Wed 26 Feb 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,844

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Gunmen invade school, kill 29 students, others in Yobe From Njadvara Musa (Damaturu) N yet another brazen act of bestiality, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members, yesterday morning invaded Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State and shot dead 29 students and teachers of the co-educational institution.

Buni/Yadi is the headquarters of Gujba Local Council and is 54 kilometres south of Damaturu, the Yobe State cap-

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Atiku, APC fault govt over Boko Haram ital.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday in Abuja faulted Federal Government’s measures in tackling the security situation in the North-East region of the country.

In a related development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned Presi-

dent Goodluck Jonathan’s vituperation against Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima during his media chat on Monday night, calling it unwarranted, unpresidential and petty.

According to a member of staff of the school, Isa Buba, the gunmen came through Biu Road from the Gujba Forests in

27 Hilux pickup vehicles and motorcycles laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) before attacking the students’ hostels around 1:45 a.m.

“We were caught unawares, shocked and terrified, when an armed gang of terrorists attacked us here yesterday about 1:45 a.m. Some of the

students cried for help, while others fled into the hostel ceilings, but the gunmen set the hostel on fire, like they did at the College of Agriculture last year at Gujba, killing several students and some members of staff of the college,” Buba said.

Also, a resident of Buni/Yadi, Malam Adam Yirwa, said yesterday on telephone: “They shot dead two security guards at the gate before proceeding

to the staff quarters and killed three of our teachers before soldiers and the policemen rushed to the school.”

He added that the council’s secretariat complex and a high court were among the public buildings torched by the suspected insurgents.

The spokesman of Joint Task Force (JTF) in Yobe State, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

NNPC faults claim on sale of crude oil - Page 2 Ondo Speaker, Adesina, dies at 52 - Page 3 Reps query Wike over N1b travel vote - Page 5 Why Nigeria remains important to Canada,

by Calderwood - Pages 6&7 How to tackle militancy realistically, by EU Commission President, Barroso - Page 10

$20b oil, gas insurance pool debuts in April - Page 16 Midway into brain surgery, MDCN arrests Indian neurosurgeon for practising without licence - Page 17

Director-General, Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), Lanre Adebayo (left); Ambassador of Philippines to Nigeria, Alex Lamadrid; Adviser to the Minister on International Corporation, National Planning Commission, Dapo Oyewole; and Senator Gbemi Saraki, during a one-day interface between PDI and members of the international community in Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY-ELUKPO

Sanusi files fresh suit, challenges suspension From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja USPENDED Governor of the S(CBN), Central Bank of Nigeria Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has filed another suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, seeking to restrain President Goodluck Jonathan, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the InspectorGeneral (IG) of Police from giving effect to his suspension from office as the apex bank chief pending the determina-

tion of his suit.

Sanusi also prayed the court to make an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the trio from obstructing, disturbing, stopping or preventing him in any manner whatsoever from performing the functions of his office as the governor of the CBN and enjoying in full the statutory powers and privileges attached to the office of the governor of CBN. In the suit filed by his counsel,

Chief Kola Awodein (SAN), Sanusi contends that his interlocutory application was expedient because of the issues raised in the suit, arguing that delay might cause irreparable damage and mischief to him in the exercise of his statutory duties as the CBN governor.

He prayed the court to exercise its discretion in his favour by granting the interlocutory injunctions, saying that the President’s continuing un-

lawful interference with the management of the apex bank, unless arrested, posed grave danger for Nigeria’s economy and justified the court granting his application which would result in maintaining status quo ante bellum, that is, for his return to his office as the governor of the CBN. In the affidavit deposed to in support of his application, Sanusi averred that in the course of his duties as the CBN

governor, he discovered certain discrepancies in respect of amounts repatriated to the Federation Account from the proceed of crude oil sales between January 2012 and July 2013 and that he expressed concern in respect of the said discrepancies and had cause to inform the National Assembly of the said discrepancies because they affected the revenue of the federation and the national economy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

2 | NEWS Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

NNPC faults claim on sale of crude oil From Adamu Abuh, Collins Olayinka, Karls Tsokar, John Okeke (Abuja) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt) OR the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a claim that it is selling crude oil through dubious channels is baseless.

The Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, who testified before members of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), faulted an allegation by a Swiss-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Bern Declaration, that the NNPC has been selling crude oil at prices lower than the market value.

According to Yakubu, contrary to this claim, the corporation does not sell directly to the international market as Duke Oil and other NNPC affiliate trading companies participate in the disposal of crude.

For him, the selection of buyers of Nigerian crude oil is done transparently as the process entails standard criteria which are used to evaluate buyers’ facilities, volume of transactions, turnover and financial health of the companies which include Vitol and Trafigura.

According to him, by NNPC’s record, Vitol and Trafigura account for 30.7 million barrels out of the total of 341.07 million barrels sold by the NNPC in 2013, adding that this represented nine per cent of the total lifting as against the 36 per cent reported by the Barnes Declaration.

“Additionally, Nigerian traders collectively account for 98.2 million barrels during the same period. The other international traders, including the ‘Swiss Trading Companies’, account for 61.2 million barrels while offshore and the Nigerian refineries took 36.2 and 38.3 million barrels respectively. The NNPC trading companies account for 83.5 million barrels. There is also the bilateral arrangement that accounts for 23.6 million barrels.

“In view of the above, we see no remote possibility of the loss of USD6.8 billion from sales below market value to the companies described by the petitioners as ‘Swiss Trading Companies,’” he said.

He also explained that the

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• Govt considers scrapping kerosene subsidy • ‘Inaction on PIB threatens fuel supply’ • Civil society groups march on N’Assembly over delay • Amaechi led NGF backs forensic audit of accounts swap arrangement referred to by the Bernes Declaration was in line with known practices in the oil industry, adding that the NNPC had to dispose of unrefined portion of its 445,000 barrels to meet domestic needs of petroleum products.

He therefore told the lawmakers: “It is to be noted that the NNPC delivers the international market value of the crude oil to the federation on the basis of the general sales agreement and conditions. There is therefore no value loss to the federation. We affirm that the claims by the Bernes Declaration are baseless and without material substance and request you to set it aside in its entirety.”

While opening the hearing, Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal explained that the investigation was borne out of the need to save further loss of revenues.

Tambuwal, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Justice, Mr. Ali Ahmed, enjoined the NNPC boss and officials of the petroleum ministry to co-operate during the investigative hearing since information from the oil sector was usually difficult to obtain.

Yesterday too, immediate past Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Reginald Stanley, said that the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was a formidable obstacle to fuel supply in the country.

Stanley spoke while handing over to the new Executive Secretary of the agency, Ahmed Farouk.

He said the non-passage of the bill had become a strong disincentive to the operators in the downstream as it was becoming extremely difficult to make future investment decisions.

According to him, if passed into law, the PIB would resolve most of the intractable investment problems that the nonpassage of the bill is causing.

Indeed, civil society groups yesterday marched on the National Assembly demanding the urgent passage of the PIB by the National Assembly.

The groups carried placards with inscriptions such as “The oil companies are killing us,” “NASS give us a pro-people PIB”, “Nigeria has already lost $28 billion without PIB according to Senate,” “We need a PIB that will benefit Nigerians” and “To avoid abuse of power, pass the Bill without discretional power.”

They declared as unacceptable the continuous delay in the passage of PIB into law.

In his speech after taking over, Farouk said there would be no place for sycophancy and nonprofessionalism in fuel import allocation under his watch.

He said: “I am a professional and I expect that all the stakeholders will be professional in their approach. I am determined to keep on the good work that has been done by my predecessor.”

This came as government is considering withdrawing kerosene subsidy as President Goodluck Jonathan hinted during a media chat in Abuja on Monday night. Industry sources said government might have perfected a plan to remove subsidy on kerosene.

A source said: “There is no gainsaying the fact that the subsidy does not benefit the ordinary Nigerians that it is meant for. And considering the debate that the issue has generated, there is new thinking within government that the time for subsidy on kerosene to go has come. Attempts are being made to reach out to the labour movement on this matter so that everybody can be on the same page.”

Executive Director, African Network and Environment and Economic Justice, David Ugolor, explained yesterday in Abuja that the PIB protest was to pressure the National Assembly to pass the bill into law, adding that the bill had stayed too long.

He said: “This is a mobilisation from the civil society groups to demand from the National Assembly to speedily pass the bill into law. As you know, the bill has stayed about eight years now and this is the seventh As-

sembly.

“One will expect that the priority the President gave it during his campaign will encourage the National Assembly to pass it into law but unfortunately, that has not happened.

“And we saw that there is a need for us to build an alliance across board to put more pressure on the National Assembly on the need to pass the bill.”

Besides, rising from a fivehour meeting yesterday in Abuja, a faction of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) supported a call for a forensic audit of the accounts of the NNPC. The body also alleged that the suspension of the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was a means to cover up some wrongdoings.

Reading a statement issued after the meeting, which started at 8.00 p.m. local time on Monday night and ended a few minutes after 1.00 a.m. yesterday morning, the Chairman of the faction and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, said the call by key players in the country’s economy for an audit of the accounts of NNPC was in order.

“Therefore, we support the call of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Senate Committee on Finance for a forensic audit of the NNPC account,” the statement said.

The four-paragraph resolution of the NGF faction also stated that the suspension of the CBN governor was not well-intentioned , but just another ploy by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government to take attention from the main issues of alleged financial impropriety raised by Sanusi.

But the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Amaechi lacked the moral justification to fault President Jonathan on Sanusi’s suspension.

In a statement in Port Harcourt, Jerry Needam, Special Adviser (Media) to the PDP State Chairman, Felix Obuah, said: “No public officer in this political dispensation has treated court rulings and judgments with the degree of scorn and impunity as Amaechi has done.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Atiku, APC fault govt over Boko Haram CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Capt. Lazarus Eli and the state Police Commissioner, Rufai Sanusi, confirmed the incident yesterday to The Guardian.

Eli said: “The attacks on this college occurred in the early hours of today (Tuesday) when gunmen came with explosives and set the college premises on fire about 1:00 a.m. We are yet to get the details of casualties; as soon as we collate the details, you’ll be briefed.”

The police chief also said that 29 students and teachers were confirmed dead in the attacks.

He said other property destroyed in attacks included the council’s secretariat complex, a high court and several vehicles belonging to the college members of staff and residents of Buni/Yadi.

On whether arrests were made, he however, said: “As investigations continue by our officers and men in the

field, there were no arrests made yet by either the military or police.”

In a statement by his media office, Atiku particularly condemned the impression given by President Goodluck Jonathan during a presidential media chat on Monday that the government has been successful at pushing armed attacks to the fringes of the country.

“My heartfelt condolences go to families of the slain school pupils. It is unfortunate that innocent school children will become victims of armed attacks.

“This will not be the first time in recent times that school children are being attacked, and it is particularly disheartening that the Federal Government is yet to devise a strategy of keeping our schools safe from terror attacks. If our counter-insurgency strategies are not strong enough to keep our children safe inside their schools, then one must won-

der if such a strategy isn’t mere chasing shadows,” Atiku said.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said President Jonathan was wrong to have threatened, no matter how subtly, to withdraw from Borno the troops who are battling against Boko Haram insurgents, and urged him to apologise to the people of Borno and to all Nigerians for the presidential indiscretion.

It said the threat, which was in response to the statement credited to the governor that the soldiers need to be better equipped and more motivated, showed clearly that President Jonathan does not have a full grasp of what is expected of him as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. ‘’Mr. President, your most important duty as President is to ensure the welfare and security of all Nigerians, irre-

spective of the criticisms you may face or whether or not they voted for you. Therefore, you are not doing anyone a favour by performing that duty. It is the role you swore an oath to perform. ‘’Also, even if you feel that the governor should not have made the statement he made, it is incumbent upon you as the President and father of the nation to take the higher road instead of choosing a public forum to air your grievances.

Wittingly or unwittingly, Mr. President, you have played into the hands of the insurgents who must by now be gloating at the discordant tunes in government over the battle against them,’’ APC said.

It said based on the anger exhibited by President Jonathan while commenting on Governor Shettima’s statement, the party was justified in its call on the President not to go ahead with his reported plan to remove the governor and replace him with a military administrator.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 | 3

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

News Ondo Speaker, Adesina, dies at 52

Clerics, others extol Olabayo’s virtues at 68

From Niyi Bello, Akure

By Chris Irekamba

PEAKER of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Samuel Ajayi Adesina, who, for several months has been battling with cancer, which kept him from public glare, passed on in the early hours of yesterday.

A terse statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Aderotimi Adelola, said the Speaker, who represented Odigbo Constituency 2 in the Southern Senatorial District, died “during a protracted battle with the cancer of the urinary bladder.”

The government statement described the late Speaker who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but later defected to the ruling Labour Party (LP) before emerging as the head of the parliament, as “a bridge builder, a man of integrity and a reliable team player who placed the interest of the state above personal consideration.”

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Oil marketers lose bid to quash charge

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo

OR lacking merit, Justice FLagos Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a High Court, Ikeja, yesterday struck out the application by an oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, seeking to quash the fuel subsidy fraud charge preferred against him and three others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was arraigned over an alleged N4.4 billion fuel subsidy scam alongside Mamman Ali, son of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali; Christian Taylor and their firm, Nassaman Oil

T was a day of honour for the IChurch Primate of the Evangelical of Yahweh

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Lawan Ahmed (left) and the Auditor-General of Federation (AGF), Mr. Samuel Ukura, and other dignitaries at the inauguration of the office of AGF in Abuja…yesterday.

Only religious tolerance, prayers can save Nigeria, says Gowon From Ali Garba, Bauchi ORMER Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has said only prayer and respect for one another’s religion are what Nigerians need to tackle the lingering problems confronting the nation.

Gowon, who made this declaration in Gombe State while presiding over the “Nigeria Prays” programme for the North-East region, assured that God would rid the country of whatever problem that is confronting her now.

He called on Nigerians to go

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back to God in prayers for solutions to the myriad of problems facing the country, as he personally led various sessions of prayer during which he urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country and its leaders at all levels.

The former Head of State then called on politicians to avoid bitter politics and consider the interest of others and the nation first in all their activities, instead of selfish gains. He appealed for religious tolerance among Nigerians, warning that the

religious tension in the land should not be allowed to degenerate into a religious war.

Gombe State Deputy Governor Tha’anda Jason Rubainu who stood in for Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, commended the former Head of State for initiating the ‘Nigeria Prays programme’ which he said has gone a long way in uniting the country.

He reiterated the call for citizens to be prayerful at all times, for God to move the country forward.

Speaking earlier, the NorthEast Zonal Coordinator of the programme, Reverend Daniel Kashibu, explained that the programme mobilises citizens to pray for peace, unity and progress of the land.

The prayer session was used to thank God for establishing and sustaining Nigeria for over 100 years while special prayers were also offered for the indivisible, sanctity, righteousness, social order, good governance and transformation of the country.

S’East govs meet, fail to elect new chairman From Lawrence Njoku (Enugu) and Uzoma Nzeagwu (Awka) XPECTATION that a new E chairman for the South East Governor’s Forum could emerge yesterday was dashed as the governors rose from their meeting and did not announce successor for the outgoing Peter Obi of Anambra State.

Obi, whose second tenure in office elapses next month, had led the forum in the past three years. It was learnt that the meeting held in Enugu yesterday was to discuss and elect his successor. The meeting should have been the last for Obi as governor.

In that regard, Obi had attended yesterday’s meeting with his successor and Anambra Governor-elect, Mr. Willy Obiano, where he formerly introduced him to the forum.

But the meeting attended yesterday by the South East governors, except that of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, rose after about four hours without an agreement on who should succeed Obi. None could also disclose whether others issues were discussed in the meeting that ended about 5.05pm.

In fact, the governors, who kept straight faces, an indication that

• Ezeife, Nwosu laud Obi’s performance something was amiss, mounted their waiting vehicles and sped off, refusing prompting from journalists on the outcome of the meeting.

Theodore Orji of Abia State who had been touted to succeed Obi and had arrived the meeting with great expectations was also disappointed at the turn of events that he left before his other colleagues.

He had arrived the meeting in

company of the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Acho Nwakanma and House of Representatives member, Mau Ohabunwa.

No reason was adduced on why Obi’s successor could not emerge. A source, however, said the need to “protect other parties who are part of the forum so as not to be seen as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) forum”

may have caused the turn of events. The source added that there was need to have all the governors present before any decision on headship could be taken, adding that the decision may not be taken until Obiano is sworn in.

He added that two of the governors present at the meeting resisted pressure to have one of them thrown up to lead the

forum.

Meanwhile, a former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has described what Obi is doing in the state as equivalent to a miracle.

Ezeife who was in company of some prominent stakeholders from the state, made the declaration yesterday while accompanying Obi to inspect the Onitsha shopping mall under construction.

Worldwide, T.O. Olabayo, as eminent Nigerians extolled his virtues at a colloquium held on Monday in Lagos to mark his 68th birthday.

Speaking on the theme: “Prophet Olabayo: The Man, God’s Gift, his ministry in carrying each other’s burdens, Rt. Rev. Dapo Asaju gave a biblical perspective of prophets and their roles.

He described the celebrant as a great man of God and a great prophet of our time.

While praying for him, he said: “May God preserve him, his prophecy, his influence, his discipleship has produced so many people today, who are impacting the world. He is a voice that is very rare today, the prophetic voice must be recovered all over the world.

The world is in crisis and in chaos, we really need this as a direction. We have to pray that God gives him long life and we will continue to thank God for the prophecies that have come through him.”

The keynote speaker, Prof.

Asaju said: “I am a son of Primate Olabayo, I have been with him since 1973 and he ordained me into his ministry before I went back to the Anglican Church as a Bishop and he continues to be my mentor. So, he important for me and then I wrote his biography in 1996. So I know more about him. So, it’s good for me to be the keynote speaker today because I have a story to tell.

On the perception that Primate Olabayo was a prophet of doom, Bishop Asaju said: “He is not a prophet of doom, the country is in trouble, the world is in crisis, there is a rebellion against God, nobody respects a measure of peace and happiness in a time like this, it has to be a warning.

God never condones evil and when one gives certain warnings, one can be misunderstood. So, the time we are in is not the time for prosperity, comfort or easy life. The truth is that the Bible has warned us that woe to that prophet, who says there is peace, when there is no peace,” he said.

Foundation to present Awo’s views on constitution to intending confab delegates

By Tunde Akinola HE Obafemi Awolowo T Foundation, being the custodian of the statesman’s intellectual legacy, has decided to place his prescriptions on the matter of the country’s constitution before Nigerians and intending delegates to the proposed national conference for “rigorous and rational” re-examination.

The Executive Director of the foundation, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, made this disclosure in Lagos yesterday at a press conference to announce the series of events for this year’s Obafemi Awolowo Memorial lecture

titled ‘The Nigerian Constitution: The Awo Road Not Taken’ billed for March 4, 2014 at the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) House, Alausa-Ikeja.

She noted that a symposium at this time on the Nigerian Constitution could not be more timely, given the fact that the long-awaited national conference will start on March 18.

Awolowo- Dosunmu, who quoted the late sage from his book, Thoughts on the Nigerian Constitution written on June 12, 1966, said: “I have written this book for two reasons. Firstly, I am not sure if I shall still be in a position to participate in the

deliberations of the proposed constituent assembly, or to address public gatherings with a view to educating our people on the issues involved, before a referendum is conducted on a new constitution.

Having played a leading role in the work of constitutionmaking in Nigeria since 1949, I feel strongly that I owe it as a duty to our people to avail them the benefit of my views.

“Secondly, the rationale of the suspended constitution has been so overlaid with misconception and distortion that a comprehensive restatement of the case for and against federalism or uni-

tarism, appears to me to be called for… I sincerely hope that those who read the views and proposals expressed and made in this book will consider and assess them with the same constructive objectivity as I have tried to adopt in presenting them,” the piece stated.

Speakers expected at the event include Professor of African Literatures and Culture at Carleton University, Canada, Pius Adesanmi, Chief Executive Officer, Visible Impact Consulting, Fela Durotoye, Chief Executive Officer, Rise Networks, Toyosi Akerele,

public affairs analyst, Bala Zakka and Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch, Monday Ubani.

The second event for the memorial will be the first Under-10 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Kids Football Tournament scheduled to kick off with preliminary matches on March 2. The final match will be played on March 6 at Campos MiniStadium, Ajele, Lagos.

The tournamemt is an initiative of the National Youth Soccer Association, in collaboration with the Emeka Anyaoku Mini Stadium. The foundation plans to make the tournament an annual event.

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NEWS Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Government did not ban fish importation, says minister From Joke Falaju, Abuja ONTRARY to the information circulating in the media on ban of fish import, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said yesterday that the Federal Government never banned fish importation. Rather, it has started the process of reducing the volume of annual import by 25 per cent.

According to Adesina, the Federal Government at no time placed a full-scale ban on the importation of frozen fish into the country, as the only fish being strictly regulated and is prohibited from being imported without control is farmed fish, and this is in line with global best practice.

Frowning at the hike in prices of fish in the market, he accused fish importers of unnecessarily hiking the price so as to make abnormal profits and undermine government’s policy of making Nigeria self-sufficient in fish production.

“The new policy on import quota is directed at sanitizing a terribly corrupt fish import licensing and import quota system,” he explained. “It will prevent the current practice where some large corporate importers simply stockpile fish and distort the market at will, driving small Nigerian fish retailers out of business.

“Stockpiling also leads to keeping fish way beyond acceptable sell-by dates, leading to sale of rancid fish to consumers. Rancidity is a major cause of cancers, especially liver and kidney cancers.”

To effectively regulate the importation of frozen fish, he said the ministry would monitor the quantity and species that each fish importer would be allocated to import, and en-

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• Accuses importers of corruption sure that Nigeria is not used as a dumping ground.

According to him, government would develop a full inventory of all cold rooms in the country and monitor the movements of consignments and unwholesomeness of the fish products in all cold rooms.

He directed that henceforth, all illegally imported fish would be confiscated and destroyed, while contravening companies would lose their licenses and their cold rooms sealed.

Speaking in Abuja during a second stakeholders’ interactive session on re-positioning the fisheries sector, Adesina said: “It is important to make it clear that government has not banned the import of fish, as it is being misrepresented by unscrupulous fish importers.

“There is no reason the price of fish would increase in the market. Fish importers are holding Nigerians to ransom to protect their supernormal profits.”

He alleged that the importers were trying to cover up corrupt practices in the sector with the misinformation to the public, adding: “The fact is that fish importers have over the years substantially under reported the volume of fish being imported so as to avoid paying license fees.

“For example, between 2010 and 2012, fish importers declared that they imported 1.78 million MT of fish or annual import of 593,000 MT. The records in the Federal Department of Fisheries show 1.9 million MT of fish imports in the period or annual import of 635,000 MT. “However, the Nigerian Cus-

toms figures show that actual total fish import by the importers during the period was 16.8 million MT or annual import of 5.9 million MT. It is very clear: fish importers are cheating and are not paying the amounts due to government for licenses.

“Even more worrisome is that there is no cold storage capacity in the country to keep 5.9 million MT of fish, so what is being imported and declared as fish? Allegations are rife of dubiousness among some importers who declare fish for imports but are actually importing other things, including cars.”

He noted: “Recently, I read an advertorial by the Association of Fish Suppliers of Nigeria alleging that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was giving licenses via rationing and has reduced import quotas of importers by 80 per cent, instead of the 25 per cent as per the new fisheries policy.

“Let me state loud and clear

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State (second right); Speaker of the State Assembly, Adamu Dala Dogo (right); Commissioner for Works, Lawan Shettima Ali (second left) and other officials during an inspection of the Gadaka-Godowoli road project… yesterday

Govt considers scrapping kerosene subsidy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 “The PDP recalls the arbitrary suspension of Council Chairmen of Okrika, Eleme, Ikwerre and Obio/Akpor at different times by Governor Amaechi, besides the illegal seizure of some of the Councils’ federal allocations, and wonders how Amaechi could be so forgetful of his stock in trade to cast aspersions and blame for per-

Again, Sanusi seeks legal redress CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 He averred that the action of President Jonathan, in purporting to suspend him from office, was aimed at punishing him for these disclosures.

He further averred that he was contesting the President’s power to suspend him from office, noting that the President neither approached nor obtained the support of the Senate based on his discussions with several senators, including Senator Bukola Saraki.

He said: “I have been informed, and I verily believe the information given to me

by Senator Saraki to be true

and correct that the Senate did not give the President any support for my purported suspension and removal from office as the CBN Governor.”

Sanusi further stated that the action of the President in suspending him from office was contrary to provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act relating to the appointment and removal of the CBN governor and that his purported suspension amounted to unlawful interference in the administration of the apex bank and therefore is illegal, null and void.

He urged the court, in the interest of justice, to grant his reliefs.

ceived injustice.

“What about the unconstitutional dissolution of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Council due to the court order, reinstating the illegal suspension of the duly elected council chairman, the sacking of the legally constituted Universal Basic Education Board (UBE). The list is endless.”

The PDP added that “the President has the right and is backed up by law to discipline any appointee of the Federal Government.”

The Amaechi-led NGF also alleged a grand plot by the Federal Government to impeach the Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, saying this would amount to willful assault on constitutionality and pose a threat to democracy.

“It has come to our notice that the Presidency is plotting to illegally impeach the Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Tanko Al-Makura. We condemn this renewed assault on constitutional democracy,” the group said.

The meeting was also attended by the governors of Adamawa, Nasarawa, Kano, Lagos, Imo and Sokoto states, while deputy governors of Osun, Borno and Edo states rep-

Obidigbo’s motion in suit against Obiano fails From Chuks Collins, Awka

• Upholds right to scrutinize voters register

HE Justice Ishaq Bello-led T Anambra State Governorship Election Petition Tribu-

it was pre-election matter, which is normally handled by the regular court.

Obidigbo had told the tribunal that he sought to be joined because whatever the outcome of the petition would directly and indirectly affect him. However, the tribunal held that granting his application would amount to amending the petitions when the period for filing of petitions against the conduct of the election, as provided, had elapsed.

Instead, the tribunal held that since Obidigbo has a petition before the tribunal, he would have enough opportunity to canvass his claims on the election during the trial of his petition marked EPT/AN/GOV/1/2013.

Also, the tribunal struck out some paragraphs in the petition brought by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Nwoye, which accused Obiano of multiple registration and supply of false information to INEC, stating that the issues were pre-elec-

nal yesterday in Awka struck out the application brought by a claimant to the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Chike Obidigbo, describing him as a stranger to the entire petition.

Obidigbo, who was the candidate of Chief Maxi Okwuled APGA faction, had brought a motion urging the tribunal to join him as a necessary party in the petitions challenging the declaration of Chief Willie Obiano as winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the tribunal, Obidigbo, as stipulated by Section 37 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), was not qualified to be admitted as respondent in the petition. It also held that the issue of who is a candidate of a political party in an election is not within the jurisdiction of an election petition tribunal as

tion matters, which had already been adjudicated upon by the regular courts.

Another paragraph where the petitioners accused some APGA officials and security operatives of assisting to rig the election in favour of Obiano without joining such persons as respondents, were also struck out.

The tribunal held that failure to make them respondents have denied them the opportunity of fair hearing as provided under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as the accused persons were not officials or agents of INEC as envisaged under Section 37 of the Electoral Act. However, the tribunal overruled Obiano’s lawyers on the allegation contesting the authenticity of the voter’s register used for the conduct of the governorship election. It held that INEC has a responsibility to prove the authenticity of the register and that the one used was displayed before the election as stipulated under the Electoral Act.

resented their principals.

The governors also condemned the killings in Borno State and other states of the North-East. While calling on the Federal Government to wake up to her responsibilities of protecting the lives of Nigerians, especially in the North-East, the NGF faction commended the military and other security agencies for their efforts in combating the insurgents.

On another occasion, Amaechi advised the Federal Government to fight oil theft and financial diversion.

The governor said the issue of the missing $20 billion was a breach of the constitution.

Amaechi spoke when the British Minister for Africa and Member of Parliament, Mark Simmonds, visited him at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.

He explained to the British delegation that his administration had procured two surveillance helicopters that would assist the Federal Government to fight oil theft, but lamented that the government was frustrating the entry of the helicopters into the country.

Court issues criminal summons on Turaki From John Akubo, Dutse HE Federal High Court sitting in Dutse has issued a criminal summon on the former Governor of Jigawa State, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, for consistently refusing to appear before it to answer to criminal charges brought against him by the Federal Government, thereby stalling the proceedings.

The Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC) had dragged Turaki before the court for alleged graft and misuse of public funds amounting to N36 billion during his eight-year tenure as governor.

Aisha Tahir Habib, who stood in as prosecutor’s counsel, said the case has been on without progress because the accused has not been physically available.

According to her, being a criminal matter, hearing cannot commence in the absence of the accused.

Counsel to Turaki, Seidu Muhammed Tundunwada, had presented a medical report indicating that his client was indisposed and could not come to court. However, the presiding Justice Sabiu Yahuza blamed the prosecution counsel for the unnecessary delay and adjourned till April 9, 2014.

T

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014 NEWS 5

Globacom sponsors movie on centenary celebration

Reps query Wike over N1b travel vote From Adamu Abu, Abuja

IGERIA’S national operaN tor, Globacom has restated its support for Nigeria’s cente-

Suleiman, who spoke when the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, led officials of the ministry on 2014 budget defence, noted that the N1 billion allocation was a clear case of a jamboree.

HE House of RepresentaT tives Committee on Finance yesterday applauded the authorities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for living up to expectations on timely remittances to the Federation Account.

But the House Committee on Education led by Comrade Aminu Suleiman frowned at a 2014 budgetary proposal of N1 billion by the Education Ministry as travelling allowances for its staffers.

The chairman, Finance Committee, Dr. Abdul Mumin Jibril, stated that the apex bank under Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, over the years, had been very consistent in its remittances to the Federation Account as and when due.

Suleiman, who spoke when the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, led officials of the ministry on 2014 budget defence, noted that the N1 billion allocation was a clear case of a jamboree. He said it behooves on the ministry to cut down such frivolous expenditure at a time when the education sector is in dire need of funds to improve quality and access to pupils in need of education across the country.

Suleiman specifically said it doesn’t make logical sense to allocate N1 billion as travelling allowance as against N2 billion allocated on training and retraining of workers of the ministry in the financial year.

Wike had attempted to justify the expenditure, saying such amount was not huge in view of the fact that officials of the education ministry travel on official duties quite often to achieve set objective of the government.

Governor Peter Obi (left), congratulating one of the 10 newly sworn-in permanent secretaries in Anambra State Civil Service, Ferdinand Obi, after the swearing-in at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia… yesterday

Stakeholders launch fresh initiative to save newborns From Emeka Anuforo (Abuja) and Isah Ibrahim (Gusau) ROGRESS recorded at imP proving health outcomes and the ongoing reforms notwithstanding, the impact has been limited and unequal across Nigeria, a new report by a group, Save the Children, has said.

The report on “Ending Preventable Newborn Deaths in Nigeria” noted the country’s poorly financed and highly fragmented healthcare system, plagued by resource shortage, as a major problem.

It revealed that in 2012 alone, over 230,000 died in the country during their first and only day of life, or were stillborn, where the heart stopped beating during labour.

According to the report, “these deaths are largely preventable, yet continue to occur as the coverage and quality of health services in Nigeria continue to fail women and children.

• Zamfara, UNICEF, others set up 38 nutrition centres • ‘Why Nigeria should declare free maternal, child health services’ “Coverage of triticale health services is extremely low and inequalities are high – only 38 per cent of women give birth with a skilled and qualified health worker present, while the average in rural areas is about one third (23 per cent) what it is in urban areas (67 per cent).

“Coverage doesn’t even reach 10 per cent in Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa and Kebbi states, compared to over 85 per cent coverage in Osun, Anambra, Enugu, Imo and Lagos states.”

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Government, collaborating with developmental partners in the state, has established 38 centres for Community Management of Acute Malnutrition to address the high rate of malnutrition among children.

The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Kabiru Ahmad

How Nigeria can join most developed economies, by NBTE chief From Saxone Akhaine (Northern Bureau Chief) IGERIA’S aspiration to be among the 20 most developed economies in the world by 2020 can only be achieved through mass production of craftsmen, technicians and technologists, the Chairman, Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Laz Ekwueme, has said.

Ekwueme, who spoke in Kaduna on Monday while declaring open the board’s three-week Quality Assurance Assessor Training towards institutionalizing the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) framework in Nigeria, said that craftsmen, technicians and technologists are the required manpower to drive the nation’s development.

He insisted that no amount of investment on power could yield positive result without the manpower, adding that, if Nigeria must be among the

N

nary commemoration and this informs its sponsorship of a movie, which gives a sneak preview of the great future awaiting the country.

Globacom’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, said: “The centenary anniversary of the creation of the entity called Nigeria presents a unique opportunity for the country to celebrate the common values uniting the nation in spite of its rich cultural diversity. Some of these values, according to him, include diligence, integrity, resourcefulness, love, faith and hope for a brighter and greater future.

“Our chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, is particularly passionate about Nigeria and this passion has been a strong propelling force for executing the commitment we made to the organisers of the centenary project,” said Jameel.

20 top economies of the world by 2020, it is absolutely necessary that we have them “in critical mass.”

Also, in his keynote address at the occasion, the NBTE Executive Secretary, Dr. Masa’udu Adamu Kazaure, said the body and the collaborating organisations were making decisive contribution to government’s transformation agenda through the training “since Nigeria’s aspiration to join the league of high performing economies would remain a pipe dream without competent workforce.”

According to him, an availability of a critical mass of assessors and verifiers was sin qua non for the operation of National Vocational Qualification Framework, which produces skilled workmen.

