Wed 12 Feb 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,830

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Mark stops senators’ defection From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Adamu Abuh and Terhemba Daka, Abuja T was expected to be a legislative session that would finally resolve the impasse over an attempt by 11 senators to formally defect from their party.

But this hope was dashed yesterday. Senate President David Mark stopped the 11 senators of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Apparently maintaining its losing streak, the APC’s expectation of taking over the

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• APC loses five seats to PDP in House • Reps begin budget debate, reject vote for ex-militants, others • Opposition claims ruling party lures lawmakers with dollars majority position in the House of Representatives also suffered a major setback as the party lost five members.

They renounced loyalty to the APC and announced their decision to identify with the PDP. The announcement of the defections as contained in their separate letters read by the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tam-

buwal, ignited a wild jubilation by members of the PDP who chanted the party’s slogans in a cacophony voices.

Some members of the House yesterday expressed reservations over allocations to security, the electricity sector and presidential amnesty for Niger Delta ex-militants.

Besides, the APC yesterday accused the PDP of using public

funds to lure back some of the federal lawmakers who have defected from the ruling party to the opposition, condemning what it called political horse-trading carried too far.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP, “in an unprece-

dented show of desperation, has rolled out a mouth-watering enticement package that promises 2 million U.S. dollars to each senator who returns to the PDP; 1 million U.S. dollars to each member of the House of Representatives, and 10 million dollars to each ‘leader’ who abandons the APC for PDP.”

It said the price tag for the federal legislators from Rivers State was even higher, at five million dollars each.

The party said the five House of Representatives members who “have taken the PDP’s killer bait and returned to the party are nothing but dirty traitors,” adding that when they defected to the APC, they were neither forced to do so nor given any incentive beyond the rare opportunity offered them to be a part of the change.

It expressed the hope that the “double defectors will declare the blood money they have CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Electricity sector needs N3.82tr in five years, says BPE • Begins post-privatisation monitoring of successor firms • Preferred bidders pay 25% for Afam, Kaduna plants • Edo consumers fault electricity levy From Mathias Okwe, Emeka Anuforo (Abuja), Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City) and Roseline Okere (Lagos)

the country to improve Ftor,itsORit requires wobbly electricity sec$23.9 billion in the next five years, according to the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki.

Meanwhile, in line with the statutory obligations spelt out in the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the new owners of the 14 generation and distribution firms of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the BPE will soon begin the post- privatisation monitoring of the utilities.

The BPE yesterday disclosed that the preferred bidders for two of the nation’s old generation firms, Afam and Kaduna whose sale was delayed, had paid the 25 per cent of the cost CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko (left); Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BoI), Evelyn Oputu; President Goodluck Jonathan and Minister of Trade and Industry, Olusegun Aganga; during the launch of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) at the State House, Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

Anxiety as Cameroun annexes territories in Cross River From Anietie Akpan, Calabar FFECTIVE take-over by the Republic of Cameroun of Nigerian territories in northern Cross River State may have begun in earnest. This is coming 11 years after the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled that the natural resources-rich Bakassi Peninsula belongs to Cameroun.

As feared, the take-over will lead to loss of communities that had hitherto owed allegiance to Nigeria and with it the loss of a vast territory rich in natural resources.

While the World Court ruled in favour of Cameroun based

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We have not lost any territory, says govt on the Green Tree Agreement, there was also the provision for the setting up of a NigeriaCameroun Joint Commission to tackle the details of the takeover, including boundary

beacons and delineations.

But the worst fear of some of the remaining Nigerian villages that they may be illegally annexed seemed to be coming through as Camer-

oun, without any input from Nigeria, has begun to take firm steps aimed at acquiring the territory and some communities are alarmed that it may overstep the limits.

For example, the people of Danare, a Nigerian border community between Cameroun and Cross River State, have raised the alarm over threats by Cameroun to annex 20 Nigerian communities in Central Cross River.

Consequently, they are apCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

• Jonathan launches industrial master plan - Page 3 • Govt orders NNPC, others to recover N1. 248tr oil revenue - Page 3 • Why we jettisoned referendum, ‘sovereignty’ in conference - Pages 4&5 • 103 die in Algeria plane crash - Page 8

2 | NEWS Wednesday, February 12, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Anxiety as Cameroun annexes territories in Cross River CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pealing to the state government to ensure that parts of it are not annexed illegally to the Republic of Cameroun.

In a petition signed by a leader, Mr. Clement Abang; the Village Head, Chief Kekong K. Abang; Youth Leader, Mr. Lawcity Mbia; and three others and sent to Governor Liyel

Imoke, the community alleged that new boundaries are being created by some of the surveyors charged with the responsibility of providing correct boundaries in communities bordering Nigeria and Cameroun.

The petition captioned “Protest Against the Illegal Demarcation of Nigeria-Cameroun Boundary” at the Danare axis recalled that the NigeriaCameroun Joint Commission, in conjunction with the United Nations (UN), is retracing the boundary sequel to the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague over the Bakassi Peninsula Dispute.

They argued that “surveyors that are saddled with the responsibility of retracing the pillars depicting the boundary started the job in that axis of the boundary from pillar 110 to pillar 113, some metres away from the primary school in Danare 1 in Boki Local Council.

Efforts at retracing pillar 113A about 9.6 km from pillar 113 by the surveyors had proved abortive.

Consequently, upon their inability to retrace pillar 113A, the Danare community asked the surveyors “to stop creating new boundaries and visit the archives to garner information or request the appropriate authority to oblige them with well-defined maps that

will enable them navigate the seeming confusing situation they are confronted with.”

According to the community, “the surveyors are in a hurry to deliver the job irrespective of the consequences that may arise as they took to the part of demarcation from pillar 113 upward contrary to retracing of the boundary as specified in the Green Tree Agreement entered by the two countries.

“As the people are inept to relocate 113A and 114A, Nigeria will suffer loss of not only thousands of kilometres of cash crop farms but more than 20 Nigerian communities will be ceded to Cameroun. In the history of the border between Nigeria and Cameroun, Danare 1 is a Nigerian community at the border between

Nigeria and Cameroun.”

Mr. Cletus Obun, a former member representing Boki 1 Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, also confirmed the report, saying that the surveyors were prevailed upon to stop work and they did about a week ago.

Meanwhile, the Cross River State government has denied any loss of its territory to Cameroun.

Reacting to reports in some national dailies that Cameroun has taken over Obudu Cattle Ranch and 20 other territories, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Ita, said “yes, one pillar is missing but there is just nothing to the story. They are still searching for it.”

He said that “when you are do-

ing demarcation, it is not as if you have one straight line you just go. They (officials) are still looking for the pillar and even the national boundary officials are there. This is just unnecessary sensationalism.

“The petition from this community did not say they have been ceded. The petition was that if the stone is not seen, Cameroun may likely encroach. Nothing has been ceded and Cross River State has not lost any community in the central or northern senatorial district to Cameroun.

“The Nigeria-Cameroun Joint Commission and the United Nations are there and boundary matter is no small issue. It is very clear; the state has not lost a single community to Cameroun.”

BPE begins post-privatisation monitoring of successor firms CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for the utilities.

In a related development, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (commonly referred to as NBET or the Bulk Trader) has commenced efforts to prepare the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) for smooth transition into the Transition Electricity Market (TEM).

Similarly, authorities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) have been is-

sued a seven-day ultimatum to stop the collection of N750 being compulsorily levied on consumers monthly.

Dikki, who said the amount was the capital expenditure (CAPEX) requirement, also gave a breakdown of the various firms’ financial requirements.

The breakdown is contained in a presentation to the international conference on private sector financing/support

of the electricity sector held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, according to a statement yesterday by the BPE’s Head of Public Communications Department, Mr. Ochigbo Anichebe.

He said the distribution companies (discos) alone would require about $1.8 billion in capital expenditure in the next five years for optimal performance.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Reps begin budget debate, reject vote for ex-militants, others CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 collected from the PDP to those who voted them into office, and also pretend to be democratic by sharing the money with them.”

In a legislative drama that produced no fewer than 10 different “points of order” by the aggrieved senators, Mark consistently said at each stage that “because this matter is before a competent court of law and our ‘standing rule’ forbids any reference to matters in court, I rule you out of order.”

Even attempts by some of the original APC senators to save their defecting colleagues through the citing of the provision of the constitution which allows for freedom of association could not make any difference as Mark ruled that it was not a case of the Senate stopping anyone from associating freely but that of respect for rules and procedures.

However, there was no recognisable tension as even the defecting senators were seen exchanging jokes with PDP’s senators.

The drama began when former Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, raised Order 15 of the Senate Standing Rule, which deals with privileges and announced that he and 11 others who had defected to the APC had written to Mark to inform him and other senators of their defection but that the Senate President had refused to read the letter and get the Senate to recognise their defection.

He announced that by his “point of order”, he wished to formally inform the Senate of his defection to APC from PDP. Mark swiftly ruled him out of order, declaring that the matter was pending in court, a statement which Saraki objected to immediately, saying that what was in court was the issue of declaration of the seats of defecting lawmakers vacant and not about stop-

ping senators from moving from one party to another.

Seven out 11 defecting senators raised separate “points of order” stating their intention to move to APC and were accordingly ruled out of order

by Mark.

The Senate had after resumption, gone into a brief executive session. This was the third time the chamber was going into an executive session since the beginning of defection intrigues last week.

Shortly after the plenary, Magnus Abe described what happened on the floor as the internal politics of the Senate.

“There is a problem in the Senate and we believe that Senator David Mark has over years proven himself as an astute statesman, democrat and politician.

“We still believe that this is a problem that has a political solution and what we need to do as senators under his leadership is to look for a solution that will satisfy the desires of individual senators, satisfy the desires of individual citizens of the country and satisfy the constitution.

“I think the challenge before the Senate is to look for the solution and we are still working together”, he said.

Senator Aisha Al-Hassan, who claimed to have suffered injustice in PDP, was among those that raised a “point of order” to enable her defect formally. She said her reason was to inform the Senate and Nigerians that she had changed position.

“I had cried too many times that I am suffering injustice, persecution and intimidation in my state. I had written the national leadership and the national secretariat of the PDP and nothing happened.

“Therefore, I now decided to move to the APC where I can get justice. We submitted a letter which the Senate President said he was not going to read because there is a pending court injunction that the status quo should be maintained.

“We are saying that the issue before the court has to do with the declaration of seats vacant but Senator Mark maintained that it’s about defection. We cannot be asked to maintain status quo about declaring our seats vacant. That order did not affect us and it’s not about moving from one party to another.

“I have registered in the APC and I have moved from PDP. I want my supporters to know that I have moved in the Senate but if the Senate President fails to read the letter, that is his opinion. If he still thinks I am in the PDP, that is his personal opinion which he is entitled to”, she stated.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Eyinnaya Abaribe, commended the Senate for the mature manner it conducted its affairs in the face of the prevailing political circumstance.

Abaribe, however, added that the hands of the Senate President were tied on the issue of defection.

He said: “He cannot do otherwise and if he does otherwise, it will be contempt of court.

Therefore, while not saying that the matter has been laid to rest, we can say sufficiently that the matter has now been handled in such a way that all sides are aware of their rights and things are going smoothly in the Senate.”

He also regretted that the Senate could not attend to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who was summoned to account for the crises between the Rivers State government and the police.

Yesterday, a senator representing Edo South, Ehigie Uzamere, tried to formalise his defection from APC to PDP. The lawmaker was first voted into office on the platform of PDP, the party he abandoned for the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Although efforts to formally notify his colleagues on the

floor of the Senate failed as Mark bluntly refused to recognise his “point of order”, Uzamere later told The Guardian that he had returned to the ruling party two weeks ago and was only trying to formalise his move.

Specifically, Lawal Shehu and Abdullahi Adamu, representing Bichi and Tsanyawa/ Kinchi Federal Constituencies in Kano respectively yesterday decamped from APC to the PDP. Umar Sani Dangaladima, representing Kaura-Namoda/ Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, announced his defection from the APC to the PDP, while his kinsman, Ibrahim Baba Shehu Gisau from Gisau/Tsafe Constituency, also defected from APC to PDP. Umar Bature who represents Sokoto North and South and recently left the PDP for the APC announced his return to the PDP via a letter also read in the chamber by Tambuwal, just as Isah Mohammed Ashiru who represents Makarfi/Kudan constituency of Kaduna State also informed the parliament of his defection to the APC. With this development, the PDP may have regained its majority status with 178 members while the APC currently has 168 members.

Hitherto, the APC had trailed the PDP by 172 to 174 members following the last defection of David Davematics Ombugadu (Nasarawa) from the APC to the PDP. The House yesterday made a U-turn and resolved to proceed with the consideration of the 2014 Appropriation Bill basing the decision on what it described as ‘sensitive’ and “over-riding national interest.”

It urged the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to comply with the mandatory provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 | 3

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News Suswam calls military to end Fulani invasion

Appeal Court upturns decision on lawyers’ practising fee

From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi ENUE State Governor B Gabriel Suswam has called on the new Commandant of Nigeria Army School of Military Engineering, NASME, Maj.Gen. T.C. Udeh, to do everything possible to assist the state bring an end to the menace of Fulani marauders.

Suswam who made the appeal in Makurdi, the state capital yesterday when the commandant paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, said he appreciated the role NASME has been playing in the state in terms of security and maintenance of peace, stressing that the posting was timely as it would go a long way to helping the state that is being ravaged by invasion.

The governor lamented the prolonged hostility between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers which he said has unsettled the two groups, stating that further crisis would lead the state to massive poverty.

He urged the new commandant to always feel free to get to him in person or on phone on issues pertaining to peace and security in the state, adding that any contribution from any quarter is welcome.

Illegal migrants repatriated in Bayelsa From Willie Etim, Yenagoa HE Nigerian Immigration T Service (NIS) in Bayelsa State has confirmed the arrest and repatriation of scores of illegal immigrants from the state.

The repatriated immigrants were alleged to be from Chad, Cameroun, Benin Republic and Sierra Leone.

The NIS spokesman, Deputy Superintendent, Imo Emmanuel, yesterday confirmed that those repatriated were among over 300 suspects arrested by the Command on Monday.

Emmanuel said over 70 of the suspects arrested were discovered to be Nigerians, mostly from the North, have been released.

By Joseph Onyekwere HE Lagos division of the T Court of Appeal yesterday upturned a ruling delivered

Public Affairs Advisor, Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN), Clement Iloba (third right); Principal Model Secondary School Maitama, Victoria Nwogu (third left) with students of Model Secondary School Maitama during the presentation of a book titled Together published by JBN to the winners PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY-ELUKPO of the painting work competition in Abuja…yesterday.

Jonathan launches industrial master plan From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja HE Federal Government yesterday took further step towards boosting the non-oil sector of the nation’s economy with the launch of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the Nigeria Enterprises Development Programme (NEDEP).

At a well-attended ceremony at the Banquet Hall State House, Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan, who performed the launch, expressed the determination of his administration to diversify the nation’s economy away from the over concentrated oil sector, noting that the industrial sector is one of the most significant growth factors in any economies in the world.

The major components of the NIRP as enunciated by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment included allied metals and solid minerals; oil and gas, industrial activities

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• Plans bigger boost for non-oil sector and construction, light manufacturing services.

To ensure the attainment of its goals, the President said a National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Council, which would be chaired by Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo would be put in place. Besides, the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) Presidential Advisory Group, which would periodically advise him, would also be established.

Both bodies will constitute parts of the institutional framework to monitor and provide guidance for the implementation of these programmes.

According to the President, both NIRP and NEDEP would help to fast track the attainment of Nigeria’s industrial goals because they were targeted at transforming Nigerian businesses and changing the

lives of the ordinary people.

They will accelerate inclusive growth and job creation and save the drain on our reserve caused by importing what we can produce locally.

His words: “As we celebrate our centenary, it is clear to us that the measures of the nation cannot be detached from the dependability of its economy and a great economy must be based on a solid industrial sector with well diversified minds and sources of revenue and a vibrant micro and small medium enterprises sector to create jobs and provide leverages.

“The Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan and the National Enterprise Development Programme will also impress impetus for our National Transformation Agenda by ushering in a new era of value addition, enterprise development and indusrialisation. I sincerely believe that the

Nigerian economy must be developed into one of the most elements of national development.

“That is why we have been resolute in executing the Nigerian agenda for economic reform. Our track record in this regard is strong every year. Just coming into office we have consolidated Nigeria’s fiscal position.

“It is our expectation that the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan and the National Enterprise Development Programme will be major additions to these landmark achievements. ” Describing the NIRP as the most ambitious industrialization programme ever pursued by the country, Jonathan hoped it would accelerate growth in those areas of Nigeria’s comparative and competitive advantages such as the processing of food and agricultural products, metals and solid mineral processing.

Govt orders NNPC, others to recover N1. 248tr oil revenue From Collins Olayinka (Abuja) and Sulaimon Salau (Lagos) AY of reckoning may have D finally come for oil companies that owe the Federal Government about $7.8 billion as government has directed relevant agencies to recover the unpaid money.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, handed down the directive in Lagos yesterday while addressing a workshop for companies and government agencies covered by the 2012 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) independent audit of the oil and gas industry.

She said: “I hereby direct the NNPC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and all other agencies important in efforts to recover these

funds to work closely with NEITI for early recovery and remittances of these funds to the Federation Account.”

The minister also hinted that government places high premium on transparency, hence the decision to fully include transparency principles as enshrined in the NEITI audit principles.

She directed the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, its departments, parastatals and agencies, including the NNPC and all its subsidiaries to cooperate with NEITI process towards the enthronement of transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry.

The minister affirmed government’s desire to provide the required support to NEITI, apply its principles in the administration of the sector

and support all efforts to uphold its independence.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke submitted that it was in the interest of government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the oil and gas industry for NEITI process to be internalised in the sector and seen as a leading partner in the proposed reforms of the sector.

Her words: “Let me at this juncture restate that one of the cardinal reasons behind President Goodluck Jonathan administration’s strong support for the Petroleum Industry Bill is on the need to enshrine transparency, accountability as pillars of the reforms of the oil and gas industry. The minister expressed delight that NEITI has made valuable contributions to the Petroleum Industry Bill”.

While appreciating the impor-

tance of the workshop, the minister directed all companies in the oil and gas industry as well as government agencies under the ministry to take the exercise very seriously.

“Let me once again direct all companies in the oil and gas industry as well as relevant agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to comply and fully cooperate with the audit through timely provision of information and data required by NEITI. Compliance and cooperation with NEITI in this assignment is mandatory and compulsory,” she said.

The minister lauded NEITI for the discovery of the funds as a result of either under-assessment or underpayments of taxes, royalties, levies and signature bonuses among other taxes The Executive Secretary of

NEITI, Zainab Ahmed and the Chairman of NEITI Board, Ledum Mitee welcomed the emerging working partnership based on defined roles between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NEITI in the implementation of new Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) principles in Nigeria.

The chairman reaffirmed the commitment of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) to work with government companies and the civil society to enthrone openness and accountability in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Mitee requested the minister to provide institutional support for NEITI to fully implement the new Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative standards in the industry.

by Justice Rita OfileAjumogobia of Federal High Court, Lagos, which restrained the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from collecting practising fees from lawyers pending the determination of a suit filed by lawyers.

The appeal panel led by Justice Shagbor Ikyegh in its judgment noted that the NBA would suffer financially if the lower court’s ruling were allowed.

Justice Ikyegh further ordered that the matter be assigned to another judge and should be given accelerated hearing.

Following the announcement of an increment in practising fees by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA last year, five lawyers, Seth Amaefule, Amaka Aneke, Celestine Nwankwo, Charles Ola-Oni and Tayo Arojo, approached the lower court challenging NBA’s decision.

The NBA had fixed N5,000 for lawyers called to bar between 2011 and 2014; N10, 000 for 2006 to 2010; N17, 500 for 2001 to 2005; N25, 000 for 15 years at the bar and above as well as N50,000 for Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and Benchers against the previous N2, 000; N4, 000; N7, 500; N10, 000 and N20,000 in that order.

They argued that the NBA raised the fees by 250 per cent, which most lawyers would not be able to afford.

Through their counsel Pa Tunji Gomez, they asked the court to make an order of mandatory injunction, compelling the defendants to continuously collect the fees as it were on January 1, 2012.

Gomez urged the court to grant the prayer of the plaintiffs and make an order restraining NBA from collecting or enforcing the new fee regime.

He also prayed the court to stop the defendants from sending text messages to lawyers, persuading them to pay the new practising fee, until the case was finally determined.

The defendants in the suit are NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN); General Council of the Bar; the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke; former Chairman NBA Lagos Branch, Taiwo Taiwo, among others.

Dissatisfied by Justice OfileAjumogobia’s ruling, the NBA, through its lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) appealed against the decision, describing it as a perversion of justice.

Oyetibo, while adopting the appellants’ brief, argued that there was no basis for the injunction restraining the association as the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

NEWS Wednesday, February 12, 2014

ISSUES IN THE NEWS

Why we jettisoned referendum, Senator Femi Okurounmu is the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC), which is saddled with designing modalities for the national conference. The committee's recommendations have received a lot of criticisms since they were made public a few weeks ago. In this interview with CHARLES COFFIE-GYAMFI, Okurounmu explains how they arrived at some decisions and also accused those critics of insincerity and mischief.

Excerpts: What most Nigerians were expecting was a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), which I know you were one of the strongest advocates of. Why the disappointment?

E, long ago, dropped the idea of ‘sovereign’ from our demands. When we started, may be in the 80s and early 90s up to 1999, when I entered the Senate, we were still agitating for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), but since about 2001, we became persuaded that Nigerians either did not understand what ‘sovereign’ means or they are being mischievous by distorting it to give the conference a bad name. So, in order not to throw away the baby with the bath water, we dropped the idea and stopped demanding for SNC. When you say ‘we’, who are you referring to?

I am referring to Afenifere and all the progressives who continued to agitate for the conference. We were no longer agitating for SNC; we were simply agitating for a national conference, a conference where all the peoples of Nigeria could sit together to discuss the issues that concern them and Nigeria. So, the word, ‘sovereign,’ was dropped long time ago before the President set up this committee.

A majority of Nigerians were no more expecting an SNC, quote me on that. A majority of Nigerians, even from their presentations to us, were expecting a conference, if you say an ethnic nationalities’ conference, yes, but not SNC because we have since dropped the word, ‘sovereign.’

Convince those who want sovereign conference why it is not in the best interest of the country.

The people who want SNC are those who did not want the conference to hold at all, and you know they were using the smoke-

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screen of wanting a sovereign conference just to be sure that we didn't have any conference. By their demand of NSC, they want the executive and legislative arms of government to dissolve themselves.

To them, the conference itself must become the ruling government, the sovereign power. According to them, the kind of conference they wanted, which they called Sovereign National Conference, was where the President resigns, the legislators resign, everybody in government resigns and the whole government machinery is taken over by the conference, and every-

body knows that is not practicable. So, it is only some extreme people from the North who didn't want the conferJonathan ence at all that began to agitate for SNC as I have defined it.

Prof. Ben Nwabueze stated that your committee recommended amendment of the Constitution instead of a new one, and you denied it. But Afenifere, which you are a staunch member of, has said it was one of the reasons it is against the confab.

You see, that is why I’m saying that some people don't understand English; they don't understand politics. (The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, myself and the secretary of our committee, held a press conference, which content was published by most of the national dailies. What we said was that the national conference shall advise the government on the legal framework, legal procedures and options for integrating the decisions and outcomes of the national conference into the Constitution and laws of the country.

Where did we talk of National Assembly there? It was one of our terms of reference to advise the government on the legal framework, legal procedures and options for integrating the decisions and outcomes of the conference into the Constitution and laws of the country. Those exact terms of reference were there because of the controversies surrounding whether it should go for referendum or to the National Assembly.

There was widespread opinion among the people of Nigeria, which I shared when we went round the country, that the thing should go for referendum. There was also a lot of pressure from parts of the country that it should not go for referendum; that referendum is not in the Constitution, that it would be unconstitutional and illegal to subject it to referendum because the constitution must first be amended if it is to go for referendum.

So because of these two strong pressures, we decided to leave the matter to the conference itself. That is what we have said.

People who understand English should go and read it. If they don't understand English, they should go and polish their English. People are mischievous. Take the text of our press conference, where do you see National Assembly?

We did not take any decision on whether it should go for referendum or National Assembly, we left that decision to the conference; when it meets, whatever the decision is what we shall do. If the conference decides that what they want is referendum, it will go for referendum, if it decides that it should go to the National Assembly, that is their decision; government accepted that recommendation.

Some people have alleged that the confab was designed for President Goodluck Jonathan's ambition because of the timing.

We have published this thing. In what way are these modalities designed to favour Jonathan's ambition? The person that says it is designed to favour Jonathan's presidential ambition should say in what way.

My reaction is that whoever says that has to show in what ways these modalities have been designed to favour Jonathan's

‘

What we said was that the national conference shall advise the government on the legal framework, legal procedures and options for integrating the decisions and outcomes of the national conference into the Constitution and laws of the country.

’

NEWS Wednesday, February 12, 2014 5

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

ISSUES IN THE NEWS

‘sovereignty’ in conference presidential ambition.

Some groups, including Igbo leaders, Labour leaders and your own Afenifere, have kicked against some of the committee's recommendations.

What I understand Afenifere kicked against is that three months is not enough for the confab to do a thorough job, that is the only thing I can say from what they have said and I agree with them, even our statement said ‘tentatively in three months.’

The three months is not cast in stone. If it is not finished in three months, a request can be made to continue.

When people want to be mischievous, they are ready to criticise anything you do.

If you say six months, they will say Jonathan is trying to prolong the thing and drag it to the period of election and Jonathan is now telling them that I want to finish this thing quickly so that it doesn't drag to the period of the election, now they are saying it is too short again. If it is too short, we will continue until we finish, but now, at least they cannot accuse Jonathan of dragging the conference because he also wants the elections.

The three months is not enough; that is why the government has used the word ‘tentatively,’ that makes provision that it can be extended. When people get to the bridge, they cross it, it depends on how things proceed. When you see how far you are going in three months, you will know what more time you will need, but the important thing is to note the word ‘tentatively’ for three months.

Another aspect of the criticisms is that it is not sufficiently ethnic nationalities conference. Those who want ethnic nationalities conference, it is easier said than done, because they cannot tell us how many ethnic nationalities are there in Nigeria, nobody knows.

We actually went into this and I am persuaded that we want an ethnic nationalities conference, but when we found out that nobody knows how many ethnic nationalities we have - all the censuses have never recorded ethnic nationalities so you cannot say these are the ethnic nationalities and these are their populations, nobody knows, no figures are available on ethnic nationalities - how then do you go about having a conference based on ethnic nationalities?

I have told you why ethnic nationalities is not practical as basis for the conference. Even as the modalities released allow for ethnic nationalities, the conference is not based entirely on that, but we have made provision for them to participate, there is provision for socio-cultural and political groups and ethnic nationalities, who will send 15 delegates each from each zone to the conference. 15 x 6 will give 90 delegates for the conference to represent these ethnic nationalities.

They are not the only ones - the other groups, too, belong to ethnic nationalities.

If you talk of elder statesmen, don't they have their own ethnic nationalities? If you talk of Labour, doesn't everyman in the union have ethnic nationality? Everyone of these 492 delegates has an ethnic nationality and when he goes there, he is representing his own ethnic nationality. If I go there, I am a Yoruba man, is Yoruba not one of the ethnic nationalities or are all the Yoruba people going there not representing the Yoruba nationality, likewise others?

In addition to that, we have specifically provided for 90 delegates to be chosen on

‘

Okunrounmu the basis of ethnic nationalities. As I have said, we don't even know the ethnic nationalities that are there in Nigeria, officially we don't know.

Judging by the many condemnations that have trailed the confab, would one be right to say that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been proved right?

Tinubu has been proved wrong because all the modalities have been well accepted by a majority of the people - the Yoruba are meeting, everybody is meeting to select delegates; what more evidence do you need to be convinced that the confab has been widely accepted? People said Jonathan is going to appoint all the delegates. How many delegates is Jonathan appointing? That is another very important distortion I have to point out.

I have read in many places where they have said Jonathan is appointing a majority of the delegates.

The Nation, Tinubu's paper, said so last week that Jonathan is appointing 114 delegates, all lies. All delegates to be appointed by Jonathan are 43 and comprise 37 elder statesmen, one from each state and one from FCT. Now tell me, can anybody quarrel with Jonathan appointing the elder statesmen? Who else in Nigeria will appoint or nominate them if not the President?

The only other people he is nominating are retired judges, six of them, that gives you the total of 43 to be nominated by the President. Now, there are some delegates to be nominated by the Federal Government as opposed to the President, there are some outstanding youths that are role models. After those from the National Council of Youth and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), we believe there are some outstanding youths who have been serving as role models. The President will allow six of such, one by each

I have told you why ethnic nationalities is not practical as basis for the conference. Even as the modalities released allow for ethnic nationalities, the conference is not based entirely on that, but we have made provision for them to participate, there is provision for socio-cultural and political groups and ethnic nationalities, who will send 15 delegates each from each zone to the conference.

’

Nwabueze geo-political zone.

Because these people are better known to the government, we gave the Federal Government 20 nominees plus the six youths.

All others had been nominated by their appropriate stakeholders; so this 69 just comes to 14 per cent of the total delegates.

Where did they get their fiction that the President will nominate a majority of the delegates?

People should criticise factually. You criticise but you don't tell lies. If you tell lies, it works against you; that is why this thing is in the public domain. I want to emphasise particularly on whether the outcome of

the conference should be sent subjected to referendum or to the National Assembly.

Let them refer to our press conference where we said that the decision is left for the conference itself.

Of course, if there will be so many fundamental changes made by the conference, it will be unreasonable for the conference to say they want to take all those to the National Assembly. For instance, if the conference decides to change from the Presidential to Parliamentary system (of government), how is that going to fit into the present Constitution? That is why we have left all that for the conference to decide.

6

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

NEWS Wednesday, February 12, 2014

No official confirmation of Henry Okah's alleged jail break

MTN workers to face trial over alleged N1.4b fraud

From Oghogho Obayuwana (Abuja) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt)

• Absence of defendant stalls arraignment

HERE was no official confirmation of the alleged jail break attempt by erstwhile leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) Henry Okah yesterday.

Both the South African High Commission in Abuja and sources close to its home government in Pretoria were mute on the matter. After an initial promise to get across when The Guardian launched an official confirmation bid, no word came from the High Commission until the official close of business.

Okah, who was convicted on a 13-count charge by a South African court last year and jailed for 24 years on grounds of terrorism, was on Sunday said to have on January 10, made a futile attempt to escape from the South African prison.

Without a further confirmation, his latest ordeal is not supported beyond the revelation by the Associated Press quoting prison authorities and one Manelisi Wolela, an official. Okah was said to be escaping with Jaco Steyn, an infamous rapist in South Africa, found guilty of 33 charges, including murder and sentenced to five life terms.

It was reported that observant wardens at the Leeuwkop Prison in Johannesburg, where Okah is imprisoned, foiled the escape attempt. Local South African newspaper reports also had it that wardens at the prison found marks on the bars of a cell the two shared with five other prisoners on January 10.

Also yesterday, lawyer to Okah said this client had no interest in becoming a fugitive, thus, never attempted to escape from prison.

Similarly, MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, said the group views the purported jailbreak attempt by Okah and other persons, as a petty propaganda and last desperate deed by the South African and Nigerian governments to scuttle his likely victory from the South African Appellate Court sitting coming up anytime in the month of March, 2014.

In a statement issued by Okah's legal counsel, Mr. Idemudia Uriesi, he said all allegations, insinuations or rumours of escape or attempted escape from prison custody by Okah are mere fabrications.

Uriesi explained that lawyers from the P.I. Uriesi Attorneys have since the sentencing of Okah on March 26, 2013 met with him on weekly basis and can confirm that his current preoccupation has been his impending appeal hearing and his other prisoner's rights issues.

"We and our client have total confidence in the correctiveness of Okah's legal position regarding his appeal against conviction and sentence on the charges and we have no doubt that his appeal will be successful. Okah has absolutely no interest in becoming a fugitive or attaining his freedom by other unlawful means. We would therefore advise that all allegations contrary to the above position are baseless and should be disregarded as a matter of course," said Uriesi.

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo

T

BSENCE of a defendant yesA terday stalled the scheduled arraignment of three

Managing Director, Forte Oil, Femi Otedola (left); Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State; Managing Director, Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukuhede and Director General of BPE, Emeka Eze, during the Economic Management Team meeting.

MOSOP faults NOSDRA claim on UNEP report From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt HE Movement for the SurT vival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has described as misleading a claim by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) that the Federal Government has begun implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoniland.

MOSOP President, Legborsi Pyagbara, said the resort to the alleged strategy of deceit by the government to delude, confuse and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians and the international community that it has “begun implementing the UNEP report on Ogoniland" is indeed regrettable.

Pyagbara spoke in reaction to

the Director-General of NOSDRA, Mr. Peter Idabor's alleged claim on behalf of the Federal Government that the UNEP report implementation has commenced in Ogoni.

MOSOP yesterday said there is no evidence on ground supporting the claim that the government has started implementing the report, describing the claim by NOSDRA as most irresponsible and unfortunate.

According to MOSOP, the general public and friends of the Ogoni people should disregard the concocted report which it said is aimed at deceiving and beguiling them into believing that remediation and restoration of the degraded Ogoni environment by government have started.

Pyagbara explained that while

the Ogoni people are not surprised at the effort of government to deceive the world, they are sure that the more government plays dirty politics with the resolution of the Ogoni environmental crisis, the more its credibility and support collapses not only in Ogoni but worldwide. According to him, for the claim

by NOSDRA to be coming at a time when global pressure for the implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoni is intensifying, the tendency suggests attempts to play down this acknowledged mounting persuasion rather than transparently seeking to resolve the environmental question.

