Wed 12 March 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,858

www.ngrguardiannews.com

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Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State (left); former Prime Minister of Ireland, John Bruton and former British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, during an international conference on democracy and good governance in Port Harcourt... yesterday. Story on Page 7 PHOTO: NAN

‘Nigeria yet to protest lack of support by neighbours over Boko Haram’ From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Ado-Ekiti), Iyabo Lawal (Ibadan), Emeka Anuforo, Terhemba Dakar (Abuja), Isaac Taiwo (Lagos) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) ESPITE alleged unwillingD ness of some countries bordering Nigeria to collaborate in arresting Boko Haram insurgents, who reports say find safe haven in such countries, Nigeria is yet to formally protest to the African Union (AU), The Guardian learnt yesterday.

Meanwhile, the United States (U.S.) Consular-General in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins, yesterday expressed fears that the terrorist activities in the northern part of the country may affect the 2015 polls.

In a related development, the House of Representatives yesterday suspended its session to mourn the death of 59 students of the Federal Govern-

• U.S. raises fears over attacks • Reps suspend session to mourn slain students • Task force captures wounded, fleeing terrorists • Three policemen, others feared missing in ambush ment College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State, who were murdered in cold blood, and other victims of the recent onslaught perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Similarly, former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, has proffered three di-

mensional approaches to end the Boko Haram sect terror in the northern part of the country.

In the same vein, scores of wounded terrorists who escaped from various camps under the fire of security forces have been captured in

the fringes of Lake Chad. The captured terrorists, some of whom are critically wounded, are already making useful statements to interrogators of the multi-national joint task force.

Others were captured by troops in locations around

Dikwa, Cross Kauwa, Kukawa and Alargarmo.

Also, three police men and two civilian drivers are alleged to be missing as suspected Boko Haram members on Monday attacked the convoy of Gwoza Local Council Chairman, Hamman Jumba Ahmadu, on Bama-Gwoza Road.

The AU, which metamorphosed from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was formed to, among other things, promote unity and solidarity among African states.

Minister, marketers, APC differ on fuel scarcity - Page 3

Bandits attack Suswam’s convoy, exchange gunfire - Page 6 ‘No trace of N24b Police Pensions Fund’ - Page 6

Though the reasons for Nigeria’s seeming ‘silence’ on the issue is not known, when The Guardian sought the views of Commissioner for Political Affairs Department at the AU Commission, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, she said the regional body was confident about Nigeria’s ‘national mechanism’ to solve its crises.

Shortly after she made a presentation at the closing ceremony of a Freedom of Expression and Respect for the Sacred forum organisations by Abant Foundation and Journalists & Writers Platform in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, The Guardian asked her why the AU had not formally made efforts to assist Nigeria in stopping the killings by Boko Haram.

She said: “We have not had any protest from Nigeria in respect of its neighbours. But CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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U.S. says Boko Haram terrorism threatens 2015 polls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 we are confident that Nigeria, with the role it had played in the continent, not only in promoting peace, but also in the area of development, in the area of unity and in the area of integration, would also lead the way again in ensuring that it partners with its neighbours to solve this problem.”

She stressed how ‘overwhelmed’ the organisation was with the spate of conflicts on the continent since last year.

She added: “The AU has been following closely this very disturbing development in Nigeria, more so as this unfortunate development came in when the continent is overwhelmed with a lot of crises from the ending of last year.

You saw what happened in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Usually, our procedure is that we allow for the national mechanism to be put to play. We are monitoring the efforts that the Nigerian government is making in order to curb this menace. The ECOWAS, as one of our very important regional economic communities, is monitoring the development.

“At the AU, we treat it as a Sahel problem, not just a Nigerian or a regional problem, but a problem that is affecting the whole of the Sahel.

From what happened in Libya to what happened in Mali, to what is now happening in Nigeria, you will see that it is basically a Sahel problem.

“We have a Mission that is in charge of the Sahel Region.

Our Special Representative, former President Pierre Buyoya, is abreast of the situation and is giving feedback on the situation to the African Union Peace and Security Council continually.”

The envoy, however, disclosed that the U.S. will continue to support Nigerian government to fight the terrorist group.

The diplomat, who spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, said the U.S. government had given in form of aid the sum of $15 million to the Nigerian government to strengthen the electoral process.

He expressed optimism that the 2015 elections will mark the watershed of credible election in Nigeria if the stakeholders can eschew violence.

Hawkins, who decried the killings of innocent school students in Yobe State by Boko Haram, described the activities of the religious sect as worrisome that may mar the conduct of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria if not checked.

He also commended the Federal Government’s efforts for deploying military to engage the terrorists group, stressing that the war against terrorism was a must-win for the country to secure lives and property of the citizenry.

The lawmakers, who resumed from a two-week break over the 2014 budget, declared the day as “Day of Mourning” at a special session in honour of the students and other Nigerians killed through acts of terrorism. They suspended all other

businesses with a single motion on the issue listed for consideration on the House Order Paper.

The Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, had yielded the floor for contributions after his speech, but the emotions appeared to have taken better parts of the members who unanimously agreed to shelve the debate as the House adjourned plenary until Tuesday, March 18, 2014 to allow its standing committees conclude work on the ongoing 2014 budget defence.

Moments after Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, moved the motion for the special session and was duly seconded, Tambuwal in an emotion-laden speech titled “One Massacre Too Many” declared the attacks by the insurgents as cowardice, adding that it cannot continue any more as all hands must be on deck to root out terrorism in the country, while to him, the day the Buni Yadi students were massacred would forever be in infamy in the nation’s history.

“I humbly appeal to Nigerians to join in this struggle for the soul of our nation and embrace as a sacred duty the mission of restoring peace and stability in Nigeria. We must draw from the heartbreak of Buni Yadi, and other areas affected by mindless violence, an inspiration to rededicate ourselves to the cause of nation-building,” Speaker said. the “On February 25, 2014, the very day the House adjourned Plenary, Nigeria suffered a horrendous terrorist attack that struck a fatal blow at the heart and soul of the Nigerian nation and desecrated values that decent peoples of all nations hold dear. On that night, about 59 students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State, were killed in the most heinous manner. Some of our future national leaders were mowed down in gruesome circumstances in their sleep.

Some were shot dead while many were burnt beyond recognition. That day was a day that will live in infamy in the history of this nation.

“When innocent, harmless and defenceless women and children become the targets of these heartless murderous bandits; when the lives of sleeping children are so callously snuffed out, it becomes clear that these agents of terror have murdered sleep and they henceforth deserve none.

“Whatever grievances the terrorists harbor against the government of Nigeria, Nigeria’s innocent children have nothing to do with it. Nigeria’s children bear no responsibility for either policy making or policy implementation in Nigeria. It is therefore an act of cowardice worthy of ringing condemnation to target the children, to strike at those who are not only innocent but are also unable to strike back or defend themselves. There can be no reason, no justification and no acceptable excuse for this act of mindless brutality.

Whatever message the terrorists set out to send to the Nigerian government has been drowned out by the cries for justice by the blood of these innocent martyrs.

President Jonathan Continuing the speech after a minute silence was observed in honour of the victims who he described as losing their lives in “this needless orgy of violence,” Tambuwal stated that “today is not a day to apportion blames. It is a day for the expression of our sense of personal and national loss. But it is also a day for us to look for solutions. concrete “In my brief statement immediately after that attack, I warned that Nigeria is running out of excuses for our failure to live up to our responsibility to protect our citizens. Today, I wish to amend that comment and declare that we have run out of excuses. We no longer have any excuse for our inability to protect our innocent defenceless children from gratuitous violence.

“Section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that the security and welfare of our people is the primary purpose of government. In making this provision, the Constitution places a duty on all of us here and everyone else entrusted with the mandate of governance and representation to place a high premium on the security of lives and property of Nigerians.

“By this parameter, the Nigerian government must rise to the occasion. And by government, I do not mean only the Executive. We in the Legislature are also part of government. And we cannot therefore merely join in the chorus of lamentations. Our duty is to act swiftly and decisively in the protection of the citizenry.”

According to him, the parliament was doing its best to combat terrorism in the country, recalling that the House has passed over 20 resolutions on the issue of national security, amended the Anti-terrorism Act, 2011 to strengthen the security agencies and appropriated huge sums of money for the security agencies, among other measures.

The attack, according to Mallam Baba, the driver of a Toyota Hilux attached to Government House, Maiduguri, led to the destruction of two vehicles, with the whereabouts of three policemen and two civilian drivers in the convoy unknown.

He said: “On reaching the destroyed Firgi Bridge, after returning from Gwoza township and Barawa village on an official visit, we were at-

tacked by gunmen at the bridge.

We ran for our dear live abandoning two vehicles, including my Hilux. I had to crawl for about 300 metres to escape from the insurgents that detonated the bridge last week.”

The spokesman of 7 Division of Nigerian Army, Col. Mohammed Dole, confirmed the attack, but added that the insurgents were repelled.

Speaking yesterday at the flagging off of a two-day workshop of Cosmos Trade Nigeria Limited by the Italian Console in Nigeria where Duke delivered a key-note address, he advanced three methods to put an end to Boko Haram’s onslaught as dialogue with persuasion, investing on the members in terms of empowering them with acquisition skills and thirdly, using the method of carrot and stick approach in which case if every method fails, application of military force should be used.

A statement from Defence Headquarters signed by Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. A.C. Olukolade, said the captured terrorists in their confessions “revealed that some of their camps have been disbanded following the directive of their clerics who declared that the operation of the sect had come to an end as the mission could no longer be sustained.

“The terrorists, who are giving useful information as to the locations of their remnant forces, are full of apologies and pleading that their lives be spared even as they promised to co-operate with the multi-national joint task force.

“They confirmed that starvation was a major problem in addition to ceaseless bombardments on their camp locations even when they kept relocating.

“They also confirmed that several members of the group who had been wounded have not been receiving any treatments.

“Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force has continued assault on other locations where the terrorists are hiding across the states covered by the state of emergency.

“Also, members of the public who have been eager to visit some of the former camps from where the terrorists were dislodged such as Sambisa Forest and others have been warned to desist from doing so since military operations are still ongoing.

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News Minister, marketers, APC differ on fuel scarcity From Anietie Akpan (Calabar), Collins Olayinka, Bridget Chiedu Onochie and Terhemba Daka (Abuja) ROM the Independent Petroleum Marketers FdayAssociation of Nigeria (IPMAN) came yesteran allegation that failure by the Federal Ministry of Finance to pay outstanding subsidy claims is responsible for the current scarcity of the product in the country.

The marketers spoke as the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the Federal Government of acting out a clandestine script to increase fuel prices through the back door, saying the ongoing scarcity may have been induced to make higher fuel prices a fait accompli for Nigerians.

But the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke said the scarcity was caused by a hitch which resulted in hoarding and diversion of the product. She disclosed that the Ministry has begun an inquiry into the fuel scarcity, vowing to ensure that punitive measures are meted out to those found culpable. She debunked rumour that the government is planning to increase fuel price even as she said privatisation of the nation’s refineries remains the best way to address the problems in the petroleum sector.

Speaking at the end of IPMAN Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, the President of the association, Aminu Abdulkardir said the situation may remain unchanged until the outstanding payments for third and fourth quarters of last year as well as the first quarter of this year are settled.

He raised the alarm over what he described as imminent collapse of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying the corporation is heavily burdened by the responsibility of supplying more than its capacity as allocated by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

His words: “The current contraction in the supply of the products is a result of non- payment of subsidy to marketers. Only 60 per cent of 2013 third quarter subsidy claims have been paid. The whole of 2013 fourth quarter has not been paid and we are in first quarter of 2014.

Our national consumption today is supplied by the NNPC. And it is only that 50 per cent supply by NNPC product that is in circulation.

They have stepped up their supply trying to do what every stakeholder is supposed to be doing, but it is evidently clear that they alone cannot do it. I therefore use this medium, to appeal to the Ministry of Finance to, as a matter of urgency, intervene and pay marketers accordingly, so that the argu-

Alison-Madueke

• FG to flood country with product next week • Rules out price increase • ‘Privatisation of refineries is best way forward’ • Reps in shouting match over Alison-Madueke • Navy restates pledge to tackle oil theft mentation of this shortfall can be achieved in a short while and this scarcity will be a thing of the past. We are owed quarter three subsidy payment, which is last year, another quarter four and quarter one pilling up to about nine months unpaid subsidy to marketers. We need to be paid this money because we are in business.”

Abdulkadir hinted that from the design of importation template by the PPPRA, the NNPC is allocated only 50 per cent of the total petroleum that the country needs while the other stakeholders augment the rest.

He added: “Government must step in and bail out NNPC. The NNPC cannot continue to supply all the products Nigeria needs on the 445,000 barrels it gets from government. If government feels that marketers should not import, then it should be magnanimous enough to give the NNPC the balance of the crude oil so that they can supply the entire country what is needed. What is happening in Nigeria today is that we all depend on the product that the NNPC supplies, which is not enough to go round.”

Subsequently, he charged IPMAN members to ensure prudence delivery of product supplied by the NNPC to the various filling stations across the country.

Abdulkadir disclosed that IPMAN members are now moving products from coastal areas to the hinterland through roads, even as he admitted that congestion at the terminals in Lagos is slowing down products evacuation to the northern and eastern parts of the country.

“I can assure Nigerians that product availability has improved. Initial delay in vessels clearance at the port has been resolved. Our challenge now is gaining access to the terminals.

You know is normally busy and when you add the rush by us to reach the terminals and load product, you can imagine the gridlock,” he submitted.

On the allegation of products diversion by marketers, the IPMAN president said “diversion is not illegal”, explaining that the products are never diverted to another country but still being sold to Nigerians within Nigeria.

“Nobody is withholding products, and I urge Nigerians to be patent as we move products to the hinterland. If all stakeholders cooperate, the situation will ease before the week runs out. We should be careful when we level accusations. What Nigerians need to know is that pipeline vandalism is worsening the situation. Under normal circumstances, 80 per cent of the products are supposed to be transported through pipelines. The rest are supposed to be moved through trucks.

Widespread pipeline vandalism halted that plan, hence the resort to land haulage of the products.”

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by the Interim National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the fact that the scarcity has persisted despite the claims and counterclaims by the government and the oil markers, and the measures purportedly taken by the government to ameliorate the situation, is the clearest indication of offi-

cial deception. ‘’The more fuel trucks the government claims to have sent to major cities to ease the scarcity, the more difficult it is for Nigerians to obtain the product.

This is an old trick and Nigerians should not be hoodwinked into believing there will be no increase in fuel prices. The only deterrent is to let the government know Nigerians will resist any price hike. ‘’The truth is that with the elections approaching, the PDP-led Federal Government is desperately seeking all possible avenues to raise funds for its usual electoral campaigns, and increasing fuel prices has always been an attractive option to the government, not minding what the impact will be on the same people it has impoverished since 1999,’’ it said.

APC said the lingering scarcity has already forced many Nigerians to pay as much as 120 Naira per litre of fuel, which is exactly as the government wants it to be.

The Petroleum Resources minister, who was in the National Assembly yesterday to present an appraisal of the 2013 appropriation and defend the 2014 budget proposal by her ministry, said the fuel situation has been brought under control with the ministry set to flood the country with the product next week.

“It was quite obvious that it could be caused by a number of things that we are looking into.

There is a supply hitch which we are looking into, there is also diversion which was quite clear. There was an element of hoarding as well. And while we are trying to get to the bottom of who diverted what at the same time in terms of supply, we are trying to ensure that next week we flood the country with petroleum products.”

The minister debunked rumour of planned increase in the pump price of petrol in the country.

Her words: “There is also some strange rumour that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources is going to announce an increase in the pump price of petrol which also helped to instigate some of the hoarding and some of the diversion. And I have said categorically over, and get that, we have no plans to increase the pump price of petrol anytime in the near future.”

The minister told the lawmakers that the process of privatisation would have been concluded if not for the resistance put up by various trade unions within the petroleum industry. “The way forward is the privatisation of the refineries because government should not be involved in the business of fuel sales,” she declared.

It was observed that a crack may have occurred in the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Downstream and Gas as members yesterday engaged in a shouting match during a closed session attended by the minister.

Newsmen were asked to leave the hall before the commencement of the closed-door session. The lawmakers also rebuffed newsmen who sought to inquire into the bone of contention after the meeting.

But The Guardian gathered that trouble started when, midway into the session, a member, Yusuf Bala (PDP-Kaduna) accused the chairmen of the joint committee of allegedly shield-

Mark ing the minister, especially in the face of the seemingly unending fuel scarcity that has hit some major cities in the country, including Lagos and Abuja, among other allegations.

Bala, who later stormed out of the meeting hall which held for over 20 minutes, was seen fuming and pouring invectives on some members of the committee in his trail in a desperate bid to calm the tensed atmosphere and apparently hush the lawmaker representing Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency.

Earlier, in her presentation of the 2013 performance appraisal to the panel, the minister told the committee that the total budget allocation for the ministry was N60.911 billion last year.

Of this amount, she said N50.483 billion went to personnel cost while N1.85 billion and N8.5 billion went to overhead cost and capital expenditure respectively.

Despite the apparent increase, the minister decried the budget allocation for her ministry, but assured that it will consolidate on the achievements and boost revenue generation within the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, the new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Obi Charles Medani, has said that organised syndicates are those stealing Nigerian crude oil.

Despite the situation, he gave the assurance that the Navy is poised to fighting them to a standstill. He said his main target as the Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command is “to step up the fight against crude oil theft through vigorous patrol of the seas where this crime is known to take place, stopping unauthorised tankers from entering our waters, and curbing acts of piracy and sea robbery.”

Medani, who made the promise during his first bi-annual inspection tour of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory Command, Calabar yesterday said time was up for the oil thieves because of robust operational mechanism put in place by the Nigerian Navy.

He stated that “the Chief of Naval Staff has made it clear that the Nigerian Navy will fight maritime crime to a standstill especially the shameful practice of widespread stealing of the country’s crude oil by organised syndicates.”

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NEWS Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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Bandits attack Suswam’s convoy, exchange gunfire From Charles Coffie Gyamfi (Abeokuta), Willie Etim (Yenagoa) and Joseph Wantu (Makurdi) ARE-FACED banditry got B more daring in the country yesterday when suspected Fulani mercenaries attacked the convoy of Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, who was on his way to inspect the damages to communities in Guma local council of the state.

The attack led to exchange of gunfire between the security forces accompanying the governor and the mercenaries, who also burnt houses in some communities along Gbajimba Road while the herders grazed their animals. The gunmen later abandoned their cattle and escaped.

The gunmen had at Ukpam settlement killed six persons and razed many houses in the morning. A source at Ukpam, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that the attackers, numbering over 400, invaded the settlement about 6.am and starting killing the unsuspecting villagers.

• Gunmen abduct Bayelsa commissioner’s sister, six arrested in Rivers However, some of the residents alleged that they cited military personnel among the attackers, adding that the security men posted to the area had been evacuated from their station three days earlier.

In Bayelsa State, five armed men dressed in Mobile Police uniform invaded President Goodluck Jonathan’s Ogbia local council on Monday evening and abducted Madam Joyce Ebua, the sister to the Commissioner for Sports, Mr. Maitama Obodo.

It was reported that the armed men shot sporadical-

ly into the air and forcefully abducted the victim into a waiting boat at the Oloibiri waterfront.

According to sources, the newly posted Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, summoned an emergency security meeting in Yenagoa yesterday.

The Media Coordinator, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the incident, stating that, “the command has activated the security network on both land and waterways in conjunction with other se-

APC govs meet Jonathan, decline comments From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja RESIDENT Goodlick P Jonathan met yesterday behind closed-door with four All Progressives Congress (APC) governors from the South West. However, the agenda was not clear, as all of them declined to discuss the outcome of the meeting.

The governors were Ba-

batunde Fasola (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun). Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, was not present at the meeting, which started shortly after President Jonathan arrived from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zonal rally in Kaduna State.

However, a Presidency source said the forum provid-

Senate may consider seven-year jail term for human traffickers From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja S the Senate began a clause-to-clause consideration of the report on the Bill for an Act to Repeal the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law yesterday, indications emerged that it might reduce the attendant punishment from life to seven-year jail term.

This followed the thinking of the Senator Umaru Dahiruled Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, and Women Affairs and Youths Development that life jail, as contained in the extant law, was too stringent.

However, it was not certain whether the Senate would adopt the amendment in this regard when it gets to Clause

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curity agencies to locate and track down the kidnappers.”

However, the Rivers State Police Command yesterday paraded some suspected kidnappers at the State Headquarters in Port Harcourt.

The command said it has rescued five kidnapped victims, including a year old child, Fabulous Orinye, who was abducted from his mother, Mrs. Evelyn Orinye, at Edegelem Road, IgboEtche, in the state. Others, according to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, were Mrs. Ibiso Orinari Atiegoba, Apos-

tle Favour Austine Divine, Godwin Mark and Chibueze Nwosu.

The arrested suspects included Precious Jack Okpara, Answer Dick, Sokia Fubara, Prince Mikado Philip, Emmanuel Israel, Manima Maxson and Trust-God Seleya.

Others were Tienagbeso George, Inne Clinton, Nephew Philemon, Tamunotonye Michael and Inyenime Morgan.

Meanwhile, a self-acclaimed cleric and spiritual father to an Agbara, Ogun State-based family, who was said to have robbed the family of N3.7 million at gunpoint, has been arrested by men of the state’s Police Command.

• Adjourns plenary again for budget defence 24, which highlights the issue of punishment for offenders.

Meanwhile, the upper chamber, which just returned from a two-week break, has adjourned plenary again till next Tuesday to allow it conclude the defence of the 2014 Budget exercise.

Senate President David Mark said that both chambers of the National Assembly have earlier agreed to conclude the exercise in good time. Therefore, he urged his colleagues to ensure its completion before the March 18 resumption date.

Nevertheless, senators disagreed on Clause 6 (b) of the law on powers of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to search or arrest suspected offenders without search war-

rant. They felt that such actions could breach person’s rights.

The clause stipulates that NAPTIP shall have the power to “enter into any premises, property or conveyance without warrant for the purpose of conducting searches in furtherance of its functions under this Act or under any other law.”

It was, however, contended by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, that the law has been in existence, therefore, while considering the bill, senators should as well look at who the victims are.

He noted that the controversial search warrant would enable people act quickly, especially when the victims are children.

ed Jonathan and the governors the opportunity to rub minds, especially on the forthcoming elections in Osun and Ekiti states, adding that he also used the opportunity to assure the governors of his administration’s determination to ensure free

and

fair elections.

The governors only responded that their meeting centered on “issues of national importance,” with Fasola adding that if there was any need to inform the media, the presidential spokesman would do so.

Customs arrests suspect with arms From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan HE Nigeria Customs Service T (NCS) in Oyo and Osun states yesterday arrested a suspect with 30,000 pieces of ammunition packed in cartons.

The suspect, Abdulraheem Adegoke, was arrested along Saki-Ago Are axis in a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number, KW 286 SHH. Addressing reporters on the development, the Command’s Area Controller, Richard Oteri, said his men led by A.U. Okoi arrested Adegoke while on patrol.

The NCS boss disclosed that the arms were concealed under the seat of the vehicle and covered with yam tubers and bags of dried cassava powder.

Oteri said the NCS has commenced investigation on the matter and would hand over the suspect to the police for further action as soon as possible.

But the suspect told reporters that he knew nothing about the arms, saying that he met the owners of the goods at Oje-Owode and decided to do business with them, not knowing that they were transporting ammunitions.

“I charged them N30,000 but I was not there when the goods were loaded because I had to deliver a message. On the way, we were stopped by Customs officials and they fled, leaving me alone. I do not know them at all,” Adegoke said.

‘No trace of N24b Police Pensions Fund’ • Reps summon finance minister, AGF, others IGERIANS have been awoken again with a startling disclosure that there was no documentary evidence on the whereabouts of the N24 billion released from Service Wide Vote in 2010 for Police Pensions Fund.

The Director General of Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD), Mrs. Nellie Mayshak, told the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday that she would not be held accountable for the missing fund since she had just been assigned to manage the office.

Mayshak spoke when she appeared before the committee to explain how the office expended the sum of N24 billion it received from the Service Wide Vote account.

Noting that the money might have been utilised before her appointment, she said: “We have no evidence, we have no record. It just looked bad on our part. We will rather tell you the truth than make it up.”

However, the Internal Auditor of the Pensions Office, Mr. Adeyemo Julius Adebolu, who knew about the receipt of the N24 billion, acknowledged before the Adeola

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Olamilekan-led committee the receipt of the monies for pensioners in 2010.

According to him, as soon as the money was released, he duly advised the office to lodge it in a First Bank account. However, he claimed he was kept in the dark soon after its lodgment and further disbursement to pensioners.

Adebolu further disclosed that a consulting firm was contracted to disburse the fund, as against the tradition of utilising members of staff of the Police Pensions Office.

He claimed that he had to intervene after some of the pensioners complained that they had been shortchanged by the consulting firm, though he was not also involved in the auditing process of the account.

Piqued by the disclosure, the committee summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, the AuditorGeneral of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, and the Director-General, Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogwu, to shed more light on the alleged missing

PDP shifts Ekiti guber primary poll From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja HE Peoples Democratic T Party (PDP) has postponed by one week, the ward congresses for the 2014 governorship primary in Ekiti State earlier scheduled to hold on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

A statement signed by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh says, “This is to allow party members participate in the on-going ‘Continuous Voters Registration’ exercise and the verification of registration of voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

It was however learnt that the crisis created by disagreement within the party regarding the need for a consensus candidate played a role in the sudden postponement of the congresses.

Multi-billion naira factory for commissioning LOBAL consumer goods G company, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nigeria, will on Friday commission its new multi-million dollar consumer goods plant in Agbara Industrial Estate, Ogun State.

The event is expected to be chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Managing Director of P&G Nigeria, Mr. George Nassar, said the new factory would be fully dedicated to the production of Pampers at the initial phase, with the capacity to expand production to accommodate other trusted brands.

According to him, the new factory is expected to create thousands of new direct and indirect jobs and hundreds of SMEs in the country. P&G is the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturer and the largest United States (U.S.) manufacturing company in Nigeria. The new plant makes it the largest U.S. non-oil investment in Nigeria.

Jang’s NGF dissociates self from planned retreat From Karls Tsokar, Abuja HE planned retreat for govT ernors this month in Lagos has being described as “another Federal Government bashing get-together” by the Jonah Jang-led Nigeria Governors Forum.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the media officer of the group, Kassim Yakubu, he said the occasion is another opportunity “where the opposition script will be acted out.”

It said the Jang-led group’s wish to “dissociate itself from the planned retreat being organised by the Governor Chibuike Amaechi-led group.”

The Jonah Jang-led Forum stated that it has come to its knowledge that there is a programme in circulation naming its members as participants in the said retreat.

The statement further said this was an attempt to give the retreat credibility following the dismal showing of an earlier one held in Sokoto last year.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Lagos CJ seeks protection for Nigerian child

By Bertram Nwannekanma AGOS State Chief Judge, Lyesterday Justice Ayotunde Phillips, expressed her commitment to the protection of the Nigerian child.

She stated this at the inauguration of children’s lounge for the Family Courts held at the Commercial Division of the Lagos High Court, National Assembly Complex.

The lounge is equipped with children’s stories and toy books, exotic toys and children’s games of different kinds, couches also included electronic items like television, water dispenser and and candies. cookies Represented by the Head Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, she said the establishment of the lounge would assist in quick dispensation of cases in the family courts.

Head of the Family Courts, Justice Yetunde Idowu said the Chief Judge’s approval for the lounge was not unexpected as she has always been passionate about issues concerning children.

Taraba Assembly denies alleged plot to change officers From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo ARABA House of Assembly and the state government have described as false rumour making the rounds of a purported plan to effect a change of guard in the leadership of the House.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the Assembly complex, the House Committee Chairman on Information, Culture and Tourism, Daniel Ishaya Gani, said the Assembly has not at anytime planned to impeach either the Speaker or the acting governor.

“The way you people heard the rumour is the same way we the members are hearing it. But to be frank with you, there is no division in the House and we have never at anytime planned to impeach our Speaker.”

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Speaker debunks N27b fraud allegation at Delta power plant From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba PEAKER of Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Victor Ochei, has debunked the allegation of N27 billion fraud rocking the state’s independent power plant (IPP) project at Oghara in Ethiope West Local Council of the state.

Elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, had recently accused Ochei, whose company, Davnotch, handles the power plant, of having a hand in the disappearance of the money budgeted for the project.

Therefore, Clark had warned Ochei not to join the governorship race in 2015 until he has cleared his name from the mess.

However, the Speaker, in Asaba yesterday denied involvement in any corrupt activity, saying that the project has reached completion stage.

Ochei said it was not true the state that the project site had been abandoned and overgrown with weeds, with nothing on ground to show for the huge money expended so far on it.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014 NEWS | 7

Northern elders urge politicians, others to respect electoral process in 2015 From Abba Anwar, Kano ITING the likelihood of C President Goodluck Jonathan seeking re-election, Northern Elders’ Forum has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), opposition and politicians to respect the electoral process in next year’s general elections.

This plea was made by the Northern elders and leaders forum in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day special meeting held in Kano yesterday.

The communiqué read by the Chairman, Communiqué Committee of the Forum, Ha-

keem Baba Ahmed, said: “The 2015 elections will severely challenge the electoral process, given the very high stakes, which included the possibility that President Jonathan will be a candidate.”

It further stated that “in the light of the high expectations of Nigerians that the elections will be credible and peaceful, the meeting calls on all politicians to develop the highest level of tolerance and a willingness to respect the will of the Nigerian people.”

It condemned Federal Government’s style of dealing with the insurgency in the North-East, stressing that “the

meeting expressed major concerns of northerners over the seeming inability of the Federal Government, either through acts of omission or commission to protect the lives and property of citizens.”

It added that “the shocking level of audacity with which the Boko Haram insurgents attack and kill people, destroy towns and villages and commit unspeakable atrocities, calls to question the existence of any political will to fight it, or the capacity of our military to successfully defeat it.”

It further noted that the absence of any evidence that the Federal Government was pur-

suing other options to the current unproductive strategies was very worrisome.

“The failure to implement past reports and recommendations by the Federal Government and the current levels of anger and hopelessness among victim populations are alienating entire communities from the Federal Government,” the communiqué reads.

It was also described as a failure on the part of the Federal Gvernment to bring immediate end to violence in North East and Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa and Kaduna states.

