Mon 24 Feb 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Monday, February 24, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,842

N150

www.ngrguardiannews.com

‘Nigerians living in oil areas more prone to stroke,others’ From Chukwuma Muanya (Lagos) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City) GLOOMY picture of the A health conditions of Nigerians living in the oil producing and Delta regions of the country has been painted as they are said to be more prone to stroke, heart failure and cancer.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi

• Minister charges disease control centre on mandate • UNICEF seeks N374 billion for emergencies Chukwu, at the weekend urged the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control to take its mandate of preventing and discovering cure for some deadly diseases very seriously.

In a related development, the

United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) yesterday appealed for $2.2 billion (N374 billion) to enable it provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in 2014 to 85 million people, includ-

ing 59 million children who are facing conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies in 50 countries.

Two new studies published last week in Science have shown how products of pe-

troleum/oil spills, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs - a class of compounds prevalent in crude oil - can disrupt cardiac function by blocking ion channels in their heart muscle cells; and how

changes in environmental temperature and dew point can cause rise in stroke hospitalisation and death rates.

Earlier studies by Nigerian researchers led by Dr. Chimezie Anyakora of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, had shown that more Nigerians are at a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Greece pledges stronger ties with Nigeria - Page 4 PDP, APC, Utomi, others differ on Sanusi’s suspension - Page 7 Tutu cautions Uganda against anti-gay bill - Page 12

President Goodluck Jonathan (fourth left), Pastor Paul Enenche (left), his children and Pastor (Mrs.) Becky Enenche (right), during the President’s worship at Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

Yoruba in Kwara, Kogi reject minority status - Page 21

How Taraba’s ‘two govts,’ religion, ethnicity may determine 2015 polls

By Ehichioya Ezomon (Group Political Editor) and Charles Akpeji

OUR main issues, two of Fmakers them not known to the of the nation’s constitution, may combine with others to shape the political direction of Taraba State, as

the 2015 elections. approach.

The first two issues centre on the supposed power of a House of Assembly to mandate a deputy governor to continue to act as the de facto governor even when the electalive. is governor ed The second issue, flowing

from the first, is the existence of two governments running

MORE STORIES ON PAGES 8 & 9 side by side in the state.

Other concerns that will shape the political future of

Taraba are tribal and religious sentiments.

The Guardian’s investigations reveal that these topics have greatly polarised the state, whose people are predominantly Christians, Muslims animists. and Since October 2012, Taraba

has been ruled by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, assuming the position of acting governor following a plane crash which rendered the elected governor, Mr. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, indisposed for over one year.

Due to the hospitalisation of

Suntai overseas, the Taraba State House of Assembly mandated Umar to act as governor until the return of the governor to the country.

Suntai returned late last year, but all efforts to reclaim his office have reportedly been CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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2 Monday, February 24, 2014

How Taraba’s ‘two govts’, religion, ethnicity may determine 2015 polls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 thwarted by the House of Assembly, and allegedly with the backing of Acting Governor Umar.

For instance, the House members refused to countenance the letter transmitted

by Suntai, intimating them of his return from medical trip abroad, and his desire to resume duties.

The lawmakers doubted the

authenticity of the letter, which ordinarily represents a constitutional demand on a governor or president when they return after long absence from duties either on vacation or health ground.

But ignoring the letter, the legislators empowered Umar to continue in the capacity of acting governor, even as they advised Governor Suntai to return abroad to continue his medical treatment.

According to the Assembly members, Suntai was not medically fit to resume office.

However, the governor, who insisted that he was fit to resume office, has gone to court to question the power of the House of Assembly to mandate his deputy to act as the governor when he (Suntai) is in Taraba.

Meanwhile, in the ensuing power-play in government, Umar has continued to exercise all official powers, including presenting and assenting to the yearly budget and countermanding actions and/or orders of Suntai.

This, according to sources in Jalingo, is against the directive of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), “which recognises the presence of a substantive governor in Taraba.”

The directive came after a

fact-finding mission, headed

by Senator Hope Uzodinma, had urged Umar to continue as acting governor but with a proviso: he should consult with and take orders from Suntai.

It would be recalled that on his return to the country last year, Suntai dissolved the state executive council, and appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

But Umar issued a counterorder for the affected commissioners to remain on their duty posts.

When some of the commissioners defied the order and resigned, Umar filled their positions and appointed his own Secretary to the State Government “in contravention of a court order.”

Thus, today in Taraba, there are two state executive councils, one loyal to Suntai, and the other responsible to Umar.

Umar, who continues to insist that he is loyal to and holding the fort for Suntai, controls the finances of the state.

“In this wise, he allocates resources to all sectors, including what goes to the governor for the settlement of his medical bills and upkeep of his homestead,” a source said.

Aides in the camp of Suntai la-

belled the acting governor’s action as sidelining and marginalising the governor in his (Suntai’s) government.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the acting governor, Mr. Kefas Sule, has debunked allegations that Umar had sidelined the governor in the administration of the state.

But he confirmed control of the state resources by Umar without reference to Suntai.

Fielding questions from The Guardian in Jalingo, Kefas said: “I want to say that you would notice that you have not heard complaints from the family, that they are being neglected, that the medical bills of His Excellency, the executive governor, had not been settled, or that their upkeep had not been taken care of. No, you will never hear that.”

For the time being, the feud in the Taraba government, though latent, has split the polity and engendered recourse to religious and ethnic cleavages.

This has the potential of shaping the outcome of the 2015 elections in the state.

Christian politicians, principally only two, for that matter, have ruled Taraba State since its creation in 1991.

Rev. Jolly Nyame, now a senator, governed the state for about 10 years, between 1992

and 1993; and between 1999 and 2007, with the latter tenure spanning two terms of four years each.

The current governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, also a Christian, came on board in 2007, and his second term would end in 2015.

Now, the Muslim residents in the state are clamouring for a Muslim governor in 2015.

This agitation is buoyed by the elevation of Deputy Governor Umar, a Muslim, to the position of acting governor, on account of the indisposition of Suntai after his plane crash in 2012.

The Muslims, according to investigations, see the coming of Umar as “providence answering their prayers for one of their own faith to rule Taraba State.”

Accordingly, the Muslims in Taraba, reportedly getting the backing of the larger Muslim community outside the state, are making every effort “to ensure that Acting Governor Umar is elevated to the substantive post of governor or he remains acting governor till 2015,” a source said.

In the interim, Umar seems primed for the 2015 governorship showdown, as thousands of his posters have been pasted all over the state, parCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Minister charges disease control centre on mandate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

greater risk of developing different types of cancer due to exposure to crude oil pollutants.

According to the studies, more than 25 per cent of Nigerians are at an increased risk of developing cancer due to exposure to toxic chemicals from crude oil pollution, PAHs. They also suggest that PAHs can be genotoxic; that is,

the damage caused can be inherited.

PAHs are a widespread class of environmental chemical pollutants. They are a component of crude and refined petroleum and coal.

Scientists in one of the two new studies have discovered the underlying mechanism of heart failure in fish exposed to oil spills.

Researchers from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-

ministration (NOAA) Fisheries and Stanford University, United States (U.S.), found that some petroleum compounds act as ion channel blockers in the heart cells of young tuna, disrupting normal cardiac function.

Recently, researchers from NOAA Fisheries partnered with a team from Stanford University to discover how oilderived chemicals disrupt the normal functioning of the heart muscle cells of fish.

The new findings are part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment conducted by NOAA and other federal and state trustee agencies following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That spill occurred across a large region where the Western stock of Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn, raising the possibility that the eggs and larvae of this valuable species were exposed to crude oil. Natural Resource Damage Assessments are used to determine liabilities after a spill and to help develop restoration plans.

Also, the second study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2014 identified a nationwide sample of 134,510 people, 18 years and older, admitted to hospitals in 2009-10 for ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow in or leading to the brain). They then obtained temperature and dew point data during that period.

The researchers found: • Larger daily temperature changes and higher average dew point (indicating higher air moisture) were associated with higher stroke hospitalisation rates.

• Lower average yearly temperatures were associated with stroke hospitalisation and death.

• With each 1°F increase in average temperature, there was a 0.86 per cent decrease in the odds of stroke hospitalisation and a 1.1 per cent decrease in

the odds of dying in the hospital after stroke.

• Increases in daily temperature fluctuation and average dew point were associated with increased odds of stroke hospitalisation, but not with dying in the hospital.

The minister was in Benin City to commission a mobile laboratory for the diagnosis of Lassa fever donated by Bernhard Notch Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.

Chukwu said Lassa fever was one of the identified diseases the centre was mandated to work on, saying: “So for me, we need to enhance our surveillance and control as far as these diseases are concerned.

In the case of Lassa fever, we lost doctors, we lost nurses and relatives of doctors and nurses from this dreadful disease, so I want us to be a bit more practical about what we are doing on Lassa fever and that is why I want to commend EU and Bernhard Notch Institute of Tropical Medicine for the donation of mobile laboratory for the diagnosis of Lassa fever, but we need to do more.

UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes, Ted Chaiban, yesterday at the launch of the Humanitarian Action for Children 2014 appeal in Geneva, Switzerland, said: “I have just returned from South Sudan, the latest large-scale conflict to disrupt the lives of millions of innocent children. Over 400,000 children and their families have been displaced by the conflict, and over 3.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The rainy season is coming and we need to intensify supplies and reinforce essential services, for which we need urgent funding to prevent a catastrophe.

“The children of South Sudan join millions of others affected by conflict in the Central African Republic and Syria.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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Monday, February 24, 2014

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Greece pledges stronger ties with Nigeria

By Olalekan Okusan S Greece celebrates its assumption of presidency of the european Union (eU), the Ambassador of the Hellenic republic to nigeria, Andreas Ikonomopoulos, has restated its commitment to strengthen ties with nigeria.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, the envoy said as both sides share the same values, it is imperative for the relationship to be strengthened.

“Since I arrived in nigeria 10 months ago, I have been trying to strengthen the ties with the two countries. Obviously, the two countries share the same values in terms of family. We both respect families and for us, this is very important. With the first pilgrimage to Greece last December, we are hoping that 2,000 pilgrims will embark on the trip this year,” he said.

For the ambassador, nigeria’s respect for the family regard-

A

less of race or religion is an ideal that Greece also values. “We like nigeria because we share the same mentality and for me, I intend to promote our ties and make it more stronger.”

He, however, lauded nigeria for its efforts at building and consolidating on its democracy.

On the essence of the celebration, he said as Greece now assumed the presidency of eU, the event is organised to commemorate this as well as to kick-start the Greece national day.

As part of the programmes lined up for the Greece national day, the envoy said this week, a cultural event highlighting the rich culture of the Greek, would be on display in Lagos and Abuja while the grand finale marking the national day would hold in June.

Diplomatic corps and captains of industries graced the event held in Lagos at the weekend.

Chairman, Bi-Courtney Group, Olawale Babalakin (SAN) (right); Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh and Managing Director, Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, during a dinner party organised by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) for airline executives at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos...at the weekend.

How Taraba’s ‘two govts’, religion, ethnicity may determine 2015 polls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 ticularly in Jalingo.

Most of the posters bear his photograph and that of President Goodluck Jonathan, extolling his qualities and those of the president recommending them for the 2015 contests.

However, the Christian community is not lagging behind in the quest to enthrone another Christian governor after the tenure of Suntai.

Indeed, it was learnt that the

alleged “usurpation” of Suntai’s office by Acting Governor Umar has emboldened the Christians’ resolve “not to sleep while the house is on fire,” a respondent said.

Although there is optimism in the governor’s camp that Suntai would soon return to his duty post, “the Christians are seeing past Suntai into 2015 and beyond,” the respondent said.

“They vowed that another Christian must be governor in

2015, to avenge the sidelining of Governor Danbaba Suntai by his deputy, Garba Umar.”

In this wise, the Christians, unlike their Muslim counterparts, are reportedly mobilising against the acting governor, and “vowed to vote against the Peoples Democratic Party in all elections if the party fields Umar as its governorship candidate in 2015.”

It is difficult to ascertain the population ratio of Muslims and Christians in Taraba State, but each claims numerical strength over the other.

The Christians claim they are

more in number, using the governorship elections in the state, which had produced only Christian governors so far.

Conversely, the Muslims allude to elections into the national and State Assemblies and Local Councils, where Muslims predominate.

So, to resolve this argument, both sides are strategising for 2015 “to see who gets the upper hand in the elections in Taraba State,” said a political analyst in Jalingo. nonetheless, both the Muslims and Christians have aligned themselves with the

agitation of the people of Taraba South, who claim it is their turn to produce the governor for the state in 2015.

To them, all the political parties should field only their members for the coming elections.

Taraba north and Taraba Central have produced the governors, in Jolly nyame and Danbaba Suntai, respectively, since the creation of the state in 1991.

Thus, the 2015 elections in Taraba State are going to be prosecuted with a heavy dose of religious, tribal and moral sentiments.

UNICEF seeks N374b for emergencies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 But while today’s headlines focus on these complex, underfunded crises, many other desperate situations also require immediate funding and urgent humanitarian assistance.

These include Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia and Yemen, and other countries reflected in UnICeF’s appeal.”

UnICeF’s Humanitarian Action for Children 2014 appeal highlights the daily challenges faced by children in humanitarian crises, the support required to help them survive and thrive, and

the results that are possible even in the most difficult circumstances.

For Syria and the sub-region, UnICeF is appealing for $835 million (n141.9 billion) to enable it deliver life-saving assistance including immunisation, water and sanitation, education, and protection; and to support the social cohesion and peacebuilding skills needed to build a more sustainable future.

Chaiban said: “Children are always the most vulnerable group in emergencies, facing a high risk of violence, exploitation, disease and neglect.

“But when support is made

available, we can change the lives of children for the better.

With its partners, UnICeF is working to address a diverse range of humanitarian situations, including malnutrition in the Sahel; lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation in Yemen; cholera in Haiti; increased attacks on children in Afghanistan; and drought in Angola.”

Funds raised by the appeal will also help UnICeF in its work with its partners to strengthen communities’ abilities to cope with future conflict or natural disaster shocks by reinforcing national preparedness systems and developing resilience among children and communities.

Ajimobi alerts on alleged plot to destabilise Oyo From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan OvernOr Abiola Ajimobi G of Oyo State has raised the alarm over alleged plan by some members of the opposition to use some individuals and groups to cause violence in the state as from next month.

The governor stated this yesterday while speaking at the 2014 eid-el-Moulud lecture organized by the state government at the remembrance Arcade, Government House, Ibadan.

He, however, vowed that his government would do everything possible to frustrate the efforts of the opposition to

unleash violence on the state, which had been enjoying relative peace since the beginning of his administration.

According to the governor, since violence, brigandage and wanton destruction of lives and property had been successfully nipped in the bud, no agent of destruction or forces of darkness would be allowed to rear their ugly heads in the state again. ``Whatever it will take, we will not allow anybody, no matter his status in the society, to take Oyo State back to the era of violence. The era has gone for good. What we are doing in Oyo State now is to play politics of development.

``Whoever now thinks that the only strategy he can use to get to power through the back door is to cause crises and disaffection in the state should have a re-think, as such a person will be dealt with in accordance with the law,’’ he said.

Governor Ajimobi also said that his administration would not relent in empowering traders and artisans in the state with a view to improving their economic well-being.

He, however, urged the people of the state to get engaged in gainful trade or business that would enhance their chances of benefitting from the interest-free loans currently being given out by government.

CLO asks IG to release report on killed student From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu He Civil Liberties OrganisaT tion (CLO) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, to order the immediate release of police report on the alleged extra-judicial killing of Mr. Chukwuma Ihezie, an engineering graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), enugu.

It also called for the immediate suspension of the three policemen currently under investigation over the circumstances surrounding Ihezie’s death.

The organisation recalled that the deceased was shot dead few days after he was arrested by men of the Independent Layout police division and handed over to the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SArS), enugu Police Command.

Kaduna’s displaced persons get N20m lifeline From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief FTer three years of being A dislocated from their homes, 331 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) during the 2011 post-election violence in Kaduna State have received n20 million from government to enable them move out of the refugee camp and resettle in any part of the state.

The people were the remaining victims of 2011 post-election violence occupying the Hajj Transit Camp at Mando and had to vacate the refugee camp after receiving cash donations of between n55,000 to n60,000 each.

In a statement signed by the Public relations Officer of Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Malam Yunusa Muhammad Abdullahi and issued to journalists yesterday, he said that “all the IDPs had before receiving the assistance agreed to leave the camp.”

Besides, the beneficiaries of the government assistance include 126 males, 128 females and 77 youth groups who also received cash assistance in an exercise carried out by the committee set up to look into the affairs of the IDPs.

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News Presidential media chat holds today

ECOWAS court dismisses N84b suit against govt

RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan is to hold the first media chat for the year

By Bertram Nwannekanma

today. The event is scheduled for 7p.m.

A statement from the Presidential Spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the media chat would be broadcast live on the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON).

During the programme, President Goodluck Jonathan will, as usual, respond to questions from a panel of journalists and media executives on current national issues and developments.

The statement advised all other radio and television stations in the country to hook up to NTA and FRCN to relay the programme to their listeners and viewers.

HE Community Court of T Justice of the Economic Community of West African

Director, Corporate Affairs and Administration, PZ Cussons Nigeria, Mrs. Yomi Ifaturoti (left) and the General Manager, External Affairs, Tahir Mohammed, at the presentation of the Support Our Schools award by the Lagos State government to the firm.

Again, gunmen attack Izge, kill four residents From Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja), Hendrix Oliomogbe (Asaba), Charles Coffie Gyamfi (Abeokuta), John Akubo (Dutse) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) ARELY a week after 106 resiB dents of Izge town in Gwoza Local Council of Borno State were killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen, the town has again been attacked by insurgents who killed four people and torched houses in the early hours of yesterday.

Out of the slain residents, three were women and the fourth an elderly man of 75 years.

The development came as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said Nigerian leaders whose actions are tilting towards encouraging the brake-up of the country should learn from the mistakes of Sudan.

Tambuwal gave the advice just as the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urged the government to explore the option of dialogue in overcoming the insurgency that has continued in the North East with many more lives being lost daily.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has called for prayers from religious leaders for the nation under his watch, assuring that the nation will overcome its challenges.

In Delta State, the police have gunned down two suspected cult members at the steel town of Ovwian Aladja, in their crusade against cultism.

Izge is a fishing and farming community in 185 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

According to an eyewitness, and resident of Izge, Mallam Apagu Thiza, the gunmen came through Bita road and started shooting sporadically at the remaining houses before torching them with petrol-bombs and other ex-

• Tambuwal cautions against break-up • Sultan tasks leaders on killings • Nigeria will overcome its challenges, says Jonathan • Police kill two suspected cult members plosives while chanting “God is great” in Arabic.

He said the gunmen had a field night of over-running the entire town for over six hours, as there were no soldiers or policemen to provide security to the residents that refused to flee after last Saturday’s multiple attacks that claimed the lives of many people.

Thiza said: “We were shocked and terrified when the gunmen came again to attack us by killing four people, including three women and an elderly person in his house. These people have no sympathy at all, and have no regards to anybody’s life. They came to wipe off the entire town of Izge and its residents while the Federal Government refused to send in more troops to protect us here. We are finished. The town has been over ruined with charred houses, vehicles and shops.”

But when contacted, the Borno Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawal, said he was not aware of reprisal attacks in Izge by suspected armed hoodlums. He said as soon as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Gwoza sent in his report to the Command, the media will be briefed.

According to the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, the cultists had shot dead a 22-year old young man, Mr. Ugwetor Okpaka, on February 16 at Ifako Road, Ovwian Aladja.

Kalu said that when the police arrived the scene of the murder, they discovered that the deceased was fingered as the leader of the cult group, adding that another suspected cultist, who was identi-

fied as Shedrack Sume, was also shot dead by some rival cultists who operated on motorbike later in the day.

The police image maker said that the suspects met their waterloo three days later on February 19, when undercover policemen stormed their hideout at DEC township, Ovwian where one of the rival cultists was strategising on how to cause more mayhem in the community.

Tambuwal and Sultan spoke at the closing ceremony of the 28th National Koranic Recitation Completion hosted

by Jigawa State at the Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse on Saturday.

The Speaker said he is a firm believer in the unity and oneness of Nigeria even as he encouraged every citizen to continue to emphasize on the need for us to remain together as one united nation, noting that our strength lies in our unity.

“We must learn from the experience in Sudan after the break up into north and southern Sudan. We should take some lessons from that because we have a lot in common with that country when it was one. That brake up would not necessarily be a solution.”

On alleged wrong perception of Islam, he said: “Islam is a very comprehensive way of life beginning from how you perform ablution, how you clean your house and how you conduct yourself to how you treat your domestic animals.

We have a way of life that is comprehensively defined.

“Islam is about peace, is about tolerance, is about understanding and accommodating one another. There is no

place for violence in Islam.

Islam is completely being misrepresented as a religion that encourages violence. It must be corrected that Islam is religion of peace, that preaches peace and live peace.”

The Sultan said there is nothing wrong for the government to bring anybody that is aggrieved to the table.

“It is not a lost of faith, it is not weakness. I have experience in that. Even the Americans, the Pakistans, Afghanistans are engaging the Talibans after series of war and killings for decades. Why should we wait to lose thousands of lives before we have to come down to the table with whoever is aggrieved. I am not using the word Boko Haram. “There are so many aggrieved people in this country, not only the Boko Haram, there are political gladiators who want to be in office, armed robbers who want to live a good life.

“Look at what happened in Bama two days ago where insurgents took over the town for eight and half hours from 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and nothing happened. We are down and low and it seems normal, things are not normal.”

Also yesterday, Tambuwal said the suspension of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi, was not in the best interest of the country. The Speaker who spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State argued that the decision had eroded investors’ confidence in Nigeria’s financial institutions.

“I am not an economist but personally that (sack) will definitely send wrong signals to investors because they need to have confidence in the fi-

nancial institutions, particularly independence of financial institutions of the country,” he told journalists in Abeokuta.

Tambuwal spoke after an hour closed door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his (Obasanjo) private residence.

He described his visit to Obasanjo as a “consultation visit”.

While speaking where he worshipped at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Garki, Abuja yesterday, President Jonathan noted that with the prayers and support from religious leaders, Nigeria would overcome its current challenges and achieve its true potential.

The President, who noted that Nigeria has its own share of the negative things happening around the world, said the country’s challenges would have been worse without the prayers and spiritual support from religious leaders.

“If you watch television, both local and foreign, we always have negative news as breaking news. We have our fair share of those negative news but your prayers have been helping, if not for your prayers, it would have been worse. We will get over our challenges. I urge you to continue to pray for the nation,” he said.

The President thanked the officiating Pastor of the church, Dr. Paul Enenche, for his consistent support and prayers for the administration and the country: “I thank the pastor and his wife for their spiritual work for this nation. Scientific way of healing is not always enough, we need spiritual healing too. Even after any major operation, you are told to come for periodic check up, may be every three months, because medical or scientific help is not always complete.

Spiritual help is total. So, I thank the pastor and the church on behalf of the coun-

States (ECOWAS) sitting at the Supreme Court of Togo, Lome has dismissed an N84 billion suit filed against the Federal Government of Nigeria by a group known as The Registered Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP).

The suit which was filed on behalf of SERAP by Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) essentially alleged that the Federal Government of Nigeria breached the fundamental rights of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who unfortunately lost their lives in the post-election violence that erupted in some parts of the country in 2011 and sought to hold the government responsible for the deaths. The plaintiff consequently sought that the defendants respect the Fundamental Human Rights of NYSC members serving in all parts of the country, and to pay N84 billion to the families of the deceased NYSC members.

Counsel to the Federal Government, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN) and Mr. Ituah Imhanze of Kenna Partners, applied to the court to dismiss the action on the grounds that the plaintiff lacks the locus standi to institute the action. Ajogwu further contended that the plaintiff failed to disclose any cause of action against the defendant and as such, the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the suit.

By a judgment delivered by the ECOWAS Court sitting in Lome, Togo on February 13, 2014, the Learned Justices of the ECOWAS Court upheld the arguments of Dr. Ajogwu, SAN and consequently dismissed the suit and held in favour of the Federal Government.

Uduaghan makes case for infrastructure, others From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba ELTA State Governor D Emmanuel Uduaghan has identified attitudinal change, climate change, and critical infrastructure, among others, as strategic areas that required concerted actions in the 21st century Nigeria.

Speaking at a symposium/awards ceremony of the old Students of Federal Government College (FGC), Warri Class of 1972/74 during the weekend, Uduaghan recalled that the country in the 1970s, when he was at the college, was making tremendous progress in virtually all fields of human endeavours.

The governor who received a top class award at the occasion lamented that the rate of development along the line was disrupted.

Monday, February 24, 2014 NEWS 7

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Sanusi’s Suspension

PDP, APC, others disagree over CBN gov’s suspension

By Seye Olumide (Lagos), Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja), Abiodun Fagbemi (Ilorin), AlemmaOzioruva Aliu (Benin City) and Charles Coffie Gyamfi (Abeokuta)

• ‘Jonathan, an honest man, surrounded by corrupt aides’ • Sanusi, a mistake, says Utomi • Senate panel queries apex bank, we are yet to take a position, says Saraki • Bakare tasks government, Sanusi, group backs suspension

IVE days after President Fnounced Goodluck Jonathan anthe suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued to exchange brickbats over the propriety and otherwise; even as the man at the centre of the saga has alleged that some presidential aides are corrupt and incompetent.

Interim National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday accused the Presidency of seeking to use “the illegal suspension to divert attention from the allegation of missing $20 billion in oil funds.”

Mohammed said the way the Presidency has been campaigning to malign Sanusi, using the report of the obscure Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, shows that it is working hard to sweep the issue of the missing funds under the carpet and punish Sanusi for daring to expose the fraud.

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh condemned “attempts by certain individuals and groups to politicise the suspension.”

Metuh maintained yesterday that the issues leading to Sanusi’s suspension borders strictly on the management of the nation’s economy and urged Nigerians to disregard those attempting to politicise or introduce sentiments into the matter.

Declaring its support for the suspension, the party said it has “implicit confidence in President Goodluck Jonathan and his efforts to ensure the stability and growth of the economy,” adding that the decision was in the best interest of the nation.

The man at the centre of the storm, Lamido Sanusi has however, described the president as “a simple man trying to do well, but who has been undermined by incompetent and fraudulent aides.”

In an interview with AFP yesterday in Lagos, Sanusi said many of the people advising Jonathan are sycophants who do not speak frankly or honestly about the extent of corruption in government.

“When you sit with President Jonathan himself he appears a nice simple person who is trying his best to do his best,” said Sanusi, adding, “His greatest failing obviously is that he is surrounded by people who are extremely incompetent, who are extremely fraudulent and whom he trusts.”

“I thought taking away my passport was the beginning of infringement on my fundamental human rights,” Sanusi told AFP, explaining why he had already sought court protection.

While no charges have been filed against him, Sanusi said he was prepared for whatever attacks that may come.

“That we are here today means that I have taken the

Jonathan decision that I will face the consequences of whatever I do,” he said.

He said his “fierce independence” had been an annoyance to the government since 2009, culminating with his sustained, public attack on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), widely seen as the epicentre of corruption in Africa’s top oil producer.

“If I am sacrificed in whatever way, my freedom or my life... if it does lead to better accountability it will be well worth it,” Sanusi said.

For renowned economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, Sanusi’s original appointment was “a huge mistake” Reacting to the suspension of the controversial apex bank chief in a chat in Abuja, the director of Lagos Business School said Sanusi should never have been appointed as a CBN governor in the first place.

Utomi joined two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana and Chief Mike Ozhekome who had issued legal positions on the suspension. While Falana blamed Sanusi for not resigning when so directed by President Goodluck Jonathan, Ozhekome cited alleged infringements of extant rules to justify his suspension.

Utomi, however faulted the nomination and appointment of Sanusi five years ago on the ground that the suspended bank chief lacks certain qualities of a CBN governor “Well, on the man, it should not have happened. Sanusi’s appointment was wrong in the first place. He was not suitable for the job. CBN governors all over the world are men of great discretion in actions, pronouncements and deeds,” Utomi said.

The former presidential hopeful added: “By his nature, he is not a man of discretion and should not be have been

Sanusi appointed in the first place. I have said it at several fora that the man is a mistake for that position, he was not suitable for the job.

“Now his appointment was wrong. Recent developments just vindicated my position.

The system needs total overhauling.”

Meanwhile, Pastor Tunde Bakare has challenged both government and Sanusi to come clean to Nigerians over the accusations and counteraccusations of financial recklessness.

Metuh continued that the findings of the Financial Reporting Council revealed series of administrative recklessness in the CBN, which are “very weighty and cannot be swept under the carpet.”

On fears that the suspension would negatively affect the economy, the PDP observed that instead, it has restored confidence in the financial sector and in government’s ability to check abuses harmful to the system.

It, therefore, urged Nigerians not to be swayed by those seeking to play politics with the matter, adding that Sanusi should have nothing to fear if he has no skeleton in his cupboard.

However, the APC said, “if the Federal Government had used half the energy it has been deploying to discredit Sanusi toward the investigation of the missing oil funds, the monumental corruption case would have been solved by now.” ‘’Irrespective of the tepid and unconvincing denial by the presidency, it is clear that the main reason the Presidency moved against Sanusi is because he blew the lid on the $20 billion funds which the NNPC allegedly failed to remit to the Federation Account. ‘’Fortunately, discerning Nigerians are not hoodwinked by the Presidency’s choreographed mudslinging against a whistle blower, and

the sponsored campaign that amounts to shooting the messenger just because his message is not palatable. ‘’While the Presidency has chosen to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians over the missing oil funds, we call on the National Assembly to get to the bottom of Sanusi’s allegation and save Nigerians from a rapacious and rampaging cabal that is hell bent on bringing Nigeria to its knees through runaway corruption,’’ APC said.

The party said the questions that are begging for answers include: What happened to the missing $20 billion? If indeed a part of the funds has been used for kerosene subsidy, who authorized the spending of money that was not appropriated, in violation of the nation’s constitution?

Who reinstated the subsidy that had been removed by a presidential directive? If $8.76 billion of the missing money was used for kerosene subsidy, who and who are the beneficiaries, since it is clear that Nigerians are not enjoying any subsidy on kerosene for which they are shelling out at least N150 per litre?

Over the alleged missing oil revenue, the Senate Finance Committee has raised fresh queries for CBN “following emerging facts.”

Chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi in a memo to the apex bank specifically asked that the committee be furnished with detailed information on how much ought to have been paid into the Federation Account out of the money.

Sanusi had informed the committee that the CBN was of the belief that part of the money realised from the sale of crude oil ought to have been paid to the Federation Account.

The committee however said that its investigation would be derailed if allegations were

not substantiated in specific terms.

A member of the committee hinted, “The committee is equally disturbed by the testimonies of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, to the extent that the NNPC did not need to remit all revenues it generates. We need to now ask what is the exact percentage of the revenue of NNPC should be remitted.”

Adoke had declared that despite the constitutional provisions requiring that all revenues be paid into the Federation Account, NNPC could still deduct its cost of business.

“Thus, it is my considered view that the provision of Section 162, which requires all revenues to be remitted to the Federation Account does not preclude the deduction of NNPC’s expenditure or cost of business. This is more so as the federating units do not contribute to the funding of upstream petroleum operations of the NNPC and its subsidiary,” Adoke stressed.

In a related development, Senator Bukola Saraki yesterday in Ilorin said the Senate was yet to take any position concerning the suspension of Sanusi.

Saraki said the issue of the CBN should surpass either Sanusi or President Goodluck Jonathan, noting that if the matter was not constitutionally resolved, it could continually engender serious economic crisis and erode the independence of the office of the CBN governor.

According to Saraki, “with my own knowledge of the CBN Act and the relevant section which I have gone through, no part of that Act supports the action taken by the President.

“And I think this kind of thing to me is not about Sanusi, it is even more about the new governor who is com-

ing in. Can that governor really say that his tenure is five years? There can be a new President tomorrow down the line he would say, ‘In 2014, this is what happened’”.

“The independence of the position of the governor of Central Bank is no longer there and there are investors outside the country, fund managers that will have about N20 billion invested in this country who took those decisions based on the fact that the CBN is independent.

“The moment those institutions are not protected; they have far-reaching effect on the economy. I think in a way the President was ill advised.

Whatever he was trying to achieve is lost because those institutions are more important than the issue of the individual. Also the law states clearly how the Governor of Central Bank can be removed or suspended.”

Similarly, former vice presidential candidate, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, charged both the Federal Government and the suspended governor of the CBN to explain their sides to Nigerians’ accusations and counter-accusations of financial impropriety, which both parties are making against each other.

The cleric in a sermon yesterday titled: “Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the Federal Government of Nigeria”, berated the Federal Government and Sanusi for the whole episode, saying: “While I do not support executive arrogance and recklessness, if Sanusi is however, found guilty let the action be brought to the fore.”

He said: “We will ask each person to present their case and we will come up with a verdict. If we are not getting anything from that, thank God for the Information Act, we can begin to initiate actions to get to the bottom of things.

“There is a lot around the present scenario. If you are looking at the fact that Sanusi himself was queried over what is now termed financial recklessness and the query came before the whistle blowing. That is why I said Nigerians should be the judge at the end of the day.”

The cleric added that Nigerians are interested in the case involving the alleged non remittance of $20 billion by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, “If the query came before the whistle blowing, is it to say ‘before you hit me, I will kill you?’ If it is not that, then let all the facts be brought into the open. That is the benefit of a healthy society.

“The allegations that he has made and the whistle he blew, we want to know the exact situation. $20 billion in the life of a nation, it will go a long way to bring sanity into the polity. So, we welcome both parties and until they bring out the facts, we do not know who is guilty or not guilty.”

The convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), further faulted the suspended CBN governor “of blowing the whistle too late,” as he added: “make no mistake about it, few men have the courage of

8 | Monday, February 24, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

NEWSPEOPLE

Men that saved Suntai’s

Iliya, Dangana and Dan-iang at the Government House, Jalingo… February 2, 2014.

By Ehichioya Ezomon (Group Political Editor) HE Bible exults that, “Heaven helps those T who help themselves.” But for Dasat Iliya, Joel Dan-iang and Tino Dangana, their case is that of “Heaven helps those who help others.”

The three men risked everything, including their lives, to save recuperating Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, from imminent death in a plane crash in October 2012 in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

Iliya, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr. Dan-iang, Chief Detail (CD) Dangana, Chief Security Officer (CSO), are

security personnel attached to Governor Suntai.

Going by their training and orientation, they are to protect their principal, Suntai, so that he comes to no harm or no harm comes to him.

True to this injunction, the three men used their bodies, as a protective shields, for Suntai during the “mysterious” plane crash at the Yola International Airport.

During the turbulence, Iliya, the Aide de Camp (ADC), who was the unofficial copilot, shielded the pilot, ‘Captain’ Suntai, in front, while Dan-iang (CD) and Dangana (CSO) covered the governor in the rear.

On crashing, the anterior of the plane was the most impacted, which explains why Iliya was the severely affected by physical

Suntai requesting for prayers at a service at the Deeper Life Bible Church, Jalingo... February 2, 2014 PHOTO: EHICHIOYA EZOMON

PHOTO: EHICHIOYA EZOMON injuries, resulting in the amputation of his left leg.

The human shield formed around Suntai also explains why he did not sustain serious visible injuries to the body, but it does not clarify why he appears the most impacted today.

That’s the mystery surrounding the crash of the plane of four crew members, including the governor, who said there was no inkling that something untoward was about to happen, as the craft was in flyable condition.

Suntai, who qualified as a pharmacist, was never a pilot but he cherished flying, which prompted him to undergo some training in aviation at the School of Aviation, Zaria in 2007, and acquired a licence to fly. Since then, it became a part-time craving for him.

Indeed, as some wisecracks were wont to remark, the governor, even at public functions, would assume the posture of a pilot about to enter or exit the cockpit of a plane.

That was the degree of his desire to always take to the sky that he was nicknamed, the “Flying Governor”.

On that fateful day, Governor Suntai, and the crew — all security personnel — had gone to his village, Suntai (from which he derives his name) in Bali council of Taraba State.

But rather than coming back to Jalingo, the governor flew north, heading to neighbouring Adamawa State’s capital city of Yola, where the plane crashed, a few metres from the airport, at about 8.00pm.

Following the crash, the main and social media were awash with reports of the death of all crew of the craft, with the bodies of Governor Suntai and his ADC, Iliya, reportedly “scattered”.

The media (Not The Guardian ) did not stop there; they published, many times over, photographs of ASP Iliya, DC Dan-iang and CSO Dangana as being dead. Some of the photographs are said to still grace the Internet.

However, on Sunday, February 2, 2014, The Guardian met the trio in flesh and blood at the Government House, Jalingo, almost one and half years after they were first reported dead.

Felicitations over, discussions veered to the plane crash in Yola, and after some entreaties, the heroic security personnel agreed to share their experiences of the inci-

dent, with the lot falling on Iliya to so do (with occasional retorts from Dan-iang), starting from when Governor Suntai received the licence to fly plane.

First, Iliya dismissed the notion that Governor Suntai was not qualified to fly a plane. “I knew when they gave him (Suntai) the licence,” adding, “I didn’t just know when they gave him the licence, I held and collected the licence they gave to him, to keep for him.”

“So, the experience of who was piloting the aircraft was not in doubt.”

He related how he was born, and grew up in an airport environment. “So, our community is in the airport, and the airport is still viable and it’s a national airport,” he said.

Then turning to the air mishap, Iliya said, “the way the thing (accident) happened is just (mysterious): normal flight, no problem; very, very normal flight, with no obstacles on the way, and we didn’t experience anything.”

“But mysteriously — with my small brain — I didn’t know what happened because there was no sound or any hitting of any sort that would create fear that something spoiled (was wrong).

“Mysteriously, an aircraft begins to turn, and the meters (instruments) begin to move towards zero. But what really happened, what caused them to go to zero, and what made the aircraft to start turning was a mystery. But the mystery of the turning of the aircraft was seen by all of us.

“The governor started praying — he’s a Christian — he started praying but wasn’t shouting. But there were two people there that their prayer (laughter) — their prayer was very loud, shouting Holy Spirit (Ghost).”

Perhaps, they are prayer warriors, the reporter interjected?

“I don’t know whether they were prayer warriors; whether they were praying or they were afraid,” he said. “So, I said, ‘Kai, we need some calmness so that the pilot will (be able to concentrate).

“Mysteriously, normal flight, and he (Governor Suntai) was also committing everything to the hands of The Lord.”

Iliya said they had excellent communica-

Monday, February 24, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

9

NEWSPEOPLE

life, and theirs’ too tion with the Control Tower (in Yola) “but the reality of the communication is just like the way I am talking to you now, and the reality of what happened, it’s the Control (Tower) that knows because, as professionals, we don’t talk,” he said.

“So, the only thing is that those of us that were trained (got into action) quickly, because we were all trained and the first training we got is to protect our principal and the principal we had was the pilot of the aircraft.

“So, the two people there (behind the cockpit) said, ‘What do we do?’ and I said, ‘Order, order.’ You know, when we say, ‘Order’, it is a professional grammar.

“And the man (Governor Suntai) said, ‘What do we do?’ and we said, ‘State of Emergency,’ and we removed the safety belts of the aircraft.”

He got up and said, “Sorry, I will demonstrate with you (reporter); I am not going to hurt you. But this my colleague (Dan-iang) knows what happened.” (Dan-iang concurred, nodding his head.)

HE ADC demonstrated how they took off T their safety belts, and shielded the pilotgovernor with their bodies, in front and in the rear, with himself (Iliya) in front and Dan-iang and Dangana behind the governor, as what they normally do.

He renewed the narration: “So, when I did like this (gesturing how he placed his hands on the governor’s shoulders in front), he (Suntai) asked, ‘What are we going to do?’ I said, ‘We are trained professionals, but if we crashed and died, you would continue with the administration.’

“He said, ‘No, we will not die in Jesus name.’

From that time, I never knew what happened again, whether we crashed from the front (or from behind).”

Iliya gave reasons why he had to stand in front and the other people stood behind the governor.

“In a crash, definitely, the impact will come from different angles, and the angle it would come only God knows,” he said.

“If it is from the front, let it crash and destroy me in the front where I covered him; if it is from behind, let it crash and destroy this my colleague (Dan-iang) who was standing behind.

“So, all of us were ready for action. He (Daniang) was standing behind, and I was standing in front. If it is from the front, I die; if it is from behind, he dies, but our principal that’s in the middle will survive.”

But as he noted, “We crashed from the front.

You see (showing parts of his body that were injured), it broke; you see, it broke.

“You see here, four ribs; you see here, it broke. Here broke, here broke! You see this (left) leg, it broke. Here, this was the only injury.”

He said that those behind the governor were not spared. “There is advance and rear; it’s part of the professional training,” he said.

“So, the things, if they came from behind, they break the man behind; if they came from the front, they break the man in front.

“The man, who was standing behind that thought that (he would be safe) — the man who was in the rear thought that since the advance was there, it’s the advance that would die, but the rear, too, had broken parts everywhere.