However, Kazaure traced the struggle to institutionalize the framework back to 2010 during NBTE/British Council stakeholders’ workshop in

Kaduna, where it was unanimously agreed that, “to enhance access and equity in education and employment, it is imperative to institutionalize National Vocational Qualification Framework in Nigeria.”

While noting that the struggle had over the years recorded some progress, he urged stakeholders and participants at the training to collaborate with the board to actualise the major national initiative.

He noted: “It was unanimously agreed that to enhance access and equity in education and employment, it would be imperative to institutionalize NVQ framework in Nigeria.

“Subsequently, many other consultative and securitization meetings followed, and study tours were undertaken to various countries, including the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Korea, to observe the operation of such national skills frameworks.”

Janyau, disclosed yesterday at the inauguration ceremony of Bakura local council committee for food and nutrition that the state had in 2013 created a budget line for nutrition to support partners in alleviating malnutrition across the state.

He applauded the efforts of Save the Children and UNICEF for their technical and financial commitment towards treating malnourished children in different parts of the state, pointing out that over 42,000 of them were treated within the past five years of development nutrition projects in the state.

Country Director of Save the Children, Susan Grant, stressed how the first 24 hours of a child’s life were the most dangerous, noting that globally, over a million babies die each year on their first and only day of life.

These deaths happen because of causes like premature births and complications during child birth, including prolonged labour, pre-eclampsia and infections, she stressed. According to her, most of these could be prevented if quality health workers were present at the time of delivery.

“Nigeria has made amazing progress in reducing child mortality during the past decade – nearly halved its child mortality rates – thanks to committed political action around immunization, family planning and treatment of diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition. But this report warns that newborn deaths, if not stalled, could reverse a lot of these gains,” she added.

The group called for a declaration to end all preventable newborn mortality, saving two million newborn lives

around the world, ensuring that by 2025 every birth is attended by trained and equipped health workers, who can deliver essential newborn health interventions.

It also seeks to remove user fees for all maternal, newborn and child health services, increase expenditure on health to at least the World Health Organisation (WHO) minimum of $60 per person to cater for the training, equipping and support of mothers and health workers at the time of delivery.

The group equally seeks the development of an innovative solution that would increase availability of products and services to the poorest and marginalized.

Its Senior Manager, Maternal and Newborn Health, Dr. Abimbola Williams, also stressed the need for more equitable distribution of skilled birth attendants across the country.

6

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NEWS Wednesday, February 26, 2014

NEWS INTERVIEW

Why Nigeria remains important

‘

The relationship between Nigeria and Canada I noticed is quickly growing in a very dynamic style especially in the last three years.

There has been increase of interest on both sides at the political and private sector levels as well. It is a recognition that the two countries have a lot in common and with many areas that we can still work together. In the beginning, our relationship experienced some turbulence during the military era and I must commend Nigeria and Nigerians for the progress they had made since 1999 in rebuilding and developing democracy and human rights culture.

In the dark days of military rule, the relationship between Abuja and Ottawa became frosty with the Canadian High Commission moving its office to Ghana. However, with the return of democracy, the High Commission returned to Nigeria with trade between the two countries hitting the $1.5 billion mark. Bolstered by the present relationship, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Perry Calderwood, says there are prospects for trade to grow, maintaining that Africa’s most populous country was very important to Canada in sub-Saharan Africa. He was at Rutam House, headquarters of The Guardian, recently where he spoke. Excerpts.

’

Calderwood

By Olalekan Okusan On Canada’s support to Nigeria URING the military regime in Nigeria back in the 1990s, you would probably recall that Canada actually withdrew its High Commission in protest against the human rights situation in this country then. Also, Canada played leadership role in the context of the Commonwealth to have Nigeria suspended until democratic rule was returned. For me, I am delighted to be in Nigeria having arrived four months ago from Senegal where I served in the last three years. The relationship between Nigeria and Canada I noticed is quickly growing in a very dynamic style especially in the last three years. There has been increase of interest on both sides at the political and private sector levels as well. It is a recognition that the two countries have a lot in common and with many areas that we can still work together. In the beginning, our relationship experienced some turbulence during the military era and I must commend Nigeria and Nigerians for the progress they had made since 1999 in rebuilding and developing democracy and human rights culture.

The High Commission in Canada in modest ways has been able to support Nigeria to strengthen democracy and human rights regime. For example, we are currently providing funding through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and to some extent, to the National Assembly, as well as to the civil society to help develop the capacity and reform necessary to ensure that the election in 2015 will be free and fair, transparent and peaceful. That is one example of a way of accompanying Nigeria to develop and consolidate her democracy.

Another area where we have been active is that we provided funding through civil society to a project in Jos, Plateau State, to encourage better inter-communal rela-

D

tionship based on the situation in that state. We are working through a Geneva-based NGO, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD) and we are providing $500,000, which is a significant contribution.

The organisation, CHD, is an expert globally on mediation and relationship building on communities is leading a process workshop with a series of workshops to bring different groups together to discuss the problems, as well as how to overcome the problems and live together peacefully.

Those are couple of examples but we are very pleased to be working with Nigeria in a number of democratic and humanitarian processes. I must say I have been impressed by so many Nigerians I had met who are strongly committed to these values in all walks of life.

On the 2015 elections We are providing support through the UNDP called ‘bas-

‘

When I look at Nigeria, I see a country that over the last 15 years has achieved great progress building a democratic society and respect for human rights. And I think this kind of law runs the risk of curtailing some of those accomplishments that Nigeria has made. The idea that if someone joins an association or attends a meeting he or she can be sent to jail does not seem consistency with the broad direction that Nigeria is going on the human rights side.

’

ket fund.’ The idea is to pull resources and ensure the possible coordination with focus on reforming the INEC to make it as efficient as possible. The capacity building is a major part of the exercise in terms of training and skills building so that they can be better equipped. It is not about ballot boxes, it is about the institution itself. So we provided through the UNDP to organise and the coordination to build the capacity of the people in INEC. Having served in a number of countries, I had observed elections in different nations and everywhere I go, it is the same thing. Just like media used to report that it is not what happens on the election day, it is the context that leads up to the election that matters and I hope that international observation for 2015 elections will start two to three months before the election. To be realistic, it is good to start the observation a year to the election so that the entire process will be observed and not just on the election.

Canada’s position on Nigeria’s anti-gay law There has been a lot of confusion in the media on Canada’s position on the signing of the law against same-sex marriage in Nigeria. With regards to the law, Canada has never said that Nigeria should adopt same-sex marriage. We have same-sex marriage in Canada and it has been in place for years. But it is not our foreign policy or role to go around the world telling other countries to adopt same-sex marriage. It is not an issue for Canada.

The concern that we have and expressed through our foreign minister in a statement after President Goodluck Jonathan signed the law relates to a certain provision of the law, which is called the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act: There are number of features in it and these features in our view curtail very important human rights like freedom of assembly and speech, which says people can go to jail if they form an association or club.

When I look at Nigeria, I see a country that over the last 15 years has achieved great progress building a democratic so-

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NEWS Wednesday, February 26, 2014 7

NEWS INTERVIEW

to Canada, by Calderwood ciety and respect for human rights. And I think this kind of law runs the risk of curtailing some of those accomplishments that Nigeria has made. The idea that if someone joins an association or attends a meeting he or she can be sent to jail does not seem consistent with the broad direction that Nigeria is going on the human rights side.

The other concern that we have relating to the law is that it seems to single out and stigmatise a particular group of people within the Nigerian society; that is the homosexual people.

The way Canada views human rights are that it is universal, it applies to everyone, it does not matter what your race, religion and language or sexual orientation is. Our government speaks around the world and not only about Nigeria, whenever we see issues where a particular group is stigmatised or discriminated against. We are concerned about this because we believe very firmly that human rights must be universal. Canadian society is very diverse in many ways but the most important thing is that the country is made up of people from all parts of the world with different languages and customs being practised. Why Canada is the most peaceful and successful country in the world is because we have a very strong culture of respecting one another despite differences.

In my view, same-sex issue is just part of the human diversity that we see in Canada and other countries and people of this same-sex are in top places in the society.

On immigration visa As you probably know, Canada is a country that is very much built on immigration. We have a huge population born outside of the country. But ever since the start, incoming people that today constitute 97 per cent of Canadians are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants, who have built our growth and development.

We have immigration throughout our history and it continues. In recent years, we have received approximately 250,000 immigrants per year, which is nearly one per cent of our population and this makes us one of the countries in the world that receives the most immigrants on a per capital basis.

In current thinking in Canada, the emphasis in terms of our immigration is bringing people that are skilful to Canada. Our immigration policy is one of the most successful in the world compared to other countries. Part of the reasons is that we focus on bringing people who had skills, background and experience that are relevant to the need of the Canadian economy so that we don’t find ourselves in a situation where people are coming in and not finding jobs and become unemployed, as well as marginalised. We have quite a sophisticated system whereby you can see it on our immigration website, list of professions that we need. Like the engineers, IT experts, and we seek to match the influx of immigrants with the need of the Canadian economy and it has worked very well.

Our immigration policy does not discriminate from one country to the other. We don’t give priority to nationalities to the other. Any citizen from other countries is free to apply to Canada and the application will be treated on its merit. But a big emphasis is on the skill, experience and qualification of the person whether they correspond with the need of the Canadian economy.

For visa, there are different kinds of visas if one decides to migrate to Canada or to apply for immigrant visa. It takes one to two years to go through this exercise when applying for immigrant visa. Students visa takes six months to process while visitors visa takes six to seven weeks now. It used to take three months but we are reducing the time and we are committed to trying to get it down.

Managing resources in Canada In Canada, we have provinces and according to Canadian constitution, it clearly defines jurisdiction of the provinces and the Federal Government and this has existed for a long time. But over time, there have been small adjustments because of tension as the provinces want more and sometimes the Federal Government pushes back.

Generally speaking, the provinces have higher degree of autonomy in particular areas and some of those areas are education, because there is no Federal Ministry of Education at all. Education standard is at provincial level. Health care is at provincial level but the Federal Government sets the standard. Natural resources are within the domain of the provinces, so each province processes its natural resources that lie under the soil. In a case where a certain province is richer than the other, we have an equalisation programme whereby the Federal Government collects taxes and returns it to provinces that are disadvantaged.

The fundamental thing is that the provinces have control over the natural resources in their territories. It is absolutely not for me to decide which system will work in Nigeria. But in Canada, the Federal Government system has worked well for us and our country has gained for it. So, it behoves on every country to decide the model that can work well for them.

In terms of resources management, the biggest question is which level of government is managing the resources? But the issue is that do you have structure in place to ensure efficiency, proper and transparent management of resources? Our provinces control our oil industry and we

We have about $1.5 billion in trade with $ 1billion from Nigeria to Canada and $.5 billion from Canada to Nigeria. The export from Nigeria is primarily oil although there are other products like cocoa and rubber but essentially, it is oil. From Canada to Nigeria, wheat is the biggest element but there are also automobile and various machinery and equipment.

The numbers I mentioned in my opinion are significant but modest. I think there is potential for a lot more and part of my jobs and mandate is try and encourage the trade and also investment because trade and investment go hand-inhand. When I look at Nigerian economy and its development, there are prospects in the years ahead. I see a number of sectors where there is great complementary between Nigerian needs and Canada’s experience and expertise.

Also in the area of infrastructure, energy and transport, I think Nigeria has recognised that it has to invest in improved roads, rail roads, and airports, as well as energy of course power, in order to flourish and develop because the economy is growing six to seven per cent a year, while population is growing at three per cent. So, you need to build infrastructure to keep up with the pace.

Canada being a huge country geographically, we have very capable companies in the area of infrastructure and quite a number of them are in Nigeria doing interesting work.

ICT is another area with great potential. I see tremendous ambition on the part of Nigeria to move forward on the ICT font. I think that it is a great thing because to be part of the modern world economy, one has to have the efficiency that ICT brings and there are Canadian companies that are cutting edge in that regards doing good work.

For now in Nigeria, from the initial 20 Canadian companies operating in Nigeria, we have over 60 of them doing good businesses.

How Canada rode the 2008 global financial storm Canada weathered 2008 financial crisis very well and I think there are a few elements that have played out. One is that the crisis started in the banking sector in other countries. But in Canada for a number of years now, we had very tight regulation on banks. Our banks are not allowed to supply mortgage or lending, which has been the case in the United States and other countries. So, we had a very strong banking sector and the government has put in place regulations to prevent the banking sector from taking high risk.

We have not had a real estate bubble that was experienced in other western countries. At the time of the crisis, Canada had no deficit. We have a deficit now because the government took a rational decision to spend in order to stimulate economic growth but the government is determined to get over the deficit by 2015. Lots of countries have fallen to deficit in Europe, which is very expensive to manage.

Calderwood have record of good governance and there are structures in place as every gallon of oil is accounted for and everyone knows where the money is going. The oil boom started before the structures were in place and Nigeria has been struggling since then to put the structure in place.

Potential in Nigeria The area I hope to see cooperation between Canada and Nigeria is the mining sector. Nigeria has a lot of potential in this sector and to a large extent, it has not been developed. This is an area that Canada has 100 years experience as we have learnt how to get the rock out of the ground, as well as how to put in place government structure to ensure the proper use of the funds. We have also Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is very strong among our mining companies because we believe they respect the environment and treat the host communities where they extract the mines from very well.

When you look at Nigeria and your plan to develop mining industry, I think Canada has a lot of experience that will be relevant and you can learn from the mistakes we made in the past. To a large extent, we have experience and we look forward to sharing this with Nigeria. I also hope Canadian companies will invest in Nigeria to develop the mining sector.

Volume of trade between the two countries

‘

The area I hope to see cooperation between Canada and Nigeria is the mining sector. Nigeria has a lot of potential in this sector and to a large extent, it has not been developed. This is an area that Canada has 100 years experience as we have learnt how to get the rock out of the ground, as well as how to put in place government structure to ensure the proper use of the funds. We have also Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is very strong among our mining companies because we believe they respect the environment and treat the host communities where they extract the mines from very well.

8 | Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

PHOTONEWS

Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada (second right); Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Emmanuel Omaebije (left); Commissioner for Rural Development, Umar Mohammed and Chairman, Dekina Local Council, Mohammed Ali, during the flag-off of massive rural electrification projects starting from Elubi-Etiaja in Dekina.

Director General, Nigeria Insurance Association, Sunday Thomas (left); Acting Managing Director, Wapic Insurance Plc, Ashish Desai; President, Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, Ayodapo Shoderu and Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, at the ground breaking of Wapic Insurance Plc corporate head office.

Assistant Managing Director, Tastee Fried Chicken Limited, Mosun Adeniji (left); winner, TFC Valentine’s Love Gig Promo, Ms. Blessing Emmanuel and Key Account Manager, MTN Nigeria, Ifeanyi Otuya, at the prize presentation in Lagos.

Globacom’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Gladys Talabi (middle) flanked by the Chairman, 2014 Lisabi Festival, Chief Rasheed Raji (right) and the Baapitan of Egbaland, Chief Bola Lawal at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to extend Globacom’s sponsorship of the festival for another three years.

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi (left) presenting the Sun Public Servant of the Year award to the Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Joseph Odumodu (middle). With them is Dr. Julius Adelusi Adeluyi during the Sun Awards in Lagos.

Branch Manager, Unity Bank, Bioye Akanbi (left); Zonal Manager, Isaac Tajomavmo; President, Cooperative Investment and Credit Society, Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command, Rufus Oladapo and Regional Manager, Unity Bank, Adeboyin Oladokun, at the presentation of star prize in the Save and Win Promo of Unity Bank to Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command in Ibadan.

PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola (left); Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Gambo Lawan and Managing Director, Independent Newspaper Limited (INL), Ted Iwere, during the governor’s investiture as the 2013 Man of the Year in Lagos.

Head, Supersports Africa, Andre Vemter (left); Head, Marketing/Sales Multichoice, Martin Mabutho; President, NBBF, Tijani Umar and Marketing Manager, DSTV, Chioma Afe, during the briefing on the start of the season for the DStv basketball premier league in Lagos.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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9

WorldReport Hollande urges Morocco king to defuse row

Ukraine wants fugitive president to face international justice KRAINE’S parliament U voted yesterday to send fugitive President Viktor Yanukovich to be tried by the International Criminal Court for “serious crimes” committed during violent anti-government protests in which scores were killed.

A resolution, overwhelmingly supported by the assembly, linked Yanukovich, who was ousted on Saturday and is now on the run, to police violence against protesters which it said had led to the deaths of more than 100 citizens from Ukraine and other states.

The Hague-based court said it would need a request from the government of Ukraine giving it jurisdiction over the deaths.

With early elections set for May 25, one of Ukraine’s most prominent opposition figures, retired world boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, confirmed he would run for president.

Yanukovich was indicted for “mass murder” on Monday over the shooting of demonstrators and is now on the wanted list, having last been seen at Balaclava in Crimea, near Russia’s Sevastopol naval base.

An aide said be on the run with Yanukovich was shot in the leg, his spokesman said. It was not clear where the aide, Andriy Klyuev, was, or whether he with the fugitive leader.

The assembly resolution said former interior minister Vitaly Zakharchenko and former prosecutor-general Viktor Pshonka, who are also being sought by the authorities, should also be sent for trial at the ICC. “Parliament asks the International Criminal Court to hold Viktor Yanukovich and other high-level people criminally responsible for issuing and carrying out openly criminal orders”, the resolution said.

Authorities under Yanukovich had systematically abused their power. Police tortured protesters, including holding activists naked in temperatures of 15 degrees below freezing, the resolution said.

RENCH President, Francois FMorocco’s Hollande has urged King Mohammed

Israeli President, Shimon Peres (right) with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel during a special ceremony at the presidential compound in Jerusalem yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Iran a threat not just to Israel but to Europe, says Merkel GERMANY views Iran as a poA tential threat not just to Israel, but also to European countries, Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

But she stopped short of endorsing her host’s demand that Tehran give up all sensitive nuclear projects under any negotiated deal with world powers, and reiterated Berlin’s opposition to Israeli settlements on occupied land where the Palestinians seek statehood.

Germany is Israel’s most impor-

tant ally in Europe, where the Netanyahu government frets it is losing support given troubled peace talks with the Palestinians.

That makes Merkel’s views a bellwether of European sentiment on Middle East issues.

The German chancellor visited Jerusalem with her cabinet to mark almost 50 years of bilateral ties with Israel, which was founded in part as a haven for survivors of the Holocaust.

“We see the threat not just as a threat for the state of Israel but as a general threat for Europe as well,” she said of a potential Iranian bomb, adding that

You are a ‘trouble maker’, China tells Japan HINA on Tuesday labeled C Japan a “trouble maker” that is damaging regional peace and stability, firing back at earlier criticism from Tokyo over a spike in tensions in northeast Asia.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying was responding to comments by Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida that China’s military expansion in the region is a concern, although Kishida stopped short of calling China a threat.

Hua told a regularly scheduled news conference that China’s military posture is purely defensive and Japan is stirring up trouble with its own moves to expand its armed forces and alter its pacifist constitution.

She accused Japanese officials of making inflammatory statements aimed at denying or glorifying the country’s militarist past, and said Japan should explain its strategic intentions.

“I think everybody will agree with me that Japan has already become a de facto troublemaker harming regional peace and stability,” Hua said.

Hua’s comments were the latest salvo in a war of words between the countries that has seen their diplomats invoke the villain from the Harry Potter books, Lord Voldemort, in describing each other’s motivations. Never very warm, bilateral ties took a nosedive after Japan in 2012 nationalized a

string of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that China claims as its own.

Also yesterday, the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress reviewed a proposal to designate days to commemorate the country’s 1945 victory over Japan in World War II and to remember the victims of the 1937 Nanking Massacre, when Japanese troops killed large numbers of Chinese civilians.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the move would reveal Japanese war atrocities while commemorating Chinese people’s resistance.

In an interview with The

Associated Press, Kishida sought to distance his government from recent right-wing comments on World War II, calling them “regrettable” and saying they don’t represent the government’s views.

China’s growing maritime activities and lack of transparency in military development “are common concerns of the entire region” that Japan will watch closely, Kishida said. Japan is particularly concerned about Chinese attempts to strengthen its claims to the disputed islands by sending ships into waters off the islands and creating a new air defense identification zone that overlaps them.

Zambian court frees activist over gay rights WENTY four hours after T Uganda passed a tough anti-gay law, a Zambian court yesterday acquitted top gay rights activist, Paul Kasonkomona on charges of encouraging homosexuality, a ruling supporters hailed as a boost for African rights.

“The court ruled that Paul is acquitted. It’s a final ruling,” said Anneke Meerkotter, a lawyer at the Southern Africa

Litigation Centre, which provided legal support to Kasonkomona.

The magistrate ruled that the state had failed to prove its case.

“The magistrate was clear, public discussion is important, even on controversial issues that are repulsive to some members of community,” Meerkotter told AFP.

Germany would pursue international talks with Tehran on its nuclear activities.

The diplomacy was kick-started with an interim deal in November, which Netanyahu blasted as an “historic mistake” for easing sanctions on Iran while leaving its infrastructure for enriching uranium and potentially producing plutonium.

Iran says its nuclear projects are for peaceful needs.

Netanyahu, whose country is widely believed to have the

Middle East’s only atomic arsenal, acknowledged that world powers had “talked about the possibility of some enrichment” continuing in Iran as part of a final deal.

“I think it’s a mistake,” he said.

“Every single leader that I’ve talked to in the Middle East agrees with that position, whether they say so publicly or not. Why? Because if Iran really wants just civilian nuclear energy, then they don’t need any enrichment. They don’t need centrifuges.”

VI to sooth diplomatic tensions raised by civil lawsuits filed in Paris accusing Morocco’s intelligence chief of “complicity in torture.”

Morocco, a close ally with strong commercial and cultural ties to its former colonial ruler, had reacted furiously to the announcement last Thursday of two lawsuits filed by an NGO against Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of its domestic intelligence agency (DGST).

Hollande called the king, who is currently touring West Africa, to reassure him of France’s “constant friendship,” and “dispel the misunderstandings,” the French presidency said yesterday.

He also underlined his desire to “strengthen the partnership between the two countries.”

After the lawsuits were filed, seven French policemen arrived at the Moroccan ambassador’s residence to inform Hammouchi, at the time accompanying the interior minister on a visit to Paris, of a summons issued by the investigating judge.

Adding insult to injury, the Spanish actor and bete noir of Rabat, Javier Bardem, was quoted by mainstream French media on the same day citing diplomatically embarrassing comments about Morocco allegedly made by the French ambassador to the United Nations three years ago.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Politics ‘How to tackle militancy realistically’ From Oghogho Obayuwana (Foreign Affairs Editor) S the Federal Government A battles with the scourge of insurgency in parts of the

country, it needs to rapidly promote general development of the effected areas, as one realistic way of winning the war against terror.

Similarly, unless there is a real commitment on the part of the Nigerian government to tackle oil theft and piracy, the relative peace in the Niger Delta would turn out to by pyrrhic with dire consequences for the Nigerian economy.

Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso, president of the European Union (EU) Commission, made these submissions in an online chat with The Guardian.

Mr. Barroso comes into Nigeria today on a nationwide consultation visit, as well as being a special guest at the Nigerian centenary celebrations.

He said: “We do believe that one of the best ways of tackling this insurgency is to promote development, especially to favour skills and job creation for youth, and on the other hand to ensure that basic human rights are respected at all times.”

Asked to comment on the seeming intractable nature of insurgency in Northern Nigeria and vices such as piracy in the Niger Delta; and whether the EU was thinking of reworking its support strategy for Nigeria, his response was that: “The insurgency in the Northeast of Nigeria is a terrible scourge with the killing and maiming of thousands of innocent civilians. You know also that Boko Haram is now widely labeled as a terrorist organisation.

“In terms of EU cooperation with Nigeria, we are already funding a wide range of social projects aimed at poverty alleviation in the north of Nigeria, and in our new programme, we will give an even greater focus to the Northeast.”

He continued: “The situation in the Niger Delta is a bit different and requires a real commitment from the gov-

Barroso

ernment to tackle oil theft and piracy. This is vital for peace and for the Nigerian economy as whole.

“It is critical that local communities recognise that they have a proper share of the revenues through local development. It is also the only way of ending the terrible environmental damage that is being wreaked on the Delta through oil spills.

“The EU has been working in the Delta for many years, encouraging local development initiatives and greater share of benefits to communities.

“We are also preparing an EU strategy to help combat piracy and illegal trafficking of people, drugs and arms in the Gulf of Guinea.”

Also speaking on the expectations and projections by the international community for 2015 general elections in Nigeria, Mr. Barroso said: “Since 1999, Nigeria has made enormous progress in developing a democratic electoral process in a very complex political system.

“I really commend Nigeria’s election management body, INEC, for the progress made, especially as the last elections held in 2011 were reckoned to be the most credible.

“However, there are always improvements to be made and lessons to be learned. I believe INEC must work on establishing a robust and reliable voter registration system and encourage all voters to register. There must also be an effective voter education campaign.

“But responsibility also lies with the politicians and political parties to play the game fairly and encourage their supporters to vote peacefully.

“All Nigerian parties should put the national interest first, and insist on respect for transparency, law and order.”

Among other issues, Mr. Barroso also bared his mind on the need to advance the EU country programme for Nigeria, the colour of foreign investments billed to stream into Nigeria, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), as well as the Nigerian Universal Periodic Review, which took place last year, among others.

Detailed interview later!

We do believe that one of the best ways of tackling this insurgency is to promote development, especially to favour skills and job creation for youth, and on the other hand to ensure that basic human rights are respected at all times. The insurgency in the Northeast of Nigeria is a terrible scourge with the killing and maiming of thousands of innocent civilians. The situation in the Niger Delta is a bit different and requires a real commitment from the government to tackle oil theft and piracy. This is vital for peace and for the Nigerian economy as whole.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 11

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

PDP unruffled, founding fathers not found wanting, says Akinjide The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to be in the eye of the storm, moving from one crisis to another, which some observers say could have been nipped in the bud if the party truly had committed and active founding fathers and elders. But Chief Richard Osuolale Akinjide, Nigeria’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, told Abiodun Fanoro that the pioneers of the party are neither in disarray nor found wanting in mentoring and ensuring the survival of the party.

I have known him for years; he is very democratic. He respects others’ views and is never in a rush to take decisions that he knows would affect his fellow beings.

This question came against the backdrop of the fact that elder statesmen like you, Afe Babalola, Alex Ekwueme and Theophilus Danjuma are supposed to be very close to the president and he’s expected to listen to you.

But a lot of things are happening in the country suggest the contrary?

There are certain things you don’t discuss in the open. I have nothing more to add to what I said.

Then, you are being evasive?

No, I am not evasive; I am only being realistic and categorical.

RE PDP founding fathers and elders still AOhactive in the party? yes, the PDP has founding fathers as well

HE PDP in the Southwest is in comatose T and almost non-existent. What is happening?

“

Akinjide

It is not true that the PDP is collapsing. PDP, like any other organisation, has its own moments of trial, which it has overcome. That we overcame this moment of trial is the evidence that the party has founding fathers and elders, who go to work whenever occasion calls for it. That was exactly what we did in the recent case that you may be referring to. The product or result of the work of the elders was what led to the emergence of the new National Chairman few weeks ago in the person of Alhaji Adamu Muazu. My plea to PDP members and supporters is that we should all give the new chairman time to settle down. I am very sure that after settling down, he would embark on an agonising appraisal of the activities of the party.

their various responsibilities.

We are in democracy and everyone, as much as possible, is taking advantage of it. That an element in the party leadership or eldership took advantage of this does not suggest in any way that the entire structure is in disarray.

If a member of the structure decided to veer off the line, for God’s sake, it is not synonymous with the breakdown of the structure or the system.

And I am glad the elders of the party have taken over this challenge. They are firmly on

“

as elders who have continued to be the pillars on which the party rests. They have always been there; they are there in greater number, as I speak. There has been no time they were missing, found wanting or incapable.

PDP is an excellent political party. It has everything for greatness. It has in-built selfregulatory, self-support and internal peacemaking mechanism built around the founding fathers and the elders.

All these have been reflecting in how we have been able to handle trying moments in the party, which could have torn lesser political parties apart.

The gradual collapse of the party without any meaningful effort to halt it seems to be vindicating observers who posed this question…

First, it is not true that the PDP is collapsing.

PDP, like any other organisation, has its own moments of trial, which it has overcome.

That we overcame this moment of trial is the evidence that the party has founding fathers and elders, who go to work whenever occasion calls for it.

That was exactly what we did in the recent case that you may be referring to. The product or result of the work of the elders was what led to the emergence of the new National Chairman few weeks ago in the person of Alhaji Adamu Muazu.

My plea to PDP members and supporters is that we should all give the new chairman time to settle down. I am very sure that after settling down, he would embark on an agonising appraisal of the activities of the party, and in collaboration with other stakeholders, he would use the result of his appraisal to do an overhauling of the system where necessary. This in turn would help reposition the party for more victories.

Politicians, like pool betters, are incurable optimists. If truly there is plan for revival, why is not coming before now?

There is no question of revival, because the party is neither dead nor asleep. I am very sure that very soon, our detractors would be put to shame; I mean those who wish the party dead.

The PDP has the magic wand to overcome whatever problem anybody could say it’s going through. The new chairman, in concert with other stakeholders, has begun a quiet but massive rejuvenation of the party.

Many of you may not be aware of it because, ours is a party that does not believe in noisemaking when we engage in serious matters that have to do with strengthening and consolidating our achievements.

Why we are different from others is that we always display maturity whenever we engage in efforts to strengthening our party.

It is those parties that are yet to come of age that are exuberant in whatever they do; they go to the roof-top to announce that they have arrived, that they are already there when in actual fact they are yet to take-off.

Some people are of the view that PDP elders were indifferent to the party’s plight because they, too, have lost confidence in the party...

I am not disappointed in the party. I have at no point in time lost confidence in the party.

I have 100 per cent confidence in the party; I also have confidence in the President (Goodluck Jonathan). I have no doubt that he would succeed.

Anybody who thinks the way you have analysed is certainly living in a strange land and they would be proved very wrong, very soon.

Isn’t it a sign that the party’s elders, too, are in disarray when former President Olusegun wrote an 18-page open letter to President Jonathan, heavily carpeting him?

I totally disagree with your view that PDP elders and founders, too, are in disarray. Let me assure you that all the structures and levels of the party are intact and are performing

top of it. If we are in disarray, how did we rise up to the situation when it arose?

But you would agree that there is a breakdown in communication in the party leadership?

There is no breakdown in communication; you journalists are just insinuating. There is no crack in our wall. Advice could be made through a letter, and it could come through oral discussion.

Is President Jonathan truly listening enough to the founding fathers?

Yes, he listens very well. He is very attentive.

It is not true; the PDP in the Southwest is not in disarray. It is very solid. Wait and see what would happen within the next few months; you would know that my enthusiasm is truly justified.

I have reasons to believe that the PDP will win the next elections in the Southwest, including the two governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States, as well as the 2015 polls.

In 2015, Oyo State will return to the PDP. Is it because your daughter is seeking to contest for the state’s governorship election that gives you the confidence that Oyo State will return to the PDP in 2015?

My daughter has never told me she is going to contest neither am I her spokesperson.

What is giving you this hope when even your son-in-law has defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress in power in Oyo State?

That is not true. What is going on is in accordance with democratic norms. I can assure you that all these would be straightened in due course and things would be regularised soon.

Recently, you hosted a Southwest parley of the PDP. Is this part of the strategies to regain control of the party in the region?

The meeting, which took place in Ibadan, was very well attended and very successful. It had overwhelming support of majority of members of the party in the region. I am very hopeful that with regular efforts like this, the PDP would recover all lost ground in the region.

But the meeting was adjudged a failure because key elements and leaders in the Southwest PDP boycotted it?

On those who attended were those that were invited. There was nobody invited that did not attend. Anyone who did not attend had excusable reasons.

The meeting was very democratic, well-represented and extremely successful.

Some of those who boycotted the meeting hinged their reason on the fact that you lacked the mandate to convene the meeting?

If I had no right or authority to convene it, I wouldn’t have done so. Anybody who questions my right to do so must be making a very big mistake.

I am a member of the party’s Board of Trustees; I am a member of the Executive; I am one of the few people who founded the party from the scratch.

The success of the party is my concern; there is nothing that I have done, that is wrong.

Still, critics say you called the meeting to project your daughter’s governorship ambition, isn’t it?

It is absolutely wrong to say I used the meeting to project my daughter. My daughter is not an instrument in convening the meeting. I did it in my capacity as a member of the Board of Trustees, as member of the Executive and as a responsible leader and elder of the party.

The fact that my daughter is where she is is a fact of life. And if she attended, she did so as matter of right and in her capacity as a member of the party, not as my daughter.

TheGuardian

12 | Wednesday, February 26, 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 Nigeria’s cholera shame T is scandalous and unacceptable that barely a year to the 2015 target of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and with the resources at Nigeria’s disposal, citizens, especially rural dwellers, continue to be afflicted with water-borne and sundry communicable diseases. Reports of Nigeria’s performance in all sectors hardly show much to celebrate, as the ranking in all development indices remains very low. Worse still, governments at all levels of Nigeria either lack the political will to face up to the real issues or are too bogged down serving selfish interests to care about the people.