They also asked the citizens to

‘Nigeria must deliver good governance to attract foreign investments’ From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt ORMER Primer Minister of FsaidIreland, John Bruton, has that Nigeria will record more direct foreign investment if it strengthens good governance and embrace the tenets of democracy.

Former British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, decried the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few elites with vested interest.

The two dignitaries spoke at an international conference on democracy and good governance organised by the Rivers State Government at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday.

Bruton who spoke on “The

dynamics of contention within the realities of state building and debating their essence and limitation”, explained that while Nigeria might have made some progress since the return to civil rule in 1999, concerted effort must be made to develop a virile democracy to attract foreign investment because Nigeria needs resources through investthe ments to improve quality of life of the citizens.

In a bid to consolidate democratic governance, the former Prime Minister said the rule of law must be entrenched in the country to combat institutional corruption. He noted that

though corruption is inherent in human nature, Nigerian authorities can tame this menace through establishment of an independent public prosecution whose office is devoid of politics.

He insisted that if there are no consequences for people being corrupt, corruption will thrive.

Burton urged the political class to embrace the spirit of mutual tolerance and advised the political parties to ensure party discipline. He further urged the politicians to ensure they are close to their constituency.

Straw, in his paper titled “Democracy , nationhood and citizenship rights, free-

doms and responsibilities in the global order”, observed that there is much to be positive about Nigeria based on the determination of her people to live together in spite of their diversity.

He noted that the framers of the 1999 Constitution, in a bid to ensure the emergence of an equitable Nigeria, had clearly spelt out the responsibility of the government in chapter of the constitution. He however observed that this has remained a mirage largely due to the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few elites with immense vested interest.

EFCC arraigns Ajudua for allegedly defrauding Bamaiyi of N1b

By Bertram Nwannekanma Lagos and Obire Onakemu

• Edo ex-SSG remanded over alleged scam

HE Economic and FinanT cial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned

of diversion of funds, among others.

The former Edo State government scribe had allegedly conspired with the three others to divert a total sum of N113 million, being the state Universal Basic Education (UBE) fund.

Before his arraignment, Ajudua took further step through his counsel, Olalekan Ojo, urging the court to cease jurisdiction as he had lodged an appeal against its ruling refusing to quash the charge before him.

He is insisting that he had filed an application before the Court of Appeal challenging the earlier ruling of the court.

The judge, however, overruled his objection, insisting that his appeal cannot automatically stall his trail more so when the appeal has not been properly entered at the Court of Appeal.

Justice Ipaye had in her ruling on the application stated that mere transmission of the records does not amount to the appeal being entered.

The judge held that though it would not be involved in any judicial rascality, it would not relegate its constitutional responsibility of fair hearing.

She, therefore, instructed the court registrar to read the charges to the defendant.

In the 14-count charge, the EFCC alleged that Ajudua, along with others still at large, defrauded Gen. Bamaiyi of $8.387 million be-

Fred Ajudua before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, for defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, of about $8.395 million.

The EFCC had filed the 14count charge earlier this year against him but the trial could not commence following Ajudua’s application, which challenged the competence of the charge.

Ajudua, who is also facing a similar fraud trial in another court, had insisted that the court had no jurisdiction to try him since he was charged under the repealed AdvanceFee-Fraud Act. He also argued that Bamaiyi should stand trial along with him for admitting in his statement to the EFCC that he attempted to bribe a sitting judge.

The trial judge, however, dismissed the application last week and fixed today for arraignment.

Meanwhile, a Benin High Court presided over by Justice Esther Edigin, has ordered that the immediate past Secretary to Edo State Government, Dr. Simon Imuekemhe and three others, be remanded in prison over alleged financial fraud.

The accused persons: Imuekemhe, Joseph Emoabino, Aghator Efe and Davidi Igbinoba, are facing trial on eight-count charges

tween November 2004 and June 2005 while in prison.

Ajudua is the only defendant in the fresh charge, as others who allegedly committed the offences along with him are said to be at large.

Other suspects, who were

said to be on the run, are Alumile Adedeji (a.k.a Ade Bendel) one Mr. Kenneth and Princess Hamabon William.

Ajudua, along with other suspects, were said to have defrauded Bamaiyi at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, where he and the other fraud suspects were on remand for various crimes.

pray for the damaging attacks on lives and property and the abduction of young girls by the insurgents. “Community leaders should also work hard to expose those forces behind alleged herdsmen/farmers’ clashes in many parts of the North,” it pleaded.

C’River, General Electric sign pact ROSS River State GovernC ment and General Electric (GE) yestsday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build a training facility at the Government Technical College, Ikot Effanga, Calabar.

The training which costs $1.2million will be used to build capacity for its manpower needs and that of the government. state According to the MoU, GE will build and equip the facility while the state government will run it in a joint partnership.

Governor Lyle Imoke said: “We have watched GE’s commitment to development and its deliberate effort to ensure Cross River remains in its main stream. We have noticed its adverts for procurement in the dailies to ensure Cross Riverians are given opportunity to participate and this commitment is two ways because it stands to benefit both GE and the state.”

According to him, the MoU is a reflection of GE’s belief in Cross River State as a safe place for investment, stating that resources to be developed at the facility would compete with any other in the world.

The Governor assured that the state would continue to create an environment conducive for investors.

The General Manager of GE Global Chain for Africa, Mr. Phil Griffith, assured that the facility would create an economic hub for Nigeria and other countries.

8 | NEWS Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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Jonathan, Muazu urge aggrieved PDP members to end feud From Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja) O defeat the opposition in the 2015 general elections, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu and other party chieftains, have solicited the support of all aggrieved members, urging them to bury the hatchet and reunite to make the party one strong happy family.

Jonathan, who spoke yesterday at a peace and unity rally of the PDP North-West zone held at the Muhammed Murtala Square, told thousands of party faithful that the party would continue to build on its political popularity in the country, despite the politics of blackmail by the opposition party, which would get them nowhere.

Besides, Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido drew the attention of the dignitaries at the occasion to the need to build the PDP by ensuring that the aggrieved members who left the party returned to the fold before the campaign for 2015 general elections begin in earnest.

Lamido, who did not hide his feelings that there was still political bickering in the PDP, however, said the only way to ensure that the party is made stronger is to appeal for a united party family and ensure that all problems are resolved.

Leader of the Northern Youths Forum (NYF), Alhaji Jibrin Tarfida, led hundreds of youths who carried placards,

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chanting solidarity songs in support of President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo ticket for 2015 Presidency at the rally.

However, delivering his address, President Jonathan acknowledged support and presence of “our youths, elders, men, women and all bodies represented at the rally”, saying that “the North-West zone is strategic because it is the zone that has the largest population in this country”.

According to him, “the commitment of members of our party is great. We are not here for election rally but we are here for the purpose of our members in the PDP, to talk to ourselves on reunion. Particularly when we are getting new members and those who stepped aside should come back”.

“That is the purpose of the gathering. We are here for a unity rally and to reassure all of you that PDP is the only party that can lead this country to the next level. PDP is the only party that whatever is

• Emir wants NIREC resuscitated happening to it affects Nigerians”.

He argued: “We are told that some people are hanging up with different names, but we can assure you that those that are hanging up can get nowhere. From 1999, there was a gang-up; two, three parties came together but they did not go anywhere.

“The gang-up will always be there; don’t be worried, they will continue to gang up and continue to go. Ask yourselves and look at the history of great political parties all over the world. Parties that we know are great parties don’t change everyday.

“The nearest party to us is African National Congress (ANC), the party is more than 100 years old; it is the same ANC. If you see party changing colours, you should know that is not where to go. PDP is the only party that can see us to where we want to be in future.”

Commending the role of traditional rulers in stemming

the crises, particularly in Kaduna, which he described as a very tough state, he added: “Ordinarily, Kaduna would have been one of those states converted to lake of fire but because of your cooperation with the government”.

While admitting that there were challenges, the President stressed that gradually, the problems would be overcome, maintaining that what the administration needed was time, patience, prayers and support of the people. According to him, “Yes, we are having challenges, but we will overcome them”.

The President told the traditional rulers that the PDP unity rally was not a campaign but efforts by the party to reconcile its members. “As a PDP family, we are going from zone to zone to have unity rally. Elections are coming up next year and we will soon go into elections and politics is a game of interest.

Vice President Sambo said the

President had delivered on his promise to the people of the zone. Sambo added that to boost power supply in the zone, an additional 215 megawatts power project would be completed and commissioned in November.

And to stem the tide of religious extremism, the Emir of Zaria, Dr. Shehu Idris, yesterday urged the Federal Government to resuscitate the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) to promote religious harmony in the country.

The emir noted that the unity of the country could best be promoted if more attention was given to the security of lives and property. He said NIREC would play such pivotal and significant roles in achieving peace and security.

His words: “I want to make a passionate appeal to the government to resuscitate the Nigerian Inter-religious Council at the national level. After this, there should be the establishment of branches of NIREC in all the 36 states of the federation.”

President Goodluck Jonathan (left) welcoming Anglican bishops at the Breaking of Fast with the President on the Christian Lent Period at the State House…yesterday PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Ekweremadu, Anyaoku, Soyinka, others for public debate March 26 HE inaugural edition of the Anyaoku, the debate will also With the motion: “Will Nigeria and enhancing public awareT Public Service Debate organ- feature Nobel Laureate, Prof. be better served by a parlia- ness, dialogue and encouraging ised by St. John’s Forum will hold on March 26, 2014, at the Agip Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

To be moderated by former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka

Wole Soyinka; former External Affairs Minister, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia (SAN); Senate Deputy President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and renowned Oxford University scholar, Dr. Abdu Raufu Mustapha.

mentary system of government”, the debate is part of a public service discussion series designed to bring to the fore critical issues that affect our society.

It is also aimed at promoting

participatory thoughts on matters of national importance.

The St. John’s Forum is apolitical, serving as a platform to advance dialogues that promote the common good in all aspects of Nigeria’s life.

UNICEF tasks govt on mandatory HIV tests for pregnant women I

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From Charles Coffie-Gyamfi, Abeokuta ORMER Head of State, Chief Ernest Sonekan, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and erstwhile Chairman of Unilever, Nigeria Plc, Dr. Michael Omolayole, have appealed to the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others to join hands with the Federal and state Governments to reverse the rot in education by assisting in funding of the sector adequately.

The duo spoke at IjebuMushin, Ogun State, at the commissioning ceremony of a multi-million naira electronic library built and donated to the community by City Profs Academy, an NGO. Shonekan said: “The provision of the library reminds me that with the resources at the governments’ disposal, it cannot provide all the needs of the people,” insisting that “even in the developed world, the private sector and the non-governmental organisations contribute a lot to the development of their society.”

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RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan has been urged to intervene and ensure

From Emeka Anuforo (Abuja) and Charles Akpeji (Jalingo) F its dream of eradicating HIV/AIDS from Nigeria is to become a reality, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said all the relevant authorities in the country should make HIV testing generally available and accessible to pregnant women.

UNICEF, which yesterday brought newsmen from the three states of Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba to Kaltungo in Gombe State to fashion out ways of reducing the transmission rate from mother to child, maintained

From Anietie Akpan, Calabar RESIDENT of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Cross River State chapter, Bishop Emmah Gospel Isong, has scored Nigeria low in all economic indices, as it marked 100 years.

Isong, who said this in an interview with newsmen in Calabar yesterday, expressed disappointment with Nigeria’s leadership for the past 100 years, adding that their performance and achievements did not synchronise with the country’s abundant natural resources and its years of existence.

According to Isong, “We have not done well for the 100 years of our existence as a country.

In terms of infrastructure, most of our roads are death traps. Even the aviation industry has not fared better. So, what are we celebrating?

Bishop Isong decried the high level of unemployment in the country, saying “many Nigerian youths who graduated from various tertiary institutions years back are still roaming the streets in search of non-existing jobs. There is massive looting and corruption in high places. So, what are we celebrating?”

Shonekan, Amosun, others urge public, private sector partnership

Groups seek Jonathan’s intervention on Tobacco Bill speedy re-passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) by the National Assembly.

Three groups, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Environmental Rights Action /Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), made the call in a letter to the President, which was made available to journalists in Lagos.

They lamented what they call “the lack of progress” in the enactment of the bill.

According to them, the President, by working towards quick passage of the bill, would have established lasting legacy, prevent million deaths and protect the health of millions of Nigerians and future generations.

C’River PFN chief scores Nigeria low at 100

• Council plans training of 10,000 to fight quacks that the transmission is 100 per cent preventable if all the concerned persons in the prevention desk are willing to discharge their responsibilities.

The four-day exercise drew resource persons including Dr. Okey Osuji, Dr. Isaac Warnow, Samuel Kaalu, Dr. Suraj Abdulkarim, Adama Danladi, to mention a few, from the various departments of the health sector.

Participants were tasked by the various facilitators to rise up to the challenge by sensitising the people, especially

those in the rural community of the importance of accessing the PMTCT facilities, which they noted, would go a long way to prevent MotherTo-Child Transmission of HIV (MTCT).

With all hands on deck, the prevention of Mother to Child ‘Strategy,’ according to Okey Osuji, “Can reduce the chance of HIV transmission to children from their infected mothers from 40 per cent to as low as 2-0 per cent.”

He stressed that “children everywhere can be born free

of HIV using the Prevention of Mother-To-Child (PMTCT) strategy” while their “mothers”, according to him, “are alive.”

Observing that HIV/AIDS still remains major public challenge “across the globe”, the situation where children continue to be infected with the disease by the infected mothers, he said, can no longer be welcomed.

According to him: “All must know that it is unacceptable to allow innocent children to be infected with HIV when the technology to prevent this development is conveniently

available.”

Warnow, who declared that he was passionate on issues affecting children, said: “We don’t want to see children delivered with HIV infection,” hence the need to partner the media.

Observing “Labour and delivery, sexual behavior and practice” as well as “breast feeding” as areas where a child is “likely to contact HIV”, the need for health workers to encourage pregnant women to go for HIV test, Warnow believed, would help stop children from contacting the disease.

Police move to stop touting at airports

By Ibe Uwaleke N its bid to make the gateway into Nigeria conform with the transformation agenda of government in the aviation sector, the Commissioner of Police, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Police Command, Mr. Waheed Salau, yesterday decried the increasing growth of touts at the airport. He, however, assured that the police were determined to curtail their activities.

Speaking during the decoration of 23 newly promoted officers of the Command at MMIA Airport, Lagos, Mr. Salau described it as a major challenge to the command.

Salau said: “The major challenge we have here is the touts and we have always been keeping them at bay because they see the airport as a pot of honey. But we will continue to do our best to send them out of this place and we are actually sending them out”.

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PHOTONEWS

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi (left) welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan to the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the second Niger Bridge.

Immediate Past National President, Federal Government College, Warri Old Students Association (FEGOWOSA), Akinwumi Ambode (left); School Principal, Mr. Abiodun Fabiyi (behind); National Secretary, Paul Edemu and President of the association, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu during the commissioning of the newly renovated dining hall by the association.

Minister of Transport, Idris Umar (left); former Lagos State governor, Brig-General Raji Rasaki, representing General Ibrahim Babangida and Head of Media, EFCC Lagos office, Dele Oyewale, at the EFCC stand during Nigeria Maritime Expo (NIMAREX) 100 years of Maritime Development in Nigeria in Lagos.

PHOTO: GABRIEL IKHAHON

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (left); his wife and Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sam Ikon, at a town hall meeting/constituency briefing in Etinan local council for Etinan Federal Constituency.

Chairman/Founder, Ajapa World, Akin Braithwaite (left); Senior Manager, Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Damola Atanda; Director, Credit Awareness, Ladi Smith and Director, Credit Awareness, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, during the press briefing on Global Money Week 2014 by Credit Awareness and Ajapa World in Lagos.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Kabir Mohammed (fourth from right) flanked by members of Governing Council of ICAN and students of one of the secondary schools at the ICAN ‘Catch-them-Young’ programme at Abakaliki.

Vice-Chancellor, Redeemer’s University, Mowe, Ogun State, Prof. Debo Adeyewa (left) presenting an appreciation shield to the Guest Speaker and former Registrar of the University of Lagos, Barrister Rotimi Shodimu (right), during the institution’s maiden Registry Annual Lecture. With them is the institution’s Registrar, Mrs. Bolatito Oloketuyi.

President, West Central African Division of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Pastor Dr. Gilbert Wari (left); President, World Headquarters General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Pastor Ted Wilson; President, Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Nigeria, Western Nigeria Union Conference, Dr. Oyeleke Owolabi and President/Vice Chancellor, Babcock University, Kayode Makinde at the 100 years centenary anniversary ceremony of the church in Nigeria at Ilishan, Ogun State.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

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WorldReport Malaysia military tracked missing plane to west coast ALAYSIA’S military believes M a jetliner missing for almost four days turned and flew hundreds of kilometers to the west after it last made contact with civilian air traffic control off the country’s east coast, a senior officer told Reuters.

In one of the most baffling mysteries in recent aviation history, a massive search operation for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER has so far found no trace of the aircraft or the 239 passengers and crew.

Malaysian authorities have previously said flight MH370 disappeared about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for the Chinese capital Beijing.

“It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait,” the senior military officer, who has been briefed on investigations, told Reuters.

That would appear to rule out sudden catastrophic mechanical failure, as it would mean the plane flew around 500 km (350 miles) at least after its last contact with air traffic control, although its transponder and other tracking systems were off.

A non-military source familiar with the investigations said the report was one of several theories and was being checked.

At the time it lost contact with

civilian air traffic control, the plane was roughly midway between Malaysia’s east coast town of Kota Bharu and the southern tip of Vietnam, flying at 35,000 ft.

The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, runs along Malaysia’s west coast.

Malaysia’s Berita Harian newspaper quoted air force chief Rodzali Daud as saying the plane was last detected at 2.40 a.m. by military radar near the island of Pulau Perak at the northern end of the Strait of Malacca. It was flying about 1,000 meters lower than its previous altitude, he was quoted as saying.

Women pray during a memorial service for tsunami victims at the former Yuriage junior high school in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture yesterday, to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked the nuclear emergency that forced a rethink on atomic power. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.

PHOTO: AFP

…As Chinese passengers’ families still cling to hope Ukraine forms new defence force, seeks the trip alone.

ELATIVES of Chinese passen- in the city, waiting for news.

“We have offered to pay for Western assistance Rgers on Malaysia Airlines’ “My uncle and aunt had an ourselves, so the wider family missing flight MH370 were still emotional breakdown, they are KRAINE’S interim leaders overthrow last month after can help our aunt and uncle,” Uestablished clutching to faint straws of not eating, drinking and sleepa new protests triggered the gravest he said. hope for their loved ones yes- ing and could not face coming National Guard yesterday and crisis in Europe since the Cold terday, as the search entered a fourth day.

“I hope it is a hijacking, then there will be some hope that my young cousin has survived,” said a man in his 20s surnamed Su. Families and friends of many of the 153 Chinese passengers — more than two-thirds of those on board the flight to Beijing — are gathered at the Lido Hotel

here,” said Su. “They need our help. We have been telling them lies — stressing the few positives in all of this — to keep their spirits up.”

Malaysia Airlines has offered to fly two relatives of each of the missing to Kuala Lumpur to be closer to the search, but Su said the family were worried for the welfare of his cousin’s griefstricken parents if they made

Inside the hotel ballroom, family members sitting in rows of seats watch a plasma television screening continuous news.

In the days since the Boeing 777-200 vanished from radar screens there have been repeated reports of oil slicks being found and possible debris sightings, only for each of them to be later ruled out.

appealed to the United States and Britain for assistance against what they called Russian aggression in Crimea under a post-Cold War treaty, Reuters reported.

Blaming their ousted predecessors for the weakness of their own armed forces, acting ministers told parliament Ukraine had as few as 6,000 combat-ready infantry and that the air force was outnumbered nearly 100 to 1 by Moscow’s superpower forces.

There was no let-up in the war of words, with the pro-Russian regional parliament in Crimea approving a declaration of independence that will take effect if people on the Black Sea peninsula vote to unite with Russia in a referendum on Sunday.

The national parliament in Kiev said it would dissolve the Crimean assembly if it did not cancel the plebiscite.

Viktor Yanukovich, whose

War, insisted from his refuge in Russia that he was still Ukraine’s legitimate president and commander of its armed forces.

Acting Prime Minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, who will visit the White House and United Nations Security Council this week, said a 1994 treaty under which Ukraine agreed to give up its Soviet nuclear weapons obliged Russia to remove troops from Crimea and also obliged Western powers to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.

He said a failure to protect Ukraine would undermine efforts to persuade Iran or North Korea to forswear nuclear weapons as Kiev did 20 years ago. The terms of the Budapest Memorandum oblige Russia, Britain and the United States as guarantors to seek U.N. help for Ukraine if it faces attack by nuclear weapons.

Treason trial for South Sudan leaders begins HE trial opened yesterday of T four top South Sudanese leaders accused of treason for allegedly attempting to topple President Salva Kiir after fighting broke out in December.

The four are Pagan Amum, former secretary general of the ruling party, ex-national security minister,Oyai Deng Ajak, former ambassador to the United States, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, and ex-deputy defence minister, Majak D’Agoot.

The four, who spoke in the Juba court only to confirm their names but who have in the past denied all charges, were dressed in suits and appeared to be in good health.

The four were read 11 charges, including the main charge of treason, defence lawyer Ajo Noel said.

“It is too early for us to tell

what the case will be,” Noel told AFP. “We want to go through all that the judges will say, and we will see what comes out of it.”

The courtroom, which was crowded with spectators including foreign diplomats, was surrounded by armed security officers.

South Sudan’s government has been at war with rebel groups since December 15, when a clash between troops loyal to Kiir and those loyal to sacked vice president Riek Machar snowballed into fullscale fighting across the world’s newest nation.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.

Eleven ex-officials were arrested, while Machar — who denied any coup plot — fled.

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Politics Kwara: PDP, APC in show of grand numbers From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin.

Square, how many of them would actually vote in the days of elections?”

Afolayan boasted: “We (APC) are the custodians of elections machinery in Kwaran politics. We don’t have to rent crowd on our own side but people, who share in the ideals we preach as a political dynasty, would come.

“Baba Olusola Saraki had handed over this structure to his son, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who had since stepped into his father’s shoes as our leader.

“In Kwaran politics, therefore, it is not about the crowd. I won’t discuss our strategy on the pages of newspapers, but we wait and see after the (2015) polls.”

ECENT visit of President Goodluck R Jonathan to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital city, may have been an eye opener to him that the state, despite the defection of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elected government to the All Progressives Congress (APC), still has a sizeable number of PDP members.

But the state government would not let that notion stick, as it arranged a counter-rally, code-named “empowerment programme” for the same date and at the same time.

Yet, the two events did not tell much on each other due to the mammoth crowds recorded during the programmes.

The PDP ceremony was specifically organised to receive decampees from mainly the APC and for those remaining in the PDP to reaffirm their loyalty and readiness to dethrone the ruling APC government in the state in the 2015 elections.

Those welcomed into the PDP in the state were: the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara, Dele Belgore (SAN); governorship candidate of the defunct All Peoples Congress of Nigeria (APCN), Senator Gbemisola Saraki; Mr. Hakeem Lawal, the first child of the late governor of the state, Mohammed Lawal; and Princess Tinuke Gambari, daughter of the late Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Sulu Kanaini Gambari, the Ayelabowo IV. Among the PDP heavyweights in attendance were: Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu; and Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih.

Others were: the Governor of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDPGF), Chief Godswill Akpabio; his counterpart from Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, and the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Chief Liyel Imoke.

Also in attendance were: Deputy Governors of Kogi and Sokoto States, Chief Yomi Awoniyi and Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari, respectively.

Despite the heavy security presence at the event, which saw many PDP stalwarts in attendance, a large but orderly crowd had started trooping into the venue as early as 6:30am.

But the programme did not commence until the arrival of the president and his entourage at noon.

A highly elated Jonathan could not hide his feelings when he alighted from the presidential Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) that brought him into the venue, breaching protocols, and moving round the square, acknowledging cheers from the people.

Describing the crowd as more than the one he saw in 2011, Jonathan promised more dividends of democracy for the people of the state, just as he pledged more political statements at the heat of the electioneering campaigns, “when I wish to be in Ilorin again.”

Simultaneously, the state government had fixed its “empowerment programme” for the same date and at the same time.

The government, led by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, gave out 100 taxicabs to transport operators based on a revolving loan scheme.

The development could not, however, prevent the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, from receiving President Jonathan and his entourage after the presidential jet had touched down at the tarmac of the International Airport, Ilorin at about 10:20am.

But after the airport reception, the governor pulled out of the convoy, apparently for his scheduled programme.

Addressing the PDP rally tagged, ‘a liberation and freedom march for Kwarans,’ President Jonathan was all politics, giving jibes at the opposition APC members in Kwara in particular, headed by former Governor Bukola Saraki, a senator, who has become the arrowhead of the opposition in the Senate.

Jonathan enthused that egocentric tendencies and godfatherism in Nigerian politics

EANWHILE, Governor Ahmed, flagging off M the N150 million empowerment initiative for transporters in the state through the provi-

jonathan were gradually going into extinction, obviously a dig at Saraki now acclaimed godfather of Kwara politics after his legendary father, Dr. Olusola Saraki, a former Senate Leader.

Jonathan promised that the modern PDP, under its new leadership structure, would continually make the party a true democratic one devoid of any religious sentiments or ethnic bigotry.

According to the president: “One of our past Senate Presidents used to talk of his people at all times. Truly, if you must get involved in politics, you must be ready to think about the people and not self.

“PDP today is the only political party in Nigeria that thinks about the people. That is why every polling ward today in Nigeria will have voters in support of the party.

“This concept of thinking the way of the people without the influence of any godfatherism probably brought somebody like me to power.

“At PDP, there is no imposition of candidate on the people. For instance, in my state of origin today (Bayelsa), I have a governor, but I never control him.

“As elected political leaders, we don’t own the country, the states or local government areas, (LGAs); it is the people who own them and this ideology can only be found within the PDP.” He described democracy as a form of government that allows freedom of expression and choice, urging the people of Kwara to make the choices of their leaders according to their conviction.

He noted that those who were opposed to this democratic belief “had since left the party. At PDP, you don’t serve demi gods but the people.”

T the event, in which a minute silence A was observed in honour of the recent victims of terror attacks in Nigeria, Vice President Sambo described the large turn out of the people as a welcome development that truly matched the “transformational agenda of President Jonathan for the people of the state, especially the establishment of Almajiri school.”

The PDP national chairman, Alhaji Muazu, while thanking the crowd for the large turn out, urged them to re-enact the victories of 2011 in the 2015 polls in the state.

He noted that it remained the only way that Nigerians would know that the people of the state “are truly for the PDP.” Mu’azu added: “The only truly democratic party for Nigeria is the PDP. It is the party of the rich, the poor, Muslim and Christian faithful.

“It is not just the largest party in Africa, but also the most widely represented party in

Ahmed Africa.”

For the Chairman of the PDP BoT, Chief Anenih, “what we are seeing today in Kwara is the total mobilisation of the people for the PDP.” “I am not surprised because Kwara had always been in the mainstream of national politics,” he said.

“In 2011, you gave us victory with total votes of 64.68 per cent. By next election, we hope to make it 99 per cent.

“We are coming again to give Mr. President another name. His humility is very infectious and at that time, we will ask for your supports for him in the year 2015.”

The PDP-GF chair, Governor Akpabio “congratulated the people of the state for the muchawaited change and freedom that have just come their ways.”

“We are, therefore, here to show solidarity for our people so that we can again form government here come the year 2015,” he said.

The Kwara State interim chairman of the PDP, Mr. Solomon Edoja, thanked the President Jonathan for the national appointments he had given to Kwarans, especially the recent appointment of Mrs. Sarah Alade, as the Acting Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.

Alade is from Offa in Offa local government areas of the state.

For Senator Gbemisola Saraki, “Nigeria is the work of God. Kwara State is the work of God. Besides, President Jonathan is God’s work.”

She said the large turn out at the event was to “show the whole world that the PDP in Kwara is not dead and we are not missing anybody.”

“After all, the few, who defected, had personal and selfish reasons for doing so,” she said.

“Mr. President, by what we have displayed to you today, we deserve more of your supports here in Kwara State.”

In his comments, Hakeem Lawal stated: “Mr. President can’t be fought and no man fights with God and prevails.

“May God give you the grace to liberate us here in Kwara this time around.”

And Mr. Belgore urged Jonathan to go to sleep, as “the Kwarans here would deliver the state for the PDP come the year 2015.”

This memorable event at the state-owned Metropolitan Square on the Industrial Layout, christened Asa Dam road, will linger as the talk of the town, going by the unprecedented number of the people that graced the occasion.

But the pertinent question in the minds of objective political analysts in the state is whether the tumultuous crowd that came to welcome Mr. President realised the importance of votes and would, indeed, exercise the franchise when it is mostly required.

To this poser, the Kwara State Interim Secretary of the APC, Yemi Afolayan, said “the PDP could have hired crowds for the programme and besides, among those at the Metropolitan

sion of taxis, buses and light trucks, said his government would sustain its drive towards poverreduction “without a halt.” ty According to him, the first phase of the alleviation programme was the distribution of 100 taxis, procured at a cost of N50 million, to taxi operators.

Other levels of empowerment in the sector would be unfolded by his administration in the next few months, he pledged.

“In the coming months, this administration will provide further demonstration of this renewed determination to expand opportunities for our people through unprecedented socio-economic capital projects and programmes that cut across the state, including the provision of 8,200 youth jobs through ‘Quick Win’,” he said.

The governor noted that with the N50 million first phase transporter empowerment scheme, his administration had distributed N674 million revolving credit to various beneficiaries under its entrepreneurship scheme from 2012 to date.

“It’s note worthy that over 70 percent repayment rate of the previous revolving loan scheme has been recorded,” he said, adding that it had brought added benefit to more people under the programme.

Ahmed, who said the revolving loan scheme for taxi drivers was not government largesse, urged the recipients to “work hard and repay the loans promptly so that others can benefit.”

He also counseled the beneficiaries of the scheme to maintain the vehicles regularly, obey traffic regulations and cooperate fully with security agencies to make the roads accidentfree and safe.

The governor, who appreciated the support of the people of the state to his administration, promised that his government remained guided by a determination to exceed people’s expectation of good governance.

He stressed that as the country moves towards the 2015, good governance, respect for the rule of law and adherence to equity should be the guiding principles of the national democratic experience.

