Tue 06 May 2014

Lagos ex-governor, Otedola, dies at 87

By Tope Templer Olaiya, Seye Olumide and Wole Oyebade FTER about five years battle with stroke-related ailment, former Governor of Lagos State, Sir Michael Otedola, died yesterday at the age of 87.

His wife, Lady Doja Otedola, who confirmed the death on

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• Assembly, PDP, Ashafa, Babatope, others mourn behalf of the family, said the former governor’s funeral arrangements would soon be announced.

Meanwhile, a deluge of tributes has continued to pour in for the late Otedola as eminent Nigerians yesterday

took turn to eulogise him.

The Lagos State House of Assembly, at its plenary yesterday, observed a minute silence as they prayed for repose of his soul.

According to the House, Otedola would be remembered for his renowned con-

tributions to the growth of the state.

Spokesperson for the House, Segun Olulade, said the Epeborn media guru, politician, industrialist and elder statesman played significant role in the establishment of Epe Campus of the Yaba College

of Technology, among other achievements within his short-lived (1992 and 1993) tenure as governor.

“As his name implies, fate played critical role in his ascension to greatness and the entire people of Epe has lost one of their illustrious sons.”

Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Lands

and Urban Development, Gbenga Ashafa, who is representing Lagos East, the same zone with the deceased, expressed shock over the death. Ashafa, in his condolence message, said that the former governor was an elder statesman who served LaCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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Nigerians rue poor DStv signal delivery • Rain fade, a universal experience, says MultiChoice

By Kabir Alabi Garba and Adeyemi Adepetun ITH the World Cup soccer W tournament coming up soon, Nigerians who expect to watch matches live in Brazil from the comfort of their homes are apprehensive over expected epileptic signals from the pay-TV service provider, DStv. The World Cup is expected to start in June, when rainy season would be at its peak, coupled with accompanying thunderstorm.

These twin-elements have proven an Achilles hills for the pay television company, which is well positioned through its SuperSports channels to beam all the matches live to Nigerians.

This digital television service is being offered on both KU and C bands.

According to experts, the Ku frequency is designated solely for communications use via CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Nigerians mourn Justice Oputa - Page 6 Toyin Saraki, Isha Sesay, others pledge to inspire next generation of women - Page 7

Three Dutch nationals kidnapped in Bayelsa - Page 8 Stories on Ekiti Governorship Election - Page 90

Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta in Nigeria for the World Economic Forum (WEF) (middle), with his host, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience at the State House in Abuja … yesterday.

PHOTO STATE HOUSE

Abandoned pact fuels insecurity in Nigeria

By Oghogho Obayuwana, Foreign Affairs Editor STRONG indication has A emerged that the escalating security challenge confronting Nigeria may be traceable to the jettisoning of a 30-year old framework for neighbourhood security cooperation.

The quadripartite agreement among the Republic of Benin, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria signed in December 1984, was meant in part to deal with security challenges that may arise from countries sharing common borders which on that account, might be vulnerable to external destabilising forces as a result of the desire for co-prosperity

through integration.

Instead of Nigeria with a history of porous borders to extend the mechanism to countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroun, it curiously allowed the promising security co-operation format to go moribund.

Today, according to senior diplomats and a high level source at the Nigerian external security system, Nigeria is paying the price through unprecedented carnage and a precipitated heavy death inflicted by terrorist groups as well as insurgents.

Regional experts had consistently averred that as Nigeria steps up its crackdown on terrorist organisations that is fast turning the country into

an operational base, they may have to look more critically at the countries lying on the northern and north eastern belt of Nigeria, where an attempt at revamping bilateral security agreements appear to be coming late by the day after a multilateral approach had failed.

As a security watch-tower, the quadripartite agreement was meant to co-ordinate a common peace and security architecture, entrench legal co-operation in the fight against transborder crimes as well as facilitate the apprehension and trial of fugitive offenders in the territory of member-states, among others.

On the apparent “failure” of

a pure domestic approach, the source lamented a dearth of synergy between the security wings, saying: “Your internal security is a foreign policy tool. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the focal point for foreign policy. As it is now, there is no synergy between our foreign policy on one hand and the political, economic and security sectors of the economy. What is needed today is a mechanism to bring foreign policy, security policy and economic policy together.”

Agreeing that from all indications, Nigeria now needs to be a central element, not an outliner in efforts to improve security in and around its crest and borders, the source

added: “Even the cost benefit analyses had been beneficial to all parties. It contained needed technical assistance in both peace-keeping and peace-making. Today, we are talking of hot pursuit. Hot pursuit would not have been the recourse if we had built on mastering our well-thoughtout security co-operation effectively. For hot pursuit to yield fruits, there must be agreement, a workable, measurable, and implementable agreement with our neighbours”, the source added.

An executive summary of a policy document on the failed regional security co-operation made available to The CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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2 Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Rain fade, a universal experience, says MultiChoice CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 satellite. Typically, the Ku band operates at a higher frequency (11.7 - 12.2Ghz) for downlinks and (14.0 - 14.5Ghz) for uplinks.

This higher frequency produces a signal with a shorter wavelength.

The C band on the other hand operates at a much lower frequency (3.7 - 4.2 Ghz) for downlinks and (5.9 - 6.4Ghz) for uplinks offering a wider coverage area.

There are however, claims in some quarters that MultiChoice, the parent company of DStv deploys C band frequency, which is believed to offer stronger signal capacity than the KU band in South Africa, the home country of the company.

MultiChoice has however, denied this claim, insisting that the South African firm never uses C band in any of its African markets.

Indeed, some subscribers who spoke to The Guardian are very apprenhensive and have called on the regulatory agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to intervene.

A Lagos-based physician, Semiu Lawal, who resides at Iponri area of the metropolis, noted that apart from scrambling of signals, especially du-

ring rainfall, he stressed that the pay-tv company would need to do more in terms of prompt customer service delivery.

Recounting his recent ordeal, Lawal said on February 22, he had renewed its subscription through the quickteller platform, “you won’t believe that I was not reconnected until two days later. They kept telling me it had been done, even when the signal was yet to come up.

“My worry is those lost two days, how do I get compensated? I think the regulator should do some thing about this impunity,” he stated.

For Eze Izuchukwu, his grouse with MultiChoice was that his line was disconnected before due date. Besides, he is anxious to get an uninterrupted service during the World Cup, stressing that football has been a unifying factor in Nigeria.

According to him, “I renew every three months on the premium bouque, but it was dishertnening that I was disconnected before my due date. It was very embarrassing.

Though, they later apologized, saying it was computer error.

How long are we going to continue with all these.”

A subscriber in Calabar, Okon Itang said the challenge has always been scrambling of signals, saying that during a

recent rainfall in the city, there was signal loss for about one hour.

Itang stressed that a ‘Pay As You Go’ service as witnessed in the telecommunications sector would do a lot to assuage the pains of subscibers.

“Through this means, you won’t pay for any service that you didn’t watch or want,” he stated.

Reacting to some of these allegations in an interview with The Guardian, the Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, who spoke through the firm’s PR Manager, Caroline Oghuma said there has been some misconceptions about DStv mode of transmission.

Ugbe said signal interruption during heavy rainfall is not unique to DStv, stressing that satellite operators all over face this same challenge.

“As we have no control over the rains during live broadcast of the World Cup matches, we would advise that you pick up our Explora decoder for uninterrupted viewing experience.

It is worth mentioning though, that our GOtv and DStv Mobile platforms do not experience the same levels of rain fade. In addition, SuperSports will re-broadcast most of the World Cup matches to maximize viewing opportuni-

ties.”

While debunking the claim that DStv experience is better in South Africa than in Nigeria, Ugbe said such claims are very much untrue.

He explained that satellite signals experience rain fade throughout the continent, however signal interruptions are not experienced during light rain or drizzle, stressing that unless a city is experiencing torrential rain which is more frequent here in Nigeria, the same levels of interruption are experienced.

According to him, KU Band is used across the continent and is recognized as the standard for Direct to Home satellite digital transmissions world wide.

On the alleged disparity in the deployment of KU Band in Nigeria and C Band in South Africa, Ugbe said, “we do not have any C Band coverage over Africa for our Direct to Home platforms, we only use Ku-Band for all of our DStv platforms in Africa and South Africa.”

On the agitation for a Pay As You Go mode of service, the MultiChoice boss said contrary to popular belief, pay as you go service, or pay per view is actually more expensive than the current monthly subscription system that is in operation in Nigeria.

How abandoned pact with neighbours fuels insecurity in Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Guardian also suggests that Nigeria ought to have been advancing and building on the capacity of the older security co-operative frame-work instead of appearing now to be finding tricky security compass upon being assailed by the dreaded insurgents such as Boko Haram.

It said: “ Nigeria also had a relatively more permanent interministerial task force on Chad which mandate was later extended to include relations with Cameroun. Unfortunately, the inter-ministerial committees were ad-hoc in nature, operated mainly at the level of officials and hardly enjoyed the participation of more than one minister at a time. There was the National Defence and Security Council.... now, a new permanent and inter-ministerial council should be established as an effective link between general foreign policy concerns, security and international economic interests.”

Apart from the resuscitation of the security co-operation detailing joint border patrols with Niger Republic and Chad, the Federal Government had last year activated the NigeriaCameroun Trans-border Security Committee.

There already exists a NigeriaCameroun mixed Commission following the October 2002 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which gave sovereignty of oilrich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun.

Before Nigeria virtually closed down her borders with Cameroun this year over complicity in the fight against terrorism and trans-border crimes, it was explained then that Nigeria was hoping to engage the security committee as part of its desire to take neighbourhood diplomacy to a commanding height.

But the ominous silence from Nigeria’s neighbours on security co-operation with Nigeria has not changed significantly despite the whistles by the media.

The curious silence verged more on the unwillingness of the countries’ missions in Nigeria to open up on progress (not on strategies) being made by their own side, if any. Whereas, intelligence reports continue to point the way of Nigeria’s neighbours as places harbouring cells linked with distant terrorist organisations whose trans-national modus operandi makes a peer review of collaborative efforts by countries affected by their activities, imperative.

About 3,000 people have died by the swords of insurgents, including Boko Haram in Nigeria since 2009. This year alone, the figures have been mind-boggling. There are fears that another pattern of killing of foreign nationals and hostages by insurgents in Nigeria might lead to a strain in the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and certain Western countries.

Nigeria, has long, poorly demarcated and porous borders with its immediate neighbours: Benin Republic - (773 kilometres), Niger Republic (1,500 kilometres), Chad (87,000) and Cameroun - (1,700 kilometres). To compound the problem, well-established ethnic and religious affinities between Nigeria and these neighbours tend to make the war on terror even more difficult, as nondescript nationalities suitably and inconstantly claim to be Nigerian citizens, move back and forth along these common international frontiers freely.

Speaking with The Guardian on what Nigeria should be doing with its immediate neighbours in the fight against terrorism, renowned diplomat and former Nigerian envoy to Venezuela, Ambassador Ayo Adeniran, said: “It is good that

the Federal Government has not hesitated to go into partnership with countries that are believed to add appreciable value to its programmes in diverse areas such as: investment, infrastructure, and above all, in its war on terror... But given the porous nature of our inherited colonial borders, there is also the need today for closer co-operation beyond our immediate neighbours, among the 15 ECOWAS states on the war both for deterrence sake and also for the security insulation of Nigeria as the war rages.”

Adeniran also called for the “operationalisation of the relevant instruments for security bilateral co-operation with our immediate neighbours.

International relations expert, Dr. Nwangu Okeimiri, also told The Guardian that a periodic review of the effectiveness of the joint security arrangement between Nigeria and her neighbours have become imperative in view of the alleged presence of moles within the security apparatus of both Nigeria and the neighbours in question.

He said: “There is a need for periodic review of the collaborative instruments. Only such diligently carried out reviews could enhance border security and checks in preventing transnational crimes such as human and drug trafficking apart from the proliferation of small arms and light weapons...

It must be emphasised now that it is in line with unavoidable reality that our security agencies must continue to seek strategic partnerships with our sub-regional neighbours in West Africa. This will discourage or make it difficult for terrorists to use their territories as launch pads for attacks on Nigeria or retreat to after launching terrorist attacks.”

Among Nigeria’s four immediate neighbours, Niger has the longest border stretch. Nigeria and Niger have a joint commission for economic co-operation as well as a collaborative co-op-

eration on security.

At the end of last Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission meeting, the Secretary-General of Co-operation Establishment, Ambassador Abubakar Abdlujalil-Sulaiman, appealed to the authorities in both countries to develop the political will to drive the process of collaboration further.

Before more recent killings and bombings resurfaced, the link between Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Al-shahab in the Arabian peninsula and Somalia had been established since Al-Qaeda publicly identified Boko Haram as an organisation it can do business with.

Today, bombings around the country, including in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and kidnappings are fast forcing previously sceptical observers to accept evidence pointing to Boko Haram’s increasing sophistication as against perceived slack methods by the military. There are suggestions of possible foreign training; it is also displaying increasing tactical nuance, crafting political messages to accompany its high profile attacks.

The worry among diplomatic watchers is that international co-operation efforts are increasingly driving Al-Qaeda and terrorist elements southwards and making them concentrate or increase their conglomeration on the borders of the northern states of Nigeria, waiting and willing to be employed or paid for bombing and destabilisation activities.

Another worry is the fact that Nigeria has to find a way of working with terror-prone states in West Africa like Mauritania.

In December 2000, Mauritania formally withdrew from the fold of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and has no public affairs diplomatic presence in Nigeria.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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4 NEWS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

ASUU faults national conference From Karls Tsokar and Kanayo Umeh, Abuja ESPITE hopes that the NaD tional Conference would bring a desired turnaround for the nation, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has labelled it as “dubious in intent”.

The union said that the National Conference is “a dialogue on an agenda by a coalition of the government and some sections of the ruling class coalition to achieve an undisclosed agenda.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, disclosed this at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Devolution of Power at the ongoing national conference yesterday turned down a request by Labour leaders to migrate labour matters from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.

The chairman of the committee, Obong Victor Attah, made this known yesterday during the adoption of vote and proceedings of the committee.

Wondering why labour unions, while agitating for selfish reasons always use the

instrumentality of strike actions to shut down the running of the country, Attah said Labour does not consider the far-reaching and economic implications on the wider segments of the society.

According Fagge: “As a union of intellectuals, ASUU cannot afford to fold its arms and look while our unity as a nation is being threatened, our peaceful co-existence being gradually decimated and our collective security and rights, as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria being violated with impunity.

He said that the National Conference was conceived without a democratic national debate, and affirmation through legitimately procedure in the democratic political institutions of the country.

“Its conception was arbitrary, its executors handpicked and its execution tele-guided to attain the goals of its originators. The conference that emerged is dominated by representa-

• Criticises use of teargas on ASUP and COESU members • Panel rejects request to migrate labour matters tives of political-militarybusiness wigs of the selfsame groups/class that have created and sustained the political and economic crises suffered by our country and its people, with participation of “representative” of dominated groups”, he added.

Speaking on the unprovoked attack on the protest-

ing ASUP and COESU members in Abuja, he criticised the Nigerian police for using teargas and water to disrupt the peaceful protest of the unions.

He said: “ASUU therefore called on the government to urgently address and resolve issues involved in the ASUP and COESU strikes in the in-

terest of the Nigerian people and the development of sustainable education.”

Meanwhile, a delegate from the academia, Prof. Nsongurua Udombana, questioned why ASUU goes on strike shutting down all universities when the disparity between state and federal universities are clear.

He said it was meaningless when state universities had to shut down over wage issues between university

teachers employed by the Federal Government, saying: “Does the Federal Government legislate for state universities?”

While addressing the committee last week, President of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, said the decision is against the interest of Nigerian workers. He appealed to the committee to reconsider its decision on the Labour issue and revert it to the exclusive legislative list.

Court admits Cynthia Osokogu’s pictures as exhibits

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo GRAPHIC evidence was A yesterday presented before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere by the prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of alleged murder of Cynthia Osokogu.

Also at the resumed hearing of the matter, the trial judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade, admitted pictures showing Cynthia’s naked body with her mouth cello-taped, her international passport placed on her chest and another showing a close-up shot of her private part as evidence.

The prosecution witness, Sergeant John Babalola, had at the proceeding presented a laptop containing obscene pictures of the deceased.

In his evidence-in-chief led by the Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, the prosecution second witness (PW2), Babalola, told the court that the said pictures were sent by the 1st defendant (Nwabufo) from his Blackberry phone to his laptop.

He said: “After we discovered the pictures, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dan Okoro, the Area Commander, asked that additional statements should be made based on the pictures.”

PW2 further told court that himself and his team followed the 1st defendant to his house in FESTAC and recovered the said laptop, phones and various network SIM cards.

According to him: “On that

same date, the 1st defendant was asked to open the laptop, which he carried by himself to the Area Commander’s office, and he was asked to open the said laptop. I and one ASP Marian were there and we saw the pictures of the deceased lying down and her international passport on her chest.”

The four defendants are Okwumo Nwabufo, 33, Olisaeloka Ezike, 23, Orji Osita, 33, and Ezike Nonso, 25.

Meanwhile, the first prosecution witness (PW1), Inspector Joseph Edo, during a cross-examination insisted that from his investigation, he discovered that the fourth defendant (Nonso) received stolen phones from the 1st and 2nd defendants on three occasions.

He said: “The 4th defendant took me to Ladipo market where he stole somebody’s receipt which he used in selling the deceased’s phone to somebody in Port Harcourt and the person was arrested. He bought the phone for N30,000 and sold for N40,000. He confessed that he gave the locked phone to a phone repairer who flashed it for him.”

The prosecutors, therefore, urged the court to allow them operate the 1st defendant’s phone before the defence counsel on the next adjourned date.

Justice Akinlade subsequently adjourned the matter till June 27, 2014 for continuation of trial.

Human right activist, Femi Falana with members of Women for Peace and Justice during a protest on the missing college girls in Lagos.

Otedola passes on at 87 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 gos State with all diligence and commitment while in office.

He described him as a true legend whose impact would be felt greatly by his immediate zone.

He prayed his soul rest in perfect peace and God Almighty to grant his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

In the same vein, former Minister of Transport and member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, described the late Otedola as a very gentle and straightforward person who always sought for peace and encouraged people to live in peace.

According to him, “Otedola did his best while in government but it was unfortunate the Third Republic was shortlived when the military aborted it midway.”

He said the news of the exgovernor’s death came to him as a shock even though he was old, saying “I still believe his experience and contributions would have helped a lot in the situation the country finds itself now.”

Babatope extended his condolence to the family, particularly his son, Femi, who has contributed to Nigeria’s economy in no small dimension.”

He suggested that as a former governor of Lagos State, “Otedola deserved to be immortalised for the contributions he made to the development and progress of the state during his life time.”

In a condolence message yesterday, the PDP Lagos State chapter said Otedola’s death is a sad loss.

According to the Chairman of the party, Chief Tunji Shelle, the late Sir Otedola was a classical example of who a governor emeritus should be “having served with sincerity and retired from politics to be a statesman for subsequent governors in the state.”

He exalted Otedola for giving that much service to the state within a short period of time. He particularly praised the ability of the former governor to carry everybody along in his government, irrespective of partisanship.

“He won the election by providence as the candidate of National Republican Convention (NRC). Social Democratic Party (SDP) was the more popular party in Lagos at that time. He, however, served the state giving fair share to everyone, irrespective of the party affiliation. I call on Governor Babatunde Fashola to immortalise the great man,” he said.

The party prayed that the Lord should give the deceased family the fortitude to bear the loss.

The spokesman of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said “a good man has gone to meet his maker.”

In a condolence message, Odumakin said: “Sir Otedola was the quintessential gentleman in private life. He lived a great life and left a good name. May his soul

rest in peace.”

Odumakin noted that barely few hours after the death of another great Nigerian, Justice Chukwudifu Okputa, the country has lost another great and illustrious son.

The late Otedola was born on July 16, 1926 into a Muslim family at Odoragunsin in Epe Local Council of Lagos State.

Having completed his elementary studies, he moved to Lagos to pursue higher education and won a scholarship to study journalism at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London where he graduated in 1958.

Otedola began his career as a teacher before working as a reporter at St. Pancras Chronicle, and later as a SubEditor at The Guardian and The Times in England.

When he returned to Nigeria in 1959, he became an Information Officer in the Western Nigeria government and was appointed the Editor of the Western Nigeria Illustrated.

In 1961, he moved into public relations, working for Western Nigeria Television/Western Broadcasting Service (1961-1964) and Mobil Oil Group of Companies (1964-1977).

He continued as a consultant to Mobil after leaving the company and later joined politics. He was elected governor of Lagos State from 1992 to 1993 on the platform of the NRC during the truncated transition programme of former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

He emerged governor against the run of thoughts after a crisis engulfed the then SDP in Lagos State over the choice of a gubernatorial candidate.

Though Otedola could not complete his tenure in office due to the political imbroglio that characterised the regime, it is however, on record that his administration facilitated establishing the Yaba College of Technology campus in Epe, his hometown.

Otedola, an accomplished technocrat, upon leaving office continued his career as a writer, a consultant and held positions on the boards of various businesses. He was a philanthropist of great repute, a feat that got him Lifetime Achievement Awards from many organisations.

He served on the National Committee of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Essay Contest; YMCA Board of Management, Lagos; YMCA National Executive Committee; Board of Governors, Pacelli School for the Blind; and Board of Governors, St. Joseph Teachers Training College, Surulere.

He was chairman of the Michael Otedola University Awards Scheme; Premier Finance and Trust Company; Passat Industries Ltd; and International Converters of Nigeria Ltd. He is the father of Femi Otedola, the owner of Nigerian oil giant, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited. He was the Asiwaju of Odoragunsin and member of Metropolitan Club and Island Club.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014 | 5

News NUJ charges practitioners, employers on professionalism, others From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City S this year’s World Press Day was being celebrated yesterday, journalists and media practitioners urged practising journalists to be professional and ethical in the conduct of their responsibilities. They also tasked employers on adequate remuneration of journalists.

Awareness rally was held, led by Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, Desmond Agbama and other leaders around major roads to the State House of Assembly Complex.

In his remarks during a lecture organised to mark the occasion, Agbama said the state NUJ was focused strongly on safety of journalists and rule of law, even as he lamented the death of those who died in the line of duty, particularly Olatunji Jacob, Fidelis Okhani and George Okosun, who was two years ago, involved in an accident in the convoy of the state governor.

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Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Sagir Saleh (left); Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State during the Oba’s visit to the governor in Bauchi … yesterday.

Agbama also called for better security for journalists across the world, as he lamented the continued detention and imprisonment of about 66 journalists on various “trumped up charges.”

But “The Nigeria Union of Journalists will continue to frown at and discipline any erring journalist to check the excesses of its members.”

He, however, lamented that despite the Freedom of Information Law, “it is still very difficult to practise journalism in accordance with the law. This is so because many public officers and politicians are in the habit of hiding vital information from the press. They prevent journalists from getting access to the needed information and facts, especially as it concerns finance, budgeting, income and expenditure of government at the federal, state and local government levels. This does not promote development or guarantee better future, which the theme of this year’s Press Freedom Day is focusing

Protests, as Nigerians demand rescue of abducted Chibok schoolgirls Anietie Akpan (Calabar), Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri), Tunde Oyedoyin (London), Charles Coffie Gyamfi (Abeokuta), Seye Olumide (Lagos) and Murtala Muhammed (Kano) GALE of protests swept through some state A capitals in Nigeria and beyond yesterday as concerned individuals and groups condemned the abduction of about 234 students of Government College, Chibok, Borno State, by the Islamic terrorist sect, Boko Haram, demanding their rescue by the Federal Government.

In Calabar, Cross River State, over 2,000 secondary schools girls took to the streets on Sunday calling for the unconditional release of the kidnapped girls. Dressed in black attire, and from different secondary schools, the girls marched through major streets in Calabar with placards bearing condemnation for the bombings, killings and abductions.

Joining them in the protest were members of the National Association of Cross River Students (NACRISS) and civil societies in the state.

Speaking at the rally, a senior secondary school student, Miriam Ukpong, told newsmen that they were concerned about the plight of the abducted schoolgirls, whose fate remained unknown. According to her, “today it is students of Chibok Secondary School, tomorrow some other persons may be affected.”

For another student, Sunshine Ekanem, “the abductors are cowards, otherwise they will not go for girls,” while Comfort Etim want the kidnappers to imagine their daughters or mothers as victims of such act.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of Democratic Action League, Comrade Nse Paulinus, said that Nigerians are concerned about the insecurity in the country, appealing to the Federal Government “to restore normalcy.”

On their part, Ogun State women yesterday took to the streets of Abeokuta protesting against the continued hostage of the female students. The women, who came from across the 20 local councils, were led by the wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun.

Marching through the streets, they displayed placards, some of which read, “Our girls are not sex machines,” “Bring back our girls,” and “This is barbaric in the 21st Century,” among others.

The protest paralysed vehicular movement and commercial activities in some parts of the city, and the participants included the wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola, Iyalode of Yorubaland, Mrs. Alaba Lawson, members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, market women, female artisans and female members of the state executive council.

Speaking during the march, Mrs. Amosun appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to do

everything within his power to get the girls rescued. And addressing the lawmakers, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Elizabeth Sonubi, said they were calling on all lawmakers, both at the state and federal levels, to put all resources together to rescue the victims.

At the Governor’s Office, Mrs. Amosun presented a letter to Governor Ibikunle Amosun for President Jonathan, adding: “I know Mr. President and his cabinet members have been trying, but they should put more efforts for result to come.

“It is our cause, we should not say it is happening over there in the north. It is theirs today, who knows where it will be tomorrow? It is their children today, it can be our own children tomorrow.”

Responding to the women, and their letter, which urged Jonathan to “work harder by prevailing on relevant security apparatus to justify their commission,” Amosun thanked the women for their resilience and promised to deliver their message to the President, assuring that the girls would be released soon.

Also, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has called for the immediate release of the schoolgirls, just as the Women Leader of Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mrs. Kemi Nelson.

They urged President Jonathan to bring back the girls, and women across the nation to show resilience in their demand for the girls’ release.

Leading a group of market women to the Lagos Government House at Alausa, Ikeja yesterday, Tinubu-Ojo decried the ordeal and trauma the innocent girls were going through in the hands of the lawless men.

The women, who shut down all markets in Lagos for the protest, urged the President and the security agents to do everything possible to bring back the abducted girls. The angry flayed the security system, wondering how the girls were abducted with relative ease and without any quick response until weeks after the insurgents had gone in different directions.

And for the third day running, Nigerians and friends of Nigeria gathered opposite the Nigerian High Commission in London for a campaign for the missing girls. The protesters, who made demand for the girls, chanted songs in solidarity with the parents of the missing girls, asking the Nigerian Government and the international community to “bring back our girls.”

According to one of the protesters and a commercial lawyer, Antoinette Adesina, “if this were Jonathan’s daughters, they would have found them. These are human rights issues, not just Nigerian girls. How can they not know where the girls are? Why are they just forming a committee

after two weeks?”

Meanwhile, the Borno State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kaka Shehu Lawan, yesterday urged the Federal Government and law enforcement agencies to “arrest and prosecute” all those responsible for the Boko Haram insurgency as a way of ending the attacks, killings and abductions in the Northeast region.

He added that the Federal Government must be seen to be very serious by arresting “people who have questions to answer but are moving about freely in the country,” and “beside the arrest and prosecution of sponsors of Boko Haram, there should be probe of all extra-judicial killings in Borno State since the commencement of insurgency in the Northeast.”

Lawan spoke during the inauguration of the Abdulwasiu Alfa-led executive committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Maiduguri branch, adding that the mindless, inhuman and barbaric acts of criminality being unleashed by the insurgents should be condemned entirely, as many lives and property had been lost in the last four years.

Represented by S.M Malgwi, Lawan noted: “This hydra-headed monster called insurgency did not just spring up overnight. Some unscrupulous elements among us gave birth to it and nurtured it and it is now consuming everybody.

“I therefore call on the Federal Government, the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organizations and all other appropriate authorities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that those who ignited the 2009 crisis that laid the foundation for the insurgency are prosecuted and brought to book. This is the only way public confidence and cooperation can be restored and earned.”

He further condemned the abduction of students and called on the Federal Government to ensure their release, adding: “In as much as we appreciate the efforts geared towards curbing the insurgency, we call upon the Federal Government to deploy more troops and modern equipment to the affected areas to match the strength and ultimately overcome the insurgents.”

For the new NBA chairman, there is nothing to justify the huge budget for security because, “I am confident that the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, with its headquarters in Maiduguri and assisted by other security agencies, can effectively carry out the military operations being carried out under emergency rule.

“There is, therefore, no need for the extension of emergency rule in Borno State and indeed Yobe and Adamawa states.”

However, barely 24 hours after attacking two Borno villages, gunmen on Sunday afternoon attacked the Kayamla village market and killed eight traders and drivers, while 18 persons were

injured.

The gunmen, according to a driver who escaped, Fantami Modu, burst into the market square in over a dozen Toyota Hilux vehicles, motorcycles and pick-up vans, and fired sporadically at some traders and drivers.

According to him, the insurgents came to extort money, food items and other basic needs at the market.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Gideon Jibrin, confirmed that there was another village market attack by suspected armed hoodlums, where some traders were feared dead.

Nevertheless, the police in Yobe State on Sunday arrested a 19-year old suicide bomber in a pick-up van, Abubakar Umar, in Damaturu, while attempting “to blow up” the A Division of the Nigerian Police Station near the city’s main roundabout yesterday morning.

According to an eyewitness, Isa Audu, the suspect drove in through Gujba Road in a Chevrolet pick-up van laden with explosives and other arms, and rammed into road sandbags, before he was arrested.

The Guardian learnt that the suspect later confessed having some Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the van, which were later diffused by the police anti-bomb squared. The Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Rufai, also confirmed the incident.

To sustain the enduring peace in Kano State, the Justice Development and Peace Advocates (JDPCA), in collaboration with security agencies, is training 30 community peace trainers drawn from three local councils on conflict mediation and dialogue.

The five-day workshop, which kicked off yesterday, aims at reducing the impacts of inter and intra-communal crises by rejuvenating an understanding between civilians and security personal in tackling insecurity in the state.

In his presentation at the opening ceremony, the Director of State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Bassey Eteng, attributed the relative peace reigning in Kano in the past two years to cooperation between security personal and individuals in the society.

Against the insinuation that the crisis is religiously Inclined, he insisted that the current insecurity bedeviling parts of the north is a devilish act of terrorism, and that only an effective and quick intervention of community mediation and dialogue on conflict tendencies could prevent societal unrest.

Coordinator of JDPCA, Mark Asu-Obi, said the project aimed at engendering community participation in self-security building while involving stakeholders and creating a forum for public awareness in a conflict-riddled society.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

6 NEWS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

JUSTICE CHUKWUDIFU OPUTA 1924 — 2014 A man of deep Catholic conviction, says Kukah From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief

Ohanaeze, Aka Ikenga urge govt to immortalize him

HE Bishop of Sokoto T Catholic Diocese, Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah has expressed grief and shock on the death of the nation’s erudite jurist, who passed away on Sunday, saying that Nigeria has lost a patriot.

Kukah said in a statement in Kaduna yesterday, that Nigeria will continue to remember the late jurist as a sincere patriot who has paid his dues in working towards peace, stability and purposeful integration of country.

The statement read, “The nation has lost an extraordinary patriot. Justice Oputa lived for Nigeria. A legal icon, law for him was a sanctuary where truth was to be released to serve Justice.

Kukah further described late Justice Oputa as “a man of deep Catholic conviction, moral rectitude and conviction, a deep intellectual hewn from a special cloth, a self made man who achieved almost everything by the drops of his sweat, one should be forgiven for saying, they don’t make them like him anymore”.

“He loved God, family and country dearly. He believed in the sacredness of our common humanity. Indeed, all one can say is, he was a good man in every sense of the word. He merited heaven and I know the angels will welcome him.”

It would be recalled that Bishop Kukah had served under Justice Oputa as a member during the Human Rights Investigation Commission (HRIC) better known as Oputa panel, during the first tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and later member along with the jurist at National Political Reforms Conference chaired by Justice Niki Tobi.

stressing that lawyers regard his judgment as unassailable.

“He was an upright man that believed in freedom of expression. He excelled most during the Nigerian Peace and Reconciliation Committee known as Oputa Panel of 2001, where he superintended over proceedings with maturity and detachment.

“He was also an educator having produced most of Ohanaeze’s leaders. He, Chika Obi and Eze Onuzu of Egede produced two president’s-general, Ozobu and Irukwu and one secretary general, Prof Ben Nwabueze.

He was a strong member of Ohanaeze Imeobi and will be missed mightyly. Everybody looked up to him with candour and respect, knowing he was a wise man. Ndigbo will miss him. Nigerians will miss him,” Nworgu mourned.

