May20130530

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Vol. 29, No. 12,572

N150

www.ngrguardiannews.com

‘Nigeria’s casualty figure in peacekeeping highest’ From Laolu Akande, New York IGERIA had the largest N number of casualties among international peace-

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (left); former President Shehu Shagari and former Head of Interim National Government, Ernest Shonekan, during the celebration of Democracy Day at the International Conference Centre, Abuja … yesterday.

PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

keepers last year, according to the United Nations (UN), which honoured its peacekeepers yesterday at its headquarters in New York.

While 111 peacekeepers died last year, Nigeria alone had 17 fatalities, more than 10 per cent and Nigeria is the fifth largest contributor of peacekeepers to the UN with 4,736 serving worldwide.

Yesterday, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed, marking “the fifth year in a row the United Nations will honour more than 100 Blue Helmets who lost their lives the previous year while serving the cause of peace.”

A statement from the UN Secretariat added that “this sombre milestone is a stark reminder of the risks incurred by individuals who put their lives on the line CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Jonathan, Mark, others vow Nigeria is indivisible From Mohammed Abubakar, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh and Terhemba Daka (Abuja) and Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi (Jos) OR those who think that the Fwords country may disintegrate, of caution came from President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark yesterday. They insisted that the nation would remain indivisible despite its myriad of challenges.

The two leaders and others spoke in commemoration of the nation’s Democracy Day.

Taking stock of the achievements of his administration in the last two years, Jonathan declared that he and his team had fulfilled their electoral promises in 2011 and in some cases surpassed them.

The president’s position was anchored on the earlier presentations of the administration’s scorecard by key members of his cabinet including the Coordinating

• We’ve done well, say president, ministers • House of Reps seeks strong institutions Minister of the Economy (CME) and Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her National Planning counterpart, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, who gave overviews of the performance of the critical sector of the economy.

The occasion was the public presentation of the mid-term report of the transformation agenda 2011-2013 as part of the activities to mark this year’s Democracy Day by the president and also to mark the two years of his administration in

office.

According to Jonathan, the economy had recorded an impressive Gross Domestic Growth (GDP) and “we have surpassed our annual targets in eight out of the 14 broad areas of transformation agen-

Engineers promise ‘100%’ made in Nigeria car by November 2014 - Page 31

da. Consequently, Nigeria’s global ranking by GDP has improved from the 44th position in 2010 to 36th.

“Today, we can proudly speak of such achievements as the reduction of our fiscal reserves to $9.5 billion and our external reserves to $48.8 billion as at first quarter of 2013.

These are in addition to financial sector and external validation of our macro-economic achievements by the key international rating agencies.

The President underscored CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NEWS

Nigeria records highest casualty figure in peacekeeping CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 when deployed to UN missions around the world.”

Among the peace-keepers who died in 2012 are 17 from Nigeria, making the country the UN member-state with the most human sacrifice for world peace last year.

The fallen Nigerian peace-

keepers were listed as Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Abel, Corporal Julius Emmanuel, Lance Corporal Bashir Garba, Corporal Thomas Idu and Staff Sgt. Absalom Umar who lost their lives while serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia.

Others are Lance Corporal Sunday Afolayan, Sgt. Omega

Agbalo, Lt. Martins Anthony, Corporal Suleiman Bako, Corporal Fali Buluma, Lance Corporal Oko Idiku, Lance Corporal Sanusi Jibrin, Lance Corporal Inalegwu John, Sgt. Birabi Nkpara, Sgt. Joseph Ojelade, Lance Corporal Sarki Samaila, and Lance Corporal Abdullahi Shawai who lost their lives while serving with

the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.

In a message to mark the day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “To meet emerging threats and rise to new challenges, United Nations peace-keeping is adapting its policies to better fulfill its mandates to bring lasting peace to war-torn countries.”

House of Representatives seeks strong institutions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the imperativeness of Nigeria remaining together as one indivisible entity, noting that doing otherwise would not serve the nation any good.

His words: “As we celebrate this year’s Democracy Day, let us remember that democracy thrives amidst the greatest disagreements, spurring dialogue and galvanizing consensus and a common focus.

We must reaffirm our oneness when we flagged 100 years of togetherness as a united political entity, defined by discussion, consultation, mutual respect and commitment.”

But the President showed apparent displeasure about an opinion poll earlier this week by a national daily (not The Guardian), which rated some of his cabinet members merely above average, questioning the criteria used by the newspaper in arriving at its conclusion.

“Only on Monday, one of the dailies did an assessment of the ministries and performance of ministers, the first thing I looked for but didn’t

see is the criteria that were used to access the performance of the ministers. Because when people mark, they mark with a marking scheme”, he said.

Present on the occasion were his wife, Dame Patience; Vice President, Namadi Sambo, his wife, Amina; Senate President David Mark, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker, Ekmeka Ihedioha; Senate Leader, Ndoma Egba; past Heads of State including Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari; Chief Ernest Shonekan; two former Senate Presidents, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani; former Chief of General Staff, Gen. Oladipo Diya, First Republic Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief E. K. Clark, among others Also on the occasion were former Interim President of Liberia, Prof. Amos Sawyer and Founder /President of Rainbow Coalition PUSH, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

While reviewing the democratic journey so far particularly the security challenges, Mark submitted that there

was no alternative to democracy as a system of government.

In a good will message to Nigerians to mark this year’s Democracy Day, he charged Nigerians to continue to demonstrate attitude that would promote nationalism despite religious, political and ethnic differences.

“We had the initial birth pain of this democratic arrangement. Fourteen years after, I can submit that we have matured; we are consolidating and moving on.

“Differences of political affiliation, or religion, notwithstanding no Nigerian can deny the fact that democracy is now the way of life,” he said.

Mark assured that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly would continue to lay a solid democratic framework for the executive to deliver the dividends of democracy to the citizenry.

“We shall continue to co-operate with the executive arm of government without compromising on our independence.

“We are mindful of the fact that we must maintain mutual co-operation for effective delivery of dividends of democracy. We shall do our part honestly, fairly and with the fear of God”, he said.

He maintained that the National Assembly would not compromise its constitutional mandate on oversight function, and legislation to make life much better for the ordinary man.

The Senate President tasked Nigerians to put the nation in prayer at all times to overcome its challenges especially insecurity, “because we need peace, we need each other for unity and progress.

“All we need is a collective resolve to confront our challenges and find a lasting solution to them.”

He said that the state of emergency proclaimed in some states of the federation was a last resort to tame the lingering menace of insecurity and bringing normalcy back to the land.

He added: “It was by choice and design that the nation chose democracy as best form of government. Democracy promotes rule of law, upholds human rights, freedom of speech and indeed participatory.

“Whichever faith or religion, I urge Nigerians to continue to pray for peace, unity and progress of the nation.”

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, urged those in authority to build institutions of governance in order that the country’s democracy could stand on sure footing for the benefit of the future generation.

In a statement commemorating the May 29 Democracy Day issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to

nurture and protect the country’s democracy by participating actively in governance at local, state and federal levels.

According to him, one of the cardinal principles of democracy is openness and transparency. “Therefore, those in authority must be open and transparent in the conduct of their activities at all times,” he said.

Similarly, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, commended Nigerians for their patience and resilience in preserving the unity and integrity of the Nigerian nation.

Also, Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang urged Nigerians to be patient with one another “in our democratic journey”, describing the country’s return to democratic rule as “the best thing that has happened to us.”

Fashola to speak on kids’ rights AGOS State Governor, BaLtoday batunde Raji Fashola, will deliver the keynote address at the first yearly CEO and Business Roundtable on Children’s Rights and the Business Sector.

Slated for Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, and hosted by the Children and Business Network Nigeria, the event seeks to engage business chief executives to reassess their commitment to the development and protection of children, who are the future workforce and consumers.

Court orders APCON to vet Airtel adverts HE Federal High Court, LaT gos, has ordered the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) to statutorily vet advertising materials submitted to it by telecommunications firm, Airtel Networks Limited.

Justice M. N. Yunusa gave an order of interim injunction on May 24, compelling APCON to carry out its functions regarding Airtel’s advertising materials and restraining it and its agents or officers “from refusing vetting, approving or giving consideration to any advertisement whatsoever” from Airtel pending hearing of the motion on notice on June 13.

Yunusa also granted Airtel an order of certiorari “to quash the ruling and proceedings of the Advertising Standards Panel of May 3, 2103,” which prevents APCON from effecting the decisions of the Advertising Standards Panel, as well as an order of mandamus compelling performance of its statutory function.

Yunusa adjourned the case against APCON till June 13, 2013.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

3

NIGER

STATE GOVERNMENT

Power State T is not for nothing that since the Chief Servant of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu became the helmsman of Niger State, he has brought to bear his prolific endowment of intellectualism and bureaucratic fervour to unleash on array of developmental programmes that have turned Niger State to a haven of good life and living and uncommon transformation.

Sector-by-sector the Pittsburgh trained scholar has touched the people of Niger and won accolades for his mastery of governance, prudent management of men and resources and transparency that has made the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics to rate it as the state with the lowest poverty rate in the country at 33.8% No wonder, his agenda to make the State rank among the three most developed economies in the country is on course and he has demonstrably exhibited traits that will make this a reality by 2020.

Here are highlights of the New Niger State under the stewardship of Dr. Babangida Aliyu:

I

EDUCATION When Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu came on board in 2007, the education sector was in shambles and near total collapse. It is on record that parents were withdrawing their children from schools at an alarming rate as a result of their inability to foot the bills associated with their children continuing their education and lack of jobs for those who had managed to graduate. The return for the state in public examinations conducted by the National Examination Council NECO and the West African Examination Council WAEC and other bodies when Dr Aliyu came on board was also nothing to write home about.

Statistic showed that the enrolment of students/ Pupils in public schools as a result of these and other problems was a mere 700,000. However with the midas touch of the Chief servant who ensured the creation of two separate ministries to manage the education sector and breathed new life into the State Universal Basic Education Board, the enrolment of pupils/Students in Schools in the state has increased to over,1,400,000.

The creation of the Ministries of Tertiary Education and the Ministry of Basic Education by the administration of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has also gone a long way to transform the education sector in the areas of management, and provision of infrastructure which to a large extent ensures better performance of students in public examinations. The government also declared free education for all pupils/ students in public schools notwithstanding their states of origin, embarked on the payment of the NECO and WAEC fees for these students a project which has so far gulped N2bn as well as provided free text books in core subjects and branded exercise books to students in public schools.

Government also embarked on an aggressive drive to ensure more females are in schools with the award of 922 scholarships to girl children.

Between 2007 and 2012 it is to the credit of the administration that almost one million copies of assorted text books, 1,500,000 exercise books, 200,000 packets of chalks and 90,000 mathematical sets have either been given to pupils/students or to their schools.

In addition, government during the period under review has given 700,000 instructional materials to pupils and 6000 copies of text books to the teachers as well as 12,000 copies of text books for use by ECCD pupils while 50 schools benefited

from the construction and equipping of science laboratories.

In the area of infrastructural development the Talba administration between 2007 and 2012 has constructed 4001 new classrooms renovated 500 classrooms and constructed 600 VIP latrines 17 high-rise school blocks as well as 20 new libraries in addition to the construction of 20,000 pupils and teachers furniture 15 hostels and sunk 60 boreholes. This intervention alone cost the government a whopping N10.5bn within the period under review.

To encourage dedication of teachers to their duty, the Niger state government became one of the first states in the country to implement the new Teachers Salary Scale, TSS, even as the government strengthened the inspectorate divisions of the ministries and also established school based management committees to monitor public and private schools.

Before 2007, most of the programmes and courses offered by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai, the state owned university, the Zungeru Polytechnic, and the College of Education in Minna were not recognised by the different accreditation bodies but that has become history because of the support given the institutions by the government.

For instance, the government procured equipment for the accreditation of the HND and OND programmes in the State Polytechnic, Degree courses at the state university and NCE courses at the College of Education Minna and constructed 105 junior staff and 57 professors and senior staff quarters as well as purchased furniture for students and staff use at the IBBUL and transformers to ensure regular and stable supply o electricity for all lecture theatres and residences in the University.

Government also carried out massive renovation of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Bida and Minna respectively, which ensured the accreditation of their programmes and courses as well as renovated the Dr Imam Library at the College of Agriculture Mokwa.

HEALTH SECTOR Like the education sector, the Health sector was in a deplorable condition when the government of Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu came on board in 2007. The situation was so pathetic that patients were moving in their hundreds to private hospitals and clinics in search of medical attention because the public health institutions could not provide them the services they required.

With the coming of the administration, things changed for the better when the general hospitals in Minna, Bida, Suleja, New Bussa, Kontagora and Kagara were renovated. Government in the first instance increased the monthly subvention for the running of the hospitals by over 100% before embarking on recruitment of doctors and other medical staff to man these hospitals.

The administration declared free medical services for pregnant women and the aged and sickle cell patients. It also purchased and distributed free 1.7m insecticide treated mosquito nets to people in the 25,local government areas of the state and carried out free eye surgery for 11,500 eye patients in Minna Bida and Kontagora , 4000 other patients had their sights restored after undergoing cataract surgery under the full sponsorship of the state government.

To take health care delivery close to the people, the administration carried out the construction of 3 new 110 bed hospitals at Gulu, Sabon Wuse and Nasko and equipped them with modern equipment. The rural hospitals at Bangi, Kutigi and Kuta were al-

Tractors to boost Agriculture in Niger State commissioned by Gov. Babangida Aliu

so upgraded to the status of general hospitals. The IBB specialized hospital in Minna was also upgraded to a specialist hospital with full compliments of resident consultants.

Through the MDGs programme the government has also constructed 20 bed comprehensive health care centres in each local government headquarters. 100 basic health centres have also been provided in the average of 4 per local government area. The MDGs office has also intervened in Schools of Health Technology Minna and Tungan Magajiya, School of Nursing Bida and School of Midwifery, Minna. In the period under review the administration has purchased ambulances for all the general hospitals and procured tricycles for use in emergency cases by patients in the rural communities in the state.

The Talba Mobile clinic was also introduced and has been serving the people in the rural and urban areas of the state.

AGRICULTURE The major focus of the administration in the last 6 years is to turn agriculture to a money spinning and employment generation venture through the mechanization of farming. This is why the government has purchased well over 258 tractors and their implements for use by small and large scale farmers even as the tractor hiring scheme in all the local government areas of the state was revived to put the services of these implements at their disposal.

Housing project in Niger State

Newly commissioned vehicles to boost transportation within and outside Niger State

4

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NIGER

STATE GOVERNMENT Power State

Street lights and roads constructed in Minna and other towns in Niger State by Gov. Babagida Aliu’s Administration The opening of 16 irrigation schemes across the state has also provided the opportunity for all the year round farming thereby boosting the income of the farmers. During the period under review, the government has gone into partnership with the Israeli government in the area of irrigation farming which has led to the establishment of the Drip irrigation farm at Lapai-Gwari. The government also reopened the extension stations across the 3 senatorial zones from where farmers are given information on the latest technology in farming. Government also purchased 120 motorcycles for these extension workers to facilitate the performance of their assignments.

During the period under review, not less than 83,900mt of fertilizer were purchased and sold to farmers at a subsidized rates, 3200 litres of agrochemical were purchased and sold to the farmers in addition to the purchase and sale to farmers of 100,000 high breed mango seeds and other high yielding crops. Government also purchased over 5904mt of assorted grains from farmers which served two purposes, saved the farmers from selling off their goods during the period of surplus and also provide the public with affordable grains during the period of scarcity.

For the first time in the history of the state, the administration was able to train over 600 secondary school leavers on modern methods of farming with majority of those trained now proud farmers in the 25 local government areas of the state a measure that has assisted to reduce unemployment among the youths and fresh school graduates.

Niger state government also recorded huge success in the implementation of the Fadama programme with the regular payment of its counterpart fund which has led to the execution of over 593 projects under the Fadama 111 scheme.

The Niger state government under the leadership of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu is currently implementing the multi million naira rice programme which will make the state the largest rice producer and exporter in Africa.

Government has also been able to reduce the incidents of clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers with the designating of 23 grazing reserves and carving out of 1268kilometers of stock routes traversing 16 local government areas.

Five motorized boreholes were also provided along these routes for use by the nomads and their cattle. The government also embarked on regular vaccination of cattle, dogs, goats and pigs against diseases to make the edible for man.

512.4 hectares of land was acquired for the Tagwai Livestock and Fisheries institute where artificial insemination has begun. The Tagwai fishery is expected to begin the production of 25million assorted fish fingerlings for sale to prospective fish farmers in the state.

The MDGs office has renovated lecture rooms and provided instructional materials like tractors etc at the Farm Institute Tegina. It has also provided 60 motocycles to aid agricultural extention services in the state.

This administration has also carried out the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Veterinary Centre in Minna and equipped it with vaccines while five vehicles and ambulatory motorcycles were provided for use by staff of the centre.

WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT Since 2007, the Government of Niger State under the leadership of Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has been carrying out a total reconstruction of the towns and cities in the state with the sole objective of putting these cities on the same level with others in the country. As a result of the transformation

drive of the administration Minna and other towns in the state are now wearing new looks. Some of the roads already constructed by the administration are the Kutigi-Fazhi, Batati-Dabban, Bonu-Gurara waterfalls, Luma-Babana, Industrial lay-out Minna AP-Kpagungu-keteren Gwari –Mobil and Mu’azu MohammedZarumai –Onigbinde Roads.

Government has also begun the construction or rehabilitation of the Rijau-Dukku, Mokwa-Rabba, Lagos Street, Kontagora, Suleja-Gauraka township road, Lapai-Gulu-Muye, Kwakuti-Kafin koroGwada, Lapai-Gwari-FUT permanent site Eastern bypass-Maikunkele, Idi ground-Bahago roundabout, Old airport, Ndayako –Dokoza-GRA and Access roads at the 3 arms zone as well as the construction of bridge across river Kaduna at Shiroro dam. Some of these roads especially the ones at the Eastern bypass in Minna, Chanchaga-city gate and City gate to Western bypass have been provided with either solar or PHCN powered street lights.

It is on record that most of these roads before the intervention by the administration were either in the worst state of dilapidation or were too narrow to accommodate the huge number of vehicles plying over them.

The Government has since 2007 been collaborating with the 25 local government areas in the state in the construction of 10kilometers of road in each of the local government, a project that has opened up the rural areas of the state. Government also purchased heavy equipment for road construction which was given to all the local government councils.

WARD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT The concept of the Ward Development Programme was introduced by Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in 2008 to carry development to the farthest parts of the state and thereby satisfy the yearning and aspirations of the people at the grassroots.

Under the programme in the first instance, the project took off with a monthly grant of N500,000.00 to each of the 274 wards in the state for the execution of projects that will be beneficial for the people in the wards. The amount was later increased to N1m monthly as a result of increasing demands for execution of projects by each Ward.

HOUSING The Talba administration in its bid to make housing assessable to majority of people and at affordable rates has commenced the construction of 1500 housing units in Bida Minna and Kontagora and Suleja. The 500 housing units named the MI Wushishsi housing estate has since been completed and allocated while the projects in Kontagora, Bida and Suleja are nearing completion.

The government has also completed the construction of an ultra modern building materials market in Minna as well as constructed the Magatakarda garden, Murtala amusement park Democracy garden and the centeneray roundabout. All have added to the beauty of the state capital and provided avenues for relaxation by youths and adults in the state capital.

The establishment of the Niger state Geographic Information centre has brought sanity to land acquisition in the state.

WATER SUPPLY There is no doubt that supply of water for domestic and commercial use has been a major problem for the people of the state before this administration came on board in 2007 but the Governor Aliyu administration has taken the bull by the horn through the execution of projects that has led to the reduction of the stress the people undergo in search of potable water.

The government first embarked on the de-silting of the Tagwai dam in Minna thereby putting the dam in position to impound

Newly constructed school buildings more water for treatment and subsequent supply to the people just as the administration purchased pump and electric panels and 1000kva for Chanchaga water works another250kva power generating set was also purchased for the Bosso water works and one booster pump for the Maitumbi area.

To tackle the problem of water supply to areas that have not been reticulated the government purchased 10 water tankers which have been serving this category of people. Government has also constructed and commissioned for use of mini water schemes at Mashegu, Agwara, Kuta, Kata-eregi and Lemu and dredged the Bosso dam. 150 solar powered boreholes have also been built across the state by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office.

During the period under review government also sunk 500 boreholes across the 25 local government areas of the state and provided 2 solar powered boreholes at the Permanent NYSC orientation camp at Paiko.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT To arrest the problem of graduate unemployment, the Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu administration introduced the Talba graduate employment scheme which has so far provided over 6000 University, Colleges of Education and Polytechnic graduates with jobs. Aside from this, the government trained 50 youths in High Tech welding and fabrication at Sapele in Delta state. 50 other youths were trained in agricultural skills acquisition in poultry farming goat and sheep rearing and cattle fattening. Another 1500 youths from Bida, Kontagora, Suleja, Kagara Kuta, Agaie, Mokwa and Minna were trained in various trades TRANSPORT The Niger state Transport Authority has received a big boost under the administration of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu. The authority was assisted with 100 vehicles to boost its fleet and purchased 4 ferries with 75hp engines for use in the riverine areas. Over 250 vehicles have also been purchased by the government and distributed to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers even as more than 500 tricycles have been given to members of the motorcycle riders union as one of the step towards phasing out of motorcycle as a commercial means of transport in Minna in the first instance and later the entire state.

WORKERS WELFARE/ PENSION The Niger state government has continued to make prompt payment of workers’ salaries and their allowances an article of faith. The government has implemented the N18, 000 minimum wage and was among the first states to implement the Teachers Salary scale TSS. Governor Aliyu’s administration also settled the backlog of pensions and gratuities and has been regular in the payment of entitlements to retirees.

On a general note, the relationship of the administration with other arms of government has been conducive, accounting for the modest successes recorded by the executive arm of government.

Governor Aliyu has pledged the commitment of his administration to continue to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state. He has also promised to complete all ongoing projects before the handover of government to another administration in 2015.

Danladi Ndayebo Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger State

Hospital buildings and Equipment provided by the present administration all over Niger State.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

News 5

The Promise Of Democracy: 1999-2013 (Reminiscences)

The dividend Yar’Adua promised (Inauguration speech by President Umar Musa Yar’Adua on May 30, 2007) IS Excellency, Vice President GoodH luck Jonathan; President of the Senate, the Speaker, House of Representatives, my Lord Chief Justice of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, distinguished Presidents and Heads of governments who have graciously honoured us with their presence today, leaders of our nation, guests from far and near, fellow citizens.

This is a historic day for our nation, for it marks an important milestone in our march towards a maturing democracy.

For the first time since we cast off the shackles of colonialism almost a halfcentury ago, we have at last managed an orderly transition from one elected government to another.

We acknowledge that our elections had some shortcomings. Thankfully, we have well-established legal avenues of redress, and I urge anyone aggrieved to pursue them. I also believe that our experiences represent an opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Accordingly, I will set up a panel to examine the entire electoral process with a view to ensuring that we raise the quality and standard of our general elections, and thereby deepen our democracy.

This occasion is historic also because it marks another kind of transitional generational shift when the children of independence assume the adult responsibility of running the country at the heart of Africa. My fellow citizens, I am humbled and honoured that you have elected me and Vice President Jonathan to represent that generation in the task of building a just and humane nation, where its people have a fair chance to attain their fullest potential.

Luckily, we are not starting from scratch. We are fortunate to have been led the past eight years by one of our nation’s greatest patriots, President Obasanjo. On behalf of all our people, I salute you, Mr. President, for your vision, your courage and your boundless energy in creating the roadmap toward that united and economically thriving Nigeria that we seek.

Many of us may find it hard to believe now, but before you assumed the Presidency eight years ago, the national conversation was about whether Nigeria deserved to remain one country at all.

Today, we are talking about Nigeria’s potential to become one of the 20 largest economies in the world by the year 2020. That is a measure of how far we have come. And we thank you.

The administration of President Obasanjo has laid the foundation upon which we can build our future prosperity. Over the past eight years, Nigerians have reached a national consensus in at least four areas: to deepen democracy and the rule of law, build an economy driven primarily by the private sector, not government, display zero-tolerance for corruption in all its forms and, finally, restructure and staff our government to ensure efficiency and good governance. I commit myself to these tasks.

Our goal now is to build on the greatest accomplishments of the past few years.

Relying on the seven-point agenda that formed the basis of our compact with voters during the recent campaigns, we will concentrate on rebuilding our physical infrastructure and human capital in order to take our country forward. We will focus on accelerating economic and other reforms in a way that makes a concrete and visible difference to ordinary people.

Our economy already has been set on the path of growth. Now, we must continue to do the necessary work to create more jobs, lower interest rates, reduce inflation, and maintain a stable exchange rate. All this will increase our

chances for rapid growth and development. Central to this is rebuilding our basic infrastructure. We already have comprehensive plans for mass transportation, especially railroad development. We will make these plans a reality.

Equally important, we must devote our best efforts to overcome the energy challenge. Over the next four years, we will see dramatic improvements in power generation, transmission and distribution. These plans will mean little if we do not respect the rule of law. Our government is determined to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies, especially the police. The state must fulfill its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property.

The crisis in the Niger Delta commands our urgent attention. Ending it is a matter of strategic importance to our country. I will use every resource available to me, with your help, to address this crisis in a spirit of fairness, justice, and cooperation. We have a good starting point because our predecessor already launched a master-plan that can serve as basis for a comprehensive examination of all the issues. We will involve all stakeholders in working out a solution.

As part of this effort, we will move quickly to ensure security of lives and property, and to make investments safe.

In the meantime, I appeal to all aggrieved communities, groups and individuals to immediately suspend all violent activities and respect the law. Let us allow the impending dialogue to take place in a conducive atmosphere. We are all in this together, and we will find a way to achieve peace and justice.

As we work to resolve the challenges of the Niger Delta, so must we also tackle poverty throughout the country. By fighting poverty, we fight disease. We will make advances in public health to control the scourge of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases that hold back our population and limit our progress.

We are determined to intensify the war against corruption, more so because corruption is itself central to the spread of poverty. Its corrosive effect is all too visible in all aspects of our national life.

This is an area where we have made significant progress in recent years, and we will maintain the momentum.

We also are committed to rebuilding our human capital, if we are to support a modern economy. We must revive education in order to create more equality, and citizens who can function more productively in today’s world. To our larger African family, you have our commitment to the goal of African integration.

We will continue to collaborate with fellow African states to reduce conflict and free our people from the leg chains of poverty.

To all our friends in the international community, we pledge our continuing fidelity to the goals of progress in Africa and peace in the world. Fellow citizens, I ask you all to march with me into the age of restoration. Let us work together to restore our time-honoured value of honesty, decency, generosity, modesty, selflessness, transparency, and accountability. These fundamental values determine societies that succeed or fail. We must choose to succeed.

I will set a worthy personal example as your President. No matter what obstacles confront us, I will set a worthy personal example as your President. I have confidence and faith in our ability to

Yar”Adua

overcome them. After all, we are Nigerians! We are a resourceful and enterprising people, and we have it within us to make our country a better place. To that end, I offer myself as a servant-leader. I will be a listener and doer, and serve with humility.

To fulfill our ambitions, all our leaders at all levels, whether a local government councillor or state governor, senator or cabinet minister, must change our style and our attitude.

We must act at all times with humility, courage, and forthrightness. I ask you, fellow citizens, to join me in rebuilding our Nigerian family, one that defines the success of one by the happiness of many.

I ask you to set aside negative attitudes and concentrate all our energies on getting to our common destination. All hands must be on deck. Let us join to ease the pains of today while working for the gains of tomorrow. Let us set aside cynicism and strive for the good society that we know is within our reach. Let us discard the habit of low expectations of ourselves, as well as of our leaders. Let us stop justifying every shortcoming with that unacceptable phrase, “the Nigerian factor,” as if to be a Nigerian is to settle for less.

Let us recapture the mood of optimism that defined us at the dawn of independence, that legendary can-do spirit that marked

Equally important, we must devote our best efforts to overcome the energy challenge. Over the next four years, we will see dramatic improvements in power generation, transmission and distribution. These plans will mean little if we do not respect the rule of law. Our government is determined to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies, especially the police. The state must fulfill its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property

our Nigerianness. Let us join together, now, to build a society worthy of our children. We have the talent. We have the intelligence. We have the ability. The challenge is great. The goal is clear. The time is now. I thank you, and God bless you.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

6 | NEWS

The Promise of Democracy: 1999 — 2013 (Reminiscences)

‘Jonathan has devalued legitimacy Ladipo Adamolekun, Professor of Public Administration, former university teacher, Public Administration Officer at the United Nations (UN), World Bank Public Sector Management specialist and 2005 recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit,(the highest national prize for academic and intellectual excellence) delivered the President Goodluck Inauguration Lecture in 2011 where he charted clear courses for the country’s development. In this interview with NIyI BeLLO, the erudite Fulbright scholar did a mid-term assessment of the President Jonathan administration and declared that the country has failed to tackle the problems of underdevelopment frontally. excerpts: N 2011, you delivered the inauguration lecIPresident ture that heralded the commencement of Goodluck Jonathan first term in office where you made far-reaching recommendations. From your assessment, how has the president fared against the backdrop of your proposals?

It was a three-part-lecture, the first part focused on five fundamentals namely: electoral legitimacy, peace and security, government policy stability, rule of law and anti-corruption. Part two focused on three key result areas where transformation should be felt so that the public can see in 2015, that President

Adamolekun

Jonathan has emerged as a transformational leader. I selected educational rehabilitation, fixing poor infrastructure and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as three areas that if things were to be transformed to a higher level during the four-year tenure, would qualify the president as a transformational leader.

Finally in the third part, I drew attention

to what I called implementation issues and the issues are the centrality of the civil service as the instrument for implementation and the impact of inter-governmental relations in terms of implementing and there was reference to monitoring and evaluation.

As you said earlier, the whole idea of transformational leadership seems to have been developed by the presidency from the lecture, unfortunately not much has been made out of it. Today, I don’t think there is a document spelling out President Jonathan’s transformational agenda but all the ministers are talking about it. There are very few exceptions though. Agriculture has actually produced a strategy to transform the sector but I am not aware of other ministries with such strategic approach. In the area of economy and finance it is very clear what macroeconomic stability means between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and that Ministry of Finance in terms of inflation, economic growth and the rest. All the parameters are clear and it is possible to measure the extent of transformation that is taking place there. Beyond those two sectors, I am not familiar with others.

Even without a document encapsulating your proposals, couldn’t government still go ahead to implement the propositions?

No! Because I am not part of them but, if it means adopting the model, these are issues we cannot run away from. Former President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua had a sevenpoint Agenda, Ekiti State has eight-point Agenda which they are actually implementing. In the case of Ekiti, you can see the subject coming up every time because all the commissioners are familiar with it. And Lagos is sticking to its own strategy which they called PATH; meaning: Power, Agriculture, Transportation and Housing. That is the point I am making, there should be a direction to follow. Even if that lecture didn’t transform into a policy, there should be something on the part of government to map out the course of government. Somebody giving it in a lecture doesn’t translate to implementation but government has to come out with something to spell out what it hopes to achieve within a particular period of time. That is lacking.

Can we review your proposals in the light of the current realities?

If we select three of the five fundamentals stated in the lecture for review, and I would select electoral legitimacy, peace and security and anti-corruption.

These are critical fundamental areas; anybody can add one or two though. When Jonathan won the 2011 election, there were contestations and post-election violence but compared to 2007, for instance, it was better. However, he has himself devalued the legitimacy with which he got into office. He devalued the legitimacy by latching into the second term campaign almost immediately. You remember he started talking about a single term of six or seven years almost the same time he commenced his presidency. That is derailment and turning attention from the real issue. After that he began the campaign for 2015. He is two years in office now for this term, and look at the time that the talk for 2015 started.

I think part of the blame lies in the nature of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

which made the President the party leader.

In the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) it is not so. Chief Bayo Akande is the chairman and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu is the party leader, not any of its governors. In Ekiti State, former Governor Niyi Adebayo is the party leader not the incumbent governor Kayode Fayemi. The problem with the PDP is that the President has expended part of his legitimacy on partisan PDP matters, and this is unfortunate.

Jonathan has invested too much energy in party leadership. On that he has frittered away some legitimacy by playing crude party politics.

Look at the amount of energy being dissipated on the chairmanship of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) by the President and the heat the controversy has brought on the polity. Of course this is all about the 2015 election. I know the NGF is a body, though not constitutionally-backed, that is doing a lot in terms of providing a platform for sharing experiences among the governors in order to promote development in their various states. But all those good things have been reduced to issues of presidential succession. It is unfortunate that good things are being destroyed by partisan politics in this country and the office of the presidency is sadly, not insulated from crude politics.

However, it seems that electoral transparency is gradually taking roots. We have not had election at the national level since 2011 but the ones we had at state levels seem to have acceptability. It was performance that secured the second term for Governor Adams Oshiomhole even though the council poll in Edo State drew some criticisms. In Ondo State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko was re-elected with only 42 per cent of the votes.

If it were in the days of rigging, he probably would have got more than that. The Ondo election, to me, was one that was keenly contested and it showed that the culture of transparency is being imbibed by the system. By and large, PDP has something to learn from separating the position of party leader from the President so that he can focus on governance.

Look at the amount of energy being dissipated on the chairmanship of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) by the President and the heat the controversy has brought on the polity. Of course this is all about the 2015 election. I know the NGF is a body, though not constitutionallybacked, that is doing a lot in terms of providing a platform for sharing experiences among the governors in order to promote development in their various states. But all those good things have been reduced to issues of presidential succession. It is unfortunate that good things are being destroyed by partisan politics in this country and the office of the presidency is sadly, not insulated from crude politics.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NEWS | 7

that brought him to power’ On peace and security, clearly the position is one of failure. The state of emergency that was declared was to curb the insurgency because there were reports that Boko Haram sect had already taken over some territories in the North Eastern part of the country. It is what the French would call force majure or a situation of inevitability but the bottom line is that security situation is worse than what it was two years ago. However, I think that there are some basic issues that should be addressed in tackling insecurity. Intelligence gathering is one of them because in the final analysis, you depend on information and competent structures to solve these problems. Look at the way the Americans handled the Boston bombings where the culprits were apprehended within hours.

On peace and security, clearly the position is one of failure. The state of emergency that was declared was to curb the insurgency because there were reports that Boko Haram sect had already taken over some territories in the North Eastern part of the country. It is what the French would call force majure or a situation of inevitability but the bottom line is that security situation is worse than what it was two years ago. However, I think that there are some basic issues that should be addressed in tackling insecurity. Intelligence gathering is one of them because in the final analysis, you depend on information and competent structures to solve these problems. Look at the way the Americans handled the Boston bombings where the culprits were apprehended within hours.

That is the power of intelligence particularly as a preventive measure. The President once said that Boko Haram has infiltrated even the presidency and we are still living with that unresolved.

The state of emergency has not and cannot address that.

The other issue is implementing the reports of commissions and panel that have looked into conflict situations in the past. These reports are not being implemented. The crisis in Jos is a good example. I have lived in Jos , that once-peaceful city and followed keenly, the events that are happening there and I noticed that if we have implemented the recommendations of the past inquiries, some of the things happening now would not have happened. Till today, nobody can say which of the about five different reports on the Jos crisis has been implemented. So I think that we are leaving some basics unattended to, like the Yoruba would say “o fi ete sile, o n pa lapalapa,” meaning leaving leprosy to attend to ringworm. The next one is community policing which we cannot but adopt as the federal police cannot do effective policing at the local level. There is no way the federal police which does not understand the local terrain can succeed. Forget the talk of the opposition to the idea that the state police can be used as political instruments to hunt opposition. Don’t we have the same ingredients at the federal level? I mean the opportunity of being used for partisanship. Those are things that happen in an underdeveloped political culture whether at the federal or state level. But these are only aberrations that could be corrected as we go along.

But could it not be structured to prevent abuse?

Well, the federal police is not structured to prevent abuse. So let us agree that there would be abuse. Must the abuse be limited only to the federal level? I am not condoning abuse. I am only saying that these are things we should go through and not because of the fear of abuse, avoid something as fundamental as the state police and community policing which will address most of these security challenges that the country is facing.

Some people oppose the idea of state police because of the fragile nature of Nigeria’s

unity and that decentralizing coercive forces may lead to disintegration.

The talk about the fragility of the Nigerian federation is exaggerated. It is true that our unity is in the making but don’t let us use words like fragility to avoid tackling fundamental problems. I am a strong believer in state police. Finally on this security issue, we should not continue to maintain non-solution. If you have the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), why do you need the Ministry of Niger Delta? I suggested in that lecture that we should scrap the Ministry and increase the funding of the commission. Make the working condition of the NDDC attractive to get top-rate professionals. Most of the states in the Niger Delta are complaining of abandoned NDDC projects.

So do you tackle that by creating a Ministry of Niger Delta? No wonder some people are agitating for the creation of a Ministry for the North. What is the meaning of that? I suppose we will then have the Ministry of South West and South East. What a crazy idea. Despite my suggestion, the advice was not heeded. When you give advice in this kind of situation, there is nothing you can do if it were not implemented. You can only continue repeating it simply because it is reasonable expecting that somebody would understand. And let me tell you this, unless people in the Niger Delta see concrete improvement in their living conditions, like in addressing problems of pollution, alternative transportation and improvement in their local economy, the problem of agitation will still be there and this cannot be solved by the current solutions being proffered for it. Whatever relative peace we are getting as a result of the Amnesty programme cannot be sustained until those issues are addressed frontally.

Finally on the fundamentals, I spoke on anti-corruption because I am one of those who know that corruption is one of the big issues that prevent our huge resources from translating into poverty alleviation for the generality of our people. I will however limit myself to three areas where the anti-corruption war is not being fought appropriately.

First, public declaration of assets by public individuals is for preventing corruption but unfortunately President Jonathan says he does not give a damn. That means he does not want to fight corruption. Governors Fayemi and Ajimobi of Oyo State publicly declared their assets so they are good examples. Yar’Adua publicly declared his assets and that of his wife. They said Jonathan declared his own, he never made it public but I don’t think he declared for his wife. Transparency is the opposite of corruption. Corruption is darkness and transparency is light. So if you are not transparent, you are not fighting corruption. Secondly, unpunished corruption helps to institutionalize the menace. In other words, people are caught and not punished. Again here, we cannot heap all the blame on Jonathan because part of the problem is that the law

Adamolekun

does not appear to help matters. If a corrupt person knows that only a fine of N750, 000 will be prescribed for somebody who stole billions, he will continue in it.

The comparative study of the menace shows that unpunished corruption makes it difficult to control. Look at Brazil, since Lula left, as many as seven ministers have been sent to prison for corruption, how many ministers have been jailed here.

In the U.S., the governor of Illinois, President Barack Obama’s state, was indicted for corruption. We don’t have that here and it does not occur to me that the President wants to champion that. And when the foreign media reports that you are not fighting corruption, you say they are lying. What kind of reaction is that? It is better to keep quite and not say anything at all. The problem of corruption is not a Nigerian problem or limited to blacks or whites. It is a human problem and you can only tackle it by putting some measures in place as it is being done all over the world. So if you look at the three fundamentals that we picked, Jonathan cannot be said to have brought any transformation, although we are only two years to his administration and we cannot write him off yet.

8

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

AfricanNews U.S. ‘troubled’ by sentences over Tunis attack NITED States (U.S.) Embassy in Tunis said yesterday it was “deeply troubled” by the leniency of the two-year suspended sentences handed out to 20 people implicated in an attack on the diplomatic mission.

“We are deeply troubled by reports of suspended sentences. The verdicts do not correspond appropriately to the extent and severity of the damage and violence that took place on September 14, 2012,” the embassy said in a statement.

“We maintain that a full investigation must be undertaken,” it stated.

The 20 suspects implicated in the deadly attack on the embassy in the Tunisian capital last year insisted they were innocent as their trial opened on Wednesday.

Hundreds of angry Islamist protesters attacked the U.S. mission in Tunis on Septem-

U

ber 14 after an American-made film mocking their religion was published on the Internet.

Four of the assailants were killed and dozens wounded in the violence, which saw protesters storm the embassy and torch a neighbouring American school.

Questioned individually by the judge, the accused, nine of whom have been remanded in custody, denied having taken part in the protest or attacking the embassy and the police.

Defence lawyers strongly criticised the trial and demanded the charges be dropped, saying the process was a result of the Tunisian judiciary bowing to pressure from the West.

“These protests were part of a spontaneous reaction throughout the (Muslim) world against attacks on our sacred symbols,” said one of them, Slah Barakati.

UN Security Council boosts peacekeeping force in Abyei NITED Nations (UN) SecuU rity Council has approved an extra 1,126 troops for a peacekeeping force in the flashpoint Abyei region, claimed by Sudan and South Sudan and a base for several armed groups.

The 15-member council extended for six months the mandate of the mission, known as UNISFA, and boosted to 5,326 the number of troops, provided by Ethiopia, in the province, prized for fertile land and oil reserves.

“The presence of armed groups inside the Safe Demilitarised Zone remains a considerable security concern,” Reuters quoted the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as telling the Security Council in a report that requested the increase in peacekeepers.

