Fri 17 Jan 2014

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Frday, January 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

ALTON canvasses BPO investment in telecoms sector, others

By Adeyemi Adepetun LTHOUGH Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has been adjudged as the fastest growing industry of the country’s economy, contributing over 10 per cent to GDP in the last 13 years, the inability to adequately explore the investments opportunities provided by Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) in the sector has been described as a challenge.

Making this observation in Lagos, yesterday, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo said BPO offers wider opportunities for a country like Nigeria that is blessed with abundance human and natural resources.

Adebayo, while conducting journalists round an MTN call centre, which is being operated by CNSSL, a firm he oversees, noted that BPO offers wide opportunities to bridge

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the unemployment gap in the country if adequately harnessed.

He explained that currently at CNSSL, over 6000 Nigerian graduates have been employed across the six locations of the call centres. They include Lagos, which has three, Kano, Kaduna and Ilorin. He said over two million in-bound calls are attended to daily at the centres.

Adebayo, who said the telecommunications sector, should be protected adequately, stressed that it was one of the highest contributors to the national GDP, which is above 10 per cent and also one of the highest consistent contributors to Nigeria’s FDI in the last 13 years,. He said that even the banking sector contributed only four per cent.

According to him, BPO involves contracting the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions or processes to a third party serv-

Unilever Nigeria appoints Nsarkoh as Managing Director NILEVER Nigeria Plc has U appointed Yaw Nsarkoh as its new Managing Director, with effect from January 1.

He takes over from Thabo Mabe, who held the position from May 1, 2010.

Until this appointment, Nsarkoh served as Managing Director, Unilever East and Sothern Africa, based in Kenya. He has served as Strategic Assistant to Unilever Executive Member and President of Unilever Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe based in the United Kingdom.

He also served at various times as Marketing Director Unilever Ghana, African Regional Brand Manager Laundry Regional Innovation Centre, Unilever South Africa, Production Manager Unilever Ghana etc.

He has contributed immensely to the growth of Unilever businesses in Ghana, South Africa, Asia,

Central and Eastern Europe in his over 20 years career in Unilever.

Nsarkoh holds an Honors Degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Henley Management College, Henley –onThames, United Kingdom.

His areas of expertise and experience include, but are not limited to team leadership and general management; marketing and innovation; supply chain and project management and execution; external networking; and stakeholders’ management, among others.

He is a member of Ghana Institution of Engineers and a Director of Changing Lives Endowment Fund (CLEF) in Ghana.

He is a regular speaker on business issues, specifically Marketing and Leadership at public fora.

Telecoms operators’ messaging revenue slides CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 reduction.

Therefore, with a drop of N6 per SMS multiplied by 870 million off-net SMS, given an estimated yearly growth rate of about 35.4 per cent, telecoms operators in the country might have lost about N7.1 billion in 2013, thereby sharing in the downward trend.

The Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC, Ms. Josephine Amuwa, who signed the letters sent to the operators in Nigeria in 2013, explained that the commission arrived at the new price cap after due consideration of the submissions made by telecoms firms at various consultative meetings.

Having evaluated and analysed SMS traffic information provided by the operators, Amuwa said, “There was a general recognition that the cost of SMS is too high, especially in view of the interconnection rate of N1.02 for SMS as determined by the commission in 2009.”

Furthermore, Strategy Analytics explained that the 15

projected 20 per cent decline in mssaging revenue by 2017 will be more pronounced in regions with the greatest penetration of smartphones and data users, like North America and Western Europe, whereSMS and MMS expenditure will decline by 38 per cent and almost 28 per cent respectively.

Director, Wireless Media Strategies (WMS), Nitesh Patel noted: “the fast rising popularity of smartphone messaging applications, both from smartphone vendors Blackberry and Apple, and independent messaging applications like WhatsApp, Line Messenger and WeChat, is significantly hurting both operator messaging volumes and revenue. While SMS volumes remained flat in 2013, operator revenue from messaging declined by almost four per cent.”

Strategy Analytics believed mobile operators must act on a number of fronts in order to mitigate the decline in messaging revenue, including bundling SMS into integrated price plans.

Faults negative public perception on QoS ice provider. He said the process is typically categorized into back office outsourcing and front office outsourcing, which includes customer-related services such as contact center services.

He said the main advantage of BPO is the way in which it helps increase a company’s flexibility, saying that most services provided by BPO vendors are offered on a fee-forservice basis, “This can help a company to become more flexible by transforming fixed into variable costs. A variable cost structure helps a company responding to changes in required capacity and does not require a company to invest in assets, thereby making the company more flexible. Outsourcing may provide a firm with increased flexibility in its resource management and may reduce response times to major environmental changes.

“Another way in which BPO contributes to a company’s flexibility is that a firm is able to focus on its core competencies, without being burdened by the demands of bureaucratic restraints. Key employees are herewith released from performing non-core or administrative processes and can invest more time and energy in building the firm’s core businesses.

“A third way in which BPO increases organizational flexibility is by increasing the speed of business processes. BPO therefore allows firms to retain their entrepreneurial speed and agility, which they would otherwise sacrifice in order to become efficient as they expanded.

Globally, the CNSSL boss said India has revenues of $10.9 billion from offshore BPO and over $30 billion from IT and total BPO. He said India thus

has some seven per cent share of the total BPO Industry, but a commanding 63 per cent share of the offshore component.

Other locations like Philippines, and South Africa, according to him, have emerged to take a share of the market.

Adebayo, who faulted public perception on quality of service in the telecommunications sector in Nigeria, noted that the South African call center industry has grown and directly employs about 74 000 people, contributing over 0.92 per cent to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).

According to him, Eastern Europe is also an emerging BPO destination.

The ALTON boss faulted the way the good of the Nigerian telecommunications industry is being assessed from QoS, saying that this has seen the rating of all players going down south: “no one is talking about the impact of employment creating again, no one is

talking about the FDI of telecoms, no one is talking about the development of our national economy, for an industry that is contributing over eight per cent to our GDP. “The banking sector is doing four per cent but they have been able to manage public perception better. There is no body who does not use the banking service and there is no one who does not have poor costumer service related experience with the banks, but as an industry the banking sector is still well respected, because they manage better their public perception.”

“We all must discourage the trend of sweeping condemnation of the Telecom industry in the public place, the industry is key to our economy and key to our future development as a nation: we must encourage operators, we must not discourage practitioners and we must not discourage investors by creating an image of a bad industry using only QoS as a factor.”

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth Friday, January 17, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,804

www.ngrguardiannews.com

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Tukur resigns, tributes for Akande at birthday From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) and Tunde Akinola (Lagos) FTER days of intrigues and speculations, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur finally resigned as the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday.

His resignation came the same day his counterpart at the All Progressives Congress

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• Jonathan says PDP ex-chairman has tougher job • NEC to inaugurate successor Monday (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, was being paid tributes as he celebrated his 75th birthday.

Tukur’s exit was disclosed at a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of

the PDP yesterday.

Although Tukur never formally mentioned in his speech that he was resigning, President Goodluck Jonathan formally an-

nounced that he (Tukur) had accepted to “step aside” to facilitate the resolution of the crisis bedevilling the leadership of the party.

The President, who practical-

ly took charge at the 63rd NEC meeting, announced that the executive committee’s members would meet again on Monday to inaugurate Tukur’s successor.

Jonathan noted that the next chairman must come from the North-East geo-political zone where Tukur came from.

“We have some internal

problems that have been agitating the minds of people and let us really thank the working committee led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. They have done very well; the chairman of our party, we have all known, he didn’t just wake up to be chairman of our party, he has paid his dues. He had CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Akpoyibo, Leha retire, IG charges officers on service – Page 3 Nigeria may not meet Educationfor-All target, says report –Page 3

PENGASSAN laments non-passage of PIB – Page 6 Quran forbids violence to spread Islam, says 9/11 mastermind -Page 9

Major-Gen. Muhamadu Buhari (left), the celebrant, Chief Bisi Akande, his wife, Omowunmi, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, Chief Olusegun Osoba, at the 75th birthday of the former Osun State helmsman in Ikeja…yesterday.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Former PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, on arrival for the meeting…yesterday.

More promotions, retirements, redeployments, civilian control in military likely From Madu Onuorah (Abuja Bureau Chief) N Abuja, the sweeping retirement of Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim (Chief of Defence Staff), Lt.-Gen. Onyeabo Azuibuike Ihejirika (Chief of Army Staff) and Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (Chief of Naval Staff) was a surprise message by President Goodluck Jonathan that he is in charge.

It was announced just before the President left for the Wadate Plaza national headquarters of the People’s

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Democratic Party (PDP) where he officiated as the undertaker to the chairmanship of PDP

by Dr. Bamanga Tukur.

For a city transfixed in the ding-dong political ‘fisticuffs’ over the continued stay in office of Tukur, the new appointments caught even some of the outgoing Service Chiefs by surprise. For example, Vice Admiral Ezeoba was at the National Defence College, Abuja in the morning to deliver a lecture on the Nigerian Navy to participants of

Course 22 of the college. He was still at the college when the Abuja rumour mill went agog with news of his retirement. It was unusually shrouded in secrecy until the statement was released by Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati.

And going by the appointments, President Jonathan may be trying to put his own stamp on the future and structure of the Nigerian military. The new appointments will entail a definite gale of re-

tirements, redeployments and promotions. As expected, there would be reorganisation of the services – Army, Navy and Air Force, with the new service chiefs bringing in new people to fill vacancies that may be created by imminent retirements. Such retirements would be triggered by the rule that senior officers cannot serve under their subordinates. And the retirements will create vacancies within the senior officer ranks, which could also lead

to a record numbers of officers being promoted at the end of this year.

For the Army, all officers under Course 24 who could not be accommodated at Defence Headquarters are to proceed on voluntary retirement. This is because the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah is a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 25 Regular Course. Gen. Ihejirika is a member of Course 18. Because of this,

there are Courses 21, 22, 23 and 24 serving in Army Headquarters. They are expected to leave. In addition, some of Gen. Minimah’s course mates may also have to retire, as there are not enough vacancies to accommodate all of them in Army Headquarters or their slots in Defence Headquarters.

The same fate befalls members of Course 22 and 23 in the Navy. The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman JibCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Friday, January 17, 2014 | 3

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

News UCH completes six open-heart surgeries

Akpoyibo, Leha retire, IG charges officers on service

From Kehinde Olatunji, Ibadan HIEF Medical Director of C the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, yesterday disclosed that about six openheart surgeries have been conducted within the last seven months since the intervention cardiology programme started at the teaching hospital.

This is in addition to 14 Cardiac Catheterisation procedures.

He spoke as the leader of the Tri-State Cardiovascular Association, Delaware, Dr. Kamar Adeleke, a member of the association, said that more than 200 children in Oyo State are in need of Cardiac Catheterisation procedure and openheart surgeries.

Alonge, who spoke at the official launching of UCH’s Interventional Cardiology Programme, held at Prof.

Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi Multipurpose Hall, said the heart is one of the most important parts of the body, which beats 100,000 times per day, noting that if the heart refuses to pump, it would lead to a total breakdown.

He said: “Apart from the six open-heart surgeries, we have also conducted the first repair of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) and the first Coronary Artery ByePass Grafting (CABG).’’

Nigerian, Chinwetel Ejiofor, named among world leading actors

By Shaibu Husseini IGERIAN-BORN British actor, N Chinwetel Ejiofor, was yesterday in Hollywood, California, named among the world’s leading actors of 2013 when he was nominated for the 2014 Academy Awards, otherwise called the Oscars.

Ejiofor’s intense performance as Solomon Northup in Steve McQueen well rendered movie “12 Years a Slave”, was what earned the recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the well-deserved nomination. It will be the first time an actor of Nigerian descent will make it up to that level of the 86 years old award scheme.

It has been a fantastic year for Ejiofor, who is born to Nigerian parents and who got the OBE in 2008 in recognition of his service to drama.

He narrowly missed winning the best actor award at the Golden Globe award held last Saturday in Los Angeles.

From Karls Tsokar, Abuja HE Inspector General of T Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, has charged offi-

Deputy Inspectors General of Police Philemon Leha (in charge of Operations‚ left) and Marvel Akpoyibo (Training) during their pull-out ceremony from service in Abuja… yesterday.

PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY-ELUKPO

‘Nigeria may not meet Education-for-All target’

By Kamal Tayo Oropo

• Global learning crisis costs govts N20tr yearly

IGERIA’S education sector N faces a bleak future as the 11th Education-for-All Global

UNESCO, the Education-for-All Global Monitoring Report is an authoritative reference that aims to inform, influence and sustain genuine commitment towards Education-for-All. Universal primary enrolment the most watched goal - will be far from reality in the country.

There are more children out of school in Nigeria than in any other country in the world 10.5 million. Nigeria is now one of only 15 countries that the report projects will have fewer than 80 per cent of its primary school age children enrolled in 2015. Its out-of-school population not only grew the most in absolute terms of any country in the world since 2004-2005, by 3.4 million, but also had the fourth highest rate of growth, showing that the wealth in the country is not trickling down into public social good.

As for EFA Goal Four on adult literacy, Nigeria is also showing worrying trends: there were 17 million more illiterate adults in the country in 2008 than in 1991, an increase of 71 per cent. In total, there are 40 illiterate adults in Nigeria

Monitoring Report alerted that the country, having failed to prioritise education over the years, means that it may not meet the Education-for-All Goals 1, 2 and 4 in 2015. It added that in sub-Saharan Africa, over half of the children are not learning the basics in Reading and Mathematics, whether they are in school or not.

The report also reveals that a global learning crisis is costing governments about N20 trillion ($129b) yearly. Ten per cent of global spending on primary education is being lost on poor quality education that is failing to ensure that children learn. In sub-Saharan Africa, this situation has left 40 per cent of young people unable to read a single sentence.

It added that good teachers are the key to improvement and called on governments to provide the best in the profession to those who need them most.

Developed by an independent team and published by

today.

Quite apart from how many children are in school or not, the report shows that a huge learning crisis is unfolding because the quality of education is so poor. With four years of schooling in Nigeria, less than one in 10 children emerges literate. Even after 5-6 years in school, less than 30 per cent will emerge able to read even a single sentence. This crisis is affecting the poorest, girls, and those in rural areas the worst.

Due to low quality education over the years, 40 per cent of youth are illiterates. Again, it is the poorest, and females are affected most. In Nigeria, only five per cent of the poorest young women are literates, compared with almost 90 per cent of the richest. Where you live in the country speaks volumes of how likely you will be able to read: Only two per cent of poor young women in the North-West can read, compared with 97 per cent of rich young women in the SouthEast.

Part of the reason for this is

that there is a huge lack of qualified teachers. The report shows that, whatever the period, Nigeria has by far the largest gap to fill than any country in the world. Between 2011 and 2015, it needs 212,000 primary school teachers, 13 per cent of the global total. At current rates, it won’t even be able to fill this gap by 2030.

Current pupil/teacher ratios are small in the country, but this is because enrolment of children into schools is so slow. More teachers are urgently needed to help increase the number of children going to school.

It is not just teachers that are needed, however, but qualified and trained teachers in order to maintain some level of quality in education. Currently, only two-thirds of current teachers in Nigeria have the minimum qualifications.

In Kano State, one of the poorest in the country, the number of pupils per trained teacher exceeded 100 in 2009/10. In more than half of local government authorities, the situation was even worse, with at least 150 pupils per trained teacher in the most disadvantaged 25 per cent of schools.

cers of the Nigeria Police to tote up commitment to service to the nation more than self.

The IG made the call at the pull-out ceremony to mark the retirement from service of Marvel Akpoyibo and Philemon Leha, two Deputy Inspectors General of Police, who have served for more than three decades.

“One thing that stands common among the two retiring DIGs is that they were strongly dedicated to the nation and the call-to-duty with a rare gift of superior command abilities. It can also be safely stated here that both of them have the special skill for inspiring the officers and men under them.”

He said the “outstanding Deputy Inspectors-General of Police lives have been profound inspiration to all of us and their brilliant contributions have accounted for the success of the present transformation of the Police Command”.

Abubakar added that while DIG Akpoyibo was in charge of ‘E’ Department Training and Command, DIG Leha was in charge of ‘B’ Department Operations, stressing that they have sowed the seed of courage, operational sagacity, uncommon valour, tactical expertise, professionalism and enviable brilliance.

Responding on behalf of the two, Akpoyibo said the desire to help curb the menace of criminals in the society was the driving force that propelled him into joining the Police, saying the journey was not easy.

The outstanding Deputy Inspectors-General of Police lives have been profound inspiration to all of us and their brilliant contributions have accounted for the success of the present transformation of the Police Command.

Amaechi-led governors’ forum links insecurity to government’s inaction From Karls Tsokar, Abuja S political tension heightA ens and insecurity persists in the country, the Governor Chibuike Amaechi-led Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has attributed the recent security breaches to complacency on the part of the Federal Government, even as it called on the National Assembly to look into other allegations of fiscal alteration and economic profligacy.

Rising from a four-hour meeting yesterday in Abuja,

the NGF, while expressing concern over the depleting allocation to states, said there is no proper documentation to show that the missing $49.8 billion was paid into the Federation Account.

The Rivers State governor, who also chairs the faction of the NGF, read out the statement that, “the missing $49.8 billion (N8.5 trillion) or equivalent of two years of the national budget, there is no evidence that this amount was paid into the Federation Account or duly appropriat-

• Seeks probe of FG’s alleged profligacy ed.

“We accordingly call on the National Assembly to institute a comprehensive independent forensic audit by an international reputable firm. We fear that the recent decline of states revenue is not unconnected with the financial diversion,” he said.

The statement further stated that the Federal Government has breached the constitution by not seeking advice from the states before presenting

the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to the National Assembly and lack of compliance to the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

“Provisions of Section II of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 which requires the Federal Government to hold consultations with states on the MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper (2014-2016), did not hold. The National Economic Council meeting where issues of this nature would have been dis-

cussed last held four months ago.”

They said: “The financial irregularities relating to public accounting, the lack of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the recent security breaches are not unconnected with the refusal of the Federal Government to convene meetings of statutory institutions created in the constitution such as the National Economic Council (NEC), the Council of States, the Nigeria Police Council…we urge a return to

the path of constitutionalism”.

While stating that it is disheartening the “violent attacks and killings that have taken place in Borno State, as well as the attack on the father of Kano State governor”, the NGF condemned the alleged shooting of Senator Magnus Abe, saying it is a “flagrant violation of the rights of citizens to freely assemble in Rivers State by the Nigeria Police, the excessive use of force against unarmed citizens in the exercise of their fundamental rights”.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014

Ondo begins cluster teaching in schools

Lagos PDP denies splitting into factions

By Seye Olumide ROM the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has come denial that the return of the former Deputy National Chairman (South West) of the party, Chief Olabode George, after some months outside the country, has split members into factions.

In a statement, the party described the speculation as unintelligent, malicious and mischievous. The State Chairman of PDP, Chief Tunji Shelle, dismissed the call by a purported faction of the party that some leaders of PDP within and outside the state are suspended.

A media report (not in The Guardian), quoted the faction as saying it held a meeting where it passed a vote of no confidence on some PDP leaders.

Shelle described the statement by the “faceless faction” as deliberately aimed to embarrass the leaders, cause distraction for the state PDP and obviously to impress their sponsors.

“Ordinarily, we ought to ignore the statement credited to a faceless group, but for record purposes, we are inclined to state categorically that neither Muyideen Olowu nor any faction is known to the Lagos PDP. We have never heard such name as a member of Lagos PDP. We are one united family in Lagos PDP and it is laughable that a person or a few persons can cowardly claim factionalisation of the party. Indeed they are agent provocateurs.”

Shelle added that the alleged warped and contradictory comments against the leaders manifest that the socalled faction does not mean well for the party.

“If this Muyideen Olowu or the group exists at all, they must be such characters going about and impersonating our dear loyal members. We have notified our members statewide to be on the look out for them. They shall be arrested and handed over to the police for legal actions.

“As a matter of necessity, the state PDP has reiterated its vote of confidence on its leaders stating that they all have their individual merits and roles to lead the party. ” The Lagos PDP particularly reaffirmed its unflinching support and loyalty to George, whom it describes as its prime leader.

O boost education delivery, T Ondo State Government has commenced a cluster

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Rev. Fr. John Adio (left); seer of Archbishop Emeritus, Steve Olasupo; Laity President and Chairman, Central Planning Committee, Rev. Fr. Felix Ethapemi, during the press conference on the installation of a new Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Leke Abegunrin.

PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

More changes in armed forces coming CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 rin is a member of Nigerian Defence Academy’s 24 Regular Course. The retirement options will also affect Courses 21, 22, 23 and 24 in the Air Force.

The new Chief of Defence Staff and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Badeh is a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 21 Regular Course while the new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu is a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 25 Regular Course.

The new appointments will also come with new ranks. In line with precedence, Badeh will adorn a full four-star general rank of Air Chief Marshal, the third Nigerian Air Force officer to be so elevated. The first was Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike in 2008 and Air Chief Marshal Oluseyin Petinrin in 2010. Minimah will be decorated with the three-star rank of Lieutenant General; Jubrin with the same rank equivalent of Vice Admiral and Amosun with Air Marshal.

The appointments are also a novelty as this is the first time in the history of Nigeria that new CDS and the Service

Chiefs will face a formal confirmation hearing in the Senate.

The confirmation hearings will enable them to give a clue as to the direction of their services while enabling the senators to help shape the policy of the incoming leaders and stamp the civilian oversight of the military on the top commanders right from the outset.

The fight for this confirmation hearing did not come easy. In the Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/611/2008 filed by Mr. Festus Keyamo, he had sought a determination on whether by the combined interpretation of the provisions of Section 218 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Section 18 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A.20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, President Jonathan can appoint the Service Chiefs of the Federation - Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of the Air Staff without the confirmation of the National Assembly.

Section 218 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sub-section (2) states: “The powers conferred on the

President by subsection (1) of this section shall include power to appoint the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and heads of any other branches of the armed forces of the Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly.”

Section 18 of the Armed Forces Act dealing with appointment of Service Chiefs, sub-section (1) states that “The President, may, after consultation with the Chief of Defence Staff and subject to confirmation by the National Assembly, appoint such officers (in this Act referred to as “the Service Chiefs”) as he thinks fit, in

whom the command of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as the case may be, and their Reserves shall be vested.”

On July 1, 2013, an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Adamu Bello declared the appointments of all the service chiefs in the country unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and also barred the President from appointing Service Chiefs for the federation without the consent of the National Assembly. The new appointments and subsequent announcements that will be confirmed by the Senate is democracy in action and a sure way of enshrining clearly the subjugation of the military to civilian control.

Only Keyamo can prosecute Fani-Kayode, court rules

By Joseph Onyekwere USTICE Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Lagos yesterday held that the fiat to prosecute Femi FaniKayode resides personally with Mr. Festus Keyamo and therefore cannot be re-delegated to any other person in the chambers.

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She made the declaration while delivering judgment in an address filed by parties in the suit on the propriety of prosecution by the chambers of Messrs Festus Keyamo.

Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation minister, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis-

PDP’s NEC to inaugurate Tukur’s successor on Monday CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 ductive policies.”

He noted that if Nigeria had been blessed with the right type leadership, “it would not have been making progress in the reverse direction.” The scholar said time was now for Nigerians to imbibe new thinking in their relationship with their leaders.

He said the people must ensure that those who assumed leadership positions in the country were tested, trustworthy and incorruptible persons: “They (the people) should do away with slave mentality. The masses should cease to praise their tormentors in order to hold their destinies in their hands.”

Participants at the event

praised Akande for his exemplary leadership qualities, which they said had been his culture since his advent into politics, a character the people said was responsible for his choice as the national chairman of the party.

Former military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, one of the national leaders of the APC who was the chairman of the occasion, said: “His (Akande’s) personal integrity is unquestionable.

He is an excellent First Republic politician as Osun State governor, prudent in spending and the projects were of quality.”

Buhari, who said he did know Akande closely when he was the General Officer Com-

manding (GOC) 2nd Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, disclosed that the celebrant was on record to have used one-third of the amount employed by his colleagues to construct a block of classrooms while serving as Osun State governor.

He also recalled that Akande was known to have gone into exile when former President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to appoint him as minister and did not come back until the end of that administration.

Present at the event were: Governors Adams Oshiohmole (Edo State), Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa State), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun State), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo

teaching programme for teachers in all public secondary schools.

Information commissioner Kayode Akinmade who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Akure yesterday said the government would, through the programme, provide a bottom-up approach whereby on-the-job needs of teachers are not only identified but also they teachers would be trained with other aids provided.

Describing the innovation in the training of teachers as an idea aimed at empowering and enriching them for excellent service delivery, Akinmade stressed that the model was an attempt to bring them together in clusters and facilitate a process where they become creative in problem-solving, effective utilization of available resources through lesson study, preparation of lesson plans and production of teaching materials among others.

He explained that neighboring schools are grouped around a larger nucleus school to form a cluster.

This will serve to improve teaching by sharing experience and expertise among staff and facilitate administration to harness resources especially skills from several small schools, he stated.

Akinmade also affirmed that the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko-led administration has invested heavily in the education sector with high expectation of brilliant performance by pupils in internal and external examinations, just as he stressed the need to pool resources together and brainstorm on new ideas in the teaching of core subjects.

He said added that the programme, designed to enhance performance of pupils in public secondary schools, was kicked off on Wednesday by Education Commissioner Jide Adejuyigbe at St. Peters Unity Secondary School, Akure.

State), Raji Fashola (Lagos State), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo State).

Others were: former governors Olusegun Osoba (Ogun), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti), John Oyegun (Edo), Chris Ngige (Anambra), former Speaker, House of Representatives, Bello Masari, Senator Goerge Akume, Senator Annie Okwonkwo, Dr. Umar Duhu, Mrs. Ganiyat Fawehimi, Prof.

Wale Omole, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir El-Rufai, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and Justice Oyebola Ojo.

Okorocha who spoke on behalf of the APC governors also admitted that there was leadership crisis in Nigeria. He, however, assured the people of the preparedness of his party, the APC to change the tide of things after the 2015 elections.

“For my colleagues as governors, we are determined to make a change. The reason for the APC is to correct the anomalies in Nigeria and we would not disappoint Nigerians. We are not here by accident, it is by divine intervention. By 2015 we shall sing songs of corruption, poverty, insecurity and perversity no more. APC is on the fast track to change this nation for good”, he said.

sion (EFCC), through Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, on an amended 47-count charge of money laundering.

Delivering the judgment, Ofili-Ajumogobia held that the fiat of the Attorney General of the Federation was personally delegated to Keyamo and to no other. And since the authority to undertake prosecution of the accused was vested on the “individual, Keyamo” and not on his chambers, such authority can not be delegated to another.

She ruled: “It is the decision of this court that the fiat of prosecution in this case was delegated personally to Mr. Festus Keyamo and not to his chambers.

“The appearance of Mr. Vitalis Ahaotu in the suit is an anomaly since he does not possess any fiat. Keyamo is therefore the rightful person to undertake prosecution of this case. I so hold.”

She then adjourned the case to January 27 for continuation of trial.

Defence counsel, Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), had raised objection to the appearance of Ahaotu from the chambers of Keyamo, arguing that he was not the proper person to prosecute the accused.

Friday, January 17, 2014 NEWS

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

5

Tukur’s tortured road as PDP chair

By Abiodun Fanoro and Joe Adiorho HE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday evening accepted the resignation of the party chairman, Dr. Tafida Bamanga Muhammad Tukur.

President Goodluck Jonathan broke the longexpected news to members of the party National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja.

Thereafter, the president dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out Tukur’s resignation letter, which he handed over to the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo.

Tukur’s tenure, as the PDP chairman, was synonymous with intrigues and internal crises.

The crises started as soon as he mounted the saddle of leadership of the party.

Events that surrounded his mode of emergence, the rancour that became the driving engine of his tenure, and the hide-and-seek politics in which his exit was shrouded, definitely completed the controversy circle his term of office was embroiled.

The exercise in the name of the PDP National Convention that produced Alhaji Tukur, as chairman on March 24, 2012 “was nothing but naked use of force and power by the Presidency,” according to a respondent last night.

Indeed, in the run-up to the election, the Presidency fiercely mobilised all arsenal in its armory “to demobilise and conquer Dr. Musa Babayo (who contested the post with Tukur) and the forces that cued behind him, including many of the PDP governors.

Consequently, Babayo, the favourite of the governors and some chieftains of the party, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, was defeated.

After the dust raised by the election appeared to have settled and the party had once again succeeded in solving its usual “family problem,” the governors, who remained the potent force behind Babayo at every opportunity, re-echoed their battle cry that Tukur must give way.

The call became strident when it became clear, through alleged body language, that President Jonathan would seek re-election in 2015.

Thus, the governors made the removal of Tukur, as the PDP chairman, a prime condition for them to support Jonathan’s re-election bid.

Interestingly, Tukur “started courting trouble” the moment he assumed office following his emergence in March 2012.

Barely a few weeks after his inauguration as chairman, he engaged his Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako, in a fight for supremacy over the control of the party machinery in the state.

Tukur was alleged to be arranging for one of his sons, Anwal, to pick up the governorship ticket of the PDP for

T

the 2015 elections.

This was in apparent challenge to Governor Nyako, who is believed to be priming his son, too, for the position.

This schism led to the creation of two parallel party executive committees in the state. One faction, headed by Alhaji Lawal Mijinjuwa, was loyal to Nyako, while the other faction, led by Joel Madaki was loyal to Tukur.

Deploying his power as the national chairman of the PDP, Tukur sacked the Mijinjuwaled faction and gave recognition to the Madaki group.

Tukur held that the decision to replace the Mijijunwa executive with Madaki’s was a joint decision of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). But the NWC members denied the statement.

According to some of its members, the decision to sack the Adamawa PDP executive was unilaterally taken by Tukur.

Another step the international businessman took that fanned the embers of discord was the brief suspension of Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, which accentuated the opposition to his leadership style.

The reason given by the party’s national leadership for suspending the governor was that he failed to pick the Tukur’s telephone calls.

Subsequently, the Tukur administration suspended/sacked state chapters of the party in Rivers, Sokoto, Kwara and Kano.

The persistent crises in the Southwest zone of the PDP was also blamed on the manner Tukur handled the various disagreements among stakeholders in the zone.

On his alleged instigation, all zonal national officers, such as former Ekiti State governor, Mr. Segun Oni and Bode Mustapha were eased out of their positions.

The refusal of the PDP to reinstate former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the National Secretary of the party, also contributed to the hard feelings against the party chairman.

On November 11, 2013, the Court of Appeal ordered Oyinlola’s reinstatement, after he was removed based on the ruling of a lower court.

But the Tukur-led NWC spurned the order of the appellate court, choosing to hang on to the ruling of the lower court.

Instead of calming frayed nerves, he proceeded to set up a National Disciplinary Committee, chaired by a Second Republic Minister, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, an action claimed to have violated the constitution of the PDP. Such a committee required the approval of the NEC of the party to operate. But the NEC did not sit to ratify the Dikko committee before the panel started its operation.

Four erstwhile party chieftains were the first casualties of the Dikko committee. They are Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Alhaji Ibrahim Kazaure and Oyinlola, who were tried in absentia and recommended for expulsion.

The G-7 Governors, comprising Alhaji Nyako of Adamawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido

(Jigawa), Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Mr. Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State, cited Tukur’s leadership style as one of the reasons they fell out with him.

On Saturday, August 31, 2013, the chairmanship of Tukur — and by extension, the leadership of the PDP by President Jonathan — was openly challenged when the seven governors, including 22 senators and 57 members of House Representatives — all members of the PDP — were led by former Vice President Abubakar to walkout of the mini-convention in Abuja.

They thereafter declared a ‘New-PDP’ with Alhaji Kawu Baraje as its chairman.

In November, after months of prevarication by the Presidency to find a solution to the grievances of the faction, five of the governors defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governors are Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).

And barely a month after the governors’ defection, 37 PDP members of the House of Representatives also defected to the APC. A number of senators elected on the platform of the PDP are also reportedly waiting in the wing to defect to the APC. Twenty-seven of the 30-member Sokoto State House of Assembly had also joined Governor Wamakko to defect to the APC, leaving the PDP with only three members.

Since then, the sack of Tukur had assumed a crescendo that President Jonathan could no longer ignored.

Finally on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Bamanga Tukur resigned his position as the

Tukur National Chairman of the PDP).

Prior to that moment, Tukur had insisted that he would not resign, saying that it was only the party’s convention that could remove him.

Reports had it that President Jonathan had on Tuesday night failed to convince the governors, elected on the platform of the PDP, to allow Tukur remain in office till March when the party’s midterm convention would hold.

However, the embattled chairman reportedly compounded his problems with the governors during the caucus meeting, which was also attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo and the principal officers of the National Assembly.

The President, who presided, allegedly asked Tukur to explain the cause(s) of the crises in the PDP. A source at the meeting said that rather than tackling the issues, Tukur accused the governors of encouraging many of the members of the National Working Committee to work against him.

He said the governors were encouraging indiscipline with their tactical support for some of the NWC members to undermine him, adding that the governors were never happy with his decision to instill discipline in the party and “to make sure that the PDP constitution was used as a yardstick in every decision taken by him.”

Tukur has joined the list of PDP chairmen who rode

through a bumpy road and departed in turmoil.

The first chairman, the late Chief Solomon Lar, was reportedly suffered indignities after ensuring victory for the acclaimed “largest party in Africa” in 1999.

When his successor, Chief Barnabas Gemade, was being frustrated out of the exalted office of the national chairman of PDP, the Middle Belt politician pronounced a curse on the party, saying that the fate that would befall his successors in office would be worse than his predicament.

And it had been so, as Chief Audu Ogbeh, Col. Ahmadu Ali (Rtd), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo and Alhaji Kawu Baraje (as interim chairman) suffered similar fates, and tales.

Agbakoba faults confab panel’s reports

By Joseph Onyekwere ORMER president of the F(NBA), Nigerian Bar Association Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, yesterday expressed disappointment on some of the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, describing them as falling short of expectations.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the legal luminary who is also the alter ego of the Human Right Law Services (HURILAWS), a non governmental organisation said he has the mandate of civil society leaders in the matter.

“Having consulted widely and being a civil society leader myself, we are generally disappointed with some of the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue,” he stated.

According to him, the areas they faulted in the report include agenda for the conference, amendment versus new constitution, structure of the conference and convening the conference.

On agenda for the national conference, he said the 38 items set out to be included by the committee are irrelevant.

“The agenda set by the committee makes the conference look like a talk shop – items like god-fatherism, cost of governance, return of missionary and private schools, nomadic education, institutionalising Tsangaya/Almajiri Education system and unsettled issues of the Nigeria, civil war and others”, he pointed out, stressing that the key issues should be structure of the country, devolution of powers and others.

He frowned at the recommendation that the constitution be altered instead of coming out with a new one. “The national conference we want must be about a new constitution and not alterations. Nigerians want their own constitution not because it will solve all our problems but because it will give ownership to them.

“The committee recommended representation on the basis of Federal Constituencies delineated by INEC. We disagree with this recommendation. The unit of representation should be ethnic national-

ities. Even though we concede that other interest groups should be represented, the backbone of the national conference should be ethnic nationalities.

“Civil society wants a Sovereign National Conference but are willing as a compromise to allow the president convene the National Conference. To compensate for the non-sovereign nature of the conference, civil society advocated four vital elements, which must be met. They include inclusion, authority, validity and legitimacy (referendum)”, he declared, adding that the committee down-played the role of Nigerians by recommending that the president needs an enabling law from the National Assembly to convene the National Conference.

According to him, the president has inherent powers under Section 5 of the constitution to convene the National Conference.

His words: “Section 5 of the constitution gives the president two inherent powers: the executive power to give effect to the agitation of Nigerians by convening the National Con-

ference and the legislative powers to forward outcome of the conference to the National Assembly after a referendum. A referendum on the outcome is very crucial for legitimacy.

“The role of the National Assembly is to pass the outcome of the National Conference. The National Assembly cannot alter or make inputs into the outcome of the National Conference.”

Agbakoba also used the opportunity to stress the need to reform the judicial system in order to make for speedy justice dispensation as well as a reformed immigration policy.

“The present immigration policy puts the Nigerian economy and business at a disadvantage. It creates two sets of Nigeria. Nigeria one, free trade zone for consumption and export and Nigeria two, completely excluded. If this trend in immigration is not reversed, Nigeria may go extinct,” he warned.

He reiterated the need for INEC to begin preparation for the 2015 general elections on time, latest July 30th, in order to avoid a fire-brigade approach and eventual bungling of the process.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

6 | NEWS Friday, January 17, 2014

Ekiti withdraws suit against ex-VC over N91m fraud From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado-Ekiti CHIEF Magistrate’s Court A in Ado-Ekiti yesterday dismissed a case of fraud filed against the former Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Dipo Kolawole, by the government.

Kolawole was accused of defrauding the institution to the tune of N91 million through a fixed deposit of N447 million in the university’s branch of the United

Fayemi

Bank of Africa (UBA).

He was charged to court in June 2012, while the university’s Bursar, Mrs. F. M. Fapounda and the manager of the university’s branch of the UBA, where the alleged fraud was perpetrated, Mr. Dipo Ajala, were charged to court a few weeks after.

The N91m, which was the interest on the N447 million fixed deposit, had already been refunded by the UBA with interest, having found out that the fraud was a product of internal abuse.

The state government had filed a notice of discontinuance of the case on November 26 last year, at an Ado-Ekiti High Court.

Consequent upon the application to discontinue the case, Chief Magistrate Soji Adegboye dismissed it yesterday.

Reacting, Kolawole said he thanked God for vindicating him. He said: “At last, I have been vindicated and I can’t but give glory to God for seeing me through the travails.”

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko (right); Chairman, Sout-West zone of the National Parents-Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Pastor Julius Olaribigbe and Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe, during a visit by the South-West leaders of NAPTAN to the Governor’s Office in Akure…yesterday

NOA urges caution during harmattan

Fake Boko Haram leaders face trial over N70m scam From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri HREE men alleged to be T fake leaders of the outlawed Boko Haram sect were on Wednesday arraigned before the Maiduguri High Court for allegedly defrauding Aisha Alkali Wakil, a member of the defunct Presidential Committee on Peaceful Resolution of Secu-

rity Challenges in the North.

The suspects, Kalama Abba, Babagana Mallam Saje and Abba Sadiq (alias Sheik Abbas), were alleged to have defrauded Wakil to the tune of N70 million in the name of convincing their members to lay down arms and embrace dialogue.

The Guardian also learnt

that the accused men were in October 2012 introduced to Wakil as leaders of the Boko Haram sect, who are willing to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue.

They were said to have claimed to be leaders of the sect in South and Northern Borno senatorial districts.

According to the brief fact

TheGuardian SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2014

INJURY TIME! HE polity has entered injury time and players are using every joker and trick to stay ahead of opponents. The situation in Rivers State is delicate and reminds one of the pitfalls that rubbished democratic experiments of old. Where are the referees to order politicians to behave; what is the police doing to remain neutral and what must the judiciary do to stay ahead of intrigues and plots by politicians?

It is a must read in The Guardian on Sunday.

T

uguri, the accused persons were arraigned on four count charges.

In the first-count, the accused persons, together with Sheik Mohammed Alkali, Sheik Abdulaziz, Mohammed Alkali, Zanna Alkali and Babayo Mohammed, all of them now at large, were alleged to have conspired to do illegal act by fraudulently and dishonestly inducing the complainant to deliver to them N70 million and also threatened her life.

When the charge sheet was read by the presiding judge, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the four charges.

The presiding, Justice Aisha Mohammed Ali, adjourned the case to January 28, 2014, for further hearing and remanded the accused persons in prison custody.

HE Director, National OrientaT tion Agency (NOA) in Abia State, Mrs. Ngozi Uduma, yesterday urged Nigerians to be more cautious and avoid practices that could cause fire outbreak during the harmattan period.

Uduma, who spoke in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, described the harmattan season as a period when fire outbreak could easily occur and get out of control due to the dry atmosphere. She stressed the need for everyone to exercise caution while handling any inflammable material.