On behalf of their members, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Badmus of National Union of Road Transport Workers and Alhaji Farouk Opeloyeru of Road Transport Employers Association said the vehicles and the payment modalities were not forced on them.

According to them, “we were taken into confidence in the choice of vehicles procured under the taxi revolving loan scheme.”

The unfolding trend of events in the Kwara politics has ensured that it would no longer be business as usual.

Besides, the emergence of the two camps of APC and PDP has removed the political docility that had characterised politics in the state in the last four decades.

But the parties in tango would do well to imbibe the words of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, during President Jonathan’s courtesy call on him at his palace.

The monarch said as the gateway to both the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, Kwara must remain peaceful so as to make the 2015 polls a keenly contested and peaceful exercise.

TheGuardian

www.ngrguardiannews.com

12 | Wednesday, March 12, 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 As the conference begins T is absolutely worth exulting about by Professor Ben Nwabueze, a constitu- the people as reflected by the delibera- ence offers a veritable opportunity to Idown that the prospect of Nigerians sitting tional law expert, recently when he tions at the national conference. It is, recreate the country, for Nigerians to observed : “The sharing arrangement therefore, expected that the conference reaffirm their faith in the unity and together to discuss their common destiny and examine the basis of their coexistence is gradually becoming a reality after much agitation by the people and prevarication by the government. With modalities for the national conference in place and the conference now constituted, the stage is set for the opportunity of a lifetime deliberation. Whatever reservations anyone may have about the conference, the truth is that it is not without its merits.

A lot depends entirely on its members whose pedigree must have influenced their nomination to ensure that only the best is bequeathed to Nigerians who see the conference as the last hope to salvage the country and to have a country they can sincerely and genuinely call their own.

The nominees are expected to be all familiar with the issues that have been on the front burner over time and which Nigerians consider critical to their peaceful coexistence as peoples of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It is presumed that they are knowledgeable and well grounded enough and sufficiently experienced and courageous to tackle these issues headlong in a way that all the injustices and anomalies in the system would be sufficiently and satisfactorily addressed.

To a reasonable extent, the conference is composed largely of those who have been in the fore front of one agitation or another either on behalf of their ethnic groups or unions or who have been relentless crusaders for social justice and are, therefore, sufficiently apprised of all the contentious issues that have dominated political discourse.

For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerians will like to determine whether the legal order as it stands today should remain as it is in form and in character; whether the structures and/or organs of the existing legal order, including the National Assembly are suitable for the nation’s complexities and the attainment of dreams as a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nation.

Furthermore, the unsatisfactory revenue sharing formula as currently applicable has led to sustained agitation for a reversion to true federalism, as was the case under the 1960 and 1963 constitutions which accorded autonomy to constituent states with preference for fiscal allocation system.

Apart from the political class, eminent scholars and well meaning Nigerians have deprecated the kind of federalism in place in the country, which is remarkably different from the cardinal principle of federalism as practised the world over. The full import of the warped federalism in place in the country was driven home

under Nigeria’s Federal system assigns would come out with critical procedurto the Federal Government powers and al strategies that would enable all the resources overwhelmingly greater than voices to be heard in a no-holds-barred those assigned to the states, thereby manner; devoid of fetters and artificial depriving the latter of any meaningful obstacles. autonomy in relation to the Federal Certainly Nigerians must be allowed Government. The 36 states structure to examine the basis of their co-exishas added greatly to the weakening of tence. To deny them this right for fear the state governments, reducing them that they may disagree to live together in status to poor relations of an over- is like playing the ostrich and building whelming Federal Government.” It is, on a shaky foundation. There is no bettherefore, imperative for the conferter time to dwell on the issue of ence to address the issue of viability of Nigerians’ coexistence than now. Being the existing states; it must speak to the the centenary year, the Nigerian quesquestion whether it is desirable to tion must be revisited because of the maintain the 36 states structure. stresses and strain the country has sufIn the same vein, Nigerians are con- fered. Looking at the document that cerned about the cost of this democra- gave birth to Nigeria, the country was cy and question the rationale of dissi- meant to remain indivisible for a peripating as much as 25 per cent of scarce od of 100 years which was celebrated a resources in maintaining federal legis- few days ago. This ordinarily means lators in a country where poverty is rife that the country has run its full cycle and infrastructure is lying prostrate. As and has expired automatically by a way of cutting cost, it is proposed that effluxion of time. It has fulfilled its the business of law making should be mandate, thus calling for a renewal if it part time with specific provisions on must remain. emolument for members and approNot only has the country expired on priate conduct expected of them. Of paper, Nigerians have by their attitude, course it remains to be seen whether a comportment and in the way they talk bicameral legislature is desirable at all and act shown that the country does in Nigeria’s circumstances. not mean much to them, thereby givSimilarly, it will not be out of place to ing the impression that it is no more revisit the issue of independent candi- than a mere contraption. This conferdacy for elective offices just as local government autonomy will go a long way in strengthening democracy as this will certainly bring the dividends of democracy quicker and closer to the people. It goes to no issue that this is a novel arrangement considering that in most federalism, local governments do not have an identity of their own as a tier of government and are most often an appendage of the state governments.

Above all, it is desirable that the structure of association and structure of government be reviewed holistically so as to have a healthy Nigeria where there will be less friction and less tension between the federating units and the different arms of government. Needless to say that these issues are by no means exhaustive.

That there is a “no go area” is not even a justification for failure. The conference has enough capacity, wisdom and clout to generate its own momentum and fashion out the modus operandi best suited for the resolution of all contentious issues whatever may be their nature. It ought not to be deterred or hamstrung by an omnibus instruction from its conveners. It is taken for granted that as the government of the day, it could not have said anything different as no responsible leadership would readily subscribe to or openly canvass the dismemberment of a country it superintends over. Government’s open declaration on the “no go area” or any issue at all cannot be taken as sacrosanct. What is sacrosanct is the wish of

oneness of that entity. The country and its people shall not be held hostage by an event which took place 100 years ago via a process that had little or no input from the peoples who were fused into the entity without the slightest regard for their feelings, diverse cultures, languages, ethos and norms and in crass defiance of their dislike for the unique arrangement.

The conference should, therefore, be a genuine and sensitive effort to give birth to a proper nation – the Nigeria of everybody’s dream. Of course, the legitimacy of the conference is assailed from two fronts; that it is not a creation of statute and by the mode of its composition which raises the issue of how representative it is and to what extent it can boast of the mandate of the people. These are critical factors which would only be addressed by getting the National Assembly to pass an executive bill that will give the conference a legal status. The second problem is addressed by ensuring that the decisions of the conference are subjected to a referendum. With all these, there is no doubt that the prospect of a new Nigeria would have been made brighter.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

13

Opinion United Nations, homosexuality and Nigeria’s destiny

By Pius Isiekwene EAR 2014 is most crucial for Nigeria for many Y reasons. As a pre-election year, the political temperature is expectedly high, what with the defections from and to the ruling and main opposition parties by a number of politicians. The true significance of the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates remains controversial, weeks after the Centenary celebrations marked with fanfare in Abuja. Insurgency, promoted by Boko Haram with the alleged collaboration of Al Queda, has never been this bad, claiming hundreds of lives within the first quarter alone.

It is also a year when Nigeria is being brought under intense pressure by western nations to abolish or amend the Anti–Same Sex Act of 2013. The Human Rights Commission (HRC), an organ of the United Nations (UN) seeks to pile further pressure on Nigeria during its 25th regular session this month to back down on the Act which was widely applauded by most Nigerians at its passage.

Concerned about the seeming failure of earlier diplomatic moves to dissuade President Goodluck Jonathan from signing the bill into law, the western nations, led by the United States of America, now seek to exploit the platform of the HRC to cajole or intimidate Nigeria into acquiescence.

Sweden, Austria and the Czech Republic share the resolve of the U.S. to get Nigeria to “revise laws discriminating against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender Inclined (LGBTI) persons,” under the guise of safeguarding human rights.

The other outspoken western nations including Britain and France not directly associated with this move may also have resorted to other carrotand-stick strategies to break Nigeria’s resolve against homosexuality. They may limit development aid or impose new consular conditions on visa applications as suspected in the case of the tuberculosis-free certification for some categories of Nigerians travelling to the United Kingdom. No one can say with any certainty if and when the western nations would back down on their efforts to secure a Nigerian support for same-sex relationships and marriages. They rightly fear that Nigeria’s firm refusal to abolish or amend the law would foster similar legislations in Africa. Uganda seems to have confirmed their fears with the recent passage of a law of essentially the same substance as Nigeria’s.

But even with their resort to the Human Rights

Commission, the western nations are not likely to win the war over homosexuality, at least in Africa. Contrary to the preamble of the UN Declaration on Human Rights that “a common understanding” of the rights and freedoms was necessary for their full realisation, the pro-homosexual nations have not been able to convince the rest of the world about their strange fancy.

How does the freedom to marry someone of the same sex or perhaps a non-human animal, as may be logically inferred by extension, advance human rights?

Articles 16 of the UN Charter on Human Rights is unambiguous on marriage and society. Part 1 of that article states that “men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.” The article never referred to “people of full age but made a clear distinction as to gender – “men and women” as eligible to marry. It also recognised the right to “found a family.” The prohomosexual, western-inspired school of society is yet to educate the rest of the world on the founding of a family without the natural means of procreation. Can the semen of two men produce a child to the exclusion of a woman?

Part 3 of the same Article 16 also states that “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” How can the family be sustained and protected by a society that undermines the basic requirement for the propagation of the human race? Should humanity be sacrificed to satisfy the lust of a tiny but vocal minority of male and female sexual perverts who occupy the seats of, or have access to the corridors of, power around the world?

By their resort to the Human Rights Commission, the western nations seek to elongate Nigeria’s list of abuses of human rights as defined by them, not strictly in line with the founding aspirations of the United Nations. To classify the passage and expected enforcement of anti-Same Sex law as human rights abuse is a sheer manipulation of the UN Charter to justify the West’s new cultural imperialism. It is a subtle attempt to blackmail Nigeria and intimidate the rest of the world who do not share the West’s position on homosexuality.

Besides, it is doubtful if President Jonathan would gamble with an act that received popular

support from all sections of the Nigerian society.

Although the Act first got to the National Assembly as an executive bill, it was by no means an exclusive aspiration of that arm of government or the ruling political party. Upon the receipt of the bill, Senate President David Mark, had rebuked some of the western nations for their threats against its passage. The Church was also stridently opposed to homosexuality and the Anglican Communion in particular threatened to part ways with the Church of England if it lent support to western politicians’ quest to legitimise the abnormality. The Church has gone a step further to screen prospective appointees to ascertain their sexual inclinations. The western support for popular democracy on the one hand and opposition to a popular law, on the other hand, is a paradox that makes nonsense of the new move to criminalise Nigeria in the guise of human rights abuse.

The western nations’ desperation to force Nigeria to back down on the anti-homosexuality law represents a clear disconnect between the UN founding fathers’ noble intentions and the new generation leaders’ contempt for morality. The UN and its agencies have, no doubt, helped to foster global peace, understanding, battle hunger, poverty and disease in the post World War II era. But the global body’s vision and mandate seem to have become beclouded by western imperialist tendencies to force their sometimes jaundiced value system upon the rest of the world. Otherwise, why would the world body be so pre-occupied with the unnatural sexual desires of a tiny human minority at a time of wide-spread hunger, poverty, disease and political crises around the globe.

Why, in the Nigerian situation, should the government lose sleep over western nations’ agitation for the review of the anti-same sex law while insurgency claims hundreds of lives every month amidst other serious political concerns about Nigeria’s continued existence?

Rather than demonise Nigeria over her principled stand on same-sex relations as epitomised by the 2013 Act, the western nations should commend Nigeria for her contributions to human development and assist her to overcome the persisting challenges of corruption, poverty and insecurity. With all the seemingly insurmountable problems, Nigeria has not lost a keen sense of her priorities. Upturning the anti same–sex law is not one of them.

By championing the anti-same sex move, Nigeria is doing the world an unparallel service by fostering the preservation and perpetuation of the human race as intended by God. Same-sex marriage is a satanic ploy to destroy the human race.

A man cannot carry a pregnancy without scienceinduced physiological manipulations of his natural body. Neither does a woman have the ability to produce the semen needed to fertilise the egg of a fellow woman in unholy marriage with her.

The resources expended on research and funding of sex–change relations and adaptability programmes in some of the western nations could be better channeled to fight global hunger and killer diseases. It is economically unwise and morally abhorrent to dissipate resources on undoing what God has done.

By her principled stand, Nigeria is also filling the moral vacuum created by the UN’s abdication of the world body’s moral duty to the world under the watch of the western nations. The clergy played a major role in the formation of the UN and it could never have crossed their minds or those of other co-founders that the world body would today be in the forefront of legitimising same-sex marriage. Nature abhors vacuum and if Nigeria finds herself in a position to do what the UN ought to do but failed to do, she should be commended, not condemned. It is not the first time Nigeria would be taking the lead against the evil machinations of the rich and powerful nations. Nigeria stood up against apartheid in South Africa and relentlessly deployed diplomatic and material resources to confront it even at a time some western nations looked the other way. The ambivalence of some leading nations could not save apartheid when the time came.

Nigeria does not need to apologise to anyone nor buckle under pressure from the UN or any of its agencies to revise the anti-same sex law. Perhaps, it is her God-given destiny to provide leadership at a time like this and she should not shy away from it. Leadership has its costs. The western nations will not easily let up and may deploy their economic might and global media paraphernalia to force Nigeria’s hands. Nigeria should be ready to pay the price and not give up. Every evil, however powerful its promoters may be, has an expiry date. The same-sex philosophy is an evil wind that will blow over and may, sooner or later, also blow away its protagonists.

• Isiekwene wrote from Lagos.

Why Christians should partake in politics

By Bukola Adegbenro “The future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious”– Jules Sally HE FRESH Party Chairman, and former Presidential candidate, T Rev. Chris Okotie is one of the few politicians you could call a visioner, because he saw tomorrow. His call for Christians to join him in seeking elective office in 2002, when he stepped into the political arena, was surprisingly heartily criticised by Christians and clergy men alike, who questioned the rationale behind a pastor engaging in Nigeria’s murky political waters.

At the time, Christians’ involvement in our political process was considered an agnomen, as the proponents of this opinion believed that a Christian cannot engage in politics and remain ‘clean’. But by 2011 elections, our political space had become occupied by several Christians, who had begun to see Okotie’s point of view.

While speaking at the fifth anniversary thanksgiving service of the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King, a religious arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OBJ echoed Rev. Okotie’s view on the involvement of Christians in elective politics, not just as voters, but also as candidates. He said: “I want to say that Christians should participate in politics. We should not leave politics in the hands of the evil ones, who cannot offer this country any good”.

This report in The Punch edition of February 17, 2014, appears to be a new thrust in the ex-General’s political vision and ideology, and a clarion call for a paradigm shift by Christians, as 2015 approaches. A call of this nature, from no less a personality than former President Obasanjo, who celebrated his birthday last week, requires a healthy dose of thought by Christians.

INEC, which de-registered FRESH Democratic Party in 2012, appears to be in a hide and seek game with Okotie’s group. Over eight months after FRESH won its re-instatement from the court

case in June 29, 2013, INEC still has not recertified FRESH, neither has the party appeared on all recent ballot papers used where elections have been conducted.

But in rallying for a paradigm shift in Christians’ effective participation in elective politics, we may well ask: Why the Christian apathy towards politics? In answering this question, we may need to go back into Nigeria’s history. This apathy which has become our albatross and Achilles heel evolved as a mindset as far back as the 50s, following the unconscious desire to separate the separation of our faith from politics.

As Christians excluded themselves from the processes of politics, the elements of corruption, nepotism, political ineptitude seized on the lacuna and these vices became entrenched political traditions, which even further alienated them. Notwithstanding the need to make this clear distinction, the fact remains that Christians are Nigerians too, who have a stake in the Nigerian project, and self-exclusion from the political process, has an inadvertent outcome of short-changing them from the benefits of governance.

History is replete with Christians who were at the forefront of the establishment of the foundations of justice in their countries.

Of the 55 men who wrote the Constitution of the USA, 52 were active church members, or as we would call them today, elders and church workers. Men like Noel Webster who wrote the Webster’s Dictionary. Men like Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpaton, Rev. Desmond Tutu, Rev. Herbert Macaulay, Rev. Chris Okotie.

These are some of the illustrious servants of God who have found it expedient to step into the political arena. These are men who as in the words of Walt Whitman believed that “if anything is sacred, the human body is sacred”; and had the strength of character and boldness to face up to the aberrations in the social and political order of their countries. Today, their names have become synonymous with the struggle for liberation.

Nigeria’s Christians must change this view of politics as a ‘dirty

game’, and realise that only sincere people can right the wrongs, in any situation. We cannot expect the proponents of the aberrations that have plagued this nation to hold themselves culpable. 54 years of nationhood has seen us in a steady spiral down the ladder of development, and somewhere in the midst of this moral and ideological quagmire which Nigeria has turned out to be, are Christians who choose not to engage in politics to stop our abnormalities. As Nigerians, we have a moral obligation and constitutional right to do all we can to ensure that our God-given nation does not become a cesspit of debauched existence.

But again, it is not enough for Christians to participate in politics, it takes an unshakeable conviction and understanding to upturn the subterranean intricacies associated with Nigerian politics and governance, and a heart of compassion and integrity to withstand and subjugate the hydra-headed monster of political, economic and social decadence that stagnate this country.

In Rev. Okotie’s syndicated commentary titled Reflections on The Paradigm Shift Option, he said “… only the most deserving, the best qualified, should have a shot at the highest office, indeed any key office in the land, in an open, competitive environment that ensures a level playing field for every Nigerian, without any form of artificial obstacle”.

As another election year approaches, and the political parties begin to prepare for campaigns, Christians should now begin to position themselves to make constructive and enduring input to engender a new paradigm of accountability, selflessness, probity and economic advancement. Longfellow said “lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, and departing, leaves us footprints in the sands of time”.

In view of this OBJ’s new shift, I only wonder if the General has any admonitions to Rev. Okotie, regarding his pursuit of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, come 2015.

The past cannot be changed, but the future is still in your power.

• Adegbenro wrote from Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

14 Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Opinion The Kingdom of God and Paradise

By Cornelius Omonokhua N February 20, 2014 I received this mail from O Nuhu Machunga, Subject: DEBRIEFING MUTUAL SUSPICIONS WITH FRANKNESS. “Fr. Prof, I refer to the last sentence in your article in SUNDAY TRUST which says, “The time has come for us to move towards the kingdom of God that has no divisions.” For clarification sir! Are you implying that Muslims and Christians all belong to the kingdom of God (not created by God) but of His kingdom (i.e. will enter His kingdom – heaven – at the end of ages) irrespective of their beliefs?” The expression of divine realities in human language falls within a limited context in dialogue because there are terms and expressions that are peculiar to certain disciplines. A word can mean different things to different people even when the subject or issue is the same. For instance, the word “substance” did not mean the same thing for the Greek and Latin theologians. The word “secular” is given different meanings in Nigeria because some people find it difficult to comprehend why the country should be defined as a “secular state”.

In the spirit of dialogue (through the print media), it is necessary to have a conversation on the term, “Kingdom of God” and “Paradise” to be on the same page with Nuhu and other partners in dialogue who may have similar questions. The Scriptures affirm that God created Heaven and Earth (Genesis 1, 1; Psalm 146, 6, Qur’an 7, 54; 10, 3; 11, 17). Relatively, we become co-creators by contributing to the creation of peace on earth in preparation for the eternal peace we shall enjoy when we meet God after our earthly life. I am wondering if this could be the essence of Islam (peace) on earth. The “Kingdom of God” means heaven for Christians. Muslims express the same concept as “Paradise”.

Both the Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths are making a journey to immortality. If we get there, then we could say goodbye to mortality as the mortal body decays in the

grave. If we succeed in reaching heaven, paradise or the kingdom of God, we shall no longer say goodbye because we shall be with God who is the eternal love that we have had faith in and hoped for long to behold. The final exit from the earth and our final union with God is a basic reality that the different religions describe in different categories. The vision of life on earth is heaven; the mission is love of God and neighbour while the specific objective is to find happiness on earth. There can be no happiness without peace and there can be no peace without justice. Justice, respect, peace, doing good and avoiding evil are steps on the path towards our final destiny (heaven) where there is no division. I will be glad if my Muslim friends could enlighten me on why God speaks in the first person plural (We) in the Qur’an.

In the Holy Qur’an, paradise is a place where there will be all that the souls could desire and all that the eyes could delight in (Qur’an 43:71). Those in paradise will eat and drink at ease for their past good deeds (Qur’an 69:24).

They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade. They will recline therein on raised thrones (Qur’an 18:31).

Death will no longer exist in Paradise. “They will never fall ill, blow their noses or spit” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). Those in paradise will never be sick again. They will live and never die again. They will never grow feeble again. They will enjoy, and never feel sorrow and regret again (Saheeh Muslim). Those in paradise will not hear ill speech or commit sin. What they will hear and say is: Peace! Peace (Qur’an 56:25-26)! God will remove from their breasts any hatred or sense of injury on earth (Qur’an 7:43). In paradise “there will be no hatred or resentment among them, their hearts will be as one, and they will glorify God, morning and evening” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). The Hereafter is (far) better for those who fears God

(Qur’an 4:77). Life and the comfort of Paradise is forever (Qur’an 13:35; 16:96; Qur’an 38:54).

No one can perfectly describe the beauty and essence of paradise (Qur’an 32:17). It is “that which the eye has not seen, and which had not come to the ears or into the heart of man, such things as God has made ready for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2, 9). “Never mind what God has told you; what He has not told you is even greater” (Saheeh Muslim). Reference to heaven is made many times in the Qur’an to imply the universe (Qur’an 21:30) and the bottom layer of heaven as adorned with stars (Qur’an 37:6).

Jesus started his ministry with the proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1, 5). At the trial of Jesus, He made it clear to Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18, 36). Pilate understood the expression “kingdom” in a worldly context (John 18, 37). Isaiah had prophesied: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father and the Prince of peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever” (Isaiah 9, 6-7). The reign of Christ on earth is the establishment of peace in preparation for the eternal peace in heaven. Believers are, therefore, enjoined to seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness (Matthew 6, 33). In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for the coming of the “Kingdom of God” on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6, 9-13).

From the worldly point of view, the components of a kingdom are: Land, territory, king (ruler, monarch or governor), people (subjects living within the territory) and a system of laws and rules (a basic structure of government). In this context, the concept of a king-

dom on earth where Christ is King would be sitting on David’s throne (Isaiah 9, 6-7) and ruling from Jerusalem (Zechariah 8, 3). Jerusalem means “City of Peace.” This city of peace is moving towards the eternal city of peace where God will be the eternal king over every body irrespective of colour, race, religion and position. In this eternal kingdom of peace, there will be no terrorist activities. No one will claim monopoly of God and claim to fight to defend the God who is the most powerful, merciful and compassionate. In this kingdom of peace no one will claim ignorance of God’s laws (Isaiah 30, 21; Jeremiah. 31, 34). This peace shall be everlasting because whatever can divide the world shall not exist then (Isaiah 9, 6-7).

Nuhu asked if Christians and Muslims both belong to the Kingdom of God. This is akin to asking: “Is God a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Shinto, Zoroastrian or Traditional Religionist?” Muslims believe that it is those who do good deeds that will be in paradise. Prayers should reflect in the good actions of believers and not just end in external show of piety. No religion is a licence to heaven without the practice of the teachings of the religion. Any religion that teaches evil contradicts the nature of God who is the Supreme God. Every revealed religion calls people to peace because heaven is full of the joy that comes from perfect peace. Since there is no evil in heaven, only those who do good deeds would have a space in paradise, a kingdom where God remains the king and ruler forever and ever. If we believe that there is only one God, then there must be one heaven for both good Muslims and good Christians who loved God by loving a fellow human being on earth.

•Fr. Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja and Consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (C.R.R.M), Vatican City.

The letter that changed Nigeria (2)

By Yinka Sayomi HE old belief says “how many goals can I score?” the new beT lief says “how can my team win this match?” The old belief is “smart” but the new belief is “wise”. We all need to move away from smart to wise. We have been competing against one another and outsmarting one another, this way of life is very primitive and destructive. We as a nation are supposed to be competing against the world; this is what our new focus should be.

So in the end, the true measure of our victory over the old belief exists not in the number of legal convictions and filled prisons, not in iron-hand policing or totalitarian terror, not in massive human executions and killings. But it exists in this, it exists in the imagination that a new way of thinking fires the dreams it nurtures, the change of mindset that it brings and the birth of a new culture that it evolves.

But what exactly is the road map to this great Nu9Gr (New Nigeria) enterprise? First, we need to paint a picture of a new Nigerian society that is far better than anything in the world, Dubai did this and we intend to exceed this. Second, we need to present this picture to every Nigerian. Third we need to show every Nigerian how to get to this picture. Fourth, we need to convince every Nigerian that the reward from this journey will better serve our self-interest than the current road we are following. In other words this won’t be a call for sacrifice or selflessness, but it will be a call for more focus on self-interest. It will be a call to change the dynamics of self-interest. It will be a call to make more wealth by helping our neighbours rather than exploiting them. It will be a call to make greater profit by working collectively than individually. If we can convince a man that he will increase his profit from one million Naira to 100 million Naira just by working in unity with four other people then he would do so, not because he believes in unity but because he believes in the 100 million Naira he will get. This calls for clear communication about rewards and gains.

Martin Luther King Jr. was never in power but made more impact on the American society than many Presidents combined.

Mahatma Gandhi was never in power but made more impact on both India and the British Empire more than many prime ministers combined. Nigerians need to know that the agents of

change don’t need to be in power before they can exercise change. In addition, the facts of the matter are we now possess technology that will allow our people to work and collaborate over diverse geographic regions on this national vision. The same technology was what the Arab Spring used to exercising change in their region and that technology is still available to us today, we will use this technology more constructively. I believe we possess all the imagination and talents necessary; however we as a people outside of government have never made the collective decision or marshalled our resources and talents required for such an endeavour. We have never specified long range goals on an urgent time schedule or managed our efforts and our time so as to ensure their fulfillment.

So let us move ahead, patient in tribulation rejoicing in hope and if a beachhead of cooperation can push back the jungles of suspicion let begin a new way of life not a new climate of doubt but a new atmosphere of hope where the rich are secure, the poor become prosperous and the forgotten are remembered.

Mr. President, I am glad to tell you that this trip has been in the design for the past eight years. During this period many of us had lost our marriages, homes, career, reputation, health and lives to the ravaging of the old belief. But this is a small price to pay for a great national future. Nevertheless, I am glad to tell you that the planned destination of this trip is huge but more important is the trip itself, the trip that will take us to this new destination is going to be a very exciting one, it is a trip you will not want to miss, it is a trip the past generation would wish they took, it is a trip we would not allow the future generation to take and it is a trip all of us will be willing to live for and die for. I will say this is a trip to the Promised Land.

Nigeria started this trip in 1960 during independences. That year Nigeria left Egypt and crossed the red sea into the wilderness. We were supposed to have crossed from the wilderness into our own promised land in the year 2000, but we are still in the wilderness and have over stayed our time for about 14 years.

Mr. President, you will recall that a few thousand years ago in another nation only two men out of millions believed it was possible to enter the Promised Land, this was so because the challenge at that time looked too big but that did not stop them from entering the Promised Land. Today, the Nigerian

challenge also looks too big and few people will believe what I propose here but that will not stop us from entering our own promised land. And we will enter and we will enter it within a decade.

Let us not forget that all the best practices, systems, processes and technology in existence today cannot get us to the Promised Land in six years or in 40 years. The six-year trip to the Promised Land will require extra-ordinary measures. These extra-ordinary measures will require us to develop methods that have never been used before, invent new things and create devices that would do miraculous things. This effort will require us to create a whole new paradigm, a paradigm so radical it could change the way the world operates. This effort may actually be the key that would put us ahead on the international stage. It is an enormous responsibility and we are willing to accept it. This is how historical landmarks are made and we will not allow this opportunity to pass our generation.

Erich Fromm when publishing The-Fear-Of-Freedom in 1942 said: “The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning.

Uncertainty is the very condition that impels man to unfold his powers.” In 1961 when John F. Kennedy challenged the Americans with a moon mission, it was a search for meaning in a climate of the cold war uncertainty; this led that nation to unfold its powers. This is how we feel about Nigeria today because this whole effort is a search for meaning in a climate of uncertainty and we as Nigerians need to unfold our powers also.

No one captures our mindset better than Patrick Overton in 1975 when he said: “When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or, you will be taught how to fly. The Nu9Gr dream does not seek for something solid to stand on but it seeks to FLY because there is really nothing solid to stand on in Nigeria of today.

This letter is more of an awareness drive at this point than seeking any specific action from you or the government; however we are going to follow up with more ideas on how to get this ball rolling. The reward we seek is not money but the reward we seek is meaning and that meaning is being able to walk around the world with our shoulders high as a proud Nigerian and black person.

• Concluded •Sayomi wrote from Calgary, Alberta.

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Focus A strong warning signal for corrupt judges Following the recent retirement of two Justices by the National Judicial Council (NJC) over misconduct, LEMMY UGHEGBE writes on the lessons learned and why it is dangerous for any judge to pervert the course of justice

Supreme Court in session

Mukhtar N line with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), IridJustice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar’s promise to the nation’s judiciary of corrupt and indolent judges, the National Judicial Council (NJC) recently recommended the compulsory retirement of Justices U. A. Inyang and Gladys Olotu, on account of gross misconduct.

The recommendation, which has since been approved by President Goodluck Jonathan, has now elongated the list of judges who left the exalted bench ignobly. Others include Justice Wilson Egbo Egbo of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division; Justice Abubakar Talba of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court; Justice Thomas Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State and Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division.

The NJC, which also issued stern warnings to Dalhatu Adamu, the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, Justice A. A. Adeleye of High Court of Justice, Ekiti State and Justice D. O. Amaechina of High Court of Justice, Anambra State respectively, came hard on Justices Olotu and Inyang, owing to “unpardonable misconduct.” Adamu was warned “for deliberately absenting himself from duty,” which is an act of gross misconduct, contrary to the provisions of the country’s 1999 Constitution as amended, and the Code of Conduct of Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Rising from its meeting held on February 26, the NJC explained that Olotu was given the marching order, following its finding that the Judge “failed to deliver judgment only to deliver same in Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, 18 months after the final address by all the counsels in the suit, contrary to the constitutional provisions that judgment should be delivered within a period of 90 days.