South Sudan split from its northern neighbor in 2011 under a 2005 peace deal that

ended decades of civil war.

Like South Sudan, Abyei was meant to have an independence referendum, agreed under the 2005 deal, but Sudan and South Sudan have been unable to agree which tribal members should participate.

UN peacekeepers have been administering Abyei since Sudan seized it in May 2011 fol-

lowing an attack on a convoy of peacekeepers and Sudanese soldiers, which the United Nations blamed on southern forces.

Khartoum later withdrew its forces under a UN peace plan.

“Only a lasting solution to the final status of Abyei can end the recurring cycle of violence,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice,

told reporters yesterday.

Earlier this month, the African Union called for Sudan and South Sudan to find a solution on Abyei after a tribal leader and an Ethiopian peacekeeper were killed.

Kuwal Deng Mayok, the chief of the Dinka tribe allied to South Sudan, was killed by a member of the Misseriya tribe in Abyei claimed by Khartoum

Kenyatta wants lawmakers to rethink defiance on pay “This continuing paralysis is RESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta free up cash for investment P Kenya has urged members aimed at stimulating eco- not in the national interest and it is imperative that this of parliament to accept a nomic growth. planned pay cut, a day after they defied him and voted to raise their salaries to 130 times the minimum wage.

Kenyatta, who won a closely fought March 4 election, had said cutting lawmakers’ salaries would ease public sector wage demands and

But instead of accepting a cut imposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, parliament voted on Tuesday for a pay rise, in a show of open rebellion to Kenyatta who has no power to enforce the wage reduction.

matter be brought to an appropriate and sustainable conclusion within the law,” he said in a statement.

Kenyatta said he and members of his office would take the cut set by the salaries commission, and urged parliamentarians to follow suit.

9

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

WorldReport Europe moves to ease austerity measures in member countries MID concerns and protests A by their citizens, the European Union (EU) has given the green light to some member states to slow their pace of austerity cuts.

Following the development, the bloc’s commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, said yesterday that France, Spain, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Slovenia have been given more time to complete their austerity plans.

Barroso warned that the extra time given must be “used wisely” to lift competitiveness.

But French President Francois Hollande yesterday said the European Commission could not “dictate” orders after it called on Paris to step up reforms and overhaul its costly pension system.

“The European Commission cannot dictate to us what we have to do. It can simply say that France must balance its public accounts,” he said.

“As far as structural reforms are concerned, especially pension reforms, it is up to us

alone to say which is the best path to attain this objective,” he said, adding that talks on the subject were ongoing with social partners to achieve this with “consensus, justice and responsibility.”

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the measures came as part of the European Commission’s country-specific recommendations.

France will get two more

years to bring its budget deficit below three per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Spain, Poland and Slovenia will also get two more years to bring down their budget deficits though spending cuts and tax increase.

Also, the Netherlands and Portugal are having their timetables extended by one year.

Even Europe’s stronger

economies, including Germany, are being urged to allow wage increases and increase flexibility in the jobs market to improve competitiveness.

Europe remains broadly in recession. The 17-member eurozone shrank by 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, and is expected to register negative growth for 2013 as a whole.

There has been concern that

with the ailing economy topping the agenda.

But the nation’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called for a clean vote.

Campaigning for the June 14 presidential polls officially kicked off last week after Iran’s electoral watchdog, the Guardians Council, approved the eight – including several figures close to Khamenei – from a field of nearly 700 would-be candidates.

Two main contenders were disqualified.

The campaign has so far been mostly confined to short provincial tours and appear-

ed United States (U.S.) drone strike in the north-west of the country, according to sources.

The Pakistani Taliban leadership has not yet officially confirmed the death of the man, named as Waliur Rehman.

Earlier, Pakistani security officials said a local Taliban commander was among the casualties in the raid.

Missiles hit a house close to the town of Miranshah, in North Waziristan, early yesterday.

The strike came a week after President Barack Obama issued new guidelines for tighter scrutiny of the drone programme and stricter tar-

IX days after the Islamist Squestioning attack, Police have stated Michael

The newborn Chinese boy rescued from a narrow sewer pipe beneath a public restroom in a residential building in eastern China in an intensive care at a hospital.

row sewer pipe beneath a public restroom in a residential building in eastern China.

It was not initially clear how the baby originally became lodged in the pipe just beneath the building’s fourthfloor bathroom.

But according to the staterun Zhejiang News, residents reported hearing a baby crying from the pipe at the weekend. They summoned firefighters to the Jinhua-based apartment complex, where they worked for two hours to carefully disassemble the sewage system.

she could not afford an abortion. She was unmarried and kept her pregnancy secret, police told Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency.

She said she tried to catch the baby after unexpectedly giving birth, but that he slipped into the sewer. She then alerted her landlord, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Xinhua reported that the mother did not think she could afford to look after the baby, so she did not tell anyone that the baby was hers.

She went to work after he had

Iran’s presidential candidates for TV debate IGHT candidates running E for president in Iran are to stage a televised debate today,

NE of Pakistan’s senior O Taliban leaders was reportedly killed in a suspect-

getting rules.

A senior Taliban source in Miranshah told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that one of those killed in the drone strike was the No. 2 commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Waliur Rehman.

U.S. drone strikes are a major point of contention in Pakistan and were a key issue in its recent elections.

A Pakistani foreign ministry official condemned the strike – the first for almost six weeks – as a breach of sovereignty, Reuters news agency reported.

“Any drone strike is against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and we condemn it,” the official, who declined to be identi-

Police begin questioning UK murder suspect

Rescued Chinese baby ‘fell into sewage pipe accidentally,’ says mother OTHER of Chinese newJinhua city on Saturday.

However, Zhezhong News been rescued and only admitM born baby that was resEmergency workers rescued yesterday reported that the 22- ted the baby was hers when cued from a sewage pipe at the newborn boy from a nar- year old mother told police confronted by police later.

the weekend has explained that the boy fell in accidentally.

The mother, who has not been named, reportedly told police she unexpectedly gave birth to the baby when she was in the toilet and that the baby slipped into the sewer.

She is reported to have raised the initial alarm, despite not admitting it was her baby until later, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported yesterday.

The baby is currently recovering in hospital after being cut free from the pipe in

Pakistan’s Taliban leader killed by U.S. drone strike

ances on state television and radio, rather than the lively street rallies by supporters of candidates in the 2009 presidential election that gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second four-year term.

The Guardians Council has barred moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad’s close ally, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie.

The TV debate, the first of three, is expected to take the form of a question and answer session, with Iran’s ailing and sanctions-hit economy expected to top the agenda.

Plunging oil exports combined with foreign currency curbs have triggered a severe economic crisis, with infla-

tion officially running at more than 30 per cent and foreign investments drying up.

The run-up to the 2009 election, which led to anti-regime protests over voter fraud charges, produced heated exchanges between Ahmadinejad and his proreform opponents, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, in live face-to-face debates on state television.

However, Khamenei has warned the candidates against creating tensions.

“The candidates should refrain from tarnishing their opponents and the realities of the society just to attract votes,” he told a group of lawmakers in remarks reported on his website.

Police are continuing to investigate whether the incident was an accident or the result of a deliberate act.

Nappies donated The infant was named Baby No. 59 after the number of his hospital incubator.

Adebowale, one of the prime suspects in the brutal murder of a British soldier in London, following his release from hospital.

Adebowale, 22, was formally taken into police custody on Tuesday as the family of his co-accused, Michael Adebolajo, issued a statement expressing their “profound shame and distress” over the murder.

Soldier Lee Rigby was hacked to death in broad daylight last Wednesday near a barracks in Woolwich by two men who later spouted Islamic extremist rhetoric at passers-by.

Both Adebowale and Adebolajo, 28, were injured in police gunfire at the scene and were held at separate London hospitals under armed guard until they were

well enough to be questioned.

Following his discharge on Tuesday afternoon, Adebowale was taken into custody at a south London police station, Scotland Yard said.

Detectives have 24 hours to question him before they have to apply for an extension.

After a total of 96 hours, they must decide whether to charge him or release him.

Adebolajo, who was captured in amateur footage after the attack, claiming he murdered the soldier because British troops were killing Muslims, remains in stable condition in hospital.

In a statement, his relatives sent their “heartfelt condolence” to the family of the murdered 25-year-old, which includes his two-year-old son, Jake.

They said there was “no place for violence in the name of religion or politics”.

10 NEWS

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Promise Of Democracy: 1999-2013 (Reminiscences)

By Kunle Fadipe

If the law rules

N essential attribute of democracy, which A makes it a beauty to behold, is its reliance on the Rule of Law as its major pillar. That it is inexorably anchored on the Rule of Law as its fulcrum makes it the best and most attractive form of government known to mankind. Aristotle drew home the importance of rule of law when he said, “the Rule of Law is preferable to that of any individual.”

This is because it is about absolute supremacy or predominance of regular law as opposed to the influence of arbitrary power and excludes the existence of wide discretionary authority on the part of the government. The snag however, as once observed by Prof Itse Sagay is that the question of the observance, enforcement and maintenance of the Rule of Law in the 3rd world countries, lacking in democratic and human rights culture as they are, has always been a challenge to the Judiciary of these countries. In most of such countries, the Rule of Law does not exist at all, and arbitrariness, executive lawlessness, oppression and anarchy reign supreme. This may not necessarily be so in Nigeria while admitting that there are instances of impunity on the part of those who hold the reins of government.

The case of Military Governor of Lagos state v.

Ojukwu is a classical historical illustration of the low esteem the Rule of Law is subjected to in Nigeria. In that case, although the position of the law is that no person shall be ejected from a piece of land or building without a court order to that effect, the military governor of Lagos State deployed his men to dislodge Ojukwu from Villaska lodge, which according to the government was illegally occupied by him. It was an opportunity for the supreme court of Nigeria to espouse the ideals of the Rule of Law and to bemoan the fundamental breaches it had suffered in the hands of the powers that be.

Hear the Supreme Court per Obaseki JSC as he then was: “The Nigerian Constitution is founded on the rule of law, the primary meaning of which is that everything must be done according to law. It means also that government should be conducted within the framework of recognized rules and principles which restrict discretionary power which Coke colourfully spoke of as ‘golden and straight metwand of law as opposed to the uncertainty and crooked cord of discretion founded on the rule’….”.

The Ojukwu example was a child’s play compared to what happened in Odi when a whole community was sacked by the military in the most horrendous and lawlessness manner that made a mockery of the concept of rule of law. Interesting enough, this happened under a democratic government. And only recently was the Rivers State House of Assembly sealed up in the most barbaric manner and the activity of a local government council completely paralysed by the massive deployment of policemen and other security agencies in such a way that employees are denied access to their offices.

This prologue is to justify the conclusion that Nigeria’s problem as a nation revolves around its scant regard for the laws of the land. Few Nigerians feel obliged to obey the law. We do so only when it is convenient. This explains why 80% of motorists go about without driver’s license and vehicle particulars, drive against the traffic at will and in defiance of road signs. This also explains why pedestrians would choose to risk their lives by running across the highways when there are pedestrian bridges to take them across. Worst culprits are our leaders at all levels of government who have become so bloated and larger than life in a manner that leaves no one in doubt that power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Although the machinery of the offices they occupy has sufficient in built mechanisms against arbitrariness, our leaders are known to ride rough shod on these mechanisms in order to please themselves alone as if their relationship with the people is not that of social contract rooted in law.

To them, the law should be the least obstacle on their way to fly off at a tangent. They cannot imagine the law sharing the same space, influence and prominence with them after having obtained the mandate of the people. Just like Louis IV of France, who often glamorized himself with the statement “letat cest moi” literarily meaning “I am the state” they see themselves as the law before who all must bow. But then what is the difference between some of our leaders and Louis IV whose conduct prepared the way for the notorious French revolution? Who can stand up to them when they run foul of the law? Don’t they get away with even blue murder regardless of the protestations of the ordinary citizens who more often than not are the victims of their atrocities? How do those in government perceive public protests against their policies? In most cases such protests are dismissed as the ranting and chanting of an ant or worse still campaign of calumny orchestrated by the opposition. This is the standard reaction to expect from Dr. Doyin Okupe, the presidential spokesman. But that is because Rule of Law still remains largely a figment of imagination in Nigeria. Sad enough, it is the bane of our development.

Had the law ruled, the checks and balances put in

place by the constitution are potent enough to prevent the excesses of our leaders; the president and the governors would have had the legislative houses to contend with and it probably would have been difficult for the profligacy we see in government today, which makes the presidential air fleet to have up to 25 aircrafts and governors going about in private jets in the midst of harrowing poverty suffered by the people, to happen. It is also unlikely that our governors will drive about town recklessly in a manner that endangers the live and property of the ordinary citizens. Had the law ruled, the office of the first lady in the way it exists today will be a ‘peculiar mess’, an illegal contraption and a serious embarrassment to the first citizens by whom the offices are held or created? It will be obvious to the illegal occupant of those offices that they are mere impostors, busy bodies and meddlesome interlopers, out to squander our scarce resources and flaunt the ill gotten wealth and power of their husbands. We have watched helplessly for too long the ridiculous extent to which their abuse of state power has degenerated. Air traffic had been shut down, roads have been closed and economic activities totally paralysed because a first lady wanted to go on a jamboree or visit party associates of her husband? That is the tragedy of a country where there is no law or where individuals tower above the law and where its citizens are in bondage. It is the symptom of a big malaise, a recipe for eternal backwardness.

The expectation of the concept of the Rule of Law is that all must be equal before the law and that the law is no respecter of any one. That is what it is in every civilized democracy. And that was why Silvio Berlusconi, a former Italian PM was prosecuted by his country for what would have counted for nothing in Nigeria. That was also why a big time US Senator was convicted in connection with bribery scandal in the Pentascope case involving several Nigerian accomplices who were not even interrogated at all let alone being tried. In other words, our own law is a major respecter of the high and mighty in the society who in most cases take delight in committing heinous crimes knowing full well they will readily get away with their iniquity.

It is the reason why corruption and other vices are taking roots in the polity. While the man who stole a tuber of yam obviously because of the hardship and penury which the economic policy of government imposed on him gets sentenced to 5 years imprisonment “to serve as a deterrent,” the heavy weight in government, responsible for the economic woes that made a thief out of a family man or woman is sentenced to 2 years imprisonment or less for stealing billions of Naira. In some cases he is made to release a fraction of what was stolen to stave off a day’s sojourn in prison. Lucky Igbinedion and his ilk belong to this category. Similarly, the trial of a ‘big man’ is conducted with so much courtesy to him that you can hardly tell that he is a major economic saboteur. In fact he has

Fadipe

nothing to fear by his arraignment.

He looks forward to it with relish and without the slightest apprehension of any harm.

He knows his trial or supposed trial will take eternity to decide. And for as long as it lasts, he is presumed innocent and ipso facto entitled to keep his loot and aspire to any office of his choice from where he is further insulated from the pangs of the law, the breach of which he is standing trial. He has enough money to dig deep and entrench himself in the corridors of power. Had the law ruled, he would have been tried within a reasonable time and he would have been convicted early enough to prevent him from getting into another office with the potential of foisting a greater calamity on the citizenry? The result of this lopsidedness is that the ‘big man’ does not see the law as enough disincentives for the crime of milking the nation dry. The casualty in all of this, in the first instance is good governance and in the final analysis, the citizenry.

The scenario on ground conduces to the recycling of criminals and charlatans in political or high government offices and position of responsibility. Had the law ruled, this will never have been possible. The criminals will be locked away in prison and thereafter from public office by law and subsequently from the public space by moral inhibition and societal indignation.

To show the inequality in the system, in a manner clearly offensive to the rule of law, while the oil subsidy thieves and bank fraudsters are driven to court in an air conditioned government vehicle in a dignifying manner on the day of arraignment and until the perfection of their bail, the man who allegedly stole 50 litres of diesel belonging to his employer is ferried to court in a Black Maria. Although the rule of law demands that an accused person shall be presumed innocent until he is proved guilty, this only applies when the ‘big men’, the big looters are involved; it doesn’t when petty thieves are involved. They are presumed guilty until they prove their innocence. The court before which they are arraigned treats them immediately like a hardened criminal and Imposes condition of bail that will keep them in prison custody for a long time due to inability to perfect the condition. While the subsidy thieve is obliged to sit down in the dock, the man standing trial for stealing 50 litres of diesel amounting to N5, 000 must remain standing through out. He faces all sorts of ignominy and embarrassment in court as though he is already a convict. Had the law ruled, every defendant shall be treated equally; only in the manner prescribed by the law, not the whims and caprices of the adjudicating officer.

That the running of our country is largely a function of the whims and caprices of individuals manifests itself in the way and manner every one jostles for the attention of the president and his protection. He must not be offended like the gods of old. To offend him is to bring adverse consequences on one’s self. No one can make a better presentation on this topic than Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state. He has a forerunner in Atiku Abubakar who as Vice President of Nigeria received the greatest vilification of his life for daring to look President Olusegun Obasanjo in the face. Ditto Audu Ogbe whose house was cordoned off by police and military men to the point that his children were denied entry to the house simply because his criticism of government’s economic policy was considered embarrassing to former president Obasanjo. This would not happen in the U.S. because it is founded on the rule of law. And that is why it is often said that Nigerian president is more powerful than US president. Why; because he can operate outside the law; what is law are his wishes. US president

cannot. This is why we are backward; one step forward, two steps backward.

It is also because the rule of law is in abeyance that makes the national assembly to hold the executive to ransom at will. Had it not been so, the constitution has clearly delineated the boundary of each arm such that there is scarcely any need for the meaningless confrontation that takes place between the two arms often provoked by legislative braggadocio. Today, an important victim of this braggadocio is Arumah Oteh whose SEC is vindictively threatened with extinction due to the ego of the National Assembly which is demanding her sack for her effrontery of demanding from the House, proper parliamentary behaviour regulated by the law. Yet her tenure of office is secured by the law meaning that to demand for her sack is a total aberration.

The lot of Oteh is a study on how our institutions suffer from our failure to accord the rule of law a pride of place. Disrespect for rule of law occasions the failure or weakening of the institutions. For example, the law that sets up Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) makes it a regulatory agency for telecom service providers. Its powers are crafted in such a way that consumers of such services are meant to be adequately protected; not to be ripped-off. But are the laws being enforced?

Are those in charge of the commission mindful of their responsibility under the Act? What about the service providers; are they not aware of their obligation under the Act and the Regulations made pursuant to the Act? Are Nigerians not being seriously ripped-off? Can it be worse than what we presently have now? Nigerians are being rippedoff largely because of the failure to apply the law by those who are running the commission. It is either they are afraid to avail themselves of their statutory powers or they have compromised their position. Whatever it is, it is a sad commentary on the state of the rule of law. Where institutions are run according to the whims and caprices of individuals, such institutions will lack character or attitude. Sustainable development or programme will be difficult to achieve because the success of a programme and/or its durability is tied to the personality in charge of the institution. And once the personality leaves office, it may be the end of the effectiveness of the institution. This is the sorry state of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) today. Dora Akunyili was a colossus that bestrode the regulatory firmament in Nigeria. She fought the fake drug cartel like a Trojan and made the business highly dangerous. But the reforms she wrought on the system were not institutionalized. And so once she left, the mileage she covered suffered serious reversal.

In other words, the impetus that produced the momentum gathered by NAFDAC at that time was that of the person occupying the office of the DG; not that of the law. That is not how it is supposed to be were there to be rule of law. Rule of law would inevitably usher in an entrenched system that will enhance the sustainability of the reform. This is why we have become notorious as a country that takes a step forward and three steps backward.

This is not the case in the civilized countries where the rule of law is deeply entrenched. In those countries, it is not the sheer strength of the operatives that determines the success of the institution; it is the mechanisms put in place by the law outside of which no one is permitted to operate. And that is why our men, including those who have challenges at home, perform very well, when they go outside the country. This explains why our policemen on peace keeping assignment outside the country have always won accolades, even though back at home, they are object of scorn and ridicule for their excesses and abuse of power.

One can go on and on to show how in various degrees we are all part of the tragedy that has weighed the country down. The glorious days of Nigeria were the days of strict observance of the rule of law. Our society grew in leaps and bounds.

Our economy boomed; there was security of lives and property; there was rapid development. It was the era of life more abundant. Then the white men were in charge. There was no collapsed building, no infrastructural decay, no poor standard of education, and no exam malpractices. Government agencies such as Public Works Department (PWD), Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), Post and Telegraph (P&T), Railway Corporation lived to their billings. There was little or no corruption. Everyone was alive to his/her responsibility. Society had values, ethos and norms. That was the colonial era.

The farther we move away from the era, the worse our situation and circumstances have been; the deeper we sink into the abyss of anomie, the cesspit of ignominy and infamy. As we celebrate yet another democracy day is there enough to cheer about? What does the future hold in stock for us? Will our tomorrow be better than today? I thought so yesterday. I changed my mind when I saw what happened at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the echoes of do or die politics that attended its chairmanship election. I began to wonder whether it will ever be Uhuru in Nigeria. *Kunle Fadipe, a legal practitioner wrote from College Road, Ogba, Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NEWS

11

The Promise Of Democracy: 1999-2013 (Reminiscences)

Chopping and fighting: Nigeria’s crisis of nation building

By Abimbola Agboluaje T a meeting in the early 1960s, the leaders A of a poor nation just exiting colonial rule gaily informed colleagues visiting from another developing country how well they were doing under self-rule. They had acquired huge palm oil plantations through the state agriculture agencies they controlled. They invited their visitors to a club where party leaders treated themselves to exotic drinks and food and pretty women at night. The visitors, members of a political party obsessed with clean government, slipped away from the merriment, also politely refusing offers to acquire plantations. The visitors built the far more economically successful nation whose per capital income of $60,410, according to IMF 2012 figures, is the third highest in the world and which is the third largest refiner of crude oil despite not having any oil deposit. The hosts built a country which now has the 56th highest per capital income in the world despite being 460 times larger, five times more populous and being a major exporter of rubber, palm oil and petroleum. Singapore is the tiny highly successful economy. The larger country is Malaysia, a relative development laggard, and not Nigeria, a development basket case.

Malaysia, like many other successful emerging economies, is not an epitome of democracy, honest government or social justice. It has been ruled for 56 years by a party which is widely detested for corruption, having used ethnic quotas for public procurement considerably to enrich influential political families.

Yet Petronas, the Malaysian state-dominated oil company was 68th in the 2012 Fortune Global 500 ranking of firms in which it also secured the world’s 12th most profitable company position. Its Nigerian counterpart, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company(NNPC), remains mired in corruption and debt. Nigeria has tried and failed to pass the critical legislation to clean up and increase investment in its oil sector for almost 10 years. Attributing the cause of Nigeria’s dismal failure to corruption, a problem often mentioned as if it is a genetic ailment, is a severe misdiagnosis. The real ailment is much worse.

State of emergency politics The key difference between Nigeria and countries such as Malaysia is that the latter are sufficiently coherent nations. The political leadership is much less prone to fragment disruptively in the quest for power. This is partly because ethnic homogeneity or the dominance of a fairly homogenous historic “state class” (which the Hausa-Fulani would be were Northern Nigeria a sovereign country) severely constricts the opportunity to build up rival bases of political following. These factors also facilitate the extension of hegemony of political parties through national territories.

Where there’s ethnic heterogeneity such as post-colonial Nigeria, no matter how well Tafawa Balewa’s party ruled at the Federal level, his rivals would have employed identitybased mobilization (aka ethnic scare mongering) to take the votes of vast numbers of Igbo and Yoruba out of its reach. Conversely, any attempt by the regional leaders to build disciplined or developmental statehood would have been severely undermined by corrupt politics practised at the Federal level and the option available to regional politicians to cross carpet to the “mainstream”. Hence, in a sense, post-colonial politics were “too” democratic.

Nigerian politicians built contending power bases by actively coaching Nigerians to distrust each other. The constitutional framework which created highly distinct regional administrations and placed regional economies under the full control of regional political parties encouraged and empowered identity politics. A political culture came into being in which the rules of the game of democracy were constantly attacked; elections were rigged, census figures were inflated, state funds diverted into party coffers, losers encouraged military coups etc. It was

Legislators in a rowdy session easy for politicians to incorporate others in perpetuating these infractions because the ostensible purpose was to prevent the emergency of one’s ethnic group being “enslaved” by parties controlled by hateful rivals. This politics of extreme contention between multiple “nations” could not build the sort of cohesive states that promoted development in Singapore or Malaysia. All organs of the state required to initiate development – the Ministry of Education, Housing Corporations, State Economic Enterprises etc – were tools and spoils that were used to fight and reward followers. Contrary to the frequent assertion that the problem of development has been executing policy, Nigerian economic policies historically have been atrocious. Policy has promoted distribution and consumption through subsidies and other forms of administrative allocation (of land, foreign currency etc) rather than long term investment. They facilitate the creation and capture of astronomical rents by elite rackets rather than investment and competition.

Still chopping at very high speeds Nigeria no longer has ethnic parties controlling big regional governments with which they could plan secession or promote economic development. But politics remains first and foremost a competition to distribute and consume state resources by politicians on the basis of ethnicity. We thus simultaneously suffer both the ills of excessive centralization and excessive decentralization. It is not clear if Nigeria is negotiating ownership of crude oil with the communities in which they are found or if Nigeria, or a section of it, is to tell the communities how the income from oil should be shared.

Meanwhile, despite the almost uninterrupted decade-long high oil prices, more than 60% of Nigerians continue to live in absolute poverty, evidence that the billions of dollars injected into national and state budgets have not translated into better education and health care and the physical and bureaucratic infrastructure which drive investment and growth. Extensive weakness of state institutions generates and fosters communal violence, kidnapping, oil theft and terrorism.

The politicians are too busy planning to capture power to reform the bureaucracy and block opportunities for civil servants, who seem to be the main beneficiaries of corruption, to routinely steal hundreds of millions

of naira.

Clearly, Nigeria is drifting at a very high speed. While our deep-seated problems cannot be solved in four or eight years, clear measures can be taken to pull the country back from the brink and bolster state capacities, especially its ability to support economic growth, provide security and basic public services to citizens. The most important measure is to diminish the incentives and opportunity for Nigerian politicians to disrupt the rules of the game of democracy through ethnic-based political organization and mobilization. It is clear that modifications to the rules of the game meant to engender respect for them, such as federal character and zoning, have promoted corruption and waste, intensifying the political feeding frenzy and thus, the attacks on the rules.

The premature and violent arrival of the 2015 elections is incontrovertible evidence. Attacks on the rules of the game have almost become the very rules of the game. An informal association of governors seeks to usurp the policy-setting and candidates’ selection prerogatives of the party and it is itself rendered incapable of conducting elections amongst just 36 members.

A new constitutional architecture which creates larger units of sub-federal government and intelligently devolves political power and economic resources based on the widely recognised but informal six geo-political units will have the merit of localising tensions rather

Agboluaje

than generating and diffusing them from the centre. There will be more adherence to the rules of the game at the federal centre where the incentive to attack them is diminished and the “regions” will develop varying levels of adherence to the rules, and thus varying capabilities but uniform incentive to promote social and economic development.

The argument is not that the arrangement of the First Republic was perfect but that it could be improved. The tragedy is that the structure of Nigerian politics is far more shaped by the pursuit of personal power and profit than principles and programmes related to solving problems. President Jonathan has been extremely conservative, reinforcing the methods and structures of the politics of ethnic-based distribution as the battle between regional cliques to keep or win power in 2015 consumes his party. Rival parties have an equally stunted constitutional imagination, driven as they are by the obsessions of individuals to rule Nigeria without any thought to whether Nigeria can be ruled successfully the way it is constituted. Constitutional redesign apart, the parties are hardly a fount of ideas on economic policy and effective government. They are not driven by proven technocrats such as Nasir El Rufai and Babatunde Raji Fasola who remain only class captains of Nigerian politics. The principals are individuals who have either acquired enough state resources to build wide networks of agents or politicians who can build a fanatical, chauvinistic ethno-regional following. The proposed opposition merger is the ultimate insult to Nigerians. At a time that the nation needs clear plans for a host of economic policy, administrative and constitutional reforms that the PDP Government has proven incapable of initiating, all that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has arrogantly offered are the usual vacuous promises. Even on the serious threat of Boko Haram, it seems its leaders have asked themselves, “how can we profit from this crisis” rather than think about real solutions. Nigeria desperately needs politicians who can imagine and fashion a new nation. It has been sent politicians who are just desperate to acquire power, live in opulence and control people through the same old cynical State-of-Emergency politics.

• Dr. Agboluaje, a Lagos-based consultant, is a visiting member of The Guardian’s Editorial Board

12

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

TheMetroSection Sukurat needs N6.5m for kidney transplant • As Eko Lions Club celebrates cancer survivor

By Wole Oyebade

OR Eko Lions Club yesterday, it Fserving was a case of one good turn deanother, as it celebrated a 20-year-old cancer survivor, Omolara Onibudo. But sitting beside the the survivor was a kidney patient, Basiru Sukurat, urgently in need of kidney transplant worth of N6.5 million in India.

Sukurat, 15, may be as lucky, if well- meaning Nigerians urgently come to her aid like they did for Onibudo, through the humanitarian support of the Eko Lions Club.

Onibudo had last year broken down in tears at the Oncology Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), IdiAraba, Lagos. All hopes were lost as cancer growth widens on her face and eat deeper into her mouth.

According to her, it all started in 2010 with bleeding from the nostrils and swellings on the face. A visit to the hospital got her referred to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), then to LUTH, where she was diagnosed of cancer of the upper lips. The condition continues to worsen.

Among her sympathizers, on the hopeless afternoon at LUTH, was a member of the Eko Lions Club, Dare Abimbola, who offered to help.

“He told me to write a letter to the club and they offered to help me,” Onibudo said. With two surgeries in February and March this year, Onibudo yesterday smiled again, in the company of her benefactors.

Her storm is over. “They saved me.

Onibudu...before

Sukurat ( left) and the cancer survivor, Onibudu

It was a miracle,” she said.

President of the club, Rotimi Atanda noted that the effort was borne out of their mission to serve.

“We serve humanity, especially the less privileged. We help those we don’t know, those that cannot come back to say thank you to us.

We take up their matter; raise it at the club meeting for the club to come to their aid. Some of the dividends are what we are seeing today,” he said.

He added, “Our member had brought Sukurat’s case to the club

and we agreed to take it up. Though it was beyond our capacity, but true to our tradition, we took the matter up half way before we cried to the public for help. Senator Iyiola Omisore came to our rescue,” he said.

Omisore, according to the club, paid the sum of N2.5 million, in addition to the sum of about N800, 000 that had been spent by the club.

Atanda said further that Basiru Sukurat is another case that the club would take up in the same process

Two drug peddlers arrested in Lagos airport

By Odita Sunday ARCOTIC officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended two men for unlawfully exporting narcotic drugs.

The suspects were arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos with 3.700kilogrammes of narcotics.

A substance that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.700kilogrammes hidden in a false bottom of luggage was detected during the outward clearance of passengers enroute Monrovia while two kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in dried bitter leaf vegetable was found during the outward search of goods meant for export on board another air-

N

line.

According to the NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, both suspects were caught during routine check.

“A 53- year -old Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu concealed 1.700kilogrammes of methamphetamine in his luggage on his way to Monrovia, Liberia while Ifeanyi Okafor, 38, concealed two kilogrammes of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis sativa in a bag containing dried bitter leaf meant for export to Doha, Qatar.

“Both suspects who are from Anambra State have claimed ownership of the drugs. They also stated in their confessional statements that they were enticed by the monetary reward of-

following the success of the former.

“We want Nigerians to help her with donations. We are handling the elementary stages currently. We have to fly her to India in company of her parent and a club member to supervise the process. She needs N6.5 million. It is an urgent matter and the earlier the better.

“She has been on dialysis and it cost N75, 000 every week, plus erythropoietin injection at the cost of N12, 000. That is what we are spending to keep her going,” he said.

Mother of the patient, Basiru Busirat told The Guardian that the problem started on December 20, 2011, when they noticed swollen feet.

Sukurat, her mother noted, has never been sick except as a threeyear-old. It, therefore, came to them as surprise that she has kidney failure.

A statement from LUTH, signed by Consultant Peadiatrician, Dr Ladapo Taiwo confirmed that Sukurat has

fered by their sponsors,” Hamza said.

In the words of 53-year-old Obianwo Okwuchukwu: “I have lived in Monrovia for the past five years. I work in a cinema firm to sustain family. My problem began when I lost all my savings to the war in Sierra Leone. I have been living from hand to mouth. My situation was so bad that I agreed to smuggle the drugs for $2,000”.

The suspect has a wife and four children living in Lagos.

The other suspect, Ifeanyi Okafor, said he joined the illicit business because he lost $87,000 to fraudsters.

Reacting to the latest arrests, NDLEA Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade said that stiffer penalty was one of the effective strategies of drug control.

Bishop warns against ungodly cultural practices HE Bishop of the Anglican T Diocese of Ijebu South/West, Rev Babatunde

F.R Ogunbanwo, has charged Christians to shun practices, which are inimical to the Christian faith and practices.

He also advised those in government to use the commemoration of Nigeria’s 100 years of amalgamation as one entity to chart a roadmap for the country’s stability and development instead of indulging on lavish and meaningless festivity.

He gave the advice in his presidential address to the third session of the first synod of the diocese held recently at St. John’s Church in Ogun. The theme of the synod was: ‘Christian living and cultural experiences’ Ogunbanwo urged Christians to oppose idolatry,

racism, greed, selfishness, homosexuality, adultery, pornography, sexual immorality and other forms of conduct, which seem to have become the norm in contemporary society.

The bishop called on Christians to stand up against the idolatrous practices to set the people free from oppression of paganism, saying that in playing their roles as the “salt of earth and the light of the world,” believers should be the seasoning, preservative, purifiers and healers of the world.

On the current state of Nigeria, Ogunbanwo argued that despite its huge natural and human resources, the country was yet to record any meaningful development in its 100 as an entity. He expressed disappointment over

the absence of unity, which would have made Nigeria a compact nation with diverse culture.

He also expressed his disapproval of the ongoing preparation for Nigeria’s centenary celebration, saying it is irri-

Ogunbanwo ( right) and Diya at the synod

tating to embark on lavish festivity when the country is grappling with one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world, a very dangerous state of insecurity and moral and institutional corruption of the highest order, among numerous challenges.”

He advised Christians to be active participants at all levels of politics and governance in the country in order to introduce godly values in the system.

Among other dignitaries at the Synod were former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a former Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Miss Bolanle Onagoruwa, Dr. Adebola Adegunwa, andr General, Oladipo Diya.

Briefs Adeboye prays for CEOs HE General Overseer of The T Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye is organizing a special prayer meeting with the theme: ‘Rehoboth’ for all Chief Executive Offiers (CEOs) of companies on Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8.00 a.m. at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, National Headquarters, 19, Redemption Way, EbuteMetta, Lagos, Nigeria.

According to the APIC Special Duties, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye, the prayer meeting is premised on the fact that “those whose businesses are big can be much bigger while those whose businesses are crawling can operate on a faster lane despite the prevailing economy.”

Firm launches programme for SMEs O boost Nigeria’s economy, T STREAD IT, one of Africa’s most highly certified SAP business partners and also SAP’s only West-Africa’s cloud-service partner, has launched SAP Business One OnDemand. It offers small and mid-size businesses a complete ERP in the cloud business service.

According to the firm’s head, Lydia Oladokun, this cloud offering of SAP Business One OnDemand will change the face of business in the country and on the continent.

SAP Business One OnDemand offering in is the first in WestAfrica and it makes available to small and medium-sized organisations all the benefits of a full-function ERP system at a per user monthly cost in the order of N20,000.

According to her, “It gives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) something they’ve never had before – access to all the business benefits of SAP software at an affordable rate that is simply not possible with an on-premises installation, even of SAP Business One. Managing Director, STREAD IT, Olalekan Ajayi says: “Nigerian and African SMEs will have more information about their own businesses.

Nwabusi for burial HE Nwabuisi family of T Umuokpoo, Ossah – Ibeku, Umuahia in Abia State, has announced the death of Chief S. O Nwabuisi, a devout Christian and community leader.

A former employee of Leventis Group, from where he retired as Store Manager after 32 years of service, Nwabuisi was the President General of the Ibeku Egwu Asaa Union in Lagos for over 13 years. He will be interred tomorrow in Umuahia.

He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and relatives

Nwabusi

METRO 13

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Tax West African Leader, Ernst and Young, Abass Adeniji (left); Financial Sector Leader for West Africa, Ernst and Young, Dayo Babatunde; Senior Partner, Advisory, Bunmi Akinde and Transaction Advisory Services Leader PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN for West Africa, Bisi Sanda at the Private Equity Survey Presentation in Lagos...

National Sales Manager Coscharis Motors Limited, Justin Ngini (left), General Manager/ Chief Operating Officer,Cutler Ogilvy, Laura Oloyede and Regional Sales and Marketing Manager Sub-sahara Africa Ford Motors Company, Ezio Tuniz at the Ford Motor Media Parley in lagos ...

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Mini-bus owners, drivers protest at NASS over plans to stop operation From Terhemba Daka, Abuja UNDREDS of Abuja miniH bus owners and drivers on Tuesday staged a protest at

Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III (right), Dr. Layo Adeniyi and Iyalaje of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs.) Titilayo OrijaAdesoye during the submission of reports on the take-off of Oranmiyan Airline to Alafin ...on Tuesday PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM

the National Assembly over the planned restriction of the running of the buses in the Federal Capital City (FCT) centre.

Specifically, the FCT Transport has announced plans to confine the operations of the minibuses to the satellite towns effective from June 3.

But coming under the aegis of the Owners and Drivers of Mini-Buses Association, the protesters described the new policy as “ obnoxious policy on transport,” and that it is “not mass- friendly.”

They carried various banners with inscriptions such as: “We are Nigerians, give us our right to work, please,” “We are not in military regime, we are in democracy, hear our cry,” “We’re part of the organized labour, we are not touts, live and let’s live,” “SOS, SOS, save our jobs, don’t throw us into starvation and death. Save our

jobs,” “NASS, save our families.”

Other banners read: “We are legitimate drivers and conductors, NASS, stop this impending slavery,” “Is government afraid of competition? Live and let’s live,” “Create jobs not joblessness.”

A member of the association, Prince Paul Omeire, stated that the objective of the protest was to get the National Assembly to prevail on the FCT authorities to change the policy.

“We are members of Owners

and Drivers Association, and we operate the town service.

We own the buses and drive them. Our problem is with the Transport Secretariat of the FCT. “The new transport policy is that we should stop operation in the city on June 3 and this means that at least, 25,000 drivers, with their families and other extension will suffer. We create jobs and we don’t know why the government wants to create joblessness,” he said.

Monehin for burial tomorrow rites for Mama EsFwhoUNERAL ther Megbolagbe Monehin, died at the age of 80, begin today in Okitipupa, Ondo State.

Lying-In State is at her residence, White House, Lebi Street, Okitipupa, Ondo State at 10am and a Christian wake at same venue at 5pm.

She will be buried tomorrow at St Paul’s Anglican Cementery, Okitipupa, Ondo State after a funeral service at St Paul Church, Lebi Sreet, Okitipupa, at 10am.

She is survived by her husband and hildren: Olushina Monehin, Bukunmi Monehin, Folake, grandchildren and a great grandchild.

Monehin

Effortswill parents, teachers ‘walk for health

By Adeniyi Adunola HE important role regular exercise plays in overall good health and wellbeing was recently emphasized when parents and teachers of Effortswill Schools, Ejigbo, Lagos State embarked on a health walk that took them from Iyana Ejigbo to Egbe in the Ikotun-Igando Local Government Development Area, of the state.

During the walk, promotional flyers and handbills were distributed to motorists and pedestrians along the route.

Speaking at the end of the ‘Health Walk’ the joint chair-

T

Chairman, Grand Oak Nigeria Limited, Mr. Anil Ahhiwelia (left), outgoing Managing Director, Grand Oak Limited, Mr. Babatunde Bajulaiye, new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Grand Oak Limited, Mr. Askay Kumar and Commercial Director of the company, Aare Fatai Odesile, at the sendforth ceremony in honour of the retiring Bajulaiye, in Oregun Lagos...at the weekend.

man of the Parents Teachers Association (P.T.A.) of the schools, Pastor B. O. A. Alonge, said the exercise was meant to promote positive health values and that would contribute to the wellbeing of the parents and teachers.

He enjoined parents, teachers and indeed all Nigerian adults, to form the habit of regular exercise, which he stressed “is a big contributor to good health.”

He observed that the health walk was a huge success despite the rainfall before and during the walk, adding that the exercise was also an avenue for participants to have

fun.

He said it was a big fun for both parties as fliers were given to motorists and passers-by to increase the awareness of the schools.

As the event was centered on improving the general health conditions of parents and teachers, there were also health talks, and drilling exercises by the Physical Education teachers of the schools.

The Guest Speaker, Dr. Essegine who spoke on “Stress management,” stated that an important aspect of stress management was for an individual to always engage in physical activities.”