“And that is why our recovery today is slightly different from his (Suntai’s) own.”

Even as he acknowledged the miracle of God hearing their prayers, coupled with the security training that they had, Iliya, who was in the craft’s front that impacted first, has the worst injuries and he’s still recovering. (He showed his amputated leg, the scars on the forehead, and the areas on his buttocks and thigh where tissues were taken to graft parts of his body and those of other security personnel.)

“These were the things that were cut, cut and put on the bodies of trained security officers that were sent to cover the man (Suntai),” he said.

“And if you see this man (pointing to Dan-

Wreckage of Suntai’s aircraft, which crashed at the Yola International Airport in 2012. iang), I don’t know whether he was born with that thing (injury on his right arm) (laughter).

“So, you see these are natural things that happened to the security aides that were protecting the governor.”

Iliya said it was miraculous where the security people got the courage that day.

“Sincerely, my colleague would say he doesn’t know where he got the courage, but you see yourself from 3,200 metres above the sea level because it is visible in an aircraft when descending; 3,200 metres,” he said.

“Because, after crossing the Mambilla Plateau, you go really high before you go (descend) to Adamawa that is a normal plain; 3,200 metres above the sea level.

So, after crossing the Mambilla Plateau, we were descending.”

He said it remains a mystery how the pilot (Suntai) was able to avoid the NNPC storage tanks or depot, as the plane was about crashing.

“Nobody in science, nobody in the aviation industry can explain it,” he said, adding, “but the man was a able to avoid the aircraft crashing into that place.”

Which is why, “before we crashed, I saluted him in my mind for avoiding that place because, if the aircraft crash-landed there, only God could have known what would happen: not only the city (Yola), but also the whole state would have been affected. But God helping us, he avoided it.”

Iliya said he didn’t know they crash-landed until last March when he saw himself, “with oyinbo (white people) around me, and I said, ‘What brought you here?’

They said I had a plane crash. I just laughed.”

“But I never knew; they said we crash-landed. I just laughed.”

He said he never knew that his colleague (Dan-iang) was the one feeding him in the hospital (‘Say in Germany, right?’ interposed Dan-iang). “Yes, in Germany,” he said.

“The reality is that we were removed — our hospitals were different from that of the governor because our injuries were most severe; the physical scattering was most severe because the (plane’s)

metals met us while we were trying to protect him (governor).

“And in Germany, they took us to — I don’t know what it is called, but in Nigeria, it is a teaching hospital, abi?

It’s a University Teaching Hospital.

“After the first surgery, my own was not very complete, and they had to change (transfer me) to another hospital to continue the treatment.”

FFIRMING that he, his colleagues A and the governor were not dead, as reported in the media, Iliya thanked the Almighty God for their survival.

He said: “To the glory of God, you are not only seeing me, I can shake hands with you (he extended his hand) and I can still fire my gun if security (situation) dictates because I am trained.

“And the training is because, in the Nigerian system, when they are training us, they give us the best.

“If they didn’t give us the best, do you think we can protect our principal in an aircraft (that’s crashing)? The man, who stood behind, can he, and the man who stood in front can he?

“It’s just that God spared the principal (Suntai) that advance (Iliya) and cover (Dan-iang and Dangana) were protecting. Heh, heh (he laughs); that’s it.”

Iliya praised the government for the care they received during their hospitalisation.

“I really appreciate the government for taking care of us, sincerely,” he said.

“The government paid my bills for months while I was in the hospital.

Great goodness!

“Then, the security organisations were sending me emails on security situations in our country; perfect because my principal (Suntai) said, ‘The man knows computer, buy him a system.’

“They bought me a mini iPad because the bigger iPad, when I was sick, I couldn’t carry it. So, he (Suntai) said, ‘Which is the best?’ and I said mini iPad. “And they bought it for me because I crashed with the main iPad, and it is still with the Office of the National Security Adviser. Even my car key is with the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“So, that shows that the security agents that were on the ground really did a nice job.”

Iliya hoped for full recovery, as experienced by his two colleagues, Dan-iang and Dangana.

“So, you now know the story,” he said. “You met me, you shook hands with me, physical and with great recovering.

“The way you see the people in the rear (of the crashed plane) recovered, me, who was in advance, too, must surely recover to the glory of God because it’s just that the recovering takes a gradual process.

“I came back with two clutches — left and right — but the medical people said, ‘Drop the other one.’ You saw that I stood up without the clutch.

“It’s just that the Nigerian environment is not totally smooth. If the environment were smooth — I can walk to that wall” (about 70 to 80 metres from where we sat under a mango tree at the Government House, Jalingo).

It was a moving narration from persons, who were reported dead, but who are alive to tell their experiences. It is not an everyday encounter!

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

10 | Monday, February 24, 2014 NEWS

Stakeholders seek quick assent to Health Bill From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja DVOCATES of the National A Health Bill (NHB) yesterday commended the Senate for passing it last Wednesday, just as stakeholders have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign it into law as a show of strong commitment to universal healthcare coverage.

The bill, among others, stipulates that the Federal Government would contribute one per cent from the consolidated revenue fund to the development of primary healthcare in the country, while states and local councils will provide counterpart

• Polio vaccination now compulsory for India-bound Nigerians fund to support primary healthcare services.

The stakeholders, who gathered in Abuja at the weekend under the Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC), however, tasked the House of Representatives to immediately concur with the Senate to facilitate the signing of the bill into law.

Meanwhile, Nigerians travelling to India are now required to take the oral polio vaccine (OPV) before entering the country, as India seeks to check cross-border transmission and boost global efforts on polio eradication.

Similarly, Indians coming to Nigeria or going to any other polio endemic country are also required to take the vaccine. This follows the declaration of India as polio free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the disease was completely eradicated from that country.

Chief Press Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, Isiaka Yusuf, said in a statement yesterday that the directive came from the minister, stressing that the vaccine must be taken six weeks before such trips.

He noted that the directive

was at the instance of WHO, adding: “This advice is binding on all members of the World Health Assembly, of which Nigeria is one.”

Executive Secretary of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Dr. Muhammed Lecky, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, stressed that the NHB would end the persistent disagreement among professionals in the sector.

This, he said, is because it provides for responsibilities, roles, definitions and limitations of each professional body and also creates oppor-

tunity for all the health practitioners to make inputs into the yearly budgets of the health sector.

He added: “The Senate resuscitated deliberations on the bill in 2011, held a public hearing in February 2013 and passed it at plenary on Wednesday, February 19, 2013.

“While the passage is a very important milestone, it is not yet Uhuru. The House of Representatives will have to be canvassed to concur with bill as passed by the Senate and President of the Federal Republic to assent.”

Jonathan, Mu’azu visit Kwara next Monday

Arewa youths fault planned protest against NNPC chief

From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu, will be in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Monday, March 3, to assess the state of the party in the area.

Kwara PDP Caretaker Chairman, Solomon Edoga, said at a rally in Ilorin yesterday that Jonathan has favoured Kwarans with his recent appointments, noting that the PDP could not afford to lose the state to the opposition irrespective of those who might have left the party.

Among the top members of the party in the state that addressed the supporters was the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly, Makanjuola Ajadi, who said that political servitude in Kwara was over, and assured the state of more political appointments that would empower them.

For the Chairman of Federal Character Commission (FCC), Prof.

Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem, those presently in PDP in Kwara are the true lovers of democracy and the state, while Gbemisola Saraki believes that the PDP population in the state is strong enough to unseat the incumbent gov-

Nigeria hosts Italian aircraft carrier, others on Friday From Madu Onuorah, Abuja OR the first time, Nigerian Fcarrier waters will host an aircraft on Friday when the Italian Navy’s ITS CAVOUR, accompanied by two other vessels, the stealth missile ship, ITS CARLO BERGAMINI, and the multi-role vessel, ITS ETNA, enter the Apapa Port, Lagos.

During the carrier’s five-day stay, they will conduct training and cooperation activities with Nigerian Navy personnel on board the Italian naval vessels.

The CAVOUR has a total of 1,210 crew onboard, comprising 545 naval personnel, 200 air wing staff, 140 for command and control, and 325 landing force. The ITS BERGAMINI is manned by a total of 131 crew while the ETNA has a total of 162 crew on board.

During their stay in Lagos, the vessels will offer humanitarian aid, especially for patients with sight problems. The aircraft carrier and the supporting ship commanders will also pay a courtesy visit to the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.

“The health bill represents the first to provide legislative framework and dedicated funding sources to primary healthcare, and this includes the provision for a national primary healthcare, which will significantly increase government financing for primary care. The bill targets universal health coverage that provides for basic health services.

“It provides for standardisation and regulation of healthcare practice, promoting professionalism and eliminating quackery, and will contribute to acceleration towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals target and the objectives of the National Strategic Health Development Plan.”

REWA Youth Forum (AYF) A has faulted the threat of demonstration against the

Incoming Managing Dirctor/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo (left); past MD/CEO, Mr. Nebolisa Ara; outgoing MD/CEO, Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi and the Chairman, Dr. Christopher Ezeh, at the thanksgiving service in honour of Mr. Ihejiahi, at The Church of The Assumption Catholic Church, Falomo, Ikoyi… yesterday

Four Osun tertiary institutions begin indefinite strike From Willie Etim (Yenagoa), Tunji Omofoye (Osogbo) and Joseph Wantu (Makurdi) CADEMIC activities have been suspended since Friday and students have vacated in four higher institutions of learning in Osun State, which begin an indefinite industrial action following alleged non-payment of their allowances and sundry welfare matters.

The affected institutions are the Polytechnic, Iree, College of Education, Esa-Oke, and the Colleges of Education in Ilesa and Ila-Orangun, all owned by the state government.

Meanwhile, a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has blamed Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the development, alleging that he is not sensitive to the plight of the indigenes.

And as the over four-monthold industrial action by the primary school teachers in Benue State over the non-payment of the national minimum wage continues, parents and other stakeholders have blamed the state government for not handling the matter well enough.

Apart from the minimum wage issue, the teachers are also demanding promotion and leave grants, which have

A

Bayelsa splinter teachers’ union is illegal’ cumulated from 2010. Some parents noted that teachers are very crucial in the society and would have been the first group to benefit from improved welfare.

Nevertheless, they noted that though the teachers have a good course to be at home, they should also show understanding to save the children’s education.

Nevertheless, the National Industrial Court sitting in Calabar has declared a splinter body of teachers known as the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN) in Bayelsa State as not a trade union as known under the Trade Union Act (TUA).

BESAN, which was formed in 2007 by some aggrieved members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, had been locked in legal battle with the leadership of the NUT for recognition in the state.

In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, Omisore said: “It is quite inhuman and a lack of focus for a government to be commissioning rehabilitated primary school buildings at the expense of the state-owned tertiary institutions.

He alleged that state government was deploying propaganda when it commissioned “a primary school financed by the Federal Government through the Universal Basic Education (UBE) as if it was solely executed by Aregbesola with the state allocation”.

Omisore said there was no reason lecturers would not go on strike since they are not well paid and are denied 65 years’ retirement age as implemented in other states, while students are denied bursary and the schools lack basic facilities.

He challenged Aregbesola to state with facts and figures how much he had expended on state-owned tertiary institutions or the actual amount he had given to the institutions in grants since he assumed office.

In its originating summons on March 4, 2013, the BESAN leadership had asked the court to declare that all primary school teachers in the state were at liberty to join any association or union of their choice.

It also sought a declaration that BESAN has the right to exist for the purpose, as incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990, and that

the NUT (4th defendant) was not entitled to any check-off dues from salaries of the members of BESAN as from April 2010.

In his ruling, the presiding justice, F. I. Kola Olalere, of the National Industrial Court, declared that though members have right to form an association, the first claimant (BESAN), as registered under CAMA, is not a trade union under the Trade Union Act (TUA) and is, therefore, not entitled to collect check-off dues from its members.

However, he restrained the fourth defendant from deducting check-off dues from the 10 members who have properly withdrawn their membership from the union, and to refund to them the total sum deducted from their salaries from May 2010 till date within 30 days of the judgment.

Governor Gabriel Suswam has maintained at several fora that the state cannot afford the over 20,000 academic and non-academic primary school staff rate due to paucity of funds.

But the state Chairman of the NUT, Mr. Gowin Anya, told The Guardian that members view government’s complain as unfair since other workers in the state were already benefiting from it.

Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, over alleged unremitted oil funds.

National Director, Pubic Affairs, of AYF, Bello Abdulhamid, yesterday described those behind the threat to protest at the National Assembly over the issue of alleged unremitted funds as trying to score cheap political gains.

Abdulhamid, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja, said it is a known fact that the relevant committee of the National Assembly had waded into the matter and ordered a forensic audit to establish the truth about the alleged missing funds.

He noted that the forum had continuously stood against injustice and mis-governance in the country particularly in the North, hence it decided to bare its mind on the allegation rocking the oil sector.

The “threat of demonstration by a faceless group”, he said, “is unwarranted and a calculated attempt to preempt the independent forensic audit report, which the National Assembly has directed to be carried out. AYF as a major stakeholder in the Nigerian project views this as unfair and unreasonable.”

He said: “As patriotic Nigerians, we would like to see a transparent and proper resolution of the allegation of unremitted oil funds.

“It is, therefore, a welcome development when the Senate Committee on Finance asked the Federal Ministry of Finance to conduct a full-scale forensic audit on the said missing funds and to report back within one month.”

He said that Nigerians, including those issuing threats of demonstration, should await the result of the forensic audit instead of plotting to pre-empt the outcome of the measure.

The suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had alleged that the NNPC failed to remit $20 billion to the Federation Account. Sanusi’s allegation prompted the Senate to empanel its Committee on Finance to swing into act to establish the veracity of the allegation.

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Monday, February 24, 2014 11

PHOTONEWS

Director, MTN, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi (left); Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Pascal Dozie and Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma at the commissioning of the six upgraded workshops for Government Technical College, Ikorodu, Lagos by MTN Foundation.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi (right) with students of Regina Pacis Secondary School, Onitsha during his routine visit to the school.

Serving Overseer, The Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare (left) and Spokesperson, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin at the briefing on The State of the Nation by the clergyman in Lagos.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Nigeria Technology Manager, Collins Ejaife (left); Brand Manager, Fayrouz, Nnenna IfebighHemeson; U.S. singer, Kelly Rowland and R&B artiste, Darey Art Alade at the Love Like A Movie concert in Lagos.

State Coordinator, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Fidelis Ajibogun (left); Head, Retail Banking Products, Consumer Banking, West Africa, Sheahan Arasaratnam; Head, Business Marketing, Consumer Banking, West Africa, Chima Nwuke and the bank’s Head, Corporate Affairs, Diran Olojo, at the Standard Chartered Bank Mega Rewards Promotion in Lagos.

Former Principal, Ansar-Ur-Deen College, Isolo, Mrs. Modupe Amass (left); President, Ansar-Ur-Deen Society of Nigeria, Femi Okunnu; National President, Old Student Association, Dr. Umar Sanda and pioneer student of the school, Dr. Naheem Ekemonde at the Founders Day reunion party for the old students in Lagos.

Comedian, Seyi Law (left); representative of the winner of PTV Phone grand finale consumer promo, Darlington Johnson and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, PTV Limited, Banji Adesanmi during the presentation of a car to the winner in Lagos.

PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF

Director of Commerce, Hakeem Adeniyi (left), representing the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Lagos State; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Bhojsons Plc., Deepak Dalamal; John Onyela and Frank Obinna, award recipients, AIG Zone 2 Lagos State; Mamman Ibrahim Tsafe and Director, Bhojsons Plc., Pradip Deshpande at the Bhojsons Lifan Dealers’ Award in Lagos.

12

Monday, February 24, 2014

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AfricanNews Prosecutors accuse Morsi of leaking Egypt security secrets to Iran T the second hearing of his A trial for espionage, Prosecutors yesterday accused deposed president, Mohamed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as part of a plot to destabilise Egypt.

The trial, one of three that are under way against Morsi, is part of a relentless government crackdown targeting him and his Muslim Brotherhood movement since his ouster by the army in July.

Prosecutors accuse Morsi and 35 others, including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, of conspiring with foreign powers, Palestinian militant movement Hamas and Shiite Iran to destabilise Egypt.

At the second hearing since the trial opened on February 16, they detailed the charges against Morsi and his codefendants.

They were specifically accused of “delivering to a foreign country... national defence secrets and providing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards with security reports in order to destabilise the security and stability of the country”.

The statement read in court did not identify the “foreign country”.

But prosecutors said Morsi and the defendants carried

out espionage activities on behalf of the “international Muslim Brotherhood organisation and Hamas with an aim to perpetrate terror attacks in the country in order to spread chaos and topple the state” from 2005 to August 2013.

During Morsi’s one year presidency, ties flourished between Cairo and Hamas, a Palestinian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood which rules neighbouring Gaza.

But since July, Egypt’s military-installed government has accused Hamas of backing Morsi and his Brotherhood, and carrying out terrorist attacks inside the country.

At yesterday’s hearing Morsi was held separately in a soundproof glass cage, designed to keep him and the other defendants from interrupting the proceedings with outbursts.

But this did not stop defendants including Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie, his deputy Khairat alShater and other Islamist leaders from shouting and rejecting the accusations against them.

“Void, void,” they shouted when the judge asked them if they accepted the charges, said AFP. If found guilty, the defendants could face the death penalty.

Protesters demonstrate against the extended mandate of the General National Congress, the country’s highest political authority, in Front of the Supreme Court, in Tripoli yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Mugabe launches 90 birthday balloons HOUSANDS of people T turned out yesterday to wish happy birthday to Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, who threw 90 balloons into the air to mark his 90th year and continuing hold on power.

Fresh off the plane from Singapore, where he had travelled for eye surgery last week, Mugabe was in typically defiant mood as he launched his birthday celebrations at Marondera stadi-

CAR violence has stopped, says French general IOLENCE and sectarian had seized nearly 1,000 said a lot of work remained V fighting have abated in firearms and 4,000 other to be done in the mineralconflict-torn Central African weapons such as knives and Republic (CAR) since the arrival of French peacekeepers in December, the head of the force said.

General Francisco Soriano also said the French forces

rods in the capital Bangui and across the country.

Speaking ahead of a parliamentary vote tomorrow to extend the French mission in its former colony, Soriano

rich but impoverished nation.

The French mission’s mandate is due to expire in April.

France deployed 1,600 troops under Operation Sangaris in December in support of a 6,000-strong African Union force, and Paris recently announced it would send 400 more fighters.

um, east of the capital Harare.

“I feel as youthful and energetic as a boy of nine,” Mugabe said, before cutting his cake.

Dressed in a black suit, red tie and white shirt, he moved around the venue on the back of a truck waving his fist to a crowd made up largely of school children bussed in for the occasion.

In a speech that lasted over an hour, Mugabe told the crowd that the election win for his ZANU-PF party last year had confounded his critics in the West.

“Those opponents of ours who had imposed sanctions on us were baffled,” he said.

“The truth is ZANU-PF won,

ZANU-PF had the support.

ZANU-PF had the message, had the history, ZANU-PF has the people.”

Before his speech, ambassadors from China and Russia presented Mugabe with special messages of congratulation from their presidents.

“At times I think of how I have survived over the years, escaping death, many of my friends and relatives have died. It saddens me at times, but at the same time you are happy that you have turned 90.”

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist ever since the former rebel led the country to independence from Britain in 1980.

Ceasefire, aid proposed in planned Sudan rebel deal UDAN and rebels in South Simmediate Kordofan would adopt an ceasefire and allow aid to reach more than one million people, says a proposed agreement

issued as peace talks broke off last week.

With a copy of the draft obtained yesterday by Agence France-Presse (AFP) African Union mediators

Tutu cautions Uganda against anti-gay bill OUTH African peace icon, Swarned Desmond Tutu yesterday that Uganda’s controversial anti-gay law recalled sinister attempts by the Nazi and apartheid regimes to “legislate against love”.

The Anglican cleric said he was “very disheartened” to learn that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni intended to sign a bill that will see homosexuals jailed for life, urging him instead to clamp down on rape, child abuse and the sex trade.

“In South Africa, apartheid police used to rush into bedrooms where whites were suspected of making love to blacks,” Tutu said in a statement. “It was demeaning to

His party won another resounding victory in August — taking two-thirds of the vote — although critics say he used state power to intimidate voters and opponents.

Huge cakes were on display in the centre of the stadium, while the crowd wore red scarves, as is traditional on the president’s birthday, and waved national flags.

A series of speakers led the crowd in chanting ZANU-PF slogans, and denouncing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which has spent years unsuccessfully trying to overturn Mugabe’s rule in the face of catastrophic economic decline.

those whose ‘crime’ was to love each other, it was demeaning to the policemen - and it was a blot on our entire society.”

Tutu dismissed the arguments of Museveni’s science advisors who concluded that homosexuality was a learned, rather than genetically-determined behaviour — and therefore could be “unlearned”.

“The history of people is littered with attempts to legislate against love or marriage across class, caste and race,” Tutu argued.

“But there is no scientific basis or genetic rationale for love... There is no scientific justification for prejudice

and discrimination, ever. And nor is there any moral justification.

“Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa, among others, attest to these facts.”

Uganda’s anti-gay bill cruised through parliament in December after its architects agreed to drop an extremely controversial death penalty clause, although the bill still says repeat homosexuals should be jailed for life, and also outlaws the promotion of homosexuality and requires people to denounce gays.

Museveni rallied behind the bill this month despite earlier opposing it.

presented the proposal for Khartoum and rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on Tuesday, when the talks in Ethiopia adjourned after both combatants traded accusations.

There are no reliable figures for how many people have died in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where the rebels have been fighting for nearly three years, but the United Nations says an estimated 1.2 million have been displaced or otherwise affected.

Sudanese authorities have restricted access to the war zones for aid workers, journalists and foreign diplomats, although relief has reached people in government-controlled areas.

There has been no aid access into SPLM-N zones from within Sudan since 2011, and a senior UN official said last year that people were surviving on “roots and leaves”.

Monday, February 24, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

13

WorldReport Ukraine parliament names acting president, seeks government

Rock crashes into French chalet, kills two

A

massive rock crashed into a chalet in the southeast French Alps yesterday, killing two children and injuring five others, police said.

The children, aged seven and 10, were asleep at the time of the accident in the village of Isola in France’s AlpesMaritimes region.

A block of rock about 10 metres (32 feet) high came hurtling down on the chalet, which had been converted from a sheepfold, and was rented by the children’s families for the school holidays, local gendarme official Gael Marchand said.

Five adults were rescued and were found to have suffered light injuries.

About 60 paramedics and firefighters had been deployed in the rescue effort, aided by sniffer dogs.

Commander Marchand said the rock could have fallen due to having been weakened by heavy rains recently.

Heavy rains and consequent floods had cut off many roads in the area in January and the nearby Isola 2000 ski station was also shut down due to avalanche fears.

XERCISING power since E mass protests put the president to flight, Ukraine’s parlia-

Newly freed Ukrainian opposition icon and former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko (left), with her daughter, Yevgenia, during a rally on Kiev’s Independence Square, after her release at the weekend.

PHOTO: AFP

Afghan Taliban kill 21 soldiers, suspend prisoner swap attempt FTER the militants’ most A deadly assault on the security forces in months, the Afghan Taliban killed 21 soldiers in an assault yesterday in a remote mountainous region, the Afghan government said, and six soldiers were missing.

Also yesterday, in a possible blow to United States efforts to foster peace talks to end the Afghan conflict, the Taliban said they had suspended efforts to arrange a possible exchange of Taliban and U.S. prisoners due to the “complexity” of the situation.

It was not immediately clear whether the attack in the eastern province of Kunar was related to the suspension of talks on a prisoner swap.

In response to the killings in Kunar, a mountainous region bordering Pakistan

that has long been a stronghold of the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other militants, President Hamid Karzai put off a trip to Sri Lanka.

“The Afghan president is saddened by this tragic incident, and therefore he postponed today’s official trip to Sri Lanka,” Karzai’s office said in a statement.

Government officials said 21 soldiers were killed and three were wounded in the attack on an army checkpoint in Kunar’s Ghaziabad district. Six remained missing, they said.

The government sent reinforcements to the area where the pre-dawn attack took Defense Afghan place, Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said in a statement.

The Taliban appeared to have been waiting for them.

Azimi said the reinforcements “came under enemy

attack, and a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near them”.

The suicide bomber did not kill any Afghan soldiers, Azimi said.

In a possible reference to al Qaeda or other militants who might not be part of the Afghan Taliban, Azimi also told Reuters that “foreign fighters” had taken part in the attack.

The Afghan Taliban, in a statement emailed to media, claimed responsibility for the attack. Local officials in Kunar said three insurgents were killed.

The assault was the worst since last September, when the Taliban attacked a convoy of Afghan forces in relatively northern peaceful Badakhshan province, killing at least 18.

Deadly attacks hits rallies in Thailand N explosion has killed two A people and wounded more than 20 others near an antigovernment protest rally in the Thai capital Bangkok.

According to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a boy aged 12 and a 40-year-old woman died in the attack near the Central World shopping mall, officials said.

It came hours after gunmen opened fire on an anti-government rally in eastern Thailand, killing a five-year-old girl.

Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra condemned the attacks, describing them as “terrorist acts for political gain”.

She said her government would not tolerate terrorism, and ordered a full investigation.

Tensions across Thailand have

escalated since a wave of antigovernment protests began in November.

The demonstrators want Yingluck to resign to make way for an appointed interim government, but she has refused.

Last week, several people were killed in clashes that erupted in Bangkok when police began clearing protest sites.

A protest leader, Sathit Wongnongtoey, said Sunday’s blast in central Bangkok was caused by a grenade.

The scene of the attack is near a stage of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest site at Ratchaprasong junction.

Six anti-government protesters were hurt by a grenade attack in the same area last Friday.

In the earlier attack in eastern Thailand, attackers threw

explosives and shot at demonstrators at a rally called by the PDRC at a night market in the Khao Saming district of Trat province late on Saturday.

Officials said the five-year-old girl had been standing at a noodle stall when the attackers, in two pick-up trucks, opened fire at the PDRC rally. She died from a gunshot wound to the head.

At least 30 other people are believed to have been injured.

Another child is said to be in a critical condition.

PDRC spokesman, Suwicharn Suwannakha said the attack had happened during a speech by a party leader, Thai newspaper The Nation reported.

He said he had first heard the explosions and gunfire and then saw chairs in front of the stage scattered.

“It was chaotic. I saw two pickup trucks speed away,” he said.

ment yesterday named its new speaker as acting head of state to replace Viktor Yanukovich and worked to form a new government.

In a hectic round of voting in the chamber, near where triumphant but wary protesters remain encamped on Kiev’s main square, lawmakers stripped the still missing president of his abandoned country home.

Its brash opulence, now on display, has fuelled demands that the Russian-backed, elected leader and his allies be held to account for corruption on a grand scale.

The European Union and Russia, vying for influence over the huge former Soviet republic on their borders, considered their next moves.

EU officials said they were ready to help Ukraine, while Russia, its strategy of funding Yanukovich in tatters, said it would keep cash on hold until it sees who is in charge.

Parliament-appointed security officials announced legal moves against members of the ousted administration and those responsible for sniper

fire and other police attacks on demonstrators in violence that left 82 dead in Kiev last week.

A day after dismissing Yanukovich with the help of votes from his own party, parliament handed his powers temporarily to Oleksander Turchinov, who was elected speaker on Saturday.

An ally of newly freed opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, Turchinov called for an interim prime minister to be in place by tomorrow to run the country until a presidential election called for May 25.

Among contenders may be Tymoshenko, 53, who lost to Yanukovich in 2010 and was then jailed for corruption.

Yanukovich, 63, denounced what he called a “coup d’état” reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

He spoke on television on Saturday from what looked like a hotel room in a city close to the Russian border.

With pro-EU protesters still controlling central Kiev, and crowds on the streets in other towns and cities, parliament is under pressure to demonstrate its authority across the nation and to calm fears of a split with pro-Russian regional leaders in the fallen president’s eastern political base.

“In these days the most important thing is to form a functioning government,” said Vitaly Klitschko, a former world boxing champion and a leading figure in the uprising.

“We have to take very important steps in order to ensure the survival of the economy, which is in a very bad shape,” he told a news conference. He denied there had been a coup.

“Parliament is the last legal official institution in Ukraine,” he said. “Nobody knows where the president of Ukraine is. We tried to find him all day yesterday. His location is unknown.

He left the country without a president.”

Even the president’s Party of the Regions, backed by many of the wealthy “oligarchs” who dominate Ukraine’s postSoviet economy, seems to have given up on a wavering leader with whom Moscow had last week appeared to be losing patience.

“The changes that have happened, have happened. It’s already done,” said Tatyana Bakhteyeva, a parliamentarian from Yanukovich’s home region of Donetsk.

Party lawmakers issued a statement blaming Yanukovich and his entourage for the crisis.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

14 | Monday, February 24, 2014

Politics Nobody can predict outcome of confab, says Braithwaite Elder statesman and legal luminary, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, believes the Southwest cannot work along opposite line at the planned national conference, even as he is not sure of the outcome of the exercise. To him, the only thing that’s certain for now is that the conference will hold, reports Seye Olumide.

REN’T you worried that the Southwest may It was interesting when I read in the A likely work along opposite line on or before papers that ‘Tinubu’s men’ — that was the start of the planned national conference?

I do not agree that the Yoruba nation is workthe way the media put it — attended the ing along opposite line. That is not possible for Yoruba meeting on national conference. now. What you have to consider is basically the I was moved to even read that some of shortcomings.

Now, Yoruba leaders have taken firm posithem that couldn’t attend, for whatever tions on issues of power devolution, possibilreasons, sent in letters of apology. I will ity of secession, regional police and even say this is positive and I will like to see immunity. I can say confidently that no Yoruba group will take any contrary position on these that move on a broader front. It is issues. positive and a welcome development…

If you note the way things are going, almost If you note the way things are going, everybody wants a new Constitution to emerge from this planned national conferalmost everybody wants a new ence.

Constitution to emerge from this My position is that the Southwest should replanned national conference. main focused on these issues and I can tell you there won’t be any disagreement.

My position is that the Southwest However, I believe that the younger generashould remain focused on these issues tion actually deserves the right to be given conand I can tell you there won’t be any siderable chance when it comes to representation and selection of delegates at disagreement. the conference proper.

It is the entitlement of the younger generation to seek a strong representation at the conference because it is their future and the future of unborn generations.

There is a kind of subtle rivalry not yet clear to many Yoruba people. For instance, aren’t you bothered that those who gathered at IsharaRemo, under the aegis of Yoruba Assembly on National Conference (YANC), chaired by Chief Reuben Fasoranti and the one led by Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), may be pursuing the same agenda but with different motives?

It is not impossible to have divergent views on some issues, but it depends on the nature of these issues on which they are going to disagree.

If they are merely administrative or procedural issues, I do not see any problem in arriving at harmonisation.

But if they are issues of fundamental structural implications, such as devolution, resource control, secession, then there will be the need to, not just for the Yoruba nation, but also any of the geo-political region, to harmonise on all these fundamental issues before they go to the conference.

Do you support a situation whereby the delegates should be placed on oath not to betray the position or sell out on the collective agenda of the Yoruba during the conference, as some elders are suggesting?

That is an unfortunate suggestion and such schisms should be kept out of this historical event. I do not see how a responsible political or socio-political person or group would go and sell his or her birthright in a conference of this nature.

Those who gathered at Ishara-Remo should not have uttered such schism. That belongs to the old parochial, unacceptable way of thought.

It was the typical schism that made the popular founding fathers of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to lose the control of their party to someone like Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State.

Isn’t it a surprise that some notable members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, attended the Ishara-Remo meeting despite the position of the party to the conference?

It was interesting when I read in the papers that ‘Tinubu’s men’ — that was the way the media put it — attended the Yoruba meeting on

Braithwaite national conference.

I was moved to even read that some of them that couldn’t attend, for whatever reasons, sent in letters of apology.

I will say this is positive and I will like to see that move on a broader front. It is positive and a welcome development.

I would like to see the ‘Tinubu’s men’ coming to the broader Yoruba Oduduwa enclave that met with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade recently. Let them also attend such meeting.

Do you suspect any sinister motive behind their sudden change of mind?

No. I think they must have reasoned beyond their initial doubt and fear over the conference, and most importantly, this is a struggle we have all been agitating for. I don’t think they have any sinister agenda.

This national conference would be historical, legendary and unforgettable, if we get it right.

Whoever witnessed the golden era of this nation, compared with what Nigeria is currently passing through, would crave for a change.

Would you agree that the Ishara-Remo gathering was all-inclusive enough because there was a resolution that no other Yoruba group

I do not have any fears about the national conference because we have worked hard to see that it is convened. Recall that I once said that if President Goodluck Jonathan did not want the conference, that the people of this country would on their own convoke a conference. This is an evolutionary change in the history of Nigeria. But I would warn or say it would be foolhardy for any group of people to believe that the conference will be manipulated their way or that the conference could be tele-guided or come with a pre-determined position. It is not going to be possible. The only certainty about this conference is that it is going to hold. The conference is unstoppable; that is the only possibility.

should gather to deliberate on the conference?

I think that is a hyperbole. It is an impossible and wishful thinking. In fact, it is a hyperbole to say that no other Yoruba group should meet to deliberate on the conference. It cannot be enforced.

Taking a critical look at the body language of the six geo-political regions in regard to the conference, what would be the most likely outcome of the exercise?

I do not have any fears about the national conference because we have worked hard to see that it is convened.

Recall that I once said that if President Goodluck Jonathan did not want the conference, that the people of this country would, on their own, convoke a conference.

This is an evolutionary change in the history of Nigeria. But I would warn or say it would be foolhardy for any group of people to believe that the conference will be manipulated their way or that the conference could be teleguided or come with a pre-determined position. It is not going to be possible.

The only certainty about this conference is that it is going to hold. The conference is unstoppable; that is the only possibility.

No one could predict the outcome of the conference. We should not rule out the possibility that 2015 elections might not even hold.

I would want those politicians amassing their war chest for political offices to tarry a while because I know that our people will not accept any charade elections again in this country until and unless an acceptable Constitution, different from the present imposition, is in place.

I know that from the 2012 protests against removal of subsidy from oil, the founders and people of this country are ready to take their destinies into their hands. It is not going to be business as usual, anymore in this nation.

An issue on special status was raised concerning Lagos State, and shockingly, some Lagos indigenes were practically emotional over alleged relegation to the background. Should this be included in the Yoruba Agenda for the conference?

Lagos, like any other international cosmopolitan city, and a port city for that matter, will always exercise uniqueness with cosmopolitan megacity.

The indigenes, of course, would never forfeit their indigeneship but they must get used to

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Monday, February 24 , 2014 POLITICS 15

‘I don’t want my people to be enslaved’ For those who know him, Senator Ehigie Uzamere likes to fancy himself as a liberator of sorts, having been born in the same year that the Freedom Charter was proclaimed by the African Nationalist Congress (ANC) — a party, which he admires greatly for its organisation and tenacity. The politician, who hails from Edo South senatorial district, recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from where he joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2010, bringing a number of followers, especially from Edo South into the fold of the ACN and on which Governor Oshiomhole largely garnered greater support to subsequently reemerge as governor. But now, he says his great expectations have gone up in smoke, hence the need for move back to the PDP. So, how exactly does he intend to rebuild the PDP in Edo State? He spoke with journalists in Abuja on the new time, among others. Foreign Affairs Editor, Oghogho Obayuwana, was there.

OU have told your political associates and Y supporters that rejoining the PDP is for the good of the people; how true is this?

You see, the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. And the reality today in Edo State is that, despite all the razzmatazz and media visibility, it is an unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in the present party and government in the state.

I make bold to say that the people of Edo South are actually a people in bondage. And this is unacceptable. Many people see through all the farce but lack the courage to speak up. But now, I am showing the way and I expect my people to follow so that together, we can build afresh.

My brothers and sisters, when you are standing on a facade of a building, it is never the same thing as when you go inside. Our people have a saying: ‘If you do not enter a house, you will never know the internal contradictions therein.’

What light have you seen in the PDP that did not exist in the past that informed your new direction?

Number one is the issue of godfatherism. We have now discovered that it is a cankerworm in all the parties and that certain people blew that of the PDP out of proportion for their political aims.

Soon after acquiring power, they slid into that very whirlpool that they criticised so bitterly in the past and upon which they shored up their support base and popularity.

But we have to see through this syndrome of godfatherism proper. You must have the leader. And we have raised the consciousness of the people to draw a thin line between genuine leadership and godfatherism.

So, in the past in the PDP, the way the godfather was perceived as dishing out instructions is not what we have today. The PDP leadership has gone through turbulence.

I have met with its leaders and we now have an understanding on due process, transparency in the emergence of candidates, as well as internal democracy. You can perceive the change of demeanour. Lessons have been learnt. You talk about tokenism; there is no perfect house. But even this is not as rampant as before.

Closely linked to this is the culture of impunity. This led to a situation where a lot of people left the party. The PDP of today is more accommodating because it has realised that its fortunes were going.

There is a new national chairman. Free primaries are being conducted. In fact, from verifiable facts, it is now the ACN (APC) that is imposing candidates. We saw this during the last April local government election.

The PDP has reformed and the party is putting the government of Edo State on its toes. We saw that with the widow abuse issue; the proposed sale of Edo House in Lagos, as well as the sack- Uzamere ing of 800 teachers without due process. These first President, was an initial supporter of Biare people, who have done over 30 years and afra, even composing its national anthem. But you are asking them to write competency test when the inimitable statesman discovered instead of retraining them. that there was no future for Biafra, he returned We want to rebuild the PDP, which I helped to to Nigeria, which he had helped to build. found. Look at the ANC, what lessons can we So, I am returning to PDP, which I have helped learn from that party? We must provide the an- to build. swer.

When people dump political parties, it calls to BUT why re-join the PDP, which you once dequestion their ideology and stability as human scribed as a valueless platform, which ticket beings... was worse than the zimbabwean dollars?

Yes, we know that. It all depends on the circumstances, as well as the reality of Nigerian When I speak, it is because I want people to politics today. I am a welfarist. All my life in pol- trust me. From what we can all see, the PDP, itics, I strive to express that conviction but I Edo State chapter, has been re-engineered and have to work with people and a platform, a repositioned to deliver on good governance. platform that will not suffocate me. I have to With a politically contrite heart arising from be politically alive to be able to serve my peo- its former outing in the state, the party is now ple better. equipped mentally, morally and politically for Also, the quest for political liberty and actual- good governance. isation has to continue. And in Edo State, a new Secondly, Mr. President’s transformation direction has become inevitable whereas, eter- agenda has impacted significantly on the nal vigilance is the price of liberty. party’s readiness and credentials. I believe very The interest of the people remains the only conscientiously that the reformation is genthing that keeps me in politics. I will also give uine and that the party deserves a second you examples. chance. Even Almighty God will not despise a Political giants through the ages have found broken spirit and a contrite heart. the need to change their positions when the Another reason the PDP deserves a second exigency of politics demands. Thus, the famous chance is the need to take Edo South senatorial Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s great Prime district to mainstream national politics. Edo Minister, ever found the need to move from the South indigenes have not been able to make Conservative to the Liberal Party and back inroads into the Presidency whether in miliagain to the Conservative Party. tary or civilian regimes.

Even our own Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s

tent with the socio-economic and political interests of our people.

Remember, my political vision has been and remains a state or nation where every segment gets what it deserves within the limits of its contribution to the whole and where everyone, whether individual or group, is free from domination and oppression.

In exercise of the mandate freely given to me by you in my first tenure on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I protested and fought against the domination of the people of Edo South senatorial district by the forces, structure and dynamics of the party and government of that time. The heat generated by the resultant friction led to my inevitable exit from the party.

I said then that the PDP’s ticket in Edo State was worse than the Zimbabwean Dollar. My movement from PDP to ACN was smooth due to my policy of putting state interest above partisan considerations as an elected leader.

The great expectations that followed our movement into the ACN have gone up in smoke. We honestly expected that every senatorial district would be autonomous in the handling of its affairs and would be given its fair share according to its size, resources and population.

We genuinely believed that the ACN would approximate ideal democratic culture in the conduct of governance and its internal affairs.

Consultation, rule of law, collective decisionmaking, team spirit, accountability, etc., were expected to be the hallmarks of the party. But that was not to be.

So, what are the “sins” of the ACN in Edo? I believe that a party organised around a sole administrator, who overturns and overturns and overturns, depending on his moods, desires, whims and caprices cannot dispense justice, equity and fairness in a heterogeneous polity.

The people of Edo South senatorial district have been criminally short-changed by the current party and government in Edo State.

Let us consider the following questions. Apart from statutorily provided appointments that should reflect the geo-political character of the state, e.g., commissioners, how many positions of critical importance are occupied by Edo South indigenes?

In the siting of projects, how many projects are sited and executed in Edo South, considering the population, landmass and resources of the district?

The reality of our political system is that every government empowers a new class of people through patronage. How many indigenes of Edo South origin are in the new class created by this government vis-a-vis the number of indigenes of other districts?

