Mon 12 Aug 2013

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Monday, August 12, 2013

Vol. 30, No. 12,646

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Blessing Okagbare jumped 6.99 metres to win a silver medal at the ongoing IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She also won her 100m heats to reach the semi-finals where she will today meet American and Jamaican opposition among others.

Okagbare’s silver is Nigeria’s first medal at the championships since 1999.

PHOTO: AFP

NERC, TCN on collision course over electricity allocation

NEITI blacklists audit firm, recovers N2b unremitted fund - Page 3

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja N ALLEGED indiscriminate allocation of electricity in flagrant disregard for existing regulations may have set the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on the warpath.

The NERC may have accused the TCN of flouting regulations on load allocation, resulting in poor electricity supply to some consumers. Key areas affected, according to sources, are Yola

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Company got 1.6MWs instead of 3.5MWs as stipulated by MYTO. The responsibility of the TCN Ikeja got 14.3MWs instead of is to provide access for power 15.0MWs. Jos got 4.6MWs in- evacuation to all participants stead of 5.5MWs. Kaduna got and ensure full evacuation ca6.6MWs instead of 8.0MWs. pacity and reliability at miniKano got 3.7MWs instead of mum technical loss. It is also 8.0MWs. Port Harcourt got to ensure equitable load allo6.5MWs, the load originally al- cation to consumers. located to it. Yola Distribution The Guardian learnt that the

• Gas scarcity reduces power supply to 2628 MWs and Kano.

A mid-year report from the NERC obtained by The Guardiannoted that Abuja Distribution Company got 10.0 megawatts (MWs) instead of 11.5MWs as stipulated by MultiYear Tariff Order (MYTO).

Benin got 10.7MWs instead of 9.0MWs. Eko got 10.8MWs instead of 11.0MWs. Enugu got 10.8MWs instead of 9.0MWs. The zone got higher than what is stipulated for it. Ibadan also got higher. Ibadan got 13.7MWs instead of 13.0MWs.

Students plan nationwide protests against ASUU strike - Page 5

Ministry of Power and the regulator, the NERC, are concerned that TCN has also been inconsistent with giving reports about its load allocation, in an apparent move to cover up its ‘recklessness’ in this regard. The last load allocation report TCN gave the regulator was in April, The Guardian was told.

A source said NERC had about two weeks ago summoned the management of TCN to ex-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

2 NEWS

Gas scarcity reduces electricity to 2628 MWs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 An official said: “Actually, it is lack of reporting on load althe plain why it should not be sancat tioned for its departure from location that worries NERC laid down rules. the commission. TCN has

stopped rendering reports since April.

“NERC met with the System Operator (SO) at TCN on the load allocation issue. The SO’s excuse is that technical difficulties at the DISCO level prevent him from following the formula. While some discos can take more, some can take less, according to him. In that case, the ‘imbalance procedure’ is implemented. Worst off are Kano and Yola.

“But I really wonder. The load allocation formula was arrived at after due consultation with all. The SO knew what every disco could take and it was reflected in MYTO 2012. Why all these distortions now? A uniform reduction across board would have made some sense, since one could blame low generation. But this is not the case.

And why has the SO been so inconsistent in reporting the statistics?”

Responding to an inquiry on the issue, the Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, confirmed that the commission was tackling TCN over the development.

Amadi told The Guardian: “There is an electricity load allocation formula in the MYTO. The formula is based on an equitable allocation of electricity to all the electricity distribution companies. This is a function of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). You are right that we are investigating the issue. It has come to our notice that this formula is not being followed and this has led to a distortion in the allocation. This means that some areas are enjoying more electricity at the expense of others. This has resulted in unreliability and dissatisfaction among customers. We will address this to restore balance and equity in electricity distribution.”

Functions of the SO at TCN are grid frequency and voltage control and economic dispatch of generating units, load allocation in times of insufficient generation and co-ordination of all planned outages for the maintenance of system equipment.

Also resulting from the tariff review is a new formula for allocating centrally-generated electricity among the 11 distribution companies (Discos).

NERC is mandated by the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSR Act 2005) to create, promote, and preserve efficient industry and market structures, and to ensure the optimal utilisation of resources for the provision of electricity services.

The commission developed a methodology for the allocation of the available generation capacities from the stations down to the consumers. The SO implements this methodology.

“It is important that as regulator, there is enforcement of the Act, codes, regulations and orders on fair resource sharing,” a ministry official said.

Amadi said NERC had gone tough on operators and utilities on the need to obey existing rules. He said NERC would not spare any organisation that refused to operate by the rules.

He said: “When operators fail to follow rules, it creates serious problems. The flouting of the load allocation formula is an example. An industry that is weak on rules also sends the wrong signals to investors thereby stalling the development of new projects. To this end, NERC has been meeting with critical stakeholders – generation and distribution companies, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc to ensure that the necessary conditions for the commencement of the rule-based transitional electricity market are met. The com-

Some horseriders during the continuation of Durbar to mark the Eid-el-Fitri celebration in Zaria, Kaduna State… yesterday. mencement of the transitional electricity market will ensure more discipline with all entities adhering to their contractual obligations as well as all rules and regulations thereby translating to improved service delivery to electricity customers.”

He went on: “We must add that the main work of the regulator in an emergent electricity market like ours is to instill confidence in investors and operators in the market. It is such confidence that leads to the sort of investment that will ultimately improve the network and ensure reliable supply of electricity in medium to long-term period. Without enforcing rules of competitive electricity market the reform will fail.”

NERC, he stressed, was committed to ensuring adequacy of electricity.

“The commission is mindful of the fact that electricity customers expect better power, better services. We are therefore working, within our ambit, to ensure the attainment of these.

Without rules, investors will not come in. Without investment, electricity will not improve. Without a tariff that is cost-reflective, investors cannot sink in the huge amounts of money required to set up. It is the responsibility of NERC to ensure that rules are set and followed.”

The expatriate Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Mr. Don Priestman, did not respond to an inquiry by The Guardian on the issue. Officials of the public affairs unit of TCN did not also respond to mails and phone messages on the matter.

Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) of Canada was awarded a management contract to manage TCN on behalf of the Federal Government.

The operations of TCN include the key three functions of Market Operator (MO), System Operator (SO) and Transmission Service Provider (TSP). Throughout the term of the contract, one key objective for MHI, according to its officials, would be to reorganise TCN such that the TSP becomes a separate entity from the MO and SO allowing it to become a privatised commercial company.

“MHI expects to turn TCN into a technically and financially efficient, stable, and sustainable company; a company that will be market-driven and capable of utilising its maximum generation capacity and then distributing the energy throughout Nigeria 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To do this, MHI will have to focus on developing the proficiency of local personnel.”

Last March, a supervisory board was inaugurated by the Federal Government for the TCN. The board is to work with

Canadian firm, Manitoba Hydro International, for the realisation of a robust grid with little or no system collapse and to actualise government’s objectives of delivering quality, reliable and efficient electricity to Nigerians.

Officials said the constitution of a supervisory board for TCN was part of efforts by government to reposition the transmission company towards the attainment of the goals of the electricity reform programme of the Federal Government. The supervisory board of TCN is led by former Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Hamman Tukur as chairman, with Mr. Akinsola Akinfemiwa as Vice Chairman.

At the inauguration of the board in March, Power Minister, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, described the TCN as the ‘fulcrum’ of electricity service delivery.

His words: “The Goodluck Jonathan administration recognised the need to revamp and restructure TCN to make it more efficient, commerciallyviable and comparable to global transmission companies. The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) with the BPE adopted management contract strategy in line with the 2010 road-map to inject private sector expertise into the operations of TCN. “Consequently, Manitoba Hydro International of Canada was offered a three-year management contract for TCN in September 2012 after due process, to work with an in-house team and take control of the daily operations of TCN, which will include major functions such as Market Operator ( MO) and System Operator (SO), among others.”

He had stressed how the expected results for the repositioning of TCN would include the following: • Reduction of electricity losses in transmission networks and systems; • Equitable and adequate generation predicated on a fair order; • Operation of a transmission system consistent with the established regulatory framework; • Improvement of grid security and general performance; • Provision of micro-grid for captive power nationwide; • Efficient market settlements between electricity market participants /sellers; • Transfer of skills and expertise to Nigerian counterparts and personnel; • Efficient management of government investments; • Effective monitoring and evaluation frame-work; and • Provide yearly company report to Nigerians who are the owners of the company.

Besides, gas shortage which has plagued the nation’s electricity sector for decades has posed a fresh threat to the industry.

This time, it has reduced the government’s alleged improvement in electricity generation to 2626.6MW by Saturday morning.

The Ministry of Power has urged consumers to be patient with government in its efforts to stabilise the system.

The ministry said it had “moved in to arrest another crisis in the gas sector, which is affecting the power generation in parts of the country negatively.”

A ministry statement said low gas supply to the generation plants had affected electricity generation and led to a major drop in supply.

Nebo was quoted by the statement as saying: “As a result of this, three power stations in the East, Afam IV, Afam VI and Rivers Independent Power Plant (IPP), were shut down again on Friday night as a result of gas constraints arising from condensate issue on TransNational Pipeline (TNP), putting total generation lost from the stations at 624MW. “Olorunsogo power station is also down due to low gas pressure as a result of which 89 megawatts of power is lost, while low head water elevation is also limiting generation at Kainji and Jebba hydro stations to one unit each.”

The ministry put the total grid generation as at 6.00 a.m. on Saturday at 2628.6 megawatts.

“With this low level generation, management of the grid is currently a big task, necessitating a nationwide load,” officials said.

Nebo said the ministry was assembling a crack team of experts across the oil industry to investigate in particular the cause of the severe leaks in the gas supply channels in the eastern part of the country and determine measures to be taken to ameliorate the situation.

But at a recent briefing, Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said that the volume of gas available for domestic use had increased.

She disclosed that the quantity available for domestic consumption had increased to about 1.6 billion standard cubic feet (SCF), saying that the development was attributable to the fact that gas pricing was almost at par with international market price put at $1.50/1000 British Thermal Unit (BTU.) According to her, while the electricity sector is paying $1/1,000BTU, the non-electricity sector is paying $2/1000BTU, adding that by next year, the average domestic price of gas would be over $2/1000 BTU.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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News NEITI blacklists audit firm, recovers N2b unremitted fund From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE auditing firm that exeT cuted the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) 2009 to 2011 audit report has been blacklisted, The Guardian has learnt.

This is coming as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and NEITI have recovered N2 billion out of N9.8 billion non-payment of oil revenue as contained in the oil and gas audit report of 2006 to 2008.

Meanwhile, NEITI said the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) failed to back up its claims that it remitted the sum of N4.423 billion to the

Federation Account hence its indictment in the recently released 2009 to 2011 audit report.

The Guardian gathered in Abuja yesterday that NEITI board moved swiftly to raise a special task team to work with its technical team to help the auditors to write the 2009 – 2011 audit report.

The members that were drafted into the special task team included a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mrs. Kate Okparaeke, former President of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Ladi Ibrahim and the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Mr. Dominic

Nwachukwu.

Their drafting into the work of the auditors also came at the cost of about N11million, which the board vowed to deduct from the N226 million bill of the auditors.

The auditors have so far received N115 million from the N226 million leaving them with N111 million out of which they would lose N11 million which was paid to the board members as well as the staff of NEITI that helped in writing the report.

While NEITI has concluded plans for the commissioning of an audit firm for the 2012 audit report, The Guardian learnt that the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) might award the contract to

a firm that came fourth in the technical evaluation.

Taju Audu Electivo Baker Tilly Consortium, which recorded a technical score of 86.86 per cent, submitted a bid offer of about N139.45 million emerged first in the technical evaluation.

Industry operators expressed surprise at the choice of an auditor who has not shown competence to handle an industry that recorded over $60 billion transaction yearly.

The NEITI Director of Communication, Ogbonnaya Oji, who spoke yesterday in Abuja over the matter said: “In efforts to reflect the additional information provided by PPPRA,

NEITI independent auditors discovered that PPPRA failed to back up some of the claims contained in this last submission with verifiable evidence. NEITI immediately went outside this final deadline and contacted the PPPRA through a letter dated July 1, 2013 requesting PPPRA to urgently provide evidence. The evidence requested includes bank statements of Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) payments for the period covered by the audit, schedule of collection of “over-recovery” from marketers and rationale for determination of national demands for petroleum products to drive home the Agency’s claims on these is-

Adeboye tasks Nigerians on nation’s rebirth From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja F there is any single word “I that symbolises Jesus, it is the word change, that is why when you encounter Jesus, there must be a change. When you encounter Jesus, He not only changes you but also makes you a change agent. When he changes you, He expects you to change your city. He changes you so that you can change your country. Look at the large number of us here, if we take our stand in Jesus Christ seriously, if we really have genuine encounter with Jesus, we are more than enough to change this nation.”

These were the words of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye during the 61st annual convention of the church held in Lagos at the weekend.

World Bank lauds The Guardian’s reporter over coverage MPRESSED by the wide covItivities erage of its development acin Imo State, the World

Governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (left); the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora, Alhaji Sa’idu Namaska; Emir of Borgun, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro; Emir of Suleja, Malam Awwal Ibrahim; Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Muahmmadu Kudu Abubakar, during a sallah homage to the governor at his residence in Minna …yesterday

Group threatens recall of Rivers lawmaker • Abe flays police arrest of Amaechi’s loyalists From Kelvin Ebiri, Port-Harcourt GROUP, the Rivers A Progressive Committee, said it has initiated the process of recalling a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, Andrew Uchendu, over poor performance and lack of effective representation.

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe, has condemned arrest of two political officers in Rivers State last week by the Police, describing the victims as political prisoners in their country.

Chairman of Omuma Local Council, Mr. Charles Amefule as well as the Assistant Secretary of Godspower Akeled faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Leo Anyanwu, were

said to have been whisked away by policemen last week and remanded in Kuje Prison, Abuja.

Also, the Chief Godspower Ake-led PDP said the electoral victory of the party in Rivers State would dependent on Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

The President of the group, Mr. Franklin Wosu disclosed that they have already garnered 18,582 signatures in the move to recall Uchendu over poor performance and lack of effective representation.

Wosu in a statement issued yesterday said that the group after a meeting of constituency stakeholders at the weekend resolved to ensure that the ineffective lawmaker recall was a success.

“The recall process of the lawmaker started three months ago when it was discovered that he had not made any im-

pact nor had he sponsored any bill. However, the decision to formally take action against him was reached when his recent comments on the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, exposed him as an anti democratic lawmaker, working with Governor Amaechi to promote All Progressive Congress (APC) activities in Rivers State,” said Wosu.

He alleged that in just three days, 500 volunteers raked in the signatures because of Uchendu’s unpopularity, who usually relies on the Government House to get reelected. The group said that more volunteers are on board and work will intensify on the project.

“We are bringing him home, so that he can concentrate on his duty as a campaigner for Amaechi’s APC and a village

elder who is used to heap insults on people of importance.

The Wike, he is insulting has attracted two federal e-libraries, a girl child school, a faculty of law building at UNIPORT, a complete rehabilitation of the school at Rumuipirikom and several projects at the State University of Education. What has Papa Uchendu done after 10 wasted years at the House of Representatives, except to shout aye or nay”, he said.

The group reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the South-South political agenda exemplified by President Jonathan and Wike is driven to its logical conclusion.

“Rather than use uncomplimentary language on Wike, Uchendu and Amaechi should shop for a candidate among the unpopular few tied to the governor’s apron string.

Trying to use intimidation tactics won’t work as the people must decide the future of

Rivers State in 2015”, the Rivers Progressive Committee affirmed.

In a statement signed by publicity secretary of the Ake-led PDP, George UkwuomaNwogba, in Port Harcourt, said men and women wishing to win elections in the state in 2015 would depend solely on the finished work of the governor.

“Amaechi, who’s house is built on solid rock, the Ake group said the laudable achievements of our amiable governor is a win-win ticket for any aspirant in the state, the statement further described the Obuah’s group as a sinking sound for any aspirant in 2015 election, they should be mindful that we ‘re still in court and is not over yet,” he said.

Abe, who spoke to journalists yesterday, said the men were carried away without any information regarding their whereabouts for 48 hours.

Bank has written a letter of commendation to the Imo State Correspondent of The Guardian, Mr. Charles Ogugbuaja, for his dexterity in the coverage of its interventionist rural development poverty reduction activities through the Imo State Community and Social Development Project (CSDP).

In the letter of commendation on behalf of the Sector Leader (Social Protection) Task Team Leader (TTL) of CSDP and signed by the bank’s consultant, Prof. Akin O. Falusi, and presented to Ogugbuaja at the weekend in Owerri, by the Imo State General Manager of the CSDP, Mr. Austin Amah, the Bank noted particularly the coverage Ogugbuaja gave the CSDP’s “Mid Term Review Project.” It added that it was read with admiration “all over the world”, insisting that The Guardian, through Ogugbuaja, had done a job which has made the bank to hold the duo in “esteemed high regards”.

Ubah urges focus on education

By Tunde Akinola OVERNORSHIP aspirant in G the forthcoming election in Anambra State, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah has stressed the need for government to develop the educational sector if the state is to achieve its set goals.

He said public schools should be equipped with functional scientific facilities that would aid qualitative learning.

Ubah who is the Chairman, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, in a statement yesterday said education would be his major focus while the attention of his administration would be on manpower development.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

4 NEWS

JTF, vigilance group capture five suspected terrorists From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri

N their renewed hunt for Isectthe fleeing Boko Haram members in Borno State, the military Joint Task Force (JTF) and members of the Borno Vigilance Youth Group (BVYG) yesterday captured five terror suspects, including two women, who hid rifles in their hijabs (veils) in Dala and Hausari wards of Maiduguri.

The two arrested in Hausari area, according to a vigilance youth, are informants of the Islamist terrorists group and had allegedly been collecting information on the activities of JTF and the youth in Maiduguri.

Chairman of BVYG, Abubakar Mallum, also told The Guardian yesterday that the two women arrested in Dala were travelling in a tricycle to launch attack in Shuhuri North and Kofa Biyu wards, before the youths dispossessed them of their rifles hidden under their veils.

According to Mallum, “our

boys were on their routine patrols of Dala and Bulunkutu areas when the suspected women and a 25-year old person were caught and arrested this (yesterday) morning at about 9.45 a.m.

The three suspects and two others arrested in Shehuri North were handed over to the JTF sector commanders in Dala and Shehuri for further investigation, he said, adding that the role of the youths in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in this state is to identify the true identities of sect members before their arrest and handover them to security agencies.

He noted that some of the fleeing insurgents, who relocated to neighbouring Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa states, as well as Cameroun and Chad, were, regrouping to return to Borno.

Meanwhile, spokesman of Borno Police Command, Gideon Jibrin, confirmed the arrest of five suspects, who were handed over by the vigilance youths yesterday morning, including the two women.

Nigeria’s problems self-inflicted, says Lamido From John Akubo, Dutse OVERNOR Sule Lamido of Jigawa State says the myriad of problems bedeviling the country are inflicted on it by its people and leaders, and are direct repercussions of the actions and inactions.

Speaking over the weekend when the National Primary HealthCare Commission paid him a courtesy visit, Lamido said it is the responsibility of government to provide security, healthcare services and social amenities. The failure to do all these, he said, led to most of

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the challenges the country is grappling with on all fronts today.

He urged leaders at all levels to discharge their duties with the fear of God and impact positively on the lives of their people.

Speaking earlier, the Emir of Dutse, Dr. Nuhu Muhammadu Sanusi, said he was mandated by the commission to commend the governor for his commitment to effective healthcare delivery for women and children, especially in the area of immunisation against child-killer diseases.

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (right) and the Convener, Save Nigeria Group/Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, during a condolence visit by the latter to the former over the death of his father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola, in Lagos… at the weekend.

Unity schools’ teachers accuse FCSC of stalling regularization From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki ART-TIME teachers of Federal Government Colleges in the country have alleged a disingenuous method by the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to deny them regular employment.

In a petition by one of the affected teachers at the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Ezzamgbo, in Ebonyi State, Mr. Anthony Chukwuemeka Okolie, which was addressed to Governor Martin Elechi, senior members of staff of FCSC were accused of substituting the names of part-time teachers with nonpart-time ones in the ongoing regularisation exercise.

According to Okolie, “after numerous examinations, verification and documentation, the Ministry of Education forwarded the names of 10 teachers in the school to the commission for approval in line with the decision of the Federal Government that part-time teachers in all unity schools in the country should be given permanent appointment.”

Okolie lamented: “In May, I was ordered by the school principal to forward the phone numbers and e-mails

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of the 10 part-time teachers to the commission and the ministry for easier communication when their appointment letters were ready.

“However, as the FCSC began issuing appointment letters to successful candidates in my school, surprisingly, my name was not in the list. I thought it was omitted at the commission, but what baffles me is how the commission altered the list from the Federal Ministry of Education.

“This alteration was done right inside the office of the Commissioner representing Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra states. It was there that my name was replaced with a non-part-time teacher in the slot for Ebonyi State.”

When contacted over the pe-

tition, Okolie said he has been teaching at FGGC, Ezzamgbo, since 2012, wondering how the FCSC would omit their names after they had laboured over the years to teach the students with the little stipend from the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA).

Noting that only three of the 10 part-time teachers in his school made the list, he lamented: “Now that we should enjoy the fruit of our labour, they have removed our names and replaced them with their own people who have not taught in the school or anywhere else for that matter,” alleging that most of the people they used to replace them are not even from the state.

Falana condemns relocation of beggars From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Ado Ekiti) and Abiodun Fanoro (Lagos) AGOS lawyer, Mr. Femi Lscribed Falana (SAN), has deas illegal the relocation of the destitute from their states of residence to their states of origin, stating that it is contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees any Nigerian choice to live in any part of the country.

However, Falana, who spoke to newsmen yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, observed that virtually all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were guilty of the offence.

Private investors, faith-based groups are top employers As nation creates 427,294 jobs in 2012 third quarter

By Chuka Odittah, Abuja VAILABLE information A from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown that about 98.7 per cent of jobs created in the third quarter of 2012 came from the formal sector of the Nigerian economy, owned by private individuals and faith-based establishments, while the remaining 1.3 per cent is owned by government.

In all, an estimated 427,294 jobs were created. However, the bureau admitted that the national unemployment rate also increased over the same period from about 12.7 per cent in 2007 to about 23.9 per cent in 2011. The statistics was derived from the 2012 Third Quarter 2012 Job Creation Report carried out recently, as directed by the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala.

The report showed that 164,293 jobs were created in the formal sector, while 240,359 were created in the informal sector of the economy.

Nevertheless, 22,644 jobs were said to have been created for the public institutions.

Further breakdown of the new statistics also inferred that youths aged between 15 and 35 years got the highest number of available jobs, with 105,512 jobs (91.5 per cent) of it on full time basis, while 9,850 (8.5 per cent) jobs were part-

Jonathan, northern govs condole with Nwodo Jnr. From Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja) and John Ogiji (Minna) RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan and the Northern Governors’ Forum, in separate statements, have commiserated with a former Minister of Information, Chief John Nwodo (Jnr), over the death of his wife, Obiageli, in a London hospital.

In a statement over the weekend by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan, on behalf of himself, his family, the Federal Government and people of Nigeria, commiserated with Nwodo on the loss of his wife who was a Justice of the Court of Appeal.

The statement read: “By her

demise, your family has lost a dutiful wife and a devoted mother; Enugu State has lost one of her finest; our nation has lost an accomplished jurist and a veritable epitome of excellence in service. As you mourn, I wish, on behalf of my family, the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to express our heartfelt commiseration with you at this time.”

Also, the Northern Governors’ Forum, through its Chairman and Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, in a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Danladi Ndayebo, urged Nwodo and the family members to be encouraged by the fact that the

deceased lived an inspiring and fulfilled life.

“You must be consoled by the fact that your wife departed after a life of dedicated service to God and humanity,” Aliyu said.

He described the late Obiageli, who was a judge of the Court of Appeal, as a “good woman who had a positive impact on the environment, her immediate family, her community and all the people she met during her sojourn on earth, especially women and children.”

Aliyu urged Nwodo to sustain his late wife’s good work by promoting the cause of justice and touching the lives of the weak and the poor as a tribute to her memory.

NEWS 5

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

El-Rufai denies Kaduna guber ambition From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief Federal Capital FandORMER Territory (FCT) Minister All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has debunked speculations that he would be contesting the 2015 governorship election in Kaduna State.

El-Rufai said in Kaduna at the weekend that he was not ready to contest the governorship election come 2015, adding that as the deputy national secretary of the APC, he would rather work within the party by contributing his quota in building and moving it to a greater height, particularly for the challenge of the party winning the 2015 Presidency.

Rep assures on constitution amendment From Terhemba Daka, Abuja MEMBER of the Federal A House of Representatives, Emmanuel Jime (PDP Benue), has assured Nigerians that the two chambers of the National Assembly would harmonise their decisions on the need to grant autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.

The Senate had last July voted against autonomy for local governments while considering over 70 items in the 1999 Constitution, but the House voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence for the third-tier of government to remove the councils from the apron strings of states.

Jime, who represents Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency of Benue State, said at the weekend while addressing newsmen during his award of 934 scholarships to students in all the 23 local council areas of his state, that the two chambers of the Parliament would have to harmonise their view on resumption from recess in September.

Borno donates N19m to families of slain soldiers, policemen From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri ORNO State government B at the weekend donated N19 million to family members of slain soldiers and policemen in the recent Boko Haram attacks on Bama and Baga, two fishing and farming communities on the shores of Lake Chad, Nigeria.

Some of the security personnel, who lost their lives in the multiple attacks, include 12 soldiers and seven policemen killed while repelling the gunmen from burning the Mobile Police Base, Bama.

Presenting the cash donations during a visit to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr at the Joint Task Force (JTF) Headquarters, Maiduguri, Governor Kashim Shettima said as a responsible and responsive state government, it became inevitable to condole with family members of the slain soldiers and men of JTF.

Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the launch of the party at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, Oyo State…yesterday

PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

Students plan nationwide protests against ASUU strike LANS may be underway by P some Nigerian students to organise from tomorrow, a mass protest aimed at highlighting the woes bedeviling public education in the country.

Organised by the Joint Action Front (JAF), the protesting students in the South-West zone may block all roads leading to Lagos State tomorrow.

According to JAF, the protests, which will kick off at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) office at Yaba, Lagos at 8 a.m., will also include zonal rallies in Kano, Ibadan, Owerri, Calabar, Abuja, among others.

According to JAF, the aim is to draw attention to the bleak future that awaits Nigerian children due to the neglect of public education,

The aim is to draw attention to the bleak future that awaits Nigerian children due to the neglect of public education, “while children of top politicians and government officials are trained in private schools in Nigeria and abroad with funds looted from public coffers.” “while children of top politicians and government officials are trained in private

schools in Nigeria and abroad with funds looted from public coffers.”

Fresh outrage at Edo senator’s support for underage marriage From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City FEW days after the A International Federation of Woman Lawyers (Federacion Internacional De Abogadas) (FIDA) and other civil society groups in Edo State staged a major demonstration over Senator Odion Ugbesia’s purported opposition to the removal of Section 29 (4)(b), more knocks have continued to trail the senator’s position as more organisations have condemned his position, alleging that he had technically voted for child-marriage.

Twenty-nine organisations in United Kingdom, Canada, USA and Italy, which include Association Against Women Export (AAWE), led by Rosalin Okosun, based in Canada and Nigeria; Facilitator, Voices of Edo Women led by Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe in USA; Dr. Esohe Aghatise, Executive Director of Iroko Onlus, in Turin, Italy; Dr. (Mrs.) Lorretta Ogboro-Okor, and Augustina Iyare, religious

But that clause has been there since 1979; it was retained in the 1999 Constitution and now, it just came up for debate. It is an innocuous part in our constitution; whether it is there or not doesn’t make any difference. There are very serious issues that people should talk about organisations, professional groups including medical personnel, in a letter to Ugbesia, said his vote for the retention of the controversial clause was support for child abuse, which they said, negates the principles of the Child Rights Act passed by the National Assembly and which has been domesticated by several state Houses of Assembly.

“We expect that as our representative, you will be prepared to take responsibility for your actions in your duties on our behalf. To paraphrase a wise saying, when we cannot stand for our values, they become hobbies. In that spirit, we ask that you make a public and unconditional written retraction of your support against the repeal of Section 29(4b) of

the Constitution as soon as possible to align with the wishes and aspirations of members of your constituency on this issue.

“Furthermore, considering the fact that serious sociocultural issues bordering on the abuse of the girl-child, including girl-child trafficking and prostitution, and inequities in educational opportunities and community/traditional rights, are also burning issues in Edo State.

“We are also using this opportunity to call on you to publicly unveil a progressive and concrete agenda for the empowerment of the girlchild and women in EdoCentral Senatorial District and your support in general for the empowerment of girls and women in the state

and Nigeria.”

However, Ugbesia told The Guardian when a similar letter was written against him two weeks ago, that he did not vote for under-age marriage as being “mis-presented”, adding that there are more serious matters that Nigerians should bother about in the review of the constitution.

“But that clause has been there since 1979; it was retained in the 1999 Constitution and now, it just came up for debate. It is an innocuous part in our constitution; whether it is there or not doesn’t make any difference. There are very serious issues that people should talk about.

“But I have never supported child-marriage or any related issue. There is nothing like that in the issue we are debating and if it ever comes, I can never support child-marriage issue.

