Fri 06 June 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Friday, June 6, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,943

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Emefiele unfolds agenda, abolishes deposit charges From Emeka Anuforo and Anthony Otaru, Abuja E must, by now, be “W tired of hearing people talk about the ‘potential’ of Nigeria. Now is the time to live that dream. I truly believe that working together, we can achieve our goals and give Nigerians the chance to live longer, better and more fulfilled lives.”

With the above words, new

• Promises people-oriented, apolitical CBN • Cashless policy to go nationwide July 1 • National collateral registry debuts • Gradual reduction in inflation, tightened liquidity in focus • To encourage investment in gas to power infrastructure, others Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday shared his ideas on creating a central bank that is professional,

apolitical and people-focused.

Indeed, Emefiele has identified a combination of a new dawn in the management of

people-oriented CBN, new framework for SMEs, abolishment of charges on cash withdrawals, electricity sector reforms, job creation

through investments in agriculture and maintaining the current monetary policy rates as the focus of his administration.

At a press conference in Abuja where he presented his agenda entitled, “Entrenching Macroeconomic Stability and Engendering Economic Development”, the new CBN governor disclosed that he intended to pursue a gradual reduction in key interest

rates, and include unemployment rate in monetary policy decisions; maintain exchange rate stability and aggressively shore up foreign exchange reserves.

Obviously conscious of the undercurrents behind his successor’s suspension, he stressed: “We will be apolitical, we will not go into politics. What we will do is to focus on our banking busiCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

BRING

...DAY 53

BACK

OURGIRLS Some defected PDP govs can’t win wards in 2015, says Jonathan • PDP NEC passes confidence vote on President From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan, yesterday came hard on the five governors who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year, stating that some of them would not win election in their wards in 2015.

In a related development, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Lagos State University (LASU) students barricade Governor’s Office, protesting over the hike in school fees at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja. Story on Page 4. (Inset) Smoke billowing from a section of the Gombe State House after it was allegedly bombed by suspected terrorists… yesterday.

45 feared killed in Borno, Gombe Govt House bombed From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri violence has allegedFnolyRESH claimed 45 lives in BorState.

The tragedy was said to have occurred when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists on Wednesday

stormed Belgeri village in Konduga council of the state in over a dozen Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED. They shot dead 45 people and torched several houses.

Yesterday too, an online re-

port noted that the Government House in Gombe State was attacked in a massive explosion late afternoon.

But there were no confirmed reports of injuries, death, or the level of the carnage.

So far no group has claimed

responsibility. Police, Fire Department and military officials are on the scene, battling a fire from the blast.

Eyewitnesses say it was a bomb blast that could be heard all over the city.

Belgeri village is about 65 kilometres east of Maid-

Confab declines raising minimum wage - Page 3 Protests as APC inaugurates state

excos,Tinubu, Akande sued

uguri.

An eyewitness, Ibrahim Isah, who escaped to Maiduguri yesterday, told The Guardian that the insurgents disguised as preachers at a local mosque before opening fire on worshippers.

“We were shocked and terrified about how our people

were lured into a mosque by disguised militants only for many of them to be killed. As I speak now, the dead bodies are yet of be buried”, he added.

He said that in the other destroyed village, the attackers CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Policeman, others die in pro-Biafran - Page 6 group’s bid to ‘overthrow govt’ - Page 66

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

2 | NEWS Friday, June 6, 2014

PDP NEC passes confidence vote on Jonathan CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the PDP at the 65th meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday passed a vote of confidence on President Jonathan for what it described as deliberate efforts being made to tackle insurgency in the country.

Jonathan who stated this at the PDP ‘s NEC meeting in Abuja, commended the 18 governors who remained in the party , noting that due to their actions, government had continued as if it controlled all 36 states of the federation.

According to Jonathan, the absence of all those five governors who defected was never noticed.

“Party members should not be afraid. When some governors moved and some National Assembly members moved, some people thought they would soon overrun the PDP, but when I looked across, from my privileged vantage position, I didn’t really see the threat.”

“I told the national chairman to let us organise national unity rallies, to demonstrate our strength, so that people will know that though one or two persons were leaving, they are inconsequential. I’m not even sure they can win their wards in any election now, because some of those states are totally PDP states.

45 feared killed in fresh Borno violence CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 carted away food items and livestock into two pickup vans, and fled towards Sambisa Forest.

On whether there was tight security before the attack, Isah said: “No, our security is in the hands of God, because soldiers were deployed in this border village, since the extension of emergency rule last month.”

He lamented that the village had been destroyed and many people killed.

The Borno State Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawal, also confirmed the incident, stating that the insurgents attacked Belgeri village.

As you leave, you think you would be leaving with the whole state, by the time you get there, you’ll discover that others stayed back and are continuing with the PDP. Some of the governors are even afraid to conduct local government elections now.”, Jonathan said The President further stressed:”PDP is still solid, it’s still the dominant party, and surely, this party will win the next elections, free and fair. In terms of people decamping, the trend is also changing. At a time the whole thing was stalemated, but now more people are even coming to the PDP because if you really want to play politics, the party to join is PDP. Our democratic credentials go unchallenged.

It’s still the only party where you can become a candidate based on free and fair primaries. It’s the party where we don’t impose candidates on constituencies. It is the party whose candidates are accepted by the constituencies at various levels, including senatorial, state level, House of Representatives or state assemblies.

And I believe that with this

position of the party, we’ll continue to dominate the political landscape of this country.

PDP is still the only party that has never changed its name, logo etc. when you go abroad they can’t remember the names of the other parties due to the level of mutation” Praising the PDP governors, the President said: “Another group of people that I must specially appreciate is our governors, the PDP governors.

You know the Nigeria Governors Forum, there were some challenges that came up and PDP governors became very strong.

Even though some people left us but we are not noticing their absence because of the leadership and commitment shown by Governor Akpabio, the chairman of PDP and Governor Jang, the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and other members of the Governors Forum from the PDP.” The President also praised the leadership of the National Assembly for their loyalty and commitment to the programmes of the party pointing out that it is now clear the National Assembly is a PDP Na-

tional Assembly.

“Another segment that really needs my appreciation openly here, is the Senate President, the chairman of the National Assembly and members of the National Assembly. At a time, we had issues in the National Assembly and PDP members were beginning to get worried.

He also assured that all measures needed to be taken by government to tackle the challenges of insecurity and terrorism were being taken pointing out that the Boko Haram terrorist group and other criminal elements would soon be defeated.

“And let me join the chairman to say that this is not a very good time for us. I assure our party that we are taking up those challenges. Perhaps as a society there were certain things we left undone, and now we’re facing the reality.

I assure you that those issues of equipment, and other things for the military, we are handling them. God willing, these challenges of Boko haram, and other criminal elements, will soon come to be history in Nigeria. While contending with the security

challenges, we’re still totally committed to our developmental programmes based on the party manifesto. Most PDP states are doing well. Security challenges are less in the PDP states, due to the commitment of the governors. “ In a remark earlier, PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Adamu Muazu, expressed delight that some of the members of the party who defected last year were returning to it.

In a statement at the end of the meeting and signed by the party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, it was also resolved that the party’s mid term convention be held after the Muslim fasting that would begin at the end of this month.

The statement titled “Resolutions of the 65th Meeting of the NEC of the PDP June 5, 2014” reads: “The 65th meeting of the NEC of the PDP held on June 5, 2014 at the National Secretariat of the Party.

The meeting was attended by the President, Vice President, members of the National Assembly, PDP

governors and other members of the NEC. The meeting considered various national issues and arrived at the following resolutions: •NEC considered and adopted corrections to errors noticed in the 2012 amended constitution of the party. NEC effected all corrections accordingly and in consistent with the motion of amendment moved and carried at the 2012 national convention.

•NEC also debated on the proposal to hold the PDP National Convention according to the provisions of the constitution of the party and resolved to hold same after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

•NEC unanimously passed an overwhelming vote of confidence on President Jonathan and particularly praised the decisive steps so far taken to contain insurgency in the country.

•In keeping with the resolution to return the party to the people, NEC laid emphasis on the slogan of the PDP, which is power to the people and advised all party members to note this at all party events nationwide.”

intervene when necessary to offset pressures on the change rate. To support this strategy, we will strive to build up and maintain a healthy external reserves position and ensure external balance.

“There is no doubt that reducing the interest rate and maintaining the exchange rate are very daunting twin goals. However, the CBN would work assiduously with all stakeholders to devise countervailing measures that would ensure that these goals are mutually achieved.”

On financial system stability, he pledged to work with ‘fiscal and political authorities’ and other stakeholders to improve policy .

He defended the need to tighten the noose on defaulting borrowers, stressing: “We will pursue a zero tolerance policy on fraudulent borrowers. We will collaborate with commercial banks to significantly improve the credit culture in the Nigerian banking system. The CBN’s focus would be directed at serial debtors who access loans from different banks and default on all of them even when they have the means to pay. Going forward, the CBN will work towards reducing the effect of information asymmetry in the credit market.”

He stressed that though Nigeria had witnessed impressive GDP growth rates over the past seven years, the absence of a corresponding reduction in the unemployment rate in the country was a source of concern.

Particularly worrisome, he said, was the rate of youth unemployment.

“The CBN cannot afford to sit idly by and concentrate only on price and monetary stability. Additional measures, would be required towards

identifying productive sectors of the economy and channeling credit towards these sectors, while imposing proper monitoring and performance measures in order to ensure that the goals of increased employment and poverty reduction are attained,” he stressed.

He added: “This will require a review of the CBN’s development finance programme, the participatory agencies responsible for the disbursement of funds, improving our monitoring capacity and developing performance targets relevant to our focus on generating employment and poverty reduction. To be effective, the measures taken by the bank will not work in isolation. We will work with the fiscal authorities in reducing other structural distortions to productive growth, as this will enhance the potential impact, which enhanced access to credit will provide in stimulating growth and employment generation.”

On development financing, he stressed how, working within its law and mandate, it would be transparent about what it believed as strategic and appropriate interventions.

Interventions in this area, he stressed, would include credit allocations and direct participation in key sectors of the economy, such as power, agriculture, MSMEs, oil& gas, and health.

“While the private sector invests more of their risk capital in the selected companies, CBN funds will focus on resolving challenges such as access to collateral, enterprise development support, development of a nationwide credit scoring system, among others,” he said.

“Aside from this new collab-

Cashless policy to go nationwide July 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ness, but use our skills to support the efforts of government in creating jobs for the people. We want to use our efforts to support economic growth and development for the country, so not just about politics but about what contributions we are going to make toward achieving economic growth and development of the country we want as a country. We want as a central bank to be able to stand and be counted and say, that yes we contributed to our nation’s economic growth and development.”

He plans to set up a Transaction and National Collateral registry as well as establish a National Scoring System that would improve access to information on borrowers and assist lenders to make good credit decisions.

Emefiele abolished fees associated with limits on deposits and said that he would reconsider what he referred to as an ongoing practice in which all fees associated with limits on withdrawals accrue to banks alone.

And starting July 1, the cashless policy of the CBN would now go nationwide, following its successful implementation in some states.

“The Central Bank’s pay-

ments system initiatives such as the Payment Terminal Aggregator (PTA) and standardized T+1 settlement, have led to a significant reduction in transactions costs and currency management costs. The cashless policy is gradually entering the next phase of implementationthe nationwide roll-out in the remaining states of the Federation-which has been scheduled for July 1, 2014, while the mobile money initiative has continued to enhance financial inclusion with the number of unbanked public declining from 46.3 percent in 2010 to 37.9 per cent in 2013,” he said.

He added: “ We hope to align the cashless policy. This policy was introduced in 2012 with pilots now completed in Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, and the FCT. The policy is now expected to go nationwide on July 1, 2014.

Over the course of the pilot, we have become aware of complaints by customers particularly regarding the charges being imposed for cash deposits. This has resulted in customers devising various means to avoid the charges through opening of multiplicity of accounts and other disingenuous behaviours all aimed at undermining the objectives of this policy.

“Given these outcomes, and to better reflect our goal of having more cash under our control, all charges on deposits are hereby stopped with immediate effect.

Charges on withdrawals, in view of their eventual elimination, remain sustained at the current three percent for individual transactions exceeding N500, 000 and five percent for corporate transactions exceeding N3 million. Currently, these fees go entirely to the commercial banks. However, going for-

ward, the CBN shall determine what percentage of these fees on excess drawings that will be redeemed by the bank while the rest shall be remitted to the CBN.” He said he would work towards championing policies that promote the sustainability of the nation’s “hardearned macroeconomic stability”, stressing that his team would pursue a gradual reduction in interest rates.

He said: “To enhance financial access and reduced borrower cost of credit, we would pursue policies targeted at making Nigeria’s treasury bill rates more comparable with the emerging markets, and by extension, pursue a reduction in both deposit and lending rates.

While a reduction in deposit rates would encourage investment attitudes in savers, a reduction in lending rates would make credit cheaper for potential investors. The CBN would also begin to include the unemployment rate as one of the key variables considered for its monetary policy decisions “In the interim, we would continue to maintain a monetary policy stance, reflecting the liquidity conditions in the economy a well as the potential fiscal expansion in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.”

The goal of CBN under him, he stressed, would be to maintain exchange rate stability.

According to Emefiele, “Under my leadership, the CBN will continue to focus on maintaining exchange rate stability and preserve the value of the domestic currency. We will sustain the managed float regime in the management of the exchange rate, as this will allow the apex bank to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 3

News Catholic bishops seek release of abducted girls, end to killings From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja HE Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has called for an end to the reckless killings in the country through terrorism, ritual murders, unresolved assassinations and kidnappings.

They also called on the Boko Haram sect to release the Chibok girls, who have been under their captivity for the past 53 days.

CBCN President and Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, who made the call at the International Family and Pro-Life conference in Abuja, urged Nigerians to commit themselves to prayers and work for peace, adding that the absence of peace endangers human life and denigrates humanity.

Kaigama noted that throughout the world today, human life and the enduring values of human dignity, sanctity of marriage and family life have become grossly diminished by ideologies, religious extremism and politics, “such that human life has become cheaper than a loaf of bread.”

Pointing out that neither

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Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele (left), former Acting CBN Governor, Sarah Alade, and Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Adebayo Adelagu, when Emefiele unfolded his agenda at a World Press Conference in Abuja…yesterday PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY-ELUKPO

NNPC wants minister’s assistance on foreign transactions From John Okeke, Abuja O fast track requests by forT eign missions desiring to do business with it, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has urged the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe, made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali.

He told the minister that every month, his organisation receives as many as 300

foreign requests for different engagements hence the need to facilitate them in the overall interest of the country.

In his response, Wali thanked the NNPC for the visit and also assured of the ministry’s assistance. He noted that the agency remains a viable economic flag bearer for Nigeria.

“We need good understanding because NNPC and Foreign Affairs Ministry have a lot in common to ensure that Nigeria benefits from either exports or imports,” he said.

“We will continue to support

you, I can assure you that we are totally committed to promoting your interest all over the world.

“The flag bearer of the Nigerian economy today is NNPC.

We understand our role, your role and what is expected of us. I look forward to more and more engagements; whenever there is a problem, come to us.”

Christianity nor Islam supports shedding of blood, the cleric called for objective examination of the destruction of human life and bastardization of family institution and values that have sustained human communities.

“Life is a gift from God and the dignity of every human person is not diminished by biological, socio-economic or political circumstance,” he said. “The Church has maintained that to take one’s life or life of another person is a mortal sin.

“This includes the use of contraceptives, induced abortion, infanticide, homicide and all forms of murder, many of which are taking place in Nigeria and the world.”

Kaigama regretted that millions of lives are also being lost in the country due to abortions and questioned the interests being promoted in the National Health Bill 2014.

He urged the National Assembly to be weary of antics of international organizations that promote sexual and reproductive rights as euphemism for irreligious and anti-life activities.

Alkali replaces Gulak as Jonathan’s political aide From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan has appointed a former National Publicity Secretary of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Rufai Alkali, as

his new Political Adviser. He replaces Mr. Ahmed Ali Gulak, whose appointment was terminated on April 29.

He also named Hajia Baraka Sani, who recently resigned from Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s cab-

inet, as his Senior Special Assistant on School Agriculture.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said that Alkali, a Professor of Political Science, is serving a

second term as the ProChancellor/Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He hails from Gombe State. Abati said both appointments are with immediate effect.

Stating the need for the commission, Kano State’s Aishatu Isma’il said the FCC was established to give and ensure geopolitical equity in the distribution of jobs but does not give a level field to consider other micro groups within the geo-political group. To that end, she said, EOC should rather replace the FCC for enhanced impact.

When put to vote, delegates supported the proposed commission going side by side the FCC. On nuclear power, a civil society delegate, Nnimmo Bassey, contended that Nigeria, which is not able to manage its hydro electricity technology, cannot attempt nuclear technology, which is more complex.

Prof. Anya O. Anya lamented that Nigeria would continue to go in circles as long as the political will to develop science and technology is not there. According to him, Nigeria has comparative advantage in the development of material science with all the materials and resources needed for it found in the

country.

“But the political will has been lacking and has been made worse by ignorance, compounded by our attitude to fail to recognise matters as significant as they relate to science,” he said. “The way we are going, we will not get anywhere, as every innovation submitted for implementation is subjected to bureaucratic processes, where some are sent to a ministry or parastatal, and it dies there.”

According to Atedo Peterside, building a nuclear plant is far above the capacity of Nigeria to manage, because the process is accident-prone and “Nigeria cannot manage a road accident talk less nuclear science accident. For now, we have to drop the nuclear technology.”

On Ajaokuta steel, Peterside said it is a 35-year old complex that requires unbundling if the complex must function effectively, as the concession done with the Indian company to revive it during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration did not work because of the size of the complex.

National confab declines raising minimum wage From Terhemba Daka and Karls Tsokar, Abuja ITH an overwhelming W voice vote, even without debate, delegates at the ongoing National Conference yesterday rejected a proposal to increase the minimum wage for public workers. They eventually adopted the amended report of the Committee on Public Service.

Also, the conference again suggested the creation of an Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) as an auxiliary arm of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), to give those disadvantaged because of their minority status another opportunity to address their deprivation.

Meanwhile, delegates expressed scepticism to the proposed funding for development of nuclear technology in the country, saying it was too serious for a country known for its shallow political will to implement projects.

At plenary, the report of the Committee on Science, Technology and Development was

• Proposes Equal Opportunities Commission • Rejects proposal to develop nuclear technology presented by the Chairman, Dr. Daniel Maddo, assisted by Dr. Raymond Dokpesi. One of its cardinal prayers was that government should provide adequate funding for nuclear technology.

They argued that, as signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and having shifted an early projection to generate nuclear electricity by 2017 to 2020, “Nigeria needs to pursue the development of peaceful use.”

When the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, threw the issue open, delegates noted that the utilisation and funding of nuclear technology is as intensive as it is imperative in the modern world. However, the complexities involved in its development, management and maintenance are too complex for a country that is known to not conclusively implement projects.

Specifically, the Committee on Public Service had recom-

mended that minimum wage be raised from the current N18,000 to about N40,000 to boost government workers’ purchasing power. When the presiding officer, Ambassador Bolaji Akinyemi, put the proposal to question, it was thrown out unanimously.

However, raising a point of order following the ruling on the matter, Senator Yisa Braimah, representing the South-South, argued that it would not augur well for the wellbeing of the civil servant in the country. Braimah noted that delegates had succeeded in throwing away the committee’s recommendation, which saw the need for a raise of the minimum wage.

He suggested that since all the delegates agreed on the need for an increase, it should be so recommended while competent authorities and bodies are allowed to look at it and negotiate the rate. However, Akinyemi ruled him on

account that a decision on the issue had already been taken.

Meanwhile, delegates argued that sending a proposal for another commission would not only alter the conference’s resolve not to consider such recommendation but also amount to duplicating the responsibility of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

For Prof. A. B. C. Nwosu of Anambra State, though, the proposed commission would give opportunity to those hitherto marginalized in the scheme of things and should therefore stand on its own and allow the FCC to stand on its own.

Also, Kabiru Zubairu noted that the motion raised on Wednesday in this direction did not clearly situate the rights, opportunities, interests and privileges of the minorities, and is therefore contrary to the provisions of the constitution.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

4 | NEWS Friday, June 6, 2014

LASU students at Fashola’s office with cooking utensils

By Kamal Tayo Oropo HE Lagos State University students yesterday stormed the office of Governor Babatunde Fashola at Alausa, Ikeja, vowing not to return home until their demands are met.

To show how resolute they were, the students, including male and female, who arrived at the governor’s office at about 3:00 p.m. in over 10 buses, including two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses with registration numbers XQ 837 EPE and LRS 652 XC, came along with mats, mosquito nets and cooking pots.

The students did not waste time to show their seriousness as the female folks among them quickly swung into action setting up the firewood to prepare beans, just a

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• Vow to pass the night until demands are met stone throw from the entrance of the governor’s office.

The students also defied a sudden downpour that threatened their demonstration, as they danced to solidarity songs, even as they held mid-day prayers to seek divine intervention on the issue.

The students in a release addressed to Governor Fashola and entitled: ‘Save our future’, which was made available to journalists, alleged that the school fees hike has taken education beyond the reach of the students.

Also speaking, President of the LASU Student Union Governor, Mr. Yusuf Temilola Nurudeen, said the students by their demonstration have re-

Plateau Commissioner of Police, Olakpe, retires From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos HE Commissioner of Police T (CP), Plateau State Police Command, Mr. Chris Olakpe, yesterday retired from service having served for about 34 years.

A 1979 graduate of Sociology/Anthropology from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka, Olakpe who had served the Nigeria Police, is a well-decorated officer, saying that the many courses he attended assisted him tremendously in the discharge of his duties.

He used the opportunity to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for giving him the opportunity to serve as Commissioner of Police in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He equally thanked Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang for the logistics support against crime and criminality, which he said, really assisted him in making breakthroughs and bringing crime to its lowest ebb in the state.

Olakpe was also full of gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, and the Police High Command for giving him a level-playing ground to exhibit professionalism in the management of a fundamentally-complex and conflict zone like Plateau State “and management of pluralism which has yielded a lot of results occasioned by the proper combination of man and material resources to reduce criminality and put Plateau State at the lowest ebb on the league table of crime and criminality in Nigeria.”

He was particularly impressed by the co-operation existing among all the other security agencies in the state, the Special Task Force (STF), the Nigeria Army, the Air Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Customs Service, the Prison Service, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) among others.

The Police Chief showed appreciation to the members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state for standing by him throughout his tenure as Commissioner of Police.

“You acted well as a window that ventilated our efforts on the Plateau by bringing to limelight our anti-crime operations in order to enable the

solved to fight their cause by themselves until their demands were met by the government.

“Our school is shut down.

Everything has turned upside down.

Students are dropping from the university on daily basis.

We decided not to engage the party leaders because the people in government do not understand any language. The only language they understand is protest. They have been promising that they will get back to us soon and very soon. Anything can be soon.

So, we do not want to engage the leaders of the APC. “We have resolved to fight this struggle by ourselves. We are a pressure group; we are a pressure group in the country. We can do this alone. We do not want any person to fight for us. We voted for Governor Fashola. We voted for all members of the State House of Assembly. As a result, we think he can help our situation.

“He has always promised us better rewarding future. How can we have a rewarding fu-

ture without education? He has denied good education.

He has neglected the law that created LASU. We wanted to go to court. But we decided not to go to court because we need to resolve this issue.

Governor Fashola has violated Section 3 (1) of the law that established the institution.

The section states that the university should be made available for all people irrespective of their socio-economic background and status. Now, the governor has made LASU the University of the Rich.

“We are not ready to leave here anytime soon until we hear something from the government. We have gone to Lagos Island. We have gone to Ojota. We were at Oshodi on Tuesday. The police shut live bullets at us. The police manhandled us and arrested some of our colleagues. That is why we decided to come here today and tell the governor what is on our minds.

“Before their arrest, I told the police to arrest me instead of our colleagues. We are not deterred. We will not stop until

we hear something from the government. If the governor refuses to come out, we will remain here until he comes out. If the governor can respond to issues that are less important than this, he should come out and respond to the students of the institution. The governor must come out and speak to us. We are ready to engage him.”

As at the time of filling this report, no official of the state government had attended to the students as only the security officials attached to the Office of the Governor were at their duty posts.

The state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, was said to have left the state for Port Harcourt to join his colleagues for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) retreat holding at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge today.

State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba and his counterpart in the Ministry of Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, had on Wednesday said the government had before now reached an agreement with the stakeholders on the way out of the lingering crisis.

Police arrest Kano blast suspects Olakpe populace and public spirited individuals to have confidence in the police and give information which led to several breakthroughs such as recovery of stolen vehicles, discovery of cashe of Improvised Explosive Devices, arrest of cattle rustlers and arrest of other criminals on the Plateau to mention but a few,” he pointed out.

He also appreciated the role played by his family, particularly the support he enjoyed from his darling wife, Deaconess (Mrs.) Justina Olakpe.

He equally expressed gratitude to all his colleagues in the Force, seeking forgiveness from those he might have stepped on their toes, which he said was inadvertent.

From Murtala Muhammed, Kano NE year after a suicide bomb attack that rocked a popular luxury bus park in Sabon-Gari, Kano, Police yesterday disclosed that a number of suspected perpetrators of the dastardly act have been arrested.

Besides, in what could have resorted to another bloody day in Kano, the Police also detected and recovered a large chunk of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at a building in Medile Quarters in Kumbotso Local Council of Kano metropolis.

However, no suspect has been arrested in connection with the deadly weapons.

Addressing journalists in Kano, the state’s Commis-

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• Recover bomb parts sioner of Police, Aderele Shinaba who declined to reveal the number of suspects arrested in connection with the Sabon-Gari bombing, said that he would not give further information about the suspects for “security purpose.”

After the invasion of the building, exhibits recovered included 12 IEDs fabricated in air conditioner coolants and cans of drinks, three fabricated turkey oil containers with electric components built to be detonated by remote, two IEDs fabricated fire-extinguisher container built with electronic switch and four pieces of teargas cartridges with two gas cylinders.

Shinaba, who emphasised the Command’s frantic efforts to track down men of the evil act in Kano, stressed that they were working in collaboration with the military and men of the State Security Service (SSS) to rid the state of criminals .

Shinaba, who announced the arrest of a suspected armed robber, Ibrahim Suleiman, in possession of prohibited firearms along Kofar Famfo in Kano, noted that his men narrowly escaped death in an attempt to arrest the suspect.

He stressed further: “The notorious armed robber confessed to the crime and led operative to the recovery of one AK47 rifle with 30 rounds of live ammunition.”

Senate promises to protect Nigeria’s territory From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja HE Senate yesterday T vowed to protect the country from losing any portion of its land to neighbouring countries.

Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central), through a motion of urgent national importance (Order 42), drew the Senate’s attention to the boundary delineation exercise going on in Cameroun, which is encroaching into his constituency.

According to Ndoma-Egba, the exercise was causing apprehension among his people, whose fear was that the area would be losing many more communities to Cameroun if urgent steps were not taken to confront them.

He said: “The exercise is going on in my constituency and it is causing a lot of anxiety among my constituents.

They fear that at the end of

• Adjourns for two weeks the exercise, we will be losing not just communities but a number of communities to Cameroun.

“So, with your kind permission, I will like to bring a formal motion on this on our next legislative day.

“First of all, the reasons I deferred it to the next legislative day is to enable me get details. Otherwise, I would have taken the motion today.

But I have information that right now, pursuant to the Green Tree Agreement, adjustment exercise is going on and they are right now in a place called Danari in Boki Local Council of Cross River State and it is in my constituency.

“And there is a lot of anxiety among the people that the exercise will result in loss of territory to Cameroun. I don’t have the details but I just thought Nigerians should know that this is going on and this is the anxiety.

I am going to the constituency now when I get home I get more details and then bring a formal motion on the floor.”

In his reaction, Senate President, David Mark, warned that the country must not, under any condition, lose its land to Cameroun or any other neighbouring country.

“This country must never, never, under any circumstance surrender one millimetre of its land to any country irrespective of who is supervising it, whether it be the United Nations (UN) or African Union (AU). Serious enough, the matter would be discussed in our next legislative day”, Mark said.

At the plenary session that lasted less than one hour, Mark thanked his colleagues for their contributions towards the promotion of democracy as the National Assembly marked end of another legislative year.

Also, as it is their tradition, the lawmakers have embarked on a two-week break to return on June 24. The short session was to allow People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senators attend National Executive Committee meeting.

Meanwhile, the senators could not vote on Section 9 of the report of the Constitution Review Committee as scheduled as only few legislators turned up for the day’s business.

The Senate, with 89 senators present, had resumed voting on Wednesday with the intention to vote on the controversial Section 9, which seeks to remove power of the President to give assent to amended constitution.

It would be recalled that this clause had earlier been passed based on two-thirds majority but which the Senate now hopes to repeat, requiring a four-fifth majority at a later date .

Emefiele promises people-oriented, apolitical CBN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 oration with the private sector, the CBN will also design a programme for our fellow citizens who need as low as N50, 000 without collaterals through registered and accredited local cooperatives.

We shall encourage venture capital companies and business angels to fund SMS and invite the Bankers’ Committee to play a more active role in supporting SMEs.” In the agriculture sector , CBN said it would revisit the goals and implementation of its intervention programmes in the agriculture sector, with a new focus driven towards improving productivity in areas with high domestic demand, such as rice, fish, wheat and sugar, and the conservation of foreign exchange.

“These four commodities constitute a huge proportion of our food import bill of N1.3 trillion annually…Towards this end, 60 percent of the commercial agricultural credit scheme will now be targeted at the identified commodities, while the loan limit under the agricultural credit guarantee is now increased to N50 million to expand the resources available to small agricultural projects.”

On electricity, he stressed how the CBN should play a more proactive role to ensure the success of the sector reforms, stressing that improved electricity supply was a stimulus for improved GDP. The CBN, he stressed, would encourage investment in the gas to power infrastructure to improve the reliability of supply of gas to the existing and new power plants. He also pledged support for refineries and pipeline construction, assuring that the apex bank would support the establishment of smallscale modular refineries that would serve some of the nation’s domestic markets.

The health sector got the attention of the new CBN helmsman, as he pledged to assist in checking the huge bill of foreign exchange used for medical travels oversees.

He said the bank would help to unlock the potential that exists for the private sector to invest at various points along the healthcare value chain.

These areas, he stressed, include: hospital services, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, and financing.

“This window of opportunity has already led the private sector to establish an institutional platform for health known as the private sector health alliance of Nigeria (PHN), with the support of the government. The CBN will explore opportunities for partnering the PHN to galvanise the private sector into playing a more active role in the health sector. The bank will maintain a keen interest in supporting the development of institutions, create an enabling environment to trigger private sector investment and curb the growing trend of medical tourism,” he noted .

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014 NEWS | 5

Gunmen kill Yoruba community leader in Kano From Murtala Muhammad, Kano A BUSINESS mogul and Grand Patron of Yoruba Community Association in Kano State, Chief Ganiyu Akanbi Bello, was yesterday murdered by unknown assailants in his house.

A family source told The Guardian that the Ibadanbased businessman was stabbed to death in his bedroom in the early hours of

yesterday.

The late Bello, 78, who was the owner of Criss Cross Enterprise, among other businesses, was said to have stayed in Kano for over 30 years and was described as one of the Yoruba indigenes who had contributed his quota to the development of his community.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO)

We were invited that the businessman’s private room has remained under lock and none can say his whereabouts. We sent our men to forcefully break into the room and we discovered the man in a pool of his own blood. in Kano, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Musa Magiya, who confirmed the late Ganiyu’s death, said the Police had already started investigation

Rescue agencies show readiness to manage air mishap mishap, they might not save From Joke Falaju, Abuja

ATIONAL emergency N agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), among other rescue organs, yesterday in Abuja demonstrated their preparedness in case of air mishap in the country.

The agencies, which displayed a mock exercise of a plane crash at the Fire Service Academy in Sheda, expressed readiness to manage search and rescue operations in an event of plane crash.

Other rescue agencies that participated in the simulation exercise included the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC), Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Police Force and the Ministry of Health.

Assistant Comptroller-General, Ademola Jolaoso, said the simulation exercise was or-

ganised to enhance the capability of rescue agencies in an event of place crash, so as to save as many lives as possible.

He noted that if rescue agencies do not put in place proper line of action during such

as many lives as possible, adding that the rescue agencies tried to imitate a crash accident in order to highlight their several roles in response to emergencies.

into the matter.

Confirming the development, Magiya said: “We were invited that the businessman’s private room has remained under lock and

none can say his whereabouts. We sent our men to forcefully break into the room and we discovered the man in a pool of his own blood.”

President of Yoruba community in Kano, Dr. Sura Adesokan, expressed sadness over the killing of the late Ganiyu, insisting that the perpetrators must be exposed.

NEMA Director of Training, Daniel Gambo, told newsmen at the end of the simulation exercise that the agency is responsible for developing response plans, including for air accidents within and outside

the airport.

He noted that search and rescue operation cannot be done by one agency but requires coordination with other rescue agencies to minimize casualty rate.

Rivers PDP rules out zoning, automatic ticket for Wike in 2015 guber poll From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja ONTRARY to claims by some members of Rivers chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it is the turn of the riverine area to produce the party’s candidate for the 2015 governorship poll in the state, the PDP has insisted that all intending candidates would be given equal opportunity to run for the election.

The Rivers PDP, which also noted that it would not support the endorsement of a particular candidate, promised to present the most qualified candidate for the

C

election according to the provisions of the Constitution.

According to Chairman of the state PDP, Felix Amechi Orbua, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, though the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, had expressed her desire to back the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, for the race, it does not mean that the Rivers PDP would endorse him.

Orbua, who assured that no section of the state would be given undue advantage over the other in picking the party’s candi-

date, insisted that the call for the riverine people to produce the next governor of the state is a plot by some people to bring division in the state.

He added that Rivers PDP would not be part of the plot to divide the state.

On the allegation that Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi would ensure that Wike does not succeed him in 2015, Orbua stated: “Amaechi is a ranting man.

election comes, we will know who owns the land.

That is the only way we can settle the matter in Rivers State and we are ready for it

Has he ever won any election? The people who made him governor are still in PDP. By the time the

Presidential fact-finding committee on Chibok abduction refutes allegation of manipulation From Mohammed Abubakar and Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja HE Presidential Fact-findT ing Committee on the Abduction of Chibok Schoolgirls has debunked media reports insinuating that the Presidency is on a mission to either frustrate or manipulate the report of the committee.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the committee’s Spokesperson, Mr. Kingsley Osadolor, who stated that it is not being teleguided, noted that no Presidency official has been privy to the minutes of the proceedings, adding that since the committee commenced work following its inauguration on May 6, it has issued media statements and granted interviews as the need arose.

“In other words, the fact-finding committee has communicated through its designated member/spokesperson”, he added.

According to Osadolor, since the committee’s inauguration on May 6, there has been no meeting between the committee or any one or more of its members and the Presidency. The committee has never been invited to give any secret or open briefing on its work or findings so far.

Osadolor pointed out that the fact-finding committee is now in the home stretch of its assignment. No staff of the Presidency has been obliged with a snippet of what the committee is working on. Furthermore, the committee has not issued any interim report.

Wike

TheGuardian on Saturday Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

COVER STORY

POLITICS

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014

The Controversial Akwa Ibom Pension Laws For Ex-Governors, Deputies INCE the return of democracy in 1999, Shasthe spending style of state governors been a subject of scrutiny, with many people accusing them of financial recklessness and corruption.

Despite enjoying and managing public resources unhindered for years with little or no accountability to the people, some of them, at the twilight of their administration, try to secure this life style through sponsorship or support of bogus pension bills, which are easily passed into law by ‘cowed’ state Assembly.

Akwa Ibom has now joined the bandwagon, with the law on pensions for exgovernors and their deputies. But now Governor Godswill Akpabio is having a rethink, following public outcry over the law.

Ekiti 2014:

Crossfire Between Fayemi And Fayose Camps E have nothing personal against “W Fayose; he is an Ekiti person and to that extent, we see him as our brother.

“But in every family, you will have some members you cannot handover the leadership of the family into their trust, even if he is the firstborn. Fayose happens to fall into that category.

“We cannot handover the reigns or the authority of the state into such hand. He is incompetent, not cultured, not informed and not educated,” says Femi Ajiniran, chairman of E-Eleven.

“By the way, who are they? Who are their fathers in Ekiti politics? Are they saying the whole of Ekiti people are in the pocket of 11 people? Who are they?

“They are inconsequential to decide who governs Ekiti. Most of them do not have a residential apartment in Ekiti and cannot contest as councilors and win,” replies Segun Akinwunmi, a former commissioner in Ekiti State and prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Love and Life and the other sections

Plus

These and more in The Guardian tomorrow. Grab your copy

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Protests as APC inaugurates state excos in Abuja From Adamu Abuh, Abuja MIDST protestations, the interim national executive A chairman of the All progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande yesterday inaugurated the executive council members of the 36 states’ chapters of the party.

Before the inauguration ceremony was conducted, dozens of aggrieved members of the party who thronged the national secretariat of the party in Abuja registered their opposition to the inauguration of the executive members from Anambra, Abia and Ebonyi states.

When Akande, flanked by other members of the interim council of the party, called out the names of Fabian Okonkwo - Abia, Emeka Ibe - Anambra and the council chairman for Ebonyi, the party supporters repeatedly chanted No! No! No! In pacifying the aggrieved supporters of the party, Akande who disclosed that elections into the Kaduna and Katsina states congresses still remained inconclusive, stated that their grouse should not be seen as surprising since the APC, like all other democratic outfits, would naturally have those with dissenting voices.

Promising to put in place mechanisms to probe allegations of wrongdoing levelled against some of the newly inaugurated executive members of the party, he noted: “ Like in any democratic setting, there would always be dissent and sometimes justified. After a thorough investigation, justice shall prevail. We are aware of so many complaints in many places. We would exhume it and prove them.”

Akande maintained that the APC remained the most viable party that can take Nigeria to the next level of development, adding that members of his executive committee have been able to live up to the expectations of the members of the party by ensuring membership registration and the conduct of ward, and state congresses of the party.

He disclosed that the names of all registered members of the party would be unveiled in three months time, adding that data centres would be put in place to pave way for both new entrants and those that want to move out of the party to do so at will.

Relatedly, the Chairman, Publicity/Media relations subcommittee of the convention committee, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said there is no iota of truth in the rumour making the round that the party’s convention has been rescheduled.

He said: “It is now a well-known fact that the first convention of the APC shall take place on Thursday 12th June, 2014 and Friday, 13th June, 2014. While the accreditation of valid delegates shall be done on Thursday at 9.00 am at designated centres, the convention shall be done on Friday from 2:30p.m.

“Meanwhile, the inauguration of the subcommittees (chairman, co-chairman and secretary) shall be done on Thursday, 5th June, 2014 at 3p.m.This communication puts paid to the insidious rumour by devious persons representing equally devious interests that the APC convention has been postponed. There is no iota of truth in this piece of bunkum.”

Meanwhile, five members of the APC under the auspices of New Lagos Movement, have sued the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Akande over alleged imposition of party officers at the recently-held congresses in Lagos State.

The plaintiffs, in the fresh suit before the Federal High Court in Lagos, are seeking an order restraining the defendants from allowing any delegate as may be presented by the Lagos State Chapter of APC to participate at the National Convention of the party scheduled to hold between June 13 and 14, 2014 or at any other time.

The plaintiffs - Akinniyi Akinsiju, Michael Popoola Ajayi, Olugbenga Fakoya, Toyin Raheem and Taiwo Sanyaolu, had filed the suit through their lawyer, Nurudeen Ogbara, seeking judicial intervention over the alleged imposition of party officers.

Apart from Tinubu and Akande, others joined as defendants in the suit are Chairman of APC Congress Committee, Garba Abari, the APC itself and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Abari’s committee supervised APC congresses which were designed to produce leaders of the party in Lagos State.

One of the plaintiffs, Taiwo Sanyaolu, in an affidavit in support of the suit, recalled that all the plaintiffs specifically formed a nucleus group within APC known as “New Lagos Movement” in order to instill internal democracy within the party.

He averred that one of the constitutional provisions of APC’s Constitution was that all party posts “shall be filled by democratically conducted elections in order to avoid imposition which could breed discontent and crisis.”

Sanyaolu further recalled that it was on the background of the above that APC members in Lagos State at a stakeholders meeting decided that persons to hold the party offices must emerge at congresses to be held from April 5, 2014 and rejected the idea of imposition of leaders by Tinubu.

He added that the ward congresses held on April 5 as scheduled, where members trooped out in large numbers and queued behind their favourite candidates at the end of which electoral results were announced in most centres to the hearing of everybody.

He further said that as scheduled, on April 12, the Local Government congresses of the party in Lagos State held at

• Tinubu, Akande sued over alleged imposition • Plaintiffs seek order stopping Lagos delegates

Tinubu

Buhari

the various Local Government Secretariats where delegates who emerged from the Ward Congresses of April 5 did cast their votes for their preferred candidates in order to produce party executives at the local government level.

Sanyaolu added: “It was rather surprising to everybody when, after the conclusion of voting in many centres, the 1st Defendant (Tinubu) unilaterally and unconscionably altered the results of many local government areas and started allocating already voted offices to his preferred elements who lost at the elections and thereby declaring persons who lost on the fields to be the winners of the elections.

“Such disastrous havocs were wrought on the electorate in Surulere Local Government where the 1st Defendant, in connivance with one Femi Gbajabiamila, a member representing the 4th Defendant (APC) at the House of Representatives, declared false results and awarded offices to their stooges.

Similarly in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, false results were declared and endorsed by the 1st Defendant who unilaterally imposed his cronies on the electorate within the party.

“In several other local government areas of the state of Lagos, including but not limited to Somolu, Agboyi-Ketu, Mushin, Ikeja and Ojodu Local Government Areas, the 1st Defendant, using the agency of the 2nd Defendant (Abari), manipulated election results to favour his cronies and in some places where elections did not hold due to violence, the 1st Defendant unilaterally declared a number of persons favoured by him to be party executives.

“Furthermore, I was present on the 16th day of April, 2014, at a gathering of party members at the Lagos State party secretariat of the 4th Defendant situate along Acme Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State, where the 1st Defendant unilaterally announced that he had zoned the 4th Defendant’s governorship ticket in Lagos State to Lagos East comprising Ikorodu and Epe areas of Lagos State without any prior consultation with or room for debate by members of the party.

“The 1st Defendant, at the same venue as in the immediate paragraph above and well before the then on-coming Lagos State Congress which was to hold on the 26th day of April, 2014, declared that he had zoned party offices by allocating 30% to youths, 30% to women and 40% to the elders and further that he had zoned party offices to various parts of the State via a process not permitting popular democracy.

“Incidentally and proving the above, as a bona fide member of the 4th Defendant, I sought to contest the office of State Youth Leader of the party and applied to obtain nomination form and was at the office of the 4th Defendant in Ikeja, Lagos for several hours on the 16th and the 17th days of April, 2014.

“After persisting in my efforts to obtain a nomination form, one Funsho Ologunde, a member of the Congress Committee headed by the 2nd Defendant, took pity on me and explained to me that all offices of the party had been zoned to various Local Governments and particularly, the office of Youth Leader of the party had been zoned to a Local

Government Area other than my place of residence and hence I could not obtain any such form.

“I know that on the 26th day of April, 2014, at the State Secretariat of the 4th Defendant, it was a huge mockery of democracy as several persons were returned unopposed, including the office I intended to contest, since their potential opponents had been denied the right to participate in the election.

“The above untoward developments led to lots of agitations within the 4th Defendant as several persons called for cancellation of the congresses which were mostly destroyed by acts at variance with the Constitution of the 4th Defendant, the All Progressives Congress Electoral Guidelines and the much revered principles of democracy,” Sanyaolu narrated.

The deponent further alleged that a letter sent by the plaintiffs to Akanda on the anomalies was ignored, and that nothing was heard on it till date.

He also indicted INEC officials of failing to stop the electoral anomalies.

Speaking further, Sanyaolu stressed that by APC’s guidelines, there was supposed to be an Appeal Committee sitting over appeals arising from each congress but none was constituted until after the conclusion of the charade purportedly held as State Congress on April 26, adding: “Surprisingly, the 1st Defendant, in his dictatorial and monarchical attitude, ordered the Appeal Committee members constituted by the National Congresses Supervisory Committee (NCSC) to return to the National Headquarters and that he alone would resolve all complaints, petitions and disputes arising from all the congresses.

Besides, Sanyaolu said he was “also aware that the State Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers of the States, together with the Local Government Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers of the 4th Defendant are, by the 4th Defendant’s Guidelines, expected to form part of the National Convention of the 4th Defendant already slated to hold on the 13th and 14th days of June, 2014 at Abuja.

“I am also aware that the 1st Defendant and the Lagos Chapter of the 4th Defendant are already planning to present the unelected Lagos State Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the 4th Defendant, together with the unelected Local Government Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers as the representatives of Lagos State at the on-coming National Convention.

“I know that it is necessary for this honourable Court to intervene otherwise the Plaintiffs would have suffered irremediable loss by being represented by unqualified persons at the National Convention of the 4th Defendant.”

While stating that it was is in the interest of justice that the application in the suit be urgently heard and granted, Sanyaolu lamented that any further delay would greatly prejudice himself and other plaintiffs in the suit.

The plaintiffs, however, pledged to pay damages to the defendants where the court finds out that the application ought not to have been granted.

Friday, June 6, 2014 NEWS | 7

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Okorocha okays N10.3b for roads, others From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri

• Sends commissioner-nominees names to legislators, stops protesting workers pay

MO State Governor, Chief Iapproved Rochas Okorocha, has the release of

Housing; Finance and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Local Government affairs. He also said that a Director- General was appointed to preside over the day-day-day functions of the programme.

While disclosing the happiness of the council in Okorocha’s performance in three years, Ekechi said the council also approved the payment of N10, 000 bursary to all students of Imo State origin in various terti-

N10.3 billion for the complete construction of rural and city roads in the 27 local councils of the state before the expiration of his administration in 2015.

Briefing journalists on decision reached at the Wednesday meeting of the weekly state executive council meeting held at the Government House, Owerri, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Theodore Ekechi, said N10 billion was approved for the roads construction while the remaining N300 million was approved for the construction of office blocks (secretariats) for the Community Government Councils (CGC) in the about 637 autonomous communities in the state.

He disclosed that the government would monitor to ensure that work on the areas, were executed within the record time.

On the recently engaged 25,000 youths in various jobs by the government, the commissioner said a committee was set up for the harmonization of the jobs and employees under the “Youth Must work” programme, naming the composition as the Commissioners for Youth and Sports; health; Lands and

ary institutions in the country.

He also disclosed that approval of the council for the purchase of vehicles to be distributed to security agencies in the state for fighting crimes was done.

Also, Governor Okorocha has forwarded the names of two persons for consideration as commissioners to the Imo State House of Assembly for screening.

Principal Secretary to the governor, Dr. Paschal Obi,

named the appointees as Prof. Victoria Adaobi Obasi (from Nwangele Local council of the state) and Chief Ken Aneme (from Isu Local Council of the state).

Obasi was the Commissioner for Education before the past cabinet was sacked.

She was later appointed a Special adviser to the Governor.

The governor has also directed the management of the Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, to apply the

“No Work, No Pay” rule to the striking workers of the state owned Polytechnic, stating that from June 2, anyone who fails to come to work should not be paid.

The directive added that registers must be opened centrally in which Imo Polytechnic workers must sign daily, which would be used in the payment of salaries.

Governor Okorocha decried the practice in which the striking workers have been drawing salaries for more than a year without coming to work.

Court adjourns NICON’s motion against N1.7 billion judgment debt

By Bertram Nwannekanma EARING on an applicaH tion filed by NICON Group of Companies seeking to stay the judgment of a Federal High Court, Lagos, ordering it to pay the sum of N1.7bn debt owed Ecobank Nigeria Ltd was yesterday adjourned till September 23, 2014.

Justice Chukwujeku Aneke has while delivering judgment in a suit filed at the court by Ecobank to compel NICON to pay its debt, held that NICON’s objection to the suit was “grossly unmeritorious”.

The court also ordered NICON to pay interest on the “cumulative indebtedness totaling N1, 787,108,417.92 at the rate of 30 per cent per annum from November 28l, 2013 to judgment day.

The court further ordered that the interest rate on the cumulative debt should be 10 per cent per annum after judgment until the debt was fully liquidated.

Justice Aneke also awarded N100, 000 as the cost of the litigation in favour of Ecobank.

The court ordered NICON to pay “the sum of

N1, 599,597,144.04 being the mutually agreed ad subsisting indebtedness of the defendant to the plaintiff as per plaintiff’s correspondence of April 5, 2012 endorsed and covenanted to by Jimoh Ibrahim, the defendant’s Chairman, prime mover, alter ego.

But in a motion, the Jimoh Ibrahim owned company is seeking an order staying the order to pay the stipulated sum pending the hearing and determination of its appeal filed at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal against the judgment.

By the adjournment, the judgment of the court still obtains until the hearing and determination of the motion seeking to stay the execution of the judgment.

According to the matter, Ecobank had offered loan to NICON through a letter dated June 21, 2006.

But NICON’s chairman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, was said to have on April 5, 2012, agreed to pay the debt, before the bank approached the court for an order compelling the company to pay its debt on January 24, 2014.

VCs to hold summit on education From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau Ado Ekiti) ORRIED by the deterioW rating standards in the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria, vice chancellors of Nigerian universities will soon hold a stakeholder’s summit to find final solutions to the problem.

This was part of the resolutions of the university heads at the yearly conference of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) ended yesterday at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).

They also agreed to institute Peer-Review Mechanism to enhance quality research and service delivery. The fiveday conference that was attended by over 60 vice chancellors also identified inadequate funding as a challenge for the institutions to operate at optimum capacity and urged all Nigerian universities “to allocate more resources for funding of research and the opportunities for academic staff to attend both national and international conferences critical to fine-tuning their skills and knowledge, as well as building their capacity to engage in cutting-edge research.”

They also recommended that the “Higher School Certificate (HSC) which is equivalent to GCE Advanced Level in England should be reintroduced and made the requisite entry qualification to universities thereby ensuring that only mature students are admitted to universities.

8

Friday, June 6, 2014

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PHOTONEWS

Senator Bukola Saraki on a courtesy visit to HRH Prince Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, following his elevation as governor of Riyadh

Accountant General of the Federation, Niyi Otunla (left); General Secretary, Oke Ogun Development Council, Jare Ajayi, Chairman, Oke Ogun Development Council, Abuja Chapter, Niyi Kehinde, Chief Executive Officer/Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, and Acting President, Oke Ogun Development Council, Doja Oladele after an interactive session of the Oke Ogun Development Council (ODC) delegation with the National Universities Commission for the purpose of Establishing an Oke Ogun University PHOTO LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO. in Abuja.

President, Birch Freeman Old Boys Association (BIFOBA) UK, Theo Odunlami (left); President, Labour of Love Mission, Joke Jones, Co-ordinator, Labour of Love Mission, Angel Griffin, and Global President, BIFOBA, Feyi Dinyo, at the BIFOBA UK Chapter sponsored free health screening for students and staff of Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, Lagos

Public Relations &Event Manager, Dufill Prima Foods, Tope Asiwaju (left); Head, Marketing, Dufill Prima Foods, Manpreet Singh, and Brand Manager, Dufill Prima Foods, Disna Agarwal, during the media briefing on Indomie Heroic award in Lagos

Advisory Leader, Deloitte West Africa, Michael Vincent (left); Transitional Leader, Deloitte Nigeria, Tawanda Gumbo, Global Chairman, Deloitte, Steve Almond, and Chairman, Deloitte Nigeria, Femi Abegunde, during the breakfast meeting with clients and corporate CEO’s in Lagos

Corporate Affairs Manager, UAC, Mike Asuquo, an elated Principal of the College of the Immaculate Conception, Enugu, Enugu State, Rev Dr. Nnamdi Nwankwo, displaying a microscope, as UAC representative, Mr. Solomon Aigbavboa, Vice Principal (Administration), Mrs Catherine Ozoude, watch during UAC’s commissioning of its Goodness League Initiative projects in the South East geo-political zone.

Head, Retail Banking Products, Standard Chartered Bank, Sheahan Arasaratnam (left); Mrs Teniade Macaulay, (N1 million award winner); and Head, Brand & Marketing, West Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Chima Nwuke, during presentation of one million naira cheque to Macaulay at the SCB Mega Rewards Promo in Lagos

Chairman, Lagos Island Local Council, Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni (right); an APC chieftain, Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi (OON), and beneficiaries of cash and food items at the 10th edition of Social Security for the Aged

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Friday, June 6, 2014 | 9

WorldReport G7 leaders warn Russia of fresh sanctions over Ukraine EADERS of the G7 industrial Lselsnations meeting in Brussay they are prepared to impose further sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

A joint statement condemned Moscow for its “continuing violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The G7 summit is the first since Russia was expelled from the group following its annexation of Crimea in March.

Yesterday, leaders are discussing the global economic outlook, climate change and development issues.

Although Russian President, Vladimir Putin is not at the Brussels summit, he will hold face-to-face talks with some G7 leaders not including United States President, Barack Obama in Paris afterwards.

However, both Putin and Obama will attend a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France today.

While in Poland on Wednesday, President Obama warned Moscow against what he called its “dark tactics” in Ukraine.

Diplomacy has intensified to try to resolve the biggest crisis in years between Russia and the West.

In response to the G7 statement on Ukraine, Russian

Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev has accused the world leaders of “cynicism without limit” for calling the Ukrainian government’s military campaign against separatists in the east “measured action”.

G7 leaders gathered in Brussels on Wednesday evening for the opening dinner of the summit, which was originally due to be held in the Russian city of Sochi.

“We are united in condemning the Russian Federation’s continuing violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” they said in a joint statement.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel told reporters: “We can’t afford a further destabilisation of Ukraine.”

“We have made clear that we want to continue with our three-step approach - support Ukraine in economic issues, talks with Russia, and should there no progress on all those issues... the possibility of sanctions, tougher sanctions, remains on the table,” she said.

During a speech in Warsaw to mark 25 years since the fall of communism in Poland, President Obama condemned what he called Russian “aggression” in eastern Ukraine.

President Obama: “We stand together now and forever, for your freedom is ours” “How can we allow the dark

tactics of the 20th Century to define the 21st?” he said.

Obama also met Ukraine’s President-elect, Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw, and pledged $5m (£3m) of military assistance to Kiev including body armour and night-vision goggles.

Poroshenko, a billionaire sweet manufacturer, was elected in May. He will be at the D-Day commemorations ahead of his inauguration on Saturday and said he did not rule out meeting Putin.

Putin told French TV he was “not going to avoid any of them” but said Poroshenko needed to be serious about a dialogue with factions in eastern Ukraine.

Beijing, Washington bicker over Tiananmen HINA has made a formal C complaint to the United States after the White House urged it to account for the protesters who were killed during the Tiananmen massacre.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei said he was “deeply dissatisfied” and had lodged “solemn representations”.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of the massacre, but all men-

China sentences nine to death over terrorism UTHORITIES in China’s A restive Xinjiang region sentenced nine people to death yesterday for “violent terrorism” crimes, state media reported, as part of a nation-wide crackdown on separatist militants.

China has launched a yearlong “anti-terrorism” operation, and hundreds of suspects have already been detained.

A total of 81 people from Xinjiang, home to a large Muslim Uighur minority, were handed sentences for crimes related to involvement in “terrorist organizations” to intentional homicide and arson, state broadcaster CCTV said on a microblog.

“Among those, nine people were sentenced to death, and three people were given death sentences with a twoyear reprieve,” CCTV said, the latter referring to a sentence that is often commuted to life in prison.

Others were given life in prison or shorter sentences.

The announcement comes as state news portal Xinjiang Net said another 29 suspects had been rounded up on charges such as inciting separatism, in the regional capital Urumqi, the site of a suicide bombing that killed 39 people last month.

No other details of the sen-

tences or the arrests were given.

Experts say economic marginalization of Uighurs is one of the main causes of the violence, which has killed at least 180 people across China in the past year.

They argue that benefits of development in Xinjiang, resource-rich and strategically located on the borders of exSoviet central Asia, largely have gone to majority Han Chinese, stoking resentment among Uighurs.

Beijing says separatist groups in Xinjiang are seeking to form their own state called East Turkestan, though experts dispute the influence and reach of the most prominent group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

President Xi Jinping has pledged to alleviate poverty and improve ethnic relations in Xinjiang, an indication that China’s leaders recognize some of the causes of the violence.

Congo accuses Rwanda of protecting rebels HE Democratic Republic of T Congo has accused Rwanda of “protecting” M23 rebel leaders wanted for war crimes.

A government official told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that seven months after the end of the rebellion, Rwanda was also delaying attempts to interview about 500 ex-fighters currently in a camp in Rwanda.

Some 800,000 people fled their homes in eastern DR Congo during the insurgency.

Rwandan has long denied that it supported the rebels and says it is co-operating with DR Congo’s requests.

The M23 took up arms in eastern DR Congo in April 2012, accusing the government of

Ellen (left) and Dorothy Levitsky, former nurses and veterans, as they attend a U.S.-German D-Day commemoration ceremony in honour of airborne soldiers in Picauville, northern France…yesterday. The D-Day ceremonies on June 6 this year mark the 70th anniversary since the launch of the vast military operation

by Allied forces in Normandy, which turned the tide of World War II, eventually leading to the liberation of occupied France and the end of the war against Nazi Germany.

PHOTO: AFP

marginalising the ethnic Tutsi minority and failing to honour previous peace accords.

Following their defeat at the hands of the Congolese army and a UN brigade in November 2013, former fighters gathered in camps in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda.

The subsequent peace accord stipulated that former fighters would be granted an amnesty on their return to DR Congo - and leaders of the group should be returned to face war crime trials.

But Francois Muamba, who works for DR Congo’s government to ensure regional peace and security, has accused Rwanda of dragging its feet over these promises, to

tion of the event was forbidden in mainland China.

Hundreds died when the army suppressed a huge prodemocracy protest in 1989.

The crackdown was ordered after hardliners won a power struggle within the ruling Communist Party.

There has never been an-

other protest of its magnitude in mainland China.

The authorities in Beijing were keen to make sure noone tried to commemorate the events, and detained dozens of people in the runup to the anniversary.

But numerous governments called on Beijing to

use the anniversary to rethink its attitude to human rights.