“People who indulge in smoking should always dispose their cigarette butts properly and use lighters instead of matches for lighting their cigarettes. Also, things such as petrol, kerosene and cooking gas should be stored properly to avoid leakage, which could put lives and property in danger,” she said.

Uduma said that faulty electrical appliances and fittings at home or in the workplace should be promptly repaired or replaced.

“Individuals should endeavour to acquire fire extinguishers for their homes, workplaces and vehicles.

PENGASSAN laments non-passage of PIB HE Petroleum and Natural T Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN)

Senator Magnus Abe allegedly shot as Rivers police disrupt APC rally

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BUSINESS:

Blood On The Plateau N Insight A into the unending

Naira Still Unstable In Spite Of Many Shock Absorbers.

IBRU: Major Gen. Ahmed Dikko, President of the Hausa, Fulani/Kanuri Christian Association speaks on the Demands of Minority Christians in the North.

bloodletting in Plateau State, a chilling tale of man’s inhumanity to man.

of the case submitted to the High Court by Borno State Ministry of Justice and signed by the Director of Public Prosecution, A.H. Izge, the complainant advised the accused to genuinely tow the path of peace and lay down their arms for humanity sake because innocent lives were being lost.

The accused were said to have agreed and N10 million and N2.5 million were given to them on the first date of their meeting with Wakil.

Subsequently, Wakil also gave them money up to the tune of N70 million to be shared among their members. When she could no more meet up with their financial demand, the suspects were alleged to have threatened her in order to further extort her.

During their appearance in court yesterday in Maid-

The Guardian On Sunday is new, fresher, bolder; a delight to behold and more importantly, reader-friendly! Book a copy today.

yesterday lamented the nonpassage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), saying the situation poses serious challenges to investments in the oil and gas sector.

National Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, Mr. Sheyi Gambo, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, expressed worry that the bill is yet to be passed 12 years after stakeholders’ arguments and counter-arguments over its importance despite promises by some members of the National Assembly that the bill would be passed before the end of 2013.

According to him, non-passage of the bill is responsible for investors’ apathy in the oil and gas sector.

“The development has led to the holding back of several billion dollars worth of investments expected in the economy through the oil

industry”, he said. Gambo also said the delay in passage of the bill was among several other uncertainties holding back most International Oil Companies (IOCs) planned investment of about $100 billion in offshore deepwater projects.

The PENGASSAN spokesman, who said some oil companies, which planned to invest in the oil and gas sector, would rather wait for stable and right conditions before they could commit their finances to any project, lamented what he described as continued loss of revenues and investments due to the delay in the passage of the PIB, crude oil theft, bunkering and insecurity, among others.

By his observation, the oil and gas industry might be slipping into the situation the Mexican oil industry once found itself, and from which it took the country about 50 years to recover.

“I recall the Mexican story, it

took the country 50 years to recover from that loss in oil production and my worry is that we are slipping into that. Even today, if we produce a modest of three million barrels per day and just assume a modest decline rate of 10 per cent, that leaves us with 2.7mbpd.

“What this means is that for us to maintain that level of three million barrels per day, we must produce additional 300,000bpd.”

Gambo also said that nonpassage of the bill is hurting indigenous oil servicing companies as this had led to a few jobs for them, while many of them are contemplating sacking some of their staff.

According to NAN, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on PIB, Mr. Samson Osaige, had said that the PIB, which has taken over 12 years to debate, would become a legal document before the end of 2013.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014 7

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Friday, January 17, 2014

PHOTONEWS

Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue, Abimbola Shodipo (left); Lagos State Governor, Babatude Raji Fashola; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Funmilayo Tejuoso and the state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Ben Akabueze, at the seventh annual Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders Conference in Lagos.

First Vice President, Rotimi Olaniyan (left); Yemisi Syllon; President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Ganiyu Koledoye; Second Vice President, Dr. Rotimi Oladele; Dr. Daniel Ayozie; Ulu Mba; Sylva Emoekpere and Registrar/CEO, Deji Olokesusi, during the ‘League of Past Presidents and Principal Officers’ of NIMN in Lagos.

Regional Operation Manager, South, MultiChoice Nigeria, Saliu Aliu (left); Permanent Secretary, Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, Durban Whyte and Chief Executive Officer, Innovative Technology Literacy Services Limited, Ronke Bello, during the launch of additional 10 Multichoice Resource Centres in Bayelsa.

Chairman, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Felix Chukwu (left); Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka; Associate Administrator (Research Programme Development), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Jeffrey P. Michael and Deputy Corps Marshal (Operations), Boboye Oyeyemi, during a meeting with international stakeholders.

Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director, Tom Associates Training Consulting, Toyin Osibogun (left); guest lecturer at the occasion, Titilayo Akisanya and Digital Development practitioner, Muyiwa Familoni, during Tom Associates Training 20th Annual Trainers’ Clinic in Lagos… yesterday.

Archbishop and Supreme Head, Christ Church of Cherubim & Seraphim, Rt. Rev. George Aderihinwo (left); his deputy, Rt. Rev. Samuel Adeoye; Acting Chairman, Central Executive Council, Senior Apostle Zaccheaus Akinwande and Chairman, Electoral Committee, Ven. Japhet Odukoya, at the 2014 annual five days Mountain of Power Seaside Retreat at Ode-Omi in Ogun State.

Seyi Agunbiade (left); Offiong Nkereuwem; Peter Nkereuwem; Managing Director/CEO, Tyonex Nigeria Limited, Emmanuel Agba; his wife and Legal Director, Saliba Rali and Adesola Fadehan, during the annual thanksgiving service of Tyonex held at the corporate headquarters of the company in Lagos.

PHOTO: SOLA OJEDOKUN

President, Rotary Club of Ikeja, District 9110, Nigeria, Rotarian Goke Olayinka (right); District Governor, Olugbemiga Olowu and past District Governor, Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi in a chat with one of the patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital during a visit on Christmas day to present gifts to the patients, staff and management of the hospital.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014

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WorldReport Quran forbids violence to spread Islam, says 9/11 mastermind N a major departure from ISheikh his previous position, Khalid Mohammed, the selfproclaimed mastermind of the September 11 attacks, has released a manifesto claiming that the Quran forbids the use of violence to spread Islam.

The document, published by The Huffington Post and Britain’s Channel 4 News, marks Mohammed’s first public communication since 2009, when the United States (U.S. government officially accused him of terrorism.

But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned during a meeting in Damascus with Iran’s foreign minister that Saudi Arabia’s political and religious ideology is “a threat to the world,” state television reported.

Al-Assad was referring to Wahhabism, an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim tradition which is predominant in Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Syria’s revolt against Assad.

Assad slams S’ Arabia’s ideology as threat to world

Assad “President Assad warns during his meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of the threat posed

by Wahhabi thinking to all the world, not just to the region,” the report said.

“The Syrian people and some peoples in the region know how serious the threat posed by Wahhabism is, and everyone must contribute to the confrontation against it

King Abdullahi of Saudi Arabia and to eradicating it from the root,” said Assad, who belongs to the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The comments came amid ongoing tensions between Syria and Saudi Arabia, which are fiercely opposed to each other.

Meanwhile, Mohammed, the most high-profile of the five men accused over the 2001 attacks that killed

UN watchdog grills Vatican officials over child abuse S top Vatican officials were A grilled before the United Nations (UN) child rights watchdog yesterday, the church has insisted that it was committed to stamping out sexual abuse by the clergy.

The hearing came as Pope Francis said all Catholics should feel “shame”, in an apparent reference to the scandals that have rocked the church for more than a decade.

Under the spotlight at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in

Geneva, the Vatican delegation insisted it understood what it had to do to root out sexual crimes.

“The Holy See gets it, that certain things have to be done differently,” said Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s former top prosecutor.

“It’s not words, it has to be commitment on the ground, on the level of the local churches,” he told the committee.

The Roman Catholic Church has faced a cascade of scan-

dals involving child sexual abuse by priests and Catholic lay officials, from Ireland to the United States and from Australia to Germany.

Pope Francis, who has vowed zero tolerance of abuse since he was elected last March, said the scandals “are the shame of the Church.”

“Do we feel shame? There are so many scandals that I do not want to name them individually but everyone knows about them!” the pope said in a homily yesterday.

North Korea asks South, U.S. to halt drills GAIN, North Korea has deA manded that South Korea and the United States (U.S.) halt the yearly military drills due in February and March, saying they were a direct provocation, Reuters wrote yesterday.

The statement by Pyongyang suggested a re-run of a sharp escalation in tension last year.

But agency reports indicated that in a bizarre twist, it also offered a Lunar New Year truce in hostilities, provocations and mutual criticism.

In 2013, North Korea said it

would retaliate against any hostile moves by striking at the United States, Japan and South Korea, triggering a military buildup on the Korean peninsula and months of fiery rhetoric.

The reclusive North has regularly denounced the once a year drills such as “Key Resolve” and “Ulchi-Freedom-Guardian” staged by South Korea and United States as a prelude to invasion.

“We sternly warn the U.S. and the South Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military ex-

ercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe,” the North’s KCNA state news quoted a body in charge of efforts to promote Korean unification as saying.

Similar bellicose rhetoric from the North set South Korea, the United States and Japan on edge a year ago. As a result, Washington flew Stealth bomber missions over South Korea and strengthened its military presence in the South, where nearly 30,000 U.S. troops are based.

Britain lauds Khartoum over role in S’ Sudan’s crisis RITAIN has commended B Sudan’s role in supporting efforts to bring peace to its former foe, South Sudan, while a Sudanese official spoke of a “breakthrough” in attempts to end the fighting.

“I very much commend Sudan for the balanced role it has played so far in support for the IGAD-led negotiations,” Mark Simmonds, the British Minister for Africa, told reporters after a two-day visit to Khartoum.

Sudan is one of seven members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African bloc that is mediating the South Sudanese conflict.

In another development,

Uganda confirms fighting alongside Juba’s forces Uganda has confirmed its troops are fighting alongside South Sudan’s government against rebels, as fresh details emerged yesterday of brutal ethnic killings in the conflict ravaging the world’s youngest nation.

For the past month, forces loyal to President Salva Kiir have been battling a loose coalition of army defectors and ethnic militia nominally headed by Riek Machar, Kiir’s ex-vice president.

“We know both sides very well, more than anybody else in this world,” Sudan’s Information Minister, Ahmed Bilal

Osman, told Agence France Presse (AFP).

Sudan is engaged in “highlevel” contacts between the two sides, he said.

Khartoum has made a “very measured response”, by making sure that both warring parties in South Sudan “understand the necessity firstly to implement a ceasefire and secondly then come to the negotiating table”, Simmonds said.

The talks, in Ethiopia, have been deadlocked with leaders squabbling and rebels demanding the release of political prisoners.

nearly 3,000 people on U.S. soil, has been held at the America’s detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2006.

The suspect said that “the Holy Quran forbids us to use force as a means of converting!”

He also tried in the 36-page document to convince his American captors, prosecutors, lawyers and members of his military tribunal to convert to Islam.

“It is my religious duty in dealing with any non-Muslims such as the people in the court (the judge, the prosecution, attorneys, etc.) to invite them to embrace Islam,” Mohammed wrote.

“I realise very well that you have heard about Islam and know much about it. But it is my own belief that Allah will ask me on the Day of Judgment why I did not invite these people to Islam?”

He said he was “very happy” in his cell, adding: “My spirit is free even while my body is being held captive.”

Mohammed said he has been “neither sad nor distressed” in his confinement “because I have been with the Only One True God.” The document was declassified last month by military judge James Pohl.

Defence lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Assad’s meeting with Zarif, top diplomat of Syria’s chief regional ally Iran, comes less than a week before the socalled Geneva II peace conference, which is aimed at ending the conflict in Syria that has killed 130,000 people in nearly three years.

State news agency, SANA, had earlier quoted Zarif as saying the purpose of his visit “was to help ensure that the international Geneva II conference on Syria brings about results that are in the interests of the Syrian people.”

Zarif, on a regional tour that has included Jordan and Lebanon, said he would “work to coordinate a position... that would restore calm and security to Syria”.

He urged “all parties to battle extremism and terrorism, which are threats to us all”.

Zarif had said in Beirut on Monday that countries seeking to keep Iran away from the Geneva II peace conference would “regret” his country’s absence.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said Tehran could participate in talks only if it agrees to the principles set out at the creation of a transitional government.

Trial on Hariri’s killing opens OUR members of HezbolFinglah accused of murderLebanon’s former premier Rafiq Hariri in a 2005 car bombing that shook the Middle East reportedly went on trial in absentia at a special United Nations (UN) tribunal yesterday.

The trial opened in a suburb of The Hague nine years after the huge Beirut blast that killed billionaire Hariri and just hours after another deadly car bombing in a Hezbollah stronghold near war-ravaged Syria.

A packed public gallery looked on as the repeatedlydelayed proceedings began, with a large scale model of downtown Beirut where the 2005 attack happened on a table set up before judges.

Hariri’s son Saad – who himself was prime minister 2009-2011– sat in the courtroom behind the victims’ representative. Dressed in a dark suit, his hands were folded as he listened attentively.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is unique in international justice as it was set up to try the perpetrators of a terrorist attack and because it can try the suspects in absentia.

10 Friday, January 17, 2014

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Politics NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Main Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue Volume 1 CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY Chapter Five ToR2: To make recommendations to Government on structure and modalities for the proposed National Dialogue/Conference .0 The structure of the proposed National 5 Conference and the modalities for putting it into place generated a lot of suggestions from Nigerians at the Interactive Sessions held by the Committee and through the memoranda submitted to it.

The structure is taken to mean the composition and size of the Conference while modalities mean the strategies adopted in defining the structure.

5.1 Members considered the proposal to establish an organ that will be mandated with the responsibilities of managing and administering the Conference, including preparing grounds for its take-off.

The Committee also considered suggestions that the Conference should have a leadership structure to guide its conduct and preside over its affairs.

5.2 Many options regarding the structure of the body of Delegates, i.e., the Conference itself were also put before the Committee. These included building the Conference structure around equal ethnic representation in such a way that, each ethnic nationality is represented by one (1) Delegate each.

Similarly the six (6) Geo-Political Zones, States, Local Governments, and Federal Constituencies were variously suggested as the pool from which to draw the main body of the National Conference.

Out of a multitude of such options, the Committee considered and debated four (4) major options formally articulated and put before it.

5.3 Option ‘A’ — Representation on the Basis of Equality of Geo-Political Zones: This option proposes that elected Delegates should comprise an equal number of 45 Delegates from each of the six (6) geo-political zones. The 45 Delegates shall emerge through an indirect election process starting from Wards and involving stakeholders.

5 Delegates, including one woman and one youth, will be elected from the Ward to the zonal level from where the 45 Delegates to represent the zone will then be elected. This would give rise to 270 elected Delegates nationwide.

5.4 ‘Special Interests’: This will comprise 79 Delegates to be nominated by their respective interest groups. This will bring the size of the National Conference to 349. According to this option, the Delegates to represent Special Interests shall be distributed as follows: i. Traditional Rulers - 6 ii. Physically Challenged - 6 iii. Organised Private Sector - 6 iv. Faith-based Organisations (2 Muslims, 2 Christians, 2 Traditionalists) - 6 v. State Government and FCT - 37 vi. Federal Government (2 Executive, 2 Legislature, 2 Judiciary) - 6 vii. Armed Forces & Police - 4 viii. Diaspora Representatives (United Kingdom, N/America, Asia, Africa) - 4 ix. Professional Bodies (NLC, TUC, NBA, NMA) - 4 5.5 Option ‘B’ — Representation on the Basis of Equality of Senatorial Districts (3 Delegates Per Senatorial District): For this option, the Conference shall comprise a total of 502 delegates, 364 of them are to be elected through an Electoral College made up of 5 Electors from each Local Government in the Senatorial District that will meet at the Senatorial District level to elect 3 Delegates per Senatorial District making 9 for each State, while the State Government is to nominate 1 Delegate to make the State Delegation 10 per State and 4 from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 138 representatives of ‘Special Interest Groups.’

5.6 Additional Delegates: The option further provides for 138 additional Delegates to represent ‘Special Interest Groups.’ These will be nominated

Okurounmu by the Special Interest Groups as follows: 1. Woman: States - 36 FCT 1 Fed. Govt.

2 39 2. Youths (not above 35 years) States 36 FCT 1 Fed. Government 2 39 3. Traditional Rulers: States 36 FCT 1 37 4. Physically Challenged - 2 5. Professional Bodies (NLC, TUC, NBA) - 4 6. Organised Private Sector - 1 7. Faith-based Organisations (2 SCIA, 2 CAN, 2 Traditionalists) - 6 8. Federal Government - 6 i. (Executive, 2 Legislature, 2 Judiciary) ii. Armed Forces & Police - 2 iii. Diaspora Reps (1 male, 1 female) - 2 Sub-Total 138 5.7 Option ‘C’ — Representation on the Basis of Equality of Constituencies of House of Representatives: This option proposes that the Conference structure should be made up of one (1) Delegate from each Constituency of the Federal House of Representatives. The Delegates are to be elected through an Electoral College.

The process will begin at the Ward level where one (1) representative will be elected to go to the Local Government from where five (5) persons will be elected to form the Electoral College of each Federal Constituency. The Electoral College will then elect one (1) Delegate to represent the Federal Constituency at the National Conference.

The advantage of electing Delegates on the basis of Federal Constituencies is that it allows for wider participation of the grassroots. The proponents of this option accepted an amendment to alter the mode of election so that the Delegates from the Federal Constituencies will be elected directly through universal adult suffrage.

5.8 In addition to the elected Delegates, it was further proposed that other interest groups shall also be represented by 185 Delegates to be nominated by the respective interest groups. The distribution of these additional Delegates shall be as follows: i. Women: States (1 each) - 36 FCT 1 Fed. Government 4

41 ii. Youths (not above 35 years) States (1 each) 36 FCT Fed. Government 4

2 41

iii. Traditional Rulers: States (1 each) FCT

36 -

1 37

iv. Physically Challenged - 4 v. Professional Bodies (NLC, TUC, NBA) - 3 vi. Faith-based Organizations (2 SCIA, 2 CAN, 2 Traditionalists) - 6 vii. State Government and FCT- 37 viii. Federal Government (2 Executive 2 Legislature, 2 Judiciary) - 6 ix. Armed Forces & Police - 4 x. Diaspora Reps (1 male, 1 female) - 2 Sub-Total 185 5.9 The size of the National Conference, going by this option, shall be 536 elected and nominated Delegates.

5.10 Option ‘D’ – Equality of Senatorial Districts (4 Delegates Per Senatorial District): This option proposes representation based on equality of States. It suggested that each State should be represented by 12 Delegates, and 4 from the FCT Abuja, elected through universal adult suffrage in such a way that each Senatorial District returns 4 elected Delegates to the Conference.

This will bring the total number of elected Delegates to 436.

5.11 Additional 64 Nominated Delegates: The option also proposes that there shall be additional 64 Delegates to be nominated by special interests, including ethnic nationalities, faithbased groups, professional bodies, regional socio-political groups, civil society organisations, women, youth, the Physically Challenged, etc.

It is further proposed that the Federal Government should facilitate these nominations in conjunction with the interests involved.

5.12 The Committee also considered proposals on the leadership required by the National Conference. Suggestions on this matter included that there shall be a Chairman for the Conference.

Some suggested that the Chairman, who shall be a retired Supreme Court or Court of Appeal Judge), shall be appointed by the Federal Government. Others proposed that the Conference itself should elect its officers, including the Chairman.

There were also suggestions that the Conference should have a Deputy Chairman, or Deputy Chairmen. Some argued in favour of two

(2) Deputy Chairmen from North and South, while others suggested 5 Deputy Chairmen appointed or elected from the geo-political zones other than the zone from where the Chairman emerged.

5.13 Observations: Members agree that the National Conference and its associated processes shall be owned and driven by the Nigerian people; and that the structure of the Conference should be an all-inclusive one.

Similarly, members are agreed on the principle of directly electing majority of the Delegates to the National Conference on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

5.14 Members were agreed on the need to avoid cumbersome procedures in the determination of the structure and size of the Conference. This is important so that the project is not made vulnerable with the risk of being hijacked by unpatriotic forces, who may want to cash in on the cumbersome procedures to cause confusion in order to promote narrow interests in the runup to the electioneering process in 2014 and the General Elections in 2015.

5.15The Committee was also agreed on the need for an administrative structure that shall run the affairs of the Conference as well as perform other important functions even before the takeoff of the Conference.

5.16With regards to the size and structure of the National Conference itself, the Committee tried in vain to reach a consensus. Decision on the matter was therefore arrived at by voting on the options listed earlier.

Before the votes were taken, the proponents of option ‘B’ however decided to fuse their ideas with those proposed under option ‘C’. The results were as follows: 1 member voted in favour of Option ‘A’ on ‘Equal Zonal Representation,’ 6 members voted in favour of option ‘C,’ while 5 members voted in favour of option ‘D’ while 1 member abstained.

5.17 Recommendations: Members extensively deliberated on the various options listed above.

The Committee recommends as follows: 1. There is need to establish a Conference Management Secretariat (CMS) which should consist of: a. An Executive Secretary who shall be Administrative Head of the Conference assisted

by Administrative, Accounts, Personnel and other staff to service the Secretariat; b. 2 Representatives from each Geo-Political Zone; c. The Executive Secretary and other members shall be appointed by the President; d. The Conference Management Secretariat shall run the affairs of the Conference and supervise the elections to the Conference using the INEC Register. It shall manage all activities and processes of the Conference at all levels.

2. The size and structure of the National Conference should be in accordance with option ‘C’ although Government may also consider ‘Option D’ as a possible alternative; 3. Elected Delegates under any of the options considered should emerge through direct election on the principles of universal adult suffrage.

Chapter Six ToR3: To make recommendations to Government on how representation of various interest groups at the National Conference/Dialogue will be determined 6.0 Nigeria is a plural society which is characterised by interplay of many contending forces, cultural, social, economic and others. One way in which this plurality is manifested is the ethnic, regional, religious and cultural diversity in the country.

Each of the contending forces makes common claims from the Nigerian state. Thus, the contending ethnic, religious, regional and economic forces take the forms of interest groups in Nigeria.

As is usually the case with all multi-cultural

Friday, January 17, 2014 POLITICS

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NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT societies, these contending forces have to be aggregated, and their demands on the state streamlined within reasonable limits in order to foster a sense of belonging and national unity.

6.1 The Committee had, in the course of its engagement with Nigerians, been confronted with demands for inclusion, recognition and often, the need to redress certain imbalances in the Nigerian state.

Many interest groups have staked their claims.

These interest groups included traditional rulers, ethnic nationalities, faith-based groups, civil society organisations, socio-cultural and regional organisations, women, youth, the Physically-Challenged, professional bodies.

6.2 The various interest groups had demanded for inclusion at the National Conference through their representatives. Some have suggested, for example, that all ethnic nationality groups should have equal number of representatives at the Conference.

Others have suggested that ethnic nationality groups and other interest groups need to be simply accommodated in the main body of the National Conference.

6.3 Observations: The Committee examined the issue of how the various contending interest groups in the country may be represented at the National Conference. Members observe that every Nigerian has a right to be involved in the process, and this must be duly protected.

The Committee believed that there is need to proceed with caution so that the main objective is to foster national unity and strengthen the Nigerian Union in ways that will ensure justice, peace and progress.

Members observed that all interest groups must be carried along through the representatives chosen by them.

6.4 Recommendations: After a careful appraisal of the issues involved, as well as their apparent complexities for national harmony, the Committee recommends as follows: 1. That the structure of the National Conference as recommended in Chapter Six (6) shall make provisions for representatives of interest groups through nomination, so their total number complements the number of the Delegates to be directly elected through universal adult suffrage.

2. The President should nominate the representatives from the identified key interest groups in active consultation with them, such that the interest groups themselves do the actual presentation of the names of those the groups want the President to nominate as Delegates to the National Conference.

3. In addition to the interest groups listed earlier, namely, Women, Youth, Traditional Rulers, Physically-Challenged, Professional Bodies, Organised Private Sector, Faith-Based Organisations, the Diaspora, Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of Government, Armed Forces and the Police; the credibility of the Conference will be enriched by nominating representatives of the main regional sociopolitical organisations such as the Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle-Belt Forum, South-South Peoples Assembly, etc.

4. Every State Government shall nominate one (1) Delegate and the President, through the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, shall nominate one (1) Delegate for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

In the event that any State fails to nominate a Delegate, the President shall nominate a Delegate for the said State.

5. The Committee recommends that the total number of Delegates from the socio-political groups should not exceed 36 at 6 per GeoPolitical Zone. The socio-political groups invited to nominate the Delegates should decide for themselves who their representatives should be.

Chapter Seven ToR4: To advise Government on a time-frame for the National Dialogue/Conference 7.0 As Mr. President clearly put it in his address during the inauguration of this Committee, Nigerians are desirous of a platform to talk to one another as members of one family in order to strengthen their union.

This Committee’s engagement with Nigerians had revealed their enthusiasm on the need to hold the National Conference as soon as possible.

7.1 Many proposals for the timing of the National Conference have been put before the Committee. While some suggested that the National Conference should hold in 2014 before the electioneering for 2015 General Elections begins, others wanted the Conference to hold after the 2015 General Elections.

Proponents of the convocation and holding of the Conference before the 2015 General

agenda, among others.

7.5 With respect to the specific time-frame for the Conference, the Committee observed that duration of 3-6 months seemed to feature in most of the proposals presented in memoranda submitted to it.

7.6 Recommendations: In view of the above, this Committee now recommends as follows: 1. The National Conference should hold for duration of not less than three (3) months and not more than six (6) months.

2. The convening of the National Conference in the year 2014 possibly between the months of February and July, thus concluding the exercise before the onset of the 2015 electioneering campaigns.

Chapter Eight

Jonathan

Elections believe that it will be better to get it done as fast as possible so that the memorandum among Nigerians to move their country forward over and above myopic partisans interests, occasioned by electoral politics, is sustained.

They also argued that the outcomes of any early, pre-election conference may assist in even correcting the inadequacies of the many prerequisites for credible, acceptable elections.

They also believed that the outcomes may determine the forms that the 2015 General Elections may take.

7.2 Proponents of convening and holding the National Conference after the 2015 General Elections argued that what is worth doing is worth doing well. They believed that Nigeria does not, as at the moment, have strong institutions that can manage two landmark processes of holding a National Conference and General Elections in almost the same time.

They held that the weak institutions that will be brought to bear on the two important processes may end up messing up both the National Conference and the General Elections, and this may possibly lead to chaos with unpredictable consequences.

7.3 As for the time-frame for the National Conference, the Committee had received many suggestions ranging from one (1) month to one year. Some have even gone ahead to propose the actual work plan for the National Conference within the time-frame that they suggested.

7.4 Observations: The Committee observed that the issue of timing and time-frame for the National Conference is contingent upon certain important variables. Some of those include the prevailing social atmosphere and political climate of the nation; the disposition of the key political institutions whose support and action is of essence in the project; the quantum of resources that may be made available for the conduct of the National Conference; length and complexities of the issues on the Conference’s

held, the 1999 Constitution should first be amended. Some other experts, however, argued that a Referendum in the manner proposed can be held without amending the 1999 Constitution.

9.4 Recommendations: The Committee, after taking oral and written memoranda where various and numerous options were canvassed, and taking cognizance of the need for strategic caution in advising Government on the handling of the outcomes of the National Conference, now recommends: That the National Conference itself shall have the responsibility of setting out the said legal procedures and options for integrating its decisions and outcomes of its deliberations into the Constitution and the Law of the nation.

Chapter Ten ToR5: To advise Government on a Legal frameToR7: To advise Government on any other matwork for the National Dialogue/Conference. ter that may be related or incidental to the pro8.0Large sections of Nigerians, who participated posed National Dialogue/Conference. in the Interactive Section, the Retreat and through the Memoranda that they sent to this 10.0 Having responded to the Terms of Committee, have proposed that there is the Reference in the preceding chapters and secneed for an enabling Act to give the National tions of this Report, the Committee believes that there are many issues that relate to the smooth Conference legal backing.

The common proposal on this matter and successful conduct of the National expressed by Nigerians across the country is that Conference. the President should send a Bill the National 10.1 Observations: The Committee observes that Assembly, which shall then enact an enabling there are many other matters that will make for a rewarding National Conference. law to legitimise the National Conference.

8.1 The Committee understands that Nigerians Some Nigerians have suggested some modaliwant the enabling law enacted as soon as possi- ties for for decision-making at the Conference, how the Conference itself should be conducted, ble.

8.2 Observations: The Committee observes that qualifications for election as Delegates to the although there appears to be a near consensus Conference, as well as the rules of procedure on the need to have an enabling Act to give legal required to guide deliberations at the National backing to the Conference, as well as guide its Conference. conduct, some experts have suggested that the 10.2 Recommendations: The Committee recomPresident can rely on the provisions of Section 5 mends that Government should address the folof the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic lowing: of Nigeria to convene the National Conference. 1. The official names of the Conference should be 8.3 Recommendations: The Committee now rec- the ‘National Conference’.

2. The National Conference shall hold at the ommends as follows: 1. That the Executive and the National Assembly Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. should cooperate as partners to put in place an 3. The National Conference shall have a enabling law that should lead to a successful Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson, who should be persons of high unimpeachable and hitch-free National Conference.

In that context, the Committee recommends integrity. that the President should send an Executive Bill 4. The Executive Secretary of the Conference for the purpose of the National Conference to Management Secretariat shall serve as the the National Assembly, which shall enact it into Secretary to the National Conference and shall be responsible to the Conference for proper the enabling law.

The Committee is convinced that on balance of record keeping and all other administrative probability, it is safer to have such an enabling matters.

5. Decision Making at the National Conference law than to assume it is not needed.

2. In the alternative to the above, the President shall be by consensus but where that is not may exercise his inherent powers under section achievable, decisions shall be arrived at by two5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of thirds majority.

6. In order to ensure a fully democratic and peoNigeria, and convene the Conference. ples-driven Conference, Government should ensure that the total number of nominated Chapter Nine Delegates does not exceed one-third of the total ToR6:To advise on Legal Procedures and Options size of the National Conference. for integrating decisions and outcomes of the 7. Rules of Procedure: In order to have a smooth National Dialogue/Conference into the and productive Conference, the Conference Management Secretariat shall develop ‘Rules of Constitution and Laws of the nation.

Procedure’ for the National Conference guided 9.0 Many proposals were canvassed on this mat- by the Standing Orders of the Federal House of ter. One proposal is that the Conference should Representatives. draft a ‘New Constitution’, which shall be sub- 8. Election into the National Conference shall be jected to a Referendum by the Nigerian people. by direct election through universal adult sufThe result of the Referendum shall then be sub- frage on non-party basis. mitted to the National Assembly together with 9. Qualifications of candidates for Election as the new Constitution. The National Assembly Delegates to the National Conference shall be shall then take all the necessary legislative the same as those stipulated for standing elecactions without making any input or amend- tion into the House of Representatives except that candidates for election as Delegates to the ment to the ‘New Constitution’.

9.1 Another proposal was that the outcomes of National Conference need not be members of the National Conference should be submitted to any political party. the National Assembly, which shall consider these, make necessary inputs as the parliament Appendices deems appropriate, and take appropriate leg- 1. President’s Address at Inauguration of the Committee islative actions accordingly.

The Presidency shall, on its part, sift from the 2. Work Plan outcomes, matters within its jurisdiction and 3. Itinerary purview to promulgate appropriate policies or 4. List of Memoranda Received decisions to give practical effect to the imple- 5. Memoranda Received at North Central mentation of the outcomes of the National Interactive Session 6. Memoranda Received at North East Conference.

9.3 Observations: The Committee observes that Interactive Session the issue of Referendum/Plebiscite was predom- 7. Memoranda Received at North West inant in the presentation made to it by Interactive Session Nigerians across the country. Members thought 8. Memoranda Received at South East Interactive Session that it was an attractive and novel idea.

Other presentations suggested that the out- 9. Memoranda Received at South-South comes of the National Conference should be Interactive Session sent to the National Assembly, for some after the 10. Memoranda Received at South West Referendum and others without the Interactive Session 11. Memoranda Received at FCT Abuja Interactive Referendum.

9.3 Discussion on Referendum featured promi- Session nently during the Retreat held with selected 12. Memoranda Received On-line experts and leaders. The experts argued that the 13. Memoranda Received at the Secretariat 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of 14. Retreat Programmes Nigeria, which is an existing law, does not make 15. Press Clips. provisions for holding a Referendum on matters CONCLUDED of amending or making a new Constitution.

So, they proffered that for a Referendum to be

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Conscience Nurtured by Truth

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

Editorial Rivers State: The looming anarchy T

HE violent disruption of a rally by supporters of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi by the Police was another unfortunate episode in the unfolding anarchy in the state. Not only was an event for which a police permit was ostensibly granted (never mind that, as established by Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and reaffirmed in a Supreme Court judgment, such a permit is not at all required) invaded in the rudest manner, participants were attacked with teargas and shot at. One of the victims, Senator Magnus Abe has been flown abroad for treatment while many others are at home, nursing their wounds. This descent into lawlessness occasioned by a politics of bitterness and exacerbated by police high-handedness is condemnable.

With each step towards brigandage, this newspaper has had cause to repeatedly call attention to the worsening political and security situation in Rivers State. All warnings against a do-or-die politics and the misuse of state security apparatus to pursue narrow interest have gone unheeded. It is increasingly clear now that with bitter political differences having aggravated into a clash of personality and ego, the political bigwigs in Rivers State, each acting on behalf of self and/ or a higher power, together with their respective foot-soldiers in the state legislature and elsewhere, are determined on a fight-to-finish course. Not to be forgotten, of course, is alleged involvement of First Lady, Patience Jonathan and the Presidency in the politics and related matters of the state. What is clear is that, in the long run, the endless crisis will do neither the antagonists nor Rivers State any good. Indeed, every incident in the tragic drama has also taken its collateral damage in human, material, reputation, and other costs. A few weeks ago, two court houses were bombed and sensitive documents destroyed; also the secretariat of the state chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) located in the building of the Ahoada High Court suffered damage. Now, the national NBA is up in arms against the federal authorities, demanding “an immediate and thorough investigation...and a report, even if interim within 30 days of the date of the incident.”

The Police in Rivers State, as represented by Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu have to all intents and purposes, become an active participant in the political imbroglio or worse still, a willing tool in the hands of politicians to perpetrate high-handedness. Furthermore, beyond the call of professional duty, Mr. Mbu has, it seems, become personally involved in the political crisis of Rivers State. When he is not countermanding the orders of the governor who is the state’s chief security officer, Mbu is engaged in verbal altercation with one or other high state official or, on spurious excuses, causing to be disrupted events organised by one party to the crisis.

But his job, as far as can be constitutionally discerned, is supposed to be one of an impartial professional. All indications are that the state police under Mbu are severely compromised now and cannot be trusted to impartially maintain law and order in Rivers State. Sadly, all these untoward acts occur and no one has deemed it fit to heed the call to move Mbu out of Rivers State. His attitude and conduct are not right and are against all the rules of professionalism in the disciplined forces.

The way the Police carry on in Rivers State is a serious damage to the collective reputation of the Force. This should stop.

The crisis in Rivers State is also giving democracy in Nigeria a very bad name and, from both the overt picture and the undercurrents, it is appropriate to hold the ruling elite, from the President, as father of the nation, to the state governor, and all other actors, fully responsible for how bad things have gone.

Elected leaders are on oath to ‘not allow any personal interest to influence [their] official conduct or [their] official decision...[to] do right to all manner of people according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will’.

To avert the looming anarchy in Rivers State, the state’s political elite must embrace decency and a deep sense of responsibility, while Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the President, will do well to give credence to his oath by doing what is right, devoid of personal interest, to enthrone peace in Rivers State.

LETTERS

Fashola as a global thought leader IR: For a nation which Sglobal has perennially made news headlines for all the wrong reasons, it was a pleasant new year gift to Nigerians on January 2 this year to hear that Babatunde Governor Fashola of Lagos State has been named one of the 100 Global Thinkers for 2013.

The selection was by Lo Spazio della Politica (LSDP), an international think-tank of scholars and scientists operating from Italy and Belgium and fashioned after the world famous Foreign Policy think-tank of the United States.

Governor Fashola was named alongside such global icons as Pope Francis who is recognised for restoring the glory of the Catholic Church as a formidable global power and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for steering his country’s economy in a totally different direction.

Fashola is honoured for making Lagos the hub of innovation in Africa and for setting up the Innovation Advisory Council, in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Fashola is an excellent

Ever since his election in 2007 as the state governor, Fashola has not left anyone in doubt about his commitment to the development of Lagos as a befitting megacity. If Lagos cannot be in the same league as London, New York and Tokyo in the foreseeable future, reasons Fashola, it can within a short period become like Jakarta, Brasilia and other great cities in the emerging world. He has been pursuing this vision with religious fervour. Modern infrastructure is being developed at a frenetic pace, among other development schemes. example of a few persons across the world who combine thought with praxis.

French philosophers would call such a person l’homme engage, or a practical man of ideas. Ghanaians remember Professor Kofia Busia as a brilliant social scientist at Oxford but a failed political leader when he became prime minister. Nicephore Soglo was a top economist and lawyer at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but when he was elected the president of

Benin Republic in the early 1990s, he failed woefully, forcing the citizens to bring back to office former President Mathieu Kerekou, an army general with a modest formal education whose so-called Marxist policy helped to ruin the economy in the 1970s and 80s.

Ever since his election in 2007 as the state governor, Fashola has not left anyone in doubt about his commitment to the development of Lagos as a befitting megacity.

If Lagos cannot be in the same league as London, New York and Tokyo in the foreseeable future, reasons Fashola, it can within a short period become like Jakarta, Brasilia and other great cities in the emerging world.

He has been pursuing this vision with religious fervour.

Modern infrastructure is being developed at a frenetic pace, among other development schemes.

One critical success factor for the rapid development of Lagos in recent times is Fashola’s refusal to be enmeshed in divisive tribal, sectional and religious politics. The governor is ahead of most of his contemporaries.

C. Don Adinuba, Lagos.

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Opinion When small is not beautiful

By Aminu Hamajoda

T

HE current conflicts in Mali, Congo, CAR and South Sudan should be viewed with grave concern by Africans especially in concurrence to the doggedness of the European Union in battling for consolidation even in a period of depression. The trend of balkanization in the face of the challenges of the 21st century is not the best solution for the aggrieved people of Africa.

After close to 30 years of civil war in Sudan, there was hope that a division between North and South Sudan will bring peace and development. Not yet uhuru! Soon after the proclamation of independence for the South in 2011, droves of South Sudanese flocked back home in boats and buses only to find non-existent infrastructure, unavailable schools and jobs and perverse insecurity and corruption. In the North inflation skyrocketed, fuel prices increased, investments slowed and new conflicts arose about border and crude oil transportation. In desperation, the two nations agreed in 2012 among others things, for citizens of both countries to work and own property in either Sudans and other specific protocols in oil, security, trade, banking and culture. All these had existed in a unified Sudan! To crown it all, in 2013, the ugly head of ethnicity reared its head in Juba and a one-year-old nation is consumed in a tribal inferno with a former President of a united Sudan coming to the rescue!

The danger of the balkanization trend in Africa is that at the beginning it gives a cozy but false sense that the invitation of an ethnic or religious enclave beckons, e.g that Ajwad nation, Oduduwa Land, Katanga, Biafran State, Ogoni Land, Casamance etc, are the magic wands for the severe consequences of failed states. Quite often this illusion vanishes when the layer of national patriotism is peeled off as in Southern Sudan today. Peeling of the layer of national patriotism reveals the ethnic layer, Nuer versus Dinka, Zulu versus Xhosa, Ovimbundu versus Mbundu, Kikuyu versus Kalenjin, etc. If the ethnic layer is peeled off it reveals the clan layer as happened in Somalia where six subclans; the Darod, the Isaaq, the Dir, the Hawiye, the Rahanwein, and the Digil brought down a unified

Somali nation in the 1990s. Peeling the layer further reveals the family layer as the historical conflict of Ife versus Modakeke in western Nigeria had shown. There is no end to divisive factors!

