Thur 27 June 2013

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Vol. 29, No. 12,600

N150

www.ngrguardiannews.com

Reps dump Jonathan’s budget amendment bill From Adamu Abuh and Terhemba Daka, Abuja ROM the House of Representatives yesterday came condemnation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposed amendment to the 2013 Appropriation Act. According to a report of the joint Committee on Rules and Business, Justice and Ju-

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diciary, what came from the President in the proposals had an increase of over N160 million, which should better go as a supplementary budget rather than the amendment requested.

Reading out the report on behalf of the joint committee on the floor yesterday, Chairman of the House Committee

Fault unity colleges’ admission policy on Rules and Business, Albert Sam-Tsokwa, stated that “while the 2013 Appropriation Act appropriates the total sum of N4,987,220,425,601.00, for the financial year 2013, the purported 2013 Appropria-

tion Act (Amendment) Bill 2013 seeks to appropriate a total sum of N4,987,382,196,690.00.

“Clearly, what the Amendment Bill 2013 seeks to appropriate is more than what was appropriated for the 2013 fis-

cal year in the 2013 Appropriation Act, that is to say, the Executive would appear to be seeking additional funds.

“Obviously, this cannot be achieved through an Amendment Bill. The answer lies in a Supplementary Appropria-

tion under Section 81(4) of the Constitution.”

Specifically, Dogara had on June 5, 2013 in a motion challenging the propriety of the President’s amendment bill described it as “2013 Appropriation Bill No. 2,” pointing out that the procedure was unconstitutional since it was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

FATF commends Nigeria for tackling money laundering, terrorism financing HE Financial Action Task T Force (FATF) has recognised and commended Nige-

A well-wisher (left) wiping her tears during a candle lit vigil outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where a community group prayed and sang religious songs in support of former South African President Nelson Mandela who is receiving treatment in Pretoria… yesterday. (Insets: A painter working on a portrait of the anti-apartheid hero outside the hospital and Children playing in front of a mural showing Mandela.

PHOTO: AFP

ria for the progress the country has made in improving its Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, through the implementation of a mutually-agreed action plan.

In a statement issued in Oslo, Norway, the FATF, the global standard setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, noted the progress so far made by Nigeria, stating that the country is now identified in the FATF document, “Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: On-going Process.” This improvement, according to the body, is due to Nigeria’s progress in largely addressing its action plan agreed upon with the FATF. Accordingly, the FATF has approved an on-site visit to Nigeria to confirm that the process of implementing the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Jega admits rot in INEC, unveils 2015 plan From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HOUGH the Independent T National Electoral Commission (INEC) is supposed to be an unbiased umpire as regards electoral matters, the body is to some extent bogged down by electoral malpractices.

According to the Chairman of the INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, electoral fraud is perpetrated by officials of his

Says officials connive with politicians to rig elections agency in connivance with politicians.

Jega, who noted that the actions of such members and ad-hoc staff of the commission had continued to rubbish the efforts of the commission in transforming

the process of electing public officers, was reacting to various criticisms which the commission received from some chairmen of political parties and stakeholders who converged on Abuja yesterday to witness the official unveiling

and public presentation of Strategic Programme of Action of INEC from 2012 to 2016.

The INEC chairman noted, however, that many officials of the commission who were identified to have compromised standards had been ei-

ther prosecuted or dismissed from their duties in an internal exercise without media hype.

Earlier in their reactions to the INEC strategic programmes for credible elections, three different chairmen of political parties , Chiefs Sam Nkire of the Progressive Peoples Alliance

UK visa policy may hurt air travel, Nigerian scholars, others, say experts Page 4

(PPA), Chekwas Okorie of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and Victor Umeh of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had taken turns to urge INEC to improve on its efforts to weed out the bad eggs in the commission, stressing that their activities had continued to inhibit the efforts of the commission as well as cast doubts in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

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Officials connive with politicians to rig polls, says Jega CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 minds of Nigerians in delivering a free and fair general elections in 2015 and beyond.

While Nkire stressed the need to checkmate some corrupt INEC officials who he said had given INEC a bad image by working in hand with security operatives from the army and police to rewrite election results, Okorie noted the need to expedite action on the Electronic Voting System (EVS), saying it would limit the mistakes of the commission.

On his part, Umeh urged INEC to review its position on the recruitment of ad-hoc

workers, saying that given some of their actions, they posed great threats to the success of INEC’s efforts in conducting credible elections.

In his remarks, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative, Prof. Sam Egwu restated the organisation’s confidence in INEC and its agencies, stressing that UNDP had continuously voted its money for the Democratic Governance Project (DGP) in the country that led to the organization of a free and fair election in 2011. The agency, however, urged the INEC chairman to use the opportunity of the 2015 elections to

improve on its 2011 performance which was adjudged to be credible by the UNDP “For the avoidance of doubt, UNDP is actually supporting the INEC with a number of partners that we are familiar with. But more importantly, as we commend the leadership of INEC for remaining focused on the desire to improve on the credibility of the 2015 elections beyond the remarkable achievements of the 2011 elections, we also urge the commission to improve. The strategic plan that is being unveiled today we

know has been a very long and intensive consultative process which INEC leadership has been engaged for the past one year. The strategy we believe is not just to prepare for the 2015 elections, but to put in place a programme to all relevant stakeholders that can lead to the ownership of process as well as ensure that the electoral system will become stable for the progress of the country. It is our belief that we have produced a strategic plan, INEC will follow through to… so that by 2015 and beyond, we will look

back and say that we have put our money to support Nigeria in the areas that matter most,” the UNDP representastated. tive Earlier, Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Andy Uba who was represented by his deputy, Senator Abdukadir Jagere, said that democracy could only be said to have been sustained in Nigeria if INEC improves on the gains of 2011 general elections.

The INEC Programme of Action Plan which spans five years has the following as

objectives: core . To provide electoral operations, systems and infrastructure to support delivery of free, fair and credible elections; . To improve voter education, research; and training . To register political parties and monitor their operations; . To interact internationally and nationally with relevant and stakeholders; . To re-organise and re-position INEC for sustained conduct of free, fair and credible elections.

FATF commends Nigeria for tackling money laundering, terrorism financing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 required reforms and actions is underway to address deficiencies previously identified FATF. the by The FATF statement reads: “Since February 2010, when Nigeria made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and GIABA to address its strategic AML/CFT deficiencies, Nigeria has made significant progress to improve its AML/CFT regime.

“Nigeria has largely addressed its action plan, inenacting by cluding legislation to adequately criminalise money laundering and terrorist financing; implementing procedures to identify and freeze terrorist assets; ensuring that customer due diligence requirements apply to all financial institutions; and improving

supervisory overall the frame-work for AML/CFT,” the added. statement FATF Prior to this time, Nigeria was on the list of Non-Co-operating Jurisdictions with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies that have not made sufficient progress in addressing these lapses. However, a positive Executive-Legislative interface on the matter championed by the Presidential Committee on FATF culminated in amendments to the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 which have since been signed into law by President GoodJonathan. luck With the approved on-site visitation, Nigeria gradually inches towards a full exit from the list of countries that pose a high risk to the global system. financial

President Goodluck Jonathan (right), Vice President Namadi Sambo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja… yesterday.

Reps fault unity colleges discriminatory admission policy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 not backed by any known law Nigeria. in It consequently suffered a setback in the chamber, as a debate on the general principles of the proposal was suspended by the parliament.

“I think proceeding with this bill will amount to illegality, Mr. Speaker,” the lawmaker had argued then. His motion prompted Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to mandate the joint committee to review the constitutional issues raised by the lawmaker.

Continuing, Sam-Tsokwa noted that “Mr. President’s intents and purposes are well communicated and conveyed in his letter of 14/3/2013 but the companion of the said letter, voluminous as it is, in three fat volumes, seeking to amend the 2013 Appropriation Act failed in that therefore and mission amends or attempts to nothing. amend

“Mr. President, being the only authority constitutionally endowed and empowered to initiate a money bill, may wish to resubmit a proper bill as Section 81 clearly ties the parliament. of hands “While parliament is empowered to make laws generally, bills initiated from within or without, the constitution explicitly imposes solely on the President, in Section 81 thereof, the duty to initiate an appropriation bill. It is very clear, therefore, that an appropriation bill or its variant, a Supplementary Appropriation Bill, can only be introduced in parliament by the President or in the case of the Governor.” the State, According to the joint committee, “a strict and austere reading of Section 81 (1), (2) and (4) of the Constitution, therefore, will be difficult to conclude that the Constitution admits of an amendment to an Appropriation Act save

by way of a Supplementary Appropriation.”

Tambuwal, in his remarks after the report was unanimously adopted by members, said Mr. Yakubu Dogara’s motion had therefore been sustained, implying that no further action could be taken on the amendment proposal.

The National Assembly had earlier passed an appropriation of N4.987 trillion for the 2013 fiscal year, and certain concerns were raised by the President on the implementation of the budget, and later sent in an amendment proposal to the parliament.

The House had through its spokesman, Zakari Mohammed while fielding questions on the issue during a previous press conference explained that the amendment bill was akin to asking the National Assembly to go the whole hug of working on a fresh budget bill due to its volume.

Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola had moved the motion on the general principles of the bill to initi-

ate a debate for its second reading, but Chairman of the Committee on House Services, Yakubu Dogara moved a counter-motion through a constitutional point of order describing the amendment vires. ultra as bill Dogara specifically cited section 81(1), (2) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that his motion was predicated on the fact that “the President can only act in line with the Constitution or any other existing law,” and that “where an action is not explicitly supported by any law, the action is vires.” ultra Section 81(4) specifically states that “if in respect of any financial year it is found that: (a) the amount appropriated by the Appropriation Act for any purpose is insufficient; or (b) a need has arisen for expenditure for a purpose for which no amount has been appropriated by the Act, a estimate supplementary showing the sums required shall be laid before each house of the National Assem-

Our errors HE photohraph of Chief Raphael O. Anyama on Page T 21 of The Guardian of June 3, 2013 was erroneously identified as that of Mr. Igho Dafinone.

Also, in the caption for the photograph on Page 15 of The Guardian of June 19, 2013, we wrongly referred to Mr. Femi Otedola as the Managing Director of Forte Oil Plc. Indeed, Otedola is the Chairman and not the Managing Director of Forte Oil Plc. The errors are regretted.

bly and the heads of any such expenditure shall be included in supplementary ApproBill.” priation The House of Representatives also faulted the decision by the Federal Ministry of Education to tilt the entry requirement into unity schools in favour of pupils from the north to the detriment of their counterparts from the southern part of the country.

Adopting a motion moved under matters of urgent national importance, the lawmakers acknowledged that the policy runs contrary to the provisions of Section 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which states that no citizen of Nigeria shall be discriminated against on the basis of his community, ethnic group, place of origin, gender, religion or political opinion through any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action government. of During the plenary session presided over by Tambuwal, he declined to approve a request from the mover of the motion, Mr. Afam Victor Ogene calling for the suspension of the recently released discriminatory cut-off mark schools. unity for Under the controversial policy recently announced by the Education Minister, Prof.

Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, an instance of the cutoff mark for a male pupil from Abia is 130, for female 130 as against 35 for a

male and 35 for female from Bauchi State. Both male and female pupils from Kogi are expected to both score 119 as against nine and 13 for their counterparts from Sokoto State.

The lawmakers mandated the House Committee on Education to parley with officials of both the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Examinations Council, in order to review the policy in such a way that would guarantee fairness and accord the Nigerian educational system more credibility and general acceptance.

Members of the Aminu Sulaiman-led committee were directed to report their findings back to the House by July 2013.

2, Ogene (Anambra) had raised the alarm over the introduction of the discriminatory policy which gives candidates from some states undue advantage over the others.

He asserted that the policy was not only a mockery of the principles of merit and fairness, but also runs contrary to the provisions of the constitution as it concerns discrimination against citizens on the basis of gender and place of origin.

He wondered why candidates from his home state, Anambra, irrespective of gender, were expected to score at least 139 marks to gain admission into unity schools, as CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27 2013

4 NEWS

Boko Haram kills Maiduguri district head

Bauchi govt alleges plot to destabilise state

From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri ARELY 24 hours after members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Reconciliation (PCDR) arrived in Maiduguri, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram sect members killed the district head (names withheld) of Old Maiduguri Local Council of Borno State at about 9.35 p.m. on Tuesday.

The gunmen, who operated on foot with Improvised Explosive Devices (EIDs), knives and cutlasses, also torched the district head’s palace and killed 12 other residents by slitting their throats, after tying their hands and mouths.

According to a resident, Aisami Modu, who fled to Bulunkutu ward yesterday morning, “when the gunmen set the district head’s palace ablaze with explosives and petrol-bombs, we never knew that he had already been shot dead in his room while attempting to hide. The gunmen fled at dawn.”

From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Bridget Chiedu Onochie and Terhemba Daka, Abuja AUCHI State government has alleged “a plot by agents of destabilisation to cause anarchy and discredit” the Governor Isa Yuguda-led administration.

Meanwhile, the Senate has asked the Federal Government to carry out recruitment into the armed forces and all security agencies to insurgency. check The request was fallout of the debate and adoption yesterday of the report of the Joint Committee on Defence and Army, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence set up by the Senate to investigate the destruction of lives and property in Baga town in Borno State.

Senate President David Mark also urged senators to reject the temptation of exaggerating the death toll in the Baga incident which he said was generating serious negative Nigeria. for image Mark’s remark was in response to arguments among senators on the committee’s findings that 37 persons died as a result of the Baga tragedy instead of the over 200 reported in the media.

On its part, the House of Representatives has directed its Committee on National Security and Intelligence to review

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UNILAG’s Building Dept. holds 9th lecture HE Department of Building, University of Lagos T (UNILAG), Akoka, holds its

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N’Assembly decries Baga, Zamfara killings the situation in Zamfara State which led to the massacre over 60 people in Kizara, Chafe Local Council Area.

The committee also invited the National Security Adviser as well as other relevant security agencies as part of the parliament’s effort to put an end to the “disturbing tend” of killings in the state.

The resolution came following a motion introduced by Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau (ANPPZamfara) which was unanimously adopted without debate by the parliament when put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal who presided over the session.

A statement by Ishola Michael Adeyemi, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said: “The Bauchi State Government has uncovered a plot by some misguided and anti-progress elements to plunge the state into a crisis, using agents of destruction within and outside the state to cause disharmony and disaffection among the people of the state towards discrediting and destabilising the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led Administration of the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Mallam (Dr.) Isa Yuguda.

“It has also been discovered

that the brains behind this evil plot against the government and good people of Bauchi State have recruited and engaged malleable newspaper columnists, hackwriters, propaganda merchants and rumour vendors to spread rumour, raise false alarm, and publish deliberate misinformation about the state and the Chief Executive with a view to imposing hate, fear and terror, thereby scaring citizens, residents, visitors and genuine investors from engaging in peaceful, productive and legitimate business in the state.

“The government is pleased however to inform the good and peace-loving people of

the state that it is adequately on top of the situation, courtesy of our competent and security officers collaborating with patriotic and loyal members of the public. To this end, government is in possession of closely-guarded documents detailing the sponsors, sources, and strategies of the plotters, including their collaborators within state.” the The government said it was still studying the details of the plot and disclosed that its investigations so far had revealed the involvement of ‘three wealthy, highly-placed and influential persons’.

It went on: “These three arrowheads of the plot have held clandestine meetings in some capital cities within and outside the country, es-

UNN fails to stop tribunal’s hearing in tax default From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu HE University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has failed T in its attempt to make the tax appeal tribunal discontinue hearing in the N106 million tax derailment suit instituted against it by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), as the court yesterday dismissed its preliminary

objection.

Adjourning hearing on the substantive suit till July 23, 2013, the five-man tribunal headed by Prof. C.J. Amasike ruled that it has jurisdiction to entertain the matter and that it was not status barred as contended by the university in its preliminary motion.

In a suit in March last year

ninth yearly project management series today at the institution’s Multipurpose Hall ‘B’ at 11.00 a.m.

The lecture entitled “Economic Transformation Through Infrastructural Development: The Role of Project Management,” will be delivered by the Minister of Works, Mike Oziegbe Onolememen, while the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ama Ayinge Pepple, will be special guest of honour.

Managing Director of UACN Property Development Company Plc, Hakeem Oguniran, will chair the occasion while the chief host is the UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rahaman Bello, supported by the Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Prof. L.O.C. Chukwu, and the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Prof.

Leke Oduwaye.

Reps fault unity colleges’ pro-North admission policy

pecially in the high-brow districts of Maitama and Asokoro in Abuja where no less than five meetings have taken place with some top politicians, opposition figures and media persons in attendance.

None of the meetings in Abuja lasted less than four hours.”

Imploring the media to avoid being used by the plotters to perfect their intention, it added: “Just as we employ this medium to give further assurance that while our doors will continue to be open to the media at all times, we will not hesitate to take appropriate legal and legitimate measures wherever and whenever there are threats to the public image of the government and people State.”

Bauchi of

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Nigeria, Mrs. Bola Adesola (left); Branch Manager, SCB Agidingbi, Moses Arabome; Group Executive Director/CEO (Consumer Banking), SCB, Steven Bertamini, and CEO Africa, Diana Layfield, during the opening of the bank’s branch in Agidingbi, Lagos… yesterday.

against the university at the tribunal, FIRS had, through its counsel, Haruna Musa, claimed that the UNN defaulted in the payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Withholding Tax to the Federal Government covering the period between 2001 and 2006 and amounting to N106,306,914.94.

The agency, therefore, asked the court to compel the institution to remit the money to government, explaining that its failure to do so was affecting government policies.

However, the university objected to the suit, explaining that the tribunal was not only incompetent but lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter since it was not properly instituted. It further contended that UNN was not a legal entity that could be sued in the manner the plaintiff had done in the action.

In the objection filed by its counsel, Chief Ejike Ume (SAN), it held that once an action was status barred, it would be a nullity going into its merit, adding that the action for recovery would have started within three months from October 2007, which was the period of default.

The respondent added that being a federal university, it is a public office and should therefore be protected accordingly for actions not initiated within three months.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 against candidates from a state like Yobe and Zamfara that are expected to score just two or three marks respectively for the same admission.

He said: “I am worried that at a time when affirmation action is geared towards assisting the girl-child, this executive policy is ironically tilted against female candidates in several states, requiring them to score higher marks than their male counterparts before securing admission, contrary to provisions of the Nigerian Constitution that requires that nobody should suffer discrimination based on gender.

“I am worried that if this discriminatory policy is allowed to stand, we will not only be encouraging illegality, but also be destroying the core values of merit, hard work and excellence in favour of indolence and mediocrity.”

UK visa policy may hurt air travel, Nigerian scholars, others, say experts

By Wole Shadare and Joseph Onyekwere ESIDES the diplomatic row already swelling between the British and Nigerian governments over the former’s new visa policy, a big crisis looms in the travel and acasectors. demic The new £3,000 visa bond still being proposed will seriously hurt many Nigerians travelling to the United Kingdom (UK) and those using the country as a transit point to other destinations. There are indications that it could also significantly impact tourism, therefore, stakeholders asking the UK to rescind its decision.

Speaking with The Guardian, travel expert, Mr. Ikechi Ukoh, said the policy would have repercussions on both sides if implemented, but if il-

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Cleric condemns move, calls for reversal legal immigration was the sole target, Nigerians who see the UK as an escape destination would be affected.

On the contrary, Ukoh said Nigeria is a business destination for many UK nationals, including those of Nigerian descent, stressing that if Nigeria reciprocates, as government may, businesses on both sides would suffer irreparably.

According to Ukoh, “it is bound to affect travel in a very big way,” and the UK government will earn a lot from bonds posted by illegal immigrants who would be hunted down and repatriated. “Again, the visa policy will affect thousands of Nigerian students in UK institutions of learning. higher “Parents of students in UK

schools may have to cough out millions for a child (or children) that will be in school for about four, five years or more. That will have grave implications for resources needed at home.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, South-South zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Chairman of the Niger Delta Bishop’s Forum, Archbishop God-Dowell yesterday Avwomakpa, called on the UK to reverse its decision on the visa bond policy, saying it is ‘worrisome’.

According to him, the first country any Nigerian child wants to visit for education, treatment or tourism is the UK because almost every Nigerian parent has told his or her children something

good about the Britons. He explained that it was for the same reason a lot of Nigerian adults dwell in UK today.

“France cannot do this to its former colonies. Our long history and relationship with the British should take precedence over other political exsaid. he pediency,” “Aside this, as members of the Commonwealth, Nigeria should not be singled out for this kind of unkind treatment. In fact, it will be discriminatory and sad if the UK goes ahead with the proplan.” posed Speaking in the same vein, aviation analyst, Olumide Ohunayo, said the policy would have negative effect on travel. According to him, “the policy will reduce demand for travel, which will ultimately affect the chain such as car rentals, hotels, air-

lines and others. For those that need to travel under the bond, they will be conshop.” to strained Not a few believe that the policy could adversely affect the revenue of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) because of reduction of revenue from Passenger Service Charge (PSC) and others on passenger tax.

However, if targeted at first timers, it would have exponential effect on airline business. He noted, though, that premium airlines like British Airways (BA), Lufthansa and Air France-KLM would hardly it. feel Nigeria is said to have one of the biggest premium travellers around the world, with more wealthy Nigerians flying first and business classes, which fares range from N1 million to N1.5 million.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

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News Govt arraigns Lebanese over arms

Akinkuotu is NCAA’s new chief

From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja HREE Nigerian-Lebanese – Mustapha Fawaz, Abdallah Tahini and Talal Ahmad Roda – arrested for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities in the country were yesterday arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.

The trio, said to be owners of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park in Abuja, were arraigned on six counts of terrorist related acts and they pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

They had been earlier arraigned before an Abuja Magistrates’ Court, but the State Security Service (SSS) withdrew the charges, citing the court’s lack of jurisdiction.

In the fresh charges preferred against them by the Federal Government, they were accused of belonging to the military wing of the Hezbollah and are alleged to have received training in preparation for engaging in terrorist acts.

By Wole Shadare and Chika Goodluck-Ogazi FTER what appeared as an endless wait, the Senate yesterday confirmed Capt. Fola Akinkuotu as the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

At its preliminary session in Abuja, the Senate President, David Mark confirmed Akinkuotu’s appointment and charged him to propel the sector forward from where his predecessor Dr. Harold Demuren stopped.

Speaking with The Guardian, Akinkuotu confirmed his appointment by the Senate, but declined to speak further, saying that he would speak at the right time.

He was however silent on when he would resume, but assured that it would be “very soon.”

Akinkuotu was screened on March 30, 2013 by the Senate, but since his screening, the Senate was silent on his confirmation, a situation which aviation stakeholders and professionals condemned.

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Envoy tasks INEC on 2015 polls

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Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (left); Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ernest Sonekan; Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. John Obafunwa and Adviser to the Governor on Education, Lagos State, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, during the 2013 annual lecture of the Lagos State University Alumni Association in Lagos.

PHOTO: GABRIEL IKHAHON

Sambo, Jang tie stable democracy to strong parties

From Adamu Abuh, Abuja N official of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Anique Claessen, yesterday admonished the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the forthcoming 2015 polls is conducted in an open and transparent manner.

Speaking during a one-day participatory meeting on ‘Road map to a sustainable electoral system in Nigeria: CSO evaluation of INEC’, she said the on-going dispute among the 36 states’ governors of the country over the outcome of the election of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) was an ominous sign that much more needed to be done to ensure a free and fair election in 2015.

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Ebonyi faults critics of centenary celebration From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki HE Ebonyi State GovernT ment has described as uninformed, those that insinuate that the planned celebrations to mark the centenary of Nigeria’s amalgamation as one nation were unnecessary.

It pointed out that despite socio-economic challenges, the fact of Nigeria’s unity is worthy of celebration.

Chairman of the 31-member Steering Committee set up by the government, which was inaugurated yesterday, Prof.

Chigozie Ogbu, made the assertion while briefing journalists on the programme of action of his committee.

He stressed that the country still had reasons to celebrate the centenary of its nationhood despite the challenges now bedeviling the country.

From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos ICE President Namadi SamV bo and the Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang have said that without strong and focus political parties in the country, Nigeria’s democracy cannot be sustained due to lack of vibrant policies that will impact positively on the lives of the electorate.

Sambo added that political parties in the country lacked capacity to develop into strong instruments for developing sound institutions. He said that rather than developing strong political institutions to deepen the country’s democratic culture, more attention was being paid to the establishment of governmental bodies and civic organisations.

The duo spoke yesterday at the inauguration of Political Party Leadership and a Development Centre at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS),

Kuru, near Jos in Plateau State.

The Vice President who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Senator Isaiah Ballat, added that both institutions were important but that without strong and dynamic political parties, democracy cannot survive on the long run.

According to him, political parties like any other institutions should continually seek to enhance their capacity in

response to changing circumstances.

Sambo added: “Leaders of political parties owe themselves the obligation to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this all important Centre for self-improvement. Let participation in this training become the turning point in your lives as you position yourselves to effectively take up the challenges of being the successor genera-

tion to today’s leaders.”

He added that leadership is developed through a neverending process of self-study, self-assessment, education and training, saying that there was the need to constantly sharpen the skills of political party leaders to be in tune with the developing environment.

Jang stressed that political parties play critical roles in the sustenance of democracy hence a forum that will bring

the parties together to brainstorm in the interest of the country cannot be over emphasized.

Jang who was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Ignatius Longjan said the development has encouraged him to continue to work for enduring peace in the state to provide a conducive environment for political discourse, adding that the state had hosted several national political events.

Suspected oil thieves vandalise NNPC pipeline at Atlas Cove

By Odita Sunday crude oil SedUSPECTED thieves yesterday attemptto siphon products from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines at the Atlas Cove, an action that led to an explosion at the Akinbo Jetty area.

It was gathered that the vandals however left behind their boats and over 200 jerry cans when the pipeline valve

exploded and fled in their bid to evade arrest.

Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the fire was jointly put out by government agencies.

According to him, “Rescue efforts from NNPC and other specialised agencies put out the fire. The fire started around 1 a.m. but was put out

by the NNPC special team.

“The fire did not start from the main pipeline rather the valves supplying the product was what exploded. The first batch of our team reached there around 7.30 a.m. and the fire was finally put out at the Akinbo Jetty of Atlas Cove around 10.48 a.m.

“Cooling and pegging process have commenced and it is not a barge but vandalism of NNPC pipeline

against earlier information that a barge exploded. About 200 jerry cans of 50 liters as well as three burning boats of the vandals were recovered.”

When contacted, the Command Information Officer (CINFO) Western Naval Command (WNC), Lieutenant Commander Jerry Omodara, confirmed the incident but stressed that there was no casualty as speculated.

Amaechi postpones NGF meeting, chides opponents From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja ITING respect for President C Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State who is laying claim to the chairmanship of the Nigeria Goverors Forum (NGF) has postponed the meeting of the forum earlier scheduled to hold tonight, according to a source.

Meanwhile, Amaechi yesterday in Abuja said all governors including Jang voted at the election which produced him as chairman of the

forum, adding that it therefore smacked of anti-democratic tendencies on the part of those supporting Jang as the chairman of the NGF after he lost at the poll.

“There will be a meeting of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Wednesday June 26, 2013,” Chidinma Onyenalim, an aide to Governor Amaechi had announced on Monday at 8.00 p.m. prompt. To be held at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, No. 5 Justice Mohammed Bello Street, Asokoro, Abuja.”

But the meeting has now

been postponed after the Presidency went on to announce a presidential dinner with governors on the same date, at the same time, and at Abuja.

Sources in Abuja revealed that the NGF governors loyal to Amaechi believe that they would be undermining the office of the President should the 19 of them proceed with the meeting, “We are not at war with Jonathan,” a source said. “We want to prove to him that the NGF battle is not personal; it is about the sanctity of the ballot and democracy.”

The postponed meeting of the NGF is the first that Amaechi, will be convening.

However, Jang, who has been clinging to the chairmanship of the group since losing the election by 16 to 19 votes, held a meeting of governors sympathetic to him on June 16, 2013, to discuss “the impasse arising from the Federal Allocation Account Committee Meeting.”

Amaechi, who spoke at a symposium on Review of the 1999 Constitution and its impact on the much needed judicial reforms organised by the Rule of Law Foundation (RLF) said

all the governors, who attended the meeting where he was elected as chairman of NGF, agreed to participate in the election.

Personalities at the symposium were the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, former Chief Justices of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, Justice Dahiru Musdapher and Justice Sylvester Nguta of the Supreme Court. Amaechi said even Jang voted in the election and wondered why he chose to vote if he had been endorsed as he claimed.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

6 | NEWS

SERAP petitions African Commission over directive on death warrants

By Abiodun Fanoro (Lagos) and John Okeke (Abuja) HE Socio-Economic Rights T and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) complaining about President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent directive to the governors of the 36 states in the country, asking them to sign the warrant of the over 900 convicts sentenced to death.

SERAP, in a statement by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, urged the Commission to order President Jonathan to withdraw the directive with immediate effect to save the lives of the convicts who have already filed a suit at the Federal High Court asking for a reprieve.

Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) filed the suit on behalf of the convicts.

LEDAP in the suit rested its case on a suit by the Lagos High Court, which ruled that though execution is constitutional hanging as well as killing by firing squad is unconstitutional because, it violated victims’ right to dignity of life.

Pursue self-sufficiency, stakeholders urge AU at 50 From Abosede Musari, Abuja FRICAN governments have A been urged to work on selfsustenance, overall development of the continent and shun the habit of depending on foreign aids. This advice is coming even as the continent marks 50 years of existence under the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) and the African Union (AU).

Stakeholders, who met in Abuja yesterday to hold an interactive session to celebrate AU at 50, are of the view that Africa is rich enough to develop itself, suggesting that its resources should be used for that purpose.

The lecture, delivered by Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o of The African Research and Resource Forum (ARRF) in Kenya, was titled: “Gover-

nance in Africa: Challenges for the next 50 years”. The event was organised by New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

Professor Nyong’o urged African leaders to institute democracies devoid of authoritarianism, saying that democracy, which hailed two decades ago, is beginning to

blossom in Africa and is currently being reversed country after country.

“Dictators of yesterday have learnt how to speak the democratic language while practising authoritarian politics and not implementing non-democratic policies”, he said.

According to him, elections in Africa are either semi-competitive or non-competitive at all while many African elite

Group empowers 50,000 children From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba N its quest to bring succour Ichildren, to orphans and vulnerable particularly those in remote villages, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Community-Based Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria (CUBS), said it has empowered about 50,000 children in the country.

With about 21 million dollars funding for the project being provided by the American government, the CUBS Project Director, Dr. Zipprorah Kpamor, who spoke in Asaba, Delta State capital, yesterday during the agenda for experience sharing and exchange visits by beneficiaries of CUBS households economic strengthening support, said over 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children who have lost single or both parents were empowered to become the breadwinners of their families in Delta State.

OAIC Nigeria holds leaders’ retreat HE Organisation of African T Instituted Churches (OAIC), Nigeria Region, under the leadership of its President, Rev. (Dr.) Daniel C. Okoh, will hold a leaders’ retreat at the Lagos State VIP Lounge, Badagry, from Tuesday, July 2 to Thursday, July 4, 2013.

The theme of the retreat is: “Efficient and Effective Management of the Church”, and will be facilitated by Christian Organisations Research and Advisory Trust of Africa (CORAT AFRICA), based in Nairobi, Kenya, in addition to other experienced speakers chosen from Nigeria.

A press release by the event’s planning committee informed that on Monday, July 1, 2013, the organisation would hold its third quarterly NEC meeting at the same venue.

Wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Mrs.Bisi Fayemi (middle) in a group photograph with Miss Nigeria Beauty Pageant 2013 contestants during a courtesy visit to her in Ado Ekiti…yesterday

Bauchi female teachers protest against non-payment of salary arrears From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Ado-Ekiti) and Ali Garba (Bauchi) EMALE teachers in both Fondary primary and junior secschools in Bauchi State yesterday defied all odds to stage a demonstration over the non-payment of their six months’ salaries by the state government allegedly hinged on their low educational standard.

The school teachers in the state early this year experienced non-payment of their salaries when the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) under which they operate, claimed that over 5,000 of them lacked the basic requisite qualification to teach.

The Board, in what was termed as a cleansing exercise to determine the qualification or otherwise of each and every teacher, in conformity with the required teaching standard of National Certificate in Education (NCE), embarked on tests to screen teachers.

However, under the auspices of their union, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the teachers decided not to partake in the exercise as, according to the union, the board’s action was geared not only to discredit but also victimise its members.

In Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi has appealed to teachers in public schools to call off their three-week-old strike in the interest of the pupils.

He urged them to accept the 15 per cent out of the 27.5 per cent Peculiar Allowance being demanded by them, pledging to commence the

• Fayemi seeks end to strike payment of the remaining 12.5 per cent as soon as the state’s finances improve.

However, civil servants in the state have demanded that they must also benefit from the teachers’ allowance because the teachers were also included in the 33 per cent Relativity Allowance meant for the core civil servants.

Fayemi, who made the appeal while featuring on his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor,” urged the teachers to consider the very lean purse of the state and the future of their pupils and students rendered idle by the strike.

It will be recalled that last week, Bauchi female teachers took their protest to the state

House of Assembly penultimate week and urged the state government to pay the teachers within two weeks their backlog of salaries.

However, Governor Isa Yuguda at an event marking the 2013 Civil Service Day celebration in the state, said about 2,400 of the 5,300 teachers purportedly laid off have been screened and reengaged into the service while the second batch of the exercise was about to start

ride on the back of human corpses with those who confront such dictatorial tendencies facing severe repression.

“With the re-emergence of military take-over of state power in Mali and election losers refusing to leave power in Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe, something will need to be done to preserve the progress made in democratisation”, he said.

With population on the African continent expected to rise to two billion in the next 50 years, the scholar said Africa should strive to make it a quality population that will be free from poverty, child mortality and the one that will help the development of the continent.

He stated that the current population of 680 million is not a quality one because it is ravaged by poverty and other challenges.

While advising Africa to practise good and inclusive governance, he added that Africa would need to grow economically at seven per cent rate annually to sustain the predicted population; and that proper management and elimination of internal conflicts will help to achieve this.

It was the view of participants at the lecture that Africa has come of age and is rich enough to develop itself with the use of its resources rather than continually depending on foreign aids, which are laced with underlining interests of the aid givers.

The participants charged African leaders to consider doing without aids any longer.

They questioned why China would have to build a secretariat structure for AU despite the surplus of human resources in African countries.