Explaining that the report of the Oputa Panel, which he led, was not implemented due to the attitude of the

leadership of the country, Nworgu stated that one thing it was able to debunk was the lies being peddled that the Nzeogwu’s coup was an Igbo action.

For the Igbo think –tank, Aka Ikenga, Chikwudifu Oputa’s death has left them asking “When will another Oputa come?”

In a statement yesterday signed by the President of the association,

Chief Goddy Uwazurike and the Secretary, U.P.E Nnaji, Aka Ikenga reminisced that Justice Oputa was a “very brilliant, very witty, very jovial, very religious and yet a very popular figure. Our departed Oputa was a lot of things to many people.

“But to us in Aka Ikenga, he was our guide. His words were valuable to us and are now in marble. He was the father of all (Nnaoha).

The death of Oputa truly marks the end of the era of great thinkers, the great motivators and erudite statesmen.

We can only ask, “When cometh another Oputa?”

moment of grief.

Meanwhile, former Anambra State governor, Chief Peter Obi has described Oputa’s death as a glorious transition to the great beyond.

Obi, who recalled Justice Oputa’s exploits in the judiciary and contributions to the development of jurisprudence, described him as the “Lord Denning of Nigeria.”

His words: “If the great biographer, Plutarch were alive today to write lives by parallel, he would find no difficulty pairing Lord Alfred Denning and our own Justice Oputa.

Both approached law more from jurisprudence, insisting on examining the philosophical underpinnings of different laws and interpreting them in manners to serve the needs of man and the society in the most just manner.”

In his tribute, Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan described late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa as an exceptional jurist who sacrificed his time, knowledge and energy for Nigeria and the rule of law.

In the reaction contained in a

statement signed by Felix Ofou, Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor , Uduaghan also described late Oputa as a judge who was fearless, bold and courageous, while ensuring that the rights of the poor, deprived and defenceless were further protected.

Also, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has commiserated with the government and people of Imo State on the death of eminent jurist.

In a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, Comrade Oshiomhole said “The death of Justice Chukwudifu Oputa came to me as a rude shock.

Unarguably one of the best legal icons to have come from this part of the world, Justice Oputa was a shining example of the best of the Judiciary; an incorruptible judge who gave faultless judgments which have become reference points in the country’s jurisprudence.

From Kodilinye Obiagwu and Lawrence Njoku Enugu PEx Igbo socio-cultural A organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has described the death of former Supreme Court judge, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, as a great loss to the ethnic group and Nigeria, stressing that he died at a time when the country needed his wealth of experience to overcome her political challenges.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which asked the Federal Government to name a legal institution after the late jurist, said the death of Oputa and the immediate past president general of the organization, Ambassador Ralph Uwaechue created a yawning gap in the quest by Ndigbo to reclaim their history.

Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Joe Nworgu, said Nigeria and the legal profession would miss him.

He stated that late Oputa excelled as a judge in court,

Oputa

Orji, Obiano, Obi, Uduaghan, Oshiomhole express shock, grief From Hendrix Oliomogbe Asaba, Gordi Udeajah Umuahia Chuks Collins, Akwa, and Sunny Ogefere Asaba ORE tributes are pouring M in for the late eminent jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, who died on Sunday at the age of 89.

Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji in a condolence message to the Oputa family described the late sage

as a man of peace who preached justice and fair play during his lifetime.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ajunwa, Governor Orji described the death of the legal luminary as painful and a great loss to the nation, saying that his wealth of experience is needed at this time of the nation’s history. ‘’I am grieved by the news of justice Oputa’s death. It came to me as a rude shock. I am short of words over the death of this erudite Nigerian. We will indeed miss him.

He implored the deceased family especially his widow Margaret, to be consoled by the fact that the late Supreme Court justice lived a fulfilled life and left legacies on the sands of time.

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano on his part says Oputa’s death on Sunday was “the final epilogue in the narrative of Nigeria’s generation of icons of jurisprudence.

Obiano, in a press statement by his Senior Special Assistant

(Media), James Eze, observed that: “Justice Oputa belongs to the front-row Nigeria’s foremost jurists and legal giants including legends like Justice Anthony Aniagolu, Justice Babakayode Eso, Justice Augustine Nnamani and Justice T. S. Elias.

He described late Justice Oputa as a towering giant of incomparable stature whose brilliance left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s collective consciousness at the now famous Oputa panel..

“Nigeria shall miss his extraordinary philosophical approach to jurisprudence which put him almost on the same pedestal as the iconographic Lord Denning. His high-minded interpretations of the letters of the law earned him the admiration of his peers who referred to him in awe as Socrates.”

Governor Obiano who urged the federal government to seek a way to immortalize him, added: “I wish to assure my friend, Charles and the rest of the Oputa family that my prayers and the prayers of Ndi Anambra are with them in this

Ex-minister, lawyers lament loss to judiciary

By Bertram Nwannekanma

‘A legal colossus has rested’

ORMER Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) yesterday described late Oputa, as an iconoclast of humanity, the Socrates of our time and one of the finest brew of jurisprudence and commitment to justice.

Ojo, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the late jurist’s death was indeed the drawing of the curtain on an era in the justice sector that generations after would forever long for.

“He belonged to the ages and his memories are naturally bound to be immortal. We shall all surely miss him,” Ojo added.

For Mrs. Funke Adekoya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN), the Bar has lost another of its icons, our own Lord Denning.

He was one of the greatest philosopher-judges Nigeria has produced, and his judgments always displayed interplay between law and morality. He has gone to rest, but remains with us with us through his judgments and legal writings,” she said Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Augustine Alegeh, the loss of Justice Oputa is indeed sad. The legal profession and the nation have lost an erudite jurist, one of the best in our recent history.

“His incisive and illuminating

F

judgments will remain a strong testimony to his service to the legal profession. A true legal colossus has rested.

We join in praying for the repose of his soul and pray to God to comfort and provide for all he left behind”. He said.

Also Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Fred Agbaje said Justice Oputa was Lord Denning of Nigeria.

“Through his interpretative prowess, he breathed life and morality to our law. He was an unparalleled apostle of law being reflective of morality and the need for substantial justice to prevail over unbridled technicalities.

Interpretation of law must have human face and the con-

cept of justice must be multifacial not serving only one litigant, but both the litigants and the society as a whole. The Bar and the Bench will miss his poetic justice.

In his reaction, Lagos lawyer, Chris Okeke, said the demise of the revered icon was a hard reality.

According to him, it is really difficult to come to terms with the reality that the great sage has gone the way of all mortals. “ The consolation is that he did not pass this clime as a bird. He rather passed as an elephant... a great one at that.

He was an epitome of excellence and nobility. He was great in learning and scholarship...the father of Judicial activism in Nigeria. He brought hope to the powerless, down trodden and poor. I will sorely miss him”. He added.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 NEWS

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Kwara gov cautions against blocking waterways

EU tasks FG on security ahead 2015 election

From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin WARA State Governor, Alhaji K Abdulfatah Ahmed, has promised effective enforcement of the state’s relevant laws against persons blocking established waterways in any part of the state.

Ahmed, at this month edition of his interactive programme with reporters and the people of the state said the present devastating effects of the global warming made the development imperative.

He identified two areas where threats to natural flow of river had in the recent past manifested in the state due to erection of building on waterways and blockade of drainages through wastes.

The governor said this development has no doubt affected free flow of socio- economic activities in the state, warning that the newly constituted task force on environmental sanitation in the state would be empowered to effectively discharge its functions.

Ahmed, while reviewing present political situations in the state said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the only political party with a structure and machinery to win 2015 general elections in the state.

Ebonyi ministry rakes in N100m revenue in three years From Nnamdi Akpa Abakaliki BONYI State Ministry of E Commerce and Industry said that it had in the last three years generated over N100 million in revenue for the state.

The ministry added that this year alone the ministry is targeting over N70 million revenue based on the strategies and initiatives it has put in place, adding that all the machinery needed to achieve it have been set in motion.

The breakdown by the ministry showed that it generated N33 million in 2011, N43 million in 2012 and N43.8 million in 2013.

Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki on the progress the ministry has recorded since coming on board in 2011, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Ifeanyi Ike, noted that the increase in the revenue generation since he took over was over 200 per cent and 300 per cent respectively of what they met.

The commissioner noted that the increase in the revenue generation was due to the fact that he came in with a zeal to restrategize the earlier existing approach in the ministry where most of the contractor mostly those that handle haulage who smiled to the bank with government revenue to their own personal interest were stopped.

CIPM holds lecture luncheon HE Chartered Institute of T Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), through its Lagos Island chapter (LIPPCA), holds its 2014 Annual Lecture Luncheon on Thursday at Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.

With the theme, “Empowering Change - 21st Century Tools, 19th Century Mindset,” this year’s lecture will be delivered by an erudite scholar and a lecturer at Lagos Business School, Sir Chris Ogbechie (PHD).

It will be chaired by the Director, Business Services, Chevron Texaco Nigeria Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Imafidon.

From Lillian Chukwu, Abuja

HE European Union (EU) T has said that though all security threats at present are

Founder/President, Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Mrs. Saraki (third right), and other women leaders at the occasion

linked to terrorism, the Nigerian government should also be concerned with anticipated political violence during the 2015 presidential election.

In a media luncheon yesterday in Abuja, the newly appointed Head of Delegation to the EU and the Economic Community of West African States, Ambassador Arrion

Toyin Saraki, Isha Sesay, others pledge to inspire next generation of women OUNDER/PRESIDENT, FAfrica, Wellbeing Foundation Mrs. Toyin Saraki, and other women leaders from across the world have made a commitment to empower and inspire the next generation of women.

The pledge was made at the weekend at the Women Inspiration & Enterprise (WIE) Africa Symposium, held at Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos.

Mrs. Saraki, who co-hosted the event and co-sponsored the symposium, joined hands with influential business leader, Bola Adesola; trailblazing media chief and Chief Executive Officer of Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu; eclectic design icon and couturier, Folake Folarin-Coker; and national TV icon, Julie Gichuru, to declare that the girl-child must have a pride of place in the family and be encouraged to reach her full potential.

Moderating the Nike Foundation ‘Girl Effect’ panel, titled: ‘Our Future: This is the Moment to Invest in Girls,” Mrs. Saraki made the critical call to action to put girls at the top of the post-2015 devel-

opment agenda, especially in the light of recent national events and the missing Chibok School girls.

Expressing delight as she welcomed the WIE Africa Symposium to Nigeria, she stated that women and girls “play a great role in today’s global economy; and in order to make an impact in their spheres of influence, professions, vocations and passions, all women should be fulfilled, empowered and achievement-driven.”

She noted that the Nike Foundation’s ‘Girl Effect’ initiative, which addresses the marginalisation of adolescent girls (who are key change agents in society) and the promotion of the Girl Declaration, is fully supported by her Wellbeing Foundation.

According to her: “The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has long challenged practices that hinder the prosperity of the girl-child, such as child-marriage and domestic violence, while promoting behaviour that ensure their progress, such as girl education.

During the session, Girl Effect Ambassador, 17-year-

old Miss Salamatu drew loud applause from the audience when she declared: “A real woman is a woman who seeks to empower others and is a role model to other women”, while Miss Aisha, aged 19, articulated the best of the symposium’s goal.

She said: “I am here to be the voice of the girls who cannot be here.”

Furthermore, Nigeria’s foremost businesswoman and first female billionaire, Folorunsho Alakija, shared her inspirational life experience to the captive international audience.

Aptly themed, ‘The Global Leader,’ the WIE Africa this year’s event had attendees and speakers like Hadeel Ibrahim, of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation; CNN’s Isha Sesay; Media Owner, Patricia Amira; Director of Africa Philanthropy Forum, Pearl Darko; and many other women of inspiration and industry.

Co-founded by Dee Poku, WIE is a global annual conference and community designed to empower the next generation of women leaders. WIE Africa, in particular, serves to showcase

Industrialist drags FG to ICJ over alleged crimes against Tiv From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi

• Tor Tiv vows to resist grazing reserves

RKED by what could be Ihumanity termed as crimes against on the Tiv over the

those behind the killing of the Tiv people.

“This heinous killings are evidence in the military inversion of Zaki-Biam in 2001 and the recent Fulani marauders attacks on many Tiv communities of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states. The suit became very imperative as over the years, we have not seen any decisive action from government against those behind this killing and maiming of the people,” he explained.

Suswam, vowing to continue to champion the course for the emancipation of the Tiv race through every available means, further called on other well-meaning Tiv sons and daughters to join him in the struggle.

He lauded Governor Gabriel Suswam’s strong political will that has brought relative peace in the affected communities of the state.

years, a business tycoon and Chief Executive Officer of Ashiteck Conglomerate, Chief Terkula Suswam, has sued the Federal Government to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

But in a related development, the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Tor Tiv the Fourth, Dr. Alfred Akawe Torkula, has vowed that he would not concede an inch of the Tiv land for grazing reserves for the cattle breeders.

Suswam, who disclosed this at his country home, Anyiin, in Logo Local Council of Benue State while speaking with journalists, noted with grief that over the years, there had been some calculated attempts to allegedly wipe out the Tiv race but without any decisive action by government against

Torkula bared his mind recently at his palace while playing host to the Tiv Professional Group, TPG, who paid a courtesy visit on him in Gboko.

He said with the exploding population of the Tiv people, it would be dangerous for them to let go any portion of their land for grazing reserve; noting that those advocating for such do not mean well for the people who he said are purely agriculturists.

The Tiv paramount ruler said rather than the Fulani herdsmen look forward for grazing reserves for their cattle, they should acquire ranches.

Earlier, the leader of the Tiv Professional Group, Dr. Zach Gungu, had expressed disgust over the continuous killing of the Tiv race in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states, noting that if care is not taken, the people would go into extinction.

the women taking a central role in shaping the Africa of tomorrow, with the aim of contributing to changing any negative perceptions of Africa as a whole, by presenting successful African women and innovation.

Packed full of panels featuring speakers from the worlds of politics, business, philanthropy, media, fashion, entertainment and the arts, WIE Africa presents a platform for African women leaders to instigate the much-needed progress ahead of the fast approaching Millennium Development Goals’ 2015 deadline.

7

Michel, said that security emphasis must not be only on the Boko Haram insurgency.

Michel noted that other security challenges including political violence, inter-tribal fights “linked to extremists are as dangerous as those actions of Boko Haram.”

The EU envoy stated that: “We should not focus too much attention on security threats.

There are other threats in the middle belt, inter-tribal violence. There are many casualties in those fighting between communities.”

In his words: “Not only the government but all political actors should pay more attention and make declaration while committing themselves to avoid political assassination, violence at political rallies.”

He urged politicians to desist from hate speeches, which can ignite serious violence in the political arena in Nigeria.

Michel stressed that the recent EU-African summit in Brussels was on “Investing in people, prosperity and peace” with the objective of addressing common challenges and bringing concrete benefits to our citizens in accordance with the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.”

The summit observed that Africa has achieved significant progress in democracy, governance and human rights, which remains to be consolidated.

8 NEWS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Nigerian doctors, nurses dominate Trinidad and Tobago health sector From Niyi Bello, Akure VER 400 Nigerian medical doctors and nurses, accounting for 60 percent of the entire health workforce, are currently managing the healthcare delivery sector of Trinidad and Tobago, a South American Island nation of 1.3 million population.

The Nigerian Ambassador to the country, John Musa Jen, disclosed this in Ondo town yesterday, quoting United Nations (UN) estimates.

According to the envoy who

O

• Adeyemi college marks 50th anniversary lauded Nigeria’s massive investment in the provision of quality education for its citizens and the resilience of Nigerians to acquire education and make their services available all over the world, “If Nigeria should withdraw our doctors from Trinidad and Tobago, the country’s healthcare system would collapse.”

Jen lauded the exploits of Nigerians in his country of

assignment while addressing a press conference to herald activities marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo and the 33rd convocation ceremony of the institution. The ambassador, who is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the colleges said “Nigeria must continue to invest massively in education for personal and national

Three Dutch nationals kidnapped in Bayelsa From Chido Okafor, Warri HREE Dutch nationals who T are on special charity mission to the Niger Delta were kidnapped by armed men in the early hours of yesterday at Letugbene community in Ekeremor Local Council of Bayelsa State.

It was gathered that the Dutch nationals were on a visit to the Niger Delta on the invitation of the Dodo River Communities of Bayelsa State and facilitated by Netherlandbased Niger Delta Activist, Mr. Sunny Ofehe.

In swift reaction, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) yestetday condenmed the abduction in the strongest term describing it as a barbaric act.

Spokesman of the IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, said preliminary investigation revealed that

the kidnappers may have come from Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw local council areas of Bayelsa State.

“This is an act of a criminal few and does not represent the collective aspirations of the Niger Delta people,” he said It was learnt that traditional rulers, community leaders and other Ijaw leaders of thought in Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw councils have been contacted to ensure immediate release of the Dutch nationals.

They have been reportedly saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that every home, family and community in the two councils is combed to ensure immediate release of the three foreigners, one of whom is said to be asthmatic.

The IYC said it was working with Nigerian security agencies and assured the families of the Dutch nationals and the Dutch government that the kidnapped victims would regain their freedom as soon as possible.

The Ijaw group reiterated the strict implementation of the Anti-Kidnapping laws of Bayelsa and Delta States which prescribes death penalty for kidnappers, saying it is the only way kidnappers would be deterred.

development.”

He said one of the best attributes of Nigeria as a country “is our human resource endowments which marked us out sharply among other nations of the world and we must do everything to make sure that we tap the resource for the utmost benefits for our country and the world.”

Flanked at the conference by the Provost of the college, Prof. Adeyemi Idowu and other principal officers, Jen disclosed that 3,459 graduates would be presented with awards of certificates and degrees for both the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions out of which four made First Class, 416 Second Class Upper, 1,831 Second Class Lower and 102 with Ordinary Pass.

He also disclosed that as part of activities marking the twin ceremonies, eminent Nigerians, including the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, legal icon Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Dr. Aminu Ladan Sharehu, DirectorGeneral, National Teachers Institute (NTI) and Kenneth Imansuangbon would be given Awards of Fellowships.

The governor of Cross River State, Godswill Akpabio, High Chief Olabanji Akingbule, the Odunwo of Ondo Kingdom, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and Dr. Tayo Fawehinmi, a former member of the House of Representatives would also be recognized officially as College Benefactors.

The envoy also disclosed the efforts of the board and management of the college to facilitate its upgrading to a full-fledged University of Education rather than a degree awarding institution affiliated to the Faculty of Education of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. According to him, “we are applying all the necessary pressure on the Federal Government and working with other stakeholders and members of the National Assembly especially those from this state. We met with the governor yesterday and he also canvassed the same position. Upgrading this college to a university is not like re-inventing the wheel because we already award degrees.”

Diocese On The Coast holds Synod HE Second Session of the Seventh Synod of the T Diocese On The Coast (Anglican Communion) will hold from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th May, 2014 at St. Paul’s Church, Lebi Street, Okitipupa, Ondo State under the supervision of the Bishop, Rt. Revd. Joshua Ebunoluwa Ogunele.

According to a statement, the Synod with the theme “ The Mathematics of Gain” – 1 Timothy 6.6 will open with Holy Communion Service at 4:00pm while the official opening formalities, presentation and launching of the Bishop’s Charge and Diocesan Project at will take place at 10:00am on May 9.

On Sunday May 11, the closing thanksgiving service will hold at 10:00am.

Publisher cautions journalists on integrity and conduct S part of the activities to A mark the world press day, a veteran journalist and publisher of an Ebonyi-based newspaper, Chief Imo Eze, has urged journalists in the country to improve on their integrity and conduct.

Eze gave the advice in Abakaliki in a forum organised by the Ebonyi Chapter of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ) to mark the 2014 World Press Freedom Day.

Police asked to get fiat for prosecution of bank’s ex-boss

By Bertram Nwannekanma USTICE Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday ordered the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU)

J

to obtain fiat for the prosecution of former Managing Director of the defunct Gulf Bank Plc., Johnson Adeyeba, over alleged N15 billion fraud.

The judge, in his ruling on an objection raised by a defence counsel, Mr. Oluwemimo Adepoju Revell Ogunde (SAN), challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the suit, declared that the prosecutor, Mr. Dania Abdulahi, needs a fiat empowering him to prosecute the accused.

Adeyeba is being prosecuted by the SFU alongside a Briton, Gareth Wilcox, and his (Wilcox’s) Companies, Ibom Power Company, and LYK Engineering Company, and a lawyer, Uche Uwechia, on a 21count charge bordering on

financial malpractices. Others also facing trial are Ignatius Ukpaka and John Ezugwu who were charged alongside their company, Taurus Shelters Ltd. Ogunde had on March 14 queried the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit on the ground that the Police lacked constitutional right to prosecute financial crimes without the authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ogunde, who is representing the fifth accused in the matter, had argued that the offence alleged to have been committed by his client was general offence embedded in the residual list, and so, could only be entertained by a State High Court. He therefore urged the

court to strike out the charge against his client.

In his short ruling, Justice Yunusa agreed with Ogunde and ordered the prosecutor to either obtain a fiat from the EFCC, authorising him to prosecute the fifth accused, or transfer the case to the commission for prosecution.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case till May 23 for mention.

The accused persons, it would be recalled, were first arraigned on December 23, 2013. They were re-arraigned on March 14, 2014 following the amendment of the charge but they all pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted bail in the sum of N200 million each, with two sureties each in like sum.

Okunnu, lawmaker caution against mixing religion with politics in Lagos

By Seye Olumide FORMER Federal Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, and a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Badagry Constituency II, Mr. Hodewu Suuru Avoseh, have expressed concern over what they described as subtle introduction of religious sentiment into Lagos politics ahead of the 2015 elections.

Meanwhile, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan, has declared his interest in vying for the governor’s seat in 2015.

Okunnu and Avoseh, who spoke with The Guardian separately at the weekend, said such sentiment at this period in time, would not only hamper the progress and development of the state, it could lead to unprecedented crisis the consequences of which may extend beyond the shores of the state.

On whether the next gover-

A

• Leke Pitan joins gov race nor of the state must be a Christian as currently been championed by some groups of Christians, Okunnu heaped the blame on the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), saying “It is the people from CAN who are making all these noise over religion and that a Christian should be the next governor of the state in 2015.”

The First Republic politician also said aside from some members of CAN who were allegedly bent on introducing religious sentiment ahead of the 2015 election, “the orthodox Christian community, including the Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Baptists, are not part of the agitation.”

Stressing the need for those he described as religious irredentists to “cool it off and spare Lagos State of religious crisis, Okunnu said that merit

should rather be allowed to determine who succeeds Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2015.”

Citing example of the cordial relationship that has developed among the Christian and Muslim communities in Lagos in the past, Okunnu said: “The lawyer of the former Catholic Archbishop of the state, Leo Taylor was a Muslim, L.B Agusto, the founder of the Islamic Society of Nigeria. This is to say there was nothing like religious sentiment in the politics of Lagos. We all relate like family.”

Avoseh blamed the scenario on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he accused of looking for any available means of bulldozing itself into power.

“I am very sure that the people of Lagos are more intelligent and exposed than what PDP is trying to achieve. In the APC, there is nothing like religious politics,” he said.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 |9

PHOTONEWS

Chairman of the occasion/Interim National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande (left); Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, his wife, Sherifat, and guest speaker, Prof. Pat Utomi, during the presentation of BusinessWorld Newspaper Award to Aregbesola as the Most Innovative Governor in his first term tenure at Zenababs Hotels and Resort, Ilesa, Osun State.

Regional Managing Partner for West Africa EY, Henry Egbiki, Partner, Financial Services, Dayo Babatunde, Partner, Advisory, Bunmi Akinde, and Partner, Assurance Services, Yemi Odutola, at the Media launch of Africa

by Numbers Report, released by EY for World Economic Forum in Lagos at the weekend.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

Marketing Manager, West Africa, Hewlett-Packard (left); Tolulope Lawani, winner, Awojole Temitayo Abiola, Manager, Regulatory and Monitoring, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mwakuche Durugo, and Retail Account Manager, Nigeria, Hewlett-Packard, Tunji Itiola, presenting an ENVY Recline 23 all-in-one PC to one of the winners on Friday marking the end the national consumer promo in Lagos.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Executive Director, Polo Luxury Group, Jennifer Obayuwana; and Executive Vice Chairman, Famfa Oil, Folorunsho Alakija, at the Women Inspiration and Enterprise Africa symposium, held in Lagos at the weekend

Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria, Wolfgang Geotsch (left); receives 2014 Commerce and Industry award from National President of NACCIMA, Mohammed Abubakar, during the award ceremony in Lagos.

PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF

Chairman, Chinedu & Sons Inv. Nig. Ltd., Chinedu Ezenyili (left); receives the Best Customer of the Year award from Chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote, at 2014 Dangote Cement Plc Distributors awards ceremony held in Lagos at the weekend.

Brand Manager, Dettol, Reckitt Benckiser, Ms. Morolake Onifade (left); National Sales Manager (Health Care), Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Dickson Ikhuoria, Speaker for Reckitt Benckiser on Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease, Michael Ezeanochie, member, Global Hygiene Council/ Speaker for Reckitt Benckiser on Dettol, Nneoma Idika, Marketing and Activation Lead, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mrs. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi, and Area Sales Manager, Lagos and West, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Gbenga Olotu at the 54th yearly general conference and delegates’ meeting of Nigerian Medical Association in Benin at the weekend.

Senior Brand Manager, Legend & Life, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Funso Ayeni (fourth right); with the winners of the Legend Extra Stout Unique Dubai Shopping experience at the Dubai Shopping Mall in Dubai.

10 Tuesday, May 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

WorldReport ‘Why Nigeria is relevant to global economy’

By Olalekan Okusan HE importance of Nigeria to global economy cannot be over-emphasised following the enormous potential that abound in the most populous black nation.

According to Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mustafa Pulat, Nigeria as a major supplier of energy resources is not only vital to the growth of the continent but to the world at large.

Pulat in an interview with The Guardian recently in Lagos said: “Nigeria is the foremost country in Africa as the most populous and biggest economy in the continent. İ think aside Turkey, Nigeria is also important for the world as big supplier of energy resources.

For Turkey, the relationship with Nigeria started early and in the last 20 years, the relationship is growing becuase Nigeria remains the major supplier of energy to Turkey.

Turkey is an energy poor nation, therefore, we need to import energy frok other resoruceful countries like Nigeria.”

He admitted that the trade imballance between Nigeria and Turkey would affect the growing ties, but said that Turkey would continue to work hard to ensure that the imbalance is closed up.

T

“Our bilateral vaule is in favour of Nigeria but there is no problem with this. This is the nature of international trade becuase one country has to be favoured.

We should not see this as a problematics situation becuase what we have to do is to try and diversify our trade to increase its value. To do this, we need to grow the relationship with Nigeria there is now direct link between Nigeria and Turkey and this is achieve through the Turkish Airline,” he said.

Continuing he said: “Turkey and Nigeria have deep-rooted and strong relations. We have had an Embassy in Nigeria since 1962 before most of the African countries. As old friends and two fast developing countries, which have significant potential and bright future, we understand each other.

We understand each other’s feelings, difficulties and needs.

“Perfect political relations between Turkey and Nigeria at the bilateral level and in the international fora have reflected on our economic and commercial relations. Our bilateral trade volume have increased more than five-fold in the last 10 years.

“However, the current bilateral trade volume, approximately $1.5b, is far away from reflecting the potentials of our

countries. We have to work harder to increase this number to its true level.”

On plans to partner with Nigeria in the construction industry, Pulat said: “We evaluate the construction sector among strategic sectors, which could enhance the bilateral economic and investment relations between Turkey and Nigeria. Turkish construction sector is prominent in the world in terms of the total size of the projects they assumed abroad.”

Construction sector is the engine of the Turkish economy, which grew very fast in the last twenty years. There are many very successful, promi-

nent and world-wide-known Turkish construction companies, which are running largescale projects from Latin America to Africa and from Russia to the Middle East.

“Turkish construction companies are famous with their high-level quality and hi-tech production and relatively fair prices that they offer. On the other hand, Nigeria is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and has the largest population in Africa.

Nigeria is also the largest economy in Africa with her $509.9b annual income in 2013, after the recalculation of her GDP through changing the base year from 1990 to

UN watchdog grills Vatican over child sex abuse HE United Nation’s anti-torT ture watchdog grilled the Vatican yesterday over efforts to stamp out child sex abuse by priests, as the Church defended an approach which victims said had “failed terribly”.

The panel of independent rights and legal experts fired questions at the Vatican delegation during Monday’s opening session of a two-day hearing.

It was the first time the Vatican has been scrutinised since it signed up in 2002 to a global convention banning not only torture, but also other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.

“We all know that the Catholic Church is against violence,” said committee member, George Tugushi.

“Yet we can see that child abuse cases have not been addressed for decades,” he said.

Fellow members demanded details of prosecutions by the Roman Catholic Church’s canon law courts, its cooperation with national law enforcement in holding to account paedophiles in its ranks, and the extent of Vatican awareness of misdeeds in individual dioceses.

The Vatican delegation was to respond in depth at Tuesday’s session, but its UN envoy,

Monsignor Silvano Tomasi yesterday insisted the Holy See was battling abuse.

The Church has been shaken by a decade-long cascade of scandals over abuse by priests and lay officials, from Ireland to the United States and Australia.

Hundreds of priests have been defrocked, and new cases continue to emerge, notably in Poland, Portugal and Latin America.

“We can wish that this did not happen. But human nature being what it is, it did,” Tomasi said, underscoring that paedophilia was a global scourge not confined to the Church.”

Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mustafa Pulat.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

2010. We welcomed this pending development, which has demonstrated the real economic growth and potential of Nigeria to foreign investors.

For him, “To sustain its fast development, Nigeria needs to enhance her infrastructure.

New roads, railways, subways and energy plants should be constructed. Nigeria also needs to new and modern houses and apartments to increase life standards of her people, as her economy is growing. The framework that I have explained above indicates a significant potential of cooperation between Turkey and Nigeria in the field of construction. Although several Turkish construction companies have already been operating in Nigeria, the potential of cooperation in this field is bigger.

He added: “The further development of cooperation in this field will constitute a “win-win situation” for both sides, Turkey and Nigeria.

Constitution of “win-win situations” is among the basic codes of ethics both for the Turkish government and our business world. We are pursuing long-run partnerships, which will based on mutual trust, understanding and gain.”

Despite the insecurity problem bedevilling Nigeria, the envoy said this is not synomymous with Nigeria alone as every country is faced with her own challenges, while expressing optimism that Nigeria would overcome this.

He however, called for collaboration with neighbouring countries to curtail the Boko Haram insurgence.

Chaotic scenes as Afghan landslide victims seek aid RIEF-STRICKEN and desitiG tute Afghan villagers vented anger with their government as they scrambled for emergency aid, three days after deadly landslides engulfed their homes.

Some 300 homes in Aab Bareek, a village in the Argo district of Badakhshan, a remote and mountainous northeastern province, were buried under up to 50 meters of earth and debris.

The number of dead may never be known though United Nations and Afghan officials have estimated fatalities at anywhere between 500 and 2,700 people.

UN agencies and non-governmental organizations distributed supplies, but displaced villagers complained others from nearby areas had taken supplies meant for them.

“There is no proper plan to give aid to the needy,” Rahmatullah, a villager who lost five family members, told Reuters.

“People from other villages came here and receive help but the actual needy people are ignored by the officials,” Rahmatullah said, his creased face covered with dust as he peered out of the tent he and his parents had been given.

Backed by their armed militia, strongmen from the dominant ethnic Uzbek community in the area took aid delivery into their own hands, sending truckloads of food, water and tents to the stricken village.

Heavy losses as Ukraine launches deadly assault on rebels KRAINE’S military suffered U heavy casualties in a stepped-up offensive on proRussian rebels yesterday, as Europe and the head of the United Nations made a lastditch diplomatic effort to reel the country back from the

brink of civil war.

At least four Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 30 injured battling heavily armed insurgents around the flashpoint eastern town of Slavyansk as Russia warned the violence was putting peace in Europe in peril.

The interior ministry in Kiev said the pro-Russian gunmen controlling the town were using civilians as human shields and were shooting from houses, some of which were on fire.

“They are waging a war on us, on our own territory ... my mission is to eliminate the ter-

rorists,” Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told reporters from near Slavyansk where he was overseeing the assault.

The head of Ukraine’s national guard, Stepan Poltorak, said: “We have bottled them up in the centre” of Slavyansk, but added that “our adversaries are well-trained and well-equipped”.

The advance on Slavyansk was part of a wider military operation in the east to root out the separatist insurgents, who are holding more than a dozen towns.

The authorities retook control of the TV tower near

Slavyansk but lost a helicopter, cut down by machine gun fire. The pilots survived.