As nations balkanize further, their competitiveness in human and natural resources is bound to reduce. Modern city-states can be quoted as examples of ‘small is beautiful and successful’, but there are several catches there.

All modern city-states like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai, are not landlocked and are multi-racial, multicultural, immigrants forming the bulk of their citizens. They are generally financial and trading centres relying on trade and manufacturing, real vulnerable factors of development. Similarly, military and geo-political power is non-existent in these city-states; they depend completely on western powers for their defence and can never feature in top ranking countries, because countries that are competing for the first 10 positions as world economic powers (USA, China, EU, India, Japan, Brazil, Russia, UK, France…) have larger land mass, more population, and economies that depend much more on land, human capital, and manufacturing. Size is one factor that is driving European countries to form a union. Brazil will overtake Germany and France in 2028. Old Britain cannot compete with India, its former colony in 2030, and the USA will relinquish its baton to China by 2032, if we last that long.

Starting from this year, the number one effort by all African countries should be towards increasing mobility of people and goods by consolidating transnational cooperation (e.g ECOWAS, EAC ,etc) that will ultimately end in an African Union. This will require doggedness similar to that of EU, because it is not good for Africa after emerging from a damaging colonial political economy to succumb to a growing bitter conflict of ethnic nationalism and useless demands for separations. Studies have already shown that ethnic and separatists’ conflicts are just levers used by our current inept African leaders to garner support for their political and economic aggrandizements. The current situation in South Sudan and CAR are graphic examples of the shameful quality of post-colonial leadership in

Africa.

If, therefore, ethnic and separatist conflicts stem from desire to access power and resources

by African leaders, then the steps to take to mitigate these conflicts while striving for regional and African union are quite obvious. First it is time to stop this craze about autochthony (sonof-the-soil syndrome) as a definition of citizenship for it is not an African concept because historical records show that although ethnicity had socially defined people in Africa before colonialism, intermarriages and other inter-ethnic mixing of cultures and people were taking place.

If this was not the case, every village area in Africa would have been an inferno of ethnic war before the coming of colonialism. Similarly, the vicious ideology of autochthony is created to definitively eliminate the so-called non- indigenes by genocide and other forms of atrocities. Cote d’Ivoire in 2002 and Plateau State in Nigeria are good examples of the callousness of autochthony conflicts. It is time to stamp forcefully before it becomes a monster, this fabricated narrow notion of citizenship in Africa. Failing to stamp it out will provide a potent weapon for the enemies of Africa to continue to destroy the black race. Rwanda was an example and the recent sparks in East and Central Africa are pointers to even more ethnic violence to come in Africa.

In addition to fighting the autochthony conspiracy, African countries need to overhaul their protocols of intervention and justice because they are keys to stemming conflicts. The current situation where at the African Union level, leaders are befuddled on how to solve conflicts is highly discouraging. This is not the time for diplomacy, but for assessing situations, arriving at judgments and pronouncing solutions without fear and favour like our ancestors used to do.

For instance, there must be culprits in the present conflicts in Sudan and CAR. Without fear and favour political players must be judged and heavily sanctioned. Western paradigms in solving our problems are not efficient. There is apparently a need for AU to have an African Court in Addis Ababa that will try African leaders even if at the beginning nations may reject its rulings.

At the national level, failure to obtain justice through public institutions is another cause of the cycle of violence in the conflict areas. Proba-

bly replicating Ghana’s model of conflict resolution, CHRAJ, across Africa nations, may be a worthwhile exercise in providing an independent institution that documents and reconcile ethnic conflicts.

Apart from timely intervention and improvement of justice system, national and regional security forces must be strengthened and diversified. It is time for the mooted African High Command Force to take off in addition to existing regional forces like the ECOMOG. More security personnel should be recruited at both national and AU levels that cut across ethnic and religious lines. Both in CAR and Sudan currently, deployed troops are not adequate to ensure civilian safety. Recruitment of security personnel must be ethnically and religiously balanced because research has already shown that ethnically representative security forces are very effective in diverse societies. Continuously depending on the West and UNO for our conflict resolution after close to a century of independence will not augur well for Africa.

Lastly, while striving for regional and African unity, each African country must develop and consolidate its consociational strategies and institutions that will mitigate micro-nationalist and ethnic conflicts. How African States handle the issue of representation, power sharing, resource allocations, equitable employment and even development will determine the persistence of ethnic and separatist tendencies in Africa, but arguably, there is no substitute to forging forward to regional and African unity in the face of the current decay in modern African states.

The real issue is how we collectively react to our colonial experience and the modern challenge of globalization. It will be negative if we accept the colonialist concept of Africa as consisting of primordial ‘tribal’ entities fighting one another other, and positive if we reject the above colonial construct by striving for a truly African identity that is multiracial, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. The truth is that the masses of Africa are ready for that, but are the ‘Graeco-latin’ Negro leaders and intelligentsia ready as well?

• Hamajoda wrote via aminufhamajoda@ya-

Climate diplomacy can build trust, future

By Ousman Jarju

F

OR the past decade, I have travelled to meeting after meeting of the United Nations climate change talks as a national negotiator for The Gambia, as chair of the Least Developed Countries group, and now as Gambia’s Special Climate Envoy.

This journey has taught me that diplomacy is the key that can unlock the treasure chest of ambition we need to tackle climate change.

The talks, now in their 20th year, are meant to lead to a new international climate treaty for all nations to adopt in 2015. But they are going nowhere fast. Negotiators are entrenched. These civil servants work to defend national interests at all costs, and so progress towards an effective agreement remains woefully slow. What’s lacking is political leadership.

In November 2013, it was Warsaw’s turn to host the talks. It was a grim meeting. The atmosphere of suspicion was so severe that I thought we would leave without conclusions. While some nations backtracked on their commitments to reduce emissions or provide poorer countries with finance, other nations’ efforts to reduce emissions went unacknowledged. Clearly so fractured an environment does not catalyse compromise – the necessary foundation of any UN agreement.

In a speech I gave in Warsaw’s national football stadium, I explained that the talks can only succeed if there is trust between developed and developing countries. Trust – plain and simple.

Sadly, any news headlines about the Warsaw talks that mentioned trust preceded the word with “lack of”, “mis” and “dis”.

Despite the trials of Warsaw, I continue to believe that trust can end the stalemate. Building it however requires engagement on a political level – and that’s where climate diplomacy comes in.

While negotiations are an attempt to reconcile conflicting positions into an agreeable outcome, diplomacy is the art of moving the political boundaries that define what outcomes are possible. Climate diplomacy then is the art of influencing what is politically possible.

If my years as a negotiator at the UN climate change talks have taught me anything, it is the power of political will. President Obama proved this last year in enacting through executive order his Climate Action Plan, which will reduce emissions in the country that has historically put more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than any other.

Political will is also the key to ambition on the international stage. Without it there is little hope of global agreement on a climate treaty that all nations can take home and ratify. But to increase political will we must first build trust.

Over recent years, I have watched the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) gain the ability to build trust in the international climate arena. The LDC Group brings to the UN two powerful catalysts for trust, which as Gambia’s Special Climate Envoy I hope to take to the diplomatic stage: First, proactive domestic political conditions that support ambitious climate action. The Gambia has mainstreamed climate change into our five-year development strategy and identified actions to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, 12 LDCs have drafted mitigation policies, even though their emissions are insignificant compared to those of other nations.

All 48 LDCs have developed programmes to address their urgent adaptation needs. Nine LDCs are at the forefront of enacting low-carbon resilient development strategies. By walking the walk of ambitious climate action, the LDCs can openly dialogue with other nations in a spirit of leadership. Leading by example is a powerful element of trust building.

Second, a demonstrated willingness to compromise and engage at the political level. The LDCs see climate change as an issue of the highest political importance. At the UN, the LDC Group can translate this into a style of negotiation that no longer merely defends its own positions, but one that actively seeks common ground among the key players of climate talks.

The Group is also an enthusiastic force in generating solutions and outcomes that are commensurate with the scale of the climate problem.

My country is the first, and so far the only member of the 48

All 48 LDCs have developed programmes to address their urgent adaptation needs. Nine LDCs are at the forefront of enacting low-carbon resilient development strategies. By walking the walk of ambitious climate action, the LDCs can openly dialogue with other nations in a spirit of leadership. Leading by example is a powerful element of trust building.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to appoint a full-time climate change envoy. As Gambia’s Special Climate Envoy I hope to use these catalysts for cooperation to build both trust and understanding. I see climate diplomacy as an opportunity to continue dialogue with partners and civil society in developed and developing countries both during and outside the UN climate negotiations.

2014 will present several opportunities to engage in climate diplomacy. Events such as the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in September will pave the way toward the all-important meeting in Paris in 2015, when nations aim to establish an effective climate agreement.

Having spent years at the climate change negotiations, it is time to take my message to a higher political sphere. Over the coming years my aim is to try to build trust between nations by showing other diplomats and political leaders what forwardlooking countries in the LDC Group are already doing to tackle climate change. I want to promote better understanding, encourage compromises and build convergence around various positions. Because it is clear that diplomacy is what’s needed.

• Pa Jarju is Special Climate Envoy for The Gambia and former chair of the Least Developed Countries group at the UN climate change negotiations.

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014

Opinion I am that I am

By Patience Turtoe-Sanders AM that I am,” is the name which God called Himself when Moses asked for the name of God. Prior to this revelation, God had no name. Even Abraham, through whom God chose to reveal Himself to the world, did not know the name of God. He just knew God as the Lord, as it is written in Genesis 12:1, that says, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of the country…unto a land that I will shew thee….” Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, instantly obeyed. Naturally, members of his family would have asked, “Where are you going, and why?” “The Lord asked me to move,” Abraham must have responded. “Which Lord, we have many gods,” Abraham’s family, who served many gods, must have asked. But Abraham had no name for God, yet he believed God and relocated to no place in particular.

For years, Abraham was a nomad, yet God assured him that He will not only give Abraham a home, He, God, would make Abraham a father of many nations. But he, who had received these promises, was barren without a child for decades, and when God finally gave Abraham a child, the generations of his seed, Isaac, were enslaved in a foreign land for over four hundred years. Yet, God had a deliverer for the Israelites, Moses. Though sentenced to death from the beginning, Moses, a generation of Abraham, was miraculously raised in the king’s palace. But Moses, who thought he was an Egyptian, could not understand why the God of the Israelites, whom the Israelites strongly believed in, would allow them to experience such untold suffering by their captives, the Egyptians, who had so many gods. Sympathetic to the Israelites, Moses, the prince, killed an Egyptian, who afflicted an Israelite, thinking, “Since your God does not take vengeance for you, I will.” But Moses’ sin-

“I

gular action not only cost him his position in the palace, it extended the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt, for God had revealed to Abraham, saying, “…Know for a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them: and they shall afflict them for four hundred years…” (Genesis 15:13).

The Israelites were enslaved for four hundred and thirty years before God set them free through the hands of Moses. But Moses’ action brought another death sentence upon him, and he fled from Egypt.

Moses, the prince, became jobless, a wanderer, and when Moses eventually found a job, the prince, who once wined and dined with kings and heads of states, one, who was assumed to be the next king of Egypt, became a shepherd of sheep, goats and pigs. He, who used to be served, became a server, not of human beings, but of animals. He, who used to give orders to generals and captains of international armies, was now giving orders, not to human beings, but to sheep, goats and pigs. Moses, the prince, who once was able to use unlimited chariots and charioteers, bows and arrows and untold military weapons and equipment was now limited to the use of a rod to lead his animals.

Moses, who once was a consultant, whose presence was honoured and revered, became one without a voice, unheard, isolated in the company of animals. Moses, who used to sleep on a plush bed, covered with soft pillows and a silky comforter, began to sleep in the open fields with animals, and awoke to the coldness of dew. Where is God? But God was with Moses, as God is today with anyone going through suffering.

One day, “…The angel of the Lord appeared unto him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he (Moses) looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush

was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” (Exodus 3:2-4). Moses had suffered so much that he was no longer afraid of anything. He investigated the mystery before him, and there, “…God called unto him out of the midst of the bush…” (v.4). God introduced Himself to Moses, told Moses His mission, and then told Moses his role in God’s plan. “…Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh…” (v.10). But Moses instantly stopped God. “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (v.11).

Moses was unwilling to do that which God had prepared him for. Why? Suffering changes our perception. Moses had been through untold hardships... He’d been downgraded. He’d asked for help from above, but help did not come when he needed it. He’d accepted his situation and had learned to live with it. He was not going to change his routine for anyone, not even for God. “Send someone else,” Moses said to God. Moses wanted to be left alone. Moses’ reaction is a natural reaction for someone who’d cried for help without a solution, whose hopes and dreams had been dashed and shattered, who felt like a laughing stock before his peers, and who felt he’d been humiliated enough. But God would not leave Moses alone. God knew that Moses did not understand his purpose. God said, “Certainly I will be with thee” (v.12). But Moses was skeptical. How could he suddenly go to a people who’d suffered for hundreds of years and tell them that God had sent him to free them?

What if they asked him the name of this God, “What shall I say unto them?” (v.13). And God responded, “I AM THAT I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you” (v.14).

“I am that I am” is the name of God Almighty whom we serve. “I am” is personalized. It means, Me. God is He, the I am, and there is no other. “I am that…” means “I am everything.” God is saying, “I am your government. I am that problem you are facing…I am your husband…your wife…the future partner you are searching for…I am your breakthrough. I am that I am.”

God is everything…your mother, father, brother, sister, employer… God is our all in all.

He knows our sorrows and our joys. He hears our wailing and weeping. “And the Lord God said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people…and have heard their cry…” (V.7). God knows how to turn things around in our favour.

God knows what you are going through right now, and indeed, He has already provided a solution. Moses did not understand why he fell from the throne to the thorns, but God did.

Moses was a prince, a bourgeois. The prince had been divinely chosen to lead slaves out of enslavement. Leading slaves was not an easy task.

In order to lead slaves successfully, Moses had to learn how to be enslaved. Moses’ experience was a preparation for the difficult job God had for him. But Moses had thought he was suffering.

In order to lead, you must first know the emotions of the people you are going to lead, otherwise, the bourgeois will think life is made of a bed of roses, but even roses have thorns. Moses had relied on military weapons, and chariots to go to war. But God wanted Moses to rely solely on Him. God took away Moses’ weapons and gave him a rod. Moses’ rod served as an instrument for God’s miracle. Wherever you are today, is the place that God wants you to be because He wants you to totally rely on Him. Just trust God, the “I am that I am.”

• Dr. Patience Turtoe-Sanders has Ph.D. in Christian Psychology, is an author and a preacher. She lives in the United States of America.

Repositioning NCAA: Task before Captain Akinkuotu

By Nelson Ekujumi HE Nigerian aviation sector of late has dominated the headT lines in public life for the wrong reason, which is sad for our collective psyche as a people and country. The malfeasance with regards to the aviation sector came to the fore as a result of the Dana Air crash in which over 160 persons lost their lives and property destroyed. The icing on the cake of the rot in the sector was the corruption news that broke regarding the purchase of two (2) BMW bullet-proof cars for N255 million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the aviation Minister, Mrs. Stella Oduah and of which Nigerians are miffed.

However, as stakeholders in the Nigerian project, it behooves on Nigerians to stop brooding or lamenting over the rot in our private and public life but should rather sit up and make sure that those in positions of authority do the right thing by being vigilant. After all, eternal vigilance is the watchword of democracy.

In the light of the foregoing and because of the critical importance of the aviation sector to national life, it is worth examining the state of affairs in NCAA and the aviation sector with a view to repositioning it for global best practices and a pride to us all. There is need for a forensic analysis of the new helmsman of NCAA in order to determine if he is capable of doing a turnaround of NCAA and the aviation sector for the good of all.

Captain Fola Akinkuotu is coming in at a critical time that NCAA is in the spotlight for negative reasons and he is saddled with the onerous responsibility of offering explanations for a matter (Oduah car scandal) that occurred while he was awaiting resumption into office after confirmation by the National Assembly.

The three months gap between his confirmation and assumption into office as Director General exposed NCAA to untold abuse and mismanagement in which the organisation was unable to fulfill her regulatory responsibility to the travelling public. Captain Fola Akinkuotu is mounting the saddle at a time that one is not envious of the huge responsibilities on his shoulder because of the rot in NCAA and the aviation sector coupled with the Stella Oduah bullet proof car scandal that has brought the image of NCAA and the aviation sector into public opprobrium.

Akinkuotu is a thoroughbred aviation expert, a revered pilot, aircraft inspector cum engineer and flight engineer which goes

a long way to confirm that he could truly be a round peg in a round hole. A seasoned administrator and educationist, having served as the CEO of an international aviation training institution and with over 44 years industry experience, he has over 13, 000 hours jet time. He was responsible for the complete start up of IRS airline and managed the entire day to day operations of the airline which is still in existence till date.

Akinkuotu’s brief stint and achievement as the pioneer Rector of the Nigeria Aviation College speaks volume of his thoroughbred professionalism. He is an avid apostle of local content in the Nigerian aviation industry whose antecedents in aviation administration has put him in good stead to know the major problems bedeviling the industry coupled with his keen awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of local and foreign airlines operating in Nigeria and the way forward. Upon assuming office as the DG of NCAA, Captain Akinkuotu undertook a stock taking of his establishment as well as the entire Nigerian aviation industry and the result was a damning verdict of an organization in disarray and disoriented workforce.

However, despite swimming in the stormy waters of financial impropriety leveled against it and the aviation minister Mrs. Stella Oduah, NCAA under Captain Fola Akinkuotu has tackled frontally the myriad of problems confronting the organization and he has been able to steer the regulatory agency back on the right track. Today, NCAA under Captain Akinkuotu in fulfilling its regulatory obligation has embarked on a forensic audit of airlines with a view to determining their air worthiness in line with global best practices. One hopes this will be a continuous process through adequate and trained personnel who are well motivated. This audit has resulted in casualties because some local airlines whose safety status was suspect have had their operating licence suspended temporarily until corrections are made in the larger interest of the industry and our country.

Since he assumed duty four months ago, NCAA under Captain Akinkuotu has stepped up aerodrome inspection of all the nation’s airport terminals, passengers screening process inspections, cargo screening inspections as well as ramp inspections.

With a view to combating the security challenges confronting the nation, NCAA has ensured that all existing safety and security equipment at all of the country’s airports such as the CCTV surveillance system, 3 dimensional body screening and baggage X ray systems are being evaluated in order to determine their effectiveness and the need for possible overhaul with Lagos and Abuja airports being on priority because of their economic and

social importance. The NCAA under Captain Fola Akinkuotu is now liaising with Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation to put in place ICAO recommended perimeter security fence wire at all our airports with a view to preventing security lapses.

Another novel innovation witnessed under the Captain Akinkuotu’s leadership of the NCAA is the issue of passenger’s right which for a long time had been trampled upon by both the regulatory agency and the airlines. In line with his vision of redressing this abuse of passenger’s right, Captain Akinkuotu recently launched a passenger bill of right to this effect. He has also ordered massive consumer rights and obligation awareness as well as activated a 24-hour consumer protection helpdesk and hotlines in all Nigerian airports.

A very important step to repositioning NCAA and the aviation industry lies in motivating its work force and this is one area that Captain Fola Akinkuotu has given serious attention. Adequate and continuous training programmes meant to increase the capacity of workers is now the order of the day for flight safety inspectors and all other staff. A phased payment of outstanding staff entitlements is ongoing and complaints over unpaid allowances which hitherto had been the order of the day are now a thing of the past. The new NCAA chief, in boosting the morale of his workers, has even gone a step further by approving and commencing implementation of new conditions of service which took the unions almost six years to secure from previous NCAA administration and the ministry of aviation but was never implemented.

Amidst the giant strides he’s taking towards repositioning NCAA and the aviation sector to be alive to its primary responsibilities, it is important that Akinkuotu does not lose sight of the need to make sure that the country’s airport runways are of world standard and well lit to aid navigation. It is equally important to point out the need to do a forensic audit of navigational equipment for the safety of our airspace. The NCAA should synergize with its sisters organization in the aviation industry like NAMA in ensuring efficient and effective weather monitoring for the safety of the flying public.

As the NCAA repositions itself and the aviation sector, there is need, as patriotic and responsible citizens for vigilance, so that we can hold him accountable for charting this honourable path that we have all envisioned for the aviation sector of our dreams.

• Ekujumi is Executive Chairman, Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM), Ikeja, Lagos.

Friday, January 17, 2014 NEWSEXTRA | 15

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Suit outcome will make or mar Nigerian legal system, says Braithwaite

By Joseph Onyekwere and Yetunde Ayobami Ojo frontline politician and A an elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite yesterday told a Lagos High Court, Ikeja that the outcome of the suit he filed against Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited will try the integrity of the Nigerian Legal System by either having a salutory effect or an eternal condemnation.

Braithwaite while addressing the court expressed the displeasure over the inability of the defence to file its consequential amended statement of defence seven months after he had served them with his amended processes in addition to the defendants prayer for further adjournment.

He said: “Your lordship granted us the order to amend our process since June 2013, but uptill now, the defendant has deliberately refused to file their defence, manipulating the Nigerian legal system while continuing their destruction of the res by building right up to 15th floor. There is an order of Court of Appeal stopping them at the 2nd floor, yet they are now at the 15th

floor.”

The defendant had filed two applications both dated January 16, 2014, seeking extension of time to file its consequential amended statement of defence and a deeming order thereof, and leave to call additional witness and leave to file additional witness statement on oath of the new witness.

Defendant’s counsel, Oluwatoyin Iyayi therefore prayed the court for an adjournment to regularise its processes.

Addressing the court on the adjournment sought by the Defendant, Braithwaite expressed his unhappiness over the prolonged delay by the defendant in filing its defence after 7months and warned that the case would either make or mar the integrity of the judiciary.

The elder statesman had sued the bank and insisted that the 14 storey building and 5 level car park being constructed close to his residence in Victoria Island by the Standard Chartered Bank of Nigeria Limited is illegal.

He sought an order to demolish the structure at the cost of the defendant as well as a monetary compensation for building the illegal structure.

But counsel to the defendant, Iyayi in response apologised

for the delay and denied that they are manipulating the system. “The defendant is a company registered under the laws of Nigeria and law abiding. We are not manipulating the system. We are sorry for the delay in filing our defence”, she stated.

The trial judge, Justice Doris Okuwobi who acknowledged the concerns of the claimant noted that the defendant had delayed in responding to the claims. In her ruling, she noted that the defendant had delayed in filing its amended statement of defence but was of the view that pleadings must be complete so that the matter will proceed to trial bearing in mind the order for accelerated hearing.

The court also refrained from making any pronouncements on the issue of the continuation of building works by the defendant on the basis of the pendency of the issue at the appellate court and adjourned further proceedings to February 13.

The judge had earlier in November 2013 adjourned the case to January 16, 2014 to enable the bank respond to the claimants amended processes.

When the matter came up late last year, counsel repre-

senting the Claimant, Ismaila Shaib Usman informed the court that the claimant had filed his amended processes (Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim together with the written statements on oath of three expert witnesses) since July 1, 2013 pursuant to the order of court dated 25th June, 2013, and served the processes on the defendant.

He submitted further that for over four months since the defendant was served with amended processes it has failed to file its consequential amended statement of defence.

He reminded the court that the matter had earlier come up on October 15, 2013 but unfortunately, the court did not sit on that date. He stated that the defendant ought to have filed its defence before now or perhaps the defendant intends to rely on its defence on record.

In response to Claimant’s counsel’s submissions then, Iyayi counsel to the defendant told the court that the failure to file a defence was due to the fact that the defendant will also be calling its own expert witness and the experts are yet to finish their work.

Minister for Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala (left) welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan (right) the Chief of Staff to the President Mike Oghaidomeh, and Vice President Namadi Sambo to the Presidential Launching of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC) at the State House Abuja …yesterday PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

Iyayi prayed the court for an adjournment to enable the defendant file its own processes and the judge thereafter fixed further proceedings to January 16, 2014.

The Bank had earlier lost the bid to stop and frustrate the filing of amended claims against its erection of skyscrapers in residential area of Victoria Island.

Justice Okuwobi had ruled that Braithwaite is free to amend his Writ of Summons, Written Address and statement of claims against the bank and to call additional witnesses.

Braithwaite had sought the courts declaration to the effect that the construction of a 14 floor commercial building comprising a 5 level car park on the site which is very close to his residence is unlawful and damaging to his rights.

He also want a declaration that the said building which was then at the tenth floor is an illegal structure as well as an order to demolish the illegal structure, in additional to monetary damages.

But the bank had opposed the amendment application, saying it would introduce new facts which were not in existence as at the time the action was filed.

In her decision, the trial judge ruled that the Claimant now has the leave of court to amend its originating processes in the manner they were set out and to call additional 3 witnesses. The court held that the proposed amendment to the relief will not change the character of the Claimant’s case as argued by the defendant.

Relying on the case of Ogwuma vs. IBWA Ltd (1988) 1 NWLR (Pt. 73) 658, the court said new facts sought to be incorporated by the amendment only expand the facts already in evidence and that the new relief sought to be introduce by the amendment arose out of the same set of fact as the reliefs in the original writ.

“The defendant’s counsel misrepresented the facts when he claimed in his counter affidavit that apart from the preservative order made by Hon. Justice Olateru-Olagbegi on November 24, 2010, there is no other order of court restraining the defendant from continuing with the building. The court indeed made a finding that the defendant was restrained by an order of the court of Appeal made on July 15. 2011 in Appeal No. CA/L/427/2011, that the defendant must not proceed with the building beyond the second floor”, the judge declared.

But in defiance of that order, the defendant proceeded with the building.

Braithwaite’s declaration is contained in a 34 paragraph affidavit deposed on his behalf by Ismaila Shaib Usman and filed before Justice Okuwobi. The affidavit is in support of his amended pleadings where he sought the order of court to stop the commercial Bank from constructing such building in a residential area. He averred that the development permit which the defendant purportedly obtained from the state government authorizing a mixed development in the area was invalid and unlawful.

“The claimant further avers categorically and puts the defendants to the strictest proof otherwise that the building approval/development permit allegedly obtained by it is unlawful, invalid, null and void, having been procured without compliance with the requirements of the law”, he stated, adding that at the trial, he will prove that the underlying processes and relevant procedural preconditions to applying for an obtaining requisite development permit were not met by the defendants. He therefore insisted that the purported change of user obtained by the defendant for the purpose of erecting the structure was totally unlawful.

Braithwaite said he would rely on the evidence of building experts who undertook a thorough environmental impact audit of the building and turned in a damning report.

He averred: “The claimant sometime in December, 2012 commissioned a team of renowned international scholars and experienced architects, physical planners, urban designers, landscape architects, to undertake a thorough Environmental Impact Audit (EIA) of the defendants building vis a vis its immediate environment with particular reference to claimants residence.

“The report of the EIA, prepared and submitted by Urbach Tropical Designs (Architects, Physical Planners, Urban Designers, Landscape Architects, consultants) is hereby pleaded and shall be relied upon at the trial, and that the evidence to be given by these experts shall also include the use of electronic devices i.e computer video recording and projector, notice of which is hereby given.”

But the defedant urged the court to dismiss the application, insisting that the structure was not harmful and does not infringe on the right of the claimant.

Youths demand 30 per cent representation in national conference From Omotola Oloruntobi, Abuja HE Coalition of Youth OrT ganisations for National Conference (COYONAC), has requested for 30 percent representation in the upcoming national conference and inclusion in government positions.

The youths also stressed that they also want to be in control of selecting which youth leads them at a one-

day youth roundtable on the national conference convened by a National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) stalwart, Comrade Ajani Olawole, in Abuja yesterday in Olawole lamented that young people have always been deprived their rightful positions, stating however that this was possible because they were not organised in the past.

“Youths have been deprived

their rights to the point that during the previous administrations said they were not organised, we must not protest every time we demand rightful recognition.

“If the confab is truly for the youths, we shouldn’t have less than 30% participant, we also demand a 30% of youths in the parliament and every other leadership positions,” he said.

“Some of the issues we want

to stress at the confab is our education system, federalism as it affects the youths, insecurity amongst others.

We also do not want government to pick a youth leader for us,” he added.

The Director of Conscience Nigeria and Assistant Convener of the round table, Comrade Tosin Adewanju, in his remarks stressed that youths must identify themselves as a national project

and define what they want if they must make headway in the national confab.

Earlier the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Student matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe, charge today’s youth to work towards bringing meaningful contributions to the advancement of the country.

Imagwe regretted that there was no organised

youth council, harping on the need for them to be united. This he said would make government entrust leadership position on them.

“Youths constitute more than half of the population and President Goodluck Jonathan has said the confab is for the youth. This is a challenge to all youths to work hard to satisfy the yearning of the generation to come,” he said.

Friday, January 17, 2014 16

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection Death of Nigerian students abroad stirs Reps T HE House of Representatives, Abuja yesterday issued a warning to parents against sending their wards to study at the Cyprus International University (CIU), Nicosa, in North Cyprus The Chairman of the House of Representative Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri- Erewa, warned parents yesterday.

Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa gave the warning in a press statement in Abuja.

The legislator accused the school’s authorities of nonchalance about the demise of Gabriel Soriwei, a former 20-year-old first year student of Electrical/Electronic/Engineering at the Cyprus International University.

Mr. Soriwei was knocked down by a driver on July 13, 2013. He went into a coma and eventually died on September 7, 2013. Five days after his demise, the university authorities flew his remains back to Nigeria.

Nigerians, especially the deceased person’s family, have condemned the manner in which the school handled the situation.

Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, warned Nigerians to be wary of the authorities of school, who she said are moving to lure Nigerian students.

“The House Committee on Diaspora has drawn the attention of Nigerians to a suspicious move by the authorities of Cyprus International University, Nicosa, North Cyprus to lure Nigerian students to their university,” Mrs Dabiri – Erewa said.

She accused the CIU of conniving with North Cyprus to facilitate the release of the driver and shield her identity from the family of the deceased.

The Director, International Office of CIU, Patrick Douse, on Tuesday apologised to the Soriwei family over the Institutions nonchalance.

He explained that the identity of the driver that knocked Gabriel down was being withheld by the

Soriwei

police because investigations were still ongoing.

Dabiri – Erewa recounted the death of another Nigerian, a musician from Bayelsa State, Stanley Ateimo. He was allegedly murdered during a disagreement with a white student over a girl in Nicosa on August 12, 2013.

She said Nigerians should be wary of the school’s team, which was headed to Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Uyo leaving out Benin and Bayelsa, home states of Messrs Soriwei and Ateimo.

“Gabriel Soriwei, 20 years, was a first year student of Electrical/Electronic Engineering at the Cyprus International University, Nicosia, North

Cyprus.’

“The university alleged he was knocked down by a female drunk driver in July 17,2013.

“The university in connivance with the North Cyprus police, released the driver and shielded her identity from the family.

“Till date, there has not been a word of condolence to the family. His corpse was sent as an unaccompanied cargo to the grieving family, without any of his belongings.”

“The Soriwei family have since buried their son and have not been reached by authorities of CIU four months after, and have expressed pain at the callousness of the university authorities.

“The committee also notes that apart from Soriwei, a Bayelsa-born musician, Stanley Oteimo, was also murdered on August 12, 2013 because of a disagreement he had with a white student over a girl in Nicosia.

“The team from CIU held a seminar at Rockview hotel, Abuja on January 14,2014, to lure Nigerian students to their university and they are currently heading to Kaduna, Port harcourt, and Uyo. “They left out Benin and Bayelsa because the late Soriwei was from Benin and Stanley was from Bayelsa State.

“From all indications, studying in this university, CIU, is not safe in particular and Nicosia, North Cyprus in General, is also dangerous for our students.

“The House Committee also notes that North Cyprus is not recognised by Nigeria and all other countries in the world except Turkey,” the House Committee concluded.

The Soriwei family had earlier petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Assembly and the National Human Rights Commission, calling for an investigation into the tragedy.

3,000 benefit from Amosun’s wife’s food outreach sharing with the needy people, saying the UPLIFTing the Need Food Outreach profrom the UPLIFTing the Needy gramme was a relief measure Food Outreach programme or- designed to improve on the ganised by the Wife of the Gov- people’s welfare.

“We would continue to build ernor of Ogun State, Mrs. our food bank by supporting Olufunso Amosun at IbaraOrile in Abeokuta North Local our needy people with foodstuffs with the aim of feeding Council of the state. them within their locality as The programme was in line part of measures to reducing with Mrs. Amosun’s desire to lend helping hands to the vul- the stress of coming down to Abeokuta, the state capital to nerable by feeding them get our little contributions to through her food bank in help them.” order to reduce poverty and She noted that the aged and better the lots of the pregnant women deserved to aged/pregnant women. be cared for, adding that her Speaking at the programme, Uplift Development FoundaMrs. Amosun said she was altion would continue to supways happy to touch lives by ORE than 3,000 needy M aged and pregnant women on Tuesday benefitted

port families in Ogun State by ensuring that they eat balanced diet meals which would protect them from nutritional related diseases as well as help them maintain a healthy living.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Abeokuta North Local Council, Hon. Taofeek Olabode commended the initiative of Mrs. Amosun aimed at complementing the efforts of the state government at improving the living standard of the needy, saying this has continued to alleviate poverty and put smiles on the faces of aged and pregnant women in the state.

Mrs. Amosun attending to the senior citizens

Briefs

Book launch in Ogbomoso BOOK entitled ‘’OgboA moso in the Early Times: Modern Era and in Today’s Contemporary World’’ authored by Chief Oyebisi Okewuyi will be launched tomorrow , at the LAUTECH pre-degree Lecture Hall, at Ogbomoso, Oyo State .

Host is Chief Olatunde Okelana (Balogun Olugbon).

Ogun cooperative elects Balogun as new president HE newly elected presiT dent of Ogun State Cooperative Federation Limited (OGSCOFED), Alhaji Abdurasaq Balogun, has charged members and stakeholders of cooperative movement in the country to enhance the cooperative societies in order to boost the socioeconomic development of the state and their individual businesses. He made this known during his inauguration in Abeokuta.

Balogun explained that if stakeholders in the cooperative movement in Nigeria could work as a team and if traders and businessmen come together under one umbrella as a cooperative movement, unemployment would be reduced. The OGSCOFED president said most of the advanced economy in the world today owes their advancement to the birth of cooperative movements.

In his remarks, the outgoing president, Chief Adetokunbo Osisanya, commended the state government for seeing the cooperative movement in the state as an avenue to uplift the socio- economic status of the less privileged in society.

Shonibare Foundation initiates scholarships, grant to Ijebu indigenes

Prospect High School turns 50

By Chukwuma Muanya

CTIvITIES marking the A 50th anniversary of Prospect High School,

AMILY of Chief Samuel F(SOS), Olatunbosun Shonibare the first Asiwaju of Ijebu-

land and treasurer of the defunct Action Group, led by Idowu Ashiru and Gbeyin Shonibare will on Sunday January 19, 2014, unveil a scholarship foundation, small business grant and book titled Memories of my Father by Idowu Ashiru, to mark the 50th year memorial.

The reception, presentation of scholarships and book will be after a thanksgiving service at the Anglican Church of Ascension, Opebi, which holds by 10am, at Jevinik Restaurant, 21 Isaac John Street, Ikeja.

Mrs. Idowu Ashiru, who is the Managing Director of Martlife Detox Clinic and daughter of Chief SOS, and her younger

brother, Mr. Gbeyin Shonibare, yesterday at a press briefing in Lagos said the scholarship is to help give brilliant, but financially disadvantaged secondary school leavers an opportunity to get a university education.

Ashiru said the small business grant will assist people who want to start their businesses an opportunity to do so. “These two projects are in memory of my father and the ideals he would have loved to promote if alive,” she said.

Ashiru said the book is a recollection of her moments with her father and those she collected from others. “I was 10 years old then and the oldest of us was 16, that was 50 years ago, January 17. We are all now Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Odpins Ltd., Mr. Gbeyin Shonibare (left); Managing Director, Mart Life Detox adults and according to Yoruba Clinic, Mrs. Idowu Ashiru; and Director, Medical Assisted Reproductive Therapy, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, at the inaucustom, we have to honour our guration of the Samuel Olatubosun Shonibare Charity Foundation in Lagos... yesterday.

PhOTO: ChukwuMA MuAnyA parents.”

Abanla, Ibadan, will commence on Sunday, January 19 with a service at St Mathew’s Catholic Church, Abanla.

The weeklong anniversary, according to the Chairman, Planning Committee, Mr. Toyin Olufade, will also feature a road show, medical outreach and cultural display by students of the school.

The climax of the celebration will be on Friday with a Jumat Service at the Abanla Central Mosque and Award/Fund Raising/Luncheon by the Old Students Association at the school hall.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014

Business Nigeria’s crude oil production rises by 281.7 bpd

By Roseline Okere IGERIA’S crude oil proN duction in the month of December, 2013, increased by 281.7 barrels per day, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said in its January monthly report.

According to the report released yesterday by the oil cartel, the country’s crude oil production increased from the 1.6 million barrels per day it recorded in November to 1.9 million barrels in December, representing an increase of 281.7 barrels per day over the previous month.

Nigeria had recorded a decline in its crude oil pro-

duction in the last six months mainly due to flood and pipeline vandalism.

Indeed, the country witnessed a decrease of 104.4 bpd in the country’s production for the period.

The report disclosed that the total OPEC crude oil production averaged 29.44 million per day in December, a decline of 20 thousand barrels per day over the previous month.

It added that crude oil output increased from Nigeria, Iran, Algeria, the UAE, Angola and Ecuador, while production fell in other member countries.

The oil cartel lowered its oil output further and is pumping less than this year’s global need for its

crude, the exporter group said on Thursday, underlining the toll that outages in Libya and elsewhere are taking on production.

OPEC kept unchanged its global supply and demand forecasts, which point to a smaller market share for OPEC in 2014 due to increasing supply from non-OPEC countries.

OPEC projected a faster growth in 2014 of 3.5 percent, up from 2.9 percent in 2013 as monetary stimulus continues.

For now, OPEC expects demand for its crude oil in 2014 to average 29.58 million barrels per day (bpd), virtually unchanged from the previous estimate.

According to secondary sources cited by the report,

OPEC lowered its own output to 29.44 million bpd in December, below this year’s forecast demand.

Also, Riyadh cut back its output to 9.62 million bpd in December, while Saudi Arabia told OPEC it raised supply to 9.82 million bpd.

It expects world consumption to rise by 1.05 million bpd in 2014, virtually unchanged and less than the increase in supply from countries outside the group.

Total developing countries oil output reached 12.09 mbpd in 2013, showing a decline of 30 tbpd, unchanged from the previous forecast.

On quarterly basis, total oil supply in developing countries estimated to

average 12.13mbpd, 12.05mbpd, 12.04mbpd and 12.13mbpd, respectively.

Total developing countries oil supply is projected to grow by 0.26 mbpd to average 12.35 mbpd in 2014, representing a downward revision of 24 tbpd from the previous month.

This growth is supported mainly by Latin America, Africa and other Asia, while Middle East supply is seen to drop during the year.

DCs’ oil production is estimated to decrease by 30tb/d in 2013, despite of an upward revision of 56 tb/d in the fourth quarter.

Growth in 2014 is expected after a significant decline in 2013, due mainly to political, technical and weather factors.

Chairman, National Mobilisation Committee for Shareholders, Olatunde Okelana (left); Director General, Security and Exchange Commission, Ms. Arunmah Oteh; and Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, during a facility tour of World Trade Centre site in Abuja.

Lingering uncertainties depress business confidence index in Q1

By Femi Adekoya HE Business Confidence T Index (BCI) of the nation’s real sector may be depressed further if the lingering uncertainties in the country continue unabated, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2014 first quarter BCI has indicated.

Indeed, indicators showed that factors like slower consumer demand, lagged approval of federal budget, political realignments, tight credit conditions, adverse public power supply and the lingering security challenges largely contributed to the depressed confidence level during the period under review.