A dispassionate analysis of the above questions would reveal a grand deception against Benin people never before known in our political history. Let us say no to this grand deception.

Our people are considered good only for crumbs or leftovers (called Izobo). That is why I believe firmly that the PDP remains the they are given petty contracts. What a humiliaonly party for now that can give us this op- tion for a people with a rich heritage of industry resourcefulness! portunity. The effort of the All Progressives and Congress (APC) is significant but may not en- We must reject the Izobo treatment because it is criminal and ungodly to starve the goose that dure in this regard.

Even in the APC, the people of Edo South are lays the golden eggs. We refuse to be treated like not in the first and second eleven of its na- a conquered people. tional players. The APC will only condemn Much as I tried to get integrated into the party, our people to local government, senatorial the party proved impregnable. The harder the effort, the stronger the protective wall. and impotent state players.

The party holds no prospects, whatsoever It dawned on me that the ticket given to me was for Bini people in their quest for political as- perceived by them to be a ticket to an errand boy cendancy. Therefore, the PDP remains the who would be ordered at will to perform given assignments without questioning, without conbest route to our political emancipation.

As an advocate and supporter of President sultation and without refusal. This amounts to Goodluck Jonathan, I am sure that during slavery by other means. his second term as President, Federal Re- I know that the journey would be rough, as the public of Nigeria, Edo South will make the road would be laid with mines, the weather needed breakthrough. would be inclement. But those who contend How exactly has the PDP now been re-de- with us contend with He that created us with destiny. nominated, to use that expression? great I am a Christian and. I would quote here from First, let us admit that the PDP ticket in Edo State, which was once worse than the Zim- the Book of Psalms, chapter 20, verses 7 and 8, babwean Dollar, has significantly appreci- which tells us: “Some trust in chariots, and some ated in value having been re-denominated in horses: but we remember the name of the by the repositioning efforts of the party it- Lord our God. They are brought down and self and Mr. President’s transformation fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.” agenda. People should be able to see the big I am not afraid to take the lead and show leadpicture always. ership in this regard because as we do know: I will also like to emphasise here that the One with God is Majority!

ACN, to which I belonged, is defunct. I will When a new movement starts, there have to be not join the APC because I consider its aims, leaders who are gladiators. Let us simply say, objectives and philosophy to be inconsis- I am one of them.

TheGuardian

16 | Monday, February 24, 2014

www.ngrguardiannews.com

Conscience Nurtured by Truth

FOUNDER: ALEX U. IBRU (1945 – 2011) Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it. Uthman dan Fodio 1754-1816

Editorial EFCC should do more Aso Ebi: The silent killer LETTERS

F Nigeria would live and make any meaningful progress, corruption ICrimes would have to be fought to its death. The Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), the foremost anti-corruption agency,

therefore, should constantly be alive to this realisation and responsibility.

As things stand now, the EFCC is a long way from the dream; the anticorruption agency and its leadership, officers and men must stay awake for the dream of a Nigeria rid of corruption to come true.

Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, sometime ago addressed the Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria on what he termed contemporary issues in compliance and enforcement regarding the law on anti-money laundering as well as combating finances of terrorism. The meeting was an apparent attempt to counter the general impression that the commission is not only asleep most of the time but also pulls selective punches when it is forced to act occasionally by welling negative public opinion.

At the meeting, Lamorde openly tried to shift upon the banks blame for the commission’s lacklustre performance. Because the banks are expected to decide subjectively and forward to the commission for investigation so-called red flag transactions by bank customers, the commission has found it convenient to heap on the banks accusations of shielding likely criminals. But the commission is merely passing the buck. The EFCC chairman may not be unaware that the above approach is far from the contemporary way of combating economic and financial crimes.

From experience, any red-flag reports on multiple transactions in a given day or large volume of transaction may lead to fresh selective and publicly announced invitations to some unnamed bank customers for questioning and possible investigations whose outcome will be shrouded in secrecy. It is public knowledge that the commission has a very long list of cases on which necessary investigations have been finalised. For example, the immediate past chairperson of the commission once indicated that duly investigated misdeeds of some political office holders were marking time when they should have been filed in court.

For the EFCC to succeed in its mandate of stamping out the wide range of economic and financial crimes contained in the enabling law, two things are of uppermost importance. First, those investigated and strongly suspected to have committed such crimes should be speedily and openly tried and, if found guilty, punished to serve as a deterrent to elements who might be tempted to tread the same path.

Until and unless the outstanding cases are conclusively prosecuted in the law courts without delay, lessons are neither taught nor learnt. In this regard, the commission should press for early amendment to the EFCC (Establishment) Act in order to, among other provisions, set time limits within which court rulings on all EFCC cases should be given.

The commission should also work out cost-effective ways of disposing of the accumulated cases within its normal budgetary provision. For example, senior legal practitioners, as a rule, should handle pro bono publico at least one EFCC brief annually. Nigeria needs all hands on the plough in the fight against corruption.

Second, and provided anyone suspected of economic and financial crimes is certain to be speedily put in the dock to face undelayed justice, the EFCC should abandon passing the buck and seize the initiative by developing the capability for direct detection of economic and financial crimes at the early stages. By using an appropriate computer software (an affordable package can be produced in collaboration with Nigerian experts), the commission will be able to screen each bank’s computerised record of customer transactions and objectively pinpoint any accounts that require detailed investigations to unearth unlawful financial dealings. Banks are expected under the law against money laundering to preserve records of customers’ transactions for 10 years.

The EFCC should, therefore, shake off certain indolence, which appears to be its signature now and work earnestly on the available bank transactions data in order to bust economic and financial crimes thereby helping to minimise corruption. The task before it is simple, considering that a single government agency elsewhere monitors the gargantuan worldwide telephone conversations and text messages with a view to nipping in the bud any planned acts of terrorism aimed at that particular country.

EFCC certainly can do a lot more than it is doing right now.

purses are poor family meals, to be a mission in exploitation.

Celebrants should appreciate the dignity in operating within after collection, family strifes their means. due to financial tension and It is time to arrest the trend, as health challenges resulting it has reached epidemic profrom worries over mounting portions. The culture should bills. By far the most unfortu- not be abused to raise the effect nate of the arguments is the to that of school pupils on an fact that the profit made from assembly line, a church choir, a the sales of aso-ebi is ploughed choral group, a military parade into the entertainment of or paramedics in a hospital. guests. A party is not supposed • Omolara Fagbure,

Aso-ebi is a Yoruba SareIR:phrase, just as the Yoruba strained relationships due to West Africans living chiefly the failure to pay for aso-ebi in the coastal regions of South Western Nigeria. At present there is hardly a Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity who does not know the meaning of the term, even if the person cannot speak Yoruba at all.

Aso-ebi evolved as a cultural practice whereby members of a family, often at the extended level used the same fabric in producing their attire for a ceremony, for ease of identification.

Today, the extent to which the cultural practice has been taken is saddening. The wearers of aso-ebi are as diverse as the imagination can get. They range from nuclear family members to neighbours, former schoolmates, present and former colleagues at work, fellow parishioners and even people who have never met the celebrant. Even foreign nationals are attired in such fabrics. The strange development is not sensitive to gender, religion, age or status.

Everyone is lost in the reverie.

But everything in life has its consequences. It is doubtful if the good in the aso-ebi syndrome can match the negative effect of the practice. Firstly, in any economy particularly a developing one, money needs to be managed most stringently at the individual level. Some indirect consequences of strained budgets or family

Fuji Chamber museum project SIR: At the burial fidau prayers for the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, MFR on December 30, 2010, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Raji Babatunde Fashola, SAN, personally pledged to facilitate the conversion of the iconic Fuji Chambers into a museum; in recognition of the pioneering role Barrister played in the creation and popularization of Fuji music as an indigenous Lagosoriginated music genre.

Fashola went further to promise that a new access road will be built to further open up the Fuji Chamber to the world. The world celebrated that wellthought and kindly intended pledge coming from the governor. Every black man across all continents of the world felt proud that the Lagos State government was set to immortalize a worthy Lagosian, Africa’s International Music Ambassador and a global citizen.

But three years down the line,

even the sod on the project was yet to be turned. The project seems consigned to the dunghill of ‘well-intentioned but not executed government project.’

It is, therefore, imperative to appeal to the governor to kindly commission the project. This will be a worthy third memorial anniversary package in honour of the music legend and icon, more so as 2015 general elections approach; who knows if the next administration will be willing to take on an inherited ‘liability’ as the project may have turned to then.

Barrister deserves this honour because he was a role model in integrity, hardwork, patriotism and selfless service to the community. Immortalizing him with a museum as promised will go a long way in the integration of the values he lived for in generations yet unborn.

Seriki Adejumo-Bello, Ayinde Barrister Legacy Club, Lagos.

Monday, February 24, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

17

Opinion Quo Vadispublic education in Nigeria? (1)

By Jacob Olupona THANK the organisers of Gboluji Grammar ItheSchool’s Sixtieth Anniversary for inviting me as speaker for this important occasion. You may wonder why the title of my talk is the Latin phrase, “Quo vadis?” “Quo vadis?” means, “Where are you going?” It is a compelling question, one that spurs people to reflect on their lives. Never mind that Latin was my poorest subject in Gboluji Grammar School. My classmates present here may remember that afternoon in 1967 when it was my turn to experience the anger of our amicable teacher and father, Mr. Fadayomi, known fondly as “Baba Ee.” I had accompanied my dear friend of blessed memory, Akinlosose Ojo, to the house of our dear teacher Mr. Yemi Adewakun, who later became an Archdeacon. We enjoyed a nice gari lunch in the staff quarters, causing us to be late to Baba Ee’s Latin class. “Olupona, where were you?” Baba Ee demanded to know. “I followed Ojo to Mr. Adewakun’s house,” was my meek reply. “Did you say ‘followed?’” His questions ended as he applied a stroke of the cane that was always hidden under his desk.

Well, the caning I received indicates the type of education we received in those days. Zero-tolerance for tardiness in class or for failure to put our studies first! “Spare the rod and spoil the child!”

But here am I today, a Harvard Professor recounting some of my cherished schooldays in a public school called Gboluji Anglican Grammar School. That was some 47 years ago. “To God be the glory,” as we say in Nigeria.

The “Quo vadis” question –“Where are you going?” is a powerful one. It is often asked at a critical moment in one’s life or the life of a nation, or on a new journey of discovery and uncertainty.

Perhaps the most famous “quo vadis” question is recorded in the apocryphal Acts – the imagined encounter between Peter and Jesus after the Resurrection. Peter was apparently running away from what would be his own martyrdom in Rome. When Jesus appeared to him, Peter asked, “Quo vadis?” “Where are you going, Jesus?” Jesus responded that he was returning to Rome to be crucified again. Peter felt ashamed of his own cowardly retreat, and thus encouraged by his Master’s bravery, Peter retraced his steps, turning back again to face his gruesome death at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero.

In our gathering today, I intend to focus on our own Quo Vadis question. It is Nigeria’s question.

Where are we going in public education? “Where are we as politicians, educators, parents, and students taking Nigeria?” I will draw possible answers to these questions from our global community, from other lands, particularly from places I have visited as a wandering scholar,

teacher, and intellectual in the past few years. I contend that the crisis in public education today is not unique to Nigeria. Other nations face similar challenges, particularly the so-called developed nations. But we developing nations differ from the so-called developed nations in our approach to solving the problems of educating our young people.

Granted, it can be discouraging to realize that although many scholars, writers, and policy analysts in this country have addressed the challenges confronting our educational system – in books, learned journals, newspapers, and unpublished speeches, we have paid little attention to the solutions they propose. So it is easy to wonder if one more talk, like the one I am about to deliver, will be merely another exercise in futility. But we must not remain silent. Like Peter, we must turn around to retrace our steps, to meet the crises and challenges head on. I trust that history will vindicate us. I trust that God and the heavens themselves will testify on our behalf. I trust that sometime in our history, Nigerians – some secular and some religious – will offer counsel and advice, and will admonish this country to think seriously about public education. Quo vadis? Where is it going? I trust that this question will be answered in time.

Rethinking primary and secondary education in Nigeria Although I am alarmed at the apparent decline of all levels of public education in Nigeria, I am particularly concerned with the condition of primary and secondary education, which has suffered visible neglect. Given the context of this celebration, I will often refer specifically to secondary education throughout this lecture, but most of the points I make are equally applicable on the level of primary education as well.

Secondary schools are largely under the control and purview of state governments, and they are not collectively represented by an interest group like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that could put pressure on the government to advocate for their interests. In the past, parents were very much concerned about the welfare of these schools. But today, parents seek other options: namely private schools, which are now thought to provide the kind of quality education that public schools cannot provide.

The role of the State in educating its people I would like to offer a few basic premises concerning the role and responsibility of the nation-state in formulating the national education system. The Nigerian state, as custodian of the country’s educational system, must educate present and future generations of Nigerian children and youth irrespective of

their background and social standing. The Nigerian constitution actually makes access to education at all levels a constitutional right. A well-defined national primary and secondary school system should not be a privilege. It is essential to the building of Nigerian society. Our elementary and secondary schools are critical institutions that socialize and acculturate our children and our youth for national citizenship, which is essential to the concept of the Nigerian nation itself.

We are in an open battle between what should be public and what should be private in Nigerian national life. Public spaces are shrinking, and those that were once public are becoming increasingly privatized. What happens when the public provision of education is fully privatized is that access to quality education becomes limited. Indeed, the overemphasis on the private and the utter neglect of the public is a symptom of a larger crisis, a crisis of values that affects who we are as a country. This is because the private sphere values first and foremost a focus on the self, on the survival of the individual, and not on the national and collective interests of our citizenry. To correct this imbalance, the state must invest in public education, assume ownership of it, and give it significant priority in its scale of preferences.

The state must recognize that the purpose of education is not just to advance private individuals, but to advance the society at large. Because one of the primary aims of education is to educate the public for the public good, it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that quality public education is available to all its citizens.

Clearly, I believe in a strong public education system. But it is important to reflect briefly on the value of private schools as well. I applaud well-meaning Nigerians who have established private schools and for-profit institutions to meet the needs of the growing population seeking knowledge. But for them and their intervention, education in this country would have been even worse. I am proud to say that I am connected with several education entrepreneurs and Christian philanthropists who are natives of this town, and I applaud their good work.

However, we must agree that private education is not the answer to our national educational crisis, because at best private schools will be within reach of a bare minimum number of qualified candidates – whose qualification is largely a function of their socio-economic advantage. The majority of the citizens – particularly those in the rural areas and those with lean bank accounts – still lack access to education.

Strengthening our public school system will en-

able us to revamp access to quality education nationwide, helping us to achieve the “just and egalitarian society” that is promised to all Nigerians by the Constitution.

At present, without such a public educational system in place, it is very likely that the Nigerian public lacks the education to understand the harm that can occurs when a culture of illiteracy takes over our national lives. How can we expect a citizenry that has been denied a quality education to see the advantage of supporting investment in public education? But they are not the only ones to blame for our current situation, in which both our perception of public education and the policy surrounding it are deficient. Even educated Nigerians have somehow come to believe that the public as an enterprise is not worth investing in, forgetting that the Nigerian society at large will suffer grievously if any of its members are deprived of the advantages education can provide.

Let us focus for a moment on why Nigerians who were unable to achieve much at home succeed in American and European educational systems. The reason has little to do with the individuals themselves, and much to do with the society at large. In a recent bestseller, The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America, Yale professors Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, argue that a number of immigrant nationalities, including Nigerian, perform better than other groups in America, and they go on to explore the reasons for this trend. We, of course, rejoice that for once, Nigeria is associated with progress and high achievement in America rather than the 419 and drug issues that have defined us for so long. What Chua’s research confirms is that there is nothing inherently wrong with the Nigerian brain, and that among the African Diaspora, Nigeria enjoys a prime and privileged place based on academic and other professional achievement.

The reason that Nigerians perform so well abroad, where the basic ingredients for learning are available to them, and so poorly at home, where these ingredients are lacking, can be traced to the educational environment. Not surprisingly, Nigerians frequently bloom in new lands where nurturing surroundings put new resources at their disposal.

• To be continued.

• Prof. Olupona delivered this –full title ‘Quo Vadis public education in Nigeria? Local Challenges and Global Lessons’ as Sixtieth Anniversary Lecture of Gboluji Grammar School, Ile Oluji, Ondo State • This article is a repeat of last Monday.

Many sins of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

By Adamu Gwazuwang HE suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CenT tral Bank Governor, has not come to many Nigerians as a surprise. If anything, the surprise has been that he was left to roam, rave and rant for so long.

“Having taken special notice of reports of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and other investigating bodies, which indicate clearly that Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s tenure has been characterised by various acts of financial recklessness and misconduct which are inconsistent with the administration’s visions of a Central Bank propelled by the core values of focused economic management, prudence, transparency and financial discipline.”

With those words, Presidential spokesman last week told an unsuspecting nation that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s services as the Central Bank Governor had been dispensed with by the Federal Government that had suspended him from duty.

Dr. Abati added that “Being so deeply concerned about farreaching irregularities under Mallam Sanusi’s watch have distracted the Central Bank away from the pursuit and achievement of its statutory mandate and being determined to urgently re-position the CBN for greater efficiency, respect for duty, due process and accountability, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has ordered the immediate suspension of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from office of Governor of the CBN.”

Sanusi has only himself to blame, bankers are known for their conservative and very pensive mien. They are usually publicity shy and are very deliberate and tentative about what they say knowing the colossal and consequential damages careless talk could cause the Banking and Financial sector. But not so with Sanusi.

Abrasive, brash, garrulous and quite a speaker on instinct, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was everything a CBN Governor should never be. Considering that the CBN Governor keeps the nation’s financial secrets, strategies and core banking policies, he ought to be quite circumspect in his public speeches.

To be sure, many are likely to say Sanusi lost his job to the NNPC and the ongoing investigations into its affairs by the National Assembly. But this would be hard to make fly in the face of Sanusi’s hostile attitude to a government that appointed him in the first place.

The Federal Governments’ action must be seen from the point of view that it had created a monster that was threatening to devour it. Suddenly, Sanusi had assumed the good of a whistle blower, threatening fire and brimstone, reeling off figures of sums of money he had declared missing or unaccounted for. He was certainly the enemy within.

Many have speculated that Sanusi wanted to draw national attention to himself on the eve of his vacation of the office as CBN Governor, so much so the cacophony and ripples of the

effects of this noise and nuisance value would laud him the Emirship of Kano. The important thing over Sanusi’s suspension in the court of public opinion would be whether he conducted himself in the mode of predecessors, acted in ways befitting of his exalted position or whether he played to the gallery for instance when in grandstanding, he dared the President to fire him claiming he could only be removed by the National Assembly.

The former CBN Governor had started to behave as if his word was law. A lord of the manor who would brook no opposition or criticism. How pride indeed goes before a fall.

Expectedly, all hell will break lose following Sanusi’s suspension. This is to be expected and I do not expect the President to react since he must now wait out the dust from the ‘Iroko’s’ tumble. A word must go to others like Sanusi still in Government to learn from Sanusi’s sack because were President Jonathan not a magnanimous leader, Sanusi should never have been a CBN Governor least of all stay in office for four years.

The President has bared his fangs and shown he can bark and bite. Pundits must be asking if they really know who Jonathan is and whether they have not been too hasty in coming to conclusions that he is a do-nothing leader. These are turning out very interesting times indeed.

• Adamu Gwazuwang, a petroleum industry watcher, wrote from Abuja.

18 | Monday, February 24, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Opinion Where Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi errs

By Dawari John-Georgewill READ with mixed feelings a piece by Hon. IChibuike Andrew Uchendu titled ‘Where Did Rotimi Amaechi err?’ in The Guardian of February 18, 2014, page 14 which was in fact an attack on two views expressed independently by Beks Dagogo-Jack and Dumo Lulu-Briggs, two illustrious sons of Rivers State on the ‘condition’ of our state.

Ordinarily, I would have ignored the selfserving position canvassed in this article by Mr. Uchendu, an Honourable member of the House of Representatives. But I decided to reply for two reasons: I know, for sure that after Lulu-Briggs and Dagogo-Jack, I am likely to be his next target; and two, his exaggerations ought to be corrected before they are swallowed by an unwary public in our beloved Rivers State.

However, because Mr. Uchendu is an elected representative from our state, his article in a National Newspaper like The Guardian, known more here in Port Harcourt as ‘The Flagship’, should not be ignored, for he could possibly mislead the public with some of his fundamentally flawed assertions. As a Rivers State person living under the worsening conditions of Amaechi’s rule and desperate acts of rebellion against the Federal Government led by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I read the two articles which Hon. Uchendu was reacting to and which, in my view, sensibly called on Governor Amaechi to respect the true will and aspirations of the Rivers people, who not only genuinely want President Jonathan to successfully complete his first term, but are also waiting anxiously to massively vote for him again in 2015 to enable him continue and round off his transformation agenda. The import of Beks DagogoJack’s contribution, as I understood it, was just a reminder to Governor Amaechi that his primary obligation to our people is to align with and promote the people’s true will and desire, and not to dictate to them in which direction to go as if they are slaves.

Yes, Rivers people have been thoroughly

impoverished and almost rendered hopeless by Amaechi’s style of government.

When he came to power, Amaechi’s singsong was:”Rivers money should stay with Rivers people”. Yes, the Rivers people may be poor, but we are not slaves and shall never allow anyone to treat us as helpless orphans. Our views and feelings should matter and count in all situations. And I want to make this point: Governors and other representatives of the people must learn to submit and subject their personal interests to the clearly preferred positions and desires of their constituents. I make another point: it baffles me that Hon. Uchendu would declare Dumo Briggs’ submission that there are crises in the state as being in disagreement with Beks DagogoJack’s position that the state is not under any sort of attack by the Federal Government. I seriously doubt that the intended misrepresentation of the two clearly complementary articles as being in conflict with each other was not deliberate and calculated. Our two sons were saying exactly the same thing. There was no conflict in their assessments of what is going on in our state. There is no doubt whatsoever that the crises in Rivers State originated from the governor’s total loss of control of the state’s PDP structure. It was at this point that the governor plunged our state into series of self-inflicted crises, while trying to give the wrong impression that the state was under attack by the Federal Government. Apart from the propaganda value it conveys, there was no concrete evidence to prove to our people that that was the case. This may have caused Dagogo-Jack, in my view, to label the so-called ‘Save Rivers Movement a monumental fraud – which is what I have called them at a different forum. And which is what they are!

Indeed, rather than seeing any disagreement or conflict in the two submissions of our two sons, what really come out, effortlessly, are two distinct but interrelated problems: real and internal to the state and accurately captured by Lulu-Briggs as a fall-

out of Amaechi’s insistence on running the state as his personal fiefdom; and the other dimension is a clearly manufactured attack by the Federal Government by those who hope to benefit from the deliberate falsehood, and in pursuit of their narrow personal political interests. It is at once a pity and also highly regrettable that those who claim to be our elders would, instead of prevailing on Amaechi to toe the path of wisdom, have been busy praising him as the long-awaited hero and saviour of our state, a man fighting gallantly to liberate us from the havoc inflicted on Rivers State by the Jonathan administration. With the best intentions, it is still difficult to imagine what good this fight shall bring to our people, apart from eternal disgrace to our leaders and people who are daily portrayed nationwide as lacking in courage to speak out and check the excesses of an emerging Hitler.

Another very worrisome attempt of Hon. Uchendu at promoting Amaechi’s uncalculated involvement of our people in his personal political ambition is his presentation of the account of events leading up to Amaechi’s entry as our unelected governor in 2007 – becoming, as it were, a beneficiary of the most unusual generosity from our judicial system – a judicial pronouncement that made him a pioneer beneficiary of a bizarre judgement in an election in which he was not, truly, a candidate. He is now brazenly desecrating the same judicial system and institution that handed him someone else’s victory. Amaechi did not campaign for the 2007 governorship election in our state and surprisingly he has been busy trying to dismantle the party whose victory he claimed in 2007. Now, to openly state, as Uchendu did, that Rivers State was burning when Amaechi began his tenure as our governor after the generosity of the Supreme Court, and yet he was unable to give specific reasons for the instability at the time, speaks volumes of Uchendu’s economy with the truth. It is most inconceivable that the state would be ‘burning’ without any known cause whatsoever and would re-

main that way until Amaechi arrived with his political magic wand. How true? The factual situation was that Rivers people had become so fatigued with the unceasing barrage of sophisticated and instigated havoc on their daily lives from political forces not too far from Amaechi political camp. And when calm returned, we were just too glad to move on with our lives.

Finally, I was somewhat amused reading Uchendu as he parroted the same tired Amaechi propaganda-line that associates the Jonathan government with the diminishing development in Rivers State. This confirmed my long held suspicion that Amaechi carefully chooses his theatres of war, like the cooked-up emotive façade of unpaid bills for reconstructed federal roads, the Soku oil Wells and other issues whose shameless parroting and exaggeration serve, promote and sustain Amaechi’s personal political agenda, at the expense of long-term strategic interests of Rivers State.

My parting words to the Honourable (Elder) Andrew Uchendu: “Sir you do not owe Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi anything. But, you owe Rivers people and our generations yet unborn an explanation why, in the whole of southern Nigeria and among all those in the same political party with our brother, President Jonathan, it is only our governor, Amaechi, who is busy rallying people from other parts of the country to try to humiliate the President in office, encouraging mass defections from the party in an attempt to weaken the President’s political base. The insults are undeserved because, by several parameters, Jonathan has performed well, given all the distractions that have been inflicted on his administration thus far. This, in my opinion, is where Hon. (Elder) Uchendu and Chibuike Amaechi totally erred. I plead with all our elders in Rivers State, as the conscience of our land, to please rise and speak truthfully without fear, for history shall be on their side.

• Dawari a businessman and politician, lives in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Boko Haram:Where is African Union?

By Edem Andah

say that the African Union Summit of African Heads IsityofDARE State and Government is not a meeting for high intendiscussions by transformational leaders who are determined to address the Continent’s most recent and most challenging problems. I dare say so! Today, the Continent has been identified globally as a leading frontier in terms of economic growth and a new destination for world investment. Nothing exists as a grave threat to this assessment more than the issue of insecurity and growing terrorism.

Furthermore and going by evidence, terrorism is now the most significant and most debated security issue in the world. If indeed the nature of the AU Summit of Heads of State and Government was one of vision, foresight and epic leadership aimed at propelling the Continent’s real growth, then one would anticipate that the said Summit would have opened a new realm of serious discussion into active regional cooperation as it involves counter-terrorism measures. One would take it for granted that such a crucial Summit would establish a special committee to make recommendations on the subject of counter-terrorism measures as well as corresponding new agreements and instruments which member states can adopt. One would equally anticipate that the AU, owing to the spread of terrorism on the Continent, would have by this time established a counter-terrorism unit. Such a Counter-terrorism unit would in turn be empowered to control a framework for the deployment of AU tactical counter-terrorism troops under a special assembled and trained Force, into identified areas and hide-outs in the region, particularly areas involving international boundary lines where local armed forces cannot breach.

A few weeks ago African leaders gathered together at the

22nd AU Summit of African Union Heads of State and governments in the Ethiopian Nation’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Across the respective countries, newspapers rolled out pictures of various leaders attending the summit. The question weighing heavily on this writer’s mind is whether our Continent’s ‘great’ leaders engage in real discourse and over what subjects, at such Summits? Certainly, even without a special degree in international relations, the ordinary citizen can correctly speculate that top on the agenda for deliberations of a general Summit of sitting world leaders would rank crucial issues such as regional economic growth, trade and infrastructural development, regional security and peace keeping efforts, poverty and other issues under the development index. If these are the issues under discourse, as is expected, then it is baffling why the Nigerian government, a scant two weeks after its President’s attendance of the said Summit, would proudly issue the statement that International laws and conventions serve as a hindrance to the government’s efforts to effectively combat and stem the “Boko Haram” menace ravaging the Northern region of the country. Upon his return to the Country after the AU Summit, the Nigerian President did not issue any statement to his Country’s public about a pending or realized outcome from the Summit over this expressed challenge. One therefore seriously wonders what African Heads of State and Governments “deliberate” upon, during these periodic Summits.

The new claim of the Nigerian Government is that the inability of soldiers in the Nigerian armed forces to extend their pursuit of “Boko Haram” insurgents to hide-outs which lie outside of Nigeria’s borders, due to international laws and principles of territorial sovereignty is the reason for the nation’s ultimate failure to curb the activities of the vicious group. Prompted by this, a citizen should ask, did

the Nigerian President submit this issue for discussion or passage of any resolution at the recently held AU Summit involving Heads of State and Governments? Did the Nigerian President seek firmer collaborations or newer bilateral agreements with his counterparts from the neighbouring countries, on the issue of enhanced border security and counter-terrorism measures, whilst stressing the point to such neighbours that any current threat to Nigeria exists as an imminent danger to its neighbours? What did the Nigerian President ‘propose’ in terms of a joint resolution by the Summit towards addressing these limitations in the existing legal frameworks, in Nigeria’s favour? What did Mr. President ‘recommend’ as a way out of this so-called dilemma of being caught in the bottleneck of stifling international laws? Do Nigerians continue to simply stand by helplessly, watching, as thousands are cruelly murdered because existing international laws hinder the Nigerian government’s efforts, as is claimed? This writer may be ignorant of AU protocol and nature of Summit discussions but one thing is certain; if the AU Summit by reason of being steeped in rigid protocol cannot address real problems and arrive at critically relevant solutions, then it has become a mere cosmetic apparatus.

In conclusion, the African Union would do well, where it has failed in all else, to maintain its notable efforts in boosting regional security, a point which many have argued stands as the Organisation’s singular noteworthy attribute. However, for such efforts in regional security to be of real impact, they must underscore the newer realities of terrorism. If the AU is to be perceived as a functional body in the 21st century, it must present more than peace keeping efforts on its performance sheet, it will have to incorporate a new and tactical counter-terrorism response.

• Andah, a lawyer, writes from Ibadan

Monday, February 24, 2014 19

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection Escaping death by the whiskers • Seven commuters injured in Ikeja bus accident

By Ayodele Adeniran T was supposed be a rest day for many in Lagos, but yesterday turned out to be a gloomy Sunday for some commuters heading towards Oshodi as their bus was involved in an accident that left many seriously injured. They were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Seven persons were severely injured when the driver of the bus they boarded from Iyana Ipaja lost control, skidded off the road and landed in the deep drainage at Ikeja-Along Bus Stop on its way to Oshodi.

The Guardian gathered that the LT commercial bus with Registration Number XV456GGE, was on top speed, lost control and rammed into the deep drainage at Ikeja- Along BusStop.

The incident happened at about 2.00 p.m. yesterday.

Rescue officials confirmed

PHOTOS: AYODELE ADENIRAN

that seven people sustained injuries. Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) were very prompt in arriving at the scene when the accident occurred

and they were able to attend to those who were injured. Though the driver did not sustain any serious injury, one woman was seriously wounded with a deep gash on her right hand that

Injured persons being attended to by LASEME officials might require some surgery.

“He was running at top speed,” according to eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident.

LASTMA officials on duty, who wanted their names off

print lamented that many of the commercial drivers don’t have Driver’s Licence and if they are arrested, they would be accusing LASTMA officials of being too wicked and highhanded.

Borno donates N30 million to Boko Haram victims, rebuilds destroyed houses, shops From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri HE Borno State government last Friday donated N30 million to the people of Kilde and Gashigar of Mobbar Local Council and border towns with Niger Republic in which 15 residents were slain during the recent insurgency attacks that torched several houses and shops, including Gashigar’s central market.

Presenting the cheque at the Government House in Maiduguri to rep-

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resentatives of affected border communities, the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari said each of the family members of slain residents was to get N20, 000, while the remaining balance would be used in the rebuilding destroyed houses and shops and the whole exercise is to be completed before the end of June.

He said that the assistance was offered by the state government to lessen the hardship being faced by

victims of insurgency in Borno state.

“The state government’s gesture was in line with the governor’s directive to disburse N30 million as donation in sympathy with the victims of insurgency that had been claiming many lives and property in Borno State,” said Kyari.

He added that eight vehicles would also be procured with the fund to compensate those who lost their relations in the attacks, while the re-

maining balance of N30 million would be shared among shop owners whose facilities were destroyed.

He directed the committee for the distribution of the fund to commence the exercise without further delay to enable the victims continue their socio-economic activities.

He also personally donated 10 motorcycles to the three wards of Gashigar, Bogum and Asaga, and N1 million to be shared among the youths in the area.

IGP’s wife commissions modern classrooms for police school

By Odita Sunday HE wife of the Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Zahra Bunu Abubakar at the weekend commissioned an ultra-modern storey building for the Nigeria Police Children School in Asaba.

The edifice which was built by the Delta State Police Command in collaboration with the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) was abandoned by previous administrations of the Command for many years until the new regime under the watch of Commissioner of Police (CP) Ikechukwu Aduba and his wife who is the chairperson of POWA, Delta Sate chapter waded into the matter and actualized the rehabilitation of the project.

Elated Aduba told The Guardian: “The truism that Policing of any given area can only thrive in every aspect where there is effective collaboration with members of the host communities, was practically demonstrated on Thursday 20th February, 2014. My Delta Command invited the creams of Nigeria society including the wife of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to commission an ultra modern story building classroom block and an Administrative Block at Police Children’s School, Asaba, solely built by the Command with great and outstanding input of Delta State Chapter of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) and some public spirited members of the society.”

“It would be recalled that on assumption of office as the Commissioner of Police Delta State on March 13, 2012 and in the course of my duty tour of divisions and formations we saw the state of affairs of the Police Children’s School, Asaba, whose only block of six classrooms was left over the years in a sorry state of disrepair and dilapidation. There were accumulated mucus on the un-plastered decked roof with leakages here and there and the classrooms were bereft of furniture.”

“The command with the full co-operation of the school’s Head Teacher, who also is the Chairperson of Delta State Chapter of POWA and my wife, Mrs Chizor Aduba took up the challenge, reached out and sensitized the senior officers of the Command, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and

Bank donates to senior citizens, orphanage home NTERPRISE Bank Ltd. during E the week reached out to two less-privileged homes in Lagos

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The bus

Briefs

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Wife of the Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Abubaka and the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba at the event members of the civil society on the need to give pealing to the State Government not to be dethe school an enduring face-lift.” terred in aiding the Command by helping us to fiHe added: “The outpouring of love by the good nance some projected areas of the school’s people of Delta State and Officers of the Command facilities yet to be commenced, such as two addiwas indeed tremendous; hence without an input tional classroom blocks and a school Hall, paramfrom the governments, the Command was able to eter fencing of the school, provision of a suitable raise, roof, plaster, paint and furnish the existing and befitting school bus to convey the school’s classroom block and completely built the adminstaff and teeming pupils, landscaping and grassistrative block. ing the school’s premises to checkmate flood and “Against this backdrop, we must not fail to appreerosion. ciate the great supports of the Inspector General “ We also pray that the same hands of fellowship of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, for further demonbe extended to the recently established Police strating his zeal at resuscitating the Force ailing Children’s School, at Warri and Sapele. We want institutions. to further re-assure that this love and commit“Institution building is a continuous project and ment will continuously be reciprocated by our since we have embarked on this, we are deterzeal and enthusiasm at ensuring that Deltans go mined to ensure its continuity. Hence we are apto bed with their two eyes closed.”

State, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

The beneficiaries included the Holy Family Home for the Elderly, managed by Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Mushin area of Lagos State and The Arrows of God Orphanage, Ajah.

Delivering bags of rice to the homes and a goodwill message from the bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Ahmed Kuru, the Head of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Olusola Longe Okenimkpe, said that the essence of the visit and donation was to make the elderly ones have that feelings of love and acceptance, irrespective of the fact

NNRA holds workshop TWO-DAY stakeholders A workshop on dealing, processing and recycling plants, scrap metals and other commodities that could inadvertently contain radioactive material holds today and tomorrow at Ibis Hotel, 23, Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos at 9.00a.m. daily.

It is powered by the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

Foundation tasks senior citizens on exercise, donates mosquito nets to Agege Hospital N order to remain healthy, Ibeen older people in Agege, have urged to use exercise as a tool for controlling blood circulation and muscle in the body system, go for frequent general medical check-up and also reduce their food-intake.

This advice was given by a pioneer member of Hydra Edge Foundation, Mrs. Abiodun Opeifa, at a medical screening organised at the Royal Highness Palace in Agege for both older men and women.

She said the three simple medical tips of exercise, frequent check-up and food quantity reduction, are the panacea for continuous state of sound health and means to preventing common and rampant visits to the hospital.

She urged older residents of Agege to always go for regular medical check-up, particularly women, adding that they should embrace exercise and spend as much as possible of their time on what would eliminate, pains and untimely death.

The free check-up included tests on blood sugar level, high blood pressure, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among others.

Chief Sakirudeen Adelani, who was a benefactor, emphasized the importance of sound health. Another beneficiary, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Adedeji,said that was her first medical check-up to know her health status In a related development, the foundation in conjunction with Rotary Club, Agege District, also donated about 1000 mosquito treated nets to Orile Agege General Hospital to prevent malaria in the area.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

20 Monday, February 24, 2014

Briefs Imoke to open World Telecom Day ROSS River State Governor, Liyel Imoke will declare open the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day slated for Calabar, on May 17, 2014.

The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is being organized in Nigeria by International Community Education Association (ICEA) in conjunction with Centre for Wireless Telecommunication- IREX Technologies on the theme: Effects of Telecommunication on Community Development in Africa, and being co-ordinated by the Chairman, ICEA, Nigeria Chapter, Prof. Isaac Esema, ICEA co-ordinator south-south Region, Prof. Matthew Ebenezer and Associate Professor, Faculty of science and Management Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University,Uyo, Dr. Akpanim Ntekim,.

The event is celebrated yearly on May 17, to mark the anniversary of the signature of the first international telegraph conversion in 1865, which led to the creation of the International Telecommunication Union. The purpose is to raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of internet and telecommunication technologies could bring to societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide.

Esema said it would involve participation of major network operators in Nigeria, government agencies, Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), African Communication Union (ATU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), telecommunication subscribers among others.

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FRSC declares Calabar-Itu Highway a death trap From Anietie Akpan, Calabar HE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Zone RS6 HQ Port Harcourt, comprising: Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River states, has declared Calabar-Itu Federal Highway a death trap.

The Acting Zonal Commanding Officer, Shehu Umar made the call on Monday when the zone met to strategies for 2014 Safety Regulations in Eket Local Council of Akwa Ibom.

He said that Calabar-Itu Road was a death trap and was becoming impassable from Calabar to Uyo while expressing displeasure that the road had claimed over 50 lives in 2013. ``Those dangerous spots have claimed many lives in the past few years and we are calling on the state and Federal Governments, to as a matter of public interest, fix those bad spots on our roads,’’ Umar said.

Umar said further that the flash points include the Itu-Calabar Road, specifically from the Itu Bridge in Akwa Ibom to Odukpani Junction in Cross River and Abak Bridge in Akwa Ibom.

He, however, regretted, that some casualties were recorded in some flash points, which he said, were as a result of the dilapidated condition of the roads.

He said that the meeting was mainly for zonal co-operators and unit commanders to review the activities and successes of the commission in 2013 and charted a comprehensive course of action for 2014.

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Author urges young girls to be patient, God-fearing

By Tolulope Okunlola OUNG girls have been told to be patient in all they do, have the fear of God and believe that no matter how trying their present circumstances are, they will eventually succeed.

Giving that advice at the launch of her book, Girl-Cyclopaedia, the author, Laju Arenyeka, said because bringing up the girlchild was a more difficult responsibility than raising boys, parents should endevour to inculcate into their daughters the virtues of patience and godliness.

“Bringing up a girl child is one of the most difficult responsibilities an adult can have. Yet, it is the job for which we have had practically no formal training. Girls are delicate and more vulnerable than boys, so parents, especially mothers, are expected to take proper care of their female children.”

She said girls have so many questions to ask their parents but may be ashamed to do so, while seeking advice from friends could lead them astray.

The book, Girl-Cyclopaedia, she said “contains answers to some questions that young girls could have in mind. I believe that when it comes to young girls, God is personally interested and if they can keep their heads up high, they can conquer all situations.

“I have seen girls that got pregnant and got married and thought that was the end of their future but really, it was not.

There is always a second chance for everybody, if they can focus and get determined towards the future that they hold for themselves, with God on their side, it would turn out to be positive. All you have to do is to have positive thought towards yourself and your future.

“They should have that sense of hope and I believe that if young girls can read the book, they would have answers to most of the questions bothering them.”

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The Gambia beckons Nigerian tourists HE Gambia, Africa’s most popular tourist destination, has T thrown its doors open to discerning Nigerian visitors seeking an exotic vacation, a family holiday, or savvy corporate organizations requiring high quality facilities for corporate meetings. ‘’We have concluded plans to implement a comprehensive multifaceted campaign in Nigeria to launch The Gambia as a year round destination of choice to all categories of Nigerians’’ said Adama Njie, Marketing Director, Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard).

