Fri 30 May 2014

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Friday, May 30, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 12,937

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Jonathan orders full-scale military attacks on terrorists From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan yesterday directed full military operations in the north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe to get rid of Boko Haram insurgents.

But the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, disclosed that the President had declared amnesty for members of the terror group.

The president instructed the security agencies to ensure that they should use “any means necessary” within the ambit of the law to stop the impunity in the country.

• Minister says president declares amnesty for B’ Haram’s members The order was contained in a Democracy Day broadcast by the President to the nation in Abuja yesterday.

Though the President noted that ending insurgency would not happen overnight, he assured Nigerians that the government would spare no effort in ensuring that peace and normalcy returned to the country as soon as possible.

As the abduction of the over 200 college girls of Chibok in Bono entered its 45th days yesterday, Jonathan said he shared the deep pain and anxiety of their parents and

guardians and assured them once again that government would continue to do everything possible to bring the girls back home.

He expressed his determination to protect the nation’s democracy, national unity and political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism, noting: “The unity and stability of our country and the protection of lives and property are non-negotiable. I have instructed our security forces to launch a full-scale operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists on our soil.

“I have also authorised the security forces to use any means necessary under the law to ensure that this is done. I assure you that Nigeria will be safe again, and that these thugs will be driven away – it will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal.

The president advised the perpetrators of the violence: “For our citizens, who have joined hands with Al-Qaeda and international terrorists in the misguided belief that violence can possibly solve their problems, our doors remain open to them for dia-

logue and reconciliation, provided they renounce terrorism and embrace peace.

My government while pursuing security measures will explore all options including readiness to accept unconditional renunciations of violence by insurgents and to ensure their de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and re-integration into broader society.”

He urged Nigerians to remain united and collaborate with the security agencies to win the war against all forms of terrorism.

He said: “The war against terror may be difficult but the days of peace will come

again. Terror is evil, but nowhere in history has evil endured forever. The menace of Boko Haram will surely come to an end. I believe that because of your prayers, courage, hard work, peace and sacrifice, we will ultimately prevail over the terrorists and all other evil forces.

“We must remain united to win the war against terrorism. Christians, Moslems, farmers, fishermen, herdsmen, teachers, lawyers, clergy or clerics, the rich, the poor and Nigerians from all sections of the country must CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

BRING

...DAY 46

BACK

OURGIRLS Presidential committee visits Chibok, meets families of abducted girls - Page 5

Fear grips ABU after arrest of suicide bomber, Aminu Ogwuchie - Page 6

President Goodluck Jonathan receiving the key to a made-in-Nigeria Nissan vehicle from the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; at the 2014 Democracy Day Exhibition in Abuja yesterday. With them are First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan (fourth left); Vice President Namadi Sambo (left) and others.

Caribbean nations demand slavery reparations from Europe - Page 9

Suspected herdsmen kill three policemen, others in Taraba From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo USPECTED Fulani herdsSanmen yesterday launched attack on KwanandabanMayokam village in Bali Local Council of Taraba State, killing no fewer than three policemen and scores of other citizens.

Though the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Assis-

tant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joseph Kwaji, confirmed that only two policemen were killed, an eyewitness, who narrowly escaped death at the scene of the attack, told The Guardian that three policemen were killed.

Apart from large-scale destruction by the attackers who The Guardian learnt

stormed the village about 1:45 p.m., three other policemen were as well said to have been inflicted with various degrees of injuries.

According to a source, houses were not only torched by the attackers but “three policemen and a lot of people were also injured by the attackers.”

Recent attempts to broker

peace between the warring parties as well as the provision of over 70 patrol vehicles to security operatives to halt attacks have not yielded results.

Another source, who spoke with The Guardian, said the attackers were no other persons than “Fulani herdsmen”, stating that “the way and manner they carried

out the attack on the village was not different from the previous ones.”

A medical worker at Bali General Hospital confirmed that many of the casualties were rushed to the hospital but that most of them would soon be evacuated to the state capital for proper medical attention.

The police spokesman told

The Guardian: “Around 1:45 p.m., our men on patrol in Bali received information from a commercial driver that along Kwanandaban in Mayokam, unknown hoodlums suspected to be Fulani herdsmen were shooting and burning houses. “ Immediately, they rushed CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

2 | NEWS Friday, May 30, 2014

Suspected herdsmen kill three policemen, others in Taraba CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to the scene and two of our policemen were shot dead during the exchange of gun-

fire and their rifles carted away.”

He also said despite claims that many people were

killed, the command could only confirm the death of a civilian, stating that “an unidentified civilian was also

killed by the gunmen during the attack.”

Displaced persons taking refuge in the area before the

attack, as learnt by The Guardian, had all fled the camp due to fear of being attacked by the suspected

herdsmen who have continued to launch persistent attacks on the area and other parts of the state.

Minister says president declares amnesty for B’ Haram’s members CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 work together with our security agencies and armed forces to overcome the terrorists who now threaten all that we hold dear.”

The President noted that for the country to have successfully sustained democracy in the past 15 years had demonstrated the resilience and belief of Nigerians in

democracy as the best form of government.

His words: “As we commemorate 15 years of our Fourth Republic today therefore, I believe that it is fitting that we pay tribute once again to all those who played a part in restoring our nation to the true path of democratic governance, built on the foundations of rule of law and freedom of expression.

“As a result of our collective efforts since 1999, democratic governance is now entrenched in our nation and institutions.

I wholeheartedly believe that our people are the better for it.

The scope of fundamental rights and liberties enjoyed by our people over the past 15 years has been expanded beyond measure.

“On my watch, we have witnessed high national economic growth rates, steady improvements and expansion of national infrastructure including airports and roads, the restoration of rail transportation, the efficient implementation of a roadmap for improved power supply, a revolutionary approach to agricultural production, as well as advances in education, sports, youth development, healthcare delivery, housing, water supply and other social services.

“In the oil and gas sector, our promotion of a sustainable local content policy continues to guarantee equity and better opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs and skilled personnel.

“Significant increase in mobile telephone and national broadband penetration, making Information and Communications Technology (ICT) one of the fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy.

We have also developed strong financial markets and regulatory institutions. Our banks now have regional and global footprints.

“Nigeria has also gained recognition as the largest economy in Africa, the most preferred investment destination on the continent and in terms of returns on investment, the fourth in the world.

We are pleased that the world has noticed, as global leaders converged in Abuja early this month for the World Economic Forum in Africa.

“The event not only witnessed a record attendance, it brought the prospect of an additional flow of investment into the Nigerian economy estimated at over $68 billion over the next few years.”

The president added that in foreign relations, the country had equally done well within this period, by establishing and strengthening strong partnerships with all Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries and the rest of the world. This has helped to deepen Nigeria’s leadership role in multilateral institutions including the United Nations.

“Furthermore, under this administration, we have made consistent progress in improving the standard of elections in our country to ensure that they are ever more credible and truly representative of the people’s free choice. The na-

tional conference we initiated to deliberate and make recommendations on the best ways of resolving our current political and socio-economic challenges is ongoing. It is our expectation that its outcomes will help to further consolidate the gains we have made from democracy in the past 15 years, and place our dear nation even more firmly on the path to greatness.”

But he warned that all the gains of the past 15 years of democratic governance in the country were being threatened by the presence of international terrorism, noting: “Our dear country, Nigeria is facing a new challenge. A war has been unleashed on us. Extremist foreign elements, collaborating with some of our misguided citizens, are focused on an attempt to bring down our country and the democracy and freedom we cherish and celebrate today.

“The despicable abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State has brought to the awareness of the entire world, the heartless brutality of these terrorists who want to instigate a descent into anarchy and balkanise our nation.

“In recent years, terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of several of our compatriots, many have been injured or maimed, whole villages and communities have been destroyed and the economy of some of our states is in jeopardy.

“There can be no doubt that what we are witnessing in Nigeria today is a manifestation of the same warped and ferocious world view that brought down the Twin Towers in New York, killed innocent persons in Boston and led to the murder of defenceless people in the Southern Russian city of Volgograd. Terrorist activities have brought war and pains to Mali, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These agents of evil continue to brainwash and incite ignorant young men and women to attack the innocent.

We cannot allow this to continue.”

He acknowledged the messages of solidarity from patriotic citizens and the global community in support of our efforts to stamp out terrorism.

He applauded the understanding that in a democracy, people could have differences while sharing worthy values and standing together in opposition to the scourge of terrorism.

He said: “Nigeria is the only country we have and we must all work to preserve it for present and future generations.

“Despite the challenges we face, we must commend our security forces. We must not forget their gallantry and successes in liberating nations and in peacekeeping, from Liberia to Sierra Leone, Congo, Sudan, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and many places in Africa and beyond. Our forces have paid the supreme price in several places at several times.

“Today, they face a different challenge, an unconventional war by terrorists. They are adjusting and are being equipped to tackle the new menace of terrorism. We must

show confidence in their ability. I have no doubt that, with the support of Nigerians, our neighbours and the international community, we will reinforce our defence, free our girls and rid Nigeria of terrorists.”

Haruna, who spoke while giving an overview of youth’s position in the administration’s transformation agenda at a special event tagged: “A day with young leaders of Nigeria,” to mark the nation’s Democracy Day in Abuja also said that a series of integration programmes had been lined up for members of Boko Haram who would surrender their arms and embrace peace. He therefore called on them to embrace the government’s gesture.

The minister said: “President Goodluck Jonathan has also declared amnesty for members of the Boko Haram. A series of integration programmes has been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.

“Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the Federal Government, to call on the members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the government’s gesture and key into the amnesty offer.”

He recalled that in the wake of youth restiveness in the Niger Delta, the government came up with a development programme which provided an opportunity for the youth to express themselves and have a meaningful life.

Haruna said although the amnesty programme was fallout of a bitter national insecurity, its effect on the youth had been profound.

He disclosed that 30,000 youths had benefitted from the programme which had seen beneficiaries transforming from militants to wealth creators, employers of labour and skilled citizens.

While answering questions from youths who attended the programme, Jonathan said that the military alone was incapable of stopping terrorism or any kind of radicalism.

He said terrorism could not succeed in any community without local supports. He stressed the need for people who are respected by the insurgents to support the government to persuade them to desist.

The president said: “Terror succeeds with local support. It will be difficult for terror to thrive where people reject it. It is a major challenge to all of us.

“Military alone cannot stop terror or any radicalism. Terrorists have people they respect, they have community, traditional and opinion leaders they respect. All of us can deradicalise them. We will through persuasive activities encourage people to shun violence.”

He said his government was already working out the modalities for reintroducing moral education into school curriculum.

This, he said, would assist in re-orientating the young people in order to distinguish between right and wrong things.

According to Jonathan, his administration will continue to

encourage young people because they are no longer leaders of tomorrow but of today.

He said youths are already leading because they decide who rules at all levels of government by virtue of their population, which he put at 60 per cent of the electorate.

The President also reiterated his position that the nation’s income distribution was skewed. While saying that government was working hard to redistribute wealth, he added that one of the concerns of the government was to encourage self-employment.

Responding to a question on the need to have a youth as the minister of Youth Development, Jonathan said “the best person to take care of a child may not necessarily be a child.”

He added that the young ones needed to tap from the experiences of older ones. He also stressed the need for political parties to give women more opportunities.

The event, which was held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was nearly marred by interruption in electricity supply.

The incident occurred at the time Jonathan mounted the podium to present a compendium of his administration’s achievements in the last one year and answer questions from youths who attended the event.

Jonathan remained standing in front of the participants with his security aides for about 15 minutes while the outage caused by the generating set being used lasted.

He was about returning to his seat to give organisers time to rectify the fault when electricity was finally restored.

The President of the Senate, David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, were among dignitaries who were absent from the special event.

Among former Heads of State, only the former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, attended the event.

He was joined by a former Vice President, Chief Alex Ekwueme; and a former Chief of General Staff, Oladipo Diya.

Jonathan attended the event with his wife, Patience; Vice President Namadi Sambo; and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Maryam Mukhtar.

The tone for the event was set by the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, who narrated the circumstances leading to his appointment as a minister at a young age of 33.

The event featured the presentation of the third anniversary of the administration’s transformation agenda in book form by the president, a video documentary of the third anniversary of the transformation agenda and the launch of youth entrepreneurial mentorship and empowerment scheme among others.

A highlight of the event was a motivational talk by the Chief Executive Officer, Mara Foundation, Mr. Ashish Takker, said to be the youngest African billionaire.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 | 3

News 2014 Democracy Day

Jonathan promises expanded political, business opportunities From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja EANINGFUL economic acM tivities will keep the youth off crime and other forms of social vices, and to that end, President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to open up a lot more opportunities.

To do that, however, he challenged the youth to also join government in ensuring a stable and crime-free society.

President Jonathan made the commitment in Abuja yesterday during an interactive session with the youth drawn from across the country as part of the activities for the 2014 Democracy Day and the third anniversary of his administration.

Jonathan lamented that some youth have allowed themselves to be negatively radicalized and brainwashed

to the extent that they now carry arms against their society, stating that, as the next generation of leaders of the country, Nigeria expects them to lay a firm and positive foundation.

His observations were in response to questions by some participants, when the Federal Government would fully engage the youth in the current war against terror, involve

them in governance, as well as expand the political space for women.

The President, who underscored the important role women and youth could play in the political evolution of any society, however, noted that they could not successfully deliver unless in an atmosphere of peace.

“Therefore, I encourage you youth to carry on with the

message that we must all collectively, through genuine activities, encourage young men to keep away from violence, de-radicalise and change their thinking,” he said.

“Terror succeeds if they have local support, but where everybody rejects terror, it finds it difficult to thrive. We have seen even some states that they had attempted to colonise, but due to their resistance, they have not been able to develop roots.

“So, it a major challenge to all of us and that is why the Federal Government’s position is not just using military; definitely, all over the world the military alone cannot stop any extreme behaviour because this has to do with radical and ideological views. So the citizens matter so much.”

He added: “The terrorists

have people they respect, religious leaders they respect, community leaders they respect, youth leaders they respect, leaders of civil societies, community-based organizations they respect.

“If all of us collectively continue to de-radicalise them by encouraging g them to keep away from violence, which is evil, it will never endure. Nigeria could suffer temporarily but if they begin to imbibe that, our war against terror would be won very soon.”

On the demands for more political space for women and youth in governance across the three tiers of government, Jonathan said it depends on political party policies. He noted: “It is a decision by the parties because if there is no such decision, it is always difficult to succeed.”

Nigeria has a lot to celebrate, says Oritsejafor From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja ONTRARY to the wide C opinion among government critics, President of the

The rehabilitated and upgraded Yaya Abatan Road Phase I & II in Ifako/Ijaye Local Council during Governor Fashola’s official handover of the road as part of activities to commemorate the Year 2014 Democracy Day in Lagos yesterday. Inset: Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) (left), member, Lagos House of Assembly, Oludayo Fafunmi Saka (middle), and the Chairman, Ifako/Ijaye Local Council, Oloruntoba Oke (right).

Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, says that Nigerians have a lot to celebrate in their democracy despite the setbacks occasioned by the Islamist terrorist sect, Boko Haram.

According to him, Nigerians have witnessed a lot of positive changes in the polity in the past 15 years that might

Aliyu, Uduaghan, Wada, others seek value change, sue for peace From Abiodun Fagbemi (Ilorin), Ali Garba (Bauchi), John Akubo (Lokoja), Hendrix Oliomogbe (Asaba) and John Ogiji (Minna) OVERNOR Babangida G Aliyu of Niger State has called on Nigerians to use the Democracy Day to reflect soberly on the past and forge a way that would engender

peace and sustainable development.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije, Aliyu urged citizens to imbibe true tenets of citizenship,

Arewa youth accuses northern leaders of hypocrisy, lack of vision From Saxone Akhaine (Northern Bureau Chief), Kaduna FTER assessing the roles of A northern leaders under the current democratic dispensation, the Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) declared that the section has been reduced to a failed region following the lack of vision and hypocrisy of its leaders.

AYF members from the 19 northern states had converged in Kaduna yesterday to review how democracy has impacted on the people of the region. In a communique by its President, Mallam Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu, the group said: “Without mincing words, our region - Northern Nigeria - is a failed region and at the edge of extinction and heading to only God knows destination.”

It noted: “85 percent of our rural communities are now living in absolute fear and a tense

atmosphere as our rural communities have become killing fields on daily basis, with such brutality as cannot be fully understood.

“Except for a few of the 19 northern states, quality and purposeful governance and administration are at the lowest ebb, with the embezzlement of public funds at its peak.”

According to Gujungu, “the failure of governance has led to a collapse of both education and health sectors and worst of all, the insecurity holding the entire region to ransom despite all manner of pretence by both state and Federal Governments.

“Indigenous and local economic activities that thrived in our local communities have collapsed in view of the constant threats faced by farmers and farming activities, small scale businesses and even fishing.”

which must be within the confines of good leadership.

He advocated best global practice of ensuring that leadership recruitment system is strategically positioned to produce leaders with sense of responsibility to achieve the collective aspirations of citizens.

According to him, the absence of moral chastity among leaders, who often harbour hidden interests, has left gaps between leaders and citizens, and has led to the present insecurity in parts of the country, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

Also, the insecurity and other

social ills afflicting the nation, with their attendant consequences, notwithstanding, Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, has tasked all stakeholders in Nigeria to protect its nascent democracy.

Also, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has urged opposition political parties to partner the Federal Government to ensure accelerated development in the country.

Speaking in Asaba on Wednesday night when he hosted leaders of political parties in the state as part of the Democracy Day celebration, Uduaghan urged opposition

parties to partner government in identifying developmental needs of the people in order to meet them.

According to him, “political parties are the symbol of democracy, they are meant to draw the attention of government to what is needed by the masses, what needs to be done and what is involved.”

He added: “If the opposition embark on destroying government in the name of politics, they need to have a rethink as they are only destroying democracy; remember that there cannot be political parties without democracy.”

not have been possible under any kind of military rule from telecoms to aviation, media to health, education to the economy.

In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Oritsejafor, who congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan and all citizens on the 2014 Democracy Day celebration, urged Nigerians to pray for sustainable peace and unity, and a strengthening of the democratic structures to guarantee its dividends.

He also implored Nigerians to keep faith with country, especially at this critical time, noting that it is the responsibility of all to collectively defend this democracy, which has remained the shining light in the continent.

“I call on all Nigerians to join hands with their leaders at all levels to work for the sustenance of this democracy,” he said. “Let us uphold the values that will protect it and downplay those issues that have threatened democracy in Nigeria.

“It is pertinent to note at this point that change, especially positive change, does not come easy, it often comes with a lot of difficulties and is usually the most resisted decision of a leader. We must all unite for positive change in our nation.

Mark blames crime wave on inadequate punishment for offenders From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) and Joseph Wantu (Makurdi) ENATE President David SriseMark has attributed the in crime and criminal activities in the country to the inability of the appropriate authorities to arrest and mete out adequate punishment to criminals, who now move about freely.

Mark, who spoke yesterday at the Benue State University, Makurdi, where he commis-

sioned the Faculty of Law edifice built by the state government, noted that such ugly situation is different in other countries where criminality is declining because criminals are so punished.

However, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), said yesterday that the National Assembly has helped to stabilise Nigerian democracy since 1999 by always going beyond its constitutional responsibilities to intervene at critical times to stabilise the polity.

While stressing that the coincidence of this year’s Democracy Day and Ascension Day observed by Christians is unique, Mark called on Nigerians to seek God, who would restore peace in order to enhance development in the country.

He commended Governor Gabriel Suswam for his political dexterity, which has enabled him to bring the dividend of democracy to the people, and pledged to continue supporting him to

move forward.

Meanwhile, Mark has urged Nigerians not to despair in spite of the challenges associated with democracy because it remains the best and acceptable form of government.

Speaking in Abuja during a mass at St. Mulumba’s Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, to mark the Democracy Day, he declared that there is no alternative to democracy because it is participatory and representative of all.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

4 | NEWS Friday, May 30, 2014

14 feared killed in Edo road crash • Truck kills Ladoja’s son in Lagos From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu Benin City and Odita Sunday Lagos ARELY one week after all the occupants of an Abujabound bus reportedly died as a result of wrong overtaking at the Ewu slope along BeninLokoja-Abuja Road, 14 persons yesterday lost their lives in the stretch of the road in Esan Central Local Area of Edo State.

The accident involved a 15seater Toyota Hiace bus, belonging to the Edo City Transport Service (ECTS) and articulated vehicle.

The truck was said to have smashed the bus against another truck following brake failure.

The bus was said to have overtaken the truck and was now in between the two trucks, unknown to the driver that the truck he over took had brake failure.

An eyewitness said that the truck behind suddenly smashed the bus against the other truck resulting in the instant death of 14 occupants of the bus, including the driver.

Corpses of the dead victims have been deposited in the morgue of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua-Edo State, while the injured victims are receiving treatment at the same hospital.

And in Lagos, son of former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, Adebola Ladoja, was yesterday sent to his early graves by a truck driver on Eko Bridge in Lagos.

The Guardian gathered that a DAF Truck with registration number: JJJ59XA crushed Adebola, who was driving in his Volkswagen Golf Saloon Car with registration number: AKD 107CJ. His body was immediately deposited at the Lagos Island General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.

Lagos State Police Spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, told newsmen that detectives have arrested the truck driver.

Meanwhile, the Police Area Commander in charge of Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, Lagos,

B

Alleged attack on Bring Back Our Girls: Women under Nigerians United against terrorism running away as their youth attacked Bring Back Our Girls group at Unity Fountain in Abuja.

Stallion Group presents made-in-Nigeria vehicles to Jonathan

By Mohammed Abubakar and Chuka Odittah, Abuja HREE brands of Nissan automobiles, made-inNigeria, Nissan Patrol SUV, Almera Sunny saloon car and Nissan NP 300 Pick-Up van, were yesterday presented to President Goodluck Jonathan as they were introduced into the market during an exhibition.

Sunil Vaswani, Chairman of the Stallion Group, who presented the three models to President Jonathan, said they were manufactured the

T

made in Nigeria Nissan automobiles were showcased to commemorate the nation’s democracy celebration and to highlight the local manufacturers success story.

“The vehicles presented meet global standards of products and technology and were proudly produced at the Stallion Nissan Motors plant located at Badagry expressway, Lagos, pursuant to the new automotive policy initiated by the Federal Government. The vehicles presented meet global standards of

products and technology”, the Stallions boss said.

Vaswani described Africa as a strategic market for Nissan and added that the decision to produce prototypes in Nigeria was to demonstrate the brand’s innovation and to capture the sub-Sahara market, using the Nigerian production plant.

He described the vehicles as the result of resilience, saying the Lagos plant was established after the signing of the agreement between Nissan Motor Company and West

Babalola urges varsities to prioritise research From Muyiwa Adeyemi Ado Ekiti MINENT lawyer and founder of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) Aare Afe Babalola yesterday warned that many Nigeria universities might soon lose relevance if they failed to accord priority to research.

Babalola, who spoke at the yearly conference of International Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, ManageSocial and ment on Science,(STEAMS) research being hosted by his university, harped on the need by various levels of governments to ensure proper funding of research in the various universities they established had become imperative in view of the growing competition for acquisition knowledge across the globe.

He said such a step was urgently required, even at private owned university level so that product of such universities who would eventually be leaders of tomorrow who would not end up being mere academics without creative knowledge.

The legal luminary told the gathering that his belief in constant research made him to order that all students of his university, must compulsorily embrace research as well as engage in practical and farming, so as to be job creators rather than job searchers.

He disclosed that his mission for the university had begun to yield fruits as the institution today could boast of 110,000 mango

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• To host VCs conference trees, 500,000 teak trees, 310,000 Melina trees, a Moringa factory worth over N1 billion as well as 600 fish ponds on campus, with at least, 5000 fishes in each of them.

Besides, he said the university currently has a feed mill of its own worth over N500, 000, while it also has an animal section made up of a piggery, snailery, Turkey, Guinea fowl, Quail and Mushroom as well as an incubator.

“It is our resolve to provide all-round education for our students and make them job creators through research and farming after graduation instead of having to be pounding the streets looking for jobs that are not available,” he said.

In a keynote address on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, Prof. Charles Korede corroborated Babalola, saying many universities were existing as mere Ivory towers, which he said was not good for the system.

Korede, whose paper was titled, “A Mirror Has Two Faces,” warned that any university that actually had the future of the country and students at heart must endeavour to go beyond the Ivory tower mentality to where competitive knowledge is acquired.

Meanwhile, from Monday June 2 Aare Babalola, SAN, the American Consul-General in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey J. Hawkins and Chairman of Council, Crawford Universi-

ty and former Executive Secretary of the NUC will take turns to address the yearly conference of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) taking place in the university.

ABUAD was accorded the hosting right at the 28th edition of the Conference in 2013 at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), thus making ABUAD the first private university and the youngest to play host to the conference since it began in 1969.

Delegates to the edition of the conference with the theme “Pathways to Sustainable Education in Nigeria” will start coming in tomorrow and will on Monday have a welcome forum at the 7,000-seater Alfa Belgore Hall before embarking on a courtesy call to the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi at 10.30 am and later to the Ewi of Ado, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Aladesanmi III. The day’s activities will be rounded off with the meeting of the Vice Chancellors between 4-6 pm, sporting entertainment and a cocktail party at the new multi-billion Naira Talent Discovery Centre.

At the formal opening of the Conference on June 3, Babalola, an unrepentant and passionate apostle of quality, functional and reformatory education, will give the keynote address where he is expected to x-ray the problems afflicting education in Nigeria and the panacea to stem its accelerated decline over time.

African Conglomerates, the Stallion Group on October 9th, 2013.

While expressing the confidence that the large population of people in Nigeria would be of advantage to the company, Vaswani who led the Stallion Nissan delegation to Abuja, said the company would supply 45,000 vehicles annually.

He described Federal Government’s automotive policy initiative as an historic step towards industrial and economic boom, adding that plans are underway to expand its investment in Nigeria to further stimulate growth in the economy and attract foreign investments as envisaged by the new automotive policy.

He commended the president for his effort in facilitating the production of the vehicles in Nigeria.

“The evolution of automotive manufacturing sector in Nigeria would not only encourage more foreign direct investments but stimulate industrial clusters such as original equipment manufacturers, aftermarket shops and transportation service providers leading to job creation and contributing significantly to the GDP,” he said.

Mr. Ndubueze Innocent Anene, has arrested and detained an official of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly assaulting him yesterday.

It was learnt that the NDLEA driver had parked his vehicle where Anene had cordoned off with scores of drums and flowers following insecurity in the country.

Anene, who was said to be patrolling the area, saw the driver inside the vehicle and inquired why he should park at the spot where about 50 drums were marked: “No Parking” by the police authority.

The driver was alleged to have insulted and addressed Anene rudely. The Area Commander, therefore, ordered that he should alight from the vehicle, which he did not. He was allegedly manhandled and dragged to the cell immediately. Anene was said to have ordered that the suspect be detained while he left the office in a police patrol vehicle.

An eyewitness, a police sergeant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that the commander had warned policemen not to allow people park near the walls of the command.

The sergeant said the commander believed that since insurgents could hide in Army uniform to perpetrate their dastardly act, they could also disguise in any form.

The Guardian also learnt that the commander deflated the tyres of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) belonging to someone else, which was parked on the same scene.

One of the NDLEA agents at the station told newsmen that their colleague committed blunder by talking back at the area commander rudely.

He queried: “Can he go near a military barracks and park the vehicle at an unauthorised spot without being punished by soldiers?

He added that they were at Apapa on surveillance mission before they stopped over at the area command for security duties.

‘Strikes stall growth in health sector’

By Chuka Odittah, Abuja medical practitionSicalENIOR ers under the aegis of Medand Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) say recurrent disputes in the medical sector and the threat of strikes by resident doctors should be resolved forthwith through dialogue.

According to MDCAN, dialogue with the labour union and health ministry authorities is the best approach to airing grievances and having demands met, rather than embarking on strikes, as patients are usually affected by this action.

Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, President of MDCAN, Dr. Steven Oluwole, urged all parties to the proposed strike by resident doctors to exercise restraint while the Nigeria Labour Congress

(NLC)/Trade Union Congress and MDCAN seek amicable resolution of the issues raised.

Oluwole stated that medical and dental consultants are worried about the strike, especially with regard to the effect it would have on the already under-served popula-

tion with trained medical doctors. He emphasized that while the association looks forward to amicable resolution of the contending issues, efforts should be made by the Federal Government to streamline the duties of medical personnel to ensure healthy synergy.

Imo commends Abia over recall of sacked indigenes From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri MO State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has commended the Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, for reinstating the non-indigenes who were sacked from the state’s civil service.

A statement from the Imo State Government on Thursday signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Okorocha, Mr. Eam Onwemedo, made available to The Guardian,

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said, “The government of Imo State has received with delight report of the reinstatement of non-indigenes who were sacked from the state’s civil service sometime ago. The report said out of the 4,000 workers sacked, 2,700 of them have been reinstated.”

The statement appealed to the Abia governor to consider calling back the remaining workers who are yet to be reinstated.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 NEWS | 5

‘Adamawa APC has no anointed candidate’ From Emmanuel Ande (Yola) and Ali Garba (Bauchi) DAMAWA State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the son of Governor Murtala Nyako (Abdul’Aziz Nyako) was never anointed for the 2015 gubernatorial election as was being alleged in some quarters by some APC aggrieved members.

The party chairman, Binta Masi Garba, disclosed this yesterday in Yola, the state capital, while briefing journalists at the APC Secretariat.

Meanwhile, the APC in Bauchi State has suspended its Vice Chairman, BauchiCentral Senatorial District, Alhaji Bappah Aliyu Misau, indefinitely over alleged violation of its rules and regu-

A

lations.

Misau was suspended from his Kukadi/Gundari Ward in a letter by the Ward Chairman, Ibrahim Zango Lawal and his Secretary, Adamu Ibrahim, which was endorsed by APC Chairman, Misau Local Area, Danladi Ari and his Secretary, Bababa A. Buba. The letters were distributed to newsmen yesterday in Bauchi and copied to the state and national leadership of the party.

Garba, who is the source of Adamawa APC crisis, was picked by the governor and his son (Abdul’Aziz) against the majority of the party members, which led to the defection of three lawmakers to the Peoples Demo-

• Bauchi suspends vice chairman cratic Party (PDP).

“Leader of the party in the state, Governor Murtala Nyako, has not at any point in time contemplated to sponsor or favor any individual, not even his biological children for any elective post”, Garba said, adding that the clarification became necessary in view of rumors making the round that the party has a particular candidate for governorship post.

“The state chapter of the party has not contemplated any such undemocratic practice”, she claimed, noting that “The rumour originated from mischief-makers who are

bent on painting the APC black before its supporters”.

Briefing newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Bauchi, the APC Ward Chairman, Zango, said Misau was suspended based on Article 21 of the party’s constitution and his refusal to answer a query issued to him for violating party rules in order to bring sanity, orderliness and instill discipline in the party.

Misau was also suspended at the end of their meeting over gross misconduct and humiliation of APC delegates led by Alhaji Danladi Ari in one of the meetings organised by the suspended vice chairman in Dambam.

All efforts to convince him to tender unreserved apology and makes him to recognise the ward and local council executives prove abortive.

Misau claimed that he was not aware of his suspension by the party. Garba, a former House of Representatives member, assured all Adamawa APC aspirants of equal opportunity “in line with the party’s constitution as stated in Article 20”.

She cautioned the people of Adamawa against fanning ethno-religious sentiments for political gains.

Garba, who is the governor’s candidate to the ongoing National Conference, is also the personal assistant to Nyako’s son.

Presidential committee visits Chibok, meets families of abducted girls From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja HE Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abducted Chibok Schoolgirls on Thursday visited Chibok, Borno State, where the students were kidnapped from their hostels by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014.

The Committee left Maiduguri, the state capital, last Sunday, after spending eight days in the first phase of it’s interactions with stakeholders in Borno, with a promise to return soon to interface specifically with Chibok communities.

According to a statement by the spokesperson of the committee, Kingsley Osadolor,

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members of the group were received on Thursday at Chibok by the Borno State Commissioner for Education, chairman of Chibok Local Council, five district heads of the surrounding communities, chairman of the Parents Teachers Association of the school, the principal, and several others, including parents of the abducted girls.

Also present were some of the students who escaped from the insurgents.

Osadolor stated that the committee members visited the burnt-out structures of Government Secondary School, where the girls were abducted, adding that the receiving party conducted

them round the school.

The principal, vice principals, matrons of the hostels, as well as security guards and cooks were earlier debriefed by the committee in Maiduguri.

He disclosed that the committee later held an interactive session with the Chibok communities on the school premises during which the Chairman of the Fact-finding Committee, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), who spoke with misty eyes, said the group came, first, to sympathise with the parents and other community members over the havoc caused by the insurgents.

He assured the people of

President Goodluck Jonathan’s concern over the fate of the abducted students.

“As we gather here today to see you wailing, by the grace of God, we will also gather here to dance and rejoice with you when the girls regain their freedom,” he assured the community.

The Chairman of Chibok Local Council, Bana Lawan, praised the committee for the visit and messages of succour and hope to the communities. He berated those who claimed that the abduction was a political scam. “The greatest fact your committee can find are the biological parents of some of the students who were abducted,”

he said.

The Commissioner for Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo, also expressed happiness over the visit. He urged members of the Fact-finding Committee to convey to President Jonathan the people’s hope and belief that the girls would be found and reunited with their families.

Others who spoke at the meeting include Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters are among the girls still missing. He frowned at the politicisation of the issue, pointing out that the matter was also not religious, because the families affected were adherents of the country’s major faiths.

Oke Ogun Democracy celebrations hold tomorrow HE people of Oke Ogun , T Oyo State will tomorrow Saturday May 31, 2014 hold the Oke Ogun Democracy Celebrations at Ago Are Town Hall at noon.

At the Oke Ogun Nation and Oke Ogun Summit of Honours, icons of Oke Ogun will be honoured.

These include Chief Michael Koleoso, Chief Titilade Awakan, Chief Adigun Irawo, Hon. M.A. Ojo , the late Janet Akinrinade, late Olusegun Adetayo, Chief Ayoola Adebisi, Chief Shittu Olopoenia, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi, Alhaji SalamiArikewu, Alhaji Salau Adelere, Chief Afolabi Oyeleke Agboola, Alhaji Tijani Baba Mosa and Chief JacobsAdetoro.

Prominent sons and daughters of Oke Ogun as well as traditional rulers will grace the occasion.

LCCI tasks govt on governance, social welfare on Democracy day

By Femi Adekoya ESPITE sustained efforts recorded in making the D nation an investment destination, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has tasked the Federal Government on the need to enhance citizens’ welfare as well as improve governance.

In a statement issued to commemorate Nigeria’s democracy day, the Chamber’s President, Alhaji Remi Bello, noted that though the nation’s democracy remains a work in progress, it is crucial to recognise the importance of democratic ideals in the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.

TheGuardian on Saturday Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

COVER

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014 ITH the return of democratic goverW nance in Nigeria in 1999, some individuals who were the great beneficiaries of

15 Years Of Democracy And The Godfathers

long years of military rule with enormous resources at their disposal, hijacked the democratic processes from the political class.

In the last 15 years, they prominently determined and shaped the democratic processes in various ways.

Who are they, where are they now, what did they do or are planning to do? The Guardian unveils the men behind the

POLITICS

Adamawa: Gov. Nyako Battles House Of Assembly Members Over Impeachment Threat HE Northeast state of Adamawa is on the wrong side of the news again, not for Boko Haram attack, but for the crisis rocking the political turf. House of Assembly members are threatening to impeach embattled Governor Murtala Nyako.

T Plus

Celebrity

AMAA 2014: A Parade Of Africa’s Leading Actors And Actresses These and more in The Guardian tomorrow. Grab your copy

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

6 | NEWS Friday, May 30, 2014

Kwara gov pledges completion of projects From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin.

OVERNOR Abdulfatah G Ahmed of Kwara State has said that only an irresponsible government would abandon projects before the expiration of its tenure in office.

He said, the major gain of democracy apart from freedom of speech and association remained the amount of infrastructure built for the benefit of the citizens.

Ahmed noted that he was determined to rid the state of abandoned projects syndrome and the associated wastage of public resources before the end of his tenure.

Speaking during the commissioning of Ijara-Isin–Isanlu-Isin Road, in Isin council state as well as the rehabilitated OroIjomu-Oro Road in Irepodun council area on Wednesday, the governor said he was determined to complete all on-going projects started by his predecessor, Bukola Saraki which were then at different completion levels when he assumed office.

Ahmed, who promised that no community in the state would be left out of his administration’s project development initiative, explained that such efforts would however be carried out in phases.

The governor urged the indigenes of the state in Diaspora to come home and contribute to its development, saying his administration has been able to provide the needed environment for investment to thrive, adding that there were now many lucrative business opportunities in the state.

The governor, who said that most projects in the state were being implemented through multiple financing windows due to the current financial situation of the country, described the completed projects as part of the commitment of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the provision of infrastructure in the state.

He said the decision by his administration to makes commissioning of roads as part of third year anniversary of his government was borne out of the emphasis it placed on infrastructure as a major catalyst of growth and an important promoter of people’s welfare.

At Isin, the governor said the commissioning of the road, which was begun by his predecessor, indicated the non-partisan approach of this government to leading the people.

“Indeed, today’s commissioning demonstrates our conviction that provision of infrastructure, particularly good roads, can add value to the socio-economic life of the people and most importantly, to add to the aesthetics of this environment,” he added.

Fear grips ABU after arrest of suicide bomber, Aminu Ogwuchie From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief OLLOWING the arrest of FOgwuchie, Aminu Abubakar Sadiq one of the two persons declared wanted recently by the Federal Government, over alleged involvement in the Nyanya Bomb blast, which claimed many lives, students and members of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) community, Zaria, Kaduna State, now live in fear.

Ogwuchie was arrested recently in South Sudan by International Police (INTER-

POL).

Those on ABU campus are afraid because Ogwuchie’s father, Col. Abubakar Sadiq Ogwuchie (rtd), a former personnel of Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), is currently the Chief Security Officer of the university.

A visit by The Guardian to the university showed uneasy calm on the campus as students and workers could not come out to discuss Aminu Ogwuchie’s arrest.

The Guardian could not also get Aminu Ogwuchie’s father to speak on the travails of his

son, as the security officers on duty who refused to speak on camera, noted: “Please, our boss is not on seat, he has just gone out”.

But one of the top officials of the institution, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that “we on campus here have continued to live in fear after we heard that the Chief Security Officer’s son was linked to Boko Haram insurgency that struck in Nyanya”.

Meanwhile, the ABU Director of Information, Dr. Ismaila Shehu, said on the fate of the CSO of the institution since his

son was arrested in Sudan by INTERPOL, that the CSO is still an employee of the university.

“Is he an accomplice? Have you seen him being arrested?

As I was listening to the radio, I heard that he was arrested.

But, I have been seeing him doing his job as the Chief Security Officer of ABU. “I don’t know anything about his arrest. Of course, he is still a bona fide employee of the university. We had the Vice Chancellor’s Sports Week last week; he was around and where is the story of his arrest coming from?”, he asked.

Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, presenting the Scorecard 2007-2014, an account of his stewardship at a town hall meeting to mark this year’s Democracy Day in Calabar. With him, his wife, Obioma Liyel-Imoke (right), wife of the Speaker CRHA, Mrs. Eneyi Larry-Odey, Essien Ayi, Sen. Out Bassey, Owan Enoh, Sen. Bassey Ewa, chairman, NDDC, and Deputy Speaker, CRHA, Itaya Asuquo (left), and others yesterday.

UNICEF seeks better protection of children From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo HE United Nation ChilT dren’s Fund {UNICEF} has called on governments at various levels in the country to check social vices like abduction, child trafficking and rape against children by creating a protective environment them .

The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Jean Gough, who made the call on Tuesday said that such protection would “ensure a bright future for our children.”

In a statement titled “UNICEF calls for unity at all levels to protect children”, Gough

lamented the way and manner Nigeria children were being relegated to the background.

According to him, the call “is based on the recognition that all children are entitled to protection as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act 2003”, stating that ‘all children have a right to grow in an environment that ensures their protection.”

Stressing that UNICEF “helps to create a protective environment for a children which fortifies them against abuse”, Gough added that the family, community, society as well as

the state must play vital roles in the protection exercise.

He cited the recent abduction of more than 200 school girls by members of the Boko Haram sect, stressing that much needed protection for the children must be a “collective responsibility.”

Soliciting for a unanimous action that would protect the child, Gough said UNICEF was collaborating with relevant agencies, stating, “we are working with the Nigeria police, the immigration service, the federal ministries, departments and agencies to

Jonathan signs safety professional bill into law From Adamu Abuh, Abuja, RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has signed into law a bill on Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria 2014 passed by the National Assembly.

The Clerk of National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasua had forwarded the bill to the President for his assent on April 24.The legislation was passed by the Senate on April 19, 2012, and the House of Representatives on March 20, 2014.

The legislation assented to by the President’s vests in the institute the power, to “organise and provide professional training in the area of safety management”.

The institute is also expected to “set standards of practice and determine the knowledge and skills to be acquired by persons seeking to register and practice as safety professionals and to improve on such standards from time to time”.The institute is also granted the power to “conduct examinations and award certificates and diplomas as well as advise employers on matters relating to qualifications for the practice of safety management in Nigeria”.

The new law also prescribed a fine not exceeding N100,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both for individual who is not registered by the institute but claimed to be a registered safety professionals.

A fine of not less than N500,000 is prescribed for corporate organisations that make false entry as a safety body.

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achieve this.”

Gough added,“our efforts in survival and development will amount to nothing if the child is abused later in life, put in harm’s way through abduction and trafficking.”

“Even strong, healthy children” as made can be victims of abuse” stressing that “a well nourished and immunized child who is beaten is not a healthy child. A young girl in school is likely not to be well educated if she is sexually abused by her teacher” noting that “she would drop out of school.”, he said.

Jonathan

Oyegun, others fault alleged plot to impeach Oshiomhole From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City NOCKS yesterday trailed K the alleged plot by some lawmakers in the State, in connivance with some aggrieved APC members and PDP to impeach Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, his deputy, Pius Odubu and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Uyi Igbe .

Speaking on the alleged plot, the first civilian Governor of the State, Chief John Odigie Oyegun and the State APC’s Publicity Secretary, Godwin Erahon, asserted that the PDP’s alleged desperation in the State will not work because the “people

•Lawmaker denies claim will resist them”.

However, one of the lawmakers who defected from the APC to the PDP and member representing Orhiomnwon Constituency II, Friday Ogierakhi, said they were not aware of any plot to impeach Oshiomhole. He said they left the APC due to what he described as the dictatorial style of the leadership led by Oshiomhole.

Oyegun added: “ the plot is not really the APC members who left our party, but the PDP at the federal level is des-

perate. Those that left us are returning back to the lion’s den where they left a few years ago, but I don’t see any prospect for them over there.

“The PDP- led Federal Government has taken it as a mission to get back Edo State and to have hope of that, they have to target our greatest asset which is Oshiomhole. The governor is a great asset because of his ability, intellect and performance in Edo State. They know that unless they can get him,

there is no chance for them because of his performance for them to win here.

“Their full intention is to get him out of the way before the 2016 governorship election, but they are not going to succeed. We are aware they are deploying huge sums of money to try to buy our members in the House of Assembly. But I want to believe that our lawmakers are not people who are purchasable; do not have price tags. But we are not going to sit down and watch.

“The PDP in Edo State exists only on the pages of newspaper. They cannot succeed in anything even with the fed-

eral power. But we have a popular governor who has performed. So any plot of impeachment will hit a brick wall, it will never succeed” he asserted.

Speaking in the same vein, Erhahon said: “It will be an exercise in futility. There is no way 1/3 can overwhelm 2/3. So if PDP is hoping on impeachment, it will be totally impossible. So they will continue to wait in vane for the dead man shoes.

Ogierakhi said: “I believe that first, it is just the lamentation of the guilty. If an impeachable offence has been committed of course , we will execute our constitu-

tional responsibility if there is any. Nobody has to frighten us by raising fathom alarm.. But we cannot do that where of course nothing like that has been put on the table.

So I can tell you that I am not in a plot to impeach the governor, his deputy or the Speaker. Our disagreement with our former party is about the deceit, treachery, arbitrariness and all form of political misbehaviour introduced into the running of the party. Again, I can tell you that there is no iota of truth that we collected money. It is only the work of mischief makers. I was not given any

Friday, May 30, 2014 NEWS | 7

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

EKITI 2014

Ekiti urges workers to disregard sack rumour Stories from Muyiwa Adeyemi Ado Ekiti KITI State Commissioner E for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo has urged people in the state to disregard the rumour making the rounds that Governor Kayode Fayemi would embark on massive retrenchment of workers if re-elected in the June 21 governorship polls.

Ekundayo, in a statement yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, said the wicked rumour was the handiwork of opposition politicians who are becoming increasingly desperate following the recent open endorsement of Fayemi by teachers and staff of local government as well as a cross section of other workers’ groups across the state.

Stressing that he would ordinarily not have dignified the continuous propaganda consisting of entirely predictable and usually jejune claims often originating from the figment of the imaginations of mischievous and disgruntled politicians with any response, Ekundayo emphasized that he however has a responsibility to duly update people in the state of correct information that is free of error and in accordance with facts or the truth.

He noted that the opposition was becoming increasingly distressed as the their chances of fulfilling their ambition of winning the forthcoming polls and get-

Fayemi ting to the Government House is fast turning to a mirage.

The government spokesman assured that the FayemiAdministration would remain focused and not distracted by the antics of the opposition in the task of giv-

ing priority attention to the welfare of workers and the entire people of the state even in the face of the obvious blackmail by the opposition.

Ekundayo described another mischievous and unsubstantiated conjecture that the appointments of the newly

recruited teachers and civil servants would not be confirmed by the Fayemi - administration upon its re-election in the June 21 polls as arrant nonsense that contradicts logical reasoning and commonsense.

“Only an ignoramus or a twisted minded scoundrel could concoct such an outlandish allegation when the newly employed workers would only be due for confirmation of appointment after two years in service. “ According to the state Public service rules, appointments of Teachers in the state Public service and Civil servants are not confirmed until exactly two years after they are appointed. Why then would anybody start talking about an exercise that is not due until 2016?

“If the present administration in the state can come up with a Social Security Scheme under which it pays monthly stipend to over 25, 000 elderly citizens who are vulnerable, how then can such an administration with a track record of peopleoriented programmes decide to throw a sizable part of its workforce into the labour market?

“All these side talks of the opposition are baseless and defy simple logic,” Ekundayo stated.

He stressed that Governor Fayemi is a promise keeper who does not make promises he would not fulfill adding that the Ekiti State helmsman was fully committed to providing gainful employment for all citizens of the state who are working age.

The commissioner described Governor Fayemi as the most

worker-friendly governor in the history of the state as he is the first Governor in the entire south west region to pay the COMMESS and CONHESS consolidated salary structures for medical personnel in the state, while he was also one of the first to pay the relativity salary structure and the minimum wage to workers in its employment in the entire nation.

Charging the people to brace up for more baseless rumours in the run up to the June 21 polls as rumour mongering and misinformation seem to have become the stock-intrade of the opposition politicians in the state, Ekundayo however, urged them to be vigilant and not fall for the smear campaign of the disgruntled politicians and their agents.

Bamidele calls for sober reflection on Nigeria N commemoration of this Icalls year’s democracy Bamidele for sober reflection on Nigeria Democracy Day celebration, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Ekiti state, Opeyemi Bamidele has called on Nigerians to make a sober reflection during the historic event.

Bamidele said the current general security situation in the country, especially the abduction of school girls in Chibok town of Borno State carried out by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, last

month calls for a low key celebration.

In a goodwill message released by his Media Assistant, Ahmed Salami in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Bamidele said “much as we continue to remember our past heroes especially those who laid down their lives to institutionalise democracy; I urge everyone to do this with sober reflection in view of prevailing circumstances.”

He added “this becomes more imperative as those Nigerian youths kidnapped

last month in Chibok Borno State are yet to return home; into the waiting hands of their traumatised parents and the loss of lives around the affected areas.”

“I call on all Nigerians not to cease praying for Nigeria, for those innocent girls and for a change of mind for all antidemocratic forces fighting against our collective spirit of nationhood.”

“Also, let us also pray for the number one family headed

by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his wife at this critical time for

God to direct the course of his actions with divine wisdom to pilot the affairs of Nigeria well.”

Meanwhile, Bamidele has called on peace loving indigenes of the state not to be deterred by their current experiences but forge ahead.

He said that “their current experiences as witnessed from the government now in charge of the state will soon become a thing of the past, hence I urge you to forge ahead.”

Bamidele

TheGuardian on Sunday

POLITICS

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2014

APC’s House Of Cards

COVER

T had come with so much promise and goodwill. But within one year of its formation, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has shown that party management is not a tea party. Across many states, APC is fast loosing ground even before the party begins. So, what are the leaders doing to ensure that the party lives up to its billing as a veritable alternative to the ruling PDP.