"The consistent resort to this appalling old trick by government, which has not worked diminishes her moral stand-

ing and betrayed its unwillingness and reinforce our fears that our ruined environment may remain unrestored after all. However, we would remind government that a clean and safe environment is our inalienable right protected by both domestic and international instruments hence proper remediation and restoration of the Ogoni environment in line with UNEP recommendations is not negotiable, and the Ogoni people are resolute on this position. If the idea has been to test the waters once more, then it has suffered fatal failure. If it was to prepare our minds for the worst, we are ready. The unanimity of our people on this matter is overwhelming and no devious tactics can sway it otherwise," he said.

Surveyors, valuers honour Obi

EFCC re-arraigns Sylva’s former aides From Abosede Musari, Abuja WO former aides to ex-govT ernor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, were yesterday re-arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged conspiracy and stealing.

According to information from the EFCC, the Senior Special Assistant on Persons Liv-

ing with Disabilities, Ziriki Timipre Godwill, and Senior Special Assistant on Youth and Conflict Management, Wenibowei Moses Michael, were docked before Justice Kate Abiri of the State High Court, Yenagoa, on a four-count amended charge.

They allegedly conspired and diverted N10 million approved by Sylva for non-indi-

genes' welfare, but they pleaded not guilty to the amended charge. Following their plea, the prosecution counsel, A.I Arogha, sought the leave of the court to commence trial as some of the prosecuting witnesses were on hand and ready to testify.

However, the defence counsel, Eric Deri and Prince D.O Ejinyere, sought bail for them

From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka on the previous terms offered by the court, and Justice Abiri so granted and adjourned the matter till February 28, March 14 and 17, 2014 for hearing.

The accused were first arraigned on March 4, 2013, before Justice J.A Ajuwa Suo Motu of the State High Court, but Motu revealed that the first accused attends the same church with him.

Preferred bidders pay 25% for Afam, Kaduna plants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 According to him, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) requires about $2.4 billion to increase power transfer capacity, make the network more stable and reliable, and improve efficiency of electric power transfer by reducing transmission technical losses; adding that it would also enable TCN to increase transmission capacity to 16843mw by the end of 2018.

He stated that $11.7 billion was the CAPEX Funding Requirements for the privatised PHCN Successor Gencos to expand capacity. This does not include the requirements of prospective green field and ongoing Integrated Power Projects (IPPs.) According to him, the breakdown as gleaned from the postacquisition plans submitted by the investors is as follows:

• Ughelli Power Plc: $604.0 million • Sapele Power Plc: $394.0 million • Geregu Power Plc: $200.0 million • Afam Power Plc: $850.0 million • Kainji Hydro: $456.0 million • Egbin Power Plc: $1,700.0 million • Green Field IPP: $7,500 million He further noted that “gas industry sources estimate that $1.5 billion will be required yearly for the next five years if we are to address gas challenges in the power sector. In other words, a total of $7.5 billion is required in the next five years for gas infrastructure.”

BPE said yesterday that the law required it to commence aggressive monitoring six months after handover, and as such, would this May begin the

process, noting that all the necessary preparations needed for the process had been put in place.

Dikki told journalists at a meeting for the new owners of PHCN successor companies in Abuja yesterday that the firms paid the required 25 per cent on schedule.

Taleveras Group had emerged top bidder for Afam power plant with a $260.05 million bid while Northwest Power Ltd emerged winner for Kaduna Distribution Company, having offered the highest aggregate technical commercial and collection loss reduction figure (ATC &C) of 29.26 per cent.

On the post-privatisation monitoring, Dikki said: “That will commence in May. The Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) gives a six-month period to allow the new owners to settle in.

workers of MTN, a telecommunication company, who were alleged to have stolen N1.358 billion belonging to other employees of the company under the pretense of buying landed properties for them.

The accused, Victor Akintunde, Gani O. Mustapha and Mutairu Babatunde, as well as their companies, Primavera Engineering and Construction Limited and Mabo Dredging Limited were brought before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

Though the third defendant (Mutairu Babatude) was not present in court, the accused persons were slammed with 17-count charge for obtaining money by false pretence, intent to defraud, forgery of signature and issuance of dud cheque by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC).

According to the amended charge dated 15th December, 2013, "Victor Akintunde, Gani O. Mustapha, Mutairu Babatunde, Primavera Engineering and Construction Limited and Mabo Dredging Limited on or about 8th of April, 2008 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judiciary Division with intent to defraud, conspired to steal the sum of N77,000,000.00 property of MTN Employees Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MEMCOS) being outstanding refund for 5 hectares out of 13 hectares of land you bought for the society from Mutairu Baba Egbe Family that you claimed had defective title."

The offence is said to be contrary to section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap. C17, Vol.2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.

Already, we have commenced serious activities to prepare us for that purpose. The whole of the BPE members of staff went through a one-day workshop recently in order to familiarise them with the terms of the agreement and those ingredients to look out for in the monitoring exercise.”

A law firm, Aigbokhan and Ajanaku, acting on behalf of Kaduna Eboigbodin, Austin Osakwe, Patrick Eholor and 25 others, in a petition to BEDC said its clients who were consumers were not comfortable with fixed charge, which they said, was generating so much income for the company at the expense of better services.

They said the "charge is not for any discernible service rendered and is therefore an act of extortion, oppressive and illegal."

HE Nigerian Institute of EsT tate Surveyors and Valuers has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Anambra State government to promote effective land management.

The institute added another feather to Governor Peter Obis' cap when he was awarded its Leadership Excellence Award in a brief ceremony performed by the national executive team led by the President, Mr. Emeka Eleh.

While presenting the award during a courtesy call on Obi at the Governor’s Lodge yesterday, Eleh noted that the collaboration will encourage maximization of land potentials and value for wealth creation as well as revenue generation for Anambra State.

According to him, the governor was honoured in recognition of his great achievements in leadership and service to humanity. "Governor Obi has made giant strides in massive infrastructural development and providing the state with the best road network in the country in spite of its poor revenue profile. He has equally brought simplicity and decency in governance.

We thank him for giving members of the institute opportunity to serve in his administration," Eleh said.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 NEWS | 7

Pilgrims threaten to sue airline over luggage

EFCC arraigns businessman for alleged N18m fraud

From Murtala Mohammed,Kano

By Bertram Nwannekanma

ILGRIMS for lesser hajj, P who traveled through Sudan Airways yesterday, have threatened to take legal action against the management of the airline in Kano for the continuous delay in the delivery of their property.

The passengers, drawn from Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Maiduguri, Jigawa and other neighboring states, who embarked on the spiritual journey in the first week of January, had since returned from the holy land three weeks later but lamented non-arrival of their belongings, a development they insisted, breached their contract with the airline.

Alhaji Mansur Nuhu Waziri, who spoke on behalf of the passengers, told The Guardian that despite several complains, the Sudan Airlines has kept promising them.

Patience Jonathan wants more women in politics From Omotola Oloruntobi, Abuja IFE of the President, W Dame Patience Jonathan, has called on Nigerian women to be actively involved in politics at all levels of government, to enable them get more leadership positions, especially as the 2015 election draws near.

She made the call yesterday in Abuja when the National President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Mrs. Nkechi Okemini Nba, led a delegation of the council’s executives and state presidents to pay her a courtesy visit at the State House.

The First Lady charged women to take advantage of the political opportunity given to women by the current administration, saying the President believes in women and is willing to support them, even as she called on the National Assembly to provide a legislative endorsement for full achievement of 35 per cent affirmative action for women.

Man arraigned for allegedly defrauding Enugu govt From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu

HE Economic and FinanT cial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (right); Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State, Mr. Anthony Ani, who represented Governor Sullivan Chime at the public presentation of a book, ABC of Land Law in Nigeria written by the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, in Enugu

Fayose, APC, INEC trade words over alleged plan to rig Ekiti election From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South-West Bureau, Ado-Ekiti) ORMER governor of Ekiti Fyesterday State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is colluding with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the voters’ registers and rig the June 21 governorship election.

Fayose, one of the 33 aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), called for removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Halilu Pai, for allegedly hobnobbing with the top hierarchy of the APC. In a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Fayose alleged that the APC and some of the officers of the electoral commission are hiding under the ongoing nationwide registration of the party to commit the crime. He called on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to constitute a committee that would investigate the alleged shady deals between

his commission and the APC. “The PDP, from reliable sources, confirmed that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, in company of other officials, including some officials of the state government, recently met a national leader of the APC in a five-star hotel on Victoria Island in Lagos.

“At the said meeting, the Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner allegedly pledged his loyalty to the party and assured those at the meeting that he would do everything within his power to work for the success of the ruling party in South-West,” Fayose alleged.

But a source from the INEC described Fayose’s allegation as frivolous and asked him to prove the allegation.

According to the source, who pleaded for anonymity, “Fayose is free to express his opinion. If he has any evidence to establish his case, including where and how, he should prove his case. If he has a video, let him play it. Let

him even state the date and time. INEC is not prepared for any frivolities now.

“Officials of the Commission in Ekiti State have been very busy defending its budget for the election and have been in Abuja more than in Ekiti in the past two weeks. So, we are not ready for all that.”

Fayose also alleged that a similar meeting was held in Ado-Ekiti, where plans were allegedly perfected on how to rig the poll. “What they are doing is to alter the existing register in Ekiti, in areas where they are not popular.

This is the first time in the political history of the country where a party will be allowed to use INEC designated polling units for registration,” the former governor said.

Reacting to the allegation, the APC Director of Media, Mr. Segun Dipe, said: “Ayo Fayose has lost it. He is a confused politician. The so-called INEC designated points are meant for every party. If Labour Party or PDP wants to do registration, they can use them. So,

N Enugu High Court, A presided over by Justice Pearl Enejere, yesterday re- Move to end Shettima, Sheriff face-off continues next week manded in prison custody Mr. Chidi Akabogu over alleged forgery and defrauding of Enugu State government.

Akabogu, 44, who does business in the name of Steinberg Limited, is standing trial on seven count charges of forgery of Nigeria Custom Duties Clearance receipts with which he allegedly defrauded Enugu State government of sums running into several millions.

Akabogu, who had been in police custody since last week after his arrest, was not present in court yesterday where his formal arraignment and pleading to the charges leveled against him would have taken place following a purported illness.

He was represented by his counsel, Tagbo Ike, who applied for his bail to enable him obtain adequate medical care to his illness.

From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri HE Bola Tinubu-led reconT ciliation meeting between the feuding Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and his immediate predecessor and political godfather, Ali Modu Sheriff that deadlocked, has been slated to hold again in Abuja next week.

The rescheduling of the meeting was contained in a statement by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Communications, Isa Umar Gusau, which was made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, the state capital yesterday.

It was learnt that the meeting was rescheduled to resolve the allegations and counterallegations made by Shettima and Sherriff at the earlier meeting on Monday.

Sherriff, at the meeting in Lagos, was said to have complained about some close

aides to Shettima, whom he said, he was not comfortable with in Borno State, as the 2015 general election draws nearer, while Shettima bitterly complained of how Sheriff has allegedly been undermining his All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

The governor was said to have also complained of Sheriff’s alleged destabilisation activities that are “dangerous and counterproductive” in restoring peace in the state, including the running down of his personality at the APC national headquarters, despite the sincere loyalty and commitments to Sheriff since 2011.

The statement reads in part: “First of all, let it be on record that Governor Shettima didn’t start the fight in the first place; he was the one that was assaulted in his state in the

midst of his convoy while he was going about rebuilding Borno State and reclaiming its lost glory and everybody believes the governor didn’t deserve that affront, given the work he has been doing in managing the crisis in Borno by bringing about growing peace and yet, doing a lot of work in all sectors of the economy.

“The governor is always guided by reason, conscience, fear of God, loyalty to the people of this state, loyalty to his party, promotion of unity and cohesion in whatever decision he takes as a good leader.”

Gusau, in the state, also said Shettima is studying the whole issue carefully and the people of the state are praying for him and he will take the best decision in the circumstance.

our action is a welcome development.

“Essentially, the so-called INEC designated points are property of individuals. They are community places. It is not INEC property and any activity can happen there. We can play football there, fry Akara or do other things.

Fayose is free to register with APC if he wants to.

a 34-year-old businessman, Sayyu Zakari and his company, Alrander Limited, for allegedly defrauding a distributor of Dangote Noodles of N18,180,000.

Zakari was arraigned before Justice Kudirat Jose on a three-count charge of stealing, fraud and issuance of dishonoured cheque contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 34, Volume 44 of the Laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria and Section 1(1) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, Cap D11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

The prosecution alleged that Zakari supplied 9,000 cartons of Dangote Noodles by the complainant, Michelle Edmund Ventures.

He was alleged to have issued two Fidelity Bank’s cheques on the same day to the distributor. One of the cheques, which was numbered 02107680, instructed the bank to pay the complainant N9,180,000. The other cheque, with number 02107681, instructed that 9,000,000 be paid to the bearer.

But both cheques were said to have been dishonored by the bank on the ground that there were no sufficient funds standing to the credit of the account on which they were drawn.

8

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

WorldReport 103 die in Algeria plane crash N Algerian military transA port plane has crashed in the north-east of the country, with 103 passengers and crew feared dead, local media said.

The plane - believed to be a Hercules C-130 - crashed in a mountainous area of Oum alBouaghi province.

It was en route to

Constantine from Ouargla in bad weather, an “informed source” told radio station Ennahar.

The plane was said to have been carrying military personnel and family members.

Its original departure point is believed to have been the

Cinema attack kills 12 as Pakistan, Taliban meet triple grenade attack on a A cinema showing pornography in northwest Pakistan killed 12 people yesterday as government and Taliban negotiators met for a second round of peace talks.

It was the second such attack within two weeks on a cinema in the city of Peshawar, which has been on the front line of Pakistan’s homegrown Islamist insurgency.

The attack came as negotiators representing the Pakistani government and Taliban militants met for a second time as part of efforts to end the bloody seven-year rebellion.

After the meeting in Islamabad the chief negotiator for the Taliban, hardline cleric Maulana Sami-ul-Haq,

said the two sides had proposed a ceasefire “to make the atmosphere for talks more conducive”.

Peshawar city police chief, Mohammad Ijaz Ahmed said three grenades were used in the attack and up to 80 people were in the Shama cinema at the time.

The cinema is known for showing explicit erotic movies as well as regular films.

Sahara Desert city of Tamanrasset in the south, but it had made a stop in Ouargla.

Ennahar’s source said contact was lost with the military plane between Constantine and Oum al-Bouaghi.

A senior military official, Col Lahmadi Bouguern, told state media said that bad weather and gusty winds were the probable cause of the crash.

The plane was carrying 99 passengers - soldiers and their families - as well as four crew members, a security source told AFP news agency.

“There were no survivors,” the source added.

Ennahar reported that ambulances had been dispatched to the crash zone, which is some 380km (240 miles) east of the capital Algiers.

An Air Algerie Boeing 737 crashed on take-off from Tamanrasset in 2003, killing all but one of the 103 people on board.

French President, Francois Hollande (right) with United States First Lady, Michelle Obama (left) during a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC…yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

U.S. lauds French role in quelling African conflicts OR its key role in stemming unrest and extremist violence in parts of Africa, United States yesterday hailed France, as French President, Francois Hollande was welcomed on a

F

state visit.

“The French role has been key to achieving success in Mali and the French role in trying to bring about security and peace in CAR are very, very impor-

tant,” the US top diplomat for Africa, Linda ThomasGreenfield said.

Washington was “very supportive of their efforts” in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), she said, as she denounced horrific reports of recent lynchings in the latter country plagued by Christian and Muslim revenge attacks.

Hollande arrived yesterday at the White House for talks with US President Barack Obama.

He was greeted with a 21-gun salute and full military honors on the chilly South Lawn of the White House, before a day of talks on issues ranging from Iran to climate change, trade to combating Islamist threats.

After 65 years, China, Taiwan in historic talks years after splitting SandIXTY-FIVE over a brutal civil war, China Taiwan yesterday held their first government-to-government talks in what was considered a symbolic yet historic move between the former bitter rivals.

Taipei’s Wang Yu-chi, who oversees the island’s China policy, met his Beijing counterpart Zhang Zhijun in Nanjing on the first day of a four-day trip.

With sensitivities crucial, the room was neutrally decorated with no flags visible and nameplates on the table devoid of titles or affiliations.

The meeting was the fruit of years of slow efforts to improve political ties on the back of a

burgeoning economic relationship.

“Both sides should make up our minds to never let cross-strait relations again become tormented and never go backward,” Zhang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

“I believe that as long as we walk on the right road of peaceful development we should and certainly can get closer in the future.”

Taipei’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a statement after the meeting that Wang officially invited Zhang to visit the island “to develop a deeper understanding of Taiwan society and the conditions of its people”.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 | 9

PHOTONEWS

Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Dakuku Peterside (left); Member of Committee, Mohammed Sani Idris; Member, Tom Zakari and Member, Jephtha Foingha, after the postponement of a three-day public hearing on expenditure, supply, distribution and subsidy of kerosene at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Obi Chike Edozien (left); Primate, Church of the Lord (Aladura) World Wide, Dr. Rufus O. Ositelu and his wife, Spiritual Mother Superior Mary, during the courtesy call to Asagba for “South/South for Peace and Unity Prayer” in Asaba, Delta State.

PHOTO: JACOB GBOGIDI

Regional Business Manager, Nigerian Breweries, Moses Ogbodo (left); Regional Sales Director, Hubert Eze and Marketing Director, Walter Drenth, during the unveiling of Star Lite in Lagos.

Senior officers of the Lagos State Police Command pulling out five top police officers retiring after 35 years in service.

PHOTO: ODITA SUNDAY

First Lady, Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola (left); Founder, Vivian Fowler Memorial Girls College, Chief Laila Fowler; Director of the College, Olufunke Amba; Executive Member of the school’s Parents/Teachers Forum, Chief Sore Osibodu and President, Parents/Teachers Forum, Shade Tayo, during the First Lady’s official visit to the school in Lagos.

PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NEM Insurance Plc, Tope Smart (left); Chairman, Chief Adewale Teluwo and the Company Secretary, Omolara Oyetunde, during the 43rd Annual General Meeting of NEM Insurance Plc in Lagos.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Pascal G. Dozie (left); IBM Chairman/President and CEO, Ginni Rometty and IBM West Africa Country General Manager, Taiwo Otiti, during IBM’s Smarter Planet Leadership Forum in Lagos.

NGT Season 2 winners, Robots for Christ receiving their N10 million cheque from the CEO/MD, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya (second left) and Group MD, Optima Media Group, Rotimi Pedro (right) during the grand finale of the NGT 2 in Lagos.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Politics PDP cautioned on Lamido, alleges missing council funds in Adamawa From John Akubo, Dutse and Emmanuel Ande, Yola HAIRMAN of the Peoples Democratic Party C (PDP) Committee in Sokoto State, Abba Anas Adamu has cautioned the leadership of the party to be wary of the Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido who he said once fraternized with the former five PDP governors who eventually defected to the opposition All Progressive Party (APC) and is still marking time in the PDP. Adamu said Lamido’s walkout on President Jonathan along with the other members of the defunct G7 and was a misadventure that was ill conceived.

For embarrassing President Jonathan in the full glare of the public Adamu asked the leadership of the PDP to take Lamido and his option to stay back in the PDP when he backout from joining the APC along with the G7 and the new PDP with caution and trepidation.

“First of all it was a disgrace and it was not supposed to be coming from somebody who is claiming to be the father of PDP and who is saying that nobody has contributed or sacrificed more than he had for the party.

“He could not have done that while the whole world was watching. In fact I didn’t know that the walk out was meant for us to leave the the Eagle Square venue of the Convention until we were all moved out to the Shehu Yar ‘Adua’s Lamido Square.”

To draw home his point Adamu recalled what Lamido said during the flag off of the local Rimi would not have done this, late Mallam Adamu in a who described the former as a desAminu Kano would not do this. Mallam Aminu perate politician who is eager to hold leadercouncil election campaign in Jigawa.

“Yes I am your father, your father has decided Kano and Rimi were always steadfast. Whenever ship position at all costs. to impose all the candidates, whoever is com- they take position they stand by it even if they In a related development the Adamawa State plaining should not because it is your father may later regret it later but this is not so in the chapter of PDP has condemned what it who imposed the candidates for the local gov- case of Lamido, it very unfortunate. “From his described as an outburst the State Governor body language people are saying that he will still Murtala Nyako’s remark when the APC formally ernment election.”

“Yet the same Governor still has the morality go to join the newPDP that merged with APC and received former Vice President, Atiku to blame and condemn President Jonathan, that is why we are warning the national leader- Abubakar into the party in Yola, recently ship to be weary of his antics because Lamido can Governor Nyako while speaking at the occalook at the contradiction.

“It is sad for somebody who claimed to be ver- at anytime abandon the PDP again particularly at sion said he left PDP due to injustice, impunity and lacked of internal democracy in the party. satile and experienced who some of his sup- the most critical moment.” porters refer to as the field Marshall of politics He observed that the Governor was playing poli- The State PDP chairman, Mr. Joel Madaki, told to stoop so low and be playing this vindictive tics of survival trying to get the local Government newsmen in Yola that the governor lacked the and destructive politics. If he was a President election conducted so that he can have the local moral rights to comment or complain of injustice, pointing out that the Governor was a and there is misunderstanding between him administration under his control.” and some governors would he like the to expe- He warned that when it comes to electing the beneficiary of the same alleged injustice and Presidential candidate who will fly the PDP flag in impunity of the party. rience such a scenario.?

He expressed worries at Lamido’s lack of 2015 certainly Lamido may not do the bidding of “Governor Nyako is not an issue of discourse as courage to leave the PDP which he said the the party in the light of the fact that he has been it pertains to impunity. In the first instance, his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate Governor had vilified so much in recent times. moving in and out.

Jigawa State PDP Chairman Alhaji Salisu in 2006 was based on impunity. If he were a “That is why I described him as a non-starter. “ Former Kano State Governor late Abubalar Mahmudah has however carpeted a Annas man of moral rectitude, he would have insisted

that the right thing be done. I challenge Governor Nyako to tell the world whether the council chairmen and councilors currently serving were subjected to party’s primaries”, he stated.

Madaki pointed out that the recent crisis in Adamawa chapter of the APC was due to the injustice and the impunity of the Governor, adding that his exit from PDP was a huge blessing for the party.

“The Governor has also forgotten that it was under his watchful eyes that the State House of Assembly was closed for more than three months thereby preventing the members from carrying out their constitutional duties. It is equally his act of impunity that has denied Adamawa state of a substantive Chief judge for the past two years. The governor should disprove these facts that am stating. He completely went against the PDP constitution and INEC operating rules.

“The word impunity should properly be understood by Governor Nyako and to say he has let the people of Adamawa down is an understatement, and very soon we will tell him in case he does not know”, said.

The PDP chairman who lamented the alleged disappearance of last month’s allocation to the State’s 21 councils from the Federation Account which made it difficult to pay council workers’ salaries, appealed to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission [EFCC] to investigate the whereabouts of the missing funds.

“The case of sharing money from the Federal Account to local governments is becoming a thing of concern. For instance in my local government [Fufore], the sum of One million Seven hundred thousand Naira only [N1.7m] was released to the Local government in January, 2014 as against One hundred and ThirtyTwo million, Nine hundred and Ninety Six thousand, Four hundred and Forty Eight naira Sixty three kobo [132,996,448.63] which the Council is entitle to from the Federation Account.

Some council chairmen that spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity confirmed the allegations by the PDP chairman, saying that the council that got the highest allocation was Fufore with N1.7 million.

They said that salaries were not paid due zero allocation to the 21 councils in the state and that they were seeking bank loans to pay their workers.

The State Commissioner for Local government Dr. Salihu Bakari was not available for comments on the zero allocation to the 21 councils in the state.

Muazu warns against ethno-religious politics From Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna), Azimaz Momoh Jimoh, Abuja EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) P National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu`azu has, charged politicians against playing politics of ethnicity, religion and regionalism.

Receiving a delegation of PDP members from Kaduna State at the party secretariat in Abuja, Muazu advised PDP members not to engage in argument with opposition politicians who he said care less about the country’s unity.

According to Muazu, “You must engage in discussing topical issues and issues that matters to the people and affect the lives of the common man. Do not drag yourself into argument with people that do not know what they are doing, talking about trivialities, ethnicity religion and regionalism. ``These are not the issues Nigeria needs now. All we need now is one single and indivisible nation, we must continue to make sure that we do whatever it takes to keep us strong and united country.’’ Mu`azu added.

He however pleaded with the people of Kaduna state to continue to coop-

erate with the State Governor, Ramalan Yero adding that this was critical to ensuring good and purposeful leadership in the state.

He said that the PDP under his leadership would ensure internal democracy and deepen the tenets of true democracy at all levels of government in the country. ``If you want to run for any elective post in our party, do not come to me do not go and stay in the villa and do not go and stay at the Government House Kaduna. Go to all the nook and crannies of your state and campaign.

The power of the people is what is going to be your power. ``Ensure you convince the people on issues at hand, tell them what you and your party stands for and what you intend to do for them for them to vote for you. ``If they vote for you, you are my man, you are my candidate. Internal democracy will not only be run well and properly, it will be deepened.’’

Mu`azu said.

He stressed that the only people that would survive under the party`s present condition were those who would campaign at the grass root. ``We will not hand pick our candi-

Mu’azu dates whatever you think you use to do, this is a new era. Our best 11 will be presented and they will surely be the winner.’’ Mu`azu said.

Earlier, Yero, said that his priority was to ensure fairness to all party members.

``Fairness and social justice we believe is the only way that can sustain a leadership. We will take the path of fairness, social justice and equity in all what we do in Kaduna state and we are hoping that we will set that as an example in this country.’’

In a related development Arewa Youths yesterday, stood up stoutly against the critics of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo joint ticket for the 2015, saying that they have worked hard to stabilize the unity, economy of the nation and therefore deserve a second term ticket for democratic consolidation.

The Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Kaduna branch, Comrade Danjuma Bello Sarki specifically decried critics of the Vice President who regarded him as a political liability to Jonathan’s 2015 Presidency, saying that Alhaji Sambo has contributed immensely to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government and the stabilisation the Northern.

Danjuma recounted the recent con-

tribution of Sambo to the major strides in ensuring that Northern chieftains of the PDP who decamped from the party returned back to the fold of PDP in Kaduna State and the North West, saying that effort were also on top gear to ensure that the Vice President regain his constituency which he lost elections in 2011.

According to the Youth leader, Sarki, “there is a lot of grass root mobilization of both the youths, women and men voters for the 2015 polls in the Vice President’s ward, local government area and senatorial district. So, the issue of history repeating itself in 2015 polls is impossible”.

“You see, the issue of the Vice President being a political liability for president Jonathan during the 2015 General Election is really untrue, anybody who is giving that kind of impression, I think the person is not correct in his assessment. I want to say very clearly that the Vice President and the President is a joint ticket. The Vice President and President Jonathan would actually want to go along together in 2015 despite attempts by opponents to whip up sentiments”.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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12 | Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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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 In search of true democrats N

O one can dispute the abysmal level of understanding of Nigerian politicians when it comes to the majesty of democracy.

No one should be surprised, therefore, at their lack of sophistication in its practice. This realisation should, therefore, compel pity instead of condemnation over their current needless fight on the directive by the leadership of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) to its members in the National Assembly to block all executive bills beginning with the 2014 appropriation bill. All Nigerians can and should do is ask their leaders to grow up!

For the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its sympathisers, such a directive was ill-informed, self-serving and part of a grand design by a desperate opposition to capture power at all cost. More seriously, targeting such a directive at the 2014 appropriation bill was particularly seen as the height of political irresponsibility and insensitivity on the part of the APC to the plights of Nigerians who, as they argued, would be the primary victim of the order.

On the surface, this criticism of the APC’s directives would seem logical and understandable. The barrage afterall, affords the PDP an opportunity to accumulate cheap political capital, appearing as it does, to be on the side of the people. Nigerians should, however, thoroughly interrogate the sudden rejuvenation of the PDP as the champion of the popular interests of Nigerians. Close observers of the trend of governance under the PDP since 1999 will attest to the fact that the party has not been too people-friendly in its policy options and strategy. Given its antecedents, this sudden populism

regarding the budget, seems more about the party’s share of the budget and not about Nigerians. After all, despite the annual increment in annual budget since 1999, and the rituals of its vetting by the National Assembly, the standard of living of an average Nigerian has hardly improved. It is bad enough that many of the criticisms fail to appreciate that an opposition party has the right to use its numerical strength to advantage in the legislature in all reasonable circumstances.

Worse still, the critics who claimed to be relying on the utilitarian philosophy of the greatest happiness for the people have pretended not to understand the context within which the APC gave the directive.

For the avoidance of doubt, the APC predicated its directive upon the need to restore the rule of law in Rivers State, where for a long time, a commissioner of police, with the active connivance of the presidency, appeared to have ‘become the state’, in every sense of the expression, to the detriment of the people of the state. The level of impunity in that state has been outrageous, especially under a supposedly democratic government.

So, if only for the purpose of rescuing the government and governance of, and in Rivers State, the decision of the APC on this matter, for all intents and purposes, is not only compelling, but has been long overdue. It is like the only weapon in the hand of the ‘weak’ against the ‘strong’, a kind of the last resort to ensure some measure of balance of power against an imperial presidency, especially having exhausted all other available avenues for local remedy to no avail.

LETTER

Much ado about another term IR: Anyone who resides outside Ogun State Scoverage is likely to get worried about the media of the political activities in the state in recent times. Political watchers and those that are familiar with the issues involved are however better informed. The truth is that the so-called political misunderstanding among members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state is overblown for obvious reasons .

It is very clear that politicking is here with us and every little issue is blown out of proportion. Furthermore, there is the issue of elected officials wishing to secure another term.

These people, who were simply anointed to contest the 2011 general elections on the platform of the defunct ACN, seemingly want a repeat of the 2011 selection procedure.

Having had an easy entry the other time, they obviously will not want to go through the democratic selection process but will rather prefer that they are handed the tickets to contest the 2015 election.

However, the realities of today would not support a blanket directive allowing those already serving not to test their popularity among the party members. It is only fair that they and others that are so interested be given the opportunity to come forward and showcase what they have to offer to the party members, who will ultimately determine who contests for which position.

Governor Amosun has said many times that whoever is interested in any elective position should be part of the transparent democratic processes that will produce credible candidates as the party’s flagbearers. This is a path of honour every aspirant should take. Those who were voted for in 2011 general election now have the opportunity to return to the people and give an account of their stewardship.

In democracy, power resides with the people.

A true democrat should not be afraid of elections.

•Bola Oyero, Ifo, Ogun State.

Moreover, filibustering, as it is known in principle, is a legitimate democratic tool for advancing democratic and party agenda in the legislature. The underlying assumption is that the people should be at the heart of governance and once a party has the requisite numerical strength in the legislative arm, it can force the executive arm run by another party to pursue the opposition party’s desired policies. Again, the people are central to it all. It is a tool that has been deployed on more than a few occasions in the United States, the latest being the government shutdown in 2013 over controversies regarding the health policy popularly called ‘Obamacare’. The reality in Nigeria may not necessarily be the same as the U.S., but the principles are not different. This is the beauty, the majesty of democracy.

Recent experiences at both regional and national levels have shown that in the absence of such institutional checks as the proposed blockage, people may resort to the adoption of unconventional means, especially street protests against an imperious or high-handed executive arm of government. It is, therefore, important to view what the APC did beyond par-

tisan connotations. Rather, it should be seen as a bold and courageous step against a presumably dictatorial presidency. It was, above all else, a fight against impunity. The directive was, therefore, aimed at salvaging governance and rule of law in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria in general. For it will be too myopic and reductionist to interpret happenings in Rivers State strictly as the internal affairs of the state.

If, as the underlying principle of a dominant party in the legislative arm blocking executive excesses is to make that government behave responsibly, so be it.

This, however, is not to say that a supposed instrument of control such as this should be trivialised.

While this development is welcome, the opposition needs to be careful in its deployment only in a way that will hold government accountable for its actions and inactions. If it must be deployed as a measure of last resort, as this instance suggests, it must be in the overall interest of the nation, never for partisan reasons. Only then can it generate sustainable sympathy from Nigerians and help advance the nation’s

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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Opinion On INEC’s preparation for 2015

By Nick Dazang HERE is no gainsaying it: the 2015 General T Elections hold the prospect of stabilizing and deepening Nigeria’s democracy. Little wonder, the elections continue to elicit and even dominate the upper reaches of political discourse. This interest (in the elections) reached a frenzied climax recently with the release of the timetable and schedule of activities for the said elections on Friday, January 24, 2014 by the Commission.

It is a measure of the interest Nigerians and members of the international community have shown in these elections that Development Partners continue to make sorties to the INEC headquarters. In the past one month alone, the European Union’s Managing Director for Africa, Nicholas Wescott; the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle; and the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, John Groffen have visited the Commission to inquire about its preparations to conduct the 2015 General Elections. As a matter of fact, Ambassador Groffen visited the Commission twice in one month!

Apart from these inquiries about the Commission’s preparations for the conduct of the 2015 General Elections, concerns and posers have been raised over a number of issues. Especially following the Commission’s recent presentation before the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, concerns have been raised about the rather high cost of the 2015 General Elections. Why would the Commission require another whopping N93 billion when it was given N87 billion to conduct the 2011 General Elections? How prepared is the Commission to conduct the 2015 General Elections, especially in the light of its near debacle in the conduct of the Saturday, November 16, 2013 Anambra State governorship election? Why is the Commission exuding so much confidence and gravitas in spite of this seeming shortcoming? What is the state of the voters’ register, which is supposed to be the superstructure on which the entire elections rest and which has received lacerating and damning criticisms during the Anambra State governorship election? These questions demand urgent and cogent answers

from the Election Management Body (EMB), namely INEC, so that it can assuage the anxiety of its stakeholders and be on the same page with them.