Adam Njie revealed that, through accredited agents and operators, all classes of Nigerian visitors can now have access to comprehensive round-the-year travel and tour packages to enjoy the world renowned hospitality, the spontaneous smile and the warmth of the people of The Gambia. ‘’For years, The Gambia has been the region’s most formidable destination for people from all over the world. We believe the country offers special attractions which are yet to be discovered

by Nigerians.

Also, according to Benjamin A. Roberts, the Director General of the GTBoard, ‘’Nigerians are very hard working and busy people, with a great need for leisure and rest.’’ ‘’Our unique geographical position at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, enables The Gambia to remain an attractive tourism destination with natural waterways that extend the entire length of the country; lagoons, islands and islets for water sporting, fishing and inland cruise activities.’’

Mystery surrounds death of corps member • NYSC denies he died of cholera despite being treated of disease in the hospital From Murtala Muhammed, Kano IKE his colleagues, Abbas Ltional Lawal, a Batch B 2013 NaYouth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Kano State, had been looking forward to fulfilling his humble dreams in life, after finishing his NYSC. But unknown to his co-NYSC members and friends, Abbas would not even live to witness their Passing Out ceremony (POP) later this year.

Abbas Lawal, 26, reportedly died of cholera on February 13, at the Infectious Diseases Hospital IDH, Kano, after frequenting the toilet throughout the previous night.

Several cases of cholera had been recorded in the last two months in Kano, forcing the Ministry of Health to mount series of media campaigns and public enlightenment on the need to ensure a hygienic environment.

However, the management of the NYSC in Kano denied the existence of any contamination of infectious disease around the Corpers’ Lodge where Abbas was living. They insisted that Abbas passed on after a protracted illness.

Until his sudden death, the Computer Science graduate of Federal University Technology, Minna, was the only computer teacher at Government Girls’ College, formerly Women Teachers College, Kano, the place of his primary assignment.

The Guardian learnt that Abbas was looking very healthy until that Thursday morning when he told his fellow NYSC that he was not feeling too strong. Even with his state of health, it was gathered that the Kaduna-bred Abbas could not avoid to miss the excitement of the POP of his colleagues that fateful day. “ Although Abbas complained that he wasn’t feeling fine that morning, but he was the one that snapped all our pictures that morning before we left for the Passing Out Parade.

He told me he went to the toilet more than seven times before day break,” Mathias David, a room-mate explained.

David hinted that about four NYSC members took

The late Lawal Abbas to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, a government-owned hospital, at about 12.15p.m. after many of them departed for the POP, but Abbas was only given sugar/salt solution to drink by the nurses in the absence of doctors.

He was brought back home and later died at IDH in the evening. But the NYSC members alleged members of NYSC were being neglected at public hospitals because NYSC could not settle their bills.

David further said: “We left for POP in the morning but I am aware he was taken to Murtala Muhammed Hospital but he was not given adequate treatment because the hospital people normally tell us NYSC will not pay. But Abbas was given salt mixed with water and they asked my colleagues to take him back home. When we return around 4.00p.m. we found Abbas had almost collapsed. There and then, we rushed him to IDH at exactly 5.00p.m. The nurses at the IDU attended to us but Abbas finally gave up around 6.15p.m.”

Although the cause of Abbas’ death was not immediately revealed, but the management of IDU deployed staff to fumigate the 10-room corps members’

The Corpers’ Lodge lodge and distributed medication to the remaining serving corps members.

Abbas’ corpse was taken to Kaduna that same night as demanded by the father in company of two NYSC staff and six corps members not after receiving the medical reports from IDH. When contacted Kano state NYSC coordinator Mr Abdulrasheed Sanusi told The Guardian on telephone that Abbas Lawal was one the 37 corps members serving at Government Girls College.

He said Abbas did not die of cholera or any infectious disease noting that the late youth corp member died naturally after suffering from an unknown sickness.

When asked about the details of the medical report received from the hospital, the coordinator said he has not collected any report from the hospital.

“The corps member in question was sick and taken to the hospital. That was around noon on Thursday but in the evening unfortunately the boy gave up the ghost. The cause of the death is not known at this point because we are yet to collect the medical reports.

We communicated to the parents and the corpse was taken to Kaduna as requested by the father. So with the activity that night we were very busy and we

could not collect the medical report but we would definitely collect the report because we have to make it known to the father.”

But in what seemed a contradictory statement, the father of the late corps member Mallam Abbas Abubakar told The Guardian that NYSC confirmed that his son died of cholera.

“I have left everything to God. I was told my son died on Thursday evening and I asked them to bring my son’s corps to Kaduna that same night. But the NYSC told me Lawal died of cholera. I believe it is time and I have left everything to God,” Mallam Abubakar lamented.

Nevertheless, a very senior medical officer at Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Kano, confirmed to The Guardian that Abbas suffered from acute diarrhea and vomiting which eventually degenerated to cholera.

As at the time of filing this report the Government Girls College corpers’ lodge where more than 16 corps members reside, only make use of one toilet. It was also learnt that corps members serving in the school are not being been paid. When contacted the principal Hajia Diji Illiasu Sumaila confirmed the death of Abbas Lawal but declined to speak further.

Stop sending girl-child for imaginary ‘deliverance,’ Fayemi’s wife warns parents HE Wife of Ekiti State govT ernor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has cautioned parents against exposing their girlchild to sexual predators while seeking imaginary spiritual cleansing, otherwise known as deliverance.

She said many under-aged girls have unwittingly become sex slaves while being held captive by the so-called religious leaders, leading to pregnancy and fatal abortions.

She disclosed these at a Stakeholders’ Forum on the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy, organized by the Women Health and Action Research Centre, in collaboration with the Ekiti Development Foundation, in Ado-Ekiti, on Tuesday.

Bisi Fayemi said: “When you send your girl-child to all

these spiritual homes for imaginary deliverance, they become exposed to illicit sex by the so-called religious leaders expected to ‘deliver’ or heal them.”

“While I will not cast aspersions at any religion, I want to charge you parents to learn to intercede on your children’s behalf. Who says your prayers will not be answered if you pray to God?” “These sexual predators masquerading as religious leaders carry out all sorts of unprintable stunts in the name of cleansing. In the end they end up impregnating these girls.”

She called for concerted approach to stem the tide of teenage pregnancy in the country to safeguard the wellbeing and future of the girlchild.

In this regard, the governor’s

wife said parents, traditional institutions, religious bodies, educational institutions, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and members of each community had a role to play.

With hindsight, she said young girls were being exploited by paedophiles and sometimes their peers owing to ignorance, neglect, negligence and poverty, particularly among parents.

The governor’s wife promised to continue to collaborate with other institutions to invoke the provisions of the Child Rights Law already in operation in the state to curb the trend of teenage pregnancy.

She reminded the gathering that it was a punishable offence for a man to have sexual intercourse with a girl

under the age of 18, not minding the usual claim of mutual consent by the perpetrators.

She added: “In Ekiti State and in a couple of states in Nigeria, we have the Child Rights’ Law and under the provision of the law, sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 18 is child- rape.

“If an older man has sexual intercourse with a girl less than 18 years, the man needs to be arrested to face charges of child-rape. The present administration in Ekiti will not allow the lives of our youths to be wasted as a result of teenage pregnancy.”

The governor’s wife noted that empowerment and increased sensitization of women and education of the girl-child was paramount to curbing the incidence in the state.

Monday, February 24, 2014 21

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Focus Yoruba in Kwara, Kogi reject minority status From Ilorin, ABIODUN FAGBEMI distills the age long but renewed arguments of the Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi states, who are tired of being referred to as ‘conquered territories.’ kith and kin in the present South West geo-political zone of Nigeria; with whom we share common boundary, culture, tradition, folklores, artifacts, mores etc. We hinge this demand on the S.8(2) of the 1999 Federal Constitution of Nigeria.

N the first Republic, they were called IasIlorin/Kabba Yoruba. Today, they are referred to either Okun Yoruba of Kogi state, or Igbomina, Ibolo, Ekiti and Ilorin Yoruba of Kwara state. The bottom line is: they are all tribes of the expansive Yoruba nation, the chunk of which comprises Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states.

While they are in six local council areas of Kogi state, they also occupy 12 out of the existing 16 councils of Kwara state. The combined population of the Yoruba, in Kwara and Kogi states, is about 2.4million, greater than the population of the present Kwara state.

These facts, put together by some Yoruba activists domiciled among the people of the North Central geo political zone of the country, are the reason why they are now crying out with one voice, for a new identity that would realign them with their kith and kin in the present South West geo political zone.

Going down the memory lane at a recent conference, organised by the Kwara South Consultative Forum, ahead of National Conference at Omu-Aran, in Irepodun local council area of Kwara state, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo said the Yoruba in both Kwara and Kogi states could no longer be regarded as a conquered people.

According to Oyedepo, the former Chief Whip of the Kwara State House of Assembly, with the assassination of Afonja in 1817 and the subsequent invasion of the Alaafin of Oyo territory by the Fulani Jihadists, Ilorin and its adjoining settlements that used to be part of the expansive Oyo Empire, passed on to the Fulani oligarchy that constituted a new power elite in the conquered territory.

He added: “the conquered territory then became part of the expansive Sokoto Caliphate, whose seat of government is in Sokoto town, thousands of kilometres from Yorubaland. The Jihadists changed the socio/political destiny and the destination of the Yoruba in what is now known as a Northern territory.

“But the political suzerainty over the conquered Yoruba was to last for 86 years, from 1817 to 1903.

For in 1903, the British also conquered the conqueror, when Sultan Attahiru was killed by Lord Lugard’s army in the battle of Burmi.”

The former lawmaker noted that Lugard failed to dissolve the caliphate after the victory, with its dire consequences on the Yoruba elements within the concerned territories.

He said: “after the caliphate army’s defeat in 1903, what the British should have done was to dissolve the caliphate and create political units based on the multi lingua composition of the territory. But the British, in pursuit of their selfish imperialist interests, recognised the spurious claim of the caliphate that they are the owner of the territory of the Yoruba of Kogi and Kwara states, on the strength of alleged military conquest of about 197 years ago.

“Thus, all the political structuring and restructuring, from the creation of Northern and Southern protectorates in 1900, to the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 to form the polity of Nigeria; then to the transformation of the three culturally artificial regions, initially established for North, West and the East in 1939, but made fully autonomous units of federal polity under the Richards Constitution of 1954, and even later to the creation of states in 1967, 1976 and 1991; have not satisfied the yearning and aspirations of the Yoruba in Northern Nigeria.”

While praising the successive generations of the Yoruba in the North before now, for putting up a yeoman’s fight by agitating for the merger plan, the Akogun of Isin land said until the plan turns to reality, the issues associated with alleged political and economic domination of the Yoruba in the geo political zone and their estrangement from the cultural and linguistic origin of their forbears would persist.

Speaking on the cardinal Principle of Federalism, he said: “If a country is bi-lingual or multi lingua, the constitution must be federal and the constituting states must be organised on a linguistic basis. This is what is called the multilingual principle. When the administrative unit was regional, between 1954 and 1967, there were more than 51 nationalities in the North. Examples are the Angas, Birom, Hausa, Fulani, Kaje, Tiv, Gwari, Igala, Kamberi, Eggon, Nupe and so on.

“But of all the nationalities in the North, only the Yoruba have the major chunk of their kith and kin in the contiguous Western Region. For example, you cannot find Angas or Tiv anywhere except in the present Plateau state, and you cannot find Igala in any other place in Nigeria except in the Kogi state. Yoruba categorised to be part of the North is like a forcible uproot from the sources to claim abode in a strange cultural place. This even appears to be a misnomer in Federalism.

“If the Northern Yoruba are in the heartland of the North, perhaps in the region like Kaduna or Katsina area, it could be said that the pocket of the Yoruba is not contiguous with their fellow Yoruba of the West. Their existence in the North would have been justified, more so, if they are too few to merit the creation of a new state or region. This, indeed, is the fate of the Yoruba of Ogori Mangogo in Kogi state, who occupy a small enclave between the Ebiras and the Igalas and therefore not contiguous with their Yoruba brothers of Okun land. The best that can be done is the creation of a separate council for them, as they cannot be joined with their kith and kin and they are too few to form a state of their own.”

The perceived problems of domination and retention of the Yoruba in the Northern part of Nigeria has, no doubt, formed the thrust of how many elites of the North continually viewed the Kwara state within the North.

Oyedepo reminisced: “in 1953, when the Northern delegation to the first Constitutional Conference assembled in Kano, the then Sultan of Sokoto, Sir Abubakar III, sent a telegram to them, instructing them never to allow an inch of Northern land to be ceded to another region.

The same sentiment is often expressed by one of the conservative political elites from the North, Dr Junaid Mohammed that Kwara and Kogi states are conquered territories of the North. The caliphate and their intellectuals believe that Kwara state is the southern boundary of the North. But the caliphate is defunct and with the creation of states from 1967 and thereafter, the North is already decimated. The North of the Sardauna era can no more be part of our political structure and experience. Those that are nostalgic about the old North so as to bring it into reckoning and operation are in the land of fantasy and fallacy.”

He added: “(Retired) General Ibrahim Babangida’s state creation in 1991 can be regarded as the continuation of war of pacification of the Yoruba territory by some other means, through the instrument of state creation. While in a federal system, every linguistic group

should be made to remain as an undivided unit in any one constituent state; Babangida’s 1991 creation excised the Yoruba of Kwara state from the Yoruba of Kogi state.”

Oyedepo was also of the opinion that there were some (political and civil service) offices in Nigeria to which the Yoruba in the North could never aspire for or that such aspirations could be at their own peril.

He explained: “When Chief Sunday Awoniyi, the late Aro of Mopa, attempted to be the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was then the sitting President of Nigeria, and though a Yoruba man from another zone, Awoniyi was outrightly prevented from being elected, purely on the claim of being a Yoruba man like the President.

“Besides, when the Presidency of this country was conventionally zoned to the South West in 1999 and Dr Olusola Saraki showed interest, his ambition was shot down on the claim that the Presidency by then was not for the North. When it was the turn of the North, his son, Dr Bukola Saraki, who then showed interest in the Presidency could not be preferred to Abubakar Atiku. The two above incidences confirm that no minority linguistic group, including one made a minority by political design, can be truly happy as long as it is made to live in an association with a majority national group in the same constituent unit.”

Oyedepo believes that the recent agitation at a conference by the Yoruba in Kwara on the merger issue and boundary adjustment in Nigeria to eradicate the problems associated with minority group citing S8(2) of the 1999 Constitution, was a just course.

At the conference with the theme: The Kwara State Yoruba and the National Conference, organized by an umbrella Socio/ Cultural Organization of all Yoruba of the South Senatorial District of Kwara, Ekiti, Oke Ero, Irepodun, Ifelodun, Isin, Offa and Oyun local councils of Kwara Sate) at Omu Aran City Hall, the Yoruba said they were at a great disadvantage by remaining as a minority in Kwara.

The Yoruba of the other five local council area: (Ilorin East, West, South, Asa, Moro) of the state were also there. The Okun Development Association (ODA) of the Yoruba in Kogi State was represented. There were goodwill messages from the Yoruba in Canada and America.

A communiqué issued at the end of the conference stated: “It is in the best interest of the Yoruba people of Kwara State to request for a boundary adjustment, which will accommodate the desires and interests of the Yoruba of Kwara and Kogi states to be appropriately grouped with our

“Yoruba people of Kwara State reject vehemently their minority status in the North, where they have been permanently disadvantaged, especially in seeking limelight political offices and key economic advantages as we are like bat (neither animal nor bird) in the North where as a result of our language and culture, we are regarded as Yoruba and as a result of demographic partition, the South West regard us as Northerners. We have the greatest chunk of our people in the South West Nigeria.”

The conference viewed with concern, the alleged political conspiracy that informed the non-implementation of a plebiscite as recommended by the Henry Willinks Commission of enquiry into the grievances of the minorities in 1958. It felt that if the result of the plebiscite had been implemented before independence, the Yoruba of the North would not have had any business to be made part of the North “even at independence.”

The Communique added: “The outcome of the issue of the boundary adjustment at the National Conference should be subjected to a referendum to authenticate the desires of the people.

“The Conference viewed with embarrassment and insult, some spurious claims that the territories of the Yoruba of the North is the property of the defunct caliphate and it is hereby emphasized that not an inch of Yoruba land will be yielded to any power outside Yoruba land.

“It is also resolved that the Yoruba of the North are not fairly governed in the states they are now forced to belong and that in the event of an issue of state creation at the National Conference, the Northern Yoruba whose population, by 2006 is more than two and a half million people, will want to be formed into a state where they can govern themselves with fairness, justice and equity.

“It is also resolved that since the Yoruba of the North have some age long grievances as to the issue of the structure of Nigeria, special provisions should be made in both Kogi and Kwara states to make for adequate representations of the interests of the people at the National Conference.

“The people also resolved that in the event of not being given adequate opportunities at the National Conference, we shall commence immediate legal action under the Africa Peoples Charter over the negative and repressive conditions that the Yoruba people of the Northern Nigeria are currently going through. We shall, through that, seek to be part of the state or region we want to belong. The provisions of The Africa People’s Charter also provide for a referendum, which we are, at all times, prepared for.

Speaking on the efforts of the Yoruba in the recent past, a former council chairman of Ekiti LGA of Kwara, Dr Olusegun Bamidele, said the last state’s creation by the military failed to address the merger issue in both Kwara and Kogi. According to Bamidele, “after the First Republic and with the advent of the military came the issue of states’ creation. To our dismay, this did not address our fears. We were again lumped into the Northern part of Nigeria in the then Kwara state up till date.

“Efforts to get a state of ours became a continuous mirage. Attempt at Oya state to embrace Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi did not see the light of the day as well as the Osin or Oke Oodua State for Yoruba of Kwara South came to nothing.

Recent efforts for Igbomina state are yet to see the light of the day.

“But for me, our today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow I believe will be better than today. The baseline is Freedom and a return to the Southwest as was the case at the beginning.

This is the minimum we asked for.”

For Brigadier-General Tunde Bello, when linguistically different people are forcefully lumped, it would be an antithesis to the socio political and economic development of such people. To him, refusal to grant his people their wishes would put them in perpetual sorrow and oppression.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014

CMEC/EURAFRIC takes over Sapele power plant

By Roseline Okere (Lagos) and Chidi Okafor, (Warri) MEC/EURAFRIC Energy Limited, Plc., core investor in the Sapele Power plant, has paid $129.5 million, being the balance of 75 per cent for the asset.

Consequently, the power plant has been handed over to the company, thus concluding transaction on the five generating and 10 distribution companies.

The Sapele Power plant, it was learnt, has installed

C

capacity of 1020 mega watts but is only producing 270 mega watts of electricity.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), said in a statement yesterday, that the remaining two successor companies - Afam Power Plc. and Kaduna Disco will be handed over to their respective owners after payment of the 75 per cent balance of the acquisition cost.

The company was considered for a bid of $201 million for the power plant and

CMEC/EURAFRIC had requested for extension of the payment deadline in accordance with the share sale greement. This request was carefully considered and the Attorney General’s advice sought before the National Council on Privatization (NCP) gave its approval. paid $50.25 million, which is 25 per cent of the amount by the deadline of March 21, 2013 as was required.

The company was however unable to complete the payment of the remaining 75 per cent by the end of the deadline of August 21, 2013; but paid an additional

amount of $79.19 million to bring the total amount paid to $129.44 million.

CMEC/EURAFRIC had requested for extension of the payment deadline in accordance with the share sale greement. This request was carefully considered and the Attorney General’s

advice sought before the National Council on Privatization (NCP) gave its approval.

On that basis, the Bureau wrote to CMEC/EURAFRIC

conveying the approval, but quickly reminded the company that the extension was subject to its pay-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Financial stocks buoy NSE’s turnover

By Helen Oji turnover of 6.973 billion A shares worth N24.439 billion were exchanged in 27,633 deals by investors on the floor of the Exchange last week, in contrast to a total of 1.918 billion shares valued at N25.134 billion that changed hands last in 25,346 deals during the preceding week.

Specifically, at the closed of transactions last week, the financial services industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 6.587 billion shares valued at N18.160 billion traded in 16,800 deals; thus contributing 94.46per cent and 74.31per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The conglomerates industry followed with a turnover of 137.850 million shares worth N815.029 million in 1,449 deals.

The third place was occupied by the consumer goods industry with 77.493 million shares worth N3.376 billion in 4,014 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely, Oasis Insurance

Plc, Zenith International Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 5.038 billion shares worth N8.227 billion in 3,053 deals, contributing 72.25per cent and 33.66per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

A total volume of 4,630,595,326 units valued at 2,546,827,429.30 in three deals were executed as an off market trades on Oasis Insurance Plc at N0.55 on the 17th February, 2014.

Also traded during the week were a total of 641 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N1.343 million executed in six deals compared with a total of 225 units of NewGold valued at N459, 220. 00 transacted last week in six deals.

Similarly, 100 units of FGN bonds valued at N113, 286.73 were this week traded in one deal compared with a total of 600 units of FGN bonds valued at N663, 189.87 million transacted last week in seven deals.

The NSE All-Share Index and

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Head, Corporate Strategy, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Babajide Oniwide (left); Chairman, Chibudom Nwuche; Deputy Commissioner, Finance and Administration, George Onekhena; and Head, Lagos Control Office, Emmanuel Farinu, during a media briefing by Nwuche, on regulatory initiatives of the commission in Lagos, at the weekend

Exchange Rates as at Friday, February 21

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FINANCIAL GUARDIAN

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Ecobank projects $5 billion yearly for power sector funding

By Chijioke Nelson COBANk Nigeria may have positioned itself to effect strategic shift in power sector funding, as it projected a whopping $5 billion investment yearly, for the next five years, beginning from 2014.

According to the bank, that was in line with its policy to support the growth and development of the power sector in Nigeria, being its own contribution to the sec-

E

tor’s transformation initiated by the federal government through its privatisation programme.

The bank noted that it had played a major role on the buy-side of the power sector privatization exercise by providing financial advisory services, lead arranger roles, acquisitioning financing to guarantees and Companies Distribution Generating (DISCOS), Companies (GENCOS) and National Integrated Power

Firm takes over power plant CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 ment of the penalty, which is interest on the outstanding balance (at the prevailing rate of LIBOR + five per cent) with effect from the day of default. The company was also warned that the extension, which would elapse on January 29, 2014, was final.

The payment deadline was met by the core investor, hence the handover.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Sepele, Delta State, the Director General of BPE, Benjamin Dikki has attributed the successes recorded in the power sector reform and privatization to the dogged leadership provided by President Goodluck Jonathan and his Vice, Mohammed Namadi Sambo.

Dikki said the dogged leadership of the President and Vice President and their insistence to the strict adherence to transparency and accountability was the difference between success and failure of the transactions.

He said the Jonathan administration has made a conscious effort to make the private sector the driver of economic growth in Nigeria; adding that the power sector reform was part of the administration’s avowed commitment to make Nigeria better than it met it.

He noted that it was not by chance that Nigeria’s power sector reform and privatization was adjudged the biggest, most transparent and comprehensive power sector privatization in recent history.

Dikki assured Nigerians, especially the host community that Sapele Power Plc would soon achieve the maximum installed capacity and begin to expand capacity, creating more jobs and opportunities for all Nigerians.

The BPE boss enjoined Nigerians to be patient, adding that in a few years, the successes recorded in the Telecoms reforms would pale when compared to the opportunities expected in the power sector reform.

Plants (NIPP).

Ecobank’s Country Head, Power and Energy, Olufunke Jones, explained that the bank’s objective was focused on playing actively at all levels of the sector’s privatization, which includes distribution, transmission and generation.

She said that Nigeria had one of the largest gaps between demand and supply for electricity and to bridge this gap, the country requires a combination of favourable government policies, private sector participation and Foreign Direct Investment, as well as transparency and persistent monitoring that will guarantee an improved business environment.

She pointed out that the current power reforms had created opportunities for capital and operating expenditures funding, which was a consequence of the handover to the new owners.

In her words: “There is the urgent need to rehabilitate the distribution networks in order to make them robust and flexible enough to accommodate the nation’s demand for power.”

Also, the Local Account Manager, Corporate Banking Group, Mrs. Funmilola Ogunmekan, said, “unlike the telecommunications new where industry investors were able to take advantage of new technologies to redefine industry

norms, the power sector is faced with the challenges of upgrading mostly obsolete equipment and processing under a traditional technology framework.

“This, amongst others, is the immediate challenge before the potential of the industry is fully manifested.”

Ogunmekan reiterated that in 2014, Ecobank would leverage its position as a bank with the third largest branch network to provide effective utility collections and cash management services, while providing the required additional capital and operating funding expenditures requirement for at least five of the DISCOs across the country.

“Ecobank has partnered with these companies to put in place an effective and seamless utility collection system, devoid of leakages and supported by a robust IT infrastructure.

“The bank has provided Bid Bond Facilities to some of the major approved contractors in line with National Regulatory Electricity Company expectations, for the Credited Advanced Metering Prepaid Implementation (CAPMI) Scheme,” she added.

“Ecobank will continue to partner with the players in the power sector to achieve the transformational agenda of the government,” she added.

IOSCO strategises to deepen markets with stronger regulations

By Helen Oji HE Board of the T International Organization of Securities Committees (IOSCO) has unveiled its strategies to focus on key issues facing global financial markets and securities regulators to enhance emerging market resilience.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who delivered a special address at the IOSCO board dinner, which took place at kuala Lumpur, last week, emphasized the key role IOSCO plays in shaping long-term architecture of global capital markets.

The meeting, according to a report posted on IOSCO website, intensified its commitment to regulators in growth and emerging markets in building resilient capital markets to withstand volatility in global markets while supporting sustained economic

growth.

The Board, according to the report agreed to measures that deliver on its commitments to the G20/FSB reform priorities and to focus on supporting market based financing as a driver of economic growth.

It also made progress on organizational and cooperation initiatives designed to ensure that IOSCO has the funding, organizational framework and outlook needed to anticipate and respond to issues in emerging and advanced securities markets through to 2020.

The Chair of the IOSCO Board, Greg Medcraft said: “This meeting reinforced IOSCO’s role as the key global reference point for securities regulators, industry and policy makers in supporting the accelerating importance of market-based finance. Our approach has four dimensions: Delivering on the G20 reform agenda, deepening capacity building in growth and emerging markets, defining the regulatory priorities and developing standards and principles to sup-

port growing role market based finance will play in financing economic growth on an ongoing basis.

The meeting, according to the report, highlighted how the co-operation and engagement, which were at the core of IOSCO would drive these outcomes.

On the growth and emerging markets, issues pertaining to emerging markets were deliberated extensively by the IOSCO Board, who heard from an international panel of key emerging market investors and experts from international organisations on current risks in emerging markets and

their implications.

The deliberations, according to the report, further built on discussions held by the IOSCO’s Growth and Emerging Steering (GEM) Market Committee.

The GEM Steering Committee of leading emerging market regulators reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the resilience of emerging markets by strengthening institutional structures; adopting a more forward-looking and pro-active approach in risk identification; and building regulatory capacity, including in the area of supervision and enforcement.

Financial stocks buoy NSE’s turnover CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 Market Capitalisation both depreciated by 1.22per cent and 1.01per cent to close on Friday at 38,295.74 and N12.301 trillion respectively.

Likewise, all of the NSE sector indices depreciated during the week with the exception of one. The NSE 30 depreciated by 1.49per cent to close at 1,715.95,

NSE Insurance by 1.30per cent to close at 141.72, NSE Lotus II by 0.99per cent to close at 2,811.18.

The NSE Consumer Goods index depreciated by 1.20per cent to close at 984.06, NSE Banking index edged lower by 2.50per cent to close at 359.34, the NSE Industrial Goods index sheds 0.72per cent to close at 2, 532.30.

However, the NSE Oil/Gas rose

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014

FINANCIALGUARDIAN

MONEY & BANKING

Fidelity Bank’s SME forum harps on finance as key for start-ups

By Chijioke Nelson FINANcIAl analyst and A promoter of private sector-led investments in Nigeria reiterated the critical role, which capital plays in start-up companies, even as he listed the business’ needs for enabling environment to thrive.

Speaking on the topic: “Sources of capital for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the options and requirements”, at the weekly radio programme organised

by Fidelity Bank, the Managing Director/chief Executive Officer, African capital Alliance, Okechukwu Enelamah, said that the key thing an entrepreneur needs when starting a new busi-

ness is funding.

“In the industry, people talk of the three ‘Fs’, - family, friends and foes. People typically start off with their own savings, with family, friends and foes, those who are prepared to support them anyway as an act of trust.

“What they all have in common is relationship with the entrepreneurs when they are building their businesses”.

He explained that people naturally go to sources where they have existing relationships to access funds because they do not have track records that could help them access institutional capital.

“From there, they can move

to the next stage and with the right legislation and encouragement in the arena they find themselves, they can always rise and thrive and then we can also come in to aid them rise to the next level. But they have to make the bold step of starting up first”, he said He however, advised potential investors not to focus solely on ways of raising capital, but to also spend quality time to plan and think through the business before starting up so as to increase their success rate in the business.

“To increase your odds of success, one of the most important things is proper planning and execution.

Planning is where the busi-

ness comes in. For a lot of people, when I say planning, here, I mean the ability to think through and it may be a fancy business plan but it has to be well conceived.”

He also stressed the need for human capacity development to enable entrepreneurs attract the right kind of personnel to their business.

“In execution, I would say the most important thing is to have the kind of people around you that will increase the odds of success.

An entrepreneur may bring the idea but he may need a general manager that brings traditional general management skills to organize the team. If he can’t afford that, then he

might need somebody else that complements him because two good heads are better than one”, he said.

Enelamah urged government to create the enabling environment for businesses in the country to thrive and succeed which according to him ranges from things like basic infrastructure or soft infrastructure like property rights, automated company registration process and other tools that entrepreneurs may not have when they are setting up.

“An entrepreneur might have a great idea but if you go to places like silicon valley, apart from getting people who have experimented or done business in the space, they get mentoring,

access to market, access to technology and everything else that is not core to the business. So the core is brought and everything else is added,” he said.

Fidelity SME Forum is a deliberate attempt by the bank to resuscitate SMEs and create a new generation of entrepreneurs with the “I can do” spirit in Nigeria.

It is not only seen as the bank’s believe in SMEs as a growth catalyst, but also a clear commitment to efforts aimed at revamping the Nigerian economy.

The weekly programme, essentially seeks to empower Nigerian entrepreneurs with knowledge, know-how and expertise that will help them build successful businesses.

26 Monday, February 24, 2014

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MARKET REPORT AS AT 21=02=2014

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MONDAY, FEBrUArY 24, 2014

FINANCIALGUARDIAN

MONEY & BANKING

CBN, ChamsAccess canvass shared technology to boost card payment system

By Adeyemi Adepetun O retain and attract new T cardholders, increase activation rates, as well as card programme profitability, deposit money banks in the country have been advised to take advantage of financial instant issuance solution.

This view was raised by experts at the DatacardChamsAccess Financial Instant Issuance Seminar for deposit money banks, switch operators and certified card issuers in the country recently.

Speaking at the Seminar, Director, Shared Services

Office, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chidi Umeano described financial instant issuance as the next frontier for payment cards in the banking industry. He stated that banks in developing and advanced financial markets are presently deploying the instant issuance solution to position their brands for future advancements in the fast paced payment cards ecosystem.

In deploying Instant Issuance solution in the Nigerian market, Umeano, who was represented by the Deputy Manager, Shared Services Office, Babatunde Ajiboye urged

banks to consider the Shared Service Centre approach, which entails integrating the solution with an existing central infrastructure in the market. He said that that would ensure the existence of a fully interoperable and streamlined process at the backend and points of issuance thereby strengthening the existing relationships between issuers, payments schemes and other value chain players.

On her part, Managing Director, ChamsAccess Limited, Funke Alomoluwa

said “the contemporary consumer want banks to offer great, convenient and secure products and services that align with their lifestyle.

She explained that Instant Issuance of payment cards provide deposit money banks with a real opportunity to respond to this ubiquitous yearning, adding that the solution makes it possible for new and existing customers of banks to walk into their branch to pick up a fully-functioning debit/credit card with exceptional security features in a few minutes. This will

indeed delight the contemporary consumer.

“For the banks, Instant Issuance has huge benefits too. These include improved customer experience, reduced costs, and increased profitability. Available statistics from prior deployments

by Datacard Group in other markets indicate that banks using Instant Issuance solution record higher debit/credit cards activation rates than banks that do not. Instant Issuance creates opportunities for banks to increase payment cards activation rates,

customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as profitability.”

Financial Instant Issuance Sales Manager, EMEA, Datacard Group and lead facilitator at the seminar, Paul Ballington described CardWizard Financial Instant Issuance Solution by Datacard as the world’s best selling software in its segment with full PCI PA-DSS compliance, about 7500 installations worldwide, and integration with over 30 card management systems and network activation switches.

FirstBank appoints new MD for mortgage subsidiary Bank of Nigeria Limited FOni,IrST has appointed Adenrele as the Managing Director of its subsidiary FBN Mortgages Limited.

The appointment is in continuation of the financial institution’s far-reaching efforts to deepen its ongoing corporate transformation exercise.

Prior to his appointment, Oni was the Chief representative Officer for the FirstBank’s South African office and President, South Africa-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce.

He is on the Board of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in South Africa (NIDO SA).

As the Managing Director of FBN Mortgages, he will be required to provide complete vertically integrated mortgage

and real estate solutions for individuals and businesses in the country, thereby improving the quality of residential and commercial accommodation choices in the state and the nation at large in line with the bank’s philosophy of national development.

According to the Group Managing Director of FirstBank, Bisi Onasanya, “the choice of the new Managing Director of our mortgages subsidiary is in line with the bank’s commitment to sustaining the ongoing corporate transformation, as well as enhance the capacity of the senior management, while deepening specialization and strengthening the corporate governance culture of the bank.

The incoming Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo (left), past MD/CEO, Nebolisa Ara; outgoing MD/CEO, Reginald Ihejiahi, and the Chairman, Dr. Christopher Ezeh, at the thanksgiving service in honour of Ihejiahi at the church of The Assumption Catholic Church, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday

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Lemo links economic growth to SMEs’ development, electronic payments

By Adeyemi Adepetun MMEDIATE past Deputy ICentral Governor, Operations, at the Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Tunde Lemo has reiterated the need for the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to be given utmost attention if the economy must move at the global pace.

Besides, Lemo said that electronic payments also held developmental ace for Nigeria in the nearest future.

Speaking in Lagos, at a dinner organised in his honour by the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN), Lemo said that the growth profile of electronic transactions in Nigeria had been gaining impressive tractions.

The former CBN deputy governor noted that all over the world, SME was key to real sector growth. He stressed that in advanced economy, SMEs accounted for over 50 per cent of the volume of business transacted, “and in Nigeria for we to grow double digit, we definitely have to look at the SME growth.

Thank God that President Jonathan’s transformation agenda actually targets SMEs. Recently there was a launch of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and about N220 billion is earmarked for that.”

According to him, the bulk of Nigerian businesses was in

MSMEs and so if government could give them access to finance and provide them with infrastructure such that cost of business is reduced, through availability of power, then this economy is set to blossom.

He said that currently the GDP was reviewed, saying that when it was concluded, “we are sure to have close to $500 billion GDP. Today our GDP is a little less than $300 billion and when that is achieved, we will become the biggest economy in Africa.

If that is supported by government action, which already identity SMEs as the key to economic growth, then Nigerian economy will become an economy to watch, because we are giant in the making and with all hands on deck, we shall achieve it.”

Furthermore, at the event, which had as its Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer of Chams Plc., Demola Aladekomo, the former CBN chief disclosed that 78 per cent of daily bank transactions in Nigeria was done electronically as against cash transactions.

According to him: “That figure of transaction is what is being transacted on a daily basis.

Today, we only have 22 per cent of over 134 billion bulk money transaction was done by physical cash and by cheques.

Electronic funds transfer, and the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement Systems, NIBSS,

instant payment, did the rest.

“The electronic funds transfer goes through the clearinghouse and the customer gets the credit the following day, but with the NIBSS instant payment, the customer gets the credit instantly.

The other two combined therefore accounted for 78 per cent.

This means that Nigerians are embracing the cashless policy of the CBN and this means of that Nigerians are now less dependent on cheques and cash.

“Today in the U.S., cheques transaction still accounts for 30 per cent or more, but in Nigeria as at today, we have been able to reduce that. In the retail ends, as at today, over 67, 000 Point of Sales (PoS) transactions have been concluded in Nigeria, totaling over a billion naira in cash volume. That is remarkable and I think we should be celebrating that yet we are improving by the day,” he stated.

Lemo also stated that the introduction of e-payment in Nigeria had helped to reduce identity fraud in the country by 96 per cent. “The CBN was inundated with complaints from customers that unauthorised people had access to their accounts and were making unauthorised withdrawals, through their Automated Teller Machines, ATM, cards. We investigated the matter and discovered that some of them were releasing the ATM PINs to their wives, housemaids and mistresses.

Managing Director, AIICO Capital Limited, Dipo Oguntuga (left); Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Magnartis Finance and Investment Limited, Bukola Oluwadiya; Executive Director, AIICO Insurance Plc, Dr. Adenike Fajemirokun; Chairman, Dr. Oladele Fajemirokun; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Vetiva Capital Management Limited, Chuka Eseka and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, AIICO Insurance, Edwin Igbiti, during a meeting for AIICO Money Market Fund initial public offering, in Lagos.

Five African countries to partner NOIPolls on polling establishment

By Helen Oji N indigenous survey and A polling firm, NOIPolls Ltd, has announced that five African countries have indicated interest to partner with NOIPolls to establish polling firms in their various countries.

These countries include: Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania.

The CEO and Managing Director of the firm, Ms Oge Modie, while speaking at a social media forum ‘Connecting Africa through data’ in Lagos recently explained that the organisation has revolutionized data gathering and usage in Nigeria, adding that the results of the polling conducted by the firm had been supporting planning and policies

by governments and private firms in Nigeria.

She assured that Nigerians could be proud of providing data generated scientifically in the country for planning and advocacy instead of relying on data hoisted on the country by several organisations outside the shores of the country.

The head of Enhancing Nigerian Advocacy for a Better Business Environment (ENABLE) in Nigeria, Bayo Akindiende, said that advocacy should be based on data generated scientifically and not on sentiments as it is often the case.

Akindiende explained that his organisation is supporting NOIPolls because of the crucial need for data generation in Nigeria and the credibility of the company.

He, however, advocated that

data should be used to engage the social media to begin to engage in evidence based discussions and arguments for the good of the society.

The Director of Research of NOIPolls, Dr. Bell Ihua, who introduced the portfolios of indices on Well-Being, Consumer and Business Confidence, launched recently said that the indices could be used to measure economic growth, consumer behavior and impact of policies on the population.

“Portfolio of indices is key to enabling stakeholders in all major sectors of the Nigerian economy and across the globe to make informed decisions.

They also serve as key pointers to would be investors in the Nigerian economy to enable strategic entry into the country,” he added.

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FINANCIALGUARDIAN

MONEY & BANKING

Neimeth posts N2 billion turnover, N183 million PBT in 2013

By Helen Oji MID harsh operating enviA ronment, Neimeth Int’l Pharmaceutical Plc has posted a turnover of N2, 017billion in its 2013 operations, against N1, 519b (adjusted to 12 months)

achieved in 2012.

The company’s performance for the financial year ended September 30th 2013 profit showed a turnover of N2, 017billion, higher than N1, 519b (adjusted to 12 months) achieved in 2012 while profit

before tax (PBT) rose to N183million from N52million in 2012.

According to a statement from the company, the percentage increase in turnover was 33 per cent while PBT rose by 451 per cent.

Osun completes 280 micro projects From Tunji Omofoye,Osogbo O fewer than 280 gender N sensitive and socially inclusive micro-projects have been successfully implemented and functional while 65 others are on-going by the Osun state Community Social Development Project {CSDP}.

Osun state CSDP General Manager {GM},Mrs Funmi Abokede noted that the World Bank assisted project has the capacity to enhance rapid development of the country if properly executed in view of its immense contribution to the upliftment of rural communities in the state.

Abokede, who canvassed this position while presenting the activities of the agency to reporters in Osogbo,Osun state at the weekend said since its inception in 2009,the agency had assisted in the realisation of the government’s six-point Integral Action Plan to banish poverty, hunger, unemployment, restore healthy living, promote functional eduction and enhance communal peace and progress.

The GM noted involvement of communities in the execution of identified projects coupled with close monitoring activity by the agency have contributed to the modest success attained in the scheme.

Giving details on how the agency conducts its affairs, she explained, “Communities provided on the spot information about their critical needs to ensure that these specific needs are met through appropriate intervention strategies with active involvement of community members. As such, community members are not just beneficiaries of community development programmes but they are also actors”.

Some of the projects completed for the benefit of rural dwellers cut across different sectors including education, water, health, rural electrification, environment and natural resources, transport, socio-economic, gender and vulnerable groups.