The council also found that she “entertained a post judgment matter in Suit No. FHC/UY/CS/250/2003 in Port Harcourt after delivering Judgment, which made her functus officio.

And in another case: Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/505/2012, Olotu failed to deliver judgment twice.”

In Inyang’s case, the NJC explained that it recommended his compulsory retirement “sequel to the “findings” that he “included in his judgment, references to the Garnishee Proceedings, which came after the judgment had been delivered on December 20, 2011.” The council found “that His Lordship also included the name of the Counsel to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru (SAN), who came into the matter after the judgment of 20th December, 2011 was delivered.”

He was also found to have “recklessly signed a Writ of Execution, a day after delivering his judgment of 20th December, 2011, the same day a Notice of Appeal and Motion on Notice for Stay of Execution were filed,” and he continued with

the Garnishee Proceedings, despite application for Stay of Execution.”

The NJC also found “that before delivering his Judgment of 20th December, 2011, Hon. Justice Inyang ignored a properly filed Motion on Notice for leave to file additional witness Statement on Oath.”

While many have lauded the retirement of the duo owing to varying levels of misconduct, the warning issued by the NJC to three other Justices over low performance and abdication of duties has also been commended. Over recent years, Judges have become increasingly indolent and brazenly so. They stroll languidly into courts several hours behind schedule. A particular Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, who has become a butt of jokes among judicial reporters, is well known for this. The result of such late arrival to court and early departure expectedly brings about low productivity.

The NJC, at a meeting held on December 4 and 5 last year, deliberated on the report of its five-man committee, which was mandated to invite judicial officers with very low or non-performance to appear before it. At the end of its deliberation, the council found Hon. Justice A. A. Adeleye of High Court of Justice, Ekiti State and Hon. Justice D. O. Amaechina of High Court of Justice, Anambra State culpable of very low performance. Consequently, the council decided to issue warning letters to them.

However, while stakeholders have described the CJN’s decision to set four judgments a year as minimum standard as worrying, given the volume of litigations in Nigerian courts, they have also contended that “it is even more worrisome to realize that many judges still cannot meet that liberal target.” Such judges, they argued, “have no business being on the bench.”

It has also been argued that NJC does not take steps early and quickly enough in its house cleaning effort to restore public confidence in the judiciary. Many believe its snail speed approach “has led to some judges getting off the hook without even the slightest punishment or a reprimand.”

Recall that Justice Marcelleus Awokulehin of the Federal High Court, who discharged and acquitted former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori of corruption charges before he (Ibori) was later jailed 13 years for the same offences by a United Kingdom Court, has

retired from the bench without blemish. In fact, at a valedictory court session to mark his retirement, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta said: “We are happy that he is leaving us with his integrity intact.”

While there is no evidence to suggest that Awokulehin was compromised in reaching the controversial decision to absolve Ibori of any wrongdoing, that decision, according to observers, raised a lot of questions.

Against this backdrop, calls have been made for the NJC to intensify its work in investigating and reaching decisions on cases pending before it. One of such pending cases is against Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division. The NJC began the investigation of Chukwu sequel to a petition written and lodged

by Chief Godpower Umejuru Ake entitled “Petition Against Abuse of Judicial Process And Travesty of Justice at Federal High Court, Abuja Division Presided Over by Hon. Justice E. S. Chukwu, in Matter Involving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Executive For Rivers State, in Suit No: FHC / ABJ / CS/ 10/2014: Between Chukwuemeka Aaron Vs INEC & 2 Ors.” In the petition addressed to the CJN, whereof the petitioner warned that if the proceeding before Chukwu was not immediately addressed, the image of the judiciary would be jeopardized and brought to disrepute, the petitioner raised some questions on the processes and proceedings before the Judge. Specifically, he wondered why Chukwu would entertain and conclude the hearing of a suit, seeking to enforce the judgment of an Abuja High Court, relating to the leadership of the PDP, Rivers Chapter, wherein he was named as the 5th defendant, without joining him in the instant matter.

It is trite that a court, suo moto (on its own initiative) is expected to join as a party, any person(s) or entity that may be affected by its decision in a case. The petitioner contended that being the Chairman of the state chapter and the 5th defendant in the judgment, which the plaintiffs have approached him to enforce, the Judge was duty bound to make him a party, knowing that he would be so affected by its decision.

“My main grouse, which has necessitated this petition, is that I was not made a party to the suit pending before Honourable Justice E. S. Chukwu, even though the case directly affects my interest. This complaint is well made because the judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, which the plaintiff in the above action is seeking to enforce at the Federal

Culpable judges should be dismissed if the NJC is to send the right signals.

It does amount to a slap on the wrist for a corrupt judge to be given a chance to retire, rather than being deservedly dismissed, which would have meant that he left the bench without a single entitlement. No judge would take the risk of perverting justice or sell out a decision, if he knew that he would be dismissed and consequently walk home empty handed

High Court attached as “Exhibit A,” shows my name as the 5th defendant. It is therefore worrisome that the Plaintiff did not join me to the case and the court also did not join me as a party to the case before it adjourned for judgment”, the petitioner stated.

He also said it was curious to note that the matter was filed, entertained and adjourned for judgment within four days, adding that the lightening speed between the filing of the case and the conclusion of hearing raised grounds for suspicion of an inordinate interest of the judge in the matter.

“Indeed, from 20th of January, 2014 when the suit was filed, the assignment of same to the court of Justice E. S Chukwu, the service of same on defendants, one of whom is in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the hearing of same and adjournment, the whole proceedings took just four days,” he pointed out.

He contended that under the Rules of the Federal High Court and the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, the 3rd defendant in the suit, Felix Amechi Obuah, whose address was cited as PDP Secretariat was entitled to, within 30 days, respond to the originating summons from the date of service. But the Judge,he noted, deliberately breached his statutory right.

“However, in a bid to ensure that I am shut out of the proceedings, as I will explain presently, the learned judge of the Federal High Court (Hon. Justice E. S. Chukwu) fixed the case for hearing on the 24th day of January 2014, a period of about four days after filing of the suit, heard the case and adjourned the matter for judgment till the 11th day of February, 2014,” he alleged.

To establish the allegation of abuse of judicial process, he recalled that a Rivers State High Court had in a suit filed by Barrister Kingsley Ajuziogu, a member of the Executive Committee, held that the “the term of my executive committee will not expire till 2016.”

Dissatisfied, he said Obuah filed an action at an Abuja High Court, praying it to declare him chairman of the Rivers State chapter of PDP, a prayer which, he said, was granted by the court.

He explained that he had already filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, seeking to upturn that decision. The petitioner also filed a stay of execution of the said judgment, which he seeks to set aside.

While major stakeholders are applauding the on-going cleansing exercise, they have also observed that judges, who deliberately engage in misconduct and pervert the course of justice, should not merely be recommended for compulsory retirement. They insisted: “Culpable judges should be dismissed if the NJC is to send the right signals. It does amount to a slap on the wrist for a corrupt judge to be given a chance to retire, rather than being deservedly dismissed, which would have meant that he left the bench without a single entitlement. No judge would take the risk of perverting justice or sell out a decision, if he knew that he would be dismissed and consequently walk home empty handed.”

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BUSINESS Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Business Govt’s earnings below budget estimate in Q4

By Chijioke Nelson

HERE were indications that the Federal Government’s earnings in the fourth quarter of 2013 fell below the budgetary estimate, occasioned by shut-in from oil and non-oil revenues.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CB N), in its fourth quarter (Q4) Economic Report, revealed that total federally collected revenue during the period stood at about N2.2 trillion.

The amount however, represented a decline of 22.3 per cent and 19.8 per cent below the quarterly budget estimate and the level in third quarter, respectively.

Also, relative to the level in the corresponding quarter of 2012, the total federally collected revenue fell by 10.5 per cent.

Under the period, gross oil

T

receipts, which constituted 69.9 per cent of the total, put at N1.54 trillion, fell below the proportionate budget estimate and the level in the preceding quarter by 20.4 per cent and 5.2 per cent, respectively.

The development relative to the preceding quarter has been attributed to the decline in crude oil and gas exports during the fourth quarter.

Also, gross non-oil receipts at N664 billion, representing 30.1 per cent of the total earnings in the period, was below both the proportionate budget estimate and the level in the preceding quarter by 26.4 per cent and 41.0 per cent respectively.

The decline in non-oil revenue relative to the preceding quarter was blamed on the fall in receipts from components of the non-oil

revenue, except customs and excise duties, as well as Value Added Tax (VAT).

However, N1.5 trillion was transferred to the Federation Account for distribution among the three tiers of government and the 13 per cent Derivation Fund, after accounting for all deductions and transfers.

The Federal Government received N702.22 billion, while the state and local governments received N356.17 billion and N274.60 billion, respectively and the balance of N157.15 billion was allocated to the 13 per cent Derivation Fund for distribution to the oil-producing states.

Also, the Federal Government received N31.97 billion from the VAT Pool Account, while the state and local governments got N106.57 billion

and N74.60 billion, respectively.

About N107 billion was distributed as the Subsidy ReInvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) among the three tiers of government and the 13 per cent Derivation Fund.

The Federal Government got N48.88 billion, states received N24.79 billion, while local governments were allocated N19.11 billion and 13 per cent Derivation Fund had N13.86 billion.

Additionally, N22.85 billion from the Nigerian Petroleum National Corporation (NNPC) Refund was shared by the sub-national governments and 13 per cent Derivation Fund, with the states receiving N11.23 billion; local governments, N8.65 billion; and 13 per cent Derivation Fund, N2.97 billion.

The total allocation to the three tiers of government in the fourth quarter of 2013 amounted to N1.83 trillion, below the 2013 quarterly budget estimate by 11.6 per cent.

The Federal Government’s retained revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013 was put at N822.19 billion, lower than both the proportionate budget estimate and the receipts in third quarter by 33 per cent and 17.4 per cent, respectively.

However, the Federal Government’s share from the Federation Account, Sure-P, FGN Independent Revenue and VAT were N702.22 billion, N48.88 billion, N39.06 billion and N31.97 billion, respectively.

The total expenditure for the fourth quarter of 2013 stood at N1.4 trillion, indicating a decline of 1.7 per

cent below the quarterly budget estimate, but an increase of 25.1 per cent above the level in the preceding quarter.

A breakdown of the total expenditure showed that the recurrent component accounted for 73.6 per cent; while capital components accounted for 19.2 per cent; and statutory transfers took 7.2 per cent.

A further analysis of the expenditure recurrent showed that the non-debt component accounted for 73.9 per cent, while debt service payments accounted for the balance of 26.1 per cent.

NSE seeks advisers for listing HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE),has T unfolded plans to appoint

Managing Director, Lead Capital, Wale Adewumi, former Chairman Crusadersterlingpensions, Tola Mobolurin, Group Managing Director, Custodian and Allied Plc, Wole Oshin, Managing Director, Crusadersterling pensions, Niyi Falade and former Managing Director, Nigerian Reinsurance Corporation, Joe Ameh at the farewell dinner in honour of retiring Directors of Crusadersterlingpensions in Lagos recently PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

financial advisers to guide it through the process of becoming a publicly listed company.

The move was disclosed yesterday by the bourse in Lagos,after it has secured from its board for the listing.

The Exchange stated in a notice to stakeholders that it searching for joint bids by one foreign and one Nigerian adviser where at least one of the parties has participated in the listing of a stock exchange.

Analysts had harped on the listing as a leeway in promoting transparency and product development in the Exchange,leading to more inflows from foreigh investors.

The NSE is the secondbiggest bourse in subSaharan Africa after Johannesburg, which has been a listed company since 2006.

Nigeria’s bourse is currently owned by stockbrokers and some institutional investors and has around 200 listed companies, all included in its benchmark share index.

Ecobank Group appoints Essien as new CEO

By Ade Ogidan, Business Editor

COBANK Transnational Incorporated(ETI)has E announced the appointment of Aibert Essien as its new Group Chief Executive Officer,to replace Thierry Tanoh,who has now quit the job with effect from today.

The new appointment was announced at the end of ETI’s board meeting held yesterday in Yaounde,Cameroon.

Also in line with a directive the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria, Mrs. Laurence do Rego was reinstated as Group Executive Director of Finance and Risk with immediate effect.

Announcing the replace-

Reinstates whistle blower, do Rego ment ,ETI Interim Chairman, André Siaka, said: “We wish to thank Thierry Tanoh for his service to Ecobank and we wish him every success in the future. We believe that Mr Albert Essien has the experience and knowledge that Ecobank needs to take us forward as we continue to implement our strategy which is to deliver outstanding customer service, to improve long-term shareholder value and returns and to be the employer of choice in our markets.”

Essien,who was until the

appointment,the pan African bank’s deputy chief executive,had served as the Regional Head for the Anglophone West Africa (excluding Nigeria) and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) regions.

He started his banking career in 1986 with the National Investment Bank in Accra, Ghana and joined the Corporate Banking Department of Ecobank Ghana in 1990.

In 1997, he became Country Risk Manager and was appointed Deputy Managing Director in 2001 and became Managing

Director in December 2002.

Essien has a degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and is an alumnus of the Executive Development Programme of INSEAD (France / Singapore).

He is also an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana.

Speaking as the board nominated him as the new Group CEO ,Essien said: “I have been working for Ecobank for more than 20 years and I am proud of what we have achieved so far. I am committed to achieving our vision of building a world class panAfrican bank which contributes to the economic

development and financial integration of Africa and to our mission of providing our retail and wholesale

Essien

customers with convenient, accessible and reliable financial products and services.

Wednesday, March 12,

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African Union targets 22 Internet Exchange Points

By Adeyemi Adepetun with agency report O enhance intra-country T Internet traffic on the continent, African Union Commission has extended capacity building support to facilitate the establishment of Internet exchange points in 22 member states.

An Internet exchange point (IXP) is a physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers (ISPs) exchange Internet traffic between their networks (autonomous systems).

IXPs reduce the portion of an ISP’s traffic, which must be delivered via their upstream transit providers, thereby reducing the aver-

age per-bit delivery cost of their service. Furthermore, the increased number of paths learned through the IXP improves routing efficiency and fault-tolerance.

According to AU in a statement, announcing the launch of its first Internet Exchange Point in Windhoek, Namibia, stated that the launch was done through its Infrastructure and Energy Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technology of Namibia.

The commission stated that through the African Internet Exchange System project, the commission had so far extended capacity building support to facili-

tate the establishment of Internet exchange points in 22 member states, including Namibia.

The AU also said that it has donated equipment and services worth of $20,000 to the Internet Exchange Point in Namibia.

“With this development, the ICT Sector in Namibia has every reason to celebrate for a new era of localised, cost effective and secure Internet traffic,” the commission added.

The launch was presided over by Deputy Minister of ICT of Namibia, Stanley Simataa, and the AU Commissioner for Infastructure and Energy, Dr Elham Ibrahim, the AU

Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy.

Nigeria, which is targeting siting one IXP across the six geopolitical zones of the country, is hopeful of improving its ranking among African IXPs that are bringing cost savings, efficiency and improved user experience to their Internet ecosystem by 2015.

In one of his interview with The Guardian, the Managing Director, Internet Exchange Point Nigeria (IXPN), Muhammed Rudman, said that the exchange that enables routing of local internet traffic within Nigeria has now connected more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and phone companies to bring

cost savings and other benefits to the Internet community in Nigeria.

Rudman said over 36 companies including the big four GSM are now connected to the IXP in Nigeria to enable them leverage the benefits of local routing of their Internet traffic and offer better service to end users across the country.

A report by the Internet Society (ISOC), South Africa leads the table as number one IXP in Africa followed

by Kenya with Nigeria occupying the third place as at 2012.

According to an independent study ISOC IXPs continue to deliver benefits to the Nigerian Internet community and several

economies across Africa.

The study reports that, “In Nigeria, the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) currently localises 300Mbit/s of peak traffic with corresponding reductions in latency, and allows national operators to save over $1 million per year on international connectivity.

The presence of the IXP induced Google to place a cache in Nigeria as the first step in plans to build out Google infrastructure to Lagos, and is at the centre of a partnership to improve communications between universities. The IXP also helped repatriate previously externalised financial platforms for online banking services.”

Firm invests $30m in beverages production

By Bankole Orimisan N indigenous technoloA gy company, BioOrganics Nutrient Systems

Director General, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Sunday Thomas, (Left), Acting Managing Director, Wapic Insurance Plc, Ashish Desai, President, Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Ayodapo Shoderu, Lagos State Commissioner For Environment, Tunji Bello, at the Wapic Insurance ground breaking/foundation laying ceremony held at Ikoyi, Lagos.

Limited, has disclosed that it invested over $30 million on Vitamin A to boost production and fortification of malt industry and other cocoa beverages in Nigeria.

Besides, the company is set to strengthen collaboration with its German partner, BASF, aimed at deepening technology transfers and sharing growth opportunities.

This was revealed during a visit of BASF German and Nigerian officials to BioOrganics headquarters in Ogun State to discuss areas of business growth in

Nigeria.

In his remark, the Chief Executive Officer, BioOrganics, Dr. Kenny Acholonu, said: “We are a global authority in the manufacture of vitamins and minerals application to human and animals lives and that is why BASF delegates are here. BASF recognises that Bi-Organics is a global authority in the manufacture of vitamins and minerals application in all the industries. BASF too is a global authority on the making of vitamins.”

“BSL is one of the largest producers of vitamins in the world and having visited Bi-Orgaincs, it will strengthen our client base,” he said.

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TheMetroSection Long, tortuous road to justice...

• 84-year-old widow waits 18 years to repossess her property from legal practitioner

By Dele Fanimo and Yetunde Ayobami Ojo F you stumble on an advertisement seeking tenancy for a three-bedroom apartment in Isolo, Lagos at N42,000 per annum, what will be your immediate reaction? Fraud, I guess.

Well, an 84-year-old widow, Mrs. Beatrice Egboh, owner of a property situated at Block 439, Flat Three, Low Cost Housing Estate, Oke Afa, Isolo, Lagos, has had to contend with a tenant for 18 years with a static N42,000 yearly rent against her wish.

For Egboh, it has been a long and tortuous road to justice. From one courtroom to the other, this aged widow has been contending with her tenant, Mr. Igwe Chukwuka Igwe, a legal practitioner for the repossession of her property.

Igwe had moved into the said flat in 1996 after his cousin, Chika Adikaesieme, who had been living there, was transferred to Warri.

According to him, while testifying in court, his cousin had introduced him to the landlady as taking over the tenancy and he had paid the rent for that year in the name of Chika Adikaesieme, with a receipt issued by the landlady.

This practice, Igwe continued, subsisted until 1999, when he approached the landlady for change of tenancy, which he claimed Mrs. Egboh consented to. Egboh said the rent up till 2004 was N33,000 and was only increased to N42,000 thereafter.

Narrating her ordeal through her counsel, in one of the numerous litigations instituted

by Egboh to take possession of her property, she said the tenant, who is a lawyer had always frustrated her efforts through legal maneuvering.

In an interview with The Guardian before the latest judgment, the octogenarian, amid sobs, narrated how she bought the property decades ago in her prime with the hope of using the rent as pension.

According to her, this plan turned into a mirage as a result of issues she had with her tenant, who ensured, through litigations that the economic value of the rent was not paid.

Egboh said apart from that, Igwe was never regular with rent payment as shown in a cheque of N160,000, which purportedly covered arrears of rent running to four years out of many years owed by the tenant.

She lamented how she had to take the unsavoury option of selling the property to, at least, enjoy part of her sweat, only for the tenant to stand in the way of the new owner by refusing to vacate the premises.

When The Guardian met Igwe, to narrate his

The magistrate remarked that: “There are lot of cases involving lawyers as tenants and the challenge of getting them out of a property.”

I

Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Philips own side of the story, he insisted that by law, he ought to be given right of refusal before the sale. This means, he ought to be approached by Egboh if he was interested in the property or not before bringing another buyer.

Igwe stated that while he was not aversed to vacating the premises, he would not want to disrupt his children’s education and there-

fore, until the end of the session in August 2014, he would remain in the flat. He also insisted that for the sake of his children, he could not settle for any other tenancy outside the estate.

Egboh had put the economic value of the flat at N400,000 yearly as against N42,000 currently paid by Igwe.

However, the long journey to justice finally

grinded to a halt penultimate week when an Isolo Magistrate’s Court ordered Igwe to vacate the flat on or before August 31, 2014. Mrs. M.R. Osho-Adebiyi, sitting in Magistrate’s Court, Isolo, ordered Igwe to vacate the threebedroom apartment he rented.

Egboh had filed a suit against Igwe for alleged refusal to deliver possession of threebedroom apartment he rented.

The claimant, in his writ marked MCY/5017/13 filed before the court, stated that the defendant (Igwe C.Igwe) rented the three bedroom flat apartment situated at Block 439, Flat 3,Low Cost Housing Estate, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos under a yearly tenancy and which tenancy was determined by Notice to Quit on July 31, 2013.

At the resume hearing of the matter, claimant’s counsel, Mr. Abdulmajid Hassan, told the court that the application filed by the defence was another ploy to waste the time of the court.

Igwe, who appeared in court in person and on his behalf, argued that the property had been sold to a third party and as such the claimant was incompetent to bring the suit in her name. Igwe said that he was ready to pay four years rent arrears he was owing the claimant at the rate of N42,000 per year.

In his 13-paragraph affidavit, he argued that there was a judgment of the court in Suit No MCY/1488/2012 delivered on January 10, 2013.

“Court held that the annual rental value still remains the sum of N42,000, since the plaintiff could not produce any piece of evidence to show that it was increased above that.”

Mr. Frank Egboh, who represented the claimant, told the court that the defendant had been living in the flat for four years now without paying any rent.

After both counsel’s arguments, the magistrate said he (defendant) could not continue to live there since the owner had given him Quit Notice and therefore, the application he filed had no merit.

The Magistrate remarked that: “There are lot of cases involving lawyers as tenants and the challenge of getting them out of a property.”

5,000 mark Women’s Day in Ekiti

By Nike Sotade

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HE Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, joined more than 5000 women who thronged the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, on Saturday.

This year’s event, with the theme, “Inspiring Change,” was convened by the Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, in conjunction with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment.

The Deputy Governor, Prof.

Modupe Adelabu, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi, were among members of the executive council, female members of the State House of Assembly, and women leaders at all levels across the state.

The colourful ceremony

witnessed a fun-filled march past by women delegates across the 16 local councils, various ethnic communities, professional bodies and associations.

The governor used the occasion to remind the women of his agreement with them in a blueprint tagged “My Pact with Ekiti Women” during the 2007 election campaign and how he surpassed virtually all the promises contained in the document.

Fayemi said he promised and delivered on women and girl’s education, women’s health, gender equity in appointments and promotions, gender mainstreaming in policy formulation, women’s empowerment and eradication of discriminatory practices that undermine women’s development.

As part of the gains of the administration’s efforts, he said that Ekiti now has the highest girl enrolment in

Mrs. Fayemi schools, lowest maternal mortality and Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in the country.

In his renewed commitment to the women, the Governor pledged to sustain all the gains made in the past by ensuring that women were treated as equal stakeholders

in government at all levels.

He also promised to ensure faithful implementation of all laws and policies in the state devoted to the empowerment and enforcement of rights of women, as well as building of a truly egalitarian society.

He said: “Over the years, on the global scene, we have witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation.”

“We, however, still have a long way to go in confronting both the roots and expressions of patriarchy, particularly in our part of the world.”

“This administration would continue to erase inequality based on gender, race, creed, ethnicity, class and all other social markers by which societies have typically discriminated among their members.”

The Deputy Governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu, noted that women were in the forefront of the various developments in the state through their relentless pursuit of sustainable development using their expertise and entrepreneurial prowess.

The convener of the event, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, said that the Day was meant to reflect on the progress made by women, as well as an occasion to call for change and to celebrate heroics by women in their countries and communities.

She said: “If there is anywhere in this country where women have inspired change and where change has taken place as far as the empowerment of women is concerned, that place is here in Ekiti State.”

“It is therefore my hope that as we move forward, the women of this state will remember all the good things

that have happened during the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi.

“I know the women of Ekiti will remember the changes that have taken place. I’m sure they will never forget that they are not where they were four years ago.”

She added: “Empowering women is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. When women succeed, the society is safer, more secure and more prosperous.”

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi, said that the event provided the opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of women to peace and nation building.

She stressed that it also enables women to reflect on their achievements, explore local and international opportunities and as well to plan for the future.

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Industry Oyo, China partner on automobile production YO state government and O groups of Chinese investors have concluded plans to start manufacturing Nigerian made vehicles by June this year.

The home made vehicles which would hit automobile market by middle of this year would be preceded by siting of Automotive Assembly Complex in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi who disclosed this while receiving Chinese Investors in his Office on Monday said the development was as a result of his several visits to China last year in a move to industrialise the state.

Present at the meeting with the investors were the representative of National Automotive Council, Abuja, Engr Waheed Kolapo Odetoro, the Director of Infrastructure and Alhaji Salawu R, among others.

The Chinese investors include representatives of Shaolin Bus Manufacturing Limited, Geely International Corporation and Camaco-YTO Group led by the President CAMACO/YTO Group, Zijian Zhao and officials of the state government.

Ajimobi while soliciting the

support of the National Automobile Council in realising the dream of fully industrialising the state said his administration would step up effort at industrialising the state and improving its economy.

The governor added that the move was aimed at making the state an industrial hub and the investors’ destination of choice in the country, pointing out that discussions with the manufacturers had reached an advanced stage on the development of a blueprint on the projects.

He described the state as the largest agricultural centre in terms of landmass in the South-West zone and the largest producer of cassava in Nigeria, with the largest concentration of agricultural research institutes in the country.

All these, the governor said, had put the state in a better stead to explore its potentials in advancing its industrial course and thus regaining its pacesetter status.

Besides, he said that the projects would be complemented with an industrial park that would serve as feeder compa-

ALSCON suspends production, plans to reduce workforce

By David Ogah HE management of Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria Plc has suspended smelting operations with plans to rationalize its work force.

The company said yesterday that its action was due to ongoing crisis in the global aluminum industry and the continued disruption in gas supply to the company.

It said all affected workers would be adequately compensated.

A statement by the Company’s Managing Director Stanislav Krugl Yashov on the matter reads: ‘’Due to the ongoing crisis in global aluminum industry, further disruption in gas supply for ALSCON and non-completion of ALSCON’s connection to national grade project.

The management of smelter is taking further step in at

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minimizing losses when aluminum production at the smelter is suspended.

Among others, such measures include further optimizations of payroll, which foresees layoff of part of the staff currently employed at ALSCON. ALSCON will provide employee been affected with compensation benefits exceeding the level in accordance with the Nigerian Law. ALSCON is part of United company RUFAL, which has been working in Nigeria for the past seven years and during that time, has proved itself a concessious investor. ROSAL has invested actively into the development of ALSCON and also into the social infrastructure of Ikot Abasi, implementing the number of programmes him at raising the standard of living in the region including project in education

nies to the manufacturing companies, with the multiplier effects of creating employment opportunities for the citizenry.

Regional Director of CamacoYTO Group, Hai Anto, who spoke on behalf of the investors, said that the state government and the Chinese Group had been planning and

negotiating the modalities of establishing and operating the joint venture.

He commended the inspirational and remarkable leadership as well as concerted efforts of the state government in making the partnership a reality within a short period of time.

While assuring that the

Chinese investors would provide all the necessary support to achieve the state’s industrial aspiration, Anto expressed the belief that the projects would uplift the state and put it on the path to sustainable socioeconomic development and prosperity.

Also speaking, the Director of

Industrial Infrastructure, National Automotive Council, Engr. Waheed Kolapo Odetoro expressed the Federal Government’s readiness to support the projects as they were in line with its automotive industrial development plan.

Ag. Director of Industry & Services, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Hajia Fati Abubakar (left); Commissioner for Forestry, Ogun State, Adebayo Fari; Director General, BPE, Benjamin Dikki; Chairman of Beular Technical Company (BETCO) Limited, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and his wife; his daughters, Ebun and Omowumi, and his son, Olumide at the formal handing over of Iwopin Paper Mill to the core investor, BETCO at the mill’s premises at Iwopin, Ogun state.

Fayemi tasks Ekiti indigenes on industrialisation From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti EALTHY Ekiti State indiW genes have been urged to take advantage of the conducive business environment provided by the state government to invest in the state.

The State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi who gave the charge at the weekend, said the state government alone couldn’t develop all the potential that abound in the state.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti during the inauguration of Prosperous Royal Hotel and Resort Centre, he added that a conducive environment had been created for businesses to thrive.

Fayemi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Tourism, Mrs Ronke Okusanya, commended the

proprietor of the centre, Chief Abiodun Isinkaye, for bringing the project to the state.

"The state government is happy with the giant strides by one of our sons, Chief Abiodun Isinkaye, who felt the need to support our efforts at developing the state

economically. I call on others to emulate Chief Isinkaye and help project our state in good light. The facilities here are world-class and this shows the spirit of industry in the Ekiti man," he said.

In his remarks, the Royal Father of the Day, the Ooni of

Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, said people like Isinkaye should be encouraged to do more for the society.

Oba Sijuwade urged the people of Ado-Ekiti, led by the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, to make land available for the second phase of the project.

Honeywell empowers women entrepreneurs ONEYWELL Flour Mills Plc, H maker of Honeywell noodles, has restated its commitment to supporting entrepreneurship as it has empowered about 40 indigent women with products and equipment as start-up capital.

Donating the products to the beneficiaries in Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently during the just concluded International Women’s Day

celebration, Executive Director Marketing, Benson Evbuomwan said women are very key in a family as empowering them means empowering the whole family.

Describing women as good managers, he said he was sure they would make good use of the opportunity provided them to turn around the capital for good. Items giving them as revolving capital

include sewing machine, generating sets, deep freezers, plastic chairs and tables, jumbo umbrellas and Honeywell products.

One of the beneficiaries, a widow, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Adesegun, commended the firm for the opportunity, promising to be very prudent in managing the resources for her to still remain in business.

ELAN seeks support for MSMEs’ growth

By Bukky Olajide ORRIED by the dearth of financing alternatives to the Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Nigeria, the Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN) has prescribed leasing option for the sector..

According to ELAN, leasing has become more relevant, given the tough economic conditions where access to productive assets is becoming increasingly difficult especially to MSMEs. The relevance of leasing to MSMEs was re-echoed by ELAN at a stakeholders conference

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organised by the Partnership Initiatives for Niger Delta Development (PIND) recently in Edo State.

