only confirmed Poland’s assessment of the magnitude of energy need in Nigeria and the commitment of the Federal Government to set things right. He assured that with all the things on ground, Polish investors would come and invest, adding that Poland was desirous of working with Nigerians in the production of energy.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

News Shehu of Borno raises the alarm over porous borders From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri HE Shehu of Borno, Alhaji T Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai ElKanemi yesterday alerted on the country’s porous borders in the Northeast sub-region, stressing that fleeing Boko Haram sect members and other criminals may infiltrate through the area to cause mayhem in Maiduguri and its environs. El-Kanemi raised the alarm yesterday in an interview in Maiduguri, while responding to the killing of Boko Haram sect leader, Abubakar Shekau by the Joint Task Force (JTF). His words: “Our main concern and fears now are these porous borders that still pose threats and apprehension to our people, because the fleeing Boko Haram sect members could regroup outside Maiduguri; and continue to infiltrate through these porous borders in the North and Eastern parts of Borno State to perpetrate various crimes. “We are made to understand that the infiltration of regrouped sect members along with other suspected criminals could easily use these border areas in Abadam, Mobbar, Bama, Dikwa, Kukawa and Nganzai councils to cross over into Nigeria to launch attacks and perpetrate crimes in Maiduguri and other parts of the state.”

Why strike must continue, by ASUU By Mary Ogar ROM the Academic Staff F Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday came a declaration: No calling off of the current strike until all demands are met. At a briefing in Lagos yesterday, ASUU’s President, Dr Nasir Issa Fagge described the much advertised government’s intervention in the current impasse as full of deceit and lacking in integrity. Besides, Fagge insisted that the period of negotiation was over with the signing of the agreement between the Federal Government and the union in 2009, stressing that government should rather move towards implementing the agreement.

Fagge explained that the government team, at the latest meeting between the two parties held last Monday in Abuja, spoke with a tinge of finality and declaring its unpreparedness to implement the agreed massive injection of funds to revitalise public universities. The ASUU president also expressed shock at the government’s declaration that it would not pay university academics their earned allowances which, he stated, had accumulated from 2009 to 2013 but would rather propagate the provision of N30 billion to assist various Governing Councils of Federal Universities to defray the arrears of N92 billion owed to all categories of staff in the university system.

For those clamouring that ASUU should soft pedal on the negotiation, Issa-Fagge argued that they had, so far met with government 10 times since the action commenced on July 2, 2013. He said: “ASUU was shocked at the level of deceit, dishonesty and lack of integrity displayed by government. Here was a government that has been propping on the union at least since the release of the MoU in January 2012. Never in the history of ASUU-Government relations have we, as a union, ever experienced the kind of volte-faced exhibited by government.” Fagge disclosed that the Secretary of the Federation ridiculed the agreement, the MOU and the Needs Assess-

ment Report, mocking the Minister of Education to “go and give them N400 billion, at which point, members of the government team scornfully laughed.” According to him, the meeting was highly bewildering, embarrassing and highly unacceptable. “ASUU cannot believe that the agreement, MOU and the Needs Assessment Report, undertaken and endorsed by the highest public officials in the land would be so blatantly ridiculed by the same people,” he said. Fagge, who vowed that the union would never shift its ground on the agreement, also affirmed: “At this point, we can’t be talking about shifting ground because we shifted

grounds in 2009. In 2006, ASUU presented demands and government also presented demands and we succeeded in reducing the demands through an agreement reached in 2009, after three years of negotiation. At this point, we are not talking about negotiation but implementation of agreement duly signed by both parties.” Fagge hinted that the Union may opt out of the Suswam-led committee, based on principles, as the committee “lacks the will to effectively resolve the crisis.” Besides, he maintained that ASUU would not be corrupted. “Chaos has become the order of the day,” he averred, “and our goal is to ensure that orderliness emerges at the end of this.

Amnesty denies apologising over report on rights abuses in Nigeria By Olufikayo Adeola MNESTY International has faulted claims that it had apologised for factual errors in its 2012 report about human rights violations committed by Nigerian security forces. The human rights organisation expressed its disappointment to comments made by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru. The minister had claimed that Amnesty International apologised for errors made in its 2012 report, ‘Trapped in the Cycle of Violence’, published in November 2012. The organisation has reiterated its belief in the accuracy of the report and stood by its findings. “Amnesty International has never – publicly or privately – apologised for any of the contents of the report and stands by its research, conclusions and recommendations 100 per cent,” it said. The report condemned the manner in which Nigerian security forces had responded to acts of violence committed by Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. These same concerns have also been highlighted by another international human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch (HRW), which also released a report, detailing its own concerns about how Nigerian security forces abused human rights in attempt to combat Boko Haram. Earlier this month, Amnesty International met with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, who gave assurance that the government would conduct its own investigation into any human rights violations.

President Goodluck Jonathan (left); PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur; Vice President, Namadi Sambo and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwa arriving for the PDP NEC meeting in Abuja … yesterday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

Hoodlums invade venue of APGA primaries, cart away valuables From Uzoma Nzeagwu (Awka), Omiko Awa and Tunde Akinola (Lagos) USPECTED hoodlums yesterday invaded the venue of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) councillorship primaries at Osina Town Hall in Fegge, Onitsha South council of Anambra State, and dispossessed party members of valuables. Meanwhile, a governorship aspirant under the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah promised to provide potable water for the people if elected in the November 16 polls. In a related development, a governorship aspirant in the state under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Onuorah B, Onyeachonam has backed the clamour for Anambra North

• Ubah pledges potable water, others Senatorial Zone to produce the next governor of the state. Scores of party men and women fled the venue for fear of their lives, and by the time the dust was settled, the hoodlums who brandished matchets, clubs and other dangerous weapons, had carted away money, mobile phones and vital documents. Among the victims was a chairmanship aspirant, Emeka Orji, who said the hoodlums dispossessed him of cash, mobile phone and vital document, regretting that the primaries were temporarily disrupted. Speaking to journalists later on the incident, Orji expressed shock and wondered why the

thugs confronted him personally, saying he never had any problem with any chairmanship or councillorship aspirant in the area. He said that he had reported the incident to the Divisional Police Station, Fegge, stressing that no threat or intimidation could cow him or compel him to back out of the race, maintaining that he was fully in the race and will ultimately emerge victorious, having the best manifesto and the support of the people. Ubah noted that water is important to human existence, hence his administration would revive the State Water Board for better services. In a statement issued yester-

day, Ubah who is the chairman, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, said: “It is worrisome that 22 years after the creation of Anambra State, the state has no reliable potable water. Most communities rely on boreholes, streams and other sources of untreated water. “We will declare a state of emergency on water supply in the state and also set up a panel of experts to ascertain the issues and concerns restraining the development of this sector, with the view to resuscitating the Anambra State Water Corporation.” Also, speaking to journalists in Lagos on his return to the country from the United States, Uba revealed that he

would unveil his manifesto after his party primaries, which is slated for next week. He said: “Aside from reforming education and providing healthy environment for people to invest without being kidnapped in the state, I will empower women, give them 25 per cent of all executive appointments and invest in the girl-child education.” Onyeachonam stated this in an interview yesterday with journalists at Aguleri, in Anambra East council, insisting that a candidate from Anambra North should succeed the incumbent Governor Peter Obi in 2014 when he leaves office. He argued that Anambra North had suffered marginalisation while Anambra South and Central Senatorial Zones had governed the state for 22 years since its creation.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

4 NEWS

Stakeholders, at NGE forum, urge rethink of over-dependence on oil By Anote Ajeluorou (Lagos) and Hendrix Oliomogbe (Asaba) ESTERDAY in Asaba, Delta Y State capital, Nigeria’s overarching economic woes were at the front-burner as the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) gathered to brainstorm on how to wean the nation from its over-dependence on crude oil. Speaker after speaker, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim; Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; Ogun State former governor, Segun Osoba; and Chief Operating Officer of Dangote Group, Joseph Makoju, who stood in for his boss, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, agreed that there was an urgent need for the country to gear up for the era the oil wells would run dry. Participants included the Managing Director of The Guardian, Emeka Izeze; Publisher of The Vanguard, Sam Amuka-Pemu; his counterpart in ThisDay, Nduka Obaigbena; Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television, John Momoh; former DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Television Authority, Tonnie Iredia; and a host of other seasoned journalists. Anyim told the gathering, which included the cream of Nigerian journalism, that the theme of the conference, “Nigeria Without Oil,” was very apt considering that pe-

troleum, which is the mainstay of the country’s economy, was fast dwindling. The former Senate President remarked that crude oil and gas, which before now made Nigeria special and thick in the comity of African nations, had since been discovered in nearby Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Cameroun, Angola, Egypt, Uganda, South Sudan, Mozambique and several others. While soliciting the co-operation of journalists, he said the nation was transiting from oil and gas to a non-oil economy, advising that they and lawyers must be the agents of this change and so cannot afford to fail in that onerous assignment. Speaking in the same vein, Uduaghan said the Guild of Editors has elevated his quest for Delta Beyond Oil, which his administration had consistently championed, to national level. He told the participants to ponder on the future of Nigeria without oil. Uduaghan said it was high time Nigerians placed emphasis on agriculture like it was before the discovery of crude oil, which currently accounts for over 90 per cent of the nation’s export. Maku as well concurred with both speakers, but tasked journalists to gird their loins in Nigeria’s long march to end dependence on one resource and embrace a more diversified economy. He assured journalists that the Federal Government was not out to gag them with the Nigeria

Press Council (NPC) but sees them as genuine partners in realising its transformation agenda. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of incessant campaign of terror by Boko Haram and the rising cases of criminality by armed groups across the country, the minister solicited the support of the media, which he noted, was very crucial to government’s success. The keynote speaker and former Minister of Power, Makoju, agreed that the demand for Nigeria’s crude oil by the United States (U.S.) was on the slope and is projected to stop in 2020 when the country would be self-sufficient.

Team Leader, European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria, Kimmon Touminen (left); Director-General, Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mohammed Sani Sidi; and Director of Administration, NEMA, Zana Mohammed, during the conference of EU Technical Assistance Mission to Nigeria in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO

Our housing scheme is genuine, says Global Formwork By Joseph Onyekwere EVELOPER of Malaysian D Gardens Housing Estate, Abuja, Global Formwork Nigeria Limited, has debunked the allegation that it grabbed Abuja lands without developing them. Its position is contained in a letter to The Guardian, written on its behalf by JHC Okolo (SAN) and condemning an earlier publication in The Guardian edition of July 16. The edition, quoting Ibrahim Tukur el-Sudi, the sponsor of a House of Representatives committee motion on land swap scheme and other housing pro-

TheGuardian SATURDAY, August 24, 2013

grammes recently introduced by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), alleged that shadowy organisation had leveraged on similar schemes to grab land in the FCT, citing Malaysian Gardens as an example. “In fact, the allocation made to Malaysian Gardens Estate’s developers was made pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) executed between the Federal Government of Nigeria (represented by the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority) and the Sovereign Malaysian Government (through one of its leading property developers, Global Formwork, SDN BHD),” Okolo said. “That allocation was in fact made in 2004, well before the 2010 dateline targeted by the proposed House investi-

gations. There is no basis for the spurious castigations imputed to the company in the matter of its directors’ or promoters’ identities and their addresses. “There has never been anything shady or shadowy concerning the promoters or directors of the Malaysian Gardens Estate developers, and on the indictment of non-performance, any diligent investigation as a media house would have revealed that as at the time of that scurrilous publication, there was indeed altogether as much as 1,800 house types, all in various stages of completion presently standing on the Malaysian Gardens Estate site for everyone to see.” He described the publication as absolute falsehood, which assailed the business reputation of the company and its promoters.

Conscience Nurtured by Truth

APC, a gang-up, says Ekweremadu From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja EPUTY President of the D Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday described

How have the residents of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States been coping since the state of emergency was declared? We report the sweet, bitter and mixed experiences and feelings of the people there. With INEC’s September 2 deadline for the submission of parties’ candidates for the Anambra governorship election drawing near, intrigues, horse-trading and scheming take over political parties affairs, as aspirants engage in lastminute push and shove for the tickets. The Guardian examines the aspirants and their chances, strengths and weaknesses.

Love Adventure: ‘I reached for my gun after I found pictures of my husband with another woman.’

The Guardian On Saturday...you simply can’t put it down!

the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a gang-up, which would split into bits in no distant future. He also projected that when the newly-registered party finally disintegrates, its members would struggle to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which would be willing to accept them. Ekweremadu noted that despite the fanfare that greeted APC’s registration as a political party, the PDP has never and will not for one day lose sleep over the merging of parties into APC. According to him, PDP is rather

happy that the coming together of various parties has reduced the challenge of contending with multiple opposition parties. The lawmaker, who spoke with newsmen shortly after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on academic programmes partnership between the National Institute for Legislative Studies and the University of Benin, maintained that the current crisis in PDP was normal and that misunderstandings were inevitable in all big and complex political associations. Ekweremadu believes that once the party concludes its national congress on August 31 and installs a new national working committee, it would be fully prepared for the 2015 general elections.

Policemen on rampage over alleged aid to vandals From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan HERE was chaos at OrisunT bare Village in Oluyole Local Council of Oyo State on Wednesday when policemen allegedly stormed the village and shot sporadically into the air. The sporadic gunshots caused panic among the villagers who ran helter-skelter for their lives. A youth in the village, identified as Olanrewaju Akanji, had accused the police of aiding pipeline vandalisation in the village. Orisunbare had been experiencing pipeline vandalisation in the past, forcing authorities to post security operatives to the area to monitor the pipeline. However, the police were alleged to have been working hand in hand with the vandals with the hope of getting commission from them. Trouble started on Tuesday when a fuel tanker arrived the village and after allegedly scooping fuel, was driven by police officers in company of okada riders, who assisted them in the illegal activities. Akanji was said to have told a motorcyclist, Gbade Akinola, who conveyed the police officers, that what he was doing was illegal, a comment Gbade reportedly told the police officers, who in turn stormed the village combat ready, and started shooting sporadically. When contacted, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Olabisi Ilobanafor, said that officers from Abuja, and not those from the state command, were involved in monitoring pipeline, therefore she would not comment on the matter.

‘End of Boko Haram very close’ From Ali Garba, Gombe INISTER for Special Duties M and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Amnesty and Dialogue, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, has assured that the Boko Haram insurgency would soon end. Turaki told newsmen yesterday in Gombe after a meeting

with stakeholders in the search for peace in the North-East region that his committee has been doing its best, including engaging the members of the Islamist sect in dialogue. Meanwhile, he said his committee has not yet been informed of the reported death of the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, but would inform Nigerians as soon as the com-

mittee is briefed. Earlier at the meeting, which had Christian and Muslim leaders as well as civil society groups in attendance, the minister said his committee was getting inputs from the populace on ways of achieving sustainable peace in the entire country, which would later be submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

NEWS | 5

Telecoms sector, fastest growing in economy, says Johnson From Niyi Bello, Akure HE Minister of CommunicaT tions Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, yesterday declared the telecommunications sector as the fastest growing in the Nigerian economy and has been maintaining the lead for the fifth year running, contributing 8.53 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as at the first quarter of this year alone. The minister, who spoke at the commencement of second meeting of the National Council on Telecommunications Technology (NCCT) in Akure, Ondo State capital, said despite the growth rate, there is a big space for improvement as the percentage of population with Internet access was only 22.7 per cent as at the end of last year.

Activities heighten as Enugu Airport begins international operations From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu CTIVITIES geared up at the A Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, yesterday for

Chief Executive Officer/Founder, Sign Up Mission, Aroma Jakins Adaji (left); Representative of the Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Director Planning, Research and Strategy, Job Bonat Tagwai and Producer, Waka About Show, and the National Co-ordinator, Do it Right Foundation, Dixon Jubril, during the Do The Right Thing walk in Abuja… yesterday

tomorrow’s official commencement of international flights at the remodeled airport. Although work at the international wing, whose inauguration was made a few months ago by President Goodluck Jonathan was yet to start, the take-off of international flights is said to be part of efforts to actualise the international status. At about 12.30 pm tomorrow, Africa’s major carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, will kick off its inaugural flights from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and make a historic landing in Enugu.

Rivers acting CJ’s appointment legal, by NBA, SANs

One killed in renewed Nasarawa herdsmen raid From Msugh Ityokura, Lafia ESPITE on-going proceedD ings at the judicial commission of inquiry into the various ethnic clashes in Nasarawa State, suspected Fulani herdsmen yesterday killed at least one person in a farmland, raising fears of reprisal attacks. The incident took place at Akaba village in Jenkwe Development Area of the state. The Guardian learnt the deceased, who is of Eggon extraction, was killed by the Fulani herdsmen while working on his farmland when the cattlerearer, with his cows encroached on the said farmland.

Obadare’s successor will emerge by divine choice, says son From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo IRST son of Prophet TimoFlatethy Oluwole Obadare, the founder of the World Soul Winning Evangelistic Ministry (WOSEM), Pastor Paul Obadare, yesterday said God would choose a successor to lead the worldwide ministry left behind by his father. Addressing reporters yesterday at Ileki, Ilesa Parish, Osun State, where the remains of the preacher were buried last Saturday, he said Obadare’s casket cost about N5 million, the mausoleum about N61 million while the church also committed another N30 million to other funeral expenses.

From Kelvin Ebiri and Ann Godwin (Port Harcourt) HE Port Harcourt chapter of T Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) have said the appointment of the President of the Customary Court, Justice Peter N.C. Agumagua, as acting Chief Judge of Rivers State, is constitutional. The Chairman of NBA Port Harcourt chapter, Lawrence Oko-Jaja, said Justice Agumagu’s appointment was in accordance with the law, until a substantive CJ is appointed. According to him, there was no way the office of the CJ of the state can be left vacant. Oko-Jaja stated this when the Port Harcourt branches of (NBA) and Body of SANs visited Justice Agumagu in his office to pledge their cooperation with him. Speaking on behalf of the Body of SANs, Granville Abibor

• PDP begins performance evaluation, hails court ruling on Amaechi • State donates 10.46 hectares of land to govt implored the acting CJ to make himself accessible to both the lawyers and staffers to create a peaceful working environment for legal practice. “On behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, I congratulate you and assure you of our support. You have maintained a cordial relationship and shown respect for lawyers. We urge you to sustain the tempo with the Bar and supporting staffers. Carry the Bar along in their practice. The relationship between the Bar and Bench should remain strong. If you want to experience peace, transient peace, carry us along,” he added. Justice Agumagu observed that he has a short time to spend in office but assured the lawyers of his cooperation. He

said their visit has given him a boost to perform with confidence because the call was a manifestation that the Bar was solidly behind him. A faction of the PDP loyal to the ousted chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Godspower Ake, has expressed shock and dismay at the latest moves by Obuah’s loyalists to instigate the national leadership of the party against Governor Chibuike Amaechi. The state Publicity Secretary of the Ake-led PDP, George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, described those calling for Governor Amaechi’s expulsion as “party killers.” According to him, it is worrisome that such calls would be coming in the midst of on-going efforts to reconcile party differences, a mission that has kept party elders and

Management experts list ways out of nation’s woes By Bankole Shakirudeen Adeshina ANAGEMENT practitionM ers in the country, under the auspices of Nigerian Institute of Management, yesterday agreed that the right spirit, which would liberate the country from the dungeon of under-development, occasioned by poor leadership, is the principle of honesty, discipline and commitment of every stakeholder. They spoke at this year’s edition of NIM’s Award, Fellows and Spouse’ Luncheon at the MUSON Centre, Lagos, yesterday. The theme of the event was ‘Nigeria: Transformation of a Centenarian,’ which was delivered by a former president of NIM and National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Chief Lugard E. Aimiuwu. Dignitaries at the event include former governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef

Jakande; Senators Ganiyu Solomon and Olorunnibe Mamora; Deputy Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Alhaji Muktar Idris; former Minister of Petroleum and Foreign Affairs, Dr. Odein Ajumogobia and the erstwhile Deputy Governor of Lagos State, who was also honoured as NIM fellow, Dr. Sosan. Aimiuwu, who attributed the nation’s woes to poor and dishonest leadership in political offices, added that the most dangerous of it all was Nigerians’ complacence and destructive criticisms. He stressed that the right spirit and attitude expected of every Nigerian who is interested in the genuine transition of the country from retrogression to greatness, is creative and strategic ideas that would serve as guiding light for the change-drivers. The guest speaker said Nigerians, most of whom “are lowlyperformed in their respective

endeavour, claimed to be pocket professors about the job of the President, the governors and or any other public official for that matter. That kind of attitude will not take us anywhere. We need constructive criticism to achieve a genuine transformation and the commitment of all stakeholders, not destructive criticisms, as it is currently. “Everyone of us must make our contribution to the national development and ensure that it counts. Nigeria is too precious to be allowed to rot away. A little discipline can make a lot improvement and a lot of discipline can do it all,” he added. Aimiuwu admitted that Nigeria at different stages of history has suffered the excruciating pain and degradation of slavery, the territorial subjugation and humiliation of colonialisation, and the incessant postcolonial betrayal by their own leaders.

even the Presidency on the go. However, against the backdrop of a Port Harcourt High Court ruling quashing Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s application to stop the Rivers State PDP from conducting performance evaluation of all the political office holders, the Special Adviser on Media to the chairman, Jerry Needam, has commended the courage of the court to insist on doing the right thing. It would be recalled that Justice Godspower Aguma on Tuesday, August 20, 2013, refused to grant the governor’s prayers to stop the party from embarking on the performance evaluation of political office holders. Needam said except for those who have skeletons in their cupboards, otherwise the committee set up for the performance assessment of the officials is to strengthen and encourage them to be public-spirited and result-oriented for the overall development of the state materially and infrastructure wise. “We are, therefore, joyful that our noble effort to make things right and better for our people has been acknowledged by a court of competent jurisdiction,” the PDP declared. The party commenced the performance assessment or evaluation exercise yesterday. Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt at the Aba Road state party secretariat, chairman of the committee, Osinakachukwu Ideozu, said the essence of the exercise is not to witch-hunt anybody but to examine how the officers elected to oversee the welfare of the people have discharged these responsibilities in line with public expectations and to be better informed in preparing for future elections. The committee chairman said among those invited were the Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru; all state commissioners of PDP fold; the three senators from the state; the 13 members of the

Federal House of Representatives; the five members of the state House of Assembly; all council chairmen; the former National Deputy Chairman of PDP, Dr. Sam-Sam Jaja and the erstwhile national organising secretary, who also was the state chairman of the party, Uche Secondus. The committee’s chairman also explained that Governor Amaechi and the 27 other members of the state House of Assembly were not invited because of the issues associated with their suspension. Those billed for yesterday were the former National Deputy Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; erstwhile National Organising Secretary, Secondus and all the council chairmen. Secondus described the ongoing performance assessment of all political office holders of the PDP fold as an excellent idea so that the officers will be up and doing. He said he deemed it necessary to submit himself to the committee to render account of his stewardship as a loyal party member and because the order is from the party, noting that he had just done that and very well too. In line with the Federal Government’s transformation agenda to provide affordable and accessible houses for Nigerians, Rivers State government has donated 10.34 hectares of land to achieve the objective. The low-cost housing units, according to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Amal Pepple, is targeted at medium and low-income earners in the state. The minister, while inspecting the site recently at Iriebe Satellite Town in Obio/Akpor Local Council Area of the state, said the construction of the project would commence soon, noting that developers are already on ground. She assured that the project would be completed within a short period of time, stressing that the site of the land was strategically located. According to the minister,

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

6 | NEWS

PDP postpones S’West zonal congress over court order • Okays special convention to appoint officials From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) and Tunji Omofoye (Osogbo) HE Peoples Democratic T Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) rose from an emergency meeting yesterday with a resolution to postpone its South West zonal congress earlier fixed for August 24, 2013. It, however, approved August 31, 2013 for special convention to elect its national officials. These decisions were taken just as President Goodluck Jonathan declared that the opposition would always be disappointed and confused about how the differences among PDP members were being speedily resolved. “We thought that political activities will not start so early in the country, but because of the intimidating credentials of the PDP, people starting meeting, parties started coming together, and new ones are being formed, which is a blessing for all of us, all because people are confused about how we manage PDP. They will continue to be confused,” he said. Jonathan continued:”Those who continue to think that PDP cannot come together, that PDP cannot manage success, will be terribly disappointed.” In his address at the meeting, the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, stated that the party took the issue of the court injunction very seriously because it was determined to lead by example, especially with respect to abiding by the dictates of the rule of law. “This meeting is particularly crucial to us in view of our party’s special national convention slated for August 31, 2013 and the need to abide by the due process of law. We are the ruling political party. We

must lead by example and act as a beacon of light to other political parties and the people of Nigeria,” Tukur declared. Tukur further noted that “the PDP as a party has continued to grow from strength to strength in spite of challenges”, adding that “Our political adversaries have been put to shame as our party is now more united than ever. The strength and success of our party lie in its ability to resolve its differences amicably in an atmosphere devoid of bitterness, rancour, acrimony and recrimination. This fact is undisputable and legendary,” Tukur stated. And addressing journalists at the end of the NEC meeting which lasted 48 minutes, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Tony Caesar Okeke, said the postponement of the South West zonal congress was to honour a court injunction served on the party, restraining it from holding the congress. He said the PDP NEC, however, directed its National Working Committee (NWC) to set a new date for the South West Congress anytime the court injunction is vacated. Governors of 15 of the 23 PDP controlled states were present while three states of Kano, Sokoto and Bayelsa were represented by deputy governors. PDP states neither represented by governor nor deputy governor at the NEC meeting are Delta, Benue, Abia, Rivers and Katsina. Earlier, the move by the PDP to make an Osun State High Court vacate its order restraining the party from conducting a mini convention to fill the vacant position of the party’s national secretary yesterday had hit the rock.

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Adebisi Sosan; President, Nigerian Institute of Management, Olawale Cole; leader, Yoruba Conflicts Resolution Community, Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan; former Lagos State Governor, Lateef Jakande and President, Nigerian Institute of Management, Chief Lugard Aimiuwu, at the conferment of Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Management on Akinruntan in Lagos. PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Forum seeks good governance to check corruption in councils By Bisi Alabi Williams ARTICIPANTS in a three-day capacity building workshop in Ekiti State on strengthening community participation in local governance have called on all stakeholders to ensure good governance and accountability in the local government administration as a way of checking corruption. Rising from this capacity workshop yesterday, the participants drawn from community and faith based organisations as well as government institutions from nine states of Adamawa, Benue, Edo, Enugu, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun and Rivers, observed that unbridled corruption and looting of public treasury by public officials both elected and civil servants in local councils have further impoverished most Nigerians. According to them, this situation is a fall-out of absence of real autonomy for local governments and failure to put in place democratically

elected council chairmen as well as manipulation of local government funds by state governments. The participants noted that both the federal and state governments have jointly eroded the powers of the grassroots local governments by hijacking their statutory roles as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended). On good governance, the participants were of the opinion that the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness, equity, inclusiveness, rule of law and consensus opinions as principles of good governance have been totally set aside, giving room to mediocrity, impunity and political rascality that put the grassroots people in perpetual servitude and deny them their civic rights. Accordingly, the workshop recommended proactive actions, including greater citizen participation and inclusiveness in the local governance. More importantly, citizens were encouraged to demand transparency and

accountability as well as better services from their elected leaders at local levels. The workshop urged grassroots communities and citizens to make conscious effort to participate in budget preparation and execution to ensure that public funds are properly channeled to meet the real needs of the people. There should be greater collaboration between the local government and the communities such that the dividends of democracy would come to the grassroots. On the issue of autonomy for the local councils, the forum urged the National Assembly and the Houses of Assembly to respect the demands and aspirations of the majority of Nigerians for local government autonomy as expressed during the public hearings conducted by the National Assembly. Participants said state governments should stop interfering in local government administration and desist from using the Joint State-Local Government Account as a ‘stick’ for controlling the councils.

Indigenes allege disruption of Ebonyi community project by Elechi’s aide • It is not true, says special adviser From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki

HE people of Amigbo Edda in Afikpo-South Local Council Area of Ebonyi State on Wednesday took their Save-Our-Soul message to the member representing their constituency in the House of Assembly, Mr. Blaise Eze Oji, complaining that the Special Adviser to Governor Martin Elechi on Petroleum Procurement and Distribution, Mr. Chidi Ejem, has been harassing and intimidating them with thugs. The people, led by the Ezeogo Ugbo Emegha, also told the lawmaker, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, that Ejem used thugs to chase away workers handling the renovation of Amigbo Town Hall in their community. Ejem has, however, denied unleashing thugs on the community. While pleading with the

Deputy Speaker to use his good office to call the special adviser to order, the community leaders chronicled “the many cruel, harsh, embarrassing and coercive acts” of Ejem. “Ejem had on several occasions inflicted injuries on men, women, children and even aged persons in the community with the help of some boys he hired and trained from outside the area,” they alleged. Expatiating on some alleged nefarious activities of Ejem and his boys, the traditional ruler, Emegha, said: “For instance, on the day of the justconcluded local council primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sporadic gunshots were fired by Chidi Ejem, prompting people, especially women, to scamper for safety. Some got injured in the process. All efforts to find

out the grievances of Ejem proved abortive; he was invited for five times, and for five times, he turned down the invitations”. Emegha also informed the Deputy Speaker that work on the Amigbo Town Hall project being undertaken for the community has been disrupted by the activities of Ejem and his hirelings, alleging that the workers were chased away by the thugs. The traditional ruler pleaded with the Deputy Speaker to ensure that adequate police protection is provided for the workers to come back to site, pointing out that it was based on the confidence the community reposed in him that they ran to him for positive intervention. In his response, Oji, who reiterated the position of the government on siting of projects

only in crisis-free areas, expressed regret that any government official would fan the embers of disunity and acrimony. “I have heard your concerns about the town hall. I thank you for not resorting to violent protests. I will ensure that the company handling the project is remobilised to site. But you have to ensure that peace prevails,” he said. But when contacted, Ejem denied ever sending thugs to disrupt the project. He explained that the executives of Amigbo Development Union (ADU), led by Ibiam Onu Obasi, challenged the contractors when they saw the workers removing the old wooden widows. “I was only called by the president and executives of ADU. They told me that they had an issue with some group of people who were sent by the

Deputy Speaker. I asked them what the issue was, and they said the town hall built by the community not by the government, which is as old as about 15 years or more, through levy on every taxable adult, was being vandalised by four men who were removing the wooden windows,” the SA said. According to Ejem, when the ADU executives asked why they were vandalising the windows, they were told the Deputy Speaker ordered that some of the windows be changed. “The ADU executives told them that if the Deputy Speaker wanted to execute constituency project in their community, it should not be changing of windows of their hall,” he stated. Ejem said the community leaders then asked the contractor to go and tell Oji that if he wanted to do constituency project, they would show him other

Group tasks NERC on electricity tariffs From Karls Tsokar, Abuja GROUP has urged the NigeA ria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to ensure that consumers are charged as they consume. The call was made yesterday in Abuja by the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa, in his address at the NERC/Civil Society Organisation Partnership Forum. He said besides the fact that there is no improvement in power generation and supply, the tariffs “have no consideration for the purchasing power of Nigerians who are adversely affected by the ever increasing inflation in the country”. Recalling that the Managing Director of NERC, Sam Amadi, had given justification as to why electricity charges were increased, citing inflation, he said “the last regulation and review of electricity price took place in 2012 and was expected to remain constant till 2017, when another and fresh regulation would take place. But the reverse is the case now as the rise in inflation has forced electricity tariff to be high.”

Falana wants alleged killing of pro-Morsi protesters probed By Bertram Nwannekanma UMAN rights lawyer and H Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) sitting in The Hague, Netherlands to visit Egypt to examine firsthand the alleged unlawful killings and crimes against humanity being committed against Pro-Morsi protesters. Falana, in a letter to ICC’s prosecutor, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, said since the Egyptian military authorities sacked the democratically elected government headed by President Mohammed Morsi on July 3, 2013 there has been a crackdown on unarmed demonstrators in several parts of Egypt. In particular, genocidal attacks have been targeted at the members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood who have been demanding reinstatement of the dissolved democratic structures.

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THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Ministry puts ongoing highway projects at N1.63 trillion From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja TOTAL number of 223 highway projects estimated to cost about N1.63 trillion are currently being executed by the Federal Ministry of Works. Meanwhile, out of the N141 billion capital budget of the ministry in 2013, only the N42 billion has been released as at the end of the second quarter, with about N41 billion representing 98.54 per cent already utilised. Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad, disclosed this while briefing the Peer Review team led by the Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, on the activities of the ministry in 2013. According to him, “about 25 highway projects are under procurement under the 2013 budget” and about 333.71km of roads have been rehabilitated between January and June 2013, while 172.64km of new roads have been constructed. The permanent secretary also said the ministry has completed 22 bridges with a total length of 1,161.11m while 37 bridges totaling 5,128.04m are undergoing construction.

Ijaw group lauds JTF over fight against oil theft, others By Olawunmi Ojo HE Ijaw People Congress T (IPC) has commended the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, led by Maj.Gen. Bata Debiro, over what it called progress in the war against illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping and robbery in the Niger Delta. In a statement by its National President, Ekanpou Enewaridideke, on Wednesday the group said, “for the purpose of ultimately winning the war, the Federal Government should create the enabling environment for the JTF to check illegalities in the Niger Delta. “We hereby commend the performance of the JTF commander in his operations in the Niger Delta as he successfully engages criminals without endangering the lives of innocent people in any affected area or community.

Seminar on media management to hold in Lagos HE School of Media and T Communications (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University, in collaboration with Prof. Amiso George of Strategic Communications, Texas Christian University, USA, is organising a seminar on “Managing the Media in Crisis Situation” to teach requisite skills in crisis communication management. According to a statement, the event, billed to take place at the SMC from September 16 to 18, 2013, will educate the participants to be able to understand the difference between issues, risk and crisis communication; how to achieve proactive and balanced media management in crisis situation and the ability to develop a crisis management plan that will endure business continuity after any crisis.

Kano sacks directors, surveyors over alleged land fraud From Abba Anwar, Kano N an effort to cleanse its civIpractices, il service from corrupt Kano State government has sacked three direc-

tors in its Urban Renewal Agency and three other senior officials in the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning over alleged fraud. Essentially, the officials were fired over money

Kwankwaso

meant to compensate farmers and other people of the local communities whose plots of land were taken by the state government for public projects. The directors were found wanting for alleged criminal activities. They were also alleged to have been involved in construction of several illegal structures in the state capital. The Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Muhammad Nadu Yahaya, confirmed the sacking order while briefing members of the press. He declined to give the names of those affected by the state order. He said the three surveyors were involved in verification exercise when they misused the opportunity and inflated the actual money that was meant for payment to the affected farmers and other land owners.

“For example, where it is stated N5 million, they turned it to N50 million, and where it is N6 million, they turned it into N60 million. We have been on ground for many years. As a former national surveyor general, I have to see everything for myself before effecting payment, and that was how we exposed them,” the commissioner said. “Their case was taken to the Civil Service Commission for scrutiny. After careful investigations that gave thorough findings, they were found guilty. Before we took action, some people were saying we should have been lenient with them by asking them to resign. But we decided that they had to be dismissed to serve as deterrent to others”, he revealed. He vowed that the current government would not have any tolerance for corruption.

Dele Giwa’s kinsmen in Edo inaugurate APC From Tope Templer Olaiya (Lagos) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City) INSMEN of the late foremost journalist, Dele Giwa, in Ekperi, Edo North Senatorial District, yesterday inaugurated the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC). A leader from the community and co-ordinator, Inauguration Committee, Greg Ogiogwa, while outlining the background of events and inauguration of new leaders from Ugbekpe Ekperi Kingdom, Zone 2, comprising Wards 6, 7 and 8, in Etsako Central Local Council Area, called for unity and focus among the constituents to ensure the sociocultural and infrastructural development of the area. He expressed happiness that the umbrella union under which people of the area articulated their views, Ekperi Progressive Union, had in its fold leading professionals, technocrats, political office holders, politicians and traditional authorities. “I commend our leaders from the defunct ANPP and CPC for their cooperation and for greater participation from our women and youths and urge our newly inaugurated leaders to learn from past mistakes and shun selfish personal interests,” he said. On his part, a political leader and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Athanasius Ugbome, called on the youths to “be united in readiness to march into the future with great zeal and passion and go well beyond achievements of previous generations.” Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated leaders, Elder Cletus Ajanaku thanked the traditional rulers and community and ward delegates present, for the honour and pledged their allegiance to Ekperi ideals, culture and development. He said members would immediately embark on reconciliation and mobilization drive, which he tagged, “Operation Total Unity and Progress.”

• Party chief declares Lagos home for all Nigerians Meanwhile, a chieftain of the party in Lagos State, Otunba Jide Oni, has declared that Lagos remained the only state in the country that is genuinely committed to the protection of Igbo interest. Oni, in a statement on the raging controversy trailing the recent alleged deportation of some destitute to the eastern part of the country by the Lagos State government, admonished on the sentiment expressed by Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, and other Igbo leaders whom he accused of deliberately playing politics with the matter. According to him, Lagos is not the only state that has deported destitute as other states had equally done the same thing in the past. Oni, who is one of the APC leaders in Oshodi/Isolo Local Council in Lagos, noted that Obi was only crying wolf because of the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State. “Obi is playing politics with the matter because of the governorship election. He wants to paint APC black before the Igbo because he knows that the election is going to be a straight fight between APC and APGA. But the majority of Igbo are not fools, they know who has taken care of their interest in Nigeria today,” he says. Otunba Oni continued: “I stand to be corrected if there is any other state that has taken care of Igbo interest other than Lagos, which is governed by the APC. This is a state that appointed an Igbo man as commissioner of the most important and most sophisticated ministry; this is an administration that appointed an Igbo man as General Manager of LASAA. We have many Igbo people working in Lagos ministries, parastatals, local councils. The publicity secretary of APC in Lagos State is an Igbo man. “Lagos State is spending billions of naira on the new Lagos/Badagry Expressway,

and 60 per cent of the direct beneficiaries of that road are Igbo indigenes at Trade Fair Complex, ASPANDAS and Alaba Market. How best can you keep the Igbo interest in these areas if not through the provision of infrastructure to make

life and business comfortable for Igbo people.” The politician therefore enjoined the generality of Igbo not to be confused by ethnic and political bigots in taking an objective position on the matter.

‘Corrupt officials should pay more than they stole’ From Abosede Musari, Abuja SENIOR Advocate of A Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Abiodun Layonu, has advised the Federal Government and anti-corruption agencies to consider punishing graft not only with jail terms, but also by making sure that individuals who are found guilty pay more than they have stolen. In his opinion, this will go a long way to reduce graft and its tendencies. Layonu gave this advice on Wednesday while giving the keynote address at the public presentation of the maiden edition of the ICPC Law Report in Abuja. “The only way to make them desist from corruption is to hit their pockets. Let them pay more than they stole because some people are ready to spend time in jail and come out to enjoy the loot”, he said, while stating that the option of plea-bargain is good but care must be taken to avoid its abuse. While noting also that adequate funding of the antigraft agencies was paramount, he suggested a novel idea on alternative funding for graft fighters. According to him, instead of waiting for government allocations every year, anticorruption would be better funded if all current account holders are charged say N500 once a year. The funds got could then be channeled towards fighting corruption.

TheGuardian SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013

ANAMBRA 2013: Will It Be Safe Delivery For C INEC? SPECIAL REPORT

LAGOS WATERWAYS:

How Not To Waste Nature’s Asset FTER decades of investment A in water transportation, Lagosians are yet to reap full benefit.

OME November, parties and their candidates will file out for the Anambra governorship election. But the countdown looks so riotous as the parties are at different stages of confusion. Will stakeholders ensure that democracy stabilises in Anambra?

LAGOS DEPORTATION: When is a citizen of Nigeria an Indigene or Settler of a state?

BUSINESS: Endless issues in Power Sector Reforms as bidders threaten to dump process.

IBRU CENTRE Church, Traditional and Court Weddings; which is the best form of marriage solemnization? Clerics vent their opinions. The Guardian On Sunday is new, fresher, bolder; a delight to behold and more importantly, reader-friendly! Book a copy today.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Photo News

Representative of Olubadan of Ibadan, High Chief Omowale Kuye (left); Senator Lekan Balogun standing; Alhaji Akeem Oladeji and Engr. Dokun Giwa during the final burial ceremony of Alhaja Olori Asakun Giwa in Ibadan

Guest Speaker, Femi Mokikan (left); former Group Managing Director, Odua Investments, Remi Omotoso ; President, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN), Victor Famuyibo and CIPMNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registrar, Sunday Adeyemi, at the annual CIPMN conference in Ibadan

Head Brand Communication, Metro Taxi Limited, Rotimi Wusu (left); Managing Director, Spronks Creations Limited/Organiser of the Wine and Spirit Fair, Aderonke Sobodu; and General Manager, Best Trade Advisory Board, Vanna Adami during the press briefing of 2013 Nigeria International Wine and Spirit Fair in Lagos.

Adviser, Public and Government Affairs, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mrs. Regina Udobong, presenting a trophy to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) representatives,Â Ukogu Obinna and Okeke Victoria, winners of the Secondary School quiz category at the STAN/MPN National Science Quiz Competition, sponsored by Mobil Producing Nigeria, at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Former Managing Director/CEO Portland Paints Nigeria Plc, Bayo Osibo, (left); Chairman Nigeria Institute of Architects Lagos State, Ladipo Lewis; Titi Adeleye; Managing Director/CEO Portland Paints Nigeria Plc, Femi OgunPHOTO: GABRIEL IKHAHON tade during Portland Paints Appreciation Night in Lagos

Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, David Okeme (left); Category Manager, Fab Cleaning, Nnenna OsiAnugwa; and Vice-President, Operations Unilever Nigeria Plc, Ani Gopalan, during the launch of New Omo MultiActive detergent in Lagos

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Director, Consumer Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluwole Rawa (left); winner of a brand new Mercedes Benz GL 500, Miss Blessing Fubara with her father, Rev. Zion Fubara; and Head, Regulation and Monitoring, Lagos Headquarters, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Jude Ughuwajabo during the second monthly prize presentation of the ongoing Etisalat/FC Barcelona Promo in Lagos PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Permanent Secretary (Finance Headquarters) Lagos State Ministry of Finance, Seyi Williams (left); her counterpart from Debt Management Office, Olabowale Ademola; Commissioner for Finance, Ayo Gbeleyi; Managing Director, UBA Trustee, Oluwatoyin Sanni and her counterpart from Skye Bank, Funmilayo Ekundayo at the Fourth Annual General Meeting of Debt Management Office of Ministry of Finance, Lagos State PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

WorldReport Mubarak’s release from jail stirs little interest in Egypt ORMER dictator, Hosni FjailMubarak, yesterday left for under house arrest but his release stirred little reaction as Egypt wrestles with the fallout from Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster. Mubarak, who was overthrown in a 2011 uprising, was flown from Tora prison in Cairo, a day after a court granted him conditional pretrial release. But an order from the country’s interim prime minister, who has additional powers under Egypt’s state of emergency, means Mubarak will stay under house arrest. The 85-year-old, who is believed to be in poor health,

was taken by helicopter to a nearby military hospital, where he has previously received medical treatment. The spectacle of one toppled president being allowed to leave jail even as authorities hold another – Morsi – at an undisclosed location, has attracted international attention. But in Egypt, the response has been muted, even from some of those who took part in the uprising against Mubarak. In the last week, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in clashes between Islamists and security forces after police cleared two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo.