She attributed the achievemnents recorded by the agency to effective resource utilisation and the support received from governor Rauf Aregbeola who increased the state counterpart funding from N100million to N200 million.

According to her, Osun state came second after Cross River state in access to the World Bank facility among the 26 participating states in the scheme in the federation due to its commitment to the project.

“A total sum of $7,732,076.10 million (N1,191,721,373.65 bil-

lion) was accessed from the World Bank instead of initial $5,000,000 million (N750, 000, 000 million) as a result of good performance”, Abokede said.

She noted Osun CSDP was unique because the agency gave voice and decision making responsibility to women and other vulnerable groups which led to the formation of

a group called “Women In Development {WID} network comprising 253 women treasurers in the 253 CSPP communities.

She said as at February this year, the agency had executed 280 gender sensitive community micro projects that have impacted positively on the populace while 65 others were still on-going.

In line with the company’s determination to reduce overall operating cost by 25 per cent, its administrative expenses recorded a six per cent reduction from N506million in 2012 to N474, 042 million during the year under review.

With top line revenue of N2, 017b and cost of goods at N959m, cost of selling activities N416m, the company showed an impressive gross margin of N642m, a growth of 21per cent over N529 million posted in 2012 (adjusted to 12 months).

The company’s rework of its financing architecture also reduced Finance cost to N56million, a reduction of 37per cent over N90million (adjusted to 12 months) incurred in 2012.

According to the company, its 33per cent growth in turnover

in 2013 aptly shows that the company is on the path to recovery, adding that the improved performance was in fulfilment of its pledge to shareholders to return the business to profitability at the 2012 yearly meeting.

The company had in its audited results for the year ended September 30, 2012, recorded a growth of 22.74 per cent in turnover over the 2011 result as turnover increased from N1.89 billion in 2011 to N2.33 billion in 2012 representing an increase of N431.7 million.

However, operating profit dipped from N241.14 million in 2011 to N48.18 million in 2012.

Similarly, profit before tax decreased by 170 per cent from N123.49 million in 2011 to a negative figure of -N87.5 million in 2012 as a result of

increase in financing costs, which rose from N117.7 million in 2011 to N135.69 million in 2012.

A loss after tax of N69.3 million was recorded against a profit after tax of N113 million recorded in 2011. This, according to the company was as a result of the huge tax burden and interest expense on borrowed funds in the review year.

The management expressed optimistimism that the efficient use of the funds raised at the capital market will reduce the company’s exposure to borrow funds and increase profitability in future.

The management of the company also expressed resolve to fully position in order to take advantage of the emerging potential in today’s business world.

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Cyrou drives new Lagos HOMS scheme in Ilubirin

Developer introduces lease to buy in Agbowa CHOIS estate

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Lagos NIESV in search for opportunities in Eko Atlantic Page 47 project

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014

Shelter Afrique signs MoU with Zamfara on affordable housing Housing ETERMINED to provide D cheap home for its populace, Zamfara State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the panAfrican finance institution, Shelter Afrique (SHAF) to support the development of housing and real estate sector.

The delegation was led by the Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari recently and senior members of the state government. The Governor was also accompanied by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr. Akin Oyateru. The delegation was welcomed by the Managing Director of SHAF, Mr. Alassane Ba and all members of the Senior Management Council.

The delegation had come to SHAF to find ways to collaborate on affordable housing projects in the state. The discussions between the two parties were centred on the dynamics of a Public-Private-Partnership [PPP]. The culmination of the discussions resulted in the signing of a MoU between the two parties to develop affordable housing in the state.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding Shelter Afrique will provide advisory services including the support for the selection of consultants, project design and financing plan.

In addition, Shelter Afrique will facilitate the financing of the p r o j e c t .

Likewise, under the MoU the government of Zamfara State will be responsible for identification and allocation of land for the project and for developing the bulk infrastructure including access road, power and water, off taker finance.

Addressing the delegation the Managing Director of Shelter Afrique remarked on how timely the visit and the discussions were, as the regional office in Nigeria was just getting underway. He also mentioned the strategic importance of the Nigerian market and reaffirmed Shelter Afrique’s commitment to affordable housing on the continent.

In his remarks, the Governor of Zamfara, Abdul’Aziz Yari expressed his pleasure with the development and remarked on how his government was committed to providing affordable housing in his state and to improving the lives of his citizens. \

Layout of the proposed Bwari New Town project in Abuja

FHA’s Abuja town project broaches new housing deal Projects Stories Chinedum Uwaegbulam COMPREHENSIVE new plan A unveiled last week to reverse the growing decline in the nation’s housing stock in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is promising an ambitious new deal for a fresh town project within the Bwari area and Kwali area councils.

The scope of the scheme is massive and breathtaking, as it anticipates 25,000 housing units by completion several months from now. Other details are still sketchy, but the promoters, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) disclosed that construction works would start in the middle of the year.

Tagged ‘Abuja New Town’ the project is part of the allocation for mass housing development in the FCT and comprises 330 hectares in Bwari Area

The new initiatives would reduce pressure on existing cities, thereby providing housing for residential and commercial purposes in Abuja, it would also be planned to encourage efficient transportation and pedestrian circulation with the environment Council and 306 hectare in Kwali Area Council. About The Guardian gathered that the new town model is based on Ernest Burgess theory concentric circle distribution of socials groups within urban areas. The model ensures a city grows outward, from a central point in a series of rings. The innermost ring represents the central business district. A second ring surrounds it, and known as the zone of transition, which contains industry and service oriented housing.

The Third ring contains housing for working class and

called the zone of independent workers’ homes. The fourth ring has newer and larger houses to be occupied by the middle class. And called the zone of enhanced residences. Lastly, the outermost ring is called the mixed commuters zone, represents people who choose to live in residential suburbs and take a daily commute into the CBD to work.

According to the FHA senior officials, the proposed site model is zoned into different uses, all of which compliment each other to ensure the functional flow of activities within

the environment or activities on the street.

The new town is planned to have livelier street edges for safer streets. The ground floor shops and markets spaces will be providing services needed by residents and increase safety through informal surveillance. Entrance, porches, balconies, decks, seating and other elements will be adopted to promote use of the street front and places for neighborly interaction.

Specifically, the new town transportation system has been planned to ensure circulation and efficient movement of pedestrian with the environment, towards creating easy access and movement from one activity zone to another, existing within the area.

“Major traffic routes would be lined with trees, to create or define urban spaces and the edge of transportation

corridors or to give a prestigious character to particular thoroughfares. Roadside trees planting will contribute to providing a permeation of green throughout the city, bring shades, filtering dust, and affording protection against strong winds.”

FHA Managing Director, Terver Gemade, an architect, said that the delivery models to be adopted in the course of executing the new town project will include direct construction, public-private partnership, public-public partnership, rental housing/ Rentto-Own, site and services and co-operative housing.

He said that the authority intends to promote the development of new towns across the nation’s key cities, starting with Abuja, to provide needed housing for both residential and commercial uses, as a way to reducing pressure on exist-

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HOMES & PROPERTY Ogun sets up committees to review outstanding building approvals, C of Os Housing From Charles Cofee Gyamfi, Abeokuta N a renewed effort to improve on its service delivery and further attract more investors to the state’s housing sector, Ogun Government has announced the establishment of two committees to clear the backlog of applications for building approvals, Certificate of Occupancy (C ofO) and “Governor’s Consent” by individuals and corporate bodies.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Yusuph Olaniyonu in Abeokuta said that the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun constituted the committees at the State Executive Council meeting.

The Governor disclosed that two Committees comprising members of the Executive Council will immediately.

The committee is expected to commence a comprehensive audit of pending applications for building approvals and C of O so as to determine how many of such applications are with the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning and the Bureau of Lands and Survey,

I

the stage of processing of each application and what is delaying such application from getting to the Governor for his assent.

The three-man committee that would look into the building approval application is headed by the managing director of Ogun State Housing Corporation, Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose, who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing Development. The other members are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Ajibola Chokor, and a senior special assistant in the Governor’s Office, Mr. Bode Adefala.

The special adviser to the Governor and managing director, Ogun State Property Investment Corporation (OPIC), Mr. Jide Odusolu is the head of the committee that would sort out all pending applications for C of O. Other members of the team are Special Adviser to the Governor on special projects, Mr. Lekan Onamusi, and Special Adviser on research and documentation.

Leke Adewolu.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu is to work on the applications on the “Governor’s consent”. Amosun further explained that members of

the committees would work with the Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Mr Gbenga Otenuga and the Director General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, in the audit exercise.

He also directed that the committees should write all owners of pending applications to inform them about any documents or necessary details, which may be hindering the processing of their applications. The committees will also categorize the various stages the applications had attained and brief the Governor on how many applications are in each category.

They are also expected to initiate measures, which will ensure the applications are fast-tracked so that they are ready for the signature of the Governor. The committee members will also do an audit of the process of applying, requirements to be fulfilled by applicants and the stages to be passed through by each application. This, they will do with a view to streamlining the process and eliminating areas of delay.

Governor Amosun has equally delegated the powers to sign C of O and Governor’s Consent to so

FUTO opens multi- million naira Guest House Projects From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri FTER eight months of A construction works, authorities of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), last week commissioned a 20- room Guest House, located in the institution’s premises in Ihiagwa, Owerri West, Imo S t a t e .

The Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Dr. Emmanuel Enemuo, said the project realisation

marks the end of wasteful spending of funds in guests accommodation in the instit u t i o n .

Enemuo noted that the Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Chigozie Cyril Asiabaka have impressed him by this single action, urging the public to patronize the guest house.

Asiabaka said since the establishment of the institution in 1980, tremendous transformation had been going on, adding that the facilities available was comparable to similar institutions in other parts of the

c

o u n t r y .

He commended the contractor of the project, (DOVACO Enterprises Nigeria), for a wonderful j o b .

Speaking, the Acting Director of the Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies (CWGDS), Dr. Ihuoma Asiabaka, said the guest house had 20 rooms, banquet hall, restaurant, mini bar, cybercafé, state of theart electronics IT and security gadgets obtainable in any fivestar hotel.

Monday, February 24, 2014 39

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PRIME ESTATES

Cyrou drives new Lagos HOMS scheme in Ilubirin Projects

By Tunde Alao PTIMISIM was high at the weekend as Lagos State Government sealed a new deal aimed at increasing home ownership under the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS at Ilubirin foreshore, along Osborn, Ikoyi.

Known as “Ilubirin Foreshore Lagos HOMS”, the project occupies 27.121 hectares, and designed to provide 1,254 units of 66 blocks. The proposed house types are one, two and three bedroom flats.

Already, the indigenous contractor, Messrs Cyrou Investment Ventures Limited has been awarded the contract for the project and site preparation commenced last week.

The scheme has a completion period of 15 months.

The Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on Housing, Mr. Jimoh Ajao, told The Guardian that facilities to be provided will include Police post, health centre, market, recreational facilities, parking space, road and drainage networks within the estate and roads leading to estate’s outside and crèche for the working mothers.

He added that the scheme will also benefit from the new Lagos state’s mortgage policy, which designed to make housing affordable as well as the first time Home Ownership Policy, a “Rent-to-own” policy, which affords the residents of the state the opportunity to access mortgage financing to

O

Prototype of housing units in the proposed Ilubirin Lagos HOMS scheme purchase homes of their own.

According to him, “the scheme was initially planned to commence with existing stock of housing provided by the ministry but to ensure that it is sustainable and homogeneous, a prototype

building was designed to be replicated all over the state and ensure provision of more housing to sustain it.”

Noting that an important aspect of the delivery strategy that is vital to the success of planning and implementa-

tion of urban housing projects is the development of a very vibrant public-private partnership, he reiterated government’s readiness to provide land for private developers who are willing and who have the resources to develop such

estates especially in consideration of low and medium income houses.

The Lagos HOMS project has existing houses in Oba Adeboruwa Housing Estate, Igbogbo, Ikorodu; Hon. Olaitan Mustapha and Alhaja Adetoun Mustapha Housing

Estate, Ijaiye, Ojokoro;Iloro Housing Estate, Agege; Hon. Rotimi Sotomiwa Housing Estate, Igbogbo, Ikorodu and Sir. Michael Otedola Housing Estate, Odoragunshin, Epe, and newly unfolded Ilubinrin Foreshore Lagos HOMS, among others.

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HOMES & PROPERTY

Engineers pledge support, tasks govt on contract award to local professionals

UNICAL VC decry encroachment on varsity’s property

Professional Practice

ITH an emerging reality facing the institution’s expansion programme, the Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, Professor James Epoke has decried the level of encroachment in the school’s property.

Briefing newsmen recently in his office on the 27th convocation ceremony of the University, Professor Epoke said when the acquired the land right from inception, its property was sharing boundary with the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH).

But today, he said, “We have encroachment on our land.

Before, we used to have boundary with CRUTECH. Now you can count over 22, 000 houses built on our land.

If we push further it could cause communal war”.

The University is bounded by three main communities, which are Obufa-Esuk-Orok, Esuk Atu and Goldie. The Vice Chancellor alleged that some criminals have taken over part of the area and its posing

President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Emeka Eleh, Guest lecturer at the Lagos NIESV Business Luncheon, Mr. Olayinka Omotosho, while Chairman, NIESV Lagos Branch, Mr. Stephen Jagun looks on.

Indigenous engineers are clamouring for a peace of the action in government’s contracts that would enable firms develop appropriates skills, support initiatives geared towards mentoring and nurturing young engineers ously push through constructive advocacy, for the replication of this policy in all other sectors of the nation’s economy.

He said that the rising incidence of building collapse in the country has become a disturbing trend, adding that these tragedies are mostly accompanied by mass loss of lives and properties worth billions of naira.

“Investigations revealed that poor workmanship, use of cheap and inferior materials, wrong interpretation of building design, inadequate supervision, non-adherence to due process in building construction, lack of maintenance culture, greed on the parts of contractors and client representatives alike, abuse of plans and the activity

of quacks are some of the reasons behind these avoidable agonies. We will partner all stakeholders to stem this negative development.

“We will join forces with the Engineering Regulation Monitoring arm of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to ensure that the relevant laws guiding the sector are adhered to; stimulate law enforcement agencies to bring offenders to justice, draw the media into the stakeholders’ forum to play their part by educating clients to avoid cheap services which often land them in the hands of quacks,” he said.

Responding, the Minister who decried the high incidence of bridge and road

project failure in the country due to faulty designs, said that government would open a Black Book for engineers responsible to such projects to serve as a deterrent to others.

He also faulted the situation whereby young engineers undergoing the National Youth Service (NYSC) programme are sent to teach in secondary schools and called on NSE to develop mentorship programmes that would include young engineers in both the public service and private sector Meanwhile, physical works on the proposed 2nd Niger Bridge would commence in few weeks time.

Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen who disclosed this on when he received Gold Personality Award from Coalition of Civil Society Organisations last week in Abuja, noted that government would work to deliver on critical road corridors across the country.

FG to partner American builders’ institute on skills acquisition Housing From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja ARKING the beginning of a new phase to enhance skills and competencies of artisans and unemployed graduates, the Federal Government has finalized discussions with the National Home Builders Association and the Home Builders Institute, USA to train about 1,000 artisans and craftsmen within the year.

The Supervising Minister, Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mohammed Musa Sada who disclosed this at a media chat in Abuja,

M

Land Matters

W

HILE pledging its supW port to the government in its drive towards national development, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has said that local professionals should be given preference over their foreign counterparts in the award of contracts.

This trend, NSE said would quicken the realization of nation’s building and capacity development.

NSE President, Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi, made the call last week, when the group paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen in Abuja.

According to Olorunfemi, the development of appropriate skills is the fastest way for the nation to tackle the problem of with the infrastructure in the country, adding that NSE has strengthened Engineering Practice and Resource Development Centre (EPRD). He urged the minister to also put in place programmes that would boost the skills of the personnel in the ministry.

NSE boss disclosed that the group is in the process of establishing NSE Monitoring Action Groups to monitor policies and programmes affecting critical sectors of the nation’s economy, for the purpose of engineering input and liaising with relevant stakeholders from both public and private sectors to ensure coordinated action for a sustainable development .

His words: “We are particular about the interests of our future; this is why the NSE under my Presidency will intensify the activities of our young engineers. I will support initiatives geared towards mentoring and nurturing young engineers to be fully prepared for the legacy of excellence we are going to bequeath to them”.

Olorunfemi, who noted that Nigerians are upbeat with the realization of the Nigerian Content Development Law 2010, which was framed within the context of growth of Nigerian entrepreneurship and the domestication of assets, said he would vigor-

From Anietie Akpan, Calabar

explained that the proposed training by the US Builders Institute would focus on three areas of building structures, building services and finishing adding that the target participants are block/brick layers, plumbers, painters, carpenters, tillers, aluminium fabricators and welders among others.

Sada further said that the training would involve building competencies in landscaping, solar energy, and facility maintenance while entrepreneurial component of the training would be targeted at graduates of tertiary institutions who are seeking fulfillment in other vocations beyond white-collar jobs.

On the newly established Nigeria’s Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC), he recalled that the World Bank has provided a $300 million soft International development Association (IDA) loan in an agreement with the federal government at a zero interest rate for the take off, adding that Pencom, private sector and banks have already expressed interest to invest in the company.

He noted that considering the high volume of services NMRC is to provide, there are suggestions that the capital base be raised above $1billion but added that government wanted to start with what it

could control.

The minister stressed that in order to have an effective housing delivery, there is need for a need for a strong mortgage regime, noting that NMRC would serve as a springboard for addressing the huge housing deficit in the country.

Speaking on efforts made to reduce the housing deficit in the past five years, the minister said, “ It is likely we have not reduced the housing deficit because our population keeps increasing; we don’t even know how much impact we are making in terms of housing delivery because there is no accurate statistics.

a great challenge to the University community and its environ.

On the recent N200 billion grant from the Federal Government, he said University of Calabar got N4.6 billion as its own share for building of hostels at the Medical School, Post Graduate and the main campus and other infrastructure like library and lecture halls.

He said in addition to what they University is putting in place, the N4.6 billion will certainly go a long way in matching the students’ population of 30, 000 with infrastructure on ground and the proposed ones.

According to him, the University of Calabar has improved a great deal on the level and number of research programmes as the University of Calabar is having linkages with the University of Miami to come and establish a kidney transplant unit and “we hope that before the end of the year, we will have the unit for kidney transplant. We are pursuing many other linkages. Already we have a knee replacement unit”. .

FOCI building, construction expo HE Federation of T Construction Industry (FOCI) will hold a building, and construction expo at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos next week.

The four-day event with the theme, “Construction Standard “knowing the Equipment for the Job.” FOCI is the umbrella body for indigenous construction firms in the country made up of over 125 member companies operating all over the country with contracts worth over $50 billion for infrastructural development awarded to their members.

FOCI President, Mr. Solomon Ogunbusola said that the expo had become necessary because the Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics have rated the Nigerian construction growth as the fastest growing industry in the latest 10-year forecast.

He noted that as the “global hotspot from here to 2020”, the nation’s construction growth is faster than that of India. This he attributed to the nation’s increase in

wealth due to its oil production and growth in urbanization, which he said was one of the fastest, rated in the world.

Currently, construction industry in the country accounts for 3.2 per cent of the GDP. He maintained that investment inflow into the nation’s construction industry is expected to reach $9.4 billion (N1.5 trillion) by 2021.

Forecasts by a UK based company had indicated that investments would continue to flow into the Nigerian construction industry. This growth trend will continue till the end of 2021.

Based on other factors that favour the country’ economy including World Bank report that that lists Nigeria as the fourth fastest growing worldwide and a UK study that presents the country as having the potential to be one of the biggest construction markets, he encouraged members of the public and the business community to avail themselves of the opportunity the expo presents to Nigerians.

ESVARBON plans sanctions against members Housing HE Estate Surveyors and T Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) has warned that the body will sanction members who fail to abide by professional code and ethics in their dealings with the public, especially now that the prospect of land allocation through the market forces is becoming a reality.

ESVARBON Chairman, Mr. William Odudu, disclosed this in an interactive session held with Estate Surveyors and Valuers at the Board’s temporary secretariat where he also admonished them to

exhibit excellent, transparent and honest customerclient relationship in their businesses especially as it will affect the anticipated compensation activities and real estate products expected from the Land Swap deals.

Odudu applauded the FCT Minister’s unique approach to public infrastructure service delivery for the Phase IV District of the Federal Capital City through the Land-for-Infrastructure scheme.

He noted that the success of the Land Swap programme is dependent on the security, which the property market can guarantee.

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HOMES & PROPERTY Jigawa revokes, re-awards projects to new contractors Infrastructure From John Akubo, Dutse ORRIED at the failure of W former contractors to collect letters of their allocation,

CHOIS estate, Agbowa, Lagos

Developer introduces lease to buy in Agbowa CHOIS estate Projects

By Tunde Alao NE of Nigeria’s foremost O private developers, First World Communities has introduced a new scheme that makes it easy for prospective homeowners to buy into its housing programme.

The scheme is meant for CHOIS Club members who are given opportunity to lease and buy property within the 560 units housing estate, located in Agbowa-Ikosi, near Ikorodu area of Lagos State. The club operates under the “Co-operative Home Ownership Incentive Scheme” (CHOIS), a public private partnership initiative between the developer and the Lagos State government.

Under the Lease and buy ini-

tiative, for the acquisition of a two bedroom bungalow, customers will pay 10 per cent initial contribution and contribute additional 40 per cent within three years. Allocation will be made on attaining 50 per cent deposit and handing over of the property is done six months after completion of 50 per cent payment, while the balance shall be paid over a period of five years at six per cent interest per annum.

The estate is designed to accommodate two house types, namely three-bedroom and two-bedroom bungalows as part of State’s government plan to deliver 10,000 homes for low and medium income households in a safe and attractive environments.

Currently, about 158 units of

three bedroom and 242 units of two bedroom have been allocated to subscribers, while allocation of 40 units of two-bedroom and 120 units of three-bedroom are ongoing.

Although, the estate is planned to accommodate 3,600 units, with the first phase comprising 560 units.

It was gathered that preliminary works have been completed on the second phase of the project.

Amenities available in the estate include electricity with dedicated transformer, schools, medical centre, shopping centre, streetlights, water supply, all round security that included personnel and electronic devices, among others. Also there is landscaping and garden that

promotes green environment.

Also, there is CHOIS City National Housing Fund (NHF) (informal Sector), a special arrangement for the acquisition of a 2-bedroom terrace bungalow by households engaged in the informal sector.

The balance of zero percent shall be paid over a period of 10-20 years at six percent per annum through NHF. Although a statement from the firm’s document stated that non-specific reservation shall be one after payment of the initial 20 percent deposit and handling over shall be done after the receipt of the 80 percent balance from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).

Visiting the site last week,

Governor Babatunde Fashola re-emphasised the commitment of his administration to the provision of housing for the teeming masses in Lagos.

Commending the progress being made by the management of the developer, First World Communities, that has as President, General Tunde Reiss (retired), Fashola said the involvement of private sector participation (PSP) in project delivery can not be overemphasised.

“We are committed to our electoral promises, especially, in the areas of provision of housing and other important infrastructure for the development our State and the welfares of our people. We also commend the pace of work in this estate and the quality of works are exceptional”.

which would have empowered them to mobilize to site, the Jigawa State Government has appointed new contractors to handle some its infrastructural projects in the state.

The new deal was announced last week, after the earlier award of the same projects to some contractors has been revoked.

The contracts were awarded last year to the companies for the construction of feeder roads and the rural electrification of some two communities.

Commissioner for Information, Youths and Sports, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim Gumel, who briefed newsmen after the State’s council meeting last week said the contracts have been re-awarded to new contractors.

In his words, “Council today noted with dismay the non mobilization by contractors and refusal to take up their award letters for the contracts.

“In that direction council replaced the contractors as follows; Feeder road from Gumel to a village called GarunGambo previously awarded to Construction Merchants Nigeria Limited now re-awarded to Omega Stars Nigeria Limited.”

He said the project awarded to Durability Engineering Services Nigeria Limited for the construction of feeder road from Shakato-GidanSaniDaguso will now be handled by Yanduna Ventures Nigeria Limited.

“The two electrification projects of Garin Urema in Hadejia Local Government, which was previously awarded to M.A.T and sons Nigeria Limited will be taken over by Wajido Nigeria Limited “There is also an electricity project of Arkin of Malam Madori Local Government area, which was awarded to A.G.M and Sons Limited and now to be done by Cefa Fresh Nigeria Limited.”

Lagos urges developers to engage qualified professionals Housing

By Tunde Alao

The state authorities have raised alarm that builders tend to rush construction work during this dry period to beat the rainy season thereby neglecting to do the needful. The government has also opened its asphalt plant, which can also be used for recycling IQUED by the antics of P some developers who usually use the dry season to embark on construction without adequate supervision, Lagos Government last week sound a note of warning that such practices would not be overlooked.

Developers and building contractors in the State were

also advised to build right and employ the services of qualified professionals in the construction industry to supervise their works and test their materials before putting them to use.

Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, said it is pertinent to advice developers at this time against using substandard construction materials capable of bringing about a collapse.

In statement signed by an official in the ministry, Mrs. Bunmi Olowu-Adekoya, the Commissioner noted that it has been observed that builders tend to rush construction work during this dry period to beat the rainy season thereby neglecting to do the needful. He encouraged them to seek advice from the Ministry or its Agency, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), on

what to do. He recalled that in 2013, one of the five-recorded incidences of collapse building was as a result of the use of sub-standard building materials.

He equally reminded the professionals amongst the developers that they stand the risk of being reported to their Professional Bodies for appropriate sanctions for any sharp practices perpetrated, especially in the area of collusion with property owners or contractors.

He urged developers to display conspicuously a project board on site which should include the following details: Name of Applicant, Plan Registration Number/ Date, Plan Approval Number/Date, Site Location, Supervising Engineer, Supervising Architect, Start Date, Due Date and Contractor’s Name.

Ayinde also appealed to the public to promptly call the attention of the Ministry or

LASBCA, to any illegal construction or defective structure in their vicinity, especially it is observed that such building is deficient and may lead to collapse, saying; “Government cannot do it alone, rather it is the responsibility of every Lagos residents to be aware of their environment and contribute their quota to ensuring a safe and livable city”.

Meanwhile, Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, has marked a new development in road maintenance, with the commissioning last week, of Imota Asphalt plant.

The Italian made Marini Ultimap 2000 b5 range plant, capable of producing 180 tons per hour (180TPH), is considered the most universal range plant type with best ratio hourly production/price/quality and characterized by ample and easy access to whatever plant component.

Explaining the major components of the plant, at the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC), the agency who owns the plant, Mr. Gbenga Akintola, listed the components to include cold feed bins, bitumen storage, dryer drum and asphalt storage silos.

According to Akintola, these components are essentially to all asphalt plants.

However, the new Imota Plant is a modern plant that also incorporates additional components that are essentially take into consideration effects of production process on the environment and ensure economical mode of production in terms of efficient use of raw materials.

The additional components are emission control system, recycled filler storage and reclaimed asphalt pavement section. “This system traps

and removes fine sand and dust particles and returns them to the asphalt premix process thereby preventing them from being released into the atmosphere and thus posing health hazard to the public, said Akintola, adding that with successful completion of the plant, roads in communities such as Ikorodu, Epe, Agbowa, part of Eti-Osa and their environs, would continue to witness constant rehabilitation and maintenance.

He told the Governor and officials that the Plant’s civil engineering works that included the preparation of the foundation on which all the plant components are sitting, were solely carried out by in-house engineers and technicians of the Corporation, adding that they also played significant roles in the installation of the

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HOMES & PROPERTY

FHA plans Abuja new town project CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 ing cities.

Gemade disclosed that “following the expansion of the A2, outer Southern Expressway and outer Northern Expressway to accommodate more traffic both from new mass transit systems and the normal vehicular traffic, the authority intends to capitalize on the improved traffic on these axis for development of Abuja New Town within the Bwari and Kwali Area Councils.”

The Guardian learnt that the house type varies from studio/ one bedroom to five bedroom flats and duplexes. The prices will range between N1.5 mil-

lion to N35.5 million. Site and service plots range from N5 million to 10 million. The authority intends to use biometrics records to avoid multiple allocations to individuals.

Among the facilities planned for the area include metro rail system, telecom network, modern refuse disposal system, central sewage system while public amenities are schools, clinics, shopping malls, community halls, parks and gardens, sports and recreational centre, fire stations, petrol stations, police posts and ICT centres/ library.

He said the experience in the past few years had underscored the urgency of the

need to relieve the Abuja city centre of much of the pressure on its facilities and infrastructure, adding that the new town project was aimed at providing decent and affordable accommodation for the teeming population of the nation’s capital.

Gemade said enumeration had commenced and that compensation would be paid to those to be affected by the development in good time so that work would start in earnest by the middle of the y e a r .

He explained that the new town would consist mainly of one, two, three and four bedroom apartments in high-rise structures, explain-

Residential price growth in S’Africa expected to slow in 2014 Real Estate GRADUAL slowdown in A house prices is expected in South Africa in 2014 after rises of 10% in 2012 and 2013, according to a new analysis report.

Although the demand for quality housing remains high, the expectation of subdued growth in both the South African economy and household disposable income may dampen house price progres-

sion, says the report from Fitch Ratings.

Meanwhile, banks still have to work out a significant volume of defaulted loans and sell the related properties on the market and the prospect of a gradual rise in interest rates by the end of 2014, as anticipated by Fitch, adds to the uncertainty on future gains in house p r i c e s .

‘Fitch expects nominal housing appreciation to slow down

to approximately 6% a year over the next few years, in line with inflation,’ the report says.

It also points out that despite the house price gains of 2012 and 2013, housing affordability remains significantly higher than in the pre global economic crisis years of 2006 and 2007. However, only a limited share of the South African population can afford a mortgage, as reflected by elevated house price to income per capita ratios.

Pison’s real estate market review holds Housing XPERTS will meet early next month to critically examine the market dynamics of the real estate business and its attendant implications for stakeholders within the industry.

They plan to meet under the 4th edition of the annual Real Estate Market Review Session being organized by Pison Housing Company.

The event, slated for March 6, at the Radisson BLU Anchorage, V.I would gather industry leaders, analysts and other stakeholders to review the Real Estate market in 2013 as well as proffer forecasts and insights for 2014.

According to the organisers, the scope of the review session has been expanded to cover other relevant subsectors of the industry, such

E

as commercial real estate, infrastructure, capital market financing to mention but a few. In recent times, these areas have become crucial to market analysis in the real estate sector which can hardly be ignored.

The retail space has become more organized and is fast developing judging by existing and pipeline projects both in primary and secondary cities. The event will review key drivers responsible for the current trend as well as challenges and opportunities of retail development in Nigeria.

Assessing funds for real estate projects remains a major challenge in the industry; the session will investigate the performance of real estate capital Market Instruments, regulatory framework and innovative strategies for real estate

investment.

Ultimately, the event will provide a general market outlook on real estate business through a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and summaries of research findings on the current and future of real estate market development in Nigeria.

ing that the recourse to such structures was to save cost on infrastructure and the serviced land .

On the authority’s new focus on the construction of housing for low and medium income earners, he said FHA, looking beyond the pursuit of profit, was committed to contributing its quota to the realization of the housing and job creation components of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation A g e n d a .

Towards that end, he said the authority had acquired land in 17 states for the development of housing estates and that consultations were on with the Lagos State government on the titling of the Authority’s land holdings in the state .

Gemade said the emphasis on housing for low and medium income earners was informed by the need to cater for the more vulnerable segment of the population and as a way to assist the government in combating crime, disease, unemployment and other economic difficulties facing the people.

He said FHA had been a major player in the effort to deliver to the nation, a modern capi-

Gemade

tal city and that the Authority had delivered no fewer than 15, 000 housing units in the FCT. He said work was progressing satisfactorily at the authority’s new site at Apo in the Gudu District of Abuja where about 1,300 housing units are expected to be delivered through direct construction by the FHA and by partnership with private sector o p e r a t o r s .

The FHA chief executive said the authority had plans to open more of such new towns in Kwali, Kuje and other satel-

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HOMES & PROPERTY

Lagos NIESV in search for opportunities in Eko Atlantic project Professional Practice

By Emmanuel Badejo ONVINCED about the myrC iad business opportunities embedded in Eko Atlantic City project, members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV), Lagos State Branch last week told its members to ensure that their role in the ambitious project was not taken over by other professional bodies.

To this end, several charges were given by leaders of the profession of estate surveying to their colleagues, though some fears over the reality and actualization of the project were expressed by a few, notwithstanding.

The business luncheon organized by Lagos NIESV at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, to sensitize its members on the emerging business and their professional role in the creation and delivery of the new city.

Chairman of the branch, Mr. Stephen Jagun in his welcome address said the volume of the project was large, and estate surveyors had to wake up to their responsibility. “We need to wake up and take our place as the Eko Atlantic City Project emerges.

Investors are already building. It is only wise as professionals to tap into the wide opportunities for us.”

NIESV President, Mr. Emeka Eleh, said the issue of new cities were very paramount to estate surveying profession all over the world, but incidentally, “because we shy away from our responsibility, others who do not have professional competency like us are taking over our job”, adding that such like the business luncheon was necessary for estate surveyors to remain relevant in the economy and that “we must be ready partner governments towards realizing this project.”

According to Eleh, many estate surveyors have in the bid for quick returns, been

An illustration of Eko Atlantic City’s financial district

The ambitious mixed-used project, is commanding the attention of realtors, particularly, members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) urging its folks to take business advantages the Eko Atlantic project offers focusing on the agency aspect of the profession, at the detriment of their core practices, saying that in those days estate surveyors were the project managers, and that there need to continuously invest in their business.

The president said, though there is no professional competence members of NIESVs do not possess, yet, there was need for mega firms in order to compete with others. “We also need mega firms that can stand any kind of competition as far our profession is concerned; we also need to grow our business.”

Chairman of the occasion, Chief Chwukuneye Okafor, though expressed delight over the project, but lamented the non, or little involvement of estate surveyors in the project. “We want so many of new cities to come up and I am eager to see the reality of this project.

Regrettably, many of the marketers of this project are not members of the profession. We, therefore, need to rise and be involved in the projection of this laudable project. Let us take advantage of the merging opportunities.”

And while considering the

effect the new city is likely to have on its neighborhood, Okafor asked: “Is there any plan by either the government or the developer to upgrade the neighborhood?”

His concern was however, addressed by the Guest Speaker, Mr. Olayinka Omotosho, who said there was nothing to fear added that the power to be generated within the city would be twice what would be needed and it is planned that some of the power would be sold to the neighborhood.

In his paper, “New Cities And Its Impact On The Real Estate Market - A Focus On The Eko Atlantic City” Omotosho, said the project would positively affect the supply of real estate and thereby boosting the Lagos real estate market.

Omotosho, who is the Portfolio Executive, Corporate Real Estate

Services, with Broll Property Services Limited, said new cities present the professionals, such as the real estate practitioners, with the challenge to step up our service delivery in all aspects of the profession. “Our expertise would be heavily relied upon as the developers and investors as well as the government would rely on our advice whether to proceed with the creation of the new cities and their management thereof. “ He said with the Eko Atlantic project, there would be a greater reliance on real estate professionals as well as some other related professionals to provide advice on the impact of a new city to the local economy. “For feasibility and viability appraisals on real estate projects that incorporate some element of financial modelling, to advice on the prices the local

property markets would support for their proposed developments within these cities.

Along with strategic marketing schemes through which the different properties would be introduced to prospective tenants and/or buyers.”

And to compete maximally, Omotosho urged estate surveyors to improve on their skills and competence. “It is therefore, time to act. We need to improve on our skills and professional competence, in order to remain relevant in the changing real estate scene, caused by the emergence of new cities.

“With the help of real estate professionals who provide the right guidance, then our real estate markets would expand, our cities would expand, our economies would grow and the positive change would be experienced by all.”

How estate surveyors lost agency practice to non-professionals, by Idudu Professional Practice

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam HIS may not be best of T times for members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, as agency practice, which forms part of their business is being more infiltrated by other professionals and quacks.

Their concerns have been heightened with the activities of ‘portfolio’ carrying salesmen and practitioners from outside Nigeria, mostly, United Kingdom, Dubai, France and United States of America who regularly ‘invade’ Nigeria, check into hotels, advertise their presence in newspapers and invite prospective investors to their suites for property investment abroad.

The new trend was revealed by the 11th President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Joe Idudu who

The new scale of charges provide a whooping 10 per cent of consideration of total rents paid in advance. Because estate agency is lucrative, we have invited competition from all sorts- lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, teachers, unemployed and all manners of people get into estate agency. delivered the 20th John Wood Ekpenyong Memorial lecture during the 2014 Fellows Induction ceremony held in Lagos, on the theme: Estate Agency: Have We Lost It? The 9th President, Mr. Gbadebo Sangosanya, chaired the event.

According to Idudu, the attraction is that estate agency produces good income. “Our new scale of charges provide a whooping 10 per cent of consideration of total rents paid in advance.

Because estate agency is lucrative, we have invited competition from all sorts - lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, teachers, unemployed

and all manners of people get into estate agency.”

He said the law did not support unregulated estate agency. For instance, the Indigenization Decree of 1972 and 1977 did not suggest that estate agency should be an all- comers enterprise. The two decrees sought to ensure that Nigerians had good control of the ownership of the business.

“Estate agency was controlled only to the extent that it was reserved for Nigerians only. The estate surveying firms with non-Nigerian equity to retain estate agency needed special dispensation from the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion

Board. Neither decree suggested that it is an all comers business. Neither suggested that the practice of estate agency needed no professional training.

“The decree categorized economic activities into two, while schedule 1 contained economic activities exclusively reserved for Nigerians only.

The schedule 2 was listed activities that were barred to aliens under certain conditions.

Estate agency is listed as Number II. “ The conditions under which aliens may carry out any of the economic activities listed under Schedule Two including estate agency are as follows: paid up share capital exceeds £200,000; turnover exceeds £500,000 and equity participation of Nigerians or Nigerian associations must be at least 40 per cent.

“The decree did not categorize such consultancy work as accountant and legal counseling. Was estate agency singled

out because it is generally wide spread and not demanding of any specialized knowledge,” he said.

He noted that “the recognizes our profession in Nigeria is decree 24 of 1975(now CAP III LFN 1990).

This law empowers us to regulate and control the profession of estate surveying and valuation. “ Our Board, Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) clearly stated at Regulation 38(f) that selling, buying or letting as an agent, real or personal property or any other interest therein, is part of our profession,” he said.

Idudu who was the immediate past chairman of ESVARBON argued that despite Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) regarding estate agency as a mere business concern and classified it under general business practice, “the role of

CAC may be indeterminate.

My experience of the CAC is that it has been protective of our profession. Whenever any group of Nigerians has sought to register corporate names that might compete with us, the CAC have generally rejected such applications and sought our opinion.”

He applauded the efforts of the Emeka Eleh administration including the Chairman, of the Faculty of Estate Agency for introducing the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria, with a controlling membership of estate surveyors and valuers.

Earlier, NIESV President, Eleh said the association is part of the strategy to rid the practice of quacks but more importantly, to train nonmembers who want to embrace the profession. He added that the Northern region body will be inaugurated soon and education of the public will be intensified.

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HOMES & PROPERTY Court confiscates alleged fraudster property in Lagos, Ogun Litigation

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo allegedly defrauding FtheOR her business partner to tune of N163million, A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered forfeiture of Mrs. Folake Idayat Kowo’s eleven properties, located in Lagos and Ogun States.

Kowo, who is standing trial over alleged stealing of N163m being proceeds of sale of 150 cartoons of frozen fish, property of Time Unicorn Limited and issuance of dud cheques.

At the resume hearing before Justice Atinuke Ipaye, prosecution counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Jackson told the court that he had a pending

In the interim, an accused, who, is into fishery business has been asked to surrender her properties in an on-going fraud allegation suit preferred against her, though she claims not have defrauded her accusers application before the court dated September 17,2013.

Jackson said “the application is an exparte summon brought pursuant to Section 24(A) 25(A) and 29 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act No 1 of 2004, Section 44 (2) of the 1999 Constitution and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.”

The application, according to him, sought an order of the court for interim forfeiture of all properties of accused. It was supported by 16-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Danladi Daniel. Jackson urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice.

Affected properties include

landed property measuring 60ft by 120ft located at No 282 Olude Bus stop Ipaja road, vacant land measure 60ft by 60ft at No 328, Oyewole Close, Off Ilejide Bus Stop, Ipaja Road; 20 tons cold room at 23 Nureni Yusuf Road, Agbado-Ijaiye, Kollington Bus Stop; 20tons cold room at 72, Obafemi Awolowo Road, opposite Ikorodu Grammar School, Ikorodu.

Others include 20 tons cold room at No 38, 4 Conner Lagos Road, Owode Iyewa, Ogun State and 20 tons cold room at no 65 Awolowo Way, Osi Road, Opposite St. James Anglican Church Osi Otta Ogun State.

Also properties at 292 Iju Ishaga Road; 8, Adigbobo Street, Jida, Agbara, Ogun State; 4 Adebayo Famokun Street Igando, Alimosho and 6, Oloruntedo Street, Alagbado Lagos were similarly affected.