Russia, which denies any hand in the violence, warned in a foreign ministry report yesterday that the unrest in Ukraine was now “fraught with such destructive consequences for Europe’s peace, stability and democratic development that it is absolutely necessary to prevent it”.

The report accused Ukrainian “ultra-nationalists” — who Moscow claims control Kiev’s government — of rights violations on a “mass” scale.

Kerry keeps pressure on South Sudan rebel leader NITED States Secretary of U State, John Kerry has threatened sanctions against South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar yesterday if he spurned peace negotiations, as government forces battled for control of the northern oil town of Bentiu.

Kerry flew to South Sudan on Friday to revive talks that have made scant progress in months.

He secured a commitment from President Salva Kiir to fly

to Ethiopia for face-to-face talks with Machar, who held off from promising to take part.

In a rare sign of progress in talks dogged by deep mutual mistrust, government and rebel negotiators in Ethiopia’s capital said they had agreed to consider a “month of tranquillity”, to start yesterday, and recommitted themselves to opening aid corridors.

Machar told the Sudan Tribune on Saturday he

thought a face-to-face meeting with Kiir could be “counterproductive”.

But Kerry, who said he had read the interview, noted that Machar had not ruled out meeting his rival.

“He has a fundamental decision to make. If he decides not to and procrastinates, then we have a number of different options that are available to us,” Kerry told reporters in Angola on the last stop of a nearly week-long trip to Africa.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 11

THE GUARDIANwww.ngrguardiannews.com

Focus Good law, fresh headache Before 2010, Nigerian insurance companies could not insure risks in the oil and gas sector, due to several challenges. But an Act enacted in 2010 has changed the equation, giving them access as a matter of right. JOSHUA NSE writes on the pros and cons.

OLLOWING the enactment of the Nigeria Oil F2010, & Gas Industry Content Development Act in which provided the legal framework and rules for the participation of local insurance companies in the oil sector, there are indications that stakeholders in the insurance industry are now working hard to take full advantage of it.

Specifically, three years after the law came into operation, insurance companies are gradually keying into the oil and gas underwriting business.

The law provided for 40 and 70 per cent minimum retention of all non-life and life insurance services in the oil and gas sector by the local insurance companies. With this landmark provision, both the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the operators have admitted that the industry still has capacity gaps in the oil sector, with major stakeholders such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other multi-national oil companies, insisting that the nation’s insurance industry lacks the capacity to underwrite the oil business in the country.

The main contention advanced by oil majors is that local insurance companies are weak and lacking in financial and technical capacities to insure risks in the oil sector, especially in claims payment, as the volume of transactions in the sector are dollar denominated. They prefer to insure with their brokerage and insurance companies abroad.

However, indigenous operators are not discouraged. They are collaborating with regulators and relevant stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunities in the new law. In order to actualize the local content law, NAICOM brought out the guidelines for oil and gas insurance underwriting. The guidelines defined local capacity as the aggregate capacities of all Nigeria registered insurers and reinsurers, which shall be fully exhausted prior to any application for approval to reinsure any Nigerian oil and gas risk portfolio overseas.

According to the guidelines, an insurer’s capacity for oil and gas policies shall be the net retention of that insurer, plus its reinsurance treaty capacity. The reinsurance treaty capacity of a consortium of insurers is also acceptable.

Besides, any other reinsurance facility, other than treaty is acceptable as an insurer’s capacity, provided there is evidence that the risk has attached, and the cover provided by an acceptable security. Also, where the reinsurance capacity is provided by a foreign reinsurer, it shall be with a company having a minimum financial strength rating (FSR) of “A-” A.M. Best, Standard & Poors (S & P) “A” .

Furthermore, any insurance company or reinsurance broker, intending to reinsure any oil and gas risks abroad, must apply for Approval in Principle (AIP) and subsequently, a Letter of Attestation and certificate to reinsure abroad.

The guidelines specifically state that all Nigerian registered insurers are eligible to participate in any Nigeria oil and gas insurance business, subject to the limitation as stipulated in the operational licence. The certified true copy of licence and/or certification in the case of consortium bidding , issued by the Commission, shall subsist for the purpose of determining authorization to transact oil, gas or energy insurance business.

Also all insurers willing to participate directly in any oil and gas or energy insurance business, must provide evidence of possession of current TAX, VAT (Value Added Tax) clearance certificate.

The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) - the umbrella body for risk underwriters, in support of its members, has unveiled a $20 billion oil, gas insurance pool, designed to help members build capacity to meet challenges in the local content development Act. The pool, backed by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), was the outcome of industry committee report at the instance of NAICOM, to explore appropriate strategy to enable the industry build adequate capacity to underwrite 70 per cent of businesses as stipulated in the local content policy for the industry.

The Director –General of NIA, Sunday Thomas,

Daniel told The Guardian that the insurance pool project is high on the agenda of the NIA’s Council .

As a measure of commitment, he explained, the name of the pool has been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and all the conditions set in the committee’s report have been met and tentatively the pool will begin operation this month.

He said: ‘’The Council is passionate on getting the project off the ground and the secretariat is doing everything possible to see it through.”

According to the report, the objectives of the pool are to develop local financial capacity; achieve bulk purchase of reinsurance arrangements, develop technical capacity and improve local underwriting skills; provide technical underwriting information to member companies; curb capital flight by way of reinsurance of premium overseas and compete with international reinsurers and guarantee premium reduction.

Besides, the pool shall be an underwriting instrument for insurance companies by way of membership and subscription shall be subject to payment of entry fees.

The committee recommended that each member should subscribe for a minimum of $250,000 per line, with 50 per cent paid up in order to achieve a retained pool’s capacity of $20 billion, to be protected by appropriate reinsurance arrangements, to shore up and protect the pool’s capacity.

The pool will be managed by credible and internationally respected managers with a wealth of experience in the management of similar pools abroad.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel has confirmed that the industry witnessed a 40 per cent growth, as a result of the reforms carried out. He said: “To put a stop to the vexed issue of delayed or non-payment of insurance premium by the insured, the Commission commenced the implementation of ‘No premium no cover’ provisions in the Insurance Act in January last year. As a result, it has significantly improved the cash flow of

Thomas insurance constitutions in the country. ‘’It is expected that this positive turn of events would impact on the capacity of operators to settle claims promptly, thus removing a major sore point in the relationship of insurance consumers with service providers.”

An insurance technocrat and Chairman EHI Consulting (Insurance Oil and Gas Strategy), Mr. Tom Ogboi, who x-rayed the significance of local content to the industry, agreed that the industry had recorded significant benefits from the local content policy from the previous position where insurance companies were, merely fronting for foreign companies. But today, he affirmed, insurance companies are in control, monitoring the whole process of risk assessment in the sector.

According to him, there has been a development of human capital in the industry. Prior to his time, he explained, “we did not have Nigerians who understood anything about oil and gas underwriting. Everybody avoided it, nobody wanted to go into that area because we did not understand it. But today, there has been a lot of training and retraining in the industry.

Insurance companies have been sending their staff on training locally and abroad. We now have Nigerians who have fair idea of oil and gas underwriting.”

He continued: “If we do not have Nigerians with the exposure in this oil and gas sector, many parts of West and Central Africa may be at a disadvantage. Oil has been discovered in these parts of the world, and they will need the expertise of Nigerians. Interestingly, you can see that we are going to be exporting our expertise very shortly to all these other countries.”

Also, he said, the policy has affected the balance sheet of insurance companies positively.

“Insurance companies that have been writing this risk are growing their balance sheets and portfolio gradually. In a prudent manner, their balance sheets have been significantly and positively affected by the increase in premium that they are getting from the oil and gas business,” he stated.

The Nigeria Oil and Gas Local Content was the result of several decades of efforts by the government and stakeholders, to ensure that the industry provides local values and benefits to Nigerians. For almost 50 years since the discovery of oil in Nigeria, the petroleum industry has functioned with very limited contributions to the wider Nigerian economy, to the extent that well over 60 per cent of work value in the industry were being executed outside he nation’s shores

He added that Loss Adjusters, surveyors, marine warranty and all professionals have also benefited. He said: “They now have to work with foreign partners, enhance their capabilities, earn fees from their activities. All these projects allowed them to increase their income levels significantly, with multiplier effect in the economy as a whole.

“Due to the fact that oil and gas portfolio are peak risks, the risk appetite of insurance companies should be minimized. Nobody should say I want to go and insure 70 per cent, because if a claim should occur, that company is finished.’’

Corroborating Ogboi’s assertion, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, LASACO Assurance Plc, Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi said: ‘’Our position has improved drastically from where we started. Our strength, knowledge base has improved tremendously. But we cannot achieve 70 per cent overnight, because we cannot legislate financial capacity into existence. The capacity are being built up gradually.

Head, Strategy and Corporate Communications, AIICO Insurance Plc, Rotimi Aleshinloye, said the regulators have been supportive. “There was a dearth in capacity building in the oil and gas industry in the 80s,” he said. “Before doing business, most organizations usually asked for capacity before agreeing to sign any contract of business. With the local content in place, a lot of local insurance companies have been able to buy into the business.

Right now, 70 per cent of NNPC business will be domiciled in the Nigerian market. We also have competent underwriters that can conveniently underwrite oil land gas business and they are also building a lot of reserves. No international organization has been able to come out and say that our local companies are not settling their claims. People are going for training to develop their capacities.”

According to him, most of the insurance companies, in terms of their oil land gas portfolio, now retain S2 million of the business; which means that any transaction below S2 million is covered by the local companies “and these foreign organizations can only come in when the claim is more than S2 million.” The local content, he affirmed, “is a blessing to Nigeria. It is only a matter of time before we get there.”

The doyen of the industry, Professor Joe Irukwu, said: “The industry will go nowhere unless we work together as one, determined to make a success of our efforts as professional risk bearers. We require a robust united insurance industry in order to reap the benefits of this very important landmark legislation.

“We understand the spirit and objectives of this important deliberation as well as its benefits to the Nigerian insurance industry and to our national economy. The Nigeria Oil and Gas Local Content Development Act 2010 made some very important provisions to promote the local retention capacity of marine, life and non-life insurance services in the context of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“To this end, the Act provides for 40 and 100 per cent minimum retention of all non–life and life insurance services in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. In view of the fact that the oil and gas industry represents the most dominant aspect of our national economy today, it is evident that this landmark legislation, when it is fully implemented, will revolutionize our national premium volume as well as the level of insurance funds controlled by the Nigerian insurance industry and it is our responsibility to achieve that very vital point.”

He further explained: “the Nigeria Oil and Gas Local Content was the result of several decades of efforts by the government and stakeholders, to ensure that the industry provides local values and benefits to Nigerians. For almost 50 years since the discovery of oil in Nigeria, the petroleum industry has functioned with very limited contributions to the wider Nigerian economy, to the extent that well over 60 per cent of work value in the industry were being executed outside he nation’s shores.”

The final objective of this Act, he said, is to correct this very unsatisfactory situation. “We all have our sacred duty to ensure the full implementation of the provisions of this very important landmark legislation.”

12 | Tuesday, May 6, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Politics The National Conference Debate

Need to involve indigenous religion people in confab (2) CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

By Oba Adedayo Olusino Adekoya QUAL opportunity, freedom and respect E for each other’s freedom is a must. We form the silent majority, and constitute not less than 60-70 per cent of the population in spite of all the wrongly derived figures bandied around. That we are silent does not mean we should be silenced. The minority, which constitutes the elites, is carrying it too far.

To justify our claim of being in the majority, one just need to review the data by UNESCO in 2009 figure of literacy rate of 33 per cent in Nigeria. This means that the non-literate people constitute 67 per cent of the society.

Because the mode of recruitment into Christianity and Islam is through school registration, missionary work, evangelism all of which result into false conversion, the literate elites, who form the bulk of the Christian and Islam group of the citizenry of Nigeria thus constitute about 10 per cent each because even among the literate, there is a high preponderance of Indigenous religion, Isese of probably not less than 10 per cent.

The American Central Intelligence Agency 2013 figure for Nigerians above 15 years of age, who can read and write that is quoted by the National Population Commission of Nigeria, is 61.3 per cent. The population of Nigerians in the working age bracket of 16 to 55 years is 55-60 per cent. This meant that the Dependency rate is 40 per cent.

Therefore, in a triangular population schematic structure like Nigeria, government is leaving out a very big chunk of the country when Isese religion followers are not involved in decision-making and implementation.

The Isese people that were sidelined about 100 years ago because they did not have Western education are quite different from their grandchildren now who have both Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge education. This has put them in a better stance and they can be more useful to the country.

They are able to cope, comprehend and manage the contemporary times better since their wisdom is based on a solid foundation of the holistic experiences of the past and the imported knowledge.

Not capitalising on the advantages of the indigenous religion and knowledge is quite unwise and government is supposed to be wise. Sidelining the Isese religion people and even the indigenous knowledge people from the conference that would determine the fate of a country in which they form the real majority is a sort of neo-colonialism of the

majority by the opportune minority. This may not augur well for all of us at the end of the day.

Indigenous religion, Isese people should constitute at least 60 per cent of the delegates to the on-going National Conference and other arms of government and governance because we constitute not less than that in what is now Nigeria. It is because the minority elites are the ones calling the shots that we are having problems moving forward.

By condemning everything that is indigenous, we are throwing the baby out with the bath water. Other peoples and developed countries built their development on the foundation of their indigenous knowledge systems. That is what we should do.

Emperor Constantine developed the indigenous religion in Europe and we have what we now call Christianity. As Constantinople, the city named after him became Istanbul, Islam religion got developed.

Isese religion is the development of our indigenous religious beliefs and practices and it is when we follow this that we can realise that contrary to the current trend of feeling that we do not, as a people, have history and relationship with the Creator, we had on record been worshiping and having direct contact since at least 13,000 years judging by the records of the discovery of human settlement in a cave near Akure, which had been radioactively date to have human skull bones and parts buried with other artifacts to 11,000 B.C. Knowing this makes us to have strong confidence in ourselves.

We know that the convenient point chosen by the Palestinians to begin their history from, that is Adam and Eve, which was dated to be 3,500 B.C., could not have been our beginning. That was about 5,500 years ago.

Anybody that knows arithmetic would know that what it meant was that we had been in contact with the Almighty creator some 8,000 odd years before Adam and Eve. So, our ancestral contact had been longer, experientially better and more sustainable.

HAT we are doing at the National W Conference in Abuja today is pursuing an exercise that will end up as an “Incomplete Metamorphosis.” The organism, which will emerge, will have all the internal organs missing. We shall just come up with a carcass of a body lacking in its soul.

Isese is the soul; it is the religion of most of the people. It is the basis on which they relate with life environment and the totality of nature.

In 10-20-30 years’ time, if we don’t do the

What we are doing at the National Conference in Abuja today is pursuing an exercise that will end up as an ‘Incomplete Metamorphosis.’ The organism, which will emerge, will have all the internal organs missing. We shall just come up with a carcass of a body lacking in its soul. Isese is the soul; it is the religion of most of the people. It is the basis on which they relate with life environment and the totality of nature. In 10-20-30 years’ time, if we don’t do the proper thing of involving the soul in whatever we are doing now, then it may be too late. Our children don’t speak our languages again; very soon, we as a people, apart from our languages, would become extinct. We are being made to hate ourselves as a people and we are wishing we were like other people. We want to be better Arabs than the Saudi Arabian, better American than the USA man, better English than the English man.

proper thing of involving the soul in whatever we are doing now, then it may be too late.

Our children don’t speak our languages again; very soon, we as a people, apart from our languages, would become extinct.

We are being made to hate ourselves as a people and we are wishing we were like other people. We want to be better Arabs than the Saudi Arabian, better American than the USA man, better English than the English man.

Baldwin Zimmer, the former Head of the European Delegation in Nigeria, was pleasantly surprised when he was shown the way our indigenous governing system worked. He then expressed admiration at the discovery of why, despite all the trouble that the world saw during the postJune 12 imbroglio, Nigeria did not break.

He found that the real government of the people happened at the individual community, village levels where people bring their experiences to play, merging the newly introduced Western ideas with the original indigenous mode of doing things, which had worked for generations.

He became a member of the indigenous parliament, the Osugbo/Ogboni, which people mistakenly labeled as a cult as prescribed by the European colonialist who found it difficult to break as a body.

They were and still are the lawmakers and the parliamentary building is the Uledi. The Oluwo is the Prime Minister; the Apena is the Speaker; the Olotu Ijo is the Senate President; the Olotu Egan is the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Olotu Igharefa/Iwarefa is the Chief Justice; the Olotu Erelu is the Head of the Women Parliamentarians; the Olotu Odagba is the Chief custodian of the of the scared drum for non-verbal communication. The Oba is the President and the Ajo Ofuva/Ofuwa/Oloye is the Council of Chiefs/Ministers. The different religions exist outside the parliament with their different heads.

An incomplete metamorphosis is the prerequisite for an incomplete organism. Those we today see as developed people, countries and economies based their foundation for development on their indigenous religions and faiths, indigenous languages, their traditions and culture, their indigenous education systems, indigenous technology and sciences, indigenous agricultural systems, all of which they developed into what we now see today and envy. Let us do the same on our own for others to look at and envy.

It is never too late to make corrections. Even when a matter is in the court and judgment about to be pronounced, fresh evidence that can sway the decision of the court for a better, equitable and fairer decision is entertained.

Alienating Isese people, who form majority

HRM Oba Olusino Adekoya (Erinsiba I) of the county from decisions about their country, is a grievous mistake that shall take its toll on the country if not quickly corrected. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.

We abhor and condemn all these violence, killings and massacres. It is senseless and will get us nowhere. It should stop and let everyone come to the negotiating table and discuss.

We cannot afford to lose all these lives that constitute great human resource asset to the country. Let all these violence stop.

We feel deep pains in our hearts for those who died and those whom they left behind.

Please, let us stop all these killings.

We are looking forward to the new world power predicted to emerge from Africa to be Nigeria. We are also praying that this world power that would emerge, Nigeria, should be a very stable and peaceful one such that when we all look back in years to come, we shall be happy that we did the right equitable things and did very good balancing acts.

We then shall be proud that we left peace, progress, full-blown development and a country that we can beat our chest about, a country for the others to look up to, not a country where some people will feel left out, ignored, cheated and hated.

It is, therefore, advised that government should involve Isese Agbaye people in the ongoing National Conference, all other activities of government and give them the necessary support to make them feel a part of the project Nigeria.

CONCLUDED • His Royal Majesty, Oba Adedayo Olusino Adekoya (Erinsiba I), President-General of the Worldwide Isese Agbaye Community (WIAC), presented this memo on behalf of ‘Isese Agbaye’ Religion People.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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TheGuardian

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Conscience Nurtured by Truth

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

Editorial Chibok girls: Tragedy of a nation HE graphic images of concerned, hurting and traumatised mothers on the streets T of Abuja, Lagos and elsewhere the other day, to symbolically remind the government of its insensitivity, perhaps incompetence in rescuing 223 abducted school girls in Borno State, three weeks after the tragic act speak volumes. Feelings remain raw in all and the request is unmistakable: the nation and the parents want a reunion with the children, President Goodluck Jonathan’s lamentable admission that their whereabouts are still unknown notwithstanding. The pain is deepened by the video statement released yesterday by Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau that his group is holding the girls and plans to sell them into slavery.

Expectations are still high on a safe return of the girls whose actual number has curiously and ominously remained guesswork. The school principal, as a mother, did well to dare correct erroneous claims of only 100 girls initially. The other day, the DSS in Borno State reportedly gave 276, against the school authority’s widely accepted 234, again before weekend’s figure of 180 by Northern Christian Forum leaders.

It is unfortunate enough that Nigeria has found herself in this quagmire but the deafening silence at the corridors of power that initially attended the tragedy is more unacceptable. President Jonathan waited for a presidential media chat on May 4 before speaking and Borno State Governor Shettima was equally guilty of not rallying his people through a state broadcast since.

It is sickening that no answer is being offered anxious and tormented parents, relations and Nigerians to the debauchery. Relevant government institutions too had none to offer than a lame plea for time. A hurried attempt by the Nigerian Army was embarrassingly bungled. However, notwithstanding any behind-the-scene activities, a rising wave of anger and frustration across the land is justifiable.

At this crossroads, there should be no rest for President Jonathan and everybody down the line including men of the armed forces until the girls are rescued and returned to their distraught parents. No other excuses or explanation will obviate the official tardiness and incompetence being displayed by everybody. The citizens are fast losing faith in government, particularly over this incident. Inferences of internal sabotage or even suspected limitation by the armed forces can no longer be waved aside. When will Nigerian leaders begin to take responsibility for their actions or inaction?

If parents, relations, villagers could be roused to take a highly risky adventure into Sambisa Forest believed to be the fort of the insurgents, officials who swore to protect citizens or a government whose responsibility it is to protect them through its agents should do more. Abductions as witnessed in the Government School, Chibok, since April 14 should bring out the best in a proactive security network.

In saner climates, the country will be virtually at a standstill now. But except for some belated moves at the National Assembly a few days ago, it is business as usual in Abuja. Yet, over one hundred homes are mourning the children’s forceful seizure!

Are the children of the elite involved? No. Hence the tardiness? This government has a lot of explaining to do. How true are reports that the girls have been moved to Chad Republic, Cameroon, Niger Republic with some believed to have been forcefully married out to insurgents? Are their captors indoctrinating or using them as sex slaves?

Three weeks is agonizing, and the official insensitivity on display is befuddling.

Curiously, President Jonathan ill-advisedly cancelled the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, April 30 in honour of Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s brother’s death in an accident. Yet, he has not been so moved by 234 missing children to view that as a national tragedy, three weeks after their abduction.

In South Korea, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won took responsibility and resigned over government’s mistakes that generated public outcry and resentment following the sinking of a passenger ferry with over 300 lives lost. It is an action to redeem public faith in government. Though far-fetched in Nigeria’s circumstance, accountability is the key in governance.

Also as father of the nation and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the president has not deemed it fit to make a symbolic visit to his troops or to families in Chibok or some other trouble spots since his last whistle-stop visit to Maiduguri, which in any case was compelled by political pressure.

A number of questions are pertinent for truth to unravel. With the delayed rescue, is Boko Haram playing for time for the nation to find something else to occupy citizens’ attention and leave the girls to their fate as another unresolved crime? Is the country (military) serious about the operations in the North-East at all? What is the true capacity of the military hardware available for use? Is there enough to prosecute the war? Are the soldiers well mobilised for the task? Are there forces which do not want the war to end? What is the level of intelligence gathering especially in neighbouring states, which are now considered threats to Nigeria’s interests? And how effective is the coordination and control of the war efforts?

This newspaper has once advocated the exploration of all options to resolve the impasse with the Boko Haram. But government is yet to show the necessary commitments.

Had the government taken the insurgency as seriously as it should have initially, it could have shut the borders shortly after the abduction with intensified air patrol, among other military offensives, to close in on the insurgents.

Embassies ought to be invaluable assets at times like these. It is high time the country reviewed the stature of envoys in neighbouring countries to accommodate only the very senior and very experienced ambassadors. The most strategic and powerful postings were in the neighbouring countries in the past to protect national interests. This should now be the case.

Leaders who are worth that tag accept responsibility and learn to communicate to the citizens promptly. Once again, there should be no rest for President Jonathan until the girls are found.

LETTER

Bravo Ikeja disco This is to appreciate the Sof IR:owners and management Ikeja Distribution

2500KVA transformer by first week of April 2014 after about eight weeks.

Company, Alausa, Lagos. My This letter is to appreciate the Estate LSDPC River View, Isheri provision of the transformer at North, Lagos experienced fail- no cost to the residents. A new ure of our 2500 KVA transformer of that capacity Transformer, during the first would have cost the estate N12 week of November 2013, when million. We experienced a old PHCN was hand- over to transparent discussion with all the new owners. personnel all through this The residents made formal transaction. reports to PHCN main office Our appreciation is to let at Alausa, Ikeja Lagos. The response was that they could not effect repairs or provide solutions in view of the then transition programme. The IR: Few months ago, an residents considered several appeal was made to the Vice factors and decided to con- Chancellor, LAUTECH, Professor tribute money and got the Adeniyi Sulaimon Gbadegesin, transformer fixed.

The over the ill treatment of some repaired transformer was students in the university. energised mid-December Specific mention was made of 2013. Unfortunately, this the Faculty of Earth Sciences. transformer failed the second The appeal was published by time during first week of many national dailies. Mention February 2014. By now the was also made of a student, new owners were contacted Adebayo Isaac O, who was in the to come to our rescue.

Department of Geology. As at We make bold to say the the time, he had spent up to 10 estate got the support of the years in the University for no top management teams at just cause than victimisation Alausa disco office. A team was and wickedness on the part of set up to investigate our prob- some lecturers. lem. Based on the submisTo the glory of God, effectivesions, the residents were ness, efficiency and magnanimpromised a replacement of ity of the Vice Chancellor, a comthe transformer. mittee was set up to look into The residents painstakingly the case and the case was held on, and allowed due resolved promptly. In a nutprocess in the handling of our shell, that student had graduatrequest and finally approval ed on Thursday April 24, 2014. was secured from Abuja. The This write-up is to update those Estate was re-energised who read about the appeal in through provision of another the dailies that the problem had

Nigerians knows that the privatisation of the energy sector would produce better results if given time. We are about 95 per cent on pre-paid meter in the estate, a cash- cow that the old PHCN could not take advantage of to resolve our problem.

• Olalekan Akingbade, chairman, BoT LSDPC RiverView Estate, Isheri North, Lagos.

Thank you LAUTECH V.C

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been resolved. Second is to thank Prof. Gbadgesin and implore him not to relent in his reformation of LAUTECH. We are aware of the unprecedented house-cleaning since his arrival at the institution, it is highly imperative. As a matter of fact, thanking him becomes imperative because he is not the first V.C that the appeal was made to over the issue of Isaac Adebayo and the ‘hell’ the students in Earth Sciences were passing through with little or no efforts to look into the issue.

The V.C. is advised to direct his attention more on the academic sector of LAUTECH. This because the case of Isaac Adebayo was just a tip of the iceberg of students being victimized with no just cause but because they had no means to voice out their future and are rotting away on the campus.

• Adewuyi Adegbite, Apake, Ogbomoso.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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Opinion Abolition of non-indigeneship in Rivers State

By Luke Onyekakeyah

T a time when the fabrics holding Nigeria A together as one united country are under severe stress as a result of ego-centric political culture and mistrust exacerbated by the Boko Haram onslaught, the announcement last week by the Rivers State Governor, His Excellency Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, of the abolition of non-indigeneship in the state is cherry news worth commendation. The patriotic and laudable historic decision is indeed, a critical step towards promoting national unity, which many in leadership positions across the country pay mere lip service. This is the first time ever that any state government would abolish non-indigeneship upon which tribalism, ethnicism, nepotism, suspicion and the other variants of segregation are built. The Rivers State authorities would do well to enact appropriate legislation to rest the issue. A mere announcement would not be enough to dismantle an age-old animosity. An abolition law would do.

However, I would like to state from the outset that there is no law in the country on nonindigeneship, which deserves to be abolished.

Non-indigeneship is an abnormality created by the misinterpretation of the Constitution, which every state adopted without any basis and it has gained much ground over the years. There is need, therefore, to abolish the repulsive notion. The entire country would be at peace and harmony if every state of the federation abolishes the vexatious non-indigeneship, which, without doubt, is one of the divisive factors threatening Nigeria. Even, the Boko Haram crisis rocking the country would cease if Nigerians see themselves as one people without ethnic bias or divisions, whereby, it wouldn’t matter from whichever section of the country one comes from. State authorities across the country should take cue from Rivers State and make their states home for all Nigerians, as a first step towards achieving lasting peace and unity. Abolition of indigeneship would make Nigeria a one-nation state, which has eluded us for decades.

Governor Amaechi reportedly announced the abolition while welcoming a large crowd of “non-indigenes”, who paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt. Amaechi said: “I don’t believe in nonindigeneship. As far as I am concerned, you are entitled to everything if you have lived in Rivers State for at least five years. We are all Rivers indigenes. If you go anywhere around this state and they are segregating against you, please, call my attention. The reason is that we are all Nigerians and we remain bona fide citizens of this country.” The governor capped his announcement with the approval of a bus for the Non-indigenes Forum in the state and also 20 per cent scholarship for hitherto “non-indigenes” among other largesse.

Reports say the announcement threw the crowd into frenzy, as many couldn’t believe what they heard. It was like a dream. The mass excitement and jubilation forced security personnel to have a hectic time controlling an overwhelming crowd that was unprecedented in the history of such visits to the Government House. What a historic moment?

There is no doubt that the landmark decision in Rivers State has opened a new phase in the socio-political evolution of the country, which is a pointer to a brighter future, as more states embrace the idea. If Nigerians could live anywhere in the country without entrenched stereotypes and discrimination, then we would have achieved the much-desired statehood, which today is lacking. In a way, Rivers State Government has applied a soothing balm that has the capacity to reduce the pressure from that part of the country.

There would be little or no tension in Rivers State when residents feel at home without discrimination.

It is worth stating that for decades, the issue of “non-indigenes” living in states other than theirs has been contentious. Nigerians have been maltreated, humiliated or denied jobs outside their state of origin. Thousands of others who managed to get employment probably out of need outside their states have

been sacked unceremoniously on account of being “non-indigenes” by the host states.

Plateau, Enugu, Sokoto, and most recently Abia states have at one time or the other openly sacked “non-indigenes” from their state civil service. Non-indigeneship is partly responsible for the mass unemployment in the country. Many states are unwilling to give permanent employment to “non-indigenes” even when there are vacancies. Such vacancies are better left unfilled than have “non-indigenes” fill them.

On the political front, segregation, rooted in ethnicity, is at the root of the bitter political culture that defines Nigeria. The problem runs through the entire political spectrum from federal through state and local government levels. For instance, at the federal level, who becomes the president remains an explosive issue at any point in time. Some sections of the country see it as their birthright to perpetually produce the president. Any deviation from that leads to instability, as we have today, because the president is from a minority Ijaw ethnic group. The experience is the same at the state and local government levels, where sectional interests also play a major role.

It is not that the Constitution is silent on the issue of citizenship. The 1999 Constitution as amended, clearly defines who is a citizen of Nigeria in Section 25 (1) (a), which states that every “person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria. Sub-section (1) (b) of the same section states, “every person born in Nigeria after the date of independence either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria; and (c) “every person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria.”

Over the years, problem arose after ethnic chauvinists misinterpreted “community indigenous to Nigeria” to mean “community indigenous to the state”! By this interpretation, any Nigerian born outside a community not indige-

nous to a state in which he or she lives is regarded as “non-indigene.”

By implication, “non-indigenes” are not treated as citizens but as “foreigners” in total contravention of the Constitution. But the term, “indigenous” in the Constitution does not apply to persons but communities.

It is unfortunate that the country has been living on a clearly warped perspective of the Constitution for years, which has made it become norm, indeed, an acceptable way of life.

Consequently, rather than emphasize citizens of Nigeria, the emphasis is led on state of origin. The mantra has destroyed what used to be large ethnic blocs across the country, such that it is no longer possible to talk of Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani in the context in which these were known in pre-independence Nigeria or shortly after independence before the civil war broke out in 1967 and twelve states were created, which led the balkanisation of Nigeria. People prefer to be identified with their state of origin and not Nigeria.

What the Rivers State Government has done, in essence, is to give the right interpretation to the Constitution, that all persons born in Nigeria whose parents or grandparents belong or belonged to any of the numerous indigenous communities in Nigeria are bona fide citizens of Nigeria, with all the rights and privileges attached to it. It is tantamount to the abuse of the fundamental rights of Nigerians, to deny them rights and privileges, anywhere in country simply because they were born outside the state.

Any leader at any level of government in this country, who is interested in one united Nigerian nation, should be interested in what the Rivers State Government has done and seek to have it replicated in their domain. Given the unstable political situation in the country, the authorities should seek to dismantle all the official obstacles and hindrances dividing the country. Otherwise, it would be empty slogan for leaders to be preaching unity when in actual fact; they are fanning the embers of disunity.

Nigeria’s security and international assistance

By Dele Seteolu HE Nigerian state is under threat; threat of insurgents and terrorists who engage the state in its terrain. Theoretically, the state has monopoly in the usage of coercive weapons. In practice, the state monopoly is being challenged by non-state actors that bears weapons and could compel obedience. The Boko Haram insurgents allegedly possess more sophisticated weapons than the standing army; trained in the tactics of war and detonation of explosives. This group is alleged to receive tactical training with the Al-Qaeda group in the Sahara desert.

It often relies on guerrilla tactics to attack state institutions, military, police formations and personnel.