UN asks Syria to okay chemical attack probe, Vatican urges caution NITED Nations has forU mally asked the Syrian government to authorise inPresident Goodluck Jonathan (right) and outgoing Ambassador of Czech Republic to Nigeria, Mr. Jarolav Siro, during a farewell audience at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Why funding may stall African Standby Force’s take-off, by Gambari, others From Karls Tsokar, Abuja OR the fourth time, indicaFthattions have again emerged the operations of the African Standby Force planned to take-off in 2015 may not be realistic owing to lack of fund. The African Union-backed continental peacekeeping force was initially meant to take off in 2008, but was moved to 2010. It was subsequently shifted to 2013 and due to delays by three African regions to establish standby brigades, it was again rescheduled for 2015. However, the Head of African Union (AU) team to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, while assessing the preparedness of the ECOWAS Standby compo-

nent of the continental force yesterday in Abuja before proceeding to East, North and Central Africa, said funding is a key challenge to the take-off of the force. Gambari said: “There are challenges. One of the critical challenges is funding. Not just funding, as the operation is ongoing, but how to sustain it or even funding ahead of it. And these are challenges that the African Union and the economic community have to face. “From the experience of the ECOWAS standby force that we deployed in Guinea Bissau and Mali, it is the same issue of funding. You will discover that many of the countries have their own internal national priority demands.” The envoy also pointed out that their mandate is to find out what these challenges are,

“get a report that addresses, where we are, the challenges we face and how we can perform better. Because we have seen in the case of Mali that we may have the most beautiful standby force on paper, but when it comes to rapid deployment, it is not always there.” He also stated that it was imperative to look at the various components that make up the AU Standby Force critically, “the military component, the civilian component, their capabilities, what are the shortfalls, how come the military is always the head, how come in the most complicated peace keeping in the world, the police and civilian components are very important. So, how do we bring them up to par with the other components”. Reacting, the Minister of

State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, said Africa must not always depend on the international community to accomplish their goals, especially in the face of security challenges and threat to peace and democracy. Also, the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, said everything depend on funding because deploying troops to the troubled spots is not much of a challenge but “when it matters most, it revolves around funds”. In a bid to forestall growing cases of conflict in Africa, the regional standby force is part of the AU Peace and Security design that seek to set up about 30,000 troops, ready to be called upon from contributing countries at a short notice to intervene in cases of conflict on the continent.

ternational experts to investigate a reported chemical attack with mass casualties near Damascus. Also, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has decided to send Angela Kane, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs to Damascus, UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said. Damascus had agreed at the end of July, following an earlier visit by Kane, to allow UN experts to investigate

three other sites where chemical weapons attacks were alleged to have taken place. “The secretary-general believes that the incidents reported yesterday need to be investigated without delay,” del Buey said in a statement. However, the Vatican yesterday called for caution over opposition allegations that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in an attack in the suburbs of Damascus — a charge denied by the authorities.

Blasts rock Israel as militants fire rockets from Lebanon XPLOSIONS were heard E near Israel’s border with Lebanon yesterday, as Lebanese security sources said militants had fired four rockets at Israel. Witnesses reported hearing several blasts near the northern coastal town of Nahariya. The Israeli army said that none of the rockets had hit the ground inside Israel. But Agence France Presse (AFP) reported a hole in the ground in Gesher Haziv, a kibbutz east of Nahariya, with debris causing damage to two cars and a number of

homes nearby. “We heard about four or five explosions, and then the sirens went off for about a minute,” a woman named Yasmin from the northern village of Klil told AFP. The emergency services said no injuries were reported. A security source in Lebanon said four rockets were fired at Israel from the south. “Unknown gunmen fired four rockets from two positions, south and east of Tyre, at Israel,” the source said as residents in the area said they heard four blasts.

U.S. Consul urges Nigerian youths to emulate Luther King’s virtues By Bola Olajuwon NITED States (U.S.) Consul U General, Jeffrey Hawkins, has urged Nigerian youths to emulate the late American civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by tapping their creative abilities to dream big in order to forge a better and brighter Nigeria. Hawkins made the call through the Public Affairs Officer of the United States Consulate General in Lagos, Mrs. Dehab Ghebreab, at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream” Speech by Luther King, Jr. at the Magnolia Hall of the City Mall in Lagos.

You should explore abundant resources and great opportunities in your nation; take up responsibility and make your voices heard for peace and progress. The event was attended by almost 1,000 Nigerian youths, mostly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Lagos State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi. The anniversary examined one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history. The March called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. It took place in Washington, D.C. on

Wednesday, August 28, 1963. During the march, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech advocating for racial harmony. However, a statement quoted the diplomat as saying in a keynote address at the event organised by the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos in conjunction with Gordon Barrett and Shell: “You should explore abundant resources and

great opportunities in your nation; take up responsibility and make your voices heard for peace and progress.” Noting that young people are at the heart of many of today’s great strategic challenges, from rebuilding the global economy to combating violent extremism and building sustainable democracies, he charged the youths to act as catalysts and leaders of positive change in Nigeria. He highlighted the role King, Jr, and former Senator John F. Kennedy played in inspiring American youth to serve. He also highlighted the central role youth played in President Barack Obama’s election campaign.

France charges Congolese General with crimes against humanity CONGOLESE General, NorA bert Dabira, wanted in connection with the 1999 disappearance of 350 refugees was arrested in France yesterday and charged with crimes against humanity, according to a court source. A report by Agence France Presse (AFP) claimed that Dabira, 64, was accused of torture and kidnapping on a massive scale by examining magistrates in a court in the town of Torcy near Paris. The refugees had gone to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, fleeing from civil war in their home

country, but disappeared after they returned to the port of Brazzaville. France opened an investigation into the case in 2008, citing the principle of universal jurisdiction. Dabira, who owns a home in France, was released pending trial after he was charged. Mortar shells that left three injured on the outskirts of Goma yesterday were targeted at UN positions, the new head of the UN mission to Democratic Republic of Congo said.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Politics EPILOGUE

Dan Agbese, a veteran journalist and prose stylist, relives the story that threatened to rewrite Nigeria’s history 20 years ago ELECTED speeches of President Ibrahim Slished Babangida from 1985 to 1988 were pubin a book with the arresting title of Portrait of a New Nigeria, sometime in 1988. Its title reflected Babangida’s ambition as Nigeria’s eighth ruler in its 25 years of independence. In his foreword to the book, Tunde Olagunju, one of the president’s closest friends and his Minister of National Planning, noted that: “a new political and economic thinking, based on a recognition of the realities of our times, runs through the book.” New thinking. An apt phrase. Babangida used every opportunity to demonstrate his love for new thinking on the myriads of political, economic and social problems that hobbled the country since independence. He openly shopped for them. He encouraged dialogues between his administration and the people – as could be seen in the IMF and the foreign policy debates – to mine new thinking on some of the critical problems that faced the country. After all, he made it clear from his very first day in office that his administration laid no claims to ‘a monopoly of wisdom.’ Babangida made no pretences about his ambition to be different and to be seen to be different – in style and substance – from the two civilians and the five military men who ruled the country before him. Within the first few weeks of his takeover, Babangida was on a roll as a man with a sense of historical mission. The sheer breadth of his innovative steps left few, if any, in any doubts that he came into office with the firm belief that by the time he was through with his political, economic and social transformation programmes, Nigeria would be a transformed new nation sporting a portrait pretty close to what the redoubtable founding fathers of the nation dreamt of at inde1960. 1, October on pendence It is difficult not to give Babangida due credits for his dreams and his ambitions, even if he did not quite realize them and eventually became a victim of the unintended consequences of his most costly mistake, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. The early months of his administration raised a lot of hope in his capacity to make the nation rise from the ashes of its past failures. He came into office with a blueprint for some radical and dramatic changes he believed the country needed to run its fortunes around. It was a tall ambition but the man had the courage of his own conviction and an eye on his place in the political history of a potentially great nation flapping about in the murk of its own failures. He came that he might make a difference. In his inaugural broadcast justifying his coup, Babangida invited Nigerians to note that …this country has had since independence a history mixed with turbulence and fortune. We have witnessed our rise to greatness, followed by a decline to the state of a bewildered nation. Our human potentials have been neglected, our natural resources put to waste. He was not short of new thinking; he was not afraid of experimenting with them and he did not fear of tread where the angles could only tiptoe. With his bulging basket of new thinking, Babangida sought to show that if anyone could remake Nigeria and put it on a steady course of greatness, he was the man thrust on the nation’s political stage by providence. He took the road not yet traveled in the economic, political and social reengineering of the country. For him, it would not be, to use the current politically

correct parlance, business as usual. He did not want to merely patch up the cracks on the country’s political walls or cosmetically tinker with its economic and social problems. He was bent on a radical transformation of the nation on all fronts – to primarily salvage “our battered economy (and) bring about a new political culture” but more fundamentally, to make Nigeria the country of everyone’s fervent dreams of what a great and in the words of the Second National Development Plan, a just and egalitarian country should be. The changes came fast and even furious, as if he was trying to make up for the nation’s lost time. He conceived each dramatic change as a new pillar in his urgent task of

The invincible constructing his new Nigeria. All Nigerian leaders before him shared a poor reputation for economic management. Babangida brought a new thinking into the management of the economy by tackling its defective structural base. His structural adjustment programme, SAP, was the main plank of his economic transformation programme. SAP was primarily intended “to restructure and diversify the productive base of the economy in order to reduce dependence on the oil sector and imports.” Although its template belonged to the IMF and the World Bank, Babangida believed he could use it to transform the Nigerian economy. In the end, the programme sunk his hope and the accolades attesting to his eco-

nomic husbandry did not follow. Nigeria is cursed with complex political problems complicated by the colonial structure of its federation and the nature of its federalism. These are no mean problems. The country had been searching through its many constitutions for the ideal political system for its socio-political peculiarities long before independence from British colonial rule. Babangida continued with the search through his Political Bureau because “our task is to bring about a new political culture which, like a veritable fountain head, would bring forth a stable, strong and dynamic economy.” The search for that new political culture led Babangida to do what no one before him had done on the political front. He founded, funded and imposed a two-party system on the country. The National Republican, NRC, was “a little to the right;” and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, was a “a little to the left” of the political spectrum. The leftists had a platform in one and the rightists in the other. Neat and simple. Babangida had a perfectly good explanation for this novelty in the political history of Nigeria. He wanted to wrest the control of political parties from the rich, also known less endearingly as ‘Moneybags’ and thus make all Nigerians “equal founders and equal joiners” of each party. The two-party system initially caused some disquiet for fear that it would polarize the country along its well-known fault line of religious divide with Christians flocking into one party and Muslims into the other. Events later proved Babangida right. The two-party system was sensible solution to the centrifugal tendencies inherent in the politics of the country. It failed, of course, to make the Moneybags irrelevant voices in our national politics. It did no more than romanticize political equality at a great expense to the nature and the philosophy of party politics. In his eight years in power, Babangida, like the hurricane, tried to pull down every tree that stood in his path. He left almost nothing untouched. His 1988 civil service reform, the first such major reform since independence, took the axe to the trunk of the civil service. Under that reform, with which top technocrats vehemently disagreed, permanent

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Babangida sought to show that if anyone could remake Nigeria and put it on a steady course of greatness, he was the man thrust on the nation’s political stage by providence. He took the road not yet traveled in the economic, political and social re-engineering of the country. For him, it would not be, to use the current politically correct parlance, business as usual. He did not want to merely patch up the cracks on the country’s political walls or cosmetically tinker with its economic and social problems. He was bent on a radical transformation of the nation on all fronts

’

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

POLITICS | 11

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June 12 story again This country has had since independence a history mixed with turbulence and fortune. We have witnessed our rise to greatness, followed by a decline to the state of a bewildered nation. Our human potentials have been neglected, our natural resources put to waste

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secretaries were re-designated director-general and denied their professional status as accounting officers of their ministries. That responsibility was given to ministries and commissioners. Its implication was the politicization of the civil service. Babangida did, or attempted to do, titanic things to create the Babangida Era that would be the veritable watershed in the history of Nigeria. It did not quite work out that way for him. He left office eight years later not in a blaze of glory but in circumstances that put the Babangida mystique through the shredder. Fate left him holding the short end of the sick and has problems with assigning him an honoured place he sought and worked for in the nation’s political history. His former colleagues as well as his friends and political associates in the armed forces generally spoke well of him. Some of them believed that Babangida, more than anyone else, was personally equipped to succeed as the best leader Nigeria had at least up to that point in its political history. He was a meticulous planner and was always one step ahead of others. He was reputed the only man who knew where he would be over a given period of time. He was a tough military man who was not afraid of taking decisions and acting on them, even if, as the saying goes, the heavens would fall. He had all he needed to succeed and become the permanent giant on the nation’s political stage – something he craved for. But he blew it – with serious consequences for all he stood for, all that he sought to accomplish, his new portrait of the country and the country itself. His failure to rise up to the higher and critical dynamics of a country in transition hobbled the country itself and unraveled his contributions to its development. What went wrong? Why did the man who showed so much promise as a ruler end his days in power as a civilian and the cruel victim of his own sense of mission in government? There can be no easy answers. If man is the architect of his fortune or misfortune, Babangida was the architect of his. If all men are fettered by the cruel twist of fate, Babangida was too. Indeed, in his case, the cruel twist of ironies is truly cruel. He loved new thinking and welcomed radical departures from old mores. He was ever willing to put new ideas to work. But no new thinking served him for long. His prosecution of new thinking was patchy and he showed remarkable capacity not to finish what he started. He dribbled the country with his endless and abrupt changes in the transition programme. He was not nicknamed Maradona for nothing. Indeed, it is said today that he dribbled himself into political irrelevance. Part of the problem was that he craved public applause and approval so much that he

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Part of the problem was that he craved public applause and approval so much that he was always willing to reverse himself if that would guarantee him the sound of even an isolated hand clapping. His major policies became victims of this attitude of mind, hence the frequent shuffles that became the destabilizing hallmark of his administration. A leader is often a lonely man; alone with his thoughts and alone in his decisions and alone with the consequences of his actions and decisions. In his loneliness, a leader must hold on tightly to his principles. They are his lifebuoy in the choppy seas of competing political and other interests. Babangida often failed to appreciate this elementary fact of power. He willingly sacrificed principles for expedience.

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Agbese

was always willing to reverse himself if that would guarantee him the sound of even an isolated hand clapping. His major policies became victims of this attitude of mind, hence the frequent shuffles that became the destabilizing hallmark of his administration. A leader is often a lonely man; alone with his thoughts and alone in his decisions and alone with the consequences of his actions and decisions. In his loneliness, a leader must hold on tightly to his principles. They are his lifebuoy in the choppy seas of competing political and other interests. Babangida often failed to appreciate this elementary fact of power. He willingly sacrificed principles for expedience. He loved motion and movement and made governance a series of shock treatments. The problem was that he saw these as ends in themselves rather than as means to some well-defined ends. The very things he cherished – his courage, his ambition, his capacity for friendship – and his willingness as gamble, even when a gamble was patently an inadvisable choice, humbled Babangida. His courage failed him when he needed it most – to walk out on power. The economy and politics were the two critical pillars on which Babangida sought to erect the portrait of a new Nigeria. Both pillars failed to sustain his dreams. By the time the structural adjustment programme ran its course in about two years, it unfortunate acronym of SAP had acquired a different and sinister meaning as a new definition of an economic management policy that sapped the nation and left its people in a worse economic situation. The structural adjustment programme is today remembered for one thing: the pains it visited on the country and its people. His two-party system did not survive him and

the country reverted to the multiplicity of mushroom parties in the name of democratic pluralism. The failure of the structural adjustment programe, the very fundamental plank of his economic development programme, might have been the triumph of politics but the fault must be laid squarely at Babangida’s door. The so-called SAP riots of 1999 frightened him. But more importantly, he failed to treat the programme as a process without a limit rather than as a shock treatment with a limited end. He needed to stick to the core of the programme but reserved the right and the liberty to tinker with the means based on his experience in prosecuting it. Given its philosophy, the success of the structural adjustment programme would have had a lasting salutary effect on the development of the economy as well as its management by successive administrations. Babangida regarded political power, the most intoxicating and the most dangerous aphrodisiac on earth, as a game. He derived a near-infantile joy from playing this very deceptive game. The game got the better of him and robbed him of the hardheaded determination he needed for the prosecution of his programmes. In the end, none of his many truly innovative programmes was prosecuted to a logical conclusion. He more or less sabotaged them with his constant reversals. He dismantled many of them before he left office – SAP, DFFRI and MAMSER, among others. Babangida made some fundamental mistakes of the head and of the heart. Everyone born of a woman does, if that is a good excuse for human foibles and failures. All fundamental mistakes exact some stiff prices from those who make them. Babangida’s most fundamental political mistake was, of course, June 12. The annulment of the presidential election threw pails of black paint on

his portrait of a new Nigeria. The ship of his greatness foundered on the rocks of June 12. June 12 sabotaged him and erected a permanent wall between him and greatness. And because of June 12, history is compelled to take an unkindly view of Babangida’s place in the political history of Nigeria. Is it fair to judge Babangida, what he did and what he stood for, by this one admittedly heavy political miscalculation? The least that can be said is that however fair the writers of Nigerian history may wish to be to Babangida, only the truly naïve would fail to recognize that with that election, that finest hour he craved for had come. June 12 was a spectacular culmination of Babangida’s own incredible capacity for selfsabotage. June 12 was larger than the late Moshood Abiola who won the election but lost the chance to become president. June 12 was the watershed in the politics of Nigeria. Yet the man who brought the country to that desirable end failed to see it for what it was – his and the nation’s date with history. June 12 was the watershed whose time had come. The genie was out of the bag. Nothing could put it back. Had Babangida recognized this, his courage would have sustained him – and the June 12, 1993 presidential election, acknowledged locally and internationally as the freest and the fairest election ever conducted in the country so far would remain his one true legacy and ultimate triumph. But, and this is another cruel irony, June 12 achieved what it set out to achieve without Babangida. Six year after the election was annulled, June 12 became the sole determinant of power configuration in the country. It shifted political power from the north to the south in 1999. Abiola did not become president. His loss has become his greatest gain. He made June 12 possible. He made power shift possible. Few men have gained so much from their losses. The real loser in the June 12 debacle was Babangida. His sabotage of June 12 made June 12 possible. He lost the right to claim it as the triumph of his political engineering. It was not part of his political calculation. It was a triumph of the accident of politics.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday August 23, 2013

TheMetroSection ‘Fashola, rescue us from this mess’ Ijora Badia residents appeal to the governor to wade into uncompleted projects in their community From Isaac Taiwo LEVEN communities within the environ of Ijora Badia comprising Oguntayo North, Abete, Afolabi Alasia, Oke-Oja West, Gaskiya West, Oguntayo South, Badia Central, Badia East, Badia West, Oke Oja South and ApataOro yesterday led a peaceful protest to the office of the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who they described as “Action Governor’ to rescue them from their present predicament of uncompleted road networks and drainages in their various communities. Led by the various Chairmen of the Community Development Areas (CDAs), the large crowd made up of old men and women who arrived Alausa in two big Commuter buses, carried placards with messages such as “Gov. Fashola, we thank you, please tell LMGDP to pay contractor”, “Our roads have become refuse dumping ground”, “People of Badia do

not have roads to pass any more”, “Mr. Oguntunde, please finish your work at Badia”, “LMGDP, please pay contractors, residents of Badia do not have road to come out again, help us to complete our roads,” “LMGDP, tell us why you want to sack the contractor” among others. Throwing light on the people’s grievances, the Community Leader, ApapaIganmu CDA, Elder James Abifarin, in a lamentable tone said the reason why they led their various communities to Alausa was because time was no longer on their side again. According to him: “World Bank came to inspect Ijora Badia in 2009 and 2010 and considering the plight of our people bordering on the ugly situation of our area, agreed to assist us by through rehabilitation of 16 street roads, clear the canal that passes from Surulere and Amuwo-Odofin our area and give us a primary school.” “The World Bank handed over the money

for the various project to the government of Lagos State which under normal circumstances was handed over to the Lagos Metropolitan Governance Development Project (LMGDP) while the Lagos State Government was to supervise the project. A contractor, Seg Mahsen & Co. (Nig.) Limited was awarded the project in 2011 with initial deposit of N200 million paid to him.” “He commenced the work until we noticed a lull, and on confronting him, he said he needed more money to continue with the project. With this development, we initiated a “Save our Soul” letter dated February 12, 2013 to the Lagos State Governor. This led to a meeting that was summoned with our Council Chairman and some top government officials where it was agreed to appoint an Independent Consultant to inspect the work and value the job done which even if it amounted to N500 million, the con-

Protesters from Ijora Badia communities at the Governor’s Office yesterday.

PHOTO: ISAAC TAIWO

tractor would be settled.” “The independent consultant valued the job done to the tune of well over N300 million and close to N400 million. Almost four months ago that this was done, the contractor is yet to be settled, with the LMGDP threatening to terminate the contractor and the contractor also saying he would sue the LMGDP and if all these are carried out, that would be the end of the project?” he queried. “Houses were demolished in the course of road rehabilitation and owners have not been compensated. The contract by the World Bank terminates September 30, 2013 if the job is not completed and this is the reason we are pleading with the Lagos State Government to intervene again and cause the LMGDP not to terminate the contract, nor allow the contractor to go to court but pay the contractor to finish his job. “When the Governor came to lay the foundation of the school, he ordered that the road leading to the school first be completed. He later sent the Managing Director of LAWMA. Mr. Deji Oresanya to me and assured us that the project would be completed,” he said. Chairman, Oguntayo North, Mr Saka Yusuf said the initial 16 roads awarded for rehabilitation were later reduced to12 and, out of the 12, only three had been completed. “Fadaini Obale road is the only road that leads to Badia which is not motorable anymore and has not been touched. Eight boreholes, sunk for us in 2008 and blocked are just being attended to now because of our letter of petition. The canal passing through our area had since been abandoned. In her comment, Chairman, Abete Community, Alhaja Adebisi Bello lamented that there would be no road leading to the primary school, Ireti Owoseni Primary School, that is being built, when completed. “We want immediate intervention of the Lagos State Governor in this matter because come September 30, the World Bank contract would be revoked and it would mean starting all over again,” she cried.

Suspected child trafficker nabbed in Lagos, 25 children rescued fants, age 3-6 months and 22 other children rescued and taken to government’s welfare institution for FFICIALS of the Lagos State Government have proper care. rescued 25 children from the claws of an alDirector of OPD, Mrs Omotola Rotimi, told newsleged child trafficker, Mrs. Rosemary men that investigations revealed that Nwachukwu Nwachukwu, operating at Egbeda area of Lagos. trafficked 27 children kept in a room, using them to Nwachukwu was reported to be operating an ille- raise money and allegedly defraud innocent memgal orphanage, Saint Stephen Charity Foundation, bers of the public who might need assistance in a home for orphans and less privileged located at child adoption, adding that 25 children were resNumber 30/32 Abiodun Adebambo Street, Egbeda. cued while the whereabouts of the remaining two But a combined effort from officials of the Office still remain unknown. of Youth and Social Department led by the DirecAccording to Fadairo, the illegal business was tor, Child Development, Mrs Alaba Fadairo and of- being conducted in a room in the residential buildficers from the Office of Public Defender (OPD), ing, adding that upon investigation, it was discovbacked up by policemen stormed the illegal orered Nwachukwu had been engaging in various phanage at the weekend to rescue the children anti-child development activities, such as illegal and arrest the suspected culprit. adoption, trafficking and others, which she said She was detained at the Alausa Police Station, was done with selfish reasons. while the children are currently under the custody “Investigation also shows that there are no of the Lagos State Government. records on each of the children and no evidence of The age of the children ranged between three how the children got to her and no form of police months and 12 years. They are made up of three in- or security report,” she explained.

By Kamal Tayo Oropo

Fadairo warned members of the public to be vigilant and report such cases of child trafficking to the media or the government in order not to fall into the hands of similar organisations. She stated people and organisations that operated unapproved or illegal orphanages would be arrested and prosecuted according to the dictates of the law. When questioned, the suspect said she has been running the illegal orphanage home for the past 18 years and that it was purely on charity basis, denying that she trafficked in children. Residents in the area said they never knew such orphanage home existed, while the police were still investigating the issue. Meanwhile, the OPD has vowed to charge the alleged culprit to court after investigation had been concluded as the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who also superintends the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Poverty Alleviation is said to be interested in the case.

Briefs

Fidau prayers for Ajao

Akinwunmi, 77, for burial

Divine Glory revival

HE death has occurred of Alhaja Munirat Oyebola Ajao on June 1, 2013 at the age of 82. She has since been buried according to Islamic rites. Final Fidau prayer for her holds tomorrow at Adesanoye Civic Centre, Ondo

HE death has occurred of Chief (Mrs.) Aderemi Amope Akinwunmi on July 23, 2013. Service of songs/ Christian wake will be coordinated by Saviour’s African Church Agege at her Lagos residence 47 Maracas Road, Agege by 5pm on September 5, 2013; commendation service will hold at the same church and funeral/internment at Christ African Church, Erinja-Orile , Yewa South Ogun state on September 6, 2013.

IVINE Glory Interdenominational D Ministry’s nine days signs and wonders revival & anniversary cele-

bration, which began on August 15, will continue tomorrow with praise night from 10pm. The grand finale comes up on Sunday, August 25 at church auditorium, 1,2,3, Arogosogo villa, MUTA Isokan Estate, Adiyan, Ogun State. Theme: “God of Blessing.

Briefs Church offers free medicare HE Kingdom of Light MinT istries (KLM), Kingdom Care Group will offer free medical treatment to the public at its corporate headquarters, 1-2 Ajoke Kazeem Street, Off Subol, bus-stop Idimu-Ikotun Road, Idimu, Lagos tomorrow at 10:00a.m There would be free eye tests, blood group test, diabetic & hypertension screening and treatment, Hepatitis B screening, general check-up and provision of drugs.

First Baptist holds anniversary for Adigun HE First Baptist Church, T Shasha will on Sunday celebrate 20 years of unbreakable and meritorious service for Rev. Noah Adigun, the pioneer Pastor of the church. The programme, which kicks off at 10 am, will be celebrated in the church premises at First Baptist Church Street, Off Oremeji Street, Shasha, Lagos. The moderator of Goodnews Baptist Association, Rev. Titi Ajadi and the Assistant Moderator, Rev. Olajide Oke, will lead the body’s delegation to anchor the

Church holds concert HE Eternal Sacred Order of T Cherubim and Seraphim, Irawo Owuro church holds her annual musical concert and launching of the Video CD of her album “Ojo Kan Nbo” in the church premises at No.1-3, Irawo Street, Irawo Owuro bus stop, Isheri-Osun,Ikotun, Lagos, tomorrow. According to a statement made available to The Guardian, the anniversary, which starts with a musical concert by 11 pm today, ends with a harvest thanksgiving service on Sunday by 11:00 am.

Onicha-Ugbo installs new Odogwu tomorrow HE Vice Chairman of Exxon T Mobil Dr. Emmanuel Ibe kachikwu will be installed as the 11th Odogwu of Onicha Ugbo, at a ceremony scheduled to commence at 12noon tomorrow, at the Eze Chima Palace of the Agbogidi Obi Victor Chukwumalieze I, the Obi of Onicha-Ugbo. The preliminary activities for the title installation ceremony will commence with a Youth Empowerment Symposium also billed to take off today in Onicha -Ugbo. A statement issued by the Head of Media and Publicity Committee of the Odogwu title Installation Committee, Mr. Hugo Odiogor said the main installation of the 11th Odogwu of Onicha-Ugbo, will take place exactly at 12 noon on August 24th at the Eze Chime Palace of the Agbogidi Obi Victor Chukwumalieze I, the Obi of Onicha-Ugbo. The statement said, “Dr. Kachikwu, who is the Vice Chairman and General Counsel of the America’s oil giant, Exxon Mobil, is concerned about the problem of joblessness among young people in Umu-Eze Chime and Delta State at large, and will want to start his ascension to the third most powerful traditional institution in his birth place with a well thought-out programme to empower women and youths in the area through skill acquisition, re-tooling of graduates from various fields, especially those who qualified in areas where they cannot easily find work.”

METRO 13

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Aba residents protest over mounting refuse heaps From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu HE journey to Aba penultimate Monday had progressed smoothly until somewhere along the popular Azikiwe Road where some placard- carrying youths had blocked the road in protest. The protesting youths made up of traders, students and residents, it was later learnt, had actually started their peaceful demonstration from the Ngwa and Clifford Roads end of the city earlier in the day over heaps of refuse that have taken over the commercial city. Chanting the popular Enyimba Enyi and carrying placards with some inscriptions “ASEPA clean up Aba,” “Aba is dirty,” “this town is no longer safe because of refuse”; “we now live with refuse”, among others, they vowed to continue the protest until government listened to them. Some traders among them complained that they have been sacked from their offices and businesses following the offensive odours emanating from refuse heaps, adding that the deplorable situation is degenerating daily. It, however, took the intervention of anti-riot policemen and soldiers who dispersed the protesters for traffic to flow once more. The Guardian later took a trip into some areas of the city including Umungasi, Aba-Owerri road and Faulks Road to discover that the town reels in dirt. Aba is enveloped with refuse. They are such that reduce the flow of traffic as motorists, tricycle drivers and pedestrians struggle over the available space. More disheartening, however,

is the intensity of foul odour that oozes from the decomposing heaps. At the UBN junction on Aba/Owerri road, Umungasi market road, Abayi Girls Secondary School and Abayi Primary School road, the refuse heaps had become so high that they littered the entire area. One odd culture that was also observed was that residents don’t bag their waste, making it easy for wind and rainwater to carry them about and block available gutters. It is also a wonder how these students whose perimeter walls demarcate the refuse heaps would be able to concentrate on their studies during school hours. One of the protesters, Mr Charles Nwanguma told The Guardian that perturbed by the challenge of refuse in the commercial city, the state government had handed over its management to the office of the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Mr Emeka Ikpeazu. He stated that the refuse had mounted because the agency had not been regular with its clearing, adding that “you cannot tell me how you want Aba to be clean when those responsible cart away refuse once in a week or at times once in two weeks”. “We are asking the state government to look into the Aba waste management issue to avoid a looming epidemic. I know that residents are paying, otherwise there won’t be need for protest, but if they are not paying enough, they should be free to tell us. The agency uses police, army and thugs to harass residents to pay bills, yet we are not getting the services”,

UBN Junction, Aba-Owerri road, Aba... last week. he said. Efforts to get the ASEPA boss to react to the situation of the city proved abortive. However, an official of the Agency, who spoke on conditions of anonymity said, “we are doing our best in the management of refuse in Aba”, blaming the attitude of the residents to the

mounting dirt in the city. “They can hardly bag their refuse, they carry these things openly and dump them as they like, especially in the night. We provided dumps and containers that are abandoned”, he said. He called on the residents to assist the agency serve them better.

Ofili mounts seat as 12th President of Ikoyi Rotary By Isaac Taiwo HEERS filled the Fortune Hall of Golden-Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, when Chief Kevin Ofili was finally decorated with the authority of office as the 12th President of Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metropolitan, District 9110, Nigeria during his investiture ceremony and induction of Board of Directors for his tenure (2013 – 2014) recently. Members of the Club were conspicuously enthusiastic in demonstration of their support for Ofili during the programme that was also designed for the launching of

club projects. In her valedictory message, the out-going President, MattiBalogun Damisola, not only appreciated the support she received from Club members, but also honoured them with awards. She recapitulated some of the projects completed during her tenure to include donation of E-Library, sinking of borehole among others. In his acceptance speech, Ofili thanked the immediate past president for successfully steering the ship of the club during her tenure by accomplishing a lot of laudable projects. “This Rotary year, Rotarians

have been charged to engage Rotary and change lives. We in Ikoyi Metro will do all that is required to spread smiles on the faces of the under-privileged and physically challenged people in our society,” he said. Ofili added that the club within the past 12 years of existence had among other achievements donated $113,800 to Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and had been able to build an all Paul Harris Fellows Club with every member contributing at least $1000 to Rotary Foundation. According to him, the club within the same period completed other projects which included donation of foods and

Ikoyi residents get free eyeglasses, medical check By Wole Oyebade O fewer than 1500 residents in Ikoyi area of Lagos have benefited from a free eye-care service, with over 900 going home with new pairs of spectacles. The beneficiaries, most of them senior citizens, got eyeglasses to improve their sight, having complained of impaired vision in the two-day free medical services sponsored by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Gbolahan Yishawu. The programme, held in partnership with the State Ministry of Health, also screening for cervical and breast cancer; diabetes and hypertension, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and counseling among a turnout of 4000 people in Eti-Osa Constituency II. A beneficiary, Hajia Jumai Issa, 60, was full of praise for the initiative. She said: “For once in a long time, I can see clearly again without paying a kobo. The man that has brought this is indeed a man of the people and for the people. He has proven that the government has not forgotten us. I’m so happy.” Issa observed that the outreach programme was first of its kind sponsored by an elected representative in the area, adding “and in the last two years, the programme has deeply touched our lives.” She also benefitted from free cervical and breast cancer. For another recipient of eyeglasses, Madam Ebun Adelegan,

the initiative brings “comfort”, as it enhances her reading ability again. Adelegan, 77, added that more of such initiatives would be welcome to better the plight of many that cannot access or afford the cost of care services at the hospitals. Initiator of the programme and lawmaker representing EtiOsa constituency II, Yishawu told reporters that the programme was to assist the people to get better health and raise awareness on the need for routine medical check. “By and large, the programme is to ensure that the greatest

asset of our nation, that is, human resource is in good health. “I am doing this programme in conjunction with the Lagos State Government and in few cases when the personnel on ground cannot handle, we refer them to the General Hospital where such cases can be properly attended to and within my means, I do assist them,” he said. Yishawu added that positive feedbacks that are attendant of the last outreach programme had motivated a repeat of it, and with additional resources and facilities to handle as many people coming in.

Caregivers and participants at the free health screening programme organised by member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Gbolahan Yishawu, PHOTO: WOLE OYEBADE Eti Osa constituency, Ikoyi, Lagos.

clothes to different orphanage homes in Nigeria and Ghana, donation of equipment to different vocation institutes, built modern public convenience at Obalende bus terminus, organized different free health/medical programs in the community and gave cash grants/scholarship to some indigent students in the community among others.

Ofili, (left); his wife, Mrs. Ofili and immediate past president, Matti-Balogun Damisola after Ofili’s investiture as the new President (2013-2014) of Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metropolitan, District 9110 at Chinese Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos.

14 | THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

TheGuardian 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 PIB, gas flaring and the economy MORE focused government, committed to the wellbeing of the people requires no A more than a year or two within a single electoral term to produce any law to guide activities in the country’s critical economic sector. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Nigeria. As soon as the Federal Government, nay, the federal executive arm, broached in 2000 the introduction of necessary reforms in order to enhance the impact of the petroleum sector on the economy, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC’s) joint-venture international oil companies (IOCs) rose in opposition and adopted a sinister filibustering to prolong as long as possible the existing state of affairs which favours them to the disadvantage of their host country. So it is that five years after the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was initially submitted to the National Assembly, the draft remains just that: a Bill. The result is the continuation of the status quo with the attendant inefficiency and corruption in the oil and gas sector. For instance, after the IOCs sponsored representatives of the sixth National Assembly to Accra, Ghana, a trip that called to question the integrity of members of the legislature, the legislators turned their back on the national interest encapsulated in the PIB and aborted its passage on the self-damning excuse that different versions of the draft law were in circulation in the National Assembly. Today, the seventh National Assembly has before it a watered-down PIB, which seeks to grant discretionary powers to the executive arm. The present executive arm is apparently less nationally motivated than its predecessor that initiated the PIB. This well-planted loophole compromises the national interest and it is therefore unacceptable. The existence of a full-time legislature makes abominable the planned partial surrendering of legislative responsibility to the executive arm through the instrumentality of discretionary powers under any law. For it is tantamount to empowering the executive arm to implement the affected laws selectively and on arbitrary terms by means of unwritten amendments. The corrupt abuse of the discretionary powers given to the executive to issue import waivers, an exercise that has ruined domestic production and destroyed thousands of jobs, is well known to all Nigerians. While the executive and legislative arms are employing delay tactics to foist on the country a Petroleum Industry law that may prove to be hollow, critical issues, such as promoting utilisation within the country of large volumes of routinely flared natural gas, have seen little progress beyond the level attained before 2000. Natural gas has innumerable industrial applications. The unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is the largest consumer of natural gas. But gas supplies to PHCN often suffer recurring interruptions owing mainly to backlog of unpaid bills for gas supplied. Another source of heavy demand for natural gas was meant to be the National Integrated Power Plants. Despite the fact that complete funding in foreign exchange for these plants was provided upfront in 2005, they have fallen far behind their completion year of 2007. The scope of the projects included ancillary works for gathering, processing and transmission of gas to each plant as well as evacuation of power generated to distribution utilities. It is not clear how much of the scope of work has been achieved though the power plants have recently been pronounced completed. Bids were submitted last June for the purchase of at least 51 per cent of each utility. But surprisingly, government has set June next year as tentative date for releasing the plants to successful buyers. Why is government delaying the sale of power plants that are six years behind schedule by another one year? Is it a ploy to hand them over to cronies of top government functionaries? It is hereby recommended that the utilities should be sold immediately in their current condition and at the best price offered irrespective of the cost of construction to interested buyers with proven track record in power generation. Buyers should undertake to make the utilities functional within a specific time frame, failing which they should face financial sanctions and even imprisonment for any breach of the terms of sale of the power plants. Anticipating that the initial PIB would be speedily enacted into law, government developed the Nigerian Gas Master Plan and Gas Infrastructure Blueprint as vehicles for rapid development of the gas sub-sector. But the abundant investment opportunities in the area have not aroused the desired response notwithstanding government approval of competitive gas-to-power prices and the signing of World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee for gas supplied to independent power plants. The Gas Revolution Initiative, which was announced with fanfare in April 2011 proclaimed that binding memoranda of understanding had been signed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with Saudi and Indian firms to execute specific gas-related projects. But the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s mid-term report was silent on the fate of the initiative. Government has estimated that full implementation of the Gas Master Plan, which will reduce gas flaring to the acceptable industry minimum level, will require $25 billion. It is now clear that decisions on such investments will await the passage of the PIB. In the circumstance, the apparently deliberate prolongation by the National Assembly of the status quo plays into the hands of those who want no change, but it is quite detrimental to national interest. Incidentally, passing the PIB will also give birth to a Nigerian oil company that will be expected to hold its own, compete with the IOCs and not become a junior partner in any project jointly executed with another company. Can the expected company find the financial muscle for that role? Yes! The inherent blessing in deriving over 70 per cent of government budget from oil dollar receipts should come in handy. It is also hereby reiterated that when the Federation Account begins to be allocated via domiciliary dollar accounts for conversion to realise naira revenue through deposit money banks, there will accrue substantial amounts of wholly federal-owned external reserves. Part of such reserves may be used as foreign currency loan to supplement cheap domestic bank credit that will become available in the process to enable a focused national oil company to carry out its functions.

LETTERS

The battle to empower youths There is no doubt that ture more attractive by proSrise.IR:unemployment is on the viding and making available It is also one of the major social problems affecting the growth and development of this country. Many Nigerians cannot meet the basic needs of life because they have no jobs. Graduates are being churned out yearly in various institutions with dim prospect of getting jobs. The few jobs available are not based on merit or competence, rather they are based on favouritism. The inability of getting a job leads to various societal vices such as armed robbery, terrorism, prostitution, kidnapping etc. There are ways in which government can tackle this monster. One is to make agricul-

modernised tools and also encouraging youths in this direction. Agric-business should be exciting, creative and innovative enough to stir and spur youth interest. This can only be done when government provides the basic necessities like fertilizer, replace all archaic tools with new and modernised equipment. Government should also establish farm settlements and employ youths that will produce different commodities for use as raw materials and also for human consumption. Furthermore, the youth should be creative and learn

different vocational skills. By so doing, they will be jobproviders and not job seekers. When youths are job providers, unemployment will reduce, but government should provide soft loans for them to start with because as fresh graduates it would be difficult to raise money to establish their businesses. In addition, the country is blessed with both natural and human resources and the most prominent one is crude oil, government should resuscitate the four local refineries and create more, so that the youth can get employed. • Grace Saanu, University of Ibadan.

Buhari and Tinubu radiate confidence IR: Buhari’s slightly more annulled the June 12, 1993 ing Buhari’s regime. SHead than two years as military presidential election, and I appreciate how Asiwaju Bola of State testified to his truncated rotational presi- Ahmed Tinubu governed self-discipline and financial probity. With his deputy, the late Major General Babatunde Idiagbon, they ran a society in which indiscipline faced zero tolerance. Their War Against Indiscipline (WAI) was highly effective and appreciated by well-meaning Nigerians; the country was incredibly orderly and peaceful. But sooner than later, they were overthrown by the enemies of progress and anti-people forces; the same forces that

dency in 2011. All hope is not lost. With the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigerians have another chance to reposition the country, through massively voting for the APC candidates throughout Nigeria, to redeem the country from imperialism and importation of fuel. Professor Tam David West, a former Petroleum Minister, already told us how Nigeria imported no fuel dur-

Lagos State without incurring debts, despite the withholding of the money due to his state from the federation account by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. And under his leadership, his successor, Governor Babatunde Fashola, used the released funds to transform the state. May God reward the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who released the money. • Pius Abioje, University of Ilorin.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

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Nigerian banks in sound health, says NDIC From Anthony Otaru, Abuja. HE Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has given a clean bill of health to the nation’s Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) with its assessment of their operations last year. Also, the corporation has so far paid N6.82billion to about 528,212 insured depositors of closed banks in the year ended 31st December, 2012, against the N6.68 billion paid to 527,942 insured depositors in the previous year. The assessment of the banking sector was contained in NDIC 2012 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts made available to The Guardian yesterday in Abuja. NDIC assessed that the banking industry recorded signifi-

cant improvement in its financial condition and performance in 2012 as revealed by all major financial indicators compared to the previous year. For instance, the banking industry’s total assets grew from N21.89 trillion in 2011 to N24.58 trillion in 2012 (or 10.91

per cent). Out of the total industry’s assets of N24.58 trillion, total loans and advances stood at N8.15 trillion, representing over 33 per cent (or one-third) of total assets. Of the banking industry total loans, N4.48 trillion (or 54.97 per cent) was extended

to the real sector of the economy in 2012 as against N3.88 trillion (or 53.37 per cent) and N3.51 trillion (or 48.95 per cent) in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Of particular note was the rising trend in the banking industry’s credits to the agricultural sector, which stood at

3.60 per cent of total loans, and advances in 2012 compared to 2.15 per cent and 3.11 per cent recorded in 2010 and 2011, respectively. ‘’The banking industry was adequately capitalised in the year under review with capital adequacy ratio of 18.07 per cent compared to 17.71 per

cent recorded in 2011. All the DMBs also met the minimum liquidity threshold of 30 per cent. The asset quality significantly improved during the year as the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans decreased from 4.95 per cent

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Imo to raise marketing body, N10m loan for traders From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri HE Imo State Government T has initiated moves to set up its own marketing commission to be known as Imo Marketing Commission (IMC), an official of the state’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Pastor Victor Okereke, has disclosed. In another development, the state Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has approved the disbursement of N10 million revolving interest –free loan to some traders in the state. Okorocha confirmed the economic package yesterday in the state on his return to Imo State from a three- week economic tour in the United States while addressing some traders in the state, adding that all the traders in the state should be patient on the transformation of the economic sector in Imo State. Meanwhile, Okereke, who announced the establishment of the commission when he inspected the extent of work at the Imo International Modern Market located on a 10- hectare piece of land at Naze, along Aba Road, Owerri, said about 10,000 shops, six plazas, banks and business centres would be built, adding that three main sections would be created, such electrical electronics; automobile and allied spare parts; and general goods. According to Okereke, 500 shops were under construction in each of the three sections.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) member, Alhaji Isma’ila Zakari (left); Vice President, Chidi Ajaegbu; President, Kabir Mohammed, and Chairman Eastern Districts Zone, Alhaji Razaq Olaowo, at the opening ceremony of the eighth yearly Eastern Districts’ Accountants Conference of ICAN in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

How to raise oil production profile, by stakeholders prepare for future oil supply challenges at the international market, citing the fast HE Federal Government’s growing shale oil technoloassessed low utilization of gy debut. oil and gas resources for He said: “We have seen the national development was oil and gas sector changing brought to the fore yester- gradually, and I will like to day, as stakeholders in the see the country improving sector yearned for a ‘greater’ to a desired level. Nigeria o i l - p r o d u c i n g has to move forward. We nation. might be thinking a lot is The stakeholders, who gath- not happening in the interered in Lagos yesterday, to national market today, but discuss, “PIB: Harmonisation we need to prepare ahead for and Implementation for the raining day, considering Economy Growth”, con- the threat of shale oil”. curred that despite the He enjoined the governnation’s high ranking in ment to focus more on the terms of oil and gas reserves, domestic sector, in other to the abundant resources aid the efficiency of the prihave not really impacted on vate sector through an effecnational growth. tive transformation proFormer Director of gramme. Department of Petroleum Executive Secretary, Resources (DPR) and Nigerian Content Director, Transcorp Energy Development Monitoring Limited, Tony Chuckweke, Board (NCDMB), Ernest said the Federal Government Nwapa, however noted that and the stakeholders should the Nigerian content pro-

By Roseline Okere and Sulaimon Salau

gramme has recorded much progress in the first three years of implementation, but stressed that the nation can attain greater height in terms of domestic performance in the sector. He said: “Nigeria is a very high ranking country in terms of oil and gas reserves, but are we a great oil producing country? No, because we don’t have all that is needed to become a great oil producing country”. Nwapa however, cited several capacity – gap that are needed to be bridged to meet local capacity utilization. Citing the current performance of local participants in the sector, he pointed out that engineering is now contributing 90 per cent to local content, fabrication, 50 per cent; while manufacturing is still a paltry seven per cent. He put contribution into the local content development fund at $200 million, adding

that about four companies have benefited so far from the fund, which is being managed by a Nigerian bank. Speaking also at the forum, Chairman, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Mark Ward stated the oil and gas sector could spearhead the country’s aspiration to become one of the world’s top 20 economies by the year 2020. He noted however that unfortunately, Nigeria’s oil and gas industry faces range of challenges, such as illegal bunkering and sabotage; constant security threats to facilities and employees, shortfalls in joint venture partner funding; lengthy delays in project and contracting approvals; operating cost escalation; lack of domestic gas infrastructure; and low domestic gas prices, others. According to him, the PIB

presents a unique opportunity to resolve many of these challenges. “However, our review of the bill indicates that these challenges are not resolved. In fact the current provisions will make it harder to attract the necessary funds to sustain and grow Nigeria’s oil and gas industry”. Ward said that the PIB does not balance fiscal elements. “The terms proposed increase royalties, increase taxes and lower allowances or incentives all at the same time. “As part of our analysis of the PIB, we also compared the proposed fiscal terms with 20 other countries. What we see across the board is that when a country has relatively high royalties, they balance it with relatively lower taxes or higher taxes with lower royalties with

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

16 BUSINESS

Raising Nigeria’s oil production profile CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 incentives in both cases providing some balance. However, the PIB doesn’t have this balance and the result is that Nigeria would have one of the harshest fiscal regimes in the world. This will make it very difficult for Nigeria to attract the required foreign capital to offset decline let alone grow production. “And this comes at a time when the global energy landscape is drastically changing. As you know, new technologies are unlocking shale oil and gas in the US with Russia and China expected to follow. Closer to Nigeria, there have recently been significant gas discoveries in East Africa and West Africa is opening new areas with attractive terms up and down the region. On the market side, recent refinery upgrades are reducing the need for light crudes like Nigeria’s Bonny crude putting pressure on crude sales. All these advances are creating direct competition for investments dollars with Nigeria. That is why now, more than ever, it is important that we get PIB right to keep Nigeria competitive for investments”. The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, urged stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to work together to devise appropriate modalities to arrive at a consensus on the subject. It is by being able to have a harmonized position on the bill that we can expect an industry legal framework that would support the growth of the oil and gas industry for many years to come.

Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Yinka Sanni (left); the Director-General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo and Group Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, during the bank officials’ visit to NTDC in Lagos.

Microsoft to phase out Windows XP by April 2014 By Adeyemi Adepetun and Gbenga Salau O prevent the loss that T many Nigerians who would caught unaware about the phase out of Windows XP from the market, after about 12 years of its introduction by Microsoft Inc, the company yesterday in Lagos informed of plans to take out one of its flagship operating system, the Windows XP, by April 2014. Microsoft said the Windows XP has up till April 8, 2014 to remain in existent officially, as it would be replaced with

Windows 8 and Office 365. The implication of that to consumer is that the company would no longer from that date be providing backup support for Windows XP users. Using the term “End of Support” for Windows XP, the Acting Country Manager, Awawu Olumide-Sojinrin said the change process became necessary due to various advancements in technology development and the need to provide consumers with better opportunities that would aid their effective in workplace and in carrying out their

Nigerian banks are safe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 in 2011 to 3.51 percent in 2012. The improvement in the banking industry’s asset quality was due to the purchase of the non-performing loans of DMBs by AMCON and the enhanced credit risk management by DMBs. The overall effect was an improvement in the industry’s profit before tax, which increased from a loss of N6.71 billion in 2011 to a profit of N525.34 billion in 2012’’, it noted. On the level of soundness, 10 banks were rated sound, nine satisfactory and only one bank was rated marginal, thus the industry could be considered to be relatively stable in 2012. There was no unsound bank in the banking industry as at December 31, 2012., it further stated. It stressed that the DMBs reported 3,380 fraud cases involving the sum of N17.97 billion with expected/contingent loss of about N4.52 billion in 2012. The expected/contingent loss had increased by N455 million (10.9 per cent) as against N4.072 billion reported in 2011. Notwithstanding the 43.7 per cent increase in the number of reported fraud cases from 2,352 in 2011 to 3,380 in 2012, the amount involved decreased by 36.4 per cent from N28.40 billion in 2011 to N18.04 billion in 2012. ‘’ In the year under review, the licences of 24 PMBs which

had hitherto closed shop and were unable to meet obligations to their depositors and creditors were revoked by the CBN and NDIC was subsequently appointed as liquidator.’’ It equally said that as at December 2012, 310 out of the 323 MFBs that rendered returns had met the minimum paid-up capital of N20 million. A total of 302 MFBs had capital adequacy ratio of more than 10 per cent. The remaining 555 did not render returns and that situation continued to be a source of concern to NDIC as it was impossible to assess their financial condition and performance on a continuous basis during the year under review. According to the report, the feat was achieved despite of the long closure of the banks and the unwillingness of many depositors to file for their claims. Similarly, it stated that a total sum of N2.505 billion was paid to 75,322 verified depositors of 95 out of 103 closed Microfinace Banks (MFBs) during the year, against the N2.249 billion paid to 72,062 verified depositors in 2011. Also, N73.58 billion had been paid as liquidation dividend to 250,209 depositors of banks as at December 31, 2012. Indeed, 14 out of the 34 banksin-liquidation prior to 2006 had declared a final dividend

of 100 per cent of their total deposits, indicating that all depositors of the affected closed banks had fully recovered their deposits. ‘’The NDIC, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), conducted Risk-Based Examination of 16 deposit money banks (DMBs) during the year. The NDIC led the examination of six of the banks while the CBN led in 10. “Furthermore, the two institutions conducted a maiden examination of the three (3) banks acquired by AMCON, namely: Keystone Bank, Mainstreet Bank and Enterprise Bank during the year. While the CBN led the examination of Mainstreet Bank and Enterprise Bank, NDIC led the examination of Keystone Bank. The Corporation in collaboration with the CBN also conducted the maiden examination of Jaiz Bank Plc and the StanbicIBTC Non-Interest window during the year under review’’ the report noted. Accordingly, it said that corporation in 2012 conducted routine examination of 246 microfinance banks (MFBs) out of which six were found to have closed shop. The NDIC also conducted risk-based examination of 40 primary mortgage banks (PMBs) in 2012 out of which three were found to have voluntarily closed shop.

day-to-day activities. This she said is critical for people to be in line with current technology as XP is no longer a product for today. She noted that Windows XP does not meet new demands of present day technology, which products like Windows 7, 8 among others introduced by his organisation would be providing. She further said that the action is a buyer’s decision as Microsoft will not force any of its clients to migrate away from XP. Olumide-Sojirin said that it became important to announce the planned phase out of the product ahead because as an organisation it likes being proactive with communication, which is usually not limited to communicating new ideas but also when there are needs for precautions. The Solution Sales Specialists, Microsoft, Mr. Oluyomi

Alarape said that when Windows XP was introduced into the market, it was a great product but technology has changed and what is requested from products has also changed. He noted that any customer who continues to use Windows XP after April 8, 2014 would be exposing itself to great security risk as the organisation would not be available to provide support for such users. He maintained that customers should not consider the migration from the point view of cost but from protection and security and saving the organization losing vital documents as result of security threat from virus. According to him, the last 12 years of Windows XP have been tremendous, stressing that it was able to simplify production and drive productivity

for both individuals and corporate organizations. The Solution Sales Specialist, who said the Office 365, which is now in about nine countries across Africa, including Cameroon; Seneral; Cote ‘d Voire among others, disclosed that the solution comes with cloud services, which provides highest form of security for users against any form of attacks. Mr. Biodun Ogunjobi of Hashem Network Services, a Microsoft Partner, enjoined Microsoft consumers not to wait till the deadline or when virus attacks their system before migrating. He said that it is important to be proactive by migrating early even before any crisis to safe the organization from the loss that may be suffered from the negative implication in delay from migrating.

ACCA partners PwC Nigeria to build local capacity on IFRS HE global Chief Executive T of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Helen Brand (OBE), has revealed that the organisation would collaborate with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria on key initiatives such as capacity building in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which are currently being adopted in Nigeria. Brand, who is on a visit to Nigeria as part of a week-long event in Nigeria, said that both ACCA and PwC are partnering to address the capacity deficit in the country’s accounting industry and to improve the quality of corporate reporting. “Both ACCA and PwC share common professional values, global presence, ethics and governance. This perhaps explains the desire to collaborate on key initiatives such as capacity building in IFRS which are currently being

adopted in Nigeria. Both firms plan to jointly organise a series of events on IFRS for SMEs in collaboration with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)”, She said. Responding on behalf of PwC Nigeria, Taiwo Oyedele, a member of the ACCA Global Governing Council and Partner in charge of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services at PwC Nigeria, said that an effective and full adoption of IFRS in Nigeria would increase investment inflow into the country; adding that it was therefore vital that both global firms partner on creating much needed capacity building in that regard. “In addition to removing some of the subjectivity from financial reporting, IFRS provides more consistent platform for recognition, measurement and disclosure of transactions and events in financial statements, leading to greater transparency,” he

said. “This in turn, will lead to increased investment in Nigeria. IFRS is not just about reporting; it is also about measuring business performance. It therefore means that investors and business managers must understand it as well as the accountants who will report it.” Oyedele observed that many quoted companies in Nigeria are struggling in recent times to meet the deadline for their submission of IFRS-complaint financial records for the year ended 2012 as mandated by the Financial Reporting Council and harped on the need for increased capacity in the accounting practice in Nigeria. ACCA is the global body for professional accountants offering business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

BUSINESS

Saudi investors to partner Kogi on investments From Kolawole Timothy, Lokoja consortium of investors A from Saudi Arabia has indicated readiness to partner with Kogi State Government in the area of industrial and socio-economic development. The leader of a delegation and Executive Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, Alhaji Muhammed Indimi, said during an audience with the state governor, Captain Idris Wada. The governor commended the executive chairman for honouring his promise to

come and invest in the state and assured him of the state government’s support to achieve their aims. Earlier in his speech, Indimi, who led the team of investors to the state, said that they had come to invest in Kogi because of the confidence they had in the leadership. He therefore requested from the governor for land for quick commencement of their partnership venture with the state, stressing that they had already written application for land and immediately it was

approved they would commence work. Also speaking the Vice Chairman of Alkatani Group of Saudi Arabia, Sheik Sallah Alkatani, said they were happy to be in Kogi State saying that they were willing to transfer the technology that they had learnt over the years in the course of their business to Kogi State. He mentioned that they were into oil and gas, steel plant development and pipeline producing adding they had been in to the family business in the last 73 years.

Enterprise Bank assures stakeholders of best deal ahead HE Managing T Director/Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Bank Limited, Mallam Ahmed Kuru, has affirmed that the appointment of Citigroup and Vetiva Capital Management Limited by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) as financial advisers in the sale of the financial institution is certainly the last lap of the long journey that will guarantee better days ahead for all stakeholders of the bank. Speaking in Lagos Kuru, who said he was happy leaving behind a better Enterprise Bank and a happier workforce, added he was convinced that customers will have the best deal at the conclusion of the process. Said he:“I am convinced our customers expect the best deal at the end of the day. So their expectation should be high.” He stated “in line with the

plan of AMCON, this is obviously the last lap of the entire process that started on August 5, 2013 when we came on board. However, what is important for me is that the bank will at the end of the process run like every other strong and healthy bank not owned by the government or AMCON and without any encumbrances whatsoever. For me it is on this solid foundation that a financial institution needs to soar.” The Enterprise Bank helmsman also said he does not think the last lap of the process would experience any hitch. According to him, “As I have said on many occasions before now, the appointment of the advisers are part of the overall plan of AMCON. We are not being distracted by it. Rather, everything is being done to make the process go smoothly.”

Further elaborating on the role of staff of Enterprise Bank at this important period in the history of the financial institution, Kuru again said, “As members of staff of the bank on the other hand, we have had the responsibility of explaining to all our esteemed customers that the process is in the best interest of everybody. I say this because if there is any singular beneficiary of this process, it is the staff whose jobs have been secured because whoever is buying the bank is definitely going to be interested in the quality of staff that we have developed in the bank. What we have done as a management is to ensure job sustenance as well as welfare of all staff. So it is also important that the staff are not distracted by this process. Our attention rather has been to concentrate on running the business.”

eTransact floats MoneyGram Goes Mobile By Anthony Chidubem Nwachukwu TRANSACT has set off a revE olution that guarantees prompt international remittance in Nigeria through its novel mobile phone-driven MoneyGram Goes Mobile, which was launched in Lagos on Tuesday. The package, an innovation added to its PocketMomi platform, was developed in partnership with the international money transfer giant, MoneyGram. Designed to do away with the time lag between when a source sends the money abroad and the time the intended receiver’s account is credited due to protocols, the package has many inherent advantages over the existing over-thecounter transaction system. Speaking at the launch, the eTransact Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Valentine Obi, represented by this Group Head, Legal, Mrs. Eme Godwin, said it gives exceptional convenience in receiving and concluding transactions in the comfort of a target receiver’s living room by manipulating instructions on one’s mobile phone. Others advantages will include reduced cost, since the receiver will not need travel to any financial institu-

tion for such transaction; no documentation validation required and, perhaps the major one, transaction can be done beyond banking hours, even on weekends and holidays. The major driver of the package is the telecommunications network, which powers the mobile phones, and the service is guaranteed so long as network is available. According to the MoneyGram Business Development Manager, Anglophone West Africa, Kemi Okusanya, the product is a milestone in achieving financial inclusion, which she noted remittance as a key aspect of. She stressed that the new package couples remittances with mobile money and that the partnership with eTransact delivers a solution that puts remittance service in the user’s pocket. Citing the World Bank, which says that remittances far outweigh monies from donor agencies, Okusanya said the partnership with eTransact would facilitate that without hiccups, as the mobile phone will pick it up immediately. On his part, MoneyGram Operations Manager, Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Kunle Olumuyiwa, said the

innovation is a kind of pocket MoneyGram and would enhance financial inclusion for the unbanked, adding that Nigeria could become the fifth nation in the cashto-receiver market. To enjoy this service, he said, the mobile phone user registers free as a PocketMomi subscriber, thereby doing away with the burden of carrying about the identity validation documents in order to receive money. Having subscribed, the user sends “Reg, first name and surname” to 20220. When done, he/she submits the account documentation through any eTransact-certified PocketMomi agent and the registration is complete. 0 Afterwards, when a sender notifies of international money transfer, the user selects “Receive Money” from the PocketMomi menu, then the MoneyGram option, then enters the reference number and PIN, and submits. After the user and transaction have been verified and authorized, the receiver’s (electronic) wallet is credited. The receiver can then cash the money from any PocketMoni agent or alternative channel integrations such as ATM and POS.

18 BUSINESS

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

NIMASA moves to avert U.S. sanction over alleged port insecurity By Moses Ebosele HE management of T Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), on Wednesday assured all stakeholders especially the international community of its resolve to ensure port facility owners/operators comply with International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) recently gave Nigeria 90-day ultimatum, which expires at the end of this month to improve on its maritime security or risk sanction. According to the USCG, failure to comply may lead to stoppage of sail of vessels

from the United States of America to Nigeria. Speaking in Lagos, DirectorGeneral of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, explained that the agency has “taken up the challenge in ensuring that the country does not suffer the embarrassment of such sanctions as contained in the report”. He explained that an action has been developed and immediately activated to aggressively close the reported gaps. “This effort included dispatching competent recognized security organisations to conduct security surveys and assessments aimed at identifying and correcting these deficiencies and any other observed vulnerabili-

• Lists challenges ties. “Whilst focusing on these facilities listed in the USCG report, measures are already underway to address the generality of Port Facilities (PFs) in the nation’s maritime domain. “This action plan has been given a nod by the USCG and it has pledged to support the efforts of the DA (Designated Authority) in ensuring the issues raised are remedied. The DA has outlined its implementation framework in the form of handbook to enable the public understand its agenda with respect to this new implementation regime”, said Akpobolokemi. Accompanied by Executive

Director, Maritime Safety & Shipping Development, Capt Bala Agaba and Deputy Director (Public Relations), Isichei Osamgbi, the NIMASA boss explained that though the agency took over the responsibility about three months ago, “the agency immediately set out to institute a fresh implementation programme as needed. Giving more insight into what the agency has done to ensure compliance, Akpobolokemi said: “Upon assumption as DA, NIMASA encountered several challenges, one of which was the December 2012 expiration of all Statement of Compliance for Port Facility (SoCPF) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)”.

He said the management of NIMASA has since approved an ISPS Code implementation committee to help oversee the implementation mandate. “Aside from key NIMASA personnel who form part of this committee, membership has been drawn from other key government stakeholder agencies such as the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Police, State Security Services (SSS), Customs and Immigrations among others” According to Akpobolokemi, in order to establish the number, location and nature of operations of all PFs and jetties in the country, “NIMASA has commissioned a stocktak-

ing of the nation’s coastal maritime assets. This audit will help the DA capture and catalogue all port/berthing facilities as well as verify their ISPS Code compliance status. “All PFs including those mentioned in the US diplomatic note to Nigeria are also currently undergoing security assessments as a step towards preparing security plans that are ISPS Code compliant. The DA has just recently concluded verification inspection Exercise on all shore-based PFs in the country. The report of this VIE will form the basis for re-certification of these PFs in line with ISPS code requirements. PFs deemed non-compliant will not be recertified and in extreme cases, attract added punitive action”.

Flour Mills, South American firm sign pact on agro-allied scheme o achieve maximum yield T and sustain profitability in its farm’s operations in the country, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) has entered into a technical assistance agreement with Adecoagro. Group Managing Director of FMN, Paul Gbededo, made this disclosure in Lagos, saying that the company decided to enter into the pact with the leading South American agro-industrial company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, in line with its strategic plan to further grow its agro allied business and contribute towards the achievement of the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda. “In furtherance of FMN Group’s strategic focus and vertical integration of its agro allied business in response to Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation

Agenda, the Group has invested in large scale commercial farming of different crops across the country including rice, sugar cane, maize, soybeans, cassava and palm plantation,” Gbededo said. According to him, the South American company owns and operates over 278,000 hectares of high quality farmland and several industrial assets where it produces over 1.2 million tons of food commodities and renewable energy, including, corn, wheat, soybean, rice, cotton, milk, sugar, ethanol and electricity. Under the terms of the agreement, Adecoagro will assist FMN in the management and sustainable development of its Kaboji Farm, one of the largest commercial farms in Nigeria comprising 10,000 hectares near Kontagora, Niger State, dedicated mainly to the culti- Director Drug Evaluation and Research NAFDAC Mrs. Hauwa Keri,(left) Director Port Inspection Directorate NAFDAC, Mrs. Maureen Ebigbeyi and Director Investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC, Mr. Mac Donald Garba during the Press Briefing on the Seizure of Counterfeit Products in Lagos yesterday. vation of maize and soybean.

PHOTO: GABRIEL IKHAHON

Stakeholder boosts human capital management By Adeniyi Adunola N keeping with its commitINigerian ment to improve the corporate landscape through the development of capacity building programmes for business executives, Poise Nigeria Limited, a personality development and business image consultancy in conjunction with Enterprise development Centre (EDC) of Pan- Atlantic University, recently organised breakfast meetings to

discuss a new approach to the protracted problem of poor employability skills in the nation’s work force. The events which held at the EDC centre in Lagos and Abuja on 13th and 17th July, 2013 respectively, and saw in attendance CEOs and Human Resource Personnel from over 50 organisations , featured talks on the perennial problem of poor employability skills among Nigerian graduates and how the situation can be managed. The

focus was on the challenges of recruiting qualified hands and safeguarding and improving the quality of an organization’s workforce by using an effective recruitment system. A key part of the conversation was a product known as PSENSE, a specially designed tool for human capital management, which takes into account and mitigates the basic challenges of the Nigerian labour force and the employability levels of our graduates. The

product is an employability skills testing and certification platform designed by Poise Nigeria in collaboration with Biddle Consulting, United State. Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, the Head of the Poise’ Graduate Finishing School, explained that it had become a necessity to have standardized assessment systems that allow for an objective and accurate measurement of the work readiness of a job candidate. According to

her, today’s workplace requires that employees possess essential soft skills among which are the ability to think analytically and work strategically, articulate ideas effectively both in written and spoken forms, work under pressure, solve problems creatively, possess good ICT skills and so on. She pointed out that a candidate’s possession of such skills was not easily ascertainable by screenings based on their class of degree or their

performance in theoretical and abstract aptitude tests, but on a checkpoint system built to test for such skills. At this point, she introduced the PSENSE Employability Skills Certification as an assessment tool that had been designed not only to test the intelligence quotient of the job candidate, but more importantly, to ascertain their work readiness through an evaluation of their employability skills level.

Edo threatens to sue FAAN for reopening sealed office From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City

HE crisis between the Edo T State government and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) may not be over yet despite resumption of flights as the government on Wednesday said it would institute a legal action against FAAN for re-opening its administrative office which was sealed on Tuesday by the board without authorisation. The development came on the heels of complaints by the

board that 33 Federal Government agencies, ministries and departments in the state were indebted to the state government to the tune of over N2 billion from nonremittance of personal income tax of their employees. The highest debtor being the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) which was said to be owning the state government over N682million. Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) of the state,

Oseni Elamah, made the disclosure when he briefed the press in Benin City over the altercation between the board and officials of FAAN over default in tax payment to the tune of N15 million. Confirming that he was detained by the police over the incident, Elamah said he was called in the morning of Tuesday by the Commissioner of Police over the allegation by the Benin Airport Manager, Ayodele Sunday that his board had shut the airport. He

said he was shocked that the manager that manhandled officials of the Board was let go while he was detained by the police. “The Chief of Staff to the president called while at the airport and I explained to him the true picture and thereafter left with the police, but I did not regain my freedom until 9.30 pm. I was with the police, the governor invited me to his office on this matter, but I could not go, even journalists were waiting for me in the office, but I could

not leave the police station.” According to Elamah, “The problem is that the Federal agencies here have been treating both the Board of Internal Revenue and the Edo State government with impunity and always acting as if these federal agencies are above the law. I want to put on record that the issue of tax is not based on agreement, it is not based on negotiation or compromise, it is based on law and that is the position of the Supreme Court in the case of

Owaigbo Marketing Company and the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue. “Therefore, the Edo State BIR in exercise of its powers and in conformity with the various provisions of the law, obtained a duly and valuable court order to “distrain” the FAAN Benin airport. This was due to their failure to remit money that has been deducted from their staff salary under the Personal Income Act to the coffers of the Edo state government.”

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Weekend

‘Why Nigeria wobbled at IAAF Championships’

Business Travels P.46

Arts & Culture P. 27 Autowheels P.45

Revving up Osun Osogbo festival to global taste

New aircraft revs competition in aviation Volkswagen debuts with three new brand models

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

20 WEEKEND For nine days in Moscow, the Russian capital, the world’s best 1,974 athletes from 206 countries vied for honours in the recently concluded 14th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships. In the end, a total of 47 sets of medalswere shared among 38 countries, with Russia topping the table with seven gold, followed by the United States and Jamaica with six gold medals each. Among the African countries, Kenya led with five gold medals, followed by Ethiopia, with three gold medals. Uganda and Cote d’Ivoire had one gold and two silver medals respectively. Nigeria, with one silver and one bronze medals, placed 24th overall and fifth among African countries. But while other countries’ laurels came from different athletes, Nigeria depended solely on Blessing Okagbare, eventually gave the country its two medals. Reviewing Nigeria’s performance at the championship, CHRISTIAN OKPARA, ADEYINKA ADEDIPE, GOWON AKPODONOR and ENO-ABASI SUNDAY write that, Nigerians would have been spared the agony of waiting prayerfully on a single athlete, if the country had a structured path to athletes’ development.

Experts x-ray Nigeria’s poor outing at IAAF champonships, list solutions ORMER Nigerian speed star, Tina Iheagwam, Fwomen’s was filled with anger when Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team could not make it to the finals the just concluded IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Iheagwam’s anger stemmed from the fact that the relays have always been Nigeria’s forte in international competitions. Even when the country’s runners failed to measure up in the face of daunting opposition from the Americas and Europe, the relays always came to the rescue. Since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Nigeria had not failed to get, at least, a medal in the relays in all the international competitions, except at the World Championships. And with Blessing Okagbare doing well and some decent runners, there was the belief that the country would get at least a bronze in the 4x100 metres women’s race. However, that could not happen, as a faulty baton exchange put paid to such expectations. Before then, the expectation was high because the people were expecting another glorious moment from speed star, Blessing Okagbare, who was expected to anchor the race. Unfortunately, the Nigerian 4x100m relay team was disqualified for what the IAAF termed ‘baton infractions,’ during one of the heats. Iheagwam described it as a big setback to Nigeria’s sports. For several years, Iheagwam partnered other great stars like Linda Eseimokumoh, Falilat Ogunkoya, Mary Onyali, Beatrice Utondu, Rufinah Uba, Christy Opara-Thompson and Mary Tombiri to rule Africa’s athletics. Then, the country was a big force in athletics at every major international competition. Disturbed by the state of Nigerian athletics, Iheagwam is also at a loss on why a country of over 150 million people, who are mostly youths, would rely solely on one athlete at a major event like the IAAF World Championship. In the build up to the All Nigerian Open Championship in Calabar, Cross River state, some of the nation’s best athletes assembled in Warri, Delta State for a Grand Prix/Relay event sanctioned by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). But one of the sour points at that event was the failure of the Nigerian women 4x100m relay team to win a medal. As it was the case in Moscow, the team failed because of faulty

baton exchange. But observers were not too worried because they had already qualified for the World Championships before then. However, the general consensus was that they needed to work on the transition, to be in a position for a medal in Moscow. After the selection of athletes for the IAAF World Championship in Calabar, officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) came up with a plan to camp Team Nigeria for at least two weeks in a country close to Russia, so that the athletes, especially the relay teams, could perfect their baton exchange techniques before the championships. The camping was later cancelled because the AFN could not get the necessary funding from the supervising ministry, the National SportsCommission (NSC). Without any form of camping, necessary for team bonding and which would have given the coaches the opportunity to ascertain the athletes’ state of preparedness, Nigeria went to Moscow hoping for miracles. And when the fight for honours eventually began, Nigerians suddenly discovered that they had to pray that nothing bad happened to Okagbare because she was the only beacon of hope for the country. Team Nigeria suddenly became a one-athlete nation. A contingent of 20 athletes shrank to only one, and Okagbare was left all alone to carry Nigeria’s medal hope from the beginning till the end of the championship. All other Nigerian athletes were either eliminated during the heat or they failed to show up at the starting block because they had different forms of injuries, which the officials did not detect before taking them to Moscow. While some athletics’ followers blame the shame in Moscow to poor funding, accusing the NSC of paying too much attention to football to the detriment of other sports, others say the athletics body has been short-sighted in its approach to the build up to the World Championship. To Iheagwam, the two medals won by Okagbare in Moscow came from her individual effort. She said: “Nobody should take glory for the medals won by Okagbare in this championship. So, our sports have gone so bad that we can’t even boast four or five finalists in a major championship? “When I heard that Team Nigeria was going to Moscow without a single day’s camping due to fi-

Long jump silver medallist, Blessing Okagbare (left), gold medal winner, US’ Brittney Reese (centre), and bronze medallist, Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic, after the event at the 2013 IAAF World Championships. PHOTO: AFP

nancial constraint, I shouted and warned of the danger. It is not done anywhere in athletics because the camping exercise is to enable the coaches examine the athletes before the real competition. “Every time, we complain there is no money for camping. Will they do that to football? The answer is no. The IAAF World Championship is the equivalent of FIFA World Cup at the senior level, yet, our country couldn’t make adequate preparation for out team. It is a shame.’’ When Okagbare ended the country’s 14-year wait for a medal in Moscow, Nigerians looked forward to seeing more of their athletes in the finals of other events. The following morning, the focus of many Nigerians turned to women hurdlers: Muizat Ajoke Odumosu (400m hurdles), Ugonna Ndu (also 400m) and Regina George (400m). During the trials in Calabar, Odumosu did everything to edge out other contestants in her events. She has been one of Nigeria’s top athletes and was among the only four Nigerians, who qualified for the Moscow Games in the A Standard. But athletics followers were shocked to see Odumosu disqualified in heat two of the women’s 400m hurdles. She jumped the gun twice and was given the marching order by the officials. Observers were perplexed that an athlete of Odumosu’s calibre could jump the gun. But the truth emerged the following day, that Odumosu was indeed injured and could not train well, not to talk of competing among the best in the world. Although, Team Nigeria entered her for the 400m hurdles event, it was just to avoid the repercussions from IAAF if she did not turn up. Before the commencement of the men’s triple jump event, there were insinuations that London-based Tosin Oke was unfit. The coaches only found out on arrival in Moscow. But unlike Odumosu, he could not even file out for his event. Brisbane ’82 Commonwealth gold medalist,

Isiaq Adeyanju, blamed the current structure of sports in Nigeria for the general decline. “If we really need to move forward, these structures have to change,” he said, adding that not until the federal government deemed it fit to appoint an ex-sportsman as Sports Minister and chairman of the NSC, “we will continue to fool ourselves.” To Tony Urhobo, a former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the fallen standard of athletics in the country could be blamed on the lack of a comprehensive school sports programme. Urhobo also believes that until the right people were put together to plan and execute such programmes, it would be difficult to get good results. “The overall problem we have over the years is systemic. It is not just in sports alone, but in sports you have a tested area where everything you have done is open for the whole world to see. Everybody appears to be a specialist in trying to analyse events like this, without knowing full well, how we have arrived at this stage.

Without any form of camping, necessary for team bonding and which would have given the coaches the opportunity to ascertain the athletes’ state of preparedness, Nigeria went to Moscow hoping for miracles. And when the fight for honours eventually began, Nigerians suddenly discovered that they had to pray that nothing bad happened to Okagbare because she was the only beacon of hope for the country. Team Nigeria suddenly became a one-athlete nation.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

WEEKEND 21

Abdullahi, Sports Minister

“Until we have the right group of people put together to plan and execute programmes, it is going to be difficult for us to get the kind of results that will make everyone happy. He advises that the ministries of education and sports should work together in drawing up a plan for the development of sports at the grassUrhobo roots, adding that the education ministry had a major role to play in sports development. “So, when you are planning such, minister of education, minister for sports, the two of them will sit together and get the experts in the various areas, to come together to draw up a plan. “For instance, I grew up in a system where education was the one body that was responsible for planning and executing the training of the young ones to understand what true education is, and then, they had games masters who were there to get the students fit and disciplined.” Urhobo says the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is doing its best in running football in the country by recruiting coaches it believes are qualified to handle the different national football teams. But the NSC has been battling over the years to sort out the problems of having qualified coaches to handle the various sporting disci- Obajimi plines. So for me, when you have a foreign coach taking care of your athletes, it means that the country has a problem because the manpower at that level is not there. “Added to this, if you begin to prepare an athlete from the primary school and he or she gets to the secondary school and is heading to the university; and there is no system in your country that will accommodate these athletes and so you have to send them overseas, then you have a serious problem at hand.” He pointed at Jamaica, which he said paid a hefty price for sending its athletes to school in America, saying some of the star athletes were even lost to America or other countries, before they decided to put in place, a similar system like the American one at home, where their athletes benefited from sports scholarship. One of the most criticised steps taken by the NSC in recent time, is its decision to only focus on Iheagwam

sporting disciplines that the country has medal prospects in, especially those that won medals at the last Commonwealth Games in India. Sports Minister/ Chairman of NSC, Bolaji Abdullahi, had insisted that the commission was ready to sponsor and present a one-port team that would win medals, rather than take 10 sporting federations on a jamboree that would not produce medals. Since the decision was made public, many sports administrators, coaches and athletes alike have deplored it, stressing that the inactivity experienced in the sports left out was capable of setting their progress in the reverse gear. But IAAF certified lecturer and course Instructor, Rotimi Obajimi, is of the opinion that the step is both good and bad for sports development in the country. His words: “It is good in the sense that, we should go to the Commonwealth Games and be sure that we are going to perform well and bring back medals and not just go there to swell the number of participants. But on the flip side, we should ask ourselves: what are we doing in order to develop those sports that are not doing well in the country? Serious efforts should be made to develop manpower in the sports sector, ranging from coaches to administrators, so that they can function effectively and ensure that discovered talents are given a good head start. “In other words, if we say Nigeria will not be represented at the Commonwealth Games by sporting disciplines that would not bring home medals, we should also work towards developing these sports and the athletes to become medal winners at such level in the next edition of the games, because staying away without commensurate work to redeem the situation amounts to nothing.” He, however noted that if the minister went ahead to establish the high-performance centres and pursue grassroots development, which he had spoken about, sports development may be taken to an entirely different horizon. He used his experience as a school boy sports practitioner to buttress how resorting to intense grassroots development may just be the magic wand the country needs in its bid to return sports to its rightful place. “I was not into sports before leaving for England at a very young age,” he explains. “But immediately on arrival in England at the age of nine, I started playing organised football and made it to my primary school football team and also started learning how to swim once a week. This happened during the winter period. “In the summer, I was introduced to track and field, where I excelled in high jump and I played cricket and tennis. In other words, all the sports I never played before in my life, I played them in my first year in primary school.” He continued, “exposure to five sports in a primary school environment within one year was enough to spark the interest in me. Added to this, Physical Education was compulsory and we had three hours devoted to that every week. Once you get to the secondary school, you started representing your house and if you were good enough, you were brought in to the school team, where you would move to represent your borough, county and then to the national trials, if you kept on improving. I went up to the county level but was not good enough to make it to the national trials in most sports I did, except in track and field, which I excelled. “In the days gone by when the NSC was in Lagos, we used to have a department specifically for school sports, which was manned by about five or so members of staff. Articulating the interest of school sports was their job and they operated like a functional sports association.” Honorary president of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Segun George, believes that leadership goes a long way in determining how successful a venture would be. While disclosing that he wouldn’t blame the government for the rot in Nigerian sports, he advocates that programmes that would impact positively on sports development should be embarked upon. Using table tennis, which churned out athletes in large numbers in the past to buttress his points, George states that the same could still be done if government was serious about sports development. He said: “I can recall in the 1980s when we had a lot

of talents in table tennis. We had Atanda Musa, Yomi Bankole and with these athletes, we were able to dominate the sports from 1968 to 1988, when the Egyptians started coming into the fray. But even at that, the likes of Segun Toriola preserved our dominance until recently, when we were disposed as the number one country in Africa. George, who is also the former vice president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), lamented that Nigeria’s fortune in sports went down because efforts were not made to sustain the gains of the past by investing in the development of sports at the grassroots. On the way forward, George stated: “A holistic approach, which would encourage the young ones to participate in sports, must be instituted and funded by the government. There has been talk about government not being able to fund sports alone, but I believe that they have to seize the initiative by taking the first step so that companies and private individual can follow suit.” National Institute for Sports Head of Research department, John Dadi Mahmud, who is also a volleyball instructor, advocates for the formulation of a sports’ policy, which would be adhered to by all the levels of the structure to form the basis for sports development in the country. Dadi-Mahmud revealed that the idea in the past was to discover the athletes while they were still in the primary school, expose them to school competitions and see them grow to become world-class athletes. He added that it was impossible to see an athlete emerging from nowhere without passing through the school system. He said: “The likes of Segun Odegbami, Adokie Amasiemaka came to limelight through the school system and it would be a delight to see more stars emerging through that system, which has been very effective in the past. “During our time, we were discovered in the primary school and by the time I was in the secondary school, I was already getting invitation to the national team to train and play and by the time I was out of school, I was already a good player. This was how many athletes were discovered in those days.” Absolving the NSC of blame for the failure in Moscow, an official of the commission said the Moscow experience should teach Nigerians that nothing is achieved by chance. The NSC official blames the AFN solely for the debacle in Moscow because, according to him, the Federation only requested for funding for participation in the championship hence the N15 million approved for the team. Pleading anonymity, the official said it was not the responsibility of the NSC to train athletes for competitions. ‘‘Our responsibility is to provide the enabling environment for sports to thrive in the country. We have nothing to do with athletes. That is the job of the federations, who liaise with the states and local councils to discover and nurture the athletes for events. All we do is to support them because if we don’t and things go wrong, Nigerians would not understand the difference in our respective responsibilities,’’ he said. He added that the NSC would have tried to support the AFN plan for camping before Moscow 2013 if the federation had made the request on time even though the NSC also had some financial constraints. Echoing the assertion by the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) that 80 per cent of those running the sector are not professional, the official said some of the ills of the sector would be taken care of by the reforms on-going in the sector, ‘‘but the funding system has to change for us to get out of the current state.’’ According to him, “major championships have calendars, which entail that all the participants know of the events at least a year before they are held, so money for camping should not be an excuse for poor performance. “Serious countries don’t wait for a month or two before they start talking of preparation. But in Nigeria, we wait for the yearly budget to be passed before we start preparations for events, and most times, the money comes on the eve of the competition. Of what use would such funds be? “The federations are better served to look for independent ways of funding their activities. That is the way forward.” He explained that NSC got a total of N9, 234,984, 928 as its budget for both capital and recurrent expenditures, out of which the Nigeria Institute for Sports (NIS) took N5562, 635,075 and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) collected N1, 903,507,400. “So, we were left with N 6,768,742,453 to pay salaries and run our programmes. It is also from this sum that we catered for all the federations that have events in the year. “But we believe the issue of poor funding would be taken care of when the Supervising Minister for Finance completes the process that would ensure we get funding for our projects outside the yearly budget,’’ he said.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

ExecutiveBrief In association with TRIPPLEA ASSOCIATES LIMITED

EDITION 275

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT INFOTECH4DEXECUTIVES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE EXECUTIVE FINANCE r. Oyedokun Ayodeji, the Chairman, Board of Directors, D Institute of Information Management (IIM) - Africa, is responsible for the day - to - day running of IIM, RIMA Foundation (Nigeria & South Africa) and WM. Oyedokun is a respected information management practitioner, founder of the Records and Information Management Awareness Foundation (RIMA Foundation), publisher of Information Management World Magazine (IM World Magazine), RIM Africa Journal and Executive Producer of Information Management World on Television (IM World TV). He has received different international awards for his contribution towards the development of the Information Management industry in Nigeria and Africa. In 2004, he received the "Great Minds of the 21st Century Award" An award presented to him by the American biographical institute. In this interview with Nnamdi Nwokolo, Oyedokun, who was among a thirteen-man committee inaugurated in March 2010 by the Lagos State Government for the formulation of Policy on Records and Archives Management in Lagos State spoke on the need for proper management and security of records and information. Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your business? What do you do? How do you do it? Why do you do it and who do you do it for. I’m Dr. Oyedokun Ayodeji Oyewole, the President and Founder of the Records and Information Management Awareness (RIMA) Foundation (www.rimaw.org), a Non-profit NGO promoting proper management and security of records and information in both public and private organisations. The Foundation is registered and operating in Nigeria and South Africa. By the Grace of God I’m also the Chairman-BOD/CEO of the newly established Institute of Information Management, Africa (www.iim-africa.org), a RIMA Foundation project and professional Institute for Information Managers across Africa. What informed the establishment of IIM? As confirmed by the Director of the International Records Management Trust (IRMT), UK Dr. Anne Thurston (OBE), “RIMA Foundation is the only Foundation in the Information Management Industry operating at the National level” and during the cause of our operations in the last nine (9) years, we have discovered a lot of gaps in the industry including lack of recognition for records and information management professionals in most organisations, poor compensation, acute shortage of skilled and professionally trained personnel, vague

Promoting Proper Management and Security of Records and Information career path and lack of professional institutions. Being our primary responsibility to promote the frontiers of the Information Management Industry in Africa, and also following several enquiries we have been receiving from different professionals across Africa over the years, the board resolved after a meeting held over three (3) years ago approved the setting up of the institute which later came to fruition recently, so as to meet all these very important needs. What has been your biggest challenge since the establishment and how were you able to surmount them? The task of awareness creation does not come cheap, neither does it come easy. We have had to survive over the last nine (9) years on limited resources. In fact, the level of success we have recorded as at today is hard to believe, going by the fact that we never had any financial support from any government agency, neither did we get any international funding whatsoever, but the effort and commitment of the Board and Management of the Foundation has been wonderful managing limited resources and at the same time achieving astonishing results.

been known for quality and standard in the execution of our programs and projects. What is your assessment of the industry in view of the proliferation of training and certification consultants in the country? I think this is not the case in the Information Management Industry not only in Nigeria but Africa as a whole, compared to other developed nations. There is acute shortage in the area of trained and qualified professionals in Africa. This was even what prompted a project embarked upon by RIMA Foundation in encouraging the female folks into taking up career opportunities in Information Management through the Miss Archives Beauty Pageant. The pageant is completely about the beauty of the brain aimed at training young and upcoming youths (female) in Information Management, and providing them the platform to take advantage of the several opportunities provided by the Industry in terms of employment and relevance in the field.

Many entrepreneurs complain about not succeeding in business due to lack of funding, what is your take on this matter and how do you cope with funding issues in your business? The most important resource an entrepreneur requires to succeed RIMA Foundation has been in existence for sometime, what are the unique factors that stand you out of the competition? is a good business idea. Once that is in place, a good entrepreneur should develop a good business plan. Funding, as imporYou are very right; we have been around since 2004. tant as it could be should not be a barrier; tasks could be broken Unfortunately we do not have competition which is something we are not happy about, as the responsibility of promot- down into smaller chunks for execution with little funding and ing proper management and security of records and informa- can be developed upon. Like I mentioned above, there is need for an entrepreneur to be able to make do with limited tion management should be a collective responsibility of resources, which should be a characteristic most entrepreneurs every citizen. We would like to see more and more NGOs should imbibe if they are to be successful in the face of scarce springing up and initiating similar drives across Africa, resources. because we believe we cannot do it all alone. From our research we can tell you authoritatively that the Information What is your take on the general notion that entrepreneurs Management Industry has the potentials of providing over should build a business around what they naturally love to do? two hundred unique jobs which a lot of individuals and That is a very interesting question! As a matter of fact, I’m a organisations are not even aware of. Over the years, we have strong believer in that concept, because building a business and running it is not a child’s play. Lots of people go into businesses because they had seen others doing it and succeeding, without considering what could be responsible for their success stories. Business is not something you can just delve into with the whole belief that things would go the way we expect. If you are in the wrong business and things are not moving the way and manner in which we expect, the tendency is that such individual might want to give up on such venture. But if it is what you enjoy doing, regardless of the outcome you will hardly get discouraged from doing it. Whatever business you are involved in should be your hobby if you want to achieve the best result at the end of the day. What would you describe as the purpose of entrepreneurship? That is; what role do entrepreneurs play in the world? According to Wikipedia “Entrepreneurship is the act and art of being an entrepreneur or one who undertakes innovations or introducing new things, finance and business acumen, in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods.” Going by this definition you will agree with me that the role of the entrepreneur is key to the development of any economy. All the multinationals you see today actually started with an entrepreneur envisioning how a vision can be transformed into possibility. An entrepreneur is a solution provider and accomplishment(s) to me is not destination but a journey. I must say that God has been faithful to us and the greatest of it all has to do with the privilege He has given us in proffering solutions to those challenges being faced by professionals and the Industry in which we operate globally. How do you strategically use your time as an entrepreneur? What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs use their time for? Hmm, time is another resource that is very essential and must be managed adequately by entrepreneurs. Like the popular saying “Time is Money” As an entrepreneur, there is need to have a well structured roadmap for your operations and be able to break the tasks down into milestones expected to be accomplished over a given period, otherwise time would be spent endlessly without achieving much. So, there is need for proper time management. Leadership philosophy and how do you get in touch with everybody at all levels in the organization. In any organisation, my belief is every individual employee is important, from the cleaner to the CEO. You can imagine an un-kept office, how convenient that would be for the CEO or other employees to operate. So, you can see how important the cleaner can be. As a leader, I believe there is need for people within any organisation to work together as a team and we should be able to assist one another to achieve the set targets.