I

OMRADE Governor Adams Oshiomhole C is a populist and expert in street-side rhetoric. He won many converts to his side

since he ventured into politics in 2007, but now, some say the man is not real. Read the demystification of the comrade Governor by one of those who know him.

D S S E N I BUS

ELAYED budget passage and likelihood of poor implementation in an election year. Hear what the experts say.

These and more in The Guardian on Sunday. Grab your copy

8 | Friday, May 30, 2014

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PHOTONEWS

Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi (left); with the former Aso Rock Chaplain, Rev. Dr. Williams Okoye; at the 2014 Democracy Day Interdenominational Church Service, at the National Ecumenical Centre Service, Abuja.

Director of Lagos Business School and Rights advocate, Pat Utomi (left); President,Women Arise for Change, Joe Odumakin, and others, during the lighting of candles at the programme organised by Centre for Values in Leadership for Freedom of Chibok girls after 41days in hostage at Victoria Island Lagos.

PHOTO ISAAC TAIWO

Deputy President, The Working Group (TWG), Usman Aliyu; Chairman, Nigerian Electrical Regulatory Commission, Sam Amadi, and Commissioner for Engineering, Standards and Safety, Mary Awolokun, during the presentation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply and Installation Standards (NESIS) document to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in Abuja.

PHOTO LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO.

Registrar, APCON, Alhaji Garba Kankarfi (left); the celebrant, President of AAAN/member, National Conference 2014 and Chief Operating Officer 141 Worldwide, Bunmi Oke, and , Chairman, APCON, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, at the dinner party to celebrate 50th birthday of Mrs Bunmi Oke, held in Lagos.

Minister of FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed; Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Shehu of Borno, Umar Garbai Elkanemi; Vice –President, Namadi Sambo and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111, during national prayer for peace and security at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Pastor Dele Balogun, Pastor Kole Adeboboye, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, and Pastor John Enemali, at the prayer rally at TBS for the release of kidnapped Chibok girls, PHOTO:CHARLES OKOLO

Head, Lagos Zonal Office, Investment and Securities Tribunal, Wale Ojo (left); Managing Director, Management Transformation Ltd., Wuraola Abiola, and Partner, LionSunConsulting, Business Development, (West Africa), Hakeem Jimo, during the press briefing on Finance Week West Africa held in Lagos.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN

Acting Managing Director, Bank Of Industry, Waheed Olagunju (right); handing over to the new Managing Director of the bank, Rasheed Adejare Olaoluwa, at the bank’s Head Office, Marina, Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 | 9

WorldReport Caribbean nations demand slavery reparations from Europe O address the economic T and social poverty in the region, Caribbean heads of government have demanded reparations from Europe.

Leaders from the region converged in St Vincent recently to discuss this.

According to Professor Hilary Beckles, a Barbadian historian who chairs a reparations taskforce for these governments, they want to open talks with former slave-trading nations including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

In an interview with The Guardian of London, the Oscarwinning 12 Years a Slave has opened up new conversations across the region, and what was once considered an unrealistic and unachievable demand now seems imaginable.

Campaigners point to the continuing socio-economic problems that have their roots in the colonial era.

They argued that the presentday underdevelopment of the Caribbean is a direct and lasting legacy of the slavery trade, and descendants of enslaved Africans should be compensated for present-day injustices, rather than historical suffering. That the legal case will be difficult to establish is in no doubt; the moral case, however, is less easy to dismiss

– especially when the nations of the former colonisers owe their present prosperity to, and are still benefiting from wealth accumulated from the slave trade and slavery.

Though whites in the Caribbean represent a minority, they own most of the wealth.

Beckles said: “Most of the largest businesses are owned by families who amassed huge fortunes from plantation slavery and, when slavery was abolished, from the compensation paid to them by the British government for the loss of their human property.

“By contrast, not a single enslaved man, woman or child received even a penny for the backbreaking toil they endured almost every day of their lives, or for the loss of mothers and fathers, children, brothers and sisters caused by the callous separation of families. There was no compensation for the pernicious brutality exacted against them, or for the violent sexual assaults on enslaved women.

“Even today, international trade agreements lock the region into disadvantageous western-imposed tariffs that stifle economic growth. Yet many people across the region harbour ambivalence and antipathy to the idea of

Beckles reparations. Doing my own mini-research, I am struck by how many reject reparations through what I interpret as a deep sense of shame. It seems people are still coming to terms with a history of enslavement, and many would rather the topic wasn’t discussed.

He added: “I am reminded of this whenever I visit any of the Jacobean and Georgianera great houses that are dotted around Barbados. Their foundations were literally built on slavery. Tour guides will wax lyrical about the gracious lifestyles led by the planter families who lived in them. But there is rarely any mention of the armies of enslaved peoples whose forced

Ukraine separatists shot army helicopter, 14 killed • Moscow urges West to press Kiev to avert ‘catastrophe’ RO-RUSSIAN separatists P shot down a Ukrainian army helicopter yesterday, killing 14 soldiers including a general, as government forces pressed ahead with an offensive to crush rebellions in the east swiftly following the election of a new president.

After weeks of accusations from Kiev of Russian involvement in the uprising, a rebel leader in the eastern city of Donetsk acknowledged that some of his fighters who died in the government offensive had been “volunteers” from Russia, saying their bodies were being returned home across the border.

In Kiev, acting president Oleksander Turchinov said the helicopter, which had been carrying supplies in eastern Ukraine, had been brought down by anti-aircraft fire from near the town of Slaviansk, which has been under the control of separatists since early April.

It was one of the heaviest losses inflicted by the separatists on the army in two months of unrest in Ukraine’s eastern regions, and followed a fierce assault by government forces in which 50 or so rebels were killed earlier this week.

“I have just received information that terrorists using Russian anti-aircraft missiles shot down our helicopter near Slaviansk. It had been ferrying servicemen for a change of duty,” Turchinov told parliament.

The bodies of some of the separatists killed this week when

the Ukrainian military tried to regain control of Donetsk international airport were being prepared for return to Russia yesterday, the rebel leader said.

In a stark admission that the rebels were being supported

by Russian militia fighters, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said: “Those who are volunteers from Russia will be taken to Russia today.”

Interior minister, Arsen Avakov accused the government of Russian President, Vladimir Putin of being behind the airport violence. Weapons collected at the airport after the rebels were forced out by airstrikes and a paratroop assault had been brought in from Russia, he said.

“These are not our weapons they were brought from Russia. Serial numbers, year of production, specific models ... I am publishing this photograph as proof of the aggression of the Putin regime,” Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Russia has demanded that the Ukrainian government stop its military operation against pro-Russian separatists and urged the United States and European Union to press Kiev to avert a “catastrophe” in the former Soviet republic.

“We once again demand that the Kiev authorities stop the fratricidal war and start a real national dialogue with all political forces and representatives of the country’s regions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry

said in a statement.

The Ukrainian government and President-elect Petro Poroshenko have defied Moscow’s calls for an end to the operation against the rebels in eastern Ukraine, where casualties on both sides have been heavy this week.

Russia voiced deep concern about the “escalation” and said proposals stemming from an agreement reached by the European Union, Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Geneva in April remained a viable path out of the crisis.

labour made such living possible, and who are all too often erased from these histories. It is as if islanders attach greater shame to being the descendants of enslaved peoples than the owners of these houses attach to having been the holders of human property.

Continuing Beckles said: “For me, as a descendant of African forebears stolen from their homelands and forcibly transported to Barbados, the issue of reparations is deeply personal. I am semi-resigned to the fact I will probably never know the African family names of my fore-parents.

The family names I carry (Forde on my father’s side and Griffiths on my mother’s) derive not from any African ancestors, but were almost certainly imposed by a now-anonymous slaveholder.

“Last week, I met a white American tourist. She revealed that she was descended from a prominent 17th-century Barbadian planter, though she knew

very little of him beyond his name and the parish in which he had owned hundreds of acres and enslaved peoples. We shared an ironic laugh afterwards that I could lay out for her her own genealogy stretching back to the 17th century, yet knowledge of my own family tree begins and ends in the postslavery era of the 1930s.

I will probably never know with certainty where in Africa my ancestors came from.

“But I am not ready to resign myself to accepting the continuing effects of the European genocide against the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, or of the humans forced to work and die on the plantations of the Americas, and the colonisation and exploitation of the natural resources of the African and Caribbean societies. The effects are deep and enduring, and can be felt at every level of every former colony and throughout the diaspora.

“My parents, like thousands of their generation, jour-

neyed from the Caribbean to England. They arrived in the era of estate agent signs that said, “No blacks, no Irish, no dogs”. The collective humiliation suffered by people who left behind children and communities to come to work in conditions that many British people found unacceptable and demeaning is, in itself, deserving of compensation.

“And as I have wandered around Barbados over the last months, thinking about the connections between the lives of my parents, blighted by prejudice, and the persistent economic, social and cultural poverty that still bedevils Barbados, I believe more and more in the legitimacy of reparations claims,” he said.

Beckles, principal of the University of the West Indies, has set out a 10-point framework on which the case should rest.

The first of these is a formal apology from all the nations who participated and gained from the trade in human beings. For me, an apology is a start. Not the end.

Egypt vote lawful but lacked ‘stakeholders’, says EU European Union team that A observed Egypt’s presidential election said yesterdday the vote was conducted “in line with the law,” although it regretted the lack of participation of some “stakeholders”.

Preliminary results from the three-day election that ended on Wednesday gave 96 percent of votes to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the ex-army chief who toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year.

Sisi’s opponents say that since he deposed Morsi, Egypt has returned to autocratic rule, with more than 1,400 killed in street clashes and at least 15,000 jailed in a crackdown on the Islamist’s supporters.

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, blacklisted by the military-installed authorities as a “terrorist” organisation, had called for a boycott of the election.

“The presidential election

was administrated in line with the law, in an environment falling short of constitution principles,” the EU observer mission’s chief, Mario David, told a Cairo news conference.

“Freedoms of association, assembly and expression are

areas of concern, including in the context of this election,” said David.

The European Union mission said the election was held in a “peaceful and calm manner” with “only minor procedural problems and a limited number of violations”.

South Africa investigates hospital baby swap South African court has apA proved an investigation into a case of two baby girls mistakenly switched at birth in a hospital in 2010 and given to different mothers who are now in disagreement over how to resolve the traumatic situation.

The Centre for Child Law, a South African group that promotes children’s rights, said yesterday that a court has appointed it to find out about the switch at a Boksburg hospital near Johannesburg, and to de-

Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde (right), with Mozambique’s President, Armando Guebuza, during the opening session of the Africa Rising Conference, at the Chissano PHOTO: AFP Conference Center in Maputo…yesterday.

cide what would be in the children’s best interests.

One of the mothers, who is single and unemployed, recently learned about the mistake while trying to get child support. She wants her biological daughter to be placed in her care, and to return the other girl to her biological mother, according to court documents.

But the second mother has refused.

“We have to do a comprehensive investigation regarding the circumstances of the swap, the children’s current circumstances and what would be in the children’s best interests in the long terms,” Carina du Toit, an attorney at the Centre for Child Law, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

“The investigation will include extensive co-operation with psychologists and counselors,” du Toit wrote.

The center is based in the law faculty at the University of Pretoria. On Monday, a provincial court instructed it to submit a report on the baby swap case within 90 days.

The children, now nearly four years old, were born at Tambo Memorial Hospital on Aug. 2, 2010, but the mother who wants her biological daughter back only learned about the swap recently when she and the father took paternity tests in a dispute over child support, du Toit said in an April affidavit in a provincial court.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

10 | Friday, May 30, 2014

Politics 15 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY

‘We must remain united to win the war against terrorism’ Being full text of the Democracy Day broadcast by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR ELLOW Nigerians, I greet and felicitate with Frupted you all, today, as we mark 15 years of uninterdemocratic governance in our beloved country.

Our dear nation, Nigeria, has certainly come a long way and made notable progress since our first Democracy Day on May 29, 1999 when the military finally relinquished power and handed over to a democratically-elected government, marking the true beginning of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Although I have ordered a low-key commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day in deference to the current mood of the nation, there can be no doubt that the past 15 years, the longest period of sustained democratic governance in our country, have been a blessing to us, as a people.

As we commemorate 15 years of our Fourth Republic today therefore, I believe that it is fitting that we pay tribute once again to all those who played a part in restoring our nation to the true path of democratic governance, built on the foundations of rule of law and freedom of expression.

As a result of our collective efforts since 1999, democratic governance is now entrenched in our nation and institutions. I wholeheartedly believe that our people are the better for it. The scope of fundamental rights and liberties enjoyed by our people over the past 15 years has been expanded beyond measure.

On my watch, we have witnessed high national economic growth rates, steady improvements and expansion of national infrastructure including airports and roads, the restoration of rail transportation, the efficient implementation of a roadmap for improved power supply, a revolutionary approach to agricultural production, as well as advances in education, sports, youth development, healthcare delivery, housing, water supply and other social services.

In the oil and gas sector, our promotion of a sustainable local content policy, continues to guarantee equity and better opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs and skilled personnel.

Significant increase in mobile telephone and national broadband penetration, making Information and Communications Technology (ICT), one of the fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy.

We have also developed strong financial markets and regulatory institutions. Our banks now have regional and global footprints.

Nigeria has also gained recognition as the largest economy in Africa, the most preferred investment destination in the continent and in terms of returns on investment, the fourth in the world. We are pleased that the world has noticed, as global leaders converged in Abuja early this month for the World Economic Forum in Africa.

The event not only witnessed a record attendance, it brought the prospect of an additional flow of investment into the Nigerian economy estimated at over $68 billion over the next few years.

In foreign relations, our country has equally

It is a sad fact that as I address you today, all the gains of the past 15 years of democratic governance in our country are threatened by the presence of international terrorism on our shores.

Our dear country, Nigeria is facing a new challenge. A war has been unleashed on us. Extremist foreign elements, collaborating with some of our misguided citizens, are focused on an attempt to bring down our country and the democracy and freedom we cherish and celebrate today. The despicable abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State has brought to the awareness of the entire world, the heartless brutality of these terrorists who want to instigate a descent into anarchy and balkanize our nation.

Jonathan done well within this period, by establishing and strengthening strong partnerships with all Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) countries and the rest of the world.

This has helped to deepen Nigeria’s leadership role in multilateral institutions including the United Nations.

Furthermore, under this administration, we have made consistent progress in improving the standard of elections in our country to ensure that they are ever more credible and truly representative of the people’s free choice.

The National Conference we initiated to deliberate and make recommendations on the best ways of resolving our current political and socio-economic challenges is ongoing. It is our expectation that its outcomes will help to further consolidate the gains we have made from democracy in the past 15 years, and place our dear nation even more firmly on the path to greatness.

Dear Compatriots, It is a sad fact that as I address you today, all the gains of the past 15 years of democratic governance in our country are threatened by the presence of international terrorism on our shores. Our dear country, Nigeria is facing a new challenge. A war has been unleashed on us. Extremist foreign elements, collaborating with some of our misguided citizens, are focused on an attempt to bring down our country and the democracy and freedom we cherish and celebrate today.

The despicable abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State has brought to the awareness of the entire world, the heartless brutality of these terrorists who want to insti-

It is now 45 days since the horrifying abduction of the college girls of Chibok. I share the deep pain and anxiety of their parents and guardians and I assure them once again that government will continue to do everything possible to bring our daughters home. I am determined to protect our democracy, our national unity and our political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism. The unity and stability of our country, and the protection of lives and property are non-negotiable. I have instructed our security forces to launch a full-scale operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists on our soil. I have also authorized the security forces to use any means necessary under the law to ensure that this is done. I assure you that Nigeria will be safe again, and that these thugs will be driven away – it will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal.

gate a descent into anarchy and balkanize our nation.

In recent years, terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of several of our compatriots, many have been injured or maimed, whole villages and communities have been destroyed and the economy of some of our states is in jeopardy.

There can be no doubt that what we are witnessing in Nigeria today is a manifestation of the same warped and ferocious world view that brought down the Twin Towers in New York, killed innocent persons in Boston and led to the murder of defenceless people in the Southern Russian city of Volgograd.

Terrorist activities have brought war and pains to Mali, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These agents of evil continue to brainwash and incite ignorant young men and women to attack the innocent. We cannot allow this to continue.

I welcome the statements of solidarity from patriotic citizens and the global community in support of our efforts to stamp out terrorism. I applaud the understanding that in a democracy, such as we are building, people can have differences while sharing worthy values and standing together in opposition to the scourge of terrorism. Nigeria is the only country we have and we must all work to preserve it for present and future generations.

Despite the challenges we face, we must commend our security forces. We must not forget their gallantry and successes in liberating nations and in peacekeeping, from Liberia to Sierra Leone, Congo, Sudan, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and many places in Africa and beyond.

Our forces have paid the supreme price in several places at several times.

Today, they face a different challenge, an unconventional war by terrorists. They are adjusting and are being equipped to tackle the new menace of terrorism. We must show confidence in their ability. I have no doubt that, with the support of Nigerians, our neighbours and the international community, we will reinforce our defence, free our girls and rid Nigeria of terrorists.

It is now 45 days since the horrifying abduction of the college girls of Chibok. I share the deep pain and anxiety of their parents and guardians and I assure them once again that government will continue to do everything possible to bring our daughters home.

I am determined to protect our democracy,

our national unity and our political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism. The unity and stability of our country, and the protection of lives and property are non-negotiable. I have instructed our security forces to launch a full-scale operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists on our soil.

I have also authorized the security forces to use any means necessary under the law to ensure that this is done. I assure you that Nigeria will be safe again, and that these thugs will be driven away – it will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal.

For our citizens who have joined hands with Al Qaeda and international terrorists in the misguided belief that violence can possibly solve their problems, our doors remain open to them for dialogue and reconciliation, if they renounce terrorism and embrace peace.

My government, while pursuing security measures, will explore all options, including readiness to accept unconditional renunciation of violence by insurgents, and to ensure their de-radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration into the broader society.

Dear Compatriots, We must remain united to win the war against terrorism. Christians, Moslems, farmers, fishermen, herdsmen, teachers, lawyers, clergy or clerics, the rich, the poor and Nigerians from all sections of the country must work together with our security agencies and armed forces to overcome the terrorists who now threaten all that we hold dear.

The war against terror may be difficult, but the days of peace will come again. Terror is evil; nowhere in history has evil endured forever.

The menace of Boko Haram will surely come to an end. I believe that because of your prayers, your courage, hardwork, faith and sacrifice, we will ultimately prevail over the terrorists and all other evil forces.

We are a strong, resilient and courageous people. We will continue to partner with the civilized world, to confront international terrorism and every other challenge that comes our way with patriotic zeal and determination.

Fellow Nigerians, Yes, we have challenges but we will surely overcome. Nigeria is our country. Nigeria is blessed. We will all collectively protect, defend and develop this country for ourselves, and our children.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you and God bless Nigeria.

Friday, May 30, 2014 POLITICS 11

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

15 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY

The blood that watered democracy

Abiola,

Rewane

Kudirat

By Abiodun Fanoro

In 1994, Moshood Abiola declared himself the lawful president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos Island, after a successful foreign tour where he sought the support of the international community for the validation of his mandate.

After declaring himself president, he was declared wanted, accused of treason and arrested on the orders of the Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha.

Abiola was detained for four years, in solitary confinement with a Bible, Qur’an and 14 guards as companions.

The sole condition attached to his freedom was that he should renounce his mandate, but he bluntly refused.

The international community dispatched two prominent statesmen, namely, the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and his Commonwealth counterpart, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, to persuade Abiola. Yet, this could not break his resolve not to surrender his mandate.

However, Abiola died under suspicious circumstances on the day that he was reportedly due to be released — July 7, 1998, shortly after a meeting with an American delegation.

In what some analysts have described as a family tragedy for democracy, Abiola’s wife, Kudirat, was gruesomely assassinated in Lagos on June 4, 1996, few days to the 3rd anniversary of the annulled presidential poll.

Prior to her death, Kudirat had provided leadership for pro-democracy activists and oil workers under the auspices of NUPENG and PENGASSIN, who had been on strike for about three months seeking the release and inauguration of Abiola as president, She’s believed killed as part of the evil plot of the military administration to stop the increasing agitation for the actualisation of the Abiola mandate.

The late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua,

In 1994, Moshood Abiola declared himself the lawful president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos Island, after a successful foreign tour where he sought the support of the international community for the validation of his mandate. After declaring himself president, he was declared wanted, accused of treason and arrested on the orders of the Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha. Abiola was detained for four years, in solitary confinement with a Bible, Qur’an and 14 guards as companions. The sole condition attached to his freedom was that he should renounce his mandate, but he bluntly refused. The international community dispatched two prominent statesmen, namely, the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and his Commonwealth counterpart, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, to persuade Abiola. Yet, this could not break his resolve not to surrender his mandate.

However, Abiola died under suspicious circumstances on the day that he was reportedly due to be released — July 7, 1998, shortly after a meeting with an American delegation.

UST as it is a fact of history that Nigeria did not obtain her independence through armed-struggle, it is also a fact of history that the present democratic dispensation did not come on a platter of gold.

Indeed, the battle that enthroned the present democratic regime was like a battle against internal colonialism, which expectedly had its own victims that could be described as the martyrs of democracy.

Existing side by side with martyrs of democracy are those that could be classified as heroes/heroines of democracy.

Martyrs of democracy were those that laid down their lives for the emergence of the democracy, while the heroes and heroines were those whose either blood or sweat watered the institution to fruition.

The present democracy was no doubt begotten by the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly called M.K.O Abiola.

Another event that served as precursor to the current democracy was the killings and maiming, especially by security personnel that followed the struggle by Nigerians for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate.

Therefore, when writing about martyrs of democracy, Nigerians, whose names were not even known and whose figure till today could not be accounted for, including those that were maimed, surely rank first on the list.

While those unknown Nigerians unconsciously laid down their lives for the emergence of democracy, one known Nigerian that consciously sacrificed his life and paid the supreme sacrifice was M.K.O Abiola.

He put aside the fear of being tried for treason and declared himself president and got inaugurated in accordance with the mandate from Nigerians.

J

The battle that enthroned the present democratic regime was like a battle against internal colonialism, which expectedly had its own victims that could be described as the martyrs of democracy. Existing side by side with martyrs of democracy are those that could be classified as heroes/heroines of democracy.

Martyrs of democracy were those that laid down their lives for the emergence of the democracy, while the heroes and heroines were those whose either blood or sweat watered the institution to fruition. The present democracy was no doubt begotten by the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly called M.K.O Abiola. Another event that served as precursor to the current democracy was the killings and maiming, especially by security personnel that followed the struggle by Nigerians for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate. Therefore, when writing about martyrs of democracy, Nigerians, whose names were not even known and whose figure till today could not be accounted for, including those that were maimed, surely rank first on the list.

a victim of the infamous phantom coup against General Abacha, is a frontline democracy martyr, who had the opportunity to manipulate his way out of the illegal incarceration he was thrown into by the vindictive regime of Abacha.

General Yar’Adua, senior brother to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was arrested and detained along with other prominent Nigerians, including then former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, by the Abacha junta and was never released until he died in detention in suspicious circumstances.

Civil rights activist, Mallam Shehu Sani, who shared the same detention room with General Yar’Adua, attested to the fact that the astute politician could have been alive today if he had accepted offer to be helped out of detention.

Sani’s words: “Yar’Adua and I were both arrested in March 1995 and taken to Kirikiri prisons. We were kept in Block 2 of the prison cell for seven months until we were both taken to the Special Military Investigation panel headed by General Felix Mujakperuo.

“Later, we were charged before the Special Military Tribunal, headed by General Patrick Aziza.

We wore handcuffs and leg chains for the period of the interrogation and trial. But Yar’Adua was not handcuffed until he was sentenced to death.”

“A Lagos socialite, who was detained in the same cell with us for business deals, offered Yar’Adua an escape formula out of prison, but Yar’Adua declined.

“The businessman offered to arrange for a helicopter to land on the prison football pitch and pick up Yar’Adua to Benin Republic, but Yar’Adua just smiled, thanked him and declined the offer.”

Apart from the individuals who shed their blood for democracy, the group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), remains the foremost civil body that fought for the en-

Yar’Adua

thronement of the institution in the country.

NADECO was formed on May 15, 1994 by a coalition of democrats across the country, which called on the military government of Abacha to step down and swear in Abiola.

The members quickly became the symbol of mass resistance against military rule.

On June 11, 1994, using the groundwork laid by NADECO, Abiola declared himself president.

Individuals and members of NADECO, who used the platform to fight for the enthronement of democracy, are today in their own rights frontline heroes of democracy who generations to come are massively indebted to.

This golden list include, among others, former Ondo State governor, the late Pa Adekunle Ajasin; the late Pa Abraham Adesanya; the late Pa Anthony Enahoro; Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (Rtd); the late Chief Cornelius Adebayo.

The late Chief Alfred Rewane, though was a frontline member of NADECO, would however be more appropriate to be classified as democracy martyr in view of the fact that he was gruesomely assassinated for his alleged sponsorship of the pro-democracy group.

The Patriots, a group of elder statesmen, formed under the leadership of the late legal icon, Chief Rotimi Alade Williams, in conjunction with other eminent Nigerians like Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), Olorogun Felix Ibru, General Alani Akinrinade (Rtd), Chief Philip Asiodu, Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN), Michael Orobator, and Chris Okoye is another prominent democracy hero in the category of civil groups.

Mention must also be made of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, whose members, individually and collectively, contributed in no small measure to the emergence of the present democracy.

One other major democracy hero was the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, founder of the National Conscience Party (NCP), who defied the junta and formed the party in 1994.

TheGuardian

www.ngrguardiannews.com

12 | Friday, May 30, 2014

Conscience Nurtured by Truth

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

Editorial Niger Delta: Before another assault Y default, Nigeria may be quietly returning to the unpleasant regime of B deadly violence unleashed by militants in the Niger Delta region which, pre-2010, put the country on the edge economically through sabotage of crude exports and the pipelines. However, all the amnesty granted hundreds of the militants in exchange for weapons and a renunciation of violence are being eroded by a resurgence of attacks on oil facilities, the latest close to NNPC jetty in Okrika, Rivers State.

The augury is bad if the country is allowed to slip back into the dark days, especially in the face of the current consuming insecurity in the North East.

A great lesson from the security challenges the country has had to grapple with so far is the need for a timely response to brewing crises anywhere without jeopardizing the larger interests of the country.

Considering the complex structure of the federation that has never been meaningfully addressed suggested consultative approach is not in any way indicative of a weak government but one to lay the grounds for a lasting peace engineered through justice. The resurgence of attacks also provides another moment of reflection on the defective federation with wobbling structures successive administrations have managed to build upon.

For instance, the age-long agitation for resource control and other critical matters are pending. The opportunity for amicable redress must not be lost on the ongoing national dialogue.

However, it is on record that the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) which has been recognised as one of the umbrella bodies of the Niger Delta militants was given a fair chance when the window of opportunity opened for amnesty for members and it is on record that as many as were receptive to the government’s olive branch had been reasonably resettled for a more productive life. What then is the rationale for the current agitation by MEND, more than three years after the adoption of the novel programmes. In which case the government can be excused for suspecting foul play or greed in some quarters.

MEND said the assault was to destroy the refinery in expressing its anger with the ongoing “fraudulent” amnesty which they also dubbed an avenue for some corrupt politicians to embezzle public funds. While taking responsibility for the infiltration of the Okrika jetty by “a few of our fighters with the aid of internal agents within the NNPC”, the movement hinted of more hits. That sounds like a declaration of another war with the government, a threat that must be taken seriously before a greater damage is done to facilities, a diversionary battle the country can hardly afford to fight during this very challenging time with insurgents in the NorthEast. The group has again touched on the sore point of corruption in the system which has attracted international embarrassment.

President Goodluck Jonathan himself being a “son of the soil” must publicly show interest in MEND’s claim of the amnesty being another avenue for corrupt politicians to perfect their sleaze mentality. What is it that MEND knows about the disbursements of public funds to pursue the amnesty programme that has been a dark secret to the public? Who are those bleeding the country?

Besides, government should take more than a fleeting interest in MEND’s revelation of “internal agents within the NNPC”. Certainly, it was a direct response to NNPC’s claim that vandals were responsible for the explosion that claimed lives following an inferno. For now, the public has no cause to doubt claims on either side, especially NNPC’s that no staff member died or that its jetty operations “are up and running” with no impact on operations. But the fact is that between the NNPC and its subsidiary – the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) – damage to facility was recorded, and by extension losses to the nation.

The present productive capacity in the industry is already below par for sundry untenable reasons and for which the consumers of petroleum products have adversely suffered in many parts of the country. But official tardiness and avoidable disruption to free flow of products are not excuses.

MEND should also realise that no matter the genuineness of its complaints, resorting to jungle tactics to force the hands of government would not sway public sympathy in its favour again. Militants must learn to embrace dialogue and present facts at their disposal for public consumption. That is the level of reason the country is aiming to attain now.

Its Hurricane Exodus “to bring down the entire refining facility” must be halted forthwith in the collective interest of the country. Enough of violent agitations.

LETTERS

Is Jonathan aware of benefits of BRISIN? IR: The Basic Registry and and improve social services al development, job creation at SNigeria, Information System in to the citizens. BRISIN pro- local level and the provision of BRISIN for short, is vides the compass for good social welfare services. BRISIN is perhaps the best national integrated data and information infrastructure intended to provide a solid foundation for planning and socio-economic growth in Nigeria. It is an innovative and all encompassing approach to developing the nation. The system provides, in a holistic way, the answer to fight corruption and insecurity; it is the surest part to promote good governance and nurture true democratic process. In all consideration, BRISIN is the cure Nigeria needs for all its ailments. But is President Goodluck Jonathan aware of this?

The issue of repositioning Nigeria to meet her dream of becoming one of the most developed nations in the year 2020 requires a solid foundation and platform based on credible facts and figures to take Nigeria to the next level.

Going to the next level requires, having an enduring system that would provide an unbiased and judicious approach to solving the problems of insecurity, create job opportunities, reduce corruption, fight internal criminalities and promote good governance. Nigeria requires adequate and reliable data to drive the execution of the MDG goals, to fight poverty

management of the economy; it ensures transparent management of all forms of taxes and other revenues to solve the social problems of citizens; it is the answer to keeping a proper record of our citizens in the Diaspora and tap the infinite skills they have acquired just like the Japanese, Chinese, Indians and Brazilians did.

BRISIN permits the Federal Government, the states and local governments to have value added instruments for re-basing of GDP and same time promote local development and industrialization, which will improve the value of the Naira against all other currencies.

The mistakes and failures of the past with regard to misunderstanding, underestimation, mis-application and under-utilization of data and information as a tool for national development, has diminished the government’s ability for correct and adequate economic planning, effective fiscal and revenue management, as well as applying vital instrument for fighting all insurgencies.

Inadequate data has stunted productive and industri-

the base foundation for the activation of major PPP projects that create large employments and job opportunities.

A pilot scheme for the project will begin soon at the FCT, Abuja, to enable the government understand and appreciate its potential and socio-economic values.

Because BRISIN is an infrastructure for information generation, it will immediately provide demographic data required for issuance of personal identity cards, travel passports, elections and voting certificates, among others. It is not too late to embrace BRISIN. The Federal Executive Council (FEC), sometime in 2007, ratified and gave a final approval choosing FCT for the pilot project. A contract was signed between Government and an Italian company. The delay in executing the project can only be explained by officials at the National Planning Commission and the FCT Ministry.

Considering the importance of BRISIN, its funding cannot be left to the Federal Government alone.

This is because BRISIN is the foundation for agencies of government to function well. There is also the possibility that development partners and donor agencies will be willing to support the realization of the project that is sure to move Nigeria on the fast lane of sustainable development.

• Tajudeen Kareem, Abuja, FCT

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014

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Opinion Jonathan, the buck stops with you!

By Vincent Bamigboye “The buck stops here” (A sign on the desk of President Harry Truman 33rd U.S. President) UR President Goodluck Jonathan was O quoted as saying that his government deserves no blame for the security lapses that resulted in the Boko Haram terrorists bombing, killing, maiming in Nyanya/Jos and the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls. Prior to that unfortunate statement, his apologists (I will call them hangers-on), have been blaming rival political parties and others for the troubles confronting our beloved country under President Jonathan’s watch. These people, who don’t wish the President well, have been trying desperately to pin all the failures of Jonathan’s Presidency on past leaders, ghosts, as well as the Nigerian-factor. They say these are forces that want Jonathan to fail. It is not surprising that most of these apologists belong in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and, of course, his ethnic affiliates. Even the revered Professor Chinedu Nebo blamed demons for epileptic power supply! Haaa!

While addressing the National War College on December 19, 1952, President Harry Truman said, “You know, it’s easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you – and on my desk I have a motto which says ‘the buck stops here’ – the decision has to be made.” President Truman knew what leadership and responsibility meant. These attributes do not exist where there is a culture of blame-shifting and recrimination. If the truth must be said, blame-shifting has been the hallmark of the Jonathan

Presidency.

Perhaps the President needs reminding that, as Commander-in-Chief, he hired the Minister of Defence, Security Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, as well as the Director General of State Security Services.

Their successes are his and their failings are his failings. That is what leadership is all about. Rather surprisingly, with all these multiple mishaps under Jonathan, nobody has deemed it fit to take responsibility and resign. Even the President has not mustered enough courage in this respect and he looks weak and indecisive in the eyes of honest Nigerians and the observing world.

The assumption of office by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua with Goodluck Jonathan as Vice President held a lot of promise for Nigeria – the exciting prospect of intellectuals in Nigeria’s apex level of governance. With Yar’Adua’s death, the PhDwielding Jonathan became President. In a society where most celebrate high-sounding certificates, much was expected from Jonathan. Our hopes and expectations have been over-exaggerated. The Presidency that started with such hopes and optimism has been rightly described as the most clueless and hopeless in our contemporary history.

What we have now is a Presidency in perpetual denial.

The Presidency once told us that the power situation was good but the man in the street knew better. There was the claim that there was no poverty in Nigeria when all statistics point to the contrary. Even there were claims that no schoolgirls were abducted and later that the abducted Chibok girls except a few had been rescued. These turned out to be un-

true.

What we have today is a Presidency that started badly. A Presidency that allows corruption to fester under its watch is a failed one. At the root of the Nigerian problems is monumental corruption. It is true that corruption in Nigeria did not start with President Jonathan but he has actively encouraged and perpetuated it. All the organs of government that were established to fight corruption – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), have been emasculated. One agrees that Jonathan did not sack the former Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. That ignominious action belonged to the late President Yar’Adua but Jonathan has the power to bring him or his like back if he was serious in the fight against corruption. It is common knowledge that these two bodies now only run after the lowly thieves in the system while the bigger thieves enjoy the protection of the Presidency.

Also, Jonathan was responsible for the presidential pardon granted to DPS Alamieyeseigha who was tried and convicted of stealing while in office. This same Alamieyeseigha is now a delegate to the National Conference at Abuja. Rumour has it that he is a potential Senatorial candidate.

It was under Jonathan’s watch that ministerial impunities were committed by the likes of Ms. Stella Oduah of the N255 million bullet-proof cars scandal fame. We currently have an evolving scandal involving Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and her usage of private jets to the tune of N10 billion.

All these, and other documented cases are

responsible for Nigeria’s problems. A young graduate whose future has been stolen by a thieving Minister or Governor is a willing hand for mischief and illegal activities. The proverbial idle hand is the devil’s workshop hence the Boko Haram terrorists and other miscreants in our society.

President Jonathan, instead of concentrating on governance, appeared to have concentrated on second term ambition too early into his Presidency. His body language has been about a second term in office, even though he has not been confident enough to declare his ambition. This adversely affected his ability to learn and focus on the job at hand. There is the issue of the North that lost out with the death of President Yar’Adua. Instead of placation, they were bullied

by Jonathan’s kinsmen.

A more rational and intelligent leader would have ignored all the distractions of his kinsmen and political jobbers, place the nation’s interest above selfish and narrow interest, perform creditably well and allow the people to judge him on his performance. If there had been peace, better power generation cum supply, job opportunities for our teeming youths and coherent health, working agricultural and educational policies, Nigerians will be begging Jonathan to continue as President. He might not have needed all the Edwin Clarkes or Asari-Dokubos of this world to threaten the Nigerian voters with violence before he gets their votes for the second term.

As things are, the only way President Jonathan can win a second term in office is to rig the elections and damn the consequences. He may contest and win but the consequences will be dire for all and sundry. He does not give a damn, and that is the main worry for the rest of us.

• Bamigboye is a Consultant Gynaecologist based in the United Kingdom.

Big brother without goodwill at ‘home’?

By Emma Nwosu T the end of the day, the Igbo are usually the ones left carA rying the can in Nigeria – a predicament for which they are yet to figure an answer, since the failed bid of 1967 to 1970 to secede with Biafra. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Igbo neighbours to President Jonathan, in the erstwhile Eastern Region, will be the primary targets of the reprisal threatened by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State for Jonathan’s perceived genocide against Northern Nigeria (in dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency) than his kinsmen of the South-South Region. The Igbo must not be deterred and must continue to stand for justice in Nigeria and to provide leadership whenever duty calls. After all, all the conditions for peaceful co-existence and prosperity that they had foreseen and proposed in the Aburi Accord of 1967 (47 years ago) are exactly what all progressive groups have lately been asking of Nigeria. The real concern is that the Igbo are still barely tolerated by their neighbours at ‘home’ (Eastern Region) even now that they are playing the big brother and bridgehead of Dr. Jonathan’s Presidency.

For example, the Igbo responded with massive support to the Save our Souls (SOS) pleas by prominent South-South leaders who lamented that the region was under siege and needed the strong arm of big brother Igbo to ward off adversaries at the time a Northern cabal would not want Dr. Jonathan to step into the shoes of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. It may be obscure but it speaks volumes that since those conveners came to power and privilege, on the trail of President Jonathan, you will hardly find the Igbo in their coterie of businesses and staff, among who could be generously numbered almost all the significant tribes of Nigeria, including the ones they had considered adversarial.

Likewise, the contribution of the Igbo to the economy of the South-South Region, from oil and gas to banking, trading, transportation and services, etc, is estimated at 50 per cent or more of the combined gross domestic product – more significant than the contribution of any other group. The Igbo voting population in each of the South-South states is equally significant. This is not to talk of the long historical and cul-

tural ties. Yet, there is not a single visible political office holder of South-East extraction in the whole of the South-South Region, in contrast to far-away Lagos State, for example. If government is about carrying along all segments of the population and galvanizing the economy, is it not unprogressive to leave a significant group of viable and neighbourly citizens unrepresented in its machinery?

The Lagos State Government has retained a high-profile portfolio for the South-East in the Executive Council since Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s governorship. There are Igbo special assistants and heads of secondary schools and government agencies. Some are in permanent employment in the State Civil Service. The appointments may not be commensurate with the Igbo-Lagos State population, electoral value and economic contribution, but, no matter how nominal, they symbolize an acknowledgement of economic and electoral worth.

As they say in law, consideration need not be adequate but is a necessary condition for a binding contract. Once the ice has been broken, equity gets better with time.

The South-East remains the least beneficiary of Federal Government investment, contrary to the hype. We are not talking of individual appointments but of capital expenditure beneficial to the generality of the people. The carrot of Second Niger Bridge has only been dangled once again.

My father lost property in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Both of my uncles also did – in the circumstances of the Nigerian Civil War. After almost 50 years of that usurpation and in peacetime and regardless of a Rivers State law against trespass to titled land, there has been no change in the hostility of the indigenes towards Igbo ownership of property there, because I am about to lose mine, too, as are several other Igbo, regardless of the right to own property in any part of Nigeria, which is enjoyed elsewhere. Even in a government layout, they would not let you enter the plot, claiming that it was their family land and fraudulently selling it! The matter is taken to court but is re-assigned (to be started de novo in another court) few days to the presumed favourable ruling, which is indicative of official collusion to frustrate.

One could go on and on. But the point is that rapprochement is still missing among the constituents of the former Eastern Region. What we have now is just a marriage of convenience,

which might fall apart after Dr. Jonathan’s Presidency; whereas the Region needs to re-unite in spirit and in truth, to stand together and speak with one voice, if it is ever to be reckoned with in the political equation of Nigeria. Otherwise, the region will remain the spoils of Civil War and the underdog, which largely explains the challenges of Dr Jonathan’s Presidency. Neither the Igbo nor the minorities can make it alone.

Jonathan’s Presidency might have ended without the complete loyalty of the Igbo, regardless of the alliances of the minorities with the North against them for a long time. Again, rapprochement in the East is a precondition for meaningful collaboration with the largely homogenous Western Region which is being advocated for the balance of political power between the North and the South, to save Nigeria.

To start with, all the states of the former Eastern Region should follow the lead of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State who is set to abolish official discrimination between indigenes and non-indigenes. They should also begin to reflect the significant population and economic value of one another’s citizens in their territory by representation in government. Infrastructural and institutional collaboration and investment protection to consolidate the regional economy is also imperative. Again, it is Governor Amaechi who had set the ball rolling with former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, by linking the two states of Rivers and Imo with a befitting expressway, from Port Harcourt to Owerri.

The Igbo, by nature, can never be insular. At the same time, they should learn to devote as much attention to building up their homeland as they devote to investing, developing and seeking acceptance all over the place. They can never get all the attention and respect they deserve in Nigeria until their fabled enterprise can be reflected in the economy of the SouthEast, through the conscious and orderly domiciliation of significant commerce, industry and technology activities there, along with security of life and property. The Jews were persecuted all around the world until the consolidation of the State of Israel. This is the time to re-invigorate the South-East Nigeria Economic Commission and similar institutions so that all the states can plough together to maximize the economies of scale. The Igbo are soft targets largely because they relax everywhere and are not seen to have a fallback at home.

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Friday, May 30, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Opinion Message-messenger: Negotiating the moral boundary

By Sylvester Akhaine NLY a few discerning people notice when O history is being made or when something creative debuts with the possibility of becoming a historical legacy. The age-long belief is that writing can move authority and I think it always does. Growing up in Nigeria of my time, one name featured in the Nigerian dailies as a prominent letter writer, usually to the editor on varied national issues that were of great moment in his appreciation. He was S.M.O Aka. He made a great deal of impression on his readers and I assume so for those in authority. Journalism teachers often drew the attention of their students to him. I am not sure of any modernday substitute for this great mind; he passed on some years ago.

I need to recall this experience, shared, I guess with a lot of readers when many Nigerians still had values that they espoused because of the controversy that President Obasanjo’s letter to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan generated in both private and public discourses.

Importantly, it is the subject of a new compilation, titled Before We Forget which is the subject of this review.

In a letter dated December 2, 2013 addressed to the president and subsequently made public (some said leaked even though the header bore ‘open letter’) on December 11, the former president said the letter became necessary because of the worrisome developments in the country and the fact of non-response by the president to previous correspondences.

Obasanjo addressed a range of issues, namely: the management of the ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); spiraling corruption; national security; and the president’s ambition to contest in the 2015 general election; and ethnic and religious chauvinism. Of these issues, two are weighty in my opinion.

These are national security and tenure of the president. The former has two elements – the activities of the insurgent group, Boko Haram and the allegation of the president training snipers to hound political opponents with over 2000 persons being placed on the watch list. As Professor Itse Sagay notes, “…the one that frightens me most is the allegation that snipers are being trained in the same school where the Abacha killer squads were trained and there are some Nigerians under political watch list…I

am very unsettled about it particularly given what happened to Professor Iyayi whose cause of death has not yet been resolved. It is very disturbing” (p. 141). Falana shares this view in his response (p.165).

President Jonathan in his response to Obasanjo’s letter indulges in some kind of comparative analysis over who has outperformed the other, between Obasanjo’s presidency and his, thereby falling short of addressing the allegations while passing the onus of proof to Obasanjo who alleged.

There are two other major responses to Obasanjo’s letter in this compilation that deserves scrutiny. One is from his daughter, Iyabo Obasanjo, the second from Chief Edwin Clark. Iyabo’s merely vents the frustration of a child denied a craved filial love. She accuses her father of narcissism, an attribute that renders him uncaring and enamoured of sycophancy. In putting his private thoughts in the public domain to ridicule her father, he is not doing anything novel. It could be recalled that a few years ago, her mother, Oluremi, published a book titled Bitter-Sweet, where she opened her boudoir to public glare. The autobiographical piece captures gaudily the situation under which she married Obasanjo, his ceaseless absence from home as a soldier, philandering and the burden of domestic violence she suffered. Overall, it evinces the same picture of an uncaring father/husband. By exposing her feeling about her father to the public, Iyabo does no national service. Odia Ofeimun has done a more brilliant psycho analysis of President Obasanjo, titled, The President’s mind published in The Constitution Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2006. Ofeimun establishes a pattern of ambitious pursuit of fame, contempt for collective victory and a loath of his humble beginning and a hierarchical opinion of the world. Iyabo, in the main, falls into the transgression of filial piety. However, one must not neglect to pose the question why was Iyabo’s letter released at the time that her father’s controversial letter was made public? Whose interest was she serving? Perhaps she has the answers.

Chief Edwin Clark’s response is essentially to absolve President Jonathan of the allegation of ethnic chauvinism as the self-acclaimed leader of the Ijaw nation and

marshals a list of political appointees under Jonathan to show the paucity of Ijaw people in the government. If he has restricted himself to just doing this, he would have fallen nicely within the remit of a constructive critic but rather he descends into the abyss of insolence in ways that do not elevate him over and above Obasanjo that he seeks to pillory in his response. Hear him: “Mr. President, I will also like to use the language of your daughter, Iyabo to describe you to Nigerians. You are ‘a liar, manipulator, two faced hypocrite’ and that ‘you have an egoistic craving for power and live a life where only men of low self esteem thrive’” (p.63).

The other sample from this work worth commenting upon here is the response of Senator Ameh Ebute. It is interesting he found a voice in Obasanjo’s controversial letter to President Jonathan. During the trial of democracy in this country his voice faded immediately from public hearing while many fought hard to restore democracy. He comes across in his response as a man who has an axe to grind with Obasanjo (pp. 6679). His main grouse is the former president’s indecorum in criticising a sitting president publicly instead of silence. Let me quickly say that recourse to the practice of advanced democracy as guide to political behaviour in our environment is wrongheaded and sometimes self-serving. The reason is simple. Here we do not have what I will like to call incumbent loyalty, a situation in which the incumbent state actors remain loyal to the grundnorm and exude sensitivity to public cause that compels its complementarities – loyal opposition – where the opposition remains loyal to state institutions rather than the transient occupiers of public officers. Obasanjo’s criticisms of Jonathan’s policy falls within the latter but the absence of the former allows for a reading of it as treasonable or an act of subversion.

There are many other views from editorials to bloggers contained in this compilation. By evaluation, they are either vituperations on Obasanjo or an affirmation of his criticism of President Jonathan.

They largely ignore the points at issue. But The Guardian editorial of December 25, 2013, interestingly points the way to appreciating

the issues raised by Obasanjo. It argues that in the rationalisation of the message and the messenger, there is an elbow room for a focus on the common good. While towing a middle line, in a sense negotiating the moral boundary, it points up the country’s problems: “Beyond the specifics of avuncular admonition and verbal castigation, Obasanjo’s letter identified five key areas where President Jonathan needs to be assessed. These are leadership of the ruling party, leadership of the Federal Government, leadership of the defence forces, stewardship over the security of the nation, and the political leadership of the country. Obasanjo’s verdict: Jonathan has failed on all points…Irrespective of the former leader’s verdict, that the country is not moving in the right direction cannot be disputed. Despite its potential for becoming a powerful, prosperous nation, Nigeria has aimlessly drifted, since its democratic rebirth, to become one of unimaginable depravity: a forsaken nation ridden with corruption and institutionalized banditry, a people dehumanized by widespread poverty and decrepit infrastructure; and one bedeviled by factional politics, thriving opportunism and heightened insecurity. This should worry all Nigerians, including President Jonathan. And he certainly can do better than he has done in tackling these problems.” (p. 156).

While it is arguable if Obasanjo has tugged at the root of Nigeria’s problem, that is, neocolonial economic policy and the skewed state structure, the debate that his letter generated is healthy for a democratic polity that we all aspire to build. He built this tradition over the years.

For example, in the late 1980s under the Babangida regime, he drew public attention to the country’s mounting debt.

I will simply end by quoting the words of the Director of Peace and Development Projects contained in the introduction to this volume that this compilation, “gives us insight into the hearts and minds of Nigerians and why Nigeria is a country like no other. The lines of argument are so diverse that you cannot but appreciate why Nigeria is such a blessed country. It is not just the strength of the various arguments but also the wits, the perspective, the power (p. 3).”

• Dr. Akhaine, a visiting member of The Guardian Editorial Board, delivered this review of Before We Forget at the instance of Peace and Development Projects, Airport Hotel, May 5, 2014.

Time for change is now

By Ayo Akande S Albert Einstein considered the imperative of change, he A made the popular statement that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That statement, made decades ago by the renowned scientist, still holds true today.