The ethnic- based conflicts in Northern Nigeria, kidnapping in the southeast, ritualism, kidnapping and armed robbery in the southwest buttress the severity of security deficit in Nigeria. The ‘dreaded’ Boko Haram has been the most daring with recurring attacks on military targets and civil population especially in Borno, Yobe and Taraba. The most recent attack occurred in Nyanya, Abuja, which led to the death of about eighty defenceless victims. The group has claimed responsibility; and its leader, Shekau who was presumed to be dead has announced the continuing stay of the group in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the security question has been politicised as occasioned by accusations and counter-accusations of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Peoples Congress, APC. There are, however, attempts to transcend this political divide through the expanded National Security Council. The politicisation of security deficit is flimsy, hollow and reprehensible. The factions of political class should conciliate on this major threat to the polity; and offer useful insights to deal with the crisis. We should recall that the United States has declared Boko Haram a terrorist organisation. The United States has been a global anti-terrorist state and collaborates with other states on counter- terrorism measures. The United

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States anti-terrorist role has elicited its criticisms as assertive, dominating and obtrusive. The United States usage of drones has been critiqued as infringing on sovereignty of other states; and affects civilian population.

The Nigerian state has asked for U.S and British assistance to tackle insurgents and terrorists. This demand has engendered debate on its appropriateness, relevance and implications. The argument for U.S support is predicated on global nature of terrorism; and the imperative of regional and global co-operation to deal with this phenomenon. Critics argue that Nigeria is a Sovereign state, which should develop its capacity to deal with a largely local problem though with external ramifications. This writer is worried of the U.S assistance, the American involvement will likely attract surveillance on Nigeria’s strategic locations, interests and sovereignty. The American drone attacks on terrorist locations had affected civil population, thereby raising question on its purpose. The Nigerian state, however, could share and rely on U.S intelligence and training of its security personnel on counter-terrorism strategies. It is problematic to rely on the operational intervention of the West amid a fully-fledged local security structure. The huge defence budget and elaborate defence apparatus’ challenges the Nigerian state to respond to its security deficits; this is the viable option for a state with national pride, character and self –assertive inclination.

The security deficit should be constructed within the prism of Nigeria’s national question. There is a relationship between the security question and the contradictions in the polity. The settler and indigene ship question, land question, resource sharing, minority question et cetera has posed major threats to the federation. The concrete resolutions of national question in Nigeria require holistic approach that responds to socio-economic, political and cultural contexts of the conflicts.

Curiously, the public space is inundated with speculation

that the United States has been funding insurgency in Northern Nigeria. The alleged funding is tied to expected collapse of Nigeria in 2015. This position is freely canvassed at public forums; but it raises doubt about the concreteness of our analyses and conclusions. First, it is the vogue to discuss without scientific bases. Second, the public affairs analysts are sometimes too enthusiastic to join the bandwagon on certain issues.

It is problematic to reconcile the speculated United States funding of terrorists in Nigeria and its global struggle against terrorism. Furthermore, the Boko Haram group is linked to the dreaded Al-Qaeda, which is despised by the United States.

Besides, there are objective conditions to predict the disintegration of Nigeria, when the centrifugal forces are not mediated. The recurring ethnic-nationality based conflict in Nassarawa, Benue and Plateau, resource control crises, citizenship question, land question, religious politics, et cetera are major threats to the country’s future. This essay does not ignore external factors in the Nigerian situation, but stresses the preponderance of local issues as critical threats to Nigeria’s stability and survival.

The going-on national conference is an attempt to address the national question and its consequences. There are worries on the submission of its outcomes to the National Assembly. This writer prefers that the conference outcomes are submitted to a referendum of the Nigerian people. This approach will confer legitimacy to the conference outcome and foster far-reaching measures on prevalent contradictory relations. For emphasis, the security question should respond to socio-economic, political, territorial, and defence question.

The security question is not strictly economic or military; it is a crosscutting phenomenon. The Nigerian state should review its security policy to include energy, water, food and human question.

Dr. Seteolu wrote from Lagos State University.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Opinion Nigeria stands on the precipice

By Tola Adeniyi OBODY who participated or witnessed the senseless genocide that went by the name Nigerian Civil War, or the horrors in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, or the unabated anarchy in Somalia, would ever pray for war or for anarchy. While war is usually an organised battle with drawn lines and rules of engagement, anarchy is a ruthless dislocation of society where no laws or civilities are respected. Yet Nigeria is dangerously moving close to the two, while it stands blindfolded on the precipice.

This is not being an alarmist. Nigeria is in serious trouble. The staggering mass unemployment of highly skilled citizens which runs into several millions, and which figure still keeps mounting is a ticking time bomb!

The unresolved energy problem, which has kept Nigerians in perpetual darkness and their industries on their knees, is another major catalyst that will shut our gates to the civilised world. Energy alone or lack of it is responsible largely for the country’s mass unemployment and the attendant rising wave of criminality.

The insensitivity of the ruling class and the cohorts that wine and dine with this heartless club is another major irritant that may lure the hungry and angry youths, who are in their millions throughout the country to take up arms.

The Boko Haram menace, a human eating disease to which the Federal Government has continued to apply wrong prescription and wrong-headed cure, if allowed to spread nationwide will be the ultimate that will consume Nigeria. But before the consumption, there will be a free- for- all as the various militant groups in the country are already beating the drums of war.

Already, the Boko Haram phenomenon is a Guerrilla War. The skirmishes are totally in defiance of conventional warfare and yet Nigeria sends bombs and air raids to dislodge a people who have sworn an oath of

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death.

The fear of outright war is credible. So also is the fear of Nigeria descending into largescale anarchy. Neither of the two scenarios is palatable.

Unfortunately, and really very unfortunately, the man who fate has destined to take Nigeria out of the woods, or relieve the country of some of the mess which immediate previous administrations by the same ruling party is grossly inefficient in that sector.

Our amiable President Dr. Goodluck Ebeledeme/Ebelechukwu Azikiwe Jonathan evidently lacks the ability, the capability and the capacity to rule over a country as complex as Nigeria. As a man, Dr. Jonathan is one of the most pleasant human beings on the surface of the earth. His humility is legendary. His level-headedness is beyond reproach. And by Jove, he is a most charming and attractive personality with a good taste in dress. And he knows book!

These personal qualities are regrettably not the credentials needed for good leadership.

We cannot blame Dr. Jonathan. And we have said times without number that those who had a hand in the conspiracy to expose Dr Jonathan’s underbelly and create a burden too heavy for his neck shall never know peace. Even though the master schemer is already licking his wounds, and swimming in irreversible regret that will usher him to his ignominious end, the irreparable damage foisted on hapless Nigerians has taken deep root.

How on earth can over 250 innocent girls be abducted without a trace for over two weeks in a world where there are spy planes that could have located their whereabouts and the heartless kidnappers rooted out?

Dr. Jonathan never prepared for Nigeria’s presidency. Indeed he did not prepare to be a councillor or deputy governor or governor etc etc. And if one is to recall what has now become the famous Kere-Kere prophesy propounded by the Lion of the West, Otunba

The Boko Haram menace, a human eating disease to which the Federal Government has continued to apply wrong prescription and wrong-headed cure, if allowed to spread nationwide will be the ultimate that will consume Nigeria. But before the consumption, there will be a free- for- all as the various militant groups in the country are already beating the drums of war.

Gbenga Daniel on the occasion of some Commissioning of Projects in Ogun State where Dr. Jonathan was the special guest, that was the summation of Dr. Goodluck’s rare good luck.

On that occasion, the erstwhile Governor of Ogun State anchored his speech on the unusual fortunes of the then Vice President Jonathan. Said Daniel: “Our special guest is a special person in the eyes of his creator; he was a middle level management staff of the OPADEC, kere-kere (gradual by gradual) he became a deputy governor, kere-kere (gradual by gradual) he became governor, kere-kere (gradual by gradual) he became vice president, and if the momentum is to be kept, kere-kere (gradual by gradual) he will become…!” The audience roared in laughter.

But the ‘gradual by gradual’ has reached its crescendo.

The other side of the coin of the kere-kere prophesy is that gradually, Nigeria has been ‘kere-kerely’ driven to the precipice. But no one should hold our President solely responsible for the depth of our morass. Our grouse against him is the refusal to accept his limitations and either employ the services and the proven expertise of more competent hands to help him out as the youngish Gowon did when he dragged the Awolowos, the Aminu Kanos, the Okoi Arikpos, the Enahoros into his War Cabinet, or bow out (a taboo to Africans) in dignity.

It is baffling that President Jonathan is ever considering remaining in office in the face of all the failures that have greeted his unenviable record of damning mediocrity. It is more baffling that the Party that brought him into

office, a reckless Party that could not find solutions to any of our myriads of problems since 1999, when the man who does not even know his birthday (my great-grand father did not know his either!) began the downward slide, continues to deceive itself that it can ever win (genuinely) elections in this robbed country.

It is baffling that those who should know do not know. It is equally baffling that those who should have seen the handwriting on the wall have refused to see.

We can avoid a civil war. We should avoid any situation that will trigger a war in this country. And much more desirable is the avoidance of anarchy. Anarchy is worse than war.

And neither war nor anarchy should be allowed to further worsen our ‘suffering and smiling’. God bless the immortal Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the high priest of counter culture.

He had seen nothing when he waxed that classical song.

I will end this piece by going on my knees to beg all those men and women of conscience who can still save this country to stand up to be counted.

Mothers and virgins that will definitely be viciously raped and murdered in the unfortunate event of war or anarchy, the millions of respectable and highly successful men and women who will turn refugees overnight in the advent of a war, or the total loss of sovereignty and absolute break down of law and order in case of anarchy, should be sufficient considerations that should compel us to consider options other than war and anarchy. Do not submit your happiness to the whims and caprices of others...

Time for real Africa to stand up

By Elsie Kanza FRICA is a region brimming with promise. Economies are expanding faster than anywhere outside Asia, trade is A flourishing – even within its own borders, investment interest is unprecedented. Nowhere is this optimism more indelible than in Nigeria, whose recent elevation to Africa’s largest economy seems merely to have confirmed what its people have long felt: that this entrepreneurial, irrepressible country has become the growth engine for the entire continent.

It is impossible not to feel this optimism and it is possible to fear for it. Champions like Nigeria as well as Rwanda and Ghana may be rivalling China when it comes to economic growth: now it is time, for this dynamism in the marketplace needs to be backed up by progress in the classroom, the hospital and in the corridors of power. Across Africa, and in spite of the Millennium Development Goals, society is still not benefitting enough from growth. Without a more inclusive approach to development, Africa cannot prosper.

Consider that 60 per cent of Africans are still living in low-income countries. It has been estimated that it will take 25 years for these countries to reach recognizable middle-income status. Consider that 59% of youth are unemployed today – or that 72 per cent of youth survive on less than $2 a day. Take ed-

Consider that 60 per cent of Africans are still living in low-income countries. It has been estimated that it will take 25 years for these countries to reach recognizable middle-income status. Consider that 59% of youth are unemployed today – or that 72 per cent of youth survive on less than $2 a day. Take education, where in some countries only one girl in every two hundred even manage to go to primary school.

ucation, where in some countries only one girl in every two hundred even manage to go to primary school.

Sustainable economic growth is the answer to these challenges but it is an elusive, moving target. How can Africa avoid eluding it? First, we need real creativity, ambition and vision in our post-2015 development goals. African nations are not going to be able to afford the same levels of investment as schools and hospitals receive in the West. But nor do they need to. Much as mobile phones have enabled Africans to benefit from the communications revolution without having to invest billions in costly land line infrastructure, the same leapfrogging techniques can have huge social benefits elsewhere.

In education, online courses are bringing down the unit cost of education in real game-changing proportions. Not only can they make education affordable on a massive scale, but these courses can also tailor their content towards the skills and knowledge Africans need to compete in the global economy better than the out-dated curricula used in most schools.

On the health front, Nigeria would need to grow its health budget by a factor of 10 to get to the stage where it has as many doctors as the OECD average. Better, then, to adopt innovative approaches as in Ethiopia where outreach workers are able to cover large communities, reducing the need for physicians and expensive health infrastructure.

Creative solutions for educating and caring for Africans are more than likely to be home grown ideas. Just as South Korea has managed to achieve better healthcare for its people on a quarter of its per capita budget, I have no doubt African innovators are up to this challenge.

Likewise, going back to economics, a lot is made of the potential for Africa’s growing middle class consumption to drive the region forward. This growth in spending power should not be discounted, but their combined firepower is nothing compared to the resources available at the base of the pyramid, even if per capita the spending is much less. Here, again,

African companies are leading the way, developing innovative products and retail strategies for consumers out of reach to international brands.

The biggest challenge facing Africa is creating the culture and machinery to put these plans into action, and this is where we all need to pitch in. Governments can provide leadership, certainly, by acting with vision and integrity, by adopting technology that will allow transparency to flourish. And there is no shortage of low hanging fruit here; making fines payable via a mobile application, for example, rather than cash would alone go a long way towards wheedling out the culture of graft.

Business has shown it has the appetite to overcome risk perceptions in order to invest in Africa, but it can do more by doing better at innovating products and services that are affordable and deliver value at the base of the pyramid. Civil society must help by acting with tolerance and responsibility and, yes, by paying taxes.

Bringing together the ideas, resolve and action to put these ideas – and actions – into reality will be the aim of the 24th World Economic Forum on Africa, which takes place in Abuja next week. We will attempt to cover a lot of ground; whether pushing forward with our Grow Africa food security initiative, which has now helped over 2.5 million smallholder farmers across Africa, kick-starting new projects such as our African Skills Initiative, or working with partners and constituents to advance transformation in areas such as improving Africans’ access to financial institutions, our digital and physical infrastructure, and empowering women socially, politically and economically.

These are the issues that must be resolved. Africans have the character and creativity to do this. It is time to meet this challenge.

• Kanza is director, head of Africa at the World Economic Forum.

The World Economic Forum on Africa 2014 takes place 7-9 May in Abuja.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 17

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

TheMetroSection Father kills son with chemical herbicide • Bauchi court convicts father for poisoning his own nine-month-old child, bags six-year imprisonment He told the police that his son was sick and his wife, who was four months pregnant at the time, took him to hospital and his wife returned with a list of prescription; but since he had no money on him to buy drugs, he administered the remaining chemical herbicide on the boy...and the boy died From Ali Garba, Bauchi HE Bauchi State High Court, Number 10, T presided over by Justice Abdulkadir Hussein Suleiman, has sentenced a father to six years

imprisonment for administering chemical herbicide to his nine-month-old child.

Counsel to the State Ministry of Justice, Sha’awanatu Yusuf, earlier told the court that on June 6, 2013, the suspect, Shitu Adamu of Zakshi Village in Toro Local Council, poisoned his biological son by administering the poisonous chemical on him, which led to the death of the son.

She said the suspect’s act is culpable homicide, punishable with death, which is contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.

In his evidence, Police investigator, Sargent Caiphas Adamu, told the court that the accused, who is a father of two children, had confessed to have committed the crime during investigation.

He told the police that his son was sick and his wife, who was four months pregnant at the time, took him to hospital and his wife returned with a list of prescription; but since he had no money on him to buy drugs, he administered the remaining chemical herbicide on the boy, thinking it would cure him

of the illness.

The prosecutor said the accused had attributed his action to poverty and unemployment and regretted his action in his confessional statement.

In her evidence, the wife of the accused, Lantana Shitu, said she went to fetch water on June 6, 2013 in a pond and “when I came back, I saw my son vomiting, he later died the same day. I didn’t know what had happened until three days after when our village head called my husband over the issue and he confessed that he was the one who poisoned him with herbicide chemical.”

In his Judgement yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice Abdulkadir Suleiman, who cited so many authorities said: “I have considered his plea for leniency made by his counsel on his behalf, I have also taken into account that the convict is first offender and appeared to be remorseful throughout the trial, taking all these into consideration, I hereby sentence him to six years imprisonment, commencing from June 24, 2013, the day he was first taken to remand.”

Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Mohmmed Ladan

Man attempting to kidnap two pupils caught at Abule-Egba Immediately the alarm was raised on the unusual bulge from the sack, the man took to his heels, while passersby chased him to the kidnapper’s hideout in a canal at Ekoro Road, Abule-Egba, rescuing the two pupils unhurt KIDNAPPER suspected to be a ritualist, was yesterday A apprehended by members of the public in Lagos following an outcry by passerby, who raised the alarm.

The man, name withheld, was caught with two school

kids in a sack at Agbele Kale, Ile-Epo bus-stop along AbuleEgba area.

Immediately the alarm was raised on the unusual bulge from the sack, the man took to his heels, while passersby chased him to the kidnapper hideout in a canal at Ekoro Road, Abule-Egba, rescuing the two pupils unhurt.

An eyewitness at the scene of the incident said after being caught, he was given a severe beating before policemen from the Abule-Egba division came and rescued him from being lynched.

In a related event, another suspected ritualist was at the weekend apprehended at Iyana Iba market in Lagos for allegedly kidnapping three children. The suspect allegedly took the children, aged four, six and seven years, on the pretext that she wanted to buy biscuits for them.

Speaking to newsmen, the mother of the children, Mrs. Iyabo Lawal, said: “I was in the shop when the man passed the first time, I didn’t know he was monitoring my kids who were playing with my mother in her shop.

“I was busy attending to customers and didn’t notice when my children followed him. I thought they were still playing in my mother’s shop, not knowing that a stranger had taken them away. Some people, who saw my children with the man at the end of Iyana Iba road, questioned him on what he was doing with the children and he told them he was going to buy something for them.

“When he could not answer the neighbours satisfactorily, they raised alarm and people gathered and started beating him.

Akpabio, Uduaghan for the fifth synod of Diocese of Oleh (Anglican Communion)

Brief Ondo govt signs MoU for Shoprite’s berth in Akure O boost Ondo State’s econT omy, the government led

by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko at

Rev. Aruakpor KWA Ibom Governor, Obong Godswill Obot A Akpabio and his Delta State counterpart Dr. Emmanuel Ewetah Uduaghan, are expected at next week’s third session of the fifth Synod of the Diocese of Oleh (Anglican Communion), which holds at St. Andrews Anglican Church Igbide In Isoko South Local Council.

The theme of the Synod at which the Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. John Usiwome Aruakpor will preside, is The God whom you seek”, taken from the Book of Malachi 3:1.

Bishop Anakpkor is also expected to present the Bishop’s charge on Saturday, May 10, 2014.

Playing host at the synod is Major General Paul Ufuoma Omu and wife, Senator Stella Omu, and the Onodokpokpo Archdeaconry.

Ven. S. O. E. Onofa, Major Gen. P. U. Omu and Ven. A. A. Ovie The quest preacher at the synod is Venerable Israel Omosioni from the Niger Delta North Diocese while the bible study leader is Ven Ben Idume from the Diocese of Abuja, both Isoko sons in religion Ministry.

His Excellency Dr. Uduaghan and His Excellency Governor Akpabio, who are expected to read the first and second lessons on May 11, being Synod Sunday Thanksgiving Service at 10.00am at the Synod Venue, St. Andrew’s Church, Igbide, in Owodokpokpo Archdeaconry, Isoko-South Local Council, Delta State, built by Gen. & Sen. Omu and dedicated by Primate of all Nigeria, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh in 2010 to mark Gen. Omu’s 70th birthday.

During the Bishop’s charge, his vision would be to relieve the churches of the burden of assess-

Major. Gen. Paul Omu and his wife, Senator Stella Omu ments. It shall be an occasion for raising funds to reposition the investments for the Diocese.

Chairman of occasion on Saturday, 10th May is Sir Dr. Chris Uzochukwu. Chairperson expected is Lady T. S. Danjuma. At this occasion, it is expected that distinguished Isoko sons and daughters (businessmen and politicians) have been invited to support the church work in Isoko land where the Bible has been the source of bread and life.

The Archbishop of Bendel Province Most Rev. Friday Imakhai will lead other 14 bishops to grace this occasion with the presence and support of the pioneer Bishop and wife, The Rt. Rev. Jonathan & Dame Elizabeth Edewor whose foundation Bishop John and wife Peace Aruakpor builds.

the weekend signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private concern, Top Services Limited, for the construction of an ultra-modern shopping mall in Akure, the capital city.

The mall, will among others, house outfits such as Shoprite, Samsung and Cash and Carry, even as the project will be executed under the public/private partnership programme of the state government.

The Secretary to State Government, Dr. Aderotimi Adelola signed the MoU on behalf of the government while the Chief Executive Officer of Top Services Limited, Chief Tokunbo Omisore signed for his company The signing ceremony, which held at the Governor’s Office in Akure, was witnessed by the chairman of Oo’dua Investment Limited, Chief Isaac Akintade and his Group Managing Director, Mr. Adebayo Jimoh whose organisation serves as a facilitator of the project.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

18 Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Police search for killers of beheaded 40- year-old woman From Willie Etim, Yenagoa

PERATIVES of the Bayelsa State Police Command have intensified search for the killers of a 40-year-old woman, Lydia David, found last week with her head cut off in a bush behind the state -owned Palm Estate along the Azikoro area of Yenagoa Local Council of the State.

The incident is occurring

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three weeks after a 34-yearold deranged woman was attacked at the popular Swali Market and her eyes plucked out by suspected ritualists.

The deceased’s headless body, according to the Divisional Police Officer of the Azikoro Police Station, Mr. Fidelis Ofuna, was found late on Thursday by a search party by the family after she

failed to return from a fishing trip.

The murdered Lydia, a mother of five and an Indigene of Ughelli in Delta State, was said to have been residing in the Azikoro village in the last 10 years. She was into small scale fishing business.

It was reported that the deceased woman left home at about 3:00pm for her farm

to check on her fish traps at a swamp close to the Bayelsa Palms Yard.

According to the deceased’s son, Junior David, the family became worried when his mother had not returned at about 8pm.”It was strange and my father raised the alarm and a search party was organised.

We mobilized and searched the bushes and later discov-

ered her headless body in the bush.”

It was gathered that the missing head of the woman was discovered, days later, at an uncompleted building along the Goodnews Street in Azikoro area of the state.

While some eyewitnesses claimed the killers were suspected ritualists and had burned the head in a voodoo manner, others and

close family members claimed they cannot attribute the killing to ritualists and are waiting for police findings.

When contacted on the development, the spokesman for the State Police Command, Mr Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the incident and said investigation is on to apprehend the suspected killers.

Kidnapped polytechnic rector saved by accident From Chuks Collins, Awka HILE a road crash often leads to severe injuries and death, it has in one instance, at least, been an unquantifiable blessing.

That was the case for the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Idah, Dr. Matthew Akpata, who was abducted by armed men on Monday night only to be saved by an accident.

The abductors invaded the Rector’s residence after scaling the fence, seized him and dumped him in the booth of their car and drove away.

However as Providence would have it, the driver of the vehicle lost control in the process and rammed into a tree where the abductors sustained serious injuries.

Eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity said in spite of the injuries the abductors escaped and aban-

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doned their victim in the booth.

Curious villagers who rushed to the scene of the accident forced open the booth and saw Akpata tied-up, hands and feet, helpless and bewildered.

It was when the villagers brought him out that they discovered he was the Rector of the polytechnic in their domain.

The villagers untied him and took him to the nearest hospital for check up. As at the time of filing this report The Guardian was reliably informed that the Rector had been discharged and was resting in his residence.

However, no such cheery news has come in the case of the recent abduction of the two children of the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly.

Bring Back Our Girls protesters at Lagos House, Governor’s Office, Alausa Lagos...

Police arrest Vice Principal for allegedly defiling 12-year-old pupil • Parents decry increase in rape cases in Zamfara From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau, Ado Ekiti) and Isah Ibrahim (Gusau) EN of the Ekiti State PoM lice Command have arrested the Vice Principal of St. Mary’s Girls College, IkoleEkiti, Mr Ajayi Taiwo Ayo, for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old student.

A statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Victor Babayemi, said the incident, which took place on March 18, 2014 inside the Vice Principal’s office, was reported to the police by a staff of the school who noticed the suspicious entry of the student into the head teacher’s office.

Babayemi said: “The witness became apprehensive when the student, after spending a considerable time in VP’s office, did not come out. The witness went near the door

and discovered it was bolted from inside, she knocked and the movements, sounds and subsequent demeanor of both the suspect and the victim gave him away.”

Babayemi, said investigations revealed that the suspect had a similar case in the past which was not reported.

He said the victim also admitted that the suspect laid her on his table and had carnal knowledge of her.

“The report of the medical examination confirmed that the victim’s hymen was not intact. Although, the suspect denied the allegation, but with the evidence against him, he will soon be arraigned in court for defilement.”

Again, operatives of the Command have arrested one Ala Temitope, 25, of No. 128 Ado Community High School

Briefs Catholic youths Walk Against Indecent Dressing ATHOLIC Young Adult Association (CYAA) of St. C Michael’s Catholic Church Ketu, Lagos, one of the statutory bodies in the Catholic Church, made up of young professionals from all walks of life, will on Saturday, May 10, hold an awareness programme tagged Walk Against Indecent Dressing, at the church premises at 8.00a.m.

The objective is to promote healthy living among members and push for a better society.

In line with its objectives, the group is creating awareness on the dangers of indecent dressing among the youths and help reduce drastically, immoral acts.

Victory Night at RCCG, Divine Connection HE Redeemed Christian Church of God, Divine ConnecT tion Area Headquarters Ketu 2, Zone 2, Lagos Province 21, will on Friday, May 30, begin a programme tagged: Victory Night from 10.00p.m. at the church auditorium at No. 12, Adisa Akintoye Street, Ketu (Alapere) in Agboyi/Ketu Local Council of Lagos State. The theme is “A New Chapter” while the host isPastor Joel Obado.

Deacon Amidu Akinyemi will minister and worship team will be anchored by Divine Voices, Sister Dupe Owoeye among others.

Road, Ado Ekiti for impersonation and serious assault on a traffic warden.

Babayemi, revealed that the offences were committed on April 13, 2014 at Fajuyi Roundabout, Ado-Ekiti when the suspect in company of two others riding on a motorcycle, was accosted by the traffic officer on duty after the rider had committed a traffic offence.

Babayemi said: “The suspect, who claimed to be a corporal in the Nigerian Army, jumped down from the motorcycle with his accomplices and pummeled the trafficwarden with a horse-whip.”

“However, a police patrol team nearby was alerted and they raced to the scene where two suspects were arrested and situation brought under control. At the station, Ala Temitope produced a military I.D Card No. 13NA/S3/3323

bearing his name and picture.”

“He claimed that he was attached to 72 Battalion, Markudi, Benue State. Determined to establish the veracity of the claim with a view to ensuring justice, the Command referred the matter to Nigerian Army, 32 Artillery Brigade, Owena Cantonment, Akure”.

Babayemi declared that investigation by military authorities revealed that the suspect is an impostor and has never served in the military.

The military I.D card he displayed was also found to be fake, hence, the suspect together with the exhibits was returned to the Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.

He said during Police investigation, the suspect confessed that he is not a soldier but once lived in a military barrack.

In another development, residents of Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, and its environs have decried the frequent cases of rape centering on girls who are mostly minors within the last one month.

The father of a nine-year-old girl (names withheld) who took his daughter to Yarima Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, after she was raped by a 46-year-old man, told The Guardian that, based on the information he received from the hospital, series of rape cases are being frequently taken to the hospital by parents and guardians.

According to our source, before his daughter was discharged from the health facility, two girls were also brought for medical treatment as a result of rape incidents by some unknown men within the Gusau metropolis.

The source further disclosed: “One of the hospital officials had told me that within the

last one week, nine cases of rape were brought to the hospital for medical treatment.

We are in serious situation of rampant raping of children by matured people. It is very disappointing and let security agencies and government beef up security matters particularly in Gusau.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relation Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Lawal Abdullahi, confirmed the recent arrest and prosecution of some culprits before the court. He, however, declined to give tentative figure of rapists that were arrested and prosecuted.

He said, the state Police Command in collaboration with other security agencies are committed to ensure law and order in all parts of the state by arresting any suspected criminal for further interrogation and prosecution before the court.

Benue community deny claims of witchcraft in their domain From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi OMMUNITY leaders in C Otukpo Local Council of Benue State have debunked

media publications portraying that juveniles in the area are being initiated into witchcraft to harm and kill people in the area.

The leaders particularly described as false and a figment of the imagination of certain groups of people that human flesh is being sold in place of chicken meat by one Ikwubiela, a dealer in fried chicken.

Speaking to journalists in Otukpo last Sunday, Chief John Aduma, the Ejila of Igbanonmaje, a suburb of Otukpo, said it became necessary to debunk the said publi-

were hypnotized by one Aboh, sponsors, stressing that issues a porter at the Otukpo timber of witchcraft can only be tackshed who is presently at large, led through the traditional process. insisting that those of them who claimed to have been initi- Chief Alapa who is also the ated into witchcraft by Ikwu- market leader of Otukpo main market said the whole thing biela were merely out to looks like a set-up but the eldtarnish her image.

“From all our investigations, ers of Otukpo have resolved not to allow such a thing to she is not into anything like that. She’s been selling chicken, happen again.

On his part, Chief Aikwucheyi she’s been selling for many years and no such allegation Alama, ward head of Ward 1 in Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam has been made against her. So, Otukpo said the elders have apthe whole story is false, it’s not pealed to Ikwubiela on behalf cation so as to dispel as falseof the kids to bury the hatchet, true,” Aduma insisted. hood the rumour that has stressing that “a woman who Commenting on the matter, thrown fears in the peoples’ sells rice at Ogiri Oko Street in the Uloja of Ai-Agboko, Chief minds in the area, urging the town had been accused of Obogo Alapa, described the inmembers of the public to igcident as fraudulent and said cooking with water used for nore the publication. frantic efforts were being made bathing corpses but she igChief Aduma explained that to track down Aboh, who the nored the story and have conthe kids who confessed to be tinued with her business.” members of a witchcraft group report said is mentally derailed, in order to unveil his

BUSINESS Tuesday, May 6, 2014 19

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Business World Bank to provide N320b yearly for job creation in Nigeria

By Roseline Okere HE World Bank has approved a yearly fund of $2 billion (N320 billion) to enhance job creation, social service delivery and governance in the country.

The fund, under the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS), would be made available to Nigeria through the International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) financing.

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According to a statement by World Bank, the new CPS, which covers the period of 2014 to 2017, introduces a change in the country’s borrowing status. Nigeria was declared credit worthy for IBRD financing last year and is officially entering blend status from July 1, 2014.

It added that the CPS was prepared in the context of the World Bank’s renewed commitment to the twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity in Nigeria and globally.

It stated: “ It is fully aligned with Nigeria’s development agenda, Vision 20: 2020, and its medium-term strategy for realizing that vision; the Transformation Agenda.

“In support of these objectives, the CPS program is structured around three areas: promoting diversified growth and job creation by reforming the power sector, enhancing agricultural productivity, and increasing access to finance; improving the quality and efficiency of social service delivery at the

State level to promote social inclusion; and strengthening governance and public sector management, with gender equity and conflict sensitivity as essential elements of governance”.

World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, explained that CPS seeks to addresses inequalities in income and opportunities for the poor and vulnerable by developing more effective mechanisms for social service delivery including social pro-

tection programs, education, health and water service delivery.

World Bank Task Team Leader for the CPS, Indira Konjhodzic, said that the bulk of the financing program will focus on increasing installed power generation and transmission capacity and improving the efficiency and governance of electricity delivery.

She added that boosting agricultural productivity, improving farmers’ linkages with agro-processors, and increasing access to finance including

long time financing to the citizens particularly women is a major focus of this partnership strategy.

The CPS represents the joint World Bank Group’s program under a common donor platform known as the Country Assistance Framework (CAF) and would work in close cooperation among development partners to enhance the effectiveness and transformational impact of national efforts and avoid duplication of tasks.

This approach of the CAF is proving as very effective for better coordination and synergies among partners’ strategies of support to Nigeria.

Japan considers tax breaks to promote investment APAN is considering expandJsome ing tax breaks and loosening rules to promote invest-

The Chief Representative, Middle East and African Regional Office, Institute of International Finance (IIF), USA, Wolfang Engel (left); Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer designate, Skye Bank Plc, Timothy Oguntayo; Director, Global Events, IIF, Abdesattar Ouanes; and the Head, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Skye Bank, Tajudeen Ahmed, during the visit of the IIF team to Skye Bank PHOTO: SUNDAY

NCDMB, BoI, SMEDAN partner to extend Nigerian content to other sectors

By Roseline Okere HE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has entered into partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) and Galaxy Backbone to deepen Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry and extend the implementation to other critical sectors of the economy.

Other participating agencies that joined the inaugural meeting of chief executives in Abuja recently for this purpose included the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), National Office for Technology Adaptation and Promotion (NOTAP), Presidential Committee on Power and the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa explained that the board con-

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ceived the linkage programme with key agencies of government to institutionalize a platform for information exchange on ways and means of harnessing the resources of individual agencies towards the common goal of national economic development.