To this, the Executive Director of CDD, Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, in an interview with The Guardian at the end of the event, said Africa was rich enough to effect its own development without dependence on foreign aid. He described the Chinese gift of a secretariat building to AU as imperialism and warned that “Africa should watch out for its interest as Chinese imperialism builds up”.

BPP rejects ministry’s proposal for N1.8b aviation tools project

By Wole Shadare

• Cites lack of due process

HE desire to have a safer sky T may become a tall dream after all as the Ministry of Avia-

Messrs MACE is their representative in Nigeria with capacity to carry out efficient and effective maintenance services on their products.

The agency said this was important in view of the fact that “there is no proof of experience of MACE in similar maintenance services.

Also requested to be furnished with are documentary evidence (Award Letters, Completion Certificates etc) to show that Messrs MACE has carried out similar maintenance services in the past to support the claim of the experience as indicated in their proposal.

In dismissing the proposal, the agency declared that in view of the foregoing, “Due Process Certificate of No Objection can only be granted the Ministry of Aviation/Nigeria Airspace Management Agency for direct procurement of maintenance services for navigational aid equipment including spare parts

tion and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) are at a loggerhead over the direct procurement of N1,896,736,773.40 maintenance services for navigational aids including purchase of spare-parts for all the nation’s airports from Messrs Merry Aviation Communications, Electronics and Industries Nigeria Limited.

On the other hand, the BPP advised the ministry “On the appropriate way of packaging procurement for maintenance services”, adding, “Additionally, Messrs MACE’s proposal forwarded by the Ministry of Aviation lacks substance as it does not contain anything close to a Technical Proposal for a Maintenance Service”.

The BPP, however, requested the ministry to forward a letter of authority from the Original Equipment Manufacturer, Messrs Thales, indicating that

for all the nation’s airports from Messrs Merry Aviation Communications, Electronics and Industries Nigeria Limited (MACE) at the total cost of N1,896,736,773.40” for a period of one year when the lapses are adequately addressed.

According to the BPP, in a reply to the ministry’s proposal dated June 20, 2013, the BPP further noted that, “in order to support the claim that the proposed company with a certified maintenance engineer of vast experience in Aviation Maintenance Services, it is expected that a proper Technical Maintenance Proposal that conforms to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices on Aerodrome Maintenance, will be forwarded, containing an established maintenance programme, including preventive maintenance, at an aerodrome to maintain facilities in a condition which does not impair the safety, regularity

or efficiency of air navigation”.

The Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, in a letter with reference No. FMA/PROC/HQ/O.49/Vol.1/3 to the Director General of BPP, Emeka Ezeh, dated June 10, 2013, which is in the custody of The Guardian, requested for the issuance of Due Process Certificate of ‘No Objection” for Direct Procurement of the highly critical aviation navigational aid to improve the safety of the country’s airspace that had been generally condemned to be appalling.

Air traffic controllers told The Guardian yesterday that at present, most of the navigational facilities in all the airports are obsolete and requiring replacement with the newer version.

They disclosed that manufacturers of these facilities are no longer producing most of the spare parts; stressing that for over three decades the facilities have been adequately maintained by the agency’s engineers despite challenges

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

News | 7

Ikuforiji pays N1b bail bond

FEC okays merger of research centres with varsities

By Wole Oyebade MBATTLED Speaker of the E Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, on Tuesday met the N1 billion bail condition slammed on him by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Ikuforiji, according to close sources, met the bail condition offering properties and bank account statements worth of N1billion.

The Speaker and his personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, were on Monday re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on amended 54 count charges bothering on alleged laundering of N673 million.

The Lagos lawmakers, however, absolved Ikuforiji of any wrongdoing, as they described his trail as “political and a sardonic ploy to malign his personality, given his tremendous achievements in office and his rising political profile.”

Kogi women get N230m Dangote grants

•Commercialization of River Basins

A

Ernst and Young Financial Services Sector Leader for West Africa, Dayo Babatunde (left); Ernst and Young Tax Leader for West Africa, Abass Adeniji; Ernst and Young Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Leader for Africa, Mike Kane; Chief Compliance Officer, Access Bank Plc, Pattison Boleigha and Ernst and Young Advisory Leader for West Africa, Kunle Salau, during the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in Lagos…yesterday PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

Health minister condemns doctors’ warning strike

By Chukwuma Muanya and Wole Oyebade

S resident doctors in NigeANGOTE Foundation yesD terday in Lokoja, Kogi Aria began a three-day warnState capital, disbursed N230 ing strike yesterday, the million as micro grants to women under the Kogi Human Capital Development initiative.

It was gathered that 22,000 women from across the state who are to undergo trainings sponsored by Kogi State government, are expected to benefit from the grant. The micro grant is in fulfillment of the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s, promise during his last year’s visit to the state to commiserate with Kogi people and government on the flood that ravaged the state.

During the visit, he had, upon the donation of N430 million to assist flood victims, promised to give special grant to women in Kogi to embark on their various trades as part of his company’s social responsibility to the host communities.

UN expert flays Edo executions

By Kamal Tayo Oropo HE United Nations Special T Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Christof Heyns, has condemned the execution of four people that took place on Monday in Edo State.

“I also call for a halt to the possible execution of the fifth man that remains at imminent risk,” Heyns said in a statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

“These executions undermine previous trends towards abolishing, in law and practice, the death penalty in the country,” the Special Rapporteur said. He recalled that in 2009, the government of Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to a de facto moratorium on the death penalty when the situation of human rights in the country was studied under the UN Universal Periodic Review.

The independent human rights expert noted that without full respect for due process, capital punishment constitutes a summary or arbitrary execution. “International law imposes stringent requirements that must be met before the death penalty may be imposed,” he said.

From Abubakar Mohammed, Abuja FTER weeks of deliberations on the draft White Paper on the Presidential Committee on the Rationalization of Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday okayed the merger of some research institutes and centres with the existing universities.

Also, the Council took a decision to ensure full commercialization of all the River Basins spread across the country with a view to making them respond to government’s new plans for agricultural revolution.

To achieve the objective,the Council has raised an ad-hoc committee under the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Samsudeen Usman with a view to advising the federal government on how efficiently the rationalization exercise could be carried. The committee has two-weeks to carry out its task In taking the decision to merge the research centres and institutes, the government believes it would add values to their corporate existence, because it would boost the university-industry relationship being promoted by the present administration.

In addition, the Council raised another committee to advise the government on the involvement of the private sector in the management of the National Theatre.

Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, Information Minister, Labaran Maku, said the Council took a decision that some of the research centres, would have their services, transferred to the nearby universities in order to make them more functional and result-oriented.

According to Maku, in considering the draft document, gov-

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has condemned the industrial action, which he described as unnecessary.

Chukwu appealed to the aggrieved doctors to go back to an agreement jointly reached by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and officials of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) two weeks ago and call off the warning strike.

NARD, at its National Executive Council meeting on Monday, had directed all its members across the country to commence the warning strike in protest of poor funding of residency training and negligence of their 21-day ultimatum by the Federal Government.

In some of the hospitals monitored in Lagos yesterday, healthcare services were skeletal as resident doctors disserted their patients. Care services

were left to other members of the medical team and to consultants, where available.

Chukwu, in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dan Nwomeh, noted that the FMoH had reacted to the NARD’s notice of industrial action by holding a meeting on June 14, 2013, with the group, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) branch, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and representatives of the Board and Management of ISTH. “All the contentious issues were resolved and a joint statement of the resolutions was duly signed by the appropriate representatives of the FMoH and NARD. “The minister, therefore, condemns the strike and calls on NARD to rescind the decision to proceed on the strike and allow implementation of the comprehensive resolutions of June 14, 2013,” the statement reads in part.

The association, led by its National President, Dr. Ismail Lawal, directed all members

across the country to commence the warning strike as a form of protest against the government’s attitude.

“The three-day warning strike is to show our dissatisfaction at the unbecoming attitude of the Federal Government to the issue of residency training funding and the failure to yield to our demand for the supplementary budget for the training,” Lawal said.

President, Association of the Resident Doctors (ARD), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) branch, Dr. Jimi Sodipo, told The Guardian that the warning strike was not aimed at paralysing care services in the hospital, as the national body had also directed that emergency services must not be affected.

At LASUTH, Ikeja, only the clinics were affected by the strike. Consultants were yesterday seen attending to patients at the Accident and Emergency Section, Surgical Emergencies, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Departments, among others.

NDLEA, others seek joint action against drug abuse, trafficking From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City), Uzoma Nzeagwu (Awka), Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri), Joseph Wantu (Makurdi) and Ali Garba (Bauchi) HE National Drug Law EnT forcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday raised the alarm over “clandestine laboratories that produce methamphetamine,” which it described as a Class A drug with a rapidly growing global market.

The agency announced that 3,434,966.23kg of narcotics have been seized and 21,871 traffickers convicted in the last 23 years of its establishment.

At an event in Benin City to mark the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, who was represented by the Edo Commander of the agency, Sani Sani, said the quantity of narcotics seized in the last two decades in-

cluded 2,827,861.70kg of cannabis, 178,120.73kg of cocaine, 195,283.92kg of heroin and 233,699kg of psychotropic substances.

Giade said the NDLEA had, in the last two years, detected and dismantled five methamphetamine production laboratories, four of which were discovered in Lagos while the fifth one was in Nanka, Anambra State.

While calling for collaboration from all to sustain the fight against drug abuse, the NDLEA boss said: “This has become imperative in view of the emerging trend in illicit drug trade. Cannabis Sativa, which is also known as Indian hemp, used to be the only locally-produced illicit drug in Nigeria.”

In Awka, Anambra State capital, where Giade was represented at the same event by the state NDLEA Commander, Mr. Sule Momodu, Governor Peter Obi noted that the use of drugs is part of negative influence of foreign culture.

Obi, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Oseloka Obaze, said whenever there is extensive use of the drug, there is trouble.

In Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima said drug abuse is worse than cancer and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), because if detected early, these diseases can be tackled through appropriate medical treatment.

In Benue State, the Commander, Mrs. Chinyere Obijuru, said 21,636 hectares of Cannabis Sativa farms were destroyed at various locations in Konshisha, Buruku, Logo and Katsina Ala local council areas.

Bauchi State Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. Parah Julius Bawa, said the command made seizures of over 620 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa and other substances harmful to human beings.

The agency was also able to seize five vehicles used in conveying drugs.

Government came out with the conclusion that research efforts that were disconnected from the industry were not bound to yield any results, as such the Council took decision to ensure that they were merged with the universities so as to ensure that their outcomes were put into national use. ernment came out with the conclusion that research efforts that were disconnected from the industry were not bound to yield any results, as such the Council took decision to ensure that they were merged with the universities so as to ensure that their outcomes were put into national use.

Though, he did not name the specific agencies to be affected in the merger exercise, Maku, however, identified some agencies in the Ministry of Science and Technology, most of which, he said perform similar roles.

He added that the idea was not just to conserve funds for the government, but to ensure that government agencies were run effectively and efficiently.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

8 | NEWS

Passengers seek probe of ill-fated flight From Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, Uyo ASSENGERS on board Arik P Air flight W3 533 from Abuja to Uyo on June 21, 2013 have called on the Federal Government to institute an investigation into the circumstances that led to a near-air mishap at Ibom International Airport on the said date.

According to them, this would help to check a repeat of such an ugly situation in future, especially now that government is doing everything to reposition the country’s airspace in line with international standards.

However, an official of the airline, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the passengers’ demands were outrageous, as the aborted trip was a great loss to the company.

On behalf of other passengers, Mr. Uduak Etuk told journalists in Uyo yesterday that it was horrible for them to see the plane, whose landing gear had come down, to suddenly zoom off again after it had reached between 50 and 100 metres from the tarmac.

He stated that it was then they realised that the traffic light in Ibom Airport had gone off.

Blaming the situation on the absence of communication between the pilot and the control tower in Uyo, the passengers said except a thorough investigative panel was set up by the Federal Government to look into the issue, a repeat of the situation was likely.

“Unless an investigative panel is set up to probe the

immediate and remote causes of the incident, the situation may recur, which will definitely lead to national tragedy.

“I cannot really say whether it was Arik’s fault or Ibom Airport management’s fault.

Normally, before any plane takes off, the control tower communicates so so flight is coming to Uyo. Since that was the case, whether there was a strike in Uyo, whether they had problem with electrical system, that should have been communicated before we even took off.

“We desire an investigation into the matter. I don’t see how Arik Air could have taken off from Abuja without getting clearance whether there was strike or not. So, it beats my imagination; 50 to 100 metres from the tarmac, that is a matter of life and death.

“The landing gear had come down; we were just about to land after long journey, but surprisingly, we saw the plane zoom up. It was after the traffic light had gone off, it was then we knew how dangerous it was.

“When we left Abuja few minutes passed seven, we reached Ibom Airport around 8.00 p.m., but hovered for 50 minutes in the air, that was when they were communicating, between the control tower and the pilot.

“We wish that the management of Arik Airlines could address the passengers that were involved. At least, they could have done the most humane thing, which is to tender an apology. There has not

been apology given to any of us.

“We had a senator, commissioner, businessmen and government officials, retired judge, as well as a minister on the flight.

“I want justice to be done. I want the Federal Government to hear and look into this matter and investigate what really happened”, he said.

He condemned the non-chalant attitude of the management of Arik, stressing that the government should investigate such behaviour so as to check airline operators from taking Nigerians for granted.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Ibukun Odusote (left) and Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ronke Sokefun during the technical session at the on-going conference of National Council of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abeokuta.

Amaechi urged to drop planned protest against police commissioner

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt

• Lawmaker defends First Lady’s visit

IVERS State residents have R urged Governor Chibuike Amaechi to drop his planned

leging a calculated plan to distract the governor whom they advised to remain focus and avoid yielding to political pressures.

In an interview, one of the residents, Mr. Chukwuma Obi, said it was needless calling for the removal of Mbu as the powerful forces allegedly controlling him from Abuja may send a similar character whose actions may be worse than Mbu’s.

“We urge the governor to continue to be peaceful, God is watching the whole drama and will surely intervene. The protest may result to something else.

Another resident, Mrs. Franca Akpan, urged Amaechi to channel his grievances to the appropriate authorities like the Police Service Commission or write to President Goodluck Jonathan, rather than taking the laws into his own hands.

“We feel the frustrations of the governor, it’s obvious that the

protest against the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, warning that the action may exacerbate the political tension in the state.

Meanwhile, a member of the House of Assembly, Mr. Evans Bipi, has faulted a statement credited to the former state chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Mr. Eugene Ogu to the effect that the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s week-long stay in Port Harcourt was aimed at worsening the political tension in the state.

The residents said though it was sad that the commissioner allegedly did not have regard for the governor who remains the Chief Security Officer of the state, Amaechi should maintain calm for the sake of peace.

They lamented the political uproar in the state and the role of the police commissioner, al-

battles were meant to distract him, but he should remain focus and allow peace to reign.

It is not good to over heat the polity for the sake of future generations,” she said.

Amaechi had on Tuesday vowed to lead a protest to demand removal of Mbu, alleging that the Police Commissioner, in partnership with those he described as Abuja–based politicians, has played some roles that caused serious problems in Rivers State.

The lawmaker who represents Ogu/Bolo Constituency in the House of Assembly, said the clergy did not have the right to ask Mr. President to withdraw his wife from Rivers State, noting that Ogu does not know the reasons for the First Lady’s visit.

He therefore described the call as worthless and baseless.

According to Bipi, Mrs. Jonathan was in Rivers State to attend some important functions and not for any political reason.

Govt reappoints pilgrim commission’s chief

By Olawunmi Ojo HE Federal Government has T approved the re-appointment of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Mr. John Kennedy Opara, for a second tenure of five years in accordance with the NCPC Establishment Act of 2007.

In a statement by the Commission’s Head of Media, Olajide Oshundun, he said that Federal Government also approved the reappointment of six members of the board of the commission while Pastor Mike Abrakata joins the board as a new member.

The board members include Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas D. Okoh as the chairman; Elder Dogara Akut representing North-West Zone; Deaconess Adefemi Taire representing South-West Zone; Archbishop Nemuel Babba representing North-East Zone; Mrs. Helen Ughoro representing North-Central Zone; Rev. Dr. Zion S. Ibenye representing South-East Zone and Pastor Abrakata representing South-South Zone. The appointments took effect on Monday, June 24.

Atuche, others urge court to dismiss theft charges

By Bertram Nwannekanma Managing Director FcisofORMER erstwhile Bank PHB, FranAtuche, his wife, Elizabeth and the former chief financial officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu, yesterday urged an Ikeja High Court, Lagos to discharge the 27-count charge of stealing filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Atuches and Anyanwu were arraigned before Justice Lateefat Okunnu on allegations of stealing N25.7 billion belonging to the bank.

In a no case submission filed through their counsel, Anthony Idigbe (SAN) and brought pursuant to Sections 35(3), 36(5) of the constitution and Section 239 of the Administration of Criminal Laws of Lagos State, the Atuches urged the court to dismiss the charges or acquit them for lack of case to answer.

Idigbe, in the motion supported by a five-paragraph af-

fidavit and a written address, called on the court to dismiss the charges against the first and second defendants for being duplicitous.

“Counts one to 10 as listed and counts 11 - 27 are similar charges that are duplicated, which means that one cannot commit the two sets of count the same time”, he submitted.

Idigbe argued that all the evidences provided by the prosecution were circumstantial and contradictory which therefore could not warrant putting the defendants in the witness box. He also told the court that the evidences by the witnesses were unreliable because of the noticeable contradictions of facts as they concern the actual money allegedly stolen and acceptable banking procedures.

In urging the court to acquit the Atuches , Idigbe who, cited several authorities, said the over generalisation of the facts by the prosecution and the absence of vital witnesses

like Peter Ololo constituted serious lacuna in the prosecution’s case.

On the case of Atuche’s wife, he stated that there was no evidence linking her directly to the charge.

According to Idigbe, the only evidence before the court was that she was a director and shareholder of companies alleged to have benefited from the loan transaction.

Similarly, counsel to the third defendant (Ugo Anyanwu), Sylva Ogwuemor, in his submission urged the court to be bold in doing justice by discharging the charges against his client, claiming there was no evidence sufficient enough to warrant his standing trial.

According to the counsel, evidences by the prosecuting witnesses were speculative and did not show that his client was a beneficiary of the alleged theft.

He submitted further that the only link to his client was signing a letter and sending an e-

mail message, which was a legitimate duty, associated with his position as the chief financial officer of the bank.

But in his objection to the applications, EFCC’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the defence, claiming he has provided enough potent, cogent and forensic evidence of the action of the defendants on the charges of which they are alleged accomplices.

Pinheiro argued that it was a misconception of the law for the defence to state that the charges are duplicitous, arguing that the doctrine of double jeopardy has no place with respect to counts or offences.

On the case of Mrs. Atuche, the prosecution said she could not be exonerated since her company was found to be the recipient of the stolen money.

Ruling on the no case applications has been adjourned till July 1.

9

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

WorldReport British High Commission’s response over visa bond policy to speculation in IbleNtheresponse press regarding the possiimplementation of ‘visa bonds’ for Nigerian visa applicants to the United Kingdom, High Commissioner Dr Andrew Pocock met with Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru on 25 June.

Following that meeting High Commissioner Dr. Andrew Pocock said: “I welcome the chance to set out the facts on so called “visa bonds.”

“The British Government has announced that it intends to undertake a very small scale trial of the use of financial bonds as a way of tackling abuse in the immigration system (which occurs when some people overstay their visa terms).

“The details of a pilot scheme are still being worked out. No final decision has been made.

If the pilot were to go ahead in Nigeria it would affect only a very small number of the highest risk visitors. The vast majority would not be required to pay a bond. Those paying bonds would receive the bond back, if they abided by the terms of their visa.

“Let me put this in perspective. Over 180,000 Nigerians apply to visit the UK each year.

About 70% or around 125,000, of those applicants are successful. Travel between our two countries is a key part of our strong cultural and business relationship. Financial bonds would be focussed on only a tiny minority of potential abusers. It would NOT be a “£3000 visa charge” as some media reporting has alleged.

“As soon as more details of the policy have been decided, we will inform the Nigerian Government and public fully and officially, in the spirit of our long standing friendship, and our wish to help bona fide Nigerian visitors to work, study or do business in the United Kingdom.”

Syrian war death toll passes 100,000, peace parley prospects fade ROM the Syrian Observatory Fcame for Human Rights yesterday a report that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the country’s uprising, just as a proposed Geneva peace conference looked set to be delayed, dimming hopes for an end to the bloodshed.

According to the group, which relies on a network of activists and officials on the ground for its information, the death toll from the civil war was now 100,191 people.

The toll is a testament to the levels of violence wracking the country, which has been ravaged by the conflict that broke out in March 2011 with peaceful demonstrations calling for regime change.

Despite the violence, a USRussian proposal dubbed Geneva 2 that would bring rebels and regime representatives to the negotiating table is yet to bear any fruit.

Questions persist on Nigeria’s exclusion as Obama begins African tour President applauds Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage From Laolu Akande, New York S United States (U.S.) A President Barack Obama yesterday embarked on his three nations’ tour of Africa, questions persisted from the American media and civil society on the exclusion of Nigeria from the trip.

Obama, who was joined by his wife, Michelle and other White House officials and family members, including his two daughters, boarded Air Force One around 9a.m. yesterday morning and left for Senegal – the first stop of the trip.

However, Obama has commended the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman – a major victory for gay couples.

“I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defence of Marriage Act,” Obama said shortly after the announcement of the 5-4

decision ending the 1996 law.

“This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it.”

The striking down of DOMA will allow married gay couples to enjoy the same federal benefits as straight married couples, including with regard to inheritance and hospital visits.

Obama said he had ordered officials to “ensure this decision, including its implications for federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.”

In addition to striking down the federal law, the Supreme Court threw out an appeal of a ruling against Proposition 8, a California state ban on gay marriage, paving the way for same-sex marriage in the western state.

In a bid to reassure opponents of same-sex marriage,

Obama said the rulings would have no effect on how religious institutions define marriage.

Obama, the first U.S. president to come out in support of same-sex marriage, cast the decision as a landmark step in the U.S. struggle for equal rights.

But in the last one week during pre-tour conference calls hosted by the White House, the constant top question asked by either journalists or civil society centered on Nigeria’s exclusion.

First, the White House held a Conference Call for reporters last week Friday where the travel plans of President Obama were detailed and the objectives of the trip explained by three White House officials, namely Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Senior Director for African Affairs Grant Harris and Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith.

At that media briefing, it did

not take too long before a reporter from Bloomberg asked the question on why Nigeria was left out.

Again on Tuesday afternoon at another White House Conference Call addressed by the same set of White House officials, but this time not for the press but for NGOs and the civil society, a participant from Howard University, spoke up again, demanding an explanation from White House why Nigeria was left out of the trip.

Besides the U.S. media and NGOs questioning the exclusion of Nigeria, such groups like the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, CANAN and also the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Prof.

Ade Adefuye, have also questioned what many see as an obvious isolation of Nigeria during this second trip by President Obama to Africa.

The argument behind the questions raised by both the U.S. media and civil society is based on Nigeria’s strategic role in the continent and what the Obama government itself has always said about the importance of Nigeria to its

Kerry steps up M’ East peace drive, Palestinians decry new settler homes MERICA’S top diplomat, A John Kerry, has expressed confidence that Israeli and Palestinian leaders both wanted peace as he called for progress “as soon as we can” in moving towards talks.

Kerry’s remark came as a senior Palestinian official charged yesterday that plans to build new settler homes in east Jerusalem are Israel’s answer to the U.S. Secretary of State ‘s efforts to renew peace talks.

“Israel is sending message after message to Kerry that settlement is their response to any (peace) initiative,” Hanan Ashrawi told AFP after a committee pushed through plans for 69 new homes in Har Homa, a particularly contentious area on the southern outskirts of Arab east Jerusalem.

“And then, they blame the Palestinians for not coming to the negotiating table,” she said scornfully.

The Palestinian leadership had repeatedly asked Washington to look at Israel’s actions on the ground, but they were turning a blind eye, said Ashrawi.

After stops in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Kerry departed for Jordan where he was to focus his energies on drawing Israel and the Palestinians back into direct negotiations after a hiatus of nearly three years.

Ex-leader, Rudd, ousts Australia’s first female PM USTRALIA’S former leader A Kevin Rudd yesterday ousted Prime Minister Julia Gillard

United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, as they prepare to depart on a trip to Senegal , South Africa and Tanzania…yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

S’ Africans sing, pray for Mandela, clan elders prepare for ‘final journey’ his nation during this diffithe Nobel Peace laureate a ITH the health of their ailfamily sources. It was not poscult time.”

W “peaceful, perfect, end”. ing dear Nelson Mandela sible to verify the information.

The White House has also “We have been so united — remaining critical, emotional Officially, there was no crowds gathered outside his hospital yesterday, as relatives and clan elders made preparations for the revered former South African leader’s final journey.

But despite Madiba’s deteriorating health, supporters still sang hymns for the 94year-old architect of South Africa’s remarkable transition from almost half a century of white minority rule to landmark multiracial elections, a report by Agence france Presse (AFP) indicated.

Moreso, a candlelight vigil was held late Tuesday and a prayer read out by a South African archbishop to wish

blacks and whites together.

That’s the thought of Mandela in us,” said Lerato Boulares, 35.

With his life seemingly slipping away, messages of support for the anti-apartheid hero blanketed a wall outside the hospital, including a poster bearing one of his most memorable quotes: “It only seems impossible until it’s done”.

Meanwhile, messages of goodwill flooded in from overseas.

In only her fifth ever tweet, Hillary Clinton offered “love and prayers to our great friend, Madiba, his family and

sent its wishes but could not yet say whether his ill health would affect a planned visit

by U.S. President Barack Obama to South Africa from Friday as part of a tour of Africa.

The former political prisoner was hospitalised on June 8 with a stubborn lung problem dating from his 27 years locked up on the notorious Robben Island and in other apartheid prisons.

With his condition deteriorating, Mandela was breathing with the assistance of a life support ventilator, South African daily, The Citizen, reported, quoting unnamed

change in Mandela’s condition, with President Jacob Zuma reporting he was still “in a critical condition.”

According to local media, Mandela’s from elders Thembu clan were due to visit the Nobel laureate as his “Rainbow Nation” comes to terms with the increasing frailty of the man fondly known by his clan name Madiba.

The elders want to “discuss what should be done,” an unnamed local chief told local daily The Times, alluding to disagreement among family members over his burial site.

A row reportedly broke out

as Labour chief in a dramatic ballot, deposing the country’s first female premier as the party fights for electoral survival.

The embattled Gillard – who will quit politics in September – called the vote after a day of internal party manoeuvring in favour of her arch-rival and predecessor, whom she had ruthlessly deposed in 2010.

Rudd won the vote of Labour lawmakers 57 to 45 amid mounting unease in the party over an expected rout by Tony Abbott’s conservative opposition at the national polls scheduled for September 14.

Gillard made a late-night visit to Governor General Quentin Bryce to offer her resignation and recommend Rudd be reinstated as prime minister, three years and two days after he was dumped by the party.

Analysts said Rudd might move the election date forward to August, hoping to capitalise on a bounce in the polls and build on his previous vows to reorient Australia’s resources-fuelled economy towards the Asia-Pacific region.

“In 2007 the Australian people elected me to be their prime minister. That is a task that I resume today with humility, with honour and with an important sense of energy and purpose,” said Rudd after his victory.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

Politics 2015 polls: Lagos PDP desperate to reconcile

Shelle

Obanikoro

By Seye Olumide

AGOS State, apart from being the most ecoLselect nomically viable state in the country, tops a few that the local chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) PDP has never won over. The others are Borno, Yobe and Zamfara.

Since 1999, the PDP has failed in all governorship elections in the state. In 1999, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the Alliance of Democracy (AD) (now Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)) defeated PDP’s candidate, Chief Dapo Sarumi. In 2003, Tinubu, seeking reelection, also triumphed over the PDP candidate, the late Funso Williams, who had defected from the AD to the PDP. The battle became tougher in 2007 when the PDP fielded current Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, who had also decamped from the AD to contest for the governorship when Williams was suddenly murdered in the heat of the race for the PDP ticket.

However, the candidature of Obanikoro polarised the party when the members complained that the widow of the late Williams won the primary election that allegedly produced Obanikoro.

In 2011, Fashola defeated PDP’s candidate, former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General, Adegboyega Dosunmu, to win his second term in office.

The same crisis that tore PDP apart in 2007 was also responsible for the party’s woeful performance in 2011. Several members were aggrieved over the way Dosunmu emerged as the party candidate.

Contrary to the strong organisational and leadership structure within the ACN, the situation in the Lagos PDP has always been fight for supremacy and ego among its stalwarts.

Nonetheless, the two main actors have been the former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, who resigned from the AD and former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party and later chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Olabode George.

So, since the return of democracy to the country in 1999, the Lagos chapter of the PDP has striven to win elections in the state. But all efforts had come to naught, leaving the party leadership and numerous faithful scratching their heads each time another balloting was approaching.

In 2015, it will be 16 years — four full circles of administration — that the party has been completely shut out of power at the Alausa seat of government. And the prospect of those harrowing years extending beyond 2015 is so frightening to contemplate.

Hence, the party is in a desperate move to put its factionalised house in order, relying more on internal rather than external forces that always seemed to impose such unity on the members.

It is certain that reconciling all interests, to be able to face the task ahead, is more potent

Ogunlewe

than relying on the power and influence of the Presidency or the national secretariat of the party to dismantle the state’s ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2015.

With the benefit of hindsight, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had attempted to use the federal might in 2003 and 2007 to “capture” Lagos for the PDP but failed woefully despite his annexation of the rest of the Southwest.

Still, indications are that the PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan is intent on winning Lagos this time around, and therefore pulling all stops to achieve that goal.

The control of the Southwest (except Ondo State) has become a threat to the PDP and taking Lagos, considered the power base of the zone’s politics in term of resources, strategy and population has become a challenge to its claim as the largest party both in Nigeria and on the African continent.

But first, there is need for the PDP to close ranks. A member of the party said the Presidency is ensuring that concerted efforts are put in place to pacify all aggrieved party members and bring them together.

Thus, a new reconciliation committee, reportedly influenced by the Presidency, is in place, to replace the Transitional Reconciliation Obanikoro.

Chief Lekan Balogun, a former senator from Oyo State, chairs the committee. Other members are former Speaker of Ogun State, Mrs. Titi Oseni, Mr. Shola, and Tope Ademoloye.

The Obanikoro-led committee was alleged to have polarised the party than reconcile members, leading to the planned move to hold separate congresses by the Bode George and Adeseye Ogunlewe groups last year.

The committee was accused of bias and displaying a penchant for pursuing personal and sectional agenda instead of the collective interest of the party.

The new committee has hit the ground running. After a closed-door meeting with members of the party in Lagos, to chart the way forward, Balogun said that members had agreed to bury their differences and work to win the elections at all levels in Lagos in 2015.

According to him: “I will not disclose the details of the meetings but the fact is that party members have agreed to work together for the common interest of the party towards 2015.”

Balogun harped on alleged disenchantment of Lagosians with the Babatunde Raji Fashola government and the renewed interest of the PDP members to work together to uproot the ACN in subsequent elections.

His words: “I never knew that the level of disenchantment against the ACN by the people of the state is as high as I discovered. We are making progress and the people (PDP members) have all agreed to work together.

“What we are looking at now is how we are going to start strategising towards dislodging ACN in Lagos. Understandably, ACN has been taking advantage of the internal crises

Balogun

within the PDP to win elections since 2003.

Today, what we are doing will change that and make 2015 a certainty.”

On speculations that the Presidency is bent on winning Lagos State in 2015 because of second term ambition of President Jonathan, Balogun hinted that the “entire PDP is interested in Lagos and the Southwest in general.”

“It is not only a matter of President Jonathan’s second term ambition but the ambition of PDP members in the country,” he said.

“It has dangerous political calculations to leave a region as strategic and important like the Southwest under the control of the rival party.

“If ACN could succeed in using Lagos as a springboard to re-launch itself back to power after it was dusted in the entire Southwest region by PDP in 2003 and 2007, that shows how viable Lagos is and we cannot be blamed for making concerted efforts towards winning Lagos in 2015.

Balogun noted that due to the strategic importance of Lagos, the state is pushing the ongoing merger arrangement between the ACN and other parties to form All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Without Lagos, the merger plans will collapse,” he said.

He blamed the crises in the Lagos PDP on ego, stressing that there were different angles to the crises. For instance, his committee will, among others, consider the extent of the grievances by the non-indigene members of the party in Lagos, especially for not being considered for any elective position within the state executive despite their influence and population.

Recently, the South-South Forum of the PDP in Lagos boasted that it would do everything possible to mobilise the people from the six states of the South-South geopolitical zone in Lagos for the President’s 2015 project.

The group has inaugurated its executives, headed by Mr. Sunday Ekanem from Bayelsa State. It also inaugurated members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and appointed Chief Vincent Amadi from Rivers State as chairman.

The group has been accused of getting support from Abuja with the mandate to mobilise the South-South indigenes in Lagos to register for the coming elections and massively vote for the PDP in 2015.

In an interview in Lagos, Ekanem dismissed insinuations that the group is running a parallel executive in the state, but noted that its purpose is to mobilise the South-South people in Lagos.

According to him: “We are not running a parallel executive; we are mere pressure groups complementing the efforts of the executive.

“We are actually trying to mobilise all the South-South indigenes to join the Lagos PDP. We are trying to mobilise our people so that their focus will be entirely on PDP in all elective positions.

“We inaugurated the executives of each of the six South-South states in Lagos, believing that

Ekanem

it will help to mobilise our people here.

“For instance, an executive representing Akwa Ibom would be in a better position to talk to people from the state, and likewise others.

On the issue of non-indigene members of the PDP residing in Lagos not given the opportunity to feature in the executive, Ekanem said the Balogun committee is trying to address that issue.

“The South-South people constitute 30 per cent of the 70 per cent of non-indigenes in the Lagos PDP and yet, we are not represented in the state executive. This is totally unacceptable to us and that is why we continue to say internal democracy must reign,” he said.

He noted that, “in the ACN, an Igbo man is the publicity secretary; so, why must the PDP continue to push non-indigenes around?”

“As long as PDP continues to push non-indigene members around, it will continue to have challenges,” he said.

“If the Lagos PDP wants us to get to our people, then we must be represented in the executive. There is the need to start to project the interest of non-indigenes in the Lagos PDP because they are in the majority.

“PDP has a better chance to take Lagos from the ACN in 2015 if the party can work on nonindigenes.”

Ekanem believes that moles (spies) within the Lagos PDP were hurting the party. “The moles appear as PDP in the day and ACN in the night,” he said.