Specifically, the first quarter 2014 aggregate Business Confidence Index (BCI) shrank to 11 per cent from 17.6

per cent posted in Q4-2013, thus representing 6.6 per cent point drop of the index over Q1-2013 and Q3-2013.

Analysts at the chamber believe that the drop of the BCI score may affect capital flow into the country as business leaders are becoming increasingly wary of lingering uncertainties in the country, while investors are likely going to be softer towards expanding their interest in Nigeria over the next few months Activities within the sectors also showed that all the sectors except manufacturing sector, reported positive but very weak business confidence levels.

With the continued influx of imported and substandard products, poor access to credit, high cost of doing business and inhibitive activities of

g o v e r n m e n t regulatory/monitoring agencies, the manufacturing sector has over the last one year, consistently remained at the bottom of BCI league table by steadily posting increasing negative confidence levels.

Further review of the sectoral indices shows that the BCI scores for Q1-2014 also show a significant drop over Q4-2013 numbers across the sectors with the exception of finance, while the agricultural sector remained confident at 13 per cent from the adverse business confidence it posted in Q1-2013.

Despite the positive indices, the chamber noted that concerns over poor access to credit, infrastructure shortcoming and inclusiveness of Federal Government’s ongoing agricultural transformation remain.

According to the LCCI, this evidence suggests that while operators in the agricultural sector are hopeful of better days ahead, expansion and new investment in the Nigerian manufacturing sector will potentially remain held down by the lingering challenges confronting manufacturers especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

Furthermore, the chamber identified sources of uncertainties that should be addressed if the indicators would reflect some positive outlook.

Some of the uncertainties include how operators in the oil and gas industry remain disturbed by the uncertainty surrounding passage of the PIB and the emerging developments in the global oil and

gas market; the 2014 FG budget crisis and expected delays, crowding out by offshore consultants and new political realignments in the country; adverse public power supply; macroeconomic fluctuations, policy uncertainty and issues concerning the next CBN Governor as key sources of concern to business leaders in the financial services sector among others.

The chamber however noted that a decreasing business confidence index is often a pointer to slowing economic activities because business owners are likely to decrease their investment, therefore suggesting the need to enhance confidence of entrepreneurs and managers if new investments would be realised, as well as increased job creation that would impact the economy.

17

Mobile operators’ messaging revenue slides to $104b

By Adeyemi Adepetun, with agency report

LOBAL expenditure on telecommunications operG ator messaging services, including Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), declined for the first time in 2013 following its peak in 2012.

According to Strategy Analytics operator revenue from messaging services fell by almost four per cent last year to just below $104 billion.

The report noted that continued intense competition for subscribers between operators combined with the fast growing popularity of overthe-top instant messaging services like WhatsApp, Line Messenger and Tencent’s WeChat will drive a 20 per cent fall in global operator messaging revenue by 2017.

It will be recalled that the pegging of off-net SMS in Nigeria in January 2013 to N4 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was actually projected to bring a major revenue reduction to telecommunications operators including MTN; Globacom; Airtel; Etisalat; Visafone and others in the country.

The NCC directive on a price cap of N4 for all domestic offnet SMS took effect on February 5, 2013. An off-net SMS is a text message sent from one network to another such as from MTN to Airtel or Glo to Etisalat.

Indeed, the slash in SMS tariff was projected to bring operators’ revenue down by as much as N7 billion in 2013, according to reports.

A report by global consulting firm, Price WaterHouse Cooper, commissioned by NCC, puts the total SMS volume for 2012 at 1.8 billion (onnet and off-net).

It explained that outgoing on-net SMS, increased from 911 million in 2011 to 958 million in 2012; outgoing SMS to other mobile operators moved from 316 million to 449 million, while SMS from other mobile operators also increased from 327 million to 421 million during the same period.

This, therefore, puts the total off-net SMS in 2012 at 870 million with an average yearly growth rate of 35.4 per cent SMS volume.

This, according to report means that the volume of offnet SMS in Nigeria in 2013 will be 1.178 billion, comprising 870 million and 308 million (35.4 per cent anticipated growth rate).

With the yearly growth rate, the Nigerian operators might have shared in the global slide in SMS revenue, loosing about N4.7 billion in 2013 on off-net SMS instead of the estimated N11.8 billion they would have earned if there had been no new regulation on the tariff

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, January 17, 2014

Business Nigeria’s crude oil production rises by 281.7 bpd

By Roseline Okere IGERIA’S crude oil proN duction in the month of December, 2013, increased by 281.7 barrels per day, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said in its January monthly report.

According to the report released yesterday by the oil cartel, the country’s crude oil production increased from the 1.6 million barrels per day it recorded in November to 1.9 million barrels in December, representing an increase of 281.7 barrels per day over the previous month.

Nigeria had recorded a decline in its crude oil pro-

duction in the last six months mainly due to flood and pipeline vandalism.

Indeed, the country witnessed a decrease of 104.4 bpd in the country’s production for the period.

The report disclosed that the total OPEC crude oil production averaged 29.44 million per day in December, a decline of 20 thousand barrels per day over the previous month.

It added that crude oil output increased from Nigeria, Iran, Algeria, the UAE, Angola and Ecuador, while production fell in other member countries.

The oil cartel lowered its oil output further and is pumping less than this year’s global need for its

crude, the exporter group said on Thursday, underlining the toll that outages in Libya and elsewhere are taking on production.

OPEC kept unchanged its global supply and demand forecasts, which point to a smaller market share for OPEC in 2014 due to increasing supply from non-OPEC countries.

OPEC projected a faster growth in 2014 of 3.5 percent, up from 2.9 percent in 2013 as monetary stimulus continues.

For now, OPEC expects demand for its crude oil in 2014 to average 29.58 million barrels per day (bpd), virtually unchanged from the previous estimate.

According to secondary sources cited by the report,

OPEC lowered its own output to 29.44 million bpd in December, below this year’s forecast demand.

Also, Riyadh cut back its output to 9.62 million bpd in December, while Saudi Arabia told OPEC it raised supply to 9.82 million bpd.

It expects world consumption to rise by 1.05 million bpd in 2014, virtually unchanged and less than the increase in supply from countries outside the group.

Total developing countries oil output reached 12.09 mbpd in 2013, showing a decline of 30 tbpd, unchanged from the previous forecast.

On quarterly basis, total oil supply in developing countries estimated to

average 12.13mbpd, 12.05mbpd, 12.04mbpd and 12.13mbpd, respectively.

Total developing countries oil supply is projected to grow by 0.26 mbpd to average 12.35 mbpd in 2014, representing a downward revision of 24 tbpd from the previous month.

This growth is supported mainly by Latin America, Africa and other Asia, while Middle East supply is seen to drop during the year.

DCs’ oil production is estimated to decrease by 30tb/d in 2013, despite of an upward revision of 56 tb/d in the fourth quarter.

Growth in 2014 is expected after a significant decline in 2013, due mainly to political, technical and weather factors.

Chairman, National Mobilisation Committee for Shareholders, Olatunde Okelana (left); Director General, Security and Exchange Commission, Ms. Arunmah Oteh; and Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, during a facility tour of World Trade Centre site in Abuja.

Lingering uncertainties depress business confidence index in Q1

By Femi Adekoya HE Business Confidence T Index (BCI) of the nation’s real sector may be depressed further if the lingering uncertainties in the country continue unabated, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2014 first quarter BCI has indicated.

Indeed, indicators showed that factors like slower consumer demand, lagged approval of federal budget, political realignments, tight credit conditions, adverse public power supply and the lingering security challenges largely contributed to the depressed confidence level during the period under review.

Specifically, the first quarter 2014 aggregate Business Confidence Index (BCI) shrank to 11 per cent from 17.6

per cent posted in Q4-2013, thus representing 6.6 per cent point drop of the index over Q1-2013 and Q3-2013.

Analysts at the chamber believe that the drop of the BCI score may affect capital flow into the country as business leaders are becoming increasingly wary of lingering uncertainties in the country, while investors are likely going to be softer towards expanding their interest in Nigeria over the next few months Activities within the sectors also showed that all the sectors except manufacturing sector, reported positive but very weak business confidence levels.

With the continued influx of imported and substandard products, poor access to credit, high cost of doing business and inhibitive activities of

g o v e r n m e n t regulatory/monitoring agencies, the manufacturing sector has over the last one year, consistently remained at the bottom of BCI league table by steadily posting increasing negative confidence levels.

Further review of the sectoral indices shows that the BCI scores for Q1-2014 also show a significant drop over Q4-2013 numbers across the sectors with the exception of finance, while the agricultural sector remained confident at 13 per cent from the adverse business confidence it posted in Q1-2013.

Despite the positive indices, the chamber noted that concerns over poor access to credit, infrastructure shortcoming and inclusiveness of Federal Government’s ongoing agricultural transformation remain.

According to the LCCI, this evidence suggests that while operators in the agricultural sector are hopeful of better days ahead, expansion and new investment in the Nigerian manufacturing sector will potentially remain held down by the lingering challenges confronting manufacturers especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

Furthermore, the chamber identified sources of uncertainties that should be addressed if the indicators would reflect some positive outlook.

Some of the uncertainties include how operators in the oil and gas industry remain disturbed by the uncertainty surrounding passage of the PIB and the emerging developments in the global oil and

gas market; the 2014 FG budget crisis and expected delays, crowding out by offshore consultants and new political realignments in the country; adverse public power supply; macroeconomic fluctuations, policy uncertainty and issues concerning the next CBN Governor as key sources of concern to business leaders in the financial services sector among others.

The chamber however noted that a decreasing business confidence index is often a pointer to slowing economic activities because business owners are likely to decrease their investment, therefore suggesting the need to enhance confidence of entrepreneurs and managers if new investments would be realised, as well as increased job creation that would impact the economy.

17

Mobile operators’ messaging revenue slides to $104b

By Adeyemi Adepetun, with agency report

LOBAL expenditure on telecommunications operG ator messaging services, including Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), declined for the first time in 2013 following its peak in 2012.

According to Strategy Analytics operator revenue from messaging services fell by almost four per cent last year to just below $104 billion.

The report noted that continued intense competition for subscribers between operators combined with the fast growing popularity of overthe-top instant messaging services like WhatsApp, Line Messenger and Tencent’s WeChat will drive a 20 per cent fall in global operator messaging revenue by 2017.

It will be recalled that the pegging of off-net SMS in Nigeria in January 2013 to N4 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was actually projected to bring a major revenue reduction to telecommunications operators including MTN; Globacom; Airtel; Etisalat; Visafone and others in the country.

The NCC directive on a price cap of N4 for all domestic offnet SMS took effect on February 5, 2013. An off-net SMS is a text message sent from one network to another such as from MTN to Airtel or Glo to Etisalat.

Indeed, the slash in SMS tariff was projected to bring operators’ revenue down by as much as N7 billion in 2013, according to reports.

A report by global consulting firm, Price WaterHouse Cooper, commissioned by NCC, puts the total SMS volume for 2012 at 1.8 billion (onnet and off-net).

It explained that outgoing on-net SMS, increased from 911 million in 2011 to 958 million in 2012; outgoing SMS to other mobile operators moved from 316 million to 449 million, while SMS from other mobile operators also increased from 327 million to 421 million during the same period.

This, therefore, puts the total off-net SMS in 2012 at 870 million with an average yearly growth rate of 35.4 per cent SMS volume.

This, according to report means that the volume of offnet SMS in Nigeria in 2013 will be 1.178 billion, comprising 870 million and 308 million (35.4 per cent anticipated growth rate).

With the yearly growth rate, the Nigerian operators might have shared in the global slide in SMS revenue, loosing about N4.7 billion in 2013 on off-net SMS instead of the estimated N11.8 billion they would have earned if there had been no new regulation on the tariff

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Case closed

Friday, January 17, 2014 19

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Weekend

Arts & Culture P. 30

Nollywood 2013: A step forward, many backward

Autowheels P.43

Business Travels P.45

Blockster cars on parade at Detroit automobile show

Dreamliner’s fresh trouble may hurt Boeing

20 WEEKEND Friday, January 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Nigerians applaud same sex The federal government finally took a bold step against homosexuality when President Goodluck Jonathan, on January 7, signed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill into law, eliciting applause from many Nigerians. But the United States and Europe are displeased, writes ROTIMI LAWRENCE OYEKANMI

Senate in session NE bright afternoon in February last year, Ambassador Adam Ereli, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, sat with about four Nigerian journalists at the American Consulate in Lagos for a briefing.

With his wedding ring glittering under the bright lights above his head, Ereli had been having a good conversation until he suddenly introduced the issue of same sex marriage. The atmosphere changed immediately. Like a teacher out to lecture his students, Ereli brought a familiar message from the U.S government: Nigerian should not outlaw same sex marriage because doing so “would infringe on the rights of minorities.” He even said the U.S government would work with groups that were committed to gay rights in the country, a statement one of the journalists found offensive.

Asked if the decision of the U.S government would not amount to interfering with Nigeria’s sovereignty, in case the law finally sails through, Ereli said the U.S. considers gay relationships as a “human rights issue.”

Really? The direction of the discussion, deriving from some hard questions the journalists posed to him, forced the U.S embassy officials to change the course of the briefing. Ereli obviously did not bargain for the sharp reactions he got, at the time when the same sex bill was still under consideration at the National Assembly and had generated huge debate among the citizenry.

Ereli’s comment was, indeed, continuation of several others and veiled threats that had emerged from top British, American and European Union officials at that time.

There was some feeling, in the west, that the

O

groundswell of opposition in Nigeria against same sex marriage would eventually persuade the federal government to enact a law against it.

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron had said Britain would not give assistance or aid to countries that were opposed to same sex marriage, provoking a sharp reaction from the Federal Government. Former British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Lloyd had, at a meeting with Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido in December 2011, asked the federal government to rescind its proposed law on same sex marriage. The Canadian government, through a statement by its Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, had also asked for a reversal of the proposed law because it would, according to him, trample on the fundamental human rights of homosexuals and gay people.

Besides, the European Delegation to Nigeria also issued a statement, urging the federal government to respect what it termed “international treaties and conventions on freedom of individuals.”

U.S President, Barack Obama, had

stunned even the American people, when he mentioned the word “gay” at the presidential swearing in January 2013. Ironically, the U.S federal constitution, at that time recognized only a marriage between a man and a woman but this has since changed. Today, U.S federal government recognises same sex marriage while 17 states and the District of Columbia have also legalized it.

But the federal government swept the semantics – minority rights, human rights – from the west aside last week, when President Goodluck Jonathan finally signed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill into Law. The historic action, which has since been attracting applause across the country, is viewed as a “new year” gift from the government.

Under the new law, gay couples, if caught, risk a 14-year jail term upon conviction. And anybody who operates or becomes involved in gay clubs, societies and organizations directly or indirectly in any part of the country, risks 10 years in prison as well. Besides, officiating persons, witnesses who aid or abet the solemnization of a same sex marriage, will be held accountable. They face 10 years in prison if convicted.

Expectedly, reactions have been pouring in, understandably from the west. The British government lived up to its billing when it expressed disappointment over new law on Wednesday. The European Union (EU) delegation to the country has also expressed its worries. Its Head of Press and Public Affairs, Robert Fitzpatrick, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: “The United Kingdom (UK) is a close friend of Nigeria, but we are disappointed that President Goodluck Jonathan has given his assent to a bill, which will further criminalise same sex relationships in Nigeria. The UK opposes any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation”

Expectedly, reactions have been pouring in, understandably from the west. The British government lived up to its billing when it expressed disappointment over new law on Wednesday. The European Union (EU) delegation to the country has also expressed its worries. Its Head of Press and Public Affairs, Robert Fitzpatrick, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: “The United Kingdom (UK) is a close friend of Nigeria, but we are disappointed that President Goodluck Jonathan has given his assent to a bill, which will further criminalise same sex relationships in Nigeria. The UK opposes any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”

He continued: “The bill also directly infringes on fundamental rights of expression and association, which are guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and by Nigeria’s international treaty obligations. We are concerned by the prospect this raises of further action against an already marginalised section of society.

“My colleague, Jeremy Wright, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, raised our concerns with the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 9 January, and our High Commissioner has raised the issue on a number of occasions with the President and other senior members of the Nigerian government. We will continue to lobby at the highest levels on this issue.”

And at a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, Vice President and Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, who was repre-

Friday, January 17, 2014 WEEKEND 21

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

marriage prohibition law

Jonathan sented by her Deputy, Nick Westcott, expressed concern over “Nigeria’s discrimination” against same sex groups.

She said that the Act contravenes the country’s existing constitution and international conventions it belongs to and puts at risk various human rights and freedom for all citizens. She noted that while issues of human rights and fundamental freedom were important, EU’s concerns should neither be conceived as an attempt to tell Nigeria what legislation to practise, nor an advocacy for homosexuality, or that same sex marriage should be.

“We are not imposing our own morality or culture, Nigeria has its own approach and there should be mutual respect, but we are concerned about the freedom and human rights of all Nigerians as enshrined in its own constitution,” she explained.

In a country where ethnic and religious cleavages are deep, rejection of same sex marriage has been affirmed by all. Both Christian and Islamic leaders are strongly opposed to it and traditional rulers have also described the practise as “not consistent” with natural laws.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye affirmed his opposition to same sex marriage, at a thanksgiving service organized by the Joint Christian Mission of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State in January 2013. The respected cleric insisted that same sex marriage was capable of destroying the human race within just 20 years of its practice.

Describing it as a practice against God’s will and instruction, Adeboye said the will of God was for human beings to be fruitful, to replenish and multiply on earth and not the other way round.

He reasoned that anything contrary to God’s will for mankind was devilish. His words: “Same-sex marriage is an anathema to the will of God for human beings to be fruitful, replenish and multiply on earth. Anything contrary to that is evil.

“How can a man who marries a fellow man produce a child and how can a woman who marries a fellow woman produce a child?

If this evil is allowed to stay, there will not be newborns again in the world. As the older generation dies, will there be a new generation to succeed it? Even plants and animals have new generations to succeed them.”

Adeboye also advised people practising same-sex marriage to desist and flee from the wrath of God, warning that God frowns at same-sex marriage.

Also, an Abuja-based Islamic scholar, Malam Abdulkadir Apaokagi called for the imposition of the death penalty on homosexuals in the country. Speaking at the weekly prayer session of Nasrul–lahi-L-Fatih Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), the cleric said gays in Nigeria were perverts who did not deserve to co-exist with right thinking and decent people.

According to him, homosexuals “are worse than murderers and deserve stiffer penalties than those accused of killing fellow human beings.” He continued: “Homosexuality and lesbianism are just too dirty in the sight of Allah. Those who engage in them deserve more than capital punishment.”

Apaokagi, in his lecture titled: “The position of Islam on Gay Marriage,” described gay people as mentally unstable

Obama

Mark

How can a man who marries a fellow man produce a child and how can a woman who marries a fellow woman produce a child? If this evil is allowed to stay, there will not be newborns again in the world. As the older generation dies, will there be a new generation to succeed it? Even plants and animals have new generations to succeed them who “could bring severe instability to the society in which they lived.” He declared: “None of them can pass a psychiatric test, because they are not normal.”

Quoting from the Quran, Apaokagi who had earlier hailed the Senate for passing the law, said that Allah decreed marriages only between members of the opposite sex. He added: “Any society that tolerates gay marriage would come to destruction the way God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for sodomy.

“They (gays, lesbians) are criminals, Allah Himself described them so, and it is great that the Senate has criminalised what they are trying to do,” he asserted. Apaokagi also asked Nigerians to ignore criticisms from the West, come together as one and oppose practices could bring affect their country negatively.

The Federal Government had also not been shy of react-

Cameron ing to criticism from the west. Reacting to Obama’s position on same-sex marriage long before Jonathan gave his assent to the bill, the federal government had insisted that the country reserved the right to make laws as a sovereign nation that governs it.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, had, in the build up to the enactment of the law, affirmed that there were norms and practices peculiar to each country and society, which ought be respected and not sacrificed on the altar of human rights His words: “At any rate, between Europe, America and Africa, there is a huge culture gap. Some of the things that are considered fundamental rights abroad also can be very offensive to African culture and tradition and to the way we live our lives here.”

The Minister also stated: “The truth of the matter is that our democracy will be guarded by Nigeria’s interest and values. And if eventually the law becomes law, we will live with it but it is not yet law (at the time he made the comments). And we will take comments by our foreign partners and friends as legitimate but I also know that it is within the legitimate rights of Nigeria, as an independent nation and our legislature, to legislate and discuss any matter in the world that comes before them, that is also in tune with the welfare of the people of Nigeria.”

“The reported comments by the US Government about the proposed law by the Senate about same-sex marriage in Nigeria have not fully come to government for a position. But let me say this, we live in a democracy, we live in a free country, we live in an independent country and in every democracy as you know, there are institutions, there are laws and also there are cultures, there are beliefs and values in every nation.”

But a pro-gay online outfit, Huffpost, in a report titled: “Into the Heart of Darkness? Uganda and Nigeria Pass AntiHomosexuality Laws,” posted on its website yesterday, criticized Nigeria for enacting the law and expresses apprehension over Uganda’s likelihood to follow suit.

Part of the publication reads: “Members of the Ugandan Parliament stood and cheered when the AntiHomosexuality Bill was first introduced back in 2009. It was one in the eye for the decadent West. But this is not, as has so often been claimed, an African response to supposed creeping Western sexual libertarianism. Uganda and Nigeria already criminalize consensual homosexual acts, a legacy of British colonial administration. Before we turned up, gay Ugandans and Nigerians weren’t persecuted. These are odious laws pedalled through an unholy alliance with right-wing US Christian fundamentalists.

They have nothing to do with Africa.

“What has happened in Uganda and Nigeria this Christmas is a tragedy for those who are trapped by unjust laws, singled out to be scapegoats by hatred and bigotry.

Everything must be done now to draw good people in Africa and elsewhere towards the honorable side of history. Our own politicians must maintain the pressure on the Ugandan and Nigerian governments. Most importantly, Uganda’s Presidents Museveni and Johnson must be persuaded not to sign these Bills into law and thereby drive men and women further into the shadows where only fear, cruelty and sickness lurk.”

22 Friday, January 17, 2014

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INTERVIEW

SAppi SAyS ceo to Step Down Due to ill-heAlth and sound action plans are in place; the major projects to reposition the group have been successfully completed and are operational, leaving the company in a position for growth into “in accordance with paragraph 3.59 of the JSe limited listings the future. the paper maker said that a process was in place to identify requirements, it is with deep regret that the board of directors (“the board”) of Sappi limited informs shareholders that ralph’s successor and to allow for a timeous and smooth the ceo of the company, ralph Boëttger, will be relinquishing hand-over. “i deeply regret having to make this decision at this time as i his position as ceo and director on 30 June 2014. ralph, who am convinced that Sappi stands on the cusp of a period of has been with Sappi as ceo for almost 7 years, has been diagnosed with a serious illness and has taken the decision to step strong performance and exciting growth. however, i believe that spending my time with my family has become the priordown,” Sappi said in a statement ity and that it is in the best interest of the company and of my Dr Danie cronjé, chairman of the board of Sappi limited, said: “i personally and on behalf of the board and everyone at family for me to step down as announced,” Boëttger said.

Mr Boëttger retires by rotation as a director of the company at Sappi, express our heartfelt thanks to ralph for the sterling work he has done in leading Sappi through a particularly chal- the AgM on 5 february 2014 and remains available for re-eleclenging period in the company’s proud history. under ralph’s tion. Such re-election will under the circumstances only be for Ralph Boëttger, whose successor has not been identified, has been CEO of the company for almost seven years.Lamido a period up to and not beyond 30 June 2014. leadership the group has been transformed. A clear strategy AfricAn paper maker Sappi today announced that Sdueouth its chief executive officer would step down at end of June to ill-health.

legAl chAllengeS DelAy cheVron’S $1 Bln nigeriA oil BlocK SAleS

By Reuters

plat, which is partly owned by french oil explorer Maurel & prom and Swiss-based commodity trader Mercuria, while heVron faces delays in closing sales of oil blocks in nigeria oMl 52 would go to local firm Amni petroleum and the smallworth up to $1 billion because of legal disputes involving po- est, oMl 55, to Belema oil, run by a local Delta community. tential buyers. one Billion uS DollArS According to sources this highlighted a risk other oil majors none of the companies responded to request for comment. could face.

A nigerian federal high court issued an interim injunction in chevron is joining competitors conocophillips, royal Dutch December stopping chevron from selling the blocks to Seplat Shell, france’s total and italy’s eni in disposing of stakes in onand others after Brittania-u brought action against the uS mashore and shallow water offshore fields in the niger Delta rejor saying it had already agreed a deal to buy the assets, court gion. documents showed. opec-member nigeria has the potential to double its 2 million- chevron could earn between 700 million uS dollars and 900 2.5 million barrel per day oil output in the next five years but million uS dollars for the three blocks, two sources involved in problems with oil theft, pipeline sabotage and regulatory unbids said. certainty are putting off investment. the three blocks had proven reserves of 555 million barrels of oil majors want to keep hold of the biggest producing fields, oil equivalent, with the biggest block oMl 53 holding 310 miloffshore assets and key pipelines and export terminals. lion of those reserves, two oil industry sources said, citing a But they are disposing of less profitable onshore blocks and chevron memorandum given to bidders. fields that the government could strip from them if they recourt cases can drag on for years in nigeria and the longer main undeveloped for ten years, notably in the restive niger the delay the less profit oil majors are likely to make from the Delta. deals and the greater the chances the sales could fall through chevron has chosen its preferred bidders for the five blocks it altogether. put up for sale in June but the deals have not closed because riSuch litigation also slows down the potential oil and gas proval firms have disputed its decision, with one taking the uS duction increases that could be felt from new buyers exploitcompany to court, sources close to the deals said. ing assets left undeveloped by oil majors.

A chevron spokeswoman said the company did not comment conocophillips has waited for more than a year to close a 1.6 on ongoing transactions. billion uS dollars deal with nigeria’s biggest energy company, nigerian firm Brittania-u, run by former chevron executive oando, for its business in Africa’s biggest oil producer because catherine uju ifejika, was the highest bidder at over 1 billion uS the local firm has taken more than a year to raise finance. dollars for the biggest cluster of blocks - oMl 52, 53 and 55 – and oando plans to raise 193 million uS dollars in a share issue to chevron began discussions with the company over the sale, help finance the deal, banking sources said in December, and two banking sources close to the deal said. the company has said the acquisition will be completed early chevron decided to look at alternative bids after Brittania-u this year. did not show sufficient evidence it could muster the amount chevron has also agreed to sell two smaller blocks - oMl 83 promptly, banking and oil industry sources said. and 85 - to nigerian firm first exploration and production Brittania-u did not respond to requests for comment. with a bid of around 100 million uS dollars but the deal has chevron then agreed to sell the biggest block, oMl 53, to Senot been completed and rival bidders are also considering disputing this deal, the two banking sources said. they did not give details of which companies might challenge the sale. first e&p’s chairman henry odein Ajumogobia is a former foreign affairs minister and its Managing Director Ademola Adeyemi-Bero spent five year working at Bg group. chevron and first e&p declined to comment.

Shell, total and eni are selling a combined 45 percent stake in at least four more oil blocks with combined production of around 70,000 barrels per day. Bids on these blocks are due next month, sources said.

Shell, the biggest producer in nigeria, has sold eight oil blocks in the niger Delta for a total $1.8 billion since 2010 and some industry sources believe the Anglo-Dutch major may have the experience needed to get deals agreed. “it’s not about the highest bid, it’s about which buyer has the know-how and the connections to get the deals done,” one exOil rig off the Nigerian coast.

PHOTO: Getty Images ecutive at a nigerian company said.

c

S.AfricA’S wine exportS reAch A new high

By Wilhelmina Maboja AfricA’S wine industry has set a new record by topS“itouth ping its 2013 export volumes with a 26 per cent increase. is encouraging that strong gains were achieved in the uK and germany, our two biggest markets, where packaged wines in particular showed very healthy growth,” wines of South Africa ceo Siobhan thompson said in a statement. “packaged wines to the uK were up 31 per cent and to germany by 17 per cent. At the same time, exports also grew across an increasingly broad range of other markets.”

Volumes to germany also increased 24 per cent to 96.5 million litres, and exports to russia increased by 18 per cent to 37.3 million litres. packaged sales in Denmark also saw substantial growth and were up 21 per cent. thompson added that the significant growth in russian sales was partly as a result of the shortfall in the european harvest, where in some cases, yields were the lowest in 40 years. “this was also the reason South African sales to wine-producing countries such as france, italy and Spain increased so dramatically. however, we see as significant, the impressive growth in high potential markets such as the united States, where we are con- A rack of various wines. PHOTO: Getty Images fident of achieving long-term growth,” said thompson. exports to the united States increased by 37 per cent, and its market is fast-becoming an export priority for South Africa. the uS is currently the world’s biggest wine market. white wine sales rose by almost 18 per cent and red wines by 22 per cent. Sauvignon Blanc, cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, pinotage and Merlot wines were reported to have seen the biggest increase in volumes exported.

South African wine has also begun making positive inroads into other African countries, as well as into Japan, thailand and the united Arab emirates markets.

“South Africa is increasingly perceived as the source of interesting, original and well-made wines, able to appeal to [those] eager to expand their repertoire,” said thompson. “this is a very good positioning from which to build our base, particularly as we target Millennials, who are especially eager to encounter new taste experiences.”

wfp forceD to cut fooD AiD to 1 Million ZiMBABweAnS

By Reuters Million Zimbabweans benefiting from united nations world food programme (wfp) aid are facing hunger due to a lack of funding. the lack of funds has caused deep cuts in assistance, the organisation said on tuesday. in September, the wfp said 2.2 million people in the southern African country faced food shortages, the highest in four years, following a drought and poor harvest. the wfp had hoped to increase the number of people under its relief operations to 1.8 million but said it was instead being forced to reduce the number of recipi-

A

ents due to a lack of cash. “in fact, we’ve had to cut rations for one million of our beneficiaries in recent months and there are likely to be deeper cuts as from next month,” it said in a statement. the monthly ration is made up of cooking oil, beans and maize, the staple food. the wfp said it needed 60 million uS dollars to implement full relief operations in the next six months in the impoverished nation of 13 million. the 2.2 million in need of food aid is the highest since early 2009, the end of a decade-long economic The monthly ration is made up of cooking oil, beans and maize, the staple food. decline.

PHOTO: United Nations WFP

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friday, January 17, 2014

kenya’s eRC announces retail petrol prices

eCobank takes goveRnanCe RepoRt by nigeRia seC seRiously

By Wilhelmina Maboja enya’s energy Regulatory Commission released the maxik mum retail pump prices of petroleum from 15 January this year.

By Reuters is taking seriously a report on its governance by etheCobank nigeria’s securities and exchange Commission. pan-african bank said in a statement on Monday while making changes to strengthen corporate controls. the bank will convene a meeting of shareholders once it receives in the next few weeks two other reports on governance and any potential lapses in internal control and audit, the statement said. nigeria’s securities regulator said on thursday the panafrican bank showed a lack of transparency in its recruitments that fostered conflicts of interest and recommended it pick a new chairman.

“Changes have indeed already been made and the initiatives are under way to strengthen further eti’s corporate governance,” said the ecobank statement. it said the lender

Ecobank logo.

PHOTO: Western Union Nigeria

took the seC press release “very seriously”. ecobank has commissioned a report into its governance by the global board Center at switzerland’s international institute for Management development and expects to receive it by the end of January. the bank said it is also awaiting a report by professional services firm ey, formerly ernst & young, into previous lapses in internal control and audit, which had already been identified and addressed by the board and management.

RedistRibution of state assets key to national pRospeRity

Passing money from one hand to the other. PHOTO: Getty Images

By Wilhelmina Maboja edistRibution of south africa’s state-owned assets to the R youth is a significant step towards easier access to capital and wealth sharing. “there’s a weird notion in south africa that if the government owns things, people own things. for example, in the promotion of the anC’s election manifesto, the president said that many farms had been transferred to black people. that’s not right: black people did not get the farms, the government took the farms and the black people are tenants on the farms,” free Market foundation executive director leon louw told CnbC africa. “the freedom Charter talks about freedom of ownership by the people as a whole and as Mandela and all the founding fathers explained in great length is ownership by the people is different from ownership by the government.” in a recent article entitled, “for real prosperity in south africa, let the youth own the state’s assets,” adrian saville, Cio of

Canon asset Management, explained the importance of the country’s youth owning state property. “the proposition is relatively straightforward: the first is that south africa has a trapped youth who are poverty trapped, and the poverty trap has two elements to it. the one is a yawning education deficit, and the other is an associated financial deficit,” said saville. “even if people are able to close out the education deficit by getting access to effective sound education and skill, how do they then build enterprise? how do they build business? ultimately, the only creator of jobs is companies. it’s not government.” saville added that he aims to table a proposal that indicates a means of not only incentivising individuals, but also making sure that those who are able to take up the incentive are financially empowered. “it’s not a handout, it’s not redistribution in a conventional sense. it is an empowering and truly enabling proposal. that’s the essence of it,” saville explained. “there’s lots of examples of this from of practice in the past, which include the reallocation of land rights, where people who have worked land are now given a single title deed.” according to louw, south africa’s government currently sits on trillions of rand worth of assets that had been inherited from the apartheid government, and encouraged redistribution of these assets instead of their remaining in the hands of the state. “it should be redistributing that wealth to the people as a whole. i’m one of the people who says just get the assets out of the hand of the state. if you just transfer the wealth to the people as a whole in their own name, this will empower the youth. it will be a huge boost to the economy. Where it’s been done, it has brought immense prosperity,” said louw.

saCCi sees muted business outlook for 2014

By Nicole Cassandra Naidoo he south african Chamber of Commerce and industry has reported a subdued business outlook for 2014. an annual survey, which was conducted by the chamber, polled 64 businesses, with the largest industry representation being from the service industry. it showed a muted outlook for 2014 but with expectations being better than in 2013. “the overall trend is that businesses do not expect significant improvement in the business environment in 2014, but are none the less more optimistic for the coming year. While most businesses do not plan to increase their workforce, more businesses are likely to employ additional staff rather than reduce staff in 2014,” said south african Chamber of Commerce and industry (saCCi) chief executive, neren Rau. “the high cost of doing business, regulatory burdens and high financing costs will require strong advocacy efforts by saCCi to make the business environment more conducive to economic growth and job creation.” other noticeable concerns include inadequate or failing infrastructure, crime and uncertainty over changes to law with labour strife and public service delivery garnering the lowest amount of anxiety. “the majority of business saw no change in their labour force in 2013 and do not plan to expand it this year. encouragingly, there are more businesses that plan to expand their employment in 2014 than those who will cut staff,” Rau said.

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“on [the] industrial action front, the gross majority of business did not experience a strike in 2013 and also do not expect one in 2014. unfortunately, more firms expect a strike this year than those who have experienced it in 2013.” a significant number of businesses however, are expecting an improvement within their own business.

SACCI have reported a muted business outlook for 2014.

PHOTO: Getty Images

“the purpose of the fuel pricing regulations is to cap the pump prices of the products, which are already in the country, such that the importation and other prudently incurred costs are recovered while ensuring far prices to the consumers,” the commission said in a statement. according to the energy Regulatory Commission (eRC), the maximum allowed price of diesel has increased by 0.21 kenyan shillings per litre, super petrol has increased by 1.31 shillings per litre and kerosene is up by 2 shillings per litre. the eRC also warned that petroleum marketing companies or dealers selling petroleum products above the stipulated prices will be fined up to a million kenyan shillings for the offence. the withdrawals of an operating licence, or both, are also penalties for contravening the price framework. “the Commission would also wish to assure the public of its continued commitment to observance of the principles of fair competition and the protection of the interests of both consumers and investors in the energy sector,” said the eRC. the increases are in accordance to international petroleum product prices and their changes in the average landed cost of importing. the average landed cost of imported diesel decreased by 0.73 per cent from 974.17 dollars per tonne in november 2013 to 967.10 dollars per tonne in december 2013. in the same period, the average landed cost of imported super petrol increased by 2.86 per cent from 1,004.38 per tonne to 1,033.11 per ton in december 2013. the average landed cost of imported kerosene increased by 3.29 per cent from 1,009.57 per tonne in november 2013 to 1,042.76 per tonne in december 2013. selected towns in kenya have been designed to have different price levels for diesel, petrol and kerosene, but all within the maximum price framework. the maximum retail pump prices of the petroleum products will come into effect from 15 January to 14 february this year.

Petrol pumps.

PHOTO: Getty Images

budgeting key to avoiding ‘Janu-WoRRy’ blues

By Wilhelmina Maboja ig spending during the festive season always leaves a dent b in your bank account but many still fail to budget for January. “every year [at] this time, we’re all frazzled and dizzy. the reason for that is we normally focus on the festive season, gift shopping, going on holiday, entertainment, and we forget about January. the first month of the year becomes ‘Januworry’, eunice sibiya, head of fnb’s consumer education division, told CnbC africa.

“We’ve consumed all the money we had, we’ve forgotten about the stationery list, we don’t know whether the school uniform still fits. it becomes a problem. it’s unfortunately something that happens every single year.” back-to-school shopping and schools fees are among the largest of January expenses for consumers. in some cases, parents are unable to pay for them altogether. there is however a payment system that has been recently launched to help parents in south africa make sizeable and affordable payments towards school fees.

“We’ve researched the whole issue [and] we’ve had schools ask us for advice in this regard. there’s a couple of issues at hand: firstly, for a school to use a debit order facility, normally [it] requires [them] to put down some sort of assurance. this is a prohibitive factor for the schools. What we’ve done is we’ve developed a system where the schools don’t need to put down assurance if they use our system. We will stand surety for the schools,” fred staffers from ps&s. staffers added that because some schools had an erratic cash flow, parents would sometimes berequested to pay almost three months to a year in advance. ps&s have nevertheless now made it possible for parents to pay school through a monthly debit order to them, who will in turn pay the fees directly over to the school. “it all comes back to budgeting, the very simple tool that we all know about but we take very lightly. budgeting is the key and it is the solution,” said sibiya. “it’s January. We’re supposed to have budgeted for these costs that we’re facing now, last year. throughout the year, it’s very advisable [to budget], so ideally this time, you budget for next year.”

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Friday, January 17, 2014

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“

Friday, January 17, 2014

BusinessRound-Up

Ayo Teriba

Steady growth leads to development. Growth is what you can look for in the immediate term, development is not an immediate issue, it takes time for growth to translate to development. Our concern should be that growth is steady.

2013 saw a departure from the growth deprecations of 2011 and 2012. So our key target in 2014 is to maintain the growth acceleration that started in 2013 and we should look for ways of supporting that with fiscal and monetary policies.

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In association with

Bismarck Rewane

NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN 2013 The Nigerian economy experienced robust growth in 2013 with real GDP rising 6.8 per cent, higher than global and regional averages. While projections for 2014 suggest an even more significant growth, economists say the economy will have to contend with a number of headwinds this year. Bismarck Rewane CEO of Financial Derivatives Company and Ayo Teriba, CEO of Economic Associates joins CNBC Africa’s ESTHER UGBODAGA in the studio to look at the possible highlights of the Nigerian economy in 2014.

Esther Ugbodaga: Thank you so much gentlemen for joining me. Let me start with you Bismarck, we had a very robust forecast for 2013 and we didn’t do too badly as we saw around 6.8 per cent GDP growth in the third quarter of 2013 and that seemed to be higher than the forecast we saw at the beginning of the year. Would you say we had a very good economic growth in 2013?

ISMARCK REWANE: Basically, the economy recovered from the after effects of the flood and the strike on subsidy from 2012. So basically, we’ve just seen that trend continue, so we expect that to continue into Q4 and we expect that momentum to thrive in 2014.

Esther Ugbodaga: Ayo, looking at the growth and development, remember we have an issue year in year out, where we see growth but then we do not see development that is reflective of this growth we see in the headline GDP. Do you think that this year we could see a difference in the direction of policy within the fiscal authorities but then we are also looking at a budget

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where we might be spending more on maintaining the government than building more infrastructures?