According to him, the collaboration was also aimed at linking the mandates and outputs of the agencies to benefit local content and support Federal Government’s drive for employment generation, incountry value addition and overall economic transformation.

He encouraged the agencies to assess their capabilities and achievements and synergise them for well-coordinated economy, adding that agencies with mandate to develop local capacity needed to avail other sectors with the expanded capacities while agencies that have fund pools needed to work together to support local supplier development.

Nwapa further charged agencies involved in training of the need to synchronize the skill

sets that were needed by the economy, while other agencies dealing with technology development, investment promotion needed to help the agencies that depend on their output, adding that such synergies would have enduring impact and help to galvanize the economy.

He stressed that such collaborations would address worrisome scenarios whereby some agencies committed funds and trained experts but cannot find jobs for them; technology was being acquired but not being deployed because the industry is too far away and investment promotion efforts are going on and a lot of people are coming into the industry, but we are not getting traction because they do not know exactly the policies of government that supports investment.

The Executive Secretary reported that the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the past four years had transformed the practices in the oil and gas industry, noting that lessons learnt and

capacities developed in the process can be leveraged to develop local content policies in other sectors so that maximum benefits can be derived.

He said: “We have observed from feedback that unless we expand the basket to accommodate other sectors of the economy, we will not get the optimum benefits. For instance, while investors will say that 800,000 tons annual steel demand by the oil and gas industry is not enough to attract a pipemill factory, when the demand from water and railway are added, the picture becomes more appealing.”

He added: “The sectorial linkage forum will expand the market for all of us and in the process meet the expectation and the vision of the President which is to create more job opportunities for Nigerians, create more shop floors, establish positions where Nigerians can begin to learn to innovate and apply the innovation to real life activities.”

The Executive Secretary

added: “Finance is a major issue. We need financial engineering to fund the acquisition of big ticket assets like marine vessels and rigs.It is a matter of national security to ensure local ownership of these assets.”

Applauding the board for convening the gathering, the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, BeksDagogoJack underscored the efforts

by Mr. President to transform the power sector from a government monopoly to a private sector led competitive sectorwhich will generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020, stimulate economic growth and deepen opportunities for local content development.

He added that Nigerian Content had taken root in the power sector as two companies had started to manufacture prepaid meters in-country while an Indian company was gearing up to assemble transformers.

He promised that continuing

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

ment in start-ups as part of the second installment of the government’s economic growth strategy, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday.

Japan is also likely to say next month that it will lower the effective corporate tax rate to 20 percent from around 35 per cent currently, the Yomiuri newspaper said citing several government sources, which could encourage firms to boost much-needed capital expenditure in Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is set to announce the second part of its growth strategy next month. Investor disappointment with the first installment of the strategy last year contributed to a decline in Japanese shares.

One proposal is to expand the value of an investment that a so-called angel investor can deduct from his or her taxable income from the current limit of 10 million yen ($97,800) to several times as much, the Nikkei reported without citing the source of its information.

An angel investor is a wealthy individual who invests in promising start-ups that sometimes struggle to get funding from large venture capital firms.

The government may also expand the scheme to companies started within the past five years from the current limit of companies that have been founded in the past three years, the Nikkei said.

In fiscal 2013, angel investors used Japan’s current tax breaks to invest in only 48 firms, which is only a tenth or even hundredth of the number of investments in other countries such as Britain, the Nikkei said.

In addition to a lack of startup activity, established Japanese firms have sometimes complained that Japan’s tax structure discourages investment because corporate taxes in other countries are much lower.

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20 BUSINESS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (left); Group Managing Director, Devakumar Victor Gnanadoss Edwin, and Director, Olakunle Alake at Dangote Cement’s 2013 yearly general meeting held in Lagos, at the weekend.

Transcorp, NNPC sign production sharing contract on OPL 281 RANSNATIONAL T Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have signed a production sharing contract for the exploration and production of OPL 281, under which Transcorp committed to a work programme to prove and develop an estimated 104 million barrels of oil reserves, an additional 335 million barrels of probable reserves, and approximately 4 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas reserves.

The addition of OPL 281 to its portfolio of oil and gas assets is another milestone in Transcorp’s strategy of creating Nigeria’s leading integrated energy company, operating in production, refining, power generation, petrochemical and fertiliser production.

The Chairman of Transcorp, Tony O. Elumelu, said “integrating across the energy value chain is the foundation of Transcorp’s strategy. OPL 281’s gas reserves will be deployed directly into Nigeria’s power generation industry, as we seek to trans-

form the economy of our country.”

Transcorp’s existing investment, the Ughelli power plant in Delta State, is undergoing extensive rehabilitation, adding 1,000MW to the existing 1,000 MW capacity, thus doubling the plant’s electricity output to 2000MW over the next three to five years, in collaboration with GE and other partners. Ughelli is Nigeria’s largest gas-fired power generation facility and will be powered directly by the natural gas delivered from OPL 281.

“OPL 281 is rich with nearly 4 tcf of natural gas, and will support the newly-expanded Ughelli power plant for up to 25 years at 2000 MW per day,” Elumelu continued, adding that “this volume of reserves also guarantees 15 years of feedstock supply for our future fertilizer and petrochemical plants, which will utilize the gas stores to bring value for Nigerians locally, instead of the wastage in flaring and environmental destruction that has historically characterised the industry.”

In addition to directly invest-

ing in the Niger Delta, Transcorp continues to contribute to the social development of the communities in which it operates. Recent community engagement includes a medical clinic in Ughelli, part of a wider programme of improving access to quality healthcare.

Elumelu commended the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, and the NNPC for implementing policies that directly encourage indigenous participation.

According to him,’’Transcorp brings a world class team, led by and made up of Nigerians; we offer a new model of active indigenous management of our country’s resources, bringing industry leading skills and a philosophy that will contribute to economic transformation and addresses our pressing social needs.

We look forward to continuing to play a leading role in this vital process. ‘’This kind of action, which gives Nigerians the opportunity to actively participate in the natural resource opportunities with which the country

is richly endowed, is what leads to employment creation and youth engagement.”

Transcorp, recently announced N3.77 billion profit before tax for Q1 2014.

Stakeholders partner to extend Nigerian content to other sectors CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 investments in the sector and policies being put in place will ensure that adequate power is available for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industrial Parks being developed by the Board in nine oil producing states.

The Chief Executive Officer, Galaxy Backbone, Gerald Ilukwe, commended NCDMB for initiating the move to build synergies across sectors, adding that developing local content in the Information and Communication Technology sector will position Nigerian companies to provide ICT services and equipment to government and the oil and gas industry and create thousands of jobs.

The Managing Director, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji pledged that his agency will consider the possibility of creating an investment scheme that will support the acquisition of hi-tech oil and gas assets which ordinarily stretch the funding capacity of local business men and financial institutions, while the Acting Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Waheed Olagunju promised the bank’s support for the Board’s initiatives, including providing project financing for Original Equipment Manufacturers seeking to establish in Nigeria.

The Head, Public-Private Partnership, SMEDAN, Friday Okpala who attended the meeting pledged the commitment of his agency to participate in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industrial Park scheme of NCDMB by helping to identify SMEs with pedigree in manufacturing and promote local manufacturing of components of oil and gas equipment by SMEs.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 BUSINESS

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Shareholders laud Dangote over cement upgrade to 42.5 have comStheHAREHOLDERS mended the initiatives of management of Dangote

• Company to increase capacity by 9mtpa by July

Cement Plc in upgrading the quality of its cement to 42.5 grade, describing the development as a good response to the demands of the time.

Speaking one after another at the 2013 yearly general meeting of the company in Lagos, the shareholders passed a vote of confidence on the management, saying it has exhibited a sense of patriotism and concern for the users of the product.

This is just as the Chairman of the company, Aliko Dangote explained that the expansion strategies embarked upon by the management would culminate in an increase of additional nine million metric tonnes of cement capacity.

Shareholders lauded the Dangote Cement management for rising to the occasion by raising the bar with the 42.5 and 52.5 grades recently rebranded against

the background of the incessant building collapse across the nation.

They stated that with the upgrade of the cement from the staple of Dangote Cement Plc, it would now be obvious that any incident of building collapse anywhere could no longer be traced to the quality of cement, at least the one produced by Dangote.

The Chairman disclosed that its expansion drive would increase capacity and add additional nine million metric tonnes, expressing satisfaction that the importation of cement into the country has continued to thin out with an estimate of just 1.1m metric tonnes imported in 2013 down from 1.9million in 2012.

He vowed that the company would stop at nothing to expand because presently most the Nigeria’s neigh-

bours are importing cement from Far East. “And we are confident that Nigeria’s cement will prove more attractive than the imports, particularly within the 15 member ECOWAS.” To stabilise the price of cement and free the consumers from the profiteering middlemen, Dangote, said that his company would intensify direct-to-consumer deliveries.

Insisting that his company has not increased the price of cement, he explained that though prices of most inputs into cement production has gone astronomically high but that his organization is committed to making the commodity available to consumers at the most reasonable price.

“We have not increased the prices of our product, we have embarked on an initiative to improve the standard

of cement sold in Nigeria and our belief is that 42.5 strength cement, is the most appropriate for general use now.

“We have recently introduced 52.5 strength cement,which is appropriate for heavy load-bearing structures such as bridges and flyovers, we hope to increase the market share in the shortterm by increasing the level of direct-to-customers deliveries and competing on product superiority”, he stated The Chairman also expressed optimism that the current year would offer better returns because trading has remained robust in the country and the company has started witnessing solid start to the year with demand up in all regions.

Dangote also informed the shareholders the status of the company’s various African projects as the shareholders one after another shower commendations on the management of the cement company.

Fidelity Bank partners Ria on money transfer services

By Femi Adekoya O enhance its retail products offerings as well as financial inclusion strategy, Fidelity Bank Plc has partnered Ria Financial Services to aid its money transfer services.

According to the bank, the partnership would see the two financial institutions deploying money transfer solutions to address growing customers’ needs in the market.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Fidelity Bank,

T

Plc. Nnamdi Okonkwo, while speaking at the official launch of the money transfer platform in Lagos, yesterday explained that the move will see the bank integrating its systems with that of Ria in order to address needs of its customers.

Okonkwo added that the partnership is expected to drive the company’s retail banking products, especially among small businesses whose needs are often ignored.

“With the launch of this partnership, we hope to

increase our customers’ accessibility to financial services that they hitherto not have access. This move is expected to drive other solutions that we have deployed in the market”.

On the choice of the partner, Okonkwo explained that the bank selected the firm based on the uniqueness of its propositions as well as ability to work with them in achieving desired objectives.

On the safety of the platform for users, Executive Director, Fidelity Bank, Ik Mbagwu, noted that the bank’s solutions are ISO certified and safe for customers to use.

He added that the bank would create an interface for the money transfer service with Fidelity bank accounts in order to aid

accessibility and ease of use by consumers.

Business Development Director, EMEA, Ria, Manuel Villena stated that Ria Financial Services ("Ria"), a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide, is a leading global money transfer provider, with improved money transfer site, riamoneytransfer.com to provide customers with a more user friendly money transfer experience.

He added that the company is a global leader in money remittances and is a recognized benchmark in both quality and service, noting that with presence in Nigeria, it will be assisting the bank in processing secure electronic financial transactions as well as driving its money transfer platform.

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22 BUSINESS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

UNILORIN plans N1.2b oil palm plantation HE Vice Chancellor of T University of Ilorin, Prof.

AbdulGaniyu Ambali, yesterday said that the university would soon establish an oil palm plantation of more than 1,000 hectares.

Ambali, who disclosed this in Ilorin while addressing the 239th meeting of the Senate of the university, put the cost of the proposed plantation at N1.2 billion.

According to him, this is in the bid to fully discharge the university’s three-pronged mandate of teaching, research and community service.

The vice chancellor said that the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, would flag off the project on Thursday, May 15.

He said that the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and Agriculture Minister, Dr Adewunmi Adeshina would join Okonjo-Iweala.

Ambali said that the plantation would provide training and laboratory facilities for students in the Faculties of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

He said that students in the Departments of Forestry, Plant Biology and other related disciplines would also benefit from the project.

The vice chancellor said that the plantation would also be a good source of internal revenue for the university.

Ambali disclosed that clearing of the site would commence in earnest ahead of the May 15 flag-off date.

He said that a renowned Professor of Agriculture, Job Atteh, had been appointed as the Chairman of the Oil Palm Plantation Committee.

Speaking at the meeting,

Atteh said that the plantation, planned to kick-off with 10 hectares in the first instance, would be “a highly profitable venture.”

He said that land clearing had already commenced,

Tenera variety, which has high oil content in the fruit and it is expected to start fruiting in two to three years.”

On the revenue prospect from the venture, he said

that at maturation, the university would reap 10 tonnes of fresh fruits from each planted hectare.

“We expect to get 4,000 kilogramme of palm oil, 500 kilogramme of palm kernel oil

and 600 kilogramme of palm kernel cake”, he said.

Atteh said that the revenue would be at about N1.2 billion per annum from the 1, 000 hectares at the peak of production.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo (left); Business Development Director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Ria, Manuel Raventos, Executive Director, Risk Management, Onome Olaolu, Executive Director, Lagos and South West Bank, Ik. Mbagwu and Executive Director, Corporate Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, John Obi at the launch of the Fidelity – Ria Money Transfer in Lagos, yesterday.

Ebonyi’s ministry generates over N100m in three years HE Ebonyi State Ministry T of Commerce and Industry has generated over N100 million as revenue in the last three years.

Brent oil slipped towards $108 on disappointing China PMI RENT crude slipped ment is not received this B towards 108 dollars a bar- month. rel on Monday after China's This treat raises concerns manufacturing sector contracted for four consecutive months.

Meanwhile, increasing tension in Ukraine prevented further losses.

China's economy in April lost drive with HSBC's final PMI reading easing to 48.1, lower than a preliminary reading but up slightly from an eight-month low in March.

Brent crude for June delivery was 13 cents lower at 108.46 dollars per barrel, after settling 83 cents higher.

U.S. oil was seven cents higher at 99.8 dollars, following a rise of 34 cents on Friday.

The disappointing Chinese data came after the U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in April, more than expected and the largest increase since January 2012.

This trend helped lift oil prices on Friday.

Brent was supported by increasing tension in Ukraine over the weekend as violence moved to the western part of the country.

Russia said it would reduce natural gas supplies to Ukraine in June if prepay-

while the committee had brought in 2,000 oil palm seedlings from the National Institute for Oil-Palm Research (NIFOR) in Benin City, Edo. Atteh said: “We have the

that energy supplies to the European Union could be affected.

A third of the EU's gas demand is met by Russia with almost half of that passing through Ukraine.

Russia also ships crude oil through Ukraine to countries in Eastern Europe via the Druzhba pipeline.

"It is a concern and it could be a positive for Brent given the supply chain in Europe," said Ben Le Brun, a market analyst with OptionsXpress in Sydney. ``Supply from Libya remained limited even after tribesmen ended their blockade of the El Sharara oilfield. ``It is gathered that production cannot resume until a separate protest at a connecting pipeline is resolved, an oil official said on Sunday.

Iraq's monthly oil exports reached 2.512 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, rising from 2.139 million bpd in March.

Exports from the south of the country where the bulk of Iraq's crude is produced and shipped abroad, reached its highest since 2003.

The ministry, this year, is targeting over N70million revenue generation, based on the strategies and initiatives it has put in place, with all the machinery needed to achieve it already set in motion.

The breakdown by the ministry showed that it generated N33 million in 2011; N43million in 2012; and N43.8million in 2013.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abakaliki, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Ifeanyi Ike noted that the increase in the revenue generation since he took over was over 300 per cent above the preceding years.

The commissioner noted that the increase in the rev-

Another approach we adopted was to move around the state to discover revenue points that were not known to Ebonyi State Government. For instance, we have what we called haulage toll for industrial goods coming into the state...The breakdown by the ministry showed that it generated N33 million in 2011; N43million in 2012; and N43.8million in 2013. enue generation was due to the fact that he came in with zeal to re-strategise the earlier existing approach to ensure that the contractors stopped taking undue advantage to shortchange the ministry According to the Commissioner, we decided to

cancel all the haulage contractors and replace them with haulage agents and “we gave them targets on what they should pay to the government from whatever they collected as revenue”, adding that the approach has worked as more revenue are now being realized.

“Another approach we adopted was to move around the state to discover revenue points that were not known to Ebonyi State Government.

For instance, we have what we called haulage toll for industrial goods coming into the state, it was not there until I came in. Now, we have Nkalagu, Itigidi/Abaomege and Isiagu axis where we place people there and it has helped in boosting the state revenue”, he said.

Ike further stated that he increased the business premises revenue from N6 million he met on board to N9 million in 2011; N13 million in 2012; and N15 million in 2013 “and we are targeting N50 million this year.

Oando Marketing wins ‘Most Innovative Company’ award ANDO Marketing Plc has O won the Most Innovative/Impactful Company in the Downstream Oil and Gas Sector award.

The leading oil marketer emerged winner, beating other nominated players in the category at a keenly contested 2014 Commerce & Industry Awards organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) at the weekend.

Commenting on the award, President of the chamber, Alhaji Remi Bello said “even amidst a slow-down in investments in the downstream petroleum, especially by multinationals, Oando Marketing has gradually stepped in to become the undisputed market leader through its array of far-sighted investments of interna-

tional standards in the downstream sector”.

Continuing, Bello said, “through innovation and vision, Oando Marketing is changing the retail space in gas distribution and consumption through its Oando O-Gas initiative”, noting that this is a huge leap forward in the company’s commitment to making life more comfortable, particularly for low income earners through unhindered access to affordable cooking gas.

Earlier, Bello had in his welcome address disclosed that the maiden LCCI award was hosted to recognize deserving corporate organisations and institutions in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

The objective of the award, he said “is to celebrate private and public institutions

operating in Nigeria for their best business practices, growth through innovations business sustainability and positive impact on the people and the society.”

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry award, Bello said, is “unique, competitive and inclusive”.

He reiterated that the chamber will continue to promote core values that guarantees sustainable progress of the Nigerian economy. These, he listed as integrity, transparency, social responsibility and sincere commitment to the ideal business ethics.

Receiving the award, Chief Operating Officer of Oando Marketing Plc, Mrs. Olaposi Williams thanked LCCI for the unique award, describing it as a great initiative that can only come from a pioneer and foremost Chamber of

international repute.

Besides, she said the award would serve as a morale booster and a fresh challenge to Oando Marketing Plc to renew efforts in innovations and projects that will guarantee added value to all Nigerians and relevant stakeholders. “We thank LCCI for counting us worthy for this unique award. We will continue to be steadfast in our commitment to add value to our customers lives through various innovations and projects”, Williams said.

The award panel, headed by Professor Juan Elegido, ViceChancellor, Pan Atlantic University received over 550 entries from virtually all sectors of the economy. Other members of the jury were Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Mrs. Nadu Denloye and Sola Oyetayo.

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23 | BUSIENSS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

SMEs key to development of Niger Delta, says SEC boss HE Director-General of T Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh, says Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are essential to the development of the Niger Delta region.

Oteh, who made the assertion in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa, said that SMEs had the potential to create jobs and attract bigger investments.

The Director-General

explained that SMEs would transform the economy of the region by gradually growing small-scale entrepreneurships into large scale ones.

Oteh who was in Bayelsa for the 2014 International Conference on Small and Medium Scale Enterprise, applauded Bayelsa Government for using SMEs to drive its developmental plans. ``We are very excited that Gov. Seriake Dickson has made small and medium scale enterprises a pillar for

his restoration programme for Bayelsa. ``We believe that given that 95 per cent of the world's population is driven by SMEs, the problems of the country’s income distribution and unemployment can be addressed same way. ``It is very heartwarming that Bayelsa government has devoted its energy to growing small scale investments; it has focused on a very impor-

tant aspect of the nation’s economy,” she said.

Oteh said the ecosystem approach, which focused on providing finance through the SME development fund, and skills development partnership was a recipe for transforming the region.

She said that with business support services to SMEs, Bayelsa had the potential to become Nigeria's Silicon Valley.

``Bayelsa has the ecosystem to become Africa's Dubai, given the strategy that the state government has adopted. ``We feel that this should be emulated across the Niger Delta region and indeed across the nation,” she said She said that job creation through SMEs would engender economic growth and development. ``If we must have inclusive

growth, we have to meet our challenge of unemployment by job creation. ``If we want economic inclusion with the rest of the world, the only way to do it is to support small and medium enterprises. ``Nigerians are hard working and enterprising. What is needed is for Nigerians to realise their potential to change their fortune,” she said.

NCRIB worried over members’ noncompliance with NAICOM rules HE Nigerian Council of T Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), yesterday urged its members to always comply with the rules of the industry's regulatory body, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

President of the council, Ayo Shoderu, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Shoderu said the advice became necessary following the continued refusal of its members to comply with NAICOM regulations.

According to him, out of 500 registered insurance brokers in the country less that 150 send their financial reports to NAICOM. ``There is need for members to always comply with all the requirements and regulations for insurance broking practice as stipulated by NAICOM. ``The council has prevailed on NAICOM to reduce the severity of sanctions imposed

on some brokers for going against its rules. ``It will, therefore, be most advisable to sustain this good relationship by promptly complying with regulations expected of us,” he said.

The NCRIB president said the council had also recorded a huge success in the training of its members on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

According to him, the council is able, through its Shared Services Scheme, to engage IFRS consultants to update its members on the new financial reporting regulations.

He said the idea was to ensure that its members submitted IFRS-compliant financial statement in 2015.

Shoderu said that this would help its members to avoid any form of infraction that might lead to being penalised by the regulatory authorities.

NAN reports that insurance brokers were expected to prepare and submit IFRS-compliant financial statement of accounts in 2015

Heineken’s CEO to co-chair WEFA HE Chief Executive Officer T and Chairman of the Executive Board of Heineken, Jean-Francois van Boxmeer will co-chair the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA). The forum, which has as its theme ‘Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs’ is scheduled to hold in Abuja from May 7 through May 9.

Boxmeer is expected to offer insights into the global brewer’s partnership with Africa at the forum. He would cochair the forum alongside the Global Vice-Chairman,

General Electric, John Rice; the Global Managing Director of McKinsey and Company, United Kingdom, Dominic Barton and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Other co-chairs include the Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, African Union and President, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Switzerland, Mineta Diop, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, India, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Chairman, Telkom Group, South Africa, Jabu A. Mabuza.

Chairman 2014 Investors' Forum, Oluwande Muoyo (left); Executive Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Bimbo Ashiru; and Commissioner for Agriculture, Ronke Sofefun during the Press briefing on 2nd Edition of Ogun State Investors' Forum 2014 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Confab delegate calls for exploitation of states’ solid minerals delegate representing pro- from the centre and develop youths are working and they tion to move on in life. We also A fessional bodies at the the country economically’’, don’t have time to go for need education that will creNational Conference, Dr Nelson Uwaga, has called for the development of solid minerals available in each state to boost national development.

Uwaga, President, Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

He held the every state of the country had enough resources to sustain it and create jobs. ``Every state in this country is endowed with abundant natural resources, so why are we depending solely on oil? ``We need to develop these resources and we can only do this when we devolve power

he said.

Uwaga advised the country to emulate Indonesia in the use of earnings from the oil sector to develop other sectors of the economy rather than sharing the revenue among states. ``Indonesia has oil but you never hear about it, because specifically, the oil is meant to developed industries. It is purely for development. ``I agree they have in their system that such weak states are supported and that is because we must be our brothers’ keepers. ``Beyond that, they don’t share their money the way we do here. They use it to set up industries and the result is that there are jobs, and the

insurgency.’’

The delegate stressed the need to improve the country’s power supply to boost industrial development and employment generation.

He said, ``If there is enough power supply in this country, the economic structure of will change completely and people will work. ``Nigerians are the strongest people that I have ever met on this planet. They are bold, strong and innovative but need the right environment.’’

Uwaga said there was need for government to invest in education and ensure that every citizen acquired sound education. `` We need the basic educa-

ate jobs and not education that will look for jobs. ``Whether we like it or not, we must make sure we invest money in education and forcefully ensure that everybody is educated. ``It is only when we are educated that we can operate on the same frequency and understand each other.’’

He also said there was need to restructure the country in a way that would ensure equity, fairness and discourage corruption. ``We must also capture fiscal responsibility that will address corruption at all level.

He said there should be a mechanism to hold all the states accountable for funds allocated to them.

a good trader.

All of the reputable forex brokers offer some level of training for traders new to forex and many also offer further education to support traders as their experience grows.

However, the real key to trading success is practice.

Repetition is the cornerstone of skill and I recommend that traders keep a diary of their trades and the strategies they have applied, in order to reflect upon this data to establish patterns for success and areas for improvement.

One of the most common mistakes made by investors new to forex is that they risk far more than they can afford to lose. Instead, traders should apply what is known as a “positive risk-to-reward ratio”. This means that your level of potential reward (profit) outweighs your risk of

loss. Maintaining consistent trading with lower risks is critical to longevity in forex trading. These are all skills and strategies that can easily be learned with the appropriate education and training.

I have also come to understand that listening to other people’s trading experiences and learning from them is important. Forex trading is perceived as a somewhat lonely activity, but it doesn’t have to be. At ForexTime Nigeria, we actively encourage forex traders to come together and share their trading experiences and the lessons they've learned. As a result, our forex community has swelled and we now see traders with all levels of experience participating in the market and learning from each other.

•Mr Akinwale works with ForexTime Nigeria

Leeway to forex trading success

By Abiola Akinwale AVING been in the forex H industry for over 10 years, I have witnessed the industry’s growth and change, from the early days when retail forex burst onto the scene with a flurry of new online brokers, to the past few years where platforms have been consolidated and a real focus on customer service has been observed.

An increasing number of Nigerians have enthusiastically turned to forex as a new and exciting alternative asset to invest in; the community of forex traders in Nigeria is currently around 400,000 and it continues to grow on a daily basis.

But this wasn’t always the case. Back in the early 2000s, as retail forex was first capturing the attention of Nigerian

investors, the platforms were purely about giving ordinary investors a chance to access the forex market for the first time. Before then, forex trading had been solely the domain of big banks and financial institutions. But the advent of the internet and changes to regulations brought about the most significant change in the history of forex: forex became accessible for everyone.

What was quickly learned is that access to forex is not the be all and end all; the foundation of being a successful trader lies in proper education, and traders need to understand how the forex market works in order to reap any benefits. I was one of those many early adopters of forex that dived into forex trading without a proper education or understanding of the mar-

ket and the experience was not a good one. If you were training to be a pilot you couldn’t begin to fly a plane on the first day of flying school; you would first have to undergo training and many hours of practice before getting a license to fly.

The same applies in forex; you need to take the time to educate yourself properly and practice, practice, practice before you try and get your feet off the ground!

Opening a forex account is very simple and the practical act of opening a trade is also straightforward. However, in order to be a successful trader, you need to understand the basics of trading early on - how the market works, the different instruments for trading and how to forecast the direction of the market. Forex trading is conducted in pairs - you sell one currency and you buy

a different currency. By doing this, you are effectively investing in the economy of the country whose currency you have bought. Each currency and economy is affected by different factors which is why it is important to learn those key indicators that influenceeach currency’s movements.

Currency pairs also tend to perform in patterns and being able to read and understand the different charts that indicate these trends is critical.

I did not have a good first experience when I started out my career as a trader, because I didn’t understand the market and the strategies for success. I failed many times before realising the importance of a good education. After participating in some short training sessions with ForexTime my journey changed and I gradually developed the skills to become

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Business 29

Police still under contributory pensions scheme, says PenCom HE National Pension T Commission (PenCom) has confirmed that the Nigeria Police are still under the Contributory Pension Scheme by virtue of section 1 of the Pension Reform Act 2004.

In a press statement signed

by Head, Communication Unit, PenCom, Emeka Onuora, in reaction to press report on the Police withdrawal from the CPS, said that the Federal Government have never granted any approval to the Nigeria Police to pull out from the CPS. He said: ”it is important to note that the Federal Government has never granted any approval to the Nigeria Police to pull out from the Contributory Pension Scheme. On the contrary, the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force are still under the Contributory Pension Scheme by virtue of Section 1 of the Pension Reform Act 2004.

Indeed, the Whitepaper recently issued by the Federal Government on the Report of the Orasanye Committee on the Rationalisation of Federal Government Institutions clearly indicated that the Federal Government has accepted the recommendation that, with the exception of the Military which has already been granted exemption, no Federal Government Institution or Force should be exempted from the Contributory Pension Scheme”.

According to him, It would be recalled that following the

enactment of the Pension Reform (Amendment) Act 2011, which exempted the personnel of the Military and State Security Services from the Contributory Pension Scheme, the Nigeria Police and other Agencies agitated for exemption from the Scheme. However, the Federal Government decided after careful consideration of the submission made by the Nigeria Police that the Police personnel should remain under the Contributory Pension Scheme and that the Nigeria Police Force should seek administrative solutions to the grievances of their personnel within the framework of the Scheme. Accordingly, after extensive consultations with the Commission, the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force decided to incorporate a limited liability company (NPF Pensions Limited) and apply to the Commission for licence to operate as a Pension Fund Administrator exclusively for the Nigeria Police personnel in order to address their peculiar concerns. Following a rigorous and thorough review of that application, the NPF Pensions Limited was found to have satisfied all the normal stringent A-I-P conditions without any concessions. Consequently, the Commission granted the NPF Pensions Limited an Approval-in-Principle for a licence to operate as a PFA. It is pertinent, he said, to note that the NPF Pensions Limited, which is incorporated as a

Private Limited Liability Company, will be managed independently by professionals who must satisfy the fit and proper persons due diligence requirements and approved by the Commission in line with the Guidelines for Appointment to Board and Top Management Positions of PFAs and PFCs. Furthermore, although the NPF Pensions Limited will be exclusively for police personnel, every police officer will, in line with section 11(2) of the PRA 2004, be at liberty to transfer to another PFA of his/her choice as soon as the transfer window is opened by the Commission.

“In order to ensure the smooth take-off of the NPF Pensions Limited, the Commission has developed an Operational Framework that will guide the reassignment of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and transfer of records of all Nigeria Police contributors to the NPF Pensions Limited, which would be spread over an 18 month period. Accordingly, in its usual consultative approach, the Commission has engaged and would continue to engage other licensed operators and stakeholders regarding the modalities of reassignment of PINs and transfer of records of officers and men of the Nigeria Police, with a view to ensuring a smooth exercise for the benefit of the pension industry”.

He said, “it is instructive to

Custodian and Allied records 90.7% profit increase in Q1 USTODIAN and Allied Plc, a C wholly owned Nigerian Insurance investment holding company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, has announced profit before tax of N1.3billion for the unaudited first quarter results ended 31 March 2014. This indicates an increase of 78.5 per cent over the N746.9 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2013.

The Head, Corporate Affairs of Custodian, Bunmi Aderemi, who made this known in a statement released, said the results have

been transmitted to the stock market.

She noted that profit after tax increased by 90.7 per cent from N587 million to N1.1 billion for the period in review, while the gross written premium was N5.9 billion from N4.1 billion written in the same period in 2013 representing 41.8 per cent increase.

The Group’s asset base increased from 45.6 billion as at 31 December 2013 to N47.6 billion for the first quarter ended 31 March 2014, indicating 4.2 per cent growth within a three-month period.

Commenting on the performance, Mrs Aderemi said, “Our performance in the first quarter of 2014 is a reflection of our expertise in delivering quality innovative service whilst offering a varied product portfolio to our clients, ultimately giving value to all our stakeholders. As we strive to be Africa’s insurer of choice, our aim is to keep improving on past performance, realize untapped potential in the various sectors we operate in, whilst maintaining efficiency in the system.’’

note that the issue of threat to pension assets does not arise under the Contributory Pension Scheme because the management and custody of pension assets are respectively undertaken by separate

licensed operators, namely the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs), under the strict supervision of the Commission.

Accordingly, the NPF Pensions

Limited will operate like any other licensed PFA where the pension assets under its management will be held in custody by licensed PFCs under the supervision of the Commission”.

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Business Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Fed to wait till October to consider rate rise HE Federal Reserve will likeT ly bring its massive bondbuying programme to an end in October, and only after that will it consider when to raise U.S. interest rates, a top Fed official said on Sunday.

“I personally expect us to end that programme in October,” Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said in an interview on Fox News.

“Then we have to see how the economy is doing, including these broader measures of unemployment and where we stand before we can talk about how we might move the short-term rate.”

U.S. unemployment registered 6.3 per cent in April, a government report showed on Friday. But broader measures of the strength of the labor market, including the labor participation rate and hourly wages, indicated the jobs market is still far from strong.