“Until we fish them out, we will continue to have problems. I do not know them, but we need to fish them out.”

He stressed that 2015 was going to be the best opportunity for the PDP to take Lagos because of the alleged disenchantment of the people to the policies of the government, which, he claimed, had pauperised Lagosians.

Meanwhile, Mr. Taofeek Gani, the publicity secretary of the PDP in the state, speaking on behalf of the party chairman Captain Tunji Shelle (Rtd), disagreed with the argument that the Obanikoro-led Transitional Reconciliation Congress Committee failed.

He said that the committee achieved what it was detailed to achieve, and that was to ensure a successful congress and an executive in place.

Explaining the circumstances that led to the new Balogun reconciliation committee, Gani said it was one of the initiatives of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to ensure strong preparations of the party in all the six geopolitical zones, particularly the Southwest.

“The good thing is that there is no longer quarrel among the leaderships of Lagos PDP,” he said. “The likes of George, Senator Ogunlewe and others have agreed to work for the interest of the party.”

Gani said the party is ready to give the ACN the fight in 2015 and “we are going to put necessary plans in place to ensure ACN does not rig the election.”

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

POLITICS

11

ACN’s tenure is over in Osun, says Olasunkanmi Abdulrasheed Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, 57, former Senator (2003-2007) and past Minister of Youth Development (2007 and 2011) has declared his intension to take over the Okefia seat of power in Osun State in 2014 on the platform of the PDP, on the ground that the current occupant, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, “has performed woefully.” He spoke in Lagos recently, reports Tunde Akinola.

WHY are you in this race?

I am in the race because of the problems, because of the issues, because of the challenges that our people in Osun State are facing since the emergence of Governor Aregbesola after his judicial victory. He never won the election.

Aregbesola has been in the saddle in the government of the state from November 2010, he has been putting Osun in the news for wrong reasons. If he is not confronting the Federal Government, he does it with the judiciary. If he is not confronting the judiciary, it is the citizens of the state that he is confronting.

He has been busy demolishing people’s means of livelihood, people’s property without compensation. That is not why he was put there as governor. He is supposed to protect the interest of the people.

I am not surprised really because before he became the governor, Aregbesola had actually not been living among and with the people of Osun State. So, we are not surprised that since he has been in government, he has become an alien unto the people of Osun State because he doesn’t really know what he wants. He doesn’t know what our priorities are because he had never lived among the Osun people.

Are you saying that there is nothing on ground since Aregbesola came into office?

He has not completed any. If you know any road that Aregbesola has completed, please tell me.

It is a well-known fact that come November this year, Aregbesola will be three years in office as governor of Osun State. Have you heard of any project that he has commissioned? Have you read in the papers or seen it on television, or heard it on radio that he commissioned even one single project?

The only thing he has done when he came in terms of youth employment was to employ or select 20,000 youths that he gives less than N10,000 every month. He is using graduates to cut grass and clean sewages. I don’t believe that is the kind of job creation that the people of Osun are clamouring for.

We are talking of real youth empowerment programme.

In terms of infrastructural development, have you seen any road that has been commissioned by Aregbesola in the last three years?

In terms of healthcare facilities, have you seen rural health centres not to talk of hospitals that had been commissioned by Aregbesola?

In terms of education — yes, he told us that he would be building mega schools, but what we saw is the demolition of 3,000 school

structures put in place by the previous administrations. He has not been able to commission any one of the mega schools.

But he has done a lot of roads…

I hope you are not going to tell me about federal roads? All you hear is that he has awarded this road for billions; he has awarded that for billions. We have not seen any work he has completed.

If you know any road Aregbesola has completed, tell me. I am from Osun, and I live there with the people. We have not seen a single one, but if you have seen any, please, tell us here.

What I am saying is that Aregbesola has failed woefully in terms of performance in Osun because he has nothing to show for the three years he has been in the saddle.

Our people in Osun cannot be hoodwinked; they cannot be deceived for the second term.

Aregbesola’s tenure is definitely over in Osun State because of woeful performance. It is only propaganda that we have seen.

You seem to be confident about getting the flag for your ambition?

I believe that out of the lots that have shown interest in the governorship of Osun State, I am the most qualified. I served this country in the highest lawmaking body, the Senate; and also in terms of executive experience, I have served as Minister between 2007 and 2011.

I want to tell you that when it comes to the governor of Osun State in 2014, the people’s governor will be voted into power; the person who knows where the shoe pinches will be voted into power; I am very, very sure.

We will have the right person; we will have the right policies in education; we will have the right policies in rural development; we will have the right policies in infrastructural development; and we will have the right policies in alleviating the sufferings of the masses of the people of Osun State.

Aregbesola won the last election; how can you defeat him in 2014?

When the tribunal decided the case, it was decided in favour of the incumbent, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

He (Aregbesola) went on appeal. I am sure you all know the intrigues; the case is still going on.

Now, before that election was awarded to Aregbesola, they had to remove the votes in 10 local governments, including my own local government.

We have 30 local governments in Osun State; they had to nullify elections in 10 local governments; that means one-third of the state did not have a say in who became the governor of the state.

Even out of the remaining 20 local governments, many voters were disenfranchised; what kind of democracy is that?

I am saying that whether we like it or not, election is due again in 2014 and with all due respect to you, I want you and those people who think like you to listen to me; we will win the election.

Besides having a seeming weak structure, have you considered a rancorous party primary and the obstacles that could create?

I am telling you that PDP remains

Akinlabi Olasunkanmi a family; we disagree and agree.

Even before the emergence of Oyinlola, 23 aspirants came out, wanting to fly the flag of the party in that election against Bisi Akande. When the candidate emerged, everybody rallied to support him.

This time around, we are only four and I believe that with the way PDP does its things democratically, once a candidate emerges, I have no doubt that the other aspirants will support.

Who is the power behind your ambition?

Let me be honest with you, I don’t have a godfather; I only have role models. Every PDP leader is my godfather and I look forward to them, I respect them, I learn from them, and I tap from their fountain of wisdom. So, every PDP leader is my godfather.

I have told you when President Yar’Adua was there, you all know that he dissolved his cabinet, and when he reappointed 20 of 42, I was reappointed and posited back to the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

I was the only Minister that spent four years in his ministry throughout the tenure of both administrations (Yar’Adua and Jonathan’s). That tells you that I don’t have a godfather; every PDP leader is my godfather. I am dedicated to my work and to the Nigerian people.

I can assure that the primaries of who is going to fly the flag of the party to confront Aregbesola in 2014 will emerge democratically. That is why I am very confident because I know it is going to be on merit, and Akinlabi

Olasunkanmi is going to emerge as the candidate of the PDP because of my experience.

Are you not reckoning with the factor of Senator Iyiola Omisore in the primaries?

Oyinlola is one of the leaders of the PDP in Osun State, and his factor is going to be like the factor of any other leader in PDP, like Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, like Chief Ebenezer Babatope, like Dr. Olu Alabi, like Chief Olayinwola Ogunrinade. They will sit down together and what they have always been saying is that the people’s wish must prevail.

I have absolute confidence in the leaders of our party in Osun State and nationally, that they will allow the best candidate to emerge to face the incumbent governor. I don’t have any doubt about that.

Wouldn’t other political functionaries on the platform of the ACN pose problems to PDP’s victory at the poll?

I have told you that the election is going to be decided by the people of Osun State. If they are satisfied with Aregbesola’s performance in office, definitely, they will vote for him, but if they are not satisfied with his performance in office and they don’t want their trauma to continue, I am sure he is going to be voted out.

The election is not going to be decided based on propaganda; the election is going to be decided by the people of Osun State through one man, one vote; one woman, one vote; one youth, one vote and there will not be room for all these para-military organisations, illegal bodies that are being set up to perpetrate electoral violence.

The election is going to be decided by the people of Osun State. If they are satisfied with Aregbesola’s performance in office, definitely, they will vote for him, but if they are not satisfied with his performance in office and they don’t want their trauma to continue, I am sure he is going to be voted out. The election is not going to be decided based on propaganda; the election is going to be decided by the people of Osun State through one man, one vote; one woman, one vote; one youth, one vote and there will not be room for all these para-military organisations, illegal bodies that are being set up to perpetrate electoral violence.

I am sure the election will be free and fair; and if the votes of the people of Osun State count in 2014, Aregbesola is going to be voted out because of the discontent of Osun people with his administration.

Come 2014, he is packing his bag and baggage and coming back to Lagos.

Has your zone, Osun West senatorial district, produced governor in the past?

Let me tell that we believe so much in meritocracy. I know I have what it takes to govern Osun State. I believe that the best man should come out to give us good governance.

My passion generally is, how can we drive out poverty, how can we wipe out hunger, how can we wipe out unemployment from Osun State? That is what I am bringing into government.

But be that as it may, let me come back to your calculation. During the time of Oyinlola — Oyinlola is from Central senatorial district, the same senatorial district that Baba Bisi Akande comes from. The two combined governed Osun State for 12 years.

The incumbent, Rauf Aregbesola, is from Osun East senatorial district. What my people are saying is that it is the turn of Osun West to be given the chance to govern Osun State.

By accident of history, I happen to come from Osun West. (Former Governor Isiaka) Adeleke also comes from Osun West but he only governed for 22 months, if that is what you want to say.

So, there is no zone that had not produced a governor in the past?

Okay, let’s do the calculation.

Adeleke had done it for 22 months; Rauf Aregbesola would have done it for 48 months; so it is the turn of Osun West senatorial district.

In 2003, Dr. Alex Ekwueme told people if they were satisfied with the performance of Obasanjo, they could vote him. What do you have to defeat an incumbent in 2014?

Let me repeat it, and I will take it from another angle. You said when Alex Ekwueme said that if people were satisfied with the performance of Obasanjo… it shocked Ekwueme. That means the people were satisfied.

Really, I feel bad; it touches my heart when we are talking of bringing dividends of democracy for our people, when we are talking of how to entrench the system of good governance, you are saying somebody controls instruments of violence. It is really, really sad. I believe that we should all be the advocates of very peaceful, transparent and credible elections.

Beyond a violent, electoral malpractice, let me tell you what is making me to be very confident. I will never be associated with any violence; I will never associate myself with any malpractice because I have a name to protect.

And that is why I have said, if you looked at the pedigree of all of us vying on the platform of PDP, if you put us on a scale, I am very confident because the PDP is an extension of this country.

For God’s sake, we should get it right and I am very, happy that the sitting President is doing a lot to stamp out violence, malpractice in our electoral system; and I am glad I was part and parcel of that pioneering effort, as a proud member of the former Federal Executive Council from 2007 to 2011. That is why I am sure I am going to emerge.

And talking about Aregbesola, I have told you about all these machineries you are talking about; it is the people’s power at the end of the day that matters, and not any propaganda.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

TheMetroSection SOS message... from kidney patients •Two kidney patients at the LUTH need N5 million for kidney transplant

By Abdulwaheed Usamah DEBUKOLA Adeyemi, 28, was rushed down from Ghana where she had newly secured employment, Shukurat Bashiru, 15, was also brought back home from school by her teacher; both of them have been diagnosed with acute kidney and renal failure, after they ran into dreadful crises.

Since then, the two patients have been surviving on kidney life support at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where they receive maintenance dialysis on a daily basis.

On each dialysis day, they spend a minimum of five to six hours under machines, and they over spend over N40, 000 and anybody visiting them in the dialysis room for the first time, would not be sure of their survival.

The two frail females were referred to the LUTH, where they could receive medical attention and dialysis for their health to stabilize.

However, after examining their affected kidneys, two consultant phrenologist in charge of renal and other related kidney problems at the LUTH, Dr Oladapo Taiwo and Dr C. O Amira, advised their family members to accept transplant as the best form of treatment for the two affected patients, if they are to give them an opportunity to lead a normal life again.

Meanwhile, they are allowed to come from their various homes for dialysis twice a week pending the time their family members are able to provide money for their kidney transplants.

UDDING writers who need B to sharpen their creative writing skills have another op-

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Shukurat Bashiru This money their families have not been able to raise as they’ve been told that each transplant would cost about N5 million and the transplants have to be done on time because time was not on their side.

Unfortunately, due to the financial constraints and the resultant delay, their health conditions have worsened. The dialyses that were done twice a week at the initial stage have been increased to almost everyday.

The patients have also been hospitalized because of the risk of asking them to come from home everyday, thereby accruing additional expenses for their families Adebukola who is an orphan, said that her family members have been

Adeyemi Adebukola having sleepless nights trying to raise N5 million for her transplant. She said that ever since the time she was rushed down from Ghana where she just gained employment through someone she had once worked for, her people have been selling their belongings in order to sustain her through the dialysis she now goes through almost on daily basis.

“My family spends over N45, 000 on each dialysis, this is additional expenses taken from whatever amount they may have gathered for my kidney transplant, in order to keep me alive.”

She said her younger ones have been looking up to her for support, hoping that once she was financially stable, she would be able to cater for them.

PHOTO: ABDULWAHEED USAMAH

Shukurah, the teenager’s story is no different. The secondary school girl’s distressed mother, Bashirat Bashiru, lamented on where to get the N6 million written on her daughter’s medical report as the cost of replacing her daughter’s bad kidney, when her entire trading capital was less than N100, 000.

Weeping, the woman who is from State of Osun, said that she sells frozen foods at Ikorodu and her husband is a vulcanizer, and that their annual incomes put together would not meet their daughter’s needs.

The two patients who need urgent kidney transplants are looking up to the Almighty and kind-hearted Nigerians to come to their rescue.

Beware of drugs, don’t touch it, NDLEA warns students

By Odita Sunday O mark this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned secondary school students across the country against indulging in illicit drug consumption.

The agency warned Nigerian children and youths to desist from all appearances of drugs.

In Lagos, the government in conjunction with NDLEA organized a seminar for the students tagged: “Make health your ‘new high’ in life not drugs” at the Immaculate Heart Secondary School, Maryland. The event was attended by many secondary schools in Lagos.

According to the Lagos State command boss of NDLEA, Mr. Aliyu Sule: “The children are the vulnerable group. No nation toils with the future of their children. They are the future of Nigeria. We are to guide them against drug abuse and other drug crimes. The children should not go near drugs; they should not even touch it, because if they touch it, it would destroy them completely, that is the message.”

“It would destroy them and destroy their lives completely. We don’t joke with a day like this, it is an opportunity to sensitize the children and other stakeholders against illicit drug,” he added.

In Abuja, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and other stakeholders called for intense and persistent attack on drug trafficking cartels in the country.

The submission was made by the leaders at an event to also mark the 2013 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit drug Trafficking by

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NDLEA at the Women Development Centre, Abuja.

House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Narcotic Drugs and Financial Crime, Jagaba Adams Jagaba, called for improved funding for the NDLEA to effectively discharge its functions.

In his words: “Drug production, trafficking and abuse is responsible for crimes like terrorism, armed robbery and violence that subject humanity to untold suffering and pain. It is therefore logical that funds be made available to the Agency to perform”. He pledged to support the Agency through quality legislation.

The United Nations adopted June 26 of every year as world drug day through resolution 42/112 of December 7, 1987. The theme of this year’s event is New Psychoactive Substances with the slogan; “Make Health Your ‘New High’ In Life Not Drugs”.

In Nigeria, the day was marked in all the states including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade in his welcome address urged participants to look beyond the festivities and imbibe the fundamental objectives for the annual commemoration, which centres on a collective drive for a drug-free society.

mapped out plans to reach out to the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, a Southeast Asian nation of about seven million people with the gospel, the church also intends to consolidate on its presence in Honduras where it planted four churches in the last seven months.

As part of the plans, the church shall on Sunday,

portunity next month as Farafina Trust in conjunction with Nigerian Breweries invites entry for this year’s Creative Writing Workshop.

According to Farafina Trust, organizers of the five-year-old creative writer’s workshop, entries for the workshop would close tomorrow. Applicants who may be published or unpublished writers are expected to write a few sentences about themselves in addition to a creative writing sample of between 200 and 800 words.

The writing sample must be pasted or written in the body of the email with subject titled ‘Workshop Application’ and sent to udonandu 2013@gmail.com.

NIPR’s AGM/lecture HE 24th Annual General T Meeting (AGM)/ PR Week Lecture organised by Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) begins tomorrow with a Jumat service at the Secretariat Mosque, Alausa at noon; novelty matches between NIPR and Sports WritersAssociation of Nigeria (SWAN) and NIMASA versus Maritime is on Saturday, June 29, at Astroturf Field, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos at 11.00a.m. A thanksgiving service holds on Sunday, June 30, at the Chapel of Light, CIPM Avenue, Alausa, Ikeja, at 10.00a.m. A visit to Ikoyi Prisons is on July 2, and Youth Assembly on July 3 . The AGM and the public lecture holds on Thursday, July 4, at NECA House, PSSDC Road, Magodo GRA 2, Lagos at 1.00a.m. while African Night holds on Friday, July 5, at 7.00p.m.

IOGS Abuja holds inauguration Sunday HE Old Grammarians’ SociT ety (Abuja Branch), will on Sunday June 30 celebrate the 154th Founder’s Day of CMS Grammar School, Lagos with a Thanksgiving Service at All Saints’ Anglican Church, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, and will be inaugurated shortly afterwards.

The church service, which begins at 10.00am will be followed with a formal unveiling of the Branch at Fountain Hall, Rockview Hotel (Royale), Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2 Abuja.

The chairman is Mr. Toyin Akin-Johnson.

PHOTO: ODITA SUNDAY

A cross-section of students at the event

Briefs HE Redeemed Christian T Church of God (RCCG), Lagos Province One, has

Briefs Farafina’s entry for 2013 Creative Writers’ Workshop

RCCG plans for Laos, Honduras June 30, 2013, share her vision of Laos and Honduras with a select audience of entrepreneurs, professionals and ministers of the gospel at Elion House Hotel in Dolphin Estate Extension, Ikoyi, Lagos.

In a statement in Lagos, the Assistant Pastor in Charge and Missions Director of Lagos Province One, Pastor Samuel Olabode Olaniyan, said the scheme was in fulfill-

ment of the directive of the RCCG’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, who ordered the provinces to cover all the nations that were yet to be reached by the church.

The province responded by starting in Honduras, a Central American country with an estimated population of eight million people late last year. That effort has since given birth to four parishes.

Insurance firm donates to orphanage, prison S part of its Corporate SoA cial Responsibility (CSR), Regency Alliance Insurance recently donated to S.O.S Children's Village, Isolo, Pacelli School for the Blind and partially -sighted Children and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Special School. Items donated included sewing machines, electronic clippers, bundles of uniform materials among others. Packs of scissors were also given to inmates at the Nigeria Prisons

Service, Ilaro, Ogun State.

The Group Managing Director, Mr. Biyi Otegbeye, said the donations were made in appreciation of the role of the Nigeria Prisons Service in the correction of convicted inmates in the society.

"Looking ahead, Regency will focus on continuing to improve the effectiveness of the company by giving back to the community and earning the trust of Nigerians," he said.

Deeper Life holds mid-year celebrations

HE Deeper Christian Life T Ministry holds Mid-Year Celebration on Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, 30, 2013 at Deeper Life Conference Centre, Km 32, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The General Superintendent, Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi will minister.

Church holds harvest

LL Saints’ Anglican Church, A Yaba, Lagos, will on Sunday, June 30, hold its yearly harvest tagged “Harvest of Thanksgiving.” A statement signed by the church’s Publicity Secretary, Olori Lydia Ajayi, said the event would be hosted by the Vicar of the church and Archdeacon of Yaba Archdeaconry, Ven. Feyi Ojelabi.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

Photonews

Chairman, UAC Plc., Udoma Udo Udoma (left), President, Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria, Akinfela Akoni, British High Commissioner, Peter Carter and Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Deekak Srivastava at the yearly May Ball Casablanca “The Movie” of Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeriain Lagos ...at the weekend.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Mayor, The Likes Club, Okemesi Ekiti, Lucas Akinwale (left), Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale Fapohunda and a member of House of Assembly, Kayode Fasakin during a reception for the Commissioner by the club in Okemesi Ekiti…recently

Reps query alleged murder of Nigerian technician in Ireland From Adamu Abuh, Abuja HE House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora are raising eyebrows over the circumstances surrounding the death of a Nigerian, Godswill Udechukwu who was serving a life jail term in a prison in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland.

Yesterday, the Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa was taken aback after she was briefed by spokesperson of the family of the deceased, Mr. Kennedy Monye that the late Udechukwu, who was a technician by training, was allegedly murdered by 30 inmates in a Dublin prison on April 6, 2013.

Dabiri-Erewa, who empathised with the family , assured that she would take up the issue on behalf of the House of Representatives.

Flanked by members of the committee who listened to Mr Monye with rapt attention, she noted: “This is another pathetic case of another Nigerian battered to death in an Irish prison. We will not rush into judgment on this matter because this is not the first time such issue has been brought to our notice.”

“But as a people we cannot sit and watch our fellow compatriots being killed without seeking for justice, we will see how the case can be re-visited. This is not the first time this dastardly act is happening in Dublin. For us, if we don’t stand up and de-

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Executive member, Board of Trustees, Olusoye Compensatory Centre, Lagos, Mrs. Adefemi Taire and the son of deceased, Olusegun Caulcrick, at the colloqium for Helen Olushola Caulcrick by the Wesley School for the Blind, Ajao Road, Surulere, Lagos…

Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, His Excellency Ambassador Eheneden Erediauwa (middle) with Publisher/Editor-inChief, National Daily Newspaper, Mr. Sylvester Ebhodaghe and wife, Princess Oze, during the birthday celebration of his Royal Majesty, Omo N'Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin, in Benin City ...at the weekend.

The late Udechukwu mand for justice, we won’t get it.”

While commiserating with the family of the deceased, she promised to liaise with the ambassadors of both Nigeria and Ireland to unearth the truth surrounding the demise of the deceased in controversial circumstances.

Chris Kato Aneke representing Anambra East/West federal constituency said the killing of Udechukwu was a condemnable act adding such extra judicial killing is worth probing into by the Nigerian authorities.

Monye, who spoke on behalf of the deceased family accused the authorities in Dublin of complicity in the dastardly murder of his brother by fellow inmates.

He claimed that Udewchucku was severally stabbed by the inmates and was left unattended to by officials of the prison until he passed on at the Saint James hospital.

He said: “How did prison inmates get knives and sharp objects used to stab my

brother if there was no connivance with the authorities?

Even before he was sentenced to life imprisonment over the murder of his wife, the Irish press had already condemned him, describing him as a monster.”

Displaying the various publications that had already labelled Udechuckwu as a murderer even before his conviction before members of the committee to buttress his assertions, he continued: “How could my brother get a fair trial after all these publications and now they have killed him. All we want is for the Irish government to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to book. We equally want the son of our brother Master Jaydin released to us and the corpse of Udechukwu. “ He claimed that Udechukwu was actually in the UK when his wife was murdered adding that security agents in Dublin who had an axe to grind with the deceased contrived the evidence used against him that secured his conviction.

Claiming that several attempts to secure the corpse of Udechuckwu for burial in Nigeria had met the brick wall, he said he had every reason to believe that the hospital authorities in Dublin in liaison with the coroner must have engaged in a sinister deal to cover up the actual cause of Udechukwu’s death which could come in handy to seek redress in the law courts

Commissioner warns on building along drainage channels

By Isaac Taiwo EOPLE living in lowland P areas have been warned to take caution anda look for

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Epe Unit, led by its Commander, Oluwole James, removing a broken-down vehicle to ensure safe driving along Maroko-Epe Expresssway, Lagos...

PHOTO: TUNDE ALAO

ANGOTE Cement Plc, D Ibese, has begun the construction and rehabilitation of some roads bordering its 14 host communities within the Yewaland in Ogun State.

The hard concrete road, first of its kind in the South

Firm constructs roads for host communities West, began following approval from authorities at the Federal and state levels on the design and layout of the plan for the area.

The roads have been di-

vided into three phases with the eight-kilometre First Phase stretching from Ibese plant to Ilaro junction, which took off recently.

alternative places of abode because of the inherent danger posed by heavy downpour that had been predicted for this year.

Speaking during an inspection tour of Apapa Local Council to ascertain the level of clearing and cleaning exercise of drains being embarked upon in several parts of the council, the Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello lamented peoples’ inability to heed the warning not to build houses in lowland areas because of the grave consequence of such act.

“The price to pay for such flagrant disobedience is to move away from such areas

before we begin to experience heavy downpour as predicted.

“We are also embarking on clearing drainages before we start to experience heavy rains and any house discovered to have been built in such a way that they become inimical to the effectiveness of our drainages will go. This is the price the owners would pay,” he said.

Bello commended the Nigeria Metrological Agency for the good work of preparing people to always be ready for the effect of heavy downpour because once that occurs, there is bound to be backlash of water.

Areas of inspection covered in the cleaning exercise included Liverpool/ Signal Barrack/ Creek Road Collector drain, Marine Road Collector drain, Pelewura/Randle/Bom-

bay/Creek Collector drain, Ijora Cause Way Collector drain and construction of Leventis/Arankan Barracks Collector drain as well as construction of Marine Beach Collector drain.

Bello urged the supervisors in charge to expedite action so that both cleaning and construction exercises would be completed before heavy downpour begins.

“We are in Apapa. We are interested in areas where they are encountering problems and not where they have removed silt. The people living in Bombay, Randle and others called us last week to report the problem, which made the water not to flow freely. If we have demolish to allow for free-flow of water, we will not hesitate to do that. Anyone who builds on drainage will have his house demolished,” he said.

14 | THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

TheGuardian 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 The protest in Kenya against legislators’ pay ENYANS took to the streets the other day to protest a large increase in legislators’ salary (from a tax-free $6,200 to $10,000 per month), indicating that on the African continent there are still people sufficiently outraged by the insensitivity of their politicians to summon the courage to literally do something about it.

Although running a mere $76 billion economy with over 40 per cent of the population living below poverty line, the Kenyan lawmakers are said to have raised their pay in defiance of both a National Salaries Commission order and a plea against it by the new president, Uhuru Kenyatta. In effect, these lawmakers have on the one hand, chosen to wilfully break the law as prescribed by a constituted authority, and on the other have shown their imperviousness to moral suasion. It is pertinent to state, by way of comparison, that the salary of a member of the Congress of the United States, the largest and multi-trillion dollar economy in the world is reportedly $174,000 a year or $14,500 monthly, excluding other benefits.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its 2011 Human Development Report assessed 187 countries of the world, using a number of indices to determine material and non-material quality of life of their respective citizens. Kenya, with a 0.509 score out of a possible 1.000, ranked 143 and therefore in the Low Human Development category. Life expectancy at birth is 57.1 years.

By their defiant decision to ‘feather their own nest’ Kenyan lawmakers have shown utter insensitivity to the prevailing conditions of the average citizen as well as a lawless arrogance of power. Given that this is a new government voted in only a few months ago, it is difficult not to conclude that their primary and foremost motive for public post is pecuniary benefit. This is a pity indeed because rather than be an encouraging exception and signalise a new and better dispensation, this action falls squarely in line with the attitude and behaviour of most of their elected counterparts in other African countries. Indeed, if as it is popularly stated, democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, a Kenyan protester was quite right that ‘our parliament is defying our democracy’.

It is a crying shame that so soon after general elections, Kenyans are provoked to take to the streets against their so-called representatives. They cannot but wonder in amazement if these are the same persons that begged to serve and were duly obliged with a mandate to govern for the greatest good of, not the elected only, but the greatest number in the polity. If the behaviour of the legislators is a sign of things to come, then Kenya may be in for rough times. And the blame will lie squarely upon the self-seeking political class.

The only redeeming feature of this depressing development in Kenya is that at least the salaries of lawmakers are known to their employers, namely the electorate. Not so here in Nigeria where opacity is the defining characteristic of government spending – be it the remunerations of public officials, or contract to procure goods and services. And there is nary a concern by the people who should care and act about public opinion. Or how else can it be understood that in the spirit of transparency and open government, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), armed with the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011, requested sometime that year, details of the remunerations of members of the Nigerian National Assembly from 2007 to 2011 and the non-governmental organisation was ignored! On June 25, 2012, Justice B.B. Aliyu of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordered the National Assembly to comply with the request by LEDAP. It is doubtful that the court pronouncement has been obeyed by the very parliament that enacted the FOI law.

The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is the body empowered by Section 70 of the constitution to determine ‘the salaries and other allowances’ of members of the National Assembly. Alas, whatever its recommendations are observed largely in the breach with the consequence that the precise pay of Nigerian lawmakers exist only in the realm of rumour. Simply put, the electorate, as employer, does not know for certain how much its employees, as public servants, pay themselves. On the contrary, the salary of the most powerful public servant in the world, the President of the United States, is known around the world; it is $400,000 per annum.

The Kenyan debacle is representative of corrupt, greedy, and conscienceless African leaders at various levels who gain power only to use it to serve themselves. The rapacity for political power is translated into avarice for filthy lucre, the misappropriation of an unfair share of the commonwealth, and a sustained impoverishment of the citizenry. Indeed the brazenness has become so widespread and has gone on for so long it has become something of a culture of governance. But this should not be.

An appeal hereby goes to the conscience and the sense of decency of Kenyans as well as other African leaders to see public office as an avenue for service and not a route to wealth and self-aggrandisement.

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LETTERS

Fashola’s elitist approach to governance IR: As Socrates asserts that a not really finding it funny. Kick ing!

Sproviding true ruler practices the art of Against Indiscipline (KAI) offi- As Fashola spends his last term for the interest of the cials are chasing, arresting and as Governor of Lagos, the poor people. But what is the interest of the people? How does one identify those interests? Or is there more to human needs, like intellectual development, art and other Maslow’s needs? The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola is one ruler who has demonstrated the notion “where there is a will, there is a way”. His will to sanitise the hitherto to chaotic enclave formerly known as Lagos has indeed paid off.

Oshodi, Agege, Ketu, Isale-Eko and other notorious areas in the city have been transformed through his will to sanitise.

Visitors to Oshodi, notorious for its chaos, often marvel at the new look it wears, thanks to Mr. Fashola’s will. Beautiful Lagos indeed!

But how have the masses fared?

“The poor you will have with you always” so said Jesus Christ as recorded in the scriptures. In other words, no matter the level of prosperity in a land, there will always be the poor and weak.

Indeed, the general-welfare component of general-welfare liberalism assigns government three important social and economic functions to smooth the rough edges of capitalism. First, it calls for government to manage the overall economy in order to minimise unemployment and inflation and encourage growth, an activity called macro-economic policy. Second, government is asked to provide needy individuals with basic goods and services.

In Fashola’s Lagos, the poor are

confiscating the goods of poor traders struggling to sell wares to survive, former trading places are turned into parks, tolling of major road arteries, continuous restriction of men trying so hard to feed their families etc. Lagos is just tough for the poor!

On the other side of the divide, the bourgeois have never had it so good. Beautiful parks adorned with flowers they so love to smell, beautiful tarred roads in their environ, complete removal of two wheelers who pollute the ambient air and “bash” their exotic automobiles. Lagos is simply work-

should be remembered. Policies, which seek to manage with a human face the nuisances associated with the poor, should be implemented, massive poverty alleviation and financial empowerment scheme much more than before should be implemented with the same drive with which Lagos is being beautified.

The Fashola administration has recorded stellar achievements in Lagos, I think he should also aim to achieve the title of the Governor of the Masses, because the masses voted massively for him and they love him.

• Olawale Ogunsakin, Lagos.

Mrs. Amosun’s welfare cards for senior citizens Permit me to use your SwifeIR:medium to commend the of Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, who saw the need to take care of the senior citizens in the state by distributing 500 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards across the 20 local councils.

At the launching of the scheme held in Abeokuta, the First Lady stated that it would reduce the rigour and other challenges encountered during the distribution of food and commodities to the aged across the state.

Also worthy of note is that the Welfare Card was donated to the state government by a

leading financial institution, in line with the proposed cashless policy.

There is no doubt that the ATM cards would help beneficiaries access their monthly stipends quickly and easily. By this laudable intervention, they are now able to withdraw money without embarking on long trips to the state capital, which hitherto was the case.

This great gesture by Mrs. Amosun is not only worthy of commendation and emulation, but will also cut cost on transport, as well as contribute positively to grassroots development of the Gateway State.

• Taiyese Ebunlomo, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

15

Business Appointments P27 Govt partners Commonwealth on 10,000 jobs

Afren, Lekoil strike oil offshore

By Roseline Okere FREN Nigeria and Lekoil Limited have announced the discovery of a significant light oil accumulation at the high impact Ogo-1 well located on the OPL 310 licence offshore Nigeria, based on the results of drilling and wireline logs.

The Ogo-1 well is being drilled by Afren Plc), as technical partner, under a farmout to Lekoil of OPL310, offshore Nigeria.

According to a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, the well has been drilled to a total measured depth of 10,518ft (10,402ft true vertical depth subsea) and has encountered a gross hydrocarbon section of 524ft, with 216ft of apparent stacked, net pay.

It added that further wireline log evaluation was currently underway prior to extending the well to target deeper prospectively000000000 above basement, to a total measured depth of 11,800ft (11,684ft TVDSS).

According to the statement, “the expected timetable for completion of this further drilling together with additional testing is four to six weeks (inclusive of drilling a planned Ogo-1 side-track well)”.

Speaking on the development, Chief Executive Officer, Lekan Akinyanmi said: “The discovery of oil in the Ogo-1 well opens up a new oil basin in an underexplored region and represents a possible extension of the Cretaceous play along the West African Transform Margin. The discovery is a clear validation of Lekoil’s technical analysis and of our extensive studies on the

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Dahomey Basin.

According to Akinyanmi, results to date indicate that the discovered resources could be significantly in excess of P50 estimates prior to drilling. (“While Lekoil notes these results are preliminary, we believe there exists substantial scope for upward revisions to the data announced today as drilling and interpretation continues.

“We look forward to working with our Partners to realise the full potential of Ogo and the additional prospects on the license”, he added.

Chairman of Afren, Egbert Imomoh, stated:"The discovery of oil in the Ogo-1 well opens up a new oil basin in an under-explored region and represents a possible extension of the West African Transform Margin.

“Based on evidence to date, targeted resources are likely to be significantly in excess of previous estimates, with some high-potential zones still to be drilled. We look forward to working with our Partners to realise the full potential of Ogo and our additional prospects on the license.

Mrs Dieziani Allison-Madueke, Petroleum Resources Minister

“The Ogo-1 exploration success follows a series of recent discoveries like Okoro Field Extension, Ebok North Fault Block and Okwok in Nigeria and Simrit-2 and Simrit-3 on the Ain Sifni Block in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.”