Making the submission, the Chairman of the association, Kehinde Lawanson stated that equipment leasing has over the years, paved its way into the world’s capital markets.

At present, he said, the industry accounts for a yearly turnover of about US$750billion and in Nigeria, outstanding lease portfolio in 2012 stood at N671billion.

According to him, globally, leasing has been recognised and established as a creative

financing alternative that provides an innovative means for delivering increased domestic investment within the economy”.

Lawanson listed few of the advantages of leasing to MSMEs to include: Cash management/cash considerations; flexibility and convenience; obsolescence hedge; less restrictive form of financing; end-of-term options; absence of collateral/security; favourable financial reporting among others.

He explained that the essence of leasing therefore is to enhance the planning,

improvement and development of any economy.

“The fact that leasing facilitates long and convenient access to capital equipment goes to show the unique role of leasing in building and supporting productive ventures especially to those that do not have significant asset base.

Thus, a company can conserve its funds for other productive purposes rather than spending heavily on the purchase of assets”, he explained.

He added that ELAN has been working with various MSMEs associations and groups across various sectors of the economy,

to facilitate easy access to productive equipment for their members as part of empowerment and wealth creation initiative.

Lawanson called on MSMEs to maximise the varying products opportunity of leasing to meet their equipment needs thereby promoting their businesses and contributing to the growth of the entire nation.

“ELAN is prepared and willing to facilitate the easy access to the required equipment”, he noted.

He urged the government to utilise leasing in the implementation of the various inter-

vention funds for MSMEs, giving leasing strong attribute as an innovative financing alternative that can effectively meet the capital requirements of MSMEs as well as government support for the provision of leasing infrastructure.

He explained further that the development of Micro, Small and Medium-Size Enterprises is an essential element in growth strategy of most economies as MSMEs contribute to improved living standard, bring about substantial local capital formation and higher level of productivity and capability.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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Money Global Money Week and essence: Banks’ perspectives

By Chijioke Nelson HIS is the Global Money Week. What is it T all about? First, the week started from March 10, 2014 and as usual, a week takes seven days. This initiative is in recognition of the role financial literacy plays in the economy.

However, the Bankers’ Committee, an arm of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that is driving the cash-less initiative, in furtherance of its 2014 priorities through the Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment Sub-Committee, has mapped out activities targeted at primary and secondary school students to mark this year’s edition. Besides, it has designated March 13, 2014, as Financial Literacy Day. The aim of both Global Money Week and Financial Literacy Day is to inculcate sound financial knowledge and fiscal planning skills in children and the youth. Global Money Week is a yearly global celebration that is organized and coordinated by Child and Youth Finance International, with activities held worldwide to engage children in learning how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment, and entrepreneurship. How are the nation’s deposit money banks coopted into the scheme of things?

Planned activities to mark the week include visits by officials of the various financial institutions to schools adopted by their institutions, while their chief executive officers will use the opportunity to teach select students from the schools a module of a Financial Literacy curriculum, specially designed by Junior Achievement Nigeria - a non-governmental organisation focused on educating children about their economic environment. Other activities include visits by students to banks to observe banking operations. CBN had also planned a Child and Youth Finance Fair/Exhibition in Abuja to mark the week.

The Chairman of the Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment Sub-Committee and Group Managing Director of Union Bank, Emeka Emuwa, said: “Financial Literacy is a key enabler in our quest to achieve Financial Inclusion for sustained economic growth and development in Nigeria.

Members of the Bankers’ Committee are fully committed to stepping up our activities in this area.”

Perhaps, the week would also kick-start a sustainable plan and priorities for educating children, youth and adults on finance and banking; launching and promotion of Financial Literacy Day; and schools’ adoption by financial institutions and unbroken mentorship.

So far, the development of the nation’s financial system’s landscape has given rise to several reforms bordering on operational procedures, institutional strength (capital), corporate governance and the latest- electronic payments. This has elicited further need for financial education, in which the Global Money week seeks to propagate. The e-payment system, driven by its various products, raises the issues of security, convenience, cost, appeal for patronage and seamless operations, which revolve around financial literacy level, especially as it concerns individual choices, the unabanked and under-banked populace.

Sterling Bank Plc has already deployed biometric-enabled Point of Sale (PoS) terminals to its entire agent banking outlets in the country, as part of efforts to drive agent banking system that was recently introduced in the country. The bank said the move would promote financial inclusion and that it is still educating its customers on the scheme.

The bank’s Executive Director, Lagos, Puri Davendra, said banks work as economic multipliers and that any country where there is a strong financial system, the economy prospers. “The effort by Sterling Bank is to bring 10 per cent of the unbanked into the system. The benefits of agency banking

are huge and enormous. This is a course very dear to us and not done with a motive of making profit alone,” he declared.

Also, the bank’s Group Head, E-Business, Fatai Amoo, said about 30 million Nigerians can’t read or write would be integrated into the banking system with the device just introduced. According to him, biometric solution which the bank at the moment, solely own and operate in the country, required only the customers fingerprint.

“We have over 30 million adults who are unlettered and whenever they want to use their ATMs they would tell anybody around their PIN. We all know that it is risky exposing the PIN and a lot of people have fallen victim. Our agent banking solution has brought to an end, this kind of issues. We have been able to deploy a solution that runs on biometrics. Whether you are lettered or not, literate or illiterate, God has given all of us our fingers,” he added.

Amoo noted that with the biometric solution, agents would be able to conduct transactions for customers wherever they are.

“With Sterling Bank’s agent banking model, we are strongly committed to having our agents all over the country. In all of the societies where this thing has been deployed, there has not been a single case of fraud.”

Sterling Bank had earlier supported We Are The Future of Our Nation (WATFON) initiative, a move it said, was aimed at deepening financial literacy in the country, motivated by the considerations commitment to the youth, their future and empowerment.

The eight-year old programme, congregates graduating students of secondary schools yearly for mentoring to be a generation of patriotic young people, tutored by role models to believe in the Nigerian dream. But the financial institution said it is an opportunity to invest in the collective future and enabled society, particularly the children, in accordance with the bank’s corporate social responsibility and financial literacy focus.

The bank said that its support for the programme was also informed by the need to promote financial literacy among students, which would prepare them with the ability to make informed financial judgments and effective decisions about the use and management of money from young age.

The bank had also partnered with Audax on ‘Computer Science Education Week’s Hour of Code’, a free boot camp for kids and adults, aimed at spreading awareness of the need for computer science education among the youth.

Fidelity Bank Plc also explained that it has rejigged its strategy, including the adoption of electronic payment system initiatives that will deliver cost effective services to customers.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo, said: “We have rejigged our strategy a little bit to use the channels that we have built to continue to amass and build the critical mass of low cost deposits that would act as further buffer from the turbulence that we saw in the system. The days of building cathedrals on the main road all in the name of branch network are gone. We have prototype branches that match the environment in which we operate.

“People are savvier now. We are using technology to offer mobile banking and other echannels. We are strengthening these distribution channels and increasing the numbers. Two years ago, we made a deliberate attempt to track how we are doing in terms of electronic migration. We decided to decongest our banking halls taking advantage of the e-channels that we have.

Our electronic migration which actually tried to measure if 100 people came to withdraw in our banking halls, what percentage of that is using electronic channels and what percentage had done physical cash.

“As at over a year ago, we are somewhere around 45 per cent but today, we are 83 per cent and that means that for every N100 that is withdrawn through our system, N83 is done through electronic channels.

“We are responding to changing consumer behavior, as well as changing their behavior. The starting pointing in addressing the trend is to understand how customers would like to be served and most customers would rather be served electronically than come to the banking halls.

“We have provided those channels and then social banking is one other aspect where we are getting stronger because you take the services to where people visit oftenusing the social media to adequately provide solutions and responses to the questions.”

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank Limited, Ifie Sekibo, the greatest impact of the financial institution on the nation’s banking landscape, is its contribution to the consciousness of using channels for distribution of financial services beyond the brick and mortar.

“It made other banks to see the need to continually improve on their distribution. For us, our e-payment platform is the way of life. It is the only way we have been able to stay in the industry in the face of all the competition. Anybody walking through our Experience Centers will see the deliberate push we are making to help our clients to see the technology first before they see the manual business. It is a deliberate step and we need to get them to trust it.

“Technology is a part of the financial inclusion strategy. I believe that our advantage will be how we are able to get our clients and those who are financially excluded to trust the channels we deploy and based on those channels, take decisions and take control of their lives and their financial activities. That is also part of the financial literacy.

Again, we are going to roll out Automated Banking Centers, because it is the best way, the cheapest and easiest way to get financial services to the unbanked. Nobody wakes up one morning and start trusting everybody and the best we can do is to show we are worthy of trust. The best way we can do it is to get people who are not in the financial services space integrated into the system and that is the beauty of sustainable banking.

According to the Access Bank’s Group Head, Inclusive Banking, Ope Wemi-Jones, “the Global Money Week presents another opportunity for the bank to affirm our commitment to the principles of inclusive and sustainable banking.

She said that part of the bank’s strategy was the innovation of products like the Early Savers Account for children, encapsulating financial literacy. “Early Savers Account is a value-based financial product exploring fun-filled and highly interactive financial literacy campaign to reach Nigerian children,” she said.

The hallmark of this year’s commemorative initiative by the bank include the adoption school, teaching of the Financial Literacy module- to enable them make informed decisions on matters relating to their finances by highlighting the importance of savings, while students from about 10 secondary schools across Lagos State will participate in the daily banking operations at the bank’s head office.

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, said: “The Bankers Committee through its SubCommittee on Financial Literacy has evolved a programme that would ensure that the Nigerian banking sector makes meaningful contribution to the attainment of this year’s goal of involving more than one million people in the exercise, which is expected to take place in over 80 countries across the world,” he said.

Rasaq Adeola

Okonkwo

Sekibo

Wigwe

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24 MONEYWATCH Wednesday, March 12, 2014

CBN, IFC move for improved banking with sustainability principles

By Chijioke Nelson HE Central Bank of Nigeria T (CBN) and International Finance Corporation have unfolded plans to improve further the banking landscape in the country with the globally acclaimed sustainable banking principles.

The principles, they said, when imbibed by banks and other financial institutions, would help them restore the place of people and planet in their business plans, beside profit making, which currently dominates transactions.

The Acting Governor of CBN, Dr. Sarah Alade, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Operations, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu, in a keynote address at the International Sustainable Banking forum, in Lagos, yesterday, said that the emerging issue in the finance world has

become imperative to meet the present needs, without compromising the future.

Sustainability in banking was conceptualized on the backdrop of environmental, economic and socio-economic well-being of the present and future.

“CBN has encouraged the adoption of sustainable banking in Nigeria because global business case for practices from a wide range of countries show that environmental and social responsibility supports business success and long term economic growth.”

“CBN recognizes the fact that unless social concerns such as gender disparity and women economic empowerment are addressed, economic and environmental goals and overall sustainable development will be difficult to achieve.

“We are collaborating with IFC to train and retrain staff on environmental and social issues. Similarly, the board of directors and top management would also be trained to set the tone,” she said However, the Country Manager Nigeria and Chief Investment Officer of IFC, Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor, said: “Sustainability is central to inclusive economic growth and aligns with IFC’s strategy

IRSTMONIE- the mobile payment solution of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited, secured a grant of $12 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a development described as boost to the nation’s financial inclusion drive.

According to a statement from the bank, the purpose of the foundation’s grant was to deepen the penetration of Firstmonie mobile financial services to the underbanked and lowincome communities, an essential contribution to the

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goal of driving financial inclusion in Nigeria.

The funds will be disbursed in tranches attached to performance milestones.

The solution was provided to entrench e-banking through the use of the mobile phone and mitigate the challenges of banking services delivery to the vast unbanked market.

Firstmonie enables subscribers to send and receive money, pay bills, buy airtime, and make sundry purchases in Nigeria without owning a bank account and at a price that is affordable to

ability report, effectively managing environmental and social opportunities and risks together help financial institutions create long-term value for their business and shareholders.

It also helps financial service providers differentiate themselves from competitors, improve their reputation among key customers and stakeholders, and generate goodwill and support from

stakeholders through increased transparency.

“We are working with banks and CBN to develop a collateral registry so that non-physical assets will serve as security and ones that banks will be comfortable with. We have relationship with 10 banks and we now working with them in this direction on risk sharing basis to lend to value chain of businesses that have more women,” he added.

Apex bank, others reiterate need for financial literacy

By Kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku HE Central Bank of Nigeria T (CBN) said that attaining financial literacy in the country is crucial to the stability of the nation’s financial system and the only way citizens can

Firstmonie, Bill & Melinda Gates partner to promote financial inclusion

By Chijioke Nelson

for long-term economic development. At forum, regulators and other stakeholders will share insights aimed at strengthening the environmental and social risk-management of financial institutions that will support sustainable ways of doing business for companies in emerging markets, and also stimulate greater financial inclusion.”

According to IFC’s sustain-

unbanked customers.

The platform also supports wealth creation by providing opportunities for thousands of entrepreneurs across the country and encourages financial inclusion through the availability of banking services for the unbanked and under-banked.

The Head, Mobile Financial Services, FirstBank, Mike Ogbalu, said the rigorous process of securing the foundation’s grant included a review of our business strategy, target market outreach plans, agent site visits and interviews.

make informed choices so as to take effective actions that would enhance their financial wellbeing.

This was disclosed in Lagos by the representative of CBN, Mr. Damola Atanda, of CBN’s Consumer Protection Department at a press conference organised by Credit Awareness and Ajapa World, as part of the activities of the 2014 Global Money Week.

Atanda said that one of the core mandates of CBN is promoting a sound financial system, which can only be achieved by engendering confidence among the Nigerian public on the effectiveness of the financial system.

He disclosed further that the apex bank along with other financial regulators from 20 developing countries made a commitment on financial inclusion which is referred to as the “Maya Declaration”, in Mexico where it was agreed to reduce the number of Nigerians that have no access to financial services to 20 per-

cent by the year 2020.

He said: “our essential and indispensable component of our consumer protection programme as well as the financial inclusion is financial literacy. It is only when the vast majority of the Nigerian population is financially literate that they can come on board the formal financial system, thereby contributing to financial stability. Financial literacy is no doubt crucial to the future and stability of our financial system.

“As a follow-up to the launching of the financial inclusion strategy, we developed a financial literacy framework, a document which articulates a strategic direction for a multi stakeholder approach to the delivery of financial education programmes across various target groups of the population. The framework aims to increase awareness and understanding of financial products and services, enhance efficient usage of

financial resources and empower Nigerians with the knowledge to make informed choices and take effective actions that would enhance their financial wellbeing.”

The Executive Director, Credit Awareness, who are the organizers and promoters of the celebration in Nigeria, Ladi Smith, noted that the event which was launched by the Child and youth Finance International (CYFI), Netherlands, in recognition of the need worldwide for children and youths to attain financial literacy is the largest movement dedicated to economic citizenship, financial education and financial access.

With this year’s theme as “What I Want in Future”, Smith said that the plan is to engage children worldwide in learning how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment and entrepreneurship and livelihood skills for children.”

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

25

ILLIONS of people around the next phase of the internet will Trust in Internet ‘now missing,’ as world celebrates 25 years of web be“The B world do not trust the Internet, data-centred and connectivity-driphone was hacked.

Kroes said it was claims European Commission ViceWide Web (WWW).

President, Neelie Kroes.

Today, reports have it that about two-third of the globe’s population now have access to the Internet.

The claim that the Internet is not trusted anymore became obvious, following allegations that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s

clear that trust was now missing.

Speaking at the Cebit tech fair in Hanover, Germany, Ms Kroes said the future of the Internet was based on trust. “Trust can never again be taken for granted,” she said.

Meanwhile, the world today, celebrates 25th anniversary of the World

It is now 25 years after Web inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British Computer Scientist submitted his proposal for the WWW, (March 12, 1989).

The web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view web pages that may contain text,

images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them via hyperlinks.

Ms Kroes, who is responsible for the European Commission’s Digital Agenda, was giving the speech to an audience which included Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron.

ven. Cloud computing, big data, the Internet of things; tools which support manufacturing, education, energy, our cars and more. The Internet is no longer about emails.

“To make the ‘leap of faith’ into this new world, reliability and trust is a pre-condition.

Marginalisation of local OEMs, foreign vendor dominance take toll on ICT sector

By Adeyemi Adepetun HE increasing apathy for locally made Information and Communications Technology (ICT) wares, including laptops, deskstop computers and software products seem to be bringing huge discomfort to indigenous equipment manufacturers in the country.

This is coming on the heels of increasing drop in personal computer ownership across the globe.

Besides, the proliferation and domination of foreign ICT vendors in the country has been described as a dangerous trend for the industry, which must be nipped in the bud.

According to the Chairman, board of Nigeria Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited, Prof. Turner Isoun, the continued dominance of foreign vendors has capacity to undermine will the war against security challenges.

Isoun, after a board meeting last week, frowned at this ugly trend saying this proliferation of foreign ICT vendors proposing and supplying security solutions to Nigerian security, Para-military and critical infrastructure bodies portend serious threats.

According to Isoun the danger is that the nation is exposed “to a myriad of potential security threats from otherwise restricted data being exposed to numerous vendors”.

Isoun who is the longest serving Science and Technology Minister in Nigeria’s history explained that “this predicament is particularly worrisome not only because of the present state of national insecurity but also because NigComSat Limited is the only government agency mandated to act as a clearing house and solution provider for security related ICT solutions to Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and institutions”.

Indeed, NigComSat Limited currently manages the National Public Safety Communications Systems (NPSCS), a national safety network. A network upgrade for the safety network is on, Isoun explained.

This, the board Chairman said, is to protect the nation’s borders and other key infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines.

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Omobola Johnson, minister FMcT

Ekeh

He therefore “cautions all government agencies to direct their ICT needs to NigComSat limited or through the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology within the next four weeks.

Isoun also advised state governments “who are interested in providing security solutions for their respective states to liaise with NIGOCMSAT limited for effective planning and integration into the NPSCS”.

In a related development, the Chairman, Zinox Group, Chief Leo-Stan Ekeh, in an interview with journalists at the weekend, said the Nigerian government need to do more to foster growth on indigenous equipment manufacturers in the country, stressing that local players are bleeding due to harsh business environment.

Before now, the Managing Director of Omatek Ventures had lamented the influx of foreign OEMs dominance of the country’s PC sector and

others, stressing that President Goodluck Jonathan must champion the buy made-in-Nigeria campaign.

According to Ekeh, one area which can deliver patronage for local OEMs include the education sector, stressing that this sector had yet to be explored to create the required demand for PCs, as is the case for most markets in the world.

He described the educational sector as the largest consumer of technological products, saying the Nigerian government had not done enough in that regard, owing to the degree of weakness and deficiency seen in the sector.

Ekeh stressed that the 21st Century student started with technology and has passion for technology; hence, the need for encouragement so that the technological developments that could lead to wealth creation are fast-tracked like is the case with countries in Europe and America.

He said Nigeria with its huge youth population is currently consuming less that 500,000 PCs yearly, while South Africa with a population three-times less than that of Nigeria, is doing over 1.2 million a year in terms of PC consumption.

The Zinox boss stated, “Any average university that is 20 years old, will have at least 500,000 students. This alone is a big market for technological products. But our governments are ignorant of this.”

He said a robust ICT market provided the right platform for creativity and innovation, which were better ways the country could build human capacities and drive revenue generation, adding that, “All the mega technological deals we read about everyday started like this. Some of these businesses, which were very small some few years ago, have turned out to be multi-billion dollar firms.

“The kind of money that is generated when some of these companies are sold cannot be replicated in many other sectors of the economy. For me, the only way God can bless Nigeria now is through technology. I am not against agriculture or oil and gas. The agric and oil sectors are rather too cumbersome and nature-driven.

“Nigeria’s foreign reserve today is less that $40 billion, which is a crisis because if major companies decide to buy foreign exchange at a time, we will have no money as a country.

Today, if Nigeria can commit $1bn to technology with 10,000 Nigerians exposed to technology, in the next two to five years, this will amount to $250 billion. It is only technology that can do this.”

At a function in Lagos, the President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Chris Uwaje, again reiterated the fact that foreign software still garnered more patronage than those made by Nigerians, this he described as a disincentive to ICT growth.

Uwaje said that government must take up the challenge and fashion out ways to develop and encourage the abundance of talent Nigeria is blessed with.

CPC to partner NCC, launches compendium of subscribers’ rights dress subscribers’ complaints bordering on poor telecoms service delivery.

Speaking during the event, the Director-General, some telecommunications operators across the CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said: “Like most interventions and innovations that have such an imcountry, the Consumer Protection Council has mense bearing on the general populace, abuses launched a Compendium of the Rights of are prevalent. Such abuses remain unabated if Telecommunication Subscribers in Nigeria. the consumers of these products or services The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who launched the com- know little or nothing about their rights in this regard. On the other hand, the conglomerates pendium in Abuja on Monday at the Consumer Roundtable on Phone Rights put together by the that provide these products or services benefit CPC, warned operators to play by the rules in line from the apathy of the uninformed consumers. with CPC’s crusade, saying, “the CPC is an agency “The Nigerian consumers of telecoms services have been unable to assert their rights due that can bark and bite.” largely to ignorance of these rights and where to She said there was a need for the NCC to complain. Therefore, in celebrating the World strengthen its collaboration with the CPC to ad-

N a bold move aimed at improving consumer Iscribers education and protecting the rights of subfrom certain exploitative activities of

Consumer Rights Day, with the theme ‘Fix Our Phone Rights’, the CPC believes that the way forward is to codify the rights of telecommunications subscribers so that they can access, read and understand these rights.”

Atoki added: “These rights come under segments such as poor network, unsolicited services, unlawful deductions/non-transparent billing, exploitative automated services, unauthorised SIM swaps/line disconnection, poor Internet services and poor customer service.

“The Compendium of the Rights of Telecoms Subscribers in Nigeria was developed by the CPC and is being launched as part of the commemoration of the World Consumer Rights Day. The consumer can take the compendium, which is very

simple and concise, to the relevant operators and say this is my right. The initiative is one step for us in our advocacy platform for public enlightenment in Nigeria.”

The CPC DG stressed that the agency would partner regulatory agencies and telecommunications operators “to ensure that consumers get value for their money.”

“In everything, collaboration brings out the best result. To the extent that the consumer right is put at the forefront, we will collaborate with the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission and the operators. The NCC has its powers while we have ours. There may be some overlapping functions but we will continue to insist that the consumer is the king and they must get value for their money,” she said.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

26 i-Tech & Telecoms Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Telecoms operators need $1.7tr investments to meet data demand

By Adeyemi Adepetun with agency report ETWEEN $1.5 trillion-$1.7 trillion is the amount of capital the B global telecoms industry needs to invest over the next five years in order to meet the demand for data.

Those were the figures mooted by Etisalat Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar and Telenor CEO and GSMA Chairman, Jon Fredrik Baksaas at the just concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

“The network of 2020 will be all-IP, it will need to handle enormous volumes of data, and be safe and secure. To realise this there are huge investments that need to be done,” said Baksaas, adding, “the business models behind this investment need to be there.”

Besides, Mckinsey, a global advisor and counselor to many of world’s most influential businesses and institutions also projected that extra $30 billion will need to be put into the global telecommunications sector by 2015 for expansion.

Indeed, in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer, Brymedia Consortium and a former CEO of MTN Nigeria, Adrian Wood had in an interview with The Guardian stated that Nigeria would need another $20 billion investment to revolutionise the broadband regime and record much more success that the voice era.

According to him, for Nigeria to become highly competitive in technology development, the country needs adequate broadband penetration, saying that in order to attract investments from foreign companies and countries, the country needs fast broadband rollout, and that is what is driving technology trends in developed counties.

“I think the voice segment has been able to attract appreciable level of investment, about $25 billion. The next broadband phase will require additional $20 billion investment for the needed impact,” Wood noted.

Already, Nigeria’s investment in the last 12 years, which was focused mainly on the growth of voice services, is put at over $25 billion. President Goodluck Jonathan recently affirmed that the

telecommunications sector grows 30 per cent year-on-year basis.

The minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson had at a recent broadband forum in Lagos hinted that government shopped for new $25 billion investment in Nigeria’s ICT sector, which would be channelled strategically to-

SWIFT Networks unveils portable wireless hotspot modem

By Bankole Orimisan

“We have introduced the SWIFT ‘Nomad’ to enable our teeming esteemed customers in Lagos, in the first inWIFT Networks, Nigeria’s provider of high speed broadstance, to continue access the fast and reliable SWIFT 4G band Internet and data services to enterprise and conLTE broadband service not only at home or in the office, sumer customers has launched its portable, nomadic and but also on the go. ‘The Nomad’ will only be available personal wireless hotspot modem tagged ‘The Nomad’ in through our 4G LTE network, being the fastest wireless continuance of its 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technolbroadband technology available today, to ensure that only ogy which has tripled its capacity and speed.

According to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) SWIFT Net- the best broadband speed is provided to our discerning customers,” he said. works Limited, Chuma Okoye, the new portable, nomadic Also speaking on the launch of the new modem, the Assisand personal wireless hotspot modem is designed to offer existing and potential SWIFT 4G LTE customers the conven- tant General Manager, Consumer Sales and Marketing, ience to take their high speed SWIFT 4G LTE broadband con- SWIFT Networks Limited, Mr. Philip Sonibare declared that the new portable, nomadic and personal wireless hotspot nectivity on the go, as they move around the city because modem would be available to both existing and prospecthe Nomad fits perfectly in a pocket, briefcase, handbag or tive customers on the 4G LTE network. in the car.

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wards realising the five-fold target increase on broadband connectivity across the country.

Meanwhile, at MWC, Julfar said that investments couldn’t just be made by operators, hinting that over-the-top service providers and governments needed to contribute in some way.

“All stakeholders need to work more closely together,” he said.

U.A.E.-based Etisalat benefits from a government that has stated its ambition to be the world’s leading provider of e-government services.

Julfar said that the government was aware of the “transformative effect” that mobile technology has on people’s lives.

Among the many initiatives being driven there is a scheme that will see mobile phones used in place of national identity cards.

“Other markets lack good, visionary governments,” he acknowledged.

Meanwhile, during the same keynote, America Movil CEO Daniel Hajj hailed the progress of Latin America.

“A few decades ago, few people would have predicted the economic development of Latin America,” he said, pointing to the financial crisis of the 1980s.

“Now you could call it the LatAm moment, or even the LatAm decade,” he said.

ICT is a “powerful engine for growth” in the region, he said, and this has helped America Movil grow into Latin America’s largest operator.

Buyam.com.ng adds more merchants N a bid to make online shopping more affordable, desirable Ihave and accessible to a wider range of people, Buyam.com.ng added more merchants to their growing repertoire of online stores.

Speaking on the latest addition of merchants to the site, Managing Director of Buyam.com Emeka Mordi, who said that the firm was committed to ensuring that its customers had a diverse and varied range of products and services to choose from, noted that in the last couple of months, “we have worked closely with our partners to understand the things they want, and most importantly, the things that they do not want. We have come to realise that majority of our customers want to be able to shop for different products, in different places, but at the same time and this is the unique platform that Buyam offers them.

“With the cost of getting onto the Internet dropping every day, it seems, e-commerce is fast becoming the way to do business, especially as you marry the online experience with the growing, aspirational middle class and a growing variety of payment options.

i-Tech & Telecoms Wednesday, March 12, 2014 27

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Minister, others unveil Techlaunchpad two

By Bankole Orimisan S part of the initiatives to develop the local software industry, the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology in partnership with (Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, FirstBank, Access Bank, Accenture, Digital Jewel and others, have close out ceremony for Techlaunchpad Phase one; launch of Phase Two and inauguration of the Demo Africa 2014 Local Organising Committee in Lagos recently.

The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, at the inauguration said that the programme would accelerate software development in the country. To ensure a smooth take-off of the programme, a 15man steering committee on the Technology Innovation Programme was also inaugurated by the minister to drive the process of selecting and mentoring young software developers for the country.

The minister noted that one of the key priorities of the ministry was to promote and facilitate the development of the ICT industry in Nigeria that can contribute immensely to the GDP. According to her: “Realising the huge potential of the software industry, we have put in place a set of initiatives that will assist the tech startups to create successful businesses, which will directly create job and wealth in Nigerian market.

The programme seeks software solutions (in beta stage) that can address specific challenges

A

Chief Executive Officer, Focus Softnet, Dubai, Ali Hyder (right) and Director, Focus Softnet Servces Nigeria Ltd., Moses Uvomata during the signing of a partnership agreement to distribute a wide range of IT software solution in Nigeria.

CWG, MAG Tech seek measures to stem cyber attacks N a bid to reduce the level of threat and cyber- attack in the Ifinancial sector, Computer

Warehouse Group (CWG PLC), the leading technology Company in Africa and MAG Tech, a specialized information security and intelligence firm has organized an information security session in Lagos, where all the decision makers charged with security in financial sector, and technology experts converged to deliberate on the new concept that will curb Cyber-attacks and fraud in the industry.

The session themed, ‘Security Operations Centre (SOC) - Financial Services in the Cyber Attack Era’ created a rich avenue for the stakeholders to extensively discuss and understand the new concept, Security Operations Centre (SOC) as the ultimate information security platform required to drastically minimize the Cyber-attack and

threats currently being encountered by the financial institutions.

Speaking at the session, the Chief Technology Officer of CWG, James Agada said that CWG as a technology firm goes beyond enabling businesses with products and solutions to concepts that will ensure 100 per cent security of all the customers’ transactions.

According to Agada, product and product knowledge are not adequate to achieve the end result of any business solution, and hence the need for the new concept, which is centered on how to detect and

react to fraudulent transactions.

He further expressed that 50 per cent of the transactions in the industry are running on the servers that are being managed by CWG’s seasoned and trained engineers. “Our aim is to ensure that these skills are internalized in Africa as information security is crucial to us and our customers” He said.

MAG Tech’s Chief Technical Officer, Nadav Arbel, in his presentation on darknet and crime stated that cyber-attack is originated from the darknet, which is the illegal part of the Internet.

• Inaugurates Demo Africa local organising committee in the industry. In the first phase of roll-out of the plan, the programme encouraged software solutions that could address challenges in the Analytics (BI), Mobility (Payment/Collection), CRM (Social Media Aggregator), Digital Media (Marketing, Webcast, Subscription), Fraud Management, Oil and Gas Repair and

Maintenance, Oil and Gas Decision Assistance.