“We call on Chinese authorities to account for those killed, detained, or missing in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989,” the White House said in a statement.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

10 | Friday, June 6, 2014

Politics THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE DEBATE

‘National Assembly must commit to passing confab resolution without debate’ Mr. Oliver Nwankworis the President of the Nigerian National Association Netherlands, the umbrella body made up of all legally registered Nigerian associations in The Netherlands. He spoke to Emeka Anuforo in Abuja on the ongoing National Conference.

OW would you assess the issue burning isHTwo sues at the confab? critical issues in the national confab burn in my mind: Fiscal federalism and resources control. What I will suggest and recommend to Nigerians is: instead of struggling for a small pie, let us make the pie bigger.

The issue of resources control is because the resources are dwindling. But we will have more to share if we can increase that pie.

The mentality of sharing should be discouraged. We should encourage the mentality of creating more wealth. We need to create more wealth.

For example, agriculture was a big thing in the North before the oil issue. Agriculture was a big thing in the West (Southwest) also, same with the Southeast.

If, for instance, we have two states in the North focused on onions alone to compete in the world, the population of the people can handle it. The resources and the environment are there. We can really create a new way of getting income.

Let me go back to the East, for instance. As governor of Imo State in the 70s, Sam Mbakwe built the Ada Palm, and it has only been one Ada Palm in the last 20 years. Assuming we have 10 or 20 of such, there would be more internallygenerated revenue.

The same analogy goes for the Southwest. If we have more of cocoa farms in the region, we could complete with nations like Ivory Coast and Ghana in being number one or number two in the world. That would increase the pie instead of us always struggling to share, and to allocate.

We should encourage Nigeria to do more. The opportunities are there to really do more and increase the wallet of the nation.

What other critical issues would you want the confab to consider?

Among other things is the governance system.

Let me give you an example. In Holland here, they don’t play with the local elections. We, from abroad, are concerned that the Nigerian democracy is dying and people are not seeing it.

For instance, open our newspapers everyday and what you see and read is our Presidency and presidential elections. No one talks about the local government elections.

The state Houses of Assembly are as good as dead. The country is itching towards a oneparty system, or two party system.

Let me ask, if in a particular state, under the current dispensation, the governor is of the Peoples Democratic Party, and there is no local government elections, you don’t give other parties the platform?

It is good for the opposition to get together, but they should not kill the local government area governance structure. The local government tier should be allowed to play its part; states should play their parts and the Federal Government should also play its part so that there would be competition, and some sort of flavour. That will really bring the sort of development we need.

I want to see local roads, state roads, and federal roads. The confab should ensure that the local government area structure is maintained and made more robust.

To be honest with you, I don’t see any problem with using zones as federating units. I don’t see anything wrong with it. A lot of the states are too small to be on their own. They should look at the structure in South Africa. The confab committee has rejected that; so, there is no need to dwell on that.

One thing that is critical is that Nigerians should look at themselves as united, and not South, East, West or North. We should be deciding on what is fair to each part, knowing full well that if something happens in one part, it would affect the other part.

Nwankwor What we are seeing now is a democracy that is based on do-or-die spirit. The result of the Indian election was released immediately. The Gandhi dynasty lost the election. This happened and they are not going to kill anybody.

In Nigeria, if one party wins an election in one part, the other party will say no. The other one wins, this one says it is not good. Nigeria should adopt real politics for the nature of politics.

There is debate about whether the outcome of the confab should be subjected to a referendum or sent to the National Assembly. What is your view?

It should be open to referendum. Let’s call a spade a spade. It is a waste of time if it has to go to the National Assembly to start a fresh debate on it. But if it has to pass through the National Assembly without debate, fine.

My point is: If it has to be debated once again at the National Assembly, it makes the whole effort a bit not what is intended.

There are two possible approaches to it. Either the National Assembly adopts the confab decisions without removing anything — not even a dot or a crossing of any word should be allowed — that would have been the best, because it would reduce the money that would be spent on referendum.

So, I will encourage the National Assembly to endorse (the conference outcome), make it a law without debating it. But if they can’t, the best way is to subject it to a referendum.

On the need for a Diasporan Commission ET me first give thanks to the present government. The government started well. We are now concerned with the situation of things. For example, the Nigerian Diasporan Commission Bill has passed through the House of Representatives three times, lying now for more than three years with the Senate and has not been passed.

Let me be honest with you. Nigeria is one of the few countries in Africa that does not have a Diasporan Commission. There is a lot the Diasporans can do: the power of their brains, the power of their wallet.

We are also talking about tackling unemployment. If they are encouraged to invest in Nigeria, they will help to solve the unemployment problems. They will get the youths involved; they will get the unemployed people really busy.

We have learnt a lot here. When the President came here (The Netherlands), I told him in the presence of Nigerians about the saying here that, ‘God created the world, but the Dutch created The Netherlands.’

This Rotterdam that you are standing on, where the Eco Marathon is taking place, was created from the sea.

We import a lot in Nigeria. If we really put our efforts into production, unemployment will be drastically reduced and we can conserve more of our foreign reserves outflows.

So, it is really important that we use the Dias-

L

To be honest with you, I don’t see any problem with using zones as federating units. A lot of the states are too small to be on their own. They should look at the structure in South Africa. The confab committee has rejected that; so, there is no need to dwell on that. One thing that is critical is that Nigerians should look at themselves as united, and not South, East, West or North. We should be deciding on what is fair to each part, knowing full well that if something happens in one part, it would affect the other part. What we are seeing now is a democracy that is based on do-or-die spirit. The result of the Indian election was released immediately. The Gandhi dynasty lost the election. This happened and they are not going to kill anybody.

In Nigeria, if one party wins an election in one part, the other party will say no. Nigeria should adopt real politics for the nature of politics.

porans. Many of our people abroad want to do something; they want to invest in Nigeria; they have the skills, but they want the support and the enabling environment.

The most important thing is that we want the Federal Government to have one roof for Diasporan affairs. We have the Nigerian National Volunteer Service, coordinating the Diasporan issues.

We also have the Diasporan desk that is not serving us the way we would like. We want the executive arm of government to have proper coordination with Diasporan affairs.

More especially, we want somebody to coordinate with the House of Representatives, to make sure that the Nigerian Diasporan Commission is created, as quickly as possible.

We want to vote also. I thank my friends and colleagues who are in the confab. We want to vote. Nigerian Diasporans want to vote. It is our right. We remit money. We contribute to the economy. We should also contribute to who rules Nigeria. That is very critical for us and we want that to happen.

I have heard it said that there are issues. There is no issue. We want to vote. We can vote at the foreign missions. We appeal that Nigeria should allow us vote and also contribute more.

A number of countries have benefited from the Diasporan Commission . India, for example, benefitted a lot from their Diasporan Commission. They benefitted from the inward pool of resources in both money and brain.

A lot of the companies in India that really revolutionised that country were brought from the Diasporans. If people look at India closely, they would see that the country has done well with outsourcing.

Many Western countries outsource many of their activities to India. The people who led that outsourcing revolution are Indians in the Diaspora.

Let’s move away from India and go to another example: Israel. Israel has really benefitted greatly from the Diasporans. Those in the Diaspora spearheaded the IT revolution in India.

Even in Ghana! Ghana is doing a lot with its Diasporans. Some other African countries like Ethiopia are strong also in that regard.

In Asia, countries like the Philippians have strong Diasporan engagement and these countries have Ministries of Diaspora.

Not a situation in Nigeria where the NNVS, which is the agency that represents Diasporans, is being handled by a director, reporting to a permanent secretary in the Political Office of the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government. That is too low.

The present administration did give it a visible outfit in 2011 when Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu was appointed as Senior Special Assistant on Diasporan Affairs and then there was an office in the Presidency for that purpose. When she was made an ambassador, nothing was heard of the office again.

What we are asking government to do is to have better coordination. The House of Representatives has done its best. We are appealing to the executive arm of government to please, get the Senate to pass this bill and then implement the Nigerian Diasporan Commission.

In the meantime, you can have somebody to coordinate it. We believe Nigerians in the Diaspora will contribute a lot. They can establish their own companies.

Imagine a situation where about 10,000 of them come back to Nigeria and each employs five persons. That will be 50,000 employments created directly, and also through indirect employment.

I am not one of those who bloat figures in millions. It is very critical we get the Diasporans involved in making sure that our country develops. They have to contribute their quote to the transformation agenda.

Friday, June 6, 2014 POLITICS 11

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

‘Let’s sit down and tell ourselves we can’t live together’ (2) Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, on Sunday, June 1, 2014, celebrated his 50th birthday in Abuja. The next day, he spoke to newsmen on a number of issues, including his upbringing, his schooling, his radicalisation, and his struggles; President Jonathan’s style of governance and his 2015 aspiration, and the general insecurity in the country, reports Terhemba Daka. of dialogue, a thousand years of talks and endless negotiations, a thousand years of persuasion and sermonisation. One gunshot is more effective!

Even when it involves deaths of human beings?

Yes! Because, if a man takes your right, he has killed you, and if a man takes your property, he has killed you.

So, where would you place what Boko Haram members are doing, because they are carrying arms, too?

I cannot speak for Boko Haram, for whatever reason they are fighting. If they were fighting because they want to impose their ideologies on other people by force and the people fold their arms and allow them to impose their ideologies on them, why would you blame them? Did they tie the people’s hand?

What they are fighting is not a good fight. It is not because you have to respect every other person’s belief; you have to respect every other person’s ideology, whether you like it or not because this is a multinational nation. There are so many nations that are involved in this country. So, it is multinational.

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

How my life was radicalised

OULD you describe your life at 50?

C Ah, my life at 50? My experience?

How am I going to put it? Well, I got into the university at the age of 21 in 1985 — the University of Calabar. And from that age, death became my constant companion at every turn.

During the anti-SAP riots after the demonstration in Jos, students in the University of Calabar also demonstrated. We were demonstrating outside the main campus when the police started shooting.

There was a female student, Nnenna, behind me. She was shot.

She fell. I started wondering. I was taller than her; how come she got shot standing behind me? How did the bullet pass me to hit her?

I carried her with all the blood and everything. Though it was not fatal, from that day, I decided, inside me, that the Nigerian state must be made to explain to the people, to my people, especially what they were doing with the resources of the people.

As a Law student, I knew the law says, “Quid quid planteture sele sele sedit” (He who owns the land owns everything in the land.)

And I asked myself, how come the resources of my people now belong to everybody? A lot of questions and it was a turning point in my life! I became radicalised.

In 1988, when I was rusticated from the University of Calabar, I decided to go to Libya. So, I left home.

I converted into Islam, took the kalimah on the 17th of September (and on the) 21st of September, I took the bath and became a Muslim at the Calabar central mosque, which at that time was managed by some Yoruba people.

I took the kalimah at Bokobiri mosque. And from that time, I became radicalised. One goal I set for myself was the liberation of my people and I wanted the military.

At that time, as a student unionist, as the President, National Union of Rivers State Students, I had read so much about revolution and my greatest attraction was Libya and I decided to go to Libya.

So, I took a night bus and dropped at Jos. From Jos, I continued to Kafanchan, to Saminaka, and down to Leri, Zaria — so many places until I got to Kano.

From Kano, I passed through Dutse.

Then, Damaturu was a small town. I got to Maiduguri, and from Maiduguri to Marite.

I was just going until I got to Gamboringala. From there, I got to Gambori France; from there to Kusiri, to Jamina, to Eir and to Agadese in Niger Republic.

It was much easier for me as a Muslim because I joined them to pray and so on. I saw many deaths on the road. People wanted to go to Europe and so on. When I couldn’t enter Libya at that time; I had to come back.

My father had secured a new admission for me at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. So, I had to go back to the university to continue with my Law programme.

From that radicalisation, I started to join different groups. I set up one called CCC — Committee of Collective Conscience, which was a Marxist Movement for change in our society, and I started talking to people.

When I went back to school, I discovered I had lost interest in formal education. From then, I started confronting state authority. I aligned with progressive forces.

OUR struggle then was full of Y risks. How was it like leading a group of young men in the creeks?

Dokubo-Asari But you know, I really don’t see any progressive force in Nigeria. I was in PSP. From there, I went to Peoples Front by (formed by the late Gen. Shehu Musa) Yar’Adua. From there, I joined the NCP. I became a little bit prominent in the party because of my ideological stand.

After the wrongful annulment of June 12, coupled with the role I played during the June 12 election, I began to think more and more about confronting the Nigerian state militarily.

I believed that that’s the only way that freedom could come to our people.

And that was the period the Ijaws started gathering because of the movement that was going on in Ogoni land. It influenced and imparted on Ijaw people.

I joined the movement for survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta. I aligned with them and put in my contribution from what T.K. Ogoriba was doing.

We joined together and from there, it metamorphosed into the Ijaw Youth Council (IYM), the Kaiama Declaration. But before then, we had formed another group named Kirimani, which was more military than civil.

But a lot of our people did not understand the ideological trust of our struggle and most times, we kept of moving and formed other organisations. In this, we discovered that there was a lot of injustice in the Nigerian state and some of us could not stomach it.

In all this period, I became a regular guest of the State Security Services (SSS) and the Nigeria Police and sometimes the Military because when we went out to carry out a march, the police would come. We also had confrontations with the Army. So, I became a regular face with the State Security Services.

During NADECO National Democratic Coalition), the role I played is well-known to the people who were in the NADECO underground: From Chief Otunba Ekunba, Dr. Ekpo, Dr. M.T. Akobo to late Baba Omojola to Ola Oni and Gen. Akirinade and several others.

I always like to be on the side of the people. So, for me, the struggle has

become my life.

PECIFICALLY speaking, did you decide to take this path of life because of the shooting back in the University of Calabar or were there some other incidences?

No, no, no. I think the Calabar incident was the first time I was seeing live bullets, and canisters of tear gas flying.

It was the first time because being the son of a legal practitioner — at that time, my father was the Director of Public Prosecutions in Rivers State and having lived in the Government Reserved Areas for a very long time — my experience with the outside world was very minimal (limited).

As a young man, yes, we interacted in school but after school, you run home. A driver comes to pick you and so on and so forth. I was not living in boarding house or alone; I was living with my parents.

But it was in school that I came to realise that this struggle we were involved in, you could just die. Whether you are really involved or not, you could just die because the lady behind me was not throwing any stone; she was not doing any thing. We, who were in the front, singing, shouting, clapping and jumping, the bullet did not touch us.

So, basically, what really motivated you?

What motivated me was my encounter with those things that happened and my encounter with Boro.

When I read Boro’s 12-Day Revolution, and after reading Simon Ambakarderemo’s book on Isaac Adaka Boro, a play, then I decided that I wanted to follow the path that Boro followed.

With the student activism in school and the principal position that I took in most of the cases, it became very clear that the only way we could solve these problems was by armed struggle.

But armed struggle has been suspended for some time now. For instance, have we made any dividend?

Has any concession been made to us?

Are our enemies not emboldened now?

For one, I believe that one gunshot is more effective than a thousand years

S

It is one of the most delicate and dangerous phases of my life. Having lived in GRA in Port Harcourt with so many people; having lived in that environment and now chose to go to the fishing port to stay where there were no birds, where when there’s high tide, water enters; sometimes, snakes will be hanging on the ceiling — there was even no ceiling; it was just the thatch; the sticks that crisscrossed to support the house, you will see the snake, maybe python hanging, you will see water entering and you are staying there; it was completely different from the life of somebody who was living at Ernest Ikoli Street, Old GRA, very close to government or at Akassa Street. It’s quite different: No light. No pipeborne water.

No nothing!

Did you have any encounters with the Army?

Yeah. It was a hide-and-seek game.

The military is looking for you and you are looking for the military.

Sometimes, you come to a truce. The military sees you, they don’t shoot you; they pretend they are not seeing you. You, too, you don’t shoot them; you pretend you are not seeing them.

And then, when the people in Abuja said, “Where were you when they said there was Operation Locust Feast, where were you?” then, the military will come. They want to prove a point. They want to shoot.

Sometimes, they would call us and say, ‘You, you, please, we are just doing our work o. We are actually doing our work o. You want to shoot and kill us.”

We, too, would not agree. Then, they would shoot and there would be a battle. One thing led to another and it’s just a ding-dong — this way, that way and it became more and more dangerous.

(Former Governor Peter) Odili had his militia. The militia would be looking for you. They were even more than the military. So, you were tackling the military and the statesponsored militia. So, every day, it was about death.

Could you relate a particular occurrence?

There was an incident. One day, we were coming from St. Bartholomew River. We were passing through the creeks to Idaman, one of the oil-producing communities.

As we were crossing, almost reaching to the centre of Sombryo, trying to enter New Calabar River, we saw two naval gunships, as they were coming.

There was no way they would not stop us. We were armed. We were just three persons in the boat: myself, my cousin Dakaro, who is late and another cousin of mine, who was driving.

As if something instigated me, I put my hand in the water and I started raining curses on the deity of Kalabari. I said, “Today, you will be disgraced forever. Today, you will be ashamed. Your land will be conquered and ravished. I think you said you are a god.”

After I did that, I threw the water into the sky and day turned into night.

Darkness was moving as if it was propelled by something. And it covered the whole sky.

And the naval gunships passed us.

Their wave was tossing us up and down. They didn’t see us. They even had lights on. After about 30 minutes, the darkness cleared. No drop of rain.

Nothing.

There were so many encounters that one had seen. You see these injuries on my body? (I was with) my friend, my companion, a very close aide. The bomb we were carrying exploded and his head got cut-off. I did not die and I was standing with him. Nothing happened to me, just these injuries.

Would you say that God has been so gracious to you?

Wow! I don’t even know how to say it. If I was not a believer in God, I will say that this God has been partial towards me. He has been terribly partial towards me because I never thought I would be alive by now to live up to 50.

How is that possible? I could have died on my way to Libya. I could have died in the creeks. All the plots and plans, I would have died long time ago. But I did not die. All the seventy something arrests; yet, I did not die.

Tell us more on the arrests because we recall you were a regular guest to the offices of security agencies.

Arrest was a regular thing. I can’t really tell. I became used to arrest. In fact, the police and SSS in Port Harcourt, maybe they advised the government, saying, “Please, just leave this guy alone. This guy, arrest no dey do am anything. (Laughing and speaking in pidgin). Just leave him alone.

The guy enjoys getting arrested.”

Yes, that was one of the greatest undoing of (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo because he thought I could be cowed. Go and look at my trial videos and see. There is trial like that where the Judge was put in the dock.

I was the one questioning the Judge.

It’s not possible.

So, the government, and Obasanjo really, really did not understand the type of person he was dealing with.

Maybe in Nigeria, there were no such people then. Today, we have Boko Haram. So, a new group of people has started.

Were you ever taken to any dungeon...?

(Cuts in) I was in the SSS underground for 10 months and 11 days, in solitary confinement.

How did you cope?

I would have run mad — many people did — but because I had memorised parts of the Qu’ran. So, instead of talking to myself, I just recited the Qu’ran. That was what kept me alive.

If I had not memorised the Qu’ran, I would have been mad. Talking to yourself is a different thing. But this one, you are reading, edifying your soul. It increases your spirit; it is wakening your spirit. So, that was it.

CONCLUDED

TheGuardian

www.ngrguardiannews.com

12 | Friday, June 6, 2014

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 Lagos’ claims on federal roads HEN Lagos State Government claimed the other day that the Federal Government W owes it N59 billion for works carried out on federal roads, it merely echoed the cries of many other states. By October 2012, the Federal Government was reported to owe all the states of the federation N218 billion for works done on federal roads. At that time, the National Assembly pledged to come up with a comprehensive law for road construction in Nigeria. Now the nation is faced with the consequences of the vacillation in tackling the challenges of roads in Nigeria, caused by lack of executive will to set up an effective agency for roads.

The Federal Highway network of more than 34,000 kilometres traverses the entire country, linking the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Because the road network is a critical national asset, essential for economic development, social integration and national security, it is high time a state of emergency was declared and a National Conference on Roads convened to design an efficient structure for the collaboration of all the tiers of government to give Nigerians good roads.

The demand by Lagos State is not peculiar although Lagos has a unique place in Nigeria. All the major highways and bridges in the state are federal highways. This has its foundation in the fact that Lagos was the capital before the movement to Abuja. In 1925, the Roads Board was set up by the Colonial Administration. The Public Works Department built roads (essentially trade routes) to link the whole country. They were classified as Trunk “A” roads. In Lagos, the City Council built streets, as was the case in the Municipal Councils of other major cities.

After independence in 1960, the three regions embarked on the construction of regional roads. With the advent of Military rule and the creation of 12 states, the Trunk A roads were classified as Federal Highways and clearly defined in the 1971 Federal Highways Decree (Act). In the preparation of the 1975-80 Third National Development Plan, it was decided that 17,000 kilometres of state roads be taken over by the Federal Government and developed to federal standards. Many of these roads traverse cities within the present 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

In the case of Lagos, the construction of major roads in the Third National Development Plan was undertaken by the Federal Government. These were The Falomo Bridge to Victoria Island, Third Mainland Bridge, New Carter Bridge through Herbert Macaulay to Ikorodu road expansion, Western Avenue Link Bridge to Ikorodu Road, Apapa Wharf Road starting at Oyingbo, on to Wharf Road Apapa, Creek Road to the Apapa-Oshodi- Oworonshoki-Ibadan Expressway. It is noteworthy that when the Federal Highways Department started listing federal roads in 1978, Broad Street, Lagos was listed first and also Nnamdi Azikiwe Street and Marina Road. The Lagos-Badagry Expressway was conceived and built by Lagos State under Mobolaji Johnson, but it was also absorbed in the 1974 scoop, while Obasanjo extended the highway into Benin Republic in furtherance of regional integration. The maintenance of this vast network of roads and bridges is certainly beyond the capacity of Lagos State alone.

To the public, there is no separation as to which tier of government is to provide good roads. However, it is the governor of the state who is always the point man even for the federal roads in his domain. On account of this pressure, many state governors have carried out major rehabilitation of federal roads within their areas. An effort by Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio to obtain Federal Government’s consent for him to spend state money on a critical federal road was frustrated even after getting President’s approval in principle. This is where due process and other considerations come into play. Is the road already awarded to a contractor, in which case any foray by a state government or its appointed contractor would be a technical trespass?

In cases where the Federal Ministry of Works would have given approval for intervention by a state, there are so many factors that can delay payment after a decision is made to consider such. The Federal Government would send a Verification Team to inspect the roads, including officials of the Ministry of Finance, Bureau of Public Procurements, Ministry of Works, the Federal Controller of Works in the State and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency Engineer (from FERMA) in the state. Often by the time this team inspects a road under claim, it would be years after the work was done.

Wear and tear would have set in. Therefore, the Verification Team would demand Documentary Evidence: Tenders, Contract Papers, Consultant’s Report, Certificate of Completion, and Materials Costs in cases of work carried out by the Direct Labour Agency of the state.

Lagos claims it had gone through this process and the Federal Audit Team had approved N51 billion of the N59 billion being claimed. So the leadership on all sides must put aside partisanship and be dispassionate in resolving the claims. As the Lagos State claim brings to fore the challenges of federal and state collaboration, the access road to Murtala Muhammed International Airport sticks out as a sore thumb in this nation. The environs of the road leading out of an airport generate the first impression of a country for any visitor from abroad. What obtains now is a canvas of squalor.

Nigeria’s effort at attracting foreign investment may well founder on account of this eye-sore. Even an offer by the Lagos government to fix the road has not succeeded in getting Abuja out of its endemic lethargy.

The challenges in road financing and management, however, cannot be resolved until the Federal Government carries out its much stated road reform package. The establishment of a Federal Roads Authority that will address all issues is long overdue. The classification of roads should be revisited, and the routes taken over from states in 1974 should be re-assessed. Time is running out.

In the meantime, federal, state and local government officials responsible for roads must convene an emergency meeting. This is a precursor to severance of road issues from the annual National Council of Works meetings. This should then enable the convening of a yearly National Conference on roads that will look into the challenges of road funding, development and management in Nigeria.

LETTERS

Monsignor Felix Adeigbo (1943-2014) IR: One of the many Sesteem accomplishments that I so much is to have been educated at the degree level in Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan. Such a rare privilege remains beyond compare.

My pang of guilt is that my father didn’t live long enough to witness this, but his absence was filled by other people with fatherly bearings; notably Professors O. Osonubi, Professor M.A. Ayeni, both of whom stood up for me when it mattered most and later Professors M.O. Filani, S.I. Abumere, F.O. Akintola, all of whom helped me in appreciating the importance of hard work.

Regrettably, Professors Filani, Abumere, Akintola have all departed, to their eternal reward.

My sojourn in that ivory tower wouldn’t have been far-reaching if there were no religious places of worship.

Traditional adherents of the Catholic Church like me found a home in our Lady Seat of Wisdom parish. This parish was overseen by two priests of God, Father Louis Munoz (Professor of modern European language) and Monsignor Felix Adeigbo

(Professor of Philosophy).

Unfortunately, both men of God have passed on to the other world. Father Louis Munoz was born on October 4, 1933 and died March 9, 2013. I remember him for his sermons, which always focused on morality. He had an intolerable disdain for amoral lifestyles amongst university students. He encouraged healthy relationships amongst members of the opposite gender but at all times warned against the habit of students’ putting themselves in bargaining situations.

Years after graduation, whilst rounding off a private supplication in a chapel (Catholic Institute of West Africa) in Port Harcourt, I saw Monsignor Felix Adedoyin Adeigbo taking some visitors round the church; I couldn’t miss the opportunity of a meeting with my long-unseen University Priest and so I ran after him and joyfully interrupted his obligations. He told me that he was then the Rector of the institute, CIWA. We shared recollections.

Monsignor Adeigbo’s forte lay in interpreting deep

spiritual messages, which he connected to present-day life.

Without fail at every mass, he espoused the virtues of Jesus Christ and asked us to learn from his teachings, and see how we can make humanity better. He was never tired of requesting that we sacrifice for each other as students and to people we do not know. I remember a rare questionand-answer session when people complained of giving money to strangers after which they sometimes suffered misfortunes (at a time when fetish people were on the prowl, inflicting bad luck here and there). “Bring it to God’s house where nothing can happen to you,” he said.

It was with shock and sorrow that I heard of his death on Sunday, May 18, 2014 announced by my parish priest when a sad incident happened on May 13, 2014. One thing is assured, he led a good life and will be missed not only by me, but by the numbers of students that he affected positively at the University of Ibadan as a priest, as a lecturer, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, as well as many people at the Catholic Institute of West Africa in Port Harcourt.

• Simon Abah, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014

13

Opinion Fashola, the people and spirit of Lagos

By Anthony Ajero into the Spirit of Lagos initiative because IgosIBUY believe life is about people. The Spirit of Lastates that Lagos is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people who live life to the fullest at work and at play. The challenge is how best can we burnish and evolve the Spirit of Lagos?

Should it be allowed to go in its natural tributaries or are the peoples, nation, and creation best served by a Lagos whose Spirit is articulated and propelled in the right direction? In today’s ultra-competitive globe, is there room for a Lagos (or indeed any other city) stunted in the throes of grappling with its own diffused clarity, contradictions and subsequent sub-optimal competitiveness in the global economy?

The Spirit of Lagos posits four cardinal dimensions: social justice, citizenship, good neighbourliness and civic responsibility. The social justice platform says everyone deserves the same set of rules and fairness: rich or poor, educated or literate, adult or child. Citizenship speaks to the need for everyone to play by the rules, obey the laws and carry his responsibilities to self, others and the entire community.

Good neighbourliness? We are our brothers’ keepers. Family is where we live and work. Take care of the neighbour and his family, he will take care of you and your family. In other words, taking care of your neighbour is ultimately taking care of yourself. Civic responsibility is a way of life. Get involved in the community, volunteer, get involved, drive your areas of interest and make a change.

Roads and lights are good but people make the difference: how they live, where they live, what they live for, and what they die for. Where the people respect themselves, love each other, obey the laws, contribute to the community that gives them breath and bread, there you find a great people and great progress.

How did Winston Churchill inspire the English people while they were under frequent air bombardments from the mighty German forces; what magic did the legendary J. F. Kennedy utilize to produce the quantum leap that got the Americans into space within a short time after the Russians outshone them; how did Lee Kuan Yew get land-locked, tiny, un-

celebrated Singapore from Third to First World; what is the secret of the Japanese and the Chinese in leapfrogging the generationsold economic stranglehold of Europe and the Americas while retaining and indeed utilizing the quintessential aspects of their culture and attitude; how did the ANC and Nelson Mandela overcome the seemingly insurmountable forces of the Apartheid regime? It is the people. Infrastructural development is needful. The economy is vital but it is about the people. Get the people thinking, relating and working right, and the rest will be easier done than said.

I speak as a Lagosian. I must confess: First, I do not know Governor Babatunde Fashola beyond the average Lagosian. The closest I have seen him was at my son’s primary school prize-giving day ceremony during his first term in office – he apparently attended the same school. He came in unannounced, without fanfare and devoid of any sirens, and that struck me as a mark of a man who defines the office rather than the opposite. Second, I am of Igbo extractions and have lived in Lagos since 1972. My father was here, my son is here. My parents thought I had become so much of a Lagos Boy, they ‘conspired’ to bundle me to the East to be better acquainted with my roots. God bless their kind souls. Third, I am convinced that Governor Fashola is probably the most intelligent, visionary and hardworking Governor Nigeria has ever produced. Why do I believe this?

The first evidence is the amount of grey hairs he has developed since he took office.

Sometime ago, an international news magazine did a study to show how the best leaders age beyond their years while in office. The second is the almost strange fact that he has not added any weight since assuming office seven whole years ago. I term this strange because in these climes, the leanest political aspirant balloons in weight as soon as he gets into office. His wives and children seem to yearn for the “most obese in the land” title.

If in doubt, just compare the photographs of the various Governors and elected officials when they were seeking for office, a few months into office, and a few years after-

wards. It is the same all over the world: those who truly serve the people do not only fail to gain weight, they actually lose. The converse is also true: those who serve themselves on the office develop multiple chins and ‘pregnant’ stomachs for obvious reasons. Pray, if a man is busy day and night; burning the midnight oil; carrying millions of peoples’ burdens; how does he put on weight?

Do you remember the budget breakdown which showed that our first family (?) had the intention of spending N477 million on foodstuff and catering material supplies for the president’s office; N293 million on “refreshment and meals” in his office and home.

Not done, an extra N45.4 million was going to be used for purchasing “kitchen equipment” just for his house. Not to be undone, his deputy also piled it on. The second family’s (?) “refreshment and meals” were to cost N20.8 million; his kitchen equipment would cost another N45.4 million; his foodstuff, catering and material supplies would knock us back another N104 million and to prepare the food, that is the cooking fuel, was to cost N6.2 million! I digress.

My admiration of, and respect for, Governor Fashola jumped notches during the televised debate among the Governorship candidates in the 2007 elections. Not only did he speak most eloquently and clearly about his vision, he blew me away with his detailed knowledge of the numerous streets in Aguda, Surulere, where I live. In describing how each street was being linked to the other, my wife and I marveled at the man’s brilliance. By the way, I have lived in Surulere, Lagos, virtually all of my almost 50 years, yet, I was astonished at his enormous knowledge.

Stories abound from various individuals of how he traverses Lagos at night incognito inspecting on-going projects; how he visits General Hospitals and other Government facilities without warning to see things for himself; and how he still hangs out with his childhood friends after work. Have you noticed how his wife has remained in the background without the farce that has enveloped the so-called “First Lady” charade? What about their children? Am yet to sight them at

any event or on the pages of newspapers. I am yet to be assaulted with the now traditional colossal propaganda racket of wasteful publicity to ‘celebrate’ work for which a man was elected to do in the first place? Do the work, we shall see it! Recently, a Director of NTA complained that Governor Fashola was ‘bad business’ for the media as he does not spend money on publicity.

In doing away with many of the unnecessary, myopic, archaic, pedestrian and unenlightened behaviour of most of our political leaders, Governor Fashola has shown that the black man is not a dim-wit. He has shown that with will and wisdom, it is possible to make Lagos – and indeed any part of Africa – a global model for positive things and Lagosians proud of their habitat. Lagos has always been a centre of excellence. Its peoples from diverse backgrounds are drawn into its melting pot of success, wealth, fame and fulfillment in droves.

In ruminating on the Spirit of Lagos, I find myself asking: where are the models for this Spirit.

Governor Fashola is an excellent one. And then a deluge of names, men and women in various walks of life who exemplify the can-do spirit, the spirit of excellence, the spirit of civic responsibility, the spirit of gratitude to a land that has provided terra firma and needs be taken care of for the coming generations. What sort of Lagos will we bequeath to our children? A Lagos akin to the 40s, 50s, 60s or a Lagos more of the roughshod decades or indeed a Lagos that can compete with the world’s best?

The challenge is shall we stand up and stand together for Lagos? Evil, they see, thrives where good people keep quiet. Will the good people of Lagos stand up and drive the community on the four cardinal points of citizenship, civic responsibility, social justice and good neighbourliness? As we appreciate God and the men and women who have struck the light anew; as we all hopefully stand to ensure – not leave it to the politicians alone – whoever Governs Lagos next will do better than Fashola; may God grant us the grace to stand up and make the difference in our little corners but more importantly as a collective. That is the Spirit of Lagos I have known, lived in and love.

• The Rev. Anthony Ajero lives in Lagos.

Brown fields, mangroves and seas (2)

By Henry Seriake Dickson HE Bayelsa State Government under my administration is T determined to stand as the environmental trustee of our communities. We intend to engage with these corporations to insist on adequate redress and remediation for our communities, seas and mangroves, preferably through amicable means and by all other lawful measures where necessary. It is time for the extractive industry to plough back reasonable portions of their humongous profits into protecting the environments which they have so perforated in the course of their operations. But on behalf of the Environment and our communities, we also seek the strong support of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the international community, especially the UK and US Governments, the United Nations system and the justice institutions of the European Union, in holding these corporations and their parent companies to account for their environmental violations and to uphold global best practice in corporate social responsibility, equally in the mangroves of Bayelsa as in the North Sea/UK, in Norway or in the U.S. along the Gulf of Mexico.

As charity begins at home, the Bayelsa State Government is on its part initiating a wide range of measures aimed at protecting our ecology and promoting environmentally sustainable development. To protect our rich forests, we have recently employed 168 forestry officers of various cadres, including forest guards. Towards the conservation and sustainable harnessing of our forestry resources, we shall soon along with the private sector and leading environmental NGOs be exploring feasible options for providing affordable alternative / renewable energy access for our people, especially at the community level.

Emerging from the 2012 flood disaster which caught our country flat-footed, and following the emergency relief and

post-flood management interventions we undertook with the support of concerned bodies, we have commissioned studies towards the development of a flood management plan, which will form part of an eventual integrated coastal management plan. Like many other measures necessary for tackling our region’s ecological demands, the full development and implementation of these plans will require robust inter-governmental and institutional collaboration. We count amongst many other local and international development partners the Niger Delta Development Commission as a prime candidate for such collaboration, as one of the major and explicit statutory mandates of that Commission is to deal with the environmental degradation of the region.

We are also building a strong partnership with NOSDRA and relevant global institutions on oil pollution control, remediation/restoration of polluted sites, and disaster risk reduction in relation to pipeline vandalization and illegal/unregulated refining of crude oil. Equally relevant in this regard is the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) fostered by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the wake of the United Nations Environment Programmes’ Environmental Assessment of Ogoni Land. These collaborations fall within our deliberate strategy of Collective Action to Restore the Environment (CARE), which is designed such that communitybased actors will form its bulwark. CARE is a major plank of this Administration’s Environmental Restoration and Governance Agenda.

To effectively drive this agenda and ensure enforcement, the institutional strengthening of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment and other reforms in the sector are a top priority for me. Another priority as we go forward is that all major government projects in the state shall be subjected to environmental impact assessment.

To effectively drive this agenda and ensure enforcement, the institutional strengthening of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment and other reforms in the sector are a top priority for me. Another priority as we go forward is that all major government projects in the state shall be subjected to environmental impact assessment The environment is our common divine heritage, our vital life support system. Even as world progresses further into globalization on the economic front, it is in relation to the environment that our interdependency as a human community is most intrinsic. Increasingly, we see the global effects of local actions, requiring therefore global responses to local challenges, wherever appropriate. Bayelsa State as a responsible member of the global community is committed to restoring our environment to its fertile green vegetations, lovely blue seas and crystal air quality. This is how we can preserve our state as a treasure trove of biodiversity. This is how we can play our part in maintaining intergenerational equity; and this is how we can heed the call of the World Environment theme of 2014: “Raise Your Voice, not the Sea Level”.

• Concluded • Hon Henry Seriake Dickson is Governor Of Bayelsa State .

14

Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Opinion Centenary celebration: A nation in pretence (2)

By Areoye Oyebola HILE Nigerians today pay N110 to N120 per W litre, the following prices in seven other OPEC member countries further confirm our government’s lack of any consideration for the people’s well being and happiness.

• In Venezuela, it is N8.21k per litre of petrol. In this country, 10% of refined petroleum is reserved for the poor who pay lower price per litre.

• In Libya, it is N24.62k per litre of petrol.

• In Saudi-Arabia, it is N31.8k per litre of petrol.

• In Kuwait, it is N34.54k per litre of petrol.

• In Qatar, it is 34.54k per litre of petrol.

• In United Arab Emirates, it is N54.40k per litre of petrol • In Iran, it is N57.44k per litre of petrol.

In many of the above listed countries, wonderful social amenities are provided while the care and well being of the citizens are paramount to the governments and leaders of the countries.

Sadly too, in the following OPEC member countries, minimum wages for workers are between four to 12 times higher than the N18,000 minimum wage paid to a Nigerian worker.

The following figures are quite revealing and disheartening: • In United Arab Emirates, the minimum wage is N217,36 • Kuwait, it is N161,461 • Saudi-Arabia, it is N99,237 • Venezuela, it is N95,839 • Iran, it is N86,585 It all shows the absurdities and unfairness to Nigeria’s citizens especially workers and millions of jobless youth. The N97 price per litre has further worsened the already bad poverty level of majority of Nigerians. Yet, another absurdity is the extravagance in governance and the unduly high salaries and other emoluments paid to political office holders in Nigeria. It has completely retarded our economic development and kept us in perpetual under development.

In a most penetrating work and analysis of the grave implications of the huge sums of money being earned by the President, Federal Executive, National Assembly, State Governments and Executives, Local Government Chairmen and Councillors, Leonard Kashimo Shilgba, an associate Professor of Mathematics with the American University of Nigeria, Yola, has proved in clear terms that Nigeria is in serious trouble. In his penetrating analysis, Professor Shilgba established that just 10,308 Nigerian legislators at three tiers of government earn a total of N453.3billion, which is an average of N43,975,553 a year. It shows the disheartening and ridiculous earning described as Jumbo pay. Like the National Assembly, it is

outrageously high for State Assemblies, and Local Governments. It is equally alarming that the Presidency, Federal Executive, State Governments and Executives, and Local Government Executives also earn a cumulative total of N98.3billion as painstakingly analyzed by Shilgba.

The figure probably might not have taken account of very high and arbitrarily fixed security votes for which State Governors are not accountable and which vary from state to state.

All these lead to one important conclusion: that the huge sum of money that could have been spent on our obsolete and dilapidated infrastructure and used to improve the standard of living of the suffering masses are earned by a few political and public office holders.

The disturbing part of the jumbo pay earned particularly by the National Assembly, the Presidency and the Federal Executive was the way the two National arms of government have for almost three years ignored the outcry of Nigerians including this speaker, that their outrageous and indefensible salaries are crippling the economy and further impoverishing the people. Among the most prominent crusaders against Jumbo pay is Professor Itse Sagay, a reputable constitutional lawyer, who revealed that each of our senators earns about $1.7million which is about four and half times the USD$400,000 annual salary of President Obama of the United States.

Also, a former Senator, Chief Olabiyi Durojaiye explained that when he was a senator from 1999 to 2003, he earned less than N500,000 a month out of which he paid his staff and met other expenses.

And if one may ask: what fortune has Nigeria experienced that prompted senators to increase their pay from less than half a million in 2003 to the now staggering sum of more than N15 million a month?

The National Assembly has for three years ignored the outcry of the Nigerian public, obviously because they know that their votes don’t count during elections. This has been proved by the present demand of the House of Representatives that each of them should now have their quarterly allowance increased to N45 million a quarter; that is N180 million a year. It is known that one of the greatest problems of Nigeria is poor leadership. In fact, it is inappropriate to call those who are at the helms of affairs in Nigeria leaders; 98% of them could appropriately be described as rulers; the 2% are those who exercise some genuine gifts of leadership. They are those who see as the major

reason for their participation in government as the enrichment of the lives of the citizens, especially the downtrodden.

They are men and women who believe that the main reason for their involvement in public affairs is to leave their country better than they found it. A major part of the gargantuan task which the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation has set for itself is to totally transform Nigeria into a great nation, a medium world power which all the blacks in the world and the rest of the human race will be very proud of; this will be achieved within the shortest possible period. One minimum requirement for all aspiring leaders in Nigeria of our dream is that they will be trained and made to read the realistic biographies of great men of history.

They will be taught the history and exploits right from our African home continent. They will be taught about the lives and exploits of President Kwameh Nkrumah of Ghana, President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea, President Abdel Gamel Nasser of Egypt, Modibo Kaita of Mali and President Nwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. These were the great leaders who formed the Casablanca group of countries in Africa that frustrated all imperialist maneuvers in Africa; they worked tirelessly for the economic emancipation of Africa.

All Nigerian aspiring leaders must know the life and history of Winston Churchill of Britain.

They must know the story of Lenin, the leader of Bolsheviks in Russia who initiated a revolution and within three decades transformed Russia, which at the onset of the revolution was described as the semi rural appendage of the Western Europe, into a mighty super power. They must know the history of Chairman Mao Tse Tung who led the most stupendous Guerilla operation in history leading his compatriot for thousands of miles in China until victory was achieved by the communists in 1949, causing all foreign and indigenous enemies of China to run in different directions.

Chairman Mao thus became the symbol and architect of revolutionary victory and the forward-march of mankind’s history. Mao Tse Tung defeated events. He conquered faith.

Nigerian future leaders must know the history of Ohchiminh of Vietnam who was one of those who masterminded the victory at the historic battle of Diebienphu which sent the French out of Indo-China. Ohchiminh who lived a frugal life with his slippers made of used car tyres masterminded the defeat of America, one of the mightiest military powers

in the world during the battle for the unification of North and South Vietnam.

America was defeated and today the great city of Hanoi is now Ohchiminh city. Anybody who wants to have anything whatsoever to do with leadership in Nigeria must also know the story of Mahatma Ghandi of India who with his philosophy of Satiahgrar, non-violent resistance, fought Britain to a standstill until India achieved independence. He must know something about great Americans including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Above all, they must thoroughly digest the uncommon story of Linkuaye of Singapore who transformed a country of a little over five million people, an island which is far less than Lagos State from a third class to a first class nation in the world.

Singapore has a per capita income which is bigger than that of three countries in Europe put together. Its people enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, it has 35 refineries but has no crude petroleum which is imported and refined. Leadership makes all the difference in the making of a great nation.

Finally, Nigeria in order to become a great nation requires an hurricane of change known as revolution. The people who have brought us to this pathetic situation must be lined-up and shot.

And the best people who will regard all the people in this country as their own irrespective of where they come from and treat them equally with justice and fairness, must have the final say in the affairs of our country.

The detribalized honest men and women of uncompromising integrity must be made to occupy all apex positions in Nigeria. The first step is the need for a total restructuring of our lop-sided federation which has been totally bastardized into a unitary system by the military. Nigeria must become a confederation with the present six zones of Nigeria becoming six semi-autonomous units of the confederation. But the all important question is: will the entrenched vested interest, especially the now fabulously rich treasury looters, allow these crucial steps to be taken?

One thing is however sure: Time is running out for Nigeria: And our country is running a race against time.

• Concluded • Chief Areoye Oyebola renowned journalist, author and Chairman Movement For Nigeria’s Total Transformation (MNTT) delivered this lecture at the Inauguration of the New Executive, Board Of Trustees and the Installation of Elite Abiola Mukaila Ambali as the President of Oluyole Social Elite Club, Ibadan on Thursday May 1, 2014 at Mapo Hall.

Why Ajimobi will come back

By Festus Adedayo ARBARA Perry, in her book entitled Silent Victims, drew the diaB gram of non-natives’ dilemma in the hands of those who seek power. In their hands, she said, non-natives are endangered species and are often stigmatized by those whose ultimate aim is to set them against indigenous people, recreate the hegemony of “the perpetrators” with the intention of terrorizing “the victim’s group.”

Tunde Ayeleru, Professor of French and African Literature, University of Ibadan’s piece entitled Why Ajimobi should not come back (The Guardian May 23, 2014), from all intent and purposes, is in this mould. Reeking of fallacies of ad hominem to invalidate earlier arguments I made about the validity and desirability of Governor Abiola Ajimobi getting re-elected in Oyo State, Ayeleru cruelly used my nonnativity, the usual cudgel that power-seeker perpetrators use to terrorize their victims, as his weapon. He turned upside down so glibly the commendable story told all over the world about the New Oyo State carved out by Ajimobi from the rot he inherited. The only succour that one can find is the word of Immortal Albert Einstein, that we cannot wrest from our enemies’ hands the venomous weapon of the lie, but we can only cry out to the whole world that they bear false witness against us.

Ayeleru has commented in newspapers only twice and on each occasion, his brief was to viscerally attack Ajimobi while canonizing Senator Rashidi Ladoja. His first intervention was in a piece he entitled Re - Parable of the Cowpeas, where he launched his maiden attack against the governor. The piece under reference lacked the usual rigour associated with academics but parades a high dosage of unsubstantiated falsehood.

Twenty-one years ago, in search of the proverbial golden fleece, I crossed several rivers from my Ilu-Abo village in Akure, Ondo State, over to Ibadan for my Masters degree at the University of Ibadan.

Since then, I have contributed to the socio-economic development of Oyo State. As a journalist at the Tribune, I harvested wide-ranged renowned as speaking truth to power. Indeed, in 1997, when I moved over to Omega Weekly newspaper with kindred spirits like Prof. Wale Adebanwi now of the University of California, Dr. Adeolu Akande, Bode Opeseitan, now Director at Globacom and Dr. Segun Olatunji,

Tribune Consultant, we all put our lives on the line in attacking the government of General Sani Abacha. No food to eat but determined to end military orthodoxy, we trudged on, in spite of threats to our lives. Ex-Thisday Editor, Simon Kolawole and I were Assistant Editors.

One night, we parked our computers and other equipment when reports got to us that Abacha’s Hit Squad needed us dead and alive.

My flat at Akinyemi, Ring Road, Ibadan became the emergency office of the authority-detested newspaper ably abetted by Chief Bola Ige and other pro-democracy leaders of Yorubaland. Yet Ayeleru says I am not worthy of running commentary on leaders whom I risked my life to fight for their emergence.

While plying my trade at the Tribune, many of the leaders of Oyo State whose names Ayeleru took delight in recounting, held me in utmost regards for holding them accountable. Chief Ige, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, Alhaji Lam Adesina, Adebayo Alao-Akala and the military rulers in the state never discountenanced my voice. Ladoja escaped my tooth-comb review of his government because a governor like him, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, detribalized Nigerian, took me across several rivers, in spite of my non-nativity, to contribute to the development of his state, Enugu. His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, recounted by rote the headlines of some of my pieces he considered exceptional. Yet Ayeleru says I am not qualified to run commentary on a state where the umbilical cords of my children were buried; where I have paid my taxes for about 20 years now, the only home my children know.

In 2003, Dr. Nnamani invited me to Enugu to be his Special Assistant, in a state where I couldn’t even understand the language of my host. He was later to upgrade me as his Special Adviser on Media and member of the State Executive Council. In my four years of stay in Enugu, while our administration traded tackles with Chiefs Jim Nwobodo, C. C. Onoh, Ken Nnamani and other great leaders of the state, many of these tackles not without my imprimatur, never did the great people of Enugu underscore my non-nativity. They saw me as contributing to the development of their state. One should have expected Ondo State to be the one lamenting my “loss” and not a Professor denigrating my service.

Governor Ajimobi, another detribalized, cerebral and urbane leader, chose me, according to him, on account of my competence,

rather than my nativity. In the narrative of development of Oyo State that he made and the contributions of its past leaders, Ayeleru openly advertised his bias. You would not believe it is the same exgovernor who is yet in court for allegedly stealing billions of money belonging to the people of Oyo State that the professor canonizes.

Only an analyst who sets aside objectivity will fail to see the revolution that the Ajimobi government is bringing to a state that was before now seen majorly as a civil servant state. Indigenes of the state, home and abroad, are excited at the reversal into a metropole of their erstwhile unpleasant image as a dirty backyard. But to Ayeleru, this is inconsequential. When an academic makes excuses for failed governments juxtaposing the dross called road construction of the administration with what obtains under Ajimobi, it is a sign of the end time.

You need to see the changes that have been made in Oyo State.

When a professor says the reversal of the fortunes of a state from a land where violence broke out every second; where Auxiliary and Tokyo were kings; where hundreds of people were killed in droves due to the intransigence of a governor, you should lament the fate of the people in the hands of their intellectuals. Nowhere in the world can you stop decades of filth passed over by the previous government, and have Oyo’s current aesthetic transfiguration, without a little sacrifice from the people. In any case, where was Ayeleru when Ladoja drove traders away from and demolished shops at Orita Aperin, Ogunpa and a church on Ring Road, Ibadan? How come Ayeleru, if he were not a tainted witness, did not acknowledge that, in spite of his massive demolition, Ladoja never built a single stall for traders in the state, yet he claims to love Oyo masses? At the moment, no government in the history of the state has constructed as much markets and stalls as Ajimobi has done for traders. Indeed, the Scout Camp Market which has thousands of stalls, was handed out to traders free of charge.

Pseudo academics are the cause of many of the evils of our contemporary society. When our Rome burns, they play the ostrich, only to lend purchasable voices to issues of pure politics. The moment academics become mercenaries in the hands of politicians, they incinerate objectivity and truth. Society wakes up from this slumber, lost.

• Adedayo is Special Adviser on Media to the Governor.

Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

15

TheMetroSection Isheri-Olofin: How residents survive •••Worry over underground oil spills in community .By Wole Oyebade HEN the architectural masterW plan of Isheri-Olofin Federal Site and Service Scheme, Idimu, Lagos was etched in the 70s, it was a beautiful city to behold, on paper.

Concrete work formation on the large expanse of land – demarcating residential area, social service centre, industrial hub and connecting road networks – showed another modern city in the neighbourhood of Ikoyi and Ikeja Government Residential Areas.

But it was a dream that would not come through, at least, not in another 40 years. Relocation of the Federal seat from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 was sufficient to stall the project midway into completion. Also phased out were urban planning, development and regulation in the area.

A visit to the site would show concrete markings that have survived till date. But years of abandonment have made the area worse than it was before for residents. It was a gory picture of how distant the Federal Government could be from the people!

Besides inaccessible road network, several uncompleted houses and artificial swamps became hideouts for armed robbers terrorising the area.

Where residents are not worried about flooding, it is the fear of fetching petroleum products from water wells. It was, indeed, a site in dire straits for years.

Such was the state of affairs until eight years ago when residents took the bull by the horns. Courtesy of their collective will to survive, they are today proud of fairly motorable roads, security of lives and property and few social infrastructures, though the fear of underground oil spill still looms.

Lawmaker representing Alimoso II Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Omotayo Oduntan, summed up the level of develop-

One of the contaminated wells in the community ment in the area, at a recently held gala and award night. Oduntan observed that nine years ago when she last visited – 14 years since the site was abandoned – the area was at best suitable for fishery business. “Today, it is entirely a different place,” she said.

Under the auspices of Gloryland Community Development Area (CDA), residents’ contributions ensured each zone of the area has a transformer, drainage channels, culverts for easy access and gates at every entrance.

Outgoing chairman of the CDA, Isaac Okorie noted that the breath of fresh air currently enjoyed in the site was a testimony of what a people could achieve with common aim, cooperation and hard work.

Speaking at the gala and award

night, to celebrate outstanding contributors to the development plan, Okorie said residents’ support had ensured that 90 per cent of the occupants could now ply the inner roads.

Okorie commended the flood control effort of the Lagos State government at Zone 4, though expressed concern that the community of over 3000 residents was yet to have a polling booth for election purposes.

While she commended the CDA for rising against the odds, Oduntan said it was high time they further pressed their demands at the Lagos Assembly, adding that Alimoso Constituency was too politically relevant to be neglected by the state government’s social development vehicle.

Oduntan’s colleague in the House and resident of the community, Suuru Avoseh was proud of the As-

sembly’s initiative to pass the law that recognized CDAs back in 2007, adding that it was in recognition that government could not meet developmental yearnings of the people without CDAs playing their part.

“Gloryland CDA shows we were not wrong after all. The community is working and we are glad.”

Avoseh, however, warned that it was not yet uhuru. His words: “As residents around here, I understand the gun powder we are all sitting on.

Right under us, the flow of petroleum products has continued.

Though the government had been coming to assist, but it is still scary.

We still have to be vigilant, raise alarm whenever it starts flowing again,” he said.

Avoseh urged the newly elected CDA Exco to redouble efforts at bringing government closer to the residents.

The new Exco led by Olumide Adewale, promised to continue with the current development projects, coupled with new ones, through improved parnership with the government.

On the abandoned Federal Road, he said they had always tried to invite their parent landlord (the Federal Government). “We have always got in touch with them (FG) and they have started acknowledging with promises. But we want to believe the state government more. They have been responsive to our calls, like the construction of canal to control flooding, control of collapsing buildings and stray goats disturbing the residents.”

On the importance of the road, Adewale said: “It is not only for this community, but as a by-pass to control traffic around Isheri-roundabout and Egbeda, even as far as Moshalasi area. From here, it takes about five minutes straight-drive to get to TwoStorey and Ayobo, cutting off a large flank of the traffic corridor. If only they can do it, we would have the road, and it would serve the state.”

Briefs Thanksgiving service for John Obafemi at 70 THANKSGIVING service in A honour of John Kayode Obafemi, who clocks 70 today, holds on Sunday, June 15, at Ijero Baptist Church, 84, Apapa Road, Ebute Metta, Lagos at 10.00a.m.

Alumni hold summit in Lagos tomorrow HE Old Students’ AssociaT tion of Federal School of Arts & Science Ondo holds their Lagos Summit with a symposium entitled "An Agenda for the return of Higher School Certificate programme to Public Secondary Schools in Nigeria,"tomorrow at Upper Suite, Eko FM, LTV Compound, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos at 1.00p.m.

Old students meet HE general meeting of old T students of Technical Secondary School, Ikole, Ekiti, Lagos chapter holds on Sunday, June 8, at No.1. Abiodun Fasakin Street, behind LASU,Idi-Iroko Bus Stop, Anthony Village, Lagos at 2.00p.m.

Ogbakor Ikwerre (Lagos) meets Sunday HE general meeting of OgT bakor Ikwerre (Lagos) will hold on Sunday, June 8, at Club 1919, Nigerian Railway Compound, opposite AP Filling Station, Ebute Metta, Lagos at 3.00p.m.

C&S begins revival HE Eternal Sacred Order of T the Cherubim & Seraphim (C& S) (Peter Omojo Tunolase Memorial General Headquarters) on Wednesday began its revival at 6.00p.m. daily and will end today with an all-night prayer from mid night till dawn at 2/4, Lake Street, Olowogbowo, Apongbon Area, Lagos. Host is Pastor Oladimeji Bello.

Widow alleges fraudulent Child defilement: Court commences trial September 25 Cecilia Obinyili, 68, Nwannekanma was an agency established by his lawyer had challenged the an Act of the National Assemwithdrawal of her money ByABertram FEDERAL High Court, Lagos, competence of NAPTIP in prosfor burial June 13 bly. yesterday adjourned trial of ecuting Onajobi for the allegaRS. CecIlia Obinyili (nee He said that NAPTIP was, theretion.

50-year-old Yesiri Onajobi, from bank’s ATM M Obieke – Aruenyo), who fore, directly under the office The defence, led by Mr. Auswho allegedly impregnated He said the trader on three died on May 5, 2014 at the age of the AGF and could prosetine Akpormeta, had argued his 14-year-old daughter, till THIRTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD withdrew N400, of 67, will be buried in her cute using the name of the that the prosecutor, NAPTIP, September 25, 2014.

Atrader, Waheed Olayemi, occasions 000 and N200,000 twice home town, Ihiala, Imo State AGF without necessarily obdid not obtain the fiat of the According to the case being was on yerterday charged before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly impersonating a Guaranty Trust Bank’s customer and stealing N800, 000 from his account.

Olayemi, a resident of No. 16, Ojelade St., Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos is facing an eightcount charge of conspiracy, forgery, possession of fraudulent documents and making documents without authority.

Other charges include impersonation, stealing and attempt to commit an offence.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Edet Akadu, told the court that the accused committed the offences alongside others who are at now at large between Nov. 2013 and January, at the Marina branch of GTBank.

Akadu said that within that period, the accused impersonated one Mr Denen Kpomije, a customer of the bank and forged his signature on withdrawal slips.

from account number 321206963 belonging to Kpomije.

Akadu said that the accused was arrested on June 2, while trying to illegally withdraw N150, 000 from the said account at the Idumota branch of GTBank.

He said that bankers at the Idumota branch of the bank became suspicious of the transaction and alerted the internal control unit of the Marina branch of the bank, who in turn called the authorities.

According to the prosecution, the offences were in violation of Sections 21, 285, 318, 363, 368, 378 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, denied the charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs Joy Ugbomoiko, granted the trader bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Ugbomoiko adjourned the case till July 3, for mention.

prosecuted by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Onajobi, who was arraigned before the court on March 28, 2011, was alleged to have seduced his daughter and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons in Lagos, but

Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) before prosecuting the case.

He also argued that the prosecutor had no authority to sign a charge on behalf of the AGF. But the trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke had on March 13, dismissed the application challenging the competence and jurisdiction of the court to determine the case.

Aneke had held that NAPTIP

taining a fiat from the AGF. Aneke said that the laws relied upon by NAPTIP on the charge of incest brought against the accused proved that an offence was actually committed which showed that NAPTIP had power to prosecute.

The judge, therefore, discharged the accused person’s objection to the charges against him.

Man, 28, bags 12 months in prison for defrauding mother-in-law of N485,000 he pleaded guilty to the of2013, Keage gave her son-in-law N Upper Area Court in Kuje, fences.