Navy provides free medical treatment to FCT residents From Kanayo Umeh, Abuja ORE than 200 children, M women and the aged, in Pyakasa, one of the vil-

Winners of Ashaka London Inter-School Quiz for schools in Delta State: Victory Ambassadors Senior Secondary School, Ashaka, Ndokwa East Local Council ...

lages mainly populated by the original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday received free medical treatment as part of activities marking the 57th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.

Tagged “Medical Rhapsody”, the grassroots outreach programme was an avenue for officers and Ratings of the Navy Medical

Services to provide free medical facilities to the local community including blood pressure checks, eye examination and issuance of free eye glasses, deworming exercise for children and adults and public health talks on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), malaria, environmental, personal and oral hygiene among others.

In addition, free medications and drugs were provided for the local community for malaria,

blood tonic for children, the elderly and pregnant women, pain relievers for body aches and pains as well as multivitamins.

The medical team also gave out souvenirs and treated mosquito nets to pregnant women and nursing mothers to protect them against mosquito bites, which causes malaria.

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba said the rhapsody was part of the integral part of the Navy’s efforts at enhancing healthy civil/military relationship and social responsibility.

14 | THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

TheGuardian Conscience Nurtured by Truth

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

Editorial The Governors Forum election F Nigerians ever thought that nobility found its way into the nation’s high offices Itionwith the onset of civil rule, the disgraceful conduct of some governors over an electo the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors Forum, the other day, has banished that thought. If they ever hoped that high offices would ennoble their occupants, subsequent events have indicated how misplaced that hope was.

Rancorous and highly distracting, the election has effectively divided the body into two camps – the one led by the returned chairman, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, and the other by Jonah Jang of Plateau State. Its fallout is a sickening reflection of the despicable depth of politicking in Nigeria and testifies to the incapacity of the governing class to even self-govern.

It is also a damaging comment on the abysmal failure of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to meet the very basic requirements of unity of thought and action, discipline and coherence. This is best illustrated by the fact that the crisis is engineered by the governors of the PDP against one of their own, whose only offence is to have contested and won a free and fair election.

It is a shame indeed, that 36 governors, individuals in whose hands the destiny of Nigerians is placed, cannot hold a rancor-free election into their own leadership! Or, worse still, they would hold an election and desperation for power would not allow graceful concession of victory to the winner! It speaks volumes about their credentials as democrats, and why very few of them are reputed to have actually been voted for by their people. That the division within the forum is not on ideological-cum party basis but created and fueled by some governors of the dominant party serving as puppets for unseen hands, further diminishes the ruling party and its leaders.

(President Goodluck Jonathan had to scramble to issue a statement to the effect that he had nothing to do with the crisis among the governors!) That the wrangling is totally unconnected with how the governors can separately govern their states better or collectively raise the quality of governance is even more shameful. Contrary to the desire of Nigerians or the demand of these trying times, the NGF has become one more source of disturbance and distraction, turning its internal troubles, fueled by ego or vanity, into the trouble of Nigeria and its people. This is evidently a betrayal of trust.

In principle, nothing may be wrong with a governors’ forum that operates in faith with its stated vision and mission. The NGF vision is “to be an effective, proactive, inclusive, non-partisan forum which actively fosters, promotes, and sustains democratic values, good governance and sustainable development in Nigeria”. Its expressed mission is “to provide a platform for collaboration amongst the governors on matters of public policy; to promote good governance, sharing of good practice and to enhance cooperation at state level and with other arms of government and society”.

It must be acknowledged that, until this latest macabre dance, the forum did put up an appearance of seriousness as a body, articulating a vision for the country that at least could be debated, and taking positions on such national matters as the Sovereign Wealth Fund, revenue sharing, excess crude account, that could either be agreed or disagreed with. Following President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s illness and incapacitation, the Nigeria Governors Forum became a powerful lobby on whose prodding the Senate adopted the “doctrine of necessity” with which Nigerians’ yearning for then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to be named acting president was fulfilled.

However, the forum seems now to have lost its sense of direction or has been made to look so by those who, it would appear, want to use it for purposes other than its stated goals.

The story of how state governors have come to be so powerful began with the Olusegun Obasanjo intrigue-filled presidency when they were used for one narrow interest or another, embraced when they followed his lead or ditched when they fell out of line. The governors’ influence grew with their capacity to fund the party (illegally from the public purse, some would say).

Though unknown to the Constitution, the forum has since become a nucleus of power, especially in the absence of a strong, conscientious National Assembly to check the excesses of the Executive Branch. And its chairman, even if he has no power to coerce members into any particular line of action is naturally seen as one with enormous influence. It is certainly this perceived power, which the NGF has garnered that is behind the quest to seek its control by the Presidency. Ahead of the 2015

LETTER

Call on INEC to register new parties IR: I want to call the attenSIndependent tion of the Chairman, National Electoral Commission (INEC) Dr. Atahiru Jega to the ongoing registration of new political parties in the country.

If new political parties were to be registered, this should be done on time and their names announced before August 2013.

The country operates three tiers of government (Local, State and the Federal Government). The Local Government poll is coming up next year (2014) and every political party is to be repre-

sented at the pole.

It will not be in the interest of any political party to present candidates in less than six months to the election because adequate nomination of the aspirants needs to be done at the party level.

I want to advise that INEC should conduct all elections, be it Local, State or Federal, against what happened during the last local government elections where state electoral commissions were in charge.

This idea encouraged electoral malpractices.

The local government polls is the grassroots election.

When the foundation is weak, then what do we expect in election into offices in the other tiers of government? Adequate conduct and monitoring of local government election is highly crucial.

The outcome of local government elections may be a pointer to what to expect in the general election.

I think the INEC boss will agree with me that it will be in the interest of the nation to release the final list of legitimate political parties on time so that preparations for the LG polls can begin in earnest.

• Hon. Ogunlewe Yinka, Port Harcourt.

elections, and the intrigues already brewing on who would run or not run, the NGF and its leadership is, of course, seen as the first frontier in the looming battle. The goal seems to be to use it or destroy it. The result is that with the latest crisis, the NGF is clearly a departure from the noble ideals of its counterpart in the United States, from which it claims to derive its model. The National Governors’ Association (NGA) in the United States articulates the position of the states on the truly important issues of education, employment, security and the environment. Recently, the sitting chair of the NGA, Jack Markell of the state of Delaware convened a meeting to address the employment problems that physically challenged citizens face, saying, “every governor wants to be the ‘jobs’ governor... I chose this initiative because governors need to be the jobs governor for all people in our states”. And, on May 16, the NGA Annual State of the States Address reportedly focused on education, job creation, health, public safety, and economic development. The governors then committed themselves to a plan to ‘create more jobs by investing in education, participating in the global economy, making government more efficient and making infrastructure improvements’.

According to the Nigerian constitution, a governor is elected primarily for the purpose of the security and welfare of the people in his state. But state governors seem to have attached so much importance to this ‘club of governors’ and the attendant quest for relevance at the federal level that it would appear they even congregate more often in Abuja than they are at their desks in their respective constituencies.

This is in contrast to the American NGA that meets twice a year and, by agreement, alternates the chairmanship between the two major political parties, and has a rule that the vice chair is reserved for the other party.

In the face of the current debacle, the Peoples’ Democratic Party has been an untold embarrassment. Instead of calling its governors and other political office holders to order, it stands idly by or even shamelessly takes side as its governors are used against each other and the NGF breaks into factions. Meanwhile, governance is put on hold and national reputation suffers.

There is much that the NGF, if it would ever be taken seriously again, can and must learn from the NGA, and the governors must return to their original ideals, eschew politics of pettiness and personal aggrandizement in favour of a higher goal: the public good. Those seeking to use or destroy the NGF must realize that they are endangering, not just the fate of any particular governor, or the NGF as a whole, but our democracy. President Jonathan, whose party by its conduct in office has become a big problem for this country, must recognize that he has a major blame for whatever happens to the country. He and leaders of the PDP must put aside all selfish motives, and call their dissenting governors to order. Those governors must be told to accept the result of their own election, video of which has now gone viral on the web. They must stop ridiculing this country in the eyes of reasonable peoples of the world.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Business Appointments P27 The challenge of picking a new head for UBTH Risk of bank failures rising in Europe, ECB warns

AfDB, others tie Africa’s transformation to viable agric sector

By Bukky Olajide with agency report URO zone banks seem to be driving on the road of crisis no thanks to the constant problem that all financial institution dread most, loan default.

Yesterday, the European Central Bank (ECB) warned that the euro zone’s slumping economy and a surge in problem loans were raising the risk of a renewed banking crisis, even as overall stress in the region’s financial markets had receded.

In an assessment of the state of the financial system, the ECB had attributed it to loan defaulting, saying that a prolonged recession had made it harder for many borrowers to repay their loans, burdening banks that had still not finished repairing the damage caused by the 2008 financial crisis.

Loan default was one of the major reasons that led to almost a total collapse of the Nigerian banking sector. The nonperforming loans grew because most credit were given on personal guarantee basis and hence not collaterised, while in some cases a single asset is fledged for two or more facilities.

The crisis led to the consolidation of the sector consequent of the establishment of asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) that was expected to acquire or mop up the toxic assets from banks.

Last year ‘'was not a good year for banks at all,'’ said, the vice president of the ECB, Vítor Constâncio.

A similar snapshot of the state of the euro zone economy was also issued yesterday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD] in Paris.

It warned of the dangers posed by weakly capitalized banks, a problem it said underlined the need for European Union leaders to push through with a so-called banking union that would include centralized supervision of lenders.

The limited ability of European banks to absorb losses and the lack of a full banking union are potential threats to achieving a lasting stability, the OECD said.

Reduced tensions on financial markets seem to have dampened the desire to push for progress in creating joint banking mechanisms, it added. ‘'It is important to strengthen the capital of financial institutions so that they can withstand sovereign debt writedowns if rules prove insufficient to prevent sovereign

By Femi Adekoya

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

EVELOPMENT agencies, D comprising the African Development Bank (AfDB), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Centre, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have hinged Africa’s development on its ability to harness its agricultural resources for sustainable growth.

The agencies, in their joint African Economic Outlook 2013 report released by the African Development Bank (AfDB), noted that prudent and effective deployment of the continent’s huge natural endowments was sine qua non to her quest for a sound economy and overall transformation.

The report indicated that the continent’s economic outlook for 2013 and 2014 is promising, confirming its healthy resilience to internal and external shocks and its role as a growth pole in an ailing global economy.

It read in part: “Africa’s economy is projected to grow by 4.8 per cent in 2013 and accelerate further to 5.3 per cent in 2014.

The report shows this growth has been accompa-

•Peg growth at 4.8 per cent nied by insufficient poverty reduction, persisting unemployment, and increased income inequalities in some countries, as well as deteriorating levels of health and education.

“Now is the time to step up the tempo of economic transformation, so that African economies become more competitive and create more gainful jobs, widening the sources of economic

activity is fundamental to meeting this challenge”, it added.

The report argues that African countries must tap into their natural resource wealth to accelerate the pace of growth and ensure the process can benefit ordinary Africans.

Director at the OECD Development Centre, Mario Pezzini said: “Growth is not enough. African countries must provide the right conditions for turning natural resources into jobs, optimise their resource revenues CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer FBN Capital, Kayode Akinkugbe (left); Deputy Managing Director, FBN Capital, Taiwo Okeowo; Director, Cannacord Genuity, Tarica Mpinga; and Head Origination & Client Coverage, FBN Capital, Sanmi Famuyide at the Oil and Gas Roundtable in Lagos.

Govt shuns allocation of abandoned transformers

By Roseline Okere

• PTFP sets deadline for distribution firms

HE Federal Government, T despite an earlier pledge has abandoned over 2,000

line from May 24 to ensure the completion of all sites where the equipment would be installed, The Guardian learnt that the distribution might still be delayed due to certain political interference.

The Guardian learnt that there are also over 314 container loads of transformers and power equipment at some

power transformers imported into the country to boost electricity distribution at different warehouses and ports.

Though the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), said that it has given distribution companies two weeks dead-

Nigerian ports, which are begging for attention from the Presidential Task Force on Power.

The Guardian gathered that some of the equipment had been at the Nigerian ports for four years, some, 10 years.

Some of the abandoned equipment and materials also include assorted power and

distribution transformers, diesel generators, transformer oil, conductors, cables and circuit breakers.

Others include isolators, control panels, instrument transformers, insulators, tower members and accessories, wooden electric poles, and surge arresters.

A senior officer in Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), who confirmed to The

Guardian in confidence, attributed the delay in distribution to political interference from some powerful individuals.

PTFP Senior Technical Adviser, Ebun Aleshinloye, responding to an enquiry, said that the distribution of equipment and materials has been ongoing at the PHCN Central Stores, Oshodi, and at the various ports in Lagos.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Reps unveil plans to strengthen Local Content Act

By Roseline Okere HE House of T Representatives has unveiled plans to strengthen the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act and help to create an enabling environment for partnership and business growth.

Chairman of House Committee on Local Content, Asita O Asita, made this disclosure recently at an investment forum hosted by Shell and the United Kingdom Trade & Investment (UKTI), as part of their effort to forge partnership among businesses in the two countries.

He explained that the Nigerian Content development is a programme that is very close to the heart of the committee and that they want to see Nigeria move from being a completely consuming to a producing nation.

"We import almost everything, and this local content

board is the catalyst required to drive manufacturing and participation of Nigerians in the manufacturing sector. We wish we had started much earlier," he said.

Asita assured that the committee would support the policy in ensuring more indigenous participation in the Nigeria oil and gas industry.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, Ernest Nwapa, commended Shell for the “sustained interest in the Nigeria/UKTI investment forum.

“Since the first summit, we’ve seen a significant number of companies participating at the event and we hope they will focus on areas that will improve their capability. It is good to see that other International Oil Companies are beginning to follow Shell’s example by organising similar engagements,” he said.

Nwapa said since the

Nigerian Content Law was passed three years ago, the nation oil industry has not been the same again, adding that so many milestones have been achieved.

He lauded the huge support the board had received both from the executive and legislative arms of government which according to him, had boosted its effectiveness in regulating local content development and enforcing compliance of the law by operators in the nation oil and gas sec-

tor.

Nigeria, he said, would soon join the league of big industrialised and producing nations when the industrial parks being planned by the board comes on stream.

Nwapa, explained that the board would collaborate with major operators, service companies and relevant state governments to build industrial parks to support operations of the industry and help achieve service efficiency through shared services.

He listed other benefits of the industrial park concept to include the reduction of startup investment cost for new business, stakeholders’ collaboration and industry commitment to utilise manufactured products from the parks.

The parks are expected to host manufacturing activities driven by the oil and gas industry demand, and service other sectors of the economy as they grow organically into integrated industrial zones.

Welcoming participants,

Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Chike Onyejekwe, said Shell is committed to further developing local content in Nigeria. Last year, Shell companies in Nigeria awarded contracts worth $2.4 billion to Nigerian companies, one billion dollar more than the amount in 2011.

“Local content is good for Nigeria and for the business and we’re determined to raise the game,” he added.

Nigeria to export 62 crude oil cargoes in July

By Sulaimon Salau THERE are indications that Nigeria may export about 62 crude cargoes in July, according to the preliminary loading programmes.

The loading schedule specifically showed that the nation would ship 13 consignments of Qua Iboe, seven each of

Agbami and Forcados, five each of Akpo and Bonga, four of Bonny Light, three each of Amenam, Erha, Escravos and Usan.

Others include two each of Antan and Yoho and one each of Abo, EA Blend, Okono, Okwori and Pennington. The size of the cargoes ranges from 167,000 to 1 million barrels.

Loading programmes are monthly schedules of crude shipments compiled by field operators to allow buyers and sellers to plan their supply and trading activities.

Analysts believed that Nigeria’s oil exports might remain well below last year's average in July, as thefts and sabotage have continued to harm the country's oil output.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) recently announced a drop in crude oil production for the first quarter of 2013.

The Acting Group General Manager Public Affairs Division of the corporation, NNPC, Tumini Green, attributed the drop to incessant crude oil theft and vandalism along the major pipelines within the Niger Delta.

According to her, daily crude oil production during the period fluctuated between 2.1 and 2.3 million barrels per day (mbpd) compared with the projected estimate of 2.48mbpd.

“Expectedly, this fall between actual production and forecast in first quarter 2013 has resulted in a drop in crude oil revenue of about $1.23 billion (N$191 billion) that should have accrued to the

Federation Account,” she explained.

Shell had also in April declared force majeure on Bonny Light crude oil after a high number of thefts forced it to close the Nembe Creek pipeline for repairs. Shell said about 150,000 barrels a day of production had been deferred due to the shutdown.

She explained: “Investigations showed that 53 break points were discovered along the 97km Nembe Creek Trunkline. Repair work is expected to last about six weeks. This will further reduce our April and May monthly average to about 2.2mbpd and further decrease crude oil revenue by about $554.0 million (equivalent to N83 billion) that should have accrued to the Federation Account.

AfDB others peg Africa’s growth at 4.8 per cent CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 through smart taxation and help investors and locals to make the most of linkages.”

According to the report, four key elements are needed to achieve that objective.

Firstly, African countries should create the right conditions for such a transformation to take place, including infrastructure, education and the creation of larger and more competitive markets.

Director, Macroeconomic Policy Division at ECA, Emmanuel Nnadozie, said: “Access to markets is fundamental to structural transformation based on natural

resources: regional integration and better access to the markets of large partners could open new opportunities for all.”

Besides, the report noted that the primary sectors require sound land management, balanced and effective tax systems and the right mechanisms and incentives to cause an acceleration and diversification of the sources of growth.

“In the agricultural sector for instance, transport, fertilizers and more resistant seeds are required for an increase in productivity.

Africa has 24 per cent of the world’s agricultural land, but accounts for only 9 per cent

of its production.

“Furthermore, governments and investors must ensure that a fair share of the proceeds from natural resources and extractive industries accrue to society: for example, they should be invested in people’s capacities to take up new jobs in promising sectors”, the report added.

PTFP sets deadline for distribution firms CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Aleshinloye stated: “To avoid abuse and misuse, the modus operandi of distribution, which has the Chairman PTFP, Beks Dagogo-Jack as the final authorising signatory, is that the equipment can only be released from the port storage directly to the project site, not from one store to another one.

“Also, the items are formally requisitioned for by its confirmed owners such as the National Integrated Power (NIPP) or the World Bank PMU before we commence release procedures, which must indicate that the requested items are for a site-ready project.

“Presently, the conduct of the distribution exercise has been reviewed with all distribution companies given a two week deadline from May 24, to ensure the completion of all sites where equipment is to be installed, after which they are to arrange to collect the equipment they require.

“The chairman of PTFP had earlier clarified that there are yet some unclaimed items, which will be dealt with differently to ensure that all such items are properly re-validated as unclaimed before they can be re-allocated to avoid disrupting the delivery of the projects for which they were originally imported.

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BUSINESS

Konica Minolta invests N1b in Nigeria From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja IGITAL printing D machine makers, Konica Minolta, has invested about N1 billion in the Nigeria economy in recent months, Managing Director of Skysat Technologies Ltd, partners of Konica Minolta, Izzat Debs, has said.

He said this in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a two-day Konica Minolta print solutions exhibition with the theme “Productivity and Profitability Come Alive.”

The investment includes the cost of training local technicians in Germany, opening up of offices and showrooms across the country as well as stocking them, Debs said.

He said by deploying Konica Minolta range of digital printing machines in Nigeria, we are contributing to digitisation of printing in the country as well as improving on the local economy.

According to him, the machines could be used by commercial printers as well as corporate organisations to meet their printing needs, just as he noted that the success of a similar

Due to wind of globalisation, it is no linger news that the digital era is here with us and it is imperative that everyone of us must endeavour to catch up with this global trends. It is for this reason that this exhibition of digital printing machine in Abuja today is a welcome development. exhibition held in Lagos earlier in the year encouraged the company to stage another one in Abuja. Port Harcourt is the next city to host its exhibition, he said.

In his remarks, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Samuel Ortom, said: “We are convinced that the exhibition of array of Konica Minolta machines will further drive investment in the printing sector. Printing is a lucrative business.”

He stressed: “ Due to wind of globalisation, it is no linger news that the digital era is here with us and it is imperative that everyone of us must endeavour to catch up with this global trends.

It is for this reason that this exhibition of digital printing machine in Abuja today is a welcome development.

“There can’t be any better time for this exhibition to hold bearing in mind the

transformation agenda of the present administration with a commitment to transform all sectors of our economy and create jobs and wealth for our teeming population. I therefore

advise all MDAs and private sectors operators here present to take full advantage of this print exhibition and develop partnership that will translate to good transactions for enhanced economic growth of our country.”

He advised all ministries, department and agencies including the private sector operators “to take advantage of the printing exhibition and develop partnerships for enhanced economic growth of Nigeria.”

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Emerging market regulators seek stronger voice in global reforms

By Bukky Olajide MERGING market regulators have emphasised the need for stronger voice in shaping global regulatory reform to reflect emerging markets’ position.

Global emerging market regulators met in Panama City recently to reinforce the need to play a more active role in global regulatory reform being involved at early stages of new regulatory reforms to ensure emerging markets views are reflected in the reform efforts.

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In defining the future role of the Emerging Markets Committee (EMC) of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the group also agreed to rename the committee as the Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee to reflect the nature of the markets in which members operate.

The 86 members include some of world’s fastest growing economies and 10 of the G-20 members.

The GEM Committee will seek to provide greater

focus towards balancing growth and implementation of regulation, including looking at greater inclusiveness, strengthening channels of communication and developing greater regulatory capacity for emerging markets.

The membership further reinforced strong support for the establishment of the IOSCO Foundation, which will assist members in their

market development and capacity building efforts.

Members urged industry to support the Foundation expeditiously so that emerging markets could benefit from the overall activities relating to three pillars: research, education and training, and technical assistance.

Increased funding of these activities will be of significant benefit to emerging

market members, especially at a time of growing demand for market-based financing.

The EMC also discussed, among other panels, the impact of global regulatory reforms on emerging securities markets.

Panelists emphasised the need for better streamlining of conduct and prudential regulation, and to ensure a strong and cohe-

sive way to communicate these views at a higher level.

The panel on Impact of High Frequency Trading and Algorithmic Trading on Emerging Markets acknowledged that HFT and algorithms are the new normal, and it is critical to have a sound regulatory framework to ensure markets continue to operate in a fair, orderly and transparent manner.

Govt mulls additional standard guage rail lines From NkechI Onyedika, Abuja HE Federal Government has concluded plans to develop seven additional standard gauge rail lines across the country.

Already, the feasibility studies for the rail lines are ongoing and would be completed by September 2013 after which it would be open for potential investors for development under the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Minister of Transport, Alhaji Idris Umar, who disclosed this while inaugurating the Governing Board of the Nigerian Railway Corporation in Abuja, recently, said that government is reviewing the law establishing the Nigerian Railway Corporation to ensure private sector, state and local governments participation in the sector.

He noted that the Bill has been considered and approved by the National Council on Privatization and would soon be presented to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval before transmission to the National

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Assembly for legislation.

The minister stated that government is vigorously pursuing the resuscitation of the nation's rail system in line with the 25year Rail Strategic Vision, which is being implemented in three phases of System Transition, System Modernization and System Stabilization.

He explained that in the implementation process, a systematic dual approach, which entails the rehabilitation of the entire existing narrow gauge and development of the standard gauge lines, has been adopted.

Umar observed that the rail sector is a key component of the national economy whose potentials need to be harnessed to meet the expectations of the citizenry.

Responding, the chairman of the Board, Alhaji Bala Ka'oje noted transform the railways as a reliable, comfortable and consistent mode of transport for Nigerians that in order to actualize the transformation agenda of the present administration in the transport sector.

Kaduna introduces mandatory tax identification number From Bashir Bello, Kaduna ECRETARY of Joint Tax Board, Muh’d Lawal Abubakar, has said a 10-digit number, known as Taxpayer Identification Number will soon be made mandatory for importers and deposit account holders as well as sprospective customers.

The Secretary dropped the hint recently in Kaduna at a workshop organized to sensitize participants on the aim of the number when he said failure to provide the number they won’t be able to carryout business transactions.

According to him, “Importers are also required to use TIN in clearing their goods at the ports, and of course all commercial activities are tied to TIN. “The Joint Tax Board, a National body created by the defunct income Tax Management Act of 1961, now the Personal Income Tax cap P.8, LFN 2004 is aimed at identifying and registering all taxable Nigerians to provide a more sustainable platform for revenue generation and enable the country have adequate funds for execution of laudable projects for its citizenry,” the Secretary said.

Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero said government is saddled with numerous responsibilities that cannot be met with the meager allocation from the

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Federation Account but can only be realized with robust system of tax administration.

“It is only through progressive taxation policy, that additional revenue can be generated for provision of basic-social amenities and critical infrastructures. Many countries of the world rely more on taxes than on revenue from natural resources.

“As a Government we are determined to increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and this can only be possible when all taxes due to the state are remitted as at when due,” adding that “We are determined to ensure prudent utilization of all revenues accrued to Kaduna State,” the Governor stated.

He further called on individuals and organization to comply with payment of taxes when he said “Presently, the rate of tax evasion is very high, in contrast to huge expectations on Government to provide all needs of the people,” Yero said.

Governor Yero however expressed optimism with the initiative, which he said will no doubt improve the process of tax remittance in the state especially that the existing system of tax administration has become cumbersome leading to loss of revenue on the side of government due to tax evasion.

Managing Director, Honda Manufacturing Nigeria limited, Osamu Oshikawa, handling over the quality key to Production Manager, Olatoye Ogunmola, authorising him to begin production of the all new Dream 110 for Nigerian Market in Ota, Ogun state.

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Appointments The challenge of picking a new head for UBTH From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu and Michael Egbejule, Benin City ITH barely two months to the expiration of the first tenure of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Professor Michael Ibadin, dissenting and counter-dissenting voices have begun to trail the process that would lead either the re-appointment of Ibadin for a qualified second term or the appointment of a new person as the head of the leading teaching hospital in South-South Nigeria.

Observers of the unfolding events at the hospital who strongly favoured the reappointment of Ibadin believed that the man who took over from his kinsman, Eugene Okpere had performed creditably well for a re-appointment.

The Guardian gathered that the process for the appointment of a new CMD would soon commence, as officials of the Federal Ministry of Health would place public notice for the soon-to-be vacant position.

First to throw the salvo was a Bini ethno, socio-political and cultural organisation, Benin National Congress (BNC) when it issued a statement saying staff of the hospital were being coerced to endorse Ibadin’s re-appointment and that his first appointment was not on merit.

The group called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu to ensure transparency in the process that would lead to the emergence of the next CMD of the hospital.

A statement signed by the BNC Director of Publicity, David Ekomwenrenren, noted that federal appointments had been characterised by “high-wired politics” at the expense of merit and fairness.

The statement said that this controversial style of picking parastatals heads have affected management of federal government institutions.

The group alleged: “We have it on good authority that the various union leaders in the UBTH are being blackmailed to officially endorse the incumbent administration on the pages of newspapers, (under the guise of felicitations) a situation that we consider antithetical to decorum, peace and tranquility before, during and after the recruitment exercise.

“As a socio-cultural organisation of Edo people, we don’t project any candidate for any public office of this nature, but we will resist any attempt to impose a dishonest candidate or a stooge by centrifugal force who believes that federal establishments are their inheritance, and that they must produce or impose their

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helmsmen,” it stated.

The group said that it believed in constructive engagement with institution but alleged that the last exercise to bring a head to the hospital was not transparent enough.

“It is to avoid a scenario of mutual suspicion between management, staff and community stakeholders that we make bold to say that the president should appreciate the peace in our communities by prevailing on the Ministry of Health to insist on fair play else they may plunge the establishment into chaos.

The statement said that the group would do everything possible including protests and legal action to ensure that the appointment of the next CMD in the hospital was transparent.

The Guardian gathered that the apprehension became heightened when news filtered that Federal Ministry of Health would soon place advertorials for the position as provided by law.

But Ibadin replied when he told The Guardian that he was appointed on merit. He insisted that his emergence as CMD was entirely based on merit.

He told The Guardian: “I contested with 11 others, among them three Binis.

“I scored 88 points of the 131 votes. Next person to me, a Bini man, had 12. In the panel that interviewed the 12 of us subsequently, where I came out tops, were three panelists of Bini extraction. Chairman of the board then was Nimi Briggs.”

This was followed by various house unions which seriously criticised the BNC statement saying they were drawn into an issue they did not have any say.

The various house unions of the teaching hospital denied allegations by the BNC that they were coerced by the management of the hospital to endorse Ibadin for reappointment.

Statements by Deputy Chairman, Medical Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Dr. Nosa Bazuaye, president, UBTH Chapter, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Dr. Okafor Kingsley, President, Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria, Benson Afekhide, and President Non-Academic Staff Union, Sunday Bello all condemned the statement by the BNC published by some national dailies last week that the CMD was not also appointed by merit.

Kingsley told journalists at a news briefing that the authors of the said statement were attempting to bring ethnic angle into a national issue.

“We find the publication not only offensive, but as capable of unnecessary angles to a purely national and professional issue. The appointment of a chief medical direc-

Jonathan

tor follows stringent and time-tested procedures and only the best would emerge when the rule are followed as they are wont to.

He said that the unions “are groups of professionals who are committed, empathic and above all independent adding that the ARD maintained an independent spirit and worked towards optimal patients care and industrial harmony.

Speaking for MDCAN, Bazuaye said that the group “cannot be blackmailed, has not been blackmailed nor cajoled into being involved UBTH politics. It is the Board and the ministry that are responsible for appointing a CMD. It is very unfair to the consultants and we want to be left alone to seeing our patients and not be drawn into the CMD position.”

For NASU, Bello dissociated to body from the allegation of being coerced. “NASU as a

Chukwu

union has no legitimate authority to endorse the candidacy of the CMD.” Scheming has intensified as stakeholders have been pitching tent with political power big wigs that are considered relevant and influential in the struggle to see their ambition become a reality.

Ibadin is strongly believed to have been instrumental to the infrastructural and human capacity development of the up to date UBTH that is the pride of the people and patient across the country.

The hospital during his time had a breakthrough in stem cell transplant among others.

Ibadin in a recent interview with The Guardian enumerated some of his achievement to include the breakthrough in the stem cell, which he noted was “the biggest medical breakthrough, that this institution has embarked upon lately.”

Ibadin said that the “stem cell transplant that we did in 2010/2011 is a major achievement recorded in my administration. We are the only centre in West Africa that has ever done this. It was a breakthrough, because it was the first of its kind in this part of the world. The concept is that you change somebody internal structure completely.

They are called stem cells because they are very, very, immature cells. In the case of the sickle cell for instance, you harvest from an individual who don’t have the problem and put in an individual who have the problem with the hope that they will grow to a predetermined procedure. It is not just for sickle cell, other carriers of other diseases such as leukemia can also do it. So, stem cell was successfully done here.

“We were given mandate and we met all of them. In terms of research, I have as many as 174

consultants here and 95 per cent of them are researchers and lecturers.

There is no year we don’t have between three and five of them promoted as professors based on their research.

They are resident in this hospital and their research works are done in UBTH here. In terms of treatment of patients, on the average, we admit at least 35 patients everyday and discharge 30 everyday. Those who come here for treatment are about 2500 everyday, except weekends when the figures drop slightly. This is the only centre in the country where you have a walk-in chemist.”

Ibadin has been highly favoured for a return going by his level of performance, but the powers that be are believed to be bent on seeing his back not because of nonperformance but more of ethnic considerations.

Respect process, outcome of election, NLC tells governors ...honours Imoudu, Bafyau, Oyerinde

By Yetunde Ebosele HE Nigerian Labour T Congress (NLC) has advised state governors under the aegis of Governors Forum to respect the process and outcome of its election held recently.

Rising from it National Executive Council (NEC) held in Abuja on Tuesday, NLC called on governors to “create value around as well as restore dignity to their office”.

A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting said: “Congress has watched with

keen interest the developments in the Governors Forum and wants to sound a note of caution.

“While congress notes that like any group of people, the governors have a right to organise themselves, it should be within the civilised norms of society.

“Congress therefore refuses to believe that governors who are themselves beneficiaries of supposedly credible elections cannot organise a simple election among themselves, a class of 36.

“This presupposes that something fundamental

must have gone wrong somewhere. Whatever it is, the governors and their fellow travelers in power should quickly fix it.

“As critical custodians of the peoples mandate and grand beneficiaries of our democracy, there are certain things governors must not be seen to be doing.

“We at the congress irrevocably stand for certain values which we will not compromise for anything. We are opposed to impunity at all levels and the undermining of national security and unity. We have respect for

process and its outcome. We stand for justice.

“In the light of the foregoing, we call on our governors to create value around as well as restore dignity to their office. Get back to work instead of unnecessarily overheating the polity.”

The communiqué signed by NLC’s President, Abdulwahed Omar and Acting General Secretary, Chris Uyot also advised the governors not to put in jeopardy “our hard-earned democracy; Respect the CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

28 APPOINTMENT

WAPA trains women in Lagos State

By Banji-Idowu Bolanle

AGOS State Ministry of L Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has commenced its regular Skill Acquired Training Programme at the instance of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, The training programme, which runs simultaneously in different locations across the state, is designed to train grassroots women and youth and make them selfdependent.

Ikorodu Constituency 1, Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Secretariat, Apapa, Coker Aguda and Mainland Local Government are expected to benefit from the first phase of the programme, while other local councils will benefit in the second phase.

Ikorodu Constituency 1 and Mosan Okunola LCDA were among the constituency where the programme was held last week.

The programme is part of the ministry’s poverty reduction strategy in its renewed efforts to give youths and women vocations that will make them economically independent.

Speaking on the project, Honourable S.O.B. Agunbiade from Ikorodu Constituency 1 said that WAPA was about women,

even though some men also participated in the programme.

According to him, participants at the event enjoyed free medical check ups conducted by the Ministry of Health, which carried out tests for breast cancer, hypertension and others.

Besides, he noted that the programme was not for fun, as it was created to make people selfemployed.

He explained that at least 50 persons would be given stipends to start small businesses at the end of the event.

“Currently, about 100 people are enjoying interestfree loan from Skye Bank.”

One of the participants, Ogunfeyibo Adeolu, a retiree, said that he learnt a lot of things about soap making.

About 1, 000 persons participated in the programme, which were made up of almost 600 people from Ikorodu Constituency 1 and 400 people from Mosan Okunola.

The training was the ministry’s short-term programme from which 5,000 women and youths were expected to benefit.

Various vocations such as balloon decorations, cake baking, pomade/soap making, beads stringing, weaving, hair dressing, insecticide production, stove thread making and event decoration, tie and dye were taught at the centres.

Winner of Nigerian Idols 3, Moses Obi Adigwe; Key Accounts Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mrs. Patricia Odia Iletogun and General Manager, OMG, Sola Aiyepeku, during the visit of Adigwe to the company.

NITAD inducts new members, urges respect for ethics

By Adeniyi Adunola HE Nigerian Institute of T Training and Development (NITAD) has inducted new members into its fold with a charge that they uphold the ethics of the profession and make meaningful contribution to the growth of the nation’s economy.

In his lecture titled: “HRD Challenge: Aligning Employee Learning and Development with Performance

Management”, the guest speaker, Ola Azeez, highlighted the challenges of human resource development and exposed the audience to various practical approaches to optimally managing the performance of employees for efficient and effective service delivery in the world of work.

According to the tradition, the institute, through its first Vice–President, Mr. B.A. Salawu, gave the inductees ori-

entation on the professional ethics, code of conducts and rules and regulations governing the institute to aid the inductees in the discharge of their professional duties to their clients.

Earlier in his welcome address, according to a statement, the President of the institute, Dr. K.A.B. Ogungbuyi, said that NITAD would continue to develop and maintain best practices in preparing workers

generally for the world of work through skill enhancement programmes capable of making them deliver jobs at hand dutifully and preparing then for future challenges.

Ogungbuyi, who noted that knowledge is not static, said that the world of work had changed from what it used to be, as tools of work today had changed due to new innovations and improvement.

The president hinted about

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Govt inaugurates boards of ITF, FRC From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja HE federal government has T inaugurated the Board members of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC).

While the board members of the FRC is chaired by the immediate past President of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Hajia Maryam Ibrahim, that of ITF is chaired by Senator Musiliu obanikoro.

Speaking during the inaugu-

ration ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, olusegun Aganga, said that the appointment of the board members was based on their knowledge and wealth of experience in their respective areas of specialisation, adding that their appointment would further enhance the overall ministry’s roles and mandates in addressing the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

His words: “The ministry and all its parastatals share a com-

mon mandate anchored on creating the enabling environment to stimulate domestic investment and attract foreign direct investment into all sectors of the economy and making Nigeria the most preferred investment destination; facilitating trade in goods and services and maximising the benefits of international trade through functional bilateral and multi-lateral trade relations with other countries and boosting industrial develop-

ment and enabling Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as the engine of economic growth.”

While congratulating the board members on their appointments, the minister however warned them not to interfere with the day-to-day running of their respective agencies.

“While congratulating you on your well deserved appointment, may I emphasise that your appointment is on part-

time basis. As such, you are not expected to interfere or participate in the day-to-day running of your respective agencies. I must stress at this juncture, that no chairman or board member is entitled to an official vehicle on permanent basis. Same goes for office or residential accommodation.

“May I seize this opportunity to remind you that boards of parastatals are responsible for setting out broad economic,

financial, operational administrative guidelines and targets for their various agencies.

They are concerned with policy issues, monitoring of institutional projects/programmes and ensuring that the parastatal’s mandates are realised.

You are, therefore, enjoined to adhere strictly to the provisions of the enabling Acts of your agencies as well as financial regulations and guidelines on administrative procedures.”

Respect process, outcome of election, NLC tells governors CONTINUED ON PAGE 27 process and outcome of their election; Remember June 12.”

During the meeting, NLC also decided to honour some of its departed leaders referred to as ‘heroes’.

Besides, the union also named its sub-secretariat in Lagos after the sage of Labour movement in Nigeria, Comrade Pa Imoudu.

It has also renamed its national secretariat in Abuja, Paschal Bafyau Labour House, after the Labour Leader who died last year.

Similarly, the NEC-in-session also named its auditorium in Abuja, the olaitan oyerinde Auditorium, after its slain Deputy General Secretary, Comrade olaitan oyerinde, who was killed while on secondment to Edo State Governor, Adams oshiomhole, last year.

Making reference to the economy, the communiqué said that though the economy was said to have recorded a growth rate of about seven per cent: “It has created few or no jobs, leading to an alltime high unemployment records.

“Whereas official figures put unemployment rate at 24 per cent, there are indicators to believe that the actual estimate could be as high as 60 per cent or higher.

“Nearly all of our employable youths remain unemployed, constituting a veritable army of the hungry, disillusioned and angry with great potential for undermin-

ing the peace and security of the nation.

“Critical infrastructure continues to decay just as power generation continues to dip.

Government’s promises in the power sector, especially in power generation and distribution have been observed in the breach. Nonbudgetary provision for power supply has worsened the power situation, in spite of unjustifiable high tariffs.”

According to NLC, rising communal and sectarian violence across the country contributes in no small way to undermining the national productive industrial and agricultural capacity.

“Last year’s floods and potential for more floods this year have probable affect of undermining food security.

“Government still has a great role to play in reversing this trend. It, for instance, cannot afford the luxury of leaving the economy to market forces as no reasonable government does that.

“There must be an affirmative declaration by government to create jobs.

“Similarly, government is invited to intervene in critical industries (by way of intervention funds and policy) to sustain and create jobs.

“Government should ensure there is adequate power supply to meet national needs through the design and execution of a seamless transition in its power reform programme,” the communiqué added.

Acting Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD), Kolade Ayegbusi (left), the President, Dr. Kayode Ogungbuyi and the guest lecturer, Ola Azeez, at the 11th induction ceremony of the institute in Lagos…recently.

ASSBIFI, disengaged staff threaten legal action against Ecobank

By Joseph Onyekwere SSoCIATIoN of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) and some staff of Ecobank Plc who were recently disengaged from the bank are now threatening litigation and protest, if their severance packages are not paid in two weeks.

According to Mr. Dipo ojutiku, one of the victims, the sacked workers might also picket the bank if it remained adamant to its demand.

“For over two months, we were laid off for what the bank referred to as non-performance exit exercise. our one-

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Migration body kicks off capacity building programme From John Okeke, Abuja o enhance the capacity of T relevant institutions, improved data management and paved way for the adoption of National Migration Policy, the International organisation for Migration (IoM) has commenced an intensive training.

At a workshop organised by the organisation in Abuja recently, participants were trained on migration data analysis and dissemination as well as migration data management techniques.

Also, issues such as labour migration, Diaspora remittances and development and other migration related issues were discussed during the workshop.

The workshop was also an

opportunity for participant to interact with one another, share their various organisational challenges and best practices and identify common areas of cooperation and collaboration in the area of migration.

Meanwhile, commenting on the National Policy on Migration, the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Ekpedeme King, stressed the need to ensure a policy that would encourage Nigeria professionals in different fields of endeavor to remain in the country and foster development with their experiences.