Oyedokun Ayodeji

What other activities does your organisation have in place to help entrepreneurs better manage their businesses? As part of our annual awareness program, all is set for the Records and Information Management Awareness Conference, Exposition and Awards (RIMACE) slated for 25 & 26 of October 2013, at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja. For Advertisement and Enquiries 08025070837 08156388800, E-mail:editor.executivebrief@trippleagroup.com

THE GUARDIAN, August 23, 2013

24 | EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Executive Management By James D. Best Entrepreneurial titans envision dominating an industry. Walt Disney, Howard Schultz, Bill Gates, both Watsons, Coco Channel, Bill France, Sam Walton, and Henry Ford didn't just rise to dominate their industry - they created or unalterably changed their industries. Each suffered disappointment as fellow pioneers couldn't or wouldn't share their vision. Each struggled for years against enormous financial odds. Each remained steadfast, carefully putting in place one block after another until everyone could finally see their castle in the sky. Each endeavor eventually reached critical mass, exploding onto the world scene with all the appearance of an overnight success christened by luck. Each industrialist achieved their vision through audacity, perseverance, and uncommon skill. None understood the enmity or envy of those who declined to take the trip with them. 1. LOVE OF ASPIRATION - Bill France Sr. (NASCAR) started racing in high school, Steven Spielberg operated a film camera for years before he was eligible to apply for a drivers license, Bill Gates wrote his first program prior to the invention of personal computers, Charles Barkley practiced jumping over a backyard fence in junior high school, Walt Disney doodled as a doughboy in World War I, and Warren Buffet bought his first stock at age eleven. These examples became icons in stock car rac-

CSR By Mindy Crary eople seem to have a clear idea of what they want when it comes to financial planning for their personal life, but a lot of business owners ask me, what does it mean to do financial planning for your business? Fundamentally, there are always six keys areas to consider, just like on the personal side. These six areas would include:

Current Foundation - This covers your debt, cash flow, cash reserves and how you manage your day-to-day business. This is where most new small business owners place most of their attention. Risk Management - Whenever you see the word "risk," just remember that it's a fancy name for insurance. Without going into all of the types, insurance connected to your business is simply to protect everything relevant to your business, from computers and equipment to your actual ability to earn income and cover expenses. Investing - Most people think of small business retirement plans as the only thing that falls under the investing category, but it can also address buying business-owned real estate and taking a laddered approach to organizing cash. Taxes - With taxes, you want to make sure you're taking advantage of all of the deductions, deferrals and depreciation you qualify for, and have a way to track and manage those things so you're not stuck with a grocery bag full of receipts, come tax time! Goal Planning - This starts to overlap with Strategic Planning; the distinction I make between the two is that ongoing financial planning

ing, film, computers, basketball, family entertainment, and investing. We could list many more examples of people who started honing their skills extremely young. An early start, however, has less to do with their success than you might expect. The real secret is that they stayed with a profession that claimed their heart, mind, and spirit. Entrepreneurial titans get people excited about their vision. This is hard to accomplish if you're not excited yourself. Think about it-all these people got rich doing what they liked best in the world. They didn't go to work in the morning; they went to play at their favorite pastime. 2. UNCOMMON AND UNWAVERING VISION - Entrepreneurial titans see things differently than the rest of us. Bill France and Walt Disney believed that if they respectively built Daytona Speedway and Disneyland, people would storm into their parks. Henry Ford saw the automobile as a ordinary family appliance, not as a toy for the well-to-do. When computers were the size of a small house, Bill Gates foresaw a computer on every desktop. Coco Channel visualized simplicity as elegance and style. Ted Turner perceived a ready audience for 24 hour a day news. Entrepreneurial titans possess vision beyond the commonplace and never waver from their view of the possible. Their vision tends to remain constant, but they continually elevate their sights to a higher plane. Despite all his accom-

Ten Attributes of an Entrepreneurial Titan plishments, Walt Disney never finished making his dreams come true. He pushed sound into cartoons, made the first full-length animated movie against everyone's advice, and built an amusement park that defied every convention of the entertainment industry. Toward the end of his life, he left the confines of fantasy with Epcot Center, intent on showing people how to build an entire city. If Disney had lived long enough, perhaps he would have reengineered the world. 3. SKILLED COMMUNICATORS Unless you're an artist or writer, it's unlikely you can single-handedly make your vision come to life. When you need resources or skills beyond your personal capability, you must convincingly communicate your vision to others. People can't follow you unless they know where you're going. Entrepreneurs communicate their vision and sell all the time. They sell their vision, their ideas, their organizations, their products, and themselves. Entrepreneurial titans explain their ideas and concepts until the uninitiated understand, they repeat their message at every opportunity, and they use illustrative examples. Their intent is to paint a picture in people's minds-a picture that people can see and strive toward. The description is generally short, always clear, and frequently presented as an allegory or metaphor. When Bill

products that come from their passion. Entrepreneurial titans crave growth, and growth requires producing something people want to buy. People who build empires shun cost cutting, cash cow strategies 4. MARKET FOCUSED because they find running in Entrepreneurial titans don't place boring-and unacceptable. build edifices merely to massage They don't chase after money, their egos- they also want the they chase after empire, and public to come in droves. These money just follows. are not private dreams. To Entrepreneurial titans are charattract customers, they think acteristically innovators, not about their business from a inventors. Inventors tend to be marketing perspective. They tar- inwardly focused with analytiget a specific market segment, cal minds, while the titans' brand their product, ceaselessly vision comes from being hyperpromote their wares, and use alert to the peopled world value pricing that baffles their competitors. Entrepreneurial titans study the marketplace until they find a segment they can dominate-then they focus on this segment until they own it. Walt Disney stridently kept his enterprise focused on family entertainment. Howard Schultz restricted the amount of food sold in Starbucks. Bill France never ventured away from racing stockcars. McDonalds never branched into fine dining. Coco Channel never endorsed a Sears line of clothing. Penske stayed focused on transportation. Gates first started running around talking to everyone about a computer on every desktop, computers for individuals were the province of introverted hobbyists.

around them. Although titans may not be inventive, they see markets for new technology that the inventor never anticipated. They view products from the consumer's perspective, constantly thinking up new ways to increase buyer appeal. They change the scale of their products, innovate around the edges, force new market segmentation, discover new applications for existing technology, and rejuvenate mature products with new designs and packaging. TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK

5. PRODUCT OBSESSED Entrepreneurial titans are distinguished by an obsession with their products or services. Beyond enthusiastically extolling their products to everyone within earshot, they involve themselves in every aspect of the product life cycle. They love what they do and they love the

Keys to Good Financial Planning for New Entrepreneurs

Executives Finance 5 Keys to Good Financial Planning for New Entrepreneurs By Mindy Crary

will translate strategy into specific behaviors you perform every day that bring you back to your financial goals, and then monitor progress. Succession Planning - For most people, the idea of transition OUT of their business is VERY far away. Succession planning asks how you plan to finish this business both as planned and in case of emergency.

eople seem to have a clear idea of what they want P when it comes to financial

rates if they can access your stuff online, versus coming to your home or office.

Keep finances separate. Admittedly, there is an easy way to allocate personal spending when you're tracking it, but why create the problem? Your income is REVENUE MINUS EXPENSES. Get a separate account at your Business financial planning cov- same bank that you have your personal account at, and it's ers a lot of territory; for young entrepreneurs, there are 5 steps simple. Also, if you have a they can take-not encompassing business structure other than sole proprietor, you can lose ALL of these areas-but 5 steps your liability protection if the that really take them from acting like a "hobby-preneur" to an prosecutor can show that you were commingling. See your established business owner: Use financial management soft- attorney if you have concerns about that! ware. I know a lot of entrepreneurs in the early years just hold Establish business credit. onto receipts for tax time, and Even if you are a sole propribelieve me, you cannot underetor, I encourage you to get a stand your profitability until Federal Employer you have an ongoing system Identification Number or EIN, that captures income and even if you don't intend to expenses. It doesn't have to be hire employees. The EIN is like complicated and Intuit even has your business's social security a Sole Proprietor Quick Books number, and you can start version, but this is an issue of establishing credit in its respecting what you inspect name apart from your own and using it to plan your next personal credit. When you get moves. that separate bank account, open it in the name of the Hire a bookkeeper. The best money I ever spend is on SOME- business and EIN, and then get the credit card that usualONE ELSE to keep my books ly goes along with it. You'll organized so I can go do the need to speak to an attorney thing that I do well-and I don't to get your EIN, one who hanthink ANYONE who is not a bookkeeper should be spending dles business formation, and they can also tell you the best time balancing accounts and categorizing expenses. You can business entity to use. spend as little as $100 per Find and exploit your key month, but I encourage you to business drivers. When I go build it in to your budget early into a business, I can usually on, so that it becomes an expec- identify specific activities that tation that you're never stuck the entrepreneur engages in working on it yourself. And, to acquire more clients or make sure your financial mansales, and with financial agement software has online reporting, we can analyze, access, because a lot of bookadjust and adapt behavior to keepers will give you better get the result they want.

will translate strategy into specific behaviors you perform every day that bring you back to your financial goals, and then planning for their personal life, but a lot of business own- monitor progress. ers ask me, what does it mean Succession Planning - For most people, the idea of transition to do financial planning for OUT of their business is VERY far your business? away. Succession planning asks Fundamentally, there are always six keys areas to consid- how you plan to finish this business both as planned and in er, just like on the personal case of emergency. side. These six areas would include: Business financial planning covCurrent Foundation - This covers a lot of territory; for young ers your debt, cash flow, cash entrepreneurs, there are 5 steps reserves and how you manage they can take-not encompassing your day-to-day business. This ALL of these areas-but 5 steps is where most new small busi- that really take them from acting like a "hobby-preneur" to an ness owners place most of established business owner: their attention. Risk Management - Whenever Use financial management software. I know a lot of entrepreyou see the word "risk," just neurs in the early years just hold remember that it's a fancy name for insurance. Without onto receipts for tax time, and believe me, you cannot undergoing into all of the types, stand your profitability until insurance connected to your you have an ongoing system business is simply to protect that captures income and everything relevant to your business, from computers and expenses. It doesn't have to be equipment to your actual abil- complicated and Intuit even has ity to earn income and cover expenses. Investing - Most people think of small business retirement plans as the only thing that falls under the investing category, but it can also address buying business-owned real estate and taking a laddered approach to organizing cash. Taxes - With taxes, you want to make sure you're taking advantage of all of the deductions, deferrals and depreciation you qualify for, and have a way to track and manage those things so you're not stuck with a grocery bag full of receipts, come tax time! Goal Planning - This starts to overlap with Strategic Planning; the distinction I make between the two is that ongoing financial planning

Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso

a Sole Proprietor Quick Books version, but this is an issue of respecting what you inspect and using it to plan your next moves. Hire a bookkeeper. The best money I ever spend is on SOMEONE ELSE to keep my books organized so I can go do the thing that I do well-and I don't think ANYONE who is not a bookkeeper should be spending time balancing accounts and categorizing expenses. You can spend as little as $100 per month, but I encourage you to build it in to your budget early on, so that it becomes an expectation that you're never stuck working on it yourself. And, make sure your financial management software has online access, because a lot of bookkeepers will give you better rates if they can access your stuff online, versus coming to your home or office. TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT

26 ARTS

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Revue

Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimon Oyetunji (3rd left) with crowd at the flag-off ceremony of Osun Osogbo festival 2013 on Monday in Osogbo

As 2013 Osun Osogbo Festival reaches the climax today, AJIBOLA AMZAT, who is in Osogbo, Osun State examines the progress and the challenges of the cultural fiesta in the last eight years since United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) adopted Osun Grove as a World Heritage Site. HE baby monkey was restless, or perhaps, T was excited. From a tiny branch, it leapt from one tree to the other, and later, landed on a low fence nearby. Green moss, which has grown on the fence, made it slippery, but the monkey ran over, smartly. It later joined a small troop standing on top of a grey-colour space bus parked at the entrance of Osun Grove. Their small eyes focused at the spot where the tour guide was standing. “They were expecting us to throw banana at them,” said the tour guide, Babawale Israel. After moments of fruitless wait, they dispersed – not into the forest; rather they took a leisurely walk down the road in the full glare of tourists few days to the Osun festival grand finale scheduled for today.

Revving up Osun Osogbo festival to global taste According to Israel, Mona and white throat monkeys are common sight to behold at the grove. There are also other animals such as pythons, big birds, alligators, grass cutters, squirrels and antelopes. Each roams freely without the fear of attack, because animal poaching as well as fishing or farming is prohibited in the sacred grove. The story would have been different had United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) not listed the place as a World Heritage Site. Though the Federal Government declared the grove a national monument way back in 1965, the virgin land remained a target for land speculators. Local hunters used to stalk animals to the grove. In fact, many of the Mona monkeys and other animals found there today would by now have migrated to other places, the edible ones among them, perhaps, ending up in hunters’ pots of soup, and their hides displayed in the local market. But the animals now enjoy the protection of the law, which UNESCO’s stamp of authority further strengthened eight years ago. Over 450 species of plants, which are of economic and medicinal values found in the grove, are also protected. On July 15, 2005, UNESCO World Heritage Committee sitting in Durban, South Africa added Osun grove in Osogbo, Osun State among the Heritage sites. It was the second site in Nigeria to be so listed. The first was Sukur in Adamawa State. It was listed in 1999. With UNESCO’s endorsement, Osun grove has since entered the world map of tourist destinations. And the list of visitors has been growing from year to year. According to Curator and Site Manager, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mr. Makinde Olakunle, there is never a dull moment at the grove because tourists from different parts of the world visit the place either for educational or scientific purposes. “A group of tourists from Spain just arrived here, they located the grove on Google map before coming,” he disclosed. “Considering last year’s turnout, there should be about

500, 000 visitors this year.” The growing publicity that the grove enjoys internationally has given confidence to many corporate sponsors to continue with their partnership. The list of sponsors includes MTN, Nigerian Breweries, Grand Oak Limited and Micom Hotels. Government of the State of Osun has also raised the bar of support given to the festival. The previous government led by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola used to give N1 million to the Osogbo community for the festival. The government has added to this, says the Ataoja. Currently, N5 million worth pavilion is under construction at the grove. Speaking at opening of Osun Trade, Investment and Culture Conference, one of the initiatives by the government to really position the festival as a global tourism product, the state’s governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, stated that economic agenda of his administration would be driven by culture and tourism. Already, N300 million has been set aside for the upgrading of tourist sites in the 2013 budget, according the State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Hon. Sikiru Adetona. However, despite UNESCO’s endorsement of the place as a site of universal value and efforts of the state governments, some stakeholders still believe that commitment of the government, both at state and federal level, is marginal. The parties responsible for preservation of the grove as a heritage site are the Federal Government, the Osun government and the Oshogbo community led by Ataoja Oba Jimoh Oyetunji. The Federal Government, which has the enormous resource to develop the tourism level of the grove to the world standard, has not risen to that occasion, says Ataoja Oyetunji. According to him, UNESCO’s listing of the place as a World heritage site has helped increased the number of the tourists. “Now tourists come from different parts of the world. And we need to make Osogbo a home

to them all. This requires money,” however, “the community does not have enough to put things in order. There is a museum here that issues tickets to visitors, but the proceeds are remitted to Federal Government in Abuja. Till this moment (Sunday), we have not received financial support from them with regards to the festival.” National Commission for Museum and Monuments issues ticket that allows a tourist to enter the grove. The ticket costs N100. And according to Mr. Olakunle, about 100,

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CORA Book Party... 000 tourists visit the grove yearly aside from those who come for the festival. This puts Federal Government’s earning to about N10 million yearly. Olakunle, however, pointed out that the earning never reached that figure because several public officials and government delegation visit the grove without paying for the ticket. So yes, there is crowd but the proceeds are not at par with the number, says the curator. He also disclosed that the monthly allocation for the conservation of the grove from Federal Government is N180, 000. Therefore, the museum collects a paltry sum of N2, 160, 000 yearly. This is almost 50 per cent less than what was allocated to the place about seven years ago. Whereas, nothing less than N6 million per annum is adequate for its effective management, he said. This inadequate funding may prevent the government from reaping bountifully from the tourist potentials of the grove. The agency responsible for the marketing of tourism in the country is National Tourism Development Commission (NTDC). What role has the agency been playing in the marketing of Osun tourism potentials? “Nothing,” says Ayo Olumoko, the Chief Festival Consultant. “We only include the name of the NTDC officials in the brochure as matter of protocol, but they have never come forth to play any role, neither have they contributed in the packaging or promotion of the festival in anyway, Olumoko said. But both the king (Ataoja) and Olumoko confirmed that the state government has been responsive to the request of the Osogbo community. A call at NTDC bore no fruits. NTDC spokesperson, Emeka Anaeto, told The Guardian that “director in charge is not picking her calls.” Chief Sangodare Gbadegesin Ajala, one of the adopted children of Suzanne Wenger, is more critical in his assessment of the stakeholders responsible for the preservation of Osun. He said there would have been no grove, as it is known today if not for the contribution of that Austria-born lady, who died in 2009. “Mama went everywhere seeking funding to preserve the grove. But what you see today is people trying to make money for themselves, and not for the preservation of the grove. He said if big organisation such as UNESCO raises funding in the name of Osun grove, they would give it to NCMM that will in turn divert the money for other purposes. “The only groups that are sincerely committed to the preservation of Osun grove like Mama are her committee of friends, Suzanne Wenger Trust and members of Sacred Art Movement. These people continue to raise money to preserve all

for men of the verses the sacred structures at the grove.” A tour of the core zone of the grove, which spread across 75 hectares of land, revealed that many of the sacred structures in the site have been touched. Though there are still few in the varying degrees of disintegration. Ajala said this work requires just little amount to fix. But it is tough raising from other sources except through the friends of late Adunni Olorisa. “How many other sacred groves do you see today in Yoruaba land that remains preserved like Osun grove? None. The oba and the chiefs could have sold all the land. It could have happened here too if not for Suzanne Wenger.” But the state of Osun has just spent N5 million on the construction of pavilion at the grove. Though the pavilion is still under construction almost three years after government’s approval, the government expects that such facility will upgrade the state of the grove. According to Soyode, the state government is also planning to build craft villages, craft centres, and another road to cut off the grove from the interruption of the regular passersby. Also, there would be affordable accommodation for tourist within the buffer zone, which spread across 47 acres. Ajala is unhappy with the building of 450-capacity pavilion. Rather than beautify the place, the pavilion blights the pristine state of the sacred grove. He said there is no need for such permanent structure which is only used once a year. “They could have put up a removable pavilion. Are they trying to make the place a football arena? The pavilion is an ugly sight in that space. The sight of that structure violates the sacredness of the grove. They should have consulted widely before they approve building that structure.” Contrary to this view, however, Special Adviser to the Osun State government on Culture and Tourism, Ladipo Soyode, said the state consulted every relevant stakeholders before the approval was granted including the traditionalists and the art community. In spite of this disagreement, the 2013 Osun Osogbo festival, which climaxes today as the Ataoja leads the procession of Arugba, osun devotes, the Osogbo community and tourists across the world to the grove, reinforces the claim that Osogbo indeed is the cultural capital of Yoruba land. How the management of the cultural heritage will be enhanced will continue to dominate discussion now and forever.

... Osun Festival lights up Osogbo today

CORA Secretary General, Akinosho, addressing the audience

Everyone knows that we produce remarkably good books in our country. But we also know that we don’t discuss them enough, we are not made aware of them enough. The soft infrastructure of the book reading culture is not aggressively under construction. By Anote Ajeluorou AST Sunday, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lwriters Victoria Island, Lagos, the best of Nigerian (poets) gathered to give insight into their creative works. There were eager book enthusiasts too, who had come to partake of the literary feast on offer. Eleven of the best Nigerian poets both at home and in the Diaspora were present, thanks to technology. Seven of the home-based poets (except Okinba Launko – pen name for Femi Osofisan, who was absent - Seven Steps up the Stairways) were in attendance. They included Tade Ipadeola (The Sahara Testaments), Remi Raji (Sea of My Mind), Amu Nnadi (Through the Window of a Sandcastle), Ogochukwu Promise (Wild Letters), Iquo Eke (Symphony of Becoming), Obari Gomba (Length of Eyes) and G’ebinyo Egbowei (Marsh Boy and Other Poems). Unlike the previous two years when Diaspora writers were unable to make the Book Party, Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), organisers on behalf of sponsor of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) company, made efforts to bridge the distance by technology. As a result, all three Diaspora writers, U.K.-based Afam Ake (Letter Home and Biafran Nights), Canada-based Amatoritsero Ede (Globetrotters and Hitler’s Children) and U.S.based Obi Nwakanma (Birthcry) took part in the literary conversation through Skype. Former Permanent Secretary and art patron, Chief Francesca Emanuel, notable poet, Odia Ofeimun, culture landscapist, Jahman Anikulapo, Maxim Uzoatu and Dede Mabiaku included culture producers in attendance. Big as Eko Hotel is, it could not provide reliable Internet service on the evening; it’s internet service was down beside the fact that its customers are charged, a small luxury that other smaller hotels render for free. But the duo of Aderemi Adegbite and Ayo Arigbabu managed to pull of a miracle of sorts, as they were able to bring Nwakanma, Ake and Ede to be part of the literary evening, with voices resonating through the Atlantic void. With Deji Toye moderating, the Book Party turned out an evening of fun and creative engagement even if for a sparse but quality audience. In his opening, CORA General Secretary, Mr. Toyin Akinosho, drew attention to the third generation of Nigerian writers, whose voices had become ever strident. He saluted the courage of these writers who

PHOTOS: CHARLES OKOLO

were weaned during Nigeria’s brutal military era and how the poetic idiom became their vehicle of narrating a country’s crushing experiences, as most of them were snatched from their beds at nights for daring to challenge the military authority. Akinosho also noted, “The presence of that set (Ake, Ede and Nwakanma) in this contest confirms that rumours of the silence of the Third Generation are indeed exaggerated. “You see, the Third Generation showed up at the time of the steep fall in the fortunes of Nigerian publishing. The independence generation, and the postwar generation had the advantages of critical and popular engagement. “Much of the early writings of the Third Generation, between the mid 80s and mid 90s, did not get the attention of the public in the way the previous generations did. It was one reason why members of this generation found themselves in the Vanguard of consciousnessraising. They used the media as bully pulpit in pursuit of a literature-conscious public; they set up award systems; they involved themselves deeply in the politics of literature… “It was also the era of the worst excesses of military rule, which perhaps explains why the adopted genre of the Third Generation is poetry. “For most of the 90s, Nigerian literature was almost equated with poetry. Poetry was almost the Nigerian writer’s preferred tool of interrogating the human condition in the darkest days of the military era. “Then Nigeria turned from pariah nation to a democratic state and the world opened to us. “For one, the idea for us, at CORA, is always to expand the membership of the community of culture patrons. And this book party fits in. We have invited you to a light evening of entertainment of a different kind. “Everyone knows that we produce remarkably good books in our country. But we also know that we don’t discuss them enough, we are not made aware of them enough. The soft infrastructure of the book reading culture is not aggressively under construction. “We at CORA have always felt that books that make it to this level in such a major award system as the Nigeria Literature Prize, ought to be known about in every community in the country. Our ambition is to help that to happen; to extend the star attraction of the award winner beyond the Gala Nite of the award. We have always maintained that the award is an opportunity for a series of events to really make books look cool; series of book readings and discussions in as many crannies of the country as possible as well as on TV discussions and radio shows. Most book readings in the country happen with the effort of the writers themselves. Our country should get past that; we should develop a community of book readership enablers; organisations that exist just to share in the joy of reading. “Book readership promotion should go beyond big showpieces as Bring Back the Book campaign. It should be about how we as citi-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

... Conversation with the best of Nigerian poets views and letting the readers make a decision based on their own understanding and background. Uzoatu also sort to know if the poets hadn’t in fact become too nice in their poetry and tailored it to fit the prize? Why hadn’t they been as combative and abrasive as they ought to be and indeed call ‘fuck a fuck’? Ofeimun expressed “happiness that this contest is defining Nigerian in a good way. The best is coming out of Nigerian writing”. In responding to Uzoatu’s charge, Ede noted, “If a writer wins a prize, that’s an extra, but I don’t think you write for a prize, even if you can target a prize. Certain prizes should honour the craft of writing. It will be wonderful if a totally unknown writer won the prize. There’s a time to encourage a young writer; this is it!” Ipadeola also noted that he’d read a substantial number of the collections in the race for the prize and he felt sure that they were not tailored for any prize; that it just happened that they were in the race, adding, “Nobody writes simply to win a prize”. Raji said Sea of My Mind was his sixth collection of poetry and he hadn’t intended them for any prize, noting, “Nobody writes for prizes”. Nnadi also stated that there was a tendency to think that writers were defined by prizes, but argued that this was not so. Although it The seven poets - Ogbowei; Gomba; Eke, Nnadi; Promise; Raji and Ipadeola at the CORA-organised event and sponsored by Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas company… in Lagos was impossible to generalise on why writers write, Promise said the reason was “basically for self-expression; to be able to hold up a mirCONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 you do reflect on it and your locale where you es, but there’s cross-fertilisation of ideas. I mod- ror to see what society holds. Poets let you see erate the online art discourse, Creazitivity; we’ve through the images and brings that conreside. It’s just happens; it’s not all you write zens engage the organs of book developmoved around and it has enriched our experiabout”. sciousness for you to reason and it depends ment in our communities”. Also responding to the exile theme, Ede stat- ences. I just obtained a Ph.D; if I come back on the mood of the poet”. With that opening, the conversation started ed, “While exile is relevant is because such home, will I find the tools to teach with?” On the role of the poet, Eke said as “products with Wura Samba doing a solo piece on his To which Promise responded, “Ake, Ede, please of the environment and education, poets writers growing up in the 1980s became scatsamba drum. Radio presenter, Tokunbo come home and we will find the materials you shared common experiences, which can be tered and pushed out of the Nigeria; they Ojekunle read excerpts from the works of the have now have different, complex ways of need together!” coloured by it”. three Diaspora writers, when it wasn’t cerEke, who is a folklore performance poet, said thinking…” Gomba said he was worried by a certain level tain Skype would work for audio and visual she drew a lot of materials from her Ibibio peo- of tyranny, which critics impose on writers In interjecting, Ake lashed out, “There was presence of the poets. Although in fits and ple, whose language is rich in proverbs and already internal exile before we left Nigeria and thereby take away their latitude to write starts, it eventually worked to the delight of and the feeling of not being wanted before we local idioms with which she embellishes her freely on how and what they felt, adding, all. All the poets read excerpts from their poetry. She noted, “It’s not only traditional or left”. “Institutions of prize has helped writing. But works to give a taste of their creative muse to At this lamentation by the two Diaspora writ- foreign influence can take us there, but we need creativity still thrives when there are no prizes the audience. ers about the material condition in Nigeria in to be true to what our realities are, otherwise and then when there are prizes. Writers need we’ll be filled with disillusionment. Making the 1980s and 90s that pushed them to go money and time. If we find more institutions GBOWEI took the first shot. His collection abroad to seek greener pastures, Promise Nigeria work for our people can be done; it’s not like LNG to support writing, it’s a great thing. in the race for the $100,000 prize, Marsh turned the tide of the argument and called on nuclear physics. It can be done”. “The jury has seen the merit of writing across Boy and Other Poems, resonates with violence them to return home and help in the buildAmu Nnadi noted that writing is usually a generations. Poetry is thriving across generaand militancy in the Niger Delta as a result of ing of the country of their birth from which product of a person’s “society, our learning, our tions”. oil mining by government and oil compaexperiences and you can’t takes politics away they ran away. For Ogbowei, the issue boils down to “truthnies that have refused over time to address from my writing. My poetry is politics, really; I She said, “At some point, I thought about telling and also the problem of engagement. issues of oil spillage, environmental degrada- leaving, but I said, ‘who will do it?’ Do you run do not restrain myself. Sometimes, subtlety I’m engaged because I can’t stand aloof from tion and lack of human and physical develworks”. away from the problem or stay to fix it? I the problem of the Niger Delta. The problem opment in the area. choose to stay. In spite of the problems, there of minority is not peculiar to Nigeria alone; On the role of poetry in the context of miliT this point, there were interventions from are beautiful things in Nigeria. If we put our it’s all over the world. We’re all engaged in the tancy and the destructive armed struggle, the floor of the house, as the audience sort to problems of the marginalised Nigerians and resources and potentials together we can fix Ogbowei responded that though a tricky Nigeria. In the face of all the problems, do you make meaning of the writings of the poets and to say we’re endangered. I’m a Nigerian issue, “If I say no to militancy, I will be a liar; abandon ship? Is that the way out? We should how they mediated in their writing. engaged in telling the truth, but I don’t have if I agree to a call to arms, I’ll be accused of On the issue of exiled and home writers, try to get people to see that we can make to ask people to go and shoot Jonathan or anytreason. But what is the view of the people in Nigeria better. If we develop our community Emanuel said whatever the status, “whether body else”. those areas due to environmental degradainternally displaced or not, we are all and families, we can overcome”. There was also intervention from Lukman tion, destruction of farmlands, diseases and Nigerians”. Ambivalence was what better summed up Sanusi of Bubble FM from London, who praised poverty? Even Ken Saro-Wiwa realized he had Raji’s position on the matter of living abroad She went on to task the poets to define what the organisers for a wonderful job in bringing to abandon writing in favour of serious cam- or staying at home. A much traveled writer, the role of a poet should be in society, whether together the best of Nigerian writers to diapaigns against the injustices; he was dealing who has experienced so much and abroad to write the truth as he or she sees it or mediate logue and expressed the online buzz the conwith a kangaroo system. If you think you’re it by being neutral in the presentation of his and who writes so beautifully about home versation was generating. dealing with a humane society, you’re and places he’d been, Raji said he strode both wrong. divides effortlessly and was at home here and “If the issue of the Niger Delta is not treated there, stating, “It’s important for me to conseriously, we’re likely to have full-blown war! nect with Ake and Ede”, and expressed his joy Militancy is still very real”. at being on the initial shortlist of 11 poets Tade Ipadeola’s The Sahara Testament collec- alongside his two teachers – Ogbowei and tion is poetry that traverses geographical Osofisan, who taught him in secondary borders in scope and treatment and goes school and university respectively. beyond traditional norms. For him, it’s like “I have never left and I have never stayed,” “taking knowledge everywhere and not just Raji noted. “I take all that is good and bad and a representation of any tradition” and have actually straddled the global communiemploying tropes and images from anyty. I never left because the oral intelligence is where, although he noted, “I’m not sure any so much with me, but I also never stayed writer can totally depart from past tradibecause of the existential issues around us. tions. Ogbowei’s concern is with truth and I’ve had opportunities to teach or be in resibeautify; it’s correct to say that all knowledge dence outside the country. I never allowed is interconnected”. myself to be limited by my environment. I For Gomba, “We live in world of connected- have sustained a constant dialogue with my ness” noting, “if you think the world ends generation and older ones even as a teacher within a national space, you’re wrong”. who can easily be seduced by influences. I In responding to the theme of exile from find joy in the writings of my predecessors London, Ake said, “it is a necessary theme of and ancestors. It’s a very beautiful thing to my generation. However, all of us have been stand at a point of synthesis. I started writing exposed to the internet, the global commuin Yoruba.” nity and so more aware and in tune with it To counter Promise’s assertion that Diaspora than the older writers. Exile isn’t something writers ran away from the problem and one chooses to write about but it comes out weren’t contributing to Nigeria’s developof our experience. It resolves around the ment and her call that they should return theme of experiences I’ve had, of having trav- back home, Ake said although they were eled and of home. It’s easy for critics to locate abroad, “Wherever we go, Nigerian is never writers within one space because it’s easier. far away from our mind”. Chief Francesca Emanuel(left) and some guests at the event There’s that sense of distance in us because For Ede, “Exile is not a condition one choos-

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

ARTS

VisualArts Primal Rebirth... of lost values, empowerment from the Diaspora By Tajudeen Sowole AGOS-based ceramist, Ato Arinze and his Lprintmaker, Virginia, U.S., Nigerian-born counterpart, Solomon Isekeije have assigned themselves the task of using art to rejuvenate declining societies across Africa. Seated before selected guests shortly after explaining a few of their works as part of a preview inside Quintessence Gallery, Park View, Ikoyi, Lagos, the artists could not hide their excitement and optimism at the collaboration. The project titled Primal Rebirth takes off with an art exhibition of ceramic sculptures, prints and drawings at Quintessence Gallery from August 24 to September 31 2013. In addition to the exhibition, the collaboration will involve several workshops to train youth and adults in art and craft, according to them. “The arts is playing a pivotal role in revival of dying communities and loss cities across the U.S.”, Isekeije stated. “I believe the same can be done in Nigeria and across Africa”. Nigeria may not have the graphic examples of a bankrupt city such as Detroit, but quietly people are also losing their sense of belonging in their homelands here and across Africa. In fact, a country like Nigeria, which has as much ‘over 60 million unemployed youths’ would do with a Primal Rebirth, no matter how little of a drop in the bucket of the artists’ contributions it turns out to be. “The dawn of this century has witnessed shrinkage in global boundaries”, the artists noted. The collaboration, they assured will “spark a renaissance” to correct socio-economic, “spiritual” imbalance as well as “geopolitical issues”. Given the antecedence of the two artists, sharing similar passions, though operating differently, there is no doubt that Primal Rebirth project has a future. In the past five years, Arinze has been promoting art appreciation and professionalism at the grassroots through a group known in the Lagos art scene as Artzero. The group, mostly young artists, promote its mission by organising a yearly art exhibition tagged Art on the Mainland. “The prime resources of any nation are its people, and we hope to celebrate our people by examining areas of change in our culture”, Arinze and Iskeije stated. They insisted that Primal Rebirth is the way to start as “a call to action for self-review and effective change through the arts”. Over a decade after Isekeije left Nigeria, the Lagos art scene, he noted, is still the right place to take off. Using the arts, as a source of empowerment is not exactly new in Nigeria. Quite an increasing number of established artists have been doing it. For Arinze and Iskeije’s Primal Rebirth, however, the longterm plan is to have its base abroad where they hope funding can be easily sourced. “The project will register as a charity in the U.K.” Isekeije disclosed, and explained that as an NGO, it would also focus on Africa as a whole. Isekeije said Primal Rebirth would work with local governments and other NGOs in Lagos. Inspired by what Arinze described as fundamentals of sculpture in the clay medium, the project is also stressing “the importance of clay in art”. The clay medium, he argued, “was the earliest in sculpturing, dating back to the ancient periods”. Having invested over 20 years in studio practice as a ceramist, Arinze has also facilitated workshops, seminars on clay both at home

and the Diaspora. Few years ago, he was on the trip of Nigerian ceramists to the Scandinavia for workshops and exhibitions. This much of experience, he hoped to give to the Primal Rebirth project. While Arinze lamented the declining state of clay as a medium in Nigeria, his partner, Isekeije has a different story. Clay, he said, is still being used in diverse ways in the U.S., as his work “evolves from drawing to printing and sculpture”. Specifically, the collaboration with Arinze, he explained, would focus on the use of clay on a higher scale, adding, “We don’t just want to use clay in the usual way, but hope to take it to a significant stage”. A teacher of sculpture, ceramic and printmaking, Isekeije’s vision for Primal Rebirth also includes “pluralism” and the role for women in the development process. He particularly stressed the need to empower women, noting, “Being a father of three girls, I am passionate about women”, as stereotyping women worries him. “I want to change the misconception about women being pushed to the background in Africa”. Arinze, a 1991 graduate of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, argued that being a sculptor is a privilege in understanding the essence of living, stating, “The vessel for me is a metaphor for the world: the surface a canvas, whoever can model perfectly a rounded pot can equally make the best from life”. He noted that concept and passion influenced by nature “determines the faith of a given vessel”. For Isekeije whose stay in the Diaspora offers an advantage of exploring identity, experiments and “exemplifies” with “abstract and representational images”. One of such works is a serigraphy print titled IrinkirIndo (The constant traveler), most likely inspired by Yoruba folktales, particularly from one of D.O. Fagunwa’s literature classics. It’s said of him, “It depicts a traveler at a crossroad carpeted with an American flag, set against a background of iconic African and American images. He drags his cultural, mental and metaphysical baggage with him in his quest. As he crosses over the threshold his physical appearance changes and he assumes the position of the vitruvian man, which symbolises the collab-

Ato Arinze’s Happy Family from Primal Rebirth an empowerment, art exhibition project

Solomon Isekeije

oration between art and science, and an attempt to draw a correlation between man and his universe”. Isekeije trained at the University of Ife,(now Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria), under the late Prof. Agbo Folarin. He also got his printmaking experience from the master printmaker, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya. Ato Arinze

In Young at Art workshop, creativity meets environment ITH about over 70 particion May 27, 2013 at the City Mall, W pants, including young Onikan Lagos. adults and children, the ninth The 2013 edition, which took off edition of holiday workshop Young Art focuses the right of youth and children just as the participants have increased this year. For the 2013 edition, the theme is Protect Yourself And Protect The Environment – Children. According to the organisers, Biodunomolayo Gallery, “,teenagers protection becomes more relevant now than ever in view of the on going agitation against pedophilia and underage marriages in Nigeria. There is the need to protect the rights of our children”. In its consistent about children’s right, the gallery had earlier implored similar theme during the Children Day edition

in July with the first set of participants is still ongoing at the 2nd floor of the City Mall, Onikan, Lagos. The second set of participants, according to Biodunomolayo Gallery will start first week of September, 2013. Debuted in 2004 the workshops have been running at two centres in Onikan and IKeja, Lagos. As a larger number of teenagers attending this year, the scope of the workshop has been expanded, the gallery stated. “Also, there are more facilitators this year to meet the needs of the growing number of children in the workshop. More subjects like French language and EngParticipants at the workshop lish Diction have been in-

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THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Out of the Box…Young artists in race for Enugu glory Stories by Tajudenn Sowole LTHOUGH the few works on display durA ing the opening of Lagos Zone of a national art competition, Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), held at National Museum, Onikan Lagos, exuded conceptual quality, the zone may have an impressive showing when the grand finale comes up in Enugu. With the theme Out of the Box/Out of the Frame, 26 artists from Lagos Zone were given opportunity to showcase their works in the exhibition organised by Alliance France, Lagos. In its seventh edition, LIMCAF’s 2013 edition will hold its grand finale on Saturday, October 12, 2013, in Enugu. The zonal contests took place “simultaneously” across the country. The other centres include Ibadan, Kaduna, Abuja, Jos, Calabar, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Auchi, Uyo and Enugu. Ibrahim Afegbua’s sculpture, what looks like a full nine month old baby in

the womb titled ‘Misconception’ depicts a pregnancy that refused to be aborted and grew into ready-to-be-delivered baby. In fibre glass and encircled with metal ‘womb’, the baby is bombarded with many drugs as well as injections passed graphically over the months, explained in a syringe piercing through the womb. Mounted at the National Museum’s gallery, Afegbua’s ‘Misconception’ indeed stands out among the works on display: it’s a typical package in conceptuality, aesthetics and thought-provoking thematic contents. With the head of the baby larger than usual with perhaps other defective parts of the body hidden, it’s clear that it could end up a miscarriage in the labour room. And for the exhibition that was dominated by paintings and mixed media in the traditional forms, the sculptures, as few as they were, seemed to have a better outing in content and themes. For example, another work, titled Alabaru (carrier) by Adedeji Julius Adedewunmi looks like a piece with a great chance of winning a prize at the grand finale. Generally, the participating artists’ works are representative of the creative energy waiting to join the fledging Nigerian visual arts scene. Prizes for the finalists include overall best, N500,000; best in sculpture, painting, graphics/textiles, photography, printing/mixed media/drawing, each wins N250,000; Justice Anthony Aniagolu prize for Originality, N100,000; the Art is Everywhere (recycled material) prize, N50,000; and overall best entry from Enugu Zone prize of N50,000. Also, consolation prizes will be given to 19 runners-up of N20, 000 each. At the last edition, Eze Mariagoretti Chinenye’s mixed media ‘Rejuvenation’ from Enugu Zone picked the first prize; photography piece, Adewumi Oluwatobi’s ‘My Dream’ from Lagos Zone won Best Photography; ‘Beauty Pageant’, also from Lagos Zone and by Installation Odo Sunday Ernest won Best

Installation, Sculpture; and from Enugu Zone, ‘The Heart Shall Smile Again’ by Uzornwannne Igbenabor picked the Best Digital Graphics. Making its debut in Lagos after the sixth edition, LIMCAF was not exactly well attended during the opening. Late information and publicity for the exhibition appeared to have affected the turnout of visitors. Aside the few participating artists present and members of the organising committee, attendance was dismally low for a completion in its seventh edition. In the catalogue’s foreword, director of Alliance Francaise, Lagos, Christine Deuve notes that the participating artists have displayed a “broad variety of artworks, which are sometimes amusing and expressive in a certain way of life”. The Kevin Ejiofor-led organisers are confident that LIMCAF has grown beyond their imagination. It’s designed for persons under 35 years, and draws participation from young professionals and students of tertiary institutions. He said, “Entries have grown steadily from 180 in 2007 to 800 in 2012. It’s a growing national and international youth and art tourist event and

destination; at its core is the Art Competition and exhibition at the Grand Finale; the works of top 100 young Nigerian artists and 30 top works of Africa’s young photographers. It provides space through art for interaction for young people from all over the country and beyond to make meaningful statements about the environment. “It began as something of an experiment when in 2006, Robert Oji, founder and Chief Executive of the very prominent outdoor advertising agency, Rocana Nigeria Limited decided to find sustainable ways to challenge and encourage many young people who were studying art in the many tertiary institutions in and around Enugu where very few exhibitions were being held and outlets were limited except for the occasional opportunity at the Alliance Francaise centre”.