It was not brought before us and if anything like that comes, trust me, I will definitely oppose it. I will vote against child-marriage any

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had, on July 2, declared an indefinite strike over unresolved issues contained in the 2009 FG/ASUU Agreement. The union took the decision “after exhausting all available avenues,” when the Federal Government breached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they both signed in January 2011.

One of the contentious issues was the non-payment of Earned Allowances.

But the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof.

Julius Okojie, swiftly criticised ASUU’s action, describing it as unfortunate and capable of destroying the university system.

Okojie told The Guardian: “They (universities teachers) get their salaries. On the issue of allowances, why can’t they persevere? The government did not say it would not pay.

What we said was that not all lecturers are entitled to earned allowances. The figure they (ASUU) came up with was huge and we said there was a need for harmonisation, because not all of them were entitled to it. We needed to determine which lecturer deserves to get the Earn Allowance.”

However, a meeting organised by the Federal Ministry of Education to resolve the issue ended in a deadlock. A senior government official was quoted as saying that it was impossible for the Federal Government to implement the MoU. The union has also vowed not to suspend the strike until its demands are met.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

6 NEWS

Ita-Giwa urges peace at Bakassi

By Onyedika Agbedo S the August 14, 2013 deadline to the transition period between Nigeria and Cameroun over the Bakassi territory take over draws near, the political leader in the area, Senator Florence ItaGiwa has advised her people and other Nigerians to accept the take over in good faith.

Senator Ita-Giwa urged the people to await President Goodluck Jonathan administration’s plans to develop and ensure that they are properly resettled in Ikang where they are already relocated.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, she appealed to Nigerians to avoid inflammatory statements that might cause disaffection between Nigeria and Cameroun and further endanger the lives of those who have temporarily taken residence in the ceded territory until they are properly resettled.

She averred that there was good foreign diplomatic rela-

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Anyaoku’s biography for launch August 15 PICTORIAL biography of A former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, titled: “Footprints of Iconic Diplomat, ” will be launched on Thursday, August 15, 2013, at 12 noon at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

According to a statement by Leverage Multi Global Concept, the event will be chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and will have President Goodluck Jonathan as special guest of honour.

Other special guests expected at the ceremony include, erstwhile South African President, Thabo Mbeki; Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi and his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), among others governors, ministers, traditional and religious leaders.

tionship between both countries, which should not be undermined and put into jeopardy.

She said: “August 14 is here.

While we appreciate peoples’ concern on this unfortunate issue, we are looking forward to reintegration with the host community knowing that there is no barren land anywhere in this country. Hence, we have decided to settle in with our Ikang brothers while the process of reintegration is ongoing and as it is now, looking very promising.

“All Bakassi people residing in the ceded areas are obliged to abide by the laws of the land and I appeal to my people to be law abiding and live peacefully with the Camerounians.”

Ita-Giwa thanked Jonathan for setting up the Bakassi Peoples Presidential Committee in response to the yearnings of the people and called for the immediate implementation of the committee’s report.

Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema (left); Channels and Partners Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Adefolu Majekodunmi, and Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Ade Bajomo at the XGen Expo organised by the NSE in Lagos.

NMA, others laud new malaria vaccine

By Chukwuma Muanya

• WHO releases guidelines on disease’s prevention in children

IGERIAN scientists led by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have lauded the discovery of a malaria vaccine which provides 100 per cent protection against the disease.

According to a research published at the weekend in the journal Science, the malaria vaccine has become the first to provide 100 per cent protection against the disease, confounding critics and far surpassing any other experimental malaria vaccine tested.

The researchers said the vaccine, which is being developed in the United States (U.S.), protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease, when given in high doses; and will now be tested further in clinical trials in Africa.

Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday published a guide on the provision of effective malaria treatment at intervals during this rainy season in the Sahel sub-region with highly seasonal malaria transmission, such as Nigeria.

According to a statement from the WHO, across the Sahel sub-region, most childhood malaria mortality and morbidity occur during the rainy season, which is generally short. Giving effective malaria treatment at intervals during this period has been shown to prevent illness and death from malaria in children.

National Coordinator, National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe, told The Guardian yesterday: “The news

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about the possibility of a new vaccine to prevent malaria is cheery to everyone involved in the fight against malaria at whatever level.

“This is more so to us at NMCP because on a daily basis we are confronted with the question from the affected public: ‘Is there no medicine or vaccine to prevent malaria?’ or more painfully ‘Can’t you people find a medicine that can prevent someone from getting malaria?’ It is painful because we understand the people’s frustration and yet there is nothing we can do in that direction.

“To date the answer to the above questions still remain ‘No’ and we at NMCP are looking forward to a day when we can answer ‘yes!’ Therefore, we are excited that there is a gleam of light at the end of the

tunnel for a malaria vaccine, even though in this particular case it could take up to ten years to materialise.”

In the same vein, NMA’s President , Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said the progress made towards the development of effective malaria vaccine is a welcome development especially to the country because of the high malaria burden. Enabulele, however, urged caution: “We must also be careful because this is just a research that is inconclusive and is yet to be commercialised.”

So we must continue to do what we should do to keep malaria at bay like keeping the environment clean without stagnant water, sleeping under insecticide treated nets, using ACTs, among others.”

Ezeigwe, however, said there are about 20 other vaccine projects for malaria prevention at various stages of clinical trials globally.

She said the leading vaccine candidate in the group, RTS, S is currently undergoing the phase III trial and is likely to come into use by 2015 if all goes as well as expected. “It is being develoed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) with funding support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” the NMCP boss said.

He said it was very important to also note that when a vaccine does become available it would only complement the tools already been deployed to fight malaria, and not replace them. “This is because so far results of the on-going trials have not indicated full protection against malaria,” she said.

‘Cabals, cause of electricity generation woes’

By Azeez Olorunlomeru HE Chief Operating T Officer, Shoreline group, Mr. Phil Wharton has said that for Nigeria to have any meaningful impact in the area of power generation, transmission and distribution, the issue of “cabals” most be addressed.

Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on the group relaunch of its electrical Control Panel under the umbrella of Shoreline panel, Wharton said eliminating the so called “cabal” with vested interest in the importation of generators is essential to enhance power generation in the country.

He stated that the country needs to put more capacity in place to be able to have more mega stations in order to solve the problem of incessant power failure.

Wharton explained that having the ability to build panels within own facility complements the power generation business which

would enable the company to provide a one stop shop for customers requiring a complete power solution.

The power boss also stated that the company is geared towards driving the modernisation and rehabilitation programme of Africa’s power generation with a complete range of power generation equipment in modular and static form for raid development with a skilled manpower as well as turnkey solutions.

General Manager of the Company, Mr. Gabriel Okoebor confirmed that the Shoreline power acquired the ABB Switchgear Manufacturing facility in Ilupeju and talks are at an advanced stage for the company to purchase other ABB manufacturing facilities.

He stated that power generation in its standard practice-from proposal to completion could take up to six to seven years before it can be delivered for use.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Senator urges review of recall process From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia SENATOR representing Abia State, Mrs. Nkechi Nwaogu, has canvassed that the process for recalling a nonperforming or misbehaving lawmaker by the electorate, as provided in the constitution, should be made shorter to be more effective.

Nwaogu, who is the chairman of Senate Committee on Gas Resources, said in Aba at the weekend that the recall provision could serve as a tool to call an elected office holder to order or replace him when genuine need arises.

She told The Guardian that “if Nigerian people had really sat down to draft the constitution, I am sure that there would have been a shorter process of recall. But in view of the fact that what has an advantage also has a disadvantage, the recall provision could be trivialised. Somebody or group can just commence a recall because they have some personal problems with an elected office-holder. We should, therefore, take another look at the present constitution with a view to reviewing the process of recall”.

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Groups oppose call for removal of PPMC boss From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin

OME groups, including S(AYC), Afenmai Youth Congress Niger Delta Youths Coalition (NDYC) and SouthSouth Professionals (SSP), at the weekend condemned the call by some former militants for removal of the Managing Director, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Haruna Momoh, over scarcity of kerosene in parts of Abuja, saying such call was “unpatriotic.”

In a statement issued to journalists in Benin City at the weekend after a meeting, the groups dissociated their members in the Niger Delta region from for what they termed unpatriotic call for sack of Momoh.

They said instead of the call for removal of Momoh, he should be commended for rehabilitating pipelines and depots under his jurisdiction with noticeable improvements in the sector since his appointment.

“It is to the credit of the present management of PPMC that Nigeria has not witnessed any major fuel supply and distribution problem since the appointment of Momoh in February, 2011.

Minister, S’West APC condole with Fashola From Abiodun Fanoro (Lagos) and Terhemba Daka (Abuja) S the Fidau prayer for the late Pa Ademola Fashola, father of the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) comes up tomorrow, the South-West All Progressive Congress (APC) has mourned the deceased, whom it described as a respectable public servant who lived a life worthy of emulation.

The party, in statement by the zone’s interim Publicity Secretary, Ayo Afolabi, said the legacy of hard work and discipline for which the deceased was noted, “is what is today playing out in his governorson, Babatunde, as shown by his inspiring record of achievements in Lagos State.”

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Privatisation proceeds must be shared among states, FCT, says Nyako From Emmanuel Ande, Yola

DAMAWA State Governor A Murtala Nyako has insisted that the Presidency must cough out the funds realised from the sale of Federal Government’s property and companies to be shared among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Nyako, who spoke on Saturday night at a dinner organised for journalists in Yola, said majority of the governors sued the Federal Government to court over the whereabouts of the funds realised from the sale of government’s property within and outside the country.

“It is the 36 states and FCT that constitute what is called Federal Government of

Nigeria; so whatever property that belongs to Federal Government is also the property of the states, because it is the states’ territories that are used to generate revenue which we share at the end of every month,” he stated.

Nyako, who explained that the case was withdrawn for out-of-court settlement, insisted that governors would not accept any resolution outside sharing the money. “Our constitutional responsibility as leaders is to ensure that what belongs to our people, we do everything within the ambit of the law to get it or recover it for our people irrespective of whatever name or colour others give it”, he said.

The former Chief of Naval Staff (Nyako), who dismissed the insinuation in some

Nyako quarters that the move was initiated by pro- Amaechi supporters to force Presidency to bow out of the political crisis rocking Rivers State, said the position of the

governors on the privatisation funds should be seen as a demand for justice, transparency and accountability as stipulated by the laws of the country.

“I challenge anybody to come out with facts and figures and the projects the money realised from the privatisation of our public property within and outside the country, which runs into billions of dollars was used to execute and in which budget it was included. We cannot fold our arms and close our eyes when the constitutional rights of our people are being violated; that will be the greatest disservice on our part as leaders of our various states,” he maintained.

The governor also urged the National Drug Law

‘Why Nigeria may not be among leading economies by 2020’ From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it is uncertain if the country could be one of the 20 leading economies of the world in 2020 in view of the current poor salaries being paid her workers.

Vice President of the Congress, Issa Aremu, who expressed the doubt in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, while fielding questions from reporters, noted that a worker couldn’t be productive if he is hungry. He stressed that labour is the most important factor of production.

According to him, the NLC would not relent in its struggle to ensure that Labour remained permanently on the exclusive and not concurrent legislative list as being proposed by the Senate. He praised the

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stand of the House of Representatives on the matter.

Reacting to what he described as Jumbo pay of Nigerian lawmakers, Aremu said their emoluments could not be sustained with the current finances of the nation and that their salaries do not reflect the reality of the Nigerian economy or their performances.

The Labour leader, therefore, called on Nigerian workers to vote against any selfish political office seeker in the forthcoming elections in the country, lamenting that most of the public office holders have not performed to the expectation of the masses.

Aremu described the NLC as the biggest trade union centre in Africa with about five million organised

members across 42 industry affiliated unions, but lamented the rate of unemployment in the country as many factories are closing down thereby throwing workers out of job.

Aremu, who noted that the Nigerian factories have a potential workforce capacity of 80 million people when in full production, lamented its current employment rate, which

he put at about five million. He, therefore, urged the leaders to be more proactive in providing good governance to the citizens and tackling squarely the insecurity challenges the nation is currently facing.

Aremu criticised the idea of government sponsoring pilgrims to either Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem, describing it as a wasteful venture.

Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to stand up to the challenges of its constitutional responsibilities by caging those behind peddling of hard and dangerous drugs, alleging a calculated plan by some groups or individuals to destroy the North through deployment of massive hard drugs to the region.

According to Nyako, the rising cases of hard drugs in the North have become a source of concern, considering the negative effect of those drugs on the youth, whom he described as the backbone of any community that wants to develop.

He urged his counterparts in other northern states not to handle the issue with kid gloves, pointing out that the silent way to destroy a nation is to destroy the youth who are the future leaders. “Some of us are privileged to be governors, senators or president today because our elders and leaders protected us from anything that could be harmful to our future. So, it is our responsibility to do the same to the youth of today to protect the country or region tomorrow,” he stated.

The governor, who described journalists as the custodian and pillar of democracy in the country, urged them to adhere strictly to the rules and laws of the profession.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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WorldReport Keita emerges favourite as Malians vote in presidential run-off ALIANS voted in a presiM dential run-off yesterday with former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita featuring as the frontrunner in the election, which is critical to restoring stability after a military coup and Islamist rebellion last year.

The winner will oversee more than $4 billion in foreign aid promised to rebuild the West African nation, after France sent thousands of troops in January to break the grip of al Qaeda-linked rebels over its desert north.

He must also tackle deeprooted corruption and forge a lasting peace with northern

Tuaregs after decades of sporadic uprisings, problems that led to the overthrow of President Amadou Toumani Toure in the March 2012 coup and allowed Islamists to seize the northern two-thirds of Mali.

“Whatever the decision of the ballot box, Mali has already won,” Keita, 68, told reporters after voting in the capital Bamako. “We’ve come together to rebuild a new Mali and give it a new destiny,” said Keita, who is opposed by Soumaila Cisse, 63, a technocrat from northern Mali who headed the West African monetary union (UEMOA).

U.S. reopens some missions after Al-Qaeda’s security alert NITED States (U.S.) yesterU day reopened some of its diplomatic missions closed on August 4 over an Al-Qaeda security alert, while others stayed shut for the Muslim holidays following the Ramadan holy month.

Agency reports indicated that the embassy in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and the U.S. consulate in Dubai reopened, as the holiday marking the end of the fast-

ing month came to a close in the southern Gulf state.

The embassy in Libya also reopened yesterday.

In Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh embassy and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran remained closed, as did the embassy in neighbouring Qatar.

They are due to reopen on August 14, when the holidays end in those two nations.

Pope Francis seeks mutual respect between Christians, Muslims ATHOLIC leader, Pope C Francis, yesterday reached out to Muslims as they mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, calling on them and Christians to promote mutual respect.

In front of thousands of the faithful who gathered for his Angelus blessing in St Peter’s Square yesterday, the pope said: “I want to send a hello to Muslims around the world, our brothers, who a short time ago celebrated the conclusion of the month of Ramadan.”

“I hope that Christians and Muslims engage to promote mutual respect, especially through the education of new generations,” he said.

It was the pope’s second message to Muslim communities recently.

On August 2, Francis sent a text “as an expression of esteem and friendship to all Muslims, especially their religious leaders”.

In his text, he also called on both religions to “avoid unjustified or defamatory criticism” of each other.

Mali’s presidential candidate, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, preparing to cast his vote at the polling station in Bamako in a watershed presidential election run-off expected to usher in a new dawn of peace and stability in the conflict-scarred nation…yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Scores die in Darfur tribal fighting ITH hundreds of people W already killed in Darfur, Sudan this year, tribal sources claimed that fighting between rival Arab tribes rocked the region for a second day yesterday, claiming dozens of lives.

According to sources who spoke with Reuters, battles took place yesterday in the Adila area of southeastern Darfur.

“The fighting today spread to many areas,” said a member of the Rezeigat tribe which has been fighting the rival Maaliya since Saturday.

“I saw some wounded Rezeigat taken to the hospital in Ed Daein on Land Cruisers,” he said, asking for anonymity.

Ed Daein is the capital of East Darfur state.

Also, a Maaliya resident confirmed fighting south of Adila, and a doctor in Nyala

city to the west told Agence France Presse (AFP) that some wounded Maaliya had been taken there for treatment.

They were not able to give casualty figures for yesterday’s fighting but tribal sources said dozens had died on Saturday.

“We clashed with Maaliya... and we destroyed a compound of theirs and killed 70 of them,” another Rezeigat source said, declining to be named.

“We lost 30 of our men.”

Both tribes said fighters used Land Cruiser vehicles, while the Maaliya accused their opponents of employing “heavy weapons” – a common allegation in Darfur’s

tribal fighting.

A Maaliya source said the Rezeigat “attacked” and burned villages but declined to say how many from his side had died on Saturday.

The Maaliya “killed 40” of their adversaries, he said.

Inter-ethnic fighting has been the major source of violence in Darfur this year, where an estimated 300,000 people were displaced in the first five months alone, the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said.

East Darfur had been relatively free from the unrest, much of which has occurred in Darfur’s north and west.

Late last month in North

Darfur state, another branch of the Rezeigat inked a peace deal to end a separate conflict with rival Arabs from the Beni Hussein group.

A member of parliament said their battles killed hundreds over several weeks.

And the Misseriya and Salamat Arab tribes announced less than two weeks ago they had reached a tentative ceasefire after fighting, which one of them said killed more than 200 people.

These battles reflect the altered dynamics of a decadeold conflict in which, observers said, the government can no longer control its former Arab tribal allies known as Janjaweed.

Palestinians kick as Israel plans 1,000 settler homes N announcement by A Israel that it would issue Israel aims through this condensed settlement tenders for 1,000 new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has earned the condemnation of Palestinians, who called the plan a proof that the Jewish state is “not serious” about peace talks.

Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayeh slammed the latest move, saying it was proof Israel was “not serious in the negotiations”.

Israel “aims through this condensed settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders,” Shtayeh said.

He said the new tenders were “conditions and new facts on the ground” that Israel was setting in order “to determine the negotiations in whichever way suits it best.”

Shtayeh also called for

activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

Washington to take “a firm and clear position to rein in this Israeli attack on the West Bank and especially Jerusalem.”

Three days ahead of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, Israel’s Housing Ministry said yesterday in a statement that “tenders will be published” later in the day for 793 units to be built in annexed east Jerusalem and 394 elsewhere in the West Bank.

Housing Minister Uri Ariel, of the far-right Jewish Home party, dismissed international criticism of settlement building on occupied Palestinian land as illegal and an obstacle to peace.

“No country in the world accepts diktats from other countries on where it is

allowed to build or not,” he said in the statement.

“We shall continue to market apartments and build throughout the country.”

The housing ministry said plots would be offered in Har Homa and Gilo, both on east Jerusalem’s southern outskirts and in Pisgat Zeev, on the city’s northern edge.

Tenders would also be issued for settler homes to be built in Ariel, in the northern West Bank, in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and in Efrata and Beitar Ilit, around Bethlehem, it said.

The U.S. State Department said last week that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators would resume talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday on ending their long-standing conflict.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Focus Fresh impetus for children with disabilities

By Emeka Anuforo ELLO is a young Nigeria child born 15 years B ago with visual disabilities. He was struck by a strange ailment at age of five and since then has been unable to see. There is no school for the blind in the state where his parents live, and the general schools around him are intolerant of his condition.

The schools have no Braille to teach children like him and his parents are too poor to take him to a neighboring state where an already overpopulated special school with children with disabilities is run by a private organization.

So, he sits at home and contends with hearing exciting stories about school from the chatters of students from the village. His parents say they would enroll him to learn a trade once they are able to raise some money. But Bello hopes he could go to school. The enchanting stories of computers, books, and singing form exciting images in his mind and make him feel sad deep inside.

Bello is not alone in this dilemma. Indeed, Nigeria is again found wanting in promoting the rights of children with disabilities.

Stakeholders recently called attention to the importance of promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and to mobilize support to build a more inclusive society.

They are concerned about Nigeria’s poor disability response index and have called attention to the need to redefine the country’s strategies.

According to the United Nations International Children’s Fund ( UNICEF), people with disabilities remain one of the largest overlooked minorities in the world.

UNICEF noted in its latest report: “People with disabilities remain one of the largest overlooked minorities in the world. Over one billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population, live with some form of disability. This includes around 93 million children with disabilities who face discrimination in every aspect of their lives.”

According to the global body, barriers for children with disabilities and their families exist in different forms, including for example through negative attitudes, policies and legislations which discriminate and are not inclusive, or when the physical environment is not accessible.

“Whether it is being accepted in school or on the playground, accessing health services, basic nutrition or being included in emergency response, children with disabilities encounter barriers on an everyday basis, which prevent them from participating equally in the society. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which came into force in 2008 recognises that often these barriers are more disabling than an individual’s impairment itself.”

Executive Director of UNICEF, Tony Lake said recently: “Imagine a world where all children are included…involved. Where their talents are celebrated…where their contributions are recognized. Where they count. “ Recently, UNICEF released its flagship publication, ‘The State of the World’s Children’s to journalists.

The 2013 edition of The State of the World’s Children is dedicated to the situation of children with disabilities. The report examines the barriers, from inaccessible buildings to dismissive attitudes, from invisibility in official statistics to vicious discrimination, that deprive children with disabilities of their rights and keep them from participating fully in society. It also lays out some of the key elements of inclusive societies that respect and protect the rights of children with disabilities, adequately support them and their families, and nurture their abilities, so that they may take advantage of opportunities to flourish and make their contribution to the world.

The body said it was working around the world in partnership with governments, donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and organizations of persons with disabilities (DPOs), towards creating an inclusive

A cross section of children with disabilities and accessible society for children with disabilities.

Indeed, stakeholders are of the firm belief that an inclusive society would benefit not only children and adults with disabilities, but the entire population.

Former Director ( Regional Office for education in Africa) at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Prof Pai Obanyas in an interview with The Guardian stressed how the society and not the government should take the blame for poor attitude towards persons with disabilities.

He said: “The first problem is our attitudinal orientation. We should all be ashamed of people who want to hide children with disabilities and who don’t want to acknowledge that they are products of this society. We under-estimate the capacities of these children and when we make provisions for them we are limited to institutionalization which is to segregate them. This is the mistake we are making’’.

Obanya, who is also the Chairman of the Board of the West African Examination Council ( WAEC) called on parents of children with disabilities to show them love.

“In my presentation I talked about psychosocial support for children. Frankly, every child is disabled in one way or the other. It is a question of the severity of the disability.

Parents should extend this love and understand that ability can be made out of disability and finally to invest in in love , care and time for these children,” he emphasized’ He canvassed for inclusive education, which he said was gateway to full participation in the society at home and at birth.

“Early childhood education, quality learning opportunities within the school regular

school system and long-life learning opportunities for all, is inclusive education for disabled children,” the said.

Speaking on children in orphanages, he lamented how such children face discrimination.

He said children living in orphanages are faced with discriminations and social barriers , which he said is a form of disability.

Obanya said that disabilities in children could be termed the incidence, survival, physical manifestation and social barriers which children in orphanages also suffer as a barrier.

Speaking earlier at the media dialogue on the 2013 State of the World Children’s Report organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Child Rights Information Burea of the Federal Ministry of Information, he called for gradual phasing out of orphanages and integrate these children into foster homes where they would be shown love.

“The idea of phasing out orphanages is becoming feasible because it creates the same stigma problems we are trying to eradicate.

Bringing up children in foster homes may be a better alternative’’, he noted.

He hoped that UNICEF’s emphasis on children with disabilities would greatly assist to re-orientate and change people’s perspective on the notion of disabilities and the way they are manifested in children and to show that with appropriate interventions such children could live normal lives.

A Child Survival and Development Manager with UNICEF Office in Enugu, Dr. Oluwatosin Kuti, stressed that children with disabilities equally have the potentials to lead fulfilling lives and to contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of their societies.

Speaking at the workshop, Kuti said that

The first problem is our attitudinal orientation. We should all be ashamed of people who want to hide children with disabilities and who don’t want to acknowledge that they are products of this society. We under-estimate the capacities of these children and when we make provisions for them we are limited to institutionalization which is to segregate them.

This is the mistake we are making

children with disabilities are faced with different forms of discriminations and segregation in different degrees depending on the type of disabilities they are living with.

The objective of the media dialogue among other things was to create awareness on the challenges faced by children with disabilities and to set media agenda for this group of children.

Kuti said: “UNICEF works on the principle that children are the greatest capital, asset we must invest on and so their survival means a lot.

Every year data is collected on a particular aspect of the state of the world’s children. The emphasis this year is on children with disabilities and the objective to attempt to re-orient and change people’s perspective on the notion of disabilities and the way they are manifested in children and to show that a lot can be done with appropriate intervention to allow children affected to leave normal lives, to include them in full participation in social life.

“There is a Universal Basic Education Bill that preaches education for all.The problem is not just in passing a bill but you can get things done even without a bill if people are fully sensitized. The problem with Nigeria is that of implementation. The people concerned are at the grassroots level where there are local government authorities.”

Emphasizing the need for a change of attitudinal change by the society, he stressed: “ Why should we be ashamed of such people and don’t want to acknowledge that they are products of this society? In my presentation I talked about psycho- social support for children.

Every child is disabled in one way or the other.

It is a question of the severity of the disability. If parents can extend this love and secondly to understand that ability can be made out of disability and to invest in it in love , care and time.To do away with stigma, people should live by example individually everyone should stop stigmatization. Our conception of people living with disabilities have to change. “ He went on: “The 2013 state of the world’s children report is focused on a very important area need area that has been neglected and it is based on rigorously collected data including testimonies from people living with disabilities . It has useful information that people can use.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Politics

By Oghogho Obayuwana (Foreign Affairs Editor)

I believe that incumbent Governor Oshiomhole is laying a strong infrastructural foundation that must be improved upon. In this regard, Edo people cannot afford the political blunder of electing a second-class politician, not well-versed in the internal dynamics of power in Edo State; not courageous enough to keep the hawkish and greedy godfathers from the public till; not God-fearing enough to do what is right to all manner of men and women; not transparent enough to be trusted based on political antecedent; not strong enough to implement people-oriented developmental projects and without initiative that could drive the economy, especially the informal sector and ignite the industrial development of the state.

ATIONAL Vice Chairman of the defunct N Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), SouthSouth, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, provoked not a few thoughts at the leadership conference organised by the Edo Political Forum (EPF) recently.

He posited that all of the truth had not been told about what really went wrong with Edo State between 1999 and 2007.

What was this political insider trying to say?

The people had gathered to construct a compass for rewarding excellence, the promotion of freedom, as well as how to leverage on the opportunities that abound in the state.

Coming at a time when citizens are looking for excellence with a lantern in broad daylight and can’t find any, it was an opportunity to run through the way governance in Edo State had been conducted since the advent of the current democratic dispensation in 1999 till date.

Ize-Iyamu, the Chief of Staff to the Igbinedionled administration from 1999 to 2003, and thereafter, Secretary to Government from 2003 to 2007, is a man who served one blighted government and is also now a leading light of a current popular government.

Politically, how is a feat like this achieved?

What really went wrong in the past? What is the way forward?

In an encounter with The Guardian in Benin City, Ize-Iyamu maintains that a sense of history is necessary in charting the path of an enduring future for Edo state.

On the big mess that was on the ground The question of the raison d’etre for a Grace Group in Edo that emerged during the twilight of the administration of Chief Lucky Igbinedion came up first. But lamenting those terrible years of locust that preceded the civilian advent in 1999, Ize-Iyamu said: “What we have said is that Edo State was left prostrate by military rule after 1975. The gains of the Ogbemudia years, which made us the envy of all others in the federation, were laid waste.

“Infrastructure decayed and other critical structures and institutions of governance shrank to base levels. The state deteriorated, stagnated and was almost ruined, as parastatals and government-owned companies were ordered, overnight, to commence selfsustenance policy without any form of shortterm planning and trial period to test-run the efficacy of such policies; thus forcing the immediate downturn of commercially-oriented parastatals and industries, which had thrived few years before then and leading to forced closures.”

Yet, the question often arises: Ize-Iyamu was there all along, and he was part of the mess.

Responding to this, he said: “I can see that a lot of things have been gotten wrong here. For

Oshiomhole

Igbinedion

Ize-Iyamu

Truth about governance in Edo since 1999, by Ize-Iyamu the record, let truth be told! When you asked what my contributions were, to appreciate my role, you must understand my function.

“I was not in charge of any ministry or parastatal, neither did I have any financial authority. As Chief of Staff, I was the political clearinghouse, ensuring equitable sharing of political appointments to party faithful, interacting and interfacing with the ruling political party to avoid conflicts between it and government.

“I, however, expanded my scope by dialoguing with labour unions on the recurrent issue of wage arrears and stagnated promotions.

And opened up my office as a place for public complaints and redress.

“On why I did not resign when the godfathers were emasculating the state and the electorate were getting disenchanted, I could not have resigned when God was using me to checkmate the excesses of ungodly men.

“You must have heard of all the assassination attempts! I am by nature not a quitter and I believe in the saying that tough times don’t last, tough people do. For daring the status quo, and seeking fundamental change, my life was threatened.

“Now, the Grace Group, as a popular pressure group, was so widely accepted that it formed the platform of opposition elements for the emergence of a new political party, the ACN in Edo State. This may not have been possible if I had jumped boat and tried to organise from afar.”

The real problem of Edo State For Ize-Iyamu, the last straw that broke the camel’s back, which chroniclers can classify as the real problem of that PDP-led government, had to do with the party wrangling and the heavy hand of the octopus godfather.

“Another truth here is the fact that the PDPled government (1999 and 2007) had no manifesto, blueprint or plan for governance and was actually personified by one lead character that was literally worshipped as the owner and giver of political power,” he said.