He said: “ The migration policy involves migration and emigration, but there has to be a clear policy on how to encourage our medical doctors, engineers and other professional

Nigerians in different field to stay in Nigeria so that they can contribute their quota here, “Statutory, Nigeria immigration service cannot prevent any Nigeria from returning to his country as long as you can convince the immigration officer that you are a Nigeria. It is our duty to welcome you and embrace you back to your country.”

The International organisation for Migration (IoM) is an international organisation established in 1951 and is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit, providing migration services to migrants and addressing forced migration as well as providing capacity building on migration management to government.

month salary in lieu of notice was incomplete and up till now, our severance package has not been paid, thereby subjecting us and members of our families to untold hardship.

“This is like beating a child and closing his mouth from crying. It is proper to give those whose appointments were terminated redundancy/exit package. The management of the bank has bluntly refused to pay us off, stating that we are consistent nonperformers. As a result, they cannot pay us off because the disengagement was not a redundancy exercise, meanwhile, the sack letters stated that we were redundant,” he explained.

Consequently, the Association of Senior Staff of

Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) have had series of meetings with the management of the bank to mediate and resolve the crisis, all to no avail.

According to ASSBIFI, the union even suggested to the bank to apply similar exit package agreement used for the non-performance exit exercise in 2010 for the affected staff since both exercises are based on non-performance, but the bank allegedly refused, insisting that the bank would rather recall the affected staff than pay them off.

Stating further, another victim, Mrs. Josephine Egbagbare recalled that a branch manager who supervised the construction of a branch from start to finish and grew the

balance sheet to over N2bn within two years was redeployed and the branch closed and all the staff redeployed to other locations. “A year after, the same set of staff were disengaged based on non-performance without paying them exit package after working for the bank for certain number of years with excellent performance.

“That means that the number of years including the staff performance was not considered at all. Some staff that are currently affected fall into this category. If this exercise was truly non-performance driven, then the bank should painstakingly review the performance appraisals of the affected staff at least for clarity and posterity sake,” she stated.

Suswam tasks college’s workers on dedication, welfare From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi HE Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam has urged the Academic Staff of College of Education, Katsina-Ala to work hard and show understanding over issues concerning their welfare.

Suswam who gave the charge at the 15th convocation ceremony of the institution, explained that in the face of competing demands confronting his administration, he would do his best to give

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the school a face lift, adding that the students should show good example for others to emulate.

He particularly promised to construct students’ hostels and offices of principal staff between now to the end of his administration in 2015.

The governor also advised the institution on the need to always organise convocation yearly, stating that convocation after many years was not good enough.

Earlier in his welcome address, Provost of the College, Dr. Hans Senwua, gave details of the progress made by the institution under his tenure, pointing out that cultism showed its ugly face in the school last year ‘but was carefully curtailed’.

According to Senwua 13, 252 students who passed out of the college between 2005 and 2011 were scheduled to get their certificates at the ceremony.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

30 APPOINTMENTS

Medical Council intensifies campaign to enshrine professionalism From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja HE Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria said that the suspension placed on the College of Health

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Sciences at Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State stayed because the college was still unable to meet the required standards.

The Council is also stepping up the prosecution of 20 fake medical doctors who were involved in quackery and other forms of illegal prac-

tice.

The Council has also inducted an additional 395 medicinal doctors and dentists.

The Registrar Dr.

President, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) Olayinka Abdul (right) House Committee Chairman on Aviation, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and Chairman, APWEN (Lagos Chapter) Felicia Agubata at the APWEN’s 2013 Business Luncheon/Award presentation in Lagos. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

‘Over 50 per cent maritime workers out of job’ President General of the Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria (MWUN), Emmanuel Nted, at a rally in Lagos last week, spoke with reporters on the plight of the maritime in Nigeria, calling for more pro-active measures to end violation of laws by multinational companies.

WOLE OYEBADE was there.

Excerpts: Aim of the rally E are here to thank the president for all the good things he has done in the maritime industry especially in the seafaring department. We have four branches of the MWUN but the president has impacted positively in the seafaring branch. So many cadets were sent abroad for specific trainings in marine engineering, naval architect, on board captain and so on. When these people returned, they became professionals in their fields, thereby reducing unemployment and impacting in the maritime industry. This, the president has done. No president has ever done this and we are grateful.

Before now, we have about 19 fleets of vessels managed by the Nigerian National Shipping Line. All these vessels had gone into extinction and most of the captains onboard those vessels – most of them Nigerians – have gone outside our shores to earn a living. But today, the president has indeed done more than is ordinarily expected in the maritime

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Nted industry, sending more people out for training to fill these vacancies.

A time will soon come when other countries in the subSaharan Africa and West Africa will be coming here looking for captains onboard, marine engineers and naval architects among others, and we will have enough to give them. All of them will be returning as professionals in their fields and not be looking for jobs.

We are promoting local content, because when they come back, Nigeria will be better for it. Instead of going overseas to bring foreigners to work for us, the Nigeria people will be able to captain vessels, and we will have first engineers, second and third engineers, all Nigerians.

That is the more reason we embarked on the solidarity walk and ask the president to do more. We are not politicians and what we are doing

today is not politically motivated. If the president does what is wrong, we will shout, and if it were something good, we’d say thank you. It is not every time we should be critics.

How many workers are beneficiary of this presidential gesture?

About 2,000 workers have gone, and we believe that before the end of the year, another 1,500 will also travel.

Some of them travelled to Philippine, India and some other places. Philippine is a maritime country. Most of vessels that do domestic trading in Nigeria, coming from foreign countries, majority of seafarers onboard are Philippine – the captain, engineers and others – so it shows that Philippine is a maritime nation. The duration of the course is four-year.

This is coming at a time when some maritime workers are out of job

Yes, that is true. About 50 per cent of the people here today have no job to do in the main port. Some of them were taken to the jetties but on getting there, they were not allowed to operate. They have jobs to do mainstreams and offshore, but they will not allow them.

The federal government has done the right thing by appointing a contractor to manage activities of ship dock at the port and jetties – mainstream and offshore.

But what we are seeing is an eyesore. Multi-national companies come to our country to avert statutory procedure and charges. When a vessel comes in – mainstream or offshore – they sneak-in, offload and run away. People bring a vessel, they work violating the law of the land with impunity; they avert payment of tax and statutory charges all in connivance with some people in authority.

When we catch them, they would run to the court for protection. They use delay tactics for two or three years, while the workers would not get their earnings at the end of the day.

We believe that there are some hands of Esau in this and by the time we catch them, we’ll expose them; whether they are from Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), have harbour market or from government. They need to desist from these illegal acts. They are destroying the economy. This country needs money to move forward. The industry also needs to make progress. People need to be trained and earn their living.

Abdulmumini Ibrahim, who spoke at the induction in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed that the Council had established a new unit to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation system.

His words: “We have a new unit called the Monitoring and Inspectorate Department in the secretariat which is responsible for cracking down on individuals involved in quackery. Currently, we have about 20 cases pending in courts and all have to do with quackery where people parade themselves as doctors.

“They were arrested and prosecuted, that is why they are in court. Whether they are on bail or not on bail is another issue. But we have succeeded in arresting them. They were arrested by the state monitoring committees, then the council secretariat was invited as a witness to testify in courts.”

Ibrahim disclosed a particular case in Lagos where somebody was parading himself as a doctor adding, “but after investigation, we discovered that he is not a doctor.”

According to him, the suspect was actually a medical student some years back even outside the country who couldn’t continue with the training after some years.

He said: “But when he came back, he was parading himself as a doctor. There were so many instances in which his competences were questioned and that was how he was reported to us. Then, that same Monitoring and Inspectorate Department swung into action.

“Failure of some medical/dental institutions to meet the quality assurance requirements of council resulted in withdrawal or suspension of accreditation. In this regard, the case of the College of Health Sciences at Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State readily comes to

mind.

“The accreditation of this institution was suspended for gross violation of council regulations on operation of medical/dental institutions especially in the areas of approved students quota. This institution was further barred from admitting medical students since August 2010. This sanction will remain enforced until all pending cases are resolved.”

On other medical colleges that don’t meet standards, he noted: “There are standards and guidelines put in place by the council. But if any of these institutions are found violating any of these guidelines, we will revisit that medical school. If they don’t really address those issues, we will slam suspension before we withdraw accreditation.

And currently, Igbinedion University is in that category; their accreditation has been withdrawn and they were given a two years timeline for correction.

“If they were able to correct these anomalies within the period of time, then we will reinstate the accreditation.

But currently, Igbinedion University should not be admitting students and should not be graduating students. There are students that in their final years, after writing their final exams, they must be subjected to these professional examinations.

“In 2011, we suspended about 11 medical schools and they were given time limits to address those issues that have been violated. But nine of them were able to address the issues within the shortest time they were given, except Igbinedion University and University of Benin. But UNIBEN was able to address those issues after a period of time. For now, it is only Igbinedion University that is becoming recalcitrant and it is lingering too much.”

NICO blames increase in corruption, killings on cultural decline From Emmanuel Ande, Yola HE northeast zonal coordiT nator of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Mallam Isma’ila M. Ahmad, has blamed corruption, killings and other immoral act in the country on the dearth of cultural norms.

Ahmad who spoke with journalists, recently in Yola, pointed out that without respect for cultural norms and values, the country would continue to witness corruption, killings and other unhealthy acts in the country.

“There is no culture that promotes killings, no culture that promotes stealing of public funds or individual’s money and immoral activities,” he stated.

He emphasised need for orientation as part of measures

to return to what he described as the good old days, adding that he recently introduced cultural clubs in secondary schools.

The development, he added, was expected to imbibe in the students the true cultural norms and values of their various communities.

According to the NICO boss, the aim of the cultural clubs in secondary schools was to enable the children to embrace the culture of their communities as against the western culture that has become “a cancer” to the culture of Nigeria.

Ahmad, who urged parents and teachers to ensure that their children or students are well trained in their culture, pointed out that the identity of any person is his culture which he said distinguished people from one tribe or community to another.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

ScienceGuardian Engineers promise ‘100%’ made in Nigeria car by November 2014 • UK university wins Europe Shell Eco Marathon as Nigerian team prepares for African/Middle East version in Qatar

Wooden car... one of the cars designed by student engineers from Aston University Birmingham, England, that competed at Europe Eco Marathon 2013 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands PHOTOS: CHUKWUMA MUANYA

By Chukwuma Muanya, who was in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

IGERIAN engineers have N promised to deliver a near 100 per cent environment-friendly, fuel-efficient car before the first Africa/Middle East version of the Shell Eco Marathon scheduled for Doha, Qatar in November 2014.

The Nigerian team of engineers made up of students and their professors from University of Lagos (UNILAG); University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State; and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Kaduna State have promised to design, build and test ultra energyefficient and environmentfriendly vehicles.

The quest is under the auspices of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on behalf of Shell Companies in Nigeria (SEPCiN).

Indeed, in what would be a debut entry for sub-Saharan Africa at the Shell Eco Marathon, three student teams from three Nigerian universities have begun preparation to compete at the 2014 event in Qatar.

Representatives from each team accompanied by their team managers were at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, from May 15 to 19 on a learning visit to acquire knowledge from participating entrants at the event.

The Guardian who covered the visit reported that the six Nigerian students and

Mowete

Dauda

What we are looking at is that we are not looking at just competing but far beyond that in coming out with a made in Nigerian car, which will form the basis of Nigeria made car. That is our focus. We are going there to participate, make our mark and beyond that we are hoping that this will be the pioneer effort in getting this dream called the Nigerian car...we are hoping that at the end of this process we will be able to put together almost a 100 per cent made in Nigeria car. their professors/team managers had a full week of activities lined-up.

This included a meet and greet with Shell’s Upstream International Director, Andy Brown, a welcome reception by the Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mrs. Nimota Nihinlola Akanbi, a learning session with the Technical University of Delft (a Shell Eco-Marathon veteran participant) and a walk-

through the paddocks and technical inspection process with Norman Koch, the Shell Eco-marathon Technology Manager & Student Liaison.

The students also visited the Shell Technology Centre in Amsterdam (STCA), in company of Internal Relations Manager, Shell Nigeria, Mrs. Sola Abulu, where they learnt about the innovation funnel and how it applies to their task ahead at the Shell Eco-Marathon.

Ibhadode Shell Eco-marathon challenges student teams from around the world to design, build and test ultra energyefficient vehicles. With yearly events first in the Americas, then Europe and Asia, the winners are the teams that go the furthest using the least amount of energy. The events spark debate about the future of mobility and inspire young engineers to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency.

A member of the Nigerian team of engineers and a mechanical engineer from the ABU, Dr. Mohammed Dauda, told The Guardian: “Indeed we can link up the Shell Eco-Marathon to the quest for competitive made in Nigeria car. We went to Rotterdam as observers to the 2013 Shell Eco-Marathon for Europe but we are going to participate in Shell EcoContinued on Page 47

With JK Obatala

ASTRONOMY

AFF: Up with education!

MONG the books in my library, is a 400-plus page text A from a secondary school in California, a state in the United States (U.S.). It’s a hard-backed, vividly illustrated volume, with normally spaced lines and the smallest typesize the law will allow for that age group. Fully 25 per cent of the content, I might add, is “Astronomy”.

I mention this, because it’s been many years since I’ve seen a Nigerian university – not to mention secondary school – student with a 400-page text. When our students carry a text at all, it’s usually a thin comic-book-like production, with big letters and near finger-width line spaces.

I mention this, because the African Future Foundation (A.F.F.) is holding its 3rd Annual Meeting today, at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, Lagos; and one of its main objectives, is to entertain ideas on how to revive the nation’s decrepit educational system.

To say they have their work cut out, is an understatement.

Putting things in perspective, my comments are based on the institutions I’ve visited or whose students I interact with. There are obviously some universities with serious instructional programmes and rigorously enforced standards.

Secondly, the introduction of computers and the availability of online texts have reduced - but certainly not eliminated - the need for students to carry textbooks. Whether or not this is a good thing, is quite a different issue. I happen to have my doubts In any event, Nigeria has - like most other forward-looking nations - fully embraced space exploration as a vital strategic interest. This imposes a tremendous responsibility on teachers, lecturers, administrators and education policy makers.

Nigeria is relying on its education system to produce the engineers, scientists, technicians and administrators it needs. But the challenge goes beyond competent personnel for the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) - crucially important as that is.

No less important, are well-educated and mentally alert reporters and editors, capable of generating and processing Astronomy/Space Science copy. Clergymen, of all faiths, ought to be able to explain celestial phenomena and space policy issues to their congregations intelligently.

Even more important than scientists, engineers and technicians, are highly motivated and properly oriented artists, novelists, poets, filmmakers, dramatists and musicians. The creative sector must generate a sense of wonder and excitement about space exploration.

But they cannot do so, if their vision is blurred by overdoses of religion and mysticism - and certainly not if they are ill informed. The creative worker, more than any other Nigerian, must be thoroughly educated with broad exposure to the physical sciences, especially Astronomy.

This, according to Dr. Augustine O. Esogbue, one of two A.F.F. Vice Presidents, is one reason why a group of distinguished scholars, scientists, engineers and intellectuals have decided to tackle the education behemoth.

“We think everyone has had enough,” averred Esogbue, Professor Emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology (U.S.A.) in a recent telephone conversation. “We simply can’t tolerate current conditions in our education system any longer. We are determined to restore merit-based education”.

In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Esogbue achieved global distinction in 2003, as the only non-white appointee to the Aerospace Safety Advisory Board of the U.S. Space Agency, NASA. I plan, in the near future, to profile him and other Nigerian space experts in this column.

A.F.F. is an affiliate of the Africa-America Institute (A.A.I.) the New York based educational aid body, which sponsors the fabled African Scholarship Programme for American Universities (A.S.P.A.U.). A.F.F.’s membership, Esogbue said, consists of Alumni from A.S.P.A.U other A.A.I. programmes.

A.S.P.A.U., in particular, he said, is “one of the most successful scholarship programme ever,” allowing that, “What we want to do, ultimately, is to replicate its success. We want to mentor the young, with the attributes of our own education”.

At the centre of today’s circle of great minds, is A.F.F. president, Dr. Kalu I. Kalu, Chairman of BGL investment firm and, at various times, Minister of Planning, Finance and Transport.

Kalu and A.F.F.’s leadership, Esogbue noted, plan to “bring all Alumni of A.A. I. sponsored educational programmes together so we can draw on their ideas and resources”.

This, of course, is easier said than done. Most Alumni are advanced in years and are scattered about, within and outside of Nigeria.

But when you consider the plight of Nigeria’s educational system, it’s certainly worth the effort.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

32 SCIENCE HEALTH

Mixed results greet health sector performance under democracy, says NMA

By Chukwuma Muanya (Lagos) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City) S part of activities to mark A Nigeria’s Democracy Day, doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in their appraisal of the health sector since 1999 when civil rule returned, has said that the sector witnessed some progressive developments, even though there are still huge gaps to be filled.

NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, told The Guardian that the health sector like most other sectors of Nigeria’s economy has not been immune from the cumulative insults of past military misadventures in governance, poor political commitment to health laced with abysmal neglect of health infrastructure, policy inconsistency, absence of a legal framework for health in Nigeria, poverty and systemic corruption.

Enabulele said one therefore clearly appreciates the fact that these insults, which have accrued over the years will require sustained and fundamental reforms to redress; hence the gains may not be immediately evident.

On the positive side, the NMA president, however, said Nigeria’s health sector since the return of civil rule has witnessed bold attempts and determination by the Federal Government, acting through the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health

(FMoH) to address some of Nigeria’s poor and uninspiring health indices such as the infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates.

“Interestingly these efforts seemed to be paying off, considering the results from recent National Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) on Nigeria’s health status indicators which revealed a drop in some of the poor health indices,” he said.

According to Enabulele, some of Nigeria’s health status indicators found to have improved include the maternal mortality rate, which improved from its 2003 average national figure of 804/100, 000 live births to the current figure of 545/100,000 live births.

“Similarly, the infant mortality rate showed an improvement from its 2003 figure of 100/1000 live births to 75/1000 live births, while under-five mortality rate was said to have improved from its 2003 figure of 201/1000 live births to 157/1000 live births.”

He, however, said that these improvements are worth noting in spite of the worrisome fact that Nigeria is still struggling with some less endowed and war-torn countries for the gold medal in polio following her inability to eradicate poliomyelitis on account of the challenges of insecurity in some parts of Nigeria.

The NMA president in the approval of mandatory over-

Nigeria’s health sector since the return of civil rule has witnessed bold attempts and determination by the Federal Government, acting through the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to address some of Nigeria’s poor and uninspiring health indices such as the infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates.

Interestingly, these efforts seemed to be paying off, considering the results from recent National Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) on Nigeria’s health status indicators, which revealed a drop in some of the poor health indices.

Enabulele seas training for doctors and allied health professionals was heartwarming and this is expected to impact positively on the available expertise in Nigeria as well as the quality of service delivery.

He said the efforts of both chambers of the National Assembly to consider the National Health Bill for passage and hopefully, assent by the President are enthralling developments that have occurred since the return of civil rule. “One hopes that these efforts will eventually deliver a National Health Act in 2013 so that vulnerable Nigerians (including women, children and the eld-

erly) and those in the rural communities will have ready access to health care facilities/resources,” Enabulele said.

The NMA president said the efforts of the Federal Government to revitalise some federal health institutions in 2012 were noteworthy even though a lot more is desired. He also noted that the various agencies of the FMoH, including the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), and Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) also showed remarkable commitment towards delivering on their mandates.

Enabulele said one can not also ignore the fact that whereas most other public/government parastatals and banks either collapsed or were at the verge of collapsing, the managements of most public and private hospitals in Nigeria survived the travails and extreme difficulties of the Nigerian system. This is an achievement in itself.

However, on the downside, he said, unwarranted strike actions, bickering, agitation, professional territorial and sometimes politically motivated quest exhibited by some health professional groups in Nigeria undoubtedly impacted negatively on health service delivery.

Enabulele said with the recent rejection of the Retired Justice Gusau-led Presidential Harmony Committee Report and the resolve of President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR) and the Federal Executive Council to inject International Best Practices in Nigeria’s health sector, one hopes that in 2013 there will be adherence to professional norms, improved harmony and quality patient care in the health sector, with all stakeholders in the health sector playing their role to ensure delivery of quality service to Nigerians.

The NMA president said despite the above commendable efforts, there are still lots of challenges, which continually conspire against the realisation of laudable objectives in the health sector.

The challenges, he said,

include low level of political commitment to healthcare by most governments in Nigeria, especially as depicted by the frequent travels abroad to seek medical care by political and public office holders, coupled with the poor healthcare funding/ poor sectoral allocation to the health sector; poor security and safety of healthcare workers and other Nigerians; infrastructural deficits in the healthcare sector.

Others are poor constitutional and legal framework for health in Nigeria, particularly the absence of justiceable health rights for Nigerians and the absence of a National Health Act that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the local, state and Federal governments with respect to the three levels of healthcare; as well as the roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals; huge funding gaps and unsatisfactory budgetary provisions for health; far less than the stipulated 15 per cent of the National budget as stipulated in the 2001 Abuja declaration of African Heads of State.

The NMA president also decried poor health human resource development plans, including poor remuneration, working conditions and motivation of the health workforce; as well as inequitable distribution of the health workforce; worsening mass poverty in Nigeria coupled with the absence of universal health coverage for all Nigerians; pervasive quackery in the health sector; poor community ownership of health policies, programs and projects, including the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health policies, programs and projects; weak primary and secondary levels of care with a weak referral system, coordination, integration and implementation of health policies, programs and projects; and poor data base, information communication technology that is electronic and mobile health (e-Health and m-Health) and health management information system.

As Nigeria celebrates her democracy day and 14 years of unbroken civil rule, the NMA president said the following strategic options and policy proposals should be given prime consideration by all levels of government and policy makers.

He recommended therefore: • institution and enforcement of a policy restricting travels abroad for medical

care by political and public office holders, especially for medical conditions that can be readily treated in Nigeria; • institution of a constitutional framework/policy for a universal salary structure for health professionals, irrespective of their location (rural or urban, local, state or federal) or operational level of care in the health sector. In the case of Medical and Dental practitioners, the full implementation of the 2009 approved Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) by all State Governments in Nigeria would help to improve the fortunes of Nigeria’s health care sector, especially in the rural communities; • consolidation of the public-private partnership policy in the health sector; • policy of sustained financial releases to the health sector and improved budgetary provision for health of at least 15 per cent of Nigeria’s national budget rather than the six per cent allocation to the health sector in the 2012 budget; • policy of rapid expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and commitment to universal health coverage by governments at all levels, to substantially reduce catastrophic health expenditures by Nigerians; • policy on strengthening the primary and secondary levels of care along with a strengthening of the referral system; with employment of an adequate and appropriate mix of health manpower, with at least one medical officer of health per local government council; • policy aimed at enthroning professionalism and international best practices in the health sector; • the enthronement of a National Health Act; • sustained and committed implementation of the National Strategic Health Development Plan by all levels of government; • institution of an effective and responsive policy and plan on Health Human Resource (HHR) Development in the health sector; • institution of an effective ban on indiscriminate and uncensored advertisement of unsubstantiated claims of herbal and medicinal cures and products on the electronic and print media; • institution of stiffer penalties, including life imprisonment for quacks in the public and private healthcare sectors.

33

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NaturalHealth ‘How honey prevents sperm damage induced by kolanut, smoking’ IGERIAN researchers have demonN strated how honey could be effectively used to improve sperm counts, sperm motility, sperm viability and reduce sperm cells with defective morphology.

The researchers from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State and University of Ilorin, Kwara State, in a study published recently in Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences titled ‘Spermato-protective role of honey in Rabbit’ said the observation of reduced sperm counts, sperm motility, sperm viability and increased number of sperm cells with defective morphology in the rabbits given Cola nitida and Cola acuminata may be an indication that Kolanut extract may negatively affect sperm characteristics in rabbits.

The researchers said although each of the bioactive substances in the Kolanut was not extracted and tested against sperm characteristics to ascertain what could be directly responsible for the effect, reports of previous studies showed that caffeine (an important bioactive substance in Kolanut) impaired semen quality. However, the researchers said this is in accordance with other findings that catechin (a component of Kolanut extract) could improve boar sperm viability and sperm motility.

Also, Malaysian researchers have found that honey might have a protective effect against cigarette smoking induced impaired testicular functions in men.

The study titled “Effect of Honey on Testicular Functions in Rats Exposed to Cigarette Smoke” was published recently in Journal of ApiProduct and ApiMedical Science.

Thirty-two adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (eight rats per group) that is control group, honey-treated group (H), cigarette smoke-exposed group (CS) and honey-treated plus CS-exposed group (H+CS).

Rats in control and CS groups received oral administration of distilled water daily while rats in H and H+CS groups received honey (1.2 g/kg bodyweight) orally by gavage daily. Rats in CS and

H+CS groups were also exposed to CS for eight minutes (three times/day).

After 13 weeks of treatment, each rat was sacrificed for reproductive parameters analysis. Rats in CS group had significantly lower sperm count, daily sperm production, percentage of motile sperm and testosterone level as well as a higher percentage of abnormal sperm compared to control and H groups.

However, supplementation of honey significantly improved all these parameters in H+CS group. Administration of honey significantly attenuated the toxic effects of CS on spermatogenesis and testosterone level in rats. This study suggests that honey might have a protective effect against CS-induced impaired testicular functions in rats.

Several studies have shown that honey possesses properties that improve seven qualities. However reports of previous studies showed that honey increases spermatogenesis which may be due to the effect of increase in sorbitol dehydrogenase that convert sorbitol to fructose which metabolize via the glycolytic pathway in sperm to make Adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

ATP is considered by biologists to be the energy currency of life.

Honey is traditionally consumed by the local Malaysian population as a nutrient, as well as for the enhancement of fertility.

Honey is a natural product of bees formed from nectar collected from flowering vegetation. It has been reported that honey contains moisture, sugars such as glucose and fructose, enzymes such as catalase and glutathione reductase, trace essential elements such as iron, copper, zinc and calcium, vitamins such as vitamin A, C and E as well as some flavonoids and phenolic acids.

In addition, it possesses some biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.

Traditionally, honey is frequently consumed by the local Malaysian population as a nutrient, as well as for the enhancement of fertility and vitality.

Kola nuts are the seedpods of various evergreen trees that are native to Africa.

They are important in various social and religious customs and may also be used to counteract hunger and thirst. In Nigeria, for instance, the rate of consumption of Kolanut especially by students is very high as a principal stimulant to keep awake and withstand fatigue.

It has been reported that caffeine, theo-

‘

Honey

‘

Researchers have in recent studies confirmed that honey could be used to prevent the damage to sperm caused by Kolanut and cigarette smoking.

CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.

From the results, administration of honey showed protective properties and boost sperm qualities in the experimental rabbits. More works should be done using large number of experimental animals to be able to ascertain the effectiveness of honey in boosting sperm qualities

bromine and theophylline found in kola nuts are xanthine stimulants.

Caffeine was first isolated from green coffee beans in 1820. Kolanuts have been shown to contain high concentration of caffeine and theobromine as active constituents.

However, caffeine an important bioac-

tive constituent of Kolanut has been implicated as a risk factor for delayed conception. It was reported that there is no association between sperm quality, smoking habits, coffee drinking, moderate alcohol intake, exposure to heat (sauna, hot baths, type of under wear, sedentary activities) or physical

activities in men.

Meanwhile, the decline in male reproductive health and fertility in the last 30 years has been linked to environmental toxicants including cigarette smoke (CS).

In human and experimental studies, CS exposure has been associated with decreased plasma testosterone level, lower sperm count and increased percentage of abnormal sperm.

The Nigerian researchers wrote: “This disagreement therefore, led to this study to assess possible effects of cola species namely cola nitida and cola acuminata on the semen quality using experimental rabbits. Also modulatory effect of honey on this effect was also determined.”

Rising breast cancer cases linked to excessive alcohol consumption, contraceptive pills changing lifestyle patterns among breast cancer, with a healthy lifestyle OMEN under 50 are being diag- es up the risk, claims Cancer Research disease.

W nosed with breast cancer at the United Kingdom (UK). The charity sug- “More women than ever are surviving younger women, with many choosing cutting risk at any age. record rate of 27 a day, reaching 10,000 a gested that increasing use of the con- which is great news, however more to have children later or remain child- Scientists estimate four out of every ten year for the first time. One in five cases now involve women in this age bracket, while the rate is still climbing among older women.

Experts fear modern lifestyles are to blame for the rise among younger women. Many are drinking excessively, overeating and failing to exercise- all habits, which contribute to breast cancer.

The growing trend for women to delay having children until their 30s and 40s, have smaller families and breastfeed for short periods of time, if at all, also push-

traceptive pill might also play a role in the rise.

Breast cancer kills around 12,000 women annually, but more than ever before are surviving due to advances in treatment. In women under 50 the death rate has almost halved in the last 20 years.

Chris Askew, chief executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “Although breast cancer is more common in older women, it’s worrying to see an increase in the number of younger women diagnosed with the

women are getting breast cancer and we must invest in vital research for new treatments and disease prevention.”

Statistics released by Cancer Research UK show that around 7,700 women under 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 in the UK, but the figure had risen to 10,068 in 2010.

The increase in breast cancer in women of all ages over the same period was 18 per cent. In younger women, a family history of the disease increases the risk.

But experts are concerned about

less, which boosts the risk.

Pregnancy before the age of 30 and breastfeeding cuts a woman’s lifetime number of menstrual cycles, thereby reducing overall exposure to oestrogen, a hormone, which drives most breast cancer tumours.

Previous research suggests women who breastfeed for six months reduce their risk of dying of cancer by ten per cent, possibly by a direct effect on breast cells making them more resistant to cancer.

Age remains the strongest factor for

cases in the UK could be prevented through maintaining a healthy weight, drinking less alcohol and being more physically active.

Experts fear modern lifestyles are to blame for the rise among younger women. Many are drinking excessively, overeating and failing to exercise – all habits, which contribute to breast cancer.

Women who are overweight or obese run a higher risk of developing the disease, probably through changes in sex hormone levels triggered by weight gain.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, October 4, 2012

NaturalHealth

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, October 4, 2012

NaturalHealth

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

36 SCIENCE HEALTH

The big fat truth ORE and more studies M show that being overweight does not always shorten life – but some public-health researchers would rather not talk about them.

Late in the morning on February 20, more than 200 people packed at an auditorium at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of the event, according to its organisers, was to explain why a new study about weight and death was absolutely wrong.

The report, a meta-analysis of 97 studies including 2.88 million people, had been released on January 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)1.

A team led by Katherine Flegal, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, reported that people deemed ‘overweight’ by international standards were six per cent less likely to die than were those of ‘normal’ weight over the same time period.

The result seemed to counter decades of advice to avoid even modest weight gain, provoking coverage in most major news outlets – and a hostile backlash from some public-health experts. “This study is really a pile of rubbish, and no one should waste their time reading it,” said Walter Willett, a leading nutrition and epidemiology researcher at the Harvard school, in a radio interview.

Willett later organised the Harvard symposium – where speakers lined up to critique Flegal’s study – to counteract that coverage and highlight what he and his colleagues saw as problems with the paper. “The Flegal paper was so flawed, so misleading and so confusing to so many people, we thought it really would be important to dig down more deeply,” Willett says.

But many researchers accept Flegal’s results and see them as just the latest report illustrating what is known as the obesity paradox. Being overweight increases a person’s risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many other chronic illnesses. But these studies suggest that for some people – particularly those who are middle-aged or older, or already sick – a bit of extra weight is not particularly harmful, and may even be helpful. (Being so overweight as to be classed obese, however, is almost always associated with poor health outcomes.)

The paradox has prompted much discussion in the public-health community – including a string of letters in JAMA last month – in part because the epidemiology involved is complex, and eliminating confounding factors is difficult. But the most contentious part of the debate is not about the science per se, but how to talk about it. Public-health experts, including Willett, have spent decades emphasizing the risks of carrying excess weight. Studies such as Flegal’s are dangerous,

Willett says, because they could confuse the public and doctors, and undermine public policies to curb rising obesity rates. “There is going to be some percentage of physicians who will not counsel an overweight patient because of this,” he says. Worse, he says, these findings can be hijacked by powerful special-interest groups, such as the softdrink and food lobbies, to influence policy-makers.

But many scientists say that they are uncomfortable with the idea of hiding or dismissing data – especially findings that have been replicated in many studies – for the sake of a simpler message. “One study may not necessarily tell you the truth, but a bulk of studies saying the same thing and being consistent, that really is reinforcing,” says Samuel Klein, a physician and obesity expert at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. “We need to follow the data just like the yellow brick road, to the truth.”

Throwing a curve The notion that excess weight hastens death can be traced back to studies from the U.S. insurance industry.

In 1960, a thick report based on data from policy-holders at 26 life-insurance companies found that mortality rates were lowest among people who weighed a few kilograms less than the U.S. average, and that mortality climbed steadily with weight above this point. This spurred the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) to update its table of ‘desirable weights’, creating standards that were widely used by doctors for decades to come.

In the early 1980s, Reubin Andres, who was the director of the U.S. National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, made headlines for challenging the dogma.

By reanalysing actuarial tables and research studies, Andres reported that the relationship between heightadjusted weight and mortality follows a U-shaped curve.

And the nadir of that curve – the weight at which death rates are lowest – depends on age (see ‘Weight watching’).

The weights recommended

by MetLife may be appropriate for people who are middle-aged, he calculated, but not for those in their 50s or older3, who were better off ‘overweight’. It was the first glimmer of the obesity paradox.

“We need to follow the data just like the yellow brick road, to the truth” Andres’s ideas were roundly rejected by the mainstream medical community. In an often-cited JAMA paper4 published in 1987, for example, Willett and JoAnn Manson, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, analysed 25 studies of weight–death relationships and claimed that most were tainted by two confounders: smoking and sickness.

Smokers tend to be leaner and die earlier than nonsmokers, and many people who are chronically ill also lose weight. These effects could make thinness itself

Burger, fastfoods... linked to obesity seem to be a risk.

Manson and Willett backed up that idea in a 1995 report that analysed body-mass index (BMI) – the ‘gold-standard’ measure of weight, defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared – in more than 115,000 female nurses enrolled in a long-term health study5. When the researchers excluded women who had ever smoked and those who died during the first four years of the study (reasoning that these women may have had disease-related weight loss), they found a direct linear relationship between BMI and death, with the lowest mortality at BMIs below 19.

(That is about 50 kilograms for a woman who is 1.63 metres tall.)

“It didn’t seem to be biologically plausible that overweight and obesity could both increase the risk of lifethreatening diseases and yet lower mortality rates,” Manson says. The study proved, she says, that this idea “was more artefact than fact”.

Around the same time, the world was waking up to obesity. Since 1980, rates of overweight and obesity had begun to rocket6, 7, 8, and in 1997, the World Health Organisation (WHO) held its first meeting on the subject, in Geneva, Switzerland. That meeting resulted in the introduction of new criteria for ‘normal weight’ (BMI of

18.5–24.9), ‘overweight’ (BMI of 25–29.9) and ‘obese’ (BMI of 30 or higher). In 1998, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered its BMI cutoffs to match the WHO’s classifications. “We used to call (obesity) the Cinderella of risk factors, because nobody was paying attention to it,” says Francisco LopezJimenez, a cardiac physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They were now.

Statistical sparring Flegal was one of those raising the alarm. At the statistics centre, which is part of the CDC, she has at her fingertips data from the agency’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Based on interviews and physical examinations of about 5,000 people a year, the NHANES has been running since the 1960s. Flegal and her colleagues used it to show that rates of overweight and obesity in the U.S. were climbing.

In 2005, however, Flegal found that NHANES data confirmed Andres’s Ushaped mortality curve. Her analysis showed that people who were overweight – but not obese – had a lower mortality rate than those of normal weight, and that the pattern held even in people who had never smoked9.

Flegal’s study got a lot of press, says Willett, because she works at the CDC and it

But many researchers accept Flegal’s results and see them as just the latest report illustrating what is known as the obesity paradox. Being overweight increases a person’s risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many other chronic illnesses. But these studies suggest that for some people – particularly those who are middle-aged or older, or already sick – a bit of extra weight is not particularly harmful, and may even be helpful. (Being so overweight as to be classed obese, however, is almost always associated with poor health outcomes.)

seemed to be a sanction for gaining weight. “A lot of people interpreted this as being the official statement of the U.S. government,” he says.

Just as they did earlier this year, Willett and his colleagues criticised the work and put together a public symposium to discuss it. The academic kerfuffle drew a lot of negative media attention to Flegal’s study. “I was pretty surprised by the vociferous attacks on our work,” says Flegal, who prefers to focus on the finer points of epidemiological numbercrunching, rather than the policy implications of the resulting statistics.

“Particularly initially, there were a lot of misunderstandings and confusion about our findings, and trying to clear those up was time-consuming and somewhat difficult.”

Over the next few years, other researchers found the same trend, and Flegal decided to carry out the metaanalysis that she published earlier this year. “We felt it was time to put all of this stuff together,” she says. “We might not understand what it all means, but this is what’s out there.” Her analysis included all prospective studies that assessed allcause mortality using standard BMI categories – 97 studies in total. All the studies used standard statistical adjustments to account for the effects of smoking, age and sex. When the data from all adult age groups were combined, people whose BMIs were in the overweight range (between 25 and 29.9) showed the lowest mortality rates.

The Harvard group contends, however, that Flegal’s approach did not fully correct for age, sickness-related weight loss and smoking.

They say that the effect would have vanished in younger age groups if Flegal had separated them out.

They also argue that not all smokers have the same level of exposure – people who smoke heavily tend to be

leaner than occasional smokers, for example – so the best way to remove smoking as a confounder is to focus on people who have never smoked. Willett points to one of his studies10, published in 2010, that was not included in Flegal’s analysis because it did not use standard BMI categories.

Analysing data from 1.46 million people, Willett and his colleagues found that among people who have never smoked, the lowest mortality occurs in the ‘normal’ BMI range, of 20–25.

Flegal, in turn, criticises the Willett study for scrapping large swathes of the raw data set: nearly 900,000 people in all. “Once you delete such large numbers, and they are really large, you don’t quite know how the never-smokers in the sample differ from the others,” she says. Neversmokers could be richer or more educated, for example.

What is more, says Flegal, Willett’s study relies on participants’ self-reported heights and weights, rather than objective measures. “It’s a huge deal,” Flegal says, because people tend to underestimate how much they weigh. This could skew death risks upwards if, for example, people who are obese and at high risk say that they are merely overweight.

Healthy balance Many obesity experts and health biostatisticians take issue with the harsh tone of Willett’s statements about Flegal’s work. They say that there is merit in both Willett’s and Flegal’s studies, that the two are simply looking at data in different ways and that enough studies support the obesity paradox for it to be taken seriously. “It’s hard to argue with data,” says Robert Eckel, an endocrinologist at University of Colorado in Denver. “We’re scientists. We pay attention to data, we don’t try to unexplain them.”

• Culled from Nature 497, 428–430 (23 May 2013) doi:10.1038/497428a.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

SCIENCE HEALTH

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Community pharmacists set guidelines for affordable medicine

By Wole Oyebade F medicine must be safe Icountry, and affordable in the the Federal Government must ensure conducive-environment for local manufacturers, community pharmacists have said.

And to start with, the government must implement its policy at reducing tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products and rates on credit facilities.

The pharmacists, under the aegis of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), said these measures among others, were necessary to encourage local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products at cheaper rate.

National president of the

body, Olufemi Adebayo, at an event to herald the 2013 edition of the ACPN national conference, noted that drugs are expensive in the country because most of them were imported, and where they are manufactured locally, majority of the chemical products used were sourced from overseas.

More so, erratic power supply in the country has not helped cost, often borne by end-users, because some of the drugs had to be kept in cold chain, which accounts for huge expenses on power by the pharmacy.

“We know that if power supply is regular and the drugs produced locally, cost of drugs will come down.

We have abundance of resources that we are not using to facilitate local pro-

duction.

“One of the other ways to help local production is through funding. The current 23 per cent interest rate on bank loans is not helping anybody. If aviation, agriculture and the entertainment industry can get intervention fund from the government, how much more the pharmaceutical sector,” he said.

Chairman, Lagos ACPN, Yinka Aminu, added that

government must implement its policy at reducing tariffs on imported medical products to make the environment more conducive.

He observed that though government had reduced tariffs to five per cent, but the relevant agencies still insist on 27 per cent per cent tariffs. “Their usual excuse is that the policy has not been gazette, so the 27 per cent rate is still charged. Meanwhile, in

One of the other ways to help local production is through funding. The current 23 per cent interest rate on bank loans is not helping anybody. If aviation, agriculture and the entertainment industry can get intervention fund from the government, how much more the pharmaceutical sector

some countries, tariff on medicine is zero per cent.

“These countries realize that the manufacturer of drugs is taking a big risk.

The man that made My Pikin here had manufactured good products that impacted healthcare in the country before My Pikin saga. He is late now and the company is gone.

“When the environment is not conducive for genuine manufacturers, we are like encouraging fakers. We have the potential to make the country self sufficient if and only if there is political will,” he said.

To promote safe medicine, National Secretary of the association, Koolchap Olatunji added the need for harmonisation in the healthcare system and the

principle of non-interference in roles assigned to each practitioner by training.