N485,000 to deposit for her in A FCT, on yesterday sentenced He, however, gave him an opthe bank, the News Agency of a 28-year-old business man, Joseph Anzo, to 12 months in prison for defrauding his mother-in-law of N485,000.

Anzo, who resides at Gudaba in Kuje, FCT, was arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The Presiding judge, Adamu Wakili, sentenced Anzo after

tion to pay N20,000 fine.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Ocheche Samuel, had earlier told the court that the case was lodged at the Kuje Police Station on June 3 by Mrs Grace Keage.

He said that 60-year-old Keage, also of Gudaba, is the mother-in-law of the accused.

Samuel said that on Dec. 20,

Nigeria (NAN) said.

He said that when the complainant visited the bank recently to transact business, she realised that the amount was not deposited in her account.

He said that during investigation, the police found that the accused had deposited the money into his personal account.

on Friday, June 13, 2014 after a Requiem Mass at St Christopher's Catholic Church, Ogbolo-Umueze, Ihiala.

Outing service holds on Sunday, June 15 at the same church She was a successful business woman in Sapele, Delta State where she lived all her life.

She is survived by her mother, children, brothers, sisters and grand children, among whom are Mr. Clement Obinyili (Nnayelugo) and Mr. Damian

Obinyili

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

16 Friday, June 6, 2014

Briefs ELP holds first partners’ award night HE Empowerment for the Less Privileged (ELP) will be holding T its first partners’ award night and dinner on Sunday June 8, 2014, at the Pearl Garden Chinese Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos.

At the event, awards will be given to certain eminent personalities and organisations for partnering with ELP in the past 11 years to actualize the vision of giving hope to the less privileged across the nation and with the mission to consistently empower people across the nation for self-sustenance and alleviate pain.

In the last 11 years since its establishment, the foundation has established vocational centers in Lagos. These centers are devoted to teaching people various self-help entrepreneurial skills such hair barbing, soap making, catering, fashion designing, metal works, computer training, beads and hat making among others. Over 3,551 students have graduated from this programme.

They also have preparatory classes designed to equip students with knowledge for success in WAEC, NECO, GCE and JAMB examinations where more than 1,160 students have gone through this tutorial free of charge. The centres have literacy classes to enable interested adults learn to read and write. Also the Foundation has awarded scholarships to financially challenged but gifted children for various courses of study in Nigerian universities and 51 students have benefited from this scheme.

In addition, the foundation also operates mobile clinics at major public events for the provision of basic health services.

In the bid toward the actualization of its aims and objectives, since its inception, the Foundation has donated over 240 wheelchairs to government established health institutions such as National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, State Specialist Hospital, Abeokuta, State Specialist Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, State Specialist Hospital, Adeoyo Hospital, Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, State Specialist Hospital, Akure, State Specialist Hospital, Ado-Ekiti and Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria.

Ahaneku takes over as UNIZIK VC From Chuks Collins, Awka MIDST cheers and high expectations, Prof Joseph Ahaneku, a 52-year-old Chemical Pathology PHD graduate from the University of Ibadan has taken over as the new Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka.

The new helmsman takes over from Prof Boniface Egboka whose tenure has elapsed.

Prof Ahaneku, before now had held important offices including the Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Academics) under Prof. Egboka, for four years.

Married to Dr. Gladys Ahaneku, a consultant cardiologist with five children, he is a widely travelled distinguished scholar, researcher and scientist.

A statement from the Director of Information and Public Relations of the University, Mr. Emma Ojukwu said that with the handover, Ahaneku now becomes the fifth substantive ViceChancellor of the institution.

Ahaneku

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Obi assures ailing Nwabueze of adequate care former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has asTHeHE sured Prof. Ben Nwabueze of adequate care. said this when he visited him at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos.

Obi, who visited Nwabueze in the company of Chief Okey Ezibe, said he did not hesitate to visit Nwabueze because people like him who contributed a lot to the development of the country as a former Minister, an erudite scholar and foremost constitutional lawyer, should be guided jealously for their utility to humanity.

He said the visit was also part of his crusade to be close to men of worth and hold them out to the youth as role models.

Nwabueze, who is over 80, has been experiencing health challenges lately. He was nominated by the Presidency to participate in the ongoing National Conference, but he declined on account of health challenges.

Rivers police warn against barbaric culture at monarch’s burial

By Odita Sunday HE Rivers State Police Command yesterday warned against barT baric practice throughout the burial ceremony of the traditional ruler of Woji town in Port Harcourt.

The command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement said her Command was compelled to make a public warning following a rumour making waves in Port Harcourt that human heads were needed to bury the traditional ruler.

According to her: “The attention of the Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to rumour making the rounds that human heads are needed for the on-going burial ceremony of HRM, King, Dr. Frank Adele Eke, Eze Gbakagbaka of Woji town which will be rounded off on Sunday, June 8, 2014. It has become very necessary to respond to this rumour in view of the security concerns it has raised in the State especially in Obio/Akpor LGA.” “Unfortunately, this has erroneously caused apprehensions in the minds of the people for fear of being murdered for the said burial. In this regard, the Rivers State Police Command hereby refutes the rumour as a figment of the imagination of those who have concocted such rumour. It is important to state that such barbaric practice cannot be imagined in the present civilized dispensation of human advancement.”

“Consequently, the Rivers State Police Command encourages all law abiding citizens of Rivers State to go about their lawful businesses. You are further enjoined to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the Police. This is arising from the need to be security conscious, as some hoodlums might want to take advantage of the influx of persons from all walks of life that will be in attendance at the burial, to carry out unwholesome activities.”

Iringe said the Police Command is alert to its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of inhabitants of Rivers State and would respond swiftly to address any security challenge that might arise at anytime.

Woman fleeing Kala-Balge attack gives birth to baby in the bush From Ali Garba, Bauchi PREGNANT woman fleeing from Boko Haram attacks at Kala-Balge community in Borno State has delivered a baby girl in the bush.

The woman was among thousands of indigenes who have fled constant and severe reprisal attacks from members of the deadly sect.

It would be recalled that the Kala-Balge community was recently celebrated for successfully defending the community from the insurgent attacks by killing over 200 members of Boko Haram.

An indigene of the area, Abba Adulmumuni, told journalists in Bauchi that, “ as a result of that attack one month ago, the Boko Haram members have regrouped and are massively killing the people of Kala-Balge community.

“In fact, as I am talking to you now, almost all the peo-

A

ple of Kala-Balge villages and towns have fled. Some of them are in the border between Cameroun and Nigeria while some are in the bush.” “ I was talking to my people and they told me a woman delivered in the bush last night. There was no water, no shelter and no food because it is a semidesert area and there are no trees there. So the people there, even those in the borders are daily under the scorching sun,” he said.

Abba lamented that it was, indeed, sad that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) director in Borno State was quoted as saying that he needed people from KalaBalge to come and convey relief materials to their people. ”I have never seen where such a thing is done. If there are emergencies, NEMA is supposed to convey the materials for the people. So

how are you now asking the people of Kala-Balge to come and convey relief materials to their people? If NEMA has security challenge, they should go to the government and tell them that this is our problem.”

Abba who said that he has not heard from his mother and many of his relations who fled since the sustained attacks on KalaBalge, appealed to the federal government to immediately deploy troops and bring relief materials to the people.

“The people of Kala-Balge are calling on the Federal Government to deploy troops to that area because in the next few days there would be humanitarian crisis if something urgent is not done.”

“The people are suffering.

They have started dying because of starvation and we want the federal government to urgently send troops that will protect

these poor suffering Nigerians.

Secondly we want the federal government to emulate Cameroun by sending troops to the borders between Nigeria and Cameroun. If the troops were stationed there, the attacks would not be constant as they are now,” he appealed.

He lamented the lack of government presence in Kala-Balge, saying that the local government has only five primary schools and no secondary school at all.

“Nobody is speaking for these people and saying anything, even the member that is representing the area in the State Assembly, even the local government chairman is not saying anything.

What the people of KalaBalge need at the moment are security, protection and relief materials. The federal government should kindly save these people from hunger and starvation be-

Police kill two, parade four robbers in Delta From Chido Okafor, Warri HE Delta State Police Command yesterday said it killed two notorious armed bandits who specialized in terrorizing residents of Warri and its environs, robbing them of their cars and valuables.

They were killed during crossfire with anti-crime patrol team. The police also paraded four others for car snatching while two other members of the gang escaped with gunshot injuries.

During a parade of the suspects at the Ekpan Police Station, the state acting Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO), Charles Muka (DSP) said the two slain robbers met their waterloo after a robbery operation in the

T

area.

The Police spokesman said the police has launched a mop-up exercise to rid the state of notorious criminals.

He said: “ On May 2, 2014 at 2,100hrs, one Adamu Habu ‘male’ of NNPC Housing Complex, Ekpan, reported that at about 2,030hrs, while returning from the refinery, he was attacked and his Volkswagon Passat 2006 Model with Reg. No. JL 781 EKY was snatched at gunpoint by four armed robbers with some valuable items.”

“In the process, the robbers abandoned one Toyota Camry with Reg. No. BB 294 USL. On receiving the report, Ekpan anti-crime patrol team gave the armed bandits a hot chase. The robbers, on

noticing the team, opened fire on them, the team fought back and engaged the robbers in a gun duel and gunned down two unidentified armed robbers while two others escaped with bullet wounds.”

He added that one locallymade pistol, two live cartridges, one Toyota Camry with Reg. No. BB294USL, one Volkswagen Passat with Reg. JL781EKY, 10 mobile handsets and three wrist watches were recovered from the hoodlums.

He added that the four other suspects who specialized in car-snatching were trailed to Kaduna and arrested after disposing one Benice Egodo in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Council of Toy-

ota Highlander Jeep with Registration Number KJA 696CD and other valuables.

Muka gave the names of the arrested suspects as Dawuda Kola, Tope Ajayi, Oke Ese and Christopher Ode. The gang leader, Dawuda Kola, 23, who claimed to be a mechanic from Ibadan, Oyo State, who had been arrested a few years back, however, confirmed his involvement and three others in the robbery attack.

According to him, they were arrested in Kaduna at the workshop where they had gone to sell the snatched cars, a Toyota Highlander Jeep with Reg. No KJA 696 CD and another Toyota Corolla with Reg. No FKJ 822 CL were recovered from them.

NBC rewards distributors in raffle draw HE Nigerian Bottling ComT pany recently held an Incentive Raffle Draw for its distributors in the Lagos Region to reward and encourage those who have improved their sales.

The event, which took place at the Ikeja Plant of the company in Lagos, saw about 51 dealers going home with prizes ranging from washing machines to deep freezers, LCD TVs, gas cookers and more.

The star prize of a TATA Truck, to be used as distribution van, was won by Alhaja Toyin Ige of Toyin Ige Ventures from the Marina Area in Lagos.

Explaining the essence of the raffle draw, Mr Mr. Dan Frantila, Commercial Director, Lagos and West Region, Nigerian Bottling Company said: “At Coca Cola, we are a brand that stands for optimism and sharing and this is exactly what we have done here today. Today our partners in Lagos just enjoyed our... As we share the results of their sales with them in a very enjoyable way. Every month they have a quota to sell and we hold a raffle draw based on this for the dealers who have made the highest volume of sales for the stipulated period.”

According to Mr Frantila, “the dealers are the ones who met their sales target for the months of January and February 2014, so they are partici-

Mr. Dan Frantila, Commercial Director, Lagos and West Region, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited; Mr Temitope Ige (middle) receiving the keys to the TATA Truck won by NBC dealer, Toyin Stores, Alhaja Toyin Ige and Mr. Gbenga Olatunji, Commercial Manager, Marina Depot, NBC, at the Incentive Raffle Draw for distributors, Lagos Region held at the NBC Ikeja Plant pating in the raffle draw. It is a moment of joy.”

He explained that 123 dealers took part in the raffle draw in which the lucky winners emerged.

The visibly elated winner of the star prize, who was represented by her son, Temitope Ige, said, “it was a surprise to me because when I came here today, I did not have it in mind that we would win any prize, but here we are, going home with a brand new distribution van. Winning the

van would give us the chance to sell more volumes of the Coca Cola products in the future. I’m so happy that we won.”

Explaining to the media that chances of winning a prize in the raffle draw is a game of numbers, the Commercial Manager at the Marina Commercial Services Mr Gbenga Olatunji said that “the dealer pulled the highest number of sales, having sold the highest volume of 57, 000 units be-

tween the months of February and a March, so she deserves the star prize.”

Another elated winner Mrs Bukola Adebesin-Folarin of Flabesh Ventures is one of the mega dealers who went home with a giant LCD TV, having sold about 22, 000 units within the stipulated period.

“I feel happy, I think the idea of the raffle draw is just fair and I like the idea that if you’ve won a prize before, you cannot win again, in order to give other dealers the chance

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014

17

Business ECB imposes negative interest rates HE European Central Bank T has introduced a raft of measures aimed at stimulating the eurozone economy, including negative interest rates and cheap long-term loans to banks.

It cut its deposit rate for banks from zero to -0.1 per cent to encourage banks to lend to businesses rather than hold on to money.

The ECB also cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.15 per cent from 0.25 per cent.

The ECB is the first major central bank to introduce negative interest rates.

The negative interest rate charging commercial banks to park their surplus funds is perhaps the most striking element in this package.

Negative rates do happen now and then, but they are rare and often a sign of some sort of financial or economic stress.

That certainly applies in this case, where the eurozone economic recovery is weak and risks being undermined by deflation or falling prices.

One source of weakness is declining bank loans to the private sector. The negative rate might encourage banks to lend more, but it also imposes a cost on them and so might affect their profitability.

In truth the impact is uncertain, so proceeding with this move does underline the ECB’s concern.

It has been tried before in smaller economies. Sweden and Denmark, who are both outside the Single Currency, attempted to use negative rates in recent years with mixed results.

Analysts said in Sweden it had little discernible impact; in Denmark it did have the effect of lowering the value of the currency, the Krone, but according to the Danish Banking Association it also hit the banks’ bottom line profits.

The ECB’s president, Mario Draghi, also announced other measures.

Long term loans are to be offered to commercial banks at cheap rates until 2018.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Advisory Leader, Deloitte West Africa, Michael Vincent (left); Transitional Leader, Deloitte Nigeria Tawanda Gumbo; Global Chairman, Deloitte, Steve Almond; and Chairman, Deloitte Nigeria, Femi Abegunde, during the breakfast meeting with clients and corporate CEO’s in Lagos, yesterday.

CITN seeks complementary policy on treasury bills, bonds

By Faith Oparaugo HE Chartered Institute T of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), has urged the government to consider a complementary policy in making returns on treasury bills and bonds free.

The institute pointed out that free flows of bank credit to the private sector could gain better traction more than it presently does if it is considered.

Speaking at its yearly general meeting recently, CITN president Mark Chidolue said that this will enable banks to put

measures to prevent huge toxic assets that is threatening the banking sector stability.

According to him, the complementarity effect of this policy would help redirect banks‘ focus and make them return to their primary financial intermediary role of funding the private sector operations.

He noted that the policy would also create an appetite to move from risk based lending such as loans to the private sector to risk free instruments of the government.

Chidolue also added that the growth trends in the economy have not kinetically sparked the all important employment generation buzz required for the teeming youths of the country, in order to engage them in a productive ventures.

He called for a congenial environment for investments thrive to enable business to grow and thereby enhance the tax base in the generic sense.

He added that the challenges facing government finances have become manifest together with

the exigencies of the now rebased GDP. He stated that with the GDP size of $519billion (N80.3trillion) and tax GDP ratio of 12 per cent (including four per cent non-oil contribution) no one is left in doubt that there is a huge gap between collections and the quantum amount left uncollected year after year in taxes.

He urged members to rally round and support the call for a more professionalized security service.

“No stone should be left

unturned in the fight to reverse the ugly security trend which persists today”, he said.

He added that the tax system has faulted policy inconsistencies and challenged by the continued derailment of the National tax policy.

He stated that the struggle continue to turn the tide on low tax productivity and poor tax compliance culture in Nigeria.

He called all members to meet this challenges of an efficient and productive tax system in the country.

‘Mobile subscriptions in Nigeria, S’Africa, others to hit 930m by 2019’

By Adeyemi Adepetun HE growth profile in T mobile subscription in sub-Saharan Africa

including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and others is expected to hit 930 million in another five years, according to a report from Ericsson.

Besides, Ericsson in the ‘June 2014 Sub-Saharan Africa Mobility Report’ forecast that within the same period, there will be 557 million smartphone and 710m broadband subscriptions.

Currently, the African continent according to GSMA has about 700 million connected mobile

phones, with the Nigerian market having close to 130 million active subscriptions and over 90 per cent teledensity.

The Ericsson’s report revealed that in 2014 phone users accessed 76,000 TB (terabyte) of data per month, double the 2013 figure of 37,500 TB per month, stressing that in 2015 the figures are expected to double again with mobile phone users accessing 147,000 TB per month.

Besides, the mobility report disclosed that the rise of social media, content-rich apps and video content accessed from a new range of cheaper smartphones has prompt-

ed the rise. It noted that consumers in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria are also increasingly using video TV and media services from their smartphones.

Regional Head of Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa, Fredrik Jejdling said subSaharan Africa is currently undergoing a mobile digital revolution with consumers, networks and even media companies are wakening up the possibilities of 3G and 4G technology.

He said Ericsson has seen the trend emerging over a few years but in the past 12 months the digital traffic has increased over 100 per

cent forcing us to revise our existing predictions.

In the next five years, the report’s findings showed that the voice call traffic in sub-Saharan Africa will double and there will be an explosion in mobile data with usage in Sub-Saharan Africa growing 20 times between 2013 and 2019, twice the anticipated global expansion.

By 2019 the report predicted that 75 per cent of mobile subscriptions will be Internet inclusive (3G or 4G).

This growth has been predicted following the launch in 2014 of a number of smartphones for under $50 by a number of major

device manufacturers allowing the rapid expansion of 3G and 4G technology across the region.

The 2014 Report predicted that in just three years’ time 3G technology will become the dominant technology across the region.

Jejdling said “the rise of cheap smartphones will allow vast portions of the population – from middle classes in cities to small businesses in rural areas – access to mobile broadband. M-commerce can offer endless opportunities for entrepreneurs and we’ve found that farmers are fans of mobile wallets – as well as teenagers want-

ing to watch music videos on their smartphone.

According to him, Ericsson regularly performs traffic measurements in over 100 live networks across the world and predictions have been made in collaboration with Ericsson ConsumerLab, utilising population, macroeconomic trends combined with the company’s own anonymised data. Ericsson is the largest provider of managed services, building and improving the reach and efficacy of mobile networks, in SubSaharan Africa and globally.

18 BUSINESS Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Uduaghan unfolds investment incentives at German forum COMPREHENSIVE packA age to that would create a clement environment for

the private sector to thrive and Delta State governor, Dr. Eweta Emmanuel Uduaghan for the global investment community, has unveiled driving investment in technology and industrialisation.

And he chose the largest concentration of private fund managers worldwide in Cologne, Germany where he led a delegation from Delta State to unfold the one stop shop investment incentive.

A five-year tax holiday, duty draw back for export-oriented concerns and tariff incentives on value chain enter-

prises top the log of the carrot Uduaghan dangled before the Cologne Forum, host of the 2014 African Finance and Investment Forum (AFIF).

In his presentation, “Investment Opportunities to Enhance Economic and Development”, the Delta State governor listed other incentives as land acquisition concessions, reduced stamp duty charges, permits and license cost cutting and timeliness and liaising with federal regulatory agencies to facilitate operational licensing procedures.

Explaining that industrialisation remains the key driver of his Delta Beyond Oil ini-

tiative, Uduaghan said the private sector is leading the establishment of industries in the state through harnessing the economic potentials of the immediate environment and leveraging on the state’s comparative advantage.

With a population of 5.1 million and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $24.88 billion in 2013 as well as huge investments in physical infrastructure development, security and human capital development, Uduaghan said Delta State offers an exceptional and profitable haven for investors.

Three special economic zones targeting diverse

areas have been set up with the private sector leading their development. These are the Koko/Ogidigben Free Trade Zone, Warri Industrial Business Park and Asaba ICT Park.

Using the Delta Beyond Oil initiative, Uduaghan identified five key investment opportunities in Delta State.

They include power, manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism.

He emphasized that Delta State is the most viable destination for investors, a situation boosted by its status as a leading oil and gas producer, a coastal state with access to four seaports, having a young, educated and active population and continuous

investment in security.

Members of the Delta State delegation include Commissioner for Information, Chike C Ogeah; Economic Adviser to the Governor, Afam Obiago and permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Planning, Ben Igo. AFIF brings together expert financiers, bankers, investors, public sector and entrepreneurs from across sub-Saharan Africa to the rest of the world. The forum is designed for public and private institutions interested in securing finance for projects; investors (private and institutional) looking for projects to invest in; as well as policy makers, finan-

Former president of the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Chief Emmanuel Ukpabi (left); Immediate Past Vice President, Sunil Sawhney; newly elected President, Paul Gbededo, and Executive Secretary, Aderemi Adegboyega at the 35th AFBTE yearly general meeting in Lagos.

Chamber tasks govt on SMEs development From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja HE Abuja Chambers of T Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA) has called on the Federal Government to renew its commitment to the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The President of the chamber, Solomon Nyagba told journalists in Abuja yesterday at the pre-trade fair conference that the call became imperative as the sector is a veritable tool that can be used to boost and improve the nation’s economy.

He said appropriate incentives should be put in place to further encourage development of the sector in order to reposition the manufacturing sector as the country’s engine for growth, adding that government should give infrastructure development overall priority.

Nyagba said the fair which is the ninth of its kind with the theme “Strengthening SMEs for economic growth and scripted to encourage investors to partner with indigenous companies to create employment and improve the living standards of the people.”

His words: “The fair offers un-rivalled opportunities for business development.

It also a hub for all partici-

pants to show case their goods and services. Being an international trade fair, we are optimistic that the fair will woo some investors, which in turn would create job opportunities and further reduce poverty. The fair will also encourage networking and exchange”.

The 2014 trade fair scheduled to hold between September 23rd to October 6th this year is expected to host over 300 foreign exhibitors drawn from

Unfolds plan for Abuja trade tour other African countries, Asia and Europe.

The President said the fair, which has been hosted for over half of a decade is geared toward the promotion of accelerated development in commerce and industry noting that the revitalization and diversification of the Nigeria economy by promoting the nation’s non-oil export particularly the agro-allied products and mineral

resources informed the theme for this year’s fair.

Nyagba added that the permanent trade fair complex of the chamber put at over 31 hecters of land would in no distant future have a state of the art shopping mall which would be built on a public private partnership model, alongside a seven star hotel in order to decongest the city centre of traffic gridlock which is now becoming a

common feature in the federal capital city.

He said the fair is expected to have a high delegation from the Ghana investment promotion commission with other countries like Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Egypt, Philippines, Kenya, Senegal, Niger, Benin, India and other African, Asia countries and organized private sector which he said remains a major stakeholder n the sound and economic life of any nation.

Reintroduce coins as legal tender, activist tells Emefiele From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja HE unfortunate disappearT ance coins as legal tender in Nigeria should be reversed as a means of saving cost of reprinting and governance, Executive Director of Citizens Center for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR), Emeka Ononamadu has said.

And for Godwin Emefiele to succeed as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he must avoid politics, operate within the ambits of the laws and be careful with his comments, Ononamadu told The Guardian in an interview.

“If he starts making frequent unguarded and contradictory remarks and state-

ments or positions that has direct or remote political undertone, he will fail where his immediate predecessor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi failed, and where Professor Soludo had a weak pass.

“Management of an economy is not politics or a display of skill of loquaciousness. It is about well guided policies and programmes that will keep the economy healthy and beneficial to the citizens,” he said.

According to him, the first thing the CBN governor should do is to ensure that every policy programme and actions of the central bank are within the confines of all laws of the land.

His words: “There is nothing he can do better if he violates

the laws of the land in the management of Nigeria economy. But where the laws are obsolete and require to be repealed to meet current realities, he should not take undue advantage of the obsolesce of the law to punish innocent and unsuspecting citizens, like his last two predecessors appeared to have done. Therefore the first assignment he should not fail from is upholding the law of the land in all he does.

“This requirement is what many public officers have failed to keep faith with. One major problem plaguing our nation, Nigeria, is that highly placed public officers and elected representatives are lawless as they have more

propensity to violate the law than to respect the law. The CBN Act of 2007 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria charges the Bank with the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government.

“The new central bank governor needs to be reminded that the real objects of the CBN, which include: ensure monetary and price stability; issue legal tender currency in Nigeria; maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency; promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; and act as Banker and provide economic and financial advice to the Federal Government.”

ciers/bankers, to build partnership.

ECB slashes interest rate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 These loans would be capped at seven per cent of the amount that the individual banks in question lend to companies. Thus, the more the banks lend to companies, the more money they can borrow cheaply from the ECB. It is also doing preliminary work that could lead to buying bundles of loans that are made to small businesses in the form of bonds. This is being seen as a step towards providing companies with credit through the financial markets.

Draghi said the ECB’s policymakers unanimously agreed to consider more unconventional measures to boost inflation if it stays too low.

The ECB stopped short of instituting a large asset-buying programme like the quantitative easing (QE) undertaken by the US Federal Reserve.

However. Draghi insisted that more would be done, if necessary.

“Are we finished? The answer is no. We aren’t finished here. If need be, within our mandate, we aren’t finished here.” he said.

Draghi said that the whole package of measures was aimed at increasing lending to the “real economy”.

“Now we are in a completely different world,” he said.

Even though some of the measures, like the more to negative rates on deposits, were expected European shares moved higher on the ECB announcement.

The benchmark German Dax 30 index jumped above the 10,000 level for the first time.

The Cac 40 in Paris was up 0.8 per cent shortly after the ECB’s comments.

Meanwhile, the euro fell to $1.3558, its lowest level in four months.

Everything for a euro - deflation is a very real threat in the eurozone Although the danger of deflation in the eurozone is limited, the ECB is concerned that growth is very sluggish and bank lending weak - both of which could potentially derail the fragile economic recovery.

The eurozone economy grew by just 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of the year. Consumer spending, investment and exports are all growing at a slower pace than this time last year.

Inflation in the eurozone fell to 0.5 per cent in May, down from 0.7 per cent in April. This is well below the European Central Bank’s target of just below two per cent.

If the eurozone slips into deflation, the fear is that consumers might spend even less because they would expect prices to fall in future months. For the same reason investors could stop investing.

Growth would then be hit and demand would be severely constrained. The large debts amassed by the eurozone’s countries, companies and banks would take longer and be harder to pay off.

Unemployment, which is already at nearly 12 per cent in the eurozone, and much higher in places like Spain, Portugal and Greece, could get even worse.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014 BUSINESS

19

NNPC reduces gas flaring, restates commitment to environmental protection

By Sulaimon Salau OISED to maintain a clean P environment devoid of hazards, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), has expressed commitment to environmental protection, even as it drastically reduced routine gas flare in line with

the Federal Government's agenda.

The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, stated this during a programme organized to commemorate the 2014 World Environment Day, said the company is committed to initiate and sustain policies that are environment-

friendly through the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies and upgrade of its production facilities.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ohi Alegde, in a statement yesterday, quoted Yakubu as saying that the NNPC as a

responsible corporate citizen has deployed strategies to ensure discontinuation of harmful and unsafe chemicals to environments where its oil facilities are located.

“NNPC has reduced routine gas flaring from over 30 per cent to about 11 per cent in the last three years. We are

pursuing renewable energy development in line with the Kyoto Protocol. We are ensuring pollution control and swift remediation of impacted site whenever they occur", he said.

Yakubu, however, called on Nigerians to collectively address the issues of climate change and strengthen their

Chief Executive Officer, Caverton, Olabode Makanjuola (left); Chairman, Aderemi Makanjuola; and Secretary, Modupe Omojafor during the yearly general meeting of the company in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Ekiti farmers receive N60m loan ...as govt partnership with Bank of Agric yields N600m From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South West Bureau, Ado Ekiti) KITI State Government yesE terday disbursed cheques totalling N60 million as first tranche of loans to 48 cooperative societies belonging to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) as well as various farm commodity associations in the state.

The State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who handed out the cheques at the launch of the Farmers Loan Support Programme held in AdoEkiti, said the intervention is in fulfilment of his promise to support cooperative farming in the state.

Fayemi said the beneficiaries of the loans, which also included the Poultry Association, Fisheries Association, Cocoa Growers Association, the Butchers and Ekiti State Farmers Congress, were carefully selected on merit.

He said farmers who still owe other previous but similar disbursements were excluded from the scheme so that this could serve as deterrent to erring farmers that had hindered others from benefiting from government support.

The Governor said: "I make bold to say that my government is doing everything possible to give agriculture its pride of place. You will recall my promise to support cooperative farming in the State. I am glad to inform you that we have not reneged on our words and have been working to ensure fulfilment.

“Today, I can assure you that 48 AFAN Cooperatives will be supported as well as individual beneficiaries drawn from

The State's partnership with the Bank of Agriculture has yielded a 50-50 contributory loan facility of N600 million for agricultural development. various commodity associations including the Poultry Association, Fisheries Association, Cocoa Growers Association, the Butchers and Ekiti State Farmers Congress. I wish to state that a total of N60 Million is being released in this first tranche".

While hinting that the Agbeloba Agric Forum held in the State last year has proved productive, the Governor said the state's partnership with the Bank of Agriculture has yielded a 5050 contributory loan facility of N600 million for agricultural development.

Fayemi commended the Bank for the gesture in empowering farmers in the State; saying that the effort will help achieve the various agricultural development drives of the State.

He charged the beneficiaries of the loan to make judicious use of it as well as ensure prompt repayment of the loan to enable others benefit from the scheme In his remarks, the Chairman of AFAN in Ekiti State, Ademola Okeya thanked the present government for the several aids given to resuscitate the agriculture sector in order to make the State the food basket of the South West.

Okeya assured the governor that the association would put in place necessary measures for the prompt repayment of the loan.

resolve towards tree planting that will make the environment a better place for sustainable development.

He observed that the NNPC as a major player in the Oil and Gas Industry has raised Health Safety and Environment standards, stressing that the event reaffirmed the Corporation’s commitment to staff wellbeing, safety at work place and environmental protection.

A guest lecturer from the United Kingdom, Engobo Emeseh, who delivered a paper with the topic ‘Climate Change: It is Time for Action,’ said climate change was the highest security risk confronting the contemporary society which has led to draught, flooding and famine in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

She implored the NNPC and other organizations to embark on operations that are environment-friendly, noting that if effects of climate change were not mitigated, the water level would rise and submerge some of the installations of the Corporation.

The World Environment Day (WED) was established as an annual event in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly to drive, and continuously promote global positive environmental action.

20 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

U.S. economy records modest growth as labour market improves HE Federal Reserve said T the economy expanded at a modest to moderate pace last month as auto sales led household spending and the labor market improved.

“Consumer spending expanded across almost all districts,” the report said today. “Labor market conditions generally strengthened” with “hiring activity steady to stronger” in most of the U.S. Seven of 12 districts saw “moderate” growth, with the rest characterized as “modest,” the Fed said in its Beige Book business survey, which is based on reports from its district banks.

The survey, released two weeks before policy makers meet in Washington, supports Chair Janet Yellen’s view that the economy is rebounding from a 1 percent contraction in the first quarter caused largely by harsh winter weather. Fed officials are watching the labor market as they move to complete their bond-purchase program late this year and start considering the timing of the first interest-rate increase since 2006.

“It basically tells us the economy has recovered to a significant degree from the harsh winter,” said Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies LLC in New York and a former Richmond Fed economist.

“It argues for steady policy: continued low rates and $10 billion tapering” in monthly bond purchases.

Stocks remained higher after the report, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index adding 0.2 percent to 1,927.20 at 2:38 p.m. in New York. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note increased 0.01 percentage point to 2.61 percent.

Policy makers, including Kansas City Fed President Esther George, are predicting the economy will bounce back after harsh winter weather kept consumers at home and disrupted production in many regions.

“Demand for both products and services is likely to rise, supporting overall growth on a more sustained basis,” George said yesterday.

Growth accelerated in the

Cleveland and St. Louis districts and slowed slightly in Kansas City, the Fed said today.

The report also said that manufacturing “expanded throughout the nation” and transportation “strengthened in most districts” with ports showing “brisk growth” along the Southeastern coast.

“Labor-market conditions generally improved,” the Fed said. “Several districts continued to report that employers were having difficulty finding skilled workers. Most districts reported that wage pressures remained subdued,” although “an increase in the cost of health insurance was noted in Chicago and Dallas.”

The U.S. probably added 215,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate may have risen to 6.4 percent, according to the median estimates of economists surveyed before a government report in two days. Most Fed officials project full employment to be an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent to 5.6 percent.

An improving job market is helping to propel demand for new cars, according to the Beige book, with more than half of districts reporting strong sales.

On the other hand, realestate activity “was mixed

and “some financial institutions relaxed underwriting standards.”

Service industries expanded in May at the fastest pace in nine months amid rising orders, a separate report showed today. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index climbed to 56.3 last month from 55.2 in April, the Tempe,

across the country, with some reports of low inventories constraining sales,” the Fed said. Residential construction was “mixed,” while “multi-family construction remained particularly robust.”

Loan demand increased, and “lenders competed vigorously on rates and terms for high-quality borrowers,”

Arizona-based group said.

Readings greater than 50 signal expansion.

Consumer demand contributed to a wider trade deficit in April, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The deficit ballooned to the widest in two years as Americans bought record amounts of consumer goods,

Recruiters at a career fair in New York.

business equipment and automobiles from abroad.

The Federal Open Market Committee in April trimmed monthly bond purchases for the fourth straight meeting and said further “measured” cuts were likely. At the same time, the panel affirmed its commitment to a “highly accommodative” policy.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Glaxo to pay $105 million to settle promotion claims LAXOSMITHKLINE Plc (GSK), the U.K.’s largest drugmaker, will pay $105 million to settle claims by California, New York and more than 40 other states that it illegally promoted asthma and antidepressant drugs.

The accord announced yesterday prohibits Glaxo from providing incentive payments to salespeople that encourage uses of the drugs not indicated on their labels, and from using paid doctors to promote its products. The agreement covers the asthma drug Advair and two antidepressants, Paxil and Wellbutrin.

California’s portion of the settlement, the largest of any

G

state, is $7.1 million, Kamala Harris, the state’s attorney general, said in a statement.

Legal documents describing the agreement will be filed today in state court in San Diego, according to Harris.

Glaxo said on May 27 that it faces a criminal probe in the U.K. following allegations in China that its employees bribed doctors, hospitals and medical associations to boost sales. Accusations of wrongdoing by company employees also have surfaced in Iraq, Poland, Jordan and Lebanon.

The U.S. Justice Department began looking in 2010 into whether Glaxo and other drugmakers violated a federal law against bribing officials in foreign countries.

The $105 million settlement is a fraction of what Glaxo has paid over the years to resolve claims it illegally marketed Paxil and Wellbutrin. In 2012, the drugmaker pleaded guilty and paid $3 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that it pushed the sale of the antidepressant drugs for unapproved uses and failed to properly turn over clinical data on its Avandia diabetes drug.

Under U.S. law, a doctor can prescribe a medicine for any condition, as long as the drug is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective. Drug companies, however, aren’t allowed to promote a drug for uses other than those

approved by FDA regulators.

Glaxo also was forced to pay out more than $1 billion to settle lawsuits claiming company officials hid that Paxil could cause birth defects.

Glaxo didn’t admit to any wrongdoing in today’s settlement with the state attorneys general, Mary Ann Rhyne, a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

Glaxo, based in London, violated California consumerprotection laws by misrepresenting the uses and qualities of certain drugs, according to Harris.

Under the accord, Glaxo officials agreed not to provide any marketing materials that make “false, misleading or deceptive claims” about any

of the company’s products, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an e-mailed statement. Texas stands to get $6.2 million under the deal.

Glaxo also is required to reduce financial incentives to its sales force to engage in offlabel marketing until at least March 2019, Abbott added.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey, who are also part of the settlement, stand to receive $4.1 million and $2.45 million, respectively, as part of the deal, according to state officials.

“Today’s settlement hopefully will result in a sea change of how pharmaceuticals are promoted and marketed to consumers,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane said in an e-mailed statement.

Canada keeps key rate at one per cent, sees low inflation risks HE Bank of Canada kept its T main interest rate unchanged with a neutral bias on its next move, saying the risks posed by low inflation remain.

The benchmark rate on overnight loans between commercial banks stayed at 1 percent, where it’s been since September 2010, as anticipated by all 21 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.

Canadian and global economic growth were slower than expected in the first quarter while a weaker currency and higher energy costs are only temporarily boosting consumer prices, the bank said.

“Weighing recent higher inflation readings against slightly increased risks to economic growth leaves the downside risks to the inflation outlook as important as before,” policy makers led by Governor Stephen Poloz, 58, said in a statement from Ottawa today. Future economic data will determine “the timing and direction” of the next move, the bank said.

Economic growth slowed in the first quarter to the lowest in more than a year, adding slack to world’s 11th largest economy and giving Poloz room to maintain loose policy without inflation surging past his 2 percent target.

Canada’s weaker dollar and stronger foreign demand will support the exports and investment needed for a recovery, the bank said.

“There’s nothing in here saying a move is imminent,” Paul Ferley, assistant chief economist at Royal Bank of Canada, said by telephone from Toronto. He predicts a rate increase in the second quarter of next year.

Canada’s dollar weakened 0.4 percent to C$1.0952 per U.S. dollar at 11:11 a.m. Toronto time. It has depreciated 5.6 percent against the U.S. dollar over the last year, the most among 10 major economies tracked by

Bloomberg.

Short-term Canadian government bond yields declined, including the security due in two years, which fell to 1.06 percent from 1.07 percent.

There is “little in the way of market expectation for a move over the next year” in the policy rate, Jack Spitz, managing director of foreign exchange at National Bank of Canada, said from Toronto.

Traders reacted to the Poloz statement by also selling Canadian dollars against the euro and Japanese yen, although moves were “muted” before European Central Bank decision, Spitz said.

The weaker Canadian dollar can help exporters such as Winnipeg, Manitoba-based bus maker New Flyer Industries (NFI) Inc. Poloz has said Canada is in a two-speed recovery with some commodity producers benefiting from high prices while others exporters have struggled.

“The ingredients for a pickup in exports remain in place,” policy makers said in the statement. “We still expect excess supply to be absorbed gradually.”

The central bank doesn’t have a target for the currency level and is mandated to keep consumer-price increases in the middle of a 1 percent

to 3 percent band.

While Canada’s inflation rate quickened in April to reach 2 percent for the first time in two years, the core rate of inflation that excludes eight volatile items “remains significantly below 2 percent,” the bank said today.

The bank forecast in April that core inflation won’t reach 2 percent until the start of 2016 because spare economic capacity will restrain price gains.

“There are continued signs of a soft landing in the housing market and a constructive evolution of household imbalances,” the bank also

Friday, June 6, 2014 BUSINESS

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

21

Gas utilisation can lift Nigeria’s economy, says Okwuosa Emeka Okwuosa, an engineer, is the Executive Chairman of the Oilserve Group and one of the pioneers of local content in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. He spoke to select journalists in Houston Texas on a number of industry issues including Nigerian content development and the role of local firms. SULAIMON SALAU was there. Excerpts: OUR company was one of the firms awardY ed the East-West pipeline project, what is the status of that project, what are the challenges and how soon do we expect its completion?

Oilserve is one of the contractors handling the OB3 pipeline from Rivers to Edo State. The pipeline is one of the longest in the country, and the project is at construction stage, while the initial challenges have been overcome.

We have finished the engineering aspect, and we have procured the entire pipes. However, the initial constrain of right-of-way has been resolved by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. We are now commencing the construction aspect and we expect to have completed it within the next 20 months.

Beyond OB3, we are executing 10 other projects, indicating that we are executing 11 projects at the same time (which are estimated at over $50 million). What it shows you is that we have the capacity and competency to handle various projects and strategically deal with the host communities, which are carried along with the projects.

Do you consider vandalism when making recommendation for your pipelines. Is there any technology to the rescue?

Pipeline vandalism is a major issue in Nigeria and the company is always putting this into consideration by adopting various hi-tech systems that protects pipelines.

“There is a pioneering pipeline vandalism technology called fiber optic system we are

Okwuosa installing on our new projects now, such as the 51 kilometer Umusadebe pipeline. That system is so sensitive that it can differentiate between somebody that is coming to dig the pipe, somebody walking on top of it and somebody driving across. So, you can determine what is happening along that right of way and determine whether it’s a threat to the pipeline and you have a control system that will enable you to take action immediately.

“Such are technologies we have been deploying among other authentic technologies, we have to consciously do that and there has to be a massive investment for the pipelines to be able to stand protected,” he said.

How would you describe the journey so far?

How do Oilserve and Frazimex complement each other?

Oilserve is purely engineering, procurement and construction, EPC company in land, swamp and offshore terrains with great capabilities. We build pipelines, flow lines and facilities associated with these pipelines; from manifold stations, pigging stations,

metering stations and others.

The capacity we have today is similar to what Wilbros had when it had monopoly in the country. Our capabilities include intricate jobs like river crossing, traversing difficult terrains, making repairs, quick interventions and rehabilitation of major trunk lines. I can tell you today that by the scope of the work Oilserve by far surpasses what Wilbros used to do.

You can look at these and give the credit not to us but to the drive by Nigerians, because when you talk about Oilserve, we are not just doing challenging jobs but also building capacity and training. I can tell you that all the people working in Oilserve today are Nigerians. Some of these individuals left universities in the 1990s and early 2000s and came in as fresh graduates. Today, some of them are general managers, some managers.

You can see that Nigerians can do it if given the opportunity, but you need to be trained.

Nobody should be asking to be spoon-fed.

What we are talking about is building a credible capacity that can stand the test of time, and be able to develop economic activity around it to such an extent that we can actually deliver these jobs elsewhere.

Today, we deliver services outside Nigeria. We move into other countries as expatriate companies. Nobody would have thought about this 20 years ago.

Now, Frazimex is specifically on engineering design from feasibility studies, front end engineering and detailed engineering. Frazimex is also involved in gas development. You hear about gas to power. Today, gas is the key in terms of capacity building in the Nigerian economy.

If Nigerians can articulate and be in position, which I think they are, to seriously go on to implement the Gas Master Plan, beyond the original ideas, make gas available all over Nigeria, then you would see that with energy available, it is possible to have things like power generation made easy. If we have power generation and distribution right in Nigeria, the country will change entirely.

What people fail to understand also is that gas is related to our ability to feed ourselves.

Gas is the main source of urea production.

When we talk about urea, we talk of fertilizer.

The fertilizer that you apply to good yields in agriculture comes from urea. Unfortunately, the only fertilizer plant we have in Nigeria is the one built over 30 years ago, which is now owned by Notore. How come a country with so much gas resource have only one fertilizer plant? I know that some quantity of fertilizer out of the total need is still being imported into the country. Meanwhile, we sell our gas as LNG, then countries that buy gas would go and produce fertilizer and sell to us.

Just like the same story about refined petroleum products; does it make sense to have crude oil and you cannot refine it? You sell the crude, provide jobs for people somewhere else, where they have refineries and they come back and sell to you sub-standard petroleum products. And you have no control over the quality.

Obviously, these are the issues we have to address and in addressing them, what we are doing in our own little way is to continue building capacity in our own field in such a way as to be able to make a difference in our country.

What synergy exists internally between Oilserve and Frazimex and how has that yielded growth value to the companies?

Is Oilserve going into gas or fertilizer (i.e. petrochemicals), and If you are, what plans have you put in place to achieve these? If you are also going into exploration and production, are we expecting an Oilserve that will replicate or surpass what Seplat is already doing?

On the relationship between Frazimex and Oilserve, I would like to clarify that one part of Frazimex manages and handles engineering design and feasibility. You have the other aspect of gas development and power. You have another aspect also that manages exploration and production portfolio.

For Oilserve, which is purely an EPC company, the synergy there is that it retains the main value of the EPC. But when we bid and get EPC projects, which means it covers from engineering all the way to commissioning; Frazimex comes in to manage the engineer-

22

Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

ExecutiveBrief

EDITION 310

In association with TRIPPLEA ASSOCIATES LIMIED

Saheed Kekere-Ekun: Entrepreneurship Is Germane To National Development Saheeto International Limited (“SAHEETO”) is a catering outfit that specializes in the provision of an assortment of finger foods (“small chops”). The organization was established as a business enterprise with staff strength of 10 (ten), comprising office and kitchen staff and the number swiftly grew in numerical strength over the years. Their services essentially are catering at birthday’s parties, weddings, christening, funeral and other related events. The training arm of the organization is responsible for on-the-job training for auxiliary waiters. The President/Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Hon. Saheed KekereEkun is a perfect example of a young man who has done well for himself. Starting from the scratch as a Waiter at Lagos social functions, Saheeto has through hard work and perseverance built his business into the big brand it is today. In this interview with Nnamdi Nwokolo, Saheeto speaks on the Focus of a CEO. Saheed Kekere-Ekun is an alumnus of FATE and the winner of the 2012 FATE Alumni Model.

OW did it all start?

H I started from a humble beginning and it was out of determination and desperation to succeed that led me into what I’m doing today. While in school, I saw N40.00 with a fellow student, that amount was very huge then. I asked him where he got the money from. He said he was doing the job of a waiter somewhere and they were paid Ten Naira per function, I got interested. I told him I want to do it too. I asked my friend for the requirements. He said its simple white shirt, black trousers and I said I got it. I didn’t tell anybody in my house. On my first day at duty, I came back home about 2am and my mum asked me where did you go? I couldn’t tell her what happened that I went to do waiter. On the second occasion, the same thing happened and my mum was furious, so I had to tell her. After hearing my story, she prayed and blessed me. That was how I started. While I was still working as a waiter, I got employed at The Pennisula. It was there I learnt a lot more about small chops. I did catering for His Excellency, Dr. Bukola Saraki’s wedding.

They now introduced me to so many other people. Her Excellency, Mrs. Toyin Saraki is like my backbone. Otunba and Erelu Ojora stood by me and they were the first set of people to take me to the UK. They have supported me in so many ways. That was how I started. In 1992 my business began to grow, each person I meet will introduce me to the next person and it went on like that. I kept moving from one big name to another. I need to thank God for that. We pioneered small chops in the country and today, we do a lot of jobs all over the world.

What has been your biggest challenge in running your business?

The challenges of the business environment are so daunting and overwhelming. To do business in Nigeria, an average entrepreneur will provide his electricity, water, security and so on. These are challenges facing the Nigeria entrepreneurs; so many setbacks to contend with.

The environment is too hostile to sustain an enterprise. Entrepreneurship is germane to any national growth because, they are the greatest employers of labour in any society; until we begin to take entrepreneurship serious in the country by creating the enabling environment for business to thrive, there’s no guarantee for economic growth. In our kind of business, to satisfy clients is a very big challenge. The biggest challenge is managing people. Managing people starts from the organization to your clients. We get fe3edback from our clients and improve on the area we made mistakes.

When you started, what was your phobia?

The fear of failure is always real who you start as an entrepreneur. In my case, I was afraid if we will last five years in the market considering the business environment we operate. We created small chops in the country. The fear of survival was there, but determination and perseverance helped us to survive the business environment. The principles of perseverance, faith and a strong belief in

Saheed Kekere-Ekun

God really helped us to overcome that fear.

How has Saheeto been able to stay on top of the competition?

Quality control, good customer service, humility, polite and prompt service delivery are some of the principles that really helped us to stay on top of the competition. We worked on the feedback we got from our clients. Above all, integrity is the highest principles that can take an organization to the next level. When you build on your integrity, people will trust you. A lot of small chop businesses have come up, but if it’s not Saheeto, it can’t be Saheeto. Up till date a lot of people will not eat any other small chops if it’s not Saheeto. It’s because of my recipe which can’t be copied. Employees come and go and they try to reproduce the recipes they have seen here. Its good but there are so many recipes which is peculiar only to Saheeto alone, you can never take that away.

What are your focus/projections for the organization?

We are the leading player and we intend to sustain the tempo through the provision of innovative, high quality, and affordable products in our market niche, with a view to achieving the benchmark for all in Nigeria. My focus is to build a world class conglomerate that will outlive my person. In the next couple of years I see this organization diversifying into other sectors of the Nigerian economy despite the challenges. We are working hard to make Saheeto to be in the likes of KFC, McDonalds, etc.

In the next couple of years, we’ll make Saheeto a household name, not just in Nigeria but the whole of Africa and beyond.

From your experience, what are the critical factors for business success in Nigeria?

The factor that militates against business success especially in Nigeria is basically the lack of infrastructures. The industry is a sub sector of the economy, so whatever challenges the economy experiences will definitely affect the industry. Always, there’s need for continuous improvement for you to succeed. One step at a time, with good concept and idea, people will invest in you. God blesses every little beginning. As an individual, you need to have a persevering spirit to succeed in the Nigeria business environment.

You also need to be courageous because, challenges will definitely come. You also need to stay around people that motivate you. We appreciate everyone that has stood by us all these years. We are very grateful.

What are the secrets of your success?

Saheeto International Limited thrives on such principles as honesty and integrity in doing business. We have emerged as the most reliable among our contemporaries in the emerging market as our impact is being felt everywhere. The fundamental basis and foundation of our operations are based on God and good principles.

We have introduced a new style of work that

essentially entails integrating theory with practice. As we continue to develop relationship both locally and internationally, the business continued to grow.

What can government do differently to help businesses thrive?

The problem with Nigeria is neither that of resources nor intelligence. We have what it takes to be a great nation. What we need right now in this country is focused and dynamic leadership. The leadership of this country should learn to emulate what is good from other countries. There are some basic things that government should provide to help its citizens. It is important to note that creating an enabling environment is very critical to business success. We are running our operations on generator 24/7, and this is not good for the economy. The provision of basic infrastructure will go a long way to make businesses thrive. Even though government can do a lot, we as individuals should start making the difference from within ourselves. We need to do the right thing to make our country great again.

Advice to Nigerian entrepreneurs: Nigeria is truly abundantly and richly blessed. You have to be proactive and whatever you do, do it well, because you don’t know who is watching you. Success should be seen as a continuous process, and not a destination. Remove emotions, continually innovate and plan ahead in your business. Remember; don’t try to cheat because what goes around comes around.

You should be contented with where you are and your achievements. Read books, attend seminars and build relationship because success is a collection of relationships. The person you meet might be the person that’ll propel you to the top.

How do you maintain work/life balance?

I have no challenges at home. I have a wonderful and capable wife. My time at home is qualitative because in whatever I do, I put my family first. I try to find a balance between family and work. I make everywhere very comfortable, from my office to my home etc. I watch film as a form of relaxation and I love football also. I’m a diehard football lover. I hardly party except

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Essential Qualities You Need to Influence Your World

By Sherry Essig EADERSHIP is influencing La positive people and results to have impact in your world. Holding a leadership position is not the same as being a leader. You’re a leader because of how you show up and what you do - because of your actions. Anyone can be a leader. When the Vice President of Sales says, “I messed up and here’s how I’m going to clean it up,” he’s acting as a leader.

When the child in Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale cries out, “The Emperor has no clothes!” he’s acting as a leader. When the new nonprofit Board member asks the typically dismissive chair hard questions, she’s acting as a leader. You can lead as an employee or a business owner; as an executive, a midlevel manager, or a sole contributor; and as a Board member, volunteer, parent, or friend. Your job in life is to use your gifts to make a differ-

For Advertisement and Enquiries Call Nnamdi on 08025070837 or E-mail:editor.executivebrief@trippleagroup.com

ence. And that means leading in some fashion, no matter what role you play. You have the ability and opportunity to act as a leader, no matter where you work, serve, or play. Cultivate the following eight qualities and you’ll become a more effective leader, leaving a stronger positive footprint wherever you choose to walk.

Develop self-awareness - With this skill - and it is a skill you’ll be more conscious of your attitudes, reactions, choices, words, actions, and trade-offs. And you’ll be more aware of the impact all of those have on the people around you.

Be of service - I flew Southwest Airlines home from vacation on the same day Hurricane Isabel came through. From the moment we checked our bags in Denver till we stepped off the plane in Raleigh, every Southwest employee was focused on making my travel

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Friday, June 6, 2014

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23

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

The 3 Essential Roles of Successful CEOs

By Tito Philips, Jnr. What are your key responsibilities as a CEO? Do you have what it takes to be a CEO? CEO in a very simple term is the leader of an organization. This title is only given to someone who is occupying the highest position in an organization and is solely responsible for the success or failure of the organization. This means, you are a CEO because of a certain position you occupy (highest management) and certain functions you perform.

As with every position or role, whether in life or business, there are corresponding duties and functions. These duties and functions are collectively called ‘responsibilities’ and they are what clearly separates one position from the other. Positions are created in order to define and assign certain duties and functions to them. Without functions and duties, positions and roles are useless. A position is determined by its functions.

Being a CEO therefore requires you to carry out certain functions and duties attributed to the

A

position you occupy. Being in that position confers certain responsibilities on you.

Success or failure is measured by how well these duties and functions

EXECUTIVE HEALTH

Work Life Balance - Learn How You Can Start To Make Small Changes to Enjoy A Better Quality Of Life

By Emma Herbert T’S hard isn’t it, balancing your work with personal time. It’s a situation that affects all of us at some point in our lives, personally I’ve suffered burn out at work before I became a mum and more recently exhaustion trying to balance single motherhood with entrepreneurship and studying. The fact is something has to give way; the balance needs to change to allow you to live a happy and healthy life. After all what use is money if you’re not around to spend it!

Unfortunately today we live in the fast lane, some of us have high pressure careers and most of us are constantly distracted my modern technology which really doesn’t help. A few weeks ago I realised that one hour had passed since I’d really spoken to my daughter, in my eagerness to finish an article I was writing I had gone into the laptop zone and before I knew it I’d lost an hour of that precious time with her.

That made me feel pretty bad if I am honest, but on the positive side it was a wake up call, that isn’t the life I want.

As a result I promised myself that from that day forward I would be more mindful of my time, although I have taught time management in the past this is different. This is about balancing life and the things that are important to us and learning to say no. Over the past few weeks I

I

have been documenting some of the changes I have made and I would like to share some of them with you.

I have found myself almost looking for things to do now rather than feeling a constant overwhelm of things that should be done. What a huge mental and physical shift it has been. I was suffering with sleepless nights and nausea because I was putting too much pressure on myself and I was going in circles getting nowhere fast. Now I am sleeping better and achieving much more as well as enjoying more of the time with my daughter that is so valuable to me.

Small Changes Make Big Results.

1) Prioritise - Do you feel like your head is spinning when you make a list of what you need to get done? Try choosing the 3 things that you absolutely must get done today and writing them on a separate sheet of paper. Write it by hand and tick it off when done, the act of holding a pen has an effect on awareness and in fact it is incredibly satisfying to draw a big red line through something when it’s complete!

2) Worst Case Scenario - If you are so overwhelmed that you can’t prioritise look at each one and think “what’s the worst that can happen if I don’t do it?” This is a very powerful tool which changes your perspective immensely.

3) Social Media.

We all do it, jump on to

Facebook to check on the lives of other people (some of which we don’t know personally!) and find that time has flown past. Let me ask you, if you do that for an hour each day, what could you do in 7 hours a week? Personally, I can write 7,000 words - that’s five books in a year at 364,000 words over 52 weeks. If you can start to get into a mindset of what’s more important and visualise exactly how that would feel (for me to have published five books) it’s very powerful. You need to be mindful enough and have the discipline to carry this through but imagine what dreams you may be able to achieve if you make this tiny change? What is your dream?

How could you achieve it?

These are just a couple of things I have been doing that have been working for me, I continue to struggle with it and need to give myself a talking to fairly often but I also have a coach who helps me realign my goals and values if I go off track. I am a coach myself too so I fully appreciate how coaching helps when it comes to drilling down to what is important to you and releasing stress in your life.

Whether you are a CEO or Small Business Owner, or someone who simply wants more time with their loved ones being able to talk through your emotions and come up with a plan is hugely beneficial.

(responsibilities) are carried out. A successful CEO is the individual who performs these required duties and functions exceptionally well.

However, I have realized, especially in our country Nigeria that a lot of people are occupying positions they know nothing about.

They simply go about with the “position myth” believing that once they are in the forefront, success is usually attainable. But history has shown overtime that this is not so. Among the many things this article hopes to achieve, first on the list is making you the reader to perfectly understand this fact; “Being a CEO is not about occupying a position (top management) but about performing certain functions and duties (responsi-

bilities)”. Positions don’t necessarily guarantee success, only functions can.

Why? Because where you are (position) is determined by what you do (functions). The moment you stop doing what you ought to be doing, no matter how high above you are, you will ultimately lose that position. It’s only by function that a position is retained.

The role of a CEO is a 3dimensional one involving three major responsibilities. So, just as everybody else in your company, you as the boss also have certain key roles in which you have to function. Below is an overview of your work description as a CEO. The whole idea of being your own boss is about to go sour if you are not prepared to do the work that comes

with the title.

The Roles Of A Ceo with Corresponding Responsibilities Leadership - Making the organization Effective –capable of doing the RIGHT things Management - Making the organization Efficient –capable of doing things RIGHT Entrepreneurship - Making the organization Innovative –capable of doing NEW things As you can now see, a CEO is a 3-in-1 person functioning as a Leader, Manager and Entrepreneur respectively. So what does it take to successfully carry out these 3 essential roles as CEOs? That is a subject for another day; this is just an introduction. Watch out for the part two as this is going to be a series.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Essential Qualities You Need to Influence Your World CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 experience a good one. They were there to be of service, no matter what. I can only imagine how stressful the day had been for the flight crew, with a massive hurricane affecting air travel from North Carolina to Massachusetts. But the pilot, co-pilot, and flight attendants all showed up as leaders in the ways they interacted with passengers, solved problems, and created a sense of calm. When you are of service - when you make the focus of your actions about others good things happen.

Own your actions and impact - No excuses. No denial. No blaming. No whining. Accept responsibility, learn something useful, and keep moving. That goes for both the good and not-so-good

moments.

Grow and support others Give credit where credit is due. Master the art of constructive feedback. Help others be successful. Stand up for the people who support you.

Say we far more than I or me.

The more you grow and support others, the more powerful your impact becomes.

Be curious - We’re born wide open and curious. Why is the sky blue? Why don’t dogs laugh? Who made the trees?

Curiosity is a powerful tool. It stimulates creativity, both yours and those around you.

Use it.