“Now, the pressure and subtle threat from the godfather and his supporters were excessive and distractive in the process of project planning and execution, as well as management of the resources of the state.

“When the governor resisted the trend, especially during his second tenure, and altered the power relations in government, he was harassed by the Abuja henchmen of the party and even deregistered along with his rebellious aides who sought to keep the Edo

resources as a commonwealth for all.

“Edo people never knew the magnitude of the internal political battle that raged between the governor and the greedy godfathers.

Definitely, the governor did not have the combative and no-nonsense posture of the incumbent governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who, with his progressive mentality as an activist, also had to contend with the godfatherism syndrome and ruthlessly dismantled their structure.”

The pact with the CAN It all started with the oft-talked about Grace Group. Ize-Iyamu said the movement paved the way for the emergence of the ACN in the political equation of Edo State and eventual capture of power and the foundation of a new order.

“We are maintaining this progressive movement in Edo with my being a member of the national merger committee of ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA and DPP that is working towards the registration of a new national party — the All Progressives Congress,” he said.

“I thank God for the immense infrastructural transformation of the state by the Comrade Governor, who believed in the philosophy of the Grace Group, bought into it and courageously elevated that philosophy to the mantra of one-man-one-vote and made the godfathers irrelevant.

“It is that courage and conviction that has bonded the Comrade and I and accounted for my elevation to the position of National Vice Chairman of the ACN, South-South zone.”

Looking at the hard facts then and now Ize-Iyamu also spoke of the dynamics of Edo politics and the realities brought about by the circumstances of the time.

In this regard, he said: “In all truthfulness, there was a time when the revenue profile of the state did not permit the execution of any serious capital project.

“Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), for example, which today, thanks to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s government is over a N1 billion a month, was then around N27 million a month. The revenue accruing from the Federation Account was barely enough to pay salaries.

“It would interest you to know, for instance, that the total funds received during Professor (Oserheimen) Osunbor’s administration that commenced 29th of May 2007 and ended 9th of November 2008, a period of just 18 months, was a lot more than what Chief Lucky Igbinedion’s administration received totalling

his last four years-2003-2007.

“That is why it is also understandable, when we see how the current massive infrastructural transformation of the state by the incumbent governor (Oshiomhole), who has brought in a lot of courage, vision and drive into political governance, has put the past administrations in dimmer perspective. It would be unfair, however, to say that Chief Lucky Igbinedion’s administration achieved nothing.”

Working with Oshiomhole today “I have spoken about the vision of the Grace Group. And then, we started with the idea of coordinating Oshiomhole’s campaign. I was the chairman of the committee that the Comrade Governor set up to organise his firstyear anniversary in office, in appreciation of my role in his emergence as governor. And I have continued to support him.

I was appointed the Director General of his reelection campaign in 2011 and I am eternally grateful to God, who gave us the resounding victory in all the eighteen local government areas of Edo State.

I think this is why I had been honoured to chair the committee to organise his secondterm inauguration as governor of Edo State.

On the way forward for Edo According to Ize-Iyamu, Governor Oshiomhole has taken courage and hard work to a new level, and has demonstrated that spreading infrastructural facilities and development across the state is a doable venture.

“He (Oshiomhole) has also sustained populism through open and intense confrontation with the selfish political elite and godfathers and showcased the dividends of tax payments by the citizenry,” he said.

“The new fortunes of Edo have even been acknowledged by the World Bank. So, now, Edo people cannot accept anything less in the political credentials of those aspiring to that exalted office.

“But governance is always an unfinished business. Every government can only strive through commitment and focus, to generate and utilise available resources to deliver on it’s mandate. There will always be work to be done, old and new challenges to confront, new frontiers to explore and new benchmarks to be established.

“So, to answer the question of the way forward, I will point to investment. We cannot at this stage of our development have too much of investment, whether by indigenes or foreigners. We are in need of investments that will cordage jobs and create wealth.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

TheMetroSection Mysterious flood in Kano…

From Murtala Muhammed, Kano T was not only a harvest of destruction for the living, after last Friday’s heavy downpour that rendered residents of Zango and Kawagi in Nassarawa local government area of Kano, homeless, but the rain also wreaked a havoc of misery on the dead at the Yankaba Badawa cemetery where more than 40 corpses were reportedly unearthed.

The heavy rain, perhaps the heaviest in the season, which lasted for consecutive six hours, flooded one of the biggest cemeteries in Nassarawa Local Council of the state that has hosted three communities including Yankaba, Badawa and Sabongari in the last 40 years.

An eyewitness who is a resident of Chedi, one of the affected areas, Nasiru Salisu Zango, also revealed that the heavy rain wrecked more than 50 houses and damaged property worth millions of Naira.

When The Guardian visited the Yankaba cemetery, hundreds of residents were seen sand-filling the gully erosion site where many corpses were exhumed.

An eyewitness, who is also resident in Yankaba community, Yakubu Abubakar, told The Guardian that the torrential downpour would have rendered many precious dead bodies lost beyond the current figure but for the prompt intervention of the communities, 24 corpses were re-

I

• Residents re-bury 24 corpses unearthed in cemetery after downpour claimed and wrapped. “ This is one of the mysterious floods that would ever happen in the history of this community. I can tell you that countless corpses have been washed away. Where I am standing now we recovered 11 corpses and buried them in two separates places”.

Another community leader Abdulkadir Muhammed told The Guardian at the cemetery that the graveyard is facing imminent threat by erosion, as any other serious downpour would render their communal efforts useless. He, therefore, pleaded for quick government intervention.

“We are only putting up our limited efforts to save the dead because we know one day we would also go. As you can see this place is badly washed away. We cannot determine the number of corpses that couldn’t be retrieved. We are soliciting government’s help to put this place in good shape.”

Meanwhile, The Guardian reliable gathered that Kano State government has voted millions of naira for graveyard rehabilitation across the state. Observations equally revealed significant refurbishment of some cemeteries except a few, including Yankaba cemetery, which are yet to benefit from government’s intervention.

Villagers re-bury corpes unearthed by flooding.

Efforts to speak with the Commissioner for Special Duties General Lawal Dambazo on the development proved abortive, as he was

not responding to calls.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian meterological agency had served early warning of heavy

rainfall and tendencies of flooding in some parts of North West including Kano between July and August.

Midwife, 52, gives birth after 19 years’ marriage in Bayelsa 52-YEAR-OLD midwife at the General Hospital, Sagbama, Bayelsa, Mrs Kate Fezigha, said she gave birth to a baby girl on June 3, 2013 to end 19-year barrenness.

The happy mother who gave the testimony at the child dedication and thanksgiving service of the baby christened, Prudent, in Yenagoa on Sunday, said she got married in 1994 and had supervised the delivery of many children and witnessed the joy and feeling of many mothers during labour and childbirth.

Acknowledging that her chances of conception were further reduced on attainment of menopause Fezigha said the arrival of the baby she named Prudent changed her story and brought joy and consolation to the family.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the elated mother said the conception

A

and delivery of the miracle baby was “the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our sight.’’

Fezigha said the pressure sometimes became unbearable during the 19 years of waiting, and she took stock of her service as a midwife but she managed to remain steadfast in her trust in God. “It was not an easy experience to see others through the childbearing process and not to have your own child.”

“And it is particularly so as I have had a very successful professional practice as a midwife.

“I have not lost any baby or mother under my care as a midwife under the Bayelsa Government,’’ she recalled.

She continued: “I was worried that many of the children I had taken delivery of during service were now parents.”

“I even reflected and wondered why is it that despite the fact that no child had died in my

hand during delivery as midwife, why can’t I have my own, but a voice kept telling me to redouble my effort and I shall be blessed.”

“But the mysterious voice started reducing in my head as I was losing hope. I decided to adopt a baby from an orphanage but I was duped into parting with so much money for nothing. At this stage, I handed it all to God.” “I asked Him that I will not disturb him any longer and that if he decides to give me a child, so be it,’’ Fezigha said in her testimony.

Narrating her experience with childlessness Fezigha, explained that a stage in her life, her mysterious sickness led her to take a scan and it was diagnosed to be either a “fibroid or cyst.”

According to her, another scan later showed that she was pregnant.

“I had mixed feelings after the second scan. I even told my husband that it was false preg-

nancy. When my husband asked me what that meant, I became his lecturer telling him what he meant and saw the expectation of a pregnancy in his eyes.”

“Few months later, I started seeing some changes in my body. Throughout this period, I could not go to work and had to be hospitalised twice before I delivered.”

“Those who knew me could not believe it and screamed when they saw my swollen stomach. When they see me, they scream and shout praise the Lord,’’ she said amidst joy.

Fezigha said that her family is full of praise to God, “all the period of waiting was not easy, but I am comforted by the word of God.” For women who are still looking onto the Lord for a fruit of the womb, she has a word of advice: “Let me advice women that are hoping for a child to put their faith in God. God will give them a child and they should not patron-

Photonews

Chief Medical Director (CMD, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun (middle) and other officials, presenting a gift to Samad Jones, mother of the winner of LUTH Baby Show contest during the World Breast Feeding Week… held last week.

Product Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc., Femi Ajala (left); Promotion Co-ordinator Astymin, Yetunde Adesola; General Manager, Marketing, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Ola Ijimakin and Corporate Services Manager, Oladimeji PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF Oduyebo during the media briefing on Astymin Brilliance Reward in Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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TheGuardian

14 | THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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 Unemployment in Nigeria IVEN the enormous wealth and G immense developmental potential she possesses, that Nigeria is now grouped with Mauritania, Cape Verde and Cote d’Ivoire as countries with the most acute unemployment in the world is a very sad and embarrassing development desirous of immediate action.

Although those in the national economic advisory team have, in the last one month, been gravely concerned about the disturbing state of unemployment and its imminent adverse consequences, the recent statement by the Minister and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, captured in very clear terms the enormity of the situation.

While assessing the poor state of economic development vis a vis the marginal economic growth experienced by West African economies in the last five years, Usman was quoted to have said that, “during the five-year period 20082012, the West African economies grew at an average annual rate of about five per cent… The economic growth has failed, however, to translate to significant economic development, poverty reduction and job creation in most of these countries… Unemployment is most acute in Mauritania, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Cote d’Ivoire and least challenging in the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Youth unemployment is generally more acute everywhere than adult unemployment; and youth unemployment is more prevalent in the urban areas than in the rural areas.”

This observation is not different from the recent World Bank report which indicted the present administration for increasing poverty and unemployment, and also spotted disparities between the reported statistics of Nigeria’s economic growth and the absence of corresponding welfare benefits for much of the population.

Indeed, the official statistical presentation is nothing compared to the reality of the situation. The dreadful state of unemployment in Nigeria is well known to all Nigerians with its excruciating and biting presence in their lives.

With current unemployment rate at 23.9 per cent and unemployed youth population put at 20.3 million, Nigeria

has been living on the edge for the past five years. A report compiled in December 2008 by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, stated as of then that Nigeria generated about 4.5 million new entrants into the labour market annually. The figure, it stated, was made up of one million people out of the school system, 2.2 million primary school leavers not proceeding to secondary school, one million secondary school leavers not proceeding to the tertiary level and 300,000 tertiary graduates finding no placement anywhere for productivity. This is apart from another survey of the Federal Ministry of Education, which put the yearly graduate turnover at over 600,000.

In 2011, the Ministry of Youth Development reported that 42.2 per cent of Nigeria’s youth population was out of job. Before then, the House of Representatives Committee on Youth and Social Development announced that 23 million of the over 40 million unemployed youths in the country were unemployable.

Irrespective of the statistics, the current level of unemployment should be nerve-racking for Nigeria’s leaders and must stimulate them to action. It is unacceptable, disgraceful and smacks of insensitivity on the part of any government when this situation is viewed against the fact of legislators’ unjustified jumbo pay, corruption in the executive branch and general waste in government. In the light of this, it is not surprising that an army of angry and desperate unemployed youths prowling cities and the unending influx of youth into the urban areas to eke out a living, now pose further threat to an already precarious state of national security.

In the last three decades, different administrations, often in collaboration with the private sector, have embarked on youth employment programmes, leading to the establishment of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the Small and Medium Enterprises schemes, the poverty alleviation programme, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN). However, these employment and empowerment programmes have been largely tokenist because they were

LETTER

Again, the state vs. Al-Mustafa, others IR: Your editorial on the Sminating above subject was deep, illuand seminal. As it was pointed out, there were observable lapses in the prosecution of the case. For instance, having not pulled the trigger that terminated Kudirat Abiola’s life, it is my view that Al-Mustafa ought to have been charged for conspiracy, not murder.

After all, Barnabas Jabila Mshela (aka Sgt. Rogers) had confessed to being personally responsible for taking the life of the late Moshood Abiola’s wife (Kudirat). Charging Al-Mustafa

for murder could, therefore, not have withstood any serious legal scrutiny or challenge.

Those who allowed a rush of blood to their heads while drawing up the charge are partly responsible for bungling the matter. That said, it is possible that the outcome would still not have been different had the case been diligently prosecuted, given the supposed dominance of all courts of superior record by persons from certain part of the country.

In spite of the tokenism of the judicial reforms being widely and wildly celebrated by the undiscerning, it is my well-considered opinion that not much should be expected from a judiciary which harbours certificate forgers, perjurers and characters who are experts in the perversion/obstruction of the course of justice. What the Nigerian judiciary requires is a wholesale clear-out.

• Adeolu Oyinlola, Lagos.

tied to political partisanship and emanated from ad hoc reactionary circumstances, rather than deliberate national planning agendas. There are indeed reasons to question the genuineness of these schemes in conception and coverage. The poor (if not clandestine) publicity given to these schemes, the scope of mandate and the modus operandi for participating in them, among others, give rise to suspicion that the proposals were never intended to alleviate the unemployment situation.

For those who think acquiring university or tertiary education holds the key to gainful employment, the situation is also bleak. As a matter of fact, a national survey jointly sponsored by National Universities Commission (NUC) and the then Education Trust Fund (ETF) some years ago to determine the labour market needs from 20 reputable organisations gave damning reports that buttressed an earlier held position that Nigerian university graduates are unemployable. Therefore, in the light of the current state of graduate unemployment in the country, pursuing education primarily as a means of gainful employment is already a disincentive.

To avert any disastrous consequence, which a groundswell of this potentially dangerous unemployment situation may cause, there is need for a practical and results-oriented approach to addressing the plague across the country.

Government officials should desist from reeling out impersonal statistics and figures to explain economic growth. What

Nigeria needs is the establishment of massive employment-creating programmes all over the country.

Working with state governments and the private sector, the Federal Government may want to embark on massive works programme that would facilitate the creation of a buoyant construction industry which in turn would employ a large number of Nigerians. A few good steps are already being taken in agriculture. This must be intensified with the encouragement of greater investment in large-scale farm projects and other areas where mass employment can be created.

In tandem with this proposal is the need to overhaul the nation’s vocational training system by vigorously encouraging and empowering vocational education. This would help build a bank of skilled labour for the nation. If properly managed, this would not only make more people employable, it would also correct the wrong notion that acquisition of university education alone is the only way to gainful employment.

Above all, there is need for a conscientious manpower planning system that would incorporate the labour needs assessment of the country and the deployment of appropriate funds into special areas of national interest at any given time. This is the practice in many countries that have had to confront high rate of joblessness.

It is the only way to a lasting solution to the scourge of mass unemployment, instead of groping in the dark.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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Business Business Interview P46 Sub-regional capital markets’ integration imperative for growth

Nigeria’s efforts to reduce poverty rate by 2015 weak, says AfDB

By Chijioke Nelson, with Agency Reports HE African Development Bank (AfDB) has assessed the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce poverty rate by 2015 as weak.

The assessment was contained in the African Economic Outlook, a yearly report of the bank, which was released at the weekend, in Abuja.

But in a swift reaction, the Presidency has faulted the report, describing it as “devoid of truth and political.”

According to the report, “Nigeria’s prospect of halving

T

• It is not true, says Presidency poverty by 2015 seems weak.

The proportion of people living below the national poverty line has worsened from 65.5 per cent in 1996 to 69.0 per cent in 2010.

“Poverty is higher in rural areas at 73.2 per cent than in urban area at 61.8 per cent.”

The document pointed out that inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient, rose from 0.429 in 2004 to 0.447 in 2010.

Gini coefficient is a measurement of statistical dispersion developed by Italian Statistician and Sociologist,

Corrado Gini, which measures the extent of distribution of income or consumption expenditure among individuals or households.

The report noted that the rate of poverty varied significantly between the urban and rural citizens and among the geographical zones, adding that 66 per cent of the rural population lives below poverty line of one dollar per day.

“Malnutrition is widespread.

Rural areas and disadvantaged groups are particularly vulnerable to chronic food shortage

and unbalanced nutrition. 41 per cent of Nigerian children are stunted, nine per cent wasted or thin and 23 per cent underweight,’’ the report said.

It added that as at 2011, unemployment rate was at 24 per cent compared to 21 per cent in 2010, adding that the rate was high among the age bracket of between 15 and 24, and 25 to 44, at 38 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

The report pointed out that an average of 1.8 million people entered the labour market every year over the past five years.

It quoted the statistics from

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote (left); discussing with the Secretary to the State Government of Kogi State, Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, in the state.

SON moves to sanitise mobile phone markets

By Femi Adekoya f the move by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enforce compliance of mobile phone manufacturers and retailers, especially Chinese manufacturers, to safety and quality standards is anything to go by, consumers may soon heave a sigh of relief in making claims for sub-standard products.

Specifically, the move, which borders on making efficient return policies on bad phones, is part of SON’s efforts to check the influx of sub-standard products in the market, while making mobile phone retailers liable for sub-standard products sold to consumers.

To this end, the agency seeks a collaboration with retailers to ensure proper e-registration of products been sold in the markets, while urging the Federal Government to initiate stiffer penalties for violators of trade rules in the country.

I

• Partners stakeholders on products e-registration According to the SON, out of the leading products in the Nigerian mobile phone market, only one is registered with SON and that makes it difficult to make the manufacturers and retailers liable for the sale of sub-standard products.

Speaking at an On-the-spot assessment at the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend, the DirectorGeneral, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, explained that the move had become necessary going by unsavoury reports on illicit activities of retailers in the market.

According to him, anything done to mislead a customer into making a purchase would not be accepted by SON as consumers have been long cheated by unscrupulous retailers in this market.

“We need to stop cheating the consumer. Consumer

rights are not protected in this market.

Compliance to approved trade practices is key to improving wealth creation and consumer protection. We want to collaborate with stakeholders in this market only in an organised way. Every product must be registered with SON. Out of the leading products in the Nigerian mobile phone market, only one is registered with SON. We are not here to stop or close anybody’s business but to protect customers from these malpractices.

“Government cannot interfere in a disorganised market.

There are emphasis on industrialisation and job creation but the structure of the market is not organised to make this achievable. The mandate of SON is to ensure that products perform the functions for which they were designed and

also safe for consumption. A consumer has the right to return products that do not serve them right. This places a heavy responsibility of both manufacturers and retailers of such products. This, SON is seeking compliance from retailers”, he explained.

Odumodu added that the agency had recently seized over four million units of unlabeled batteries being relabeled in a warehouse.

He noted that it would not be business as usual, as the agency would ensure that culprits are held liable for their actions.

President, Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDA), Computer Village, Iyke Nwosu noted that the association had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) two years ago with the SON to develop strategies to address consumer complaints.

the National Bureau of Statistics to have projected that number of entrance to the labour market yearly, would grow from three million in 2012 to about 8.5 million in 2015.

“Unemployment, particularly youth unemployment is an urgent policy priority, several agencies and plans have been established to tackle poverty and unemployment,’’ it said.

It said that this must be enhanced to ensure effective engagement of the youth for economic growth and development.

On social protection, the report said that though it was a priority in Vision 20:2020 plan, it was yet to have a comprehensive policy and budget support.

“Social protection policy has been on the agenda for some time. Several actors are involved in funding and ensuring social welfare, mainly civil society groups with programmes supporting orphans, widows and people living with HIV/AIDs,’’ it added.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and

Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, however, said that the report was ``devoid of truth and political’’.

Abati stressed that it was inconceivable that AfDB’s report came barely a month after the United Nations (UN) gave an award to Nigeria for its efforts at reducing poverty significantly in the country.

He recalled that the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), a UN body, at its 38th Session in Rome in late June, gave an award to Nigeria as one of the nations that made significant progress in reducing hunger.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, represented President Goodluck Jonathan in receiving the award on behalf of the government, he stated.

Adeshina presented the award to the president during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Abati said that such a negative report from the AfDB some weeks after the FAO award was ‘‘suspicious and laced with falsehood and political’’.

tHe GuARdIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

16 BusINess

Director-General, Centre for Democratic Governance in Africa (CDGA), Dr. Dafe Akpocha (left); Awaedee/Chairman, Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company Limited, Kola Balogun; and Honourary Member, CDGA, Esther Ebiere Gbonkumor, at the presentation and conferment of African Gold Service award to Balogun by CDGA, in Ogun State.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Grand Oak boosts production capacity RANd Oak Limited, G Nigeria’s foremost marketer of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages has installed a state-of-the-art automated machines in order to increase its production capacity and efficiency, as part of efforts to meet the growing demands of consumers. the machines which were imported from India have been installed at its sister companies; supreme distilleries Limited and Nigeria distilleries Limited. they are complete automated secondary packaging lines for sachet that will enable the company deliver quality products in good condition. the Communications Manager of Grand Oak, Mrs.

Linda Adevokhai, said the new machine is a complete automatic sachet mono block which guarantees the best quality ever to the ever growing consumers of the company’s brands she said: “Weighing machine heads are micro-processor controlled. the micro-processor makes a combination of heads which add up the desired weight setting. this combination unloads in to bagging machine, and the bag is formed and sealed.

Bagging machine will work at 25 bags per minute.” this, according to her, will also enable consistency in bag and sealing quality, thereby reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Consumers will therefore consistently get best quality products as a result of hygienic process, improvement in productivity as well as elimination of secondary handling of products due to traditional manpower handling.

Furthermore, Grand Oak

recently opened a new depot in Ikorodu in order to improve customer service level in the region. the depot which is situated at 128, Lagos Road, Aruna Bus stop Ikorodu is to ensure that constant products are available in the region for the company’s teeming consumers.

According to Adevokhai, “this lofty idea will ensure that the company is able to reach out to more distribu-

tors and consumers which will also boost the accruable revenue from the region.”

Grand Oak Limited believes in bringing global standard to bear on its range of Alcoholic and non- alcoholic drinks to suit the different lifestyles of the consumers. this has continued to enhance the Grand Oak market leadership in key segments of the Nigerian wine and spirit market.

Oil prices pare six-day losses est texas Intermediate W crude climbed for the first time in six days as industrial production increased in China, the second-biggest oil-consuming country.

WtI crude for september delivery advanced $2.57 to settle at $105.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile exchange. the volume of all futures traded was 7.6 per cent above the 100-day average. Prices dropped 0.9 per

cent this week.

Brent oil for september settlement rose $1.54, or 1.4 per cent, to end the session at $108.22 a barrel on the London-based ICe Futures europe exchange.

Futures advanced 2.5 per cent after data from China’s National Bureau of statistics showed factory output increased 9.7 per cent in July, 0.8 percentage point more than forecast in a Bloomberg survey.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, June 6, 201119

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Published in association with

InvestmentWatch Investing In Mutual Funds (2) UTUALfunds are a veritable investment vehiM cle that accommodates a wide variety of investors no matter your investment style and financial goals because they offer the advantages ofdiversificationandprofessionalmanagement.

Last week on mutual fund investing, we explained extensively what mutual funds are, the advantages of investing in mutual funds and some disadvantages too. In today’s edition on mutual fund investing, we will look at the various types of mutual funds vis-a-vis their investment style and mix in terms of their asset classification and investment objectives as well as some valuable guidelines for mutual fund investing.

Types of Mutual Funds Mutual funds are designed to suit different investors’ risk appetite. No matter your investment preference there is bound to be a mutual fund that fits your risk appetite. It is important to understand that each mutual fund has different risks and rewards. In general, the higher the potential return, the higher the risk of loss.

Although some funds are less risky than others, all funds have some level of risk. It is never possible to diversify away all risk.

There are three varieties of mutual funds at the fundamental level: 1) Money market funds 2) Fixed-income funds (bonds) 3) Equity funds (stocks) Money Market Funds - The money market funds are the safest place to invest your money. Returns on this fund may not be so attractive but you do not have to worry about losing your principal.

The money market consists of short-term debt instruments which include treasury bills, commercial paper, banker’s acceptances, repurchase agreements, government securities, certificates of deposit, and other highly liquid securities.

Bond Funds - When referring to mutual funds, the terms ‘income’ ‘fixed-income’, and ‘bond’ are interchangeable. These terms denote funds that invest primarily in government and corporate debtforthepurposeofprovidingcurrentincome on a steady basis. Bond funds differ from actual bonds in that funds have no stated maturity date and no promise of principal payment on a certain date. The investment objective is almost always high current income and preservation of capital. While fund holdings may appreciate in value, the primary objective of these funds is to provide a steady cash flow to investors. As such, the audience for these funds consists of conservative investors and retirees.

Equity Funds– In this type of Mutual funds, funds are invested almost entirely in ordinary shares of companies. Funds that invest in stocks represent the largest category of mutual funds although their objectives vary considerably.

Generally, the investment objective of this class of funds is long-term capital growth with some income.

All mutual funds are variations of these three

asset classes. The fund manager strives to get a perfect mix of the asset classes that will minimise risk and maximise returns. Every mutual fund has an investment objective, which it describes in its prospectus. The fund’s name often reflects its investment objective; for example, a fund that seeks a balance of growth and income might be called Growth and Income Fund. Most fund objectives are designed to provide a particular type of return. As a result, the fund objective has a major impact on the types of securities that dominate the fund’s portfolio.

Mutual funds come in many different flavors, each offering something different to help meet the investor’s objectives. Below is a list of Mutual funds further sub categorised according to their investment objectives.

Growth funds:Growth funds seek capital appreciationbyselectingcompaniesthatshouldgrow more rapidly than the general economy. The primary objective of these funds is capital appreciation rather than current dividend income.

Growth funds hold shares of more established large growth-type companies and could include some blue chips companies. Normally, these established companies will grow at a moderate pace, and will pay regular dividends to owners of its shares. Mutual fund collects these dividends and passes them to the unit holders of the fund once or more per year. While capital appreciation is the major objective of this type of fund, income derived from dividends is a secondary objective. Investments are typically in long growth stocks, with a lower portfolio turnover than the aggressive growth funds.

Aggressive Growth Funds: This fund has an investmentobjectiveofmaximumcapitalgains, with minimal or no concern for dividends or income. It is also called Capital Appreciation Funds. Aggressive growth funds purchase shares of smaller companies like startup companies, new industries which have a chance to grow at a faster pace than more “mature” companies. The investment policies tend to be more aggressive and riskier that for growth funds.

Aggressive growth funds are usually recommended for the investors who seek long term capital appreciation and will not need access to that money for at least ten years. These funds tend to be some of the most volatile, with share price rises that can be thrilling and drops that can be unfavourable.

Income funds: Funds whose primary goal is to achieve current income as opposed to capital appreciation for its investors are referred to as income funds. The investment objective of income fund is to produce current income rather than long term growth, typically by investing in securities such as bonds of government, municipal and corporate debt obligations, dividend-paying stocks, preference shares, money market instruments and ordinary shares that pay relatively high current returns. The fund will generate an amount of

income proportionate to the related risk posed by the investments securities. Investors, especially those who have retired or are about to retire, may prefer income funds to potentially more volatile growth funds Income Growth Fund: Income growth fund invests in both high growth companies and companies known for paying dividends. It has an investment objective of capital appreciation (growth) and current income generation through dividends or interest payments as a result they have more risk and higher returns than income funds and lower risk and lower returns than growth funds. Growth andincomefundsarepopularamonginvestors with moderate (but not excessive) appetites for risk.

Balanced funds: Unlike most of mutual funds that make investment exclusively in one asset class, balanced funds invest in a mix of ordinary shares and corporate bonds. It invests a portion of its moneys into each of the major asset classes: cash and cash equivalents, government securities, corporate bonds, and companies’ shares. The main objective behind this is that if one asset class were to fall in value, the rise in value of another would compensate, thus giving investors a balanced rate of return. The weighting of each piece of the mix depends on the fund manager’s perceptions of where the markets and economy are going.

Guidelines for Mutual Fund Investing.

Mutual funds are a veritable investment vehicle that accommodates a wide variety of investors no matter your investment style and financial goals because it can offer the advantages of diversification and professional management. You can buy mutual funds by contacting fund or Asset management companies directly. Other funds are sold through brokers, banks, financial planners, or insurance agents.

If you buy through a third party, you may pay a sales charge. Here are some key points that will be helpful in your choice of investment in a mutual fund.

Define your financial goals/objectives: Before choosing a mutual fund, it is essential to understand your investment needs and goals. This helps you select funds with objectives that match your own. But to gain this understanding, you need to create a personal investment policy statement – your “blueprint” for investing in mutual funds. Here are three steps to creating your personal investment blueprint: Identify your investment needs and goals: List the reasons why you are investing. This includes your fundamental financial needs, as well as your personal goals. Do you need safety of principal, income, or growth (through capital gains)? Will you need to access your money in the short term, or can you leave it invested for several years?

Set your investment time horizons: How long do you have to achieve your investment objec-

tives? Generally, you can divide your investment time horizons into three periods: Short-term objectives, such as saving for a vacation or a new car.