According to the minister: “Solution must be innovative and not infringe on any known copyright Application and solution documentation must be in English Language Solution should not yet have been introduced into the market; but should require short lead time

Backup Networks moves to empower Nigerians in IT skills Nigerian information technology firm, Backup Networks A Limited, in collaboration with the National Open University (NOUN), has commenced a certificated training programme to empower Nigerians to develop expertise in smartphone repairs in the country though PhoneDoctorService.Com, a newly created unit of the company.

PhoneDoctorService.com is a special unit of Backup Networks Limited committed to the mission of harvesting technology solutions to meet the needs of mobile device users in organisations. Speaking in a statement in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Backup Networks Limited, Monday Ogbe, said that the partnership was designed to empower Nigerians to leverage the over 400 million smartphone business boom in the country for worthy employment.

According to him, with the growing rate of unemployment in Nigeria, PhoneDoctorService.Com provided a platform for unemployed and other interested Nigerians to undergo a week training after which they would be provided with the tools that enable them to handle any repair works on any kind of smartphone.

“Currently, there are over 400 million smartphone devices within Nigeria cutting across all major manufacturers and this number is increasing on a daily basis, as there are newer manufacturers coming in and one of the biggest challenges to the manufacturers is how to cope with the increasing demand for after-sales services to their customers. This is where we believe a huge opportunity lies for Nigerians,” he said.

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28 i-Tech & Telecoms Wednesday, March 12, 2014

National Identity Number will launder Nigeria’s image, says Onyemenam Chris Onyemenam is the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission. Recently, journalists engaged him in an interview, where he spoke on several issues including the challenges of the on-going national identity number project. He stressed that when completed, the numbers will help launder Nigeria’s image. ADEYEMI ADEPETUNwas there. Excerpts.

Why is the National Identity Management System (NIMS) project slow in delivering?

Slow? I do not share that view please. If you understand very well what this scheme entails you would discover that we are not slow at all. I think the cynicism that was carried over from past exercises is rearing its ugly head again, this time as ‘slow’, “impatience” and “misinterpretation” or wrongly comparing two similar but different processes. Unfortunately we have witnessed within a short time in our national history, the introduction of several data capture activities, especially those involving biometric data capture, that we are now not sure what is going on What, then, is the problem if slow is not the right word?

May be an illustration will help here: do you know how Banks in Nigeria establish branches nationwide? And link them up such that from any branch you can conduct a transaction on your Bank account? Each branch delivering the same services same way everyday since it was opened to the public for business and the customer friendly banking hall, looking similar if not the same (ambience)?, with all branches having constant power supply, internet and dedicated network connectivity that is secure and up all the time? It’s not magic, its careful planning and it happens as planned! We are opening

branches (Enrolment Centres) across the country and deploying, in this phase, close to 2,000 enrolment systems.

Already we have over 100 branches. It takes meticulous planning and a regime of adherence to technical standards to establish an Enrolment Centre. We must get it right each time and in each location. One wrong data input and everything goes bad. The fact is that Nigerians want to get quickly enrolled and be given a National ID Card, and we understand this.

You will recall that the enrolment exercise for the issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN), kicked off formally on October 17, 2013, in all states of the Federation, we are not doing badly at all. There are now permanent enrolment centres/locations across Nigeria. Mind you this enrolment exercise is not for a specified period and it will not end.

Very soon we will start issuing the National Identity Smart Cards which is what unfortunately, and very wrongly, everyone sees as ‘Identity Management’.

I think the problem is that in our mind we have since seen this exercise as another Identity Card Issuance process and we are waiting to see the ‘new Identity Card’ in the hands of citizens and perhaps another round of criticisms will follow, nothing else matters. That’s the problem, the mindset.

Are there other reasons?

Another reason for the unfortunate impression that the NIMC is slow is that we are used to calling people out for enrolment for a short period of time under the mistaken belief that registration is a one-off periodic exercise and there would be no need to ask people to submit updates and amendments to their records as and when necessary. That is not what identity management entails. Identity Card issuance is what we were doing in the past, and we didn’t make provision for continuous data capture and or updating of existing records. We didn’t even make the database available for any form of validation of those Identity Cards.

That was not Identity Management. In the case of identity management, you must provide avenues for making amendments and for updates.

You must deploy the resultant database to other uses, first of which is identity authentication and verification and in our clime, Identity Card Issuance.

Is the problem technology or perception?

The NIMS infrastructure deployment is highly ‘technology driven,’ but not a ‘technology provisioning’ as an end in itself. In the past we were not mindful of what we call the 4Es - that is the ability to Extend, Expand, Enhance and or Exit any technology, procedures and or processes, and because of this, changes

in technology are often very difficult to implement. If you design your system such that any change in technology requires that you start again, especially when you are stock with the Vendors, you have a big recurring problem on your hands. That was our experience in the past, but not so now.

That’s not how NIMC is structured at all, that’s not what NIMC is about.

Can you shed more light on this distinction?

At NIMC we have deployed a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that is being well secured and managed by a growing number of Nigerians who are doing this for the first time. It’s an ‘open system’ and we can easily adapt to changes in technology and do away with any recalcitrant Vendor or service provider, local and or foreign.

In the past the Card was an end in itself, today the Card is only one of the value propositions.

At NIMC now, the difference from the others is: we are doing identity management not identity card issuance; we are building a ‘live’ identity database involving an instantiated de-duplication process, not storage of database used to issue identity cards.

We are building a verification and non-repudiation infrastructure, not a static infrastructure; we are building something we as Nigerians are managing and contributing some solutions that are a substitute for foreign products and we are succeeding among others.

Do I need to be at the enrolment centre before registering?

Yes and no., funny isn’t it. Yes because we need to capture your biometrics under controlled environment. Just like Embassies and High Commissions ask Nigerians applying for a Visa to bring passport photographs with certain background. We require such a background. But we have a Mobile Enrolment Kit and can create a temporary environment for this to happen. There is an important innovation: the “enrolment form” is online on a dedicated pre-enrolment portal – www.ninenrol.nimc.gov.ng. So it can be filled on your own, using your computer at home, or at a cybercafe. You can also use the one in the NIMC enrolment centre. It’s not a difficult form to fill.

How far has the commission gone with the coverage of all local council areas in the country?

We have planned to cover all local governments in the course of the year. This will not be an easy task and of course you know we require budgetary provisions and timely releases to be able to do that. But if the concessionaires decide to invest right away this would happen in three months and all that is needed is 13,000 Enrolment Units (mobile and fixed), we are about 75 per cent away from that.

This whole thing is about deploying an infrastructure based on global best practice and conforming to specific international standards: people, processes, procedures, technologies and security, it’s about ensuring that we will now have a single version of truth of personal information of Nigerians in one location

Onyemenam based on global standards that will render it acceptable by all.

Unfortunately we are always looking at the registration exercise, which is only an aspect of the processes with the same mind set as in previous exercises. It is not a “dash” rather it is a “marathon”. Let’s not even talk about the need to establish the commission or the task of winding up the defunct Department for National Civic Registration, DNCR, because we have sorted those one out pretty well within budgetary constraints.

However if we concede that as you said earlier, Nigerians are worried about the slow pace, then rightly so because we have a “registration fatigue” and unless NIMC concludes this process fast, very fast, the transition/harmonization process will be longer and will witness instances of enrolment exercises here and there.

How long will these offices be open at the LGAs? That’s the missing point. Once a bank opens a branch in a location for how long does it remain open? Technically speaking, for as long as the bank is in operation; it’s the same with us. You must note that the plan to set up enrolment centres in the LGAs is to bring enrolment exercise closer to the citizens. Some of the offices allocated by the local government authorities are not suitable. In some others admittedly, the offices were abandoned because they were under the management of ghost workers who have since been sorted out. So they have been taken over by bushes. We now have to address issues around readiness and fit-for-purpose.

For some of these locations, NIMC will find a way to renovate them unless the premises are owned by local government and there is nothing wrong for them to “clean up these offices” if they can, why not? For offices rented by the NIMC in these local government areas, costs constraints might make it difficult for NIMC to quickly deploy enrolment centres in the local government areas. But as I said there is a deployment plan within the intervention strategy we have had to adopt.

What benefits does this identity project hold for Nigerians and the country as a whole?

When the NIMS project is fully operational, it will among other things: provide a convenient and simplified process for enrollment into the National Identity Database for the issuance and use of the National Identification Number

(NIN) and the National Identity (smart) Card. It will help protect you from identity theft and fraud by providing a simple, reliable, sustainable and universally acceptable means of confirming your identity at all times.

It will make life easier by providing Nigerians with an easy and convenient means of providing their identity anywhere in Nigeria and beyond.

It will help reform our political process by facilitating the work of the managers of the electoral process.

It will make it harder for criminals to use false or multiple, duplicate and ghost identities. This will help Government, through the enhanced performance of the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), to protect Nigerians from crime, especially Advance Fee Fraud and terrorism.

It will help reassure Nigerians that civil/public servants are who they say they are: no ghost workers phenomenon again. It will help the nation to better manage our national currency, achieve financial inclusion and deepen the Customer Credit System, which will help to grow the economy, create employment opportunities and raise the standards of living of Nigerians.

It will help to harmonise and integrate identity databases in government agencies (and also in the private sector) and optimize use of government resources; so that service delivery is enhanced across the economy.

It will promote and help to make tax and other government revenue generation processes easier because identities will be easier to prove. It will also help to launder Nigeria’s image because Nigerians can now prove their identity.

You will agree that there are duplication of citizens identity data, what are the dangers you think this portends for the country?

Duplication of identities is the bane of Nigeria’s Identity Management sector. From the ‘photo ID’ that can be obtained from any ‘Business Centre’ really, to various identification schemes in Federal Government Agencies where demographic and or biometric data for specific statutory reasons are collected, the problem is the same – ability to have more than ‘a single version of truth’ of an individuals personal information.

This has been extended to include the growing concept of ‘self-identification’ and others.

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30 i-Tech & Telecoms Wednesday, March 12, 2014

ISPON projects software growth in Nigeria

By Adeyemi Adepetun OING by the level of work G done and increasing awareness of the country’s software

Representing of Lagos state commissioner for Education, Mrs. Bello (left); Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate-General, Ms. Dehab Ghebreab; Director, Oando Foundation, Ms. Tokunboh Durosaro; commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, Adebiyi Mabadeje; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Oando Foundation, Dr. Odein Ajumogobia; CoderDojo Ireland’s representative, Eugene McDonough and Programs Manager, Oando, Kayode Sanni, at the Oando Foundation ICT centre pilot launch at Archbishop Taylor School, Victoria Island, Lagos.

‘Nigerian consumers desire unique products’

By Bankole Orimisan market research firm, Nielsen has revealed A in its study that the consumer behaviour in Nigerian market showed some interesting unique traits about the behaviour of the consumer in the most lucrative market in Africa and Nigeria.

The Country Manager Nielsen, Harshvardan Sarda, while sharing some of these market insights to clients during Nielsen Client Insight Event 2014 held recently in Lagos, said that a typical Nigerian consumer would want to stand out and keep with the trend just as he expects the products he is willing to buy to be fairly common and available.

According to him, Nigerians went after affordable and available products. But beyond availability of products, Sarda said that there was a whole lot more that was unique to Nigerian consumers: “They want products that are made for them. They don’t want something that is being adapted from somewhere else. Nigerians like products which are unique to them and

which meet their needs but at the same time must be products with good quality, value, fashionable and trendy, that really meet their needs.”

Further, Sarda said that 40 per cent of Nigerians spent their income on consumer goods which made it possible for growth for brands even as he revealed that the 50 per cent of the Nigerian population which were youth positions Nigeria as a country with high possibilities of trying new products. The youth population, according to him, was educated, mobile and any serious brand targeting the youth should have presence on the social media to connect with the youth.

Alisa Wingfield, executive director, Marketing & Communication, Africa and Middle East, Nielsen explained the purpose of the get together with clients and said: “We should be able to show our plans for Nigeria, the potentials for achieving a successful brand, there is more to achieving success and you can do that by showing insight of what consumers want.

potential, the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has projected growth of the industry even as it noted that the sector was capable of driving the country’s value chain if given the chance.

ISPON noted that software development had come a long way and taken Africa to another space, stressing that it had become sacrosanct to change challenges to possibilities and create needed values.

Speaking at the fifth edition of ISPON’s President Dinner in Lagos, sponsored by Active Edge Technologies Limited, the institute’s President, Chris Uwaje, who said that the country was blessed with abundance skills that could be channelled into productive purposes, however, noted that Nigeria was faced with the task of articulating and mastering its IT strategy as an effective response to the emerging information society.

On the theme of the dinner, ‘Software: As Sustainable Intellectual Property for the Development of Nigeria,’ Uwaje said that there would be no sustainable and meaningful development without innovative acumen.

He said: “For a very long time, Africans (and Nigerians in particular) have been indoctriintimidated and nated, confused about software engineering knowledge and capability in the digital realm.

“It is therefore unacceptable to affirm that Africa/Nigeria cannot develop functional software – which sums up that Africans cannot think logically.

We can make ‘Software Nigeria’

the winning story for the sustainable development of Nigeria’s future! After-all, software is life.”

To the guest speaker, the Managing Director of Soft Solutions, Fatumata Soukouna, software needed as an industry were expanding; therefore, efforts must be geared towards meeting them.

Soukouna said that, for example, in the banking sector, Ecobank was expanding, currently in 13 African countries, “they need software. In the oil and gas sector, they also need software. 19 of 53 African countries contribute to oil need globally. ICT must leapfrog all the sectors. We must act fast.”

According to her, to harness Nigeria and indeed Africa’s software potential, there must be concerted efforts and diversification, stressing that technology should be looked across board.

To achieve this feat, Soukouna hinged the success to partnership that will create and ecosystem.

To the Managing Director, Active Edge Technologies Limited, George Agu, he commended the President of ISPON and all members of the institute for their initiatives and effort towards promoting software development in Nigeria, and by extension, the local content agenda.

Inlaks brings Hyosung Windows 7 ATM into Nigerian market ITH the company’s core vi- transmit communication W sion of delivering greater using a technique known as values and benefits to banks in

the country, Inlaks Computers, an ICT and Infrastructure solutions provider confirmed the launching of Hyosung Windows 7 ATMs to banks in Nigeria.

According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Inlaks Computers, Femi Adeoti, this was ahead of Microsoft announcement of support stoppage for Windows XP in April 2014.

“The deployment began early this year and some banks have already taken advantage of Hyosung Windows 7 ATMs. The company still has large stocks of the products available to meet customers demands,” he said.

To Executive Director of Inlaks, Rajiv Bhatnagar, Hyosung Windows 7 ATMs delivered expanded security solutions with tighter control of process to

Session Zero Isolation, which made it harder for malware to exploit process and session boundaries.

“Microsoft had announced that support for Windows XP would cease in April 2014. The latest move therefore puts Inlaks ahead of the companies delivering ATMs in Nigeria’s ATM market.

Microsoft Windows 7 technology among others improves consumer experience as it comes with new features such as object selection, rotation, zoom out, scrolling and gesture functions on the ATMs, Bhatnagar said.

Aside this, Director, Sales & Strategy Infrastructure Business, Tope Dare said Microsoft Windows 7 enhances operational and maintenance efficiencies by enabling its installation technology known as ImageX useful.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Maritime Govt explains implementation of report on maritime sector

Bello

Jonathan

By Moses Ebosele HE Federal Government T has commenced phased implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential retreat on the maritime sector.

The retreat, which had in attendance strategic stakeholders in the maritime sector, was held in 2012 as part of measures to find lasting solutions to various challenges in the sector.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Nigeria Maritime Expo (NIMAREX) in Lagos on Monday, President Goodluck Jonathan explained that other recommendations of the retreat tagged “Harnessing the potential of the maritime sector for sustainable economic development” will be considered and approved for implementation on a “case-by-case.”

Represented by the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, Jonathan said that the imple-

mentation had commenced with the reintroduction of bunkering services.

Jonathan said: “You would recall that, a number of measures have been put in place over the last two years

by Government aimed at enhancing the operational efficiency in the various ports.”

The president added: “For instance, 24 hours operation has been achieved in the Lagos Ports where more than 60 per cent of our port activities take place.

“These efforts are continuous and involve all Stakeholders which require constant monitoring and evaluation.

“For the long term, the federal government is making concerted efforts towards ensuring the development of deep sea ports in the country.

This is the ultimate solution to the current port congestion as the cargo handling

are presently beyond their designed capacities.”

He said that this year’s expo with theme “100 years of maritime development in Nigeria” is apt and conforms to the centenary celebration of the Nigerian nationhood.

Jonathan told the gathering that the maritime sector remained a key sector of the economy, whose enormous potential deserves continuous harnessing in order to meet the expectation of the government.

Explaining further, the president said: “Let me use this opportunity to inform this distinguished audience that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the development of the Lekki Deep Sea Port which is expected to handle bigger vessels, and also create employment under Public Private Partnership (PPP) Initiative.

“Very soon, the ground-

Umar breaking for the construction of the port will be performed. On the Ibaka Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State, the steering and project delivery committee that was constituted last year has submitted its draft report and the transaction adviser has produced initial Due Diligence Report as well as the Outline Business Case (OBC).

“Furthermore, I also wish to state that discussions are in progress between the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMT), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on one side, the Lagos State Government and some Investors to develop the Badagary Deep Sea Port.

“Efforts are also being made to initiate similar arrangements with the Ogun and Ondo State governments and some investors to develop the Olokola Deep Sea Port.

“In addition, the contract for

Ciroma tasks boat owners on new code, safety

By Moses Ebosele HE proposed safety T code on the Nigeria waterways will be fully enforced, Managing Director of National Inland Waterways (NIWA), Hajia Maryam Ciroma has said.

Meanwhile, Ciroma has advised boat owners in the country to give adequate priority to the safety of Nigerians live in the riverine areas and rely on boats as a means of transportation.

Speaking at the flag off of a safety campaign on waterways in Nupeko and Malale in Niger State, recently, Ciroma

explained that the agency has observed that Nigerians living in riverine areas do not like wearing life jacket.

Ciroma said that campaign is intended to sensitise Nigerians in the coastal areas on the need to observe safety measures that will preserve their lives in the event of any accident on the waters.

Ciroma observed that the two recent boat mishaps in Nupeko and Malale could have been avoided if safety measures were observed.

She explained that when the accidents occurred, NIWA moved in quickly to cushion

the effect on the victims by donating relief materials such as live jackets to people of the communities.

Explaining further, the NIWA boss said: “We realised that it is not enough to just donate these life jackets. We have to really explain to the boats owners and operators how to make use of these jackets effectively so as to help save lives in the course of future accident that may occur.

“We are visiting these two Communities not only to enlighten them on all the necessary guidelines but to

also make additional life jackets available for the use of these Communities.

“We hope that at the end of our visit, the Communities would have been able to embrace all the necessary safety guidelines on our waterways.”

A news statement explained that Ciroma also disclosed that the campaign would be taken to all geo-political zones across the country, especially in the riverine areas.

The federal government through NIWA recently commissioned an Indian firm,

the consultancy services for the establishment of a port at Ogidigbe, near Escravos, as part of the Gas Industrial Park with Free Zone status, which is expected to be the hub for gas revolution initiative of the federal government is awaiting Federal Executive Council consideration and

approval.

“It is worthy to mention that a preliminary joint inspection has been carried out by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Bayelsa State Government for the Development of Agge Deep Sea Port in the state.

Group urges tough line against piracy HE Baltic and International T Maritime Council (BIMCO), the owners group representing 65 per cent global tonnage, has called for a firmer application of the United Nation’s Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to suppress piracy.

By liaising and communicating with all stakeholders on a regular and well co-ordinated basis, threats can be identified and responded to effectively and in a timely manner, according to London’s Tanker Operator.

Messrs Green Stratus Consulting as Transaction Adviser for the concessioning of Onitsha and other River Ports.

Speaking at the just-concluded 2014 stakeholders’ Conference on the economic use of the Onitsha River Port, Ciroma explained that the need to regulate the use of the nation’s waterways cannot be over-emphasised considering the security challenges that have been facing the nation in recent times.

Stakeholders in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum urged the federal government to come up with

Piracy will likely remain at the top of BIMCO’s list of security priorities “The situation at sea remains reversible if we lower our guard and at least for now, piracy continues to be a real threat,” BIMCO said.

Meanwhile, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) representing 80 per cent of the world’s tonnage has published a paper on the shipping industry’s experience of Somali-based piracy from 2007 to 2013.

ICS Secretary General, Peter

legal and administrative framework that will help bring to light the enabling environment that will encourage businesses to thrive at the Onitsha River Port.

The conference also adopted the following resolutions: • Commended the federal government for the huge investment expended on the dredging of the Lower River Niger and the successful completion of the Onitsha River port to facilitate inter-modal transport system for evacuation of both cargoes and passengers in view of the economic advantages,

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GUARDIANENERGY ENERGY /40

Energia hands over N4.48m roads, facilities to host communities

OIL

ENERGY /42

PIB’s intrigues and Nigeria’s gas revolution agenda

ENERGY /39-40

The Future of world oil

POWER

GAS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

www.ngrguardiannews.com; www.theguardianmobile.com

Rising profile of Nigeria’s crude oil production Shell’s oil platform

By Roseline Okere IGERIA’s crude oil production has continued to be on the upward swing in the past few months, after several months of flooding and theft induced output disruptions.

According to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria witnessed a significant increase in its production capacity between December 2013 and February, 2014.

Besides, crude oil production is expected to increase to 2.7 million barrels per day by 2020, according to the Nigeria Oil and Gas Report for the first quarter of 2014.

The country recorded 281.7 barrels per day increase in crude oil production in the month of December 2013.

Crude oil theft, sabotage and technical problems have caused crude output to drop in the last one year.

According to the Nigeria Oil and Gas Report, released by Business Monitor International last week, oil production is expected to increase to

N

2.70 million bpd by 2020, as ambitious projects such as Usan peak and Bosi, Egina and the Bonga fields come on stream in the coming years.

BMI believed that adoption of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), would be a strong signal for investors that Nigeria’s hydrocarbons sector is ready to move forward.

Also, figures from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) showed that the country produces maximum crude oil capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day.

It noted that the country has Africa’s largest producer of oil and the sixth largest oil producing country in the world and appeared to have a greater potential for gas than oil.

It added that output should ramp-up more significantly as many large fields come online after 2014.

The United State’s Energy Information Administration (IEA), said that Nigeria has an estimated 37.2 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves as

of January 2013 — the second largest amount in Africa, after Libya.

It noted that the majority of reserves are found along the country’s Niger River Delta and offshore in the Bight of Benin, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Bight of Bonny.

“Current exploration activities are mostly focused in the deep and ultra-deep offshore with some activities in the Chad basin, located in the northeast of the country.

“Another major factor that contributed to the upward trend in output was the continued increase in new deepwater offshore production.

The government took measures to attract investment to deepwater acreage to boost production capacity and diversify the location of the country’s oil fields.

“To incentivize investments in deepwater areas, which involve higher capital and operating costs, the government offered PSCs in which International Oil Companies (IOCs) received a greater share of rev-

enue as the depth increased”, it disclosed.

IEA stated that there are several planned upstream deepwater projects that are expected to increase Nigerian oil production in the medium term when the PIB is passed into law.

Speaking on the success of the oil and gas sector so far, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani AlisonMadueke, said that the

country’s crude oil production (including condensate) has been consistently maintained above an average of 2.30 million barrels per day (mbpd) despite illegal oil bunkering, crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

She added that following the Federal Government’s amnesty program, Nigeria’s production rose from an average of 1.9 mmbpd in 2009 to a peak of 2.62 mmbpd in Oc-

tober 2010.

Alison-Madueke stated: “Sustaining production at these levels continues to be challenged by increasing pipeline vandalism and crude theft, which intermittently results in production falling below the programmed 2.46 mmbpd and rebounding following government intervention to stem this menace. The

CONTINUED ON PAGRE 40

US demand for Nigerian crude rebounds

By Sulaimon Salau dramatic twist was recently recorded in the demand for Nigerian sweet crude by the United States (U.S.), cushioning the fears of possible dangers ahead for Nigerian oil exports.

Stakeholders had expressed apprehension over the possible crack in the market for the Nigerian crude, due the emergence of the shale oil, which was discovered in large quan-

A

tity in US. Previous records have shown a sharp drop in demand by US buyers, but the recent development was an unforeseen twist of events.

Trade sources revealed increased crude export activities with only about 12 out of the 62 Nigerian loading cargoes unsold from the April export programme.

They linked the increased demand to logistics problem causing delays in the transport of domestic US crudes, which sparked interest from US refiners in Dated Brent and related grades.

According to sources, the grades traveling to the US for March and April loading were Nigeria’s Abo, Brass River, Qua Iboe, Usan and Yoho, and Angolan grades such as Dalia, Girassol, Hungo and Pazflor.

The increasing demand is said to be pushing up the price of Nigerian grades. For example,

the Qua Iboe was assessed at Dated Brent plus $2.64/b, the strongest value seen since October 24.

Another trader said: “The market has been a little stronger than last week. The US buyers are more involved this week. It seems that the US crude stocks have been going down in the past few weeks at Cushing, and they seem to need more crude.

“And, they are looking for sweet barrels. The other reason [for the demand has been the colder weather in the US. There has also been interest from the US for the heavier grades [as can be seen with their demand for Dalia and Pazflor].”

Sources said refiners like Phillips 66, Sunoco, Valero, Tesoro and even oil majors like ExxonMobil and Chevron were seen buying more West African crudes for March and April loading than usual.

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40 Wednesday, March 12, 2014

PIB’s intrigues and Nigeria’s gas revolution agenda

By Sulaimon Salau HE Federal Government’s T institutagenda of ing a massive gas infrastructure development to boost industrialization in the country may be presently running below expectations, going by the fading of interest by some gas-based investors over the intrigues of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2013 ordered an imperative action for sustainable long term economic

development of the country, through a robust gas infrastructure and pricing framework, but the prolonged delay in passage of the oil and gas industry legislation has negatively impacted on such important programme.

Experts in the industry told The Guardian recently that the initiative was laudable, but would require a robust operating environment supported by a fair legislative framework.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Elshcon Nigeria Limited, Emi Membere-Otaji,

urged the Federal Government to put measures in place to drive the domestic gas market and position the country for increased exports.

According to him, “we have the reserve, but it remains the political-will from our leaders to monetize the reserve and reduce flaring. We have the capacity, so if we align it with the political-will, we can achieve the gas revolution target.

“We have tried, but we need more than that to achieve the target. There are competitors everywhere; in the East Africa

almost all their wells are set.

They are ready to compete, not to talk of Qatar and other oil producing countries. We need to wake up; otherwise, we may miss the target.”

Emi-Membere urged the legislators to summon courage and pass the PIB into law. He said the legislation should be passed in a win-win situation, whereby it would be beneficial to all parties.

According to him, the bill should enhance investment profile in the industry, and also actualize the objectives of

the government.

A recent BMI report, forecast that Nigeria’s gas production would increase in double folds from an estimated 36.4billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2012 to 85.3bcm by 2022, if the gas revolution agenda was achieved.

The report expected that booming demand from the ambitious power sector programme and increased gas export engagements would bolster production growth.

BMI saw Nigerian gas consumption rising from an estimated 5.8bcm in 2012 to 15.0bcm by 2022.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, had said that the massive gas infrastructure development across the country is aimed at getting gas to industries and that Abuja and the Northern part of the country would be linked with gas

pipelines for rapid industrialization by 2015.

Besides, she said the gas revolution agenda would result into the massive boost in gas to power supply for electricity generation up to five gigawatts, establishment of commercial framework for gas, massive development of gas infrastructure across the country and the stimulation of gas-based industrialization with the Ogidigben Gas City in Delta State as the flagship project with a capacity to create 100,000 jobs at the construction stage.

Nigeria with gas reserves of 182Tcf (trillion cubic feet) compared with total crude oil reserves of 36.8 billion barrels is certainly more of a gas country and the global shift to the use of gas as a cleaner energy makes the emphasis on gas development imperative.

Lubricants Technical Manager, Oando Plc, Ayobami Odetola (left); Head of Marketing Communication, Seun Soyinka and Marketing Manager, Lubrication, Seun Adeosun at the unveiling of the company’s TVC in Lagos.

Energia hands over N4.48m roads, facilities to host communities

By Roseline Okere NERGIA, a marginal oil E field company operated jointly with Oando has commissioned and handed over several projects in its 2013/2014 corporate “give back to its host communities” scheme in Ndokwa Local Government Area of Delta State worth N448.2million.

The projects were executed from the $5.9 million so far remitted to the host communities through their respective community Trust Funds from the inception of production in 2009 in the impacted communities development scheme of Energia.

Top among the projects was the 2.8 kilometer EmuEbendo community road; asphalted with interlocked walkways and drainage system; Obodougwa community road; and Umusam community road. Others are Umusedege Okpalauku’s palaces and several water boreholes complete with generating sets for all round pumping.

The Emu-Ebendo road which like other community projects, were handled by companies of the host communities, was built at the cost of N265,378,652; Obodougwa road cost N46,270,504, Umusam community road cost N94,234,520, Ok-

palauku’s palace was built and furnished with N30,134,139, while the bore holes cost N12,210,753.

Several projects like markets, refurbishing of schools, town halls, water projects, transformers for stable power supply and peace and reconciliation programme were executed in the 2011/ 2012 development year.

The harvest of projects is a result of a novel Corporate Social Responsibility approach adopted by Energia whereby a percentage of crude production was given to the communities who decide what projects they would execute with the allocation.

Speaking at the commission-

ing and handing over ceremony, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Pro. Amos Utuama commended Energia for being novel in their approach to community development projects and assured them that the State would do all within its powers to ensure a good and peaceful working environment.

Utuama who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on ICT, David Ighovoja, charged the community youths to ensure a peaceful working environment as increased production meant more projects and gains, which were transforming the communities.

He tasked other companies operating in the State to borrow a leaf from Energia as government could not handle all development projects alone.

He expressed surprise and happiness that within a short period of their operations, their reward to their host communities have already transformed the area.

Managing Director of Energia, Engineer Felix AmieyeOfori pointed out that the projects that were commissioned were just part of the many projects and programmes so far executed by his company and assured that inspite of all challenges they were facing, their relationship with the host communities

could only get better.

He explained that Energia ensured the building of a transparent structure through the signing of Memorandum of Understanding and Trust Fund which outlined the obligations of each party in the agreement.