Elections cost money the world over. And it is even more so in Nigeria. This is because in advanced and mature democracies people volunteer to conduct elections. Here we use ad hoc staff, largely members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and students of tertiary institutions. In each national election, not less than 500,000 ad hoc workers are recruited, trained, fed, deployed and are paid allowances.

When you consider that, we have 120,000 polling units, and each polling unit requires at least three ad hoc workers to man and at least two policemen to secure a polling unit, the mathematics is very clear. This is not to add the security agents being deployed to escort materials. Out of a budget of N93 billion proposed by the Commission, the largest chunk of N68.7 billion or 69% is to be expended on electoral matters. Another N17 billion or 18.3% goes to the payment of allowances for ad hoc staff. Yet another N9 billion or 9.8% of the budget goes into capital projects. The long and short of it is that the Commission is in a position to account for every kobo it has budgeted for.

More than in 2011, the Commission is prepared and determined to conduct elections that are better than previous ones. In the aftermath of the 2011 General Elections, the Commission held a series of frank, no-holds-barred lesson learning retreats. Staff, from Electoral Officers (EOs) to Administrative Secretaries (AS) and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) were entreated, in these retreats, to be forthright and forthcoming about areas in which the Commission did well, where it came short and how the situation could be remedied.

These lessons were factored in a bottoms-up and elaborate Strategic Plan (2012-2016) articulated to guide the Commission in the conduct of subsequent elections. As if these were not enough, when the Commission had challenges in conducting the Anambra State governorship election, all management staff – Supervisors, RECs and National Commissioners – were summoned and elaborately debriefed. As a matter of fact, even as recent as the Commission’s re-

treat which ended on January 24, 2014 in Kaduna, RECs who conducted governorship elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra were asked to share their experience with a view to overcoming pitfalls subsequently.

Also, in the aftermath of the 2011 General Elections, INEC commissioned independent experts from the academia, society and veteran journalists imbued with integrity to review the elections and make recommendations. The Commission has since increased its consultations and engagements with critical stakeholders such as political parties, civil society organisations and the media. These interfaces have reduced the friction between the Commission and these stakeholders and have ensured that, as much as possible, we are on the same wavelength.

These measures and other reforms the Commission has effected have imbued it with greater confidence.

There is a correlation between a credible voters’ register and a credible election. And though the electronic register we now have is not 100 per cent perfect, it is the best we have ever had and it is credible. After the 2011 voter registration exercise, over 72 million eligible Nigerians were registered. Direct Data Capture Machines (DDCMs) were either stolen or crashed. Consequently, in the conduct of the 2011 General Elections, the electronic register and the manually compiled register referred to as Addendum Register, were used to conduct the elections. Immediately after the election, the Commission proceeded to consolidate and clean the register. A software, the Automated Finger Identification Systems (AFIS) was ran over all the data captured during the 2011 registration exercise. Multiple registrations were discovered across the states of the federation and the FCT. Those who did multiple registrations were purged out of the register, leaving them only with one authentic registration.

In the Anambra governorship election, and indeed in subsequent elections, which the Commission intends to conduct, it will no longer use the manual or addendum register. And as in the instance of the Anambra governorship election where eligible citizens

More than in 2011, the Commission is prepared and determined to conduct elections that are better than previous ones. In the aftermath of the 2011 General Elections, the Commission held a series of frank, no-holdsbarred lesson learning retreats. Staff, from Electoral Officers (EOs) to Administrative Secretaries (AS) and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) were entreated, in these retreats, to be forthright and forthcoming about areas in which the Commission did well, where it came short and how the situation could be remedied. were given the opportunity of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to have their particulars/biometrics captured by our DDCMs, the Commission will soon flag off a national Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the next few months. This will give opportunity for those who did not register before to do so; it will give opportunity for those who have attained 18 years since the last voter registration exercise to register; it will afford an opportunity for those whose names are in the manual or addendum register to register and it will provide an opportunity for those who have lost their cards to revalidate them. This exercise will coincide with a nationwide distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). These crucially important exercises will be preceded by adequate publicity so that no Nigerian who is eligible is left out or disenfranchised.

Even as the Commission proposes to flag off a Continuous Voter Registration exercise and to distribute Permanent Voter Cards, Nigerians should rest assured that the Voters’ Register is in excellent shape, having been cleaned and de-duplicated several times. And before the 2015 General Elections, eligible voters who have registered should be able to interrogate our database over their status and ascertain for themselves that their names are verily in the voters’ register.

• Dazang is Deputy Director and Head of Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).

From income inequality to economic imbalance

By Martin Udogie F the 55 billionaires reported in a recent ground-breaking O and authoritative survey by Ventures magazine, Nigeria with 20 billionaires outnumbered South Africa with nine, and Egypt with eight. Now, while this is cheering news, there is an issue of concern. According to a very practical and sensible book Breakout Nations by Ruchir Sharma, an Indian banker with Morgan Stanley, something is amiss when a country with smaller economy parades a larger number of extremely wealthy people. He says, “If a country is generating too many billionaires relative to the size of its economy, it’s off balance.”

He goes on to say Russia has 100 billionaires, about as many as China which has an economy four times that of Russia.

Equally significant is the size and source of a country’s billionaires. Mr. Sharma writes that if a country’s billionaires make their money largely from government patronage, rather than productive new industries, it could feed resentment, adding that healthy emerging markets should produce billionaires, but their number must also be in proportion to the size of the nation’s economy, the billionaires should face competition and turnover at the top. China’s top 10 list of billionaires shows a lot of turnover with names falling off or coming on all the time.

Just days ago, it became news that Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and author of that headline-grabbing book Lean In, has become a billionaire. This underscores one of the dynamism of the American economy. Ever since the passage of the antitrust laws, the American economy has seen constant change in its ranks of the rich and powerful, including both people and companies.

Then there is the issue of the absolute wealth. Again China offers an interesting example where there seems to be an unwritten rule that caps total wealth one individual can accumulate, lest they might begin to cause harm to the sys-

tem. Sharma says that in the last 15 years, China has generated much more growth, much more overall wealth than any other country, but its richest man is now worth about nine billion dollars, far less rich than the billionaires in much smaller economies ranging from Mexico to Russia to Nigeria.

In fact, the man who held the title of richest man in China in 2007, Huang Guangyu, is currently in jail on insider trading and corruption charges.

Enough of income inequality. How about economic imbalance. Sharma’s rule of thumb or what he calls rule of the road is this: In any big country the second-largest city usually has a population that is at least one-third to one-half the population of the largest city. This ratio reflects regional balance in the economy. Examples are Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Seoul and Busan in Korea, Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia and so on. It’s a red flag if a country is stuck in violation of this rule. Nigeria is clearly in breach of this condition when you consider the demography of Lagos relative to other cities. Which, therefore, raises the question: How do you redress this imbalance? India offers an interesting case that strikes eerily close to home.

Back in 1981 incomes in the most-developed states in India were 26 per cent higher than those in the underdeveloped states. By 2008, the gap had widened to 86 per cent. Predictably, this produced a certain arrogance in the Southern states, where it became commonplace to look with alarm and pity on the failure of the populous northern states to keep up.

Southerners saw themselves as harder working, better educated, and more ready to compete in the world. Yes, this is author Sharma talking about India. Not me. Not Nigeria.

But in recent years, the North has been growing faster than the South. The rise of the rest in India resulted from a number of factors, perhaps most important is the election of better leaders. The most striking example comes from Bihar, a remote state that someone once described as “the place where civilization ends”. The running joke in India as they

battle Pakistan over Kashmir had been that, Pakistan can have Kashmir, as long as they agree to take Bihar along with it.

But today, it is a different story. Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar stormed into office in 2005 and launched an aggressive campaign to bring order to a lawless territory. He forced the police to start pursuing crooks, who in Bihar included powerful members of the state Parliament and their business cronies.

Lawless Biharis even started to pay their taxes, believing that for the first time, the money might find its way to the public purse, not private wallets. As bridges and roads got built, Bihar started to function, then to fly. Now its economy is growing at 11 per cent, the second fastest rate in India, and Minister Kumar lauded as a model of what a straight leader can accomplish in a crooked state.

Finally, all that glitter is not gold. Again China offers the best in this contrast. On a visit to China in 2009, Mr. Sharma took the maglev train, the world’s fastest operational train that goes past as a white blur at 270 miles per hour. He says that if you don’t look out at the window, you can’t tell you’re moving. No rocking, no rattling, indeed no sound at all. The maglev train indeed travels at zero altitude; it doesn’t quite touch the tracks, as magnets float the train a fraction of an inch off the ground.

But in something of an irony, every year, tens of millions of Chinese migrant workers go home to see their families for the New Year holidays. The attendant chaos is captured in the award-winning documentary, The Last Train Home. For most, the cheapest and fastest route home is the local train (they can’t afford the maglev train), but the impossible crowds strain the system past the breaking point. Many migrant workers camp at the railway station for weeks, waiting to buy tickets. Those who persevere enough to get a ticket often have to climb through a window to get on the train for a ride that can last three days. Many have to stand day and night, for lack of space on the floor to sit. Some wear diapers to avoid using the toilet during the ride home!

• Udogie is a business and economy analyst and radio host.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

14 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Opinion Race for Lagos gubernatorial slot

By Bayo Sambe UITE a number of factors, notably the comQ parable strength of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, have naturally provoked interesting debate and permutations over who emerges the party’s candidates in the next general elections slated for early next year. In particular, the ticket for the Lagos State Governorship Election 2015 is no doubt up for grabs, as Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) completes his second term in office. There have been several analyses on who should succeed him. Criteria streaming from various commentators are on issues of religion, credentials, contacts, experience in public office, and indigeneship. Even senatorial zones are being taunted as the yardstick to determine who clinches the elusive ticket.

All the commentators, however, appear to be united in their view that Lagos State deserves to be governed by a grounded technocrat with great understanding of human and fiscal management. No doubt, the state needs a careful manager of people and wealth. Lagos has the highest fiscal budget amongst the states of the federation, with an estimate of N489.69 billion a little lower than that of 2013 budget of N499.604. Also foremost in the considerations, is the high rating of the performance of Governor Fashola and the conclusion that whoever succeeds him should match this feat or even surpass it.

With the recent announcement of the timetable for the general elections by INEC, the temperature continues to hit the roof. Events have shown that aspirants and their supporters are keeping their cards close to their chests while mobilizing underground and building blocks of support. Some gave experience of the past as reasons for the low key mobilization as none of them wants to be seen as jumping the gun. The strategy at this time is more like getting the attention of the party leaders.

The mobilization and activities towards grabbing the guber ticket and other positions are expected to be more intense after the membership registration exercise which began last

week. Names rated high on the long list include Dr. Muiz Banire, former Commissioner for Environment; Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure; Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, former Accountant-General of Lagos State; Mr. Babatunde Fowler, Executive Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and Rt. Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

Other names on the list include Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, Commissioner for Agriculture and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

The rating scores some of the potential nominees and aspirants high while some are seen as just wanting to be mentioned and to keep their political relevance and probably be compensated in the next dispensation.

Dr. Muiz Banire is a lawyer cum academician, the former Commissioner for Transport and Environment who served as a member of the Lagos State Executive Council for 12 years. He is seen to have impacted a lot of party members through the office he held for eight years under former Governor Tinubu and later four years with Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. With a rich experience and knowledge of the issues of governance in Lagos, he is seen as capable, if experience is all that will qualify anyone for the job. Muiz Banire is the leader of the Mandate Group, a very viral group with strong membership amongst the local party faithful. Currently the Interim National Legal Adviser of the Party (APC), Banire hails from Mushin Local Government, West Senatorial District of Lagos, an area known for serious local politics and high political participation.

Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, is one of the Diaspora community members who has enjoyed the sagacity of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s interest to work with the best. A renowned professional engineer with a doctorate degree in System Processing Engineering with over two decades experience with reputable global firms and brands like Compaq Computer Services, Merrill Lynch

Inc, Morgan Stanley Inc and Citi Bank, his sophistication is not in doubt.

Obafemi Hamzat has been seen to be very active on the social media especially on Facebook where he posts various resourceful motivational words as a way of engaging the youthful Lagos populace and beyond, with coined slogans like Eko oni baje, Eko ate Siwaju (Lagos will not spoil, Lagos will prosper more).

His father, a former political leader in the Mushin community West Senatorial district of Lagos, is a local king in Ogun State. Hamzat, therefore, also has a potential of pitching his tent in Ogun State, possibly to succeed Senator Ibikunle Amosun, if he so desires. Information has it that his younger brother, a third term member of the House of Representatives has started building political structures that will build the launching pad for his senatorial ambition and his brother’s guber ambition when the time comes.

Babatunde Fowler, an astute banker, a blue blood of Lagos from the noble and elitist background of the Vivian Fowler fame is also being dragged into the list of likelihoods for the gubernatorial seat. He hails from the Lagos Island Central Senatorial District of Lagos.

Babatunde William Fowler (BWF) attended University of Wisconsin, Whitewater where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Political Science. He also attended the California State University, Los Angeles where he obtained a degree in Business Administration and later a Master of Business Administration in the same institution in 1981. He has over two decades of working experience in banking and has held top management positions in reputable banks such as Commercial Bank (Credit Lyonnaise) and Chartered Bank Plc. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Lagos State Board of Inland Revenue. A pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God seems to fit into the Christian governor card being flown. Known for his calmness and strategic approach to doing things, Fowler’s feat of turning around the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Lagos State from a meager N700 million a month to

a whooping N20 billion has shown that he is a man that could carry the challenge of moving Lagos forward.

There are commendations on the employment generation, as the revenue service reform led by Fowler brought in hundreds of young Lagosians into the tax profession with great opportunity for professional and career advancement.

Many think that a man who has successfully built the revenue base of the state will also be able to oversee its spending.

Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji is a man in the eye of the storm. Many people think that his present travail with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may affect his chances if the court case drags through the process of nomination and elections. His supporters believe that the lingering EFFC trial is the handiwork of the Speaker’s detractors who are hell bent on stopping him. Accusing fingers have been pointed to some persons within the State Executive Council believing that it was a payback plot against the action of the Speaker in the recent past.

Ikuforiji, many believe, has the grassroots support and is trusted by the party leadership as a loyal member of the party. He is also favoured amongst those who are championing equitable rotation of the gubernatorial slot. They believe it is the time of the Lagos East Senatorial District to produce a governor for the state. Beyond these touted names, the political vista is clear, and the playing field is fairly level as to tilt the balance in favour of any aspirant in the party.

None of those in apparent contention now can boast of being a clear favourite.

As the politicians and other notable stakeholders continue in the great search for the successor to Governor Fashola, it is believed that two people: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola have a major role to play in the selection process .

The people of Lagos can only pray that they have a smooth run in deciding their successor.

• Sambe wrote from Lagos.

Between BPE and PHCN workers’ unions

By Benjamin Ibinabo EMBERS of the National Union of Electricity Employees M (NUEE) threatened to go on strike on January 14, 2014, but relented. Their reason was that most of their members disengaged in the course of privatising the successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have not received their severance benefits either in part or in full.

However, there seems to be conflicting figures coming from the leaders of the labour unions of the defunct PHCN as regards the number of people affected.

First, the Secretary General of one of the unions, the NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, had reportedly stated during a recent press conference that “the pension deductions of about 48,000 workers between July 2012 … to date have not been effected.” Then, some other remarks attributed to him in the news report of the press conference – about funds meant for the payment of staff entitlements having developed wings, etc. – suggest that the payment process has been compromised by irregularities or fraud with the complicity of some government agencies.

These of course are serious allegations which cannot be glossed over. And in a seemingly complementary statement, the Zonal Organising Secretary of NUEE, Temple Iworima, reportedly said that about 25,000 were yet to receive pension components.

But, in a swift reaction published in The Guardian of January 12, 2014, the BPE claimed that “43, 375 workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have been verified as bona fide staff of PHCN and have been paid both gratuity and pension component remitted to their RSA accounts”.

The BPE further said, “in direct response to the numbers being thrown around”, that “Mr. Ajaero is aware that the total PHCN workforce presented to government is 47,913”.

The response also claimed that, “to effect the payment of the 43, 375 staff”, the BPE had “remitted N361,024,432,338.48 to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation”, which “brings the payment made with regards to the validated staff

to 94.79 per cent of the workforce”. It then said that the “validation of another 2,382 has been concluded and payments are in process”, which “brings the total number of staff verified to 45, 757 or 95.5 per cent of the purported staff strength of PHCN”.

Of those that have yet to be validated and so have remained unpaid, the BPE response said: “The Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, is still working tirelessly to validate the remaining 4.5 per cent of the work force”. It described this group as “purported staff that the Committee has so far not been able to obtain documents/information to validate their claims to being staff of PHCN”. It said the union “is very much aware of this” and wondered: “Does the Union want Government to pay ghost workers?”

Of course the foregoing shows that there are contending claims – of the actual number(s) of those affected by the nonpayment, etc. – between the BPE and the PHCN labour unions.

However, what in my opinion gives the edge of credibility to the claims by the BPE is this bit of its reaction: “We challenge Mr. Ajaero to supply the list of names of the 25,000 PHCN staff he claims have not been paid and the mysterious 10,000 and 5,000 others being bandied.”

I believe “the mysterious 10,000 … others” refers to another claim, complementary to those of Messrs Ajaero and Iworima, that the total number of unpaid disengaged staff of the defunct PHCN is “about 10,000”. The claim was reportedly made

by Engr. Bede Opara, the President of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), the other PHCN labour union.

Indeed, the labour leaders of the defunct PHCN are right to press for the payment of all the entitlements of their disengaged members. But if their threat to embark on strike was based on the types of conflicting figures they have put out regarding the number(s) of their members who deserve such payment, I dare say that the threat was unjustified, and embarking on strike would have disserved their interests, as much as the lack of coherence with those figures raises ques-

tion about their credibility.

A threat by a group of citizens to plunge their nation into darkness, as it were, cannot be justified by a claim of its government’s indebtedness to some of its members of which those behind the claim are not sure if the number of those affected is 25,000, 10,000 or some other figure. But I doubt that it can be justified at all. These union officials need to resolve their statistical incoherence and avoid the risk of portraying theirs as a confused house of agitators, which I believe it is not.

To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Ajaero has yet to respond to BPE’s challenge to justify his claim by supplying the names of the 25,000 PHCN staff he claims have yet to be paid. His having not done so weakens his credibility vis-à-vis that of the BPE, I think. However, what is at issue is not so much who is right between the BPE and the PHCN union leaders, judging by the figures both sides have put in the public domain, as it is public interest, or the interest of the Nigerian people.

Yes, it is in the interest of the Nigerian people, and of justice, that their compatriots disengaged from work are paid their entitlements in full and promptly. But it is also in the interest of the Nigerian people, in order to guard against making wasteful or fraudulent payment to ghost workers at the expense of the taxpayer, for those representing the potential beneficiaries not to bandy conflicting figures in ways likely to undermine the integrity of the payments.

So it must also be in the interest of the Nigerian people that the BPE has set up a new process to verify the identity of those who may not have been paid as a step towards solving the problem. This is apparent from its having reportedly set up a body to tour designated centres nationwide with a view to addressing all residual issues related to the full settlement of the terminal benefits. Of course the cooperation of the union leaders of the defunct PHCN and their affected members would be necessary for the success of the exercise; and we must urge them to cooperate in order to finally lay this issue to rest.

• Ibinabo lives in Yenagoa.

THE GUArDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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Business ExxonMobil initiates N1.3tr financing scheme for local contractors

By Roseline Okere xxonMobil Nigeria has initiated a finance scheme that would enable contractors and vendors access N1.3 trillion ($8.6 billion) credit facility from 12 leading Nigerian banks.

Managing Director of the company, Mark Ward, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with representatives of Access Bank, First Bank, stanbic IBTC, United Bank for Africa, Zenith Bank, First City

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Monument Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, EcoBank, Fidelity Bank, Union Bank, Citi Bank and standard Chartered Bank.

The scheme is part of the Nigerian oil and gas industry content development Act of 2010, which encourages full participation of local companies alongside their foreign counterparts. speaking at the commissioning ceremony for the ExxonMobil Contractor Finance scheme, yesterday in Lagos, Ward said the cred-

it would enable the company’s registered contractors accelerate delivery of goods and services to the nation’s oil and gas industry.

He disclosed that about 24 contractors have been able to access funds under the scheme since it was introduced last year.

Ward added that the company would continue to encourage more contractors to sign up to the programme.

“They are ensured easier access to competitive fund-

ing as well as reduced loan processing time which would enhance speedier completion of their contracts while building their capacity.

“Banks in Nigeria often find it challenging acceding to loan applications from local contractors with little or doubtful assurances of repayment. Local enterprises, which have little track record, credit history or liquid collateral are often refused finance because banks perceive them to be

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) Phillips Oduoza (right); Former Governor, Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba and; Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, during the UBA CEO Awards 2014, organised by the bank, in Lagos

‘Nigeria’s economic prospects remain bright’

By Helen Oji ENAIssANCE Capital has expressed optimism that Nigerian economy has the potential of becoming much bigger than other economies in emerging market in the next few years.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Igor Vayn stated this at the fifth yearly Pan-Africa 1:1 Investor Conference tagged ‘Unlocking Africa’s Potential’ held in Lagos.

He pointed out that with the opportunities that exist in unlocking the refineries, as well as the power sector privatization portend new opportunities for investors to play a role in supporting future investment in Nigeria.

Vayn, however added that all these factors would accelerate economic growth if would understand the relevance of the capital market, as well as

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Minister allays investors’ fears over 2015 elections the need to track the needed capital into the country.

Earlier, the Minister, C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, on Monday said that the 2015 elections would not affect the nation’s investment potent i a l s . .

Johnson, while fielding questions to participants at the occasion, submitted that the current reforms in the country could not be reversed even if there was change of government in 2015 because the reforms were based on inclusive growth and development. she pointed out that the various reforms targeted at the critical sectors of the economy were necessary for the development of the country, while allaying investors fear on the 2015 election.

“If we are waiting for out-

come of politics, you will wait in vain and might end up missing investment opportunities,” she said.

The minister said that government would continue to strengthen the information , communication and technology (ICT)because it was crucial for economic development, adding that the sector had recorded about 27 per cent growth in the past five years, adding that, its contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2012 stood at eight per cent.

Johnson said the Federal Government would establish a venture capital fund for the development of the sector to unlock investment p o t e n t i a l s .

The fund, according to her, would be used for local content development. she also stressed the need for foreign companies to partner with Nigerians to

unlock the nation’s investment potentials, adding that the country in the next two years through the local content initiative would stop importation of sim c a r d s .

Also speaking, Dr Doyin salami, member, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Monetary Policy Committee, called for development of risk management strategy in African m a r k e t s . salami said that Nigeria and other African markets were under intense pressure due to lack of risk management structure to guard against policy change and external fact o r s .

“We need to develop the financial markets through proper risk management to prevent it from undue pressure when faced with policy changes,” salami said.

risky”, he said.

He described the ExxonMobil Nigeria’s contractor finance scheme as an initiative that seeks to support the nation’s content aspirations by providing ExxonMobil contractors better funding options to fulfill contracts awarded to them.

“ExxonMobil’s national content programme has three key elements – workforce development, strategic community investments and local supplier development. This contractor finance scheme underscores the development of local suppliers to form a competitive base and we are glad that the Executive secretary of Nigeria Content Development Management Board is present to formally flag off this programme.

“Partnering with 12 leading Nigerian banks it is our expectation that with the $8.6 billion available under the scheme, ExxonMobil contractors nationwide would be able to access better and quicker funding options to enable them execute their contracts speedily. The cooperation of the banks has proved invaluable to the successful rollout of this scheme”, he explained.

The Executive secretary of NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, stressed the need for Nigerian banks to pay attention to the funding of manufacturing in the oil and gas sector.

According to him, many banks are interested in funding contractors, relegating the manufacturing of pipe mills to the background.

He commended ExxonMobil for supporting the Nigeria content policy through the financing scheme for local contractor.

Total gets first female MD for upstream firms in Nigeria From Collins Olayinka, Abuja

rs. Elisabeth Proust has emerged the first M female Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Total’s upstream companies in Nigeria.

Her portfolio includes Total E&P Nigeria Ltd, Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd and several other subsidiaries.

Proust has also become Total Group’s representative in Nigeria, with effect from today.

A statement from Total said with her new position, she becomes the first female Managing Director in the over 50 years history of the company in Nigeria. she succeeds Guy Maurice, who has been assigned to other duties in the Total Group.

“We have great confidence in the ability of Mrs. Proust to steer the ship of the upstream companies in Nigeria at this critical period in the Group’s activities in the country” stated YvesLouis Darricarrere, Upstream President of Total sA. Proust arrives Nigeria with over 34 years extensive experience in the oil and gas industry. she is a 1979 graduate of Mechanics and Marine Hydrodynamics from the Mechanical Engineering school (ENsM) in Central Nantes, France and also has a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the French Petroleum Institute (ENsPM) Paris, both in France. she joined Elf in 1980 and started her career with ten years of hands on experience as a driller.

Proust has held key technical and managerial positions in Exploration and Production in various Total subsidiaries in France, Cameroun, Brazil, Angola, the Netherlands and russia.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

BUSINESS Wednesday, February12, 2014

Cash-less project goes nationwide July 1

By Chijioke Nelson HE cash-less project of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be rolled out to the remaining states of federation come July 1, marking the commencement of the scheme nationwide.

The initiative, being driven by the Bankers’ Committee, was earlier extended to six states of the federation in July last year, after an initial pilot runs in Lagos State.

Speaking after the 315th meeting of the committee at the apex bank’s Lagos Office, yesterday, the Head of Shared Services, CBN, Chidi Umeano, averred that the decision to go nationwide with the cashless project was anchored on the successes already recorded in Lagos and other six states.

To him, though there

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. Electronic transactions exceed N200b mark daily were hitches associated with intial operations, the scheme has grown to overcome major challenges, while the experiences have charted courses for further expansion.

“As at Monday, the Nigeria Electronic Funds Transfer hit N123 billion; NIP, recorded N33 billion; Point of Sale, N50 billion, while the Mobile Money made N12 billion,” he said.

He assured that the initial hitches, which may beset the nationwide rollout of the project have been articulated and measures put in place to mitigate them, allaying fears that major challenges may arise.

Umeano also noted that an understanding had already been reached with network providers for improved and efficient

As at Monday, the Nigeria Electronic Funds Transfer hit N123 billion; NIP recorded N33 billion; point of sale, N50 billion; while the mobile money made N12 billion. services, especially in the new states.

Meanwhile, the committee that from March 13, 2014, all top banks officials- from the CBN governor to chief executives of financial institutions will embark

Poor’s 500 Index higher for a fourth day, as Federal Reserve Chairman, Janet Yellen, said the central bank will likely continue scaling back stimulus as the economy strengthens.

Also, European stock markets rose solidly after Yellen told Congress she had no plans to change monetary policy set under predecessor Ben Bernanke.

In U.S., Sprint Corp. jumped 3 per cent after posting fourth-quarter revenue that topped analysts’ estimates. CVS Caremark Corp. climbed 2.6 percent as pharmacy sales rose on new medicines and new customers. InvenSense Inc. rallied 9.9 percent after saying it has settled pending patent litigation proceedings with STMicroelectronics NV. The S&P 500 gained 0.8 percent to 1,813.80 at 11:53

a.m. in New York. The index climbed above its average level over the past 50 sessions for the first time in more than two weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 137.14 points, or 0.9 percent, to 15,938.93.

Trading in S&P 500 stocks was 4 percent below the 30day average during this time of the day.

“The market likes consistency and what we’ve heard this morning has been consistent with what we’ve heard for months,” Steven Rees, head of U.S. equities at JPMorgan Private Bank, which oversees $977 billion in assets, said in a phone interview. “Tapering continues, but it continues to be the result of an economic situation that’s slowly improving. The economy is still on track to have a good year.”

Yellen, 67, delivered her first public remarks as Fed chairman as policy makers pursue plans to gradually scale back the unprecedent-

mittee was also in support of the monetary policies so far reeled out to shore up the currency and maintain stability in the financial system, including the increased Cash Reserve Ratio of public sector funds with the commercial banks.

Onasanya noted that the committee’s support for further increment in CRR, would also be enlisted, if the regulatory authority sees it as the last resort, after exploring other measures.

Stakeholders seek domestication of regional mining vision

By Bola Olajuwon TAKEHOLDERS in Africa’s Sunderscored mining industry have the need for

U.S., European stocks rise as Yellen’s speech fuels economic optimism NITED States (U.S.) U stocks rose yesterday, sending the Standard &

on massive enlightenment campaign aimed at reaching the greater unbanked populace.

Also, the campaign will be channeled to schools, with all top bank chiefs leading, in a move targeted at

young Nigerians to inculcated financial education and banking culture ahead of productive live.

The Managing Director of First Bank, Bisi Onasanya, who also addressed the journalists, said that the committee considered the issues about the nation’s currency, which has suffered a sliding fortunes in recent times, resolving that there was need to support policies aimed at increasing the foreign reserves.

He affirmed that the com-

ed bond-purchase program she helped put in place.

Economic growth has strengthened and there is “broad improvement” in the labor market,’’ the chairman said. She repeated the Fed’s outlook for further reductions in “measured steps” and that asset purchases, known as quantitative easing, are not on a “pre-set course.”

The early gains suggested the European market was reassured by Yellen’s statement that she expects “a great deal of continuity” in Fed policy, according to the prepared text of her testimony to a House of Representatives hearing.

There were however heavy falls for blue-chip companies, including British bank Barclays and French cosmetics giant L’Oreal.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 0.64 percent to stand at 6,633.84 points in afternoon deals.

partnerships as well as fasttracking of domestication of the continent’s vision at national level for rapid developments and sustainability in the sector.

This was the kernel of discussions at the gathering of thousands of exhibitors, investors and industry experts during Africa Mining Vision Day at the just concluded Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.

The event, organised by the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) partners – African Union Commission, Economic Commission for Africa, UNDP Africa Bureau and the African Development Bank as well as the World Bank, opened up a space for a much-needed frank dialogue with key industry leaders, government representatives from African countries and funding partners of the AMDC. There was agreement among the stakeholders that the AMV is a journey whose success will depend

on the formulation of Country Mining Visions.

However, the Country Mining Vision is germane for a country like Nigeria as it prepares to exploit the hitherto neglected other mineral resources in order to diversify from oil and gas i n d u s t r y .

Debates across the sustainability realm of discussions at the event agreed that the AMV is about developing a competitive mining industry that is world class, knowledge-driven and can deliver value to shareholders.

The AMV, the stakeholders stressed, speaks of the need for a well-governed mining sector that is equitable and that contributes to local linkages development as part of Africa’s structural transformation and industrialisation process.

Addressing the gathering, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Fatima Haram Acyl, said the AMV is a shared responsibility whose implementation

requires the collaboration of many actors, including private sector civil society, parliaments, funding partners and governments.

“The vision needs partnerships that are based on mutual benefits,” Acyl said.

Also, Director at the Economic Commission for Africa’s Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa, Antonio Pedro, said: “We are extremely pleased that this year marks the first time Mining Indaba has featured AMV Day as a key feature of the conference. This marks an important juncture in the dialogue between the private sector, policy makers and civil society on pertinent sustainability concerns.”

Pedro said the dialogue established at Mining Indaba achieved a number of key milestones. “AMV day will be a permanent feature of the Mining Indaba. This is an important outcome, for without permanent platforms for dialogue, the AMV’s ambitious agenda cannot be realized,” he said.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 17

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection Carnage on Orlu Road, Owerri • Two kids, aged five and eight, crushed to death, mother in coma, in auto crash From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri

RAGEDY occurred on Monday along the ever-busy Orlu Road, Amakoihia, Owerri North Local Council of Imo State, when a Tera Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), driven by a retired Level 15 Nurse/Midwife, at the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Owerri, Mrs. Elechi Nze, veered off the road, crushing two children (aged five and eight respectively) to death, leaving their pregnant mother, in coma.

While one of the kids had his head smashed, the other child and her mother were thrown into the drainage by the vehicle. According to an eyewitness, the second kid died a few minutes later, though their pregnant mother is still in coma.

She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. As at the time of Imo State Governor. Rochas Okorocha filing the report, she has not reAccording to sources, Nze, married gained consciousness and did not know her children had passed on. to a retired Naval officer, Batholomew

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Nze, had retired from the FMC last year on Grade Level 15, and decided to utilize some of the funds she got from her entitlements to buy the SUV. The sources said, being allegedly a learner, she decided to drive the vehicle to their Catholic priest for special blessing when she suddenly saw the pregnant woman leading her two kids back from school. She accidentally pressed her leg on the accelerator, instead of the brake, hitting the victims.

The Guardian gathered that recently, accidents have occurred frequently in the capital city of Owerri. Only last Saturday, a truck owned by 7-Up Bottling Company, loaded with soft drinks upturned, injuring several persons at the popular Imo University, Owerri Junction, along Okigwe Road, Owerri.

A similar incident took place

Being a learner, she decided to drive the vehicle to her Catholic priest for a special blessing...

When she suddenly saw the pregnant woman bringing her two kids back from Nursery School, she marched the accelerator, instead of the brake. The vehicle immediately hit the victims. last week at Warehouse Junction, Owerri, damaging scores of vehicles and tricycles.

Drama in court, as SSS officer testifies against wife in favour of girlfriend From Emmanuel Ande, Yola HERE was a mild drama at the Yola chief Magistrate Court 5 yesterday, when a Deputy Director with the State Security Service (SSS) Mr. Edward Mathew Magaji, serving in Ibadan was in court to testify against his wife Mrs. Joy Magaji, in favour of his girlfriend Miss Natasha Aminu Danbaba, a nurse with the Specialist Hospital Yola, Magaji engaged the counsel to his wife Barrister Binanu Eston, in a verbal war, asking that the counsel could take his wife.