As the 2015 general elections draw near, this saying should tug at the heart-strings of the people of Oyo State. It should nudge them to wake up from their individual and collective slumber, a slumber so deep that their state, once-so-great that it was called the Pacesetter state, is now anything but great.

Oyo, our common heritage had begun that journey to greatness until its course was altered. Altered by its people and their leaders; altered by not-well-thought-out decisions to place it in the hands of leaders with parochial tendencies and without direction.

Oyo State has had its fair share of disappointments. It is either those at the helm of affairs are too clueless to recognize the people’s plight, too arrogant to understand the suffering of the common man or too selfish to render genuine service.

We have even seen many who falsely profess Awoism, pretending to be apostles of the immortal Obafemi Awolowo’s ideals. Once they win elections into office, Awo’s ideals are the last things ever found in them and they brazenly advertise a total lack of the servant-leadership spirit of the sage.

Under the guidance of unsuitable captains of the ship, Oyo State has continued its nosedive and it is only a matter of time before it hits rock bottom. But as the saying goes, omo onilu o ni fe ko tu (a prince cannot have pleasure in the dispersal of his father’s kingdom); we in the Oyo Renaissance Group can no

longer siddon look. Afterall,‘Ajise bi oyo laa ri.’

As the 2015 governorship election approaches, these politicians, across different political parties, have again decided to take Oyo State people for another ride. The same set of people who had fooled the people before with sweet electioneering promises that have gone unfulfilled are angling again to get the people’s votes.

Of course, to them, the people of Oyo State are always there to be deceived every election year. They come in different togas and present themselves as interested in the common progress of Oyo State but we know their fruits, and by their fruits Oyo State people must know them. The people of Oyo State are no fools and are better prepared now!

The experience of ‘Idera’ under Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja was stagnation wrapped in docility, ‘O yato’ was nothing more than brigandage and the current pledge of collective progressivism has become a mistake that sees the state being run with impunity.

They even celebrate payment of salaries and irregular pensions as if governors are elected to come and pay salaries.

Salary is a statutory right; it is only in the land of the fools among disillusioned workers that such becomes a bargaining factor for the votes of the civil servants and the populace. But for how long more can the people continue to live with this visionlessness?

We do not believe in the widely-held assertion that Oyo State cannot elect someone twice as governor, but the efforts of the incumbent governor and those before him, who are now seeking the support of our people, at developing the state and restoring its glory, have been disappointing. As the words go around, Ladoja and Alao-Akala might be seeking after nothing

but vendetta and vain-glory. But Ajimobi calls for greater caution. For those who believed that Akala’s emergence as governor was accidental because he is a ‘non-Ibadan’, Oyo State is one and is beyond such divisive opinion. Justice and equity, of course, demand that all zones in the state have good personages who can and must be governor. Besides, Ibadan is a cosmopolitan city that is largely populated by so-called non-indigenes. It is not a taboo, therefore, for non-Ibadan zones to produce a governor in their own state. Afterall, no one becomes the governor without the good support of all the zones in Oyo State. Oyo should be more forward-looking and realistic to put behind every primordial sentiment and the people should search and vote for competence that can bring about a renaissance.

We in the Oyo Renaissance Group believe the right time for change is now. Oyo State needs truly visionary leaders, who will serve them and their interests and not impostors and vain rulers. Governance of Oyo State is beyond a display of riches, and it should be structured beyond emergency interventions to bait the electorate. It’s about servant leadership and sustainability that will reposition the state. We must judge right and vote right by voting for true leaders with the love of the people at heart.

It will be disastrous to rely on the inept experience of governance which some of the candidates now parade to take Oyo on the plane of development. Care must also be taken with any ambitious but dubious generational shift.

With regard to the current dispensation, it is appropriate to say ‘Bi Oyo ti da yi, asise gbogbo wa ni o.’ (Oyo’s fate today is our collective mistake.) And we alone can correct it.

• Akande wrote for Oyo Renaissance Group.

Friday, May 30, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

15

TheMetroSection ‘We go through harrowing experiences’ From Chido Okafor, Warri

God tagged Excel holds on Sunday, June 1, 2014, with the theme: Signs of Change. The focus this year is on the activities and efforts of organisations as signs of positive change in society.

Ministering is the General Overseer, Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

The venue is Tafawa Balewa Square and music will be supplied by Wale Adenuga, Nathaniel Bassey, Freeborn and Tony Adoki.

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Women groups commend military, urges safe release of abucted girls COALITION of women A groups under the auspices of Non-Indigenous Women for

One of the failed portions of the Okwagbe - Otor-Udu Road in Delta State them properly on the road.

Chief Olorogun Okiemute Oviri Okwagbe, a community leader and chieftain of the PDP blamed decrepit state of the roads “on poor construction and the refusal of the construction firm to conduct a scientific analysis of the road in order to come up with a more lasting appropriate design.” To him the fund used in the perennial remedial works on the road could be saved if a solid design is put in place.

Chief Okawagbe who lauded the efforts of the Gov Emmanuel Udu-

Number of abducted schoolgirls in Borno unknown,’ says group From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri HE ongoing search by the military should not be limited to the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014, the Federal Government has been tasked by a Coalition of Civic Societies (CCS) at the Musa Usman Secretariat Complex, Maiduguri.

The Federal Government was equally told that the nation should insist on freeing everyone held captive by the terrorist group, should they agree on the swap deal with the sect.

The “revelations and advice” were given by the CCS, comprising Non Governmental Organizations, Youth Organizations, Students, Trade Unions and Associations at a Peace Walk Rally (PWAR) in Maiduguri.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Ahmed Shehu, who was the convener of Alliance for Peace, said a register has been opened for the roll call of those abducted at different times by the terrorist group, lamenting that no one can give the exact number of those held captive by the sect.

He said many of those in captivity were even believed to have been killed by their fami-

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RCCG, Apapa family, initiates signs of change HE yearly celebration of T Apapa family of The Redeemed Christian Church of

• Okwagbe community appeals to Delta government over decrepit roads OR Okwagbe community in Ughelli South Local Council, Delta State, who have endured the misfortune of unending bumpy and risky journeys due to the failed over 40-kilometre road linking the rural sea community to the rest of the state, there is general displeasure.

In 2006, the road, which was then un-tarred and almost impassable, cut the community from the rest of the state.

However following immense pressures by the indigenes of Okwagbe, the attention of the state government was drawn to the road resulting in the alleged fixing of the road between 2006 and 2007.

But, almost eight years after the tarring of the road and commissioning by the then Governor, James Ibori administration, pot holes and huge craters have surfaced again at different points of the road making travels on the road cumbersome and replete with mishaps.

The unfortunate major flooding disaster of 2012, which ravelled many coastal communities of Delta state, reportedly took a huge toll on the road with many spots washed away to the sea.

Recently, it was gathered that a head-on collision between a commercial motorcycle and a vehicle, who were trying to avoid a huge pot hole on the road, led to the loss of two lives. The development has reinforced the recent agitation for an urgent intervention by the state government.

However, a trip to the community revealed that some of the worst affected spots on the road are being patched up by the Delta state road maintenance agency. In some places, however, the road maintenance agents just dumped granite haphazardly without spreading

Briefs

lies.

Shehu said: “Before Chibok girls, a lot of other girls were abducted, in Dikwa, Konduga and Gwoza.”

He said: “We are urging stakeholders to stand up to work for our internal security, we are suffering, our people are daily being killed, murdered, slaughtered, their homes and all they worked for destroyed, villages and towns burned. We are suffering from pains of the Nigerian system. This is not about which state, region, tribe or religion you belong to, this is about Nigeria, and internal security.”

He added: “We should not lose hope, we should not lose what we have, we must unite inspite of our political, religious and regional differences, we should rise against sentiment and corruption, terrorism has never stopped children from going to school in Pakistan and Afghanistan and so it cannot stop our children from going to school and seeking education and knowledge.”

Shehu, while appealing to the abductors to please release the innocent girls unconditionally, asked the Federal Government to “go the extra-mile even if it means paying for their release.”

aghan administration in repairing the road after several portions were washed away during the 2012 flooding, said the road keeps failing because of the peculiar soil texture of the area being close to large water bodies. He argued that the road needs special construction technique rather than the one always used.

He said: “The people of Okwagbe go through harrowing experiences just to travel to their community from Warri or Ughelli. It is so bad that if you are driving on the road

you must maintain at least 99 per cent cooperation if you don’t want to lose control of your vehicle in the attempt to dodge pot-holes. We’re pleading to the Delta state government to investigate why the Okwagbe road is always failing after it is repaired.”

“Okwagbe is naturally a producing community; we produce a lot of fish and other agricultural produce but we don’t have good network of roads to take them to the rest of the state. That is why we are appealing to government to urgently come to our aid,” he said.

Police arrest 160 Federal Task Force officials during clash in Lagos

By Odita Sunday HERE was pandemonium at Ojota area of Lagos State on Wednesday, when officials of the Federal Task Force clashed with policemen over arguments on vehicles plying Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane.

The task force officials were said to have attacked and arrested five policemen at the scene after which police reinforced and stormed their office at Ojota tollgate and arrested no fewer than 169 officials of the task force.

The Guardian gathered that police had arrested a vehicle plying BRT lane, which is reserved for only the Lagos State government-owned commercial buses.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Emmanuel, alleged that the task force had wanted the police to set free the offender, which they refused to do.

He said the task force later applied force to free the offender blocking the car exhibit the policemen were moving to the station with their own vehicle.

He said argument ensued

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Lagos State Police Commissioner, Umar Manko and degenerated into a freefor-all. The task force men who were in their hundreds overpowered the policemen and detained them in their cell.

Lagos State police command was said to have been alerted and policemen from Rapid Response Squad (RRS), area commands, X-Squad, among others arrived the scene and rounded up over 160 members of the task force found at the scene.

Police rescued their colleagues held by the task force and also moved the car and the driver who caused

the problem to the Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

Many civilians and policemen were said to have sustained degrees of injuries.

While confirming the story to journalists, the State police spokesperson, DSP Ngozi Braide, said the policemen were doing their lawful duty when they arrested a driver for plying BRT route.

Braide said the members of the task force wanted the police to release the vehicle to them. Braide said the refusal of the policemen to obey the task force led to the attack on the policemen.

She said the task force members even detained the five policemen in their cell situated close to the former tollgate. She said police had to reinforce and rescued them and also arrested 160 task force officials at the scene.

She said the task force also injured innocent people. The police spokesperson said the X-Squad of the command is investigating the matter, adding that the 160 suspects were moved to the command headquarters.

Truth, Lagos State chapter, has commended Nigeria’s security agencies for their efforts that led to the reported discovery of the camps where Boko Haram insurgents are keeping the abducted school girls of Chibok, Borno State.

At a prayer session for the release of the girls on Tuesday in Lagos, the group however urged the military to ensure that the girls are released and re-united with their families unhurt.

The State Liaison Officer of the group, Mrs. Kate Onyecherecalled on Nigerians to pray for the country and President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Onyechere said: “We commend the military for their efforts that led to the discovery of the camps where our girls are being kept. However, we cannot rejoice until they are safely released. So, we urge the military to ensure that these girls are eventually released unhurt.”

Grace Ajaja dies at 87 HE families of Olokor and T Ajaja in Abavo Central, Ika South Local Council of Delta State have announced the death Mrs. Grace Ajuweh Ajaja (nee Olokor). She died on April 20, 2014 at the age of 87.

A service of songs and social wake keep holds today at the Ajaja family compound, No. 14, Palace Road, Abavo Central, followed by a mass tomorrow at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Abavo Central and finally, a thanksgiving service at same church on Sunday.

She is survived by children, grandchildren, brothers, daughters-in-law and sonsin-law among whom are Raphael Ajaja; Franca AjajaGodfirst; Emmanuel Olokor and Friday Olokor, Chief Correspondent, The Punch Newspapers, Abuja.

Ajaja

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

16 Friday, May 30, 2014

Briefs Octogenarian mother of transporter kidnapped in Kogi From John Akubo, Lokoja HE mother of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fair Plus Transport Services Alhaji Yahaya Bello was on Tuesday night abducted at Nagazi Uvete in Adavi Local Council of Kogi State at about 9. 00pm.

This is coming barely two months after the kidnap of two sons of the Speaker of Kogi House of Assembly, Momohjimoh Lawal, who are yet to be found.

Eyewitness account had it that the unknown gunmen, who were five in number, stormed the residence of the Hajia Hawawu Bello at Nagazi Uvete and went away with the over 80-year-old woman.

The witness added that the kidnappers forced their way through the gate of the compound, gained entry into the room where they first seized all the phones of the occupants and ordered them to lay down flat while they made away with the octogenarian.

He added that Bello, who was not aware of his mother’s abduction, called her cell phone number as he often did on a daily basis, but astonished when he heard a strange voice confirming to him that they had kidnapped his mother.

The current abduction is the third in a series of kidnappings in Kogi Central in 2014.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Emeh Emeka, who pleaded for time to confirm the story, did not get back to The Guardian as his GSM lines could not be reached as at the time of filing this report.

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Friends of the Needy Organisation marks Children’s Day with less-privileged kids in Lagos

By Wynner Ejere HE Kingdom Friends of the Needy Organization chose to put T smiles on the faces of the less privileged when it celebrated the Children’s Day with the kids at the Silverbird Cinema in Lagos on Tuesday.

Speaking at the occasion, the President, Mrs Modupe Ajayi said her reasons for establishing the organization include reaching out to the less- privileged and also to make them feel wanted and loved in the society.

She added that the organization, which was established 11 years ago, has reached out to several less-privileged persons in our society.

The Kingdom Friends of the Needy Organization made the day a remarkable one for the less-privileged who were well entertained with dainty food and also taken to the Cinema Hall to see movies.

One of the beneficiaries, Master Precious, who spoke to The Guardian said “This is one of the most memorable days I will live to remember. The love given to me today has also raised my hope.

“I wish to say a big thank you to the Kingdom Friends of the Needy for putting smiles on the faces of the less-privileged.

The children were very happy as they appreciated the kind gesture of the organization and other voluntary donors who gave cash and clothes to the less-privileged.

Other orphanage homes that participated included the Precious Pearl Orphanage, Citadel of Hope Orphanage, His Grace Orphan-

African Children Festival begins tomorrow

Leoplast Foundation rewards brilliant students in essay competition

By Emeka Nwachukwu O fulfill its commitment of improving the quality of education in Nigeria, particularly in public secondary schools, Leoplast Foundation, has rewarded winners of its yearly essay competition in Lagos and Ogun states.

The essay competition, which was conducted by Leading Edge Consulting company on behalf of Leoplast Foundation, was witnessed by students in public schools within the Leoplast Group ‘Catchment Areas’ in Lagos and Ogun states, which included 13 schools from Ado-Odo/Otta Local Council and 22 schools from Oshodi/Isolo Local Council.

Speaking at the ceremony held recently in Lagos, Executive Director, Leoplast Foundation, Mrs. Sanjana Daswani, applauded the students for their conduct during the competition, noting that there was no reported case of examination malpractice.

She added: “The Leoplast Foundation is an non-governmental organization (NGO) aimed at giving financial, material and moral support to the Nigerian students towards provision of qualitative and quality education irrespective of race or gender”.

She continued: ”Our primary objective is to give back to Nigerians and the generality of the Nigerian students, not only within the corridor of the South-west, but also pan- Nigeria, and today, we are very happy that we are achieving that objective with the hope of spreading our tentacles all over Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer of Leading Edge Consulting,

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Lagos State winner, Miss Elizabeth Effiong from Isolo Comprehensive High School (left), Chief Executive Officer of Leading Edge Consulting, Dr. Ije Jidenma, Executive Director of Leoplast Foundation, Mrs. Sanjana Daswaniat the PHOTO: EMEKA NWACHUKWU event...

She noted the immense ben- Senior Grammar School, Mrs. Ije Jidenma, used the Mafoluku-Oshodi, Lagos. She efits of making access to opportunity to draw attenreceived a cheque of N75, qualitative education possition to the need for all stake000 and award winning ble to all and advised all holders in the society to commit resources to the pro- Nigerians to support the gov- books. While the third prize position went to two candiernment to achieve these vision of quality education dates in a tie, Miss Victoria critical goals for the country. for the youths, especially the Chinecherem from Ajao EsMiss Elizabeth Effiong from girl-child. tate Grammar School, Isolo Isolo Comprehensive High She further called on the and Miss Agnes Ezema from School, Lagos emerged first Federal Government to use Okota Senior Secondary and went home with a all resources available to adSchool, both of whom were cheque of N100, 000 and a dress the challenge of insurproud recipients of a cheque brand new laptop. gency in the country as well of N50, 000 each and award The second position was as ensure the safe return of winning books by leading won by Miss Damilola Adeevery girl-child abducted as African writers. bowale from Ewutuntun soon as possible.

O re-awaken Africa’s lost culture, heritage and values espeWorkers protest abrupt termination of employment T cially among the children, Event Made Easy, organisers of the yearly African Children Festival, has lined up series of events for

great injustice,” among others.

One of the workers, Kingsley Allen, said trouble started four months ago when the company started to delay the payment of salaries. “When we asked the management what was happening, they said the company was experiencing financial challenges.

After a while, production began to drop even though the products were needed in the market. Customers were coming to deposit money for the products but in spite of that what we saw was the sudden termination of workers’ employment without notice nor payment of all that the workers are entitled to.”

According to him, they do not know what is happening

and even now the company has been closed down. “If they are passing through difficult times, they ought to explain to the workers. As we are not the cause of their problem, we expect them to give us letters of retrenchment with explanation for such decision. They didn’t do that but instead issued us letters of termination of employment without telling us what we did wrong to warrant such. Any person seeing the letter will think we committed offence in the company whereas we did no wrong.”

The aggrieved workers want the company to reverse the letter of retrenchment and also do something about the 15 months’ pension deductions from their salaries with-

By Ayodele Adeniran

By Paul Adunwoke ORKERS of the European Soaps and Detergent Company Limited in Lagos have protested the termination of the appointment 197 out of 232 staff of the company.

The affected workers carried placards in front of the company demanding the payment of their entitlements and the refund of the 15 months pension deductions from their salaries without their knowledge that was not remitted to any pension agencies in the country.

Inscriptions on some of the placards read: “Pay us our money”; ‘15 months’ pension deductions not remitted to any pension agency;’ “the world must know about this

HE National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools T (NAPPS) Mushin Chapter, Lagos on Tuesday led a peaceful protest to Odi-Olowo Local Council Development in solidarity

Group tasks electorate on recall of corrupt elected officials

Primary and Secondary Schools. The creative essay writing, poem competition, arts and crafts exhibition, and painting holds tomorrow at Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos while the main event, which includes African pageant comes up on Monday, June 16 at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Telsim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Students media skills seminar holds June 5 FRICAN Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative in collaboA ration with Lagos State Ministry of Education, the six education districts and Metro 97.7FM presents fifth edition of Students Acquiring Media Skills (SAMS) seminar with the theme: “Peace Education for the Growth of Inter-Religious, Inter-Ethnic Dialogue in the Media at Metro 97.7FM, Broadcasting House, Ikoyi-Lagos on June 5, 2014 at 9.00 a.m.

The Chief Host, Founding President/Chief Executive Office APPLI.AFPLI, Rev. Titus Oyeyemi announced the Guest Speakers as the Editorial Chairman, The Nations Newspaper, Mr. Sam Omatseye and Head, Mass Communication, Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Mr. Jide Johnson.

NAPPS holds rally to ‘Bring Back Our Girls’

with the 234 girls abducted in Chibok.

According to an open letter read to President Goodluck Jonathan, by Mrs. Onyeka Ogoma: “We do not know how these girls sleep, how they feed (if at all) and their general welfare and as such, find it very hard to celebrate Children's Day without them. All we are requesting is for every local, state, the Armed Forces, the Federal Government and the entire world to put all efforts for the safe release of these girls.

“We, as educators, believe that when you train a girl-child, you train the entire nation. We, as mothers and fathers of these children, weep and pray day and night for their safe release. What have they done wrong? Is it a crime that these girls went to school to study? Is it a crime that after examination they all retired to their dormitory to sleep?

“As mothers and parents, our safety, self-esteem, security, freedom and unity are silently eroded. It is these girls today, it could be us tomorrow. Sanity must be urgently restored in this country. We, therefore demand from you Sir, our father in this local council, Odi-Olowo, to deliver this letter on our behalf through our governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to President Goodluck Jonathan."

The letter was received by the Council Chairman, Aremo Adeyemi.

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From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin S a challenge to civil society groups, activists and non-governmental organisations to fight corruption in Nigeria, a group, Edo United for Home Land Empowerment based in the United States of America, has called on civil society groups to exercise their constitutional rights to recall corrupt and non-performing elected political office-holders.

The organization in an electronic mail to The Guardian said part of the beauty of democracy was the peoples’ rights to decide who governs them, adding that current situation in Nigeria, particularly corrup-

A

tion, speaks volumes of how the political class has failed the masses who elected them into office.

In a statement by its President, Frank Ekhator, Secretary General, Yvonne Omoruyi , Director of Publicity, Emmanuel Okunmwendia and three others, the group said its latest study on Nigeria revealed serious disenchantment with the political class by the electorate, adding that “extreme poverty among the masses, gross-corruption, kidnapping, terrorism, lawlessness and insecurity in the country” were the basis for such exercise.

They challenged the Niger-

ian political class to the responsibilities of their various offices.

“The Nigerian political class has failed the nation woefully, hence, everything seems to be falling apart.

Democratic governance empowers citizens to reward or punish public officials, based on performance. Our elected representatives must, therefore, be held accountable,” the group said.

They challenged Nigerians to explore the constitutional provisions in Article 69 of Nigeria’s Constitution that gives them the powers for political audit and recall.

“Though seldom used, this instrument remains the

out the money being remitted to any PFA. “We gathered that because they do not want to pay us benefits, that was why they gave us termination letters.

We told them termination letter would damage our image in the labour market because no employer would be willing to employ a terminated person. They told us that after the letters have been given to us then we should come back in two weeks time for negotiation of our benefits and they will pay us the benefits within four months. But we are insisting that they should settle us now.”

When The Guardian visited the firm, none of the management staff was available to comment on the issue.

most effective way for citizens to make elected office holders carry out their official responsibilities and to punish corruption and lack of performance. Every citizen has the right to demand transparency and accountability from elected government officials.

“We have, for too long, allowed elected political officeholders to operate the way they want, relying on godfathers and thugs. Many of these representatives now enjoy fabulous personal wealth with no legitimate origin, and this plutocracy has cast a dark shadow on democratic governance in the nation.”

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 BUSINESS

17

Business U.S. production, confidence data boost growth prospects RDERS for long-lasting U.S. O manufactured goods unexpectedly rose in April and consumer confidence perked up in May, supporting views of a rebound in economic growth.

Other data on Tuesday showed home prices moving higher in March and services industries, which dominate the economy, growing at a fast clip in May. "It appears that the economy continues to bounce back from the harsh winter," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.

Orders for durable goods, items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three years or more, climbed 0.8 percent last month after an upwardly revised 3.6 percent gain in March, the Commerce Department said.

Demand for defense capital goods surged and orders for fabricated metal products, transportation gear and electrical equipment, appliances and components all rose.

While non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, fell 1.2 percent, the March reading on these so-called core capital goods was revised sharply higher to show a 4.7 percent gain - the largest since November.

"The large upward revision hints at a stronger handoff into the second quarter," said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York. "The data is indicative of a pickup in capital investment activity during the spring."

Separately, the Conference Board said its index of consumer attitudes rose to 83 in May from 81.7 in April as households' labor market views improved. Rising household optimism should boost consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Designate, Skye Bank, Timothy Oguntayo (left); Chairman, Tunde Ayeni; Secretary, Abimbola Izu; and Deputy Managing Director Designate, Amaka Onwughalu during the yearly general meeting of Skye Bank in Lagos on Wednesday.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

Nigerian CEOs pledge joint action on sustainable development OME 31 leaders of major Sagreed Nigerian businesses have on the establishment of a common platform that will enable them to jointly promote sustainable development initiatives and programmes across the country.

At a roundtable forum in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) decided to set up a council for sustainable development which will be affiliated to the Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The proposed council will work to arouse the interest of the Nigerian business community towards taking collective action for a sustainable future for society.

The Managing Director of the Shell Petroleum

Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mutiu Sunmonu, had hosted the roundtable to introduce the idea to the CEOs. He said: “There is no doubt that Nigerian companies support sustainability programmes in their respective areas of influence quite adequately, however, no platform currently exists for businesses across all industries to share experiences, best practices, and advocate for business positions that transform lives and communities from what they are today to the greatness they can be, tomorrow. If there is one area we do not need to compete as businesses, it is in the goodness of our heart to our society and environ-

ment.”

Managing Director and CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Mrs. Bola Adesola, described the idea as innovative and desirable. “It is important that the organised private sector show interest in the challenging operating business environment.”

Also speaking at the roundtable, Chairman, Promasidor Nigeria Ltd, Chief Keith Richards, said: “We look forward to contributing and devoting our time and energy in actualising the goals of this intervention which will impact Nigerians positively and sustain business development.”

His remarks were echoed by the Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria, Wolfgang Goetsch, who said: “I am looking forward to a busi-

ness council that works, through proper management and commitment by members.”

A lecturer at the Lagos Business School, Sir Chris Ogbechie had earlier made a presentation in which he outlined the justification and modalities for setting up the council.

The gathering agreed that there would be a governing council to oversee the organisation, comprising CEOs of member companies and reputable international business figures which will be committed to driving a positive sustainable future for society and the rapid development of the economy.

Regional Director of the WBCSD, Rabab Fayad, said: "We are committed to supporting this Nigerian vision,

as it is our goal to establish vibrant networks on sustainable development across the globe.”

Rising from the roundtable, many companies volunteered to work towards the establishment of the business council.

Companies represented included Accenture, CocaCola, Empretec Nigeria Foundation, Etisalat, First Bank, Flourmills of Nigeria, Heirs Holdings, Intel Corporation, Interswitch, Standard Chartered Bank, Unilever, the First Bank CSR Centre, BusinessDay newspapers, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, MTN Nigeria, Guinness, Oando Gas and Power, UBA Group, Seplat Petroleum, Chevron, Stanbic IBTC, Afren Nigeria, Access Bank and Nigerian Breweries.

Nigeria’s retail sector has a bright future, says Oduoza HE Group Managing T Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Phillips Oduoza, has said that Nigeria ’s retail sector holds huge potential for growth.

Oduoza said this in a keynote address at the 2014 ‘Retail Leaders Conference held at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos The UBA boss, represented by the bank’s Director of Consumer Banking, Ilesanmi Owoeye, listed several factors driving the growth of Nigeria ’s retail industry.

These factors include; the ongoing reforms in key sectors of the Nigerian econo-

my aimed at bridging infrastructural gap, reducing unemployment levels, improving literacy level and improving access to funding

by SMEs, which will significantly impact the level of disposable income and effective demand in the near future, affording the sector unprecedented growth opportunity.

He also identified increasing technology penetration in Nigeria as another factor driving the growth of the retail sector as this is giving retailers access to valuable market information about purchasing trends as well as segment preferences, making it increasingly easy to adapt sales and marketing approaches and improve

Without doubt, the continuous rise in mobile technology will be pivotal to the next stage of the retail market development, fuelling its integration with the global retail trade economy and significantly increasing its ease of doing business...n an environment of collaborative partnerships, banks will partner retailers in promoting the acceptance and mobility of innovative payment platforms. consumer experiences.

Another factor is the increasing penetration of the informal sector by retailers.

“Without doubt, the continuous rise in mobile technology will be pivotal to the next stage of the retail market development, fuelling its integration with the global retail trade economy and significantly increasing its ease of doing business. This prospect is already becom-

ing evident in the rising trend of online retailers that are increasingly gaining traction and matching the emerging sophistication of Nigerian consumers’ changing demand and payment patterns.” Oduoza said.

He called on banks to adopt on more collaborative financing mechanisms to enable retailers develop their capacities, expand operations and adopt innovative practice

production standards to reduce operating cost and optimize value.

He said innovative partnerships among retail financial service providers will increase focus on the funding of retail-based infrastructure development and product distribution projects.

His words: “In an environment of collaborative partnerships, banks will partner retailers in promoting the acceptance and mobility of innovative payment platforms. For example, cheaper mobile-based point-of-sales will replace the expensive terminals currently in use, and we will see mobile-tomobile funds transfer added to the bouquet of payment

platforms,” he stated.

“UBA recognizes the growth potential of the Nigerian economy and the retail sector in particular, so we have and will continue to intensify our support for the sector through provision of innovative payment, cash management solutions and appropriate funding options along the entire value chain.”

He disclosed that the banking sector is collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria to deploy an industry-wide biometric system, which will significantly improve consumers’ access to both secured and unsecured financing, thereby increasing the retail market potential.

18 BUSINESS Friday, May 30, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Ogun pays N17 billion as pensions, gratuities VER N17 billion has been O paid as pensions and gra•State to focus on fiscal discipline, says Muoyo tuities since the inception of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led administration in Ogun State in May 2011.

The state Head of Service, Mrs

U.S. production, confidence data boost growth prospects CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 activity.

Another report showed house prices continued to appreciate in March. The pace, however, is moderating.

That could help the market, where rising prices and mortgage rates have undercut sales. The Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller gauge of prices in 20 metropolitan areas rose 12.4 percent in March from a year ago.

The reports helped to lift U.S. stocks and push the Standard & Poor's 500 index to a record high. Prices for U.S. Treasury debt fell. The dollar was flat against a basket of currencies.

Core capital goods shipments, which are used to calculate equipment spending in the government's GDP measurement, fell 0.4 percent last month after rising 2.1 percent in March.

At the same time, durable goods inventories rose only 0.1 percent, suggesting little inventory growth in the second quarter. Morgan Stanley lowered its second-quarter growth estimate to an annual pace of 3.7 percent from 3.9 percent.

Orders for defense capital goods jumped 39.3 percent, the largest rise since December 2012, and unfilled orders rose solidly, a sign factory activity will continue to

Modupe Adekunle disclosed this in Abeokuta on Wednesday while fielding questions from news men at the 2014 Ministerial press briefing to mark the third year anniversary of the Amosun government.

Adekunle stated that over N12.2 billion has been paid to pensioners while gratuities totalling over N5.5 billion, including the back-log owed by the immediate past administration, has been paid as at date.

She added that government

had fully implemented the Contributory Pension Schedule for all officers employed since January 1, 2008 till date.

On employment, Adekunle revealed that 10,504 unemployed citizens of the state were recruited or empowered in one way or the other as at May, 2012; 967 in 2013 while 296 candidates who were successful during the 2013 Civil Service Selection (ASCON) have been issued letters of appointment.

"In the same vein, the Civil

Service Commission recruited 459 officers into various cadres as replacement of those that retired from the service so as to beef up the staff strength in special areas,” Adekunle said.

The Head of Service also noted that promotions of public servants have been made as and when due, revealing that no fewer than 2,141 officers were promoted for the 2013 promotion exercise just as 742 of their counterparts in the parastatals.

Meanwhile, the state government has assured that

improvement in resource management and budget discipline towards increasing the level of productivity and accountability would continue to be given utmost priority.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Planning Mrs. Oluwande Muoyo said this is to ensure an overall reduction of the cost of governance in Ogun State.

The commissioner, in her own presentation at the 2014 Ministerial Press Briefing, said this necessitated the launch of the state Public Financial Management (PFM) Reform Agenda in May 2013.

She said since the launch of

the reform, significant achievements have been recorded in the area of control and preventive vigilance on payroll preparation in which a substantial amount had been recovered while the certification of pay analysis reports and nominal roll by the accounting officer of each agency of government was strictly adhered to, which enhanced integrity of the pay roll.

Muoyo said despite the short fall in the receipt from Federal Account, coupled with harsh economy environment, the state 2014 budget has achieved a first quarter performance of 61.87 per cent.

Executive Director, WemaBank Plc, Ademola Adebisi (left); Chairman, Adeyinka Asekun; and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Segun Oloketuyi at the Wema Bank 2013 yearly general meeting in Lagos on Wednesday.

PHOTO: Ayodele Adeniran

Court admits new exhibits in N1.1billion fuel subsidy fraud trial

By Bertram Nwannekanma USTICE Lateefat Okunnu of a JTuesday Lagos High Court, Ikeja on admitted as exhibits, two new documents on the request of the defense in the on-going trial of N1.1billion fuel subsidy fraud charge.

The new documents include a petition written by Falana and Falana Chambers to the chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) on behalf of Mrs. Opeyemi Ajuyah and Majope Investment Limited who are the first and second defendants, respectively in the subsidy trial.

Also admitted as exhibit at the resumed hearing of the matter was the statement of Mr. Adelakun Abolade Saheed , a surveyor from General Marine Oil Services Limited(GMO) at the Lister Terminal , where petroleum product was discharged by a vessel, MT Brave.

The court admitted the documents after the prosecution led EFCC by Seidu Atteh did not oppose their admittance as exhibits Ajuyah and Majope Investment Limited were charged for an alleged N1.1billion subsidy fraud.

Also on trial alongside Ajuyah are Abdullahi Alao, son of Ibadan based business mogul, Alhaji Arisekola Alao, his company, AX Energy

Limited, Olanrewaju Olalusi, a worker with Sterling Bank Plc. Under cross examination by counsel to first and second defendants, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, EFCC witness, Effa Okim told the court that the petition from Falana and Falana Chambers dated August 17, 2012 was received in the course of investigation into the alleged fraud.

Okim admitted that Sterling Bank Plc exercised control of the product from the point of purchase up till the time it got to the off-taker.

Okim agreed with the defense that there was never a time Majope Investment conceded control of the product on board to the bank up till the time it got to the off-taker.

He also admitted that in the

course of investigation, they came across a letter written

by Ajuyah on behalf of Majope Investment, to the Managing Director of the bank, dated January 28, 2011 informing it that as the consignee, it is fully in charge of the cargo.

He also admitted coming across a letter from the bank forwarding shore tank report and certificate of the

volume of the product discharged to the first and second defendants.

He said that the bank in the document admitted that the vessel discharged only 4,264.637metric tonnes while the balance of 10,942.096metric tonnes was allegedly sold to another purchaser by AX Energy Limited.

He told the court that there

was no difference in the figures provided by other surveyor, Q and Q Survey Limited and Petroma Logistics that the vessel brought in 15,000 metric tonnes of the product as against the volume discharged into Lister Shore tank.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned till September 16, 2014.

TUC opposes increase in electricity tariffs, weighs protests From Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE Trade Union Congress T of Nigeria (TUC) has condemned the planned increase in electricity tariffs as rolled by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERC).

A statement signed by the TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama and General Secretary, Musa Lawal, yesterday the move is queer and uncalled for and another deliberate attempt by some cabal to further exploit the already impoverished masses of the country, especially as the power supply and distribution situation have remained comatose even after the privatization of the sector.

The union added: “We find it indefensible that the Government has apparently concluded plans to increase

the tariffs instead of prevailing on private sector electricity providers to increase power supply and distribution in the country. Need we remind ourselves of the demise of many industries within the last few years? Need we list out the multitude of companies that have either gone under or fled the country because of high cost of generating power for their plants?

Or shall we tender statistics of the millions of Nigerians who are jobless and many of whom have taken to vices that create insecurity in our land?

We are particularly galled by the fact that although the power sector has gulped billions of naira, the country still appears hopelessly trapped in a vicious circle of unproductivity and lack of adequate power supply…”

NERC recently announced

that electricity cost will increase by N1 per kilowatt for customers in R2 category from next month, and that the electricity Fixed Charge (FC), which was to rise to N1, 500 from 1st June in the MultiYear Tariff Order (MYTO) for 2014, will remain at N750 for some customers.

NERC had stated that some positive variables triggered the significant changes in the proposed tariff regime. For instance, whilst MYTO in 2012 had projected a 13 percent inflation rate, it was at 7.8 percent by March 30, a difference of 5.2 percent. Also, exchange rate of $1 to N178 from CBN data was 11.6 percent less than the projected, at N157.30 per $1 as at 30th March.

But the union insisted that most Nigerians are indifferent to all these terms, saying, “All they desire is stable and

affordable power supply.

Incidentally, since 1st November, 2013 when the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was ceded to 18 successor firms, electricity generation in the country has revolved around 3,000mw.

“Indeed power generation dropped from 4,105mw in April, to 3,674mw as at 24th May, 2014, according to the Daily Operational Report of the Transmission Company of Nigeria. It is, therefore, clear that the private sector investors have not performed any miracle to improve electricity supply; instead they are bent on imposing higher tariff on helpless Nigerians who are already paying exorbitant bills for power they do not consume.

“In the circumstance, we advise the commission not to

contemplate any increment in electricity tariff until there is appreciable stability in the sector across the country.”

The statement stressed that by encouraging the private investors to increase tariff for electricity that is not being supplied, government is lending credence to the belief in some quarters that the ‘so-called’ private companies were floated by the political elite to further impoverish the Nigerian people.

TUC therefore called on NERC to jettison the move or face the wrath of the Nigerian workers.

“We demand that NERC jettisons the idea or risk incurring the wrath of workers and other Nigerians. The proposed tariff hike is anti-people and antilabour. We therefore call on the management of the power firms and their regulator to have a rethink about it”, it said.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 BUSINESS

19

MAN laments power supply challenges in real sector HE Manufacturers T Association of Nigeria (MAN) in the South-East zone has expressed displeasure over the nation’s increasing electricity generation and supply challenges in spite of promises made by the Federal Government.

MAN expressed its displeasure in Awka on Wednesday at its 26th yearly general meeting attended by Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states.

The association also identified multiple taxation and levies by the Local, States and Federal Government as another major obstacle facing its members.

Earlier, Gov. Willie Obiano of anambra said that the state was reviewing its entire revenue base.

Obiano represented by the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Commerce, Ifeatu Onejeme, said trade and commerce would boom again in the state.

He said manufacturers and

businessmen left the state because of its security challenges, adding that their commitment in restoring the business status quo necessitated the all out war against criminals. ``We have 10 year revolutionary plan in this state and we want significant impact from MAN. ``Multiple taxation is a headache for the government here and we are cracking it down,” Obiano said.

Onejeme said that Obiano was absent as a result of his involvement in flagging of road constructions in Anambra East, Anambra West and Ayamelum Council areas.

In his Address, the chairman of MAN in the three states, Chief Azubuike Okafor, said that Nigerians had yet to benefit from the Federal Government promises.

According to him, power cost accounts for 30 per cent of manufacturers total cost of production and urged the

Federal Government to look at the power sector reform with a view to improving the situation.

Also, MAN wanted govern-

ments at all levels to actualise the earlier plan to ban tax contractors or consultants.

The National President of MAN, Dr Kola Jamodu, repre-

sented by the National VicePresident, Dr Frank Jacobs, said the zone had acquired a N100 million land for its secretariat.

However, he admitted that MAN had challenges but with the cooperation of the members and governments, they would overcome them.

“No premium, no cover” not for micro insurance, says NAICOM HE Commissioner for T Insurance, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Fola Daniel, yesterday said the ``no premium, no cover'' policy would not apply to micro insurance businesses.

Daniel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the policy would not affect micro insurance business because it was a growth area in the industry that needed to be encouraged.

He also said that though micro insurance dealt with a large number of people, the sum insured by it was always small. ``Traditionally, micro insurance products are never sold on credit. After the first premium deposits, subsequent ones are made easy. ``Under micro insurance, we are talking about designing simplified policy as low as N200,'' Daniel said.

The commissioner disclosed that some interests insured under micro insurance were already incurring losses but that their claims were being promptly settled.

He explained that ``no premium, no cover'' became necessary because of big corporate offices which were not giving priority to payment of premiums to renew their policies.

He decried the attitude of such organisations, saying that ``when they have an insured loss they rush to pay the premium and want it back dated so that they could make claims for losses. ``Over the years the huge amount of unpaid and outstanding premium in insurance companies’ financial reports became a problem for us as a regulator. ``With the enforcement of no premium no cover, l am certain that the 2013 accounts of the companies will come out neat,” he said.

Daniel said that if premiums were being paid, no insurance company would shy away from paying claims when losses on the insured occurred.

He said that Nigerians deserved the best of the insurance industry and that NAICOM was ready to ensure that they got it.

Standard Chartered Bank rewards customers inners have emerged in the first draws of W Standard Chartered Bank mega promotions held recently.

According to a statement, some of the bank’s customers who emerged winners in the bank’s promotions held in Lagos, recently include Lagos based Mrs. Teniade Macaulay and Engr. Erefaa Emine Tom-Jack, of Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

Precisely, the two winners went home with N1 million each while other prize winners include, Ajayi Oluyinka Timothy and Kess & Rilwan Momoh, both won iPads. Also, Eyitemi Mojuetan and Margaret O. Kitchener both won Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Some of the regulators present at the draws include Senior Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB), Mayowa Okuyiwa, Head of ICT at LSLB, Ozobialu Olisa, and

Deputy Manager, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Ita U. Calix.

Olojo assured customers and the public that Standard Chartered has a history of “transparency, integrity and an uncompromising stand in corporate governance. What we promise, we deliver.”

The Mega Promo will climax in August 2014 with a Cayenne Porsche SUV car as the star prize. Before the grand draws, there will also be another mini draw in June where two other persons will also win N1 million each.

Ipads will also be available for grabs.

To qualify for the grand draw, a customer needs to deposit and maintain a minimum daily balance of N50, 000:00 for three months.

Olojo stated that the “more times a customer deposits the eligible amount, the better his or her chances of getting rewarded.”

Former President, Institute of Directors, Thomas Awagu (left); Prof. Pat Utomi; Chief Executive Officer, Al Grain Foods, Anthony Obidulu and his wife, Nkechi, during the launching of Al Grain Noodles, in Lagos.

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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY Friday, May 30, 2014

U.S. GDP drops by 1% as economy contracted for first time since 2011 HE economy in the U.S. T contracted for the first time in three years from January through March as companies added to inventories at a slower pace and curtailed investment.

Gross domestic product fell at a 1 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, a bigger decline than projected, after a previously reported 0.1 percent gain, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. The last time the economy shrank was in the same three months of 2011.

The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.5 percent drop.

A pickup in receipts at retailers, stronger manufacturing and faster job growth indicate the first-quarter setback will prove temporary as pentup demand is unleashed.

Federal Reserve policy makers said at their April meeting that the economy has strengthened after adverse weather took its toll.

“We do have business investment picking up, the household sector is in pretty good shape with the labor market improving a bit,” Sam Coffin, an economist at UBS Securities LLC in New York, said before the report. “That combination of slightly braver businesses, slightly faster job growth, should add up to broader, better growth.”

Projections of the 79 economists surveyed by Bloomberg for GDP, the value of all goods and services produced, ranged from a decline of 0.9 percent to a gain of 0.7 percent. Today’s estimate was the second of three readings for the quarter, with the final release scheduled for June 25.

Companies boosted stockpiles by $49 billion in the first quarter, less than the $111.7 billion in the final three months of 2013. Inventories subtracted 1.62 percentage points from GDP from January to March, the most since the fourth quarter 2012. Slower inventory accumulation may encourage factories to step up production should demand accelerate.

“Growth in key indicators such as employment, income, and consumer spending have recently begun to improve from weather-affected levels earlier in the year,” Robert Niblock, the chief executive officer at home-improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos., said on a

May 21 earnings call.

“Performance has already improved in May, and continued improvement in the macroeconomic landscape and the consumer sentiment” help give the chain a positive outlook in 2014.

The economy in the second quarter will expand at a 3.5 percent rate, according to the median projection of 72 economists surveyed by Bloomberg from May 2 to May 7. For all of 2013, the economy expanded 1.9 percent after a 2.8 percent gain in the prior year.

Non-residential investment dropped at a 1.6 percent annualized rate. Companies reduced their spending on structures at a 7.5 percent pace, the biggest decrease in a year. Spending for equipment fell 3.1 percent, the most since the third quarter 2012.

Consumer purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, increased at a 3.1 percent annualized rate in the first quarter. The gain, which added 2.1 percentage points to GDP, was more than the previous estimate of 3 percent.

The increase reflected a stronger pace of spending on services, including utilities as colder winter weather prompted Americans to adjust their thermostats, than the previous three months.

Aside from spending on services, consumer demand for

goods cooled from the end of 2013, underscoring the importance of faster job and income growth in spurring the economy.

Employers added 288,000 workers in April following gains of 203,000 in March and 222,000 in February, according to the Labor Department.

Greensboro, North Carolinabased grocery chain Fresh Market Inc. was among com-

panies that experienced a pickup in demand once the weather improved.

“Comparable store sales in the month of February were tough due to weather-related interruptions and store closures,” Chief Executive Craig Carlock said in a May 22 earnings call. “Sales in March and April rebounded as we anticipated.”

Auto dealerships have also

been busier. Cars and light trucks sold in April at a 16 million annualized rate following a 16.3 million rate in March, after dropping as low as 15.2 million in January, according to data from Ward’s Automotive Group.

Housing has stabilized as well, with multifamily projects helping to push housing starts up 13.2 percent to a 1.07 million annualized rate in

April, the Commerce Department reported May 16.

Permits for future projects increased, a sign activity might accelerate in coming months.

Yesterday’s report offered a first look at corporate profits.

Earnings fell 9.8 percent in the first quarter from the previous three months, and declined 3 percent from the same period last year.

Exports declined at a 6 per-

Containers await departure as crews load and unload consumer products at the Port of New Orleans along the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Brazil mulls interest rate increase after elections RAZIL’S central bank sigB naled it may resume interest rate increases it interrupted yesterday, after presidential elections in October.

The bank’s board, led by its President Alexandre Tombini, said it decided “at this moment” to keep the Selic rate at 11 percent. Yesterday’s decision ended the world’s longest tightening cycle in the past year and was forecast by 46 of 53 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

“The language they used suggests this may just be a tactical pause,” Alberto Ramos, chief Latin America economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., said from New York.

“Inflation is not converging to target over the two-year horizon. After the elections, they will have to reevaluate.”

President Dilma Rousseff’s administration is struggling to tame inflation, which has remained above target for almost four years, without further jeopardizing growth.

(BZGDQOQ%) Higher prices are eroding consumer and business confidence. Under her watch, gross domestic product expanded at the slowest average pace for a Brazilian president since Fernando Collor, who stepped down in 1992.

Traders, who correctly predicted the central bank would keep rates unchanged yesterday, are betting the Selic may be raised as early as December, swap rates show.

Swap rates on the contract due in January 2015, the most traded in Sao Paulo today, fell 3 basis points, or 0.03 percent-

age point, to 10.86 percent at 9:03 a.m. local time. The real strengthened 0.1 percent to 2.2295 per U.S. dollar.

Consumer prices rose 6.31 percent in the 12 months through mid-May, the biggest gain in 10 months.

Analysts predict they will continue to accelerate to 6.47 percent by December, according to the median estimate in a central bank survey of economists published this week.

Policy makers target inflation of 4.5 percent, plus or minus a two percentage-point margin.

Wholesale, consumer and construction prices, as measured by the IGP-M index, fell 0.13 percent this month as a drop in raw materials helped offset gains in health care, apparel and construction

labor costs, the Getulio Vargas Foundation said on its website today. That was the first decrease in the IGP-M since November 2012.

The government will need to increase utility, fuel and transport prices that it had capped, fueling inflationary pressure and forcing the central bank to boost rates in 2015, said John Welch, macro strategist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

“They’ll have to undo all this repressed inflation,” Welch said by phone from Toronto.

“They have a very difficult task ahead of them.”

Higher prices and slower growth has reduced support for Rousseff’s re-election bid.

Her approval rating fell to 47 percent in May from 55 percent in November, according

to a May 15-19 Ibope poll.

Growth in Latin America’s biggest economy slowed to 0.2 percent in the first quarter over the three previous months, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 38 economists. The national statistics agency is scheduled to release its first-quarter growth report.

A slowing economy coupled with political constraints meant the rate increases had to end, said Enestor Dos Santos, principal economist at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria.

“There are always political costs involved when raising the benchmark rate,” Dos Santos said by phone before yesterday’s decision. “Now we are closer to the elections, and

Lifting oil export ban would spark U.S. economy, says report U.S. lawmakers reverse a IitF40-year ban on oil exports would add more than $1 trillion to government revenues through 2030, trim fuel prices, and add an average of more than 300,000 jobs a year, according to a report by an energy research group.

In one of the most optimistic assessments about unlocking U.S. crude exports, the IHS report said gasoline prices would fall some 8 cents a gallon because overturning the ban would pour crude onto oil markets and lower global fuel prices.

Government revenues from energy-related taxes and royalties would increase $1.3 trillion from 2016 to 2030. Jobs during that period, in both crude production and at oil field service companies, would rise an average of 340,000 a year and peak at an additional 964,000 in 2018, IHS said.

"This would be a significant economic stimulus that would be paid for by the private sector, not by the government - in fact the government would make a lot of money," Daniel Yergin, an energy historian and IHS

vice chairman, said in an interview.

Only Congress can fully reverse the restraint on exporting crude. Congress put the ban in place after price shocks from the 1973 Arab oil embargo led to the notion that the United States was running out of oil.