Justice Ipaye while granting the application said, “ this is an uncontested application.

The essence of it is for justice. An order of interim forfeiture of the said properties is hereby granted.

It was alleged that the accused collected consignment of various brands of frozen fish worth N156million (one hundred and fifty six million naira) from Premium Sea Foods Limited

to be sold in her cold-rooms in various locations in Lagos but converted the proceeds to her use.

But Kowo pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against her.

One of the charges read, “That you Folake Idayat Kowo and Victor Aina Kowo (at Large) between June 2011 and January 2012, in Ikeja, within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud stole and fraudulently converted to your own use the sum of N63, 000,000.00 (sixty-three million naira only) being proceeds of sale of 150 cartoons of frozen fish property of Time Unicorn Limited entrusted with you to sell.”

FCMB offers mortgage incentives on workers’ housing project Housing From Chuka Oditta, Abuja O actualize speedy delivery T of the 20,000 housing units promised government workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc is to partner the union to source capital required for timely completion of the social scheme.

Under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement entered into between TUC and Rock of Ages Ltd, the FCMB, which provides financial support for the property company said the housing scheme is however to operate on mortgage basis nationwide. A total of 100,000 hous-

The partnership is to among others aid the quicker implementation of the housing projects, a vision conceived and to be implemented by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), for Nigerian workers ing units are expected to be constructed nationwide to boost decent housing for workers, Trade Union Congress President, Comrade Bala Kaigama has said.

Speaking in Abuja, FCMB’s Head of Corporate Banking, Folusho Raheem, told journalists that the bank is in the venture to help workers access affordable and decent housing across board.” FCMB as a bank in this project to support, first, the Chicason group, the parent company of Rock of Ages. They are our long time customers, and also to key into the Federal Government transformation

agenda of providing affordable housing units for all members of TUC. We believe that once you have a roof over your head, half of your problems are solved. We are therefore bringing in easily accessible mortgage finance support to our client. Most of the transaction will be done on collection platforms and we provide one of the best collection platforms for workers of all categories and other classes of people. We have a good record of partnership with TUC, and we have been partnering together for a long time. We are determined to support the scheme and

ensure it’s timely completion”, he said.

According to him, upon completion of necessary documentation, workers who wish to own houses under the scheme are required to pay only an initial 10% of whatever category of houses they wish to acquire before the bank comes in to support the delivery of the housing

Kaigama units.” Once we are done with documentation and the initial 10% paid, we are ready to provide capital for the houses

to be acquired. We are assuring workers that they would the better for it because we’ve been helping them in this regard. We would deliver according to plan and on time too”, he said.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of Chicason Group, Dr. Alexander Chika Okafor, has described his participation in the project as service to humanity, especially to help civil servants who have no means of owning houses of their own to do so through mortgage financing arrangement, which has at least 20 years repayment period.

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HOMES & PROPERTY Stakeholders appraise real estate operations at property buyers’ forum Real Estate HE second edition of T Property Buyers’ Forum hosted by Nigeria’s premier

Managing Director, AM Facilities,Mr. Femi Akintunde (left); Chief Execuive officer, 3Invest Ms Ruth Obih and Mr. Weynmi Edodo of IPDC during the Property Buyers’ Forum last week in Lagos

Real Estate Consulting and Advocacy Company 3Invest held in collaboration with the social media week 2014, has been adjudged a success by the participation and attendance as the subjects addressed were considered core to the improvement of the state of Nigeria’s Real Estate sector. The event, which was themed “Building Your Property Ladder through Social Media” hosted a real estate Job creation clinic confirm the firm believe that Built sector offers the largest creation in any continent.

The host, Ms Ruth Obih, delivered a presentation on how to employ social media as a business tool highlighting that a successful social media requires a plan and one must

narrow their focus and determine what platform their target audience are on. This was followed by presentations from Mr Tunji Osinulu of ARM Properties who attested that the use of online platform helped increased sale of their Award wining Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate saying “Over 70 per cent of the sales we’ve made on Lakowe Lakes have come from our website” and Mr Femi Akintunde of AM Facilities who delivered presentation on “Online Benchmarking tools in Facility management stating that Real Estate being a wealth Creation asset, it is essential to Benchmark, with the FM online Benchmarking system that enables you to measure what your peers are doing. Also commending the Organisers of the event was Mr Tayo Sonuga who stated, “When Haven Homes first got on social media we were edu-

cated by 3Invest on the like mechanism used to direct traffic to our site” This was followed by the Mortgage clinic which featured senior officials of Diamond Bank, walking the attendees through the procedures for accessing mortgages in line with the recent developments within the sector where the federal government and Lagos state government have floated Mortgage Finance companies. The event was capped with the wealth creation clinic, which was anchored by Mr Raphael of ARM Investment who delivered a powerful presentation, giving attendees timely and useful tips on how to build wealth by conscious savings and strategically investing in the Real Estate sector The exhibitors at the event, some of whom are property developers, Include Grand Imperio, HFP Engineering Services, Property Mart, Alpha Mead Development Company, Rifeng and International Property Development Company all made presentations of their products and services to the excited audience who were mostly homebuyers and mortgage seekers Some of the notable participants at the event were Mr Uzoma Dozie of Diamond Bank, Mrs Ayona Trimnell of Diamond Bank, Mr Athiel Greenidge, Director, 3Invest, Mr Tayo Sonuga, MD, Haven Homes, Mr Obi Asika, Chairman Social Media Week, Mr Weynmi Edodo of IPDC, Mr Brian of HFP production Factory, Ms Allie Morse of Lamudi, and Ajoke Ogunlaja of CMB amongst others.

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HOMES & PROPERTY Court to rule on Ojokoro land feud, warrant on LCDA chairman Litigation

By Emmanuel Badejo ARRING any unforeseen cirB cumstances, a Lagos High Court has set a dateline for tomorrow to deliver its ruling in a feud on the large portion of landed property, over which Irepolodun Meat Market, a state Abattoir and Lairage Complex, Abeokuta Road, Ojokoro, Lagos State, was hitherto constructed.

The trial Judge, Mrs. Adenike Coker of an Ikeja Judicial Division gave the date after hearing the contending parties at the last time the matter came up for hearing.

Dispute had arisen between an allottee of the demolished property, one Alhaji Musa Yaro, and Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), over moves by the latter to take over the land space on which the market was located.

Unable to resolve their differences, Yaro had sought court’s intervention, suing Ifako Ijaye Local Government, Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, and its chairman, Mr. Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo and the Attorney General of Lagos State.

While the matter lasted, the structures on the landed property were demolished. The development led the counsel to Yaro to initiate contempt proceedings against the LCDA chairman, Mr. Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo be arrested.

And after listening to Opeyemi Bello of Moshood Shehu and Associates, the Judge had given an interim order against the defendants.

“That interim injunction be and is hereby granted to claimant/applicant restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, privies or anybody acting through or for them or on their behalf from trespassing, harassing, demolishing, disturbing or otherwise interfering with the possession of the claimants, his tenants and all persons claiming through them in respect of all that seven kee-klamps comprising 186 stalls situate at Irepodun Central Meat Market, State Abattoir and Lairage Complex, Abeokuta Road, Ojokoro, Lagos State, the subject matter of this suit for 14 days only.”

Meanwhile, the court directed the claimant to put the coun-

The landed property in dispute, recently

The business of the court among other things, are to rule on a restraining order issued against the defendants from tampering with the land in dispute as well as vacating a bench warrant issued against the chairman of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) cil on notice.

In her bench warrant against LCDA chairman, Coker said: “That Bench Warrant be issued forthwith for immediate arrest and detention of the third defendant to be detained and brought to this Court at the return date to show cause why he should not be further detained.”

During the last hearing, counsel to the first and third defendants, Dr. Muiz Banire the court that he had complied with the order of the court to produce his client, Olabinjo in court, adding his client was present.

In his statement of claim, Yaro said by virtue of an allocation letter dated 8th September, 2004 and signed by the Secretary to the Local Government, Ojokoro LCDA allocated, by way of lease, a space of land measuring 118 square metres at Irepodun

Central Meat Market, State Abbatoir & Lairage Complex, Abeokuta Road, Ojokoro to him for construction of KeeKlamps for a period of 10 years, which was allegedly extended to 15 years.

He said that further to the terms of the allocation, he developed the land space into 7-Kee-Klamps comprising a total of 186 stalls, added that the construction works were supervised by, and was to the satisfaction of the second defendant’s engineers.

Yaro further claimed to have wholly bored the cost of the construction works from his private finances and loans from several individual and corporate entities, some of which he claims to still be servicing till now.

He added that upon the completion of the construction works, the stalls were let out tenants with the hope of

recouping his investment and be able to regularly service the loans with which the public-private project was completed.

The claimant contends that he has been complying with all the terms and conditions in the allocation letter such as both he and the tenants have been carrying out environmental and sanitation exercises in the stalls, payment of monthly stallage fees to the LCDA. According to Yaro, who claims that his right to the landed property was still subsisting, Chairman of Ojokoro, Olabinjo, had issued a 30 day ultimatum for the traders to vacate and that if they refused, he was alleged to have threatened to use ‘any means’ to dispossess them of the stalls.

The claimant said his allocation to the land will expire in

2019, and therefore, he and other persons claiming through him are entitled to exclusive possession and quiet enjoyment of the seven KeeKlamps comprising 186 stalls.

In their statement of defence, the defendants claimed that Yaro did not at any time have more than 33.7 square metres representing two blocks duly allocated to him but went ahead to acquire additional 16.8 square metres without any authority from the LCDA. According to the second and third defendants, Yaro was allocated only two blocks to develop while two other applicants, Excel Ventures and Botadog Enterprise Nigeria were allocated two blocks each, adding it was a surprise to the LCDA to discover that Yaro had appropriated another block to the two blocks originally allocated to him and had constructed 78 stalls.

It was also alleged that the claimant, due to his position in the Local Government as the Special Adviser on nonindigene (Hausa) to the LGA chairman, went on the land allocated to other allottees and started development

without authorization from the council and subsequently sold same to other people without consent of the LCDA. Still in their defence, it was alleged that the claimant, in default of the condition contained in the letter of September, 2004, refused to perfect his relationship with the Council Legal Officer by sheer influence of power as he did not obtain any agreement by the allocation letter and has, since then, defaulted in paying the monthly stallage fee of N100 per stall as stipulated by his letter of allocation and the minute of LCDA. In essence, the defendants want the court to hold that there was no cause for the action and thus it is an abuse of court’s process as the claimant was alleged not to have title or interest in the premises, adding that Yaro lacks locus standi to commence the action. The first to third defendants are therefore asking the court dismiss the suit in its entirety with substantial cost as same is frivolous, vexatious, gold-digging and constitutes an abuse of court process.

Lagos commissions Imota Asphalt plant CONTINUED FROM PAGE 44

Imota Asphalt plant

plant upon its arrival from Italy.

In his address, Governor Fashola said the plant would create jobs and impact positively on its host community.

He said with this project, the asphalt removed from bad roads will now be recycled, so that nothing will go to waste again, noting that this is part of the implementation of his administration’s campaign on recycling materials.

The governor said about 11 roads have been impacted since the project was completed, including Ebute Ajebo, LSPC, Agric and Itoikin roads, adding that plans were

in place to rehabilitate other roads in the area.

He said: “We have Section 66 roads between Epe and Ikorodu, which will be the first recipients of this plant after today. This plant is to decentralise the only stateowned asphalt plant in Ikeja and to bring the opportunity of having better roads closer to residents of rural communities. We believe this will reduce travel time in this area.”

Fashola urged communities to stop suing the government over land meant for community projects.

He expressed dismay that in some areas where it had

sought to carry out projects for the general good some people had taken government to court thereby delaying such project and the benefits that would have accrued to the people, saying that such projects would also solve the problems of unemployment.

Citing the Imota Asphalt Plant as example, the Governor said while under construction, scores of unemployed youths got jobs directly while other indirect jobs such as selling of foods and other support jobs became available adding that after the construction may residents have got engaged in supply of raw

materials for the production at the plant.

“The plant is already impacting on the community addressing youth unemployment in a positive and visible way. The most interesting thing about the Plant is that it is most modern and sophisticated as it reuses all asphalt scrapped from the roads”.

Noting that the community had a few years ago complained of non-government presence, the Governor declared, “Slowly, but surely the economy of this place is picking up. I will not be in the discussion of youth employment but I will engage in finding solution to it”.

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Monday, February 24, 2014

HOMES & PROPERTY

Mira Oasis, Dubai

Dubai’s Emaar launches Mira Oasis contemporary townhouses Projects RELAXED and inspiring A lifestyle awaits residents at Mira Oasis, a new contemporary townhouse community launched by Emaar Properties within Reem, a master-planned neighbourhood, located near Arabian Ranches at the crossroads of Al Qudra Road and Emirates Road.

Reem is one of the most sought-after communities in Dubai, defined by several exotic features including a desert botanical park, sand surfing and camel riding trails, go karting track, dune

Investors who make a down payment of 30 per cent of the total value of the property and maintain ownership until hand-over is completed, will be offered preferred access and the opportunity to own homes, subject to conditions, through this new customer-oriented initiative. buggies, rock climbing wall, cricket pitch, soccer field, and a skate park.

The development is anchored by a majestic central park with interactive fountains, walkways and a captivating water feature.

The launch of Mira Oasis fol-

lows the strong response from investors to Mira, the first residential project in Reem.

Mira Oasis comprises 411 townhouses designed to the highest standards and inspired by contemporary styles. All of them have large

balconies, modern fittings and fixtures, driveways and courtyards.

The three and four-bedroom residences are ideal for families, with each home offering ample privacy. The Reem community, also featuring cycling and walking pathways, assures a relaxed lifestyle ambience and promotes the active outdoor lifestyle of residents. Schools, mosques, and retail plazas, which are in close proximity, add to the residents’ quality of life.

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties PJSC, said: “Mira Oasis in Reem is the ultimate getaway for a relaxed lifestyle.

With a unique developmental approach featuring the widest array of outdoor sports and leisure activities, Reem is bringing a new concept to urban neighbourhoods.”

Arif Amiri, Chief Commercial Officer, Emaar Properties PJSC, said: “We received strong interest from international markets for Mira homes in Reem, and are therefore marking an international sales launch offering potential investors in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan the opportunity to be part of Mira Oasis.”

Adding to the leisure choices of residents, Reem is in close proximity to the Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club and Global Village, while they can access Downtown Dubai and Dubai International Airport in just about 20 minutes.

Investors who make a down payment of 30 per cent of the total value of the property and maintain ownership until hand-over is completed, will be offered preferred access and the opportunity to own homes, subject to conditions, through this new customeroriented initiative.

Meanwhile, led by Dubai’s robust economic growth and surging investor confidence,

Emaar Properties PJSC recorded full-year 2013 net profit of AED 2.568 billion (US$ 699 million). This is 21 per cent higher than the FY 2012 net profit of AED 2.119 billion (US$ 577 million). Annual revenue for 2013 reached AED 10.328 billion (US$ 2.812 billion), 25 per cent increase on 2012 revenues of AED 8.240 billion (US$ 2.243 billion).

This strong performance was underlined by recurring revenues from the company’s shopping malls & retail and hospitality & leisure business units, which together contributed AED 4.8 billion (US$ 1.307 billion) to FY’13 revenue, or 46 per cent of the total. This is an increase of 17 per cent in from the revenues from the two businesses during 2012, which accounted for AED 4.096 billion (US$ 1.115 billion).

Emaar’s property business generated total revenue at AED 5.528 billion (US$ 1.505 billion). Revenues from the company’s global operations in 2013 were AED 1.167 billion (US$ 318 million), representing 11 per cent of the total revenue.

Fourth quarter (October to December) revenues reached AED 2.762 billion (US$ 752 million), an 18 per cent increase compared to the previous quarter of AED 2.347 billion (US$ 639 million).

Net profit for the fourth quarter totalled AED 756 million (US$ 206 million), 30 per cent more than the net profit for the third quarter 2013 of AED 581 million (US$ 158 million) and 48 per cent higher than the fourth quarter 2012 net profit of AED 512 million (US$ 139 million).

Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, said: “One of the defining aspects of Emaar’s strong financial performance in 2013 is the positive contribution of our developments

to the local economy.

Downtown Dubai, our flagship mega-development, has energised the property, retail, tourism and hospitality sectors, in addition to creating over 50,000 jobs since its launch. Emaar’s fundamental financial strength is underscored by our diversified growth model, with the shopping malls and hospitality business contributing significantly to the total revenue.

“With the economy gaining further traction following the successful bid by the UAE to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, the city is entering a new phase of dynamic growth. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has outlined a clear development strategy for the city. Emaar will complement this through our focus on developing integrated neighbourhoods that meet Dubai’s future needs including the world-class infrastructure for hosting World Expo 2020.

Our strong pipeline of projects, which reflect our commitment to creating longterm value for our stakeholders, will serve as a key growth driver for the company and for Dubai.”

Emaar’s leasing & retail business recorded a total revenue of AED 3.285 billion (US$ 894 million) in 2013. This is 21 per cent higher than the 2012 shopping malls & retail revenue of AED 2.719 billion (US$ 740 million).

Driving this growth, The Dubai Mall, Emaar’s flagship mall, welcomed over 75 million visitors, a growth of 15 per cent over 2012. The mall’s 1,200 plus retail outlets recorded a 26 per cent rise in sales during 2013 compared to the previous year.

According to market estimates, more than 50 per cent of all luxury goods sold in Dubai are purchased at the

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58 MONDAY, February 24, 2014

TheEnvironment Anambra Community sends SOS to FG over gully erosion The Environment From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka PPARENTLY devastated by A the threat of erosion in its community, the people of

Ekwulobia gully erosion site in Anambra State

Coalition celebrates action on short-lived climate pollutants Chemicals HE Climate and Clean Air T Coalition to Reduce Climate Short-Lived

Pollutants (CCAC) last week celebrated two years of rapid growth, during which dozens of governments and organizations have worked together to target swift reductions in atmospheric pollutants that threaten human health and the environment.

The CCAC was originally launched as a partnership between six countries and Nations United the Environment Programme (UNEP), who all recognized that fast action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants-particularly methane and black carbon (soot)-has the potential to slow down the global warming expected by 2050 by as much as 0.5°C. “The Coalition works on a

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a remarkable process of bringing science to policy, focusing on the multiple benefits of action, and creating initiatives that invite voluntary partnerships.

The Coalition works on a triple-benefit agenda: better health, increased crop yields and food security, and near-term climate protection. triple-benefit agenda: better health, increased crop yields and food security, and near-term climate protection,” said Helena Molin Valdes, Head of the CCAC Secretariat. “Black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are having an impact in all these fields, and we can have quick gains if we act now. And the solutions are all available-this is what the partners in the Coalition are focusing on.”

“This year we will focus to a great degree on the health aspects of air quality and

short-lived climate pollutants, together with our partner the World Health Organization, and, increasingly, with the agriculture sector,” she added. “We have some very able partners to count on. As one of our founding ministers put it, ‘We are a Coalition of the Working.’ Anyone who is willing to act in that spirit is welcome to join us.”

The coalition has gained momentum swiftly: 36 countries and 44 institutions and organizations are now lending their weight to tackling the issue, and a $50

million Trust Fund has been created to support and conduct emissions reduction work.

Concrete actions range from working with more than 30 cities to assess the growing problem of methane and black carbon emissions from municipal landfills to promoting more stringent vehicle emissions standards, with initial successes in Asia and Latin America.

“The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a remarkable process of bringing science to policy, focusing on the multiple benefits of action, and creating initiatives that invite voluntary partnerships,” said UN UnderSecretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “I hope that as policymakers and actors across the world look at the success story of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, they will find the courage and opti-

mism that we are indeed able to take science, turn it into policy recommendations, and form coalitions that are willing and able to act.”

Other accomplishments of the CCAC over the last two years include: Ten transformative initiatives, including work to reduce short-lived climate pollutants in municipal solid waste, oil and gas, diesel engines, brick production, HFCs, cookstoves and agriculture, with additional progress in finance, regional SLCP assessments and national planning; Giving grants to entrepreneurs to develop cleaner cook stoves, for which capital investments are lower than for other black carbonreduction measures; Showcasing alternative technologies to replace high-global-warming-

Nanka in Anambra State has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently come their aid . They noted that the Federal Government would score a high political mark, if their problem is tackled.

The Chairman of Nanka Erosion Control Committee, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene who briefed newsmen recently strongly maintained that “ the sky would be his limit in political affairs of Nigeria and the community would never forget him for solving the monster which has remained untouchable since 1922.”

Lamenting on their travails, the Committee Chairman said, “We have over 18 fingers of erosion in Nanka community alone. Several houses have been buried in landslides in the community, and sadly, today the palace of the traditional ruler of Oko Community, Igwe Laz Ekwueme is being threatened.

“Till date the Agulu-NankaOko axis landslide remains the biggest threats in the whole of west Africa, and as it is today, our people are always living in fear”.

Warning that the rainny season is fast approaching, he said, “We, are calling on the federal government to come to our aid immediately,…and if nothing is done until April,, all other efforts in the site would be a waste”.

Okeke regretted that besides Shagaris’ regime which did a sizeable work to tame the menace of the erosion menace affecting the community in the 80s, all other government has ignored our plight.

He, however expressed concern that the recent contract awarded on one of the erosion sites to Rhino Construction Company, has been long abandoned.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 59

New platform to protect forests worldwide underway Conservation HE World Resources T Institute (WRI), Google,UNEP and a group of more than 40 partners on Thursday launched Global Forest Watch (GFW), a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better manage forests. For the first time, Global Forest Watch unites the latest satellite technology, open data, and crowdsourcing to guarantee access to timely and reliable information about forests.

“Businesses, governments and communities desperately

Managing the world’s forest resources is today both a local and global undertaking, and technology has provided Global Forest Watch with an unprecedented opportunity to connect not only information and data but people, whether they be forest managers, businesses and private sector, or consumers across the globe. want better information about forests. Now, they have it,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI. “Global Forest Watch is a near-real time monitoring platform that will fundamentally change the way people and businesses manage forests. From now on, the

bad guys cannot hide and the good guys will be recognized for their stewardship.”

According to data from the University of Maryland and Google, the world lost 2.3 million square kilometers (230 million hectares) of tree cover from 2000 to 2012 equivalent

to 50 soccer fields of forest lost every minute of every day for 12 years. The countries with the highest tree cover loss are: Russia, Brazil, Canada, United States, and Indonesia.

“Managing the world’s forest resources is today both a local and global undertaking, and technology has provided Global Forest Watch with an unprecedented opportunity to connect not only information and data but people, whether they be forest managers, businesses and private sector, or consumers across the globe. This is a great example of a community coming together and providing the world with a truly ground-

breaking and pioneering product. Hopefully in a few years’ time we will be able to monitor the impact and the results in terms of what actually happens on the ground that will be both a litmus test and I think the greatest affirmation that the time for this idea had come,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

“We are honored to partner with WRI and power the Global Forest Watch platform with Google cloud technology, massive data and turbo-powered science,” said Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager, Google Earth Outreach and Earth Engine. “GFW is an ambi-

tious vision, and yet it’s both timely and achievable given WRI’s knowledge of environmental science and policy, strong partnerships, and the high-performance Google cloud technology that we’re donating to this initiative.”

What’s new about Global Forest Watch: High-resolution: Annual tree cover loss and gain data for the entire globe at a resolution of 30 meters, available for analysis and download.

Near-real time: Monthly tree cover loss data for the humid tropics at a resolution of 500 meters.

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59

THE ENVIRONMENT

Wild weather puts climate back on global agenda

United States of America is battered by stormy weather

Climate Change ITTER cold in the United B States might appear to contradict the notion of global warming, but with Britain’s wettest winter and Australia’s hottest summer, extreme weather events have pushed climate change back on the political agenda.

A spluttering world economy had sapped political interest in the billion-dollar shifts from fossil fuels that scientists say are needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but rhetoric is changing in 2014, one year before a deadline for a new U.N. climate deal.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry went furthest, calling climate change “perhaps the most fearsome weapon of mass destruction” and ridiculing those who doubt that climate change is manmade.

Almost 200 governments have agreed to work out a deal at a summit in Paris in December 2015 to combat rising global temperatures which a U.N. panel of scientists has predicted will cause increasing extreme weather

Large parts of the United States and Canada suffered bone-numbing cold last month that some scientists say could be a paradoxical side-effect of disruptions to the jet stream linked to climate change. and rising seas.

The deal would replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - the world’s first attempt to agree emissions reductions which was spurned by the United States and which did not impose limits on rapidly developing economies like India and China.

With wild weather hitting some of the most developed parts of the world, politicians in rich nations are once again under pressure to address the issue.

“Attention has been increasing ... sadly because of the increase in the frequency and intensity of natural events and disasters,”, U.N. climate change chief Christiana Figueres told Reuters.

“The scale and speed of action needs to improve,” she said, adding that disas-

ters in the past two or three years including 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines had also focused minds.

U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande last week urged an “ambitious” climate deal in 2015, which would come into force from 2020.

Large parts of the United States and Canada suffered bone-numbing cold last month that some scientists say could be a paradoxical side-effect of disruptions to the jet stream linked to climate change. Britain has had the wettest December to January on record, with widespread floods.

British opposition leader Ed Miliband said at the weekend that Britain was “sleepwalking to a climate crisis”.

Last year was the warmest on record in Australia with heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. Prime Minister Tony Abbott is skeptical of a link to man-made global warming.

“If you look at the records of Australian agriculture going back 150 years, there have always been good times and bad,” he told reporters during a tour of drought-stricken farming regions this week. “This is not a new thing in Australia.”

Last year, the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raised the probability that mankind was the main cause of global warming since the mid-20th century to at least 95 percent from 90 percent assessed in 2007.

Most nations have yet to say what curbs they will impose on carbon emissions in 2015, in a deal that could influence energy investments from coal to wind power.

“It’s very good that international leaders are increasingly recognizing the threat of climate change,” Connie Hedegaard, the European Union’s climate commissioner, told Reuters.

U.S. billionaire donates $100m into climate change fight Climate Change CALIFORNIA hedge fund A investor has pledged $100 million in contributions to pro-environmentalist congressional campaigns, bolstering the battle against climate change.

Billionaire Tom Steyer last week hosted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and six other Democratic lawmakers for a fundraiser at his San Francisco home and is planning an ad campaign for candidates who support tough action on climate

change.

Steyer, founder of the hedge fund Farallon Capital, plans to spend $50 million of his own money and raise another $50 million from other donors for the November midterm elections.

His aim is to serve as a political counterweight to the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, who have already spent $30 million so far this year on attack ads targeting vulnerable Democratic senators who have supported the healthcare reform law popularly known as Obamacare.

Steyer hosted Reid and some of Congress’ most active climate change advocates: Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Tom Udall of New Mexico, and Representative Gary Peters of Michigan, according to a source who attended the dinner and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

They were joined by former Vice President Al Gore, who has spent much of his post-

Washington life campaigning for strong climate change legislation, such as a carbon tax.

The 40-person dinner, paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, raised more than $400,000.

Democratic donors Mark Buell and Susie Tompkins Buell, co-founder of the Esprit clothing company, and Lorna and Wade Randlett, renewable energy investor and founder of the Bay Area Democrats, co-hosted the dinner of salmon and grass-fed beef from Steyer’s ranch.

Group sets up new platform to protect forests CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58 Speed: Cloud computing, provided by Google, multiplying the speed at which data can be analyzed.

The crowd: GFW unites high resolution information from satellites with the power of crowdsourcing.

Free and easy to use: GFW is free to all and no technical expertise is needed.

Alerts: When forest loss alerts are detected, a network of partners and citizens around the world can mobilize to take action.

Analytical Tools: Layers showing boundaries of protected areas worldwide; logging, mining, palm oil and other concessions; daily forest fire alerts from NASA; agricultural commodities; and intact forest landscapes and biodiversity hotspots.

Global Forest Watch was launched on Thursday 20 February at the Newseum in Washington, D.C by a group of leaders in government, business, and civil society.

“Partnerships like Global Forest Watch that bring together governments, businesses and civil society and technological innovation are the kinds of solutions we need to reduce forest loss, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable economic growth,” said Administrator Rajiv Shah, U.S. Agency for International Development.

Global Forest Watch will have far-reaching implications

across industries. Financial institutions can better evaluate if the companies they invest in adequately assess forest-related risks. Buyers of major commodities such as palm oil, soy, timber, and beef can better monitor compliance with laws, sustainability commitments, and standards.

And suppliers can credibly demonstrate that their products are “deforestation free” and legally produced.

“Deforestation poses a material risk to businesses that rely on forest-linked crops.

Exposure to that risk has the potential to undermine the future of businesses,” said Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever. “That is why Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan has set targets to source 100 percent of agricultural raw materials sustainably. As we strive to increase the visibility of where the ingredients for our products come from, the launch of Global Forest Watch a fantastic, innovative tool will provide the information we urgently need to make the right decisions, fostering transparency, enforcing accountability, and facilitating partnerships.”

Global Forest Watch can support other users like indigenous communities, who can upload alerts and photos when encroachment occurs on their lands; and NGOs that can identify deforestation hotspots, mobilize action, and collect evidence to hold governments and companies accountable.

Coalition seeks more action on short-lived climate pollutants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58 potential HFCs; Gathering oil and gas companies under the umbrella of the CCAC Oil and Gas Methane Partnership, to be launched officially in 2014; Making tools available to national governments to assess the benefits of emission reductions and national planning; Conducting the first regionwide review of short-lived climate pollutants in Latin America; Beginning a public health campaign with the World Health Organization to make clear the connection between pollution and health. More than six million people die each year from indoor and outdoor air pollution, and many more are affected by noncommunicable diseases from pollution; Helping to shape the policies and investment portfolios of the World Bank and other development banks.

CCAC partners welcomed the work of the coalition, and called on others to join and increase the momentum of a movement that offers much promise in protecting human health and mitigating climate change.

“In the past two years the CCAC has grown into an action-oriented coalition, and I am pleased that so many countries and organizations have joined efforts with the coalition”, said Wilma Mansveld, Minister of Infrastructure and Environment for the Netherlands, one of CCAC’s

partner countries.

“In addressing short-lived climate pollutants, the CCAC has a lot to offer to the climate, health and food productivity,” she added.

“In our view, governments, industry, NGOs and citizens must all be part of the solution. I am enthusiastic about the cooperation of countries and institutions in concrete initiatives, complementary to our efforts under the climate regime. I look forward to continue to work with partners in progressively scaling up our activities.”

The CCAC to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, the environmental community, and other members of civil society.

The Coalition is government-led but is highly cooperative and voluntary. Shortlived climate pollutants are agents that have a relatively short lifetime in the atmosphere-a few days to a few decades-but also a warming influence on climate as well as, in many cases, detrimental impacts on human health, agriculture and ecosystems.

The newest partners to the Coalition include Morocco and the Russian Federation as state partners, and the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (Colombia), the GLOBE Foundation (Canada) and TERRE: Technology, Education, Research and Rehabilitation for the Environment (India) as nonstate partners.

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THE ENVIRONMENT

Endangered species- Gorilla and Elephant

Govts commit to tackle global wildlife poaching crisis Conservation EADS of state, ministers H and high level representatives of 46 countries, including those most heavily impacted by poaching and illegal trade of wildlife, today committed to taking “decisive and urgent action” to tackle the global illegal wildlife trade.

The strongly worded declaration was issued following two days of closed-door negotiations hosted in London by the UK government. Their Royal Highnesses, Princes Charles, William and Harry also particevent. the in ipated Measures agreed by countries signing the declaration include action to eradicate

Measures agreed by countries signing the declaration include action to eradicate the market from illegal wildlife products; agreement to strengthen law enforcement efforts and ensure that effective legal frameworks and deterrents are in place; and moves to promote sustainable livelihoods through positive engagement with local communities. the market from illegal wildlife products; agreement to strengthen law enforcement efforts and ensure that effective legal frameworks and deterrents are in place; and moves to promote sustainable livelihoods through positive engagement with local communities .

WWF and TRAFFIC welcome the post-conference “London

Declaration” for recognising the significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences of illegal wildlife trade, including how poaching and trafficking are increasingly controlled by organized criminal networks that undermine the rule of law and good governance and encourage corrupt i o n .

Heather Sohl, Chief Species Advisor at WWF-UK, said: “Governments signing the London Declaration today sent a strong message: Wildlife crime is a serious crime and it must be stopped.

This trafficking devastates species populations, but also takes the lives of rangers, impedes countries’ economic development and destabilises society by driving corruption.

“This is a crisis, not just at a national or regional scale, but one that demands urgent global attention, and so warrants high-level political support through the appointment of a dedicated United Nations Special Representative. It is down to governments to stand by their commitments now and put in

place procedures and resources to tackle the crime back in their homelands.”

Countries present at today’s meeting include several whose elephant populations are under severe poaching pressure, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya and Tanzania. Other countries that represent major transit points for ivory shipped from Africa to Asia were also in attendance, including Togo, the Philippines and Malaysia, and significantly, China, the major market for illegal ivory.

Similarly, countries at the centre of the rhino horn trade chain were represented, including South Africa, Mozambique and Viet Nam, as well as some of those impact-

ed by the illegal trade in tiger parts: Indonesia, Myanmar, Russia and China.

Also joining the meeting were representatives from a number of intergovernmental organizations with a significant role to play in addressing the crisis, including CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, various United Nations agencies, the African Development Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank. Several of these organizations have the potential to make resources available to implement the declaration’s commitments.

Greenpeace finds waterway pollutants in luxury fashion brands The Environment NVIRONMENTAL campaign E group Greenpeace has found traces of chemicals that can pollute waterways in children’s clothing and shoes made by luxury brands, challenging the sector’s reputation for higher standards than those of mass fashion.

In a report issued on Monday just before Milan Fashion Week, Greenpeace said it found the substances in products from Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Versace,

Hermes, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs.

Greenpeace has been campaigning against pollutants used in the textile industry since 2011. It wants major brands and their suppliers to commit to stop discharging potentially harmful chemicals in waste water by 2020.

Concerned about toxicity to aquatic organisms and the fact some do not biodegrade easily, the European Union has restricted the industrial use of some of these chemicals but there are no rules on the sales of textiles containing

their residues.

Greenpeace said 12 of the 27 articles it tested contained residues of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), used in textile manufacturing which it said can break down into hormone-disrupting chemicals when released from garments during washing.

In five items, the group said it also found per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) used to make garments water repellent. Five articles tested positive for phthalates, used in printing designs on clothing, and three for antimony, a

compound used to manufacture polyester.

The chemicals Greenpeace tested for have been commonly used in textile manufacturing, but are gradually being phased out by some brands due to concern about their polluting impact.

Reuters could not independently confirm Greenpeace’s findings, which two of the companies sought to play down.

Armani said its products were “absolutely safe for consumers” as it complied with international guidelines that

were more restrictive than EU environmental requirements.

Armani said it has committed to abolish all chemicals which could cause environmental damage to production sites by 2020 and is in discussion on this with environmental groups.

Louis Vuitton said all its products fully complied with international environment and safety standards, including the children’s ballerina shoes and sneakers that Greenpeace tested positive for PFCs. Louis Vuitton said both had lower concentration levels than

international rules required.

However, Louis Vuitton said it shared Greenpeace’s concerns as it recognised “the intrinsic hazardous properties” of the chemicals used in the industry and said it was working hard to exceed current environmental standards.

Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Dior and Marc Jacobs were not immediately available to comment.

An industry consultant privately criticized the Greenpeace campaign, but declined to speak publicly.

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FINANCIALGUARDIAN

BUSINESS INTERVIEW

Current economic planning regime

Ekpo

Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpo is the Director-General of West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM). He was a non-executive director of Central Bank of Nigeria from 2005 to 2009; President, Nigerian Economic Society, 2008 to 2010; and presently serves as Chairman, Finance and Risk management Committee of the African Population and health Research Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. Currently on leave of absence from University of Uyo as professor of Economics, Ekpo, who was also the Vice-Chancellor of the higher institution from 2000 to 2005, spoke with Business Editor, ADE OGIDAN on germane issues in the nation’s macro-economy. Excerpts.

As an economist with passion for development, how will you assess the current official disposition to the economic development strategies being evolved by the government?

As you know,the present government has put in place a lot of policies, programmes and strategies to move the economy forward. Now, we have been to be sincere, we cannot say all of them have worked but some have worked, some are controversial.

First, for years now, we have been having problems with our power sector, every regime has been having problem trying to unbundle power holding company in order to ensure that we have a reasonable consistent power supply. In my mind, this operation is the very first to a large extent to unbundle the power holding company and privatise the sub-sectors knowing that once power is in place, other things will follow. So,I think in the area of power, the road map put in place by this administration is a success because once you have that in place, the country’s economy will grow and will generate jobs. Right now, we are told the economy is growing at about seven per cent but we know this per cent growth rate is not generating employment, so it’s a non-employment generating growth. But with power being fixed and once the economy is stopped being driven by generators, that growth will be job enhancing. I think in that area, the government has done very well in my view.

The labour market area is a big challenge because you are aware officially that we have 24 per cent unemployment rate, higher even among youths and when it comes to that, any government must take decisive action, what we call intervening policies, and they have tried that in some areas,like the YouWiN programme and SUREP. These are programmes that we call stop gap measures, they try to ameliorate the unemployment situation. In my opinion, it is not a permanent solution except it is built into a national planning strategy. It can’t be permanent but it is a stop-gap measure to help reduce the unemployment situation. We still have

the unemployment crisis which is a big challenge and the government has to address it by intervening appropriately.

Another important achievement under this administration is in the area of planning. In the early 70s – 1984, we had imbibed planning as a strategy for development because all the countries that have developed in the world have planned their respective economies proactively.These include Singapore, India, China and Malaysia.

Nigeria was doing the same thing, we were planning our economy before 1984 when we abandoned planning and when you abandon planning, a lot of problems set in. We made a mistake, we thought that we were building the market economy; hence, we should not be planning,which was wrong. Planning is not at variance with building the market economy and since we abandoned that, there have been a lot of problems. That is why the World Bank had to introduce the Medium Term Expenditure framework as a way to reduce the chaos that we have in the physical profile. As you know,the medium term expenditure framework is a three year plan to actually build the revenue and expenditure and nothing else. That didn’t help because it focused only on revenue expenditure. This administration has come to imbibe planning, implying that the economy has to be directed and managed effectively for us to move forward. The medium term expenditure framework is now part of the planning process and has made planning to be more comprehensive. If it is now properly implemented, the planning process should take us very far and should result in the economy being transformed.

Would that provide the elixir for the government’s transformation agenda?

Yes. The present government’s transformation agenda was derived from the planning document and if that agenda is properly implemented, the country will make progress because all the elements we need to make Nigeria a better country are in that agenda. The problem as usual is proper implementation. The President as a person may

mean well but he needs a good team around him- a good team that will think about good economic policies, good programmes among others to move the country forward. The area of planning, the area of infrastructures; I mentioned power, railway (which have been in comatose for years is now being revived), the agriculture area which is a very big area, in fact agriculture is now like a business. It hasn’t gotten the desired impact but it has started and if it is sustained, we will get there because we cannot depend on the oil sector solely to make progress and for so long,we have been saying that the country needs to diversify away from oil.

Now, we can see the Minister of Agriculture who is part of the government making some bold attempts to make sure agriculture becomes a viable business. To be able to make it a viable business is to make it modern and highly skilled, not peasant agriculture, not to depend solely on nature. We must depend on technology and others. The government has done its best in the afore-mentioned areas, so the macro fundamentals as we say in economics, some of them are moving in the right direction,but not all. As it has been said, most of the problems have been accumulated overtime but someone has to solve them. Though the President has been trying to solve them but with a good team, we should be in the right direction because the earlier mentioned agenda has element of developmental state. In other words, the government is seeing development as utmost for Nigeria to move forward.

How would you assess the performance of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the discharge of its mandate on the economy?

The CBN is not the sole agency of the government that manages the economy.Its major mandate is price stability which is an aspect of the macro economy. The macro economy has three or four objectives,that is, price stability, economic growth, exchange rate stability and growth.

The CBN’s role is to moderate the inflation rate

but for developing countries, the mandate goes a little beyond that to include what we call monumental functions. They intervene and this is where sometimes problems come in because the fiscal side is the ministry of finance, the monetary side which is price stability, we target the monetary aggregate which dictates the price stability is the CBN’s. The two must coordinate for the economy to be properly managed.At times, that coordination is a problem because some of the things that the CBN gets to do affect the fiscal side and the fiscal side is more of government and so if you don’t have that fiscal prudence, it will create problem for managing the entire economy, so it’s a balance.

When I say it’s a balance, styles will come in. In other words, in most countries like Nigeria, when you are trying to build the institutions, you cannot remove the person’s personality but the best thing to do is to build the institutions first and not the personality. In our own circumstance, we cannot help it. In Nigeria, in terms of structural framework, we can say that we are not doing badly.