The latest data of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveal that as much as 53 per cent of rural dwellers lack access to improved drinking water against the 75 per cent of urban dwellers. Similarly, another UN World Water Development Report has listed Nigeria among the worst of African countries losing $28.4 billion yearly to lack of access to potable water and basic sanitation. That figure represents five per cent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

Not surprisingly, a cholera outbreak the other day in Wadata, Makurdi in Benue State listed six fatalities officially, leaving scores hospitalised and stretching facilities to the limits. Urban settlers are not immune to the outbreaks as evidenced by last year’s incident in Lagos where poor handling left a number of residents who patronised public food vendors hospitalised. It is the same story across the country.

The causes are not far-fetched; government’s insensitivity at all levels to the health of the people tops the bill as water supply responsibility is shared among three levels of Federal, states and local governments – Federal for water resources management; states (urban supply) and local governments and communities (rural supply). Apart from issues of poor access to improved water, issues of sanitation are not given adequate attention by the people themselves, at a great risk to their health and survival.

Public health awareness is still poor in many areas in spite of claims to the contrary.

Where available, water supply quality is low, according to studies.

Investments financed by foreign donors are hardly enough to achieve a significant access. The nation’s population too keeps increasing and keeps ahead of periodic plans. And there is hardly any sector monitoring as statistics on access to water and sanitation are most times in conflict due to divergent indices and methodologies adopted by agencies.

Even as a developing economy, what has Nigeria got to show for all government spending. Available records indicate that water and sanitation coverage rates are among the lowest in the world. For instance, in a space of 15 years between 1990 and 2006, access to improved water source stagnated at about 47 per cent only to notch up by seven points in 2010. Access actually decreased in urban areas from 80 per cent to 65 per cent in 2006 but recovered to 74 per cent four years later. Adequate sanitation access records are even poorer. No urban community except Abuja and some parts of Lagos boasts of a credible sewerage system.

There are other challenges including, but not limited to, poor maintenance culture on available water production facilities which are rarely operated to capacity. Official corruption, low capacity development, erratic electricity supply to the water plants, poorly maintained pipes that promote leakages, non-operational government-owned water systems in small towns which force residents to resort to wells, streams and rivers or any source whatsoever in extreme cases are also debilitating factors.

Above all, this is the policy that seems to focus on water supply but neglects sanitation. The National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy approved in 2000 to encourage private sector participation has hardly been a success.

The government once supported a resolution at the UN to make water and sanitation a human right but there are doubts if the human right aspect has received any legal support locally.

In Markurdi for instance where the cholera outbreak in focus was reported, only about 25-30 per cent of the population is believed to be served by a crumbling network. So residents depend on raw water from the polluted River Benue. That state is not alone in this predicament. Too many states are equally guilty of giving less priority to water and sanitation. But for selfhelp initiatives by individuals and institutions to drill boreholes in towns and cities, the situation could have been worse. However, either for lack of awareness or wrong attitude to preventive health, matters of sanitation are given little attention by most residents in towns and cities.

In real terms, residents have to avail themselves of improved sanitation and clean or treated water and no matter the cost, governments have a duty to be more responsible in the provision of basic health facilities. Through appropriate investments and capacity building for communities, access to good water can be increased. And then, Nigeria can be on track to achieving the MDG for water and sanitation.

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LETTER

Oke-Ogun demands fairness IR: The people of OkeSof Oyo Ogun in the northern part State have had their fair share of neglect and marginalisation. They have always been optimistic that democracy was capable of righting wrongs and treating them fairly. How wrong they are!

The region was not expected to have it smooth and good under the Western Region arrangement, largely because there were many Yoruba groups such as Ijebu, Ijesha, Ibadan, Ondo and so on to compete with, but many had thought that the creation of Oyo State in 1976 would give Oke-Ogun people the much-desired break from marginalisation. Again, they have been wrong.

Under the Oyo State arrangement, it has been one tale of marginalisation after another. Ibadan has not only continued to relegate OkeOgun and indeed most of the other zones to the background, its people practically treat Oke-Ogun people with disdain with some of them even going as far as saying that Oke-Ogun is their ‘father’s farm.’

Though the industrious people of Oke-Ogun have continued to prove (with countless achievements in education, agriculture, business and politics) that they are capable of holding their

own, the tyranny has continued unabated – a development that has turned OkeOgun to the least-developed despite being the second largest zone in Oyo State.

When the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi came on board, many people thought he would do better than the immediate past administration of Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala by paying more attention to the development of Oke-Ogun. Has it?

No! Ajimobi appears to be hell-bent on acting out the scripts of under-developing Oke-Ogun. We stand to be corrected, but several actions of this government have shown that it may not mean well for Oke-Ogun people.

Senator Ajimobi established a state university, which every man of reason knows should be sited anywhere but the state capital in order to encourage development. OkeOgun people had thought they would have their first higher institution but Ajimobi had a different plan.

Of course, he announced the upgrade of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Saki Campus to a fullfledged Polytechnic but that ended up being a mere announcement.

While it is to the credit of the incumbent government that it is carrying out massive infrastructural development in the state, with the Mokola

flyover, Challenge Road, Eleyele Road and so on to show in Ibadan, alongside several other such projects in Ogbomoso and Oyo, it is disheartening to note that all Oke-Ogun has benefited is a less-than-eight kilometre road under construction in Iseyin, and that too with many losses in terms of edifices and property.

It is most unfortunate that this government has continued to relegate Oke-Ogun to the background and treating its people unfairly. The recent appointments in The Polytechnic, Ibadan, are enough proof of such unfairness. Of the 15 appointments made into top positions in the institution, Oke-Ogun got only one: the Director of the Polytechnic’s Saki Campus.

From Rector to Registrar, from Bursar to Chief Librarian to the directors and assistant directors of several centres, Oke-Ogun people were treated as second class citizens. This is most unfair. The governor should correct this and other forms of marginalisation of Oke-Ogun.

Just of recent, the governor met with the Oke-Ogun Development Council (ODC), promising them heaven and earth. We do not doubt him but we challenge him to match his words with actions.

Teju Olateju, Oke-Ogun E Re Wa Movement

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

13

Opinion Overcoming public cynicism: The INEC dilemma

By Lindsay Barrett N spite of reports of serious anomalies, and even outright fraud, during the recent electoral exercise in Anambra State, an objective observer who has studied Nigerian elections over the five decades since independence will find it hard to deny that there has been a marked improvement in the conduct of polls since Prof. Attahiru Jega assumed leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The efforts being made to increase transparency and enhance the process of ensuring public confidence in the process under his direction are unprecedented. While public response to these initiatives is often marked by cynicism, it is the conduct of the politicians rather than of the commission’s managers that appears to be responsible for this attitude. The increase in the numbers and the exponential rise in the level of literacy and political awareness of voters have created new challenges for those charged with conducting elections in the nation. Today’s challenges surpass those that confronted managers of the democratic process in Nigeria in earlier times. In addition to this, the perception that politics is a lucrative business rather than an opportunity for selfless service to the people has gained ground in the common parlance of Nigerian social traditions. This has generated a lack of trust in the system in the minds of a substantial number of ordinary people and anyone conducting elections in modern Nigeria must contend with this deep-seated mistrust.

Prof. Jega’s response to expressions of public mistrust in INEC’s conduct has been interesting to watch. It appears that he has grown accustomed to being the butt of wild accusations, and sometimes of mild abuse, which he absorbs with equanimity. However, whenever he makes a deliberate response, his marshalling of facts

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and definition of strategies reveal the commitment and the imaginative breadth of a disciplined academic mind. This was particularly noticeable in a keynote address that he delivered in Abuja recently at a seminar organised by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to deliberate on the role of the media (especially broadcast media) in the electoral process. In his address, the INEC chairman outlined the plans, objectives, and motivation of the commission as it prepares for the 2015 elections, and defined its perception of its relations with the electorate and the media. The statements that he made in this address concerning his view of the role and relevance of the media in the electoral process indicated that he was well aware of some of the key objectives of professional coverage, the abdication of which could undermine the process.

In his words, “For democracy to thrive the media must play its traditional role of providing people with access to the information they need to guide, as well as safeguard, their electoral choices. Access to information is essential to a healthy democracy for at least two reasons; (a) it equips citizens to make reasoned and educated choices of their representatives in power. (b) It further equips citizens to hold those representatives they choose accountable to their electoral promises and oath of office.

The media, therefore, is a vital instrument of society’s emancipation.”

With this perspective as the background to INEC’s preparations for the conduct of what could be the most important electoral exercise in the history of competitive politics in Nigeria so far, it is clear that one of the main objectives of the institution is to overcome the mistrust and cynicism that generates doubts about the credibility of election results in the public mind. However, although it is a fact that public opinion is generally sceptical over the percep-

tion of the credibility of elections, it is also important that the institution that is charged with conducting the exercise should be confident of its own veracity. In this connection, Prof. Jega’s direct and forthright defence of the decisions taken by INEC over the scheduled date and formula for the 2015 polls provides a sense of progressive movement in the process. His explanation of the election dates as being chosen to enable sufficient time to lapse between the polls and the installation of the elected officers in order to allow litigation to be completed is a long overdue innovation. One of the most common blemishes on the electoral process in Nigeria is the use of the courts to challenge results that are sometimes not nearly as questionable as the vehemence of the challengers would suggest. The Jega-led INEC is clearly ready to accommodate this widely acknowledged practice as a convention of Nigeria’s socio-political norm rather than to ignore it.

The decision to conduct national elections on one day and state elections on another has been explained as being meant to render the exercise more convenient and credible than past contests have been perceived to be. Many of the challenges raised against this decision appear to be based on simple strategies of disinformation rather than on any empirical evidence of deceptive motivation on the part of INEC. The uproar that some political elements have sought to provoke by challenging the announced schedule is a clear indication that there are those who wish to use public doubts to undermine the Commission’s desire to improve the process rather than to cooperate with the body to make it more credible. The purpose of establishing a commission that is supposedly independent of both the legislature and the executive is to ensure that the public should feel closely linked to ownership of the electoral

process. As a consequence, one of the most important factors in the preparation for elections should be INEC’s management of public enlightenment. It must establish programmes of regular information delivery through both the print and the electronic media as an integral aspect of its participation in the build-up to the contest.

While the political contestants, i.e. the parties and their candidates, are creating their own campaign strategies, INEC must also ramp up its own campaign formula for enlightening the public about regulatory strictures that obtain in proper electoral conduct. At the same time it is also imperative that INEC should identify the areas of likely misconduct that can challenge the credibility of the exercise and embark upon effective preventive action ahead of the actual conduct of the polls. In Nigeria, there are both actual and perceptual differences of attitude towards the democratic process in different sections of the country. INEC must take these differences into account not only in its approach to conducting the elections but also in its strategy of informing the electorate about its rights and privileges ahead of the exercise. This is a key element in the process of strengthening the democratic process, and managing it is one of the major mandates of the Commission. As the Nigerian electorate becomes more enlightened and sceptical about the process, INEC must strive to find ways to overcome the dilemma of doubt in the public domain. This is one of the most important, though often ephemeral, tasks confronting the Commission as it fulfils its constitutional mandate. Some observers tend to ignore the fact that INEC is constitutionally bound to carry out its duties rather than being politically mandated, and. Prof. Jega’s clarity in this wise reinforces the Commission’s ability to overcome public cynicism about the electoral process.

Sanusi’s suspension is overdue (2)

By Mike Ozekhome • Continued from yesterday AMIDO brazenly politicised his sober office, committing serial infractions and violations of laws and regulations governing his exalted office. He became a “Mr. Donatus”, dipping his hands freely and leisurely, into the coffers of the CBN (without budgetary approval), to make humongous and mind–bungling donations. In this frenzy, as if money was going out of fashion if not quickly used, he made several donations to institutions and social causes without due process of law. He is said to have serially violated Section 15(1)(a) of the Public Procurement Act which provides that all procurement of goods, works and services carried by the Federal Government of Nigeria and all Procurement entities (which include CBN) must conform with the Act. This is geared towards promoting competitiveness, cost of effectiveness and professionalism in public sector procurement regime.

The CBN is said by the Government, Auditors and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) to have serially violated the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2007 CBN Act. For, example, the CBN under Sanusi is said to have expended 3.08 billion naira on “promotional activities” in 2012 (up from N1.084 billion in 2011), even when CBN is not in competition with any other institution in Nigeria, it not having any rival.

CBN claimed to have expended N20.202 billion on “legal and professional fees” in 2011, beyond any reasonable standards of prudence, transparency and accountability.

CBN under Sanusi also expended N1.257 billion in 2012 on “private guards” and “Lunch for Policemen”.

CBN claimed to have paid N38.233 billion to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Ltd (NSPMC) in 2011, for the “printing of Bank notes”, whereas the same NSPMC reported a total turnover of N29.370 billion for all its transactions in the same 2011.

The governor undoubtedly deployed huge sums of money without appropriation, and without basing it on acceptable legal mandate, prudence in spending and overriding national interest. The CBN under Sanusi is said to have either executed or is executing currently, over 63 “intervention projects” across Nigeria, without appropriation or authority. Yet, he is the first to mouth transparency and accountability! I should not be taken to be defending government infractions, or corruption. No. We must insist that NNPC, PPPRA, etc, account for monies received by them.

But the point must be made that whistle blowers must themselves live above board like Caesar’s wife. He who comes to Equity must not only do Equity, he must come with clean hands.

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Sanusi, with reckless abandon and impunity, had donated, questionably and outside the mandate of his office (ultra vires) and without budgetary approval by the Senate, N4 billion to Bayero University, Kano; N10 billion to Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; N500 million to University of Benin; N100 million to the Kano State Government, N250 million to Sokoto State over a fire disaster, and about 9.5 billion to ASCON in Badagry. Are these part of the role of Central Bank Governor under the CBN Act? Meanwhile, the naira that he is mandated to protect is on a free fall, somersaulting serially like Esan “Egbabonalimhi” dancers from Ewohinmi, Edo State.

He hobnobbed openly with the opposition (there is nothing wrong in this at all, except that he should have first resigned from his sacred office), delivering scathing sermons against his own government. What manner of man would freely deep his fingers into his anus or asshole (permit the vulgarity, for want of a more effective, decent word) and smell it? What would one expect if he brings ants-infested pieces of fire-wood into his house? Lizards, of course.

Even when he was advised by well-wishers to resign from office, or go voluntarily on pre-retirement leave, he arrogantly declared he would do neither and that no one could remove him from office, except the Senate. I watched and followed with trepidation, the temerity and the sheer brazenness and audacity of his vituperative outbursts, quite unbecoming of the governor of an apex bank anywhere in the world. He behaved as if he was not amenable to law, discipline or control.

It is trite that he that hires can fire. The enabling Act which creates the Central Bank is the Central Bank Act. Under Section 9 of the Central Bank Act, CAP C4, LFN 2004, the mode of appointment of the Central Bank Governor is clearly stipulated. Thus, the section provides as follows: (1) The Governor and Deputy Governors shall be persons of recognized financial experience and shall be appointed by the President by instrument under the public seal and on such terms and conditions as may be set out in their respective letters of appointment. This is subject to confirmation by the senate with two third majority voting.

(2) The Governor and Deputy Governors shall be appointed in the first instance for a term of five years and shall each be eligible for re-appointment for another term not exceeding five years.

From the foregoing section, it is the President alone, without any other authority, who has the power to hire the Governor of Central Bank, with the Senate concurring. Once the Governor has been appointed by the President, the Governor automatically has a five-year term and cannot be removed except under the circumstances stated under Section 12 of the Central Bank Act, CAP

C4, LFN 2004.

Although, the governor, while enjoying his appointment by the President cannot be arbitrarily removed from office under the Act, his tenure may be under-elongated after appointment under Section 9(3).

The CBN Act did not specifically talk about suspension. It did not prohibit it either. Dismissal which must be endorsed by the Senate has to first be preceded by suspension, which does not require Senate approval. The CBN Act did not say that Sanusi can never be suspended no matter his transgressions. The law is that what is not prohibited or forbidden is allowed: A.G Ondo State V. A. G Ekiti State (2001) 17 NWLR (pt 743) page 706 at 770 para A. See (Gordon Slynn Slnn of Hadley, Mads Tonnesson Andenaes, Duncan Fairgrieve (2000), Judicial review in international perspective, Kluwer Law International, P. 256, ISBN 978-90411-1378-8). See also United States case of Chevron U.S.A., Inc V. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S 837 (1984).

It is therefore my respectful submission that the President was right, legally, morally and constitutionally, to have suspended Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Governor of CBN. Not to have done so would have tantamount to creating a sacred cow, or a Frankenstein Monster out of a non-conforming Government employee with an over bloated ego and who fights his own Government with éclat and joy. What a contradiction! What a paradox!!

The President could have easily removed Lamido from office under Section 11 (2) (C) of the CBN Act, if he so desired. This would be justified as the Section permits removal based on “serious misconduct”. Can anyone argue that the copious infractions of the Law by Sanusi earlier enumerated above do not constitute serious misconduct? Are we going to allow a tyrannical majority or a vociferous minority that controls the media becloud our true sense of judgment, or even humanity?

All that is required for dismissal is two-third majority vote of the Senate. But the President has to first “remove from office” before he can request the Senate to approve the removal. What the CBN Act provisions, therefore, boil down to is that the President can remove Sanusi from office following due process; or suspend him, following no process at all since the Act suffers a lacuna in this regard. If Sanusi is unhappy with his suspension by President Jonathan, he has two options: go to Court for Adjudication; or appeal to the National Assembly to amend the CBN Act. Sikena!!!

• Concluded.

• Ozekhome, SAN, is a constitutional lawyer and human rights activist.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

14 Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Opinion Quo Vadispublic education in Nigeria? (3)

By Jacob Olupona • Continued from yesterday F there is a dire need for cultural reorientation in the Nigerian public spheres, it is in religious practice and beliefs. Certainly, evangelism in religious institutions has provided a spiritual and psychological balm, easing the suffering of many. This explains their popularity and growth.

But religious institutions also have the moral obligation to address the myriad problems of poverty, economic inequality, environmental degradation, religious illiteracy, and intolerance that plague Nigerian society.

Why is religious literacy so central to the kind of public education that I am advocating for today? It is central in the sense that in Nigeria, religion holds the largest constituency of devotees and loyal disciples. Its constituency is greater than that of political parties. It then becomes imperative for us to understand what religious institutions are doing to the culture today.

Religious literacy requires a deeper knowledge of the workings of the faith traditions. We must also understand that commitment to God or the prophetic injunction of the faith leaders also requires reasoning. As Pope Francis suggested recently, “If a person says that he has met God… and is not touched by a margin of uncertainty, then this is not good… If one has the answer to all the questions – that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet, using religion for himself.”i To be touched by a margin of uncertainty, Pope Francis seems to be saying, is to acknowledge the necessity of re-examining the answers and solutions that have been proffered to the challenges posed by one’s social location or context. It is to question the prevailing paradigms and interpretations of religious norms, and to be open to novel ways of making those norms relevant to the issues that brought men and women to the path of faith in the first instance.

In short, this critical perspective on the meaning and purpose of religious life and practice is the essence of religious literacy. And we may say that placing the Quo Vadis question at the heart of our reflection today is an important illustration of this dispositional virtue. My understanding of this passage is that religious leaders should heed this warning: they should stop playing God. Humility, meekness, and love are ways of the cross, just as they are ways of the Sunnah, and the ways of Orunmila.

Literacy, Education, and the Public Good Our central concern in public education is to fo-

I

cus on literacy. This does not refer to just ‘going to school’ or receiving an academic certificate or degree, but literacy in terms of public-spiritedness, commitment to communal values and basic decency captured by the Greek notion of paideia (excellence of the mind). Illiteracy manifests itself everywhere across this land: in the legislative houses at both state and federal levels, in the judiciary, in the executive branches, and among the socalled elite living flamboyant lifestyles, flaunting stolen wealth all over the world. This sort of decadence began long ago make no mistake assuming that it started with the current regime. It is fair to say that excess began with the military, which institutionalized the habits of illiteracy in our social psyche. Illiteracy breeds nepotism, ethnic chauvinism, and corruption. It ignores the common good. It champions parochialism and individual as well as sectarian interests. As the Ibadan people say, “Omo wa ni o, e je o se,” meaning, “He belongs to us, let him,” even if he cannot distinguish his left from his right. Do our socalled elite see the link between nationwide illiteracy and the flamboyant, selfish affluence of their gated estates? Do they see the connection between potholes and bad roads and their excesses? What makes one group or class think about itself alone while millions remain without basic resources?

Illiteracy reinforces class warfare and hegemony; it also endangers the security of the nation. The elite enjoy mansions equipped with boreholes producing running water 24 hours a day. They enjoy security guards and fearsome dogs of the ilk used during South Africa’s Apartheid. They enjoy generators to supply constant electricity. They enjoy the cars parked in their garages – SUV vehicles with bulletproof glass to thwart armed robbers and assassins.

But although the elite enjoy million-dollar homes that seem more like fortresses and prisons, they drive from their secure homes onto roads that are ridden with potholes and impassable during rainy season. Illiteracy and greed prevent us from realizing the connection between the enormous stolen wealth that should have been spent on providing comfortable housing, repairing roads, giving water and electricity to the general public and rural areas, and raising the standard of living or building presentable classrooms in public schools, solving unemployment and educating our future generations. It is illiteracy and

greed that send Nigerians all over the world, speaking loudly, transferring their lack of respect for the rule of law at home to other territories. When they are caught, they discover that they cannot bribe their way out of their predicament, as they would normally do at home.

What would an individual do with N10 billion stolen from public funds? Such wealth is meant to pay the pensions of hard-working diligent public servants. But just as troubling as the behaviour of our politicians is the passivity of our citizens. We have seen no national protest against our corrupt politicians and their civil servant collaborators. Under our leaders’ watch, millions of Nigerians go to bed hungry because of the greed of perhaps even less than 5% of us.

We can recount an endless list of their vices, but it is sufficient to say that we have established our case beyond any reasonable doubt. One begins to wonder why, despite Nigeria’s rich human capital, Nigerians seem to be behaving like uninformed illiterates, as is evident in the numerous faulty commissions of enquiries enacted to investigate various national crises.

The question, then, is this: What has brought about this culture of illiteracy and greed? What can be done about it? Where do we go from here? How can we return to a society like that of the early 1960s, when we were governed fairly by educated people and professionals?

Discourse on Evil and the Nigerian Predicament As I think deeply about our crisis, it seems to me that we must begin to look at the larger picture and a deeper philosophical issue: the pervasiveness of evil in our society. Sadly, the global discourse on evil in the 21st century has become ever more prevalent among those concerned with the humanities and national politics and culture.

Zygmunt Bauman and Leonidas Donskis attempted to redefine and reshape the discourse of contemporary human existential evil in a way that is central to the Nigerian crisis. In their fascinating book, Moral Blindness: The Loss of Sensitivity in Liquid Modernity, they explain that evil is evident in the most horrific instances of depravity and barbarism. But they also describe a much larger evil that permeates human civilizations. It comprises selfishness, insensitivity to the suffering of others, and disengagement from issues of justice.ii “The symbolic geography of evil does not stop at the borders of political systems. It penetrates mentalities, cultures, nations’ spirits, patterns of thought, and tendencies of consciousness,”iii they say. These authors prompt us to question our own cultures

and thought systems. We are more concerned with the abstract Satan and “his” evil than we are concerned with the concrete evil haunting us or that we ourselves are responsible for through both egregious behaviour of the elite and the indulgent impunity of the masses. We ignore the insidious evil that surrounds us. We can, in fact, say that the evil we are searching for in the spirit world can also be found in us. As the Yoruba say, “Nkan ti a nwa lo Sokoto, a ri ni apo Sokoto (literally, what one is in search of in the far distant city of Sokoto is found in one’s trouser pocket.”

The point I am making is that the persistent moral evil in our society blinds us, preventing us from seeing the crisis of our time, particularly the neglect of public education. Our lack of concern for the welfare of our youth in the midst of plenty constitutes a gigantic moral evil that is more immediate than the abstract spiritual evil we often visualize and imagine in our belief systems. I propose that we take seriously this new understanding of evil, which is most relevant to our current crisis. What puzzles me about our neglect is that our indigenous culture and tradition define the existential moral evil of selfishness, individualism, corruption, and neglect of the pursuit of public good, such as support of public education, as grievous sins, which our ancestors and founding fathers surely would have frowned upon. As a society, we need to reexamine our own behaviour, particularly in relation to others and future generations. To do this, our people must be educated, so that they can acquire needed tools like moral introspection.

The political will to reform education in Nigeria If I may restate what I said at the beginning of this talk, Nigeria is not alone in facing challenges of public education. Other nations acknowledge their own crises. They move head on to tackle those crises. They create public awareness, credible commissions of enquiry, and boards of implementation. We have done none of these. The reports prepared by our task forces gather dust in governmental offices. Our government seems to lack interest in solving problems. Our nation takes a lackadaisical attitude to public education.

• To be continued.

•Professor Jacob 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.

My stand on homosexuality

By Yoweri Museveni HAVE seen the statement H.E. President Barack Obama of the IingUnited States made in reaction to my statement that I was goto sign the anti-homosexual Bill, which I made at Kyankwanzi. Before I react to H.E. Obama’s statement, let me, again, put on record my views on the issue of homosexuals (ebitiingwa, bisiyaga in some of our dialects). Right from the beginning of this debate, my views were as follows: 1. I agreed with the MPs and almost all Ugandans that promotion of homosexuality in Uganda must be criminalized or rather should continue to be criminalized because the British had already done that; 2. those who agreed to become homosexuals for mercenary reasons (prostitutes) should be harshly punished as should those who paid them to be homosexual prostitutes; and 3. exhibitionism of homosexual behaviour must be punished because, in this part of the world, it is forbidden to publicly exhibit any sexual conduct (kissing, etc) even for heterosexuals; if I kissed my wife of 41 years in public, I would lose elections in Uganda.

The only point I disagreed on with some of the Members of Parliament (MPs) and other Ugandans was on the persons I thought were born homosexual. According to the casual observations, there are rare deviations in nature from the normal. You witness cases like albinos (nyamagoye), barren women or men (enguumba), epa (breastless women) etc.

I, therefore, thought that similarly there were people that were born with the disorientation of being attracted to the same

sex. That is why I thought that it was wrong to punish somebody on account of being born abnormal. That is why I refused to sign the Bill and, instead, referred it to our Party (the NRM) to debate it again.

In the meantime, I sought for scientific opinions on this matter. I am grateful to Ms. Kerry Kennedy of the USA who sent me opinions by scientists from the USA, saying that there could be some indications that homosexuality could be congenital. In our conference, I put these opinions to our scientists from the Department of Genetics, the School of Medicine and the Ministry of Health.

Their unanimous conclusion was that homosexuality, contrary to my earlier thinking, was behavioural and not genetic. It was learnt and could be unlearnt. I told them to put their signatures to that conclusion which they did. That is why I declared my intention to sign the Bill, which I will do.

I have now received their signed document, which says there is no single gene that has been traced to cause homosexuality. What I want them to clarify is whether a combination of genes can cause anybody to be homosexual. Then my task will be finished and I will sign the Bill.

After my statement to that effect which was quoted widely around the World, I got reactions from some friends from outside Africa. Statements like: “it is a matter of choice” or “whom they love” which President Obama repeated in his statement would be most furiously rejected by almost the entirety of our people.

It cannot be a matter of choice for a man to behave like a woman

or vice-versa. The argument I had pushed was that there could be people who are born like that or “who they are”, according to President Obama’s statement. I, therefore, encourage the U.S. Government to help us by working with our scientists to study whether, indeed, there are people who are born homosexual. When that is proved, we can review this legislation.

I would be among those who will spearhead that effort. That is why I had refused to sign the Bill until my premise was knocked down by the position of our scientists.

I would like to discourage the U.S. Government from taking the line that passing this law will “complicate our valued relationship” with the U.S. as President Obama said. Countries and societies should relate with each other on the basis of mutual respect and independence in decision making.

“Valued relationship” cannot be sustainably maintained by one society being subservient to another society. There are a myriad acts the societies in the West do that we frown on or even detest. We, however, never comment on those acts or make them preconditions for working with the West.

Africans do not seek to impose their views on anybody. We do not want anybody to impose their views on us. This very debate was provoked by Western groups who come to our schools and try to recruit children into homosexuality. It is better to limit the damage rather than exacerbate it.

• H.E. Museveni Gen. (rtd), President of the Republic of Uganda, wrote in response to H.E. President Obama’s statement on homosexuality

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

15

Business Electricity consumers groan under lingering outages

By Roseline Okere and Sulaimon Salau ESPITE the Nigerian D National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) efforts in ensuring regular supply of electricity through its current repairs of the vandalized pipelines, power supply in the country remained epileptic, with business operators and other stakeholders lamenting the lingering saga.

Before the take over of the electricity firms by new investors in November last year, there was 4,000MW electricity supply, but due to gas shortage and other structural issues, it has dropped to 3,000MW. But, NNPC said that it has completed the repair of the vandalised gas pipelines across the country. This has not resulted to significant improvement in the country’s electricity supply, as many states have remained in dark-

• Firms adopt austerity measures, employees decry manpower shortages ness.

Few days after NNPC completed the repairs of the vandalized gas pipelines, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), the two Discos covering Lagos State and some parts of Ogun State, blamed the epileptic electricity supply in on short-fall in gas supply, grid limitations and sabotage of the system.

Lagos state remained one of the worst hit by the current electricity crisis in Nigeria.

For example, many areas in Lagos state have remained in darkness in the last one-month due to several challenges, which have nothing do with shortage in gas supply.

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has also been

blamed for the poor electricity supply in the country.

For instance, some top management staff of the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) has blamed the ongoing nationwide epileptic power supply on the inability of TCN to meet energy demands.

According to them, most DISCOs have been trapped in poor service delivery by the TCN, which has significantly reduced power supply to consumers.

They alleged that the situation had drastically reduced the revenue base of the Discos as well as sabotaging their supply capacities to endusers.

They blamed the development on “poor fault clearance by the transmission company, owing to poor financing and

bureaucracy in maintaining some of the equipment.

Besides, the lingering epileptic supply has also been traced to sabotage from the former employees of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), who felt aggrieved over unpaid severance packages, and alleged undue disengagement of some of their colleagues.

A top official of TCN, who spoke with The Guardian on condition of anonymity, claimed that the company is making efforts to restore the faulty system, adding that the bureaucratic processes was responsible for the delay.

Although, some of the survivors of the “privatisation tsunami”, have confirmed drastic change in the operations of the power firms, they

Sub-Regional Secretary for English-Speaking Africa, Sani Baba Mohammed (left); Coordinator, Public Service International/Nigeria Projects Management Committee, Baba Aye; and Secretary, Public Service International Sub-Region Women Committee, Naomi Otoo; during the opening PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO session of the Advisory Council Meeting of the Public Service International in Abuja, yesterday.

AMCON to commence sale of nationalised banks in June

By Helen Oji HE Asset Management Company Limited (AMCON) has announced that the sale of the three nationalized banks would commence in June 2014.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of AMCON, Mustapha Chike Obi, Enterprise bank would be sold by June while Mainstream would follow subsequently in October this year.

Chike Obi, while speaking at the Hallmark Public Lecture Forum in Lagos yesterday explained that the process is still on-going, adding that at least two, out of the three banks would be sold this year.

“There are many people interested in buying the banks and we would sell them as soon as

T

• Chike Obi calls for economic, unemployment emergency in Nigeria the process is completed. We would make sure it is done properly, at least two of the will be sold this year. The first one in June and the next one would follow in October and Enterprise would come first before Mainstream. The Keystone bank would come third because there was a management change in the bank after a year and we need to give more time to correct the bank.” He said.

Speaking on the theme; ‘Emerging Market Challenges and the Imperatives of Economic Reforms’, the AMCON boss who submitted that the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company needs over N2 trillion capital to operate effectively as against the N100billion earmarked for

the recapitalization of the industry, also identified lack of capital, parlous infrastructure and unemployment as the major problem facing the economy.

He decried the high level of unemployment in Nigeria, noting that for Nigeria to become one of the top 20 economies in the world, it must be capable of growing by 15 per cent and creating about six million jobs on a yearly basis.

“We are in a very critical period of the economy and things are getting much worst very fast, We are a country of about 170 million, growing at three and half per cent a year. There is a need to create between four to six million jobs for the people yearly. We have a back-

log of unemployment people and five years from now, if this unemployment problem was not solved, it would amount to creating eight million jobs a year and if we fail, the society might not hold.

“We needed employment emergency in this country.

We must create policies that would bring Nigerians in diaspora back to the country. The fiscal and monetary policies must gear towards growth.

We must grow this country by 15 per cent a year for many years and create six million jobs year on year. There should be a better coordination of fiscal and monetary policy so that higher interest rate and loose fiscal policy will not kill a well planned project.”

decried shortage of manpower, which was said to have also been a major causative factor for the outages.

In fact, there are indications that they have adopted austerity measures, in other to increase income, as lots of processes have been stopped.

A source in one of the distribution companies (Discos) told The Guardian, that the company has been managing two engineers to operate a substation in Lagos, complaining that unscheduled absence of one personnel make the other to work for 24 hours.

“How on earth do you think situation like this would help the system? We all expect that the intervention of the private sector operators would help the industry, but they seem to have adopted an over laboured regime to exploit Nigerians.

“We have complained to the management several times, but they seems to have turned a deaf hear on our complaints.

We all know they need to reduce production cost, but they must also consider efficiency through motivational strategies,” he said.

While the situation persists in most Discos, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is also embattled with efficiency challenges, as some of the facilities collapse with less attention to revive them.

A similar a situation has left the residents of Ota in Ogun State in darkness for over two months, while the industrial

estates under the network were also groaning under blackout.

According to the residents, the TCN’s 132x332MVA transmission station in Ota broke down over two months ago, even as the company promised to revive it.