Olatunji berated one-toomany cases where doctors prescribe and dispense drugs, or a hospital of 20 to 30 beds without a pharmacist to dispense. “This is barbaric and unacceptable. This is only possible in Nigeria.”

“We need to correct all of these by fostering harmony among the practitioners. On our part, we are coming up with the right ACPN insignia, to tell the public where to get genuine healthcare products in the community. There is difference between a local chemist and a pharmacy and the public should be on the look out for the pharmacists’ emblem.”

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SCIENCE HEALTH

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Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly closes with concern over new global health threat

By Chukwuma Muanya who was in Geneva FTER seven days of intense A discussions, the 66th World Health Assembly (WHA) concluded with agreement on a range of new public health measures and recommendations aimed at securing greater health benefits for all people, everywhere.

In all, 24 resolutions and five decisions were adopted by the nearly 2000 delegates representing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) member states.

Addressing participants at the closing ceremony, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan thanked delegates for their efficiency and productivity during the debates. At the same time, she sounded an alarm on a new threat that she warned requires urgent international attention.

“Looking at the overall global situation, my greatest concern right now is the novel coronavirus. We understand too little about this virus when viewed against the magnitude of its potential threat.

Any new disease that is emerging faster than our understanding is never under control,” Dr. Chan said. “These are alarm bells and we must respond. The novel coronavirus is not a problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by itself. The novel coronavirus is a threat to the entire world.”

The President of the 66th World Health Assembly, Dr. Shigeru Omi, spoke after Dr. Chan. “Together we achieved a lot,” said Dr. Omi. “One of the key outcomes of this Assembly is the universal health coverage that is now recognised as the key concept to underpin the work of global health in many years to come.”

Key outputs of this year’s Assembly include: Budget 2014–2015 The World Health Assembly approved the proposed programme budget in totality for the first time in WHO’s history. The budget for WHO for the next biennium (2014–2015) is $3977 million. It responds to member states’ request for a realistic budget based on income and expenditure patterns.

Disability A resolution on disability urges member states to implement as States Parties the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; develop national action plans and improve data collection.

Member states are encouraged to ensure that all mainstream health services are inclusive of persons with disabilities; provide more support to informal caregivers, and ensure that people with disabilities have access to services that help them acquire or restore skills and functional abilities as early as possible.

The resolution also requests the director-general to provide support to member states in implementing the recommendations of the World Report on Disability; to mainstream the health needs of children and adults with disabilities in WHO’s technical work; to ensure that WHO itself is inclusive of people with disabilities; to support the high-level meeting of the

UN General Assembly in September 2013. e-Health A resolution on e-Health standardization and interoperability notes the importance of standardized, accurate, timely data and health information to the functioning of health systems and services, while also highlighting that the security of this information, and privacy of personal clinical data, must be protected. Also noted was evaluation of information and communications technologies in health interventions.

The resolution further emphasizes that health-related, global, top-level domain names, (including “.health”) should be operated in a way that protects public health and is consistent with global public health objectives.

Names and acronyms of intergovernmental organizations, including WHO, should also be protected.

Global Vaccine Action Plan Member states reiterated their support to the Global Vaccine Action Plan to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to vaccines for people in all communities, and for the proposed Framework for Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability (which is linked to the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health).

Delegates also supported the independent review process to assess and report progress.

It acknowledged the leadership demonstrated by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization in this process. Speakers highlighted the need to mobilize greater resources to support low- and middle-income countries to implement the Plan and monitor impact; ensure that support to countries to implement the Plan includes a strong focus on strengthening routine immunization; and to facilitate vaccine technology transfer.

Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory A resolution on the health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory including east Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan reaffirms the need for full coverage of health services, while recognizing that the acute shortage of financial and medical resources is jeopardizing access of the population to curative and preventive services.

International Health Regulations (IHR) The newly identified influenza H7N9 and MERS-CoV (novel coronavirus) outbreaks lent even greater relevance to discussions on the IHR. Delegates voiced widespread support for the IHR. The DirectorGeneral told delegates that WHO was committed to supporting countries affected by MERS-CoV and to helping “unpack the barriers” standing in the way of the full implementation of the IHR. The Secretariat stressed the need for countries to provide the necessary resources to ensure IHR work can continue in countries and at WHO. Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children The adopted resolution urges Member States to improve the quality, supply and use of 13

Delegates at the opening ceremony of the 66th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland PHOTO: CHUKWUMA MUANYA life-saving commodities for women and children, such as contraceptives, antibiotics and oral rehydration salts; streamline the process for their registration; and develop plans to increase demand and facilitate universal access.

Delegates also noted progress in the follow-up to the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health and called on WHO to continue supporting them in the implementation of these recommendations.

Malaria Delegates noted the report on progress in implementation of the resolution on global efforts to prevent, control and eliminate malaria. Mortality rates decreased by more than 25% worldwide between 2000 and 2010, but a global funding shortfall threatens to jeopardize further progress. The report highlights surveillance challenges in many endemic countries and notes new WHO-led initiatives to address emerging drug and insecticide resistance. It also underlines that further progress can only be made if malaria interventions are substantially expanded in the 17 most affected countries, which account for an estimated 80% of malaria cases.

Mental Health Action Plan: 2013-2020 A resolution on WHO’s comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020 sets four major objectives:

strengthen effective leadership and governance for mental health; provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings; implement strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health, and strengthen information systems, evidence and research for mental health. The plan sets important new directions for mental health including a central role for provision of community-based care and a greater emphasis on human rights. It also emphasizes the empowerment of people with mental disabilities and the need to develop strong civil society and health promotion and prevention activities. The document proposes indicators and targets such as a 20 per increase in service coverage for severe mental disorders and a 10% reduction of the suicide rate in countries by 2020 that can be used to evaluate levels of implementation, progress and impact.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) The Secretariat reported substantial progress towards the MDGs and their targets notably in reducing child and maternal mortality, improving nutrition, and reducing morbidity and mortality due to HIV infection, tuberculosis and malaria. Progress in many countries that have the highest rates of mortality has accelerated in recent years, although large gaps persist

WHO is requested to develop draft terms of reference for a global coordination mechanism through a consultative process culminating in a formal meeting of Member States in November 2013. WHO was also tasked to provide technical support to Member States and to develop a limited set of action plan indicators to inform on the progress made with the implementation of the action plan in 2016, 2018 and 2021.

among and within countries.

The Health Assembly adopted a resolution urging Member States to sustain and accelerate efforts towards the achievement of the healthrelated MDGs and to ensure that health is central to the post-2015 UN development agenda. The resolution calls on the Director-General to ensure that WHO consultations on the issue are inclusive and open to all regions and to advocate for resources to support acceleration of the MDG targets.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) A resolution on NTDs urges Member States to ensure country ownership of prevention, control, elimination and eradication programmes and calls on international partners to provide sufficient and predictable funding. It encourages greater harmonization of support to countries and the development of new technologies to support vector control and infection prevention.

The resolution also calls on WHO to sustain its leadership in the fight against NTDs; to develop and update evidencebased norms, standards, policies, guidelines and strategies; monitor progress, and support Member States in strengthening human resource capacity for the prevention, diagnosis, including vector control and veterinary public health. Many Member States highlighted the particular importance of intensifying efforts to tackle dengue.

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) A global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs (including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases) comprises a set of actions.

When performed collectively

by Member States, UN organizations and other international partners, and WHO these actions will set the world on a new course to achieve nine globally agreed targets for NCDs including a reduction in premature mortality from

NCDs by 25% in 2025. The action plan also contains a monitoring framework, including 25 indicators to track mortality and morbidity; assess progress in addressing risk factors, and evaluate the implementation of national strategies and plans.

WHO is requested to develop draft terms of reference for a global coordination mechanism through a consultative process culminating in a formal meeting of Member States in November 2013.

WHO was also tasked to provide technical support to Member States and to develop a limited set of action plan indicators to inform on the progress made with the implementation of the action plan in 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Pandemic influenza preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccine and other benefits Delegates noted the first annual report of the pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP) framework. The report covers three main areas: virus sharing, benefit sharing, and governance.

It was noted that many countries still lack basic capacities (i.e. in laboratories and disease surveillance). A similar concern was highlighted on the regulation and deployment of influenza vaccines during a pandemic.

Poliomyelitis: intensification of the global eradication initiative Delegates endorsed the new Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 20132018 to secure a lasting poliofree world and urged for its full implementation and financing. At the same time, the Assembly received stark warning of the ongoing risk the disease poses to children everywhere, with confirmation of a new polio outbreak in the Horn of Africa (Somalia and Kenya). Noting the generous pledges made to support polio eradication at the Global Vaccine Summit, delegates urged donors to rapidly CONTINUEE ON PAGE 46

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SCIENCE & HEALTH

Govt disburses of 2013 SURE-P funds in health sector From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja HE federal government yesterday called for vigilance over the disbursement of the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) funds for maternal and child components of the scheme.

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Ali Pate who supervised the take off of the disbursement in Abuja, called for vigilance Nigerians over the 2013 disbursement.

The fund, according to the Minister, was part of this year’s N16billion set aside for improving health of Nigerians from the SURE-P fund.

He said: “The Conditional Cash Transfer is not a handout; they are not really compensation. But, it is a modest effort on the part of government to sensitise our population to receive the needed care. Two-third of women go to ante-natal care when they are pregnant, but only about a third actually come to skilled-birth attendants in facilities when they are about to deliver. That is the problem. Most of the women who die at childbirth are those who have never been seen by skilled-birth attendants.

T

“So, the Conditional Cash Transfer is particularly geared towards insentivising that change in behaviour so that our mothers will get some transfer and they will also come and get the needed services. That is their coresponsibility. When the population does its own part, come to the facility, they get N1000; every antenatal care visit a N1000.

He went on: “So, it is N4000 by the time the woman comes to deliver; N2000 when she comes to deliver and N1000 when she brings her child for immunisation.

That is the effort.

Government will play coresponsibility; human resources, infrastructure, drugs. But, the population comes for the services. That we believe will lead to improvement in the quality of care that people are getting and will reduce the needless death of our women and children,” the Minister noted.

He added that in 2012, more than one million pregnant mothers attended antenatal care in facilities that were supported by the Federal Government across Nigeria.

Ogun engages school pupils as peer educators on malaria GUN State Commissioner O for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka has reaffirmed government’s commitment towards embarking on more outreaches and activities in the quest to push out health related messages to the members of the public.

Soyinka who stated this in Abeokuta during the final competition of malaria intervention programme in primary schools organised by his Ministry in collaboration with a Pharmaceutical Company, Sanofi, in Abeokuta, affirmed that the present administration in the State would leave no stone unturned in the fight against malaria as well as preventing other endemic dis-

Concern over new global health threat as sixty-sixth World Health Assembly closes CONTINUEE FROM PAGE 45 convert these pledges into contributions. The WHA pointed out that this funding was critical for accelerated implementation of the Plan, given the complexity and scale of introducing inactivated polio vaccine worldwide.

Delegates condemned the deadly attacks on health workers in Pakistan and Nigeria, and called on all governments to ensure the safety and security of frontline health workers.

Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment 2014–2019 In the resolution “Towards universal eye health: a global action plan 2014-2019” delegates endorsed an action plan that aims to further improve eye health, reduce avoidable visual impairment and secure access to rehabilitation services. The global target is to reduce the prevalence of avoidable visual impairment by 25% by 2019.

Social determinants of health The Secretariat noted improved performance in the four areas highlighted a resolution on the outcome of the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health: consideration of social determi-

nants of health in the assessment of global needs for health; support to Member States in implementing the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health; work across the United Nations system on advocacy, research, capacity-building and direct technical support; and, advocating the importance of integrating social determinants of health perspectives into forthcoming United Nations and other high-level meetings related to health and/or social development.

Universal health coverage The WHA adopted a resolution on the importance of educating health workers as part of universal health coverage.

Member States expressed their ongoing commitment to ensuring that all people obtain the health services they need without the risk of financial ruin. They emphasized that universal health coverage is not just about health financing but requires strong health systems to provide a range of quality, affordable services at all levels of care.

Member States expressed strong support for WHO’s action plan and reiterated their call for a monitoring framework to help them to track progress towards univer-

sal health coverage. Many delegates expressed support that universal health coverage should feature in the post-2015 development agenda.

WHO Reform The delegates received an update on the progress of WHO reform. Implementation of reform is under way with the majority of the outputs on track. Deliberations highlighted ongoing efforts needed to strengthen WHO’s workforce model to address country needs. Additional work is required to reinforce measurement of performance as part of the reform to demonstrate WHO’s impact at country level.

Member States are also expecting the results of the taskforce on roles and responsibilities at the three levels of the Organisation.

Substandard / spurious / falsely-labelled / falsified / counterfeit medical products (SSFFC) Delegates supported the decision to establish an openended working group to identify the actions, activities and behaviours that result in SSFFC medical products. Participants highlighted the need for increased cooperation and collaboration among national (and regional) regulatory authorities including the exchange of best practices and knowledge.

12th General Programme of Work (GPW) The delegates adopted the GPW outlining the high-level strategic vision for the work of WHO over the next six years.

The document explains how the Organization will contribute to the achievement of health outcomes and impacts.

The GPW reflects on the changing political, economic and institution context in which WHO is working. It also takes into consideration the current epidemiological and demographic trends and how they could impact on people’s health and health systems in countries. Member States agreed to highlight the importance of antimicrobial resistance and the risk it poses to health gains.

The World Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland and is the decision-making body of the WHO. It is attended by delegations from WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General in election years, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

eases.

Describing malaria as a disease that poses a major challenge to social and economic development, Soyinka observed that it is a public health issue that requires urgent attention, adding that with the inclusion of school children in the intervention process the crusade of winning the battle against malaria would be won easily.

The commissioner pointed out that the competition on the disease intervention was one out of other approaches to prevention acknowledging, “we have enlarged the project, we are going to put in a lot more schools in the programme and we shall include more schools statewide.”

Advanced biological computer developed SING only biomolecules U such as Deoxy riboNucleic Acid (DNA) and enzymes, scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed and constructed an advanced biological transducer, a computing machine capable of manipulating genetic codes, and using the output as new input for subsequent computations. The breakthrough might someday create new possibilities in biotechnology, including individual gene therapy and cloning.

The findings appear (May 23, 2013) in Chemistry & Biology (Cell Press).

Interest in such biomolecular computing devices is strong, mainly because of their ability (unlike electronic computers) to interact directly with biological systems and even living organisms. No interface is required since all components of molecular computers, including hardware, software, input and output, are molecules that interact in

solution along a cascade of programmable chemical events.

“Our results show a novel, synthetic designed computing machine that computes iteratively and produces biologically relevant results,” says lead researcher Prof.

Ehud Keinan of the Technion Schulich Faculty of Chemistry.

“In addition to enhanced computation power, this DNA-based transducer offers multiple benefits, including the ability to read and transform genetic information, miniaturisation to the molecular scale, and the aptitude to produce computational results that interact directly with living organisms.”

The transducer could be used on genetic material to evaluate and detect specific sequences, and to alter and algorithmically process genetic code. Similar devices, says Prof. Keinan, could be applied for other computational problems.

President Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele (middle), Chairman of the NMA Lagos Chapter, Francis Faduyile (left) and Dr. (Mrs.) Joan Enabulele at a news briefing by the association in Lagos… recently.

Participants drawn from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, some Health Institutions in Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and some private institutions at a three-day Advanced Nutrition Programme for Anglophone countries in Central and West Africa organised by Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA)…recently.

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‘100%’ made in Nigeria car by November 2014 Continued from Page 31 Marathon for Middle East and Africa holding next year in Doha, Qatar.

“We can link it up because when we participate next year, remember this event is tailored at producing a highly energy efficient car both prototype and suburban concept. So all the parts that will be used in making this highly energy efficient car will be fed into our Nigeria car project. So in essence, participating in Eco-Marathon will help us make a highly energy efficient and sophisticated car.

“I am sorry I will not go into specific percentage. What I agree with is that Nigeria will be able to make a highly energy efficient car.

Remember sometimes because of the economics it will make it cheap when it comes to Nigeria. We might adapt some technologies rather than say we will simply make all of it because it may increase the cost. But what I am assuring you is that we will be able to make car in Nigeria. But when you say 90 per cent, it means all the 90 per cent of the materials and inputs will be sourced locally. That I am not sure because we do not have the empirical evidence to show you as it is now.”

A professor of Manufacturing Engineering at UNIBEN, Akaehomen O. Akii Ibhadode, said: “We are here to observe the Eco Marathon that is taking place in Rotterdam this year in preparation for our competition that will take place in Qatar in November 2014.

Our expectation is that when we get back home from this Eco Marathon in Rotterdam, we are going to put our acts together in preparation of the Eco Marathon that will take place in Qatar next year.

“What we are looking at is that we are not looking at just competing but far beyond that in coming out with a made in Nigeria car, which will form the basis of Nigeria made car. That is our focus. We are going there to participate, make our mark and beyond that we are hoping that this will be the pioneer effort in getting this dream called the Nigerian car.

“Judging from the work we have done previously and the one we have doing now concerning the World Bank sponsored project on the making of engine parts, developing local skills in making of engine parts, we are hoping that at the end of this process we will be able to put together almost a 100 per cent made in Nigeria car.”

Prof. Ike Mowete of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, UNILAG, said: “A lot goes into building a made in Nigeria car. There are quite a few opportunities that are open to us if you look at it from various dimensions. Take the electrical system for example, how do you design a battery management system that will significantly reduce the way the car consume fuel or energy. How do you design a breaking system that contributes to the entire vehicles fuel efficiency, which has the aesthetics the wiper, the lighting systems, dashboards.

“There are quite a few

opportunities open to our students. More importantly let them now go from drawing board to hard ware. We will design and try to implement in hard ware and see that in doing so that each time we are conscious of the larger objective of building a fuel efficient car.

Fortunately for now we are not looking at the engine, in my own team for example we are focusing on the electric vehicle. And there are quite a few opportunities for that. I can see now on paper that when we now get going we begin to see many things that will be open.

“Many researchers on campus have shown interest in various forms. Some on Information Technology (IT), how will they their ITR skills to contribute. We have interviewed them. Some we have finished interviewing and we have made them part of the team based on the interview performance.

“So it will be unfolding gradually. Certainly it will contribute to the eventual made in Nigeria car because now we are localizing talents, we are building local capacities. I am sure at some points we will have the critical mass necessary for us to begin to move from there.”

Meanwhile, a team from Oxford University won the Technical Innovation Award at this year’s Shell Ecomarathon Europe, beating teams from 24 other countries to take home one of the event’s most coveted prizes.

One of eight off-track awards, it is presented to the team demonstrating outstanding initiative and technical ingenuity.

Oxford’s prototype electric car, ‘PEGGIE’, weighs just 30kg and incorporates three new innovations.

One is a mobile phone application that reports to the driver in real time how efficiently ‘she’ is being driven, so that the driver can correct their behaviour if she goes outside the ‘green’ zone.

The team also installed a reconfigurable photovoltaic (PV) array made up of 130 monocrystalline PV cells which dynamically rewire themselves as the vehicle goes round the track. The drive train is also made with exotic materials to improve gear efficiency. PEGGIE finished seventh overall in her category.

External Communications Manager (CX) African Cluster, Shell Nigeria, Phillip Mshelbila, at a reception organized for the Nigerian team of engineers preparing for the Qatar meet said: “It is opportunity to put Nigeria on the map. You will concentrate on your design to build, test and actually race this car next year. I call it Eco Marathon challenge. So we have to conquer this challenge and win. We are looking forward to the team Nigeria coming back with the prize; to build a car that can take you the farthest distance with the least fuel.

“It also gives us the opportunity with a Nigerian automobile. See how far India and Brazil have achieved.

We see this as an opportunity as well to rekindle that flame in Nigeria to develop a Nigerian car despite these challenges. Our support is to enable this process to go forward and bring this into the consciousness of

Nigerians.

“Our national pride and also our place in Africa and the world is at stake. It is not good enough to put a car together but it must compete and there is need for creativity and something unique.”

The Nigerian team includes: professors of engineering and outstanding engineering students from UNILAG, UNIBEN and ABU. The UNILAG team is led by Mowete of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and two of his best students: Obinna Stanley Agba aged 20 and Abraham J. Imohiosen aged 21.

The team from UNIBEN include: Ibhadode and his students: Adetunji A. TajLiad aged 22 and Adekola B. Adeyemi 21, while the ABU team include Dauda of the Mechanical Engineering Department and his students: Bartholomew Njoku aged 23 and Yusuf Sadiq aged 21.

Dauda said the optimism for a 100 per cent made in Nigeria car started as part of the Centre for Automotive Design and Development (CADD). The ABU don explained: “It started as a project called three wheel project, which was started by one of the military regimes I think Ibrahim Babangida administration. So after the threewheel project was completed which essentially it was tasked with looking at the possibility or feasibility of making a Nigerian car. So when it completed its work then the military administration went ahead to set up CADD and domiciled it in ABU, which was headed by Prof. Clement Folayan who was then our Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Dean of Engineering ABU, Zaria.

“So the detailed work which they started by producing a three wheel vehicle tailored after the India three wheel vehicle. That was the initial prototype they developed.

After that they developed two more four-wheel vehicles, which indeed toured Nigeria. It drove all over the country and ended in Abuja where they presented it to the Minister of Science and Technology then. So this project was divided into phases. The second to the last demonstrated that essentially that a Nigeria car could be made and which as made and demonstrated its capacity of being driven.

Prof.

Folayan achieved that by driving all over the country. It was subsequently presented to the then President, Shonekan.

“The last part of the project was presenting this report: the technical design, the financial analysis, which is the economic analysis to the business community, what they call a stakeholder conference.

In that forum, the stakeholders conference, is supposed to present a made in Nigeria car, a functioning made in Nigeria car to the business community and start the process of commercialising it, which essentially involves setting up a factory by the business community to start the Nigerian car. So that was where we were, it never happened.”

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, October 4, 2012

NaturalHealth

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Education

Children cutting the children’s day cake at the during the DStv children’s day party/launch of youth club held at Landmark event center, Lagos recently.

Children’s Day: Stakeholders urge govt to focus more on public schools

By Mary Ogar, Ujunwa Atueyi (Lagos), Ayoyinka Olagoke (Uyo) and Ann Godwin (Port Harcourt)

ITH political and security issues currentW ly dominating activities at the federal level, concerned Nigerians have made a passionate appeal to both the federal and state governments not to toy with children’s education.

Already, the three states of Adamawa, Bornu and Yobe State are under emergency rule, escalating the number of children out of school. The Boko Haram insurgency across many northern states has resulted in the destruction of many schools especially in Bornu, due to the sect’s disdain for western education. None of the states under emergency rule has announced any alternative plans for children who have either lost their schools or are forced to stay at home due to

the security situation.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Education’s (UNESCO) 2012 Global Monitoring Report (GMR), 61 million children of primary school age were out of school worldwide in 2010, much of which was attributed to sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of out-of-school children has risen from 29 million in 2008 to 31 million in 2010.

“Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for half of all out-of-school children worldwide and has the highest rate of all regions,” the report declared, adding, “Nigeria alone was home to 10.5 million out-of-school children, 3.6 million more than in 2000 or 42 percent of its primary school age population.”

Although, the federal government launched the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in 1999 in Sokoto state,

much of the envisaged achievements are not being realized due to the unserious attitude of several state governments. Some of them have been accused of diverting UBE funds for political purposes. Just last week, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) gave a strike notice in several states where the minimum wage that the Governors’ Forum had agreed to implement, is not being paid to teachers.

However, some stakeholders who spoke with The Guardian are insisting that the strategic position of education in nation building cannot be over-emphasized “as no nation aspiring to make progress should take its education sector for granted.

In Lagos state, the children were particularly excited by the presence of the governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola at the children day celebration held at the police college, Ikeja onMonday.

Shadekop Adejuwon who spoke on behalf

of the over five million children in Lagos state, lauded the governor for continously seeking ways to improve the standard of education especially in the public school system.

He said: “Just last week, the governor brought in experts from across the world to discuss and share ideas on best practices and how the standard of education can be raised.

We are grateful for the opportunity of free education, free books and improved facilities in the public school system.”

Making a pledge on behalf of the children to study hard and pass their examination to justify the state government’s investment, he appealed to parents to also support the state government’s effort by checking their wards’ books, instill discipline in them and attend parents’ forum.

Also, Mr Patrick Ewerem who runs an Non CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

Graduate unemployment issues dominate AAU’s conference From Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, Libreville, Gabon FRICAN Universities were yesterA day asked to solve the problems of youth unemployment, insecurity, economic development, water and food shortages plaguing the continent, as the 13th General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU) began in

Libreville, Gabon.

The association’s Acting President, Prof. George Magoha noted that African universities should be deeply concerned about the current high rate of unemployment among the youths, especially university graduates in the continent. The present situation, he observed, should make African academics ask serious questions about the curriculum and mode of training going on in terti-

ary institutions.

He queried: “Are we really training and producing graduates that can improve the lot of Africa? Finding employment has become an issue, so, which is the best way to produce a holistic product (graduates) that can be useful in a variety of ways?”

He warned the academics billed to deliver papers not to waste the audience’s time by talking about theories “that are over 10 years old” but to

address the real issues at hand.

The association’s Secretary General, Prof. Etienne Ehouan Ehile said it had become imperative for African Universities to become centres of excellence in the face of a rapidly changing world. He stated that quality, in both the programmes being offered and graduates released into the job market must reflect the ability to solve the continent’s problems.

He reminded the audience that the

AAU was formed 1967, meets once every four years and “by 2012, 33 African countries have been celebrating independence anniversaries.” Yet, he noted, the continent is still struggling with challenges in the face of a rapidly changing world. He said: “This is an opportunity for us to examine how higher education is fairing. How do we respond to the various challenges? How can universities become centres of excellence?”

50 EDUCATION

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Stakeholders urge govt to focus more on public schools CONTINUED ON PAGE 49

Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Association for Eradication of Corruption in Nigerians (ASSERCORN) expressed disapointment over the fact that government makes promises to children and the refuse to fulfil them.

“It is sad that funds allocated for educational projects are never utilized and this is because of coruption.

Parents and teachers should stand up and fight for the rights of children. Today should be a starting point for governments at state and federal level to implement projects and policies that concern children especially education wise,” he said.

Another teacher, Mrs Adedokun Yomi regretted that government and other stakeholders only pay lip service to what children’s day is all about. She said: “A lot of children in Nigeria are unhappy. After today’s merriment, a lot of them would go home and have no food to eat and their environment is not even conducive to live. A lot of parents don’t have jobs or anything to sustain their family, so how can they care for their children.”

A Civil servant with Lagos State Government Mr. Bolaji Bolarin, said the Children’s Day is an opportunity for Nigerians “to examine our roles towards the children over the years and seek better ways of influencing them positively.” Bolarin also advised parents at policy making level to champion policies that would meaningfully affect the lives of Nigerian children.

A staff of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), who identified Mrs. Deji, challenged government to sanction parents who allow their children hawk or do other menial labour during school hours. She regretted that children’s right are being relegated to the background, despite that they are the most vulnerable group.

She said, “Children’s Day represents a period when we appreciate children and even we parents have nostalgic feelings of what it means to be a child. We look at their innocence, the need for their learning and their right to be respected. In Africa generally, we don’t believe that children should have a voice and that is wrong. There is need for the nation to know what these children are exposed to especially the underprivileged children; how they are abused by other people on daily basis and government should fashion out strict measures against parents or guidians who imposes forced labour on children.

From Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, a parent, Mrs. Ekonobong NdaNda charged the federal government to upgrade the standard of education in public schools and tackle the issue of child trafficking.

Her words: “Government should step into public schools and upgrade the standard.

Children in public schools should not be behind their colleagues attending private

schools. The issue of using children as housemaids should be scrapped.

Government should tackle the problems facing teachers in public schools, their salaries should be paid timely to motivate them.”

Twelve-year-old Tolulope Oyetade said both the federal and state governments should rehabilitate street children and build more schools, adding that education should be made free and compulsory for children whose parents cannot afford to pay.

“I want the government to build more schools, take children off the street and provide shelter for them because some children don’t have homes. I want the government to build recreation centres where children can have fun,” she said.

Mr. Ige Sam, a parent in Akwa Ibom state, advised the government to fortify the teachers by providing them with opportunities to acquire knowledge, especially in information technology. Lamenting the high rate of moral decadence in the society, he urged parents to emphasize more on sustainable moral disposition, “which is the bedrock of all values.”

His added: “It is unarguable that the level of education in the country is watery. Corruption has eroded the fabric of everything we hold dear, so there is a need for our leaders to have a rethink before the system degenerates into total collapse.”

Mr. Ayo Ojuawo, an engineer, was more concerned about the state of facilities in public schools. He implored the respective governments to upgrade educational standard in public schools under their control, “so that pupils in the public school system would be taught with the same standard like their counterparts in private schools.”

A Pastor, Mr. Solomon Adeleye, described as unfortunate a situation whereby some local councils cannot boast of a school. He suggesting that schools should be built the councils where there is none across the country, to discourage the practice where young children have trek long distances to attend schools in other communities.

In Rivers state, renowned writers, Dr. Elechi Amadi, Pa Gabriel Okara, and Uzo Nwamara joined other parents to draw attention to what they described as the escalating examination malpractices and failure rate among students across the country.

This is coming as the Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPENG) donated over 100 books each to about 10 secondary schools in the state, with the aim of enhancing the reading culture and promoting education in the country.

Deputy Managing Director, Port Harcourt District of Total E and P, Mr. Nicholas Brunet, who donated the books during the 2013 Book

Reading and Book Donation ceremony organized by the company, said the firm has an enviable record of corporate social responsibility initiative, with a vision of enhancing education.

Brunet, who was represented by the Executive General Manager, Administration, Mr. Peter Igbinovia, said education constitutes a key area in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda, as the company is committed in partnering with its host communities by initiating sustainable development programmes.

Amadi, who attributed his success to his ability to note words while reading and researching, ascribed the deteriorating academic situation to lack of constant reading by students. He advised students to always have extra exercise books with the aim of taking notes during personal studies.

However, Nwamara blamed the teachers for “the deteriorating standard of education in the country,” alleging that they have formed the habit of collecting bribes from students and their parents during examination periods, and allowing all forms of examination malpractice.

He said: “I am disappointed with the habit of the teachers we have today.

They are not doing the right thing by teaching the students well. Rather, they wait to collect money from them during examination periods”.

The Chairman of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in the state, Dr. Augusta Fubara has appealed to the state government to build and equip more libraries across the state, affirming that such move would help children from poor homes to grow academically.

Some parents told The Guardian that some school teachers and examination supervisors compel them to pay amounts ranging from N1, 000 to N2, 000 before allowing their wards write examinations.

A student, Miss Agnes Ugbo from Government Secondary School, Orominieke Port Harcourt, told The Guardian that apart the bribe saga during examination periods, the advent of the social media has further distracted many students from studying.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Owene Wonodi, who expressed regret over the ugly development, also disclosed that the state government has commenced plans to give out laptops, tablets and IPods with all reading materials needed for schooling installed, to secondary school students by September this year.

She also announced that the state government plans to build more libraries in various parts of the state, to further raise the status of Port Harcourt academically, since it was declared the 2014 UNESCO Book Capital

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

EDUCATION 51

Lagos education summit recommends familiar solutions

By Ujunwa Atueyi AGOS State’s quest to raise Lbrought its education standard scholars and education experts together for 48 hours at a summit last week, to deliberate on how to adapt global practices to the state’s education system. The theme was: “Qualitative Education in Lagos State: Raising the Standard.”

One of the fallouts was a suggestion by the Chief Executive Officer of Omega Group of school in Ghana, Mr. Ken Donkoh that corporate organisations and state governments to look at the possibility of offering private basic education, through the low cost Pay-As-You-Learn model.

Donkoh, in one of the breakout sessions, explained his hypothesis this way: “In essence, if we develop a fee system of N50 or N100 per day, and they (pupils) pay it as they enter the class, parents would find it easier. It really worked in Ghana and our chain of schools has grown to 20 schools and 11,000 students in 3 year. We create private schools that benefit low income families and empower the aspirations of those at the bottom of the income pyramid. We build our schools within 90 days; develop our lesson notes by ourselves, focusing on individual child and this system is very attractive to parents.”

But some participants wanted to know how the model could help resolve

some of the issues raised by the Keynote Speaker and Former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili.

Although, Ezekwesili acknowledged that the Lagos State government was making great effort to raise the standard of its education system, but she insisted that the efforts of a state cannot represent the country, which, she regretted was lagging behind in global competitiveness.

Her words: “The big gap that emerges within Nigerian states and regions, especially in the northern and rural areas, had made it difficult for Nigeria to compete on the world stage.

Now, if we are still struggling to meet with the lowest global common denominator of universal access to basic education and literacy for all citizens, you will then realize how much it dents our overall global competitiveness whenever availability of the right talents and skills forms a key point of decision for companies choosing their investment destinations.”

Her analysis revealed that 17.21 per cent of the world’s out-of-school children are Nigerians, while 35 per cent of Nigeria’s population of 160 million citizens is considered to be illiterate. To that extent, about 56 million illiterates need to become literate for the nation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

But the Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Professor John Obafunwa, who moderated

Fashola

the discourse and pledged to look into how the Donkoh model works, wondered how a school building could be completed in 90 days. Some participants, who shared Donkoh’s view, expressed doubts about the likelihood of the state governments buying the idea.

In addition to access, Ezekwesili also listed low enrolment, completion and progression rates at all levels and poor quality of learning outcomes as the major challenges confronting the nation’s education system.

Besides, she described the curriculum as “not appropriate for the needs of a modern society which seeks to create a competitive and efficient economy.” She also submitted that the education sector displays serious inequities in terms of gender (females are under represented in both

pupil and teacher numbers), geographical zones, states, local governments, and schools.

“There is a sharp divide between rural and urban areas; and between the Northern and Southern states.”

Ezekwesili averred insufficient attention is being directed towards early childhood care and education, maintaining that teachers are insufficiently prepared for dealing with children of this age.

She continued: “Infrastructural support is inadequate. Basic education is failing to provide many pupils with adequate levels of literacy, numeracy and Life Skills. Secondary and tertiary education are failing to prepare students for the world of work and failing to contribute to national regeneration. Capacity building and staff development are inadequate. Large numbers of teachers are unqualified or under qualified; teacher training and development at both pre service and in service levels is inappropriate in its approach. There is no effective system of staff deployment.”.

Governance and management structures, she added, are over bureaucratic, too

centralized and lead to duplication, ineffectiveness and a lack of decisive action.

Planning, management and monitoring are made ineffective through weak systems of data collection, analysis and dissemination, while political intrigues impede education reforms, leading to non implementation of vision and plans, she said.

Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in his address remarked that though Nigerians have the choice of sending their wards to any institution, a responsible government owes it a duty to provide quality public education to the citizenry, to enable them compete with their peers at all levels.

He pledged to bridge the long existing gap by adopting global practices adaptable to the Lagos system before leaving office. He said his administration would continually engage and train teachers, to sustain improvement in the outcome of the students’ internal and external examinations.

Some of the recommendations contained in the communiqué include: setting goals for teachers to be accountable for the progress

of each of the learners under their care; the Ministry of Education, through its appropriate agencies, must design students’ assessment to generate useful sectioning data to address issues relating to poor performance.

Other recommendations are: Decentralization of authority and funding, to empower school heads and teachers to take prompt decisions on school matters; deepening of a maintenance culture in the school system by developing a manual on guidelines for both staff and students; provision of well equipped security personnel and perimeter fencing for the protection of lives and properties in schools; institute increased access to ICT Education for teachers and learners including the less privileged to make them globally competitive; ensuring student-centeredness, schools should avail students with opportunities to drive innovativeness and creativity for the benefit of their schools and their future engagements; merit should determine recruitment, promotion and rewards for Teachers and school Leaders, among others.

Obi gives N10m for renovation of mission school From Leo Sobechi, Awka NAMBRA State Governor, A Peter Obi has explained the rationale behind his administration’s decision to return schools to their former owners saying that the idea of releasing funds meant for the renovation was to ensure speed and quality.

Obi, made the clarification at Umunya Girls Secondary School, located in the Oyi local council of the state, while handing over a cheque of N10 million to the Anglican Bishop on the Niger, Rev. Owen Nwokolo.

The governor recalled that the school used to be a pacesetter. “I remember your senior prefect then, Miss Obiamaka Onwudiwe, many years back. For me to come here now and see this decay, what I am seeing is worrisome in Anambra State.” He recalled how the previous day, during the memorial service for Prof.

Chinua Achebe, renowned author Professor Chukwuemeka Ike ended up observing that all the famous writers in this country, including Prof. Wole Soyinka and Achebe and himself were products of government schools.

“And he asked a question: how many young ones today are being trained in public schools to do what they did.

That is the question and I said that is the reason why we returned schools to the missionaries, so that schools

would go back to what they used to be, then government could face its business,” the governor added.

While commending the Church and the State Commissioner for Education “for what she is doing running around and making sure that these things are working,” Obi declared: “I urge her to continue. This is a right decision. It is not a popular direction but it is the right thing. Most times, the right things are not popular and we would continue to do so. In apologizing, we say we will continue to support the church for taking back their schools. That is what we came here to do. You can bet on it that the government agreed with you that this school would be turned into the famous girls’ school it used to be. Nothing short of that, we believe in it”.

He told the Bishop and representative of the host community: “We are here to give you the balance of the money we promised last year. Our commitment is that we would help in rebuilding the school, so we are here to give you a cheque of N10 million.”

Reflecting on poor work ethics of young school leavers, Obi lamented the disposition of youths to indolence, stressing that some young boys prefer to drum for dignitaries at public functions in order to be given money. He said begging was not part of Igbo culture.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the students and staff of the school, Bishop Nwokolo thanked the Governor “for your kind gesture which has remained constant to us in rebuilding our schools”. The Bishop praised Obi for his interest in the development of the schools after returning them to the mission. His words: “I know it would have been very simple for the government to just return the school and face its governance business. But for you, your Excellency, you said no, the schools must be rebuilt.

The Anglican prelate assured the governor that the funds would prudently managed and utilized, adding: “We use this opportunity to tell the general public that what the governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, is doing is the best. Because I know if the funds are given to contractors, the process of mobilizing and doing all those things, the kickfronts and kickbacks that would follow it, will delay the work and most times it would not be accomplished.

But it is not the same with the church. We invest it as quickly as possible and the result is always there for the public to see. So we encourage the governor to continue his good work because it is helping to develop the state, to build up schools where our young people are trained under a conducive atmosphere for learning.”

Gov. Obi flanked (l) by Education Commissioner, Mrs. Uche Okeke; (r) Dr. Obidigbo and Bishop Nwokolo during the handover of cheque at Umunya Girls Secondary School, Umunya, Oyi local council of Anambra State.

Samsung sends Nigerian graduates for internship in South Korea

By Mary Ogar WO Nigerian graduates are T among the 12 youths from across the continent, selected as beneficiaries of the Samsung Electronics’ African Youth Leadership Programme (AYLP).

The West African branch of the company, which instituted the programme, said it was part of the company’s efforts to positively impact on the lives of five million African youths by 2015.

The programme was first held in 2012, with participants also drawn from across the continent including Nigeria, and it entailed an internship at Samsung located in each participant’s home country, followed by another at Samsung Global Headquarters in South Korea.

The head of the company’s

Human Resources Department in Africa, Mr. Kunle Olaifa, at a briefing in Lagos recently, said that upon completion of the internship and having gained working experience about the company’s business, the participants would spend one year working for Samsung in their respective countries, to augment their global business understanding with local experience.

He said: “At Samsung, we have a particular focus on developing and empowering people, both within and outside the organization. This is especially because the future of an organization is dependent on the type of leaders it is able to build. We believe that our business goals are inalienable from our corporate social responsibility and developmental goals, hence we introduced the African Young

Leaders Programme, as part of platforms for laying a strong foundation for sustainability on the continent.”

A beneficiary and current Product Manager (Washing Machines), Samsung Electronics West Africa, Ms. Taiwo Baju said: “Very few graduates at my level have had the opportunity to work at the headquarters of a global company like Samsung. The entire programme was exciting and also challenging.

Using the African Young Leaders Programme as a platform to develop young graduates like myself is rewarding, not just for me, but for the people around me, my community, Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

Participants are selected by Samsung, based on their possession of requisite qualifications and potential for deriving value from the initiative.

52 Education

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Govt launches UNEDEP to provide seed money for undergraduate entrepreneurs

By Mary Ogar O boost the Federal Government’s effort to enhance the self employment potentials and employability of graduates of higher education institutions in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and other agencies, has initiated a programme that would enable undergraduates access seed funds and other business skills to start up their own businesses.

Tagged the University Entrepreneurship Development Programme (UNEDEP), the initiative is an offshoot of the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP), aimed at revitalizing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sub-sector.

Intended to get the youths involved in entrepreneurship by catching them young, the initiative is also targeted at increasing young entrepreneurs’ access to finance by exposing its participants to panels of investors.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Network of African Student Entrepreneurs (NASE) and the UNEDEP in Abuja recently, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga affirmed that lack of access to finance, markets, infrastructure, business development and technical skills, were the factors preventing the MSME sector from reaching its full potential as an economic driver.