But supply worries have evaporated in recent years as directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have sparked an oil boom that promises to make the United States the world's biggest crude producer, ahead of both Saudi Arabia

and Russia.

Some energy policy analysts say environmentalists, who have been galvanized by the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline project, could be a wild card in the move to free up U.S. crude exports, which would bring higher domestic oil output.

Yergin said opening up U.S. exports would not hurt the global environment because it would not add to the amount of oil produced around the world. It would simply shut in exports from countries in the Middle East and other regions, he said.

This year no major legislation has surfaced to overturn the ban and few expect lawmakers to introduce any measures before the Nov. 4 midterm elections. Backers of any reversal would have to placate lawmakers from Northeastern states, where refineries are profiting by processing new bounties of crude from North Dakota's Bakken region.

But Russia's annexation of Crimea, as well as the potential economic benefits to federal and state governments, has begun to grab the attention of U.S. lawmakers,

Yergin said.

"The crisis in Ukraine has tilted the politics in a way that has caused a pivot," Yergin said. "It's realized now that the ability to export oil is an additional dimension to America's role in the world. It enhances our position and influence."

In the midst of Russia's confrontation with Ukraine and the potential it has for cutting supplies of natural gas and crude to Europe many U.S. lawmakers have been calling for quick approvals of more U.S. energy exports.

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Briefs Enterprise Bank holds party for children Bank’s month-long Children Banking Month ended ETheNTERPRISE on May 27, with a big party for children in Lagos. programme, which began in the first week of May, was not

just celebrated with fanfare alone, as the bank through its flagship savings account platform for children called Enterprise Stars Account, dedicated the entire month to child education, especially as it relates to early financial literacy.

During the period, an estimated 6,000 pupils and students from primary schools all over the country visited branches of the bank nationwide where they were taken through the operations of the bank and taught different areas of banking operation, including account opening, the importance of cash-less banking, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) among others. Officials of the bank also visited over 310 schools across the country where they replicated the teachings and distributed gift items as a way of supporting pupils in the schools that could not visit the bank on an excursion during the period.

A statement from the Corporate Communications Department of the bank, signed by Igwe U. Igwe, said: “Enterprise Stars Account on which the activities of the programme are tied around is specifically designed to provide a savings platform for children.

“The account is designed for children between the ages of 0 – 18.

To open and run the account is also made easy. It requires that the parents or guardians of the children run the accounts on behalf of their children until they are 18, when they can legally take over the accounts.”

Crusader Sterling pensioners to get benefits every three weeks

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo ETIREES in the country who entrust their pension funds with the Crusader Sterling Pensions have been assured of receiving their benefits every three weeks.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director of Crusader Sterling Pensions, Mr Adeniyi Falade, at a forum held in Lagos to educate the retirees on how to get their pension benefit at when due.

Falade said the forum was organised to educate them on the development in the industry.

“You entrusted your pension funds in our hands and that is why we have created a forum to let you know what is going on in the industry. The system is working, and we will continue to work.”

“This is to establish sustainable, simple and transparent pension system provide assurance and to ensure that every worker receives retirement benefit as at when due,” he said.

He said most workers in the private sector are not covered by any form of retirement benefit arrangements.

Falade said Crusaders Sterling Pensions established an effective regulatory and supervisory framework benefit to enhance savings culture, safeguard in contributory pension establishment of tripartite arrangement between PFA, Custodian and PENCOM. He further noted that, “to prevent fraud, the presence of regulator, presence of custodian and mobility of pin, the necessary checks and balances have been put in place.”

“PENCOM has appointed 173 firms as recovery agents to recover outstanding pensions contribution and this is to ensure that employers remit all outstanding payments.”

He also charged the retirees on their death benefits that they should write their Will so that pension funds administrators could apply the amount in favour of the beneficiary under a Will to the recorded next of kin or any person designated by him in his or her lifetime.

R

School gives scholarship to brilliant indigent students RACE Schools Gbagada, has underscored its commitment G to providing qualitative education to indigents and the less privileged in the society. The Administrator of the school, Mrs Tokunbo Edun says the school is committed to providing educational scholarship to indigent students in order to support parents who are financially incapacitated to sponsor the education of their children.

Edun who said the annual indigent scholarship award was instituted in 2004 said it is the desire of the school to meet the needs of the affected students where it matters most. The scholarship scheme since it started ten years ago has produced several students some of whom were sponsored to higher institutions.

The scholarship scheme was named after the school’s founder Deaconess Grace Bisola Osinowo whose poor background informed the desire of the school to support the less privileged.

The educationist also added that the school equally provides education infrastructures and equipment such as tables chairs, computer, textbooks and other resources to support some public schools. This is part of the corporate social responsibility of the school to contribute its own meaningful quota to the development of education.

The indigent students scholarship scheme is opened to students who have finished JSS class with traits of academic brilliance and they must come from government public schools and also from a less privileged home.

The scholarship is opened to three students annually and the school has committed millions of naira to provide full scholarship including boarding to the students.

Administrator of Grace School Gbagada Lagos, Mrs. Tokunbo Edun with some beneficiaries of the school’s indigent students scholarship scheme.

Friday, May 30, 2014 METROEXTRA

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Four traditional rulers, 11 others arraigned over permanent voters’ card theft From John Akubo, Lokoja OUR traditional rulers Fallegedly and 11 others, who were caught making away with some permanent voters’ cards being distributed by Independent National Electoral Commission in Kogi State have been arraigned in court by the police in Lokoja.

The traditional rulers are Mallam Ibrahim Mamud, the Okatama of Jamata and a third class chief, Alh Jubril Idris, the Ogidiga of Ohono, Mallam Musa Abu, the Ohiho of Iziho and Mallam Shaibu Momoh, the Ohiho of Gbaude Others are Hon Musa Adekeke, Musa Amodu, Gambo Audu, Yakubu Alli, Salisu Musa, among others The suspects were arrested variously last Friday and Saturday and were detained and later arraigned before a chief magistrate court on Tuesday According to the police First Information Report,

the traditional rulers were charged for trying to truncate the 2015 general election, criminal conspiracy, screening offence, and theft contrary to section 97(e), 167, 287 of the penal code law When the case came up for mention, the police prosecution said one Buki Ezekiel of the B Police Division, Lokoja reported that the suspects attacked one INEC official by name Onwajeheri Gabriel who was issuing permanent voters card to members of the public at Ijiho Primary School.

He alleged that the suspects, in their bid to truncate the forthcoming general election, conspired and forcefully carted away a carton containing some permanent voters’ cards.

He said about 433 cards were later recovered by the police from the accused persons while 535 cards are still missing The prosecution indicated that based on the weight of

the offence committed and the fact that police have not concluded their investigations, the accused persons should be remanded in prison custody.

All the 15 accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty before the police.

Counsels to the accused persons Barrister Moses Enwerem who led three others to appear for the 1st- 6th accused persons and one Barrister M J Samuel who led one other for the 7th- 15th accused persons opposed the submission of the police prosecution for the fact that the offence was not capital and ordinarily bail-able.

Samuel said the traditional rulers were not arrested by the police but were only arrested when they volunteered to make peace in their respective domains.

He said they were at home as at the time the incidence happened adding that they retrieved the stolen voters cards from the actual suspects who made away with the cards.

He said the councillor among them also came at the instance of the traditional rulers who he came to bail, but was also detained.

While pleading for the bail of the accused persons, he said the traditional rulers were men of honour and high standing in the society who will never abdicate their thrones all in a bid to jump bail The trial judge, Levi Animaku, having listened to the submissions of the prosecution and the counsels said bail is a constitutional matter and the right of the accused persons He said the court was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the traditional rulers were men of integrity most of who he said are advanced in aged, and therefore granted the accused bail in the sum of N30,000 with a surety in the like sum He then adjourned the case to June 23, for further mention.

Chris Oyakhilome donates 3,000 solar-powered lanterns to AAU students From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin O fulfill his promise of assisting students who stay in the hostel of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, President, Believers’ Love World, popularly known as Christ Embassy, Rev. Chris Oyakhilomhe, has distributed 3,000 solar-powered lanterns to all hostel residents.

Oyakhilome had last January, when he handed over a 650-seater capacity multipurpose hall to the school, promised to provide solarpowered lanterns to all the students in the hostel and to also install solar-powered street-lights in all hostel paths to improve power supply in the hostel. The lantern has a solar panel, radio, a large bulb and a compartment for charging cell phones, among other functions.

Represented by the pastor in charge of the South-East region of the church, Pastor Ambrose Isesele, Oyakhilome said the donation was geared towards improving the quality of lives of the students, adding that the long-term measure would be the instal-

T

Vice Chancellor, Prof.(Mrs) Cordelia Agbabaku (right) receiving solar powered lanterns from Pastor Ambrose Isesele lation of solar- powered street akhilomhe Foundation was established for purpose of light in the entire hostel area, changing the world, espebilled to commence soon. cially the world of the youths.

He said he was passionate He expressed hopes that the about the education and fuschool would soon take its ture of the young people, rightful place among other hence, has constantly pionations’ tertiary institutions neered initiatives and conferin terms of infrastructure. ences to empower them.

Oyakhilome is an alumnus He said the Chris Oy-

of the university and expressed willingness to always assist the university whenever an opportunity comes.

The State Commissioner for Higher Education, Washington Osifo eulogized Rev. Oyakhilome for his contributions to the growth and development of his alma mater, and expressed profound gratitude to him for the donation.

He challenged other alumni of the university, including himself, to emulate the kind gesture of the Love World president, adding that contributions of alumni were crucial to the development of the university.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Cordelia Agbebaku, described the donation as unprecedented, commended him and challenged other alumni to follow the footsteps of Oyakhilome.

The president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Michael Oriekose, lauded the donor, said “the donation was a demonstration of what a true alumnus represents.”

Students remember Chibok girls as Bi-Courtney fetes them on Children’s Day

By Kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku T was fun, yet an emotional Children’s Day celebration for students and pupils of some selected schools in Lagos State as Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, in conjunction with Lacasera, Dansa, Esperenza, Infinity Foods, Ranona and Mimee Noodles, honoured and celebrated children who they referred as “leaders and heroes of tomorrow.”

Held at the conference room of Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Ikeja, Lagos with lots of dances, performances by the children and lots to eat and drink, the event which had the presence of eight schools, namely Queen Mary School, Ojota; Jefad School, Shasha; Camp David School, Ogba; Airforce Base Secondary School, Ikeja; Green Spring School, Anthony Campus; Harrobs College, Ketu; Legacy High School, Egbeda and Elyon-Charis Montessori, Isheri-Olofin all in

I

Lagos State, saw the children dedicate a prayer session for the safety and safe release of the over 200 abducted schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.

They were also given a career talk titled: “Aviation and its Potential,” by aviation professionals.

The children also showcased a banner calling for the release of the abducted schoolgirls and also rendered a music solely composed by them over the Chibok girls.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Operating Officer, BiCourtney Aviation Services, Mrs. Adebisi Awoniyi said that the celebration was very important and crucial to the lives of children in the country and particularly, owing to what some school children are passing through in the hands of the dreaded insurgent group, Boko Haram in the northern part of the country.

According to her: “Apart

from the fact that children’s day has now become a tradition whereby we celebrate the children…and for me, celebrating them once in a year is not even enough because they are the future of tomorrow and then, this particular children’s day is quite important to us in view of what is happening in the country regarding the Chibok girls. So, we just felt that this could be a nice forum to invite so many of the schools to come together, so that at least we can bond with the children and to also send a message that we are very, very much praying for the girls.”

A student of Airforce Base Secondary School, Agba Amokeye Esther called on government to intensify efforts in the search and rescue of the kidnapped girls and reunite them with their parents and loved ones. She noted that she feels bad celebrating the children’s day while the girls are

somewhere in the bush going through a lot of torture and trauma.

The career talks on Aviation was given by Director of Air Worthiness, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Engr.

Chris Kwasu; Head, Operation Control Centre, Dana Airlines, Mr. Anthony Ogedegbi and Head of Maintenance, Azman Airline, Engr. Ebi Siawe.

After only a few of the children raised their hands when asked how many of them would like to take up career in aviation, the children were urged to develop interest and passion in the industry admonishing them that if not for anything, the profession is lucrative and the employees are well catered for. They were however informed that they cannot become any professional in the sector which included among others, pilots and aeronautical engineers who maintains the flight if they are not good in science subjects.

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Weekend

A scorecard for democracy Arts & Culture . 36

AMAA 2014…

Celebrating 10 years of film excellence

Autowheels

Volvo commences launching programme for all-new XC90

–P.47

Aviation Business

Senate committee tasks aviation parastatals on completion of projects

–P.50

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28 WEEKEND Friday, May 30 , 2014

15 years of democracy: Gains,

House of Representatives in session

It’s been 15 years since Nigeria began its third democratic experiment. The Federal Government yesterday, May 29, observed the official Democracy Day, a date that does not resonate with many Nigerians. But despite growing criticisms over the way certain issues are being handled, and the insecurity in some parts of the country, the government insists that there is still cause to celebrate, ROTIMI LAWRENCE OYEKANMI reports.

UNDRY arguments are now flying about in Sonboth the local and international media and many online platforms, over the level of progress attained since 1999, when Nigeria embarked on its third democratic voyage.

After attaining independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria has had two other voyages – the first, from 1960 to 1966 and the second, from 1979 to 1983. The Military truncated both voyages under controversial circumstances and held on to power for 28 years.

The arguments are bound to get fiercer, even dirtier, when the measurement focuses on May 6, 2010 when Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, from Otuoke in Bayelsa state, assumed power.

And as the citizens so inclined joined the federal government to observe the official Democracy Day yesterday, all manner of comments have flooded the market. Critics like the All Progressives Congress (APC), a political party that some academics have described as a congregation of strange bedfellows, have understandably been knocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on all fronts.

But while criticisms are permitted and are currently not short in supply, alternative solutions to all mentioned problems have generally been lacking. Nigerians, in any case, have since learnt that politicians often criticise policies for selfish rather than selfless reasons, especially when such policies directly affect their interests.

However, there are good reasons why Nigerians are now very worried. Of all the problems confronting the country at the moment, three stand out: Insecurity, personified by the protracted Boko Haram insurgency; corruption – an-age long problem that has refused to go away and then unemployment, now very rampant among the youths.

Deficits in infrastructure, especially in the area of power supply have affected manufacturing companies negatively too, increasing production costs and reducing profits. The high interest rates in the financial sector are not helping matters. While the banks are declaring fat profits and paying their shareholders generous dividends, the business sector is groaning under lack of access to funds, which is essential for businesses to grow. The banks charge between 26 and 28 per cent interest on

loans, and are unwilling to invest in long-term projects.

Thus, the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are essential to drive the economy are finding it difficult to survive, due to lack of funds to expand. Even those that have been courageous enough to secure bank loans barely have anything to show, after honouring their bank commitments. Some have had to reduce their staff strength drastically and those that could not cope, caved in.

Although, the Boko Haram uprising predates Jonathan’s administration, the federal government’s response to it has constantly come under attack. While the government has severally rejected such criticisms, insisting that it was doing its best to counter the insurgency and assuring citizens of the military’s capability to deal with the situation, attacks by the sect have become more ferocious. This year alone, as at May 20, the sect has carried out more than 10 attacks. On January 14, 31 people were killed and over 50 injured by the sect’s suicide bombers in Maiduguri. A month later, on February 25, about 29 teenage boys were massacred at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi.

This is coming on the heels of two previous deadly attacks, back in July and September 2013, when 42 people, mostly students were killed in a school in Yobe and 40 other male students murdered at the College of Agriculture, Gubja respectively.

But it was the April 14 kidnapping of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School in Chibok, on the outskirts of Maiduguri in Bornu State by the sect, that has now attracted global attention. That singular act, coupled with the

foreign media’s badmouthing of government’s handling of the issue, were all the encouragement the critics needed to pummel the federal government.

However, the Defence Headquarters reacted sharply to a New York Times’ May 23 report, which gave the impression that the Military was hampering the hunt for the kidnapped girls. It described the report as “reckless, unprofessional” and aimed at disparaging and rubbishing the relentless efforts of the troops in the search and rescue operations to free the girls.

The Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako has also been unsparing in criticizing government’s handling of the crisis. He has accused the troops of allegedly carrying out genocide in the north, attracting scathing criticisms from many Nigerians in the process.

On corruption, critics have also been unrelenting. Ironically, every administration in the country, whether military or civilian, from 1960 to the present, has been accused of the same thing. In some cases, critics have even given their ratings. While some have alleged that the Ibrahim Babangida administration (1985 to 1993) was “the most corrupt,” a charge Babangida has consistently denied, others have insisted that it was Sani Abacha’s. On the other hand, while Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s administration (1979 – 1983) was adjudged by certain observers as “the most corrupt civilian administration,” others are still insisting that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration (1999 – 2007) was “more corrupt.” The yardstick for measurement has been as controversial as they are confounding.

In Jonathan’s case, the term, “body language,”

Deficits in infrastructure, especially in the area of power supply have affected manufacturing companies negatively too, increasing production costs and reducing profits. The high interest rates in the financial sector are not helping matters. While the banks are declaring fat profits and paying their shareholders generous dividends, the business sector is groaning under lack of access to funds, which is essential for businesses to grow. The banks charge between 26 and 28 per cent interest on loans, and are unwilling to invest in long-term projects. Thus, the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are essential to drive the economy are finding it difficult to survive due lack of funds to expand

was even introduced. Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was credited with having first said that Jonathan’s body language was encouraging corruption. Some cases have been cited in this regard.

When on February 20, the federal government removed Mr. Lamido Sanusi as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), critics quickly attributed it to Sanusi’s revelation of the missing $20 billion oil money, which he insisted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had failed to remit to the federation account.

In fact, the Economist, an international magazine, accused the President of not doing enough to tackle corruption. In its article, Trouble in Nigeria, the magazine stated among others, “not only has Mr. Jonathan signaled his unwillingness to tackle the rampant corruption that is eating away at his country, he has also scared foreign investors and presented an open goal to his political enemies.”

Interestingly, many foreign media outfits have accused various administrations in the country of the same thing.

Other scandals soon followed. An allegation that some agencies under the Ministry of Aviation, purchased two BMW armoured cars at $1.6 million for the former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, which eventually led to her being dropped, dominated the political space for a while. Another allegation is currently rocking the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, involving its Minister, Diezani Alison – Madueke.

Significantly however, nobody has so far accused Jonathan personally of corrupt enrichment. Instructively, the House of Representatives had, itself, been enmeshed in corruption scandals in the recent past.

Remember Farouk Lawan, Mr Integrity, who was accused of allegedly obtaining $620,000 bribe from Mr Femi Otedola, the Chairman of Zenol Petroleum and Gas Limited? Lawan had, in January 2012, chaired the House’s committee that investigated fuel subsidies. The committee released its report in April of the same year, revealing a huge scam. By February, 2013, he had been charged with allegedly obtaining the bribe money from Otedola.

Remember, also, the scandal involving the

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expectations, disappointments House Committee on Capital Market in 2012, when the Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh, accused the committee’s chairman, Herman Hembe of allegedly asking the commission to contribute N39 million for the botched public hearing. Oteh also accused the Hembe of allegedly collecting estacode for a foreign trip, which he never embarked on. Oteh had been under the committee’s investigation for allegedly spending N850,000 at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja on food in one day, an additional N30,000 on accommodation and other sundry infractions, before she turned the heat on Hembe Criticise, but be fair Oronto Douglas, a lawyer, is the President’s Special Adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy. “I am not saying you should not criticize Goodluck Jonathan,” he said, referring to the President’s formidable army of critics,” but I am saying, please, acknowledge his achievements as well.” Asked to show what those achievements are, Douglas brought out several documents to buttress his point. “Facts, they say, are sacred,” he mused. “So here are the facts.”

The publication, titled Before and After, among several other documents, captures what Jonathan’s administration has achieved since 2010. It stated, for instance, that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $169 billion in 2009 but had hit $283 billion in 2013. Food imports, before Jonathan, was $ 1.1 trillion but “is now less than N700 billion.”

The market value of stocks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange had been “N9.92 trillion in 2009,” but went up to “N13.23 trillion” last year. And contrary to the assertion that foreign investors were scared of coming to the country, the book affirmed that approximately $7 billion worth of foreign investments flowed into Nigeria in 2013.

Not only that, Douglas assured that in the health sector, transformation was also taking place. Life expectancy for an average Nigerian, “before Jonathan was 47 years, but it is now 52 years.” In the oil sector, he stated, there are now 400 Nigerian-owned crude oil transportation tankers, compared to less than 60 in 2009. There is also some 75 per cent improvement in the domestic gas supply “as a result of the emergency gas supply programme.”

The volume of crude oil production by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC) has risen to “130,000 barrels per day, compared to nothing before now.”

Douglas continued: “Seven days – that is how long it takes now to clear trouble-free cargo down from 39 days before.” Reason?

“The number of agencies at the ports has been reduced from 13 to 7, streamlining bureaucratic and financial requirements for clearance.”

In the transport sector, the book stated that five million Nigerians are now being ferried to different destinations by rail, compared to one million people a few years ago. Besides, it asserted that the last time the country’s airport infrastructure were rehabilitated was some 30 years ago. But now, under Jonathan, “22 federally-owned airports are being remodeled and renovated, resulting in improved passenger experience.”

In the agricultural sector there has been an increase of “1.07 million metric tonnes in farm outputs, following the introduction of dry season farming through irrigation in the 10 northern states of Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Nigeri, Kogi and Bauchi in 2013.”

About $1.2 billion, the book affirmed, was saved in foreign exchange through local sufficiency in cement production.

Douglas also explained that in the health sector, “433, 650 lives were saved under the Saving One Million Lives initiative from November 2012 to June 2013, through scaling up of six cost-effective interventions, including maternal and child health, nutrition, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, provision of essential commodities, malaria control, routine immunization and eradication of polio.

“There was also no new Type 3 wild polio virus infection recorded in Nigeria in the last one year – the first time ever – while there was also no guinea worm infection.”

The publication, titled Before and After, among several other documents, captures what Jonathan’s administration has achieved since 2010. It stated, for instance, that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $169 billion in 2009 but had hit $283 billion in 2013.

Food imports, before Jonathan, was $ 1.1 trillion but “is now less than N700 billion.” The market value of stocks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange had been “N9.92 trillion in 2009,” but went up to “N13.23 trillion” last year. And contrary to the assertion that foreign investors were scared of coming to the country, the book affirmed that approximately $7 billion worth of foreign investments flowed into Nigeria in 2013 Douglas also affirmed that in terms of economic management, the federal government was continually improving. He explained that by 2013, per capita income increased to $1721 from $1091 in 2009; non – oil exports jumped from N1.5 trillion before Jonathan to N1.45 trillion in the first quarter of 2012, while oil revenues moved up to N1.43 trillion from N848 billion five years ago.

Tax revenues were also put at N4.8 trillion in 2013, up from N2.1 trillion in 2009.

On roads, the document revealed that while the reconstruction of the Apapa/Oshodi expressway was nearing completion; the Onitsha-Owerri /Vom-Manchok roads and the Oweto bridge across River Benue have now been completed.

The Kano-Maiduguri and Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road “are undergoing dualisation.”

On water resources, Douglas affirmed: “Nearly 70 per cent of Nigerians now have access to portable water. Seven water supply projects have been completed, providing additional 4.3 million

Mark

President Goodluck Jonathan taking his oath of office

Nigerian with access to portable water.

“Significant progress has been made on major projects such as the South Chad, the Bakoloru Irrigation and the Galma Dam projects. Nine dams have been completed in Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Enugu and Ondo states, to increase volume of the nation’s water reservoir by 422 mcm.

“Over 200, 000 hectares of land have been irrigated, leading to the increased production of over 400,000 metric tones of food products” In the manufacturing sector, the book stated that Jonathan launched the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIOR) on the entire value chain of the sub –sector, such as agro-processing, cassava for wheat flour and other products.

The government has also “developed the sugar Master Plan to provide a roadmap for 100 percent production of sugar.”

With regard to the education sector, the document noted that 27 special girls’ schools were

Tambuwal

under construction in 27 states; 12 new federal universities were established; 101 individuals have been awarded the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESSID), while enrollment at the basic education level increased to 30 million.

It added: “over 100 Innovation Enterprise Institutions have been licensed to provide alternative access to higher education through technical and vocational education and training. The federal government has sponsored 7,000 lecturers of federal and state owned tertiary institutions for postgraduate studies home and abroad to improve the quality of instruction.

“Over 750,000 students are now enrolled in the Colleges of Education from less than 500, 000, while laboratories in 51 Federal and State Polytechnics have been rehabilitated.

“In 2013 alone, the Federal Government rehabilitated 352 laboratories and constructed 72 new libraries in the Federal Unity Schools; 58 micro – teaching laboratories were constructed in 58 federal and state Colleges of Education.”

Even in Sports, Douglas insisted that the Jonathan also recorded some achievements. He said: “Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, that had not been won since 1994. We won two medals in the World Athletics Championship last year: no medal had been won since 2000. Our Golden Eaglets also won the U-17 World Cup also in 2013. The last time we won it was in 2007.”

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BusinessRound-Up

In association with

S.AFRICA'S CABINET COULD COST TAXPAYERS BILLIONS

By Trust Matsilele

medium and micro-enterprise costing the country 30 million rand, it would be better to resident Jacob Zuma’s bloated cabinet has take that amount and start a seed fund for been criticised because it could cost taxsmall businesses from which they can borpayers over a billion rand in salaries. row and start business.”

A third of the ruling African National ConRossouw added that, it would take the curgress (ANC) parliamentarians are in Zuma’s rent cabinet a year for each minister to figure overstuffed cabinet either as ministers or out his or her responsibilities as the cabinet deputy ministers. was too large.

Jannie Rossouw, head of the Economic and “The minister should deregulate the labour Business Sciences School at the University of market for small businesses and get rid of the Witwatersrand said the cabinet would un- red tape that small businesses are subject to.” necessarily cost the country over a billion However, Xolani Qubeka, chief executive ofrand per year in salaries. ficer of the Small Business Development InZuma appointed Lindiwe Zulu, his former in- stitute said it was important for industry ternational relations advisor to a new minplayers to give the ministry time to formuistry, the small business development, late necessary policies to make this departgenerating attacks especially from members ment effective. of the academia.

“As this is a new ministry it is important for “I don’t think we are going to see any rethe minister to spend some time consulting wards, as it stands we have 35 ministers and 37 so as to ensure the bases under which the deputies,” Rossouw told CNBC Africa. ministry is operating from,” Qubeka said.

Small, medium and micro-entreprises con“We need to look at all instruments aimed at tribute more than 40 per cent of total GDP economic transformation and economic deand account for more than 60 per cent of all velopment so as to make sure that every employment in South Africa. piece of legislation talks to what we need to “Rather than having a ministry of small, achieve.”

P

President Zuma's cabinet salary bill expected to exceed one billion rand per annum.

PHOTO: ANCLive

NIGERIA’S MUSIC INDUSTRY SET TO HIT A HIGH NOTE

By Dara Rhodes IGERIA’S music industry is without N a doubt the most dominant in Africa however the sector has had to

Listed property more liquid than buy-to-let investments

LISTED PROPERTY MORE LIQUID THAN BUY-TO-LET INVESTMENTS

By Trust Matsilele property is better comLgivesISTED pared to buy-to-let property as it access to some prime assets in the country.

“There are assets as an individual investor one cannot have access to but listed property affords an investor with that access,” Kundayi Munzara, director and fund manager at Sesfikile Capital told CNBC Africa.

“You also get top management with a hundred per cent dedication to managing these assets which includes managing directors, chief financial officers among others,” he added.

Munzara noted that listed property had done just under four per cent this year while, equities had

done about 7.8 per cent demonstrating how well listed property has been performing.

“The real issue is the tapering that’s happening in the United States which is affecting all interest rates sensitive assets consequently affecting listed property.”

“The real question that investors should have is the underlying operations and from where we see the operations are fine,” he posited.

Munzara said, listed property was currently giving investors a 7.6 per cent yield growing at 8.5 per cent for the next two years.

He also posited that the real issue was how sustainable and how riskier earnings from listed property were for an aspiring investor adding that most of those earnings

were backed by strong leases to strongest companies.

“Once you have made a decision on what kind of investment one aspires it’s imperative to speak to a financial advisor.”

According to Moneyweb report, the sector is expected to see a number of new listings during the year since the new South African Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) will offer significant tax benefits.

According to the 3PM Investments, the South African listed property sector consists of fice Property Unit Trusts (PUT’s) and 20 Property Loan Stocks (PLS’s).

"These are companies that manage a portfolio of properties, across the various sectors of the economy – retail, office and industrial. There is a very small residential component."

works have been critical to the growth story. Ten years ago, they wanted nothing to do with [the industry], but now MTN, Airtel and Etisalat are becoming major platforms for artists. This is where they can derive value.”

He believes that music is a special business because it’s emotional and music channels such as Trace TV and other entertainment channels are essential to reach a critical mass for artists.

“It’s a very glamorous business so a lot of youths think they can make an album, shoot a video and next week, they are driving a Bentley. It is far from that but rather, it’s work and hard effort,” he added.

overcome numerous challenges.

The industry produces over 550 albums of different kinds of music annually, record sales have more than tripled in the past five years and industry stakeholders have projected that the country’s entertainment industry would hit one billion dollars by 2016.

“It’s been an incredible growth. Going back five to ten years ago, artists were flying okadas as we call it, going to shows and they were really being paid like slaves,” Sam Onyemelukwe, managing director at Trace TV told CNBC Africa.

According to homespun statistics, global annual Nigerian live performance revenues reached around 105 million dollars and despite the several infrastructural problems and copyright issues, the industry continues to thrive.

“Now, you have artists that won’t lift a finger without getting proper pay.

That’s just the tip of the ice burg, the growth has gone well beyond that to opportunities in digital media to exploiting their music, their videos and their content,” he said.

According to Obi Asika, the CEO of Storm Records which is a leading record label company in Nigeria, mobile operators generated 150 million dollars selling pop music ringtones and other music related services in 2011.

Onyemelukwe further explained this Nigeria's music industry is the most domiaspect of the industry, “Mobile netnant in Africa.

PHOTO: Getty images

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INTERVIEW

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Nine Days Is Actually Quite Generous - Mustafa Chike-obi The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria recently received 25 expressions of interest for Mainstreet Bank, one of the three banks bridged by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation in 2011. CNBC Africa’s ESTHER UGBODAGA caught up with Mustafa Chike- Obi, Managing Director and CEO of AMCON for an update on the sale of these banks.

domestic partners but it added up to 25 and I find it very humorous that people are saying there was not enough time. There was enough time.

Esther: How long did it take for the investors to submit their Expressions of interests?

Chike-Obi: We gave them nine days. Nine days is actually quite generous.

Esther: That’s not what the general consensus is. I don’t know how long it takes but analysts say one week was too short.

Chike- Obi: They are thinking nine days is short because they think it’s the entire process. This is just step one.

Esther: But did the investors themselves complain that the nine days was insufficient?

Chike-Obi: No we do not know of any serious investor that has complained. In fact, we have someone who is a trader in Aba, selling vegetables, who had enough time to express an interest. So, we believe that all the serious investors had plenty of time to tell us who they are. Now, there’s another stage. There’s a due diligence stage with which people are confusing with this EOI stage, where people have four to six weeks to go to the bank, look at data, talk to the management after the submission of the EOI so, the process continues till about September 15th and we think there’s plenty of time for any serious investor to come up and express a bid for the bank which is what we were trying to accomplish.

Chike-obi Esther: Well, you’ve said it’s a mix of both process is very simple. You ask for expresforeign and local investors, we don’t know STHER: Bring us up to speed on the sale of sions of interest. Expressions of interests are who has the stronger bid right now but the banks. Well, we are focusing on Mainstreet bank but first of all, why has it taken this not binding, they are not very stringent, they what are your expectations in terms of how there so we just know who these people are, this will turn out? Will you rather have the long to get to this stage? why they want to buy a bank and whether bank back in the hands of a local investor?

Chike- Obi: Well, as you know, when these they in fact have the resources to buy the Chike- Obi: There’s no bid right now. We banks were bridged in August 2011, the intenbank. are not asking for bids, we are asking for the tion was that AMCON divests its interest as soon as practical. One of the things we wanted Esther: And it’s open to both foreign and lo- people to say who they are and why they are cal investors? interested in the bank. The bidding will to make sure was that the banks stable and I Chike-Obi: It’s open to both foreign and do- come probably six or eight weeks from tomust commend the management of those mestic investors. day so there’s no bid. Nobody is able to banks, they’ve done a very good job to the do of them, you know 25 you So have Esther: make a bid because they have to go to the point where we can now consider divesting data room and check all the documents and them. We had to wait for the banks to stabilise, how many foreign and how many local innumbers and see how the bank is doing. we had to wait for the management to do what vestors are bidding for Mainstreet Bank?

We 50-50. probably it’s say, I’ll Chike-Obi: The reason for the EOI phase is to make sure we wanted them to do and create value for at put them in three groups. There are foreign that you do not sure that you don’t inunleast AMCON. We feel that we are at that stage, date a bank with 100 people, many of which we are divesting them one at a time because we banks of which I believe there are four or are unserious, to go and interfere with the feel it’s best to do it sequentially and the divest- five, then there are the domestic banks, I think there are four or five of those too, then, banks operations so, we do this to make ment of Enterprise Bank is almost concluded you have the investor groups. The investor sure that the people that are left are serious and so Mainstreet was picked as the second groups tend to be a mixture of foreign and and then, you go to the due diligence phase one and we’ve just started the process. The

E

where the bids emerge from. To answer your question, AMCON has its own objective which is to maximise sale price but to also minimise any destruction to the financial system in terms of laying off employees, in terms of cannibalising assets so we have to make sure we get the highest price but we want people who would actually grow and run these institutions. That’s our objectives but there is a more important objective which is a regulatory objective which is in the hands of CBN, in some ways, the ministry of finance and in some ways, the presidency that want to make sure that the people that buy these banks are people who are actually fit and proper to run a bank, that’s not AMCON’s expertise. We will focus on selling four or five names of people who give us the best price and people who can run the bank, then the regulators will decide from the four or five, those who are qualified.

Esther: Okay, now since the bank was bridged or was taken over by AMCON, there have been some labour issues. As the bank progresses into being bought by new investors, have those issues been resolved because it’s becoming a trend in Nigeria when you want to sell a major asset and then there are labour issues involved.

Has that been settled?

Chike-Obi: I think that labour issues are very important and I think that all employees in these cases must be taken care of. I believe that most of the labour issues of the three bridged banks, were concentrated on Mainstreet bank.

I believe the management have done an excellent job of resolving most of those issues. I think that there are one or two issues left unresolved but I think that by the time, this is concluded, those issues would have been resolved.

Esther: What about the depositors of the banks? Ordinary Nigerians who have huge deposits with these banks, are they being carried along because at the end of the tunnel, we might probably be looking at a change of name, so are they being carried along and being told that this is just a normal process, it doesn’t mean they are going to lose their deposits?

Chike- Obi: I’m glad you said that and this is an opportunity for me to say to the depositors, this is just a divestment from AMCON. There’ll be new owners who are better equipped to run those banks and in fact, your banks will end up being in a stronger position than when AMCON was the sole owner so yes, it’s important to let depositors know that everything will be fine, we are just divesting to someone who is actually better and stronger than us to run these banks.

LEADERSHIP VACUUM THREATENS KENYA’S CAPITAL MARKETS

By Trust Matsilele crisis is looming in Kenya’s capital markets after diATheMAJOR rectors at the CMA failed to have their contracts renewed.

Capital Markets Authority (CMA) also saw its chairperson, Kung’u Gatabaki exiting the regulatory agency.

Appointed by former president Mwai Kibaki, the Standard Digital News reported that Gatabaki will be forced to step down this Friday after three years at the helm of the regulator.

CMA is a statutory agency charged with the responsibility of regulating and developing efficient capital markets in Kenya.

Responding to the looming crisis, Steve Biko, director of Hidalgo Group told CNBC Africa that the administration’s refusal to renew directors’ contracts could be informed by government’s desire to employ loyalists to fill the positions at the CMA. “The current administration is either looking for new directors who will be able to push its agenda or indeed they need to amalgamate the three agencies is what is actually pending,” said Biko.

“I believe we need to understand what the current adminis-

tration was trying to do in terms of bringing reforms in the financial sector. When President Uhuru Kenyatta took over he promised to amalgamate a couple of parastatals and government agencies that had duplicate roles.”

Biko added that the CMA falls under the scope [of consolidation] in terms of the proposed reforms.

Kenyatta’s government has refused to renew contracts of three directors due to moves by the administration to have a consolidated financial sector regulator.

The Kenyan government’s proposed reforms will see the financial sector remaining with one clear agency in terms of streamlining and managing the financial sector as to avoid conflicting legislative regime.

“The taskforce that has been appointed by the president is meant to ensure that there is no conflict in legislative framework being passed by different players in the financial sectors,” said Biko.

Agencies at play in the financial sector are the regulatory insurance, the retirement benefits authority and the capital Uhuru Kenyatta's refusal to renew contracts of CMA directors could markets authority which are meant to be amalgamated.

cause crisis in the capital markets.

PHOTO: GOOGLE.COM

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NIGERIA'S CHILDREN’S DAY: A TIME OF SOBER REFLECTION

By Dara Rhodes S majority of the children in north eastern A Nigeria live in perpetual fear, National Children’s Day was anything but celebratory.

The over 200 school girls that were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State by the terrorist group Boko Haram have still not been found nearly seven weeks later.

Basketball player Ejike Ugboaja said he was saddened by the abduction of the 200 girls because he was born not far from where the kidnapping occurred.

“I was born in Kaduna and it’s a place I love so when I heard what was coming out of that area, it wasn’t a good feeling,” Ugboaja told CNBC Africa.

With the tough conditions that some of the country’s children face, Ugboaja has set up a foundation called Ejike Ugboaja Foundation, which focuses on lifting children out of poverty through sports and education. The NBA player believes that the least he could do was to assist underprivileged children in Nigeria.

“I set up the foundation because I was one of those children that didn’t have anything, I had a family that couldn’t pay my school fees.

Someone else had to pay my fees so when I made it to the NBA, I thought it best to give back,” Ugboaja explained.

In celebration of National Children’s Day, young people have voiced their concerns about the Boko Haram activity within the West African state. The terrorist group’s name loosely translated means “Western Education is bad” and they have made a point of attacking schools in line with this.

According to a report by the United Nations

commented on the gender rights, “There is actually a lot of discrimination around, not allowing women to be empowered and not giving them their rights, telling them what they should do and what they shouldn’t do.”

Murray-Bruce, Jaiyemsimi and Balogun added that all children should be treated equally and both boys and girls should attend school.

Throughout the country, about 20 per cent of girls are married by the age of 15 and 40 per cent of girls are married by the time they turn 18. In addition, 27 per cent of the married girls aged 15-19 are in polygamous marriages.

Balogun said that she felt betrayed that the system would allow such for girl children. “I’ll feel used, it’s just not fair. I have my right to marry whoever I want and I don’t think you should marry me off at like 13 or 14 [years of age]. That Nigeria has the highest out-of-school children in the World.

PHOTO: GOOGLE.COM doesn’t make sense, we are not matured enough.”

Two per cent of 15 to 19 year old Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisa- chances to be part of the something else inmarried girls are in school compared to the tion (UNESCO), Nigeria is already struggling stead of just working as housewives.”

69 per cent of unmarried girls. Meanwhile, 73 with having the highest number of out-ofFellow student, Oreoluwa Jaiyemsimi, supper cent of married girls received no schoolschool children in the world with approxiported Murray-Bruce and said, “We deserve to ing, compared to eight per cent of unmarried. mately 10.5 million children out-of-school. be what we want to be when we grow up and Jaiyesimi concluded, “I don’t think you Secondary school student Sabrina Murrayso that is why we should go to school. Every should force me to do something that I don’t Bruce told CNBC Africa, “I feel irritated bechild should be entitled to education because want to do like get married and it’s actually cause, [Boko Haram] feel that Western it’s your right to have a good education.” not fair for the children in the north because education is bad for [us], [they say we] are not Simisola Balogun agreed with her peers and they don’t have a voice against it.” supposed to be educated but we need our

KENYAN TOURISM FACES NEGATIVE IMPACT DUE TO DOMESTIC TERRORISM

By Elayne Wangalwa OMESTIC terrorism in Kenya poses a threat to the counD try’s tourism industry, which contributes 14 per cent to its GDP. On Monday evening, Kenya’s judiciary and members of the National Security Council (NSC) held talks to discuss security issues in a move to combat terrorism.

Since 2012, Kenya has seen an increase in terror attacks in various cities. The main threat is from extremists linked to AlShabaab, a militant group in Somalia.

“The attacks have been there for a while. It is the dynamics that have changed. In 1998 there was an attack on the US embassy [in Kenya]. There have been various attacks targeting foreigners in the past. There is now a change with the dynamics since Kenya’s intervention in Somalia. More of the attacks are now focused on Kenyans,” Emmanuel Kisiangani, senior researcher in the African Conflict Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies told CNBC Africa.

According to Kisiangani, Kenya should improve on its information seeking in order for the attacks to be preempted.

“Kenya need to invest more on intelligence gathering to overcome this issue [terrorism].”

Tourism remains one of the largest foreign exchange earners in Kenya. In 2013, the sector posted a two per cent drop in earnings and is expected to post much lower this year as a result of the advisories by the United Kingdom, United States, France and Australia which are key source markets for tourism. This led to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from Kenya’s coastal region.

Speaking to CNBC Africa, Gary van Staden, senior political

analyst, NKC Independent Economists said that dealing with international terrorism is not a new task. “The United States and Nigeria are struggling with it. I do not think the [Kenyan] government can do more than it has done in beefing up security and intelligence,” Staden explained.

GHANA PRODUCER PRICE INFLATION RISES TO 31.5% IN APRIL Ghana's annual producer price inflation rose to a four-year high of 31.5 per cent year-on-year in April.

This increase was from 27.8 per cent in March, the national statistics office said on Wednesday.

A rise in manufacturing costs boosted by a decline in the cedi currency was the main cause of the increase, although mining and quarrying recorded the biggest single gain, government statistician Philomena Nyarko told a news conference.

"The key drivers are manufacturing of non-metallic products such as cement and food product and beverages," she said.

Producer price inflation is an advance indicator of consumer price inflation, which rose to 14.7 per cent in April driven mainly by imported food items affected by a persistent depreciation of the local currency.

The cedi has slipped around 27 per cent against the dollar since the beginning of the year.

Ghana produces oil, cocoa and gold and is one of Africa's fastest growing economies but the government is struggling to stabilise the country's macro economy and restore fiscal balance.

In particular, it faces a stubbornly high budget deficit, a falling currency, a low current account balance and escalating inflation.

GHANA PRODUCER PRICE INFLATION RISES TO 31.5% IN APRIL HANA'S annual producer price inflation G rose to a four-year high of 31.5 per cent year-on-year in April.

This increase was from 27.8 per cent in March, the national statistics office said on Wednesday.

A rise in manufacturing costs boosted by a decline in the cedi currency was the main cause of the increase, although mining and quarrying recorded the biggest single gain, government statistician Philomena Nyarko told a news conference.

"The key drivers are manufacturing of nonmetallic products such as cement and food product and beverages," she said.

Producer price inflation is an advance indicator of consumer price inflation, which rose to 14.7 per cent in April driven mainly by imported food items affected by a persistent depreciation of the local currency.

Ghana's annual producer price inflation rose to a four-year high of 31.5 per cent yearThe cedi has slipped around 27 per cent on-year in April.

PHOTO: Getty Images against the dollar since the beginning of the year. balance.

Ghana produces oil, cocoa and gold and is one of Africa's In particular, it faces a stubbornly high budget deficit, a fastest growing economies but the government is struggling falling currency, a low current account balance and escalating to stabilise the country's macro economy and restore fiscal inflation.

Nigerian banks are now more than ever encouraging youth banking.

PHOTO: Getty images

NIGERIAN YOUTH DRIVE FUTURE OF BANKING INDUSTRY

By Dara Rhodes ITH over 72 million young people in the country, NigerW ian banks are now more than ever encouraging youth banking.

The country's youth account for over 43 per cent of its estimated 169 million people. Nigeria has been projected as one of the few countries in the world that will have a magnanimous youth population by 2030 projecting that the youth have the potential to become Nigeria’s most valuable asset.

“Banks have had to adapt and simply because as you know, the Nigerian population is very youth focused where you have 80 per cent of the working population under the age of 33,” Olumide Akindele, head of consumer baking at Diamond Bank, told CNBC Africa.

Nigerian banks are beginning to realise the huge untapped market the youth present and are willing to take advantage of it now more than ever as various banks in the country are increasing efforts to encourage youth banking.

“What has happened is that the banks are having to look at the new pool of consumers coming in so most banks have had to look at that market as a very serious space they want to play in and move away from the traditional way of banking,” he said.

Nonetheless, Akindele believes that the youth market is a very difficult and challenging space because banks have not traditionally looked at that area of the market and are having to grapple with the changing dimensions in terms of social media and communication.

“Banks are beginning to try to find a way of how they can service this market and so we are in the early stage where most banks are looking to develop their propositions or their solutions to attract the market.”

As young people are the next generation of potentially productive economic and political leaders, they are the key to the development of any industry and economy and must therefore not be ignored.

“At the moment, I think most banks are trying to engage the youth and engage the different types of needs that these youth might have whether social media or music or anything that leads to the lifestyle of most youths,” he con-

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Friday, May 30, 2014 ARTS 35

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Literature Amid themes of exile, Ogunwale, Eke sparkle at launch of On Broken Wings

By Anote Ajeluorou

A

LTHOUGH On Broken Wings, edited by U.S.based professor of English, Unoma Azuah, is a collection of poems filled with dark, brooding moods that dwell on the dark days of military dictatorship, its aftermath and the first few years of Nigeria’s return to democracy, quite a few poems provide moments of reprieve, and even redemption. Most of the poems focus mainly on the stark reality of Nigeria’s economic problems and dictatorship that drove many Nigerians into exile.

But in all the bleakness that the collection evoked among the audience, Dolapo Ogunwale, also a contributor in the collection, provided a splendid moment that dispelled the gloom. A spoken word artist and performer, Ms Ogunwale’s performance of her piece, ‘The Future’ sparkled with nuggets of hope for country and individual citizens. It raised the bar; that amidst the pervasive gloom in Nigeria, there’s the possibility of hope and a bright future if everyone did his own bit of good and selfless service.

Her performance warmed the heart of the audience. Capping it off also was Iquo Dianne-Abasi Eke’s performance of her famous love piece, ‘Say my Name’, to which the audience responded gustily although it isn’t a piece in On Broken Wings collection. Always a delightful performer, Wood and Azuah, who hadn’t seen her perform, prevailed on her. Her performance turned out just as memorable.

In any case, On Broken Wings is fine poetry coming from some of Nigeria’s contemporary poets.

It’s poetry of Nigerians living at home and abroad; it’s poetry that highlights Nigeria’s protracted leadership and economic problems, first from military dictatorship and now democratic government. On Broken Wings is the poetic voice that plumbs the depth of a country’s inability to meet the most basic aspirations of its people. It’s poetry of despair and regret of a country failing to be

what it should be, and sending many of its fine youths outside to find fulfillment in other lands.

Although it should have been out some 10 years before now, On Broken Wings provides a fresh look at issues of exile, Diaspora Nigerians and those who have remained behind. Why did those who left leave? What sort of lives are they living abroad? Many years on, and a democracy in place in the country, why haven’t all those who left returned? What has been the fate of the few who braved it to return? Why did those who remain behind remain? What has been the lot of those who did not flee for greener pastures abroad?

These are some of the salient issues raised at the presentation of the collection last Sunday at Freedom Park, Lagos. It was a small gathering of young minds. It was reminiscent of a fireside gathering in an evening for a folk tale in the village, with the ebelebo tree providing shade from the scorching afternoon sun. Except that this was Lagos and the setting was colonial prison turned into tourism and relaxation spot, and that the ambience was poetry in itself.

With publisher Ayo Arigbabu moderating just outside his Dada book and craft shop by the amphi-theatre, where Afropolitan performance is often held, even notable visual artist, Ndidi Dike couldn’t agree more how inspiring the event was away from her life with paints and easel. The editor, Azuah, said the collection is a distillation of views from home and abroad about the motherland. “It started at the online portal where we discussed these issues; poets at home have more to complain about Nigeria than those of us living abroad,” she said. “This created a rift between us.

For me the experience was therapeutic, a way to vent frustration; it purged me of anger. But I don’t want to come home just yet.”

Unlike the editor, some contributors to the collection have either returned home or are returning. Victor Ehikhamenor is doing well as an artist and poet; Molara Wood, as journalist and current-

Contributor, Molara Wood; On Broken Wings’ editor, Prof. Unoma Azuah and another contributor, Dolapo Ogunwale at the event ly in The Presidency. Ogaga Ifowodo has returned also with a mission to join the political fray and be part of the rebuilding that would make his likes never to flee the country again, as he eyes a slot in the Federal House of Representatives. These are inspiring moments, and it’s hoped that many more will follow suit.