Other areas such as Itire, Surulere, Powerline in Ejigbo, Idimu, Ikeja, Oshodi, Gowon Estate, Ikorodu, Isolo, among others, were ill-at-ease about the unpleasant situation.

A community leader in Ololo community near Igbogbo, in Ikorodu, narrated their ordeal with the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, which has been unable to provide them transformers over two years ago.

“We have made several efforts to get attention of necessary authorities, but all turned out fruitless, as the Ikeja Disco continued to hide under shortage of transformers and its bureaucratic process,” he said.

In a media statement, EKEDC and IKEDC stated: “We acknowledge the inconveniences caused by the current power situation and regret the strain on the lives and businesses of our customers. The situation, which is being experienced across the nation is due to the short-fall in gas supply, grid limitations and sabotage of the system.

“We however wish to assure our esteemed customers that EKEDC and IKEDC are working tirelessly to ensure that the allocated power is equitably distributed amongst our esteemed customers.

16

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

BUSINESS Wednesday, February 26, 2014

$20b oil, gas insurance pool debuts in April

By Joshua Nse and Roseline Okere

• Petroleum sector attracts N70b investment in two years

HE $20 billion Nigerian T oil and gas insurance pool designed to meet challenges

see it through,’’ he said.

According to the report, the objectives of the pool are to develop local financial capacity; achieve bulk purchase reinsurance arrangement, develop technical capacity and improve local underwriting skills; provide technical underwriting information to member companies; curb capital flight by way of reinsurance premiums overseas and compete with international reinsurers and guarantee premium reduction.

Besides, the pool shall be an underwriting instrument for insurance companies by way of membership.

Subscription shall be subject to payment of an entry fee.

The committee recommended that each member should subscribe a minimum of $250,000 per line with 50 per cent paid-up in order to achieve a retained pool capacity of $20 billion to be protected by an appropriate reinsurance arrangement to shore up and protect the pool’s capacity.

The pool shall be managed by credible and internationally respected managers with wealth of experience in the management of similar pools.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel has confirmed that the industry witnessed a 40 per cent growth in the insurance business as a result of the

in the Local Content Development Act is expected to begin operation in April.

The pool, floated by the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) with the backing of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is the outcome of the report of industry committee at the instance of NAICOM, to explore appropriate strategy to enable the industry build adequate capacity for the industry to underwrite 70 per cent business to get set in the local content policy for the industry.

Meanwhile, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) attracted investments of over N70 billion into the downstream of the Nigeria oil and gas subsector in the past two years.

The Director-General of NIA, Sunday Thomas told The Guardian that the insurance pool project is high on the agenda of the council. As a result, the name of the pool has been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and all the conditions set in the committee’s report has been met and tentatively, the pool will begin before ending of April, this year. ‘‘The council is passionate on getting the project off the ground and the secretariat is doing everything possible to

reforms in the insurance industry.

According to him, ‘‘to put a stop to the vexed issue of delayed or non-payment of insurance premium by the insured, the commission commenced the implementation of ‘no premium no cover’ law in January last year, it has significantly improved the cashflow of insurance institutions in the country. ‘‘It is expected that this positive turn of events would impact on the capacity of operators to settle claims promptly, thus removing a major sore point in the relationship of insurance consumers and service providers.’’

The out-going Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Reginald Stanley, made this disclosure in Abuja yesterday, at a ceremony to handover to the new PPPRA Executive Secretary Farouk Ahmed.

“In the past 24 months, over N70 billion has been invested in the downstream. Many depots and jetties have been built by private initiatives, thereby generating thousands of jobs in the Nigerian economy,” he stated.

He added that the performance by the PPPRA demonstrated that President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda was working and had successfully worked in the PPPRA. He said that his efforts at the PPPRA had paid off in the sta-

bility witnessed in the downstream in recent years.

“One of the most remarkable achievements of my time was the stability of supply, which was driven by the issuance of laycans to marketers.

“During this period queues became a thing of the past.

Nigerians no longer kept vigil at filling stations in their bid to purchase fuel.

Today, the downstream has been completely sanitised.

“PPPRA’s processes and procedures are all aligned to global best practices. This has engendered confidence, transparency and accountability.” he stated.

Stanley said that the PPPRA under his watch, was able to reduce daily fuel consumption from 60.25 million litres per day in 2011 to 39.79 million litres per day in 2012.

He said that the agency in 2013 recorded 42.11 million litres per day, which was 18.14

million litres per day less than what was recorded in 2011 “What is so spectacular of the 2013 consumption is that it showed a modest increase of 5.5 per cent on the 2012 figure in an economy growing at 6.9 per cent per annum.

“Statistically, gasoline consumption tracks the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth very closely.

Therefore, this was an excellent result. Equally arising from this reduction in volume of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) is the huge savings to the subsidy payment of N409b in 2012 and N326.57B in 2013,” he said.

In his remark, the new PPPRA executive secretary, Ahmed pledged the agency’s commitment to ensuring the success of the Federal G o v e r n m e n t ’ s Transformation Agenda in the oil sector.

“We must ensure that PPPRA imbibes best practices in order to ensure the success

of the transformation agenda of Mr President in the oil sector.

He commended his predecessor for the structure he put in place to accelerate the transformation of the agency and the downstream.

He solicited the support of PPPRA’s workers in achieving his goal of consolidating the achievement of his predecessor and sustaining market stability. ``We shall continue from where you stopped, we will add value to certain obligations in order to meet the expectations of stakeholders and Nigerians in general.

I urge staff to work with honesty and fear of God so that the confidence and trust of Nigerians would not be compromised. I do not tolerate gossip and sycophancy. I am a professional and want to remain so.

Anybody that does not want to join in the task ahead should please give way,” he warned.

Speculations heighten over devaluation, Naira falls further

By Chijioke Nelson, with Agency Reports HE speculations over immiT nent devaluation of the nation’s currency seem to be unabating, even as indication showed that the targeted exchange rate band may be shifted N170 per dollar.

The new conjecture, accord-

ing to market analysts, was predicated on the sliding fortunes of the Naira, the current upheaval at the apex bank and eroding confidence in monetary policy.

According to analysts, the central bank will have to fight to keep the Naira within its targeted range of three per cent above or below 155 at

twice-weekly foreignexchange auctions, while the peg may be shifted to 170 per dollar, boosting inflationary pressures.

There was also a speculation that the March meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee will raise its key rate by 100 basis points, thereby tightening the system further.

The Naira, which rose for the first time in six days on Monday, posted its biggest five-day drop in eight months last week.

The yield on Nigeria’s July 2023 dollar bond had its steepest one-day jump on record after Lamido Sanusi’s removal on February 20. The security has lost 2.3 per cent this year, compared with a 0.6 per cent drop in the JPMorgan Chase & Co. index of African sovereign debt.

“While the acting governor pledged continuity in policy, allaying fears of devaluation of the currency, the central bank will however, fight to keep the Naira within its targeted range of three per cent above or below 155 at twice-weekly foreign-exchange auctions.

The peg may be shifted to 170 per dollar, boosting inflationary pressures.

“The market seems to be anticipating a devaluation.

Given the loss of confidence and sentiment turning against Nigeria, I think they’re going to struggle to keep the Naira at present levels.

“If the currency is devalued in July at the first MPC meeting under Godwin Emefiele, consumer-price growth may climb to as high as 12 per cent by year-end,” Yvonne Mhango, a sub-Saharan Africa economist at Renaissance Capital, said.

But CBN’s spokesman, Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said that Nigeria’s “economic fundamentals cannot be predicated on a single human being.

The person coming to succeed Sanusi is a strong player in the industry and knows what to do on monetary policy. There is no basis nursing fears of a devaluation.”

Wednesday, February 26, 17

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection ‘They stripped my mother...’

• Police parade 12 suspects in Ejigbo torture saga, four others still at large

Briefs NIIA holds monthly lecture HE monthly public lecture T of the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA) holds tomorrow at 3.00p.m. at the Bolaji Akinyemi auditorium in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The theme of the lecture is: Language Industry and Language Research in Africa: The Case of South Africa and Nigeria. The lecturer is Prof. Kole Omotoso of the Department of English Studies, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, while the chairman is Prof.

Samuel Olabanji Aje, former Director General, NigeriaFrench Language Village and Co-ordinator, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Foreign Language Institute, Abuja. Guest of honour is Ambassador Olusola Sanu (rtd).

Lisabi Festival begins HE 28th Lisabi Festival with T the theme: Amalgamation in Nigeria and Egba National

Suspects paraded by the police

By Odita Sunday (Lagos) and Karls Tsokar (Abuja) HE Nigeria Police High Command T yesterday paraded suspects who assaulted and tortured three women at the Ejigbo area of Lagos for allegedly stealing N50 pepper.

Already 12 suspects have been arrested while four others were declared wanted by the Police in connection with the torture.

Nigeria Force Public Relations Officer (FPPRO) Mr. Frank Mba who paraded the suspects yesterday at the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS) Force Headquarters Annex, Adeniji Adele Lagos, said that one of the three victims has died through excruciating pains from the torture and has since been buried in her country, Republic of Benin.

Mba who was flanked by the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of FSARS, Mr. Chris Ejike, Director of Office of the Public Defender (OPD) Lagos State Ministry Of Justice, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin of Woman Arise Group and Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said the Police would soon charge the 12 suspects to court.

“Two of the victims who were young girls were arrested along with their mother, tortured and dehumanized by persons who claimed to be members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) providing security at the market, and some market association officials who subsequently extorted the sum of N50, OOO from the father of the victims in return for their freedom. Her father moved one of the victims, Juliana Agoma, a nationale of Republic Of Benin, back to Cotonou where she died allegedly from injuries sustained in the torture.”

“The suspects include Isiaka Waidi (aka Baba-Oja of the Market) said to be the mastermind of the dastardly act which culminated in the arrest, debasement, torture and extortion of N50, OOO; Haruna Abdullahi and Buhari Yusuf who mixed the concoction of pepper and alcoholic spirit that were applied on the bodies including the private parts of the victims. Others include Saheed Adis, Lateef Tijani, Ahmed Adisa, Oloruntoyin Dauda (aka Iya-Oja), Adekunle Adenuga, Jimoh Busari and Azeez Akinosun.The suspects stripped the victims and poured pepper into their private parts.”

He said the suspects would be charged to the court for multiple offences including assault and murder to serve as deterrent to others and to prove that “justice is for both the rich

Victim’s step mother and the poor in Nigeria.”

He called on the members of the public to assist the Police in the arrest of the other suspects still on the run.

One of the tortured victims, Nike Salami, narrated her ordeals to newsmen: “On the fateful day my sister came from the village and we went to the market, my sister collected N50 pepper and we were later arrested and the OPC threatened to kill us. We took them to our mother who they also threatened to cut off her throat if she did not part with some money. We were abused. We saw

The victim hell in the hands of the people. They did all sorts of nonsense with our bodies.

They put pepper substance in our private parts, but we left everything to God. We are happy that the Police have arrested some of them including Baba who supervised the torture. “ The alleged principal suspect Isiaka Waidi, Ejigbo Market leader (Baba Oja) said he was in a meeting at Alausa when he received a call that some thieves have been arrested in the market.

“I only collected N2O, OOO not N50, OOO as claimed by the Police.

Actually, my men tortured the victims but I was not there when they committed the dastardly act. I am very sorry for the demise of one of the victims.”

It would be recalled that on February 8,2013,three women were arrested by some local vigilance group for stealing N50 pepper and were tortured and one of the victims later died in Cotonou from excruciating pains.

Mba, however, declared other suspects who are at large wanted. “ The Police have also declared wanted the following suspects Tiri, an alleged member of the OPC who was captured in the video footage and alleged to have stripped naked one of the victims, Ajoke Agoma, mother of the two other female victims in the presence of her husband, Otepa Oluranti, Akeem and Michael Abolore whose whereabouts are yet unknown but who have been implicated in having played active roles in the heinous crimes against the victims.”

It would be recalled that the IGP had ordered that the case be taken over by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Force Criminal Investigation Department (Lagos Annex) from the Lagos State Police Command, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DCP) Chris Ezike, who with a team of detectives carried out the investigation and had the suspects arrested.

Midway into brain surgery, MDCN arrests Indian neurosurgeon for practising without licence Okwuokenye said: “The MDCN is yet to process Basina’s application. Response from our counterpart in India’s medical regulating agency is pending. But Basina has continued to N what looked like a tale out of this world, enforcement work on contract, insisting that he had applied.” officers from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) yesterday stormed the Asokoro District Hospital in “We wrote a letter to India to tell us about the status and liAbuja, and arrested an Indian medical doctor who was per- cense of Basina but they are yet to get back to us. Although he forming a brain surgery, for allegedly operating without a claimed to have applied, mere application is not a license to practice. When we asked him if a doctor could practice in licence.

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the regulatory India without license, he said “No”. Why then is he practicing in Nigeria? Time has come for us to sanitize the system, Nigebody for the dental and medical professionals in Nigeria, ria is not a banana Republic where anything can happen.” said Dr. Raju Bhuvaneswara Basina, who was performing Basina insisted he trained in the United States among other Craniotomy (brain surgery) on a patient, was not licensed places, but added that getting a practice licence in Nigeria by the Council to practice in Nigeria. was too long and inconvenient.

A team of policemen and inspectorate officials led by Dr. He claimed that practicing licenses were easily ordered over Henry Okwuokenye and accompanied by President of the Guild of Medical Directors, Dr. Tony Phillips, clamped down the phone in India and it takes less than two days in US, wondering why it would take so long in Nigeria. on the Indian in Abuja yesterday as part of fresh moves to Okwuokenye, however, insisted that application was not ensure adherence to registration with the Council before equivalent to licence, pointing out that there were other Inany doctor or dentist would practice.

Speaking at the enforcement exercise, Okwuokenye who dian and foreign doctors practicing in Nigeria with due licensing. heads the Inspectorate Unit of MDCN, said Basina had alThe MDCN, he noted, was committed to clamping down on ready been working as a Doctor at Asokoro Hospital for undue practice by persons claiming to be doctors, in a new many months before eventually applying for a licence in crackdown ordered by the Council.

August last year.

The Chief Medical Director of Asokoro Hospital, Dr. Ahmadu The 53-year-old doctor was said to have been conducting Abubakar, prevailed on officials of MDCN to wait for the Inneurosurgical operations at Asokoro District Hospital for dian doctor to finish his surgery before he was taken away. more than a year without licence from the Council.

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

I

Independence on Monday began in Abeaokuta, Ogun State.

A statement by the Chairman, Lisabi Festival Committee, Chief Rasheed Raji and Secretary, Chief Adebola Lawal, says inter-school quiz holds/ football match will hold today at 10.00a.m., and a visit to the Hero of the Year at 4.00p.m.; seminar is tomorrow at June12 Cultural Centre.

On Friday, there will be a visit to Olumo Rock by the Obas at 10.00a.m., Jumat thanksgiving service at the Central Mosque, Kobiti at 1.00p.m. and banquet at Ok Centre, Abeokuta at 3.00p.m.

All markets will be closed on Saturday for the carnival at 10.00a.m. It will be rounded off on Sunday with a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Ake, Abeokuta, at 10.00a.m while display of Oro is at midnight.

Quiz competition HE Kuaru Irepodun ComT munity Development Association (KICDA) will tomorrow hold its second edition of Inter School Quiz Competition for both Primary and Senior Secondary Schools at Tonnete Multipurpose Centre, Kuaru Family Way, off Custom Bus Stop, Ikotun Abaranje Lagos at 0.00a.m.

Asaolu, 73, for burial HE death has occurred of T Princess Janet Folayemi Asaolu (nee Okunbolade), at the age of 73. A service of songs holds today at her residence, No. 3, Ifedore Street, Zone 5, Housing Road, Ado-Ekiti at 5.00p.m.; commendation service holds tomorrow at Cathedral Church, Ado-Ekiti at 11.00a.m. to be followed by a Christian wake at 5.00p.m.

She will be buried on Friday after a funeral service at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, OdeEkiti at 11.00a.m.

She is survived by Olajide Asaolu, Olajide Funmilayo and others.

Asaolu

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18 Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Briefs Care for the aged: Fayemi receives award RINCE Bola Ajibola (SAN) will tomorrow in Ado-Ekiti present P the 2013 Senior Citizens Care Foundation (SCCF) Excellence Award to the state Governor Kayode Fayemi for his old peoples' friendly policy.

Ajibola, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SCCF, will lead other members, which include former Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Aare Taiwo Alimi and Executive Adviser, Gbolahan Gbadamosi to present the award.

According to the Executive Director of SCCF, Mr. Jide Taiwo, the group's award and recognition initiatives have been bestowed on dignitaries such as Alayeluwa Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Awolowo, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu among others.

PAC set to fight cyber crime in Nigeria HE Police Assistance Committee (PAC) is intensifying efforts to T join hands with the Police and other security agencies to fight the menace of Internet crime in the country.

The Director General of PAC, Dr. Martins Oni lamented that the image of the country was being seriously eroded at a fast rate within the international community through perpetration of cyber crime by Nigerians who are looking for easy way to make illicit money. He was speaking at a three-day workshop on the theme: “The need to fight Internet crime in the country” held in Lagos.

The event also witnessed the training of PAC field officers on how to assist the Police and other security agencies through information and intelligence gathering to fight the menace.

Commint Buka opens in Lagos on Saturday HE formal opening of the Commint Buka, an eatery outfit, T specifically designed for all categories of persons, will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at noon at No. 26, Itire Road, Surulere, Lagos. The eatery is a subsidiary of the Commint Bureau De Change, Lagos, a very reputable dependable financial institution, under the able leadership of Mr. Fayomi.

Erienta Moses-Egbo for burial HE families of Ishani of Ebor-Iyede Town, Isoko North Local T Council and Moses Egbo of Abovwe-Uduere, Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Council, both of Delta State, have announced the death of Mrs. Erienta Moses-Egbo at the age of 81.

A service of songs holds on Thursday February 27, at her residence along Ughelli/Asaba Expressway, behind Church of God Mission, Ebor-Iyede Isoko North Local Council at 4.00p.m..

She will be buried on Friday, February 28, after an open air funeral service at Opre Primary School, Ebor Iyede.

An outing service holds on Saturday at 9.00a.m. at Divine Church of God 120, Isoko Road, Ughelli.

She is survived by many children and grand-children among them is Isaac Egbo, a lawyer.

Moses -Egbo

Eat N’ Go opens new outlet in Ibadam N’ Go has announced plans to open two Cold Stone CreamETheATeryfirst stores along with a Domino’s Pizza store in Ibadan. set of stores would be located at a strategic and unique spot along ring road, Ibadan, while the second Cold Stone Creamery store would be sited at the New Palms Mall coming up soon.

It said the Cold Stone Creamery stores would live up to the brand’s tradition of delivering The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience and the well trained crew members are passionate about their jobs. The secret recipe for smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily and then customized by combining a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone

Esther Familoni, 108, for burial Friday ADAM Esther Tinuola M Familoni, who died on November 23, 2013, at the age of 108, will be buried on Friday, February 28, after a funeral service at St. John’s Anglican Church, Ido Ekiti, at 11.00a.m.

A service of songs holds on Thursday, February 27, at 5.00p.m.

Survived by Seun Adeyinka nad Yemi Adeyinka.

Familoni

UNERAL rites for Princess Paulina Omolade Akerele Fa candle (Mama Alilak), who died at the age of 63, begin today with light procession by the Alilak alumni, pupils, stu-

Akerele

HE National Association T of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has bestowed an

From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu HE police in Enugu State T yesterday freed two students of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) from kidnappers’ den.

The students, Alexander Afamefuna Akadieze of Amankwo Oghe, a third year student of the Department of Political Science and Miracle Chukwuemeka, a second year student of the Department of Sociology, regained their freedom after one week in captivity.

The Guardian gathered that the victims were abducted on February 17 around 7: 00 pm from their hostel, located opposite the school gate, as they came down from their room upstairs to buy water.

It was further learnt that hoodlums, numbering about four, pointed a gun at the victims and ordered them to get into a standby taxi, from where they were taken to an unknown destination.

According to the victims, the suspected kidnappers also demanded for their parents’ names and telephone numbers, with which they started calling them, demanding for the sum of N20 million.

It was gathered that they later reduced the ransom to N10, 000, with a threat that if the police was involved, they would will kill the victims.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Enugu State, Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident stated that “the case was reported to the state Command and the Commissioner of Police Adamu Mohammed Abubakar directed the antikidnapping outfit to swing into action and, to that extent, operation was carried out through information garnered from relevant quarters leading to the arrest of one of the gang members identified as Ngeneoke Chinugo of Ituku village in Awgu Local Council of

Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime Enugu State.”

He added that the suspect, “a commercial motorcyclist at Ituku disclosed how he conveyed one of the fleeing hoodlums with pure water and food-flask to the forest near Ufam stream in Ituku where victims are held hostage.”

“The victims were, however, rescued after intensive confrontation inside the den as the hoodlums escaped with various degrees of injuries just as manhunt for them was intensified.”

“At the den after the encounter, a berreta pistol with some ammunition belonging to the hoodlums was also recovered.”

“Ngeneoke is pleading for forgiveness, although he maintained that one of the hoodlums is a family member

The students, Alexander Afamefuna Akadieze of Amankwo Oghe, a third year student of the Department of Political Science and Miracle Chukwuemeka, a second year student of the Department of Sociology, regained their freedom after one week in captivity recently discharged from the prison custody owing to his involvement in criminality,” Amaraizu added.

Iconic Excellent Leadership Award for NAPS Personality of the Year on the Principal Partner of AD Consulting, Olajumoke Adenowo, an architect.

Adenowo is the first nonpolitician, the first entrepreneur and private sector personality to receive the NAPS Iconic Excellent Leadership Award.

The award, according to the Association’s Director of Action & Mobilization, Oluwatosin Ayobami Taiwo, was ratified a decade ago, for men and women who have distinguished themselves in their various spheres of life. The recipient must be an inspiration to the youths and students.

Explaining why the association decided to honour Adenowo, Ayobami explained that her youth empowerment programmes in helping the less-privileged through Awesome Treasures Foundation (ATF) were commendable and her exceptional architectural designs and skills are excellent.

In line with vision 20:20, these are the things the association believes in and longs for from role models in the society as leaders of today and tomorrow.

Ayobami reiterated that the organization does not consider whether you are an alumni of the University or Polytechnic but it takes into cognizance the personality profile of highly resourceful unassuming fellows. “So we honoured someone that is working in line with the polytechnic ideology that technology is the bedrock of the nation.

Adenowo’s exceptional skill in Architecture and Interior Architecture is an inspiration.”

The students stressed that they chose Adenowo to honour her for being a role model to the youths. They also honoured AD Consulting for being an inspiration to the youths.

Court dismisses oil marketer’s application to quash charge Nigeria and supported by a 26 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by one Kunle USTICE Adeniyi Onigbanjo Shote, also urged the court of a Lagos High Court sit- to discharge him. ting in Ikeja on Tuesday Ogunbambo was absent in struck out the application court. of an oil marketer, The EFCC had arraigned Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, Ogunbambo over alleged seeking to quash the fuel N4.4 billion fuel subsidy subsidy fraud charge prescam alongside Mamman ferred against him and Ali, son of Dr. Ahmadu Ali, a three others by the Ecoformer Chairman of the Peonomic and Financial ples’ Democratic Party Crimes Commission (EFCC). (PDP), Christian Taylor and Justice Onigbanjo in his their firm - Nassaman Oil ruling dismissed the appli- Services. cation for lacking merit.

EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi The application was filed Oyedepo in his response,

by Mr. R. A. Oluyede (Ogun- asked the court to dismiss bambo counsel) seeking an the application. order of the court to quash He said the application was all the count charges and premature on the ground information filed against that their plea had been him for lack of jurisdiction. taken and trial had comHis application brought menced. pursuant to Section 66(b) “The issue of competency of of the 1999 Constitution of the charge cannot be raise the Federal Republic of at this stage when the prose-

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo

Princess Paulina Akerele, 63, passes on

dents and staff members of Alilak Group of Schools, Oka-Ondo.

A Christian wake holds tomorrow at Alilak Grammar School, FFF Ibitayo Estate, Ondo-Ore Road, Ondo at 4.00p.m.

She will be buried on Friday after a funeral service at St. John Bosco’s Catholic Church, Oke-Odunwo, Ondo.

Brief ESUT female students rescued NAPS gives Adenowo Excellent Leadership from kidnappers’ den Award

J

The Judge re-emphasied his earlier ruling on the bench warrant against the marketer and ordered the EFCC to execute the warrant and adjourned further hearing till May 6, 2014. cution has not close its case. Prosecution had only called three witnesses.”

Oyedepo said the application filed by the “defendant is an abuse of court process.”

Justice Onigbanjo in his short ruling, however, dismissed the application for lack of merit.

The judge ealier re-emphasied his bench warrant issued against Ogunbambo in another subsidy matter before him.

EFCC counsel had urged that another bench warrant be issued against Ogunbambo despite a pending one issued against him earlier in another matter.

Rotimi argued that since Ogunbambo’s lawyer had tendered same medical report, he tendered in the other matter claiming to had sustained a spinal cord injury after falling from a bathtub in this same matter, another bench warrant should also be issued on him.

The Judge re-emphasied his earlier ruling on the bench warrant against the marketer and ordered the EFCC to execute the warrant and adjourned further hearing till May 6, 2014.

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Money CBN headed for a new direction?

The simplest expectation after change of guard is the injection of new idea and strategic response to issues. The latest development at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the suspension of Mallam Lamido Sanusi, has brought to the fore two “fresh hands” amid growing mixed reactions. CHIJIOKE NELSON writes.

WO great minds- Dr. Sarah Omotunde Alade, formerly the deputy governor, T Economic Policy, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Godwin Emefiele, have been saddled with the responsibilities of the nation’s monetary policy in the interim and long term. With great academic background and industry experience, there would be no doubt that they already know what it feels to be a CBN governor.

However, the post represents new responsibility- a path that requires great care to chart.

Alade was severally profiled in many media speculations as one of the likely successors of Sanusi, being favoured for on the job experience, qualification and the Federal Character system (North Central, which has not had a chance at the top position). However, Emefiele clinched the nomination as a “dark horse”, brushing aside speculations and taking the market watchers and stakeholders by surprise.

Of course, the need for diligence by the duo stems from the fact that their emergence followed the suspension of the incumbent governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, which is currently generating mixed reactions. The development also seemed to have created credibility and confidence issues on the apex bank both locally and internationally. It can likewise the deduced that foreign portfolio holders are not at ease, especially as anxieties and speculations over what becomes of Nigeria’s economic policy directions heightens.

Before now, the system was grappling with doses of inflation, which have influenced majorly the decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee on benchmark interest rate- Monetary Policy Rate.

There is the challenge of clearing the banking system of the accumulated toxic assets over the years, which Sanusi started. The real sector growth is still low despite claims of resurgence in recent economic reports. The independence of the apex bank and the propriety of the Financial Reporting Council to peruse its list of financial transactions and audited reports are still contentious and on the table waiting for the duo.

Perhaps, more pressing will be the issue of devaluation of the nation’s currency, which Alade has already answered for her part of the reponsibilities. What about Emefiele? Indeed, anxiety and curiosity breeds speculations.

Already, Renaissance Capital may have made an early move towards speculation of devaluation agenda under Emefiele’s tenure, judging him as conservative, but applauding his strides at Zenith Bank, which ensured a considerable facelift for the financial institution since his ascension. Can the speculation really be true?

For now, only him and time will answer.

Alade had last weekend, assured all stakeholders that there was no immediate plan to devalue the nation currency, given the change of leadership and the nation’s apex bank will not derail the subsisting monetary policy stance. Perhaps aware of the dangers of speculations, she acknowledged that the directive, which brought her to power in Acting capacity necessi-

Alade

Emefiele

tates the need to reassure all stakeholders, including the international community that the changes will not in any way affect the monetary policy direction and pursuit of the bank’s primary mandate of maintaining price and financial system stability.

But analyst at Renaissance Capital, Nothando Ndebele, over the weekend, said that though there may not be a major policy moves by Alade until June, but said that the conservative nature of the Governor-designate may be a clear departure, as it is at Zenith Bank currently.

“Emefiele is very conservative. Under his stewardship Zenith has established itself as a leading, well-capitalised and stable bank with a high portion of assets sitting in T-bills and bonds. We believe he is likely to maintain a firm policy environment and would be inclined to tighten policy in the current environment of naira weakness.

“We think Sanusi’s departure and what we see as the compromising of the CBN’s independence will put downward pressure on reserves and in particular undermine the ability of the CBN to defend the target exchange rate and this implies a bigger and earlier Naira devaluation than we had initially expected,” Ndebele said.

“Nigerian economy has remained strong, sound and resilient over time. Available data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicated that inflation rate was eight per cent per cent in January 2014, with inflation rate remaining at single digit in the last 13 months, growth rate of 6.87 per cent in 2013 and exchange rate also generally stable.

“The Bank is committed to sustaining these achievements through the use of appropriate monetary policy tools to ensure price and financial system stability. CBN will continue to intervene in the inter-bank foreign exchange market to ensure the stability of the exchange rate of the Naira and preserve the value of the domestic currency.

“The Management of CBN remain com-

mitted to monetary and price stability and the smooth functioning of the foreign exchange market. With the current level of reserves at seven months of imports cover, as at end-December 2013, the bank’s ability to intervene in the foreign exchange market is not in doubt,” she said.

But confidence over the independence of the apex may be waning, even as some predict that it will be the biggest casualty of the current developments at the bank.

“Given that she (Alade) is in essence a caretaker governor until June, we do not expect her to make any major policy moves at the next MPC meeting on March 24 and 25. We think the MPC will hike the policy rate by at least one percentage point and the public sector cash reserve requirement (CRR) to 100 per cent, which the banks expect. But we think it is less likely that the CRR on private sector deposits will be increased, because only two MPC members, including Sanusi, voted for this at the January MPC meeting, implying it was a minority view.

“We think there is a small risk of a devaluation of the Naira in March, partly because Alade said in January that she would support a review of the mid-point of the exchange rate band (currently N155/$). This would help stabilise the market, in our view, assuming the exchange rate target band adjustment met the market’s expectation. We think there is a real risk that the MPC meeting will come sooner than the scheduled March dates.

“If Alade does not devalue the Naira before June, we think incoming Governor Emefiele may be compelled to devalue the mid-point of the exchange rate band to NGN170/$ at his first MPC meeting in July.

We estimate this will lead to inflation of around 11 to 12 per cent at YE14, which implies rate hikes to help preserve real rates of at least five per cent that make the carry trade attractive. Higher inflation is likely to be negative for consumers, but we expect the effect of this on GDP growth to be mitigated by the positive impact of

higher liquidity on the back of an increase in election-related government spending.

We also estimate a slightly bigger Current Account surplus, assuming a weaker Naira tempers imports,” Ndebele added.

An economist at Capital Economics Limited, in London, Shilan Shah, said: “The Central Bank of Nigeria was one of the more credible institutions, the one that has made the biggest strides in building credibility in the past few years. What this will lead to is concern that independence is being eroded. It reflects pretty badly and this has been shown up in markets.”

“If the Jonathan administration is willing to discard a safe pair of hands at a time when the currency is being tested anyway, it shows more political motivation than economic awareness,” Alan Cameron, a Nigeria focused economist at FCMB Group Plc, said by phone yesterday from Johannesburg.

“This episode should remind investors that Nigeria’s risk is high. One should be wary when you have a weak leadership and a strong-willed central bank governor who is taking on the establishment,” a money manager who oversees about $10.5 billion in emerging market and Nigerian debt at Aberdeen Asset Management in London, Kevin Daly, said.

The Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, said: “The presidential statement announcing his suspension said he had been removed pending ‘investigations into breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate’ of CBN, however, raises a lot of issues. First, the action of the President seems unjustifiable in law. The CBN Act in section 11 specifically made provisions for this.

“Against the background of the foregoing provisions, it is difficult to locate the legal basis of the President’s action, considering that the suspension cannot be justified under any of the sub-sections. To the best of our knowledge, the Senate has not delivered any prayer to the President for Sanusi’s removal.

“The law only recognises ‘removal’ as the term ‘suspension’ is unknown to the CBN Act. If the ‘far reaching irregularities and breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate’ have not been investigated as indicated in the presidential statement, then the removal was based on mere conjecture without even a prima facie evidence of the allegations.

Still, an Abuja-based Development Consultant, Jide Ojo, faulted the development, saying that the removal of CBN Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on the eve of the end of his term of office is ill timed and a bad omen to all anti-corruption whistleblowers.

“Why the haste? Why not allow him to serve out the remaining four months to the end of his tenure? I am of the opinion that the suspension was aimed at scuttling the on-going National Assembly investigation into allegations leveled against NNPC by the suspended governor of CBN. “It would be recalled that Sanusi had accused the NNPC of non-remittance of huge sums of money into Federation Account. The recent revelation was about $20 billion. Sanusi also accused NNPC of providing subsidy on Kerosine when the administration of erstwhile President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has written a memo for this to be stopped.

“On the ostensible reasons for the suspension given by the government, should this be true, then the board of the CBN should have been dissolved alongside the suspension of the governor. This is because, Sanusi has always claimed that he has the approval of the CBN board to make all the donations the bank made to schools and victims of terrorist attacks,” he said.

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24 MONEY Wednesday, february 26, 2014

‘Effective combination of monetary, fiscal policies panacea for dwindling real sector fortunes’ The Group Managing Director of Tower Aluminum, Chief Jinesh Chandra Dugad, in this interview, explained the fiscal and real sector challenges facing growth of businesses in the country. He also identified the potentials for growth. CHIJIOKE NELSON was there. Excerpts.