Medium-term objectives, such as saving for a house or a child’s education.

Long-term objectives, such as saving for retirement.

As a rule, the longer you have to achieve your objectives, the higher the proportion of equity funds you should have in your portfolio. Conversely, when you have less time to achieve your objectives, you should commit less of your portfolio to equity funds and more to bond and cash-equivalent funds, which have lower risk.

What isthe Objective of the Mutual Fund:You must look beyond the name of the fund and check out the objective or purpose for the creation of the fund to see if it suits your own investment goals and financial objectives. Is the fund an all-out ‘growth fund’ irrespective of risk, total caution, or something between the two? All of this must be clearly defined before an investment decision is made. It is still absolutely vital that you take the time to read a fund’s prospectus, which is the document which contains key important information about the fund.

Who is the Fund Manager: Look at the reputation of the company managing the fund.

The Fund’s Net Asset Value (NAV): This represents the value of a mutual fund. It is the number that is publicly quoted (newspapers, web sites). It is derived by deducting the fund’s liabilities from its assets. The NAV fluctuates everyday as fund holdings and units outstanding change. NAV per unit is the value of one unit in the mutual fund.

Past Performance of the Fund: Past performance of a mutual fund can help you access a fund’s volatility over time. While past performance does not necessarily predict future returns, it can tell you how volatile (or stable) a fund has been over a period of time. Generally, the more volatile a fund, the higher the investment risk. If you will need your money to meet a financial goal in the near-term, you probably cannot afford the risk of investing in a fund with a volatile history because you will not have enough time to ride out any declines in the stock market.

Risk Tolerance: Determine your comfort level for risk: While your investment time horizons largely determine the best types of funds for your portfolio, your tolerance for risk is also an important factor. If you find it difficult to handle price fluctuations, consider investing a greater percentage of your portfolio in more conservative funds, such as income or balanced funds.

Fees and other charges: All mutual funds have cost that lower your investment returns. As with any business, running a mutual fund involves costs including: fund management fees, transaction costs,marketinganddistributionexpenses.Funds pass along these costs to investors by charging fees and expenses. It is important that you understand these charges because they lower your returns.

Your decision to call a professional investment adviser may just be what you need to give you a broad and comprehensive feedback on how to invest in Mutual Funds to help you achieve your investment goals and financial objectives. Please join us next week Monday to learn more on how you can successfully navigate the investment waters.

Kindly let us know if you have found this article useful. Please contact us at: enquiries@investment-one.com

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Insurance Underwriters adopt measures to encourage Nigerians buy insurance protection

By Joshua Nse ETERMINED to remove the D negative perception of the public about insurance business in Nigeria, underwriting firms have adopted a number of strategic innovations to encourage more Nigerians to buy insurance protection.

Specifically, with strong financial capacity, underwriting companies have embarked on the restructure of the entire system processes to enable them provide improved product quality services particular-

ly in prompt claims settlement.

For instance, the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) – the market umbrella association for the underwriting companies – in the 2011 Nigeria Insurance Digest, said the Nigerian insurance industry continued its transformation processes in 2011 through various reforms and initiatives in its operations, regulation, documentation and service delivery.

The Director General of the association, Sunder Thomas,

said: “Of concern to the industry is the high incidence of fake insurance documents, such as motor vehicle and marine certificates and policies which are sold by unlicensed companies.

Earlier research estimated that not more than 15 to 20 per cent of all motor vehicles on Nigerian roads carry genuine insurance policies.

According to him, “against this backdrop, the NIA in its effort to sanitise and rid the nation of the market for fake insurance documents, initiated the Nigerian Insurance

Industry Database (NIID) in 2010 as a repository of all insurances underwritten by NIA member companies. This was enhanced in 2011 starting with the motor vehicle insurance database, which will serve as a platform for verification of valid motor insurance certificates and policies. The initiative we believe will increase public confidence in the insurance industry and the services rendered.”

Insurance mangers agree that underwriting companies now need to adopt appropri-

ate technology to ease operations. The business now requires greater customer focus, hence the drive for efficiency, speed and customer satisfaction to encourage more Nigerians to embrace insurance for the protection of lives and property.

The managing director/CEO, Riskguard-Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Yemi Soladoye, said insurance gap of 94 per cent in Nigeria means that in a population of 160 million people, the demand created for insurance by this high population, the insurance industry is only able to meet (supply) six per cent of these needs.

According to him, “we have 160 million Nigerians that have been neglected by the insurance industry for close to 100 years. We have the small and medium scale enterprises that are yearning for protection.”

Insurance, he said, is a business that guarantees development for other sectors of the economy, mortgage cannot develop properly without insurance, it provides protection and funds for long term

investments. It is through insurance that we get funds for project of national development.

The Riskguard boss said, “the Nigerian insurance industry is now set for the expected growth that we have been talking about all these years. The operators equally have to see and understand that there is the need for a new way of doing business. Hitherto, their business focus concentrated on wholesale markets – what can we get from the brokers, what can we get from government accounts, they had the capital, but the business orientation, or focus was solely on the wholesale market, and it became difficult for them to extricate themselves without having a prepared alternative.

He said, however, the market is on the move, and I know of four or five insurance companies who are coming out big in the retail market area. We should realize in this industry that India and China are what it is today because of the effective development of the retail market in these countries.

Africa Re expands to Brazil, confirms A.M. Best rating FRICA Re has been granted A a license to operate as an Occasional Reinsurer in Brazil.

AGM/Head, IT & Strategy, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Lekan Oguntunde, (Left), MD/CEO, Wale Onaolapo, Managing Director of Quick Project, Victor Dike and GM/Head, Finance & Administration, Kayode Adigu at the companyy’s half-yearly budget review held in Lagos recently

Niger Insurance unveils education plan policy of the fact expected to arrange this insur- be responsible for the manIestNthatappreciation education is the great- ance policy on behalf of their agement of the policy, he asset parents could students, Adedeji informed bequeath to their children, Niger Insurance Plc has designed a product called Niger Group Education Policy, specifically to guarantee the continuous education of children in the same school of choice, should their parents die or become permanently incapacitated.

Disclosing this with journalists in Lagos recently, the company’s Managing Director, Kola Adedeji, stated that as part of Niger Insurance’s Corporate Social Responsibility, the insurance firm came up with the insurance policy to ensure that the desire of parents to give qualitative education to their children does not end up a mere dream.

Bearing in mind that qualitative education is expensive and can only be possible when the sponsoring parents are alive and physically able; he added that Niger had to devise a means to facilitate this.

While either the school authority or the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) is

that all the parties concerned including the school authority, parents or guardians of the students and the students themselves will benefit under the insurance policy.

The school authority who will

noted, are availed the opportunity to use the insurance policy as advertisement to their school as parents will be wiling to patronise a school that offers opportunity for continuation of the children’s education in the event of the

worse happening.

For the parents whose life the assurance depends, he said while they are responsible for payment of premium, the policy guarantees them the peace of mind that their children’s education will not be abruptly terminated should the unexpected happens.

Consolidated Hallmark Insurance records N4.14b premium ONSOLIDATED Hallmark C Insurance Plc has announced a gross premium written income of N4.142 billion for the year ended 3` December, 2012, in comparison with the N4.099 billion recorded during the 2011 financial year.

Profit before tax grew b y 278 per cent to N560.466 million as against the N148.231 million in the previous year.

Also, a profit after tax of N395.207 million was recorded. This represents a significant growth of 158 per cent growth from the 2011 figure of N153.389 million.

The total assets of the compa-

ny in 2012 rose to N6.678 billion as against N6.078 billion in 2011. The shareholders’ fund was equally enhanced by seven percent to n4.187 billion in 2012 from N3.911 billion in 2011.

The chairman of the company, Ugo Obi Ralph Ekezie, addressing shareholders at the 18th yearly general meeting held in Lagos said the performances was the resilience of your company, in spite of the enormous challenges posted by the business climate as enunciated, is reflected in its ability to once again maintain its unbroken record in profitability.

According to him, your company as able to achieve signifi-

cant growth in key performance metrics, “adding the company was committed to our vision of evolving into a leading provider of insurance and other financial services of international standard. Towards this end, we shall continually ensure compliance with the best practices in corporate governance issues.”

He explained, “the company are aware of recent capitalization efforts, mergers and acquisitions trends in the insurance industry and are monitoring these development s with a view to ensuring that your company is not caught off guard.”

This important step will allow Africa Re to expand its operations for the first time in Latin America, adding to Africa and Asia. A Framework for Cooperation in Reinsurance Business has been signed between Africa Re and IRBBrasil Re, the leading reinsurance company in Brazil.

Africa Re will start to write some businesses from the Brazilian market and benefit from exchange of competence through cross-attachment of technical staff, increase of shares in retrocession program and extended underwriting capacity. Later, Africa Re shall register as an Admitted Reinsurer.

In another positive development, A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s have affirmed the Financial Strength Rating and the Issuer Credit Rating/Anchor of the African Reinsurance Corporation. It retained its impressive A- in both Financial Strength Rating and Issuer Credit Rating/ Anchor The A.M. Best ratings of Africa Re reflect its strong riskadjusted capitalization and operating performance, as well as its established market position across the African reinsurance market. Although Africa Re is exposed to the unstable political and economic environment in some regions of Africa, these risks are largely mitigated by its geographic diversity, asset-liability matching strategy and the ease with which the corpo-

ration can shift its operations between its regional offices.

The Standard & Poor’s ratings after Insurance Criteria change - reflect their view of Africa Re’s satisfactory business risk profile and strong financial risk profile, built on a strong competitive position in Africa’s reinsurance market, as well as its very strong capital and earnings. S&P derives their ‘a-’ anchor for Africa Re from the combination of these two factors and view potential modifying factors - adequate enterprise risk management (ERM), satisfactory management and governance, and exceptional liquidity - as neutral for the ratings. The S&P ratings on Africa Re reflect the company’s standalone credit strengths and do not include any uplift for support from the Nigerian sovereign. At the same time, the ratings are not constrained by the sovereign rating due to Africa Re’s significant asset and premium diversification.

In an exclusive interview, Mr. Corneille Karekezi, the Group Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of the leading African reinsurer, Africa Re, discussed the latest achievements after the successful yearly General Assembly of the company in Dakar, Senegal.

In the last financial year 2012, Africa Re reported a 35 per cent increase in pre-tax earnings to $93 million. Results were supported by a rebound in the equity markets, resulting in higher investment returns (including fair value gains) of 5.7 per cent (2011: 3.7 per cent), and a stable combined ratio of 91 per cent.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

21

Stockwatch In association with Lead Capital

Stock Market Report for the week Friday, 2nd August to Tuesday 6th August, 2013 ajor equity markets around the M globe moved upwards as their various indexes gained marginal points. In our universe of sample equity markets; the S & P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones gained points by 0.69%, 1.09% and 0.12% respectively at the end of last week. In Europe, The German Dax index and France CAC 40 gained points by 0.29% and 1.00% respectively, while the FTSE 100 lost points by 0.25%.

In the Asia/Pacific region, Hangseng and BSE Sensex lost points by 0.75% and 3.02% respectively, while the Nikkei 225 gained points by 2.82%. In Brazil, the Bovespa lost point by 1.68% while Russia’s RTS INDEX lost points by 0.64%.

On the local setting, NSE ASI closed at 38,227.63 recording 0.17% depreciation at the end of the week’s trading.

In the week, the total volume depreciated by 50.91% and value traded depreciated by 34.09%. A turnover of 1.08 billion units of shares valued at N10.17 billion was recorded, in contrast to a turnover of 2.20 billion units of shares worth N15.43 billion that was recorded in the previous week.

Volume this week was driven by activities in the shares of UBA, STERLNBANK, TRANSCORP, FIDELITYBANK, ZENITHBANK, ACCESS, FBNH, UNITYBANK, GUARANTY and SKYEBANK.

ANNOUNCEMENT URING the period under review, twenty five (25) stocks recorded price appreciation comD pared to fifty one (51) that depreciated in the previous week, COURTVILLE was first on the top gainers chart to close with 13.51%, followed by UBA with 10.49%, NNFM with 10.00%, PORTPAINT with 9.96%, CUTIX with 9.95% and PRESTIGE with 8.00%. Other gainers in the top ten categories were NPFMCRFBK with 7.32%, GLAXOSMITH with 5.83%, ZENITHBANK with 4.46% and TRANSCORP with 2.86%.

On the flip side, forty nine (49) stocks depreciated in price last week compared to thirty (30) that depreciated a week ago. VONO led on the price losers’ table with 26.21%, followed by TRANSEXPR by 25.00%, WAPIC by 17.78%, LIVESTOCK by 14.64%, STANBIC by 14.09%, JBERGER by 13.97%, IPWA by 13.22%, UNITYBANK by 10.34%, NEIMETH by 10.00% and JOHNHOLT by 9.63%.

22 STOCKWATCH

COMPANY’S RESULT

Weekly Lead Equity Ratings (CONTINUED ON PAGE 51)

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

Homes & Property Engineers blame homeowners for collapsed structures

FG, Niger plan 2,000 houses for new Minna Airport City

Julius Berger begins repair work on National Assembly

Page 25

Page 27

Page 24

Supreme Court backs Kwara’s Alagbe family in land ownership tussle Litigation

By Emmanuel Badejo NABLE to come to terms U with its arguments and evidence, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed an ownership claim by the Abosede family, which fought through the courts to reclaim the hitherto disputed landed property measuring 10.804 hectares located in Kwara State of Nigeria.

Abosede family, the appellant, represented by one Jimoh Daudu, lost the battle as the apex’s court concluded that the it failed to advance superior argument over the land, that could have moved it to order the respondent, the Alagbe family to vacate the erstwhile controversial land.

Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, in her lead judgment, said in spite a certificate of customary tight of occupancy, Abosede family failed to discharge the burden of proving that the family had exclusive possession and, or absolute ownership of the land in dispute.

“It has been held earlier in the course of this judgment that the appellant was unable to prove by evidence the existence of any official boundary erected physically or recognized traditionally by the two families and hence the finding by the lower court that the area in dispute was “apparently a no man’s land between the two portions of land held exclusively by each family.

With all humility and respect, such finding cannot be faulted

For its inability to advance evidence and superior argument against Mr. Memudu Iliasu, who represented himself and the Alagbe family of Kwara State, the Abosede family, represented by one Jimoh Daudu of the same state has lost the battle to reclaim a vast landed property measuring 10.804 hectares of land and I so hold.”

The plaintiff’s claim at the trial High Court of Kwara State was for a declaration of title on a piece of land situated at Budo Isale Olooru village. A declaration that the plaintiff as the head of Abosede family has the customary right to sue for and on behalf of other members of the family, that the land situate at Budo Isale in Olooru village measuring 10.804 hectares belong to the Abosede family and an order directing the defendant to pay the compensation of N200,000.00 to the plaintiff for the damages caused to the plaintiff’s land.

They are also seeking an order directing the defendant, agents, servants and privies to vacate the land situate at Budo Isale Oloom village, perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, agents, servants and privies acting or purporting to act in any manner as the customary owner of the land situate at Budo Isale Olooru village measuring 10.804 hectares.”

In response to the plaintiff’s claims, the defendant also filed their defence and counter claimed wherein they stated that: “they are the traditional owners of the land at Ehinkule/Budo Isale the sub-

ject matter of this litigation.

They also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the plaintiff’s family, agents, or privies from committing further act of trespass in the land in dispute.

The defendants also asked for an order nullifying the customary right of occupancy purportedly issued by the Moro Local Government in favour of the plaintiffs over the land in dispute.

The brief facts of the plaintiff’s case are that he is of a direct lineage to one Mallam Abosede, who founded Abosede in Olooru and who was the customary owner of a land measuring 10.804 hectares situate at Abosede area, Olooru village.

He claimed that it was his forefather who was the first settler and that the Olooru village met his father already on the land.

According to him, Abosede was not within Olooru, but near Olooru. He added that the families known as Olooru are Tambaya, Ile-Alagbe, Ile-Ojude and Ile Oju-Oja and that the defendants in this case were Tambaya and Ile alagbe families. He added that Abdullahi was a muslim, while the fore-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

Entries open for World Habitat Awards Awards NTRIES are now accepted for World Habitat Awards offered annually to projects that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems. The mission of this program is to tackle a wide range of housing issues. Winners will have the opportunity to win prize of up to £10,000.

The World Habitat Awards are presented each year at the global celebration of World Habitat Day. This is organised each year on the first Monday of October by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), providing a unique opportunity to focus attention on the importance of shelter in people’s lives.

Trophies will also be presented to the winning projects, and travel and accommoda-

E

tion costs will be met for one representative of each winning project to attend the awards ceremony.

Entries are opened to any individual, organisation or government who has an innovative and practical solution to housing needs and problems from any country of the world.

More than one entry can be made by the same individual or organisation.

Entries should relate to housing projects and processes that are either completed or in progress. Those that are at design stage only or in the very early stages of development cannot be considered.

Promoted by Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF), the Awards are presented to two winners. In addition to receiving a trophy, cash prize and international recognition, peer exchange activities will be organised to the

winning projects, to encourage the transfer of knowledge and experience.

With the sponsorship of BSHF, bursaries are made available, enabling participants from a wide range of countries to attend. Since 1985, BSHF has carried out the World Habitat Awards to identify examples of innovative and sustainable housing solutions, and promote the transfer of good practice around the world.

Previous entrants can re-submit in subsequent years providing that the project has been further developed in the intervening time period.

Deadline is November 1, 2013.

Last year, World Habitat Award winners are Green Mortgage, Mexico and SouthSouth Cooperation: international transfer of the FUCVAM cooperative housing

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

The Shanghai Tower, right, is seen among other skyscrapers prior to the topping off ceremony in Shanghai, China, The Shanghai Tower is set to become the tallest building in China, which is planned to be complete in 2014.

PHOTO: AP

Shanghai Tower, world’s second tallest building nears completion Projects HE Shanghai Tower, which is T under construction in the city’s Pudong district, has reached 501.3 meters with the completion of its 108th floor, the building’s contractor said on April 11.

Poised to become China’s tallest skyscraper, the tower will be 632 meters in height when completed in December 2014, and will be the world’s second-tallest building after the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai.

President of Shanghai Construction Group Company Limited, Hang Yingwei, said the tower will break many world records. “This is the first time a tower weighing 850,000 tons is built on a soft soil foundation,” he said in the news conference. “A total of 270 wind-driven generators will be installed on the 570m-high 124th floor, which will be the world’s highest wind genera-

tors.”

Hang said the company had to overcome many technical difficulties during the construction and that the biggest challenge will be pumping concrete to the aerial construction zone as the height increases.

General engineer of the tower, Ge Qing, said that there will be an outdoor sightseeing space on the 121st floor.”We’ll also have 21 hanging gardens to help alleviate the psychological discomfort that visitors may feel in the super tall building,” Ge said.

Meanwhile, a topping-out ceremony was held recently for China’s tallest building in the financial hub of Shanghai when the final beam was hoisted to the top of the skyscraper and installed in a flag-waving ritual.

At 632 meters (2,073 feet), the Shanghai Tower in the city’s Pudong district is the world’s second-tallest building, sur-

passed only by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which soars 829.8 meters (2,722 feet) .

After the ceremony, workers will move onto the building’s interior construction. Once it is completed next year, the Shanghai Tower will have retail and office space, a luxury hotel and likely a museum.

“I’m very proud,” Wu Weiming, who helped installed the last beam, told reporters.

Designed by US architectural firm Gensler, the glass-andsteel, 121-storey building takes on a transparent and spiral form.

China’s booming economy has fuelled a building frenzy, including some of the world’s tallest buildings. The Shanghai Tower replaces the Shanghai World Financial Center — completed in 2008 — as the country’s highest building.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

24 HOMES&PROPERTY

Engineers blame homeowners for collapsed structures Professional Practice

By Tosin Fodeke HAT is the place of owners of buildings that fail? This is one of the posers raised by the Chairman, Lagos Island Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs. Yetunde Holloway.

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Members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers have said the inability of clients to pay for the services of professional builders result in sharp practices by quacks, which often lead to building collapse According to her, findings have shown that many of them, known as clients, in bid to cut corners often resort to engaging quacks to execute their construction

projects, adding that where that is established in any collapsed building, the owners should not be spared.

She made the remark last week in Lagos, at the

branch’s annual public lecture and inducting ceremony.

Holloway singled out owners of buildings as the major cause of collapsed struc-

UK plans further relaxation of planning rules Urban Planning he government in the T United Kingdom is proposing to remove some planning restrictions on the conversion of buildings on brownfield sites.

According to a consultation paper from UK’s Planning minister Nick Boles proposes making it easier to bring empty and underused buildings back into use.

The core aim is to help revitalises high streets but it would also allow farm owners to convert barns into homes without planning permission.

The proposed extension of permitted development rights would allow conversions from: retail to residential: letting shops become homes retail to banks and building societies, agricultural to residential: barn conversions,

commercial to nurseries: allowing offices and hotels to convert to facilities, agricultural to new schools and nurseries: but only if the school or nursery is state funded.

Boles said: “Thousands of empty and underused buildings, often on the edge of town centres, are going to waste because people do not want the hassle and uncertainty of submitting a planning application.

“Removing this barrier will bring more people closer to their town centres, providing a much needed boost to local shops and ensuring we make the most of buildings that are already there for new homes, nurseries and schools this country needs.

“Extending these permitted development rights on brownfield land will benefit all communities – whether in towns or the countryside.”

SON sets up task force on substandard building materials Materials Watch

By Tosin Fodeke EEPING to its promise in tackling building collapse, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has set up a task force to sanitise the building industry.

Director General of the agency, Dr. Joseph Odumodu in a letter to the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), explained that the decision follows an earlier promise by SON to partner BCPG to check influx of substandard building materials into the country.

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In the letter to BCPG President Mr. Kunle Awobodu, SON said its Director General has approved members of Building Collapse Task Force to work with BCPG on the collaboration activities.

SON’s letter to BCPG’ read, ”The Director-General/Chief Executive approved the taskforce to work with your team on the collaboration activities as he promised during the meeting held with him on at SON operational headquarters in Lagos.”

The letter was signed by the Head of Department, Metrology Directorate, Mr.

O.F. Manafa, on behalf of SON’s Director General.

Members of the SON’s Building Collapse Task Force include OlagoroyeOke, a civil engineer; Chaiya Minyel, an architect; Abdulrasak Oyewopo, mechanical engineer; Francis Onyeji, chemical technologist; Maureen Okeke, lawyer; and Onipede Adeoye, civil/building engineer.

President of BCPG, Awobodu in a statement noted that said some of the factors responsible for building collapse include use of substandard building materials, faulty foundation, wrong construc-

tion methodology, shoddy jobs, poor procurement system, faulty design, poor concrete mix, engagement of quacks by building owners, government’s lack of capacity to monitor and supervise building and construction sites,, and lack of building approval among others BCPG is made up of volunteers, who are professionals and artisans in the built environment, who came together for the common purpose of putting an end to the embarrassing incidents of building collapse in Nigeria., especially Lagos.

tures in the country, stressing that they are most important people in a building project.

“The owner must take responsibility for who is appointed to supervise projects and the consequences of those choices.

“They should demand for certification and other details before commissioning renovations and constructions works. Such details must be available and be a key to apprehending the quacks that parade themselves as engineers or building professionals. To the best of my knowledge, there is no sign of the engineer who supervised the Ishaga building, the latest of the collapses experienced.

“Whether for reprimand, education, punishment, prosecution or even for the simple truth to come out, he/she seems to have disappeared. How do we then learn from our mistakes and improve? This is my humble opinion” Holloway stated.

She further called on professionals to break out of the paradigm prison and stand firmly as a nation builder just as they need to objectively contribute to build the society.

Holloway also revealed that the branch is putting up a secretariat named after the first chairman of the branch Philips Oyebolu, which is expected to house a state of the art resource center, including an e-library, seminary rooms, a biomedical engineering research laboratory and a 500-seater gallery.

She added that the build-

NSE president, Mustapha Shehu ing to be located within the university of Lagos will be named Oyebolu Engineering Resource Centre (OYERC) and will coordinate all engineering activities in Lagos.

Also guest speaker at the event, Dean Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Prof Omotayo Fakinlede, while addressing the gathering on the topic, Power Generation problems in Nigeria, called on engineers to generate data on the cost of generating various forms of electricity ranging from solar to wind, nuclear and hydro.

He also emphasised that Nigeria is, paradoxically sitting on some of the most energy endowed parts of the world as it is begging its leaders, sons and daughters to please have mercy on future generations and quit this speed approach to the problem of electricity development in particular and energy utilization in general.

“We need to do this, not just to, have bragging rights among the nations, but to be able to give hope to future generation”

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Prime Estates FG, Niger plan 2,000 homes at new Minna Airport City Housing From John Ogiji, Minna

ETERMINED to bridge D the housing deficit, and make dreams of prospective homeowners to own houses a reality, the Federal Government and Niger State Government have mooted an ambitious housing scheme that will deliver 2,000 units in Minna, the state capital before the end of this year.

Under the scheme, both parties will deliver 1000 houses each, worth over N6billion. The private developer handling the Niger state part of the project is investing N4 billion while the infrastructure to be provided by the Niger state government will gulp N2 billion.

The state government is also set to hand over keys of another set of houses to civil servants and other members of the public with the completion of no fewer than 1000 units of two and three bedroom bungalows across the state.

The houses are 254 units of two and three bedrooms bungalows at the Aliyu Makama housing estate in Bida and built at the cost of N900million, the 750 units of the same two and three bedroom bungalows built at the cost of N1.2billion and the 500 Talba Housing units in Minna built at the cost of N1.6billion.

The government had earlier commissioned and allocated 500 units of two and three bed-

room bungalows at the M.I Wushishi Housing estate in Minna the state capital. This project cost N1.8billion.

The continued rise in the prices of building materials in the country further compounded the plight of Nigerians, worst hit are the civil servants and the masses as this has deprived many of them the chances of building their own houses.

In Niger state for example, before the coming of the present administration, house was a booming business for Shylock land lords especially in Minna, the state capital and other major towns like Bida, Kontagora and Suleja who have hitherto being exploiting anxious Tenants in the face of accommodation difficulties in these cities.

For example, the cost of hiring a two bedroom flat in a predominantly civil service town like Minna before now goes for between N200, 000 to N250, 000 and one bedroom flat, popularly refered to as self contain now cost between N80, 000 to N100, 000 depending on the location and the standard of the house.

All these are now things of the past following the completion of some of the housing projects being embarked up by the present administration in the state. Already the government has completed about 500 units of housing in Minna, the state capital and have already been allocated to civil servant

Completed 500 housing units at the Talba housing Estate in Minna at a subsidized rate while room bungalows in Kontagora another set of over 700 units and when completed will be situated in Bida and Kontagora sold to civil servants at a subsi. will soon be allocated to civil dized rate Only last week, the Niger state servants and other members government commenced the of the public .

These included 250 units of allocation of the 500 units of three and two bedroom bun- both three and two bedroom galows in Bida which has types at the Talban Housing reached over 80 per cent com- Estate to both civil servants pletion and another 500 units and other members of the pubof the same three and two bed- lic.

Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu disclosed during the foundation laying ceremonies of these houses that the government’s decision to embark on aggressive housing projects was not only because the government owe the people a duty to ensure they are able to live decent and comfortable lives in houses that they own but to realise its aspiration of

becoming one of the three top states in Nigeria by the year 2020.

He pointed out that the target of his administration towards housing delivery is to deliver 5,000 housing units to the people of the state before end of his administration but however expressed optimism that given the enthusiasm and CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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Ogun unfolds Abeokuta city centre project Urban Development ARRING any further hitchB es, a fresh plan is being made by Ogun State government to launch an urban renewal scheme in Abeokuta, which will transform substantial part of the city centre into a mixed development.

The plan is coming as a collaborative between the government and Malaysian consulting firm, Urbanism. Part of the deal is to design worldclass master plan for the proposed area within ancient city, which would be situated along prison way, Ibara, Abeokuta, and down to the old government secretariat.

The first phase of the project will include, Shopping Mall, Recreation Centre, Signature Tower, offices, hotels and a Convention Centre. The retail centre for instance, would create space for small retail outlets as well as cater for big shopping malls.

The State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Daniel Adejobi who disclosed this during an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta, said the City Centre would be a source of affection that would attract local and foreign investors.

Mr. Adejobi further pointed out that different business units such as shopping mail, hotels and relaxation centre would be situated under separated buildings.

He said: “The plan would be

of 60-storey building and the project would be handled by professionals in such a way that the outcome would attract indigenes abroad to come home, as this would increase the standard of living of the people”.

Recently, the Lead Urban Designer/ Project Director for Urbanisma, Muhammed Hafiz reportedly said that the Abeokuta City Centre will be a major landmark that will not only be a source of inspiration and pride to the people of Ogun State but also create ample opportunities for local and foreign investors.

According to him, “a project of such magnitude will greatly spur the economy of the state in rural and urban areas as it will meet the interests of investors in diverse sectors of the economy.

“The Convention Centre, which is a major aspect of the project would attract world-wide patronage because of the international programmes that would be organised there. We have looked at the whole programme as a socio-economic generator that will have a place for various sectors of businesses, and we are guided by the five cardinal programme of the government of Ogun State which will give room for all the sectors to be fully integrated’’, he said.

The National Assembly complex under renovation, recently

Julius Berger begins repair work on National Assembly Projects From: Adamu Abuh and Terhemba Daka, Abuja N a move to modernize the Nigerian parliament, Julius Berger Nigerian PLC, has begun the renovation on the National Assembly as well as the entire electronic platforms installed in the two chambers.