Speak hard truths - When you’re willing to name the elephant in the room, ask the question everyone’s thinking but no one’s saying, and give difficult but valuable feedback - and when you do so

Action is the foundational key to all success. -Pablo Picasso

respectfully and with compassion - you’re showing up as a leader.

Mind your manners - Early in my career, I worked for a CFO who often said, “All those leadership models and theories are useless without good manners.” I couldn’t agree more.

Nourish yourself - None of us are at our best when we’re stressed and exhausted.

When you practice self-care, you’re more clear-headed, patient, receptive, resilient, and just plain easier to be around. You also set an example for others to follow, helping them be more of who they are as well. “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” ~ Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

24 | POLITICSEXTRA Friday, June 6, 2014

My roadmap for Ekiti’s development, by Opeyemi CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY SUSTANABLE AGRICULTURE - SONGHAI FARM INITIATIVE FRICA’S agriculture is mostly on a small scale family basis faced with uncertain climatic conditions and low market prices. The output from the farm is not attractive to investors and has impacted the agricultural sector negatively.

In order to bring the agricultural sector to life in a sustainable manner, our Government will, among other means, borrow a leaf from the SONGHAI FARM experience in Porto- Novo, Republic of Benin. A former Dominican priest in Nigeria, Prof. (Rev. Fr.) Godfrey Nzamujo, founded the Songhai center in 1985 to; I) train young agricultural entrepreneurs and ii) develop a sustainable agricultural production system based on agrobiology.

The center has many sections today including Aquaculture, Biogas, poultry, mushroom, mechanic, grass-cutter, snailery, piggery, quail etc An Ekiti State model of the Songhai Centre, an Agricultural Development Programme will be set up to train our youth to adopt modern sustainable agricultural practices with Government supporting them to start some of these projects in their respective communities. This system will change the perception that agriculture is an occupation for the poor and/or the old and will encourage an all-inclusive participation in the sector, leading to rapid growth and development.

COOPERATIVES Agricultural cooperatives were set up over fifty years ago by the Western Regional Governments of Nigeria to encourage farmers’ pool their resources in certain areas of activity. The farmers were grouped into cooperatives to cultivate, harvest and market their produce in a bid to gain market power and increase their bargaining power by achieving economies of scale, processing their commodity to add value, and/or to purchase supplies and services.

They were aided with grants (both in cash and kind) to assist them during planting, harvesting etc of their produce. Today the cooperative system is dwindling. To stem this tide, our administration will: (i) Bring to life, once more, cooperative cottage farming; (ii) Encourage our youth especially young graduates to take to farming, making use of modern methods; (iii) Provide seedlings for the farmers.

Agricultural Development Project (ADP) and Agricultural Input Supply Agency (AISA) Both ADP and AISA are service oriented and integrated agricultural development projects to boost agricultural development with the aim of mobilizing small scale farmers towards increased agricultural production and to enhance improved standard of living and the economic well-being of the rural people through the provision of improved planting materials, inputs and technology especially planting material and fertilizer.

ADP collects aids from Agricultural Development Agencies such as World Bank, UNIDO and FGN to run programmes such as: (I) Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) (ii) Special Rice Production Programme (SRPP) (iii) Root and Tubers Expansion Programme (RTEP) (iv) West African Rice Development Project (WARDP) In order to make both ADP and AISA functional in Ekiti, our administration will: (i) Provide necessary counterpart funding of the externally financed development programmes; (ii) Re-organise the agency for better performance; (iii) Direct the agency to make the extension service very active for the provision of improved seed multiplication and introduction of new technique for improved yield to farmers; and (iv) Encourage the agency to recruit more extension officers.

Veterinary Services Our Government will fund veterinary services to improve animal production and reduce animal diseases. We will build more veterinary hospitals and diagnostic centres so as to control animal disease.

Fishery Public-private partnership initiatives will be encouraged in this sector to develop a fish hatching project in each of the three(3) senatorial districts of the State targeted to supply about one million (1,000,000) fingerlings to fish farmers annually.

Also Government will encourage interested

A

Opeyemi fish farmers to have concrete ponds in their homes. Free extension services will be given by the fisheries department to fish farmers to develop fresh water fish culture.

Poultry and Poultry Feed We will embark on Public-Private initiatives to review and possibly revive the hatchery at Erinfun in Ado-Ekiti for hatching of day-old chicks, poultry and exotic fowls. It is on record that there is at present, no hatchery plant in Ekiti State.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS, SEEDLETS AND SEEDLINGS Today, there is improvement in the production of seeds and seedlings, which are made available to farmers. Research works go on daily regarding different crops at agencies such as International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Seed Supply (NSS), Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), etc. All these agencies do raise improved seeds and seedlings.

Our Government will: (i) Ensure that both the Ministry of Agriculture and ADP projects get the latest seed varieties from relevant Research Institutes; (ii) Ensure that the seed varieties are propagated as foundation stock through the Seed Multiplication Units; (iii) Ensure that the seeds are adequately distributed through the Farmers Congresses and Farmers Cooperatives; (iv) Set up viable horticultural units in the Ministry of Agriculture and ADP because there is none owned by the government existing in Ekiti today; and (v) Sensitize farmers to patronize both the Ministry of Agriculture and ADP for seed and seedlings.

MAINSTREAMING RESEARCH INPUTS INTO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION As stated earlier, a lot of efforts have gone into research in agriculture in Nigeria.

Our Government will: (i) make it mandatory for all agencies responsible for Agriculture production to regularly consult with the Research Institutes for up-to-date knowledge in modern agricultural practice; (ii) Ensure constant dissemination of the information from the research projects to farmers through training programmes for the various congresses, cooperatives and associa-

tions; (iii) Ensure that knowledge gained from these institutes are multiplied among other staff of the various Agricultural Agencies; (v) Ensure that Local Governments are actively involved in the integrated agricultural programmes of the State.

As a leverage to agricultural activities in the economic chain, we will pursue most aggressively, integrated rural development with emphasis on rural electricity, the construction of good rural road networks, the provision of drinkable water, the building of primary health care facilities and provision of subsidized health care services, the construction of affordable, low-cost housing estates in the rural communities as well as the facilitation of rural localization of food, fruit, cassava and nut-processing industries with a guarantee of considerable tax relief to investors that will be willing to invest in our rural communities.

Our commitment to food security and employment generation for Ekiti graduates and young school leavers have prompted us to come up with a sustainable EKITI FOOD REVOLUTION PROGRAMME (EFREP) which involves the creation of loan credit facilities for our farmers, especially the younger generation, to encourage them in cultivating food items such as rice, cassava, yam, corn, millet/sorghum, groundnut in large quantities as well as the practice of animal husbandry such as piggery, poultry, snail farming, the rearing of grass cutters, rabbits, cattle, etc.

In furtherance of our commitment to economic development, the skills acquisition institute will provide opportunities for skills and technology acquisition in modern food storage technologies; mono-cropping; bio-technology; arts & craft; masonry; carpentry; food cropping; animal farming; food processing/packaging; auto-mobile/mechanical engineering; painting; catering and confectioneries.

II. COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Another major area of priority and focus of my administration as Governor will be to create an enabling Environment for Increased Commercial and Industrial Activities.

Ekiti Charter of Prosperity recognizes the urgent need to completely open up Ekiti State for commerce and industry in a way that accords the State a considerable competitive edge in the community of States within the country, a status that is capable of placing it on the global

market map. This, to us, is a great deviation from its present status as a wholly agrarian, civil service and tourist environment. We are persuaded that this will not only improve the living standard of our people tremendously through the massive creation of employment for Ekiti citizens but will also increase the revenue base of our state and enhance her contribution into the national coffers. Our policy thrust for the commerce and industry sector is to aggressively stimulate the astronomical growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) through appropriate vocational training and adequate provision of private sector-led microcredit facilities at reasonable interest rates for entrepreneurs and artisans all over the State under an initiative of the State Government to be termed EKITI BUSINESS GROWTH SCHEME and to ensure a geometric increase in the number of cottage industries as well as the promotion of local and international trade such that we will develop our market structures and other trade outlets to such standard that will make them to effectively serve as the real channels of distribution in the global trade chain.

We are poised to provide trade-friendly infrastructure and adequate security as incentives to local and foreign investors. We are prepared to grant some measure of tax relief to companies and private concerns that will be willing to invest in the rural areas, aside the fact that rural electrification and good road construction shall be seriously and vigorously pursued as pivotal ingredients towards encouraging and sustaining social life and industrial activities in the rural communities. Part of our agenda for the commerce and industry sector is to establish the EKITI FREE TRADE ZONE for international business where EKITI CARGO AIRPORT will be located, the construction of low-cost housing estates in this zone, adequate recognition of the roles of the organized private sector and providing it with the required impetus to take a lead in growing Ekiti economy, the institutionalization of regular interface between the Government and all the critical stakeholders in the economic sector through the yearly, highly resourceful and thought-provoking EKITI STATE ECONOMIC SUMMIT and the engendering of the biennial EKITI STATE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR where various local and foreign products are showcased for business awareness, trade relations and transactions. We are also determined to resuscitate all the moribund industries that were the pride of Ekiti some decades ago, including the Oodua Textile Mills in Ado-Ekiti etc.

Our administration is also committed to the long-term objective of building three state-ofthe-art industrial estates, with one in each of the three Senatorial Districts of Ekiti State. iii. INDUSTRIALISATION It is a well-known fact that industrialization is a process through which transformation takes place from a mere monoculture subsistence economy (peasant agricultural production, buying and selling and other commercial activities) to a state of large scale production through innovation in manufacturing processes, thereby leading to self-dependence, self - reliance, self-sufficiency and import-substitution. Industrialisation leads to even development, creation of substantial employment opportunities, increase in the proportion of indigenous ownership of industrial investment and stimulation of indigenous entrepreneurship.

Industrial development is a vital process that transcends other developmental process and is a major facilitator of other sectors. For example, agriculture, transport, construction and service industries depend on the products of industry. Similarly, the development of certain aspects of industry depends on products of other sub-sectors as input materials.

EKITI STATE INDUSTRIAL POLICY Industrial development in Ekiti State during our administration will be agro-based because that is the sector where the State has comparative advantage over other States of the Federation. Our industrial policy will equally fall in line with the national industrial policy of Nigeria as a nation. These policies posit that: I. Industrialization should provide greater employment opportunities; ii.

Industrialization should increase export of manufactured goods; iii. Industrialization should spread industries evenly in the local governments; iv. Industrialization should improve technological skills and capability;

CONTINUED ON PAGE 57

Friday, June 6, 2014 25

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Weekend

World’s most captivating game Arts & Culture . 36

WinstonSalem set to bid the Caged Bird farewell

Autowheels

–P.49

Aviation Business

–P.53

Researchers reveal bacteria that live in parts of airline cabins Hyundai unveils luxury car as competition from BMW rises

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26 WEEKEND Friday, June 6 , 2014

Football returns to samba There will be plenty of samba dance, frills and parties when the world’s most reverred football competition kicks off on June 12 in Brazil, the largest country in South America. Not only that, 32 countries including Nigeria, will also be there with only goal: to win the World Cup, writes CHRISTIAN OKPARA, with agency reports

Super Eagles of Nigeria INE, women and good beaches are synonymous with Brazil. And of course, W there is football, which is the most popular sport in the largest country in South America.

Brazil, the most successful country in world football, will from June 12 host the best players from across the world in the battle for the World Cup won four years ago by Spain.

This World Cup, which some pundits predict would be the most successful in terms of the game, not facilities, has been bedeviled by protests from Brazilians, who have found it difficult to reconcile the huge

Emenike

amount being ploughed into preparing for the Mundial Coupe with the level of poverty in the country.

But there is the general belief that once the whistle sounds, the football-mad Brazilians would forget their worries and queue behind Neymar and his gang.

Neymar, the poster boy of Brazilian football, is up against some of the best players in the world, including the winners of the last two Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (injury permitting) in the hunt for the coveted FIFA cup.

Although injury to major stars has been one of the recurring stories heading into the competition, with such outstanding players as Falcao of Colombia, Oxlade-Chamberlain of England, Suarez of Uruguay and Nigeria’s Obinna Nsofor in danger of missing the football showpiece due to hard knocks, Brazil 2014 presents a spectacle where some of the best talents to grace the game in over a decade would converge to strut their stuff.

Going into the Brazil 2014 World Cup, we bring to you some of the exciting tit-bits from past competitions.

You think back to all those wonderful mo-

Neymar

Messi

ments that have manifested in feelings of dejection and delight, brought about elongated annunciations from overexcited commentators and made you think back to some of the iconic figures in World Cup history. How that cocktail of emotions made you fall head over heels in love with this wonderful tournament.

Ahead of the Brazil showpiece, let’s take a look at some of those marvellous teams, those majestic players and how they’ve made their mark on the tournament in a host of different ways.

The country most synonymous with the

Suarez

Friday, June 6, 2014 WEEKEND

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land, weaklings beware!

Brazil

Spain

Germany

Argentina

World Cup is Brazil, having won the competition a remarkable five times in all.

They won three World Cups in 12 years in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Then Brazil had to wait 24 years until they would next sample glory, which was in the United States in 1994. They would win the tournament again eight years later in Japan and South Korea.

A win on home soil this year would put the Brazilians two clear of Italy, who currently have four world titles. West Germany have three, while Argentina and Uruguay have a couple each. England picked up their only victory as hosts in 1966.

Leading the way with the most goals in the history of the World Cup is Brazilian forward Ronaldo. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan always seemed to produce on the big stage, notching at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 showpieces.

He was arguably at his very best in 1998, but the tournament ended on a sour note, when he was played in the final against France despite suffering a convulsive fit on the eve of the game. He would find redemption four years later, though, as his two goals in the final against Germany helped Brazil to their fifth title.

There is a German who can overhaul Ronaldo at the 2014 tournament, though, as noted by Jonas Giaever: Miroslav Klose is the only orthodox centre-forward in this Germany squad, and given the myriad of creative riches in this team, he should stand a wonderful chance of not only levelling Ronaldo’s record—which he is one goal behind—but besting it too. Especially if the Germans can put together a deep or potentially winning run in the tournament.

A true icon in Brazil, Pele is the only man in history to have won the World Cup on three separate occasions. His first triumph came when he was just 17 years of age in 1958, netting a hat-trick in the semi-final of the competition and a brace in the final against Sweden.

He went on to win the tournament again in 1962, although Pele would only feature in two matches that year. Injury

scuppered his chances in 1966, but in 1970 he was back to his blistering best, helping a Brazil team well regarded as one of the greatest of all time to victory.

Pele was named player of the tournament that year and cemented his legacy as one the game’s all-time great players.

It’ll be a long time before anyone matches his achievements in the World Cup. Diego Maradona may not have won as many World Cups as Pele, but his influential displays at the 1986 tournament make him just as vital a figure in the tournament’s history.

In truth, we saw the best and worst from a player who was not only an encapsulating talent, but a man who would do everything within his power to see his team victorious. The best example of this came against England in the quarter-final.

After helping La Albiceleste through to the semi-final in controversial yet brilliant circumstances, Maradona then went on to bag a remarkable brace that saw Argentina into the last two. The team eventually emerged triumphant in the final after a wonderful game with West Germany, but the 1986 World Cup will be forever associated with the little genius.

Eusebio, the man known as the Black Panther burst onto the world stage in the 1966 competition in England.

Portugal were playing in their first World Cup at the time, and in Eusebio, they had the outstanding player in the competition.

The then-24-year-old helped Portugal eliminate Pele and his Brazil team early on, before he scored an unprecedented four goals in a quarter-final clash at Goodison Park with North Korea, helping his team recover from a 3-0 deficit.

The tournament was to end in tears for Eusebio, though, as his team were knocked out by eventual winners England in the semi-final, despite his late goal.

Eusebio eventually ended up with nine goals in the competition, and his performances from 48 years ago—in particular those at Goodison Park—are still recounted fondly by those on Merseyside who were lucky enough to have seen him in the flesh.

Keshi

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BusinessRound-Up

In association with

LAFARGE TO MERGE S.AFRICA & NIGERIAN UNITS

By Dara Rhodes AFARGE Group on Tuesday, announced its plan to transfer all its shares in its businesses in Nigeria and South Africa into Lafarge Africa Plc. “This transaction is about consolidating all out Nigerian operations, all our share holdings in Ashaka, 35 per cent in Unicem and Atlas to Lafarge WAPCO and also putting it with our interest in our South African Operations,” Guilluame Roux told CNBC Africa.

When finalised, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc will be renamed Lafarge Africa Plc and the new entity will have nationwide coverage in both Nigeria and South Africa with cement capacity of about 12 million tonnes.

“It’s a very large transaction, valued at 1.3 billion dollars which will create a leading sub-Saharan building materials platform listed on

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the Nigerian Stock Exchange and this will make it the sixth largest listing,” he said.

The company will increase product range and operations in aggregates, ready-mix and fly ash in order to answer the growing building materials demand in sub-Saharan Africa.

“It’s a great time to do this, on the basis of the two strongest economies in sub-Saharan Africa. With Nigeria being number one, with strong fundamentals, high population and low cement consumption which will lead to double digit growth in cement consumption in Nigeria,” he explained.

The group believes that the strong operaLafarge Africa will be the sixth largest on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

PHOTO: Getty Images tional track record and management skills within the combined businesses as well as to four per cent and a wider range of construccontinued support and expertise from Lafarge customer needs.

“In South Africa, the former largest economy, tion solutions that we’ve been providing to Group will position the producers to offer a there is still stable growth outlook with three the market,” he added. full range of value added solutions to meet

AFRICA IS THE FUTURE FOR INVESTMENTS:AKON

By Dara Rhodes

going to help the rest of the world but FRICAN artists are increasing their footprint Africa is still [behind] when it comes to deglobally as the entertainment industry on velopment. There is so much to be done the continent spreads to other parts of the here so I think it’s a prime real estate investworld. ment place,” he said.

With over 200 million people currently aged The multiple award winning musician has between 15 and 24 years old, Africa has the invested in a South African diamond mine youngest population in the world and accord- and the artist signed some Nigerian artistes ing to the African Development Bank, this fig- onto his record label. ure is expected to double by 2045.

“Clearly [entertainment] is my niche and “As far as investments go, I think Africa is the that’s how it all started from. It all started future for investments. The light is so bright with me investing in the entertainment secand so clear,” Akon, multiple award winning tor. I started a record company in Africa and recording artist told CNBC Africa. signed, Wizkid, P-Square, Davido so it’s like Earlier this year, the World Bank revealed that we created this synergy of young artists that the net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows could cross over,” he explained. to African countries grew by 16.2 per cent to 43 “Their creativity is amazing. That’s one of billion in 2013. the reasons why I wanted to invest here be“Everything that is happening in Africa from cause I just wanted the rest of the world to the resources down to the human resources is see what I was seeing,” he added.

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PRIVATE HEALTHCARE INVESTIGATED OVER RISING PRICES

Private healthcare being investigated over rising prices.

By Trust Matsilele HE competition commisT sion has opened doors for public comments with re-

Akon

gards to private healthcare in the country.

Inquiry that was initiated by the commission has been on the cards for two years.The inquiries underway is believed to have been prompted by the rising expenditure, rising prices and rising above headline inflation across the health sector.

According to Daryl Dingley, a partner at Webber Wentzel’s Competition Practice, the fact that a small population can afford private healthcare is what spurred authorities to initiate the inquiry.

He also added that the in-

quiries into the healthcare sector would be conducted in the same fashion as the banking sector inquiries though approaches would differ because of the response by the healthcare sector.

“The healthcare inquiry has more teeth compared to the banking inquiry because the banking sector came forward on their own and volunteered information,” Dingley told CNBC Africa.

“In South Africa the major issue with the private hospitals is the level of concentration which creates assumptions that they are driving these inflationary pressures,” he added.

About 80 per cent of the private healthcare sector in the

PHOTO: Yworld country is dominated by three firms which are Netcare, Mediclinic and Life Healthcare.

The new market inquiry is being conducted under the new regime of the competition act.

Dingley postulated that it was unfair for the inquiry to be informed by affordability of private healthcare by the country’s populace.

“It is unfair as there are a number of factors affecting the rising expenditure like increasing utilisation as there is a rise in the population that is affording medical insurance and managing to go to the private healthcare.”

South Africa’s Competition Commission began a market inquiry into the private healthcare sector early 2014.

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EMEFIELE UNVEILS AGENDA FOR NIGERIA'S CENTRAL BANK

Godwin Emefiele cial system stability and promoting sustainable development.

As the CBN can no longer afford to focus The new governor of the Central Bank only on price and exchange rate stability of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has an- thus the Apex bank seeks to be a people-oribank creating an environment for nounced his agenda for his five year entated Nigerians to live a better life. The governor expressed a major focus on growing the tenure. economy by targeting key sectors, particuhE governor Godwin Emefiele plans to larly agriculture and bring down the unemdrive growth and development. ployment rate.

From the press conference held, it is clear “In order to realise the Central Bank of Nigethat Emefiele’s focus is on his plans for driving ria’s vision, I believe that reasonably stable development and growth. prices provide a catalyst for rational conThe vision of the Central Bank of Nigeria is to sumption, investment decisions and for orbe the model bank delivering price and finan- der in economic progress,” Godwin Emefiele,

By Dara Rhodes

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Central Bank Governor of Nigeria said.

“I believe therefore, that we must start with championing policies that promote sustainability of our hard earned macroeconomic stability,” MACROECONOMIC STABILITY ON MONETARY POLICY “On monetary policy, we shall pursue a gradual reduction in interest rates. A comparison of selected macroeconomic aggregates from some emerging markets and countries including South Africa, Brazil, India, China, turkey, Malaysia indicate that Nigeria has one of the highest treasury bill rates,” he explained.

As such high rates create a pervasive environment for commercial banks to simply buy virtually risk free government bonds rather than lend to the real sector.

“To enhance financial access and reduce borrowers cost for credit, we will pursue policies targeted at making Nigeria’s treasury bills rate more comparable with other emerging markets and by extension, pursue a reduction in both deposit and lending rate,” Emefiele said.

A reduction in the deposit rate will encourage investor attitude in savers and a reduction in lending rates will make credit cheaper for potential investors.

“The bank will also begin to include the unemployment rates as one of the key variables considered for its monetary policy decisions.”

In the interim, the central bank will continue to maintain a monetary policy stance reflecting the liquidity conditions in the economy as well as the potential fiscal expansion in the run up to the 2015 general elections.

EXChANGE RATE POLICY The bank’s key goal under the exchange rate policy would be to maintain exchange rates stability in view of the high import dependent nature of the Nigerian economy

and significant exchange rate falls to a systematic depreciation of the naira would literally translate to considerable inflationary pressure with an effect of macroeconomic stability.

“Therefore, under my leadership, the bank will continue to focus on maintaining exchange rate stability and preserve the value of the domestic currency,” he said.

"We will sustain the manage float regime in the management of the exchange rate as this will allow the bank to intervene when necessary on the exchange rate. To support this strategy, we will strive to build up and maintain a healthy reserve position and ensure excellent balance.”

The governor believes that there is no doubt that reducing interest rates and maintaining exchange rates are very daunting goals and as such the bank will work with all stakeholders to devise measures that will ensure that these goals are mutually achieved.

FINANCIAL SYSTEM STABILITY The bank hopes to sustain the effective management of potential threat and avoid systemic crisis.

“The core of my vision is to effectively manage potential threats to financial stability and create a strong governance regime that will be conducive for financial intermediation, innovative finance and inclusiveness.”

In this regard, the bank hopes to anchor on two main pillars which manage factors that create liquidity shocks and zero tolerance on practices that undermine the health of financial institutions.

“In order to achieve these goals, we would warn all the relevant stakeholders to aggressively shore up reserves. We hope to engage the fiscal and political authorities as well as other stakeholders to improve our policy buffers which will further create space for the bank to implement policy using its limited instruments.”

(Watch the full CBN Governor’s address on our website: www.CNBCAfrica.com)

SANLAM PENETRATES RWANDA’S INSURANCE MARKET

By Elayne Wangalwa Emerging Markets (SEM) has penetrated into the SestANLAM Rwandan insurance market by acquiring a 63 per cent interof the SORAS Group. . Rwanda’s largest insurance company, SORAS Group, has concluded an agreement worth 24.3 million dollars that will give Sanlam 63 per cent admission into the insurance sector.

“We have always stated that we want to expand into an emerging market. If you specifically look at this transition, it really ties in well with our East Africa play. We have a presence in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, so Rwanda completes our current footprint in East Africa,” Thabied Majal, corporate development executive at SEM told CNBC Africa.

The Rwandan insurance sector is well capitalised and profitable despite the low penetration rate of below 10 per cent for middle income countries.

“Even with the kind of market shares that SORAS Group has for both life and general insurance, the market is relatively small and underdeveloped with an insurance penetration of

one per cent. That compares very favorably in terms of opportunity for us to really grow the market,” Majal explained.

The insurance company has been growing at double the rate of the average industry growth in Rwanda despite the serious impediment to the progression of the insurance sector.

“The company is ideally positioned to be at the forefront of the growth in the market. From a Sanlam perspective as a majority shareholder and as a technical partner, we would like to see how we can optimise and assist the company and local management in order to grow their business at the current rate if not faster,” Majal said.

Sanlam Limited is a South African financial solutions group that provides services to individuals and institutions. Its services include short-term insurance, trusts, and estate planning and property asset management. It is listed on both the Johannesburg and Namibian stock markets.

According to Majal, Rwanda’s GDP growth of more than eight per cent annually and its good economy is a good opportuSanlam Emerging Markets (SEM) has penetrated into the Rwandan innity for Sanlam to run their operations. surance market

GUINEA ON ThE BRINK OF IRON ORE BOOM

By Dara Rhodes hE president of Guinea, Alpha Conde has signed an iron ore deal that has the capacity to lift the country out of poverty.

The world’s second-biggest mining company, Rio Tinto agreed financial terms with the government of Guinea for a 20 billion dollar deal geared towards the development of the country’s iron ore deposits.

“I think it’s a very important move. What we’ve seen in Guinea is, a vastly inequitable contract that was created in a corrupt fashion between an Israeli billionaire and the old Guinean dictatorship,” Simon Allison, senior reporter for the Daily Maverick told CNBC Africa.

Before the new agreement was signed, Rio was awarded concessions to Simandou almost 10 years ago but was forced to give up those in the Northern part of the range hills in 2008.

The concessions were then given to BSG Resources (BSGR), a company controlled by Israeli billionaire, Beny Steinmetz.

“What happened with the old contract was that, the company, BSGR sold 51 per cent of its stake that it had got for approximately, a couple of 100 million dollars to the Brazilian mining giant, Vale, for five billion dollars,” he explained.

The deal has the potential to lift the country out of poverty.

PHOTO: Getty images “That contract has essentially been ripped up by the new gov-

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ernment which was elected democratically and is being replaced by a new one.”

The 20 billion dollars investment framework, provides legal and financial backing for the Simandou project which has been delayed for years and experts believe that it has the potential to become the biggest iron ore and infrastructure project developed in Africa.

“The new one is worth 20 billion US dollars in terms of Capital investments from the mining giants, Rio Tinto and Chinalco, the Chinese aluminium firm. The previous contract, was worth about 200 million dollars to the previous Guinean government,” he said Rio Tinto will take a 46.6 per cent stake in the project, Chinalco 41.3 per cent, Guinea 7.5 per cent and the International Finance Corporation, 4.6 per cent. The BSGR permits were withdrawn by the Guinean government last month, making way for the deal between Rio Tinto and Chinalco.

“It is very encouraging to see African governments taking a stand and saying look, if a contract was negotiated and concluded as a result of corrupt practices and it’s not benefitting the people where those resources are, then we need to re-consider it,” he added.

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gaBON rEadY TO EXPLOrE MININg sEcTOr

By Dara Rhodes

in the north which is a very gold area,” Fabrice Nze Bekale, cEO, sEM gabon told cNBc africa. according to the african development Bank, mining accounted for 6.3 per cent of the country’s gdP and six per cent of exports in 2012. The government hopes to quadruple the sector’s economic contribution by 2025 as part of the gabon Industrial development plan.

“We have another licence in the south next to a gold producing mine already so it’s very promising and the third is in the centre of the country,” he said.

“Well, I just want to specify that we have several missions, our strategy is to be focused on gold as an operator, however, it doesn’t mean that we will neglect the other minerals, we have just decided to apply another business model for the other minerals,” he explained.

Belinga iron ore remains one of the world’s largest untapped resources and a deposit estimated at one billion tonne of the mineral remains unexplored in the country. government officials have said that the country could contain much more than the official one billion tons and the country is set to launch a formal tender process in 2016.

“For the other minerals, we attract partners, we set up joint ventures (JVs) and we exploit those deposits together so very soon, we are going to announce the signing of a JV agreement with a partner on the Okondja Manganese deposit.”

The Okondja manganese deposit was owned by top global mine BHP Billiton, however, last year, the miming company froze all its projects in the West african state crushing the governments hopes for sizeable investments in manganese and iron ore production.

“Very soon as well, we are going to announce the signing of another JV agreement on iron ore with another partner,” he added.

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Us cITINg NEW HOPE FOr sOMaLIa, TO NaME sOMaLIa aMBassadOr HE United states will appoint a new ambassador to MoT gadishu for the first time since closing its embassy there 23 years ago.

ENYa, Uganda and south sudan are expected to invite bids K for a consultant to oversee the building of an oil pipeline to transport crude.

Wendy sherman, Under secretary of state for Political affairs, didn’t specify exactly when the ambassador would be named, but said it would be “soon.”

There were hopeful signs of improvement in the security and economic conditions in the country, following years when somalia had become “a synonym for chaos,” she said at the United states Institute of Peace think tank in Washington. “as a reflection both of our deepening relationship with the country and of our faith that better times are ahead, the president will propose the first Us ambassador to somalia in more than two decades,” sherman said. a Us diplomat based in Nairobi, the capital of neighbouring Kenya, who travelled sporadically to Mogadishu, has represented Us interests in somalia. a state department official said the new ambassador would not yet be based permanently in Mogadishu.

Mentioning recent attacks in somalia and neighbouring Kenya by the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group al shabaab, sherman said there was still a tough struggle to secure the country and rebuild its government, economy and infrastructure.

“The path ahead remains rocky and uphill,” she said, adding that now was the best time in a quarter of a century to start realising the post-independence hopes of the former Italian colony for peace and prosperity. discussing the Us commitment to somalia’s security, she said “a small contingent of Us military personnel, including some special operations forces, have been present in parts of somalia for several years.”

Their aim had been to work with somali and african Union Mission in somalia (aMIsOM) forces, providing information and advice on fighting al shabaab. sherman noted there had been a number of direct Us military strikes on militant targets, but didn’t specify whether they were drone strikes.

“From time-to-time the Us military has conducted such action in somalia against a limited number of targets who ... have been determined to be part of al Qaeda,” she said.

These may continue in the future if it was established that

The crude would be transported to the Kenyan coast, a senior Kenyan energy official said on Wednesday.

Uganda and Kenya have discovered commercial quantities of oil and aim to start production in the next three years or so.

Their neighbour, south sudan, is a producer that now relies on a pipeline through sudan but ties between those two states have been strained since they split from each other in 2011.

“What we want is to procure one supervisor for the entire pipeline so that the quality of the pipeline is the same,” Joseph Njoroge, the Energy and Petroleum Ministry’s principal secretary, told reporters.

“In two to three weeks we should see the advertisement for the consultant,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting to discuss his ministry’s five-year strategy to 2017.

East africa has become hot property for international oil firms after Kenya and Uganda’s commercial oil finds and discoveries of gas off the coast of Tanzania and Mozambique.

Tullow Oil and africa Oil, which control blocks in Kenya, have estimated discoveries in the south Lokichar basin at 600 million barrels, a level experts say is enough to make a pipeline viable even without Uganda.

Madagascar’s PrEsIdENT VOWs TO IMPrOVE agrIcULTUrE sEcTOr

EarLY 70 per cent of gabon’s mining terrain is still unexplored, as the country’s wealth extends well beyond timber and oil into minerals.

The country is currently the world’s third producer of manganese, only second to south africa and australia and to optimise the exploration of the country’s numerous natural resources, societe Equatoriale des Mines (sEM) was launched in 2011.

“We have three mining licenses in gabon to explore gold and we have started the activities. The first mining licence is

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Gabon is the World's third producer of manganese.

PHOTO: Getty images

E.aFrIcaN sTaTEs PLaN sINgLE cONsULTaNT FOr OIL PIPELINE - OFFIcIaL

By Trust Matsilele

aFdB gIVEs UgaNda Us$109 MILLION LOaN

By Trust Matsilele gaNda is set to receive a 109 million Us dollar loan from U the african development Bank group to finance the road sector support Project V. The project is part of the african development Bank’s (afdB) key development policies and its assistance strategy to Uganda. The project is also in line with the country’s National development Plan (NdP) and Vision 2040 of Uganda.

“The project’s objective is to improve road access to socioeconomic facilities and quality of transport service levels in south-western and eastern parts of Uganda,” noted the afdB.

“It will help to improve the standards of living of the beneficiaries, support the tourism industry and promote regional integration and cross border trade with the democratic republic of congo (drc) and Kenya.” according to the afdB, the project will result in the reduction of transport costs; increased mobility; improved access to economic and social facilities; provision of clean water to households; and increase in income of women vendors in the roadside markets.

“With this project, the afdB is addressing a pressing demand for the provision of good quality and reliable transport infrastructure needed by Uganda for its socio-economic development and poverty reduction agenda,” said amadou Oumarou, director for Transport and Information and communication Technologies at the afdB. The envisaged improved infrastructure will help facilitate trade in the region.

“The upgraded roads will support cross border trade and regional integration by linking western Uganda with democratic republic of congo (drc) and eastern Uganda with Kenya at the border of Ishasha and Lwakhakha respectively.

The roads will also support the tourism activities at Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) and Mount Elgon National Parks.”

The project will also help alleviate challenges faced by women such as reduction in travel time in cases of emergency.

“Most importantly, the reduction in travel time will enable emergency cases, including those related to maternity cases, reach health facilities in a timely manner, with the expected 20 per cent reduction in a number of maternity emergencies.”

adagascar is emerging from a political crisis that saw M the southern african economy contracting since 2009.

The country’s main focus under the new presidency is rejuvenating its agriculture sector that previously made a significant contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (gdP). agriculture is the backbone of Madagascar’s economy contributing 34 per cent of gdP and contributing more than 70 per cent to export earnings.

“My main goal is to fight poverty by setting up development strategies that are inclusive and sustainable as after 50 years of independence the people of Madagascar are still in poverty,” Hery rajaonarimampianina, the Madagascan president told cNBc africa. rajaonarimampianina also noted that during his tenure he would work in promoting foreign direct inflows.

The country has been receiving support from the World Bank, European Union, african development Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The Madagascan president also noted that it was imperative for his country to improve its relations with south africa.

“We have good relations with south africa but there are lot of fields in which we can work together,” he noted. since the political crisis of 2009, the country’s economic and social progress has been compromised. according to the african Economic Outlook report, the country’s economic growth was at 1.9 per cent in 2012 and 2.6 per cent in 2013.

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34 ArTS Friday, June 6, 2014

VisualArts Unfurling of Obiagos via lens Stories by Tajudeen Sowole AVING found additional passion in curatH ing art exhibitions, documentary filmmaker, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago brings in photography as a funnel through which she is distilling her creative ebullience garnered across the genres.

But she is not alone in the photography mission; her daughter Amara Obiago (b. 1995) joins the curator in a mother and child debut exhibition titled Unfurling, which opens from Monday, June 4, ending ;on August, 30, 2014 at The Wheatbaker, Ikoyi, Lagos. “unfurling is our expression of revealing, unwrapping things around us, “ Sandra explained to select guests during the preview of the exhibition. She added that the joint show is also about “how memory and meaning can be reflected through everyday objects within everyone’s reach.”

Whoever goes to see Unfurling trying to sniff a gap between a professional and amateur photography may be in for a surprise: the images have no such lines drawn between the works of the two exhibiting photo artists. In fact, one of the works that “inspired” the central theme is Amara’s Curl. A leaf captured at the embryo and through a photosynthesis stage, graphically unwrapping into full birth or ripe says so much about the young Obiago’’s eyes for creative photography.

Amara, according to Sandra, has been using camera to take snap shots since she was eight.

And with the guidance of a mother who has been imploring photography as an extension of her filmmaking career, Amara’s love for the camera lens appeared to have headed for incendiary expression. Other works of the young Obiago that confirm she can go a far distance in photography include a painterly EFX image of a landscape La Fuite, Curl and Akuka.

With easy access to camera as well as the aid of post-production digital gadgets, photography has become a common medium of all shades of expressions. And sometimes accidental or sub-conscious shots are mistaken for creative rendition. Despite missing the pre-digital period of photography when she developed her passion, Amara seems to know the difference between snapshots and conscious or compos-

Close up shots of Adire, from Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago’s lens. ite creative picture. “Photography is not much more about the gadgets, but being creative enough to take the right picture at the right time, place and time,” she said.

And where post-production digital imaging comes into some of her works, Amara argued that EFX (special effect) in photography should be subtly applied and not “obvious” such that it loses the contents A daylight photo wiz-kid, Amara explained how timing is crucial “I pick out an object, a smile, a pose… really a distinct moment in time that can never be reproduced.”

For Sandra whose works include some of the pictures taken during her filming projects and others outside the film locations, making her debut photography exhibition in a joint show with her daughter goes beyond the personal expressions of mother and child. She stressed

Amara Obiago’s Curl of a shot of unfolding leaf.

that the exhibition, built on the strength of an 18 year old and a middle age mother’s views of life could inspire people to share their hidden creativity.

Some of Sandra’s works include a dancer captured in monochrome standing on one feet on another’s head; and close shots of design prints from the adire queen, Nike DaviesOkundaye’s works.

Sponsored by ruinart, “the worlds’ oldest established Champagne house”, and the Global Energy Group in collaboration with The Wheatbaker, unfurling adds to the success of the space’s mission known as Collectors’ Series.

When Sandra started what was tagged Collectors Series in 2011 - a new innovation on the Lagos’ art space that formed synergy between hospitality and art - the direction wasn’t ex-

actly clear to many observers. Over three years after, and about ten or more exhibitions still counting, Wheatbaker appears elated with the partnership. Architect and director at the hotel, Mosun Ogunbanjo disclosed that “I am so proud to see how Sandra is using Wheatbaker to provide art appreciation,” Ogunbanjo told the guests during preview.

Stepping up the appreciation, unfurling carries with poetry as Sandra and Amara support their work with few poems.

Poetry and photography, according to Sandra’s Artist Statement are personal artistic expression. Her filmmaking background, she explained cannot be divorced from the total expressions in photography and poetry combined “Coming from a film background, which is a group art form, I have always felt solace and comfort in retreating into myself and

In Memoir of Elizabeth, Awusa’s woman-metaphor highlights imbalance in love ISTurBED by a lady’s sacrifice of her D academic prospects on the altar of romance, painter Gab Awusa employs the “real life” story as a metaphor in his new body of work.

Awusa’s encounter with the victims of love, which he has put on canvas to explain how it applies to life across board, opens as a solo art exhibition titled Memoirs of Elizabeth, opening tomorrow at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Awusa, an impressionist whose brush movement is typically modernism, appears to have started researching women since his encounter with Elizabeth. He told his guests during a preview, “Elizabeth changed my perception of who and what a woman is, in totality.”

Several years after Awusa’s study of women, which culminate into his current body of work, the artist now has a visual language or vocabulary on the women subject. “Now, through close interaction and attention, I have a better understanding of this veiled complexity called woman.”

The story of Elizabeth, the artist narrated, is that of a young woman who has “an obsession with a man who wasn’t reciprocal in his commitment to her, an obsession that eventually marred her academic pursuit for excellence, Elizabeth graduated with a heart wrenching

third class honours.”

While the charcoal and oil works of Awusa are not far from masterly status, as he renders figural female subjects in diverse shades and lights, tthe complexity of expressing contemporary subjects via a medium of modernism seems not compatible.

But the artist insisted that his palette is not exactly as conservative or rigid. He explained how “I’ve tried to color and charcoal down some of my revelations, especially of the contemporary woman that the present evolution of society is churning out.” For the generation of Elizabeth in focus, Awusa argued that they “seem to be clouded by social and cultural pressure, some out of ineptitudes and inhibitions.”

He stresssed that. “today’s woman is a revelation not a discovery, she is changing the game and outlook of things, and any man who intends to remain on top must zip up and use his head.”

Like a romance movie screenplay, Elizabeth, according to Awusa, gets back her groove. Three years after “her man has finally proposed, they are both planning to marry sometime later in the year.”

The story of Elizabeth, Awusa stressed “chronicles and represents phases and shades of the enigma that is love.”

The exhibition, Awusa cautioned, though started with the story of Eliza-

beth, “it did not end it.”

And as much as the artist has stuck to his identity of a modernist in the presentation of the contemporary theme for the exhibition, it would be of a great creative shift if the textures of the works are as diverse to include new medium or uncommon imploring of materials.

For the gallery, presentation of the 40 “exceptional pieces of work;” compliments the contents described as “diversity in use of color and style through the use of charcoal and paint.”

A statement from Terra Kulture reads: “Portrait and figures are a part of Gabriel Awusa style skillfully balancing realism with abstract: his distinctive style can be appreciated by all.

“This promises to be an exciting display of excellence and style.”

Awusa studied Art and Design at the Federal Polytechnic Auchi , Edo state, between 1983 – 1988 and graduated with distinction, majoring in painting and general studies.

From 1989 to 1990, Awusa worked in the advertising sector before he decided to become a full time, self-employed artist.

Some of his solo exhibitions in over two decades of practice included Mixed feelings at National Museum in 1993: Simple statements at Didi museum, 1996: Out of Africa, 2001: and Miniatures of Gabawusa, at Mydrim Gallery in 2006.

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Sustaining Rhodes’ musical culture with touring exhibition, Foundation

By Tajudeen Sowole EMORIES of over 50 years career of the M late music impressario, Steve Rhodes, exhibited via his personal collection, marked a fifth-year remembrance ahead of a foundation being set up in his name.

Mounted inside the Museum Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island and opened few days ago, the collections titled, The Impresario: 6th-Year Commemorative Exhibition On Steve Rhodes remind admirers and friends of Rhodes certain events, particularly of musical concerts-related works of the music legend.

And as the opening coincided with the Democracy Day celebration declared by the Federal Government on May 29, the special guest at the event, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka argued that honouring people like Rhodes who have contributed to Nigeria’s artistic development is something to take away in 15 years of democracy.

Some of the exhibits dated to the 1950s and towards the period of the late artiste’s death included memorabilia such as photographs taken at Western Nigerian Televisio (WNTV), Ibadan, concerts, posters of musical evens, newspapers cuttings of reviews, news and interviews. Also on display were Rhodes’ certificates, honours as well as awards given him to him at home and abroad.

For many of Rhodes’ fans who did not know how close he was to the traditional institution, a staff of chieftaincy Olooye Baariya od Ode Remo’ given to him was also on display in the glassed section of honours and awards.

Meanwhile, one of Rhodes’ children, Gloria, disclosed that the family was on the verge of registering a foundation in the music director’s memory. But the process of “name change, Gloria explained, has been posing a challenge to the family. Her father, she said “already registered The Centre for Cultural Preservation. What we are doing now is a name change; to Rhodes Foundation.” The essence of the foundation, she stressed, “essentially is to preserve our musical culture.”

The exhibition, according to Gloria, is scheduled to show at select universities across the country after the two weeks showing at Freedom Park.

Rhodes (1926- 2008) founded the famous Steve Rhodes Voices (SRV), a group that boasted of over 250 young Nigerian.

Whoever needed to reconnect one or more memories of Rhodes had the window to do

Prof. Wole Soyinka (left) and Chairman of Steve Rhodes Foundation, Prof Johnson Ekpere, during the opening of the exhibition in Lagos…recently. that during the opening of the exhibition. Prof Johnson Ekpere, chairman of the Steve Rhodes Foundation, showed such example when he noted quite a number of Rhodes’ collections on display that reminded him of the artiste’s great impact on the Nigerian music scene. In fact, Ekpere admitted that “I thought I knew enough of him (Rhodes), now I know better.”

Rhodes made so much impact on the Nigerian music scene, even up till periods when a sharp generational shift was evolving. He died at a period when so much issue of contents rendered the music airwaves.

No doubts, he left a legacy of purist and elitist musical culture. But would there be another Rhodes from his children? “Not among us,” Gloria stated with laughter. “Maybe from his grandchildren,” she added. Gloria recalled how exceptionally gifted her father was as composer and director. “His shoes is not as easy to step into. I can sing, but I can’t compose, harmonise write or arrange music...all the things that he could do.”

But given the reality of the direction in which contemporary Nigerian music is heading, which is blurring the elitist or classic lines,

would the music scene need another Rhodes?

“We don’t need exactly another Rhodes,” veteran music critic, Benson Idonijie, said during a chat at the opening of the exhibition.

“Maybe the music scene needs somebody who can help to stimulate new thinking and galvanise what is happening now to take it to the next level, creatively. It may not be exactly the way Rhodes did it in his time.”

In apparent reference to Rhodes’ remarkable work as director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the COJA Games in 2003, Soyinka noted that honouring “those who deserve honour” like Rhodes is the gain of democracy. He also disclosed that “Rhodes’ collection speaks to my head.” He recalled spending so much time with the “music genius,” hence his appreciation of the collection on display.

On the screen at the far end of the gallery was Metamorphosis: The Music of Steve Rhodes, a documentary work produced and directed by Femi Odugbemi.

Known by many as “an encyclopedia of Nigerian music’; ‘a great musicologist and the conscience of entertainment industry in his time’ Rhodes was a pioneer African TV broadcaster at WNTV Ibadan, defunct Western Region.

ORN in 1926 in Lagos to Justice Bankole and B Mrs. Mabel Jones de Rhodes was educated at CMS Grammar School (Lagos) and Dennis

A section of the exhibits

A section of the exhibits

Guests and family of Rhodes during the exhibitions.

Newspaper cuttings section of the exhbition

Memorial School (Onitsha).

He later spentg 11 years in England and Germany and later was a jazz musician in Germany, where he played with a traveling bands in concert tour through Switzerland and Italy After the death of his father, Rhodes returned to Nigeria and joined the Federal Ministry of Information. He became the first Nigerian Controller of Programmes of the Western Nigerian Television (WNTV), Ibadan.

He also worked at the defunct Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria FRCN). The emerging of the West African Dance Orchestra at FRCN was linked to his inititiative.

Rhodes founded Steve Rhodes Voices (SRV), a group of award winning young choristers that earned fame performing at music events.

For 20 years the SRV trained and mentored an estimated 250 young Nigerians.

The group would later change into Steve Rhodes Orchestra, SRO, and had to its credit shows such as Metamorphosis, a performance acclaimed as one of the best productions on the Nigerian theatre space.

Another hit performance of the group included Ode to Freedom, a frontal confrontation to the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

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Revue

Maya Angelou...

Maya Angelou and Hillary Clinton

PHOTOS: WINSTON-SALEM (NC) JOURNAL

Winston-Salem set to bid the Caged Bird farewell From Kabir Alabi Garba, Winston-Salem, North Carolina ONTRARY to her larger-than-life perC sonality, a private rite of passage will be held in honour of Maya Angelou tomor-

row at Wake Forest University’s Wait Chapel, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America. She died on May 28 at her home in Winston-Salem after a long illness. Aged 86.

But the privateness or otherwise of the memorial service for the celebrated poet, actress and civil rights activist is only in the size of guests and speakers expected at the funeral billed for 10a.m. (3p.m. Nigeria time) . The venue of the service, Wait Chapel has limited seating capacity. It can only accommodate 2,250 people, although, it has hosted presidential debates and other prominent events including one that featured Senator Hillary Clinton and Angelou on April 18, 2008.

Certainly, the quality of attendance will be national, international, and indeed, universal. She enriched the humanity with her astounding array of talents and accomplishments. So, tomorrow’s outing may be seized as a rare opportunity to accord her last respect.

The frenzy has already gripped the twin city renowned for its richness in arts, music, and education, fields where Angelou left indelible marks having distinguished herself as singer, dancer, composer, producer, actress, journalist,

teacher, motivational speaker, writer, and civil rights activist.

Inside the Wait Chapel on Tuesday, The Guardian sighted six technicians from the university doing some fittings. They were busy retightening boat and nut of the seats. The vicinity of the complex, with greenish and expansive field in the frontage looks sparkling. For years, the campus has had infectious attachment to neatness. This time, the degree of this culture appears to have been elevated.

Everywhere is quiet and neat! Earlier on Monday, Angelou’s age long friend, Oprah Winfrey was reportedly sighted inside Wait Chapel until 1p.m with a group helping plan the service. Shortly after the breaking of the news of her death, Winfrey had announced that she would be speaking at the memorial. Last Sunday, Winfrey also tweeted that she was sitting at Angelou’s kitchen table.

While the copyright of the memorial service belongs to the family, Wake Forest University (WFU) has been authorised to execute it 100 per cent, reflecting the bond and trust that have existed between Angelou and the university for years.

In the past 32 years, the university and Maya Angelou have been inextricably tied together. Provost Rogan Kersh said Angelou was woven into the fabric of the university and wherever she went, Angelou carried Wake Forest with her.

“She was a commanding presence at wake Forest for 32 years,” he said, adding, he did

not only work with Angelou, but was also a student in the first class she taught in the spring of 1983.

According to Kersh, Angelou didn’t carry her fame into the classroom, but her humanity, as she regaled students with stories about her successes and especially, her failures. Other students and Kersh were inspired through her stories of perseverance. Free-flowing discussions became trademark of her classes. “It was a fine line between being serious and following her rules and having fun,” a student who graduated in 1988 had remarked in an article published in Winston-Salem Journal in 2002.

Ernie Wade, the director of Minority Affairs at Wake Forest University from 1986 to 1996 also underscored Angelou’s toughness in the classroom, assigning students 13 books to read during a semester.

Some students, Wade recalled, had approached him, wanting to withdraw, but he urged them to stay with it. He assured them that Angelou was only being tough because she believed they could handle the challenge. “She was known to pull up to the dorm of a student (who had missed class) and ask them to explain why they had missed her,” Wade was quoted saying in a report published in Winston-Salem Journal of May 29, 2014. Angelou served as the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest from 1982 until her death

on April 28, 2014. According to the university, she had planned to teach a course called “Race, Culture and Gender in the U.S. South and Beyond” this fall. the WFU service tomorrow will ItheNDEED, double as the only official package for twin-city of Winston-Salem, spokes-

woman for the university, Katie Neal reportedly said on Tuesday. Other memorial series, Neal disclosed, are planned elsewhere, including in San Francisco on June 15. She had earlier warned WinstonSalem motorists to anticipate heavy traffic along University Parkway, Reynolda Road and the surrounding area on Saturday morning. She said the campus will be closed on Saturday and the only people allowed on campus will be guests who have tickets and parking passes for service, accredited media and cars registered at Wake Forest.

In addition to a guarantee of maximum security for “numerous guests” who could attend the service, organisers are also leaving no stone unturned preventing any untoward occurrence. Shortly after her demise on may 28, Westboro Baptist Church had threatened to stage a protest at “Angelou’s funeral because she supported same-sex marriage and gay rights.”

The church is known for its protests at military funerals “just to catch the attention of U.S. authorities.” But earlier in the

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Wreaths of flowers from mourners at her home

Angelou’s home in Winston-Salem where she died

PHOTOS: KABIR ALABI GARBA

...Farewell to a cultural icon CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 week when the architecture of the memorial emerged as a private engagement, the church, through its spokesman, Steve Drain, made a u-turn, saying, “the church does not plan to protest the service because it is billed as a private affair.”

However, Drain clarified that the Westboro Baptist Church would still be vocal in its protest of the way that Angelou encouraged people to “stand against God” but will not be at the memorial. He said they usually stay away from private functions. “If it looks like that’s not going to end up being a private affair... we’ll shift gears,” Drain was reportedly said. Neal of WFU had also confirmed, “We are aware of reports of protests and things like that, so there’s certainly a security plan in place to handle any type of situation.”

As a result, local law enforcement authorities such as Winston-Salem Police Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Wake Forest University Campus Police, Forsyth County Emergency Management, as well as the county’s emergency medical services are being mobilised for a hitch-free outing.

Representatives of these agencies had had series of meetings perfecting strategies in the past few days.

Chief Deputy Brad Stanley with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office indicated, early this week, that the security team is fully prepared.

Based on Angelou’s sphere of influence, they are planning for national and international figures, Stanley said. Local agencies, he added, have dealt with presidential visitors in the past, so if agencies plan for the magnitude of an event, they will be prepared for whomever attends.

And with respect to the threat of protests, Biker group 2 Million Bikers to D.C. created a Facebook event last week calling on riders to create a “Wall for Maya Angelou” to prevent any disruption from Westboro Baptist if the church protests the funeral.

The biker group is not affiliated with N.C. Patriot Guard Riders, informed Rick Rohme, north-west district captain for the N.C. Patriot Guard Riders. The riders have shielded mourners from protesters such as Westboro Baptist in the past, but Rohme said the riders attend funerals for military veterans in active duty and first responders killed in line of duty, and only at the invitation of the families.

Chief Barry Rountree said Winston-Salem police will be working with Wake Forest police during the memorial service.

Cedric Russell of Russell Funeral Home, who helped with the arrangements, said it

was a privilege and an honour to serve the family. “What can you say about one of the greatest minds we’ve known?” said Russell. “What can be said that hasn’t already been said? We are grateful for the opportunity to serve, and I know that God is looking with favour on her.”

S a prolific author, Angelou exploited A her literary prowess to the last minute.

Report has it that she spent her last day in

her home proofreading her new book that chronicled her experiences with national and world leaders. By the time she came to WFU to be the Reynolds Professor of American Studies, Angelou had already had literary world on her feet.

Although most famous for her memoirs and poetry, she wrote in nearly every genre, including plays and children’s books. She was most often published by Random House, New York, where she had a flourishing relationship, book-wise, with Robe Loomis, her editor until he retired in 2011 at 86.

Angelou performing

She authored a total of nine autobiographies, but Niyi Osundare, a professor of English at University of New Orleans who is also a famed poet, singled out two as most famous. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) in the words of Osundare, did not only become an instant best-seller, it literally launched Angelou’s career as a writer and global voice. All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes (1984), to Osundare, is an “engaging account of her travel to Ghana, and the many ways her Africa journey helped her self-definition as an African American by deepening her understanding of the African condition beyond the silences, half-truths, and blatant lies in the history books.”

Osundare captures recurrent themes in Angelou’s works describing them as principles that ruled her life in fast-paced verses thus: “an authentic apprehension of history and its poignant impact on the present, a touching narrative of the battles of life; the archaeology of adversity and its delicate relationship to eventual

triumph, the never-say-die spirit and desirability of the proverbial pie in the sky; the necessity of love and the possibility of hope; the redemptive functions of art and culture; a spirituality older, deeper, and much wider than the troubling superficialities of the workaday world; a ceaseless insistence on lasting values.”

Her other autobiographies include Gather Together in My Name (1974); Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas (1976); The Heart of a woman (1981); A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002); I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (2004) and Mom & Me & Mom (2013).

In Poetry, her credits include Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975); And Still I Rise (1978); Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing (1983); Poems (1986); Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987); I Shall Not Be

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At tourism summit, Mbanefo sues for peace From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja IrECTor GENErAl, Nigerian Tourism D Development Corporation (NTDC) Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, has joined other well-meaning Nigerians in appealing for peace and unity in the country. Mbanefo, who spoke recently in Abuja said development of the tourism industry as an alternative revenue earner for the country can only be guaranteed in an atmosphere of peace.

According to the DG, it was not the best time for the country in terms of international tourism and as she stated, everything possible should be done to ensure the spate of killings and destruction were curtailed.

“This is not our finest moment. Definitely, it is not and we cannot continue like this.

Bombing, abduction and killing cannot bear any desirable fruit for development.

“Nobody is enjoying this sheer waste of blood, horror, psychologically wreaking stories and emotionally destabilizing reports being churned out daily about the Boko Haram activists and the impact on Nigerians.

“Enough is enough. let us sheath our sword and embrace peace.

The NTDC boss also enjoined Nigerians to support and pray for the success of federal government’s efforts and those of international community at rescuing the Chibok girls who are still held captive by Boko Haram members.

She noted that Boko Haram insurgency and its crude strategies have continued to wreak inestimable havoc on the nation’s economy, image and foreign investment.

“I am calling on all Nigerians to support the effort of President Goodluck Jonathan, the federal government and all other international groups who are toiling day and night, not only at seeing that the Chibok girls are released sound and safe but also striving hard at putting an end to Boko Haram insurgency. These

From left: Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Professor Tunde Babawale; Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo; Managing Director, Meristem, Mr. Wole Abegunde and Artistic Director/CEO, National Troupe of Nigeria, Mr. Martin Adaji in a group photograph during the Presidential Summit on Tourism Planning Committee Meeting held during the week... in Abuja people need our prayers and encouragement”, Mbanefo said.

She pointed out that the continued holding of over 200 Chibok girls hostage by the Boko Haram should not be seen as a dent on the federal government alone but an assault on all.

“As a mother, I feel tormented each time I realize that these girls are still in the coven of Boko Haram. My imagination about where they are sends chill down my spine. Thus, my appeal to all concerned is to do everything humanly possible towards the safe release of these girls”.

In another development, NTDC is prepared

to host over 5,000 Nigerians at its Naija Fan Village in Bazil during the 2014 World Cup tournament holding between June 12 June and July 31.

The Naija Fans Village would be located at Sao Paulo, the camp of Nigerian team, the Super Eagles.

Mbanefo said the Corporation will explore the opportunity of the tournament to market Nigeria.

“We shall explore the opportunity of the World Cup in Brazil to sell Nigeria’s domestic tourism to Nigerians, home and abroad as well as to foreigners. We will also use the occasion to promote Nigeria’s rich and diverse

...The Caged Bird goes home CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 Moved (1990); on the Pulse of Morning (1993); The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994); and Phenomenal Women: Four Poems Celebrating Women (1995).

The personal essays are Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993); Even the Stars look lonesome (1997); and letter to My Daughter (2008); while her cookbooks are Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A lifetime of memories with recipes (2004); as well as Great Food, All Day long: Cook Splendidly; Eat Smart (2010).

As at Wednesday, no information yet on the list of invited guests and speakers, however, the speculation is that U.S. President Barack obama may be having his second visit to Winston-Salem since he became president in 2008. Although obama has, since Tuesday embarked on a four-day trip to Europe visiting countries such as Poland, Belgium, and France while participating in bilateral meetings with

Angelou campaigning for Obama

world leaders as well as the G-7 leaders’ Summit, the trip is expected to end today with the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. It is hoped that President obama would rush back home in order to bid the great African-American activist a befitting farewell.