Why do you advocate for differential fiscal regime for all sectors of the economy? f Nigeria has to progress and use its human and untapped natural resources gainfully, the trading mentality whereby the country imports all finished goods and add little value at home and create only limited employment should be stopped. for this to happen, the combination of tariff regime, fiscal and monetary policies must be used to ensure that first the interest rate currently at 20 per cent and above is brought down to single digit. The current incentive of the Bank of Industry has been a good step towards achieving the objective, but the total resources are not adequate, So, better monitoring and ensuring that the commercial banks allocate larger resources to industrial and agriculture sectors, may be a way forward.

Also, there ought to be considerable rates for agriculture and industries, different from others. And fund should be made available. In the past, there was the allocation of the budget to the banks with instruction to lend so much to the agricultural sector and so much to the industry. But now, so much is lent to the trade, while the industry is suffering. So, industries must be given funds not only on short-term arrangement, but also on long-term basis. Nigeria has the necessary mineral and human resources and all it needs is to encourage private sector by providing better environment and support. Remember, China grew by protecting and encouraging their industrial entrepreneurs.

What is the situation now?

Let me tell you that while some serious work has been put in place by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment recognised the need to protect the aluminium sector, however, there is no firm action so far taken to protect the producers of aluminium coils and aluminium profiles against unfair competition mainly from China. We understood that the ECOWAS Common External Tarrif (CET), which expired in December 2013, was being reviewed, with hope of revision of the duty, but it’s already 2014 and the ECOWAS CET duty structure has been extended to January 1, 2015. So, MAN has taken up the matter with the government and we can only continue to suffer if the tariff is deferred for another one year, that is, 2015, otherwise the government should do something. We understand that government has looked into the recommendations and we are expecting something to happen concerning the tariff, which may come anytime, but that has not come to public domain.

So far, the rolling mill at first Aluminium has closed. I quote from the yearly report of first Aluminium Limited: “Notwithstanding the progress that had been made at improving asset utilisation and quality of own manufactured aluminium coils in the last two years, it became clear that the mill could not compete with imported products and the decision was made to stop manufacturing, which led to the direct loss of 215 skilled jobs. for our supply chain, the position is worse as each manufacturing job is generally considered to support three others because we are major consumers of materials, spares, consumables and service and wherever possible, we have endeavoured to source locally.

“We have not given up hope that manufacturing is completely finished in Port Harcourt. However, the Mill has effectively been mothballed, meaning that if in the future the government creates an environment where local manufacturing is no longer disadvantaged, we can restart operations. We cannot foresee that happening in the near future which is why we have impaired the fixed assets, and written down inventory to estimated realisable value.”

Another rolling mill-Qualitec, has also ceased production some time back. Currently, a new rolling mill with substantial investment is under construction by Alo Aluminium Limited, in Enugu. However, they have slowed down the project implementation, awaiting action by the government to protect the aluminium sector against unfair competition from China. The story is somewhat similar in case of aluminium extrusions or profile sector. There are five or six producers in whole of West Africa and they are based in different parts of Nigeria like Dopemu, Otta, Abeokuta, Owerri, Abuja and Kaduna. Each of them could operate at higher output and even expand their production to serve whole of West Africa if they are given adequate support in form of import duty on their products and zero per cent on the raw material used by them, namely, aluminium billets and ingots.

Nigeria has already witnessed impact of good protection, in case of cement, where the country is now not only self sufficient, but is emerging as an important exporter of cement arising from the incentive offered by the government. At Tower, we have continued to operate our rolling mill and aluminum extrusion or profile manufacturing, hoping that government’s policy will protect the sector, as it has done in case of cement, steel rods and recently for automotive sector. We hope the government will not let us down and will act soon

I

Dugad or else, like the textile sector and the rubber tyres (Dunlop and Michelin), the aluminium sector will not progress.

What challenges were earlier identified as bane of local production in over 60 years of operations in Nigeria?

In the last few years, Tower Aluminium has found it difficult to compete with imported Chinese aluminium coils, which are used for production of long span roofing and aluminium profiles or extrusions normally used for production of doors and windows’ frames. Meanwhile, we have been serving Nigerian population with the same products, including pots and pans.

This is because the Chinese producers of aluminium coils are enjoying government incentive of 14 per cent rebate on exports of aluminium coils and profiles for doors and windows coming into Nigeria. The Chinese producers of these products are also enjoying much lower power cost and bank interest on loans and working capital, which creates an unfair competition with local producers in Nigeria. But we pay five per cent duty on aluminium ingots and billets used for production in Nigeria. The company also pays much higher bank interest and worst still, had to invest in a 20megawat-power project to run our production. The import of products manufactured by Tower, namely aluminium coils and profiles are being cleared through the Customs at five percent import duty. On import of raw materials- unwrought aluminium and aluminium scrap) used to produce coils and profiles, we also pay same five per cent import duty and so has effectively no protection. These we have lived with for years.

Despite the challenges, you were neither willing to relocate like others nor retrench your workforce a year ago, now that things remain the same, what are your plans?

Let me tell you that despite these challenges, our Group is a firm believer in the potentials of the Nigerian economy with its 165 million strong, young and enterprising population and the natural resources. Thinking that sooner rather than later, the government will introduce reasonable import duty on coils and extrusions, we have tried our best to keep the skills wherever possible. While we are seeking better protection against unfair competition, we had to continue the programme of bringing cost of production down by recycling aluminium scrap available locally, along with virgin metal purchased earlier from ALSCON. We are now working to sort out logistics to bring unwrought aluminium or ingots produced in Cameroun. This way, the supply chain was and will be shortened and the cost of finance will be reduced. We are fortunate to have had the Bank of Industry’s support at reasonable cost and some capital infusion from our shareholders to keep us going. This has helped us upgrade our production methods and expand capacity so that the cost is spread over a larger volume to become more competitive.

What further policy directions would you want the government to follow?

We believe that Nigeria as a nation has to protect not only aluminum sector, but others too like agriculture and industries, which can deploy the abundant manpower that are without work. Again, in protecting the aluminium industry in Nigeria, the government should ban exportation of scraps so that we will not be short of raw materials used in our local production. Exporters of those scraps do nothing significant but to put the scraps on export and take incentive. The gov-

ernment will be doing local manufacturers of aluminium great if they can place an unconditional ban on the export of scraps since we don’t make the products from iron ore presently. If you are exporting a finished product, which has value added, then it has a meaning if such export has incentives.

There is need to effect zero per cent import duty on unwrought aluminium and aluminium scrap; increased import duty on flat aluminium coil, strips, plates and sheets; increased import duty on aluminium circles and other shapes of sheets; increased import duty on coated and prepainted aluminium coils.

There should also be an increased import duty on aluminium bars, rods, profiles, extrusions, tubes and pipes and profiles; increased import duty on household articles of aluminium; single digit interest for industries; export incentive on export of aluminium scrap, ingots, billets should be removed; export incentive system for aluminium coil, sheets, extrusion, profiles, household articles to be streamlined and paid within three months of receipt of the proceeds, and road communication within ECOWAS should be improved and ease of Custom formalities in order to grow the exports within ECOWAS. We canvass a policy that is protective of local production, improving on power and other infrastructure because, there is no level playing ground between Nigeria and China on infrastructure and banking interests. I believe the government has to review each production sector and challenge the manufacturers as they did in cement sector and now they want to do in sugar sector by allowing the serious producers to have special concession on blending their current production with imports for a specified period to achieve self sufficiency and more bringing the cost per unit down to be able to stand up to competition from imports in future.

With the privatisation of the power sector, do you already see its impact on your production costs?

It is little too early to see the impact of the recent privatisation as they have plenty work to revitalise the distribution lines and also start new power generation plants. We believe it would take some years for industries to rely on power from the national grid and wherever possible, they would continue to use natural gas and generate own power. Alternatively, there could be mini power generation, facilities like the ones established by our Group in Ota Industrial Estate and now in Abeokuta to cater for our own needs and larger consumers in the vicinity. Of course, percentage of costs on power varies from one industry to another. But in our case, after raw material, power and gas is an important cost of conversion and is as high as 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the raw material input in production.

What level of employment have you been able to generate in the last one year?

We have concentrated on avoiding retrenchment on the one side and on the other hand to increase efficiency. So, we have created just under 100 new jobs. If however, the necessary protection on imports of products manufactured by us is implemented, we believe we will have possibilities of creating at least another 1000 jobs within a spell of 18 months from the day protection is implemented. Like us, the other companies in the aluminium sector will also create another 3000 or 4000 jobs, which otherwise today, are held in China and India.

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i-Tech&Telecoms Broadband: How far can BitFlux go?

ADEYEMI ADEPETUN and BANKOLE ORIMISAN, in this report, examine the process that brought BitFlux Communications to limelight and ask how far the firm can go in the deployment of broadband facilities looking at various bottlenecks threatening telecoms sectors’ growth.

IGERIA’s broadband drive, last week, achieved another N major milestone with the successful auction of one slot of the 2.3GHz spectrum.

Prior to the auction last Wednesday, in Abuja, analysts had concluded that this will be the most keenly contested bid process to be held by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) since its Digital Mobile Licence (DML) licensing in January 2001 that paved the way for the emergence of the GSM operations in the country. Analysts had based their conclusion on the number and caliber of firms that showed interest before the commission released the Information Memorandum (IM) that guided the process.

According to NCC’s Director of Spectrum Administration, Rev. Nwalune Augustine, 27 firms had bidded in the process that started in November 2013, “but when the IM was released, only two of the firms met the set criterias, with little known Bitflux Communications Limited, a consortium of three firms including VDT Communications Ltd, Bitcom Systems Ltd and Superflux International Ltd beating ‘almighty’ Globacom to the licence.

Some firms reported to have shown interest in the multi-billion 2.3GHz spectrum include MTN Nigeria, Spectranet, Etisalat, Mobitel, Brymedia Consortium, Zinox Telecoms, Airtel, Bitflux Communications Limited, Globacom Limited, among others.

The commission had scheduled two-days (Wednesday and Thursday) for the auction, but after round two of the auction processes, to the surprise of witnesses, a winner emerged with just 48 minutes into the contest. The process started on Wednesday by 11am.

Telecommunications stakeholders, who graced the event, were very happy with the outcome of the bid, saying that this would prevent monopoly that has characterized some segment of the industry. They described the contest as that of David and Goliath as recorded in the Bible.

The Auction Process The bidding process actually started with a mock auction on Tuesday (18-02-14) and ended on Wednesday, against Thursday, earlier scheduled. The final exercise was witnessed by government officials, industry stakeholders, State Security Services and journalists.

Although the NCC, organisers of the bid exercise, had earlier fixed a reserve price of $23 million, it however increased it by 15 per cent, a few minutes before the final bid round commenced and arrived at $26.45 million as the new reserve price.

The bidders were advised to begin their bidding with the new reserve price of $26.45 million, and were expected to increase the amount as they move from one round to the other.

Reeling out the rules, Nwaulune described the exercise as an ascending clock auction, where the bidders were expected to continue increasing their bid prices until a winner emerged.

According to him, at the end of the bid round, if the bidders tied, they would have to start all over, and if they still tied again, then they would be invited to roll a dice for a winner to emerge.

The bidders, who were four in a group, were kept in separate rooms without access to any communication gadgets, to stop them from communicating during the bid exercise. They were only allowed to use computers, since it was a computer-based auction, where results were generated by software.

At the end of round one, there was a tie at zero level, which indicated that none of the bidders were willing to bid from the new reserve price of $26.45 million.

After the tie in round one, the bidders were moved to the second round, where they were allowed to bid from the initial reserved bid price of $23 million. During the second round, Bitflux offered to pay $23,251,000, but unknown to Globacom, the second national carrier offered a lower sum of $23,050,001 for the licence.

At the end of the second round, Globacom was not willing to proceed to the third round, enabling Bitflux to emerge winner.

NCC’s declaration According to NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Eugene Juwah, while declaring BitFlux as the winner, said the firm has 14 working days, starting from the day it won the auction to pay the fee, failure of which may provide opportunities for Globacom to acquire the licence as second highest looser as stipulated in the IM of the auction.

Besides, Bitflux would also need to pay additional N155 million to NCC within 30 days because it does not have a Unified Access Service Licence for it (Bitflux) to start operation. Juwah said after the firm must have paid the fee within the stipulated dates, NCC would now issue it (Bitflux) the Wireless Wholesale Access Service Licence from then it can start operation on the spectrum and distribute services across the country.

Globacom’s response Commenting on the contest, Globacom’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Jameel congratulated NCC for the success of the auction and wished Bitflux the very

Juwah

Omoniyi

“Don’t also forget that this spectrum

is not attractive as that of a GSM. The mobile phone market grew faster than anticipated. Moreover, how fast will the demand for such services be in a country where majority leave below $1 daily. Broadband is for high networth individuals, but how many are they in the country? I am actually happy that BitFlux got the licence, at least that prevents any monopolistic tendencies from the bigger players.”

best.

He however, explained that “we at Globacom felt that the minimum bid price was much higher compared to the spectrum itself. So our business model did not suit that price and we didn’t offer much. As the EVC has said, we shall participate in future auctions.”

BitFlux acceptance Speaking on behalf of Bitflux, a director, Biodun Omoniyi thanked NCC for its transparency in the whole process.

Omoniyi, who attributed the winning of the 2.3GHz spectrum to divine providence, also appreciated Globacom. “We can’t call Globacom a competitor, but there was a contest today.

What happened today surprised everybody, it wasn’t the expected result. But at Bitflux, whatever might have happened, we followed simply our business plan. We simply took a patrotic stand that if Globacom is there we cannot win if they really wanted the spectrum. We thank them for being so magnanimous. Our winning today is to the glory of God and appreciation goes to Nigerians.”

According to him, Bitflux is not a small company but compared to Globacom, we are very small, “so we can’t fight with the bull.This is however, to say that smaller firms have capacity to do big things.”

On the ability to make payment before the due date, another director with Bitflux, Tokunbo Talabi, said the firm was financially ready before going into the bid, describing the tension in the bidding process as something else, but “our determinations was that we can also do it.”

A statement from VDT explained that it is an ISO 9001:2008 internationally certified company providing digital leased circuit, wireless network and corporate Internet services among others.

BITCOM Systems Nigeria Limited is a communication systems integrator, Value-Added Reseller and installation service provider for a wide array of microwave, and broadband radio telecommunications products. Superflux is an indigenous conglomerate that has investments in the biggest securities printing outfit in Africa. It also provides secure and communication print solutions to a wide range of clients.

Challenges going forward Though, Omoniyi gave four months for BitFlux to roll out services and a robust financial backing, but analysts are skeptical about this promise going by previous scenerios that had played out in the sector in the past.

For example, a telecoms expert, Kehinde Aluko, who spoke to The Guardian said the likes of Globacom, which got the Second National Operator (SNO) licence about 11 years ago, with a promise to deliver fixed line services, we are yet to see that and today, fixed telephony has cascaded in the country. According to him, in abroad, fixed lines are critical to broadband delivery.

Besides, he aslo said Mobitel, which got 3.5GHz spectrum licence to cover all Nigeria, how far has it gone? There are so many other firms with various spectrum licences and they are not doing anything with them, “I think the regulator should look into that critically.”

This, he said is not to spite any operator, “in fact, they are doing well. They must also be facing some challenges. The question is that this environment is still very harsh to predict and do businesses.”

“Don’t also forget that this spectrum is not attractive as that of a GSM. The mobile phone market grew faster than anticipated. Moreover, how fast will the demand for such services be in a country where majority leave below $1 daily. Broadband is for high networth individuals, but how many are they in the country? I am actually happy that BitFlux got the licence, at least that prevents any monopolistic tendencies from the bigger players.”

There are however, several challenges militating against infrastructure roll-out in Nigeria. These include erratic power generation; vandalism; huge Right of Way levies; multiple taxation and regulations; theft; fibre cuts, among others.

Despite various investments, It is also interesting to note that the country’s broadband penetration is still six per cent. The likes of Nigeria’s moribund Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) through the SAT 3; MainOne Cables; Globacom; West African Cable System among others, have all landed submarine cables at the shores of Nigeria, but how much grounds have they covered given the peculiarities of the Nigerian market.

In fact, the minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson attested to the fact that about nine terabytes bandwidth capacities lie at the shores, which are yet untapped.

These are some of the challenges the sector is currently engaging.

But a former Association of Licenced Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Titi- Omo-Ettu is very optimistic that BitFlux will perform.

According to him, having discovered that VDT Communications is among them, “I believe they will deliver. From the little interactions with VDT, though they appear small, but they have made huge technical performance in the industry. This is a company that takes decision very carefully. I believe Omoniyi must have consulted very well before expressing interest.

There are other firms that are big financially and technically, but they may not be trusted.”

Omo-Ettu, an engineer said the spectrum may not solve all the problems, but that it will to a larger extent deliver required services.

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Ministry to replicate Lagos RoW achievement in other states

By Adeyemi Adepetun

• Minister allays fears over $200m CAPCOM deal

HE Ministry of Communications Technology has said that it T would work to replicate the achievement it recorded in Lagos on the reduction in the Right of Way (RoW) levies in other states

three Code Division Multiple Access Operators (CDMA) including Starcomms, Multilinks and MTS. An American investor firm, CAPCOM is working to bring together in a merger that is worth about $200 million.

The minister in an interview with The Guardian said that the deal is back on track, saying that though they had issues, as it is with any financial transactions. “you know you can expect everything to go the way they have planned. The process is on and they will soon come up. They are dealing with regulators, banks, suppliers, and creditors among others. They have to negotiate with all of them and seek for funds.

It is not easy to raise such funds. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars here. But they are back on track.”

Johnson said that she hoped that they would transit from CDMA technology to LTE, and “hopefully, this should give them some tractions.”

According to her, the ministry and the Nigerian Communications Commission had done what a regulator should do-given them approval, stressing that they had also intervened in other areas, “and CAPCOM is happy about the role the regulator has played so far. The industry is evolving. By the next five years, we should see more innovation and a vibrant industry, contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth.”

CAPCOM had in 2012, announced the acquisition of Starcomms, in addition to MultiLinks, and MTS First Wireless that it had earlier acquired. The plans then were to merge the three operators into one big and strong CDMA operato Although the core investors that acquired the three CDMA operators tried working according to plans, but somewhere along the line, it had commercial hitches with Starcomms in the process of acquiring it, a situation that made it difficult for CAPCOM to continue with the transaction process.

of the federation.

The ministry, in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) was able to get an 85 per cent reduction on RoW levies in the state. Already, ALTON has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lagos to cement the agreement and ensure flexible roll out of telecommunications infrastructure.

Prior to this agreement, Lagos was among the states the telecommunications operators claimed to be charging high fees for RoW. According to them, they were formerly charged N3000, but had been reduced to N500. Lagos has also slashed taxes by 40 per cent.

The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson said that her ministry, having achieved an 85 per cent slash in RoW charges in Lagos, would work to ensure that that was replicated in other part of the country.

Johnson, who said this in Lagos at the broadband campaign forum, noted that some states, including Ondo and Cross River were cooperating with the ministry to get this done.

The minister, who said that erratic power supply had been a major challenge confronting the operators noted, “the ministry will come up with number of states for RoW initiatives for partnership. Lagos is an example. They gave us 85 per cent slash on levies operators are paying. They have also gone ahead of others to provide incentives on colocation; tax rebate among others.

We hope to be able to replicate this in other states of the federation as well. We are already working on that.”

Meanwhile, the minister has allayed fears over the sudden silence that has greeted the much talked about merger among

‘Proper monetisation of Africa’s content will make billionaires’

By Bankole Orimisan HE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Andrew Alli, has over the weekend in Lagos, identified monetisation of Africa’s content as the last mile challenge for entrepreneurs, with the solving of this problem likely to lead to large returns.

Alli, who was speaking at the Evening with Leaders event at the ongoing Social Media Week in Lagos, under the theme “How Nigeria is Leveraging Social Media in Commerce, Communication and Citizen Engagement”.

He said that AFC was aware of the importance of ICT infrastructure, which is why it is supporting service companies such as

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MainOne. “AFC regards financing ICT infrastructure as important and has financed the MainOne service,” Alli said.

In her remarks at the session, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Nigeria’s minister for communication technology, said that a billion dollar funding target had been set for entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

“In the next five years, if we have not made available a billion dollars for entrepreneurs, we have failed,” she said. She added that technology had added new terms into economics. Johnson said: “There are two new terms: “Internet GDP and e-friction”, which are very important in developing economies.”

She said that her ministry was committed to

the creation of a working environment that supports an ecosystem for innovation hubs in Nigeria.

Concerning social media, the minister said that online conversations were not enough.

“It is not only important to create online communities but also offline implementation.” Caution needs to be exercised when using social media, she said, revealing she had waited two years before joining Twitter.

“The power of social media is about interaction and communities,” she said.

“It is impossible to ignore social media that is why the government is engaging on social media.

Etisalat claims 150m subscribers globally URRENTLy operating in 15 great milestone for Etisalat.

C markets in the Middle East, Drawing parallels between Asia and Africa, Etisalat’s on the fast-paced development Monday in Barcelona, Spain at the on-going Mobile World Congress said that it had reached 150-million subscriber mark.

Etisalat, which is five years old in Nigeria, currently has over 15 million subscribers.

Delivering his keynote address, Etisalat’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Julfar said that the vision of the United Arab Emirates telecommunications firm was to be the leading and most admired emerging markets telecom group.

Julfar said that in the quest to be the leading and most admired emerging markets telecom group, achieving 150 million subscribers was a

of the UAE and Etisalat, Julfar said: “Today, Etisalat plays a key role in the Mobile Government strategy of the UAE and is on course to achieve 100 per cent Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) penetration - a worldfirst.

“We were the first network in the Middle East to launch GSM, Internet services, 3-G and LTE,” said Julfar.

“What is fascinating in this dynamic growth journey is the transformational role that mobile plays - to enrich people’s lives. At no time in human history has one technology revolutionised the way we do business, the way we are entertained, and ultimately, the way we live.”

MTNF bags industry recognition for CSR on account of its partnerships

TN Foundation, the CorpoM rate Social Responsibility and corporate philanthropy, vehicle of Technology Com- with emphasis on its corporate pany in Nigeria, MTN, has won in the corporate category at the 3rd CSR Nigeria Industry Award, in recognition of its wide-impact corporate social investment initiatives.

Organised by CTRU Concepts, the award was presented at MTN’s Head Office in Lagos.

Speaking during the presentation, Managing Partner of CTRU Concepts, Olowokere Taiwo, said that MTN Foundation won the award based on the various life-impacting contributions it has made to the society.

“This is the third year of the CSR Nigeria Industry Award and unlike previous years, we called for nominations from NGOs, organizations and individuals.

MTN Foundation was nominated in the corporate category

social investment initiatives implemented in the areas of Health, Education and Economic Empowerment,” said Taiwo.

Receiving the award on behalf of the MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma, executive secretary, MTN Foundation, expressed the Foundation’s delight and thanked the organizers for the recognition.

She expressed her gratitude to the Sickle Cell Foundation for nominating the MTN Foundation.

“We are truly honoured to receive this award and more so because we were nominated by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria, with whom we have had a long standing relationship with since 2005,” said Ugboma.

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

Firms tackle data storage challenges

By Adeyemi Adepetun ESOURCERY, in partnership R with EMC, a global player in storage solutions, has prof-

Head Retail Strategy, Rollout and Operations, Etisalat Nigeria, Anthony Iloh (left); Special Adviser on Education to Lagos State Government, Otunba Fatai Olukoya; Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willshere; Head of Retail Lagos/Abuja, Etisalat Nigeria, Eno Umoh and Experience Centre Manager, Benedict Afasanwo, at the Launch of Etisalat Gold Series Experience Centre in Lagos.

ACEN calls for more investment in local engineers

By Bankole Orimisan HE Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria ( ACEN) has reiterated the need for more investment of local engineers in the Nigerian market to prevent irregular building collapse in the country.

According to the new president, ( ACEN) Dr.Temilola Kehinde, the focus of this effort is to ensure that the highest level of technical competence and business ethics are brought to bear on the practice of the profession in Nigeria.

Kehinde, however, noted that will in turn result in the highest level of quality of Engineering Projects for the Nigerian people at the most cost-effective prices.

He added, ACEN Prior to December 2007, ACEN membership was open to individual and firm members, who possessed the required experience and professional integrity. At the 2007 AGM, a motion was

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passed limiting ACEN membership to firms.

This was to further emphasize the business nature and focus of the association. Membership is therefore now open to Consulting Engineering firms with the adequate experience and commitment to continuous improvement in technical and business integrity.

As at December 2007, ACEN had about 157 firm members and 129 individual members.

Upon rationalization of the individual category which has now been largely eliminated, ACEN firm membership is now about 200, made up of firm members.

The aim of ACEN is to have members in every state of the federation and the federal capital, as every state is entitled to the highest level of Consulting Engineering practice. Today, ACEN has members in only 21 of the 37 states and FCT. Of the states in which we are present, only four states have the critical number

fered business solutions to the data storage needs of organisations in the sub-region.

The firm unveiled the technology at a one day business session for IT managers tagged, ‘Affordable Unified Storage System for Virtual Applications’, which was held in Lagos.

The event, which brought together IT managers from leading Nigerian businesses, provided a veritable opportunity for representatives of both organisations to enlighten their customers on how to effectively address prevailing IT business challenges of flat budgets, increased complexity and the acquisition of too many tools.

In his presentation, Business Solution Manager, Computing and Storage, Resourcery, Amechi Okonkwo, said that while some IT solutions were focused only on managing specific domains, companies now had multiple domains to manage.

According to him, there was a growing need to manage domains from a single point, and the technology served as a way of protecting organisations’ infrastructure from disaster, while maintaining business continuity.

Amechi said, “Resourcery’s partnership with EMC provides our customers with a platform for the effective management of the complexity in virtual environments for our customers. It’s also a partnership that promises to aid the service delivery of storage administrators by reducing operational cost, increase

intelligence and ultimately increase administrators’ productivity.”

In the same vein, the System Engineer/ Manager, Channel, EMC West Africa, Adeyemi Olusoji, noted that businesses across the globe were tapping into the shorter, simpler, and more straightforward process flow agility of storage solutions.

He said intelligent analytics and automation ability clearly helped customers to reduce operational cost, adding that, “Our storage solution provides businesses with highly efficient, large-scale enterprise data retention capacity

as well as helps them comply with regulatory mandates. It also reduces risks and provides a highly available data environment.

“Its over 80 per cent storage utilisation means less storage and less space can house the same amount of data at a reduced cost.”

Earlier in his remark, the District Manager, EMC West Africa, Ola Jimooh, thanked the invited customers and promised that the partnership between Resourcery and EMC would continue to ensure better services for the IT needs of businesses across West Africa.

Revive Technologies rewards customers, offers Brazil 2014 tickets O further cement its relaT tionship with customers, Revive Technologies Limited has provided an opportunity for Bello Adenike, a customer to go and watch the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on its bill.

Adenike’s ticket was picked in Lagos, at the weekend, during the final draw of the Revive “Buy and Fly’ promo organized by Revive Technologies to reward its customers for their loyalty to the brand.

There are however, other winners in the consolation prize segments. They include Damilare from Akure, Ondo state; Olabiran Biodun; Bill Oladipupo; Sam Olaniyan from Lagos, while Bola Kayode was from Ogun state. They were given several mobile gadgets.

On the rationale for the Buy and Fly promo, which started last December, the Managing

Director of Revive Technologies, Limited, Wale Thomas explained that it was to reward loyalty over the years and another way of encouraging customers during the yuletide period.

“The final draw, which you witnessed was a testament of our fidelity and our doggedness at ensuring that our words are our bonds. The winner will go and watch the Fifa World cup in Brazil this year.

“Revive is a retail shop that has over 19 years experience in the mobile phone sector. So, we are bringing a proven almost two decade experience in the mobile phone space to the door-step of Nigeria. We are a multi- branch organisation. Our commitment is to continuously provide Nigerians with quality products plus first-in-class after-sales and warranty policy”, he stated.

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Microsoft targets global Internet growth with cheaper phones Microsoft’s effort to get more ICROSOFT Corp. is acceler- Android operating system.

“Microsoft can be healthier by handset makers to offer WinM ating its push into mobile software, adding new hard- widening our ecosystem,” dows phones has so far failed ware manufacturers and joining forces with chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. to develop cheaper smartphones aimed at markets such as China.

According to a Microsoft Vice President, Joe Belfiore, at the on-going Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft and Qualcomm are working on a low-cost phone design that developers and handset makers can use to build their own devices.

New partners to make Windows smartphones include China’s Lenovo Group Ltd. Trailing Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc. (GOOG) in higherend devices, Microsoft is now trying to build market share for its Windows operating system from the bottom up.

Cheaper smartphones mean consumers in less-developed countries will have a chance to use the Internet for the first time, a fast-growing market that’s also attracting rivals such as Google, maker of the

Belfiore said in an interview, adding, “we care a ton about emerging markets. Microsoft and Qualcomm are designing a basic core of a phone with the necessary processors and wireless chips that developers can start with as they design Windows phones for emerging markets. Microsoft also plans to update its Windows 8.1 software and Windows Phone software this spring, helping it target lower-priced devices, Belfiore said.

Microsoft’s push to broaden the reach of its mobile ecosystem comes as Satya Nadella takes over as chief executive officer from Steve Ballmer and the Redmond, Washington-based company prepares to complete the $7.2 billion takeover of Nokia Oyj’s handset business.

Nokia is planning to announce an expansion into lower-end Android smartphones at the Mobile World Congress, people familiar with the matter said this month.

to shake the dominance of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, which account for 96 per cent of the smartphone market. Of the more than one billion smartphones shipped in 2013, only 3.3 per cent ran Windows, according to market-research firm IDC, adding that 89 per cent of the Windows phones sold were made

by Nokia.

Asus explains cloud application services ERSONAL computer and tablet manufac- said.

P turer, Asus, says its WebStorage space en- The world’s number three consumer noteables users of its devices to back up, book vendor and maker of motherboards synchronise and share files. Asus WebStorage is a cloud application service offered by the firm. All Asus devices, the firm explained in a statement on Monday, come bundled with some space for the consumer to enjoy.

“By default, you have 32G on regular notebooks for three years and 5G on tablets for life. With Asus WebStorage, no worry for information loss due to damages like failures, virus or theft. You can also share files that are over 10MB with friends and colleagues,” it

said it was driven by innovation and a commitment to quality. “We want our customers to know that we are there for them no matter how technology evolves in the future. We need to address our customers’ deepest desires. It doesn’t have to be a “clear-cut” serenity or security, Asus has it all covered,” it said.

The firm said that it had revolutionised the mobile PC industry and had contributed to changing the way users interact with technology.

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‘Local content initiatives will give ICT an edge’

KITs Technologies to hold workshop on data centre protection

The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, spoke with select ICT journalists recently and bared her mind on government’s determination to implement local content guidelines in the Information and Technology sector. She also spoke on other industry issues. ADEYEMI ADEPETUN was there.

Excerpts:

s the number of data centres in nigeria continue to rise a with the attendant deepening of broadband internet penetration as envisioned by the nigeria ministry communication

What is the IT local content guidelines all about? eVeraL factors inspired and guided government in developing the local content guidelines for the industry. When the Ministry of Communications Technology was created in 2011, we did a comprehensive assessment of the industry and discovered that even though the industry was doing well in the areas of job creation and nation development, the local companies were not participating much in the growth and development of the country. Foreign multinational companies dominated the industry.

Our belief from our assessment was that the few nigerian companies that were visible, were only playing at the fringes of the industry. Having discovered these lapses on the part of the nigerian companies, we decided to setup a committee to design a document for local content in the industry. The essence is to grow and support more nigerian companies in the ICT sector.

The ICT industry is made up of IT practitioners and the telecommunications and broadcast practitioners, which section of the industry is the local content guidelines targeting?

The local content guideline is primarily focused on the IT industry, but there are some areas of the document that talked about telecoms, in the areas of sIM cards, and value added services in the telecoms sector. so about 90 per cent of the guidelines is focused on IT, while the remaining 10 per cent is focused on telecoms.

The truth is that there is integration that has brought about a thin line between IT and telecoms, such that you cannot discuss telecoms without talking about IT at the same time.

Is government looking at replicating the local content act in the oil and gas industry in the ICT industry?

Yes government will wish to replicate what is going on in the oil and gas sector in the ICT industry, in terms of local content, but the truth is that before we came up with the local content document, we first seek audience with the executive secretary of the nigerian Content development and Monitoring Board, ernest nwapa. He shared some experiences with us on local content development and advised us on how to go about it. The board started with guidelines, and graduated into law that actually backed up all that they were doing. For us, we are looking at regulation that would be implemented through the IT development agency, the nigerian Information Technology development agency (nITda). But whether we will graduate into having a law on local content development for the IT sector, is what I do not know as of today, but I think it will really depend on how much progress we are making and how fast we are making that progress.

How would government go about its implementation, in order to sustain it?

The implementation would be carried out through the IT development agency, which is nITda, and it will set up an office to monitor its implementation. so we need to be careful on this so that this initiative will not be buried prematurely, like most government initiatives in the past. We must guide against its failure because it is strategic and important not only for the IT industry, but also for the country itself. so there would certainly be an office to monitor its implementation. so what does nigeria and nigerians stand to gain from the implementation of local content in the IT industry?

Oh! nigeria and nigerians would achieve tremendous gains.