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on House

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Services, Yakubu Dogara who gave the indication in Abuja disclosed that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration was already facilitating the financial implication for the renovation which will run into billions of naira.

“We are talking about the entire National Assembly phase 3, and it involves the modernization of the two chambers and an additional block that will be built with multipurpose halls,

restaurants and recreation facilities among others,” he said.

He disclosed that a new electronic voting system would be installed when the renovation work is completed in the first quarter of next year.

“The FCT administration has given Julius Berger the contract to modernize both the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.

Frantic work on the project will commence during this

recess. And by the time Julius Berger is done with the chambers we are going to have an entirely new eplatform that is up-to-date and that is in tandem with current technology”, he said.

Dogara hinted that the contract was given since last year, but the firm did not start work because the lawmakers felt the process will disrupt parliamentary sessions.

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QMB Builders Mart clinches Fotile’s home appliances franchise Building Materials AGOS-based building mateLBuilders rials merchant, QMB Mart has won the sole franchise to market and distribute all the range of kitchen products manufactured

by Fotile Kitchen Ware Company Limited, one most successful high-end kitchen appliance brand.

According to officials of Fotile, the company focuses on the production of high-end built-in kitchen appliances,

and “dedicates to provide leading design, humanised kitchen technology and reliable quality high-end built-in kitchen appliances to those who pursue a high taste life.”

The company controls 30 per cent of the Asian market, distributes in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, USA, Brazil, a growing list of countries that Nigeria’s QMB Mart has become part of. It alsomadvocates healthy and green lifestyle, and lets millions of families enjoy more in their

homes.

In a statement, officials of QMB Builders’ Mart disclosed that Fotile had an agent in Nigeria but the company disengaged after a while and the new partnership was struck by both companies after the Chief Executive Officer of QMB Builders’ Mart, Mrs. Toro Biobaku visited Fotile, following recommendations by the former supplier, a Nigerian company.

Biobaku said, “At the point of disengagement, the former

FG, Niger unveil N6b housing scheme CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 expression of interest by Nigerian and international investors to do business in the state, the target of 5,000 may be surpassed.

Governor went ahead to give the assurance that civil servants will form 80 per cent of the beneficiaries in view of the poor economic situation of the majority of them and in addition government will further assist them by facilitating their assess to mortgage facilities through the National housing fund (NHF) and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).

He however, appealed to the civil servants to take advantage of this opportunity to own their houses and live a fulfilled life after retirement.

In fact an overwhelmed retired civil servant, Alhaji Abubakar Dauda described the achievements of the government as unparalleled in the history of the State while Makun Mohammed a businessman said so far Governor Aliyu has proved that he is the servant of the people.

Speaking during the commissioning of the M.I Wushishi housing estate, the Governor said the private partners that handled the job spent over N1.8billion on the project, pointing out, that 250 of the 500 units had already been allocated to civil servants with two bedroom flats going for N1.9m while the 3 bedroom bungalows cost N3.9million.

Anambra flags off N9b road project Projects From Uzoma Nzeagwu - Awka NAMBRA State government has embarked on construction of N9billon worth of road projects across four communities.

The project, which was flagged off by Governor Peter Obi last week, had four communities as beneficiaries , namely, Amansea, Ndiukwuenu, Awa and Ufumaas.

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Obi said that the 28 kilometres road is one of the roads that gave him the greatest joy, because it was a virgin road going through some of the communities that had not witnessed tarred road since creation.

According to him, the project with a spur to Amaetiti, Okpeze and Awgbu communities will be completed within the period of 24 months.

The governor who wants the project to completed during his tenure, noted that money for the completion of the project is already set aside.

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Aside the N1.8billion the private sector invested, Aliyu said that government expended N50million to provide 20- bed hospital in the estate as well constructed a block of three classrooms at the cost of N6million, adding that the private sector should intervene in the construction of private schools and shopping malls.

The Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Dr. Peter Sarki told newsmen in Minna recently, shortly after inspecting the housing projects that all the housing units are to be constructed at the new Minna Airport City saying that 150 of the units in different categories have been delivered and ready for occupation.

According to Dr. Sarki, the houses will be sold to civil servants and other members of the public at N6.5 million for the 3 bedroom detached bungalow, N4 million for the two bedroom bungalow and N7.5 million for the 4 bedroom bungalow.

He explained that government had acquired 1000 hectares of land for the Federal Ministry of Housing project pointing that compensation had been paid to the land owners.

Dr. Sarki gave the assurance that the 2000 housing units will be completed by December this year explaining that the plan is to develop a new Minna city and that all necessary infrastructure for the city are already in place.

The Ministry, he said was working on the papers of other people that put in for the houses, a process that will lead to handing over of keys of the houses to the beneficiaries.

The federal government has also commenced the construction of another 1000 housing units of one, two and three bedroom bungalows at the Zariawa Housing Estate in Suleja under its Public Private Partnership arrangement. 102 of the samples are already nearing completion.

supplier assessed all its distributors in terms of organisation, credibility, sales record and future plans to get the company that can best represent them nationwide. After looking at everything, vis a vis the ipotential of the product, who has the right value, then they approached us to take over from him and they recommended us to the Fotile factory and the factory now signed exclusive franchise with us this year.”

Some kitchen appliances manufactured by Fotile include, hardware like kitchen-hood for extraction of oil and smoke; burners, microwave, oven, sterilisers, hotplates, among others. “These appliances are suitable for our style of cooking with oil and fries.

They are better than the EuroAmerican appliances that are not suited for our way of cooking.

The hood, for instance has two types. There is one that is selfrecycling and does not require drilling of the wall to install. It has a special auto filter that separates oil from smoke and processes the air/odour and releases clean air. After about three to four months, you can take out the filter, wash and return it to the hood. They come in different sizes. They are suitable for residential buildings. The second type of hood is the traditional type that requires the drilling of a hole in the wall.

QMB, she said has introduced lower prices for these products and is making good sales, which is the reason the company is looking for credible distributors nationwide.

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Abosede family loses 10.8-hectare land tussle CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 father of the plaintiff was a traditionalist who worshipped Orisa-nla and that because of the difference in religions, Abdullahi gave Abosede the present place where his descendant (plaintiff’s family) now live called Budo Isale.

It was in the evidence of the defendant that Budo-Isale Abosede and Ehinkule are one and the same place.

While the plaintiff alleged that the defendant trespassed on their land measuring 10.804 hectares, the defendants on their part claimed that a parcel of land given to one Baba Olodo by the Abosede family falls within their land at Ehinkule Ile-Alagbe and deny liability.

In summary, the defence’ case was that when the forefather of the plaintiff came, he met their forefather called Abdullahi who founded Olooru, with his four children. That the plaintiff’s forefather was a guest of

Abdullahi.

The trial Judge in his judgment held: “Failure to identify the distinct area covered by this 10.804 hectares is vital to the case of the plaintiff and an injunction cannot be granted on an indefinite portion of land, the area must be distinct.

For this reason the claims of the plaintiff … must fail and it is hereby dismissed.” The Judge also dismissed the counter claim.

Against the decision, the appellant filed his notice of appeal and sought for the following reliefs from the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, wherein he sought “an order setting aside the judgment of the trial court…”

On 30th March 2006, the lower court, while not all agreeing on reasons, however reached a common conclusion that the appeal was devoid of any merit and dismissed the appeal thereof. It is against the dismissal by the Court of Appeal that the appellant has

World’s second tallest tower nears completion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 The Shanghai Tower is the last piece in a group of super-tall skyscrapers in Shanghai’s Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, which includes the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower, both among the tallest in the w o r l d .

And in the south-central city of

Changsha, developers are in the midst of building Sky City, an 838-meter (2,749-foot) structure that would overtake Burj Khalifa.

This summer, China also unveiled the world’s largest building in terms of floor space in the western city of Chengdu.

The New Century Global Center edged out the previous recordholder, the Dubai airport.

World Habitat Awards entry opens CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 approach, Uruguay. Both initiatives present innovative and sustainable solutions that have a great impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

The Green Mortgage is a housing finance scheme that works to encourage the use of energy- efficient systems and technologies for low-income households, reaching over

900.000 families and benefiting over three million people.

The South-South Cooperation project was initiated to support the international transfer of the FUCVAM model of mutual aid housing cooperatives. To date, the approach has been transferred to 15 countries across Latin America, adapting the model to local conditions in different contexts.

further appealed to the Supreme Court.

Two issues were raised before the apex’s court including whether the appellant sufficiently proved the identity of the land in dispute and its area as 10.804 hectares to entitle him to judgment on all the heads of his claims and whether the findings by the Court of Appeal the appellant has title over land?

After reviewing the parties’ submission, Justice Ogunbiyi held: “On the nagging question of the identity of the land in dispute therefore, I am of the firm view that same had been proved by the plaintiff/appellant before the trial court which was grossly in error by holding the contrary or otherwise. I further hold that the justices of the court of Appeal on the majority decision also erroneously fell into the same trap as did the trial judge. In other words, the dissenting view held by Ogunwumiju JCA on this issue is upheld. The first issue was therefore resolved in favour of the appellant.

On the second issue, the apex’s court said since the appellant was unable to prove exclusive possession and, or absolute ownership of any part or portion of the land in dispute, he could not in the circumstance be granted a declaration of title as sought, resolving this against the appellant.

Ogunbiyi further said: “On the totality of this appeal, while issue one on identity resolved in favour of the appellant issue two on the claim of title or ownership is resolved against him. In the result therefore, the appeal is hereby dismissed and I affirm the totality of the judgment of the Court of Appeal wherein the judgment of the trial High Court Kwara State delivered on the 11th February 2002 is hereby affirmed. The appeal is dismissed with an order of N50,000.00 costs awarded in favour of the respondent against the appellant.”

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Pepple, FCT minister for Housing Africa conference, awards Housing a renewed effort to bring IlicNtheand continent’s major pubprivate players in the built sector to harness ideas, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple will from Wednesday host the first ever dialogue, which is targeted at fasttracking the quest for descent housing and making affordable housing delivery a reality in Africa.

The dialogue comes under Housing Africa project, a three-day international conference on housing in Africa.

It would run concurrently with an exhibition and also feature the Royalty International Property Magazine’s maiden Nigeria Property Awards that celebrate most outstanding of achievements by public servants and private sector companies operating in the real estate industry. According to the Programme Director, Mr. Darlington Ndubuisi, “the conference will go beyond having a great socioeconomic impact to providing a new robust political blueprint on cutting edge best practices in the housing sector. On display shall be ideas and experiences that will cause a paradigm shift on the way to solve tomorrow’s problems today. It is certainly a networking mar-

ketplace provided at the highest level.”

The event is themed: “Cracking the urbanization code: developing sustainable and elastic cities while providing clean, green and affordable housing in Africa.

He said: “ For our economy to continue to grow in a sustainable way and for foreign investors to be attracted into the country, no doubt, the development of our infrastructure needs to be strengthened. The built-sector is undoubtedly very crucial to the sustainable development of any nation.

“The brick and mortar building system has survived for so long but there are quite a lot of cost-saving, durable and unbelievably affordable building systems around the world today which shall be on display.”

The built-environment business gathering will bring together built-sector associations; relevant international finance organizations as well as the continent’s largest players and provide the ultimate networking platform for the sector’s professionals, individuals and corporate organizations.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Bala Mohammed will speak on ‘Developing sustainable Infrastructures in emerging African modern cities’.

Other resource persons

Ndubuisi include President African Housing Professionals Consortium (AHPC) and.

Nigerian - UK Housing Society (NUHS), Adekunle Babayemi, whose topic is on ‘Affordable Housing, the United Kingdom Perspective ‘ and Chairman Housing Africa 2013 and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Gbenga Ashafa Other facilitators are former President, Chartered Institute of Housing, Prof.

Paddy Gray, Professor Timothy Nubi of Estate Management Department, University of Lagos and Chairman, Construction Project Management, Harriot Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Prof.

Stephen Ogunlana as well as Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Wolfgang Goetsch and President, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, Chief Olabode Afolayan .

ACE Event slates building exhibition in Abuja Exhibition UNITED Kingdom-based A company, ACE Event Management will return to Nigeria in November with its trade exhibition on West Africa Building and Construction after the success of a similar event last year.

The event, which will also include seminars on water and sanitation, and building and construction, will be held in Abuja from November 25 to 27, the company has said.

The release disclosed that the exhibition was a success the last time it was held in Nigeria in May 2012, adding that the company counts on the sup-

port of Federal Ministries and collaboration with the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Nigeria Water & Sanitation Association, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

“The Water Africa and West Africa Building and Construction 2013 exhibition showcases machinery, tools and techniques for the housing and infrastructure construction sector. It aims to help those providing civil engineering and housing projects in West Africa to see new materials and machinery for use in construction and talk to experts on how best to use them.

“On the water and sanitation

side, the exhibition and seminars offer an opportunity for companies to again put their products and services before purchasers from States and Local Governments, industry, agriculture, NGOs and other key players from the entire West Africa region.

“A good number of the exhibitors at these exhibitions are often new to the West African market and will be looking for local partners to help them sell and distribute their products and services here. There is great potential for business to be done at both shows and exciting new products and services to be seen and discussed,” the release said.

Mikano partners Hyundai on construction equipment Construction GAINST the backdrop of A global attention that heralds Nigeria’s construction sector’s performance, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipments, Mikano International Limited has entered into a partnership with the Hyundai Heavy Industries Limited to support the nation’s quest to meet the demands for infrastructural development.

Among equipment to be delivered with training support are Crawlers, Wheeled and Mini Excavators, Backhoe and Skid-Steer Loaders and material handling equipment like diesel and electric Forklifts.

At a training programme organised by the firm tagged ‘’Hyundai Construction Equipment Technical Support Training’’, Mikano officials explained that the partnership is designed to offer its

customers adequate technical knowledge on Hyundai construction equipment as well as to engineers with new and advanced technical skills on Hyundai construction equipment.

“This will keep all abreast of newly installed applica-

tions on these equipments that needed orientation in order to broaden both its customers and employees’ knowledge to ensure the company increases its market share by supporting its clients adequately,” the statement added.

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TheEnvironment Lagos pledges to upgrade blighted areas The Environment

By Tunde Alao N the heels of the threat of the World Bank to withdraw support to ongoing upgrading of blighted areas in Lagos, the state authorities have reiterated its commitment to the provision of modern facilities and infrastructure in the identifed communities.

The assurance was given by Governor Babatunde Fashola at the award ceremony of the “Keep Our Environment Clean Campaign”, organised by the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP). He said that his administration will empower and give all residents of blighted areas a chance to live a prosperous life.

Among the proposed facilities are roads, upgrading of the existing public schools, primary health care centres, water boreholes and recreational facilities, among others.

According to Fashola, while some governments respond to blighted areas by deploying bulldozers to erase such settlements, Lagos has adopted a redevelopment posture.

He said that LMDGP is all about upgrading the blighted areas and LMDGP has made the state proud with infrastructural upgrade in places like Ajegunle, Amukoko, Orile, Badiya, Ilaje, Itire- ijesha. The orginsation has also converted refuse heaps into play grounds in Ijesha- Itire while work is still going on in several other blighted areas.

He stated that the LMDGP has completed 25 roads while 47 roads are at various stages of completion with several blocks built noting that while the government is cleaning up those blighted areas, the residents must take ownership because they live there and own it.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello said the event is about a celebration of the progress made

by LMDGP in the low line communities of the state and thanked them for the progress so far made.

He said the next step is about how to consolidate on what the organization has done and hope that the benefiting communities will also improve on them.

Also speaking, the Project Director of Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP), Mr Dayo Oguntunde said the agency is in the process of upgrading nine selected blighted areas via infrastructural transformations in Badia, Amukoko, Bariga, Ilaje, Itire-Ijesha, Agege and Orile- Agege.

In the essay competition, Master Olumide Emma of Methodist Primary School in Orile Agege emerged winner while Arumo Street in Ajegunle area of Ajeromi Local Council Development Authority emerged as the cleanest street in the areas of LMDGP’s intervention.

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Painting that won Ephraim Finapri of Grace Schools in Lagos the African prize of the 22nd children painting competition

Nigeria’s Finapri, others win UNEP’s Children painting competition The Environment

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam, Assistant Housing & EnvironmentEditor FFORTS to recognize and encourage the rich artistic talents of children around the world through environmental activities have thrown up gifted global and regional children, with 13-year-old Chiratchaya Kaeokamkong from Thailand, emerging the 2013 top prize winner, out of almost 700,000 entries from 110 countries.

Similarly, 10-years old Nigerian, Ephraim Finapri’s painting was picked as the best entry for African region, by a jury composed of the representatives of the organizers, out of 3,923 entries received by the Regional Office from 20 countries.

All of the young artists painted under the theme of Water: Where Does it Come From?, in support of the 2013 UNInternational Year of Water Co-operation. Each United Nations Environment

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The International Children’s Painting Competition is UNEP’s flagship art and environment event. Regional winners receive a cash prize of US$ 1,000 while the First global winner will receive US$ 2,000. The regional and global winners also receive an all expense paid trip to participate in the award ceremony in New York in September 2013 Programme (UNEP) Regional Office (Bahrain, Bangkok, Geneva, Mexico City, Washington DC, and Nairobi) chooses regional winners and also submits paintings to the global selection.

The programme packaged by the UNEP aims to increase young people’s involvement in environmental issues through environmental activities such as Plant for the Planet, International Conferences and Global Youth Gatherings.

Kaeokamkong won the top prize of US$2,000 and an allexpenses-paid trip to attend the award ceremony, which takes place alongside UNEP’s Champions of the Earth award in New York in September. 14-

year-old Wesley Gong from the US was runner-up.

Gong will receive US$1,000 and a trip to the award ceremony, along with six regional winners, who are: Jessica Qiu (US), Tina Doumit (Lebanon), JuanDiaz (Colombia), Ephraim Finapri (Nigeria), Nattamon Ninkham (Thailand), and Yevheniia Zakharchuk (Ukraine).

Ephraim painted an idyllic world where variety of beings live in harmony with water and are revitalized by it, with human being as the architect behind this ideal picture.

Finapri of the Grace Schools in Lagos, Nigeria said: “l have always had passion for art and I have always enjoyed painting and drawing from when I was in nursery school. I wanted to

use it to draw children’s attention to the importance of water to all living things and that they must used it wisely.

“Without water, no living thing can survive on earth. l would like everyone to contribute in stopping water pollution. Most especially our Oil producing companies who spill oil into the rivers and also factories who pollute the air.”

Each year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joins hands with the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon, to recognize and encourage the rich artistic talents of children around the world. Launched in 1990, this worldwide event has produced an impressive number of local competitions,

and received over a million entries from children in over 100 countries across the world.

The International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment is part of UNEP’s TUNZA strategy for children and youth. TUNZA is a word in Kiswahili that means to “treat with care”.

“We chose the theme of the 22nd painting competition to underline that water does not come from taps or even plastic bottles bought at thesupermarket-it is generated by nature and supplied by forests and wetlands to rivers and lakes,” said UN UnderSecretary-General and UNEP ExecutiveDirector Achim Steiner.

“These budding young artists showed that they not only understand the crucial role of natural systems in providing this mostfundamental of resources, but the impacts on humans and wildlife when we damage and degrade our water-generating environment in the name of progress. ”

Govt sets December date for N3.6b Delta dam project Water Resources From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba F the words of the Minister of Finance and Water Resources are anything to go by, then better days are here for residents of Ogwashi Uku, Aicha South Local Council of Delta State, as government has promised delivery of a N3.6 billion multi-purpose earth dam project in December.

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Water Resources, Ministry, Mrs. Sera Ochekpe during a joint inspection recently to

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Several years after delays hampered the completion of a multi-purpose earth dam project worth N3.6 billion in Ogwashi Uku, Aicha South Local Council of Delta State, it appears the government has given a new lifeline to the project the project reiterate the determination of the Federal Government’s to complete the dam project seven years after work started on it.

The dam project contract was initially awarded at the N440, 703,912.60 in 2006 with a completion period of eighteen months but in 2009 the Delta State Government and Ogwashi Uku community agreed to review work and expand it so as to provide water supply to a very sizeable

part of Delta north and hydropower and tourism.

Again in 2011, the federal government approved construction of the repackaged project tagged Ogwashi-Uku Multipurpose Earth Dam phase II in favour of Nelson Benjamin Limited at the cost of N3, 174,619,881.41, bringing the total cost for both phases I and II to N3, 615,323,794.01 with a completion period of 24 months starting from January 2012.

Ochekpe expressed satisfaction with the level of job done by the contracting firm and assured of her ministry’s support to ensure that the project is delivered in December this year.

She said: “We are pleased with what we have seen and the contractor has assured that the project would be completed by the end of the year and we would provide the support from the ministry to ensure that whatever

payments that are outstanding are paid to the contractor.”

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who expressed optimism that when the project is completed, added that the project would “change the economic landscape of this area” We need to ensure water supply for irrigation and recreational activities. Actually this town does not have a hotel; hence the prospects are there that hotels will spring up. It is not just a single dam, the dam can change a lot and I think everyone in the community is grateful to the government.”

She added.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

41 ENVIRONMENT

UNCCD, IUCN to boost visibility of threatened dryland ecosystems Conservation HE United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) today have signed an agreement aiming to draw global attention to the value of drylands and their threatened status as ecosystems.

UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja and IUCN Director General Julia MartonLefèvre signed the Joint Plan of Action at the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security taking place in Caux, Switzerland .

“Drylands are invaluable ecosystems but their future sustainability is threatened by desertification, climate change and other human activities. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, for instance, will provide the international community with a valuable tool to signal growing threats to drylands,” said Gnacadja.

“IUCN is, and has been, a key player in forests and landscape restoration. This is crucial in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought. Partnership with IUCN in this area will enable the UNCCD to scale up land restoration in the drylands and others areas affected by land degradation, and advance and accelerate the shift to a land-degradation neutral world,” he added.

“Desertification is a major threat not only to global sustainability but also to global peace and security. This is why IUCN and UNCCD have joined forces to address this challenge together. By restoring dryland ecosystems back to health and improving the way they are governed, we can boost food and climate security, generate jobs and income, and reduce land-related con-

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Under the Joint Action Plan that runs until the end of 2014, drylands ecosystems would become part of the future IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. Currently under development, the List will be a global standard to assess the status of ecosystems and measure the risk of collapse. It will be applicable at local, national, regional and global levels. flicts around the world,” said Marton Lefèvre.”

Drylands ecosystems cover over one third of the Earth’s land surface and are critical for global food security. They support over half the world’s livestock and cover about 44% of all cultivated areas. More than a third of the global population resides here.

Drylands contain many unique habitats and many endemic species, with a species richness of flowering plants that is amongst the highest in the world. About 51% of the world’s conservation hotspots include drylands.

“Humans have a bad history of turning drylands into manmade deserts. This generation must put an end to that legacy.

The myth that dryland ecosystems are wastelands is troubling, but our complacence towards the perpetual creation of man-made deserts is dangerous,” said Gnacadja.

“Desertification robs people of their livelihoods and nations of their wealth. It is time to recognize drylands for what they are: diverse, valuable and fragile ecosystems that need our urgent attention,” said Marton-Lefèvre.

Under the Joint Action Plan that runs until the end of 2014, drylands ecosystems would become part of the future IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.

Currently under development, the List will be a global standard to assess the status of ecosystems and measure the risk of collapse. It will be applicable at local, national, regional and global levels.

The plan also addresses issues of land rights and customary governance in the drylands as well as the harmonization of gender mainstreaming policies with the CBD and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, for which IUCN has been playing a major role.

The agreement signed today formalizes the collaboration between the two organizations that dates back to a joint retreat held in 2011 at IUCN Headquarters in Gland, S w i t z e r l a n d .

Since then, UNCCD and IUCN have played a crucial role in the organization of the 2nd UNCCD Scientific Conference held under the theme of “Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.” Last year, they published the book “Conserving Drylands Biodiversity” with other partners.

After the signing ceremony, Marton-Lefèvre planted a tree in honor of Gnacadja’s role at the UNCCD and Caux in bringing together the land restoration and security agendas.

Gnacadja has been a key player in convening the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security that has brought together individuals, governments, international organizations, NGOs and businesses to explore the potential of sustainable land management as a driver of peace, development and climate change mitigation.

Global climate talks could fail without more national actions, says report Climate Change HERE will be no new cliT mate change treaty in 2015 unless more nations develop domestic legislation to address rising greenhouse gas levels, a new study concludes.

In reviewing countries’ laws to reduce carbon emissions, researchers with the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) argue that domestic goals must come before, not after, an international deal.

Focusing on developing national laws, they said, should be the goal for the next two years as countries gear up for a U.N. conference in Paris, presumably to sign a new global deal.

“I don’t see a deal in 2015 unless more countries move down the national legislative path, and those who are keen to see an agreement that is high in ambition are of the same view,” said Adam C.T. Matthews, secretary-general of GLOBE and author of the report.

The report correlates climate laws in 11 countries with those nations’ positions in the U.N. climate negotiations. Not surprisingly, it finds that those with what the group categorized as ambitious domestic legislation, like Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom, also have offered up stringent voluntary targets in the international talks. Those with “low” ambition on the

home front — the United States and Canada among them — put forward correspondingly weak international targets.

“There is increasing recognition that a truly ambitious international agreement which sets binding targets for countries is impossible to achieve if it is purely topdown,” Matthews and coauthor Terry Townshend write. They point out that depending on what kind of deal is struck in 2015, it could involve formal recognition of countries’ existing domestic climate laws.

“This gives further impetus, should it be required, to the view that governments should actively support the advancement of domestic climate legislation between now and 2015,” they argue.

These days, that point of view is echoed by top climate leaders, from U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres on down.

But Matthews noted it wasn’t that long ago that the conventional wisdom of climate negotiations was that legislation would follow a global treaty.

The rise in domestic laws — 33 countries now have climate legislation, up from 16 when GLOBE first started examining the trend three years ago — is significant, he said.

“What we’re seeing is a differ-

ent dynamic,” Matthews said.

“The clear lessons born from Copenhagen and from Rio are that these major international showpiece summits — are they the events that determine the level of ambition? Or is it something else that determines the level?

“We see now that countries must move nationally first to enable the conditions for the international accords to be reached.”

The report argues that economic competitiveness is the key driver behind domestic laws correlating to an ambitious international negotiating position. At the same time, it notes that domestic legislation breeds confidence and “creates the political space for leaders to go further and faster in the international negotiations.”

Finally, it points out that the legislative process itself — developing, debating and passing laws — is key to helping a country better stake out a global position.

Matthews pointed to Mexico as a leading example of a country that has passed ambitious legislation and also become a global leader. He noted that other countries in the region, like Chile and Colombia, are moving toward new laws, and predicted “a much more robust Latin American position and a greater self-confidence in positioning in the region on climate change.”

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

44 STOCKWATCH

The relevance of hedging ment into their US dollar accounts.

However, they understand that from the inception of the contract which binds them to have receivables in US dollars in one month's time they are exposed to changes in the rate of exchange for the Canadian dollar against the US dollar.

Immediately, they are faced with a problem. As a Canadian company, they will have to repatriate those US dollars at some point because they have decided that foreign exchange risk is not something that they are prepared to carry as it is deemed it to be peripheral to their core business. The problem has two dimensions: • Uncertainty • Opportunity.

If they do not hedge the transaction in any way, they do not know with any certainty at what rate of exchange they can exchange the US$10 million when it is delivered. It could be at a better rate or at a worse rate than the rate prevailing currently for exchange of that amount in one month's time.

Let's call the prevailing spot rate, for argument's sake, 1.5300 and the prevailing one month forward outright rate at which they could hedge themselves 1.5310.

If they do enter into a forward contract in which they obligate themselves to buy Canadian dollars and sell US dollars for delivery on the same date as the delivery

INTRODUCTION Hedging in economics is method of reducing the risk of loss caused by price fluctuation. Simply put, it is an attempt to offset exposure to price fluctuations in some opposite position in another market with the goal of minimizing one's exposure to unwanted risk. It consists of the purchase or sale of equal quantities of the same or very similar commodities, approximately simultaneously, in two different markets with the expectation that a future change in price in one market will be offset by an opposite change in the other market.

There are many specific financial vehicles to accomplish this, including insurance policies, forward contracts, swaps, options, many types of over-the-counter and derivative products, and perhaps most popularly, futures contracts. Public futures markets were established in the 1800s to allow transparent, standardized, and efficient hedging of agricultural commodity prices; they have since expanded to include futures contracts for hedging the values of energy, precious metals, foreign currency, and interest rate fluctuations.

Another reason for hedging the exposure of the firm to its financial price risk is to improve or maintain the competitiveness of the firm.

Companies do not exist in isolation. They compete with other domestic companies in their sector and with companies located in other countries that produce similar goods for sale in the global marketplace..

HEDGING OBJECTIVES From our definition of hedging, we can see that there are a number of issues that present themselves.

What is the Hedging Objective of the Institution?

Some of the best-articulated hedging programs in the corporate world will typically choose the reduction in the variability of corporate income as an appropriate target. This is consistent with the notion that an investor purchases the stock of the company in order to take advantage of their core business expertise. Other companies just believe that engaging in a forward outright transaction to hedge each of their cross-border cash flows in foreign exchange is sufficient to deem themselves hedged.

What is the Institution's Exposure to Financial Price Risk?

It is important to measure and to have on a daily basis some notion of the institution’s potential liability from financial price risk. Financial institutions whose core business is the management and acceptance of financial price risk have whole departments devoted to the independent measurement and quantification of their exposures. It is no less critical for a company with billions of Naira of internationally driven revenue to do so.