In Abuja, Ezenwa Maja-Pearce leads women to Prayer For Nigeria N other to find spiritual solution to the chalINigeria, lenges of under development confronting seven top female artists from Lagos and the FCT, Abuja will open a group art exhibition titled Prayer for Nigeria, from August 27, 2013 at The Thought Pyramid Art Gallery, Abuja. The artists are Angela Amami-Isiuwe, Victoria Udondian, Ngozi Akande, Klaranze Okhide, Stella Awoh and Juliet Ezenwa Maja-Pearce. It’s their hope that with their art, the contributions of women at this period of the country’s challenges should be acknowledged. It’s the belief of the coordinator of the group, Maja-Pearce that the challenges facing Nigeria could be solved by the prayers offered by women and children from across the country. The gathering, according to the organisers, was inspired by one of Maja-Pearce’s works, a collection of acrylic collage paintings on canvas, portraying groups of women and children deep in fervent prayer. Maja-Pearce is constantly experimenting with materials and methods. In her own words: ‘I have delved into different media in search of how best to express my art. My primary purpose is to produce art that will remain relevant and endure”. A native of oil-producing Delta State, she has been in the forefront of the campaign for upholding the rights of women and the girl-child

in Nigeria. Her works on those themes were exhibited at the Female Genital Mutilation Exhibition in Canada, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. She currently runs an NGO, Future-Perfect, which organises creative workshops and trainings to empower women and young people. Her gallery, Yemaja Art Gallery in Surulere, Lagos, takes on students on industrial attachment and apprenticeship. She is very widely exhibited. Her recent works are a collector’s must-have. She has many solo exhibitions to her credit. She is usually found at the annual Harmattan Workshop organised by Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, which takes place at Agbarha-Otor, Delta state. Migrations, her most recent solo exhibition of plates, prints and installations, took place on August 2012 at the Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos. Thought Pyramid disclosed that the plan to exhibit the works of the female artists in Abuja has been in the pipeline for a long time, adding, “Like most labour-intensive professions, female artists are very few. The challenges they confront in order to keep practicing their art is enormous. They have worked hard to produce and finish the works for this show. Each of them has been in the field for a good number of years and they have all shown the potential for longevity. I am very pleased to invite the Abuja public to come and One of the works during the exhibition view this exhibition”.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

ARTS 35

Literature Letters to Nigeria... Sharing a woman’s experiences from two continents Dr. Patience Akpan-Obong is a communication expert and resides in the United States. But she shuttles often between the States and Nigeria and this places her in a vintage position to mediate issues on both sides. In this interview, she talks about her new book and how her experiences can enrich discourses on both sides By Kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku About Letters to Nigeria… ES, it is but then it also includes brand new materials written specifically for the book. It has a section that is titled “It takes a village to raise an African immigrant”, which consists of brand new materials. Over the past six and a half years, I have been writing this column in Saturday Punch called ‘Medals’ and the column addresses various issues but mostly from a light, humorous aspect. And so in the book, I took a selection of the ‘Medals’ essay and put them together and wrote new materials and published. This is because I believe that not many people read the paper, not because they don’t like the paper but because they don’t have access to it and also people who live outside the country may not have access to the paper and finally, I think that the materials that I addressed are very important enough for a lot of people. So, I put the materials in a book form because I believe that it will go a lot further than the newspaper and it is something you can always pick up… and you have like 99 chapters or articles that you can always refer to whenever you want to and also re-read. So, that’s the first reason I did it; just to make it possible for a lot more people to have access to the things I have written over the years and then secondly, I think that the issues I addressed in the book resonate with a lot of people regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, race or their geographical location (you

don’t have to live in the Diaspora) to benefit from some of the issues. So far, a lot of the feedbacks from people in Nigeria reading the book are positive. One woman said it was as if she was reading her own story, her own life, her own experiences as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife and as just anybody. This is not just a book for women; it is a book for everybody. One of my readers and one of the first people to buy the book in Akwa-Ibom wrote back to me and said he is in his 50s and just starting a masters degree programme right now and there was a time he was finding it really difficult as an older person working with a family and he found it really challenging. But when he read one of the stories I shared in the book about my own experience as a mature student (I was in my 30s when I was doing my PhD), and how I struggled and how I resolved some of the difficulties I had… So, he said that when he read that, it really encouraged him to move on, to continue and persevere in his masters degree programme. So the point there is that this is a book that covers issues that a lot of people experience and I just heard today during the book signing, somebody who told me that a pastor friend of hers enjoys reading my column and I asked, why would a pastor from a church which is very conservative enjoy reading my material? Because I would not have believed that such a pastor from the church would even read my columns. But she told me that the man said he reads it because it relaxes him and makes him laugh. So, I address important issues but I try to make the narrative very light, funny, humorous so that even when I’m talking about something that is serious, like the rape and killing of Cynthia Osokogu which is a really serious issue obviously, but there’s a way I present that serious issue the way I comment on it that is in a way entertaining without being superficial or disrespectful and without being insensitive. So, even when you are reading something serious, you still may smile a little bit because of the way I present it. And so for me, I think that these issues help people to

relax as the way I try to put them could be informative and educative. I think I give a total package and I do the basics of journalism which is to educate, entertain and inform. I think I do that even when I address big issues but I deliberately stay away from the so-called big issues. I look at the everyday issues because sometimes we cannot always write about the politics in Aso Rock. But we can also write about traffic in Lagos; you can also write about shoes, what type of shoes to buy. Everybody wears shoes. The point is that I’m just using this as an example even though I have written about shoes but I’m just trying to say that life is not all about heavy stuffs. Life is also all about the small and lighter stuffs. That’s what I do with my column and that’s what I did with the book. Main thrust of the book The title is Letters to Nigeria: A journal of an African Woman in America; it should by all senses sell the book in the sense that I expect that an average reader would want to know what the book is all about. What are those letters? How is this person’s experience different from other people’s experience or different from his or her own experiences? How are those experiences different from those of the people who are not in America, who have never been there and who may never be there? So, I’m thinking that out of curiosity, you first pick up the book and then you read it because you will enjoy the materials, the narrative is enjoyable and delightful. Secondly, you will find your own stories in my stories. Many of the articles, I begin usually with a personal story and then I move from the personal to the political. So, even when I’m talking about my life or that of my children, there’s always a ‘political’ point to the story. And so, I could be talking about the last Nigerian presidential election and I start by talking about what happened to me when I was a kid in the village, and eventually, you will get two for the price of one. You will get to hear my story and also, you will get to read my commentary on that particular

The compass of blissful wedlock Sociology By Bayo Ogunmupe HIS book is a down-to-earth practical guide to marriage. Its thematic focus is clear for married couples. It says that God created man with what it takes to make successful marriage vows. Moreover, Jehovah endows us with the wisdom, financial and physical resources we need. Enclosed in this book are facts and secrets that dispel the myths and equip you with the necessary knowledge for the needed changes that will cause you to optimise your conjugal happiness. To aspiring husbands and wives, Designed for Marriage (Awesome Treasures Foundation, Lagos, 2013) answers the perplexing question – How can I know my natural mate? It’s written by Olajumoke Adenowo, who hosts a radio programme on leadership called ‘Voice of

Change’. This book goes further than that; it practically shows the way through scriptural, ageless and universal principles to ensuring you become the one for the right partner. Thus you are able to distinguish yourself from the sea of singles awash the streets. This easy-to-grasp testimonial of a successful marriage partner helps you to better your own marriage and create a new, enduring partnership. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”, says Proverbs 25:11. That quotation is an apt reminder of what Designed for Marriage is all about. It was the Caribbean pastor, Myles Munroe who said, “When purpose isn’t understood, abuse is inevitable.” This book is such a compass to the fulfillment of purpose in marriage. It shows in glowing terms Jehovah

God’s express intention of marriage and how it should be managed. Believe it or not, marriage is to be managed like you marriage terminal conditions of health as diabetes, AIDS or hypertension. This is because later in the middle of the marriage, you are tired of each other, bored to death by predictability and nagging. Thus marriage is a journey rather than destination since the relationship isn’t between saints, forcing them to keep learning and adapting. Adenowo shows that man has been designed by Jehovah with every power to dominate the earth, making man and woman to craft a unique partnership to fulfill God’s dominion over the earth. Even in this divine partnership, form follows function, the physical design of men and women being reflections of their spiritual attributes. These peculiar spiritual attributes each partner brings into the partnership ensures the success of the marriage. Hopefully, reading this book will ensure that singles desiring marriage will realize that God would not have equipped them thus without marriage in mind. Therefore, just by stirring up the potential for marriage in you, it becomes a matter of time before

Akpan-Obong event. So, I think and I hope and encourage people who have not been able to read ‘Medals’ to pick up the book and read it because there are a lot of interesting pieces in there. And for people who follow me and read the ‘Medals’ column, they might ask, ‘why do I need to spend this amount of money to buy what I have already read before?’ My response is that one, there are a lot of new materials there. Two, even if you’ve read some of these articles before, it helps to read again, and thirdly, you have everything in one piece. Before I started the collection, I asked my readers from my column to let me know what their favorite pieces were and I got a lot of responses. So, favorite pieces that the readers suggested are there. Again, even though this is a digital age, we lose a lot of information and data but if you have a book, you can always keep the book. You have about 89 or 99 articles there that you can always go back to and read. So, whether you are a regular reader of that column or not, this book I think is highly recommended not just because I wrote it, but because I think it is useful.

you take your place in your Jehovah ordained marriage. Thus, Designed for Marriage enjoins you to make the decision that you focus on being the right partner. Then the right man or woman will find you. This book will show you the salient features in your partner and also hint you on ways to use these features to work for you. Perhaps you are guilty of neglecting your divine gifts. How do you expect to attract the proper partner and sustain the relationship? Designed for Marriage will help you identify and operate your God-given equipment. From reading this volume, you will find or be found by God’s choice for you. Marriage is more than a contract; it is a covenant of destiny. The first quartet of chapters focus on the original design of the relationship between man (Adam) and woman (Eve), woman being created form the rib of man makes Adam cocreator of woman with God; grace as gift of God to responsible men and the eventual destiny of man. In the original design, men are not meant to dominate their wives, neither are women meant to dominate their husbands. The original design was that the married couple should dominate the earth by their creativity and procreation. However, nowhere does God mention that man dominates another human being. The desire of the man to subdue his wife and the woman to manipulate her husband is as a result of the fall of man.

What both sexes seek is control. Moreover, in chauvinistic societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, men exercise physical strength to subdue women. On the other hand, the women who cannot be seen to be directly in control, learn to manipulate emotionally, verbally and other indirectly ways. But the right way is the female and the male to jointly and in agreement to dominate the earth, rather than each other. The notion that man should dominate his wife is wrong. A woman submits to her husband on the basis of love, her free will, won over by his love. She isn’t meant to be dominated, or subjugated either emotionally or physically. The greatest seed a man might sow is vision. He should provide the goal, the direction and the shelter for the family. The second quartet of chapters concerns the role of attraction in marriage. This ensures the preservation of the human species. The woman is to nurture the family. The woman is to receive grace and preserve the seed. Thus, the final path to intimacy is obedience. You are waiting in order to prepare for the ultimate union. Worship of God and the family is the other road to salvation. I therefore commend this book onto your care as a change agent. I recommend to all in fulfillment of the destiny of procreation in lawful marriage.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

36 ARTS

Showblast

...The buzz in town

Stories by Chuks Nwanne

ONE-ON-ONE WITH AMAIKAH

‘Good musictakes time to pick’ Born into a musical family (her father was a guitarist and drummer, while her mother a singer and percussionist and her siblings are musicians as well), Ubiebifayen Otu Wisdom, otherwise called Amaikah in the whobiz industry, started listening to music from childhood. At the formative age of three, she began to observe and enjoy music; by the time she turned 6, she had become a star. In her local Methodist Church, Amaikah was a big talent; she sang from her soul and captured the admiration of all. As a shy little girl, she took the stage time after time to perform before white missionaries in her local church in Lagos to a rousing reception. Unknown to her family, she had cut her musical teeth before she even shed her milk teeth. To the congregation, a star was born; yet, her interest was to become a lawyer. By the time she turned 14, Amaikah realised that the pull from music was too strong for anything else in her life. So music began to take more than a centre stage. The following years saw her do backup vocals for top notable Nigerian artistes. But it was when she met Godbless, leader of founder of the popular Eboni Band, that the final stage of her grooming process was achieved. Singing with the band exposed her to a repertoire of songs from every musical contrivance. She became a very influential member of the band, an opportunity that brought her in contact with many more music icons across Nigeria. When the time was right, she braced herself and set out to launch a solo career. The South African pair of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba influenced her musically. Other strong influences were Bob Marley, Fela and Christy Essien Igbokwe. However, she admires the works of India Arie, Tuface, Alicia Keys and Asa. Her style is a fusion of the sweetest songs of all genres you will ever hear anywhere. The sound is familiar, yet fresh and automatically classic. Her vocal reach sears into the soul with a mellow precision, in a style she refers to as Rhythm & Soul. At a time when most young talents are soaking up in hip-hop tradition, pretty Amaikah is sticking to her guns. “This is it, I started with Moonlight Tale when the gbam gbam dim dim was still very much active, but I wanted to get attention. I wanted a face; I wanted to be different. If you look at it, people seem to be moving on the same direction, but I wanted people to switch and look at me. As time goes on, I did Oro Ife, a mid tempo song. ITH just an acoustic guitarist, talking drum- But since we are in the music industry and need mer and backup singer, songstress Amaikah to give people what they want, I did African proved to guests, who gathered last Sunday at Woman for the street,” she explained. the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel, Lagos, for Moonlight Tale is reflecting on the good old the Osun Osogbo Festival’s Goddest Concert, that days, when kids played at night. music is beyond heavy instruments and gigantic “Even here in Lagos, we used to play at night as woofer. You needed to see the response from the kids. So, when I had my first child, I looked into audience as the Akwa Ibom State native sereher eyes and I was like, ‘this child will never exnaded the hall with her brand of music which perience what we experienced; it was so sweet.’ she tagged African rhythm and soul. To the fast Now you have traffics, cars and okada everyrising singer, music flows in her veins. where. There’s robbery, attacks… kids cannot re“I just had fun on stage; I enjoyed myself. But ally play around at night these days. So, I people said I killed it. I’ve never enjoyed myself decided to put it into a song.” like that before; being on stage with just an Obviously, Amaikah’s Oro Ife shows the musiacoustic guitar and a talking drummer and we cal depth of the pretty lady. A fusion of African were able to get the kind of ovation we got. I rerhythm and soul, the love song is a true repreally enjoyed it; it was like a bomb blast,” Amikah sentation of her musical brand. said during a chat a few days after the gig. “What really inspire me is my environment. Ore

couple of shows in the state; my governor recognises Amaikak now. Definitely, we will do a big show in my state.” As for promotion, “it still goes down to doing a self-promotion; we don’t really have record companies that are into artiste promotion in this country. I don’t have a sponsor now, but I believe that with my little effort and my team, things will Ife is a love song and I just wanted to say, ‘guy, work out well. With the little fun we have, God love me the way I’m loving you; not while I’m giving you love, you are giving me hatred.’ I’m will do it,” she enthused. Amaikah writes her own songs from personal just telling everyone that love is both sweet experiences and events in her immediate enviand bitter,” she said. ronment. She also tapped into her experience as Ahead of the release of her debut album, the a wife, to pen the lyrics of gorgeous lady is out with a brand new single the soul-searching Body Magic. Oro Ife, rendered Produced by Papi-J. Released and Premiered in Yoruba, is an Afro-Rock song that is now club globally by N-tyze Entertainment, African Woman sounds spontaneous, exciting, natural and wedding favourite. and unforced. In the Song, Amaikah communi- On stage, She is a beautiful, vibrant goddess. cates comprehensively with her listeners, who Her energy is matched only by her vocal prowess, would be satisfied with the effortless interplay and leaves the audience gasping for breath and asking for an encore. She loves to between her voice, her words, and the instrudance and play the drum. mentals. At different times, Amaikah, who will be mark“I know a lot of artistes have done African ing her birthday today, has shared the stage with woman, but this is my own version of the Tuface Idibia, P-Square, D?Banj and Banky W. She African Woman. Actually, I found out that the has also sung alongside Waje, Tiwa Savage, male folks are usually the ones sing praising Timaya, Lami women. So, I thought of doing a song to celeand the Ghanabrate the strength of an African woman. ian reggae Whether you have seven children, you can still star, Samini. look into the mirror and say, ‘I’m beautify.” She looks With that title, who may think Amaikah is a forward to feminist? collabo“I’m not really about that, but I have a song rating incalled Body magic. All I’m saying is that, ‘woman, that you’ve given birth doesn’t mean you have to leave yourself; you have to package yourself. I call my music African rhythm and soul because, as much as it has a danceable rhythm, there’s a soul in it. Sometimes when you don’t feel like dancing, you can sit down and listen to the lyrics; there’s a message behind my music,” she said. In a country like Nigeria, Amaikah style of music usually takes long to pick up, but the artiste is determined to wait than joining the bandwagon. “Listen, good music might probably take time in this part of our world, but it pays more than juts doing a song that will last for one year. Evergreen songs have longevity; after years, you can still play them. When you look at people like Fela, Tuface, Asa… they are still very relevant. I’m not about money now; it’s a gradual process. Once you win the people, then the sky is your limit.” An Akwaibomite to the bones, Amaikah sometimes sings in her native dialect. “With the present governor that we have, the man has been very supportive; he’s awesome. He wants us to move forward and he has really been putting it to practice. I’m happy with what is happening in Akwa Ibom; everybody wants to reckon with Akwa Ibom now. Formerly, we were popular with the ‘Ekaete, houseboy’ thing, but we are rewriting the history. I thank God for Governor Akpabio; if you go to Akwa Ibom now, you will be shocked.” Any plans of staging a show in your home state? Amaikah “I’ve been doing a

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Events

In association with

MUSON ORGAN RECITAL Date(s): 25/08/2013 Location: AGIP RECITAL HALL Promoter: The Musical Society of Nigeria Featuring :- Harry Ibiyiebo & Babajide Odedeji.Performing the works of J.S. Bach, Fela Sowande, Scott Joplin & G.F. Handel TICKETS: – 2, 000naira GET TICKETS HERE: www.afritickets.com

TAKE HEART Date(s): 25/08.2013. Location: TERRA KULTURE Promoter: STAR ART STAGE PRODUCTION COMPANY "How far would you go to save your child?" Come and experience the purest form of EXPRESSION, Samba, Modern and African Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Jazz... TICKETS: Regular- 2,500naira, VIP- 8,000naira.

KEEP CALM AND DATE FOR A CAUSE Date(s): 06/09/2013, 07/09/2013 Location: Ember Creek Promoter: Porcelain Are you fun, adventurous and want to support a worthy cause? Date for a Cause is a fun way to support a cause and also meet new people! The event features a charity date auction where our selected hunks nd pretty damsels will be auctioned for a date. The proceeds go to Slum2Schools, a non-profit initiative aimed at improving access to education for children who live in hard-to reach slums across Nigeria. TICKETS: Regular- 3,000naira

NIGHT WITH THE MASTERS

Date(s): 13/09/2013 Location: Eko Hotel & Suites, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos Promoter: OVER THE TOP For the first time ever, six legends in the Nigerian music industry will gather on stage for a concert tagged Night with the Masters. This is one concert put together for the enjoyment of many Nigerian music lovers who have been left out of the entertainment scene as a lot of events are targeted to only lovers of hip hop music. TICKETS: Regular- N25,000; VIP- N100,000; VIP (Couple) - N150,000; TABLE N1million

TEDX LAGOS - THEMED: INCLUSION Date(s): 14/09/2013 Location: Oriental Hotel, 3, Lekki Road, Victoria Island, Lagos. Promoter: SLIMTRADERTEDxLagos was created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals for and in Nigeria the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences in Lagos. TEDxLagos conference is multidisciplinary; our theme: inclusion is broad enough that it will encapsulate the work of all our speakers and performers in their wide range of fields. It gives a common thread that will tie our live speakers and performers; helping ideas flow from one presentation or performance into the next. TICKETS: Meal Voucher – 1, 800naira; Registration - Free

SOMEWHEREELSE Drake Releases ‘Nothing Was The Same’ LP Artwork

RAkE has revealed the artwork for his new album, Nothing D Was The Same. The rapper, who is due to perform at the 2013 MTV VMAs on Sunday (August 25), will release his third studio LP on September 23, one week later than originally planned. Drizzy’s album comes complete with two covers, one showing a profile painting of a baby Aubrey, with a full Afro and a pick in his hair. With a childlike wonderment in his eye, young Drake gazes toward the right with a white-clouded picture perfect, blue-sky in the background. The second cover depicts a current Drake gazing to the left, with a full-beard, part in his hair and two chains around his neck. When positioned side-by-side, the two covers make it seem that Drake is staring at himself; past and present. kadir Nelson, who also created the album cover for Michel Jackson’s 2010 posthumous compilation Michael, designed both covers.

Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Her Image Overhaul

Cyrus has opened up to her good friend kelly Osbourne about her recent image MILEY overhaul, saying she feels like she’s “been a character for so long.” Speaking in a segment on an upcoming episode of Fashion

Police, Miley said of her transformation from fresh-faced Hannah Montana star to edgy pop princess. “I think people think I really am a robot, that was made in Burbank in the Disney building. People are like, ‘How do you make a transformation from a kid to an adult?’ I’m like, it’s called puberty, everyone’s done it from the beginning of time. I’m just doing it and so you’re zooming in on it and you’re fascinated by it.” The 20-year-old We Can’t Stop star added that she wants all of her new material to be ‘really honest and real.’ Miley said: “I think people really don’t understand how I’m like a real human being. “Everything I’m doing with my videos, everything I’m doing with my music; I just want it to be really honest. I just feel like I’ve been a character for so long that now I just want all my performances all my videos to be really real.”

Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller Comes Out As Gay

RISON Break star Wentworth Miller has come out as gay. The P 41-year old actor made the revelation in a letter published on LBGT campaigners GLAAD’s website, where he explained that he declined an invite to a Russian film festival over their antihomosexual laws. Addressing St. Petersburg International Film Festival director Maria Averbakh in the post, Miller stated: “Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes. “However, as a gay man, I must decline. I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government.” He continued: “The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.”

Lady Gaga Slams Social-Media Bosses

Public Speaking and Presentation Training Course Date(s): 14/09/2013 Location: Precinct Comfort Hotel, Yaba, Lagos Promoter: LiveSpeech Ventures During this highly participatory 2-day training, delegates will go through five course modules working on a relevant topic of their choice, developing a presentation, presenting to the group, and getting feedback. You will learn step-by-step how to build a clearer, more organised, and more compelling presentation from start to finish ALL BY YOURSELF. TICKETS: Regular 25,000.

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ADY Gaga has blasted social-media bosses for not enforcing Lsinger strict rules when it comes to Internet trolls. The Applause slammed bigwigs at Twitter and other social-networking sites during an interview with Radio 1’s Scott Mills, insisting they should be spending more money on removing online bullies instead of advertising. Gaga - who also has her own anti-bullying foundation - told Mills: “Twitter and other social media platforms need to monitor more closely what’s happening on the Internet. “They should spend more on making sure they take down any abusive language and suspending accounts.” She continued: “It’s not something we can control. The only people who can control it are the companies that run these sites, and they’re putting money into the promotion of the site and the platform – not into monitoring. “If we were to monitor it better, it would be safer.”

SIN unveils documentary on impunity By Gbenga Salau HE Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N.) Campaign, a multistakeholder project to check impunity in Nigeria, during the week in Lagos launched a documentary highlighting the manifestation of impunity in various sectors of the society and its debilitating effect on the country’s social, political and economic development. In his welcome remarks at the media event held in Yaba, the Campaign Coordinator, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, of Human Development Initiatives (HDI), described impunity as “a malady more widespread and more dangerous than corruption or any of the modern vices that daily occupy media space and

headlines” adding: “Indeed, impunity fuels other vices and diminishes the capacity of the state to govern because it promotes the delusion of immunity from sanction according to law.” Owasanoye argued: “Available research evidence shows that a country’s development is directly linked with respect for rule of law and the absence of impunity. There is direct correlation between the rule of law and a country’s ranking in poverty index, corruption perception index, justice administration, health and education rankings, attraction of foreign direct investments, citizen welfare and social security.” Presenting the documentary, which was also simultaneously

launched online on social media platforms, the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mr. Edetaen Ojo, told journalists that it was part of the Campaign’s efforts aimed at explaining the concept of impunity and demonstrating its negative effects on the country to the larger society in order to rouse citizens to action. He said the documentary included insightful interviews on the issue of impunity in Nigeria with several senior government officials, eminent lawyers, academics, representatives of religious bodies, civil society and human rights activists, among others. The Programme Officer, Advancing Public Service Media of Ford Foundation, Dr Paul Nwulu, said that his organization decided

to be part of the project because impunity is a serious malady more than corruption. He enjoined all to take action especially the media because for the campaign to succeed the media must key and buy into it. Also speaking in the documentary, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr.Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), emphasized the role of the Judiciary in ending impunity. According to him, “When people come to realize that courts perform without fear or favour, they fall in line. But the culture of impunity grows when you know you can buy a judge, for instance, then you go ahead and misbehave because at the end of the day you will get a lawyer to go to court, and the lawyer will buy justice.”

Human rights lawyer and former President of the West African Bar Association (WABA), Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), noted in the documentary that “Impunity is traceable to the lack of confidence in the rule of law by the ruling class.” The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, also spoke in the documentary, highlighting the role of the media in curbing impunity in the country. There were however suggestions that different versions of the documentary be produced to cater for the major ethnic groups and the uneducated. There was also call for a more visual illustrated documentary, spotlighting scenes of impunity but with less speech.

THe GuArDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

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SHOWBLAST

Project Fame Academy hots up, as Monica drops album testants are feeling it. While last weeks show marked the end of the journey for some, it spelt the beginning for Nancy, who won her way in to the Academy via the Wild Card contest. Before announcing the Wild Card winner, the fourteen contestants in the Academy stepped out in style to perform a medley of some Nigerian hits in honour of the music legends, who really rocked in their lifetime. They include Nico Mbarga, Christy essien Igbokwe, Sunny Okosun, and Fatai rolling Dollar. This performance received a loud ovation from the audience as they swayed from one song to the other effortlessly. After choosing Nancy as the Wild Card contest winner, the contestants on probation took to the stage one after the other repeating the songs that landed them on probation; obviously, there were improvements. Getting to the moment of truth, Olawale was saved by the viewers, Blessing found favour in the sight of the faculty and Johnnygot most of the contestants not on probation on his side. Leaving Gbemisola and Henry as eliminated contestants. Asked how they felt about their elimination, they both appreciated God for making them come this far and appreciated their fans for all the support they enjoyed while in the competition. They promised to work on what they’ve been

taught in the Academy. Meanwhile, MTN Project Fame 4 winner Monica Ogah has finally released her debut album over the weekend, in accordance with her recording contract with ultima Studios, producers of the Project Fame format. Twenty three year old Monica, who is of Benue descent, is the second female to win the coveted Project Fame West Africa crown, after Chidinma who won the season before. Titled Sometime in August, the eleven-track rnb/pop masterpiece was supervised by a crack team of hit makers including Del B of the limpopo fame, Wizboyy, Tee Y Mix, J Sleek, Silvastone and Suspekt. The album guarantees to be a fresh breathe of air to the Naija music scene and an extra feather to the increasing and impressive achievements and visibility of the female folk in the music scene. In the new work, Monica finds a hugely seamless balance between r & B and Nigerian contemporary pop music on the album, backed up with impressive and strong song writing skills. Some of the tracks include Suddenly ft Chidinma, Body hug ft wizboyy, End Of story and the politically charged track, I wish say. Monica shows a great deal of artistic diversity and growth since winning Project Fame In a nutshell, the album is so worth the wait and a must buy from a very promising and superbly talented female vocalist.

reMIuM cognac brand, Hennessy recently hosted fast rising music star, Damini Ogulu also known as Burna Boy at his album listening last weekend. The album titled L.I.F.e, short for “LeAVING AN IMPACT FOr eTerNITY,” had guests, family and media personalities, who came out to support the Aristocrats signee. The listening party, which held at Cafe Vanessa in Victoria Island, Lagos also wit-

nessed a show of love as Burna partied with his grandfather and former manager of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Mr Benson Idonije, grandmother and his mum, Bose Ogulu. Guests at the album listening party included brand manager, Hennessy Nigeria, Lere Awokoya, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, Audu Maikori, DJ Caise, Tola Odunsi, Maria Okanrende, Chee and Vector among others.

rADuALLY, the hit is getting G on in the MTN Project fame West Africa Academy; the con-

Monica

Supermon evokes emotions in new episode T was a different story in this Iingweek’s episode of the ongoreality TV show, Supermom, as ‘children’ of Chief (Mrs.) Irene Willoughby of Ijamido Home, eromosele Willoughby and Joshua Willoughby, and that of Mrs. Motunrayo Bamidele of Save Our Soul Children Village, Mrs. ebunoluwa Odumesi (nee Smith) and Ayorinde elegbe told their different stories of unending love and uncompromising care shown by their two foster mothers. Though Willoughby from George Town in South America came from a noble home, she abandoned her nobility, her country and gave all her life to the less privileged. She founded Ijamido Home in December 17, 1958 and died on February 16, 1995 at the age of 95, but her work continues to live on. “even though she didn’t have biological children of her own, mama (Willoughby) never stopped loving us. She show-

ered us with love and care even in difficult situations when there was just little to eat. At times, when there is power shortage, she takes it upon herself to fan all the children till dawn, depriving herself of sleep. During Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meetings, she represents all of us without anybody knowing she’s not our biological mother,” eromosele revealed. Willoughby is always ready to do anything that concerns her children all by herself, be it cooking, changing diapers and washing, despite the number of staff in the orphanage. The feeding system in Ijamido Home was always balanced because as a nurse, eating without necessary food supplements was a taboo in the orphanage. Immediately after every major meal, Willoughby would give Multi-vitamins to all the children to boost their immune system. Joshua stated, “There was nothing too small for mama (Willoughby) to sell for our wel-

fare. She sold her jewelries, clothes, shoes to pay for our tuition fees and other needs. Our comfort and joy was Mama’s number one priority. She was truly an example of a mother who despite the adversity, trials and trouble, clung to us”. On the other hand, Mrs. Motunnrayo Bamidele is a mother at Save Our Soul children Village in Isolo. Though not a learned person, that didn’t stop her from her desire to be a mother figure to children. A good Nigerian, who was about to dump his dirt, found Ayorinde elegbe, a 29-year-old worker at SOS, in a dunghill in Isolo, Lagos. He took the baby to the police station before he was taken to Save Our Soul Children Home, where he was named Ayorinde elegbe. ebunoluwa Odumesi (nee Smith) was abandoned at the Ikeja General Hospital after birth. She was taken to SOS Home, where she was handed over to Bamidele, and since then, she has been the mother, who stood by

her and filled the motherly vacuum up till her marriage. Bamidele portrays her undying love to all her children like they are biologically related to her. “I recalled a time when I had running nose for about two years, Mrs. Motunrayo took me from one hospital to another for cure, but I wasn’t responding to treatment. This didn’t weigh mama down; she took me to General Hospital, followed the rigorous protocols of the hospital one after the other before I was finally admitted; giving me different medications and as God will have it, I responded well to treatment and was cured. Mama was overjoyed,” said ebunoluwa. Ayorinde also had good things to say about Mama. “While other mothers would have their children’s breakfast and lunch packed together to school, Mrs. Motunrayo makes breakfast and lunch separately for us and brings them to the school so that we can be served hot.

From rapping at school as punishment, A toast for Burna Boy Slim T eyes stardom P What began like childs play at Kings College, Lagos, as punishment has grown to become the Afro-pop musician Adetayo Temilade Okeowo, popularly known as Slim T. As his career soars, the Babcock University graduate narrates how it all began to Florence Utor

IS slim figure brought about the name H Slim T right from secondary school days. Giving an insight into his background, the degree holder in Computer Information Systems noted, “We are all boys in my family, so it was a fun ride all the way growing up.” To Slim T, music has always been a passion back in the days as a little kid. He recalled his experience in the hands of senior boys in school, who would force him to rap as a form of punishment. “Whenever they

Slim T

want to punish us, they would say, ‘oh, let this one rap for us; I heard he wants to be a rapper’. Those were funtimes, but as I grew older, I discovered a sudden urge to fully understand everything about music; this was in 2001.” even as a kid, the rapper knew how to place sounds and create short songs and beats from current songs. But as he grew older, he challenged himself to do something equally as good as what was being played on radio. He noted, “Music for me has always been more than just realizing a childhood urge to thrill fans; it’s the place that I am at peace with myself and I am blessed to be able to share that with a much wider audience.” Though the fast rising artiste is busy in the studio all the time, he also finds time to run his record label, TripCity entertainment and a subsidiary photography company, TripCity Visuals. “I’m also an ambassador to KidsCleanClub. So most times, I help teach little kids how to be clean mentally, physically and environmentally. In other words, I’m a very busy artiste.” Asked if he finds time to relax, he simply said, “by hanging out with friends; I like to have fun whenever I can and as much as I can.” As a child, Slim T learnt a lot of lessons.

“I would say my experiences from time reflects in my music. experiences, the places I have been and the people I interacted with; a perfect example is a song I released titled Lagosians. It perfectly describes how I see Lagos and everybody else’s point of view.” Though there’s stiff competition in the industry currently, Slim T said the coast is clear for him to explore, adding, “I’m here to stay and dominate; this is why I make sure all my songs pass across messages because music without a message is simply noise. As a creative individual, I’m bound to experiment with a lot of sound but I’ll always stay true to my genre, which is Afro hip-hop. Lagosians, Ojo, O Bad Gan and I don’t mind are some of the few steps to stamp the name Slim T in the music industry.” Already, the video for O Bad Gan ft Dammy Krane is set to hit the music shelf later this month. “Then, we’ll follow up with another video for I don’t mind before we then finally decide to release the album hopefully in 2014.” Slim T has worked with artistes such as Sammy, Hakym, JBlak, Pope, eva, Skales of e.M.e, ex-O, M-flow, MsIye and others. He has been nominated for various awards such as the HeADIeS rookie of the year, alongside Burna Boy, Yung L, Dammy Krane and Saeon; DeArArTISTe competition with Aduke, Gaise and NayoSoul, where he came 2nd and winner of The BEAT 99.9FM Freshbeats for the month of Benson Idonije and grand son Burna Boy September 2012.

THe GUARDiAn, Friday, August 23, 2013

ARTS

SHOWBLAST Gabrielle Union in BeT ‘s Being Mary Jane eLeBRATinG the values of C family, strength and independence, Being Mary Jane chronicles the complex life of Mary Jane Paul, a fiercely independent and successfully modern African American woman encountering the highs and lows of balancing life, love, family and a demanding career. Gabrielle Union is the lead character in the drama. Mary Jane Paul seemingly has it all as a beautiful and successful TV news anchor. in reality, she’s a self-sufficient powerhouse with a lackluster love life, who remains devoted to a family that doesn’t share her motivation. How far is she willing to go to find the puzzle pieces that she insists are missing from her life? intense

drama and unforgettable moments unfold as Mary Jane juggles her life, her relationships, her work and commitments to her family. Being Mary Jane also stars Richard Roundtree, Margaret Avery, Lisa Vidal, Richard Brooks, Omari Hardwick, Tika Sumpter, Raven Goodwin, B.J. Britt, Aaron Spears, Latarsha Rose and Robinne Lee.

At five, Sideview set for the big party By Joseph Onyekwere ideView MAGAzine, Africa’s leading lifestyle publication, is turning five this year. Dumebi Agbakoba, daughter of the former president of the nigerian Bar Association (nBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, launched SideView in 2008, with the aim of creating content that could compete on an international level, as well as a magazine small enough to carry on the go. Over the years, the magazine has feat u r e d international, as well as local celebrities such as M.i, PSquare, WizKid, Sasha, Jay Manuel, Lisa Rae McCoy, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje just to name a few. it has also given a platform for young creatives to show their talent. According to Dumebi, the firm will be celebrating its clients, ad-

vertisers and readers as part of events marking the celebration. “As SideView turns five, we will be celebrating with our advertisers and readers with a series of events held on three continents. The first major event will be the 3 Blogger 1 night series, starting in Vancouver then London and the finale in Lagos. Followed by the industry Brunch, which will be held for members of the press, our advertisers and sel e c t e d members of the fashion and entertainment industry.” The grand finale will be the 2nd annual SideView Awards on november 23, 2013 in Lagos. “SideView magazine will be honouring and celebrating creative artists who have contributed positively in the various industries. Full events details will be released in due course,” she said.

Naija Top Ten… P-Square goes top with Personally, as DJ Xclusive co-hosts FTeR a slow climb up the A chart, dynamic duo, PSquare has finally achieved top ranking in the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10, displacing Wande Coal’s The Kick, which falls to third place. Last week’s studio guest, Chidinma continues to make good progress - currently sitting at number 2 with e Mi Ni Baller from her number 3 spot. Cool FM’s DJ Xclusive has put himself in a comfortable number 7 with No Time, joins VJ ehis in the Top 10 studio to cohost this week’s show and run

Dj Xclusive

through the week’s charts. Burna Boy’s Run my race moves smoothly into the number 5 with Dbanj’s don’t Tell Me Nonsense holding firm to the number 4 position. 2Face’s Rainbow is starting to fade, falling two places to number 10. Also on the way down are Flavour’s Chinny Baby (number 8) and ViP by ice Prince - now at number 6. Timaya follows last week’s chart debut by rising one place to number 9 thanks to ekoloma demba.

Nigeria’s Melvin favoured for the big prize

Town and Gown Gigs set to storm OAU HiS year’s nigerian University Games T (nUGA) is not only going to be all sports fiesta, there is also going to be a spice of music, comedy, wine and food. The games, which will take place at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), ile ife, Osun State later in the year, would be accompanied with a 2-week long music festival tagged; Town and Gown Gigs. According to the organizers, Town and Gown Gigs is a musical festival tied to the massive human traffic that will troop into ile-ife from across the country and neighboring towns and villages for the nUGA games. The Director of Communication, T&GG, Bayo Bankole aka Boy Alinco, said: “The 14-day musical festival, which is put together to spice up the atmosphere of

friendship that will be created by the nUGA games, would feature all grades of artistes from different genres of music such as hip hop, R&B, highlife, juju, fuji, and apala among others.” He added: “The show will also feature word class DJs, comedians, fashion parade and competitions. A cumulative audience of not less than a million is expected to grace event.” nigerian universities will later in the year converge at Obafemi Awolowo University for the biannual University games tagged OAU NUGA 2013. The event, which is second only to national Sports Festival, is expected to bring together thousands of sports men and women competing in 15 games including supporters from 60 universities in the country. Boy Alinco

‘Nigerian music might stagnate if…’ By Chika Onwukwe LTHOUGH some musicians are making huge money, the reality is that nigerian music industry is full of uncertainty, with the absence of viable music companies remaining a setback to an otherwise vibrant industry. What obtains at the moment is that everybody is now a record label owner and marketers. But foremost music producer and sound engineer Chimex Alex has decried the activities of these marketers as doomday waiting to happen if the trend is not checked. in a recent chat with the music maker in Onitsha, Anambra State, the Owerri-born producer informed that marketers were not eager to market upand-coming acts even when the product they have is a good one, saying, “Promoters promote only one genre of music (hip-hop) leaving other genres in jeopardy. Though they sometimes push circular music to a certain level of acceptance, gospel tunes and artistes are neglected. Unless God intervened and your music becomes popular, then they will come in.” To Chimex, artistes alone cannot make their music acceptable, especially with up coming talents, adding, “They need adequate promotion and market-

ing to make a headway and remain in the business. But a situation where marketers are not interested in promoting the music or they are looking for a specific brand of music and artiste to market, it’s a serious problem for the industry”. According to Chimex, some marketers go as far as changing the pattern and direction of an artiste for their selfish interest. “if a particular brand of music is reigning in the country, every marketer will like to market that kind of music. Therefore, any artiste that comes around with another kind of beat will be asked to go and record the pattern that is in vogue whereas that artiste might not have inclination for that brand of music. At the end of the day, a

highlife musician will end up releasing a hip-hop album that might not go far; even when it evolves, the artiste might not sustain the style. This is totally wrong because music is a work of art and every artiste has a direction and source of inspiration”. Chimex also noted that the inability of some artistes to sustain their style created for them by marketers remained a major threat to the growth of the industry. “This is a very big discouragement and a situation capable of destroying the future of nigerian music industry. There is a great potential in our music scene, which should be harnessed properly for maxi-

Chimex

Lagos Jazz Series 2013… Something fresh in the offing FTeR three years of bringing the world of and an array of exhilarating and stimulating A jazz and music to lovers of good music, activities. Lagos Jazz Series is set and ready to comeback

with its 4th edition. This eagerly anticipated four-day event promises to be the biggest music festival in Africa, bringing in performers from across the World. This epic event is also a “melting pot” not just for jazz lovers but also lovers of good music with a diverse and exciting line-up of artistes to look forward to. Lagos Jazz Series will introduce new and exciting indoor and outdoor venues

The series will kick-off in the month of november, a perfect time for outdoor music festival. A release on the artistes’ line-up, venues, sponsors, vendors and activities for the fourday event will soon be unveiled. However, the project has finally created the pathway to making Lagos a destination city by attracting the best music performers from the Americas, europe and Africa.

THe GUArdiAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

40 ArTS

ArtHouse Red Hot opens in Nigeria cinemas today

ovie lovers in Nigerian are billed for a cinematic experience as M Silverbird Galleria today, as Red Hot is released in cinemas across the country. The suspense thriller, which was directed by Teco Benson, produced by Pleasant Pictures, and written by Sinmisola ogunyinka, a celebrated author based in Abuja. Red Hot is action-packed thriller which tells the story of a woman’s desperate, and evil actions to get out of a childless marriage, and decision to end it in her supposed perfect crime. it starts like romance in the afternoon and ends as a tragedy close to midnight because of undoing actions by the unseen hand of fate, with a desperation to survive. The movie parades a mix of established and rising Nollywood stars including Bukky Wright, Bimbo Manuel, Uti Nwachukwu and others.

obey, Chimezie, onwenu for Night with the Masters

ver the Top entertainment will present Night with the Masters featuring o top acts like ebenezer obey, Bright Chimezie, onyeka onwenu, Shina Peters, Femi Kuti, Wasiu Ayinde in like performance. it holds September 13. Time is 6pm at the eko Hotel and Suites, victoria island, Lagos.

75th ikoyi Club anniversary to kick off soon th

HeAd the 75 anniversary of ikoyi Club 1932, which is expected to start A September 23rd, the organising committee of the anniversary has promised a fun-filled show. it will kick off with a charity walk, with a theme An Enduring Legacy. Members of the committee and some of the club’s members will lead some delegates to visit the less privileged in Lagos followed by a lecture later in the evening. Also, there will be an inter-sectional game competition among club members as part of activities marking the anniversary. other events includes a jazz session, a cultural evening, which entails the displays of different cultures among the members; food exhibition, children’s party and will climax with a closing ceremony, with prize presentation and a variety of shows. Chairman, 75th anniversary sub committee, Yomi orenuga, revealed that the choice of theme was because the club has indeed stood the test of time in the country, and has proven its prominence in all ramifications. Compiled by: Florence Utor

Delegates from overseas at the opening of Osun Trade, Investment and Culture Conference… on Tuesday in Osogbo. The conference which ended yesterday served as prelude to the grand finale of Osun Osogbo festival holding today

LASAA parleys with military, police over unapproved billboards Babatunde Oso He controversy surrounding outdoor structures in police and military formations in Lagos State may soon end following series of meetings with stakeholders organised by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA). The agency says the meetings were organized to find a lasting solution to regulatory bottlenecks in those locations. Managing director of LASAA, Mr. George Noah speaking to The Guardian said the agency had no fundamental opposition to outdoor structures in military formations. “All outdoor structures in Lagos State must be subjected to LASAA’s scrutiny and approval. We are not planning to run operators out of business, but our responsibility is to ensure that every billboard in the state

is fit and proper in terms of structure, illumination location and size. Many of the Unipoles outlawed in Lagos State that are in military and police premises must all be subjected to the same regulatory tests that other structures elsewhere in the state are subjected to”. The issue of billboards within military formations in the state has been a longstanding dispute between LASAA and the military authorities. only recently, LASAA wrote to all advertisers whose brands are currently displayed on such unapproved boards to withdraw their campaigns. it is expected that this new direction will put an end to the long drawn battle. At a recent meeting with the relevant stakeholders, Noah expressed LASAA’s readiness to work with all the military stakeholders and Security Agencies concerned.

Worshippers at Osun River... during Osun Osogbo festival in 2012

NGE Fellowship for NAN Acting MD Registration for GUS 10 ends today He acting Managing Guild, Mr. isaac ighure, said The investiture holds in Tdirector of the News that the decision to honour Asaba, delta State on He registration for the 10th edition of individually or as a team, in order to win the ‘Ultimate prize’. Potential contestants would Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Hon. Adebayo along with some Saturday, August 24 as the T Gulder Ultimate Search, Nigeria’s first 100 Jide Adebayo, has been con- other senior editors, includ- climax of the 9th All per cent local content reality Tv show will end be put through rigorous training during the ferred with the Fellowship of the Nigerian Guild of editors (FNGe). The Guild said in a letter formally conveying the honour to Adebayo, that it was part of the Guild’s efforts to accord recognition to “editors who have distinguished themselves’’ in the journalism profession. The General Secretary of the

ing the immediate past NAN editor-in-Chief, Mr. Segun Aribike, was taken at a recent meeting of NGe’s Standing Committee. “A committee set up this year to identify personalities who have made a mark in the profession, selected you as one of its Fellow,’’ ighure said in the letter.