Magaji, 40, and his girlfriend (Miss Danbaba), 44, told the court earlier when he mounted the witness box for two hours to testify against his wife who has four children for him that he was in the room of his girlfriend located along Barracks Road when his wife came and broke the windscreen of the lady’s car after a failed attempt to gain access into the room where he was “relaxing” with his mistress.

Magaji who gave oral evidence that contra-

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dicted the earlier evidence of his girl friend told the court that he came out to restrain his wife from causing further damages in the house but his wife escaped, while Natasha in her oral evidence told the court that she was alone at home when her lover’s wife paid her a bloody visit.

The SSS officer also disputed the oral evidence of his girlfriend who told the court earlier that Magaji is a senior officer with SSS. In his cross examination he denied being an SSS officer, but later confessed that he was a top security officer.

Magaji who was warned by the Chief Magistrate on several occasions against using foul language and unpalatable words in court, denied beating his wife and insulting her parents.

He further told the court that he wanted justice for his girlfriend and also alleged that he divorced his wife last year, but later told the court that his wife was staying with him and that they both operate a joint business account.

“My wife is co-habiting with me, we operate a joint account business but this year she sold

everything and left for Jos,” he told the court.

The top randy SSS officer, who admitted in court that he did court wedding with his wife, confessed that the alleged divorce was not issued by court, but by him.

After the over five hours court session the security officer threatened to deal with any journalist that reported the case in the media.

Mrs. Joy Magaji a mother of four was dragged to the Yola Chief Magistrate’s court last month by Miss. Danbaba for criminally invading her house and damaging her car.

The Police Prosecutor inspector Suleiman Garba told the court that on the 3rd of January 2014 the accused person (Mrs. Joy) criminally invaded the resident of the plaintiff Miss Danbaba and damaged the windscreen of her car.

The case has been adjourned to Monday next week to allow the police tender the car and the wooden bench Miss. Danbaba claimed the defendant used to damage her car which the accused alleged belongs to her husband.

39 policemen killed, 111 persons murdered in Lagos in 2013

By Odita Sunday O fewer than 39 policeN men were killed in Lagos State in 2013, while the police in turn arrested 472 robbers and killed about 146 in a gun duel during the numerous armed robbery operations that occurred in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Alhaji Umar Manko made this disclosure yesterday during a world press briefing aimed at reviewing the achievements of the Command in the previous year.

In the comprehensive data made available to The Guardian, the CP revealed that while 39 gallant officers were gunned down in 154 armed robbery operations across the state, the police in turn killed over 146 and arrested 472 armed robbers.

The statement by Manko also showed that 111 murder cases were recorded with the months of March, April, June, September, October and November taking the lead with

20 cases each, while 390 armed robbery operations were foiled across the state by anti-robbery police teams.

The command also recovered 919 vehicles during the year under review. Out of the total number of vehicles, it was revealed that 254 vehicles were either snatched or removed respectively from where they were parked by their owners while five vehicles were driven away by hoodlums.

The data, however, showed that crime rate within the state reduced significantly compared with the year 2012 which had a high record of murder, assaults, stealing, traffic offences and child stealing, amongst other vices.

Manko said in all the successes recorded by the Command, over 16,034 arms and ammunition was recovered from the numerous armed robbery operations foiled by the police.

He said: “The challenge of

Manko policing Lagos State is enormous considering her cosmopolitan nature and prime position as the economic nerve centre of the country.

Since the command was poised to rid the state of criminals, we embraced intelligence-driven crime combating strategies under the mission statement: “Zero Level Tolerance for Crime”.

“In the year 2013, the com-

mand introduced an internal security scheme known as operation Shango, 7 Cities Project and CTU. The schemes set out in sequence, actions to be taken by police and other sister forces in dealing promptly and effectively with men of the underworld.”

“To combat and counter crime, the command introduced convoy patrol systems

with adequate supervision.

The dare devilish manner with which robbers operate in Lagos and its environ was matched by a striking force comprising of the State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).”

The police boss called for an improved criminal justice system, which would guarantee faster and impartial dispensation of justice.

According to him: “Imagine a situation where hoodlums are taken to court and a few weeks later, they are seen hovering around again in the society amidst armless citizens. The maxim, “justice delayed is justice denied” and “justice must not only be done, but must be seen done” should be the watchword.”

“It is pertinent that an appropriate and proportionate punishment be awarded at all times to guarantee the sanctity of the society and promote the rule of law,” he said.

Briefs Magazine for launch Saturday LIFESTYLE magazine, A Amazing Look, will be launched on Saturday February 15, 2014 at Kano Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja with Red Carpet at 5.00 pm. Founder, DSK Foundation , ,Chief David Sabo Kente, will be the chief launcher, while the event will also feature some clothing from Tripple J Collections.

According to the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Mrs. Patience Saha, Amazing Look is a lifestyle magazine which features touching true life stories as well as the latest in the fashion world. She said the magazine will promote native dresses which anyone can proudly wear to the Red Carpet, Dinner and other major events.

Church begins programme LL is set for the five-day A Holy Ghost Revival at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Zone 8, Lagos Province 26, from Wednesday, February 19, and Thursday, February 20 at 6.00p.m. daily. There will be a vigil on Friday, February 21 at 10.00p.m. It will be rounded off on Sunday, February 23 with a thanksgiving service at 9.00a.m. at Fountain of Love Parish, 46, Agege Motor Road, Moshalashi Mushin, Lagos.

Chief host is Pastor B.T. Akinyeye and Evang. E. O Falade will minister.

Head High holds Valentine Love Feast for Widows

ASTOR (Mrs.) Tinu P Odubgemi and the trustees of Head High, will today marks Valentine Love Feast for Widows at V-Ginis Event Centre, 3, Hussey Street, Yaba, opposite WAEC/Yaba College of Technology at 1.00p.m.

The event is powered by AGinis Event Centre; Added Values Office Mart; Latoye Idowu Generation; The Peninsular Resort; Minds & Brains Decorators, Fan Ice Nigeria among others.

The group has been putting smiles on the faces of widows in the past 12 years.

Dress code: A touch of red.

Die 1 for burial March 1 HE death has occurred of T Pa Augustine .I. Die I. He died on the January 19, 2014 at the age of 85. Traditional wake holds at his residence, Abuedo Quarters, UbuluUku, Aniocha South Local Council, Delta State on February 28.

The body departs UbuluUku General Hospital for lying-in-state in his country home, Abuedo Quarters on March 1, at 10.00 a.m. to be by interment at noon.

Thereafter, entertainment of guests and traditional burial rites would continue.

He is survived by his wife, brothers, cousins, children, in-laws and grandchildren. .

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

18 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Gunmen kidnap medical doctor in Ekiti From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti MEDICAL doctor, who has just secured employment with Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Dr. Adekunle Abayomi, has been reportedly kidnapped, raising the fears of residents on the increasing wave of the heinous crimes in the state.

Adebayo was kidnapped on Monday on his way from Ido Osi to Ado Ekiti where he was said to have visited a friend.

Also on Monday another Lagos based businessman and a community leader in Ido-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Council of

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Ekiti State, Chief Femi Fadeyi, was kidnapped by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

Fadeyi was kidnapped by gunmen at a petrol station in Ido at about 8:00am, when he was said to have gone there to buy petrol after dropping his mother at the Ido Market.

The latest victim, Abayomi was said to have ran from his former base in Yola, Adamawa State because of insurgency in that part of the country to secure appointment at EKSUTH. His colleague in the Ekiti State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association,

(NMA) who confirmed the kidnapping under the condition anonymity, said that the captors of Dr. Abayomi were demanding a N1million ransom.

He hinted that the association might be forced to pay the ransom because of the fears that the victim may be killed by his captors.

The Public Relations Officer of the Teaching Hospital Mr Muyiwa Olomu said the Management of the hospital was disturbed by the incident.

It was, however gathered that the Honda Civic car, in which Dr. Abayomi drove before he was kidnapped,

had been found where it was abandoned by his captors.

It would be recalled that two employees of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) were the first to be abducted in the new year,

while one of the victims later died after suffering from suffocation in the hands of their kidnappers.

The Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mr. Victor Babayemi, who also confirmed the incident has

vowed to unravel the mystery behind the kidnappings and the perpetrators, saying the long arm of the law would soon catch up with all those involved in the dastardly act.

Court remands man in prison for issuing dud cheques

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo OR allegedly defrauding a FNoodles distributor of Dangote of N18,180,000, a businessman, Sayyu Zakari, was docked before Justice Kudirat Jose of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.

The 34-year-old defendant was arraigned alongside his company, Alrander Limited, on a three-count charge of stealing, fraud and issuance of dishonoured cheque by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The offence was committed contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 34, Volume 44 of the Laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria and Section 1(1) of the Dishonoured Cheques

(Offences) Act, Cap D11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

Zakari pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. Zakari was said to have been supplied 9,000 cartons of Dangote Noodles by the complainant, Michelle Edmund Ventures.

He allegedly issued two Fidelity Bank cheques same day to the distributor. One of the cheques, numbered 02107680, instructed the bank to pay the complainant N9,180,000. The other cheque number 02107681 instructed to pay 9,000,000.

But the bank dishonoured both cheques on the ground that no sufficient funds were standing to the

credit of the account on which they were drawn.

In a petition written to the EFCC on behalf of the owner of the distributing firm, Mr. Olufunmilayo, by his counsel, Hyacinth Odu, the defendant was introduced to the complainant by Mojisola Folakemi Fisher, Head of Sales Department of Dangote Noodles in Ikorodu Town.

The petition claims that Dangote Noodles has refused to supply further products to the distributor as a result of failure by Zakari to pay.

Justice Jose therefore ordered that the defendant be remanded in Kano prison and adjourned the matter till March 6, 2014.

Briefs MTN holds Valentine’s Day party for young Nigerians LL is set for the widely-anticipated MTN A Valentine Rave Party. Leading ICT and telecommunications company, MTN, is set to treat young Nigerians to a night of love and music. This event tagged the “Valentine Rave Party,” is scheduled to take place on February 14, Valentine’s Day at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites.

Nigeria’s best artistes that have been lined up to delight fans. They include Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, KCEE, Chidinma and others.

The event would also feature DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Caise, DJ Neptune and DJ Big N amongst others.

Indeed, the Valentine season has become a grand occasion where love is given and received. Lovers and friends express love for each other in different ways and brands,

like MTN, take the opportunity to reward their customers.

With this event, the telecommunications giant is once again providing a platform where young Nigerian youths can express friendship and share love in the midst of good music and entertainment. Indeed the Valentine season is a perfect time to share and give love to those around us and obviously, that is what MTN has set out to do- reward its teeming young customers to an exquisite night of good music and fun.

The company has consistently been in the fore-front of providing consumers with entertaining experiences at concerts and entertainment aficionados note that this is an event that is worth to looking forward to.

Ijaiye chiefs charge Amosun on modern pot-making technology From Charles Coffie Gyamfi Abeokuta HE Ijaiye community in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has called on the state government to assist them in acquiring a modern technology that would help them in mass production of pots, which is their main occupation.

Majority of the residents are pot makers, but since time immemorial, they have made use of hands and crude implement, which does not give room for quality and mass production.

The community made the plea in Abeokuta on Monday through the community head, Chief Bunmi Fasola, during a press briefing to mark the commencement of the third Ijaiye Day celebrations.

They were convinced that with the introduction of modern technology in pot making, it would attract a lot of their unemployed youths to the business, while also improving the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The community also appealed to the government to establish a secondary school in the locality to save their wards from traveling long distances to other communities for secondary education.

According to Fasola, “there are three primary schools in the community, hence there is need for the state government to establish a secondary school, so that our children would

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not need to go to neighbouring communities to attend a secondary school.”

The retired school principal, who appreciated the performances of Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration, pleaded that the government should “help the Ijaiye community in the construction of the Gbangba Market, near Balogun Ganiyu Babayeju’s House, which was affected by flood, due to lack of sustainable drainage.”

They commended the government for what they described as unprecedented improvement, especially in the area of infrastructural development. They specifically mentioned the on-going massive road development throughout the state.

According to them: “The dividends of democracy by and large is being enjoyed more than ever before by Ijaiye community.”

Reeling out the weeklong programme of the Ijaiye Day, he said Amosun, government functionaries and traditional rulers, including the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo and the Onijaiye of Orile Ijaiye, Oyo State, Dr. Fasola would be in attendance at the grand finale of the celebrations.

Citizens of the community are expected to grace the occasion, which was last held in 2005 due to what Chief Fasola described as frictions.

Classic FM names local artistes to perform with UB40, Brandy at Valentine’s Concert ican singer Brandy Norwood and pop/reggae

previous announcements on FsicOLLOWING plans for its 2014 Valentines Concert, ClasFM 97.3 has finally unveiled the Nigerian

artistes that would perform this year.

The Lagos-based radio station, which prides itself with “Playing every song you know,” has revealed that RnB genius, Paul Play Dairo, Dancehall veteran, Blackky and Gongo aso crooner, 9ice would share the same stage with their international counterparts, Amer-

band UB40.

The stylishly unique Classic FM Valentine’s concert, which is billed for Sunday, February 16 at the Eko Hotel Expo Centre, in Victoria Island, promises to be an evening to remember, as the station has also announced that music on the night would be provided by Cool Dj Jimmy Jatt.

Tickets are available at Afri-tickets.com and Adibba.com.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

FinancialReporting

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 19

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

20 Wenesday, February 12, 2014

In partnership with

Shipping

NIGERIAN CHAMBER OF SHIPPING

• Workability: Due consideration must be given to the context of use – the users, tasks, equipment hardware, software and materials) and the physical and social environments in which a ‘system’ is used. The level and amount of information provided in handbooks must be appropriate to the required technical skills of the user and be written in his/her native language.

• Controllability: Designing the layout of ship control centres, machinery control rooms, cargo control rooms etc, bearing in mind the integration of people with equipment, systems and interfaces, such as communication, controls displays, alarms, videodisplay units and computer workstations.

• Manoeuvrability: Having the most appropriate manoeuvring capabilities consistent with the intended role, manning and operating pattern of the ship. These should include type, number and power of propulsion systems, systems and thrusters, all having due regard for the environment and fuel economy.

• Survivability: The provision of adequate firefighting, damage control and lifesaving facilities (including manpower) and security arrangements to ensure the safety and security of the crew, visitors and passengers.

The human element, therefore, is a critical feature of all aspects of ship or system design and operation. User-input is essential to ensure that the operational parameters and the layout procedures for the operation of shipboard systems are being optimized for the specific role or trade of the ship. Those who are involved in the design, build and updating of ships and their systems and in their operation need to be aware of the problems associated with onboard operations not only in terms of workplace design but also in respect to crew habitability and the education and training needs of the seafarer.

There is now a worrying trend towards recruiting non-seafarers into the industry in operational posts, such as the employment of naval architects etc as ship surveyors and superintendents, which has been brought about by the decline in the number of former seafarers available to fill these positions. In principle, this should not present a problem, provided that they are sufficiently educated ent operational criteria, but also it is a ‘home’ to in ‘the ways of the sea’. Naval architects and those who work onboard. designers, for example would benefit from Furthermore, it is a floating platform which periods at sea, in a variety of ship types, both can be affected by external and internal enviearly in, and on occasions throughout their ronmental conditions such as weather, temper- careers in order to understand the various ature, humidity, noise vibration and ship design and operational problems that the seamotion (pitching, rolling and slamming), any farer is faced with. of which can also be detrimental to the safety and performance of those who work and live Maintenance onboard.

According to the International Association of The mariner is generally a trusting sort of per- Classification Societies, shipboard mainteson, who has implicit faith in those who have nance is the least-developed and weakest eleconceived, designed and built his ship. His ment in many of even the most well intenexpectations are of a ship that is fit for purpose tioned companies. One of the prime responsiin every respect, but he may not always find bilities of a shipowner and ship management that this is the case, because neither he nor any company is that the ship’s hull structure, of his predecessors was involved in the design machinery and equipment are maintained process. and operated in accordance with applicable The end product is inevitably a compromise rules and regulations and any relevant addibetween what is needed to satisfy the regulational requirements, procedures and stantions, what is absolutely necessary to fulfill the dards established by the company. That operational role, what is affordable and what responsibility starts from the top managers of the design team perceive to be acceptable to the the company, who should be committed to ‘generic’ seafarer. direct effort, resources and investments to For any ship to operate safely and effectively, ensure that their ships are properly maintherefore, it must be designed to support the tained and operated by qualified and compepeople who work it without detriment to their tent crew. health, safety and overall performance particularly in respect of: Fatigue • Habitability: The provision of adeThe issue of fatigue features in many accident quate and comfortable accommodation – reports, albeit mainly relating to minimum including furnishings and washing facilities – manned short sea shipping. According to the galleys, mess rooms and recreational spaces, IMO, fatigue is an important issue that has having due regard for the variation in the size, hitherto been discounted as a potential cause shape and gender of the seafarer, and for the of or contributor to human error. It had been various environmental stressors such as noise, suggested that fatigue could be prevented heat and vibration. through some of the characteristics described • Maintainability: Designing operain the context of personal attributes articulattional maintenance task to be rapid, safe and ed above. But, if the seafarer is unable to ideneffective to allow equipment and systems to tify the causes of fatigue, he will be unable to achieve a specified level of performance. This take measures to prevent it. includes consideration of access, removal The IMO Guidelines on fatigue are compreroutes, tools, expertise, disposal and throughlife support.

CONTINUED ON PG. 22

Technical ship management

Understanding cabotage and local content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry (upstream) training programme on 26th - 28th November 2013 at Civic Centre, V/I, Lagos, by Capt. E.A. Ishola operational role, and what is affordable.

But, it must be ‘fit for purpose’. However, the global nature of our business is such that not only is the Maritime workforce multinational HE operation of merchant shipping is speand multicultural, but also there can be differcialized and complex, governed by compreing interpretations of International guidelines hensive rules and conventions developed by and inconsistent standards in lifestyle, training national and International authorities. and education.

Nevertheless, regulation of the technical aspects The Human Influence of shipping can only achieve part of the objecIt is often stated that around 80% of all accidents tive of safe and pollution free ship operations. In at sea are attributable to human error (or more the final analysis, while the master is clearly correctly operator error) while the remaining responsible for the safety of the ship and her 20% may result from hull or equipment failure crew, overall responsibility for the administradue to unrecognized faults or lack of expert tion and safe operation of each ship rests with maintenance. the owner, or any other organization or person The cause of Maritime incidents can be linked who has assumed responsibility for the operato a number of contributory factors: tion of the ship from the owner.

• Poor ship or system design; While statistics suggest that around 80% of all • Equipment failure through poor mainteshipping accidents are caused by human error, nance; the underlying truth is that the act or omission • Fatigue; of a human being plays some part in virtually • Ineffective communication; every accident, including those where structur• Lack of attention to rules, regulations and proal or equipment failure may be the immediate cedures; cause.

• Inadequate training in the operation of equipThere is therefore need to minimize the scope ments; for poor decisions which contribute, directly or • Unawareness of the vulnerabilities of electronindirectly, to a casualty or a pollution accident ic systems; by ensuring that staff are properly informed • Complacency. and equipped to fulfill their operational responCrew competence does not feature in this list; sibilities safely. indeed, rarely does an accident investigation The International Code for the Safe Operation report cite crew incompetence as a cause. More of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (the to the point, every one of these causes can be International Safety Management (ISM) Code) linked to inadequacies or fallings in the educaestablishes an international standard for the tion and/or training not only of the seafarer, but safe management and operation of ships by setalso on the various stakeholders involved in the ting rules for the organization of company Maritime sector. management in relation to safety and pollution Ship/System and Equipment Design and prevention and for the implementation of a Operation safety management system (SMS).

A ship is unique in that it is not only a place of Ships and their Operational Problems work, within which there are a number of workThere is no such thing as ‘the perfect ship’, spaces the bridge, the machinery control room, because the end product is inevitably a comprothe engine room, the cargo control room, cargo mise between what is needed to satisfy the reguholds, galley etc – each of which may have differlations, what is absolutely necessary to fulfill the

BACKGROUND

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014 21

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

From the Desk of the

DIRECTOR GENERAL Dear Readers , Welcome to another edition of our bi-weekly journal on Maritime issues.

In this edition, we shall be giving you an overview of the Cabotage and Local content Act. Apart from sensitizing the public on its objectives, we seek to achieve practical and result oriented solutions. No longer would we sit on the curb and watch the maritime industry remain unproductive to the Nigerian stakeholders. The Cabotage and local content laws brought about a new regime to the Maritime sector but rather than reap its benefits we witness a laxity in the enforcement of its provisions.

Stakeholders in the maritime industry have stressed the need for a successful implementation of the Cabotage law in the country to fasttrack activities in the industry. It is our expectation that with all hands on deck, the policies concerning the growth of local capacity within the Maritime Sector will all come into active manifestations. Hopefully, the ideas proffered in this column would be implemented.

We have sharpened our arsenal and are prepared to indulge you in our top of the shelf training programmes this year. The ABC of Shipping and the Understanding Cabotage & Local Content in the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry course will hold as usual on a quarterly basis, we encourage you to partake or send in your staff and wards for the training courses. Also, our novel PGD and Certificate programmes in Maritime, Oil & Gas will kick off this quarter at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amasoma, Bayelsa State. Oil companies, Maritime Organizations and Government/Public sector organizations are enjoined to grab the opportunity with both hands.

We also have a piece by Captain E.A. Ishola on ‘Technical Ship Management’ to positively affect our Shipping and Logistics sphere of business in the quest to strongly support the development of our National Economy. We welcome and encourage you to send in your relevant topical articles.

Please join our boat.

Welcome!!

Happy Reading.

God Bless.

IFY ANAZONWU-AKERELE Director General Nigerian Chamber of Shipping Info@nigerianshipping.org

Understanding cabotage and local content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry (upstream) training programme on 26th - 28th November 2013 at Civic Centre, V/I, Lagos, by Capt. E.A. Ishola CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 hensive and provide advice to all the various stakeholders - including training institutions and management personnel in charge of training – on how to combat fatigue. However, it is important to recognize that fatigue is not just about working hours and minimum manning levels.

Although current IMO thinking is that training fatigue management should be addressed through voluntary guidance rather than mandatory requirements, fatigue now poses major problem in terms of safety of life at sea.

Education and Training Education is the gradual process of acquiring knowledge through learning and instruction. It is as much about the development of personal attributes through upbringing and observation as it is about gaining knowledge through textbooks. It is a lifelong process; we never stop learning whether through formal education (degree courses, Continuous Professional Development, etc) or through the ‘University of Life’ (observation and experience).

Training is the development of skills or knowledge through instruction or practice. If correctly applied, it is a planned systematic development of the aptitude, knowledge, understanding, skill, attitude and behaviour pattern required by an individual so that he/she can adequately carry out a given task or perform in a particular job.

Together, education and training are about the development and maintenance of the human component of ship systems: the mariner. However, the education and training of designers, surveyors, trainers etc is equally important, not least knowing how to specify and deliver the human component of ship systems, and having an up to date knowledge of ‘ the ways of the sea’. The competence of a mariner will depend not only on good and effective education and training, but also on his aptitude, knowledge and understanding of the subject, on the availability of opportunities to develop his skills and, ultimately, his experience.

The International Convention on Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarer (STCW) recognizes the importance of establishing detailed mandatory standards of compe-

tence necessary to ensure that all mariners are properly educated and trained, adequately experienced, skilled and competent to perform their duties. However, in the way of all International Codes, the standards of competency set out in STCW are a minimum set.

Furthermore, the Maritime workforce is now multinational and multicultural. This may allow differing interpretations of international guidelines and inconsistent standards in training and education. Indeed, there are still numerous reports, mainly anecdotal, of poor standards of education and training in the maritime sector. In fairness, there are owners, managers and manning agents who invest in the education and training of their mariners to beyond the minimum criteria set out within the STCW Code – but they are in the minority.

Learning is important, particularly in this Global Maritime Industry in which standards of education and training vary and where technology is revolutionizing the way in which we do our business. It would appear that awareness, effective communication, common sense and basic seamanship and engineering skills are taking a back seat to increased automation and electronic decision support systems etc.

It is important, therefore, for all stakeholders to be aware of the human element issue associated with the human machine interface, and to encourage and promote the highest standards of education and training, and a common spirit of professionalism in the industry.

The effect of modern technology Modern technology has revolutionized the way in which the seafarer can conduct his business. He can now be presented with a plethora of information, from a variety of standalone systems having differing user interfaces, with the potential for confusion and information overload, particularly if he is not properly acquainted with the oper-

ational parameters of any one of those systems.

Although in principle the more information that can be made available to the seafarer the better should be his understanding of the situation and the better informed his decision making, this is not entirely the case in practice. It is probable that technology is having various reasons for this, not least the universal problem of a generation that is being brought up to rely on technology to solve problems without having to process information for themselves.

Decisions are made using knowledge rather than information alone, and it is the management and processing of data and information, which needs to be designed and trained for. Accident investigation reports suggest that some junior bridge watchkeepers are so absorbed in technology that their awareness of the situation around them is confined to the display rather than looking out of the window. Furthermore, there is an increasing tendency for some seafarers to become over reliant on electronic systems with scant regard for the vulnerability of those systems in terms of their accuracy, reliability, availability, and integrity.

Although most equipment is required to be type approved to an IMO specification, there is a natural tendency for manufacturers to add their own features, in an attempt to make their equipment ‘user-friendly’ or made distinct within the market. For example, the seafarer can be faced with either joystick, trackball or menu-driven controls, depending on the equipment fit in the vessel in which he is serving.

Very advanced technology and integrated systems are being put onto a ship with the risk of over-saturating the untrained mariner with information that may be replicated through different means.

The different nationalities and cultures of today’s mariners (and of those of the future) dictate a need

CONTINUED ON PG. 22

Events

Senator Idris Audu Umar, Minister for Transport (3rd right),inspecting facilities at the opening of NIMAREX 2013 Cross section of participants at the event

Mrs Ify Anazonwu-Akerele, DG, NCS, Engr Ernest Nwapa, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi, a guest and Mr. N. Eroronini

for commonality of symbols, switches and control keys, together with appropriate education in the basic principles of new technology.

Today’s seafarers need to be trained on new technology and equipment; they should not be expected to pick it up after they have joined the vessel, or to undergo familiarization by other staff onboard, who themselves have no formal training or qualification in the use of such equipment.

In fairness, the more responsible companies do invest in the training of their key staff in the use of integrated systems, before they join a vessel that is so fitted, and then allow them some time for familiarization onboard before they are permitted to work with those systems.

But this may be the exception rather than the rule, and the tendency for seafarers to move from one ship type to another, where each has different equipment fits, makes it impractical for them to be properly trained in the use of a variety of different manufacturers’ equipment. This makes it all the more important for manufacturers to strive towards a basic and common standard so as to allow for a generic training programme for all the different systems. This is particularly the case with Pilots, who may need to rely on these systems for critical information and who may only have minutes to familiarize themselves with the equipment.

Sea Transport Risk A marine adventure is still a way many shipping documents describe the voyage of a merchant ship engaged in trade. The ship may carry the owner’s cargo as is often practiced by oil companies but more generally the vessel will be carrying cargo belonging to a third party under the terms of a bill of lading. The primary purpose of commercial shipping is to provide a service. This service must be profitable, otherwise sooner or later the company will be liquidated. The

Guests

Guests

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22 Wenesday, February 12, 2014

Understanding cabotage and local content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 shipping industry, like other industries where the capacity to finance and build is greater than demand, is very competitive.

As ship size has increased so has the cost of financing a ship outreached the ability of individuals and families to finance them on their own. The division of shares in a ship into 64ths is still used by mortgage companies when dividing up capacity values. As sail gave way to steam, the underlying trend was to protect the assets of individuals to the value of their investment in the limited company and to protect the company and those involved in the marine adventure through insurance. Shipowners developed mutual insurance associations to cover their growing exposure to risk, particularly to claims for compensation from injured crew and their dependents.

They became increasingly aware of the inadequacy of the insurance cover they had in respect of damage caused by their ships in collision with other ships. The usual cover provided by the hull underwriters excluded altogether one fourth of the claims from the other ships and, more seriously was limited in amount to the insured value of the ships.

Shipping failure, although an insurable risk were proving to be unacceptable because those investing in shipping either as investors in bank shares or as individuals were exposed to high risk and cargo owners also needed to be able to ensure reliable transport to build up their business as public opinion was already making its presence felt on the issue.

The following are the major International Shipping Conventions has been adopted by the International Maritime Organization (and the International Labour Organization) concerning safety and pollution prevention.

Dealing with the ship SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of life at sea, 1974) lays down a comprehensive range of minimum standards for the safe construction of ships and the basic safety equipment (e.g fire protection, navigation, lifesaving and radio) to be carried on board. SOLAS also requires regular ship survey and the issue by flag states of certificate of compliance.

Preventing Collisions at sea, 1972) lays down the basic “rules of the road”, such as rights of way and actions to avoid collisions.

LOADLINE (International Convention on Loadlines, 1966) sets the minimum type of ship): permissible free board, according to • International Tonnage Certificate; the season of the year and the ship’s • International Load Line Certificate; trading pattern.

• Intact stability booklet; Damage control booklets; ISPS (The International Ship and Port • Minimum safe manning document; facility Security Code, 2002) includes mandatory requirement to ensure at • Certificates for masters, officers and ratings; all stages during a voyage.

Dealing with the Shipping Company • International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate; Oil Record ISM (The International Safety Book; Management Code, 1993) effectively requires shipping companies to have • Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan; a licence to operate. Companies and • Garbage management Plan; their ships must undergo regular audits to ensure that a safety manage- • Garbage Record Book; • Cargo Securing Manual; ment system is in place, including • Document of Compliance and Safety adequate procedures and lines of Management Certificate (ISM Code); communication between ships and • Cargo Ship Safety Construction Cert. their managers ashore.

• Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Cert.

Dealing with the Seafarer • Cargo Ship Safety Radio Cert.

STCW (International Convention on (GMDSS) Standard of Training, Certification • Ship Station Licence and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, • International Ship Security 1978/1995) establishes uniform stanCertificate (ISSC). dards of competence of seafarers.

• International Air Pollution ILO 147 (The ILO Merchant Shipping Prevention Cert.

(Minimum Standards) Convention, • International Sewage Cert.

1976) requires national administraThe Risk management System tions to have effective legislation on Because Shipping is a risky business labour issues such as hours of work, medical fitness and seafarers’ working for both shipowners and cargo shippers (Shipping markets are unpreconditions. dictable and highly volatile), they have International Standards for the developed a system which allows shipShipping Industry pers with a future commitment to sea The growth of new ship registers has resulted in a substantial devolution of transport to spread their risk by developing a portfolio approach to sourcresponsibilities of classification sociing transport, using four different eties. As many flag states are incaapproaches-ownership, period time pable of checking the ships on their chartering, spot chartering and registers for compliance with Contract of A.ffreightment.

International Standards, such work Ownership: Companies shipping has been delegated to classification substantial quantities of bulk materisocieties. The International Association of Classification Societies als can run their own shipping fleets (IACS) strives for assured standards of to handle a proportion of their transport requirements. For example, in quality from the various societies 2003 the major oil companies collecsuch as ABS, Det Norske Veritas and Lloyd’s Register to ensure quality ship- tively owned approximately 20 m.dwt of oil tankers, representing 7 per cent ping. With their increasingly imporof the tanker fleet besides having a furtant role in the development and ther 20m dwt (7%) on long term time enforcement of safety standards, the charter or bareboat charter. Steel comclassification societies will continue panies in Japan and Europe also run application of classification societies fleets of large bulk carriers for the rules and requirements as mechatransport of iron ore and coal. This nisms to prevent ‘class hopping’ by type of bulk shipping operation suits substandard owners. shippers running a stable and preSurvey and Certification All ships must be surveyed in order to dictable through transport operation.

Period / Timecharter (TC): He may be issued certificates which establish their seaworthiness, type of ship, and charter tonnage on a long-term basis from a shipowner. Some companies so on.

MARPOL (International Convention place charters for ten or fifteen years for the Prevention of pollution from to provide a base load of shipping Certificates Ships, 1973/1978) contains requirecapacity to cover long-term materialShips are required to carry certificates ments to prevent pollution that may supply contracts – particularly I the that establish their seaworthiness, be caused both accidentally and in iron ore trade. For example, the type of ship, competency of seafarers the course of routine operations.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui and so on.

These certificates are proMARPOL concerns the prevention of OSK ships iron ore for Sumitomo, pollution oil, bulk chemicals, danger- vided by the flag state of the ship and Nippon Kokan and Nippon Steel on may be inspected by port State conous goods, sewage, garbage and the basis of long-term cargo guaranatmospheric pollution, and includes trol officers. tees and operates a fleet of ore carries provision such as those which and combined carriers to provide this Certificates to be carried on board require certain oil tankers to have service. In the early 1980s the company ships are listed in double hulls.

FAL/Circ.90/MEPC/Circ.368/MSC/Circ.9 was carrying about 20 per cent of Japanese iron ore imports. In such 46.

COLREG (Convention on the cases, the contract is generally placed They include (some dependent on International Regulations for before the vessel is actually built.

Shorter-term time charter for twelve months or three to five years would be obtained on the charter market.

Voyage and trip charter (Spot Charter): Shippers with a single cargo or irregular requirements (for example traders) can contract for freight on a cargo by cargo basis. This is often the case in agricultural trades such as grain and sugar where seasonal factors and the volatility of the market make it difficult to plan shipping requirements in advance, or the cargo could be a consignment of prefabricated buildings for the Middle east or some heavy plant. In such cases, bulk or multi-deck tonnage is chartered for a single voyage via some market such as the Baltic Exchange or broker network, where the shipper can hire a ship for a single voyage at a negotiated freight rate per ton of cargo carried.