Framework is one thing, the reality is a terrible matter, and Nigeria has a lot of structural problems that will affect how you manage the economy, no matter your style. For example, we say price stability which means single digit inflation but research has shown that the issue these days is not even to represent those single digit, it is what we call threshold; what is that country’s inflationary threshold. You could have high inflation and you are doing well, like Brazil and some other South American countries. Our threshold in Nigeria by research shows that if we are 14 – 18 per cent inflation rate, we can still do well; if we bring it down to eight per cent, we may not be doing well but it is at how you manage it.

Research has shown that in any economy, inflation can be rising but it gets to a point where this is your limit and where the inflation is beyond that, the economy will begin to have problem. Low price is okay but “how low is low?” If you are at deflation, it is also a problem, so every country has

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FINANCIALGUARDIAN

BUSINESS INTERVIEW

imperative for growth, says Ekpo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 64 its own threshold, your optimum beyond which you have a problem. Nigeria’s own last research done by a sister institution was about 14 to 18 per cent, which is our threshold. Even if you have a single digit, it is okay but it is not a big deal. The CBN in terms of managing the price stability, you cannot say that they have not tried. The fiscal side involves revenue and expenditure; not just in Nigeria, the fiscal side is difficult to deal with because of the cost of running government. That is why you have to manage it, the two sides have to come together and ensure exact macro approach. There is coordination between the fiscal and the monetary aspect but may not be enough.

There is lack of coordination and this became glaring recently when the CBN governor went to town and alleged that about $49 billion was missing from the NNPC account, the same man went back later and said it wasn’t up to that but it was about $9 billion. This shouldn’t have happened if that coordination existed. How will that kind of situation affect an economy like ours?

Once you show that there is no coordination, it sends shock waves and leads to lack of confidence on the players in the economy that perhaps they don’t know what they are doing and some people become weary and it brings about a lot of uncertainty. That was why I said it is not totally about lack of coordination because certain things are routine. If you see a problem, you can call the relevant minister, let us sit down and discuss and iron things out because it is not everything that should be blown out. The economy like ours, what comes out of government whether CBN or whatever can create a disruptive situation where if any player begins to wonder whether they should invest or not, you can scare investors, to show the economy that they don’t know what they are doing. So, there are certain things you call within and say let’s look at this and sort things out without going to the press. The condition between the Minister of Finance and the CBN governor is taken for granted, they must work together and even the other relevant ministries.

How would you describe the banking reforms and the stage at which we are now?

The banking reforms have been a process during the banking consolidation era. At that time, I didn’t support that all banks should have a capital base of N25billion My thinking was that you create incentives for those banks who want to move to the N25 billion mark because some of these banks exist for different issues in the economy. What people call the crisis of 2008, I don’t see it as crisis because in any business, we have ups and downs, and how you manage it is more important. If a financial institution is in crisis, you don’t go around and tell the world because it sends shock waves but you manage it and that is where the style comes in. During my own tenure in the board, when we have some of the signs of these problems, what we did was to open a window for banks to try and resolve the problem and ask the NDIC to do its work- station examiners in banks. At the time this was going on, the reports had not come in before the Soludo tenure ended; the reports came in after his tenure and that was when the crisis now came up. This showed that being big may not mean being efficient because if you don’t have N25 billion, you are still not efficient. That is another level of the reform, you can see that they can finance long term technical project but they may not be efficient. The point is that the Nigerian banking sector may find it difficult to be efficient because it is an oligopolistic banking structure; there are very few banks with numerous branches in the industry. You need a lot of banks for you to say that there is competition because it is competition that leads to efficiency. If you are oligopolistic or monopolistic, you cannot be efficient, you may have what economist call the market clearing price but it is not an efficient one. We have few banks and out of that, few set the pace while others follow or they collude consciously or unconsciously.

Are you suggesting re-licensing of new banks?

I was suggesting that with the new rules, how come new banks are not emerging because we need more banks for us to have competition. The microfinance banks cannot finance long term investments. They are many but how many? The reforms in my view would have come because banking is a business but one has to be very careful because of what they are dealing with. The banks have a board and where the board is having problems, the CBN has to use the hammer but how you use the hammer also varies because you have to look at the global environment and the economy. So far, we are lucky because we are still not yet a developed country, if we were a developed country, there are some things that we do that will create problem for the entire economy. We still don’t have a large literate banking and financial population; a lot of the Nigerian population still remains unbanked. Some of the things we do here in Nigeria, if they try them in other developed countries, they will run down the banks. I don’t think the apex bank will want to see any bank go under, they will try to manage the crisis as they have done. Look at AMCON, it was created during Soludo’s time, he started the process to buy up Societe Generale’s assets but Sanusi came around and formalised it.

That is another way of managing it.It is better you over-regulate than under-regulate.

As part of the management of price stability by CBN, what is your comment especially about the monetary policy regime being operated by the country presently?

As I said earlier, you get to price stability via macro policy regime. Right now, it is a tight monetary policy, they keep mopping money supply to reduce inflation. The point there

is that is it working? And you know about the monetary policy rate which is the anchor. In most of such economies, if you state that the monetary policy rate is twelve per cent for example; add four per cent to get the lending rate. In that sense, you could say the monetary policy have some challenge because it has impact on interbank rates but no impact on the lending rate. The lending rate is about average twenty-five per cent which is very high, nobody borrows at that rate and gets to do anything. I am always of the opinion that the lending rates are too high and without competition via the market, government can force competition. In most countries, government force competition by breaking monopoly because if you have twenty-five per cent lending rate, it means that the monetary policy regime is not affecting the rates, the real sector is suffering in comatose, the issue is the lending rate and how do we address it. The CBN has a role to play; they will tell you they have used moral persuasion, talked to the banks and so on, the rate is just too high. In that sense, the monetary policy has not had the desired impact on the economy because of the high lending rate.

Isn’t that a major failure on the part of the CBN? I’ll rather call it a challenge than failure because the CBN is just one out of the economy. There are structural problems, the banks will tell you that they run their generator 24 hours and so they have to pay for it, this forms part of the challenges of doing business in Nigeria. The only thing I worry about is that some of these banks spend a lot of money on advert in global network and I wonder who will come and borrow in Nigerian market at that rate. If it is advert they spend money on, we are paying for it. There are lots of frivolous costs being incurred by the Nigerian banks on adverts in different foreign countries which are wrong.

Why is it that there’s no national congruence between the lending rate and the deposit rate?

The term deposit has even gone up a bit in some banks.

It is so low while the lending rate is very high, that is why this disconnection is not good for the economy. The CBN can force the lending rate down and the banks will adjust.

When say the monetary policy of CBN, its reaction function takes into account the fiscal side and the fiscal side will only be sure of government’s revenue and expenditure.

We have 36 state and the FCT and they spend, by law, they are right to spend by the constitution, we have 774 local governments and they spend, that quantum of expenditure, we are not sure if it is reflected in the CBN’s reaction function. All of these things fuel inflation, when we say lending rate, it is a price and that is why some of us as economists wonder when you say inflation is single digit and lending rate is twenty five per cent, we start wondering because all of these are prices, what is driving what?

If the inflation is coming down as eight per cent, how come the lending rates are remaining almost at the same level? There’s a disconnection somewhere which implies that more research has to be done to find out what the problem is.

As an import development economy, how prudent is it on the part of the government to be operating the current foreign exchange regime?

The foreign exchange is very simple, you can only know about your currency vis-a-vis other currency by producing for export and more so producing finished goods or semifinished goods in the production chain. What Nigeria does is export crude petroleum to earn foreign exchange, we have no control of the price and quality of the crude oil, and we are depending on the external variables to plan the economy which is dangerous. We must diversify away from oil, even the oil sector itself has to diversify because we are only exporting crude, and it is not linked to the chemical or pharmaceutical industry or other industries.

The country earns forex from exporting crude and uses that to back up the naira, no production. In Nigeria, manufacturing contributes five per cent to the GDP. Up to 2016, it will still be five per cent to GDP, this means we are not producing for export and we use foreign exchange to import all we need. We know that most of all we use in Nigeria are imported from foreign countries and our export which is basically oil goes to the same source. The only thing is to industrialise, no country has made progress without being industrialised.

From a historical perspective, 1986 marked an unsavoury watershed in Nigeria’s economic history, especially when it comes to the issue of export and industrialization. This is being linked directly to the continual devaluation of the Naira, it is being taught that the devaluation of the naira as an import dependent economy is actually de-industrialising the country because we are paying higher bills to import even materials for local production making the local production less competitive.

I am sure when you said in 1986; you were referring to SAP era. When you devalue, you devalue because of two things, your products will be cheaper, you can export more and earn more money but in this case, you are wasting your time because what you export is crude oil and you don’t control the output because a cartel controls it. That is official wholesale devaluation. The market can also devalue your currency, we call it depreciation, and the two effects are the same. We should use our natural endowment such as oil to industrialise, that’s the way to go about it.

The transformation agenda is a strategic document, if we can do some of the content, we will transform the economy structurally, we will move away from doing primary production to manufacturing industrialization. This agenda is not different from what you will see in other coun-

The labour market area is a big challenge because you are aware officially that we have 24 per cent unemployment rate, higher even among youths and when it comes to that, any government must take decisive action, what we call intervening policies, and they have tried that in some areas,like the YouWiN programme and SUREP

The present government’s transformation agenda was derived from the planning document and if that agenda is properly implemented, the country will make progress because all the elements we need to make Nigeria a better country are in that agenda

Once you show that there is no coordination, it sends shock waves and leads to lack of confidence on the players in the economy that perhaps they don’t know what they are doing and some people become weary and it brings about a lot of uncertainty tries but it is now the implementation.

Ghana came out of the doldrums by tinkering with its foreign policy and the result was quite significant and manifest. Soludo wanted to toll the same line but it was strategically halted. Don’t you think redenomination strategy could work just as it has been effective in Ghana?

When you say effective in Ghana, let’s be careful because what was the value of the Cedi before the Ghanaians did redenomination. The Cedi was completely basterdised unlike the Naira, they had no choice but to redenominated it. If Nigeria had done this, they would have been in trouble and they were happy we didn’t do it. Building a relationship has been good for us in the short term but if we don’t build on that short term benefit, we may move in the same direction later. If we talk about price stability, which could have caused an impact on the inflation coming down, we have realigned our domestic production with foreign production and would have attracted investors to come in. Why it wasn’t done is a political economic issue which is beyond us here.

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Insurance ‘Challenges in compulsory public building law enforcement’

By Joshua Nse ISK managers in the nation’s insurance industry have identified challenges militating against the enforcement of section 65 of the Insurance Act 2003 on compulsory insurance of public building.

They include poor compliance culture, inadequate legislative and legal framework, and poor public perception of National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) as a regulator and public resistance to insurance.

The Managing Director/CEO, Niger Insurance Plc, in a paper delivered at the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) February members evening in Lagos said: “I wish

R

to share my thoughts on the challenges of insurance of public buildings. In doing this, I shall be looking at the scope of the Act, the optimism of business generation, the reality of implementation and its challenges and the way forward.”

The essence of this discussion, he said, was to elicit more views, which at the end of the day should assist the regulator and the industry to come up with a position that would assist in achieving a common objective.

The Insurance Act of 2003 made provisions for a number of compulsory insurances amongst which is the insurance of public buildings. Section 65 of the said Act provides thus: “Every public

building shall be insured with a registered insurer against the hazards of collapse, fire, earthquake, storm and flood” The Act defines public buildings as including: Tenement house, hostel, building occupied by a tenant, lodger or license. Building where the public have ingress and aggress for the purpose of obtaining educational or medical services or recreation or transaction of business. This would include eateries, restaurants, Internet cafes, shopping malls etc.

The Act further identifies possible insured, which could be either the owner or occupier of premises. The risks, which should be covered under this insurance

include: Loss or damage to property, injury and death suffered by any user of the premises or third parties.

Punishment for non-compliance with this provision is stated as either a fine of N100, 000 and/or imprisonment of one year.

On the face of it, he explained, this provision should provide a lot of benefits to Nigerians taking into cognisance the incessant collapse of buildings nationwide especially in Lagos State.

This is often accompanied by fatal consequences together with human and material losses. Likewise, incidences of flooding recorded in Lagos, Ibadan and some other parts of te country.

Insurance of public build-

Executive Secretary, Pension Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), Susan Oranye (left), Managing Director - Premium Pension (Head, PenOp Legal & Regulatory Committee), Wilson Ideva, Managing Director - Legacy Pension (Chairman of PenOp), Misbahu Yola, Managing Director - ARM Pension (Head, PenOp Technical Committee), Sadiq Mohammed at the association’s meeting held in Lagos.

Staco Insurance records N6.8b premium Insurance Plc has investment and ploughing opportunities as they come idea; it is expected to guaranSumTACO announced a gross premi- back of profits into the com- up. The current year’s profit tee quantum reduction of written of N6.8 billion for pany to promote growth. This shall be retained for this pur- outstanding premium being the financial year 2012 as against N6.48 billion in 2011.

The net premium written amounted to N6.28 billion billion. from N5.9 Underwriting result was N3.12 billion in 2012 from N3.06 billion in 2011.

The chairman of the company, Oritsedere Otubu, addressing shareholders at the 18th yearly general meeting held in Lagos, explained that profit before tax and exceptional item rose to N310.76 million in 2012 from a loss of N462.97 million in 2011.

He told shareholders “the daunting challenges facing our company has given rise to the need for relentless

will position our company strategically for the everincreasing competition in the financial services sector.

This decision we believe will enable us take advantage of

pose.

The managing Director/CEO, Sakiru Oyefeso, in his remark said: “The enforcement of NAICOM policy of no premium no cover is a welcome

owed to underwriters as the policy does not permit granting of cover without receiving the premium in advance before the cover commences.”

AIICO Capital gets approval for initial public offer IICO Capital Limited A recently received the Securities & Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) clearance of the offer documents in respect of the proposed initial public offering of 10,000,000 units of N100 each in the AIICO Money Market Fund.

The signing meeting to execute the offer documents

was held on 18th February 2014. The Board of Directors of the company and all the professional parties to the offer were present to execute the offer documents.

AIICO Capital plans to launch the AIICO Money Market Fund via an initial public offering of 10, 000,000 units of N100 each at par, upon receipt of final

approval from the SEC with Vetiva Capital Management Limited acting as Issuing House to the Offer.

AIICO Capital Limited is a subsidiary of AIICO Insurance PLC currently registered by the Nigerian Securities & Exchange Commission to carry out portfolio/fund management services.

ings is meant to provide an avenue for compensation to third parties and users of damaged properties. As with all compulsory insurances, it provides a socio-economic function in the society.

However, despite all efforts by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the regulatory authority saddled with the implementation of the Act including the launching of the Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI), not much has been achieved in the implementation or enforcement of this provision. This confirms the opinion of experts on compulsory insurance that it should be restricted to areas where a need is generally felt and in sectors where supervision is possible at a reasonable cost.

Nevertheless, it is important to stress that problems associated with the insurance of public buildings cannot be divorced from the general problems of the Nigerian insurance industry, though some peculiar challenges are identified.

According to him, NAICOM, in its Corporate Strategic Plan 2011-2015’ (pg. 21) had listed the hindrances as threats to the industry. Therefore, the challenges which I would like to address at this forum are basically the following: ineffective legal framework, poor compliance culture, lack of awareness on the part of the public, and finally, ineffective implementation of strategy adopted by NAICOM. Generally, he said, the legislative framework for insurance practice in Nigeria is inadequate and ineffective. Often times we find the law making unenforceable provisions which though good on paper is almost impracticable without strong enforcement provisions. The law makes provisions for NAICOM to enforce

the insurance laws against insurance companies through the inspectorate division in the Commission but provides no means of enforcement against the public in general.

The Commission has no power of arrest irrespective of the fact that there are sanctions provided in law. How would arrest and legal action be taken to ensure sanctions are meted out to individuals in breach of the law?

It is pertinent to note that before the Insurance Act of 2003, there were compulsory insurances in place such as the third party motor insurance and the workmen compensation policy (now abolished). They had separate enactment for them such as the Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act 1945 and the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1990.

In the case of the compulsory third party Section 17 Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act, police officers are empowered to ask anyone driving a motor vehicle to produce his/her certificate of insurance. Similarly, Section 40 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act gave the minister of labour power to enforce the compulsory insurance provisions of the Act. This position was reinforced in the Insurance Act of 2003. Therefore, the police force and the ministry of labour ensured compliance with these provisions respectively.

Unlike the above two, there is no separate enactment for compulsory insurance of public buildings. This inadequate legal framework makes it completely difficult to enforce the provision considering the fact that NAICOM or any regulatory body at their inception has never enforced legal provisions on compulsory insurances against the public.

Insurance lawyers forum holds in Ijebu-Ode BOUT 100 lawyers in the lawyer of national and interA Insurance industry will national repute with subbe meeting from February stantial stake and interest 26th to 27, 2014 in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State to discuss issues affecting the sector.

The forum organised by the firm of Adegboyega Adepegba & Co in conjunction with The Nigeria Insurance Law Association (NILA) is expected to present array of speakers that have been assembled to present papers.

Prof. J.O Irukwu an insurance lawyer will declare the forum open on Wednesday 26th February while Anthony Idigbe will deliver the theme paper.

Idigbe has to his credit over 30 years of Corporate Legal Practice, an outstanding

in the Nigerian insurance industry.

Other speakers at the forum are Prof. Chioma Aghomo of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Olusina Sofola, is the managing partner of Idowu Sofola & Co, O.O Ladipo Ajayi, a thorough bred insurance professional, a lawyer and a multi skilled administrator is the managing director of LASACO Assurance Plc, among others.

A special feature of the forum is the two-hour round table session, which feature a paper on landmark cases in insurance.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014 |79

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY Investors wary over S&P’s slip FTER the S&P 500 slipped pare its massive bond-buying A on Friday and broke a two- stimulus. week rally, stocks may find Next week’s economic calen-

New York Stock Exchange

U.S., IMF ready to help Ukraine rebuild ailing economy NITED States (U.S.) and the U International Monetary Fund (IMF) have offered to assist Ukraine in rebuilding its battered economy following devastating protests that have plunged the country into its worst crisis since independence.

Fears that Ukraine’s debtladen economy is facing default have sparked panic on markets, with bond yields rising sharply and the hryvnia currency losing a tenth of its value in the span of a few weeks.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said he held talks with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the G20 meeting in Sydney after the Ukraine parliament voted Saturday to oust President Viktor Yanukovych, ending a week of brutal violence in the capital Kiev.

“The United States, working with other countries, stands ready to assist Ukraine with its efforts to return to a path of democracy, stability and

growth,” Lew told a press conference.

“We hope that the resolution of the violence in Ukraine will lead to a new inclusive multiparty, technocratic government willing to make the economic reforms needed.

“The IMF remains in the best position to help states like Ukraine deal with their economic challenges,” Lew said.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said after the G20 meeting that the IMF would also stand ready to help Ukraine, noting the country is an IMF member.

“So if the Ukrainian authorities were to ask for IMF support, whether it’s policy advice, whether it’s financial support together with economic reform discussions, obviously we stand ready to do that.

“We will be ready to engage, ready to help with the diagnosis of the current situation... before we of course try to go further and play the catalytic role that the IMF typically plays in such situations,” Lagarde said.

There is uncertainty over whether Moscow will keep paying out a $15-billion bailout it promised to Kiev, with the latest tranche of Russian aid suspended pending a return to calm.

Standard & Poor’s ratings agency predicted Friday that if Russia scrapped the bailout, Ukraine would default on the $13 billion of debt it is due to repay this year.

In Washington, a senior US State Department official said Secretary of State John Kerry had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and agreed the need “to resolve the situation on the ground without violence”.

The Secretary of State “expressed the importance of encouraging Ukraine to move forward on a path towards constitutional change, deescalation, the creation of a coalition government, early elections and rejection of violence”, the official said.

Kerry “reiterated the view that

Russia, the United States and appropriate European and international organisations must work together to support a strong, economically prosperous, unified, and democratic Ukraine”, the official said.

U.S. President Barack Obama held “constructive” talks Friday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as he pressed for swift implementation of a deal to end Ukraine’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

Putin and Obama agreed that the Ukraine agreement needed to be swiftly implemented and that all sides should refrain from violence, as they also pressed for the need to stabilise the economy.

Washington had offered staunch support for protesters in Kiev, demanding political concessions from the Moscow-backed Ukraine government and warned of “consequences” if violence, which has killed about 100 people, did not stop.

G-20 aims to lift growth, open up on monetary policy Ministers said the figure HE world’s top economies, issued what host Australia could add half a percentage T known as the G-20, has called “an unprecedented” point to global growth annu- could be reached by increasvowed to rev up world growth and unusually brief two-page ally over four years starting ing investment and employby boosting investment and increasing employment, while agreeing to more transparency about monetary policies after rifts over the United States (U.S.) taper.

According to agency reports, finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20, which accounts for 85 per cent of the world economy, also expressed “deep regret” that reforms to the International Monetary Fund have stalled with the United States yet to ratify them.

After their meeting in Sydney ended at the weekend, they

statement to drive “a return to strong, sustainable and balanced growth in the global economy”.

“We will develop ambitious but realistic policies with the aim to lift our collective GDP by more than two percent above the trajectory implied by current policies over the coming five years,” they said in reference to two percentage points.

“This is over US$2.0 trillion more in real terms and will lead to significant additional jobs.”

The IMF has said the strategy

next year.

The fund currently projects growth of 3.7 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2015, with each G20 country to hammer out the finer points before the leaders’ summit in Brisbane in November.

“We believe that if the reforms that have been identified are adhered to, delivered by the various authorities, then that is a goal that can be achieved or possibly exceeded,” said IMF chief Christine Lagarde, adding that meetings were held in an “excellent spirit”.

ment and enhancing trade, adding that there was “no room for complacency” and that addressing the challenges “requires ambition”.

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey, the G20 chair, had been pushing ministers to agree to faster global growth targets with private-sector investment as a central plank.

He stressed the need for structural reforms to drive growth.

“We know reform is hard. We have to earn economic growth and new jobs,” he said after the meeting ended.

tougher sledding in the coming week as investors may be unwilling to push the benchmark index to a record high.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 .SPX has risen three per cent over the past three weeks, as investors have largely been willing to forgive a flurry of soft economic data due to harsh winter weather.

The main focus will be Part Two of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s semi-annual monetary policy testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

Ironically, Yellen’s congressional testimony before U.S. lawmakers was rescheduled after a Senate panel previously canceled the original hearing date due to a recent snowstorm in Washington, D.C. Yelena Shulyatyeva, an economist at BNP Paribas in New York, said investors and economists will pay attention to Yellen’s answers on “questions about the weather, how much does she think the weather is impacting economic activity and how much will (the Fed) pay attention to that.”

Market participants will also monitor Yellen’s statements for any signs regarding the central bank’s plans as it tapers its stimulus measures.

As the U.S. unemployment rate nears the Fed’s 6.5 percent target, the debate has grown over whether interest rates should be raised.

St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said on Friday that the U.S. economy is headed for a good year of growth, and he expects the central bank to continue to

dar includes consumer confidence, new home sales and several other reports on the housing market, durable goods orders, the preliminary data on gross domestic product and the final February reading on consumer sentiment from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan.ECONUS While the housing data is likely to be discounted as a result of weather issues, the consumer confidence data may still provide insight to investors as to whether economic growth remains on track.

“If you look at consumer confidence, looking past the weather cycle of indicators, we find the economic outlook of consumers has not changed materially despite all the other indicators that may suggest otherwise,” said Anastasia Amoroso, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds in New York.

“So if consumer confidence comes in as the preliminary reading did, that suggests the end-user demand for goods and services did not fall off a cliff, but rather has been deferred due to weather.”

Earnings season will also wind down, with retailers in focus as the weather has added to the sector’s many other challenges.

Retail earnings set for release next week include Home Depot Inc (HD.N), Lowe’s Companies Inc (LOW.N), Target Corp (TGT.N), Macy’s Inc (M.N), TJX Companies (TJX.N), JC Penney Company Inc (JCP.N), Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) and Gap Inc

Chinese smartphone makers eye world market HINA’S smartphone makC ers are on a global expansion drive that could transform the market, analysts say, and one day challenge the titans Samsung and Apple.

The mightiest manufacturers, Huawei, Lenovo and ZTE, are battling for attention at the four-day World Mobile Congress opening today in Barcelona, Spain, as their ambitions grow well beyond China’s borders.

Already, China is the world’s largest single smartphone market, with sales soaring 86.3 percent last year, according to technology research group Gartner Inc. Indeed, Chinese smartphone manufacturers make the most sales at home, said Melissa Chau, senior research manager for the Asia Pacific at technology analysts International Data Corp.

But early signs are emerging that the boom in China is set to slow, with IDC reporting a 4.3-percent quarterly decline in smartphone shipments in China at the end of 2013, the first hiccup in more than two years of uninterrupted growth.

The sales slowdown in China was caused by shortterm factors such as a slowerthan-expected rollout of super-fast 4G networks, Chau

said.

But longer term, too, she predicted, growth in the smartphone market within China will slow as more potential customers — people able to afford entry-level phones at about 1,000 yuan ($165/120 euros) — own a device.

With the low-hanging fruit in China already plucked, Chau said: “Chinese players are looking beyond their own borders to scale up.”

Eventually China’s manufacturers could take a dominant position in the smartphone market worldwide, she said.

“They have a lot of challenges to overcome, that is true, but if I look longer term in the three-to-five year timeframe I could see that as entirely possible,” Chau said.

Chinese telecommunications groups such as Huawei are already major world players in the business of building mobile networks for operators.

They have also carved out a space in developing markets where they offer affordable smartphones, the fastestgrowing segment of the industry.

But now the Chinese are seeking a place in more mature markets such as the United States and Europe, where potential profit margins are greater but competi-

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Media ‘Comply with President’s directive on Community radio licensing’

Marketing Edge celebrates 10 with stakeholders’ summit

By Gbenga Salau N celebrating its 10th anniversary, Marketing Imarketing Edge has concluded arrangement to hold a stakeholders’ summit on April 11,

Workshop

By Gbenga Salau N line with the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan in October 2010, participants at a workshop on ‘Building Community Radio for Democratic Governance in Nigeria’, held in Kaduna has called on National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as regulator of broadcasting to commence the issuance of community radio licences to communities without further delay.

This was one of the resolutions reached at the end of the two-day workshop organised by the Institute for Media and Society (IMS) in collaboration with the Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC) with support from Democratic Governance for Development (DGD II) project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded with contributions from European Union, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UNDP. The participants, drawn from grassroots communities establishing community radio stations, civil society and community-based organizations and the media in the NorthEast and North-West zones of the country, want Federal and State Government agencies whose mandate is for community and rural development to partner with grassroots communities and civil society groups for communication skill building towards the success of the electoral process in Nigeria.

In the communiqué issued at the end of the workshop, it was suggested that the Institute for Media and Society in collaboration with Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC) should intensify collaborations with media organizations to conduct awareness and sensitisation activities on community radio development for more communities in the North-East and North-West geo-political zones.

It further suggested “Communities intending to establish community radio should intensify their efforts and ensure that appropriate steps are being followed in the process to enable the emergence of viable community radio stations to aid voice and accountability.

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Participants at the workshop “Academia should intensify research on issues of community radio development in Nigeria.

The Institute of Media and Society and the Nigerian Community Radio Coalition should strengthen communities’ capacities for resource mobilization to empower community radio establishment across the zone.

“Development partners in collaboration with NCRC should continue to support the efforts of communities in the area of capacity building targeted for the development of community radio in Nigeria.

“International development partners should promote and strengthen the advocacy for community radio licensing in Nigeria by making it as part of their agenda to government.”

The participants observed that communities in the North-East and North-West zones of the country are in dire need of effective grassroots communication facilities, in particular, community radio, and many of them have reached advanced stages of establishing this medium.

It however noted that the process of granting radio licenses to grassroots communities has dragged for too long, despite the directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2010 that the licensing should commence immediately.

They argued that community radio would contribute significantly to governance processes and development agenda of government, such as peace building, civic education, and other initiatives in the North-East and North-West, observing that across the globe, including Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, community radio continues to be part and parcel of the process of deepening democracy and development.

The workshop was organised to expand citizens’ participation in the democratic process and particularly, to build the capacity of grassroots groups for active participation in the deepening of democracy in Nigeria through the use of community radio.

2014, with the theme, ‘Exploding Major Myths of Integrated Marketing Communications Industry in Nigeria’. Venue is the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

The summit, which is in line with the organisation’s vision of promoting the brand idea and expanding the frontiers of knowledge, will give room for stakeholders to discuss and chart a better path for the marketing communication industry.

The publication, since it got to the newsstands ten years ago, has consistently promoted the brand idea. The promoters argue that in today’s media engagement, any brand that is serious with its marketing efforts but has not featured in Marketing Edge could well be said to be winking in the dark.

This is because Marketing Edge, a monthly magazine, has carved a niche for itself as the most authoritative brands and marketing journal in Nigeria and is read basically by decision-makers and industry leaders.

According to the publishers, “As testimony to our leadership position, we have just been appointed by DDB, Lagos, a leading advertising agency in Nigeria, as a media partner on the Centenary Projects of Nigeria @100.

“Your darling magazine, Marketing Edge, unarguably Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing publication reached the milestone of a decade of operation in September 2013. During this period, we have served as witness to the fortunes of players and gladiators in the integrated marketing communications industry and positioned the magazine as a valuable source of intelligence on the evolution, growth and development of the industry in Nigeria.

“Indeed, during this one decade of operation, we have remained unequivocally an avantgarde agenda-setting medium for all those involved in the business of brand management and management of brand business in Nigeria.

“Also, during this period, we have recognized some outstanding players by bestowing our Brand Personality of the Year Award on marketing titans like Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman of the Troyka Group and Mr. Enyi Odigbo, Chairman of the Casers Group respectively. Even as the industry applauded these choices, we considered it necessary to widen the scope of the awards to include outstanding brands and personalities in other categories beyond advertising”.

UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines broadcast begins Nigerian media industry requires Special Intervention Fund to grow REFRESHINGLY different football A magazine programme on TV, UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines, will make its debut on the Nigerian airwaves today, setting a new standard in delighting football fans.

Sponsored by UAC of Nigeria Plc the programme is a 30-minute television offering that addresses major and current issues in football in an imitable presentation style. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that core issues around football are thoroughly analysed and discussed with heavy dose of comedy.

At the media presentation of the new programme in Lagos on Friday, Joe Dada, executive director, Corporate Services, UAC of Nigeria Plc, said UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines is a product of creative thinking borne out of the desire to introduce a platform that offers football fans more fun and as well, deepens their knowledge of the game.

Dada explained that the new programme is replacing UAC La1/2 Hour, a comedy show, which had been on air for over fourteen quarters and which provided insight into the prevailing socio-economic issues in a light-hearted manner, hitting home salient points amid laughter. The recourse to football, he said, is to offer Nigerians more delight on the game they are very passionate about.

“Exciting times await football lovers on UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines as major football leagues around the world enter crucial stages and also as football world’s attention shifts to FIFA-organised 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Each episode will offer a well-packaged football magazine programme creatively laced with humour. The show will definitely be a 30-minute jolly ride into the world of soccertainment, a must watch for everyone,” Dada assured.

Anchored by some of the best comedians and seasoned football analysts in the country, UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines will be on air every Monday at 8:30pm on NTA Network and every Saturday at 11:30am on STV.

By Amzat Ajibola passionate appeal has been made A for a special intervention fund for the media. This observation was expressed by the convener of a media summit on the social media titled, Functional Social Networking for Nigerian journalists, Mr. Taiwo Obe. The summit was organised to enhance the capacity of Nigerian journalists in the use of social media for newsgathering and dissemination, as well as building online community of audience for interaction.

He said the intervention would help young media entrepreneurs,

who lack financial resources to set up a profitable media organisation that would operate with integrity.

According to him, organisations such as United Bank of Africa (UBA) group and UBA Foundation could sponsor creative shows that would test ideas of people with interest in media enterprise and thereafter fund the best idea.

“There are many possibilities for your kind consideration,” he said.

Obe, who is also the Nigerian Director of Innovation Media Consulting, global media group, expressed hope in the capacity of UBA to take up the challenge. “I am certain you can make it possible”

and he assured UBA that there are professionals that could partner with them in the delivery of the project.

In response, the Group Managing Director of UBA Plc, Phillips Oduzua, promised that the bank would partner with stakeholders in the industry to invest on IT infrastructures.

He also pointed out that there is need for the Nigeria media professionals to get a clear understanding of the new media technology and the use of social media and take advantage of it.

The summit was organised by Everythingjournalism, a Linkand its affliate, The Journalismclinic in collaboration with UBA.

NTA to partner O’jez on Entertainment Awards HE Nigerian Television T Authority (NTA) is set to partner O’jez Entertainment Awards. This was make known when top management staff of the Lagos Network Centre of the largest TV network in Africa paid a courtesy visit to O’jez Entertainment Limited outlet at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos last week. The visit was facilitated by Mr. Paul Ogazi, a veteran sportas

journalist and Assistant Director, NTA, who introduced the new Zonal Director, Mrs. Adenike Olufade, to the MD/C.E.O, Chief Joseph Odobeatu, staff and consultants to the entertainment company.

Ogazi said the visit was important because NTA has been enjoying a robust relationship with O’jez since 2006.

“We deemed it necessary for my

boss to visit this man (Odobeatu) that has been of assistance to the centre since 2006,” he said.

Olufade, who said she was happy about the sustained relationship between the NTA and O’jez, asked for more areas of cooperation and synergy between the two organisations.

“We are ready on our part to synergise with O’jez in any area possible, so we are waiting for a proposal in

that regard in order to take it up from there.

“But I want to thank O’jez for all the assistance they have given since 2006 as revealed by Mr. Ogazi and we look forward to many more years of fruitful relationship.”

Chief Odobeatu on his part said he was happy to be associated with the NTA brand through Paul Ogazi noting “it has been a mutually beneficially relationship.”

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NEWSXTRA Monday, February 24, 2014

NATE seeks salary parity between diplomas, degrees

Nurses, midwives postpone strike by one week

From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin EMBERS of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) have canvassed prompt implementation of salary parity between holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) and university degrees in Nigeria.

Speaking yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, through its National President, Dr. Leo Okereke, NATE said that disparity, as currently practised, should be jettisoned as obsolete because it also slows down the pace of technological advancement of the nation.

Okereke, while commending the Kwara State Head of Service, Dabarako Mohammed, for removing the disparity in the state’s civil service, said the development tallies with the directive of the Federal Government on the issue.

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

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N order to explore the ongoIMinistry ing discussions with the of Health to pursue a definite and peaceful resolution of their disagreement, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has postponed its industrial action earlier planned to begin today.

The association had last Monday lamented that a series of judgments since 1981 directing government to professionalise nursing had been ignored. It drew attention to the 1984 Tribunal of Industrial Arbitration Panel, which bothered on nurses’ professionalism, autonomy

and scheme of service, among others.

Yesterday, however, NANNM said in a statement that “arising from its negotiation over the impending nationwide strike, it has decided to extend its earlier ultimatum by seven days to enable the Federal Government implement the NIC judgment.”

Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Health Minister, Dan Nwomeh, told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday that NANNM met with the head of the ministry, where the contentious issues were discussed.

“The planned strike will no longer hold. There was a meeting on Thursday where

the contentious issues were exhaustively discussed and the way forward agreed to by all parties involved,” NANNM President, Abdulrafiu Alani Adeniji, said.

“Then the leadership of the association, after their own meeting yesterday, communicated their decision to call off the strike to the Minister of Health.”

The association, however, insisted that the strike was only suspended by one week. Also, it noted ongoing violence in Borno State and exempted nurses and midwives in the state from the proposed industrial action to prevent straining the already bad security and social welfare situation in that state.

Adeniji, who showed journalists several copies of judgments on the matter, alleged that the Ministry of Health and the Head of Service of the Federation had refused to implement the awards in full since 1981, despite the association’s repeated appeals and reminders.

Meanwhile, the letter of notice given to the minister on the pending strike warned of dire consequences of refusal to professionalise nursing, grant autonomy to the profession and its scheme of service, among other issues affecting the profession and practice.

The letter noted: The continuous insensitivity of the Federal Ministry of Health to career progression (scheme

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of service) of nurses can no longer be tolerated.

The ministry had ample period since January 21, 2014, to recall and correct the discriminations it re-introduced, contrary to the court judgment, into the proposed unified scheme of service sent to the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation Nurses have maintained patience for 34 years since May 7, 1981, when the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) award was given. Sir, having kept the peace and patience for 34 years, we are left with no other option than to embark on total industrial action if the Ministry of Health fails to comply with the NIC judgment of January 27, 2012.

CLO condemns closure of Bayelsa NUJ office From Willie Etim, Yenagoa HE leadership of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has declared the sealing off of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Bayelsa State by the police as illegal and a breach of the Freedom of Information.

In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the CLO said the move was divisive, adding that the crisis rocking the chapter is internal and could have been resolved without external influences from the police and perceived political elements.

According to the statement by its chairman, Chief Nengi James, the CLO said the Comrade Tarinyo Akono-led leadership and NUJ National President, Mohammed Garba, should defend the integrity and status of the body by investigating the incident that led to the police action and punish culpable interests.

It called on the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mohammed Abubarkar, to call to order the State Commissioner of Police, Hillary Okpara, because it should not be the duty of the police to intervene and take up the issue of leadership within the NUJ.

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Govt to complete Ilesa water project in May From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo INISTER of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, has assured that the Federal Government would complete the ongoing water dam in Ilesa, Osun State, in May. Ochekpe spoke at the weekend when she paid an inspection visit to the water dam, noting that her visit was to ascertain the level of work done and to assure the people of the area that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration would not abandon any project it embarks upon.

According to her, the present administration has ensured even spread of developmental projects across all geo-political zones. We do not need to pull any government down with negative comments.

Nigerians should have a positive attitude to government and developmental strides.”

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Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (second left); Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Chris Ezekobe (left); Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade (second right) and Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi (right), during a courtesy visit to the governor, in Ado-Ekiti

NIS unveils plans to tackle insurgents, illegal immigrants

By Bola Olajuwon (Lagos) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) SPECIAL corps of no fewer than 2,000 personnel to join in border patrols, especially in the troubled northern borders with Cameroun and Niger, is part of the new measures unveiled by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to control the influx of illegal foreigners into the country and boost government’s war against insurgencies.

Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Solomon Leggjack, told The Guardian in Lagos at the weekend after delivering a speech at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Breakfast Forum that the special corps would be trained and well equipped to patrol behind control posts and entry points for three years before they would be decommissioned.

According to Leggjack, who is also the Special Assistant, Operations, to the Comptroller General of Immigration, no member will lobby from active service

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• Group seeks proactive measure against Boko Haram during the period of engagement.

Nevertheless, Leggjack disclosed that before the appointment of the new Comptroller General, David Shikfu Parradang, 150 officers were being mobilised every six months into the Joint Task Force (JTF) to check and distinguish between Nigerians and non-Nigerians or any group of people caught during military operation.

And while the mobilised officers are clad in the same military camouflage but of immigration colours, “new weapons, equipment, radar and mobile scanners are being procured,” he noted. “The new scanners are being used to take biometrics and read passports. Mobile patrol bases will be built”, he added.

He also revealed that many non-Nigeriens have been arrested and deported by the state commands of the service while “internal monitoring and control, more than ever before, is effective.

Meanwhile, a group, Borno

While we pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who died in the incessant attacks, we are calling on members of the general public to commence special prayers for the restoration of lasting peace in the state and the country at large Concerned Women’s Forum (BCWF), at the weekend called on the Federal Government to take “proactive” steps against members of the Boko Haram sect instead of being reactive to the incessant attacks and killings that have claimed thousands of lives and property since July 2009.

According to the spokeswoman of BCWF, Aisha Ali Suleiman, eight towns and villages in the state were attacked in January and February this year alone.

Authorities of the Borno State Police Command also confirmed on Friday that eight separate attacks on the state last week claimed no fewer than 208 persons on.

In a statement in Maiduguri at the weekend, Suleiman urged members of the

National Assembly to also take a stand to enable the Federal Government take “concrete and decisive action” against insurgency, instead of Governor Kashim Shettima just condoling with and assisting Boko Haram victims by rebuilding destroyed houses and other property in the state.

She claimed that in the eight separate attacks on border towns and villages this year, about 515 people were slain, including 12 soldiers and policemen, noting: “The renewed violence has no doubt disrupted the emerging peace across the state because in Izge and Kauwuri villages, 191 people were slain in their homes and communities”.

The statement added: “As women, we feel the devastat-

ing impacts of all these attacks as wives, mothers, daughters and sisters in Borno State. We are dutybound to add our collective voice in calling on the Federal Government to take proactive measures against Boko Haram insurgents instead of being reactive to the incessant attacks on our town and villages.”

However, the group said: “We also appreciate the governor’s efforts on giving hope and confidence to victims by rebuilding their destroyed houses and writing off the medical bills of the injured residents and villagers.

“While we pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who died in the incessant attacks, we are calling on members of the general public to commence special prayers for the restoration of lasting peace in the state and the country at large.”