One of the major things that the initiative will bring about is to create jobs, and another is to open up opportunities for nigerian companies to participate in developmental programmes and projects that will make them relevant in the current scheme of things. again, it will help to increase the size of the IT industry, in relation to Gross domestic Product (GdP) growth. so if at the end, we get all these things right, nigeria as a country, will begin to position itself as an ICT hub for africa, in the area of skills development, capacity building, infrastructure development, and of course nigeria will become the centre of attraction in ICT development, not only in africa, but with the rest of the world.

How flexible would the guidelines be in terms of review?

It is quite flexible, when in it comes to review and amendment in the future, because these were done closely with industry stakeholders that understand the dynamics of the industry.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders, and I can assure nigerians that during implementation, if there were things that needed to be changed or adjusted, it would be allowed, because the document is not rigid but flexible. although certain things could be changed in the course of implementation, but certain things remained unchanged for the good of the industry. nITda is a government parastatal that is responsible for IT implementation for the country, but do think it has the capacity to implement local content for the IT sector?

Yes, it has the capacity to implement it, even though it has not done it before, because this is the first time we are implementing local content guidelines for the IT industry. Within nITda, government has to build capacity in terms of monitoring and evaluation of the entire process. Like I said earlier, we will burrow from the nigerian Oil and Gas industry that had been doing it successfully in the past years. We are going to work closely with them to understudy them. We have both qualitative and quantitative targets that we want to achieve, and the

technology cum the nigeria Communication commission (nCC), with cloud computing taking a firm footprint and cashless economy now finding its rhythm, It has become critically important now than ever to enlighten the stakeholders in the industry on reasons why data Centre must not go wrong.

It is on this background that KITs has planned a data Centre design and audit seminar, scheduled for March 1 in Lagos.

The seminar, according to the organisers would afford delegates deep insights into the latest data centre standards and best practice with full understanding what can go wrong in a data Centre if there is lack of a complete understanding of data centre design and operations.

KITs Technologies director of Business and strategy, Taofeek Okoya said that the seminar would no doubt enlighten and broaden the knowledge of IT managers and data Centre Managers alike on critical actions to take to reduce drastically data centre failure. Industry standards and best practice will be deeply explored as it relates data Centre Tiers and energy efficiency; Why data Centre fails, common data centre failures and how to quickly resolve; When an audit is due and what audit exercise should reveal will be exposed to all participants.

s

Johnson best way to achieve that is to build capacity for implementation and monitoring, and ensure that we have the right skills in nITda to do this. We will collaborate with the oil and gas industry to achieve this. recently you gave telecoms companies ultimatum to stop importation of sIM cards, is this part of the local content initiative, and what is the time frame for the ultimatum?

Yes, we gave telecoms operators operating in the country, ultimatum to stop importation of sIM cards because government is aware that the sIM cards could be produced locally in nigeria if the operators are willing to boost local content in the country.

The time frame is two years from the day the campaign was launched, which was in december last year. so by december 2015, we expect all telecoms operators to begin local sIM card manufacturing. We allowed up to two years because in the course of our consultation with the operators, government was made to understand that the operators do place orders on a long term basis and government decided to allow them receive the last batch of orders placed, before they stop further importation. again the two years time lag is to enable our local industry to prepare very well and put in place all that is needed for local sIM card production in the country. This is so because they must be able to produce the same quality of sIM cards that were being ordered by the operators.

From our own investigation, government is convinced that we have local manufacturers that could produce sIM cards locally in the country. already, there are local companies that are producing chips for banks, and it is the same technology to produce sIM cards.

Most nigerian entrepreneurs are skeptical about quality in local manufacturing, be it in sIM cards, computers, mobile phones, software development, and other electronic gadgets.

How is government going to ensure quality products in its drive for the implementation of local content guidelines?

Local manufacturing of devices is actually easier doing so in the IT sector than any other sectors in the world. If you take the hardware device, for instance, you will discover that there are very few countries in the world that manufacturer devices from the scratch to completion stage. What majority do is assembling.

They go to a particular set of manufacturers with specifications and they take the products to their countries to assemble them from their assembling plants. For chip manufacturing, we have about three or four companies in the world that are into it, and other countries go there to manufacture.

If we work with the Original equipment Manufacturers (OeMs) and ensure that they order the right and genuine parts in terms of their specifications, then the country will have no issue with substandard quality, and our entrepreneurs will be rest assured of quality products.

Yes, it is true we do not have the infrastructure that some foreign countries have, but there is need to support our local OeMs in terms of financing and patronage, which of course will create jobs in the country. I have been using locally produced computer in the last two years and it is serving me well, and in am a heavy consumer of local products. nigerians should be encouraged to do the same.

We have a lot of foreign OeMs in the country doing business of selling their foreign manufactured products in nigeria, yet they do not have assembling plants in the country. What policies are in place to ensure that they comply with nigeria’s local content initiative?

Yes you are right that the foreign OeMs do not have factories in nigeria, yet they sell a lot of their products in nigeria, and that is what government is trying to address with the local content initiative. We commend rlg Communications from Ghana, for setting up its mobile phone and laptop factories in Osun state, and we encourage other OeMs to do the same. But again, government needs to create the enabling environment and the incentives for them to come to nigeria. But the foreign OeMs do not necessary need to set up their factories in nigeria. What they can also do to boost our local content initiative is to partner with our local OeMs to produce locally and promote local brands, using their own expertise and resources. We will be happy to see that kind of partnership, where they could produce in nigeria and sell to other eCOWas countries from nigeria, and that makes it very attractive.

OneCard partners lotto firm on top up services neCard nigeria, a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) O firm that provides top up solutions on multiple platforms announced the completion of integration with Premier Lotto Limited, popularly known as Baba Ijebu.

By this integration, nigerians will now be able to top up their mobile phones from all Baba Ijebu agents nationwide bringing direct TopUp services closer to people.

The Chief executive Officer of OneCard, ahmed Baba said: “We are excited to have partnered Premier Lotto, a household name in nigeria’s gaming industry. We have chosen the company because we believe its agency network provides us the perfect opportunity to get our unique services to customers across the country. The reliability and successful business network of Premier Lotto offers us an excellent system that will ensure that nigerians also access the convenience that OneCard has brought to the marketplace.”

The Finance director, Premier Lotto Limited, Jibola adebutu, said, “the collaboration with OneCard has provided our firm another opportunity to deepen our value proposition to Baba Ijebu customers and the community around our agents nationwide. With offerings from as low as n50, all airtel, etisalat, Glo and MTn customers can take advantage of this value added service.”

“It has always been our objectives to provide high quality value added and related services to our customers and other stakeholders. This is why the partnership with OneCard is timely,” he said.

WOZ: The core of cutting edge computing

By Muola Awolowo nFOrMaTIOn technology, electronic engineering and sciIinence have all reached very advance stages in the world today truly startling ways; so much that yesterday’s science fiction is today’s reality and a peek into tomorrow’s futuristic concept invention which makes dreaming seem like a noble profession. The smallest microchip and the largest of machines have something in common: both exude engineering genius.

From bulky desktops, to laptops, and then petite handheld devices, technology has continued to evolve, taking quantum leaps with the invention of the first mechanical computer by Charles Babbage whose ingenuity led to the invention of the design now described as the essential framework of computers of today.

Building on Babbage’s ideas, dr. John V. atanasoff and Clifford Berry produced the first generation of electronic digital computers called the atanasoff-Berry Computer (aBC) in 1942. even though it still required some work, it was completely functional. While it was smaller than other computers of the time period, it was also the first to use capacitors for storage, as in current raM, and was capable of performing 30 simultaneous operations but it also featured 300 vacuum tubes for control and arithmetic calculations, use of binary numbers, logic operations (instead of direct counting), and the storage mechanism, a paper card writer/reader, was unreliable.

Growth and development continued to herald the design of the computer with the birth of the world’s first general purpose computer, electronic numerical Integrator and Computer (enIaC). The methods and technology developed for the aBC were later used to construct the enIaC, although it was a better calculating machine, it covered 1800 square feet (167 square meters) of floor space, weighed 30,000kg, consumed 160 kilowatts of electrical power, it could only perform single tasks, and had no operating system.

With each generation came either a new and improved version or an improvement to the existing computer with one major aim, to create not just a storage device but also a portable machine that could organize and preserve large data for years to come. The invention of integrated circuit moved the evolution to the next generation of computers. By 1963, with this invention, computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and were able to run many different programmes at the same time.

Awolowu works with XLR8, wrote from Lagos

TO BE CONTINUED

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Maritime Enhancing marine insurance through documentations

Haastrup

By Moses Ebosele HE role of insurance in the development and growth of the maritime sector can- not be over-emphasised.

Specifically, through marine insurance, which seeks to protect against possible losses, ship owners, transporters, importers and exporters, among others can be sure of claiming damages when an accident is recorded.

However, marine insurance according to experts is one of the trickiest insurance areas because of its strict emphasis on documentations.

According to experts, when dealing with marine insurance, it is crucial that the ship’s captain, terminal operators and other stakeholders maintain unambiguous documentation as part of measures to facilitates prompt payment of claims.

They are of the opinion that water is the most complicated and controversial means of transportation when compared to road, rail and air because of several occurrences, which have the potential to harm cargoes and vessels.

Speaking at a forum in Lagos, recently, terminal operators and insurance firms openly blamed each other over alleged poor documentations in the maritime sector.

A communiqué issued at the end of the event emphasised the need for “integrity among all stakeholders to identify the point of loss, damage or delay in the event of claims and ensure prompt payment of claims”.

The communiqué added: “Compel terminal operators to issue documents that will enable cargo owners to make full claim of their cargo losses from Insurers and also recognise Insurers’ subrogation rights to recover losses after payment”.

But, terminal operators are of the opinion that due to the transit nature of ships, damages to cargoes take place outside the shores of Nigeria.

T

Umar Speaking from the perspective of insurance firms, Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) appealed to the federal government to put adequate measures in place aimed compelling terminal operators to take responsibility for damaged or losses of cargo at their terminals.

Besides, NIA argued that there is urgent need for the relevant government agencies to compel terminal operators to issue documents that will enable cargo owners to make full claim of their cargo losses from insurers and “also recognize insurers subrogation rights to recover losses after payment”.

Industrial And General Insurance (IGI) Plc senior manager in charge marine, Mrs Florence Oladimeji who spoke on behalf of NIA at the forum explained that as marine cargo insurers and underwriters, “we call on government to urgently look into the issues bothering on enforcing the rule for terminal operators to take responsibilities for losses of cargo at their terminals.

Oladimeji also stressed the need to allow cargo surveyors unhindered access to the terminals to carry out what she identified as “the all-important duty of surveying the cargo and submitting their report of findings to insurers”.

Explaining further, Oladimeji said: “A negligent party should not be allowed to get away with damaging cargo, deliver cargo short, break seals of containers, pilfer cargo and deny liability”.

She added: “Also, the terminal operators should be held responsible for the damages to imported cargoes because they refuse to open their gates for marine surveyors to inspect the extent of damage done to goods before they are cleared from the port.

“If our appointed cargo surveyors do not have access to cargo at the terminals, it will be difficult for them to write reports that will enable underwriters settle the claim of the

Okonjo-Iweala insured.

“We have so many cases of diversion “We have so many cases of diversion, cross delivery and non-shipment of cargo, tampered container padlocks or container seals. Vessels easily discharge damaged cargo and sail away without documentations.

“Documentation of the loss is very important for substantiating the marine claim. Letters of protest should be obtained as it is intended to bring the observed discrepancies on the cargo to the attention of the negligent party for their comment.

“Experience has shown that where cargos are damaged at our ports either during discharge or while in the custody of the terminal operators, they refuse to issue documents taking responsibility for such missing cargo or damaged cargo”, said Oladimeji.

On her part, the Chairman, Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup explained that improper cargo storage system and poor packaging of cargo especially those arriving Nigeria from other third world countries contribute to cargo damage.

Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman of ENL Consortium, operators of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, told the gathering that most of the vessels bringing cargo into Nigeria are old while their gears develop problems during discharge operation.

Haastrup said: “Under-declaration is also part of the reasons why cargoes are damaged. A situation where an importer declares a container that weighs 60 tons as 50 tons and you as terminal operator deploys a 50-ton capacity equipment to lift a 60-ton container, what do you expect if not cargo damage?”

The STOAN chairman also used the opportunity to explain that some importers whose goods were discharged in November 2013 under the

old destination inspection regime handled by service providers were yet to take delivery of their cargoes.

“Importers who imported goods after Customs changed from Risk Assessment Report (RAR) to PreArrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) still have their cargoes in the terminals and it was recently the Customs Comptroller General gave additional two weeks for the cargoes to be cleared,” said Haastrup, adding that such anomalies create delays in the cargo logistics chain and are recipes for port congestion.

She called for the harmonisation of ship inspection procedures by government agencies at the port in order to minimise vessel delays and reduce the cost of doing business.

“It is important that all of us work together to drive efficiency at the port. We must support the government to achieve its target of prompt cargo clearance and lower cost of operation. It is a herculean task but with unity of purpose, there is no limit to what we can achieve,” she added Expanding her argument, Oladimeji made reference to two instances, which occurred recently.

She said: “This is a claim lodged by one of our insured. It involved the loss of one 40foot container with goods worth N93million. The container was discharged into one of the terminals at the Apapa port. By the time the insured came to collect the container, it was nowhere to be found. The terminal operator could not account for the container and refused to issue any missing cargo document.

“At the end of the day, we paid the insured a reduced claim of N78million because our right of subrogation has been denied by the terminal operator refusal to issue any document for the missing cargo”.

On the second case, Oladimeji told the gathering that the insured lodged a claim for missing coil to the

tune of N53million.

“The coil was discharged sound and complete from the carrying vessel.

The coils were stored at one of the terminals in Apapa Port. When insured collected the coil, there were shortages. The terminal operator issued the delivery document noting shortages but denied that it occurred at their terminal. The insured presented the letter of claim holding the terminal operator liable for the loss but only got a letter denying liability.

“We settled the claim but deducted some amount for prejudiced recovery. The insured could not get their full claim, as we could not recover our subrogation right from the terminal operators “There are so many claims we have paid without the cooperation of terminal operators. We only cited these two as example of what we are facing in handing cargo losses at the terminals.

“The losses we are facing run into millions of naira. Losses to insurers and the cargo owners. The losses are huge. We are only looking at just a particular company case as an example. The entire insurance industry is facing cases of losses paid to cargo owners that are never recovered by the insurers after payment “Also, the terminal operators should be held responsible for the damages to imported cargoes because they refuse to open their gates for marine surveyors to inspect the extent of damage done to goods before they are cleared from the port. “If our appointed cargo surveyors do not have access to cargo at the terminals, it will be difficult for them to write reports that will enable underwriters settle the claim of the insured.

“We have so many cases of diversion, cross delivery and non-shipment of cargo, tampered container

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NPA unveils e-payment options, inaugurates anti-corruption unit

NPA’s Executive Director, Marine and Operations, David Omonibeke (left); Executive Director Engineering and Technical Services, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Saleh, Managing Director, Habib Abdullahi, Executive Director Finance and Administration, Olumide Oduntan and the Managing Director of Interswitch, Mitchelle Elegbe at the unveiling of NPA e-payment options in Lagos, recently.

Stories by Moses Ebosele HE Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) has formerly introduced e-payment options at the nation’s seaports.

According to NPA, the initiative guarantees multiple payment channels, tackle delay payment confirmation and curtail reconciliation challenges to “the barest minimum”.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation forum held in Lagos, at the weekend, Managing Director of NPA, Habib Abdullahi explained that the resolve is also expected to ensure prompt transaction processes.

Assuring stakeholders of prompt transactions, Abdullahi listed the benefits of the payment options to include instant payment confirmation, faster & efficient service delivery, improved vessel turn-around time, cost reduction and identification and blockage of revenue leakages.

Giving a background to the introduction of the scheme, the Executive Director, Finance & Administration of the Authority and the initiator of the scheme, Olumide Oduntan disclosed that the management on assumption of office identified three pillars that are critical to transformation in the maritime industry particularly in port operations as “Human Resources, Technology and Process”.

He recalled that in the past, when payment is made, it takes between three to four days for it to be confirmed “because it has to be taken to the Headquarters by customers and the headquarters will now send it through courier to the ports”.

According to him, the new system put together in partnership with Interswitch Nigeria Limited ensures payment is confirmed same day.

Stakeholders at the event according to a press state-

T

ment issued by NPA’s Assistant General Manager (Public Affairs), Musa IIliya, described the system as a “landmark for the maritime industry and commended the management of NPA.” Meanwhile, Abdullahi has declared zero tolerance for corrupt practices at the nation’s seaports.

Speaking at the formal inauguration of members of NPA Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (NPAACTU) in Lagos, the Managing

Director represented by the General Manager, Western Zone Ms Adenike Sonaike added that for NPA to be the leading Port in Africa, and to improve her efficiency level, the issue of corruption cannot be down-played, adding that corruption is inimical to efficiency in the port industry.

He pointed out that for Nigeria to take her place among the committee of nations, “we must shun cor-

ruption”.

In his remark, the representative of the minister of transport, Idris Umar, Kayode Olajimi described NPA-ACTU a pacesetter.

The head of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Lagos office, Olufemi Nofiu enjoined the management of NPA to give the new executive all the necessary support for them to continue the good work.

Members of NPA-ACTU Unit consist of Mrs. E.I. Williams as the Chairperson, while members are G. IyeEgbunu, A.M. Aliyu, Engr. C. Ngini, Munir Umar and Joshua Minabere as the Secretary.

The terms of reference of the unit include among others:*Receive and investigate complaints of corruption and other sharp practices; Educate staff on and against bribery, corruption and sharp prac-

tices and monitor the Authority for general compliance with the Anti-Corruption and Transparency crusade of the Federal Government.

In line with its five-year strategic growth agenda, NPA recently challenged employees to re-dedicate themselves to effective service delivery.

Abdullahi, who gave the charge at a one day seminar urged the corporation’s employees to ensure steady growth, enhance productivity

Sustaining marine insurance through documentations CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 padlocks or container seals.

Vessels easily discharge damaged cargo and sail away without documentations.

“The regulatory authorities should compel terminal operators to have proper liability insurance cover and such insurance policies be submitted to shippers council for scrutiny for adequacy of cover and proper wording.

“The NIA will be available to assist if required. We recommend that CDF/Shippers Council should have billboards at the port offering assistance to cargo owners.

Compel terminal operators to have insurance claims/information desk to assist cargo owners.

“Insurers, surveyors, terminal operators, shipping agents and all stake holders in maritime operations should all be seen as partners in progress ensuring that our ports are involved in international best practice”, Oladimeji added.

She told the gathering that marine cargo insurance occupies an important position in international trade, adding that while it is primarily concerned with the protection of ocean-going cargo, it also covers against the hazards associated with connecting land conveyances as well as ship-

ments by rail or air.

The communiqué from the event put together by the Cargo Defence Fund (CDF), also highlighted the need for capacity building for “effective and efficient handling of cargo”.

Other resolutions reached include the need for all players in the Industry to be ready and willing to accept liability where necessary and make available documentations. *Role of Marine Cargo Surveyors appointed by Cargo Interests is vital and they should be allowed access to the Ports and Terminals for effective Surveying of cargo and facilities and to take photographs where necessary; *There is the urgent need to have up to date equipment at the Ports and Terminals for adequate handling of cargo; *Capacity building for effective and efficient handling of Cargo; *Government should encourage the use of tamperproof seals for containerised cargo integrity and discourage the use of padlocks after examination; *There should be Joint Survey of cargo by relevant Parties or interest when the need arises with a view to protect the interest of the affected stakeholders and identify the source of loss, or damage;

*It is agreed that the turnaround time of vessel should be improved upon as well as provision of more tugboats with a view to saving time and reducing costs at the Ports; *The various stakeholders in the Maritime Industry advocate the urgent introduction of an efficient Single Window System; *There should be improvement in cargo stowage in the best interest of all parties; *There is need to enforce the provision of Container Holding Bays by Shipping Companies. *Government should encourage the development of

Regional Investment Strategy in Maritime Industry. *Stakeholders should be enlightened on adequate packaging of goods for shipment in order to avoid risks of loss or damage. *The Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT) should improve Inland water transportation to compliment the Rail transportation in Nigeria in order to reduce the pressure on Land transportation of Cargo; *The Policy formulated in Maritime Sector should be reviewed to meet with present day challenges in order to enhance development in the

Maritime Industry; *To decongest access roads to the Ports there is need to designate Truck Transit Terminals within the Port precincts; *Importers should be encouraged to clear their goods on time in order to reduce Port and storage charges on Containers; *Government should regulate and enforce the use of structurally sound containers for shipment of goods in and out of Nigeria; *Government should enforce the use of through bill of lading and designation of Cargoes to Off-Dock

Customs impounds 800 bags of rice HE Seme command of the Nigerian Customs Service T (NCS), recently, impounded not less than 800 bags of rice hidden in a truck loaded with pineapples.

According to the Area Comptroller, Seme Command, Willy Egbudin, the 800 bags of rice were hidden under a truck with Benin Republic registration number.

He said the truck was intercepted at Aradagun/Mowo, near Badagry, Lagos State at midnight on February 18,

2014, adding, “These seizures were made due to intelligence gathering we were able to get with the help of our officers”.

Explaining further, Egbudin said: "Our men had monitored the truck right from the loading point and allowed it to enter Nigeria.

"It was intercepted at Aradagun/Mowo near Badagry where the bags of rice were hidden under pineapples".

Already, according to Egbudin, the driver of the truck confessed that few days

before his arrest, he tried a similar operation but was not successful.

“He confessed that he loaded a locally constructed vehicle with about 40 bags of rice and covered it with pineapples to experiment to see if he would catch the security agencies napping.

The car and goods were impounded but he was able to escape," Egbudin added .

The command had recently made a seizure of rice, boat with outboard engine and vehicles for conveyance valued at N7.5million.

"

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Industry Improving regional trade, capacity utilisation through foreign aid policy To developing economies, Aid-for-Trade is no news. It is a diplomatic channel used by developed economies, particularly the United States, European Union (EU), World Trade Organisation (WTO) among others, to support them in their poverty alleviation initiatives while facilitating trade. Regionally, Nigeria is economically ranked high especially in its growth potential while reflecting it in its aid policy to other African nations. To further strategically position itself for regional trade in the light of new trade agreements regime, stakeholders within the real sector are advocating a shift in paradigm in the nation’s aid policy by pushing locally manufactured goods rather than funds to countries receiving its aid. FEMI ADEKOYA writes.

HE arguments on the reciprocity of trade T between developed and developing nations have continued to linger, especially when the issue of aid for trade is raised.

Indeed, arguments over time border on whether the reciprocity of trade should be based on need, not on the promise of a quid pro quo or Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga (left); and Managing Director, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Boyi, during the strictly a development initiative.

To stakeholders, whether or not aid generates inspection of newly assembled cars at the PAN factory in Kaduna on Friday. growth in a country is determined by the poli- Export Promotion Council (NEPC), “The feedback from our participation at fairs and commitment to the promotion of non-oil cies that stem from the aid.

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export staged in three countries of the West African exports while imploring all participants here Specifically, Craig Burnside and David Dollar, in (MANEG), Standards Organisation of region in the last quarter of 2013 showed high to come up with ideas that will ensure the their study Aid, Policies, and Growth found that Group (SON), and exporters among others. levels of on-the-spot sales, which is an indica- transformation of the export sector,” he said. conditional aid is more likely to generate Nigeria To this end, the Nigerian Export Promotion tion of the appreciable acceptance of Nigerian Director-General of SON, Joseph Odumodu growth.

(NEPC) has called on the awardees of products by consumers,” he revealed. represented by the agency’s Head of Product According to them, “Our results indicate mak- Council Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) to take He disclosed that NEPC has capacity building Certification, Abiola Komolafe, stated that the ing aid more systemically conditional on the the of the quality certification to boost initiatives meant to upgrade the technical skills manufacturing sector remains the driver for quality of policies would likely increase impact advantage the export potential of their products. of potential exporters such as the Export Skills attaining economic growth. on developing country growth.”

Making the call, Chairman MANEG, Tunde Acquisition Programme (ESAP) designed for “Standardization is a catalyst that stimulates Thus, it is evident that blanket aid is not the noted that there is an urgent need to beginners in the export business. quality, consumer confidence and competisolution to creating economic growth in Africa. Oyelola, a concerted and coordinated “Furthermore NEPC in collaboration with tiveness and it remains the viable tool to Instead, specific allocation of resources towards execute to manufacturing export develop- MAN Export Group (MANEG) has established an launch Nigeria’s products into the global marprojects such as infrastructure and transporta- approach in Nigeria and also made recommenda- export house known as NEXPOTRADE in Liberia, ket,” he said. tion will create economic opportunities for ment tions to government and its MDAs that could to strengthen market penetration of Nigerian Also addressing the NIS awardees, the Lagos domestic entrepreneurship. manufacturing exports. products as the export houses guarantee con- State Commissioner of Commerce and With many Western donors re-examining their boost should support manufactur- tinuous supply in the host countries. It is hoped Industry, Olusola Oworu, who was represented foreign aid commitments as a result of econom- ing“Government exports in her foreign aid policy by giving that this novel endeavor will overcome its pres- by the Director of Commerce in the ministry, ic downturns at home, changes are afoot and out made in Nigeria products rather than cash ent hiccups and achieve the objectives for its set- Hakeem Adedeji, noted that the event was new alliances are being forged. countries that are getting assistance from ting up,” he said. appropriate at this time because of the growAlready, China is increasingly exerting its influ- to Nigeria. This policy is already being impleHe gave special commendations to the efforts ing number of entrepreneurs with the goal of ence across Africa. many developed countries as their of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and export.

For instance, the Washington-based Center for mented by and services constitute their foreign NAFDAC as regulatory agencies that were She advised the NIS awardees to sustain the Global Development and Aid Data has revealed products he said. instrumental in certifying products for the NIS standards and challenged others to raise the research findings that suggest China is financ- aid,” He urged the government not to relent on its awards and work on quality assurance enforce- quality of their products in order to qualify for ing 1,673 development projects worth $75bn efforts to ensure effective administration of ments respectively. the award. (£48bn) in 50 African countries.

Export Expansion Grant (EEG) since that is “I equally want to thank MANEG for its support With much of Africa relying on foreign aid, the only functional incentive exporters rely on despite economic growth in parts of the conti- the cushion the effects of high cost of producnent significantly outpacing the global average, to in order to remain competitive in the stakeholders within the export sector believe tion market. government needs to review it foreign aid policy export “We still recommend that government rather to boost non-oil exports, if it hopes to further than embark on frequent review of the boost Nigeria’s export potential and promote scheme should work out a mechanism that HE Association of Master facturers, suppliers and dis- native to imported wheat locally manufactured goods. effective administration of the Bakers and Caterers in tributors. flour, a topic that is currently Indeed, the move, according to the stakehold- ensures This will eliminate high level of uncerNigeria, an umbrella body for He called on brand owners in on the front burner in the ers, would demand the Federal Government giv- scheme. tainty facing the scheme and re-establish all bakeries, confectioners bakery, confectionery services country. ing out made-in-Nigeria products rather than exporters’ confidence on the scheme,” he said. and caterers in Nigeria, has and even equipment leasing The organisers however financial aid to countries that are getting assisAlso, the Director/Chief Executive Officer of endorsed the forthcoming to take advantage of the restated the resolve of the tance from Nigeria.

Olusegun Awolowo noted that despite food and beverage exhibition, opportunity as more than organisation to put up a high According to them, many developed countries NEPC, the challenges encountered by some manufac5000 members of the union level of professional delivery Foodbext West Africa. are already implementing the policy as their turers who export, their companies are makwould be to ensure a good experience According to the President of nationwide products and services constitute the foreign aid ing a mark in international markets. the association, Jacob mobilised to be in atten- for the visiting brands, saying to many regions. that this event has been Anjorin, who spoke during a dance, during which a semi- that bakers in other countries Furthermore, they emphasized the need for col- “I wish to emphasize with the aim of bringing together courtesy visit by Managers of nar would be held on cassava of Benin Republic, Togo, laborations in facilitating and implementing organised reputable companies that had won the NIS cerstrategies that will boost manufacturing exports tification 151 Products Limited, organis- bread.

Ghana, among others would mark with a view to ensuring that in the country. ers of the event, the associa- He commended the organis- be at the event. they participate in export business to maxiPrecisely, some of the strategies include how tion is totally committed to ers, saying it would even be an Foodbext West Africa, in its their potentials,” he said. the potential in quality certification and various mize opportunity for the Federal attending the exhibition en third event, has continued to He stated that it was also part of the agency’s incentives like the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) strategy masse since it is an event that Ministry of Agriculture and grow in profile as the largest of re-iterating the need to diversify could be properly harnessed to boost export our dependence on oil to non-oil in line with gives a unique networking Rural Development to inter- event for food and beverage activities in the country and the region. opportunity between manu- act extensively on the pro- products in West Africa.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformaThe stakeholders were drawn from the Nigerian tion agenda. gramme for cassava as alter-

Firm partners master bakers, caterers on exhibition

T

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014 INDUSTRY 39

Repositioning value chain drivers for industrial growth Global “value chains” are used to strengthen the competitiveness of the real sector. This process has in turn, led an increasing number of companies to establish cross-border networks.

These links are mutually beneficial as such value chains aid manufacturers and high technology industries access essential products and services that would aid their business processes while boosting services that may have limited tradability. FEMI ADEKOYA examines how value chains can aid real sector’s competitiveness.

HE tide in the real sector in recent times has T shown the growing inter-linkages between manufacturing and service. High technology

“

Chukwumah

Regan

It only takes a committed investor to put his money in manufacturing; especially investors who understand the nitty-gritty of the manufacturing processes and expected return..It is thus unfortunate that the buying public still leans towards the less durable, low quality products that are dumped in the country at relatively much cheaper prices despite the bank lending rate of around 23 per cent per annum, power, security and infrastructure challenges that manufacturers have to contend with.

of products.

“So, we had to embark on an extensive rehabilitation exercise, we had to embark on an extensive upgrade, and expansion wherein we have increased the production capacity of Nigeria Machine Tools not only to manufacture the machine tools that it was originally set up for but also to expand its level of operations into areas such as agriculture, oil and gas, industrial training and high end machining capabilities. So, what are we now? We are a one-stop-shop right now for industrial manufacturing and machining based on abilities to render a wide of services to the Nigerian industrial climate”.

“For the oil and gas sector, we have expanded our machining capability, we have installed production facility for stud bolts, nuts and flanges for the industry. We have also installed a PTFE coating plant for coating for

“

industries and manufacturing firms’ use of intermediate services has increased across board in decades.

Indeed, manufacturing is changing from being dominated by machine operators and assembly line workers to a sector, which relies more and more on service occupations and service inputs.

This trend shows up in the increased share of employees with services-related occupations, including activities such as Research and Development, engineering design, software design, market research, marketing, organizational design and after-sales training, maintenance and support services.

With many firms seeking industrial parts and services, it has become imperative for them to access various components that would drive the desired industrialisation the nation seeks.

Readiness of Tools Company in driving industrialisation The Managing Director, Nigeria Machine Tools Limited (NMT), a pioneer Machine Tools manufacturing Company, Norbert Chukwumah stated that the company has concluded plans to take its rightful place in the market, while catering to the needs of key industries in the country.

According to Chukwumah, since the official handover of the then moribund company by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), massive investments have gone into transforming NMT into a modern manufacturing company with the capacity to produce a diverse range of industrial products and services to international standards.

“The firm was primarily to develop Nigeria’s industrial capabilities in terms of output for machine tools, and by machine tools we mean heavy equipment like leads, nailing machines, trailing machines, both conventional and computerised. The idea being that no country can industrialise without a viable machine tools industry because they refer to machine tools industry as the mother industry, because of its able to produce equipment that are used in the production of a whole wide range of goods. It is the bedrock of any country’s industrialisation”, he explained.

The firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Ray Regan said: "The firm has upgraded its facility, acquired state of the art equipment and developed the highest level of competence in the manufacture of various products including stud bolts, flanges, machine tools, agricultural implements, municipal castings and technical training, corrosion protection and machining services. NMT is open for business and we are ready and committed to playing our own part in Nigeria's industrialisation.

"We intend to assume leadership of the West African market in the next three years, and we shall achieve that by focussing on the needs of the markets and delivery of un-compromised quality in every single item that rolls out of the plant backed by projected technical staff strength of 350 by the end of the year".

Strategies to drive growth According to Chukwumah, it only takes a committed investor to put his money in manufacturing; especially investors who understand the nitty-gritty of the manufacturing processes and expected return.

He added that the company is presently positioning itself not only to act as catalysts for industrialisation but to harness opportunities in the nation’s real sector.

He explained: “When we came in 2007, we took a comprehensive study and determined that without proper government support purely as a machine tool company it will not be a viable business because it required a whole lot of things. It requires government’s support and patronage; it requires government’s protection from unhealthy competition from Asia, which made us almost like a dumping ground for sorts

all sorts of equipment. We are the only company in-country right now with the capability to manufacture stud bolts for the oil & gas industry in the country and when you add those coating facilities I mentioned like the PTFE and the galvanising, we can also treat the materials for corrosion.

“Similarly, we have upgraded our training institution. We now have a fully functional training facility at the Nigeria Machine Tools, which we have upgraded to handle training for a wide range of technical skills not only for our own staff, but also for external clients. We do machining training, fabrication training; we also do some computer-aided design training, and in the not too distant future we do expect to open a fully certified institute for scaffolding and wielding training in-country at the same facility”.