“Pursuant to the trust Deeds and MoUs with the respective communities, a Trust Fund where three per cent of the gross production proceeds of crude sale by the Joint Venture is remitted for the sustainable infrastructural development projects and human capacity building of the respective communities”, Amieye-Ofori explained.

a view to becoming a dominant player in product retailing, as is the case with other National Oil Companies.

As a result, she said NNPC retail has become a more prominent player in the Retailing segment of the Oil industry and is gradually becoming the bedrock for product supply stability and the benchmark for petroleum product quality, and pricing across the country.

She stated: “The number of NNPC retail outlets has increased to 505 in first quarter of 2013 from 465 in 2010; a growth of about nine per cent.

In the same vein the company’s market share in total white products has grown to

13.3 per cent over the same period. The company has already become the market leader and the choice brand in the downstream petroleum retailing business in the country.

As the company continues to affiliate more strategically located and large volume stations, new Mega and Standard stations are also being built.

“The supply of petroleum products at controlled prices to riverine communities in the Niger Delta has been significantly enhanced with an increase in the number of operational Floating Mega Stations from six to nine over the same period”.

Rising Profile of Nigeria’s oil industry CONTINUED FROM PAGRE 39 government is tackling this problem through enforcement and the crude oil fingerprinting initiative.

“As part of improving accountability with regards to Nigeria’s oil production, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has concluded a pilot scheme for real time crude oil production monitoring.

“The programme which is referred to as National Production Monitoring System (NPMS) is a remote monitoring system emplaced not only to monitor real time production, primarily, but also other field parameters needed for effective reservoir manage-

ment and administration.

“The government is also committed to recapitalizing the National Oil Company through the asset transfer program by which government’s equity interest in assets divested by the International Oil Companies are transferred to Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

She explained that the assignment of Federal Government interest to NPDC has reduced the cash-call requirement for yearly appropriation in respect of these assets since NPDC is a self-funding subsidiary of NNPC and, the transfer of such assets are not free but on the basis of a con-

sideration to be paid by NNPC to the federation.

Beyond this, she noted that the strategic implication is that going forward, NNPC’s upstream business will be well endowed with quality assets to be a viable, vertically integrated national oil company. “These asset assignments will make NPDC a medium sized independent Exploration and Production company, with future potential production in excess of 300 kbpd.

“NPDC currently supplies approximately 425MMscfd of natural gas into the domestic market to fulfil its domestic gas obligations to the federation”.

She disclosed that about 2700 hectares of land has now been secured at Ogidigben in Delta state for the Gas Industrial City, expected to be the largest gas based industrial park in Africa.

She said that the gas city would host Africa’s largest Petrochemical, Fertilizer and gas processing plants, creating over 100,000 jobs during the construction phase and many millions more post commencement of operation by 2017/18.

The minister pointed out that NNPC has taken steps to expand its role in the delivery of petroleum products to the public through the NNPC Retail’s network of stations, with

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014 41

TCN targets 10,000MW capacity by 2017

By Sulaimon Salau HE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has unveiled plans for complete overhauling of the transmission grid to improve electricity distribution in the country.

The Chairman of TCN, Ibrahim Waziri, who made this known during a facility tour of some on going projects in Lagos, recently, said the company is expected to hit about 10,000 Mega Watts (MW) capacity by 2017 and 20,000MW by 2020.

Waziri said that the visit was scheduled to examine the state of the existing and new facilities and finds ways to improve the power transmission to the distribution companies and finally to the end users.

According to him, the board will in no distance time ensure significant reduction of energy loses in the country.

He said: “The company is working towards completing over 160 ongoing projects within the country to serve the electricity consumers effectively. We are working towards achieving 10,000MW capacity by 2017, while planning to hit 20,000 MW by 2020. This projection had been at the front burner of the board in achieving sustainable power supply in the

T

country.”

The TCN boss disclosed that the country presently has about 5,000MW installed generation capacity while only about 4,100 MW is been distributed, adding that the transmission has the capacity to transmit 7,000MW. Waziri however assured that all pending projects across the country would be completed soon, assuring that the board and management of TCN remained focus towards achieving desired objective.

“Lots of investment had gone into power sector, and we are poised to ensure relianble power transmission and equitable distribution to all required distribution companies.

“Human capital renewal is important to the board, and we have assured our staff on prompt and effective human capital development,’’ he said.

Waziri said that the board is working towards engaging the states and local councils to eradicate building of illegal structures under the transmission towers across the country.

He said that such illegal structures had been a great challenge to the board, while advising residents under the tower to relocate to avoid unexpected dangers.

Green Gas lists benefits of CNG REEN Gas limited (GGL), a The General Manager, while G joint venture company of giving an illustration of a jourNigerian Gas Company (NGC), ney from Lagos-Benin City cova subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in partnership with Nipco Plc, has rolled out the benefits for cars running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the country.

According to the company, motorists whose cars run on CNG would enjoy substantial savings on fuel cost comparing to premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol and Automotive Gas oil (AGO) or diesel.

The benefit is premised on the current selling price of N97 per litre of PMS in the country compared to the N55 per Standard Cubic Meter (SCM) of gas, equivalent of a litre of petrol being offered by GGL to motorist running on CNG. GGL General Manager, Natural Gas, Anirudh Narula, made the observation known while evaluating the growing benefits of CNG powered vehicles in the country.

He said motorists using car running on CNG tend to move around at relatively cheaper rate of gas consumption than they could with petrol of equivalent litre content.

Narula maintained that the impact of GGL on the auto industry especially from the Benin, do State axis has given motorists a veritable avenue to save money as recent studies have successfully proved that a shift from petrol to CNG can result in reduction of cost of travel by half .

ering 320km, said that the cost of travel on petrol is N6, 208, while that of CNG is N2,933, thus giving a saving of N3,275.

According to him, motorists in Benin city, Edo State and its environs had been enjoying the savings following the inauguration of CNG stations in the ancient town, aside from other ancillary gains of using compressed gas as vehicular fuel.

He pointed out that GGL has commissioned various CNG stations in Benin City and is now expanding to highways and other cities to provide avenues through which interested motorist can convert their vehicles to use CNG and re- fuel as well.

According to him, more CNG stations are being constructed in 10 different locations along the Benin- Warri expressway, Benin- Abuja expressway, Benin-Lagos expressway, and in Warri metropolis, all in a bid to make access to CNG better for existing and prospective motorists in the country.

He stated that in 2013, over 3,000 automobile customers switched to CNG in Benin city alone, stressing that they are already enjoying the benefits of having their vehicles run on natural gas as against the conventional liquid fuels.

Narula explained that there is a huge potential in the country to convert most of the vehicles on the roads to use CNG even despite government subsidies on cost of petrol.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company, Lucas Scaraffiotti, (left) Member, House Committee on power and Chairman, Diaspora Committee, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and Chairman Momas, Engr. Kola Balogun, during a courtesy visit to the factory in Lagos.

Strategic alliance imperative for indigenous participation in oil sector

By Roseline Okere FTER about six decades of A dominance of the nation’s oil industry by multinationals, Nigeria’s petroleum sector is witnessing an upbeat in participation by the domestic private sector.

Indigenous companies that 10 years ago controlled less than three per cent of oil and gas production in Nigeria, now have control over 10 per cent.

Co-Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Energy, Scott Aitken, had said at the 20th Africa Oil Week Conference, that indigenous companies will control up to 30 per cent of local production within five years.

In the upstream subsector, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) recently sold its interests in four oil blocks to indigenous companies including Shoreline Natural Resources (in partnership with Heritage Oil and Gas Plc; Neconde Consortium led by Nestoil Plc amongst others.

Equally, indigenous companies are now taking control of lucrative pipeline construction projects.

The Managing Director of OilServe, Emeka Okuruosa, said recently that the competition is now between indigenous companies and their foreign counterparts.

According to Okuruosa, as at 2013, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN)’s membership had doubled to the extent that 60 of them have signified interest in taking part in Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).

In the Nigerian context, it is possible for multinationals and independent local players to evolve other structures in which the talents and endowments of the two entities can be used to increase the value and performance of oil and gas sector portfolio, taking cognizance of the fact that separate structures are not necessarily being deployed to maximize their full

benefits of their capabilities.

According to experts, strategic alliance is needed to boost indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector.

Numerous alliances in the global oil industry abound, ranging from British Petroleum (BP) and Statoil, for international exploration and production activities, Armaco which was an alliance during its initial phase with the Saudi Arabian government and the Western oil company, shareholders, Chevron, Texaco and Exxon/ Mobil, andTexaco/Shell Notiva venture, among others.

There were also Eni and PetroChina which entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop unconventional resources such as Shale gas in China.

Sinopec agreed with Australia Pacific LNG to purchase a 15 per cent stake in the AP LNG projectfrom Conoco Philips and Origin Energy Limited.

In Nigeria, the Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA), signed between Atlantic Energy (AE) and Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC) a subsidiary of Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was not the first, as the model has been in existence for over 10 years with Agip/ENI executing the first such contract with NPDC in the year 2000.

Under the agreement, Atlantic Energy will assist NPDC fund its entire operational and capital expenditure obligation and will get a tiered share of production above the baseline amount.

SAA enables NPDC access funds to bankroll exploration and production that will ramp-up production in its onshore/swamp assets to 250,000bpd and 670mmscf respectively by 2015.

There are also other benefits that SAA offers such as, increase in revenue accruable to Government as a result of incremental production without funding obligations on Government.

NPDC pays full value of royalty and PPT prior to declaration of profit oil which is then split at pre- agreed ratio with the SAA counterparties, transfer of exploration risk to the strategic alliance partner, the reward model incentivizes further exploration by ensuring the strategic alliance partner takes risk in finding new

reserves, provides lower cost of funds when compared to PSC and SC, higher Government take when compared with JV and PSC and there is the additional advantage of Atlantic Energy’s provision of technical, managerial and project management training to personnel of NPDC as required through the partnership The alliance merely confers on AE, the entitlements to receive allocation of a portion of NPDC’s share of profit from the relevant oil mining leases areas. The company is equally entitled to independently lift, dispose of and retain proceeds of crude oil it gets from the NPDC as remunerationin-kind, according to the terms of the alliance.

Energy analyst believed that other indigenous investors can take a cue from the Strategic Alliance to deepen investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

The challenge of funding should not be a hindrance as Nigerian banks are developing risk-appetite for oil sector financing due to their recapitalized status or loan syndication could be a best alternative.

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The future of world oil

By Diezani Alison-Madueke HE demand for oil has conT tinued to rise steadily, alongside an ever-increasing demand for fossil fuel for the transportation and power sectors, with the exception of a few blips in the 1970s and 1980s. It is worthy to mention, that over 60 per cent of the fossil fuel demands end up in fuel tanks. This situation is further exacerbated, by the rapid growth in vehicular transportation in the world’s two most populous countries, China and India with millions of the driving public in the middle class. The big oil companies, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and America’s Energy Information Administration, all predict, that demand for crude oil will continue to increase. Expectation is that global crude oil demandwill continue to grow from 89 million barrels per day (mbpd) to 97 million barrels per day by 2020 approximately 115mbpd, by 2040.

As we continue to feel the effects of the recent global recession, many unresolved economic challenges add to the uncertainty associated with long-term assessment of world energy markets. However, based on current reserves estimates, global supply of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons, based on current consumption patterns, is adequate to meet the world’s long term demand for liquid fuels up to 2040. This supply is expected to sustain world energy consumption, projected to grow by 56 per cent between 2010 and 2040, according to International Energy Outlook 2013 (IEO2013).

Several factors possess the potential to influence the future of world oil demand and supply. I have selected a few of these critical factors for discussion in this forum.

Future Economic Conditions The demand for oil correlates closely, with general economic growth rates. The occurrence of recessions and other periods of low or negative economic growth, will typically have adverse impacts on oil demand and supply outlook. In addition, changes in population growth rates, government austerity programs and the global financial situation, which includes but is not limited to: currency exchange rate fluctuations, sovereign debt downgrades, defaults, inability to access debt markets due to credit or legal constraints, liquidity crises etc. All these will,of course, impact the future demand for world oil.

As such, restructuring of fiscal systems and other events or conditions, that impair the functionality of financial markets, will continue to play significant roles in the future of our hydrocarbon resource, especially in the developing countries. This is therefore a clarion call, for developing and emerging economies, to develop strategies in governance — with financial discipline, that will critically underpin continuous development of their industrial sectors, to continue to sustainably stimulate their economic growth.

Oil producing countries in the developing world, particularly in Africa, need to shift from predominantly crude oil pro-

duction, to an integrated oil and gas development, with much greater emphasis on the domestic utilization of their natural resources, with particular reference to the power and industrial sectors, as a pivot for economic growth, whilst ensuring less dependence on finished products. If adopted, this strategy will not only drive growth but also address the ever-increasing unemployment situation in developing economies; consequently mitigating against increases in crime and insecurity.

We need to encourage more private participation in the oil and gas sector, rather than the historical majority control by governments in the developing countries. There is therefore the urgent need to privatise the oil and gas sector in emerging economies, freeing up critical funds for infrastructural development by government, to meet the needs of the citizenry.

Technological Advancement It is worthy to mention that advances in technology have played both positive and negative roles in the future of world oil. These improvements in technology have and will significantly unlock potentials in reserves and increase production. However, similar improvements in fuel efficiencies in the transportation sector will significantly decrease the demand for fossil fuels. As we have seen with the US shale revolution, the improvement in fracking technologies will continue to increase reserves base, and consequently the production potential of unconventional oil and gas. However, the growing popularity of electric and hybrid cars, along with vehicles powered by natural gas or hydrogen fuel cells, will have a negative effect on future demand for oil.

Impact of Shale Oil and Expected Decline after Year 2020According to the 2013 World Oil Outlook, tight oil supply from the United States and Canada is expected to have plateaued between 2017 and 2019, consequently causing a slowdown in the contribution of tight oil, to supply, in the long-term.

Outside North America, tight oil production is also expected to contribute marginally to the global oil supply, in the medium to longer term; as countries such as Russia, Europe and China, make limited progress towards unlocking their shale reserves. This will, however, leave the market once more dependent on crude from the OPEC countries, of which Gulf and African crude oil producing countries, will continue to be key players.

At the backdrop of the impact of the North America unconventional oil revolution is the export diversion it is creating to mainly Asian countries. There is the urgent and growing need, for integration and collaboration, especially in Africa towards the utilization of crude oil and gas, geared towards the stimulation of regional economic growth. This calls for the fast track and speedy development of refining capacities in East (Kenya and Uganda) and West Africa (Nigeria), to cater for increasing demand of petroleum products, create employment, and further reduce import dependence.

Political Unrest in Middle East

and North Africa As we have seen, potential world crises, in oil-producing countries, can dramatically increase global oil prices. Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, undoubtedly impacted on the current price of crude oil, globally. A Prolongation of these conflicts will continue to impact on global energy demand and supply mix.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and parts of Africa will continue to dominate the future of world oil, and consequently impact crude oil price in the medium to longer term. You will recall that since 2012, crude oil prices have remained at around $95-$100 a barrel, as a result of geopolitical concerns from both regions.

In addition to Political Unrest, crude oil theft, kidnapping, and pirate attacks, on crude oil operations in key oil producing regions, have added an unfortunate new dimension, in reshaping the future of our hydrocarbon resources.

Crude oil theft, kidnapping and pirate attacks on crude oil operations are fast becoming the norm in these regions. A global collaboration effort akin to the “Blood Diamond” strategy tagged “Blood Oil” is necessary to curb its continuous impact on the future of World Oil. This collaboration will require regional, continental and global coordination in the tracking, seizure and repatriation of illegal money from crude oil theft. In the same vein, the classification of kidnapping and piracy of crude oil vessels as an international crime is now imperative.

There is indeed the additional foreboding risk that if these huge funds are not tracked and seized, they become a serious security and terrorist threat to oil producing regions, especially the Sub Saharan Africa which is a major player in determining the Future of World Oil and indeed the world at large.

Influence of OPEC Members on oil price compared to NonOPEC Members As you may be aware, the future of world oil depends strongly on continuous discovery of new reserves and production by both OPEC and Non-OPEC countries. Between them, the current global split of production and reserves is approximately 50/50, even though there exist differentials in production costs tilting mostly in favour of OPEC countries. As a result, nonOPEC producers tend to produce at, or near, full capacity and so have little spare capacity.

It therefore, goes without saying that this dependency on OPEC, will continue to strengthen its ability, to influence the future of world oil and to consequently play a significant role, in stabilizing crude oil prices, in the medium to longer term. The future of world oil also depends, significantly, on Petroleum Laws that are designed towards a fair share of revenue, between the resource owners and investors in new frontiers as well as in maturing basins in the developing

Alison-Madueke countries. Laws such as the Petroleum Industry Bill, must be designed and implemented to promote transparency, accountability and most importantly an equitable share of revenue, and an inherent positive impact on the Nation State that will ensure the creation of jobs, along with the expected return for the resource owners and the polity at large.

Conclusion Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, let me conclude,by emphasizing that clearly, critical proactive measures are essential for the risk management challenges associated with peaking of world oil production. As peaking of

world oil production draws near, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically. Without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented.

Increases in oil exploration, institutionalization of fuel efficient vehicles, improvement on oil recovery from existing sands, coal liquefaction, exploitation of tar sands for heavy oil, and clean substitute fuel from natural gas, are all viable mitigation options existing on both the supply and demand sides. In addition, there is the urgent need to address the geopolitical, security, crude oil theft and piracy challenges, in the Middle East

and Africa, in order to reduce their impact on the future of world oil. To have significant impact on the future of world oil; solutions to these myriad challenges must be initiated more than a decade in advance. Therefore, distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, the time to act is now, if collectively, we intend to guarantee the future of world oil for a few more generations, to come.

Being paper delivered by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke at the just concluded CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Atlantic Energy sponsors Nigerian oil, gas conference TLANTIC Energy has unA veiled plans to support this year’s edition of the Nigeria Oil & Gas (NOG) conference as a platinum sponsor for the 3rd consecutive year. The NOG is the largest oil & gas conference in sub-Saharan Africa, holding on the 17th -20th of March 2014 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

According to the Co-Chief Executive Officerr of Atlantic Energy, Scott Aitkens: “NOG brings together all major stakeholders, and provides the appropriate atmosphere for those meaningful discussions and collaborations re-

quired to move Nigeria’s oil and gas industry forward. We are pleased to participate again.”

The Nigerian oil & gas industry has experienced an increase in indigenous participation in recent years with the passage of the local content act. Atlantic Energy through its Strategic Alliance Agreement with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited, the exploration arm of the Nigerian national Petroleum Corporation, is helping to build indigenous technical capacity resulting in increased production and im-

proved gas supply for power.

The Co-CEO of Atlantic Energy, Scott Aitkens is scheduled to deliver a presentation on the 19th March on Overcoming Challenges & Supporting the Growth of Independent, Indigenous Producers & Service Providers.

“At Atlantic Energy, we believe that there are homegrown solutions to almost all the challenges facing the industry. Conferences like these, enable local players like us cross-fertilise ideas with one another with a view to devising solutions to transform the industry for the better”.

He added.

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MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 11-03-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

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MARKET INDICATORS

AS AT 11-03-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA

Guinness, Dangote Cement, others lift NSE’s market capitalisation by N31b Stories by Helen Oji RICE gains recorded by some bluechip companies P on the trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, especially Guinness and Dangote Cement, yesterday pushed market capitalisation

by N31 billion.

Specifically, at the closed of transactions yesterday, market capitalisation increased by 0.24 per cent or N31 billion from N12.582 trillion traded on Monday to N12.613 trillion on Tuesday.

Also the NSE All Share Index (ASI) appreciated by 96.64 basis points to 39269.40 points from 39172.76 points recorded in the previous day.

Further review of yesterday’s trading showed that showed that investors bought 347.699 million shares worth N3.701 billion in 4782 deals against 383.275 million shares valued at N2.727 billion traded by investors in 4625 deals.

On the price movement chart, Guinness Nigeria Plc led gainers table, appreciating by N8.27 kobo to close at N180.00 per share, Dangote Cement followed with a gain of N3.14 kobo to close at N240.00 per share.

Conoil Nigeria Plc, Larfarge WAPCPO and Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) improved by N2.00, N0.89 kobo and N0.48 kobo respectively to close at N50.00, N111.00 and 10.18 kobo.

Zenith bank added 0.39 kobo to closer at N21.99 per share.

Nigerian Aviation Handling Company garnered 0.24 kobo to close at N5.84 per share.

Ashaka cement gained 0.18 kobo to close at N16.98 per

share while Access bank and National Salt Company of Nigeria garnered 0.7 kobo to close at N7.77 and N13.07 per share respectively.

On the other hand Total Nigeria Plc topped losers chart, shedding N3.95 kobo to close at N166.05 kobo, Mobil Nigeria Plc trailed with a loss of N2.98 kobo to close at N123.00 while Nigerian Breweries loss N1.00 to close at N148.50 kobo. Other stocks that recorded price depreciation were Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated which declined by N0.84 kobo and N0.50 kobo respectively to close at N25.16 kobo and N14.50 kobo.

Further analysis showed that financial service sector led daily trading activities for the day, exchanging 276.941 million shares valued at N2.349 billion in 2792 deals. Banking sub sector was toast of investors in that sector as it recorded 194.801 million share worth N1.887 billion traded in 1712 deals.

Access Bank Plc was the most active in Banking sector with account of 59.853 million shares valued at N469.279 million in 179 deals, Zenith International Bank followed, recording 34.064 million shares worth N752.199 million transacted in 246 deals.

Conglomerates sector followed in trading activities having accounted for 31.499 million shares valued at N157.984 million in 352 deals.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) was investors delight in the sub sector with a total of 30.821 million shares cost N124.681 million in 291 deals

Seplat to apply for listing on LSE, NSE Petroleum ShasEPLAT Development Company Plc announced its intention

What Happened?

The NSE All-Share index apppreciated by 25bps (0.25%) and closed at 39,269.40. This represents a year-to-date performance of -4.98% Market Capitalisation also appreciated 0.25% to close at N12.613trillionTotal value traded increased 35.73% to N3.701 billion and total volume traded decreased 9.28% to 347.70 million units.

Where?

At the close of trading, the banking sector represented 61.89% of the total market value traded, while the breweries sector represented 5.59% The Top 5 stocks as a % of total market value traded were: ZENITHBANK (20.32%), ACCESS (12.68%), FBNH (9.94%), GUARANTY (9.67%) and DANGCEM (6.43%).

On a volume basis, the Top 5 most traded stocks for the day were: ACCESS (59.85m), ZENITHBANK (34.06m), TRANSCORP (30.82m), FBNH (29.00m) and UNITYBNK (24.48m).

to float its shares on both the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (“NSE”). The company says it intends to apply for admission of its ordinary shares to the standard listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the LSE’s main market and to the Official Trading List of the NSE. A successful listing will make Seplat the first Nigerian oil and gas company to have its ordinary shares dual-listed on both the LSE and the NSE. Seplat was founded in 2009 by Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited and Platform Petroleum (Joint Ventures) Limited for the purpose of investing in Nigerian oil and gas opportunities.

A French independent oil company, Maurel & Prom, subsequently acquired a 45 per cent equity interest in Seplat an interest that was later spun-off to form Maurel & Prom Nigeria S.A (now Maurel &Prom International).

In July 2010, Seplat acquired a 45 per cent participating interest in, and was appointed operator of, a portfolio of three onshore producing oil mining leases (OMLs 4, 38 and 41) located in the Niger Delta.

In June 2013, the Company entered into an agreement for the acquisition of a 40

per cent participating interest in the Umuseti/Igbuku marginal field located within OPL 283 in the Niger Delta.

Seplat is one of the leading indigenous oil and gas operators in Nigeria with average gross operated oil production of 51,400 barrels per day as at 31 December 2013 from 13,900bpd in August 2010.

The company’s average gross gas production in 2013 was 99 million standard cubic feet per day SEPLAT is targeting gross operated oil production from its existing assets of 85 Mbpd by the end of 2016.

The company noted in its announcement that it “intends to use the net proceeds of the global offer with $48 million to repay in full all outstanding amounts under its shareholder loan from MPI S.A. (“MPI”); and the remainder of the net proceeds to be available for acquiring and developing new acquisitions, and/or pay down any additional debt raised in connection therewith, of both onshore and shallow offshore acreages, assets or joint venture (“JV”) farm-ins.

The main source of acquisitions is expected to come from divestitures by various international oil companies.

Commenting on the planned listing, chairman of Seplat, Dr. ABC Orjiako noted that “the global offer proceeds will allow us to further implement our business strategy, which includes acquiring new assets.

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Midweek Arts i-REP woos Africa for self-conversation at 2014 docufest ing filmmakers. Odugbemi also said “we will be sitting down to actually look at projects that LL seem set for the take-off of the 2014 edi- can be co-produced; we will also be having pretion of the yearly i-represent sentations that I think are very illuminating International Documentary Film Festival about distribution of documentary films and otherwise called i-rEP docufest. The organiz- emerging digital distribution possibilities. We ers announced that this edition, the fourth also plan to host a jazz music fiesta at the end in the series since it started in 2010 would of the festival to underscore our theme this hold at the Freedom Park, Lagos between year, which is “rhythms of Identity.”

March 20 and 23, 2014.

On the overall conceptual theme of i-rEP, Executive Director of i-rEP, Femi Odugbemi which is “Africa in Self-Conversation”, promised four days of workshop sessions, Odugbemi explained, that it seeks to explore documentary film screenings, panel discus- what defines Africans. sions, practical training sessions and stakeThe i-rEP has in the last three editions hosted holders networking opportunities. “IrEP a cream of eminent international documenfilm festival 2014 is going to be our most tary filmmakers from over 20 countries in exciting festival,” Odugbemi said adding “we Africa and Europe. This edition will not be any are starting something called the Screening different as Odugbemi confirmed that they Room, where for three days of the festival, we have received request for participation already will be screening close to 40 documentary from within and outside the continent of films from across the world back-to-back. Africa.

The screening room is for those who just A peep into the programme of activities want to watch films with no grammar reveals that there will be a special training proattached.’’ gramme to be held in partnership with the The seasoned filmmaker and documen- European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) - a Femi Odugbemi tarist also explained that the screening room professional training organization. “We offers a wonderful educational space for believe the irEP Documentary Film Festival has those who need to see for themselves the been a growth platform for documentary filmvariety of styles and approaches in modern makers in Nigeria and with this exciting fourth documentary filmmaking. edition, it will continue to elevate, recognize But besides the screening room, Odugbemi and promote documentary filmmaking as an disclosed that this edition will feature a spe- important tool for development, governance cial section called the ‘producers round- and culture in Africa,’’ noted Odugbemi who From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin table’, which he said is ‘conceived as the busi- has produced a number of critically acclaimed ness end of the festival to encourage and documentaries including Bariga Boy and the HE Curator, National excite collaborations, co-operations and co- documentary of the late highlife musician, Museum, Esie, Kwara production possibilities amongst participat- Fatai rolling Dollar.

State, Mrs. Mopelola Omowumi, has canvassed introduction of indigenous language as the language of instruction in Nigerian primary schools. Omowumi, at this year’s International Mother Tongue Language Day, said the success of such countries, as China and Japan in the field of technological advancement could not be divorced from the use of local languages as instructional means of communications.

The theme of the celebration was ‘Local Languages for Global Citizenship.’ The global yearly event is held to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism as announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999.

The date represents the day in 1952 when students from different educational institutions such as Dhaka NFC Board members with Information Minister, Labaran Maku after inauguration recently in Jos

Stories by Shaibu Husseni

A

‘Use mother tongue for instruction in primary, secondary schools’ T

University, Dhaka Medical College, Jaganath University demonstrating for recognition of their language ‘Bangla’ as one of the two national languages of the Pakistan were shot and killed

by Police in Dhaka which is the capital city of present day Bangladesh.

The Curator, while addressing primary and post-primary pupils and students at Esie inside the premises of the museum noted, “Today is an important day for all of us because languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. Therefore mother tongue should be used to pass knowledge at our primary and post-primary schools for effective communication.

“Besides, United Nations also recognises that all moves to promote the dissemination of Mother Languages will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also it

would develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.”

Also speaking at the event, a don at University of Ilorin, Professor Bisi Adedayo, said political leaders in Nigeria should shun tribalism, urging them to use local languages above ‘lingua franca’ towards preserving the linguistic heritage of the people of the nation.

For Adedayo, no Nigerian should be shameful of speaking his dialect, especially outside the official settings, adding, “After all, no one dreams in a language learnt but the one acquired.

Therefore the importance of acquired language cannot be relegated to the background”.

The management of the museum later organised competitive sessions for the pupils and students in Igbomina land, using Igbomina dialect as a variant of Yoruba language.

Good news from Jos on Zuma, centenary honour IGErIAN born France based filmmaker, N Newton Aduaka, has been named as President of the Jury of the 2014 edition of ZUMA International Film Festival (ZIFF). The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) organizes the festival held biennially. This edition is scheduled to hold between May 4 and 8 in Abuja.

Aduaka, according to a statement signed by Head of Public Affairs of the NFC, Brian Etuk, is to lead four other experienced filmmakers who will preside over the award processes of ZIFF that is reputed as Nigeria’s flagship film festival.

Etuk explained that Aduaka was appointed to chair this edition of the festival because of his vast experience. Aduaka has to his credits several awards and prizes. His film, Ezra won

the grand prize of Etalon d’or de Yennenga (the Golden Stallion of Yennenga), at the Festival of Pan-African Cinema, FESPACO in 2007. Ezra has toured numerous film festivals and events across the world and has so far received 28 Awards, including six Grand Jury Prizes. His most recent feature film, One Man’s Show, premiered at FESPACO 2013 and got the Critics’ Prize.

However Etuk disclosed that entries for the festival would close on April 30. According to him, entries are invited for categories such as Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Documentary, Best Indigenous Language Film, Best student film, Best Animation and Best Nigerian Short Film.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the NFC, Dr. Danjuma Dadu has assured that no

stone will be left unturned to ensure that the ZIFF was a success. Dadu expressed optimism that the festival, which has the theme ‘Nationalism and Patriotism’ will continue to provide the required platform for the nation’s film industry to develop.

In a related development, the NFC boss has conveyed the best wishes of the Board and Management of the NFC to the four practitioners- Patience Ozokwo, Kenneth Nnebue, Chief Hubert Ogunde and Olu Jacobs, who received the Centenary Honours award.