Unlike in 2008 when the late Angelou supported the political ambition of Hillary Clinton, she played a leading role in the campaign for obama’s re-election in 2012. Before then, obama had decorated her with the 2010 Medal of Freedom at a ceremony in the East room of the White House in Washington D.C. on February 15, 2011.

Angelou’s residence on Bartram road, Bvena Vista neighbourhood of WinstonSalem is also attracting attention. on Tuesday when The Guardian visited, the surrounding garden had just been given a facelift. And there was a heap of wreath of flowers dumped by passers-by and well wishers in front of one of the two big gates leading to the expansive compound.

Wait Chapel, where service of songs will be held for her

cultures, including music, fashion, films, cuisine, arts and crafts.

“Domestic tourism remains the best approach to promoting Nigeria’s tourism and create wealth for the nation and its people”, she said.

The DG disclosed that the Corporation was collaborating with other tourism related agencies and organizations to promote fascinating domestic tourist destinations in Nigeria.

She informed that aside promotion of domestic and sports tourism, the Corporation will garner support for the Super Eagles.

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Film Time for Nollywood carnival in Paris Stories by Shaibu Husseini was time once again for moviegoers in ItheTEurope to access the best of Nollywood films as NollywoodWeek Paris, a platform that showcases some selected Nollywood films opened yesterday at the l’Arlequin Theatre in Paris, France. The festival, presented by the French non-profit organization Okada Media, which has Serge Noukoue as Executive Director and Nadira Shakur and Shari Hammond as Director of Communication and Partner respectively will last till Sunday.

The first edition of the festival which primarily aims at providing opportunity to showcase works of the vibrant Nollywood movie industry to European audiences held for four days in May, last year. It featured some top rated Nollywood films including Kunle Afolayan’s Figurine, Mahmoud Ali Balogun’s Tango With Me, Obi Emelonye’s Last Flight to Abuja and Keke Bongos Ikwue’s Inale as directed by Jeta Amata.

Comments after the first edition were positive for the festival.

A journalist and critic Uche Onwulue who attended the maiden edition of the showcase commended the organizers for the imitative and affirmed that the NollywoodWeek Paris created a stimulating platform not only for the Nigerian filmmakers to showcase their works but it provided them the opportunity for networking and dialogue with their French counterparts. ‘’This is what our film corporation should be doing. But unfortunately officials of the corporation are in Jos and Abuja pushing files. This kind of showcase should be replicated all over.

We need to show the west the real Nollywood and not all those cheap movies that are streamed on most of those online sites’’ he remarked.

The multi-award winning film Confusion Na Wa by Kenneth Gyang is one of the six films that will be screened at the festival. It will be screened today and it will be followed by a panel discussion. The other films that are on the festival radar are Half of a Yellow Sun by Biyi Bandele, Daniel Emeke Oriahi’s dramatic thriller, Misfit, Mitchel Bello’s award winning feature Flower Girl, Tope Oshin-Ogun’s Journey to Self and The Audrey Silva Company (TASC) first feature film The Meeting as directed by

Serge, his team and NollywoodWeek ambassador Mahmoud Ali Balogun Mildred Okwo.

Yesterday, Being Mrs. Elliot, the first directing feature by leading actress Omoni Oboli opened the festival. The film is not on official selection and so will not be in consideration for the Peoples Choice Award (PCA), which is the only prize that the festival hands out to participating filmmakers. The other festival days will be dedicated to professional encounters, panel discussions and screening of films.

Held with support of the Nigerian Embassy of France, the Consulate of the Embassy of France in Nigeria, Total, Angénieux, 36 Canal France and other organizations, Noukoue revealed that they started the festival after they realized the absence of Nigerian cinema in the French market. He said “France is the birthplace of cinema and Nigeria has the second largest film industry in the world. Despite this, it remains largely inaccessible to the French public. It just made sense that we showcase the best of

Nigerian cinema in France”.

But the biggest motivation for the establishment of the festival according to Noukoue who named Nigerian Filmmaker Mahmoud Ali Balogun as the festival ambassador is the need to make the best of Nollywood films accessible to he the Europeans audience. ‘’Aside from the articles, reports, and documentaries that we read and see about Nollywood, it is also important that the films are made accessible in the cinema capital of the world, Paris and with time be available throughout the Francophone world. This is one of the objectives of the festival’’ Noukoue said.

For the Nollywoodweek Paris Ambassador Mahmoud Ali-Balogun the four-days event signals a renaissance and renewed appreciation for the fledgling industry. ‘’Over 90% of Nollywood films consumed globally are either bootlegged or pirated. The festival through its organizers, therefore, avails Nollywood filmmakers and their films a rare opportunity and window of new and

Monarch, Ugbomah task Jonathan to rethink commercialization of film corporation HE Federal government has been asked to T rethink its decision to commercialize the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC). Stakeholders including the Emir of Askira, Borno State, Alhaji Abdullahi Askirama Abdullahi, say the decision, which is contained in the white paper on rationalization of government agencies, would amount to negating the mandate of the corporation.

Government had accepted the recommendation that the NFC be fully commercialized by 2016. It also accepted that the NFC be given ‘seed money’

Ugbomah

prior to its full commercialization.

However, Alhaji Abdullahi told newsmen recently that commercializing the NFC would defeat the developmental role that the corporation is supposed to play in the film industry. The Emir also stated that commercializing the NFC would mean that the only premier training institution, the National Film Institute (NFI), will be commercialized and that way it will no longer be affordable.

Also veteran filmmaker Chief Eddie Ugbomah described the decision to commercialize the NFC as ‘ill-advised and retrogressive’. Ugbomah specifically said that whoever made the recommendation to be included in the white paper was simply out to destroy the film industry. ‘’They want to kill the film industry we have built.

What are you commercializing? Is it the film school or the dead laboratory or the obsolete equipment that you have not funded or replaced?

I think government does not know the power of film. If it knows, it wont toy with the idea of commercializing the NFC’’ Ugbomah said.

Rather than commercialize the NFC, Ugbomah wants government to consider transforming the NFC into a ‘full commission’ with adequate support and funding so that it can play its developmental role effectively. ‘’Else where, from Kenya to the U.K., what you have is a commission that overseas the motion picture industry and which the government uses for diplomacy and for meeting the expectation of practitioners. Those commissions are not commercialized. They are fully funded. We should also be thinking in that direction’’ he said.

legitimate markets and audiences,’’ AliBalogun said.

Filmmakers who have their works on the showcase say they look forward to the Public Choice Award (PCA), which will be awarded at the closing ceremony on Sunday. The PCA was awarded last year to Kunle Afolayan for his Figurine but Afolayan merely got a symbolic plaque. However, this year the winner will be able to use top of the line optic lens produced by one of the key partners of the festival Angénieux for their next project for free. Also the winning film according to Noukoue will receive an acquisition deal by the African branch of Canal Plus. Noukoue explained adding that the partnership with Angénieux fits with the vision of the festival, which is to contribute to the growth and the development of the Nigerian Film Industry. Details of the festival can be sourced at www.nollywoodweek.com

Amaka Igwe immortalised in June edition of Nolly Silver Screen OREMOST movie producFAmaka er, writer and director Igwe has been immortalized on the cover of Nolly Silver Screen magazine’s June edition (www.nollysilverscreen.co m). Editor of Nolly Silver Screen Isabella Akinseye said they were dedicating the June edition of the online magazine to Amaka because of the significant role she played in the development of the creative sector.

According to her, “Amaka inspired me. I remember reading her magazine TMC Box Office years ago. Little did I know that the seeds were being sown to start my own magazine”.

In the magazine, the Nolly Silver Screen team pays tribute to Amaka Igwe and a special info graph ‘15 Scenes from Amaka’s Life’ designed

by Gbolahan Adams is also featured. Newspaper columnist and film critic, Wilfred Okiche returns again with a profile on ten Nollywood actors who write screenplays and compiles a top five list of Nigerian movie

locations. ‘What’s in a name? Nollywood and its movie titles’ by Agina Eberechukwu examines audience response and perceptions. Another article is Isabella Akinseye’s ‘Africa Movie Academy Awards: A decade of uniting, celebrating and rewarding African filmmakers’ which was nominated for the 2014 AMAA Media Recognition Award. Living Funeral director Udoka Oyeka; Director, Nollywood Centre at the Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya and Mama Africa producer, Norbert Ajaegbu are interviewed in this edition. Also featured in this edition are pictures and stories from the 2014 AMAA’s as well as Igwe regulars such as Nolly Pop Thursday June 12 respectively Quiz, on set pictures and will precede the interment in reviews.

Imo state. The service of song Meanwhile, the remains of in Lagos will hold at the the late filmmaker will be Haven Centre, Arch Bishop laid to rest on Friday June 13 Vining Memorial Church, in Arondiziogu, Imo State.

Ikeja, by 5pm while the servHowever a service song in ice of songs and tributes in Lagos and in Enugu schedEnugu will hold at Opara uled for Monday June 9 and Square Enugu by 2pm.

44 ARTS Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Heritage In Kaduna, NICO peace initiative unites govt, traditional authorities From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja S part of measures to finding lasting solution to insecurity in Nigeria, government representatives and traditional rulers from across the country recently converged in Kaduna, Kaduna State Capital. The forum was the second National Peace Conference organized by National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) with a theme ‘Culture, Peace and National Security: The Role of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria’s Democracy’.

The first edition held in 2012 in Abuja with over 20 traditional rulers in attendance, deliberated on their powers as well as challenges.

While accepting that they are closest to the people and could influence decisions at the grassroots level, traditional rulers at that conference listed lack of constitutional powers as one of their major challenges to addressing certain issues within their domains.

The Kaduna peace meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, who represented the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Namadi Sambo. There was also the Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Ethics and Values Dr. (Mrs.) Sarah Jibril.

In his welcome address, Sambo reiterated the present administration’s commitment to promoting peace and security in the country.

The Vice President, while commending NICO for the initiative, said it would deepen the understanding of royal fathers on the crucial role of culture in fostering socio-political and economic development of a nation.

According to him, the idea was also in line with government’s plans to collectively address the current insecurity challenges confronting the nation including insurgency, communal and ethnic clashes, kidnapping and other negative tendencies that have bedeviled the country in recent times.

He however frowned over traditional rulers involvement in politics, noting that it portends danger for the country.

He said, “There is no gainsaying the fact that traditional rulers, as custodians of culture and repositories of wisdom are critical to the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy.

“Thus, it becomes a matter of serious concern when some royal fathers, who are supposed to be non-partisan in party politics, become active players in the political arena”.

Though acknowledging that it was the responsibility of government to ensure sustainable peace and security in the country, the Vice President insisted that the complementary roles of citizens remained invaluable in assisting government and security agencies to check activities of criminals and insurgents.

“Until Nigerians begin to appreciate that the maintenance of peace and security in the country was everybody’s business, the security challenges confronting the nation would remain intractable”, he said.

He therefore called for a deliberate cultural re-engineering that would place high premium on the country’s cherished cultural

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Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma values and recognize the crucial place of traditional institutions in ensuring peace and stability.

In his remarks, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, stressed the need for collective responsibility in tackling security challenges.

Represented by the Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Alhaji Abdallah U. Yusuf, the Minister said the current security challenges have adversely impacted national development.

He emphasized that the maintenance of peace and security was of utmost importance to the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led administration. He however decried that culture and its values were being called to question when citizens degenerate to the level human onslaught currently experienced in some parts of the country.

“While government and its security agencies are working assiduously to bring the situation under control, gatherings like this must help in the restoration of peace and stability by being a rallying point of support, information gathering and patriotic counsel to government and security agencies that are in the centre of this affair”, he said.

He, however, expressed hope that the resolutions from the conference could be adopted into the ongoing draft of Nigeria’s cultural policy by the Ministry.

Hence, he urged the Institute to make the reports of the conference available to the ongoing national confab on the status of traditional rulers in the country.

In his welcome address, Executive Secretary, NICO, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, said the forum aimed at preferring solutions to the lingering spate of violence and terrorism in the country. According to him, the trend has constituted threats to the existence of Nigerians as one people.

“Nigerians are peace loving people with an innate culture of respect for constituted authority and the sanctity of life. The evasion of these values has contributed largely to incidences of violent crimes and general insecurity today, an indication that the country needs pragmatic cultural renaissance”.

Noting that since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule, it has experienced numerous ethno-religious, political, socio-economic and electoral conflicts, Ayakoroma said sustained sensitization and public enlightenment campaigns are of utmost necessity.

“This explains why all segments of the society should be well sensitized on the culture of peace.

“It is against this backdrop that NICO has meticulously assembled erudite scholars, who will interface with our royal fathers and take a holistic look at the peace and security challenges facing the country”, he said.

Royal Father of the Day, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn U.G. El-Kanemi, reiterated the need for roles, operations and welfare of traditional rulers be clearly defined by the constitution.

Represented by Alhaji Bashir Albashir, the Emir of Machina, he said: “It is our desire that as custodians of culture, we should leave a lasting and enduring legacy for the younger generation of Nigerians.

“The conference presents another opportunity to examine how royal fathers could contribute immensely to the realization of peace and unity in the country.

“I also urge that the previous recommendations and resolutions of this conference should be forwarded to the National Assembly or the on-going national conference for ratification as policy”, he said.

At the end of the two-meeting, it was recommended that for traditional rulers to effectively play their time-tested roles as the custodians of the culture and tradition of the people as well as that of maintenance of peace and security in their domains, they are advised to refrain from active partisan politics; That any genuine effort at peace and security management in Nigeria, rests squarely on the complementary roles of all levels of government and traditional institutions which constitute veritable agents of grassroots mobilization in cultural, political and economic orientation; That since national security implies several critical elements such as, military security, economic security, food security, political security, environmental security and cultural security, any genuine efforts for peace and security should require structural reforms of the country in order to restore normalcy in Nigeria; And that traditional rulers should be assigned constitutional roles for their proactive participation in peace building and in conflict

Amata’s Darima’s Dilemmato premiere on Sunday

By Shaibu Husseini OLLYWOOD actress Mbong Amata is set to make her debut as a producer. The actress is N the production force behind the movie Darima’s Dilemma, which tells the story of a young lady Darima who is happily married to her husband but harbours a secret that destroys the marriage.

Mbong, who arrived Lagos during the week from Los Angeles, U.S., where she resides, stated that the movie is ready for a grand premeire scheduled for June 8 at Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe Street.

Victoria Island, Lagos.

Directed by Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun, the movie features Majid Michel, I.K Ogbonna and the dependable Dianna Yekinni in lead roles. Mbong describes the movie as one with a lot of life’s lessons, adding, “It has something for couples and for intending couples. It’s a movie they will enjoy and learn from”.

A graduate of History and International Relations, who until recently was married to the busy film director, Jeta Amata, Mbong has featured in movies like Black November, Forgetting June, Reloaded, Wheel of Change and most recently Apaye, said she decided to take a plunge into productions because a long-held urge to tell her own stories. ‘’As an actor, you can only interprete roles you are given. You can’t possibly influence the stories. But

as a producer, it’s your story and you will do everything to make sure it comes out as well as you planned it. I am used to productions; I understand the terrain and I have learnt and understudied the very best in the industry from Jeta Amata to Emem Isong. So, Darima’s Dilenma is one of the many stories that I have that I want to tell’’.

Asked if her involvement as a producer will not just be one-off stuff, Mbong, also a former beauty queen, said she looked forward to combining acting and producing, ‘’I will do more of acting though because that’s my first love. But it is not going to be one-off for me. I will produce as the inspiration comes and as I get funding. It is not easy producing. No matter how small you want it to be, it will come out big eventually. Don’t forget that it’s not only about paying the cast but its about the entire production process including post production, marketing and distribution’’.

On the controversy that greeted her separation from Jeta Amata, Mbong said she has since moved on and consider the development a phase in her life. She said she had a great relationship with Jeta whom she described as ‘a great man a fantastic dad and husband’’, but also adding, “Life has to move on and I have moved on even though we are connected for life because we have a child together. But I have moved on and for now, it is about me doing more films, doing charity work and raising my child. So, those are my interests for Jeta and Mbong

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014 ARTS 45

Sound n’ Screen

The production team on set

With Musical Whispers,advocacy for autism gets a boost

By Chuks Nwanne LL over the world, video has been identified as a viable tool for mobilising people to take action, which is why filmmakers all over the globe are using the power of video to change the world around them for the better.

However, experts have since identified the need for audience to play an important role when video creators are thinking about the intention of their video, arguing that it is necessary to have a clearly defined audience in mind during production and to make sure the video is appropriate for and understood by the intended audience.

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterised by impaired social interaction, by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.

Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. Some people with an autistic spectrum disorder have severe learning disabilities, and some may never speak, thereby putting parents and relations of the patience in trauma and frustration.

In a bid to create awareness about autism, as well as encourage parents and relatives to show love and affection to patients, veteran thespian Ebele Okaro Onyuike has produced a new movie, Musical Whispers. Recently premiered at the Sulverbiird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos, the movie makes strong case for people living with autism disorder in the society. It shows how love, care and affection should be given to them, instead of abandonment and resentment.

At the premiere, which opened with a special red carpet reception, Flat Feet Productions in partnership with Neimeth, Promasidor and other sponsors played host to top Nigerian actors and actresses, medical practitioners and the media, who had the opportunity of being among the first set of Nigerians to see the advocacy and heart touching movie.

According to the movie producer Ebele Okaro-Onyiuke, “Autism is a disorder of neural development characterised by impaired social

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interaction, impaired verbal and non–verbal communication and restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behaviour. The message of Musical Whispers to the whole world is to create awareness on the disorder called autism and encourage strong family love and support for patients, which in turn brings out true potentials of the affected. No human should be considered useless, irrespective of their mental or physical challenges,” she said.

Shot in Lagos and directed by Bond Emeruwa, Musical Whispers is a story of David

(played by Kalu Ikeagwu) and Agatha Uche (Chioma Akpotha), who are blessed by God with a child, David Junior, who has a medical disorder known as autism. Agatha spends all her time as a mother trying to give her son David Junior the best love money couldn’t buy and to ensure he grows up to be independent, while her husband David is frustrated with the demands and distractions that comes with DJ’s disorder. He eventually walks out on his family when he could no longer cope with the situation.

While all these were happening, Agatha loses her job, but with the support of an older friend Jasmine (played by Ebele Okaro Onyiuke) and the entrance of a ‘wanna be’ musician Terry, they managed to introduce DJ into music, where his talent for singing blossoms beyond the imagination of all.

The movie paraded the likes of Chioma Akpotha, Kalu Ikeagwu, Ebele Okaro- Onyiuke, Ekpeyoung Bassey, Victor Okenwa, Belinda Effa, Bruno, Chuma Okaro, Chikezie Uwazie and Chinedu Mbadiwe, with special guest appearance by Raggae musician Orits Wiliki.

For #BringBackOurGirls campaign, Sammy P sings Freedom, others S part of his contribution to the A ongoing efforts by groups and government to ensure a peaceful coexistence among different tribes in the country, inspirational singer, Gen. Sammy Paul has released three new singles, all preaching love, peace and an end to insurgency in Nigeria and across the world.

The new tracks, Freedom: Bring Back Our Girls, Anama and Buko Ema Ema have again set the veteran singer apart from his contemporaries. Anama, done in Pidgin and his Urhobo language, the highlife danceable piece extols the virtue of God almighty. Anama in Urhobo means showing off and the singer, who prefers to be called Gen. Sammy P, calls on all to show off with Jesus.

However, the unique thing about the song is that, it can be played in all occasions, clubs, churches and ceremonies.

“Anama is for all. Anybody can enjoy the song, dance to it while taking in the deep message it is passing. That is the beauty of Anama,” the Delta born artiste said.

On the other hand, Freedom: Bring Back Our Girls is a passionate appeal to the Boko Haram dreaded sect to release the over 200 young girls it seized in Chibok area of Bornu State

in April. The reggae song, done in Gen. Sammy P’s usual music identity, is soul moving, capable of touching the hardest of hearts. In the track, the artiste condemned terrorism worldwide; calling on governments to do all they can to curb it.

His penchant for preaching love once again came to the fore with the song Buko Ema Ema. For the first time perhaps, Sammy P. displayed his mastery of the Hausa language as he rendered the love song, which has a soothing effect on the listener.

Sammy P has put a series of projects steeped in social responsibility pursuits in the works that have the capacity to jolt some sense into the current errant musical trend. Leading the pack is the forthcoming album, which is nearing completion. The artiste has perfected the art of lyricism; he has registered his voice as one of the most conscious artistes on the scene and has churned out quite a body of peerless materials and created some exhilarating moments as a recording and performing artiste.

But most of all, he has successfully established a notoriety as one the most thoroughbred conscious artiste whose strongest point is his

lyrical soundness.

“I am unrelenting in my bid to write a new script for Nigerian music,” he said.

“At a time when the world has lost all sense of propriety, at a time when the youths are lost in a frenzy of disturbing sexual misadventure, when the music has lost its essence and sanctity to commercialism, it is refreshing to see some cat who is not scared to bell the cat, that is who I am; Sammy P, a reggae and dance hall powerhouse who is bent on restoring at least some of the magic that made Fela, Bob Marley and a handful of others social icons on the world stage.”

Meanwhile, Pull Down the Gates of Hate, the lead single of the forth-coming album has been gaining attention in the media.

Also as an artiste who considers music an instrument of social change, Sammy has assembled a small band of upcoming acts on his label, Nuff Edge Music, to pursue a personal campaign against the AIDS pandemic. He will be collaborating with them out of the conviction of the tightness

of their lyrics which is in line with his belief in the power of lyrics and which also was the reason he signed them on in the first place.

Together, they will be pulling their lyrical strength to contribute their bit to the worldwide AIDS campaign.

“I am a soldier of destiny, the microphone is my gun, my lyrics is my bullets, but remember when the music hits you, you feel no pain. Love is the key. It’s the answer to lasting peace. I come to set the captives free from musical bondage.’’

Sammy P

46 ARTS Friday, June 6, 2014

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Theatre

A scene from the play

Obele and the Story Teller… A journey into the written word

By Gregory Austin Nwakunor and Anote Ajeluorou SRAEL Eboh is a stage wizard. And with over Iprise four decades of theatrical practice, it is no surthat the Ahmadu Bello University-trained theatre director is always in his element when moving characters on stage. His picturisation, characterisation and conceptualisation of any script give the audience moment to reflect.

This beauty of his stagecraft was deployed recently at a command performance of the Alfred Fagon Award winner and Olivier Award Nominee, Oladipo Agboluaje’s Obele and the Story Teller to usher in Port Harcourt as the World Book Capital in April.

Produced by Beeta Universal Arts Foundation (BUAF), the play was staged both at the Government House, Port Harcourt and the Banquet Hall, Hotel Presidential, also in Port Harcourt; it was one moment of theatrical excursus.

But what do you expect? A production with Eboh, Adikiba Boyle, Uche Onah, Ayo Ajayi and Bikiye Graham-Douglas, you’ll wonder less about the outcome.

It was a play that had strong input from all the technical areas of the theatre from music to dance and the set, there was attempt to provide a holistic performance subsumed in the total theatre experience.

Employing different languages of the theatre — Music, dance, songs, words, light, props and scenery — the play takes its audience through the evolution of the ‘word’ from spoken to written and then to book form.

And in doing so, it explores how innovation and invention of the printing press not only brought about the preservation of the culture, history and way of life of the people, but also brought about making information available and accessible to the people, thereby creating an enlightened and a more civilized society.

Through the lead character, Obele (Sieta Iwuh), the play reveals how an individual can positively impact on his or her community even in the face of daunting challenges. She is the eye of the camera through which the actions resonate. And through her daring, ‘determination, inquisitive and adventurous eyes’, the play explores the different stages of

the emergence of the printed book in Nigeria.

From the first printing press in Calabar that focused only on Christian pamphlets to the first Nigerian Newspaper in Abeokuta, and the popular Onitsha literature market, the play takes us on a historical and entertaining journey through the rich and vibrant way of life of the Nigerian people.

The play further explores sub-themes that are presently of major global interest and concern.

The Sub themes of need for peace, conflict resolution, peaceful co-existence, tolerance and mutual respect as tools for a stable world resonate through the play and the challenge it throws up, is that of us effectively using the past as documented in history through books to address the present for a better tomorrow.

According to Eboh, “we spent five weeks rehearsing in Port Harcourt. Though it was discomforting for some of the cast, who emerged from the Lagos auditions, it was, however, worth the effort.”

The director told The Guardian that the play was very challenging, considering the issues that were treated. He, however, noted, “what made it possible was the collaboration of everybody involved in the project and the ample time we had to rehearse.”

which held in Lagos and Abuja.

According to Bikiya, the purpose of the partnership is the common belief on the need to sustain the theatre culture in Nigeria as well as promote creativity among youths.

She said: “We believe that catching these children young from that incubation stage, by the time they are older they would have clearer picture of what it is they are passionate about. They would be confident in their creative abilities. This will also help them to be disciplined. It takes such level of discipline to go through the rehearsals, interpret their characters on stage, and for them to be good enough for the competition. So, the competition will make them build selfconfidence, be able to express themselves, speak in public and improve the reading culture.

VER the years, BUAF has been in the forefront of O making theatrical performances accessible to the general public. The outfit has staged plays such as Castles In the Air, Iya ile, Man talk, Woman Talk and affiliates of “FELA” in Lagos and many others.

“At BUAF, we aim to bring contemporary dynamism to the Nigerian theatre with superb theatrical performances — integrating popular culture in classic and modern dramas for audiences.

We craft performances that educate and enrich alongside propelling our minds to root long lasting memories.”

She added, “Beeta Universal aims to elevate Nigerian theatre; giving it the recognition it deserves by bringing theatrical shows and entertainment to the forefront — integrating popular culture and appealing to mass audiences of all age groups.”

Last year, Beeta collaborated to bring, for the first time on stage in Lagos, Closer, the Tony Award winning play written by Patrick Marber. It also partnered with the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) last year on Dramatised Storytelling Competition, Graham-Douglas

Eboh

Friday, June 6, 2014 ARTS 47

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Literature On the aspirational quotient

By Tade Ipadeola HE sheer range and scope of subjects in Giants of History, with T the subtitle, ‘The Making of our World’ by Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, is staggering. Philosophers and scientists, sportsmen and nurses, musicians and politicians, soldiers and statesmen, inventors and iconoclasts, freedom fighters and writers, astronauts and terrestrial explorers – leaving no one any excuse whatsoever about taking up the challenge of becoming a giant in their chosen fields.

The American poet and Educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote about the heights which great men reached and kept. These, the poet observed, were not attained by sudden flight but by steady application while contemporaries slumbered and slept. The host of diverse witnesses summoned by the author of this book all testify to the eternal verity of the timeless observation made by the American poet. The truth of history is that it is shaped by great people and great events.

Coming closer home, the indigenous Yoruba culture, which the author of this brilliant book clearly understands, provides linguistic evidence of what those who seek mastery must do.

The saying goes: ‘Omo ti yo je Asamu, kekere ni tii jenu samusamu’.

The morning shows the day. This is why this book is especially valuable to the reader – the author has been a lifelong student of history and the book is a quick and handy reference that can be grasped by anyone, young or old, who will apply the mind to it.

The intrinsic value of the culture also manifests in the book in less obvious forms. For example, scratch the businesslike approach the book and discover the timeless saying: Saan laa rin, aje ni mu nii pe ‘koro. Getting a little ahead of myself, I say the author means to make the discovery of greatness within our societies and our personalities a lifelong habit with every means at his disposal.

The style of the author has many qualities to recommend it. It is democratic – no one gets more than two pages. The contribution of every giant chosen for this book is brought through an elucidative reductive process to show the essence of the chosen giant. Again, the objective is never lost – the purpose of the book is to show how we arrived at the modern world. This is why Adolf Hitler made the list, infamous and destructive as he was.

The author in not so many words makes a distinction between greatness and goodness, with the subtle corollary that the great are not always good though the good can always be great.

I read this book with an inner radar turned on for why any particular choice was made and to the credit of the author, each chosen example earned his or her place in the pantheon. More could have made the list but the author chose to settle for the statistically significant number of a hundred and fifty.

In any social landscape, inspirational literature occupies a special place all on its own. In this part of the world, we have not paid as much attention to literature generally and to inspirational literature only marginally. It is for this reason that this new book deserves both our welcome and our scrutiny. Those

who remind us that greatness is always possible, that human beings are capable of making a difference and that what we need to know and do have already been discovered are soldiers of advancement and we ought to respect them for that reason.

Lateef Ibirogba has, by undertaking to write this book, put himself into the front ranks of the growing army of Africans, Nigerians and Lagosians who believe in can-do and who go as far as showing how.

A vital lesson from the cumulative history of learning and aspiration of man on earth is that forgetfulness, almost as much as falsehood, is an enemy of truth. In order to remain true to purpose and calling, man requires constant reminders.

That is why a society that is behind in literature is well and truly behind. That is also why an endeavor such as this, aimed at retrieval and (re)presentation of facts is invaluable to a people, especially the young people, towards channeling their energies into good and great deeds. The efficiency of the method adopted by Mr. Ibirogba has much to commend it indeed.

When the history of this kind of endeavor in our terrain comes to be written, I am sure that Giants of History will hold a

place of its own in the constellation of books. It is broad in its outlook, showing us the difference between fame and infamy, quite versatile – capable of use by people of all ages, and it is concise and precise – a virtue in a world in which Twitter and Facebook are competing with time-proven media such as the book for the reading audience.

A book review is about both merit-finding and fault-finding.

The merits of Giants of History are many and some of them have been mentioned before this point. It is now time to examine the publication for possible faults. The immediate lapse is that this laudable book only exists in print as at the date of this review. In this day and age in which electronic books are in keen competition with paper books, there is no excuse not to have this important book available on Amazon, Okada Books, Barnes & Noble as well as numerous other electronic platforms used by virtual libraries and individual collectors.

Secondly, a vital book such as this one is should by now be available in Braille and audio-book versions. These should be the responsibility of the State towards her physically challenged citizens. We should all feel diminished when important books such as this one are not available to the physically challenged among us. The entire philosophy of publications of this nature is to challenge people to focus on the life of the mind. If this be the case, there should be equal opportunity for all to aspire, learning from examples of those who have deployed their minds towards greatness.

Mr Ibirogba’s book has inspired others to creativity already.

The development of a card game aptly called The Game of Giants in tandem with this book is another point of departure in the history of books in this genre. The game has many editions but the rules are basic. There are 52 cards in all, a pair of dice and numerous opportunities to discover great personalities of history in random, play-setting situations. All work and no play, the saying goes, makes everyone a bit of a bore.

In time, I am sure, the vision and aspiration of thinkers and leaders like Lateef Ibirogba will yield the kinds of fruit that will make all of us proud to be Africans. Greatness is part of our heritage as citizens of the world. We have not lacked exemplars from among us as the author has more than adequately demonstrated. What remains for us to realize is that greatness is an everyday pursuit. It should be part of our work and our play, and this is why I most heartily recommend this author and his book together with the game that is greatness. May we all reap bountifully from our immersion in the book. Enjoy.

‘The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Time

Young writer seeks effective leadership, peak performance at launch of books By kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku leadership, which Stion,USTAINABLE ultimately brings transformahas been an eluding factor not only in Nigeria but all over the African continent. Beyond leadership, sustainability in organizations and businesses is also pivotal if any meaningful progress and development is to be recorded.

To redress this anomaly, a young writer and public speaker, Gerald Philip Okoli has come up with a book titled 25 Necessities for Effective Leadership, which outlines the basic ideas needed for equipping leaders to achieve required transformation needed in society.

Launched alongside it were Strategies to Becoming the Peak Performer for Students and Quotes for Success.

While speaking at the books’ presentation in Lagos, Okoli said what

he intends to achieve with the books are transformation and improvement from leaders, the values that surround leadership, a modification and improvement in performance, mostly by students so they can activate their own learning process.

On 25 Necessities for Effective

Leadership, which he said took him seven years to write, Okoli said the book is designed to move from transformational leadership to sustainable leadership.

The second book, Strategies to Becoming the Peak Performer for Students, is designed with the

d Philip Okoli and Miss segun; the author, Geral Olu la ino Ak t, ac dy me Co launch… in Lagos Ekwueme Chiamaka at the

By Dillibe Onyeama idea to move students from studying to doing. He said the book, which is a product of his speech to students in Bayelsa State, is intended to guide students in their transformation into employees while the last book, Quotes for Success is about understanding the values that surround success, what real success is all about and how to get to it.

Okoli, who now has five books in print and another four to be released by the end of the year, however, advised Nigerians to get back to reading books, saying it is the only factor that can determine how the country’s advancement.

According to him, “If Nigerians and Africans in general forsake books, we will not progress; we will keep retrogressing. The developed world is talking about intellectual capacity but Nigeria is talking about manual labour and this is why there is no meaningful development in the nation because we don’t have people who are intellectually sound. I think that what should take centre-stage in Africa now is intellectual pursuit”.

Intangible, invisible, transcending all without limit, Indeed, the most eloquent manifestation of The Holy Spirit.

A commercial non-stop vehicle that piles our coins in the till Whether we are going anywhere, or just standing still.

A thousand years covered in one single day, With the judgment that everything tangible undergoes decay.

No condition permanent, no problem insoluble, With the miracle of Divine power comes remedy always agreeable.

What the future may bring we sit in forecast and surmise, Always forgetting that time is the master of surprise.

How the mighty are fallen with time’s silent blow, How the vainglorious in power are similarly brought low.

With the power of prayers and faith its ultimate test, At the end we cry in jubilation, “God’s time is the best.”

But God is time and Time is God; Has He not counselled, “Wait, I say, on The Lord?”

Forget not that it follows an ordained path from a past medieval, Compromising life’s vicissitudes in the fight between good and evil.

On stand-by to oversee our burial, later to usher in our resurrection; And in eternity will Time be still at last – for our due salutation.

48 ARTS Friday, June 6, 2014

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ArtHouse One-day colloquium on Ipadeola’s The Sahara Testament holds today

ONE-DAY colloquium tagged ‘Voyages around The Sahara A Testament’, as part of a series of activities to initiate a sustained critical engagement with Tade Ipadeola’s The Sahara Testament,

which won The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2013, will be held in Ibadan today, June 6, 2014 at Drapers Hall, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Time is 10am prompt. The event will be chaired by Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo and host is Prof. Dele Layiwola, with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, as chief host. Special guests will be Profs. Molara Ogundipe and Ben Elugbe and Odia Ofeimun. The keynote paper, ‘The Sahara Testament: Poetry as Centre and Circumference’, will be delivered by renowned literary scholar and critic, Prof. Dan Izevbaye.

Priceless Heritage still showing at Didi Museum HIKE Onuorah’s solo art exhibition titled Priceless Heritage is Cstill showing at Didi Museum, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Commemorative Exhibition for Steve Rhodes continues

He Impresario’s 6-year Commemorative Exhibition on Life and TFreedom Career of Steve Rhodes continues till June 12 at Museum Gallery, Park, 1 Hospital Road, by Broad Street, Lagos. This commemorative event, designed especially to celebrate Rhodes’ eminent contributions to the Nigerian and African music and artistic heritage, features an exhibition of the rich and resourceful collection of photographic recordings of his over six decades of illustrious career.

Winner emerges in Konga promo

ISS Uzoramaka Anyanwu has emerged the first winner of a M Hyundai Car in the on-going Konga-Infinix promo meant to appreciate and reward customers for their loyalty. She was picked from a pool of customers who shopped online using the Konga platform. Anyanwu, who was highly elated when she was called on phone after the draw, initially doubted as she responded in these words, “I do not understand what you are saying” to the Chief Executive Officer of Konga, Mr. Sim Shagaya, who made the call.

When she was told that she actually won the Hyundai Car on offer, she then said, “What are you saying? Is it true?” The car will be presented to her at the head office of the company in Yaba.

Compiled by Florence Utor

Immediate Past President, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Eko chapter, Olajide Adeyemi (left), ace musician, Lanre Fasasi aka (Sound Sultan), guest trainer for the month of June and Founder, Bountiful Foundation, Busayomi Adelanwa and 2014 President, JCI Eko chapter, Adewale Edalere during the association’s June General Assembly in Lagos… at the weekend

Excitement, as Taruwa Festival returns

By Chuks Nwanne HE Terra Kulture stage in T Victoria Island, Lagos, came alive on Wednesday, as Taruwa Festival of Performing Arts in Nigeria returned with

Varsity honours Mo Abudu

By Florence Utor NE of the leading private O universities in Nigeria, Babcock University, honoured TV personality, Mo Abudu with Doctor of Humane Letters, Honouris Causa. This award, according to the President/Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. J.A Kayode Makinde, is to celebrate those who have inspired the young generation in diverse ways.

“Mo Abudu is a media professional and we are proud of the great achievement in her career”, he said while introducing the two dignitaries approved by the University council to be conferred the honorary award.

Babcock University described Mo Abudu as epitome of beauty, courage, faith

and inspiration, further referring to her as the “Lady of the Moment”.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also awarded Doctor of Science in Global Economic Development, Honouris

Causa.

Abudu said after the award, “I am speechless and honoured to be given this award.

I am extremely happy to be associated with this prestigious university”.

OME Nollywood practitionScried ers in Anambra State have out to the Governor Willie Obiano-led administration to establish a film village in Awka, the Anambra State capital, saying that it would serve as the rallying point for entertainers from the state and beyond.

Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) assured that such a gathering point would equally help boost revenue generation while also serving as a tourist attraction centre for the state.

State chairman of AGN Anambra, Chief Samson Obidinma, who made the appeal yesterday during the

Entertainment, Lydia Sobogun, said.

According to the Creative Director of the project, Bee Azubike, the second edition of the festival is a four-day cocktail of rich events that tell the Nigerian and African story through music, spoken word, literature, dance, fashion, a workshop and the stage production of a book by an ‘interesting’ female writer.

To her, Taruwa Festival of Performing Arts is a carefully planned collection of events, and the team is working to ensure everyone who attends has a memorable experience.

“Fulfillment for us comes from seeing the smiles on the faces of our audience after experiencing a stage production, a music performance or any of our shows and we got a lot of that, including rave reviews at last year’s edition of the festival,” Azubike said.

Taruwa, a Hausa word meaning ‘gathering’, created by Gbagyichild Entertainment, is a gathering of artistic and intellectual minds, which creates a platform for artistes to express themselves in a comfortable and intellectual setting. On a typical Taruwa evening, there are poets, vocalists, instrumentalists, comedians and spoken word artistes, performing. It is always a rich artistic cocktail.

In its almost seven years of operation, Taruwa has grown to be a phenomenon, with a quarterly print publication, Taruwa Magazine, an annual festival Taruwa Festival of Performing Arts in Nigeria, as well as the recently launched Arts, Culture and lifestyle webste Taruwa Magazine Online. Taruwa the event holds at 6:30pm at Bogobiri House, Ikoyi, on the last Tuesday of every month.

MultiChoice Africa unites award-winning artists in song

By Florence Utor Mo Abudu being honoured with Honoris Causa Award at the 2014 Convocation Ceremony of Babcock University.

Practitioners want film village in Awka From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka

a second edition with the theme Telling Our Stories. The project, which made its debut a year ago, is back with an assortment of programmes spread through four days. The show, which continued today, will wrap up tomorrow with a spectacular display by artistes.

The first edition of the festival, which held in June 2013, garnered rave reviews from a stage adaptation of Bobo Omotayo’s bestselling book London Life Lagos Living, a children’s show, screening of short films, Open Mic Theatre, a mega concert, and the final closing Ankara Ball, a grand evening of amazing performances.

“The success of the first edition of the festival left us so delighted and we’re grateful for all the support and we ask that you be a huge part of it this year,” CEO of Gbagyichild

celebration of 2014 AGN Democracy Charity Carnival with the theme ‘Sustaining Democracy through Entertainment’, also appealed to Obiano to build a befitting secretariat as well as provide them with location buses and other necessary logistics such as funding to help reposition the state chapter.

He stated that the guild chose the theme by taking into cognizance the unquantifiable role of Nollywood in producing movies that engender attitudinal changes for an egalitarian society. He also noted that through highlighting undemocratic practices in a democratic society such social malaise and other vices would

be checkmated.

According to Obidinma, the association has contributed immensely to the growth and sustainability of the nation’s democracy, adding, “As partners in progress with government at all levels, we have assisted in job creation, nation building and entertaining the masses.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that so many graduates who should have been roaming the streets in search of non-existing white collar jobs are now gainfully employed

by Nollywood. We are the third largest movie producer in the world apart from America’s Hollywood and Indian Bollywood”.

IX of Africa’s finest artists have collaborated on a song that is part of MultiChoice Africa’s upcoming campaign, which is set to be unveiled at a glitz and glam content extravaganza in Mauritius. The six artists are Davido, a Nigerian American recording artist, performer, and record producer; Diamond Platnumz (or simply Diamond), a Bongo Flava recording artist from Tanzania; Sarkodie (also referred to as Obidi Pon Bidi) a Ghanaian hip hop recording artist, entertainer, and brand ambassador; Tiwa Savage, Nigerian singer-songwriter, recording artist, performer and actress: Lola Rae, a British singer of Nigerian/Ghanaian descent who garnered recognition as a dancer in the street dance group “Myztikal” and finally Mi Casa, a South African band consisting of three members, Dr. Duda (producer) and pianist, Jsomething (vocalist

S

and guitarist), and Mo-T (trumpeter).

The song is a prelude to a themed campaign that will play a pivotal role in bringing about meaningful transformation to the benefit of all. The social and economic needs facing our continent are substantial and it is a moral duty for big business to make a difference by supporting projects

Davido

that benefit our society by creating shared value.

“MultiChoice Africa has an important role to play in both the economic and social transformation of our continent and we believe that this campaign provides the ideal platform to showcase meaningful change amongst the people of Africa,” says Nico Meyer, CEO MultiChoice Africa.

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AutoWheels Hyundai unveils luxury car as competition from BMW rises YUNDAI unveiled a new luxury sedan in H South Korea as the country’s largest automaker seeks to defend its most profitable market from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz.

The carmaker introduced the new frontwheel drive premium sedan, codenamed AG, at the Busan International Motor Show today. Hyundai, which also showed a diesel version of the Grandeur sedan for the first time, plans to begin sales of the AG in the second half of the year, the Seoul-based company said.

The AG comes after deliveries in South Korea, where Hyundai got 44 percent of its revenue in 2013, fell for two consecutive years as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen AG’s Audi lured buyers with imports of fuelefficient diesel models. Hyundai is counting

Hyundai luxury sedan

on the new sedan to boost annual sales and help offset profit declines overseas amid a strengthening won.

“Our high-end customers seeking to move up from the Grandeur sedan started to turn to imported brands,” Kim Sang Dae, director at Hyundai Motor’s domestic marketing group, said in an interview. “The price gap between the Grandeur and the Genesis, which are priced at around 30 million won and 50 million won, respectively, seemed to play a part.”

The AG is Hyundai’s answer to the customers’ demand for a premium car above the Grandeur and the company is planning on pricing the new AG at around 40 million won, Kim said.

Korea accounted for 66 percent of the company’s global premium sedan sales in 2013, according to company figures.

This year, sales of Hyundai’s revamped Genesis luxury sedan, which was introduced in November, jumped more than threefold in the quarter ended March. That helped Hyundai’s premium sedan deliveries rise 23 percent from a year earlier, according to data on the company’s website. It also helped sales rise for the first time in four quarters in South Korea, the data shows.

“By introducing a new premium sedan, the company will be able to offer a more refined line-up of models, which will help it secure its market share in South Korea,” said Shin Chung Kwan, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities Co. Still, Hyundai’s 4.5 percent increase in sales volume in South Korea for the quarter trailed behind the company’s full-year target of 6.4 percent growth. By comparison, Mercedes-Benz’s sales jumped 45 percent

and Audi’s surged 54 percent in the same period, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association.

For Hyundai, competition is getting tougher in overseas markets including China, where the carmaker ranks fourth in sales among foreign automakers. The company’s 8.8 percent growth in China last quarter lagged behind an industry wide expansion of 10 percent, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.

Among the competition is Ford Motor Co. (F), whose China deliveries surged 45 percent in the first quarter.

Hyundai’s sales in the U.S., the company’s biggest market by volume after China, fell 2.6 percent in the quarter.

The strengthening won, trading near levels not seen since 2008, is draining profits.

Hyundai’s net income last quarter fell 0.9 percent to 1.93 trillion won.

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Friday, June 6, 2014

Jeep: An unlikely 2014 sales hero IAT Chrysler Automotive’s FJeepgoals for expanding the brand this year and beyond are ambitious, for sure. But if Jeep keeps tacking on the kind of monthly sales comparisons that it has achieved so far this year, the company’s iconic utilityvehicle marque will be well on its way to reaching its bold aims.

This week Jeep reported its best-ever sales month in the United States with a 58-percent year-over-year increase in May, which marked the third consecutive month in which Jeep set its all-time monthly sales record. The brand is way ahead of its pace from last year; for all of 2013, Jeep sold 490,000 units in the United States, up only 3 percent from a year earlier, and 732,000 worldwide.

Clearly, reaching CEO Sergio Marchionne’s goal of 1 million global Jeep sales this year is within reason. If the brand continued for all of 2014 the proportional lead in U.S. sales that it has enjoyed through May over last year, Jeep would end the year with nearly 775,000 sales in its home market alone.

Unlikely hero?: 2014 Jeep Compass.

Jeep has been performing so

well this year in large part because of an increasingly optimized product line that relies on the flagship Grand Cherokee, whose sales were 13 percent ahead of 2013 through May; the iconic offroad nameplate, Wrangler, with sales ahead by 18 percent; and a revival of the Cherokee, a vast improvement over the Jeep Liberty it essentially replaced, and contributor of nearly 16,000 sales so far this year compared with just 200 by a fading Liberty last year.

More impressive, however, might be the sales performance of the two hoary vehicles in the Jeep lineup: Compass and Patriot. The 2014 versions of each of the small SUVs gained little from the year before, mainly a newly optional six-speed automatic transmission to replace continuously variable transmissions in most models. Both nameplates are due to be replaced in 2016 with a single new model.

But while they’re not ideal entrants, Jeep finds Compass and Patriot occupying the brand’s place in one of the hottest segments of the U.S. automotive market these days, so the company is trying to make the most of what

The front grill of a 2014 Chrysler Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is seen on display outside Chrysler World Headquarters during the FCA Investors Day in Auburn Hills, Michigan. it’s got. And that has brought a big emphasis on making these vehicles — whose fixed costs presumably have been amortized long ago — as price-competitive as possible. Thus, both were named last month to Kelley Blue

Book’s annual list of the 10 most affordable SUVs. And both Patriot and Compass have contributed significantly to Jeep’s surge this year, with Compass sales up by 28 percent for the year to date, to nearly 28,000

units, and Patriot sales up by 18 percent, to more than 37,000 units. Their performance so far in 2014 has come on top of solid year-over-year sales gains for all of 2013 as well.

Marchionne has staked

much on stoking explosive growth in Jeep sales in the U.S. and worldwide over the next few years. Jeep’s performance so far this year in its home market is an encouraging sign.

GM beats estimates for May sales as U.S. housing returns ENERAL Motors Co. (GM) question there’s a correlation G posted its best month of between housing starts and U.S. auto sales since before the pickup sales.” collapse of Lehman Brothers, joining other automakers reporting deliveries in May that exceeded analysts’ estimates on demand for pickups and sport-utility vehicles.

GM’s sales, helped by redesigned Chevrolet Silverado pickups and Cadillac Escalade SUVs, rose 13 percent to 284,694, the Detroit-based automaker said today in an e-mailed statement. That beats a 6.4 percent increase projected by the average of analyst estimates, showing that consumers weren’t scared off by recent small-car recalls.

Ford Motor Co. (F), Chrysler Group LLC, Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Honda Motor Co. and Nissan (7201) Motor Co. also reported better sales than analysts had predicted.

Industrywide sales rose 11 percent to 1.61 million light vehicles, researcher Autodata Corp. said in an e-mailed statement. That topped the average analyst estimate for a total of 1.54 million. The annualized pace, adjusted for seasonal trends, rose to 16.8 million, the highest since February 2007. Low interest rates kept customer payments attractive and helped spur housing activity.

“We’ve had a lot of pent-up demand from the first quarter that was pretty soft because of weather conditions,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst with researcher AutoTrader.com. “There’s no

GM with its new pickups, Ford with SUVs and Chrysler with its Jeep brand were able to take advantage of a rising market buoyed by improved housing starts. The pace of U.S. home construction jumped in April to its highest level since November. Housing starts climbed 13.2 percent to a 1.07 million annualized rate following March’s 947,000 pace, the Commerce Department reported on May 16. Permits for future projects increased, a sign activity might accelerate in coming months.

GM rose 1.1 percent to $35.26 at the close in New York, narrowing the discount investors pay for its earnings relative to other consumer discretionary companies. Ford gained 0.7 percent to $16.55 after earlier reaching $16.72, the highest intraday price since January.

“The momentum we generated in April carried into May, with all four brands performing well in a growing economy,” Kurt McNeil, GM’s U.S. vice president of sales operations, said in the statement.

The month marked GM’s best May in seven years and best since August 2008, the month before Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy. Gains by GM suggest consumers are separating new models on the lot from the older small cars that make up the company’s 2.59 million recalled vehicles linked to at least 13 deaths.

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Friday, June 6, 2014 AUTOWHEELS

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BMW, Mercedes lead push for autobraking to avoid crashes AYERISCHE Motoren B Werke AG (BMW) and Daimler AG are among automakers that are improving and speeding up their use of automatic brakes as part of efforts to reduce front-end crashes, a U.S. safety group said.

The BMW 5-Series and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz E-Class were two models with the most reliable systems, which use sensors, cameras and lasers to anticipate collisions and slow the car down, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a report today.

The systems are a focus of U.S. regulators looking to reduce highway crashes, which claimed 33,561 lives in 2012.

What was once an optional package, for which con-

sumers had to pay extra, is now beginning to become standard, including in some models of MercedesBenz, Volvo AB and Honda Motor Co. Acura vehicles, the institute said. Google Inc. is also using the technology as a building block for driverless cars.

“We know that this technology is helping,” said David Zuby, executive vice president and chief research officer at Arlington, Virginia-based IIHS. “Reducing the speed reduces the amount of damage that occurs to both the striking and struck cars and reduces injuries to people in those cars.”

The industry-backed research group has been trying to accelerate the introduction of the tech-

nology and began ranking cars with the systems in September.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed performance criteria for systems that warn drivers of an approaching object, like the back end of a stopped car. Automakers offering systems that meet the regulator’s criteria earn a “basic” rating from IIHS. The institute gives “advanced” ratings to systems that automatically apply brakes in case drivers do not. Cars that brake harder without driver input, like BMW’s 5-Series and X5 sport-utility vehicle, got both a perfect score and a “superior” rating.

BMW’s technology has improved from 2013, when

The BMW 5-Series and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz E-Class were two models with the most reliable systems, which use sensors, cameras and lasers to anticipate collisions and slow the car down, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a report today. The systems are a focus of U.S. regulators looking to reduce highway crashes, which claimed 33,561 lives in 2012. the Munich-based company received a score of basic for the more limited system installed on its 3-Series sedans.

Two other cars got the highest possible score: the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Hyundai Motor Co. Genesis. Four models from General Motors Co. also earned superior marks: The Cadillac CTS and XTS, the

Buick Regal and the Chevrolet Impala.

Front-crash prevention systems sense when a vehicle is getting too close to one in front of it. If the space closes too fast, drivers get an audio or visual warning. Brakes can be pre-charged to maximize stopping potential, or they can apply autonomously.

The institute ranked 14

models based on their crash-avoidance capability. Earlier testing ranked 86 other vehicles.

More than 20 percent of 2014 U.S. cars and light trucks offer safety systems with automatic braking, usually as part of a package of options, the institute said.

Forward-collision warnings are optional on about 40 percent of the

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Friday, June 6, 2014

VW Amarok

VW Amarok power concept gets ‘killer’ sound system VERY year Volkswagen E brings concept cars to the annual Wörthersee tuning festival in Austria — past events have seen everything from a Phaeton-engined Golf GTI W12-G50 to a tricked-out Škoda Fabia.

And this year, the Wolfsburg-based automaker didn’t disappoint, with the debut of a real-life Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept for the “Gran Turismo 6” video game.

But Volkswagen also

brought something much larger—and much louder: An Amarok pickup that houses a 5,000-watt sound system.

The Volkswagen Amarok has been on sale in dozens of markets since 2010, and

it’s powered by a range of thrifty gasoline and diesel engines. Available in double and quad-cab form, the Amarok has grown into a popular seller, but it’s sometimes knocked for not being offered in a wider range of

configurations and for the absence of a V8 engine in the lineup.

Volkswagen has left those two issues unaddressed in this concept, which has a distinct whiff of the GMC Syclone, but they did

Renault-Nissan may roll out self-driving cars by 2018 ERE technology the only W determining factor in delivering autonomous vehicles, autonomous vehicles would arrive in 2018.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said on Wednesday that regulation and not technological advancement is the real road block holding

self driving cars back.

Were it not for slowdowns because of legislation, he told Reuters that self-driving cars could probably be available in four years.

Late last month, Google revealed a prototype version of its own self-driving vehicle that it plans to use for test-

Prototype of an Audi self-driving car

ing. A long list of automakers including Ford, Audi, Renault and Volvo are all working on developing cars that can travel autonomously.

Also in May, the California DMV announced new rules for self-driving cars that will take new steps toward mak-

ing autonomous vehicles available to the public. But Europe might beat California to the punch thanks to pressure brought on by premium auto makers from Germany, Italy and France eager to beat U.S. brands to the punch.

Earlier this year, an amend-

ment to the United Nations’ self-driving vehicle rules allowed people to take their hands off the wheel in an autonomous car. If the amendment passes, it will allow cars to drive themselves as long as the would-be driver can take over if need be.

upgrade the stereo a bit, creating what the company claims is one of the loudest portable sound systems ever created.

In the back of this Amarok is a portable DJ station that can be unloaded and set up alongside the truck. It features an Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer, a Pioneer CDJ900NXS player, a Stasys Xair subwoofer with six micro speakers and two Void Acoustics Impulse 3t speakers. It’s all designed to fit in the bed, which admittedly leaves no room for anything else.

Volkswagen brings Amarok Power concept to Worthersee meet Volkswagen All the DJ gear is designed to fold up into the custom bed.

Volkswagen used the 3.0liter V6 TDI turbo diesel version of the Amarok for this tuning exercise, which is coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels — the version you’ll need to evade the police once you get called in for excessive noise in a residential area.

On the styling front, the Amarok has been finished in Dynamic Grey metallic paint with micro glass flakes mixed into the paint to give it an extra shine, along with custom graphics and chrome inserts for the bi-xenon headlights. 22inch wheels and door mirror covers painted in gunmetal gray complete the look, which many at Wörthersee found similar to last year’s Amarok-based Power Pick-Up Concept which had a go-kart in the trunk instead of the DJ equipment.

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AviationBusiness

Quote of the week Take nothing for granted; do not jump to conclusions; follow every possible clue to the extent of usefulness . . . Apply the principle that there is no limit to the amount of effort justified to prevent the recurrence of one aircraft accident or the loss of one life.

— Accident Investigation Manual of the U.S. Air Force. ibeuwaleke2012@yahoo.com 08033151041 (SMS only)

Researchers reveal bacteria that live in parts of airline cabins Stories By Ibe Uwaleke ISEASE-causing bacteria D can linger on surfaces in commercial airplane cabins for up to a week, researchers have found.

They say the seat-back pockets and armrests are particular hotspots for germs.

The team found E-Coli and MRSA bugs can survive for several days.

A major airline carrier supplied researchers with material from armrests, plastic tray tables, seat-pocket cloth, window shades and metal toilet buttons for the study In the study researchers simulated the temperature and humidity levels typically found during commercial flight.

MRSA survived the longest 168 hours -on material from the seat-back pocket, while E. coli O157:H7 lived for 96 hours on the material from the armrest.

Kiril Vaglenov, a graduate student in Auburn University’s Department of Biological Sciences, conducted a twoyear study which was funded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airliner Cabin Environmental Research Centre to determine how long E. coli O157:H7 and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, (MRSA), would survive on commonly touched surfaces under typical airplane conditions.

Another major airline carrier supplied the researchers with material from armrests, plastic tray tables, seat-pocket cloth, window shades and metal toilet buttons.

‘Our data show that both bacteria can survive for days on

these surfaces, particularly the porous material such as armrests and seat-pockets,’ said Vaglenov.

‘Air travelers therefore should be aware of the risk of catching or spreading a disease to other passengers and practise good personal hygiene.’

In order for bacteria to be transmitted from a cabin surface to a person, it must survive the environmental con-

ditions in the airplane.

Researchers also reveal incredible system that can show neurons firing in 3D Travel like Iron man! Mini wingless jet-pack lets man zoom around at speeds of 77mph (but only for half a minute) The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

In the study Vaglenov simu-

lated the temperature and humidity levels typically found during commercial flight.

MRSA survived the longest 168 hours -on material from the seat-back pocket, while E. coli O157:H7 lived for 96 hours on the material from the armrest.

‘The point of this study is not to be alarmist, but to point out to the airlines the importance of providing a sanitary

environment for travelers,’ said Professor Jim Barbaree, director of the study and mentor for Vaglenov.

Researchers howver say seatback pockets and armrests are particular hotspots for germs. The team found E-Coli and MRSA bugs can survive for several days in aircraft cabins.

‘We want to work with them to minimize the risks to human health.’

The Auburn team is currently investigating how long pathogens that cause other diseases such as tuberculosis survive in an airplane environment.

Vaglenov said future steps include exploring effective disinfecting procedures and testing other surfaces and materials that have antimicrobial properties to determine if they can help reduce health risks.

AIB releases second interim report on Dana air crash WO year after the ill-fated T Dana Air aircraft crash at the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos with 153 souls on board, the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, has released a second interim statement on the accident.

This is just as the bureau disclosed that investigative reviews of the engine teardown especially the fuel systems are still ongoing 730 days after the crash to know the true cause of the accident, which was tagged the worst air accident in 2013 by the

The purpose of this investigation is the prevention of aviation accidents and incidents; it is not to apportion blame or liability. Three interim safety recommendations were made to Dana Airlines and one to the regulatory authority respectively.

International Air Transport Association, IATA, and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO).