Wood was profuse in her gratitude to the editor for putting the volume together, saying, “I thank Unoma for bringing this (collection) out through her perseverance and doggedness. The journey started a while back and had funding issues but it’s now out”.

Since most of the poets were not in attendance,

audience members read from the collection.

These poems were then critiqued in light of their currency in highlighting conditions in the country, which still generally bear out the concerns of the poets. So that almost 10 years behind schedule, On Broken Wings still resonates with current concerns, as testimony to its value as a timeless work of art. It’s therefore the hope of the editor and the poets that conditions in Nigeria must begin to change for exiles to return to be part of the rebuilding process the country needs.

The Caucus

By Jesutofunmi Omowumi

Myth, power and satire in Abdullahi’s Death and the King’s Grey Hair & Other Plays

By Salamatu Sule, Abuja

Drama EATH and the King’s Grey Hair and D Other Plays (Kraft Books Limited, Ibadan; 2014) is a collection of three plays written by Denja Abdullahi, an award-winning poet, literary essayist, cultural enthusiast and technocrat. The playwright has published many works to his credit, part of which includes: A Thousand Years of Thirst (2011), Abuja Nunyi (2008), the Talking Drum (2008) and his much celebrated narrative poetry, Mairogo: A Buffoon’s Poetic Journey Around Northern Nigeria (2001) and Themes Fall Apart but the Centre Holds (2009), a book co-edited with Joe Ushie on the 50-year anniversary celebration of Chinua Achebe’s most acclaimed novel Things Fall Apart in (2008). Death and The King’s Grey Hair and Other plays is his current collection of plays.

Death and the King’s Grey Hair is not a historical play, but a play based on an oral mythology attributed to the Jukun people of middle belt region of Nigeria. The playwright explains to us in his preface that he does not bother himself to go into any search for the facts of the story but feels the need to weave bare myth into dramatic fiction. The play is centered on the king of the land of Shakaga, King Esutu who defies the tradition of his people that says the throne is for ‘’young kings and short reigns’’; as the kings in that land are normally given poison to drink and die to be reborn into a lion at the sprout of the first grey hair on their royal

heads.

Like it is with such typical tradition, all is not well with the people of shakaga at the beginning of the play.

The attempt of the King to willfully defy tradition in search of absolute power and the people’s resistance to it form the conflict framework of the play. The play is noteworthy for its cultural setting.

All three plays in the collection are experimental plays. Death and the King’s Grey Hair shows to us the effect of the abuse of power and total disregard for tradition. The playwright explains to us that power is “power” no matter the period of time a leader rules. King Esutu of Shakaga and the man of the cave in the ancient period are not different from the modern man who can go to any length to remain on the throne. ‘’First Wiseman: we all know that it is a taboo for a king to show signs of aging in our land. Our land is a land of young kings and short reigns. But something tells me that Esutu has stayed longer on the throne than any other king we’ve had since Jigulu, our founding father’’.

To unravel the mystery is to be confronted by the tragedies as faced

by Gabisi and the poison bearer.

In the second play titled Truce with the Devil, Abdullahi brings to the table his experiment with Marxist ideology as opposed to capitalism.

Through this theatre of experiment, the playwright says it is nearly impossible to dethrone capitalism and enthrone Marxism. He uses real characters in fictional perspectives. Suleiman, a devotee and advocate of Marx and Engels, is oppressed by his capitalist uncle, and he gets expelled from Jarasite University as a result of his crusade for the proletarians. Like Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s I will Marry When I Want, the principle of collectivism cannot work as most people are oppressed by poverty and joblessness.

Suleiman submits to capitalism because he cannot fend for his siblings and he explains to Dapo how he only needs to play the devil’s advocate to get what he wants.

Suleiman: ‘’No, you got it wrong. I was seduced by reality after all those student days of sloganeering. My friend let me tell you, I have stopped living on Marxist books. Marxism is dead, Communism is crumbled.’’

Fringe Benefits, the third play, is written through the eyes of the playwright as a participant-observer. In this play, Abdullahi explains the social realities of life in tertiary institutions and the society at large and the benefits that accompany the job we do. Imagine if we have to go to library, where books are non-existent, to do a research or where the only way out is to buy handouts or take our lecturer’s order? Imagine if the only option for us is to go beyond the shores for greener pastures due to the economic situation of the country.

The plots of the plays are unique as the playwright succeeds in crafting out the conflicts and providing good resolutions with good characterization and dialogue that blends with the period and situation of the time. Aiso memorable is the poetic rendition of the character of Gabisi the poet and guardian of words: ‘’I am Gabisi, the poet of the ancients.

Those who do not respect what is old should await the sting of my tongue.

Whenever you see brave grey-haired men bent with many moons of wisdom, look for Gabisi. Gabisi is the messenger of tradition, the poet of the ancients.’’

The first play is in movements and broken into seven movements while the second play is in Act and the third in scene. Pretty much different from the usual Act and Scene style of play writing. These are highly commendable plays good for tertiary and secondary schools and also for the theatre. It is a classical collection of plays filled with great humor.

The caucus asked a rootless question without the minutest mercy to spare the many bloods of those without answers, the papers were red and the whited ones who read them camouflaged.

The now red ones were one with the dailies because the caucus asked.

The caucus asked a ruthless question and in one coloured sweep RED, a satanic monochrome paved the way for twilight when the plant needed sunlight The plant was bound to wither anyway: brown leaves without lush green falling on the compost of the organic hybrid flesh-loam-carcass.

Carcass of the caucus Carcass by the caucus Carcass for the caucus Calcium aplenty for the malnourished caucus who refused to be full-fledged Carnivores.

The caucus asked a rootless question, the root hairs did not ground in the soil the plant just stemmed the caucus asked a ruthless question the question became colourful a colourful drab red the caucus amused themselves with the devil’s delight the caucus asked a bloody question in the end, the caucus answered.

36 ARTS Friday, May 30, 2014

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Revue

Founder of AMAA Peace Anyiam-Osigwe with the Anyiam-Osigwe’s at the event.

AMAA 2014… Celebrating 10 years of film excellence

By Chuks Nwanne ENAGOA, the capital of Bayelsa State, was a beehive of activities over the weekend, as celebrities, movie stars, tourists and stakeholders in the African motion picture industry stormed the oil rich state for the 10th anniversary of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). Right from the Port Harcourt International Airport where most of the guests landed, before connecting Yenagoa by road, excitement filled the air, especially among foreign participants who were on their first visit to the most populous black nation.

At the Banquet Hall of Bayelsa State Government House where guests had a brief cocktail reception before heading for their hotels, it was an opportunity for filmmakers from different African countries to network and brainstorm on the future of the motion picture industry. Though different issue cropped up during the informal discussion sessions, the issue of the missing Chibok schoolgirls seemed to be a major concern to participants, especially foreigners, who lent their voices to the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.

Although most of the hotels in the town were

Y

fully booked with guests, the Aridolf Hotel, allegedly owned by Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, was the centre of attraction; that was where most of the VIP guests were accommodated. For the locals, the hotel provided an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the movie stars at close range, while for filmmakers, the posh hotel provided a perfect spot for producers, directors and movie stars to network and discuss new film projects.

Held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, the classy 10thanniverssary celebration, which opened with a special red carpet reception, had Hollywood superstar Danny Glover as special guest. Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor, Gboribiogha John Jonah, represented governor Henry Serieke Dickson, who was said to be on official assignment outside the state.

In his keynote address, Gov Dickson reinstated the commitment of Yayelsa State to a conscious reawakening of Nigeria’s cultural values to the international community, with a view to holistically harnessing the budding indigenous talents inherent in the youths, adding, “We are therefore proud to be associated with AMAA because of the benefits that are derivable from

Of Good Report cast and crew celebrating their multiple awards.

it. In the first place, it brings together movie producers and other practitioners from across the globe to interface and share ideas, while celebrating excellence in filmmaking. On the other hand, AMAA serves as a springboard and veritable channel to showcase out rich cultural heritage, as well as the promotion of the tourism and investment opportunities in the state”.

The governor commended the AMAA team for sustaining the award project in the last 10 years, and assured of the state’s continued support in future.

“It is therefore a great joy and pleasure to have been part of this extra-ordinary journey of AMAA from it’s onset, which has grown from it’s humble beginning to become the premier awards ceremony of the movie industry in Africa. 10 years in the life of an industry like AMAA deserves commendation, but this noble and laudable initiative needs to be sustained so that AMAA contributions to the development of the society will continue to grow in relevance and import,” he said.

In her welcome address titled The Long Walk For African Cinema: My Journey, the founder of AMAA Peace Anyiam-Osigwe recalled the humble beginning of the African film project and the impact it has made so far.

“I had a vision 10 years ago when the Africa Film Academy (AFA) and AMAA were founded with our sisters and brothers from the Diaspora, all working together to ensure an enabling environment that results in economic vibrancy such that if a film is shot, it will be readily acceptable in the U.K., U.S., the Caribbean Islands, Australia, Brazil, Haiti and more. Coming together across countries and continents, we will create a viable black film industry that is self-sustaining and a force to be reckoned with.”

She continued: “I believe today as we celebrate 10 years of AMAAs that we have sown the seed to achieve this dream. The seed has germinated, however, we all have to water the plant to see that it grows and blossoms and bear bountiful fruit. This is the AMAA journey; but it has not been an easy journey so far”.

Ms. Anyiam-Osigwe paid tribute to the late Amaka Igwe, who was a member of AMAA Jury till her death. She described the late filmmaker as thoroughbred and a sister, who has left an indelible mark on the sands of time in the area of filmmaking.

In an emotional valedictory speech as she steps down as the CEO of AMAA having spent 10 years on the position, the filmmaker thanked members of his team and supporters for believing in the project.

“The AMAA has become the platform that projects the African film industry to Africa and the rest of the world. It is a celebration of African heritage and culture, and reaching our 10th anniversary is without doubt a testimony to resilience of human spirit and determination. Over the years, I’ve been doing the show side of the industry, now is the time to do the business. However, even as I step down as the CEO, I will always be involved in the AMAA project and also make my contributions,” she assured.

In his goodwill message to AMAA, Hollywood superstar and AMAA’s Chairman 10th Anniversary Advisory Committee, Danny Glover observed that the project has grown from it’s humble beginning to become a premier awards ceremony of the movie industry in Africa and for the black Diaspora.

“It is a great joy to have been at the beginning and continue to be over the past 10 years of AMAA. This noble and laudable initiative needs to be sustained. We need to ensure that AMAA’s vital contributions continue to grow in relevance and import. For this to happen, we need support.”

Glover also noted that, “We also need your support to realize our drive to engender viable creative collaborations as well as establish distribution networks across Africa to grow the creative economies of these regions and give impetus for sustainability. We as Africans and those in Diaspora need to tell our stories.

Training and empowering the next generation with the requisite skill sets assures that we will continue to do so,” he said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

Friday, May 30, 2014 ARTS 37

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…10 years of African film reward privilege indeed to have been entrusted with The Africa Movie Academy and Bayelsa State the onerous assignment of determining the Government also commended Globacom for its films and filmmakers that best deserve the robust support for African arts, especially music AMAA crest and accolades. Although the criteria and theatre practitioners. Also, special com- have not changed, our responsibilities over the mendation was given to telecommunication years have increased and today the recognition company and other corporate organisations that AMAA bestows now has a significant that sponsored this year’s edition of AMAA. impact on the career of a film and a filmmaker.

From the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear This is exactly what we hoped for from the Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), Peace beginning,” Ayorinde noted.

This year, the award recorded more than five Anyim-Osigwe and the Director General of Bayelsa State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, hundred submissions, with first-time entries Mrs. Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown, the applause for from Gabon, Mauritius and Curacao.

“We are witnessing an increasingly accomGlobacom, flowed in torrents.

“Corporate organisations on the African conti- plished trans-continental platform. We must nent should emulate Globacom by investing commend the growing attention to short films and promoting key sectors of the economy in on the continent, which is reflected in the qualcountries where they operate. This was a need- ity and number of entries - more than 150 - we ed impetus to grow the movie industry,” Jonah received this year.”

To mark this promising development, the jury said.

Presenting the Jury Statement, head of the jury decided to include an additional award, The Steve Ayorinde expressed the joy of his team Jury Special Prize, which will be given to a short members to be part of the 10th anniversary cel- film. Also, on the occasion of this 10th anniverebration of AMAA, commending the Bayelsa sary of AMAA, two new award categories were also introduced for outstanding achievements State government for believing in the project.

“10 years into the life of this great brand that in special areas. While the Madiba Award will be celebrates the cinema of Africa and the African given to the film that best reflects Nelson Diaspora is a milestone, a worthy celebration Mandela’s ideals, the President Joyce Banda not only for the committed brains behind the award is an endowed prize for the best film on awards but also the people and government of women empowerment.

“As African cinema grows and takes its rightful Bayelsa State, who have accepted AMAA as their own and have always warmly welcomed cre- place among the cinemas of the world, it is our ative and technical professionals from home hope that the African Movie Academy Awards, for its consistency, inclusiveness and transparand abroad.”

The jury had credible individuals such as June ent manner of adjudication, will continue to be Givanni, Guyanese born Pan-African film cura- the flagship platform through which the whole tor based in the U.K.; Keith Shiri, Zimbabwean continent and indeed the entire world express born-Beirut based international film curator; appreciation and support to the wonderful art Pioneer Director National Film Institute of filmmaking.”

While receiving his special recognition award, Nigeria, Former Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Prof. Hyginus Nollywood star and now special aid to the Ekwazi, and until recently Head of the Governor of Anambra State governor on Department of Theatre Arts, University of Nollywood and Entertainment Bob-Manuel Ibadan; Shaibu Husseini, film journalist and Udokwu charged practitioners to find a way of critic at Lagos-based The Guardian newspaper changing the mindset of Africans through their and Berni Goldblat, filmmaker, producer and works.

“We don’t have to wait for foreigners to build distributor based in Burkina Faso. Others include Ayuko Babu, Executive Director of PAFF, Africa for us; we have to stand up and make Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles and things happen. We need to wake up and build Atlanta; Dorothee Wenner, filmmaker and cura- this continent, which many see as the continent tor at the Berlin International Film Festival; of crises and hunger. We need to stand up for John Akomfrah, OBE, London based Ghanaian our right and change the situation positively. filmmaker and Asantewa Olatunji, For those who want to make Africa ungovernable, from Somalia to Programming Director of PAFF, Pan African Northern Nigeria, from Film Festival in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Sudan to Chad, from Mali “As jurors, it is a to Egypt, I say to you, ‘lay down your arms so we sit down and talk; it’s better to talk than to war,” Udokwu said.

At the star-studded event, Clarion Chukwurah made Nigeria proud by winning the Best Actress on the continent for her outstanding role in a movie, Apaye- The mother’s love. She confidently beat other contenders such as Uche Nnadili (B For Boy); Linda Sokhulu (Felix); Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha (Accident); Joselyn Dumas (Northern Affair); and Uche Jombo, ives Monalisa Chinda and Daniella Okeke (Lagos Cougar) to pick the ukwurah rece h C n o ri la C Actress diva Rita Dominic t award. es B 14 0 2 d AMAA Also, popular om Nollywoo her award fr Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor emerged Best Actress in a supporting role for her performance in the movie After The Proposal. Popularly known as Mama G, Ozokwor, who picked the award alongside his son, dedicated her achievement to her late husband for his support and encouragement.

Aside from both actresses, Nigeria also registered her presence at the 10th anniversary edition, winning prize for achievement in Best Documentary (Portraits of son after a Lone Farmer); Best Film In African Language (B d n a ) G a m rkwo (Ma For Boy); Achievement in Soundtrack (Onye Ozi); Patience Ohzo award. er Achievement in Visual Effect (A Mile From Home) g in receiv

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

Nollywod actor and aid to Anambra State governor on Nollywood and Entertainment Bob-Manuel Udokwu receiving his recognition award from Miss Niger Delta and Award For Best Nigerian Film (Accident).

Meanwhile, popular actor and aide to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on Entertainment, Bob Manuel Udokwu was presented with the AMAA Special Jury Honour for his contribution to the African movie industry in general and Nigeria in particular.

However, it was South Africa that dominated the award ceremony, as the country got a total of 10 awards, including the biggest award of the night, AMAA 2014 Award for Best Film (Of Good Report). The movie also got the Rainbow Nation additional four crests in the categories for Achievement in Screen Play; Best Young/Promising Actor (Petronella Tshuma); Best Actor in A Leading Role (Mothusi Magano); and Best Director (Jamil X.T Quebeka).

As expected, the country also won the awards for Best Animation (Khumba); Achievement in Make Up (Once Upon A Road Trip); Achievement in Cinematography (The Forgotten Kingdom); Achievement in Sound (The Forgotten Kingdom) and Best Actor in Supporting Role (Thapelo Mofekeng).

Ghana’ Shirley Frimpong Manso’s film, Potomanto, won the award for Achievement in Editing, while Northern Affair, a Leila Djansi’s

film makes it double for Ghana with the award in the Achievement in Production Design category.

Anchored by Nigeria’s Segun Arinze, NigerianBritish born Lloyd Nathaniel and Ghana’s Nana Asokor, the event, which lasted into the early hours of the following day, was spiced with musical performance from notable artistes such as J Martins, Flavour and son of the soil, Timi Dakolo, who raised the roofs with his song Great Nation. Guitarist Bez also got slot to do freestyle of some of his tracks and comedians GBone and Funny Bone got everyone reeling with laughter. As usual, the Bayelsa State Cultural Troupe was on ground to showcase the rich culture of Bayelsa people with a colourful display.

Though a night of celebration, the Bring back Our Girls campaign was echoed by movie stars, including the visitors, who had the opportunity of getting first hand information from the locals about the insurgence. At different intervals, notable practitioners such as Kenneth Okonkwo, Teco Benson, Rita Dominic, Danny Glover and others spoke against the inhuman act, urging the Federal Government not to relent in the ongoing effort to free the girls from Boko Haram.

Ugbomah’s 73rd birth still awaits Delta, Lagos States’ governors’ nod

By Florence Utor NDICATIONS have Icoming emerged that the forth73rd birthday festivities of film icon, Chief Eddie Ugbomah is still waiting for approval from governors of his native Delta State and his adopted abode, Lagos State.

Efforts for Ugbomah to meet with these helmsmen have proved abortive, as Chiefs of Staff are said to be giving the Aboh chief a hard time.

Ugbomah will be celebrating 50 years in entertainment and also launch his autobiography, with a special musical concert that will bring the roof down with all the celebrities.

But while the states’ chief executives are slow in responding to the chief’s requests for interface, celebrities billed for the birthday are swelling in their ranks by the day.

Sources close to Ugbomah said stars and friends like Ali Baba, Julius Agwu, Nkem Owoh, Okey Bakasi, Bovi Ugbomah, Akpororo, Gordon, Ibu and others have all agreed to join the celebration but they are only waiting for a date. For the Musicians, old school fel-

lows like Tee Mac, Charly Boy, Shina Peters, Daddy Showkey, Orobo Styleyman, Ras Kimono, Orits Wiliky, Danny Wilson, Blackie, and Mamuze are ready to roll.

The young ones will be invited later as most of them are now on summer tour till July.

Ugbomah’s Film Institute building has been completed with the Universities of Columbia, Syracuse, Bowe, Howard, and others having an MoU to be visiting lecturers to the Institute. The concert will hold at the cultural centre National Theatre and Eko Hotel & Suites in a five-day event in Lagos, Abuja and finally in Asaba, where the Film Village ground will be announced.

Also, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, Abuja Film Village, Censors Board, Copyright Commission and other friends are chipping in their widows’ might, as Chief Ugbomah is

seriously looking forward for this celebration, which he says he deserves. It’s his hope that Nollywood people, Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke and Minister of Information, Labaran Maku will join the August Festival.

As always, Ugbomah would remind all that he doesn’t need anybody’s cows and condolences when he passes away, but that he should celebrated now when he’s still alive and kicking! According to him, “Lets groove now that I am alive.

The excuse of cashstrap is a useless excuse a n d their failure to appreciate and honour our living legends!

It should stop.”

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38 ARTS Friday, May 30, 2014

VisualArts For Onobrakpeya’s Masks of the Flaming Arrows, jegede converges art scholars

By Tajudeen Sowole ESPITE being regarded as the D most-documented living Nigerian artist, Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya’s interaction with the printed matters keeps growing by the day. Only recently, a book entitled, Masks of the Flaming Arrows , was publicly presented to fill up the literary landscape and exegesis on the venerable artist. The book brings together some of the top names in the art to appropriate the artist’s career of over five decades.

Edited by Prof dele jegede, supported

by Ford Foundation as well as Development Alternatives and Resource Centre, the 399-page hard cover book is published by 5-Continents.

As crucial to the volume of pages and deepness of the individual scholarly input is to a strong appropriation of Onobrakpeya’s trajectory, visual assimilation of the over all contents is well respected. In fact, the pages of the book are highly populated with images of master pieces of the artist’s works across genres and periods.

For jegede, Onobrakpeya is a familiar subject. Apart from presenting the lecture tagged Onobrakpeya: The Legacy, at the second edition of Yusuf Grillo Pavilion Art Fiesta organised to celebrate the master printmaker, the art historian has, on several occasion, proven that he is a consistent researcher on Onobrakpeya as a subject. Jegede, a Professor of Art History at Miami University, Ohio, U.S., has been tracking Onobrakpeya since 1992.

The historian’s vast knowledge of the artist’s work, no doubts, resonates in the compilation of 10 other reviews and critiques by authors from Africa and the Diaspora as crucial contents of Masks of the Flaming Arrows.

In the early pages — after Preface, Foreword, Artist’s Notes and Introduction — under the heading Rumination on Onobrakpeya Bruce Onobrakpeya: the. Legacy, jegede argues that patronages energise artists as well as enhances a nation’s history. He cites the examples of ancient and pre-Nigeria nation state art such as the Nok, Ife, Benin and Igbo Ukwu objects as some of the windows from which the people’s history is better viewed and blossom beyond the period when the works were created. The scholar, however, warns that “patronage is vibrant only when there is a coterie of individuals or entities whose unbridled love for the arts is matched by the wherewithal and determination to exert an affecting presence.”

The much-celebrated or controversial sobriquet ‘Zaria Rebels’ given to a group who were among the early sets of pioneer art students of Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology (NCAST) Zaria, expectedly, resurfaces in jegede’s writing. Recall that Onobrakpeya was one of the members of the Zaria Arts Society and students that graduated at NCAST in 1962.

Despite volumes of works written by critics and art scholars, over the decades, on the Zaria rebels’ subject, jegede appears dissatisfied with the directions of most writers.

Something has been missing; “we have not adequately contextualise Zaria.” He notes that the Zaria group demonstrated an allergy to neocolonialism.” In fact, jegede cites, for example, how the young artists were not impressed with the star artist of that period, Ben Enwonwu’s thematic direction. The young Zaria students, according to jegede, were not impressed by Enwonwu’s “coolness with colonial officialdom and fell that he was not a strong advocate of indigenising the arts”.

Members of the Zaria Arts Society included Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo, Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Simon Okeke and Odechukwu Odita.

The background of native contents in Nigerian art, which Onobrakpeya helped to promote would later form a great part of his art ascendancy. Under a sub-heading Onobrakpeya’s Ascendancy, jegede recalls that the artist’s career as at 1982 convinced him that he had reached

Cover of the book. the “height of his professional development.”

But jegede admitted that his assessment of the artist’s career zenith in 1982 was “proven wrong.” Onobrakpeya’s residency in Ibadan, he argues, forms a crucial part of the artist’s ascendancy.

However, critiques and reviews from authors, either published in exhibitions catalogue, journals or newspapers as well as events form a greater part of the book. Such works of intense visual literature and interview come from David Okpako, Frank Ugiomoh, Gani Odutokun, Olakunle Filani, John Agberia, Pat Oyebola, Osa D Egonwa, Basil Sunday Nnamdi and Humphrey Bakaren.

It may not exactly be an exaggeration to argue that Onobrakpeya has, through his art, promoted Urhobo culture more than any other individual of his generation. The artist’s passion for his native Urhobo culture perhaps inspired the lecture titled Accessing Culture Through Art; Bruce Onobrakpeya on Urhobo Myths. The text of the lecture, which is reproduced as part of the book’s rich contents was given by Okpako on November 8, 2012 at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan on the artist’s birthday art exhibition.

Probing deeper into the artist’s Urhobo themes, Filani, in his presentation notes that “in order to understand and appreciate Onobrakpeya’s works, background knowledge of his socio-culture religious and educational influences required.”

For Agberia, who has dedicated a greater part of his academic career studying Onobrakpeya, the artist’s most profound legacy, the Harmattan Workshops, which hold avery year at Agbhar Otor, Delta State, is his focus.

Stating that the emergence of Onobrakpeya and the other members of his Zaria. colleagues “redefine modern Nigerian art in diverse ways,” Ugiomoh distills the artist’s form as a main asset that stands his work out in the crowd.. Further in his paper titled Bruce Onobrakpeya’s Art: An Analytical Approach to the Configuration of Form, Ugiomoh explains how the artist’s work oozes in character and form. “The second most important factor that gives character and forms to Onobrakpeya’s work is the employment of harmony variation enacted through organised variation of similar thingsand at times the same things.”

In her critique of quite a number of Onobrakpeya’s works that cut across the artist’s periods, Oyelola, under the heading The Earth As

Anchor to the Spirit in Ascent, describes the artist as “both conservator and innovator, opening our eyes by the skill of his hand.”

Reviewing Masks of the Flaming Arrows during the presentation at Ford Foundation office in Lagos, Prof Ola Oloidi stated that the book “is highly educative.” He, therefore, recommended it to “students of art, sociology, anthropology, religion, political science, African Studies, Mass Communication and all those who needs developmental inspiration.”

Onobrakpeya disclosed to the audience that the book was scheduled to be launched during his 80th birthday, in 2012. He, however, insisted that the book is still “the greatest birthday present I have ever received.”

And as prolific as the artist is so revered, his motivation in creating works, he explained is when such works are properly documented, particularly in book form. He told everyone who has contributed to the publishing of the book that “you have created a master piece far greater than any individual pieces which the book holds together.”

The occasion also provided opportunity for the artist to revisit the incoherence of government’s policies on the arts and culture. “I like to use this opportunity to remind Mr President of two very urgent needs that will move our art forward.

The first is the erection of contemporary art galleries in principal cities in Nigeria. The other one is the ratification of Nigerian Cultural Policy.”

Foreword of the book is written by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Preface by Prof Ebigberi Joe Alagoa. ,Introduction by Mr Innocent Chukwuma, Ford Foundation Representative for West Africa ,and aknowledgement by jegade.

During the celebration of Onobrakpeya at 80 two years ago, a major art exhibition titled Ore Idjubili (Jubilee Festival), held at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos, led several other similar shows organized in Nigeria and the U.S. to mark the master printmaker’s birthday.

Noted as the artist’s first solo exhibition 1992, Jubilee Festival condenses 50 years in the career of his career and perhaps provided academia and critics an opportunity of deeper study of his art.

The exhibition, more significantly highlighted Onobrakpeya’s periods, which included Mythical Realism, 1957-1962; Sunshine, 1962-1967; The Mask and Cross, 1967-1978; Symbols of Royalty, 1978-1984; Sahelian Masquerades, 1984-1988; The Mask, 1990-1995; Social Unrest, 1995-1999; Installation (1995 till date).

PHOTO: CHARLES OKOLO

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U.K-based Orimoloye returns with Aso, urges passion for leadership

By Tajudeen Sowole AVING featured on the Lagos art scene conH sistently for the last three years, U.K-based artist, Gbenga Orimoloye’s canvas returns with fashion analogy to Nigeria’s leadership issues.

Between 2011 and last year, the artist sustained a yearly solo show with varying themes as Iwa, at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, in 2011; Ona and Oju at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, in 2012 and last year. And that all his last four exhibitions are three-letter-words, and in native Yoruba, are conscious and focused the-

The Family Series by Gbenga Orimoloye.

matic choices, perhaps aimed at promoting mother tongue.

Currently in the country, his new body of work titled, Aso, which is showing at at Terra Kulture, explains the penchant of Nigerians for gorgeous and elaborate dressings.

The artist prays that the passion being incurred in Nigerian fashions be equally invested in leadership at all levels, government, private and corporate sectors.

The artist’s consistence with native Yoruba titles, he says, has link to how a particular word applies to different meanings. For Aso, “as an example, it could mean a fabric or a completed wear.”

He notes that many Nigerian fashion styles take so much time to wear after the dressmaker would have finished the tailoring. “I think it takes a lot of time to have a Nigerian woman dress. And if we apply as much energy into fashion, we should also be able to bring similar passion into wherever position of leadership we find ourselves either in the government or private sector, even in our domestic places.”

He also argues that the loud dressing culture of Nigerians is well appreciated abroad, in contrast to the plaguing leadership vacuum.

Orimoloye’s unpretentious or frontal impressionistic canvas for Aso include works such as The Family Series, Aso Series, Rhapsodies in Brown, Rhapsodies in Orange and Contentment among others.

As much as the central theme glorifies fashion in its creative and elaborate context, one of the exhibits, Contentment seems to offer caution: a red necklace on a buba and green gele as seen in the portraiture of an unidentified lady could be thumped down as ‘fashion blindness’ by those who know.

But the wearer’s beaming face full of excitement, the artist explains, is the Contentment message. While fashionistas would

hardly agree with Orimoloye that wearing riotous colour combinations of accessories has anything to do with modesty, the message of “do according to your purse” is not exactly lost in the work.

Caught between his African background and the European environment where he works and live, Orimoloye work stresses that the latter often takes a wider space in his canvas. “Yes, because Europe is where I live.”

And there is no mistaken that some of his landscapes are typically European.

But ‘home is home,’ so the adage says, and confirms by the artist’s market scenes in Nigeria such as Eleja and African Women; a riverside scene, Boat Boy, streetscapes of Lagos, Late Morning and a maritime, Badagry Beach, among others.

Shortly before leaving the UK for the show in Nigeria, Orimoloye had a solo exhibition at Saffron Wolden Gallery. The catalogue of the exhibition offers a peep into the European themes of the artist.

From streetscapes of orderliness in parking cars to mixed modern and Victoria architectures, Orimoloye’s palette knife confirms the weight an artist’s base over whatever cultural background previously imbibed. But in the human contents, the figures are mostly Africans.

In the last three years, Orimoloye’s themes at home have proven that the artist is still connected with the challenges and development in Nigeria. His exhibitions have focused on social and environmental concern. For example, the social media formed parts of his focus in Oju, as he highlights the increasing attention people give to the hand-held devices.

This much he captures in Face-booking While Walking, a two figural painting, which explains that the trend knows no class or gender.

In the same context, he argues that with a critical and penetrative look “at a person’s face,

Gbenga Orimoloye’s Rhapsodies in Colours. you realise that, rather than the real person, what you are communicating with is an interface”. And being a representational artist, largely of figurative genre, Orimoloye sees face as “a landscape”.

Features of landscapes or streetscapes such as valleys, mountains, and other sceneries, he explains, “can all be present in a face, allegorically.”

Trained at the Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Lagos, Orimoloye has shown abroad in such galleries as Maria Assumpta Centre, Kensington, London, 1998 and The 198 Gallery, Herne Hill, London in 1998 among several other shows.

Araism makes bold statement in Florida AGOS-based art group, Araism Lnuances Movement, is stamping its creative on the American soil its first international show in the country.

A 40-day show (scheduled to close on May 22), the presence of Araism (both as a painting technique and a movement) has redefined African Art in Florida.

The group’s 12th exhibition series – having shown 11 previous times in Nigeria (eight in Lagos, three in Abuja) — The movement took its creative adventure to the United States to launch its international expeditions.

Titled Cradle of Life: Araism Movement 12, it was hosted by Studio 18, in the Pines, a prestigious art gallery situated in Poinciana Drive, City of Pembroke Pines, Florida, USA. The show was a product of collaborative venture involving Whizzdpm Communications, Studio 18 and National Gallery of Art. Incidentally, this show fertilised two histories, which have become a landmark achievement for the movement and the gallery. Facilitated by Abiola Olatunde-Oyelola, it was the movement’s first show outside the shores of Africa. It was also Studio 18’s first international show as the gallery had, prior to this show, concentrated exclusively on America-based artists.

The show features seven artists led by the founder of the Movement, Mufu Onifade and joined by six other members namely Abiola Mautin Akande, Oludotun Popoola, Oluwanbe Amodu, George Egunjobi, Jonathan Imafidor and Odumbo Adeniran. Each participating artists contributed six works each (except Oluwanbe who has four) and that amounts to a total of 40 paintings on display.

As predicted by the Curator of the show, Robyn Vegas, all works on display explore and proudly reveal “a snapshot of life in Africa where life began”.

The show was presented in such a way that Onifade’s six works (Tibi Tire (Pain and Gain), Ibale (White Handkerchief), Community Police, Igba Kadara

(Bowl of Destiny), Toko Taya (Couple) and Apere (Destiny)) were mounted in the receding part of the gallery, directly facing the main entrance into the gallery hall.

Flanked on the right hand side were Jonathan Imafidor’s six works (Bini Queen Mother, Motherhood, Bini Chief, Migration, Face of Hope and Ore Oninawo (My Friend’s Party)) while Dotun Popoola’s six works (Friendly Match, Dolphin, Percussionists, Awelewa (Symbol of Beauty), Oba Eye (Peacock) and (Iyaloja) were displayed on the left hand side.

The inner part of the gallery by the right hand side around the same area as Imafidor’s contained six works by Adeniran Odumbo (Living on Stilts, Sand Boats, King’s Guard, Lagos Yellow, Living on Stilts II and Pain & Pleasure).

However, the inner part of the left side

contained four works by Oluwanbe Amodu (Asale Ere (Night of performance), From Lagos to Yankee, Atije (Survival Instinct) and Ona Kan O Woja (Access Roads)) while much deeper inside were works by George Egunjobi (Oracle’s Language, Source, Ensemble, Spokesman, Moremi (Courageous Queen) and Transportation).

Virtually all the works address one social issue or the other and this creates a sense of authenticity of African culture in the minds of the viewers.

Apart from the six artists who made it to the US, the opening ceremony was also graced by a powerful delegation from the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria led by Abdullahi Muku, its DirectorGeneral. The Vice Mayor of the City of Pembroke, Jay Schwartz, who represented Mayor, Frank C. Ortis, delivered an emotion-laden speech, also at-

tended it.

He recognised the authenticity of African Art and admitted the influence of African Art on the West. He also confessed that despite the fact that he had witnessed so many art shows in the past, he had never seen something like Araism.

To him, “this new art form parades originality and cannot be compared with any other existing art form I have ever seen.” He then expressed his gratitude, on behalf of the entire people of Pembroke Pines and its environs, to members of the movement for sharing their unique artistic knowledge with the people of Florida in particular and the US in general.

Other dignitaries include Alexandra P. Davis, Vice Mayor of the City of Miramar while the artists’ community was represented by the likes of Juan

Nigerian and American participants in Florida,(inset) Mufu Onifade, during the exhibition in Florida.

Rafael Prieto, who is a member of the Association of American Professional Photographers; Prof. De-Vita, Jacklin Laflamme, Michael Harris, John Antczak, Beth K. Amato among so many others, Sharon Sammarco who co-curated the exhibition with Robyn Vegas expressed her delight at the possibility of bringing the much talked about Araism Movement from Africa to the US. She commended the Movement for producing and presenting such an array of “awe-inspiring paintings”. She admitted the vibrancy of the Movement and the qualitative creative outputs of its members.

In his remarks, Onifade, founder and leader of movement, declared: “This show has marked a new threshold in the history of the Movement’s existence and sojourn.”

To him, the show in Florida was in fulfillment of the promise he made on behalf of the movement at its last outing in Muku, the NGA boss, was particularly delighted at the consideration given

by Studio 18 in hosting the movement’s first show outside Nigeria. He said the Movement has remained consistent in its exhibition series ever since it debuted in 2006.

While saying that the consistency of the movement has attracted NGA’s support, also acknowledged that there were many art groups and accomplished artists in Nigeria, which the NGA had assisted and was still assisting.

“More importantly is NGA’s use of art to ferment cultural diplomacy. This has been exemplified in the NGA’s international touring shows called NIVATOUR (Nigerian Visual Art Tour), which has taken place twice and taken Nigerian art and artists to Egypt and South Korea,” he said. He then proposed the next edition to Studio 18 in Florida. Meanwhile, Araism Movement 12 still continues to enjoy rave reviews, even after the show closed yesterday.

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42 ARTS Friday, May 30, 2014

Film With Oil on Water, Timbuktu, Aduaka and Sissako put Nigeria, Africa on Cannes’ map Stories by Shaibu Husseini (who was in Cannes, France) ost foreign and African filmmakers, M who attended the 67th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, were surprised to find that Nigeria hadno pavilion at the Village International, a section of the festival reserved for nations to showcase their filmmaking potentials.

Nigeria had always made its presence felt at the Cannes through the participation of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), the government agency responsible for the promotion and development of the Nigerian film and movie industry.

Convinced that Nollywood was ripe for some international exposure and convinced too that the Cannes Festival provides a huge opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s cinematic potentials, the NFC, in 2005, initiated a process of yearly participation at the Cannes.

Each year, except for 2011 when it could not afford the 15,000 Euros fee (about N3.6 million) charged for the pavilion, the NFC mounted a pavilion- number 114, which it has used, though many have described the pavilion as the most austere of all the pavilions, to promote the country’s film projects and to ensure that filmmakers from the country attending the festival had a platform where they could be exposed to the international arena. It has also used the platform to answer enquiries on the Nigerian film industry and also to create global networks beyond the borders of Africa.

But all that didn’t happen this year because NFC could not raise funds needed to participate, all alone. A source disclosed that it had always relied on a funding partnership with agencies like the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) to be able to put up the pavilion.

The question most Nigerian filmmakers are asking is: ‘How much is N4 million to an agency that claims to be in charge of film development?’

A movie producer and marketer bemoaned the absence of the NFC at the festival, saying, “it shows that those in charge of the regulatory agencies don’t set their priorities right. I agree that the man (Dr. Danjuma Dadu) at the NFC is new, but are they saying that there is not a sustained plan to expose Nollywood? If there were, funds for our participation here would have been long secured whether or not a new man was appointed. It is sad for us to be in Cannes and we will be doing business in the South African pavilion, in the India pavilion and the Kenyan pavilion. The other day, they literally chased us out of the South African pavilion because they said they needed it for their industry meeting. What will I be doing here holding meetings if we had a pavilion? It is a sad development that the NFC has no sustained plan to internationalise Nollywood. They have left us the practitioners who started the industry to be promoting the industry so why are they in existence? Seriously, it is not fair considering that the film commissions of small countries like Cameroun and Kenya are the ones pushing their industries and practitioners’’.

Indeed, for most observers, if there is any year that the NFC should have been in Cannes, then it is this year. With the successful production of the big budget film Half of a Yellow Sun in the country, observers say that the NFC should have been around to tell big investors to come and work in Nigeria and to utilise the resources that abound in Nigeria.

They also say that the NFC would have been here to support Nigerian-born, but France-based filmmaker, Newton Aduaka, who is the only Nigerian and African

Winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or, Nuri Ceylan (centre) with cast members - Melisa Sozen and Ayberk Pekcan Filmmaker invited to be part of The Cinéfondation’s Atelier, a special talent showcase programme held as part of the festival.

Aduaka was listed as a Nigerian filmmaker on the project programme and he stayed through the festival (which will close on Saturday), pitching his latest project Oil on Water at the Atelier. In its 10th edition, the Atelier was created in 2005 to stimulate creative filmmaking and encourage the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers.

Aduaka, who confirmed that he has received positive funding proposals for the production of the feature that will be shot on location in the Niger Delta area, joined 14 other filmmakers selected from Spain, Argentina, and Bosnia, to showcase their projects at the Cannes Film Festival.

Aduaka, his producer, Dayo Ogunyemi, and members of his production team at Granit Films, have been in Cannes meeting potential partners in a bid to raise funds for the films. “It is really a great opportunity to be here. This is a Nigerian project. It is a Nigerian story on the Niger Delta question.

So, a lot of people are interested in it. They have read books, seen documentaries but they have not seen a film on it. It has a whole different reach and I am working from a brilliant book written by Helon Habila. For years, I have been working in Europe and my dream has been to make a film in Nigeria about Nigerians and this is one project that we can claim as a Nigerian project. To say that this is a Nigerian film and I know we can do it because we have the know how and resources. We keep saying ‘time to take it to the next level’, for me, this is the next level. It is definitely not the only project but this is certainly that type of project that will take us to the next level’. ’ Aduaka said after a meeting with some partners from Europe who expressed the desire to fund the production.

Ogunyemi, head of 234 Media, a firm that makes principal investments in Africa media, entertainment and technology sector, revealed that the Oil on Water crew has been under immense pressure from partners to have the film produced outside

Nigeria. “It will defeat the whole purpose of what Newton said about making this a Nigerian project and a Nigerian film. It will be a disservice to what we both represent if we have to produce this elsewhere. We will loose ownership. Which is why we are hoping that we can raise the funds from home and tell our own story,” Ogunyemi said.

Aduaka estimates that the adventure drama would cost about 2.5 Million Euros to produce. He also revealed that language of production would be Ijaw, Pidgin English and English.

The other project that has put Africa on the map outside Aduaka’s participation in the Atelier is Abderrahmane Sissako’s stunning film Timbuktu, which is in the Cannes competition this year. The movie, about individuals in Mali trying to maintain dignity and freedom despite the oppressive rules of the Jihadists invading their country, has been creating the right buzz for African cinema since it screened on the second day of the festival.

The talk around Cannes has been both about the quality of the film and the fact that Africa with Timbuktu, was making a good return to the Cannes slate. “This is a very important film,” said Victor Akande, Entertainment Editor of the Nation newspaper, who is attending the Cannes.

“I have seen films about rebellion that are presented in a docu-fiction manner where you pity the characters. But Sissako tells the story in a way that you are drawn to their situation. That for me is the strength of the film,” Akande said.

The Cannes Film festival closed on Saturday last week. Although fingers pointed to David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars and also to Benneth Miller’s Foxcatcher as possible winner of the festival grand prize, it was Nuri Blige Ceylan’s ‘Winter Sleep’about a hotelier who was locked in a cloggy relationship, that the Jane Campion led jury chose as winner of the coveted Palme D’or. ‘Winter Sleep’ is the second film by a Turkish director to win the festival top prize. Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren’s ‘The Way’ got the prize in 1982. However Ceylan has received two-second-place honour- the Grand Prix for his 2002 entry ‘Distant’ and his 2011 entry ‘Once Upon a Time in

Photo courtesy Getty

Anatolia’. He has also won a directing award in 2008 for ‘Three Monkeys’. The other big winner for this edition of the festival was Italian Director Alice Rohnwachers whose part drama, part autobiography titled ‘The Wonders’ received the Grand Prix. The directing prize went to Bennet Miller for ‘Foxcatcher’ while Julainne Moore received the acting award for her outstanding performance in ‘Maps to the Stars’.

... Huge support for ‘Chibok girls’ HE worldwide campaign to bring back home the school girls abducted by the extremist Islamic sect Boko Haram got a major boost in far away Cannes, France, as some top Hollywood stars and filmmakers including Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Bandara, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes and Arnold Schwarzenegger who came for the festival joined in the campaign, which has caught on in most parts of the world.

As they walked the red carpet last Sunday, each of them, all members of cast of The Expendable 3 held up signs bearing the phrase — #Bring Back Our Girls. They proved with that show of solidarity for the abducted Nigerian girls, that they do have some time to spare for activism even with their crowded schedules.

Though, The Expendables 3 is not an official selection at Cannes, but observers applauded the decision of its stars to use the opportunity of their being at an event that is unarguably the biggest film showcase in the world — which naturally attracts the world media — to draw attention to a dastardly act that has even attracted multinational support.

Also, star of The Prophet, Salma Hayek, got heads turning and camera’s clicking away on Saturday as she held up the sign as she arrived for the premiere of her film.

Dressed in a strapless red dress, the Oscar nominated actress held the sign up high as she walked majestically to join other cast members for the out of competition special screening of extracts from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, stopping intermittently though to allow photographers to have a good shot of her. Hayek urged an

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Theatre ‘Nollywood is an emergent theatre tradition; both should be encouraged’ Some theatre enthusiasts have expressed concern over the decline in theatre culture in the country. While many blame the situation on the emergence of Nollywood, which give theatre audiences the option of being entertained in their sitting rooms, a professor of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bellow University, Zaria, Emmy U. Idegu, thinks otherwise. He told Bridget Chiedu Onochie that theatre is alive and vibrant too.

Accordingly to him, if there is a seeming decline in theatre culture, it is restricted to areas where there are security issues. He also decried exclusion of arts representatives from the on-going national confab, among other issues OW do theatre artists survive in the face of H Nollywood trend?

I don’t see Nollywood as a challenge. If you say theatre art as a profession is going down and home movie is going up, is home video chemistry, is it physics or is it medicine? It is theatre, it is part of theatre; it is an emergent theatre outfit. I don’t see any threat as it were because the stage performance remains the best. That is life and that is where the audience and the actors are in some creative union. So, it is advancement because Nigeria cannot be seen as sitting idle. Right now, Nigeria is number one producer of film in Africa. They should be encouraged to keep doing their own. The theatre performances, especially within tertiary institutions, within formal institutions are as vibrant as ever. If you come to the Drama Village in ABU, you will see multiple rehearsals going on. All the levels and postgraduates are busy from morning to early hours of the next day and the performance is opened to both students and people from outside.

So, theatre is still very, very vibrant as it has been in universities and if you are talking about outside, Councils of Arts and Culture all over the country are engaged in productions and people go there to watch productions.

However, the dwindling patronage could be in areas where we have security challenges. Of course, you will prefer the comfort of your homes to watch movies than to get to one theatre hall and hear a sound, before you know what is happening, you are at the other side, dead. I think the home movie is an emerging tradition that should be encouraged because it has its own place.

How can communities benefit from theatre artists in the academics?

There are several ways that two of them can meet. In the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where I work, we have a programme called Samoru Project. It is a course - THA 203.

The project brings the university and the students in very close contact with the Samoru community. They go there, stay together; take a look at issues that challenge their wellbeing, form drama skits and after that, they go back to that community to perform the skits and in the process of performance, there are interrogations and issues that are development-oriented are discussed thereafter.

There is another course, Community Theatre; ABU is known for this project all over the world. This again takes the university to the communities where they stay for a couple of days. It is something similar to the Samoru Project except that this one is deeper. We discuss with the people, form drama skits based on the issues confronting the people. In the formation of those drama skits, the people have a major role to play and at the end, there

is an interface between the university and the community or communities.

There is another one, Gown to Town where again, the university’s theatre group has a meeting point with other cultural outfits that are not university based. There are quite a number of ways that we meet, all we have to do is to get them encouraged and better finetuned.

We all read what happened in Kenya several years ago between Ngugi wa Thiongo and the Kameritu community. He left the ivory tower of the university, stayed with the Kameritu people for a couple of weeks and the results remain outstanding till tomorrow.

We have these all over the world where community theatre, popular theatre, theatre for development and other similar programmes and projects and properly practiced.

How can art be used as a tool for national peace and unity?

I want to say that the security challenges we are facing now are not peculiar to Nigeria. It is part of development process of a people. Even in the home front, we have some levels of stress and crises but they are solvable. Talking about how theatre can come in, we just talked about home video and community theatre; that is where you use theatre as a bridge to all the socio-cultural and political divides.

Theatre remains the only medium of entertainment where truth can be given out but because of the medium of entertainment, that medium reduces the tension and development of thick skins against taking those messages. So, whether in live production, home movies or other cultural productions, the theatre remains a very vital, dynamic tool. We are thinking about going out on community theatre and the class is discussing the possibility of using theatre to talk peace.

In Nigeria, theatre is being used to bridge these gaps. What we need do to keep enjoying the enabling environment or provide more of such indices is for government to give us enabling environment to keep performing within the university structure. For instance, as much as we would have loved to get fully involved, it is capital intensive. If we are taking our students on community theatre to an area that we discovered that tension is brewing, they have to be taken care of, there should be security coverage and money has to be released to take care of them pending the number of days or weeks they have to stay. But a situation you cannot stay for more than four days to one week, the impact of what you want to do will suffer less punch.

So, we just keep operating within the availability of space and fund but as for theatre arts, it remains very powerful, potent medium of bringing warring camps to the round table.

What is the future of theatre art in relation to the number of candidates applying for the course?

The future is very bright like couple of other courses. The brightness of this future is in the fact that you do not necessarily have to wait for government employment. Any theatre artist in any university in Nigeria can fit into the home movie, can fit into raising any theatre troupe of his own and can fit into film script writing. Don’t forget that apart from immediate training, any trained theatre artist can fit into any office except where one is being typically professional such as hospital, engineering law. In any other social or humanity space, a trained theatre artist can fit in because he is a person that has studied the society, he is a creator of situations and characters; he is a creator of conflict and creator of resolution of conflicts.