The Borno State government had released over N430 million this year in rebuilding houses, markets and other property destroyed in the attack by insurgents.

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Sports Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

Sports, culture meet at NOGIG 2014 opening ceremony

Nigeria’s game important for Mexico’s preparation, says Herrera EXICO Coach, Miguel M Herrera, says the El Tri friendly game against Nigeria was important for his team’s psychology ahead the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Herrera has released a squad of 24 players to face the Super Eagles on March 5 in Atlanta, the United States.

Herrera had earlier released a list of eight players based in Europe with Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez a.k.a Chicharito and Villareal’s Giovani Dos Santos being among them.

The coach has added 16 players from the Mexican league with Leon and Club America producing four players each and Toluca two.

They will be without striker Carlos Vela who has not indicated interest in returning to the national side.

Speaking ahead of the game, Herrera described Nigeria as a tough customer, who can give his side a stern test ahead of the Mundial.

According to Herrera, the game “is one of the matches we have lined up as part of our preparations for the World Cup. “These games would put the team in the right psychological state going to the World Cup.” Goal.com reports that the match will take place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States as

part of preparation for the 2014 World Cup. The last game between both sides ended 2-2 in 2013.

Nigeria will be without the services of striker, Bright Dike, who tore his Achilles tendon while training with his Major League Soccer club side, Toronto FC. It is not yet known who his replacement will be.

While Nigeria are drawn in World Cup Group F alongside Argentina, Iran and BosniaHerzegovina, Mexico will play against hosts Brazil, Cameroon and Croatia in Group A. The Mexican Squad: Goalkeepers: Jesús Corona Cruz Azul, Moisés Muñoz America, Guillermo Ochoa Ajaccio Defenders: Paul Aguilar Latin, Enrique Pérez - Atlas, Juan Carlos Valenzuela - Latin, Hector Moreno - Espanyol Barcelona, Rafael Marquez Leon, Diego Reyes - Porto, Francisco Javier Rodriguez Latin, Miguel Ponce - Toluca, Layún Miguel - America Midfielders: Andrés Guardado Bayer Leverkusen, José Juan Vazquez - Leon, Hector Herrera - Porto, Juan Carlos Medina America, Isaac Brizuela Toluca, Javier Aquino Villarreal, Carlos Peña - Leon, Luis Montes Leon Strikers: Giovani dos Santos Villarreal, Alan Pulido - Tigers, Oribe Peralta - Santos, Javier Hernandez - Manchester United.

Mourinho frets over Mikel, Luiz’s fitness for Galatasaray clash HELSEA Manager, Jose C Mourinho, is worried over John Obi Mikel and David Luiz’s fitness for their UEFA Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Wednesday.

The Chelsea duo was sidelined for Saturday’s win over Everton and, with Nemanja Matic ineligible in the Champions League, the Portuguese boss is eager to get them fit again fast.

Mourinho hoping at least one of Luiz or Mikel is fit to face Galatasaray on Wednesday.

The players were absent through injury for Saturday’s dramatic 1-0 Premier League victory over Everton, which

saw captain John Terry mark his return from a muscle strain with an injury-time winner.

With January midfield recruit, Matic, ineligible for the Champions League, Mourinho is keen for his options not to be further depleted when Chelsea travels to Turkey for the first leg of the last-16 tie.

“We have three days so let’s see,” Mourinho told reporters after the Everton game. “With Mikel and David Luiz, I don’t know if they can recover. It’s important we have at least one of them because we don’t have Matic for the Champions League.”

Euro 2016 Full Draw Group A: Netherlands, Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan Group B: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorrra Group C: Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, FYR Macedonia, Luxembourg Group D: Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar, Group E: England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, San Marino, Lithuania Group F: Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands, Group G: Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein Group H: Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta Group I: (France) Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania

HE Chevron Recreation T Centre in Gbagada came alive yesterday as dancers of

Super Eagles’ Skipper, Joseph Yobo, controls the ball during the English Premier League game between his PHOTO: AFP. club, Norwich City and Tottenham…yesterday.

Future stars arrive, as CBN Junior Tennis Championship serves off today

By Tony Nwanne RGANISERS of the eight CBN Junior Tennis Championship have assured participants in this year’s competition of adequate security and comfort at the event, which serves off today at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

The championship, the eight in the series, runs through March 1 with the winners assured of support in their quest for stardom in the game, as well as other incentives.

While unveiling the programme for this edition of the

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championship, CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, Ugo Okoroafor, represented by Odessa Ogunmola, confirmed the satisfaction of the apex bank with the growth the competition had engendered in the sport.

“The management of the bank has noted with satisfaction the steady development and success recorded by the championship. At the African Zonal Championships in Abuja last year featuring competitions in the boys and girls U-12, 14 and 16 categories,

Nigeria won all the titles, except one, in doubles and singles,” Okoroafor noted.

The CBN director recalled with glee the feat of nine-year old Marylove Edwards, who displayed some outstanding tennis skills far above her age to emerge the Most Outstanding Player in the girls’ category of the last edition.

“Her impressive performance attracted instant reward and pledges. The President of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Sam Egbuchunam, even made the little star a life member of the club,” he recalled.

Euro 2016: Favourable draw for England Switzerland will be England’s drawn in Group F with Greece, NGLAND have been handed E a straightforward qualify- biggest challenge, having Hungary, Romania, Finland ing campaign for Euro 2016, secured a 2-2 draw at Wembley and the Faroe Islands in a comwhile Scotland and the Republic of Ireland will face each other for a place at the finals in France.

Roy Hodgson’s side were drawn in Group E along with Switzerland - the team he led to the 1994 World Cup finals Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino.

England have never played Lithuania before, but San Marino have been regular opponents - in 1993 they famously scored after just 8.3 seconds against England after an attempted back-pass by Stuart Pearce.

England went on to win 7-1 and have scored at least five goals in the four games they have played. Estonia should also pose little problem, with England playing them twice in 2007 and winning 3-0 home and away.

in qualifying for Euro 2012.

UEFA are now spreading games in international breaks from Thursday until Tuesday and Hodgson is worried England will be asked to play the first game of back-to-back fixtures with little preparation time.

Scotland and the Republic have tough campaigns ahead after being drawn together in Group D along with Germany, Poland and Georgia, as well as UEFA’s newest member Gibraltar, who were drawn to Group C with Spain but were switched to D for political reasons.

Wales have a shot at a play-off place or better in Group B, where they will face BosniaHerzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Cyprus and Andorra.

It is a similar story for Northern Ireland, who were

petitive-looking group.

The top two in each group will qualify for the 24-team final tournament along with hosts France. The best third-placed team will also qualify, with the eight other third-placed sides playing off for the remaining four spots.

This will be the first European Championships with 24 teams and there has been criticism and suggestions that the expanded number of teams will dilute the quality of the tournament.

Hodgson, however, disagrees, saying the standard of football has improved across Europe.

He told uefa.com: “Going back to the 70s, when you had the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, there was nothing like 54 teams we have today. There was a much smaller pool.

Afrique Cultural troupe entertained athletes and officials at the opening ceremony of the 15th Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games.

Declaring the Games open, Chairman of the Main Organising Committee, Louis Ogbeifun told the athletes to compete fairly and never take competition “as a do or die affair,” adding, “it is an honour to represent your organisations at the games and I wish you all to be good ambassadors of your various organisations.”

In his speech, Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron, Andrew Fanthrop said his company’s continuous support for the games was an indication of the huge premium they placed on the event. He said, “over the years, the industry games event has become a tool for our organisations to contribute to sports development and especially magnify the importance of sports and the key role it plays in unifying people of different cultures, genders and religions. We hope to keep to this ideal of unity for the future.”

A ceremonial table tennis match the Principal of the Petroleum Training Institute, Warri, Mrs Nenna Dennar defeated Brikinn Esimaje who represented the Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron.

10 schools for Greensprings swimming gala INE schools including N hosts – Greensprings School will compete at the one-day swimming gala on March 1 at the Lekki Campus of the school.

The tournament, which is organised to encourage students to embrace swimming, intends to be a yearly event.

Among the schools already confirmed for the competition are America International School (AIS), St. Saviour School, Lagos Preparatory School, Children International School, as well as British International School.

According to the Director of Education, Greensprings, Harry McFaul, the championship is meant to encourage students to take up swimming and enjoy competition at every level.

“It would also help them improve their health at the same time. There are too many obese children due to lack of exercise. We hope that there will be lots of similar events once the swimming league gets going. We hope that the Greensprings event will be the major one to be at,” he said.

With a world-class pool, McFaul said, “the competition has been supported by parents and guardians who are keen on promoting swimming as an alternative to soccer and basketball and have been very pro-active in setting up the event.”

Monday, February 24, 2014 SPORT

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91

Countdown to IAAF World Indoor Championship

Okagbare to lead Nigerian team to Sopot

By Adeyinka Adedipe LEET-FOOTED Team Nigeria track and field athlete, Blessing Okagbare will lead Team Nigeria to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland from March 7 to 9.

Okagbare, who won a bronze and a silver medal in the 200m and long jump events at the 2013 IAAF World Championship in Moscow after Nigeria endured a 13year wait, will be participating in only the long jump event.

A bronze medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in the long jump, Okagbare is favoured to win the gold medal in the event which is her specialty.

Quartermiler, Regina George, who has been in impressive form in the IAAF Indoor Circuit also made the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) team to Sopot.

Apart from participating in the 400m, George will also run the 4x400m relay. Other members of the relay team are Bukola Abogunloko, Patience Okon, Omolara Omotosho, Folashade Abugan, and Ehigie Josephine.

Amaechi Morton, Isah Salihu, Orykpe Erayokan, Tobi

F

Ogunmola, and Noah Akuh will participate in the 400m and the 4x400m, while Gloria Asumnu and new national record holder in the men shot put, Stephen Mozia will participate in the 60m and the men shot-put.

Mozia, currently ranked among the top ten in the world, is also favoured to win a medal in Sopot. The team is expected to depart Abuja on March 3.

While the foreign-based athletes, who are getting monthly training grants are monitored by the AFN overseas monitor, Victor Omagbemi, the home based athletes are in AFN’s training camp in Abuja.

One of the athletes, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the team is capable of winning four medals, He said, “We are in good shape and we thank the federation for camping and for giving training grants. I believe we can return from Sopot with four medals.

Okagbare can pick the gold in long jump, if Regina stays focused, she can win a medal in 400m, Mozia is also a potential medalists as well as our 4x400m men and women team.”

Heineken brings UEFA Champions League trophy to Nigeria next month IGERIAN followers of the N UEFA Champions League 2013/2014 season will have the opportunity of seeing and even touching the trophy when the Heineken brand ambassador, Ruud Gullit, arrives in the country on March 13. Nigerian football fans the opportunity to feel and experience the UEFA Champions League.

Gullit, an ex-international and football star and coach, will remain with the trophy in the country till March 16, 2014.

The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour has been presented for eight consecutive years by Heineken international, a UEFA Champions League partner.

In 2013, Heineken will give football fans in Nigeria, Argentina and Vietnam the chance to see and get up close to the prestigious trophy.

In order to make the event memorable, various events and activities have been

lined up by the brand to give consumers, trade partners, as well as, the media first hand contact with the trophy, which is making its tour of Nigeria for the second time after it did so in 2009.

In a statement, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Walter Drenth said, “the Champions league trophy tour is an activity unique to Heineken. No other brand is capable of holding the trophy tour outside of Europe.”

He promised football fans that the brand - in consonance with its tagline of “Opening Your World”would provide an experience that only Heineken® can deliver its consumers.

On August 31, 2013, Heineken announced the extension of its sponsorship with the UEFA Champions League. The new agreement means that the brand will continue as an official partner of the world’s most prestigious club football competition up to and including the 2017 / 2018 season.

Players galloping for honours at the on-going 2014 Lagos International Polo Championship.

Lagos International Polo Tournament

Fifth Chukker wins Oba of Lagos Cup, second round gallops off AGOS Fifth Chukker have Lwinners emerged one of the early in the on-going Lagos International Polo Tournament, holding at the Ribadu Road, Ikoyi home of the game of kings.

Fifth Chukker outpaced hard fighting Ashbert 98.1, to win the Oba of Lagos Cup on Saturday.

The Lagos based team were the former champions of the Majekodunmi Cup and they lived up to their pre-tournament rating, defeating the President of Lagos Polo Club, Hebeeb Fashinro-led Ashbert,

98.1 11-5 to clinch the title and become the first team to win a major title in the ongoing polo tourney.

Parading Rotimi Makanjuola, Adamu Atta, Diego White and Johan, the Lagos side sprang to the lead in the early minutes of the tense final watched by eminent personalities, including the Oba of Lagos, who arrived with his entire cabinet and other white cap chiefs.

Ashbert 98.1 was aiming to finish the first stage of the event with some tangible

T/Tennis pilot league holds next month

By Adeyinka Adedipe HE Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has released the prospectus for the maiden edition of its pilot league, scheduled to hold next month. The event will be used to test-run facilities for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-sanctioned Lagos World Tour.

According to the prospectus released by the federation, players who register with the state association or the NTTF would be eligible to participate.

It states, “Clubs wishing to participate shall be registered with and affiliated to their state association and or to NTTF directly. Only players registered by clubs, which are affiliated to their state association and or NTTF are eligible to participate.

T

North East Zone football team before their game against the South South zone at the just concluded Eket 2014 Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Sports Championship, tagged Doctors’ Games.’

Also, all players shall hold the current NTTF Player’s License, which must be produced on demand. Clubs shall ensure that their players are properly registered for the League by completing the registration form obtainable from the secretary of the NTTF, attaching one passport photograph of each player to the completed form.

It added, “each club may register teams, with each team consisting of two players and a reserve. The reserve player replaces any of the two regular players whenever either of the two is absent.

Therefore, the chart shall be drawn on the basis of club/team/player one or player two. Entries shall be a maximum of 20 teams, that is 40 players.”

The league will be played over six days with each week’s champion earning 20 points; the runner-up will get 15 points, while semifinalists will amass 12 points.

All the quarterfinalists will earn eight points, while players that make it to the last 16 will earn five points.

After six days of matches, the cumulative points of players in each team shall be calculated, while the club whose team has the highest cumulative points shall be the eventual winner.

The 40 players would be drawn into eight groups with the best two in each progressing to the top group.

Winner of each week will get N30, 000, while the total prize money is N890, 000.

result, fought hard to draw level and possibly take the lead, but the quartet of Prince Albert Esiri, Habeeb Fashinro and their two Argentine brothers, Nicolas and Vieri Antinori could not maintain the momentum as Fifth Chukker piled up goals in the last three chukkas of the fierce final, to carry the day.

The hotly contested Oba of Lagos Cup final, which also served as the Lagos Open Cup semi-final, ensured that Fifth Chukkers went through to the final of the Lagos Open Cup. They were billed to clash with Lagos Shoreline yesterday in what promised

to be a cracker at the legendary Ribadu Road Polo ground in Ikoyi.

Other Major cups decided yesterday included the Dansa Cup where Lagos Unity team squared up against Kano Triple K side that vowed to return to their Bompai base in Kano with the title.

Unity team booked their Dansa Cup final ticket after discarding local rivals, Lagos Valkyrie in the semi-final game, while Kano Triple K sacked their Kano Titan counterparts by six and half to six in a tense semifinal clash that bore all the trademarks of the typical Kano running game.

UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines broadcast begins REFRESHINGLY different A football magazine programme on TV, UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines, will make its debut on the Nigerian airwaves today, setting a new standard in delighting football fans.

Sponsored by UAC of Nigeria Plc the programme is a 30minute television offering that addresses major and current issues in football in an imitable presentation style. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that core issues around football are thoroughly analysed and discussed with heavy dose of comedy.

At the media presentation of the new programme in Lagos on Friday, Joe Dada, executive director, Corporate Services, UAC of Nigeria Plc, said UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines is a product of creative thinking borne out of the desire to introduce a platform that offers football fans more fun and as well, deepens their knowledge of the game.

Dada explained that the new programme is replacing UAC La1/2 Hour, a comedy show, which had been on air for over fourteen quarters and which provided insight into the prevailing socio-economic issues in a light-hearted manner, hitting home salient points amid laughter. The recourse to football, he said, is to offer Nigerians more delight on the game they are very passionate about.

“Exciting times await football lovers on UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines

as major football leagues around the world enter crucial stages and also as football world’s attention shifts to FIFA-organised 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Each episode will offer a well-packaged football magazine programme creatively laced with humour. The show will definitely be a 30-minute jolly ride into the world of soccertainment, a must watch for everyone,” Dada assured.

Anchored by some of the best comedians and seasoned football analysts in the country, UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines will be on air every Monday at 8:30pm on NTA Network and every Saturday at 11:30am on STV. The segments of UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines, according to Dada, are very interesting. From Line Up – a summary of the programme rundown for the week; On The Pitch - a panoramic view and detailed analysis of core issues in football world; From Brazil - segment dedicated to activities around FIFA Brazil 2014 World Cup, to Catch Them Young - a segment centered around football development and education and the need for sportsmen and women to be educated in order to be in charge of their destinies post-fame or in retirement, each segment offers real entertainment amid providing basic information in the world of football.

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92 | SPORT Monday, February 24, 2014

Ahead Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Again, experts query Nigeria’s approach

Blessing Okagbare at London 2012 Olympic Games

After Team Nigeria’s disastrous outing at London 2012 Olympic Games, many sports followers agreed that late preparation was the country’s bane at the event and advised that the nation needs to jettison its habit of preparing late for major championships. But with a few months to the 2014 Commonwealth Games scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, stakeholders are worried that the country is treading the failure path again, writes ADEYINKA ADEDIPE. ITHOUT any iota of doubt, it is clear that W the inability of administrators to learn from history has plunged the country into avoidable hardship. Over time, the country has continued to make the same mistakes even when the leaders promise that things would change. They have failed to get on the right track by putting in place a system that could stimulate change and success in many championships. .

The action or inaction of the administrators continually put their departments into perpetual chaos, raising doubts on their motives for occupying positions of trust.

While many of the administrators claim to have the interest of their various departments at heart and in the process the success of the larger society, their actions prove otherwise. And because their actions are not the same as what they profess, oftentimes, they lead the country to failure. .

The above aptly describes the current situation as the country begins another march towards the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in July. .

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has apparently not learnt from the mistakes of the London 2012 Olympic Games, where Nigeria failed to win a medal of any colour.

The NSC usually blames the poor performance on the government’s late release of funds for its programmes, but some stakeholders say that with good policies and attitude, the ministry can get corporate organisations’ support in funding the sports federations’ preparation of their athletes for major games.

The argument is that money released a few months or weeks to the major championships would only be spent on frivolities and in the usual Nigerian manner, people will begin to pray for divine intervention, the moment it becomes clear that the never-say-die spirit of the athletes, which has seen the country through at various competitions, would not save the team.

Team Nigeria is usually guaranteed medals at a smaller event like the Commonwealth Games, but the Olympics, which is just two years away, may once again expose the incompetence of the big wigs at the NSC. Experts posit that every successful nation usually begin preparation for a major championship, immediately after a major . event.

Countries like China, Russia, Australia, Britain and the United States, among others that dominate the medals table at the Olympics, usually know those likely to win medals for them at least eight years before that championship.

But that is not the case with Nigeria, where athletes are left to wander about until a year or a few months to a major championship.

The sports federations usually argue that they give some elite athletes training grant, but such payments are not effective if efforts were not made to ensure grants given to athletes are put to good use.

There is also the position held by some analysts, who believe the country would be the better for it if all Nigerian athletes are given equal support rather than the concentra-

. tion on a few of them.

They argue that, Chika Chukwumerije, for instance, was an unheralded young fighter when he won bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. But he showed a lot of class on his way to the top and has become a respective athlete since then. His course was, however, helped by his family, who saw the potential in the young man and invested heavily on him.

The NSC has promised that Team Nigeria would surpass the 10 gold medals it won in India in 2010, but preparation leading up to the Commonwealth Games suggests the opposite. .

Although Team Nigeria took some athletes to camp last year, the dearth of local competitions means they have only been training with no avenue to test their development.

The athletes may have done well in India by Nigeria’s standard, but the way the boxers failed to sparkle left a lot to be desired going by the country’s past in that sport. Nigeria’s first medal at a major championship came from boxing, but it has not been the same since mediocrity became the order of the day in Nigerian sports. .

At every given opportunity, the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, is quick to point out that the High performance centre in Abuja would boost the performance of Nigerian athletes, but stakeholders are worried that age cheats could scuttle the noble idea.

Under the high performance scheme, the athletes are given training based on their ages. So, an athlete, who claims to be 17, when he or she is 25, can never benefit from

the training of a 17-year-old. .

According to some experts, the right thing to do at this point is to go back to the grassroots and ensure that athletes are discovered and nurtured over the years, with a data bank showing the true ages of those seen as future champions by a competent technical team.

To address this problem, they say the solution lies in bringing in technocrats, who know what it takes to move sports forward, arguing that a situation where government loyalists, party men, politicians and charlatans occupy sensitive positions in sports, and indeed in other spheres of national life, does not help the growth the country is clamouring for. Another worrisome trend is that Nigeria now lures athletes of Nigerian descent from other countries to represent ‘their fatherland’ instead of grooming athletes at home. .

The argument is that if the systems from where those athletes came from were not laid out, it would have been impossible for Nigeria to call for their services. The staggering amount of money used in bringing those athletes ‘home,’ they say, could be used to groom talents in the country, adding that the administrators should put the right and sustainable system in place for athletes to thrive.

In 2014, while Nigeria is still trying to find quality athletes that would represent the country at the Glasgow Games, countries like China and the United States of America are already grooming athletes that would represent them at the 2020 Olympic Games,

SPORT Monday, February 24, 2014 | 93

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Ahead Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

to major tournaments with the ones scheduled for 2016 in Rio already receiving scientific training that would keep them in shape for the games.

Worried by the seeming inefficiency in the preparation for the Commonwealth Games, former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Dan Ngerem, recently advised the nation to forget about doing well at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games because, according to him, “a few short months to go we have zero framework, zero planning, zero strategy and zero welfare for the athletes.”

Ngerem told an online media, while reacting to the Presidential reception for the CHAN Eagles, that: “As far as some of us are concerned, Nigeria has only one sport, supports one sport and have a sports minister for one sport – football.

“Our sports administrators and National Sports Commission (NSC) is paying money to local footballers, who are losers on a continental African competition.

They have even confused and deceived the Presidency in hosting third place finishers for a meaningless continental competition put together for local players across the African continent.”

Recalling the minister’s promise and payment of $100,000 for local Eagles to win a match in South Africa, Ngerem said, “all this ‘football noise’ in a Commonwealth Games year that is only a few months away and our international elite athletes that will represent Nigeria are left empty handed and left to their own devices.”

He maintained that the “$100,000 will go a long way in helping some of our international elite athletes that will carry Nigeria’s image and our collective destiny when they represent us in Glasgow. Some of us will continue to point out this injustice until somebody somewhere brings it to the notice of the Presidency.”

Ngerem chides the administrators for abandoning the ‘lesser sports. He said, “it should be underscored that our so-called success in sports is negatively skewed against other sports and sporting federations. It can at best be described as punctured, fractured and porous success.”

Speaking on the preparations for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, he said, “the Commonwealth Games is a competition we should have started preparing for as soon as the last one was concluded.

However, a few short months to go we have zero framework, zero planning, zero strategy and zero welfare for the athletes.

“The bottom line is that whatever money that will be voted for the Commonwealth Games a few months away will be money for shopping for our sports administrators and waste of tax payers’ money.

Nigeria should forget this year’s Commonwealth Games and use whatever money that will be voted to plan for the next games.”

He recommended that, “serious professionals and sports administrators should be given the mandate to plan and organise our participation in major games predicated on proper planning, performance, athletes welfare and agreed performance benchmarks for what will be achieved. Let us stop the pretence.”

Rotimi Obajimi, the former technical director of the AFN, expressed doubt about the readiness of the government to elevate sports to a professional level, describing sports as purely recreational.

He stated that getting athletes to win medals from the country must start from identifying talents at an early stage.

“Before we talk about training of athletes to become world stars, we must first have the mechanism to identify talents early because the earlier talents are discovered from the primary schools, the better for . us.

“This applies more to sports like swimming and gymnastics where teenagers compete for honours at the Olympics. To identify the talents, we need to have well trained and qualified Physical Education teachers in schools, who will be actively involved in sports training in schools.

“After the school period, there should be specialized training for the athletes from

Nigeria’s table tennis star, Aruna Quadri

Augustina Nkem Nwaokolo of Nigeria taking one of the lifts that earned her gold in Womens’ 48 kg weightlifting event at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games at Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex October 4, 2010 in Delhi, India. childhood to early adulthood and by which time they would be ready to showcase their potential on the world stage. Training an athlete to an elite standard is not achieved over night; it must be part of a whole system, structure and part of the curriculum in school. We have to be able to put in place a unique system or else we will keep going back talking about this problem all the t i m e . ” Shedding more light on the need to pro-

fessionalise sports, Obajimi said the government must give a lot of backing of both political and financial support to sports, saying that most of the country’s achievement in sports is fortuitous rather than from proper . planning.

“As I said earlier, sports must be professionalized so that our athletes can become world class. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have one or two athletes who can raise their head above others and they are the ones we push along and make them perform

at the elite level. In other words, we lack the system that helps in the identification of talents. .

“In other climes, there are set programmes and measurement mechanisms that are used to move talents from one level to another to ensure they get to the top within a particular period. So, If we want to have athletes to regularly compete for Nigeria and win medals at major games, we have to put all these variables together into a working system,” Obajimi noted. .

Taking a look at the country’s chances in Glasgow, Obajimi stated that Nigeria should do well at the Commonwealth Games considering that the top countries would not be present. He also said that the game is becoming less attractive and that Nigeria should concentrate on the Olympic Games and the world championships. .

He said: “At the Commonwealth Games, anything is possible. One thing I have discovered is that the Commonwealth Games is getting less attractive. So, if we take our A team to Glasgow just like we do at the All Africa Games, we stand a chance of winning medals. But I think as a nation, our level should be beyond the Commonwealth Games and the All Africa Games. We should be rubbing shoulders with the world’s best just like the Super Eagles pull their weight among the best at the World Cup.” However, acting head of coaching and training department at the Nigeria Institute of Sports (NIS), Adeniyi Jimmy, believes that preparation for major championships has improved in recent times, but said that there was still room for improvement.

Adeniyi, who has been at the NIS for 22 years, stated that preparing athletes for major competitions depends on the various sports, adding that long, medium and short term methods could bring out the best in the athletes.

“For the Olympic or major tournaments, it takes four years to prepare. The athletes would go through several phases of a programme, which will dwell on their mental, physical and psychological readiness for the games. .

“Again, getting athletes ready for major events goes beyond tactical and technical preparation, the athletes also need to be motivated to ensure they can win laurels for the country.” .”

While agreeing that shoddy preparation has been the bane of the country, he, however, states, “We ought to have gone beyond that and that is why I said things are getting better. .

“With the present crop of coaches we have and administrators, I think that we are putting that behind us. But that is not to say that there are no hiccups, which could be as a result of inadequate funding, non-release of funds or late budget approval. I think we are getting better having learnt from the bad practice of the past.” .”

Adeniyi charged the athletes to always show patriotism whenever they are called to represent the country, adding: “Another thing that could be a clog in our wheel of progress in sports is lack of patriotism on the part of some athlete because we have had cases where athletes do not report to camp on time, fail to honour invitations and also flout camp rules. Government should map out strategies on how to bring athletes together to ensure we don’t lag behind anymore.” ” According to the NIS lecturer, the sports summit held in Abuja after the Olympics disaster, which brought together stakeholders, also shows the government’s readiness to address the problem bedeviling sports in the country. .

Going philosophical, he added: “But there is no how a person will walk without the head shaking, which means that there would still be some lapses along the line.

But funds should be released on time to boost policy implementation and actualization.” “” Apart from paying athletes their allowances to boost their morale, Adeniyi called for the inclusion of nutritionists and psychologists in the Nigerian team to the Glasgow Games, saying, “it will help the athletes give their best.” .”

94 SPORTS Monday, February 24, 2014

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European Round-off

Vallecano falter as things shape up in La Liga

Barca without injured Pique for two weeks ARCELONA defender, B Gerard Pique is set for two weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury he picked up in Saturday’s 3-1 loss against Real Sociedad.

The centre-back played the full 90 minutes in Barca’s defeat on Saturday, but the club have since confirmed he sustained a muscular problem during the match.

Pique is expected to miss the league games with Almeria and Real Valladolid, while he could also be a doubt for the second leg of Barca’s Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester City on March 12.

It is not the first time that the 27-year-old has spent time out this season, after struggling with a groin problem and a hernia earlier in the campaign.

“Gerard Pique will be out of action for two weeks after suffering a minor thigh injury against Real Sociedad,” Barca confirmed in a statement on the club’s official website.

“Pique also missed the away game to Betis in November with groin trouble, the same problem that led to him being dropped as a precautionary measure for the games with Osasuna and Celta.”

The 37-year-old has made 33 appearances in all competitions for Barca this season, scoring four goals, and his absence could be a big loss for head coach Gerardo Martino with little cover in defence.

AYO Vallecano’s already R slim hopes of avoiding relegation took a further blow as

Yahya Toure of Manchester City (left) embraces Argentine, Lionel Messi of Barcelona …recently

Manchester City, Barcelona bury hatchet ANCHESTER City and M Barcelona officials are back on cordial terms after both clubs went out of their way to smooth things over after a two-year spat, the EPL Insider learnt yesterday.

Something of a non-aggression pact has been put in place following recent meetings between top officials, with the clubs now set to steer clear of signing key players from each other.

Midfielder, Denis Suarez was recently allowed to join Barca but City continues to be fleetingly linked with a worldrecord bid for Lionel Messi at some stage in the future, and there have been rumors of a move to Camp Nou for Sergio Aguero.

City CEO, Ferran Soriano and Technical Director, Txiki Begiristain were told to stay clear of poaching staff and players from Barcelona after they moved to Eastlands in 2012. Relations between the

clubs soured further when, in February 2013, Soriano was accused of spying on Barca staff during his tenure as a director at the Camp Nou. But tensions between the clubs have calmed since President Sandro Rossell’s resignation in the wake of coverup over the signing of Brazilian superstar, Neymar.

Barca has been charged by the Spanish national court with failing to pay 9.1 million

euros tax on the deal, while the exact figure, which was paid to Santos and third parties is in dispute.

Meanwhile, Manchester City goalkeeper, Costel Pantilimon will discuss his future at the club shortly after once again slipping behind Joe Hart in the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium, the EPL Insider has learned.

Manager, Manuel Pellegrini is a fan of the Romanian and

would like him to stay on this summer. Pellegrini has already given the 27-year-old more first-team opportunities than previous coach Roberto Mancini, and City is prepared to offer Pantilimon an improved deal if he wants to keep fighting for the number one spot with Hart.

The Romanian earns 30,000 pounds a week and has previously been linked with moves to AC Milan and Valencia.

Rooney deserves bumper deal, says Evra ATRICE Evra hailed Wayne Selhurst Park, he struck a another defeat. I think we P Rooney’s wonderful goal superb sealing goal in a 2-0 saw a strong Manchester in the victory over Crystal victory after Robin van United, confident to play Palace and claimed the Manchester United forward is deserving of his bumper new contact at Old Trafford.

Rooney signed a £300,000a-week deal on Friday and, with all eyes on him at

Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney celebrate a goal

Persie had opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

It was the England international’s first goal since Boxing Day as he celebrated his new contract in style, with Evra revealing he is pleased to have Rooney tied down.

“He deserved to have a big contract,” Evra said.

“I’m so happy for him because he is working hard, and it is a good sign for the future of Manchester United, for the fans and for everyone.

“I’m really pleased with ‘Wazza’ because he deserves it. What a great finish it was, my cross was not easy to take, but it was a great volley.”

United moved ahead of Everton into sixth place in the Barclays Premier League with the hard-fought win with Evra glad to end a recent poor run.

“It was job done,” he said.

“It was really important, we have had some bad results and we could not afford

they were beaten 1-0 at home

by Sevilla, who finished the game with 10 men.

Former Rayo player, Coke headed in the only goal of the game on 58 minutes and Paco Jemez’s side were unable to respond, even though Vicente Iborra was sent off for the visitors on 83 minutes, given a second yellow card for time wasting.

Gareth Bale scored an outstanding long-range goal as Real Madrid beat Elche 3-0 at the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon to go top of the Primera Division standings.

The world’s most expensive player added to Asier Illaramendi’s first-half opener with a stunning strike on 71 minutes, and then substitute Isco hit a third with 10 minutes remaining.

Title rivals Barcelona endured another miserable trip to the Anoeta Saturday night as Real Sociedad produced a brilliant team display to beat the under-par Catalan giants 3-1.

The Basque outfit, who defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the corresponding fixture last term, went ahead in the 32nd minute when Gorka Elustondo’s header found the net via the shoulder of visiting defender Alex Song.

Lionel Messi equalised four minutes later with a typically clinical finish, but further

home goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half scored by Antoine Griezmann and David Zurutuza - ensured the Primera Division champions left San Sebastian emptyhanded for the third time in four seasons.

Getafe remain in trouble near the bottom of the table after drawing 1-1 at Celta Vigo, but did well to pick up a point after playing the majority of the second half with 10 men.

Angel Lafita gave Luis Garcia’s side the lead after 20 minutes but Getafe failed to cling onto their advantage and made things easier for Celta when Lisandro Lopez was shown a second yellow card early in the second half, shortly after which Rafinha equalised.

Relegation rivals Almeria and Malaga shared a goalless draw at the Juegos Mediterraneos. Neither side did enough to warrant victory as they instead claimed a point each to edge them away from the relegation places.

Almeria finished the night slightly better off, four points above the bottom three, with Malaga a place and a point behind in 17th.

The home side’s lack of goals is a mounting concern though - they have scored just three times in their past seven league games.

Malaga did have the ball in the net after five minutes only for Sergio Sanchez to be correctly ruled offside.

with the ball, and I’m really pleased for all the lads.”

Following on from a goalless draw at Arsenal 10 days earlier, the shut-out at Selhurst Park was the first time United have kept two successive Premier League clean sheets under David Moyes.

With the experienced duo Nemanja Vidic, who will leave Old Trafford in the summer, and Rio Ferdinand back at the heart of the defence, Evra believes they clean sheets can continue.

“We had a lot of experience, and when Rio came on at Arsenal, I thought he was fantastic,” he added.

“You could see with Rio and Vidic in good form that we can be solid and get more clean sheets.

“Don’t forget Chris Smalling can play there, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans can get back from injury. We have good centre-backs and that is important for the team.”

Wenger

Wenger happy with Arsenal’s response RSENE Wenger was a satisA fied manager after his Arsenal side played some scintillating football during their 4-1 hammering of Sunderland at the Emirates.

The game came at the end of a tricky week for the Gunners in which they had lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich and played for over half the match with 10 men.

But they were at their brilliant best in the first half against Sunderland, Olivier Giroud bagging a brace to put them 2-0 up before Tomas Rosicky scored after a delightful passing move.

Asked where the Rosicky goal rated among those Arsenal have scored during his tenure, Wenger said: “It’s one of the best and even one of the two Giroud goals was a great goal, with a great ball in behind from Jack (Wilshere).

“It’s the way we know we can play, it’s the way we want to play. When it’s successful, of course you are extremely

happy, because it reinforces your belief in the way you want to play.

“It was an important game for us firstly. We had given a lot physically, against Liverpool (in the FA Cup last weekend), against Bayern, with 10 men.

“To win today was of course vital. We did the job in the first half very well and, after that, it was a convincing win.”

Wenger had particular praise for Giroud, who sat out the Bayern loss but made a big impact on his return to the side.

“You can take the videos out and see how he has improved compared to when he arrived,” said the manager.

“His link play is much better, his movement as well, and it’s good that he came back and scored two goals.”

Wilshere seemed to pick up a knock towards the end of the match but Wenger said, “Jack has a hamstring problem but it just tightened up, I don’t think it’s a pulled one.”

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Monday, February 24, 2014 95

TheGuardian

Monday, February 24, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Leap Africa CROSS Nigeria, the myriad of challenges A confronting people in local communities appear to be ever increasing. Much of daily living seems to be a major hurdle fraught with constant chaos: weak and ineffective institutions, low and inadequate education, absence of basic amenities, over population, environmental degradation, flawed values system, corruption and a host of related concerns that plagues Nigeria, threatening its posterity.

The blame game has played out its allure over the past decades, only worsening the situation, with 67 per cent of the entire population reportedly living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Therefore, there is a crucial need to create and propagate a new consciousness amongst youth on the possibilities of solving existing social, cultural, economic, political and environmental obstacles confronting Nigerians.

Youth-led social innovation, therefore, becomes a critical approach for igniting positive change drive across Nigeria by harnessing the passion, energy and creativity of young people for community transformation. This is predicated on the belief that young people, especially Nigerian youth, if provided with the requisite skills and tools for personal, organisational and community transformation can serve as effective and credible change agents that can help actualize Nigeria’s full potential. This also supports LEAP’s advocacy on leadership being about actions and not a position, and that youth are leaders of today, not tomorrow.

These beliefs serve as the core thrust of LEAP’s youth leadership development philosophy and vision for the recent launch of a Social Innovators Programme (SIP).

Over the past nine years, LEAP through an annual leadership awards has recognised and supported 65 notable young Nigerian change agents and their initiatives; showcasing their amazing efforts at transforming local communities. The initiatives span various sectors addressing peculiar needs in their communities; from producing green alternative energy to mobilising youth to take action on climate change. Amongst the 65 awards recipients include: Esther Agbarakwe, Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition; Nonso Okafor, Be Your Own Boss;

Youth-led social innovation, therefore, becomes a critical approach for igniting positive change drive across Nigeria by harnessing the passion, energy and creativity of young people for community transformation. This is predicated on the belief that young people, especially Nigerian youth, if provided with the requisite skills and tools for personal, organisational and community transformation can serve as effective and credible change agents that can help actualize Nigeria’s full potential. This also supports LEAP’s advocacy on leadership being about actions and not a position, and that youth are leaders of today, not tomorrow.

Please send reactions and feedback for YOUTH SPEAK to:

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Youth social innovation: A myth or reality?

Nura Maaji, Voters Education Training; Segun Shetan, Brave Heart’s Entertainment; Toyosi Akerele, RISE Networks and Obayomi Adeleke- Bio Applications Organic Wastes: An Engine for Development Initiative.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that LEAP Africa, beyond the recognition of these youth change agent, finds a need to advance the cause of youth-led social innovation through the Social Innovators Programme (SIP).

The SIP is an initiative developed in partnership with YouthActionNet®; a programme of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), a non-profit organization supporting youth development programs in 80 countries. The programme joins the YouthActionNet® global network comprising 16 national/regional youth leadership institutes across the world. SIP will identify, develop and support young Nigerians who are

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

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Twenty young social innovators, selected from an open national call for application, were inducted as fellows of the inaugural class of the SIP at the programme’s launch held on November 11, last year in Lagos.

These fellows would be engaged on a year-long fellowship, which offers training, mentoring and networking opportunities thereby enhancing their impact, credibility and access to international funding for their initiatives. The SIP culminates with an award for outstanding members of the cohort at the end of the programme cycle in 2014. addressing social challenges in their communities through creative and sustainable solutions.

Twenty young social innovators, selected from an open national call for application, were inducted as fellows of the inaugural class of the SIP at the programme’s launch held on November 11, last year in Lagos. These fellows would be engaged on a year-long fellowship, which offers training, mentoring and networking opportunities thereby enhancing their impact, credibility and access to international funding for their initiatives. The SIP culminates with an award for outstanding members of the cohort at the end of the programme cycle in 2014.

Some of the SIP Fellows inducted include: Ayoola Ajebeku, co-founder of Nearest Locator, an app designed for developing countries for easy navigation; Jackson Akor, co-founder of Initiative for Youths with Disabilities Empowerment and Advancement (IYDEA) which empowers physically challenged youth with skills to become entrepreneurs; Halimat Odewale, co-founder Nigeria Diabetes Online Community (NDOC), an initiative to improve diabetes care via the use of social media; Otto Orondaam, founder of Slum2School Africa, an initiative which provides educational support structures in slums.

As reflected by the keynote speaker at the SIP launch, Mr. Rick R. Little, the founder of the International Youth Foundation, Nigerian youth need to live in the gap, become learners who know they can stand on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead of them and those running with them, and never ever giving up in their quest for self actualisation.

While governments at all tiers and private sector players continue to seek ingenious means to address the diverse challenges confronting communities especially youth development, investing in programmes like the SIP would have a ripple effect in transforming the mindsets of a larger number of youth who either aspire merely to survive or are disillusioned with their entitlementmentality.

Only time will tell if Nigeria would harness its youth potential as drivers for advancing sustainable community development and transformation or simply allow more youth plunge into a state of apathy.

• Please visit www.leapafrica.org or contact LEAP Africa on 01-2706541/2 or at info@leapafrica.org for further information.