AIB had in 2013, released the first interim statement on Dana Air and recommended several safety practices for

operators in the sector and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. The aircraft, an MD83, flight O992 with the registration number 5N-RAM, crashed on Sunday June 3, 2012 after departing the Abuja Airport

for Lagos.

An online statement signed by the spokesman of the bureau, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi recalled that during the investigative process of the engine teardown by the agency, another similar incident occurred on another MD 83 aircraft of Dana Airlines on the October 6, 2013.

Oketunbi stated that AIB was currently investigating indepth systematic and safety issues associated with this second incident vis-à-vis, the crashed sister ship, 5N-RAM,

Overland Airways reduces fare on Lagos-Ilorin route VERLAND Airways, one O of the leading domestic airlines in Nigeria has announced a promotional fare on the Lagos-Ilorin (or return) route.

Effective Sunday June 1, 2014 passengers will enjoy Overland Airways flight services on the Lagos-Ilorin and Ilorin-Lagos routes at a promotional rate of

N15,000.00 only every day of the week (Monday – Sunday).

Overland Airways flies twice daily (Mondays-Fridays) from Lagos to Ilorin (return) and also one return flight on Saturdays and Sundays. The first flight departs Lagos at 07:15am (Mondays – Fridays) while the second flight departs at

3:00pm (Monday, Wednesday, & Friday). The first Ilorin-Lagos flight departs Ilorin 12:50pm (Mon, Wed, and Fri.) while the second departs at 5:30pm (Monday - Friday).

Overland Airways’ Saturday flight to Ilorin departs Lagos at 08:00am and at 09:00am on Sundays while the return flight from Ilorin

to Lagos is at 4:30pm (Saturday & Sunday).

According to the Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Aanu Benson, “the promo fare on this route is one of Overland Airways’ own way of promoting air transportation in Nigeria and rewarding loyal customers for their patronage over the years”.

adding that the safety actions adopted by the operator to redress the findings were being monitored and analysed.

The agency said that the Draft Final Report was currently in progress in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, Annex 13 and would be released accordingly in due course.

The statement added, “In accordance with Annex 13 to the convention on ICAO and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Aircraft Accident Investigation Regulations 2006, this is an updated interim statement being issued for the second anniversary of the accident.

“The purpose of this investigation is the prevention of aviation accidents and incidents; it is not to apportion blame or liability. Three interim safety recommendations were made to Dana Airlines and one to the regulatory authority respectively. These recommendations were accepted and have been implemented

by the operator and the regulatory authority.

“Investigative reviews of the engine teardown especially the fuel systems are still ongoing. During this process a similar incident occurred on another MD 83 aircraft of Dana Airlines on the 6th of October, 2013. AIB is currently investigating in-depth systematic and safety issues associated with this second incident visà-vis, the crashed sister ship, 5N-RAM. The safety actions adopted by the operator to redress the findings are being monitored and analysed.”

Meanwhile, there airline did not carry out any programme yesterday in remembrance of the dead victims.

But, the spokesman for the airline, Mr. Sam Ogbogoro in a phone interview with our correspondent said that the airline had worshipped at the Central Mosque at Alausa, Ikeja last Friday while a church service was observed for the deceased at St. Leo Church at Toyin Street, Ikaja on Sunday.

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BUsINessTrAveL Friday, June 6, 2014

Aviation workers urge senate to show understanding of N174b ministry’s debt Stories by Ibe Uwaleke OrKers in the aviation W industry have called on the senate Committee on Aviation to breakdown the N174 billion debts owed contractors handling the airport remodeling projects by the Ministry of Aviation in order to understand how the debts were incurred.

The coordinator of Congress of Aviation Unions and Aviation Professionals Association, sheri Kyari made this call on behalf of the workers, saying that the enormity of work being done at the airports is expected to gulp a huge amount of money, adding that the projects are visible so they could be identified and the debts aligned to each project.

Kyari warned that this should not be an excuse to abandon the projects because the facilities would be worse than the situation they were before the projects started if they were abandoned, remarking that though the debt is huge but it is relatively less than debts incurred by government in projects in other sectors that are far less than what is being done in the aviation sector.

“We are talking about 14 perishable cargo terminals where agriculture produce will be processed and exported overseas by our farmers. Two terminals at the old General Aviation Terminal (GAT) in Lagos have been completed, a new GAT for private jet operators have almost been completed in Lagos. Work is going on at the Hajj Camp in Lagos as well as the cargo terminal. expansion project is going on

at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. These are big projects in Lagos alone.

“There are 12 passenger terminals under construction. some terminals have been completed and unveiled like the ones in Benin, Kano, enugu, while others like the ones in Ilorin, Owerri, Yola, sokoto have been completed and put in use but yet to be officially unveiled. I also know that from 2011, as mentioned by the senate, other projects like the Hajj terminals in Kano and Kaduna have been completed and are operational. so the projects are huge,” Kyari said.

Meanwhile, the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, Dr Bernard Aliu has acknowledged the infrastructural upgrade going on at the Nigerian airports, saying that the expansion and remodelling are needed in order to prepare the airports for the increase in air traffic.

It is projected that Nigeria would record 15 to 16 million passenger movement by the end of 2014 and this number would continue to increase as the country’s rebased economy attracts more foreigners while more Nigerians travel locally and overseas, so the country needs more and improved airport facilities for easy facilitation.

Aliu said every member state of ICAO must have to improve its airports for the expected growth in air traffic, adding that the growth is a significant contribution to the economic and social develop-

posed to invest in order to accommodate the traffic growth. Aliu said.

Also the aviation Professionals square Table has condemned the recent attack on the avia-

tion agencies as a decoy to blackmail chief executives for monetary gains.

The coordinator of the group, Capt Usman shehu Idris stated this in Lagos while speaking with newsmen.

According to him “ it is purely hypocritical for the same Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha to say there has been no development in aviation when she attended the commissioning of remodelled terminals in Lagos, Benin and enugu where she praised progress in the sector,” They also said that Hon Onyeajioka who flew first class along with members of her family to China to be part of the signing of the loan will now turn around to deny its existence. “it’s either a case of illiteracy or self denial, with a clear intention to confuse the unsuspecting public” he added.

According to him “For the purpose of emphasis, the loan agreement was signed by the Ministry of Finance on behalf of Nigeria and not ministry of aviation, as is statutory.”

According to them, “the aviation agencies should not be reduced to ATM machines, especially as elections are approaching” They called of stakeholders and wellmeaning stakeholders and the general public to rise up against this daylight robbery.

Capt Usman further said that “It is clear that the financial fortunes of the agencies have improved with the gradual ongoing automation of its revenue points and Hon Onyeojeoka wants a reversal so as to continue her bleeding spree.

government to create opportunities for qualified Nigerians to run critical sectors of the economy. He said it cost the airline more money to engage expartriate pilots, who are not necessarily more competent. Oni said airlines bear more costs to engage foriegn pilots, for which they pay more to secure their security in view of kidnapping, huge costs of accommodations, travel expenses, salaries and other incidentals associated with foriegn employees.

The Bristow Helicopter boss said some of the 20 cadets would spend some time at the Nigerian College Of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria,

Kaduna state and the International Aviation College , Ilorin for ground studies and basic flying rules , before they travel to the United states. He said the airline would continue to invest in the training of helicopter pilots to reduce the number of expatriates in its employ, even as it would give opportunity for Nigerians to grow their career in a global group . pilots remain unemployed because they do not pass the Bristow Helicopter tests, and they also do not have the requirement for flying hours. It is because of these reasons that we employ expatriate pilots, it is expensive to keep expartriate pilots.”

Mark ment of the country.

“The growth is positive thing because it ensures the contribution to economic and social development, but it is also a challenge. The implica-

tion is that you need more infrastructures for airport operations, for air traffic management in order to accommodate that capacity. so every member state is sup-

Why pilots are not getting jobs, by Bristow ANAGING Director of M Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited, Captain Akin Oni has attributed inadequate flying hours, inability to pass competence tests, and low quality training from overseas training instutions as part of the reasons why many indigenous pilots are unable to secure employment in the aviation sector. Oni said the rising umployment among

young Nigerian pilots may be unchecked, because many young pilots do not have the mandatory 150 hours required of them to demonstrate command on any aircfraft. The managing director of Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited, Captain Akin Onidisclosed yesterday that the airline will invest over $ 500 MILLION ON THe TrAINING OF 20 CADeT INsPeCTOrs.

He disclosed that the 20 cadet helicopter pilots will be sent to the United states by Bristow Helicopters for a one year training at the academy run by the Bristow Group in America. Oni said the 20 cadet helicopter pilots trainees would cost the airline over $ 500 million. He said it cost about $250,000 to train one cadet pilot for the one year an initio training in the United

states, even as Bristow Helicopters has trained over 300 helicopter pilots in the paast thirty years, as part of its capacity building programme to enhance indigenous capacity in the aviatiion sector. Oni said Bristow Helicopters continues to invest in the training of indigenous pilots, as part of its contributions to improve indigenous competence and competitiveness. He said the airline would continue to train more helicopter pilots to reduce the number of expartriate pilots in its employ. He said the airline is carrying out the manpower development programme in compliance with the local cont policy of

Discovery Air gets AOC, commences flight operations June 9 IsCOverY Air has been D granted Air Operator Certificate (AOC) by the

General Manager, Human Resources Bristow Helicopter Aviation, Mr. Femi Collins, (left), and Managing Director, Bristow Helicopter Aviation, Captain Akin Oni during the signing of bond on the ab-initio Pilot Training at its Headquarters, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja Lagos… on Monday

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

With the licence, Discovery has met the minimum safety requirement and its airplanes considered safe enough to fly within Nigerian airspace by the regulator.

Presenting the certificate to the Chairman DiscoveryAir, Mr. Babatunde Babalola, the NCAA acting Director General, engr. Benedict Adeyileka, told the airline that he is comfortable with them because of the way they have been conducting themselves all through the certifi-

cation period.

He said operators are critical of the air safety, just like the regulator, calling for harmonious working environment to engender a safer sky for Nigeria.

He said the NCAA was willing to support them and other airlines in Nigeria, charging the airline to always remit the five percent tax collected on behalf of NCAA promptly to avoid sanctions.

In his address, the Chairman DiscoveryAir, Mr. Babatunde Babalola, thanked the management of NCAA for their support and their share in the success story and he promised that the airline will

adhere to strict safety procedures because it was not easy to come out of the certification.

He said the airline will have its maiden flight on Monday 9, June 2014. He added that the airline will start operations with two Boeing 737 aircraft and they will keep adding up. On what the height of their operation will be, the Chairman said their concentration will be on quality customer service delivery. On route operations, he said they are starting with their operational base in Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt and later to Uyo and Yola with the expectation of flying to West Coast.

Friday, June 6, 2014 AVIATIONTRAVEL 55

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AON faults govt’s directive on payment of royalties by foreign airliness Stories by Ibe Uwaleke HE Airline Operators of T Nigeria (AON) has faulted the directive issued by Federal Government which is asking foreign carriers to stop the payment of royalties to it by October 27, 2014.

According to the executive chairman of AON, Captain Nogie Meggison, the new directive by government is another step to further undermine the survival of the domestic airline carriers.

Speaking in an interview, Meggison said the stoppage of royalties by the foreign carriers will make government lose significant revenue it needs to fix critical infrastructure in the aviation sector.

The utilization of bilateral air services agreement (BASA), funds and royalties have assisted in the past to fund major aviation projects.

He said industry experts were not carried along before government in a hurry cancelled the agreement, for which the benefitting international carriers have been officially communicated.

Meggison said government, through the ministry of aviation, only informed the umbrella body of domestic carriers after it has concluded the cancellation of the payment of royalties to Nigeria He said the ministry of aviation violated the industry regulation of notice of ruling making, which requires that stakeholders be given ninety days notice to make their input on any vexed matter before it becomes law.

The AON boss said though, the stoppage of payment of royalties by foreign carriers to Nigerian government is in line with the Open Skies Policy , but Nigeria is not yet ripe for such a policy that throws up its airspace for foreign carriers at the detriment of indigenous carriers.

He said the new move by government is another attempt to further erode the Nigerian aviation market after the multiple entry policy, which has adverse effects on domestic carriers.

Meggison said : “ If something drastic is not done to correct these anomalies, the domestic carriers of today will be out of business in five years.”

Meggison said with such waiver or stoppage of payment of royalties, he wonders how government would raise substantial funds to liquidate its over N 174 billion borrowed by the ministry of avia-

Jonathan tion.

He queried that with such huge indebtedness position day, how will government pay up the loans used to fix the airports, when funds accruing from royalties paid by foreign carriers could be utilized to offset such loans.

In November 2012, the President of Nigerian Senate , David Mark urged the Federal Government to authorize relevant agencies including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), to compel some foreign airlines to pay over $ 249 million accruing from fines and royalties.

Only last year, the ministry of aviation spent over N7.5 billion of bilateral air services agreement ( BASA), funds on the rebuilding of airports out of the $80million BASA funds domiciled with the NCAA .

In 2012 it was alleged that NCAA had in its kitty over $ 80

million of BASA funds .

The Federal Government has secretly signed the agreement on abolition of commercial agreements and royalties by foreign carriers a month ago.

About N150 billion it said to

be collected as royalty from the foreign airlines flying into Nigeria annually.

The BASA money is the royalty foreign airlines pay to Nigeria as charges for the extra rights they requested for and got out-

side the original bilateral agreement between their countries and Nigeria.

Presently, Nigeria has 78 BASAs worldwide, out of which about 30 are being utilised.

The approval signed by the Federal Government to cancel the collection of the BASA charges according to sources is borne out of the position of the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) that airlines should be allowed to operate into each other’s countries without paying royalty.

While countries from Africa and many other foreign countries, even from developed countries are slow to embracing the policy, Nigeria had rushed to approve of the decision without considering the economic implications on the industry.

Prior to now, the money generated from the BASA account, which used to be managed by the defunct Nigeria Airways, but transferred to the Ministry of Aviation was squandered by the government in a controversial manner.

Following the heat the disappearance of the money in the BASA’s accounts, running to several billions of naira, the government of late President Yar’Adua directed that the account be transferred to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the service of critical elements in the sector.

With the approval for the abolition of the BASA fund collection, the foreign carriers may have now actively taken over the country’s aviation sector with no competition from the Nigerian domestic carriers.

According to a source at the Ministry of Aviation, who did not support government’s

position, “the rush to approve the abolition of the BASA levy was one of the unpatriotic decisions government had taken.”

Following the development, the aviation agencies, which hitherto had been the beneficiaries of the BASA royalties would have to look elsewhere to remain in business.

Already, the chief executives of the various aviation agencies, who were said to be shocked with government’s decision, had been holding series of meetings on how to free themselves from the financial mess the latest development was bound to put them in once it became effective, that is, in October.

The source took a swipe at the government for failing to weigh the negative financial implications the move would have on Nigeria.

According to an airline chief, who promised to openly comment on the development in October, when the approval would be effective: “ This is another dangerous decision the government has just taken. By approving of the abolition, government has just unwisely opened up its airspace to the whole world and this singular action will end up sending domestic airlines to their graves.

“By opening up its airspace, Nigeria must surely witness the influx of more foreign airlines from across the world, but unfortunately, the indigenous carriers are no match.”

Top on the list of the 78 mega carriers operating into Nigeria include the British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM, Delta Airlines, United Airline, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Middle East Airlines, Air Iberia, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Kenya

Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport to pilot innovative solutions NTERNATIONAL Air I(IATA) Transport Association welcomed and recognized the participation of Qatar Airways and the newly opened Hamad International Airport, Doha, in two key industry programs that enhance security and improve passenger convenience.

Smart Security : Hamad

Acting D.G NCAA, Benedict Adeyileka, handing over the certificate to the chairman of Discovery Air

International Airport, Qatar Airways, Airports Council International (ACI), and IATA signed an agreement for a pilot program for Smart Security. Smart Security is a joint project between IATA and ACI to strengthen security, improve the passenger experience, and increase operational efficiency at airport checkpoints. Smart Security achieves this by strengthening security by focusing resources based on risk, using advanced screening technologies and process innovations. The pilot at Hamad International Airport is the third globally, after agreements with AmsterdamSchiphol and LondonHeathrow.

Fast Travel: Doha’s Hamad International Airport includes five of the six Fast Travel options for self-service. These are Check-in, BagsReady-To-Go (known locally as the Qatar Airways My QTag service), Flight Rebooking, Self-Boarding, and Baggage Recovery. Plans are also in place for the implementation of Document Check, the last of the Fast Travel options. In

recognition of its achievement in giving passengers greater choice, convenience, and control over their journey, Qatar Airways was given the Fast Travel Green Award.

“Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are committed to giving passengers the best experience possible,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker.

“To do that we are working in close partnership to give our passengers the self-service options that they increasingly expect. And we are pleased to be among the world’s pioneering airports for Smart Security. Our new state-of-the-art gateway, Hamad International Airport, and Qatar Airways want Hamad International Airport to become the hub of choice for passengers.

Smart Security and Fast Travel will be two of the key elements in that success.”

“We are delighted that Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are partners in the Smart Security and Fast Travel initiatives. They join a growing group of visionary airlines and airports that are com-

mitted to the collaborative optimization of procedures and technology,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “The community of airports around the world is working assiduously to increase the promotion of excellence in all aspects of their activities and passenger care is at the forefront of our efforts.

Collaboration between industry stakeholders extends our reach and makes progress possible.

Smart Security, driven by ACI and IATA, is one of the solutions that will increase passenger satisfaction by reducing the hassle factor associated with current processes.

We congratulate Hamad International Airport for spearheading the transformation of the security checkpoint and we look forward to seeing the benefits that Smart Security will bring to our passengers,” said Angela Gittens, ACI’s Director General.

The agreement was signed and awards presented at the conclusion of the IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Doha, Qatar.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

56 Friday, June 6, 2014

FridayWorship

By Afis A. Oladosu

In the Name of the Almighty, the Beneficent, the Merciful “When it is said to them: “Do not perpetrate corruption on the earth”, they say: “We indeed are the revolutionists” (Q2:11-12) RETHREN, a disclaimer is urgent and important: this writer is neither a politician nor an indigene of Ikot-Ekpene. Intellectually, he belongs neither to the West nor to the SouthSouth. He is one of those Nigerians who usually endeavour to approach life like the honey-bee.

The latter is constantly attracted to that which is pure and beautiful .

On the flip side, however, I abhor all acts of dishonesty and brigandage. I anathemize all chicanery and tomfoolery; I pooh-pooh all pretences to good governance particularly when the reality smacks of insuperable odour of corruption and greed.

This is axiomatic in the bill recently passed by the House of Assembly in Akwa Ibom State which grants the incumbent all luxuries except that of extending his tenure in office and on earth.

The Governor demanded and got approval for a 5-bedroom mansion in Abuja or Akwa Ibom, a yearly accommodation allowance of 300 per cent of annual basic salary for the deputy governor; $50,000.00 per month worth of perquisites allegedly to hire cooks, chauffeurs and security guards; free medical services for himself and his spouse at a sum not exceeding N100 million or an equivalent of $600,000.00; furniture allowance of 300 per cent of annual basic salary once in every four years; yearly maintenance and fuelling of vehicle allowance of 300 per cent of annual basic salary; severance gratuity allowance of 300 per cent of annual basic salary as at the time the officer leaves office; yearly utility allowance of 100 per cent of annual salary; and entertainment allowance of 100 per cent of annual basic salary.

When the above went ‘viral’ on the news media, I had to pause a moment in order to ascertain

B

“Surely, the religion with Allah is ISLAM,complete submission”... Qur’an 3:19

Can the governor pass a bill for eternal life? exactly where Akwa Ibom is on the world map.

Remember, brother, that Akwa Ibom State is located in Nigeria, not in Saudi Arabia or America.

Remember brother, the minimum wage payable to civil servants in that State is not N50, 000 in line with the huge resources at the disposal of the Governor and his fellow travelers in the House of Assembly but N21,000; remember sister, that the money the governor requested for and got on a platter of gold is payable to all past officers of the State; remember brother, the governor and his friends in the House assume that since the State is capable of paying the bill now it will always do in future because oil, in their imagination, is an inexhaustible resource!

But is Governor Godswill Akpabio the only governor in this part of the world who thinks that there is a shield that can be fashioned against fate, against the inimitable power of the Almighty? No! In other words, all around the country, serving and past governors are all gloves in hand and in pursuit of the same objective.

In Kano State, for example, the two governors from 2003 -Ibrahim Shekarau and Rabiu Kwankwaso- have accused each other of spending more than N2 billion as severance welfare packages on themselves alone. Yet, Kano has about 1.7 million school-age children roaming the streets without any hope of getting quality education.

Brethren, while the above macabre dance was going on, Ogun State staged a presence in our reality for another but no less unsavoury reason. In that State, the current governor is locked in a power tussle with on of his predecessors in

office. What matters to the latter and his political followers is not the enviable achievements of Amosun in office, but who becomes what in the State in 2015. ‘Let ‘the bridge’ be destroyed if he would not allow us have our way’, so goes the chorus.

Thus in Ogun and in other parts of the country, the political class reminds me, once again, of the “beautiful” images I painted of our politicians in this column in the past.

In other words, hardly is there an adjective which can adequately qualify the character, conduct and vision of a professional politician, in any clime or time, other than that of opportunism. He is that individual who is always ready to take advantage of any situation, be it sacred or profane, to achieve a selfish end.

An opportunistic person is a man or woman of conscience except that with reference to his perfidious search for personal lucre, his conscience is often not his guide but an accomplice.

When an assemblage of opportunistic persons take over the political space, what results in line with the Nigerian democratic experience, is a mismanaged nation.

But brethren, when we contemplate the activities of our politicians more closely, one finds in them some ‘positive’ traits. For example, the ordinary professional politician in our midst is a bundle of energy and activities. At dawn he is in ‘business’. At dusk, he is on ‘call’. He dedicates his entire life to the pursuit of fortune and wealth wherever such may be found even if it leads to the misfortune of others.

In fact, he would tell you that there is more fortune in misfortune than misfortune in fortune.

Thus every tragedy is an opportunity, every situ-

ation is key to providence. But he does not work alone; like Jackals, opportunistic persons sometimes work in pairs. In fact, they do not and cannot work alone.

Governor Akpabio and others need the State legislatures to commit legal corruption; Aso Rock needs a security outfit to put an end to the “Bring Back Our Girls Campaign”. But no matter the circumstance, the goal is constant: the pursuit of personal interest, the despoliation of the carcass.

Thus it becomes evident that the minority who superintend the affairs of this nation relates to the Nigerian State as a dead animal. The political class relate to Nigeria the way jackals relate to carcasses. Carcasses are dead bodies of animals, or humans or the remains of an entity the substance or character of which is gone.

Whereas in Islam, we are under obligation to relate to cadavers as sacred entities that shall rise to life again, jackals relate to carcasses with complete hatred and negation. They seek to deny unto the latter the very possibility of their resurrection once again. The current political class in Nigeria is like jackals seeking to deny unto this country the chance to rise again. Thus wherever they go, like jackals, they leave their landmarks for all to see and ponder.

Like jackals which leave landmarks with their urine and faeces, the political class equally leave their landmarks in our village, on our streets, on our life. Like the urine and faeces of jackals in the jungle, the political class is leaving landmarks of corruption and maladministration.

Brethren when someone close to me heard about the medical allowance demanded by the governor, she wondered aloud thus: “Is that governor unaware that there are certain ailments billions of naira cannot cure?”

Let Governor Akpabio send another bill to the incredulous house which shall provide for him and his cohorts eternal life here on earth, otherwise let him and others know that ill-gotten wealth has never and will never be a shield against the inimitable will of the Almighty.

(08122465111 for texts only)

Friday, June 6, 2014 POLITICSEXTRA

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

57

My roadmap for Ekiti’s development, by Opeyemi CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 v. Industrialization should provide for a substantial inclusion of local content in industrial output; vi. Industrialization should attract foreign capital and investment; and vii. Industrialization should also increase private sector participation in industrial sector.

EXISTING INDUSTRIAL VENTURES There are only two existing industrial ventures in Ekiti today. These are Ire Burnt Brick Factory and Ikun Dairy Farm.

BURNT BRICK The burnt brick sub sector provides ample opportunity for the optimal utilization of one of the natural resource endowments of the State (CLAY).The only factory making use of this clay is located in Ire Ekiti, established by the old Ondo State. Performance is below expectation.

Government will embark on the: - Resuscitation of this existing Ire burnt brick factory; - Setting up of another burnt brick factory along Ipole-Iloro-Efon Alaye axis; - A change in the management system to include transferring it to an Agency and, where possible, bank monitoring; - Enactment of necessary legislations by Government that makes it mandatory for all new buildings to utilize a certain percentage (20%) of burnt bricks in their construction; - Establishment of major and sub- distributors across Senatorial Districts.

- Provision of free transportation of the bricks to the site of prospective buyers as part of the incentives.

IKUN DAIRY FARM The Ikun Dairy Farm Limited has the capacity of producing 10,000 litres of treated water per day, as well as over 5, 000 litres of milk and other milk related products. To encourage optimal performance of the Farm, our Government will ensure the: - Rehabilitation or transformation of the old or obsolete factor lines to meet contemporary standards; - Compartmentalization of the factory’s constituent units for sectional production. For example, yoghurt, cheese, butter and milk drinks will be produced easily through these compartments; and - Diversification of raw materials sources to include dried concentrated powdered milk and small holders’ dairy cattle herders.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES The agricultural resources that abound in the State can be divided as listed below; i. Food and tree crops: Cocoa, palm oil, palm kernel, timber, coffee, kolanuts, banana, plantain, yam, cassava. ii. Arable: Maize, millet, rice. iii. Vegetable oil and oil seeds: Palm fruits, palm kernel, groundnut, cotton seed, soya beans, coconut, melon seed, corn seed, rubber,oil bean, mango seed, pear seed, orange seed, conophor (walnut), etc. iv. Fruits: Oranges, grapes, fruits, lemon, pineapple, banana, plantain, guava etc. v. Vegetables: Tomatoes, pepper, water melon, okro, bitter leaf, soko, ewedu, mushroom, sweet potatoes.

WOOD RESOURCES Wood abounds in Ekiti State, such as mahogany, obeche, walnut, mansonia and teak, which can be used for the production of plywood – veneers. Wood waste can be used to make doors, furniture, tooth pick, ice cream, spoons, wooden toys, carving, mopping sticks, carves, mortar and pestles.

INDUSTRIES THAT WILL BE FURTHER DEVELOPED BY OUR ADMINISTRATION A. SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES 1.

Cassava processing 2.

Starch production 3.

Rice mill 4.

Saw mill 5.

Candle making 6.

Yam flour 7.

Maize flour 8.

Pop corn 9.

Bread making 10.

Broom making 11.

Soap making 12.

Palm oil 13.

Basket making 14.

Blending and bottling of alcoholic drinks – brandy etc 15.

Dying 16.

Pottery 17.

Mat making

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

Handcraft Designing and dress making Cloth making Juice(oranges, tomatoes, guava) Black smiting Farm tools making Welding Palm wine bottling industry Water bottling Block making Ceramics Animal feeds Poultry Shoe making

B. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

MEDIUM SCALE INDUSTRIES Dairy production Furniture Printing Palm kernel oil Metal working

C. LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIES 1.

Cassava processing 2.

Textile 3.

Cocoa industry 4.

Machine tools and relevant technology development centre 5.

Construction industry 6.

Stone granite chipping industry 7.

Wood processing INDUSTRIAL LOCATIONAL ARRANGEMENT Certain factors must be considered in the process of industrialising the State. They include: 1. Nearness of raw material 2. Availability of appropriate labour 3. Nearness to market 4. Suitable transport facilities 5. Political, economic and social conditions 6. Conduciveness to economic activity The policy of spreading industries on an on-going basis shall be made effective by ensuring that every Local Government Area establishes at least one or two small or medium scale industries, thus avoiding concentration in few relatively urban towns and to stern the tendency for rural-urban migration.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION: The strategies to adopt for the achievement of rapid industrial development in Ekiti will include: i. Government encouragement of private participation through various forms of incentives; ii. Government will de-emphasize direct control; iii. Where government shareholding still exists, such interest will be divested; iv. Government will give regular supportive and catalytic participatory functions; v. Government will concentrate efforts on the provision of infrastructural facilities and improvement of investment climate; vi. Government will encourage private investment in basic industries that can produce capital and intermediate goods and also those to do with linkage efforts.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE We have come to the realization that there is the need to have an Institutional Development Centre of appropriate technology, design, development and production expertise where research will constantly take place so as to accelerate quick industrial take –off. Such a centre(s) can provide minor spare parts and components for the maintenance of small, medium or large scale equipment.

OUR INTERVENTION PLAN The Government Technical College, Ado Ekiti will be upgraded with relevant curricular and facility support to stand out for the development acquisition and maintenance of industrial equipment and this will be under the supervision of the State Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Tourism. An interministerial committee will be put in place to work out the modality for the take-off of the centre.

STONE BUSINESS The abundance of rock in virtually all communities in the State, undoubtedly guarantees the availability of raw materials for the stone business. With a view to take advantage of this abundance, we will focus on: Establishment of stone carving industries in the

three Senatorial Districts in the State; Kick-starting quarry/stone-crushing business initiatives in every Local Government, where viable, with the aim of attracting private investors; Marble works; and Stone polishing.

leave for necessary exposure to and participation in local and foreign exchange programs as well as data collection and dialogue with their counterparts at the Federal level and in some selected industrialized States of the Federation to aid the drive for industrialization in the State.

OUR FUNDING PROJECTIONS FOR INDUSTRIALISATION One of the factors that can facilitate industrial developments in the rural economy like Ekiti State is to have a reasonable availability of financial resources. This is why both the public and private sectors of the State should make concerted efforts in providing adequate finance in executing industrial projects. It is our candid view that the private sector should strive for healthy competition in her sector while the State Government under our administration will provide support by: I. Opening up private investments through appropriate incentives and enabling environment so as to promote competition and efficiency; ii. Setting aside a fund under the budget, when feasible, to assist the small and medium scale entrepreneur; iii. Assisting large scale industrialists’ loan processing through the Bank of Industry by providing quick issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, provided all the requirements are met, providing access road, and other infrastructure so as to make for quick take off of such a venture within a record time; iv. Source of fund for economic development through a nation-wide FUND RAISING APPEAL. Ekiti has a very low economic base and as such Government will organise for fund raising for industrialization that will generate donations from Local, State and Federal Governments as well as well-meaning Nigerians; Proceeds from the exercise will be put in an INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT TRUST FUND with an Industrial Development Trust Fund Committee made up of people of proven ability and integrity with reasonable autonomy to manage the funds and account for its operation. The appeal fund should target Twenty Billion Naira. v.

Both the State and Local Government Authorities, through necessary legislature, will dedicate a certain percentage of their annual budget for industrial programme, and such allocation or budgeting provision will be backed with fund which will be paid to the Industrial Development Trust Fund of the State. vi. Each Local Government, in order to give the properly deserved attention to industrial efforts will have a Supervising Councillor in charge of industrial development matters who must possess relevant academic and professional background to add value in this respect; vii. Each Local Government will be encouraged to establish a Department of Industrial matters; viii.

A number of Senior Personnel of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be given special study

iv. Mining Our administration will pursue strategic interventions in the mining sector. The development of long-term plan for the sector will enable Government address institutional and policy challenges and these ultimately will determine the extent to which the State will benefit from mining. The mining sector will be developed as a significant contributor to economic growth in Ekiti State. Concerted effort would be made to leverage on existing expertise in mining within the State. In our bid to maximize the potentials of the mining industry in Ekiti State, we will not only ensure the training of our youth for mine exploration on commercial scale, we will also enter into sustainable partnership with the organized private sector with a view to building a world-standard Asphalt/Bitumen Manufacturing plant. This will help to make available the solid mineral resources for construction of roads in Ekiti and for commercial purposes in neighbouring States.

SOLID MINERAL RESOURCES POTENTIAL AND EXPLOITATION IN EKITI STATE As far back as 1995, the Federal Government of Nigeria created the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development which today is called the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. The aim was to revitalize that sector of Nigerian economy and diversify the economy from a mono petroleum- based one.

Apart from a few small scale granite quarries and some cottage level pottery project, it is only the burnt bricks in Ire- Ekiti, which is almost moribund, that is available in Ekiti State. This is a low level of industrial development given the abundant broad-based solid mineral base in the state. This low level of industrialization can be attributed to: i.The capital intensive nature of the requirements for the development of most mineral resources; ii. The lead time of mineral ventures which is usually long; iii. The break-even period which may run into many years; iv. Land acquisition for mining;

CONTINUED ON PAGE 61

58

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Friday, June 6, 2014

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 5-06-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

Friday, June 6, 2014 MARKET REPORT 59

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 5-06-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

Caverton shareholders laud firm’s diversification plan, approves N12.5 k dividend Stories by Helen Oji of HAREHOLDERS Offshore Caverton Support Group (COSG) have lauded the company’s diversification plan into other parts of sub-Sahara Africa, even as they endorsed a total dividend of N418 million, translating to 12.5k per share for every 50k ordinary share held for the 2013 financial year.

The Shareholders, who spoke at the company’s yearly general meeting held in Lagos yesterday, explained that the diversification exercise would enhance profitability and growth of the company which would ultimately add value to their investment.

Specifically,an independent investor, Vitalis Anyim explained that the diversification exercise would increase the company’s visibility in Africa, which would help improve the company’s bottom-line.

He also stressed the need for the company to increase its awareness campaign in order to attract more investors into the company. the of member A Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria Akinsanya (ISAN), Solomon, commended the company on the successful conversion to IFRS, while urging the management to ensure prompt release of information to boost investor confidence.

He added that if investors are well informed on the operations and strategic plans of a company, it would go a long way to boost confidence and make the stock more attractive.

The Chief Executive Officer

S

of the company, Olabode Makanjuola assured shareholders that the company would continue to evaluate its capital mix and structure it in such a way that it would accrue more profit and add value to shareholders.

He pointed out that the company has acquired the necessary facilities that would enhance its operations and make it more competitive in the industry.

He told shareholders that the company would extend its business activities to other sub-saharan African countries such as Congo, Mozambique, Angola and Ghana, adding that its also expand its marine service offering to include platform supply vessels, pipeline surveillance and seafarer training.

The chief executive officer said that the company would emerge the preferred offshore support and logistics provider in Sub-Sahara Africa by offering a fleet of modern aircraft and offshore support vessels.

“We are building the first training center in Africa for Engineers. We have a lot of plan in the areas of diversification and we are looking at diversifying in geography.

“We have a number of announceables. The company is evolving to a global conglomerate and we would build a better future for Nigeria.”

The company posted a turnover of N18.66 billion against N16.13 billion declared in the comparative period of 2012 while its profit rose from N1.36billion to N1.88billion during the year under review.

Operators pledge to support Honeywell’s new N10b project PERATORS in the Nigerian O capital market have pledged their support for Honeywell’s N10 billion new agro-allied industrial complex, while urging the management to approach the stock market to raise the needed capital for the project.

They promised adequate mobilization of investing public to the company’s N10billion new Agro-Allied Industrial Complex located on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Speaking at a facility tour of Honeywell’s factory at Apapa, Lagos, the General Manager, Compass Investments & Securities Limited, Sam Willie Ndata, who led his colleagues, said the stockbrokers were amazed at the enormous investments in the factory, adding that the company has proved that it is a ‘force to reckon with’ in the industry.

Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Lanre Jaiyeola, told the stockbrokers that the company has a strong potential and a

bright future for shareholders.

According to him, work has commenced on the development of the Agro-Allied Industrial Complex of 62.8 hectare land and situated around the Sagamu.

He pointed out that the facility would be a cluster site for the production and processing of general food and agroallied products with emphasis on manufacturing valueadded human and animal food products leveraging backward integration for raw material procurement.

Bulk of the money required for this investment, according to him, would be raised through equity, while talks have also commenced with financial institutions like the Bank of Industry.

He said the project, when completed, would enable the company to increase its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) as the Food Village will open employment opportunities for several Nigerians.

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 60

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GlobalStocks European equities rise near six-year high UROPEAN stocks rose, E trading near a six-year high, and Germany’s DAX Index briefly topped 10,000 for the first time after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi unveiled new plans to stimulate the region’s economy.

Banks posted some of the biggest gains in the region, with Mediobanca SpA, Banco de Sabadell SA and Commerzbank AG climbing more than 3 percent each. Smith & Nephew Plc rose 2.3 percent as Medtronic Inc. was said to consider a takeover of the U.K. company. Asos Plc (ASC) tumbled the most on record after cutting its profitability forecast, dragging online retailers lower.

Deutsche Bank AG fell 3.8 per cent after offering shareholders a discount of more than 20 percent to buy new stock.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.4 per cent to 344.99 at the close of trading in London after rising as much as 1.2 per cent.

Draghi unveiled an unprecedented round of measures to avoid the threat of deflation, saying officials will speed up preparations related to the purchases of asset-backed securities. The DAX added 0.2 percent to 9,947.83 after climbing to 10,013.69. The Euro Stoxx 50 Index of euroarea equities gained 0.9 per cent to 3,267.05, the highest level since September 2008.

“Draghi’s big statement for me is that the ECB is accelerating plans for QE,” Alan Higgins, who helps oversee about $48 billion as U.K. chief investment officer at Coutts & Co. in London, said in an interview. “He’s been quite explicit. What’s driving risk assets today is that if inflation continues to fall and the euro continues to rally, the ECB will do conventional QE.” The ECB opened a 400-billion-euro ($542 billion) liquidity channel tied to bank

lending, and officials will begin work on an asset-purchase plan. The ECB cut its deposit rate to minus 0.1 per cent, becoming the first major central bank to take one of its main rates negative. It lowered its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 0.15 per cent, compared with a median estimate of 0.1 per cent in a Bloomberg News survey.

All but two of the 60 economists surveyed had forecast a cut in the main refinancing rate.

National benchmark indexes rose in 12 of the 17 western European markets open today. France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.1 percent, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 slid 0.1

per cent. Markets in Denmark were closed for the Constitution Day holiday.

The volume of shares changing hands on Stoxx 600-listed companies was 29 percent greater than the average of the past 30 days, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

A gauge of lenders in the Euro Stoxx 50 rallied 1.3 per cent. Italy’s Mediobanca rose 4 percent to 7.65 euros, while Spain’s Banco de Sabadell advanced 3.6 percent to 2.52 euros and Commerzbank, Germany’s second-largest bank, gained 3.2 per cent to 11.81 euros.

Smith & Nephew advanced 2.3 per cent to 1,088 pence.

The maker of medical devices is aware of Medtronic’s interest, as are investment banks, said people familiar with the matter.

Medtronic’s preparations for a bid are at an early stage and no offer is imminent, they said.

Bellway Plc added 2.2 per cent to 1,436 pence. The British homebuilder said demand for new homes remains robust and predicted an operating margin of about 17 percent for the year ending July 31 from less than 14 percent.

Asos tumbled 31 per cent to 3,120 pence, its lowest price since April 2013. The online fashion retailer forecast that earnings before interest and

A flag is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, January 4, 2013.

taxes will be about 4.5 percent of sales for the year through August, compared with a previous margin estimate of 6.5 percent. Retail sales increased 25 percent in the quarter through May after rising 26 percent in the two months through February, the company said.

Investment AB Kinnevik fell six per cent to 253.40 kronor.

The Swedish company owns a stake in Zalando AG, a German online shoe and clothing retailer.

Milan-based Yoox SpA, which competes with Asos, retreated 6.1 per cent to 21.75 euros. Boohoo.com Plc lost 9.1 per cent to 45 pence, extending losses since its March initial public offering

to 10 per cent.

Deutsche Bank fell 3.8 percent to 28.58 euros. Europe’s biggest investment bank said it will offer 6.75 billion euros worth of new shares to investors at 22.50 euros apiece, exceeding an original target of 6.3 billion euros.

Volvo AB (VOLVB) slipped 2.9 per cent to 93.70 kronor.

UBS AG cut its rating on the world’s second-largest truckmaker to sell from neutral. Analysts led by Fredric Stahl said its recovery in Europe will disappoint because the improvement in truck demand doesn’t come from all markets but mainly from Italy.

PHOTO: REUTERS

U.S stock, bond markets sustain rising profile .S. stock and bond marU kets have risen in tandem all year as investors in each found reasons to support their views: stocks are up on signs the economy is improving, and bonds have gained on expectations for low inflation and relatively slow growth.

The benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 set multiple records in the last few weeks, while the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index .BCUSA is up 3.3 per cent this year, having also hit a record. However, the rally in yields that brought the benchmark 10-year bond to its lowest level in nearly a year last week has some investors saying it may be the bond market that’s gone too far.

“It’s a bit head-scratching,”

said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management with $120 billion in assets under management. “To me there are signs everywhere the economy is about to get better, and we won’t know it until we get second-quarter GDP. Inflation is not going to be high but unlikely to be as low at the end of the year as it was at the start of the year.

“When these other things fade away, my view is we could get a quick move up in rates.”

Signs that investors are starting to cotton to this are emerging. Stronger-thanexpected U.S. economic data, including on recent inflation, has stemmed some of the enthusiasm for Treasuries. The 10-year yield hit 2.60 percent on

Wednesday, highest since mid-May. And some strategists say the bond market has been unnaturally bolstered by sinking yields in key bond markets in Europe, where the central bank is still ramping up monetary stimulus, as well as by buyers such as pension funds seeking to lock in 2013’s equity gains. In Asia, Chinese growth is slowing, while Japan is easing its monetary policy.

Since the 2007-2009 recession, the Federal Reserve has effectively printed about $3 trillion. It has kept interest rates near zero for more than five years, and new Fed chair Janet Yellen said the U.S. central bank will keep them there for a considerable time even after it ends its bondbuying program.

“We are in a period of low economic growth with little inflation and that’s good for fixed income markets,” said Gary Pollack, head of fixed income trading at Deutsche Bank Private Banking in New York. “It’s also good for equities because they don’t have to worry about the Fed raising rates any time soon.”

However, the Fed is reducing monthly bond buying, and the April-May bond-market rally that saw the 10-year drop nearly 0.40 percentage point raised concern that the Fed’s reduced support would hurt economic growth.

Other outside forces are at least partially responsible for the bond market’s rally, investors said.

The European Central Bank is on the verge of introducing more stimulus that has driv-

en down yields on Europe.

Investors seeing 10-year rates below 3 percent in economies such as Spain and Italy have instead shifted to the U.S. “What bonds are telling us is that the typical U.S. cyclical framework for analyzing rates is no longer valid,” said Krishna Memani, chief investment officer at OppenheimerFunds in New York, which has about $245 billion under management.

“Outside forces should continue to depress U.S. rates even as the U.S. economy and corporate earnings growth gather momentum.”

Rather than see U.S. yields go lower, big investors expect that healthier U.S. economic data will slow the rally in bonds while stocks

won’t suffer a catastrophic tumble.

The S&P 500 .SPX is on track for another record year. In the last five years, the U.S. stock market has seen its longest rise without experiencing a decline of more than 10 per cent. That’s been a concern - but some worrisome areas of the market including Internet retailers and biotechnology have sold off dramatically since the beginning of the year.

These market gains have pushed the S&P 500’s valuation toward the upper end of its historical range. The S&P 500’s 12-month forward price-earnings ratio is currently 15.4, about on par with the average since 2000, but bonds - both government and corporate - are way richer.

Friday, June 6, 2014 POLITICSEXTRA

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61

My roadmap for Ekiti’s development, by Opeyemi (2) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57 v. Bureaucracy involved in processing mineral rights; vi.

The inadequate infrastructure facilities faced by most entrepreneurs.

Mineral Deposit In Ekiti State the basic solid minerals deposits, apart from granite stones are clay (kaolin), cassiterite (Tin- Ore), Columbite, Bauxite (Aluminum Ore) and, Charnockite Granite, Talc, Tantalum, Feldspar.

Clay Clay deposits found in Ekiti State are predominantly Kaolin tic with high alumina contents.

Clay deposits abound in Araromi-Obo-Ekiti, Isan-Ekiti, Ara-Ijero Ekiti, Igbara Odo, Ikogosi and Orin-Ekiti. The clay deposit found in Isan is quality Kaolin that can find application in porcelain wares, fillers and pharmaceuticals.

The deposits at Ara-Ijero and Igbara Odo are essentially bulk clays that can be used in earthenware, pottery and burnt bricks.

Feldspar This comprises three silicate minerals which are predominantly found around Ijero-Ekiti in Oke Owu, Ikoro Road; Quartzites found around Efon Alaaye and Ijero-Ekiti feldspar deposit along Ikoro road. It is chemically stable for most feldspar application with a reserve of about 5 million metric tonnes. It can support a small to medium scale feldspar mining and processing industry.

Assiterite (Tin Ore) This is found in Ijero-Ekiti and environ; Columbite is predominant in Ijero-Ekiti; Tantalite deposit is common in Ijero-Ekiti.

Talc This deposit is found in Ipoti- Ekiti and Aiyegbaju-Ekiti (formerly called Arigidi Ekiti).

Quartzite The deposit of quartzite found ran through Epe, Ikoro, Aiyegunle, Iloro. Records show that Iloro has a reserve of more than 23 million tones with silica content of more than 97% and ferric iron content less than 0.30%.

A mining industry is visible in Ijero where a reserve of about 2000 metric tonnes has been established for the top three metres of weathered session. This will be a top priority for our administration.

Granite & Charnockite These two are common in Ado-Ekiti and IkereEkiti. They can be cut and polished as dimension stones in term of size, quality, accessibility and availability of infrastructure in commercial production.

OUR INTERVENTION PLAN As a matter of urgency, and within the first 100 days in office, our Government will: I. Put in place an inter-disciplinary professional committee comprising Geologists, Geophysicists, Mining Engineers, Metallurgists, Mineral Economists, and Businessmen to explore the mineral resources in the state; ii. State Government will relate with the Federal Government effectively to focus on the mineral potentials and exploitation in the State; iii. State Government will apply to the Ministry of Mines and Steel Deposit for mining lease and/or certificate so as to make exploitation of such minerals be within the jurisdiction of the State.

V . Tourism Tourism is one sector that has been neglected due to the lack of planning and effective service delivery across other sectors e.g. transportation, tour-guide services, etc, that complement it. Yet, there are enormous opportunities to benefit from encouraging development of ancient and historic sites into tourist destinations. However, Government needs to commit more funds to ensure regular rehabilitation of public infrastructure that are directly or indirectly related to the tourism sector.

Opeyemi Our strategy is to leverage on existing tourism promotion through regional partnerships to stimulate job creation through small business counselling, internships in the tourism and hospitality industries and marketing and wildlife management. Individual and private involvement in tourism development will include micro-loans, grants, business support and training, marketing and promotion, and tax breaks or benefits all in the desire to stimulate rural tourism infrastructure; and involving community preservation and heritage groups.

We will give our tourist centres a state-of-theart facelift and draw global attention to them in order to optimize the revenues accruing from them. Our administration will also ensure that our tourist centres are listed in the national and global list so as to encourage greater recognition and patronage. To these ends, our administration will inaugurate a management board for a new agency, EKITI TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to oversee the promotion and management of tourist centres and other historical and cultural monuments in Ekiti State.

The State’s tourism potential has the capacity of generating massive job opportunities if properly harnessed.

IKOGOSI WARM SPRING (SECTORAL ANALYSIS) This is the only centre that can be called a developed tourist centre in Ekiti State. The development of this centre started when a Baptist Missionary man-Revd Maggi- from America relocated from Igede-Ekiti to develop the site in the 60s. Later on various Governments, both Federal and State, contributed their quotas. It is worthy of note that the present Government in Ekiti today, in an attempt to add its development quota, destroyed the natural beauty of the place under the pretext of modernization and beautification. The development in Ikogosi brought by the present Government only destroyed the age, history and essence of Ikogosi that had been preserved for a long time. To make matters worse, the Government brought in South African foreign partners on Ikogosi

Warm Spring Project. These foreign partners were supposed to contribute their counterpart fund in cash and materials, which they did not do. Instead, the State Government ended up buying official cars for them and paying them the sum of N3.2million every month even when they were away on holidays to their homes in South Africa. In short, this Government has invested over N2billion on Ikogosi Warm Spring Project with no tangible benefits to the people of Ekiti in terms of provision of employment to the immediate populace, increase in tourism or growth and development of tourist related enterprises.

Throughout the renovation period, no artisan- carpenter, bricklayer, painter etc- was hired to work at the site from Ikogosi or any of the adjoining villages.

As at today, no Tour Guide Company has been registered to handle the expected flow of tourists from local, national and international communities. Infact, there is no noticeable economic boom effect on the people of Ikogosi. Also, no discernible positive effect is seen on the transportation industry sector in or around the centre.

We aim to remedy this obvious malady and restore the warm spring back to its glory days.

OTHER TOURIST CENTRES The other potential tourist areas in the State can be treated under cultural, religious, natural, man-made and historical sites, which should be developed: CULTURAL tourism (eliciting the viable potentials of the various town days). Our Government will work together with local communities in attracting tourists to the State to encourage these communities to further develop some traditional festivals which they already do celebrate. These include, among others, the following: • Ogun Festivals in Ire-Ekiti • Udiroko Festivals in Ado-Ekiti • Elefon Festivals in Iloro • Oladunwo Masquerades in Okemesi Ekiti.

This festival is usually celebrated at three year

interval RELIGIOUS tourism: This will cover the development of Efon-Alaye Okemesi/Erio axis as regards CAC religious activities.

NATURAL tourism: Under this, there will be the repackaging of Ikogosi warm spring. Attempt will also be made to promote some mysterious sites such as: Opa-Aje in Emure Osun Aigbede in Igbara Odo Kosegbe Stone, Ipole Iloro Ekiti Oroke Ewo War Centre, Ilupeju Ekiti Erin Ayonigba Sacred Fish River at Erinjiyan River Osun Source at Igede- Ekiti Egbigbu Lake at Aiyetoro- Ekiti Agbona Hills at Okemesi-Ekiti Olosunta and Orole Hills at Ikere – Ekiti. These two hills continue to be a site of regular attraction to both local and foreign tourists yearly.

Olosunta has a large cave believed to have provided shelter for the people of Ikere-Ekiti during the inter-tribal wars, while Olosunta hills are reputed to be the highest point in the town.

MAN-MADE tourism: This, for example will cover sites like beaching of Ero Dam and standardization of hotels in the state.

HISTORICAL tourism: Here just like Fajuyi Park was developed in Ado-Ekiti; Apostle Babalola’s Park will be developed in Efon Alaye; Fabunmi of Okemesi tomb will also be brought to limelight etc.

Our Intervention Strategies : • Make accessibility possible to each of the sites; • Help build steps leading to some of the sites especially to the hills and caves; • Provide resting sheds near the centers, this will encourage the spin-off of tourist related enterprises like bars and restaurants; • Provide signages to and from the sites; • Encourage private firms to further invest in developing these sites; • Recruit tourist professionals, as a matter of urgency, to the Department of Tourism of the relevant ministry; • Encourage each Local Government to establish a functional Tourist Centre where Tourist Guides will be available to assist tourists; and • A complete repackaging of Ikogosi Warm Spring, considering that tourism is one of the highest job creating sector with spin offs involving corporate institutions, private businesses and individuals.

CHAPTER 5 HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT i. HEALTH CARE DELIVERY Good healthcare is basic to human existence even as the saying goes that health is wealth.

The goal of the health component of Ekiti Charter of Prosperity is to improve the health of Ekiti citizens. Against this backdrop, our healthcare strategy will emphasize the strengthening of preventive and curative primary health care services. This initiative will involve comprehensive health sector reform, aimed largely at strengthening the health system in Ekiti State towards enhancing the delivery of timely, effective, efficient, good quality and affordable health care services to our people.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HEALTH POLICY The health policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria is focused on three main health related goals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) which are: • Maternal Mortality Reduction – MDGs Goal 5 • Infant and Child Mortality Reduction – MDGs Goal 4 • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases – MDGs Goal 6 There is likewise the assistance coming from international donor agencies that do subsidize heavily on some aspects of health related issues.

These agencies are the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, ILEP, DFID, and UNESCO etc. who cover the following areas: • Care for the physically challenged • Control of communicable diseases and infections Immunization, Maternal and Child Health, Infections, Nutrition Supplements The Ekiti State Ministry of Health will be positioned to cooperate and liaise properly with all the donor agencies and the Federal Ministry of Health, so as to reap the dividends of the services being offered to the State by each of them.

TO BE CONTINUED

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62 | NEWS Friday, June 6, 2014

EKITI 2014

Fayemi’s wife urges voters to consider future From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti ture for our children?

HE wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has described the June 21 governorship election in the state as a watershed that will determine the future prosperity of the state, sustainable peace and wellbeing of its people.

Mrs. Fayemi said this during Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital’s (EKSUTH) inaugural Nurses’ Week held at the School of Nursing, Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

She was decorated as the Grand Matron of the EKSUTH unit of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives at the occasion.

She said the forthcoming election transcends the aspiration of the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rule the state for a second time.

She stated that the electorates owe the future generation a sacred duty to scrutinize the antecedents of the candidates contesting to govern the state from October before pitching their tent with any of them.

Fayemi said, “This election is not about Governor Kayode Fayemi or the APC. It is about the future of Ekiti and our children. It will determine what the state will look like in the next 15 years. What do we want Ekiti to be like in 10 to 15 years down the line? Do we want an Ekiti that will continue to be inheritor of chaos, disunity, mis-governance, looting of state treasury or of a lack of fu-

T

Fayemi

Fayose

Ekiti poll crucial to success of 2015 general elections, says DFID From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau Ado Ekiti) RITISH Department For B International Development (DFID) yesterday described Ekiti State governorship election as a pointer to what will happen in the 2015 general elections.

Speaking at the training organised for the police for effective policing during the election tagged: “Policing election project” in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the National Programme Manager, Justice for All (DFID), Mr. Bob Arnot, said the programme is aimed at reinforcing the knowledge of the police and skills in the art of policing for the maintenance of democratic process.

Present at the workshop are: The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Uyanna, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Halilu Pai, the State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Rindom Kumvent, men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, 24 divisional police officers in the state, among others.

Arton said, “This is the continuation of the series of partnership that had been provided by civil society groups, including DFID in the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. Ekiti election is very crucial because whatever happens would be a pointer to what will happen in the 2015 general elections.”

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Uyanna, said the police would not hesitate to “shut down” the state before the election day, if that would guarantee free, fair and credible election acceptable to political actors and the electorates.

Uyanna disclosed that he has got assurance from the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, that a total of 12,000 policemen will be deployed to monitor the election, saying the Command is ready to enforce orderliness during the poll.

He said, “Ekiti is the next most focused place after Chibok, so we have to do what is necessary for the success of the election. If we do the right thing by ensuring that acceptable election is

conducted, then the police have nothing to fear. But if we fail to do the right thing, that may be a recipe for violence.”

Also speaking, Pai urged the police to allow his men to take full control of the conduct of the election in all the polling units, saying unhealthy rivalry between the two bodies could mar the poll.

“The police must be aware that many people will not vote in this election because

of fears that there may be crisis. So they must deploy more men to areas marked as flashpoints and areas with history of violence for us to achieve success.

“It has happened in the past when our men were ambushed by thugs while transporting materials to election units and wards, particularly in very remote areas. We have to checkmate this by ensuring that we have enough police up to the hinterland,” he stated.

Adeyeye predicts landslide victory for PDP From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti

• Lauds Jonathan for appointment

TILL savouring his nomiSPresident nation as a minister by Goodluck

of the State House of Assembly, Sola Ajigbolamu, former Secretary to the State Government, Chief Afolabi Ojuawo, the only PDP member in the State House of Assembly, Dele Ajibola, former commissioners, Bade Adara and Dr. Gboyega Isijola among others.

Adeyeye, who described the PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Ayodele Fayose as a honest and sincere person, added that; “the only way to reward a man who was sincere to you is to also support him and make him victorious.”

He said; “Obviously, the masses of Ekiti State will liberate themselves from the APC deceitful government on June 21, 2014 by voting massively for the PDP such that Governor Kayode Fayemi and his APC won’t be able to challenge our victory in court.”

He thanked President Jonathan for the chance offered him to serve in his cabinet.

After the announcement of Adeyeye’s name at the Senate plenary yesterday, his IseEkiti country home was

Jonathan, former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has predicted landslide victory for the party in the June 21 governorship election.

He said PDP will win convincingly that “the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will be so embarrassed that it won’t be able to go to the tribunal.”

Adeyeye, who was nominated as minister by President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, told PDP supporters during a meeting in Ado-Ekiti yesterday that no effort must be spared to ensure a resounding victory for the party.

He charged leaders of his group, the Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) to go to their respective wards and make sure their polling units deliver their wards to the party.

Those present at the meeting included former Speaker

thronged by thousands of PDP supporters who came to congratulate him on the appointment.

Also speaking, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Sola Ajigbolamu, hailed President Jonathan for the appointment, saying; “for the first time in recent time, Ekiti will be having a minister worthy to be called a minister.”

A former member of the State House of Assembly, Ajibade Owolabi, said; “If I were Fayemi, I will simply withdraw from this election because this is the last straw.

Fayemi’s camel’s back is already broken and I can say it confidently that June 21 is sealed and delivered to the PDP.” Reacting to the appointment, the Arinjale of Ise-Ekiti, Adeyeye’s hometown, Oba Ayodele Ajayi, thanked President Jonathan for finding Adeyeye worthy for the appointment.

He also thanked the PDP governorship candidate, Ayodele Fayose for standing by Adeyeye.

“Will it be what it was in the recent past when people ask us how we came about having certain people as our leaders?

Will it be like when Ekiti was treated like a pariah among the elite?

“We believe that this election will give us an opportunity to establish a foundation that will ensure that Ekiti becomes the state where other people will come and do business and be proud of. We cannot afford a reversal of our fortunes.”

Describing the governor as “intelligent, competent, savvy and focused,” she said Fayemi stood tall among other contenders for the governorship position.

According to her, the governor needs another term in office to consolidate on his accomplishments since he mounted the saddle on October 16, 2010.

Fayemi appealed to the nurses to use their positions as grassroots professionals to educate the people on the need for them to re-elect the governor, whom she said, had a track record of achievements.

She promised that the government would assist the nurses in the planned construction of a crèche, while also pledging to donate a bus to the nurses’ association soon.

Bisi Fayemi added that the governor was hopeful that Nigerian nurses would be accorded the same recognition and respect being earned by their counterparts in more developed countries soon.