Ayo Teriba: steady growth leads to development. Growth is what you can look for in the immediate term, development is not an immediate issue, it takes time for growth to translate to development. Our concern should be that growth is steady. 2013 saw a departure from the growth deprecations of 2011 and 2012.

So our key target in 2014 is to maintain the growth acceleration that started in 2013 and we should look for ways of supporting that with fiscal and monetary policies.

Esther Ugbodaga: Talking about monetary policies, Bismarck let me ask you this, we are going to have a monetary policy meeting on the 20th and21st and there’s so much talk around that right now, and of course the fact that we would be getting a new central bank governor sometime in June this year could perhaps change the monetary policy direction but till then what kind of monetary environ-

ment are we going to see from January till then?

Bismarck Rewane: You are likely to see status quo or a contraction in view of the fact that the pressure on the currency continues to intensify, the reserves are below 44 billion, I think 42.2, 42.3 so, in order to preserve the currency value, externally, there might need to be some contractions internally. My guess is that it will be the status quo but I want to go back to the question of growth. The GDP growth you’ve seen, in spite of the fact that it has recovered from the lows of 2010 and 2009, what is important is that private consumption is a percentage of GDP which was as high as almost 65 per cent in 2008 has dropped to below 45 per cent which means that even if we are growing, it’s not manifesting itself in high grade consumption, so these days, you don’t just measure growth or measure GDP per capita, you measure how much is being consumed in the economy. That consumption driven growth has to be sustained. We think we’ve gotten to the bottom of that, and it begins to pick up again in 2014, 2015.

Esther Ugbodaga: Okay. Ayo let me quickly ask you this, particularly from the fiscal front, what are your expectations?

Ayo Teriba: Well, expectations have been defined by the budget, as announced, that the budget is not going to grow over the previous year.

Esther Ugbodaga: But it’s going to set the tone for the government spending this year?

Ayo Teriba: Yes Bismarck Rewane: But there’s a decline.

Ayo Teriba: Yes, if I link that to what Bismarck has been saying about consumption, you are seeing a situation in which as the economy grows, budgetary injections have been declining and that’s not very good for the reactivating of consumption.

Esther Ugbodaga: Now that’s a bit of a concern, don’t you think? I mean if there’s a decline, we are looking at improving- because that is what the budget is for- to improve the overall wellbeing of the average Nigerian.

Bismarck Rewane: In 2014 leading up to 2015, the amount of money the average Nigerian spends on power, that is, generator, diesel, and the maintenance of those generators. if the power supply improves, which I think it will at the end of 2014 or early 2015, the disposable or discretionary income of Nigerians will actually increase and that will be a boost to consumption. Right now, we are seeing growth which is confined to the corporate sector, so we need to have a much more growth expansion strategy.

Esther Ugbodaga: What will you like to see the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala do that she didn’t do in 2013? What would you like to see her do differently this year?

Ayo Teriba: The usual things about insufficient spending on capital budget, though the budget was like 1,8 trillion, it does seem that in 2013 we didn’t spend more than 850 billion. If we can improve on that in 2014, increase capacity to implement the capital rate and we shouldn’t encourage a budget that continues to decline, we should seek for ways of at least letting the budget catch up with the growth of the economy as it is growing very fast but the budget isn’t growing at all. This means that relative to the economy, the budget is falling.

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ExecutiveBrief

EDITION 293

In association with TRIPPLEA ASSOCIATES LIMIED

Integrity, Knowledge and Vision are Critical to Business Success

rape Tree International Limited is a market leader that is committed to providing quality in all areas of customer relations as a customer centric company. They are the sole distributors of Diplomat range of toothbrush in Africa. The organisation maintains consistent good quality, short-delivery periods, competitive price, and committed technical support, thereby becoming a reliable partner for a long and trustworthy working relationship. In a bid to reposition the organization for a better future, the organization diversified into importation of Aluminum Profiles and Torch lights. Chief Cyril Uchechukwu Okoye (Bobisco), the Chairman of the organisation is an enterprising business leader of global repute. In this interview with Nnamdi Nwokolo, Bobisco as he is fondly called, who built the organisation from the scratch to a world class company, spoke on the challenges and prospects of enterprise development in Nigeria and sundry issues. He believes that you can be in business and touch so many lives by creating employreference point for your organization. Some other challenges has ment opportunities but a greater number of people’s life will be positively affected if good policies are formulated and imple- to do with policy inconsistency by the government, it stifles business growth and doesn’t give room for long term planning by mented by the government. business people. Our business is purely importation and the greatest challenge we encounter is at the ports. A lot of governWhat Informed Your Choice of Business?

Basically, I ventured into business to create value. When I start- ment agencies collect all manner of money which makes clearing very cumbersome. ed, we were importing goods from Hong Kong before China opened their market. Honestly, the desire to contribute to Unique Factors that stand your organisation out: National development propelled me into establishing this business. I’ll say that God has been faithful to us. We are now a The things we do are governed by core values and beliefs, which include integrity. The direction we are taking is to redefine qualireference point in our line of business; we are equally the sole ty, so that customers will have real value for their money. Our distributor of Diplomat range of toothbrush in the whole of products (Diplomats Toothbrush) are top of the range and our Africa. One good thing about us from this part of the world is prices are competitive. All our products have been certified by that most people get into business by providence or through family inheritance; most of us do not actually read about what World Dental Association and Standard Organisation of Nigeria. we are doing right now. It took perseverance for some of us to Our team maintains a strong foundation of trust and mutual succeed. My advice for anyone that wants to go into business is respect generated through positive relationship with associates, that there are many opportunities now. Right from the begin- clients and all stakeholders. Our mission is to create, retain and ning, we took a conscious decision to run the company purely sustain competence in partnership with our customers by delivering good products and maximizing profit for all partners on integrity, commitment to value addition and strong relainvolved. We have a very good knowledge of the industry and tionship with clients. our knowledge base is our competitive advantage. Our range of products include but not limited to; What were the initial challenges and how Diplomat V.I.P. premium toothbrush, Diplomat were you able to surmount them?

Select Hard brush, which is our star product, The only way we overcame the issue of Diplomat Exotic Toothbrush and Senator financing was to build up our Toothbrush. Etc. integrity. We operate in a difficult environment, so daily; you meet a What are the critical factors for business lot of challenges. What has actualsuccess in Nigeria? ly kept us going is determination, The prospects of enterprise developintegrity and the Grace of God. ment are enormous in the country What you need is a great deal of considering our potentials. The major goodwill; make people to factors of success are arguably knowlbelieve in you. The moment peoedge, integrity and vision. Action ple identify you as a reliable inspired by, knowledge is very organization, you are on important to success. Success track. What you now need can only be achieved through to do is to deliver on two or the application of knowledge. three promises, which will Integrity is also very important. If act as a you have a clear vision of where you are going, you must get there in the fullness of time. The key to any business success lies in understanding the secrets of the business and the environment. It is the bedrock of strategy itself. You can’t craft a strategy that is independent of the environment. Understanding your business environment helps you to define competition, to evaluate and appraise performances.

G

What can government do differently to help enterprise development?

If the government can formulate and sustain policies that will help the business communi-

Chief Cyril Okoye

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ty, the entire country will be better for it. This can be done by strengthening the Naira against the dollar, provision of infrastructures, and create employment opportunities for our youths.

The import duty should be reviewed also to encourage enterprise development in Nigeria. Government should streamline the process of clearing goods at the ports, so that importers will spend less time and money clearing their goods. Government policy should encourage organisations to thrive in a way that regulatory bodies will be strong enough to ensure standardization of products/services. I want to use this medium to appreciate the efforts of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to rid the country of substandard goods. They are worthy of commendation and if they continue this way, it wont be long when sub standard products will be a thing of the past in our markets.

What are the focus/projections for the organization?

I must confess to you that this brand is well known globally. At the moment, people identify with us, but there’s a level we are taking this products to, especially in Africa. We have strategic alliance with partners abroad. In the next five years, we intend to build the factory in this country. We have gradually started the process because, right now all our packaging are done in Nigeria.

The idea is to increase local content and help towards national development. We have carefully strategized to equip everybody in this organization for the global challenge ahead.

How do you stay in touch with people at all levels in the organization?

With all humility, I’ll tell you that my management style is an interactive one. I personally get in touch with everybody irrespective of his position, because I believe that when you get close to people, you’ll be able to know their strengths and weaknesses which will enable you take strategic decisions for the overall benefit of all of. I equally have a good relationship with our distributors. This is to enhance product availability, fair price and the opportunity to share ideas. Recently, we rewarded some outstanding distributors of our brand with a car and other electronic gadgets, this is to enhance their productivity and a win-win situation for all.

Leadership Philosophy: Leadership is about influence. It’s about the number of people that you duplicate yourself in; it’s about the people you are able to raise up. In this organization, we have no boss, all of us are colleagues. That’s why when you come in, there’s no tension. That is leadership. A boss demands for respect but a leader earns the respect and confidence of his subordinates. People follow you because of what you have to offer. This is lacking in our body polity, do we have selfless leaders in the country; do we have leaders that can imbibe great virtues in people; do we have leaders that are passionate about the educational system or the infrastructure deficit? Where are the leaders? The problem of Nigeria is not human capacity of natural resources; it is the problem of leadership.

What advice will you give to young and upcoming entrepreneurs?

Aspiring or upcoming entrepreneurs should understand that there is dignity in labour. They must psychologically prepare themselves away from the path of least resistance. Sometimes the result may be delayed. They have to be persistence without being stupid. They should know that whatever venture they get themselves into, it must succeed provided they are ready to pay some personal sacrifices. The support system should try to encourage young entrepreneurs. Education is also an integral part of success in any venture they go in, be sure to have a good knowledge of the business you are going into and above you should love and enjoy whatever you want to do. My sincere advice to up coming executives is to believe they can do and achieve whatever they set their eyes to do. They should not forget that if there are no obstacles, there will be no success. The importance of learning to personal development cannot be overemphasized because there is no limit as to what one can learn.

What drives you?

Our greatest source of inspiration is God. We also believe in total dedication to specific goals, but our biggest strength is in our integrity and customer service. To achieve world class you must give world class product/service. The beauty of managing a business is not what you do yourself, it is the ability to synergize what people around you can do and harness the full benefits positively, is what makes a great manager. You can never do it alone.

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ARTS Friday, January 17, 2014

Theatre Foundation brings Lagosians Closer at Christmas

By Florence Utor

one-night stand with him but she refuses. The HE production company, Beeta Universal Arts line of questioning becomes pornographic, Foundation (BUAF), no doubts, did not let the albeit without any explicit nudity, when Larry Nigeria teaming audience down during the yule- asks Alice: “What does your cunt taste like?”

Alice replies with a laugh: “Like heaven.” tide, as it provided them two days of magnifiLarry then demands: “Alice, tell me one thing cent theatric experience at the Ballroom of that is the truth?” Alice replies with a smile: Intercontinental Hotel on Kofo Abayomi Street, “Lying is the most fun a girl can have without Victoria Island, Lagos. taking her clothes off, but it’s better if you On those days, the hall was filled to capacity do.” The full irony of Alice’s response is not apwith theatre lovers, who were thankful for the parent until the conclusion of the film. holiday, as it granted them an opportunity to Eventually, Larry convinces Anna to see him relish the Hollywood blockbuster movie, Closer, one last time; she agrees to sleep with him so staged in the country. that he will sign the divorce papers and leave Produced by Bikiya Graham-Douglas and Eku Edewor, the play is bold and witty, with ‘truth’ as her alone. Dan guesses and Anna confesses it dominant theme. It also focuses on politics, with to Dan, who takes it badly. Anna returns to four characters trading partners or better imag- Larry. Distraught, Dan confronts Larry to try and get Anna back. Instead, Larry tells him ined as trading places.

Alice’s whereabouts, and suggests that he go The audiences are left to imagine how these back to her. characters navigate their relationships in the However, out of malice, he also tells him modern world. This sets up an interesting that he had a one-night stand with her; as drama full of emotional highs and lows.

Dan is about to leave the room he calls him The opening scene sees 20-year-old Alice Ayres (Edewor) and Dan Woolf (Ochuko Oke) see each back and says, “I lied to you, I did fuck Alice…

I’m just not big enough to forgive you.” other for the first time from opposite sides of a Alice takes Dan back. When Dan asks her street, as they walk towards each other in the whether she had a one-night stand with Larry, midst of other rush hour pedestrians.

Alice is a young American stripper, who just ar- she initially denies it. But when he insists on rived London, and Dan is an unsuccessful British the truth, she suddenly tells him that she doesn’t love him anymore and goes on to say author, who is on his way to work where he that she did sleep with Larry. Dan then reveals writes obituaries for a newspaper. that Larry had already told him about the Alice looks in the wrong direction, as she one-night stand but that he’s already forgiven crosses the street and is hit by a taxi right in front of Dan’s eyes. He rushes over. She smiles to her. She insists that it’s over and tells him to him and says, “Hello, stranger.” He takes her to leave. This leads to a heated argument ending with Alice spitting in Dan’s face saying that hospital where Alice is treated and released. Afshe is no one and Dan replying with a slap. terward, on the way to his office, they stop by Postman’s Park, the same park that he and his fa- The Alice Ayres tile in Postman’s Park, London ther visited after his mother’s death.

In the end, Alice returns to New York. Passing Pausing in front of the office before he leaves her and goes to work, he reminds her that traffic through the immigration checkpoint on her in England tends to come on from the right, and way back into the United States, it is revealed on impulse, he asks her for her name. They soon through a shot of her passport that her real name is indeed Jane Rachel Jones and that she become lovers. had lied about her name for the duration of A year later, though the two are in a relationher four-year relationship with Dan. ship, Dan is straying. He has written a novel Back in London, Dan returns to Postman’s based on Alice’s life and while being photographed to publicise it, he flirts with the Amer- Park, and to his surprise, notices the name “Alice Ayres” on a tile that is dedicated to a ican photographer Anna Cameron played by girl, “who by intrepid conduct”, and at the Bikiya Graham-Douglas. cost of her young life, saved three children.

Anna shares a kiss with Dan before finding out The final scene shows Alice/Jane walking tothat Dan and Alice are in a relationship. wards West 47th Street, in Manhattan, apAlice arrives and borrows Anna’s bathroom, proaching a red traffic light, where passers-by leaving Anna and Dan alone again. are turning their heads staring at her, Dan takes the chance to try to persuade Anna into having an affair with him but is cut short by stunned at her beauty; a scene symmetrical Alice’s return. Alice asks Anna if she can have her with the opening scene, where Alice/Jane and portrait taken as well. Anna agrees and Alice asks Dan are staring at each other on the streets of Dan to leave them alone during the photo shoot- London.

Just like the original screenplay received ing. While being photographed, she reveals to generally positive reviews from critics, as well Anna that she overheard them, and is phoas several awards, so was the adaptation. tographed weeping. Alice does not reveal what There was great deployment of stage lanshe overheard to Dan, even as he spends a year guage: light, set, costume, spoken and unspostalking Anna, who resists.

A year later, Dan enters an Internet cybersex chat room and randomly meets Larry Gray played by Kalu Ikeagwu; a British dermatologist.

With Anna still on his mind, Dan pretends to be her, and using the pretense that they will be having sex, Dan convinces Larry to meet at the aquarium (where Anna told Dan she often went). Larry goes to the meeting place, only to be made a fool of. Anna tells Larry that a man who had pursued her, Dan, was most likely to blame for the setup. Soon, Anna and Larry become a couple and they refer to Dan as “Cupid” from then on.

Four months later, at Anna’s photo exhibition Larry meets Alice, whom he recognises from the tearful photograph that is one of many being exhibited.

Larry knows that Alice and Dan are a couple, from talking to Anna. Meanwhile, Dan convinces Anna to become involved with him. They begin cheating on their respective lovers for a year, even though Anna and Larry become married halfway through the year. Eventually Anna and Dan each confess the affair to their respective partners, leaving their relationships for one another.

Alice goes back to being a stripper, heartbroken by her loss. One day, Larry runs into her accidentally at the strip club heart-broken himself, is convinced that she is the girl he met before. He asks her if her name is Alice, but no matter how much money he gives her, she keeps telling him her name is “Jane Jones.” He asks her to have a Scenes from the play

T

ken words to convey the metaphor of Closer, which the play is set out to achieve.

Suffice it to say that in the over 60 minutes that the lines and movement swallowed the four characters, there was a strong and energetic delivery. However, the beauty of the production lies in the proper articulation that kept the audience to their seats and left them rolling in utter laughter.

Though from all indication the audience enjoyed the drama suggesting satisfaction, however, Graham-Douglas apologised for not being able to stage Closer in a real theatrical

setting where people could enjoy it fully.

The casts and crew must be commended for a wonderful job, as audience were not kept for long waiting for transition from one scene to another, as costumes and sets were quickly changed.

However, what is painful is that the drama, which was staged during holidays, should have had age rating. Some parents ignorantly took their kids to the show, only for them to encounter the erotic language used, especially during the text messages exchanged between Larry and Dan.

Friday, January 17, 2014 ARTS 29

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Film Narrow miss for Chinwetel Ejiofor at Golden Globes

By Shaibu Husseini ENYAN born British actress Lupita K Nyong’o didn’t get the crest for the supporting actress category at the 71st Golden Globe Awards, which held in Beverly Hills California last weekend. It was a narrow miss too for Nigerian born British actor, Chinwetel Ejiofor who bookmakers had tipped to win the leading actor crest at the awards that is considered the most important international film awards after the Oscars.

The Globe, which was broadcast live, rewards the best in film and television and it has held annually since 1961. Pivoted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Globe hands out awards in 25 categories including awards for television series.

Both Nyong’o and Ejiofor were nominated for their outstanding performance as supporting and lead actors in Steve McQueen’s well rendered movie ’12 Years a Slave’’. But the joy in the supporting actress and lead actor categories were spread around American Hustle actress Jennifer Lawrence and Dallas Buyers Club actor Matthew McConaughey.

David Rusell’s “American Hustle” turned out the biggest winner of all glam award ceremony with three awards- best comedy film, best actress which was won by leading lady Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence’s supporting role.

It was going to look like a bad outing for ’12 Years a Slave’ at the Globe until the joy that was sprinkled round most of the best reviewed titles of the year including Her, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, All Is Lost, hit British Director Steve McQueen and his cast and crew. Though they lost the directing, music score, actor and supporting actor crest, McQueen’s and his team left the Globes as the biggest winners of this diet of the Globe as they emerged winners of the Best Motion Picture, Drama.

Though considered a consolatory prize by critics who had tipped the movie to win in at least three of the seven categories it was nominated for, the trophy that ’12 Years a Slave’ received is considered the biggest prize of any

movie award scheme. The best motion picture of the Globe is usually the best film of the year and if it goes on to win the Oscars, then its status as the best film in the year would have been sealed.

It would have been indeed difficult to explain if ‘12 Years a Slave’ didn’t get any prize at the Globe awards. It was bookmakers favourite to win most of the awards at the Globe including the award for best actor for Chinwetel. The well-helmed film—a 2013 historical drama that is based on the autobiography by Solomon Northup got good reviews prior to the awards. Critics picked the movie, which tells the incredible true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841 and finally freed in 1853 to win over films like ‘Captain Philips’, ‘Gravity’, ‘Philomena’ and ‘Rush’ that were nominated in the best motion picture category.

It has indeed been a fantastic run so far for 12 Years a Slave. The 134 minutes film, which benefited a lot from intense direction, plausible acting by the film’s rich cast including the leading actor Ejiofor and a first rate production design, won the prestigious People’s A still from 12 Years A Slave starring Chinwetel Ejiofor choice Award at the 38th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which held last year in Toronto, Canada. The The winner’s list coveted People’s Choice Award is presented Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama: Cate to the most popular film as decided by the Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine”. audience. For the 2013 edition, the audience Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Matthew chose Steve McQueen’s epic drama for the McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club”.

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: BlackBerry® People’s Choice Award.

Although some critics have said that none of “American Hustle“. the films that won at the Globe will emerge as Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or real favourites for the Oscars, others are of the Comedy: Amy Adams for “American Hustle”. opinion that even though voting for the Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Oscars closed last Wednesday, what the Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio for “Wolf of Wall award list at the Globe suggest is that some of Street”. the films will just be best positioned to grab Best Director, Motion Picture: Alfonso the Oscars. But they think that 12 Years a Slave Cuaron for “Gravity”. will be a front runner in the best picture cate- Best TV series, Drama: “Breaking Bad“. gory and in other categories the movie will be Best Actor in a TV series, Drama: Bryan nominated for while American Hustle may Cranston, for “Breaking Bad”. have a slight edge over other films in all of the Best Motion Picture, Drama – ’12 Years a Slave’. major categories.

Another Chance for viewers of Super Story T was a good start for mil- is that the unforgettable Toyin guest appearances by the timeImost lions of viewers of Nigeria’s Tomato, portrayed by Sola less Joke Jacobs, the thoughtwatched television Sobowale, is back and would be provoking Inspirologos and drama, Superstory as they began the New year with an exciting, suspense-filled new story titled Another Chance. The story, which debuted on January 2 is an adaptation of one of the world’s best-selling stories about man’s inhumanity to man and the ultimate call for change Another Chance tells the heartwarming story of Chief Ahun, who is believed to be the stingiest man on earth. Despite his wealth and fortunes, he refuses to support the people around him including his family. A revelation will, in the course of the drama, be made and the producers say it “will touch the hardest of hearts.’’

Another highlight of the story

exciting viewers every week alongside other top-rated artistes including Tunde Adeyemo, Yinka Olukunga (Nnenna), Livinus Nnochiri, Vivian Amani, Ayo Lijadu, Rose Odika, Kehinde Bankole, Soji Taiwo and Sunday Alli; with

the multitalented Oshadipe Twins. Superstory: Another Chance is viewed weekly by millions of families across Nigeria on NTA Network, and across Africa on the award-winning wapTV on StarTimes Channel.

Steve Mcqueen with his award at the occasion PHOTO: Reuters

Lisa in moviedom to make lasting impression HAT will make an economics graduate W choose acting and movie making as a career path if not passion. First time actress and movie producer, Lisa Henry Omorodion has a felt passion for acting and movie production.

Even whilst studying Economics, the star of the much-anticipated movie, First Cut is the Deepest, always said that movie making and acting was the path she wanted to tow as a career. Lisa as the actress is simply called by close friends, stuck to her guns even when pressure mounted on her to focus on her course of study. “My parents and older siblings thought that with time I will give up the dream but the more they talked me out of the dream, the more I developed the love for acting and movie making and here I am today living my dreams with my parents and siblings as my biggest fans and supporters’’ she said.

Indeed today, her parents and siblings say they are deeply moved by Lisa’s achievements in the industry. They showed their support for the amiable and hardworking actress and producer when they all turned up at the premiere of First Cut is the Deepest, Lisa’s first offering as an actress and producer which was premiered at the Eko Hotel and Suites, two Sundays ago.

The Omorodion’s led by her father, Prince Omorodion say they are proud to be identified with Lisa and are extremely proud of how she has been able to showcase her tal-

ent and resourcefulness to the world. ‘’We are proud of how she has turned herself around and hopefully proven herself to be on the right course of her career choice’’ Lisa’s father wrote in the premiere brochure.

Lisa plays the lead role of KC Morgan in the movie about the effect of rape, treachery and betrayals. The movie, which stars some top Nollywood actors like Monalisa Chinda and Joseph Benjamin in lead roles was directed by ace movie director and producer Chico Ejiro who is popular as Mr. Prolific. The movie is due for cinema and public release soon. Lisa said she was glad to have Chico Ejiro direct the movie. ‘’Chico Ejiro was wonderful. I truly appreciate his talent. He is such a talented filmmaker. The cast and crew and my management and my family that provided the financial and moral support were wonderful too. I am encouraged by the guidance, encouragement and support from these people to trudge on’’ she said shortly after curtain drew on the well attended premiere What next for Lisa’s Platinum studios and she replied “plenty. We will continue to make movies that will blow minds and further widen the scope of the Nigerian movie industry. Our vision is to produce movies that will cut across all ages and situations of life and to encourage young and talented filmmakers, actors and actresses

30 ARTS Friday, January 17, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Revue

Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke and other Nollywood personalities cutting Nollywood @20 cake last year

By Shaibu Husseini HERE was indeed a Nollywood in 2013 was a T mixed baggage. Analysts have described Nollywood in 2013 as one year that the industry took few steps forward and plenty backwards.

Things were generally very slow and at some point, it appeared as though the industry had gone on AWOL. Practitioners and the regulatory agencies left issues that have plagued the industry and that have continued to stifle its growth to persist.

Also, time that would have been devoted to sorting out issues like piracy, the lack of effective and auditable distribution, poor funding, lack of structures, poor leadership at the level of the guilds and associations and at the level of the regulatory agencies and even issues that border on elevating professionalism were spent on frivolities and in settling intra and inter guild and association’s squabbles.

Practitioners who are supposed to be busy on location were constantly in courtrooms and offices of security agencies to settle rifts that have no bearing on the industry. It was indeed a year filled with intrigues, disputes and with just very little to cheer about. Even observers agree that no other year had the industry been dominated with intrigues and dirty industry politics than in 2013.

But the year started on a promising note, thanks to the provision of a N3 billion grant for the development of Nollywood under a scheme that President Goodluck Jonathan called ‘Project Nollywood’ at a Presidential dinner to celebrate the home video industry at 20, held at the State House, Marina, Lagos, in March 2013. President Jonathan had proved his admiration for the industry by making the announcement. He had earlier in 2010 announced the provision of a $200 million intervention fund for the development of the industry.

While the $200 million dollars was put in care of the Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM) and has remained partially inaccessible, President Jonathan put the N3 billion grant in the care of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The President specifically said the funds should be used for capacity building, commissioning of best scripts and for infrastructural development. The fund was released in May 2013, thus making the grant, the first by any government, specifically dedicated to Nollywood industry since independence.

President Jonathan therefore became the first

Nigerian ruler to back his promise with action.

The grant presently runs side by side the earlier $200 million revolving loan.

However, the problem with the $200 million revolving loan has been the difficulty in accessing the loan. The banks are insisting on collaterals before the loan can be granted but some of the practitioners want their intellectual properties to be admissible as collateral. This explains why, almost three years after the loan was released, only about N2 Billion out of the N32 billion provided and domiciled at the Nigerian Import and Export Bank (NEXIM) has been accessed. It is public knowledge that only Kene Mkparor of Film House Limited and Tony Abulu of Black Ivory Communications have been able to access the revolving loan. Mkparor led his outfit to access a substantial amount for the construction of cinemas across the country while Mr. Tony Abulu of Black Ivory Communications remains the only motion picture practitioner who has accessed the funds at NEXIM to produce Dr. Bello, which curiously, has been released on DVD. It is also public knowledge that only the notable movie producer Gab Onyi Okoye has been able to access the intervention fund domiciled at BoI. Igwe Gabosky, as the producer is simply called, received over N1 billion for the establishment of GMedia, a distribution platform, which is expected to start operations this January. Still, some practitioners say they have been unable to access the funds because of the stringent conditions attached to it. ‘’You are asked to go and bring a collateral whose value is more than the funds you seek. If I have such, I won’t go to the bank. I will sell a part of it and make my film,’’ a filmmaker once said.

However, the banks have continuously insisted that the funds with them, ‘is a revolving loan and not a grant’. So, they expect practitioners who want the loan to approach them with bankable projects and reasonable collateral or queue up at the Ministry of Finance for the grant that the Presidency have provided that does not require so much of collateral.

But even the N3 billion grant has remained largely inaccessible several months after the guidelines on the capacity building and production component of the grant was released by the Ministry of Finance. The practitioners seem to have issues with it. Some of them query the composition of the committee that was set up by the Finance Ministry to decide those to be awarded the grant. Although handlers of the grant said they are not obliged to disclose the identities of members of the committee, an official of one of the prominent guilds in Nollywood, who didn’t want his name in print, said they have resolved

not to have anything to do with the grant if the identities of the committee members are not disclosed.

He noted, ‘’The money is meant for us so why shouldn’t we know those who are going to be deciding our fate? Why should they be faceless and nameless? We should know if they are qualified to administer such a grant. We don’t even need the names again because we already know the members. Let them award the monies to themselves. We don’t need it anymore”. Pressed to disclose the identities, the guild official alleged that a prominent practitioner and her husband, a director of a movie facility in Abuja and two prominent actors of same geographical spread constitute the committee. ‘’So I should go and queue up for a family to decide my fate? Let them share the money amongst themselves. We knew it would come to this. I mean, why should a grant meant for creative people be controlled by the Ministry of Finance? Check all the information on the grant; it comes from the Finance Ministry. Meanwhile, Mr. President had put both the Finance Ministry and Culture Ministry in charge of the grant. But the Finance Ministry officials are solely in charge and I say it is absurd and unacceptable. If they want real and genuine practitioners to access the funds, let the money be put into a film fund and a broad-based committee be appointed to manage the funds’’.

However, there are those who don’t have issues with the administrators of the fund.

The only snag they have expressed is with the amount set aside to build capacity (N300 million) and what they said is that ‘’the paltry sum of N10 million’’ that have been set aside as production grant. ‘’Is the N10 million they are asking us to come and access for commissioning the script and buying a few props and equipment? Won’t you pay actors and crew and handle other production expenses? It can’t shoot a good movie with all the elements in place,’’ a practitioner complained recently.

Rather than ‘waste’ the money in ‘’sending some unemployed youths to go and study how to make films’’, some informed observers have suggested that much of the grant be devoted to solving the distribution challenge in the industry while a substantial part be devoted to funding three or more productions. It is these productions, as they argued, that would be used to build

PHOTOS: CHARLES OKOLO

capacities for the industry. ‘’They are just going to send their kids and cronies to school with that money. When those people that will receive the money go and train where will they work? The best form of building capacity is on the job. Let’s have three big productions and let those that have applied understudy professionals on the field. As they work, they get better. The revenue that is generated from the three productions can now be ploughed back to keep the grant running and to further help distribution. At the moment, they just want us to blow the money so we can run to the President for another and we have said no to that plan,’’ an elder artiste said last week.

Well, it appears that there is little the grant handlers can do at this stage. They say that guidelines have been released and several applications for the capacity and production components of the grants have been received. They are even set to start disbursement of the funds to qualified applicants.

If the practitioners spent time analyzing the grant and how best it can be put to use, they equally spent time literarily fighting over Governor Godswill Akpabio’s N50 million donation for endowment of awards of excellence in honour of President Goodluck Jonathan. The Akwa Ibom governor had at the same Presidential dinner for Nollywood, donated N50 million which he later redeemed to be used to endow prizes in honour of the President. Akpabio at a ceremony in Uyo handed his donation to some guild heads including the President of Association of Movie Producers (AMP) Zik Zulu Okafor and that of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) Andy Amenechi. However, the governor practically put the money in care of AMP when the state government credited AMP’s account with the sum. But Okafor, perhaps aware of the implication of disbursing funds meant for the industry without wide consultation, called a meeting of guilds and association he considered ‘recognized’. At the meeting it was decided that the funds be used for the purpose it was given while also providing for capacity building and production of a movie whose revenue will be used to further the objective of the donation. AMP was in the thick of disbursing the funds and had actually disbursed close to N25 million when the Police authorities, acting on a petition it received from the Association of Core Nollywood Producers (ANCOP) ordered a stay

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34 Friday, January 17, 2014

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Friday, January 17, 2014 ARTS 35

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...The good, the bad of film industry

AMP President, Zik Zulu Okafo and an official at Nollywood @20

Fred Amata; iyen Agbonifo and Jeta Amata at the event

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30 of action on further disbursement.

ANCOP, obviously not satisfied with the decision to exclude the association from the meeting where the decision to disburse the funds was taken, had in a written petition to relevant security agencies alleged misappropriation of the N50 million donated to Nollywood by the Akwa Ibom governor. The Police are still investigating the matter. However, some senior members of the filmmaking community are working to see how the matter can be settled internally.

Nevertheless, there will likely be more cases that will be decided either internally or in court as the industry walks into an election year for most of the guilds. Election is due in the DGN and the AMP. The courts may also likely decide the lingering crisis between the elected Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Victor Osuagwu and the defeated chairmanship aspirant Don Pedro Agambi. Even though the AGN electoral committee declared Osuagwu winner of the election and the National Executive Council (NEC) led by Ibinabo Fiberisma endorsed the election of Osuagwu as Chairman, the defeated candidate in the controversial election has been carrying on as Chairman. Presently, the centre no longer holds for AGN in Lagos.

HE regulatory agencies—the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the National Film T and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) didn’t particularly fair well in the estimation of many in 2013. Hopes that Mrs. Patricia Bala would hit the ground running since being confirmed Director General of NFVCB in September 2013 were dashed as the NFVCB in the words of a practitioner ‘operated as though it was a ship without a sailor’. The board in the estimation of many couldn’t even perform its primary function of serving as the arbiter between the filmmakers creative flight of fancy and public taste. Movies, mostly those that can be categorized as distasteful were released directly to the viewing public without recourse to the NFVCB. The board could not even tell what direction to go with the distribution framework, which it gleefully launched over seven years ago.

Distribution has remained in shambles while the board has continued to dissipate energies on what a practitioner described as ‘self-serving schemes that have no direct bearing on the industry’’.

Practitioners point to the huge amount it commits annually to ferrying staff of the board abroad in the guise of assisting to provide linkages, networking and interfacing opportunities within and outside the continent of Africa.

The board this year committed a colossal amount to sponsor about eight of its staff and just a movie stakeholder Mr. Kene Mkparu, to Toronto, Canada, to attend a master class on distribution that attracted mainly Nollywood practitioners attending the Toronto International Film Festival. Though the intention was to get Mkparu, who runs the Film House Cinema chain in Nigeria, to address potential investors on the investment opportunities that abound in Nollywood, especially in the area of distribution, the NFVCB didn’t put much effort in mobilizing investors which is why practitioners wonder why the NFVCB would expend scarce resources to fly Mkparu and nine others to Toronto just for Mkparu to address people who would have heard him talk to them back home about the potentials of cinema in enhancing distribution of Nollywood

movies.

The NFC dozed off in 2013. To some informed observers, things dipped for the NFC when a building engineer Dr. Danjuma Dadu, was appointed to succeed the theory cum practically oriented practitioner Afolabi Adesanya, who served out his eight year tenure as Managing Director of the apex film agency. Dadu became the first non-filmmaker, scholar or critic to head the agency that was established in 1979, as a statutory corporate body with responsibility for the development of the film industry in Nigeria. His biodata did not show that he has worked in and around the film industry. He has attended several conferences and delivered numerous papers but the papers were focused on volcanic deposits, chemical characteristics and cement blending. Even Dadu confessed at an interactive session he held in Lagos upon his appointment that he was a ‘novice’ as far as motion picture practice was concerned. In fact he revealed that the only close contact he has had with motion picture practice was watching the comic actor James Afolayan aka Jaguar perform his comic skit during his days in school. It would appear that Dadu has since his appointment, a litlle near a year ago, has been studying the workings of the NFC. He has practically not brought anything new to the table except establishing a ‘’kangaroo advisory committee’’ made up mostly of people, who according to an observer, ‘’don’t know what time it is in Nollywood’’.

An NFC that somewhat under Afolabi ensured visibility for the industry locally and internationally now snoozes under Dadu. Issues like providing easy access to facilities that can enhance professionalism in film production, provision of incentives and tax rebates for acquisition of professional equipments and the need to pursue the setting up of the National Film Fund that would encourage excellent creative endeavour and would to a large extent counter undesirable commercial moviemaking remains unattended to under Dadu.

The dismal performance that these agencies put up in 2013 is reason practitioners want a total overhaul of the NFVCB and the NFC. They no longer think that these institutions as constituted can help grow the screen sector beyond the level that it is now. They also don’t think that these agencies as presently constituted have the capacity and know-how to foster the development of Nollywood with the scale and connections to attract investment to it. In fact, they want both agencies to be collapsed into a commission and their leadership compelled to copy the New Zealand model, which they believe is best suited for a developing industry like Nollywood.

New Zealand, for instance has a Film Commission - New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) that is funded by government and with funds from lottery grants, revenue from telecommunication companies and revenues from the films in which the NZFC invests. In the 33 years since the Commission was set up, more than 300 feature films have been made in New Zealand with the vast majority receiving support from the Commission. Similarly, the Commission administers a set of progressive funding programmes for filmmakers from early development and seed funding, through to production funding for features and shorts, post, digital and visual effects grants, film finishing funding, grants for distribution and film festival assistance.

In addition, the Commission has been involved in more than 300 feature films since it was set up. The Commission recently

Chief Eddie Ugbomah and Rita Dominic at the celebration announced a new three year business development programme backed by NZ$1 million a year and named Libertine Pictures, as the first company to be awarded funding for its plan encompassing film, television and cross-media projects.

It is this kind of Film Commission that helps production companies to grow and that invests in nurturing emerging and established filmmaking talent that the practitioners want.

They say they are no longer comfortable being supervised by a Censors Board that is so docile or a Film Corporation that operates as though its job begins with organizing the annual shoot training workshop and ends with running the National Film Institute.

Nevertheless, the sun shone on Nollywood on a number of occasions. Top Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde put Nollywood on the international map when the inimitably crowned Queen of Nollywood made the coveted 2013 Time magazine list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Popularly referred to as Time 100, Omo T or Omosexy as the actress, singer and reality-show star is affectionately called, was named alongside 99 others including Hollywood actor Steven Spielberg and the United States President Barack Obama, as an Icon and one of the world’s most influential people. The feat, the first by a Nigerian actor and Nollywood personality, sparked a delirium.

Her colleagues- members of AGN later hosted her at a well-attended reception in Lagos.

Also, a number of practitioners were honoured and applauded for their enterprise during the year. Those who received awards this year included Rita Dominic, Kenneth Gyang, OC Ukeje, Omoni Oboli, Uche Jombo, Desmond Elliot, Mildred Okwo and Niji Akanni. It was also in 2013 that popular actor and Member of Federal Republic (MFR) Anayo Onyekwere Kanayo, otherwise called KOK, was appointed Chairman, Governing Board of National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Studies (NIHOTOURS). It was the first time any Nollywood practitioner would be appointed to such a position. Popular Kannywood actor, Sani Danja, was also appointed but as a member of the governing board of the NFC. Similarly, the year witnessed more events like the AMP-led celebration of Nollywood at 20 that were reputed to be access points for the industry. In spite of the heavy knocks it received, the celebration of Nollywood at 20 was a huge success. To some informed observers, the celebration was not much about land marking the take off date of the industry but it was about celebrating an industry that is regarded as Africa’s largest film industry and second largest movie industry in the world.

One other development in the year under review that will surely provide access point for the industry in 2014 is the decision by frontline movie producer Gab Onyi Okoye to launch a new motion picture distribution platform - GMedia Distribution Company. Analysts say that the company will revolutionalize the distribution side of the movie industry given the necessary policy backing and infrastructural support. Standing on firm grounds, especially with support from the Bank of Industry, FCMB and the additional funding from the $200 million dollar fund promised the creative industry by President Goodluck Jonathan, Gabosky, a pioneer of the industry, assured that G-Media would commence operations this January with 25 stores spread across the nation. The stores, as he also explained, would be supported with 30 regional distributors as well as 4000 community distribution stores across the country.

Sanda also at the event

Also in 2013, events like the iREP Documentary Film Festival, the Eko International Film festival (EIFF), Abuja International Film Festival, the IN-SHORT Film Festival, Lagos International Film Festival (LIFF), African International Film Festival, which was held in Tinapa, Cross River State and the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which has announced the re-introduction of a People Choice Award for its 10th edition scheduled to hold this April, were successfully held last year.

The second edition of the Light, Camera, Action!!! Film Festival organised by Life House was also successfully held. But while these events were roundly successful and attracted quality audience and screening of great films, the organisers of the EKO International Film Festival and the Lagos International Film Festival (LIFF) were not so lucky this year. LIFF, a promotion of former Regional Secretary of the Federation of Pan-African Cinema (FEPACI), Mr. Madu Chikwendu, and the EIFF powered by Supple Communications Limited, tottered and recorded very low turnout. Some observers suggested that if these festivals must continue to hold, then the organisers should ensure professional management.