The Ogo-1 discovery, testing a four-way dip-closed structure in the Turonian, Cenomanian, and Albian sandstone reservoirs, confirms the extension of the same Cretaceous play that has yielded other significant discoveries along the West African Transform Margin.

The results also indicate a

working hydrocarbon system that is weighted more towards liquids than gas.

This has been confirmed by MDT samples; light oil samples in the Turonian and Cenomanian sands and condensate samples in the Albian sands.

Following the completion of drilling and testing operations at Ogo-1, the Partners in OPL310 (the “Partners”) plan to drill a side-track well, Ogo-1 ST, which will test a stratigraphic pinch-out trap on the flanks of the basement high – a new potential play in the area.

Andrew Yakubu, NNPC GMD

Investment One acquires stake in Royal Trust Pension One Financial IGTBNVESTMENT Services Limited (Formerly Asset Management Limited) has acquired 99.9 per cent share holdings in Royal Trust Pension Fund Administrators Limited (RT PFA).

With the acquisition, the company now becomes a subsidiary of Investment One. Disclosing this recently in Lagos, Managing Director of RT PFA Charles Sanni, said the acquisition would improve the company’s capacity to offer world-class products and services to its clients.

According to him, the involvement of Investment One in the running of RT PFA will bring to bear its core values of market insight, innovation and service excellence.

Besides, he noted that the acquisition will drive the company’s vision "To be Nigeria's foremost Pension Manager” as well as boost its investment objective to provide her clients a delightful retirement experience by maintaining a portfolio of secured and sufficiently liquid assets.

“With the acquisition, Invest One business horizon has been broadened to provide a comprehensive investment and fund management solution to her rapidly growing private and institutional clients seeking insightful and innovative business solutions”.

Invest One Financial Services Limited, built on the pedigree and values of its former parent, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, is licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to provide fund management, trusteeship and investment advisory services.

U.S. Act adds more disclosure obligations to banks

By Chijioke Nelson IGERIA’S financial institutions may be up for another round of compliance pressure, which may be in the form of disclosure, preparation of details and cost, courtesy of the United States’ Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

FATCA rules are provisions of the U.S.’ Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, signed into law on March 18, 2010, with expansive information reporting directives, aimed at ensuring that the country’s citizens that have financial assets outside the nation pay the correct amount of tax applicable at the homeland.

But Ernst & Young, at its Breakfast Forum, yesterday, noted that the law, which was

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targeted at countering offshore tax avoidance by U.S. nationals, would be enforced by financial institutions in the country, together with foreign counterparts, known as Foreign Financial Institutions.

The Regional Managing Partner of Ernst & Young, Henry Egbiki, said that his company believes so much in engaging stakeholders to get them abreast of day-to-day socio-economic global happenings in the business space, especially current issues and developments in the developed and developing markets.

Egbiki explained “FATCA is to reduce U.S. tax evasion by enabling the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to obtain information regarding worldwide income of U.S. persons, in response to a series of

cases in which some banks were alleged to have aided their clients evade taxes.

Consequently, financial institutions around the globe now face complex and onerous compliance burden to meet FATCA requirements.

“Effectively, FATCA requires banks and asset managers in Nigeria not only to enter into an agreement or register with the IRS, but to identify all U.S. account holders and investors, treat any non-cooperating investors as ‘recalcitrant’, and deduct a 30 per cent withholding tax on U.S source income from those who fall into the category.

“If financial institutions or their account holders are found to be non-compliant, they will be liable for a 30 per cent withholding tax on certain payments received after

December 31, 2013, including U.S. source interest and dividends, gross proceeds from the sale of assets that produced U.S. source income, and certain non-U.S. source income,” Egbiki said.

But Senior Manager, Asset Management Sector, Africa and FATCA Specialist at Ernst & Young, Eugene Skrynnyk, said that “FATCA will impact every financial institution in Africa, either directly in their core business or indirectly through relationships with other financial institutions and the financial market infrastructure. Financial institutions should conduct an assessment of the impact by business division.”

“All change programmes involves cost, whether they are internal or external.

Preparing a realistic budget

incorporating the program office, development and implementation of new client on-boarding requirements, review of existing customer accounts, establishment of the requisite reporting and withholding systems.”

According to him, although it is a tax legislation, the implementation process for financial institutions cuts across many functions and processes, from the front office where there is direct interfacing with clients, to other functions such as operations, compliance, legal, IT and finance.

He noted that as the full implementation of FATCA is fast approaching, most financial institutions in Nigeria have either not started or just heard of FATCA, while in South Africa, the big banks are

ahead of the game in completing an impact assessment and optimizing solutions.

Nigerian banks will have to register with the IRS by October 25, 2013, to ensure that potentially withholdable U.S. source income will not be reduced by the 30 per cent withholding tax beginning January 1, 2014 on incoming withholdable payments.

Egbiki, who was represented by the Financial Service Sector Leader for West Africa, Dayo Babatunde, explained that the global financial industry have raised serious questions about data confidentiality, fairness and broad application of the regulations, with great deal of lobbying with U.S. Treasury by foreign governments to reduce the burden and delay implementation.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

16 BUSINESS

Govt may commence construction of N1.4b Mambilla power plant soon

By Sulaimon Salau HE Federal Government may commence construction of the N1.4 billion Mambilla power plant by the last quarter of this year, going by the hints from the Presidency.

The plant, which is planned for Taraba State, is expected to add about 3,050 Mega Watts (MW) to the national grid on completion.

The Guardian learnt from a source in the Presidency that there are plans to hold the groundbreaking ceremony of the Mambilla power plant by the last quarter 2013.

Besides, the source stated that the construction of Zungeru power project (700MW) has been put under closer monitoring.

Meanwhile, the Vice President, Namadi Sambo said recently that the Gurara II hydro power plant, expected to generate 360MW would be rehabilitated under Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

According to him, about 15 companies have already indicated interest in developing the power plant, while arrangement is ongoing to evaluate and select the most viable bidder for the project.

He said the Federal Government is also working to develop small and medium dams that will add about 300MW to national grid.

Sambo, however disclosed that a well-regulated commercially viable and sustainable electricity market that

T

will guarantee a sanctity of contract is now under way, assuring new and prospective investors (local and international) that Nigeria’s power sector remains a viable market for investment.

“Our power sector reform is on course through our advanced power projects and other initiatives.

Privatisation of the generation and distribution companies has reached advanced stage. When com-

pleted, the programme will bring significant private investment and improved power output.

“We have accomplished a number of goals in our power sector reforms programme, in line with the 2010 presidential roadmap on power, which include the completion of new units transmission and increased generation, the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure which has yielded up to 1,000MW additional electric-

ity,” he said.

The vice president however pledged to facilitate the power and gas financing package which include government guarantees and infrastructure bonds of about $1 billion and $150 million for Small and Medium Scale (SMEs) funding by the African Development Bank.

According to him, this will support continued gas supply, to boost transmission system and boost delivery addition for power supply.

Invest more on infrastructure, ICAN boss tells govt

By Faith Oparaugo HE President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Alhaji Kabir Alkali Mohammed has stressed the need for the nation to invest more on infrastructure, as well as in the processing of agricultural products.

Speaking at the yearly financial summit of Nigerian Universities Accounting Students’ Association (NUASA), recently in Lagos, Mohammed said the nation must strive to diversify its economy as well as provide the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

He explained that a situation where the output generated from the agricultural sector, is exported in raw state attracting discriminatory, and sometimes punitive pricing in global markets and ultimately earning

T

low returns to farmers must be changed, adding that, without adding value, raw primary products will not earn reasonable revenue for farmers.

According to him, the country needs to place emphasis on processing of raw materials. Such diversification is particularly important, because of the trend towards the use of renewable energy, discovery of shale oil and gas by major customers of Nigeria’s crude oil.

He noted that a major phenomenon of less developed countries is the dominant size and influence of government sector in the whole economy.

“Pursuant to the increased volume of public sector activities and revenue accruing to the government through the various taxes there was need not only to evolve an enduring account-

ing framework but also train personnel for sector.

“Although government business was basically routine in nature, the existing accounting framework proved inadequate to cope with the challenges of a burgeoning economy of a newly independent state”, he said.

He observed that the Nigerian economy is characterized by abject poverty, low life expectancy rate, high illiteracy rate and absence or insignificant industry, adding that these call for urgent strategic actions, noting that the nation has been bedeviled by the absence of accurate demographic, economic and statistical data needed to fashion out proactive development plans.

Osun to float $62m sukuk bond SUN State plans to issue Nigeria's first sukuk O bond, starting with N10 billion ($62 million), before the end of July, a banking source close to the deal told Reuters on Tuesday.

The planned seven-year paper would be the first sukuk bond to be issued in Africa's second-biggest economy and is part of a 60 billion naira debt raising programme by Osun State, which started last year, the banking source told Reuters.

The funds will be used to finance the construction of education projects, the source said.

The Osun bond will be issued through a bookbuilding process, which will earn a return for sukuk holders via a semi-annually paid rent structure called the Ijara, the source said, targeting local pension funds and international investors on the bond.

Local credit rating agency Agusto & Co has assigned an A rating to the note which will be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, said the banking source, adding that Osun was waiting for Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approval to start marketing the bond.

In March, Nigeria's SEC approved new rules allowing firms to issue Islamic bonds , a move aimed at attracting Middle Eastern investors.

Osun State issued a N30 billion bond last December priced at 14.75 percent, maturing in 2019.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

BUSINESS

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NCDM, Shell to build N800m pipe mill

By Roseline Okere HE Nigerian Content T Development and Monitoring Board (NCDM) has reaffirmed Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) commitment to build a jetty worth $5 million in support of the pilot pipe mill being promoted by the board in Polaku, Bayelsa State.

The Executive Secretary of the board, Ernest Nwapa stated this recently when he received members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) who came on oversight visit to the Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The jetty is expected to be used for shipping raw materials and finished products from the 250 metric tonne pipe mill being located in the same precincts with the Shell Gbaran Ubie’s gas plant and the National Integrated Power Plant.

Already, the 10 hectares of land acquired for the project is being prepared for civil works after bush clearing and Shell has begun technical of assessment the land preparatory to the construction of the jetty.

Nwapa said that the construction of the jetty is part of the wide ranging industry sup-

port for the pilot pipe mill and other developmental initiatives of the Board.

He explained that the pipe mill will create over 1000 direct jobs and several thousands of indirect jobs for Nigerians as well as provide an invaluable platform for training Nigerians.

The mill will also supply pipes for-the over 2000 kilometers of new gas pipelines to be laid in the Gas Master Plan, replacement of aged existing pipes, as well as supply pipes for the numerous fertilizer, LPG and gas to power projects planned for the next few years.

He explained that the Board’s monitoring process starts from the conceptualization of industry projects through to the implementation stage, thereby ensuring that operators and stakeholders comply with provisions of the Act. Nwapa added that the Board was also focusing on developing local capacity, which would ensure that industry jobs are executed in-country and employment is created for qualified Nigerians.

Nwapa stressed that the existence of local capacity and manufacturing of components of industry equipment was a sure way to grow Nigerian Content, create employment from the industry and reduce dependence on

importation for industry operations.

Other initiatives of the Board, according to the Executive Secretary, includes the ongoing projects based training programmes as well as the training of welders, carpenters, fitters and other profes-

sionals who will participate in the construction of the Board’s headquarters building.

According to him, the Board is working to establish Nigeria Oil and Gas Industrial Parks in close proximity to the oil fields to spur small and medi-

um enterprises (SMEs), to grow their capability in manufacturing through partnerships with multi-nationals and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“We intend to use the industrial park model to establish physical infrastructure and

create enabling environment for low-cost manufacturing of equipment components, with a view to maximize utilization of Nigerian made goods in the oil and gas industry; and to integrate community entrepreneurs into oil and gas value chain.”

Acting Director-General, National Pension Commission, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu (left); Chairman of the Occasion, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo; Partner, Pac Solicitors, Dominic Ichaba; and Director-General, Nigerian Insurers Association, Sunday Thomas, during the Insurance/Pension segment of the Nigerian Bar Association’s, law seminar, in Lagos at the weekend.. This corrects the earlier erroneous caption on page 23 of our yesterday’s edition.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

BUSINESS

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Govt to raise productivity in agric sector HE Federal Government T has expressed its committed to ensuring increased productivity in the agriculture sector through the adoption of the value chain approach.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Ibukun Odusote, made this commitment in Abeokuta at an event organised by the National Council on Agriculture.

She observed that the introduction of reforms in the management of inputs delivery and marketing of agricultural produce could also help in achieving this objective.

According to her, the national council on agriculture is an avenue for stakeholders to review and direct agricultural policies to meet its main mandate of ensuring food security.

She stressed that the meeting was coming at a time when the Federal Government was pursuing transformation agenda in the sector.

“The task before us is enormous as we gather to share experiences arising from the policy implementation and chart a new course for the sector.’’

She added that the challenge before the sector was easier as the Federal Government had introduced some policies that could ensure food security in the country.

She said that the meeting was expected to develop an Implementation Action Plan toward actualising the Federal Government’s short, medium and long term food security goals.

Odusote said that it would also enable stakeholders the opportunity to review past policies in the sector in order to create the desired impacts.

“A cursory look at the programme for this meeting shows that we have a lot of work to do within a very limited time. ‘’This calls for extra commitments and purposefulness on our part, if the agenda must be exhausted to achieve the essence of this meeting,” Odusote said.

She argued that the national council meeting had made impacts on the sector such as the reform on fertiliser procurement and distribution.

Ogun Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, said the economy

The challenge before the sector was easier as the Federal Government had introduced some policies that could ensure food security in the country.

of the state would be boosted through agriculture.

She explained that the drive to boost the economy through agriculture was expressed in the third cardinal programme of the state government. ‘’The third cardinal programme is ‘’increased agricultural production and industrialisation with a view to ensuring food security. ‘’This is in line with the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation initiatives to re-position the nation’s economy,’’ Sokefun said.

Group Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc, Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti(middle); Managing Director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Scheme(NIBSS), Adebisi Shonubi(right) and the Group Head, E-Channels, Skye Bank Plc, Chuks Iku At the courtesy visit of NIBSS Management to Skye Bank in lagos.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AKINLOLU

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Appointments Govt partners Commonwealth on 10,000 jobs

The immediate past president of the Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Peter Esele and the new president, Bobboi Bala Kaigama at the just concluded delegates’ conference of the congress in Abuja

From Kanayo Umeh, Abuja HE Federal Government, T in collaboration with the Commonwealth, has developed a job creation strategy

to provide 10,000 jobs for Nigerian youths in two years.

The Minister of Youth Development, Inuwa AbdulKadir, made this disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja while

delivering a mid-term report on the progress and achievements of his ministry.

The minister said that a technical adviser had been deployed by the

Maritime workers threaten to shut ports

By Yetunde Ebosele ARRING any last minute B changes, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, may next week shut down all ports in the country.

The workers in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, threatened to shut down the nation’s ports by next week over alleged unpaid 11 months salaries to its members by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, among others issues.

In the petition made available to The Guardian on Tuesday, the union alleged that NPA had for the past 11 months not paid tally clerks, onboard security men and others, but had been spending not less than N3000million monthly to pay illegal employees known as cargo surveyors, who have nothing to do at the ports.

It gave the management of NPA up till next week Tuesday to pay the tally clerks, onboard security men their 11 month unpaid salaries and disengage the cargo surveyor who had no defined jobs in the ports, else the ports would be shut down indefinitely.

According to the union, the dockworkers including the tally clerks and on-board security men were registered by the National Dock Labour Board, NDLB, to work in the sea ports, private terminals and jetties and were trained in the act of cargo handling/loading and dis-

It is unjust and undesirable for NPA management to attempt to substitute registered tally clerks with cargo surveyors because looking at all past and subsisting legislations charging of ships.

The union said that section 35 of the Nigeria Dock Labour Decree No. 37 of 1999, which established the Joint Dock Labour Industrial Council, JODLIC, describes a dock as “a person registered under the decree to perform duties connected with the loading and discharging of ships.”

Specifically, MWUN, the so called cargo surveyors of NPA are not known under the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Act 2007, which regulates Maritime Labour activities in Nigerian Ports, hence not permitted by law to perform the role of registered tally clerks.

According to the petition, “On-board security men are involved in watching over cargo to avoid theft and over boarding and to prevent unauthorised shore leave through the gangway by crew members. Their function also helps to prevent attack of vessels in the ports by terrorist and pirates in line with requirement of the ISPS code on port and ship security and safety.

“Tallying services is for the benefit of the ship, the cargo owners, the port and indeed the nation. That is why the ship/ship agent-must coun-

tersign or stamp every cargo record from the ship. It is through physical recording of cargo landed that discrepancy can be detected. It is through quay apron tallying that undeclared tonnage can be detected in the interest of national economy. It is the record of tally clerks that serve as evidence that the ship has delivered to the consignee’s nominated port destination.

“It is unjust and undesirable for NPA management to attempt to substitute registered tally clerks with cargo surveyors because looking at all past and subsisting legislations; there has always been provision for registered tally clerks and onboard security men because of their strategic importance to the maritime industry and tacit security value as “whistle blowers”.

As a union, we say emphatic no to any move to replace the trained experienced tally clerks and onboard security men with cargo surveyors.

Our members in all seaports nationwide shall resist the move. This is because we cannot stand any further labour dislocation in our seaports and the attendant gruesome consequences on the affected Nigerian workers, their families and dependants.

Commonwealth secretariat to work with the ministry from 2013-2015 towards achieving the strategy.

He said that a forum of stakeholders was convened

to urge government to create job opportunities for the teeming population of unemployed youths in the country.

The minister disclosed that following the forum of stakeholders, a survey of national youths index that would provide detailed data on the status of Nigerian youths was formulated to ensure that youth employment was reduced to the barest minimum.

He also noted that ministry was also in partnership with International Ecological Safety Collaborative Organisation in developing mechanism for green jobs and other environmentally friendly initiatives for youth engagement.

“Nigeria signed an MOU with the UNDP in December to recruit young Nigerian professionals to work in the UN System for a minimum of two years through the Junior Professionals Programme (JPO). Since the inception of the JPO Programme by the UN System over 50 years ago, Nigeria is the first African country to become a donor

member. Nigeria is starting with 37 JPOs. “The ministry has commenced discussions with UNIDO on developing the mechanism that will attract young people into agriculture as catalyst for development,” he noted.

Abdul-Kadir; however, stated that in spite of investments in youth development; restiveness, violent crimes, drug abuse and other social vices continue to pose serious challenges.

“A lot has been done for youth development but much more needs to be done considering the sheer population and complexity of the task of effective management of youth issues.

In his remarks earlier, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said that the Ministry of Youth Development stood for the strongest segment of the society adding that the ministry was the most strategic in the development of any nation.

“The ministry is moving in a strong direction to promote development and welfare of our young people,” Maku stated.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

28 APPOINTMENTS

NIMC yet to clear 300 workers, partners ICPC on identity theft From Abosede Musari, Abuja IRECTOR-General of D (NIMC), National Identity Management, Chris Onyemenam, has stated that about 300 out of 600 workers are yet to be cleared in the ongoing certificate vetting in his agency.

It would be recalled that, 41 workers of the agency were arrested, last week by the Independent Corrupts Practices and Other Related

Offences Commission (ICPC) for suspected certificate forgery.

Onyemenam, who stated this during a recent visit to the chairman of ICPC, explained that the agency had informed the workers to submit their credentials for vetting through the Federal Ministry of Education.

A press statement from the ICPC on the visit quoted the NIMC boss as saying: “It was in the process of document-

NAPE trains journalists HE Nigerian Association shared his knowledge of the T of Petroleum global oil & gas landscape as well as the environmental Explorationists (NAPE) has concluded media training for journalists to broaden their knowledge in the field of reporting.

The two-day workshop, which NAPE organised in partnership with Schlumberger, was specifically tailored to equip media practitioners with knowledge of reporting activities of the Exploration & Production (E&P) industry.

The workshop provided attendees with an overview of the key phases of the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry including technical and commercial fundamentals and how the industry contributes to the global economy and the energy mix.

One of the instructors, Dr. John Afilaka, with 20 years experience at Schlumberger,

considerations and politics of oil exploration and production.

Another instructor, former Chevron Exploration Manager, Adebayo Akinpelu, also shared his experience in exploration and production in the industry.

Speaking on the issue, NAPE President, George Osahon, said that the association will continue to implement enviable programmes for the benefit of its stakeholders, such as the media.

He added that the association was now even more resolute in its commitment to bridging the knowledge gap between different generations of geoscientists as well as addressing the issues hampering the teaching and practice of the geosciences.

ing them that of 600 people that submitted, about 280 to 300 were yet to be cleared”, he said.

He stated that whilst management was still awaiting further input in the matter, they were surprised when ICPC through its oversight functions stepped into the matter and invited some workers for questioning over the authenticity of their credentials.

Speaking to The Guardian in a phone conversation on the arrest, Chairman of ICPC, Ekpo Nta, stated that because the anti-graft agency has its

presence in all government agencies and parastatals through the National AntiCorruption Volunteers Corps (NAVC), it was able to obtain information and step in to arrest the suspects.

Meanwhile, both agencies, NIMC and ICPC have resolved to partner each other.

Identity theft is a situation, which is becoming a worldwide criminal phenomenon.

The partnership is to prevent the menace from gaining ground in Nigeria as the nation moves towards a cashless regime.

The agreement was reached

at the working visit on Monday; and Nta urged NIMC to ensure that the present national identity management information system “is done in such a way that it has strong links and interphase with other socio-economic services like the proposed encoded driver’s license, electoral voting processes, National Health Insurance Scheme and the taxation processes among others.”

He commended NIMC for the efficient and courteous processes employed by them so far in executing their func-

tions based on his first-hand experience when he called at their office to carry out his registration.

Earlier, the NIMC boss who commended ICPC for its war against corruption, averred that they had been making every effort to ensure that his commission engaged the best hands that would build its workforce for better IT service delivery.

“We need what is internationally regarded as the minimum standard to enable us meet with the infrastructure that we have deployed”, he said.

Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke (left) presenting Excellence Performance Award certificate to one of the outstanding directors, Egbe Vincent, during the 2013 Civil Service celebration in Calabar.

The GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

APPOINTMeNTS 29

MTN foundation to empower 300 widows From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja he MTN Foundation is to T empower 300 widows selected from six states across the six geo-political zones of the country by providing business management skills and equipment support. executive Secretary of the Foundation, Ms. Ninny Ugboma who stated this at a news briefing in Abuja noted that the beneficiaries would in the next few months receive formal training and be presented with their tools of trade in Imo, Lagos, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba states and the Federal

Capital Territory (FCT).

Ugboma observed that widowhood presents multidimensional challenges for the widows and the society adding that addressing these challenges required a proper understanding of the issues as well as strategic and sustainable intervention.

She observed that the United Nations had adopted a resolution, which emphasized that the economic empowerment of women, including widows was a critical factor in the eradication of poverty adding that the resolution called on member states and international organisations to give

special attention to the situation of widows and their children.

According to her, the International Widows Day was set aside to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependants across the world.

She expressed the commitment of the foundation to provide opportunities for widows to increase their access to sustainable livelihood. “We believe that if given the opportunity, a widow can be a source of inspiration to others and also make valuable contributions to the development of the society.”

TUC elects Kaigama president From Collins Olayinka, Abuja

• Esele commends delegates

ReSIDeNT of Association of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ASCSN), Bobboi Bala Kaigama, has emerged the president-general of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Kaigama, who is staff of the Ministry of environment and Urban Development, Taraba State, polled 356 votes to defeat Babatunde Ogun who had 314 votes.

Ogun is the national president of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PeNGASSAN).

The election also saw the

emergence of the National President of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance, and other Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Sunday Olusoji Salako, as the first deputy president.

President of Construction Union, Augustine etaifo, emerged second deputy president with 334 votes while President of Senior Staff Association of electricity and Allied Companies (SSeAeC), Bede Opara also emerged third deputy president with 345 votes.

Others that got elected

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included Babatunde Abdulraman, president, Food and Beverage Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (FOBTOB) got 335 to uphold the post of a treasurer, while Benjamin Okewu of the Air Transport Workers won the post of a financial secretary with 336. No one contested with Balami Isaac David as public relations officer. For the post of auditor one and two, Alalade Matthew and Ola Olagoke were victorious with 300 and 319 votes respectively.

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APPOINTMENTS

How to tackle unemployment, insecurity through agric, by Ahmed From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin HE Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has identified commercial agriculture as the best approach to solving the twin challenges of youth unemployment and insecurity in the country.

The governor said this in a message to the fifth Graduation Ceremony of the Youth Integrated Training Farm Centre, Malete in Moro local council area of the state.

T

Ahmed noted that the people of the state, especially the youths, must take advantage of the vast arable land and government’s agriculture business friendly policies to generate employment opportunities for themselves and others.

The governor explained that a centre like the Malete Youth Farm was critical for providing youths required technical skills to engage in agriculture business.

“Over the last two years we have supported the youth

farm with over N100 million for its capital projects and to upgrade and rehabilitate its infrastructure, repair all light and heavy equipment amongst other critical intervention”, he added.

Ahmed revealed that he has approved the review of the farm centre’s curriculum in order to improve the quality of training and challenges of the future, adding that as a government of continuity, his administration will continue to support the centre’s efforts to produce a new gen-

eration of commercial farmers in the state.

He added that roads have been constructed across the state to create access to farming communities and for easy evacuation of farm produce.

The governor charged the graduates to be innovative and inspired through the employment of their knowledge as change agents to impart their knowledge on other youths and encourage them to take to commercial farming.

Bayelsa to train 10,000 youths From Willie Etim, Yenagoa AYELSA State Governor B Seriake Dickson has announced plans by his administration to train 10,000 youths drawn from the eight local council areas of the state in different vocations.

Commending the decision of over 11,000 youths in the state to renounce cultism and other acts of criminality, the governor said the empowerment programme

is part of his administration’s Restoration Agenda.

Expressing his administration’s readiness to collaborate with the youths in its bid to liberate them from a life of dependency, the governor said the training would commence in August after the conclusion of verification exercise.

His words “if we do not help to build you all, then our future will not be assured. You are all aware of what our restoration government is doing; building

schools, roads, hospitals, investing in security and making our state safe, talking to people to come here to invest so that we can create jobs for you.

“All of these will come to nothing, if we don’t help to equip you with the skills that you need to partake in the economy to protect our future.

“This exercise is not the end but just the beginning, by the time my team concludes the verification exercise and they will do it in a

detailed way, local government by local government.

“When we are through with all of these, we are going to engage you in a special youth empowerment programme. A total of 10,000 youths will be engaged” The beneficiaries, according to the governor will be trained in agriculture, traffic control and the special surveillance system.

The governor disclosed that N1 billion has already been set aside as soft loans for young entrepreneurs, adding that a youth summit would soon be held in the state to enable government identify their problems.

‘8.5m Nigerians to enter active labour force by 2015’

By Chuka Odittah,Abuja N estimated 8.5million A Nigerians are expected to emerge as new entrants into the active labour force by 2015, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed.

The active labour force ranges from persons between the ages of 15-64 years. It is the age group of able-bodied persons available for paid employment where in existence in the country.

Although constitutionally, only persons who have attained 18 years of age are allowed to seek employment in the country, the Guardian however gathered that the estimated 8.5million covered persons aged between 15 years and upwards.

Spokesman of the NBS, Ichedi told the Guardian that the inclusion of persons, aged 15 was deliberate, especially in view of the need to capture

the reality of population growth and to adequately advice government on the trend.

According to the projections made in the General Household Survey Report (1999-2011), 92,384,738 out of an estimated Nigerian population of 164,385,56 in 2011 were economically active.

This was in contrast to 89,520,095 million who were economically viable in 2010.

The statistics further showed that while 1,505,997 million Nigerians were newly employed in 2010, the figure doubled in 2011, reaching 2,127,691 in 2011.But the figure of the unemployed indicated that 13,946,515million people were unemployed in 2010, whereas, in 2011, it rose to 16,074,205.

Those who were employed, the data showed, were 51,224,115 in 2010, but it reduced slightly in the following year (2011) with 51,181,884.

Firm to employ 50,000 persons in Anambra From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka N a bid to empower youths Icurity, and stem the wave of insea group of investors, Global Green Investment, recently pledged to employ about 50,000 persons and assist many farmers in Anambah state this year.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mrs. Mary Flower, told journalists that the company’s agricultural

project has the aim of reducing unemployment as well as tackling insecurity in Nigeria.

Flower disclosed that her team was in search of 15,000 hectares of land within Anambah State, stressing that when the project kicks off, “it will employ 50,000 persons, empower numerous farmers and also help to stop the mad rush to urban areas in search of jobs”.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

ScienceGuardian ASTRONOMY With J.K. Obatala

The singularity is upon us (1) ’VE been thinking quite a lot recently, about “the singularIimplosion ity” – not the theorized consequences of a massive star’s but the post-human society which, some futurol-

Greener energy

Scientists advance search for greener energy

By Chukwuma Muanya with agency reports CIENTISTS have recorded Sthroughs four major recent breakin the search for greener and cleaner energy with the development of a highly effective method for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol; an “artificial leaf” that mimics a real leaf’s chemical magic with photosynthesis- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks; a battery made from a sliver of wood coated with tin that shows promise for becoming a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally friendly energy source; and an inexpensive catalyst that uses the electricity generated from solar energy to convert carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into synthetic fuels for powering cars, homes and businesses.

Researchers at the Universite Laval (Laval University), Canada have developed a highly effective method for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol, which can be used as a low-emissions fuel for vehicles.

The team led by Prof. FrédéricGeorges Fontaine presents the details of this discovery in the

• Environment-friendly battery made from wood latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Researchers have been looking for a way to convert carbon dioxide into methanol in a single step using energy-efficient processes for years.

Fontaine explained: “In the presence of oxygen, methanol combustion produces CO2 and water. Chemists are looking for catalysts that would yield the opposite reaction.

That would allow us to slash greenhouse gas emissions by synthesizing a fuel that would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The catalyst developed by Frédéric-Georges Fontaine and his team is made of two chemical groups. The first is borane, a compound of boron, carbon, and hydrogen.

The second, phosphine, is made up of phosphorus, carbon, and hydrogen. “Unlike most catalysts developed thus far to convert CO2 into methanol, ours contains no metal, which reduces both the costs and toxic hazard of the catalyst,” added the chemistry professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

CO2 to methanol catalysis requires a source of hydrogen and chemical energy. The researchers had the idea of using a compound called hydroborane (BH3), and the results have been spectacular.

The reaction achieved is two times more effective than the best catalyst known – and it produces little waste. What makes the discovery even more compelling is the fact

The sun provides more energy to the Earth in an hour than the world consumes in a year. Compare that single hour to the one million years required for the Earth to accumulate the same amount of energy in the form of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not a sustainable resource, and we must break our dependence on them. Solar power is among the most promising alternatives.

that the chemical reaction does not damage the catalyst, which can be reactivated by adding new substrate.

The only downside of the operation is the price tag.

“Our approach to creating methanol is highly effective from a chemistry standpoint, but for now the process is expensive,” explained Professor Fontaine. “It takes a lot of energy to synthesize hydroborane, which makes it more expensive than methanol. We are working on ways to make the process more profitable by optimising the reaction and exploring other hydrogen sources.”

Meanwhile, scientists are making progress toward development of an “artificial leaf” that mimics a real leaf’s chemical magic with photosynthesis- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks. That is among the conclusions in a newly available report from top authorities on solar energy who met at the first yearly Chemical Sciences and Society Symposium.

The gathering launched a CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

ogists predict, is just around the corner.

According to these prognostications, artificial intelligence (AI), resulting from exponential increases in computing power, will supercede the natural intelligence of humans.

This, theorists project, will render humans obsolete and transform our planet in ways that cannot, as yet, be modeled or imagined.

“From the human point of view,” wrote Vernor Vinge, in his historic 1993 paper, The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era, “this change will be a throwing away of all the previous rules, perhaps in the blink of an eye, an exponential runaway beyond any hope of control”.

I will explain what brought this on momentarily, and discuss its implications for Africans – which are not encouraging. Technologically, the “singularity” has long been bearing down on the Black Race. Unless we can affect radical changes in our collective behavior, very quickly, it will surely devour us.

Comprehension, at least among the uninitiated, may be enhanced somewhat, if I also explain the astronomical origins of the term “singularity”. But first, I want to make sure you have a general idea of what the singularity is.

So, let me finish laying down Vernor Vinge’s hypothesis or, rather, allow him to do it, in his own words: • The development of computers that are “awake” and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, most controversy in the area of AI relates to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is “yes, we can”, then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly thereafter.

• Large computer networks (and their associated users) may “wakeup” as a superhumanly intelligent entity.

• Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.

• Biological science may find ways to improve upon the natural human intellect.

Vinge calls this point a “singularity,” because, he continues, “It is a point where our models must be discarded and a new reality rules”.

What prompted me to address this issue, are discussions I’ve had with younger people, especially university students.

Repeated encounters with one student, in particular, who is reading “Computer Science” at the University of Port Harcourt, has imbued in me a sense of urgency.

The trigger was his response – or lack thereof – to a casual, offhanded question: “Have any of your lecturers discussed Moore’s Law in the course of their lectures?”

Moore’s law, to paraphrase Wikipedia, refers to the proposition that the number of transistors on integrated circuits— and hence the computing power of computers—doubles every 18 to 24 months.

It is named after Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker. Computer trends, dating from the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, Wikipedia says, have proven Moore correct.

Those who have read any cosmology know that the term “singularity” is an astronomical metaphor. It is an oblique reference to what happens when a very massive star uses up its fuel and collapses.

There is a supernovae explosion –one of the most violent events in nature- which blows the star apart. Its core remnant then implodes inward on itself, compacting so tightly that it disappears.

Left behind, is a powerful gravitational field, from which not even light can escape, making the entity invisible.

Such an object is called a “black hole”. Astrophysicists postulate that, inside a black hole, matter loses its identity and merges with space – a condition they refer to as a “singularity”.

In fact, they theorise, there is a radius around a black hole, a gravitational boundary, beyond which no form of information can reach an observer. Beyond this point, the laws of physics break down.

Technically, this “point of no return” is known as the Schwarzschild radius—but more commonly, the “event horizon”. Anything that crosses the event horizon is lost forever.

Throughout the universe, stars, planets and, indeed entire galaxies, are being gradually dragged towards the event horizon of black holes and continually pulled in.

Likewise, futurologists argue, human society is spiraling inexorably into a condition that is no less a “singularity”: A condition in which evolutionary rules break down and from which there is no escape.