Falana petitions police, seeks Fayose’s trial for murder Ayo Fayose, the then governor

By Abiodun Fanoro

IVIL rights defender and former President, West African Bar Association (WABA), Mr. Femi Falana, has written to the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, asking him to prosecute Ayo Fayose, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the upcoming Ekiti State governorship election for several murder cases.

Falana, in the petition dated June 2, 2014 to the police boss, listed seven alleged murder cases and 10 attempted murder cases against Fayose, which were allegedly committed while he was the state governor between 2003 and 2006.

He asserted that the PDP candidate had a killer squad that he used to carry out those alleged murder cases.

His words, “As you are no doubt aware, the killer squad set up by the Ayo Fayose regime (2003-2006) unleashed violent attacks on several indigenes of the state for challenging his official impunity. Some politicians who nursed ambition to contest governorship or senatorial elections in the state were not spared. While the killer squad assassinated two students (2004), Mr. Tunde Omojola (2005), Dr. Ayo Daramola (2006) and Kehinde Fasuba (2009), there were attempts to assassinate some other persons.

“On May 28, 2005 the Ayo Fayose killer squad murdered Mr. Tunde Omojola during a local government by-election in a ward at Ifaki, Ekiti. Mr.

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of Ekiti State, led the armed gang that snuffed life out of Mr. Tunde Omojola, a Holland-based Nigerian who was at home on a short holiday. Mr. Omojola’s ‘offence’ was that he had the temerity to challenge the brazen rigging of the election by the criminal elements.

“The investigation conducted into the gory murder of Mr. Tunde Omojola indicted Mr. Fayose and members of his killer squad. Apart from Mr. Fayose, all the other suspects who are members of the killer squad have been charged to court for conspiracy and murder. Attached herewith and marked Annexure “B” is a copy of the charge sheet.”

To buttress his claim, Falana re-called that some members of the alleged killer squad had been arrested by the police, prosecuted and jailed, while Fayose, who he said was being treated like a sacred cow is yet to be tried.

“Based on incessant complaints of concerned citizens including the relations of those who were exterminated by the killer squad, the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service investigated the sundry allegations of politically-motivated killings and came up with detailed reports which indicted Mr. Ayo Fayose and his accomplices.

Although two members of the killer squad were successfully prosecuted while others are standing trial at the Ekiti State High Court and Kogi State High Court, Mr. Fayose has been treated like a sacred cow.”

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Friday, June 6, 2014 NEWSEXTRA | 63

Tambuwal accuses executive, judicial arms of usurping legislative powers From Adamu Abuh, Abuja PEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday accused the executive and judicial arms of government of breaching the provisions of the constitution in the affairs of governance.

Tambuwal, in a speech to mark the end of the 3rd Session of the 7th House of Representatives, entitled: “Nigeria’s Fierce Urgency of Now,” expressed concern over what he termed the growing culture of impunity on the part of public officers in Nigeria, which makes them inclined to resist the ethos of accountability and democracy.

He particularly accused operatives of the executive arm of exploiting the mechanisms of the judicial arm to run away from being called to render account of their stewardship to the citizenry.

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Reiterating that the Constitution gave the House the power and the responsibility to oversee the executive arm, he maintained that it was inappropriate for the judiciary to be used preemptively to stop the Legislature from discharging its duties.

Accusing both the executive and judicial arms of breaching the principles of separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution, he noted, “during the session under review, findings at oversight visits, as well as complaints and petitions from members of the public, consistently revealed the extent to which corruption has eaten into the fabric of the stewardship of public resources. We responded by launching necessary investigations to shine needed light into the darker recesses of public resource management in Nigeria, and where routine

investigation is inadequate, we empanelled special committees to carry out a more thorough inquiry.

“Strangely, the collective experience of our members in the course of their exercise of oversight functions is that there is a growing culture of impunity on the part of public officers in Nigeria, which makes them inclined to resist the ethos of accountability.

Some hesitate to honour their invitation to appear before the House, while others resort to litigation in an attempt to frustrate legislative oversight of their activities.

“During the session, we witnessed the dawn of a disturbing trend whereby people go to court to stop the National Assembly from exercising its constitutional mandate and conducting its internal operations. This is unheard of in jurisdictions where genuine democracy is practised and

venerated.”

Continuing, he noted, “the usual democratic practice is that the powers of the courts are activated to challenge laws enacted by the legislature. This is the proper manner in which the judiciary is enabled to perform its constitutional function as the interpreter of both the constitution and duly enacted laws. It is neither usual nor appropriate for the judiciary to be used preemptively to stop the Legislature from acting in the first place.

“This is an encroachment on the powers of the Legislature and a slap in the face of the Principle of Separation of Powers. I urge all members of this honourable House to recommit themselves to the defence of the integrity of the legislative process and resist the temptation to be part of this dangerous trend that will

only succeed in bringing the legislature to ridicule.

“I wish to assure Nigerians that the House of Representatives will not be intimidated into abdicating its sacred duty to provide robust checks and balances to executive action, especially for the purpose of exposing corruption in the polity and of ensuring the judicious management of our commonwealth.”

On the achievement of the House in the out-gone legislative year, he disclosed that a total of 169 bills were introduced during the Session, of which 46 passed second reading and 27 were subsequently passed into law.

He further stated that six more bills laid before the House were awaiting the action of the Committee of the whole House, adding that several motions on matters of national importance were passed during the session.

Citing the challenges in the

Budgetary Process as one of the sore points in the relationship between the National Assembly by the executive branch, he expressed concern over the spate of insecurity and highlevel unemployment in the polity.

He also lamented what he termed ‘the abridgment of the Rights of Nigerians,’ just as he frowned at an official of the executive arm for denigrating the National Assembly for tinkering with the 2014 budget.

He asserted that those desirous of a National Assembly that will merely rubberstamp a draft budget submitted to it by the Executive must look elsewhere.

He added, “as important as all our duties and functions as the legislative arm in a democratic government are, none is more important than our duty to protect and preserve the rights guaranteed to all Nigerians by our Constitu-

Ikuforiji, aide spent N41.4 million on unspecified purpose, says witness

By Bertram Nwannekanma PROSECUTION witness, Mr. Adebayo Adeniyi, at the ongoing trial of Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, at a Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday told the court that one of the invoice in which the sum of N41,450,000 was expended by the accused never specified the purpose of the payment.

The court presided by Justice Ibrahim Buba is trying Ikuforiji and his aide over alleged money laundering charges.

The witness, who is an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated that though the money allegedly collected by the Speaker and his personal assistant were expended officially, but the mode of its disbursement were above the threshold stipulated by law.

Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), Adeniyi, stated that Ikuforiji was not being witch-hunted by the anti-graft agency as suggested by the defence but that the investigation and prosecution of the accused was based on a petition received from one Comrade Eleya Olootu of Anti-Corruption Vanguard.

In the petition, the witness told the court that the petitioner did not only alleged that the Speaker had been convicted twice while in the United State of America but that he falsified his date of birth and laundered the whooping sum of N7 billion to buy properties in America as well as fund his automobile business.

In his testimony that lasted for more that four hours, the witness, who was cross-examined by Ikuforiji’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), however, informed the court that the petitioner did not have a particular address in the petition that led to the investigation and prosecution of the Speaker and his aide.

The witness, who reiterated that the anti-graft agent is not witch-hunting the Speaker and his personal assistant in the prosecution, further informed the court that the

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Leader, Biafran Zionist Front (BZF), Ben Igwe Onwuka (first left); with 12 other members of the group being paraded at the Police Headquarters,Enugu. They were arrested during an early morning attack on Enugu State Broadcasting Service Headquarters. They also claimed responsible for the attack on the Government House, Enugu March

Health workers urge House of Representatives to amend, delete contentious sections of NHB

By Chukwuma Muanya EALTH workers, excluding medical doctors, but including pharmacists, nurses, medical laboratory scientists, radiographers, physiotherapists, health information managers, under the aegis of Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA), have insisted that they will not accept the provisions of the National Health Bill (NHB) until the contentious portions are amended or deleted.

AHPA had, during a courtesy visit to the Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, urged the House to call for a public hearing to afford all stakeholders’ robust interactions to redress the contentious areas of the NHB as a prelude to moving forward.

AHPA was represented by the President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Olumide Akintayo; President, Association of Medical Laboratory Science of Nigeria

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• Call for public hearing to allow stakeholders’ contributions (AMLSN) and Chairman, AHPA, Dr. G. C. Okara; President, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Mr. Abdulrafiu Adeniji; President, Health Information Managers’ Association of Nigeria, Mr. Wole Ajayi; President, Nigerian Society of Physiotherapy, Mr. Taiwo Oyewumi; President, Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, Dr. Mark Okeji; and Chairman, Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Comrade Wabba Ayuba.

The health workers solicited that the House of Representatives amends the provisions of Section 1(1), Section 9(2) (g), Section 13 and also deletes Section 10 (2) to make room for a statute that protects the interest of all stakeholders in healthcare and ultimately serve the public interest.

They said the potentially controversial Section 1(1) of the Health Bill declares that

National Health system shall define and provide a framework for standards and regulation of health services.

AHPA, in a memo to Tambuwal, said it is of the view that the proposed Health Act will be a General Act of Parliament with regards to the regulation of health services, while the various Acts, which regulate the different professions in healthcare, are Specific Acts of Parliament, which ordinarily should take precedence over contending legislations.

The memo reads: “Policymakers most times bend to pressures from powerful interest groups, which facilitate mischief-making in execution of statutes in our country based on recent experiences.”

AHPA wants the amended Section 1(1) of the NHB to read thus: “There is hereby established for the federation, the National Health system, which shall define and pro-

vide a framework for standards in health services.”

Another major provision of the Health Bill, Section 9(2) (g) vests the secretaryship of the proposed National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee in the Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health.

The AHPA said it is seeking an amendment of this clause, which remains unconstitutional because of the equalisation principle entrenched in the 1999 Constitution, which normally should guarantee equal rights and privileges for all citizens of Nigeria.

The AHPA wants the amended NHB Section 9 (2) (g) to read thus: “The secretary of the committee who shall be a person with vast knowledge and experience in health service delivery of at least 15 years.”

money allegedly collected by the Speaker in which he is standing trial for, were received and signed for by the members of the Assembly who used the money for official purposes, such as attending one legislative seminar or the other.

Adebayo, a Principal Detective Superintendent in the EFCC, also stated that other members of the Assembly were not invited for questioning because the petition was written against the Speaker of the House of Assembly, and that he was investigated on official capacity.

He also agreed with the Speaker’s counsel, Chief Olanipekun, that the money allegedly collected by the Speaker’s wife, Mrs. Mayowa Ikuforiji, was received and signed for by some female members of the Assembly to attend a conference in Australia.

According to him, although the money allegedly collected by the Speaker and his personal assistant were expended officially, but the amount was above the threshold.

Atoyebi’s counsel, Tunde Akinrimisi, who aligned himself with the position of Chief Olanipekun, also told the witness that the charges against his client and the Speaker are nothing but persecution, and that the investigator is biased, as he did not conduct a thorough investigation.

Further hearing on the matter was been adjourned till today on the instance of the prosecution.

Ikuforiji and his aide were arraigned on a 56-count amended charge bordering on money laundering.

The accused were alleged to have committed the offence between April 2010 and July 2011.

They were alleged to have committed an illegal act of accepting cash payments of over N273 million from the Assembly, without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also alleged to have used his position to misappropriate about N500 million of the Assembly’s fund.

The offence is said to contravene the provisions of section 18(a) of the money laundering (prohibition) Act 2011.

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PHOTONEWSEXTRA

Lagos State University (LASU) students barricade Governor’s Office, protesting over the hike in school fees at Lagos House in Ikeja

Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN) (left); Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); President, Nigeria Bar Association, Okey Wali (SAN); Acting Director General, National Pension Commission, Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, and former Deputy Secretary Genenral, United Nations, Lord Malloch Brown, at 8th yearly Business Law Conference in Lagos PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Lagos State, Taofeek Folami; Commissioner for Special Duties, Wole Ahmed, Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, Managing Director, LAWMA, Ola Oresanya, at the 2014 World Environment Day. Then Small Island Developing States and Climate Change in Lagos PHOTO: GABRIEL IKHAHON

Marketing Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Friday Enahoro (left); General Manager, Marketing, Ola Ijimakin, and Corporate Services, Oladimeji Oduyebo, at the media launch Gascol Suga free range in Lagos PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF

Chairman, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Ledum Mitee(left); Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Down Stream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, and Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Issa Aremu, during the one-day Interactive Enlightenment Workshop on Petroleum Industry Bill, held in Abuja

Senior Vice President, Middle East, Africa, Russia & CIS.(MEAR) Duncan Mitchell (left); Director, Marketing Commercial & Partner Organisation (MEAR), Emma Roffey, Chief Executive Officer, Weco Systems International Ltd, Obinna Ekwonwa, Cisco Vice President, Africa, David Meads, and Vice President, Cisco Services Sales, Andy Macdonald, at the recently held Cisco Partners award dinner in United State of America, Weco Systems emerged overall best in Middle East, Europe, Africa and Russia (MEAR)

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Taye Oni; Commissioner for Health, Dayo Adeyanju, Director of Nursing Services, Magret Jemilugba, and Director/Principal, Ondo State School of Midwifery, Akure, Mrs Alice Ogundele, at the matriculation ceremony for 2014 Basic Student Midwives of the Ondo State School of Midwivery, Akure

Author of Petroleum Law and Sustainable Development, Dr. Oscar Nliam (left); former Chairman, SURE-P, Christopher Kolade, representative of Chairman, SEPLAT, Adejoke Ajaero, Head of Legal, NIMASA, Rita Uruakpa, Folake Solanke (SAN), and author of Petroleum Law and Sustainable Development, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), during the presentation of the book ‘Petroleum Law and Sustainable Development in Lagos PHOTO AYODELE ADENIRAN

Friday, June 6, 2014 NEWS EXTRA

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INTERVIEW

‘Osadebey Avenue still very far from Edo PDP’ Honourable Charles Idahosa, a founding member of the now APC is the Special Adviser (Political) to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole. He spoke to selected journalists on the political developments in the state in the last one month. Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu was there.

HERE have been defections in your party recently and those T that defected claimed that the governor came to destroy the party they built. What is your position on this?

I have been reading a lot about the decamping of some members of the APC to the PDP, and that is no news at all. As far as I am concerned there is movement forward and backward in political parties. At a point in time at the National Assembly 37 members of the PDP came to the APC, five governors decamped so it is the same thing that is happening in the state.

But the one that interests me most is that they said they formed the party. It is very embarrassing when people talk about forming a party when they knew nothing about what happens in the party. The present APC started from MRDD, ACD, AC, ACN and today APC. For those of you who are familiar with the politics of Edo State you will know that we were very central in the formation of the MRDD, myself and Senator Roland Owie who is in PDP right now.

In 2004 I was a commissioner in this state under Lucky Igbinedion but I left in December and that was how it started with some other people. Somebody like Ize-Iyamu then was in government. So the question I keep on asking when I see such write ups is that, how can a man who was at the Ogbe Stadium on May 29th 2007 with Lucky Igbinedion to hand over to Osunbor said he formed the party. At what point did he form the party? Was he forming a party when he was serving as SSG? Was it after Oshiomhole was rigged out of the election that he formed the party?

When you play the role of a political coward and stay behind doors like they say in advertising training, it is only the man winkling in the dark knows what he is doing so how can you say you formed the party when you were in government? So as far as I am concerned, only those that came out that I met with and we were holding meetings are the people that I know. I was the first person during the formation of ACD to be called to Abuja to work at the National level by Chief Tom Ikimi. And when Tom Ikimi requested for any other person, I called Frank Erewele who also served at the National Planning Committee. I didn’t see any other person.

I have cuttings where it was suggested... it was a lead story in Tribune where it was insinuated in 2006 that I was representing the interest of Lucky Igbinedion in the formation of a new party. Lucky Igbinedion quickly called Kinsley Osadolor his Commissioner for Information that they had nothing to do with what we are doing and Osagie Ize-Iyamu quickly followed up with an interview that it was just a small quarrel speaking on behalf of the PDP. So when I see the way they turn the story upside down because of ambition, I am always surprise. I don’t have any ambition and I am not interested in running for party or political office. I have tried senate, I have tried governorship, and there is nothing left to prove. So I don’t see reasons why we should bend the story and say things that we didn’t do.

Never!!! We know those who formed the party that is today APC. Will these defections not have effect on the party in the 2015 general elections and then 2016 governorship election?

I am a seasoned politician; the defections of these people have no effect. One thing that must be understood is that card carrying members of political parties are not up to 10 per cent of the voters. The voters are more in numbers. So the nine or 10 persons that are decamping are with a hired crowd.

There is no cause for alarm; the APC would take this state any day. In the last election, the 77 wards in Edo south were cleared.

In other words the Benin General who ran for governorship didn’t win a ward or his unit. What will now happen to make us loose Edo south or have they forgotten so soon those who took them to Egypt or the way Benin looked like before Adams Oshiomhole came in? Have they forgotten how the school and health looked like? Oshiomhole didn’t have anything to start with at all. It was zero operation. He started from nowhere. If the previous administration had done something Edo state would have been like Singapore.

Decamping has nothing to do with the party structure. What

Oshiomhole

I am a seasoned politician; the defections of these people have no effect. One thing that must be understood is that card carrying members of political parties are not up to 10 per cent of the voters. The voters are more in numbers. So the nine or 10 persons that are decamping are with a hired crowd. There is no cause for alarm; the APC would take this state any day. In the last election, the 77 wards in Edo south were cleared. In other words the Benin General who ran for governorship didn’t win a ward or his unit ment is sound, he listens to you. He is a very humble person and can easily reverse himself. I learnt those that are saying they have resigned their appointments have been paid all their salaries. But they will regret because you have to think of your reputation.

There will be a political eruption in the PDP because these people are coming with their ambition. I know many people who feel because they have lost out of the congresses and they want to go to the House of Representatives and House of Assembly but there have been people there who have been waiting. Very strong and patient politicians in the PDP and you are now coming to take their ticket? There will be war. Many of them will return.

What is your message to Edo people?

Look, the Enigies in Benin Kingdom went to visit Oshiomhole to thank him for what he has done and the PDP started using abusive words and when you see people like that so myopic you start feeling sorry for them.

The Crown prince who is head of all the Enigies visited the president to say we have seen what you are doing, you should continue. What did Orbih and his co-travellers do at a rally?

They were shouting Oba gha tor kpere, Oracle has spoke, at that time they didn’t accuse the traditional institute of being partisan. We in the APC we didn’t say anything about the crown Prince’ visit to the President because as far as we are concerned he has the right to express what he feels. He said on behalf of the Oba which was more frightening to us but we didn’t reply and accuse him of partisanship. He did it on National Television. Then the Enigies in Benin now pay a solidarity visit to the governor and you call them all sorts of names. They are childish; most of them are too young for the position they are holdIdahosa ing. They talk before they think. will decide who is in charge of the state is the National AssemThe APC in strong, we are connected directly with the People, bly and the House of Assembly election. We all have to be strong the comrade is focused most of those projects he is been in our respective areas. Tell me who is from Uhunmwonde accused of will be done. Look at the statement by the former where I come from that has effected any change there. Tell me governor that he borrowed money from his father to pay civil who is from Uhunmwonde that has decamped. The other boy servants. Some of us don’t want to create problem some of us who is a permanent governorship aspirant can only win his were in the sitting room and the bedroom of government. So I unit in his village. think they should be very careful about how they run their People parading themselves on TV that they have decamped, mouth because when some of us will open our mouth... We how many of them can win their ward. So it is a huge joke. We knew everybody in 1999. He came and opened his mouth that are focused and you will observe that it has taken us a long time he was borrowing money from Anenih. He was even indicting to react because we were concentrating on our congress.

Anenih. A minister that was receiving salary where did he get Once you have an ambition and you allow that ambition to money he was borrowing you to pay workers. As that time hold you hostage it is unfortunate.

Anenih was a minister. Those who live in glass house should But one of the issues raised by Ize-Iyamu is that the governor not throw stones. They should be very careful. The fact that had promised to make him the next governor but that he is some of us have kept quiet for a long time doesn’t mean we reneging. don’t know how to talk.

That is so childish. If Oshiomhole told him he was going to Those who don’t want to come back to politics, those who are make him governor, he should have known that Oshiomhole looking for pardon should do it diplomatically and carefully. was just cracking joke with him because Oshiomhole is not But there are indications that what is happening is a case of capable of making him governor. We all must contribute. the centre can no longer hold which is believed could have There is no doubt that a sitting governor will like a successor adverse effects on the fortunes of the APC in Edo State. that is protective of him. Oshiomhole has been very protective All these problems you are seeing are artificial. We don’t really not to have been talking about Igbinedion. He most times talks have any problem. We have concluded our state congress now of the PDP. the next thing is the party primaries. We are going to quietly go Saying Oshiomhole promised him governor doesn’t make about it and have our candidates. PDP will also go and like I said sense and it has even reduced the respect people will have for many of them will come back because they will not get what him. Oshiomhole will appeal to the leaders of the party across they want. Those guys have been very patient only for these the senatorial districts that for some reasons he thinks that a guys to come. So we don’t have any problem in preparation. person will do well and we will reason with him.

In the last election we took 20 out of the 24 in the House of A man, who said he was going to resign from the party, gave Assembly, we took seven out of nine in the House of Represenseven days ultimatum and within that period went to see the tatives, out of the senate we took two. One of them defected but president of Federal Republic of Nigeria. He came back and we hope to get all back and we are even targeting more seats in declared for a political party. You saw when the PDP came to the House of Assembly. As far as I am concerned there is no beg him to join them. As far as I am concerned, he did what he cause for alarm. is constitutionally entitled to; Freedom of Movement, Freedom of Association. I congratulate them for joining a political party but what is my concern is that it has nothing to do with APC as a political party. Osagie is a brother to me and he knows what I feel about most of these things. I have called him on a number of occasions to tell him that this is not the way to go about what he wants. But for some reasons he believes that his own idea is better and I cannot fault what he has done. But when he comes to say that those of us still in APC are irrelevant because he has left is a huge joke.

I come from Uhunmwonde Local government, the pressure I get from my people every day is because of lack of state presence in our area. We don’t have a lot of representation in terms of appointment and infrastructural development. Luckily we have a road that is going from Ugoneki across Ehor which is ongoing. But you can see some other areas. When we talk with the people, they listen to us because Oshiomhole still have two years to go and I am sure he will still do more than what he has done and the people are still with him. He is not a perfect person and one thing that I admire about him is that he listens. All Anenih you need to do is give him a superior argument and if the argu-

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66 | NEWSEXTRA Friday, June 6, 2014

Agency chief urges check to polio From Ali Garba, Bauchi HE Chairman Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHDA) Adamu Ibrahim Gamawa has charged all stakeholders to support the fight against eradication of polio virus in the country.

Gamawa made the call yesterday during in a one day media training on polio eradication initiative and routine immunisation held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ)secretariat in Bauchi.

He said that all hands must be deck to ensure that the objective of polio routine immunisation was s achieved in the State.

He explained that in the past there were a lot of misconceptions about the vaccine and other challenges saying such allegations need to be corrected so that there will be free polio society.

He lamented that recently there was a fresh case of polio in neighbouring Yobe State saying such fresh cases is not healthy for the state, “we stand a high risk of polio due to the influx of people as a result of security challenges in the north east region”.

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Policeman, others die in pro-Biafran group’s bid to ‘overthrow govt’ From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu EMBERS of the proM Biafran group, the Biafran Zionists Movement (BZM), led by a lawyer, Benjamin Onwuka, yesterday re-launched an attack on Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) in a failed attempt to make a live broadcast “overthrowing the government of Nigeria”.

Members of the group, said to have numbered over 50, were alleged to have stormed the state radio station as early as 5.30 a.m., beating and seizing workers on duty while trying to make a forceful access into the station’s studio.

Clutching guns, machetes, bottles, petrol and other dangerous weapons including Biafran flags, an attempt to stop them resulted to a shoot-out, which claimed the life of a Police inspector and two other members of the group.

The state Police Commissioner, Abubakar

Mohammed, who confirmed the incident yesterday, said their mission was to make a live broadcast “overthrowing the government of Nigeria and burning down the television station when challenged”, adding that 13 members of the group, including their leader, have been arrested.

It would be recalled that the BZM had, for about four hours on March 8, attacked the Enugu Government House, where it hoisted flags and other property belonging to it and since then, had not hidden its intention to declare Biafra in the whole of South-East.

Although the Police had on March 12, declared Onwuka “wanted for treasonable felony”, while it arraigned in court five persons arrested over the Government House attack, the group again struck at the state radio and television station yesterday.

Onwuka, who was not part of the Enugu Government

House attack, however, led the BZM in yesterday’s invasion.

When The Guardian arrived in the station yesterday morning, the workers were prevented from gaining entry into the compound while Police and Civil Defence officials took over the entire compound.

An official of the ESBS told The Guardian that “we have been asked to stay away from the premises for now until further notice”.

Parading the 13 suspects yesterday, Mohammed said: “When they went to the ESBS, they gained entry to the studio and wanted access to make a live broadcast to Nigerians. They had a CD Rom where details of what they wanted to tell the public was and they made a summary of it in a sheet of paper.

The sheet of paper contained an appeal, calling on all the boys in Obiagu, Ogui and Enugu to come out; they also asked students and tri-cyclists to come out.

“They wanted to order that all businesses, schools and markets be closed and all government officials should surrender property in their possession before midday.

You can see that their mission was to overturn the government and it is something that we will never tolerate”.

He continued: “In March, they had attacked the Government House, Enugu.

We had earlier declared their leader wanted.

The same group invaded the ESBS with the intention to set the place ablaze after the broadcast.

“They carried with them arms, machetes, 25 liters of petrol, 46 empty beer bottles, one Biafran Zionist flag and some CDs. The purpose of going there with petrol and bottles is to burn the place; you know, when you put petrol inside a bottle, shake it and throw it into a building, it will explode in flames. They went there also with guns because when the policemen confronted them,

they shot one policeman and killed him. In the process of trying to prevent them from setting the place ablaze, they also had a casualty, one of them was shot dead. About 13 of them were arrested, including the leader”.

He gave the names of those arrested as Paulinus Ugwu, Michael Oleinya, Ndubuisi Nwabuchi, Benneth Obiekwe, Kelvin Eke, Abraham Ugwu, Chukwuma Alaobi, Ejeja Samson, John Nwordu, Nwolu Fidelis and Uduma Uduma, adding that some of them escaped.

Mohammed warned any group of persons and individuals planning to foment trouble in whatever form to cause a breach of peace to desist, saying it will not be tolerated.

Efforts to speak with the suspects proved abortive as the Police Commissioner insisted that doing so “will mean giving them opportunity to say what they wanted to announce in the live broadcast”.

Borno NYSC chief lauds corps members for dedication From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri

The coordinator also prayed for the safe release of the abducted Chibok Secondary School’s Girls.

Shittu also advised serving corps members to take their Community Development Services (CDS) seriously so as to leave their host communities better than they met them.

HE Borno State T Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Suleiman Shittu, yesterday commended corps members for their zeal, courage and determination to serve in the state despite security challenges caused by Boko Haram insurgency.

Speaking yesterday at the passing out parade of 400 Batch B corps members at the Maiduguri orientation camp, Shittu said that despite the challenges corps members faced in the last 12 months, they were able to contribute towards the development of the state.

He however, noted that the passing out ceremony was low-keyed in view of the present security situation in the state.

He therefore urged the corps members to take full advantage of the skills they acquired during their service year and make a living during their life time.

The coordinator also prayed for the safe release of the abducted Chibok Secondary School’s Girls.

Shittu also advised serving corps members to take their Community Development Services (CDS) seriously so as to leave their host communities better than they met them.

PDP National Chairman, Alh. Adamu Muazu(left) and President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President, Namadi Sambo and the Senate President, David Mark at the 65th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja yesterday.

PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

Govt to sanction healthcare providers for ill-treating women labour From Kanayo Umeh Abuja HE Federal Government has announced plans to apply stiffer sanctions on any healthcare provider who does not show respect and dignity to mothers at the point of delivery.

Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, stated this at a media briefing to mark the 2014 Safe Motherhood Day yesterday in Abuja.

Safe motherhood day celebration is a global event that is celebrated yearly by countries of the world to focus national attention on emerging issues on safe motherhood, bringing to national discuss the responsibility of different stake-

T

holders in promoting the health of mothers and children.

The Minister stressed that there is an effort currently being made to ensure that healthcare providers show high-level dignity and respect to all mother regardless of their status at the point of delivery.

Chukwu noted that since the National Council on Health (NCH) has approved the respectful maternity care charter, all state governments must endorse and implement it.

He, however, regretted that the activities of terrorists, especially the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls was a threat to the attainment of

the goal of achieving maternal and child health in the country.

According to him: “There is an effort now being made to ensure that the dignity of our mothers at the point of delivery is secured at all times.

“Since the respectful maternity charter was approved

by NCH, it means that all state governments should endorse it. It should not be left to the Federal Government alone.

“Where you see mothers are being disrespected, send us reports, we will investigate and following due process, we will sanction such healthcare provider.”

Speaking on the effort being

made by the government to ensure the safety of mothers in the country, Chukwu said: “Under the SURE-P NCH, we have increased the supply of human resources for health and created jobs by recruiting 11, 896 health care providers. In 1000 SURE-P supported primary health care (PHC) centres spread across the 36 states and FCT, we have 2,554 midwives; 3342 community extension workers; and 6,000 female village health workers.

“The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) with a total of close to N400 million disbursed to eight states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the end of March

2014, has been scaled up to additional nine states including Abia, Delta, Benue, Ekiti, Enugu, Kogi, Oyo, Sokoto and Taraba.”

World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Nigeria, Dr. Rui Vaz lamented that despite the reported slow decline in maternal mortality, childbirth was still not safe.

“The majority of our women are delivering mostly at home and in non public health facilities. Upon assessment, we see that we still need to invest in cost effective interventions that can make childbirth safe for every mother and baby.

Skilled attendance at birth is still a must and quality services are cardinal,” Vaz said.

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OSUN / EKITI GUBER POLLS 2014

Akinwusi challenges Aregbesola to debate ORMER Osun State Head of Fernorship Service (HOS) and the gov- • Insists Osun’s debt is above N350b candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr. Olusegun Akinwusi, has challenged the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to a live debate on issues pertaining to perceived high debt profiles and other related matters of his administration.

Akinwusi, in a letter written by his lawyer, Barrister Adebiyi Gbenle, to the management of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), frowned at the persistent falsehood and blackmail emanating from the state government against him being aired consistently by the state media outfits.

The SDP governorship candidate stated that he served the state for 35 years and retired in 2012 without any blemish and expressed surprise that Aregbesola’s government calls him names now two months to the August 9 election.

Akinwusi in the letter copied to the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) explained that his name was being maligned by the state media outfits whose management had refused to give him opportunity to reply to issues pertaining to his character.

“I challenge anyone to contest any misconduct I committed while in service contrary to baseless allegations and cheap blackmail peddled around. I take 100 per cent responsibility for any action or inaction while I was in the service,” he said.

While responding to some

Ogundare, slain LP member buried From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti HE remains of the Labour T Party (LP) member in Ekiti State, Mr. Foluso Ogundare, were buried yesterday in Emure-Ekiti amidst sobbing by his relations and party members.

The LP governorship candidate in the state, Opeyemi Bamidele, who led the funeral procession also wept uncontrollably as the body of the deceased was brought into the town.

Ogundare was on November 3, 2013 allegedly shot when some suspected

Aregbesola of the allegations, the former HOS described it as false that he kept pension funds in his private account, saying his schedule of duties did not include financial matters and that the state government should name the account and the bank the money was kept.

“For nearly two years that I have retired from service, if I have soiled my hand in any financial dealing, why has the government not reported the incident to the EFCC? Why did the government pay my gratuity and allowance after retirement?

party thugs stormed the venue of a meeting convened by LP in Odo Emure area of the town.

A serving member of the State House of Assembly and five others are currently standing trial over their alleged complicity in Ogundare’s murder.

Ogundare, 33, is survived by two wives.

Bamidele was escorted to Ogundare’s family’s house at Odo Emure by his deputy, Alhaja Maryam Ogunlade, who also hails from the town.

Akinwusi Why has the governor described me as ‘erudite, honest and blunt’ in his testimonial?

“They are masters in deceit, propaganda and blackmail.

When government thrives in lies and deceits, what role models are they setting for our children?”

Reacting to his allegations that the state government has borrowed to the tune of N350 billion, Akinwusi stated that as a citizen of the state he has the freedom to ask the governor how he spent “our resources” because he is only a custodian of the state

wealth for a period of four years.

“Before he (Aregbesola) came on board, we were as civil servants instrumental to the saving of over N350 billion that the governor usually boasts about. If his predecessors were this profligate he would never have met a kobo in government coffers.

“I insist that this government has mortgaged the future of this state for over 25 years by the size of its debts, which is in excess of N350 billion. If you want to contest call me to a live debate on the matter,” Akinwusi said.

Bamidele

NEWSEXTRA Group asks FG to avert religious war

‘Rivers govt plane might have lost engine warranty’ From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt HE recently-released Rivers T State government-owned Bombardier Jet by the Federal Government, which was grounded over a year ago by aviation authorities, might have lost its engine warranty supported under its maintenance programme, a source said.

Though the Rivers State government officials have maintained graveyard silence on the matter, a top government source told The Guardian in Port Harcourt that the decision by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and their supervising ministry, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, to ground the aircraft for over a year might have adversely impacted on the capacity of the B700 Global Express Aircraft with Registration No. N565RS to function.

A report prepared by an aviation engineering consultant to the Rivers State government, which was made available to The Guardian, cautioned that to leave the aircraft on the ground for such a long period could be very detrimental to the aircraft as the state will have to do functional checks on all the systems regularly.

The expert told the state government that the long time grounding of the plane could also inhibit the aircraft, but that means draining all flu-

ids, which the report noted, is a big task. The report said the changing of the fluid is imperative so that the plane does not get contaminations or fungus growing in fuel lines or hydraulic fluids.

“Also, when you are ready to fly again, then all the special fluids have to be removed and the correct fluids installed again. One has to

ground run to get the last inhibiting fluid out and then replace all engine and airframe filters of all these systems.

You will also have to adjust and look at your camp status and lot of parts may become overdue due to calendar time and also being in Nigeria, the humidity plays a big roll, especially with an aircraft being static,” said the report.

The plane had arrived in Nigeria in October 2012 but was grounded in April 2013 by aviation authorities over allegation of irregularities in its registration and operations in the country.

The House of Representatives waded into the dispute between the Rivers State government and aviation authorities and exonerated the state gov-

ernment of allegation of illegality in the purchase and true ownership of the B700 Global Express Aircraft.

The Rivers State government had from the inception of the crisis that led to the grounding of the plane maintained that the aircraft belongs to it and that it never forged any document as alleged by the aviation authorities.

The Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Ecclesiastical Province, Dr. Anthony Obinna (left) praying for Mr. Peter Obi (right), during the thanksgiving Mass by the Archdiocese to thank God for Obi’s successful completion of his tenure as the Governor of Anambra State at the Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri.

By Anthony Chidubem Nwachukwu OLLOWING the reported FChristians communal clashes between and Muslims in Borno State border communities of Attagara, Aghapalwa and Gwoshe on Wednesday, in which scores of lives were lost, a non-governmental organisation, Centre for United Action Against Terrorism and Sectarian Violence (CUATSEV), has urged the Federal Government to urgently check the trend before it spurs reprisal attacks by members of the two religious groups across the country.

In a statement, CUATSEV’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Frank Oshanugor, said the existing insecurity in the country was enough problem to contend with and should not be worsened by a religious war that would be difficult to checkmate. He noted that “it would be more disastrous for the entire nation if religious dimension is added to the Boko Haram insurgency.”

To that end, the group urged the Federal Government to raise the morale of Nigerian soldiers and other security agents deployed against the terrorists, particularly those involved in the search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

It condemned the endless bombings and killings in the northern part of the country by terrorists for largely crude and untenable reasons, adding that the worsening insecurity should be a source of concern to all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation, religious per-

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INTERVIEW

Silence on Jang’s successor worrisome In this interview with Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Marketing communications consultant and Jos-based lawyer, Malam Haroun Harry Audu, speaks on the slow pace of political activities in Plateau State especially when Governor Jonah Jang has less than one year to complete his two-term tenure.

He speaks on many other issues. Excerpts OW do you assess the political situation in the state espeH cially now that the handing over to the next governor is less than a year away?

It is certainly not the democratic norm that on the eve of the departure of an incumbent who has, for all intents and purposes, served out his term there should be loud silence regarding succession in terms of who will emerge as the next governor of Plateau State. For me personally, I find it to be very tragic. It is tragic and it is the very antithesis of what democratic practice ought to be. The truth is the version of democratic practice that the People’s Democratic Party in particular has instituted and has foisted on our polity as imbued around this syndrome of a godfather blessings or withdrawing blessings to the extent that the democratic space has been shrunk. The democratic space has become bastardised. People with earnest and honest ability to provide leadership have been squeezed and emasculated out of contention. In their place we find that it is weaklings, hirelings, sycophants, people who are willing to compromise issues of integrity that tend to get the ascendancy. And this is the tragedy of our politics. So, what is happening in Plateau State, with all due respect, is a reflection of this anomaly and we need to be really worried that at this point in our democratic life, succession politics is being conducted like voodoo and occult practices like the more you see the less you understand.

Otherwise I would have imagined that by now the polity should be awash with an interrogating of the performance of the Governor Jonah Jang administration, what are the sectors he has done well in, what should a successor be thinking of doing in consolidating, what should he be doing in correcting what may have been done wrongly? Some of us have argued, for example, that the peace process, the crisis on the Plateau that to be fair to the governor, he inherited, has been badly managed.

We thank God for the relative peace we had before the bomb explosions. But we are of the view that it is important that succession politics at this stage should be interrogated, the quality of leadership that will come to heal the division that has become very entrenched in Plateau State as a result of the divisive politics that has characterised governance in the last four years.

But it is not the fault of the governor. He did not hold anybody not to aspire.

Let me come to that. It is not democratic that one person is holding tight and making reference to divine intervention Are you a non-believer? What is wrong in seeking divine intervention before taking any action?

By the way, let me declare my asset. I am a struggling practising Christian and I know that God blesses and has blessed us and will continue to bless us with intelligence to plan. And in the context of leadership, more so leadership of a society where there is a competition for scarce resources to deliver services, provide for utilities and services that we are unable to have planned. Our governor has been in office for almost eight years.

He should have had a succession plan to make transition very smooth. I am of the strong conviction that it is simply unacceptable that in the context of managing the affairs of men in a democratic setting that in one year to the end of a regime, the polity is enveloped in a loud silence because one man is considered to be the ultimate determiner of the fate of two to three million people of Plateau State as far as leadership is concerned.

It is a democratic misnomer. It is a democratic anomaly and honesty it indicts us all as intellectuals that we are unable to speak out in this state of sorry affairs. Let me clarify this issue. It is not a Plateau condition alone. Get that right. It is the condition of Nigerian politics which is why I say the PDP that has had that opportunity to hold the reins of power close to 70 to 80 per cent of the federation including the central government has foisted upon us this kind of leadership by voodooist leadership by drawing inspiration from the failing antics of the successful antics of one godfather. I think it is not right.

By the way, let me declare my asset. I am a struggling practising Christian and I know that God blesses and has blessed us and will continue to bless us with intelligence to plan. And in the context of leadership, more so leadership of a society where there is a competition for scarce resources to deliver services, provide for utilities and services that we are unable to have planned. Our governor has been in office for almost eight years. He should have had a succession plan to make transition very smooth. I am of the strong conviction that it is simply unacceptable that in the context of managing the affairs of men in a democratic setting that in one year to the end of a regime, the polity is enveloped in a loud silence because one man is considered to be the ultimate determiner of the fate of two to three million people of Plateau State as far as leadership is concerned.

Before I give the advice, let me quickly also point out the fact that some of us and I in particular have continued to argue that this notion where in the context of democracy, one person has been elected as a governor or deputy governor or President of the country or Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives or Speaker of the House of Assembly and the whole political establishment becomes enamoured to such a person to the extent that nothing else gets done unless he shows his blessings. This is the exact result we get when we deify human beings, when we glorify human beings rather than glorify God.

Audu As I earlier said, the governor did not bar anybody from aspiring. It is the fault of the aspirants who do not come out believing that the governor should anoint them first. Now, what is your advice to such hopeful who are still wallowing in their cocoon of lethargy?

Before I give the advice, let me quickly also point out the fact that some of us and I in particular have continued to argue that this notion where in the context of democracy, one person has been elected as a governor or deputy governor or President of the country or Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives or Speaker of the House of Assembly and the whole political establishment becomes enamoured to such a person to the extent that nothing else gets done unless he shows his blessings. This is the exact result we get when we deify human beings, when we glorify human beings rather than glorify God. When we raise human beings to the altar, to the platform that they commit no wrong, where the impres-

jJang

sion is created that they are infallible, where the impression is created that their word is law, where the impression is created that they have the power of life and death over human beings which is true. Because they do have in the position of governors. When they exercise their prerogative of mercy where they convert death sentence into jail terms, but they can also sign a death sentence that you can be killed.

You have not given your advice to the would-be aspirants.

My advice to aspiring politicians and I will start with the socalled opposition whether in Kaduna State, in Plateau State or wherever in the country, that we must consciously build alternatives in terms of the kind of programmes that we want to deliver to the people, in terms of the kind of the conduct that is expected of politicians. So that it is not a question of belonging to the right party, the right party being in the PDP because as far as I am concerned rather than being the biggest political party in Africa, what PDP has succeeded in entrenching in my mind is the biggest rigging machine in Africa. It is able to manipulate elections and everybody seems to believe that if you are not in the PDP, you cannot win an election fair and square. I am challenging politicians including those of them within the PDP because, let us not pretend about it; the PDP itself is a house of cards as we have seen recently with the kind of internal crisis they had because the democratic structures within the PDP are faulty. They are paper-weight. So, I am of the view that time has come for the opposition politicians to begin to build their career in participating in democratic politics by speaking eloquently and clearly to the needs of our people and they are very simple.

What are those needs?

I can tell you three, four sectors that if well tackled in this country in terms of how politicians articulate their programmes, Nigerians would follow them, the state of our public transportation system, the state of our health delivery system, the state of education and much more than that building the economy in such a way that it can empower youths, women and disadvantaged groups to participate in the economy. You don’t hear this kind of discussion going on within the PDP. You only hear them describing themselves in the humongous term of being the biggest party in Africa, the party with the capacity to deliver elections whether by foul or fair means. My advice to those of us on the Plateau because I am a local man is that whether you are within the PDP or outside of the PDP, let us be honest and bold enough to own up to the fact that the last eight years have been years of struggle. Plateau State has had it very terribly because of the repeated crises. A lot of them externalized. But the truth of it is that we must hold on to the way it has been handled by people vested with the responsibility of superintending over the public governance space.

Sometimes ago, Plateau PDP said that those who abandoned the party in the past for one reason or another who now want to come back should not be readmitted. What do you have to say to that?

The scenario just painted is the very result of the garrison mentality that exists within the PDP. Let me quickly add that it also exists among some other opposition parties because the temperament and disposition of the Nigerian politician is to win at all costs and when you win at all costs including killing and maiming and destruction he will also make sure that he shuts the door because the entire posturing and ambition for public office in Nigeria, and I speak with all sense of responsibility, close to 80 per cent of it is driven by the primordial and primitive accumulation instinct of a political class that is desperate for power because of what power can confer in terms of influence, the resources and access to the resources. In fact it is uncharitable. It smacks of garrison politics that who have operated like a swing in terms of their political career will sit down and orchestrate and determine that it is their time to shut the door. Again for me they represent garrison politics. PDP is a party largely populated by people who had changed political parties in the past. These characters are people who had changed political parties in the past. These characters are people who mouth democracy will allow them access to power. Once they get to power they shut the door forgetting that governance is different from politicking, there are many freedoms enshrined in the constitution especially in Chapter Four when it is stated that you can associate or dissociate willingly.

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Sports Minister partners with NOA to promote Nigeria image abroad

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

Echiejile, Musa’s injuries worry Keshi

From John Okeke, Abuja N his efforts to ensure that Irubbed the country’s image is not on the mud at the forthcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil , the Minster of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, has teamed up with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to promote the image of Nigeria at the Mundial Coupe.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday during a meeting with the Director General of NOA, Mike Omeri, he disclosed that the ministry had a synergy with the NOA to promote the image of Nigeria abroad.

He said: “It is a great pleasure to receive the Director General NOA today. We have a synergy between the Ministry and the National Orientation Agency.

Together we will achieve greatness. We have a lot to do and for us to do it we have to believe in Nigeria. No country has better than what we have in Nigeria, but Nigerians don’t know what God has given to us .”According to him, the key to the success is working together.

In his remarks, the NOA Director General said the agency in the last two years had been in the campaign to enlighten the citizens to understand the need to promote the image of the country . Omeri urged Nigerians to be patriotic, adding: “We don’t have any other country.

Nigeria belongs to us and I think Nigerians should do well to be patriotic to our nation.”

• NFF parleys with Greece FA Eagles’ Coach, Stephen SonUPEr Keshi, is waiting for the scan the injured Elderson Echiejile and Ahmed Musa to decide if they would be available for Saturday’s friendly against the USA. The Eagles had a hectic training session in Jacksonville, Florida, yesterday, having arrived the city on Wednesday from Philadelphia.

Musa and Elderson Echejile trained on their own as they gradually recover from knocks they received in the friendly against Greece on Tuesday.

Echejile was due for scan on his thigh muscle later yesterday. Team doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran, said it was important to do the scan to know the injury level, but he does not foresee a serious problem.

The team is quartered at the exquisite Hyatt Hotel overlooking the city’s river and about 20 minutes drive from where the team had its first training session yesterday morning; the Jacksonville United FC training pitch.

Team Skipper, Joseph Yobo and Ogenyo Onazi have been speaking on their expectations at the Mundial Coupe.

Yobo said he was delighted to have been picked by the technical crew and called for total concentration from his teammates.

“We have to give our all in the tourney because in future people will ask when you were playing what did you achieve.

We have won the Nations Cup, now is the time to aim for the big one,” he said.

To Onazi, the Super Eagles will be the surprise package in Brazil.

“Yes, they say we have not been scoring many goals but these are preparatory games, when we come to the tournament proper they will see the real Nigerian national team,” the Lazio star said.

The team will train only once this afternoon at the stadium where the game against the United States will be played tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, midway into last Tuesday’s international friendly between Nigeria and Greece in Philadelphia, the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), led

by Alhaji Aminu Maigari and that of the Greece FA, headed

by Sarris Georgious, took time off to exchange pleasantries and national flags in a bid to strengthen football ties between both nations.

Maigari, who was assisted by Chairman, NFF Technical Committee, Chris Green, said he was delighted to exchange good tidings with the leadership of the Greek FA and wished them the best of luck in their matches at the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.

The Greek FA boss spoke in a similar vein, as both men beamed with smiles while exchanging national colours.

Both countries have a long but healthy rivalry in football since Nigeria first crushed the Greeks in a group game at its maiden appearance in the World Cup tagged USA ’94.

Ekiti Gov Cup: Top Seeds move on HErE was no upset in the Osariemen Airhowunde 7-5, T first round of the main 7-6 (5).

In the men singles, the draw of the First Ekiti Gov’s All Nigeria Tennis Championship taking place at the Trade Fair Complex, Ado-Ekiti as all the top seeds in action progressed to the next stage.

2013 CBN Open queen, ronke Akingbade defeated Loveth Donatus 6-4, 6-4, while she was joined by another seeded player, Blessing Anuna who came back from a set down to beat Bukola Olowu 6-7(5),62, 6-2 to stay on course for the women singles title.

Aanu Aiyegbusi, who caused the biggest upset in the CBN open when she defeated top seed Blessing Samuel in the first round, also moved to the second round by edging

fairy tale run of Wale Obi was punctured by Ikechukwu Ilokuta, who won 6-0, 6-2, while Joseph Imeh and Michael Moses battled each other relentlessly, but Imeh came out victorious 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4 in what is rated as the most competitive match so far in the week-long tournament.

Balami Umaru and Michael Okechukwu also move on after their opponents, who were trailing, were forced to retire.

The final of the tournament, which has about 150 players, is scheduled to end on Sunday with men and women champions getting N100, 000 and N75, 000 respectively.

Echiejile

Danagogo, Brazil ambassador meet over visa issues From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja OLLOWING problems FNigerian being encountered by the contingent to the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup in securing their travel visas, the Minister of Sports/Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Tammy Danagogo, yesterday met with the Brazilian ambassador to Nigeria, Andre Lima Pinto on measures to ensure early issuance of visas to the Nigerian contingent.

The meeting, which took place inside the minister’s office at the National Stadium in Abuja, The Guardian gathered, had the ambassador explaining why the embassy delayed in issuing visas to Nigerians for the Mundial Coupe, while assur-

LGErIA proved they were

Acapable of beating top •Mark leads Nigerian contingent to Brazil teams at the upcoming World ing that the process would be hastened up to ensure that all Nigerian fans intending to travel to Brazil will get their visas on time.

Confirming the meeting in a chat with journalists yesterday in Abuja, Danagogo said the meeting became necessary because of the synergy between Nigeria and Brazil, stressing that the ambassador assured him that efforts would be made to ensure that all intending travelers to Brazil would get visas on time to make their trip.

“Some how, Brazil and Nigeria from our synergy have always shared common aspirations to see that our team play up to the finals at

the World Cup. “We have been discussing ways and means to ensure that this outing in Brazil becomes successful. We have met with the Nigerian ambassador to Brazil and today we met with the Brazilian ambassador to Nigeria. Two of them are very keen to the success of our participation at the World Cup,” he said.

Danagogo disclosed, “We have measures to ensure that we take enough of our supporters to Brazil as well as ensuring that team encounters no problem in the country at the period of the World Cup.

Argentina sweat on Aguero, Garay’s fitness rGENTINA duo, Sergio A Aguero and Ezequiel Garay, are doubtful for their country’s last warm-up game before the World Cup, with the pair being hampered by a thigh problem and muscle strain respectively.

Striker Aguero and defender Garay were both unused substitutes as Argentina’s preparations for the tournament continued on Wednesday with a 30 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

And the Argentinian Football

Algeria fears no foes

Association (AFA) have now confirmed that the pair face fitness battles, with the start of the World Cup looming large on the horizon.

Manchester City star, Aguero, has endured an injury-hit 2013-14 at club level and started just 20 of his side’s 38 Premier League games en route to being crowned champions of England.

When fit, though, Aguero’s influence was clear, as he scored 17 league goals and net-

ted 28 times in total in competitions.

Like Aguero, Garay also heads to Brazil having won a domestic title - with Benfica in the Primeira Liga.

Question marks now remain over of what part - if any Aguero and Garay will play in tomorrow’s final friendly with Slovenia.

Argentina’s World Cup campaign begins against BosniaHerzegovina on June 15.

Cup in Brazil as they rounded off their pre-tournament preparations with victory over romania on Wednesday.

Coach Vahid Halilhodzic declared the 2-1 triumph in Geneva one of their best performance since he took over three years ago.

“The team showed it could win over top teams. We leave for the World Cup with a good track record. We could have scored more goals if we had been more effective in front,” he said after the friendly international interrupted by unruly fans before half-time and again during the second half.

“I felt that my team were able to raise their level from the previous match against Armenia. I am very optimistic for the future,” he told reporters afterwards.

Algeria beat Armenia 3-1 in Sion on Saturday in the first of their two warm-up internationals in Switzerland.

“My players have regained some physical freshness.

Certainly they had felt a slight fatigue, but I have already told you they will be even better as we approach the World Cup. In 10, they will be even better,” he said of Algeria’s opening match in Group H against Belgium.

But he said he was still not sure of his starting line up for the encounter in Belo Horizonte on June 17.

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Warri Wolves hit Bayelsa 3-0, set for Kaduna United

By Gowon Akpodonor WO goals from the boots of T Gbolahan Salami and one from Uruemu Egbata were all Warri Wolves needed yesterday to dispatch visiting Bayelsa United in a Globacom Premier league game played at Warri City Stadium.

The match was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, but was moved to yesterday due to heavy rain. Wolves had secured a 2-1 victory against visiting Nasarawa United last Sunday,and the victory against Bayelsa United yesterday has moved the club to the third position on the table with 28 points.

In their match against Nasarawa on Sunday, Stanley Dimgba helped Warri Wolves to come from behind to secure a 21 victory.

However, Warri Wolves did not give Bayelya United such chance in yesterday’s game, as they

started business early, resulting in two quick goals by Salami before Egbeta sealed victory later in the game. Salami’s two goals came from the penalty spot.

The players and their officials celebrated the victory late into the night yesterday, following alleged threat by the club management to place everyone on half salary following uninspiring results in recent time.

Wolves were forced to a draw at home by Sharks a few weeks ago and since then, the club’s position on the league table has been uninspiring to the owners of the team.

The management, which has settled part of the players’ signon fees and salaries, was said to be angry with the players for their poor performance against Sharks and their lackadaisical approach to some other league gamest. But all that has changed with the two victories against Nasarawa and Bayelsa United.

DSTv Basketball league Union Bank, Islanders in top-of-the-table clash

By Adeyinka Adedipe Stanley Dimgba (middle) scored for Warri Wolves against Nasarawa United last Sunday. They defeated Bayelsa United 3-0 yesterday to move to third position on the league table

Align your programmes with High Performance Centre, Danagogo urges NIS From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja PORTS Minister/ Director SCommission General, National Sports (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, has urged the Nigerian Institute for Sports (NIS) to introduce programmes that would help the country realize the NSC’s objectives of setting up the Higher Performance centre.

Danagogo, who believes the institute has a vital role to play in training athletes and coaches for Nigeria, said the organization founded in 1974 is crucial to the corporate ex-

istence of the country since sports is a huge unifying factor in the nation.

Speaking while inaugurating the 10-man governing board of the institute yesterday in Abuja, Danagogo reminded the members that they were all chosen after a thorough evaluation of their track records and therefore should work assiduously to ensure they left the agency better than they met it.

He said that the NIS, which has trained over 10,000 athletes and coaches since inception, could do better given the fact that Nigeria has abun-

TAN World Cup promo winners depart on June 14

By Adeyinka Adedipe INNERS of the TransforW mation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) ‘Fly me to Brazil Promo’ have secured visas and will be leaving for Brazil on June 14 in time for the Super Eagles opening game against Iran on June 16 in Curitiba.

TAN’s coordinator, Orji Okoronkwo, who disclosed this to The Guardian yesterday, said that efforts were on to ensure that the winners have the best of time in Brazil, while cheering their darling team to victory.

He said that TAN was committed to the success of the Nigerian team and praised President Goodluck Jonathan for backing the team. He assured that TAN would give its unflinching support to the Eagles in Brazil.

“We must commend President Goodluck Jonathan for the support he has given the team and we are sure that he would continue to do so through the Ministry of

Sports. And we will also call on Nigerians to give their backing to the team,” Okoronkwo added.

One of the winners, James Benjamin, stated that travelling to Brazil would give him an opportunity to join forces with other Nigerians to cheer the Eagles to victory. He stated that the Eagles have shown that they have what it takes to excel in Brazil and called on everyone to rally round the team at the mundial.

“The team have come a long way since President Goodluck Jonathan assumed office. A team that was unable to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), won the same competition in 2013 and kudos should also go to coach Stephen Keshi for his technical acumen.

Another winner, Ashiru Kehinde commended TAN for making good its promise by securing visa for the team and said she was delighted to be on her way to Brazil to support the team to victory.

dant raw talents waiting to be harnessed.

This, he said, could be attested to with the sterling performance of the Nigerian contingent to the just concluded National Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana, where the country won a total of 41 medals, out of which 19 were gold.

“Your task is very crucial if we must develop sports in Nigeria… you can see also that your job is easier because of the abundant raw talents that we have everywhere in Nigeria.

“For instance, look at what the boys and girls we took to Botswana did with little or no training; they won 41 medals of which 19 are gold, a feat that is a huge departure from what we did in Morocco where we won only 10 medals.”

He also charged the board to, among other things, formulate quality policies that would be guidelines in the running of the institute, as well as to organize and coor-

dinate efforts to raise funds to argument whatever they get from the federal government.

Earlier in his remarks, the Director General of the NSC, Gbenga Elegbeleye, said the inauguration of the board would open a new vista for sports development in the country, even as he charged them to always be at the helm in the drive to raise high performance athletes and coaches as it is done in most of the developed countries of the world.

In his acceptance speech, chairman of the board, Col. Idu Enonche (rtd), promised that his board would work harmoniously with the management of the NIS for good results, just as he pledged an unalloyed loyalty to the NSC, especially in respect of its crucial role in sports development in Nigeria.

Also on the NIS board are the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Felix Amaechi Obuah and the Director of the NIS, Dr. Austin Ikioya.

A

TlANTIC Conference leaders, Union Bank Basketball Club of lagos, will take on second-placed Islanders in a top-of-the-table clash as the DStv Premier Basketball league week 13 games hold today.

The game, which will take place at the sports hall of the National Stadium, will see William Ndounbe returning to the Union Bank side after serving a two-week suspension for using foul language in a week 10 game against Royal Hoopers.

The returning Ndounbe has been in good form for the Stallion Boys (Union Bank) this season and he is expected to put up a splendid performance against Islanders.

In some other games, Dodan Warriors will also welcome back technical adviser, Adeka Daudu, who was also banned

for two weeks for misconduct. His presence on the bench should propel Dodan Warriors to victory over Police Baton, who are struggling to stay in the elite division.

Bottom-placed Royal Hoopers of Port Harcourt will be at home to Kwara Falcons, while Oluyole Warriors will take on Nigeria Customs in Ibadan.

In the Savannah Conference, defending champions and leaders, Kano Pillars, will be away to Kada Stars of Kaduna, Plateau Peaks take on Nigeria Immigration, Mark Mentors of Abuja will be at home to Bauchi Nets, while Niger Potters battle Gombe Bulls in Minna.

Pillars should get maximum points against Kada Stars, who are struggling to stay afloat, while Mentors would hope for a win to keep up the pressure on Pillars.

Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield Polo 2014

Yero hails Access Bank’s support for sports OvERNOR Ramallan Yero of G Kaduna State has commended Access Bank for supporting the development of sports, especially polo, in the country.