On the firm’s foundry, the company’s boss noted that the foundry has been upgraded to

produce a wide range of castings for industrial use ranging from manhole covers, ornamental castings and castings for furniture, adding that the upgrade of its machining capabilities would assist the firm in acting as a stop gap measure for people who require immediate spares for their machines, whether current or obsolete.

Challenges in a thriving industry On some of the challenges encountered by the firm, the NMTL boss noted that the firm continues to compete with sub-standard goods being dumped in the country.

“It is thus unfortunate that the buying public still leans towards the less durable, low quality products that are dumped in the country at relatively much cheaper prices despite the bank lending rate of around 23 per cent per annum, power, security and infrastructure challenges that manufacturers have to contend with. With adequate support from government, manufacturers can drive the desired industrialisation the nation seeks”.

Chukwumah however called for adequate support and protection from government to ensure that the company and other Nigerian manufacturing entities succeed, saying: “the NMT, in which the Nigerian Government holds 15 per cent equity, along with the Government of India (through HMT International), which also holds another 15 per cent equity is the only machine tools manufacturing company in Nigeria and is in stiff competition with cheap foreign imports with ample prospects for future expansion and growth.

Unilever rewards couples under Close-Up cupid games

By Toyin Olasinde NILEVER Nigeria Plc has concluded plans U to sponsor five young couples on an exciting weeklong trip to Magnetic Island in Australia.

The couples emerged as the final winners of the Valentine promo tagged Close-Up Cupid Games organized by the company.

Close-Up Cupid Games was created as an interactive platform where young Nigerians could meet and form new friendships. It was a very interesting and exciting game that was available to play both online and via SMS and was open to all Nigerians who were at least 18years old.

According to the organisers, during the course of the game, over 10,000 players tested their compatibility with others by answering a series of fun questions. After a

random electronic selection, 250 compatible couples were selected to attend the Close-Up Cupid Games Valentine’s Masked Ball to party.

However, the five lucky couples selected for the grand trip did not emerge until after a series of test games including, fastest fingers, treasure hunts and blindfolds among others.

Speaking at the Ball, Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nig Plc Mrs. Oiza Gyang, said that ‘’Closeup Cupid game generated interest and participation all over the nation with the 250 finalists coming from several different states’’.

Gyang also added “Close-Up brand would continue to create innovative and exciting platforms for its consumers’ enjoyment.

Also, Marketing Director, Unilever David Okeme, said “Close-Up is a brand that believes in youth and has been promoting the youths over the years. Every brand has a big idea behind it and for Close-up; it is to promote

human closeness. We surely put our message to consumers this way the closer the better. Closeup is not just toothpaste but a brand that gives people the confidence to get close and step forward to achieve results.

He added that Closeup have given 10 young Nigerians comprising five males and females each opportunities to enjoy a trip to magnetic island.

The lucky couples who were drawn from across Nigeria are Nwachukwu Ikenna and Cynthia Ada Ugochukwu, Odinaka George and Bridget Iweriso, Babatunde Popoola and Olukemi Lidipe, Mudiaga Akpudje and Sosia Opuda as well as Ifeanyi Paul Onyebuchi and Okonkwo Patience.

The firms noted that the couples would travel as Nigerian ambassadors and join other youths from two other Close-Up market regions India and Brazil.

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Focus Lagos watching, smokers beware!

The ban on smoking in designated public places in Lagos has generated mixed reactions from concerned stakeholders. But in whose interest is the new law? WOLE OYEBADE reports.

HE drive for a healthier Lagos environment T received a boost last week, when Governor Babatunde Fashola assented to the ‘No

Fashola

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji

public health”, which the National Assembly should emulate to pass the National Tobacco Control Bill into law.

The right activists urged federal lawmakers to put party differences and personal gains aside in defense of the health of Nigerians.

Director Corporate Accountability & Administration ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “We salute the courage of Governor Fashola for shunning the rapprochement of British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), which was clearly targeted at thwarting this life-saving bill when the company’s top echelon visited his office last year. The governor has through the signing of this bill sided with the people over and above deadly investments.”

He, however, warned that legislation was just the starting point in the fight against tobaccorelated epidemic.

The activists reeled out number of famous Nigerians that had died of tobacco-related diseases, warning that the list is growing by the day.

Sicknesses and deaths linked to smoking is a global phenomenon. For instance, about 100,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) alone die each year due to smoking.

Smoking-related deaths are mainly due to cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease. According to findings by the World Health Organisation, about half of all smokers die from smokingrelated diseases.

If you are a long-term smoker, on average, your life expectancy is about 10 years less than a non-smoker. The younger you are when you start smoking, the more likely you are to smoke for longer and to die early from smoking.

Cigarette smoke, according to researchers, contains over 4,000 chemicals, including over 50 known carcinogens (causes of cancer) and other poisons. One of them is a substance like nicotine, a drug that stimulates the brain.

How does nicotine work? If you are a regular smoker, when the blood level of nicotine falls, you usually develop withdrawal symptoms, such as craving, anxiety, restlessness, headaches, irritability, hunger, difficulty with concentration, or just feeling awful. These symptoms are relieved by the next cigarette.

So, most smokers need to smoke regularly to feel normal, and to prevent nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

But every stick increases the risk of Lung cancer. About 30,000 people in the UK die from lung cancer each year. More than 8 in 10 cases are directly related to smoking.

Another 25,000 people in the UK die each year from COPD, a serious lung disease. Heart disease kills the most, taking about 120,000 people in the UK die each year. About 1 in 6 of these is due to smoking.

The statistic could be worst in places like Nigeria where health facilities are either not as

“

The law is all about good environment. The fewer the smokers around us, the better health and environment we will have. About 1.1 billion people are smoking in the world today and we non-smokers are at risk. First-hand smokers are as prone to tobacco-related injuries as second-hand smokers

“

Smoking in Public Places Bill 2014,’ bill, which is now a law.

This is coming barely a month after State Assembly passed the bill. The legislation prohibits smoking in designated public places in the state.

The approval received cheers from the Lagos State House of Assembly, which had worked hard in passing the private-member bill.

Environmental activists also rejoiced at the news, while a section of the tobacco industry was also “excited” with legislation, describing it as balanced and non-vindictive.

Traders in tobacco-related products and owners of social centres, however, frowned at the law, describing it as a “bad omen” for business.

For the owners of hotels, bars, night clubs and restaurants, where smoking has been restricted to just 10 per cent of the space-occupied, it was a negative legislation that could unleash overambitious law enforcement officers on them and impede smooth running of business.

Though they commended the six-month window period that the legislation conceded to smokers and public centres to re-adjust to the new regime, but they were equally concerned on adequate sensitisation on the law and its enforcement in good fate.

According to the law, it is now an offence for anyone to smoke in all places designated as NoSmoking areas. Also prohibited to smoking are libraries, public toilets, hospitals and healthcare premises, crèche, all schools including tertiary institutions, public transport vehicles within the state, private vehicles with more than one person in it and school buses.

Other no-smoking areas are restaurants, cinemas and stadia, hall of gatherings, shopping centres, retail shops, factories, place of work, common parts of flats and communal accommodation, any structure that is enclosed or substantially enclosed and is open to the public among others.

By the law, it now a punishable offence for an employer to smoke in the presence of his/her staff, or anyone (including parents) to smoke in the presence a child, which the law has described as anyone under 18 years of age. It is also illegal for individuals under the age of 18 to buy or sell cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Penalties for smoking in a designated nosmoking area will be N10, 000 or imprisonment for a term not less than one month and not exceeding three months, or both.

Under the law, any person who repeatedly violates the provisions shall on conviction be liable to a fine of N50, 000 or six-month imprisonment, or both. Smoking in the presence of a child shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine of N15, 000 or imprisonment for a month or both.

The law mandates owners or operators of smoke-restricted areas to display ‘No-smoking sign’ and ensure it prohibition. Failure will attract a fine of N100, 000 or six months imprisonment or both. It is also an offense to obstruct a duly authorised officer from entering and arresting when carrying out his duties under the provision of the law.

Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, its duly authorised representatives, the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences and other law enforcement agencies (as the need arises) shall enforce the law.

Lagos State would be the third to pass such law after Federal Capital Territory in 2008 and Osun State a year after.

At the forefront of tobacco control legislations in the country are the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC). To them, the law is a “timely vote for

sophisticated or majority do not get to diagnose the problem before it killed them.

Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, therefore, commended the expedited action on the bill, adding that Lagos had again shown that it blazes the trail in safeguarding the health of the people.

He said: “Of particular note is the fact that it took the governor less than a month to sign this pro-people bill into law. It is disheartening that we cannot say same for the tobacco control bill at the National Assembly, which has suffered bureaucratic setbacks instigated by tobacco industry’s misinformation which puts profits before public health.”

Rafsanjani urged the National Assembly to follow the example of Lagos by accelerating work on the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB), which he said, would “save Nigerians from further trauma inflicted on health and the national economy by products marketed by BATN and other tobacco companies.”

Contrary to the stand of the activists, BATN has also joined in commending the legislation for balancing the stakes and non-discriminatory.

BATN Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs in West Africa, Freddy Messanvi said the process was transparent, citing that the public hearing and eventual drafting of the bill took all relevant views into consideration.

It would be recalled that BATN, association of hotel owners and traders of tobacco-related products had appealed against total ban on smoking in hotels and restaurants, stressing the negative impact it would have on businesses.

In response, the House accommodated a new section to designate a place not more than 10 per cent of the No-Smoking premises (Bars, Nightclubs and Hotels) as a Smoking Area.

It was explained that the 10 per cent Smoking designated area was in line with international practice. Of all the 101 countries to have prohibited smoking in public places in the world, only Peru completely bans smoking, while others allow designated Smoking areas “for smokers to enjoy themselves.”

Messanvi commended the gesture, though hoped there would be adequate sensitisation of all Lagosians especially those who trade in tobacco and law enforcement agencies.

He stressed that for laws to be effective, “it must be enforced in a just manner as this is the only way it can achieve its intent.”

Messanvi said BATN welcomes balanced and effective regulation, adding that he hopes this same approach of driving for balance, which is believed to be an effective way of addressing public health objectives without driving the trade underground into the hand of smugglers, would be replicated in other tobacco regulation in the country.

Owner of a popular Nightclub in Lagos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said such legislations would cripple businesses and increase rate of unemployment in the state.

According to him, “It is most unlikely that people will stop smoking because a law says so.

What we know is that some customers will keep off from Nightclubs when they know that some law enforcement officers can just bump into the club and harass everyone, in the name of enforcing No Smoking law.

“We all know what the case was when okada was restricted. Every officer, plus Man-o-war started arresting okada even in unrestricted streets. We foresee similar problem playing out with this No Smoking law, and that will be most unfortunate from commercial point of view,” he said.

A distributor, Mopelola Omojola added: “Tobacco-products are not ammunitions, bombs or bullets that should be banned in hotels, clubs and bars.” She believes there are more serious environmental hazards that the government should tackle and “leave willing smokers alone.”

The Lagos lawmaker, who sponsored the bill, Gbolahan Yishawu told The Guardian that the law was more of a victory for public health than a personal satisfaction.

Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa II Constituency, said though he felt great sponsoring such public-health bill, as a first-term lawmaker in the House, but the goal was to better the lives of the people with good legislations.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 25-02-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 MARKET REPORT 51

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 25-02-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

Mobil stock leads gainers’ chart on the Exchange

By Helen Oji OBIL Oil Nigeria Plc closed higher at the equity sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday.

It led 41 others with 2.85 kobo to close at N124.85 kobo per share.

Following Mobil yesterday was Cap Plc, with a gain of 1.90 kobo to close at N49.00 per share.

Other gainers of yesterday’s transactions include FBN Holdings, Guinness Nigeria Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, adding 1.22 kobo, 0.99 kobo and 0.88 kobo to close at N13.80 kobo, N163.60 kobo and 24.90 kobo per share.

On the contrary, 18 stocks depreciated in price, as Unilever Nigeria Plc recorded the highest loss for the day, shedding 2.40 kobo to close at N45.60 kobo, PZ Cussons trailed with a loss of 1.12 kobo to close at N38.00 per share.

Beta glass lost by 1.01 kobo to close at N19.38 per share.

International Breweries and Evans Medical Plc which went down by 0.34 kobo and 0.12 kobo to close at N29.11 and N2.33 per share.

Consequently, the market capitalisation of listed equities improved by N148 billion to N12.578 trillion from N12.433 trillion recorded on

M

Monday.

Similarly, the NSE All Share Index (ASI) grow by 452.96 basis points to 39160.10 points from 38,707.14 point traded the previous day.

A further review of yesterday’s transactions showed that investors bought 409.506 million shares worth N4.420 billion exchanged in 5844 deals against 337.305 million shares valued at N3.112 billion transacted by investors in 5078 deals. Financial Service sector led the activities chart for the day in volume terms with account of 328.589 million shares valued at N2.872 billion in 3514 deals.

Banking sub sector was the investors delight having account for 193.146 million shares worth N2.179 billion in 2071 deals.

Guaranty Trust Bank was most active in banking sub sector, accounting for 34.200 million shares worth N852.405 million traded in 530 deals while Access Bank sold 34.074 million shares valued at N272.659 million in 290 deals.

Other financial institution sub sector boosted by FBN Holdings followed in the financial service sector with account of 34.362 million shares cost N466.507 million in 813 deals.

GTI’s private trading floor will boost stockbroking practice, says CIS

By Bukky Olajide HE Chartered Institute of T Stockbrokers (CIS) has lauded the emergence of the

What Happened?

The NSE All-Share index gained by 117bps (1.17%) and closed at 39,160.10. This represents a year-to-date performance of 5.25%. Market Capitalisation also appreciated 1.17% to close at N12.578 trillion. Total value traded increased 42.03% to N4.42 billion and total volume traded increased 21.40% to 409.51 million units Where?

At the close of trading, the banking sector represented 62.60% of the total market value traded, while the breweries sector represented 7.88%. The Top 5 stocks as a % of total market value traded were: GUARANTY (19.29%), ZENITHBANK (14.09%), FBNH (10.55%), NB (7.88%) and ACCESS (6.17%) On a volume basis, the Top 5 most traded stocks for the day were: FBNH (34.36m), GUARANTY (34.20m), ACCESS (34.07m), FCMB (33.93m) and UBA (30.41m).

first private trading floor as a milestone that will usher in a new era and boost the practice of stockbroking in the country.

The council of the CIS, last week visited the 150-seat multi-purpose private trading floor built by GTI Securities in Lagos. Located on Tinubu Street in the Marina axis of Lagos’s main Central Business District, brokers and dealers can trade on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the NASD Plc through the GTI Securities’ trading floor. CIS, a self regulatory organisation chartered by Act 105 of 1992, is the regulatory body for the practice of stockbroking in Nigeria.

President of CIS, Ariyo Olushekun explained that the emergence of private trading floor will deepen the practice of stockbroking as it will allow stockbrokers to engage in private practice as qualified professionals in their own right as lawyers, medical doctors, accountants and other professionals as against the current situation where stockbrokers can only work under a stockbroking firm.

According to him, the possibility of brokers and dealers being able to trade directly through private trading floor such as GTI’s will enhance the attractiveness of the institute certificate and create more opportunities for brokers and investors and the economy generally.

Olushekun, who is also the Managing Director of Capital

Assets Limited, said there are provisions under existing rules that allow some kind of private practice for stockbrokers noting that the trail-blazing effort of GTI will make it further possible for all stakeholders to realize this.

“What you have here is a mini stock exchange, some stock exchanges in West Africa and other parts of the world don’t have a floor as robust as this.

This is very impressive; I will like to commend your effort. I urge other colleagues to find time to visit this floor and see what you have done and see how they also want to contribute to stockbroking and market development,” Olushekun said.

He advised the management of GTI Securities to expand the trading horizon of the floor by adding other platforms such as the commodities exchange and the debt securities and bonds exchange.

In his remarks, the first vice president of CIS, Emmanuel Ohanwusi described GTI as the biblical Moses that will lead stockbrokers to the promised land noting that such opportunity for private trading and practice is what the stockbroking community has been yearning for.

He said GTI has bridged the timeline between aspiration and reality with the state-ofthe-art trading floor pointing out that while private stockbroking was thought of as a future concept, it has now come closer as a possibility.

Abe said GTI has made landmark contribution to bridging infrastructural deficiencies plaguing the country and particularly the stockbroking profession.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Midweek Arts MTN Afrinolly short film contest…

A lifeline for young African filmmakers

By Chuks Nwanne HOUGH there are several other challenges T facing African filmmakers in their effort to step up to their counterparts in Europe, America and Asia, every independent filmmaker in the continent would agree that funding is a major factor militating against filmmaking in Africa. So, no matter the level of creativity in the art of filmmaking, lack of fund to put the ideas into practice will always be an issue to young talents.

In an intervention that aims at providing funds for young African filmmakers to actualize their dream as well as make contribution to the continent’s motion picture industry, telecommunication company, MTN recently introduced Afrinolly Short Film Competition.

The competition, which was conducted in different categories, brought together works from young filmmakers from different parts of Africa.

On Saturday, winner in different categories

Amstel Malta to fete winners at AMVCA 2014 S African movie stars, filmA makers and stakeholders in the motion picture industry set to storm Lagos for the second edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA), Amstel Malta, Nigeria’s premium low sugar malt brand and lead sponsor for the award, is set to honour winners in this year’s event.

The malt brand sponsored the first edition of the awards last year and played a major role in rewarding the best of the industry.

Meanwhile, Amstel Malta has always been affiliated with the entertainment industry especially the movie industry. In 2005, it launched its reality TV series, Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO), which had the likes of O.C Ukeje, Bhaira Mcwizu, Wole Ojo and Ivie Okujaye as winners of different seasons of the reality series.

These young men and women are now becoming the best in the movie industry

with O.C Ukeje winning the Best Actor, Drama and Ivie Okujaye bagging the Industry Trail Blazer Award at the AMVCA last year. This tells a lot about the brand and its tagline, Be the Best You Can Be. Speaking ahead of the event holding this weekend in Lagos, the Brand Manager, Hannatu Ageni-Yusuf, expressed her excitement over the brand’s involvement with the AMVCA. “Amstel Malta has always focused on getting people to be the best they can be and our partnership with the AMVCA gives us the opportunity to not only encourage people that have put in their best in the movie industry but also inspire others by reinforcing the brand message.”

This 2nd edition of the awards will kick off with a Cocktail event on March 7, and then end with the Awards night on March

Ukeje 8. Voting lines are still open for the public to choose their favorite nominees.

Meanwhile, Amstel Malta has promised that this year’s AMVCA will be an unforgettable one. It encourages every one to look forward to the awards night, as there will be a major surprise for Nollywood and Amstel Malta consumers.

of the competition were presented with their awards, which comes with cash prizes.

Held at the MUSON Centre, Onika Lagos, the presentation ceremony attracted some stakeholder in the motion picture industry, as well as top officials of the telecommunication company, who performed the formal presentation of cheques to the winners.

At the event, a Namibian Filmmaker, Florian Schott, emerged the highest winners in the film contest. Ecstatic Schott revealed that winning the $25,000 cash prize is a great opportunity for him to help in moving the Namibian film industry.

“It’s amazing; I’m more than excited coming top in the MTN Afrinolly short film category. My success was based on the passion I put in; the extra effort I made in achieving this and a lot of movies enthusiasts who voted for this film. I’m extremely grateful to MTN for this prize money and award given to me. This will help in pushing the Namibian film industry further, because, I will reinvest the money into film production in my country,” he declared.

Speaking after he was presented with the grand prize in the documentary category, Nigeria’s Victor Okoye said, “it’s a great privilege to come top in this competition and I say a very big thank you to God Almighty and MTN Nigeria for their continuous support in providing reliable platform for future stars to be discovered. I hope we shall continue to enjoy this rare privilege from other companies,” he enthused.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi, assured that MTN would always love to develop every area

where it operates.

“Our core objective for sponsoring Afrinolly is to empower African youths to tell their own stories from their own perspective and eliminate financial barriers to produce quality movies. We look forward to ultimately creating a new generation of content providers in the Africa movie industry,” he said.

In total, MTN Nigeria rewarded ten winners in the competition. While Florian Schott won the first prize ($25000) in the short film category with Everything Happens for a Reason, Daniel Etim Effiong won the second prize ($10000) with Your Cup of Tea, while Gbenga Salu came third ($5,000) with 10:10. In the documentary category, Victor Okoye won the first prize ($25000) with Creative Minds, Ronke Ogunmakin’s Awele’s Diary came second winning $10000, while Ng’endo Mukii came third ($5000) with Yellow Fever. Other finalists in both categories received $500 each.

The MTN Afrinolly Short Film Competition is a unique, innovative and youth-focused competition, with singular concentration on the next generation of African filmmakers. The competition is designed to expand the conversations on issues about the African continent by Africans, motivate and reward young and emerging film makers who exhibit exceptional narrative skills using short movies and documentary as a medium.

The competition is conceived entirely as an online challenge open to Africans from across the world creating or have created short films or/and documentary films of not more than 15 minutes. Participants are expected to upload their films to a dedicated competition website and the finalists would be decided by a panel of jury and public voting.

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Africa’s pioneering icons at Etisalat prize award

By Anote Ajeluorou N Sunday, at The Marquee, O Federal Palace hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Elnathan John’s wish

for African writers came through. As a shortlisted writer in The Caine Prize for African Writing, John had voiced his frustration for making African literatry laureates outside.

So last Sunday, it was in Lagos, and not London or Paris or New York that a winner for the maiden edition of Etisalat Prize for Literature for first fiction book emerged on African soil.

She is the petit Zimbabwean novelist, NoViolet Bulawayo; she won with her critically acclaimed book, We Need New Names. She had won The Caine Prize in 2011, with ‘hitting Budapest’, a modified short story excerpt from her current book, a few years ago.

It wasn’t a surprise win as such. We Need New Names was in the longlist in The Booker Prize in 2013, England’s famous prize contest, as the first African woman to be so appraised.

An elated Bulawayo specially thanked the judges, patrons, and Etisalat Nigeria for the award and for the opportunity the Etisalat Prize for Literature afforded her, saying, “I am thankful to the organizers of this event, Etisalat Nigeria for this most excellent and necessary prize. We are all aware of the shortage of literary prizes and it is heart-warming to know that Etisalat Nigeria sees and values the significance of such literary works in Africa”.

She was also presented with an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, a Samsung Galaxy Note. As part of the prize’s pecks, Bulawayo will attend the Etisalat Fellowship at the prestigious university of East Anglia and be mentored by Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland. She will also have book tours in three African cities and get the chance to start work on her second book.

But the prize award went farther than merely announcing the winner from a shortlist of three. In celebrating new and additional authors to the pantheon of African literary canvas, it gave due recognition to pioneering literary icons in the continent, past and present. In a section tagged ‘Write of Passage’, with soft music in the background, the pioneer writers were given credit for their immense roles in lighting the way for those coming behind to see to the future nurturing of a continent’s creative imagination.

Joseph Ephraim Casely hayford (first Ghanaian novelist), Naquib Mahfouz (Egypt and first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize), DO Fagunwa (Nigeria and pioneer Yoruba writer), Sol T. Plaatje (first South African novelist), Camara Laye (Guinea) and Nigeria’s Chinua Achebe. Other living pioneers given credit included Nadine Gordimer (South African and only African female Nobel Prize winner), Ngugu wa Thiong’o (Kenyan) and Nurudeen Farah (Somalia).

Sadly, black Africa’s first Nobel Prize winner, Wole Soyinka wasn’t included in the line-up of writers for recognition. This also goes for an important group that was jumped over for a much younger generation. The Odia Ofeimun, Femi Osofisan, Niyi Osundare, Kole Omotoso, Tanure Ojaide group didn’t feature before focus was shifted to the Ben Okri (Nigeria), Chimamanda Adichie (Nigeria), Tstsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) and Alain Mabanckou’s (DR Congo) group.

The two runners-up, all females, were Nigeria’s Yewande Omotoso (Bom Boy) and South Africa’s Kareen Jenning (Southbek). This prize has also thrown up the women as being masters of the literary craft at the continental level. For a debut prize to have an all-female shortlist cast is salute to women’s creative ingenuity and a significant shift in the literary power equation. Omotosho and Jenning were also presented with Samsung

Galaxy notes. They will also go on book tour of two African cities.

Bulawayo’s win and the dominance of women in this prize is continuation of the literary trend in the last few years both in Nigeria and Africa-wise.

In 2012, South Africa’s Sifiso Mzobe squeezed past two other women –Nigeria’s Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo (Roses and Bullets) and another South African, Bridget Pitt (The Unseen Leopard) to win the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. That same year, Chika unigwe won The Nigerian Prize for Literature with On Black Sisters Street. Only last year, Dr. Ogochukwu Promise was in the shortlist of three as she contested keenly against Amu Nnadi and the eventual winner, Tade Ipadeola in the same prize. Nigeria’s Chenelo Okparanta (‘America’) vied against three other Nigerians and one Sierra Leonean in The Caine Prize in which Tope Folarin won with ‘Miracle’.

This is how far Africa’s female writers have come, and the future looks bright for them, as they continue to push their creative vision to the front row.

Also, another female writer, u c h e

Acting MD, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher; winner of the maiden prize, NoViolet Bulawayo; the two runners-up, Kareen Jenning and Yewande Omotoso

Head, High Value Events & Sponsorships Brands and Communications Division, Etisalat Nigeria, Ebi Atawodi and Senegalese music star, Youssou N’Dour after the event

Okonkwo won with ‘Neverland’ in the Flash Fiction Prize category and went away with 1000 British Pounds plus other valuable items.

Earlier, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher reaffirmed his company’s commitment to arts and their capacity of the arts to affect society positively. he noted that the Etisalat Prize for Literature was designed “to recognize and reward debut writers of fiction in Africa, with the objective of discovering new creative talents from Africa and promoting the bludgeoning publishing industry in Africa.

“As a rite of passage, published and unpublished literary works of art have been passed down from generation to

generation in Africa. Etisalat Nigeria is indeed pleased to celebrate all authors in the African literary spectrum. As such, Etisalat Nigeria is proud to use its maiden pan-African Prize for Literature to recognize and celebrate the amazing work done by these unique individuals”.

Renowned Ghanaian author, Prof.

Ama Ata Aidoo, awarded the Flash Fiction prize to Okonkwo and commented on the growing significance of the genre in world literature on account of the popularity of the internet.

Senegalese music star and former tourism and culture minister capped a remarkable event with a sterling performance.

Ifowodo, Wood host creative writing workshop in Warri today YOuTh Empowerment Creative Writing A Workshop for secondary school students selected from 10 schools in Warri and its environs will start today at Federal Government College.

Assistant Professor of Poetry and Literature at Texas State university, San Marcos, u.S., Dr. Ogaga Ifowodo, will lead a three-day workshop at his alma mater that ends on February 28, 2014. The workshop is supported by the International Institute of Education’s small grants programme in collaboration with the Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

It will be declared open by the Delta State Commissioner for higher Education, Prof. hope Eghagha, while a representative of the state’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, will give the closing remarks and present book prizes to the participants, including the literature teachers from the 10 schools with whom Ifowodo will have a roundtable on the third day to discuss problems in, prospects for, and approaches to, the effective teaching of literature at the secondary school level.

Ifowodo will be joined by the fiction writer, journalist and culture advocate, Molara Wood, author of the recently released and brilliant book of short stories, Indigo. Ms Wood, whose story ‘The Last Bus Stop’ is part of the workshop readings, will not only be a guest writer and facilitator, but also participate in a Question-and-Answer session with the students.

The choice of venue and participants is informed by two major considerations. First, as a deliberate attempt at extending writing workshops beyond Lagos where they always seem to take place—and only for practising or aspiring professional writers at that. Second, as an intervention in a part of the country, the Niger Delta, where massive unemployment and shocking poverty in the midst of the abundant oil and gas wealth expropriated therefrom tend to lead the youths to serious crimes and other anti-social activities.

While a workshop may not match the amnesty programme through which the federal government has tried to palliate the youths of the Niger

Delta, the hope is that it will emphasise and help inculcate an important skill for sublimating feelings of anger and frustration into an aesthetically and socially productive form of art. Through the habit of keen observation and deep reflection on their society in order to write about their experiences (personal or imagined), the participants will be encouraged to appreciate the value of self-expression by way of the cultivation of good writing skills, especially as such skills need not be limited to creative writing but can also lead to careers in journalism (print or electronic, including blogging) and in the public relations and technical communication departments of corporations.

Above all, emphasis will be laid on the need to master the medium of communication, in this case English. Thus, prizes will not be awarded to

the best stories or poems from the workshop but to all the participants and their literature teachers. The prizes are well-known works in the two major genres of poetry and fiction, each written by a poet and a fiction/life writer, and the timeless Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White. The choice of book prizes is aimed at the need to perpetuate the spirit of any lessons learnt well beyond the three workshop days.

Workshop co-ordinator, Ifowodo, is a poet, writer and activist, whose last book of poems is The Oil Lamp, winner of the ANA/Gabriel Okara Poetry Prize and the scholarly work History, Trauma, and Healing in Postcolonial Narratives: Reconstructing Identities released in November 2013 by Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Ifowodo

Wood

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Sports UEFA Champions League’s Heineken House Lagos opens today

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

Uche will not be in my World Cup team, says Keshi KECHUKWU Uche, who forISamson mer Super Eagles’ Coach, Siasia, describes as Nigeria’s current best striker, will not be in Stephen Keshi’s Brazil 2014 World Cup team because he ‘lacks tactical discipline.’

Uche has been Nigeria’s most reliable goal scorer in the last two seasons and has scored 12 goals this term for Villarreal.

On Monday night, the striker returned to action after he was sidelined by injury for two weeks. He last featured for Nigeria in the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations against Burkina Faso.

According to MTNFootball.com, Keshi said from his base in the United States that, “Ikechukwu Uche is not a player I have not seen play. Ike Uche’s problem is not knowing how to play football.

“His problem is that he wants to dictate how we play in Super Eagles, he wants to tell us the system we are playing is not good.

“Uche has a very bad habit, that if you put him in the game he is not playing to instructions and he did that in the final of AFCON against

ITH the second round W matches of the UEFA Champions League on-going

Burkina Faso, he almost cost us.

“Again he did that against Zambia, in the second match when (Efe) Ambrose was given a red card. What we told him to do, he was doing the opposite.”

Keshi added, “and if you don’t respect your team mates and you don’t respect the team, then there is no point. I know he cannot do that in his club, then why do it in the national team?

“I don’t think I need a player like that in the team.”

When Keshi first hinted of his intention to drop Uche from his World Cup team, Siasia had urged him to reconsider his decision, as he thinks the Villarreal player is the best Nigerian goal scorer.

Uche Siasia, who expressed his delight over Uche’s form this season, insisted that the 30year-old has no equals among the strikers Keshi curN furtherance of its drive to rently picks. remain the best in sports in Saying it was wrong to Nigeria, Delta State, has conjudge Uche based on his per- cluded plans to serve off a formance at the South Africa monthly tennis classics, spe2013 Nations Cup, Siasia cially designed for the playadded, ers, who will fly Delta flag in “the truth is that we should national tournaments, espeknow that a player cannot be cially the National Sports on fire every time.” Festival. The tourney serves off today in Asaba.

Delta is touted as the biggest sports state, based on its developmental proCommissioner for Youth and grammes for sports talents Sports, Dr. Lanre Tejuoso rep- and the plan to start the resented by the Permanent Delta State Tennis Classics is Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs a further demonstration of Moyosore Olowonmi called the State’s penchant for on the participating schools always coming up with new to make discipline their ways to engage sports talwatchword, as government ents. would not tolerate any act of According to the plan of the indiscipline throughout the organisers, the tournament, competition. which will hold in Delta She also used the opportuni- State, will be in a round robin ty to commend Guaranty format, with the points gathTrust Bank for patnering the ered during the course of the state government in discov- tournament, being used to ering talents in the state sec- determine the players who ondary schools for the sec- will make the team to this ond year running and prom- year’s National Sports ised a hitch-free organisa- Festival holding in Calabar. tion of this season’s competiWhile confirming that he tion. classic will be a selection

Delta State’s tennis classics serves off

I

process for the NSF, the Head Coach of the Delta State Tennis team, Henry Ubochi said yesterday that the classics were a novel way to keep the players busy all yearround, adding further that he hopes that the players will make use of this once in a lifetime opportunity to better their fortunes.

“Apart from engaging these players on a monthly basis, we also hope that the players will improve their knowledge and performance on the court. We want our players to be tough competitors any time they go out to compete in national or international competitions”, said Ubochi.

Ogun GTB Principal Cup begins today

NFF tests aspiring FIFA player’s agents on April 3

HE Season Two of the T Ogun State Principals Cup Competition starts today

HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) says it is set to conduct this year’s FIFA

Wednesday 26 February in many centres across the state.

Four hundred and fifty six schools comprising of 269 male and 160 female teams will take part in the competition, which will have the semi-final matches in both categories played between the May 14 and 16, while the final matches will hold on the May 22 at MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.

Addressing sports journalists at the press conference to usher-in the competition,

NFF picks Amoo as U-23 coach HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) has named former Super Eagles star, Fatai Amoo, as the national U-23 team coach.

Amoo has now been confirmed as sole candidate NFF have pencilled down for the job.

“Fatai Amoo was here for the interview to take charge as U23 team coach. He has been pencilled down for the job.

He is the only one for the

job,” Emmanuel Ikpeme said.

The NFF had before now not made any official pronouncement on Amoo’s appointment.

Amoo has handled various clubs, including 3SC, Sunshine Stars and First Bank of Lagos.