So, he is the best person to understand the society more than any person and if you want to teach as some of us are doing, why not, there are several universities springing up and they are establishing theatre art departments where they can also fit in. As for influx of students, it

is not peculiar to theatre art; you know we are producing quite a number of graduates this time around more than ever because of multiplicity of universities across the country. So, the future is bright.

Is there art community representation at the National Conference?

Talking about the confab first, quite a number of people have spoken about this national dialogue; some for and others against and since I have this opportunity, let me put in my own words as a citizen of this country. There is absolutely nothing wrong in talking. It happens all over the world. In the family as a unit, when the husband and wife quarrel, when the father and the children have issues and there is a deadlock, dialogue becomes a way of breaking such dreadlock. Everybody has any reason to be angry justifiably and if there is any opportunity for us to come and talk, why not. But some people have been criticizing the issue to the point that some political parties said they were not interested but their members are there, that is how it should be. Some people are apprehensive, they said they talked before and nothing happened. That nothing happened before doesn’t mean nothing will happen this time around. So, I want to commend all those who believe in dialogue.

Talking about non-inclusion of the performing art sectors is rather unfortunate. It is possible that all sectors would not have been represented but there are sectors that should not have been left out. Nigeria is now the largest economy in Africa and performing art played a major role. The first and the only Nobel Prize we have in Nigeria came from literature– Wole Soyinka. Right now, Nigeria home movies are everywhere all over the world, making great impact. Is it not rather unfortunate that Nigerian performing art sector does not have official representation at the confab?

As bad as it is, if it is an oversight, it is almost an unforgivable oversight because there was no oversight about the home movie contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Products. We have a body of lecturers of theatre and performing arts all over Nigeria c a l l e d Society of Nigerian T h e a t r e A r t i s t s (SONTA), the body was not represented, Guild of Actors w a s n o t repre-

sented. To say the least, it is not the best at all but rather than crying over spilled milk, whatever the sector that was marginalized, forgotten and put in the dustbin of oversight can make, we still have some people there that can make such contributions except that it cannot be articulated more than the performer himself.

Rather than fold our hands, we should keep making our contributions. I know that government notes some of these constructive comments on the pages of newspapers and they can pick from them but in case of post confab, they should not forget us again.

What should government do to make theatre art course more attractive?

What government should do? I rather say what theatre artist should do. Well, what government should do is to fund the departments because we have enough facilities. As I am talking to you now, if you enter drama village of ABU, the lamps we are using, I am sure those who manufactured them have forgotten they ever manufactured those lamps.

Sometime ago, I was in Israel and I entered some of their theatres. You will see a theatre hall that has about 200 to 300 lamps and here we are, struggling with five to ten lamps. That is how government can come in the funding because those departments especially in federal universities are owned by government.

But I would prefer a situation where the professionals can market themselves and that is why I have problems with some of my colleagues in the home movies. There are some of the movies that are wonderful from the script, acting, conflict to the resolutions, there are some that are simply incredible but again, there are quite a number that we watch as professionals and we pinch ourselves and wondered if the person behind the movie is a trained theatre artist. That way, we need to remold and re-launder our professional image by doing what we are trained to do.

Another way is for a professional artist not to give opportunities to outside world that sees him as a clown by the way he talks, the way he acts and live his live.. When they listen to us talk, they should say that theatre art is a course to go for. The industry itself is becoming lucrative and I want to believe that as more trained theatre artists get involved in cultural administration, get involved in performance and get involved in converting our art councils from mere dancing to an all-embracing theatre performance, we will sell ourselves at a costly prize and there are many people out there to buy.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

44 Friday, May 30, 2014

ArtHouse The Heart of the Matter for launch on Sunday

DEEP solution missions’ book, The Heart of the Matter written A

by Evangelist Charles Harmony Ubazuruonu is billed for launch this Sunday, June 1, 2014. It has ‘Dealing with the core of issues of life’ as subtitle. Venue is K&G Event Centre, 8a Kudirat Abiola Way, Alausa Bus stop, Ikeja, Lagos. Time is 2pm. Chief launcher is Chief Leonard Amajioyi while Mrs. Lynda Onefeli will review the book. Other principal launchers/speakers include Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Oeke, Evang. & Deaconess Steve Orji, Dr. & Mrs. Jonathan Esegine and Mr & Mrs. Charles Arinze, Pastor & Mrs. Onyema Duruigbo and Pastor (Prof.) & Pastor (Mrs.) Little Isaac while father & mother of the day are Bishop & Rev. Humphrey Eruniaka.

Fafunwa’s Hear Word for presentation today

PLAy directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa and titled, Hear Word (Naija A Woman Talk True) is an exhilarating performance art production, which showcases true stories from 20 different Nigerian women. The insightful drama starring industry heavyweights such as Joke Silva, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Iretiola Doyle, Dakore Egbuna and Bimbo Akintola gives insight on social commentary and true-life stories of transformation. It continues today, May 30 & 31 at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Shows are for 2pm and 7pm daily.

Beat FM launches Ibadan station

LL is set for the official launch of the Beat 97.9 FM, the Ibadan A arm of Lagos urban radio station, Beat 99.9FM. To herald the establishment of the radio station in Oyo State, which already has been operational since January 2013, Beat 97.9 FM Ibadan has formally announced plans for its first ever concert, which is slated for June 13, 2014 and will feature performances by Marvin crew, Phyno, Tillaman, Kayswitch, Chidinma, D’banj, Skuki, Ayo Jay and Saeon amongst others. The Beat Ibadan Concert will be held at The Muave 21 Event Centre on Ring Road at the heart of Ibadan, and will have funnyman Basketmouth and Gbenga Adeyinka the first, as hosts of the night.

ANA Lagos holds Vintage Wine, Fresh Blends tomorrow OMORROW, Saturday, May 31, 2014 at the 3rd Floor, GCC Building, Chapel of Christ our Light, University of Lagos, Akoka, at 2pm, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Lagos will holds its May Vintage Wine, Fresh Blends. According to ANA Lagos chairman, Mr. Femi Onileagbon, “The Vintage Wine for this month is Mrs. Toki Mabogunje, a distinguished personality of the 2014 Nigerian International Theatre Day and Vice President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The selection of Mrs. Toki Mabogunje is based not on the number of literary works she has published but on her collaboration with her son to produce a collection of poems. This act matches one of the major objectives of Vintage Wine as a social responsibility project- to get parents to support their children’s literary creativity and actively have a hand in their development.

Stories by Florence Utor

T

Tantalizers hosts Nigeria Idol’s finalists, pledges to support youth empowerment ANTALIZERS Plc., a leading T Quick Service Restaurant chain, has expressed its belief in Nigeria’s youth empowerment and development project, pledging its readiness to always be part of the project.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mrs. Bose Ayeni made the pledge in Lagos at an event organised by Tantalizers, official food partners of the on-going Season 4 Nigeria Idol Project, to fete the three finalists in the competition.

The final three contestants namely: Evelle, Eye D and Elvis Jay with the crew of the OMG/Idol team parleyed with Tantalizers management and staff and their ever ecstatic fans at a well-organised event where the contestants were

treated to lots of fun.

Ayeni lauded the OMG/Idol team for bringing the franchise to Nigeria, adding that the bold initiative would assist in projecting the talents of Nigerian youths and keep them off the streets. She further stated that Tantalizers decided to partner with OMG Group because of its belief in Nigerian youths and the enormous capability inherent in them as leaders of tomorrow, using the opportunity to also mention some of the company’s give-back activities centered around youths.

Ayeni announced that the eatery has over 50 outlets spread across Nigeria, and also used the occasion to reiterate the future plan of the brand in the area of franchising and youth empowerment.

Evelyn Zibili (Evelle); Deputy Managing Director, Tantalizers Plc., Mr. Gbolahan Edward Ladunjo; other finalist, Idowu Sarah Odugbemi (Eye-D); Ejiro Elvis (Elvis Jay) and Managing Director/CEO of Tantalizers Plc., Mrs. Grace Bosede Ayeni during the Tantalizers parley held at the company’s outlet, Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos last weekend

Jideonwo responding to questions from journalists at the event

Jideonwo’s book raises hope for Nigeria

By Florence Utor and Ijeoma Opara HE zeal to encourage young T people to engage in unitydriven activities to make Nigeria a better society amidst political, economic and social challenges faced over the years was the focus of discussion at the official launch Chude Jideonwo book titled Are We the Turning Point Generation?

The book, which is described as a thought-provoking book, is a collection of essays that captures the evolution of youth-led ideas in managing Africa’s leadership and social development challenges.

The event held last weekend at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. According to the author who is also the Managing Partner of Red Media, noted that he was inspired to write after reading Chinua Achebe’s books: The Trouble with Nigeria and There Was A Country, including Mandela’s books.

He stated, “In 2010, I began to work on governance and citizenship when I led a rally. We just planned to do one rally and go, but things began to

happen so fast, people said this had to be an organization which wouldn’t just die off and then we moved into the Occupy Nigeria rally and then I took a break.

“While reading Mandela and Chinua Achebe’s books, I became overwhelmed; we are not the first people to love Nigeria and want to change Nigeria. Different people have done their bit and so I thought, what can my generation do differently and how can we also turn the points and so this book was a result of my thinking”.

Jideonwo, however, noted that it was a difficult book for him to write, as it required a lot of reflection and research, adding, “Nobody will change our country but us, and so this book is part of the transformation to a better society”.

Also speaking, lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana challenged Nigerians, especially the youths, to take their destiny in their hands, saying, “Nigerians have to take their destiny into their hands.

This remains one of the most endowed countries in the world but we have to actualize

the greatness of the country as soon as possible. Nigerians need to unite and engage in unity of purpose to take this country to a higher height, which is not impossible to achieve. I am calling for a social revolution; we should take up politicians on what they have to offer and ensure they live up to their promises. This is part of what Chude has illustrated in his book”.

Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi said, “Chude is clearly lighting the road for his generation. I believe that this generation has the possibilities of being the turning point generation but people must engage; people cannot sit in their sitting room and fantasize about the world. It is about getting our hands on deck to make change happen”.

A member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Abike Dabiri, described Jideonwo’s book as one that is coming at a time when the problem of Nigeria is leadership, noting, “we expect young ones as Chude to take up the challenge; power is not served ‘a la carte’; you have to get up there, have a

political platform and give support.

“This book is about leadership; it is inspirational and motivational. It will encourage young ones to participate, register to vote and defend their votes; we have intelligent people in Nigeria. We need to get them out and let them come out to represent us”.

Former Lagos gubernatorial aspirant, Jimi Agbaje praised the effort of the author, describing the book as a selfless sacrifice to bring change.

He stated, “Those who bring about change in countries like ours, is not about self, but sacrifice, selflessness and leadership. So, you shouldn’t desire to be in government because you want to make money and enrich yourself. This turning point generation should be ready to say no to mediocrity and embrace selfless service”.

The high point of the event witnessed Nigeria’s soul singer, Timi Dakolo rendering a song of hope while placards where displayed with #Bring Back Our Girls in honour of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Borno almost two months ago.

Why we are partnering with AMAA, by Sterling Bank HE need to promote the movie indus- (AMAA) attracted unprecedented sponsor- would-be coming president shows contiT try in view of its potential to continual- ship. For the first time, we (Sterling Bank) nuity and good corporate governance ly boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product threw it behind the continental brand, structure. This is what Sterling Bank also (GDP) has been identified as one of the reasons necessitating the sponsorship of the recently held Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) by Sterling Bank Plc. The bank’s Group Head, Strategy and Communication, Shina Atilola, who disclosed this to newsmen in Bayelsa after the event that attracted prominent actors and actresses across Africa, also emphasized the need for other corporate bodies to support the movie industry for sustainable growth.

He explained that the movie industry must be celebrated as obtainable in other developed countries of the world, adding that the bank was particularly delighted to partner with AMAA. “AMAA has become a reference when it comes to celebrating the movie industry in Africa and we want to identify with that. Apart from celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the awards, which stands for excellence, AMAA had also celebrated the best of Nigerian filmmakers and celebrates excellence in Africa cinema.

“It is a well-known fact that the 10th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Award

which is known to celebrate excellence in African cinema.”

Speaking on the decision of the Chief Executive Officer of AMAA, Peace Anyiam, to step down, he advised that the incoming executive must see the need to sustain their relationship with her to continue to benefit from her inspiration.

“The handing over of the president to the

stands for. At Sterling Bank, we believe in continuity. We believe in the long hug.

“We don’t do anything short-term. And that is why you can see, our long term aim or vision is to build an institution that will last beyond the present managers of the business. So, for us, we believe in that relationship, in as much as AMAA still believes in excellence.”

Absolut Vodka meets creativity with Art Party O show its love for the development of T arts and creativity, Absolut Vodka recently ignited the spirit of transformation with the Art Party, which was held at the prestigious Lagoon Crest in Lekki, Lagos. The event was a show-stopper as the brand connected consumers with opportunities for exclusive arts and styles in Lagos. Absolut Vodka reflects colours and vibrancy, celebrating the power of individuals who transform their environment through creativity and vision.

The cream-de-la-cream in the entertainment and lifestyle circle trooped out in

their numbers to celebrate, with a roll call of attendees ranging from A-list artists to art and culture enthusiasts, business moguls, social-buffs and members of the international community. Hype man for the Art Party – N6 of Cool FM in collaboration with the duo of DJ Skills and DJ Lambogini, thrilled consumers with different hit tracks right into the wee hours.

Electrifying performances by dancehall and reggae sensation, Patoranking and his counterpart Runtown, who is also a fast rising star, were what Absolut Vodka represents.

Friday, May 30, 2014 45

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

ExecutiveBrief

EDITION 309

In association with TRIPPLEA ASSOCIATES LIMIED

Uche Ezenwa: The Key To Performance Management is Measurement And Control.

Systems and Processes Consulting Limited is a leading Human Resource Consulting and Recruitment services that works closely with Nigeria’s best and brightest business organizations, helping them to achieve their vision through optimum use of their most valuable asset – their people. Their wide range of professional support services are designed to help their clients to attract, engage and retain the talent they need to achieve their long-term goals. The organisation supports companies in all sectors of the economy in the fields of Human Resource, Background check, Training, Research, Outsourcing, Mentoring and Sales Academy. The Chairman of the organisation, Mr. Uche Ezenwa is a thoroughbred professional. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics Electronics, Diploma in Accounting, MBA in Marketing, a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, and other numerous professional certifications. In this interview with Nnamdi Nwokolo, Mr. Ezenwa believes that their consultants are experts in their fields and use the most modern systems and up to date knowledge to support organizations in all HR fields.

ITH your experience, what’s your take on the view that W Nigerian graduates are unemployable? The situation, according to employers of labour and human resources coach-

company, they don’t fit in. universities should dedicate some time to teach their final year students the steps to get the right job. Unfortunately, the NYSC is failing in this direction, I know es, is not only sympathetic but embarrassing that the vast they hire some consultants to go and talk to them. What they human material resources available to the country had not should be taught is career management because it is very easy to been adequately trained and utilized to the advantage and make them employable with the right techniques. development of the country. Some believe that the problem is On the role of entrepreneurship to our development: from the universities or that the school curriculum is outdatI strongly believe that entrepreneurship is a key area for our ed. I don’t believe that, the challenge is that we are underplayfuture development as a country. The concept is so much misuning the role of career management/roadmap in this country. derstood, so many people claim to be entrepreneurs but they are Most people don’t know that career consultants exist in the not. The entrepreneur is not the same thing as the trader. The country. Some are employable but majority are unemployable. keywords to entrepreneurship are creativity and innovation.

Universities should direct their students on career roadmap.

Entrepreneurs do what others do in a different way. We believe Systems and Processes Consulting Limited specializes in that entrepreneurship framework has not been properly crafted recruitment and we’ve done that at various levels for different in Nigeria, because when this is done, it will go a long way in organisations. We also outsource factory workers. We are very reducing the unemployment menace in the country. Let me also strong in training and we do employability seminar for gradu- make this point, the unemployment level in Nigeria, is not as ates to help increase their chances of getting employed. We bad as people want us to believe. run a lot of seminars for individuals and corporate bodies. We It’s arguable that a lot of emphasis is placed on paper qualificaalso do a lot of mentoring and we make use of independent tion, what’s your take on that? Many Nigerians do not have the consultants who leverage on what we have here. right education. How many researchers with Ph.D work in manWhat’s your view on the unemployment crisis in the country? ufacturing companies or in your firm? People think we don’t With my experience as a human resource professional, need then, but it is at that level that independent thinking anybody who should be employed is employed. The occurs. We need highly intellectual people to move this people who are not employed shouldn’t be country forward. People need to read and not just employed in the first place. We are very strong in reading but applying what they have read in the career management. Most Nigerian graduates do work environment. Our society is not moving the not have career direction or roadmap. Some of way it should because our social scientists are in the them have no value proposition they are bringbanks; these are the people that are supposed to ing to the organization. The problem of unemmaintain societal infrastructures. In terms of educaployment is that the large number of people tion, paper qualification is not being overemphawho are carrying C.V.’s, do not have the right sized. What we need to emphasize on is competence. mindset to work. To curtail the unemployThis is why there’s a lot of certification. I always tell ment menace, we need to seriously begin to people that you don’t acquire competence in the unichange the mindset of the people. For example, a versity; what you acquire in the university is knowlgraduate of education wants to work in a bank. edge. Competence can only be acquired through learnThey have this false impression that what you ing. Young people should invest in knowledge. studied do not count, that the important thing is What are the principles that helped you get to where to have a degree. In our career clinic, we’ve you are now? admitted some people and after someThe biggest principle is persistence. In my kind of business, time, they become employable getting the right personnel is a big challenge. by embarking on short Persistence is the key to build a sustainable brand. courses/strategic The other one is focus. We developed a education. Why is roadmap; our dream is to have presence in it that people all the states of the federation before after studying expanding our dreams to all over Africa. education Focus contains the ambition, the paswill not want sion and the drive. My passion is to to teach? impact positively on people; I had the When they choice of deploying payment systems apply in in the banks. We have a clear a bank roadmap to help us achieve our or oil goals. We also do measurement. The & gas key to performance management is measurement and control. We measure where we are to know if we are making progress. Integrity is key to our business strategy. We understand that finding people jobs is a very important task in a society that carries with it duties of care and professional behaviour. We will endeavour to match candidates' needs and objectives with those of our clients and we respect our obligations of confidentiality to candidates. We expect our staff to communicate transparently and honestUche Ezenwa ly with our clients, candidates,

business partners, suppliers and governmental and regulatory bodies, within the legal framework of privacy and confidentiality.

What can Government do differently to help enterprise development?

We should develop a National entrepreneurship framework.

This framework should have creativity, innovation, infrastructure and incubation. Entrepreneurship requires apprenticeship. Government should also consider that in the framework.

In creating the apprenticeship development scheme, you need those that will learn and you need experts that will come into the pool to develop entrepreneurs for this country. If government does this, so many jobs will be created. We need to have the right statistics of unemployed people. Apart from giving a figure of unemployed people, the National Bureau of Statistics should further break it down on the percentage of people that are unemployed because they are women; over aged, unemployed etc. this will greatly help in our drive to curb unemployment to its barest minimum. Nigeria can leverage on ICT, Agriculture and rural development to create the right jobs.

What are the Focus/Projections for the organization?

Organizations are under pressure to improve quality and service levels, yet spend less money doing so. Our focus is to support companies in all sectors of the economy in the fields of Human Resource, Background check, Training, Research, Outsourcing, Mentoring and Sales Academy. We help organizations operate with maximum effectiveness and efficiency with the right talent pool. To achieve this objective we also tell organizations how to significantly improve the quality of the work they produce, from the points of view of customers, employees and shareholders. As a company, we believe and God helping us, we see ourselves at the centre of job creation in the country. How do we do that, there are a lot of employees that are either under employing or they are not employing right. We can help them employ right to increase their productivity.

Advice to young entrepreneurs: Knowledge is what a young entrepreneur needs. If the person knows what he intends to do, the percentage success will be high but if he doesn’t know, he’ll be heading for failure.

Knowledge is important, apprenticeship is equally important.

Mentorship, persistence & focus are very key. The bottom line is that young entrepreneurs should invest in knowledge.

WINING AT WORK

Magic Customer Service Words - Part 2 HIS is the second of four articles on Magic Customer Service T Words. In this series, we're exploring "Positive" and "Negative" language – words and phrases that can trigger positive or negative responses with customers. Here are the next two: Positive: "What if you tried..."

When a customer is having a challenge that you can't fix, you want to be careful that you don't inadvertently send the message that you just don't care. You certainly don't want to just say "We can't do that," without offering some potential solutions. But even when you're trying to help, you have to use care in how you present it. You don't, for example, want to start your sentence with, "Why didn't you...?" This can trigger a defensive response, as it implies that the other person made a conscious decision to reject this option. Using the phrase "What if you tried...", e.g.: "What if you tried seeing if a plumber has a solution?" invites discussion instead of dissention. You can even make it more collaborative by changing the "you" to "we. " Negative: Yergunnahafta" "You're going to have to," or "yergunnahafta" as its most often pronounced, is one of the most common phrases you'll hear in business: "Yergunnahafta talk to my manager."

"Yergunnahafta fill out these forms," "Yergunnahafta come back on Monday," etc. Yergunnahafta is a directive. It's an order. The message is "We have rules around here, and if you want to be one of our customers, you'd better follow them."

When you watch and listen to interactions between service providers and customers, you can almost always see a change in the customer after this phrase is used. It is easily the most common trigger that causes a simple issue to turn into a confrontation.

What's a better approach than saying "Yergunnahafta?" The secret is to always frame your statement in terms of what is in your customer's best interests. So, for example, instead of saying, "Yergunnahafta talk to the manager," say something like, "My manager is going to be able to help you best with this..."

For Advertisement and Enquiries Call Nnamdi on 08025070837 or E-mail:editor.executivebrief@trippleagroup.com

46

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

By Cassandra George Sturges

Down-to-Earth Secrets to Success (Continued)

ECRET # 2 - Take every negaSexperience tive comment, person and in your life and use them as fuel to add to the fire inside your soul that will drive you to the fruition of your dreams. Many people use their negative experiences as their excuses for failure. They blame their mothers' alcohol abuse, their uncaring teachers; verbally and physically abuse family members and their daddy who was never home. After completing my GED, the admissions counselor at the community college looked me directly in my eyes and told me that I was not college material and that I should enroll in a cosmetology school because it was obvious from my appearance that I loved make up. My mouth dropped. I could not believe that this woman was telling me this to my face. Yes, granted I failed all of my classes in high school due to lack of attendance, my clothes were maybe a little too revealing (okay a lot) and I still love navy-royal blue eye-shadow and way-too-much-eyeliner and mascara, but what the hell did that have to do with my desire to attend and succeed academically at a community college to improve my life?

Secret # 3 - Have a clear picture in your mind of what you do not want, and do the opposite. I was never lucky enough to know what I wanted to do with my life. If you asked me what I wanted to be or do with my life, I couldn't tell you, but I could definitely tell you what I didn't want. I didn't want to work in the food industry because I don't like to get dirty. I didn't want to work in the medical field in any capacity because I don't like to get dirty or be in the vicinity of a dead or dying body. I didn't want to work in an auto plant or factory because I want to wear highheel pumps and panty-hose, plus I didn't want to break a nail. I didn't want to teach small children, because I am too immature and I would insist on taking the red lollipop which is my favorite; and I lack the ability to give them the structure and discipline they need because I would be on the floor laughing at inappropriate jokes and behaviors that need to be reprimanded. Kids are too cute and too funny for me to be the type of teacher they need to excel academically. I want to be financially independent. I earn a very good salary, but I still want to be able to call the shots in my life.

Secret # 4 - Find positive people to inspire you even if they live in a book. There has never been anyone in my immediate circle who wanted the same things in life that I wanted. I can't pick up the phone and call anyone for business or financial advice. There are no role models in my immediate or distant circle who earn the level of financial independence or have achieved the level of success that I want to emulate. Most people in my inner circle chastise me for wanting so much out of life. They tell me that I am a gambler waging a bet of double or nothing.

They tell me of course, your dreams can come true but what are the odds 1 to 200. Be more practical. Find an

administrative position.

Marry a rich man. Teach in a government program to alleviate your student loan debt.

Be happy with what you have, you are so lucky to teach at a community college; do you know how many people who would die to be in your position? None of these people are negative or player haters, they just don't see my vision for my life. I have to find role models and positive people who understand my dream of success out side of my immediate environment.

Secret # 5 - Every aspect of your life should support your dream. The job that you have should give you the financial resources, skills and/or flexibility in your schedule to spend time nurturing your dream. You must promise yourself that you will not allow your work schedule to prevent you from being able to commit to your ultimate goals. Remember the amount of money you earn is not the primary focus en route to your dreams. Think of all of your jobs as paid internships.

Focus on developing psychological and tangible skills that you will be able to apply to creating your ultimate dream. If your dream is not in the trunk of your car, in the bottom of your duffle bag, scattered on your living room floor, table, bed etc...--you are not serious about what you want to do with your life.

Secret # 6 - The greatest, most important and most beneficial assets that you will need to succeed in life is not money. The most important assets that you will need to succeed are priceless. The primary characteristic of a successful person is confidence, determination, self-discipline, and an unshakable belief in themselves to make your dreams come true.

People who are "about their business" don't have time for drama or riff raff. They are like the swan, they have the inner strength, integrity and focus to protect and develop situations that are in their best interest. They may not always be well-liked or popular. They do not care about what others

Who do you think inspired Harriet Tubman, Marie Montessori, Madame C. J. Walker, Oprah Winfrey, or Thomas Edison? You may be the first person to cure the common cold or build a house on mars. This leads me back to rule # 1- listen to the God inside of you, believe in your self, and believe in your dream. Validate, create, anoint and bless your own dream. If you are waiting for Oprah, a book agent, a music producer, or modeling agent to find you and blow you up to stardom, you are setting your self up for grave disappointment in life. If you paint pictures and never sell a single painting you are still a painter. If you sing everyday, but you never make it on American Idol, you are still a singer. If you write a book that never becomes a New York Times Bestseller, you are still a writer. No one will ever believe in you until you learn to believe in yourself. You are what you do, not what you say you will do.

Secret # 9 - Delete and

Should CEOs Use Social Media?

INFOTECH Mike Myatt HE Affirmative Position: Proponents of C-level social media participation believe the digital universe provides the CEO with the ultimate platform to evangelize the corporate brand, and to effectively communicate across multiple constituencies. They are opportunity managers who believe engagement to be more valuable than silence, they believe in dialog not monologue, they believe in change and innovation – not in status quo.

The Dissenting Position: The stance of the risk averse is there is little to be gained, but the potential for much to be lost in social media initiatives involving C-level executives. The fear of exposing executives and the corporate brand to public criticism, along with disclosure concerns with regard to forward looking statements, and other confidential information have caused concern for boards and legal departments. They are risk managers who believe in protecting what was rather than embracing what is, and what will be.

The Truth (as I see it): A main point of consideration for CEOs is that social media transforms you from an enig-

T

think about them.

Secret # 7 - Only focus on what you can control. You can't make people read your book, buy your album, watch your television show or listen to you on the radio. You can't control other people's response to your paintings, sculptures or the way you dress. People have a right to like or dislike you and your dreams. The only thing that you can control is whether or not you write the book, attend the class, sing the song, or play the instrument.

All you can control is how often you practice, how long you study and how much you write. No matter who you are and no matter what you do, there will always be people who disagree with you or dislike you. Who cares what other people think! What other people think of you is none of your business. What you think of you is critical to your success, happiness and overall well-being. Do your part and feel good about yourself.

Secret # 8 - Be your own hero.

remove all of the characteristics that have nothing to do with the real dream. For example, your dream may be to attend Harvard Law School, but you can't afford it, or maybe weren't accepted into their law program.

You must ask yourself whether your dream is to attend Harvard School of Law or law school in general.

You must then ask yourself whether your dream is to become a lawyer or attend Harvard. Are there other reputable law schools? If you decide that you only want to attend Harvard, do you believe in your heart that attending Harvard will validate your worth and intelligence as a human being. Are there any successful attorneys who did not attend Harvard? If you really want to be a lawyer get in where you fit in, do your God-given best, and start your own law practice! If your dream is to attend Harvard go visit the campus or get any available job that will allow you to be on campus.

Secret # 10 - Don't dictate how, when or what your dream should look like when it manifests.

Sometimes you will experience drawbacks that have nothing to do with your talent or ability. I have learned that many times incidents in your life that appear to be a failure or delay your dreams are really spiritual obstacles designed to give you an opportunity to develop psychological and emotional tools to handle the next level of manifesting your dream.

Secret # 11 - When you are doing your best, it is impossible to make mistakes.

Imagine yourself using a cookie cutter to cut a star shape from the cookie dough. The dough left over are the perceived mistakes and errors that you make on the way to becoming a star.

You see, you needed all of the dough in order to become a star. Each perceived mistake or error that you make is just life shaping, forming and directing you to the ultimate person that you want to be.

ma (the stereotype of the uncaring corporate executive) into a human being that people can relate to…social media personalizes you in a way that few other mediums can. Whether you Tweet, Blog, Facebook, YouTube, etc., these communities allow you to be known for the whole of who you are as an individual, not just as a bio on the corporate website. The following list is comprised of a few representative examples of reasons why all CEOs should be actively engaged in social media: Leadership Benefits: As CEO, you’re not supposed to be the relic, but the visionary. This may hit a little close to home for some, but the message needs to be heard. Great leaders lead by example.

How can you ask members of your team to be innovative, engaged, proactive, creative, authentic, transparent, and communicative if you are none of those things? You cannot be an effective leader if you don’t model the behavior you seek in others. Be a leader or be a disingenuous hypocrite – the choice is yours.

Learning Benefits: Social media is not just a tool for pushing out corporate propaganda – use it as such and you’ll pay a steep price. It is an open access to people, relationships, communities, and constituencies. Put simply, it’s a

chance to observe, listen, process and learn. A CEO needs to understand that in addition to affording them with the benefit of directly engaging consumers of their goods and services, social media also provides a window into the insights or their employees and allows them to monitor the pulse of their culture. Social media also allows you access to business, market, and competitive intelligence in real time.

Business Benefits: Yes, I know, you’re the CEO and you have to pay attention to business. Well, social media have significant ability to drive revenue, increase personal and corporate brand equity, open markets, create relationships, drive innovation, improve morale, build partnerships, attract & retain talent, and to generate communications leverage. Not only do social media work, but it works even better when the participant has a bit of cache.

The truth is the farther up the organisational chart one resides, the more influence one possesses, the more leverage one creates, and the more one can accomplish via social media. You can do none of these things effectively by sticking your head in the sand and pretending social media doesn’t matter.

Communications Benefits: I hesitate

Action is the foundational key to all success. -Pablo Picasso

to mention this because it’s been so overused, but because it’s true, here goes: “The conversation is already taking place, so you might as well be a part of it.” Social media gives you the ability to be proactive in your communications, or if needed, provide a rapid response to crisis. Unfortunate things happen in business, and sadly, they’ll likely happen to you at some point.

Having strong relationships, supporters, and fans created through social media is invaluable – so is having a channel to quickly and credibly communicate with those who are not.

Legacy Benefits: I’ve often said the best legacy is one that can be lived before you’re gone. A legacy is shaped by the sum total of your personal and professional contributions, and most significantly by those contributions which have been the most beneficial to others. Social media takes your personal interests and your professional body of work and gives them access to a larger community. Social media can enhance the value of existing relationships and create new ones; it can help you evangelize your passions, recruit people to your causes, and to help others with their causes. Social media can help you and those you care about make significant contributions.

Friday, May 30, 2014 AUTOWHEELS 47

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AutoWheels

Interior view of new Volvo XC90

Volvo commences launching programme for all-new XC90 NE of Volvo Cars’ most anticipated car O launches of recent years – the all-new XC90 – officially began on Wednesday by revealing what has been a key development area: the interior of the XC90.

The company noted that as the world becomes increasingly urbanised, people spend more and more time in their cars commuting. Consumer insights have led to the development of many of the new interior features of the car.

Many of the style details first debuted in the series of three award-winning concept cars make their way to the all-new XC90 highlighting Volvo’s new design language which is inspired by the simplicity, functionality and beauty that has become the hallmark of Scandinavian design. The full external reveal will take place in August.

The original XC90 was launched in 2002 and it revolutionized the SUV segment with its combination of space, versatility and safety. It went on to become a global sales phenomenon, nowhere more so than in the U.S. where it was the company’s top-selling model for seven consecutive years from 2003-2009.

Volvo Cars seeks to once again impact the perception of SUVs with the execution of the allnew XC90 where the space and interior environment, world leading safety features and environmentally advanced power-trains have been in the forefront of the development of the car.

The modern and spacious interior is the most luxurious to have been designed for a Volvo, taking its inspiration from the country of Volvo’s birth, Sweden, which has a global reputation for integrating the latest technology with design that is clean, beautiful and crafted

from the finest materials.

“The most striking feature is a tablet-like touch screen control console, which forms the heart of an all-new in-car control system,” said Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice president design of Volvo Cars.

This system is virtually button free – a drastic difference to that of other cars - and represents an entirely new way for drivers to control their car and access a range of Internetbased products and services.

The new XC90’s interior combines the expected luxurious materials, such as soft Nappa leather and dark flame birch wood, with unique handcrafted details, including a gear-lever made of crystal from Orrefors, the famous Swedish glass maker, and diamondcut controls for the start/stop button and volume control.

“These details add a bit of exclusive playfulness rather than pure functionality in the otherwise pure and elegant design,” said Robin Page, Volvo Cars’ interior design director.

The all-new XC90 is the first Volvo to use the company’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which creates a far wider range of design possibilities, improves driveability and permits the inclusion of the latest safety features and connected in-car technologies, while at the same time increasing interior space.

This new architecture enables the company to strengthen and reinforce its aim that by the year 2020 no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.

“Our new interior architecture is pure and uncluttered, while still radiating the sophisticated confidence and formality that luxury SUV customers expect,” said Peter Mertens,

senior vice president research and development of Volvo Cars.

Volvo Cars already enjoys a reputation for having some of the most comfortable seats in the industry. The new XC90 enhances this with an all–new seat design that combines comfort, support and style in a beautifully crafted package.

As always with Volvo Cars, the development of the seats has included the latest ergonomic advancements and insights. The interior also benefits from more interior space for passengers in both the second and third seat rows, helping to make the new XC90 a genuine seven-seater.

“The full seat core has an ergonomic shape that resembles the human spine. A multitude of adjustment possibilities makes it possible for the individual user to create an ideal seating position,” said Page.

The standard seats are available with intuitive, smooth power operation, including adjustable side bolsters, seat cushion extension, multi-directional lumbar support and vertical adjustment of the headrests. Three settings can be stored in the memory. Ventilation and massage functions are optional.

The all-new, optional Contour seat has been designed to offer excellent side support all the way from the shoulders to the thighs.

Individual second row seats and more space in the third row.

The second row features three individual seats with recline adjustment. The sliding function can be used to create more legroom for the passengers in the third row – or to increase loading space if the third row seats are folded flat. An integrated child booster cushion in the center seat is optional.

The seats in the third row, which offer classleading comfort for passengers with a height up to 5’7”, are slightly centered to offer occupants a generous theater-seat-inspired view.

Additional space for the feet under the second row seats creates additional comfort and legroom. Special attention has also been given to ensure easy ingress and egress from the third row and ease of operation, making this the best third row in the segment.

The all-new Volvo XC90 includes a number of storage options for the driver and passengers.

All the seats in the second and third rows can be folded individually, which creates outstanding loading flexibility. The third row seats can also be specified with power operation.

A pleasant and fresh interior climate is a vital part of wellbeing when driving. The all-new Volvo XC90 can be specified with a four-zone climate system with individual settings for the occupants in the front seats and in the second row. A separate air-conditioning unit for the third row is optional.

The all-new XC90 story will continue to unfold over the summer. The story of the latest advancements within safety and interior air quality will be released later this summer, while the reveal of the technology highlights, including chassis and powertrains, will start in mid-July and continue throughout the summer until the exterior launch at the end of August.

“The customer and the customer experience are at the heart of everything we do at Volvo Cars. We don’t do technology for technology’s sake – everything in a Volvo is there to make our cars safer and more pleasurable to drive,” said Alain Visser, senior vice president, marketing, sales and customer service of Volvo Cars.

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Friday, May 30, 2014

2016 Volkswagen Tiguan to further rev up competition more fuel-efficient, priceA competitive and larger Volkswagen Tiguan SUV will hit dealer showrooms in 2016.

“The U.S. market (demands) a lengthened vehicle, something that is longer,” Kevin Joostema told Edmunds during a press event in San Francisco.

Joostema is Volkswagen of America’s general manager for product planning.

Volkswagen has struggled to sell the Tiguan in the U.S. market. It holds a tiny portion of the booming compact-utility market, composed of such vehicles as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Volkswagen estimates the segment at 2.3 million vehicles. Last year, VW sold about 30,000 vehicles. By contrast, Honda sold about 304,000 CR-Vs and Ford tallied nearly 296,000 Escapes.

Joostema said surveys show there are several reasons why shoppers shy away from the Tiguan.

“The main reasons are cargo space, fuel economy and performance, and overall price positioning.” Joostema said.

“We need to make a broader offering like we did with the Passat and make sure we can strongly, properly participate in all trim levels of this booming segment.”

Joostema said a wider range of Tiguan models will be offered in the future with more attractive price points.

Future models will have a longer list of standard equipment.

The 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan

starts at $24,170, including an $865 destination charge. In comparison, the 2014 Honda CR-V starts at $23,950 and the 2014 Ford Escape starts at $23,505, including an $895 destination charge.

The 2014 Tiguan with the 2.0liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual trans-

mission returns 18 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. In comparison, the 2014 Honda CR-V with a 2.4liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission returns 23 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway, according to

the EPA. Joostema said Volkswagen also is focusing on “how can we design a car that helps us maximize the space of the storage area? How can we design a second-row seat that slides so that if needed, we get maximization, versatility, flexibility of the cargo

space?”

VW is looking for ways to reinvent the console area between the front seats, too.

On the plus side, Joostema said consumers like Volkswagen’s styling.

“Our designers are fantastic,” he said. “They create the most beautiful-looking cars

— super refined, super elegant, a premium feel and look no matter where they are made in the world.”

Edmunds says: Now that Volkswagen has determined what compact SUV buyers want, expect the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan to be a more competitive vehicle.

2014 Volkswagen Tiguan

Japan’s auto firms push for new fuel-efficient engines APAN’S automakers, aimJefficient ing to take the lead in fuelvehicles, have joined forces in a new consortium to develop the next generation of fuel-sipping combustion engines.

Their goal: A 30 per cent improvement in the fuel efficiency of traditional gasoline and diesel engines by 2020.

The Japanese government

will aid the country’s eight automakers by chipping in half of the project’s 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) budget.

The automakers will foot the rest.

The Research and Development (R&D) push is being organised under the newly created Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines.

It pools the resources of Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Mazda Motor Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Daihatsu Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru-brand vehicles.

Member companies will jointly conduct basic research on a better internal combustion engine. The

objective is to share costs in an increasingly competitive, investment-heavy field to meet more stringent fuel economy guidelines, organizers said.

The R&D will eventually feed into production vehicles.

The strategy is patterned after a similar approach taken by competitors in Europe, organizers said.

There, rivals cooperate with academia and the government on basic technologies, giving European carmakers a head start in cutting costs.

While Japanese automakers have developed advanced electric and hybrid drivetrains, the creation of AICE acknowledges that internal combustion engines will remain the workhorse of global fleets for a long time,

2015 Lexus NX... offers bold design, comfort, luxury

2015 Lexus MX

especially in cost-sensitive emerging markets.

Organisers outlined a 10year time frame for achieving world-leading advancements in combustion engine efficiency.

AICE will target both diesel and gasoline technology.

Diesel technology, in particular, has been a weak point for automakers in Japan, where diesel vehicles hold just a sliver of sales.

Engineers target thermal efficiency rates for both approaching 50 percent.

That compares with today’s best rates of around 39 percent for gasoline engines and 42 percent for diesel engines.

Higher thermal efficiency means more energy from internal combustion is captured for higher engine output.

Organizers said such a breakthrough could boost the fuel efficiency of gasoline and diesel engines 30 percent by 2020.

Diesel engine development will focus on eliminating particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions, partly through better particulate filters and exhaust gas recirculation systems.

Gasoline engine research will focus on achieving more complete combustion cycles and better ignition while reducing knock.

The Managing Officer of Honda R&D Co., Honda’s product development arm, Keiji Ohtsu, will be AICE president.

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Hyundai leapfrogs Honda to become greenest automaker in U.S. YUNDAI Motor Co., which H has championed smaller engines, dethroned Honda

Google plans own fleet of self-driving cars OOGLE will launch its own G fleet of autonomous vehicle prototypes – with no steering wheels and no gas or brake pedals – as the technology giant begins a new phase of its self-driving car project.

Google designed the car and plans to have about 100 test vehicles that are fully autonomous with extra safety features, company co-founder Sergey Brin said during a conference Tuesday hosted by technology blog Re/code in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

The New York Times reported Tuesday night that a Detroitarea manufacturer is building the cars for Google, which declined to name the manufacturer, according to the Times’ story.

In an announcement posted to the company’s blog late Tuesday, Google says it will begin testing the prototypes this summer. Early versions will include manual vehicle controls and will be tested by company “safety drivers,” Google said.

A small pilot program in California may follow “in the next couple of years” if steady progress is made on the project, Chris Urmson, director of Google’s self-driving car project, wrote in the blog post.

By building its own prototypes, Google is entering a new chapter in its ambitious autonomous vehicle project, bringing the deep-pocketed tech giant closer to established automakers such as Volvo Car Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp. that have pledged to put fully autonomous vehicles on the road by the end of the decade.

Google has been developing self-driving vehicle technology since 2009, using a fleet of test vehicles equipped with sensors, lasers, radar and computers that process map-

ping and drive software to allow their vehicles to be driven autonomously. Google says its test fleet has racked up some 700,000 miles of autonomous driving during so far.

The Google prototypes are small pod-shaped cars that appear to be the size of a Smart ForTwo with two seats and two doors.

The cars don’t have steering wheels, brake pedals or accelerator pedals “because they don’t need them. Our software and sensors do all the work,” Urmson wrote in the company’s blog post.

The prototypes, which have safety items such as additional foam at the bumper and a plastic-like windshield, are part of the company’s research laboratory called Google X, which is led by Brin.

“We took a look from the ground up as to what it would be like if we had self-driving cars in the world,” Brin said.

“We’ve worked with partners in the Detroit area, Germany and California,” he said without giving specifics. The prototypes let users ask for a destination address and then drives them to it, Brin said.

Google has been developing self-driving vehicle technology since 2009, using a fleet of test vehicles equipped with sensors, lasers, radar and computers that process mapping and drive software to allow their vehicles to be driven autonomously. Google says its test fleet has racked up some 700,000 miles of autonomous driving during so far.

The cars are powered by an electric motor and have a topspeed limited to 25 mph. In its post, Google did not say whether the cars were based on an existing platform from an established automaker.

Some automakers have recently introduced vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies that provide limited levels of autonomous driving.

The Acura RLX flagship sedan, for example, can drive on the highway without steering input from the driver for short periods. The car’s adaptive cruise control maintains a constant speed and safe distance between cars and objects on the road ahead while a lane-keeping system prevents the car from drifting out of its lane, but only for a few seconds before warning the driver to return his hands to the wheel.

In an interview with the Times, Brin said those kind of advancements didn’t measure up to Google’s ambitious goals for its autonomous car project.

“That stuff seems not entirely in keeping with our mission of being transformative,” Brin told the Times.

Over the next two decades, self-driving cars are going to get a bigger share of the market. Such vehicles will reach 11.8 million in 2035, according to Egil Juliussen, an analyst at IHS Automotive.

And by 2050, he expects almost all cars to become selfdriving. They are estimated to fetch premiums that will start at $7,000 to $10,000 in 2025, he said.

Brin said the Google vehicle is still being worked on at this point. “It’s still early,” he said.

“We’re still doing lots of development with the software, the hardware and the experience.”

Motor Co. as the greenest automaker in the United States, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The nonprofit scientific research group ranked Hyundai first and Honda second in its sixth evaluation of the environmental performance of the eight top-selling automakers in the United States.

Honda had ranked on top since the report was first published in 2000.

Toyota Motor Corp. placed third, followed by Nissan Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG. Detroit’s three automakers — Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler Group — placed at the bottom of the survey. The Detroit 3, which are more heavily dependent on light trucks with larger engines, also each scored below the industry average.

With the introduction of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata hybrid and the 2011 Kia Optima hybrid, the Hyundai-Kia group significantly improved its fuel efficiency since the last report.

“Honda continues to lead the way in many vehicle classes, but it’s started to lag the industry average in its midsize fleet — which includes its best-selling Accord, and accounts for a quarter of the company’s sales,” Dave Cooke, the author of the report, said in a statement. “As HyundaiKia works to further improve fuel economy and electrify its fleet, Honda will need to step up its game if it wants to take

back the crown.”

Hyundai-Kia’s top ranking was aided by the fact that, other than Volkswagen, it is the only automaker on the Union of Concerned Scientists’ ranking that doesn’t sell fuel-thirsty pickup trucks in the U.S. market.

Hyundai-Kia topped the list even after being forced by the EPA in 2012 to scale back overstated fuel economy ratings for several models that accounted for some 900,000 vehicles sold from the 20112013 model years. The companies said the ratings were mistakenly inflated, apologized and reimbursed customers for extra gas they purchased.

Hyundai has also benefited from a decision to drop a sixcylinder version of the Sonata mid-sized sedan in favor of smaller engines, while Honda and Toyota still offer V-6 engines in the Accord and Camry. “[The report] acknowledges our continued work and commitment to reducing emissions in our efforts to create a better environment for all,” Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor said.

He added that while the company does not focus solely on such accolades, it will continue r&d efforts to reduce emissions and boost fuel efficiency.

The eight companies ranked in the study account for about 90 percent of light vehicles sold in the United States.

Automakers with smaller U.S. sales, such as Tesla Motors Inc., were not included in the study.

The study measures the average carbon and smog-forming emissions of each automak-

er’s 2013 model-year fleet.

In the 2014 study, for the first time, global-warming emissions fell at all eight automakers.

As a result of major gains over the past five years, the group said emissions linked to global warming have dropped 20 percent since 1998 and smogforming tailpipe emissions have plunged 87 percent since 2000.

“In the 2000s, fuel economy worsened amid an era of cheap gas, the growing popularity of truck-based sport utility vehicles, stagnating fuel economy standards, and a lack of investment by automakers in improving the fuel economy of their vehicles,” the report said.

The overall improvement in emissions is attributed to increasingly rigid standards imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The limits, proposed by President Barack Obama, require automakers to double the average fuel efficiency of their fleets to 54.5 mpg by 2025.

The aggressive mpg targets have led to the rollout of electric cars, hybrids, diesel engines and gasoline engines with advanced technology.

Additionally, global warming emissions are now being directly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“As more stringent emissions standards continue to take effect, we expect even further drops in both global warming and smog-forming emissions from the U.S. fleet,” the report stated.

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AVIATIONBUSINESS Friday, May 30, 2014

Quote of the week

AviationBusiness

The alleviation of human error, whether design or intrinsically human, continues to be the most important problem facing aerospace safety.

— Jerome Lederer, director of the Flight Safety Foundation for 20 years and NASA’s first director of Manned Flight Safety, quoted in Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering, Volume 11, 2007. ibeuwaleke2012@yahoo.com 08033151041 (SMS only)

Senate committee tasks aviation parastatals on completion of projects Stories By Ibe Uwaleke HE Senate committee on aviation has T asked the parastatals in aviation ministry to implement the 2014 budget precisely in a manner that will ensure that funds appropriated for the ongoing projects in the aviation master-plan are spent judiciously to complete these projects within the budget year.

It said that since it is not the intention of government to abandon any project started by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in the aviation sector, the agencies have a duty to apply the funds appropriated to them to such areas that require urgent attention, so that all remodeling and construction works, which now seem to be abandoned are completed.

The committee assured the Ministry of Aviation and the parastatals that it will continue to capture enough funds in the budgets to the sector to enable them complete the projects.

This mandate was handed down last Tuesday when the committee came on an inspection tour of the parastatals, an opportunity it afforded it to see things for itself, particularly the projects embarked upon by the agencies at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma, led six other members to inspect the projects which include the new terminal building of MMIA under construction, the

Senate committee chairman on aviation, Hope Uzodinma, (centre) and other members, addressing the press, after the inspection of the projects… last Tuesday.

PHOTO: IBE UWALEKE executive jet terminal project, which has reached 90 per cent completion and the hotel complex being built by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), at the MMIA terminal which has reached 50 per cent completion.

Other areas visited by the team were General Aviation Terminal (GAT), the runways to inspect the floor lights, the Aerodrome, Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (ARFFS) and the arrival hall of MMIA, to inspect the escala-

tors that have now become disused. The tour also took the committee to the newly-built power house with seven installed giant generators.