More workers are dropping out of the labor force, data showed, suggesting that many saw job prospects too poor to merit a job hunt.

Average hourly wages last month did not grow at all.

“It’s too early to tell,” Fisher said of when the economy will be ready for higher rates. “I’ll make this prediction: some time in the next 100 years, interest rates will go up.”

The Fed has kept short-term U.S. interest rates near zero since December 2008 and has bought trillions of dollars in long-term securities to help boost the economy and bring down unemployment.

Five months ago, with unemployment down sharply from its recession-era high around

10 percent, the Fed began cutting back on its monthly bond-buying stimulus.

Last week it continued that process, trimming its month-

ly purchases to $45 billion.

At the same time, the Fed has said it will keep rates near zero for a “considerable time” after it ends its bond-buying

program so that it can assess the strength of the economy.

Fisher, who votes on Fed policy this year, has long wanted to end the bond-buying pro-

gram and has warned that keeping rates too low for too long could feed unseen financial market bubbles.

ENERAL Motors Co G (GM) is recalling 51,640 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet

Side deals thwart drive to wean Europe off Russian gas HILE officials in Brussels W were calling for Europe to reduce its dependency on Russian natural gas and negotiate with Moscow as a bloc, Austria was quietly bypassing the European Commission to cut its own bilateral deal on building a pipeline.

The deal on the South Stream pipeline, which will be built under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and on to central Europe, shows the European Union's difficulty in creating a unified energy policy on Moscow during the Ukraine crisis.

While EU officials are calling for Europe to wean itself off Russian gas, private and stateowned firms, with the support of politicians, are pushing ahead with projects to buy ever more.

Austrian energy firm OMV agreed last week with Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to bring the South Stream pipeline to Austria's Baumgarten gas hub, outmaneuvering Italy, which had wanted it to end there.

The deal is also likely to please some in neighboring Germany, as the gas will now be delivered closer to customers.

It shows that when it comes to natural gas diplomacy, European countries still have their own competing inter-

ests, which are difficult to unite under an EU flag.

The timing of the deal, which coincided with Europe announcing new sanctions on a list of Russians designed to push the Kremlin to reduce its support for separatists in Ukraine, could hardly have been more at odds with official EU policy.

The commission had put the approval process for South Stream on hold after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March, hoping the delay would push Moscow to stop what the West says is its intervention in Ukraine.

Brussels says South Stream does not comply with its regulations on ownership and pipeline access. But Austria and Russia have circumvented this by announcing that their deal is based on a bilateral agreement between the countries rather than an EU accord.

South Stream's main purpose, like the German-Russian Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea, is to circumvent Ukraine. This would ensure that disputes between Moscow and Kiev do not interfere with the flow of Russian gas to Europe, much of which crosses Ukraine in existing pipelines.

"If we agree to South Stream, Europe will sell the rope with

which Russia will hang Ukraine, and it will also agree to increase its energy dependency on Russia," said Frank Umbach, at the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), a research team at King's College London.

Austria was motivated to push for the South Stream deal after it lost out to Italy in a competition last year over a separate pipeline bringing gas to Europe from Azerbaijan.

OMV's Nabucco pipeline project was dropped in favor of the rival Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to Italy. That derailed years of Austrian lobbying, which the EU had initially backed, for Nabucco to bring the Azeri gas to central Europe.

"Current international developments show once again that in the long-term we don't only have to diversify our energy sources, but also our routes," said Austrian economy and energy minister Reinhold Mitterlehner. "Should the South Stream pipeline end in Baumgarten, we will get closer to this target."

Gazprom sources said they had been approached during the last four weeks by Austria, and a deal was put together as fast as possible.

Gazprom and OMV aim to get the remaining permits by the end of next year and start deliv-

GM recalls 52,000 SUVs for inaccurate fuel gauge

ering gas by 2017.

"For Russia, this project is a clear signal to Ukraine that it intends to avoid any future disputes or supply disruptions," said Friedbert Pflüger, director of EUCERS. "The reference to a 2010 bilateral agreement for regulatory approval Moscow's demonstrates intention to circumvent the EU's regulations that would make the realization of the project more difficult."

The Gazprom-OMV agreement continues Russia's strategy of making bilateral deals the undermine that Commission, the EU's executive arm, which wants to build up a European front on energy supplies.

Bulgaria, which imports almost all its gas from Russia, also backed South Stream last month in defiance of Commission calls that member states should not enter bilateral deals with Gazprom without its approval.

"South Stream is a project of strategic importance. Now European (the they Parliament) want to stop South Stream. How are we to develop? This crisis at the moment shows that we do not have security of natural gas supplies for Bulgaria," energy minister Dragomir Stoynev said.

Traverse and GMC Acadia SUVs of the 2014 model year because faulty software may cause the fuel gauge to read inaccurately, U.S. regulators said on Saturday.

“An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on its website.

GM said in a letter to NHTSA the fuel gauge reading could be off by as much as one-quarter of a tank. To fix the problem, GM dealers will reprogram the vehicles’ engine control modules.

GM has recalled about 7 million vehicles this year, including 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other models for faulty ignition switches that are linked to at least 13 deaths.

The automaker is under investigation by NHTSA, Congress, the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for waiting until February to begin ordering the ignition switch recall, despite first learning of the defect more than 10 years ago.

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Buffett defends Coke, BNSF at Berkshire’s meeting ARREN Buffett has W defended his recent controversial vote on executive pay at Coca-Cola Co and disappointing performance at railroad BNSF, as investors grilled him on his Berkshire Hathaway Inc conglomerate at its annual shareholder meeting.

The investment guru was peppered with questions at the meeting, part of a mostly festive weekend that Buffett calls “Woodstock for Capitalists,” following concerns that Berkshire last year missed Buffett’s five-year growth target for the first time in his 49 years at the helm.

Buffett, 83, and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, 90, took the stage at a downtown Omaha arena as they faced off with the audience and a hand-picked panel often excusing recent worries at the sprawling conglomerate.

“Over any cycle we will overperform, but there’s no guarantee on that,” he said.

Berkshire, he said, is designed to perform best when markets are at their worst, unlike in 2013 when the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 30 percent.

Buffett was immediately questioned about Berkshire’s decision to abstain from the shareholder vote on CocaCola’s equity compensation plan for executives, even though Buffett thought the controversial plan was excessive.

That revelation drew sharp criticism in the run-up to the meeting - particularly since Buffett has in the past called options wasteful and akin to a free lottery ticket.

Seated with Munger at a table containing several bottles of Coke and Cherry Coke, Buffett said that “going to war” would likely not have been productive, and that Berkshire’s abstention sent an even more effective message.

“We made a very clear statement about the excessiveness of the plan and, at the same time, we in no way went to war with Coca-Cola,” Buffett said. “I don’t think going to war is a very good idea in most situations.”

Buffett said he had conversations with Coke’s chief executive, Muhtar Kent, including one in Omaha, where he said he thought the plan was excessive.

“I think the best result for the Coca-Cola Company was achieved by our abstention, and we will see what happens in terms of compensation between now and the next meeting of Coke,” he said.

Wall Street also came under the spotlight from a person complaining about why more individuals were not being held criminally responsible for recent misconduct, such as from the 2008 financial crisis.

“I don’t think there’s anything that changes behavior more than prosecuting individuals,” Munger said.

Buffett agreed, recalling his experience at Salomon Inc more than two decades ago, when he became chairman to help clean up a Treasury auction rigging scandal.

“I may be biased from my experiences at Salomon, but I lean more toward prosecution of individuals than cor-

porations,” he said. “It’s way easier to prosecute corporations - it’s somebody else’s money, and the prosecution knows it’s going to get a win.

(Corporations’) calculus is such that it just doesn’t make sense to fight if you can just write a check, while the individual is fighting to stay out of jail.”

The questions came a day after Berkshire posted firstquarter results that just missed analyst forecasts.

That report noted weatherrelated disruptions at railroad BNSF - another topic of concern on Saturday. Buffett handed off, calling in BNSF executive chairman Matt Rose to talk about the company’s service challenges.

“We’re making significant investments,” Rose reassured the audience.

Buffett added that Berkshire could spend “many, many billions” to improve operations at the railroad, which is the country’s largest player in the booming oil-by-rail business.

In contrast, he said a different business, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, was more able to grow through acquisitions.

Indeed, much of Berkshire’s growth as a company has come through acquisitions, but it now takes bigger transactions to move the needle.

Buffett signaled he would gladly partner again with Brazilian firm 3G Capital, with which he teamed up to buy ketchup maker H.J. Heinz Co last year for $23.3 billion.

“We’re very likely to partner with them, perhaps on some things that are very large,” Buffett said. “I think 3G does a

magnificent job of running businesses.”

Later, he added: “What we really want to do at our present size and scope (is) buy big businesses with good management and prices, and then build them over time.

Last year, Berkshire underperformed for the first time in nearly 50 years by Buffett’s own preferred measure: gains in the company’s book value, or worth, lagged the S&P 500.

Shareholders at the meeting also rejected a proposal that Berkshire start paying a dividend, after having not made any cash payouts since 1967.

The annual meeting in Omaha draws tens of thousands of people to hear Buffett and Munger talk about business, the economy, and even politics and life.

It includes a massive exhibit floor that highlights the breadth of Berkshire’s holdings, including Geico car insurance, Borsheim’s jewelry and Dairy Queen ice cream.

Before the meeting, Buffett paid $1 for a Dairy Queen vanilla orange bar.

As usual, hundreds of shareholders lined up outside the arena well before the doors opened at 7 a.m. CDT. Michael Rodin, owner of Impact Promotional Marketing Products in Des Moines, Iowa, said he arrived at 1 a.m., after having attended more than 20 prior meetings.

“The excitement, to get as close to the action as possible, and see the man close, and not with his face on the video screen,” Rodin explained on his strategy.

At one point Buffett was asked if he had lost confidence in Berkshire. In his annual letter to shareholders, Buffett disclosed that he had suggested to his estate’s

trustee that money left to his wife be largely invested in a low-cost S&P index fund.

The question posed: Why an index fund and not Berkshire stock?

Because, he said, he’s unconcerned about maximizing the money he will leave his wife after he passes away.

“There will be loads of capital left over” for her, Buffett said.

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Appointments May Day: Unending broken promises

Adeyemi Stories from Collins Olayinka, Abuja N May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history.

In Chicago, in the United States of America (USA), the renowned epicenter for the 8-hour day agitators, 40,000 went out on strike. During this period, workers were made to work for between 10 and 16 hours a day and this was the crux of the matter.

For daring the powers that be, precisely on November 11, 1887, after many failed appeals, labour leaders such as Parsons, Spies, Engel and Fisher were hung to death.

Though Louis Lingg was not hung with these agitators, in his final protest of the state’s claim of authority and punishment, took his own life the night before with an explosive device in his mouth.

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The famous ‘group of eight’ that spearheaded the historic movement included Albert Parsons, August Spies, Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe, Michael Schwab, George Engel, Adolph Fischer and Louis Lingg.

It is therefore evident that the foundation of today’s May Day, as celebrated worldwide, was established, built and sustained by doggedness, sacrifice, selfdenial and shedding of b l o o d .

Is it not beyond words and explanation that May Day was ‘celebrated’ in Nigeria with fanfare by so-called labour leaders who threw caution to the wind by engaging in ‘macabre dance’ with political leaders across the country pretending to be oblivious of the steady drifting of Nigeria towards anarchy.

The enormous misfortune besetting Nigeria, as a coun-

try is not in doubt and there is no debating also about the fact that finding solution to the myriad of the challenges has gone well beyond the ruling class.

There are questions within the labour movement as to why was it so difficult for both the leaderships of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) to seize the momentum offered by the May Day to make a statement on the urgency of solution.

While questioning the credibility of the nowadayslabour leaders, reasoned that jettisoning grandeur celebration, would clearly deny accruable ‘loot’ to few people in the movement resulting from inflated contracts for necessities needed for the wild celebration.

It was said that by simply dressing in all-black shirts and match in the major streets of Abuja to the mag-

Pensioners bemoan mismanagement of retirees’ records HE Nigeria Union of T Pensioners (NUP) has flayed the alleged continued mismanagement of pensioners’ records by government officials saddled with overseeing pension matters in the country.

Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Abuja, the National President of NUP, Dr. Abel Afolayan, said though the establishing of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) by President Goodluck Jonathan was a good development, the union lamented the inconsistency inherent in the records of civil pensioners.

The union called on the Federal Government to urgently set up endured machinery in place that will resolve the challenges confronting pensioners.

He added: “The union calls on the federal government to expeditiously put in motion a

Wogu

Jonathan

machinery through PTAD that would quickly address the major challenges of the pensioners such as nonenrollment of scores of pensioners on the federal pension payroll several years after retirement. Non-harmonization of pension for many pensioners, unacceptable neglect of the welfare of state pensioners by many state government, nonpayment of gratuity and death benefits, non compliance with the constitutional provisions of sections 173(3) and 210(3) by the federal and state governments on the five-yearly pension increase, omission of names of genuine pensioners from the pension payroll and replacing them with ghost pens i o n e r s . ” The union also called for the resumption or restoration of the withdrawn 5% counterpart funds by the federal government to local government pension board

towards assuaging the suffering of the affected pensione r s .

The NUP chief seek the stoppage of alleged unfair and ill treatment of pensioners in the federal parastatals and private sectors in the assessment of their pensions by their respective managements.

The union therefore urged the Director General of PTAD who has taken over the payment of pensions to aggressively address and tackle the plight of the pure federal and state pensioners with federal share that seems to have defiled all solutions up till now.

It described the PTAD as a new bride and child of necessity who should prioritize embarking on a holistic revalidation exercise in order to address the plight of all pensioners, including those who were left out in the previous inconclusive verifications and revalidation exercises.

nificent Eagle square, the venue of the ritual match past would have sent a signal of sympathy to the mothers, fathers, care givers of the abducted Chibok students and relatives of workers killed in the first Nyanyan bomb blast. The ‘walk for freedom’ would have still afforded bourgeoisie labour leaders

to pose for picture with the President to the consternation of many Nigerians As the latter day labour leaders were celebrating at the Eagle square, little did they know that the masterminds of the Nyanyan bomb blast were plotting to send more workers to their untimely death same day as another

bomb exploded just about when workers were returning to their home at the same spot in Nyanyan but this time, just opposite the venue of the first blast.

Does this shows death of critical thinking that should

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SURE-P engages graduates for job relevance From Niyi Bello, Akure N order to further sharpen the skills of unemployed Nigerian graduates and make them relevant in a competitive labour market, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) through its Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), has enlisted over five thousand graduates across the country for retraining and facilitation of employment.

The scheme, which aimed at reducing unemployment, rate among the youths and facilitates the process of maximum deployment of the country’s human resource towards socio-economic development is targeting 50,000 graduates across the nation.

According to the design of the scheme, enlisted graduates are attached to employers of labour for a one-year period during which they are paid stipends to garner on-the-job experiences, receive trainings on other vocational and entrepreneurial engagements and get financial and other support assistances at the end of the programme to enable them stand on their own.

Currently, the scheme, which also aims at stimulating the private sector into assisting the unemployed into unleashing their creative ability on productive ventures, has enlisted five thousand, five hundred and eighty-nine graduates across the nation.

Project Director of GIS, Peter Papka, while speaking at the

I

commencement of the threeday orientation training for the 391 graduate interns drawn from the 18 local councils of Ondo State last week, said the aim of the scheme is to assist Nigerian youths have easy access to paid and self-employment opportunities to ease the social and economic burden of unemployment on the country.

The Project Director who was represented at the event organised by Techgrade Consulting, an Abuja-based management consultancy firm, by Kefas Hosea, the Operations Officer of GIS, told Ondo participants who were divided into groups of fifty for easy facilitation in Akure that the idea behind the scheme is to rejuvenate the private sector of the economy to absorb people from the employment market.

According to him, “this administration recognizes the private sector as the major employer of labour but the sector requires certain minimum skills from graduates in order to employ them. GIS provides interns with the opportunity to acquire these skills in order to improve their employability.

“In fact, this is the first time in the history of our country that a Graduate Internship Scheme has been placed on the priority agenda of the Federal Government to help address the challenges of graduate unemployment.”

He however put the blame of high rate of unemployment of graduates on the country’s “educational curricula in higher institutions as cur-

Unending broken promises CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 be in abundance within a quintessential labour movement, the General Secretary of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Peters Adeyemi, does not agreed entirely.

While labour movement is not oblivious of the efforts made by President Goodluck Jonathan to curb the nefarious activities of Boko Haram in the country, Adeyemi said labour would have been more ingenious in the way it planned the May Day events in view of the happenings in the country in recent time.

He stated that some symbolic measures would have shown sympathy to the victims of the condemnable activities of Boko Haram and send strong signal to government on the need for decisive action towards achieving a restoration of lasting peace to the North East that has its economic activities paralyzed as a result of incessant attacks.

His words: “I think that we cannot claim that government is not doing anything about stopping the insurgencies. But for us in labour, we would have taken some actions that would show that this year’s May Day is different and in strict observance of the current happenings in the country. It is not an auspicious period for celebration at all. We would have shown some sympathy to those who are victims of these crimes and also send strong statement to govern-

ment about the need to end this. We should have gone beyond the annual ritual of speech making and match past at the Eagle square in Abuja. We would have walked for the release of the abducted girls and the need for Boko Haram to come to the table for discussion. Besides, the World Economic Forum would be holding in Nigeria in a few days time and therefore attention is on Nigeria.

The ‘walk for freedom’ would have given the country some semblance of seriousness and the determination to work together in curbing this wanton damage of lives and property.”

Adeyemi also lamented the state of the Nigeria workers today saying workers have little to celebrate as some of them are still not enjoying the minimum wage because of some state government insistence on not having the resources to finance the extra budgetary provision that the new wage bill requires.

He also called for the halting of devaluation of the Naira, saying, the action has eroded the marginal gain achieved by the minimum wage law.

Back to events at the annual ritual in Eagle Square, the speechwriters of the NLC and TUC leaderships were unanimous that the fight against the Boko Haram exponents should devoid of politics and without colouration of party affiliation.

Speaking first, the President of NLC, Abdulwahed Omar, declared that Boko Haram has metamorphosed into a full-blown terror group killing and maiming at random.

rently designed which does not provide for the development of the need for work place skills which accounts substantially for why a large number of graduates do not get employed.

“The thrust of the GIS therefore, is to partly address this

problem by bridging the gap between school and labour market and provide the graduates with something to do and somewhere to go, while they continue their job search. In the long run however, it would be absolutely necessary to review higher

educational curricula by introducing life and entrepreneurial skills so as to make graduates relevant to labour market.”

The GIS Project Director disclosed that the scheme also aimed at “fast-tracking manpower development which is

a key focus of the transformation agenda of this administration and a priority for our National Vision 20:2020 which objective is to put Nigeria on the list of the top twenty global economies in six years time.

RCCG organises skill acquisition for 500 members

By Isaac Taiwo line with her Corporate ItheNSocial Responsibility (CSR) Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has organized her 2014 yearly Administrative Officers/Computer Secretaries Conference with the theme: “Emerging Technologies in Human Resources Information Systems.”

The fourday event, which took place

at the RCCG Youth Church, along Lagos-Ibadan Express way, drew participants from all over Nigeria and beyond.

Speaking during the programme, the Personal Assistant to the General Overseer, Administration and Personnel, Pastor Johnson Odesola said that Corporate Social Responsibility and administration have so many things in common because adminis-

tration is concerned with the nitty-gritty of welfare.

He added that CSR has to do with impacting on the community and for anyone to be involved in proper CSR, he must be an expert in administration because it is a ministry that has to do with the c o m m u n i t y .

According to him, the need to sharpen our management skill therefore necessitated bringing in our administra-

tors together from all over the country and Africa as technology has made the world a global village and is becoming impossible to do anything meaningful without keen knowledge of modern day technology.”

He said, as an organization, “we cannot pretend to be unaware of technological breakthrough and to feign ignorance is to lag behind in development and effective administration.”

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Jonathan, IBB, Shonekan, others for centenary book launch RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan is to launch a book, “Centennial Epoch: Memories and Legacies,� on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island Lagos.

The Initiator/Coordinator of the book, Professor Abiodun Akinpelu, disclosed this in a statement signed by a member of Organising Committee, Professor Olusola Aina and made available to newsmen in Lagos.

According to Prof. Akinpelu, former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), will be the Special Guest of Honour on the occasion, while another former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, will be the Chairman.

He further said former Chairman, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Chief Rasheed

Gbadamosi, is expected to be the Reviewer of the book, while Gen. T. Y. Danjuma will be among the Chief Presenters.

Prof. Akinpelu, who said 30 lecturers from six specialized institutions across the country were involved in the project, stated that the book chronicles the socio-economic and political developments in the country in the last 100 years.

According to him, the book, apart from commemorating the centenary celebration of the country, was borne out of the fact that Nigerians need to write their own history rather than relying on foreigners.

Prof. Akinpelu further said the event would bring together members of the Federal Executive Council, Diplomatic Corps, National Assembly, Governors and Captains of industry.

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Trustfund decries lack of awareness of pensions scheme From Collins Olayinka, Abuja RUSTFUND Pensions has T lamented lack of awareness of the operations and guidelines of the contributory pension scheme 10 years after the commencement of the s c h e m e .

Speaking in Abuja at a preretirement seminar for its enrollees, the Regional Manager in charge of Abuja North Central of Trustfund, Maurice Ogar, said workers still associate fraud in the defunct old scheme (defined benefit) with the new (contributory) pension scheme.

He explained that the guidelines, checks and balances coupled with the supervisory roles of the National Pension Commission (Pencom) are formidable enough to prevent fraud or mismanagement of pension funds.

He added: “10 years down the line, there are still many Nigerians who are still confusing the old scheme with the new ones. The massive difference that the contributory pension has made to the system is still lost on many. It is common these days to hear people still associating the fraud that bedeviled the old scheme with the new scheme.

The new pension scheme is almost fraud proof because of the many checks and balances put in place by Pencom to ensure the integrity of the scheme. The new pension scheme came up as a result of the challenges that the old scheme had. In setting up the new scheme, so many safe guards were introduced to prevent fraud and sharp practices. If there is any news of fraud at all, it has to do with

old scheme and not the new o n e . ” Ogar also said the complaint of low lump sum payment to retirees is informed by the scheme infancy. He explained that what retirees get at the point of exit is solely determined by what they con-

tributed and giving that the scheme is justb10 years, amount collected is base on what has been contributed within the 10 years.

His explanation: “I do not agree that retirees earn less now than under the old scheme. Where people are get-

ting the issue wrong is that the new scheme took effect from July 2004 and people who have put in many years into service will be able to contribute enough from 2004 to when they are retiring. As the scheme grows, the benefit will rise because there will be

more people retiring under it with many years in service and will therefore would be able to contribute for a long time in order to earn substantial amount upon exit. The truth of the matter is that the scheme is more beneficial to people who were employed

under the new scheme than the people who spent most of their years under the old s c h e m e . ” He stated that the pre-retirement seminar organized for contributors under Trustfund is a fulfillment of value added services pledge to them.

Lawyer faults disbandment of training institution in Kogi From John Akubo, Lokoja LeGAL practitioner in A Lokoja Barrister Joel Usman has faulted the way and manner security operatives sacked a merchant training school located in Idah, Kogi State without due process.

The Joint Military Task Force on Monday morning raided the merchant school that accommodated over 500 students which they claimed was operating illegally in Idah, Kogi State and sealed it o f f .

Usman who was apparently piqued by the level of Financial commitment to the tune of N250, 000 each by the affected students said that there was no wisdom in sacking the school without the refund of the money paid by the S t u d e n t s .

He said if the school had been operating for over one year why has the task force delayed their raid until now.

He asked to know the Government agency responsible for approving such institutions and also those responsible for prosecuting such o f f e n d e r s . “ They came and drove away over 500 students who paid

N205, 000 each. How do they plan to compensate the affected over 500 students?

“How do they also intend to help the students achieve their pursuit in that regard for which they paid the said a m o u n t ? ” He said the allegation of gun running against the students, which has not been

substantiated, is like giving a dog a bad name to hang it.

Usman challenged the security agents to prove their allegation with evidence adding that the public is also entitled to an explanation.

He expressed serious concern on the danger in sending away half baked products trained to handle arms and

ammunition without any serious backup.

Usman said if they are not refunded their money it amount to injustice, which is one of the causes of the prevailing insecurity in the count r y .

Leading the operation which consist of the Navy, Army, DSS, Police and Nigeria Civil

Defense Corps, Naval Commander NNS Lugard Lokoja, Commodore Shuwa Abdulraham-Mohammed, said the training school was operating illegally.

He insisted that the place was used for training an armed group established to disturb peace and the stability of the n a t i o n .

Govt urged to constitute FRCN Board He Federal Government T has been called upon to properly constitute the Board of the Federal Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) in order to put it on a proper corporate governance pedestal.

A financial and management consultant, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, who made the call, also said the proper constitution of the FRCN Board would enable it carry out the important functions and powers with which it was established.

Mr. Agbaje, who is the Chief executive/Senior Consultant, RTC Advisory Services Limited, stated these in his Keynote Address on Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act 2011: Matters Arising,

organized by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) at Southern Sun Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Noting that the FRCN Act no doubt has some very useful provisions especially in its core area of accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and provides a framework for ensuring consistency and global standards in financial reporting in Nigeria, Agbaje, however, stated that “its value in the realm of corporate governance is more debatable”.

“I certainly believe the Act must be subjected to further examination by all stakeholders in the business community, government and regulato-

ry institutions, the legislature and the judiciary so as to finetune any rough edges and clarify the legislature wherever such is capable of dual or multiple possibilities”, Agbaje said.

He noted that all the provisions in the FRCN Act relating to corporate governance “have no specific sanctions or punishments attached thereto except of course you factor in the omnibus powers to sanction public interest entities who fail to comply with decisions under the Act”.

“Apart from further reinforcing the suspicion that corporate governance was inserted in the Act as an afterthought, it raises the question whether issues of corporate gover-

nance are not best left to industry and market regulators rather than the Council.

“It also remains to be seen what the practical implications of the FRCN’s new role as the “national coordinating body responsible for all matters pertaining to corporate governance” will turn out to be”, Agbaje further said.

He thanked ICSAN for organizing the Roundtable focused on the implications of the FRCN Act 2011 on Corporate Governance law and practice in Nigeria, believing that it would be one of the for a focused on the Act given its importance to business and economic activities in Nigeria’s private and public sectors.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014 | 51

Labour NULGE opposes removal of local govt from constitution From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has warned against pushing for the removal of local government from the constitution by the National Conference.

The union stated that it will resist the move through popular protest, mobilization, and strike actions.

The Committee of the National Conference on power devolution and structure of government at the ongoing National Conference proposed the scrap of the third tier of government.

The committee recommended that all the powers presently exercised by local government should reside in the state government Reacting to the move, the President of NULGE, Ibrahim Khaleel, said the recommendation of the National Confab committee faulted the stance of the confab delegates He alleged that some of the delegates are executing the agenda of the governors, who he said, nominated them into the conference.

Speaking via a statement, he said: “The attention of NULGE has been drawn to the position of the Committee of the National Conference on

T

Power Devolution and Structure of Government at the on-going National Conference. The committee was reported to have resolved that local government system in Nigeria should be put under the control of the state government and should also be expunged from the constitution. With due respect to eminent Nigerians who constitute this committee, this position is arbitrary and without taken into consideration the feelings of Nigerians and recommendations of panels and committees; government white papers and National Assembly resolutions on the desirability of local government autonomy. The union posits that this position is inimical to the good interest of our dear country.”

Khaleel stated that since the National Conference resolved to invite memoranda from Nigerians on issues to be deliberated on at the conference, “it is only wise and logical for the committee to base its position on the reports done after collating and analyzing these memoranda so as to be guided by the good thought of equally endowed Nigerians.”

The NULGE president also made reference to the public session conducted by the

National Assembly across the country on the areas slated for amendment in the 1999 Constitution which includes local government autonomy.

“In a nationwide exercise that has been adjudged as National Referendum, Nigerians spoke unequivocally on their desire for local government autonomy,” he said.

Khaleel also stated that in 2003, when the government

set up the Etsu Nupe Panel on the Local Government System in Nigeria, Nigerians spoke, without mincing words, on their desire for an autonomous local government.

He pointed out that in the draft white paper on the recommendations of the panel, government resolved to strengthened local government system to make it more functional and responsive to

the need of the people.

He added: “The union knows that the issue of local government is an almost settled matter through various past efforts.

The National Conference can only build on this and adopt it for a ground norm in Nigeria and not to sabotage or put the country in a reverse gear through its positions.”

NULGE challenged the conference to do a study on how

fair local government has been under the “excruciating control of state government in terms of funding, structure, democratization and policy,” which had in turn determined their functionality.

He, therefore, added that to hand over such important tier of government to state government is to finally wipe out local government from existence in the country.

MDGs:250 to benefit from Trust Fund for women in politics From John Okeke, Abuja O fewer than 250 women have been drawn from the N100m grant provided by the Federal Government to support women to aspire to political positions.

This was made known in a statement from the Office of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) signed by the Head Information and Communications, Dr Chris Otabor.

The statement quoted the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Dr.Precious Gbenoel as saying “that the Fund was launched by the Federal

N

Ministry of Women Affairs in 2011 with support from the MDGs Debt Relief Gains (DRG) to the Nigerian Women Trust Fund; a fully registered and independent organisation limited by guarantee.”

This according to her is a part of the efforts to attain Goal 3,which she said has been met by the country.

The Presidential Aide also said that the fund was to provide technical support and resources for women who are interested in leadership to contest for elective positions.

She noted that the fund also provides a mentorship scheme for girls while interfacing with the Nigeria

Electoral Commission and political parties to create space for women to participate in politics.

According to her, even though less than 10 per cent of the women who accessed the Fund in 2011 won elections on different political platforms at State, Local and Federal levels across the country; it was a good starting point. ``The MDGs office does not directly manage the Nigerian Women Trust Fund but sits on the Advisory Board as well as the Board of Directors with other representatives of the ministry of women affairs, UN Women, private sector, International Development Partners and Civil Society’’

she said.

She said that Nigeria has made significant strides by advancing women in all spheres of national life especially into appointive positions.

According to her, the Federal Government will continue to strive to expand the political space for women and to make incursion into elective offices, which are at the moment dominated by men.

MDGs Chief said that the MDGs office would continue to support the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development to develop and implement policies on gender, child rights and social welfare for vulnerable

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PUBLIC NOTICE

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014 MARKET REPORT 77

MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 05-05-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

MARKeT INDICATORs

AS AT 05-05-2014

PRIMeRA AFRICA

Unity Bank to raise N39.2 b through rights issue, private placement Stories by Helen Oji NITy Bank has concluded U arrangements to raise N39.224 billion through right issue and private placement.

The bank would be raising N39 billion, which comprises of right issue offer of N19.224 billion of about 38.447 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N0.50 per share The offer was made on the basis of one new ordinary share of 50 kobo each for every one ordinary shares held as at December 16, 2013.

Also, a total of N20 billion of 40 billion shares of 50 kobo each at N0.50 per share through the private placement, which would be taken by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

According to the bank, acceptance list for the Rights Issue opens on May 12, 2014 and closes on June 18, 2014; while placing for the Private Placement opens on June 20, 2014 and closes on June 23, 2014. speaking at the bank’s completion board meeting, held in Lagos yesterday, the Chairman of the bank, Nu’uman Barau Danbatta said “ The private placement is 40billion shares of 50kobo private placement is to the AMCON. One of the mandates of AMCON is to invest in banking stocks and we have discussed with them and they are coming in as investors to the bank. so the private placement is to accommodate them.

“It is in fulfillment to AMCON mandates and the mandate is not just to buy loans but also

to invest into banking institutions in the country. The offer is for the existing shareholders while Placement is to one shareholder. Principle agreement has been done and we have completed the regulatory process. AMCON has provided so many things it can do and one of that is to acquire shareholdings in banks and financial institutions. They are largely government shareholding but AMCON has demonstrated that it is driven by the best practices in terms of corporate governance standard.

“A lot of changes are going on in the bank. A complete restructuring is going on in the bank, the whole focus of the business is being reinvented, considering the background of where we came from, its been a very challenging period but now, we can say we have over come all those issues of consolidation.

We are setting up correct governance structure, we are bringing the correct expertise in the business, we are developing the right set of skills and market to drive this bank forward.” He added.

The Managing Director of the bank, Henry James semenitari explained that the proceed of the offer would be deployed toward branch development, information technology upgrade, products and channel upgrade, human resource development, corporate communications, as well as enhancement of its working capital.