• To be continued

32

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

SCIENCE HEALTH

Pharmacists want regulatory autonomy for major professions, mediatory roles for APBN

By Chukwuma Muanya HARMACISTS under the P aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have called for the enactment of a law that will ensure regulatory autonomy for major professions in Nigeria even as they seek mediatory roles for the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) in inter-professional conflicts.

President PSN, Olumide Akintayo, yesterday at APBN Board meeting held in Lagos charged APBN to lead the way in regulatory autonomy for major professions in Nigeria and mediatory roles in interprofessional conflicts.

Akintayo said that PSN believed the militating bane against professionalism in Nigeria was the extremely wretched spirit of monitoring and control procedures, which were the hallmark of regulating values and ethics.

He said that a way forward for those of us under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria was for each profession to take its destiny in its hand through regulation enforced by the relevant/appropriate professional body.

Akintayo explained: “The Oronsaye Panel which appraised the activities of government agencies and parastatals dwelt on this matter tacitly and the

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria strongly suggests that the APBN should champion either a private member’s or even an executive bill that compels the federal government to handover the running of all professions to professional bodies in Nigeria. The success stories of some professional bodies that have regulated their professions suggest eloquent testimonies that will accrue if this move sees the light of the day.”

On the mediatory roles in inter-professional conflicts, the PSN boss said: “Conflict is

a natural fall-out of most human relationships. The propensity to turn challenges into opportunities is one of the hallmarks of great and successful managers.

“It is imperative we put on record previous mediatory roles of the APBN in resolving inter-professional conflicts, a need still arises for the APBN to do even more to sustain/maintain the prestige of the various affected professions. The APBN must build the myth to attain this goal for consumers of our various services to continue to perceive us as relevant in

the years ahead.”

Akintayo assured the APBN board members that PSN would continue to build structures of the greatest possibilities with the APBN leadership in the years to come.

He said that PSN would continue to champion the ideals of robust healthcare delivery in Nigeria especially through placing premium on Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) as it was in other parts of the decent global community we belong.

Akintayo further stated: “As experts in medicines, pharmacists have always been

known as an accessible and trusted source of advice and treatment. Today, our contribution to healthcare is developing in new ways to support patients in their use of medicines and as part of the clinical decision-making across the range of ailments.

“Professions exist to serve society, therefore our mission as pharmacists must address the needs of society, our duty is to work and ensure that the added value we bring to healthcare and our potentials are taken into account and respected by policy makers and other

health professionals. We note here that there is a lot of competition, confrontation and distrust in the health sector.

“This situation must give way for collaboration, consultation, cooperation in the interest of the health consuming public. We must open our hearts and minds to allow the team concept to rule our worlds in healthcare delivery. There is no doubt that the cost of fighting against disease and preserving health will continue to increase in spite of constant control and intervention.

NAFDAC nabs 14 over manufacture of ‘fake’ Custard brands

By Chukwuma Muanya HE National Agency for T Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested 14 persons at Eziukwu Market in Aba, Abia State where an organised illegal food production facility was located for illegal manufacture of the fake version of registered Custard products.

The suspects include: Akabueze Emmanuel, Ngozi Moughalu Cecilia, Chisom Ikem, James Ndobueze, Chika Emmanuel, Chinyere Nsofor, Victoria Chibueze, Nnenna Onuwa, Oluchi Ukpai, Onuoha Chidinma, Nnnena

Chukwu, Ogechi Chukwu, Anurika Iloanya and Nwadike Emmanuel.

Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, at a news briefing recently said that the items discovered were bags of uncertified industrial corn starch, gas cylinders, sealers, generating sets, promotional items such as notebooks and weighing scales, spoons.

Orhii explained: “On April 2, 2013, we received a report from Lisabi Mills (Nigeria) Ltd that their flagship product, Gold’s Custard has been a subject of faking, counterfeiting and passing off. This has been causing them losses of several millions of Naira

every month with the attendant injuries these counterfeit products cause on unsuspecting Nigerians who use them.

“On the receipt of this notice, I directed the federal taskforce to investigate the case and bring the culprits to book. The federal taskforce immediately swung into action in close collaboration with Lisabi. During the investigations it was discovered that different brands of food products amongst which were popular brands of Custard Powder were counterfeited and sold in the markets. Further investigation led us to the Cemetery or

Eziukwu Market in Aba, Abia State where an organised illegal food production facility was located. Surveillance activities were carried out in April and May 2013.

“The reports of the surveillance activities were worrisome and needed prompt intervention. For example, Truckloads of the fake Gold’s custard were seeing dispatched, the streets and closes’ within the market have no names and numbers, and a building serving as a manufacturing premise was identified and has an American Flag hoisted on it to distract attention.

“Yesterday, the federal task-

force struck. The operation which lasted for about two hours started by 1:30 pm and ended by 3:45 pm leading to the closure of six illegal manufacturing factories located on the first floor of the three storey building inside the market and arrest of fourteen suspects was made.

“The operation was not without few incidences as attempts were made by the mob around the scene to cause confusion that will lead to breakdown of law and order, which may eventually result in the failure of the operation, but for the matured conduct of all members of the combined team.”

33

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

NaturalHealth How bitter leaf boosts immunity in persons with HIV, heals skin blemishes It may sound absurd but it is true. Meals rich in bitter leaf have been authenticated as novel panacea for skin blemishes, ageing and boosting immunity in people living with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), diabetes and cancer.

CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.

HE verdict is out: aqueous extract of bitter T leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) could be used as adjuvant in the management of people living with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS); and for restoration of skin colour and form as well as calming and vitalizing the body.

Botanically called Vernonia amygdalina, bitter leaf is of the plant family compositae. It is a small shrub that grows predominantly in the tropical Africa. In Nigeria, the plant is locally called bitter leaf due to its bitter taste.

A recent study on the immunological effect of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract and immunace® (nutritional supplement) on HIV infected patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) found that it could serve as a nutritional supplement in a HIV-infected or immuno-compromised condition such as cancer or diabetes patients.

The study was published in Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine.

The researchers concluded: “Conclusively, the present study revealed immune stimulating activity of V. amygdalina leaves extracts and its combination with immunace® regarding the improvement of CD4 (marker for the immune system) and enhanced Packed Cell Volume (PCV) responses. Although the exact mechanism of this effect is not clear, it may be mediated by interactions between active components of extracts and cell surface molecules or growth factors involved in cells activation.

“Another possible action of extracts may be interference with cell signaling. Although further investigations are warranted, to our knowledge the results suggest that V. amygdalina leaves extract may have immunological actions through transient and early maturation of cells and hindrance of cell destruction.

Therefore, V. amygdalina could serve as a nutritional supplement in a HIV-infected or immuno-compromised condition such as cancer or diabetes patients to a less extent.”

The study is titled: “Immunological effect of aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina and a known immune booster called immunace® and their admixtures on HIV/AIDS clients: a comparative study.”

In another study, researchers at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, led

by Utoh-Nedosa Uchechukwu Anastasia of concluded that Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract has skin colour and formlightening and restoration effects as well as body calming and body vitalizing effects.

The study was published in American Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

According to the study titled “Inhibition of Skin Colour Darkening (Skin Clearing and Lightening); Skin Firming; Body Calming and Body Vitalizing Effects of Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extract,” oral Vernonia amygdalina aqueous leaf extract was taken daily for six months to observe its effects on the external appearance and the firmness of the skin of the treated subject.

Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract was prepared

as a leaf effusion and taken four times daily by the subject who also observed some dietary restrictions.

The researcher wrote: “The results of the study showed that V. amygdalina leaf extract has potent skin clearing; skin firming; skin lightening (inhibition of skin colour darkening); skin texture and lusture restoration; anti-obesity; body calming and body vitality (vigor) effects. These skin colour and form restoration effects of V. amygdalina extract coupled to its body metabolism effects to give body calm, vitality and youthful looks to the subject.”

Previous studies had shown that Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract has anti- oxidant; antibacterial; antifungal; anthelmintic; antithrombosis; lipid lowering; anti-diabetic; wound healing and anti-cancer properties.

However, skin lightening and skin-tightening effects of Vernonia amygdalina extract has not been reported in humans although a study observed skin-lightening effects of Vernonia amygdalina in rats whose feed was enhanced with ground Vernonia amygdalina leaves.

The study reads: “The skin clearing effects of V. amygdalina leaf extract are suggested to be due to the clearing of skin infections and minor skin blemishes through the demonstrated antimicrobial antiparasitic and immune defence and antioxidant properties of V. amygdalina leaf extract.

“The skin tightening and skin texture and lusture restoration effects of V. amygdalina obtained in this study is suggested to be as a result of the excess fat reduction effects; the immune defense properties; the body organ repair properties and the direct skin tightening effects of V . amygdalina leaf extract.

“The natural skin colour restoration effects of V. amygdalina demonstrated in this study is as a result of the inhibition of the darkening of the melanophores of the skin of the subject by infective and other agents.

“The skin of Wistar rats fed for 65 days with 25, 50 and 75 per cent (w/w) powdered V. amygdalina leaves mixed with standard grower mash demonstrated the natural skin colour restoration effects of V. amygdalina leaf extract. At the end of the 65 days treatment, V. amygdalina in the reconstituted rat feed ‘grossly turned the skin of the treated rats lighter than those of the control rats fed the standard grower mash.’ Microscopic examinations of the treated rats showed that the various tissues of the rats were of normal architecture with good cellular morphology.

“V. amygdalina leaf extract is suggested to

Bitter leaf... could serve as a nutritional supplement in a HIV-infected or immuno-compromised condition such as cancer or diabetes patients have produced its skin lightening and natuThe present study investigated the effects of ral skin colour restoration effects in this increased protein intake on the human skin study through an inhibitory action on the 2 and on body fat. The skin firming, skin receptors of the melanophores of skin smoothing and skin colour lightening effects melanocytes of the subject. of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract has already “The body calming effects of V. amygdalina been established. The anti-obesity, body calmreported by the subject and inferred visually ing and anti-aging effects of VA leaf extract in the before and after treatment pictures of have also been established. the subject are suggested to be due to inhibiThe effects of increased protein intake (in the tion of energy metabolism of the subject by form of eating of 100 gm Voandzeia hypogeal the V. amygdalina extract.” seed paste meal two times daily), was tested Also, cooked Voandzeia subterranean on the skin, anti-obesity and anti-aging effects (hypogeal), popularly called Okpa in Ibo, of VA leaf extract. The study was done for 10 potentiated the skin tightening, skin days. smoothing, skin colour lightening and the Unpublished findings indicate that obese anti-obesity/anti- aging effects of Vernonia human subjects treated with oral Vernonia amygdalina aqueous leaf extract for one amygdalina leaf extract.

The results of a recent study published in month who experienced the anti-obesity American Journal of Agricultural and Biological effects reported a lighter; clearer; more glowSciences showed that increased Voandezia ing and firmer skin as side effects of the treathypogeal seed paste meal (increased protein ment.

The study reads: “The absolute CD4 count was intake has skin tightening/clearing/lightening/Smoothing and anti- obesity/anti-aging increased by an average of 12.0 per cent in the effects). They also showed that cooked immunace plus V. amygdalina extract in Voandzeia hypogeal seed paste meal has a group C, while 5.6 per cent in immunace® potentiating effect on the skin and body (group A) and 4.0 per cent in V. amygdalina effects of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) leaf extract (group B), and 1.0 per cent change in the control group D (ART alone). Skin rashes extract.

Voandzeia hypogeal bean seed is eaten as a were improved in all the groups. The differmajor source of vegetable protein in West ence is statistically significant (P<0.05).

“PCV, a component which is indirect or direct Africa especially in Central and Eastern Nigeria. It is eaten as a roasted seed snack, as linked to CD4 cell was slightly increased and a cooked seed snack, as a cooked seed por- the extent of the increase depends on the subridge meal or as a cooked seed flour paste stance administered. The increase in CD4+ cell count after administration of V. amygdalimeal mixed with palm oil (Okpa).

The study is titled “Skin Firming, Skin na extract and immunace® was the highest Smoothing, Skin Blemishes Elimination and among all the groups. It may be attributed to Anti-aging Effects of Increased Protein Intake the synergistic effect produced by V. amygdalina extract and immunace® which have in the Form of Voandzeia hypogeal Seed Meal.” similar effect on certain cells.

The study concluded that increased protein “The result in our study was in agreement intake potentiated the skin firming/skin with the previous researches. However, the Smoothing/skin colour lightening; body change in the CD4+ cells count in the treated calming; anti-obesity and anti-aging effects groups occurred after 4 months of adminisof Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract. The study tration. Although it is a short term study, it is also concluded that Voandzeia hypogeal seed believed that with the increase in the cells meal has skin firming/skin Smoothing/skin count, one can easily say that the clients in the colour lightening (clearing); body calming; test groups are doing well and this increase anti-obesity and anti-aging effects. can not be associated with extracellular CD4 Studies on the effect of excess calorie intake which has been mopped up during immune on the human body showed that it resulted reconstitution stage as reported in our previin accumulation of excess body fat; the dark- ous study. ening of the skin colour and the develop“The inconsistence observed in the CD4 cell ment of a bumpy skin. count depends on the white blood cell count, the percentage of lymphocytes and the CD4 receptor bearing lymphocyte. In HIV state the The results of the study showed that V. amygdalina leaf extract has potent CD4 cells are destroyed and subsequently to a very lower level so that the abiliskin clearing; skin firming; skin lightening (inhibition of skin colour darken- reduced ty to prevent infections is decreased, but the ing); skin texture and lusture restoration; anti-obesity; body calming and body may regain its ability over a certain periof time due to a process called immune body vitality (vigor) effects. These skin colour and form restoration effects of od reconstitution, which entails mopping the V. amygdalina extract coupled to its body metabolism effects to give body extracellular cells.”

calm, vitality and youthful looks to the subject

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

34 NATURAL HEALTH

Pharmacy excels at UNILAG inter-faculty debate

By Chukwuma Muanya IGHTEEN year-old Miss E Gbemisola Christiana Onasanya, a 200 level pharmacy student, representing the Faculty of Pharmacy has emerged as one of the finalists from the preliminary stage of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Inter-Faculty Debate 2013 held recently at the Main Auditorium.

The first round of the University of Lagos Inter faculty debate held on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at the University of Lagos main auditorium. All the faculties in The Institution were represented.

The topic that was debated on was “Is Presidential System of Government Ideal for Good Governance in Nigeria?”

The chief judge of the panel of judges was the reputable professor Segun Awonusi of the department of English language.

Onasanya came third with 75 per cent behind her colleagues from Social Science, 82 per cent; and Engineering, 77 per cent. Other faculties that participated and their percentage score are as follows: Pharmacy, 75 per cent; Business administration, 69 per cent; Clinical Science, 71 per cent; Medical science, 64 per cent; Distance learning institute, 62 per cent; Education, 62 per cent; Environmental Science, 64

• Grand finale for July 3 per cent; Law, 74 per cent; Science, 72 per cent; Art, 61 per cent; and Basic Medical Science, 70 per cent.

The top six faculties, which include Social Science, Basic medical science, Science, Pharmacy, Law and Engineering where shortlisted for the next round of the debate which will hold at same venue on the July 3 by 10 am.

According to a Memo by the Deputy Dean 1, Students’ Affairs Division, Dr. A. K. Adebayo, the 2013 University Debate, which is modeled to make the students versatile is in two stages: Preliminary and Final Stage. The topic for the first stage was “Is Presidential System of Government Ideal for Good Governance in Nigeria?” while the topic of the Final Stage scheduled for Wednesday July 3, 2013 is “Sovereign National Conference, is it desirable at this stage of Nigeria Development?”

Onasanya told The Guardian: “To the glory of God I represented faculty of pharmacy in the University of Lagos inter faculty debate, that was the preliminary stage. We got qualified for the final getting into the third place.

“I love public address. I love talking to people. It is something I love doing addressing

the public and stating my own view. I did not know the topic was on politics. It only took me research. I had to go into what Nigeria was, what it represented and all that. It is really interesting.”

Onasanya acknowledged the help of the Head of Department of Pharmacognosy, Prof.

Olukemi Odukoya, and the Sub Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dr. Mbang Owolabi. “With the whole of my Mummies in the Faculty, they have really tried. I have a whole lot of materials and I gone through a lot. I don’t think not winning is not an option. The topic is ‘Is Sovereign National Conference Desirable at this stage of Nigeria development,’” she said.

Third place qualifier for Grand Finale of the University of Lagos 2013 Inter-Faculty Debate schedfuled for July 3 and 200 level pharmacy student, eighteen year-old Miss Gbemisola Christiana Onasanya (middle), Head of Department of Pharmacognosy, Prof.

Olukemi Odukoya (right) and Sub Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, Dr. Mbang Owolabi at a reception for Onasanya… recently.

Pharmacists seek radical innovations to enhance health care delivery HARMACISTS under the P aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the Association of Community Pharmacists Of Nigeria (ACPN) have called for radical innovations to boost health care delivery in the country even as they endorsed Reload range of multivitamins.

President of PSN, Olumide Akintayo, in his address at the just concluded 32nd ACPN annual national conference held in Calabar, Cross Rivers said every profession in the quest for relevance and survival continues to dig deep in search of radical innovations geared towards enhancing service delivery in the best interest of the public and ACPN is not exempted.

Akintayo said: “Pharmacy as a strategic profession in healthcare cannot continue be an exception in its quest for relevance and survival and that is the reason we’ll continue to dig deep in search of radical innovations geared towards enhancing

• Endorse new range of multivitamins service delivery in the best interest of the public.

Pharmacy has much to offer in helping to meet rising expectation, not only in promoting better health and preventing illness but also in contributing to the effective delivery of care closer to home and in the communities where people live, the very ideals of the National Primary Healthcare Agency.”

Chairman of the Occasion Dr. Mrs. Dere Awosika paid a long visit to reload range of multivitamins stand with

other executives of ACPN. Awosika commended the initiative of having product displayed at the conference.

Reload, made by Pharmacy Plus Limited, is duly registered and certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), it is described as a multivitamin, multi-mineral and antioxidant in a vegetable and fruit blend introduced into the market. According to the manufacturers, reload multivitamins contains 24 fruits

and vegetables. Taking one tablet daily gives all the nutrients needed on a daily basis.

The conference was also attended by representatives of the Cross Rivers State Governor, Liyel Imoke, representatives of Honourable Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, National Chairman ACPN, Adebayo Ismail Olufemi, Registrar, Pharmacists Council Of Nigeria (PCN), and Mrs. Gloria Abumere among other dignitaries with keynote address delivered by Ahmed Yakassai.

Pfizer upgrades LUTH’s e-pharmacy FIZER Nigeria and East P Africa Region (NEAR) has completed the E-pharmacy project at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), one of the nation’s largest Teaching Hospitals.

The LUTH e-pharmacy programme is an innovative creation of a large database known as Health Information System (HIS) which collates pharmacy based data such as stock checks, patient/pharmacist transactions, patients history checks and prescription costs, enabling pharmacists, physicians and medical suppliers to access in-demand resources, products and a greater understanding of

patients’ needs. This will in turn improve the quality of medical care.

The journey started in 2011 with a strategic multi-level engagement plan with all stakeholders across different cadres of the institution to ensure the smooth flow of operations throughout the course of installation and implementation of the first stage of this project.

Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Akin Osibogun, said: “This upgrade is an amazing progress in our care of patients. It is a cheaper and more effective way of handling cases.”

According to a press statement by Pfizer NEAR, the

third stage of the upgrade introduces Internet connectivity, bulk sms capability and connection to a global drug information service.

This software is also designed to assist in making the transition from a paper based system to an electronic health system and will offer users in the Pharmacy department information on drug interactions and drug inquiries.

The statement reads: “With this upgrade, there is easy access to information, more accurate prescriptions, lower healthcare costs, reduction in paperwork which allows more time with patients and improved patients’ safety.

Experts worried over rising Candida vaginitis infection among Nigerians

By Toyosi Ajayi and Aderonke Alabi EDICAL experts have M raised alarm over the rising crisis of candida vaginitis syndrome in Nigeria.

Research has it that over 100 per cent of the female children from the ages of 12 to 15, are victims of the traumatic disease called Candida vaginitis, a fungal/yeast infection that usually causes a watery, white cottage, cheese-like vaginal discharge. It is commonly referred to as toilet infection; it is an inflamma-

tion of the vaginal.

A pediatrician in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, Lagos, Prof.

Adebola Akinsulie, told The Guardian that the Infectious candidiasis is quite common in ladies and reproductive age women. It can result to discharge itching, pain and it often associated with irritation. Candida vaginitis is a dreadful infection, which deserves urgent medical attention because of its contributory adverse effect on reproductive age women.

He said that testing for vagi-

nal infections is not a part of routine pelvic examination, and therefore, women should visit their health care providers, for appropriate treatment and diagnosis.

Akinsule, however, said the symptoms of this disease can be triggered through: Irritation and or itching of the genital area; inflammation such as redness, swelling irritation, soreness; frequent vaginal discharge that is thick and yellowish in color; burning sensation; foul vaginal odour, pain and irritation during sexual intercourse.

SCIENCEGUArDIAN 35

THE GUArDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

New micro-fluidic chip can help identify unwanted particles in water, food NEW process for making a A three-dimensional microstructure that can be used in the analysis of cells could prove useful in counterterrorism measures and in water and food safety concerns. The research, conducted by members of Virginia Tech’s Microelectromechanical Systems Laboratory (MEMS) Laboratory in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is the focus of a recent article in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ Journal of Microelectomechanical Systems.

In their engineering laboratory, the researchers developed a new microfabrication technique to develop threedimensional microfluidic devices in polymers.

Microfluidics deals with the performance, control, and treatment of fluids that are constrained in some fashion, explained Masoud Agah, director of the laboratory.

As a result of this work, Agah, associate professor of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, and Amy Pruden, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, have received a National Science Foundation award of $353,091 to use the technology and develop new microchips named 3D-πDEP standing for “three-dimensional, passivated-electrode, insulator-based dielectrophoresis” for pathogen detection.

The NSF grant will allow

them to focus on the isolation of waterborne pathogens that represent one of the “grand challenges to human health, costing the lives of about 2.5 million people worldwide each year,” Agah and Pruden said.

According to the World Health Organisation, the isolation of pathogenic bacteria from the environment has not significantly changed since the 1960s, when meth-

ods for chemical treatment of samples to remove background organisms were first implemented.

In the past, Agah said, researchers have mainly used two-dimensional microfluidic structures since this type of fabrication is more simplistic.

With the three-dimensional device developed by Agah and his collaborators, Yayha Hosseini and Phillip Zellner, both graduate students in the

department, they are able to customise the shapes of the channels and cavities of the devices the fluids passed through.

The advantage of the fabrication process is that with a very economical technique it creates three-dimensional varying channels and cavities in a microfluidic structure with rounded corners as well as many other customised shapes.

These shapes are important because they resemble the living conditions as they occur naturally and this allows the use of the three-dimensional microfabrication technology beyond pathogen detection.

As an example, in human blood vessels, cells interact with each other and their surrounding environment inside circular channels. They have varying diameters, along with multiple branching and

joints.

“Only under this type of condition can one truly study the biology of cells within a system in vitro as if it is occurring in vivo – our new microfluidic fabrication technology can resemble more realistically the structures of a cell’s true living conditions,” Agah said.

It is the introduction of the three-dimensions that provides this distinctive environment.

Search for greener energy records major breakthrough CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 new effort to initiate international cooperation and innovative thinking on the global energy challenge. The threeday symposium, which took place in Germany this past summer, included 30 chemists from China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was organised through a joint effort of the science and technology funding agencies and chemical societies of each country, including the U. S. National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.

The symposium series was initiated though the ACS Committee on International Activities in order to offer a unique forum whereby global challenges could be tackled in an open, discussion-based setting, fostering innovative solutions to some of the world’s most daunting challenges.

A “white paper” entitled

“Powering the World with Sunlight,” describes highlights of the symposium and is available along with related materials here.

“The sun provides more energy to the Earth in an hour than the world consumes in a year,” the report states.

“Compare that single hour to the one million years required for the Earth to accumulate the same amount of energy in the form of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not a sustainable resource, and we must break our dependence on them.

Solar power is among the most promising alternatives.”

The scientists pointed out during the meeting that plants use solar energy when they capture and convert sunlight into chemical fuel through photosynthesis. The process involves the conver-

sion of water and carbon dioxide into sugars as well as oxygen and hydrogen. Scientists have been successful in mimicking this fuel-making process, termed artificial photosynthesis, but now must finds ways of doing so in ways that can be used commercially. Participants described progress toward this goal and the scientific challenges that must be met before solar can be a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Highlights of the symposium include a talk by Kazunari Domen, Ph.D., of the University of Tokyo in Japan.

Domen described current research on developing more efficient and affordable catalysts for producing hydrogen using a new water-splitting technology called “photocatalytic overall water splitting.”

The technology uses light-activated nanoparticles, each 1/50,000 the width of a human hair, to convert water to hydrogen. This technique is more efficient and less expensive than current technologies, he said.

Domen noted that the ultimate goal of artificial photosynthesis is to produce a liquid fuel, such as methanol, or “wood alcohol.” Achieving this goal would fulfill the vision of creating an “artificial leaf” that not only splits water but uses the reaction products to create a more usable fuel, similar to what leaves do.

Also, taking inspiration from trees, scientists have developed a battery made from a sliver of wood coated with tin that shows promise for becoming a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally

friendly energy source.

Their report on the device1,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper- appears in the journal Nano Letters.

Liangbing Hu, Teng Li and colleagues point out that today’s batteries often use stiff, non-flexible substrates, which are too rigid to release the stress that occurs as ions flow through the battery. They knew that wood fibers from trees are supple and naturally designed to hold mineral-rich water, similar to the electrolyte in batteries. They decided to explore use of wood as the base of an experimental sodium-ion battery.

Using sodium rather than lithium would make the device environmentally friendly.

The GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

36 SCIeNCe heALTh

‘how Lagos combats maternal, child deaths’ Maternal and child mortality ratio in Lagos fair better than the national percentage but the state government is not resting on its oars.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Jide Idris in a chat with reporters, explains strategy currently deployed in the statewide Maternal and Child Mortality Reduction (MCMR) programme to reach zero maternal and infant deaths in Lagos.

WOLE OYEBADE was there. Excerpts Since the MCMR programme was launched last October, how far has it gone with the strategy of reaching zero mortality?

T is worthwhile to mention that we have various strategies that we are adopting in the programme. For instance, training of health workers and public enlightenment with respect to issues of addressing the major causes of maternal and child mortality – using the platform of what we call the three delays: delay in deciding to seek appropriate medical help for an obstetric emergency; delay in reaching an appropriate obstetric facility; and delay in receiving adequate care when a facility is reached.

After these strategies were itemized, we started with the launch last year. Part of the strategies is to also go down to senatorial district levels to continue the sensitisation.

And after that, we we’ll go to each of the Local Government Areas (LGAs). What we are doing now is sensitisation at the senatorial district levels.

We’ve been to Lagos West I, Lagos east and Lagos West II. The next sensitisation will be at Lagos Central district. having the LGAs to host the sensitisation programme is a way of getting them to take ownership of this pro-

I

gramme because, the thematic areas has core aspects like community involvement and community mobilisation.

That is the only way the programme can be very effective because you need to get across to various people especially the masses who live at the grassroots.

We’ve started at the state level, looking at our data and we have formulated programmes and strategies. The essence is to disseminate it. having started this, we need to get feedback from the communities. Second, the essence of the feedback is to be sure that we are getting across to them. What are the challenges they are facing at the community level? Are our strategies working? Do they know what they are supposed to do? That is the essence of the sensitisation programme.

What are the main issues addressed during the sensitisation programmes?

During each one, we address specific theme. We let them know that, first and in term of infrastructure, what kind of facility do they have within that locality especially the Primary health Centre (PhC)?

Where they are located? What are the hours of operations/ what are the services they provide? It is when they know that they are inclined to use the facility. Some of the peo-

Jide Idris

ple don’t know, which is why they go to nearest General hospital to compound the problem.

Second, some of the materials that we have produced – like the maternal and child booklets – we want to use the opportunity to teach the people how to use those booklets and what they are meant for.

We let them know that these booklets are free and every pregnant woman in Lagos must have a copy of the maternal booklet and every child less than five years must have the child booklet too.

Both contain specific information.

In respect to mothers, their booklet has information on the number of pregnancies, history of the pregnancy and also contains some education materials to let them know what to do during pregnancy, what to and not to eat, danger signs of pregnancy, family planning and so on. For the child too, they have database

that can trace health issues of the child right from birth up to age five; checking development milestones; weight and heights among other things that are expected of a child.

These booklets have been distributed to all facilities in the state and we are also trying to get the private facilities involved. The most important thing is capturing as many pregnant women and children so we can look after them – whether they go to private or public care, it is irrelevant as long as they are accessing the right care.

These are the things we want to tell the people and of course, to get them to take ownership in the sense that we’ll talk to opinion leaders in the community so they can mobilise their people. They know the people better than we do. The essence is to create demand because a lot of our people don’t know that these facilities and services exist.

That is the essence of these

‘First metallic replacement surgery, a pride to Nigeria’s health system’

By Wole Oyebade ONSULTANT Orthopaedic C Surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic hospital, Birmingham United Kingdom (UK), Dr. Segun Abudu has described the recent metallic replacement surgery by a team of surgeons at Lagoon hospitals, Lagos as a national pride to the Nigerian health system.

Abudu said the surgical feat, arguably the first in Africa, is a testimony of top of the range specialists’ skills and care services available in Nigeria.

The team led by Abudu recently did a metallic replacement of a whole arm bone and joints on a patient.

The feat, according to specialists, is historic. Findings show that only two or three centres perform similar operations in UK, of which limited number of cases has been performed till date.

“I have been to several countries doing this type of surgery and it really pained me not able to offer that in Nigeria for years. So, to now have a hospital with the necessary facility that allows us

to offer that is, for me, God sent!

“It is important that as a country, we should be able to provide care for Nigerians in Nigeria and that care be provided by Nigerians. I see it as a mark of national pride.

Lagoon indeed allowed us to pride ourselves as a nation that we can deliver quality surgical services,” Abudu told The Guardian on Tuesday.

The “historic” surgery was performed on a banker in his late 30s. A road accident about four years ago left the patient with a nasty fracture of the right arm bone.

According to the experts, no fewer than four surgeries had been performed on the unnamed patient at four different hospitals, but the wound failed to heal and the fractured bone got infected.

With long-standing infection, the arm became floppy and shorter, compared to the other good arm.

“Options available to him were very limited. In many parts of the world, the only option would have been to take off the arm (amputation),” Abudu said.

Continuing, Abudu said: “The question for us was how to remove the bad bones that are all smeared in pus due to infection. he has not moved the shoulder for about four years. The shoulder and the elbow were stalled there.

“Not only could he not do anything for years, he was feasibly deformed. We need to be able to correct the deformity and give him a arm that works.”

That surgery involved dissecting out all the vessels, nerves and muscles to get to the bad bone; remove the whole of the arm from the shoulder. A specially made prosthesis (an artificial part of the body) was to replace the shoulder, elbow and the whole of the arm-bone.

“Not just that, though that allows him to move his shoulder and elbow to do other things, but he would still be deformed because the arm was short. So, we needed something that allows us to lengthen the arm so the arms will be equal in size again. And that is what we were able to do using expendable prosthe-

sis.

“We worked with prosthesis engineer in this high-end surgery. Only 50 or 60 of these cases have been done in the whole of UK ever. And I believe this is not a surgery that would have been done in Africa, certainly not in West Africa.”

Abudu’s team – in a surgery that lasted for about eight hours – did replaced the shoulder, elbow and arm to have what is called “a bionic man.” It would not have happened without the support of a team of competent anesthetists, blood transfusion service, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) among other facilities available in Lagoon hospital.

Abudu said further: “It is not just been able to do the surgery that is important but been able to do it safely and successfully. When the patient told me that he was coming to Birmingham for the surgery, I had told him no, that we would do it here because I think the right facility is here. More so, we would do it as I would have done in Birmingham. And that is it.

The first time he was able to look at his new arm, he burst into tears of joy.”

Town hall meetings.

And we are getting responses. Some are coming up with questions on challenges that they face when they go to some of these facilities and we are providing answers.

For people who may not have access to us at the programmes but have questions, we have created help lines. They can call: 08074574108; 08074574109 and 08074574110. These lines are manned and any one can call them for help.

Some of their questions would bother on blood donation Yes. Some are asking questions on why they have to donate blood for pregnant women and we’d tell them why. The truth is that the government cannot produce blood. Again, in pregnancy complications, a major cause of high maternal mortality is bleeding and if blood is not available to replace what is lost, then there is going to complication. It can have negative consequences on the mother and the child. So, there must be blood available especially for those pregnancies that are high risk.

We cannot have blood that everyone can use and can only do our best within limited resources, so we expect the people to also do their bit. They must understand that. What we need is enlightenment and sensitisation on this, especially to break cultural and religious barriers.

Government with the best of intents cannot meet all needs.

What are the findings since the programme began?

Let me say that assessment of mortality is not something we can do in one sitting. It is something you have to look at data and survey over a period of time. I can’t tell you now that maternal mortality has gone down because we started last year. But the chances are – based on other indicators that we are seeing – we may be able to tell by the time we do another baseline study.

‘More awareness needed to tackle sickle cell disorder’

By Tony Nwanne s Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemoA rate the World Sickle Cell Day last week, health experts have expressed concern over the increasing cases of the disease in the country without proper care and support for the sufferers, stressing that there is the need to increase the awareness campaign of the disease early enough before marriage.

The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, ebute Metta, Lagos, Dr. Munira Jinadu made this known during the World Sickle Cell day event, held at the medical centre in Lagos, that it is imperative for government to make it compulsory to bring sickle cell anaemia awareness closer to the public.

Speaking at the event which had over 12 primary schools in Lagos, Dr. Jinadu called for urgent need by the government to create a policy that will foresee early prevention through proper counseling, and the need for parents to pay attention to their children with sickle cell disorder.

According to her, “the Federal Medical Center is a recipient of sickle cell disorder management, and being complimented by the federal government, we owe a duty to the community to continually raise the awareness of early avoidance of the scourge called SCD. Overtime, lack of support and discrimination against those living with the condition in Nigeria has made the disease more life threatening and worrisome. Poor awareness creation has also worsen the situation as some people still do not consider it necessary to check their genotype before getting into marriage, hence the increase”, she noted.

She expressed regrets that sickle cell patients were not getting adequate care and treatment they needed to live a better life, which prompted the Federal Government to establish medical health centers in ebute Metta to ensure early detection and treatment of the disease at a discounted rate.