There is no use running a festival that plays to a lean crowd year in year out.

GOING forward, observers believe that the path of growth for the movie industry, especially in its match towards self-actualization, would be for the pursuance of professional excellence in the industry is organised. In the main, practitioners say they want the funds provided by President Jonathan to be administered the way film funds or grants in other movie climes are administered. Practitioners also want the President to address the issue of supervision of the motion picture industry.

They want the President to reverse the decision to transfer regulatory agencies like the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to the Ministry of information and that of Justice respectively. They argue, and rightly too, that it was wrong to have agencies whose operations border on arts, culture and entertainment like the NFC, the NCC and the NFVCB under the Federal ministry of Information.

They reasoned that apart from causing a major disconnect between the industry and other sectors in culture and art, their having to be supervised by the Ministry of Information has contributed immensely to the lack of growth in the sector as most international culture treaties that would have engendered continued growth are within the purview of the Ministry of Culture.

More importantly, practitioners want the revised National Film Policy (NFP) and the bill on the setting up of the Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPPICON) passed into law. The practitioners say they want MOPPICON to be to the movie industry what the Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON) is to advertising practice in Nigeria. They all agree that APCON has been able to sanitize and effectively regulate and control advertising practice in Nigeria. They advocate for a similar body that will regulate and control motion picture practice. They hold strongly that the implementation of the revised National Film Policy and the setting up of MOPPICCON are the most important intervention tools that the Nigerian motion picture industry requires to address some of its structural deficiencies.

36 ARTS Friday, January 17, 2014

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Literature Arrow of God @ 50 Celebration committee visits Usmanu Danfodiyo University S part of its preparations to join the global A literary community in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Chinua

2004, as such, UDUS was ready to celebrate one of its own. The Achebe’s thought-provoking book Arrow of Professor of God, the National Organising Committee for Biochemistry further the celebration represented by its Chairman, informed the visitors Dr. Wale Okediran visited the Usmanu that UDUS is one of the Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) on best universities in the Wednesday, January 8, 2014. The university is country having scored one of the seven centres where the celebration 100% in a recent prowill take place in April 2014. gramme accreditation Okediran was accompanied by officials of carried out by the both the Kebbi and Sokoto chapters of the National University Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). They Commission. In addiwere Yusuf Dingyadi (General Secretary, ANA tion, the university, Sokoto), Professor Asabe Kabir Usman (ANA which according to the Sokoto), who is also the Head of English VC, is one of the second Department at UDUS, Aisha Umar Mohammed generation universities (ANA Sokoto), also a lecturer in the English in the country, started Department, Abubakar Kalgo (General from scratch without Secretary, ANA Kebbi) and Shehu Malami Aliyu any take-off grant but (Treasurer, ANA Kebbi). by dint of hard work On hand to receive the team to the university and prudent managewere the Vice Chancellor, Prof. R. A. Shehu and ment of funds has risen the Deputy VC Academics, Prof. A. A. Bagudu. In to its current enviable his opening remarks, Dr. Okediran informed position. He also said, the audience that the 50 years of Arrow of God the university is also will be celebrated in about 20 countries worldcurrently prosecuting wide and the need for Nigeria, ‘the owner of many important projthe book and the author’, to be part of the celeects such as a Solar bration. He emphasised the fact that three Energy Project, which events viz; a Literary Quiz Competition for chilon completion, is expect- Arrow of God @50 Celebration’s NOC chairman, Dr. Wale Okediran (middle) discussing with the VC, Usmanu Danfodiya dren, A Symposium and the staging of the University, Sokoto (UDUS), Prof. R. A. Shehu (right) and the DVC, Prof A. A. Bagudu (left) ed to assist the country Stage adaptation of the book will take place in in its quest for alternaUDUS on April 28, 2014. He, therefore, called for tive energy source. seater university auditorium with its modern cessful event. the support of the university management and Shehu thereafter directed the Deputy VC facilities for both audio and visual recording as In his closing remarks, Dr. Okediran community in organising a very successful and the HOD, English Department to conwell as a beautiful stage for playacting. thanked the university for the warm recepevent. stitute a Local Organising Committee with After another meeting in the office of the tion accorded the visiting team and the In his response, the Vice Chancellor, Professor ANA members and report their decisions HOD, English Department, it was agreed that a passion and commitment shown to exeShehu expressed delight and appreciation of to him as soon as possible. He also directed 15-man LOC to be made up of 5 members each cute a successful event. the university for being chosen as part of the the HOD, English Department to take the from the ANA Sokoto, Kebbi and the university Later in the evening, the team moved to celebration in Nigeria. He reminded the audivisitors to the Ultra Modern University community be inaugurated on January 18, the Catholic Bishop Court for a courtesy ence that Prof. Chinua Achebe was the universiAuditorium where the event will take 2014. The NOC will thereafter continue to liaise visit to Bishop Mathew Kukah, who is also ty’s alumnus having received a honorary docplace. with the LOC on every aspect of the proan author and a patron of the arts. Bishop torate degree from the university way back in The visitors thereafter inspected the 700gramme in order to ensure a smooth and sucKukah, who was also happy that an event of such magnitude was coming to Sokoto, went on memory lane to recount his longstanding relationship with the works of Professor Chinua Achebe whom he greatly revered. He expressed his readiness to support the event by assisting in publicising it and also invite his friends and associates.

By Dumbiri Frank Eboh you on to success, execute tasks until they are The planned visit to the Sultan of Sokoto include ‘Things To Do was rescheduled for another date since the HERE is a very popular story, of accomplished irrespective of or To Activate Your Will Royal Father was out of the country. a miner who went to prospect regardless of any form of internal Power’, ‘Your for gold. After some attempt, and or external resistance”.

Intention’, ‘Your From the above, it could be seen after digging for a while without Action’, ‘Tension’, finding gold, he gave up the ven- that the failure of success or any ‘Dealing With Tension’, project takes place in the mind ture and sold the field to another ‘Contention’ and miner. Unknown to him howev- because the mind is where the ‘Arrive At The Place Of

By Seun Akala battle is fought.

Even though the er, he was just a few meters away Attention’. book recognizes the fact that from a very rich stream of gold.

Robed in white Jalamia of cleanApart from the fact The second miner soon hits this there are challenges posed by that the book is preliness gold and became an instant external factors, it maintains that sented in refined Disguised Lawani in holiness once the war is won in the mind, multi-millionaire, while the origprose, the author’s With Beelzebub’s weaponsinal owner ended up sewing contending with such external use of pun is notedestruction jeans trousers for workers factors will not be a difficult task. worthy and comemployed by the millionaire Thus, how to use the will power to Fulfillment callous political mendable.

An examminer. This real life story which overcome these challenges (tenambition ple is “When you are sions) and arrive at the place of happened in Arizona, U.S. (This acting on your intenIn sacred name of religiosity attention forms the main thrust was actually the origin of Arizona tion, it births tension.

Hearts filled with amorality jean trousers) is a good example of the book titled Your Will Power. ”There is also one of Akinola devotes a major part of Fighting the scroll of developof how lack of will power can pre“Using Contention to vent a potential achiever from the book to enlightening the readment challenge your tension er on the various ways of overrealizing his goals.

Rain fires on innocent in order to avoid coming these challenges through In the book Your Will Power Detention and eventuCanker sucking soul of the (Trafford Publishing, U.S.; 2013) the activation of the will power. ally arrive at the place These are presented in a step-by nation authored by Joseph Akinola, a of called ‘Attention’”. The beauty of stores.

Though cleansing the ocean Lagos-based mentoring expert, step approach that anyone can this is that it takes the message Your Will Power is a book that can The burden of proof and faith with sub-title ‘Get ahead with your take to achieve success. Even deeper, as it lingers in the chamstand the test of time. intention and come to a place when it appears as if there is no Holy war militate against fifth bers of your memory long after called attention’, the issue of Will hope and challenges seem insuryou have dropped the book. mountable, the book admonish* Dumbiri Frank Ebohis a Lagos- When they’re pigs in the dung Power and the Integral part it Besides, Your Will Power is packbased journalist, writer, literary crit- Hypocrisy and lobotomy song plays in the failure or success of es: “When you change the way you aged in a reader-friendly, ic and the former Publicity Secretary, any venture, is brought to the look at things, the things you look portable volume. This has Association of Nigerian Authors •Seun Akala is a student of fore in this easy to digest and at change. When your perception endeared it to booksellers.

(ANA), Lagos State chapter assimilate book. According to of a thing changes, the perspecCreative Art Department, Copies can be ordered online at the author, “Your Will Power is the tive also changes.” www.trafford.com, www.amaUniversity of Lagos Some of the chapters that will inner strength to make decizon.com and other online booksions, take action and handle or definitely interest you and spur

Book on will power in print

T

Book Haram

Friday, January 17, 2014 ARTS 37

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By Olaiya ‘Subomi T is often said that you don’t judge a book IAlabaster… by its cover; it may not be so with Break the Release the Fragrance. The graphic outlay of the cover prods the reader to hurriedly turn the pages ostensibly in search of the Alabaster.

Copyrighted this year (2013) and published

by Verbatim Communications Limited, based in Lagos, Break the Alabaster is deconstructed straightaway to the readers with this quote on the blurb: “Ultimately, I have learnt that God wants us to be the best that we can be and fulfill purpose. I have learnt that my life is a perfume and I can be perceived differently by different bodies and different senses of smell. I have learnt that life is a fragrance. I have broken my own alabaster and released my fragrance to be perceived: truly released to bless.”

The author, Ini Onuk, is described as a potpourri of passion, and this is what is served in this 140-page nonfiction that seeks to encourage women to break out and release their fragrance for the world to appreciate.

The personal story of the author herself – an odyssey of faith, courage, industry and an exemplary demonstration of the infinite possibility of the human spirit – which all combined to lift that indigent girl of yesterday to the status of an accomplished woman of substance in her career and family life that is widely celebrated today, is an awesome inspiration to this work. And even though not as generously captured in this work as in her debut book, ‘The Eagles’ Dance,’ the trajectory of her life forms the background to one’s appreciation of this work. Thus it is easy to feel the author as a mentor, a teacher, a motivator and a caring mother, who desires the good of womanhood, especially appealing to attention and needs of young ladies in our sometimes befuddling society that cares less for the emotional and mental wellbeing of the young.

And this is one’s first recommendation to the reader: that if we are indeed desirous of seeing the young women of Nigeria and indeed Africa break the alabaster, and soar to greatness on the wing of the fragrance that God has endowed them with, we should invest in getting copies of the book to every school and social centres, where our young girls can be found.

This, however, does not have to be an expensive venture; we could start with the school in our individual neighbourhood. We could also get the content into mediums – electronics, print, social mediums etc. — where we are sure our young women can encounter the message in the book, which I testify is Ini’s labour of love for the betterment of our collective humanity and society.

The writing is simple and fast paced, and I dare say, deliberately filmic in its structure.

This helps with the ingestion of the message which otherwise, in the hands of a less-competent or skillful or imaginative writer, could have been yet one more boring preachment about respect for womanhood.

Ini writes with a very strong conviction, masterful in the control of the novelistic structure and format, and her language is suave with effective diction that gives ample room for play on tone, tenor and cadences. All these help the progression of the tale or tales she presents to her readers.

One secret in successful writing as taught in Literature class is: Do not preach the message, write or say it as sincerely as you feel it, and it shall hit the desired target. Ini Onuk, in her book, celebrates this virtue of the successful

picked and dramatized for clearer access by the young readership.

The short fantasy tale introduces reader to a new subject matter.

Each chapter throws up serious issues that affect the womenfolk.

In chapter one, it is the man-woman relationship, their differences and the theory of why opposites attract.

There is an attempt to shatter the age-long distorted view of sexism, in which men have assumed superiority over women, though the author believes equality between the sexes would make the world less interesting.

Pages 12 – 18 treats these differences in detail. The woman is described as the receptacle (receiver) while man is the plug (giver).

On page 17, the author says: “Like receptacles, women were made to be receivers. Men were creThe author, Onuk, unveiling the book ated to be givers – physically, sexually and emotionwriterly vocation. ally.”

This pocketbook is reader-friendly. The pages A note of warning is, however, sounded. “The are well laid out with witticisms, nuggets; and woman must be careful what she permits as plug i.e. images abundantly used to intersperse and what she allows to draw current (strength) from her. reinforce the subject matter, which is for The wrong plugs can drain the woman’s power, burn women of all ages to release the pricey fraher fuse and render her useless. Be careful with those grance inside the alabaster box they carry, who see you as nobody or an inferior entity.” while soldiering on in the daunting task of cop- Daringly, the author tackles a thorny issue heading with responsibilities from family, career, long in the second chapter, The Church and the business and marriage.

Woman. The woman’s place in the church, which The woman’s worldview is adequately treated over the ages has always been the backseat, is in six chapters – The Woman, The Church and the fiercely challenged in 10 points, tagged “lies”, Woman, Culture and the Woman, Politics and the which trace the history of the misinterpretation Woman, The Alabaster and the Fragrance, and of women’s roles to the early Church. The Released – but the statements and testimonies author’s strong convictions on why this frain the book also appeal to the male folk. grance must be released become even more The author reflects philosophically and with manifest and affective in the reader’s sensibility. an uncommon insight into God’s original plan In the third chapter, Culture and the Woman, the for women as articulated in the Bible, from author is even more profound in her challenge where references were copiously lifted, but it of mindsets and cultural hard lines that continue stylistically starts like a work of fiction; a very to subjugate the woman; and perpetually keep wise choice indeed, to encourage the readers her as a shadow being in societal perception. She wade through the all-important messages reasons rightly that: Culture is never static, it is articulated in the author’s argument. dynamic; and in relation to gender, the stereoThe brief romance in the opening pages types are mindboggling, especially for an African achieves its purpose of arresting the reader’s society, where the male factor is culturally paraattention. The revised account of the creation mount. story of the first couple, Adam and Eve, precedIn chapter four, a case is made for the actualizaing the first chapter, is for instance, such a tion of the 1995 Beijing conference, which recompleasant narration that will remain evergreen mended 35 per cent affirmative action for in the reader’s memory. women in political positions. For this, the The juice of the narrative in Break The Jonathan administration is given a thumb-up for Alabaster… is actually borne in what should the strategic but deliberate steps he took not have been titled the preface or prologue on page only to have larger number of women in his cabi2 and 3, where the author exhibits traits of an net but also to put some of them in charge of accomplished poet and dramatist in the stylcritical sectors of the national economy. ized way she presents the psychological Same compliment also should, however, go to romantic drama that often take place between some other state governments that have spouses in the confine of their homes. Such attempted to achieve the goal of having more beautiful, moving prose that the reader would women in their cabinet. Whether or not those be justified to think he/she was actually watch- women have made critical impacts in the pering a scene in a well-scripted and produced TV formance of their role or whether or not they drama or soap opera. have behaved responsibly is, however, a discussion for another day.

HIS fictionalized prologue precedes every Break the Alabaster is not all about battle of the chapter, enhancing the cinematic quality of sexes, as it ends with the call for social change, the entire book. In fact, each of them can be the call for each woman, each man to let the

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Ebedi welcomes three female writers, appoints administrator HREE female writers have T resumed for the January/February edition of the Residency Programme of Ebedi International Writers Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State. The writers are Jumoke Verrissimo, Gertrude Uzoh and Funmi Aluko.

Verissimo is a well-travelled performance poet and freelance writer. Her first poetry book, I am memory won two national awards and got an honourable mention from the Association of Nigeria Author (Poetry) prize. She has participated in festivals across Nigeria and in Europe. She holds a Masters in African Studies (Performance) from University of Ibadan and BA Literature-inEnglish from Lagos State

University. She is a recipient of the Chinua Achebe Centre Fellowship. Her works have appeared in Migrations (AfroItalian) Wole Soyinka ed., Voldposten 2010 (Norway), Ann Arbor (USA), Livre d’or de Struga (Poetes du monde, sous le patronage de l’UNESCO) among other awards. She will be using her time in Ebedi to complete a collection of short stories.

The second writer, Uzoh is a 2006 Computer Science graduate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, whose debut novel, One Love, Many Tears garnered rave reviews when it was released in 2012. Uzoh, who since then has continued her dedication to her creative pastime, will

be spending her time in Ebedi to finish work on another novel.

Aluko, the third writer, is another performance poet, who participated in P.L.A.Y. 2009 and 2010 – a Pan-Nigerian poetry festival, among others. Directed by Ben Tomoloju and Sponsored by GT Bank. (P.L.A.Y - Poetry, laughter, Arts and You) eventually suffered support challenges since the passing away of the bank’s Managing Director. Aluko also participated in poetry segments of Black Heritage Festival 2010 and 2012. Aluko, who has B.A in Communication and Language and an M.A in Performance Studies both from the University of Ibadan, will be completing a new poetry collection at Ebedi

Residency.

As part of its determination to improve the standard of the Residency, the Ebedi Board of Directors has appointed an Administrative Manager to oversee the day-to-day running of the residency. He is Ghanaian Poet and Ebedi alumnus, Kofi Sackey.

Kofi, who attended the residency in 2011 and 2013, where he completed his latest poetry collection, Verses from the Wilderness, is expected to bring his wealth of experience garnered in Ebedi and other international residency programmes he has attended to bear on his new job. Sackey has since resumed work in Iseyin.

world have a sniff of the fragrance that you are, just the way Nelson Mandela awed and wooed the world with the force of his indefatigable life. And the fragrance can only be released when you appreciate who you are and give yourself and those around you that special gift of love.

In concluding this reflection on Ini Onuk’s second book, it’s necessary to review the last paragraph in the blurb of the book, which states: Break the Alabaster, encourages women to break out and release their fragrance – to rise, determine their worth, set high standards, according to the will and purpose of God and be the aroma that they were created to be.”

The point of emphasis here is — “determine their worth”. And one whishes to ask: are the women truly ready to “determine their worth”?

Are they truly ready to conceive, create and preserve the woman personae they want the society to hold of them and to insist that such perception must be sustained in the consciousness of the other gender in the society?

One asks these questions as a subtle probe into the image of the woman that is perpetuated in some mediums of our artistic and cultural production and expression. We are sure all familiar with the favourite theme of most of our young artistes, especially in their musical and movie works, where objectification of the woman as a mere sexual toy is rampant.

The boys, most of them – and notably the most patronised by the consumers of such works — sing only about boobs and butts; usually the statement demeans the woman as an object that is buyable and discard-able at the man’s whims.

But do not blame the men alone, some of the female singers themselves have started using similar imageries — even if not as daring as the boys – ostensibly for easy commercial gain. Particularly worrisome is the fact that these lewd contents have also become famous on the screen through the musical videos and the movies, where open, disturbing display of the female anatomies through dance and drama skits, have become objects of cheap fascination.

Recently when an argument broke in the media about the content of such musical works, one of the commentators, a woman, reasoned that in a way such portrayal help to elevate or enhance the discourse and appreciation of the sexuality of the woman!!! Oh yeah?

Well, while there may be some merit in such ironical claim, the danger is so disturbingly poignant. Majority of the consumers of such artistic works are the young boys and girls in our communities, and we can imagine the sort of orientation we are giving them. In one breath, we campaign that the perception of the woman in home and public spheres should change so the gender can be encouraged to rise and fulfill her destined glory within the society but in another breath, and through a dangerously potent medium of expression, the television and our personal computers and gadgets, we instruct our boys that they should continue to see our girls as sex objects; and indirectly we continue to damage the self-esteem of our girls.

How does this become an issue in the context of the content of this inspiring Ini Onuk’s book?

The argument, which one has set in question mode is: Why are our mothers and sisters, who in recent years have become quite vocal against social and cultural practices that tend to demean and degrade women, silent in the face of this malignant virus?

Do the female gender activist not think this objectification of the woman body is serious enough matter to engage their activism?

That rather than set up countless NGOs to campaign for or against certain health issues – as important as that is – the civil society communities ought to take up this fight to clean the airwaves of these woman-abusive contents?

While one is against any censorship that stifles or cripples creativity, one is convinced that sexual objectification of women is a serious enough issue that should be put as an agenda before the National Assembly. The intent is not to cripple or kill free artistic expression, but to at least ensure some restraints.

For women to break the alabaster…. as the author has effectively campaigned and communicated in her beautiful book, the Woman must actively interrogate the representation of the female gender in the media.

• Subomi is a Culture Communicator in Lagos

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38 ARTS Friday, January 17, 2014

VisualArts Stories by Tajudeen Sowole HOUGH they had been part of the early T editions before other commitments took them away, the 13th yearly Pastel Exhibition held at Mydrim Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos, was a swansong for their return.

Arguably one of the oldest yearly art events in the country, the edition featured Muri Adejimi, Segun Adejumo, Duke Asidere, Sam Ovraiti, Alex Nwokolo and Kehinde Sanwo, who, apparently, were not among the artists in the last six or more editions. The six artists were among the participants in the early years of the exhibition.

Aimed at promoting the pastel medium among artists, the gathering, in the past few editions, have focused on young artists, including old and new entrants.

With the six artists selected for the 13th edition, it’s a comeback for the painters who are masters in their own right, being a bridge between the Nigerian old masters and young generation of artists. At the last edition, works of young artists Kolawole Olojo-Kosoko, Emmanuel Dudu, Ajibade Awoyemi, Joseph Ayelero’ Segun Adesanya, Kehinde Oso, Sam Ajobiewe, Uzoamaka Nnuji, Stanley Dudu, Paul Iroye, Jefferson Jonathan, Okonye Dixon, and Jonathan Ikpoza.were on and were on display as the show stressed the diversity of its scope.

The show “has firmly established itself as a tradition at Mydrim,” the curator, Sinmidele Ogunsanya stated. “It has been exciting organizing 13 editions in as many different ways in order to continue making each exhibition interesting for art enthusiasts.”

And for the vibrancy of the Lagos art landscape, the exhibition is a mixed of classic painting, impressionism, cubism and drawing. In the three works of Adejinmi, his classicist handling of dramatic composite, even marvels. His works such as Iwa Jo Wa (Birds of the same Feathers) and Omonira (Liberation), typical of the artist, stress the resilience of realism. Not exactly in Adejinmi’s surreal rendition, but Iwa Jo Wa maintains the artist’s identity of composites that are always in motion.

Among his generation of artists down the ladder, Adejinmi is, perhaps, Nigeria’s top artist in the classic and naturalism renditions,, so suggests the energy of theatrics imbedded in his works since he emerged from the revered Abayomi Barber school over three decades ago. Despite proving his worth over and over, excellence, he says is still some brush strokes away. “I am constantly pursuing excellence,” he states. “I believe there is always a room for improvement.”

Ovraiti, whose name is synonymous with fluid medium such as water colour, brings in to the gathering his equal familiarity with the pastel, in fact, in drawings as well as paintings. Two of his seven works, which are of portraiture genre, exude the beauty of drawing in competitive space with subtle painting.

Quietly impacting on the mentorship and workshop aspects of art activities,

Tube Tuse (Co-existence) by Muri Adejinmi.

For pastel show at 13, six masters return Ovraiti brings into the 13 Pastel Exhibition one of his encounters at the yearly Harmattan Workshop in the three-figural portraiture titled Three Agbarha Otor Girls. Ovraiti was appointed the first director of the over three decades old Agbarha Otor, Delta State-based workshop in 2011. Still on portraiture, the artist’s pastel seems to have fallen in love with the ladies, so suggest another one Olufunilayo, which has features of mixed-race, particularly in the nose and lips.

Being trained as a painter, Ovraiti says, was not enough, so, “I am now an artist” who creates art across diverse forms. “I simply allow the art to come alive, taking the part of least resistance.”

Cubist Asidere stressed his “simplistic” belief in art. Known for using his work to make burlesque statement on social and political development, Asidere continues to apply the simpleton form in works such as Election Blocks, a strike at lack of transparency; and The Syndrome, a visual narrative of increasing indecent dressings of young ladies on the streets, across the country.

If spontaneity could be detected or proven in a finished work of art, Asidere would wear the garb of ‘spontenous master’or ‘master of spontenous art’. And in simplicity, the cousin of spontaneity, the artist keeps stressing the joy of creating art, almost effortlessly.

Art, he argues, “is not as complex as many

artists try to make it.” Asidere said he views art from a “very simplistic point.” and advise: “just get it done.”

For Adejumo, whose palette moves cautiously between realism and impressionism, works such as Wrapper’s Delight, Yomi’s Repose and Road to Panshin exude the artist’s excavating skill. Indeed, composites such as figures laying on bed or wrapping cloth as well as landscape of a path appear ordinary or common. But the artist insists that these renditions are part of his “objectives” to unearth “profound” subjects from “seemingly ordinary things.”

One of the most experimental artists on the Nigerian art scene of recent, Nwokolo, comes into the show with his Oju (Face) series, which he had presented mostly in collage of painting on canvas. Bringing same with pastel on paper, Nwokolo, interestingly sustains the roughage, but poetic-like surface of the series as seen in one of the works titled In the Lighter Mood.

Even in the monochromatic tone, Nwokolo’s Oju series of the pastel show still offers a sparkling look. Two of his other works in-

That Other Women by Sam Ovraiti clude Still Life and a stylized figures of midriff s titled New Generation.

Over two decades or more of Sanwo’s art as architecture documentary artist, largely in impressionism, has, recently, been broken by a technique, in which he combines poster on canvas. Quite a departure from his past works so explains in his pastel presentations such as Blossoms 1, Dance With Me and Fishing Frenzy.

For Fashesin-Souza, personalised themes bring competitive edge AWYER, Catherine Fashesin-Souza Lpractice who takes break from her legal to paint, recently put her creativity to public test with a solo show titled, The Best of Catherine Fashesin-Souza, held at Didi Museum, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Though largely personalised theme, some of the artist’s contents viewed via soft copies shortly before the show opened suggest that Fashesin-Souza has something for lovers of simple themes in Nigeria.

Not exactly an outsider to visual arts, having practised in the UK for many years — getting a formal training in art after being a self-taught artist —her return to Nigeria comes with a kind of art that would have to define its patrons or struggle for attention in the crowded Lagos art scene.

But as every artist has to emphasise their strength, Fashesin-Souza’s abil-

ity to personalise her themes could just emotional displacement. She recalls be all she needs, combined with a sub- how the work reminds her of “my tle style of painting. For example, the unhappiness,” but adds “and my artist sees a similarity in what she describes as my “unsettledness,” and a scene from the Nigerian civil war captured by a photographer. This much she explains in the work titled Exodus, a painting inspired by similar image of people moving to an unknown place or wilderness after being displaced from their homes. Painted in monochrome and from a slight aerial view, it shows families – children, women guided by men - moving on a road path with loads. It’s a revisit of the damage caused by displacements during war or conflicts. Catherine Fashesin-Souza’s The Kenyan Girl- the Naisai In Fashesin-Souza’s case, it’s about

hope for a bright future.”

Still roving around the personalisation of the exhibition’s theme, she paints “my eyes” in to a portrait of an unidentified lady in the work titled The Kenyan Girl- the Naisai.

One of the works The Landscape, also stresses the artist’s strength in modernism, a theme that some would argue in the Nigerian context as ‘facing the challenge and test of ‘conceptual’ or ‘contemporaneity.’ So long as the subjectivity of art prevails, an artist’s ability to defend a concept or content makes the difference in acceptability or appreciation, She describes her art as “a combination of still life, landscape, abstract and portrait.” Largely, the inspirations for her works, she discloses “are from my emotions, environment and experiences.”

Fashesin-Souza’s bio suggests that she’s had an active moment on the art exhibition turf in the U.K. She studied law and got a City Guild training in painting. Her debut solo exhibition was at the Thames Gallery Grays Community Centre at Thurrock, London, in 2009; next one at the Afro Carribean Exhibition at the Shell Centre at Waterloo and on Strand street in Central London, 2011; during Ariya Expo, at Hilton, Kensington, London also in 2011 and the last, ‘Art on the Rail’ a group one held during the 2012 Olympic games.

Currently practicing law in Nigeria, Fashesin-Souza’s bio says she obtained Masters from University of Wales Cardiff in International Trade Law after working part-time at Hereward & Foster Solicitors at Canning Town, London.

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Friday, January 17, 2014 ARTS

39

With Archie-Abia’s touch, NPA sculpture brightens Tin Can Island roundabout ports agency bare on the environment lies on the shoulder of the artist. But Abia has RT CONTENTS as a vital component in his interpretation of the concept, particuadding aesthetic value to public space larly the colour combination, yet retainis not missing in the redesigning of the ing the maritime flavor. newly renovated First Gate roundabout of He explains that the “green, stands for Tin Can Island, at Nigerian Ports Authority growth, advancement, organisation; (NPA), Apapa, Lagos. black for power strength mystery, richThe new look of the space is largely enness, elegance, bold; red for Energy, Love, hanced with a sculptural piece produced Passion; and yellow for optimism, attenby artist, Godwin Archie-Abia. tion.

Though the sculptural work is the familOn the characters of the components, iar NPA logo, it’s been specifically commis- Abia attributes “strength,” to the sea sioned to replace the old one, which stood horse, “The Black shield – protects and hoat the spot for many years. nour. the crown and a harbouring ship.”

Standing 13 feet in actual size of a total 15 Abia who, in the past, had been commisfeet from the basement, the new NPA sioned to produced paintings for NPA resculpture logo emboldens the concept of ception and metal gate further breaks strength and authority contained in the down the new sculpture of the logo. He arcomposite depicted with the images of gues that “the choice of two sea horses sea horses and crown. Two sea horses, holding the black shield signifies unity of placed on each side of a crown head liftpurpose, peace co-existence.” He notes ing or protecting a ship that holding the shield stands for exsuggests different change, which has quite some spiritual incomponents comterpretation that energises the whole ing together for concept for maximum performance and the overall misresults of the ports authority. sion of the The artist sees an art piece beyond the ship’s safety. aesthetics value. “Often time individuBut as an art als and organisations only go after the piece, the aesthetics and forget the spiritual aschallenge of pect of art.” In fact, he cites the NPA replicating logo, specifically, as a test for his spirthe NPA logo, itual interpretation of an art piece. particularly “Over the years, we had studied and in metal understood the spiritual in-depth of with such a the logo.” Clearly, the artist got an ophuge size and portunity to interpret the images of bringing the the logo when the handlers of the roundalready known about Seaview Properties gave him the identity of the opportunity to refabricate the logo. governThe work, Abia stresses, confirms the imment’s portance of art content in improving the environment. “That goes to what we have been saying over the years, about beautifying the environment with visual arts on display.”

Abia argues that currently, the NPA gate e x u d e s friendliness that is energised by the sculptural Archie-Abia

By Tajudeen Sowole

A

piece. “The serene and friendly environment of the roundabout is more attractive than what it was before. I urge other organization to display and promote their logo on their gates and on major roundabout to stimulate the economic and certain class of people.”

Currently working from his Win Arc Studio and Gallery, in Ikeja, Abia hopes to spread his gospel of art appreciation to the grassroots via his proposed new studio and gallery inside Peace Estate, Ipaja.

He insists that art appreciation at all cadres of the society “ultimately translates to economic buoyancy.” He cautions that “Government can’t provide job for everyone but can create the enabling environment for creativity to blossom.”

On his plans for a new studio, he discloses that “we want to catch them young and make more creative people for the future.”

As an artist whose studio has a gallery section, which displays his works and other artists, his experience in commercial art over the past two decades should come into place when he moves into the new proposed studio-gallery in a part of Lagos not known for art appreciation.

A consistent advocate of government’s support for art, Archie-Abia, again, stresses the need for a law that will stop importation of foreign art work into Nigeria. He argues that “it’s unacceptable for people, including some public office holders to be importing works of foreign artists into Nigeria; government should ban such importation.” He notes that

The new sculpture of NPA logo as public art. some of the big hotels and houses in choice residential areas are embellished with works of foreign artists From being a bone-collage artist, for over a decade, Archie-Abia’s art is a victim of constant drop in power from the national grid. He says “I was forced to reduce the number of bone-collage I used to produce because of lack of electricity. I am now into other mixed media works, but still trying to retain my identity of blending aesthetics and spirituality of art”.

Archie-Abia is a full time studio artist of nearly two decades of practice, with many solo art exhibitions and nearly ten group art exhibitions.

Absolut … Transforming Lagos With Art Explaining further, he noted, “Absolut is the first spirit brand to genHE space was expansive, giving uinely forge close ties with the art the artists enough room to freely world. Today, the brand continues express themselves on the large can- to extend the frontiers of this deepvass. As their brushes did the talking, seated affinity by promoting a conpeople began to gathering in scores, siderable number of international wondering what this crop of young art initiatives such as Absolut Open artists were up to.

Canvas. We are promoting this iniIs like they are trying to draw a lady tiative in Nigeria on the platform of someone said; no, it is a bus, another the Transform Today campaign.” added; I think it must be a bottle, the First held in Sweden where the third group chirped almost in whis- event earned a lot of commendapers. As the artists continued to tintion, the company during the fesgle the imagination of their tive seasons brought it to Nigerian spectators at the various centres, to thrill its consumers.

Ikeja Shoprite, Festac, Tinubu Square “By bringing this initiative to Nigeand Yaba, it began to dawn on them, ria this festive season as we have as the images began to be more done in various parts of the world, meaningful to everyone, that they we are showcasing creativity. Absowere trying to express themselves in lut is again pushing the edge of crediagrammes through a campaign ativity to the limit where it Transform Today organised by Absoproduced 2 million bottles of spelut Company. cial edition collector’s item called Why use art and artists for this cam- Absolut Unique, where every bottle paign? Akintayo Akinseloyin, brand is different from the other through manager, Absolut Vodka, stated, “Ab- individual colours and designs,” he solut has always been a creative recalled. brand. The brand and art have come Held in four selected places in a long way promoting and supportLagos — Ikeja Shoprite, Festac, Tining creativity and art. ubu Square and Yaba — the event of“This dates back to 1985, when the fered the onlookers the spirit company commissioned Andy opportunity to watch artists work Warhol to create the first in the setogether in turning the open canries of iconic advertisements, taking vas to a tableau of memorable artisinspiration from the Absolut bottle, tic experience. the story could not have been otherAccording to Akinseloyin, “while wise,” he enthused.

By Omiko Awa

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other companies promote music, football and the movies, Absolut has chosen to be true to its DNA by choosing art as platform for connecting with its consumers. We have a rich history of supporting

renowned artists; art writers and institutions as they strive to produce creative works, express what’s inside and bond with others.

“Absolut in itself as a brand is a masterpiece work of art from the unique

bottle, engraved labeling to its production process from one source of spring water in Ahus, Sweden and a source of grain from the winter wheat harvest,” he said.

40 Friday, January 17, 2014

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Friday, January 17, 2014 ARTS 41

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Sound n’ Screen Ameze Imarhiagbe…

Another Nollywood diva returns big

By Chuks Nwanne as many, especially her fans, had started JthatUST asking of her whereabouts, news filtered in Nollywood actress, Ameze Imarhiagbe, will be making a comeback in the country’s motion picture industry this year. Already, the Edo State native is being linked with ace movie director, Zeb Ejiro, who is said to have convinced the United States-based actress to return home for a production.

Ameze came to limelight after her role in Zeb Ejiro’s Ripples, and also featured in other notable movies such as Flesh and Blood, Dead End and Suicide Mission. But just as he was becoming a force to reckon with in the industry, she relocated to the United States, where she kept a low profile; though she had featured in a movie, I Got Your Back, in the United States, featuring other Nollywood stars such as Ramsey Noah and patience Ozokwor.

From her tone during a recent chat, it is obvious that acting is a passion too precious for Ameze to let go. Though a graduate of Zoology from the University of Benin, she has always shown flair for the arts.

“Everything about the magic of movie making is my passion; from the script level to the final product of putting it on your screen. I love to act and I wear many hats in production. From my imagination, I guess it’s very vivid. If you are asking which one I feel most comfortable to express, then, I can say I get expression from all. It just depends on what hat you are wearing at a particular time,” she said.

Back home, the perception was that Amaze had quit acting, but in reality, the actress was busy working mostly behind the scene with her American counterparts.

“When I left Nigeria, I was involved in feature and short films by my American counterparts in the United States; I have also collaborated at the script level. Some of these productions are in postproduction stage, while others have been completed. Among them are Closure, Pier 16, Lost In Translation; My Nana & I. My passion is the art of storytelling; the dramatisation and actualisation of these stories.”

Along that process, Amanze established a sort of pro bono acting and writing classes targeted at encouraging young artistic youths.

“It was an initiative that stemmed from my active participation in the drama dept in my church at the time,” she noted.

With her experience in filmmaking, which she garnered home and abroad, Ameze established Senamedia House, a production company that packages ideas from conception to actualization, with her movie, I Got Ur Back, as their first feature film.

“It’s a story about a happily married couple, who created a quagmire in their matrimony by cohabiting with a friend. The movie deals with adult relationships and challenges in marriage and the extents to which the human mind can endure, very intriguing.”

Already in the United States, I Got Your Back will hit big screens in Nigeria soon, while other cities are in the card.

“I’m planning to premiere the movie in Nigeria, Ghana and the UK. I am back, and the feedback I’m getting from my fans and colleagues has been tremendously; I’m grateful.”

On how Zeb Ejiro managed to convince her to return home for a Nollywood production, Amaeze eaplained that, “presido, as I fondly call Zeb right from Ripples days, is a dear friend and big brother. I have the utmost respect and regard for him; like me, he is a visionary man and am very excited to be collaborating on a very big project with him; is a kind that has never been seen in Nigeria.

Zeb does not only talk the talk, he walks the walk; he puts his money where his mouth is.”

Confirming their meetings in the United States, Ameze said, “he has been courting me to come back to Nollywood. He says, ‘Ameze

sweetheart, you can’t just leave like that, you’ve got to come back. You have a lot to offer; we need you girl.’ However, it wasn’t the first time I’ve been approached by Nollywood producers and filmmakers, but how do I say no to my Presido,” she quizzed.

For an actress, who has been away for a long time, working with Zeb Ejiro is just a perfect way to return and Ameze knows that too well.

“Zeb is a creative person and having that fore knowledge at the back of my mind, I was

curious to hear him out and rub minds with him. I’m pleased to say he is still the doyen of show business; he knows his apples and oranges. He understands what it takes and why.

He is that good.

She continued: “I have been offered big money by other Nollywood producers before now, but Zeb was able to stir something in me.

He is very persistent; he doesn’t take no for an answer. He doggedly pursued me and jetted across the globe to meet me to have meetings that have reached favourable conclusions and are bringing about positive results. I’m impressed,” she enthused.

For movie fans, who have been yearning to see Ameze back on screen, expect nothing but the best from the lovable thespian.

“What we are working on is still in the works but it is brewing very nicely and favorably. My fans will not be disappointed and I will be serving them with my ubiquitous professionalism and believability that they have come to know and expect. I’m serving it hot and with a flourish.”

While the details of the film remains secrete, Ameze is using the opportunity to showcase her movie to Nigerian fans.

“I’m in talks with distributors and marketers in Nigeria and some other African countries and the movie will be out soon by God’s grace.

It is a blockbuster. The movie received a lot of attention from both the African and American communities because of the issues it dealt with. I’m glad with the reviews and I can’t wait for my Nigerian and other African audience in the African continent to experience it,” she said.

As for Nollywood, which she left for greener pastures in the United States, she said, “the industry has grown in leaps and bounds; there is still teething problems but that is ok. Hollywood was not built in a day and there are still thousands of movies produced in Hollywood today that are not seen or known by the large public.”

For Ameze, family life has been interesting.

“Family life has been good; I’m eternally grateful to God for his many mercies and unmerited favors. Just like many of us outside of Nigeria, we’ve had to make career changes in addition to our first choice. In the long run, these changes or advancements in career help to facilitate our passions or other career moves.

I work in the medical field in the US. My schedule is flexible that mainly was the reason for the career choice in the first place; you got to work and pay bills.”