A variation on the voyage charter is the trip charter when a vessel is fixed on a time charter basis for the period of s specific voyage and for the carriage of a specific cargo. The shipowner earn “hire” per day for the period determined by the voyage.

Contract of Affreightment (COA): The shipper may, normally through an open tendering procedure, enter into a long-term arrangement with a shipowner who specializes in a particular area of bulk shipping, supported by suitable tonnage. For example, Scandinavian shipowners are involved in the carriage of forest products from West Coast North America to Europe and run fleets of specialist ships designed to optimize the bulk transportation of forest products. Similarly, the transportation of motor cars is serviced by companies, which run fleets of pure vehicle carriers and Ro Ros serviceing the Japanese car export trade. COAs are also used in other trades such as coal, fertilizer, grain, ore and oil.

The Bareboat Charter Contracts Finally, if a company wishes to have full operational/technical control of the ship, but does not wish to own it, a bare boat charter is arranged. Under this arrangement the investor, not necessarily a professional shipowner, purchases the vessel and hands it over to the charterer for a specified period, usually seven to twenty years.

The charterer manages the vessel and pays all operating (including crewing, maintenance, dry docking etc.) and voyage costs and the owner, who is often a financial institution, is not active in the operation of a vessel and does not require any specific maritime skills. At the end of the charter the ship is returned to the owner, although some bareboat charters include an option to purchase the vessel on termination of the charter.

Safety at Sea Although not specifically defined, safety has come to mean ‘the measures to prevent accidents’.

Government administrations set up

to regulate shipping plug safety holes through legislation to minimize risk.

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions state that “Risk of collision shall be deemed to exist if the compass bearing of an approaching vessel does not appreciable change”. Every mariner is reminded of this with each encounter and it would be difficult to describe them as hazards because they are not known as hazards, they are known as risk of collision.

Safety in shipping results more from improvements in technology than any other cause. Pressure vessels such as boilers caused havoc when they exploded and due to better design, a rigorous inspection programme and improve training of marine engineers this danger has been eliminated. Careful analysis and improved systems make the unmanned machinery space the norm whilst fault tree analysis identified the weakness in the steering equipment design of the Amoco Cadiz, so improving the reliability of these systems to new level of dependability.

The qualification of ship’s crew have been identified as an essential element of good operating standards and there is a new focus on the human element within IMO through the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping Convention. It is the main instrument for defining operator competence, although it does not use the concept of risk assessment anywhere, it is of course implied throughout but not by that name. safe navigation and passage planning is nothing other than a toll of risk management.

Safety Management Systems (SMS) Safety Management Systems (SMS) requires a shipping company to develop and implement Safety Management procedures to ensure that conditions, activities and tasks, both ashore and afloat, affecting safety and environmental protection are planned, organized, execute and checked in accordance with legislative and company requirements.

A SMS is developed and maintained by people. It is important to recognize that the responsibilities and authority of the different persons involved in the system, and the lines of communication between persons affected by it, form its basis. Once defined, developed and implemented the tasks and activities relating to safety and environmental protection, both ashore and on board, are the backbone of a SMS. An effective SMS should enable a shipping company to measure its performance, allowing areas for improvement to be identified and implemented. This may be achieved by the application of a document

TO BE CONTINUED

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 23

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Money Budget 2014: Our position, by CSOs, others OME stakeholders have SN295 expressed fears that over billion could vanish into the “thin away” with impunity, going by attitudinal dispositions of political office holders and their technocrats.

For the stakeholders, which include the citizenry at large, the organized private sector, legislators, civil society organisations, the executive arm of government, economists, public affairs analysts, the multilateral institutions, among others, the situation does not befit the status of the country in the league of nations and no longer to be treated with the usual levity.

Of the over N295 billion at stake, N75 billion is from the over-bloated yearly budget of the National Assembly billion), while (N150 N220.32 billion came from the line items of all the MDAs, including the Presidency.

Indeed, the fiscal projections, with their attached figures are in the public domain and speculations over its constituents in terms of capital-recurrent expenditure ratio; real and fictitious items; proposed votes on every item; duplications of items; quality of the fiscal document in terms of assumptions and economic direction, among others, can now be deciphered without doubt. Several knocks and commendations, whether from the critics and/or opposition groups in the form of objective or non-objective reasoning, depending on the side of the divide, have also followed the exercise so far.

First, the civil society organizations have identified over N295 billion ready to be frittered away through duplications, fictitious items and outright bloating of figures.

The Ministry of Finance has also acknowledged errors in budget figures, in connection with the GIMFIS. The excuse was hinged on learning process as the system just started, but the truth is that GIMFIS was dusted from the shelf, where it was abandoned for years. The lawmakers have also faulted the claims of growth (in real terms), budget implementation and the latest job creation agenda associated with the 2014 fiscal plan. The argument was based on the capital-recurrent expenditure ratio, which spans through 2016, according to the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.

These cannot be ignored, if the nation’s managers can lay claim on integrity and patriotism.

According to the Lead Director of Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, “it has become a yearly ritual for budgets to be proposed by the executive, approved

Onyekpere

Okonjo Iweala

The 2014 budget proposal is still generating strong reactions that need critical analysis and thorough scrutiny, especially with the “numbers”, more so as the document is already in the public domain. CHIJIOKE NELSON overviews the issues. by the legislature only for the implementation to proceed in a haphazard manner. The 2014 federal budget proposal is tagged a ‘Budget of job creation and inclusive growth,’ but in the past, we have had budgets appropriately named as those of ‘consolidation’, ‘growth’, ‘hope’, among others, and nothing changed after the budgets were implemented. Interestingly, it appears the appellation of the 2014 budget proposal is a response to the criticism of jobless growth and increasing alienation of the majority in an economy that is sup-

posedly doing well. It is therefore imperative to find the links between the proposals for expenditure and the tag of job creation and inclusive growth in the budget.”

In a closer look at the 2014 fiscal proposal, it seems there are avalanche of frivolities, for example, the provisions for welfare. What exactly are welfare packages that come after provisions have been made for personnel expenditure, regular and non-regular allowances? It is the submission that beckons on patriotism and conscience that such a provision running into several billions of Naira across

the budget is a waste and cannot be a spur for inclusive growth. How can anyone defend the allocation of N1.223 billion to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for welfare packages? The same office also has N367.715 million for subscription to professional bodies and N580 million for computer software acquisition. How many professional bodies and how many persons are subscribing to these bodies? Computer software acquisition is a comfortable hide out for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies

seeking to get resources out of the treasury. And there is an allocation called “SGF19003831” for the sum of N250 million. The meaning of this code and the purpose of the allocation are only known to the office and those who agreed to admit it into the budget proposal.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) seeks the sum of N113.5 million for maintenance and professional support services and another N137.5 million for logistics support. These expenditure heads got N350 million and N410 million respectively

allocated to them in the 2103 budget. But these are loose wordings that convey no specific meaning. For a commission that has yet to justify the huge public investment in it, these requests appear rather out of touch with reality. Not yet satisfied, the NIMC seeks N3.568 billion for computer soft ware acquisition in 2014 while it got approval for N10.9 billion in 2013 for the same purpose. The National Hajj the and Commission Christian Pilgrims Board are allocated N656.56 million and N574.75 million respectively. This does not include the N1.8 billion set aside for pilgrimages in service wide votes. A nation that declares that it has no state religion is setting aside close to N3 billion for pilgrimages, which should be the personal religious affair of the pilgrims.

And this is supposed to contribute to job creation?

The Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal and Allocation Commission require N263 million for the purchase of furniture and fittings. The Ministry of Niger Delta Affiars also requests N250 million for the purchase of office furniture and fittings. Such insensitive requests show the mindset of our public officers. Who would require such sum in a private capacity to furnish a building?

The Code of Conduct Bureau seeks N120 million for public enlightenment and N70 million for rapid capturing of completed assets declaration forms. This is an agency that has failed to make meaningful contributions to the fight against corruption and abuse of office. Who is this enlight-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Africa’s falling business confidence: Cases of exchange rates, economic uncertainty

By Chijioke Nelson N recent years, all economic permutations and forecast have been coming the way of Africa positively. In fact, one report said that the continent is the next phase of the global economy. Indeed, all economic resources are found in it, as individual economies in the continent, including Nigeria boast of quality human resources and creative entrepreneurs that can stun the world with ideas.

However, the continent’s economies need to be watched on a regular basis, the with especially unfavourable exchange rate and the vagaries of the ever changing global economic order, mostly from the developed ones.

The finance professionals in Africa reported continued falling business confidence and the lack of improvement in increasing business capacity building in the continent in the last quarter of 2013.

I

The findings, contained in the Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS), a survey by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), perhaps is a wake up call for the continent to be focused.

GECS, the largest regular economic survey of accountants in the world, gauging the views of ACCA and IMA finance professionals globally, revealed that 35 per cent of respondents in Africa reported a loss of confidence in the prospects of their organizations over the last three months, up from 33 per cent in the third quarter of 2013.

ACCA’s Senior Economic Analyst, Manos Schizas, said: “Getting small businesses set up and enabling them to grow in Africa will be one of the key components to ensuring healthy recovery within the continent. SMEs are the growth engines that are

fuelling African economies and creating employment.

“Business opportunities have continued to fall significantly throughout Africa in the fourth quarter of 2013, ending up very far from their peak at the end of 2012. What we’re seeing are the net effects of a heavy reliance of investment from Asia. As the slowdown in Asian economies continues to gather pace, African economies continue to feel the effects of the far-east slowdown. This is why investment in locally grown SMEs will be crucial to future prosperity.

“These developments are not surprising, as despite a small uptick in business and investment opportunities, the fundamentals in Africa have generally deteriorated. Access to growth capital, demand and cash flow conditions have consistently tightened through the second half of 2013 and continued to do so in fourth quarter, while input prices and exchange rates

destabilized further in the last quarter.”

But assessing the global picture, GECS, now in its fifth year, revealed that finance professionals had more faith in the strength of the wider economic recovery in fourth quarter of 2013 than at any time over the last five years, as 55 per cent believed conditions were improving or about to do so, up from 53 per cent in the third quarter of 2013, while only 42 per cent felt that economic conditions were deteriorating of stagnating, down from 43 per cent in the previous quarter.

On individual organisations, however, finance professionals’ confidence may have fallen marginally in the last quarter of 2013. About 30 per cent reported confidence gains, up from 28 per cent previously, but 35 per cent reported losses, up from 32 per cent in the third quarter. Despite this, the fourth quarter of 2013 results still represent the second-

strongest year-on-year confidence gains since mid-2010.

Schizas added: “Sub-Saharan Africa needs to embrace enterprise. Small businesses sometimes, constitute virtually all the enterprises that exist in some African nations. The exception to this would be government-run organisations and few large institutions, mostly multinationals.

“With the right approach and management, SMEs are likely to develop into formidable enterprises, especially if supported by the development agencies and government to address the access to finance issues they periodically face.

Also crucial for growth is not overlooking the infrastructure that markets rely on, both tangible and intangible.

Payments, clearing, settlement and custody systems are crucial to ensuring the correct function of markets and connecting these systems is a prerequisite for market integration at the regional level.”

THE GUARDIANwww.ngrguardiannews.com

24 MONEY Wednesday, February 12, 2014

CSOs, others seek better fiscal plan for development CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 enment campaign for and what is this idea of rapid capture of completed forms that needs N70 million? There is a new budget expenditure head in town. It is called annual budget expenses and administration. Why would any MDA be given a special vote to prepare its budget after the personnel expenditure on its accounting officer and finance officers?

The Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs requires N139.045 million for office stationeries and computer consumables. This amounts to over N530, 534 a day in 262 days of work in a year. The Pension Transitional Arrangements Department would require N204 million for office stationeries and computer consumables. This would mean spending N778, 625 every day for the 262 working days in a year.

After the statutory transfer to the Independent National Electronic Commission, service wide votes provide for additional N21 billion for election logistics support; N7bn for national dialogues and N5billion for sports development. Why should money for these expenditure heads come under service wide votes instead of being budgeted for the respective MDAs? Apart from the N150 billion allocated as statutory transfers to the National Assembly, service wide vote sets aside N100 billion for special interventions/constituency projects. In previous years, we have seen boreholes, town halls, motorcycles, tricycles, pepper, cassava and corn grinding machines, among others, as the means of spending constituency projects. These are clearly not matters for the federal government and should ideally be handled, not by states, but by local government councils. But they will eventually resonate in the federal budget. This uncoordinated and haphazard approach to budgeting will neither spur job creation nor promote inclusive growth. Essentially, N250 billion will be spent on the legislature and their related activities and dictates and how this will create new jobs is yet to be articulated.

The budget, under service wide votes, provides N83.6 billion for conditional grants scheme, social safety nets and Millennium Development Goals projects. This does not take count of the money provided in SURE-P for similar activities. But there is no systematic mechanism to target those who need these interventions the most. After many years of these provisions, where are the beneficiaries that can stand out to be counted as being lifted to a new social status as a result of the dis-

bursement of these funds. It is not enough for anyone to bandy figures and statistics. If poverty and unemployment are increasing while hundreds of billions are spent to tackle them, then something is wrong with the mechanisms and the methodology. They are failing to deliver.

There is over N39.6 billion in service wide votes for the Niger Delta Amnesty Programmme. After so many years of appropriating hundreds of billions for improvement of the region, petroleum, gas and other infrastructure vandalisation is on the increase, oil theft is also increasing and there is no marked evidence of improvement in the life of the common people of the Delta.

Crucially, the critical infrastructure in the region has yet to be improved with the EastWest Road still uncompleted years after. It is therefore time to rethink this model of interventions in the Niger Delta. It is not working, as the monies have not reached the poor and the poorest of the poor.

“It is sad that budget preparation has been reduced to filling of templates used in previous years and the same requests are made repeatedly every year. The capital vote is low.

It is a paltry 23.70 per cent of the overall expenditure and it is embedded in a lot of administrative capital. Every year, we utilise less than 60 per cent of the approved capital vote while we claim that we desire wealth creation and poverty reduction.

“Nigerians were not created by God to suffer. They were created with full inalienable dignity to enjoy the fruits of the Earth. They

are human beings like President, the senators, members of the House of Representatives, ministers, special advisers.

They are entitled to a standard of living that enables a life of decency and respect for their humanity. This is therefore to appeal to the members of the Seventh National Assembly charged with approving the 2014 Federal budget to let my people go. Majority of Nigerians have suffered enough and do not need to be pushed further, lest they rebel.

Rework this budget to become one that truly seeks job creation and inclusive growth,” Onyekpere added.

The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has however, conceded that getting the nation’s budgetary processes right is the basic to its success. The affirmation made during its presentations at the 2014 Federal Budget Summit, organised by the Citizens Wealth Platform, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, the Director-General of BPP, Emeka Eze, represented by Andrew Zibiri, admitted that the process of getting Nigeria’s fiscal plan right would however, start with ensuring the basic tenets of procurement, which include acquisition of goods and/or services; best possible total cost; right quantity and quality; right time and right place.

“The appropriation has to be founded on procurement planning based on proper needs assessment, as otherwise may ultimately result in mis-procurement. How well a budget is implemented by procuring entities like MDAs, to a large extent, would determine the success or otherwise failure of any

budget. To have value for money in 2014 fiscal plan, the procuring entities must improve on their planning/needs assessment; and not admitting into the budget, projects not ready for execution and without detailed designs and scope, among others,” he said.

Also, the Acting Chairman of Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Victor Muruako, observed that over the years, most countries of the world have realised the need for changes in their fiscal policy frameworks, which to a large extent is discretionary and sometimes characterised by persistent large fiscal deficit.

“Lack of fiscal discipline on the part of policy makers and ineffectiveness of budget institutions, including procedures for budget formulation, approval and implementation, to mention a few, are corollary to the fiscal problems. Most countries have already overhauled their fiscal policy frameworks. Transparency enables citizens to exercise oversight functions over the national resources and how they are spent to meet the needs of the citizenry in an equitable manner,” he said.

Recently, the Clerk of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, said: “It is high time the Minister realised that we do not need any other country to tell us that our economy is doing well... Nigerians will positively feel the impact if their economy is really doing well as the Minister claims.” He also faulted the claim that the 2014 budget was scripted to create jobs, given the high recurrent expenditure profile.

Lagos lauds Accion Microfinance for poverty eradication initiatives HE Ministry of Commerce and Industry, T Lagos State, has commended Accion Microfinance Bank Limited for its efforts in driving the financial inclusion project, which is aiding mass education on banking.

The Director of Commerce in the ministry, Hakeem Adeniji, who led the delegation during a courtesy visit to the head office of the microfinance bank, in Lagos, said its leadership position in driving the mission of financial inclusion for the masses is worth reiterating.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Accion Microfinance Bank, Ms Bunmi Lawson, attributed the bank’s success to using the small intervention at its disposal

to help people build their businesses and promote their income.

According to her, the interventions, which was brought about through Accion International, has over 40 years of creating 63 microfinance banks in 32 countries worldwide, SME Managers, a venture capital firm and three leading commercial banksEcobank, Citibank and Zenith Bank.

The visit provided an opportunity for the AMfB and the state’s team to deliberate on various issues and possibility of collaborating together to eradicate poverty.

While enumerating the various schemes being undertaken by the Ministry, Adeniji said the government is always eager and willing to

partner organizations towards actualizing its vision.

He noted the state’s development of enterprise zones in Ijanikin-Ojo, Gberigbe-Ikorodu, Ibeju-Agbe Ibeju-Lekki and the Lekki Free Zone.

Others were various supports for small and medium enterprises in the state, organization and participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, tradesmen and artisans empowerment.

It will be recalled that Accion Microfinance Bank in the last three years clinched the coveted Lagos State Enterprise Award as Best Microfinance Bank of the year, for its uncompromising standard in promoting microenterprises and delivering first class services resulting in poverty alleviation in Nigeria.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 25

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

i-Tech&Telecoms ‘IT spending in emerging markets to slow down’

By Adeyemi Adepetun new research by the International Data Corporation (IDC) has informed that Information and Technology (IT) spending will be inhibited by the economic slowdown in emerging markets in 2014.

This, according to IDC, will be in addition to a deceleration in the growth of smartphones and tablets.

Consequently, IDC has lowered its forecasts for IT market growth in Asia Pacific, China, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, driving down its forecast for Worldwide IT spending growth to 4.6 per cent this year (down from the previous forecast of five per cent).

With currency devaluation and inflation likely to inhibit business confidence in many emerging economies in the first half of this year, and with the previously rapid growth of mobile devices having begun to inevitably slow from the pace of the past two to three years, overall industry growth will dip slightly from last year’s 4.8 per cent.

“What goes up, must come down, and emerging markets have been on the down slope since last year.

“The good news is that, at the same time, mature economies have stabilized significantly. The US seems to be heading in the right direction, and the worst of the crisis may be over in Europe. While growth in mature economies will still lag emerging markets in most cases, the balance of risks has shifted considerably”, said Vice President of IDC’s Global Technology and Industry Research Organisation (GTIRO), Stephen Minton.

While overall industry growth has cooled, some areas of tech spending are increasing as businesses in mature economies begin to invest once again in overdue infrastructure upgrades and replacements.

Spending on servers will increase by three per cent, after last year’s decline of four per cent, and storage spending will also grow by three per cent this year (following a 0.5 per cent decline in 2013). Enterprise software spending remains broadly strong, with growth still expected in the range of 6-7 per cent.

Excluding mobile phones, IT spending growth will actually accelerate in 2014 from 2.9 per cent last year to 3.4 per cent this year.

“The inevitable slowdown in the explosive pace of smartphones and tablets is masking an underlying improvement in many areas of IT spending,” said Minton.

“Businesses in mature economies are beginning to feel more confident about the economy compared to a year ago, and this is translating into new IT investments. There’s significant pentup demand in the US and Europe for infrastructure upgrades, capacity and bandwidth investments, and overdue replacement cycles. Many businesses will choose to fix the roof while the sun is shining in 2014.”

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, IDC believes that IT market fundamentals are more solid this year than 12 months ago. Enterprise enthusiasm for new software built around mobility, cloud, big data and social, remains strong. Consumer enthusiasm for mobile devices and applications remains positive, even though the market has inevitably cooled.

“At the end of 2013, we passed the $2 trillion mark in annual IT spending for the first time in history, and $1 trillion in hardware spending,” said Minton. “This year’s milestones will include $0.5 trillion in spending on mobile devices alone (phones and tablets), and more than $400 billion on software.”

A

Professor of Political Economy and Management expert, Pat Utomi (left), Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina and Chairman/Chief software Architect of Mobile Software Solutions Limited, Chris Uwaje, at the public presentation of Malaria Destroyer Game (MDG) software solution at the Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Computer Society to offer INEC technical assistance on elections

By Adeyemi Adepetun

…Seeks members’ participation at confab

ITH a year to the commencement of the 2015 general elections in the country, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has said that it will engage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on possible technical areas that would need assistance that will aid the process.

This, according to NCS would not exclude e-voting.

Though, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega had said that it would be “practically impossible” to adopt the electronic voting model for the 2015 general elections, stressing that its usage would still be impossible even if the National Assembly lifted the ban on it.

Jega, however, stated that with regard to improving the integrity of the elections, the commission would deploy card readers for establishing the true identity of voters at polling units on election days.

But, the NCS, an umbrella body of the Nigerian IT professionals on Monday, in Lagos, said that the request to offer technical assistance, especially in the areas of technology deployment is in the interest of adding value and quality to the election process, adding that it is a necessity not a luxury for the desired IT-enabled national transformation.

NCS president, Prof. David Adewumi who disclosed this move, while unfolding the society activities ahead of it national conference slated for Enugu State in July, noted that there was need for INEC to collaborate with IT professionals for the 2015 general elections.

The essence of NCS engagement with INEC, according to him would be to ensure that the electoral body was well guided in deploying IT solutions to the electoral process so that ultimate results of the elections in the country would be seen to be accurate and truly reflect the wishes of the electorates.

Adewunmi said that NCS would be engaging the regulatory authority on how best to achieve a successful and transparent voting system in the elections.

“We will be talking to INEC as advocacy group. It is time the government engages the IT professionals’ scheme of things. All personnel carrying out core IT professional duties in the government agencies must be registered professionals as stipulated in Act 49 of 1993,” he noted.

While requesting INEC to be transparent and fully unfold its strategies for deploying IT for the entire electoral process so that professionals could offer advice where nec-

W

essary, he said that there was need to engage IT professionals so as to achieve digital economy in the 21st century.

“The essence of this engagement is to ensure that INEC is well guided in deploying IT to the electoral process so that ultimate results of future elections in Nigeria are seen to be accurate and truly reflect the wishes of the electorates.

“Stronger stakeholder partnerships with NCS will build an inclusive, globally competitive and prosperous Nigeria that will be the envy of other African nation,” he added.

The NCS boss noted that the nation is not fully harnessing the growth opportunity of the IT industry, academia, profession, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

“Appropriate recognition, policies and legislation still needs to be put in place. There is a glaring need to incorporate and prioritize the role of the IT sector if Nigeria is to be a key player and fulfill its promise in the 21st century.

“Nigerian Information Technology professionals, through its national umbrella body, NCS are very uncomfortable with their lack of representation in the composition of the National Conference.

“How can we be part of a 21st century that is building a digital economy without inputs from the Information Technology industry and professionals?” he asked.

Going forward and for the records, Adewumi requested the recomposition of the national confab conference delegates to include adequate representation from the NCS. According to Adewumi, stronger stakeholder partnerships with the NCS would help to build an inclusive, globally competitive and prosperous Nigeria that would be pave the growth path for other African countries.

He disclosed that this year’s edition of the NCS conference has the theme: “Building a Knowledge-Based Economy in Nigeria: The Role of IT’’, saying that the conference is the largest assembly of high-level stakeholders from all walks of life.

“It is the key networking and professional event for advancing Information Technology for development and promoting the interests of IT stakeholders in the country.

“It always provides standards and direction for IT development in Nigeria. In recent years, some of its standards and solutions have been cash-less, e-government and national security,’’ the NCS president said.

Nokia may launch Android smartphone levels of speculation that Nokia is about to IeveNCREASING show off its first ever Android based smartphone, on the of Microsoft buying the handset division.

Rumours have been swirling for several months, but fresh reports are coming in that suggest the new phone will be shown off at the Mobile World Congress in a few weeks.

Nokia are reported to have started work on the Android phone before the deal was announced to sell the division to Microsoft, but was able to push ahead with the development anyway.

A lot of Nokia’s strength came from the easy upgrade path for users switching from a basic phone to more sophisticated models that often shared similar menu layouts.

A hybrid Android OS that mirrors the style of Windows Phone could then be offered to cheaper handsets, and offer a comfortable upgrade path for users who later buy a more powerful Windows Phone only device.

That would remove one of Windows Phone’s weaknesses — that it doesn’t work that well on cheaper handsets. And for the foreseeable future, the cheaper end of the market, which has traditionally been Nokia’s strong point will be the engine of growth for the mobile industry as a whole.

As a customised version of Android, the Nokia phones wont have access to Google services, but Nokia has its own mapping division and can drive traffic, and derive revenues from its own app store.

Managing its own app store also gives Nokia a convenient app migration process for Android users switching to Windows Phone.

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26 i-Tech & Telecoms Wednesday, February 12, 2014

NDDC to establish ICT centre in Calabar

HE Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is to estabT lish an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre in Calabar, Cross River State.

The Chairman of the Commission, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw who said this in Calabar, on Monday, during the visit of the state Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA), led by its Managing Director, Ignatius Atsu, pointed out that youths will be trained on basic skills acquisition at the centre.

Ewa-Henshaw, who was responding to the request by Atsu seeking partnership with NDDC in areas that would reduce the high level of unemployment, stated that NDDC would partner MEDA to ensure that Microsoft certified trainees come from the ICT centre.

He said, “we have held discussions and trying to see how we can partner with various agencies, including MEDA, in the area of ICT. We would see how we create a standard computer centre that will be well equipped.

“It will be set up and used for basic computer training and when

they finish the training, we will ensure that certification is done

by Microsoft.”

On his part, the Managing Director of MEDA disclosed that the agency has the mandate to train 2, 000 yearly for the next five years.

He also said that through another partnership initiative with Bank of Industry, the agency currently had N500 million deposit, which is available for business concerns in agriculture processing and manufacturing sector.

He said: “The N500 million is available to all businesses that are linked with processing and manufacturing. So, if you are processing any agricultural produce like rice, maize, cassava or millet, the fund is available with single digit interest rate.”

The NDDC Commissioner in Cross River, Paul Adah, said that efforts were targeted towards reducing the high rate of unemployment with the assurance that NDDC would synergise and work with other institutions that promoted the empowerment of youths in the country.

‘Spectrum sharing agreements should not replace exclusive licensing’ HE GSMA issued a new report indicatT ing that shared spectrum can complement but in no way replaces the need for exclusive-access spectrum in the provision of mobile broadband.

The report highlights how strict limitations associated with Licensed Shared Access (LSA) 1 spectrum agreements - such as shorter terms, build obligations, lack of certainty and small allocations - can significantly reduce the likelihood of a mobile operator to invest. This means that the potential economic benefits derived from spectrum sharing are ultimately lower than those achieved through exclusive-access spectrum.

According to the Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, Tom Phillips, “the GSMA commends efforts by regulators around the world to rapidly find a solution for the current spectrum crunch.

“While sharing schemes could provide a complementary approach to ease rapidly growing demand for spectrum, exclusive access to spectrum for mobile use is the optimal regulatory approach, providing the necessary market certainty to stimu-

late investments in networks and services.”

The report is based on a model that assesses the prospective value of two potential Licensed Shared Access scenarios: the release of 50MHz in the European Union in the 2.3GHz band from 2020 and of 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band in the United States from 2016. The many variables involved and the additional risks, complexities and uncertainties involved with spectrum sharing mean that each sharing opportunity should ideally be evaluated on a case by case basis, making a generalised approach impossible. Findings from the report include European Union and the United States of America.

According to GSMA, exclusive licensed spectrum in the 2.3GHz band could add €86 billion ($116 billion) to the EU’s economy in the period 2016-2030.

It noted that shared licensing could sharply reduce economic benefits to €70 billion ($95 billion) or as low as €5 billion ($6.7 billion), due to a lack of common approach in spectrum allocation across the Member States, combined with significant geographic and timing exclusions as well

as potential contracting limitations.

In the USA, the noted that within the same time period, exclusive spectrum licensing in the 3.5GHz band would add $260 billion (€192 billion) to the US economy.

In the case that sharing terms strictly limit the use of spectrum by mobile operators, this value would be sharply reduced to US$210 billion (€155 billion) or as little as US$7 billion (€5 billion).

The report is released amidst continued rapid growth in mobile traffic and consumer demand for smartphones, tablets and other devices that provide access to communications and information services. The study further finds that the release of exclusive-access spectrum for mobile broadband offers wider socio-economic benefits for the United States and European Union over the period 2016-2030, including future job creation. It is estimated that the deployment of mobile broadband would generate approximately 2.1 million jobs in the US and nearly 1.6 million jobs in the EU across this period.

Lenovo seeks smartphone market share in Nigeria

By Bankole Orimisan LOBAL PC maker, Lenovo, has unveiled its smartphone portfolio in Nigeria.

According to Lenovo, consumers in the country will be the first in the African continent to access seven models of the firm’s phones, including the flagship, Vibe X smartphone.

The company said with each of the smartphones designed with specific customer needs in mind, the models offer design innovations and functionality cutting across style, personality and consumer need.

According to it, the smartphones, which come with one-year local warranty, will be available at all major retail shops next month. The range includes entry-level devices, such as the A369i, A516, A680, and A859; the S650 and S930; and the sleek Vibe X. On Lenovo’s entry to the Nigerian smartphone market, Africa General Manager, Lenovo, Graham Braum, said, “With more than 120 million mobile subscribers, Nigeria represents a strategic market for Lenovo’s smartphone business. Smartphones are fast becoming a primary platform for work, entertainment and social networking for consumers and we are thrilled to announce the launch of our exciting line-up in Nigeria.

“Innovation is in Lenovo’s DNA; our team strives to deliver ground-breaking devices with distinct, elegant designs. This launch marks the first time customers in Nigeria can purchase Lenovo smartphones locally and we are excited to see the market’s reaction.”

The International Data Corporation forecasts smartphone shipments worldwide to reach 1.5 billion by 2017, with smartphone shipment dominated by emerging markets.

“Smartphone penetration in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world,” Braum said, adding, “Our goal is to be one of the top five smartphone vendors in Nigeria in the very near future. We believe this is a reality as our product range caters to a wide variety of individual needs and we have partnered with the best in the industry to achieve our goal.”

IDC, the firm also said, reported that the brand was the second PC vendor in Nigeria with 13.2 per cent market share and with 597 per cent year-to-year growth.

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Samsung recommends digital village solution to boost rural connectivity

By Adeyemi Adepetun ITH improve education, accelerated health care system and faster economic transformation in mind, Samsung Electronics has recommended to Nigeria and other African countries, a digital village solution.

The digital village solution is a concept, which harnesses the abundance of solar power the continent is blessed with to provide alternative power supply channeled towards education, health and growth of small businesses.

With some of the elements of the initiative already in Nigeria, like the Samsung Engineering Academy, the digital village offers complete educational infrastructure, power generation capabilities to enable the growth of small businesses, allowing the for reduction in running cost, among others to remote villages in Africa.

Already deployed in about 19 African countries, including South Africa, Gabon, Ethopia, among others, Samsung’s Director, B2B and IT Solutions, Africa, Thierry Boulanger, at a world news conference, in Malaga, Spain at the just concluded 2014 Samsung Forum, explained that using solar power to promote health care and education was the concept behind Samsung’s Digital Village.

He explained that the project was also designed to help local traders develop their business with a sustainable and low-cost alternative to

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fossil fuels.

“Solar powered tele-medical center, solar powered generator, solar powered health care, solar powered Internet schools and solar powered lantern are integrated solutions of the digital village,” he noted.

Throwing more lights on the digital village initiative, the Director, Hand Held Products of Samsung West Africa, Emmanouil Revmatas explained that every African country would benefit from the project.

When fully implemented, he said with optimism that the initiative would bridge digital divide in Africa.

According to him, talks were on going with the Nigerian authorities on the possible deployment in the country, adding that the solar powered tele-medical centre would reduce the need for qualified doctors in rural arrears.

Besides, he said that the solution would also educate communities about health issues.

BlackBerry’s BBM boss resigns HE head of BlackBerry’s T popular messaging platform, Andrew Bocking has left the company.

The long-serving executive at the company had steered the BBM service from corporate messaging platform to a leading OTT app that proved surprisingly popular with teenagers and has recently been expanded to Apple and Android phones.

The BBM department is now being folded into the global enterprise solutions department, which could herald a move away from the service being targeted at consumers.

Such a decision would fit in with BlackBerry’s newish CEO’s vision that the company should refocus on its core business users.

“The BBM organization remains as a group within BlackBerry and will continue

to focus on BlackBerry and BBM strength in messaging and new areas of strength such as mobile marketing, community-building and enterprise messaging,” the company said in a statement.

The BBM staff will report to Global Enterprise Solutions newly hired executive, John Sims.

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Quickteller cardless ATM makes debut

By Taiwo Hassan OBILE money users in the country could now have the opportunity to withdraw cash from ATMs without the need for a bank account or bank card, Interswitch Transnational has said.

According to the integrated payments company, Quickteller would now powers card-less ATM withdrawals.

Quickteller, a renowned Value Added Service offering from the technology giant now offers mobile money users the opportunity to withdraw cash from their mobile money accounts or “cash out” funds transferred to them, through supported ATMs across the country.