Nigerian editors Conference which began on Thursday at delta Convention Centre in Asaba. Adebayo, whose journalism career spanned over three decades, had successfully served as Honourable Commissioner for information and Sports of Kwara State.

today. The registration exercise began on July 17. only Nigerians aged 21 – 30 years can participate in the reality Tv show. This year’s edition is themed the 10th Symbol, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Gulder Ultimate Search. The project was first staged at the Lagos island in 2004. The reality Tv show involves contestants braving it out in the forest, surmounting all challenges and performing tasks excellently, either

selection stages, and only the successful candidates would make it into the jungle to face even more daunting challenges. Speaking on the registration process, emmanuel Agu, Marketing Manager – Gulder, Legend and Life, Nigerian Breweries Plc. said: “registration is free, and interested individuals still have till Friday, August 23, to register to participate. Application forms are available on www.gulderultimatesearch.tv and www.facebook.com/GulderNigeria.”

Why Osun powered The Goddess Concert, by Soyode He Special Adviser to Governor rauf T Aregbesola of osun State on Tourism and Culture, Mr. Ladi Soyode, has said that the expansion that the osun osogbo Festival is experiencing was occasioned by its rising status. Soyede spoke in Lagos last Sunday, during first leg of The Goddess Concerts, held as a prelude to the grand finale of the osun osogbo Festival, which holds today in osogbo. The concert, on which the government collaborated with Twice as Nice Concepts, featured star singers - Asa, Waje, Gloria ibru, darey, Amaikah, just as popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, was the master of ceremonies. According to Soyode, osun’s new global status demands that the government continues to

explore options, products and partners that will make the government’s dream to institutionalise tourism in osun a reality. He said the osun osogbo is a brand that many people want to identify with home and abroad. He added that while all is now set to hold another great festival i osogbo on Friday, the Lagos concerts would serve as an appetiser and a tip of the iceberb, while also serving the memory of the osun goddess. He said, “The osun osogbo is a global festival. remember, the osun Grove itself, inside where the festival takes place, is UNeSCo-certified World Heritage Site. At the grand finale on Friday, people will troop in from all parts of Nigeria and abroad. So, while the concerts help

in creating more awareness, they also celebrate the goddess herself just as they are an investment in the ogbeni rauf Aregbesola administration’s drive to push tourism to the fron burner of our economy,” Soyode, who is also a poet, says. on the essence of the festival, Twice as Nice also notes in a statement that it is one of the most popular in the world and attracts visitors from around the world, particularly those from countries of the diaspora - America, Brazil, Jamaica, Cuba etc. These people who are normally of African descent ‘return home’, seeking a sense of self-discovery and belonging. “The festival reveals the culture and traditional lifestyle of the Yoruba people revolving espe-

cially around one of their most popular deities, osun, the goddess of fertility. “The concerts are tagged The Goddess Concerts because of the affiliation with the festival and ‘osun.’ The idea of using internationally known and respected Nigerian artistes to grace the occasion is in order to provide mileage for the festival. These performers will become ambassadors of sorts of the festival. The memories of the festival will be carried along with them to wherever they perform and naturally, the word will spread about how wonderful osun state and Nigeria as a whole is,” the statement adds. The first leg of the concert also featured a bata dance group.

THE GUARDIAN, August 23, 2013

EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Customer Experience By Rosetta Carrington Lue reating a Customer Service Plan

C While implementing specific customer service

Should Your Organization Have a Customer Service Plan? customer you might have) and getting real feedback from them on their wants and needs. Far too often leaders within an organization say something to the effect of "Well I know what the customers want." Developing an effective plan, however, means actually hearing and understanding what the customers want and catering to their real, not perceived, needs. In the Customer Service Officers Program, Officers conduct at least five focus groups of both internal and external customers to better understand their department's current service and customers' expectations. As part of the requirement, all of the focus groups need to be conducted prior to creating the actual plan, allowing the feedback to be the driving force behind its development. Sometimes, real feedback can help to get buy-in from your organization's leaders.

initiatives and programs is essential to creating a positive customer experience within an organization, these efforts needs to be developed together as part of a plan to increase their effectiveness and make sure that they are strategically aligned. Taking the time to develop a comprehensive plan can help to ensure that your efforts are customer-centric, sustainable, and consistent with each other. Over the years, I have developed plans of all shapes and sizes, ranging from tiny, digestible plans for single departments to the massive, voluminous plans needed to serve large companies or city governments. As part of my Customer Service Officers Program within the City of Philadelphia's Managing Director's Office, I walk designated Customer Service Officers through the process Developing the Actual Plan of creating a plan for their individual departA plan is not a "one-pager" and cannot be comments. Let's walk through the steps in how to pleted overnight. Also, a plan cannot come from create a plan: a template. Each department or organization needs to develop a plan that caters to the needs Get Stakeholder Buy-In - As it is first, getting "Buy-In" is probably the most important step to of their specific customers. Taking the buy-in creating and implementing a customer service from your leaders and feedback from customers, plan within your department or organization. you need to develop a plan that intricately idenAs a customer service leader, you need to com- tifies and explains your customers and walksmunicate both the importance and urgency of through the steps of how you department can make them happy. And although all plans are a strong customer service plan to the people different, here are a few points worth considerwho have the power to make changes. Buy-in ing in your development: ensures that your efforts will have enough Did you open as many channels as posresources to get off the ground. It also ensures â&#x20AC;˘ sible for the customer? that your organization's leaders will make these efforts a priority in their implementation Have you made provisions to establish an actual culture of customer service in your department phase and will not ignore them once real or organization? (Providing real customer feedchanges are made. back to employees; newsletters; rewards-systems; etc.) Understand your Customers - Understanding your customers is a vital step in creating a plan Are your initiatives sustainable? and ought to take up most of your time prior to Will your initiatives be valued from the cusactually writing the plan. Getting to know your tomer's perspective? customers means mapping out who your cus- Are your initiatives engaging? Will it feel like tomers actually are (every internal and external your organization is listening? How will you measure and mark success?

Executives Health It was getting near five o'clock in the afternoon and some of the heat from the midday sun remained. I debated starting another project so late in the day, but I wanted to make good on my intention. It's been my intention to divide my workday into two, three-hour chunks of highly intensive effort followed by me-time and time for my family. I even had to consciously force myself away from checking email one more time, so as to be more authentic in my value of life balance. I shut down my computer and rounded up my son. Based on previous experience, it was going to take me 15-20 minutes to coax him into the Co-Pilot bicycle seat for my workout to Georgetown and back. He started off tickling me and talking about his day. Just as we rounded the bend on the Capital Crescent Trail indicating that we were passing from Montgomery Country Maryland into the District of Columbia, something flew into my right eye. It was as if I had been knocked in the head by a tree limb! I tried my best to massage this foreign body out of my eye, but the harder I tried, the more stuck it became. It was surreal. Pay Attention to the Small Things - I'm still in awe that a black speck the size of a grain of sand could literally incapacitate me for a few hours. Yet isn't this what happens when we don't pay attention to our health, our employees and our organizations? The black speck is a perfect metaphor to what happens when employees aren't encouraged by management to take care of themselves, take proper vacations, and to practice an effective work life balance. When we work too hard and too long, once

Developing Metrics and Accountability - After developing a customer service plan, you need to develop the metrics of how your success will be measured. Perhaps you will use customer satisfaction surveys, wait-time on the phone or number of follow-up calls. Like every other aspect of creating a plan, these metrics need to be specific to your department or organization's business. Our customer service officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work with our organizational performance management analysts to determine what metrics best conveys customer service success, per their specific customer service plan. Once metrics have been developed, these officers are held accountable

and asked to speak to their results at quarterly performance management meetings. Use the Performance Metrics, Improve - Once your first few months-worth of metrics come back from your new plan, take the time to digest and open your mind to how your plan can be improved. The best customer service plans are, in their initial stages, a living, breathing document that embodies the voice of your customer. Make changes to some initiatives and scratch others if that's what the customers want. Then use the metrics to actual benchmark and improve performance.

A Better Work Life Balance for Executives - 7 Sure Fire Ways seemingly small inconveniences become big and foreboding. Not taking time for healthy meals eventually becomes a heart attack waiting to happen. The employee who wanted to take two weeks off on her vacation after youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re repeated 'next times' becomes one of the first out of the door to a competitor. Set the Pace - The importance of executives setting the pace was made clear to me when I worked with Best Buy, Inc. as a speaker for work life balance at their annual leadership conference. As part of my preparation, I interviewed a few store managers before the conference. I was told that the store managers set the pace for each store's work life balance. If an employee or assistant manager needs time off, the store managers I spoke with almost always grant it. They know the importance of keeping good employees. As one manger so aptly said, "When an employee's head is screwed on straight with his or her family, then that employee's head is screwed on straight with our customers." However, there needs to be more emphasis from corporate that it is acceptable to take all of one's vacation time when it is earned and even time off without pay. Become the Change - Lee Scott was becoming the change he wanted to see in his organization. When it was announced that the CEO of Wal-Mart was going to take the entire month of May 2006 off, the Wall Street rumor mill already had him resigning or being replaced. However, he had planned a long road trip with his entire family and then some deep-

sea fishing with his wife. He was able to detach from his work and came back refreshed and recharged for Wal-Mart's annual shareholder meeting last June. According to business columnist Carol Hymowitz from the Wall Street Journal, "Executives who don't take chunks of time away from the day-to-day deadlines and routines can't create the mental space they need to get a fresh perspective on problems, think up new ideas and be creative." Delegate Effectively The U.S. Army knows quite a bit about effective delegation. Its very mission is about crosstraining soldiers so they can do multiple tasks when their comrades are incapacitated. The Army plans for this kind of contingency. They realize that one soldier cannot and should not be the only person who can perform a particular job or who knows critical information. I was reminded of this mission when I worked with the AEC (Army Evaluation Command) training their executives (civilian and

military) on how to present with more power. They made sure to include multiple layers of their executive team in the training program. This added insight made for a more interesting program and allowed their entire management to value the importance of powerful communications. Emotionally Vacate - Another benefit from an extended vacation or sabbatical is that it helps executives emotionally vacate their positions. If you check in with the office,

it's as if you never really left. In a new study of knowledge workers, Lexmark International found that 92% of respondents make or take work-related communications outside of work, including on vacations. Nearly 75% stay switched on during the weekends and a fifth of them have been interrupted during a date for work purposes. This 'constantly on' approach only leads to burnout and away from true sense of self. Own the Moment - One of the best ways to practice an effec-

tive work life balance is to keep being reminded of the power of Stephen Covey's Quadrant #2. This is the most important quadrant and those organizations that win the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award spend at least 70% of their time in this 'important, but not urgent' area. A great way to spend more time in this area is to set appointments with yourself to check in with e-mail, voice mail and the office. Stephen Crawley, an HR Executive, decided to take Covey's advice. He eliminated

THE GUARDIAN, August 23, 2013

42 | EXECUTIVEBRIEF

Success Strategies By Cassandra George Sturges Every one will tell you their secret to success and what techniques and strategies they used to get there. My advice is a little twisted-- and some even say a little dark and soul-shattering. What I am about to tell you is not the norm, it's not the traditional feel-good philosophy telling you that you need to be more organized, write perfect goals, create a dream box/ vision board, or manage your time better. These are all great resources and skills to have, but this is not how you make your dreams come true--at least not in my opinion. Making your dreams come true is all about mental toughness. It is not about talent, beauty, money, I.Q. scores, rich parents, who you know or who you sleep with (ask Monica Lewinsky). Once you are able to control how you think and feel this will automatically lead you into changing your behavior. Changing your behavior, changes your actions and changing your actions is what changes your life that ultimately leads to making your dreams come true.

11 Down-to-Earth Secrets to Success

salary, but I still want to be able resources, skills and/or flexibility in your schedule to to call the shots in my life. spend time nurturing your Secret # 4 dream. You must promise Find positive people to inspire yourself that you will not you even if they live in a book. allow your work schedule to There has never been anyone in prevent you from being able my immediate circle who to commit to your ultimate wanted the same things in life goals. Remember the amount that I wanted. I can't pick up of money you earn is not the Secret # 3 the phone and call anyone for primary focus en route to Have a clear picture in your business or financial advice. your dreams. Think of all of mind of what you do not want, There are no role models in my your jobs as paid internships. and do the opposite. I was immediate or distant circle never lucky enough to know who earn the level of financial what I wanted to do with my independence or have achieved life. If you asked me what I the level of success that I want wanted to be or do with my to emulate. Most people in my life, I couldn't tell you, but I inner circle chastise me for could definitely tell you what I wanting so much out of life. Secret # 2 - Take every negative didn't want. I didn't want to They tell me that I am a gamcomment, person and experiwork in the food industry bler waging a bet of double or ence in your life and use them because I don't like to get dirty. nothing. They tell me of course, as fuel to add to the fire inside I didn't want to work in the your dreams can come true but your soul that will drive you to medical field in any capacity what are the odds 1 to 200. Be the fruition of your dreams. because I don't like to get dirty more practical. Find an adminMany people use their negative or be in the vicinity of a dead istrative position. Marry a rich experiences as their excuses for or dying body. I didn't want to man. Teach in a government failure. They blame their moth- work in an auto plant or facto- program to alleviate your stuers' alcohol abuse, their uncar- ry because I want to wear high- dent loan debt. Be happy with ing teachers; verbally and phys- heel pumps and panty-hose, what you have, you are so lucky ically abuse family members plus I didn't want to break a to teach at a community coland their daddy who was never nail. I didn't want to teach lege; do you know how many home. After completing my small children, because I am people who would die to be in GED, the admissions counselor too immature and I would your position? None of these Secret # 1 - Only listen to the at the community college insist on taking the red lolpeople are negative or player God inside of you. There is a looked me directly in my eyes lipop which is my favorite; and haters, they just don't see my very, very, very, quiet, subtle vision for my life. I have to find voice inside of you that knows and told me that I was not col- I lack the ability to give them lege material and that I should the structure and discipline role models and positive peowhat is right and wrong for enroll in a cosmetology school they need because I would be ple who understand my dream you. No one else can hear this on the floor laughing at inapof success out side of my immevoice and this voice is not argu- because it was obvious from my appearance that I loved propriate jokes and behaviors diate environment. mentative or demanding which is why many people can make up. My mouth dropped. I that need to be reprimanded. Kids are too cute and too funny Secret # 5 - Every aspect of your not hear it. I am still learning to could not believe that this woman was telling me this to for me to be the type of teacher life should support your pay attention to this voice- and my face. Yes, granted I failed all they need to excel academical- dream. The job that you have this voice alone. I have made of my classes in high school ly. I want to be financially inde- should give you the financial some of the biggest mistakes due to lack of attendance, my pendent. I earn a very good and achieved the greatest successes in my life because of this voice. Something told me not to follow the boy in my 8th grade class, behind the church who then raped me. Something told me to attend California Coast University, although everyone begged me not to because it is a long distance learning institution without the same prestige as a traditional university. I listened to the quiet voice and I was selected from hundreds of applications because the chairperson from my department had earned the same degree from the same school.

INFOTECH4DEXECUTIVES By A Thomas id you know that you might have inadvertently helped a nefarious hacker get access to your email account, your online banking or your ecommerce site information? Let's face it, today we have passwords for everything and it is becoming more difficult to remember them all. So we either write them down on a piece of paper or we use the same password for everything. Until very recently, Facebook and other social media sites did not encrypt the sign-on info you use to logon to your Facebook account. This means that someone who knew what they were doing could "sniff" the Internet traffic between your PC and the Facebook servers and plainly see your email and password. Now they have access to your Facebook account and they can act as you. While this in itself may be unnerving; the real damage has yet to occur. The hacker is aware that many people use the same password for multiple services so they try to logon to your email account with the Facebook password. In some cases they are successful. Consider your own situation, would the hacker be successful? If he is, he isn't done yet.

clothes were maybe a little too revealing (okay a lot) and I still love navy-royal blue eye-shadow and way-too-much-eyeliner and mascara, but what the hell did that have to do with my desire to attend and succeed academically at a community college to improve my life?

Focus on developing psychological and tangible skills that you will be able to apply to creating your ultimate dream. If your dream is not in the trunk of your car, in the bottom of your duffle bag, scattered on your living room floor, table, bed etc...--you are not serious about what you want to do with your life. TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK

5 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Passwords from Being Too Social

address box in the top of your browser will say "https://www.facebook.com". Notice the "s" after http. The "s" means secure. Being secure means everything is encrypted so you may notice that pages load a bit slower. Also if you are into Facebook apps (FarmVille, Scrabble, etc.) they might not yet be https compatible so they might not work yet. Facebook is working on these issues and should address them soon. Sending an email when a new device accesses your account means you'll be notified if a new computer or mobile phone accesses your Facebook account. The first time you log into Facebook after selecting this option, you get a screen that asks you to name your computer. Give it a name that Make sure your Facebook pass- you'll recognize (i.e. Den Computer or Sally's Laptop). word is different from your email, banking or other ecommerce sites. This will min- The most important thing you imize the damage that can be can do is make your passdone if your Facebook account words hacker resilient. is hacked. If you use Facebook, According to various web change your security settings sites, some of the popular passwords that people use are to use Secure Browsing. You 123456, 12345, 123456789, do this by going to the Account tab in the upper right Password, iloveyou, password, princess, qwerty, abc123 and of Facebook and select rocky. Any of these look familAccount settings. In the Since the hacker now has iar? Hackers have tools to help Account Security section access to your email, he'll scan chose Secure Browsing. Also them crack your password for emails from your bank, check one or both of the boxes using the most popular passAmazon, iTunes or other ewords. If that doesn't work to send you notice when a commerce sites and see if he they use password generators new computer or mobile can hack into them with the device logs into your account. that start trying various comsame password. The good binations. You can make their These changes will do two news is most banks have task much more difficult by things. Secure browsing stepped up their security for creating a STRONG password means everything that your online banking. If they detect browser sends to and receives which is at least 8 characters a PC trying to access your long, a combination of upper from Facebook will be account that hasn't done so case and lower case letters encrypted. Encrypted data is previously, they will ask cerwith numbers and special extremely difficult to hack. tain enhanced security ques- You can tell that you have a characters ($, #, &, *!, <, etc.) tions or will call you on the Using these makes it more difsecure session because the phone to insure it is really you ficult for hackers but it also trying to access the account. But the damage isn't done in many cases. With access to your email account, the hacker can now use your email account to send spam. Or if sending spam is not his thing, access to your email can be sold to someone who is. Have you ever received email messages telling you that an email that was sent from your email account couldn't be delivered? Did you then try to sift through the gobbledygook that is part of the bounce message and determine you didn't send the email? If so, it is likely that your email account was hacked. These scenarios may seem frightening but there are some easy things you can do to help prevent you from being a victim in the future.

can become quite unwieldy. Rather than having a single password for every site that needs one, I would suggest So here is a tip: think up a having different groups of phrase you can remember. passwords. For example havFor example, "My birth place was Chicago and I was born in ing 5 Password Groups 1965". Now take the first letter could give you: • A password for of each word in the phrase Social Media Sites. MbpwCaIwbi1965 and you • A password for have created a strong passyour banking or brokerage word. Add a "!" or "$" at the accounts. beginning and/or end and • A Password for your password is even stronger! While this is much your email accounts. A password for more difficult to type in than • sites that do e-commerce. 123456 it is even harder for a • A password for hacker. It is important that you chose sites that require you to sign a phrase that you can remem- up to gain access. ber so you don't have to write This means you need five it down to remember it. The phrases but if the phrases most secure practice is to have a STRONG password for are something personal about your life; you are every site you visit but this makes it harder for us to remember as well.

more likely to remember it. If you do have to write down your passwords, DON'T write them on a sticky note that is affixed to your monitor or easily spotted on your desk. If you are ever robbed, not only will the thief steal your PC, but you will have given him access to all your websites and your personal information. Passwords are the keys to grant access your electronic information. Since passwords are the first line of defense against hackers gaining access to your digital information; it is essential that we protect them like we do our home, car, wallet or Passport. Hackers are a clever bunch of people; so make sure you are doing your part NOT to help them!

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THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

For TheRecord Programme evaluation: Back to the future (4) ing language to adults and problems of adults in learning and adult learning. Teachers of adults should be thoroughly exposed to adult psychology and sociology. Trainers of teachers of adults should emphasize the use of adult oriented methods; effective participation of learners in learning activities; cordial inter-personal relationships between facilitator and learners; and meeting the needs of learners. Language learning centres should have modern, appropriate and adequate resources for teaching French to adults (Obashoro, 1995).

By Oluwayemisi Obashoro-John Continued from Tuesday, August 20, 2013 ass adult literacy for sustainable developM ment What hinders development in developing countries is basically illiteracy. It is thus important to develop the human element before we can talk of the overall development. The link between human resource development and accelerated economic growth reinforces the need for heavy investment in education through mass literacy. National development built on the foundation of an educated populace is more likely to be sustained and also to carry the sense of continuity. We know that people who do not understand themselves and who do not understand the environment in which they live, cannot be reliable participants in the socio-economic life of the community, whether as labourers, workers or technicians. Understanding and knowledge (Education) are as important as skills for participating in development. ‘My people perish for lack of knowledge’ says the Holy Bible (Hosea 4:6a) There is need to understand the essence of literacy for all and to promote long term methods to eradicate, or at least, reduce illiteracy. To ensure sustainable development in a predominantly illiterate society, functional mass literacy must be employed. Unless literacy is functional, it cannot be effective as a development tool. Literacy must be used to improve the quality of life through community–based programmes. The poor must be involved in socio-economic growth through investment in human capital and social services like literacy. Empirical evidence shows a close relationship between poverty and literacy. Poverty reinforces illiteracy and vice-versa, just as it does to health. Illiteracy promotes high levels of poverty while high levels of poverty also generate low shares of assets and high illiteracy rates. It can be assumed that as poverty declines, asset shares increase and illiteracy rates decline. There are critical issues that could be raised such as: what type of education can be called successful? What type of education can lead to sustainable development and improvements in socio-economic growth? What type of educational and human resource investment, policies and programmes can reduce illiteracy, ensure or contribute to sustainable improvements, and also be cost-effective? In answering these questions, one can assume that it is a policy and a programme that address human capacity building, promotion of certain human values, capital and total human development. One other dimension of this investment is to ensure population control, through family planning and education, employment for women, economic empowerment for the less privileged, and making plans for the ageing population. It would seem that all these can only be done by first strengthening the capacity of the non-literate and poor people to assess and analyse their problems, and then taking appropriate actions to reduce and prevent these problems. Educating Women Global issues (unemployment, inflation, overpopulation, environmental degradation and ageing population) reflect the inter-dependence of mankind, and no nation can claim immunity from the turbulence of this planet. Similarly according to GeoHive (2000-2012), women, comprising almost half of the world’s population (Male: 3,442,850,573; Female: 3,386, 509,865 = 6,829,360,438), cannot be removed from active participation in solving these global problems. Therefore, access to relevant education and training is the key to women’s full participatory role in socio-economic, cultural and political development. In Nigeria, educating women should be a priority to ensure relevant and active participation in solving social and economic problems. Women’s education should entail their fundamental contribution to family growth as well as to community and national development. Women should be encouraged to improve their knowledge and skills; be fully aware of

Obashoro-John and take care of its basic needs. Each should be able to afford basic amenities like medical care, food and education. Every Nigerian should be equipped with skills that will enable him/her undertake sustainable commercial ventures which he /she can manage successfully and which will guarantee him/her life-long employment. He/She should be aware of his/her civic responsibilities and be ready to stand up for justice, and defend human rights and liberties. He/She should also imbibe the tenets of democracy and practice them. Improved transportation, communication and high technolo-gical development have made the world a global village. Nigeria and Nigerians cannot afford to be isolated. Therefore, future generations need to understand the world, work towards international peace as global citizens and learn to live longer, healthier and productive lives. These thoughts have influenced my work in adult education and especially conscious attempts to evaluate programmes classified as New Educational Strategies to Prepare Chil- adult education activities. dren for the Tasks Ahead There is a need to have some new educational Some personal experiences and research findstrategies to prepare the future generation ings for the challenges ahead. National and social Let me present what I have been doing as an needs of the Nigerian child could be in the Adult Educator and, or a Facilitator, since I acquired the status. following areas: My first work on evaluation was conducted on Nation building; women’s adult education programmes in the Entrepreneurship; Lagos Mainland (1988). I visited all adult educaJustice, human rights and democracy; tion provisions for women in the Lagos MainWorld peace and understanding; land, observed their functioning patterns, came Ageing issues. Nigeria needs some infrastructural devel- up with results and made recommendations for opment and maintenance of existing struc- proper teaching and learning methods, approtures. She needs some cohesion among priate programme design and adequate providiverse peoples that make up the nation, so sions of centre facilities. as to ensure unity of purpose in national de- Between 1990 and 1994, I evaluated French lancision making and execution in the interest guage programmes in private institutions for adults in Nigeria. I examined French language of the generality of the people. Educational content should be so devel- centres in Enugu, Ibadan, Kaduna and Lagos. Reoped that Nigeria is put on the path of scien- sults obtained stressed the need for French lantific and technological greatness to make guage teachers with sufficient knowledge of meaningful contributions to world industri- adult education methodology and programme design skills. From the findings, recommendaalisation. For socio-economic development, the tions included that: micro-economic level should be raised to a All teachers of adults should undergo mandastage where each family can fend for itself tory training or education on methods of teach-

their rights and be conscious of the importance of their contribution to the progress of the country. The most effective programmes appear to be multidisciplinary and integrating diverse subjects, i.e. health, environment education, income generating activities, cooperatives, marketing, and access to credits, appropriate technology and functional literacy. With increasing migration, more women are becoming unpaid heads of households with multi-family responsibilities. Women need to be empowered to face this new role challenges and their attendant problems. Thus, women require training in family health, nutrition, sanitation and simple methods of facilitating housework, conserving man hours and adjusting to ageing demands. Perhaps we should return to the Domestic Science Centre days, howbeit, with slight injections of modernity, inventions and innovations.

Work Embarked upon Post-1995 Of course from then to the present, I have delved into all sorts of adult issues and have evaluated a modest quantity which include but not limited to the following. An analysis of methods of teaching language to adults in Nigeria (2000) The study highlighted the various methods available for the teaching of French in and outside the school system, especially for adult learners. The methods were then analysed and ranked in order of suitability and appropriateness for adult learning. French language teaching to adults: An analysis of classroom interaction (2000) This study dealt with a careful analysis of teacher-learners interaction in the classroom to determine consistencies within course objectives and activities. To achieve this, the Flanders’ Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC) of teacher talk, learner talk and silence was employed. Proposing Monitoring and Evaluation Models for the Universal Basic Education Programme (2001) The study traced the various government efforts for basic education in Nigeria – Mass Education Policy, Universal Primary Education (UPE) Universal Basic Education (UBE). Observations showed that most of these failed due to lack of proper monitoring and planned evaluation. It proposed schedules that may be standardised and then used for proper and successful monitoring and evaluation that may be used. A study of the developmental tasks and social roles: The Nigerian perspective (2001) The study utilised the Havighurst (1952) conceptual framework for adult learning tasks in relation to social roles and factors related to age. The Nigeria perspective was weighed against the Western picture presented by Havighurst. Motivational factors influencing adult participation in French language learning programmes (2002) The paper examined the motives and reasons for adult participation in language classes, results showed that completion and success of programmes were strongly related to motivational matters among adult learners. Adequacy of literacy and reading materials for adults: The Nigerian Experience (2003) The study critically examined the adequacy of the functionality of the reading materials available to adult learners in basic literacy classes. Results showed a variety of materials produced by groups, institutions and individuals for adult basic literacy. It made appropriate suggestions, based on the findings on how to improve the functionality of basic literacy reading materials for adults. Evaluation of e-learning provisions in Nigerian universities: Implications for quality development and assurance in adult education (2007) This study assessed the provisions for elearning in the Nigerian universities in terms of human and material resources and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure against minimum benchmarks for quality development and assurance of delivery methods. In general terms, results show that e-text, e-magazines; video, satellites; streaming radio, e-mail blogs, chats etc., teleconferencing and virtual library were missing.

TO BE CONTINUED

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

AutoWheels Automobiles with high performance delivery Stories by Taiwo Hassan S end of the year approachA es, the need to analyse automobiles that have met the expectations of the consumers in terms of performances, after-sales services and fuel economy has become imperative. The auto industry has been known to generate hype because of the new designs by automakers that often spark online competition among various brands. Investors and industry observers are often as excited about boring family sedans as they are about new hot rods, but everyone has an opinion. Here are some recent rides that delivered on high expectations or early promise. 2013 Ford Fusion There was a lot of hype about the redesigned 2013 Fusion by Ford, and for good reason. It boldly went where few family midsize sedans had ever ventured before – to an attractive place. Ford has succeeded in turning heads as much as it did in upgrading the practicality of this car. This version and the 2014 models are selling faster than the automaker can stock them in some places, a good problem for an automaker to have. 2014 Infiniti Q50 Nissan’s top Infiniti rides were in serious need of an update, and they got them in the form of the 2014 Q50. Edmunds loved the new model and hailed it as looking “every bit a luxury sedan.” Auto Blog called it ”a very nice piece, a worthy G37 successor with a needed dose of refinement” in its sterling review of the Q50. 2014 Corvette Stingray Sports car enthusiasts have been counting the days until they can get their hands on the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray, sure to be one of the most fearsome machines on the road. The car has since been garnering rave reviews for performance and style, described as

“rocket-ship fast” in the Z51 package that will can make it go 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. The Stingray is packing a 6.2 L V8 capable of generating 455 hp on 460 lb-ft of torque. Everyone appears satisfied with the seventh generation

‘Vette so far. 2014 Mercedes S Class Refined like a Rolls Royce, comfortable like a favorite couch, and engineered like…well, a Mercedes Benz, the new S Class is winning the hearts and minds of reviewers

everywhere. Auto Express declared it just about the best car in the world following a 200-mile drive to Nova Scotia. The reviewer considered it a bargain when compared to the Rolls. The full lineup of this car

arrives in the fall and includes a plug-in hybrid more efficient than a Prius. 2012 Tesla Model S White Out of the gate, Tesla had a seriously hyped car on its hands. Edmunds was going around saying it was “one of

2013 Ford Fusion hybrid

the best cars you can buy, electric or otherwise.” Road and Track followed that by calling the Model S “the most important car America has made in an entire lifetime.” Then Consumer Reports slammed the ball home with a near-perfect 99 score. The bar was very high, but the Model S has won over nearly everyone since, including investors. 2013 Scion FR-S For years, fans of Toyota RWD sports cars wanted more zip and less hybrid from the Japanese automaker. They finally got what they wished for with the 2013 Scion FR-S, a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru. The car connection loved the handling and the FR-S’s ability to hug the curves, calling it “fun, light, and rewarding to drive.” Drivers quickly started to agree, and eagerly await the next joint offering from the two carmakers. There are many promising vehicles forthcoming, but these cars have already delivered on the hype, guaranteeing they’ll be seen on the streets for years, in some cases, even decades to come.

Corvette stingray convertible

Firm unveils automated payment solution for CNG motorists REEN Gas Limited (GGL), a G Joint Venture company of Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), a subsidiary of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in partnership with Nipco Plc, has evolved a new procurement system to facilitate the conversion of more vehicles in the country to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The move, according to the company, was to ensure the prompt utilisation of the nation’s gas resources as auto fuel among vehicles in the country. The automated system, which entails the use of Contactless Smart Cards with

embedded IC chip enables motorists to make installment payments for their conversion kits and other ancillary components to enable them enjoy benefits of using a gas powered vehicle. The card which would be available at all the retail outlet of the company in the ancient city of Benin, Edo State is one of the numerous measures GGL is putting in place to facilitate stress free, faster and more convenient format of effecting payment for CNG accessories and ultimately increasing number of users of this resource over other energy source. A statement from the company said the card dubbed

“Go Green” is part of the awareness campaign to deepen CNG use by reducing financial stress on customers wishing to benefit from the growing benefits of switching to gas as auto fuel. Previously prospective customers had to pay fully for the conversion and the kits, which had been one of the impediments in the expected large-scale conversion of vehicles for CNG use. The card enables motorist to validate the entire CNG components in their vehicle for periodic inspection, routine safety check and guide against counterfeiting of any sort. According to the statement,

the technology designed and developed locally by Universal Embedded Technologies Limited (UETL) is multi faceted as it can utilised for loyalty programmes and customer reward system for the ever growing motorists switching over to compressed gas as vehicular fuel. GGL urged existing and prospective users of CNG for automobiles to take advantage of the measure and make good use of it in the overall interest of promoting an environment friendly fuel in the country. Already about 2,000 of the cards had been issued to motorists with favourable

response on its convenience with regards to payments for vehicle conversion and other ancillary things in the use of compressed natural gas as auto fuel. It would be recalled that GGL inaugurated its first set of outlets in 2009 and presently has seven stations in Benin with about 3,000 vehicles already converted at its fitment workshops in the ancient town. FGG In the same vein, scores of CNG stations by GGL are at various stages of completion in other parts of the country particularly Lagos-Benin and Warri – Benin Expressway to further boost CNG usage across the nation.

The CNG programme had received several accolades by industry stakeholders, the latest being that of the Group Executive Director (GED) Gas, NNPC, David Ige, at the 2013 business forum of the Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) held in Lagos in which he commended the initiative as veritable way of harnessing opportunities on the gas value chain in Nigeria. The GED had reiterated to the participants at the forum that one of the major opportunities in the gas value chain is in the effective utilisation of this resource as a vehicular fuel being very economical, safe and a clean energy source.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Volkswagen debuts with three new brand models By Taiwo Hassan HE Volkswagen Centre on T Wednesday, in Lagos, unveiled trio of new brand models- the VW CC, Jetta and Polo passenger cars in a renewed bid to re-launch the profile of the Volkswagen brand in the country. Head of Sales and Marketing at the Volkswagen Centre, Lagos, Manish Daryanani, disclosed at the product presentation of the new models that the Volkswagen CC had been largely unchanged since its emergence as a 2009 model, but for 2013, it adopted new styling cues that brought it in line with its more-modern upscale siblings. According to him, the Volkswagen CC was still a replica of the original concept of ‘four-door coupe,’ adding that it combined the dramatic styling of a coupe with the practicality of a sedan. Like the Mercedes-Benz CLS that sparked this emerging segment, the CC now seats five, providing easier access to the rear seats than a normal coupe. For the latest model year, Volkswagen updated the CC with more standard equipment as well as revised exterior styling. Although the CC shares basic features with outgoing version of the Passat sedan, the latest version has been enlarged, de-contented with dreadful luxury to appeal to young and upwardly mobile executives.

VW CC dash board The CC’s connection to the old Passat is most visible in its sophisticated cabin, soft touch materials, fit and finish excellence and overall intuitive design with flowing and polished exterior. “It is the CC’s exterior that will win over most buyers, adding that the overall look is one of simple elegance, with details like a relatively low, sloping roofline and sleek lights contributing to the attractive, expensive-seeming mien. He continued: “Styling changes for the latest model year include a simpler, more conservative grille and headlamp design that brings the look more in line with

2013 Volkswagen front view and power-adjustable front seats, a touch screen-activated optional dual-clutch automat- eight-speaker sound system ic that VW dubs the DSG is the with an iPod input jack. Other features are cruise conmotor that helps the CC hit 120kmph from a stop in a trol, power-adjustable driver’s seat, metallic-look matte touch over seven seconds. Experts rate fuel economy in chrome interior trim, 17-inch alloy wheels, the new CC at 21/32 mpg, while “Verme” the manual and automatic- Bluetooth connectivity, a equipped cars carry a 22/31 leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel and autompg rating. The CC can also be found in matic lights and windshield other trim levels: 2.0T Sport, wipers. This trim comes equipped 2.0T Sport Plus, 2.0T R-Line, Lux, Lux VR6 and VR6 4Motion with the 2.0-litre turbo four along with a choice of transExecutive. The entry-level sport trim missions - all other trims comes well equipped with (except the 2.0T R-Line) come leatherette convincing (faux with the automatic gearbox leather) upholstery, heated only.

• Sets to intensify sales in fourth quarter Volkswagen’s mainstream Passat and Jetta offerings.” The Volkswagen’s helmsman added that the front and rear fascias were also worked over, while bi-xenon headlights with VW’s Adaptive Front Lighting System and LED tail lamps are now standard equipment. However, the standard engine for the CC is a smooth and torque 1.8 litre Turbo FSI four cylinder engine that delivers 160bhp at 5100 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque starting from 1800 rpm. Also available with standard six-speed manual or an

The CC 1.8 litre Turbo FSI four cylinder engines adds 18-inch “Mallory” wheels with all-season 235/40 tyres and a navigation system. The top-end CC is the VR6 4Motion Executive, which adds the V6 engine and allwheel drive, a Park Distance Control system with front and rear proximity sensors, a 600-watt Dynaudio premium audio system and leather seating. All CC models come equipped with a bevy of safety features including dual front, side and side curtain airbags in addition to traction and stability control systems.

‘Elizade aims to make a point with Chinese JAC brands,’ says Oluwaniyi In anticipation towards its move to introduced JAC (Chinese) brand of vehicles to Nigeria about two months ago, Elizade Nigeria Limited had embarked on a novel idea of a 120-day test drive. The company’s General Manager, After-Sale Services, Sayo Oluwaniyi, spoke with TAIWO HASSAN on the experience of the brand, two months into the journey. the only other complaint we got was that the truck does not have the capability to move The vehicles have been taken to much goods and when we got some parts of Nigeria, with there, we discovered that it was some going as far as Abuja. Most an overload and we corrected of the companies running the that. So far, JAC is okay as there vehicles are corporate entities has been no serious issue. There are also complaints like Nestle Nigeria Limited, Evans and Nigales. Some of the about the door rubber. And we vehicles are being taken on long have done justice to that. We routes. Our trucks have trav- have noted this for further elled to Akure and back. We are improvement on the vehicle. planning to take them to Abuja. But when you talk of mechaniBut the ones in other compa- cal challenge, we have not had nies, we don’t have any control any problem on that. Talking about the shock over where they take them to. We have been handling the absorber problem, we have not had any issue there. Those are maintenance of the vehicles. What kind of report are you the areas we have been looking receiving from the test drivers of the vehicles? In 60 days, we have done close to 70,000 kilo metre in the J3, which means we are subjecting the vehicles to serious road test for us to determine the resilience of the cars. The report has been positive. What are the common maintenance issues you have had so far with the vehicles? So far so good, there is no point hiding anything. If we do that now, we will be the ones to manage the crisis at the end of the day. For the past 60 days, the regular problem is lubrication. Another one we experienced on the light truck which the user’s complained about is that the fuel cut off when on high speed; when we checked, we found out that it was the filter. Aside that, HERE are the JAC vehicles W being test-driven and what has been the experience so far?

at. If the vehicles are to fly in Nigeria, the shock absorber must be exceptionally solid. We did not leave the reporting to the owners alone. The reason is that we want to have the technical details. There is a form the drivers are expected to fill and send to us. Aside that, our technical team, comprising two technicians: the Senior and the Assistant, together with the Supervisor, go on a weekly basis to these vehicle drivers, asking questions, for us to be able to communicate with the Chinese about areas that might need improvement. What kind of technical support is Elizade prepared to give its clients? We will provide the required technical support; we are not planning to mix the Toyota band with JAC business. Elizade is geographically spread across the country. So,

we are making efforts to spread JAC brand across Nigeria. We intend to make JAC a successful brand nationwide. Our plan is to positively change the image of the Chinese brand in Nigeria. We have a development programme for every product. We have different workshops. For instance, in Lagos, we have one in Ikeja and another in Victoria Island. We are in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Akure and other states. We intend to give JAC the kind of marketing support we are giving to our Toyota products. What is your target market? We are looking at the entire Nigerian market but principally, for the light truck, we are looking at companies that deal in products that will require the service of these vehicles. They are pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage companies. We are also looking at individ-

uals too. It is also for people who are medium income earners that cannot afford other brands in the market. We want to present to the Nigerian masses, especially those in the middle class, a utility and pocket friendly vehicle. What kind of arrangement do you have with the companies test-driving the vehicles? It is the same instruction we gave our test partners: that they should test the vehicle; if they’re good, they pay; if they’re bad, they don’t. That will tell you the extent of confidence we have before we took up the responsibility of bringing the JAC cars into Nigeria. We have done our technical evaluation but we don’t rely on that alone. Once we say we are running with it, it means we are satisfied because our brand name and integrity is at stake. If the vehicles are not performing well, we need to be sure the vehicle can deliver.

Oluwaniyi What is the JAC’s ability to withstand climate change in Nigeria? When you talk about the engine, the suspension, the feedback from users has been positive so far, especially with the J3 and J5. According to one of our workers that travelled with the vehicles recently, the suspension of the car is even better than many of the established cars in the market. JAC has very good suspension.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

BusinessTravel New airliners rev competition in aviation

Aircraft on the apron of a major airport

By Wole Shadare VER time, as demand oscillates, it can be O observed that airlines adjust the size of the aircraft in their respective fleets and change the frequency of the service that they offer. Besides, on some routes, the advent of competition in the form of an additional carrier responding to demand opportunities can affect aircraft size and the frequency of the incumbent airlines. All the airlines will, after entry, continue to adjust size and frequency. In Nigeria, airlines are deploying the best equipment on routes where competition is very fierce. More airlines are now changing to state-of-the art airplanes like the Dreamliner and many others that could not have been contemplated some years ago. The truth is, Nigerians are some of the most sophisticated travellers around the world. With huge population, a rise in income of the middle class, coupled with a huge number of wealthy men and women, it is expected that they would demand for their money’s worth. An airline operator once told reporters after the federal government and foreign airlines’ faceoff two years ago on why it would be extremely difficult to force airfares down the throats of foreign carriers. His position was based on many factors. According to the operator, while the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) under the erstwhile Director General, Dr. Harold Demuren were fighting a battle to compel foreign airlines, particularly,

Some airlines have hinted of their desire to operate the super jumbo A380 planes, but lack of infrastructure at the nation’s airports to handle such a huge plane is a set back, coupled with the fact that the carriers may run into a huge loss as a result of inability to fill these airplanes with capacity put at over 500 seats British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways to lower their fares which were considered ‘expensive’, some affluent Nigerians mounted intense pressure to retain the fares. The source however clarified that the pressure was not made fares on the London-Lagos route to be astronomical, but because of so many factors that made the idea not to be achievable. Beside the fact that demand and supply determine what to be charged by carriers, some of these rich Nigerians selfishly wanted fares to be astronomical because of the penchant for status and class. Around the world, airlines are making record setting orders for both narrow and widebody aircraft. While Emirates keeps on changing its airplanes on the Dubai-Lagos, Dubai-Abuja routes (it operates B777-300 and A340-500, regarded as some of the best machines), just as it ranks as one of carriers with very young fleet (average of four years), Ethiopian and United are already operating Dreamliner to Lagos. Notwithstanding the recent battery problems encountered by the airplane, the B787,

described, as Boeing’s latest baby is one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft, coupled with the fact that it is the first ever aircraft made from fibre rather than the conventional aluminum most airplanes are made of. The Vice President, Atlantic and Pacific Sales, United Airlines, James Mueller said: “Customers will notice a real difference on board the B787. It is the world’s most advanced and efficient passenger aircraft, with a range of features that improve the overall flying experience.” British Airways on the other hand has continued to deploy B747 to Lagos route while it operates B777 to Abuja from London Heathrow. Arik Air is equally pulling its weight on some of the long haul routes and reputed to have one of the best business class cabins that can compete with any international airline. Virgin Atlantic Airways, Qatar, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Royal Jordanian, Etihad and many others are seriously in competition with huge amount of money running into several billions of dollars to have a good share of the market that Nigeria provides as a result of her huge

population. South Africa with a lesser population far more than double passenger traffic recorded here. This traffic is propelled by a thriving tourism industry and a booming economy that afford airlines like BA, Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France among others to deploy the A380. Some airlines have hinted of their desire to operate the super jumbo A380 planes, but lack of infrastructure at the nation’s airports to handle such a huge plane is a set back, coupled with the fact that the carriers may run into a loss as a result of inability to fill these airplanes with capacity put at over 500 seats. Emirates and British Airways are just two airlines that could manage to fill the seats because of their huge passenger volume. It could also help them to compress their frequencies from seven each to three or four. The relationship between aircraft size and frequency is important both because of the lack of runway capacity and because frequency is an important driver in this business. In the United States, most of these orders are being made to replace modest portions of fleets that are nearing the outer limits of age. 100 737s for Delta Airlines just means that old aircraft get replaced with new aircraft. No real change in fleet size. In America, airlines are modestly up gauging their fleets with slightly larger aircraft. An A319 buyer is going to the A320. A 737-700 user goes with a 737-800. This capacity growth amounts to just meeting organic growth in a modest economy such as the U.S.