Eppi Fanio to relaunch career at 70

By Ijeoma Opara RINCE Adebambo Epiphanio P Joseph, popularly known as Eppi Fanio, recently turned 70, as friends and family rolled out the drums in celebration of the legendary artist who lit up the music scene in the 70s. The birthday celebration, which was held at the Lagos State Chamber and Industry (LCCI) Banquet, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, had guests turning up in beautifully designed traditional purple outfits.

He is also relaunching his Farofa music career, which retired from since 1994.

The artist, who could not hide his joy, said, “I feel vibrant, happy and I give glory to God for keeping me up until this time because people don’t get up to 50 while others die even at a younger age. And so, I have every reason to celebrate”.

On his Farofa concept, he noted that he was the only person playing his kind of music, which has earned him the title of ‘king’.

While expressing his concern on music of the hiphop generation, he said: “The songs we listen to these days do not teach anything morally. The songs of those days were better in terms of lyrical content because they fermented the art of music, which is supposed to teach. We learn everyday and so the quality of any artwork (drama, music, poetry) should have a message. Therefore, whatever songs artistes sing should include a message and the depth of that message will show the appreciation of the song”.

Apapa Local Government Chairman, Hon. Ayodeji Joseph, described the celebrant as loving,

caring and accommodating. While commenting on Farofa kind of music, he noted, “His kind of music is soothing to the mind and it’s mature; it is not the kind of modern day songs we listen to which are not concerned about the lyrics. His songs will forever be green, and I hope that this generation of artistes will imbibe that”.

Highlight of the celebration was the presentation of a documentary on the reminiscences of Eppi Fanio: the Farofa King.

Farofa kind of music is a mixed grill of all genres. Best known for his four recordings – Farofa (1976), Farofa Dancers (1978), Farofa joy movements (1984) and Songs of gold (1994). The singer-performer used the occasion of his birthday to re-launch his career, which has been in abeyance since his retirement since 1994.

Eppi Fanio

42 Friday, January 17, 2014

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ArtHouse POKO from Tonto Dike

OPULAR Nollywood actress and later day singer, Tonto P Dike has reportedly floated a record label. The record label is called POKO Entertainment and Tonto disclosed that she was working at making the record label become the first among equals in the circuit. Although the actress has not named artistes that will be signed on to the label, close sources say that most upcoming acts are already queuing up to be signed on to POKO Entertainment. It was also reliably gathered that those songs that were ‘neither here or there’ that Dike signed, as a singer would be released under her label.

Bez and Bolatito: First celebrity couple of 2014

HAT could be recorded as the first celebrity wedding of W 2014 took place in Lagos at the weekend. The wedding ceremony was between soul singer Bez and beautiful Bolatito Ladoja. Bola is daughter of former Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, The latest couple of 2014 exchanged marital vows before a large crowd comprising top entertainment personalities, friend and family members. A very colourful reception ceremony followed at the Landmark Village, Victoria Island, Lagos Stories by: Florence Utor

Fast and Furious 7 without Paul Walker F you are wonderIStudio ing how Universal will move forward with Fast and Furious 7 after the sudden death of one of its key stars Paul Walker, wonder no m o r e .

Aceshowbiz.com quotes The Hollywood Reporter as stating that the late actor’s character Brian O’Conner will be retired in the upcoming installment. The studio, according to the report, plans to “make use of the existing footage of Walker,” who passed away halfway through the film’s production. Also additional scenes will be written and will be shot to give Walker a proper sendoff in a manner the studio hopes will satisfy fans of the franchise. Though originally set for July 11, 2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd right); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (4th right); Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka (2nd right); Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (2nd left) during the Centre for Black Culture and International Understandings 2014 Take-Off activities and unveiling of the World Tallest Drum in Osogbo on Wednesday.

PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

Lagos Countdown… melting pot for culture, commerce VEN as sizzling as other E pocket of events across Nigeria that made last

Paul Walker release, the studio has announced an April 10, 2015 release. Walker reportedly died on November 30 in a single car accident in Santa Clarita. The Porsche Carrera GT, which his friend Roger Rodas was driving reportedly “went out of control, hit a tree, and went up in flames.’’

December thick, it was Lagos, easily Africa’s most vibrant city that led the charge in the celebration of the beginning of a new year.

The Centre of Excellence retained its status as Nigeria’s entertainment capital when it warmed up to the end of year activities early enough, with its flagship ‘crossover’ programme’, The Lagos Countdown.

Packaged yearly by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), last year’s cross

over party was one that fun seekers say they wont forget in a hurry. Lagos declared a whole month picnic. The Bar Beach in Victoria Island where what is arguably Africa’s biggest New Year’s eve party was held, literarily transformed into a melting pot for culture and commerce.

Each evening starting December 1, fun seekers thronged the beach to wine and dine and to be entertained by top Nigerian musical artistes. They come with friends and family members to share special

party is a huge boost for businesses. Make shift kiosk that sell crafts, clothes and others that serves as drinking pubs, music shacks and restaurants all rolled into one, line the long stretch of the beach. It is these activities and the inviting mesh of lights, fireworks and pyrotechnics that draw a mass of people to bar beach every evening. The Lagos State tourism authority put the figure of the number of people that are attracted to Lagos Countdown event to an average of 100,000 but it could even be more.

Evangelist Bose Adeiwa drops Great God OTABLE gospel music N minister and lady evangelist Bose Faleye-

H.R.H Gen. (Dr.) Muhammadu Sani Sami sami Gomo 11, Emir of Zulu, Kebbi State (left); Chief Host, H.R.H Aliru H. Momoh Ikelebe 111, Otaru of Auchi and Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Secretary to Edo State Government who represented the state governor at the 17th Auchi Day celebration held at the Otaru palace grounds, Auchi

moments that signify the end of the year and the beginning of a New Year.

There is a lot of drinking and listening to music going on. People, people everywhere; couples clutching hands, some chatting in groups, others eating and drinking and others dancing to and off the beat. The excitement is palpable.

However, part of the appeal of the party is the viable platform it offers for not just leisure, entertainment and tourism, but for a lot of commercial activities.

Indeed the countdown

Adeiwa has in conjunction with Treasure Media Concepts released her fifth album Great God (Olorun Nla), which has been enjoying massive air-play.

The five-tracker audio/CD was released to coincide with the Lady Evangelist’s tenth year anniversary on stage.

Already the album has been well received. It has been enjoying air-play in most radio stations and at revivals and other church programmes. The Lady Evangelist attributes the commercial success of the album, which contains biblical and prophetic messages as well as praise and prayers for the broken hearted, to the “mercies and favours of God.’’ According to the singer

whose previous albums including Divine Glory, Unlimited Favour, and African Peace are still selling, “all the songs in the album are inspirational and highly spirit-filled and they aim at loosening bounds from satanic enslavement and whoever is downcast. The songs also aim at wiping away the tears of the disturbed minds. It also contains the great names of God for healing, deliverance and breakthroughs. God has proffered a solution in this album.’’

The tracks in the Great God include ‘Ose Baba’, ‘Bimo Tile Kere’, ‘Let’s Talk’, ‘Emi Mimo’, and ‘Moranugba’ Evangelist Adeiwa

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Friday, January 17, 2014 AUTOWHEELS

2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan preview ITH the redesigned 2015 W Hyundai Genesis Sedan, the automaker appears poised to compete head-tohead with traditional midsize luxury sedans, and at a relative bargain of a price.

Hyundai isn’t shy about naming the cars it sees as the new 2015 Genesis Sedan’s competitive targets: Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti Q70, Lexus GS, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Exterior Features Hyundai calls the 2015 Genesis Sedan’s design “Fluidic Sculpture 2.0,” implying that the crisper look will be applied to the rest of the lineup as vehicles are redesigned in coming years.

Indeed, the automaker plainly states that the redesigned 2015 Sonata will draw its appearance from the approach.

Primary tenets of Hyundai’s new look include fluid aesthetics, premium ambience, and modern interpretations of traditional brand elements.

In addition to the new styling language, the redesigned 2015 Genesis Sedan’s underlying structure employs highstrength steel to a greater degree, and Hyundai said this new car’s body rigidity surpasses that of the BMW 5 Series.

Interior Features Hyundai is going for an open feel with the new Genesis Sedan’s interior, which features simplified switchgear, a more intuitive control layout, improved storage solutions, more flexible cupholders, and other user-friendly changes. Also, at 123 cu. ft. of interior volume, the new Genesis is larger inside than its primary midsize luxury sedan competitors, Hyundai claims.

Hyundai said it has made great strides to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness in the new 2015 Genesis Sedan, and that it has paid close attention to detail with regard to interior materials, texture, and color in order to improve quality.

As an example, Hyundai says the Genesis Sedan’s cabin is trimmed using real wood and genuine aluminum.

2015 Genesis Sedan

Hyundai Genesis interior Optional Features Hyundai is offering a long list of safety-related and infotainment upgrades for the 2015 Genesis Sedan, discussed in the sections that follow.

Additionally, this new midsize luxury sedan will be offered with rear side window shades, a panoramic sunroof, and larger 19-inch aluminum wheels.

Under the Hood Two versions of the 2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan will be available when the car goes on sale before the summer of 2014: the Genesis 3.8 and the Genesis 5.0.

The Genesis 3.8 is equipped with a 3.8-liter V-6 engine that, compared with the 2014 model, offers a flatter torque curve.

Using premium unleaded gasoline, this engine develops 311 horsepower and 293 lb.-ft. of torque. It will run on regular unleaded, but those power figures drop a little bit when using the less expensive gas.

The Genesis 5.0 gets a 5.0-liter V-8 engine generating 420 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque.

Regardless of engine choice,

an 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and a Sport driving mode feeds power to the car’s rear wheels, and the Genesis Sedan boasts a 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution.

An optional all-wheel-drive system, named HTRAC, offers Normal, Eco, Sport, and Snow driving modes accessed through the car’s Intelligent Drive Mode selector.

When engineering the 2015 Hyundai Genesis, the automaker wanted the car to deliver a smooth ride over rough roads.

A 5-link front and rear suspension design with greater wheel articulation and travel, refined bump absorption characteristics, and reduced camber angles for improved steering feel and greater lateral grip is standard.

The Genesis 5.0 can be optioned with a Continuous Damping Control suspension with Normal and Sport driving modes.

Additionally, the new Genesis Sedan is equipped with electric steering, a system that employs Variable Gear Ratio technology for high-speed stability and more direct feel at lower speeds, Hyundai says.

Safety

Structurally, the new 2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan is engineered to achieve a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Nine air bags are standard for this model, along with a CO2 sensor designed to help combat driving while drowsy.

Options include front and rear park-assist sensors, forward-collision warning, lanedeparture warning, lanekeeping assist, high-beam assist, and blind-spot detection. The new Automatic Emergency Braking system is designed to apply full braking power at speeds under 50 mph in order to try to completely mitigate a collision with an object or traffic ahead.

Technology Hyundai isn’t pulling punches when it comes to the technology it is installing in the new 2015 Genesis Sedan.

Standard equipment includes Proximity Key passive entry with push-button starting and an Automatic Vehicle Hold feature, which keeps the car stopped until traffic clears and the driver steps on the accelerator.

The Genesis Smart Trunk system automatically opens the trunk if the Proximity Key is detected within a few feet of the rear of the car for more than a few seconds.

A 900-watt, 14-speaker surround-sound system is standard for the 2015 Genesis and includes an 8-inch touchscreen display, navigation, Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD Radio, and iPod/USB connections.

The system also offers app support, Siri Eyes Free mode, SoundHound integration, Pandora Internet radio, and more.

As an option, the Genesis can be fitted with a premium navigation system with a 9.2-inch high-definition display, screen swipe technology, advanced voice-recognition technology, and a 17-speaker audio system.

This upgrade uses a 64 GB Solid State drive with 30 GB of storage for music, photos and video, and offers Gracenote album art as well as a Junction View with lane-guidance feature.

2014 Kia Cadenza wins International Car of the Year award IA Motors America (KMA) K announced that the 2014 Kia Cadenza has won the

2014 Cadenza

International Car of the Year (ICOTY) at this year’s North American International Auto

Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The all-new 2014 Cadenza’s stunning design combined

with premium amenities and impressive value propelled the Kia brand into the premi-

um sedan segment, and the ICOTY award adds to the growing list of accolades the Cadenza has earned since its launch in early 2013.

The award marks back-toback victories for Kia as the 2013 Optima mid-size sedan was honored by RTM with the ICOTY award last year.

“This year marks Kia’s 20th anniversary in the U.S. market, and in that time, we have become known for taking bold steps. The 2014 Cadenza is another leap forward for the brand and has brought new and affluent customers into our retailers, people who had never considered Kia before,” said Michael Sprague, Executive Vice President of Marketing & Communications, KMA. “To win the prestigious ICOTY award two years running is a clear indication that our products continue to offer a world-class balance of design, amenities and value for today’s discerning car buyers.”

Road & Travel Magazine (RTM) presents two awards yearly; one for ‘car of the year’

and ‘truck of the year.’

In addition to product attributes such as style, comfort and performance, the awards also consider how well the brand connects emotionally with the consumer through its marketing efforts.

The winners are chosen by the ICOTY jury, which consists of nationally renowned automotive journalists from respected publications such as Consumer Guide® Automotive MSN Autos, New Car News Syndicate and RTM. “The Kia Cadenza wins in this category for a variety of reasons, including Kia’s remarkable effort to emerge in the entry-lux category,” said Courtney Caldwell, editor-inchief of Road & Travel Magazine.

“Overall, the car is beautiful and affordable, making upscale style and performance attainable to midAmerica. We applaud Kia’s rapid rise from underdog to unbelievable!”

The ICOTY award is the most recent in a string of accolades the 2014 Cadenza has received.

Friday, January 17, 2014

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43

AutoWheels Blockster cars on parade at Detroit automobile show Mercedes-Benz S600

Benz S600 interior

Porsche 911 Targa

Toyota F-1

HE North American T International Auto Show has always been regarded as ‘mother of all automobile shows’ because of the instinct of cars that are always on parade at the show.

Besides, this year’s automobile show will be officially flagoff and open to the public tomorrow, in Detroit, United States of America.

For the organisers, the show is expected to make a mission statement towards the direction of future cars.

Here are some of the new cars and experimental concept vehicles that are expected to be unveil at the show: Porsche 911 Targa: Porsche is

dialing up the 911 with two new models, the Targa 4 and 4S. As with the original 1965 Targa, the new models feature a roof bar, movable front roof section and wraparound rear window.

The new roof can open and close at the push of a button and stow behind the rear seat.

Porsche said they are aiming for a “sporty and low-slung profile.”

The Targa 4 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, the 4S slightly quicker with an optional package.

The Targa 4 has a sticker price of $101,600 and the 4S is at $116,200. Deliveries are scheduled to start this summer.

Corvette Z06: General Motors rolled out a hot new version of the Corvette Stingray, called the Z06, with a staggering 625 horsepower supercharged V8 engine.

The company said the performance of the 2015 Z06 will rival the best supercars in the world.

The car gets a new 6.2-liter engine and a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

A seven-speed manual also is available. The standard corvette has a six-speed automatic. The Z06 and the Corvette Racing CR7 gets an aluminum frame.

The car also has a removable top. No performance times or

The new Zenos’ E10 roadster car

RITISH automakers have B manufactured some of the finest roadster track cars in

the market, ranging from the Ariel Atom and BAC Mono to so many beautiful brands. But now it has one more.

Unveiled at the Autosport International show in the United Kingdom, after months of teasers, the Zenos’ E10 is the first product to come out of the new firm established by Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, who recently left Caterham.

The roofless, windowless roadster is built around a car-

bon and aluminum monocoque, reinforced with steel and adorned with removable bodywork.

At its heart sits a 2.0-liter fourcylinder engine sourced from Ford and tuned to transfer 200 horsepower through a five-speed transmission.

Double wishbone suspension at both ends is paired with Bilstein dampers, 285-millimeter brake discs and Avon rubber on 16-inch wheels up front and 17-inchers in the back.

Weighing in at a feather-like 1,433 pounds, the E10 is said to

reach 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds and top out at 135 mph.

Buyers will be able to upgrade the E10 with a sixspeed gearbox, limited-slip differential, quick-release steering wheel, racing harnesses and more, along with track-day equipment like drysump lubrication, a fire-suppression system and roll cage – much of which is included in the Launch Edition reserved for the first 75 units to be made.

Pricing starts in the UK at £24,995, equivalent to $41k at today’s rates.

prices were released. The standard Corvette starts around $52,000.

Mercedes-Benz S600, GLA45 AMG: The top model from Mercedes-Benz is getting an upgrade.

The S600 sedan features a 12cylinder, 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine that packs 523 horsepower.

With the look and feel expected from the highest tier of the luxury brand, it seats four or five and features touchpad controls that allow letters, numbers and special characters to be entered in handwriting in nine languages.

It’s scheduled to go on sale in the spring. Pricing is yet to be announced.

In addition, Mercedes is showing its GLA45 AMG, a

small SUV from its AMG performance division that’s so low profile it looks more like a sporty car and seats up to five.

It has a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 355 horsepower.

The engine promises acceleration from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. It’s scheduled to go on sale this fall and likely will be priced just under $50,000.

BMW 2 Series Coupe, M3 Sedan, M4 Coupe: The twodoor, four-seat, rear-wheel drive 2 Series Coupe the replacement for the 1 Series Coupe will come in a 228i version, which features a 240 horsepower, 2.0-liter V4 engine, and the M235i version, which features a 322 horsepower, 3.0-liter V6 engine.

Scheduled to go on sale starting in March, BMW plans to sell the 228i for $33,025 and the M235i for $44,025.

BMW also is showing its new 2015 model M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe. Plans call for the cars to go on sale in early summer, with pricing and options announced in the coming months.

Volkswagen Golf R: The compact Volkswagen Golf is getting a powerful boost.

Its latest incarnation packs a 290 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that improves on past fuel efficiency.

The all-wheel-drive Golf R promises zero to 60 mph acceleration in 4.9 seconds with the automatic transmission version.

Zenos E10 car

Friday, January 17, 2014 45

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BusinessTravel Dreamliner’s fresh trouble may hurt Boeing

Boeing 787 and A350 aircraft inset

WOLE SHADARE writes that in one of the corporate world’s great rivalries, Airbus is gaining the upper hand over Boeing.

The recent problems with Dreamliner over battery are giving the American aircraft manufacturer sleepless nights. is a rivalry that dates IitTback to over 20 years and doesn’t look like one that would stop in the near future. For over two decades, the skies have seen huge jet airliners from only two companies: Boeing and Airbus. It is unlikely any other competition will take off to challenge these two anytime soon.

The two biggest commercial-plane makers are circling each other in an industry worth of $80 billion annually, where new jets need investments of $10 billion and typically fly for decades.

While Airbus and Boeing are about equal in the market for single-aisle planes, Boeing dominates in widebodies, a lead it seeks to defend as it considers upgrades to its popular 777.

For the meantime, their intense rivalry can almost be likened to two dog-fighting planes, each one just waiting for the right opportunity to shoot the other down and gain dominance of the skies.

A travel expert who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “It’s a cat-and-mouse game. Both manufacturers want to out-do each other without wandering into territory that they already occupy with another model,” he said.

Their rivalry does not end with plane design and delivery, the companies are constantly trying to beat each other in technology and price. They have also come before the World Trade Organisation to accuse the other of receiving state funding from their respective governments.

The two aircraft giants wait for opportunity of misfortune of the other to take advantage of the market.

For now, the problems affecting Boeing Dreamliner is a big plus for Airbus and would do everything possible to learn from the mistakes of Boeing-the American plan maker to avoid similar problem on its A350.

Nearly nine months after it returned to the sky and its battery system was declared safe, new reports surfaced on Tuesday of smoke aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

The incident “appears to have involved the venting of a single battery cell,” aboard a Japan Airlines 787, Boeing told the media.

A year ago, overheated batteries aboard two Dreamliners prompted aviation officials to ground all 50 of the planes worldwide.

Tuesday’s incident “occurred during scheduled maintenance activities with no passengers on board,” the Boeing statement said.

“The improvements made to the 787 battery system last year appear to have worked as designed.” Boeing said it was working with Japan Airlines to return the plane to service.

Japan Airlines and the government’s Japanese Aviation Bureau said that the battery unit was removed from the aircraft to be handed over to m a n u f a c t u r e r s Boeing/Yuasa for further investigation.

Boeing’s stake in the Dreamliner is huge.

Hundreds of millions of dol-

lars are riding on the success of the 787, which represents a new generation of lighter, more efficient money making planes.

But the Dreamliner’s problems are not just a Boeing issue. They are a lesson in the limits of outsourcing and the all too cosy relationships between regulator and regulated that have caused problems across industries from automotive to food and financial services in recent years.

Boeing started work on what would become the Dreamliner in the late 1990s.

The first planes were delivered to Nippon Airways in 2011, years late and billions over budget. Boeing’s local newspaper, The Seattle Times, puts the eventual cost of the plane’s development at $32 billion.

For a supposedly quiet plane, there has always been a lot of noise around the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

From the unveiling of its pioneering design in 2004 to the first delivery in 2011, there was an industry buzz.

Then mutterings of concern grew into a chorus of alarm in January, when safety authorities grounded the fleet after a spate of incidents, including burning

46 BUSINESS TRAVEL Friday, January 17, 2014

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Africa’s travel demand declines, as China, Brazil, others record growth

By Wole Shadare

• IATA carpets U.S. for $12.6 billion new travel tax

HE International Air Transport Association (IATA), the clearinghouse for over 240 global airlines has disclosed that international passenger traffic results for November 2013 shows a moderation in the pace of recent demand growth.

This is coming as the body chided the United States of America for agreeing to raise taxes on air travelers to close the budget gap just a few days before the celebration of the momentous 100 years of commercial aviation.

According to the Director-

General of IATA, Tony Tyler: “It is ironic that in the United States —the country that gave birth to this amazing industry - political leaders in Washington agreed to raise taxes on air travellers to close the budget gap just a few days before we celebrated this momentous anniversary.

“How much better would it be if instead of seeing aviation and air travelers as easy targets for $12.6 billion in new taxes, they shared in the vision that guided the pioneers who created this indus-

T

try,” Tyler added.

On January 1, 2014, commercial aviation celebrated its 100th birthday. From one airplane, one passenger, one pilot and one route across Tampa Bay, Florida, the global airline industry now carries more than eight million passengers on more than 80,000 departures each day and supports 57 million jobs.

To him, aviation drives the global economy, connect people and businesses to markets and bring together friends and families.

The group stated that

November 2013 international passenger demand was up 4.8 per cent compared to the year-ago period, stressing all regions except Africa recorded year-over-year increases in demand.

However, compared to October, all regions reported slower demand growth for November.

While other continents are reporting growth, Africa was the only region to see a decline in demand.

For the continent, November traffic fell two per cent compared to the same

month in 2012. Capacity climbed 2.6 per cent, pushing load factor down three percentage points to 63.5 per cent, by far the lowest for any region.

IATA stated that volatility in the air transport statistics rather than the start of a downward trend may have contributed to the lower number, as the demand environment is strong.

Africa Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 4.1 per cent compared to November 2012. This was slower than the 6.5 per cent year-over-year growth

recorded in October.

In November capacity expanded by 6.1 per cent which out-paced demand growth. This led to a 1.4 percentage point slip in the load factor to 76.3 per cent.

China, Brazil, Russia, Japan and India all saw growth in their domestic traffic.

China’s domestic traffic jumped 9.3 per cent compared to the year ago, the strongest performance for any market. The vibrant growth is consistent with the robust economic activity.

Japan on the other hand saw a 3.3 per cent rise in domestic traffic for November yearover-year, supported by sustained increases in business activity and improving employment rates, Brazil’s domestic traffic rose 4.5 per cent, the second consecutive month of solid performance after a difficult first three quarters of 2013.

Indian domestic traffic rose 3.4 per cent in November compared to a year ago, after an 8.6 per cent rise in October, signaling that conditions remain volatile.

For Russia’s, her November domestic traffic climbed 9.2 per cent, just as demand for air travel is being supported by a resilient labor market in line with government policy to maintain high employment and sustained income levels.

Etihad Airways bags air travel global award

By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi TIHAD Airways, the E national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has

Lufthansa lounge

Lufthansa, Amadeus sign pact on ancillary services

By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi UFTHANSA and Amadeus Lagreement have partnered on a new that will see the airline sell advance seat reservation as an ancillary product in the travel agency channel using Amadeus airline ancillary services.

The agreement, which also applied to Lufthansa’s subsidiary Austrian Airlines, Austria’s flag carrier, means that travel agents using Amadeus in 63 markets worldwide will be able to book advance seat reservations in Economy Class for travelers, flying on domestic and European routes.

Also, passengers will be able to purchase seats offering extra legroom both on continental and intercontinental routes.

According to the Vice President IT Development Commercial, Lufthansa, Günter Friedrich, “We know that comfort is important to travellers, and this new product will offer our customers greater flexibility and choice to personalise their journey so that they can rest assured they’ll be in their favourite seat whenever they fly with us.

“Our partnership with Amadeus means that we will be able to provide our customers with a consistent experience and level of choice, however they shop for and book their flight.

“We are able to provide them with the services and products that will enhance their journey.”

Furthermore, travel agents using Amadeus will be able to reserve the traveller’s preferred seat in advance for a small additional fee, which will vary depending on

whether they select a standard seat or an exit row seat with its additional legroom.

Meanwhile, passengers without an advance seat reservation are able to choose their seat free of charge only at check-in.

Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines will also adopt Amadeus airline ancillary services, a comprehensive, multi-channel solution that is compliant with industry standards, to distribute ancillary services through their website in the first half

of 2014.

By launching the advance seat reservation product worldwide in the travel agency channel, the two flag carriers will be embracing a multi-channel approach to merchandising with Amadeus.

Both airlines now use Electronic Miscellaneous Documents, the International Air Transport Association standard solution for fulfilling bookings for ancillary services.

Travel agents will be able to make the seat reservations easily and efficiently through Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services, as the solution seamlessly integrates the process into agents’ normal workflow.

Merchandising ancillaries using Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services is designed to help increase both the number of bookings the airline receives through the travel agency channel, and the revenue generated per passenger.

FMC introduces equipment for cargo packaging

By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi OR safety of cargo delivery FAviation in aviation industry, FMC Limited, a service provider company has introduced an equipment use to wrap cargo for export for customers Speaking recently at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Managing Director, Herbert Odika stated that the equipment would put a plastic package seal around the cargo meant for export, adding that, it would save

cargo from the negative effects of weather and from damages.

He said that the new equipment was provided for cargo and clearing agents, as one of the measures to improve the safety of cargo meant for export.

Odika, who spoke on the process of packaging the cargo, said that the prices were affordable for any customers, as the wrapped up cargo is prevented from pilferage.

Speaking further, he dis-

closed plans to engage agents and other players in the cargo sub sector to consider the consolidation of cargo, which will be put in pallet and wrapped for export using the plastic seal.

He added that the provision of the new equipment would assist freight forwarders to standard use of their operations, as is done in other parts of the world.

Odika added that such technology was already in Ethiopia, Chicago, and South Africa, urging the Nigerian

Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to consider it as a prerequisite for the protection and packaging of cargo meant for export.

“This technology of wrapping cargo in a plastic seal in pallets is already the norm in other parts of the world. It is one of the steps to enhance the safety and security of cargo meant for export.

“It will bring about consolidation of cargo, a practice that already in place in other countries. It will also assist to eliminate the challenge of cargo pilferage at the airport. he said.

won the Airline Market Leadership Award at Air Transport World magazine’s 40th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards.

The programme, based in the United States, was created in 1974 to recognise excellence across a broad section of airline operations and is widely considered as one of the most coveted in the aviation industry.

The President/Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways James Hogan said: “This award is testament to Etihad Airways’ continued operational excellence, innovation and policy of sound strategic investments across the entire business.

“We have a firm commitment to our stakeholders to make Etihad Airways the best airline in the world and 2014 is set to be another milestone year for us with the launch of flights to Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth, as well as taking delivery of our first A380 and B787 aircraft. We are delighted to start the year with such recognition,” he added.

The Editor-in-Chief of the Magazine, Karen Walker said: “Etihad Airways has delivered another year of double-digit growth, based on a long-term vision and strategy that has seen it become the fastest-growing, full-service airline in aviation history.

Friday, January 17, 2014 BUSINESS TRAVEL 47

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British holidaymakers to increase spending in 2014

By Wole Shadare ONFIDENCE among United Kingdom’s consumers could be returning as new research reveals that almost two-thirds of Brits (60 per cent) plan to increase the amount they will spend on holidays in 2014, compared to the previous year.

On average Brits will increase their travel budget by 14 per cent compared to last year and a well-heeled 8 per cent will be investing more than double their 2013 holiday spending.

These findings make up Diffusion’s 2014 Consumer Travel Trends report, commissioned by the communications agency using OnePoll to survey over 1,000 Brits online on their holiday plans in 2014.

In further positive news, more than one in six (17 per cent) plan to increase their

C

number of holidays, one in eight (12.5 per cent) are looking to travel further afield and one in ten (10 per cent) will book a multicentre trip.

However, the ‘fly and flop’ remains a staple part of British travel plans, with

almost a fifth (19 per cent) of Brits intending to book a beach holiday in 2014.

The report also examined the sources of information used by consumers when planning and booking their holidays. Almost half (46 per cent) of consumers will

rely on word-of-mouth recommendation to select destinations, with almost three in ten (29 per cent) planning to consult review sites like TripAdvisor.

Diffusion’s research analyses the sources of travel inspiration for British con-

sumers. The report highlights the growing impact social media sites are having on our travel choices, rivaling the influence of traditional editorial sources and paid advertising campaigns.

For example, more people

will be inclined to book a holiday after seeing their friends’ boastful social media photos than will do having read a magazine review or seeing an advertising campaign (15 per cent, 13 per cent and 11 per cent retrospectively).

Heathrow seeks local support for third runway plan

By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi ONDON Heathrow Airport has confirmed plans for a six week consultation with local communities, requesting for their views on the short listed third runway plan.

Speaking at the Runways United Kingdom (UK) conference, Heathrow Chief Executive, Colin Matthews outlined the next stage of the Airports Commission process and announced Heathrow’s

L

intention to work closely with local communities to improve the short listed North-West runway proposal.

The results, according to the airport will help Heathrow understand what is most important to local residents and will be used to refine the runway proposal before it is resubmitted to the Airports Commission in May. It added that the consultation will begin on February 3rd, which during the consultation process, a direct postal

mail out will be sent to 120,000 households and businesses likely to be most impacted by the proposed plans.

While, those outside this area will have the opportunity to share their views online, it said.

Drop-in events taking place in nine local areas will also give people the chance to ask questions and influence the plans.

“We believe our proposal to expand Heathrow is the right

way to deliver the capacity Britain needs to connect to fast growing economies around the world.

“This consultation is to make sure we correctly understand what local people value and that we can take their views into account as we refine our proposal.

“The more people that tell us their views, the more successful the process will be. We know that opinion is divided locally about whether a third runway should go ahead or

not, but everyone has an interest in making sure that if a third runway does happen it is developed in the best way possible”, said Mathews.

However, the consultation would be a continuation of Heathrow’s engagement with the local community which has been on-going throughout the Airports Commission process. The results will be shared with the Commission for its independent review, Heathrow noted.

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Friday, January 17, 2014

FridayWorship

By Afis A. Oladosu IN the name of the Almighty, the beneficent, the merciful.

“Muhammad is not the father of any male among you, but he is the messenger of the Almighty and the seal of the prophets…”- (Q33: 40)

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

E was born in Makkah- that was On the essence of Pmilad Nabi H and still is the epicenter of the world. He emerged in the precinct of the Ka’aba - the first sacred house built by humans for the worship of the Almighty. He was born as an heir to a prophetic tradition, the apogee of which was Prophet Ibrahim (a.s). The womb that bore him was of the purest stock. Aminah never played host, prior to her marriage to Abdullah, to the chemical-genetic fluid of the fornicator. His fostermother (Halimah), though from the backwaters of Makkah, was of the noblest tribe - in her bosom, comfort and compassion found refuge.

Muhammad (s.a.w) was born posthumous - men’s worth sometimes last long enough for them to deposit the “seed” inside their wives’ wombs. He also lost his mother at six.

Brethren, always remember that it is a privilege for us to be there, to be called daddy and mummy by our children. Indeed, our children would attain their destinies with or without our intervention.

In his teenage years, Muhammad belonged to the Hilf al-Fudul, an independent movement that placed high premium on honesty and good governance in Makkah. The moral at issue here is this: no matter how extremely insuperable the society may become, you should identify and belong to a group of young men and women whose sole interest would be the rein-

vention of their societies.

At 40, Muhammad was commissioned to Prophethood; he was commanded by the Almighty to proclaim a simple message: there is no deity worth of worship except the Almighty; Muhammad is His messenger. This message was simple but difficult. In its effect, it implied the dissolution of all authorities and the recognition of and the secession of all power to the Almighty alone.

Put differently, Islam was a religion which marks the culmination of all other religions; it was a call for the destruction of all principalities except that of the Almighty; it was a declaration that the most odious crime is not murder nor adultery but the setting up for worship, by humans, of deities other than the Almighty.

Muslims celebrate the birth of Muhammad, son of Abdullah and Aminah, for many reasons including the following: he came with a religion and a book both of which mutually reinforce each other. Muhammad came with Islam; our Prophet brought the Quran. Thus, in line with Kenneth Craig, the non-Muslim British Quranologist, there can be no dichotomisation between the two: “Islam is the Quranically guided religion; the Quran is the Islamically revealed book.”

These two entities are mutually self-

identifying and self-assertive. Inside the Quran we read about Islam; in talking about Islam, we talk about the Quran!

Muslims adulate and celebrate Prophet Muhammad because his message found practical exemplification in his persona, in his reality, in his life. He was a theorist and a pragmatist. In his persona, Islam in the text and Islam in socio-political and economic contexts of Arabia were mutually complimentary; A complimentarity that negates the shambolic crises and puts to question the anarchic realities in some Muslim societies in contemporary period.

Muslims celebrate the birthday of Muhammad because of the humanity in his prophetic enterprise. Put differently, we adore and rejoice in his birth because he humanised the prophetic vocation to the extent that his traducers and sworn enemies could not but applaud his prophetic vocation as a result of the nexus, which he established between the secular and the Divine.

He once led the Muslims in prayer in the mosque. During the course of the prayer he heard the cries of an infant.

He quickly paused and remonstrated with the woman-worshipper to take care of her child because his cries and tears weighed heavily on his heart!

In other words, Muhammad was a Prophet who could not bear the sight of his enemies in pains let alone that of

the innocent child. How else might we describe the cartography of the union between the Divine and the profane in a prophet who never said: “I still dey laugh O.” at a time his political-“enemies” were in positions of loss?

How could the Muslims stop celebrating the birth of a prophet who was blessed by the Almighty more than his companions among the prophets? In a report quoted by Ibn Kathir, he was quoted as having said as follows: “The Almighty has favoured me more than the other prophets in six ways: I have been endowed with the gift of speech which is brief but full of knowledge, I was granted victory owing to my awe, the spoils of war were made lawful unto me, the whole earth has been made the place of worship for me and it has become the means of purification for me also, I have been sent to the whole world and the line of prophethood has come to its final end in me.”

On a trans-Atlantic flight from New York the other day, I realised it was time for early-morning prayer and I quickly set out to observe my duty as a Muslim. A co-passenger sitting next to me was surprised. He wondered whether it was valid for me to observe prayers inside the plane. I quickly reminded him that it was a measure

of the treasure of Islam!

Celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad once it dawns on you that unlike others, the message he brought for humanity was practical. In other words, Islam is that religion which is suitable and useful in all times and climes. Arguments to the contrary would be a function of ignorance, prejudice or cowardice.

Colleagues in Alaska and in some parts of Sweden wondered whether fasting is possible in parts of the world where sunlight occurs for less than five hours a day, others wanted to know whether as a lonely Muslim I could practice my religion with dignity and fidelity in societies where humans are at war with their creator. My response was and still is: if it is possible for the sun to rise and set in any part of the world, then it is possible for Islam to be practiced in full in such regions.

We shall continue to rejoice in the birth of Prophet Muhammad because he brought a message to the world, which was universal and comprehensive. His, was a message of love and gender equity, his was a message of racial equality, his was a message that is applicable in Malaysia as it is suitable in Philadelphia.

Muhammad brought a message, which attends to the political the same way it does the cultural. This explains the finality, in his persona, of the prophetic enterprise. He says: “I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the alMahi (the Effacer) in that through me infidelity shall be erased; I am al-Hashir (Assembler) in that people shall be assembled after me. I am al-‘Aqib (the last) prophet of the Almighty to humanity.

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Friday, January 17, 2014 MARKET REPORT

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 16-1-2014

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NSE’s market capitalisation sustains rising profile, up by N42b Stories by Helen Oji OLLOWING price gains Fbluechip recorded by major companies, transactions on the equity sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange continued in an upbeat yesterday, causing market capitalisation to rise further by N 42 billion.

Yesterday, the All-share index rose by 129.62 points or 0.3 per cent from 41,611.15 recorded on Wednesday to 41,740.77 while market capitalisation increased by N42 billion from N13,319trillion to N13,361 trillion.

On the price movement chart, 28 stocks appreciated in price, led by AG Leventis with 9.88 per cent to close at N1.78 per share followed by TransExpress with 9.35 per cent to close at N1.17 per share. Japauloil added 8.20 per cent to close at N0.66 per share.

Betaglas, WAPIC, Zenith bank garnered 4.98,4.42 and 4.12 per cent to close at N16.03,N1.18 and N25.00 per share.

Custodian&Allied Insurance gained 3.90 per cent to close at N2.40 per share. ABC Transport added 2.94 per cent to close at N1.05 per share.

UB CAP gained 2.80 per cent to close at N2.20 per share.

Continental reinsurance also added 2.56 per cent to close at N1.20 per share.

However, 32 stocks constituted the losers chart, as Constain West Africa and C&I Leasing emerged the highest price loser with 5.00 per cent to close at N1.14 per cent and

0..57 per share respectively while IHS followed with 4.76 per cent to close at N3.00 per share.

Royal Express lost 4.55 per cent to close at N0.63 per share. RT Briscoe shed 4.35 per cent to close at N1.32 per share.

UTC shed 4.29 per cent to close at N0.67 per share.

IPWA and Oasis insurance dropped 4.11 and 3.85 per cent to close at N0.70 and N0.50 per share.

Berger lost 3.00 per cent to close at N8.73 per share.

Courtveille also shed 2.90 percent to close at N0.67 per share.

With transactions exchanged in 1923 deals, the banking sub-sector remains the most the most active stock in volume terms with N123 million shares worth N1billion followed by the insurance subsector with 52 million units worth N48 million.

The information communication technology sub-sector ranked third with 30 million units valued at N30 million units worth N89 million.

The banking subsector was boosted by activities in the shares of Zenith bank with 26 million shares worth N636 million while Fidelity bank followed with 18 million units valued at N46 million.

The insurance subsector was energized by activity in the shares of NEM insurance with 23 million units worth N19 million followed by WAPIC with 20 million shares worth N22 million.

In all, investors exchanged 347 million shares worth N3.9 billion in 6,462 deals.

Exchange unfolds investors’ enlightenment agenda HE Nigerian Stock T Exchange (NSE) has revealed plans to embark on a comprehensive financial literacy education program for retail investors in 2014.

The Chief Executive Officer of NSE, Oscar Onyema, who lamented that most local investors follow ‘bandwagon’ when making investment decision, explained that there was need to enhance investors’ understanding of the basics of investing around portfolio construction, asset allocation and risk diversification.

This, according to him would enhance more retail investors’ participation in the market.

NSE had in February 2012, kicked off its financial literacy program as a first step in protecting investors.

The program aims to enhance investors’ understanding of the basics of investing around portfolio construction, asset allocation and risk diversification, while the “Investor Clinic” aspect of the program was delivered in partnership with Morgan Stanley and Renaissance Capital in two separate events with delivery to retail investors completed in over 200 workshops across Nigeria.