The service, the company said has been designed to specifically address the challenges of mobile money adoption which includes insufficient cash out locations thereby enabling those without bank accounts and bank cards have easier, more convenient and safer access to cash withdrawal.

Chief Payment and Value Added Services Officer, Interswitch Nigeria, Mrs. Titilola Shogaolu, said that the service is supported by transactions between the range of N1, 000 – N20, 000, in multiples of N1, 000.

She said that the user would receive a 12-digit code and a 4digit PIN that can be used for safe withdrawals across Quickteller-supported ATMs nationwide.

Shogaolu noted that Quickteller card-less ATM withdrawal service has been adopted by Pagatech, GTBank Mobile Money, Parkway, Cellulant and QikQik, adding that this service is currently available at over 6,000 ATMs on the networks of the following banks; FirstBank, GTBank, Stanbic Bank, United Bank for Africa and Zenith Bank.

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Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya (left), winners of Nigeria’s Got Talent (NGT) Season 2, Robots for Christ, Head of Marketing Communications, Malta Guinness, Femi Adelusi and Group Managing Director, Optima Media Group (OMG), Rotimi Pedro at the grand finale of the NGT 2, at the weekend, in Lagos.

EFCC raids counterfeit software resellers den

By Bankole Orimisan O curb the increasing rate of counterfeit software peddlers in Lagos, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun a series of enforcement activities by raiding the premises of software counterfeiters and resellers.

A statement by Microsoft, said the premises of Maris & Baker, alleged to be a popular High Quality Counterfeit (HQC) software reseller in the Ikeja area, Lagos was raided by the commission.

Microsoft said the incursion is just the first in a series of enforcement activities aimed at curbing unfair play in the country, and it came after months of intense market intelligence, several mystery shopping exercises and warnings to counterfeit syndicates.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Microsoft Corporation’s local outside counsel in Nigeria, Francis Chuka Agbu said, “Counterfeit software is a cankerworm that is eating through the fabric of societies all over the world. Their prevalence has a lot to do

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with the sophisticated and organised syndicate of pirates but also can be traced to the resellers who propagate their use.”

Agbu added that: “these resellers of pirated software must also realise that they will be punished for contravening the law and putting people’s livelihoods as well as the economy of the country at a whole at risk. To win this fight against copyright infringements, it must be a joint effort of regulators as well as resellers.”

The Microsoft statement also explained that in a study conducted by the International Data Corporation (IDC) recently, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers using pirated software and three in 10 for businesses.

More critical, warns the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is the threat of malware-induced cyber-attacks. Criminal syndicates that are often behind the sale of pirated software, use infected computers to launch attacks against entire networks.

These spread through shared connections to a home, business, or even government network – crippling economies and endan-

gering intellectual property.

Anti-Piracy Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Temofe Ugbona explained that “Software piracy is unfair play that ultimately hurts us all. Economic growth in Nigeria is thwarted by piracy – pirated software does not create jobs for students, developers, or IT professionals. This is one of the key reasons we take responsibility to educate consumers, resellers and retailers about the risks through enlightenment campaigns, market education session etc. – and support local enforcement efforts by authorities like the EFCC – extremely seriously.

“We have noticed a rising number of consumers unintentionally purchase counterfeit software from resellers and only later finding out they have been duped. In doing so, they expose themselves to a plethora of risks, which in the long run can prove extremely costly for individuals, and often disastrous for businesses”, Temofe added.

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Researchers uncover new cyber spying campaign computer security software firm has uncovered what it A calls the first cyber espionage campaign believed to be started by a Spanish-speaking country, targeting government agencies, energy companies and activists in 31 countries.

Dubbed “The Mask,” the campaign had operated undetected since 2007 and infected more than 380 targets before it stopped last week, Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab said on Monday.

The firm declined to identify the government suspected to be behind the cyber spying, but said it had been most active in Morocco, followed by Brazil, the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

The suspected involvement of a Spanish-speaking nation is unusual as the most sophisticated cyber spying operations uncovered so far have been linked to the United States, China, Russia and Israel. Those nations have been said to be behind the Duqu, Gauss and Flame malware, for example.

Kaspersky Lab said that the discovery of The Mask suggests that more countries had become adept in Internet spying. The firm’s researchers only came across the operation because it infected Kaspersky’s own software.

“There are many super-advanced groups that we don’t know about. This is the tip of the iceberg,” Costin Raiu, director of Kaspersky’s global research team, said in an interview on the sidelines of a conference sponsored by his company in the Dominican Republic.

Raiu said that The Mask hit government institutions, oil and gas companies and activists, using malware that was designed to steal documents, encryption keys and other sensitive files, as well as take full control of infected computers.

The operation infected computers running Microsoft Corp’s Windows and Apple Inc’s Mac software, and likely mobile devices running Apple’s iOS and Google Inc’s Android software, according to Kaspersky Lab. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kaspersky Lab said it worked with Apple and other companies last week to shut down some of the websites that were controlling the spying operation.

The Russian-based company named the operation “The Mask” for the translation of the Spanish word “Careto,” which appears in the malware code.

Among other things, The Mask hackers took advantage of a known flaw in Adobe Systems Inc’s ubiquitous Flash software

that permitted attackers to get from Google’s Chrome web browser into the rest of a target’s computer, Raiu said. Adobe fixed the flaw in 2012, he said.

A spokeswoman for Adobe confirmed that the company released an update to flash in April 2012 that fixed the vulnerability. She declined to comment on Kaspersky Lab’s research on The Mask.

Raiu said that The Mask attackers might have been aided by a booming grey market for undisclosed software flaws and the tools for exploiting them, known as “zero-day” exploits because the makers of affected software have no notice of the danger. Buyers of zero-days often leave the software vulnerabilities unfixed in order to deploy spy software.

The Flash flaw had been uncovered in 2012 by a Paris-based company called Vupen, which specialises in finding such weaknesses. Vupen revealed the vulnerability at a hacking competition that year, but did not demonstrate how it can be exploited. Instead, Vupen said it would sell its research to its government clients.

Kaspersky Lab said The Mask was one of the few Internet spying campaigns exposed to date that appear to have links to a zero-day sale. Vupen Chief Executive Chaouki Bekrar disputed any connection to his company.

“Believe it or not, but there are many other companies selling zero-days,” Vupen said via email.

MTN partners shoprite on telecoms services TN Nigeria has partnered M with Shoprite Retail Supermarkets, to avail subscribers its

products and services at all it (Shoprite outlets nationwide).

MTN said this new move is in continuation of its drive to enhance service delivery to its customers across the country.

The telecommunications firm explained that with the partnership, customers can top up their airtime with the MTN VTU Plus service and purchase data bundle in a more convenient manner while doing their regular shopping. Customers also have access to MTN’s product and services in a more structured and serene ambience.

Speaking at the formal launch

of the service, MTN Sales and Distribution Executive, ‘Tsola Barrow, said the partnership with the leading retailer across the country is a product of MTN’s commitment to explore different ways of taking service closer to its customers and improving customer experience.

“The MTN-Shoprite partnership is built around providing our customers with a good shopping experience by providing airtime within the environment where they shop for their groceries and personal items,” Barrow said.

Also speaking at the launch, Financial Director, Shoprite Retail Supermarkets, Nigeria,

lieve this is a win-win situaits game and Shoprite as the Mubanga Muche, said that Shoprite is pleased to be part- brand of choice in retail outlets tion for both organizations.” nering with MTN because offer- for many consumers, we being customers everything they want under same roof is the vision of the retailer.

“We are very excited about this partnership as we continue to improve on the shopping experience of our UROPE’S largest airline, Lufthansa, has launched its in flight customers. Customers can mobile phone service with AeroMobile, allowing passengers practically do all their shopto use their own mobile devices to text and browse online at ping under one roof, including 30,000 feet via Lufthansa FlyNet. purchasing airtime with so With eight aircraft already in service, the German airline has much ease,” Muche said. confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire Furthermore Barrow said long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft this year.

MTN is committed to explorThe AeroMobile network, which allows passengers to roam ing different avenues of taking just as they would abroad, is already available across selected its services closer to customers A330s in the Lufthansa fleet, flying from Munich and Frankfurt while improving customer to North America and the Middle East. service. “With MTN at the top of

Lufthansa rolls out mobile phone services with AeroMobile

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‘ICT hardware production leaps in Nigeria’ ADEYEMI ADEPETUN, in this report, examines the prospects of Nigeria’s hardware industry with the unveiling of the $50m RLG manufacturing plant in the country.

HE global quest and development of Information and ComT munications Technology (ICT), notwithstanding, the African continent has a lot to worry about, especially on the invention, adoption, development, training, availability and application of ICT resources and tools in different sectors of the economy.

Today, many African nations, Nigeria inclusive, are lagging behind in ICT development and adoption in their urban areas, not to mention the rural communities; thus, necessitating an urgent need for more ICT sensitization, development and support.

It is interesting to note as well that governments in the region have recognized the role that ICTs could play in socio-economic development. Like the developed economies, a number of developing countries are now putting in place policies and plans designed to transform their economies into a technology based one by creating the enabling atmosphere that tends to attract investments.

Indeed, the tide in technology in Nigeria has given indications of new phase with the unveiling of new innovations in the country, coming on the heels of the new device manufacturing plant brought into the country by Ghanian based technology firm, RLG communications.

RLG commissioned an ICT and phone manufacturing firm, whose worth is put at about $50 million in Ilesha, Osun State.

Already, ICT stakeholders, who described the feat as laudable,

said the country could achieve more in that regard if the local content drive for the industry was intensified.

Over the years, the economy had seen an increasing level of capital flight in the country in the area of technology business, and a lot of foreign manufacturers of phones and computers are still benefiting from the windfall.

Lots of these foreign brands including Samsung; Dell; HP; Asus; Acer among others have made so much from Nigeria selling their products, but still do not have factories or assembly plants in Nigeria. Employment wise, the country is actually losing because local patronage only enhances job security in foreign lands.

Last week in Malaga, Spain, at the 2014 Samsung Africa Forum, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, South Africa, Samsung, George Ferreira told Nigerian journalists that the South Korean firm is still looking at more opportunites and not considering a manufacturing plant in Nigeria, “at least for now, may be in the future.”

Indigenous brands, including Zinox, Omatek, Veda among others, which collectively churned about 133,000 PCs yearly have years suffered low patronage, despite their creativity. Only recently, after several campaigns for improved local content development that their brands seem to be getting patronage.

In fact in separate interactions with journalists, the Chairman of Zinox Group of Technologies, makers of Zinox PCs and recently, Zipad, Leo Stan Ekeh and Chief Executive Officer of Omatek Computers, Mrs. Florence Seriki had canvassed improve local content development.

Ekeh had stressed that indigenous OEMs are bleeding, especially to the exigencies of the country’s business environment, while Seriki pointed out that government and banking policies are yet to favour operators.

Going forward, with the expansion of the market and the commitment of the minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, it is hoped that more policies will come to back to the expansion in the local market.

The new facility, called the “RLG/Adulawo Technology City,” will be involved in the training of youths to assemble and repair various electronic devices as well as produce the items from its facility. In addition, it is expected to create over 10,000 jobs both directly and indirectly.

Speaking at the official launch of the City, Group Chairman of RLG, Roland Agambire, noted that gone were the days where oil was the mainstay of the world economy. He pointed out that ICT was the new money-spinner and the RLG/Adulawo Technology City was an ambitious project that would play a major role in the technology revolution that is sure to come to Nigeria.

RLG makes Android smartphones, feature phones, tablets and laptops.

The RLG/Adulawo Technology City has a capacity to assemble 5,000 mobile phones, and 2,500 computers daily. It has fully equipped training centre called the RLG Institute of Technology, a Research & Development Laboratory complete with a Green Technology Bio-mass plant, which will provide cooking gas for the staff quarters and generate 3KVA electricity.

Agambire noted that the dream of setting up such a facility was propelled by the leadership and vision of the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, whom he stated supported the idea from the outset, especially because it has as its main goal the creation of jobs and the transfer of technology.

Though, Africa is the wealthiest continent, he said it has not been able to maximise its potential. “RLG, as a PanAfrican company, has the ambitious dream of creating wealth for African youths and leading them out of poverty through technology,” he said.

Agambire disclosed that the company’s initial investment of $50 million was an expression of its commitment to the vision, adding that it would spend more because there was the need to expand into fabrication which would enable the facility handle more complicated electronic devices.

He said that so far, 5,000 indigenes have been trained from RLG’s facility in Ghana but that the remaining 15,000 indigenes will be trained and equipped at the new technology city.

While calling on everyone to see the RLG brand as Nigerian because its products will be made here in the country, he urged all to patronise the company’s products, which include phones and computers in order to help create more jobs and wealth for fellow citizens.

According to him, “RLG has the best warranty policy in the country and we are also very innovative, affordable and user-friendly.”

Speaking, Aregbesola commended RLG for its decision to invest in the state and help create jobs.

He stressed that the factory located in the Technology City will be producing mobile phones, tablets, television sets and computer systems, both desktops and laptops.

“While in full production capacity, it will directly employ 800 people while over 15,000 indirect jobs will be created round the state through the enterprise from sales and repair points. It will impact the state’s economy through taxes, rates and levies, add to the state’s GDP, create wealth and bring development to the community where it operates.”

Aregbesola said that the City was also a demonstration of the government’s resolve to partner with the private sector through the creation of an enabling environment and providing adequate infrastructure for rapid industrialisation and job creation.

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Maritime Improving cargo delivery processes at seaports

Umar

By Moses Ebosele CTIVITIES in the maritime sector A are still dominated with discussions on the slow processes of clearing cargoes at the nation’s seaport terminals.

Besides, many stakeholders, especially importers, surveyors, representatives of insurance firms who, naturally have been following events in the industry are worried that despite repeated assurances from the federal government to facilitate clearance of goods within 48 hours, the challenges associated with the process has continued unabated.

Indeed, maritime experts who analysed the situation at the weekend in lagos at a one day forum emphasized need for all stakeholders in the industry to work together in the interest of the nation’s economy.

The forum, now in its second series, organized by the Cargo Defence Fund (CDF) highlighted issues associated with cargo exposure to risks of damage, loss and delay at Nigerian Ports and Terminals.

The event had in attendance stakeholders in the maritime sector including representatives of ship owners, maritime lawyers, Nigerian Port Consultative Council, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)insurers, terminal operators and surveyors among others.

The Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, represented by the permanent secretary, Nebolisa Emordi, an engineer, in his submission said increase in occurrences of damages, losses and delays to cargoes at Nigerian Ports and Terminals call for collective and collaborative actions to ensure that “Cargo exposure to these Risks are reduced to the barest minimum”.

The minister also announced receipt of the report of the first roundtable which dwelt extensively on the visit of the officials of Cargo Defence Fund to Cotonou and Douala ports to compare ports efficiency, management and cargo handling procedure.

Commending the efforts of the organisers, the minister said: “The Ministry believes that “ROUNDTABLE II” will no doubt provide a forum for enhanced dialogue and interaction that will guide us to the creation of Rules, Guidelines, and Regulations to define Rights,

Haastrup Responsibilities, Liabilities, Obligations and Duties of all players in the Industry. This forum should also dwell on issues relating to Procedures for Claims, Procedures for Joint Cargo Surveys, Documentation for Claims and Penalties or Sanctions for non-compliance in line with International Best Practices”.

The minister added: “I urge you to take advantage of this forum to proffer ideas aimed at eradicating the unwholesome practices that presently cause losses, damages and delays at our Ports and Terminals so as to make them attractive for patronage not just to Nigerian Importers and Exporters but the entire Sub-Region and therefore truly function as the desired transshipment hub”.

The event was also an opportunity for surveyors in the maritime sector to challenge regulators to pay a visit to port terminals after it rains to ascertain the state of flooding and alleged damage to containers.

According to the surveyors, terminal flooding and damage to cargoes are critical issue in the maritime sector.

A maritime surveyor and Chief Executive Officer of Seaguard International Services, Monday Ogadina, in his presentation accused terminal operators of allegedly handling cargoes poorly.

While lamenting the inability of surveyors to have access to port terminal, Ogadina also accussed operators of using “inappropriate tools for cargo discharge.”

But, the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) explained that there are laid down procedures to be followed to have access to the port terminals.

Besides, STOAN identified inconsistent government policies, improper documentation by port users and under-declaration by importers as factors hampering service delivery at the nation’s seaports.

STOAN Chairman, Princess Vicky Haastrup, explained that improper cargo storage system and poor packaging of cargo especially those arriving Nigeria from other third world countries contribute to cargo damage.

Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman of ENL Consortium, operators of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, told the gathering that most

Bello of the vessels bringing cargo into Nigeria are old while their gears develop problems during discharge operation.

Haastrup said: “Under-declaration is also part of the reasons why cargoes are damaged. A situation where an importer declares a container that weighs 60 tons as 50 tons and you as terminal operator deploys a 50-ton capacity equipment to lift a 60-ton container, what do you expect if not cargo damage?”

The STOAN chairman said some importers whose goods were discharged in November 2013 under the old destination inspection regime handled by service providers were yet to take delivery of their cargoes.

“Importers who imported goods after Customs changed from Risk Assessment Report (RAR) to PreArrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) still have their cargoes in the terminals and it was recently the Customs Comptroller General gave additional two weeks for the cargoes to be cleared,” said Haastrup, adding that such anomalies create delays in the cargo logistics chain and are recipes for port congestion.

She called for the harmonisation of ship inspection procedures by government agencies at the port in order to minimise vessel delays and reduce the cost of doing business.

“It is important that all of us work together to drive efficiency at the port. We must support the government to achieve its target of prompt cargo clearance and lower cost of operation. It is a herculean task but with unity of purpose, there is no limit to what we can achieve,” she added Speaking from the perspective of insurance firms, Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) appealed to the federal government to put adequate measures in place aimed compelling terminal operators to take responsibility for damaged or losses of cargo at their terminals.

Besides, NIA argued that there is urgent need for the relevant government agencies to compel terminal operators to issue documents that will enable cargo owners to make full claim of their cargo losses from insurers and “also recognize insurers subrogation rights to recover losses after payment”.

Industrial And General Insurance (IGI) Plc senior manager in charge marine, Mrs Florence Oladimeji who spoke on behalf of NIA at the

Niagwan forum explained that as marine cargo insurers and underwriters, “we call on government to urgently look into the issues bothering on enforcing the rule for terminal operators to take responsibilities for losses of cargo at their terminals.

Oladimeji also stressed the need to allow cargo surveyors unhindered access to the terminals to carry out what she identified as “the all-important duty of surveying the cargo and submitting their report of findings to insurers”.

Explaining further, Oladimeji Oladimeji: “A negligent party should not be allowed to get away with damaging cargo, deliver cargo short, break seals of containers, pilfer cargo and deny liability”.

She added: “Also, the terminal operators should be held responsible for the damages to imported cargoes because they refuse to open their gates for marine surveyors to inspect the extent of damage done to goods before they are cleared from the port.

“If our appointed cargo surveyors do not have access to cargo at the terminals, it will be difficult for them to write reports that will enable underwriters settle the claim of the insured.

“We have so many cases of diversion, cross delivery and non-shipment of cargo, tampered container padlocks or container seals. Vessels easily discharge damaged cargo and sail away without documentations.

“Documentation of the loss is very important for substantiating the marine claim. Letters of protest should be obtained as it is intended to bring the observed discrepancies on the cargo to the attention of the negligent party for their comment.

“Experience has shown that where cargos are damaged at our ports either during discharge or while in the custody of the terminal operators, they refuse to issue documents taking responsibility for such missing cargo or damaged cargo”, said Oladimeji.

Marine insurance covers the loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, and any transport or cargo by which property is transferred, acquired, or held between the points of origin and final destination.

Expanding her argument, Oladimeji made reference to two instances which occurred recently.

She said: “This is a claim lodged by

one of our insured. It involved the loss of one 40 foot container with goods worth N93million. The container was discharged into one of the terminals at the Apapa port. By the time the insured came to collect the container, it was nowhere to be found. The terminal operator could not account for the container and refused to issue any missing cargo document.

“At the end of the day,we paid the insured a reduced claim of N78million because our right of subrogation has been denied by the terminal operator refusal to issue any document for the missing cargo”.

On the second case, Oladimeji told the gathering that the insured lodged a claim for missing coil to the tune of N53million.

“The coil was discharged sound and complete from the carrying vessel. The coils were stored at one of the terminals in Apapa Port.

When the insured collected the coil, there were shortages. The terminal operator issued the delivery document noting shortages but denied that it occurred at their terminal. The insured presented the letter of claim holding the terminal operator liable for the loss but only got a letter denying liability.

“We settled the claim but deducted some amount for prejudiced recovery. The insured could not get their full claim, as we could not recover our subrogation right from the terminal operators “There are so many claims we have paid without the cooperation of terminal operators. We only cited these two as example of what we are facing in handing cargo losses at the terminals.

“The losses we are facing run into millions of naira. Losses to insurers and the cargo owners. The losses are huge. We are only looking at just a particular company case as an example. The entire insurance industry is facing cases of losses paid to cargo owners that are never recovered by the insurers after payment “Also, the terminal operators should be held responsible for the damages to imported cargoes because they refuse to open their gates for marine surveyors to inspect the extent of damage done to goods before they are cleared from the port.

“If our appointed cargo surveyors

CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 MARITIME 37

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Maersk vessel carrying containers on the sea

Group tasks National Assembly on passage of port and harbour bill

By Moses Ebosele Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) Maritime Industry Advocacy Initiative (MAIN), has called on the National Assembly to pass the Port and Harbour Bill without any further delay.

The group, in a statement issued in Lagos, on Monday, also accused the law makers of failing to attend to the bill which has been undergoing “the rituals of passage for more than five years”.

Specifically, MAIN criticized the maritime transport committees of the two chambers of the legislature for allegedly deliberately working against the interests of the industry “that they were created to serve and oversee”.

The statement signed by MAIN’s Executive Director, Sesan Onileimo, accused the marine transport committees of both chambers of the National Assembly of deliberately delaying the passage of the bill.

“It is sad that more than four years after the Bill was subjected to a well-attended public hearing, the Ports and Harbour Bill is still in the hallowed chambers, obviously counted as unimportant,” said the statement.

It added: “Or could it be that the lawmakers do not understand the import of the Bill? This can not be, but we can not understand why, after spending so much public funds to organize public hearings and after committing so much funds to overseas travels, all in the name of wanting to see how such bills are handled in other climes, the law makers will still be foot-dragging”, The statement added.

The MAIN also said that it was regrettable that, although the Bill is expected to solve the various challenges that could arise from

A

the port concession programme of 2006, the nonpassage of the Port and Harbour bill has further cast doubt on the sincerity of government.

“The Port and Harbour Bill incorporates an Independent Port Regulator as a separate agency to handle commercial disputes that are bound to arise from the daily interactions of providers and users of terminal and shipping services. Sadly, however,

those whom we so much rely on to empathise with port users and players in the port system have woefully failed the system.

“The absence of a commercial port regulator has recently thrown the challenge on the shoulders of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, while the Nigerian Port Authority continues to be the technical regulator.

“We recall that the ports were concessioned in 2006,

with a promise to put in place a well –structured organ that will interface between the various players, but for how long will port users continue to wait for the law makers who were elected by Nigerians to attend to issues like this”.

The group also criticized the committee for what it called, ‘playing god’ with a sensitive piece of enactment such as the Port and Harbour Bill.

“As a key stakeholder which

participated effectively in the various efforts and deliberations which led to how far the draft had gone, we are also very saddened by the brazen attempt to undermine the growth of the maritime sector, the port systems and indeed the Nigerian economy.

“As much as we acknowledge that concessioning the nation’s seaports, has brought about healthy competition and more efficiency

in cargo delivery, we are left with no option than to be on the same page with those who have insinuated that there may be other reasons beyond parliamentary challenges.

“We quite understanding the tight schedule of the National Assembly and also acknowledge the stiff competition among various committees to get bills considered, but five years is too long to wait.”

of CDF, Senator Cosmos Niagwan said there is need to agree on the arrangement to put in place to operate Nigeria’s Ports and Terminals more efficiently “to build on the successes we have already achieved or recorded”.

Commending the Public, Public-Private Partnership, and Private Sector Participation, he said “we still need to work harmoniously for effectiveness”.

He told the gathering that so far, CDF has handled over five hundred Complaints

relating to short handling/short landing of cargoes, non-delivery of cargoes, fraud and delay.

Others include: “Theft or pilferage, government action, time bar, illegal charges/ unsubstantiated charges, prolonged court cases or processes, lack of understanding of processes of foreign arbitration, excessive bank charges, unfair and unreasonable treatment by government officials and shipping companies and rejection of export commodities, among others.

Enhancing cargo delivery processes at seaports CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 do not have access to cargo at the terminals, it will be difficult for them to write reports that will enable underwriters settle the claim of the insured.

“We have so many cases of diversion, cross delivery and non-shipment of cargo, tampered container padlocks or container seals.

Vessels easily discharge damaged cargo and sail away without documentations.

“The regulatory authorities should compel terminal operators to have proper lia-

bility insurance cover and such insurance policies be submitted to shippers council for scrutiny for adequacy of cover and proper wording.

“The NIA will be available to assist if required. We recommend that CDF/Shippers Council should have bill boards at the port offering assistance to cargo owners.

Compel terminal operators to have insurance claims/information desk to assist cargo owners.

“Insurers, surveyors, terminal operators, shipping agents and all stake holders

in maritime operations should all be seen as partners in progress ensuring that our ports are involved in international best practice”, Oladimeji added.

She told the gathering that marine cargo insurance occupies an important position in international trade, adding that while it is primarily concerned with the protection of ocean-going cargo, it also covers against the hazards associated with connecting land conveyances as well as shipments by rail or air.

In his address, Chairman

Challenges before maritime sector in 2014, by group LOBAL shipping associaG tion, BIMCO, recently described regulatory burdens concerning the environment, maritime security and the supply and demand imbalance with new building orders as some issues facing the sector this year.

According to its 2014 report, the association explained that the steady improvement of the global economy has improved outlook for shipping, as demand goes up and “fleet expansion growth cools off, the market fundamentals

are expected to improve across the board”.

The association said: “But the regulatory burdens, notably those seeking to address environmental pressures, remain major challenges to the industry’s cost base at a time when resources are limited. This includes massive challenges on sulphur limits, ship efficiency, ballast water treatment and regulation”.

In his accompanying message to Reflections 2014, BIMCO president John Denholm said: “A worrying

amount of ordering is taking place, adding tonnage to an already excessive world fleet.

This will delay a return to a balance between supply and demand and hence the long awaited market recovery.

“To add insult to injury, the ever increasing regulatory requirements impose significant costs on our industry at a time when it can ill afford them.”

Reflections 2014 also takes a closer look at maritime security, noting that the greatest emphasis is upon the scourge of piracy, but also stresses

that there remain many other strands to maritime security, such as the combating of narcotics and terrorism.

“The piracy situation is dynamic, and despite attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin dwindling the situation could reverse and the shipping industry must not drop its guard.”

In a related development, accounting firm, Moore Stephens has explained that for the maritime sector to sustain its global growth, there should be noticeable improvement in 2015

Moore also warned that the prospects for recovery may still be fragile if the industry fails to meet a number of challenges, including tighter regulation and increased operating costs.

Shipping partner Richard Greiner said: “New Year resolutions are invariably a case of in one year and out the other. Generally speaking, it is wise not to make resolutions which are too ambitious; American troubadour Woody Guthrie had the right idea when he settled for, ‘Wash teeth, if any’.

38 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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Industry Addressing quality issues, standardisation in cement industry Standardising product offerings brings benefits for the company, customers and the nation alike. From the company’s point of view, standardisation brings economies of scale as fewer products allow activities to be focused, rather than diluted across a myriad of products, versions and variations. For the customer, the economies of scale are being passed on in the form of reduced prices.

Nigeria’s cement industry like any other sector is however not shielded from prescriptions on best practices for the production of the product. With the recent controversy in the industry coupled with the rising rate of building collapse in the country, there are questions bordering on the quality surveillance and assurance of the product as well as its application for construction works.

FEMI ADEKOYA writes.

ARELY a few weeks after stakeholders celeB brated the success of a backward integration plan in the cement industry and a replication of such feat in the steel sector, events within the last few days have seen stakeholders within the cement industry reacting to allegations raised by a coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the construction industry.

The allegation borders on claims by the groups that nearly all the cement manufacturers and Aganga importers in the country are in the habit of taking advantage of the lax regulation and lack of the import era, we are all compelled by the regenforcement to vary their pigmentation in ulatory authorities to bring in 42.5 grades and favour of the lower grade cement (32.5) which in now since 2012 when import was banned, the most cases is used in building works, and seen same regulatory authorities condoned the production of 32.5 grades”. to be partly responsible for building collapse.

The group noted that the practice which is quite prevalent, is usually overlooked by the Other manufacturers refute allegation Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), claim- In a statement from the representatives of ing that there is migration advanced countries, Ashaka Cement Plc, Lafarge WAPCO Plc, from the lower grade of cement or 32.5 to the Northern Cement Company of Nigeria, Sokoto higher level 42.5 specification and even 52.5 and United Cement Company Plc, Calabar, they with a uniform standard set by government, said: “It has been suggested that cement prodmanufacturers and importers who can be held ucts should be limited and some removed accountable whenever there is infraction or from the market. Products such as 32.5 have actually been part of building Nigeria for the reduction in agreed specification.

In a bid to salvage their businesses, stakehold- last 54 years and are used widely throughout ers within the industry have reacted to the alle- the world. Limiting product choices will not be gation denying culpability while raising con- good for the consumer and will send the induscerns on the application of the product and the try backwards and away from current international trend.” regulatory framework in the industry.

While assuring that the cement manufacturDangote affirms adherence to high quality pro- ing community will “continue to support all initiatives in conjunction with other stakeduction For instance, Dangote Cement revealed at the holders to eradicate building collapse,” they weekend that all the products rolling out from added, “the Nigerian cement industry is one of its three cement plants were certified 42.5 grade the most modern in Africa, with significant in line with international standard and quality new technology and capacity recently installed. Cement quality conforms to the benchmark.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, highest international standards and the indusDevakumar Edwin said that Dangote Cement try is constantly working with the regulatory chose to produce 42.5 cement grade as it is authorities (Standards Organisation of Nigeria) to ensure up to date testing, certificastronger and has better qualities.

He said: “For the company, the cement grade tion of products and quality norms”.

On the possible cause of building collapse, possesses higher strength capability and is rapid setting making it the preferred grade they said: “Experience throughout the world among blockmakers, builders and construction has shown very clearly that cement quality is not the source of building collapse rather, the workers.

Explaining why Dangote Cement is laying root cause is most frequently related to poor emphasis on the production of 42.5 grade construction practices. The level of skill, educacement, Edwin said prior to the nation attaining tion and awareness in the construction sector self-sufficiency in cement production, the must be improved” The statement, noted some of the past and onStandard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) stipulated the 42.5 grade as the grade accepted one to going efforts of the cement manufacturers to be imported into the country and all importers address the issue “There have also been several programs in conjunction with SON to educate complied.

His words: “Dangote Cement as a responsible and certify block makers and masons. We are market leader has continued to produce 42.5 committed to organizing even more education grade in its three plants in strict adherence to and awareness in this area and have recently participated with the Ministry of works to purthe stipulations of the SON.” Represented by the Director, Sales and sue this initiative” The cement manufacturers said that the Marketing, Mr. Ekanem Etim, he wondered why SON should insist on 42.5 grade as the standard Nigerian cement industry is leading the way in for import and then allow a lower grade in Africa in high quality by providing innovative terms of local production. “How come during products and solutions, which are required by

Odumodu a growing construction sector.

“We believe fundamentally that consumers should have a choice of products to suit their needs and applications. Current and future standards should continue to ensure that there is a good environment for choice, competition and quality. It is a fact that in the last few years, there has been more innovation and product choice, which have actually generated price reductions for end users”, they added.

SON to review standards on cement In the wake of the development, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has instituted a technical committee to review standards on locally produced cement, to address current raging controversy over quality of the essential building material being produced by the nation’s manufacturers.

SON however allayed fears over the quality profile of made-in-Nigeria cement, stressing that the various brands in the country adhere strictly to the approved standards.

The agency’s Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, explained that both 32.5 and 42.5 grades of cement are of acceptable qualities, even as he accepted that misapplication of both grades could compromise the integrity of a building structure.

Odumodu pointed out that “there is no substandard cement brand being produced in the country”, saying that like other manufactured products, cement has its shelf life.

“There could also be mis-application of cement types during its processing for construction.

The 32.5 grade, for instance, is used mainly for plastering, block making, flooring and other lighter jobs.

“The 42.5 grade of cement, on the other hand, is used for heavier jobs like pillars and high rise buildings, even though appropriate application of acceptable ratios must be adhered to during mixing, to achieve the best results”, he said.

According to him, unethical practices on the part of builders could compromise the integrity of a structure and “SON has intensified its enlightenment campaign to address the situation”.

Already, he said his organisation has been collaborating with all the stakeholders in the building industry to achieve higher standards in their respective operations.

For instance, Odumodu disclosed that special

training programmes are being embarked upon for artisans in the industry, to enable them to acquire higher skills in their respective operations.

He said the technical review committee would comprise of technocrats in the industry, members of the civil society organizations, academia and the media, among others.

Under the review agenda, bags of cement will now state categorically the grade of the content, while the building code will now be revived, to ensure compliance to ethical standards in the construction industry.

Odumodu reiterated that SON has been proactive in its operations and would ensure that people are not exposed to products that could endanger lives.

Block moulders seek industry collaboration The National President of the association, Alhaji Rasheed Adebowale, stated that block moulders had constantly worked closely with regulatory authorities to ensure the use of quality cement in the last few years, even as its members continue to undergo training on the use of standard products and effective delivery of projects.