Nahco commences operations in Enugu, others S part of its expansion programmes, the Spokesman for the firm, Mr. Adesanya A nation’s aviation handling company, the Onayoade said that the Enugu station had been Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc in operation, but was suspended following

(nahco aviance) is set to begin operations at Enugu, Asaba and Sokoto Airports. The commencement of operations at the Enugu Airport is expected to coincide with the epoch-making handling of Ethiopian Airlines’ inaugural flight tomorrow.

dearth of activities at the airport. But with the commencement of Ethiopian Airline, a major industry player, it is hoped that the current move would yield the desired result for both parties and the nation in particular. Equipment and personnel are already on

ground to provide the airline with nahco’s service quality. However, operations in Asaba and Sokoto are expected to commence before the end of this quarter. According to him, this strategic move was in sync with the Federal Ministry of Aviation’s vision of making the sector a standard in Africa, adding that it would also help in boosting the company’s

revenue, while contributing positively to the economy. “Nahco aviance is poised at all times to key into the aviation master plan of developing the sector after years of neglect. Therefore, nahco aviance’s commitment to make this initiative work and sustainable is unwavering. Already, efforts are in top gear to expand to some other African countries.”

BUSINESSTRAVEL | 47

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Airlines employ technology to raise travelling blitz By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi S security requirements increase at the airports, airlines are making ways for the use of some modern technologies to ensure that their passengers are relieved of the stress of staying on long queues for security searches and check process before boarding their flights. Most airlines in the globe have introduced the use of modern biometric technologies such as mobile boarding pass or ‘positive boarding’, which the services considerably improves passenger convenience, eliminates the need to find a printer to print the boarding pass, and as well help airlines to make extra money. The use of modern biometric technologies has provided effortless identity checks that help differentiate low risk passengers from high-risk passengers. It holds the promise of reducing enhanced security checks for the trav-

ellers. It has improved passengers experience, including checkin and bag check, security, lounge access, boarding and immigration, which can greatly increase the appeal of air travel by helping achieve the balance between heightened security measures and passenger convenience. In the case where a passenger has not checked in online, biometric identification can be used at a kiosk to provide a faster, easier method for locating a reservation. It can also be used to confirm the identity of the passenger. This has the benefit of ensuring that the person receiving the boarding pass is not falsifying his or her identity. In the case of baggage drop, biometric authentication could eliminate the need for a manual ID check. Alternatively, the use of a biometric at check-in could be coupled with a boarding pass authentication system. Whereas the first few applica-

tions would require some sort of pre-registration with the airline, the latter could use a temporary biometric record, which would be deleted after the traveller successfully boards the correct flight. As part of the global trend towards greater use of electronic ticketing, self-service kiosks and self-service boarding, the introduction of the mobile boarding pass are key factor in airline’s initiatives to use the most recent technologies to simplify passengers’ travel experience. Recently, London Heathrow airport has introduced the use new technology called ‘positive boarding’, across its terminals that will help improve passenger experience and departing flight punctuality. ‘Positive boarding’ would help to reduce airlines’ last minute searches for passengers or their bags, as well as give travellers more accurate information to help them smoothly through their journey.

The computer software now installed in Terminals 1 and 3 of London Heathrow airport has been designed so it can be compatible with all airlines’ computer systems. Furthermore, it enabled airlines to see what stage of the departure process a passenger was at and give passengers adapted information to help make their flight on time. The barcode of the checked-in baggage also serve as the identification until the final destination. While the passengers receive the smaller slip that contains the same barcode as the checked-in baggage, in case of baggage loss, the airline would be able to identify and find out where the baggage has been lost. Without the passenger having this receipt, the airline would not be obliged to find the lost luggage and compensate the passenger. Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to adopt the process in Terminal 3 and Little Red in Terminal 1. During the first

week 35,000 passengers successfully used the positive boarding technology as part of their departure journey. The data shows that 44 per cent of the departing Virgin Atlantic and Little Red flights had passengers who could have potentially delayed the departure. Of these travellers, 700 were informed by the automatic information display to promptly make their way to the departure gate to ensure they didn’t miss the flight. Also, British Airways has launched a new electronic bag tag that could do away with the need to have a new paper tag every time you fly. According to the airline, once checked in, customers just need to hold their smartphone over the electronic tag, which automatically updates with a unique barcode containing their flight details and an easy-to-see view of their bag’s destination. It added that customers could save precious time by having

their electronic tag quickly scanned at the bag drop, going straight through security to relax before catching their flight. Meanwhile, United Airlines has refreshed its applications for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry 10 to include streamlined user interfaces along with a new feature, also available on Windows Phone 8, which will enable customers to manage their travel in real time during irregular flight operations. With the new feature, United mobile app users who experienced flight delays or cancellations, will be offered the option to keep their existing route or, where available, the ability to change to a new route. The Vice President, Merchandising and Ecommerce, United Airlines, Scott Wilson said: “United continues to invest in mobile technology that improves the travel experience for our customers”.

surised 2,000ft lower than other aircraft, allowing customers to arrive at their destination feeling more refreshed and less jet-lagged. The aircraft’s smooth ride technology also provides extra comfort during any turbulence. Modified mood lighting in every cabin can be set to reflect the time of day, help-

ing to lull travellers to sleep at night and to wake them gently in the morning. Customers can also enjoy the largest windows of any commercial aircraft, offering views of the horizon from every seat, or relax watching BA new in-flight entertainment system, which features more than 1,600 hours of programming.

and Commercial Pilot License (CPL). “The new pilot successfully passed a good number of ground courses and flight operation techniques. The courses include meteorology, Navigation, Air Law, Flight Planning, Instruments, Radio Aids, Aircraft Technology and

Human performance”, he said. Managing Director, Pilot Training Network, Lufthansa Flight, Capt. Holger Hoffmann, who signed the agreement on behalf of his company pledged to furnish the pilots with adequate training; both theory and practical.

The newly remodelled Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu

British Airways launches B787 Dreamliner on Toronto route By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi RITISH Airways (BA) has concluded plans to launch its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner long-haul flight to Toronto, DJ and model Lisa Snowdon, a TV presenter has also been testing out the comfort on board the aircraft. According to the airline, the 787 will leave Heathrow on

its maiden long-haul flight, the BA093 on September 1st. “As a breakfast DJ, I know the importance of a good night’s sleep - so when British Airways invited me to ‘road test’ its new Dreamliner aircraft, I couldn’t resist. Any aircraft that promises reduced jetlag, less dehydration and a smoother journey is a winner, especially as you arrive

feeling refreshed and ready for action. “I was really impressed with how spacious and airy it felt, with mood lighting and super comfortable seating to snuggle up in”, said Snowdon. Twenty-four 787s will join the British Airways fleet over the next four years as part of the airline’s £5 billion invest-

ment in products and services for customers. BA customers will also be able to enjoy flying on the world’s largest passenger aircraft from September when the first of twelve A380s the airline has ordered begins flights to Los Angeles. The 787 offers huge benefits to BA customers, including a whisper-quiet cabin pres-

Lufthansa signs 20 pilots from Niger Delta From Abosede Musari, Abuja WENTY pilots from the T Niger Delta have been signed on by Lufthansa of Germany for further training on type and jet ratings. The training is to further promote the youths beyond primary aircraft flying to being able to fly different

kinds of aeroplanes. This training is sponsored by the Federal Government through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta. The Special Adviser, Kingsley Kuku, said during the signing of the agreement with the German company that the 20 youths are being

trained under the scholarship scheme from that office. Kuku clarified that the youths, who had earlier undergone training in flying were not part of amnesty programme but are being trained under the scholarship scheme approved for his office by President

Goodluck Jonathan. He recalled that a total of 30 out of the 53 Niger Delta youths enrolled in the Afrika Union Aviation Academy, Mafikeng and Flight Training School in South Africa in 2011 had passed all their requisite examinations obtaining Private Pilot License (PPL)

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

FridayWorship “Surely, the religion with Allah is ISLAM,complete submission”... Qur’an 3:19

Let’s go to hajj and umrah by road By Afis A. Oladosu

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful “You shall observe the complete rites of Hajj and `Umrah for the Almighty... and …observe (your duties) to Him and know that He is strict in enforcing retribution. (Quran 2:196) The Prophet was asked, “Which is the best deed?” He said, “To believe in Allah and His Apostle.” He was then asked, “Which is the next (in goodness)?” He said, “To participate in Jihad in Allah’s Cause.” He was then asked, “Which is the next?” He said, “To perform HajjMabrur. “ ET me begin by expressing my appreciaLbrethren tion to some among my compatriots and in faith who took time to react to last Friday’s sermon. It was gratifying to note that the sermon made some sense in an age which is full of nonsense to Jude, a Catholic Christian; it was pleasing to read text messages from Bro Hassan and Umm Sumayyah, among many others, that the sermon spoke to the reality of contemporary Muslim life. It connected with some of the questions humanity generally ask on a daily basis. I did note in one of my ripostes to these perceptive readers of Friday Sermon that to be human is to have challenges in life; to be Muslim is to strive, as individuals and through cooperation and mutual assistance, to overcome them. Brethren, I always look forward to a day when life would be devoid of hassles. But each time I do, I am humbled immediately that that day would be realizable only in the hereafter. It is there that those who believe shall have no pains anymore but gains. Now dear brethren, does it not make some sense today to begin a campaign for “Hajj by Road” or “Hajj On Foot?” Does it not make some sense to attempt to recreate the past since the present is harrowing and disorienting? Call it nostalgia and you would be right. I have nostalgic feelings for an era I read about but never got the opportunity of living in. I have nostalgic feeling for a hajj by road – a journey that used to take probably years and months. I have nostalgic feeling for a hajj by road and one for which all borders were liquidated. I yearned to express the past in which going to Makkah and Madinah needed neither visa nor travelling ticket. I long for an era when humans lived as humans, when going to hajj meant learning about the Other and having experiences the like of which Ibn Batuta had during his journeys across the Muslim world. The challenges facing pilgrimage to Makkah and Madina make that search for the past an imperative. She is an in-law to a colleague on campus. She had always wanted to perform the rites of Hajj, to join her elderly colleagues who have gone beyond the age of 50 in eulogizing the Name of the Almighty in the Kaaba. She knows that death is in the corner; that she might transit from this earthly dream to the great beyond any moment from now. Her daughter, the wife of our colleague, therefore, sought to register her mother’s name with one of the Pilgrims. But alas! It was too late. She was told registration for the hajj

exercise had closed in all governmental ministries. She, thereafter, approached one of the travelling agencies. One of them promised, as usual, to offer the best service to our in-law at a cost, which is not less but would not be more than N800, 000. In other words, our sister was given the assurance that no extra kobo would be demanded from her, for her mother to perform the hajj. But dear brethren, a couple of days ago, she got a call from the travelling agency that she needed to pay extra N150, 000 if she wanted her mother to be on the plane to Makkah by next month. She was surprised. She became confused. She wanted to know why extra money was being demanded. The agent did not waver in his response: “the Saudi authority has demanded reduction in the number of hujjaj so things are pretty tight.” When things are “tight” somebody has to pick the bill so that that which was tight could be “free.” Our sister, therefore, had to make one of two choices: say no and deny her old mama the opportunity of a lifetime, or say yes and be fleeced the more by other travelling agents. The above story is reminiscent of what happened during the just concluded Umrah exercise. Those who wanted to travel for the exercise, as usual, had to go through agents in order to obtain Umrah visas. Though, the visas are deemed by law to be issued free of charge (majaanan), Muslims in this country know that it costs a minimum of $200 to get one. But why do Muslims have to go through agents, you may wonder? The answer lies with the Saudi authorities. Apart from Saudi Arabia, I do not know of any other country in the world - and I am proud of my ignorance on this- whose visas are so fetishized such that it is only through agents that visas to the country may be procured. Thus, what travel agent A demands from prospective travelers to the Kingdom is not usually the same thing as the demand of travel agent B. Brethren, no matter the perspective from which it is assessed, the visa processes in the Saudi Embassy particularly in this country needs some intervention. It needs some rescue from agents who have become shylocks and oppressors. The process needs some infusion of transparency and integrity. The whole Hajj and Umrah exercise needs some re-engineering and rethinking. Brethren, what happens to prospective pilgrims at the point of departure from Nigeria, often come to the fore when they get to the holy land. In the holy land, pilgrims are sometimes given the shabbiest treatments you can imagine. I know of a brother whose passport is being held ‘hostage’ by a travel agent just because another ‘agent’ with whom the former were in business together had some monetary obligations, which he is yet to discharge! Brethren, no doubt travelling agencies and tourism businesses are established not for philanthropic reasons. No doubt having a travelling agency has become an easy means of getting up the ladder, of becoming a millionaire in the easiest of ways. But in other climes and times where piety is key, to be in business is to be in worship of the Almighty, to discharge impeccable service to your customers and clients with the intention that should death meet you in the process, you would be confident to tell your Creator- “Lord, I was in your service when your angel came to take away my soul”. May I seize this opportunity to call on our revered Professor and now Secretary, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to kindly take this matter up in addition to other issues of interest to Muslims in this country. May your desires this Friday meet with Divine redemption and sanction (aamin). (08151293300 texts only)

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

NigeriaCapitalMarket NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 22/8/2013 PRICE LIST OF SYMBOLS

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

50 CAPITAL MARkET

NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 22/8/2013

LOSERS

PRICE GAINERS

NSE’s market capitalisation rises by N69 billion By Helen Oji FTER several days of bearA ish trend, transactions the Nigerian Stock Exchange, yesterday closed in an upbeat, occasioned by price gains recorded by major bluechip companies, with market capitalisation rising by N69billion. Specifically, at close of trading yesterday, NSE All Share

Index ASI improved by 218.54 basis points to 36563.89 points from 36345.33 point traded the previous day. Also the market capitalisation of the listed equities enhanced by N69 billion or 0.59 per cent to N11.579 trillion from N11.510 trillion traded the previous day. An analysis of the investment showed that Flour Mills Nigeria Plc led gainers table,

appreciating by N6.81 kobo to close at N76.29 kobo, Cadbury Nigeria Plc gained N1.70 kobo to close at N52.95 kobo while Nigerian Breweries appreciated by N1.11 kobo to close at N167.00. Other stocks that appreciated in price were NASCON and GTBank, which gained N1.00 and N0.50 kobo respectively to N11.70 kobo and N25.35 kobo. On the contrary, PZ Cusson topped

losers chart, dropping N3.10 kobo to close at N34.50 kobo, Presco Plc trailed with a loss of N0.90 kobo to close at N33.60 kobo while Ashaka Cement N0.60 kobo to close at N20.66 kobo. Other companies that depreciated in price were Glaxosmith and Vitafoam which loss N0.60 kobo and N0.37 kobo respectively to close at N65.00 and N3.93 kobo.

Further analysis of the transactions showed that Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) recorded the highest volume of shares, trading 34.871 million shares worth N45.290 million, Zenith Bank followed with 30.537 million shares valued at N611.142 million while Unity Bank traded 25.537 million shares cost N13.323 million. Access Bank took fourth

position, exchanging 20.244 million shares worth N220.758 million and GTBank traded 14.894 million shares valued at N376.274 million. On the whole, Investors yesterday staked N3.566 billion on 252.129 million shares in 4,909 deals. This is against 249.972 million shares valued at N1.957 billion in 5085 deals.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23 , 2013

Opinion Toying with Igbo destiny By C. Don Adinuba UITE a number of Igbo elements have in the Q last few days taken umbrage at my article on the relationship between Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola and the Igbo-speaking people, with some calling me on the phone to express their sentiments. So much heat, and no light. It is a familiar path. A couple of years ago when I published an article in The Guardian on Sunday, in response to an opinion piece by Akin Osuntokun, I pointed out that much as Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s brilliance, foresight, hard work and management acumen were well established, the great politician was imbued with what Ali Mazrui would call a long memory of hate. Shortly after, Reuben Abati, then The Guardian editorial board chair, wrote rather approvingly of the notion that the Igbo penchant for domination in the military and elsewhere led to the January, 1966, coup d’état. I challenged the assertion, demonstrating with facts and logic that the Igbo conspicuous presence in the officer corps of the Nigerian army right from colonial days was based on merit. I observed that even in the very issue of The Guardian on Sunday where Abati wrote his column in question that out of three Nigerians honoured in London the preceding week for internationally acknowledged achievements, two were Igbo, that is, 66 per cent of the recipients, the very percentage of the Nigerian army officers corps of Igbo extraction as of 1966. Recalling the views of Mazrui, who is the most published African scholar, that the Igbo are the Jews of Africa, I noted that in sports and other fields where merit is the sole criterion the Igbo would always have what may be considered “a disproportionate share”. Now, there is a reversal of roles. Igbo activists are not amused at my article showing that Governor Fashola has gone out of his way to integrate the Igbo in his state more than any governor in Nigeria’s history. I typically should be having a good laugh at human folly, but I am rather worried at the proclivity of educated Nigerians to remain in Francis Fukuyama’s “primitive age of mankind”. Of particular concern is the growing inability of

the present generation of the Igbo elite to demonstrate courage, fidelity to truth, acute knowledge and strategic thinking. Instead of leading from the front, they have chosen the convenient and cheap option of conformity and groupthink. They have allowed rabblerousers and politicians enthusiastic to manipulate primordial differences and capitalize on a culture of persecution complex to dictate the pace. They are not showing the light, so the people are not finding the way. We must see the recent decision by the Lagos State government to relocate 14 Igbo destitute people to Anambra State as a wake-up call. We must learn from our recent history. When the Great Zik of Africa returned from the United States in the 1940s with a string of degrees in diverse disciplines, he saw that the Igbo were lagging behind the Yoruba because Igboland is in the hinterland, far removed from the sea through which modernity came to our country. He did not induce in the Igbo a persecution or inferiority complex or demonise the Yoruba, but rather took far-sighted steps to make them leapfrog developmentally. He sent to the United States nine promising Igbo young men, including K. O. Mbadiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Mbonu Ojike and Okechukwu Ikejiani, for further studies, and the “Argonauts”, in turn, sent their family members and relatives to the U.S. This is the genesis of the Igbo dominance of the Nigerian community in the U.S. A gifted anthropologist, Zik recognized that Igbo society thrives on village and town competition. He used the instrumentality of the Igbo State Union to accelerate the establishment of educational institutions by communities. Once a community built a school, neighbouring ones would do everything to have theirs. Thus, “in one fantastic burst of energy”, as Chinua Achebe put it, “the Igbo wiped out their educational handicap”. By 1965, they had begun to compete with the Yoruba educationally. Meanwhile, Zik had recruited many village primary school teachers with a flair for writing and trained them as journalists on his West Africa Pilot. That’s how the Igbo came into journalism. Emmanuel

Obiechina, the late eminent professor of sociology of literature, did show in a compelling manner how this development led to the emergence of the first generation of intellectual novels in Nigeria and the how the Igbo were in the forefront. As Eastern Nigerian premier, Zik operated by far the lowest budget in the country because palm produce, the region’s mainstay, was attracting much lower prices than cocoa and groundnut, which were the main revenue earners for the other regions. Yet, he was able to establish the Eastern Nigerian Development Commission, able to set up Nigeria’s first indigenous bank, Nigeria’s first fullfledged university, Nigeria’s first cement company, Nigeria’s first gas company, Nigeria’s first steel company, Nigeria’s first industrial estates, etc. No wonder, Eastern Nigeria had the world’s fastest economy by 1966. But where are the Zik’s legacies today? It is a shame that instead of building on the Zik foundation so that the Southeast will no longer remain an economic wasteland, the Igbo elite, unconscionably manipulated by one or two politicians, have been satisfied to engage in excoriating criticism of Governor Fashola over the relocation of destitute Igbo persons in Lagos to Igboland. Some Igbo elements have, without any sense of embarrassment, demanded that Fashola bring these individuals and rehabilitate them. Has Igboland become such a dreadful place that beggars from Lagos, whom some activists insist were Lagos street hawkers, cannot stay there and be rehabilitated by the various state ministries in charge of social welfare? Must Fashola perform all basic responsibilities, including ones expected of our governors? Why are we not worried about the present state of the industrial towns of Aba and Nnewi? Where is Onwuka Hi-Tek, for one? Ayo Teriba, the economist, reported a few days ago on inter-regional disparities in Nigeria: “Southeast and Northeast (ravaged by Boko Haram) not only had the smallest economies in 2012, they also recorded the least

absolute and percentage growths”. Why are we not alarmed at this trend? Why are we not demanding accountability and solid performance from Southeast governors and legislators so that our homeland can regain its place of pride? Why have our elite been cold to the takeoff of the Southeast Economic Development Commission, for which Chris Okoye has for years been shouting himself hoarse? How did we come about the lazy thinking that uttering unflattering things about Fashola is the way to demonstrate Igbo nationalism? Frankly, the low road which Igbo think tanks have taken since the brouhaha over the return of indigent Igbo elements in Lagos to their homeland is the most graceless. The think tanks have been driven by emotion, and not reason. Nigerian intellectuals validate, through their utterances and actions, the notion in some quarters that educated Africans often fail to think deeply. “Emotion is African, reason is Greek”, lamented Leopold Sedar Senghor, statesman, poet and negritude philosopher who led Senegal to independence in 1960. Finally, I would like to repeat the kernel of the argument in my previous article. The relocation of destitute persons by the Lagos State government has nothing to do with their being Igbo. Removal of beggars from Lagos streets began no sooner than Fashola assumed office six years ago. And he began with urchins better known as area boys who are mostly indigenes of Lagos Island, his ancestral home. It is a component of the Lagos megacity project. Under this project, thousands of northerners and Yoruba people have been relocated to their home states. Indeed, no governor compares with Fashola in demonstrating solidarity with the Igbo people. The evidence is overpowering. The Igbo elite have toyed with the Igbo destiny enough. This is the time to start the difficult but rewarding process of resuscitating and modernizing the economy of the Igboland. All this hot air about the defence of Igbo dignity through sentimental and reckless showmanship in the media must now come to a close. This is not what Zik, Alex Ekwueme and other high-minded individuals taught us. Low road leads to perdition. The Igbo must save their homeland themselves. • Adinuba is head of Discovery Public Affairs Consulting.

The wind in guise of democracy By Babatunde Faniyan FIND it sickening, the amateurish campaign of calumny being IPresident concocted and orchestrated over the “Amaechi saga” to discredit Jonathan. “The feud between Jonathan and Amaechi” is foul music to the discerning ear. It is an insult and a calculated attempt to ridicule the nation’s president. And all for a bowl of 2015 porridge. President Jonathan is a very busy man. Let all the dramatis personae behind the grandstanding know this. Here is a man saddled with the task of running a nation – a problem-infested nation as Nigeria; a complex machine of riotous parts, in dire need of transformation – security, power, agricultural revolution, foreign relations. So where is the time for this president to mind the antics of a state governor and engage in a “two-fighting” affair with him? But detractors are hell-bent to continue to detract him from his onerous duties. Imagine the level to which some desperate people would sink in order to achieve their purpose, no matter how mischievous. Look at what an Amaechi apologist wrote in a national newspaper: • “Jonathan cannot deny that he has a hand in what is happening to Amaechi. The president’s countenance and facial expression when he shook hands with Amaechi late June at the Port Harcourt international airport betrayed his anger against Amaechi. “(See front page of The Guardian, Sunday, June 30, 2013. And ThisDay of the same day). • “People are having “pity” for Amaechi. What he is passing through is unfair.” • “Democracy is being murdered by the conspirators in the PDP.” • “Yes, Amaechi killed democracy in Obio/Akpor. But this is diminished when compared to what is going on now.” To these I say: • Is it not too simplistic and ridiculous to declare that because Jonathan was not smiling when he met Amaechi, it means he hates the man? • The drama being played out is in the early scenes yet. We shall see who gets the pity and who gets the pitfall in due course. • If democracy is being murdered by “Conspirators”, I hope this piece would open eyes to the fact that Amaechi is the Conspiratorin-chief who set the pace – and gave rise to “Counter-Conspirators.” • Thanks for the confessional statement. So Amaechi had murdered democracy somewhere before now (Obio/Akpor). Surely,

the people there must be “praying” for him? The Amaechi actors and opportunists say that President Jonathan, using his awesome powers is hatching a “conspiracy” to wipe Amaechi off the Nigerian political landscape. Why? They have the answer ready: Because Amaechi is nursing a “legitimate” ambition to contest against President Jonathan in 2015. If this statement is true, fellow Nigerians, is it not a very serious step for a man to take – putting it very mildly? Even if the sitting president has not expressly stated that he is going to run for second term in 2015, the fact remains that he reserves the constitutional, moral and spiritual right to do so. Therefore, the fundamental truth is that anyone else under the same “roof”, who harbours the desire to contest for that position in that same year, has deliberately positioned himself in confrontation against, and as an enemy of the sitting president. Enemy in the context of ‘two persons working at cross purposes’. It does not matter how “legitimate” or “constitutional” or “democratic” the ambition of the second man is. Add to this the fact that President Jonathan and Governor Amaechi are not ordinary officials in one national government. They are in the same political party – supposedly to be one family; both attended the same university, with Jonathan however some years his senior; and to crown it all, they are brothers. President Jonathan, to the best of my knowledge has not uttered one single word hostile to Amaechi, and harbours no animosity against him. He does not need to. To those who can look, see and perceive, the very action of Amaechi – his contrived, confrontational, treacherous posture; his ambition for the seat of his boss, the number one citizen, behind his back; his rebellious putsch against his Niger delta kinsman; his irreverence to an elder – as a full blooded African; his nonchalance and failure to seek and intimate his brother, senior and boss of his intention – are indeed, actions that must automatically generate its own re-actions from the very elements and manifest forces against him. It is written. My readers who are steeped in the Good Book would attest to this. Now, from that moment on, even without a single action from the sitting president, this man, by his own audacious act, has murdered sleep – and therefore, like Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis who wanted to become King, can sleep no more… Why? Simply because, by nursing an ambition, which is at cross purposes with his brother in the same family without approaching him to intimate/consult/discuss with him

on the issue amounts to an act at cross purposes with nature. Those who are “pushing” Amaechi declare that his action is bold, constitutional, democratic, legal, etc. They are right. Those are the adjectives that suit their intentions. But there are other adjectives that suit the Amaechi action as a glove. The action is also mischievous, dubious, conspiratorial, rebellious, back-stabbing and evil. To be free of the odious conspiracy shadow hanging over him inhouse, Amaechi may do well to re-strategize with his proposed principal, for them to cross over and seek the presidential ticket of the newly registered APC – which party is abundantly and understandably “sympathetic” to the Amaechi cause. Jonathan is not the typical Nigerian politician (“A Breath of Fresh Air” – Remember?). He does not fight dirty. He believes in doing his honest, competent best, and God faithfully doing the rest. Had he, in the past, not contested, fought and won against gladiators who are “heavier”, more matured, more accomplished and experienced than Amaechi? The personalities who are confronting Amaechi in his own state are his own fellow travellers in the same party, the PDP. Those who are antagonizing and moving to neutralize him are his own brethren. I have even read a newspaper piece from another of Amaechi’s sympathisers who likened the scenario to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in which Jonathan – trust them – is Brutus who conspired with others to assassinate the rising star, Julius Caesar whose only sin was that he was being “too ambitious”. What a juxtaposition? Say, who is the conspirator here? But then all these constitute sweet music in the ears of those vehemently opposed to the continued sitting of President Jonathan on the number one seat. And would do anything to scuttle his alleged ambition to continue on the seat in 2015. Brutus, bosom friend of Julius Caesar said he and his conspirators assassinated the hero “not because I love Caesar less, but because I love Rome more.” Amaechi’s supporters and sympathizers of his unethical, ill-focused ambition do not love Amaechi. They only want to use him. I hope he is spiritually mature enough to realise this – but then, one never knows what fiery ambitions could wreak on the reason of men. If they have any affection for Amaechi at all, it is for him to be used as an arrow to shoot down Jonathan – if they can. It is debatable whom they love less – Jonathan or Nigeria. But I have no doubt that God loves Nigeria more. • Faniyan is an author and communications consultant based in Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Opinion North-South divide, obstacle to nation (3) By Ben Nwabueze • Continued from yesterday HEN, of all persons, Paul Unongo, known in the past for his fierce championship of the interests of the ethnic groups in the Middle Belt against the dominance of the ethnic groups in the True North, begins to speak in this vein, when he begins to see the entire artificial creation called Northern Nigeria, with no common sociological, cultural, linguistic, religious or locational (i.e. geographical) attributes or identity, as having a common “geopolitical interest” to be asserted and advanced against the South, then, Nigeria is in serious trouble, more serious than is generally realized. He was, apparently, driven to espouse his new view of the Middle Belt as having common “geopolitical interest” with the True North by a feeling of having been betrayed. As he said, “when Jonathan came to Benue (for presidential campaign in 2011)… I spoke on behalf of the people of Benue”, and persuaded them to vote for Jonathan. Now the “tribal jingoists” in the Niger Delta, as he calls them, have highjacked and appropriated him as their own alone and exclusively, branding as “enemies”, anyone making critical comments about the performance of his administration. This, he lamented sorrowfully, is not the “all-inclusive Nigeria” I had lived and fought for. The demand for power shift to the North is a matter calling for mature and dispassionate dialogue, which should take into account all relevant factors and considerations, including the demands of harmonious co-existence of the diverse ethnic groups in the country as well as the fact that no Executive President of Nigeria has ever come from the Middle Belt States of Benue, Taraba, Kogi and Kwara, and the South East States. If, after such mature and dispassionate dialogue on the issue, it is agreed that power should shift to the North, then, the interest of the Middle Belt must be recognized and protected as having priority over that of the True North. Happily, there is no lack of people of the right caliber from there. The demand for power shift to the True North demonstrates most palpably the seriousness of the obstacle to the building of one Nigerian nation, which is created by the idea of “Northern Nigeria” or one North and the attitude of mind generated by it. Until the idea and the mental attitude that comes with it are exorcised, the building of one Nigerian nation may be further stalled. A far more grave threat to the unity of the country than the demand for power shift to the North, is the current Boko Haram insurgency which, as is generally believed, is sponsored by some political, traditional and religious leaders from the North in pursuance of an agenda aimed at promoting northern domination and the supremacy of the Moslem religion in the affairs of Nigeria. A stark revelation of this was given in an interview with the Sunday Vanguard newspaper by Chief Tobias Michael Idika, President of Kano State Chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo who is also President-General of the leaders of the ethnic communities resident in Kano. Blaming the northern politicians as well as the northern traditional and religious leaders for the Boko Haram crisis, he said (see Sunday Vanguard newspaper of August 4, 2013): “Every right-thinking Nigerian who witnesses the killing of innocent citizens must have reservations. I

sense a high level of compromise, connivance and blackmail. Some northern politicians want these killings to continue, using it as a bargain for power. What pains me so much is that they are hiding under the cloak of religion to perpetrate this evil. The culprits are politicians, religious leaders and traditional rulers from the North. As far as I am concerned, Boko Haram is a creation of bitter politics. Let me say this without mincing words – if they continue to allow this kind of carnage in Sabon Gari, the resultant consequence will be deadly.” The danger posed to the unity of Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgency, sponsored, as testified by Chief Idika and other credible sources, by Northern political, traditional and religious leaders, is more grave than we seem prepared to acknowledge to ourselves. The unwillingness to do so is nothing but self-deceit, which is itself a source of danger. The idea of “Northern Nigeria” as one entity poses yet another danger to the unity of Nigeria, in that the solidarity and unity of the North is aimed, not only at putting political power in the hands of people from the True North, but also at putting control of the strategic function of security in their hands, thereby making the security of the Nigerian state and its people a northern affair. This insidious and pernicious northern design is attested by Bishop Matthew Kukah in his book, Witness to Justice: An Insider’s Account of Nigeria’s Truth Commission. As the Bishop tells us, the design is given maxim implementation under the regime of General Sanni Abacha. The General had, in furtherance of that design, appointed Major Hamza AlMustapha as the Chief Security Officer to the Head of State; Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, as the National Security Adviser; Brigadier Gen. Sabo as the Director of Military Intelligence; AVM Idi Musa as Chief of Defence Intelligence; Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie as the Inspector-General of Police; and Alhaji Zakari Biu as the head of the newly created Counter Terrorism Agency, which was assigned “the responsibility of keeping watch over enemies within who might be collaborating with enemies without to destabilize the nation”. As all these appointees were northerners, northern control of the security of the Nigerian state and its people was complete, and has remained largely undismantled up till now (August 2013). The dream of one Nigeria thus confronts a serious threat, given the incompatibility between it and a security apparatus controlled by just one segment of the country – the northern segment. Those behind the design cannot have meant well for, or cared much about, the unity of the country. Before July 2012, the South as a single entity had no organisations corresponding to those existing in the North – no one pan-southern organisation to countervail those in the North. There are of course organisations, like The Southern Minorities Movement, which by name embrace the entire territory of the South but not all its peoples, their concern being limited only to certain groups of people, such as the minority ethnic groups. The formation of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) in July 2012 is thus a significant development. The SNPA held its third General Conference in Lagos on May 20, 2013, attended by a South-East delegation led by former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, a South-West delegation led by Rt. Rev. Em-

manuel Bolanle Gbonigi, while the South-South delegation was led by Chief Edwin Clark. (The earlier General Conferences were held in Uyo and Enugu.) The creation of a pan-southern organisation to match those in the North is perhaps not a bad thing in itself, but what I find worrying is the conflict-laden polarisation of the country into two antagonistic camps of North versus South, which is implied in the statements of SNPA’s objectives, as declared in speeches delivered at the recent third General Conference in Lagos. Whilst in his speech, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, as leader of the South-East delegation, simply spoke of “the need for the South to come together and speak with one voice.” Bishop Gbonigi, speaking as leader of the South-West delegation, went further to say: “Now that we have a counterpart in the South to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), namely the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, future meetings with the ACF should be with SNPA only and we should put an end to the practice of ACF holding separate meetings with our various zones. We strongly recommend that this Conference should adopt this position.” But it was Chief Edwin Clark, as leader of the South-South delegation that gave forceful expression to the spectre of antagonistic relations between the North and the South when he said: “We are convinced that if our political leaders and forebears had invested some of their energies, exceptional brilliance and wits in fostering a united Southern Nigeria, the challenges of fragmentation and distrust which have been very clearly exploited by the North to supplant us in virtually all aspects of our political lives would have been avoided. “The unfortunate result was the lack of unity, cohesion and solidarity among their people. Because we could not speak with one voice in matters of common interest, the South became easily manipulated and preyed upon by our detractors whose tactics has always been to divide and rule. Despite their political differences, the North is always united in matters of common interest. This unarguably has remained our albatross.” The creation of SNPA with the unity of the South as its objective raises the question whether the unity of the North against the South, and the unity of the South against the North, translate to the unity of Nigeria or to a drag on the latter. The question is discomforting, and is causing me considerable disquiet. Borrowing Sir Frederick Maitland’s famous aphorism about the continuing dominating influence of the forms of action in English law notwithstanding their demise by abolition, we may say that we have buried Northern and Southern Nigeria as governmental entities, but they still continue to rule us, to dominate our thinking and attitude, from their graves. This is a great tragedy indeed. The planned centenary celebration of the 1914 amalgamation of the Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria may have the unfortunate effect of helping to keep alive the idea of Northern and Southern Nigeria. This is an additional reason why the plan should not be proceeded with. What should engage our concern and concerted effort is how to bridge the chasm resulting from the North-South Divide. The matter calls for the creation of a national front for the activist pursuit of the National Transformation Agenda. • Concluded • Nwabueze is professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Nigeria: Between America and China By Yushau Shuaib HEN Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan W was visiting China and American President Barak Obama was rounding off his tour of selected African countries, excluding Nigeria, a new book on the economy “Emerging Africa: How the Global Economy’s last frontiers can prosper” was released. The book by Kingsley Moghalu, a Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria highlights major causes of African underdevelopment from what he called “failure to develop, articulate, internalise and propagandise a worldview.” When it comes to image-building, a national leader must rise up and project the dignity of his country as a nation to be reckoned with in global politics without being too overzealous or confrontational like late Muammar Ghaddafi of Libya, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Apart from the undisclosed politics behind the Chinese tour, President Jonathan, who led a multi-sectoral high-powered delegation comprising influential cabinet members, chieftains of industries, governors and politicians to the Asian superpower, also met and invited top executives of several Chinese conglomerates to initiate fresh investments in Nigeria. At the end of the tour, Jonathan and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, presided over the signing of five agreements to boost financial, trade, economic, technical and cultural relations that could expand Nigeria’s domestic manufacturing capacity. The questions on many lips are whether Nigeria is now tilting more towards Asian tigers rather than its traditional allies in the West. Moghalu’s book points out that the idea of socialism in Asia and

capitalism in the West do not really matter as most countries practice different types of capitalism. He noted that state capitalism is practiced in China; crony capitalism in Russia and to some extent, Nigeria; welfare capitalism in Europe and entrepreneurial capitalism is practiced in United States. An African country like Nigeria, the author insisted, must develop its clear worldview based on fundamental understanding of globalisation that will enable it to identify and protect its interests. He also warns African leaders against turning their countries to a destination of consumers of the products of globalisation. Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa is a strategic partner to both America and China who are recognised as military and economic superpowers. A recent report in The Guardian of London disclosed that, “China’s GDP per capita was $9,100, whereas the U.S. boasted a figure of $48,900. There is also an extreme contrast in the respective current account balance – the U.S. has the world’s largest deficit burden, while China has the world’s greatest budget surplus In its series of exclusive interviews with top diplomats in Nigeria, the Economic Confidential magazine published interviews with U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Terrence P. McCulley and his Chinese counterpart, Ambassador Deng Boqing in November and December 2012 respectively. The two top diplomats in the separate interviews agreed that Nigeria has enormous internal and huge regional market for foreign investors. They also admit that one of Nigeria’s most important resources, outside oil and gas, is its energetic, dynamic and diverse people who have remained together despite speaking over 250

languages by different ethnic groups. While Ambassador McCulley explained that U.S. development assistance to Nigeria exceeds $600 million with more than $5 billion in U.S. investment, the Chinese ambassador told the same magazine that the accumulated investment from China exceed US$10 billion while its non-financial direct investment was $8.7 billion as at December 2012. Surprisingly while Nigeria is the fifth largest crude oil supplier to USA, its crude export to China is relatively lower, which only constitutes one per cent to two per cent of Nigeria’s total crude export. Meanwhile, Nigeria is the fourth largest trade partner and the second largest export market for China in Africa. In 2011 Nigerian farmers exported 1.1 million metric tonnes of cassava chips to China. The United States supports Nigeria’s national priorities, especially the national security. Apart from supporting the health sector in containing malaria, eradicating polio, and helping millions of Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS, through USAID, the American government has an agricsector programme called Markets, which supports farmers needing technical assistance to improve crop yield. It is also committed to assisting Nigeria’s efforts to reform the power generation and hydrocarbon sectors. On the other side, China’s wide range investment covers sectors such as petroleum, free trade zone, iron and steel, agriculture, manufacturing, pharmacy and mining. It has offered to establish three petroleum refineries in Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos states and its committed other projects include: railway rehabilitation, power generation, telecommunications projects as

well as the provision of houses in Nigeria. Ambassador McCulley added that, “Nigeria is a country blessed with both abundant human and natural resources, and the United States seeks partnership not dependency; we seek to build capacity not undermine local initiatives.” The Chinese ambassador stated that, “China has been an active player in economic globalization and integrated itself with the rest of the world with an open attitude, strengthened exchanges and cooperation.” While America is deeply involved in democratic or political processes in many countries, China is more concerned with business interests, especially in developing countries. As the second largest economy in the world with the foreign exchange reserve reaching US$ 3 trillion, China has enormous capacity to invest outside its shores. Its increasing investment in Africa is influenced by the reluctance of traditional economic partners such as U.S, Europe to invest in the continent due to their debt crises. Nigeria should not only look towards the East or the West alone, it should also create an enabling environment to attract genuine investors devoid of diplomatic rhetoric and political grandstanding. It should also encourage more export of non-oil items from Nigeria, especially agriculture products. The government should explore pragmatic means of turning Nigeria into a major manufacturing zone in Africa. As Moghalu recommends in his book, the major essentials should be infrastructure, power sector and education with certain conditions and appropriate economic policies to protect national resources so that Nigeria or Africa is not the ‘last frontier’ for economic exploitations. • Shuaib wrote from Abuja.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Sports Ahead 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup

NSC to implement Eagles’ bonus panel report immediately

NFF submits Golden Eaglets’ provisional team list to FIFA HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) has sent a provisional team list of 35

• Mikel, Enyama, Ejide snubbed panel From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HE Minster of T Sports/Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bolaji Abdulahi said yesterday that the commission would not waste time to seek the endorsement of the Presidency to begin the implementation of the report of the ministerial panel on the Super Eagles’ bonus. Speaking while receiving the report of the Olusegun Adeniyi-led panel in Abuja yesterday, Abdullahi noted that the seriousness of the Super Eagles’ bonus issue has attracted the interest of the Presidency, stressing that the report would be immediately forwarded to the Presidency for endorsement. The minister said the seriousness of the bonus row has made it imperative to act decisively, noting that implementing the reports of the panel would bring a turning point for Nigerian football. “Row over match bonuses have been there for years, but it is about time that it ended because no other country has been dragged through this embarrassment the way Nigeria has. And we want to be the generation that sat down and said enough is enough. We believe that people will look at this time as the turning point for Nigerian football, as far as the issue of bonuses is concerned,” the minister stated. While submitting the report to the minister, Chairman of the panel, Segun Adeniyi said the issue of Super Eagles’

bonus has been mismanaged over time by all the parties involved, stressing that there are mutual distrust by the parties, indiscipline on the side of national team players, as well as, lack of firm leadership by those involved in football administration. He disclosed that his committee invited some members of the home-based Super Eagles, who appeared with the Chief Coach, Stephen, adding that only team Captain, Joseph Yobo was able to react to its requests for comment from the foreignbased players contacted through phone. He noted that all attempts to talk to the major actors of the bonus row in Namibia failed as Mikel Obi, Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide failed to either pick their calls or reply the messages they sent to them. “I want to say that the real incentive for any footballer invited to the national team is principally the privilege and pride of wearing the national colours of his or her country. To that extent, bonus payment should really not be an issue. In most countries, it is usually determined by the football administration according to their financial standing and the importance of the matches or tournaments at hand. “Unfortunately, in our country, bonus payment has over the years been mismanaged by all the parties involved, resulting in avoidable crises that have on different occasions sullied the image of our country.

Arsenal has proved critics wrong, says Wenger RSENE Wenger feels Arsenal answered their critics in the win over Fenerbahce but confirmed there is “no chance” of signing Luis Suarez. Wenger had been under fire following a lack of summer spending and a nightmare opening match of the new Premier League season, losing 3-1 at home to Aston Villa. However, there was no hangover on Wednesday evening as the Gunners coasted to a 30 victory in their Champions League play-off first leg at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium with second-half goals from

Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud. “It was of course the environment, we faced was difficult but the only way to do it is to go out there and play football like you want to play,” said Wenger, who confirmed the club were continuing to work on transfers other than the Liverpool striker after a failed £40million+£1 bid. “This team has shown a lot of mental strength. I told you that you had forgotten that this team has lost only one game since March under very, very special circumstance.

Super Eagles’ defender, Azubuike Egwuekwe.

Afrobasket: Nigeria eyes victory over Congo By Adeyinka Adedipe IGERIA will continue its quest for Nations Cup glory at the FIBA Africa Basketball Championship for men in Abidjan today, as the D’ Tigers take on Congo in its second match of the competition. After dispatching Mali 74-59 on Wednesday, the Nigerian team will hope for another victorious outing to put itself in a good position for next round qualification. The Congolese would also play for victory after losing to Cameroun 74-43 to have a chance of making in to the second round. However, they would meet a fired-up Nigerian side that has vowed to do everything possible to pick its first Nations Cup title. While praising the Malian team for giving Nigeria a good fight, Coach Ayo Bakare said that the game against Congo would be a different ball game. He also said that his team was tired of playing second fiddle at the Nations Cup. “I want to say that we have played second fiddle for too many years and cannot afford to continue that way, so we must put in our best to ensure we achieve success. This is the best set of players we have ever assembled and I believe we can win if we put in our best.”