Consolidated Breweries posts 12 per cent increase in net profit esPITe increased competiD tion in the value for money segment, Consolidated Breweries Plc has recorded a 12 per cent increase in net profit. specifically, the company’s revenue for 2013 stood at N34 billion while profit after tax increased by 12 per cent from N1.103 billion in 2012 to N1.237billion in 2013.

The Chairman of the company, Prof. Oyin Odutola-Olurin, who stated this in a statement, yesterday expressed confidence in the Nigerian Beer industry with potentials for positive growth and developments in the coming years.

“Our recent acquisitions and investments in capacity expansion have positioned our company for future growth and competitiveness”, she said.

The Managing Director, Boudewijn Haarsma noted that in spite of increased competition in the value for money segment, Consolidated Breweries Plc sustained its leadership.

To position for the significantly increased competition, the Company, according to him, has focused on increasing the efficiency of its operations and made additional investments of N6billion in plant and machinery across its breweries in Nigeria.

While explaining the investments the company carried out in the past two years, he said “If you take the totality of our investment in the last two

years, it amounted to about N15 billion. In 2013 alone, N6billion was invested in new equipment, capacity expansion and process standardization. This has created improvements in our operational efficiency and cost savings. The impact of these measures, although not yet very visible in our 2013 results, is already manifesting in our performance in the First Quarter of 2014. In quarter one of 2014, we reported very strong volume growth well ahead of the market average”.

Also in 2013, the company effected the merger with Benue Breweries Limited and DIL/Maltex and also divested from Champion Breweries Plc, which is showing positive results.

Decrying inclement operational environment, Haarsma said “growth in the beer market stalled over the last two years, following several years with average growth rates of 10per cent. The slowdown in growth was on account of increasing pressure on consumers’ disposable income.

At the same time, sales of the most affordable brands in the market, also known as the ‘value for money segment’, grew faster than before. This led to significantly increased competition in the ‘value for money segment’ as all brewers have reacted to the changing market dynamics and are increasing their commercial focus and investments behind their more affordable brands.

Tuesday, May 6,

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Law

79

Quote of the week “The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It’s people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.”

Banksy, Wall and Piece

‘Pensions Act alone can’t address employees’ woes’ Corporate restructuring and insolvency are gradually becoming common occurrences in today’s business world. In such situations, pensions and other wage claims of the employees are in serious jeopardy. But stakeholders in Labour and insolvency laws are concerned whether there are sufficient provisions under Nigerian laws, including the Pension Reform Act to address the plight of Nigerian employees particularly when put into international and comparative context on how pensions and wages should be treated in corporate restructuring and insolvency. BERTRAM NWANNEKANMA in this encounter sought the views of Kalu Okorie, an Insolvency law practitioner. Okorie, who is the Chairman of the PUNUKA 2014 Lecture with the title: “Employee and Pension Claims in Insolvency”, also spoke on the role of the Pension Reform Act in addressing the challenge.

INTERVIEW SKED what he considers as a major conA sideration in handling corporate restructuring and insolvency, Okorie said the paramount consideration of business restructuring and insolvency is developing turnaround techniques, achieving the necessary arrangement and compromises, making strategic sales where necessary, that would enable the business to be saved as it is the business (the viable and profitable one identified) that ensures wealth creation, employment preservation and or creation.

According to him, employees are major stakeholders in achieving the turnaround of the business: they are an essential element of the business, as human resources remain the greatest assets to drive the business. The quality of management of employee issues in a restructuring exercise can determine whether such business can continue as a viable on-going business.

Okorie, who did not really agree that in Nigeria, employees are treated with disdain, said outside the challenges that many emerging markets and indeed, developed markets face in terms of employment, the government has in the last decade become more responsive in terms of development of policies and legislations aimed at encouraging proper treatment of employees by their employers and adequate attention paid to employees welfare be it in the private sector or in the public sector.

“It is true that we have a major portion of the very large Nigerian populace that is unemployed and the informal sector may not be as well regulated as may be ideal but the enactment of pieces of legislations such as the Pension Reform Act 2004, the Employee Compensation Act 2010 have improved quite dramatically on the lot of employees in terms of social security.

“You know that the Contributory Pension Scheme is at best a shared responsibility between the employer and the employee (contributing 7.5% respectively) or may even be solely borne by the employer.

“These remittances are mandatory and managed by third party fund administrators. The government and PenCom are doing a good job at ensuring enforcement of the Act. The same applies to the Employees Compensation Act and the work of the NSITF. “There is even infrastructure that has been created for continuous training and capacity development under Industrial Training Fund Act,” he added.

On whether Pension Reform Act can address the plight of Nigerian employees particularly on how pensions and wages are treated during restructuring occasioned by insolvency, he said he believe the Reform in the Pensions sector is a welcome development for pension administration and has also created a framework for a robust enforcement of right of employees to pension claims.

“The Pension Reform Act on its own may not necessarily be said to have addressed issues relating to treatment of employee and pension claims in the event of insolvency: no provision addresses the issue of treatment or priority or special preference or rules relating to such in a situation of insolvency.

Even in terms of simple debt recovery under the PRA, no provision is envisaged.

Okorie

“There are possible recoverable debts (owed either by employers due to non remission of pension contributions, or PFAs/PFCs due to non-payment to employees) that would arise under PRA 2004 from employment agreements. There are, however, regretfully no provisions as regards who can recover such debts and the procedure.

“However, combining the mandatory provisions of PRA 2004 on pension contributions and the preferential treatment given to employee claims by general insolvency law in Nigeria, I think it is safe to opine that there is a stronger framework created for special protection given to pension claims.

“It would have, of course, been easier to make more robust provisions in the PRA

2004, particularly when one bears in mind that pension contributions are usually half funded by the employee. Thus in situation of insolvency of the employer or the PFAs, the insolvent company is actually holding assets that do not technically belong to the insolvent company but that are beneficially owned by the employees and as such should be secured.

On what informed the choice of the PUNUKA’s lecture, Okorie said at Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors, they tried to distil from the local and international practice front burner issues in our Nigerian economy and the world at large.

“In this regard, for the past five years owing to the global meltdown and the 2009 bank-

“Corruption and lack of proper governance and planning have also bedevilled some public framework created in Nigeria to protect the labour force such as pensions, social insurance, etc. Unemployment rate in Nigeria is still on the increase and is a direct backlash of all the issues mentioned earlier”.

ing crisis as well, Insolvency and business restructuring issues have become prominent. The credit crunch, collapse of many businesses and enterprises, including public enterprises has also led to the sacking or retrenchment of hundreds of thousands of Nigerian employees.

“Corruption and lack of proper governance and planning have also bedevilled some public framework created in Nigeria to protect the labour force such as pensions, social insurance, etc. Unemployment rate in Nigeria is still on the increase and is a direct backlash of all the issues mentioned earlier.

“The topic, we chose is a convergence of these issues and would give us the opportunity to discuss them and hopefully proffer some useful recommendations and suggestions for reforms, and policies that would boost the development of the Nigerian economy, strengthen our legal and regulatory framework and further the interests of its labour force whilst encouraging trade and commerce.” he added.

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80 Tuesday, May 6, 2014 LAW

Lawyers react to NBA 2014 electoral guidelines

By Bertram Nwannekanma HE recent release of the T Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) guidelines to regulate the conduct of its July 2014 election of new officers to pilot the affairs of the association, has continued to attract comments from stakeholders.

Under the guidelines signed

by Okey Amechi (SAN) and Safiya I. Balarabe, chairman and secretary respectively of the Electoral Committee, “Any member of the Nigerian Bar Association (hereafter called “the Association”), wishing to contest for any of the National offices of the Association listed in Article 10(b) of the Constitution shall be adjudged qualified if he/she is: A full member of the association and has paid as at the date of his/her nomination his/her practicing fees on or before March 31, for each of the past three consecutive years and also paid his/her annual Branch subscriptions and levies up to April 1, 2014.

Receipts or Bank Tellers verifying such payments shall accompany the nomination form of a candidate, legal practitioner in full time private legal practice.

Also an aspiring candidate shall be adjudged not qualified in the following situations:There is evidence that he/she is sponsored by or has received any financial assistance or inducement from any government of the

Adekoya Federation, or members, organizations or bodies corporate or if the candidate underwrites a voting conference delegate’s travel, board or lodging expenses.

He/She sponsors or is associated with sponsoring a Newspaper or Magazine article or electronic broadcast vilifying other candidates or extolling a candidate’s virtues, being a National Officer he/she had been elected to a single two -year term and is running for succession in that same office.

Provided that a Registered Branch may sponsor its delegates to a Delegates’ Conference of the Association if none of such delegates is a candidate for any National Office.

The guidelines amongst other things also provides that there is • No pasting of posters, Billboard, Hand bills or any form of campaign materials Whatsoever, no souvenirs or

Adesina gift of any sort is allowed.

Distribution of gift items and souvenirs traceable to any candidate will attract instant disqualification.

• Derogatory and offensive text messages shall not be allowed, no candidate shall entice, induce or treat any member of the Association with a view to influencing his or her choice in the election, poster, campaign writeup and manifestoes shall not be more than A4 in size, campaign tours and visit by candidates and all their agents and representatives are not allowed.

The guidelines further prescribed delegates qualified to vote in the delegate election as follows: “: National Officers and National Executive Committee members, five delegates from each registered Branch of the Association showing evidence of payment of annual practicing fees and other Branch dues and levies as at

Akintola

Alegeh

Erhabor

1st April,2014. two co-opted deserving elder members of the Association from each registered, branch showing evidence of payment of annual practicing fees and other Branch duesand levies as at 1st April, 2014.

The guidelines stated that “The 2014 delegates Conference shall hold on such dates in the month of July, 2014, as may be determined by the National Executive Committee, while, voting during the 2014 election shall by secret ballot as shall be directed by the Electoral Committee, there will be a manifesto presentation by cleared candidates in the evening of the eve of the Election Day as may be organized by the Electoral Committee.

Reacting on the guidelines, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos branch, Taiwo Taiwo frowned at some provisions of the guidelines stating that

issues of delegates should not be limited.

According to him, by limiting the number of delegates disfranchise eligible lawyers.

Taiwo’s view was also supported by the former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr. Adebamigbe Omole, who called for the democratization of the whole process to allow for all qualified lawyers to partake on the exercise.

According to him, a system that denied lawyers partaking from choosing their leaders is not right for an association that primed itself as the conscience of the nation.

Former Legal Adviser of the NBA and one of the leaders of NBA Aba branch, Mr. Victor Nwaugo said: “Granted that Section 21(c) of the Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution gives power to the Electoral Committee to control, conduct and manage NBA elections, it should

be assumed that in accordance with the common principles of interpretation of statute and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whatever rules and regulations or guidelines that would be issued by the committee must be geared towards ensuring a credible electoral process, adequate education of the electorates, quality debate and presentation of issues during campaigns; all in a bid to helping the electorates have a quality decision as to who to vote for or not, and to achieve a free and fair election.

“The electoral committee has issued several “decrees” under the caption- campaign regulations including but not limited to “no campaign tours or visit by candidates and their agents and representatives and “no pasting of posters, handbills or any form of campaign materials whatsoever,” he added.

Agbakoba, Orbih bicker over Bar Association’s zoning arrangement ISSUES

By Bertram Nwannekanma

power play and horse- trading have started taking a centre stage as activiItiesNTRIGUES, towards the 2014 elections of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) gather momentum.

It started with a letter by the former President of the NBA and a human rights lawyer, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN, to the NBA’s President, Okey Wali (SAN) advising him not to allow the NBA depart from its zoning arrangement in 2014 presidential elections.

In a letter dated April 28, 2014 and addressed to the NBA’s President, Okey Wali SAN, Dr. Agbakoba expressed regret that the 2014 NBA presidential elections is getting out of hand and expressed fear of its dire consequences.

Agbakoba advised that the NBA must not allow the elections to become a ‘do or die’ matter since they are not politicians.

He said: “We all know that by the zoning con- Agbakoba vention, it is the turn of the South West However, in their response, the Mid-West region to produce our president, I appreciate the concern and disappointment of the Bar Forum insisted that it is a part of the Midwest that it has not been included in our West in the zoning arrangement of the zoning arrangement. That is why when I was Nigerian Bar Associations 2014 elections. president, I set up the inclusion committee to The Chairman of Mid-West Bar Forum Chief review this at our National Executive Council Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) in a letter to Wali (NEC) meeting in Makurdi but unfortunately said the clarification has become necessary in light of Agbakoba’s letter on zoning and this has not materialized. “ Based on our current arrangements, it is the 2014 elections of the association. the turn of the Southwest Region and we He said: “Our attention has been drawn to must all support candidates from the zone. the letter dated April 28, 2014 purportedly Zoning in the NBA was established at Chief written by Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) (past Phillip Umeadi’s residence in Onitsha. president) of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Although not a binding convention, all past Presidents have been elected based on zon- We would not want to believe that the letter under reference was, indeed, written by Dr. ing.

“I recognize and empathize with the exclu- Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).

Our disbelief stems from the fact that at a sion of the Midwest but it is in our overall interest to maintain the zoning arrange- meeting held in March, 2012 to addressed the legitimate demands and aspiration of ment.

“I suggest we do not depart from the zoning the Midwest Bar Forum for the NBA presiarrangement but immediately take steps to dential slot, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba submitted a address the grievances of the Midwest.” He written position wherein he clearly stated that for the purpose of the zoning of the NBA advised.

presidency, both the Midwest Bar Forum and Egbe Amofin belong to the West. The meeting was presided over by Mr. J.B. Daudu, (SAN) (the then president of the NBA) and the prominent and respected leaders that attended included Chief T. J. Okpoko (SAN), and Chief Bamidele Aiku (SAN), who represented the Midwest Bar Forum and the Egbe Amofin respectively.

“In fact, it is unthinkable that a man of his status would turn around to take a contrary position because of his support for a particular candidate and /or the exigencies of the present election.

“It is important to note that there is no South West in the informal zoning configuaration of the NBA as far as the office of the presidency is concerned. For the avoidance of doubt, the three recognized zones are North, East and West (i.e Egbe Amofin and Midwest) “In the unlikely event that the letter under reference was indeed written by Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), there is a need to remind him that a decision has already be taken by the leaders and elders of the Bar at the aforesaid meeting in Abuja, in March, 2012.

At the meeting, the NBA 2014 presidency was zoned to the West thus; leaving the door open for any member of the Midwest Bar Forum or Egbe Amofin to contest the elec-

Orbih tion.

“The South-West-(Egbe Amofin) and the Midwest Bar Forum have since moved beyond Dr. Agbakoba (SAN)’s partisan position. Both parties have already agreed that they belong to the West.

“However, the unresolved issue is as to which of the two fora in the West will field a candidate in 2014. Efforts to resolve the question of precedence on the basis of fairness and propriety have not yielded dividend. On that note, the parties concerned have agreed to meet at Phillipi, i.e at the polls for the NBA to choose between the contesting Western (Midwest and Egbe Amofin) candidates. Dr. Agbakoba therefore has every right to vote for his candidate on Election Day but he has no right to peddle untruth and cry louder than the bereaved.

“Finally, a leaf must be borrowed from the East where in the last election, candidates from different parts of the zone contested the election. That in our view represents the true spirit of democracy,” he added.

LAW Tuesday, May 6,

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FamilyLaw

81

“If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.”

Roopleen

Marriage counselling law & legal definition

By Paul Benedetti and USLegal ARRIAGE counselling seeks to identify the sources of conflict in a marriage and provide healthy ways of resolving such conflicts.

Marriage counselling is an alternative to divorce or separation for some couples. Marriage counselling may also be sought by couples in the process of a divorce or separation to help them deal with the changes and emotions being experienced so that the process is dealt with in a healthy manner. Such counselling may benefit both the couple and any children who may be affected by negative feelings such as anger and vindictiveness.

Laws vary by state, but some state laws allow a couple to obtain a marriage license for a reduced fee if they undergo premarital counselling. Marital counselling is also generally a requirement for the who opt for a covenant marriage.

Some state laws give judges the authority to order marriage counselling. In states where the judge may order counselling, the judge often delays the divorce proceeding for a month or two during the counselling period.

Common law marriage allows persons who live together as man and wife for a sufficient time and with the intent of having an exclusive relationship akin to a marriage to have the legal rights of formally married persons. Not all states recognize common law marriages.

Among those states that permit a common-law marriage to be contracted, the elements of a common-law marriage vary slightly from state to state.

The necessary elements are (1) cohabitation and (2) “holding out.” “Holding out” means that the parties tell the world that they are husband and wife through their conduct, such as the woman’s assumption of the man’s surname, filing a joint federal income tax return, etc. That means that mere cohabitation can never, by itself, rise to the level of constituting a marriage.

M

Of course, many disputes arise when facts (such as intentions of the parties or statements made to third parties) are in controversy.

Common law marriage is commonly perceived as being created by living together for a certain number of years. However, states generally don’t define a number of years of cohabitation for a common law marriage to exist. In order to have a valid common law marriage, there must be proof of all of the following: cohabitation for a significant period of time hold themselves out as a married couple — typically this means using the same last name, referring to the other as “my husband” or “my wife” and filing a joint tax return, and intent to be married.

In some states, such as Pennsylvania, common law marriage was just another way to create a marriage by exchanging words of present intent, for example vows such as “I take you for my husband.” “I take you for my wife.” A common law marriage is legally recognized as a marriage and the way to end it is by getting a divorce.

10 things marriage counselors want you to know Imagine that you have to learn how to drive a car by watching people drive on television You also get to watch your parents drive, and you sit in the car while friends drive. Then imagine that after a few months of this, you take your car onto a four-lane highway for the longest trip of your life. Pretty crazy, right?

Well, that’s how most people approach marriage, says Dr. Guy Grenier, a clinical psychologist and marital therapist in London, Ont. And the results are about as bad as you might expect. In Canada, 38 per cent of marriages end in divorce. (It’s almost 50 per cent in the United States.) But it doesn’t have to be that way. Dr. Grenier, who has worked with couples for more than 20 years, says that with a bit more preparation and education, we could save thousands of

marriages — and a lot of money.

The truth about divorce Divorce costs Canadians billions of dollars in lawyer’s fees and real estate swaps, not to mention the psychological fallout for both parents and children. “We could drop the divorce rate from 40 per cent to 20 per cent by insisting that for two years every high school student learn ‘relationships,’” says Dr. Grenier.

Unfortunately, he says, no such course exists.

So here’s the Coles Notes version that any married couple, or anyone considering getting married, can use. (Don’t cram! You have the rest of your life to work on this.)

•There’s no such thing as Mr. or Ms. Right for you... ...at least, not in the sense that if you “just find the right person, it will all work out,” says Paul Beckow, a marriage counsellor and newspaper columnist in Victoria. Good relationships don’t just happen. They’re the result of work.

“Couples are really surprised when they find that there are conflicts and differences, disappointments and hurts. But they’re all part of the journey, part of the work of being in a relationship.”

The advice? After the romance, be prepared to do the work. “We have to sort out real things in

real life,” says Beckow, who has counselled couples for more than two decades.

He sees a relationship as a journey — a dynamic, challenging opportunity for people. “A relationship is an ongoing laboratory for learning and development,” says Beckow. He knows: he has been with his wife, Frani, for 34 years. Beckow says the key is that you have to be ready to work at exploring and investigating your differences.

• Talk isn’t cheap: it’s your most valuable investment.

Good, regular communication is the key to a good marriage. Peter Evans, a registered couples and family therapist in Hamilton, says talking creates connection, empathy and intimacy. “My parents had a ritual when my dad came home from work,” he says. “They would sit down with a cup of tea or a glass of sherry and talk to each other, just chitchat about the day.”

• A relationship is like a car: you need to change the oil every three months.

Have the “How are we doing?” conversation every three months, no matter how long you have been married. Why? Because regularly addressing issues or grievances means you head off trouble before the problem becomes entrenched or insurmountable. “Put it on the calendar. Make time. And ask the question with courage,” says Dr. Grenier, who is also the author of The 10 Conversations You Must Have Before You Get Married (And How to Have Them) (Key Porter, 2007). “There’s nothing better you are ever going to do for your relationship,” he says.

• Being emotional is better than being rational.

A common communication myth is that you should “stick to the facts” rather than talk about how you feel. But relationships aren’t built on what happens as much as they’re based on feelings. “Don’t ignore the facts, but start with the feelings,” says Dr. Grenier. “Talk about how you feel: ‘This is what I fear, this is what I’m worried about, this is what I want, this is what hurt my feelings,’ and then go to the facts.”

Suspension in Labour relations and the Law

By Rafiu Bello HE sanction of suspension from work or office has existed for a long time. One can safely trace its origin to the ‘suspension’ of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

Suspension is a disciplinary measure employed in various professions, sports and labour relations to reprimand erring member(s), athletes or employees as the case maybe. A professional body may suspend its member for serious allegation of professional misconduct. For instance, the CBN Act, 2007 in Section 11 (2) (d) provides that a CBN Governor’s appointment shall cease upon being suspended from practicing his profession in Nigeria by order of a competent authority made in respect of him personally. An athlete may also be suspended from plying his sport for some specified period for various allegations e.g. doping and use of other prohibited performance enhancing drugs to gain unfair advantage over other athletes. In labour relations, an employee may also be suspended based on the terms of his employment contract or statute if he is a statutory employee.

There are three types of employer/employee relationships with their associated consequences. The case of Momoh v. CBN [2007] All FWLR (Pt. 395) 420 categorized the three types of labour rela-

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tions thus; (a) employer/employee relationship under common law.

Under this category, there is an absence of a written contract, each party could abrogate the contract on a week’s or month’s notice or whatever the agreed period for payment of wages (b) where there is a written contract of employment, in such a case, the Court has a duty to determine the rights of the parties under the written contract.

The third category is the employment of public servants. This category is subdivided into two types: (c) (i) public servants, where there employment is provided for in statute and/or conditions of service agreement. The case of the suspended Governor falls under this type. (ii) public servants, as in the civil service.

The Civil Service rules apply to this type of employment.

These three categories of labour relations often determine the right or power of the employer to suspend the employee. Therefore, the right to suspend may be acquired by the terms of the contract, either express or impliedly, or by statute. For instance, Section 19 (2) of the Nigerian Dock Labour Act, 1999, Cap. N103 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 provides a statutory power of suspension. It provides that: “Any dock worker who• Fails to carry out his duties in accordance with the provi-

Adoke, AGF sions of this Act, and the conditions of his employment; or • Fails to comply with any lawful orders given to him by his registered dock labour employer; or • Is inefficient or negligent in the discharge of his duties; or • absents himself from duty without permission or other acceptable reason, • is liable to be suspended from duty for a period not exceeding 90 days.”

Where there is power to suspend under the statute or contract, the provisions of the contract or statute must be strictly complied with in carrying out a suspension otherwise the suspension will be

wrongful. One major component of the suspension process is “fair hearing”.

Absence of fair hearing will usually render a suspension void. The reason for this is simple- the exact legal effect of suspension is not to terminate the employment but to temporarily dismiss the rights and obligations of both parties pending the resolution of an allegation. The legal effect of suspension was made clear by the Nigerian Supreme Court in Longe v.

FBN [2010] 6 NWLR (pt. 1189) 1 at 60 which considered section 262 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap. C20 LFN, 2004. The right to

fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulates that allegations must be resolved within a “reasonable time”. That section provides that “in the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.”

In view of the constitutional provision of fair hearing, the sanction of suspension cannot be made at large; it must be time-bound. Section 19 (2) of the Nigerian Dock Labour Act stipulates the period of suspension as not exceeding 90 days. This conforms with the spirit of the constitution and international best practices on the subject. The mode of communication of the suspension to an employee must specify the period.

When sports practitioners are suspended internationally, for various allegations however grave, the period of suspension is fixed and communicated to the suspended athlete. The 2002 Guidelines on the Management of suspension in the South African Public service demonstrate these international best practices. The guiding principles

for suspension in the South African public service are: • The employer must have valid and fair reasons for suspending an employee, based on fair labour relations principles.

• The period of suspension should be reasonable and justifiable The specified period of suspension is the thin line that separates “suspension” from “removal/termination”. The former is contemplated to last for a fixed period while the latter is permanent.

Suspension and removal are similar sanctions factually, but both have disparate legal effects. Therefore, if a suspension is not carried out within its legal bounds; it dovetails into removal or termination.

For example, in the wake of Mallam Sanusi’s removal of certain Banks’ Managing Directors (MDs) from office in 2009, some of the MDs of these banks’ subsidiaries were suspended by the new management of the banks without an indication as to the period of suspension. The affected MDs have not been reinstated till date. Non-stipulation of the period of suspension pending resolution of the allegation(s) against an employee promotes arbitrariness, which results in the wrongful use of the option of suspension as ‘removal’ or termination of employment.

• Bello is a Lagos-based Legal Practitioner

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LawReport In determination of a term, certain lease requires no notice to quit In the Court of Appeal, holden at Lagos Judicial Division, Lagos, on Monday, March 31, 2014.

Before their Lordships: Sidi Dauda Bage, Justice, Court of Appeal; Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh, Justice, Court of Appeal; Rita Nosakhare Pemu, Justice, Court of Appeal Appeal No: CA/L/385M/10 Between Essential Logistics Ltd (appellant) and 1. Chief Victor Odili (OON) (respondents) 2. TREVI Foundation Ltd (Judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Sidi Daudu Bage, JCA) HE Appellant, a tenant of the first T Respondent commenced an action at the High Court of Lagos State claiming amongst others; that the first Respondent had not validly determined the tenancy in respect of the premises known as 27A, Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State and as such could not, without due process of law, eject the Appellant or compel it to give up possession of same. The first Respondent filed a CounterClaim claiming amongst others; a declaration that the tenancy of the Appellant as contained in its tenancy agreement dated May 1, 2007 had been validly determined in accordance with the provisions of the said agreement.

The High Court Judge, Honourable Justice O. A. Dabiri, after hearing arguments of counsel for both parties delivered judgement in favour of the respondents, essentially dismissing the claim of the appellant and granted the respondents counter - claim for recovery of the premises.

The appellant (tenant) being dissatisfied with the decision of the Honourable Court, appealed against the Judgement of the High Court.

The appellant submitted a number of issues for determination on appeal. One of the issues for determination was “whether the learned trial judge was right to have entered judgment for the respondents on the ground that they have proved their counter-claim when in fact the respondents did not deny the appellant was a yearly tenant who required a six-month notice to quit for a valid determination of its tenancy”.

Another issue was “whether in view of the respondents’ admission of improper and/or non service of statutory notices on the appellant, the respondent established by credible and cogent evidence that the appellant’s tenancy had been determined”.

The respondents in response to the Appellant’s Brief raised two issues for determination namely:

“whether the learned trial judge was right when he held that the Tenancy Agreement was valid and legally binding between the parties in the suit regardless of the fact that same was not sealed by the Appellant”; and “whether the learned trial judge was right when he held that the Tenancy was properly determined and that the 1st Respondent had satisfied the requirement of the law by the service of a three months Notice to Quit and a Notice of Owners Intention to Recover possession of property”.

The Court of Appeal adopted the two issues formulated by the Appellant in the determination of the appeal and decided issue 1 and 2 in favour of the Respondents.

In arguing the second issue learned Counsel to the Appellant submitted that the service of statutory notices is germane to the recovery of premises by a party seeking same. He further contended that the provision of the law is that statutory notices must be served personally on the tenant and not otherwise. He stated that the only exception is in a situation where the tenant could not be found to effect personal service on, then a copy of the said notice may be posted at some conspicuous place in the premises sought to be recovered. He referred to section 15 of the Rent Control and Recovery of Premises Law Lagos State.

Learned Counsel to the appellant further submitted that, Exhibit EL11 is a tenancy agreement made to commence from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007. Exhibit EL15 is a notice to quit purportedly issued on March 31, 2007 to expire two months after the termination of the agreement. He stated that the Notice to Quit was just a one-month Notice to Quit.

In reply to the appellant, learned senior counsel to the respondents submitted that, a careful perusal of the tenancy agreement would reveal that the tenancy created by the agreement was for a period of two years certain. It clearly spells out the tenor of the tenancy under its Habendum, which is for a term of two years

Justice Bulkachuwa (PCA) certain commencing from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007.

Learned senior counsel for the respondent further contended that when the time fixed for a tenancy to run lapses, the relationship of Landlord and Tenant automatically terminates and the landlord, if he so wishes, may take possession through the due process of law after serving on the tenant Notice of Owners Intention to Apply to Recover Possession.

The learned senior counsel to the respondents further submitted that the appellant had never contested the service or validity of the Notice of Owner’s Intention to Apply to Recover Possession, which was served on it by the Respondent. The respondents’ counsel went on to state that the Appellant’s only contention was that it was entitled to a six-month notice, which by all the circumstances of the case, it was not. Ordinarily, a tenancy for a term certain expires by operation of law at the end of the period and the law is that only a Notice of Owner’s Intention to Apply to Recover Possession will be served on the party.

However, where the same agreement contains a proviso that it may be terminated either by one party or both with a Notice of Termination, it is also permissible. This merely gives the tenant the option to determine the tenancy.

In resolving Issue Two the Court interpreted Section 14 of the Lagos State Rent Recovery of Premises Law 2003 in line with the Supreme Court’s Interpretation of section 9 of the Recovery of Premises Act which is equivalent to the Lagos State Law in the case of Emmanuel A. Awe vs. Tham Saidi (1969) 1 All NLR 477 at 480.

The purport of this provision amongst others is that a yearly tenant requires a six-month Notice

to Quit. The court stated that the Appellant armed with this provision was of the view that the three months notice given to him by the Respondents was invalid as it was not issued in accordance with the law. The court after a careful perusal of the tenancy agreement reiterated that it was for a term of two years certain The court adopted the argument of learned Counsel to the Respondents in this regard and stated that it was the correct position of the law having in view the relationship created by the Respondents and the Appellant.

The Court further stated that the tenancy agreement was for a term certain commencing from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007. The court referred to the case of Nigerian Joint Agency Ltd vs. Arrow Engineering and General Transport Co. Ltd (1970) 1 All NLR 323 at pp 325 and 330.

The court, following the reasoning above, found that by operation of law as already established by the Supreme Court in the authorities cited, by April 1, 2007, one day after March 31, 2007, the tenancy relationship between the present appellant and respondents had been fully determined. The tenancy agreement was determined by effluxion of time. The court stated that the law gives the landlord the right if he so wishes, to take possession through the due process of law after serving on the tenant notice of owners intention to recover possession.

The court stated that the three months clause inserted in the tenancy agreement is only a surplus-age introduced by the parties. The court further found that the Appellant on a tenancy certain for two years which expired by time, cannot go back to insist on the requirement of section 14 of the Lagos State Rent and Recovery of Premises Law 2003, that as a yearly tenant, he was entitled to notice for six months and not three months given to him.

The court agreed with the trial judge and held that the tenancy agreement between the appellant and the Respondents had been determined since March 31, 2007 after the expiration of the two years tenure, certain as agreed by the parties. The court resolved the second issue in favour of the respondents, awarding the cost of N50,000 (fifty thousand Naira) and dismissed the appellant’s appeal for lack of merit.

• Counsel: B. Ade – Ademuwagun for the Appellant Dr. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN with him, Mojisola Olugbemi (Miss) and Adeola Adeniyi Esq. for the Respondents

Lawyers seek review of 180 days in election petition

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo HEAD of 215 polls, former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and other legal luminaries have called for a review of the 180-day time-line required to determine election petitions.

They made this known last week at the AlaoAka Bashorun yearly lecture organized by the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), as part of its Law Week activities.

The lecture chaired by former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), had as its theme: “Electoral Justice as a panacea for peaceful transition”.

Leading discussion in the event, Prof Osibajo, said was the restrictive time-lime results in electoral injustice for the petitioner.

Osibajo said Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that election petitions must be determined

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within 180 days, is contrary to the principles of fairness.

According to him, the enactment of the section is “a deadly virus that kills electoral justice.”

He said a lot was involved in proving fraud in an election, including preparing evidence by fingerprint experts, mathematical calculations and charts, all of which require time to prepare.

“To do so in a state within 180 days is impossible. To do so for the whole country is a joke.”

Prof Osibajo further said the matter was made worse where sometimes the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would make things even more difficult for the petitioner.

His word: “INEC makes itself a problem for the petitioner in obtaining electoral materials.

The umpire sees itself as the adversary of the petitioner.”

He added that the Supreme Court should have subjected the provision to further interpretations that would make it fair to all.

“Section 285 must be amended so that the court can extend the time or a order a retrial.

The 180 days is too short.

“The Supreme Court may issue practice directions on how it should work. There should be no need for an order of court for INEC to provide the basic requirements for a trial.

“The Supreme Court should rectify that flaw to ensure that 2015 does not become the beginning of terrible things in our country.”

Chief Olanipekun said it is not fair where the Supreme Court would order a retrial without jettisoning the 180 days that had already started counting.