He said: “There are currently 17.2 million MSMEs in Nigeria, which account for approximately 97 percent of the businesses in the country.

This high proportion further illustrates that developing this sub-sector is key to the economic growth of Nigeria.

We are aware of the challenges that are stifling this sector and preventing it from being as competitive as it is in similar economies.”

Of the 17.2 million MSMEs in the country, he disclosed that majority of the businesses are owned by individuals in the 36-50 year-old age bracket.

“Such statistics confirm the notion that there is an obvious need to galvanize the youths and increase their participation in enterprise activity.”

According to him, the ministry’s goal is to promote entrepreneurial activity, first at the University level, and later in polytechnics, among youth corps members and other school leavers.

He said: “ Often in Nigeria, people go into self-employment mainly because they cannot find white collar jobs.

But as a nation, we must move away from that frame of mind and regard self-employment as a first choice and not an alternative. We must move away from the dependence on government for jobs and lean more towards being the creators of jobs and creators of wealth. You are the future leaders of Nigeria and invest-

T

ing in your generation is the ultimate investment we can make in our dear country”.

He explained that the programme was in line with the transformation agenda of federal government to create jobs and generate wealth through enterprise development.

He also praised the Federal Ministry of Education for embedding entrepreneurship studies in the universities, admitting such centres would constitute platforms and springboards for entrepreneurship development programmes such as UNEDEP. “UNEDEP is an initiative by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and will be implemented by SMEDAN in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and private sector organizations,” he stated.

“UNEDEP’s mission is to “catch them young.” The programme focuses on entrepreneurship development of undergraduates and aims to create future entrepreneurs; encourage self-employment; embed business ethics amongst the youth and consequently reduce the incidence of poverty.”

Using the existing NASE entrepreneurship club structure, the programme would assess existing scalable student businesses to determine ways to enhance them, create a platform for student mentoring by successful entrepreneurs and also provide opportunities for business plans, operations and competition.

Proposed activities would include zonal and national business plan competitions, whereby zonal winners would embark on the task of operating their businesses for a given period. Besides, UNEDEP is expected to give the opportunity for practical hands on experience whilst receiving the necessary BDS training and assistance from SMEDAN and other BDS providers.

The Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufai who described entrepreneurship is a key driver for successful economies, also noted that said the introduction of entrepreneurship education across all universities in the country would provide all round education for Nigerian undergraduates, to enable them function effectively after school and contribute their quota to national development.

According to her, while the successes of major economies were derived from small businesses, businesses such as Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo emanated from the creative entrepreneurs who started young. She said: “There is need for the country to promote the culture of entrepreneurship among students in order to reduce unemployment and achieve sustainable economic growth, hence government decision to incorporate entrepreneurship into the school system.”

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Julius Okojie described the event as historic

Aganga

“since it is the first virtual organization that is indigenous to the university community.”

He said: “The importance of entrepreneurship to the growth of the national economy vis-à-vis the poverty eradication programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. This is the reason why the National Universities Commission has been working timelessly towards making sure that the entrenchment of entrepreneurship education in our universities is a success”.

By ensuring that the teaching of entrepreneurship education is made mandatorily in all universities, he said the NUC had among others, taken steps to developed a curricular for General Studies and B.Sc. Entrepreneurship Studies, develop guidelines for the establishment of Entrepreneurship Study Centers with prototype building plan and also mandated all universities in Nigeria to establish and equip entrepreneurship study centres, with both human and material resources needed, using their Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TERTFUND) intervention.

While the Kaduna State University would serve as the coordinating and driving university for NASE, Okojie advised that every university should have a chapter for the benefit of its students, as already mandated by the Commission.

The Vice Chancellor of the Kaduna State University (KSU) Prof William Barnabas Qurix, described the launch as an avenue to groom entrepreneurs that would help transform the Nigerian economy.

Advocating for the review of school curriculum, he said such steps would further promote the conversion of research work from the universities to industry and ensure that both research and industry find a meeting point.

Also, the Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN,

Prof Ruqayyatu Alhaji Bature Masari, disclosed that the MSME sub-sector was in dire need of youths who could brave the stormy business environment through hard work and evolve ideas that would stand the test of time.

Describing the launch as timely especially at a time when the nation was facing serious unemployment and youth restiveness, he emphasized the need for young vibrant entrepreneurs to spur the country’s economic growth through active participation in youth entrepreneurship initiative.

Sunday Ezekiel, an undergraduate from the KSU who expressed optimism that the initiative would work, however expressed concern about the implementation process.

His words: “We have had very laudable programmes before that were never implemented. So, if government can open doors for students with good initiatives to get support, that would be great.

The organizers should also link us with people in the industry as mentors.

Government usually come out with good policies but it is the will to implement them

that is lacking.”

Anas Haruna, also a student from the KSU said for the programme to work effectively, the federal government must also take steps to provide adequate finance and support in terms of skills acquisition and sponsor activities.

Mithkah Dangiwa said: “I am into bead making, coconut oil and cup cakes and I would recommend that government should have student delegates in the committee, to help reconcile the needs of the students. They should also give incentives, like capitals and other grants

Former Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Mbang (middle), organizer of Mbang’s Spelling Prodigy for Primary and Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ini Mbang (aka Brandiny) with the winners of the Spelling Prodigy: Bright Future Secondary School, Uyo and Pegasus Primary School, Eket after the competition in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State…

Winners emerge in Mbang’s Spelling Prodigy competition HE first edition of T Mbang’s Spelling Prodigy for secondary and primary schools in Akwa Ibom State was held recently with Bright Future Secondary School, Uyo and Pegasus Primary School emerging winners of the competition.

With seven schools qualifying for the primary school category and 12 schools in the secondary school category. The event was organized in honour of His Eminence, Dr. Sunday

Mbang to encourage students to imbibe the fear of God and be serious with their studies.

The Primary Schools included: Kings and Queens School, Uyo; Pegasus School, Eket; Rayfield Int’l School, Uyo; among others while the Secondary Schools were Airforce School, Ibesikpo, Infant Jesus Secondary School; Ritman Collage, Ikot Ekpene, Pegasus High School, Eket; Bright Future College; Redemption

Academy Aka-Itiam; Nigerian Christian Institute; Methodist Boys’ High School, Oron, among others.

Organizer, Mr. Ini Mbang explained that the competition was named after his father, former the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, and former National President Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as well as co-chairman of Nigerian Inter-religious Council in recognition of his contributions to the society.

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THE GUArdIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

OAU Appoints new registrar, Bursar

L-R: Prof. Elegido, V-C of Pan-Atlantic University; Mrs. Okekearu, Deputy Director of Enterprise Development Centre (EDC); Dr. Okonedo, Dean of Lagos Business School (LBS) and Prof. Biakolo, Dean of School of Media and Communication (SMC) during a press conference to announce the change of name of Pan-African University to Pan-Atlantic University

Dotun Awoyemi,OAU Registrar HE Governing Council of T the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state, has announced the appointment of Mr. david Oladotun Awoyemi as the institution’s new registrar and Secretary to Council, while Mrs. Josephine Aderonke Akeredolu has also been appointed as the new Bursar.

A statement by the university’s Public relations Officer,

Ronke Akeredolu, OAU Bursar

Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju noted that while Akeredolu’s appointment takes immediate effect, Awoyemi’s would become effective from June 1. . Born on January 23, 1959, Awoyemi obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Second Class Upper) degree in Philosophy at the OAU in 1979. In 1981 and 1983 respectively, He also obtained got his Postgraduate diploma and a Master of Science (MSc) degree in

International relations between 1981 and 1983.

Akeredolu, who hails from Badagry, Lagos State, joined the University as an Accountant II on August 9, 1982. Having worked in all the Bursary’s sections, Akeredolu rose through the ranks and became the deputy Bursar, then an acting Bursar before being appointed as a substantive Bursar.

Okojie commends Okonjo-Iweala for donating books xECUTIvE Secretary of the E National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius A. Okojie has expressed appreciation of the entire university system to the Minister of Finance, dr.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the donation of 224 hard copies of her book, Reforming the Unreformable, Lessons from Nigeria, to Nigerian universities, through the Commission. describing the gesture as a challenge to the system, Okojie said, “I am very

pleased about what has happened. This level of intervention is very important. you walk into a library and see that a Minister, a mother and wife, despite her busy schedule, has sat down to write a book, not an autobiography, but to talk about substance in the system. She spent her energy, resources and time. I have not read the entire book, but from the little that I have seen, it is a book that will serve the Nigerian University System (NUS) very well, especially students of

Economics and Finance, including those who are interested in development Economics.

He added: “We want to encourage other public office holders, either while in office or when they leave, to put their experiences in writing to help us understand where we are coming from and where we want to go to and lessons that have been learnt in the process. That will help the country to grow and scholars in the system to learn.”

Pan-Atlantic varsity explains change of name

By Ujunwa Atueyi LEvEN-yEAr-OLd PanE African University, Lagos, has been changed to PanAtlantic University. The name change came as a result of the establishment of a Pan-African Universities across Africa by African Union (AU).

The vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Juan Elegido, who announced the name change recently in Lagos, said, the AU created universities are meant to be a network of universities across Africa, adding that all efforts to stop AU’s decision were futile since AU is a large organisation.

By implication, the name change he said, will affect the schools’ certificates, stationeries, materials and all other documents, stressing that students’ fears; the alumni’s and foreign students reaction has been appropriately addressed “and they are all satisfied with the explanation”.

His word, “In 2008, the AU established a Pan-African University that is meant to be a network of universities across Africa. One implication was that here in Nigeria, there would be two Pan-African Universities. The first, a private university based in Lagos and owned by the Pan-African university foundation and which has been in existence since

2002, and the second, a node of the AU-supported institution which would operate from the university of Ibadan”.

“Several efforts to get the AU change the name of its institution met with no success.

Once it became clear that we could not get the AU to alter its decision, we decided to change our name. This is because the confusion that could arise from sharing our name with another institution would be damaging for everyone concerned. In choosing Pan-Atlantic University, we were mindful of its closeness to the former name and the fact that we can retain the acronym PAU”.

54 Education

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Dragnet canvasses deployment of technology to check examination malpractice tions offering scholarships and bursaries, to use technology platforms in disbursing awards to make the process “more credible and efficient.” He explained that the system uses biometric technology, which entails identifying individuals with their distinct properties like fingerprint while deploying the scholarship.

He assured that Dragnet Solutions was poised to contribute its quota to the development of the education sector by offering top class technological solutions, which will solve the

By Mary Ogar HE Managing Director T Dragnet Solutions, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh has described the Computer Based Test (CBT) process as the future of examination assessment in the country.

Speaking at a briefing in Lagos recently, Ikazoboh also described the process as a potent mechanism for containing examination malpractice.

Urging Nigerians to accept the Computer Based Test (CBT) option introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), he said: “By now, this country should be adopting the CBT method in virtually all of our educational institutions, especially the secondary and tertiary institutions. We simply can’t go on with the Paper To Pen (PTP) mode of assessment. Imagine the cumbersome task teachers face, especially when they have many students to attend to.

With CBT, the results of tests are ready just as the candidates conclude the examination and there is no need to physically handle the scripts. That is why we applaud JAMB for taking the bold step by adopting CBT for the UTME.” Ikazoboh, who aligned with JAMB’s argument that the conduct of the post

INNERS of the Lagos W State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) essay competition were recently taken on a tour of some project sites in Lagos as part of activities to raise awareness on the benefits of paying taxes.

The beneficiaries who were drawn from both junior and senior secondary schools in Lagos were taken to Lagos Traffic Radio, Agidingbi; Samsung Engineering Academy at Government Technical College, Agidingbi; Gbaja Maternity Home, Surulere; Iponri Water Works and the Teslim Balogun stadium.

Executive Chairman of LIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, explained that the tour is meant to further prove to the children that indeed revenues generated are being meaningfully invested. Not only in ensuring quality education and provision of advanced learning facilities; but also in the area of health care and general well being of man.

“In as much as we want them to see what is going on around them, we also want them to see what government is doing with the revenues generated so when they all get to their various schools, they will

organizations with a cost effective technology outsourcing solutions, based on strategic partnering that delivers total quality, objectivity and efficiency.

Dragnet Solutions appreciates the important role that technology should play in the education sector and that is why we are bringing in cutting edge technology.

With some of our products such as the CBT and Scholastica, among others we are committed in using cutting edge technological solutions

Yobe earmarks N82 million for children’s care, education From Njadvara Musa, Damaturu

Ikazoboh UTME screening by universities was unnecessary also said: “This is a waste of resources and time. It is also life-risking to travel long distances just to sit for an aptitude test, such as Post UTME test. There is need to create awareness that technology has made it so easy for students to sit for just one test wherever they are domiciled and for institutions to come together and abide by the product of that test.”

Ikazoboh reiterated that candidates could sit for one profile test and with the result, apply to any institution of their choice.

According to him, the process has been adopted in

the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) format. He explained that the GMAT uses the computer adaptive test format, which assesses a person’s analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal and reading skills in standard written English, in preparation for being admitted for a graduate management programme, such as the MBA. Besides, he averred that more than 5,400 programmes being offered by more than 1,500 universities and institutions in 83 countries use the GMAT format as part of their selection criteria.

Ikazoboh also called on private and public institu-

LIRS excites students on tour of project sites

By Ujunwa Atueyi

myriad of challenges facing the sector.

He cited statistics on Google, which show how Nigeria currently tops the figures in graduate job searches, lamenting that Nigerian undergraduates and graduates were being denied many opportunities because of the challenge in the examination screening process.

Affirming Dragnet’s commitment to ensuring integrity, accountability and transparency, he said, “testing is expensive and our goal is to provide

become ambassadors to both their parents, neighbours and other people around”.

Fowler charged them to as tomorrow’s leaders engage in meaningful activities that will benefit them and the society. He challenged them to put in their best in their studies; behave rightly and be good citizens of Nigeria.

The 50 students that participated in the tour are students of Lagos African Church Grammar School; Federal Government College Ijanikin; Apap Senior High School; Ashafe Tijani Memorial High School, Iponri; and Gbagada Girls Senior Secondary school.

One of the students,Miss Aishat Ayedun, expressed gladness for the privilege given to her by LIRS, she said the day is a memorable one and obviously the best celebrated children’s day ever.

Visually impaired Olalekan Ibrahim, said “From what I perceived around me and all I heard throughout this tour, this is a true representation, if other governors will be working this way with what they generated in their various state, indeed Nigeria will be great.

Henceforth, I will be educating people on what government is doing with tax”.

HE theme of this year’s T Children’s Day, “Treasure our children,” is in line with Quran injunctions which calls for utmost “care, support and good moral upbringing” of all children to become patriotic and responsible citizens in building the nation for prosperity and development at all levels, says Yobe state commissioner of Women Affairs, Hajiya Asma’u Kabir Kolo.

Asma’u who made the declaration Monday at the commemoration of this year’s National Children’s Day held at the Women Affairs Secretariat complex, Damaturu announced that the sum of N82 million has been earmarked for various projects and programmes aimed at promoting the welfare and education of children in the state.

She said part of the ministry’s mandate is to promote the welfare, development and survival of all children for meaningful development.

According to her, the theme of the celebration is in line with the various policies and programmes of the state government on childcare, support, moral and educational upbringing to enable children become responsible citizens and future leaders of society.

Asma’u listed some of the programmes to include the renovation of Dr. (Mrs) Maryam Abacha Clinic, construction of a befitting pediatric ward at the same clinic, the education and empowerment of 215 orphans, rehabilitation and care of 285 orphans, the building and equipping of an Amusement Park and Recreational Centre, Damaturu at the total costs

of N51.93 million.

“500 orphans of Yetim Care Foundation (YCF), Damaturu are being supported with learning materials, food items, funds for their school uniform while about 285 orphans that are out of school, would each be supported and empowered with clothing materials, food items and N10, 000 cash to each of them to invest in animal husbandry that could empower them become self-reliant.” She said Asma’u also disclosed that plans are being made to uplift the living conditions of children by granting approval and release of funds for the election of Children Parliament activities in the state, where the speaker and other principal officers were elected and inaugurated t represent children in the state.”

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At the 6th Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders Conference, were the winners were rewarded, Ibukun Ajayi of Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako-Ijaye and Yesirah Adebiyi of Ashafa Tijani Memorial High School, Iporin emerged first place winners in the junior and senior secondary school category.

Other winners includes Sunmisola Oyetomi from Apapa Senior High School and Blessing Idokwe from Lagos African Church Grammar School, IfakoIjaye who came second and third respectively in the senior category while Ibrahim Adeyemi Olalekan from Federal Government College, Ijanikin and Temitope Akinbinu of Gbagada Girls Junior School, Bariga came second and third respectively in the junior category For their effort, the first place winner both received scholarship worth 250,000 each and full computer system for their schools, the second place winner also received N200, 000 worth of scholarship and full computer system for their schools while the third place winner each received N150, 000 scholarship and full computers for their schools.

From left, Dr. Olufemi Ogunsanya, Chairperson, the Association of Professional Educators of Nigeria (APEN), Dr. Maggie Ibru, Board member, Dr. Mary Iyayi, Director, Cayley College at the Children’s Day Celebration held at Cayley College recently

DSTV launches children club S part of activities marking fun day/DStv club launch celeA the children’s day celebra- bration is intended appreciate tion, Children were treated to a subscribers as well as formally day of fun and merriment by MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DStv in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. Some of the children who attended the event called on government to make education available for orphans and street children.

While the occasion was formally used to launch the DSTv children’s club, the General Manager, DStv, Mr. Mayo Okunola said the children’s

kick off the children’s club.

He said “ Children’s day is important because it provides an opportunity for parents to hang out and have fun with their children as well as to create awareness on the rights of children in the country”.

According to him, while some children are being mistreated and abused, all stakeholders must recognize the rights of all children especially the right to

education.

With the company’s investment in education through the MultiChoice education resource centres, he noted that the aim of the event is to spur more focus on the need to protect children.

On the DStv club, he explained that apart from certain incentive and reward that comes from being a member, the club would enable children understand that the role they play in the family is also essential.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

FG to establish girl’s model schools From Kanayo Umeh, Abuja.

N line with its drive to Igirls address the high rate of who are out of school, the Federal Government has embarked on the construction of Girls Model Secondary Schools in 13 states of the Federation.

Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, represented by his Special Assistant, Lambert Opara, disclosed this at a one day “Dissemination Workshop of the Transforming Education for Girls in Nigeria (TEGIN) project” and the public presentation of “A Girls Club Manual” organized by the ActionAid Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja.

He mentioned that government is building the special body schools with well-

equipped facilities to encourage young girls to concentrate on their studies.

His words “Quality education remains one of the pillars of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan administration. Education remains the gateway that makes all other development process possible. Any development therefore not premised on sound education foundation cannot be sustained.

That is why Mr. President is pulling efforts towards ensuring that the nation gets not just education but a qualitative education system through the provision of basic infrastructure deficient in our schools” he said.

While the event was also used to launch the TEGIN research report, he main-

tained that the Ministry of Education is undertaking a review of 9-years Basic Education curriculum to reflect national development goals as part of effort to address the high number of out-of-school children especially girls in northern parts of the country.

He said, “The economic benefit of training female children are many. Apart from managing her home better, an educated girl is an asset to the society. As a mother she steps down her knowledge onto the children”.

Country Director ActionAid Nigeria, Hussaini Abdul said the project is a special initiative to transform the education of girls in northern Nigeria by enabling them to enroll and succeed in schools.

The model school according to him would address the key challenges that hinder their participations in education and increase their vulnerability to gender violence and HIV/AIDS. With success already being recorded through improvement in enrolment, retention and completion of girls schooling in eight northern Nigeria States, he expressed optimism that there would be massive enrolment of girls in schools at the end of the project.

“Establishing Girls Clubs in primary Schools in the project State is a critical output of the TEGIN project. The clubs are an avenue to empower girls and build their confidence to speak out about the quality of education they are receiving”

CILT partners Redeemer’s Varsity on professional training HE Chartered Institute of T Logistics and Transport, London is collaborating with Redeemer’s University, Ogun state in the area of intellectual partnership that would develop a pool of professionals to fast track the development of the Nigerian transport and logistics system.

According to the International Coordinator Professional Education, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation, Mr. Jon Harris who spoke during an accreditation visit to Redeemers University recently the institute is committed to fostering professional training support.

He explained that registered students through the accreditation of the University’s Transport and Logistics Studies Programme would have access to online database of the institute, which consists of journals, articles, books and other intellectual materials needed in the field of Logistics and transportation.

Besides, students would also have the opportunity for study visit to the institute

headquarters in the United Kingdom.

Harris noted that the chartered members of the institute would have the opportunity of getting jobs in 33 countries of the world where the institute has international professional affiliations and collaborations.

“Our certification qualifies a chartered member to work in 33 countries and this indeed makes a certified member a truly global professional in the field of Logistics and Transport”, he said.

Redeemer’s University ViceChancellor, Prof.

Debo Adeyewa acknowledged the support of the Institute for facilitating the visit of its United Kingdom counterpart to the university to ensure accreditation locally and internationally.

He said “ the university is delighted with the visit and look forward to other areas of collaboration like staff training and development, student and staff programme, study visit and sharing of online library”.

Edumark exhibition to showcase new innovations

By Ujunwa Atueyi O keep education providers T abreast of cutting-edge development in the provision

Pupils of scholastic Hall displaying their projects to mark the world earth day in Lagos recently

Scholastic Hall marks Earth Day O commemorate this years T Earth Day marked across the world recently, pupils of Scholastic hall have condemned environmental degradation in Nigeria and charged all Nigerians to embrace activities that would promote healthy environment.

The pupils who presented various projects based on global warming, tropical rain forest, deforestation, afforestation, ozone layer and how human activities has led to global climate challenges

also wants the government to put a stop to the importation of second hand cars, refrigerators, Air conditioners and other products that might lead to pollution of the environment.

In her remark, the overseer, Scholastic Hall, Mrs. Pamela Umebuani admitted that activities associated with industrialization and urbanization has brought about so much damage to the ozone layer.

She said, “ Our goal is to do

the best we can to protect our environment so that there would be less degradation. We want to create more awareness on how to dispose waste properly especially now that we have been warned of flooding in Lagos state. The different class project is to make it easier fir the pupils to understand what they have worked on”.

In Grade 3, Havilah Akpamontia who spoke on global warming said global warming has lead to frozen

planet in some areas, rise in sea level causing flooding, spread of diseases, earthquakes, excessive heat and drought.

The science teacher, Mrs. Zainab Omoloye explained that Earth Day is marked around the world on April 22nd as a day to appreciate the earth. “ This is our planet and we must take care and conserve it. We must not leave water running, we must not dispose waste indiscriminately and we must check smokes coming from vehicles”.

Foundation donates items to community school From John Okeke, Abuja NON-GOVERNMENTAL A organization, Teenz Care Foundation (TCF) has brought succor to the pupils at Angwan Lambu Community School, Nasarawa State.

The organization donated items of food, clothes and other writing materials to encourage them on the need to embrace hard work in their studies.

Ijeoma Idika -Chima, the coordinator of the founda-

tion said that children are the leaders of tomorrow and therefore should be encouraged to work hard.

She stressed that there are those whose parents may not be buoyant enough to train in school adding that the support of the organization like this is needed to motivate them towards their educational development.

She said, “This children need encouragement because they are the leaders of tomorrow. Showing kind-

ness on them will encourage them to embrace hard work in their studies. It will go a long way to foster their mental development”.

“There are many of them here that their parents are not rich enough to cater for and it retard their willingness to learn because there is no money to buy books and other learning materials.

Government cannot do it all so that is why we have come to show them love by providing these items to them”.

She urged Nigerians to shower love on the less privi-

leged children to encourage them and to give them a sense of belonging in the so society “We need to care for this children in any little way to make them believe in themselves and to give them a sense of belonging in the society.”

Meanwhile, Teenz foundation is a non government organization that help to encourage less privilege children in education to receive motivation through provision of educational aids.

of education in Nigeria, Edumark Consults Limited, an education-consulting firm has concluded arrangement to bring in experts and exhibitors for the 2013 Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition (TOSSE).

The seminar/exhibition which is expected to feature both local and international participants is scheduled to hold on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th June, 2013, at Ten Degrees Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos.

Briefing journalists in Lagos on activities lined up for the event, the Executive Director, Edumark Consult, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, described the event as an ideal platform for government functionaries and school owners to exchange

ideas and liaise on how to continually improve Nigerian schools using innovative tools.

She explained that the event, which is in its fifth edition, would enable all participants to expand their thinking, upgrade their skills and also understand the importance of their obligations.

Her words, “By reason of what we do at Edumark we are placed in a vantage position to know a lot of organizations with innovative products and services for the education sector. The world is changing very rapidly and technology is defining the way we learn, do business and even manage our relationships. TOSSE therefore, offers a unique avenue for school owners, teachers, administrators, bursars, matrons and government officials to see and learn what is new within the field of education”.

Firm invites students for London Youth Science forum BOUT 350 of the world’s youngest scientists will A gather at the Imperial College between July 24 and August 7, for this year’s London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF).

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Young Adventures, Mrs. Margaret Oluwatimileyin Elliot, students aged 16 years and above, with special interest in science are encouraged to participate.

Elliot, whose firm represents the LIYSF’s interest, noted that, for Nigeria to be on the global map of science and engineering, the standard of secondary and tertiary education needs significant improvement.

Apart from funding, she observed that one of the ways of achieving this goal is by harnessing the benefits of globalization through student exchange schemes and with Nigerian students attending international conferences,

such as the LIYSF. Elliot stated that renowned specialists in various fields of science, “such as Lord Robert Winston, Prof.

Toumazou and Sir Keith O’Nions,” would play important roles at the event.

Elliot said holiday periods are also perfect for educating children through live experiences.

While encouraging parents to take their children to interesting places during holidays, she said: “The benefits of travel include but not limited to: fresh learning, introducing growing minds to non-classroom based teaching, stimulating opportunities, experiential learning, broader/globalized perspective on issues and life in general, improved motivation, higher productivity, enhanced general knowledge, confidence building, independence, social skills, networking, new friendships, bonding and a time of refreshing even for adults.”

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Vodacom advocates infrastructure sharing, national transmission line

By Adeyemi Adepetun ITING increasing network engagements, Vodacom Business Nigeria has advocated for a leap in infrastructure sharing among telecommunications operators in the country.

According to the company, shared infrastructure is an attractive way to save capital and operational expenses.

The Chief Executive Officer, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Guy Clarke, who stated in Lagos during an interaction with media executives, observed that there was still huge opportunities for pro active operator, which is willing to invest in infrastructure.

Clarke, who decried the lack of national transmission line in the country, said the Nigerian market should prepare for huge cloud technology activities.

According to him, the lack of a national transmission line has not only increase cost, but also not engender fair competition.

Clarke said the present state of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) has worsen situation, stressing that if there had been a national operator such as NITEL on ground in the country, “it would have been easier to connect the entire country

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and engender fair competition among operators.”

Explaining further, the Vodacom Business Nigeria CEO said it was far more expensive connecting Lagos and Sokoto with email services than connecting Lagos to London.

According to him, a national transmission line would have been able to mediate and reduce cost of transmission.

In the area of cloud technology, Clarke projected that in six years time, the technology will be a major driver of the economy, stressing that emphasis is fast moving to data.

He revealed that the company, which recently won the Enterprise Provider of the year award at the Beacon of ICT award, would unveil is tier 3 data centre by June.

While also encouraging the Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) to embrace change by adopting technology solutions that can aid their growth, Clarke noted that another area of development would be through virtualisation.

With extension of its services across the country, Vodacom Business Nigeria boast of increase capacity in VoIP; Fibre access; data centre; satellite; Internet breakout; broadband wireless acesss; MPLS among others.

Brazil to partner Edo on tourism, agriculture From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City OT less than twenty investors from the state of Rio Grande Do Sal, in Brazil, yesterday visited Edo state where they told the state government of their interest to invest in agriculture, tourism, health and other sectors of the economy of the state.

The leader of the delegation, Luiz Fernando Mainardi stated this yesterday when he met with government officials led by the deputy governor, Pius Odubu where he expressed their satisfaction with the conducive environment laid by the state government for investors adding that they became interested in investing in the state’s economy “because Edo state has huge potentials for investment. We are happy to be in Edo state and we intend to invest in Agriculture, health, tourism and other areas of interest”.

Odubu, who received the delegation on behalf of the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said the state government had provided the conducive environment needed for investment just as he said the state government was ready to work

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with the Brazilian government in any area of their interest.

“We appreciate this trade visit and we hold it in a very high regard, we have assembled our own highly placed government officials that will meet with you later to identify areas of mutual interest, which we hope will blossom into a very very richly rewarding mutual business partnership.

“The state government will provide the necessary incentives and give you the enabling environment which will bring to fruition the interest that we have identified. We look forward to a very fruitful deliberation and assure you that this business partnership will be of great benefit to both Nigeria and Brazil and the indigenes of Edo state in particular” he stated.

The delegation also included the Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil, Amb. Vincent Okoedion, visited the palace of the Oba of Benin Kingdom before entering into a lengthy deliberation with top officials of the state government including the Secretary to the state Government, Prof.Julius Ihonvbere and others.

Arik Managing Director and Vice-President, Operations, Arik Air, Captain Ado Sanusi, Managing Director, Chris Nduulue and Airline Lecturer, Department of Air transport, Canfield University, England Dr. John O’Connell at a press briefing on Arik Air and Cranfield University, England partnership on manpower development held recently at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

PHOTO: SOLA OJEDOKUN

Borno expends N240.14 million on ailing industries From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri O create an enabling environment for investors through the promotion and development of policies and programmes on trade, investment and tourism in the state, the Borno State government has expended N240.14 million on the resuscitation of three industries, including Neital Shoe and Tannery Company (NSTC) that attained full capacity export tanned leather to Spain, State Commissioner of trade, investment and tourism, Dr Asabe Vilita Bashir has said.

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The commissioner disclosed this in Maiduguri at a press conference to mark Democracy Day and second year in office of Governor Kashim Shettima at the Musa Usman Secretariat complex.

She said that out of the six dormant industries in the state, three have been resuscitated at full capacity for the export of tanned leather to Spain, while BOPLAST Industries Limited has commenced full commercial operations for production of domestic and household items.

According to Dr Asabe, the BOPLAST industries have been earmarked N52.54 million as working capital for the procurement of raw materials, spare parts, servicing and connection of dedicated Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) line.

In her words: “in order to meet up with the technological changes and demands, modern extruding and automatic three colour printer machines, including the PP recycling with pallets for sacks had to be procured in the resuscitation of this plastic

Main One rebrands to address broadband challenges in West Africa IGERIA’s first privately but also to stake its claim on its identity at the International N owned submarine cable, share of the sub-Saharan Telecoms Week 2013 taking Main One Cable Company, has expressed optimism about exploring the opportunities and challenges the West African broadband market presents.

To achieve this, the firm has rebranded to Main One, which marks the conclusion of the company’s evolution from a submarine cable company to a full-fledged communications services provider, poised to play a greater role in providing a wide bouquet of data center and connectivity services across Africa.

With the repositioning, Main One said it will assert its increased capability not only to provide wholesale capacity, and to offer a wider range of products and services to cater to the needs of its customers

telecommunications market which is billed by analysts to grow at a 10 per cent yearly compounded rate to a size of $69 billion by 2016.

Already within three years of operation, the company claimed a reputation as a preferred provider of wholesale capacity and Internet services to service providers and enterprises in the region. In addition, the company has extended its reach of services both organically and through partnerships within Nigeria and Ghana into the neighboring West African countries of Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

In addition, the company recently established an office to service Francophone West Africa in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Unveiling its new corporate

place in Chicago, Main One’s Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, explained that the rebrand was carried out to better reflect the company's focus and direction.

“Main One has been at the forefront of driving broadband penetration across West Africa since our inception. In order to achieve our vision of improving access to broadband services across the sub region, we have taken decisive action to continue to invest in our terrestrial network in multiple countries, increased our product and service offerings beyond basic connectivity, and formed strategic partnerships with various operators to enhance our portfolio of services. We are excited about the future prospects in our

industries.”

“The state government has also approved the release of N7 million for the investigation of trona deposits in Borno and Yobe states; as well as in Chad and Niger Republics.

Speaking on the future plans of government on small and medium scale industries, she said that a Pharmaceutical company, Groundnuts Oil Mills, tomatoes and vegetable company are to be established before the end of this year, to create more job opportunities and generation of internal revenues.

market and look forward to launching the new brand identity to symbolize the tremendous opportunity ahead of us to transform the broadband landscape in West Africa.

“Our customers stand to benefit from our increasing portfolio of services that will enable businesses in West Africa to participate meaningfully in the global digital economy. This innovative bouquet of products and services includes a Metro Ethernet network offering with over 200 kilometers of fiber optic access within business districts in Lagos, a brand new 2.5MW, 600 Rack Data center currently construction for completion by Q2 2014, and partnerships and new points of presence to serve major cities of Abuja and Port Harcourt.”

Govt inaugurates committee on coal-to-power generation From Lillian Chukwu, Abuja HE Federal Government has inaugurated a committee on Coal-to-Power generation to ensure an alternative energy source, especially from coal with a view to diversifing the nation’s electricity resources and enahncing sustainable power supply in the country.

Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Sada, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the

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ministry, Linus Awute, at the inauguration told The Guardian in Abuja that the aim of the project will be to “act the element of the ministry’s roadmap and develop future resources and plants to enhance our power generation.”

He said that the country’s coal supply sustainability include an overall large reserve of metric tones with proven huge reserves, as well as environmentally friendly

quality of low sulphur bituminous and sub-bituminous coal and good storage characteristics.

The six member committee with a two weeks mandate is headed by the DirectorGeneral of the Mining Cadastre Office, Mohammed Amate.

The terms of Reference of the committee include to collate and evaluate available reports on Coal-toPower initiative with a view

to establishing the status of the project, identify all assets of Nigerian Coal Corporation that have not been privatized, identify the uses of Nigerian coal in addition to Coal –for- Power generation and develop a programme for fast-tracking the exploitation of the Coal resource for power generation and other uses.

The federal government under the power sector roadmap, planned to gener-

ate up to 30 per cent of electricity from coal-fired plants by 2015.

Awute noted that the “the committee which we have inaugurated is a technical committee that will function in interface with a counterpart technical committee in ministry of power who already has agenda on power plant development in Nigeria.

“We believe that it is our responsibility as the custodi-

an of the Solid Mineral Sector to provide an answer to our national energy challenges.

Coal is an important source of energy for the World, particularly for power generation, and we have it in abundance here in Nigeria,” Awute noted.

About 972 million naira was appropriated in the 2012 federal budget for the feasibility study of coal deposits in Enugu, Kogi and Gombe states axis.

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NigeriaCapitalMarket NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at Tuesday PRICE LIST OF SYMBOLS TRADED FOR 28/05/2013

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CAPITAL MARKET

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 28/05/2013

PRICE GAINERS

LOSERS

Expert prescribes leeway to capital market growth

By Helen Oji OW level of monetization Linflation of economy, high level of and level of private sector credits have been identified as factors affecting stock market performance in Nigeria.

Speaking at the nineth yearly PEARL Awards lecture for capital market development in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer, Anchoria Investment and Securities Limited, Dr Olusola Dada explained that the level of stock market performance in

Nigeria has remained relatively low, despite the various reforms put in place by the monetary authorities to enhance performance.

He said although the level of interest rate has remained very high, the level of private sector credits has not sustained the desired level of new investments necessary to facilitate economic growth.

Dada, in his paper presentation titled: ‘Enhanced Capital Market Growth, Recovery and Stability: Path to Sustainable National

Economic Development,’ pointed out that for the capital market to facilitate economic growth, government must encourage more foreign investors to participate in the market in order to enhance its capitalisation.

According to him, there was need to restore investors’ confidence in the market by regulatory activities that portrayed transparency ,fair transactions and dealings in the stock market.

He also expressed the need to ensure stable macro-economic environment to

attract foreign multinational companies or their subsidiaries to be listed in the nation’s bourse.

“The value of transactions in the Nigerian Capital Market must be boosted and there should be availability of more investments instruments such as derivatives, convertibles, swaps and options in the market. The level of corporate governance in the stock market must be enhanced and the risk management frame work strenghtened.”

He added that the supervi-

sion and regulatory framework in the financial system must be strengthened with focus on risk management.

He noted that the existence of a well –developed capital market would enhance the efficiency of the allocation of financial resources, as well as play a major role on the capital account of the country’s balance sheet.

“Experience in recent decades has been that bankbased financial systems have not always been able to adequately meet the need for capital, especially long-term

capital. In this regard, capital market development increasingly has been seen as a critical factor for the long-term growth prospects in emerging markets.

“The further development of a domestic market will not only provide local investors with a variety of investment opportunities, but also give them alternative instrument that can be used to substitute for foreign instruments. The result is that a large share of domestic savings will be used to finance domestic investments.” He added.

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Opinion Contemporary problems of democracy (2)

By Edwin Madunagu HIS is the second segment of an appreciation T of Anthony Akinola’s new book, Democracy in Nigeria. The first segment ended last Thursday with Akinola recalling one of the demands that came from delegates of the Southsouth geopolitical zone at the 2005 National Political Reform Conference. They had demanded, on behalf of their zone, 25 per cent of the nation’s oil revenue and the increase of this percentage to 50 per cent over a five-year period.

Anthony Akinola fully endorses the Southsouth’s position on this question. He says: “Their insistence on this position gives the writer (that is, Akinola) much joy in certain respects. The first ground of support emanates from the belief that if the oil wealth had resided somewhere else, the issue of how much they wanted as payment would not have been as contentious. And if the oil wealth had resided in the territory of one of the so-called majority ethnic groups the so-called minority groups might have been made to feel grateful for the tiny crumbs that come in for them.” (Page 50).

There are two brief comments I would like to make here. First, I would have loved to find out how many “progressives” from the major ethnic groups would support Akinola’s first “ground” unconditionally, that is, without qualifying it to the point of emptying it of every meaning. I have often posed this type of challenge to my friends and compatriots. Second: The author’s robust stand on this oil revenue allocation debate gives useful insights into his conception of democracy – that it goes beyond “free and fair and credible” elections. For me, also, there is in the very idea of democracy, not only the principle of equality but also the consciousness that the application of equal measures to unequal entities or situations does not remove the original inequality. The late Chief Anthony Enahoro held this position and called it equitocracy.

Running through Anthony Akinola’s Democracy in Nigeria, in virtually all the 55 essays, are what, I think, the author would call “attributes of democracy”. These are in lieu of technical and didactic definitions, which, however carefully and liberally crafted, are always found to be defective and contradictory and, therefore, self-defeating. I

have, myself found that every attempt at improving on Lincoln’s general definition has ended in intellectual disaster. Here is a sampling of what Akinola regards as “attributes of democracy: “A nation is qualified to be called democracy if it respects agreed rules and procedures” (page 32); “…democracy as an idea which, among other things, is about respect for the rule of law, free and fair elections and freedom of the individual within the confines of the law” (page 37); “...true democracy is about a people making a choice between alternatives” (page 124).

Akinola admires what he calls the “British approach to democracy” and believes Nigerians have a lot to learn from it. He urges: “We must learn as a matter of urgency that an election is not a matter of ‘do or die’. Elections must be free and fair, and a people represented by those they have duly chosen” (page 130). Commenting specifically on the last British general elections 92010), Akinola says: “The campaign lasted barely four weeks and not a single related death was reported. There were no fraudulent issues with ballot papers, or the outcome of elections. Voters’ registration cards came through the post, as the ages and addresses of every person resident in Britain are available in the records. (Election day was not declared) a public holiday; people enthusiastically exercised their mandates during their free time” (page 130).

Furthermore, Akinola’s testimony continues: “There were neither police officers nor armed soldiers at the polling stations, neither were there party officials to monitor voting” (page 130). I honestly share Akinola’s admiration for the British electoral culture in comparison with what obtains in Nigeria. I would, however, insist that the root of the difference between the two cultures cannot be found in our “backwardness”, “poverty,” “illiteracy”, “corruption” “greed”, etc – which themselves need to be explained – but more crucially in the capitalist path of development that Nigeria’s ruling classes have chosen and imposed on the country, a path of development that passes through primitive capitalist accumulation and its “do or die” tactics.

It is not an argument to say that Britain is also a capitalist country. To this I would simply respond that the path of development that led Britain to becoming a fully developed and central capitalist country – including global exploitation and unequal relations – has been closed forever. It is no

longer open for Nigeria or any other developing country for that matter. This point may be put differently: Any developing country that insists on following the path which Britain or America followed to what they are now will be stunted, and then stuck. Forget the illusion about South Korea or Taiwan. But that is for another day.

On the foundation of Lincoln’s “general definition” and “attributes of democracy” such as those that punctuate Akinola’s book a political movement may mobilize a nation to fight to erect concrete democratic structures. I believe that is what the author had in mind when he said: “A nation can decide its own structure of democracy” (page 85). Earlier Akinola had argued: “The so-called advanced democratic nations of the world have varied political arrangements – the presidential /congressional system in America, the Westminister parliamentary system in the United Kingdom, the presidential/parliamentarianism in France and the collective presidency in Switzerland. Why must Nigeria be the copycat nation?’ (page 74).