The Nigerian team would not be short of support, as Dodan Warriors players arrived Abidjan on Tuesday to drum up support for the team. There were few supporters at the opening game but the Warriors would provide more support against Congo. Warriors have also prom-

ised to remain in Abidjan until after the preliminary on Sunday when Nigeria battles Cameroun. Also, co-captains, Olumide Oyedeji and Ike Diogu said they were happy with the preparation they got for the competition and promised not to fail the NBBF and Nigeria in general.

It’s Warri Wolves versus Enyimba in Federation Cup final By Gowon Akpodonor HE semi-final playoff of the T Federations Cup between Warri Wolves and Akwa United yesterday at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi ended in favour of Wolves, thus setting the stage for a final showdown against twotime African champions, Enyimba, in Lagos on September 15. The Aba millionaire had reached the final on Wednesday after beating Lobi Stars 1-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. But the second semi-final game involving Warri Wolves and Akwa United in Bauchi was called off due to a heavy down poor that made visibility poor after both teams had

leveled scored at 1-1 with 10 minutes left. In continuation of the match yesterday afternoon, Wolves smiled last with a lone strike by old war-horse, Gift Atulewa. The ex-Nigerian junior player scored from the penalty box in the dying minutes of the game, when an Akwa United defender fouled in the 18-yard box. It was a carry over from Wednesday’s match that was disrupted by rainfall, so the game only lasted for 10 minutes and additional two minutes of injury time. Warri Wolves Team Secretary, Lawrence Omoghor told The Guardian on phone from Bauchi yesterday that they deserved the final ticket having worked so hard since the commencement of the season.

Golden Eaglets to the world soccer governing body, FIFA ahead of the 2013 Under-17 World Cup to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates between October 17 and November 8. This is a part of the regulations of the championship and it is from this pool of players that the final list of 21 would eventually be picked for the World Cup. Players, who made the list were key members of the team that won silver at the CAN Under-17 Championship in Morocco, including Captain Musa Muhammed and star striker, Isaac Success. Others are Chidera Ezeh; Kelechi Iheanacho;Musa Yahaya,Saliu Ali-Baba, Akinjide Idowu ,Taiwo Awoniyi,Chidiebere Nwakali, G o a l k e e p e r Yinka Adewale and amongst o t h e r s . Notable new faces in the team include all-action striker, Theophilus Solomon and Chelsea’s teenage sensation, Habib Makanjuola, who is expected in camp upon release by his English Premiership side. Golden Eaglets Head Coach, Manu Garba (MFR) said the 35 players on the list have been carefully selected based on merit, adding that there is no longer opportunity to try out new players as the preparations for the World Cup is well underway.

Baldini in Madrid for Bale talks OTTENHAM Technical T Director, Franco Baldini is reportedly in Madrid for talks over the sale of Gareth Bale. Baldini flew to the Spanish capital on Wednesday to discuss a potential deal with Real Madrid officials. Real have made no secret of their desire to sign Bale this summer, and they hope to finalise a reported £93million deal for the 24-year-old in the coming days. Bale has been pining for a move to Real ever since the Spanish giants made it clear they wanted to make him their marquee signing of the summer. Initially, Tottenham played hardball with the Spaniards. A meeting between Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy and his opposite number, Florentino Perez in Miami ended without agreement and for a while it seemed a realistic possibility that Bale could stay. But while negotiations stalled, Levy embarked on a spending spree that saw Spurs sign four new players worth £60million. He has also sanctioned moves for two new players Anzhi Makhachkala forward, Willian and Roma midfielder, Erik Lamela.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

SPORTS 57

Lagos International Table Tennis Classics

Main draw qualifiers emerge today, as Toriola commends players By Adeyinka Adedipe HE qualifiers of the Lagos T International Table Tennis Classics will end today with 72 players making it to the main draw, which begins on Monday. The breakdown shows that 32 male players, 16 female players, 16 junior boys and eight junior girls will join the foreign and top Nigerian players in the main draw. Qualifying for the main draw will give the homebased players the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best in the competition. The highest ranked Nigerian male player in the world (181), Segun Toriola, who watched some of the games yesterday, commended the players and noted that the competition would give them the needed exposure. He expressed happiness over the staging of the championship and called for more. He stated that the event would also help develop the game in the country. “I have seen some of the players and I must say that they have the required skills to excel. What they definitely need is exposure, which this competition would provide.” According to Toriola, the dream of every player is to play for his country, predicting that some of the players would make it to the top in future.

Germany-based Funke Oshonaike also said that she was in the competition to inspire the budding talents in the country. “I am very happy that my country is hosting this championship because when we started we had the opportunity to feature in series of international competitions. But the present players do not

Toriola

have such privilege and staging this event will help them become better players. “I must also commend the board of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) for its desire to change the fortune of the game. I am not targeting the title but I am not here just to make up the numbers, I will surely give my best.

“My aim is to motivate the players and to show them that despite my age, I am still fit to compete with some of them,” the 2011 All Africa Games silver medallist stated. Meanwhile, the main organising committee (MOC) of the event revealed that most of the players expected at the event would arrive at the weekend.

Competition Manager, John Peters, who disclosed this to The Guardian said that arrangement have been put in place to ensure a hitch-free tournament. “We are expecting the best of table tennis championship here due to the number of foreign entries that we have and I hope the Nigerian players will also live up to expectation.”

MTN Lagos Street Soccer kicks off HE season six of the MTN T Lagos Street Soccer Championship will kick off this weekend with 900 teams participating. According to the Secretary General of Local Organising Committee (LOC), Deji Aladegbemi, teams in the men’s event would kickstart the competition, while others would join next weekend. The male teams were drawn into 138 groups with the groups consisting of four to five teams. The female teams were drawn into 13 groups while the U-15 junior teams were drawn into 54 groups. “I think we are excited with the response from schools for the U-15 junior category and this is a good development even as we hope to identify talents that would be groomed for the state and the country at large. This year’s tournament will be unique as we are planning to make it more exciting,” Aladegbemi said. He continued, “this year’s edition will offer unique platform for teams to showcase their mastery of the game. Season six will be played in the following phases, round 1, 2, 3, 64, 32, 16, 8 and finale.” “Considering the large registration, 24 venues will play host to matches, with ten venues out of these centers designated as super centres, where the title sponsor will showcase MTN essence of enriching life with lot of entertainment, free raffle tickets and products giveaway,” he said.

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Heroes Of Chidi Imoh: Nigerian schoolboy who Chukwudi ‘Chidi’ Imoh will live long in the folklore of Nigerian athletics in particular and the world at large. There are many sides to his foray into the exciting world of sports. Arguably one of the most gifted athletes of his generation, Imoh hit the top of his athletics career shortly after abandoning the game of football midway into his secondary school education at Boy’s High School, Aba in the then old Imo State. He became a warlord on the track. Imoh rose to become African 100m champion in 1984 and 1985 African Athletics Championship in Rabat, Morocco and Cairo, Egypt respectively and never looked back. In 1987, he won the All African Games 100m title in Nairobi, Kenya. He went on to pick a bronze medal in in the 60m at the 1991 World Indoor Championships in Seville, Spain. Imoh competed at three different Olympics Games and the highpoint of his career was the silver medal he got at Barcelona ’92 Olympics in the 4 x 100m relay. At the University of Missouri in Columbia, Imoh left his footprint on good note. He was arguably the most successful athlete of the institution. Imoh owns the school’s 100-meter record and recorded back-to-back runnerup finishes in the sprint at the NCAA championships in 1985 and 1986. He held the 200m records on three occasions in the outdoor games with a time of 19.9 seconds as well as the 100m outdoor with a time of 10.00 seconds. He also set a record in the 55m indoor games with a time of 6.10 seconds. Speaking with GOWON AKPODONOR from his base in California, United States during the week, Imoh narrates the story of his life, including how his raw talents forced his parents to support his sporting career as a teenager. He also spoke on other issues, including the importance of education, which he described as paramount and number one priority. raderie.” Perhaps, one memorable competition Imoh will live to remember in his schoolboy career was the feat he recorded at Bendel ’81 National Sports Festival at the Ogbe Stadium in Benin City. The young Imoh had made his way from the Boy’s High School into the old Imo State team for the festival. He was in the junior category, but his performance on the track prior to the games gave his coaches the hope of a medal. Those were the golden era when the best of Nigerian athletes (home and abroad) were allowed to participate in the National Sports Festival. The Bendel ’81 fiesta was an open Game and so, the young Imoh, had to battle with senior athletes in the sprint events. He did not disappoint. “I won a silver medal in the senior category and everyone from my state was very excited because I belonged in the junior category. It became a major story in almost all the newspapers the following day that a rookie from the junior category beat senior athletes in Benin City. The performance catapulted me to the international circuit,” he stated. From that moment, Imoh became a regular member in the Nigerian athletics team and he took part in various competitions, hauling medals at all fronts. He made the annual Mobil Athletics Championship in Lagos a tough ground for other competitors, including Innonominated to represent the school in the disfootballer at Owo primary school in Ondo cent Egbunike, Olopade Adeniken and the Eztrict championships, where he proved his State before switching to the field of athletics inwa brothers, for many years. worth. midway in his post elementary education at Before Imoh’s dominance, Nigeria’s athletics “I went on to represent the old Imo State in Boy’s High School, Aba. had great stars like Victor Edet, Dayo Recalling the genesis of his athletics career in the national championships and won gold Onanabusi and policeman, Ikpoto Eseme. medals in all my events,” he stated. this interview with The Guardian, Imoh said, “I The baton exchanged from Eseme to Chidi The rising profile of the young schoolboy at started out as a soccer player up till my third Imoh and he went on rule the track for about a year in the high school. One day, we were prac- the Boy’s High School in the commercial city of Aba soon spread round like the harmattan decade. He rose to become African champion ticing for the annual inter house sports and I in 1984 and in 1987, won the All African Games took a bet with my mates and my seniors that I fire, thereby catching the attention of national 100m title in Nairobi, Kenya, where he ran a and international coaches. would beat them in both the 100m and 200m personal best time of 9.92 seconds. With a feeling of nostalgia, Imoh relishes his races. They disagreed. Imoh and five U.S.-based Nigerian athletes schoolboy experience. “School sports were a “During the inter house sports proper, I surwon gold medals at Edmonton ’83 World Unigreat deal of fun, and very engaging. It was an prised everybody by beating all the junior boys avenue wherein during competitions, athletes versity Games in Canada. While Imoh struck and the senior boys in the 100m and 200m gold in the 100m, Sunday Uti was champion in from different schools and out of state comdashes and I won all the trophies,” he said. the 400m, just as Yusuf Ali ruled in the long petitors hung out and there was a lot of camaBefore this time, Imoh’s parents never gave the young lad the support he needed to excel in sports. He said, “initially, my parents had their misgivings, but when they realised that I was naturally talented, they became readily supportive of my venture into athletics. When I was awarded a scholarship, they were quite elated.” Imoh’s victory during the inter house sports competition sowed the seed of his breakthrough in athletics, as he was

Chidi Imoh ESTINY, they say, has a way of playing out in D the life of a man. Perhaps, if Chidi Imoh stuck to the game of football in his school days, he, probably, would not have made a great impact and fortune, which he got from the field of athletics. Born on August 27, 1965, Imoh rose to become one of world’s greatest athletes setting records as if there were no tomorrow. He was always among the best in his days, leading Nigeria’s challenge against top sprinters from other parts of the world. He was neck to neck with America’s Carl Lewis in the build up to Seoul ‘88 Olympic Games in South Korea, where he was rated world number three by the IAAF. Imoh actually began his sporting career as a

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

School Sports dared American ‘lions’ on the track jump. Triple jumper, Ajayi Agbebaku also won gold, while Innocent Egbunike defeated all contenders in the battle for gold in the 200m. The third IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics took place in Seville, Spain in 1991 and Imoh was among the 531 athletes from 82 countries that participated. He ran 6.60 seconds to settle for bronze medal in the 60m. On August 15, 1986, Imoh set a new African 100m record of 10.00 seconds in the West Berlin Athletics Grand Prix. That was shortly after his hopes of winning a sprint medal in Edinburg ‘86 Commonwealth Games were dashed following the decision by Nigeria government to boycott the games. Imoh went on to represent Nigeria at three Olympics Games, but his best moment was at Barcelona ’92 Olympics, where the country picked a silver medal in athletics for the first time. Before then, the nation’s best in athletics in the Olympic Games was the bronze medal won in the 4x400m relay by the quartet of Sunday Uti, Moses Ugbusien, Rotimi Peters and Innocent Egbunike at Los Angeles ’84 Olympics. In Barcelona ’92, Nigeria’s first Olympics silver medal came in the 4x100m relay quartet of Chidi Imoh, Olapade Adenikan, Kayode Oluyemi and Davidson Ezinwa. The silver medal by Imoh and his ‘gang’ was followed by two other silver medals from David Izonritei and Richard Igbineghu in boxing and a bronze from the 4x100m relay quartet of Beatrice Utondu, Christy OparaThompson, Mary Onyali and Faith Idenhen. Recalling his participation at Barcelona ’92 and other sporting events round the world, Imoh said, “my participation in sports helped affect my world view very positively. The world became less daunting to me. I travelled all over the world and met different people from diverse cultures. It gave me a lot of positive exposure.” Before his performance at Barcelona ’92, Imoh had his most disappointing moment ever in sports at Seoul ’88 Olympics in South Korea. In the build up to Seoul ’88, Imoh was one of the best sprinters in the world. He was neck-to-neck with America’s Carl Lewis in the 100m and the calculation by many Nigerians then was that no matter what happened, Imoh would be among those to mount the medal podium. It went the other way. He picked up injury midway into the competition and could only manage to reach the quarterfinal, where he crashed out in heat 2 with a time of 11.44 seconds. “Seoul ‘88 was my worst moment in sports,” he told The Guardian. “I would have won a medal because I was really in top form and my target was to go for the medal. But I pulled a muscle somewhere along the line and I was devastated. I always took something

from all my championships. I found them to be very rewarding experiences that helped me grow and advance as an athlete. But that didn’t happen in Seoul ’88 and it was very unfortunate,” he stated. The Seoul ’88 Olympics was another disaster for Nigeria. With Imoh injured, the attention of Nigerians shifted to the duo of Isiaq Adeyanju and Olopade Adeniken in the 100m. They made it to the semifinal to increase the expectations of people back home. But in heat one of the semi-final, Adeniken placed sixth, despite running 10.33 seconds. Carl Lewis of U.S.A won it to progress to the final. In heat 2 of the semifinal, Adeyanju ran 10.60 seconds to finish seventh. The Games itself ended in controversy after Canada’s Ben Johnson defeated the defending champion, Carl Lewis, with a world record time of 9.79 seconds in the final. Two days later, the IOC stripped Johnson his gold, when his post-race drug test indicated steroid use. His record time of 9.79 seconds was also erased and the gold awarded to Lewis, who ran 9.92 seconds in the final. Chidi as champion of a 100m race during an IAAF World championship At the University of Missouri in Columbia, the sports records left behind by Imoh still stands till date. Imoh alongside two other Nigerians, Victor Edet and Isiaq Adeyanju, won six straight Big Eight titles in the 100m for the institution from 1983 to 1988. Imoh, who holds the school’s 100m record (10.0 seconds), finished second at the NCAA Championships in 1985 and 1986. He also holds the records in the 200m outdoor with a time of 19.09 seconds and in the 55m indoor with a time of 6.10 seconds. Looking back to his school sports days in Aba and his sojourn in sports, Imoh said, “being exposed to sports early actually made me very health conscious. I still work out very regularly and my health is intact, by the Grace of God.” He blames Nigeria’s deficiency in producing young budding talents on ‘no investment’ in school sports unlike the case in the good old days of the nation’s sports. “It appears those in charge do not seem to understand the relevance of The big three… Chidi (right) with Innocent Egbunike (middle) and Osmond Ezenwa at an international athletics event school sports,” he said. “In shaping the whole child and instilling a life of discipline, we should be getting better and not retrogressing. “Nigeria has a lot of talented youth who need the resources, training and encouragement to reach their peak. The dismal state of school sports in Nigeria is very disheartening to me. School sports in Nigeria needs a complete overhaul,” he added. Imoh urges parents and athletes to take education very important, saying, “education is paramount and should be the number one priority to every child. After sports you should have something to fall back on because sports lasts only for a season.”

I won a silver medal in the senior category and everyone from my state was very excited because I belonged in the junior category. It became a major story in almost all the newspapers the following day that a rookie from the junior category beat senior athletes in Benin City. The performance catapulted me to the international circuit.

Chidi (second right), coach Egbunike (left), with two young Nigerian athletes, Obinna Metu and Stanley Gbagbeke at Team Nigeria’s camp in USA during preparations for London 2012 Olympic Games

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

60 |

School Sports Cross River begins distribution of equipment to centres of excellence

Students participating in the 100 metres race at the Cross River Primary/ Secondary Schools athletics Championship. The state government will soon start the distribution of equipment to the six centres of excellence spread across the three senatorial zones.

By Christian Okpara HE Cross River State govT ernment will soon begin the distribution of the more than $1 million equipment recently procured for its comprehensive sports development programme to the six schools located in the three senatorial districts of the state. The schools, two in each senatorial zone, have been designated as centres of ex-

cellence, where all the talented students discovered in the grassroots hunt for exceptional children, are camped for future training. According to the consultant to the state governor, Liyel Imoke, on grassroots sports, Dr. Bruce Ijirigo, the equipment would enable the state to develop training programmes for individual athletes. Ijirigo said there are about 280 students in secondary schools involved in the pro-

gramme, adding that primary school pupils would soon be incorporated into the programme. “We intend to nurture these athletes appropriately over a long period of time, specifically to peak at certain competitions and certain age for them to be successful. “The equipment is primarily for us to intensify our training and be specific in what we want to achieve for our children. We have enough equipment for pri-

mary, secondary schools athletes and for our elite athletes.” Cross River organises a fourday programme for primary and secondary schools pupils yearly to discover the talented ones among them from where a pool of junior athletes are picked for major competitions. At the maiden Africa Youth Athletics Championships in Warri, Delta State, some of the products of the programme were the stars of the

event won by Nigeria. Apart from shining at the continental scene, these athletes have also dominated local meets much to the admiration of other states. The four-day championships features pupils of all the local government areas in the state competing for honours with all the best finishers selected and camped for further grooming by coaches of the Cross River athletics youth development programme.

Toyibat, Tincan Island Girls win Cowbell iTry Rugby league By Wole Oyebade OYIBAT School and Tincan IsT land Girls have emerged winners of this year’s Cowbell iTry Rugby clustre league, a competition for Lagos Secondary Schools. Toyibat boys won in male category of the competition, while their Tincan co-winner won in the female category, in a competition among 32 Lagos schools. The league, in its second year running, was organised by Promasidor, Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation (NRFF). Presenting the winners yesterday, Managing Director of Promasidor, Keith Richards said this year’s competition had seen a great deal of improvement in skills and talents of young ones, adding that it is only a matter of time that the young stars of today start playing for the Nigerian national rugby team, Black Stallions. Richards noted that since the introduction of Cowbell in 1993, the company has supported youth in different areas of their development, espe-

cially through education and sports such as the Cowbell Football Academy. He noted that Rugby is still a relatively new and growing game, “and as is with us, we have tried to support and bring to the fore this beautiful game through our secondary schools students, and in the process, provide the required nutrition for mental and physical excellence.” As an active player of Rugby himself, Richards explained that the sport is also a physically enervating sport, being one of the reasons why Cowbell supports the NRFF to provide nourishment and vitality to the young ones participating. Continuing, he said, “I must commend the mental strength, respect and teamwork shown by these kids. Mattie Stepanek remarked that ‘unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.’ It is heart warming to know that the spirit of the game, thought and imbibed by these youths, remains relevant beyond Rugby and indeed all spheres of life,” he said.

Managing Director of Promasidor, Keith Richards (right); Taiwo Fashola of Toyibat School; Favour Evans and Sidikat Sikiru both of Tincan Island Girls and Ibrahim Bako of Toyibat with their coaches and officials of the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) at the presentation of winners of this year’s Cowbell iTry Rugby clustre league for Lagos Secondary Schools, yesterday. PHOTO: WOLE OyEBaDE

OMODELIG Season Four set for final, C.O.D/Bolton Soccer Camp kicks off on Monday .O.D United’s youth proC gramme is set for a big week ahead as the OMODELIG Season Four rounds up on Sunday with teams vying for the grand prizes in the three different categories, while the C.O.D United/ Bolton Soccer Camp kicks off on the same day. Apart from the team prizes, MVPs in the different category also have the opportunity of travelling to England for further training with Bolton Wanderers. With schools on the long summer vacation, the C.O.D United sponsored OMODELIG Season Four has been a timely intervention and welcome opportunity for the youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15 to showcase their talent and skills, while challenging for honours and building friendship with other youngsters. The competition, which kicked off three weekends ago, witnessed a beautiful opening ceremony with a march past by all registered teams. The event was attended by management of the club (C.O.D United), journalists as well as spectators and supporters of the different clubs. Being the fourth edition of the competition, the C.E.O of the club, Shola Opaleye said in his opening speech that apart from the aim of the competition, which is to provide an avenue for kids to showcase their talents and an opportunity to join the youth set up of the club, this edition comes with another wonderful incentive, as the most valuable players (MVPs) in each category will be given free admission into the C.O.D United/Bolton Wanderers soccer camp, which starts on Sunday. According to the fixtures released by the organisers, the third place match in the U-10 category will feature C.A.T.S against Goddey, while C.O.D will meet Prince Academy in the final. In the U-13 category, Great Academy will contest the third place against Puma, while Yaba Starlets and SoloWonder will play in the final game. The third place game of the U15 category will see Yaba Starlets against Solo-Wonder, with Roy Academy meeting Shinos Academy in the final.

UPLIFTing Under-15 talent hunt aimed at changing lives, says amosun By Tony Nwanne IFE of the Ogun State W Governor, Olufunso Amosun, has explained that she set up the UPLIFTing youth programme to help the children of the state become successful in their football careers. Speaking during the sendforth party organised for the 22 Ogun State boys selected

for a training tour of Italy, Amosun said she was motivated to delve into grassroots football sponsorship by the successes a similar programme on education recorded. According to Amosun, “during the Easter 2013 school holidays, we decided to engage young male talented players in the state in an Under-15 Grassroots football

Talent Hunt Competition. We wanted to keep them occupied over the Easter break as well as identify raw talent in the kids that could be harnessed and create opportunities for identified talented p l a y e r s . “The football competition was open to all male talented students in government owned secondary schools in the state between the ages of

13 and 15. Thousands showed up, and about 350 of them were selected and taken into a one-week camp where they were feed, kitted and c o a c h e d . ” While in the camp, according to Amosun, they engaged in football matches all day everyday for the whole duration of the camp under the keen eyes of professional and internationally acclaimed footballers.

SPORTS | 61

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Squash has the potential to rule the country, says Akinfenwa The Annual Cargolux Inter-Club Squash Tournament, which is in its ninthedition commenced on Monday, August 19 at the Squash Section of the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja. It is a major tournament in the calendar of the section and Nigeria’s squash circle, which has evolved from a threeclub competition into a tournament that attracts participation from within and outside Nigeria. Fielding questions from reporters, Capt. Sina Akinfenwa, managing director of Merchant Express Cargo Airlines, Sales and Services Agent of Cargolux Airlines in Nigeria, sponsors of the tournament, explains the rationale behind the sponsorship of the tournament and other issues on the game of squash in Nigeria. HAT informed your W organisation’s decision to start sponsoring the tournament? In the first place I am a squash enthusiast and a squash player. I have been playing squash for over thirty years. I love the sport. When we started the tournament nine years ago, we invited only three clubs but over the years it has grown to be nationally recognised. Many clubs now want to be part of it. What informed our sponsorship was the need to encourage the sport, the game of squash at the youth, amateur and the professional levels. Also, we wanted to give something back to the society as part of our corporate social responsibility. Why squash and not any other sport? It is because I don’t play tennis or football. I play only squash. It is something I can understand and relate with easily rather than go into something I know very little about. What will you say are the main objectives of the tournament? The main objectives are number one, to promote the

game of squash. Number two is to expose our youths to the game of squash and encourage them. Some of them may want to go professional. So, apart from playing to keep fit and healthy, in the future, some of them may want to go into professional squash playing. This will keep them occupied and expose them locally and internationally. For the club member/players category, that is, the amateur, it is to encourage more people to come and participate in the beautiful game of squash to keep us healthy. Having successfully sponsored eight editions now, will you say the tournament objectives are being met? Obviously, the objectives of the tournament are met at all times. Like I said we started with three clubs and now we have about fifteen clubs participating just after the 8th edition. Many squash clubs in Nigeria want to participate. Our plan is that the 10th edition will be bigger than this because we want to expand the participation

Deji Sule (left) and Funmi Bamkole in action during the first pairing of the closed category of the Ninth Annual Cargolux Inter-Club Tournament at Lagos County Club… on Monday. and make it national. We will have clubs from all over the country. I believe the objectives have been met. From the list of clubs that are participating this year, we observed there are foreign clubs. What led to the inclusion of these clubs? Cargolux is from Luxembourg. That is the home country of Cargolux. That is one of the reasons we are inviting players from Luxemburg. For Ghana, we have a very good working relationship with the country. In fact we have partner companies in Ghana. We interrelate in our air cargo business and they actually are interested in coming to participate. Are we expecting such invitations to be extended to other countries in the nearest future to be part of the tournament? Yes it is possible but before we do that, we would want to nationalise the tournament first so that we now have clubs from all over Nigeria participating. When we are able to do that, then we can invite more countries. As they say, charity begins at home.

We noticed that there is also the inclusion of the National Under 16 and National Under 19 in this year’s tournament. What are the reasons for the expansion of the categories? We want to grow the game. There are some of us that have been playing this game for many years now and are getting close to our retirement. So we want to encourage the younger ones, the younger generation to embrace the game and be involved in it so that the squash family will continue to increase. That was why we introduced the Under 16 category. Last year we had only Under 19. Now we are introducing the lower age category so as to catch them when they are young to play the game. The Under 16, Under 19 and the professionals, which we call the Classic, are part of this year’s tournament. The idea is to have everyone participate in the game of squash. What is the role of Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) in this tournament? The Nigeria Squash Federation regulates and

actually controls the game of squash in the country. The body is aware of what we do every year. We have its backing and it is fully involved in every edition of the tournament. What will you say have been the challenges of the tournament so far? I wouldn’t say we have had any challenge because everyone involved works round the clock to ensure a hitchfree tournament during

Akinfenwa

each edition. From the sponsors to the organising committee, officials and the participants, we have always worked towards a common goal, which is to develop the game. What are your expectations for this year’s tournament? This year’s tournament will be enthralling owing to the quality of participation. I expect an edition that will further set standard for subsequent tournaments, as it has always been the case. I expect the nation to be treated to the very best of squash game. May the best player in each category win! As a patron of Nigeria Squash Federation, what do you think can be done to further promote squash in Nigeria to the level other prominent sports such as football? We need to organise more tournaments, particularly at the level of professional players. The more tournaments they participate in, the better their games become. We can have one big tournament every month at least for the professionals. With this, our professionals would be able to achieve world rating and compete favourably with their counterparts across the world. But to get to this stage, we need more corporate sponsorship. From your own point of view, where do you see the game of squash Nigeria in the next five years? I would say Nigerian squash in five years time would be at the international level where we have professional players ranked internationally. We have good professional players

tHE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

GolfWeekly ‘It’s time for PGAN to re-order its priorities, seek affiliations’ Stories by Eno-Abasi Sunday PPARENtlY still coming to terms with the fact that Nigeria would yet again be missing the omega Mission World Cup of Golf, which this year’s edition holds at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia, and the high possibility of the country also missing out of the 2016 olympics, the need for golf bodies in the country to reorder their priorities and seek affiliation has become imperative. Director of Special Duties of the PGAN, Dominic Andrew, in an interview with The Guardian said since the lack of, and absence of Nigeria at world-ranking tourneys have started dealing the country several blows: “We need to get ourselves affiliated tours like the Challenge tour or fashion our tour in such a manner that we can get world-ranking points. But I think it is about time we got back to the drawing board to sort out most of these things that are holding us back. He regretted that peculiar sponsorship constraints might stand in the way of the PGAN attracting high-calibre tourneys that offer worldranking points to the country. His words, “the challenge we may have in getting an event that would bring world-ranking points is that with the sort of sponsorship that we have, not many sponsors would commit to bankroll events for up to five years in a row and there is no way any major tours out there would want to work with you if you cannot commit for a reasonable number of years, so that people can prepare themselves and look forward to it.” “If the PGA Nigeria tour that we brought into existence had been up and doing and operational as we thought it would be, then it would have been the fastest and quickest way to go about this,” Andrew cried. the former PGAN tournament director added that having been confronted with a scenario like this, “my position now is that we should not despair, but start now to build something serious, no matter how small. once we have the needed committed sponsorship, we should begin to invite pros from outside the continent to participate. once that is achieved for a year or two, then we can gain recognition, which can never be gained by words of mouth or playing just a tournament because consistency and stability are very important if we must gain recognition from any serious tour that we

Grace Ihonvbere on the 18th hole of IBB Golf and Country Club, Abuja, during the 2013 Julius Berger Invitational Charity Golf Championship PHOTO: ENO-ABASI SUNDAY would want to affiliate with.” However, “if this kind of scenario is going to take a long time to achieve, then we have to find some sort of corporate arrangement that would take our boys out there to places like South Africa for them to stay there for upwards of two to three years and have the opportunity of participating in world-ranking events, where they are expected to play well and gain the needed

points and qualify to play in the World Cup of Golf.” It recently emerged that Nigeria will not be represented at the World Cup of Golf when the championship makes a return to Australia. It will be played from November 21 to 24. And at the rate things are going, the is a very high likelihood that the country would also not be represented in the golf event when the sport makes a

return to the 2016 olympic Games, after a 112-year absence. this follows the coming into effect of a new qualifying mode via official World Golf Ranking (oWGR) points, which has replaced the qualifiers for the omega Mission World Cup of Golf as non of her over 100 professional golfer has a respectable placement on the Rolex World Golf Ranking.

the International Federation of PGA tours, an organisation of the top professional golf tours in the world that sanctions the World Golf Championships and the World Cup of Golf, introduced the new qualifying procedures even as some countries including Nigeria were hoping there would be a waiver of some sort for countries that were not prominently placed on the oWGR.

International Pairs tourney holds tomorrow • 80 vie for honours totAl of 80 pairs have A so far entered for this year’s edition of the International Pairs Golf tournament, which one-off national final is billed for the golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938, this weekend. International Pairs, founded in 1998 by Ross Honey, is one of the world’s biggest amateur world championship and the world final, which usually holds at the Royal and Ancient (R&A) Club, St. Andrews, Scotland, features as much as 35 countries from different parts of the world. Global Golf Nigeria ltd, first introduced the championship to the country as its franchise holders. the tournament franchise now, however, lies with CMCl Golf tours ltd. Activities marking this year’s edition, begins today with a welcome cocktail at the clubhouse of the host club. the event proper tees off tomorrow running through to Sunday. As in the past, winners of the event would grab the opportunity to represent Nigeria in far away Scotland, where the world final of the glamorous competition has been scheduled to hold from 7th to 11th october 2013, at the Machrihsnish Dunes championship course in Scotland. they will also enjoy an all expense paid trip to the finals. By the last count, over 80 pairs drawn from across the country and invited guests had signified interest in being part of the tourney, even as Chief Executive officer (CEo) of CMCl Frank Igbene, said there many more were still expected to show interest. “Yes, we can still accommodate more players. It’s a big event and we don’t want anybody to be left out of it. this is so because we want to present a worthy champion, who can compete with the best from other country in Scotland,” he said. Igbene added that, “even for those who may not win, there is plenty to go away with from the event this weekend. As usual, we promise them good time that CMCl is noted for.” Sponsors of the event include NNPC, oando, Sona tusk, Dangote, Coca Cola Nigeria, Airtel, Sheraton, Park and Shop, SPAR, Jungle Film Works, and Blue Bunny Ice Cream.

GOLFWEEKLY

THE GUARDIAN, Friday, August 23, 2013

Fitzpatrick’s, Hull’s exploits signal bright future for English golf HE future of English golf T shone out from the other side of the Atlantic thanks to the deeds of two sensational youngsters with a combined age of just 35. Matt Fitzpatrick’s passport says he is 18 but that belies his even more boyish appearance. Yet he rewrote history on Sunday by becoming the first English winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship in 102 years, emulating Harold Hilton, arguably the finest amateur golfer ever produced on these shores. No wonder Fitzpatrick, from

Sheffield, said ‘golfing heaven’ was opening up for him. Further west from Fitzpatrick’s heroics at Brookline, Massachusetts, 17year-old wonder girl Charley Hull, was lighting up Colorado Golf Club with two key victories in Europe’s first Solheim Cup triumph over America on their home soil. With Lee Westwood past 40 and still pining for his first major win, and Laura Davies reaching 50 in seven weeks, vacancies for new stars in men’s and women’s golf have started to appear.

Provided Fitzpatrick stays in golf’s unpaid ranks, he will play in three of next year’s four Majors. And Hull, from Woburn, has impressed Davies, commentating on the Solheim Cup for TV. The veteran said, “she may be young but she’s fearless. She is the future now and I am the past.” Fitzpatrick’s first reward for winning the American title was to be named in the 10-man Great Britain and Ireland team, which will defend the amateurs’ Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America

in New York State in three weeks. Having finished with the leading amateur’s silver medal at The Open last month, he has earned the right to play in the Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open in 2014. But to do so he must remain an amateur and resist cashing in on his titles and join the European Tour. For the moment he does not see that as a dilemma and does not intend to follow Justin Rose who, having won the amateur medal as a teenager at Birkdale in 1998, turned pro the next

day but missed his first 21 cuts. “Obviously things might change,” he said after beating Australia’s Oliver Goss 4 and 3 at The Country Club in Brookline. “But I’m pretty sure Dad’s going to have me under control. He certainly didn’t want me to turn pro any time soon and wanted me to get an education first. “It will be about basing myself around the three majors. They’ll be the most important things I play in.” Hull, meanwhile, seems intent on staying relaxed. She joined the professional ranks

on the Ladies’ European Tour just this summer and earned a wildcard to play in the Solheim Cup after finishing second in each of her first five tournaments. This weekend the teenager made the golfing world really take notice in Colorado as Europe won by a record eight points. She set the tone with a 5&4 victory over Paula Creamer in the final-day singles, having already beaten the former US Open champion in Saturday’s fourballs. “I wasn’t too nervous,’ said Hull. “It’s the way I look at golf I’m not going to die if I hit a bad shot.” “Meanwhile, the two trailblazing youngsters were joined by 17-year-old Ewen Ferguson from Bearsden, who became the first Scot since 2004 to win the British Boys’ Amateur title at Hoylake. He overpowered Germany’s Michael Hirmer by the massive margin of 10&9 in Sunday’s 36-hole final.

Ping gives Mahan gold putter for baby girl’s birth AST month, at the RBC LMahan Canadian Open, Hunter was leading the golf tournament at the halfway mark, looking for his first PGA Tour win of 2013 and sixth of his career. The issue was, Hunter’s wife, Kandi, went into labour and Mahan had to make a decision between golf and family. He of course picked family, withdrawing from the event and leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. While Mahan didn’t win the event, he did get to see the birth of his daughter Zoe and that was good enough for his club sponsor, Ping, who issued the 31-year-old a gold putter despite not winning. Ping has been giving gold putters to winners of worldwide professional events since the 1970s, sending one to the winner and keeping one in their gold vault. Ping’s CEO, John Solheim said that the reason for the gold putter was because sometimes a win isn’t just a golf trophy. “We’ll never know if Hunter would have held on to win that week,” said Solheim. “But the circumstances were so unique, we wanted to create a lasting memory for Hunter, Kandi and Zoe that would forever remind them of that special day. The birth of a child is a win any way you look at it, so we thought we’d have some fun with it.”

President Barack Obama putts while golfing at Mink Meadows Golf Club, in Vineyard Haven, Mass., on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where he and his wife Michelle are vacationing PHOTO: AP/STEVEN SENNE

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TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Goke Omolade HAT Africa’s ‘soccer giant’, Nigeria, was T recently humiliated out of the just concluded Brazil 2013 Mock World Cup/Turkey 2013 U-20 Football Tournaments organised by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was to put it mildly a poetic justice. Because no nation that dwells on deceits, sheer hypocrisy/habitual laziness can go far or meaningfully in the comity of decent nations. Where does one really begin the almost never-ending tales of its near misses and missed opportunities? Is it in its political theatrics, prostrate economy, moral bankruptcy, religious/spiritual pollution? Going by the record of its achievements vis-à-vis ample endowments, one can aptly say that Nigeria, in reflective terms of its leadership outputs, has been unfair on the citizenry at large. Now to football politics. In this age of football sophistication, one’s fulfillment goes beyond mere participation because no matter how entertaining a team is, victory is about hauled goals. When in 1930 Uruguay blazed the trail by winning the first world football jamboree which it won again in 1950, the entire football fraternity has not been its same-self since! Among other football lords that have indelibly etched their nations’ name in gold include: Brazil (five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), Italy (four times; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), Germany (thrice; 1954, 1974, 1990), Argentina (twice; 1978, 1986), England (once; 1966); France (once; 1998); Spain (once; 2010). Often, football is described as the opium of the down trodden and wretched of the earth. Perhaps this was hitherto but with the attendant gusto and glamour it attained particularly towards the end of the 1980s/90s, it is indeed certain that football is now regarded as a substantial part of the oft tagged invisible service sector of the global economy. In fact, some players are so appreciated that they are more popular than their nations’ leaders. But for football, generations of institutionalised povertyassailed families would have passed on the baton and apron of deprivation(s) to their successor lineages. Indeed what obtains on the face value of the football industry are signs of the time. Take for instance, the whole gamut of Nigeria’s ’unprepared preparation’ for the Brazil 2013/2014 World Cup Mock Football Tournament. Virtually everything was typically Nigerian! With barely few weeks to the competition was its coaching crew as well as the endlessly recyclable, anaemic team hastily mushroomed. While the football-crazy but gullible lot was busy building their castle on sheer emptiness, the initiated ones already knew what would be the end of such a farce. Nigeria’s team was so disjointed, lackluster and lackadaisical in all departments that the FIFA ought to have started an award for unserious preparation/ misplaced priorities. Now that the myopic and ultra-power thirsty bunch has rubbished our corporate image and dashed the hopes of well-meaning individuals with Nigeria’s (deserved?) shameful exit; what is then to be done? Do we continue in our spineless whining again till Brazil 2014 woefully come upon us and be taken for another ride of musical chairs thereby ultimately produce the same disappointing result? Or do we shake off our irritating slumber and effect the inevitable, necessary action? Among the first set of immediate/proactive actions is to appoint a competent Sports minis-

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Often, football is described as the opium of the down trodden and wretched of the earth. Perhaps this was hitherto but with the attendant gusto and glamour it attained particularly towards the end of the 1980s/90s, it is indeed certain that football is now regarded as a substantial part of the oft tagged invisible service sector of the global economy. In fact, some players are so appreciated that they are more popular than their nations’ leaders.

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Brazil 2014: Shall we pray?

Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi ter; in the mould of (the late) Tony Ikeahzobor / Abdul One Muhammad, who has an incurable passion for sports development and by extension overhaul the entire sports arena. This would be closely followed by sanitising the present jobs-for-the-boysridden Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and that it is only those with soccer fervency who should be in its power hierarchy. As for entry/membership of its various teams of all ages/levels; it should be merit and competence-driven; and participation of Nigeriabased coaches and sponsors should be paramount. From hindsight, comparatively speaking, the best soccer team that has ever emerged out of Nigeria was Sebastine Broderick’s 1985 world-conquering Golden Eaglets and it was a 100 per cent Nigerian raised-- without any foreign sourcing whatsoever! Essentially, recruiting standard standing teams requires a couple of resources; foremost of which is to have people of demonstrable integrity and committed interests. That is, they should be those who have business being there; not just any fill-in-the-gap-

novices! During the 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria used to have its own ‘localised cup of nation’ in Ajegunle, Lagos, which featured promising and determined the young –shall-grow stars and it was a veritable recruitment ground for prospective, deadly footballers of all wings. Alas, decades of suffocating corruption, bureaucratic inertia and, of course, the annoyingly overbearing European soccer league mentality have buried it. Undoubtedly, Nigerian/African football league is in virtual disarray and, even at that, concerted efforts need to be made to salvage it by putting right pegs in right, not square, holes. Maybe a little dose of history would suffice. The word, soccer, is a corrupted slang of the abbreviation; assoc. vis-a-vis futbol (Spanish). In the 19th century, football was played in the then Chinese, Greek, Maya, Egyptian civilisation(s) according to each dictates and in 1872 there was an international game between an English all-star team with a Scottish team in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1888, regular games started in England and with its export by its traders, sailors and soldiers.

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Editor: MARTINS

OLOJA

ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)

Friday, August 23, 2013

It may not be off-track if world renowned football legends like Edson Arantes do Nascimento (aka Pele); Diego Amando Maradona or the newer/current football heroes are periodically invited for inspirational tournaments like the now dormant 1980s Ajegunle cup of nation matches (thereby igniting our embryonic ones).

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In 1904, FIFA was birthed with the membership of Belgium, France, Denmark, Netherland, Sweden and Switzerland and dutifully it regulates all levels of football, professional plays, Olympic competitions and youth leagues. Among its glamorous football competitions is the once in four years World Cup Tournament with 32 nations. Similarly, there exist other age-group competitions involving about 200 nations, worldwide. As elucidated by football experts, during a typical game, players’ run-around covers a 12-kilometre range exhibited on solid skill, style and stamina. For each game, six types of skills: kicking, dribbling, passing, heading, trapping and tackling are part of the football fun while dribbling alone has tapping, dragging and rolling in its sub-branch! Usually, a good team blends individual skills with an effusive team spirit and various passes (short, medium and long) are accurately horned. Herein lies Nigerian and by implication African impasse in the global football settings because while European game is played in the winter, summer and fall when its fields are wet/jogged; African/American fields are generally drier and better thereby giving allowance for more individual skills of fewer but longer passes. Hence Nigeria needs to rediscover its own style of free-flowing and robust football artistry on which the then Green Eagles, the early Golden and Flying Eagles were once built. It should pay more attention to, and take a deliberate action on the abundant local resources yearning to be given a break (instead of resorting to its oft non-committal players offshore). It can draw instructive cues from Brazil’s football artistry and in-depth technicalities. No matter its temporary setbacks, Brazil sticks to its style of display and local milieu. It may not be off-track if world renowned football legends like Edson Arantes do Nascimento (aka Pele); Diego Amando Maradona or the newer/current football heroes are periodically invited for inspirational tournaments like the now dormant 1980s Ajegunle cup of nation matches (thereby igniting our embryonic ones). In 1999, the International Olympic Committee named Pele as the Player of the Century while his Santos Squad several times over won world club championships and the man also called ‘the Black Pearl’ was characterised with powerful shots, skilful ball control, brilliant passes and field strategy during his football playing days. Upon all this football razzmatazz, whither Nigeria/African place in the 21st century global football settings? If one reflects on the breathtaking pedestal of renowned club-sides such as AC Milan of Italy, Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands, Manchester United of England, Real Madrid of Spain, Boca Juniors of Argentina, Sao Paulo of Brazil and Colo Colo of Chile; it follows that the sensible thing to do is to establish the appropriate institution to get appropriate footballing! After everything is said and done, now is the time to make Nigeria’s football truly professional, ranging from gate tolls, sponsors, advertisements, clubs, supporters, stadia management, policy articulation/execution, coaching crew to players’ welfare. Gone should be the ways and manner of lopsidedness, indiscipline, pecuniary administration and carpet bagger players. Only then will the world take its football gamut to be serious-minded and even in the oddities of occasional losses, sanity and decorum would stoutly stand in strong defence of virtues and meritocracy that are already put in place. •Omolade wrote from Goshen Haven, Ifelodun Estate; off FUTA North Gate, Akure. gokeomolade@hotmail.com