At the end of the inspection the committee met with the heads and directors of the parastatals to make its observations known to them and take feedbacks from them for further actions on the ongoing projects.

Some of the ongoing projects visited, The Guardian, observed, were virtually aban-

doned as workers and the contractors were not seen at the sites. It was reported that they left the sites due to lack of funds to continue the projects.

But the ministry denied the reports making the rounds last week that it was responsible for refusing to release the funds to the contractors to continue their work.

The Supervising Minister, Dr. Samuel Ortom who denied the allegation, blamed the delay in releasing funds to the contractors on the late passage of the 2014 Appropriation Act, which has now been signed by the President.

Ortom promised that as soon as money is released to the ministry and the parastatals, the contractors would return to the sites of the projects.

Addressing journalists at the end of the inspection, Senator Uzodinma who from time to time queried some of his observations during the inspection, said his committee came for the inspection as part of its routine oversight function on the agencies.

He also stated that their visit was to find out the performance of the 2013 appropriation to the parastatals as approved by the Senate and the extent of utilization and the possible impact on the overall development of the aviation roadmap.

As he put it, the essence of governance, is the overall interest of the people, which is the reason President Jonathan’s administration is paying so much attention to the aviation industry and putting so much money for its development.

NAHCO FTZ to attract $500m investment HE establishment of Free T Trade Zone (FTZ) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by the National Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) PLC would attract nothing less than $500 million investment to the nation’s economy within five years, the Chairman of the Company, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah has said.

Speaking at the national executive council meeting of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Yahyah said when the Free Trade Zone is fully operational, it would create employment opportunities for quite a number of Nigerians and the economy would surely feel the impact of its operation.

Nahco aviance chairman who reiterated the importance of making Lagos the aviation hub in the West Africa sub-region reiterated that the failure to do so would be devastating in the next few years. He explained that both Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire are making good progress towards developing their aviation infrastructure and that soon, any of these may be designated the West African hub. The implication of such designation, according to him, is that Nigerians, in the future, may need to fly to Dakar or

Abidjan to sleep over before boarding a flight to a major European capital.

He noted that to develop the aviation sector in Nigeria to meet up with world standard, Nigeria needs to invest a minimum of $10 billion, adding that an airport which Nigeria should designate as a hub should be able to handle about 25 million passengers annually.

While applauding the unique advantages of Lagos as a capital which connects to major world capitals in five to six hours, Yahyah pointed out that there is also the need to develop the soft infrastructure of the aviation sector.

The chairman emphasized the need for the development of the human capital resource of the aviation industry while warning that “We should not jeopardize our Category 1 status.”

He commended the maturity of ATSSSAN in tackling issues in the sector adding that the aviation industry cannot survive a strike especially at this time when the security infrastructure of the country is undergoing severe stress.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Director of Operations, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. John Chuks Onyegiri observed

that ground-handling companies are a very important part of operations at the airports.

While also noting that training is key in the sector, Onyegiri added that the task of managing the air space safely is made more difficult by operators in the sector who fail to pay for services rendered. “The attitude of people wanting free service

and yet refusing to pay for such a service would not help the industry.”

On his part, the national president of ATSSSAN, Comrade Benjamin Okewu, said that while the supervising Minister of Aviation may be doing a yeoman’s job, the industry needs the full attention of a substantive aviation minister.

According to him, “Our

members are presently disturbed and agitated by the plan of the Federal Government to merge three agencies of the Ministry of Aviation, NCAA, NAMA and NIMET. As we have profusely stated in our various public engagements in the media, petitions and appeals to pertinent authorities, this proposed merger grossly violates the principles, letters

and spirits of standards as prescribed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conventions and protocols. It is logical to perceive that if a regulatory agency like NCAA and a service provider body like NAMA are bundled into a single organization, the aviation industry would most likely become a bedlam of confusion.”

Ring roads leading to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos with the new terminal under construction at the background… on Tuesday PHOTO: IBE UWALEKE

Friday, May 30, 2014 AVIATIONBUSINESS 51

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Airline operators fault proposal for NCAA to inspect aircrafts flown to Nigeria Stories By Ibe Uwaleke xECUTIVE chairman of E Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison has faulted the proposal calling on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to carry out inspection of aircrafts that have already been flown into Nigeria.

Meggison said such bogus proposal may affect the safety and development of the aviation sector as aircrafts that do not fit into the Nigerian NCAA specifications in terms of airworthiness could be flown in.

He said the usual practice where aircrafts safety inspectors from NCAA,

travel to the maintenance facility or the manufacturers facility or country of sale to carry out the necessary check on the aircraft before being flown into Nigeria is a better option.

He said defects or faults found by NCAA inspectors on any aircraft requiring rectification could be carried out at the seller’s or C Check Maintenance Repair Organization (MRO), before such planes are flown into Nigeria.

He also said allowing NCAA inspectors to travel to the place where the aircraft is originating from would not only give the inspectors technical exposure on the job, but would allow them carry

out detailed checks on the airplane before it is brought into Nigeria.

Meggison said the availability of aircraft repair organizations (MRO) in the country where such aircrafts are based or repaired would enable the NCAA inspectors to point out defects that could easily be fixed out there.

He mentioned that if any aircraft with technical defects or lacks compliance with airworthiness directive is flown into Nigeria, without NCAA inspectors being given the opportunity to inspect them before importation into Nigeria, could become a problem for both the regulator

(NCAA) and the affected operator (whether commercial or private).

The AON chairman stated that the AON, has not been officially notified by the” so-called operators or individuals“ who are pushing for aircrafts to be inspected locally, saying that such call may not mean well for the industry . He said allowing such proposal to see the light of day may have adverse consequences on the safety and standard of aviation in Nigeria.

Meggison observed that though the heavy cost borne by airline operators for aircraft inspection by NCAA could be reduced through buying of econo-

my seat tickets for the officials as opposed to the current arrangement when the airlines are expected to provide a business class ticket, this traveling cost should be reduced.

Captain Meggison said airlines are already paying five per cent fees on all ticket sales to NCAA, the authority should subsidize or pay for inspection fees from this funds as this would encourage airlines to bring in more aircrafts, which will increase capacity in the industry and give the regulatory agency an opportunity to earn more revenue from airlines. Such significant reduction in inspection fees, Meggison said,

would reduce the financial burden on airlines, which are currently operating in a high-cost environment.

“This call for cancelation of pre-arrival inspection is not in the best interest of the aviation industry today.

It creates room for all findings to be rectified at the maintenance facility, which we do not have in Nigeria.

This is one of the reasons why AON has been clamoring that government should facilitate the establishment of an airc r a f t maintenance repair organization(MRO) in Nigeria,” Meggison maintained.

SAHCOL begins ground handling services to AZMAN, Ethiopian airlines HE skyway Aviation times a week passenger baggage and ramp hanpresence in the domes- tion ground handling repositioning, re-fleetT Handling Company flights, and three times dling services. tic and international services to all its cus- ing of vehicles, boosting Limited, SAHCOL has weekly cargo flights, to SAHCOL, an ISAGO certiairline industry, with tomers, as a result mak- of clients’ confidence achieved yet another success, as it signed full handling contracts with Ethiopian Airlines and AZMAN Air, to offer ground handling services.

SAHCOL shall now perform full handling services (Ramp, Passenger a n d Cargo/Warehousing) to Ethiopian Airlines’ four

and from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.

Meanwhile, SAHCOL has also been picked by AZMAN Air the latest airline on the Nigerian domestic scene, to manage its ground handling operations. The contract includes all AZMAN Air passenger,

fied Ground Handling Company, and a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Sifax Group continues to expand and gain credibility of airlines operating within Nigeria since the company became privatized in December, 2009.

The handling company has successfully established a strong market

unmatched expertise in Passenger, Ramp and Cargo/Warehousing services.

With its private sector management orientation, SAHCOL has kicked off the implementation of business models geared towards ensuring efficient and speedy delivery of avia-

ing it the reference point where efficiency of a successful flight is born.

SAHCOL is witnessing massive deployment of modern State-of-the-art Ground Support Equipment (GSE), Training and retraining of all categories of staff, Infrastructural development, Management

and patronage, and massive Infrastructural Development, which includes an almost completed First-of-its-kind (West African Sub Region) Custom Bonded Cargo Warehouse, among others, all geared towards its goal of exceeding customers expectations.

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AVIATIONBUSINESS Friday, May 30, 2014

Aviation minister assures on timely completion of projects Strories by Ibe Uwaleke upervising Minister of Aviation Dr. Samuel Ortom has SSecretary debunked media reports alleging that the Permanent Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Shua’ra Jamila, is sitting on approvals to contractors and stalling remodelling efforts at the various airports across the country.

Arik Air rewards customers with all-expense paid trip to Brazil RIk Air, West and Central World Cup could not be actuA Africa’s largest airline has alised due to some chalrewarded four of its loyal customers with an allexpense paid trip to Brazil following the conclusion of draws in the Brazil 2014 sales promotion inaugurated in March.

The four lucky winners were picked on Thursday May 22, 2014 from the tickets of many loyal customers who flew Arik Air’s business class from Lagos to London, New York or Johannesburg between March 1 and April 30, 2014. The lucky winners are; Onuegbu Chima Godwin, Fashawe Oluwayemisi, Aluko Bade and Samuel Bayode.

The draws were supervised by the Director of Consumer Protection Directorate, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi while Nigeria’s music super star, Ice Prince was a special guest at the event.

Speaking at the draws, Arik Air Senior Vice President, Operations/Deputy Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi said: “The idea of this draw came about a year ago when Nigeria qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The aim was actually to fly to Brazil and we have been working on that for over two years, trying to make sure that we fly Lagos to Brazil before the commencement of the World Cup finals”.

Captain Sanusi disclosed that the dream of Arik Air to commence commercial flights to Brazil before the

lenges but expressed optimism that someday Arik Air would link Nigeria and Brazil.

The Director of Consumer Protection, NCAA, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi appreciated Arik Air’s good gesture of rewarding customers, stressing that offering all-expense paid trip is a way of cementing the good relationship between Arik Air and its customers.

The NCAA Director expressed optimism that the airline would do more in the coming years saying “It is a very good development that Arik is rewarding loyal customers.

I am sure that it is just the beginning. If you had a direct flight to Brazil, I am sure the number that will benefit will be more than this”.

Abdullahi who used the opportunity to address the issue of flight delays and cancellation in the industry explained that “delays and cancellations in aviation industry are inevitable” but however advised that passengers should be carried along whenever flights are delayed.

He also urged passengers to show understanding when there is a delay or when there is cancellation of flight stressing that “nobody wants to go up there for maintenance; because up there, there is no mechanic workshop, you rather do all the repairs here before you leave. Nobody wants to go up there when the weather is bad en-route or when the destination weather is bad.”

South African Airways appoints Manentsa, chief pilot OUTHAfrican Airways (SAA) SErichas announced Captain Manentsa as its new chief pilot.

The announcement, which was made by Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Public Enterprises, follows the retirement in July last year of captain Johnny Woods, who was the chief pilot and head of flight operations.

His appointment will take effect from June 1, 2014.

Capt. Manentsa has been flying for SAA for twenty years, and has been the fleet captain on the A319/A320 fleet for the past six years. As chief pilot he will be responsible for the airline’s 800 pilots in terms of their day to day function, ensuring the company remains compliant to local and international regulations and to continue supporting the company in fulfilling its mandate.

Minister Gigaba described his

appointment as a proud moment for the airline which will go down in history, as a ‘milestone decision’ coinciding with the country celebrating 20 years of democracy.

Capt. Manentsa has 30 years of experience in aviation in South Africa, as a pilot and in managerial and leadership roles. His background encompasses the broader industry: commercial, military and the general aviation sector.

To date he has amassed approximately 14, 000 flying hours.

He obtained his Commercial License in 1987 and has worked for the Department of Transport in the former Ciskei, the SA Department of Defence and completed Officer Forming and Junior Command staff courses at the South African Air Force College.

The minister also described as false the speculation that the Permanent Secretary brazenly violates his directives.

Chief Ortom who spoke to journalists shortly after inspecting facilities at the Makurdi Airport terminal and perishable cargo terminal facilities yesterday in Makurdi said that the report in the media is false as the Permanent Secretary, to his knowledge, isn’t sitting on any contractor’s funds.

“Let me use this opportunity to say that the recent insinuation from some members of the public and the media that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry of aviation Mrs. Shua’ra Jamila is frustrating the remodelling exercise of the aviation industry is not true. There is no iota of truth in those assertions” he said.

He explained that when President Goodluck Jonathan signs the 2014 Appropriation Bill and funds are released to the Ministry, the projects will continue.

“I’m the minister supervising aviation ministry for now and I’m also aware that the projects are captured in the 2014 Appropriation Bill that is awaiting assent. As soon as that is done, we will continue work so no money is being held by the permanent secretary or anyone frustrating anything” he emphasised.

“I’m on top of the situation in the ministry of aviation. I haven’t seen any form of insubordination from my Permanent Secretary or ministry. Whatever issues we have, we resolve them as a family in the ministry” he noted.

The supervising minister also assured Nigerians that “the road map on aviation industry is on course, will be completed and Nigerians will reap the benefit.

“The road map is duly approved by the Federal Executive Council and Mr. President thus I’m committed to ensuring the projects are completed on schedule” he said.

Speaking on spate of work at the Makurdi Airport facility, Chief Ortom said he is satisfied with the progress of work done so far.

“Work is going on the terminal building. In the next few months, it will be completed. I have spoken with the contractor and I know they have challenges with funds but I can assure you that we are working on accessing funds. I’m am impressed with the standard of work being carried out at the

facility and I can see the commitment of the contractor” he said.

“The good thing is that the budget is approved and as soon as the President signs it into law, we will access funds to continue the projects across the country because they were captured in the budget. I believe that when funds become available, in two months, we will commission the terminal building” he assured.

“The road map for the transformation of the aviation industry is on course and all projects that were started by my predecessor will be completed. We are not keen on starting new projects except where it involves security and safety but we are committed to completing these projects” he noted.

On the cargo terminal for perishable and fresh farm produce the minister said, “the ministry deliberately cited the biggest cargo terminal in Makurdi because it is the food basket of the nation.”

The minister, the FAAN managing director, Saleh Dunoma,an engineer, and other ministry officials also had a close door session with the Air Officer Commanding the Makurdi Airforce base, Air Vice Marshal U.A. Umeiza and his team over the security situation of citing the facility at the Airforce Base premises.

Giving an insight into the meeting, the minister explained that “we have some challenges because of it is a military environment, and not a civil airport exclusively” but the ministry is “discussing with the authorities” and the challenges will be addressed as soon as possible.

“We must recognise that this is a military base, there are issues of security and for those of us who are not security experts, we have no authority over security issues and when they are raised, we have to respect the views of the security professionals and that is exactly what we are doing” he noted.

“We are co-operating with the airforce over their concerns and they will be addressed.

We are determined to making these facilities in Makurdi functional because this is the food basket of the nation. The transformation agenda will make a lot of difference in the life of Benue people

Managing Director/CEO Abuja Enterprise Agency, Mrs. Aisha Abubakar; (left), Media Relationship Manager, Dana Air, Mr. Samuel Ogbogoro; Sales Manager, Ashmina Limited, Mr. Anshuman Bakshi and Founder, Nisa Premier Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Wada during the 2nd FCT Entrepreneurship Conference and Merit Awards in Abuja that was co-sponsored by Dana Air and Aquadana

ATSSSAN shelves warning strike as Presidency backs down on merger Members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ATSSSAN have shelved its planned two days warning strike to protest the proposed merger of aviation parastatals.

Rising from a two day National Executive Council Meeting at Ijebu Ode Ogun State, members in a communique said the planned strike was suspended due to the credible and authoritative overtures that President Good luck Jonathan has listened to the cries of the aviation workers.

ATSSSAN explained that it also considered the country’s keeping of global standards, procedures and practices in order to sustain safety and security of the airspace and general operations.

The statement signed by Comrade Benjamin Okewu and Tarnongu Captain the national president and deputy general Secretary respectively, said the union was awaiting the final pronouncement Jonathan’s discontinuation of the merger of a regulator like NAMA NIMET NCAA before ATSSAN will take next line of action.

The NEC also called on the attention of the government to aviation transformation roadmap which created enabling

atmosphere to attract huge investment of over a hundred billion dollars for infrastructure in the industry, urging government to expedite approvals and disbursement of funds to complete all capital projects of remodeling the terminals, installation of navigational and aeronautical facilities.

The union warned that it will not hesitate to unleash maximum actions within its powers on disobedient management that have been trampling on the rights of workers to join and belong to a union and, for collective bargaining.

They said sister unions particularly in the aviation, transport and oil and gas sectors were ready to partner ATSSSAN to picket these anti labour dispositions of management and put pressure on their clients.

ATSSSAN called on the ministry of labour and productivity, ministry of aviation, stakeholders in the industry and well meaning Nigerians to call hardened hearts of management that were hostile to labour rights before they will be forced to deploy tools of engagement of their last resorts that may disrupt production process.

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Friday, May 30, 2014 | 53

FridayWorship

By Afis A. Oladosu

In the Name of the Almighty, the Beneficent the Merciful “Oh! Allah do not make us a source of temptation for those who do not believe and forgive us, for you are the Mighty and owner of wisdom-” (Q60: 5).

IVE the above verse of the Qur’an any interpreG tation that catches your fancy. Endeavour to seek its meaning, in Abdul-Qahir al-Jurjani’s phrasing, ‘meaning of meaning’ from the exegetical posture of Al-Tabari or the hermeneutical postulations of Ibn Kathir.

Whatever may be your approach, it is indubitable that the verse is hinged on the Divine recognition and affirmation of the possible existence of an uncanny hiatus in-between what Islam stands for and purport to call humanity to and the Muslims’ exemplification and application of same.

Thus in the characteristic style of the Qur’an, the last testament, Divine admonition is framed and reframed in supplication. In other words, in the above verse of the Quran (Q 60: 5), the perceptive Muslim reader is drawn into a spiritual-experiential labyrinth where supplication merges into admonition; he appropriates an uncanny scriptural style that combines pedagogy with spirituality. In effect, the recognition of the existence of a threat means the invocation of the Divine protection against it, the affirmation of the existence of human error implies the request for spiritual correction.

Brethren, in the above verse, the Almighty calls our attention to the ways of those who came before us. The latter, and you must constantly keep this in mind, featured men of inimitable spiritual conviction and vocation; men such as Prophets Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (a. s). These men, despite the nature of their character and carriage, despite the near perfection in their candour and conduct, were constantly aware of their humanity and by implication their frailty and inadequacies. Thus they constantly supplicated thus: ‘Oh! Allah do not make us a source of temptation for those who do not believe.”

“Surely, the religion with Allah is ISLAM,complete submission”... Qur’an 3:19

Conversion by force is null and void in Islam Brethren, each time I perused the Qur’an, each time I arrive at this shore in my daily interactional dialogue with the last testament, I always wonder how a Muslim could be a source of temptation for the unbelievers and, indeed, the believers. How could I become like the violent crocodile in the only stream in the “village” which prevents the weak and the strong, the young and the old, from accessing water? Or how could a Muslim who, in line with the normative precepts of the Qur’an, should be the salt of the world, become a virus, a poison?

Face to face with these daunting questions, face to face with the violent Muslim who, like Nimrud, appropriates the right of the Almighty to give and take life- Muslims who operate with the notion that their understanding of Islam is the only valid one available; face-to-face with the Muslim who steals from public treasury and engages in corruption, the perceptive nonMuslim by-stander begins to wonder whether the necessity is actually there for him to consider the possibility of accepting Islam.

He begins to evolve a link, though facetious and erroneous, between the grim existential reality of Muslim life and the scriptural foundations upon which the religion of Islam is predicated.

Such a non-Muslim compatriot of mine consequently becomes the subject whose destiny is Quranized above. He begins to detest the Muslim’s action as a preface to his detestation of Islam; he begins to abhor and anathemize the

apparently evil actions of the Muslim as a prelude to his unwarranted impression and the construction of Islam as a voyage of oddities, a culture of inanities and a theology of hara-kiri.

But it is not only the non-Muslim who suffers these temptations; it is not only the non-Muslim who constantly runs the risk of conflating the sun with the sunlight, the smoke with the fire and the Muslim with Islam. Muslims equally do.

In other words, face to face with Muslims who refuse to acknowledge that Islam at peace has historically been more productive and attractive than Islam at war, face to face with “Muslims” who kill Muslims and set mosques ablaze; in a season of anomie where children are orphaned at dawn and one in which women become widows at dusk, the other Muslim begins to wonder whether his own understanding of Islam is right after all. He begins to ask himself: is this what my religion actually teaches? Is this wanton destruction of lives and properties not a complete negation of Islam and the Prophetic enterprise?

Brethren, when a Muslim begins to raise questions such as the above, when a Muslim begins to seek to deny the actions of his fellow Muslim brother because the latter apparently has no justification in the Qur’an, then the above verse of the Quran equally finds exemplification. But in order to be certain that my reading of the text against current contexts is correct, I sought explanation of the above verse from those who were closer to the fountain of Islamic heritage. I

pleaded my ignorance of the true import of the verse quoted above in the ‘presence’ of my forebears.

I ‘asked’ Ibn Qayyim about exactly what the above verse means. Lo and behold! He is of the opinion that when the action of a Muslim runs counter to the injunction of the Almighty, he becomes a source of temptation for the unbelievers. Such a Muslim then becomes a source of fitnah for everybody, Muslims and others. He becomes the honey in chronic lack of sweetness, the salt which has become sour to taste, the crocodile in the only stream in the village.

Brethren the above analyses come to mind in the recent event of the abduction of the Chibok girls. The above finds sharper exemplification in the soulless attempt to forcibly convert majority of them into Islam. Brethren, never in the history of our religion was forceful conversion to the Din an acceptable method of proselytization (Q. 109).

It is not in line with the dictates of Islam that a Muslim should tell a lie in order to promote his faith. It is not in line with Islam that people should be herded like animals into a bus and driven to the wilderness only for them to be given an option of Islam or life in hell (Quran 2:255). To worsen the case, the spokesperson of this group keep mentioning the name of the Almighty each time he engages in these horrendous acts. No sin is graver than fabricating lies in His name: “And who can be more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: “I have received inspiration,” whereas he is not inspired in anyway…

(Q6: 93) In closing, Ibn Qayyim was once asked about the signs of a diseased heart. He said: “A diseased heart does not feel any hurt or pain when he commits evil deeds and sins; he finds both pleasure in committing sins and tranquility after doing them; such individuals among men are not affected by any kind of admonition.”

Thus, dear brother, each time he says: “The Almighty told me to kill,” bear it in mind you are listening to a man who is possessed not by Divine ministrations but a token in the fiendish encampment of pseudo-religious hellions.

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Friday, May 30, 2014 NEWS EXTRA | 55

Nigeria’s democracy full of fundamental breaches, says SAN

By Bertram Nwannekanma ONSTITUTIONAL lawyer C and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sebastine Hon, yesterday took a swipe at the nation’s 15 years un-interrupted civil rule, saying that Nigeria’s democracy is at a serious peril of collapse, unless observed serial breaches of fundamental provisions of the constitution are urgently redressed.

The constitutional author and Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) said even though all the breaches started occurring before this current administration took over power, they

are nevertheless still being perpetrated, much to the danger of the survival of our democracy, the rule of law, transparency and due process.

The first of such fundamental breaches, Hon said, is the subversion of the nation’s budgetary process, by centralising all budget collations, analysations and final preparation in the hands of an illegal contraption called The Budget Office of the Federation.

He said: “Even though this office has been existing for several years now, has handled many of our annual fed-

eral budgets; and even though it has a director-general and staff who handle assumed ‘official’ duties with respect to the budgeting process, the office has not been established by any law. It is also not one of the bodies established by the constitution.”

According to him, a visit to the Budget Office’s website and inquiries from the Legal Department of the National Assembly as well as the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly will clearly show that this very important office has not been established by any law in force in Nigeria.

“It is a subversion of Section 81 of the Constitution, which requires the President to “cause to be prepared and laid before each House of the National Assembly” each financial year’s budget for the Federation of Nigeria.

“Even if the President claims he has delegated the preparation and collation of such budgets to the Budget Office of the Federation, this will not be correct for the following reasons: (a) the Budget Office of the Federation, which is not a natural human being but a supposed institution is not established by any law in force in Nigeria, which in legal parlance means it is

Pedro Martins for burial June 10

By Chris Irekamba HE Roman Catholic T Church has concluded arrangements to intern the remains of the oldest Catholic priest in Nigeria, Monsignor Ayodele Pedro

Martins, who died on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at the age of 103.

A statement emanating from the Chancery says that Pedro Martins would be laid to rest on Tuesday, June

APC condemns attack on ‘bring back our girls’ protesters HE All Progressives ConT gress (APC) yesterday condemned the attack on the ‘bring back our girls’ protesters who conducted themselves in a civil and peaceful manner.

It called the attack deplorable and definitely orchestrated to shift the focus from ‘bring back our girls’ to ‘release our girls’.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the attack on the protesters in Abuja confirmed its worst fears that the Federal Government was embarking on a campaign to shift the responsibility from the government to the abductors, in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s admonition to the protesters to direct their protests at the abductors rather than to his government.

The party wondered why the government would be pushing its responsibility to ensure the welfare and security of Nigerians to a band of terrorists.

It said: ‘’When we said this Federal Government has abdicated its responsibility to Nigerians, the government’s apologists twisted that statement of fact to mean that we are insulting the President.

Well, what does one make of a government that has now rented a crowd of delinquents to attack the ‘bring back our girls’ protesters and counter their message? ‘’Nigerians voted for Goodluck Jonathan as President, and not for the terrorist called Abubakar Shekau. It is, therefore, right for them to demand action to return the girls safely from their President, rather than from the anarchist, Shekau.’’

The APC said the fact that the ‘release our girls Boko Haram’ hooligans who invaded the Unity Fountain gathering of the ‘bring back our girls’ protesters came in SURE-P buses and were not

restrained by the police, even when letters have been written to the security agency alerting it to such attack, has shown that they enjoy some protection from the authorities and are being sponsored to harass the decent and focused protesters who have helped to call global attention to the plight of the innocent girls. ‘’Worst still, a government that so far has proven to be clueless and incompetent in ensuring the safe return of the girls has now resorted to wasting tax-payers’ money to rent a crowd of scallywags to assault innocent Nigerians, who are mostly women, and distort the image of the highly-responsible ‘bring back our girls’ protesters. ‘’While every group, no matter its sponsors and objectives, is free to exercise the constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of assembly and association, no group has a right to attack the other for whatever reason,’’ the party said.

It urged the government to focus its energy on how to bring back the girls safely, more than one-and-a-half months into their abduction, warning that the entire people of Nigeria as well as the international community will definitely frown at the government’s new and odious tactics to muddle the waters. ‘’President Jonathan must immediately and publicly condemn the sponsored attack on the peaceful protesters and order the police to provide round-the-clock security for them, failing which it will be safe to assume that the attackers have his blessings,’’ the APC said.

The party hailed the ‘bring back our girls’ protesters for their peaceful and civil conduct even in the face of incredible provocation that they have had to endure, and urged them to continue their protests in that spirit.

10, 2014.

It said: “Rt. Rev. Msgr. Pedro Ayodele Martins passed on peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Saturday, May 17, 2014 at the age of 103, six months to his 104th birthday.

“On Thursday, June 5, 2014, there will be farewell Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1004 Estate, Victoria Island, at noon.

“The next day, Friday, June 6, 2014 will witness a farewell Mass for all Mili-

tary Personnel at St. Michael Military Catholic Church, Tamandu Barracks, Central Avenue off Point Road, Apapa, at 5:00 p.m.

“This shall be followed on Monday, June 9, 2014 with an all-night Vigil of Masses, Songs and Prayers at St. Gregory College, Obalende, beginning at 6:00 p.m. “ A funeral mass shall be held in his honour on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at the Holy Cross Cathedral at 10:00 a.m. followed by interment.”

not a body known to law; (b) from its website, this body is independent of the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Finance. Since it claims ‘independence,’ it can only function lawfully or legally by the instrumentality of either a Federal statute or the Constitution,” he added.

The revered lawyer also identified the subversion of the offices of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chief Judges of the respective states as another serious constitutional breach being perpetrated by not just the Presidency, but by all major players in our body polity.

“Call this subversion of the Judiciary. Under Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, there are three arms of government – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Under the settled doctrine of separation of powers, these three arms are independent and equal before the law.

“This can be seen from sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Constitution, read together with Chapters V, VI and VII of the Constitution. However, major players in the Nigerian body polity rank the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the respective State Chief Judges 5th in terms of official recognition and placement,” he

added.

This unconstitutional practice, Hon said, owes its origin to the National Order of Precedence of Public Officers and Other Persons Bill 2008, which has not been signed into law till date.

“Even if signed into law, it will impinge upon the express provisions of the Constitution cited above. As if this is deliberate, the Executive Arm has refused to enforce several judgments of superior courts of record in Nigeria that the Judiciary be financially independent.

“And to cap it all, there has been systemic reduction of the annual budget of the Judiciary. I must state straight away that with these breaches, administration of justice is almost grinding to a halt now.

No nation, including even one run by the most brutal government, toys with its Judiciary the way things are in Nigeria now. There are several other constitutional breaches carried out by high officials of government in Nigeria; but these are the ones that pose the gravest danger to the survival of our democracy.

“I call on the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to urgently redress these issues, to avoid a further slide to constitutional interregnum,” he noted.

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56 Friday, May 30, 2014

ISSUE

Use of ART for HIV-1 prevention

By John Idoko Continued from Monday, May 26, 2014.

CLEAR and consistent message from stakeA holders has been the need to prioritize access of ART and PrEP for high-risk populations. One such population is HIV-1 serodiscordant couples (i.e., one member is HIV-1 infected and the other uninfected). Population data from Africa suggest that a substantial fraction of new infections (up to half or more) may occur within stable serodiscordant marital or cohabiting relationships. Epidemiologic studies, national HIV-1 serosurveys, and mathematical modeling analyses indicate that stable, heterosexual HIV-1 serodiscordant couples account for a substantial proportion of new HIV-1 transmissions in East Africa (63).

Data from Nigeria also indicate that couples in stable relationships contribute significantly to HIV incidence. About 62 per cent of new infections occur among persons perceived as practicing “low risk sex” in the general population, including married sexual partners.

Evidence suggests that the magnitude of serodiscordance among pregnant couples is high and is a significant channel for transmitting new HIV infections. In Nigeria, about 7.7 per cent to 78.7 per cent of HIV positive pregnant women who access antenatal care have HIV negative male sex partners. The highest rates occurred among married couples in Southern Nigeria. Among the sero-discordant couples enrolled in the FHI 360 programme, women were 11 times more likely to be the HIV positive partner than the HIV negative partner.

Understanding HIV-1 prevention choices and targeting prevention strategies to this group are public health priorities. In particular, HIV-1 serodiscordant couples have been specifically identified as a priority population for implementation of antiretrovial-based HIV-1 prevention, given their high risk, smaller number for targeting relative to the general population, ability to be targeted for prevention efforts through promotion of couples HIV-1 counseling and testing, and the clear advantage to the partnership in avoiding HIV1 transmission. Importantly, both ART and PrEP have demonstrated high efficacy for HIV-1 protection when used by members of HIV-1 serodiscordant couples. WHO is poised to release guidelines for counseling and HIV-1 prevention for HIV-1 serodiscordant couples, which will include ART and PrEP as potential prevention strategy Treatment as prevention A large randomised study of treatment as prevention has closed more than three years early after interim analysis of the data showed that antiretroviral treatment reduced the risk of HIV transmission from treated partner to uninfected partner by 96%. The magnitude of the reduction in risk is almost the same as that observed in multiple cohort studies in subSaharan Africa, and is the strongest effect seen in any trial that has used an antiretroviralbased prevention method. HPTN 052 is a large, international study which randomized 1736 male-female couples in which one partner was HIV-positive either to begin antiretroviral therapy immediately, or to wait until treatment was clinically indicated (at a CD4 count of 250 cells/mm3).

The study began enrolling participants in 2005 in Botswana, Brazil, India, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and recruited couples in which the HIV-positive partner had a CD4 cell count between 350 and 550 cells/mm3. The median CD4 count at the time of joining the study was 436 cells/mm3. This level is higher than the threshold at which World Health Organization guidelines currently recommend starting treatment. The study was due to run until 2015.

The study was halted after an interim review by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, which found that 39 infections had occurred.

Twenty-eight could be genetically linked to the HIV-positive partner, and of these 27 occurred in couples where the HIV-positive partner did not begin antiretroviral therapy immediately.

This translates into a 96 per cent reduction in the risk of transmission. This result was highly statistically significant (P<0.0001).

“This breakthrough is a serious game changer and will drive the prevention revolution forward. It makes HIV treatment a new

Idoko priority prevention option,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “Now we need to make sure that couples have the option to choose Treatment for Prevention and have access to it.” “People living with HIV can now, with dignity and confidence, take additional steps to protect their loved ones from HIV,” said Mr Sidibé.

“The recent results from the iPrEx trial (57) showed that PrEP is effective in gay men and transgender women, while the CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial (3) showed that 1% tenofovir gel is effective at reducing HIV risk for women.”

“Together, these results allow us to imagine a world in which men and women seek HIV testing with the knowledge and confidence that they will receive a range of highly effective options for staying healthy and protecting themselves and their partners—whatever the test result,” Warren added. “The results of the study require us to rethink how we structure the delivery and funding of HIV services overall“.

Mathematical modeling by WHO has stimulated great interest in the potential of ART to substantially reduce population HIV-1 incidence when administered through near-universal annual HIV-1 testing, linkage to care, and

uptake of ART, regardless of CD4 count (together called the ‘Test and Treat’ or ‘Test and Linkage to Care’ concept). Most individuals are infected for several years before CD4 decline or clinical disease necessitates ART, and although WHO HIV-1 treatment guidelines now recommend ART initiation at CD4 counts <500 cells/ L, <350 remains the standard in many countries, and the average CD4 at ART initiation is <200 in many settings, often due to late testing or fears about ART. While ART adherence has been excellent in Africa, this success has been exclusively in individuals with advanced disease whose families are dedicated to provide tangible support to overcome severe structural and economic barriers to adherence because of the dramatic functional improvement they witness with ART. It is unclear whether asymptomatic individuals and their families will share the same commitment to adherence when ART is given to asymptomatic individuals.

HIV treatment – New drug class HIV treatment combines drugs from different classes that interfere with different steps of the viral lifecycle but no existing drugs target the very first step – the initial attachment of the virus to a vulnerable host cell. The recent Conference of Retroviral and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston USA

March 2014 heard that combination therapy using a novel HIV attachment inhibitor demonstrated good safety and effectiveness, offering the promise of a new antiretroviral class that may be particularly beneficial for people with extensive resistance to current drugs.

A multi-national trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the attachment inhibitor currently known as BMS-663068 involved 253 treatment-experienced people (71). Participants had a mean CD4 cell count of around 230 cells/mm3 and many had experienced treatment failure with first- or second line HIV treatment. About half the participants had HIV with at least one major resistance mutation, but to be included in the study they had to have HIV that was still sensitive to raltegravir (Isentress), tenofovir (Viread, also in some co-formulations) and atazanavir (Reyataz). Participants were randomised to five groups, four groups taking different doses of the trial drug and one control group taking atazanavir boosted with ritonavir. All groups also took raltegravir and tenofovir at week 24, all dosing groups had similar results: 80 per cent of people taking 400mg twice daily, 69 per cent taking 800mg twice daily, 77 per cent taking 600mg once daily and 72 per cent taking 1200mg twice daily had a viral load below 50 copies/ml, compared with 75 per cent in the atazanavir control arm. BMS-663068 was gener-

Friday, May 30, 2014 57

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in serodiscordant couples (3) Thirty three years into the AIDS epidemic, reflection on medical accomplishments reveal stark contrasts. When HIV was conclusively identified as the causative agent, it was publicly anticipated that a vaccine would be available to prevent infection within a few years. At that time, few antiviral agents existed and a pharmacologic solution to the epidemic was not even entertained.

Now it is male circumcision and antiretroviral therapy that have shown the greatest promise for preventing infections and an effective vaccine continues to be elusive to the point that some believe it will not be possible Some question whether it will be necessary at all. With drug therapy, we have been able to progress to a stage of relative epidemic control in certain parts of the world although there is currently but distant hope that treatment alone will lead to elimination and eradication. ally well tolerated at all doses and there were no signals of safety issues.

Injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could be possible, new research involving monkeys suggests. Two separate studies showed that injecting the investigational integrase inhibitor GSK744LA provided long-lasting protection against HIV. In one study, a single dose was protective for an average of eight weeks. Results of a second study showed that none of the monkeys given the drug became infected when exposed to SHIV (a virus that mimics the course of HIV infection in monkeys), and drug levels remained at potentially protective levels up to five weeks after the last injection. On the basis of these results, investigators suggested that monthly injections with the product could be enough to protect against infection with HIV. The first human studies assessing the efficacy of injected GSK744LA as PrEP for humans will start this year.

Vaccines Thirty three years into the AIDS epidemic, reflection on medical accomplishments reveal stark contrasts. When HIV was conclusively identified as the causative agent, it was publicly anticipated that a vaccine would be available to prevent infection within a few years. At that time, few antiviral agents existed and a pharmacologic solution to the epidemic was not even entertained. Now it is male circumcision and antiretroviral therapy that have shown the greatest promise for preventing infections and an effective vaccine continues to be elusive to the point that some believe it will not be possible Some question whether it will be necessary at all. With drug therapy, we have been able to progress to a stage of relative epidemic control in certain parts of the world although there is currently but distant hope that treatment alone will lead to elimination and eradication.

In our view, elimination and eradication will happen only with a vaccine, which, necessarily, will markedly reduce the daunting challenges of behavior and logistics of delivery and monitoring of the use of antiretroviral drugs.

However, achieving effective vaccine-mediated protection will require that we do better than nature. In HIV infection, unlike other vaccine preventable illnesses, natural eradication of infection does not happen; viral integration into the host chromosome (genome) makes any infection lifelong, even in the setting of fully suppressive antiretroviral therapy. The challenges to achieving a protective vaccine are readily apparent given the results of HIV vaccine efficacy studies to date.

In 30 years, only 3 vaccine concepts have been tested—already a paltry number—and all have either failed or shown signals of possible protection far below the level that would be needed to impact the epidemic. The correlates of protection remain unknown, and there is yet to be an immunogen available and tested that mimics the natural trimeric form of the HIV envelope on viable virions. New persons needing treatment outpace our ability to place people on therapy in many countries, while in others the epidemic has reached a tipping point. Lack of impact of herpes simplex virus treatment on the herpes simplex virus epidemic provides a sobering reminder that therapy alone may not provide the required inflection point. The desperate need for an effective vaccine cannot be overstated. But there are reasons to be optimistic.

The recent successful prevention interventions with antiretroviral drugs indicate that

HIV-1–infected persons can reduce HIV transmission1 and HIV-1–uninfected persons can avoid infection upon exposure. These strategies offer attractive alternatives to slow the epidemic, but in a practical sense, they are the opening act for prevention although we await a vaccine that can provide safe, effective, and durable immunity to take the stage.

The efficacy observed in the RV144 trial with the immunization of the canarypox/subunit protein gp120 prime-boost regimen in vaccinated Thai adults was at a low level as follows: 26.4 per cent [95 per cent confidence interval (CI): 24.0 to 47.9; P = 0.08] in the intention-to-treat analysis; 26.2 per cent (95 per cent CI: 213.3 to 51.9; P = 0.16) in the per-protocol analysis; and 31.2 per cent (95 per cent CI 1.1 to 52.1; P = 0.04 by the O’Brien–Fleming method) in the modified intention-to-treat analysis; this result provides the best hope yet that a vaccine may one day be possible. As the HIV vaccine field seeks to confirm and build on the findings of the RV144 immune correlates analysis, we can increase the chances of future success by sharpening our focus now.

The Latest Trial Results Underscore the Challenges Associated with Development of a Preventive Vaccine: In April 2013, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases terminated the HVTN 505 trial early due to futility (80). The trial was testing a prime-boost vaccine regimen. Meanwhile, follow-up from the only promising vaccine trial to date – the Thai trial of the RV144 combination vaccine – remains slow, with follow-up trials scheduled to launch only in 2016.

What will it take to get to the end of AIDS? Achieving the goal of the end of AIDS will require the transformation of the HIV epidemic into low level endemic in most regions of the world over the next 10-15 years. To achieve the end of AIDS we need to build on successes, learn from failures and implement to scale all the strategic and core interventions that over the last decade science has taught us. These include: i.

Know your epidemic – have detailed understanding of local epidemiology The HIV epidemic varies considerably between regions and even within countries. A good example of how HIV prevalence varies between states and between Local Governments in Nigeria. A detailed understanding of the local epidemiology will enable each country to develop appropriate interventions that respond specifically to their communities’ needs. The strong geographical variation in HIV prevalence within countries should be strategically used for commitment of resources for focused programmes in high prevalence zones.

“Knowing your epidemic” is essential for all countries, even those with stable and declining epidemics to identify “hotspots” ii.

Scale up of HIV prevention Several effective HIV prevention options including combination prevention are already available for reducing new HIV infections but are not being implemented at the necessary scale and magnitude to those who need it most.

Figure 8 provides from modelling of the potential impact of tackling individual HIV prevention options to scale in Nigeria. The gaps in current prevention options include: • HIV counselling and testing – It is estimated that in most middle and low income countries including Nigeria, more than 40 per cent of individuals who are HIV positive may not be aware of their status thereby posing great dangers to transmitting the virus within their sexual contacts. This is more so in vulnerable and

marginalized groups like sex workers and MSM, who have high HIV prevalence.

Innovative means of how to reach these group and others reluctant to test must be devised given the importance of HIV testing as a gateway to both prevention and treatment.

• MTCT (breastfeeding transmission and reaching those mothers who do not attend antenatal care). The number of pregnant women living with HIV who received antiretroviral in 2012 (900,000 worldwide) increased, with coverage rising from 57 per cent in 2011 to 63 per cent in 2012. (12). In Nigeria, only 58 per cent of women attend ANC for the first time and retention in care and delivery in facilities has been a great challenge with only about 40% of women going on to deliver in health facilities (48). The majority of women opt to deliver with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), in churches and mosques and at home.

Strategies must be developed to mobilize women to attend ANC and access PMTCT services or get them tested in the community and link them with ANC services at secondary or primary health clinics located within their communities.

• Circumcision – providing circumcision scale up and creating demand. Male circumcision has become a simple procedure that can be carried out in field settings. WHO and UNAIDS have developed guidelines that will assist in reducing the risk of acquiring HIV in adult males. The procedure takes 20 to 30 minutes. In view of the slow pace in the scale up of the procedure, considerable shifts in culture and social norms are needed to increase the demand for adult male circumcision significantly.

• Injecting drug use and the need to overcome stigma and discrimination among this group. Also it will be very necessary to map out the location and size of the group and as part of the prevention package to this key population, the provision of methadone and clean needles.

• Need to implement new technologies like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Treatment as Prevention (TasP, Test and Treat) in a targeted manner as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention approach (condoms, needle exchange, risk reduction etc.).

Nigeria is currently been supported through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to implement a Demonstration study on PrEP among serodiscordant couples in four states – Plateau, Benue, Anambra and Abia states.

• Importance of focusing resources that target key populations that have not been able to achieve low incidence, for example adolescents and young girls in particular. In this regard, through the leadership of NACA and UNICEF, Nigeria has developed a strategic frame work for engaging adolescents and young girls (81). Implementation of this strategy in this key population will not only reduce new infections but also create a pool of young people who will lead the fight among young people in the country.

• Targeting young people, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education in schools before they become sexually active. In this regard, it will be essential that the Federal Ministry of Education take the lead in scaling up the Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) in schools and using the already existing platform of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) HIV and AIDS program to expand the peer education and reproductive health education to secondary schools in all states of the country. iii.

Scale up of HIV treatment New WHO ART guidelines, released in June 2013, recommend earlier initiation of ART and use of simplified, more durable regimens. (35). For many people living with HIV, treatment is now medically indicated immediately upon HIV diagnosis, regardless of CD4 count. The new guidelines, which aim to maximize the therapeutic and preventive benefits of ART, increase the estimated number of people eligible for ART from roughly 15 million to 26 million.

We have eight months to reach the global target of 15 million people on antiretroviral therapy by 2015. By the end of 2012 almost 10

million people were benefiting from these lifesaving drugs in middle and low income countries. In Nigeria, over 650,000 PLWHV are accessing ART in more than 500 centres. There are plans in the PCRP to expand the coverage of antiretroviral treatment to 1.2 million adults and children by 2017 through the establishment of additional 2000 treatment sites.

This will amount to significant progress not only seen in Nigeria but in many low and middle income countries. This has led in a growing number of countries to the laying the foundation and the ground work for ending the AIDS epidemic by scaling up HIV treatment combined with other essential prevention and control activities.

However, millions still are in need of treatment. A recent review of prevention interventions observed that among biomedical interventions tools evaluated, effective antiretroviral treatment provides the greatest prevention effect, as it provides a dual effect of saving the lives of people living with HIV and sharply interrupting the transmission of HIV within the community.

One key issue has remained the issue of maintaining people on ART and ensuring that they have adequate adherence to the drugs in order to achieve virologic suppression and durability.

AIDS treatment is not a cure and for an effective viral suppression, individuals receiving treatment must be have an adherence of 95 per cent or risk the development of resistance to the drugs. The use of treatment support partners within the family and community has been found helpful in promoting adherence amongst patients.

Patients who fail the first line drugs are switched to second line drugs, which are often more complex and more toxic than first line drugs. In addition, second and third line drugs are much more costly and hence all efforts must be made to ensure adherence to the first line regimen and prevent loss to follow up. Various strategies have been used to assist with adherence; ranging from the use of alarms, to treatment support, electronic reminders to the use of cell phones. Many programmes also have active mechanisms of tracking patients especially when they are lost to follow up. This has helped with adherence to drugs, retention on drugs and prevented loss to follow up.

The Gardner cascade is well known to the HIV care community, but it represents a humbling pox on our HIV care system because it shows the very disappointing reality of HIV outcome.

Despite the availability of powerful drugs for virtually all patients, only about 28% of the estimated 1.1 million Americans with HIV infection have achieved the goal of no detectable virus.

Recent evidence from ongoing Partners trial at CROI 2014 indicates that patients who attain this level of suppression cannot transmit the virus to a negative sexual partner. The major issues accounting for this disappointing outcome are lapses in care at each step of the cascade — testing, enrollment in care, retention in care, and adherence to ART. Many articles have been written about this cascade and have described possible methods to address each step, but none have clearly achieved a major advance.

A potential breakthrough in this stalemate is P4P4P, or “pay for performance for patients,” which provides financial or other reward for patients to get tested, engage care, stay in care, and achieve viral suppression. It is now being studied in a number of controlled trials. The reason for optimism is that P4P4P seems to have worked well in encouraging women to attend Antenatal Care (ANC, conditional cash transfers) (88) and in virtually all areas of chronic care that are dependent on patient adherence, including hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and obesity (89). However, this may prove difficult to sustain in low and middle income countries because of lack of resources. iv.

Key enablers that will allow us to implement a more effective AIDS response at scale • TO BE CONTINUED • Prof. John Idoko is the Director General National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA). This is part of a lecture delivered he delivered at the induction ceremony of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences (NAS) on May 13, 2014, at the Reitz Hotel, Abuja. The lecture is titled “Achieving an end to the AIDS epidemic: Laying the ground work.”

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ISSUES IN THE NEWS

Health risks of genetically modified IFY ANIEBO, a recipient of the prestigious Young Person of the Year Award and the Best Use of Science honour by the Future Awards Africa, is a molecular geneticist from Oxford University, with a Masters in Public Health. In this article she focuses on the health risks associated with consumption of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods.

HE Federal Ministry of T Agriculture under the Minister, Dr. Akin Adesina, has approved that genetically modified seeds be planted by farmers for consumption in Nigeria.

Be that as it may, it is nonetheless important that Nigerians understand the health risks of such foods as well as the consequences of allowing these companies set up in Nigeria without the proper indigenous scientific infrastructure to analyze its consequences.

Genetically modified foods are foods that contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).

Genetically modified foods like tomatoes, corn, maize are foods that have had their genetic materials altered in some way through a biomolecular human scientific interference.

Genetic modification is achieved under laboratory conditions during which segments of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are spliced, rearranged or removed altogether and then inserted into crops. The lingering issue with this scientific advancement has to do with the numerous links to cancers and diseases discovered by several independent researchers.

The United States of America’s Food and Drug Administration, the country’s version of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has no independent set of tests to verify the claims made by bio-tech companies, so instead, relies on the data given by the companies themselves.

Because the focus of scientific research is largely based on funding, these huge corporations regulate scientific research by providing funding for only research that advances their agenda, without an attempt to make a balanced inquiry into the health effects and risks of their products.

The risks are enormous and it will take years to study them. But when such risks are finally understood, it would have been too late to reverse the damage once it has been proved conclusively that genetically engineered foods harm human health as a growing number of independent researchers believe.