Akinola also greatly admires, and has been deeply influenced by America’s political system, their model of democratic constitutional presidentialism. This is putting the point very mildly: Akinola loves American democracy. Although he also admires the British, he would prefer the presidential system for Nigeria – for reasons of our country’s ethnic and religious “cleavages”. It is because of these “cleavages” that the author very strongly advocates rotational presidency in this book and he has consistently done this in the past 30 years. He shows his admiration for the American system partly by contrasting it with some other political systems. One of the contrasts sketched in this book – the one between America and the defunct Soviet Union – is deeply ideological. This is an illustration of what I said at the beginning of this series – a political writer’s inevitable ideological inclination and a reviewer’s inevitable ideological preferences.

In the fourth essay of the book, Presidency is the issue, Akinola says: “Had the defunct Soviet Union followed the path of the United States of America by putting appropriate democratic structures in place, rather than indulging in many decades of sloganeering, it might have survived until today.

Nigeria can only learn from the history of others if its own is not to be continuation in the chapter of failed nations” (page 33).

There are two pertinent comments I wish to make on Akinola’s proposition. The first is that there are several elements of America’s political system that are truly admirable if taken in isolation, if freed from their capitalist/imperialist integument – a liberation which would happen one day, a liberation that would transform America literally into a “paradise” on earth. The political elements that await liberation from capitalist/imperialist integument include America’s federalism, constitutionalism, bicameral legislature, the role (and power) of the Congress, and the principle of equality of states in Senate representation. Democracy in Nigeria has made the American political system much clearer to me. But this clarity only further convinces me how wonderful it would be – for the masses of America, for the masses of the world – to remove the capitalist/imperialist integument.

The second comment is that the founders of the United States of America and the Soviet Union set out to create different types of society; they “dreamt” of two different worlds; and, more critically, they had different ideas and different plans on how to move from the present to the future. In the course of building the Soviet Union, succeeding regimes committed errors – grave and tragic errors – in addition to objective historical difficulties, some of them foreseeable and foreseen, others quite unforeseeable. My proposition is this: The founders of the Soviet Union and the country’s succeeding regimes must be judged in the context of the type of society and the world they said they were committed to creating and the methods they proclaimed.

The Left is harsh in their judgement of the Soviet Union not because Lenin’s successors committed more atrocities than the founders and subsequent rulers of America, or failed to commit themselves to building America-type society as Akinola obviously believes they would have done. The Left is harsh on post-Lenin rulers of the Soviet Union on the grounds of what they had proclaimed, the ideology and vision they invoked, the hopes they raised among the toiling and oppressed masses of the world, including those in slavery, those being colonized, those being visited with genocide by capitalist and imperialist expansionists. The Left is harsh on the grounds of acts of heroism and martyrdom the post-Lenin rulers inspired across the globe, including Nigeria.

• To be continued next Thursday.

NGF election: Prelude to 2015

By Salihu Moh. Lukman HE election of Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) fiT nally held on Friday, May 24 and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has emerged victorious. Polling 19 votes out of 35 while his opponent Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau got 16 votes. The election result was significant not just for the NGF but for the nation’s democracy. One governor, Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, was absent and did not vote. The election would have held since February but was postponed about twice.

Development around the NGF election is not so much about Amaechi, Jang or the NGF as an association but about the process of affirming the values that recognizes producing winners and losers through acceptable processes. More important, it was about producing leaders through fair elections. The dramas and episodes around the emergence of PDP flag bearers for the election (from Governor Shema to Governor Yuguda and finally Jang) are issues that definitely reflected existing power configurations and the normal divisive strategies using regional boundaries, especially in PDP. Important as personalities represented by Amaechi or Jang and organisations such as NGF, it is the meaning and value associated with them that might have generated interest. Values not necessarily associated with partisan affiliations or ideological commitment but largely driven by current relationship with the presidency. Somehow, given the high interest of the leadership of the ruling PDP against Amaechi and the strategic move to mobilise (and perhaps intimidate) PDP governors against Amaechi, many would have expected that Amaechi will lose the election.

So far, what has happened over the years in the case of the NGF is that consultations have become regular, on monthly basis, and decisions taken were given some life. Successive leaders of NGF, from former Governors Abdullahi Adamu, Victor Attah and Bukola Saraki to current tenure of Rotimi Amaechi, all made their contributions. Through these leaders, NGF gradually evolved and it is still being shaped by so many factors. The interests around the May 24 election of Amaechi have produced additional factors in shaping the process of the development of Nigeria’s democracy. There were basically two interests that have developed and become very formidably antagonistic to each other. It is President Jonathan and PDP leadership on the one hand against the state governors represented by Amaechi on the other. The interests have broken party lines. How did this happen?

This may perhaps be as a result of two fundamental factors. The first is that NGF being an association of mainly state governors is an association of equals. The second is that although they (governors)

may have come together to form NGF without clear understanding of their potentials, challenges of responding to authoritarian orientation of the presidency, which was inherited after years of military rule come with enormous financial challenges, and over time, activities of NGF since its formation has created very high consciousness among governors about the capacity of state governments, acting as a collective, to neutralise or contest issues with Federal Government, represented by the presidency.

One of the reasons that made the NGF elections very interesting was the strong interest of President Jonathan in getting Amaechi out of the NGF. Largely on account of perhaps the role of Amaechi as NGF Chairman in providing leadership to governors, which resulted in situations where the governors contested some issues with the Federal Government, President Jonathan wanted Amaechi out of NGF by all means. Some of the issues that pitched the NGF against the Presidency include the Sovereign Wealth Fund, campaign for constitutional review to reduce powers of federal government in favour of states, review of revenue allocation formula, etc. In some ways, the fact of the consciousness by governors about their capacity as a collective to contest issues with the presidency is not something that can be nullified through even the defeat of Amaechi. Assuming Amaechi has lost the election, it would have just been a matter of time before any person taking over the position of NGF Chairman finds himself in opposition to some position of the president, including Jang. For instance, will Jang or anyone on the side of PDP support the presidency on matters of discretionary declaration of oil revenue bearing in mind that what they get from the federation account is a function of what is declared which often is less than actual receipt? Will Jang or anyone tolerate unilateral policy initiative from the federal government that will result in committing state governments to expend resources?

These are issues that in so many respects conferred undue powers and privileges to the Federal Government on matters of controlling resources and revenue there from over states. They are matters that are at the heart of national efforts to redefine the orientation of our federalism. There may be the temptation to dismiss these issues with reference to the performance of the Governors, especially in regard to problems of lack of accountability and mismanagement of resources in our state governments. This no doubt does not invalidate the principles that democratic leadership is driven by the needs of members determined through processes of consultations.

We may disagree with the specification of what any category of people would define as their needs. The fact remain that members of organisations should have the right to determine what they want and it is a normal healthy democratic requirement which should

proliferate on a national scale to guarantee national democratic order. Apart from the needs of members, the right of dissent is also an important attribute of democracy. Unfortunately, this too is continually being trampled upon.

Being a member of PDP, Amaechi’s candidature is in itself clearly an act of dissent, if you like rebellion against his own party. Together with Amaechi in this rebellion would be all PDP governors who supported and voted for him. From the result of the election, there are clearly 8 PDP governors, Amaechi inclusive. On the other side is also the fact that two so-called opposition governors, Peter Obi of Anambra and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo have joined PDP in the anti-Amaechi presidency plot.

What this means is that the presidency is gradually facilitating a process of restructuring Nigeria into a bipartisan political orientation based on PDP and anti-PDP divide. From the NGF election, it is a divide in which there are many in today’s PDP that are antiPDP. They include certainly the 8 PDP governors that are on Amaechi’s side. Peter Obi and Olusegun Mimiko who are today not direct members of PDP are aligned to PDP and it will only be a matter of time before they take their rightful places inside PDP. Given the contemporary political reality of Nigeria whereby citizens are just fed up by the ruling PDP and all the governance crisis it has produced, any rebellion against PDP may be popular.

Beyond rebellion however, there is the fact that the Ameachi rebellion against PDP has all the attributes of being well organised.

The fact of the APC governors being united may have definitely played a role. However, more significant was the mobilisational capacity of the anti-PDP rebellion in NGF having succeeded to win the support of 8 PDP governors. It demonstrated the fact that with organisation, the powerful and mighty can be defeated and the people can take charge of their destiny.

Nigerians may have their individual opinion. What is very instructive with the events around the NGF May 24 election of Rotimi Amaechi was that an election held and Amaechi was declared the winner. In so many ways, it was a victory against President Goodluck Jonathan and a victory against PDP. The interesting thing was that acting perhaps under the instruction of President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Godswill Akpabio as Chairman of so-called PDP Governors forum convened another meeting at Akwa Ibom House shortly after and declared that it was Governor Jang that was elected and circulated some purported results showing that 19 governors have elected Jang. Interestingly, among the 19 governors that were alleged to have elected Jang include Yobe governor who was absent at the May 24 meeting where the election held.

• Lukman of People and Passion Consult Limited, wrote from Abuja.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Opinion ICT dividends: The weak, missing links

By John Adebisi NDERSTANDABLY, the commencement of U the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in Nigeria was greeted with euphoria. Prior to the roll out of GSM services in 2001, there were less than 400,000 fixed telephone lines. Today, the number of active mobile lines is put at over 116 million by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Roughly speaking, 116 million people are talking, painfully speaking!

Although there are mobile communication devices to suit every pocket nowadays, the tariffs being charged by the telecom operators are still on the high side. And what’s more, the poor quality of service remains a thorn in our flesh. In the beginning they told us to talk the talk. And now we’re talking everywhere we go.

But if we must think less and talk more we should at least get value for our money. We are tired of carrying two or three mobile phones and believing that’s the way to rule our world.

The news that subscribers now have the freedom of choice to switch networks without changing numbers is good news only if the flavour being served by any of the operators is unique and tasteful. And the seemingly cumbersome process might well put people off.

Nevertheless, the launch of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme by the NCC is a step in the right direction.

The potential of Information Technology as a catalyst for change is substantial. Nigeria, like most developing nations around the world, has come to recognize the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a fundamental driver of productivity and growth. This recognition is well captured in the National Development Plan – Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020: “The increasing globalization driven by ICT makes it imperative for Nigeria as an emerging market to irreversibly consider the application and promotion of ICT strategy to facilitate its rapid growth and development. This will involve the development of a vibrant ICT sector to drive and expand the national production frontiers in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. It would also require

the application of the new knowledge to drive other soft sectors: governance, entertainments, public services, media sector, tourism, et cetera.”

This is the way to go! However, the way to most effective and efficient use of ICT resources is to move away from what the legendary Chinua Achebe described as a way of turning “useful invention by serious-minded people elsewhere into a childish and cacophonous instrument for the celebration of status”.

We should understand that ICT leverage is not a “nice to have” asset but a sine qua non for transforming Nigeria into a knowledge economy.

Whenever I think about how we use ICT infrastructure in this country, particularly in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the picture of a man riding in a taxi with his luggage on his head readily comes to mind. Once upon a time folks treated computers like ornaments; and believe me, most of those PCs were the outcome of some “computerization” projects! Somewhere down the line the “beautiful toys” amazingly metamorphosed into a conduit for draining public funds. So far, the storyline is the same; the episodes are endless: Biometric voters registration Initially we were told it wouldn’t be possible for a person to register more than once.

Hardly had the exercise started than people realized there was nothing in place to prevent multiple registrations. Later they told us they would clean up and remove all duplicates!

SIM card registration It wasn’t the N6 billion public spending alone that bothered me. But why would the service providers not take sole responsibility for the project just as the commercial banks solely updated their customers’ bank accounts information?

Ghost biometric scheme How else would you describe the current trend of uncovering a thousand ghost pensioners here and tens of thousands ghost workers there, but failing to unmask those that love the romance of “eating” ghosts’ benefits?

Phone for farmers On the one hand, it is a good idea to distribute 10 million mobile phones to rural farmers. On the other hand, we are not ripe for e-voting because the poor farmers are illiterates!

‘Oga at the top’ I hate to mention this but… how many MDAs have functional websites? How many government MDAs employ online business processes as it relates to service delivery to the general public? You know, they spend money on websites that are often not updated and, in most cases, inaccessible. Little wonder they fumbled with a simple request to supply something as basic as their organisation’s web address.

Almost always, the problem isn’t that of ignorance. It seems they know what they’re doing, and we know they know we know!

We are a people who hate change and, unfortunately, we are living in a world that is constantly changing. Ironically, Nigerians do actually like change to the extent that it suits their narrow interests: they like the Facebook of the social media but hate the outlook of the e-testing platform; they can’t wait to own state-of-the-art electronic gadgets but electronic voting can wait until the 22nd century. On this side of the digital divide – whatever would promote transparency in governance, whatever would improve service delivery, whatever would make administration more efficient, whatever would serve the common good – such hardly stand a chance.

One of the critical success factors to national ICT transformation is government institutional structure. At last, there is now the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology (MCT) responsible for promoting optimal utilization of ICT towards rapid economic growth. For speed and maximum impact, however, the MCT and other MDAs have to be on the same page. As of today, only very few government establishments can boast of having a working ICT structure. ICT Units domiciled in the Chief Executives’ Offices; ICT Divisions trapped in

the Departments of Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS); IT Departments headed by non-IT professionals; et cetera, are neither here nor there. As one of its strategies for success, the MCT ought to push for the creation of functional IT (or ICT) Departments in our public institutions as this would help provide an interface necessary for effective implementation of policies aimed at maximizing the levering potential of ICT for national development.

Similarly, the dearth of IT experts in our public institutions doesn’t help matters. This has created a vacuum currently being filled by non-IT personnel (analog pegs in digital holes) and exploited by private business partners alike, resulting in misplaced priorities, poor value-for-money solutions, and tasteless service delivery nationwide. Again, to address this problem, we urge the MCT to liaise with relevant organs of government to create appropriate cadres and right incentives to attract and retain IT professionals in the civil service.

Conventional wisdom has it that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, there is need to align the public service IT-wise with the private sector to allow for a smooth transition to a vibrant digital economy. Also, the youth should be encouraged to make creative use of ICT tools for personal and sustainable socio-economic development.

Nigeria needs to leverage its investment in ICT to gain a significant competitive advantage in the rapidly changing global economy. Moving forward, government should: provide security; expand national physical infrastructure such as power and broadband; encourage private sector investment in the ICT industry; deploy and ensure full utilization of ICT infrastructure on all fronts – education, health, agriculture, oil and gas, (to mention a few).

In summary, if we are serious about becoming one of the world’s top 20 largest economies in the future then we must break free from the past and begin to do things that would help bridge the divide between us and those that are one step closer to the future. We cannot afford to sit back singing “dividends of democracy” and waving bye-bye as the rest of the world jets to the future.

Perseverance makes you a champion

By Segun Adefemi CCORDING to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, A Perseverance is defined as the “quality of continuing steadfastly to achieve a particular aim or goal despite some difficulties”.

It is the will to see things through until the end is achieved in spite of intimidating fear, overwhelming obstacles, stiff opposition, fierce competition and all manner of discouragement.

A persevering person is one who has tremendous self-confidence, indomitable determination and natural urge towards hard labour and untiring energy to continue till the end without grumbling or expressing dissatisfaction. Perseverance is one of the secrets of success. Without it, great achievements are impossible. The fact is even if a person is not very talented and knowledgeable but has an average intelligence, he can succeed in life simply by persevering to achieve his set goals. On the other hand, a highly intelligent person who is lethargic and lazy by nature and reluctant to diligence can hardly prosper in life because he will not know how to use his brain and energy appropriately. That is why a British author, Samuel Johnson says: “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance” Thomas Buxton also has this to say” With ordinary talent and an extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable” including Obafemi Awolowo University remaining on top as number one university not only in Nigeria but in the entire African continent.

The great lesson of perseverance is well taught in the wonderful natural structures built by some animals and insects.

Take for instance, the weaver-bird and its long-curved nest or the bee and its sweet honey. The soldier-ants and their long stretch of column built and destroyed several times by pedestrians and rebuilt again and again is also an illustration of the relevance of the spirit of perseverance. Think also about the number of times as a toddler when you attempted to walk and you fell down several times but you did not give up. But through perseverance you are now a “champion” in walking.

Can you imagine the efforts of the peasant farmer in building

his hut or the perseverance of the builders of the Egyptian pyramids?

In the world of science and technology, magnificent and architectural buildings, monuments, overhead bridges, canals and cities could not have been built without the tenacity and perseverance of the engineers and builders. Back home, think of the general layout of Great Ife campus, which is the most beautiful campus in Africa. With its architecturally designed buildings blended with a network of roads, parking lots, walkways “with its well-manicured lawns, which are interlaced with ornamental shrubs and flower-gardens and which are preserved in a natural environment to maintain an overall beauty and harmony” is the product of the sweat and perseverance of our founding fathers led by Professor H. A. Oluwasanmi. We were told Professor Oluwasanmi in his pair of khaki shorts religiously went on inspection visits at every stage of each of the building projects every evening. William Shakespeare and our own W.S. – Wole Soyinka could not have been able to compose those voluminous works without the spirit of perseverance and tenacity of purpose.

In Ife lexicon, perseverance is what we call “Never-say-diespirit of Ife”. That was the spirit, which Professor G. A. Makanjuola and other scientists and researchers used to bring about the pounding machine, the separation of the siamese twins and other scientific breakthroughs, which brought Great Ife into limelight as a centre of academic excellence.

What scientific experiment have you started and you have not made any headway for the past six months or over a year ago and you are getting despaired and frustrated? You have already put your hands on the plough and there should be no turning back. Perhaps, the stories of Thomas Edison and Lord Beaconsfield will inspire you to keep on trying until you achieve your goal. Thomas Edison who referred to the act of perseverance as “bull-dog tenacity” used it 10,000 times against failure and frustration before perfecting the electric light bulb, which we are enjoying today. Lord Beaconsfield was booed and jeered at, the first time he spoke on the floor of the House of Commons because of his incoherent speech. But he

angrily exclaimed, “The time will come when you will hear me” and surely they heard him later. He became one of the greatest British orators because he persevered and mastered the act of speaking.

Remaining a champion is no easy task. It is a great challenge that requires much display of self-confidence, greater commitment and dedication. As an institution, the new challenge facing us is how to remain the best and the number one university in Nigeria and how to move from number fourteenth (14) position in Africa out of over 2,000 universities to be at the top of the Webometric ranking. In other words, our challenge is “either to be the first or with the first” in Nigeria and in Africa.

In spite of the fierce competition and intense opposition, which our university will face from other universities both in Nigeria and Africa, there is no limit to what we can achieve. All we need to do is to believe in ourselves and our dreams. We should be determined not to show ourselves as inferior to any university, including those in the top-bracket of the IVY League.

With a winning attitude, and never-say-die-spirit, instead of the new challenge of being the best university becoming an insurmountable task, it should be an adventure, an opportunity to create a new reality. We have the potentials – world-class scholars and intellectuals, renowned and well-acclaimed researchers, as well as seasoned administrators to enable us expand the frontiers of our scientific breakthroughs and innovations.

To create the awareness and to be inspired, infused and filled with fresh ideas of what the new road map of our next series of breakthroughs and innovations should be, Management, at the beginning of every year, should organize retreat workshop or should I say advance workshop, which will ignite and energize our spirit of determination and passion to achieve our dreams and aspirations. With perseverance, consistent display of orderliness, ethical excellence and integrity in every aspect of our lives as individual member of the community, as well as cooperation and unity of purpose among our researchers, we shall remain champion forever.

Great Ife, the best is yet to come!

• Adefemi is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Interview ‘Jonathan is displaying desperation for 2015’ Reverend David Ugolor, a rights activist, is the Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ). In this interview with Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu in Benin City, he spoke on the raging crisis in the Rivers State PDP involving Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the 2015 general election build-up.

HAT is your stance on issues relating to the W Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Presidency?

Reverend Ugolor

this country. But as a matter of fact, I am not to concerned about who becomes president because from the example in Edo state, the issue of tribe does not really matter. To a large extent, if Oshiomhole was to contest on the basis of ethnicity, he may not even become a councillor in the state. But the people of Edo believed that ethnic background is not the issue but who is able to deliver. If an opinion poll is carried out in the region today, people are not happy with the current presidency of Godluck Jonathan. The socalled South-South presidency is a ruse, no benefit has come to the region and I think we have a responsibility to begin to articulate views that will help to advance the cause of our people. The fact that less than one per cent of those who believe in arms are currently in comfort zone with the present government does not take away our own right to ventilate our concerns and as an Urhobo person, I have a right to articulate issues that will advance my tribe in the region. The fact

‘

that we don’t carry arms in the region does not mean we are stupid because we have our own vision.

Allegation that the NGF and its chairman have become like an empire and emperor NGF is a kind of pressure group registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Its members have their positions. If you have contrary views to what they say, you also have the right to reply to their views. You cannot use federal agencies to now undermine the views of the NGF; it is unacceptable, it is dictatorship and a move to muzzle alternative views. ‘When NGF is supporting the presidency, it is good when they have alternative views, it is bad.’ You don’t run a country like that. Look at the issues they have been raising, Sovereign Wealth Fund and others. The states have their autonomy. The constitution is clear about allocation of resources. You cannot use state resources to run the SWF and that is what the state governments ars saying. Today it is Jonathan, tomorrow it could be anybody. He should not use federal

We all have a responsibility to defend this democracy. Left alone, I don’t think Jonathan would have become the president of this country. Nigerians fought doggedly for him. We also have the right to disagree with him. Anybody from the Niger Delta who has been driving along the East West road would not be happy with the pace of work there and I don’t think that can fetch him votes from there. Let him not be deceived, Abuja Magic cannot say who will be president in 2015; it is what you are able to do, and what he is able to deliver to the region that will be the basis for who becomes what.

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This is another Abuja magic in display, we are in trouble. Femi Falana recently released a statement where he said there is a gradual move to dictatorship in Nigeria and attempt to muzzle opposition groups and free speech. You know Falana cannot just make a statement out of the blues. I raised the alarm that this government is not willing to listen to alternative voices, every attempt to demand justice, has been frustrated and the level of impunity today in Nigeria is alarming, it cuts across government sectors and institutions. If you look at the just released human rights report 2012, it is the same message and the response of this government has been very bad; yesterday it was me, today is Amaechi, tomorrow it could be Adams. The Niger State governor also said so recently. So you can see that there is a gradual trend towards muzzling people with alternative views and even a threat to justice and once there is threat to justice, you cannot talk of the rule of law, you cannot talk of democracy. The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is a platform for the governors to articulate their positions. They are not arms carriers.

The NGF is made up of both governors from the opposition and ruling party and they elected Amaechi as their chairman, and all the issues he has been raising are not his personal views they are consensus issues. Should he now pay a price for that? But you can see that this Abuja magic has brought politics into the NGF and this we condemn outrightly and as if that is not enough, this Abuja Magic which is interpreted as those old politicians who have expired in their states, as soon as they form partnership with the presidency, they try to undermine everything that happens in the states; they portend danger. The on-going politicisation of the NGF activities is condemnable, it is unacceptable and as civil society, we cannot keep quiet. They brought the judiciary into who becomes the chairman of PDP in Rivers State. They went to Abuja to get a court ruling, something that could be done in Port Harcourt. It is an attempt to muzzle Governor Amaechi and Nigerians should oppose it. If the President wants to contest in 2015, the first thing he should do is to engage all stakeholders from the region, particularly the NGF. I don’t think anybody who wants to be president of Nigeria should be fighting Amaechi who is the chairman of the NGF because the position is that of the NGF. They are playing dirty politics. Look at the delay or seizure of the Rivers State aircraft. The differences between the President and Amaechi is dirty politics, an attempt to undermine some persons as we move towards 2015, it is 2015 politics at play. Even at that, does Amaechi not deserve and have the right to aspire to be president of this country? Does any other person from the South-South not have the right to become the president? It is like once you make contrary statements, you become a target and it is wrong. Do proper assessment of South-South presidency, what practical benefit has the region got from this government? Amaechi raised concern about the East West Road. Who will say that the road is not an issue in the Niger Delta? He said if the Federal Government cannot handle it, let the SouthSouth governors handle it. Is there anything wrong about that? The politics surrounding NGF has to do with 2015 election and we are saying that everybody, every tribe in the region all has the same right to aspire to become president of

government agencies to do 2015 because he is setting a bad precedent. At best, he will be president for eight years and that is why we are concerned but other persons will be president tomorrow. Look at Obasanjo today, he has become an emergency activist, if somebody had told him he will now be running around as an activist, he won’t believe. Yesterday when he was president, he was so dictatorial and that is why we are saying the right regulations should be put in place instead of castigating and hounding those who hold contrary views because you will not be there tomorrow. Look at people like El-Rufai, Oby Ezekwesili, today they are with us but yesterday they were in government. I don’t think if anybody had told El-Rufai that he will take this stance today, he would believe. So Jonathan should remember these people, let the right policies be in place.

How do you see the recent presidential pardon Pardon is now being given to some tribes and some tribes are not given. What is the difference between James Ibori and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha? As a matter of fact, Alamieyeseigha also has an international dimension to his corruption. That is why I want to appeal to the international community that they should not play into the hands of this government because this government’s so- called anti-corruption crusade is wrapped up in tribal sentiments; so when this government said they were cooperating with the British government to bring Ibori to justice, it was a ruse. The British government is wiser. A few months ago, Tinubu was being paraded before the Code of Conduct Tribunal because of his strong views.

We all have a responsibility to defend this democracy. Left alone, I don’t think Jonathan would have become the president of this country. Nigerians fought doggedly for him.

We also have the right to disagree with him.

Anybody from the Niger Delta who has been driving along the East West road would not be happy with the pace of work there and I don’t think that can fetch him votes from there. Let him not be deceived, Abuja Magic cannot say who will be president in 2015; it is what you are able to do, and what he is able to deliver to the region that will be the basis for who becomes what. Violence is not exclusive to any particular tribe. The federal government now deals with only those who carry arms. The fact that the Urhobo do not carry arms, the fact that the Ogonis did not carry arms, does not mean they are stupid. Look at the billions of naira that have been sunk into amnesty which would have been used to build infrastructure.

This is fraud, less than one per cent of the people in the Niger Delta are the ones benefiting from the amnesty. This government has not been able to justify the billions it has spent on the people of the area to justify the sacrifices people have made, sacrifices made by Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, sacrifices by other tribes in the region. You cannot appropriate such for just one tribe. I think the presidency is heading for disaster in the region and every tribe have the right to defend its own.

Amaechi comes from a tribe and every tribe has the right to aspire to be president of the country.

On Obasanjo’s criticism of the Jonathan administration’s fight against corruption.

As far as I am concerned, Obsanjo has lost his moral right to criticise this government. He is an hypocrite; his daughter who was a senator was accused of corruption, he is only trying to whip up sentiments. Jonathan is the president of this country; what Obasanjo is doing is unacceptable. When Obasanjo was president, nobody would do to him what he is doing to Jonathan today. What moral basis does he have? If you want to even compare him to Jonathan in terms of listening to alternative views, Jonathan is better. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their president, we won’t be

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Interview ‘Delta independent power project on course’

IR, we want you to throw more light on the IPP project.

Why IPP? Why all the noise about IPP? Sir, as you are aware, Chief E.K. Clark linked the project’s non-completion to the Hon. Speaker, whom he accused of pocketing the money meant for it.

Look, if anybody wants to hang the Speaker, they should look for something else; definitely not the IPP which is very much on course. I do not subscribe to personal attacks on a matter that concerns a corporate body. DAVNOTCH is a duly registered company and to the best of my knowledge the Speaker has divested from the company. Our dealings as a government is with DAVNOTCH and not with the Speaker. If you guys must ask questions therefore, apart from government, you should be asking the company DAVNOTCH that has a known address and a management. Having said that, the project itself is on course as we have taken delivery of virtually all equipment needed for it. The little problem of access road is being addressed and we expect the contractor to go back to site very soon.

What could be the motive of Chief Clark when he made such serious allegations against the Speaker?

Well I wouldn’t know anything about motive.

But let me just say this: In Delta there is too much attack on persons under whatever guise. I recall

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that because of politics some prominent Deltans said the Uduaghan administration was not developing an airport. Now, because it was bad news laced with falsehood it gained ground. Today Deltans know better as there is indeed an airport in full swing and fully functional on ground. You see, if we are not building an IPP, why did the Federal Government issue us a licence? If we were not building an IPP, why did the Federal Ministry of Environment pay a visit to the site? What I can tell you is that the project will be realized. All the equipment are in Oghara and soon work will resume.

Why the delay in completion of the project?

A lot of factors have combined to cause delay. We had issues with a community where this administration thought it best to site the project. After initially agreeing to allow the project, the community turned round to refuse the siting of it there. Talking of community problems, you will agree that it is a problem that has set us back greatly as a state. In any case, the project was relocated to its present site. All of these took quite sometime because government kept trying to reach common ground with the said community. Again, by the time we moved to the new site, Rolls Royce had moved up to Phase IV of the turbines from the Phase III model that was on board when the state government conceptualised the project. For those who are engineers, they would understand that this meant changes in such things as engineering drawings and designs, Environmental Impact Assessment and all of that. These take time.

You also have to understand that, we didn’t just walk into Rolls Royce to pick up tur-

bines. The turbines had to be ordered, paid for and manufactured from scratch for the Delta State Government. These also take time. When the equipment finally arrived at Onne Port in Rivers State, they also spent sometime there because of issues of access roads.

The joyous thing for me is that we have crossed these hurdles and we should be delivering the project to Deltans soon. The turbines are Rolls Royce Trent Dual Fuel 64 mega watts and they are two in number with combined capacity of 128 mega watts.

Their Serial Numbers if you care are: 921028090 and 921027010.

You see, Delta houses 3 power plants with combined installed capacity of 1882 megawatts.

The power need of the state is around 1010 mega watts but we get far less than 120 megawatts on a daily basis hence the state government thought of augmenting through the IPP. Let me just add here too that delays occur with projects for varying reasons. For instance, the long talked

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about Asaba Step-Down is today on course via the NIPP. I’m sure you know for how long this has remained like a dream. It will be at 270mega watts installed capacity when completed.

How much was budgeted for the project and when was it contracted out?

The project was contracted out in June 2009 at a cost of N23.2 billion.

Of this amount we’ve spent about N15 billion.

What is your assessment of the company handling the IPP project?

I will say that I’m okay with DAVNOTCH. I have no reason so far to doubt their capability. There is a consultant for the project and we’ve not received any report from the consultant to create doubts in our minds.

Again DAVNOTCH handles a few other things for us, like our street lights n Asaba and environ and these they’ve handled well. I can assure you that if we have cause to sanction the company, we will do so promptly.

I will say that I’m okay with DAVNOTCH. I have no reason so far to doubt their capability. There is a consultant for the project and we’ve not received any report from the consultant to create doubts in our minds. Again DAVNOTCH handles a few other things for us, like our street lights n Asaba and environ and these they’ve handled well. I can assure you that if we have cause to sanction the company, we will do so promptly.

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In an interview with journalists, Delta State Energy Commissioner Charles Emetulu speaks on a major controversial issue in his ministry, the Independent Power Project. Excerpts:

‘Jonathan is displaying desperation for 2015’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 69 where we are. It was because he singlehandedly picked Yar’Adua who later died that brought about Jonathan. If he had allowed Nigerians to pick their leader, it would have been different. We are asking Jonathan to deliver because we want true democracy. Our criticism is that he should not use state machinery to manipulate his coming back in 2015.

Comment on the one year anniversary of the death of Olaitan Oyerinde One year after, the President of this country has failed again. It becoming increasingly clear who killed Olaitan, there is no doubt about it. What they wanted to do was to rope me in and close the case but it is now clear that the they killed Olaitan. It was the President that ordered the investigation into the killing and after almost a year nothing has happened to the extent that a sitting governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state had an altercation with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who lied to Nigerians. It is the same Abuja magic, when they didn’t feel comfortable here in the state, they had to approach the federal DPP (Director of Public Prosecution) for advice on the matter that happened here in Edo; expired politicians who run to the federal government once they see they cannot use their power in the state. All these show the culture of impunity in Nigeria. Till today, the investigation of Olaitan’s killing is still shrouded in controversy, on who killed him, who did not kill him and I think that in a country where we are talking of democracy, the president by now would have invited the SSS and the police. I hope that as we mark his one year anniversary, it provides us with the energy to continue to demand for justice for him, for us and for his family on who killed Olaitan Oyerinde. But like I said, from the way the police tried to frame me up, that those young men that police claimed killed Olaitan where shot to confess me and we made this point clear through Femi Falana during the public hearing on the matter and up till today, that allegation has not been countered.

On centenary celebration This provides an opportunity for us to look back. Where are we coming from? Government is investing more resources to embark on criminal investigation and prosecution. We are not heading anywhere. Impunity is increasing daily and I think

that according to the book of Leviticus as we approach jubilee period, we should all come together. Most of the political elites are enmeshed in corruption. I think we should have a fresh beginning. Everybody should be forgiven so that we can start on a new slate because the man who wants to prosecute the other person is also corrupt.

On Edo council election It is still the case of Abuja Magic. I will comment on the postelection. I congratulate the Edo State government for conducting the election. It was done because of the agitation of Edo people that they need a democratically elected local government administration and the government responded.

At least, there is a general consensus that election was held and issues arose. Although I didn’t monitor the election but my colleagues did and from my own appraisal, the key lesson we must learn is that there are areas we must improve on, but the idea that election should be cancelled is unacceptable. We must move forward, people have invested resources, elections have been organised and people have won and some have lost. The constitution is clear, when you lose an election, you can approach the court, and we will monitor the court process as civil society groups to ensure that the judiciary does its part. I also condemn the violence that erupted. People should not see election as a door-die affair, election should be for service.

When you don’t win, go and do other things.

We must commend the Edo state government for two reasons: for listening to the

agitation of the people that election should be conducted and then the logistics challenge. I think the idea of printing our materials from abroad is not acceptable; we must internalize, localize, domesticate because apart from the capital outflow, we must learn to trust ourselves. I understand the challenge of the materials not being hijacked but I think they should improve on it in future so that those things can be printed here.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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Sports Eagles land in the U.S., ready for Mexico test FRICAN champions, A Super Eagles say they are ready to test their might against North and Central American champions, Mexico, in an international friendly aimed at preparing both teams for their different Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers in June.

The game will hold at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, tomorrow.

The Super Eagles’ contingent to the match arrived in the US on Tuesday afternoon, landing at the Houston International Airport at exactly 2:40pm local time (8:40pm Nigeria time) after an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt, Germany.

The team was received by Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Emeka Inyama, and Jairo Pachon, NFF’s FIFA match agent, who is organising the big match alongside the Match Agent of Federacion Mexicana de Futball Association, Mexico’s football body.

After airport formalities, the delegation was driven to its The Westin Galleria hotel in West Alabama and immediately had lunch. In order to shake off jet-lag, the team set out for evening training and was also scheduled to train on yesterday evening to get

used to evening period of the match.

Ukraine-based forward, Brown Ideye joined the team almost immediately, and Head Coach, Keshi said he is confident the African champions would do the continent proud in the ‘Game of Continental Kings.’

“We are here to give a good account of ourselves as a team and also as the champion team of Africa. Definitely, we want to take a look at a couple of new players and see what they have to offer.

But we take this match serious as it will prepare us for crucial encounters in the next few weeks,” Keshi told the media at the Houston International Airport.

Heartland left back, Benjamin Francis told MTNFootball.com that they are not afraid of facing CONCACAF champions Mexico as that will be a good test for Eagles ahead of Kenya clash.

“It will be a cracker even though this is a friendly, but we don’t want to lose. I am sure Mexico too won’t want to lose. It is a preparatory game for our World Cup qualifier against Kenya. We will go all out,” said Francis, who seeks to establish himself in the team following several withdrawals leading up to this match-up.

The Super Eagles during one of their matches at the South Africa 2013 African Nations Cup. The team will take on Mexico in a friendly game…tomorrow.

PHOTO: AFP.

FIFA more ‘financially transparent’ but Blatter’s salary a secret IFA President, Sepp Blatter’s A day after FIFA said a debate salaries is part of the process after recent scandals involvFyesterday salary remained a secret over restricting the age and we have... and part of the role ing corruption and financial while the moneyspinning world football body still backed its reform process and insisted it was becoming more financially transparent.

Maigari, Keshi strike chord for Brazil 2014 • NFF recalls Eagles backroom staff S the Nigeria Football A Federation (NFF) continues to prop up the senior national team, the Super Eagles, for the busy month of June, NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari has declared that he has a new pact with the team’s technical crew, headed by Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, for a qualification ticket for Brazil 2014.

This is coming on the heels of the recall of all key staff of the Super Eagles sent away after the South Africa 2013 Nations Cup. According to Eagles Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, Maigari under whose leadership national team have had a smooth run at major tournaments including the victory at the Nations Cup in South Africa, says he may have had disagreements in the past with members of the national team crew, but the overriding need for national suc-

cess has put all that in the past.

“Keshi and I have been talking and even when I am not with the team physically they know I am there in spirit and we are set for a touchy month of June where we hope to make Nigerians happy,” Maigari said.

Keshi, who also spoke on the team’s friendly against Mexico, said he now has a new working understanding with the NFF leadership that will make the team not only African champions but potential world champions.

“We have a new understanding to take Nigerian football to the highest height and we can only do that with the national team making it to the Brazil 2014 World Cup and the NFF leadership has been more that supportive of the team,” Keshi said in a telephone conversation with the team’s Media officer.

On their part, Technical Committee Chairman, Christopher Green and Chairman of the Media Committee, Emeka Inyama said they are so far happy with the way things are taking shape with the national team ahead of the friendly against Mexico.

number of terms of officials would be put off until at least next year, the earnings of its leaders were also still off limits ahead of the annual congress in Mauritius today and tomorrow.

Domenico Scala, a Swiss industrialist brought in to be FIFA’s top financial watchdog and lead its new audit and compliance committee, said he knew how much money Blatter made but would not reveal it.

“It is not my role to disclose it,’ Scala said at a beachside hotel on the Indian Ocean Island. ‘The decision to disclose

of the FIFA Executive Committee. You will definitely not get the salary from me.

You will have to get the salary from him,” he said.

Blatter has reportedly referred questions over his earnings and bonuses to Scala, and hinted in the past that it was just over $1 million.

It’s believed to be much more than that. Making public earnings of top FIFA officials especially the decision-making executive committee - was one of the recommendations of law professor, Mark Pieth’s expert panel after those advisers were brought in by FIFA

misconduct.

FIFA said ‘key management personnel’ shared $33.5 million in bonuses and perks in 2012, and Pieth’s reformers have pushed for more openness over remuneration of top figures as one of three key reforms that won’t now be adopted at the annual congress in Mauritius.

Scala also described as ‘horrible’ an ethics report from CONCACAF into alleged longrunning corruption by United States official, Chuck Blazer, and disgraced former CONCACAF President, Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago.

Pepsi ICC-Africa U-19 World Cup Qualifier

Kenya shrug off Nigeria’s challenge, meet Namibia in grand finale

By Christian Okpara, with agency reports IGERIA finally lost the N opportunity of picking the ticket the Pepsi ICC U-19 World Cup when it lost to Kenya in one of the matches of the on-going qualifying series yesterday in Uganda.

In the game, which the Nigerians showed that they can also bowl decently, the Kenyans kept their opponents at bay with some of the best displays of the one-week competition.

Kenya won the toss and opted to bat posting a defendable 183 for 10 in 49.3 overs on the turning wicket of Lugogo Cricket Oval.

Kenya’s Emmanuel Bundi continued his form scoring 40 off 70 and Dhiren Gondalia adding 32 off 62, with Nigeria’s Daniel Ajeku taking two for 25 in five overs and Adedayo Ogunbayo two for 29 in 10 overs.

Nigeria’s batsmen posted no double figures as Man of Match, Raj Savala (five for six in 5.2) and Paramveer Singh

(five for 16 in six overs) were on spin rampage leaving Nigeria on 41 all out in 12.2 overs. Kenya won by 142 runs.

Today, Nigeria will take on Zambia for the fifth and sixth positions play-off at Kyambogo Cricket Oval, while winless Tanzania and Sierra Leone play for seventh and eighth place at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

At the end of yesterday’s games, Namibia and Kenya finished their group games unbeaten, booking themselves a berth in grand finale

at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

Both Uganda and Botswana finished second to tussle it out for third and fourth place at Kyambogo Cricket Oval. Both games would come up tomorrow.

According to officials of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), the national U-19 team would return to the country on Saturday, just as the technical committee would meet to review the country’s performance at the World Cup qualifiers.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Poor officiating is killing NNL, says Eguavoen

By Olalekan Okusan ITY of David (COD) United Manager, Austin Eguavoen has expressed shock and disappointment at the abysmal level of officiating in the Nigerian National League (NNL), warning that this could drive away genuine sponsors of football from the league.

Lamenting the experience of his team in recent games, Eguavoen told journalists in Lagos yesterday that, “honestly, I am very disappointed at the level of officiating in the NNL. In the three away games that I have handled so far, we have been on the receiving end of some shameless officiating.