“When the court says a case should start de novo, it presupposes there was no election, in such a situation, 180 days should begin to run afresh.”

Apart from Osinbajo, other discussants included, Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), former Lagos Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire and Mr Wahab Shittu.

Mallam Ali, represented by Mr Kunle Adegoke, said the injustice caused by the timelimit has led to disillusionment among petitioners.

He said: “Most politicians are not prepared to go to tribunal in 2015, they would rather settle electoral grievances in the field.”

For the NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr. Monday Ubani, it is regrettable that Nigeria has not had free and fair election since independence, except in 1993.

He said: “We as a nation has paid dearly for these sins. The nation has been under the governance of lazy, inept and corrupt leadership due to our inability to organise electoral system that is devoid of fraud and manipulation.

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Cleric alleges judicial corruption in demolition of Ijeshatedo building From the courts Stories by Bertram Nwannekanma CLERIC and DirectorA General/President of Police Assistance Committee/ Association of Tradesmen/women, Prophet (Dr.) Martina Oni has petitioned the Deputy InspectorGeneral of Police, Investigation Department, Abuja over alleged illegal demolition of his house, stealing and looting of his property worth about N1.2 billion, using an alleged fraudulent court judgment.

The cleric, in the petition dated April 21, alleged that Sometime in August 2009, he was in his office at Plot 15, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Ijesha, when some people, who later identified themselves as bailiff from the Lagos State High Court, invad-

ed his premises with over 200 men armed with dangerous weapon and later identified themselves as Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) men led by one Baba Tosin.

According to the petition, Dr. Oni alleged that the court bailiff showed him court papers, which neither contained his name or address but the name of a defendant, whom he acquired the said land from for the past 17 years and had erected a storey building containing four mini-warehouse, two- storey building office complex, side views containing 14 standard shops and the Church of the Chosen of the Lord ministry.

He further alleged that the entire warehouse contained different kinds of chemicals and other commodities as well as tenants.

The cleric also stated that nobody informed him that the land and building were in

Justice Ayotunde Philips contention of any sort but the crowd overpowered him and his staffers and began a weeklong demolition but he was able to secretly take both the pictures and video daily.

Alleging that the said judgment upon which the demolition was carried out was

obtained fraudulently, he stated that he had sent four lawyers at different times to Lagos High Court and the feedback had remained the same that the case file was not seen. The question of who ordered the demolition of the property, he said, has remained a mystery as well as the taking away of his property to the court, which is yet to be found till date.

He also alleged that he had petitioned the unlawful activities to Inspector-General of Police, who approved and endorsed it to the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 11, Onikan, and Lagos for investigation on the ground of the demolition of the house, where about the property said to have be taken to the court.

The Police, he said during investigation has sent a letter to the Deputy Sheriff of Lagos state High Court to confirm

Court chides New Town developers over Mopo-Ijebu demolitions USTICE Ebenezer Adebajo of JIgbosere, a Lagos High Court, has chided management of the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) over the demolition of structures at Okun-Mopo community during the pendency of a suit before the court.

Describing the demolitions as unwholesome, the judge warned that without the rule of law, anarchy would set in and there would be no need for judges or lawyers alike.

The claimants, namely: Chief Lamoriu Isiaka, Mr. Maliki Balogun had in suit filed on behalf of the Okun-Mopo community urged the court to restrain the AttorneyGeneral of Lagos State, NTDA and Ajayi Apata Property and Investment Limited from disturbing their peaceful and lawful possession of the property located at Egan-Mopo, Onibeju, in Ibeju Lekki Local Council in Lagos State.

In a motion dated February 2014, they applied for an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining the defendants from disturbing their peaceful possession of

the land.

However, before the court could deliver it’s ruling on the application, the second defendant (NTDA) resulted to self-help and illegally demolished the fences erected by But, Justice Adebajo in a bench ruling noted that there were photographic exhibits of the demolition before the court adding that such action taken by an agency of government violates the rule of law.

Consequently, the court ordered that the claimant should be in possession of the disputed land but without making any innovation upon the land. ‘’It’s hereby ordered that status quo ante bellum (the state existing before the suit was filed) be maintained.

Should this not be clear to the parties and to avoid doubt, it is that status quo as at the date of filling the writ of summons being March 15, 2014 be maintained thus allowing the claimant to continue in possession but without any innovation upon the land’’, the court held.

The claimant had through

Boma heads SADC Lawyers Observer Mission ORMER President of the FAssociation Common Wealth Lawyers’ (CLA), Nigeria’s Boma Ozobia, is head of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Lawyers’ Association Election Observer Mission to the 2014 South African General elections holding in South Africa tomorrow.

A letter to Ozobia dated April 10, 2010 and signed by the SADC Lawyers’ Association, President, Mrs. Kondwa Sakala-Chibiya, reads in part: “ Your appointment as head of mission followed careful consideration by the SADCLA executive committee, after which it was concluded that you would be a suitable candidate to head the association’s election observer mission to South Africa considering your profile, expertise and knowledge as a legal practitioner and human rights advocate at the African and international levels “We are, therefore, confident

Boma that you will successfully guide the association in activities leading up to, during and after the elections.

These activities include but not limited to; observer sensitisation and briefings, meeting with high level government political party and electoral authorities, media briefings, deployment planning, election report writing and generally ensuring that the election observer mission is adequately and professionally managed.

their lawyer, Bolanle Olugbani alleged illegal demolition of property worth N20 million by the officials of the New Towns Development Authority under the instruction of its general Manager.

According to Olugbani the demolition was carried out despite the pendency of the suit before the court adding that ‘’this act of brazen and wanton lawlessness by the second defendant could have led to catastrophe if they

were resisted.

In 33-pragraph affidavit, the claimants stated that the 55.410 hectares of land, which is the subject of the suit, belonged to the Ismaila Isiaka family by way of tradition title and act of first settlement.

He stated that Mopo Ijebu Town in Ibeju-Lekki Local Council of Lagos State was founded by the claimants’ progenitor, Odu-Ekun about 350 years ago.

the judgment and also stated what the judgment was all about but there was no feedback yet.

During interview, The Guardian gathered that the claimant in the suit did not have any proof or document pertaining to the land and property but that the documents, such as the Survey plan, House plan, Receipt of Purchase, Building plan, the Miscellaneous receipt from Lagos state Government and Ijeshatedo Family Land receipt was all in the possession of the petitioner over 17 years ago.

Also, a senior police officer, who pleaded anonymity, said a letter has been sent to the Chief Registrar of the Lagos High Court requesting for information on the said judgment, the identity of the bailiffs that went for the demolition as well as the where about of the properties recovered from the exercise.

The officer, who said they were yet to get response from the court eight weeks after the letter told The Guardian, that a reminder would be sent to the court soon.

According to the officer, investigation is still going on but the police cannot jump into conclusion until, investigation is completed.

Investigation also revealed that there was no appearance for the defendant, one Alhaji R. G. Owoade in suit marked Suit N0: ID/2801/92 before the judgement was delivered by the immediate past Chief

Judge, Justice Inumidun Akande on October 30. 2008.

In the same enrolment judgment on the case of Mr. Farayola Ogundokun and Alhaji Owoade, signed by the registrar, Mrs. O. Ogunewu, the court made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, servants and privies from committing further acts of trespass on the said parcel of land or further interfering with the claimant’s rights and enjoyment of the land, the subject of the suit.

The court also made a declaration that the claimant is entitled to a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in respect of the parcel of land situate, lying and being at Obalodu Street, Ijeshatedo, Lagos state, measuring approximately 430, 849 square metres and more particularly described on Survey Plan No AAW/L/355/82 of April 24, 1982 drawn by Mr. Akin.A.A. Williams, a licensed Surveyor and delineated by Beacons N0 OD3875, OD3870, OD3971 and OD3872 respectively.

There was also an award of N500,000 as general damages and another N250,000 award in favour of the claimant, while there was, however, no order for the demolition.

When The Guardian contacted officials of the Lagos High Court, on Friday, they confirmed receiving letters from Police Zone 2, Onikan on the matter but insisted that the letters are being treated.

Law Pavilion trains Lagos justice ministry on case management system FFORTS at ensuring E research-based justice delivery system and speedy dispensation of cases in Lagos State Justice ministry, received a major boost last week with a three -day training of litigation officials of the Lagos State ministry of justice on case management system by Law Pavilion, a Lagos based Legal Research application developed by Grace InfoTech Limited (GIT Limited).

The case management system, The Guardian learnt was to assist officials of the ministry to organize their cases because of the large volume of cases in their hands.

LawPavillion’s head of training, Lekan Sogbein said the case management system would assist officials monitor scientifically cases that are done half ways because either the person handling it has been appointed a judge or that the person had been reassigned or retired.

According to him, the system was innovative in that, it allows officials account exactly the position of the cases, the number of documents and applications filed on each matter, number of cases won or lost and such other matrix.

He said: “Traditionally, only few law officers are organized but many others are still doing paper based management of cases by trying to adapt to several tools.

‘Some of them use outlook and other tools but what we had done now, they can even know the performance of everyone of the staff with the case management system.

These are some of the bene-

fits”, he added.

The continued training of the officials, Sogbein said was necessary since according to him developing the software was not really the issue but the process of implementing it.

“You have to learn how to file, how to put in the applications and how to manage the file, so that there can be an easier transition from where they are before and where they are going.

We have sought the views of lawyers on this to get exactly the way they manage their manual file and we have made that digitalized such that from a single section of their repository, they can easily access the file.

“Such that when they click a case, they can everything that is related to that case, they can easily have access to all applications that has gone on that case and the document that is attached to that case, the list of parties that are involved in that case and all the information about the case.

“Another good thing about this case management solution, that we have come up is that it gives flexibility.

“Traditionally, you have to be in the office to have access of your files but now, once they are digitalized and operated on line, you can travel anywhere and still have access to your files without being there”. He added.

The target market, ministry of justices, law officers and corporate legal department, what he did for them is to create a module where they can monitor what is going on

Litigation officers in Lagos State Ministry of Justice , Adebayo Saliu (left), Dawodu Adetunji and Babatunde Odutenowo… during the training at Ikeja, with all their external cases.

They can know the statuses of their cases with their internal or external solicitors. It is just for the legal industry, every lawyer or law offices can use the case management system Apart from the case management system, Sogbein said the LawPavillion Research Centre has upgraded to its latest version, the LawPavillion 6.0, with the 360 degrees on each of the new case, unlike when it was in separate file and one has to search for each case in the file.

Through the upgrade, it is possible to know whether the case being searched for was upheld or upturned or partially upheld.

Added to this was the unbundling of the payment system that now allows for paying for individual cases any point and any time, whenever the need arises.

“The essence is to make it more affordable so that more people could have access to it.

Before in LawPavillion, you have to buy everything at once, now it has been unbundled that you can easily pay

for the one that you really want at any point in time.”

Sogbein added.

Speaking on the training, a litigation officer in Lagos state ministry of justice, Hammed Oyenuga said the training was quite enlightening and interesting as it ahs revealed some improvements on the updates in the LawPavillion system. “ We at the litigation desk cannot do without LawPavillion system, because it has really enhanced our jobs.

‘In the course of the training, we have presented our constraints observed in the course of using the system in the area of updates, and assessing the full report, usually they were in summaries and therefore poses a lot of problems in accessing them.

‘However, we have been told that with some adjustments in the system, we should be able to access the judgment.

It is quite innovative, we are in an IT age and we have to move with the time. We now get thing done with speed, getting law authorities, and getting results for our legal research faster.” he added.

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NEWS Tuesday, May 6, 2014

EKITI GUBER ELECTION

Feuding PDP chiefs reconcile, say APC days numbered From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Ado-Ekiti) and Anthony Otaru, Abuja

• Foundation rolls out polls forecast

ORMER Police Affairs FOlubolade Minister, Navy Capt Caleb (rtd), and the

will vote for you. You will get there. I will work for you. You are a grassroots man. My main assignment is for Fayose to win and he will see the effect of my work. APC is running a government of deceit and it must be booted out. Fayemi has put Ekiti in the valley of death. Ekiti must be rescued and only Fayose can do that.”

On the invitation sent to him by some APC leaders to come and join their party, Olubolade said they were only chasing shadows.

Fayose said, “those, who thought PDP would collapse after the primary have been put to shame. Our party has come out stronger. The primary has strenghtened our party. All the aspirants are qualified to be our party’s candidate and I am assuring you that we will work together.

“I will carry everybody along.

I will represent your interest.

No one will be neglected. I am now more mature. I will take wise counsel, share ideas.

This PDP will stand. I am a very transparent man. As for

gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in this month’s election, Mr. Ayo Fayose, have asked Governor Kayode Fayemi to start preparing his handover note as the days of the All Progressive Congress (APC) are numbered in Ekiti State.

The duo spoke in Ipoti-Ekiti after reconciling following the acrimony that greeted the recent primary election of the party.

Olubolade said he was not a fair weather politician and would always abide by the party’s the decision.

His words, “for those asking why I have kept quiet all this while, I say there is no time limit to speak. I am not a politician who goes in search of greener pasture here and there.

“I am a disciplined party man and would always abide with the decisions of party leaders and I am not the type, who would betray his leader.

“I have my followers. They

2015, I will work to see that President Goodluck Jonathan wins South-West votes. I want you all to go and get your voter cards, so that you can vote on election day.”

Both Olubolade and Fayose later addressed rallies in Ipoti, Iloro, Ijurin among others.

Meanwhile, PDP has alleged that the APC planning to rig June 21 because ‘‘it has lost the hope of winning the election democratically.”

The party criticised the APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, for accusing the PDP of planning to rig election when there was a plan already by the APC to truncate people’s will.

A statement issued in Ado Ekiti by the PDP’s Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, alleged that all that ‘‘the APC has done, the multiple registration, falsifying of figures and how it had procured voter’s cards for foreigners it imported to the state during voter’s card registration exercise have been uncovered by the PDP.” Aluko said, ‘‘I want to assure Tinubu that Ekiti people are

fully prepared to roast to ashes any APC member whether in Ekiti or thugs imported to rig the poll or cause mayhem. Tinubu should understand that this is Ekiti State and not Lagos and the APC should never think it possesses monopoly of violence. This is a stern warning to Tinubu. ‘‘At the appropriate time, we will expose the frauds which the APC has done in connection with active support of Ekiti INEC.” On the persistent attack of PDP members and supporters during Fayose’s campaign tours, the PDP scribe said that the police had been informed and if nothing was done about, the party would take the matter to Abuja.

Aluko added: ‘‘We have always prevail on our supporters not to retaliate and you know there is a limit to everything. The APC wants to set the state ablaze, cause pandemonium so as to discredit results of the election.

That is their plan and that won’t succeed.

Meanwhile, ANAP Foundation has disclosed that Fayose is already leading Fayemi with a two per cent

point gap in a recent political poll conducted in the state.

The survey indicates that Fayose led other contestants with 31per cent, followed by the Fayemi who scored 29 per cent while Mr. Bamidele Opeyemi of the Labour Party (LP) was in third position with three per cent.

A statement by the President and Founder of ANAP Foundation, Atedo N. A. Peterside, stated that the survey was carried out by NOI Polls on behalf of the foundation.

ANAP Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting good governance. It has been carrying out a series of election surveys since 2011 with the sole objective of providing information on opinion research during the voting period.

The foundation similarly polled for the Lagos State

governorship as well as the Presidential elections in 2011.

The statement said: ‘’However, 37 per cent of those polled are undecided as to their choice of candidate and it is believed that the proportion of voters would be critical in deciding who eventually wins the coveted seat.’’

It stressed that the survey showed that almost eight in 10 eligible voters are registered for the June election with about six in 10 absolutely certain that they will vote with the 46—60 years age group in the majority. ‘’The survey results also shows that youths of 18—28 years are most inclined to vote for Fayose while the working class (age groups of 30—45 and 46—60) are more inclined to vote for Kayode Fayemi,’’ the statement added.

Accord Party promises better life for Ekiti people From Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau Ado Ekiti) CCORD Party’s candidate, A Kole Ajayi, has promised that his government would focus principally on welfarism and massive industrialisation of Ekiti State if elected as the governor.

Ajayi, a lawyer, who spoke at Efon Alaye said he wiould also sign a pact with Ekiti people as a mark of commitment to his promises.

The candidate who lamented low number of industries said that his government would establish an industry at each of the 16 local councils areas that would tap into numerous agricultural produce that abound in the state, besides a skill acquisition centre would also be

established at all local governments to compliment the industrialisation programme.

He promised that his government would ensure that all unemployed youths would be gainfully engaged through sustainable employment opportunities and creation of enabling environment for economic growth and capacity building.

On agriculture, Ajayi assured that farmers would have a lot of support in terms of accessibility to free farm materials, chemicals and equipment.

Ajayi enjoined his supporters to go about peacefully in the course of the campaign, urging the youths not to allow themselves to be used as canon fodders.

200 women dump Ekiti PDP for APC HE re-election bid of Ekiti T State Governor, Kayode Fayemi got a major boost as Mrs. Omotunde Fajuyi, the wife of the late Military Administrator of the Western Region, Major Adekunle Fajuyi, led about 200 women to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Also, a former commissioner in the State Universal Basic Education, Erelu Iyabo Babatunde, another PDP stalwart, joined the APC. Speaking at the rally to formally launch the women wing of the APC in the state, tagged: Obirin Kete, Mrs Fajuyi said the decampees had no choice but to leave the PDP because of positive developments, Fayemi has recorded in the last three and half years.

She also said the women found it “immoral to work with the PDP candidate, former Governor Ayo Fayose,” who she said, “did not have a record to win the heart of descent people in the state.

They were received by the State Chairman of the APC, Chief Jide Awe; and women leader, Chief Funke Owoseni,

who urged the newcomers to woo more members into the party from their old parties.

Dignitaries at the event included deputy governors of Lagos and Osun states, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and Mrs Titilayo LaoiyeTomori, as well as Prof.

Modupe Adelabu.

Governors’ wives present were Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Hajia Mairo Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Mrs Serifat Aregbesola, (Osun); Mrs Abimbola Fasola, (Lagos); Mrs Florence Ajumobi, (Oyo); and Mrs Olufunso Amosun, (Ogun).

Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Sarah Sosan and Senator Oluremi Tinubu, also attended.

Fayemi used the opportunity to take stock of his achievements in the last three years, while he renewed his commitment to the promotion of women wellbeing and advancements.

Fayemi said his administration had recorded huge success in the education of the girl child, healthcare delivery, empowerment, gender equality (of Ekiti and the host), and protection of women against violence.

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Sports We won’t stop any station from broadcasting World Cup matches, OSMI promises

Ahead Brazil 2014 World Cup

NFF meets Keshi over Eagles’ World Cup list

By Alex Monye HE Nigeria Football T Federation’s (NFF) Technical Committee is to meet Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, today to ratify the list of players to be invited to Nigeria’s preparatory camp ahead of the Brazil 2014 World Cup. According to the NFF Technical Committee spokesman, Paul Bassey, the meeting would toe a different line from the last parley in April, which ended in a deadlock.

The Eagles’ helmsman has already penciled down 30 players for the World Cup camp and the NFF could make the names of the chosen ones public today.

Bassey said the technical committee would not screen out any player submitted by the Eagles’ handler because they believe that Keshi has done enough research on the players before inviting them

PTIMA Sports O Management International (OSMI), the

for the Mundial Coupe preparation.

Bassey revealed that the meeting would also highlight the budget for the World Cup and the quality of opposition the Eagles are contending with in the international friendlies lined up for the team, adding that the meeting would look at ways of ensuring that Nigeria performed well in Brazil. ‘’I don’t think the players selection would pose any problem to the committee as Keshi has what it takes to get the best legs for the World Cup. Any player Keshi believes can deliver would be given the chance to play. The Eagles boss is not under any form of pressure to pick a particular player,’’ he said.

“We would also look at how the money allocated for the World Cup should be spent to ensure the Super Eagles get the best preparation ,’’ Bassey added.

Susic release 24-man Bosnia team, tips side to reach World Cup last-16 OSNIA-HERCEGOVINA B coach, Safet Susic, has backed his team to advance from their World Cup group into the last 16 at the showpiece event in Brazil.

“We must have a goal and that goal is to try to go through to the second round, to qualify for the round of 16,” Susic told yesterday, as he presented his provisional 24-man squad for the June 12 to July 13 World Cup. Squads must be reduced to a maximum 23 players by the June 2 deadline with midfielder Mensur Mujdza in a raceagainst-time to be fit after tearing ankle ligaments in March.

Susic said Argentina were the “absolute favourites” in Group F where Bosnia will also play Nigeria and Iran.

“We will play for second place ... but I believe that we could find ourselves among the 16 best teams in Brazil,” said 59year-old Susic.

Bosnia, the former Yugoslav republic, which gained independence in 1992, will be making their debut at the World Cup finals.

Susic’s squad, which he has gradually built up since he took over the national team in 2009, will be led by two star strikers in Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic of Stuttgart.

Dzeko and Ibisevic were the second and third best scorers in Bosnia’s European qualifiers for the World Cup, with 10 and eight goals respectively.

Bosnia will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Argentina, Susic saying that Muhamed Besic of

Hungary’s Ferencvaros would have the unenviable job of shadowing Lionel Messi.

“He is the only player among the 24 who could stop Messi,” Susic said.

The players will gather in Sarajevo on May 15 for a first training camp, before leaving on May 27 for the United States.

In the US, Bosnia will play two friendlies, against Ivory Coast on May 30 and Mexico four days later.

In the squad are Goalkeepers: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City/ENG), Asmir Avdukic (Borac Banja Luka), Jasmin Fejzic (VFR Aalen/GER).

The defenders are Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Toni Sunjic (Zorya Lugansk/UKR), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke/GER), Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor/TUR), Ervin Zukanovic (Gent/BEL), Ermin Bicakcic (Eintracht Braunschweig/GER) and Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros/HUN).

The midfielders include Miralem Pjanic (Roma/ITA), Izet Hajrovic (Galatasaray/TUR), Mensur Mujdza (Freiburg/GER), Haris Medunjanin (Gaziantepspor/TUR), Senad Lulic (Lazio/ITA), Anel Hadzic (Sturm/AUT), Tino Susic (Hajduk/CRO), Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim/GER), Zvjezdan Misimovic (Guizhour Renhe/CHN), Senijad Ibricic (Erciyesspor/TUR) and Avdija Vrsaljevic (Hajduk/CRO), while the strikers include Vedad Ibisevic (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Edin Dzeko (Manchester City/ENG) and Edin Visca (Istanbul BB/TUR).

Ikechukwu Uche will know today if he would be in the Brazil 2014 team.

Maigari dismisses Argentina’s threat, Croatia FA boss tips Eagles for success From Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) President, Aminu Maigari, at the weekend dismissed the fear that Argentina and Bosnia Herzegovina would be obstacles to the Super Eagles’ quest to qualify for the second round from their

Brazil 2014 World Cup group.

Maigari, who spoke at the weekend on the Super Eagles’ chances of scaling through to the second round of the Mundial Coupe, said that the federation has put in place measures that would lift Nigeria’s performance in Brazil, insisting that no other team has prepared better

than the Eagles.

The NFF president, who was at the Abuja National Stadium to unveil a new football academy in the Federal Capital Territory, insisted that the Super Eagles have what it takes to beat Argentina and Bosnia, stressing that no country will be seen as a threat to the team.

exclusive 2014 FIFA World Cup terrestrial broadcast rights owners for the Nigerian territory, has allayed the fear that some Nigerian radio and television stations would be barred from broadcasting the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches.

OSMI recently signed a transmission agreement with Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), the umbrella body of radio and television stations across the country.

However, there was a palpable fear that stations that are not members of BON would be denied the opportunity of transmitting the matches.

Speaking at the second edition of the OSMI Managing Director, OSMI, World Cup Broadcasters Workshop in Lagos, Kunle Falodun, said due to the global buzz that the event has generated and in fulfillment of the key objective of his company which is to provide premium sports content to all Nigerians, every interested station would be allowed to beam the matches.

He said: “Few weeks ago, we signed an agreement with BON for the transmission of all the 64 matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Through BON’s network of radio and television stations, we plan to reach the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. Even for stations that are not members of BON, we will not deny them the signals. Our overriding objective is to provide opportunity for as many Nigerians as possible to be part of the World Cup experience. We want to reach as many homes as possible in Nigeria with the matches.”

However, Falodun, who expressed the readiness of OSMI to deliver an unforgettable World Cup experience to Nigerians, noted that any station who is interested in beaming the signals must be ready to abide by the rules as laid down by FIFA.

AFN gives relay team condition for Commonwealth Games ticket

By Gowon Akpodonor OT ready to accommoN date all manner of athletes in Team Nigeria’s contingent to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the leadership of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has given some conditions for its male athletes to meet to be part of the games.

President of AFN, Evangelist Solomon Ogba told The Guardian shortly before he flagged off the 2nd Okpekpe 10km Road Race at the weekend that the male athletes, especially those in the 4x400m relay team must

• Ogba bags City People award for excellence improve on their performance to be able to make the trip to Glasgow.

“We have a tough challenge in the Commonwealth Games because apart from the United States of America, which is not among the Commonwealth Nations, all other top countries in athletics will be in Glasgow and we have to pick those we are sure will deliver medals for Nigeria.

“For the AFN to consider our male 4x400m relay team for the Commonwealth Games, we must have at least, two ath-

letes running 45 seconds and two running low 46 seconds.

Anything short of that means they are not ready for the games. But I am sure the male relay team will meet the challenges based on what I saw at the Penn Relay in Philadelphia, USA, recently,” Ogba said.

Meanwhile, Ogba has been given a ‘Special Recognition Award for his outstanding contribution towards the growth of sports in Nigeria’ at the 17th edition of City People Awards for Excellence 2014, held in Lagos.

He was described as a shining symbol in Nigerian sports as well as a developer, passionate, committed, resilient and extremely hardworking person.

Ogba thanked City People for recognizing him and promised to continue doing his best for the country.

The City award which started since March 1997 has presented awards for Excellence to outstanding individuals and corporate organizations that have excelled in various fields of endeavors in Business, politics and governance, entrepreneurship, showbiz, fashion and style, sports and entertainment.

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Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Makinde Collins HE recent suspension of Russia from the G8 T club of rich countries has been described as “no big deal” by the President Vladimir Putin led administration.

The group of leaders retaliated for Putin’s annexation of Ukraine’s region of Crimea by agreeing to exclude Russia from their meetings.

United States of America’s President, Barack Obama joined David Cameron and the leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan to impose the penalty.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said G8 is an informal organisation that does not give out any membership cards and, by its definition, cannot remove anyone.

According to him, all the economic and financial questions are decided in G20, and G8 has the purpose of existence as the forum of dialogue between the leading Western countries and Russia.

However, the G8 stopped short of permanently barring Russia from the top table of international politics, holding open the prospect of readmission if Moscow agrees to “abide by international rules”.

Until then, the G8 is effectively suspended and the world’s richest countries will meet as the G7.

Their main fear is that Mr. Putin will move beyond Crimea and invade eastern Ukraine.

The latest diplomatic efforts are designed to deter Russia from taking this step.

As it is now, Ukraine is beset by political turmoil the likes of which it hasn’t seen in almost a decade and the lessons for African countries such as Nigeria and Cameroun can’t be under estimate.

What started as protests over the handling of a trade pact with the European Union escalated to the ousting of the pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych. A new government has been installed in Kiev, the capital. Ukraine, the biggest frontier nation separating Russia and the European Union, is sometimes considered a pawn between Russia and the West.

Ukrainian is the official language, spoken by 70 per cent of the country’s population.

Russian is also spoken widely and is the mother tongue of many Ukrainians, especially in the east and in the southern region of Crimea, where ethnic Russians are in the majority.

Violent protests broke out in the Crimean capital of Simferopol on February 27, against the new order set in motion a week earlier amid mass demonstrations in the country capital of Kiev. Crimea is a bastion of support for ousted President Yanukovych and is also home to Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet, based at Sevastopol.

Coming back home, there is no doubting that Western influence is waning across the globe.

For us in Africa, the Western World has had a huge impact on the continent and culture of Africa. This impact has been neither dominantly positive nor negative, but it is clear what the Western World should accomplish in the future in respect to Africa.

The Western World has done some good things for Africa. One of the most obvious things the west has done to help Africa, is aid.

The American public has been in overwhelming favour to help aid and educate Africa, especially on their HIV/AIDS crisis.

Unfortunately, when Westerners whine about the growing Chinese influence in Africa they hardly realise how patronising it feels.

They seem to be implying that Africa is theirs and the Chinese have no business trespassing into territory that supposedly falls within their sphere of geopolitical influence. My view is that Africa belongs neither to the Chinese nor to the West. Africa belongs to Africans.

It would be unfair to overlook the positive contributions that Europe and America have made to Africa’s development. Ours has been a complicated relationship rooted in the bit-

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Crimea: Lessons for Africa

Russian President, Vladimir Putin signs bills making Crimea part of Russia in Kremlin, Moscow. ter experiences of slavery and colonialism.

Africans are unlikely to forget in a hurry the crimes that the West has committed against our continent. Up until recent times, western powers propped up murderous tyrants under the pretext of supporting Cold-War allies.

They sponsored coups and counter-coups and plotted to unleash devastating civil wars on entire nations.

In Angola, the U.S. fomented a vicious 27-year long civil war (Africa’s longest war) which ended in April 2002. The conflict killed 500,000 people and shattered the country.

Three and a half million Angolans (a third of the population) were displaced by the war and up to 15 million land mines covered Angola’s arable land, making agriculture hazardous. As a result, fertile Angola has had to import half its food requirements and 82 per cent of Angolans lived in poverty. Like the Congo, Angola is rich in mineral wealth, being

Africa’s second largest oil producer.

Last month, Emeritus Prof. Akinjide Osuntokun delivered a lecture on Nigeria’s foreign policy at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, where scholars, diplomats, military officers, civil society actors as well as university students were gathered.

The lecture, entitled, “A Hegemony in a Peripheral Region of the World: The Future of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy” provided analytical, historical and hands-on assessments of our foreign policy, with a view to overhauling it.

Extremely interesting is the question raised slyly by Osuntokun as to whether Nigeria is a hegemony on its own behalf or on behalf of western military and economic power.

He alludes to Nigeria’s intervention in Cote d’Ivoire and more recently Mali in which French interests were barely disguised as well as our support for a western-led effort to

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The crisis all over the world should be treated urgently and in an adequate manner by the world society.

This could give the opportunity to minimise the quantity of victims amid civilians and to prevent the illegal overthrow of governments in such countries like CAR, Nigeria, and Ukraine. Persons who are responsible for organisation of coup-d’états must be prosecuted according to the international and local laws remove Gaddafi.

In his words: “A situation where a former colonial power intervenes to remove a sitting African President and with Nigeria being complicit in this removal raises a fundamental question in one’s mind”. This is to say that we need to think through our policy options with a view to reasserting our national identity and leeway, rather than merely acting out scripts authored in London, Paris or Washington.

Philosophers have long identified the problems in the world. The problem is how and who (especially) will change the world. For decades now, African scholars have lamented the unequal relations between Africa and the West. Time has come for Africans to take their destiny in their hands, by all means possible and in all ramifications.

Lamentations have not taken us anywhere, and will probably, not take us to any place.

Positive action at breaking this uneven yoke may probably help! Cuba would probably be in the shoes of Africa today if Che Guvera, Fidel Castro, etc., did not take positive action to advance their society. The same applies to China, Russia, North Korea, etc.

The crisis all over the world should be treated urgently and in an adequate manner by the world society. This could give the opportunity to minimise the quantity of victims amid civilians and to prevent the illegal overthrow of governments in such countries like CAR, Nigeria, and Ukraine. Persons who are responsible for organisation of coup-d’états

must be prosecuted according to the international and local laws.

In the frameworks of the activity to bring security to the West African region Nigeria used its military potential abroad. For example, Nigerian military force helped SierraLeone in fighting separatists.

Also peacekeepers from Nigeria took part in stabilisation of the situation in Liberia. The interference of Nigerian force in the conflict management gave the opportunity to prevent strengthening of the crisis there and to avoid mass killings of peaceful people in that states.

According to the international analysts, the actual situation in Ukraine on many points coincides with the African crisis, which happened earlier.

As a result of a coup-d’états and rebellion there is a real threat to the Ukrainian civilians who support the legal authorities.

All the government structures including Special Forces which should maintain peace and order are paralysed.

On this basis Russian authorities, which aim to protect Russian citizen there and Ukrainians protesting against illegal coupd’états and further deepening of the crisis, take some measures to settle the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.

Nigeria had the situation with Bakassi like Russia with Crimea. Now Bakassi is territory of Cameroun. But there are a lot of Nigerians and it’s possible that in the future Nigeria will get Bakassi back. is Lagos-based public •Makinde analyst. makinde_collins@yahoo.com.