Speaking at the Kangimi Resort, Kaduna, venue of the ongoing Access Bank UNICEF

Nigeria Wins World Cup Intercessory Network (NWWCIPN) Secretary General, Pastor Prince Charles (left); President, Revd Udo Nwoke and the Treasurer, Evangelist Charles Ekwebelem, during their visit to Rutam House to solicit media campaign for a Divine call to move the hand of God to favour Nigeria in winning this year’s World Cup…on Tuesday.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Charity Shield international polo tournament, Yero said the bank has showed an unequaled involvement in promoting charity, polo and sports generally in the country.

Alhaji Yero, who arrived the venue alongside his cabinet membersd as the Special Guest of Honour, bowled the ball to officially gallop off the last stage of the 2014 edition of the Charity Shield tournament.

The Kaduna Governor watched Max Air defeat Keffi Ponys 11-10 in the first game of the Charity Shield and noted that Access Bank partnership with UNICEF and Fifth Chukker has helped in enriching lives of many venerable children in the state.

The governor urged other corporate organizations to emulate Access Bank’s commitment to charity and sport promotion, given the positive effect the event has had on the lives of venerable children in the society.

“We are happy with Access Bank and Fifth Chukker for taking the mantle of supporting UNICEF in its campaign of engaging our teeming youths positively through polo and other charitable activities and I would urge them not to rest in

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World Cup

The work before the task, a pictorial journey through the teams’ camps ITH only six days to the kick off of the Brazil 2014 World Cup, we take you to the camps of some of the gladiators to see what they are doing and how they are doing it. Just yesterday, the W Local Organising Committee, chaired by Eugenio Figueredo, confirmed the huge global excitement being generated by the Mundial Coupe, so the teams know too well that they have to be at their best to thrill the fans, as well as realize their various ambitions at the event. The huge global excitement is reflected by the unprecedented number of ticket requests, with more than 11 million received to date for about 3.1 million available tickets. To date, a total of 2,961,911 tickets have been sold, including more than 2.2 million directly via FIFA.com to the general public.

As a prelude to the event, here are the teams.

Russia’s players during a training session in Moscow on the eve of a friendly match with Morocco…yesterday.

Chile’s players warm up during a training session.

France’s players attend a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, outside Paris.

Brazilian players during a training session ahead of the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 tournament. PHOTOS: AFP

Cameroun’s players in training session.

Cote d’Ivoire players in a training session.

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SPORTS Friday, June 6, 2014

Heroes Of Yinka Kudaisi: Super Falcons HEN the game of female football made its debut in the conW tinent in the 1980s, not many parents saw anything good in it. In Nigeria, some parents implored various tactics to dis-

Yinka Kudaisi

Former Super Falcons central defender, Yinka Kudaisi, belonged in the golden era of Nigerian female football when the team was a force to reckon with in Africa. Her father hails from Ogun State and mother from Oyo, but the young girl was brought up in Kaduna, where she attended elementary and secondary schools. Her club football career started with the defunct Simbiat Abiola Babes in Abeokuta and went on to the national team, helping the Super Falcons to win five African Nations Cup trophies between 1998 and 2006. She also appeared in two FIFA World Cup competitions in Sweden ’95 and USA ’99, as well as two Olympic Games at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. She also won a gold medal at the COJA 2003 All African Games in Abuja. Kudaisi, fondly called ‘Gentle Giant,’ was one of those who made club football a delight to watch in her days with the defunct Jegede Babes FC, Rivers Angels, Ibom Queens, Delta Queens and Pelican Stars. The low point of Kudaisi’s football career was when her Swedish club, QBIK FC, terminated her contract alongside Maureen Madu and Faith Ikidi for honouring Nigeria’s invitation to be part of the 2006 AWC in Warri, Delta State. Speaking with Gowon Akpodonor during the week in Lagos, Kudaisi reminisced on her career, family life, including how a religious riot in Kaduna forced her parents to relocate from the city in the early 1990s. She also spoke on the fallen standard of women football at club and national levels in the country which, according to her, needs the support of government and corporate organisations to grow.

courage their wards from taking to football, thinking that the round leather game was mainly for boys.

But Engr. Ayodele Anthony Kudaisi and his wife, late Mrs. Nimota Bolaji Kudaisi, saw things from a different perspective.

They gave their blessing to one of their daughters, Yinka, who fell in love with the game at a tender age.

It turned out to be a wise decision, as the young Kudaisi grew to become one of the most formidable women central defenders ever produced in Africa, bringing honour to the family. She won five Nations Cup trophies and appeared in two FIFA World Cup competitions, as well as two Olympic Games.

Kudaisi’s football career actually started at KLG Primary School in Kaduna, but it was at Government Girls Secondary School, also in Kaduna, that she realized her full potentials in the game.

Kudaisi was still in secondary school when she became part of the Eleven Planners FC in Kaduna. That was after her short romance with Kada Babes FC also in the city.

Kudaisi was included in the Government Girls Secondary School soccer team for a school challenge cup competition in Benue State in 1991, where she was discovered by coach Paul Hamilton, who was then scouting for players for the Super Falcons in preparation for the maiden FIFA Women World Cup in China.

The news of Kudaisi’s impact in the school challenge cup competition in Benue State soon spread like harmattan fire, which attracted other coaches to her base in Kaduna. One of the first callers in Kaduna was coach Alex Aror who was then recruiting players for the defunct Kakanfor Queens of Abeokuta.

It thus signaled the beginning of Kudaisi’s club career. Kakanfo Queens later metamorphosed to the defunct Simbiat Abiola Babes of Abeokuta.

“I met other players like Okunwa Igunbor, Rachael Yamala and Judith Chime at Simbiat Abiola Babes,” Kudaisi recalled in an interview with The Guardian during the week in Lagos.

Kudaisi featured in Super Falcons’ World Cup qualifiers for the maiden FIFA Women World Cup in China ’91, but could not make it to the championship. Before the second edition of the World Cup, which took place in Sweden in 1995, she was mature enough to make Coach Paul Hamilton’s team.

Unlike the first edition, where Nigeria lost all three group matches to Germany, Italy and Chinese Taipei, the inclusion of Kudaisi in the defence made the difference in Sweden ’95. The Falcons had a better performance, as they drew 3-3 with Canada before losing the other two games to the host, Sweden and England.

Back from the World Cup, Kudaisi decided to change clubs from Simbiat Abiola Babes in Abeokuta to ‘money-bag’ Jegede Babes in Lagos. She spent the 1996 and ‘97 soccer seasons with Jegede Babes before crossing over to Rivers Angels in Port Harcourt.

By this time, Nigerian female players had matured. Kudaisi and the ‘gang’ overran all African countries in the qualifiers for the 3rd FIFA Women World Cup in USA ’99. By this time, the mantle of leadership had changed from Coach Hamilton to Ismaila Mabo.

Looking back to their performance at USA ’99, Kudaisi recalled with nostalgia: “We had a wonderful competition in the United States. We were in the same group with USA, Korea DPR and Denmark.

“We finished second in the group with six points and our quarterfinal opponent happened to be Brazil. Considering the pedigree of Brazil in football, nobody gave us any chance of matching the Brazilians. We played a great game, though we lost in extra time,” Kudaisi said.

That quarterfinal match between Nigeria and Brazil at Jack Kent Cook Stadium in Washington DC on July 1, 1999, went into FIFA’s record book as one of the most entertaining games ever played in the history of Women’s World Cup. The match was full of drama, as the Falcons conceded three quick goals in the first half, only to cage the Brazilians to their own half in the second stanza to equalize 3-3. It went into extra time and the Falcons lost, after goalkeeper Judith Chime miscalculated a free kick taken by the Brazilian danger woman, Sissi.

“We wept all through the night because it was a game we could have won even before the extra time if we had made good use of the chances we had. That is one moment I won’t forget in my life time,” Kudaisi said.

That performance in USA remains the best ever till date for the Super Falcons, as their outings in subsequent World Cup tournaments in USA 2003, China 2007 and Germany 2011 were nothing to write home about.

On return from USA ’99 World Cup, Kudaisi again changed location from Rivers Angels in Port Harcourt to Ibom Queens in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. She moved again in 2000, this time, to Delta Queens FC in Asaba, where she played briefly with the likes of Ngozi Ezeocha, goalkeeper Taiwo Ajebiowe and the late Felicia Eze.

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School Sports ‘Gentle Giant’ who ruled Africa Kudaisi left Delta Queens in 2001 to join Pelican Stars of Calabar, a club she led to win numerous trophies, including the league and challenge cup titles in 2002. While Kudaisi was the ‘General’ controlling the central defence of Pelican Stars, Pepertua Nkwocha was the ‘Field Marshal’ supplying the goals.

“I enjoyed my playing days with Pelican Stars because we were motivated by the government and we were determined to get something as pay back to the people. We paraded the best crop of players in the country at that time and Pepertua was always at her best scoring goals for us. It was really a good time in Calabar,” she said.

Kudaisi made the Super Flacons team to Sydney 2000 Olympic Games alongside Florence Omagbemi, Pepertua Nkwocha, Kikelomo Ajayi, Patience Avre, Stella Mbachu, Nkechi Egbe and Florence Iweta, where the team finished last in Group F behind USA, Norway and China PR. Before this time, she had won two African Nations Cup trophies with the Falcons at the inaugural African Women Championship held in Nigeria in 1998 and the second edition in South Africa 2000. She went on to win three more Nations Cup titles in 2002, when Nigeria hosted the third AWC Championship in Oghara and Warri, Delta State, 2004 in Johannesburg and 2006 in Warri, Delta State.

After the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, where the Falcons were eliminated in the Group stage, Coach Mabo decided to weed off some of the aging players in preparations for Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Only eight players who were part of the Sydney Olympic Games survived Mabo’s surgical operation.

While keepers Ann Agumanu and Judith Chime were ‘forced’ into retirement to give room for three new comers, Precious Dede, Elizabeth Johnson and Ogechi Onyenaya, Kudiasi survived in the defence line. The likes of Stella Mbachu, Nkechi Egbe and Mercy Akide

We finished second in the group with six points and our quarterfinal opponent happened to be Brazil.

Considering the pedigree of Brazil in football, nobody gave us any chance of matching the Brazilians. We played a great game, though we lost in extra time. retained their positions in the attack.

Their first major test came from the Ghana Black Queens in Ibadan, where the Falcons had to force the visitors to a draw with the goal coming from Egbe. It was the last game for some key players, including USA-based speed star, Patience Avre. The second leg in Accra was a big drama.

In Accra, the Ghanaians rolled out all in their armoury by recalling all key players, including team captain, U.S.-based Alberta Sackey with flamboyant keeper Memunatu Sulemana, boasting that it was the end of the road for the Falcons. The game ended 1-1 with Egbe scoring for Nigeria, while Sackey equalised for Ghana. In the penalty shootout, Vera Okolo and Ajumai Ameh missed their kicks, while two Ghanaians scored.

Goalkeeper Dede was the heroine of the day, saving the last three kicks by the Ghanaians, while Egbe, Nkwocha and Kudiasi scored to give the Falcons the day.

The Falcons then went on to defeat the Banyana Banyana of South Africa in the last qualifying match in Abuja. The team could not make appreciable impact at Athens Olympic Games. It was the last Olympic moment for Kudaisi, but her romance with the Super Falcons continued.

The urge to play football abroad took Kudaisi to Sweden in 2006, where she joined QBIK FC alongside two other Nigerians, Maureen Madu and Faith Ikidi. The trio was invited to be part of

No way…Kudaisi of Nigeria (right), blocked Mikka Hansen of Denmark at USA ’99 FIFA World Cup, where the Super Falcons had its best moment so far.

Super Falcons squad for the 2006 edition of the AWC hosted in Warri, Delta State.

“The management of QBIK was not ready to release us because we had a crucial league match at hand. But on the other hand, we had to consider our country first, more so, when Nigerian was hosting the 5th edition of the African Women Championship. We left for Nigeria and our club was angry,” she said.

The Swedish club immediately terminated the contract of Kudaisi, Madu and Ikidi for flouting its order. Back home, the players were hailed for their courage, patriotic zeal and devotion to their fatherland.

Kudaisi crowned her illustrious football career by guarding the Super Falcons to retain the AWC title in Warri, Delta State in 2006, thus going into history book as one of few Nigerians female players to have won five African Na-

tions Cup trophies.

Before then, Kudaisi had played a role in Team Nigeria’s victory at the 2003 All African Games held in Abuja. She was in Super Falcons Team B that won the female football gold medal. That team, which was led by coach Mabo, had the likes of Rita Nwadike, Akudo Sabi, Julie Ekwerike, Blessing Igbojuonu and late Felicia Eze. Looking back to her playing days at KLG Primary School and Government Girls Secondary School in Kaduna, Kudaisi said: “We were just playing for fun and enjoying ourselves on the streets of Kaduna. I never imagined that I would one day play football for my country. But I must say that the discipline I had from my parents as a child played a major role in my football career.

“My suggestion is that parents should encourage their children to combine sports with their academic activities because there is great re-

Kudaisi (squatting second from right), with some other members of the first generation of Super Falcons at USA ‘99 FIFA World Cup

Kadaisi (right) during her professional career with QBIK FC in Sweden

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Friday, June 6, 2014

SchoolSports Organisers list gains of DAWN Games

By Gowon Akpodonor

RGANISeRS of the recently concluded dAWN Games have said that the competition has opened the door of success for secondary school students in the South West region. dAWN, an acronym for development Agenda for Western Nigeria, recently brought together secondary school students in the region under one umbrella of sports competition in Lagos.

The competition, which was won by Lagos State, had a total of 141 athletes competing in 12 sports.

Some of the major discovering in the dAWN Games included 12-year-old Okungbowa Morayo, a JSS 2 student of Meadow Hall School, Lekki. She won 11 gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the swimming to emerge the best female athlete of the competition.

Another athlete, daniel Ibikunle, a 15-year-old SSS 2 student of Herois Faith College, Kosofe, won seven gold and one silver medal also in the swimming event to emerge as the best male athlete.

Speaking with The Guardian during the week, an official of dAWN Commission in-charge of Subject Matter Analysis for Regional Sports development, Miss Olamide Odedina, said that some of the cardinal points of the commission had been actualised through the competition.

The maiden edition of the dWAN Games took place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Rowe Park in Yaba and the Agege stadium, while the NYSC Camp at Iyana-Ipaja served as the games village, where all the athlete and coaches were camped for the period of the Games.

There were 124 athletes for the football event, 88 for basketball, 58 for volleyball, 42 for swimming, 38 for chess, 35 gymnast, 30 for table tennis, 26 for scrabble, 23 for badminton, 26 for tennis and 20 for taekwondo event.

According to Odedina, the sports competition was a concerted strategic developmental process by the dAWN Commission geared towards social, economic and regional integration.

“We used the dAWN Games as one of the tools deployed to actualise our agenda and I want to say the commission is very happy with the results,” she said.

At the end of the contest, host Lagos topped the medals table with 90 gold, 61 silver and 28 bronze medals, while Ogun was second with 16 gold, 30 silver and 33 bronze medals. Oyo State came third with seven gold, 18 silver and 43 bronze medals, just as ekiti had six gold, six silver and 22

O

bronze and Osun with one gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals finished fifth.

“Sports can be made to play a strategic role in the improvement of the lives and wellbeing of the citizens of any country,” Odedina told The Guardian. But for us to realize these benefits, the kind of sporting events we choice must be good ones and must be driven by positive engagement and values.”

“There is no doubt that sport’s fundamental role as a primary generator of social capital and related benefits cut across a broad spectrum of societal goals. This includes education, child and youth development, social life, crime prevention, economic development and environmental sustainability.

Perhaps most significantly, no other domain of community life has demonstrated sports’ capacity to connect so many young people to positive adult role models and mentors, opportunity for positive development, and help in acquiring critical life skills,” Odedina stated.

The director General of the dAWN Commission, dipo Famakinwa, said that the dAWN Games were aimed at discovering, encouraging and managing young talents in the Southwest Region.

“It forms part of the holistic roadmap for the economic and social integration of the Region, especially with regards to the discovery of new sporting talents, creation of opportunities for personal development, culture promotion, employment generation, crime reduction and to further engender brotherly relations among the constituent states as well as reinforcing the unique affinities of the people of the Region.

“It is part of the overall strategy for leveraging and optimizing the favourable demographic swing within the Region on a sustainable basis,” Famakinwa added.

Athletes pushing for the tape during one of the sprint events at the just-concluded DAWN Games.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI.

Cowbell iTry Rugby league debuts in Kano ROMASIdOR Nigeria P Limited has broadened the scope of Cowbell iTry Rugby league this year with the addition of Kano State’s secondary schools in the three-year-old tournament.

Unlike in the past two years when secondary schools in Lagos State alone were given the opportunity to participate in the annual tournament, their counterparts in Kano State are featuring this year.

Speaking at a press conference organised to unveil the programme for this year’s tournament, Category Manager, diary, Promasidor Nigeria, Mrs. Abiola Inawo, said the organisers discovered over the past two years that the interest for the game in Nigeria keeps rising among the youth.

This, according to her, informed the decision of Promasidor to broaden the scope of the league to the north this year.

While 24 schools are participating in the junior and senior categories in Lagos State,

Mrs. Inawo disclosed that eight schools are representing Kano State this year.

She stated that the game helps to nourish the brain of players and develop their alertness.

Her words; “Today, Rugby looks like a game meant specifically for young generation. It helps to grow the level of their alertness as it nourishes their brain. This transcends beyond sports to different walks of life.

“Promasidor complements this with the various products it produces that help to keep the brain healthy and sound.”

Corroborating Mrs. Inawo’s position on the league, Mr. Raymond Rhule, the guest speaker, who is also a Rugby player, noted that Nigeria does not have enough amenities to support sporting activities at the grassroots level.

The gap, he stated, necessitated the determination of Promasidor to complement efforts of the government at different levels to invest in the league.

Category Manager, Diary, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Abiola Inawo; member, iTry Rugby 4 Nigeria, Mr. Jide Afolabi and member, iTry Rugby 4 Nigeria, Mr. Chu Chu Ejikeme during the unveiling of the on-going Cowbell i-Try Rugby League for secondary schools.

“Since we do not have enough amenities in Nigeria to support sports at the grassroots level, the organisers strive to support the individual efforts to get to the top of their chosen careers,” he said.

He, however, disclosed that the winner in Kano would meet the Lagos champion in a game that would produce the national winner.

As part of activities also lined up to add value to the tournament this year, he said Promasidor will sponsor the national winner to participate in a tournament coming

up in Cape Town, South Africa later in the year.

On the selection criteria for the participating schools in the league that is meant for children within the age bracket 11 to 18 years, Mr. Jide Lawal, a member of the Cowbell iTry Rugby management, said schools showed a very high level of enthusiasm.

He disclosed that the number of schools that responded to invitation surpassed the slots available before they were pruned down to the existing participating schools.

Milo African U-13 Football Championship

How Nigeria beat Ghana to reclaim title IGeRIA reclaimed the Milo N U-13 Africa Championship trophy by beating Ghana 5-4 on penalties at the third edition of the competition, which ended in Lagos at the weekend.

The game, which promised so much exciting moments going by b the pedigree of both teams, lived up to its pregame hype as the game of the tournament.

Fans at the Campos Square Stadium, Lagos, were drawn to the edge of their seats by a resilient Ghana team, which came back from three goals down to level 3-3, with just five minutes to the end of the match.

Nigeria had opened scoring through the captain, Olusegun Olakunle, four minutes into the game watched by illustrious former Nigerian internationals, including Nwankwo Kanu, Peter Rufai and Ogbonna Kanu.

Mustapha Adam Agba’a doubled the lead on 20th minute but Ishahaku Fatawu pulled one back for the Ghanaians, restoring hope they might still keep the trophy.

But a determined Team Nigeria, represented by pupils of St. Barnabas LGeA,

Kwara State, increased the lead when Agba’a completed a brace on 20th minute of the first half. Fatawu was on hand again for Ghana when he struck a second on the day and his third of the tournament to reduce the tally to 3-2 before the interval.

Ghana, represented by Zogbeli Block A Primary School, dominated the proceedings against an obviously fatigued Nigerian side, but they were kept at bay by Ayodeji Otoola in goal for Nigeria.

But with five minutes of play left, Abdulahi Haruna Rasheed restored parity for Ghana at 3-3 to drag the game into penalties. Both sides converted their first three penalties and when Ahmed Ishmael failed to convert his kick, hitting the upright, the Nigerians took advantage and made no mistake directing their kicks beyond the goalkeeper.

Agba’a would go home with the golden boots for the highest goal having scored four goals in two matches and Olakunle Olusegun, the Nigerian captain took away the MVP Award presented by Kanu.

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World Cup

Beware of Pirlo, Scholes warns England

Pirlo NDREA Pirlo will “destroy” A England if Roy Hodgson does not deploy someone to man-mark the Italy star at the World Cup, according to Paul Scholes.

Scholes thinks Pirlo will pose England the biggest threat when they take on the Italians in their Group D opener in Manaus on June 14.

Pirlo may be 35-years-old, but Scholes still regards him as “the world’s greatest play-

maker”.

The former England international remembers how Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson used Park Jisung to muzzle Pirlo against AC Milan in the Champions League three years after watching the midfielder tear the Red Devils apart in the same competition.

Scholes thinks Hodgson missed a trick by not fielding a player to stifle Pirlo at Euro

2012 and the former United man believes the England manager cannot afford to make the same mistake again at the World Cup. “Pirlo is the complete footballer. Give him time and space and he will destroy you,” Scholes wrote on his blog for Paddy Power.

“He’s such a clever player and is so composed. If surrounded he’ll lay it off. If he’s got room he’s devastating.

“Even though England’s Euro 2012 game against Italy finished 0-0, we paid nowhere near enough attention to him.

“Pirlo is not renowned for his athleticism, and he’s 35 now, but that day he ran 11.58 kilometres, more than any England player.

“He also had more passes (131) than England’s four starting midfielders.

Scholes believes the right man to stop Pirlo is his former United team-mate Danny Welbeck.

Ferguson used Welbeck to try to keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet during United’s Champions League match against Real Madrid two seasons ago.

Now Scholes thinks Welbeck - a player who has often divided opinion among England fans - should do the same job on Pirlo in Brazil.

Neymar (second right) in training with teammates

Silva believes Neymar will be Brazil 2014 best HE Brazil captain, Thiago T Silva, believes squad harmony is essential to the hosts’ chances but admits the Barcelona forward Neymar has the quality to light up the finals. Silva believes Neymar can be the star of the World Cup. The 21-year-old scored just nine goals in his first season in La Liga following last summer’s move to Barcelona, with off-the-field concerns surrounding his transfer making headlines more frequently than his form for the Blaugrana.

However, the former Santos

star was key to Brazil’s charge to Confederations Cup glory in 2013, picking up the Golden Ball after being named the tournament’s best player, and his international team-mate has no doubt he will light up this summer’s finals on home soil once again.

“Our strength has always been the collective quality of our group,” Thiago Silva was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo. “We’re good as a team, we’re ready and we hope to have a great World Cup. “But certainly Neymar is a triumph of individuality.

Honda optimistic Japan can win World Cup HE AC Milan attacker says ment favourites Brazil and Cup, though he has not T he will not allow his belief Spain and even go all the way found the net in his past three international appearin the side to waver as they in the finals. prepare for their final warmup friendly with Zambia today.

Japan star Keisuke Honda is adamant his team can cause an upset by winning the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.

Alberto Zaccheroni’s side were drawn against Colombia, Greece and Cote d’Ivoire in Group C, with former England striker Michael Owen just one of many who are tipping the Samurai Blue to challenge in the latter stages of the tournament.

And Honda is fully confident Japan can challenge tourna-

“I have kept saying about the aim to win the World Cup and it does not matter how other people think about it,” the AC Milan attacker told reporters ahead of Japan’s final warmup match against Zambia on Friday (today).

“I could not be happier as a football player if there are more people to expect us to win it than before, as a result of having said that.

“I will never give up and persist in my belief.”

The 27-year-old scored twice at the World Cup finals in South Africa and guided the Asian giants to the 2011 Asian

ances.

Honda also managed to score just one goal in 17 Serie A appearances for Milan following his switch from CSKA Moscow in January but he is hopeful of putting on a good show against Zambia in Florida.

“The game will be about how much we can replicate the actual first game against Cote d’Ivoire,” he said.

“Of course it is different to the actual first game, but I want to make sure of adjusting in details and we want it to be convincing one for us.”

• Culled from Goal.com

Rooney

dropped from the England team.

Rooney’s place in Roy Hodgson’s starting XI has been called into question over the last week due to a lack of fitness and the striker’s poor showing against Peru last Friday.

The Manchester United forward gave the perfect riposte to his detractors by impressing in the 2-2 draw against Ecuador at Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday.

Despite being played out of position on the left flank, Rooney put in a dynamic display and caused Ecuador problems with his pace - he also scored to cancel out Enner Valencia’s opener.

Matuidi wants quick recovery for Ribery HE Bayern Munich star T has been struggling with injury recently but has been

Ribery

Rooney focuses on tournament, not detractors AYNE Rooney could not W care less about the critics who say he should be

Neymar will be the World Cup’s star.”

Brazil are the pre-tournament favourites heading into the World Cup as they bid to claim their sixth global crown, and Thiago Silva insists the squad are fully confident they can live up to the weight of expectation.

“We have confidence we can win,” added the Paris SaintGermain skipper.

“I will do it for all of us, all Brazilians, to live that special moment.”

• Culled from Goal.com

Paul Scholes and Gary Lineker appeared to harbour doubts about whether Rooney should be a part of Roy Hodgson’s first XI in Brazil, but the Manchester United star does not care one bit.

“I am not really interested,” Rooney said when asked about claims he should be dropped.

“A lot of people have their opinions - but I listen to the people around me and in the coaching set-up.

But with Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley all heading to Brazil in form, Rooney no longer commands a guaranteed first-team slot, as the player acknowledges himself.

“I don’t think anyone is guar-

anteed a start in the team,” the United forward said. “It is down to the manager to pick the team.

“I think all (the young players) are (pushing Roy for a start).

“It is a good squad the manager is picking his team from so the manager will have some tough decisions I am sure and that is down to him to do.”

It seemed strange seeing Rooney wearing number 10 positioned out on the left flank prior to kick-off at the Sun Life Stadium in the humid Florida heat on Wednesday.

Five years ago Rooney spoke of his dislike at playing out wide for United.

“I want to play in the position where I feel I’m best. I don’t

included in Didier Deschamps’ final squad for the tournament in Brazil.

Blaise Matuidi is under no illusions as to how important Franck Ribery is to France’s World Cup campaign.

After a 4-0 thumping of Norway last week, France’s tournament preparations looked to be running smoothly, but they were rocked at the weekend by news that Ribery is struggling with a back problem.

The injury caused him to miss the 1-1 friendly draw with Paraguay on Sunday, although head coach Didier Deschamps remains optimistic the Bayern Munich man will be fit for their opening Group E fixture against Honduras on June 15, having included him in his 23-man squad for the summer showpiece.

Matuidi knows full well how important Ribery is to the team’s cause.

“I’m not a doctor but I know that mentally Franck Ribery is fine,” he said.

“You noticed that he did not train but the staff are doing everything in their power to make him ready for the last friendly (against Jamaica on June 8) or for the first game of the World Cup. “We hope he will be fit, because Franck is a great player - we know we need him, we are all aware of it.

“Mentally he’s with us and I hope he’ll be there.”

76

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

SPORTS Friday, June 6, 2014

World Cup

A goalkeeper must be a masochist and egocentric, says Buffon Italy’s captain tells James Horncastle that playing in goal may look fun, but it is a painful art that is much misunderstood. He also talks about his admiration for Thomas Nkono.

IANLUIGI Buffon has some advice for would-be goalG keepers. “Change. Don’t be a keeper,” he laughs. The Italy and Juventus captain is being playful, perhaps a touch provocative, but this is no joke.

“It’s true,” Buffon persists. In hindsight, perhaps, he would have resisted the urge he felt nearly a quarter of a century ago to pull on a pair of gloves after watching the opening game of Italia 90 when Cameroon shocked the holders Argentina at San Siro.

Until then, the 12-year-old Buffon had played in midfield for Perticata, a satellite club of Internazionale in his home town of Carrara. His role models were Marco Tardelli and Nicola Berti, players who got forward and found the back of the net regularly.

“Every kid thinks about scoring rather than not conceding,” Buffon says. But on following Cameroon he began to think differently.

“After Italy, they were the team I supported [at the World Cup]. They were my football heroes.”

One of their number in particular captured his imagination. It was the goalkeeper, Thomas N’Kono, after whom Buffon would later name his first child, Louis Thomas. Observing him dash off his line in that grey and yellow striped shirt and black trousers to punch the ball 30 or 40 yards excited Buffon.

His papa, Adriano, whose father’s second cousin was Lorenzo Buffon, a goalkeeper for Milan in the 50s, had already been pushing him to try playing in goal. He had noticed certain attributes in his son that were not best exploited in midfield.

Strong hands and arms ran in the Buffon family. Adriano represented Italy in the shot put.

“My mother [Maria Stella] was a discus thrower,” Buffon says. “She held the Italian record for 17 years.” His older sisters, Guendalina and Veronica, were champion volleyball players.

“I followed tennis a little,” Buffon adds. “I liked Lendl, Edberg and Rafter.” And so perhaps it was entirely natural for him to find a role within football that was not restricted to feet.

Buffon still claims it was “all a little by chance”. Had it not been for “the desire to emulate N’Kono,” who knows what he would have become.

Why, then, caution others from acting on a similar impulse to the one he felt in 1990 when watching the World Cup this summer?

Just to be clear Buffon is not discouraging anyone from going in goal. He is merely preparing them for the reality. Goalkeeping may look like fun. It can be a joy to behold.

But you also regularly expose yourself to pain.

“In the end, you need to be a little masochistic to be a goalkeeper,” he says. “A masochist and egocentric as well. A

masochist because when you play in goal, you know the only certain thing in life is that you will concede goals.

And you also know that conceding goals is not something that brings you happiness …

Unless,” he guffaws, “your masochism is actually a perversion, then that’s different.”

It is a punishing, torturous profession. In contrast with their team-mates, goalkeepers cannot make amends for their mistakes by going up to the other end and scoring.

There are exceptions, such as Buffon’s predecessor at Juventus, Michelangelo Rampulla and the South American freekick and penalty-taking keepers, José Chilavert and Rogério Ceni.

But the rule tends to be a helpless anguish. Commit an error then expect to be put on the rack and have game pulled apart by pundits who often do not have the faintest idea what they are talking about.

This is a source of irritation for Buffon. How often is a goalkeeper part of a TV match analysis panel? They are a minority among pundits. The only high profile one active in this country that springs to mind is David James. And more often than not he is asked for a general overview of the game rather than a specific insight into the decisionmaking of a keeper.

“The role of a goalkeeper is difficult to judge,” Buffon says, “above all if you haven’t been a goalkeeper. It’s like me giving an opinion on someone’s job without having had any experience in their sector.

You start to realise how many stupid things are said and written about goalkeepers.”

For instance, why the goalkeeper did not come out. Buffon used to do this a lot. It is enough to recall his extraordinary debut as a 17-year-old for Parma against Milan on November 19, 1995. Twice he sprinted off his line to deny a pair of Ballon d’Or winners, Roberto Baggio and George Weah.

“The ball is now a lot quicker than before,” he says. New materials have enhanced its velocity and made it more volatile. There is triple jeopardy, too, which discourages risk-taking: a foul committed inside the box by a goalkeeper can result in a penalty, a red card and a suspension.

It is a rule Buffon called “inhumane” in an interview with Il Corriere dello Sport last year, proposing that the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity should warrant a yellow card for the first 70 minutes and only after that be considered a dismissible offence.

A grasp of the dimensions in which goalkeepers work would not go amiss either when assessing their choices.

“Often there are fallacies when a journalist or a fan and sometimes even a coach who has never been a goalkeeper sees a cross in the six-yard box and says he should come out.

You laugh because you un-

derstand how much bullshit is said.

“The first question I ask people is: do you know how big the six-yard box is for a keeper stood on his line? And no one knows … It’s 100m² – that’s the same as a two-room flat or a bar, a bit like where we are now [a vast conference room in a Turin hotel]. God only knows how many metres cubed it is. So you see how little understanding there is, and how little desire to get informed, and to take that into consideration. But that’s the way the world is.”

Goalkeeping has also evolved over the last couple of decades. Goalkeepers have become less different and more homogeneous, more total.

“They have to play for the team,” Buffon says. “Sometimes they also have to play out and start a move or a scheme with their feet. It’s a lot more involved. And that is not without complications.

The more you have to do, the more likely you are to make mistakes.”

A greater emphasis on this aspect, he argues, has come at the neglect of other fundamentals. The question, how good is he with his feet, perplexes Buffon. Surely it should be, what are his hands like? After all, their use separates goalkeepers from the other players on the pitch.

Instead of changing for the better, Buffon believes the craft might have regressed.

“In my opinion there are fewer and fewer great goalkeepers,” he says, “because with respect to when I started they have to do so much more compared with in the past.”

That said, there are still a number, after Iker Casillas, who can count on his respect and admiration. “Right now there’s Manuel Neuer. He’s definitely a very good keeper.

There’s Joe Hart too. But the youngster I like a lot,” he nods in approval,” is the Belgian, Thibaut Courtois. I like him a lot.”

All will be at the World Cup. For Buffon, a winner in Germany eight years ago when he conceded only twice – letting in a Cristian Zaccardo own goal and a Zinedine Zidane penalty – Brazil will be his fifth consecutive Mondiale, a record he shares with the former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal and the Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus.

Italy’s all-time appearance leader goes into the tournament on the back of a historic season at Juventus. The Old Lady won a third straight Scudetto for the first time since 1933, becoming the first team to break the 100-point barrier in Serie A. Buffon, as ever, proved decisive. At 81.1%, the 36-year-old’s shot-to-save ratio was the highest in the league. His denial of Emanuele Calaiò from the penalty spot and Andrea Pirlo’s last minute free-kick to clinch a 1-0 win away at Genoa in mid-March has been held

Buffon up as the moment Juventus realised they would be able to hold off the challenge from Roma and retain their title.

Much of the credit has again gone to their hirsute regista.

“Pirlo is a genius,” Buffon says. “Together with Baggio, I think he’s the greatest talent that Italian football has produced in the last 25 years. You can try and adopt the right countermeasures to contain him. But you know that in any given moment he can break the bank and everything you thought you knew [about stopping him] is worthless.”

England need no warning.

The Euro 2012 quarter-final was a Pirlo masterclass, the most one-sided 0-0 in recent memory decided by his devastating momentum-changing Panenka in the shootout.

Looking ahead to their next encounter in Manaus on June 14, Buffon downplays its significance. “It’s the first game,” he says. “Then there’s another two. It’s an important game.

Not a play-off.” Aside from a 10 defeat by the England Under-21s at Ashton Gate in 1997, when Buffon slid to prevent a corner and ended up in the advertising hoardings allowing Darren Eadie to score the only goal of the game – his “biggest howler” – he has never lost to the senior team.

“Nor against Germany,” he adds with great conviction.

“I’ve played them five times and never been beaten.” Here Buffon pauses to dramatic effect. Then, after a beat, he shrugs and says: “Capita! It happens!” As if it is nothing.

And you remember again exactly why they call him Superman.

•Culled from www.theguardian.com.

Nkono.

Friday, June 6, 2014 SPORTS 77

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Test Cricket: England names uncapped trio NGLAND have named E uncapped trio Chris Jordan, Sam Robson and Moeen Ali in the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on June 12.

Sussex fast bowler Jordan, 25, took 12 wickets in the oneday series with Sri Lanka, while Moeen, 26, played in three ODIs in the West Indies last winter. Opening batsman Robson, 24, averages 51 for Middlesex this season.

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior is included, while bowler Liam Plunkett returns after a seven-year Test absence.

Plunkett, 29, has enjoyed a resurgence at Yorkshire, where he is bowling with real pace, often touching 90mph.

He has taken 24 wickets this season at an average of 24, while he has a highest score of 86 with the bat.

“It’s very exciting for Liam,” said national selector James Whitaker. “He’s shown all the hallmarks of a spearhead fast bowler.

“He’s bowled some really quick spells. The quickest was at Lord’s. He’ll be confident there and we wish him well.”

In Peter Moores’s first squad since he become head coach for a second time, there is no place for Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was one of the few positives to emerge from England’s disastrous Ashes whitewash over the winter.

The 23-year-old has only just returned to action after breaking a hand when he punched a locker after being dismissed in a one-day international against West Indies in March.

“Stokes is very much part of

England’s future,” said Whitaker. “We would like to see a few more overs under his belt, but he will be back soon.”

Opening batsman, Michael Carberry, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, leg-spinner Scott Borthwick and pace bowler Boyd Rankin miss out after playing in England’s final Test of the 5-0 defeat by Australia.

Kevin Pietersen was not available for selection after being told he is no longer part of the national team’s plans, while Jonathan Trott is recovering from a stress-related condition.

Lancashire wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler, who struck the fastest ODI century by an England batsman during the Sri Lanka series, also misses the cut.

England will hope Sussex keeper Prior can rediscover his best form after being dropped during the Ashes series following a run of poor form with the bat. He has only recently returned from an Achilles tendon injury to play for his county.

The 32-year-old averages 40 with the bat in his 75 Tests, and Whitaker said: “Our number one priority is someone being 100 per cent fit and we’re confident Matt is. We believe he can be part of that core group of players that can drive the team forward over the next three or four years.

“Very few people go through their careers without a blip but he is just the sort of character we want in that team.”

Jordan has impressed with bat and ball in one-day internationals since making his debut in the home series against Australia last year.

I threw in the towel, says Ferrer AVID Ferrer admitted he D effectively ‘threw in the towel’ on the way to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 quarter-final defeat by defending champion, Rafa Nadal at the French Open on Wednesday.

Ferrer, who beat the world number one in the Monte Carlo Masters claycourt quarter-finals this year, ran out of steam after taking charge of the first set.

“In the second set, Rafael started playing a lot better, making fewer mistakes, and then it’s like I threw in the towel,” said the fifth-seed, who lost in the all-Spanish final against Nadal at Roland Garros last year.

“I don’t usually do this, but I thought, I’m not going to be able to come back into the match. I thought, No, no, not

against Rafa. He’s such good a player.”

Ferrer lost 13 of the last 14 games - and 10 in a row - as Nadal cruised towards a semifinal meeting with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray of Britain.

For someone who still managed to take a set off Nadal, who until then had yet to concede one in Paris this year, Ferrer was harsh on himself.

“I wouldn’t even use the word ‘frustration’ you see. What I missed is perhaps strength or the appetite to win and the drive,” he said.

“I lost my focus, and then I made so many mistakes. Well, of course everybody can make mistakes, but today... the third set is something I’d like to forget,” he said.

Murray

McEnroe backs Murray to make an impact at Wimbledon OHN McEnroe has said Jwell” Andy Murray’s form “bodes for Wimbledon, regardless of whether he beats Rafael Nodal in their French Open semi-final today.

The tie is a repeat of May’s Italian Open semi-final where Murray, according to McEnroe, looked “real good” despite losing to the Spaniard in three sets.

“If he’s not able to get to the final, he’ll still be able to use that confidence at Wimbledon,” said McEnroe.

The Wimbledon champion

let a Moils but held his nerve to win 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-0.

Defending champion Nodal, meanwhile, fought back to beat compatriot and fifth seed David Ferrer 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 in his last eight match.

The pair last played each other at Roland Garros in the 2011 semi-final, with Nodal proving too strong for the Scot in a straight-sets win.

But seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe said the British number one - who missed last year’s French Open with a back injury and

underwent surgery in September - was possibly playing the best tennis of his career on clay.

“When he played Nodal in Rome he looked like he believed in himself, the most I’ve seen on clay in quite a while, at least a couple of years - maybe ever,” McEnroe told BBC Radio 5 live.

“When all is said and done, you’re talking about being out three months. It’s at least another three to six months to get it all back. I think he was always thinking about

Wimbledon.”

McEnroe added that Murray would have to be prepared to go through the pain barrier against the 28-year-old Nodal, a player who has won eight of the last nine men’s French Open titles “Every shot matters and it’s going to be a battle,” said the 55-year-old American.

“You’ve got to accept the fact that you’re going to be feeling pain but you have to convince yourself that that feels good. If you get past that, you’ve got a shot at it.”

After weeks of uncertainty, Donald Sterling agrees to sell Clippers ONALD Sterling is leavD ing without a fight. He is dropping his plans to sue the NBA, leaving only approval by the league’s owners for Steve Ballmer to become the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Sterling agreed Wednesday to sign off on the $2 billion sale to the former Microsoft CEO, bringing the possibility of a resolution to weeks of rumors, uncertainty and looming legal action.

The agreement hadn’t been officially signed Wednesday afternoon, according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations who wasn’t authorized to discuss

them publicly.

But Donald Sterling’s attorney, Maxwell Blecher, said he ‘’has made an agreement with the NBA to resolve all their differences.’’ Sterling gave his consent to a deal that was negotiated by his wife, Shelly Sterling, to sell the team, Blecher said.

Representatives for Shelly Sterling and the NBA declined to comment.

The agreement was an about face for Donald Sterling, who just last week filed a $1 billion suit against the NBA in federal court alleging the league violated his constitutional rights by relying on information from

an ‘’illegal’’ recording that publicized racist remarks he made to a girlfriend. It also said the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling $2.5 million and that it violated antitrust laws by trying to force a sale.

Blecher said that as a result of the agreement, the federal suit will now be dropped.

Sterling’s comments to V. Stiviano included telling her to not bring black people to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. They resulted in a storm of outrage from the public and players and even prompted President Barack Obama to

comment on what he called Sterling’s ‘’incredibly offensive racist statements.’’

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately decided to ban Donald Sterling for life and began efforts to force Sterling to sell the team.

For weeks, Donald Sterling said through his attorneys that he would fight the NBA’s decisions to try to force his ouster as the team’s owner. Then last week Shelly Sterling utilized her authority as sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers, to take bids for the team and ultimately negotiate a deal with Ballmer.

Ballmer beat out bids by Guggenheim Partners and a group including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill.

Ballmer made more than an hour-long personal visit to Shelly Sterling’s Malibu home last week and laid out his plan. He could be approved quickly, given the league’s familiarity with him.

If the NBA owners approve the sale, it will be a record sum for a team that cost Donald Sterling about $12 million in 1981. Blecher’s cocounsel, Bobby Samini, said the vote by league owners is expected to take place in mid-July.

This is not Ballmer’s first foray into potential NBA ownership. Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen headed a group that agreed to a deal to buy the Kings from the Maloof family in January 2013 with the intention of moving the team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played until 2008.

But Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lobbied the NBA for time to put together a bid to keep the team in California, and though the Ballmer-Hansen group later increased its offer, owners voted to deny the bid for relocation and the Kings were sold to Vivek Ranadive.

78 Friday, June 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

GolfWeekly Oboh to vie for tickets to USGA Junior Girls, U.S. Womens’ Amateur tourneys Stories by Eno-Abasi Sunday ESPITE losing out on an D historic chance of being the first Nigerian teen to qual-

Oboh

ify for US Women Open, kid sensation, Georgia Oboh is not lying low at all. In fact, she is girding her loins for other challenges while waiting for next year’s Open qualifiers to come by.

In the 2014 qualifier, Oboh who did battle at the Honors Country Club in Dallas, Texas on May 5th failed to grab the highly prized ticket for a place in the elite tourney. The qualifying field was made up of 48 lady professionals and 22 amateurs.

Speaking of the qualifier, the teenager said, “It was a tough day in Dallas, where very high winds created a challenging competition, but I am going to try for the USGA Junior Girls at the Columbia Country Club in South Carolina and the US Women’s’ Amateur qualifier at the Sapona Ridge Country Club in Lexington, North Carolina.

However, after the qualifier, Oboh represented Nigeria in the recently concluded US Kids European Championships, where she finished in fourth place in the Girls 13-14 category. Last year, she also finished fourth in the Girls 13 category. But this year, the competition witnessed a larger field. Expectedly, it was

also a lot tougher with the players battling heavy winds for two of the three days of the competition.

In this year’s competition, more than 500 children from 46 countries from around the world vied for honours in the competition, which attracts the best youth players in the world, where they vie for the title of European Champion.

At the end of the competition, however, Oboh maintained a strong consistent play in tough conditions to return scores of 78-79-78 to finish fourth, missing out on the title by 15 strokes over the three days. Fourteen-year-old Elina from Finland won the title.

Oboh’s performance at the tourney earned her an invitation to the World Teen Championships to be held at the Mid Pines Golf Club in Pinehurst, United States, later this year.

Kids from Ikoyi Club 1938 (golf section), Rosani Golf Club, Ekiti and Ibori Golf and Country Club, Asaba represented Nigeria at the championships.

Once again Kids Golf International presented a positive image of Nigeria and the President of US Kids Foundation commented on how the Nigeria team is improving year on year and that he was very glad to see them again this year.

…As Nigerian kids show promise away from home IGERIA got a gold medal their game.

“We are quite excited with N from an unexpected field,” is how many people Anita’s performance, which

Uwadia

are reacting to Anita Uwadia’s feat at the recently concluded Africa Youth Games, in Botswana, where she won a gold medal in the golf event.

Uwadia carded 227 having recorded 76, 78 and 73 after three days of play, while Pedro amassed 224 overall score, after shooting 69, 79, 76 over 54 holes. He placed third behind South Africans Kyle James Mc Clatchie and Hendrik Johannes Plessis and Zimbabwe’s Stuart Krog.

The country’s other flag bearers, Sunday Yusuf finished third from the bottom on the 17-man log in his agegroup, while Diana Osmond finished ninth in the contest, which had 10 contestants.

From the team’s performance, it is obvious that the foreign touch, which Uwadia and Pedro are opportuned to enjoy, is rubbing off well on

gave her victory in Botswana, considering the fact that golf is not one of those sports that Nigeria is well known for. However, it shows us that with adequate grooming, funding and preparations, Nigeria can go places in golf,” said Anita’s excited mother, Mrs. Uwadia.

Mrs. Uwadia, who revealed that her daughter, a student of a golf academy in the United States, was determined to put in her best to realise her ambition of playing golf professionally.

“We have immense talent in this country, but they need to be harnessed. My daughter trains in a golf academy in the U.S., and is sponsored by her father. Delta State government showed interest in sponsoring her sometimes ago, but typical of our Nigerian way of doing

CONTINUED ON PAGE 79

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THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

79

Haas

How signing an incorrect scorecard robbed 22-year-old amateur a U.S. Open slot HIS story is either going to T make you want to toss your computer against a wall in frustration or be proud of a young man who made the right decision in a tough spot, depending on how you take it.

Landon Michelson, a 22-yearold amateur playing in the U.S. Open sectional event in Florida on Monday, had caught a bit of luck. He wasn’t even in the field of 55 players going for four spots at Pinehurst number two next week when Freddie Jacobson pulled out of the qualifier and left a spot open for an alternate.

That belonged to Michelson, who went out in the 36-hole qualifier and shot a pair of 1under 71s, great considering Quail Valley Golf Club was playing in some serious wind and his 2-under total was going to be tough to contend with considering the conditions.

Michelson then went through the always interesting process of dealing with his scorecard. Admitting to the Golf Channel’s Will Gray, after his round that his focus probably got in the way of where he thought he was at with his score, the youngster signed for a second-round 70 instead of a 71 as his caddie went to check out how one contender was doing, as he was the last that might push Michelson into a playoff for that final U.S. Open spot.

Of course, the next thing that happened is the devastating part.

Because Michelson signed for an incorrect scorecard (his playing partner had him down for a par on the 11th hole instead of the bogey he made), he had a personal decision to make as any golfer does in that position.

Rat himself out, knowing the consequences mean not only a penalty but also missing out on his dream to play in the U.S. Open, or keep quiet and live with the knowledge that you cheated the game you love.

Michelson admitted the error, pointing to a senior project he completed while at Rice about Blayne Barber, the young man who disqualified himself from the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School back in 2012 when he didn’t know if he had brushed a leaf out a bunker during his second round.

It’s real easy to sit back on a couch and say, “of course the kid had to admit his fault, this is golf and it’s the only code we can live by,” but for a minute just think about what all this means.

Michelson, as he said, is a golfing nobody. He isn’t some professional that has to go back to his house and his cars and his wife knowing that he won’t be at the second major championship of the season because of a rules situation. He isn’t some col-

lege kid that will have some coach to console him after his round because of the mistake.

He’s a 22-year-old amateur who had the opportunity of his lifetime (and for a lot of us, ours) and because of an error in scoring, and an oversight on his part, he won’t be at Pinehurst number two to play in the U.S. Open and hit balls next to Rory McIlroy and Phil

Mickelson and possibly land a practice round with Jason Day or Jordan Spieth.

This also is a huge résumé builder he misses out on. I did the mini tour golf thing, and trying to find rich guys to toss money your way on basically a whim and hope isn’t easy, so being able to approach these types of people with “2014 U.S. Open” on

your résumé is a pretty big boost if sponsors are considering other players.

Now Michelson will do what we will all do next week when the coverage kicks off on Thursday. He will sit back on his recliner and watch the golf, knowing that he had a shot to be walking inside those ropes, and one minor mistake that had nothing to

do with his actual time on the course spoiled his chances at a story for his grandkids.

Hopefully, like the Barber story from 2012, Michelson can bounce back and still make a career out of this.

Judging by his play on Monday, he might just have the game to do it.

Culled from yahoosports.com

Haas named captain of American President’s Cup team ISTORY will be made this H week as the PGA Tour sanctions a tournament that will use a par-3 course in official competition.

History will be made in 2015 when the President’s Cup will be played in Asia for the first time at the Jack Nicklaus Golf

Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea, in October.

These two events intertwined Wednesday when Jay Haas was named the captain of the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup, while Nick Price will return for his second captaincy for the

Internationals.

The announcement came in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, about 15 miles from Branson, where the inaugural Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Pro Shops starts Friday.

The Champions Tour event

features a two-man team competition on the resort’s Par-3 Top of the Rock course and the 18-hole Buffalo Ridge Course.

Haas and Price are playing the Legends of Golf, as are Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo among others.

Youth Olympic Games in China. Before then, she would also be at the Junior British Open and also be attempting to qualify for the US Junior Open in July.”

Commenting on the performance of the Nigerian kids in the last two weeks, out-going president and founder of Kids Golf International (KGI), Kenny Thompson, praised their efforts in Botswana and Europe, saying they made

Nigeria proud.

“We are going places and I pray that Nigerians and corporations can use these results to invest their efforts in the right places to grow the sport. I would encourage the Nigerian Golf Federation to take the bull by the horns and leverage on the opportunity presented to it, and seriously think about making good their plans. These children are ready to be ambassadors of their nation if we stand by them.”

Uwadia impress in Botswana CONTINUED FROM PAGE 78 things, nothing has been heard from them since then.”

She, however, advised golf authorities in the country to break away from the tradition of running to their nationals after they have struggled to gain limelight on their own.

“Golf is an individual sport, where Nigeria’s assistance may not be needed once the athlete starts playing profes-

sionally. But the country should not always wait for parents of talented kids to better the lot of their kids before they show up. That is why Nigerian athletes end up representing other countries and winning medals for them. There is a lot Nigeria can do to assist young athletes that are showing a lot of promise.”

On the next step for her girl, she said, “We are hoping that that she would be at the

TheGuardian www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, June 6, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Oluwaseun Ayodeji ROWING up as a boy at home, school and G even in the church, we were constantly being reminded that we would be “the leaders of tomorrow”. Today which is the yesterday they referred to has come and gone and we are still being referred to as “leaders of tomorrow”.

Only God knows what happened between then and now. Maybe we were being lied to? Or rather that the tomorrow is yet to come or maybe the type of tomorrow they meant never expires.

Children grew up filled with lots of dreams and aspirations but today, a majority of those “leaders of tomorrow” have shelved those dreams because the impediments before them are more like the biblical Mountain Zion, which of course, can never be moved. It is either they are struggling with SSCE or UME is having its own fair share of the national cake from them. After trying to pass the examination for two to four years without anything tangible they decide to pack up and forget to press for tertiary education in Nigeria or seek admission abroad- -if their parents have the means or, as in most cases, they resort to other things.

It’s rather pathetic because I personally know someone who wrote UME putting in for medicine and surgery about seven years repeatedlyat least throughout my secondary school days.

The one year on it was the same year I wrote mine and he had to by then change to Law but he was eventually given Linguistics and of course couldn’t be mobilised for NYSC after his degree programme. How about some other colleagues who have been trying hard to gain admission close to seven years now and all to no avail?

Taking a flash back at a scene I witnessed on TV recently, it was one of the Okah brothers (Henry I guess). If you remember he was convicted of masterminding the October 2011 Independence Day bomb last in Madala, Abuja. He was shown shivering on a wheel chair and the reporter said something about him having an ailment. I

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Does Nigeria really have a future? became suddenly emotional and angry at the same time as I was almost moved to tears. The accusations against this man are yet to be proven yet he is being denied treatment, the drugs administered to him are not even making matters better. I want to believe there are some heavy weights behind this case who will really love to see that man rot in jail. I wonder why people like Maina (of Pension Funds notoriety), Farouk Lawan (the famous legislator) and many others who have clearly stolen public funds are not being awarded such treatments.

I take seldom trips to the cybercafé (and I am even posting this piece from a café now) and I see young boys and even some men involving in the infamous Internet scam popularly known as Yahoo+ and my heart so bleeds for Nigeria. These folks stare at a computer all day as they develop all possi-

ble means to ensure that their “maga” pays.

Though I have never been in support of such and I will never be but come to think of it what if they belong to the class that grew up with big dreams and aspirations and have tried unsuccessfully to gain admission and even if they did and graduated, what is the assurance that they will get jobs thereafter and not go sell recharge cards or push trucks on the streets after years of study? Besides, these scammers make money and I mean lots of money for those who know how to play their game well, so why go to school anyway?

I recently was told by my friend of a 19-year-old boy who is into such and already has a house of his own in Ogudu GRA, Ikeja, and a posh car to add up. If you live in Lagos you will understand what it means to own or even rent a house in that area of the city. What even some graduates under paid employment can only dream of. Lest I forget, this boy was my “way

Jonathan way down junior” in primary school; so you see what I mean.

My candid advice to all youths alike out there is just for them to seize any genuine opportunity they may have now or will have soon and utilise it to the maximum. If they believe in God, then they should hold onto Him firmly because I do not know if my pastor was reading my mind when he said on Sunday, “There is no future for the children growing up.” One will only disagree with that if one has a politician as a relative or friend because quite frankly, with the spate of things now, everything looks so bleak that one who seeks for a quick adjustment may just not know where he or she is, or he might be regarded as asking for too much from his Fatherland.

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Recolonisation by intrigues (2)

By Goke Omolade CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY (5-6-2014) NOTHER area that readily echoes recolonisaA tion by intrigues is the dressing code of Adam’s descendants in this part of humanity, for, hardly does the average African take to cognisance the prevailing weather conditions on dressing as all manners of ill-fitted, barely rhymed coloured-suits are spotted by all and sundry; in an empty bid to have a ’’sense of belonging’’. For some, they still operate by that ridiculous cliché of old that every mistake in London is a new style in Lagos and by inference Africa!

Of late is a most annoying neo-colonial intrigue this time on the field of football which has gradually crept on Africa like a vicious bacteria with its attacking army; particularly the European League series. In its current madness, no one here so educated, informed, animated or youthful at heart (regardless of the calendar-year scope) can afford to be left off the crescendos of European football melodramatics lest such ‘socalled ignoramuses are taken to have passed their time’. Among its resultant vices include dissociated enmity, corrupt gravy train, psychological trauma of defeat and homicidal frictions. It is nothing short of nonsensical idiocy to be engaged over a match/club victory or loss by a group of people in a far-flung part of the universe and to make it stupider enough; those players/clubs being fought over hardly know or can barely locate such nationalities/their nations on the world map. On their own, the somewhat insane fanaticism reigning amidst clubs’ supporters is shockingly bizarre. Take the supporters of English premiership clubs when

caught in the anguish of defeat; it is as if a kennel of incurably rabid-borne dogs is faced with outright extermination. In the heat of such momentary Hobbesial-like state of nature; everything turns nasty, brutish, short-lived and bloody. For these rampaging deviants, nothing/anybody is too sacrosanct against destruction.

As if on collision-course with history and simultaneously bearing validity on this fact of life of reaping what one sows; the soul and essence of Europe and its allied fellows have been purchased by the killing gods of materialism and inanimate power of science and technology. Having reached an advanced point of human development where it is now less troubled with poverty and basic needs of life; the western world is currently caught in the spiral

webs of sheer godlessness, societal disorientation, parental carelessness, child rebellion, less governmental processes. (After all, for them, the government that governs least governs best!).

There is ceaselessly shadow-boxing of its imaginary enemies along its self-charted path of destruction; one option before it is to have a 180 degree change-of-course and appease those it had wronged while trudging to its present cross-roads of restiveness.

If only from archival recall, the sheer arbitrariness and impunity of the colonial era over the people under subjugation was simply unimaginable; no material estimate could ever be enough to quantify the loss of precious lives, psychological torture and their dehumanising effects. As worse, it was a period that brawn overwhelmingly asphyxiated anything called

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Editor: MARTINS

OLOJA

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ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)

brainpower (to wit from the natives of the land).

In the then-European parlance, the (mis)use of violence on such people was after all justified because for them; they were trying to recreate the ‘‘apes’’ called Africans. What an irony of man-on-man brutality; whereas it was the nastier, evil apes in them that nakedly manifested.

On every front, owing to the devastating consequences of its ravaging scramble for Africa and which has left it hemorrhaging and mercilessly traumatised ever since, Europe and other prowling powers of its past have to assist Africa to its feet not just in economic packages given by one hand and simultaneously cycled back to their originating sources with the other. In fact, this goes beyond mere reparations as mutedly pushed by some advocates, awhile ago. Perhaps unknown to starry-eyed analysts/arm-chaired critics, the west and other fairly organised societies in the world shall have no peace or insulated against severely deprived immigrants until those who are yearning to be pulled out of the abyss of poverty and avoidable suffering are sincerely heeded back home.

Of similar importance is the inevitable need for Europe and its collaborators-on-colonial crimes against humanity, especially Africa, to put on public notice, worldwide, a genuine apology to have disrupted Africa’s innocent past and by the time this is done, Africa’s bruised/agitated soul would have been healed and only then can the world at large be steadied to start walking handin-hand in mutuality of purpose and work out a thoroughbred plan of action to usher in the wonders of sanity, equity, stability and security for the greatest number of mankind.

• Concluded.

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