Nigeria partners MSD, FSRC to battle hepatitis C

By Tony Nwanne heAD the World hepatitis Day which comes up in July 28, A international medical firms has beginning to focus more on Africa, most especially Nigeria, to continually create awareness and to also support Nigeria in eradicating the deadly disease in the country.

The firms, Focus Scientific Research Center (FSRC), a physicianled team of researchers, in association with the program sponsor MSD, a global healthcare leader, and a range of collaborators both regional and international, are currently working on an initiative in Nigeria to create awareness about hepatitis with the main focus on hCV. The stakeholders, who arrived Lagos, Nigeria, last week to brainstorm on programs ahead the World hepatitis Day, titled “hepatitis in Africa - Call for Action”, intends to raise disease awareness among the relevant stakeholders in the region, strengthen the existing structures on ground to making sure that the disease is brought to the nearest minimal.

Speaking at the event, the Regional Director Market Access hospital and Specialty Care, Vivian Mendonca, MSD, noted that the objectives of the program includes engaging and building a relationship with scientific leaders, patient representatives and ministry of health officials from each country to form a regional expert group, and developing national and regional activity plans.

According to Mendonca, “the initiative intends to lay the foundation for the development of country-specific activity roadmaps with the involvement of local stakeholders for effective management of hCV. We want to continually raise the awareness on the burden of hepatitis C in sub-Sahara Africa among stakeholders”.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

SCIENCE & HEALTH

Cross River, consortium sign MoU for hospital construction HE Cross River State T Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium for the construction of a multi-billion naira ultra modern Calabar Specialist Hospital under Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Governor Liyel Imoke and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Attah Ochinike, signed on behalf of the state while the Chief Executive Office of Utopian Consulting International, Mr. John A. Adesioye of Utopian Consulting International and Mr. Bayo Oyewole of International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group signed on behalf of the consortium. Imoke explained that the decision to embark

on the project is borne out of the state’s commitment and passion for high quality health care delivery system.

According to him, “the proposed hospital will have the capacity for best services and capacity of international standards to boost the state’s health care delivery programme.”

He stressed that Cross River indigenes require modern, affordable health care and it can only be attained through a partnership with the private sector that can provide the basic requirements.

He noted that the transaction would be of benefit to the parties as the focus is to deliver service of tremendous value.

The governor commended the consortium for identifying with the project.

Imoke disclosed that International Finance

Corporation is involved in various health care projects and programmes across the world and has the expertise and experience to consult for the state.

The governor remarked that the hospital is not only a world class model designed to ensure service but also envisaged to ensure capacity training, transfer of technology, provide jobs, save cost as the state spends N200 million yearly on overseas medical treatment of its citizens.

He urged the partners to make sure the project is commissioned on schedule.

Adesioye, the boss of Utopian Consulting International, the successful bidder for the project, said they were humbled to work with the state to execute the project and having IFC as its partner gives them confidence.

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Raising the bar in maternal health intervention

By Wole Oyebade TATE of the world’s mothers 2013 report ranks Nigeria one of the most dangerous countries to be a mother or a child.

The most populous Black Country ranks 169 out of 176 in the report’s Mother’s Index and 175 on the scale of 186 countries in the Birth Day Risk Index category. Nigeria has the second highest first-day death burden after India, with nearly 90,000 day-old babies dying yearly!

The reasons are not farfetched. One of them is low access to Skilled Birth Attendants (doctors, nurses and midwives with knowledge on diagnosis and complicated cases) in many subSaharan countries, including Nigeria.

Consequently, no fewer than 50 per cent deliveries in Nigeria are still taken by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) – majority of them untrained in modern maternal care services and often blamed for the burden of high maternal deaths and nine per cent of the first-day death global total.

If Nigeria must raise the bar in current maternal health interventions, then there must be concerted efforts at capacity building for the TBAs, coupled with increase awareness on available maternal care services as daily experience of several women in the hands of TBA would suggest.

Onyinye Udu is an example.

She cheated death to tell the story.

Udu, 38, a resident of KetuAlapere, Lagos was recently pregnant, expecting her first child. She felt quite healthy with the pregnancy and, for reasons not unconnected with affordability of care services, she registered with a TBA at fifth month.

Everything was going well until scan revealed that the baby was not well positioned. That was at the eightmonth. The traditional attendant, an elderly woman, assured safe delivery.

The assurance raised Udu’s hopes until labour pains got prolonged for more than 12 hours and more…

According to her: “I arrived there (TBA centre) on the day labour started, at nine

S

• A mother narrates experience with TBA

Health benefits of liver cleansing (2) week I began to discuss the principles of cleansing the LliverAST liver. In that article I did mention that the first thing to do in cleansing like in most chronic degenerative diseases is to

Udu

o’clock in the morning, but was there till 12 noon the following day. I cannot describe the pains I experienced all through that period,” she said.

Her husband saw the looming danger and insisted on taking his wife away. “It was then that the woman said she has a doctor who can help me with an operation (Cesarean Section).”

“I was taken to the new hospital. There, the doctor said I must deposit N5000 before anything at all. My husband did not have the money but pleaded as he went about looking for the money. But they said no.

“By that time, I barely know anything but just managing to shout for help. I was dying.

I have been bleeding since around six o’clock that morning.”

Out of compassion, the doctor checked on the dying patient and changed the initial deposit to N50, 000.

“The doctor took me through scan, checking on where the baby is. He later said the baby had died. By the time my husband arrived with some money, the doctor said he cannot handle the case again, but we should go

to Gbagada General Hospital.”

Apparently afraid that the patient had slim chances of surviving it – traveling about 1500 kilometres to General Hospital – the accosted Taxi Driver suggested a nearby private facility. In dire straits, Udu and her husband had no choice than to settle for help wherever possible.

The hospital happens to be Delta Crown hospital, one of the few facilities working with by Partnership for Transforming Health Systems II (PATHS2) Lagos on maternal intervention services.

“I could no longer talk on arriving at Delta Crown, but the workers just rushed at me. They did not ask of anything, not even card, but just rushed to save my life. They saved my life,” she said amid tears.

Medical Director, Delta Crown Hospital, Dr. Isaac Feludu said the patient arrived at the hospital in critical state and it would have been a different turnout if she had gone to the GH. She had arrived with about 11 per cent blood left.

“On getting here, I told her husband if he can get at least

two pints of blood, I’ll take her straight to theatre. He said he doesn’t have money but would go and look for it.

I turned to the lab man on compassion ground to get us two pints of blood from one of the Lagos State blood banks.

“A pint soon arrived and we set her up on that and went to theatre. We gave her two pints that day. She eventually got four pints of blood,” Feludu told The Guardian.

Nonetheless her worry on raising fund to offset the bills incurred, Udu was indeed happy to be alive after the ordeal.

Feludu, at the time of the visit, said very little had been paid, but would not delay the patient any more than is necessary, citing a Memoranda of Agreement (MoA) with PATHS2. PATHS2 is a six-year health strengthening initiative in five States and funded by UKaid, through the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). PATHS2 Lagos has a MoA with six private health facilities, which entitled indigent patients to a 50 to 70 per cent rebate on cost of care.

Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Muhammad (middle) presenting a “Thank You gift” to Mr. Niyi Ayegboyin, the retiring Pioneer Photo Journalist of NPHCDA, (alias Baba Photo) at sentforth ceremony in Abuja. Behind them are some members of the top management of the agency.

drink sufficient water to ensure that there is enough water in the body. When the body is dehydrated it affects the cleansing function of the liver negatively. Water is very important in all transport functions in the body.

When the body is dehydrated, elimination of toxins and other types of wastes can be adversely affected. Secondly, as part of the principle of liver cleansing, I began to talk about the role of diet. Four vegetables, green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables along with carrots and beets were discussed last week.

We shall continue this week with garlic.

Garlic contains allicin and selenium, both of which help in liver cleansing. They also activate liver enzymes that flush out toxins.

List of fruits that aid in cleansing the liver Apple Predominantly acts in the intestines to reduce the toxic load of the substances to the liver. The fiber in the apple absorbs a lot of the chemicals and toxins from the nutrients in the intestines before they are absorbed.

Lemon By its vitamin C content, lemons help to convert fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble substances that can easily be eliminated. Lime also plays the same role.

Avocado Avocados help in the production of glutathione. Glutathione is the most abundant endogenously produced antioxidant.

Direct supplementation with glutathione is not very effective because absorption is very low. Glutathione is synthesize in the body by a combination of L-cysteine, L-glutamic acid and glycine. These are all amino acids with the availability of LCysteine limiting the rate of the reaction. Supplementation with N-acetyl cysteine is therefore highly indicated.

Grapefruit The grape fruit plays a role in the biosynthesis of the liver enzymes, which are essential for the detoxification function of the liver. The vitamin C and other antioxidants in grape fruit also support the liver in cleansing.

Whole grains and nuts Whole grains like whole wheat, whole oats and brown rice, high in the B-complex vitamins, help to decongest the liver and support fat metabolism in the liver. They also play a significant role in energy production in the liver.

Walnuts There is a high presence of the amino acid arginine in walnuts (the roasted ones sold in shops as against the boiled ones that are hawked along the streets of Lagos and other cities).

Arginine is particularly important in detoxifying ammonia.

Walnuts are considered a great supporter of the overall cleansing ability of the liver because of its content of arginine, glutathione and omega 3 fatty acids.

Others Olive oil and flax seed oil These contain lipids like omega 3 fatty acids which absorb toxins, thereby reducing the load of toxins getting into the liver.

Green tea Green tea contains the plant antioxidant catechin, which assists the liver in its cleansing functions by neutralising the free radicals.

To keep the liver healthy and functioning optimally, my advice is that you begin to add these veggies, fruits and grains to your diet on a daily basis. Make up your mind and decide that your liver will never be over-burdened by the work that GOD created it to perform. Avoid alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, reduce your intake of high protein (animal protein), carbohydrates and fatty foods and stop smoking. This leads us to the third principle of liver cleansing, supplementation Supplementation The following supplements taken on a regular basis will support the good health and healthy functioning of the liver: Milk Thistle, contains an antioxidant, silymarin which neutralises free radicals and prevents the lipid cell membrane of the hepatocytes (liver cells) from damage. It can also counteract toxins and prevent the liver from damage. Silymarin has the ability to cause regeneration of the liver cells.

Artichoke leaf, a herbal medicine for healthy liver function, it helps to stimulate the production of bile so as to have a large store of bile.

Alpha Lipoic Acid This supplement helps to increase levels of glutathione and the liver enzymes. It also protects the liver from free radical damage and inflammation.

Turmeric This is a powerful liver tonic, which helps to stimulate flow of bile and aids the liver to digest fats. It also protects the liver from toxins and inflammation. It balances cholesterol and it is particularly useful in supporting the health of the heart.

Other supplements that are useful in supporting the health and function of the liver are: soy lecithin (phosphatidylcholine), N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), Olive leaf extract, Burdock root and Dandelion root.

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Education Students list reasons for poor quality of Master’s, PhD theses

By Mary Ogar ANY Nigerians were shocked when the M Central Coordinating Committee (CCC), an arm of the National Book Development Fund (NBDF) established by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), last year revealed that out of a total of 150 doctorate (PhD) theses in various disciplines, obtained from several universities and scrutinized to determine which ones were suitable for conversion to textbooks, only 11 passed the tests.

The purpose of the TETFUND initiative, spearheaded by its immediate Executive Secretary, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, which was to resuscitate and strengthen academic journals and encourage committed dons to publish textbooks, had also revealed the poor quality of many PhD theses, leading to the conclusion that some Professors have been endorsing deficient PhD theses that had in turn led to the award of fraudulent PhD degrees.

To equip post graduate students with research writing skills and the rudiments of academic culture, the Ekiti state government has organized a Participants at the Ikogosi Graduate Summer School, organized by the Ekiti State government at Ikogosi. Ekiti State recently two-week summer Ikogosi Summer School (IGSS) at the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, where intimidation in the academic world and this is reduce the work load outside academics.”

Nigerian scholars based in foreign universities wrong. Lecturers have this penchant of making One of the directors of the IGSS programme things difficult for students. There was a time I and a lecturer at Kansas University, United were on hand to lecture the students.

The two-week featured 50 graduates of Ekiti had to leave a university after spending just one States (U.S), Dr Ebenezer Obadare, who insisted state origin, currently undergoing their master’s session, because of one problem or the other.” that there was no such term as a Nigerian, Mr. Francis Adeyemi, who is studying Ghanaian or Zimbabwean academic, also statand doctorate (PhD) programmes in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities in various univer- Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, ed: “There are so many academic works that are said the time frame and unavailability of lectur- done in a hurry and they lack substance. Some sities across the country.

However, some of the students who spoke with ers have largely been responsible for the prob- serious academics spend up to three years just The Guardian blamed the overbearing nature of lem. His words: “Every course has a scope and to have their work published because it has to some University lecturers for the prevalence of we are supposed to use primary data. But at the go through a serious process of scrutiny. As an end of the day, we end up using secondary data academic, you should not just publish for the poor quality of master’s and doctorate theses.

Mr. Ojudu Oluyemi, who is undertaking his because your supervisor would not be available sake of publishing, but you must ensure that master’s programme in Peace and Conflict when you need him and the academic calendar your published work has value. They (acadeStudies at the National Open University of is not stable. So, most times, you end up using mics) should also steer clear of journals that Nigeria (NOUN) said: “The federal government data that are cooked up and do not depict the don’t have value but rather go for standard. has to come in and restructure the system. It has real picture or capture the true situation.”

They may be rejected, but rejection teaches an Mr. Abayomi Awelewa, who is pursuing his academic humility. It is better to be rejected by got to the extent where lecturers see themselves as gods and would rather terrorise students than PhD in English at the University of Ibadan, a quality journal than to have 20 works pubteach them. They believe so much in their pow- regretted the situation in the university sys- lished in a journal that don’t have value.” ers and they want to make things difficult for stu- tem that had resulted in graduates coming up Obadare, who is an associate professor of dents. It’s sad that a PhD programme can last up with poor quality theses. He said: “A supervisor Sociology, also spoke on the academic culture to seven years. In other countries, when you get is supposed to guide you. Sometimes, the situa- of Nigerian academics. He stated: “I want to in, you know when you are getting out. tion is so bad that you can hardly meet with address the very concept of the Nigerian Sometimes, the more hardworking and smart your supervisor because he has to cope with 15 Academic culture. Something that has crept to 20 other students. Some postgraduate stu- into the academic world is that false division you are, the more they want to torment you.”

According to him, the long time a student dents have to make a living, so if you fail to between academic work in Nigeria and acaspends in the university may not necessarily work hard, you would definitely come out with demic work in other parts of the world. I want translate to a good quality of work. “The overall a bad work”. to stress the point that you are either an acaMr. Akomolafe Abayomi, also from the demic or you are not. Academic culture should tendency is that, once your supervisor terrorises you, you would want to do same to your stu- University of Ibadan, however maintained be the same everywhere. It has different compothat a system must be put in place to bridge the nent such as particular attitude to ideas, hard dents. It’s a chain reaction.”

Mrs. Jumoke Olurope is studying for her mas- gap between students and their supervisors. He work, diligence, devotion, dedication, patience, ter’s in Indigenous Communication and noted: “There are very few hands and a lecturer pursuit of a set of ideas and those set of ideas are Development at the University of Ibadan. She whose core mandate is to teach and research is not divisible.” attributed the problem of poor quality of theses also saddled with other administrative work, On the way forward, he averred: “You have by being made an administrator or director. to ask yourself: What do you really want when to lack of civilization and enlightenment.

She said: “I am a journalist. There is so much The university policy must address that and you say you want to be an academic? You want

to work in an environment that is dedicated to the pursuit of ideas? I think we have deviated away from that. You want to be part of a global community of scholars. You can live, teach and research in Nigeria, but your work is not only meant for consumption by Nigerians but also for people in different parts of the world, and that is because as an academic, you are speaking to a global audience”.

Another director of the programme, Dr Wale Adebanwi from the University of California, Davies, (U.S) stressed the need for a graduate to research on a topic that would impact positively on the country. He said: “Today, we are discussing research for post graduate study and grants, and the basic reason is that many students need assistance in terms of how to design their research. Research also needs resources and some of these students do not know how to apply for grants outside Nigeria.

“We are teaching the participants how to have a farm, to have their own fruits. There are lots of funds and grants available outside Nigeria that they can take advantage of, to engage in research work. Scholarship is one and it is global, so our goal is to build in them (participants) the capacity to access these grants”.

Governor of Ekiti state, Dr Kayode Fayemi said: “The conception (of the programme) was against the background of an eight-point agenda, which gives a prominent place to education and reverse the incidence of mass emigration of the best academics to greener pastures.

“The IGSS was proposed as a platform through which they (academics in the diaspora) can mobilize their expertise and exposure for postgraduate students, and to create and nurture relationship with scholars abroad.”

Renowned poet, Prof Niyi Osundare, from the University of New Orleans, (U.S) who delivered the keynote address, was emphatic in his argument that no university in Nigeria is of standard.

According to him, the capacity for Nigerians to suffer in silence is, itself, the principal cause of major problems in the country.

“I’m disturbed at our complacency, the way we surrender to defeat and the way we follow thieving politicians without asking questions,” he said. “Our younger people must ask questions. If you have come to the university to learn, insist on learning. If your teachers don’t come to class, ask them, ‘excuse sir, we were in class yesterday we didn’t see you?’ If he is a habitual late-comer, ask him why.”

He said: “Our students should know that asking the right (and, at times, wrong) questions and insisting on being answered is a very important part of their education. The culture of learning has to replace the present culture of materialism and mediocrity. Many of our writers have been disabled by the illiterate Nigerian society.”

Sonaiya decries use of federal character principle in unity colleges’ admission process RETIRED Professor of French points, respectively, to gain admission is only in the case of Zamfara State that feel excluded, due to lack of represen- chooses to purchase a befitting priA Language and Applied Linguistics, into any of the Unity Schools, and the cut-off point for females is lower tation; that is, there would not evolve vate jet for himself; another decides Remi Sonaiya has decried the applica- regardless of whether they are male or than that of males. The fact that for within the country two distinct that sponsoring the mass wedding of tion of the federal character principle in the admission process for the 104 Federal Government Colleges.

According to the former Head of Department of Foreign Languages at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), it is unfair to that while pupils from Anambra state must score 139 to qualify for admission, pupils from Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states need to score only 9, 9, 3, 2, and 4 (over 200 marks) to gain admission into the same colleges.

She said: “The facts are shocking: while pupils from Anambra, Delta, Lagos and Plateau states have to score a minimum of 139, 131, 133 and 97

female, their counterparts from Bauchi, Jigawa and Nassarawa states would be admitted with a minimum of 35, 44 and 58 points respectively. Had that been the end of the story, maybe there would not be much dust being raised over the issue.

“The matter becomes truly revolting with the revelation that male candidates from Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara states qualify for admission into those schools with less than 10 points – 9, 9, 3, 2 and 4, respectively.

Their female counterparts, interestingly, have to score higher – 20, 13, 11 and 27 respectively for Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe states. In the entire nation, it

several northern states, girls have to score higher than boys in order to gain admission into a secondary school is in itself an interesting development, and should be examined closely by some of our social scientists.

She continued: “The federal character principle, it is well known, is enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (It) actually appears to be concerned about fairness, equity and justice for all, especially given the ethnic diversity of the nation. Its objective, purportedly, is to ensure that in the running of the affairs of the nation, no group of people from a particular locality would

groups – insiders versus outsiders.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Character Principle is wrongheaded and flawed in its presumed justification. It is in reality founded upon the premise that there is a “national cake” to be shared, and what is important is that every ethnic group be represented at the table; once the groups have taken their share, it is up to them to do with it as they please.

“And that is precisely what happens.

The governors return home from Abuja with their pockets bulging with their share of the national cake, and it is left to them entirely to determine what to do with it. One governor

a thousand young people in his domain is his priority, and declares the day on which the event takes place as the best in his entire existence; several decide that the time has come for them to travel the world; many suddenly realise that it would not be a bad idea to own a house in several state capitals around the nation as well as in London and Dubai.

Gaining admission into a Unity School (as well as being appointed into some public office) also becomes a mere cake-sharing occa-

CONTNUED ON PAGE 52

50

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

THE GUARDIAn, Thursday, June 27, 2013

EDUCATIOn 51

Iganmode grammar school emerges Cowbell national mathematics’ champion

By Mary Ogar GAnMODE grammar school, Ota, Ogun state has done it again. For a record sixth time, it has emerged the overall champion of the Cowbell national Secondary School Mathematics Competition (nASSMAC). But despite this feat, rare among public secondary schools across the country, the school has suffered neglect by its proprietor, the Ogun State government.

At the colourful award ceremony, held at the Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja recently, Master Akindele Oyedele, an SS2 student of the school clinched the first position. A female student, Miss Adegbohungbe Lois from Reality High School, Ilesa, Osun state emerged second with 83 per cent, while Master Obasi nnamdi Peter from the University of nigeria Secondary School, Enugu, placed third with 81 per cent.

In the junior category, 13year-old Master Iyoha Omonzokpia of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja came first with a total score of 93 per cent; Omojola Samuel of Reality High School, Oromu, Osun state came second place with 91per cent while the third position went to14 year-old Master Amulah Caleb, who scored 89 per cent.

However, Oyedele, who scored a total of 94 points in both the objective and theory segments, is disappointed that a school that had brought so much fame and recognition to Ogun state and the country as a whole, lacks even the basic infrastructure, necessary to promote effective teaching and learning.

Despite the awards, money,

I

gifts and fame that accrued to him and his school, Oyedele said: “I feel very sad whenever I see the condition of my school. There are no windows, no doors and very little furniture in the classrooms. My school is not very good in terms of infrastructure, so I want to appeal to the state government that there should be improvement in teachers’ welfare, classrooms and the school environment.”

Oyedele, who wants to Mechanical study Engineering, said being a winner has not only brought him fortune but is also a motivation to work harder. He attributed his success to God and his teacher, Mr Hakeem Atinsola, who coached him personally for the competition. “I want to thank my teacher a million times for his commitment and dedication,” he said. “Without him and God nothing would have been possible. My advice to other students is that they should work hard. You cannot excel in something you hate, so the first step to understanding mathematics is to try and like the subject.”

With very few state-owned public school pupils getting to the finals of the competition, now in its 13th edition, Oyedele’s teacher, Atinsola, who had single handedly coached all the winners in the past editions, was thrilled that all his efforts paid again.

His words: “I feel happy and even God himself is happy because I put him first in everything I do. In both the junior and senior categories, we have won six times. But the interesting part of the story is that we have won the mathematics competition three

Commercial Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kachi Onubogu (left), First Prize winner (senior category) and student of Iganmode Grammar School, Ojuore, Otta, Ogun State, Master Akindele Oyedele; Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Abbas Adebibu, Oyedele’s Mathematics teacher, Mr Hakeem Atinsola, Managing Director, Promasidor, Mr Keith Richards at the 2013 Cowbell National Secondary School Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC) prize giving ceremony, held in Abuja recently. consecutive times in the senior category and no state has ever done that.”

According to him, the magic “is God” in addition to his strategy of coaching his students one year ahead of the commencement of the competition. “We start coaching the students right from the third term holiday in July,” he said. “We already have students we are coaching for next year’s competition and I am very confident that my star student would even be better than the current champion.”

The mathematics teacher however noted that the school’s success in the competition could not, in any way,

be attributed to the support or contribution of the Ogun state government as the school has hardly benefitted from current education reforms going on within the state.

He said: “In my school, we have a lot of mathematics teachers. The government is trying for the students. But so far, there is nothing coming in for the teachers and that is why they are shying away from going the extra mile for the students.” He said money was never his passion for coaching his students. “I am taking it (competition) as a challenge and money is not everything,” he affirmed. “It is

my interest that is making these students to shine. If I decide today not to show interest in coaching the students, their performance would go down.”

He disclosed that school currently caters for a student population of over 4000 in the senior school and over 6000 in the junior school. The senior school has about 90 teachers while that of the junior school has more than 120.

Despite being in a rural area, he noted that the environment has not affected the performance of our students.

“The school is over 50 years old, having been established in 1960,” he revealed, “but the

condition of the school notwithstanding, our success has to do with our unique strategy in the teaching of mathematics”.

He continued: “For students to be successful in mathematics, there are lots of things that should be done.

The government, parents, the school, students including the teachers must all be involved. The role of the teachers, basically, is to always encourage the student. Some of the very brilliant students come from poor families, who can hardly afford to buy textbooks for them. Teachers

CONtNuED ON PAGE 52

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

52 EDUCATION

Don decries use of federal character principle in Unity colleges CONTNUED FROM PAGE 49 sion, by the application to it of the federal character principle. What the proponents and promoters of the principle fail to recognise, however, is that the reality here is different from that of merely sitting around a table to determine what portion of the revenue from the sale of crude oil goes to a particular state. There are a host of issues at stake, when dealing with education, for example, not least among which is that of qualification – people have to “qualify” to gain admission into and to graduate from educational institutions. The matter of qualification itself derives from the overarching notion of standards: a person “qualifies” by attaining a determined level (or standard) of competence; even institutions have to “qualify” for them to be allowed to dispense training in a particular field (e.g. by having the required number of qualified teachers and disposing of the required facilities).

“The Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, is said to have defended the published cutoff points, insisting that, “the reason that the schools were established in the first place was for unity.” Nigerians are truly original! Imagine spending huge sums of money to establish and maintain 104 schools across the country, but not primarily because you wanted to develop the minds of your children, nor in order to prepare the manpower your country would need in the future for its development; no, all that you cared about was that the Efik and Ibibio children would learn to become friends with the Tiv, Igala and Nupe children!

“If educating the children had been the primary objective of establishing those schools, there is no way that anybody would have been able to justify admitting a child with a score of 2 into them. Just think of the frustration of the teacher who would have to teach such a child, as well as the resources going to waste because that child is unable to benefit from what is being dispensed. More importantly, what is the sense in applying “federal character” to admission into secondary

schools when nobody in government cares to ensure that all the primary schools in the country operate at a comparable level, providing all the necessary infrastructure and facilities, ensuring that their teachers are well trained and carefully following the agreed curriculum?

“It is only then that admission into the Unity Schools would be based on real competition – and it would be totally unnecessary to have different cut-off points for the states. The same goes for government appointments, which are equally required by law to reflect “federal character.”

“The important question to ask is: If a state is free to determine its priority, and chooses not to deploy its resources in the area of developing its citizens in a way that would prepare and qualify them to operate effectively in the academic and professional areas of endeavour, why should it have the same rights as those who do?

“The federal character principle, to my mind, is actually a dubious means sought to whitewash a corrupt system and give it the appearance of fairness. The reality is that it is still a handful of people who benefit from the resources of the nation at the expense of the vast majority. I cannot point to the benefits that accrue to me personally because of the appointment into government ministries, departments or agencies of a few individuals from the Southwest. I would most gladly have all those who run the nation’s affairs come from the Gwari ethnic group, if they were known to be people of integrity and if they possessed the skills and competence required for the job they were given to do.”

“I would just like to suggest that we abolish this federal character and get to work seriously confronting the enormous challenges facing us as a nation. Our situation is desperate, and we cannot afford to play politics with our development and ultimate survival. Right now, what we need are individuals with the abilities required to rescue us from the doldrums and set us on the path of true development, which would manifest in an improved quality of life for us as a people.”

Enugu’s attempt to retake mission school sparks controversy From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu N attempt by Enugu State A Government to retrieve back schools belonging to the Anglican Communion which it returned to it in 2010 has sparked off a row between the church and government of the state.

The Church which yesterday accused the government of “unfairness”, also demanded the immediate sack of State Commissioner of education, Dr Simeon Ortuanya, accusing him of creating confusion using his office.

Addressing reporters in Enugu on Monday, ArchBishop of the Enugu Province, His Grace, Amos Madu, said the state government had written to it classifying several schools returned to it in 2010 as being “handed over wrongfully” and as such had refused to gazette them as done to the schools returned to the Roman Catholic church in the state.

Flanked by eight bishops of the Province, Madu said that the state government in a letter signed by Ortuanaya had declared that 54 out of the 146 primary schools returned to it and 10 out of 16 secondary schools returned to it as “wrong”, stressing that these include schools located on the

Children having fun during the Children’s Day activities, organized by Bellaz Education Services for nursery and primary pupils in Lagos recently. ter signed by the former com- returned to their original church compound.

The letter it said listed the missioner of education Dr owners, we applied and got them handed over to us but affected schools as belonging Festus Uzor.

“We have protested this mat- even when government to communities and not ter to the present commis- gazetted those it returned to Anglican church.

But Ortuanya said the state sioner and written to the state the catholic church, it has government had set up a governor but till now, noth- refused to gazette our own. committee to look at the ing has been said. We have We cannot take this and thereentire thing with a view to been pushed to the wall and fore ask the government to reviewing them, adding that that is why we want the world retrace her step in the interest it was not peculiar to a partic- to hear our voice. These of peace and justice. We are ular church. schools are owned by the CMS bonafide owners of these Madu however stated that the from history and acquired by schools and Enugu state govschools were handed over to the military illegally. Now ernment cannot lay claims to the church under the present when the 1999 constitution certain issues apparently to administration of Sullivan approved that they be favour some interests”, he Chime in 2010 through a letadded.

Students urged to avoid peer group pressure From Ann Godwin Port, Harcourt School students StheirECONDARY have been urged to take studies seriously and avoid yielding to peer group pressure as well as, addiction to social media which has significantly affected the performance of students across the country .

The Deputy Managing Director, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria, Port

Harcourt District, Mr. Nicholas Brunet,gave the advise at the 2013 Open Day Forum Organised by the firm in PortHarcourt at the weekend.

Brunet said, the theme of this year’s Open Day Forum ‘Peer Group Pressure’ was apt, considering the current global technological explosion across the world, which has resulted to lots of young people being easily lured into avoidable

must try and simplify mathematics by solving examples, such that if you want to give them exercises, such exercises should be related to the examples given to the students and this is something most teachers hardly do.”

According to him, Iganmode’s prowess is not only related to the cowbell mathematics competition.

“The 2011 Cowbell mathematics champion won the overall best student’s award in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state and even followed the wife of the governor to London. Even in the Olympiad, the only female student in the whole of Nigeria and the only public school in the competition happens to be from my school,” he stated.

In his address, the Chief Executive Officer of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr Keith Richards explained the company’s decision to sustain the sponsorship of the competition for the past 13 years was borne out of the need to re-awaken the interest in mathematics amongst secondary school students as a road map to nation building.

He announced that from a humble beginning, the competition has grown from being organized in 80 examination centres in 2001 to 200 centres in 2013 and from over 15,000 students in 2001 to about 30,000 students in 2013.

He said: “NASSMAC is one of the most credible examinations in Nigeria. It has kept its integrity and intensity to date.

We have not had a single leakage of question papers since inception and the participat-

reposition themselves to be better persons in society.

According to him,”The theme for this year’s programme, ‘Peer Group Pressure’ is no doubt apt especially with the current global technological explosion in our borders world, many young people are easily lure into avoidable vices and crimes globally with no knowledge of the full implications of their actions”.

‘Why we initiated Inter- Schools ICT quiz competition’

By Adeniyi Adunola LEADING Information A Technology (I.T) training organization and authorized

partner of Microsoft & Oracle in Nigeria, United Global Resources Limited (UGRL) has said that it was the need to expose children early to IT

Iganmode grammar school emerges Cowbell national mathematics champion CONTNUED FROM PAGE 51

social crimes and vices.

He added that unfortunately, such vices have marred the future of some young people as chances of its remedy are either limited or lacking.

The forum, Brunnet noted would help reshape the mindset of young people as it was aimed at sensitising them on the negative influence from peer groups and how to take positive stances towards avoiding them in order to

ing schools completely trust our body of examiners who are responsible for grading the results and we are indeed proud of this feat”.

He also commended the 20 finalists for exhibiting exceptional aptitude for mathematics describing them as Cowbell NASSMAC Ambassadors.

According to him, the current credit pass rates for Mathematics in WAEC and NECO pose a huge challenge not only for the teachers, schools and relevant government agencies, but also to all parents and other stakeholders.

“Promasidor sees this, not only as a fight to protect our future as individuals, but also as a fight for the collective future of our beloved country, Nigeria. With the current growth in our economy, we urgently need to develop the

right human resource capability to drive, support, sustain and surpass our vision,” he said.

Director-General, National Mathematical Centre, Prof Adewale Solarin, said the final 10 pupils in the senior and junior categories would get automatic invitations to the centre’s annual training camp, for the final selection of the Nigerian team for the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) and the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO).

Representing the Minister of Education, Prof Ruquayyatu Rufai, the Coordinator, International Mathematics Competition in Africa at the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Abass Adedibu commended Promasidor for organizing the competition at various levels to enable more students participate.

education that informed its introduction of UGRL InterSchools ICT Quiz Competition.

Speaking to journalists at Ikeja, Lagos recently during the 2nd UGRL Inter-Schools ICT Quiz Competition which took place at the The Scholastic Hall International School, Ikeja, Lagos , UGRL General Manager, Vipul Gajjar said the firm also pioneered the ICT quiz as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) of giving back to society that informed the training, learning and teaching of IT education in primary and secondary schools since its inception in Nigeria, eight years ago. He added that the programme was currently operational in over 50 schools in Nigeria training over 6000 students yearly.

Also, in a statement , Managing Director of UGRL, Mr. Sunil Dhanuka, emphasized need for IT training from childhood to produce world class IT professionals in Nigeria. He briefed that UGRL has developed its own proprietary curriculum for schools which leads to international certifications.

As part of five year contract with schools, this specialized curricu-

lum is adopted by school and compulsorily every student of school undergoes training.

By the time student is passing out SS3, he can write 8 international certifications.

At the Inter-Schools ICT Quiz Competition which was supported by Indomie, 15 primary schools participated and pupils from primary 4 and 5 took part in the event.

The First Place winners was Role Model School, Ikeja, with The Lord Seeds School, Gbagada emerging Second Place winners while The Scholastic Hall International School emerging the Third place winners.

The schools that participated included The Lords Seeds Children School Gbagada, The ScholasticHall Ikeja, Daisy School Ijegun, Childline Private School Ikeja, Role Model School Oregun, Ikeja, Viscum Private School Omole Phase 2, Crescent Hall International School Ikeja, Acehall School Ikeja, Bellina Nursery & Primary School Akoka, Yaba, AlphaSmart School Ikeja, Lea Valley School Iju, Gem Private School Omole Phase 1 Ikeja, Ezekiel International School Iju

ThE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

EDUCATION 53

LRCN mulls new information science policy hE Librarians’ T Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) is considering the development of a policy framework for the library and information science sector. Till date, there is no policy in place to serve as a compass that will guide the various activities going on in the sector.