Dadu commended the federal government for the recognition accorded the recipients and assured that operators within the industry will continue to engage in activities that sync with the transformation agenda of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Aduaka

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Steve

Ibinabo

Fidelis

Actors Guild’svisit to Jonathan splits moviedom OME Nollywood practitioners who were SPresident not part of the delegation that paid • Ibinabo is on her own – Steve Eboh Goodluck Jonathan a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa recently are blowing hot. They said the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Ibinabo Fiberesima who led the delegation did not ‘consult widely’ before the visit and as such most of what she told the President including the request that the President “reviews the appointment of the heads of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the National film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB)’’ should not be taken to represent the views of the generality of practitioners of the Nollywood industry.

Former Presidential aspirant of the AGN and popular actor and producer, Steve Eboh aka Ajebo called during the week and was blowing hot. “We (he didn’t say who the others are) are not happy with our president Ibinabo Fiberesima,” he snapped after the initial compliments. “She doesn’t have our mandate to speak on the industry and to call for the removal of the heads of the Censors Board and the Film Corporation. Is that the problem of the actors?’’ Ajebo asked. “Are actors right owners, do they produce films that they will be complaining about the NFVCB and NFC heads?’’ He asked rhetorically. “They would have just faced the issues that concern the actors and leave what does not concern them,’’ he added.

Asked what he thinks the AGN President should have presented as problems of the industry, Ajebo fired “she would have been concerned about training and how artistes can be better rewarded for their effort.’’

Reminded that Fiberesima also made a case for a better rights environment, for training, for development of infrastructure and for institution of structures that will ensure sus-

• She represented industry well, says Duker tainable growth in the industry, Ajebo’s tone softened, “well I am not privy to the entire speech but the one that got me mad was calling for the sack of people that have not been enabled by the same government that appointed them to succeed. What is the budgetary allocation of those agencies? What kind of legal backing have they been given?

Those people are trying. The man at the NFC (Danjuma Dadu) and the woman at the NFVCB (Patricia Bala) have been doing their best within available resources. I have been a beneficiary of the training initiative of the man. So, the AGN President who deliberately excluded some of us from the trip would have left them alone and talked about other things affecting the actors,’’ he said.

But reminded again that other sections of the industry that have paid similar visits in the past have also raised issues that border on the entire industry and most times those issues are not discussed with the entire industry prior to the visit. The line cut and when Ajebo returned the call he said: “I know there is no time that you will get a hundred per cent support for a decision, but the ideal thing is that when you are going to speak for the entire industry, you consult them. I can say that no consultation was made’’. Although Ajebo acknowledged that the presence of other practitioners like Zeb Ejiro, Fidelis Duker and some marketers including the Aneke Twins who travelled from Enugu to Abuja for the visit would mean that the president reached

Tope Todela, winner of Best actor 2014 of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards displaying his award at the presentation ceremony last Sunday in Lagos

out to practitioners beyond members of her constituency, Ajebo was asked again if he does not support the visit to Mr. President and he said “No, not that I don’t support the visit. It is very important and historic. The point I differ is the call for the removal of those heads of agencies. But she did well to raise other issues especially the issue of MOPPICON, which I hear the Minister of Information Labaran Maku said would be taken up at the Federal Executive Council. So I support the visit but the request that those parastatal heads be removed is self-serving,’’ he surmised.

But former President of the Director’s Guild of Nigeria (DGN) and Regional Secretary for West Africa for the Federation of Pan African Cinema (FEPACI), Fidelis Duker have asked all those com-

plaining to look at the import of the visit and the gains of the visit and not “the person who spoke on behalf of the industry.” Duker who is President of Africa Film Festival Network would not agree that the visit to President Jonathan was “self serving.” He said, “What is self serving in someone who told Mr. President that government must stop paying lip service to matters that concern the industry? What is lip service in someone who told the President about piracy, training and the need for MOPPICON and she got express approval. I ask again what is self-serving in someone who as President of her guild has been able to secure land and a secretariat for her guild. Some of us have these opportunities in the past and we blew it pursuing personal agenda. I think we should commend Ibinabo Fiberesima for being very bold instead of castigating her. She and her actors have equal stake in this industry like any other practitioner,” Fidelis said.

Na’Allah, VC of KWASU joins LSN From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin recognition of his distinIaryNguished scholarship in literworks and service to the Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN), the Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University, Malete, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah has been inducted as a Fellow of the Society (FLSN).

Prof. Na’Allah was inducted alongside a literary giant and editor of the prestigious African Literature Today, Michigan-Flint University, USA, Professor Ernest Emenyonu during the LSN 2014 International Conference held at the Banquet Hall of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, on March 5, 2014.

The conference, held from March 4 to 7, was in honour of Prof. Emenyonu who served as the Society’s President between 1982 and 1984.

Another literary giant who bagged the LSN Fellowship Award in 2010, Prof. Romanus Egudu was specially recognised and presented with his Fellowship certificate and medal by the Society’s President, Dr. Adeleke Babatunde.

Also presenting Prof. Na’Allah with the Fellowship certificate and medal during the investiture, the LSN President acknowledged the support he gave to the Society during its 2012 National Conference held at KWASU. According to him, the VC’s Fellowship Award scaled all criteria set for such honour by the LSN Constitution.

He described Prof. Na’Allah as a rare Vice-Chancellor and accomplished literary scholar.

To further demonstrate his

recognition as an acclaimed literary scholar, the KWASU ViceChancellor was made the Chairman of the opening session of the conference.

Delivering a keynote address, Prof. Emenyonu described Prof.

Na’Allah as “a rising star” and “a very quiet achiever,” saying “Professor Na’Allah is somebody we’re very proud of in the United States.” According to him, the KWASU VC is a personality to watch due to his talent and vision.

“If you have anybody looking for admission, let them go to KWASU,” he told the participants. He however noted that for Literature and writers to have a required impact in Nigeria, they must be recognised and empowered, stating that young literary scholars should understand the process and pay attention to details when they write and submit articles for publication, especially in international journals so as to achieve positive results.

The keynote speaker announced that he has introduced a Nigerian edition of the African Literature Today for accessibility and affordability by Nigerians, just as he emphasised the need to uphold academic standards, integrity and discipline in the Nigerian University system for a better tomorrow.

He paid tributes to the late Chinua Achebe who he said did a lot for Nigeria and African continent, saying as the world celebrates him this month which marked one year of his death, his achievements live on.

Earlier, Professor Egudu had challenged the LSN to strike a balance between what he called “intellection and integrity” to

accomplish its set goals, explaining that one of the aims of establishing the Society in 1979 as enshrined in its constitution is to initiate, encourage and support scholarship and the literary research.

According to him, the heartbeat of the Society which is the oldest body for literary scholars in Nigeria is its Journal which he said must not be allowed to die.

Later in an interview, Prof.

Na’Allah said he felt highly honoured and humbled by the Fellowship title which is conferred on distinguished Nigerians who are literary scholars from across the country, saying it is a recognition from home which he considers worthwhile, particularly as a literary scholar, poet and writer.

“Being honoured at the same time as Professor Emenyonu, and Professor Egudu, I feel so humbled to be in the middle of these giants,” he stated.

Asked on his message to the Society, he said, “The Society must continue to grow from strength to strength and truly national in terms of spread and scholarly work. And more importantly, it must strive to set world standard for literary creativity and for scholars of Literature in Nigeria. What is happening in Nigeria now, I will call it falling standard of scholarship itself and I think the Literary Society of Nigeria should look at the strategy to raise the bar; use a world-class standard and this can be easily done looking at the calibres of Emenyonu, and Egudu.”

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Sports Brazil 2014 World Cup

Keshi needs Uche, Osaze to get strong squad, says Adepoju ORMER Super FAdepoju, midfielder, says

Eagles Mutiu coach Stephen Keshi needs to include experienced forwards Ikechukwu Uche and Peter Odemwingie in his squad in order to have a balanced team at the World Cup. After watching the international friendly match between the Super Eagles and Mexico that ended goalless, Adepoju concluded that the Big Boss needs the duo to have a complete squad.

While Uche last played for the Super Eagles in the final match of the 2013 Africa of Nations, Cup Odemwingie has not been called up to the national team since he fell out with former coach Samson Siasia and the Nigeria Football Federation in 2012.

“My dear friend Stephen Keshi needs to forgive the boy, Ike Uche and bring him back into the team for the 2014 World Cup preparations,” Adepoju who played alongside Keshi in the Golden Team of 1994 told goal.com “Ike Uche has really done well in his club to deserve a call up. Keshi can re-assess him in the other friendly matches the Eagles will play.

“I will be happy if he can

extend invitations to Osaze Odemwingie too now that he is also doing well with his club in England.

“I want Keshi to temper justice with mercy in the interest of Nigerian football. We must go to the World Cup with our best legs,” he declared.

The former General Manager of Shooting Stars also scored the performance of the four new players invited by Keshi for the Mexico friendly high in the match.

“The newly invited players Michael Uchebo, Ramon Azeez, Isaac Imoh and defender Leon Balogun - are good players but they still need to play more friendly matches to be able to blend with the team on ground.

“To the best of my knowledge, I think Keshi has a team on ground and he is just looking for a few to beef up the grey areas in the team. So it depends on which areas or positions in the team Keshi wants to beef up.

“But to me, it’s the forward and the midfield that need to be worked on. So I think the inclusion of Ike Uche would definitely solidify the team while Osaze’s return to the team will add quality to the team. These players are in rich form for their respective clubs,” Adepoju said.

Ik Uche is one of the players clamoured for by some football enthusiates to be pardoned by Coach Stephen Keshi for a part at the Mundial in Brazil in June

NFF budgets $3.6m to fly Nollywood stars, others to Brazil From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja

• 20 FA chairmen, former ministers, past NFF chairmen also listed

O give the Super Eagles adequate support in Brazil 2014 World Cup, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has budgeted a total sum of $3, 606,816 to take care of over 100 Nigerians during the Mundial. The number is outside the large contingent already being proposed by the Nigeria Football Supporters Club to cheer the team.

The amount according to the NFF will take care of air ticket, accommodation and allowances of the Nigerian contingent, which will cut

across the members of the National Assembly, the NSC, Nollywood stars, chairman and secretaries of the various state football associations, members of the press and other stakeholders in Nigerian football.

The estimated amount is contained in the over N2 billion Brazil 2014 World Cup budget presented to the Senate Committee on Sports

T

Eagles’ final squad gives Keshi headache UPER Eagles’ Coach, pushing for consideration said.

Sfessed Stephen Keshi, has con- recently.

It is left to be seen whether The Eagles capped four skipper Joseph Yobo will be that he is facing a selection headache ahead of the World Cup, but adds he is happy it is so.

Nigeria is expected to submit a provisional 40-man list to world football ruling body, FIFA, out of which Keshi will pick his final 23 players for the Mundial.

Keshi told MTNFootball.com that: “It’s going to be very difficult because Nigeria is blessed with a lot of good players.

“I just pray we pick the right players because even the new ones are pushing hard for a place. It’s a good development for us, but it would give us serious headache to pick the right squad for the country but that is what we want that we have options.”

Keshi has kept faith with the core of the team, who won a third Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last year, but several others outside this group have been

players, namely Leon Balogun, Ramon Azeez, Michael Uchebo and Imoh Ezekiel, in last week’s friendly against Mexico.

And the likes of Victor Anichebe and Osaze Odemwingie could well earn a recall, while debate lingers on as regards Villarreal striker Ike Uche, who Keshi has said is not in his plans for Brazil.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has disclosed that Keshi will beat the FIFA May 13 deadline for the submission of a provisional World Cup squad.

“The provisional squad for the World Cup will be the squad for the May 28 friendly against Scotland in London and that would mean it will be made public before the May 13 deadline for the submission of provisional squads by World Cup finalists,” an NFF official

retained on the squad after injury stopped him from making the recent warm-up against Mexico.

The squad will from London fly out to Houston, Texas, from where they will play two more warm-up games against United States and Greece before they depart for Brazil on June 11.

has pencilled down about 10 Nollywood stars, including popular comedians Aki and Pawpaw, at the cost of $800, 000.

Also in the planned NFF trip to Brazil are 16 members of the National Assembly, as well as five former ministers of sports, five past chairmen or presidents of the NFF/NFA, which the federation valued to cost about $808,000.

Glo Nigeria Premier League

Abia Warriors may boycott Maiduguri match HERE are strong indicaT tions that Glo Premier League new baby, Abia

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

yesterday by the NFF at the ongoing 2014 budget defence.

A break down of the World Cup budget, which the NFF defended yesterday before the Senate Sports Committee members showed that the federation plans to take a total of 20 chairmen and secretaries of state football associations at the cost of $243, 840, just as it

Warriors of Umuahia, may boycott this weekend match against El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri, Borno State, if the League Management Committee (LMC) refuses to move the match from Maiduguri, the stronghold of Islamist group Boko Haram, to another venue.

Parents of the players were reported to have stormed the clubs camp in Umuahia yesterday to warn the management against risking the lives of the players.

A top management staff of the club said in Umuahia that

the club was ready to sacrifice the three points at stake than put the lives of the players on the line.

“Their parents have warned that on no occasion should we allow their children to go to Maiduguri. Some of the players are the families’ breadwinners and it will be irresponsible of the management to send them to Maiduguri following waves of attacks by the insurgents both in Maiduguri and in surrounding areas.

“If these people could be so heartless as to bombing schools, police stations and joints where people drink and watch matches, nothing

stops them from coming to the players’ hotel and even the stadium,” the official said.

LMC boss, Salisu Abubakar, has insisted that the match will not be moved from the Maiduguri Township Stadium, arguing that the LMC had made adequate security provision.

“We have inspected the suitability of the venue and we have been assured of adequate security for the visiting teams,” Salihu said. “El Kanemi has not yet hosted a match at home this season, so the safety of road travel in and out of the city for a football match have not yet been tested.”

Fuludu lists gains of Aimhigh/UBA football talent hunt

By Gowon Akpodonor HE national coordinators T for the Aimhigh/UBA football talent hunts programme, former Super Eagles player, Edema Fuludu, has said that Nigerian young players would benefit a lot from the exercise, if given the needed support by well meaning Nigerians.

The programme was unveiled in Asaba, Delta State capital last week. The unveiling ceremony at Golden Land

Hotel was well attended by top sports personalities, including former Super Eagles coach Shauibu Amodu, Christian Chukwu, Ex-Golden Eaglets coach Sebastian Broderick, Coach Manu Garba, former Super Falcons coach Godwin Izilien, Nduka Ugbade and Sam Elijah.

A total of 432 coaches and several coordinators selected from 109 senatorial districts across 36 states were involved in the first phase.

Fuludu told The Guardian yesterday that the project would afford many young Nigerians to start their career on solid ground, saying that the coaches have been saddled with the responsibility of putting in place a formidable U-17 and U-19 teams that will feature in various youth programmes abroad between July and August this year.

He revealed that part of his steps to build a solid foundation for Nigerian youth foot-

ballers, proper documentation on players that will emerge from the Aimhigh/UBA talent hunts programme will be made and forwarded to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“If we get it right at this level (U-17 and U-19), it will go a long way in shaping the future of the game in Nigeria. That has been my dream and I thank God for the support from UBA and other corporate organisations towards the realisation of this dream,” Fuludu said.

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Hayatou sets Brazil 2014 World Cup target for Africa’s ‘Big 5’ RESIDENT of the P Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has nudged African teams heading to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil to strive to reach the last four.

No African team has ever gone beyond the quarterfinals stage of the global football extravaganza.

But Hayatou said a last-four berth at the June 12 to July 13 event by any of Africa’s flagbearers in Brazil would be an icing on the cake.

He said this would be for the successes African football has recorded, especially in the past 26 years of CAF. “What will make me happy now, after all these achievements, will be to get even more successes for African football,’’ CAF’s media outlet quoted Hayatou to have said.

“We continue with massive strides on all fronts of football development and, going into the 2014 FIFA World Cup, I do not see why Africa cannot have one or two of our representatives reach the semi-finals or indeed even the final of the World Cup my time as during President.”

Africa’s five representatives at the tournament are the Desert Foxes of Algeria, Cameroun’s Indomitable Lions, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana’s Black Stars and Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

Only three African teams Cameroun, Ghana and Senegal - have ever reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA

FAB-5 football tourney gets March date ESIGNED to encourage D education through sports, the Fab -5 Initiative, is set to hold again.

Participants in the last edition, Ibitoye Habeeb, Taiwo and Kehinde Ramon won scholarships, including their tuition and boarding at the Bolton Wanderers of England Soccer School.

This year’s edition will kick off on March 20 2014 at the Campos Mini Stadium with finalists from the four Local Government Areas in Lagos State vying for overseas scholarships.

The initiative is a one-day grand finale with all the fun and excitement whilst still emphasising on the need for these youngsters to stay in School.

According to the organisers, this year’s edition will involve female exhibition matches to show that education and sports are not gender based.

The organisers say the objectives of the project include fostering community involvement and yielding a positive environment by teaching discipline, perseverance and cooperation through sport.

This project is in partnership with United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Sportsvision, Subeb Lagos and Supersport Let’s Play, with sponsorship from Indomie, Chi Pharmaceuticals and ELAN Water.

Hayatou World Cup since the continent’s first representation by

Egypt at the 1934 edition in Italy.

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Cricketweekly Malaysia 2014 World Cricket League Division Four

It’s crunch time for Nigeria at Bayuemas Oval

By Christian Okpara Nigeria is in a Sto UDDENLY, position to gain promotion the World Cricket League (WCL) Division Four. But it is a daunting task. The statistics are against Nigeria pulling off feat. that The team, led by Adekunle Adegbola, will get the opportunity of playing in the final game of the on-going championship if they beat home team, Malaysia, today at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur. And that is a very tough ask going by the ratings of both teams.

Malaysia have lost only one game to tournament runaway winners, Jersey, and look unstoppable in front their cheering compatriots.

Until they lost to Jersey, the Asians had breezed through Guernsey, Cayman Islands and Tanzania (Nigeria’s conquerors) to get close to maintain their position as the second side on the log.

Both Malaysia and Tanzania

were demoted to Division Five from the upper level and according to pundits, they should be bossing this championship.

Until Malaysia lost to Jersey (promoted alongside Nigeria from Division Six) everything seemed to be going for them according to the scripts. And now that they have to beat Nigeria to return to Division Four, the team seem not ready to let the opportunity slip from their grasp.

Speaking to the media ahead of today’s game, Malaysia’s captain, Ahmad Faiz Mohammad Noor, acknowledged that his team would be under pressure to beat Nigeria, adding, however: “We have been prepared for situations like since three months ago and I could see the boys are together as a team. So it’s good for us.

“We have also been helped by our new coach Bilal Asad from Pakistan. His training is good and everything looks good with him around.”

However, even with the high rating of their opponents, Captain Adegbola believes Nigeria can pull off the biggest upset of the championship.

Adegbola, who, before the beginning of the competition tipped Cayman Islands as the toughest team in Malaysia, says the past nine days in Kuala Lumpur has opened his team’s eyes to the possibilities in this championship.

According to Adegbola, “we have tried to adjust our game to the realities on ground here. We have lost two games and come through situations that have strengthened our resolve to be one of the best two teams here.

“Things look difficult but we are prepared for the hard times.

“We went to Sri Lanka for two weeks and they’re a test playing nation, so it’s a great exposure for us. We lost three games there and won one.

“We played a very high-level of cricket and it was good

Nigeria will rely on two-time man-of-the-match, Endurance Ofem (right), to beat Malaysia…today. workout for me. My guys are really determined and they are in good spirits.”

In two times man-of-thematch, Endurance Ofem, Ricky Sharma, Leke Ovede and Saheed Akolade, Adegbola has the players with the experi-

ence to navigate their ways through the Malaysian landmines.

“These guys have stepped up their game and they are going to cause damage to Malaysia,” he said.

If Nigeria win today’s game,

they would have the opportunity of meeting Jersey in a game to determine the winner of the championship, while a loss would push them to the third/fourth place playoff.

In the other games of the

Table Teams Jersey Malaysia Nigeria Tanzania Cayman Islands Guernsey

Mat 4 4 4 4 4 4

Won 4 3 2 2 1 0

Lost 0 1 2 2 3 4

Tied 0 0 0 0 0 0

N/R 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pts 8 6 4 4 2 0

NetRR +1.603 +1.850 -0.126 -0.830 -1.741 -0.746

For 983/193.0 1139/200.0 780/189.5 739/200.0 621/200.0 637/200.0

Against 698/200.0 742/193.0 847/200.0 905/200.0 924/190.4 783/199.1

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Battle of Camp Nou:

Man City dream victory against Barca HE suspension of Martin T Demichelis not withstanding, Manchester City feel they can turn the table against Barcelona in today’s Champions League.

With Barcelona losing 1-0 to a relegation threatened side over the weekend, Manchester City has to like its chances today at the Camp Nou. Turning around a 2-0 score line in Barcelona’s public shrine to the sport is an immensely difficult task for the visitors, but that is the minimal result City requires in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Even with quality like Sergio Aguero returning to Manchester City’s squad for the second leg, the Blues’ greatest strength for today’s match derives from a player who will be suspended: Martin Demichelis.

No coincidence, all three of Manchester City’s losses in the calendar year featured Demichelis in the starting 11.

In City’s most important matches in the business half of the campaign, Demichelis

caved when the pressure heightened.

Manchester City’s only three losses in 2014 may potentially have all hit vital arteries and bled out the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. First, in an immensely critical league match against Chelsea - the current Premier League leaders -Demichelis played in the midfield with Javi Garcia and Fernandinho unavailable due to injuries. In that match, Chelsea overran the middle of the park and handed City a shock defeat at the Etihad Stadium, its first home defeat of the domestic campaign.

That blow may ultimately be the difference in a neck-andneck Premier League title race.

Next, Demichelis broke the deadlock in City’s home leg against Barcelona by giving away a penalty and getting sent off. Lionel Messi may have been outside the box when the foul occurred, but the tackle was foolish, and the card was sure to be red. Up to that point in the match, City had played well and matched Barcelona’s intensity. One

goal either way would not have ended the match or jeopardised the tie, but the red card changed all that.

If City crashes out of the Champions League today, how can the decision to start Demichelis over Joleon Lescott not be highlighted?

City’s third loss of 2014 occurred on Sunday against Wigan Athletic in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini again turned to the slow Argentine defender in an attempt to rest Kompany ahead of the second leg in Barcelona.

To open the scoring, Demichelis gifted Wigan a penalty by committing a clumsy challenge inside the box.

Again, City trailed 1-0, and again, Demichelis was to blame. This time, however, the Argentine did not see a red card. Instead, he was a member of the Blues’ defence that was caught napping as James Perch arrived at the back post to put Wigan up by two goals to nil.

Today, however, Nasri is inform and sure to start.

‘Kaka’s form has collapsed under Seedorf’ HE Brazilian looked like T his old self during the first half of the season, but has struggled horribly under the Rossoneri’s new coach For so many reasons, yesterday evening’s trip to the Vicente Calderon to face Atletico Madrid is a game like no other for Kaka.

The Brazilian is the man AC Milan are counting on to drag them out of the hole they currently find themselves in and thus change the entire complexion of a season that is threatening to become a write-off.

Kaka knows the venue well.

He silenced it in 2009, scoring in his first Madrid derby in the jersey of Real, while his most recent appearance at the Calderon came less than a year ago with the Brazilian playing his part in

a 2-1 victory for los Blancos.

Milan now need the same result, or something similar, to overturn last month’s 1-0 loss to Atletico at San Siro in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and soothe all of the suffering the Rossoneri have endured over the past six months.

Milan need Kaka, the best Kaka, not the version we’ve seen since Clarence Seedorf succeeded Massimiliano Allegri as coach in January.

Indeed, the statistics clearly convey the severity of the crisis Milan’s No.22 is currently going through: in his eight games under Seedorf, Kaka has neither scored a goal nor contributed a single assist.

Those are undeniably worrying numbers, particularly when one considers that

when Seedorf took up residence on the Milan bench, he intended to make his former team-mate the fulcrum of his side; a leader both on and off the field.

However, the move to 4-2-3-1, a formation that Kaka also struggled with at Madrid, has adversely affected the Brazilian, who had been proving so effective under Allegri.

Not only has he become less of a goal threat (Kaka struck six times in 17 games before Allegri was sacked), his overall influence has diminished, as demonstrated by the dramatic drop in the amount of touches he was making in central positions, which has fallen from 58 per game under Allegri to 51 with Seedorf.

Barca doesn’t have unlimited resources like Man City, PSG, says Bartomeu ARCELONA president Josep B Bartomeu has admitted that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the reigning Spanish champions to compete with the financial might of clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Catalan giants have been one of the dominant forces in Europe in the 21st century, while City have struggled to make an impact in the Champions League despite massive investment from their Qatari owners.

However, the Barca chief believes the situation could well change over the coming years as City and PSG continue to draw on their “unlimited resources.”

“The emergence of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain has made things more difficult,” Bartomeu told BBC. Meanwhile. Manchester City

midfielder Samir Nasri is glad that his side face Barcelona today in a game important enough to force them to get over Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Wigan.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men

Messi

were humbled by the Latics for the second time in as many seasons as they were beaten 2-1 at home in the quarter-final, a result which left the Frenchman lost for words.

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Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Kolawole Talabi

‘

HE advent of the information age in the T mid-21st century promised to flatten the whole world in such a manner that no physicality could claim ‘invisibility’ due to the limiting barriers of space and time. And true to that promise, the internet opened up the planet in more ways than one can name.

Since its launch in the early 90s, the World Wide Web has significantly reduced ‘distances’ among people and between places.

Admittedly, the internet has assumed the role of a bridge-builder between individuals and the institutions they interact with. In sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, the mobile revolution has created new possibilities in wireless telephony and data services usually in places which had hitherto lacked fixed telecommunications infrastructure.

Nowadays, rural dwellers in some of the world’s remotest outposts are easily reachable through seamless mobile networks provided by service operators at a fraction of the cost which their urban counterparts were charged for utilising telephone lines just a decade ago.

In addition, new technologies are constantly being rolled out to meet an everincreasing demand for the mobile internet even as social networking gained global appeal. From coastal China to the interior of India, a fairly huge proportion of the population of the largest urban agglomerations in these two high population countries are using the internet to achieve connectivity that is positively impacting their data-driven livelihoods and lifestyles.

Despite the plethora of benefits which the internet has created, circumstances have birthed a new type of social grouping: the ehaves and, the e-have-nots. The separation in status between the two groups is generally called a digital divide. Thus, a technology originally meant to reduce ‘distances’ has now greatly magnified them. However, a will always finds a way. Inclusiveness is the answer to the challenges of what may be described as ‘internet injustice’. The subsequent paragraphs will show how this is achievable within the framework of the post-2015 development agenda.

The digital divide can be viewed from two angles: intra- and internationally. The former mainly entails gaps in access to information and communication technologies between members of a common socialisation due to income inequalities. The term ‘access’ used herein refers to opportunity for use, i.e. right to entry. In this case, uneven growth in varied geopolitical settings has led to marked variances in socio-economic mobility between rural citizens and their urban counterparts. This situation certainly applies to many postcolonial societies where administrative coupled with agglomerative forces favour towns over farms as the dominant recipient of investable reserves.

Yet this kind of gap is not limited to poor countries. A 2013 survey on the percentage of individuals using the internet by the International Telecommunication Union reveals that there are still huge pockets of underserved populations in the United States which was estimated at almost 20 per cent—60 million people approximately.

Minorities such as new immigrants, refugees, the unemployed, the elderly and the disabled mainly account for the fraction of the unconnected. It follows, therefore, that affordability rather than availability and; secondly, content rather than context play the greater role in determining the level of access to the internet in some advanced economies.

On the other hand, the latter mostly explains a gulf in the use of information and communication technologies amongst countries due to developmental disparities.

The term ‘use’ used herein refers to exploitation for gain, i.e. a means to an end. While

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Imperative of an all-inclusive internet for information age (1)

advanced nations are deploying currently available technical resources in the emerging global knowledge economy for spacebased applications and other high-tech purposes such as tele-surgery, precision agriculture, cloud computing and e-government, the least developed countries are still struggling with the teething troubles arising from their nascent embrace of the essentiality of the electronic epoch. The corollary to this complex concept is that

access does not necessarily translate to use.

A country may experience limitations in providing access to a considerable proportion of its population yet may still be able to use the internet for beneficial purposes than another country having greater access.

This rationalises why an economic powerhouse such as Russia with a nominal gross domestic product in excess of $2 trillion (US dollars) still has roughly half of its citizens who are non-internet users whereas

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Malaysia despite its status as an industrialising country has attained 65 per cent connectivity, one of the highest in the AsiaPacific region. Nonetheless, Russia has been able to capitalise on its intensive information infrastructure for cutting-edge scientific and technological breakthroughs as evidenced by its successful outer space programmes than has Malaysia.

There is no denying the fact that the relative unevenness in the quality of life enjoyed by people within and between societies unfairly concentrates the benefits of the internet on a select few to the detriment of the overwhelming majority, thereby reinforcing already existing social imbalances. As always, the consequences of ‘internet injustice’ do not occur in a vacuum: It affects real persons mostly households at the base of the pyramid who are economically marginalised. Accordingly, it is critically necessary that measures be proposed to objectively outline the identities and interests of these disadvantaged populations before solutions are proffered. In view of this, it is pertinent to state that solutions which would adequately address these multifarious challenges must be responsive to change because demographics and technologies are always in a flux.

Hence the subsequent bridging of the gaps in the current digital society is consequent upon the articulation of doable proposals that initiate a mutually beneficial interplay between the divergent elements of today’s fast-evolving internet society.

Firstly, consumers, producers and regulators are the backbone of any industrial establishment. Hence their impact cannot be overemphasised. Consumers include users and non-users (since non-users are potential users) while producers are basically operators and manufacturers. In the light of this classification, these players should be considered as equal partners in the pursuit of equitable access and use for all. The tendency to designate regulators as entities with inviolable powers for decision-making is not only reproachable, but also, unsustainable. Legal frameworks should unequivocally spell out the rights and responsibilities of all stakeholders, and; such laws should not empower one player more than it does the rest.

• To be continued.

• Talabi wrote from Ibadan.

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Editor: MARTINS

There is no denying the fact that the relative unevenness in the quality of life enjoyed by people within and between societies unfairly concentrates the benefits of the internet on a select few to the detriment of the overwhelming majority, thereby reinforcing already existing social imbalances. As always, the consequences of ‘internet injustice’ do not occur in a vacuum: It affects real persons mostly households at the base of the pyramid who are economically marginalised

ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)

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