“In the game against Fountain, the referee gave four minutes of added time in the first half but allowed play to go on till the sixth

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minute when they scored.

The game against Rising Stars was even worse. First, a referee was appointed from Ekiti for a game in Akure and he proceeded to make a real mess of things.

He awarded the most disgraceful penalty I have ever seen.”

He added, “even the fans at the stadium were shocked as if that was not enough, our acting deputy director of football was beaten up and injured for no reason there. In Aba against Abia Warriors, the ball went out of touch and the linesman rightly gave a corner but the referee awarded a penalty out of the blues.

“In fact, for about a minute, there was confusion as the referee and assistant referee held their different grounds. The referee was also brought in from

Imo to officiate a game in Aba. I know everyone wants to be promoted, but promotion should be for the best team, not the one, who pays referees the most or bend the rules.”

Concerned that the unfair officiating might frustrate his lads, Eguavoen challenged the NNL to clean up the league. “The NPFL used to be like this but now they are making great strides.

We need to do the same in the NNL. We are killing the faith of these boys in the game and robbing them of the rewards of their hard work, that’s the real tragedy.

“I have played the game and achieved all I can, these boys are just starting and here we are, frustrating them. Even the fans, how are they supposed to enjoy a spectacle when the outcome is already predetermined? It is really frustrating and something must be done really soon if we truly want the game in Nigeria to develop,” he concluded.

He said the management of COD United has forwarded a letter of protest to the NNL along with clips of the disputed refereeing decisions.

Eguavoen

NFF to move into new secretariat next month, contractors promise From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja ONTRACTORS handling the new secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have assured that it would deliver the two-storey edifice to the National Sports Commission (NSC) in June for onward handing over to the NFF, who are expected to move into the building before the end of June.

The Presidential Task Force on the Super Eagles qualification for the South Africa 2010 World Cup, headed by Rivers State Governor, and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, initiated the project as its contribution to the development of football in the country.

The building was funded with the money the committee realised from its fund

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Minister of Sports, Abdullahi

Jokers FC lifts first maiden MRS U-12 Kid’s Cup

By Tony Nwanne OKERS Star Football Club on Monday at the Campos Stadium, Lagos, won the maiden MRS Under-12 kid’s Cup football competition, by defeating Damilola Football Club 4-2 through a penalty shootout.

Bioth team played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in regulation time, but Jokers Star proved the better side during the shoot out. In the third place match, Success Ace outshone B-Unit Ace with a 2-1 victory to win the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, the duo of Mustapha Balogun and Musa Aliu, both captains of Jokers FC and Damilola FC respectively, took their battle for supremacy to the award podium, with Balogun emerging the highest goal scorer, while Aliu won the most valuable player diadem.

Present at the final match was former Commonwealth Secretary General, Emeka Anyaoku, who came to pledge his supports and love for sports development in the country.

Speaking during the prize presentation, the Managing Director of MRS, Paul

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Bissohong said that it was a great thing to partner with the National Youth Soccer Association (NYSA) to develop Nigerian football, adding, “we have thrown our weight behind good young talents in Nigeria… that is why we ventured into discovering these young ones, and we will continue to support and development them as time goes on.”

raised to ensure that Nigeria qualified for the first FIFA World Cup on an African soil.

Taking The Guardian round the new building, the site supervisors of Paul B PLC, Sadiq Salami and Edmond Nwogor, revealed that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would take delivery of the new secretariat next month. The building is located at the FIFA Technical Centre of the Abuja National Stadium, Package B. The officers, who said the building when completed would contain 34 office outlets, four sub-committee rooms, one IT office, as well as, spacious offices for the federation’s President and the General Secretary, disclosed that over 90 per cent of the work at the building has been completed, adding that the

Head of School Matrix Learning Field School, Isaiah Olanrewaju and pupils celebrate with the overall winner’s trophy at the Jodacy Communications Children’s Day Match Pass competition for private schools in Lagos supported by Ribena, Milo, Peak Milk and Beloxxi Biscuit.

firm would certainly complete all remaining jobs on time to avoid any delay in the proposed handover month of June.

“Well, as you can see, we are just in the maintenance stage.

Every other construction has been completed and all things being equal, we will hand over the building to the federation in June or latest early July.

“The delivery of the contract was delayed by one month because of some unforeseen

contingencies in the contract.

But the good news is that we have sorted them out and would hand it over to the federation as I told you.

“We have 17 offices on the ground floor, the same on the first floor with a pent house serving as the office of the president. The office of the General Secretary is located on the first floor, just as there are also four sub-committee rooms in the complex. There is also one IT room on the ground floor,” he disclosed.

Gumel lauds Abdullahi’s vision for sports NTERNATIONAL Olympic Iboard Committee (IOC) executive member and Nigeria’s representative in the IOC, Habu Gumel, has commended Minister of Sports/Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bolaji Abdullahi, for the new vision and positive initiatives that he has brought into the management of sports in the country.

Speaking to journalists on the evaluation of sports administration in Nigeria, Gumel stated that since the coming on board of Abdullahi, sports development has witnessed tremendous impact, especially with the new initiatives that have been introduced by the NSC. According to Gumel, before the appointment of Abdullahi, sports administration in Nigeria was almost declining to an embarrassingly abysmal level, which manifestation got to a height with the poor performance of Team Nigeria at the 2012

London Olympics.

The former president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) was full of praises for Abdullahi for the strength of character with which the minister admitted the failure of Nigeria at the London Olympics, saying, “it only takes a leader with serious vision and strong conviction to accept full responsibility for the performance of his team.”

Gumel added that the position of the minister of sports over the outcome of Team Nigeria was instrumental to the convocation of a retreat on sports, which was hosted

by President Goodluck Jonathan, to revaluate the prospects of repositioning Nigeria sports.

The IOC member cited the reinvigoration of the Nigeria Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM) Board, the constitution of a League Management Company (LMC) as very laudable initiatives of Abdullahi.

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THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Watson bows out of French Open RITAIN’S interest in the sinB gles at the French Open ended on the fourth day as Heather Watson was beaten in three sets by Stefanie Voegele.

Unlike Laura Robson and Elena Baltacha, Watson won a set and pushed her opponent all the way, but it was ultimately in vain as Swiss Voegele won 6-4 2-6 6-4 on Court Six at Roland Garros.

Watson’s defeat in a match delayed for a day by rain means there is no British player in the second round of the singles in Paris for the first time since 2007.

It was always going to be a tough ask for the British number two after more than two months out with glandular fever, but the good news is Watson is not too far away. Her movement and consistency were not quite up to their usual standards but she will have high hopes of performing well on grass.

Watson may have been suffering from glandular fever since December but she bat-

Froch

‘Only Lennox Lewis rivals me as best British boxer’ ORLD IBF super-midW dleweight champion, Carl Froch says only heavyweight Lennox Lewis rivals him as the best British boxer.

Froch, 35, kept his title by claiming a thrilling points victory over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler in London on Saturday.

“The recognition has been a long time coming, but I’m getting the recognition I deserve now,” Froch told BBC Sport.

“In Great Britain I’m number one. It’s between me and Lennox Lewis, depending on how far you are going back.”

Lewis was the undisputed world heavyweight champion and claimed victories over Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and current WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko before retiring in 2003.

Andre Ward, who beat Froch on points in December 2011 in Atlantic City, could be the next opponent for the English fighter, but only if the 29-yearold American travels to Britain.

“If he comes to the UK there is a big chance of it happening,” added Froch. “But he does not want to fight here, he has made that quite clear. He is waiting for me to go the States, but will be waiting a long time.

“He knows I will be at my best in Britain and he doesn’t want to fight me at my best.

He wants to fight me when I’m jet-lagged, against the

crowd, against the judges and with everything in his favour.

“He said I would only be a great or a superstar if I fought in America, and I have done that. In the Super Six Boxing Classic I got to the final and lost a tight decision on points to him in America.

“That defeat has never hurt me as I felt I got pick-pocketed.

It was more frustrating than hurtful.”

Nottingham-based Froch has won 31 of his 33 contests and still wants to unify the division by winning the WBC belt.

“I’m a superstar in my own right, in my own country,” said Froch. “I can’t think of any British fighter who can say they are more exciting than me because of the manner I conduct myself and my fighting style in the ring.

“Amir Khan and David Haye are involved in exciting fights but I have provided more frequent entertainment and I fight the best of the best.

“In the pound-for-pound rankings I’m in the top 10 in the world and, in terms of winning a fight, Andre Ward is number two.

“But on a pound-for-pound list for entertainment I would not put him in the top 20. It’s an entertainment business and if you don’t entertain you won’t get any fights.”

Foundation, the cancer charity founded by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. But Livestrong’s largest corporate backer said it would continue funding the charity directly after

HIRD seed Victoria T Azarenka made up for lost time with a comfortable win over Elena Vesnina in the first round of the French Open.

The Australian Open champion had been due to start her campaign on Tuesday but was held up by poor weather in Paris.

Vesnina was a potentially tricky opponent but Azarenka dominated the first set and ultimately proved the stronger in the second to come through 6-1 6-4.

Azarenka said, “I felt good. It was important to finally start the tournament. I felt like I’m one of the last ones to start. It was a long wait, but I think performance wise it was a good match. It was a quality match.

Elena is a very tough opponent.

“I was actually surprised she wasn’t seeded at the tournament and we know each other pretty well, so it was important to start from the begin-

ning with a determination and a good focus because she’s a very dangerous opponent, she has a very flashy game.”

Azarenka faces the prospect of seven matches in 11 days if she is to win the title.

Azarenka

Al Zarooni drops appeal over horse doping ban ORMER Godolphin trainer, Fwithdrawn Mahmood Al Zarooni has an appeal against

Armstrong

Livestrong Foundation grateful to Nike after partnership ends giant, Nike is SforPORTSWEAR ceasing to make products the Livestrong

…As Azarenka strolls into round two

tled on for the first three months of the year before a blood test in Miami showed what the problem was.

She returned to light training three weeks ago and has been working back up to her usual volume, rating herself at 90-95 per cent prior to the start of the tournament.

Voegele, ranked eight places below world number 48 Watson, was the steadier player in the opening set, with one break of serve in the fifth game enough for the Swiss player to take it.

Watson saved two set points on her own serve trailing 5-3 but could not put enough pressure on the serve of her opponent, who was beaten by Baltacha in Brussels last week.

The 21-year-old from Guernsey stepped things up at the start of the second set, her forehand beginning to cause some damage, and, after saving four break points in the opening game, gained her first break.

Back came Voegele but she was not having an easy time on her serve now and Watson broke again in the sixth game, earning plenty of cheers from the sizeable British contingent in the crowd, and she clinched the set with another break.

But she could not carry the momentum into the decider and a break in the first game ultimately proved decisive, although Watson thought she had made a forehand and protested at length to umpire Pascal Maria.

this year.

The foundation said it expected the move after Armstrong admitted using performance-enhancing drugs. Last year, Armstrong stepped away from the foundation he created in 1997 after his diagnosis with testicular cancer.

“We are proud of the collective efforts between Nike and the Livestrong Foundation to raise more than $100m (£66m) to help people with cancer,” Nike said in a statement, adding its “Holiday 2013” line of Livestrong products would be its last.

the length of his eight-year ban for doping racehorses.

Dubai-born Al Zarooni, recruited by Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation in March 2010, had admitted giving banned anabolic steroids to 15 horses.

The 37-year-old was banned following a disciplinary hearing three days after news of the scandal broke in April.

Earlier this month, he said he would appeal but has reversed his decision.

The scandal became public on 22 April when Godolphin issued a statement in which it said 11 horses, including unbeaten 1000 Guineas contender Certify, had tested positive and Al Zarooni admitted a

“catastrophic error.”

At a subsequent disciplinary hearing, the trainer, formerly based at Moulton Paddocks stable in Newmarket, England, was banned by the British Horseracing Authority for eight years after also admitting to doping another four horses.

Seven more racehorses trained by Al Zarooni then failed tests for anabolic steroids on 20 May, including the 2012 St Leger winner, Encke.

The trainer said he had not been aware anabolic steroids were banned at all times in British racing. In other jurisdictions anabolic steroids are allowed under certain circumstances, such as in Dubai where racehorses are not allowed to race for 28 days

after use.

In the findings of the panel, published on 30 April, Al Zarooni was accused of “deliberate flouting” of the rules and “widespread systematic misuse of illegal substances.”

The trainer said he smuggled the anabolic steroids into the UK in his luggage from Dubai, made up five unmarked syringes full of drugs and passed them to an unqualified veterinary assistant through a car window to inject into the horses. He also told the inquiry he put the steroids in the feed of other animals.

Godolphin is run by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has “locked down” the Moulton Paddock stables in Newmarket where Al Zarooni trained.

74 SPORTS

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

European Round-Off

Bale’s agent talks up Real ARETH Bale’s agent, G Jonathan Barnett has admitted that it would be an “honour” if Real Madrid were interested in his client, but says his contract is with Tottenham.

Barnett was speaking on the Futboleros show on MarcaTV on Tuesday, and he was asked about the future of the Welshman- who has been heavily linked with Madrid.

“If Florentino (Perez, Real president) is interested in Gareth Bale, then that would be an honour and we would listen, but his contract is with Tottenham,” he said.

“But we are not free to talk to anyone.”

Barnett also dismissed reports that Bale was on the verge of signing a new longterm deal with Tottenham.

“No, we have not talked to anybody,” he said when

asked a about a possible new deal. “I do not know if there has already been an offer. What I know is that the player has three years left on his contract.”

Barnett did insist, however, that Bale is worth more than Brazilian superstar Neymar - who has just agreed a move to Barcelona, shunning the interest of Real.

“He is a much better player than Neymar, he has proven himself in one of the best leagues in the world, the Premier League,” he said.

“And I would hope any club wanting him, would not want him because they lost out on Neymar but because he was first choice.

“This is all crazy, but whatever Neymar cost - Gareth Bale is worth more.”

Vermaelen determined to regain Arsenal place RSENAL defender, much lately and that left me “Those things happen in A Thomas Vermaelen frustrated. But things can top level football,” he said insists he is determined to turn around soon. I went of finding himself among win back his place in the Gunners’ starting XI after ending the season behind Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker in the pecking order.

The Belgian centre-back was named captain by Arsene Wenger at the beginning of the 2012-13 season but struggled to reproduce his best form and was eventually demoted to the bench.

That has led to speculation linking Vermaelen with a move away from the Emirates Stadium, with Juventus reportedly interested, but the 27-year-old is focused on proving himself in north London.

“I am happy with Arsenal,” he told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

“I haven’t played that

to the bench quickly, but I can be in the starting XI just as quick. I am going to work hard for that.”

Vermaelen acknowledged that the competition for places in defense at Arsenal was part and parcel of life at a Champions League club.

the substitutes.

“Arsenal are a big club with a lot of competition for each spot. It’s not a guarantee you play every match, but that doesn’t keep me up at night.”

Dortmund will not fall apart, Klopp assures URGEN Klopp is confident Jwhat that Borussia Dortmund has it takes to cope with the departure of some of its star players in the summer transfer window.

The Champions League runner-up will lose Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich, while Robert Lewandowski seems to be on his way to the Bavarians as well.

Nevertheless, Klopp has little doubt that BVB will sign adequate replacements for the players who leave for greener pastures.

“I have read that a difficult season awaits us, but that’s nonsense. We have a lot of quality and a steady founda-

tion,” Klopp told Bild.

“There will obviously be a few changes as some players will leave. I think the changes will benefit us, though, and I am quite optimistic.

“I can’t say how many players we will sign, but we are working on it. I can guarantee that everything will be fine in the end. Plenty will happen in the next few days and weeks.”

BVB already announced the signing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Werder Bremen on Tuesday, while Felipe Santana’s departure to Schalke has been officially confirmed since the Champions League defeat also.

Vermaelen

Bale

I would turn down Real Madrid, Ribery insists Ribery has FwithRANCK stressed that he is happy life at Bayern Munich and added that he is not interested in a move to Real Madrid.

The France international was close to joining the Santiago Bernabeu side in the past and Madrid president Florentino Perez’s announcement that Zinedine Zidane will be in charge of the club’s transfers from this summer fuelled speculation that it could make another move for Ribery ahead of the 201314 campaign.

However, Ribery has insisted that Zidane can save himself the time of getting in touch with the 30-year-old

Cesar

as he has no intention to leave his current club.

“If Zidane were to contact me, I would tell him that I’m feeling very good at Bayern and I think that he’d understand me,” the winger told RMC. “I almost joined Madrid in

the past, but it did not happen and I am very pleased that I stayed at Bayern in the end.”

Ribery has a contract with Bayern until June 2015, but he is believed to be close to inking a two-year extension to his current deal.

Cesar silent on QPR future PR goalkeeper, Julio Q Cesar says that he is not thinking about a move away from the club at the moment.

Cesar is currently with the Brazil squad preparing for the Confederations Cup. Cesar told Globo Esporte, “I don’t know. There are indeed talks with some

teams, but nothing definitive.

This is the Confederations Cup moment, I have to focus on doing a good work for the national team.

“I won’t name the teams as it would not be ethical since I am under contract with Queens Park Rangers. I let people responsible for my career deal with it.”

Cesar is expected to feature in the tournament and says it’s great preparation for the World Cup in Brazil, next year.

Cesar added, “I am proud to be with the national team after having some difficulties. My career is in a new path since I left Inter Milan, with delicate situations.

“But there is a dream of being world champions with Brazil. I won’t give up unless my name does not appear in the World Cup final list.”

Cruyff urges Vilanova to step down as Barca coach ARCELONA legend, Johan best interest if he were to put health comes first.”

B Cruyff has advised Tito his coaching ambitions on Cruyff then went on to reflect Vilanova to step down as head hold for now. on Jose Mourinho’s spell in coach and focus on his personal health instead.

The 44-year-old had a tumor removed in 2011, but suffered a relapse in December last year and consequently missed several months of the 2012-13 campaign as he was undergoing treatment.

Vilanova returned to the Barcelona bench in April, but Cruyff feels it would be in his

“In his condition it’s not very advisable to continue as a coach. I had a heart operation myself... can you be in charge of Barca if you aren’t 100 per cent?” the former Camp Nou coach told Catalunya Radio.

“I’d tell Tito to look after himself. He’s not as strong and experienced as Pep Guardiola.

He has a massive problem in the form of his illness and his

charge of Real Madrid and the Dutchman was not impressed with the flamboyant coach’s contribution.

“With the behavior he showed nothing could be done really. If you start a fight with your best player, that’s not right. I think he went too far. He’s not guilty just right now, but has been for two or three years. He’s not done Madrid any favours.”

Mourinho will leave Madrid this summer after three years in charge of the Santiago Bernabeu side.

Guardiola wanted Neymar at Bayern, Hoeness reveals AYERN Munich President, B Uli Hoeness has revealed that Pep Guardiola asked the

Dream the Blues player, Jeb Mallam of SOS Village, Abuja dribbles past a pole as Dream the Blue Ambassador, Chelsea’s Fernando Torres watches during a training/mentoring session at the Chelsea Training facility in London

club to sign Neymar prior to the Bundesliga champion’s move to sign Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund.

The former Barcelona coach was keen to recruit the 21-yearold Brazilian, who is now poised to complete a 28 million euro move to Camp Nou, but the newly-crowned European champion club felt Gotze was a safer option given the team’s previous record with signing Selecao starlets.

SPORTS 75

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

‘How we plan to reposition Nigerian table tennis’ Wahid Oshodi has never hidden his love for table tennis, a game he served for over a decade as the chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA). During this period as the LSTTA boss, many companies willingly came forward to bankroll several tournaments put together by the association. His leadership midwifed so many competitions, including the biggest money-spinning tournament in the country— the Procold Championship. For the first time in the history of the National Sports Festival, Lagos State won majority of the medals at stake in the table tennis event at the 2012 festival hosted by the state, with Oshodi as the state Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development.

Recently, Oshodi was elected as the president of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), a development seen by many as the beginning of the new lease of life for table tennis. Fielding questions from OLALEKAN OKUSAN, the lawyer/sports administrator, said Nigeria would regain its position among the comity of table tennis playing nations. He, however, posits that corporate bodies and well-to-do individuals should join hands with government to grow the country’s sports sector. Excerpts: HAT inspired you to conW test for NTTF presidential election?

There was a lot of pressure from stakeholders, who felt that based on the good work we had done in table tennis in Lagos State over the years, that I probably could assist in transforming the game and bringing the necessary change to the national team, which has lost its place among the top table tennis playing nations of the world.

The support of many credible people and their pledges to support the game as well as the persistence of many of the country’s top players made it very difficult for me to refuse to run for the position. The challenge is one that we hope that the team we have in the Federation now will overcome.

How do you intend to lift table tennis?

As I have previously said, the first step will be to go back to our youth development programmes. There is undoubtedly so much talent in a country the size of Nigeria. We now have to go back to some tried and tested methods to enable us discover the abundant talents at a much younger age so we can harness them quickly and get our top coaches working with these players.

We also have to provide tables and other equipment to enable the young children in our schools play. We will be working through the members of the federations from the six zones and the state coaches in the various states

Oshodi

to get to the schools all over the country. We have to stage more competitions at the state, zonal and national levels.

This will help our coaches see the players and assess those players who have that extra talent that will take them to the top of the game.

There has to be greater coordination between the state associations and the federation. Luckily, having served at all levels of administration of the game I know the type of problems the associations and the clubs face. We have to work very hard to enable table tennis regain its glory.

Coaching is one of the problems bedeviling the game, what are your plans to improve on this?

Our coaches have been the subjects of criticism and I think this is very unfair. Our coaches are working under very sad conditions. Most of them get their National Institute for Sports (NIS) certificates and thereafter, we do not assist them to further their knowledge and catch up with modern techniques. We cannot blame people that we have not equipped to do their work.

We have to improve the lot of the coaches and ensure that they are constantly being retrained.

I have already mandated the Federation’s Chief Coach, Nosiru Bello, to come up with necessary international courses to improve the lot of our coaches. We must also tap into the experience of some of our more experienced coaches with regards to training the

Portugal-based Aruna Quadri…one of the players that emerged through the Procold Championship. Quadri made his debut at the 2012 London Olympics where he made it to the second round causing one of the upsets in the first round in London

I had realised that government alone cannot adequately fund sports with the resources at its disposal. Consequently, I have always actively sought partnerships with the organised private sector and generous hearted individuals who appreciate the part sports can play in the development and growth of these young athletes. younger ones. We also have to encourage some of our top professionals, who are coming to the end of their careers, to pass on the knowledge they have garnered over the years to the upcoming coaches.

We have some talented young coaches and we must also assist them to develop. To this end, I must commend the developmental work being done by some of our young coaches like Dotun Omoniyi, Samson Ajayi and Razaq Hamzat, among others. They must be encouraged and I am assured that the chief coach working with the ATTF and ITTF will be doing his utmost to continue to encourage this young coaches.

Fund is key, how do you intend to raise fund to prosecute all the federations’ programmes?

I think the issue of funding of sports is quite key to why so many people supported my candidacy. As far back as 2000 as a board member of Lagos State Sports Council and chairman, Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA), I had realised that government alone cannot adequately fund sports with the resources at its disposal.

Consequently I have always actively sought partnerships with the organised private sector and generous hearted individuals, who appreciate the part sports can play in the development and growth of these young athletes. We have started actively engaging the

private sector and we are quite hopeful that in the next couple of months we will be announcing long-term partnerships that will support the growth of the game.

Funding is not only in monetary terms. We are looking at media partnerships, and partnerships in kind. We are looking at all areas that can help the growth of the game. We have a lot of work to do to enable us catch up with the world. We must give our players the right equipment by providing tables and allowances for our top players. We need to stage international competitions here in Nigeria so that our players can test themselves against the best in Africa, the Commonwealth and the world. All these will cost money but we are quietly confident that with the plans we have we can successfully attract partnerships for the good of the game.

How do you intend to woo back sponsors and fans to the game?

I have stated in the past that it is futile to believe that you can attract sponsors without giving them commensurate benefits for the money they spend. Sponsors are in main business people and they have their eyes on things that will enhance their sales. We must attract sufficient publicity for our sponsors.

We must package our competitions in ways that will show off our sponsors in the

best light. We must give our sponsors the option of using our top international players to affiliate and promote their products. In doing this we must also ensure transparency and accountability in our dealings with them.

This is a reputation that we have built working with our sponsors over the years and we must continue to account for all funds we receive and direct the funds to purposes for which they are meant.

We must also engage the state governments for whatever assistance they can give us. I must commend the Cross River State governor for all the support extended to the Federation through our Vice President, Orok Duke. And of course my Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola. It is this type of invaluable support we will be actively seeking as it enables us to expose our players to international tournaments, which are key to their development.

How would Nigeria halt Egypt’s dominance in Africa?

I have said many times that in any sphere of life, for you to get to the top legitimately you must be innovative and work very hard.

Firstly, we must strengthen our developmental programmes, empower our coaches and equip our players properly. We must also see how we can assist our top players. But I think importantly we must focus on three things.

Improvement of our discovery

programmes to enable us get our talents at a much earlier age, improvement of our coaches’ knowledge and early exposure of our best young talents to international competitions.

Egypt has been working very hard for many years with the best equipment, but I am sure that with hard work and our talent pool we can regain our number one position in Africa.

I am very excited by some of the talent in our cadet category. Young Tosin Oribamise from Ekiti State is the brightest talent I have seen in many years in table tennis since the great Bose Kaffo. With the right coaching in place I believe she is a future African Champion. It is talents like hers that encourages me to do the work I do in table tennis.

The work we do in the next one year will bear us out at the next All Africa Games. I believe that if we can combine the experience of some of our players like Toriola, Offiong, Oshonaike and the youthful dynamism of Quadri, Ajetunmobi and the excellent skills of young Ojo Onaolapo coupled with some other brighter talents we can regain our place. But you must note that Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and countries like South Africa are not relaxing.

We must train better and we must attend international competitions. Our players must get the Pro Circuit so that they can test themselves against the best. You will recall that it was when we sponsored Quadri on the pro tour that he managed to secure a good professional contract in Portugal. We must find ways to get our best players on the tour.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

76 SPORTS

Govt is encouraging corruption in sports, says Gombe From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja ORMER Chairman of Gombe State Football Association, FShuaib Gara Gombe has accused the Federal Government of encouraging corruption among sports administrators through their deliberate delay in releasing funds to the sports sector.

Gombe, who revealed how he bailed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) out of cash drought during the last African Cup of Nations, regretted that the late release of fund to the NFF and other sports federations encourages the administrators to borrow money to prosecute championships, adding that they could in turn do some phony deals in the process of borrowing the money without explanation to anybody.

Gombe urged the Federal Government to increase its yearly subventions to the sports sector, noting that the continuously poor funding of sports has forced the administrators to take to borrowing and in the process corruptly enrich themselves.

“If there were no adequate preparations and the required fund was not released on time, there is no amount of prayers that could save the team. We should not forget that other teams also pray to the same God. We must do the right thing at the right time,” he noted.

Defending his new romance

with the federation, Gombe revealed how his intervention saved Nigeria from the South African High Commission’s embarrassing denial of visas to the Nigerian contingent to the 2013 AFCON, adding that he also had to lend $60,000 to the federation to settle the contingent’s accommodation.

Gombe said, “when they were going for the Nations Cup, they budgeted about N1.4 billion and out of the total sum, N900 million was approved to them. But what eventually got to them was not even up to the amount approved for them.

“Out of the N700 million that got to them, four days to their departure to the tournament, the federation was yet to receive a dime of that money.

“I have been avoiding to say it, but let me tell you that as at the time they were about to leave for the Nations Cup, apart from

the team officially accredited and given accommodation by CAF, the other stakeholders going to South Africa were denied visas by the South Africa High Commission. They insisted that the federation must bring a fully paid hotel reservation for the contingent.

“But because they didn’t have money to pay, I assisted them with $30,000, which I deposited in a hotel to get the clearance letter to the South Africa High Commission. We worked very hard to get the letter across to them in the midnight.

They also said that before the continent arrived in South Africa, the balance of that money must be paid. I had to raise another $30,000 to pay, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to secure accommodation. It took them up to our third match before I could get the refund of my money.

Athletes compete in the men’s 800metre event of the 18th National Sports Festival held at Teslim Balogun Stadium.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

IBB Golf Club educates members on pension matters From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja

Amoo embarks on refresher course in U. S. S part of efforts to get A acquainted with latest techniques in coaching, Super Eagles former Assistant Coach, Fatai Amoo, will be embarking on a refresher course in United States.

According to the erstwhile 3SC gaffer, there was need for coaches to acquire more knowledge in the ever-changing world of football and it is on this premise that he

would be taking part in the training course in U.S. Amoo, a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), added that the trip would afford him the opportunity to rub minds with some of the top coaches in the world.

NSCAA, which is the world’s largest coaches body, organises regular training for coaches drawn all over the

an effort geared towards Ia Nensuring that members live decent life after retirement, the leadership of the IBB International Golf and Country Club, in conjunction with the Nigeria Pension Commission, recently organised a workshop to educate its members on the need to operate a good pension scheme.

The workshop, which featured the Acting Director General of the Nigeria Pensions Commission (NPC),

who was represented by Farouk Aminu of the NPC, witnessed a number of club members praising the new leadership of he club for organising the lecture, noting that it would help in shaping the future of members.

Aminu in his lecture with the theme, Pension Administration in Nigeria in the 21st century: Gains, Challenges, and Prospects, took members on the importance of the scheme, noting that the public sector operated Defined Benefit Pension

Scheme (DB) was unfounded.

He said the scheme was marred with weak, inefficient and poor management, which according to him, leads to financial mismanagement, as well as painful and endless annual physical verifications with lack of timely payments.

He regretted that the private sector has been running a pension scheme filled with low coverage and compliance, which, he noted, has left most workers with an inadequate and low retirement benefits.

THE GUARDIAN, Thursday, May 30, 2013

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TheGuardian

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Omozuwa Gabriel Osamwonyi is an airy-fairly concept to many Lis inEADERSHIP Nigerians. We are not lexically impoverished, it our vocabulary. However, I suspect that if we were to go to the streets and ask people to define leadership, it will trigger a definitional crisis, which will reflect our pervasive anti-establishment and sectarian sentiments. By the way, do you think some of our “leaders” can logically define leadership? Haven’t their actions and inactions distorted the meaning of leadership?

I like Donald T. Phillips’ simple definition of leadership: “Leadership is leaders acting - as well as caring, inspiring and persuading others to act for certain shared goals that represent values - the wants and needs, the aspiration and expectations - of themselves and the people they represent. And the genius of leadership lies in the manner in which leaders care about, visualise, and act own their own and their followers’ values and motivations.” It is evident that the practice of leadership in our clime is quite contradictory to the spirit of this definition.

The eminent storyteller and torchbearer of African worldview, the late Prof. Chinua Achebe posited with magisterial finality and I quote him: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” It is instructive to note that the popularity and verity of this statement have not dwindled, 30 years after it was articulated.

Rather, its factual merits are daily heightened by the tragicomedies of the “rise and fall” of shady politicians, which predominate our news media.

The peculiarities of our not-so-inspiring sociopolitical evolution fairly account for our growing unfamiliarity with the essence and practice of leadership. Arguably, our national annals lack the glamour of genuinely altruistic, caring and action-oriented leaders like Mahatma K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, who were solely preoccupied with the possibilities of enriching human life with dignity and freedom from fear and want. Sadly, it is rife with stories of leaders who are presumably political cousins of Pol Pot. Perhaps, this explains why some Nigerians see the late General Sani Abacha as a metaphor of leadership, regrettably, even in a post-dictatorial era. It may also explain why corruption is now associated with leadership.

Many who have unthinkingly accepted straitjacketed views of political leadership; often argue that malevolent self-centredness is a basic leadership trait. Similarly, some enlightened compatriots say that only dragon-bred capitalists excel in political leadership, which seems to be the most viable money-spinning enterprise in today’s Nigeria. Very often, like unschooled dogmatists, they vehemently support their postulations by claiming that our leaders brazenly violate all known codes of good governance in order to amass huge wealth for themselves and cronies.

This is largely true. But it is redutionistic to conceptualise or define leadership by our sad experiences.

Our persistent leadership dilemma reveals that a skewed paradigm, which subordinates national interest to self-interests strips leadership of its integrity; undermines its legitimacy, distorts its core meaning and under-develops society. To reiterate our episodic near state-dissolving experiences triggered by predatory rulers will defeat the

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Revitalising Nigeria’s atrophic leadership objective of this piece. It suffices to say that at this point in our collective struggle for a better Nigeria, it is vital that we evolve a new leadership culture.

Rethinking leadership is the first step to revitalising it. If we collectively understand the essence of leadership, it will foster a culture of political accountability, civil vigilance and reduce the insidious spread of corruption within the body politic. I am under the impression that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua extensively thought about the crisis in Nigeria’s cockpit and the way forward. Hence, he became an apostle of servant leadership and the rule of law. Given his aristocratic credentials; he could have conveniently maintained elite-centric style of governance, which is the bane of Nigeria’s underdevelopment. But he did not. Seemingly, he was aware that “the great man theory” is dated and incapable of transforming our poverty-ravished society to a socioeconomic Eden.

For our democracy to become a driver of propeople economic development, servant-leaders who uphold the principles of collective leadership and mass participation in governance must arise. Such leaders will not only put others first, they will also promote national interest above self-interest. They will ensure good governance is real in Nigeria. Nigerians are yearning for altruistic visionary leaders with expertise in forging alliances and building institutional capacity for effective public service delivery.

The centrality of a hybrid model of need-based and result-oriented leadership in nation building is unquestionable. Anything less will prevent leadership from enjoying popular support. This is truer when it presents itself to followership as an exclusive elite club of limitless privileges and perks. Assumedly our collective sub-optimal performances are attributable to this. Hence, the need to groom leaders adept at seeing into the future and driven by the awareness that leadership is a working party responsible for the ever-increasing wellbeing of the state and society, as opposed to people-pauperising elite banditry.

Nigeria is not becoming the weak giant of

Africa, because she lacks sound development plans and policies but due to lack of political will for effective implementation. Our numerous abandoned projects, policy reversals and almost freewheeling economy attest to this. To reverse this, we need to infuse unblinking optimism and boundless energies into emerging leaders and ensure they rise above sectarian sentiments that cause undue termination of viable national projects. These architects of national transformation must have foresight and iron will that outflank the antics of ethno-religious overlords.

The mantra “Government knows best” has outlived its usefulness. Therefore, leadership must practically give meaning to the sayings: “The people know best” and “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” That is, they should truly demonstrate that “sovereignty belongs to the people.” This resonates with progressives across our spectrum of political thoughts, at least, theoretically. For it to gain practical significance we must conceptualise leadership as relationship; a conjoint social enterprise hinged on mutual trust. This will speedily entrench the ideals of socioeconomic justice, which are the foundation of veritable societies.

Relational leadership cannot thrive without viable leader-to-follower platforms of honest communication. History shows that transformational leadership is an interactive process, not a one-way flow of directives typical of “command and control” model. Therefore, religious institutions, civic centres of illumination and political groups must begin to accentuate the imperatives of “collaborate and connect” model of leadership. Leaders become gracious determiners of their followers’ wellbeing when due consultations precede policy formulation. In this regard, we must revitalise the public space and promote face-to-face encounters between leaders and followers. Town Hall meetings must be a permanent feature of our democracy.

Not merely a crisis mitigation measure or a voteseeking activity.

Relational leadership will remain elusive as long as the political class does not shift from competitive to cooperative mould. If leaders become harebrained mudslingers they exacer-

bate ethno-religious fault lines in the polity. The rising spate of violence in Nigeria largely results from their internal wrangling. In fact, their homicidal struggles for control of state resources have weakened the wheels of justice. Imagine the benefits of cessation of violence in Nigeria: one, an enabling environment for the industrialisation of our moribund monolithic economy will be created; two, the sanctity of the human life will be restored.

Nigerians generally think that the ruling class is not entirely patriotic. In fact, some frontline leaders do not love Nigeria as much as they love their tribes and social networks. This constitutes a clog in the wheels of progress. The next chapter of Nigeria’s development history can only be opened by pan-Nigerian leaders with pioneering spirit, who esteem reason over ethno-religious passion and temperance over both. Leaders who are conscious of the words of G.K Chesterton: “Men did not love Rome because she was great: She was great because they love her.” Some of our leaders are predatory; because, they think to love Nigeria is to dig their political grave. Don’t they openly refer to Nigeria as mere accidental geographical entity?

Self-conquest and unalloyed love for Nigeria should be vital preconditions for leadership. No one is truly qualified to lead who has not made helping others her prime purpose in life. True leaders are helpers. We should redefine leadership as the practice of helping others to transcend limitations and live their best possible life in a tranquil social state.

It is worth reiterating that leadership is a skill.

Skilled leaders are remarkably insightful and decisive. They get things done quickly. This is, because their thought process is hardly turbid. They know the actual needs of society and how to meet them with exemplary deftness. Hence, as a nation we must prize prescience and know-how. Political actors who habitually focus on rear-view mirrors cannot lead Nigeria to greatness. We pine in misery because sectarian overlords enshroud avenues to national rebirth in the spectres of our history.

We can all play a role to end the crisis in Nigeria’s cockpit. If we aspire to be ethical pilots in our homes, schools, churches, mosques, workplaces and political bodies, Nigeria will no longer be a metaphor of darkness, but a determiner of global economic development.

We should stop seeing leadership from a limited viewpoint that excludes us from its practice. The President, the Vice President, the Senate President, state governors, local government chairpersons and so forth are not the only leaders in Nigeria.

You and I are leaders. We have enormous capacities to transform our nation, even if our stations in life are obscure. Nobody should play the possum, because she is in the sideline.

We can all push for a down-top approach to revitalise Nigeria’s leadership. That means even as followers, we should embody the values of great leaders. Values are contagious. If you and I imbibe the principles of transformational leadership, before long, there will be a contagion of best practices in all spheres of our national life. Let’s stop cursing agents of darkness. Let’s start illuminating our moral environment. Let’s become agents of noble values transmission. By so doing, leadership will cease to be an airy-fairy concept to many Nigerians.

Padding our symptoms in the name of patriotism

By Onukwube Nwabufo MEDICAL doctor will always prescribe medications for his patient based on the descripA tion of the symptom by the patient. So, when a severely-sick person while describing the symptoms, pads it and makes it look mild, the doctor will, of course, prescribe mild medications for him. The medication ends up being ineffectual on the sick, hence the individual continues ailing.

Nigeria’s case is not different. The country’s sickness is so severe that the signs are there for all to see. Yet, most Nigerians especially those that have free access to the national treasury, paints the symptoms in a colourful coating. They tuck in the signs in a rich girdle, the exact way ladies with protruding bellies do so they can fit into a tight gown or blouse. The justification of the ills of Nigeria especially on international platforms is a major reason while her problems persist.

The Nigerian political elite, especially those with government portfolios, are very fond of defending the failures of Nigeria on any platform. They make the problems look as if they are not man-made –- ineptitude, irresponsibility, incompetence and short-sightedness. But if the problems arose from a natural cause then the situation could not have been reversed regardless of efforts that may have been put in. The defenders of our failure are quick to say that the problems Nigeria face are not unusual for a develop-

ing country, yet some countries attained very impressive development from mid-20th century to the present day. Hiding the severe problems of Nigeria is never patriotic no matter the approach. It is patronising and a cheap display of foolery. The patriotic passion of Americans is un-diluted and could be exasperating. Yet, they (including those with government portfolios) do not justify the reduced quality of their economy and blame it on recession at any platform. Despite their patriotic fervor they would not consider the state of their

economy fair in comparative to other European countries that have lost track of theirs; Americans just want their problems solved, period! Justification of Nigerian problems by Nigerians makes the problems sound normal.

Anything normal, overtime, becomes a culture.

Nigeria has a lot to learn from countries ahead of which she once was. Discovery of oil in Dubai did not liberate the emirate from poverty.

Judicious spending, wise investment and visionary leadership did. Chinese economy is the second largest in the world with potentials

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of overtaking the first. Singapore has made a fortune out of nothing. Her story is like that of a pauper who carved a niche in life through hard work, determination and discipline. Singapore is home to the best airport in the world. I need not mention the medical wonders of India. The achievements of these countries are not by a stroke of luck or some miracle. It is simply commitment and selfless leadership.

Will it take Nigeria the number of years the Biblical Methuselah spent on earth to make a meaningful headway? For how long will Nigerian leaders continue to give excuses with the ills of other countries but ignore their stupendous, indeed colossal, achievements? The truth is; Nigeria can be turned into a five-star country with just a snap of the fingers. After all, the medication to her sickness is not far-fetched.

Our leaders do not need rocket science to provide basic infrastructure, primary healthcare and employment. Neither do they need special intervention from planet Jupiter to alleviate poverty or corruption. Commitment and selfless leadership are just enough.

Wallowing in self-deception by some Nigerians in the guise of patriotism with the defence of the failures of Nigeria as something usual and normal is reprehensible and mournful. Such display is derogatory to the image of Nigeria, shows acceptance of her immaturity and her unpreparedness for growth.

• Nwabufo lives in Lagos.