Registrar/CE of LRCN, Dr Victoria Okojie, said instituting a policy for the Nigerian Library sector will strengthen the various efforts being made to revitalize librarianship.

“We are initiating plans to develop a National Policy on Libraries and Information Centres, with the conviction that such a policy will drive our various initiatives to reinvigorate library and information services in Nigeria,” Dr Okojie said during the 2013 Induction of Registered Librarians in Abuja.

She said the sector is evolving and the challenges are many, hence the policy

would position it to fit in appropriately to all programmes aimed at improving access and learning, stating that the Council will also seek the review of the ACT that established it.

LRCN according to her will step up its regulatory functions to identify the skills gap that would support the public and school libraries to transit into valuable learning centres that support civic education, e-Governance among others, in addition to their traditional roles.

For example, the Council said it will soon commence the assessment of the current state of school libraries in Nigeria using Abuja and the Federal Government Unity schools as pilot. “This is with a view to identifying the gaps in the system and developing needs-based intervention strategies that will transform the libraries into modern learning centres. The transformation is expected to improve performance in

public examinations. LRCN will also introduce measurable monitoring and evaluation instruments to assess the impact.”

The Registrar equally noted that plans are being made to re-position and re-engineer the Public libraries to change them from their current deplorable state of poor infrastructure, inadequate facilities and out-dated materials.

The Council is to work with different partners to deploy ICTs into the libraries and provide continuous postinstallation training that will ensure the librarians use the facilities deployed.

She called on the governments at all levels, to as a matter of urgency, increase funding of public libraries as a viable way of revitalizing the education sector. her view is that all public and private sector organizations in Nigeria should then support the transformation of the public libraries into institutions that are indeed the ‘Peoples

Newly inducted members at a ceremony organized by the Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) in Abuja recently.

Universities” by for instance, donating standard community libraries as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Okojie stated that globally, the trend is moving towards lifelong learning where the individual is the epicenter and his success or otherwise is determined to a large extent by how he deploys information and communication technology.

Acceding to this view, Minister of Education, Prof Ruqqayatu Rufa’I who witnessed the induction said that every organization must recognize the importance of information to their successes. She highlighted the need for librarianship to grow beyond traditional library practices and adopt strategies to be in tandem with practice in advanced countries. “As the profession of librarianship evolves with the emergence of modern information technology, our educational institutions must continuously enhance the curriculum to keep ahead of developments. This will ensure that products of our library schools are in a position to move us towards the knowledge economy.”

Chairman, house Committee on Education, hon Suleiman Aminu said a lot needs to be done to get the libraries make required impact to the education sector, citing that the state of some public libraries in Nigeria leaves much to be desired. hon Aminu who was represented by hon Bilyaminu Shinkafi, a member of the Education Committee, noted that having only 5000 libraries in Nigeria today is grossly inadequate for a population of over 160 million and this situation is a pointer to the standard and quality of education in Nigeria.

Be lifelong learners, Avi-Cenna tells graduating students

By Felix Kuye hE roots of education are ‘T bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’’ With these words of the great philosopher, Aristotle, the Principal of AviCenna International School in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend encouraged 52 of its students, at their graduation from the school after completing their secondary education, to strive hard to surmount all challenges to realize their academic ambition and make life meaningful for themselves, their fellow beings, and generations yet unborn.

The splendid and colourful two-day events featured graduation ceremony for the outgoing students at the school and a dinner at the Sheraton hotel and Towers in Ikeja.

Dignitaries at the well attended festivities include the Speaker, Lagos State house of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Chairman of AviCenna, Mr. Foudeh, his wife, Raida, Chairman of the Parents and Teachers Association, Mr. Fusi Akinkugbe, parents and guardians.

In his speech at the gradua-

tion, the Principal, Mr. David Ogburn, said the graduating students should consider themselves privileged and always remember their parents contribution to their education. ’’Remember your parents and their investment in you and your education. Think about the sacrifices they have made.

In our world today, 52 million children do not go to school.

You have been blessed with the key to success and freedom of choice. When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.”

Counseling the young graduates on the approach to life that will facilitate attainment of greater heights, Ogburn said “for some times now, you have been planning and preparing for this day. But the real truth is that all the planning and preparation in the world cannot fully prepare you for all the trials and tribulations that will confront you as you continue your life’s journey. It is common to advise graduating students to plan ahead, to focus their mind on what they want to achieve and to follow their dreams.

Stakeholders extol 16-year-old author of Diary of misfit

By Ujunwa Atueyi hE title is ‘Diary of misfit’ T and the author is a 16-year old former head Girl of Atlantic hall School, Lagos, Miss Angel Okwuosa, whose tales on daily battles of an eighth-grader revealed the realities of a schoolgirl’s life christened as a social misfit by her peers.

At the reading and reviewing of the book, held recently at Oceanview Restaurant, Lagos, the well-captured comic lines disclosed an insight into what goes on in

the phases of growing up for school age girl.

“It submitted that going through puberty is not as easy as what many people think; from dealing with school bullies who would stop at nothing to humiliate, mortify and make one’s life miserable, to the whirlwind puppy love encounters with the opposite sex, and all the way into finding the right people who share the same interests and hobbies, life as a teen or preteen is not at all a walk in the park”.

Written in a simple and

humour-filled style, the book takes readers through the trials and tribulations associated with peer pressure, dealing with physical changes and balancing academic works.

The book reviewer Mr. Frank Edozie, who commended the author for her beautiful piece, expressed the need for Nigerian students to develop their writing skills through imaginative thinking and environmental consciousness.

Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of First Exploration & Petroleum

Development Company Limited, Mr. Demola AdeyemiBero, charged the students to focus on literature so as to overcome the challenges facing the reading and writing culture among Nigerian students.

About 100 students drawn from over 20 schools in Lagos State, who converged at the venue to participate in the review, affirmed that they are thrilled going through the pages of the book as it paints the raw, invigorating and impulse-driven emotions, thoughts and ideas that are characteristic of the youth.

havilah, Bruynzeel team up to revive libraries

By Mary Ogar OOR state of libraries and P lack of proper documentation and preservation of important facts across the board in the country, have been identified as some of the factors hampering Nigeria’s development.

Displaying very deplorable pictures of how vital records are currently being stored in some schools, hospitals, banks, government parastatals and other private agencies at a briefing in Lagos recently, the Managing Director, havilah Inc. Mr Lanre Adesuyi, noted that keeping vital records safe were key to enduring national development. he regretted the “lip service” about building a national library, wondering why there has been no functional national library in the country at despite repeated pledges. he said: “A nation without data cannot progress. We have a national archive, which is currently at the University of Ibadan, far away from the federal capital. This is not right. Nigeria currently plans to celebrate its centenary by showing the national library, a project that has ran into billion of naira and yet is still in its carcass stage. That is what the country wants to showcase to the rest of the world.”

Adesuyi wondered how the federal government could plan effectively when it was unsure of the country’s population. he said: “We have been given different figures about our population. It is very sad that Nigeria has no concrete data or statistics. how can you plan when you don’t have records?”

To help redefine the process

of preserving information and data management in the country, havilah is partnering with Bruynzeel Storage Systems, Netherlands, to provide libraries, academic institutions, corporate organizations and government agencies with globally acceptable archive storage and shelving solutions, that would solve the daunting challenge of keeping vital record keeping in the country.

On the advantage of the partnership, Adesuyi explained: “for a very key sector like oil and gas, there are lots of information out there that we do not know. Behind these companies and activities are records where the entire process of exploration is documented, but you would be surprised that even the government does not have records of these activities. So, how can they plan for the future? Even the judiciary does not have a proper record keeping system.” he continued: “havilah is Bruynzeel’s sole partner in Nigeria, as a major player educational and human capital development. Because we are committed to the goal of repositioning information management, record/data preservations and modernizing shelving practices in Nigeria, our firm entered into a partnership with world leading brand, to bring the best solutions to Nigerian Universities, health and research institutions; museums, corporate organizations and individuals, who place great value on record keeping and information management.”

Dibia wins YSCC essay competition

By Ujunwa Atueyi TUDENT of Lagoon SLagos, Secondary School, Lekki, Miss Chioma Crystabel Dibia, has emerged the overall winner of 2013 Youth Support Counseling Consult (YSCC) National Essay Competition, with her intellectual, in-depth and concise write-up on the essay topic titled, “Is The Internet A Blessing Or A Curse For The Millennial Generation”.

Miss Isoken Aruede of Day Waterman College, Ogun State; Oladipo Anjola of Vivian Fowler Memorial School for Girls, Oregun; Miss Makuachukwu Adimora and Miss Odera Chike-Cole, both of Atlantic hall, Epe came second, third, fourth and fifth respectively, in a contest which recorded 513 essays from over 50 secondary schools nationwide.

By this, the five finalists have won for themselves an allexpense-paid tour of top United Kingdom (UK) Universities, with four laptop computers for the school’s Information Technology laboratory, for first place winner; three laptop computers for second place winner; two for the third and one for the fourth.

Out of the 513 entries, 30 finalists were drawn and notified for award presentation, which recently took place at Eko hotel & Suites. At the event, the 30 finalists were later narrowed down to ten by the judges, and then the last five from which the winner emerged.

The Project Facilitator, Mrs. Temitayo Ogunsanya, said the competition is aimed at nurturing the creative and writing ability of young Nigerians across the country by providing a platform for them to compete with their peers.

She said, the topic was appropriately chose as the youths formed the larger group of Internet users and are often vulnerable to its negative effects. “Our mission at YSCC is to empower the youths by providing guidance, counseling, information and access to education for them”.

She said the judges considered wholesome understanding of the topic by the writer, the coherence, transition, unity, flow, diction, punctuation and adequate adherence to competition rules.

Barr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), who chaired the event, in his keynote address, stressed that the issue of whether the Internet is a blessing or a curse depends solely on the user, who determines his/her purpose of engaging the Internet.

Listing the profitable and beneficial purpose of Internet to mankind and its environ, Oyetibo, affirmed that its disadvantages are also numerous, “but the choice is entirely that of the user. It could be used for fraudulent and criminal purposes, but it is only those who have dubious mind that falls a victim. The awareness is everywhere only that some youths who are always the victim could not adhere to it. Parents also have huge role to play”, he said.

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NigeriaCapitalMarket NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at Tuesday PRICE LIST OF SYMBOLS TRADED FOR 26/06/2013

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CAPITAL MARKET

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 26/06/2013

PRICE GAINERS

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CSCS records N5.17b total revenue, N2.58b profit in 2012

By Helen Oji ENTRAL Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) recorded total revenue of N5.17 billion in its 2012 operations, against N4.19 billion achieved in 2011.

Also, profit after tax increased from N1 billion to N2.58 billion during the period under review.

The percentage increase in revenue is 19 per cent while profit grew by 158 per cent.

CSCS, which is the financial market infrastructure responsible for the clearing and settlement of all traded securities in the Nigerian capital market, also witnessed 77 per cent growth in profit before tax, from N1.73 billion to N3.06 billion in 2012.

Speaking at the 19th yearly general meeting of the company held in Lagos recently, the Chairman of CSCS, Oscar Onyema said apart from the growth in profitability, total assets also rose from N13.64 billion in 2011 to N15.43 billion in 2012.

According to him, in consideration of the company’s commitment to shareholders value

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and bearing in mind the cost implications of its future strategy, the board of directors recommended a dividend of N750million, up from N500 million the previous, which translated to 15 kobo per share due to every shareholder of the company.

He disclosed that in furtherance of its growth objectives, CSCS benchmarked its process and risks framework against the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (CPSSIOSCO) principles, which provide globally acceptable standards for assessment of financial market infrastructure.

The outcome of the exercise, he said, led to the establishment of an Enterprise Risk Management department.

Onyema added that during the year under review, CSCS included the provision of Over-theCounter services to its service offerings in respect of secondary market on shares of unquoted companies.

“With the use of technological innovations, the company improved its process thereby

reducing market infractions while maximising efficiency in its services,” the chairman said.

Speaking on the company’s performance, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of CSCS, Kyari Bukar, said CSCS sustained an ‘A’minus (A-) rating from Thomas Murray Rating Limited of United Kingdom, a foremost Central Securities

Depository rating agency.

Bukar disclosed that CSCS expanded its data exchange platform to include modules to cater for settlement banks, stockbroking firms, and custodians. He emphasized that the company place much value on its people and considers them to be the heartbeat of its business.

“We aim to attract, develop and retain the best people treating each other with honesty, compassion and respect,” he noted.

Going forward, the CSS boss said the focus will primarily centre on assets safety and its clearing and settlement mechanism in the Nigerian capital market.

“We are committed to pursuing our aspiration of seeking

avenues to sell our premium services to new prospects.

Along this line, we are optimistic that in the current year, we shall fulfill this aspiration by our engagement as the clearing and settlement agency to the NASD Limited, the promoter of the trading network for transactions of unquoted securities.” He said

UACN to consolidate acquisitions by 2015 … Declares bonus, N2.56b dividend

By Femi Adekoya O aid investors’ return on investments, the board of UAC of Nigeria Plc (UAC) has announced its intentions to conclude major acquisitions of some key institutions before the end of the 2015 financial year.

Besides, going by a profit after taxation of N7.1 billion, the company’s shareholders approved a dividend payout of N2.56 billion or N1.60 per ordinary share and a bonus of one for every five ordinary shares as

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proposed by the company’s board.

Speaking at the company’s yearly general meeting in Lagos, yesterday, the Chairman of the company, Senator Udoma U. Udoma explained to shareholders that the company hopes to consolidate its holding structure within the next three years.

Udoma said: ‘’We will over the next three years focus on consolidating our Holding Company architecture, which is aimed at delivering empow-

ered and capable subsidiaries, to assure sustained shareholder value enhancement. Our company will continue to sustain growth in all our existing and acquired businesses despite the environmental constraints and in line with our mission to grow our topline significantly above Nigeria’s annual GDP growth rate.’’

He added saying: ‘’We have also made significant progress in our growth drive into adjacent categories with the conclusion of our acquisition of majority stakes in Livestock Feeds Plc. Discussions are progressing

with Portland Paints and Products Plc. These acquisitions are in line with our strategy of building a portfolio of brands and businesses with strong growth potentials in the Nigerian economy.’’

Explaining the rationale behind major acquisitions, Udoma said: “Due to rising raw material and other operational costs and the inability to recover such costs through price increases, the business had challenges in margins. We, however, undertook operational reviews in our food businesses to improve efficiencies.

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Opinion Notes on the current situation

By Edwin Madunagu HAT, really, is happening in Nigeria? This W is a simple question. But it is not that a complex or difficult question is being simplified for didactic reasons. No. The question is simple, direct and straight-forward, and I am putting it as it is: What, really is happening in Nigeria? Many of our compatriots are mistaking shadows for the real object; many others are even chasing the shadows. Many others, unfortunately and tragically, are deliberately promoting the confusion and benefiting from it.

However, in attempting to answer the question you need not aspire to be as brief or concise as the question is. You may choose to begin with the general or the central picture and then proceed to the details and ancillaries; or you may start with the latter – that is, what immediately hits you as you begin to observe and contemplate- and then try to see their relationships or their common root or roots, if any. The caution here is: “Weep not, laugh not, but understand”.

If I choose to start with the general or central picture this is partly became I have been contemplating this question for a long time and partly because I wish to avoid a tragedy I read in a book a long time ago. Two hunters set out on a joint, hunting expedition in a thick forest. Let us call them Hunter A and Hunter B. Suddenly Hunter A alerted his mate, Hunter B: “See an elephant there!”. He pointed and his mate looked.

“Yes”, Hunter B answered, “I have seen the legs”.

“I am not talking about the legs, see the main body”, said Hunter A, becoming agitated. “Oh yes, I have now seen the tail”, said Hunter B. To cut a long story short, the two hunters were still arguing on which part of the elephant could be seen when the huge animal saw them. You may imagine what happened: the two hunters were attacked and consumed by the elephant.

How then would I concisely answer the question: What, really, is happening in Nigeria? I would answer: Boko Haram insurgency in the battle for 2015. Some months ago I had, in this column, described an earlier stage of this phenomenon as Struggling for seats in a sinking boat. (January 31, February 7 and 14, 2013). The present description is more explicit, reflecting the emergence of dominant (and more urgent) elements of the national crisis in which the country is now engulfed. Several other ele-

ments find meaning and relevance in these two dominant elements: The struggle for 2015 and the Boko Haram insurgency. Now, I would be the first to respond that there is not much that is new in the formulation above. Many analysts have said almost what I am now saying.

The only new element in what I am saying is implicit: namely, that the Boko Haram insurgency will, at least as much as any other factor, determine 2015 – what happens and what does not happen.

The proposition here is that there are links between the Boko Haram insurgency and the struggle for the country’s presidency in the 2015 general elections. And my fear is that as more weapons – legal and illegal, orthodox and unorthodox – are deployed in this struggle, the links between Boko Haram and 2015, which are at present indirect and mediated, would eventually become direct and open. By then the power struggle in Nigeria would have rendered the constitution, the law, elections and the existing democratic institutions totally irrelevant for its resolution. That is the second proposition, or, if you like, a corollary to the first. For now, the power struggle finds expression in the following crises among others: the politics of the Boko Haram insurgency; the crises in the central, regional and partisan forums of Nigerian governors; attack on, and defence of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Jonathan presidency; the struggle between power and office; the politics of combination and dissociation (around the country’s two power blocs); the resurgence and intensification of “hate politics”; and General Olusegun Obasanjo’s politics.

All these crises, and several others, have no meaning by themselves; they can only be explained by, and have their roots in, the battle for 2015. The direct implication is that criticising or attempting to resolve any of them through the application – honest or dishonest, cynical or sincere – of “democratic” principles is like chasing shadows. And yet, an interim resolution of the central question – the question of power - has been offered to Nigeria’s ruling classes: a sovereign national conference; insertion of “zoning” and “rotation” principles mandatory and clearly stated - in the country’s constitution, thereby compelling every political formation that desires power by constitutional means to adopt the principles; constitutional recognition of the geopolitical

zones; adoption of collective or collegial presidency (with rotational headship and deputy headship) on the basis of this geopolitical restructuring; and the massive redeployment of national resources to the needs of the desperately poor in the country. You can see that like the methods being used for the prosecution of the crisis, the methods for its resolution lie outside the Constitution – original or amended.

Before taking up the listed elements or instruments of the current power struggle and expanding on the two propositions presented above I would wish to preface what I have to say with a number of recent newspaper reports, opinions and editorials. The president of the Nigerian Senate, David Mark, captured several manifestations of what I have called “power struggle” in the speech he delivered “at the end of the second session of the 7th Senate appraisal” on Thursday, June 6, 2013 (as reported by the Leadership newspaper of the following day, Friday, June 7). In a story titled Mark to Jonathan, Amaechi, Others: Stop overheating the polity, the Senate President was reported as warning “players in the Nigerian polity to stop causing commotion in the country ahead of the 2015 general polls but to focus on efforts to deliver good governance to the citizens”.

Senator Mark, according to the report, “was apparently re-acting to the inflammatory remarks and actions by some political stakeholders and bitter face-offs which have pitted President Goodluck Jonathan, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Heads of State, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, former militant leader Mujahid Asari Dokubo and Northern interests, among others, ahead of the 2015 presidential elections”. David Mark lamented: “Elections are two clear years ahead, yet the collision of vaulting personal ambitions is overheating the polity and distracting the onerous task of governance.

With so much work yet to be done, we, as elected officials, should focus on governance.”

Three days before this report, on June 4, 2013, the Leadership newspaper carried on page 5 a report titled “Amaechi, Jang may step down for consensus chair.” The section of this long report that is relevant here is titled “NGF: you cannot solve political problem with threat” – Aliyu. The first two paragraphs of the section read: “Meanwhile, the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu has said that there is no internal democ-

racy in political parties in Nigeria, even as he stated that negotiation rather than threat should be used to solve political problems. In the same vein, he stated that to end the security situation it must go beyond amnesty and require deeper findings to why people took arms and the sponsors”. The governor was addressing members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in Minna, the state capital the previous day, June 3, 2013. Senate President, David mark and Governor Babangida Aliyu are frontline mainstream politicians and government functionaries.

On Monday, May 13, 2013, The Guardian newspaper carried an angry editorial titled “Kuku, Asari-Dokubo and the limits of blackmail.” I reproduce the first two paragraphs of the editorial: “it would have been enough to dismiss the utterances as the rantings of overzealous and misguided courtiers. But against the background of the fragility of Nigeria’s security today and the embarrassing spectacle of scums stumping around the national stage as potentates, it is risky to weigh the recent statements of Kingsley Kuku and Asari-Dokubo lightly”.

That was the opening paragraph. The paper then went on in the second paragraph to tell or remind its readers of what the two “indicted” men had said.

The second paragraph: “Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, reportedly warned while on a visit to the United States that the peace in the Niger Delta area cannot be guaranteed unless President Goodluck Jonathan gets a second term come 2015. And leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Asari-Dokubo, went even further to declare that “there will be no peace, not only in the Niger Delta, but everywhere if Goodluck Jonathan is not president again … (because) Jonathan has an uninterrupted eight years of two terms to be president according to the Nigerian Constitution”. The editorial was angry at what it called Dokubo-Asari’s “ignorance” of the relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution dealing with presidential “second term”, particularly the fact that this “second – term” is not automatic. The Guardian ended by urging President Jonathan to call his frontline supporters to order.

• To be continued next Thursday.

Reflections on the national centenary (1)

By Olu Akanmu NE hundred years of the Nigeria nation is gone. Perhaps anO other one hundred is ahead. The managers of the Nigerian state have called for celebrations. There will be pomp and pageantry, gala nights and award dinners, lotteries and beauty contests. A centenary of the Nigeria nation should however call for more sober reflections of hundred years of opportunities lost, potentials unfulfilled and generations wasted. There are far many more things to be sober about on Nigeria than what we have to celebrate. Some will say that we still do have a nation united despite our history of ethnic and political schisms.

These are the politicians talking, the few who are reaping disproportionately economic benefits from the weakness or the “near-failed” nature of the Nigerian state and its weak institutions. How many unfulfilled potentials can we count? A state, whose people have been getting doctorate degrees in medicine and law from prestigious universities like Oxford since 1898, yet has some of the lowest quality of university education in Africa, with no Nigerian university among the top 5,000 in the world.

The Nigerian state that gave Malaysia its first seeds of palm oil in the 1960s yet now has to import or smuggle palm oil from Malaysia. Groundnut pyramids of Kano are gone, cocoa is gone, and cotton is gone replaced by an oil industry largely on the sea that has done little to create employment for the mass of our youths.

The unfulfilled potential of our resources is even more illustrated by contrasting us with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates who has leveraged its oil resources to diversify and modernize its economy to match the best of the western world.

Therefore resources do not necessarily have to be a cause. It could be a blessing if a nation state is blessed with the fortune of good rulers, true statesmen who govern for the common good and put the nation first. Nigeria has however had the misfortune in its hundred years of being a state with few statesmen.

Late Papa Alfred Rewane lamenting the unfulfilled potential of

the Nigerian state had to say during his lifetime that “yesterday (at independence), we prayed for a better tomorrow; but today, we now pray for a better yesterday”. A centenary celebration of the Nigerian state therefore has to be more introspective than beauty contests, march pasts and award dinners. It must ask the fundamental question “Why would the next 100 years of Nigeria be different from the last hundred?” Would those who are members of this state in the next hundred years look on this generation with kindness that we laid a foundation for a better centenary or would they refer to us as another generation wasted just like those before us?

History has a way of defining a mission for each generation depending on the turn of history to which it finds itself. Perhaps, it is not an accident that we happen to be the generation at the centenary of the Nigerian state. If we therefore reduce a centenary celebration to gala nights, march pasts and beauty contests, we would have missed an historic opportunity to fulfill a generation mission of tilting the ship of the Nigerian state on a new course of progress.

In this essay, we highlight some of the things that must be done to make the next centenary different from the current one. We expect to provoke some sober reflections and challenge more patriots to change the current paradigm of the celebration of the Nigerian centenary. First we must build a more inclusive society where every citizen matters, have an opportunity to make it and fulfill her God-given potential. Today, the Nigerian state is increasingly becoming an opposite of this. What is the essence of thumping our chest that we are the biggest black nation on earth when the largest majority of our people cannot fulfill their potential or are just barely existing only in number and add no serious value to society? We must deal with the social exclusion mechanisms through institutionalized political and economic arrangements that make it difficult to climb the social ladder or even have real choices and voice in the way society is governed. In a young country, where the majority of our citizens are below the age of 30, investment in the youth and their education must be top priority to liberate the potentials of our largest majority. Ac-

cess to good and quality education is one of the biggest social exclusion mechanisms in Nigeria. The education of the youth must be matched with an inclusive economic arrangement that recognize that the youth must find gainful work to fulfill their potential and add value to society. So much has been written around this, the need for strong formal vocational and technical education system that produce young graduates that are truly employable in industry or can work as small vocational businesses supporting big businesses in their economic value chain. The German education system in a strong organic link with industry has been built around this principle. It has enabled Germany to keep it youths gainfully employed with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe.

Inclusive economic arrangement also implies a more inclusive financial system where many more citizens have access to financial service and all its benefits. Financial services and the banking system are the bedrock and blood of the modern economy. If more than half of our citizens continue to be excluded from this service, they will be unlikely to fulfill their God-given potential and add their best value to society. Banking penetration and access to credit must improve. Brazil found its own way to democratize access to financial service and credits for its initially excluded majority and it became one of the strongest economies in the world. Brazil had similar social structures like Nigeria, a very unequal society with extreme wealth on one side of society and extreme poverty and misery on the other. However, by democratizing the financial system, public-private sector housing programs and improving access to property titles as collaterals to access financial credit for the its large majority, it liberated its people from poverty and misery. In this centenary period, we need to introspect on the progress we have made in building a more inclusive financial system, consolidate the gains made and publicly debate what else are standing in the way to improve the pace of this critical initiative.

• To be continued tomorrow.

• Akanmu wrote from Lagos.

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Opinion The Dame Patience’s visit to Rivers

By Isiaka Aliagan Y the time this piece is published, it would B have been known to all and in the news that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan is back in Abuja, after spending about 10 days in her state of birth, Rivers.

It should also be in the news – but of course those fellows in the media who either hate her face or only bent on reporting mischief would fail to highlight the fact – that as at the time she left Rivers State, the embattled state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi was still very much in power.

There had not been any move, overt or covert, to unseat him.

Dame Patience Jonathan had not recruited thugs to harass the governor, or hired the state police command to chase the governor around, or lock down the state institutions, or motivated the so-called surreptitious group in the Rivers House of Assembly to impeach the governor.

Rather, she successfully carried out all activities in her itinerary and returned quietly on her own to Abuja.

But while she was there in Rivers State, her media team was continuously battling with the press and the opposition about the motive or intent of the First Lady for daring to stay in her state of birth for over a week. Her media team had had to explain over and over again that Her Excellency was simply in the state, as a daughter of the land, to attend several events which needed her presence and which she felt obliged to attend.

Since she touched down at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Dame Patience Jonathan had committed herself to those duties for which she left Abuja, even surprising everybody by not paying any attention, by herself, to the media campaign of calumny against her name. It was obvious some people were intimidated by the glamour and love that the First Lady attracted from her admirers while she was

in Rivers.

She attended to the series of private and public activities lasting till the weekend. Immediately on arrival on Friday, June 14, she commissioned the Yitzhak Rabin International School and Resource Centre in Port Harcourt, during which she also received an award from the Yitzhak Rabin Centre for African Development for her successful advocacy for women empowerment and her pursuit of peace on the continent.

The following day, Saturday June 15, she attended the wedding ceremony of a member of the State House of Assembly, Evans Bipi, who is her junior brother. She was the Mother of the Day at the wedding reception, which held at the Civic Centre in Port Harcourt and drew the attendance of prominent citizens of the state like former Governor Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili, former Governor of old Rivers State, Chief Rufus Ada George, among other great sons and daughter of Rivers.

On Wednesday, June 19, Her Excellency commissioned the zonal office of Women for Change and Development Initiative and distributed empowerment items to women in 23 local government areas of Rivers State, market women and non-indigenes.

On Thursday, June 20, the First Lady received the audience of 135 chiefs from Kalabari kingdom.

And while addressing them, she even stated it expressly clear that she was not in Rivers State to fight Governor Rotimi Amaechi, whom she described as her brother.

Her words that fateful afternoon and reported by the media need recall: “I am not here to fight the governor of Rivers because he is my brother.

We should come together to develop the state.

We shouldn’t play politics with our home. Our home remains our home, we shouldn’t play politics with our elders.”

She further made a statement that all wise thinking people should seriously ponder on, when she said, “the presidency was an opportu-

nity for the people of the South-South to rule the country not to be at war with one another…We didn’t fight, we didn’t pay, but God willed it to us so we shouldn’t use politics to incite one another or destroy our kingdom.”

Finally on Sunday June 23, First Lady received well wishers at the burial of her grandfather before returning to Abuja. The event, like others, was attended by great sons and daughters of Rivers.

One should expect that as the First Lady has returned to Abuja without any incident contrary to the much hyped, much piped, surreptitious plot to remove Governor Rotimi Amaechi, those who had been heating up the polity with these claims that she was on a mission to unseat Governor Amaechi should now start coming out to eat their words.

Some of them claimed that Her Excellency even called a secret meeting of some members of the state House of Assembly and mobilized them to ensure Governor Amaechi’s impeachment from office, vowing never to return to Abuja until this was done.

But she has returned. But they will still not keep quiet. They have turned to another agenda, which is to use an innocuous statement to witch-hunt Her Excellency. While Her Excellency paid a courtesy visit to the Apiti of Rumueme and President-in-council of Rumueme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief Nyenwe-Eli Omunnakwe Nyeche Nsirim, on Tuesday, June 18, the traditional ruler had called on the people of Obio Akpor to give President Jonathan massive support anytime he declares his interest to re-contest for the presidency in 2015.

While responding to what was a good wish of her host, Dame Patience Jonathan had told the gathering that President Jonathan had not told her he was going to contest, but thanked them all the same for a pledge made, which, to her,

was a note of approval of his administration. Now this has become headline news. And even those seeking attention for themselves are already asking for her head, seeking INEC to sanction her.

What shocks one really was that of all the positive things the First Lady did in her one week stay in Port Harcourt, none was recognized by this set of people. Of all the wonderful things she said, her conciliatory notes amidst the unnecessary tension created in Rivers, none was worthy of headline and response by the opposition. It is that she has begun to campaign for President Jonathan, even when President Jonathan himself has not come out to say he was running for Presidency in 2015.

One is even forced to ask: Is Dame Patience Jonathan the President? Why would INEC sanction her? INEC rules bars candidates from campaigning before 90 days to the election. But Dame Patience Jonathan is not a candidate, and if she actually expressed her opinion on her husband’s candidature, is it not the same way supporters of other candidates are expressing theirs?

As at the time of writing this piece, the posters of Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Rotimi Amaechi as President and Vice President respectively dot many Nigerian cities, same as posters of Gen Muhammadu Buhari. Why is the opposition not calling on INEC to sanction these people or those campaigning for them?

What is true is that the opposition and their media voices are becoming too desperate. They should be asked to look elsewhere and leave First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan alone. It is evident to the whole world that Dame Patience Jonathan’s one week trip to Rivers was not on a campaign train. It is not about 2015. It is only in Nigeria that good intentions are easily turned upside down to achieve selfish ends. But these people are advised to look at their own ambition, which is their right, and leave First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan alone.

• Dr. Aliagan is of the Office of the First Lady, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

And they burnt down an empire

By Eric Teniola RITAIN has expressed regret for the abuse of Kenyans by coloB nial forces during the 1950s Mau Mau insurgency and announced compensation for 5,228 survivors, but stopped short of apologising. The deal was settled out of court after elderly Kenyan torture victims won the right in October to sue the British government. “The British government recognises that Kenyans were subjected to torture and other forms of ill treatment at the hands of the colonial administration”, Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament. “The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place.” The 5,228 claimants are due to receive £13.9 million ($21.4 million), about £2,600 each, or about 340,000 Kenyan shillings.

Lawyers representing the veterans will separately receive £6 million in fees for years of work on the case. London will also pay for a new memorial in Nairobi to the victims of torture and ill-treatment during the colonial era.

A British diplomat said Hague stopped short of offering a formal apology because that could be interpreted as the government accepting responsibility, which would have had legal implications.

Mau Mau veterans danced, prayed and ululated to celebrate news of the agreement at an event in Nairobi.

The question I asked myself after reading the news item is that if the British could reward the Mau Mau in Kenya, how much are they going to pay for the government and people of the old Benin Kingdom. For, what the British did to the Mau Mau in Kenya is a child’s play to what they did to the old Benin Kingdom, the last Empire in Nigeria.

Let me make a confession. Idanre in Ondo State has over 400 villages and strong ancestral link with Benin Kingdom and for years, Edo language was the second language spoken among senior Idanre citizens. Ufosu is one of the villages of Idanre and the village has a border post with the present Edo State. The Benin Kingdom at its zenith stretched from Lagos in the west, along the coast of Nigeria to the River Niger in the east an area, which equates to about a fifth of Nigeria’s current geographic area.

The Benin Kingdom dynasty is believed to have been founded in the 13th century and has a direct linage from the founders to the current Oba of Benin – Solomon Erediauwa II, who still holds strong political and spiritual power, in Edo and Delta states.

The mythic origins of Benin Kingdom state that it was originally under the rule of Ogisos, meaning “King of the Sky”. When the last Ogiso died, the nobles and chiefs disagreed over who would be the next Ogiso, so the Benin sent a message to Ife to the Ooni of Ile-Ife. Oba Oduduwa, the mythic ancient first king of Ife. The Benin pleaded with him to send them a king; eventually Oduduwa sent

to them his grandson, prince Oranmiyan. When Oranmiyan came to Benin, he struggled with the culture and customs of the Benin people. However, before leaving Benin, Oranmiyan had a son, Eweka, by princess Erewinde who could not talk. When Oranmiyan heard of this, he sent to him seven marbles for the child to play with. One day, as the prince was playing, one of the marbles broke. He immediately said “owomika!” or “eweka”, meaning “I succeeded!” He immediately became the first true Oba of Benin, Oba Eweka I. Oba Eweka was the first to reject the title of the native Benin “ Ogiso” and took the title “Oba”, meaning ‘king’ in the Yoruba language. Allegedly Oba Eweka later changed the name of the city of Ile-Binu, the capital of the Benin kingdom to “Ubinu”. This name would be reinterpreted by the Portuguese as “Benin” in their own language. Around 1470, Ewuare changed the name of the state to Edo. This was about the time the people of Okpekpe migrated from Benin City. The Portuguese visited Benin City around 1485. The Ancient Benin Empire, as with the Oyo Empire which eventually gained political ascendancy over even Ile-Ife, gained political strength and ascendancy over much of what is now old Mid-Western and Western Nigeria, with the Oyo Empire bordering it on the west, the Niger river on the east, and the northerly lands succumbing to Fulani Muslim invasion in the North. Interestingly, much of what is now known as Western Iboland and even Yorubaland was conquered by the Benin Kingdom in the late 19th century - Agbor (Ika), Akure, Owo and even the present day Lagos Island, which was named “Eko” meaning “War Camp” by the Bini.