There are three types of risk for every particular financial price to which the firm is exposed: • Transactional risks reflect the pejorative impact of fluctuations in financial prices on the cash flows that come from purchases or sales. How do they borrow money? How do they hedge the value of a loan they have taken once it is on the books?

• Translation risks describe the changes in the value of a foreign asset due to changes in financial prices, such as the foreign exchange rate.

• Economic exposure refers to the impact of fluctuations in financial prices on the core business of the firm.

What are the Various Hedging Instruments Available to the Corporate Treasurer and how do they behave in Different Pricing Environments?

When it is best to use which instrument is the question the corporate Treasurer must answer. The difference between a mediocre corporate Treasury and an excellent one is their ability to operate within the context of their shareholderdelineated limits and choose the optimal hedging structure for a particular exposure and economic environment. Not every structure will work well in every environment.

TYPES OF HEDGING Many hedges do not necessarily involve exotic financial instruments. A natural hedge is an investment that reduces the undesired risk by matching cash flows, i.e. revenues and expenses. For example, an exporter to the United States faces a risk of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar and chooses to open a production facility in that market to match its expected sales revenue to its cost structure. Another example is a company that opens a subsidiary in another country and borrows in the local currency to finance its operations, even though the local interest rate may be more expensive than in its home country: by matching the debt payments to expected revenues in the local currency, the parent company has reduced its foreign currency exposure. One of the oldest means of hedging against risk is the purchase of insurance

to protect against financial loss due to accidental property damage or loss, personal injury, or loss of life.

Hedging Volatility Risk The following type’s of risks falls within this category: they can be hedged against as suggested.

• Interest rate risk – is the risk that the relative value of an interest-bearing asset, such as a loan or a bond, will worsen due to an interest rate increase. Interest rate risks can be hedged using fixed income instruments or interest rate swaps.

• Equity – the risk, or sometimes reward, for those whose assets are equity holdings, that the value of the equity falls • Securities lending - Hedged portfolio stock secured loan financing is a form of individual portfolio risk reduction that results typically in a limited recourse loan.

Futures contracts and forward contracts are a means of hedging against the risk of adverse market movements. These originally developed out of commodity markets in the nineteenth century, but over the last fifty years a huge global market developed in products to hedge financial market risk.

Hedging credit risk Credit risk is the risk that money owing will not be paid by an obligor. Since credit risk is the natural business of banks, but an unwanted risk for commercial traders, naturally an early market developed between banks and traders: that involving selling obligations at a discounted rate.

Hedging currency risk Currency hedging (also known as Foreign Exchange Risk hedging) is used both by financial investors to parse out the risks they encounter when investing abroad, as well as by non-financial actors in the global economy for whom multicurrency activities are a necessary evil rather than a desired state of exposure. The financial investor may be a hedge fund that decides to invest in a company in, for example, Brazil, but does not want to necessarily invest in the Brazilian currency. The hedge fund can separate out the credit risk (i.e. the risk of the company defaulting), from the currency risk of the Brazilian Real by "hedging" out the currency risk. In effect, this means that the investment is effectively a USD investment, in Brazil. Hedging allows the investor to transfer the currency risk to someone else, who wants to take up a position in the currency.

THE HEDGING PROBLEM The core problem when deciding upon a hedging policy is to strike a balance between uncertainty and the risk of opportunity loss. It is in the establishment of balance that we must consider the risk aversion, the preferences, of the shareholders. Setting hedging policy is a strategic decision, the success or failure of which can make or break a firm.

Consider the example of the Canadian pulp-and-paper company from before, 75% of whose product is sold in US dollars to customers located all over the world. The US dollar here is called the price of determination because all sales of pulpand-paper are denominated in US dollars.

They close a deal for US$10 million worth of product and they know that in one month's time they will receive pay-

date on their pulp-and-paper contract, they have removed this uncertainty. They know without any question at what rate this exchange will be. It will be 1.5310.

But, they have now taken on infinite risk of opportunity loss. If the Canadian dollar weakens because of some unforeseen event and in one month's time the prevailing spot rate turns out to be 1.5600, then they have foregone 290,000 Canadian dollars. This is their opportunity loss.

Are there instruments that address both certainty and opportunity loss? Fortunately, there are. They are called derivatives or derivative products. Most financial institutions make markets in panoply of risk management solutions involving derivative products. Some of them come as stand-alone solutions and others are presented as packages or combinations.

A derivative product is a financial instrument whose price depends indirectly on the behaviour of a financial price.

For example, the price of a foreign exchange option on the Canadian dollar in which our company had the right but not the obligation to buy Canadian dollars and sell US dollars at a pre-set strike price will vary on a day-to-day basis with the movement in the Canadian dollar/US dollar exchange rate. If the Canadian dollar gets stronger, the Canadian dollar call becomes more valuable. If the Canadian dollar gets weaker, the Canadian dollar becomes less valuable.

Instead of entering into a forward contract to buy Canadian dollars, the pulp-and-paper company could purchase a Canadian dollar call struck at 1.5310 for a premium from one of its financial institution counterparties. Doing so reduces their certainty about the rate at which they will repatriate the US dollars but it limits their worst case in exchange for allowing them to enjoy potential opportunity gains, again conditioned by the premium they have paid.

Derivatives just like any other economic mechanism are best thought of in terms of tradeoffs. The tradeoffs here are between uncertainty and opportunity loss. However, a Canadian dollar call is only one of the possible risk management solutions to this problem. There are dozens of possible instruments, each of which has a differing tradeoff between uncertainty and opportunity loss, that the pulp-and-paper company could use to manage this exposure to changes in the exchange rate.

The key to hedging is to decide which of these solutions to choose. Hedging is not just about putting on a forward contract. Hedging is about making the best possible decision, integrating the firm's level of sophistication, systems and the preferences of their shareholders.

CONCLUSIONS The single most important point to take away from this material is that financial risk management is critical to the survival of any non-financial corporation. Investors who have real money at risk must understand the exposures facing the firms in which they invest, they must know the extent of risk management at these companies and they must be able to distinguish between good risk management programs and bad ones. Without this knowledge, they may be in for some ugly surprises.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

BusinessInterview Sub-regional capital markets’ integration imperative for growth, says Katto Japheth Katto has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Authority, Uganda since 1998. He is credited with the strides made by the country’s bourse over the years. Recently, he was appointed a council member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He has also worked with the regulatory authorities in the United Kingdom. In this interview with BUKKY OLAJIDE, Katto spoke about the move towards the integration of East African markets. Excerpts.

Can you give a brief profile of the Ugandan Securities Exchange ?

HE Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) is the principal stock exchange of Uganda. It was founded in June 1997. The USE is operated under the jurisdiction of Uganda’s Capital Markets Authority, which in turn reports to the Bank of Uganda, Uganda’s Central Bank.

The exchange’s doors opened to trading in January 1998. At the time, the exchange had just one listing, a bond issued by the East African Development Bank. Trading was limited to only a handful of trades per week.

As of June 2011, the USE trades 14 listed local and East African companies and has started the trading of fixed income instruments. The exchange, which is open five days a week, is a member of the African Stock Exchanges Association. Two new listings were expected by the end of first quarter of 2012.

The USE operates in close association with the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange in Tanzania and the Nairobi Stock Exchange in Kenya and plans are underway to integrate the three to form a single East African bourse. Despite being established in 1997, Uganda’s capital market is rich. We regulate Rockefellers, firm managers, collective investment schemes, investment advisers and so on. So there is a lot of brokerage firms that we regulate in Uganda. The market was also working towards the integration of the East African markets namely Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

We also operate a number of firm managers, as well as companies that are listed on the Uganda Stock Exchange, So that is the structure of the market.

Do you think that Uganda Stock Exchange is not being drowned by big brother Kenya?

There is one Uganda company called Umeme Limited, they are distributors of electricity in Uganda, they got listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. There is no drowning I believe, rather that there is a working together.

With due respect, the Kenya market has been around since 1954, so its has been about size and time. You see, why it is not a small market, but it might not be as big as the Nigerian market for instance but we are together. We are in the same sea, in the same lake where you go to fish, fish that is big, fish that is small. But for us, the key is that of integration.

We harmonize rules and the integration.

We have now gone further that we are reaching what is called mutual re… for instance, a fixed income issue or somebody who want to issue a bond can go to any one of the market, that is, to have their information of memorandum prospectus approved and then the market will recognize that. So I have never had any fear of a large market dominating. In fact, I feel it’s a very good advantage and it has

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helped us to grow.

So, the overall objective is that East African communities will have one integrated market. That is what we are working towards.

If you fish in the same water, you will experience the same weather conditions, how have you been able to weather the storm of financial meltdown as an emerging or a frontier market?

One of the things that happened was because our markets were relatively exposed to the international market, the largest investors in the market are the local institutional investors.

By ‘local’, I mean East Africa, because we treat the East Africans as domestic investors at the common market protocol.

So the impact on the global market was there because it affected the local economy as a whole. But we did not have as much exposure as seen in the European and in the United States markets.

So sometimes not been over exposed can be an advantage but the other thing also is that we do not deal in sophisticated products. We will like to expand our products range so we are going to think like real estate investments crash so we are looking at exchange credit funds and so on. But this kind of market has been the basic non-complex products possible that our brokers understand, our advisers understand as well as our investors. So that has been the advantage.

The impact has been that there, but not direct because of the market but to have te impact on the economy which has in turn translated

One of the things that happened was because our markets were relatively exposed to the international market... But we did not have as much exposure as seen in the European and in the United States markets. into impact on the stock exchange.

How much do you think that the African Middle East Regional Committee (AMERC) has done in the coordination and harmonisation of markets across Africa and Middle East under the leadership of Arunmah Oteh, who is the Director-General of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission? Do you think AMERC has done well?

Ms Oteh has been an outstanding leader.

First of all, SEC of Nigeria has been an outstanding leader. For us in AMERC, SEC of Nigeria has been doing well. That is why last time we elected her, we have not doubted ourselves. There was no question of she’s been there, we decided to re-elect her. What AMERC has done with SEC in Nigeria has been outstanding. In fact I do not think there is another region or committee that does as much.

Publishing the magazine, getting the meetings organized, representing us at the international level is fantastic and as far as I am concerned, there was no need for change, her leadership. You see, the danger you run into is doing the change for the sake of

change. You must do change for a purpose and since our rules have no restrictions, she is been fantastic and if they can continue to offer her, the better. I have been in IOSCO for 15 years and I have seen leadership over this time but there is no doubt that Oteh is outstanding.

Moving forward, what do we expect from AMERC? AMERC is doing a lot of capacity building. We have been talking about risk-based supervision and we already running a programme as AMERC on risk based supervision where we are inviting the IMF at the programe. We have had visiting each other in jurisdictions- going to different countries in the region, we have shared experiences, knowledge, training programes, we have attended each other’s programmes and functions.

So, AMERC is a fantastic family. That is why if there is a conference, you see all the countries that make up AMERC and it is a very string family spirit that has been with AMERC, not only spirit of learning, regulation I think our range of regulations are much better because of the coordination and cooperation that we have had in the AMERC because we speak with one voice.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

47

Gabriel Ogbechie is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Rain Oil Limited, a second class upper graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin with specialization in Production Engineering, which he acquired in 1987. He started his working career with Sharada Edible Oil Company in Kano as a Factory Engineer after the compulsory one- year national service with Kano State Polytechnic. He worked in this company for two years between 1989 and 1991, before joining PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In 1992, he joined Ascon Oil Co. Limited and was in charge of Operations and Sales, before establishing Rainoil Limited in 1997. At a press briefing in Lagos recently, he spoke on industry issues, especially the leeway to a more virile downstream sector.

FAITH OPARAUGO was there. Excerpts.

How would you assess Nigeria’s socio-economic development over the years vis-à-vis the level of revenue being generated from the oil sector alone?

ELL, that is seriously debatable. Nigeria, since we discovered oil in the 50s up till now, has earned hundreds of billions of dollars. Whether the level of development we have in the country reflects the level of revenue we have earned is a matter of conjecture. It depends on how you look at it, but I think the general consensus is that the level of infrastructural development you can see in the country does not actually match the level of income we have earned from oil. But, there is room for improvement and the current government is doing its best to give Nigerians the value for money we are earning.

What have been the contributions of private sector operators like yours to the development of the economy? This is against the backdrop of the discovery of many portfolio dealers in the downstream sector during the recent probe by the National Assembly.

The private sector has been the major engine driving this economy. If you look at most of the achievements that have been made in this country, it is largely driven by the private sector. The private sector operators are the ones who generate most of the employment, set up industries be it the textile, manufacturing or oil and gas and that is why government should give the private sector players as much support and incentives to keep driving this economy. While government should concentrate on providing infrastructure, providing roads, health facilities they should leave the business for the private sector people to drive the economy and I believe the private sector is doing its best and can still do more to push this economy.

Sometimes ago, oil marketers complained about banks not giving loans. Has the situation changed?

The situation has changed. Make no mistake, banks are in business to give out money. Banks cannot make money if they do not give out loans. But the point is that banks can only give out money to credible and viable businesses.

They started being reluctant to fund oil sector at the time when there were so many issues and challenges most especially when government stopped paying because they had to ask one or two questions. But I assure you for those who never had any challenge and those who kept meeting their obligations, the banks never stopped funding them. But since all those challenges have been resolved banks have started releasing funds. I do not know of any active player in the industry that is not getting adequate bank support.

Has your company being getting funds from the banks?

At no point in time did we not get bank funds even though the crisis period was 2011-2012.

They funded us all the way. I cannot recall when we shouted that we did not have one or two banks that could give us money. This takes me back to what I said earlier that banks would chase good business so if your business is good and you meet obligations; banks will fund you.

What are the challenges you are facing in the downstream sector?

One area that we would like government to do more is the payment of subsidy claims. You would recall that when the SDS (Sovereign Debt Statement) structure was put in place, it was such that government was supposed to pay subsidy claims after 45 days. You know too

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‘PIB’s passage is leeway to oil sector’s sustainable development’ well that we run a subsidy regime in this country where government says sell petrol at 97 Naira. If you are going to do this, it means that if you import fuel at 150 Naira per litre and government says sell at 88.66 Kobo so that the person who buys from you can take to his fuel station and sell at 97 Naira government pays the difference between the landing cost of fuel and 88.66 Kobo which is the x-depot price. Subsidy today covers about 50-56 Naira on every litre of fuel imported into the country, so we want government to improve on the payment of subsidy claims.

Again, we work with a template that is fixed.

Government says this is the price at which you import; this is your margin for your tank and cost for the jetty. Government also fixes the finance cost which is like N2.50 per litre and this is predicated on the premises that the reimbursement would be in 45 days. A situation where you do not get your money or your finance cost which is more than double, on time and there is no place in the template where you can put that additional cost of finance, poses some kind of challenge.

Some indigenous oil marketers were indicted by the Federal Government and National Assembly committees that probed the management of oil subsidies. Why is the downstream industry replete with corruption?

Would you say things have changed?

I do not agree that the sector is replete with corruption; I do not exactly agree with that.

That is a sweeping statement. It is generally alleged that there is corruption in the country and the downstream sector being part of the economy has been rubbed into it but I would not say it is definitely replete with corruption.

In 2010 - 2011, there were allegations that there were sharp practises in the sector. The House of Representatives looked at the sector along with the government. All kinds of probe went on and some people were indicted. Those that were found to have compromised were punished or made to face the law.

But I can tell you that since early 2012 a lot of sanity has been brought to bear in the sector.

The sector has been thoroughly sanctified. I tell

you that if PPPRA which is the agency managing fuel importation in this country today should recommend N1 for payment, you can be sure that it has passed through the furnace and properly distilled. If it comes out at the other end you can be assured that it deserves to be paid. Because there is a man today heading that agency, Reginald Stanley, he has done a wonderful job in that agency by re-organising the place and putting thorough checks and balances in place. There is a system called the 2-2-1 system where when you import a vessel and it arrives, two different inspector agents come to check the vessels just for arrival. Another set of agencies will also come to discharge the vessel; afterwards, a different agency will come to see that the truck is out to ensure the fuel you claim to have imported also goes out and you account for every single litre of it.

Are you satisfied with the way the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been managed and what is your advice going forward?

The Petroleum Industry Bill is a perfect bill of legislation. It is the way forward for our oil industry to make sure Nigerians get the most value out of our God-given resources; to ensure that the people and host communities who hold these oil wells, who never know what you and I call nights, the communities were oil is being produced day and night, 24/7 and 365 days a year get value because people are flaring gas within those communities to the detriment of the environment. Part of this money made should go to these communities.

The PIB will ultimately bring about deregulation which will ensure that government freezes up money to channel the resources to other sectors of the economy where these monies will have better uses like developing roads and the health sector, etcetra. Having said that, I am not satisfied with the way the National Assembly Is handling it because politics and self-interest are holding this bill down. I will not be surprised if the PIB is still there in the next four years or if the current National Assembly leaves and the bill has not

been passed. We need a lot of political will to pass that PIB in the National Assembly and you can see it playing out.

Your firm, Rainoil, recently inaugurated two new oil vessels. What was the business imperative of this multi-dollar investment at a time the global economy is still struggling against recession?

We actually started importing diesel in 2008 and by 2011 when we built our tank farms we expanded our importation to include gasoline, which is PMS. At any point in time we realised we had two or three or sometime four vessels on hire and these vessels are expensive because they are dollar-denominated. If you look at the maritime sector in Nigeria, you will realise that more than 90 percent of the vessels trading in this country are foreign-owned because Nigerians have failed to invest properly in the past. Unfortunately there is a lot of money being spent in that sector and the bulk of that money leaves the economy. We looked at it and realised there are opportunities which Rainoil or other players can take advantage of even though the sector is highly technical and expensive to run and maintain.

We are in a country where most of our refineries are not working; the bulk of fuel we consume in the country are all imported and brought in by vessels. So, we see a lot of vessels going in and out of the country. We saw it as an opportunity and decided to tap into it so we acquired these two vessels and since they came into the country, they have been very busy.

There is a lot of opportunities in that sector.

What are the strategic imperatives of your facilities?

We have a tank farm in Oghara, it is a 50-million litre capacity petroleum storage depot. We have the capacity to truck out more than six million litre petroleum products every day. We have control of the Edo/Delta market, the eastern market, North Central market to Abuja, up to Sokoto. We have customers coming from all over the north besides our immediate catchment area which is the Edo/Delta and eastern market.

48

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

CAPITAL MARKET 49

NigeriaCapitalMarket NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at Friday PRICE LIST OF SYMBOLS TRADED FOR 07/08/2013

THE GuArDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

50

NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 07/08/2013

LOSErS

PrICE GAINErS

Govt bonds records N100.4b transactions in three days Stories by Helen Oji HE –Over –The Counter (OTC) T market for FGN bonds last week recorded a turnover of 97.464 million units valued at N100.391 billion in 497 deals, in contrast to 215.032 million units worth N230.068 billion exchanged in 1, 519 deals during the preceding week ended August 2, 2013.

Similarly, a turnover of 1.097 billion shares worth of N9.104 billion changed hands in 17, 076 deal by investors on the floor of the Exchange last week, in contrast to a total of 1.364 billion shares valued at N16.168 billion that exchanged hands in 28, 322 deals during the preceding week.

The drop on the value of shares traded may be attributed to the two-day holidays to commemorate the Eid-el Fitri celebrations.

Last week, the financial servic-

es sector led the activity chart in volume terms with a turnover of 856.026 million shares valued at N6.005 billion traded in 9, 872 deals; contributing 78.04, 65.96, 57.81per cent to the total equity turnover volume, value and number of deals respectively.

The banking subsector of the financial sector, boosted by activity in the shares of uBA Plc and Sterling Bank Plc was the

most active subsector on the week’s activity chart with a subsector turnover of 621.389 million shares valued at N4.920 billion exchanged by investors in 6, 620 deals.

Also, the banking subsector accounted for 56.65 and 54.04 per cent of the total subsector traded volume and value respectively.

Traded during the week were

40 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N81, 440.00 executed in one deal compared with a total of 80 units valued at N165, 000.00 transacted last week in two deals.

The NSE All-Share Index sheds 1.00 per cent to close on Friday at 38,038.79 while the market capitalisation of the listed equities on the main board

also depreciated by 1.00 per cent to close at N12.047 trillion.

Also, the NSE 30 Index depreciated by 1.09per cent to close at 1,785.90.

All the indices depreciated during the brief trading week, the NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Banking, NSE Insurance, NSE Oil/Gas, NSE-Lotus II, NSE Industrial Goods and NSE-ASeM by 0.93, 0.32, 0.89 per cent, 1.01,

1.66, 3.64 and 0.35 per cent respectively.

Thirty-five equities appreciated in prices during the week lower than 50 equities of the preceding week. 51 equities depreciated in prices higher than 33 equities of the preceding week, while 108 equities remained constant lower than 111 equities of the preceding week.

SEC seeks revolution in housing to enhance banking operations ECurITIES & S(SEC)Exchange Commission has expressed the need to embark on a housing revolution in Nigeria to enable banks take off mortgages from their balance sheet.

The Director-General SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, while fielding questions to journalists during the Nigerian Debt Capital

Markets conference, held in Lagos recently explained that if banks took off mortgages from their balance sheet, it would enable then to borrow more, as well as perform other functions within its core areas of operations.

She said that Nigeria needed to move from 20,000, 50,000 mortgages to many more, con-

sidering its population of over 167 million.

She pointed out that the capital market could tap into the revolution through securitisation of these mortgages, in terms of securitising receivables from the Lekki toll road or other toll roads or through rail receipt, after which these banks could move off their bal-

ance sheet and sell it to the capital market.

She said: “What is obtainable in Asia is about securitisation of Small and Medium Enterprises skill loans while in Korea, banks do Small and Medium scale loans which create jobs and they move off their balance sheet and sell it to the capital market so that

the banks can do much more.”

The SEC boss, who reiterated the Commission’s commitment to market regulation and development, noted that when there is sufficient demand for products from domestic and retail investors, it would create the needed demand that would support huge requirements for securities.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

51

Opinion Homosexuals: Nothing has changed in the church

By Anthony Cardinal Okogie HE meeting of Pope Francis with journalists T aboard the return flight to Rome from the World Youth Day celebrations where he commented particularly about the divorced and remarried, women and homosexuals must be read and understood through the lenses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the concern of the church for those on the fringes, and the mercy, tenderness and forgiveness of a pastor who walks among his people. The media have given their classic coverage to this interview; sensationalism! Somehow they have convinced or rather confused many into thinking Pope Francis has changed the Church’s position on homosexuals. But far from it.

To understand the Pope’s reply, one must grasp adequately the context in which the question was asked. As is often the case, contexts shape and influence greatly our responses. Let us tarry this point awhile; a Nigerian child bred in the States is bound to speak English with a slurring American accent, while one brought up in the heart of Warri would almost certainly acquire a musical pidgin English to his credit. Contexts largely define us, if I am to go to work, the context of my work would naturally define the way I would dress, much in the same way the context of a party would alter my dress code. Similarly, every question is posed from within a context and every reply is expected, primarily, to address this context before reaching out, if the speaker so intends, to other, secondary considerations.

A response or action taken out of context could easily carry the penalty of a fish out of water!

The case of the Holy Father’s reply is not an exception.

The context On June 15, 2013 Pope Francis named Mons.

Battista Ricca to one of the key posts in the overall effort to reform the Curia; the Popes representative at the Vatican bank, with the critical but sensitive task of overseeing every aspect of the management and reform of the bank. This appointment led to the searchlight being turned on the life of this prelate; as a result, unsavory details of a gay past came to limelight, leading to the appointment being viewed in some quarters as the result of “gay lobby mis-

chief”. While others raised eyebrows on the sincerity of the new pope’s proposed reformation of the curia.

The question Thus given the above as backdrop, the question posed by the journalist read; “I would like to ask permission to pose a rather delicate question. Another image that went around the world is that of Monsignor Ricca and the news about his personal life. I would like to know, your Holiness, what will be done about the question. How should one deal with this question and how does your Holiness wish to deal with the whole question of the gay lobby?”

Now let us examine the Pope’s responses with due emphasis on the highlighted portions which we consider to be the component parts of the entire construct: • On the image and personal life of the prelate under scrutiny, the brief excursus above provides sufficient explanation for our discourse.

• On how one should deal with the above question, the pope makes a clear distinction between crime and sin. He makes it clear that while crimes such as child abuse are punishable by law, sin, is a different matter altogether, in his words, “if a person, or secular priest or a nun, has committed a sin and then that person experienced conversion, the Lord forgives and when the Lord forgives, the Lord forgets and this is very important in our lives.

When we go to confession and we truly say, ”I have sinned in this matter,” the Lord forgets…” it is against this backdrop that he gently berates those, especially the Press, who have a habit of searching out the “sins of youth” to discredit or condemn an individual. A classic biblical allusion would be the case of the woman caught in adultery, while she had sinned against her own body and God, the creator of that body, the crowd tried to exact justice on an action that was not committed against them, it was the exclusive reserve of God, and God chose to forgive this repentant sinner…’I do not condemn you, go and sin no more.”

• Lastly, in response to the threat or presence of “gay lobby” within the Vatican, the Pope makes a statement which has been deemed controversial, he said, “if a person is gay and

seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?” a thorough analysis of this statement within the context of the question asked and from the standpoint of the individual around whom the question was framed leaves no contradiction at all with orthodox Church teaching on homosexuality and homosexuals. Without doubt the use of the term ‘a gay person’, could span in understanding, from one who has gay tendencies, to one who practices such tendencies, to one who openly lobbies or campaigns for such practices to become the norm. A cross examination of the Pope’s full reply shows he roundly condemns all ‘forms of lobby’ particularly because it entails placing the good of a few over the good of others, gay lobby inclusive! Hereby effectively disqualifying the third group as his terms of reference. Next reading into his lines ‘if they look for God and have good will’ directly points out his reference group; to search for God is to seek conversion and holiness and to bear goodwill towards humanity is to be open to life, put together, these stand clean contrary to homosexual acts.

Hence the Holy Father could not have been referring to those who remain intent on practicing homosexuality, thus by elimination and adherence to the contextual rule which inadvertently or not, guides our reactions or responses to issues, we can safely conclude from the interaction between the Pope and the journalist, that the Pope’s use of this term captures the first meaning; the gay person as one who struggles with gay tendencies as he searches for God, he avers, ”the problem is not that one has this tendency.”

In précis, The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear that “under no circumstances can (homosexual acts) be approved.” (CCC 2357) However, of persons who experience exclusively or predominantly same-sex attraction it says, “They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” (CCC 2358) This points out that acceptance of a person does not imply acceptance of every action that person might choose. The Holy Father extended this same indiscriminate respect, compassion and sensitivity to one of his own priests and from here

echoes the message of a prodigal Father’s love for returning prodigal sons (and daughters).

This must never be taken out of context.

Some adventurous media personnel and no doubt some mischievous elements of the press have for reasons best known to them attempted to blow this simple restatement of Catholic truth way off tangent, they purposefully turn their eyes away from the official teachings of the church which the pope was at pains to quote when he cited 2358 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states: The number of men and women who have deepseated homosexual tendencies is not eligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfil God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unity to the sacrifice of the Lord’s cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

A cross-section of the public even assumes that the entire episode ushers in a new trend in the Church’s teaching and stance on homosexuality and places Pope Francis in contradistinction to his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI. Nothing can be further from the truth. Suffice to note that the teachings embedded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church concerning this matter were products of an earlier Vatican document (Homosexualitatis Problema) on “The Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons” published in 1986 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now the Emeritus Pontiff. Hence the spirit in which Pope Francis spoke and the words used to express that spirit remain in tandem with the universal and eternal truths professed and taught by the Holy Roman Catholic Church. It surprises me not that a simple but theologically charged reply from the Bishop of Rome is capable of stirring up such furore, it reminds me of the Master who came to bring a fire on the earth, and wished it to continue burning. Truly nothing has changed!

• Cardinal Okogie is Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos.

South Africa in West Africa

By Adekeye Adebajo S KENYAN scholar, Ali Mazrui, elegantly A noted, Western imperialism involved God, gold, and glory. Missionaries sought to convert Africans from their “pagan” ancestor worship; business interests sought mineral and agricultural resources; and empire-builders justified the whole enterprise as a mission civilisatrice. In the contemporary case of Pax South Africana, could the expansion of mostly white-led businessmen across the continent represent a modern-day equivalent of a bygone era?

South Africa’s relations in West Africa over the last two post-apartheid decades has centred around Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.

These oil-rich states are the sub-region’s three largest economies and have been South Africa’s biggest trading partners in West Africa. In these relationships, “God” represents South Africa’s missionary zeal in pursuing human rights and peacemaking in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire respectively; “gold” represents the expansionist activities of South Africa’s corporate sector; while “glory” is represented by South Africa’s quest to be recognised as a regional leader.

South Africa and Nigeria collectively account for about 30 per cent of Africa’s economic might. Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, paid his first state visit to South Africa in May, and addressed the South African Parliament. President Jacob Zuma noted dur-

ing the visit, that 73,282 Nigerian tourists had visited South Africa last year, spending R720 million in the country. Jonathan’s visit followed trips by President Zuma to Abuja in 2011 and this year. Nigeria, however, opposed South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s successful bid to chair the African Union (AU) Commission last July.