“We are part and parcel of the construction industry sector and major end users of the product; we are not comfortable with the civil liberty organisation’s claims about the development and the allegations on the cement type and alleged poor regulation of the sector,” he said.

According to him, the association resolved to intervene in the raging issue because the sector provides for their livelihood.

Adebowale added that the ban on importation of cement and stabilisation of the product’s price by the Federal Government had gone a long way in moving the sector forward.

He said over 2,000 delegates of the association recently attended a stakeholders’ workshop where experts in the sector groomed them on how to produce quality blocks and on the strength of different types of cement and their implication.

He added that block-testing machines were deployed to state offices in order to encourage end users to do the right thing.

He therefore called on the Federal Government to support the efforts to strengthen the building and construction sector.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014 INDUSTRY 39

‘We are strategising to penetrate Nigeria’s retail market’ Paulo Gomes is Wincor Nixdorf’s President for Middle East and Africa. In this interview with Femi Adekoya, he unveils the firm’s strategies in deepening its presence in Nigeria and other emerging countries’ banking and retail sectors.

Wincor seems to be a key player in the banking software distribution than in the retail sector in Africa, what is your plan for the retail sector in Nigeria and other African countries?

We are strong in the banking sector because we have been working in the banking sector for many years. So over the years, we have been able to build the network of partnership for the banking sector and we were able to get to the market to get ourselves known and we will continue to do so.

In the retail segment, we are a little bit behind and the strategy is to catch up. We are now in the process of setting the right organisation inside Wincor and build up a network of partnership for the retail market. The retail business is different from the banking business and we are either creating new partners for the retail business or engaging our banking partners for them to invest also in retail.

Nigeria presently has about 11,000 Automated Teller Machines, a number still considered quite low. Looking at your projections for the African region, are there plans to deploy more ATMs and retail solutions into the market?

Absolutely, in the last two years we have been outperforming the market and gaining market share. We do believe we will ne able to deploy more ATMs in Nigeria as the country grows.

However, with the growing middle class in the country and the use of smart phones, we have developed a system that can use your ATM on smart phone.

So, we are also looking into all these and it is interesting because in Africa, some countries are even ahead of the so-called developed world.

In Africa, in the last three years, even though the banking population is low, everybody has a smart phone and this is very high on the people’s priority to have. So that is fueling a lot of things like the mobile money in Kenya where we see a lot users of these technology than we see in some of the developed economies.

We have decided to create a new division in the company for all the technology and payment solutions for mobile money. So, we created a new product- Aevi as a brand and a new device – Albert. The Aevi Pay delivers software and processing solutions that enables businesses to operate their payment landscape with terminals from different manufacturers. Aevi Pay is already being used by leading service station companies to process transactions. The solution-Aevi Money covers the acquirer and issuer processing services such as authorisation, switching and routing of ATM transactions, including the operation of ATM networks.

The solutions are designed to meet the requirements of international retail companies. The newly released Aevi solution portfolio represents the culmination of all Wincor Nixdorf's experience and know-how in the area of cashless payment transaction processing and jointly with the newly released Beetle mobile PoS solution, through which Wincor Nixdorf provides an end-to-end mobile PoS solution for larger retailers.

Our target is that in the future, bank customers will be able to tailor the user interface at the ATMs to their specific preference. We have developed multi-vendor capable software that enables them to change the size and arrangements of the controls on the ATM’s touch display.

Customers that deposit cheques for instance would be able to use touch and swipe to set up menu for this function on their personal start screens, allowing them to move directly to the preferred transactions. Banks can also benefit from the software tool as they can easily rearrange their standard user interfaces and distribute the new designs to the systems on their network. Wincor supports banks around the world in enhancing their self-service concepts and offering a variety of new functions beyond cash withdrawals and deposits.

Why the increased focus on Africa by Wincor Nixdorf? What are the opportunities you see in Africa, especially in Nigeria?

Africa is in a very interesting stage and I must say that personally, I have been engaged in this region for 20 years. So, what is interesting now is that apart from Africa being the fastest growing population in the world, we see also in Africa now a new middle class that is growing and

can’t be ignored.

Few years ago, people would try to go abroad to study and stay abroad and now we see more and more people, they study abroad but they come back. If you look at the plans of the major retailers to open shopping malls and shops in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, they have long-term plans for Nigeria. You see, this is a sign that shows that Nigeria and Africa have a growing middle class and a strong middle class and I can also say a proud middle class building up. If you look at our business in sub-service banking and also in retail, our core business is in the middle class, which is fueling all the transactions in our business. So this is what I see as an interesting point and as a global company, we have been investing very heavily in the so-called emerging markets and part of our strategy is to continue growth and to restore growth after all the crisis in Europe.

A major challenge faced by financial institutions globally is cyber fraud. What is your organisation doing to address the situation?

It is a major challenge and it is something that has become a global issue. We have invested a lot in developing solutions to prevent fraud.

So the security of firms, their systems and ATM transactions are very high on our priority in terms of investment. We have a lot of solutions that we truly believe are the best in the market.

What is your strategy for the African region?

Just to give you a bit of history, the company has decided almost two years ago to create a business region in the Africa and Middle East regions, so to improve the focus and the strength of the solutions to the region because before, we were already present in most of the countries before but not as a single regional management. So last year was very successful for us in the region. We were able to grow the business for the partner part of the business for almost 40 per cent, which was very good last year.

This year, we intend to follow the next step of the strategy, which means to do a big investment in software and professional services.

And so, we are investing in resources within Wincor to support the partners and enable the partners to be able to extend our software business in the area and be more on the critical aspects of the business for our customers.

We have improved a lot to focus on the region and we now have the visibility and the will of the company to invest in the region. We have been building resources and we are continuing building network of business partners.

We have a clear strategy of business partners in the region, so we cover the territory with business partners because we do believe that

Gomes it is wise to be closer to the market because our business partners are local companies that understand better the market and also we can multiply the way we participate in the economy because our business multiplies also local com-

panies and partners and so on. So in a nutshell this is what we have been doing. Last year was more on the creation of the sector, this year we are continuing our advances to new solutions to the region.

CBN earmarks N220b development fund for SMEs From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin BOUT N220 billion has been earmarked by A the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development fund (MSMEDF) to boost business viability and economic prosperity in the country.

Addressing a sensitisation workshop organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development fund (MSMEDF) in Ilorin, the CBN governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who was represented by Ilorin Controller of the apex bank, Onoriode Monday Olotewo said the bank’s objective is to reach over 20 million MSMEs in over 10years period with 60 percent of women as the major beneficiary.

He said the workshop was organised with the primary aim of sensitizing the kwara state government, the participating financial Institutions and the organised private sector on the funds.

He explained that the fund has the broad objective of channeling long term-low interest funds to the small and medium business sector of the Nigerian economy through the participating financial institutions.

He said the apex bank has developed operational guidelines for the state government's participating in the MSME development fund in order to reach those at the grassroots.

The CBN boss maintained that the MSME development fund two broad objectives of performing both social and commercial functions.

He said the social /development fund shall constitute 10 per cent which is made up of grant five per cent, Interest drawback of three

per cent and managing agents operational costs would remain at two per cent while the commercial fund shall constitute 90 per cent of the fund.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed commended the Central Bank for organising the workshop for the beneficiaries in the state.

He urged the participants and beneficiaries to take advantage of the sensitization with a view to achieving the full benefit of the fund.

He advised them to try hard and ensure they meet up with the guidelines to enable them benefit from the earmarked fund.

In his presentation, "Titled The thrusts benefits and requirements for the N220 Billion naira Miro, Small and Medium enterprises development Fund" the guest lecturer, Daniel Inyang of the development finance department, CBN headquarters, said the essence of the fund is to help people finance their businesses.

He however urged the potential beneficiaries to act in accordance with the law in accessing and repaying the loan as it is meant to develop the economy of the country.

U.S. business group to partner entrepreneurs

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola N Atlanta, US-based group, Geek Gone Global, is currently visiting Nigeria to explore business opportunities in Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking with journalists after the visiting team was hosted by the Managing Director of Shod Systems Nigeria, Alhaji Hassan Sharafadeen; the head of the delegation, Faruq Hunter, who is the CEO of GeniusCorps Inc, US said the company is a conglomerate of 16 companies that came together to partner Nigeria and African countries with the objective of solving some problems associated with African rural communities.

“We are encouraging Africans to do things on their own and accomplish goals. We believe that Africa is investment haven, especially in the sectors like software development, distribution of energy and water and mostly agriculture. It is all about allowing the people to take

A

control of their lives and destiny. We encourage African to shun the importation of food and make use of their local materials to boost their economy. The problem isn’t opportunity but awareness. So we are here to create awareness,” he said.

Geek Gone Global will also visit places like Dakar, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi and Cairo.

Earlier, Hassan had stated that the group and his own company have the same vision, which according to him, is to encourage and assist young Nigerians entrepreneurs start their own business at minimal cost by providing virtual office space opportunity to serve as soft landing and rapid smooth start up.

“We encourage youths to become entrepreneurs early enough as this will further boost Nigeria economy instead of relying on government jobs that might not come,’’ Hassan said.

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NEITI begins new audit report

OIL

ENERGY /42

Govt to build two new power transmission stations in Enugu

Sao Tome shortlists four firms for oil block licensing round

ENERGY /41

POWER

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

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By Roseline Okere OPES of an early resolution H of litigations over a $3.8 billion Egina oil platform project between the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) and Samsung/Total appeared dashed at the weekend, as both counsels to the plaintiff and defendants argued over jurisdiction, prompting Justice Chuku-Jekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, to adjourn hearing to March 11, 2014.

The contract awarded to Samsung Heavy Industry and LADOL by Total for the integration of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform otherwise known as Egina project to be cited at LADOL base in Lagos, assumed litigation following alleged schemes by Samsung to exclude the indigenous firm from the juicy job.

The development had prompted LADOL to seek injunctions against Samsung and Total last week, based on the emerging controversy. Also joined in the suite are Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (Total), Nigerian Content Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

The case however assumed a fresh dimension on Friday when counsels to the first and second defendants, Wole Olanipekun SAN, and Adewale Atake, in their respective submissions argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.

Counsel to LADOL, Professor Fidelis Oditah, QC SAN, however objected to the plea, arguing that the court was good to hear the case as well as entertain hearings on the injunctions he earlier sought on behalf of his client to restrain the defendants from excluding LADOL from the project execution.

Justice Aneke adjourned hearing to March 11, 2014, while asking parties to maintain the status quo.

Speaking with newsmen at the court’s premises shortly after the hearing, Professor Oditah said the bone of contention in the issue borders on local content provisions in the said contract which was jointly

Protracted legal tussle threatens Egina FPSO project’s take-off As court adjourns LADOL, Samsung’s suit to March 11

Egina FPSO won by his client and the first defendant.

“This is an issue that concerns the need to empower Nigerians, and what we are saying is that any construction of this FPSO for Total being the second defendant, the plaintiff who has the local content must continue. He cannot be used to get this contract and afterwards be dumped. That’s simply what he (plaintiff) is claiming and the first and second defendants are all trying to run away from it by claiming that the plaintiff has no jurist effect, or that the court has no jurisdiction. We will meet again on the 11th of March,” he said.

Other reliefs being sought by the LADOL includes a “declaration that the Egina FPSO

Project contract was awarded

by Total to Samsung, with the approval of the Nigerian regulatory authorities including NNPC, NAPIMS, NCDMB and the Ministry of Petroleum, on the basis inter alia that a significant proportion of the steel fabrication and the integration of the FPSO topsides would be carried out at LADOL’s yard in the LADOL Free Zone, Tarkwa Bay, Lagos.

“A declaration that the Egina FPSO Project contract was also awarded by Total to Samsung on the basis inter alia of Samsung’s representations and assurances to the Nigerian regulatory authorities that Samsung would build and operate training facility in the LADOL Free Zone for the training and education of Nigerians.

“A declaration that the Egina FPSO Project contract was bidded for and obtained by Samsung on the basis of a joint venture and/or arrangement

between Samsung and LADOL for the development, construction and operation of an offshore fabrication yard and FPSO integration facilities in

the LADOL Free Zone for the purposes, amongst others, of the Egina FPSO Project (Joint Arrangement).

Afren to drill six new wells in Nigeria, others

By Sulaimon Salau FREN has unfolded plans to A drill six new wells in Africa during 2014, with four of them based in Nigeria.

The oil firm, analyzing its production update, expected to deliver record financial results for 2013, driven by strong production from Nigerian assets.

Afren said that it estimates sales revenue for the year at about $1.7 billion, with operating cash flow of more than $1.1 billion.

This, according to Afren has been driven by a year-on-year 14 per cent increase in net production, principally from the Ebok and Okoro fields, offshore Nigeria.

The company also confirmed

that it and its partners will begin development of the Okoro Further Field Development, Ebok North Fault Block and Okwok in 2014, all of which it expects to generate high-margin cash flow.

Meanwhile, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Afren said it is expecting a resource upgrade to its Simrit discovery on the Ain Sifni block following a declaration of commerciality that has been submitted to the authorities there.

Afren estimates production in 2013 at about 47,112 barrels of oil equivalent per day (bpd), which was at the upper end of the guidance range of between 40,000 and 47,000 bopd provided by the company previously.

For this year, the firm estimates it will produce around 40,000 bopd, which analysts at London-based investment bank Canaccord Genuity said is below their estimate of 45,000 bopd.

In a statement accompanying the trading update, Afren Chief Executive Osman Shahenshah, said: “2013 has been another exceptional year for Afren, with a combination of record financial results, production ahead of guidance and industry leading exploration success. The play opening Ogo discovery in Nigeria was one of the largest global discoveries in 2013, and will be followed by further appraisal and exploration drilling.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014 SWEETCRUDEREPORT 45

46 SWEETCRUDEREPORT Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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Focus

Chukwu

Omolola

Arigbabuwo

Health sector buckles under harsh conditions THE private sector plays an important role in healthcare delivery in Nigeria and all over the world.

But without partnership, support and the enabling environment from the government, the sector faces numerous crippling challenges. WOLE OYEBADE reports visit to any government hospital tells it all. Over the years, the A Federal Government has built more hospitals, upgraded facilities, adopted new policies, augmented funding and accommodated development partners, with little impact on the health care delivery system.

Today, facilities are still overstretched and services, chaotic.

Caregivers are overworked. Some patients are misdiagnosed; some are neglected due to too much pressure while others die on the queue.

The indices are alarming. Nigerian children, aged five and below, continue to die from treatable diseases, such as pneumonia, malaria, measles and others.

Every day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five children and 145 women of childbearing age, according to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). This makes the country the second largest contributor to the maternal mortality rate in the world.

The health sector is on the brink of collapse, Dr Tosin Ajayi, founder of the First Foundation Group declared recently.

Speaking at the National Executive Council meeting of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) held in Lagos recently, Ajayi observed that the health system was in trouble because an important part of it – the private sector – has been ignored. And worst still, he noted, private practitioners have not coordinated themselves well to give succour to the Nigerian public. He stressed that given the population of the country, the general and private practitioners were the only hope for quality healthcare delivery in the country.

He said: “It is not that things are not happening elsewhere, but it is mixed with other things and causing huge distraction in service delivery. For us private providers, health is our calling, our life and what we eat. It in fact comes before our families.

“Where it is now is not palatable and the people have passed a vote of no confidence on us, by going abroad for services we can render here. It is only the private providers that can correct the rot by working together and showing interest in government’s decision-making process. We must also be given the right support in the area of capacity and government’s intervention.”

Another practitioner and National President of the AGPMPN, Dr Anthony Omolola noted that while industrial disharmony and inter-professional rancour had negatively impacted the system, the government has also failed to foster partnership with the private sector, to utilize its abundant capacity in meeting the healthcare needs of the people.

Globally, the private sector stands side-by-side the public effort

in providing healthcare delivery to the people. The argument is: If it is the duty of government to provide healthcare to the people and the government cannot do it alone, then the private sector becomes pivotal in service delivery.

According to findings in Nigeria today, the private sector constitutes about 60 per cent of the total healthcare delivery system in the country. Omolola noted that while it was obvious that the public sector cannot meet the demands of healthcare delivery by the people, their private counterparts are languishing in underutilization.

His words: “AGPMPN has in several studies, found wasting capacities in the private sector that would have been useful to the entire health system. But we also know that there will be very little in terms of 21st Century service delivery without genuine interest of the government to partner with the private sector.”

Omolola observed that although, the government had been proactive in meeting the needs of important sectors like Agriculture and Aviation with some intervention fund, he however wondered why such gesture has not been extended to the health sector.

The Federal Government, according to reports, has in the last couple of years, spent at least N1.732trn as intervention funds in different sectors of the economy. The figure represents the amounts it approved as intervention funds between 2010, when Goodluck Jonathan became President and December 2012. They include: Small and Medium Guarantee Scheme (N200billion); Restructuring and Refinancing Facility Scheme (N200) and the Power and Airline Intervention Fund (N300b).

Others are the N75bn Grooming Enterprise Leaders Business Intervention Fund; N32bn Entertainment Intervention Fund and N10.71bn Commercial Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme to six banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Omolola said: “Given this emergency in the health sector, why should health come last in getting intervention fund in this country? Without health, no one can go to the farm, do business or fly in an airplane. It goes to show that health sector is more important, if all industries must thrive.

“It is, therefore our appeal to government at all levels, especially the Federal Government, to provide health intervention/infrastructure development fund for the health sector. This may not have to wait for bureaucracy of legislations because it is an emergency. With executive fiat, the fund could be provided to promote investment in the health sector.”

The AGPMPN president said it was sad that private healthcare givers still access two-year loan at the rate of 21 to 26 per cent.

“The interest rate was only increased to 5.5 per cent in South Africa when our colleagues over there started complaining.

With improved partnership with government, reduction in interest rate and all-important intervention fund, there is a lot we can do for robust health system, working together as a group,” Omolola said.

Lagos Chairman of the association, Dr Adeyeye Arigbabuwo said the most unfortunate thing for the private sector today, is the “adversarial policies” of the government to take private prac-

Government policies unleash agencies like the Industrial Training Fund, HEFAMAA, LAWMA, Consumer Protection Council, Health Safety Commission, including law enforcement agencies on private hospitals.

After you have satisfied them to avoid closure of your facility, the income becomes insufficient. In the process, practices are folding up instead of new ones coming up. There is no encouragement for the few ones on the ground that they are doing well. In advanced countries, government supports you per number of people you have treated

titioners out of business. He said while the government is not supporting the sector to thrive, it has taken the path of “regulating the private sector to extinction.”

His words: “I know that in advanced countries, people are made to pay tax and it is from the pool that the government run its activities, rendering services to the people. It is not like that here. As a practitioner for example, you are your own local government; you provide your borehole, security, do your road, carry your waste and other things on your own.

“Besides, there are other things that have helped in weakening the private sector. The government has advertised free healthcare to the people, giving malaria and antenatal care all free as primary healthcare. The government has also taken hold of tertiary care services. After all, how many private practitioners can set up a tertiary hospital?

“What is remaining are secondary services for the private sector. Yet, in the name of regulating the sector, you come to railroad and also erode their services. Government policies unleash agencies like Industrial Training Fund, HEFAMAA, LAWMA, Consumer Protection Council, Health Safety Commission among others, including law enforcement agencies on private hospitals.

“After you have satisfied them to avoid closure of your facility, the income becomes insufficient. In the process, practices are folding up instead of new ones coming up. There is no encouragement for the few ones on ground that are doing well. In advanced countries, government supports you per number of people you have treated. Is there such motivation like that in this environment?

“What I see here, is a competitive environment instead of a collaborative one. You don’t politicize healthcare, otherwise you are heading for doom. It is not for one to say ‘I’m doing better than you’ or ‘you are doing better than me’. Effective health system is by collaboration between public and private, having a common goal, mission and vision.

“Put all these together, the private sector is weakened, in terms of sustainability, wage and salary payment and overhead cost. Over-regulation will lead to extinction. If government takes over-regulation as its source of income and not for correction, then there will be cold war, and the consumer will suffer.”

Professor of Family Medicine at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Victor Inem, however, urged the practitioners to further collaborate in group practice, to survive the harsh business environment. He said survival in the health system today, “is to understand service provision as a business requiring a business model that is of international best practices.”

He added: “Those hospitals you send your patients to in India are not better and most of the patients return to the country worse than when they left. The problem is that we writhe in poverty, not taking advantage of group-practices and what general and private practice are all about.”

Apparently in agreement with Inem, the National President of the Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Dr Adenike Olaniba stressed the need for synergy among providers, in order to promote the course of health insurance in the country.

Olaniba said the private providers are to the success of health insurance scheme, what the scheme itself is to universal health coverage of Nigerians.

She expressed optimism that if the private sector would speak with one voice, the challenges facing health insurance and service creation would be addressed.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 11-02-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 MARKET REPORT 51

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 11-02-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

NSE’s market capitalisation down by N62 billion Stories by Helen Oji price losses FtheOLLOWING suffered by virtually all blue chip companies on the trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, equity transactions sustained sliding profile yesterday, resulting to a further depreciation in market capitalization by N62 billion.

Specifically, the All Share Index dropped by 194.19 basis point or 0.47 per cent to 40453.61 from 40647.80 points recorded on Monday.

Similarly, the market capitalisation of listed equities fell by N62 billion from N13.029 trillion traded the previous day to N12.967 trillion .

Investors bought 343.049 million shares worth N4.366 billion in 5548 deals against 273.137 shares valued at N3.181 billion in 5065 deals.

The result showed that 7UP led the gainers table, exchanging N3.57 kobo to close at N74.97 kobo, Presco Plc followed with a gain of N2.30 kobo to close N48.48 kobo while Betaglass, GTBank and UPL appreciated by N1.02 kobo N0.42 kobo and N0.09 kobo respectively to close at N21.46 kobo, N27.50 k Honeywel flourmills gained 0.05 kobo to close at N4.00 per share.

Sterling Bank, AFRIPRUD and First City Monument Bank garnered 0.04 kobo to close at N2.30,N3.40 and N3.80 per share respectively

obo and N4.12 kobo.

On the other hand, Nestle Nigeria Plc topped losers chart, dropping by N14.00 to close at N1.120 billion, Guinness Nigeria Plc trailed with a loss of N2.00 to close at N212.00 while Nigerian Breweries declined by N1.30 kobo to close at N152.20 kobo. Other stocks that depreciated in price were Union Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank which loss N0.83 kobo and N0.56 kobo respectively to close at N8.67 kobo and N21.24 kobo.

Further analysis of the investment showed that Financial Service sector was most active as it exchanged 286.473 million shares valued at N3.238 billion in 3126 deals. Banking sub sector was investors delight as it accounted for 161.728 million shares worth N2.261 billion in 1779 deals. FBN Holdings boosted activities in banking sector with account of 58.564 million shares valued at N836.249 million.

Oando, Neimeth, May&Baker lost 0.14, 0.11 and 0.11 kobo to close at N20.67,N2.26 and N2.26 per share respectively.

Cutix and EcobankTransNational Incorporated shed 0.10 kobo to close at N2.03 and N14.70 per share.

Livestock and Berger paints also lost 0.10 and 0.80 kobo to close at N4.09 and N9.84 per share.

IOSCO reviews ethical for rating listed firms HE International T Organization of Securities Commissions

What Happened?

The NSE All-Share index increased by 111bps (1.11%) and closed at 41,931.63. This represents a year-to-date performance of 1.46%.

Market Capitalisation also appreciated 1.11% to close at N13.436trillion. Total value traded decreased 32.51% to N3.05 billion and total volume traded decreased 10.46% to 276.44 million units.

Where?

At the close of trading, the banking sector represented 44.91% of the total market value traded, while the breweries sector represented 9.83%. The Top 5 stocks as a % of total market value traded were: OANDO (14.10%), ZENITHBANK (11.76%), FBNH (11.39%), NB (8.20%) and DANGCEM (6.65%).).

On a volume basis, the Top 5 most traded stocks for the day were: TRANSCORP (42.30m), FIDELITYBANK (24.92m), FBNH (21.80m), OANDO (16.20m) and WAPIC (15.60m)

(IOSCO) has released a consultation report on Code of Conduct Fundamentals for Credit Rating Agencies, which proposes significant revisions and updates to the current IOSCO code of conduct for credit rating agencies (IOSCO CRA Code).

According to the report, IOSCO proposes to revise the IOSCO CRA Code to take into account the fact that regional and national authorities now supervise CRAs. The goal, according to the Commission was to create an updated IOSCO CRA Code that works in harmony with the CRA registration and oversight programmes that many IOSCO members have implemented in recent years, and that continues to operate as the international standard for CRA self-governance.

The IOSCO CRA Code, according to the report is intended to offer a set of robust, practical measures as a guide to and a framework for CRAs with respect to protecting the integrity of the rating process, ensuring that issuers and users of credit ratings, including investors, are treated fairly, and safeguarding confidential material information provided them by issuers.

The IOSCO CRA Code was first published in 2004 when few jurisdictions had

laws governing activities of CRAs. It was later revised in 2008 after the outbreak of the global financial crisis to include significant disclosure provisions that addressed concerns regarding the quality of information that CRAs relied on, suggestions that CRAs were too slow to review existing ratings and make downgrades as appropriate, and the possible conflict of interest arising from CRAs advising issuers on how to design structured finance products.

The proposed revisions result, in part, from the experience of IOSCO members in supervising CRAs. They also are informed by IOSCO s previous work on CRAs, including a survey report describing the key risk controls established by CRAs to promote the integrity of the credit rating process and the procedures established to manage conflicts of interest.

The proposed revisions are designed to strengthen the IOSCO CRA Code by: enhancing provisions regarding protecting the integrity of the credit rating process, managing conflicts of interest, providing transparency, and safeguarding non-public information; adding measures regarding governance, training, and risk management; and seeking to improve the clarity of the IOSCO CRA Code.

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Midweek Arts With Arrows..., Edo Youth Corps fills performance void in city of culture

By Anote Ajeluorou little over a fortnight ago at Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre on Airport Road, Benin City, the NYSC Theatre Troupe, Edo State Chapter staged its art and tourism project, Arrows in the Art, as part of its preparation for the national NYSC Cultural competition that was held in Abuja. It was a lively afternoon inside the main hall of the cultural centre, as act after act and NYSCís cultural troupe thrilled audience with their performances that was put together by the Edo NYSC Cultural and Tourism CDS. Although designed to raise money for the troupeís trip to Abuja, audiences got far more than they expected with the various performances that was on display. From Prince, White Angel, Jide Sax to MC Maleke, the audience got a fair dose of singing, dancing, acting, comedy and cultural dances and songs.

More traditional dances also followed. But what was clear from the initiative of NYSC Theatre Troupe, Edo State Chapter, was that there is hunger for sustained stage performances and other cultural offerings in the ancient city of the obas. Although token gate fees ranging from N200 to N1000 were charged, Corpers as well as folks from Benin trouped in to see what artistic offering the amateur Corps members to offer.

From the sheer enthusiasm, it was clear that the ancient city is in dire need of artistic and cultural revival of sorts. Poor patronage by the state government and lack of support for local troupes are just some of the hindrances for artistic flowering in the city reputed for its tradition as a performance centre in years gone by.

The attitude of state government towards culture is a clear disincentive to cultural offerings. The Adams Oshiomhole-led government repeatedly shuns the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre for its events, from where it ought to earn enough 0ot put up occasional cultural shows. Government prefers to patronize private eventsí centres in the city

tials to give employment to its youths and create cottage industry through the creative arts. Such woeful neglect has made a migration of youth creative energy to Lagos and other more friendly centres, where talent is treasured and rewarded.

In an age where such states as Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Ekiti, Niger and Osun have long realized the importance of culture and art as components of tourism investment and have invested heavily in one festival or the other, states like Edo and Delta that ought to be at the forefront on account of their youth potentials still lag behind and hasten the rot in youth energy, which is often conveniently unleashed in kidnappings, oil bunkering, armed robbery and other vices!

BUT on the foyer of the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, a visual art exhibition was mounted with works by four Corpers ñ Gbadebo Oluwaseyi, Taiwo Owoyemi Raji Ade and Seyi Fajimi. They were works that showed budding talent in painting.

Particularly, Fajimiís works stood out from the rest. A graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Fajimi had on display ëReflectionsí on three ladies looking at themselves in the mirror and ëLoversí kissí of a man and a woman in lovey-dovey mood. But ëNight readingí and

A

Statue of Oba Akenzua in front of Cultural Centre named after him

and pays three times more for such places than it costs to rent the government-owned centre. The adjoining Nollywood Cinema is long abandoned.

For a state that has an abundance of youth creative talent and a rich cultural heritage to woo the world, government has consistently failed to harness the stateís creative poten-

TY Shittu… Gospel music is ‘All My Life’

By Shaibu Husseini ALENTED gospel music act, T TY Shittu, has just released two singles- Oba Ogo and All My Life. The singles, which are taken from her debut album All My Life, that will be released soon, are currently receiving massive airplay on radio stations. It has also become something of an anthem in churches as well as in homes. The 8-track album, which effectively deployed western and local tunes features Patricia Uwaje King and Mike Abdul of Midnight Crew family. It was produced by Tosin Paul for HeavenBond Music label.

Already the tracks has been receiving rave reviews and comments have also been coming from fans who have been engaging TY Shittu on social media since the singles were dropped. The gospel singer who described her brand of gospel music as ‘strictly inspirational’ says she finds their comments overwhelming and encouraging.

Born in Asaba, Delta State, TY Shittu had her early education at Federal Government

Girls College, Onitsha. She graduated from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, where she studied English and Literature. The singer revealed that she started singing at the age of six and she also led various choir groups. She was also at a time, a regular face on the Sunday music show of the Delta State Broadcasting

Service (DBS). TY who said hers is a “chronological and real passion for music” also worked with one of the leading telecommunication companies in Nigeria, before she ventured full time into music. “I am encouraged by the comments on the singles to let out the full album and that we will do soon,” she said.

ëLandscapeí give a glimpse of Fajimiís prodigious talent as a painter.

Also an animation expert, Fajimi particularly caught the attention of filmmaker, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, who promptly engaged him for a TV animation cartoon series on such characters as Adesuwa, Oguan the giant and other folk heroes that would specifically appeal to African children as against Disneylandís cartoons that orientate African children away from their cultural backgrounds. The next day, Fajimi was taken to the palace of Enogie of Obazagbon on the outskirts of Benin City to see the 198-year palace where the setting of some of the cartoons would be based, as a model of Africaís enduring architecture.

Imasuenís Invasion 1897, an epic film on the last African king to resist the British, Oba Ovoranmwen Nogbaisi was partly set on that palace.

A play skit, E don die, was performed by the troupe to the excitement of the audience, which remained wondering at a womanís exaggerated wailing over a death that captures the imagination of a community, which joins in what becomes a communal mourning when it isnít known exactly who has died. But when questions begin to be asked, it becomes clear the cacophony has been about the death of a fowl that belongs to the woman who raised the alarm! One after the other, all the sympathetic mourners begin to disperse to their various activities in disgust, as they leave the real mourner to her incredulous frivolity!

The audience applauded endlessly in appreciation of the suspense generated and the successful handling of the anti-climax.

Okikiro… A play on youths, societal values opens at MUSON Centre

By Shaibu Husseini HERE is definitely not T going to be draught on stage this season as leading theatre outfit, Entertainment Bus-Stop Ltd., plans to kick off the 2014 theatrical season with its nationally acclaimed play, Okikiro.

The play, written by Eki Faith Eboigbe, is about conflicts in society and how they can be peacefully resolved. Eboigbe is also Chief Executive Officer of Entertainment Bus-Stop. She has led a troupe that has performed the play in Lagos and across the country including a grand showing at the presidential library of former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

However, this diet of the show will be staged for a paying audience on Saturday, February 22 at the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

Okikiro is satirical play with a socio-cultural and moral theme that draws attention to the perilous times in which youths of today find themselves. Set in a once peaceful land called Okikiro, the play portrays the efforts that Okikiro youths made to tackle the seeming hydra headed problems of the land. The actor, director and university teacher, Tunji Sotimirin who is directing the play for Entertainment Bus-Stop says the play is a timely and essential exploration of the effects of a soci-

Faith Eki Eboigbe ety that no longer places emphasis on values and ethical belief. The Konkere music exponent also explained that the play is useful in illustrating ways that conflicts can be resolved as well as ways to bridge the widening gap between youths and the values of society.

For the producer Eboigbe, Okikiro “is a clarion call to Nigerian youths to play their part in restoring glory and honour to their Motherland”. She also said

that the play seeks to reignite a sense of responsibility, unity, national pride and moral fortitude in the Nigerian youth. She maintained that Entertainment Bus-Stop decided on re-staging the play this season because of its commitment to creating, developing and producing artistically excellent and culturally diverse projects for the public to see and review the state of affairs in Nigerian communities.

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Valentine… Agency partners artists on love campaign

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie N the spirit of Valentine season, the National Orientation Icert.

Agency (NOA) is partnering Nigerian artists in a musical conTitled ‘Do the Right Thing, Fall in Love with Nigeria’, the event, which holds on Saturday, February 15, at Unity Fountain, Abuja, will also have in attendance motivational speakers, Nollywood stars, comedians as well as other stakeholders in the entertainment industry In an interactive session with some of the artistes last weekend, Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri, said the programme, which is in its second edition, would serve as a platform to preach love and peace among Nigerians of all ages and tribes.

Omeri noted that as the nation was going through a distressing moment in history, the need for love and peaceful co-existence among the people could not be over-emphasised.

He said: “We know that love is essential for unity and national development, essential for our unity and essential for how well

we co-exist as a people. We have also realized that a number of people say a lot of negative things and we know that with love, there are no errors. Instead, we should work hard to make things right.