The present day monarchy of Lagos Island did not come directly from Ile-Ife, but from Benin, and this can be seen in the traditional attire of the Oba of Lagos and his white cap High Chiefs, and in the streets and area names of Lagos Island, which are Yoruba corruptions of Benin names (Idumagbo, Idumota, Igbosere, Iga Idunganran, etc.).

Till he was assassinated a few months ago, the late Onimole of Lagos, High Chief Kayode Adeshina, cousin to Murphy Ojikutu, Mrs. Derin Osoba, Gbenga Tiamiyu and Major General Leo Ajiborisha wore traditional dresses similar to the ones worn by the high chiefs of Benin.

By the last half of the nineteenth century Great Britain had become desirous of having a closer relationship with the Kingdom of Benin.

Several attempts were made to achieve this end beginning with the official visit of Richard Burton in 1862. Following that was an attempt to establish a treaty between Benin and the United Kingdom by Hewtt, Blair and Annesley in 1884, 1885 and 1886 respectively. However, these efforts did not yield any results. Progress was finally made

by Vice-Consul H.L Gallwey’s visit to Benin in 1892. This mission was significant in several ways. It was the first Official visit after Richard Burton’s in 1862 when he was the consul at Fernando Po, and it would also set in motion the events to come that would lead to Oba

Ovonramwen’s demise.

In February 1897, the British sent Lt. James Phillips to see Oba Ovonramwen for his stubborn opposition to trade with Britain on their terms. Lt. Phillips wrote to the Oba stating his intention to travel to Benin City, on receiving no reply he set off uninvited. The arrival of the British convoy was treated by the Oba as an act of war and the ensuing hostilities result in the Benin soldiers wiping out the British detachment including Lt. Phillips. Britain responded by sending over 10,000 soldiers to Benin, where they massacred many civilians and razed the city to the ground, in the process looting countless pieces of art and antiques. The Oba was exiled to Calabar.

Over 50,000 Benis were killed in the process. Half of the Benin City was burnt down. It was the worst war ever waged by the British on a single empire and that ended what we now refer to as the Benin Empire.

The British force, under the command of Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, razed and burned the city, destroying much of the country’s treasured art and dispersing nearly all that remained. The stolen portrait figures, busts, and groups created in iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass (conventionally called the “Benin Bronzes”) are now displayed in museums around the world.

Certainly, this is a case of great massacre inflicted by the British on the Benin Kingdom.

If the Mau Mau could be compensated why not the Benin Kingdom. For the massacre launched on the people of that kingdom are still being felt today. The British claimed that Oba Ovonramwen defaulted in the treaty he signed with them between 1884 and 1886, hence the attack on his kingdom.

But the Benin chiefs still insist up till today, that the Oba never signed any treaty and that it made no sense at all for the Oba and his chiefs to accept the terms laid out in articles 4 and 9 of the so called treaty by bestowing their Kingdom to Queen Victoria at that time.

The Benin chiefs claimed that Oba Ovonramwen was in the middle of an important festival which prohibited him from doing anything, including signing a treaty. The Oba himself said later in Calabar, in exile before he died in 1914 that he did touch the “white man’s pen”. After his death the monarchy was restored under his eldest son Eweka II and after the war the new Benin was fused with the protectorate of Northern Nigeria to become an entity that is now called Nigeria. No doubt the British were driven by greed. They wanted to own all that belong to Benin Kingdom and they were envious of the Portuguese who traded freely with the Benin Kingdom.

My sympathy today is to the people of old Benin Kingdom. Nothing could be worse than the destruction of their empire, civilisation, resources and culture. And so the British must pay like in Kenya, for according to Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), “what’s sauce for a goose, is sauce for the gander”.

• Teniola, a former director at the Presidency stays in Lagos.

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Sports Real Madrid will play spectacular football, says Ancelotti

Super Eagles’ bonus crisis:

Rep accuses NFF of financial recklessness From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HAIRMAN of the House of C Representatives House Committee on Sports, Godfrey Ali Gaiya has accused the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of financial recklessness, and blames the federation for failing in its duties to the Super Eagles.

Gaiya said it was impossible for the NFF to secure external funding for its activities because it was lacking in financial procedures, which, he alleged, accounted for its inability to secure further funding from the Federal Government after overshooting its budget at the South Africa 2013 Nations Cup. Gaiya, who was reacting to a recent statement credited to the NFF, which criticised the house committee chairman over his comments on the Super Eagles’ bonus crisis, said he would not succumb to any form of intimidation from the Federation, adding that the body has capitalised on its cordial relationship with the National Assembly to underestimate its powers and functions.

He disclosed that the NFF rejected his advise to officially apply for a supplementary budget to overcome its financial challenges, saying that the federation jettisoned the committee’s advise and chose to request for a particular amount of money from the NSC without stating in details what the required fund was meant for.

“As I said, we appropriate funds for the federation to run its activities. I was very surprised the way they handled the bonus issue when they went to South Africa. The NFF has spent more than 50 per cent of their budgeted revenue for one year.

“When we returned from South Africa, they came to us for help, and I advised them to make an official request for a supplementary allocation. We told them that they had to apply through the commission for the requested fund.

“But we were surprised that it took all this while for them to follow our directives for the supplementary fund. Perhaps, they did not know what to do.

“They just gave us a figure, but I told them that we cannot work on an ordinary figure until we know your demands.

We advised them to justify the amount by giving us a detailed breakdown of what they needed the additional money for. It was when I was in Namibia that I got to know through the NSC director general that they have submitted their request for a supplementary budget.

“They must at all times be ready to be accountable to government. Severally, we have

bent the rule and even offended so many people in the past to ensure that the administration of football did not collapse in the country. We have even sacrificed so many things at the committee level to save them from being disgraced.

“But I want to believe that they are capitalising on such favours to take many things for granted by failing in their expected responsibilities. They should have an agenda that will convince you and me that they really know what they are doing.

“Look at the incident in Namibia, with the way they handled it, if I were not there to convince the president of the Senate, who quickly intervened by reaching and pleading with the president for immediate release of fund, you could have imagined the national disgrace they would have caused the country,” Gaiya noted.

The Guardian could not reach the NFF President, Aminu Maigari and the Secretary General, Musa Amadu, for their reactions to Gaiya’s allegations, but an official of the federation, who pleaded anonymity, simply said the legislator was entitled to his opinion.

He said the bonus row was a blessing in disguise as it gave the federation the opportunity to discover to its amazement that it was an unsustainable course from which it must beat a retreat.

“When we took the decision to cut the bonuses and return to what it used to be before the 2010 World Cup, we did not actually know how much we have expended in terms of bonuses vis-a-vis the budget of the federation.

“But as result of the row, we took time to compute what we have spent so far under this subhead alone and it was shocking.

We had a N1 billion naira on that subhead and by the time you add other claims and allowances you are talking about another half a billion.

This is unsustainable considering that we have other competing demands,” he disclosed.

ARLO Ancelotti has vowed C to bring the most spectacular football to Real Madrid a club he describes as the most prestigious in the world.

The former Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan boss signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid following his departure from French champions, Paris SaintGermain.

“This is the most prestigious club in the world,” Ancelotti said in his first press conference yesterday. “We have to win by playing the most spectacular football because the history and tradition of this club is in playing offensive football.

“We’re going to work hard to play the football that will make the fans happy,” he added.

Ancelotti replaces Jose Mourinho, who returned to his former club Chelsea earlier this summer, while PSG have named Laurent Blanc as Ancelotti’s successor.

Ancelotti added, “we have been to the training ground it’s fantastic. Everything that we need is there. I think this is going to be a very good project.

“I have the support of the club, the president and the fans, so I think this will be a very happy season for Real Madrid.”

Flying Eagles’ Captain, Abdul Ajagun, celebrates his goal against Cuba on Monday. Nigeria will meet South Korea in their last group game of the on-going FIFA Under 20 World Cup …today.

PHOTO: AFP

Flying Eagles battle South Korea for second round ticket “We have to beat South Toulon Tournament, as well HE Flying Eagles go into RSENAL has been active in T Korea on Thursday,” as at their first two games Athe transfer market like today’s Turkey 2013 FIFA in Turkey. never before, as the Gunners declared Nigeria U20 here Under-20 World Cup last group game against South Korea knowing that anything short of victory will see them out of the competition.

Nigeria is third on the table behind leaders, Portugal, and South Korea, who have the same four points with the Iberia team.

Nigeria has three points from one defeat and a win.

Portugal is expected to crush whipping team, Cuba, to go through, leaving the second spot for the victors in the game between Nigeria and South Korea.

Assistant Coach, Jurgen Press.

“We don’t want to subject ourselves to the lottery of finishing as one of the four third best teams going into the next round.”

Second place in Group B will also ensure the Flying Eagles remain in Istanbul to take on the runners-up of Group F, which has Uzbekistan, Croatia, Uruguay and New Zealand.

The Flying Eagles have detailed information about their opponents having watched them at the recent

Ahead African Basketball Championship

D’Tigers begins Stankovich Cup campaign today IGERIA’S preparation for the N 2013 African Basketball Championship went a notch higher on Tuesday when a 15man team of the senior national side, D’Tigers, left for Lanzhou and Guangzhou, China, to participate in the Stankovich Cup tournament, which begins today and ends on July 10.

The five home-based players in the team and coaching staff left Lagos aboard a Qatar Airlines flight en route Doha,

Arsenal takes on AC Milan in battle for Croatian whiz kid

while their U.S-based colleagues departed the Los Angeles Airport on an Air China flight en route Beijing same day.

The team is expected to play Germany today and subsequently square off against Argentina, Puerto Rico, China and Australia in the roundrobin contest, the first leg of which ends in Lanzhou July 1.

The second leg will commence in the southern com-

mercial city of Guangzhou from July 3 to 10, 2013.

The team will then proceed on recess to reconvene for the next phase of preparation in the U.S.A during the third week of July.

The team’s coaching crew comprises Ayo Bakare (head coach), Sani Ahmed (assistant coach), Ayinla Johnson (assistant coach), Abdulrahman Mohammed (assistant coach) and Ogoh Odaudu.

The entire team stayed back to watch the first half of Monday’s pulsating 2-2 draw between Korea and Portugal in Kayseri. They are a very organised team, have great stamina and are mentally strong.

Korea is the most consistent team from Asia at the U20 World Cup as this is their 13th appearance in the competition and they have qualified for the last six editions.

Their best result in this tournament was achieved 30 years ago in Mexico when they reached the semi-finals before they were edged out by eventual champions, Brazil, 2-1.

The class of 2012 won the Asian U19 championship after a penalty shootout against Iraq. The last time the country won this competition was in 2004.

They barely scraped a 2-1 win over Cuba in their opening game in Turkey, but stepped up their game against two-time champions Portugal in their next game to earn a draw.

Nigeria defence will therefore face a major test as they will come face-to-face with a well-oiled attack led by Hyun Kim and Seungwoo Ryu.

Manager, Arsene Wenger is now reported set to go headto-head with Italian giants, AC Milan, for Croatian wonderkid, Tin Jedvaj.

Dinamo Zagreb’s 17-year-old center-back, Jedvaj is tipped to be the brightest prospect from Croatia since ‘Midfield Magician,’ Luka Modric, and the young-prodigy has already made 13-first team appearances for his club last season.

The exciting defender has sparked a chase for his services with AS Roma having already had a £5 million bid rejected, and the player’s representative confirming that Arsenal and AC Milan are expected to battle one another to land the player.

Arsene Wenger is in the market for defensive recruitments as the French manager has already released Gunners’ flop, Sebastien Squillaci, earlier this month, whilst Johan Djourou, is also expected to leave the London club permanently during the summer transfer window.

The player’s representative said, ”Roma offered £5 million for Tin, but that was rejected.

Milan and Arsenal are both interested though, we expect to hear more from them.”

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CricketWeekly Egwuatu: Soon, cricket would become every state’s option after football

By Christian Okpara LISA Egwuatu, who is the O technical committee chairman of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), exudes so much fervour when he talks cricket. Aside his job of leading the national team’s technical crew, Egwuatu is also in charge of grassroots development, age group teams and umpiring.

He is the pioneer and incumbent chairman of the Nigeria Cricket Coaches Association, and being the highest ranked coach in the country his job also involves articulating and organising training programmes for coaches and schools’ games masters in line with the NCF’s determination in ensuring that the game becomes the second most popular sport in the country.

Egwuatu, who was at The Guardian on Monday to solicit support for the NCF, believes that if all the cricket stakeholders keyed into the current board’s programmes Nigeria would soon become a force among the top nations in the continent.

Part of this plan to build cricket into a national sport, according to Egwuatu, is the decision to move the national team camp away from the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, to Abuja. This move, he said, is aimed at presenting cricket as a national sport that could be played by any Nigerian with genuine interest in the game.

He said, “we have started working because we know that the journey is still far. But we are happy that people are beginning to come back to the game. We are sorry that cricket turned its back on the ministry… we behaved like peacock and we failed. Now we are back to where we belong.

“The game is not in the Olympics, it is not in the Commonwealth Games. It is not in the All African Games… it is still a Class C game, but we will knock on peoples’ door to raise the level of cricket.

“Last week, for the first time in a long while, the Minister of Sports came to the pitch to watch us train and he was impressed. This is the first time a serving minister will come to support cricket. We attracted the presence of the minister because we wanted to tell him that we are around, that we are part of Nigeria and deserve attention.

“Secondly, we moved to Abuja because we wanted to have a playing ground near the National Stadium main bowl, just as is the case in England. Another reason for going to Abuja is to avoid distractions and again it rains less in the Federal Capital Territory.

“For instance, we came to Abuja on June 8 and since then it was only on Sunday, June 23 that it rained. So we have more time to work on our game.”

On the disunity and enmity among some of the stakeholders of the sport, Egwuatu admitted that the most pressing problem the new board has is getting all the members of the family to work together.

“There are camps and acrimony, I agree. But in any human endeavour there is bound to be people with dissenting opinions as regards the acquisition of power and the use of such power.”

To bring peace to the cricket family, Egwuatu says the NCF president must be a bridge builder versed in human relations strategies so that he can carry all the parties along.

According to the former national team coach, the NCF president must get close to the Sports Ministry in order to attract funding, just as he should have the ability to convince sponsors to identify with the game.

“So, the first thing we did was to move to Abuja so that every Nigerian will see that the game has left the enclave of TBS, Lagos, as a four 0’clock club to become a national sports. It is a futuristic move.

“We are happy that the minister came and stayed with us.

In fact, he has chosen cricket as one of the six sports he will pay attention to in his tenure.

“What I will encourage the board to do is to encourage each member to have a blueprint and develop his own zone. When we are involved in the development of our zones, over time we will find a way of working together for the good of the game. We should have a common agenda.

“We don’t have to be the best of friends to work together. We all campaigned to emerge from our zones, and we owe it to these zones to do the work in their interest. If we are all on the board to work, over time we will find a way of doing the right things.”

Egwuatu disclosed that the new NCF President, Emeka Onyeama, sees himself as the president of the board and not that of a camp, adding that the

National Cricket team celebrating a win during a past edition of the WCL League Division Seven held in Guernsey. board would involve as many people in the different committees as possible no matter their different affiliations.

“I think when they see that our interest is only in developing the game, everybody will fall in line. If everybody comes in, over time there will be unity of purpose.”

The ICC/Africa trainer revealed that the thrust of the present board’s development programme is hinged on building from the grassroots.

According to Egwuatu, although the board’s responsi-

bility is to develop a policy for the growth of the game, it would go further to empower the various units to take the sport to the nooks and crannies of the country.

“After our election, we had an inaugural meeting where the president and members agreed that for the sport to grow there must be school sports. Cricket must be developed down to primary school level because the future resides in the youths.

“Secondly, the zones must encourage their states to form

NCF President, Emeka Onyeama (second left), and Olisa Egwuatu (right) listening to the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi when he visited the national team camp in Abuja…recently.

cricket associations, which will help grow the game in their communities.

“Thirdly, we must develop local funding to grow the sport instead of relying only on the ICC grant. The ICC grant should be complementary and not the main source of funds for the NCF. “That means that the NCF should have more than enough money to support projects and any other developmental project that will aid the growth of the game no matter the initiator of such a project. For instance, the NCF should be able to fund its own coaching programmes and other grassroots initiative.”

One of the ways of ensuring that cricket remained among the top Nigerian sports is by making it one of the games featured in the National Sports Festival. When that is done, Egwuatu says more states would be encouraged to invest in their teams.

“In 2011, the National Sports Festival was held in Port Harcourt without cricket as one of the sports; next year, it will be staged in Calabar and we believe the South South cricket authorities will ensure the sports is among those to feature in it. People would be encouraged go back to their zones to grow the sport and where they have need, they would come to the NCF board

to table their problems. We have qualified coaches and umpires who could be sent to the zones to help out if the need arose.”

The new NCF programme, Egwuatu added, is trying to incorporate all the disparate clubs into its framework.

Among these clubs are the Howzat Foundation, the Club Cricket Committee (CCC) and others scattered around the country, Egwuatu said, adding that the federation plans to build an astro-turf at the TBS, where CCC plays its games, to bring it to international standard.

“The CCC chairman recently had a meeting with the NCF president and they are looking at ways to work together. Other people are coming because Nigerians have genuine interest in the growth of the game.

“We are trying to bring people back to the game. In the past, we had more than a 100,000 people in cricket, but today we have less than 30,000. So, we know the enormity of the task before us.”

The national team is currently in Abuja preparing for the World Cricket League (WCL) Division Six Championship scheduled for Jersey next month, and the challenge before the NCF, according to Egwuatu, is in ensuring that the team retained its position in the division.

“We came on board to meet the WCL Division Six Championship and we have taken it as our flagship championship. To succeed in it, we plan a tour of the United Kingdom, from where they will proceed to Jersey for the championship.

“We picked London because right now it is windy and cold, which is the same situation we expect in Jersey.

“While in England, the boys will play four friendly games to prepare for the championship with technical support from English coaches during the camping.

“Already, four of our boys are in England, including Endurance Ofem, while two others living in the United Kingdom will join the team there.

“That is the only way we can hope to compete. I am not saying that we are going to win the tournament. But I am saying that we will remain in the division, which is a victory in itself because no Nigerian side has ever succeeded at that level.

The first two games are very crucial and after that, we will play every game as it comes.

“The key problem is funding because it is not easy to cater for accommodation in England for 16 people. We are talking about feeding, transportation and all that. We will also pay for the coaches before going to Jersey. But we are happy that Dr. John Abebe has come in to help us solve some of these problems.”

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

Save my career, athlete begs Suswam

By Gowon Akpodonor thrower, Priscilla JtheAVELIN Zever is aiming to become world’s best in future. But the young athlete, who overcame tough opposition from established stars to pick a silver medal at the just concluded Cross River/All Nigeria Open Championship in Calabar, has some challenges back home in Makurdi, Benue State.

Speaking with The Guardian shortly after narrowly missing the gold medal to old timer, Patience Okoro, at the U.J Esuene Stadium last week, Zever lamented what she described as non-availability of throwing facilities at the Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi, where she trains for major competitions.

She is appealing to sportsloving Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, who is the honorary president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), to come to her rescue.

Zever threw a distance of 40.96 meters to pick the silver as against the 41.81 meters by Okoro.

“Early last year, I threw 41.61 meters to win the gold medal at the African Region Two Athletics Championship.

Now, I could only throw 40.96 meters here in Calabar, which means I am going back instead of progressing.

“It is not my fault. There is no javelin for me to train with at

the Aper Aku Stadium and that is responsible for this. Back home in Makurdi, I do train with a long iron in the absence of a javelin. If somebody can help me talk to my state governor to provide me a javelin, I am sure of ruling this event both in Africa and the world in the next few years. I believe so much in myself and I will put smile on the face of the governor if only he can give me the facility,” Zever said.

The success story of Zever in the javelin event started in 2011 when she attended the Cross River/All Nigeria Open Championship for the first time.

“In 2011, I came to Calabar for this games and my major event was the shot put. It was my first time and I finished in the sixth position. The next day, I asked my coach John Jinnawa to register me in the javelin event. He did and I threw 39. 46meters. I went home with a medal and my people were very happy,” she stated.

Dark complexioned Zever narrowly lost the gold to a Malian athlete last year in Ghana during the ECOWAS Games for junior athletes.

At the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival in Lagos, she also settled for a silver medal.

Her throw of 39.63meters was not enough to beat her challenger from Delta State.

Perhaps, if Zever had a javelin to perfect her strategies in

Makurdi before the games in Ghana and Eko 2012 festival, things would have been different.

“What I need from the government is just a javelin, a place to train and a trained coach. If I can get them between now and early next year, I am very sure I will throw 50 meters and above. I know that my governor has a listening ear and I pray he listens to me. I want to contribute my quota to make Benue State one of the leading states in Nigerian sports.”

Glo Nigeria Premier League

Enugu Rangers to fortify team for second round From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu NUGU Rangers Football E Club would shop for better quality players to fortify

Enugu Rangers taking on Heartland of Owerri in a recent Glo Premier League game. Officials of the ‘Flying Antelopes’ are planning to fortify the team for better performance.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI.

Organisers add new category to Nigerian Sports Award

By Olalekan Okusan HE organisers of the second T edition of the Nigerian Sports Award, which nominations begins on July 1, have added a new category to the event, scheduled for November 26 in Lagos.

Speaking at a briefing to unveil the award for this year, initiator and General Manager of Unmissable Incentives Limited, Kayode Idowu, said this year’s award promises to be better as it is gaining more recognition in the Nigerian sports industry with 15 categories expected to be competed for this year.

Idowu described the first edition of the awards as success-

ful, adding that the awards panel is working to ensure a better and exciting second edition.

He called on well-meaning sports loving individuals and corporate organizations to support the initiative to make it the most prestigious sports award in Nigeria.

“We sincerely want to thank the media for your support during the first edition of the award, while we seek your continued support for the second edition; we also want to use your medium to call on sports loving organizations to partner with us to make this initiative the one that we would all be proud of”, Idowu said.

On the timeline for the 2013

award, Idowu said the nominations would start on Monday, July 1 and close on Saturday September 7, 2013 while the awards ceremony will hold on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at Muson Centre in Lagos.

For the chairman of the award panel, Ikeddy Isiguzo, the new category, the Sports Governor of the Year, has been added to recognize a Governor adjudged to have shown greatest support to sports development within the year.

“There would be awards for Discovery of the year (male & female), School Sports. The public would be able to nominate any athlete from November 2012 to date,” he added.

the team before the commencement of the second round of the league, an official of the club has said.

In a statement in Enugu by the team’s Director of Media and Publicity, Foster Chime, the decision to fortify the team was based on the team’s abysmal performance in the first segment of the league.

He stated that already the General Manager of the club, Ozor Paul Chibuzor has briefed the technical crew over the move, adding that the Enugu State government and supporters of the club were not happy with the stand of the team on the league table.

He disclosed that management had shortlisted some players it would use to prosecute the second stanza and was in touch with them, adding that the team would be beefed up in all departments to shore up performance.

Chime said in the statement that the management had directed the technical department to furnish it with a list of players that have become unproductive, stressing that such players would be off-loaded within the week for new ones.

Wimbledon 2013

Harvest of injuries as Azarenka, Darcis depart ECOND seed Victoria SNadal’s Azarenka and Rafael conqueror Steve Darcis were yesterday forced out of Wimbledon on a bizarre day of injuries.

Marin Cilic, John Isner and Radek Stepanek were other players to leave SW19 following injury problems.

It was an injury list which saw Azarenka call on the All England Club to investigate.

She criticised the state of the courts after she was forced to withdraw following a heavy fall.

Azarenka suffered a knee injury during her first-round match on Monday and withdrew minutes before she was due on court for yesterday’s clash with Flavia Pennetta.

Asked if there was anything different with the courts this year, the 23-year-old said: “I’m

Azarenka

wondering the same question, because the court was not in a very good condition on Monday.

“My opponent fell twice; I fell badly; there were some other people who fell after. So I don’t know if it’s the court or the weather. I can’t figure it out it. It would be great if the club or somebody who takes care of the court just would examine or try to find an issue so that wouldn’t happen.

“Because on something like this, there is nothing I could have done to make that better. There is nothing I’ve done wrong that cost me to just withdraw from Wimbledon.”

The withdrawal further strengthens Serena Williams’ chances of successfully defending her Wimbledon crown while her departure

also leaves Maria Sharapova as the clear favourite to reach the final from the bottom half of the draw.

Darcis withdrew having picked up a shoulder injury during his stunning firstround victory over Nadal. The Belgian recalled a diving shot in the seventh game of the opening set against Nadal, believing it was where his injury stemmed from.

“After the match, a few hours after, I started to feel so much pain,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep at night. I saw the physio and the doctor and they did a good job. It’s a little better today but there is no chance I can play.

I cannot serve, even on the forehand serve. I could not hit a ball,” he stated.

Once the dust has settled on his disappointment, Darcis

will be able to reflect on causing one of the greatest Wimbledon shocks of recent time.

He was not willing to console himself with that thought yesterday, though, and headed back to Liege wondering what might have been.

“I think that when you beat a guy like Rafa in the first round, you want to show more and play more match-

es,” he said.

“I was playing the best tennis of my life here and to not go on court today is maybe the most disappointing thing I have to do. Right now I’m not so happy and it is tough to withdraw like this. After a few days I will maybe say ‘I beat Nadal, it’s great’, but the big thing is I cannot play and I have that in my mind. These are not happy memories.”

Odesnik denies doping claims MERICAN Wayne Odesnik A has forcefully refuted reports that he has any links to a United States clinic, which is the subject of a doping investigation.

Odesnik, now 27, was banned for two years in 2010 by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for violating doping rules by possessing human growth hormone.

That suspension was reduced and Odesnik was allowed to return for the start of the 2011 season, reward for providing “ongoing substantial assistance” in the fight against drugs.

Odesnik firmly denies any recent wrong-doing, and any association with the Biogenesis Clinic in Miami to which he and a number of baseball players have been linked in reports, including a Mail on Sunday report.

Odesnik said in a press conference at Wimbledon after his

first-round loss to Jimmy Wang: “On all accounts, that’s erroneous. None of that’s true.”

He added, “my name was in the papers a lot, and I guess they’re trying to tie me to that again. It’s erroneous. I went through this four years ago.

They can keep bringing it up and bringing it up, but they’re not going to find anything.”

He confirmed the ITF had been in touch after doping allegations which first emerged in January.

“I guess they contacted my lawyer. But I’m more than happy to comply with them. Like I said, I’ve done nothing wrong,” Odesnik said.

He added, “I’ve been tested probably in the last three years on a regular basis. I know this year I’ve been tested every single month.

“I’ve had an out-of-competition test on a regular basis, blood and urine, from USADA (the United States Anti Doping

Agency). Those reports, I’m sure you guys can find them somewhere. ITF, as well, I’ve been tested, and WADA (the World Anti Doping Agency).

I’m giving my whereabouts to

Odesnik

three different governing bodies. I’ve never missed an out-ofcompetition test.

“I’ve made myself available for all of that. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m as clean as a whistle.”

78

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, June 27, 2013

79

TheGuardian

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Favour B. Afolabi

At the beginning of the privatisation of the DISCOS and GENCOS in 2011, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) received 301 Expression of Interests (EOIs) and later short listed 207 firms that met the minimum qualification standards set.

Interestingly, only 163 firms purchased bid documents.

HAVE noticed that those that love to use this issue as a convenient political excuse to always Ilampoon the current administration are actually largely ignorant of what is going on in the sector - and I have decided to discuss these developments under the following categories A-H as described below: (A) State of Current power delivery: There is the group of those who would never believe that any progress is being made in the power sector irrespective of what you tell them; irrespective of them enjoying improved power supply in their homes; they are the folks that would suggest that the Power Minister, Prof.

Nebo did not say the truth when he mentioned that we would be losing about 1,112mws of power to some maintenance at a Chevron plant for a few days, they claimed rather that “the reason for the drop was because rainfall had subsided resulting in a fall of what we were getting from the hydro plants.” These folks of course do not know that Hydro sources only accounts for less than 30 per cent of what the nation currently uses to provide power to its population well!

Well, now that power has returned to what it was before the subject of maintenance exercise and even possibly improved beyond what it was before the repairs, they have gone quiet about this their “Rain theory” and they, of course, will be too proud to tell those they misled that they were wrong neither will they admit that power has improved in their own homes since then even as the current installed available generation capacity within the sector has risen to 6,000mw while generation capability is currently at 5,228mw with peak generation above 4,500mw.

(B) State of the privatisation process & PHCN labour issues: Then there is also the group that does not know that the power companies have already practically been fully privatised and that government control in the sector will soon be reduced to that of transmission and regulation of the sector thereby ushering us into the sort of improved services that we currently enjoy within the Telecommunications industry; they would also tell you that these companies have been dashed to some cabals even though these companies fought through very competitive processes to win their bid in the full embrace of the international business community.

At the beginning of the privatisation of the DISCOS and GENCOS in 2011, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) received 301 Expression of Interests (EOIs) and later short listed 207 firms that met the minimum qualification standards set. Interestingly, only 163 firms purchased bid documents.

This process produced 10 preferred bidders for Distribution Companies (Discos) and five preferred bidders for Generation Companies (Gencos); these companies are buying 51 per cent shares in these companies while the Federal Government will still hold on to the other 49 per cent - they have already made 25 per cent down payments on the transaction to the government on these transactions and have executed initial contracts to this effect.

Here is the definitive list of these transactions: Discos: 1. Kann Consortium for Abuja Successor Company at $164 million; 2. Vigeo Power Consortium for Benin at $129

It is expected that all workers of PHCN will be fully evaluated by the new owners of the privatised assets and those found to be incompetent will not be retained in their posts.

They will collect their compensation and then go on to restart their lives elsewhere.

The competent ones will be retained and they will get only part of the compensation, the one to be linked to their pension account.

Please send reactions and feedback for YOUTH SPEAK to:

editorial@risenetworks.org and 07067976667- SMS ONLY

Politics of the power sector

Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Power Minister

million; 3. West Power & Gas for Eko at $135 million; 4. Interstate Electrics Ltd for Enugu at $126 million; 5. Integrated Energy for Ibadan at $169 million; 6. NEDC/KEPCO for Ikeja at $131 million; 7. Aura Energy Ltd for Jos at $82 million; 8. Sahelian Piwer SPV Ltd for Kano at $137 million; 9. 4Power Consortium for Port Harcourt at $124 million; 10. Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing for Yola at $59 million.

For the Gencos, the preferred bidders are: 11. Amperion for Geregu Plant at $132 million; 12. Mainstream for Kainji Plant at $50.76 million plus commencement fee of $237,870,000; 13. North-South for Shiroro Plant at $23.60 million plus commencement fee of $111 million;

14. Transcorp/Woodrock for Ugheli Plant at $300 million; 15. CMEC/Eurafric for Sapele Pant at $201 million.

And the success of this process has made even more firms to jostle for Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc; both processes which were earlier truncated because none of the bidders scored the required minimum 75 per cent to progress to the financial bid stage which was later reopened now having 20 companies being prequalified for this process while the Enugu Disco is being resolved under some other arrangements bringing the total of these companies to 18!

Well, the sensational analysts would tell you “until we see the power in our houses, we won’t believe.’’ No problems. Thomas said the same thing about our Lord Jesus Christ until HE showed Himself to him in person. These guys will undoubtedly see the power in their

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homes very soon as well yet this should call into question the intelligence level of these analysts concerned. Why should even halfeducated people choose to reason like this – how can they be suggesting that 18 privately managed companies with international partners and exposure who would have invested billions of dollars in acquiring and re-investing in these assets would all fail in one single swoop? Why should anyone submit himself to such levels of unimaginable self-inflicted ignorance?

Aside from these, 70 per cent of Egbin Power Plc, Lagos, has also been to KEPCO of South Korea for $407.3 million.

Some have also expressed concerns about labour issues within the industry. Well, under a deal with PHCN workers, the Federal Government has accepted to pay a total of N384 billion to the staff of PHCN, and this is in addition to the N57 billion which was paid out in 2011 as monetisation arrears. The demand of the workers meant a payout of over 97.5 per cent of the power privatisation proceeds. The workers will receive payment for redundancy, gratuity and arrears of payment into the retirement or pension accounts of the about 45,000 workers.

It is expected that all workers of PHCN will be fully evaluated by the new owners of the privatised assets and those found to be incompetent will not be retained in their posts. They will collect their compensation and then go on to restart their lives elsewhere. The competent ones will be retained and they will get only part of the compensation, the one to be linked to their pension account.

(C) State of the NIPPs and related projects: The National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) was conceived in 2004 as a fast-track government funded initiative to stabilise Nigeria’s electricity supply system while the private-sector led structure of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) of 2005 took effect; NIPP was originally designed around seven medium-sized gas fired power stations in the gas producing states, and the critical transmission infrastructure needed to evacuate the added power into the national grid. A commitment to connect electricity to host communities in the vicinity of the power stations and major substations gave rise to the distribution component of the project; these assets are listed thus: Calabar - 561mw; Egbema - 338mw; Ihovbor 450mw; Gbarain - 225mw; Sapele - 450mw; Omoku - 250mw; Alaoji - 1,074mw; Olorunsogo II - 750mw; Omotosho II - 500mw; Geregu II - 434mw; Ibom Power - 190mw, Total: 5,222mw.

These projects is expected, of course, to come online at different times in the course of the next couple of months leading to 2014 and would naturally be able to help the sector achieve the target of 10,000mw as promised by the Power Minister even as some of them would eventually be privatised as well just as the Federal Government has just recently sold the Omotosho Power Plant I to China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) under a debt-equity swap arrangement in a transaction worth USD$217.5 million. 80 per cent stake in each of these companies have already been advertised for sale by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria (NDPHC) for which 44 companies have already expressed interests in acquiring same.

TO BE CONTINUED • Afolabi is president at Viva Real Estates Company and a consultant to several infrastructural development projects.