Historically, the nadir of bilateral relations was reached after the brutal hanging by Nigeria’s General Sani Abacha of nine environmental activists in 1995. South African president, Nelson Mandela, sought to sanction Abacha’s regime, but found himself diplomatically isolated on the continent. Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo oversaw the “golden age” of this relationship between 1999 and 2007, creating a binational commission, managing African crises, and promoting socio-economic development. Nigeria became South Africa’s largest continental trading partner, a relationship now worth R36 billion. Despite recent diplomatic tensions over the expulsion of each other’s citizens in a row over “fake” yellow fever certificates, this remains potentially Africa’s most strategic partnership.

“God”, “gold”, and glory have all defined this relationship.

During the colonial era, Ghana was known as the “Gold Coast.” Like South Africa, the country was an African El Dorado. Gold still remains Ghana’s main export, though oil exports are increasing, and cocoa remains important.

Since 1960, Ghana has provided 80,000 peace-

keepers to more than 30 United Nations (UN) and other peacekeeping missions. While South Africa’s relationship with Nigeria has been both political and economic, its relations with Ghana have tended to focus on trade.

“Gold” has tended to overshadow “God” and “glory”. In 1999, Eskom launched the Self-Help Electricity Project, which helped boost electricity supplies in Ghana’s rural areas.

A binational commission was established in 2004. While Ghana imports mostly processed and manufactured goods from South Africa, it exports agricultural and semi-processed commodities to South Africa. Companies from South Africa have become major players in Ghana’s mining, telecommunications, construction, tourism, and general trade sectors.

In one of the most successful Pan-African commercial ventures, South Africa’s AngloGold acquired a 50 per cent stake in Ghana’s Ashanti Goldfields in 2004. The company – the jewel in South Africa’s West African crown – is today the world’s third largest gold producer, with 20 operations on four continents. South African brand names also dominate a large mall opened in Accra in 2008.

After 1994, South Africa identified Côte d’Ivoire as a strategic sub-regional partner due to its strong economy. A bilateral promotion and protection of investment accord was concluded in 1999, but a military coup by General Robert Guei at the end of that year led to a thaw in growing bilateral relations. However, the country would still become South Africa’s

third largest bilateral trade partner in West Africa after Nigeria and Ghana by 2001, and South African companies like Randgold and Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) entered the market. Then President Thabo Mbeki also sought to mediate the country’s civil conflict between 2004 and 2006. Mbeki’s mediation, however, came to be perceived by opposition parties as being biased towards President Laurent Gbagbo. West African actors also became increasingly critical, and Mbeki stepped down from his role before he was pushed.

Côte d’Ivoire remains politically unstable following parliamentary elections in December 2011 which former president, Laurent Gbagbo’s party boycotted, even as he was sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.

There have been widespread allegations of “victor’s justice”, since crimes by troops supporting President Alassane Ouattara have largely gone unpunished. Despite the country’s political fragility, Côte d’Ivoire still remains the largest economy in francophone West Africa, the third largest market in the sub-region after Nigeria and Ghana, and has gold mines, oil, and other economic prospects in sectors that South African companies would find attractive. “God” and unfulfilled “glory” have largely defined this relationship, but the allure of “gold” remains visible just over the horizon.

• Dr. Adebajo is Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Cape Town, and is co-editor of South Africa in Africa.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

52

Opinion Current setback in HIV/AIDS prevention

By Friday Okonofua ECENT evidence suggests that HIV/AIDS remains an unsetR tling conundrum in Nigeria. Despite the efforts that have been made by successive governments since the beginning of the new democratic process to contain the virus, Nigeria still has a higher burden of the disease as compared to our immediate neighbours. Available data indicate that the national prevalence of HIV/AIDS rose from 1.8 per cent in 1991 to a high of 5.8 per cent in 2001 – an astronomical increase within 10 years. The National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) was established in 2000 by President Olusegun Obasanjo and given the mandate to work towards a rapid decline in the prevalence of the disease. Going by the steep slope of its rise, it was expected that a similar steep slope of decline would be achieved, meaning that in ten years a decline to the 1991 threshold would have been attained. Sadly, available evidence indicates that HIV prevalence only declined to 4.1 per cent in 2010 and has plateaued to 4.0 per cent between 2010 and 2013. With an estimated 3.4 million persons living with the virus, Nigeria is currently rated as the country with the second highest burden of the epidemic in the world.

Nigeria also now has some of the world’s most daunting statistics relating to the prevention of HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and children. Recent data from NACA reports that of the nearly six million pregnancies that take place in this country each year, up to 230,000 women are HIV positive. Since many HIV positive women are never tested during pregnancy, this figure may indeed, be an under-estimate. To date, only 18 per cent of HIV pregnant women in Nigeria receive chemoprophylaxis to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies. With countries such as South Africa attaining a coverage rate of over 90 per cent in the prevention of mother to child transmission, Nigeria has the lowest coverage of this indicator in the entire world. As of mid-2013, up to 60,000 HIV positive babies were reported to be born in Nigeria each year. This represents the world’s highest. Although an eight per cent drop in HIV among children aged 0-14 years occurred between 2009 and 2012 with about 10,000 fewer children acquiring HIV, Nigeria is still counted as the country with the slowest rate of decline in the world.

This appalling situation cannot be attributed to inadequate funding as HIV/AIDS has received more funds from the government and several international donor organizations (PEPFAR, Global Fund, World Bank, etc.) over the past 13 years when compared to funding for other health issues. In my view, three principal explanations can be proffered for the pervading setback and slow pace of progress in decelerating the incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

The first is the poor execution of the multi-sectorial approach

to the prevention of the virus. When NACA was first established, its principal mandate was to coordinate the implementation of HIV prevention by different sectors – health, education, Information, Youth and Social Development, Women Affairs, etc. The adoption of this approach was based on experiences from countries such as Uganda that witnessed a rapid decline in HIV within a short period of time due to the implementation of multiple interventions in different sectors, an action plan that was coordinated by President Museveni. Since the advent of HIV/AIDS, it is being increasingly recognised that the disease is not necessarily a medical paradigm, but more a debacle that is driven by a complex mix of social, cultural and economic determinants. Those background factors when addressed would be more likely to lead to a sustained decline in HIV prevalence rather than one based on medical solutions alone. Contrary to this international understanding of the disease determinants, NACA seems to have adopted a solely biomedical solution, and has failed to involve other equally important sectors in addressing the disease burden. Unless efforts are made to involve all sectors in tackling the disease, very limited success can be achieved. An example is the Information Ministry, which if meaningfully engaged through a Presidential matching order would be able to scale up the dissemination of evidence-based information and knowledge about HIV/AIDS to a wide segment of the population without additional costs. The fact that this is not happening has increased the costs of HIV education, with limited results to show for the disorganized and often uncoordinated efforts by diverse civil society organizations.

Equally worrisome is the fact that even the biomedical profiling of the disease has not been well applied in tackling the disease. A vertical approach to programming that ignores health systems strengthening is being systematically pursued to the detriment of the program’s sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

With up to 80 per cent of funding coming from donor agencies, operators of the health care system tends to see HIV/AIDS programming as an externally driven intervention, and has had no mechanism for internalising its methods and processes. For a system already bedevilled with its own internal weaknesses, it has proven unable to handle the additional task of HIV prevention and management. The risk bearing nature of the disease, especially its potential to be transmitted to health care workers, means that the health care system has shown lukewarm attitude, and at best a passive response to the management of the disease. Therefore, the lack of efforts to strengthen the health care system as part of the HIV/AIDS control measures can only slow down the process of change in preventing and managing the disease.

An additional problem is the failure to scale up the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS prevention within the health care

system. To date, HIV has been managed in designated treatment centres, with many health facilities lacking the competence and the logistical support to effectively manage the disease. At the last count, not more than 30 health facilities have been “designated” by NACA as HIV/AIDS treatment centres across the country. This is less than five per cent of the entire health care force in the country. They are also mainly tertiary institutions located in urban areas, with many rural areas lacking access to treatment and prevention. Private health care institutions that offer up to 50 per cent of care in this country, and that are preferred

by HIV patients due to the more confidential nature of the services they provide have not been systematically engaged with the framework to improve their treatment and support for patients afflicted with the disease. When this is compared to South Africa where up to 90 per cent of public and private hospitals in the country offer HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, the extent of poor health care coverage in Nigeria becomes apparent. South Africa is also now implementing a policy on task-shifting whereby non-physicians and those not in the health labour force are trained to provide care to HIV/AIDS patients in their local communities, as a way to increase access to all vulnerable populations.

The failure to scale up HIV prevention and to build the competencies of all health workers to manage the disease is a major drawback in efforts to contain the virus in Nigeria. HIV prevention and treatment is often seen as the exclusive preserve of a few health workers, and even in hospitals designated for treatment and support, only a few doctors and nurses have been trained and “segregated” to provide exclusive care. Many doctors, nurses and other health workers in this country do not have the skills to manage HIV/AIDS patients, and many who previously had skills have been de-skilled due to lack of continued access to patients. My view is that HIV/AIDS should be treated as any other disease, with efforts made to integrate its prevention and treatment into the pre-service and in-service training curricular of all health workers. Unless this is done, and HIV begins to be treated like any other common disease, our efforts to achieve sustainable impact in its prevention and management will be a tall order.

In conclusion, the continued slow pace of progress in reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is worrisome, and can be attributed to poor integration of prevention efforts into existing services. A renewed effort that focuses on country ownership, the adoption of a true multi-sectorial response, health systems strengthening and the decentralization of HIV management within the health care system stands a better chance of success in controlling the disease in the foreseeable future.

• Okonofua is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin.

£3,000 UK visa bond: Is govt huffing, puffing?

By Henry Boyo IGERIANS were recently agitated by the British Government’s proposed demand for a £3,000 bond as a prerequisite for the issuance of a six-month visa for visitors from Nigeria, and five other Commonwealth countries to the United Kingdom. Expectedly, this development has also been widely condemned by the government and members of the National Assembly, who have unanimously urged the British authorities to recognise the value of our intimate historical and economic ties, and reconsider the adoption of such an offensive and hostile policy towards Nigeria.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, on his side, noted that the financial bond was a way of tackling abuse of the UK immigration system. In an attempt to assuage the concerns expressed, the UK mission advised that the bond would only affect a small number of the highest-risk Nigerian visa applicants, and those who do not violate the original terms of entry would receive a refund on return to Nigeria.

However, critics observe that the Conservative Party in the UK hopes to reap political, security and financial benefits from the “visa bond” policy, when effected. In recent years, the results of elections in several European countries have been critically influenced by a swelling demand by the electorate for tougher immigration policies, as indigenous European populations become seriously concerned about what they consider as the threat of liberal immigration policies to their culture and social welfare.

It is also expected that the requirement for a visa bond would enhance security by selectively reducing entry to potential fundamentalists and terrorist materials. It is noteworthy that with the exception of Ghana, the five other targeted countries, i.e., India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nigeria have predominantly non-Christian populations.

Third, critics also see a parasitic financial benefit in the proposed policy. For example, the British High Commission confirmed that over 180,000 Nigerians apply to visit the UK annually; in reality, with current visa fees of about N20,000, this would translate to over N3.6 billion annually; i.e. a sizeable revenue source that may, in fact, be adequate to run the UK mission in Nigeria!

Incidentally, in addition to the official visa levies, applicants are usually further oppressed with other fees often in excess of

N

N50,000 from local agents, who are officially recognised as facilitators of the visa process.

Indeed, if each visa applicant pays the new bond price of £3,000, the British treasury will forcibly collect over £540 million from Nigerians alone. Furthermore, if only 10 per cent of the applicants pay the £3,000 bond, this would still mean an interest-free loan of about £54 million from economically-beleaguered Nigerians, just for the joy of visiting a Commonwealth nation, which arguably became sumptuously endowed from the sweat of the people and wealth of its former colonies. Curiously, francophone countries, from which the British derived minimal capital, and indeed, other politically more volatile Arab states have been exempted from the visa levy. Incidentally, there is no indication that the bond refunds would earn any interest for the six months “loan” to the UK government by visa applicants.

It is also not yet clear what currency the High Commission will demand as settlement for the £3,000 visa bond. Currently, several foreign missions are very clear about the quality of naira denominations that are acceptable for settling their receipted fees.

Not unexpectedly, both the Nigerian and Indian governments have cautioned the UK about the implications of retaliatory measures; Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru stressed that Nigeria might also impose the £3,000 visa bond on British visitors. However, the Nigerian threat may not bring much comfort to long-suffering Nigerians, who have witnessed dramatic government somersaults on such issues in the past. For example, since the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, threatened fire and brimstone over the oppressive airfares charged by British Airways between Nigeria and Britain, regrettably, nothing more has happened, and the initial yell of protest has become less than a whimper. Meanwhile, Nigerians continue to pay what some describe as selective extortionist rates to British Airways! The threat is that if the UK succeeds in its bid, other countries may also demand visa bonds from Nigerians. Instructively, however, even if Nigeria also makes good its threat to reciprocate the £3,000 bond, visa applications from British citizens, the revenue inflow will still be a far cry from the payment by over 180,000 Nigerian applicants for the UK visa.

Readers will recall that Nigerians have not always been unpopular visitors to the UK. For example, before 1985, I embarked on at

least two visits to the UK without a visa issued in Lagos; the visas were ultimately issued without any fuss or harrowing demands at the point of entry at Heathrow Airport. Curiously, on one occasion, the immigration officers were alarmed that I wished to spend only a week in the UK, and therefore encouraged me to spend longer time and enjoy their “beautiful country”. Surprisingly, despite my reluctance to extend my visit, I was still given a six-month visa.

Curiously, even when Nigeria was a pariah nation due to military rule, Nigerian visitors were still gladly welcomed because the big spending appetite of our people was sweet music on British High streets! (Incredibly, our foreign reserves were below $5 billion then, but naira exchanged almost at par with the British pound sterling, and wage levels and job opportunities in Nigeria were relatively better than elsewhere!). Not surprisingly, the commercial bond of friendship gradually began to wane as naira exchange rate literally crashed on the adoption of the IMF-sponsored Structural Adjustment Programme, and several industries closed shop as raw material costs escalated; evidently, the popularity of the Nigerian tourist has over time become negatively adjusted in consonance with our ‘sick’ naira!

The collapse of the Nigerian economy and abiding double-digit inflation rates over many years have led to reduction in job opportunities and ultimately opened the floodgates for Nigerian job seekers, some of whom embark on suicidal journeys across deserts and oceans to the UK and elsewhere. Paradoxically, we are encouraged to celebrate the cash inflow that comes as personal remittance from the employment of Nigerians in the Diaspora; whether or not this cash inflow compensates for the attendant antisocial impact of brain and manpower drain on the economy is another question entirely.

Painfully, also, according to a report credited to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Nigerians still spend over N80 billion ($500 million) annually to train our young ones in the UK educational institutions. Worse still, the beneficiaries of this sacrifice will remain reluctant to come back to Nigeria after the completion of their studies, because of the scarcity of jobs as well as the foreign exchange valuation of the existing wage structure.

• Boyo is a commentator on finance and public affairs.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

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Media ‘Why CNN is committed to reporting Africa positively’ Interview Deborah Rayner is the Vice President and Managing Editor, CNN International, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). She is responsible for the editorial strategy and growth of CNNI’s EMEA operation, overseeing London programming output and newsgathering across the region. An award-winning news producer and documentary maker, she joined CNN in October 2008 as director of International Production and was appointed managing editor in December of same year. She oversees the network’s programming from London as well as regional newsgathering across Europe and Africa. In this interview with KABIR ALABI GARBA, she takes a look at activities of CNN in the continent and ways to grow journalism in Nigeria INCE Rayner assumed office, she has Swork’s launched the production in-house of the netmonthly documentary series, World’s Untold Stories — which has been nominated for two international media awards — while she continues to develop new programme strands.

She is also responsible for the launch of all London-based programming within that lineup including Quest Means Business and Connect The World.

“I have an exceptional track record in producing dynamic news content and film-making around the world. During my 20-year career in broadcast journalism, I have set an international standard for innovative news coverage and independent filmmaking. For more than 10 years under my stewardship as senior foreign editor, Channel 4 News in the UK achieved award-winning coverage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; the Israel-Hezbollah war; and a run of first live programmes from inside Iran with news presenter Jon Snow.”

She has also nurtured a stable of diverse talent, reflecting her commitment to original journalism, and a reputation for agenda-setting reportage. Together with her experience in leading and motivating international teams, she is at the forefront of laying the foundation for the future growth and development of CNN International’s editorial strategy.

“I have been instrumental in launching new and innovative news broadcasts and winning numerous awards, including the RTS, BAFTA, EMMY, Amnesty International and New York Television Festival Awards for domestic and international commissions,” she explains.

Of all the international news networks, CNN probably has the most robust and established heritage of covering Africa editorially – from a news and features standpoint.

To the network, Africa is an increasingly important part of the global story and its editorial commitment reflects that. The long-running Inside Africa (now in its 14th year), Marketplace Africa (launched in 2010) and African Voices (launched in 2009) provide a regular offering of bespoke, Africa-focused programming that highlights the most compelling human, economic, business and cultural stories for an international audience.

“Africa is hugely important to the future of the world, not just broadcasting and journalism.

We are immensely proud of our long-term commitment to Africa and there is no better example of that than the African Journalist Awards, which are now in their 18th year. These have showcased the best in African journalism and helped provide recognition to the immense breadth of talent here on the continent. CNN

Deborah also has three programmes, African Voices, Inside Africa, Marketplace Africa, dedicated to African stories across business, culture and more, and we work closely with our affiliate partners across Africa,” she says.

According to Rayner, “the CNN Freedom Project is dedicated to ending human trafficking. We think that in 2013, it is truly appalling that this kind of thing is still going on in countries across the world, rich and poor. We’re very proud of the successes the Freedom Project has achieved so far. The fight against human trafficking is something we are passionate about, and to which we are absolutely committed; but that doesn’t mean we are not interested in other issues. We also lend our support to many other charities and organisations via CNN’s Impact Your World initiative, which provides valuable exposure to the work of many organisations dealing with other important issues. There are many occasions when our viewers want to react to stories they have seen on CNN by offering practical help.

Impact Your World helps them to do that.”

On the accusation that CNN always focus on negative news such as war and crisis in third world countries and Africa, Rayner remarks: “That accusation tends to come from people who do not actually watch CNN. Of course, we are going to report on difficult issues in Africa in the same way that we would anywhere in the world. But our three African programmes – African Voices, Inside Africa and Marketplace Africa – show many facets of countries like Nigeria, including business, culture, sport and more. Many of these are positive stories of entrepreneurship, creativity and success. We will not shy away from reporting violence or corruption because it is our duty as journalists to expose those realities – and our viewers expect and deserve that from us. But to say that our coverage is always negative is profoundly untrue. If you take time to watch our African content you will see that very quickly.”

Meanwhile, investment in programming and staff infrastructure on the continent continues to be a focus – last year, Inside Africa

gained an on-the-ground correspondent in Errol Barnett, based in Johannesburg, plus a dedicated Johannesburg-based producer. CNN also appointed Vladimir Duthiers as the network’s Lagos correspondent in 2012.

As a network, it remains committed to the African story, not just journalistically, but also in terms of supporting its own journalistic enterprise, through the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards, which have just entered its 18th year.

“That’s something we’re very proud of – CNN takes its role as the global news leader very seriously in terms of ‘giving back’, which is why these Awards are so important to us. They have helped many of Africa’s finest journalists develop their careers, take up training opportunities, or gain promotion,” reveals Rayner.

Engaging African audiences is important to the network — only recently, in the lead up to the announcement of a new Pope, it commissioned a bespoke mobile survey that canvassed the opinions of more than 20,000 Africans to find out if they thought the continent and the world was ready for an African Pope.

OR Rayner, the best ways to grow the media Faudience, industry in the continent is to “listen to your adapt to change and maintain the basic principles of journalism. The world needs professional journalists now more than ever; stick to those basics and I think we have a bright future as an industry.”

She continues, “Nigeria has many different media outlets in broadcast, print and online so there is a good deal of choice for consumers, which is important. The growth of social media in Nigeria is truly remarkable and Nigerians are extraordinarily engaged online, which I’m sure will help drive broadcast journalists to improve. Plurality is healthy, and an engaged audience tends to scrutinise its news media to a greater degree. Because of this, I’m very optimistic for the future of journalism in Nigeria.”

On what challenges CNN faces operating in

Nigeria, the CNN executive says, “Nigeria is a large and diverse country with quite varied infrastructure, so that can present challenges in terms of logistics and transportation. Obtaining visas can sometimes be time consuming. But we operate in many countries that present far greater challenges, so Nigeria is relatively straightforward in comparison. Our relationships with people on the ground are strong, so that always helps.”

While saying that Nigeria’s potential is enormous – it has such a vibrant culture, some ambitious and very smart businesses, and its economy is progressing all the time — Rayner notes, “if it can make more of its natural resources and combat the challenges it faces from extremism, its influence in Africa and beyond can only grow. That is exciting, and it’s a story our viewers will want to follow and understand.”

She adds, “we have always paid close attention to Nigeria, but there is no doubt that more stories of global significance are now emerging from this country. Nigerian business is taking its place on the global stage, its role in the world is becoming ever more important, Nollywood is showcasing the enormous creativity that exists here, there are great writers, musicians, sport stars, wherever you look there is something interesting.”

She believes that what has sustained CNN especially with stories it gets from distance locations, is attention to details. “Check, check and check again. The growth of social media has meant that the role of a newsroom is often to curate and verify content.

That can be labour intensive and challenging, but it is incredibly important. We would always rather take our time and be right, than rush to release a story and misreport it,” she says.

According to Rayner, one of the great privileges of working for an organisation like CNN is the chance it gives a person to see more of the world, and really get under the skin of so many different countries and cultures — an international outlook has always been at the core of CNN though, and is part of everything we do.

At the core of CNN strategy in Africa, she discloses, “is our audiences here and around the world. Listening to those audiences, adapting to their habits and needs, is crucial – and I think our content reflects that. I think African audiences appreciate the care and attention we give to African stories, but I also think they are more engaged with the rest of the world than ever – and we can offer them the kind of global perspective they seek. We are also very passionate about this continent, so perhaps, it is also that passion that brings people to us.”

For all its efforts, CNN is recognised and wholly adopted in the continent for the authenticity of its news and stories that touch the soul of Africa.

The latest independent research confirmed that CNN is the number one international media brand in Africa, across all platforms, and reaches seven out of 10 of the continent’s upscale population every month.

“We have correspondents based in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, who also travel across the continent to cover breaking news. Our Africa bureau is based in Johannesburg. We have a network of freelance and affiliate partners across the continent and as you’ll see from our air, we are very visible wherever major stories break,” the CNN boss says.

While admitting that CNN doesn’t broadcast from Africa even when they broadcast from Hong Kong, London and other places, she argues, “when there is an African story of global importance we often broadcast from our bureau in South Africa, and a great deal of programming comes from across Africa. Our main broadcasting hubs are in Atlanta, New York, London, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, but Africa is a regular feature of our live output.”

MEDIA 55

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

At eight-day fidau, rain of tributes for Odunewu What a big calamity for the 4th Estate of the Realm in Nigeria, the NMMA and globally! He was an excellent professional, a good mentor, and a scooper of scoop! May his soul continue to rest in perfect peace. — Prof.

Akinfeleye

By Gbenga Salau th

HE 8 day fidau prayer for Alhaji Alade T Odunewu, which was held two weeks ago at the Island Club gave friends, colleagues and family members another opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of one of the finest journalists Nigeria has ever produced, highlighting how his actions and commitments positively impacted them, and by extension, the society.

Before the tributes session at the event, the late Odunewu, who was described as ‘the dean of the Nigerian satirical writing’ by the late Nnamdi Azikwe, there were prayers and recitations from the Holy Qur’an by Muslim clerics for the acceptance of his soul and for forgiveness and mercies by God. There were also prayers for his children and members of his family.

In one of the tributes by chairman of Crescent Bearers, Lagos, one of the associations Odunewu belonged, Mr. Akin KekereEkun described him as a very rare, uncommon and detribalized Nigerian, who championed the cause of the common man and the downtrodden.

Kekere-Ekun narrated how he came into journalism by taking a cue from one of his brothers who was also a journalist, how he rose from a reporter to the pinnacle of his career and the schools he attended, including his public service commitment.

He said, “We, the members of Crescent Bearers (1939) Lagos, always looked forward to his well thought out and articulate contributions at our meetings. We will miss his incisive and invaluable contributions to our discussions, his wise and fatherly counsel. AlladDe served for three terms as chairman of the Crescent Bearers and he was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the association to the very end.

“We, the members of Crescent Bearers, Lagos, will greatly miss Allah-De ‘the dean of Nigerian satirical writing’. We pray Almighty Allah to grant Allah-De eternal rest in aljanat fridaus and his family the fortitude to bear the great loss. Amen”.

Odunewu was a member of the NMMA BoT for 22 years and served as the chairman of the BoT between 2000 and 2012.

Speaking on behalf of Nigeria Media Merit Award, (NMMA) where Odunewu was the

Ebun Awosika (right) and other guests at the Fidau session on August 2 in Lagos immediate past chairman of Board of Trustees, the organisation expressed its sincere condolence to the entire Odunewu family, friends, colleagues and indeed the entire Nigeria media on the transition of “our renowned media veteran, foremost columnist and an eminent statesman”.

Engr. Vincent Maduka, the chairman, NMMA BoT, stated that as part of his love for the media, he endowed an award category known as ‘Alade Odunewu Prize for Columnist of the Year.

His speech, which was read by Prof. Ralph Akinfelye, stated, “His contribution to the growth of the NMMA is inestimable and we are consoled by the fact that he left indelible foot-

T was double honour and IAdepoju, joy unlimited for Mr. Yinka Harvest of awards for OYSAA and Advertisement Agency Director General, Oyo State as the best out of Home Signage and Advertisement Advertising Regulatory Agency Agency, in Nigeria with professional colleagues, fami- a “Platinum Advertisement ly members and friends when Award of Excellence while the he picked up Director General, Mr. two professional awards on Yinka Adepoju was presented behalf of the State at Sheraton the “Distinguished Excellence Hotel & Award” “as Towers, Ikeja Lagos recently. Best out of Home Regulatory The event which was put Agency Chief Executive Officer together by Phillip Omnicom, in Nigeria. a team of highly The Chairman Award organizinfluential and respected ing Committee, Mr. Cammil Brand and Business Chineme in his Professionals with the welcome address said support of International the Award ceremony which Brand Association and HSBS was the third edition of Nigeria Group, an event Brands Awards was initiated to marketing Company appreciate the adjudged Oyo State Signage

professional prowess of distinguished brand practitioners and companies that have exhibited uncommon innovation, professionalism, dynamism and excellence in the promotion of brands to super brands in Nigeria.

He added that the yearly event is geared towards encouraging greater creativity and more importantly acknowledging and applauding effective marketing strategy and tools that deliver results.

In his own reaction, Mr. Yinka Adepoju, a fellow of Advertising

prints and appreciated by the entire nation, particularly the members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. His ‘Allah-De satirical newspaper column in the Daily Times was very popular and contributed immensely to social development and democratic emancipation of Nigeria.

“His contributions to the development of the Nigerian Institute of journalism (NIJ), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) are immeasurable alongside his comrades such as Alhaji Lateef Jakande, late Alhaji Babatunde Jose, and many others. He was also pioneer Chairman of the National Press Council (NPC) Practitioners Council of Nigeria gave thanks to God Almighty and appreciated the organizers for the honour. He dedicated the Awards to Governor Abiola Ajimobi whose initiative, he asserted, gave birth to the fast growing regulatory agency 14 months ago.

He also seized the opportunity to acknowledge his professional colleagues whose solid support, cooperation and show of love made the agency’s modest achievements so far recorded possible.

He asserted that the Awards would inspire him to do more for the agency in particular and the State in general.

inaugurated in 1992 to oversee the practice of journalism in Nigeria.”

Commenting on Odunewu’s exit, Prof.

Akinfeleye, now Chairman, NMMA Panel of Assessors and Chair, Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos had said, “What a big calamity for the 4th Estate of the Realm in Nigeria, the NMMA and globally. He was an excellent professional, a good mentor, and a scooper of scoop! May his soul continue to rest in perfect peace.”

One of the clerics at the event also commented on how he contributed financially to the propagation of Islam, including providing advice for the sect.

Director of Investigation, Public Complaint Commission, (PCC), Stella Ozojiofor, who spoke on behalf of PCC, said that although she did not meet the late Odunewu at the PCC, she, however, heard a lot about him because the staff she met at PCC spoke positively about him.

She said Odunewu was a man of integrity who was jovial and could easily be approached. She further said that most of the staff who worked under him when he served as a commissioner said they learnt a lot from him, including report writing.

One of his children, Ebun Awosika, who spoke on behalf of the family, thanked and appreciated all those who sympathized and supported the family. Ebun, who noted that it was an emotional day for her, said his father would be dearly missed by the entire family, especially the grandchildren.

Also present at the prayer were colleagues, his mentees, family members, representatives of associations and groups among whom were, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Mr. Lanre Idowu, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adesina, Professor Ralph Akinfeleye, former editor, Sunday Times, Mr. Tunde Awobiyi and Executive Secretary, Nigeria Press Council, (NPC), Mr. Bayo Atoyebi.

Mr Yinka Adepoju waiting to collect his Award

Campari… rewarding loyal consumer Promo by the success of its SthePURRED recently launched TVC, Campari, popular drink in the alcohol and spirit category has announced the launch of its new consumer promotion tagged A Taste of Things to Come The 8 weeks promotion, aimed at rewarding the ever-growing loyal consumers of Campari began on July 18 and it would run till September 6, 2013 in seven major cities inculding Lagos, Aba, Enugu,

Port Harcourt, Calabar, Abuja and Ibadan. It will take place in selected jollity bars centers, bars, grocery supermarkets and open markets.