The country’s last U23s failed to qualify for both the All Africa Games and the 2012 Olympics in London.

Amao

Players’ Agents examination on April 3, 2014 in compliance with a directive from the world football governing body.

Incidentally, it will be the last such examination, as the current licensing system will be abandoned as from this year summer.

The circular, dated January 31, 2014 and signed by FIFA Deputy General Secretary, Markus Kattner explained that the world body will send to each National Association a total of 15 questions that relate to the international regulations, while the National Association (in this case, NFF), will be required to set five questions on national subjects, and such questions shall be set as multiple choice test.

“In order to avoid potential irregularities, the examination will be scheduled for one day only.

“FIFA has the sole authority to set questions relating to international subjects. All associations are therefore strictly forbidden from setting their own questions relating to international subjects. In the event of any violation in this regard, FIFA will not recognise the

examination results from the association(s) concerned, therefore, rendering invalid all players’ agents licenses that are awarded as a result of the respective examinations.”

The circular also went ahead to remind all National Associations that each correct answer to any question shall be awarded one point only, and a minimum of 60 minutes and maximum of 90 minutes will be allowed candidates for the examination.

“We kindly remind you that, following the endorsement by the FIFA, Congress on 31 May, 2013 in Mauritius of the new approach on Players’ Agents Regulations, the current licensing system will be abandoned as from summer 2014,” the circular further stated.

NFF’s Chief Legal Officer, Okey Obi said yesterday that the Federation has always abided by all conditions and stipulations set by FIFA for the Players’ Agents examinations and will do likewise this year.

“We are comfortable with all the regulations and have never had any problem with any of the conditions. We are prepared as ever to conduct a hitch-free and credible examination on Thursday, April 3, 2014, starting from 10 a.m.”

across prominent stadiums in Europe, football fans and invited guests to the upscale Heineken House Lagos have continued to savour the thrills of the world’s premier club competition.

The state-of-the-art Heineken House Lagos, has been relocated to Ikoyi and will be formally unveiled today after a press conference featuring the Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Walter Drenth.

The managers of the Heineken House Lagos have concluded arrangements to give visitors and consumers a world-class viewing experience. A tour of the Heineken House Lagos reveals the features of the house and what consumers can expect. Most remarkable are the Football Arena Room complete with real stadium seats, Heineken and UEFA Champions League museum atrium, and Heineken Served Extracold bars with draught beer will be featured in the house.

With all the clubs with huge Nigerian followership featuring in the knock out stage, the visitors and consumers are in for exciting moments as the new Heineken House Lagos will be showing all the remaining 41 matches of the second round through to the final at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, Portugal on May 24.

“Our consumers and visitors to the Heineken House deserve the best ambience to watch their UEFA Champions League matches, hence, all the facilities in the house have been upgraded to give every guest a world class experience with a series of activities lined up for different nights up till the final match,” the Senior Brand Manager, Heineken, Jacqueline Van Faassen explained yesterday.

She disclosed further that activities during this knockout phase were designed to enhance interaction as consumers will have the opportunity to engage the European football legends every match week on twitter with the ShareTheSofa digital initiative.

Those, who are opportune to be in the house will interact with celebrities in the entertainment and football industry when the matches are on in real time, with chilled Heineken available to enjoy the games.

This evening expectedly, many football fans and consumers of rival English Premiership club sides in the house will be hoping for misfortune to FC Chelsea when they take on Didier Drogba’s Galatasaray FC in Istanbul. A misfortune to the ‘Blues’ will be an extension of poor first leg result recorded by premiership title chasing FC Arsenal and Manchester City, who were victims of the “triple punishment” of red card, penalty and suspension losses to Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona respectively.

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Cricketweekly ICC U-19 World Cup India thrash PNG, Pakistan beat England OUNG Sanju Samson’s senY sational blitz with the bat propelled India Under-19s to a massive 245-run win over Papua New Guinea Under-19s at Sharjah yesterday, the victory margin being India’s seventh highest in youth ODI history.

India were off to a positive start after electing to bat first, with openers Ankush Bains and Akhil Herwadkar (37) putting up a 50-run stand inside 12 overs. PNG then got a breakthrough as Herwadkar holed out to deep square leg. Bains (58) continued the rampage, bringing up his half-century alongside captain Vijay Zol (35), who accelerated after a cautious start.

The duo added 74 runs for the 2nd wicket, before Zol was bowled through the gates.

Bains followed and India were 139/3 in the 33rd over.

India took the Batting Powerplay after the 35th over and it was only a while before Sanju Samson rolled out his masterclass, hitting Gebai for two sixes and five fours in his two overs. Shreyas Iyer supported well at the other end, as India looted 54 runs in their Powerplay overs.

More drama ensued when Samson struck two more fours and three more sixes, all this while being dropped thrice in two overs and also added 116 runs with Iyer. His blistering innings finally ended in the 47th over, where Sarfaraz Khan took over with an 18-ball 34. India posted 301/6 in 50 overs.

PNG’s response to a steep chase was a poor 56. Monu Kumar struck straightaway in his first over, reducing them to 3/2. The middle order restored some normalcy, before chinaman Kuldeep Yadav unleashed himself, grabbing figures of 4/10. PNG were already down and out, and were dealt their final blow as they lost six wickets for just 4 runs.

In another game yesterday, England lost a nail-biting semifinal to Pakistan.

Stamford Bridge all-rounder Will Rhodes, England’s captain, and Sheriff Hutton Bridge fast bowler, Matthew Fisher, both impressed as England posted 204-7 – only to lose by three wickets in the last over.

Rhodes hit a composed 76 not out to help England recover from 69-4 before taking 146 from ten overs, while 16year-old Fisher was excellent for his 2-21 from ten overs.

“We took it right down to the wire, and I thought we were always in with a chance,” said Rhodes.

“Unfortunately we didn’t take our chances, and fair play to Pakistan because they took theirs. Fisher and Rob Jones bowled exceptionally well.

He’s been outstanding all tournament has Fish, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

Officials of Cricket Sri Lanka welcoming the Nigerian team to Colombo…on Sunday.

PHOTO: CRICKET SRI LANKA.

Ahead Malaysia 2014 WCL Division Five Championship

Nigeria arrives Sri Lanka on training tour

By Christian Okpara HE Nigerian delegation to the Malaysia 2014 World Cricket League (WCL) Division Five Championship arrived in Colombo on Sunday for a training tour of Sri Lanka.

The delegation will train in Sri Lanka for nine days before moving t Malaysia, where they will battle with Guernsey, Jersey, Tanzania, Cayman Islands and the host, Malaysia.

While in Colombo, the Nigerian team will play four Twenty20 games against some of the biggest teams in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket told local press the it was hosting the Nigeria as part of their contribution to “uplifting the standard of cricket of the Associate Members of ICC.” The tour by Nigeria comes three months after Kenya had played seven Twenty20s in Sri Lanka.

Over the last month, Sri Lanka had also hosted Afghanistan’s training camp for the Asia Cup. The Division Five Championship will hold from March 6 to March 13 in

T

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the teams vying for the two qualification slots for the Division Four League.

The third and fourth placed teams will remain in Division 5 up till 2016, while the fifth and sixth will be demoted to Division 6 championship, which holds in 2015.

Speaking on the training tour before his team left for Sri Lanka, Team Nigeria’s Technical Director, Olisa Egwuatu had told The Guardian “the Sri Lankan high commissioner has been very helpful to us since we began preparation for the WCL championship. He went with us to meet the Minister of Sports and was surprised that we were not getting any financial or material support from the National Sports Commission (NSC).

“Now, they have arranged for us to travel to Colombo to train world class facilities and play against the top teams in their country. We cannot stop thanking them for what they are doing for us,” Egwuatu said.

He added, “the Sri Lankan High Commission has given us a platform, which we will utilise to prepare adequately

for the championship.

“In Sri Lanka, we will play four games, two each against Colts Cricket Club and Moores CC right on the main pitch of the cricket stadium in Colombo. We will begin the 10-day tour of Sri Lanka on February 21.”

Egwuatu also thanked for-

mer NCF President, Dr. John Abebe, Chief Philip Asiodu and Toye Timinadi, a cricket coach, for their financial support, adding that the team would try to justify the material and emotional support they have received from their patrons.

“If we qualify for the Division Four, it means we will get the

opportunity to vie for qualification for the 2019 ICC World Cup in New Zealand. That would be the first time a West African team would get to such height and we need government support to achieve that feat,” he had said.

Foundation Cricket Club begins Accra tour on Friday Cricket Club, This year, FCC is poised to again Richson Tetteh (scorer). Akin FonceOUNDATION (FCC), founded in 1985, will play two international friendly Denton (co-ordinator) is the again be in Accra, Ghana, matches during the weekend of leader of delegation. from Friday, as part of their goals of spreading the game of Cricket within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

This goal the club has religiously pursued from its inception till date by visits to several parts of the country and indeed the west coast to spread the gospel of Cricket.

In the past, FCC had visited such places as Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ife, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and indeed Accra, Ghana on a number of occasions.

The Club’s last visit to Accra was in 1997 when it won the two matches that featured on that tour.

February 28, 2014 with Accrabased teams in Accra, Ghana.

The 15-man squad comprises Dolapo Gaffar (Team Captain), Rotimi Adesanya, Taiwo Olabinwonu, Afeez Obisesan, Dimeji Oladunjoye, Kehinde Olabinwonu, Yemi Adegbola, Femi Oduyebo, Gbenga Akinrinola, Gbenga Olayemi, Tope Olayinka, Sunday Adeleye and Shina Awodele.

The squad is complemented by two Ghanaian members, Peter Ananya and Godfrey Bakiweyem in Accra.

Officials accompanying the team are Oghenekome Agodo (club captain/team manager), Oris Oruye (welfare officer) and

The squad departs from Lagos on Friday and returns on Monday, March 3.

Senior members expected to travel to Accra to support the team are Olayinka Fisher (chairman, Board of Trustees), Bob Osaghae and Kwesi Sagoe (BOT members), George Wiltshire, Samuel Aikhionbare, Tunde Akinleye, Barnaby Ephraim, Ademola Tade and Yinka Abayomi.

According to the team’s itinerary during the tour, FCC will play against Accra Titans on Saturday and meet Balaji Group of Companies CC on Sunday, both at the Achimota Cricket Grounds, Accra.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 SPORT 61

NBBF calls for stakeholders’ support, as new season begins

By Adeyinka Adedipe HE Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has called on stakeholders to support the board in its quests to reposition basketball in the country.

NBBF President, Tijan Umar told journalists yesterday at the press conference held to usher in the Dstv Basketball League that the administrators, players, coaches and officials must come together to ensure that the game take a place of pride in the country.

While admitting that it was impossible for the board to move the sport forward alone, he called on everyone to put personal interest aside and look for ways to take the sports to an enviable height.

He said rancor among the

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stakeholders would only bring the game to disrepute and called on any one with opinions that can help grow the sports to come forward with them.

“The board is not saying that we have all the ideas to move the sport forward. What we do is to ensure that stakeholders involved in the game gets what is due to them when we run the leagues. So, we call on all everyone to come up with ideas that can help us grow the sport.”

The NBBF boss noted that bickering among the interested parties in basketball might lead to loss of sponsorship, as sponsors would not want to associate themselves with an association in crisis.

“It is impossible for everyone

in a group to agree on every issue, but where dissent exist, I would implore such to be done constructively without mudslinging. It is clear that we need to disagree so that we can learn from eachother.”

He said aggrieved stakeholders, who love the sports should close ranks and forget whatever challenges the last sports federations elections might have caused.

“The elections are over, so we call on everyone to come on board with ideas that would help us better the fortunes of the game. We are not on the board to take what belongs to the teams, but to contribute our quota to the development of the sport.”

He also stated that the board would also pay a courtesy call to the sponsor of the NBBF Women’s League, Zenith Bank, with last season winner, First Deepwater Basketball Club.

Some of the gladiators in action at the on-going Lagos International Polo Tournament.

Teams begin quest for Majekodunmi, Low Cup, as tourney reaches final round FTER a successful opening A week of the on-going Lagos International Polo Tournament sponsored by MTN at the legendary Ribadu Road, Ikoyi polo ground, 12 of the biggest teams in the game of kings will return to the pitch today for the final part of the event.

At stake for the 12 high and low goal teams over four days are the Majekodunmi Cup

and Lagos Low Cup. Today’s action will see two local rivals, the Muyiwa Sonubi-led Lagos Petrosmith squaring up to Wale Edun’s Lagos Goodfellows in the opening game of the crowded Low Cup campaign. The second game of the day will see a re-enactment of the age long rivalry between Lagos and Ibadan, as Koyin Owoeye led Ibadan side do battle against

NASCOM boss for Gem Private School inter-house sports tourney S part of efforts to encourhouse sports competition of A age pupils to take active Gem Private School, Omole, part in sports, the Chairman, Eight-year-old Marylove Edward of Efuntunde Nursery/Primary School, Ogba, Ikeja, during the girls singles of the on-going 8th CBN Junior PHOTO: NAN. Tennis Championship in Lagos… on Monday.

National Academicals Sports Committee (NACOM), Yemi Idowu will be the special guest at the bi-annual inter-

Lagos Country Club agog, as Rainoil Tennis tourney serves off you are a tennis buff, then ItheFLagos Country Club, Ikeja, is place to be right now.

Reason: Tennis aficionados, as well as educated enthusiasts have all gathered at the club to savour the best of the game at the club level with a Lagosbased company, Rainoil Nigeria Limited picking the bills.

Tagged: “Sixth Rainoil Tennis Championship,” the competition, which has pitched members of the club in a battle to ascertain the real kings of the game, served off on Monday in three categories, men’s singles, men’s doubles and the veteran category.

Speaking on the tournament, Managing Director of Rainoil, Gabriel Ogbechie, whose company is sponsoring the competition, explained that they are sponsoring the tourney as their way of encouraging tennis development in Nigeria.

According to Ogbechie, the competition brings members together to compete in a convivial atmosphere and gives them the opportunity to gain bragging rights and improve on their rankings.

“It is a two-week competition played on the only clay court available in Lagos.’’

Chairman of the Tennis

Section of the Lagos Country Club, Ayo Olanrewaju, who does not hide his excitement on the large turn out of participants at the tournament, describes the Rainoil tourney as the grand slam tournaments, saying, “we have only four grand slam events in the ATP calendar, all others are mere championships. “ The Rainoil Tournament is our grand slam event. It is special and that is why people are excited. The stakes are high and the prizes are commensurate with the efforts of the players.

“We have adopted the ATP format, the only difference being that we have only three categories, namely men’s singles, men’s doubles and the veteran category.

“The players are assured of high grade quality prizes apart from the trophies at stake. We are always pampered by Rainoil.”

Describing the Rainoil Tournament as a tennis festival, Olanrewaju said the action on the courts are just part of the activities, adding “it has provided an avenue for members of the club to unwind and enjoy themselves.

The Captain of the tennis Section of the Club, John Nwosu, who has been coordinating the on-court and other activities with other officials of the section, said players who get to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final are assured of quality prizes provided by the sponsors.

“Aside the material prizes, this championship gives every member of this club the opportunity to relax and bond with his friends while waiting for the opportunity to exhibit his skills.”

Lagos today.

NASCOM has been championing the resurgence of sports in schools across the country with support from the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the one-day championship will afford the NASCOM boss the opportunity to encourage the school’s parents and guardians to allow their wards to embrace sports.

The four houses - Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Topaz will compete for the top spot at the competition, which promises to be exciting.

Medals, trophies, certificates and plaques will be won at the final, while the climax of the event will be the invitational relay among the invited schools.

Parents and guardians will also be in attendance to cheer their wards to victory.

the top firing Rotimi Makanjuola and his Lagos Raven Rojo squad.

Fresh from their impressive victories at the recently concluded MTN powered Ibadan 2014 polo tournament, Sani Umar is still in the hunt for more glory, as he leads his Kano Susplan against local rivals, Kano Aitek, in the third game of the Low Cup series.

The last game of the day in the high skate Majekodunmi that pits three arch rivals and a determined debutant, is the much-anticipated clash between Tajudeen Dantata’s Titan and Adamu Atta’s Fifth Chukker/Ironclad.

Drama, dancing, a well laid out Fashion Show and a sense of achievement were all on display as the curtain came down on first stage of the MTN sponsored Lagos international polo extravaganza in Ikoyi on Sunday.

After four days of intensive campaigns for honours, it was

Adamu Atta and his Lagos Fifth Chukkers, who ran out the biggest winner, carting home the highly revered Oba of Lagos Cup and the highly sort after Lagos Open Cup respectively.

The Chukkers, still eyeing the Majekodunmi Cup, laboured for five agonising chukkas in the nerve wrecking final to stop Kola Karim’s powered Lagos Shoreline with a 9-6 victory.

Before the cliff hanging Open Cup final, however, Atta and his big Boys had emerged the first major winners of the MTN polo festival, after outpacing Ashbert 98.1 team 11-5 in a grand show of horsepower and sublime display of talents.

The final of the royal crown was decided before crowded polo enthusiasts that included His Majesty, Oba Akiolu Rilwan, who arrived at the Ikoyi venue with his entire cabinet and other red cap chiefs.

32 teams for 10th Olaniyan basketball championship ROM the usual 16 teams, the FBasketball 10th Chief CFI Olaniyan Championship for secondary schools will witness an increase as 32 teams are expected to compete this year.

According to the Sports Director, Victory Group of School, Victor Somade, the tournament this year would have some of the top basketball playing school in Lagos including the national champion, International School, Lagos (ISL).

Also, former Lagos State Champion, Ajigbeda Girls

Jude Nwauhine (left), Chairman, Tennis Section, Lagos Country Club, Ayo Olanrewaju, Executive Director, Rainoil, Mrs. Ogbechie, Managing Director, Rainoil, Gabriel Ogbechie, Tennis Section Captain, Lagos Country Club, John Nwosu and Managing Director, Brand I.Q, Muyiwa Williams, during the opening ceremony of the Sixth Rainoil Tennis Tournament...on Monday.

Secondary School, as well as, defending champion and host – Victory Group of School, will be joined by Vivian Fowler Girls, as well as Top Flight College in the girls’ event of the competition.

Other teams are Doregos Private Academy, Avicenna, Turkish International School, Command Day Secondary School, Airforce Secondary School, Corona School, Nitec International School and a host of others.

The new-look basketball court of Victory Group of School will host the matches from March 5 to 7 with the top three teams getting reward for their efforts.

On the format, Somade said the 16 teams in the boys’ category have been drawn into four groups with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinal stage with same format adopted for the girls’ event.

Branded trophy and medals would be presented to the outstanding teams. The most valuable players (MVP) and best coach will be compensated for their feat at the threeday tournament.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

SPORT Wednesday, February 26, 2014

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Ronaldo

Real gets Ronaldo’s boost for Schalke clash EAL Madrid welcome back R Cristiano Ronaldo for today’s Champions League last-16 first leg clash against Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.

The FIFA Ballon d’Or winner, who scored a competitionrecord nine goals in the group stage, returns after serving a three-match suspension in La Liga for his sendingoff against Athletic Bilbao earlier this month.

Ronaldo’s availability is a further boost in confidence for the Spanish giants, who travel to the Veltins Arena in hugely impressive form.

The nine-time European champions are unbeaten in 27 games in all competitions, of which they have won 23.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have also kept 13 clean sheets in their last 15 games, helping them through to the final of the Copa del Rey and to open up a three-point lead over Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the top of the Primera Division standings.

“We are where we want to be,” Real captain Iker Casillas

said to www.marca.com. “We are alive in three competitions and we are fighting to win them all.

“We know it’s going to be difficult to win a treble but we will try. The team is playing well and we are going through a good spell. We are giving away few goals while we are solid in attack.”

Casillas knows his team must keep their feet firmly on the ground though, warning Schalke pose a serious threat to their dreams of winning a record 10th European Cup title this season.

“We are looking forward to Wednesday’s match,” the Spain goalkeeper said. Every player would want to play such an important game.

“Schalke are incredibly strong physically and they are consolidating a top four spot in the Bundesliga. I consider them a dangerous rival.

“We will have to try to limit the advances of (former Real Madrid striker) Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who could make life difficult for our defend-

ers.”

Huntelaar, who played for Madrid six years ago, insists his side are underdogs for the tie but will be hoping they can get a good result on Wednesday night to take to the Bernabeu for the return leg on March 18.

“Madrid are favourites,” Huntelaar said to www.marca.com. “But we are playing the first leg at home and we will make them work very hard.

“Our fans are really excited about this game, which will be a spectacular one. This is the first time we face Madrid and we will try everything to beat them and continue in the competition.”

Jens Keller’s side are unbeaten in the Bundesliga since December 7 and last Friday’s goalless draw against Mainz was the first time in 2014 that the club have failed to record a win. That run has left them fourth in the standings, one point adrift of third-placed Borussia Dortmund and two adrift of Bayer Leverkusen in second.

Mourinho angry at secret recording about Chelsea strikers HELSEA boss, Jose Mourinho said it was a “disgrace” a private conversation in which he appeared to criticise his strikers was broadcast on French TV. Mourinho said he was joking when he complained about Chelsea’s lack of strikers and made an unflattering comment about Samuel Eto’o’s age.

“It was a funny conversation with somebody that doesn’t belong to the football world,” Mourinho said.

“It is a disgrace that someone is taping a private conversation.”

Speaking ahead of his side’s Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray, Mourinho told the assembled media they should be “embarrassed” by the way French broadcaster Canal Plus published comments he had made about his players during a conversation eight days ago in Switzerland.

In the initial video, Mourinho said, “the problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have

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Eto’o but he is 32 years old, maybe 35, I don’t know.”

But in yesterday’s news conference, the Portuguese boss backed Eto’o, 32, and underlined that the Cameroun forward had played twice under him. At Inter, they won Serie A, the Italian Cup and the Champions League together, before the striker joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala last summer.

“I’m not defending what I’m saying. I’m attacking something that is, I think, fundamental in your professional area and that person showed exactly what he is or what he does not know about the job,” Mourinho continued.

“From my perspective, the comment is not obviously a good one, not one I would do in a serious way, not something I would do in an official way in an interview. First of all, because I don’t make fun.

Secondly, because if there are managers in the world that really defend their players, I

am obviously one of them.

And third, because Samuel Eto’o is Samuel Eto’o.”

Eto’o has only scored eight goals in 27 appearances since he arrived at Stamford Bridge last August. Fellow strikers, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have only managed 11 goals between them in all competitions.

But Chelsea are a point clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games remaining.

Mourinho added, “it was with Eto’o that I had the best ever season of my career (at Inter).

He’s one of the few players who is working with me in a second different club and a manager never does that when he doesn’t like the player or doesn’t like the person.

“He has no reason to be upset because also he said a few years go that ‘Mourinho is the only manager in the world I would never play for’. After a few years, he was playing with me at Inter and now he is playing for me. There is no story.”

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 SPORTS 63

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Nigeria lists seven sports for Commonwealth Games IGERIA will participate N in seven sports at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Secretary-General, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Tunde Popoola has revealed.

The Games will hold from July 23 to Aug. 3.

Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday that the sports were athletics, table tennis, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, shooting and all the sports for the physically challenged

(para-sports).

“We are participating only in sports that we believe we have medal winning prospects. We are going with the precise number of athletes that would be competing in the Games and no room for jamboree.

“We are assuring Nigerians that we are not going into the Games not for jamboree but to win medal,’’ he said.

According to him, the Games will be a spectacular one because all hands are already on deck to

ensure that the country has outstanding performance.

“The National Sports Commission and the NOC are in a synergy to ensure that both parties achieve a common goal. There is maximum cooperation between the two parties, finance is better managed and channelled to the right places,’’ he said.

Nigeria was ninth at the last Games in New Delhi, India in 2010 with 11 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals.

NOGIG 2014:

Swimming takes centre stage HE Olympic size swimT ming pool of the Chevron Recreation Centre, Gbagada will be the centre of attention, as swimmers competing in the 2014 Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games will battle for honours in the swimming events beginning today.

In the basketball event, which began on Monday at the same venue, NNPC exhibited class after overrunning NAOC 60-4. Team Chevron dismissed Team Total 24-20 in a closely fought encounter, while

Team Mobil also beat Team Shell 19-16.

Apart from swimming, the centre is also witnessing action in scrabble and chess. At the Ikoyi Club 1938 centre, action continues today in tennis, as the men’s singles event enters the quarter-final stage.

Sam Adoki of Chevron, who walked over Meki Nzewi, also of Chevron will confront Makinde representing DPR. In other matches, Kayode (Total), who defeated Victor Ifejika (NAOC) will face Iloeje (NNPC). Rume (Mobil) will

face Bashir of NNPC, while Cornell (ExxonMobil) meets Debo (NLNG).

In the ladies singles category, semi final matches will be played this morning, as Ogechi (NNPC) confronts Juliet (Chevron), while Esther (Shell) takes on Ulo Kasuwa (NNPC).

In the men’s doubles, the pair of Forcados and Idehen (PTI) five times winners of the title showed no sign of slowing down as they demolished Phillip/Ogida (Shell) in one of the matches played yesterday.

Public Relations Manager, UACN, Mike Asuquo; Ace Comedian and On Air Personality, Yaw; Executive Director, Corporate Services, UACN, Joe Dada, and Corporate Marketing Services Manager, UACN, Seni Fawehinmi, at the media presentation of UAC Soccer La1/2 Lines at Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac, Lagos.... recently.

Oyedeji Youth Foundation explains partnership with HotSports HE D’Tigers’ Captain, T Olumide Oyedeji says his partnership with Hotsports Limited would push his foundation, Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation, would aid his organisation in realising its dreams.

Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation on Monday in Lagos unveiled HotSports Nigeria as its media/marketing consultants.

Oyedeji, 33, said the foundation was a creative and cutting edge non-profit organisation founded primarily to promote beliefs in personal responsibility and instilling the habit of hard work in youths.

“The foundation is designed to highlight the dangers and damages of irresponsible life style, gang culture, while strengthening the society at large,’’ he said.

He said that apart from the foundation’s annual

Basketball Camp, it also encourages leadership training programmes, as well as educational pursuits by the youths.

According to him, the foundation strives to assist to identify youths to secure scholarships to the U.S. and some European countries to combine sports and education.

Oyedeji added that the reasons for a combination of the two were that where sports stopped, education would continue.

“It is a win win situation for the youth who pass through the foundation. We have confidence in the ability of HotSports, whose expertise in sports marketing is not in doubt can help us in the foundation to fully realise our objectives,’’ he said.

Also speaking at the event, Taye Ige, chairman/CEO of HotSports, said, “we are familiar with the Olumide Oyedeji

Basketball Camp held annually in summer.

“We are aware it had made impact in the lives of many young people, we are out to help to raise funds to support the project by the foundation.”

He said by teaming up with the foundation, his outfit hoped to assist in accomplishing more by the foundation.

“We are poised to help the foundation, particularly in Nigeria to touch more lives and continue to help the youths. This initiatives will give the youths, especially the under- privileged a sense of belonging as well as inspire them to realise their dreams.

“It will instill in them ethics, self confidence, hard work and personal development for them to grow,’’ he said.

Olumide, now in his off season, plays for Torchigi Brex Basketball Club, Japan.

TheGuardian

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Goke Omolade EFORE anything, some clarifications about certain issues. What are really meant by these concepts; the Public Service Rules (PSR), Government Workers/Civil Servants, Public Servants, the all-encompassing power of the employer as well as the unassailable rights and privileges of the employee? As expressly codified in an official gazette of August 25th, 2009 and tagged PSR 2008 edition; PSR can be regarded as those Regulations and Procedures in the Public Service whose objective is to effectively reposition the service for higher level of efficiency, effectiveness and enhanced service delivery. Similarly, the revised 2008 PSR became imperative so as to ensure the entrenchment of fundamental issues such as; transparency, accountability, justice, equity, due process and the rule of law.

In a presidential forward by the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua, the 2008 PSR was adopted in order to deliberately create the enabling environment, which was to flush out the obsolete rules and hindrance-laden practices of the past.

It was the lofty dream of the then president that the reviewed PSR would be part of the national development agenda/collective goals of making Nigeria one of the world’s 20 leading industrialised nations vis-à-vis having a focused and vibrant Public Service. However, between you and I; is Nigeria as it is now positioned, serious-minded, to be a member of the Club 20 of industrialized nations?

Pertaining to the PSR and its unique relevance in our governmental/societal setting, it is quite important to make mention of the essential features such as its abiding rules and regulations; appointments and conditions of serviceexit; rewards and sanctions on the one hand. At the other side of the divide are the packages of emoluments and attendant increments, leave matters, conditions of career progression and promotion. On its own are the conditions that deal extensively with disciplinary issues.

Here come the big, intertwined often misconstrued issues of who is a civil servant and who is a public servant? From experiential observation, a civil servant is a career officer on pensionable appointment in government service; while a public servant is a non-career officer on non-pensionable appointment in the public service. from hindsight, while people who get elected to public offices can be taken as public servants such as the president, governors, members of the legislative bodies as well as those on political appointments; civil servants are the silent, powerful and strategically positioned lot whose terms of appointments are clearly stated, a prior, by certain guiding conditions of service and by their orientation, they are the silent operators who initiate, brew, implement, review governmental policies and regulations.

This corps of officers is so influential that no government; democratic or otherwise, is complete without their meaningful and largerthan-life support. In the arena of decision-making process, the PSR and civil servants are essentially two of a kind because while the former acts as the guiding ethos for a charted journey, it is the totality of available civil servants through their sheer resoluteness, loyalty, civility, diligence, sincerity of purpose who decidedly determines the achievement rating of a typical government.

No less important are the attitudinal orientation and shared values of the power wielders and allied rank and file of civil servants, which borders on the esprit de corps guiding virtually all professions. Just as it is often advised that the exit date of a career officer from service is (unconsciously) right on the reverse side of each officer’s appointment letter and owing to this valid fact of life; the duty performance of each civil servant are, expectedly, guided by the ethics of job security, guaranteed emoluments, cognate job-experience.

Civil servants usually operate on their codified rules of engagement along with the PSR

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Please send reactions and feedback for YOUTH SPEAK to:

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Maximising the civil service for nation building

Head of Nigeria’s Civil Service, Bukar Goni Aji thereby playing the balancing role between the oft-complex art of statecraft and the power intrigue of the top political decision makers. They, civil servants, play the chief role of translating the nitty-gritty of the PSR and bringing to bear the visionary focus of political leaders. Obviously equipped with the required resources, civil servants act as the meeting ground/connecting point between achieving governmental set-goals and lofty dreams of the people. Aside the clearly stated codes of guidance, civil servants are a veritable sort who assist in the policy implementation of the political elite.

The bureaucratic machinery readily comes

to the fore in the event of husbandry of scarce resources among several contenders with the use of demonstrable modern techniques such as management by objective (MBO), public private partnership (PPP), entrepreneurial innovative venture (EIV). Central to this managerial and typical ethos is the existence of a healthy, functional and forward-focused civil service.

For those of us old enough with retentive memory and relished pride; one recalls the typical Civil Servants of yore like Phillip Asiodu, Allison Ayida, Musa Daggash, Ibrahim Damacida, B.N. Okagbue, HA Ejuyitche, Yusuf Gobir, S.O. Wey et al. These were individual actors who stood their ground for such solid

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Editor: MARTINS

OLOJA

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ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)

Civil servants usually operate on their codified rules of engagement along with the PSR thereby playing the balancing role between the oft-complex art of statecraft and the power intrigue of the top political decision makers.

They, civil servants, play the chief role of translating the nitty-gritty of the PSR and bringing to bear the visionary focus of political leaders. Obviously equipped with the required resources, civil servants act as the meeting ground/connecting point between achieving governmental set-goals and lofty dreams of the people. Aside the clearly stated codes of guidance, civil servants are a veritable sort who assist in the policy implementation of the political elite. values that the admirable civil service of their time was guardedly built on.

Never-the-less, in this age of quest for accountable governance and craze for profiteering-privatisation, no government worthy of its billing can afford to be unduly burdened with a leviathan-civil service without soundresult mentality. In the days gone by, the civil service was perceived as a big-hearted employer of both the employable and unemployable hands, irrespective of their competence or readiness to learn while on duty thus further compounding the prevailing problems of hidden unemployment or underemployment. In nations, which cherish merit, competence and brain-power, the days of empty/lop-sided employment are gone for good!

Indeed, the civil service has over the years been accused of being too lackluster and resistant of innovative ideas. Not only is it guilty of institutional lethargy, individual disorientation but it still harbours dead woods who have well passed their useful prime coupled with the incorrigible and impervious lot whose sole, inordinate desire is to make money at all cost.

As the main governmental agency for policy execution, the civil service to a large extent goes the whole hog to act as the measuring barometer on the overall success/failure of the government of the day. For instance, it is through the activities of the civil service and its vast and numerous arms/outlets that policy initiation, execution and review can be gauged.

On solid and practical note, Nigerians ardently take after their leaders who they regard as their frontal mirrors and on instructive cues, if typical leaders decide to operate on virtues; so too would the Nigerian citizens.

At the other extreme, if those in charge of affairs elect to be corrupt rulers rather than altruistic and conscientious leaders, Nigerians, far and wide, are ever-ready to outdo such cunning rulers in their own theatrics on all fronts.

Advisedly, each civil servant should regard every additional day in government service as the last when all privileges/entitlements of regular and steady income would have ceased. In fact by then, the present/available connections, acquaintances, friendships and fraternities taken for granted now would be so longingly sought but most of which would by then be beyond their reach. Either long or fresh in service, now is the appropriate time to commence preparations for post-retirement life.

• Omolade gokeomolade@hotmail.com