“Simply, what we are doing is to call on Nigerians to fall in love with one another, see less of what is bad in government and even if they see, they should be positive and objective in correcting what is wrong rather than assuming a negative posture, sit down, complain, criticize and proffer no solution.

“Criticism is good if it comes by way of advice. Criticism, when you do nothing to effect corrections, is counter-productive because even the person making the effort will get discouraged and this will not benefit any of us”.

The D-G also said the success achieved at the first edition, which held last year was a motivating factor for the Saturday event. He pledged to take the progamme to the level where it would be generally accepted as a major Valentine event in Nigeria’s capital city, adding, “Last years edition was quite successful. A lot of artists were on ground to give their time out of love for Nigeria.

“We will continue this way until it becomes the only Valentine event in the Federal Capital Territory, and for people coming from all walks of life to look forward to being engaged in activities towards falling in love with their

country”.

Omeri, therefore, called on all Nigerians with true sense of love to join in the campaign, pointing out, “We call on corporate organizations and government agencies to come on board; everyone who is interested in building a culture of love for the country should join in the campaign.

“It is a value that we should teach; it is a virtue that we should accept because Nigeria is a great country and we must be proud of it. We should do all we can within our capacities to ensure that as we fall in love with it. That way others will fall in love with us and also fall in love with our country”.

One of the activities planned for the day is a national quiz.

Contestants are expected to state what they love about Nigeria in one sentence and send to quiz@noa.gov.ng.

According to a co-organizer, Belema Mahack Hart of Evergreen Communications, various prizes will be provided for winners, adding, “’Do the Right Thing, Fall in Love with Nigeria’ is a campaign aimed at rebranding love for the country and that elaborate preparations have been put in place to make this year’s outing bigger and better”.

For ease of communication to the venue, Hart said vehicles would be made available at various tertiary institutions within and around the FCT for interested students.

Valentine Rave Party… loud in Lagos ll is set for the widely anticipated MTN A Valentine Rave Party. Leading ICT and telecommunication company, MTN is set to

The reviewer of the Book, Professor Gbenga Ogunmoyela (right); The author, Pastor Noruwa Edokpolo; his wife Bridget Edokpolo; Pastor incharge of Dominion Sanctuary Province, Acmen, Pastor Femi Atoyebi; and Representative of Honourable Lola Akande, Obajimi Folake during the Book launch of NAKED, by Pastor PHOTO; SUNDAY AKINLOLU Noruwa in Lagos at the weekend

Edokpolo’s Naked brings timely solutions to troubled marriages

By Florence Utor HERE is no doubt that the marriage instituT tion is facing difficult times. It’s such that even Christians now go the divorce way to either save their lives or to escape the troubles the institution now brings them. Noruwa Joseph Edokpolo, a pastor, business coach, change catalyst and facilitator and currently an Assistant Pastor-in-charge of Lagos Province 2 of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos, has simply attributed all this to lack of openness in marriage.

There was a gathering of pastors, and people from all walks of life last week at RCCG Dominion Sanctuary, Vori Close, Off Acme Road, Ikeja, to the launch of his book titled Naked, in which he used human nakedness as a metaphor to share deep, thought-provoking insights on the secrets to a blissful marriage.

On why he chose to write on marriage, the author said, “I saw a decay in marriages, confusion about what is marriage, what the role of the husband is and what the role of wife is and because of that, I thought there was a need to restate that marriage, as far as a Christian is concerned, was designed by God. Therefore, if there is an anomaly, the solution is to go back to the author and rediscover

again what exactly he has in mind, and that’s what led to the book”.

Prof. Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, and Dean, College of Food Sciences at Bell University, in his review, attested of the book, “It’s a timely practical and persuasive illustration of how through being naked with our spouses in the various dimensions of marriage we can enjoy a considerable breath of fresh air, as it is simple and is presented in flowing truth in everyday language that the reader can enjoy from cover to cover. It also presents the reader including those of us that are already councilors with a thought-provoking companion through an exciting, light-hearted but metaphorical use of nakedness illustrated with deep spiritual insights”.

Edokpolo’s wish is that Naked will be a guide to help couples improve the quality of their relationships, a clarion call for Christian couples to return to biblical standards of marriage and a response to the assault on traditional Christian values with regard to marriage.

It is also the hope and belief of the author that as people read the book, “it is like when you look at the book and you also look at yourself and you begin to adjust yourself so that you can be more like the ideal”.

treat young Nigerians to a night of love and music. This event tagged the ‘Valentine Rave Party’ is scheduled to take place on the 14th of February, Valentine’s day at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites. The event promises to be a blast as it boasts a slew of Nigeria’s best artistes have been lined up to delight fans.

Acts scheduled to perform at the event include Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, KCEEE, Chidinma and others. The event would also feature the best and finest of Nigerian DJ’s like DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Caise, DJ Neptune, D.J Big N amongst others.

Indeed the Valentine Season has become a grand occasion where love is given and received. Lovers and friends express love for

each other in different ways and brands, like MTN, take the opportunity to reward their customers.

With this event, the telecommunications giant is once again providing a platform where young Nigerian youth can express friendship and share love in the midst of f good music and entertainment. Indeed the Valentine Season is a perfect time to share and give love to those around us and obviously, that is what MTN has set out to do- reward its teeming young customers to an exquisite night of good music and fun.

ICT and telecommunications giant, MTN, has consistently been in the forefront of providing consumers with entertaining experiences at concerts and entertainment aficionados note that this is an event that is worth to looking forward to.

Brave Yard Africa reality TV show berths Stories by Shaibu Husseini new TV reality show A tagged Brave Yard Africa is poised to join the long list of reality shows in the country.

The show, a brain child of Imagebriliance Limited, is aimed at reviving the dwindling fortunes of education in the country, according to its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Boniface Ojadi, a former Creative Manager of Media Image Managers, MIM. Ojadi also said that the show “would reveal a prodigy in education and entertainment”.

Briefing entertainment journalist on the structure of the show, Ojadi said a total of eighteen contestants selected from the six geopolitical regions would be camped in a house for six weeks. However, during the camping exercise, the housemates will engage in

Ojadi dance, acting, singing, reading and writing. “The winner would receive N5 million worth of cash, a Jeep and a N1 million Education Grant, among others. There are consolation prizes for the first and second runners up,” Ojadi said adding that “the idea will shape the mind of average Nigeria youths and will avail a lot of Nigerian

graduates, undergraduates and secondary school leavers the chance to be heard in different ways: these include Dance, Acting, Singing Reading and writing.’’

To make the oncoming show a great success, Image Brilliance Limited according to Ojadi is in partnership with renowned media companies such as Media Image Managers and Grand Touch Pictures. “Both are working tirelessly to make Brave Yard Africa stay and make a life time impact to the Nigerian youth and at this point we would advice Nigerian youths who would want to build their career to an optimum success to simply take a bold step with a minimum amount of N3, 000 to enter for the regional competition. We are also appealing to the corporate world to be part of this historic event by sponsoring the show,” Ojadi submitted.

Daddy Showkey to headline Nnenna’s Valentine show N what appears a major comeback after a Iscene long time out on stage and in the music Galala music and dance exponent

Daddy Showkey and Nnenna

Daddy Showkey will headline this year’s special Nnenna and Friends Valentine show. The show holds annually every Valentine but this edition with Daddy Showkey scheduled for the National Theatre on Sunday, February 16, according to organisers, “promises to be a most wonderful time for Children and their families and friends”.

About 5000 guests are expected at the show, which will also feature top-notch musical performances from the fantastic Oshadipe Twins and delightful N-Stars. Also to entertain in the two-fold show (12-3pm

and 3pm-6pm) are the trio of the hilarious MC Prince, Desmond Osarobe and WAPTV’s Omonla. The electrifying Universal Crew and the cast and crew of Papa Ajasco & Company are also billed to perform at show that will be headlined by the irresistible Toyin Tomato and Chief Ahun who are both characters on the multi-award winning Superstory.

A statement from Wale Adenuga Production, facilitators of the show, reveals that Nnenna’s Music Video CD would be available on sale during the show while there would be lot of prizes and gifts to be won. The show would also be broadcast on WAPTV (StarTimes Channel 116) across Africa.

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PERSPECTIVE

Fayemi’s campaign team and Ekiti 2014 (2)

By John Ajayi • Continued from yesterday ECOGNIZING the enormous task ahead while also not ready to substitute real politicking for governance, JKF announced the appointment of five eminent indigenes of the state who are professionals in their own rights as campaign committee members.

His words: “…I reassured our people that as we inch closer to the start of electioneering campaign, governance will not be replaced with politics. In recognition of the quantum of campaign work I envisage and the need for me to continue to dedicate myself to the business of governance for which Ekiti people have elected me, I therefore formally appoint Hon. Bimbo Daramola representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 at the House of Representatives, as the DirectorGeneral (DG) of our re-election campaign. He will be assisted by Hon. Biodun Omoleye as the Deputy Director General (DDG), Mr. Sanmi Omiata as the Communications Director, Mrs. Bunmi Adelugba as Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) of the campaign while Mr. Dimeji Daniels will serve as campaign spokesperson”.

Looking at the profile and pedigree of these individuals, one cannot but observe that these are indeed personalities of no mean repute who are themselves devoid of any moral or social baggage. As JKF rightfully stated, “these illustrious citizens of Ekiti State are professionals with impeccable credentials and have been tested and trusted in their chosen vocations”.

The Director-General, Bimbo Daramola, former banker turned communications consultant is an astute politician. He has distinguished himself in special projects initiatives with global recognition and applause. Two of such readily comes to mind, namely, the electronic biography of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, titled “From Prison to Presidency”. This is a special epic documentary of the life, times and works of the former president. The project was carried out between 1999 – 2002 by Rucie Communications, a company he co-founded as Deputy Managing Director. The hard working, tough-talking but ebullient politician also formed and registered PROJECT NIGERIA. The lawmaker who has politics running in his blood is an ideas powerhouse. He used the PROJECT NIGERIA as an umbrella platform for corporate bodies (i.e. strategic corporate partners) to deploy multiple competencies in solving problems. This initiative later opened government’s eyes to public Private Sector Partnership policy.

Bimbo Daramola has over the years positioned himself for greatness through innovative projects and initiatives that cannot be denied by even the worst of critics. He is expected to lead JKF’s re-election campaign with some of his revolutionary ideas that are second to none.

His deputy, Hon. Biodun Omoleye also has a chequered career in both private and the public sectors.

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Upon completion of his mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) he joined the services of the Nigerian office of the British Educational Training and Technology Association as an education and training consultant. From there he moved on to join the management of Capital Oil Plc. In 1990, he was made the manager of Special Projects as well as Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive, while he again rose to the position of Head of International Operations of the company before leaving to set up his own Oil Marketing Company alongside friends and like-minded colleagues.

He later became the pioneer general manager of Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency in 2001 as he singlehandedly set up the agency. His activities in the agency attracted the attention of the Federal Government, which later appointed him as Zonal Coordinator for entire South West to manage natural disasters and emergencies. He was at inception of Governor Fayemi’s administration a Senior Special Assistant on Policy and Strategy.

These are the areas that Hon. Omoleye has distinguished himself as a strategist and a seasoned administrator.

Similarly, the appointment of Mr. Sanmi Omiata, a thoroughbred marketing and advertising professional as Communications Director of the Campaign Committee is indeed an excellent choice in the mix. The communications director, a soft-spoken marketing guru is an eminent product of Eminent Communications Limited. The leading advertising, PR and marketing consultancy agency founded by late Sesan Ogunro is reputed for breath-taking political campaigns that have over the years proved the efficacy and potency of creative advertising in selling political brand icons. It is on record that Sanmi Omiata, until his recent appointment, an executive director of the avantgarde creative shop was among the egg-heads that packaged the famous electioneering campaign of late billionaire businessman and acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Kolawole Abiola. Specifically, the agency’s creative adoption of the theme “Hope 1993 was generally regarded and creatively referred to as the best creative political sloganeering ever witnessed in this clime after many years of military interregnum.

This creative work helped in no small measure to boost the political brand equity of late Chief Moshood Abiola who eventually won the highly competitive and coveted election before it was diabolically annulled by the former military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

The agency with Sanmi Omiata, Femi-Femi-Shofu working in conjunction with others under Ogunro’s creative empire has since pioneered and recorded other feats in Nigerian political advertising.

The agency has worked for notable political brand person-

alities like former Governor of Lagos State, and national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Modu Sherrif Musa, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, and former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gubernatorial aspirant in Kwara State, Chief Dele Belgore (SAN).

Indeed, the agency’s creative political in-puts for the erudite lawyer’s political ambition played a major catalyst in boosting his political brand equity which ruffled and rattled the age-long political hegemony and dynastic structure in Kwara State amongst several others.

It is on record that Omiata spear-headed and led the team that planned and executed this project.

Today, Dele Belgore has become a major political force and a renowned brand icon in Kwara State’s political power equation.

It is also on record that Sanmi Omiata and his group paved the way for the market launch and penetration of Cowbell Milk in the Nigerian diary food market. Today, the Cowbell brand has attained an Olympian height in its sector.

Just recently, the agency was hired by Ekiti State government under JKF to handle the rebranding of the State. The outcome of this initiative is there for all to see. Amongst all the states of the federation that have passed through this process of rebranding, Ekiti State’s efforts remain outstanding as the rebranding theme has resonated very perfectly with the brand and its constituents.

It is not unlikely that Omiata and his creative soldiers will spare no weapon in their creative armoury to deliver top of the market creative campaign for JKF’s second coming.

Also, not least on the list is former Commissioner for Labour, and Productivity in the state, Mrs. Olubunmi Adelugba and Dimeji Daniels. These two individuals have also impacted most significantly in their respective fields and endeavours. They have distinguished themselves so much that JKF cannot but reckon with their strategic import and influence.

Indeed, the campaign team’s selection and most importantly the subtle manner of its unveiling is in complete sync with the JKF style. Unlike the old wisdom of Robert Louis Stevenson, which says, “politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary,” JKF has over time rendered this anxiom out-dated and irrelevant as he is always prepared in everything he has done. His style of governance and approach to issues of politics are quintessential.

He is indeed the philosopher king who has created a niche for himself among his peers and others in his generation.

CONCLUDED • John Ajayi is Publisher/CEO of Marketing Edge Magazine.

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Sports Foreign Technical Assistant

We only want to help Keshi succeed, says NFF

By Christian Okpara HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) says it is pleading with Super

Keshi being carried shoulder high by players and officials of the Super Eagles after Nigeria’s victory over Burkina Faso in the final of the South Africa 2013 CAF Nations Cup. PHOTO: AFP.

Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi, to accept the engagement of an assistant, who would add value to his technical crew, ahead the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Controversy has been raging since the federation muted the idea of as assistant for Keshi, but a member of the NFF Technical Committee yesterday said the federation was only concerned with the success of Nigeria in Brazil and nothing else.

Saying that the federation resorted to begging Keshi because of his huge popularity with Nigerians, the technical committee member, who pleaded anonymity, said, Nigerians should also know the true situation of things.

“We want to surpass our former outings in the previous World Cups. And to do that, we need the best

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

NFF raises alarm over ‘poor budgetary allocation,’ meets to vet coach’s list From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja and Alex Monye ORRIED by its ‘poor budgetary allocation in this World Cup year,’ the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has warned that unless an intervention fund is released by the Federal Government, the team would not meet the expectations of Nigerians at the Mundial.

The Federation will meet today on sundry issues affecting the national team, including the list of players Coach Stephen Keshi has penciled down for the forthcoming international friendly against Mexico.

According to the federation’s Media Committee Chairman, Chief Emeka Inyama, it is impossible for the football body to prosecute the tournament successfully with its meager 2014 budgetary allocation.

Asked if the federation was

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expecting any special intervention fund for the World Cup, Inyama, who doubles as the chairman, Nigeria National League (NNL), said it would be one of the prayers the NFF would take to the State House when President Goodluck Jonathan hosts the CHAN home-based Super Eagles tomorrow.

“Getting special fund for the World Cup would be our expectation. By the time Mr. President meets the team on Thursday to say thank you, we will appreciate him too and make a case for a special fund for the World Cup. “If we have to fall back on the envelope given to the Nigeria Football Federation, the World Cup may suffer.

Even if we go there and nothing else works, there are many competitions in the year.

“As the president has

FIXURES Arsenal v Man Utd 19:45 Everton v Crystal Palace 19:45 Man City v Sunderland 19:45 Newcastle v Tottenham 19:45 Stoke v Swansea 19:45 Fulham v Liverpool 20:00

always done, we will pray for a special fund for the World Cup and I know that he will gladly accept our request."

On the strategies the federation is putting in place for a successful campaign in Brazil, Inyama said, "we are watching the strategies other countries are plotting, but we cannot put our strategies on the table or in the media because every other country has kept their World Cup strategy to their hearts.

“The team is on a short break and the coach has to travel to rest with his family.

The technical committee has

been meeting to fine-tune the programmes for the World Cup and they will key into the FIFA window for the friendly matches. We will begin to look at our players doing well wherever they are so that we can invite the best for the World Cup.” Also speaking on the Eagles’ preparation for the World Cup, NFF Chief Media Officer, Ademola Olajire said federation’s technical committee will during today’s meeting scrutinise the players Keshi submitted for next month’s international friendly against Mexico in the USA.

for the team and for Nigerians.

“The Nigeria Football Federation are doing their best by providing quality friendly matches for the team.

As Technical Committee members that are made up of some of the best legs to have played for Nigeria, we have seen that the Nigerian bench needs help. That is why we asked Keshi to recommend any coach of his choice in or outside Nigeria. Such a person will work under Keshi and not coming to take over the team.

“We also want to employ a Video analyst for the team; one who can read tapes of Nigeria's opponents. Many good teams have that. Take a look at the Brazilian bench.

Another World Cup winning coach works with Felipe Scolari.

“Without disparaging the good works of Keshi, we have realised that our technical bench needs help. We saw that in South Africa during the CHAN

competition.

After Morocco scored three quick goals in the first half, nobody offered any technical help to the players at half time. But when divine luck saw us beat Morocco, everybody talked about the technical savvy of our bench that turned things around in the second half. I challenge them to speak out if they offered any advise to the team other than ''you people should not disgrace me''.

“We have realised that we don't have very good players and the good ones we have are not in the good books of Keshi. The World Cup is not for players like Solomon Kwambe, Chigozie Agbim, Benjamin Francis etc.

These are the players Keshi wants to go to Brazil with. We know that the World Cup is bigger than these players,'' the official said, insisting that they were only begging Keshi to look at the bigger picture in the interest of the country.

Ezekiel, Azeez, Uchebo make list for Mexico tie TANDARD Liege of SEzekiel, Belgium hotshot, Imoh Ramon Azeez of Almeria, spain and Cercle Brugge star, Michael Uchebo, have been handed the opportunity to stake their claim to the Brazil 2014 World Cup squad.

They are the three uncapped players in the list of players submitted

by Keshi for the international friendly againstb Mexico in the United States (US).

A source close to the 20year-old Ezekiel told MTNFootball.com that the invitation has been sent to the player ahead of the

March 5 friendly game against Mexico in the USA. "Imoh Ezekiel has been invited to Super Eagles for the friendly against Mexico in USA. He is happy with this opportunity and will utilise the chance to the fullest," the source told MTNFootball.com Ezekiel has scored nine goals in the Belgian top flight this season and last year he was considered by the Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles.

The 36 Lion of Lagos former striker has been in superb form for Standard Liege and has been linked to a change of nationality.

Three home-based Eagles dream Brazil 2014 action

By Adeyinka Adedipe HREE members of the home-based Eagles, Gbolahan Salami, Ejike Uzoenyi and Azubuike Egwuekwe, hope that their performance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) would earn them places in the Brazil 2014 World Cup squad.

The Brazil 2014 World Cup team will start their preparation for the Mundial with a friendly game against Mexico on March 5 and Coach Stephen Keshi has said that some of the players who excelled at the CHAN would

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be involved in the build up to the Mundial, adding that two or three of them would make the trip to Brazil.

Salami, Uzoenyi and Egwuekwe, who were integral part of the team in South Africa, told The Guardian that apart from taking their game to Europe, they were determined to fight to be included in the team to Brazil.

According to Salami, whose move to Mamelodi Sundowns last year fell through, making it to the World Cup would be a dream come through. “I am hoping to get a contract with a good club so that I can bet-

ter my game and lay a claim for a World Cup place.

“Apart from playing abroad, I also want to be part of the team to Brazil. I am happy to be in South Africa for CHAN and must commend the coaching crew for the good job they did with the team,” Salami told The Guardian in South Africa.

While admitting that there were good players in the present Eagles Team A, the former 3SC striker said that the confidence Keshi has instilled in the home-based players would help him realise his ambition.

“Coach Stephen Keshi has done a lot for the home-based players and the most important one is instilling confidence in us. Even when we are not doing well, he keeps encouraging us and that was why we came through some difficult game in South Africa.”

CHAN’s most valuable player, Ejike Uzoenyi, said that after playing at the CHAN, he would love to get a better contract with a foreign club side and make it to World Cup. He described his experience with Rennes where he played for six months as ‘difficult’.

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SPORT Wednesday, February 12, 2014

NFF begins implementation of FIFA/CAF Clubs Licensing System HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) yesterday said it has started implementing the Club Licensing Regulations as directed by the word football governing body, FIFA, and the Confederation of African Federation (CAF).

Citing a CAF circular on Clubs' Licensing System dated November 26, 2013, the NFF said it adopted its own Clubs Licensing Regulations from January 31, adding, “by these directives from FIFA and CAF, it is a mandatory for all Federations to adopt and implement the Clubs Licensing System for all clubs participating in National and confederation clubs competitions by the set deadlines.

A release by the Federation yesterday states, “the NFF Clubs Licensing Regulations is the basic document for Club Licensing System in Nigeria, through which different members of the football family aim to promote common principles in the world of football such as sporting value, transparency in their finances, ownership and control of clubs, players and coaches welfare, and the credibility and integrity of club competitions.

“The Mandatory Clubs Licensing System has the following overall objectives: • Safe - guarding the credibility of club competitions; • Improving the level of professionalism within the foot-

ball family; • Promoting sporting values in accordance with principles of fair play, as well as safe and secure match environment; • Promoting transparency in finances of clubs; • Promoting transparency in the ownership of clubs; and, • Promoting transparency in the control of clubs.”

It added that for a club to obtain a license under the NFF Clubs Licensing Regulations, “it must comply with such six criteria, including the Sporting Criteria, the Infrastructure Criteria, Personnel and Administrative Criteria, Legal Criteria, Financial Criteria and Business, Commercial and Promotion Criteria.”

The criteria are graded into A, B and C categories and according to the NFF, “If a club does not fulfil any "A" criteria, then it cannot be granted a License to enter Confederations/National Club Competitions.

“If a Club does not fulfil any "B" Criteria, then it is sanctioned as specified in the NFF Club Licensing Regulations but may still received a license to enter Confederation/National Club Competitions. .

“The "C" Criteria are best p r a c t i c e s recommendations. Non-fulfilment of any "C" Criteria does not lead to any sanction or to the refusal of license.’’ .

Crown of Ogbomosho and Kano Pillars fighting for honours during a recent game in Lagos. The NFF says it has started implementing the FIFA/CAF Licensing Regime, which clubs must comply with to operate in Nigeria.

PHOTO: FEMI ADBESIN-KUTI.

Quadri, Makanjuola begin quest for honours at Kuwait ITTF World Tour

By Olalekan Okusan IGERIA’S duo of Aruna Quadri and Kazeem Makanjuola will this morning begin their campaign in the men’s singles event of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour, tagged Kuwait Open.

In the draw released on Tuesday by the organisers, Quadri and Makanjuola will

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compete in the qualifying round made up of three players in each group with the top player making it to the main draw of the competition.

As the tournament serves off on Wednesday February 12 at the Salwa Sporting Club with over 243 players drawn from 33 countries taking part in the five-day $210,000 prize money championship.

Also the Nigerians will jos-

tle for honours in the doubles event alongside other top players.

Makanjuola, who is optimistic of creating an upset, promises not to disappoint in his maiden outing in an ITTF World Tour, said, “I am so happy that I am taking part in my first World Tour and for me this is another opportunity to prove myself. I am targeting that I will qualify from the group

Ibadan Tiger Golf Club holds one-day tourney for Aderoju EMBERS of Tiger golf M Club, located inside the 2 Division, Nigerian Army,

Founder, Rainbow Book Club and project director, Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014, Koko Kalango (right), congratulating Chairman, Rivers State Cycling Association, Alex Enebeli, during the Ninth Garden City Cycling Championship in Port Harcourt.

Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Ibadan, on Saturday hosted a one-day tournament on their 18-hole golf course to celebrates the vice captain of the club, Chief Olatunji Aderoju, whose birthday fell on that day. .

The golf tourney, which had 69 participants, according to the captain of the club, Colonel Ogbaje, was in compliance with the culture of golfing and one of traditional ways of celebrating a distinguished golfer by the club.

Colonel M. M Kinni emerged the overall winner of the tourney on 66 net, while Chief Dotun Oyelade

won the veterans’ category with 98 gross over 72 net, just as the lady captain of the club, Sumbo Oshile, claimed first prize in ladies category.

Speaking during the prize presentation, Colonel Ogbaje described Aderoju as a fine golfer, who has contributed immensely to the development of Tiger Golf Club. .

He also commended the efforts of other members in maintaining the greenish golf course, saying, "the maintenance of our 18-hole course are efforts of our members, who singlehandedly picked each hole and turned it green."

Among dignitaries at the amateur golf event were

Chief Bola Aderoju, wife of celebrant, Mr. and Mrs. Shade Ekunrin, Major General Joseph Okunbor, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) South/West Chairman, Mr. Olumide Ogunmade, former lady Captain of the club, Mrs. Bose Oladejobi, Brig. Gen. Obio, Brig. Gen. Lubo and Brig. Gen Ilo. Others were Brig. Gen Akintade and Col. Masanawa, both former captains of the club, Col. Sunmonu, ex-international table tennis player, Chief Waheed Ekun, Chief Tunde Falasinu, Dr. Akin Oke, Mr. Tunde Runsewe, Mr. Wale Bolarinwa and Alhaji Fashola of Kings Petroleum.

and also defeat some of the top players in the competition. I am eager to better my performance with this championship.”

For Portugal-based Quadri, who last week inspired G.D. Toledos to retain the Portuguese Cup, believes attending the championship would help them to shape up for this year’s Commonwealth Games holding in Scotland.

“This is good that we are taking part in top class tournament and I am sure that this will also serve as a build up to the Commonwealth Games. We are hopeful that we will take part in more of this for us to be in good shape for the Commonwealth Games. I am in top form for now and I am hoping to do well in Kuwait and also improve on this at the Qatar Open,” the 2011 All Africa Games medalist said.

The Kuwait Open is the first super series to be staged this year with this year’s entry exceeding the 193 players recorded in 2010.

The men’s doubles could well witness over 60 pairings and the Women’s Doubles some 35 partnerships.

Edo, Delta strategise on how to bring Bendel Insurance back to premier league

By Gowon Akpodonor F plans by officials of Edo IState Sports Ministry and Delta Sports Commission are anything to go by, one of Nigeria’s traditional football clubs, Bendel Insurance FC, may soon find its way back to the Nigerian Premier League.

The Benin Arsenal, as Bendel Insurance is fondly called, was relegated to the lower division about nine years ago and several attempts by the government and concerned individuals to bring it back to the elite division had been fertile.

But some moment of respite may be on the way, following revelation by the newly appointed commissioner for sports in Edo, Chritopher

Okaeben that a synergy between Edo and Delta in football and other sports development would yield positive result in no distant future, particularly for Bendel Insurance FC. Okaeben told The Guardian shortly after paying a working visit to the Chairman of Delta State Sports commission, Amaju Pinnick in Asaba that the partnership would be a new beginning for sports development, not only in the region, but the country in general. .

He stated that Edo needs assistance from Delta State as well as other neighbouring states in the area of sports development.

“With the transformation of sports in Delta, it is quite clear

that the state has reawaken the spirit of sports development and that is exactly why we have to borrow a leaf from them.

“Edo and Delta are children of same parent (Bendel State).

We are ready to learn the rope on how Delta transformed their sports positively over the years. With the talents and quality of coaches we have in Edo, I am very sure we will catch up very soon,” he said. .

Speaking further, Okaeben said, “this meeting today is the foundation of what tomorrow holds for us (Edo and Delta) and I must tell you that we will not be ashamed to learn something positive from our sister state.”

Major General Joseph Okunbor (left), Chief Olatunji Aderoju, Rev. Fr. Joachim Akee and Prince Dotun Oyelade during the one-day Golf Kitty organised by Tiger Golf Club Ibadan in honour of its Vice Captain, Chief Aderoju.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Mamun Mallam Continued from yesterday ROM the intervention of CSDP in Niger State, with six electricity supply projects completed, 705 households have been connected to electricity and 126 small scale businesses have been established in some 22 rural communities connected to the national grid so far. Using just this sector as an example, you can see that if well planned and executed, needs-based CDD not only has the capacity for alleviating poverty, but can strengthen institutions which facilitate poverty alleviation going by how the Community Project Management Committees implemented their own projects and how the local government officials participated in designing, monitoring and supervising the projects along with community members.

The outcome from this sector will either complement any asset-based CDD intervention or make it unnecessary. But besides rural electricity sub-sector, there are many completed micro-projects in other sectors that take longer time for impact to be evident. However, in the CSDP MTR Status and Agreed Actions, Okunmadewa (2011) gave the result of the intervention at that time to include: reduction in distance to school from 4km to 1.05km, reduction in average time taken to get school from 55 minutes to 20 minutes; reduction in distance to water source from 3km to 0.4km, reduction in time taken to water source from 30 minutes to three minutes and 62 per cent reduction in the cost of water for 72.3 per cent of the population that have access to good drinking water. The same impressive results are recorded for socioeconomic, rural electricity, health and transport sectors nationwide even then.

The question maybe asked: What is responsible for this impressive performance. The first answer that comes to mind is the design and the task team leadership of the project. I cannot actually pin down where a deficiency lies in the institutional arrangement of the project. Don’t get me wrong, please! A fault may exist with the operators of an institution in the institutional arrangement, but you just can’t pin that down on the arrangement itself.

On the leadership, it goes without saying that it is a round peg in a round hole, but it also ensures that competent people man positions in the project. Again, don’t get me wrong! This is Nigeria, and I am not denying the possibility of a godfather getting into an interview panel, excavating potholes in your dream, in the clearly plain field, and hauling a contorted face of fury at you just because he is certain that you will beat a godson if the field remains plain. However, it is pretty obvious that the task team leadership have always tried to insulate the project from this stubborn Nigerian phenomenon. So the outcome is that the project is blessed with a competent and committed manpower from the Federal project Support Unit down to the State Agencies.

But the project has it challenges, chief of which, to me, is the slow replication of the CDD approach by various levels of governments. Agreed, the Niger State government has domesticated the CDD approach in the Ward Development Project, but the implementation challenges and the quality gap between the WDP and other CDD interventions in the state is being bridged partly because of the existence of the CSDP. No LGA is known yet to have independently used the model on its own to implement projects in the community the way CSDP is doing.

The other major challenge is funds constraints occasioned by inability of some states to release the state government contribution to meet the increasing demand from, especially, voiceless communities, who have seen the project as platform for realization of their

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dream for true development. Until quite recently also the LGAs do not adequately fund the activities of the Local Government Review Committees and Local Government

Desk Offices. If only elected officials realize that their appropriate implementation of CDD projects will save them the trouble of having to stand on a campaign podium in the

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The other major challenge is funds constraints occasioned by inability of some states to release the state government contribution to meet the increasing demand from, especially, voiceless communities, who have seen the project as platform for realization of their dream for true development. Until quite recently also the LGAs do not adequately fund the activities of the Local Government Review Committees and Local Government Desk Offices. If only elected officials realize that their appropriate implementation of CDD projects will save them the trouble of having to stand on a campaign podium in the communities when they seek reelection or other positions in future they will surely embrace it. communities when they seek reelection or other positions in future they will surely embrace it.

There is also, as noted by Okunmadewa (2011), limited advocacy, public sensitisation and awareness of CSDP achievement especially at the state level. The fact is that most of the CSDP project implementers carry on as if the project is at home with the Nigerian maxim that a good product sells itself, believing that many projects that they have facilitated communities to implement themselves and the services access from these projects will convince governments to fund the projects and adopt the model themselves. This is one of the areas where implementers of Fadama project are different from that of the CSDP. Fadama is not almost a household name because it has been there since 1992 and has refused to change its identity, but also because the implementers can package achievements very well. The CSDP people seem too serious to realize that as meretricious as razzmatazz is it has some great value. The World Bank/FPSU can gazette and regularly send reminders about criteria for selection of best LG and best state to these stakeholders and award prizes periodically with huge razzmatazz. This is something that our office holders love and so should be explored. How much will a plaque with a World Bank insignia cost relative to the competition for true community development it can engender among our leaders? After all, our elder brothers and fathers were enticed into school with teaspoonfuls of powder milk, but we are now struggling to pay for our education.

Development is a multi-faceted process that creates positive changes in institutions, attitude, and structures and CDD has proven capable of bringing this about in Nigeria. If you doubt this, visit a few communities that have benefitted from CSDP intervention.

You don’t have to flash the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act on anybody’s face to access any information you desire since full disclosure of every piece of information is already encouraged in the project and even enforced. So, after you have seen the developmental projects that communities have executed and want to ask questions on how they did it, pay a visit to the Community Disclosure Board where you will find details of projects implementation, showing evidence of amount received, amount expended —no, invested — receipts and sometimes even minutes of meetings where decisions were taken on how to execute what.

Concluded Mallam works as development practitioner in Minna.