A Taste of Things to Come promotion allows consumers to purchase any bottle size of Campari (20cl, 50cl and 100cl) and receive a coupon that qualifies them for the draw to win a Brand New KIA Rio, 42 inch Plasma TV, Mobile Phones and Digital Cameras.

To participate, the consumer has to, when buying Campari, collect a coupon in any of the designated redemption centers in the cities, after

presenting bottle cap as proof of purchase, to fill in name, phone number, address and email in the coupon.

Completed coupon will be returned to the Campari team, this qualifies the consumer for entry into the grand draw. A consumer can purchase Campari anywhere in the cities, and return the caps to any of the designated redemption centers.

Campari bottle cap serves as evidence of consumption and qualifies the consumer for a coupon There will be instant reward (Tshirts, Caps, Flash Drives and Pens)

for consumers who purchase the 1L bottle.

The Campari team will be visiting selected outlets in the seven cities across Nigeria to offer consumers a taste of Campari Orange and other Campari Cocktails (mix of Campari with their favourite drink). The cities will be visited in this order Port Harcourt, Aba, Calabar, Enugu, Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos.

Campari is a contemporary and charismatic classic. The recipe, which has remained unchanged, originated in Novara in 1860 and is

the base for some of the most famous cocktails around the world. Campari is an alcoholic spirit obtained from an infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruits.

With its vibrant red color, intense aroma and inspiring flavor, Campari has always been a symbol of intrigue and pleasure, which unfolds itself into a captivating drinking experience. These are the values that have made the Campari brand famous throughout the world as an icon of passionate Italian style and excellence.

56

BondWatch DLM BOND WATCH: August 12, 2013

GUARDIAN, Monday, June12, 6,2013 2011 THETHE GUARDIAN, Monday, August

Published in association with (Regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission of Nigeria)

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

57

Issues In The News

Delta plans for future without oil ...High quality rice produced in the state would flood the market soon From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba

ETERMINED to realise its ambition of Delta Beyond Oil, D the state government is to embark on technological innovations in agriculture and agro-business.

The drive was again underlined by Commerce and Industry Commissioner, Kingsley Emuwhile, speaking to reporters on the forthcoming Delta Trade Fair 2013 in Asaba recently. It is being organised by the Delta State Association of Chambers for Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (DACCIMA).

He explained that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry would soon establish 10 industries which include six cassava mills and four fish field mills across the state as the government was seriously looking at other alternative sources of development apart from oil.

He assured the general public that expectations were high for the fair which holds in October at Osubi, near Warri and expected to showcase more innovations and creativity of the rich human resource of Deltans to the world.

The commissioner said: “The government will also give priority attention to aquaculture to grow fish for the state.

We are advantaged in this business because Delta State accounts for 60 per cent land and 40 per cent river.

Besides, there are other new areas of products to be showcase in the trade fair.”

Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah, said the Emmanuel Uduaghan administration would not fail in actualising the dream of establishing the state industrially and meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people through the governor’s three-point agenda anchored on peace and security, human capital and infrastructural development.

The Economic Adviser to the Governor, Chief Afam Abiago, said the fair would identify value for products and the dream of making Delta State the investors’ preferred destination.

President of DACCIMA, Chief Uju Udeme, pledged that the association and the supporting ministry were striving to give Deltans a befitting fair.

Delta State Trade Consultant, Chief Austine Ezagbo, called on the private sector to partner with the government on fair in order to add value to the human capital development programme of the state government.

Govt to flood market with locally produced rice The old Midwestern and later Bendel State was famous for locally produced rice. It was then popularly called Ekpoma rice. Like the fate suffered by other agricultural products, oil wealth made Nigeria to shift from focus on local production to importation.

However, in furtherance of its ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ vision, the Governor Uduaghan administration has promised that high quality rice produced in the state would flood the market in the next six months. Delta State was a part of the old Bendel.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Commissioner, Misan Ukubeyinje, who disclosed this at Ebu in Oshimili North Local Government Area, recently said that the government has been deploying more resources and efforts towards harnessing the state’s agricultural potential.

‘Delta Beyond Oil’ vision is Dr. Uduaghan’s strategy to utilise revenue from petroleum to diversify the economy to ensure that in its absence, the state will remain self-sufficient and be able to cater for the needs of its people.

Ukubeyinje, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Solomon Ashe Sajere, told Ebu people that their community was selected alongside two other sites in Central and South Senatorial districts of the state for the mass production of rice.

According to him, ecological factors like climate, landscape, fertility of land and optimum supply of water have made government to choose such places for the rice production project.

He assured the community and Rice Growers Association (RGA) that government would continue to provide the enabling environment and equipment as well as early maturing and highest yielding seedlings to guarantee maximum production.

Ukubeyinje said that the government would equally supervise the project to ensure that standards are maintained in terms of production processes and produce han-

‘

Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah, said the Emmanuel Uduaghan administration would not fail in actualising the dream of establishing the state industrially and meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people through the governor’s threepoint agenda anchored on peace and security, human capital and infrastructural development.

Governor Uduaghan

dling in each of the farms.

Responding on behalf of the Ebu, His Royal Highness, the Regent, Chief Sunday Ofune, and his Ekpechor community counterpart, Chief Solomon Achije, the Akpala of Ekpechor assured the government of their willingness and cooperation to actualise the project in their community.

The commissioner had remarked earlier that Ewu and Jakpa in Ughelli North and Warri North local government area respectively had also been chosen for the same purpose.

Apart from oil, Delta State is blessed with agricultural and other mineral resources. About 60 per cent of Deltans are engaged in agriculture and the government is already expanding the agriculture value chain to ensure that it moves to processing and manufacturing levels, the commissioner said.

Also, in harnessing the agricultural and other mineral and human resources for the people’s benefit, the government is utilising Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial clusters model. There is equally the utilisation of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, engaging in institutional reforms, capacity building, vocational skill training as well as support schemes to students among others, he added.

To boost morale of security personnel And in pursuit of its agenda of safeguarding lives and property, the government is to strengthen the confidence of security personnel by making available to them ballistic vests and ceramic helmets.

In fact, it has ordered about 2500 pieces of the vests and 2000 pieces of ballistic ceramic helmets.

The vests and helmets will help in boosting the morale of security personnel in reducing the rate of crime.

Speaking on the security situation in the state, Ogeah said: “As we speak, security in Delta State is at optimum level with the environment very clement for businesses and individuals to operate. Time was when kidnapping and other violent crimes got quite disturbing. But His Excellency, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, CON embarked on a concerted programme to improve security.

“We cannot readily put a figure on the cost of providing security in the state as it is an exercise that keeps rolling.

Besides, I think it is more wholesome to imagine the absence of a secure environment for businesses to thrive.

The government is prepared to commit requisite resources to the provision of security in the state. The real

‘

Petroleum Resources Ministert, Diezani Allison-Madueke

Also, in harnessing the agricultural and other mineral and human resources for the people’s benefit, the government is utilising Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial clusters model. There is equally the utilisation of PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) model, engaging in institutional reforms, capacity building, vocational skill training as well as support schemes to students among others, he added.

’

cost of security, for me, is the cost of absence of security for people to live safely.”

The state government has been boosting the capability and confidence of security personnel. Earlier in the year, Uduaghan, under the Delta State Government Special Security Patrol initiative, handed over 30 Toyota Hilux vans to the Police The initiative is part of measures to tackle crimes like kidnapping and armed robbery.

Handing over the vehicles to the police, Dr. Uduaghan noted that the rate of kidnapping was dropping in the state and promised to continue to intensify efforts towards providing adequate security.

He said he would provide a safe haven for investors and guarantee peace and security so that prospective investors would operate in a conducive atmosphere.

He explained that the vehicles have been assigned to different routes across the state to ensure that all areas in the state were adequately monitored and secured.

He commended local government chairmen for supporting his administration’s efforts especially for assisting security operatives to maintain peace and security.

The governor also commended security operatives for their efforts in reducing crime, especially kidnapping which he said had reduced significantly.

Receiving the vehicles, the state Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, warned criminals to turn a new leaf because his men would get them if they failed to heed his warning.

He lauded Uduaghan for providing the vehicles and assured that they would be properly utilised to combat crime.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, August 12, 2013

58

Sports Moscow 2013 IAAF World Championships

Okagbare’s silver ends Nigeria’s 14-year wait for medal Nation fifth on medal’s table

By Christian Okpara IGERIA’S golden girl, Blessing Okagbare battled long and hard to put her fatherland on the gold medal honours list, but in the end she had to settle for the silver owing to the unyielding stance of U.S.A’s Brittney Reese at the on-going IAAF World Championships holding at the Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia.

Okagbare’s medal also ended Nigeria’s 14-year wait to climb the podium in the championship that features such African countries as Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana, Gabon, South Africa and even Tanzania regularly among the winners.

And it was a delirious feeling among Nigerians at the stadium when the GreenWhite-Green was raised during the long jump medals’ presentation.

The Sapele girl’s medal even propelled Nigeria to the fifth position, momentarily, on the medals’ table.

Before the jumps started, some athletics followers had tipped Okagbare to end Reese’s quest to win an unprecedented third gold medal in the women’s Long Jump at the IAAF World Championships?

Reese only just squeaked through to the final as her jump of 6.57m was good enough for 12th place – and even then on count back. But she came back in a different way yesterday when she jumped 7.01 metres in her first jump, which was good enough to win her third suc-

N

cessive world title.

She didn’t have it all her own way though, as Blessing Okagbare opened with 6.89m; significantly farther than Reese’s opening 6.50m. Ivana Spanovic of Serbia had the second-best mark of the opening round with 6.70m.

In round two, Reese flew out to 7.01m to take the lead.

Volha Sudareva of Belarus moved into the bronze medal position with 6.82m with Proctor (6.79m) and Darya Klishina (6.76m) close behind.

Next up for Okagbare is a battle with two-time Olympic gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, for the 100 metres title.

Okagbare, who beat FraserPryce in their last clash before Moscow, looked almost too easy for it to be an 11.03 clocking, but it sent a gentle reminder to her opponents that there is plenty more in the bag.

Also in the final is Gloria Asunmu, whose performance here has given Nigeria’s hope a good finish in the 4x100 metres race.

Relishing her performance yesterday, Okagbare said, “I give glory to the almighty God, I thank him for everything. I also thank him for using me because he could have used anybody, I thank him for using me. I also thank all members of my family, friends and relations for their support.”

On today’s 100m final, Okagbare is optimistic, though she is shying away from predicting the eventual outcome of the race.

Serena leads WTA top 20 stars to Cincinnati Open HE entire Women Tennis T Association (WTA) top 20 players will turn out for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where Maria Sharapova will make her return from injury and debut new coach, Jimmy Connors, in her player’s box.

Azarenka seems recovered from the bad back that had her miss Toronto, while Serena Williams remains on a tear, competing in the Toronto final yesterday.

How tough is the Cincinnati draw? Former Slam champ, Svetlana Kuznetsova, barely got in, while former French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, didn’t, and has to play the qualifying.

The seeds at the Western/Southern Open are Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Li Na, Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova, Marion Bartoli, Angelique

Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, and Samantha Stosur.

They are joined by Roberta Vinci, Kirsten Flipkens, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Maria Kirilenko The floaters are Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams, (WC) Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Sabine Lisicki, Sloane Stephens, Shuai Peng and Alize Cornet.

The top eight seeds receive opening-round byes, just as Sharapova returns from her hip injury.

There are tough games involving 11th seeded Stosur against Kuznetsova, Errani versus Cibulkova, and Vinci versus Mattek-Sands (WC) with the winner likely meeting Daniela Hantuchova.

Serena could meet the Wimbledon champion, Bartoli, in the quarterfinals, while Flipkens and Venus could arrange a rematch from last week in the second round.

The big jump…Blessing Okagbare leaps to a silver medal winning 6.99 metres at the on-going IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia…yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP.

Glo Nigeria Premier League

Enyimba shoots down Nembe United, 3SC beats Kano Pillars 3-1

By Christian Okpara ISHOP Onyeudo scored both goals as former African champions, Enyimba, defeated Nembe United 2-0 at the Aba Stadium to continue their climb up the league ladder.

The Aba boys, who are now third on the table with the win, kicked off the encounter knowing that victory would aid their quest for one of the two CAF Champions League tickets in the league, got the goals in the first half, one of the goals coming through a penalty awarded after a Nembe star was adjudged to

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have infringed on the rules in the box.

They held on in the second half despite Nembe United’s spirited efforts to come back into the game. They ensured that Enyimba got four points from their encounters with Nembe United this season.

In Ibadan, league leaders, Kano Pillars suffered a setback when they lost 1-2 to a 3SC fighting to avoid relegation this season.

3SC opened scores in the game through Kingsley Ediwo in the 21st minute, but Pillars equalised shortly after through NAsir Ali. The Ibadan warriors

scored two more goals through Tony Edjomariegwe and Ediwo to put the game beyond Pillars.

In other games played yesterday, Akwa United defeated Wikki Tourists, ABS beat Lobi Stars 2-1, while Sunshine demolished Dolphins 3-0.

Sharks also beat Gombe United 3-0, Heartland defeated Kwara United by a lone goal, just as Enugu Rangers was 2-1 better than Kaduna United.

Nasarawa United drew 1-1 with Warri Wolves, with Bayelsa beating El Kanemi 3-

Moyes dedicates first trophy to Ferguson, denies rift with Rooney AVID Moyes insisted D Manchester United’s Community Shield triumph was down to Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday afternoon.

The Scot watched his team defeat Wigan Athletic 2-0 at Wembley, but heaped praise on his predecessor after the game.

He told his post-match press conference, “I class that as another piece of silverware for Sir Alex. It was his team that won the Premier League last season and his team that won today, I was just in charge of them.

“I owe Sir Alex a massive thank you for getting me into this position.”

Moyes hit back at suggestions he has fallen out with forward, Wayne Rooney, fol-

lowing the Community Shield victory over Wigan Athletic.

The England striker, who has been the subject of two failed bids from Chelsea this summer, trained with the reserves earlier this week.

Many reported that was because he had fallen out with the Scot, but Moyes refuted those suggestions yesterday.

He told his post-match press conference, “I didn’t fall out with Wayne. Some of you wrote untruths there.

“He played for the reserves because he asked to. He contracted a shoulder injury so we used him as a floating player, so he played for both squads. Anyone, who wrote that (we fell out) was mislead-

ing readers.”

Robin van Persie struck twice to earn Manchester United a convincing 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at a sundrenched Wembley on Sunday.

The Premier League champions outclassed the surprise FA Cup winners in the traditional English season curtainraiser to give their new manager, David Moyes, an early trophy in his reign at Old Trafford.

Van Persie powered home an angled header after six minutes and fired in a deflected shot just before the hour to see off Championship side Wigan, who stunned Manchester City to win the Cup before being relegated last season.

Soccer Fans League to reward football buffs

By Adeyinka Adedipe NITIATOR of Soccer Fans League, Victor Okpara of Ziem Innovations, has said the need to reward loyal fans gave birth to the idea.

Speaking at a parley at the weekend, Okpara stated that the passion with which fans discuss about their darling clubs, reel out statistics and past record, deserved to be rewarded.

He noted that competition between rival fans would be on television with N1m, N500, 000, N100, 000 with four lap tops each to be won by the first three finishers at the league ends.

According to Okpara, fans of 12 European clubs – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Ajax, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Juventus, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Barcelona and Manchester City will be involved in the league for now.

He, however, promised that fans of other clubs would have the opportunity to join the competition, once a review is done after the end of the first phase. He also noted that Nigerian clubsides would be included in future, stating that it would help them build database for their clubs.

Okpara said that the first phase of the competition is open to fans in Lagos and Ogun states, with a view of making it national in future.

Interested fans, according to Okpara, are expected to purchase scratch cards at designated centres in the two states.

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SPORTS

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Lagos International Table Tennis Classics

Chinese Taipei, Italy, Tunisia, others sign in for tournament HE quality of teams, as T well as players confirming their participation for the first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics continue to swell, as Chinese Taipei, Italy, Tunisia, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC, Ghana and a host of others will be in Lagos from August 26 to 31 for the championship.

Chinese Taipei’s duo of Lin Chia-Hui and Chiang HungChieh joined the league to top players, while Italy’s national champion, Mihai Bobocica is also expected to take part in the competition.

Chia-Hui and Hung-Chieh will compete in the women and men singles event, as well as, the mixed doubles.

Twenty-four year-old HungChieh is Chinese Taipei national player rated 62 in

Asia and he is a former World University Champion, who enjoyed a successful career at the youth categories, winning several ITTF World Junior Circuits.

The offensive right-handed player recorded some excellent results at the last World Championships in France, defeating top seeds like Kim Hyok Bong of North Korea and Lee Sangsu of South Korea.

Bobocica is a Romanianborn Italian player, who competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games in China and London. He is ranked 89 in the world and he is Italy’s number one player ranked 33 in Europe.

Tunisia Table Tennis Association Technical Director, Ghazi Belkahia confirmed the participation of

Adam Hmam and Abderrazek Souabni, while current African women champion, Congo Brazzaville’s Chinese-born Han Xing will also be part of the championship.

Also in the colour of Congo Brazzaville, Nigerian-born Saka Suraju will be in Lagos for the competition.

The Secretary General of Cote d’Ivoire Table Tennis Association, Kouadjo Yao Thiery listed the duo of Ali Kanate and Oba Oba Kizito for the championship.

Also Congo DRC has listed 10 players and three officials for the tournament with the team competing in the junior and senior events.

According to Competition Manager, John Peters, the presence of top players across the globe would surely bring back the golden era of the game in Nigeria.

An excited Peters said he was particularly impressed that players across Africa have also signified their interest to be part of the tournament, adding that this goes to show that the players recognised the role Nigeria plays in the world.

Nigeria’s Edith Ogoke (left) fights against Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova during the quarterfinal bout of the 2012 London Olympics.

NBF’s National Open Boxing Championship begins August 16

By Adeyinka Adedipe HE newly elected board of T the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) has concluded plans to host the 2013 National Open Boxing Championship from August 16 to 24 at the National Stadium, Lagos.

At a press conference held at the weekend, a member of the board, Azania OmoAgege, who stood in for the President, Ken Minimah said

Pa Fashola was Lagos’ pillar of sport, says Balogun S Lagos State Governor, A Babatunde Raji Fashola and family converge for the

Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Hung-Chieh is one of the top players expected in Lagos for the International Classics this month

Korean Ambassador’s International Taekwondo Championship returns to Lagos

By Olalekan Okusan OR the first time in the last four years, the yearly Korean Ambassador’s West Africa Taekwondo Team Championships, Lagos State will be returning to Lagos for the epic tournament scheduled for September 9 to 11.

In a statement issued by the organisers, Nigeria Taekwondo Black Belt College (NTBBC) and the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria, over nine teams from West African sub region are expected to be part of the three-day tournament holding at Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The champion, which is sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea will be supported by LG Electronics and sanctioned by the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) will have teams across the country

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competing in the male and female events.

According to NTF President, George Ashiru, “this is the first time since 1986 that Team fighting event has been held in Nigeria. Also this is the first time ever we are having the creative poomsae and the special skills (kyokpa or breaking).”

He added, “tournaments are the life of Taekwondo, and we are thankful that the Korean Government continues to be pro-active in ensuring we have more tournament. We are hopeful that indigenous corporate organisations and governmental bodies, looking for vibrant events to invest in would take full advantage of our current momentum, and partner with us for our many up-coming creative programs/events.”

eight-day Fidau prayer for their late father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola, the Teslim Balogun Sports Development Foundation has extolled the qualities of the patriarch, revealing that he was one of the pillars of sports in the state.

In a statement signed by Kayode Teslim Balogun, president of the foundation and son of the football legend, Teslim Balogun, the late Pa Fashola not only provided the best possible formal education for his children, but also ensured that they were actively involved and committed to sports, “a value, which enhanced all round development of his children and which Lagosians and Nigerians are now benefiting from through the works of the governor.”

“It is common knowledge

that Governor Fashola is a very skilled and all round sportsman and that quality derives from the kind of education and exposure that he enjoyed from his father. But most importantly, he has brought that to bear in his commitment to sports development through the establishment of facilities and the training and support for young and old athletes across all communities in Lagos State and the country at large,” the foundation said.

The foundation advised parents to emulate the late Pa Fashola and commit to encouraging and supporting their children to be actively involved in sports, which it said is critical to character building with the qualities of hard work, vision for excellence, team spirit, simplicity, friendship and sportsmanship in children, for the good of society.

the new board wants to bring boxing back to life, hence the need to start with the open championship.

Omo-Agege said the championship was a key part of the federation’s strategic intent to discover talents, expose them to competitions and prepare them for continental and global tournaments.

He said that participants are expected from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as well as the armed forces and the para-military agencies.

Each state, he noted, has the chance of presenting one athlete in all 10 weight categories for the male event and three for the female event.

According to Omo-Agege, the nine-day championship, will see the men battle in the 49kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kgand plus 91kg while women slug it out in the 51kg, 60kg and 75kg.

He said that the aim of the competition was to select boxers that would compete in the 18th African Elite Boxing Champion in Mauritius,

Youth Women Boxing Championship in Belgium, World Boxing Championship in Kazakhstan, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympics.

While the federation is still waiting to be inaugurated after fulfilling the condition of International Boxing Association, Omo-Agege stated that it would be retrogressive for the board members to fold their hands and watch boxing continue its slide to oblivion.

He noted that the need to bring back the glory days informed the board’s decision to organise the championship, which is solely sponsored by the president of the federation.

“What we intend to do is to begin preparation early by identifying boxers that can become world beaters and prepare them for the challenges ahead. This competition is the first among many activities to implement a transformation programme geared at winning laurel at international competitions.”

Oba of Benin backs Edo U-10 youth soccer exhibition HE first ever U-10 Youth T Soccer Exhibition in Edo State, put together by Star Football Academy with the support of ASD Campomaggio Italy, has received the support of the Oba of Benin Kingdom.

The one-week programme,

Action from Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) U-17 tournament held at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium in Lagos at the weekend.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

which will commence on August 26 on the football pitch of the Oba of Benin Palace, is a holiday soccer event aimed at discovering and developing young soccer talents by giving them the opportunity to interact with their mates from across the world.

The tournament, according to CEO Star Football Academy, Musa Ellams, would create opportunities for youngsters to exhibit their talents, keep them busy and out of anti-social vices, which is fast becoming prevalent in our society, especially during the long vacation.

The organisers disclosed that the tournament would feature eight teams with the best team qualifying to represent Nigeria in a youth soccer fiesta slated for Terni, Italy where they will play against Youth teams of such Italian top teams as Lazio FC, AC Milan, Udinese and Inter Milan.

They added that the players would also have the opportunity to see the rich cultures of the city of Narni in Italy.

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TheGuardian

Monday, August 12, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Nweke Stephen Chukwunwike E now rarely hear preachers talk about holiness and righteousness. Most of what we get from the pulpit is endless preaching about miracles, and the get-rich quick syndrome. We go to church every Sunday and in Nigeria, everyday. Some ministers of God’s word have taken advantage of the poverty level in the country, thus they have hoodwinked some people into believing that they just have to fold their hands and watch miracles happen. People are now blinded by religion!

Everything is now attributed to religion, and human effort suffers neglect. It is a common sight in Nigeria to see a student who has an examination to write spending most of his time in the church or mosque praying.

His/her studies are being relegated, and prayer instead of proper studies now becomes a prerequisite for passing examinations. The petty trader who hawks banana goes into the church and spends seven out of 12 working hours praying to God to make him a Mark Elliot Zuckerberg – the 28-year-old CEO of the social network site Facebook or our own Aliko Dangote; yet he is not ready to put in his human effort.

We often find ourselves transferring our duties to the Creator all in the name of spirituality. People no longer think with their brain! We have forgotten that why the Creator endowed us with certain gifts and abilities is for us to put them into proper use.

But religion which should be a liberative force now becomes an imprisonment of the will for some persons, an opium as Karl Marx puts it. Religion has now brainwashed a good number of Africans nay Nigerians into believing that God has to come down from heaven to do everything for us.

The global index of Religiosity and Atheism 2012 report shows that 59 per cent of the world’s population are religious, 23 per cent non-religious and 13 per cent are atheists. It also shows that in Africa, 89 per cent are religious, seven per cent non-religious and two per cent atheists. Nigeria paints a clear picture of a very religious country with a “glaring” 93 per cent religious population, six per cent non-religious and one per cent atheist. I dare say “glaring” because these generically religious 93 per cent include the ritualists, sea pirates, Boko Haramists, 419ers, violent robbers, kidnappers, hard drug and human traffickers, fake drug merchants, illegal bunkerers, oil subsidy scammers, political assassins, election riggers, rapists and cultists, their suppliers, direct dependants, indirect beneficiaries and other auxiliaries who claim to be religious because they believe in God, praise and worship Him with their lips! But if being religious is strictly defined as Godly living towards eternal happiness, many in these sub-groups would be classified as either “irreligious” or “atheists” but that is a discussion for another day.

While it is not my intention to go into any esoteric discussion on faith for which I am not even competent, the focus of our discussion is to truly x-ray the journey of our lives and to know how it can be embarked on with or without “religion” taking prominence.

The answer to the question as to why Nigerians are the most religious in the world is not far-fetched. The global index highlighted the features of religiosity thus, “Religiosity is higher among the poor, as people in bottom income groups are 17 per cent more religious than those in the top income group”.

Therefore, in a country where majority of its citizens live below 2 dollar per day, crime and religion present themselves as ready succours. The hard-hearted who cannot bear it resorts to crime while the rest flies to religion

Be human, be Holy that spirituality is a vision of life with a system of values, ideals and goals that orient and guide one’s life. It is the result of a personal experience of God, of the human and of the world. On the other hand, religiosity is excessive adherence to the external practices of religion.

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Your spirituality, therefore, is not weighed by the number of hours spent in the Church or Mosque.

It is a system of values which has been internalised through a personal experience of God. These values and your love for God should reflect in your daily living as a Christian or Muslim, it must be evidenced through justice, fairness and equity in your dealings with your fellow man.

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Life’s journey beyond religion

as a protection. From the foregoing, one doesn’t need a Ph.D. in economics to understand the correlation between poverty and today’s high turnout in churches in our country. As the level of turnout in churches in the Western world is falling as a result of improved economy

and technological advancement, that of our country is rising whether it is because of a genuine search for God or because of a restless search for miracles as the last option is what I do not know though I will rank the majority in the latter. But the ugly story is that some religious leaders now

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use this as an opportunity to exploit the poor masses. They now violently aspire to the leadership of the church not because of a desire to serve God but because it is now an avenue to affluence and flamboyance. The widow who sells oranges by the road side and has four children to cater for, takes a portion of her earnings to the church as her tithe and the Pastor acquires a private jet with the money while the woman continues to wallow in poverty. The high tuition fee in most of the church owned educational institutions is another evidence of this religious exploitation.

Another big cause why religion is now seen as a succour is illiteracy. In a country where according to Oby Ezekwesili in her speech at the 42nd convocation ceremony of UNN on January 26, 2013, only 4.3 per cent of our youthful generation has an opportunity for university education; a percentage that does not in any way compare favourably with Chile’s 37.5 per cent or Singapore’s 33.7 per cent, it will not be surprising to see a young religious person take up arms and begin to harm and kill people in the name of religion.

Illiteracy breeds ignorance. I proffer that if the majority of our religiously exploited population are literates then the extent of the exploitation would be less.

Lawlessness and corruption is another factor that is worthy of mention because if our resources are properly channelled and the citizens are duly protected by the law of the land, some persons who run to church for legal succour would not be doing so. It is only in Nigeria that a “Man of God” will burn a worshipper to death and the people are brainwashed to close their mouths for fear of being struck down by the Creator. Who told you that God strikes people for revealing the truth?

God is God and will always remain God. What is important at the end of all this is your love for God. This idea of people going to church every morning and night happens only in our country. A British athlete knows that for him to win a sports competition, he needs to engage in a regime of rigorous training, he/she knows that for him to own a home, he needs to approach a bank for a mortgage, he or she doesn’t pray to be promoted in his/her job because he/she knows that in due time and in transparency it will be done.

We should be able to make a clear distinction between spirituality and religiosity; we must understand as C.P Varkey puts it in his book “Be human, be Holy” that spirituality is a vision of life with a system of values, ideals and goals that orient and guide one’s life. It is the result of a personal experience of God, of the human and of the world. On the other hand, religiosity is excessive adherence to the external practices of religion. Your spirituality, therefore, is not weighed by the number of hours spent in the Church or Mosque. It is a system of values which has been internalised through a personal experience of God. These values and your love for God should reflect in your daily living as a Christian or Muslim, it must be evidenced through justice, fairness and equity in your dealings with your fellow man.

Finally, God was not foolish when He gave you the brain. The brain on its own does not think; we think with the brain. We have forgotten that our natural attributes or talents could be wastes if we do not augment them with appropriate training. God cannot bless you when you fold your hands and refuse to use your brain effectively. You can pray from now till thy kingdom come; you can attend all religious congresses. Your change will come only when you learn to use your brain and your hands. You keep praying and disturbing God unnecessarily to bless you but I am asking “where is the work of your hands that He has promised to bless?

• Chukwunwike, a writer and a speaker, wrote from the Missionary Society of St. Paul Formation House, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State.