Last year, NSE starting off

with a continued focus on retail investors, this time, working through the professional bodies. Given how long most of these bodies have been in existence and their very expansive membership rosters to provide investor education effort an excellent gateway/window into retail investor population.

Onyema noted that that one of the core strategic pillars for enhanced market performance and growth, is to develop a strong investor protection framework, adding that in 2014, the Exchange would embark on an integrated investors education and appropriate portfolios with risk based supervision frame work that would make the market accessible for any investor to participate.

“In 2014, the Exchange’s primary focus will be on growing the capital market in preparation for achieving emerging market status. The NSE will include facilitating access to and participation in the market. Most of the local investors follow bandwagon.

We will do investor education this year and financial literacy. We want to give a more comprehensive financial literacy education to retail investors”, he said.

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Sports Experienced Bafana will be tough, says Keshi Eagles Coach, StedUPER Stephen Keshi has admithis team’s last group game against CHAN hosts South Africa will be tough because they are up against a more experienced team.

“If you look at some of their players like (Siphiwe) Tshabalala and goalkeeper (Itumeleng) Khune, they have lots of experience and this will matter a lot going into the decisive group game on Sunday,” conceded Keshi.

“It’s very difficult to handle these youngsters (in my team), but they are an intelligent group who have mastered things quickly.”

South Africa lead Group A with four points ahead of Mali, who also have four points but an inferior goals difference.

Nigeria are third on three points, while Mozambique are yet to win are bottom without any points. The Super Eagles need a win against Bafana to be guarantee their place in the knockout stage of the tournament.

“I hope we get better and better because with football I cannot say we shall beat South Africa,” said Keshi, while insisting Nigeria’s favourable record against South Africa

will count for nothing on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Thato Mokeke believes South Africa coming up against a physically dominating Mali side will turn out to be good preparation for the match against Nigeria.

Bafana Bafana find themselves in a precarious position in Group A, equal on four points with Mali following a draw with the Eagles and a victory over Mozambique.

They will need a positive result against Nigeria to stand a chance of qualifying for the final eight of the CAF African Nations Championship and Mokeke says they will have to up their game after the 1-1 draw on Wednesday.

“Our first game went okay but we weren’t as good in our second game. We need to pick up for the next game in hope we can qualify first,” said the Ajax Cape Town defender.

“I think the Mali game was more physical, the intensity was higher. I think it is good preparation for Sunday because Nigeria are also physical, but their position isn’t so good.

“Our first goal is to qualify (for the knockout stages) and our second goal is to win the tournament.”

COD United unveils logo, set for new season ITH the 2014 season set W to kick off in a few weeks, Lagos F.A Cup champions and national league side, City Of David (COD) United have unveiled it newly redesigned logo.

The new logo replaces the former logo, which the club adopted since inception and has already been rolled out on the club’s communications touch points.

Speaking on the decision to redesign its logo, Chief Executive of the club, Shola Opaleye said it was in line with the club’s continuous pursuit of improvements and innovation.

“We felt the time was right to design a logo that reflects the progress we have made as a club in a more exciting, refreshing way. The new logo still features our symbol, which is a lion prominently but is presented in a fresher, simpler way. It reflects the courage and aggression with which we want to pursue our aims and objectives going forward and signals a new dawn for our club,” Opaleye said.

He added, “the feedback has been fantastic and we are really excited with the outcome of what was a painstaking and thorough design process. Already, our bus, stationery, website, social media platforms and jerseys carry our new logo and everyone connected with the club is very excited and look forward to a very successful 2014 season.”

Keshi

Leave this trophy for us, South Africans plead with Eagles ITH two days to the top of the group A clash between Nigeria and South Africa in Cape Town, fans of Bafana Bafana have been weighing the team’s chances with some saying it was unfortunate that they did not win against Mali, as the Eagles may again ruin their chances of going further in the tournament.

Mahlatse Mphalele writing for the New Age Newspapers, said “the last thing Bafana Bafana needed was an unwanted situation of facing hoodoo opponents Nigeria in the last match of Group A on

W

• Team resume training Sunday faced with having to win at all costs.” He added that Nigeria may spoil the chances of Bafana in the game and again qualify at the expense of the host.

On his part, Thomas Mlambo, a popular face on SuperSports in Nigeria, said Nigeria should at least leave the CHAN tourney for his home country to celebrate with.

Speaking with Coach Stephen Keshi on SABC, Wednesday night, Mlambo said Nigeria has caused

IOC awards broadcast rights to SuperSport HE International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded broadcast rights in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa to SuperSport International for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

SuperSport has acquired broadcast rights on pay satellite television, internet and mobile.

IOC President, Thomas Bach said, “we are delighted to have reached this agreement to continue to work with SuperSport to bring fantastic Olympic Games coverage to fans across the region.”

IOC member, Richard

T

Carrión, who led the negotiations, said, “SuperSport has a wealth of knowledge in broadcasting the Olympic Games, and this agreement will ensure a first class broadcast experience of both the Sochi and Rio Olympic Games.”

Acting Chief Executive officer (CEO) of SuperSport, Brandon Foot said, “this agreement continues a long and proud tradition of SuperSport broadcasting the Olympic Games, which we have done since 1996. I’m delighted with this acquisition as the Olympic Games is one of the crown jewels in SuperSport’s programming with each edition proving enormously popular with viewers.

Eagles will lift the trophy, says Uzoenyi

Bafana Bafana too many heart aches and it was about time it ends.

Keshi reacted sarcastically saying the better side should carry the day on Sunday but noted that the Eagles did not travel for seven hours on air to South Africa to be beaten on sentiments. “As always we hope to give out our best against Bafana because here is my second home”, he said.

Eagles winger, Ejike SManUPER Uzoenyi, who was named of the Match, in the 4-2

NASS will co-operate with NSC, NFF on budget defence, says Gaiya From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HE House of Representatives Committee on Sports said yesterday that it was ready to cooperate with the National Sports Commission (NSC), when it appears to defend the 20I4 appropriated budget for sports.

Chairman of the committee, Godfrey Ali Gaiya, said yesterday in Abuja that the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), National Institute for Sports (NIS) and the Nigeria Lottery Commission would get the same cooperation.

He said the committee had decided to approve whatever the NSC presented to it because of the achievements it recorded in 2013.

T

The NSC has budgeted a total sum of N5.5b for the 20I4 fiscal year, while the NFF and the NIS intends to spend NI.5b and N484m respectively for their 20I4 budget.

“The presence of the NSC Director General is already making difference in the sports sector because we see him as a round peg in a round hole. He is discharging his functions very effectively and that was the reason we achieved good results from the competitions we have entered so far.

“So, he has made us happy because as one of us that went to the other side, it is our wish to support him so that he will continue to discharge his work effectively as the DG of the NSC,’’ Gaiya

said.

The House of Representatives sports committee chairman assured that the NSC and its affiliate bodies would get a date for their budget defence on Tuesday Jan. 21 when the House reconvenes for plenary after the holiday.

“We have not even seen the 2014 budget proposal, remember it was presented through the Minister of Finance the day the House was adjourned for break and we are yet to resume. So, until we resume from our recess next week Tuesday before we can fix date for budget defence and to know when the various MDA’s will take their turn to show us their demand.

win over Mozambique Wednesday has said the award will spur the team to greater heights at the ongoing tourney in South Africa.

Speaking after he received the award, the petit Rangers International of Enugu star said he was a bit surprised at being named the star man of the game but added that the award will not have been possible if his team-mates had not been very effective also in the encounter.

“This award is for the entire team and I hope we go all the way and win this tournament for Nigerians,” he said.

The Super Eagles did not take a break as the team were back in training on Thursday evening.

Midfielder Ikenna Ene Paul and defence ace, Benjamin Francis are still not fit yet for full training due to hamstring and knee problems but the team doctors are working round the clock to ensure that they get back well in the course of the tournament.

Stephen Keshi said, it’s not looking too good but added that the team came to the tournament with 23 players and the others should be able to hold their own against any opposition.

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SchoolSports NFF U-13: How Greensprings’ Alli got national call-up

By Olalekan Okusan IKE a golden fish without a LMusa hiding place, the gift of Alli of Greensprings School was indentified nationally after the teenage sensation dazzled at the National finals of the U-13 championship held in Abuja.

Alli, who captained Team Lagos, was voted the most valuable player (MVP) of the competition after netting six goals to emerge as the highest goal scorer.

From the zonal qualifiers, Alli was outstanding and his performance helped Team Lagos to quality alongside Ogun for the Abuja national finals.

From the group stages, Alli’s goal ensured that Team Lagos berthed in the final while his

leadership skills on the field aided the Lagos team to produce seven players among the few selected players by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to constitute the national U-13 team.

Unfortunately, Alli could not save his team from losing the final to Team Niger but he shone like a star on the field and this resulted in him being awarded the MVP of the championship.

For the Project Manager, Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Dapo Ajayi, the skills and leadership quality displayed by Alli have been exceptional.

Ajayi, who was in Abuja during the tournament told The Guardian that he was particularly impressed with the

teenage star on and off the pitch, saying, this goes to show that the player has a future in the game.

“I want to say that Alli had a good understanding of the game and he carriage as the captain of Team Lagos was fantastic. He can score with his legs and head and this made him a toast of many fans during the competition.

As the leader of the team, he was able to guide the team on and off the field and his comportment served as a good example for others. For me, I am not surprised with the performance of the player because he has been outstanding in the last few years representing Lagos in various competitions. It was same attributes that earned the scholarship to attend one of the best schools in the country – Greensprings School. I am indeed happy for him because he is in a good school combining it with his love for football,” Ajayi said.

Greensprings’ Alli (right) celebrates after netting a goal at the NFF-organised national U-13 championship held in Abuja…recently

Doregos basketball tourney enters crucial stage EN schools have qualified T for the quarterfinal of the 10th Doregos Inter-Schools

Action from the 6th National School Sports Festival held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital…recently.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Basketball championship after qualifying from the group stage.

The schools through to the last eight are international School, Lagos (ISL), Soundhope Private Academy, Halifield School, Supreme Education Foundation, Airforce Secondary School Ikeja, Avi-Cenna College, Lagoon Secondary School, Advanced Breed, Queens

College, Corona Secondary School and host - Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, Lagos Defending Champion ISL will entertain Soundhope Private Academy in the boys’ category while two-time winners, Doregos will be up against Halifield School. In other matches, Airforce Secondary School Ikeja will square up against Supreme Education Foundation while Avi – Cenna College will battle Advanced Breed. ISL are aiming for their fourth strait

title.

In the girls’ category, Queen College Yaba who are seeking their first title since 2006 faces a titanic battle against Doregos the first school to win the female version back to back in 2010 and 2011.

It will also be clash of titans as two former champion ISL and Corona School Agbara meet in the second quarterfinal.

All the quarterfinal matches will hold on January 21 at Doregos Private Academy

Ipaja while semifinal matches takes place January 28 with the final billed for February 6 Meanwhile sponsor of the championship, Mrs. Clementina Doregos has enjoined all participants to uphold the spirit of fairplay.

Doregos urged the participants to use the event to make friends and interact among themselves, which is one of the reasons why sports competitions are created.

a winger or top striker. He has taken his chance in the Eagles and he is now an established international.

Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce, Turkey) After a rather slow start as an international, his goals have been crucial to Nigeria’s return to top reckoning. He has nine goals in 19 appearances for Nigeria and he is still counting.

Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine) He has failed to convince for the Eagles despite his high rating in Europe. He now has to do a lot more if he is to make the final cut to his second World Cup. Victor Moses (Liverpool, England) He was outstanding for the country at the AFCON, but this season he has struggled at Liverpool on loan from Chelsea. His lack of regular action could tell on his fitness, but his class is never in doubt.

Victor Anichebe (West Brom, England)

Injury stopped him from the last World Cup and he will need to be convinced to rescind a decision to stay away from the national team ever since.

His power and sheer force make him a viable cover for Emenike, but he also needs to stay fit after a running battle with injuries.

Chinedu Obasi (Schalke 04, Germany) Barring injury, his skills and intelligence will make him one of the country’s finest forwards.

He has been sidelined by injury for several months, but he is back now and has made it very clear he wishes to be at his second World Cup in June.

Sone Aluko (Hull City, England) A left-sided midfielder or winger, Sone is fast and has a great vision. The left side of attack is another problem area for the Eagles as Nnamdi Oduamadi has struggled to impress lately and so the Hull

City man could be an option.

Obinna Nsofor (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia) The experienced striker has returned to the team after a long absence and has justified his recall.

But the question mark around him is that he is struggling to play regularly for his Russian club. A move this winter to where he could be playing regularly will most certainly help his cause.

Osaze Odemwingie (Cardiff City, England) After his problems with both club and country, Osaze is now looking forward to getting another chance with the Super Eagles. But is Keshi ready to bury the hatchet?

Shola Ameobi (Newcastle, England) Keshi thinks very highly of the experienced forward and he has shown class in the handful of matches he has played for the Eagles. He may not be a prolific goal scorer, but he plays for the team as Newcastle can attest to this

Keshi’s 40 players for Brazil 2014 World Cup HO should be the players to give Nigeria the fireW power at Brazil 2014?

MTNFootball.com rounds up a 4-part serial with a look at the strikers who ought to be on Keshi’s 40-man list for the World Cup. Nigeria have been known for its attacking football and so do not lack top quality strikers. What Keshi needs to aim for is putting the best combination in attack at the World Cup, strikers who can play for each other.

Uche Nwofor (Hereenveen, Holland) The former youth international is a strong and powerful striker, who fights even lost causes. He made a big impression in an Eagles shirt courtesy of his a brace against South Africa in the Mandela Challenge last year.

He is currently out injured, but should be fit in time for the build-up to the World Cup. Ikechukwu Uche (Villarreal, Spain)

‘IK’ has been on form in the tionally left out of the final Spanish La Liga with squad.

Villarreal this season with 11 But now with two goals for goals in the league so far. He Nigeria including one may not be the biggest strikagainst Italy in London last er around, but he knows his year, he has done enough to way to goal. be given another chance to He has been overlooked fight for a place to Brazil. since the AFCON, where he Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, failed to shine with Keshi Russia) expressing reservations ‘Air Nigeria’ is comfortable as about his attitude to teamwork.

Michael Eneramo (Karabukspor, Turkey) The powerfully built striker is a proven goal getter wherever he has played.

His big move to Besiktas in the summer may not have gone to script, but he has since moved on loan to Karabukspor with the hope of enjoying more first-team action. Four goals from 10 previous caps should earn him a recall.

Bright Dike (Toronto FC, Canada) The MLS star was one of the revelations leading up to Ik Uche thanking God for a victory AFCON 2013 only to be sensa- recently

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School Sports ‘The Undertaker’ who gave cover in Tunisia ‘94 lose 3-0 to Owerri-based outfit, Iwuanyanwu Nationale in Ibadan.

The club was soon disbanded by the owner, Chief Patrick Osakwe, paving the way for the formation of a new club, Bendel United, which was set up by the state government.

Semitoje was the team captain.

Bendel United soon became the toast of many Nigerian football fans. Semitoje led the club to the final of the Cup Winners Cup only to suffer defeat in the hands of El-Merrick of Sudan. A 1-0 defeat in Khartoun and a 0-0 draw at the Ogbe Stadium in Benin was all the Sudanese team needed to lift the trophy.

“We wept like babies though out that night because we actually worked hard thinking that we will be able to cancel the 1-0 defeat at home. That was one of my most disappointing moments in my football career,” he said.

Semitoje left for Julius Berger FC in Lagos, where he spent one season before crossing to Owerri, to pitch his tent with Iwuanyanwu Nationale. He had his longest club career in Owerri, helping Nationale to win the domestic league title as well as playing in the semifinal of the African Cup Winners Cup. After the Super Eagles failed to pick a ticket to Italian ’90 FIFA World Cup, Coach Clemens Westerhof opened the gate for the likes of Semitoje and Dan Amokachie.

He won his first medal with the Super Eagles in Bauchi, where Nigeria defeated Mali with a toss of coins, after the final of 1990 WAFU Cup competition ended in a draw.

He was part of the Super Eagles team to Algiers ’90 African Nations Cup, where the team bounced back from a 5-1 defeat to the host in their opening game to reach the final, which they lost 1-0 also to Algeria.

His biggest moment came in Tunisia ’94, where he teamed up with Peter Rufai, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Alloy Agu, Ben Iroha, Austin Eguavaon, late Uche Okafor, Stephen Keshi, ‘Gentle Giant’ Uche Okechukwu, Emmanuel Amuneke, Finidi George, Nduka Ugbade, Edema Fuludu, Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Mutiu Adepoju, Dan Amokachie, Samson Siasia and the late Rashidi Yekini to lift the trophy, the second for Nigeria after winning it on home soil in 1980.

“After winning the Nations Cup in Tunisia, I was looking forward to making the squad to USA ’94 FIFA World Cup, but something happened,” Semitoje recalled.

“A deadly gang of mafias soon took over control of the team and seized power from Westerhof. There was nothing they didn’t do to frustrate few others and me. Though Yekini made the team to USA ‘94, but the frustration he passed through in the hands of those mafias was one of the reasons he isolated himself from people before he died.

“Till this moment, I still feel sad whenever I cast my mind to that agonizing moment of not making it to USA ’94. It remains the saddest moment in my football career because I was in the camp till the last day and Westerhof was always assuring me that I would make the team because of my form at that time. I won’t blame the coach because he really wanted me in the team, but the ‘mafias’ insisted he should drop me,” he said.

Semitoje returned to the team soon after the World Cup, when coach Amodu Shuaibu took over. He was in the team till 2000 and at a point, became captain of the Home-based Super Eagles. He led the team to an international friendly match against Greece in Athens, which Nigeria lost 2-0.

After retirement from active soccer, Semitoje went back to school, this time, for a

Semitoje (third from right) as captain of the Home-based Super Eagles

A deadly gang of mafias soon took over control of the team and seized power from Westerhof. There was nothing they didn’t do to frustrate few others and me. Though Yekini made the team to USA ‘94, but the frustration he passed through in the hands of those mafias was one of the reasons he isolated himself from people before he died Grade ‘B Coaching Certificate in Denmark.

He was sponsored by the Danish Football Union (DFU), and since 2007, has been actively involved in coaching. He has been incharge of a regional U-19 and U-21 youth teams in Denmark since then, turning in good results.

In his determination to give back to the society, Semitoje returned to Nigeria last year to set up an academy called ‘Semitoje Football Foundation’ in Benin City. An U-13 youth football competition, which he organized in Benin City, was concluded last week.

“But I am in Nigeria now and I am willing to contribute my quota to the development of the game both at club and national levels, if the opportunity comes,” he told The Guardian during the week.

To revive the nation’s school sports, Semitoje said the government must be ready to go back to the basics: “To get things right, players that will feature for our U-17 team must not be above class two in the secondary school. Anything outside JSII, we are deceiving ourselves. Our administrators must do away with this win- at-all-cost syndrome.”

Turning to schools, he said: “In our days, the games masters took us as their children, they encouraged us. But today things are changing. We need to go back to the days of the Principal’s Cup competitions and we need coaches who will encourage our youth players. It is a big challenge for the government and parents.”

Semitoje being introduced to the players during the final of the his U-13 Football tournament in Benin City last week

With Stephen Keshi

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60 SPORTS Friday, January 17, 2014

Heroes Of Isaac Semitoje: Super Eagles full From being a ball boy on the street of Benin City in the early 1970s, former Super Eagles defender, Isaac Semitoje grew to become one of the most accomplished footballers of his time. Born in the famous Ogbe’s quarter in the heart of Benin City, Semitoje grew up at Uzebu quarter, an area already synonymous with the game of football. As such, the young lad, who hails from Ekigbo community in Ughelli, Delta State, enjoyed the support of his parents when he took to sports as a teenager. His journey into the exciting world of sports started at Owina Primary School in the mid 1970s, but it was during his post primary school career at Edokpolor Grammar School that Semitoje became a warlord, as he captained the school’s football team to win various sports competitions within and outside the old Bendel State. Semitoje was in school, when he was included in the state’s handball team to Bendel ’81 National Sports Festival. He later captained Bendel State football team to Rivers ’88 National Sports Festival, where they picked a silver medal after losing to the host in the final. Fresh from secondary school, Semitoje played his way to the national team after leading Niger Valley FC of Benin City to the semifinal of the National Challenge Cup, which they lost to Abiola Babes in 1986. He later played club football with Utility Bombers in Ilorin (now Kwara United), Flash Flamingoes, Bendel United and Iwuanyanwu Nationale, winning various titles. The high point of his football career came in 1994, when he made history with Super Eagles by winning the African Nations Cup in Tunisia.

Speaking with GOWON AKPODONORduring the week, Semitoje, who holds a Grade B coaching certificate in Denmark, spoke on a number of issues, including how a powerful clique of ‘mafia’ in the Super Eagles denied him the opportunity of making the USA ’94 World Cup team. He also talked on his pet project, The Semitoje Football Foundation in Benin City, just as he offered himself to serve in any Nigerian club and at national level, if the opportunity comes.

E is man of many titles. While some soccer fans and H friends call him ‘The Undertaker,’ others simply refer to him as ‘Ikomi.’ Those were the nicknames Isaac

Semitoje

Semitoje bagged while featuring for clubs like Flash Flamingoes, Iwuanyanwu Nationale and the Super Eagles some years ago.

The football story of the ex-Utility Bombers of Ilorin, Flash Flamingoes, Bendel United, Julius Berger and Iwuanyanyu Nationale defender actually began at Uzebu quarters in Benin City in the mid 1970s, but his potential as a true soccer star was harnessed at the famous Edokpolor Grammar School.

His parents are from Delta State. While his father hails from Ekigbo, a community in Ughelli North Local Government Area, his mother, late Madam Margret Ekreoghenemoma Semitoje was a native of Kokori in Ethiope East council area of the state.

At the beginning of his sports career, Semitoje combined handball with soccer, leading to his inclusion in Bendel State handball team to the 1981 edition of the National Sports Festival, which the state hosted. He was 13 years old then.

At the festival, the young Semitoje and his mates led the state’s handball team to capture a bronze, a medal he cherished so much as a teenager.

Looking back to his schoolboy days in Benin City, Semitoje recalled: “I was very young when I started playing handball and football. I actually started as a ball boy on the streets because I grew up in the midst of many footballers in Uzebu quarters in Benin City. I was featuring for youth football team called Iyobosa FC alongside Austin Eguaveon and the late Osaro Obobaifo.

“As at that time, many parents don’t welcome the idea of seeing their children going into sports, all they were after was to see their children read law, medicine, engineering and others. But in my case, my parents gave me free hand and they supported me when I started playing football,” he said.

After helping the state handball team to a bronze medals finishing at Bendel ’81 National Sports Festival, Semitoje decided to restrict himself to the game of soccer. He soon rose to become captain of Edokpolor Grammar

School’s football team, leading it to many victories in the prestigious Principal Cup competition.

“There were lots of competitions for secondary schools at that time. All the schools in the various zones will meet to produce a winner and I remember leading Edokpolor to many finals. We actually dominated the state football between 1981 and 1984,” he stated.

While combining his soccer trade with academic career at Edokpolor, the management of Niger Valley FC, a football team owned by former military Governor of Kwara State, the late Maj.Gen. Agbasika Inih came for his services.

“The man was a great football lover in his days.

The club created so many upsets in Bendel State football at that time we represented the state at the national challenge cup in 1986,” he said.

In the challenge cup contest, Semitoje and the ‘gang’ were on the verge of making it to the final, when the once conquering Abiola Babes FC cut short their ambition in Ibadan. “We lost in the semifinal and it was like we lost a World cup finals because we were actually looking forward to lifting the Challenge Cup trophy that year.”

Though, his team lost to Abiola Babes in the challenge cup semifinal, the young Semitoje was able to distinguish himself in that game as he was spotted by Coach Paul Hamilton, who was saddled with the responsibility of recruiting talented players for the national teams.

It was the beginning of his journey to stardom.

Hamilton quickly recommended ‘The Undertaker’ (Semitoje) to Coach Chris Udemezue, who was then preparing the Flying Eagles for Chile ’87 FIFA U-20 World Cup. “I could not make it to Chile ’87 because the coach (Udemezue) said he would not take additional player into his squad. I left the Flying Eagles camp and returned to Benin,” he said.

While waiting patiently for his turn to play for the national team, Semitoje continued his club exploits with Flash Flamingoes in Benin City. He led the club to the final of 1988 Challenge Cup, only to

62 Friday, January 17, 2014

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GolfWeekly

Korblah

Nigerian pros yet to find cure for Korblah’s dominance Stories by Eno-Abasi Sunday XCEPT for the eras of Peter E Akakasiaka, Lateef Lasisi, Raphael Iyonagbe, and lately Oche Andrew Odoh, no one has dominated the Nigerian Tour the way Ghana’s Emos Korblah is doing at the moment. This is confirmed by the December 2013 Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria (PGAN) Order of Merit, which sees him leading the pack for the third consecutive year.

Of the 10 tournaments he entered for, Korblah won more than three and finished respectably in the others, consequently ending the season with a total sum of N5, 780, 125 in tournament earnings. This was, however, N6, 272, 625 shy of the N12.052, 750 the 50-

year-old carted home in total winning purse at the end of the 2012 season.

Some of the tournaments he won in the outgone season, were the tour opener- the 5th Governor Gabriel Suswam Golf Tournament; the Delta State Open and Dr. Mrs. Ojerinde Memorial tourney amongst others.

Tailing Korblah in second place on the December 2013 Order of Merit is Port Harcourt-based Gift Willy, who carted home N3, 952, 500 in tournament winnings. He was followed closely by Korblah’s compatriot, Vincent Torgah in third place with N3, 536, 000. Oche Odoh finished the year in fourth place with N3, 507, 950.

Abuja-based Olapade S, Martins Odoh of Minna

Cantonment Golf Club, Minna, Niger State and Port Harcourt-based Michael Ubi finished the year in fifth, sixth and seventh positions in that order after earning N2, 520, 450, N2, 454, 083 and N2, 003, 799.

The shortfall in tournaments, occasioned especially by the last minute cancellation of the proposed Glo Africa Tour, contributed immensely to keeping the total individual winning purse (for the top earners) in single digits, unlike what was the case in 2012 season.

Speaking on the dominance, Oche Odoh said his main concern remains exploring ways of improving his game in all its departments, rather than sitting back to watch who is winning tournaments and

who is not.

He also stressed that he would make conscious efforts towards getting into the world golf ranking in the ongoing season by playing in some events in the Sunshine Tour, that are affiliated to the European Tour.

In an earlier interview, immediate past tournament director of PGAN, Dominic Andrew, had lamented that his compatriots were not doing enough to dominate the Nigerian Tour.

On that occasion, Andrew had said, “as a Nigerian player, I don’t feel happy that the Nigerian Tour in the year 2012, was dominated by just two foreign professionals, who are also members of the Nigerian Tour. Emos Korblah and Vincent Torgah, to the best of

736 play in seven editions of Le Meridien Open TOTAL of 736 amateur A golfers from within and outside Nigeria have played in seven editions of Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Akwa Ibom State’s flagship tourney, the Le Meridien Open Golf Championships.

A breakdown of the number shows that the tourney, which had a meagre 52-man field at inception in March 2011, doubled that number a

few months later when it held its second edition in March of same year. The final edition of that year got even higher with 114 participants.

The fourth edition of the tournament tagged: “LM Open IV,” attracted 112 participants, while the next in November/December of 2012 featured 118 participants.

A total of 231 golfers played in the sixth and seventh editions of the tourney, which

took place in 2013. The attendance was thus: LM Open VI: 121 participants; LM Open VII: 110 participants respectively.

According to organisers of the tourney, some Nigerian cities that have supplied players for the tourneys are Aba, Abia State, Abuja, Calabar, Cross River State, Eket, Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Warri in Delta State, Benin in Edo State, as well as Lagos

State amongst others.

Among other reasons, the LM Open series was introduced to up the ante of golf in the state, popularise the facility/host club as well as afford golfers from around the country a memorable golfing extravaganza, the Consultant/General Manager of the International Management Group (IMG) had said ahead of the maiden edition.

my knowledge, have had the best of their career in 2012. I want to believe that 2012 was a year that the duo were meant to outshine everybody on the tour, and this is not strange because we had people like Peter Akakasiaka, Raphael Iyonagbe, Lateef Lasisi, Oche Odoh and my humble self dominating at some point.

However, my personal belief

as a person is that we have not done enough work to improve our own standard of play. I am saying that because when I look back at the scores with which Korblah and Torgah are winning tournaments with, I remember that in the days I was playing well and winning, such score would not find a place in the top 10 on the Leaderboard.

Homeboys Chuwang, Agwom lead Centenary tourney in Jos ARING any major upset, B Jos, Plateau State-based Chuwang D. may be on course to winning the professionals’ event of the Centenary Golf Tournament, which climaxes today at the Rayfield Golf Club 1913, Jos. Chuwang led the 40-man field with -2 at the end of round three of the tour opener, which has a N5m winning purse.

Also attracting glances on account of his splendid performance so far in the championship is Category One player, Emmanuel Agwom, who posted -4 at the end of round three.

Others in contention in the professionals’ event are IBB Golf and country Club, Abujabased pro, Daniel Pam and policeman, Luka Agwom.

Both ended round three with +1.

A programme of events released by the club indicates that after the pros’ event, amateurs would take to the course tomorrow and Sunday, where they are expected to vie for honours. The prize presentation/gala, takes place on Sunday evening.

According to Secretary of the Centenary Planning Committee, Col. Felix Ghan (rtd), Senate President, David Mark, will chair activities marking the closing ceremonies, which theme for the celebration is, “Peace Centenary Celebrations 2014.”

Plateau State Governor, Jonah David Jang, will be the Chief Host, while the Special Guest of Honour is expected to be Director General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye. Father of the day will be former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

Friday, January 17, 2014 SPORT 63

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Even in victory, Eagles still lack cohesion From Adeyinka Adedipe, Cape Town, South Africa HE Eagles may have brought themselves back into contention for the ongoing CHAN in South Africa after the 4-2 victory over the Mambas of Mozambique on Wednesday.

However, it is evident that the Eagles would have to better the disjointed performance against the Mambas, especially in the first half of the encounter, a half every discerning football fans would like to forget in a hurry.

The Eagles failed to hold on to the ball, could not put good passes together and allowed the Mozambicans to tear apart their defence with through balls, which caught the Azubuike Egwueke-led defence napping in the first half.

Though, the Eagles led 2-1 at a point in the first half after going down 1-0 to a well taken free kick from 50 yards, which beat badly-placed goalkeeper,

T

Chigozie Agbim, the manner he conceded the second goal left nothing to be desired, as he slipped, while trying to make a routine save, allowing Diogo fire into an empty net.

While the game was on, many fans wondered why Agbim, who is captain of the team was allowed to continue when it was clear that he was yet to get over his dreadful performance against the Malian in the opening game.

A better second half performance, which produced two goals that sealed victory for Nigeria, calmed frayed nerves, as the Nigerian fans jubilated into the night knowing that the victory has put their team back into contention for a quarter final ticket.

Many, who had followed the build up of the Eagles would not be too surprise with the performance, as they had little time to prepare, while the team’s main players like Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba have secured transfers to European clubs, which left the side short of

Eagles against Mozambique on Wednesday

quality.

Kano Pillars coach had raised an alarm after his team’s 2-2 draw against the Eagles, noting that the team do not recover on time when they lose the ball in the attack. This weak point was well exploited by the Malians and Mozambicans.

However, Coach Stephen Keshi in his usual style was able to rally his troop to get victory. But disappointment was written all over his face especially in the first half against the Mambas, when his team struggled to hold on to the ball.

Keshi, who rarely blames his players admitted that he could not defend his skipper for some of his sloppy displays in the game, especially conceding a goal from almost the centre of the pitch.

He, however, saluted his players and agreed that a lot still needed to be done to get the team in shape for the mustwin final group game against leaders and host, South Africa on Sunday. Keshi said, “football is a game in which anything can happen but we really prepared well to win this game.

“I am glad that the players put up a better performance in the second half, which shows that they are capable of doing good thing. They showed a lot of character and I am happy the win has offered us team a lifeline. I know after the first game, there was a big fright and it was clear they were still battling to come out of that shock defeat against Mali. In the second half, I told them to just play like they are in a training session and it turned out well.”

Give me another chance, Agbim pleads IRST choice keeper and FEagles skipper of the Super at the ongoing CHAN African Nations tourney, Chigozie Agbim has pleaded with Nigerian fans to forgive his floppy display in the first two games of the championship so far, assuring that he will be better in subsequent encounters.

A sober Agbim, who spoke at the team’s Garden Court De Waal hotel abode in Cape Town said he was the most disappointed individual at the display and assured that if given the chance to continue as the number one goalie of the national team he will make up for past mistakes.

“No goalkeeper in the world will be happy to concede cheap goals and for a keeper of my caliber I am most disappointed than anyone else but that is football and I can’t dwell in the past.

“I have to forget and plead with fans of the game to understand and forgive so that we can jointly forge ahead. I promise that I will do better next time and it’s a promise I wish to keep,” he said.

Head Coach of the team,

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, defended his captain for the flops, noting that the keeper may have limitations like all goalkeepers in the world but the poor state of the Cape Town Stadium contributed greatly to his performance.

“It’s a team work and we cannot single out one individual for blame, otherwise we had a situation in the game against Mozambique

Agbim

when a player had an empty net and yet could not slot the ball in until the opposing defender cleared it.

“I have worked with Agbim now for two years plus and if he was not good he will not be here we must learn to understand our players and forgive errors, especially as he is the last man in the defence and his own errors are easily seen by all”.

TheGuardian

Friday, January 17, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Odunayo Talabi Continued from yesterday O a national dialogue is desirable, how about the worry in some quarters that previous governments had carried out very vain such ‘diaference’ in the past, especially as former President Obasanjo’s recent ‘diaference’ in 2005 had shown how easily Nigerian leaders can turn a serious endeavour into a comedy and change a national programme into a personal agenda.

In order not to disappoint also, President Jonathan has revealed a taste of what is to come by suggesting that whatever the Nigerian people decided at the dialogue will be subjected to the mutilating hands of the national assembly.

In my opinion, even that is not sufficient enough a reason to dissuade us from holding yet another dialogue if we are convinced it is the panacea to the nation’s myriads of problems.

Rather than run from it because we have failed at it before, we should instead find out why we failed and guard against a reoccurrence of such failures, so that this time around we could get it right. More so, the parameters have changed, the scenery is changing by the day, a lot more Nigerians are now aware of the hopelessness of the subsisting order, the incredible race of the nation towards doom, if nothing drastic is done. This has succeeded in swelling the ranks of those people from North to South who wanted the conference held, President Goodluck Jonathan—I really hope for his own sake—inclusive.

In fact, the risk we run at this juncture may be similar to what happened in1999 at the time of transition to civilian rule when most sane Nigerians kept their distance, doubting whether democracy was real or going the way of previous such transitions, thereby pushing forward or stepping aside for charlatans to go and test the waters, so that we go join if na true.

Alas! Democracy so far is real or at least existing, and the charlatans’ grip on the nation’s jugular is leech like and it is becoming easier for camels to sail through a pin hole than for these leeches to be unleashed.

The claim that the legislature in Nigeria as currently constituted is imbued with the necessary prerequisite, being representatives of the people to decide what is best for the citizens of the country is not evidence based. At best it is a flawed assumption —bearing in mind the way elections go in Nigeria— to conclude that the persons occupying political offices in Nigerian are people’s choices. That apart, how can a legislature seeking to give itself immunity from prosecution and to pay its former members pensions after a few years of living in splendor at the expense of the state, agree to the propositions in some quarters that the amount being paid legislature should be reduced or that a partial legislature should be considered? It is more sensible to hold that a legislature mired in corruption cannot rid Nigeria of corruption. They are part of the problem and cannot solve the problem; nemo judex in causa sua. It is only the generality of the people who can directly achieve the triple goal of ensuring a good constitution, a good government and good leadership. These are the three factors Obafemi Awolowo recognised in his book ‘’Thoughts on the Nigerian constitution’’ as being a sine qua non for political stability in any country, Nigeria inclusive.

While the fear of some eminent well intentioned Nigerians that holding a conference of any sort may reveal a chasm so deep that the differences may split Nigeria, should not be waved aside, especially as Nigeria is one country with a great potential in diversity. The question to ask is, if a set of people are plagued with differences as huge as to be classified as irreconcilable, what sense does it make for such people to cohabit? Question two: Were such differences to exist, what guarantee do we have that avoiding them, patching them, or waiting for them to go away would actually make them go away?

Without waiting for an answer I would paint a scenario of a woman with a painful swelling or

In actual fact, the average Nigerian wants the Nigerian nation remaining as one, conference or no conference. He or she has no issues with his neighbours from other tribes. All he desires is good governance.

The type that would put food on his table, the type that would ensure the security of his life and properties, which would prevent him from dying unnecessary death in dilapidated hospitals and guarantee a decent future for his children in their own country

S

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Between national ‘diaference’ and 2015 elections (2)

lump in her breast that could possibly be a cancer given two options. One is surgical removal to determine if the lump is cancerous or not and the other, application of an ointment to palliate the pain hoping it wouldn’t be a cancer. Now if the surgery is performed and the lump was found to be non-cancerous, the

woman is cured not only of the lump but also of the possibility of the lump becoming cancerous in the future. If it was found to be a cancer, however, a careful surgical procedure done to remove the lump may also cure the cancer depending on the stage. If that didn’t happen, at least the woman is now aware that she has

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breast cancer and would squarely face the treatment, knowing as we do that an early diagnosis makes the cure of most cancers possible. Whichever way one looks at it, opting for palliation is not only stupid - to be considerate with words- but also suicidal.

In actual fact, the average Nigerian wants the Nigerian nation remaining as one, conference or no conference. He or she has no issues with his neighbours from other tribes. All he desires is good governance. The type that would put food on his table, the type that would ensure the security of his life and properties, which would prevent him from dying unnecessary death in dilapidated hospitals and guarantee a decent future for his children in their own country. This average Nigerian we are talking about would appreciate it greatly if this can happen in Nigeria as currently constituted. If, however, the only thing that would guarantee him this is to require a visa to visit Sokoto from Cross River, then he probably wouldn’t mind, after all he has transferred most of his businesses to Ghana for lack of a conducive business environment in his own country, and has sent most of his children to school in the Republic of Benin. Those are his next door neighbours with different nationality, so big deal!

Perhaps the strongest argument in favour of holding a meeting of nationalities in Nigeria is the fact that at every defining moment of our lives we always fail the test of nationhood. We are wont to reduce every salient issue necessary for nation building to tribalism. ‘‘I am being prosecuted for corruption, not because I stole one billion naira, but because I am a Yoruba man,’’ ‘‘the north must have eight years of presidency or the country remains ungovernable’’, ’’the Ibos must have more states, else heaven would fall’’ ‘‘he shouldn’t go to prison after conviction because he is our son,’’ ‘’federal appointments has marginalised the Niger Deltans’’ etcetera etcetera. To the extent that we failed at the simple task of making a vice president succeed his late boss as enshrined in our own constitution!, and towards 2015, 53 years after our independence, the cry is still about the region the next president comes from.

The moral of the story? It is ‘’criminal complacency’’ at this time to sit on the fence, and too costly to feign ignorance, or helplessness. It was Alexis Tocqueville who said, ‘‘in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve’’. If all we deserve is the continuation of this complete mess we are in, then folding our hands would be just appropriate. If, however, we hold the view that something must change, then we must at once hijack the processes of the national ‘diaference’ and push aside those cannibals bent on destroying our collective destiny. We the Nigerian people as the custodian of the sovereignty should decide who represent us at the conference, when it should hold, what should be discussed, and how the outcome should be handled. Let’s do this and then wait to see the honourable ‘member’ of the House with the audacity, to swallow the popular Will of 160 million Nigerians, who are searching for a difference in a ‘diaference.’

• Concluded.

• Dr. Talabi lives at 2, Jimoh Balogun Street Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos. 08074137878