Some independent scientists ran tests on rats and found shocking results. This situation should bring to memory, the long-lasting debate about the dangers of cigarette smoking to health.

For several years, most scientists funded by tobacco companies argued that smoking even had a beneficial effect on the human body despite knowing otherwise. But fortunately and despite all their efforts, the truth came out eventually, after a 50year study directly identi-

Crops labelled as genetically modified

Genetic modification is achieved under laboratory conditions during which segments of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are spliced, rearranged or removed altogether and then inserted into crops. The lingering issue with this scientific advancement has to do with the numerous links to cancers and diseases discovered by several independent researchers. fied cigarettes as the main cause of lung cancer.

The companies that make GMOs, such as Mosanto, Dupont and others, make a lot of effort to hide those results done by independent scientists. Unfortunately for them, time has shown the effects of their foods and many countries in the West have banned GMOs. How then will right-thinking people everywhere react, knowing that this technology is to be approved for Nigerians for their consumption and without your consent? But before that question can be answered, there are a few truths which the promoters of GMOs would not like told but which need be told.

Shocking lab results with Genetically Modified potatoes A Scotland Rowett Research Institute researcher and world’s leading lectins and plant genetic modification expert, Arpad Pusztai conducted the first ever independent experiment.

Like other researchers, he was shocked by his findings. Rats fed GM potatoes had smaller livers, hearts, testicles and brains, damaged immune systems, and showed structural changes in their white

blood cells making them more vulnerable to infection and disease compared to other rats fed non-GMO potatoes. It got worse.

Thymus and spleen damage showed up; enlarged tissues, including the pancreas and intestines; and there were cases of liver atrophy as well as significant proliferation of stomach and intestines cells that could be a sign of greater future risk of cancer. Equally alarming, results showed up after 10 days of testing, and they persisted after 110 days that is the human equivalent of 10 years.

Laboratory tests have shown that GMOs produce massive changes in the natural functioning of a plant’s DNA. Native genes can be mutated, deleted, permanently turned off or on. The inserted gene can become truncated, fragmented, mixed with other genes, inverted or multiplied, and the GM protein it produces may have unintended characteristics that may be harmful.

Genetic Roulette GMOs also pose other health risks. When a transgene functions in a new cell, it can produce different proteins than the ones intended. Consider corn varieties

engineered to produce a pesticidal protein called Bttoxin. Farmers use it in spray form, and companies falsely claim it’s harmless to humans.

The United Nations has estimated that health problems linked to pesticides could cost Africa $90 billon between 2005 and 2020. In fact, people exposed to the spray develop allergic-type symptoms, mice ingesting Bt-toxin had powerful immune responses and abnormal and excessive cell growth, and a growing number of human and livestock illnesses are linked to Bt crops.

Inserted genes from organisms have also been found in the bacteria in the human gut after digestion and another study found DNA in the peripheral blood circulation.

Animals that were fed GM

foods get sick and a growing number of human and livestock illnesses are linked to Bt crops. Inserted genes may move from food into gut bacteria or internal organs, causing these organs to potentially become cancerous. If corn genes with Bt-toxin get into gut bacteria, intestinal flora may become pesticide factories. There’s been no research done by neither agri-business giants nor the FDA with a focus on the harm done to the consumers and so consumers are left to play “Genetic Roulette,” and the few animal feeding studies done show this is a ticking timebomb waiting to explode.

Illnesses linked to GMO The few scientific researches done on the effects of these foods on humans have showed stunted growth, impaired immune systems, bleeding stomachs, abnormal and potentially precancerous cell growth in the intestines, impaired blood cell development, misshaped cell structures in the liver, pancreas and testicles, altered gene expression and cell metabolism, liver and kid-

ney lesions, partially atrophied livers, inflamed kidneys, less developed organs, reduced digestive enzymes, higher blood sugar, inflamed lung tissue, increased death rates and higher offspring mortality as well.

There’s more. Two dozen farmers reported their pigs and cows fed GM corn became sterile, 71 shepherds said 25 percent of their sheep fed Bt cotton plants died, and other reports showed the same effects on cows, chickens, water buffaloes and horses. After GM soy was introduced in the UK, allergies from the product skyrocketed by 50 percent, and in the U.S. in the 1980s, a GM food supplement killed dozens and left five to 10 thousand others sick or disabled.

Independent animal studies showing GMO harm Rats fed genetically engineered Calgene Flavr-Savr tomatoes (developed to look fresh for weeks) for 28 days got bleeding stomachs (stomach lesions) and seven died and were replaced in the study.

Rats fed Monsanto 863 Bt

The few scientific researches done on the effects of these foods on humans have showed stunted growth, impaired immune systems, bleeding stomachs, abnormal and potentially precancerous cell growth in the intestines, impaired blood cell development, misshaped cell structures in the liver, pancreas and testicles, altered gene expression and cell metabolism, liver and kidney lesions, partially atrophied livers, inflamed kidneys, less developed organs, reduced digestive enzymes, higher blood sugar, inflamed lung tissue, increased death rates and higher offspring mortality as well.

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ISSUE IN THE NEWS

foods Nigerians cannot ignore Laboratory tests have shown that GMOs produce massive changes in the natural functioning of a plant’s DNA. Native genes can be mutated, deleted, permanently turned off or on. The inserted gene can become truncated, fragmented, mixed with other genes, inverted or multiplied, and the GM protein it produces may have unintended characteristics that may be harmful. corn for 90 days developed multiple reactions typically found in response to allergies, infections, toxins, diseases like cancer, anaemia and blood pressure problems. Their blood cells, livers and kidneys showed significant changes indicative of disease. Mice fed either GM potatoes engineered to produce Bt- toxin or natural potatoes containing the toxin had intestinal damage. Both varieties created abnormal and excessive cell growth in the lower intestine.

The equivalent human damage might cause incontinence or flu-like symptoms and could be pre-cancerous. The study disproved the contention that digestion destroys Bt-toxin and is not biologically active in mammals Infertility Iowa farmers reported a conception-rate drop from 80 percent to 20 percent among sows (female pigs) fed GM corn. Most animals also had false pregnancies, some delivered bags of water and others stopped menstruating. Male pigs were also affected as well as cows and bulls. They became sterile and all were fed GM corn.

German farmer Gottfried Glockner, grew GM corn and fed it to his cows. Twelve subsequently died from the Bt 176 variety, and other cows had to be destroyed due to a ‘mysterious’ illness.

The corn plots were field trials for agric biotech giant Syngenta that later took the product off the market with no admission of fault.

Liver and pancreas failure Mice fed

Monsanto Roundup-Ready soybeans developed significant liver cell changes indicating a dramatic general metabolism increase.

Symptoms included irregularly shaped nuclei and nucleoli, and an increased number of nuclear pores and other changes. The belief is that this resulted from exposure to a toxin, and most symptoms disappeared when RoundupReady was removed from the diet.

Mice fed Roundup-Ready had pancreas problems, heavier livers and unexplained testicular cell changes. The Monsanto product also produced cell metabolism changes in rabbit organs, and most offspring of rats on this diet died within three weeks.

The death rate for chickens fed GM Liberty Link corn for 42 days doubled. They also experienced less weight gain, and their food intake was erratic.

Animals reject GM foods When given a choice, animals avoid GM foods. This was learned by observing a flock of geese that annually visit an Illinois pond and feed on soybeans from an adjacent farm.

After half the acreage had GM crops, the geese ate only from the non-GMO side.

Another observation showed 40 deer ate organic soybeans from one field but shunned the GMO kind across the road. The same thing happened with GM corn.

Toxicity Another study of

Natural fruits, more beneficial to consumers

Genetically modified fruits Monsanto’s high-lysine corn showed it contained toxins and other potentially harmful substances that may retard growth. If consumed in large amounts, it may also adversely affect human health.

In addition, when this product is cooked, it produces toxins associated with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, allergies, kidney disease, cancer and aging symptoms.

Disease-resistant crops like zucchini, squash and Hawaiian papaya may promote human viruses and other diseases, and eating these products may suppress the body’s natural defence against viral infections.

GM crops, the environment

and us GM crops interact with their environment and are part of a complex ecosystem that includes our food.

These crops increase toxins in the environment and throughout the food chain.

Crops genetically engineered to be glufosinate (herbicide) resistant may produce intestinal herbicide with known toxic effects.

Repeated use of seeds like Monsanto’s RoundupReady soybeans results in vicious new super-weeds that need far greater amounts of stronger herbicides to combat. Their toxic residues remain in crops that humans and animals then eat. Even small amounts of these toxins are endocrine disruptors that can affect human reproduction adversely.

Evidence exists that animals fed GM feed accumulate toxins which remain in their body and in milk produced by these a n i m a l s .

Disease-resistant crops may also produce new plant viruses that affect

Consider HIV/AIDS. It went unnoticed for decades and when identified, thousands of Nigerians were infected or had died. Also, if the foods are unlabelled which they most likely will be as Nigeria does not have a system of identifying and labelling foods or allergens, it will be impossible to trace illnesses and diseases to specific substances ingested even if thousands of people are affected.

humans.

GM milk and kids All type GM foods, not just crops, carry these risks.

Milk, for example, from cows injected with Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone (rbGH), has much higher levels of the hormone IGF-1 that risks breast, prostate, colon, lung and other cancers.

The milk also has lower nutritional value. GM food additives also pose health risks, and their use has proliferated in processed foods. Another concern is that pregnant mothers eating GM foods may endanger their offspring by harming normal foetal development.

Conclusion In nature, a pig can mate with a pig and a tomato can mate with a tomato. But there is no way that a pig can mate with a tomato and vice versa. This is basically what GM crops are, hence the label “Frankenstein foods”.

Nigeria’s health system currently lacks the capacity in terms of technology and infrastructure to deal with not just infectious diseases but cancers and other terminal diseases; shouldn’t

we be preventing more diseases?

Today, most existing diseases in the country have no effective surveillance systems in place. GM foods will only create more health problems for our 170 million citizens.

Consider HIV/AIDS. It went unnoticed for decades and when identified, thousands of Nigerians were infected or had died. Also, if the foods are unlabelled which they most likely will be as Nigeria does not have a system of identifying and labelling foods or allergens, it will be impossible to trace illnesses and diseases to specific substances ingested even if thousands of people are affected.

Nigeria lacks the scientific infrastructure in terms of world-class bio-safety level 3 laboratories for any sort of bio-molecular experiments.

The country has also not invested in world-class scientific programmes to groom scientists that would look out for the interest of Nigeria in relation to bio-tech giants such as Monsanto and others.

So one question remains, who benefits from the introduction of GMO into the country?

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MarketReport EQUITY MARKET SUMMARY

AS AT 28-05-2014

PRIMERA AFRICA www.primera-africa.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 MArKET rEPorT 63

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MArKET INDICATorS

AS AT 28-05-2014

PrIMErA AFrICA

Skye Bank pays N3.96b dividend to shareholders Stories by Helen Oji on Plc, Bank SlionKyE Wednesday paid N3.96 bilas dividend to its shareholders, translating to 30 kobo per share for the year ended December 31, 2013.

The Chairman of the bank, olatunde Ayeni, in a statement, explained that the dividend payout was in tandem with bank’s commitment of delivering value to the shareholder in appreciation of their support at all times.

He assured the shareholders that the bank would continue to add value and make their investment in the bank worthwhile.

“In 2014, the board assures shareholders that all efforts would continue toward implementing the bank’s plans in the medium term and well into the future. The quest to provide the most efficient customer service, as espoused in the service charter, remains unchanged”, he said.

Managing The Executive Director/Chief officer designate of the bank, Timothy oguntayo, told shareholders that the bank’s capital raising exercise had started to gather momentum and is expected to continue in 2014 to enhance the sustained growth of the bank.

He expressed optimism about the bank’s appreciable growth in the current year as the bank continued with the implementation of its strategy while increasing its customer base and market share.

In 2014, the board assures shareholders that all efforts would continue toward implementing the bank’s plans in the medium term and well into the future. The quest to provide the most efficient customer service, as espoused in the service charter, remains unchanged The bank recorded a profit before tax of N17.136 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2013, representing an increase of 3.79 per cent over The N16.510 billion recorded during the corresponding period in 2012.

According to the International Financial reporting System’s (IFrS) compliant result submitted to the Nigeria Stock Exchange recently, the bank’s profit after tax rose significantly to N16.023 billion compared with N12.644 billion posted in the previous year, representing an improvement of 26.7 per cent.

Expert seeks more local participation in nation’s capital market the nation’s capital “There is too much bureauFshipor market to attain leader- cracy, multiplicity of docuposition in Africa, there mentation and often hints of is need for more local participation in the market.

This submission was made by the Chairman, NASD Plc, Tola Mobolurin at the 10th yearly Pearl Awards public lecture for the capital market development in Lagos on Wednesday.

He noted that the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) currently rank second largest in terms of market capitalization, adding that the market needs the patronage of domestic investors comprising institutional, high net worth and retail investors to become the gateway of investment to Africa.

Mobolurin, while speaking on the topic; “Actualising Nigerian capital market quest for leadership in Africa noted that the domination of the market by foreign investors underscore the weakness of the domestic investor, adding that too much bureaucracy, multiplicity of documentation are inhibiting efficiency in the Nigerian capital market.

merit regulation inhibiting efficiency in the market,” he said.

Mobolurin, who is also a past President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), therefore recommended investment in technology by the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), saying this would help in easing the regulator’s operations.

“I think where much needed efficiency needs to be sought are in turn-around times for registration of securities, approval of transactions, complaints handling and enforcement,” he added.

He commended the trading platform of the NSE, noting it compares favourably with the best in the world.

He added that while the settlement cycle is better in South Africa’s and several other global markets, there was need for progress in dematerialisation of securities in the nation’s capital market to enhance efficiency.

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GlobalStocks ‘Earnings growth to drive undervalued European shares’ ESTERN European shares W still hold value for investors as lagging profit growth plays catch-up with expectations, HSBC’s head of European equities said on Thursday, with minimal disruption expected from regional political uncertainty.

Most European markets toiled behind the rebound seen in the United States and other developed nations from the global financial crisis as the euro zone suffered issues, which threatened to wreck the single currency project, undermining economies and the companies operating within them.

Earnings at European firms are now recovering and it is this profit growth, which will drive market performance in the near-term, Frederic Leguay told Reuters in an interview at the bank’s Dubai headquarters.

“The broad case for

European equities is that there is a 30-40 per cent earnings upside, if we continue the earnings cycle, which makes the current valuations quite attractive,” said Leguay, who oversees funds with seven billion euros of assets under management.

Domestic-focused stocks and companies whose fortunes were closely tied to a country’s economic performance were currently showing the most value, Leguay said.

European banks also were outperforming the market and Leguay is positive on the sector, given the improving profit growth and return on equity (RoE), as well as the higher capital buffers possessed by them, which was reducing costs and risks associated with holding the shares.

Overall, Leguay said his funds were currently overweight on French and Dutch stocks and underweight for

shares in German and Italian companies.

“In Germany, we find value more difficult to find, possibly because that country has been where most people have been protecting their assets in the last few years,” he said, adding French firms have been considered bigger risks - and therefore were cheaper - because of the country’s economic performance.

The recent geopolitical tensions in the Ukraine and last weekend’s European elections - which saw widespread support for Eurosceptic parties - wouldn’t have much impact on European equities.

Neither would next month’s European Central Bank meeting as an interest rate move has been priced into the market, unless the amount of quantitative easing announced was outside current expectations, Leguay added.

European Central Bank

Dollar weakens as treasuries gain before GDP; copper retreats LOBAL bonds rose on G speculation central banks will keep stimulating growth without igniting inflation, while U.S. stocks gained on optimism the economy will recover from the first contraction in three years.

The yield on 10-year (GDBR10) Treasuries fell 3 basis points to 2.41 percent at 11:12 a.m. in New York. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index increased 0.2 percent, after falling from an all-time high yesterday. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was little changed.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot index declined 0.3 percent.

Copper dropped 0.9 percent.

Australia’s 10-year yield dropped 7 basis points, while Austrian fiveyear yields and Belgium’s 10-year rate reached record lows.

The economy in the U.S. contracted in the first quarter as companies added to inventories at a slower pace a n d curtailed

investment.

Government securities

advanced across Asia, following a rally yesterday that drove the yield on the Bloomberg Global Developed Sovereign Bond Index to the lowest since May 2013.

“You have central banks saying they’ll do everything in their power to keep rates low,” said Cathy Roy, the chief investment officer for fixed-income at Calvert Investments in Bethesda, Maryland, which oversees more than $13 billion in bonds. “This is an environment we’re going to be in for a long time.”

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has s a i d

policy makers are ready to ease monetary policy at their June 5 meeting if necessary.

Three rounds of bond-buying from the Federal Reserve has helped bolster the U.S. economy, while China’s government has announced tax breaks and accelerated spending on railways to protect a 7.5 percent annual growth target.

U.S. gross domestic product fell at a 1 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, a bigger decline than projected, after a previously reported 0.1 per cent gain, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. The last time the economy shrank was in the same three months of 2011.

The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.5 per cent drop.

A pickup in receipts at retailers, stronger man-

ufacturing and faster job growth indicate the firstquarter setback will prove temporary as pent-up demand is unleashed. Fed policy makers said at their April meeting that the economy has strengthened after adverse weather took its toll.

Separate data showed fewer Americans than forecast filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign the labor market continues to strengthen. Contracts to purchase previously owned homes rose for a second month in April, a sign the residential real estate market is stabilizing after a weak start to the year.

“No matter what that GDP number was, the underlying backdrop is that the data is improving,” Sam Turner, a fund manager with Richmond, Virginia-based Riverfront Investment Group LLC, said in a phone interview. His firm oversees $4.6 billion. “We had two months there where

small caps, high-

er momentum names really took it on the chin. Now they’re oversold and start to see some recovery.”

The S&P 500 has rallied 5.4 per cent since a selloff in small-cap and Internet shares in April spread to the broader market. The Nasdaq 100 Index of technology stocks has jumped 8 percent in that period, while the Russell 2000 Index of small companies has added 2.4 per cent. The S&P 500 has advanced 183 per cent from its bear-market low in March 2009, reaching an all-time high of 1,915.78 in intraday trading today.

The MSCI All-Country World Index rose 0.2 percent today and climbed 1.6 percent this month for a fourth monthly increase. It closed at its highest level since November 2007 on May 27, and the value of equities worldwide reached a record $63.9 trillion yesterday.

The MSCI AC Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) gained 0.2 per cent today to its highest level since November. The gauge rallied 3.5 per cent this month, the most since September, after falling 0.5 per cent in April.

All 26 bond markets from Hungary to Japan tracked

by Bloomberg and the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies rose this month through yesterday.

Australia’s 10-year yield dropped 7 basis points to an 11-month low, Japan’s slid to the least in 12 months, while European bond yields were close to the lowest since the formation of the region’s shared currency.

Austrian five-year yields slid to a record 0.455 percent, while Belgium’s 10-year rate touched 1.849 per cent, also an all-time low. The yield on German 10-year bunds was little changed at 1.34 per cent, while that on similar-maturi-

ty U.K. gilts was at 2.52 per cent, down 3 basis points.

“There really is no precedent for so many countries to have such low yields,” Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank AG in London, wrote in a report. “These truly are remarkable times.”

The dollar fell as the GDP data increased the case for the Fed to maintain recordlow borrowing costs to stimulate growth.

The dollar weakened 0.3 per cent to 101.53 yen, set for a 0.7 per cent decline this month.

The yen strengthened 0.1 per cent to 138.23 per euro after touching 137.98, the strongest since Feb. 6.

Europe’s shared currency rose 0.2 per cent to $1.3615.

Australia’s dollar climbed after a report showed capital expenditure plans that Commonwealth Bank of Australia said exceeded analysts’ estimates. The Aussie increased 0.6 per cent to 92.87 U.S. cents.

Russian stocks rose for a second day, with the Micex Index (INDEXCF) adding 1.5 percent, bringing this week’s gain to 0.6 per cent.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 1.6 per cent after a report showed economic growth slowed more than estimated in the three months through March, dropping below 6 percent for the first time in nine quarter.

Abu Dhabi’s stock index rose 5.5 percent, the most since December 2009, as shares in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates gained before next week’s upgrade to emerging markets status by MSCI Inc. India’s Sensex (SENSEX) declined 1.3 percent as Infosys Ltd., the country’s secondlargest software-services exporter, lost 6.5 percent after a top executive resigned.

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The Confab Debate

A minority report on devolution

Annkio Brigss

By Annkio Brigss Member of the National Conference Committee on Devolution of Power, Abuja, Nigeria Introduction HIS National Conference has been convened by the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to enable delegates, drawn from different interest groups and geopolitical zones in the country, discuss and proffer ideas and solutions on how to ‘‘lay a much stronger foundation for faster development” in Nigeria.

Many of the delegates here, including myself, have come believing that this National Conference provides an opportunity to recreate the wobbling structures of the Nigerian State. Mr. Chairman, only the beneficiaries of the failure that Nigeria has become will refuse to acknowledge that this country, as a political entity is tottering towards the brink. For the overwhelming majority of citizens, what is clear is that Nigeria, as it is now, is not working.

As a political entity, Nigeria is unable to guarantee justice and security for its citizens.

Despite all the allusion to Greatness, this country does not provide the minimum social conditions and infrastructures which are necessary for the education, health, employment and general wellbeing of citizens in the states of the federation. Even worse, the citizenry is garrisoned into an over-centralised political framework, as successive military regimes, representing self-interest above anything else, have destroyed the practice of True Federalism, which the great founding fathers of this country fashioned as the structural mechanism that is most conducive for Nigeria, considering ethnic, religious and geographical diversities.

Since the military dictators entered the Nigerian political space, the fortunes of the country have been on the decline. The terrorism campaign by the so-called Boko-Haram, has shown very clearly that the current political structure of Nigeria, which has produced an indolent and thieving ruling class, does not work for any group in Nigeria. Clearly, it is not working for the North Eastern Nigeria or the Yorubas, neither it is working for the peoples of the Niger Delta, nor the Middle Belt, and it is also not working for Ndigbo. The only people it is working for (the beneficiaries) are those looting the treasury – an act that has been made easy due to the over-concentration of power at the centre.

It is my belief that we have come to this National Conference to develop the framework

T

for change in Nigeria, as change is what the people of Nigeria want. It is, therefore, shocking that the majority of members of the Committee on Devolution of power would come up with a recommendation for the preservation of the status quo. Mr. Chairman, I disagree with the other members of my committee, and feel obliged to present my Minority Report, which I am convinced represents the expectations of the ordinary people of Nigeria who are desirous of change. It is my hope that the entire delegation of this National Conference will consider my views in discussing the most important issue facing Nigeria today; which is that of restructuring of the Nigerian Federation on the basis of equity, justice and good conscience.

Ten Points to Consider Nigeria is a diverse country. There is geographical diversity with the Sahel in the north different from the rainforests and wetlands of the south. These differences also inform the diversity in cultures and aspirations of the different nationalities. Under these conditions, national unity in Nigeria cannot be achieved by denying these differences. Rather, a united Nigeria can only be achieved by developing a political framework that provides constituent parts the spaces for selt-actualisation.

The founding fathers of Nigeria, in representing the wishes of the Nigerian people, opted for true Federalism and fashioned the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions to reflect the popular will and the balance of political forces at that time. The practice of federalism in Nigeria, based on the 1960 and 1963 constitutions encouraged the federating units to organize unprecedented development in education, healthcare, agriculture, commerce, industry, transportation, communications etc. To illustrate this point, the Western, Eastern and Northern Regions built universities that ranked among the best in the world at that time.

These development strides were achieved through harnessing the human and material resources of the federating units.

The major problem of the first republic politics was the difficulty in creating separate Regions or States for minority groups in the Northern, Eastern and Western Regions, despite the yearnings of these groups for spaces for political and economic actualization.

While the creation of new states by the military regimes may have been presented as a response to the historical yearnings of minori-

ty groups ac5ross the country, the same military regimes destroyed the federal principle in favour of military command style unitary system. Under the military, the centre sucked the life out of the federating units which served as the fulcrum of development and progress in Nigeria. The result has been the decline and decay of governance in Nigeria.

The unitarisation of Nigeria by the military regimes was part of the attempt by soldiers of fortune to control the revenues from the petroleum resources in the Niger Delta. I cannot fail to point out that this was possible because the peoples of the Niger Delta were presumed to be powerless minorities whose rights could be trampled upon by the powers that be.

However, the destruction of the practice of true federalism in Nigeria, as was the practice during the years preceding independence and in the First Republic, had the effect of destroying the economic and social fabrics in all the states and geo-political zones in Nigeria. With States merely waiting every month for the allocations from federally collected oil revenue, the institutions and production centres in all states have been allowed to die, in most cases. Since State Governments no longer need to survive by taxing businesses and incomes within their domains, those businesses and livelihoods were abandoned. The fiscal connection and sense of responsibility that moderated relationship between government and citizens were severed. Internally generated revenues no longer matter for the states, hence the governments of the states now feel that the livelihood, health and education of taxpaying citizens also no longer matter, as government now presents development as handouts to begging citizens.

The clearest example may be the old Northern Region of Nigeria. Kaduna and Kano used to be one of the major hubs of the textile industry.

Tens of thousands of workers were employed directly in factories set up or prompted by the Regional Government under the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. Today, dependence on the Federation Account for the sustenance of the government of such commercially and industrially important states like Kaduna and Kano has led to the abandoning of dozens of textile and other factories, and hundreds of thousands of local livelihoods. The political elite in these parts are now content to give out a few kobo and a few naira to begging children whose parents cannot find jobs.

It is not only in Nigeria that military regimes tried to destroy federalism. Military despots, in trying to turn diverse political entities into quasi barracks, subverted the federal principle in places like Argentina and Brazil from the 1940s and 1950s. However, with the return to civil democracy, federalism was restored in those countries. As a matter of historical practice globally, the restoration of federalism is an essential part of the transition to democracy.

Even in non-federal states, devolution of powers to regional and local authorities is being implemented to strengthen democracy and national unity.

In the case of Nigeria, the transition to democracy was organized by the military to ensure the preservation of the order that they created. The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria was produced by soldiers who ignored the call of pro-democracy groups that requested for a restructuring of the Nigerian Federation as part of the democratization process.

The failure to restructure the federalism by granting reasonable level of self-determination to constituent units is responsible for the economic decline all over the country, over-heated competition for political power in the centre, ethno-regional rivalries and even the terrorism that we are witnessing in parts of Nigeria. In moving forward in this country, we cannot afford to preserve the status quo under any guise.

The real costs of minerals exploitation Mr. Chairman, and respected delegates. The Nigerian government, like resource rent seeking governments and private corporations globally are always interested in the price of an ounce of gold, a barrel of crude oil or whatever quantity of mineral as the case may be. In calculating profits and revenues, corporations and central governments often consider cost of production. But nobody, it seems, considers the real cost of minerals exploitation – those costs that are borne by the natural environment and

the communities that survive from the land.

We are talking about the communities whose lands have been made unproductive by the tin mines in Jos, the coal mines in Enugu, and the oil fields of the Niger Delta. In the Niger Delta, oil and gas exploitation has wreaked havoc on the land. Permit me to present some of the findings of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) with respect to oil pollution in Ogoniland, which is just one small part of the expansive oil complexes of the Niger Delta.

In 2009 the Federal Government of Nigeria asked the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to assess the impact of oil pollution in the Ogoni environment. UNEP investigation involved examination of sol and groundwater contamination at 69 sites and the analysis of four thousand samples, which included groundwater samples. UNEP’s scientific assessment proved that over 50 years of oil pollution in the Niger Delta ‘‘has penetrated further and deeper than many may have supposed.” The global body went on to say that the restoration of the Niger Delta could prove to be the world’s most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken if contaminated drinking water, land, creeks and important ecosystems such as mangroves are to be brought back to full, productive health. In effect, the Niger Delta is the most polluted area in the world. As pointed out in the UNEP Report, it would take up to 30 years to clean up the oil spillage in Ogoniland alone and this could involve costs in the region of $1 billion. If it will take $1 billion to clean up Ogoniland alone, then it would take over $500 billion to clean up the entire Niger Delta.

Let us examine the real costs of crude oil as borne by the peoples of the Niger Delta.

According to UNEP, in NisisiokenOgale in Rivers State, families are drinking water from wells that are contaminated with benzene, a known cancer causing agent at levels over 900 times above World Health Organization guidelines. The site is close to Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) installations. UNEP scientists found an 8cm layer of refined oil floating on the groundwater, which serves the wells. The report reveals the complicity of the Nigerian government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the state owned NNPC and regulatory agencies who have individually and collectively failed to protect the environment and the communities that depend on the land for survival.

Other discoveries by UNEP as follows: Vegetation Oil pollution in many intertidal creeks has left mangroves denuded of leaves and stems, leaving roots coated in a bitumen-like substance sometimes 1 cm or more thick.

Mangroves are spawning areas for fish and nurseries for juvenile fish and the extensive pollution of these areas is impacting the fish life-cycle.

Any crops in areas directly impacted by oil spills will be damaged, and root crops, such as cassava, will become unusable. When farming recommences, plants generally show signs of stress and yields are reportedly lower than in non-impacted areas.

When an oil spill occurs on land, fires often break out, killing vegetation and creating a crust over the land, making remediation or vegetation difficult.

Channels that have been widened and the resulting dredged materials are clearly evident in satellite images, decades after the dredging operations. Without proper rehabilitation, former mangrove areas which have been converted to bare ground are being colonized by invasive species such as nipa palm (which appears to be more resistant to heavy hydrocarbon pollution than native vegetation).

Aquatic The UNEP investigation found that the surface water throughout the creeks contains hydrocarbons. Floating layers of oil vary from thick black oil to think sheens. The highest reading of dissolved hydrocarbon in the water was 7,420 ug/l Fish tend to leave polluted areas in search of clean water, and fishermen must therefore also move to less contaminated areas in search of fish. When encountered in known polluted areas, fishermen reported that they

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of power were going to fishing grounds further upstream or downstream.

The fisheries sector is suffering due to the destruction of fish habitat in the mangroves and highly persistent contamination of many of the creeks, making them unsuitable for fishing.

Where a number of entrepreneurs had set up fish farms in or close to the creeks, their businesses have been ruined by an ever-present layer of floating oil.

The wetlands around Ogoniland are highly degraded and facing disintegration. The study concludes that while it is technically feasible to restore effective ecosystem functioning of the wetlands, this will only be possible if technical and political initiatives are undertaken.

Public Health The Ogoni community is exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in outdoor air and drinking water, sometimes at elevated concentrations.

They are also exposed through dermal contacts from contaminated soil, sediments and surface water.

Since average life expectancy in Nigeria is less than 50 years, it is a fair assumption that most members of the current Ogoniland community have lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives.

Hydrocarbon contamination was found in water taken from 28 wells at 10 communities adjacent to contaminated sites. At seven wells the samples are at least 1,000 times higher than the Nigerian drinking water standard of 3 ug/l.

Local communities are aware of the pollution and its dangerous but state that they continue to use the water for drinking, bathing, washing and cooking as they have no alternative.

Benzene was detected in all air samples at concentrations ranging from 0.155 to 48.2 ug/m3.

Approximately 10 per cent of detected benzene concentrations in Ogoniland were higher than the concentrations WHO and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) report as corresponding to a 1 in 10,000 cancer risk.

In a community like Oloibiri, Bayelsa State where petroleum was first exploited in Nigeria from 1956, the land has been laid waste and abandoned after crude oil dried up. Shell closed their emptied oil wells and simply left to drill elsewhere. Today, Oloibiri does not have pipe borne water and other basic amenities even though the Nigerian state and oil companies made billion of dollars in revenue and profits from the Oloibiri oil field. The local livelihoods have been destroyed.

Mr. Chairman, respected delegates. The Nigerian State, that is, the central government cannot guarantee the survival of communities in sites of extraction. That is why it is imperative to: Devolve power to the states with respect to Mineral Resources and their exploitation, land use and environmental management. In effect, Mineral Resources and Environment should be matters under the jurisdiction of States and the Federation. This will enable States to take the appropriate measures to protect the natural environment and the communities.

Create a Development Fund for Communities (as it obtainable with the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, 2007). The aspects of the Minerals and Mining Act that relate to communities and their development should also apply to petroleum bearing communities. What is good for one should also be good for the other. Nigerian laws should not discriminate against the minorities of the Niger Delta. Are we not supposed to be equal citizens of this country?

Implement the UNEP Report without further delay.

4. The Development Challenges of the Niger Delta The challenges of development in the Niger Delta predate, but have been exacerbated by petroleum exploitation. Composed of fragile wetlands, including mangrove forests, the Niger Delta is the most costly place to build infrastructure projects in Nigeria. The fact that the nationalities of the Niger Delta are minorities in the Nigerian political equation has meant that their development aspirations are often neglected by political leaderships at the centre. These challenges were acknowledged in the Willink’s Commission Report of 1957/58, hence the report referred to the area as needing special attention.

Conference chairman, Kutigi The table below demonstrates the cost comparison and disparity in the construction of highway projects/roads between the SouthSouth and the North.

Road Amount Length Cost per km Maraba – Bali Rd. Taraba State Contract No. 51505, Federal Ministry of Works; 5.733bn; 110km; N52,120km; Sokoto – Goroyo Dan Rd. Contract No. 4082, Federal Ministry of Works 2.846bn; 95km; N29.960km; Ogoni – Andoni-Opobo Rd. Rivers State (Swamps in the Niger Delta) Project 13.800bn; 33.5km; N411.940km; Tombia – Amasoma Rd. Bayelsa State 7.5bn 22km N340.909km Sagbama – Bulou-Orua-Angalabiri Rd. Bayelsa State 2.3bn; 7km; N328.571km 5. Recommendation on Resource Ownership and Derivation My position on the Principle of Derivation with respect to revenues from all mineral resources is that Nigeria should revert to the principle and practice of federalism as was obtainable in the years preceding independence and in the First Republic. Before the military destroyed federalism, we had the 1963 Constitution, Section 140 of which states: There shall be paid by the Federation to each Region (State) a sum equal to fifty per cent of – The proceeds of any royalty received by the Federation from within the Region (state); and Any mining rents derived by the Federation from within that Region (state) The Federation shall credit to the Distributable Pool Account a sum equal to thirty per cent of –The proceeds of any royalty received by the Federation from within the Region (state); and Any mining rents derived by the Federation from within that Region (state)…

In this section ‘‘mineral” includes mineral oil.

For the purpose of this section the continental shelf of a Region (state) shall be deemed to be part of the Region (state).

While within the frame of the federal principles, as indicated above, my recommendation is that the new Constitution of Nigeria should provide for the ownership of natural resources by the States of the Federation, which shall pay no more than 50 per cent of the revenue from the exploitation of those resources to the Federation as tax.

As an addition, it is my recommendation that 10 per cent of the proceeds from the exploitation of mineral resources should be set aside for communities affected by minerals exploitation activities. Such a fund would help in ameliorating the environmental degradation and other factors that lead to loss of community livelihoods in sites of extraction.

It is important to note that the principle of state ownership of natural resources and the derivation principle are not for oil and gas alone, but for all mineral resources including bitumen and solid minerals. States of the Federation stand to gain badly needed development funds from abundant mineral resources in their various domains. For example, bitumen, which is found in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Edo States, is a major source of petroleum in a country like Canada. In South Africa, coal is converted to fuels for cars and for generating electricity by the company called Sasol. There are gold and iron ore deposits in parts of the north of Nigeria, where the potential for new discoveries is immense. The restoration of a truly federal system as was largely the case with the 1960 and 1963 will re-establish the developmental drive of federating units and unleash economic opportunities and potential that were stifled with the destruction of true federalism by the military regimes.

To fast track the development of all minerals resources in all states of the federation, I recommend the creation of a Special Fund for the Development of Solid Minerals and Other Economic Assets.

6. Recommendation on State Police Mr. Chairman, when there was armed agitation in the Niger Delta a few years ago, it was civic dignitaries from the area like myself and other delegates in this National Conference, such as Dr. Isaac Osuoka, Chief E.K. Clark and other here, that went into the creeks to find ways of restoring peace to the region. Traditional rulers and political office holders were involved in those efforts. What the Nigerian military could not do, that is restore peace, is what was achieved by people that understand the local conditions.

In the same vein, we have in recent days, read reports of communities resisting Boko Haram terrorists in the North East of Nigeria. Indeed, in all parts of the country, local vigilantes and informal outfits have been established to cover for the shortfalls of the centralized/national security agencies. What all these point to is that the security of lives and property and general maintenance of law and order must be devolved to ensure that local authorities that understand the local conditions participate in law enforcement. Let us not deceive ourselves; centralized police force acting alone cannot maintain law and order and fight crime in all parts of the country at the same time.

You cannot have states making laws without having a police to enforce those laws.

Let us not deceive ourselves, there are several pseudo State Police arrangements in different parts of the country, from Bakassi Boys to Sharia Police etc. For example, States like Sokoto have

established the State Hizbah Commission (State Police), as explained in Appendix 1.

Regularizing State Police to perform properly defined roles following due process would eliminate the negative attributes of informal security setups. I, therefore, recommend that State Police be allowed to operate in corporation and coordination with the Federal Police.

In effect, Police should be on the concurrent legislative list of the Nigerian Constitution.

7. Federalism as practised globally: Some examples The Canadian constitution vests ownership rights to all natural resources (including oil and gas) with the provinces in which they are located. The federating units own natural resources and have the power to tax revenues from those resources.

In Argentina, in the 1994 Constitution, ‘‘The provinces have the original dominion over the natural resources existing in their territory.” That means that ownership and management of natural resources such as minerals fall within provincial jurisdiction. In this country, the military regimes had, in the 1940s and 1950, transferred ownership to the Federal Government through decrees. But the people of the country restored ownership to the provinces. In this country, the provinces are paid royalties from oil and gas production and exercise the legal power to collect taxes on other economic activities and assets.

In Argentina, the Federal Government continues to be very active in the management of natural resources through Ownership of the National oil company; Regulation of the mining, oil and gas industry; Collects taxes petroleum exports and imports; Tax on sales and transference of fuels; Value added tax, and corporate and personal income taxes.

In India, Article 294-295 of the Constitution vests ownership of land and natural resources with the states. However, the Federal Government has significant powers over resource management. In effect, there is joint management.

In Brazil, the country returned to democracy after decades of autocratic military dictatorship, which had attempted to compromise federalism. In this country, while the central government own mineral resources, the constitution grants oil states and local authorities bordering offshore production sites 60 per cent of the income royalties.

In Indonesia, the central government pays 70 per cent of the oil and gas revenues produced in the region of Aceh to the region.

Parliament decides on a formula for distribution of oil revenues every five years; the Constitution sets our criteria to be taken into account in the formula: population; equality of states; internal revenue generation; land mass, with a minimum of 13 per cent reserved for oil producing States (Art 162.2).

8. Conclusion While I join the majority of delegates to this National Conference in maintaining that the unity of Nigeria is not-negotiable within this National Conference, it is important to understand that the peoples of Nigeria who are discussing outside of this conference venue are not so constrained. Clearly, Boko Haram and their backers are not so constrained.

The minority nationalities of Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria have fought and sacrificed to keep this country together. They have borne the cost of minerals exploitation for the benefit of Nigeria. They have suffered hardships and humiliations as minorities in this country. However, they can no longer continue to sacrifice their right to survival. While we must be our brother’s keeper, our brothers must also be our keeper. Keeping cannot be one sided.

Let us also not forget so fast that from 2006 to 2009, oil production in Nigeria was almost completely halted by armed agitators from the Niger Delta. It is only a restoration of the principles of true federalism, including the ownership and co-management of natural resources by the federating units that can save Nigeria from the brink to which it is so gradually tottering.

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Sports Adidas brings World Cup fever to Nigeria

Countdown To Brazil 2014 World Cup

Yobo, Osaze, others talk on the battle for inclusion in final squad

IFA partners, Adidas, has FWorld launched their newest Cup awareness pro-

• Mba finally joins mates FTER Wednesday’s 2-2 draw A with the Tartan Army of Scotland at the Craven Cottage in London, players in the Super Eagles’ camp have started looking at what may be in the battle for inclusion in the final squad to the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Team Skipper, Joseph Yobo, said at the post match conference that if he was the coach he would find it difficult to drop any of the players currently in the 30-man squad.

“Nigeria is blessed with talents and that is why I think all the players here merit to be in Brazil, even when we have some other very good ones still hanging out. If you watched the game against Scotland, you will know that the ‘Big Boss’ has a tough task in his hands in trying to pick those to make the final 23. It will be tough.”

Stoke City’s Osaze Odemwingie said he was happy at the response of his teammates to his return to the national side, asking, however, “but how do we drop players now from this squad.

“Everybody here is good but we should leave that to the coach but I know it would be a tough task.”

England-based Shola Ameobi declared that playing for the Nigerian side has made him a better team player because of the quality of players in camp and wished he had started

playing earlier for the team.

“We are all good but we should just pray for the coach to ensure that he picks the best for the World Cup,” he said.

Super Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi, got a pleasant surprise before Wednesday’s game from Scotland manager, Gordon Strachan.

Strachan caused a stir in the Nigerian dressing room moments before the game against his side in an international friendly, when he presented Keshi a branded brandy, with the name ‘Famous Keshi.’

When Keshi received the gift in the presence of Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor and Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, he was shocked to the marrow and wished he could reciprocate it immediately.

“This is true friendship in football and we all, especially Nigerians, must start to imbibe this type of gesture,” he declared.

He added that someday he would find an opportunity to Super Eagles’defender, Azubuike Egwuekwe (right) jumps for the ball with Scotland’s striker Chris Martin durreciprocate. “Imagine a fellow ing Wednesday’s international friendly at Craven Cottage in London. PHOTO: AFP. coach branding my name in a drink. It has never happened in my entire life, please help me thank him,” an emotional HE Nigeria Weightlifting meeting on Wednesday in his deputy has clearly demonKeshi said in the Nigerian Federation (NWF) says it will Abuja disclosed that the camp strated their desire to take weightlifting to greater dressing room. open its Glasgow 2014 would start bubbling from Meanwhile, Sunday Mba Commonwealth Games tomorrow with head coach, heights.

“That our lifters are moving reported to the team’s camp in preparatory camp in Abuja Emmanuel Oshomah, taking charge of the exercise. into camp is courtesy of London just on time for the today.

“All arrangements for the the president of weightlifting trip to Philadelphia, United The weightlifting federation Chibudom exercise has federation States. in a statement after a board camping been concluded and it is the Nwuche and his vice Alhaji beginning of our build up to Yaya Mohammed. They Glasgow 2014. We may not deserve a pat on the back for have started in time but we taking steps to ensure that our lifters start camping way of interchanging in a zig- hope the technical crew will do strikers in modern football.

Speaking during a Multichoice zag pattern that if a goalkeeper a good job and recover lost for the Commonwealth Aluo stated. programme, ‘We are Brazil,’ is not careful the ball will time,” the NWF stated. Games,” Aluo pointed out that the designed to announce already be in his net before he Meanwhile, the board of the weightlifting body has com- NWF president’s special welSuperSport’s coverage of the realizes what is happening.

“In 1994, they had Claudio mended World Cup, Rufai said Nigeria its president, fare package for the nation’s has equal opportunity with Cannigia, Batistuta, Redondo, Chibudom Nwuche and his lifters saw them excelling at Malaysia 2013 other nations to do well at the Ariel Ortega, among others, vice, Alhaji Yaya Mohammed, the competition, but he warned who depended on supplies for making funds available for Weightlifting Championship, that the Eagles must take every from Maradona to strike. the camping exercise to take adding that Nwuche has again “The difficult thing is that you off. game serious. promised to reward the On the Argentine strikers, he have to continuously focus on Chairman of the board’s nation’s lifters currently doing said: “I had a very difficult expe- them as they were moving media committee, George the country proud in rience with them in 1994. These from one end of the pitch to Aluo, noted that Nwuche and Gaborone in the on-going people don’t run straight like the other. It was tough, I must African Youth Games.

European strikers. They have a confess.

NWF opens 2014 Commonwealth Games’ weightlifting camp in Abuja

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Beware of Argentina’s ‘zig-zag’ runs, Rufai warns Enyeama

By Christian Okpara UPER Eagles’ former Swarned Goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, has the national team’s current shot stoppers to be mindful of the tricky runs of Argentina attackers at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Nigeria meets Argentina in the final Group F game at the Mundial Coupe.

Rufai, who faced the fireworks from Argentine attackers at the 1994 World Cup, believes the South American country have some of the most dangerous

Onigbinde wants Keshi to focus on Eagles’ technical lapses

By Alex Monye OLLOWING the Super Eagles 2-2 draw with Scotland on Wednesday, former Nigeria handler, Adegboye Onigbinde, has charged Coach Stephen Keshi to keep working hard on his players to raise the standard of their game.

The FIFA and CAF technical adviser said the ability of the Super Eagles to fight hard to equalize against Scotland in the last minute of the tie was showed that Keshi has succeeded in imbibing the spirit of commitment to his players.

He reasoned that the senior

F

General Manager, Marketing and Retention, MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho (left), former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, SuperSport Marketing Director, Nomsa Mazibuko, former African Best Footballer, Victor Ikpeba and General Manager, SuperSport, West Africa, Felix Awogu at the SuperSport launch of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil campaign, ‘We Are Brazil’ in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

gramme, tagged ‘All in Nigeria Radio Show’ on the Super-Cool sport show on Cool FM in conjunction with Africa’s pre-eminent content syndicator, TransAfrica Radio.

‘All in Nigeria’ brings Nigerian fans the exciting build up to the greatest show on earth with breathtaking analysis and weekly chances to win spectacular prizes, including the official Brazuca match ball, Nigeria’s Super Eagles jersey and the latest football boots courtesy of Adidas and Mopheth Sport Nigeria Ltd. Nigerian football fans can join in on the excitement of the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup with Adidas and the exciting new show.

The syndicated sport show is a seven part series running for 15 minutes every week, which commenced on Monday, May 26. The first three shows will focus solely on the buildup to the 2014 Fifa World Cup while the remaining shows will focus on all the actions in Brazil.

‘All in Nigeria’ will provide listeners with a chance to get to know the players and teams featuring in the World Cup, all the latest team news, fixtures and results as well as interviews with some of the key actors.

It is also a platform for expert analysis and predictions on the tournament, as well as the vibrant sights and sounds of Brazil.

According to Astrud Meintjes, the Senior Business Development Manager at adidas, fans can catch the all in Nigeria show every Monday on the SuperCool sport show on Cool FM and stand a chance to win on the “adidas Battle Cry” weekly competition.

To win the “Battle Cry of the Week” and weekly adidas hampers, fans must tune in to Cool FM every Monday from 6:30pm for more information and get ready to showcase their most creative, inspiring and fanatic display of Nigeria’s “Battle Cry” in their football colours.

national team would have a good outing in Brazil if Keshi used the right players for the Mundial Coupe, adding that the Eagles need more friendly to blend properly before heading to Brazil.

Onigbinde also declared that the friendly against Scotland was an avenue for the Eagles’ technical crew to fish out players credible to play in the World Cup, adding, ‘’I don’t think the Eagles’ performed badly in terms of individual brilliance on the pitch.

“You should realize that the Super Eagles played against a national team that is organ-

ized. One aspect that gladdens my heart in the encounter was the effort the players made to equalize the goals.

“If the Eagles kept using this approach in Brazil to face any opponent, Nigeria would go far in the World Cup. Keshi has all it takes to assemble a formidable team for the World Cup… all he needs to do is to continue working on the lapses in the team and make his players play like a team.

“The friendly against Scotland will give Keshi the insight on what is still needed to be done on the Eagles,’’ the Modakeke high chief stated.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 SPORTS | 69

A good coach doesn’t pick players on sentiment, says Laloko

By Gowon Akpodonor OT satisfied with the selection of players by coach Stephen Keshi in Super Eagles’ provisional squad in the build up to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, the Director of Pepsi Football Academy and former Super Eagles coach, Kashimawo Laloko, has predicted that the team might be a laughing stock in the Mundial, unless Keshi plays by the rule of ‘objectivity’ in his decision.

Speaking with The Guardian during the unveiling of two lucky players of Pepsi Football Academy (PFA) for scholarship in England at the Agege Sta-

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dium in Lagos, Laloko voiced his displeasure with Keshi for not considering Spain-based striker, Ike Uche, in his provisional list for the World Cup. “A coach should not select his players based on ethnicity or friendship,” Laloko said. “Why is Ike Uche not on that list? I want to know why Keshi ignored Uche. That kind of selection won’t help us at the World Cup. “All over the world, no football federation hands over its country’s flag to a manager who will not listen to them.

We can do well in the World Cup because our players are young and I see that determi-

nation in them. But the key to our success in Brazil is ‘objectivity.’ The coach must be objective in his selection.

Anything outside that would work against our team,” Laloko said.

The Eagles played a 2-2 draw with Scotland in their first warm up match to the 2014 World Cup on Wednesday in London.

The exclusion of Uche had pitched many Nigerians football lovers against Keshi with indications in some quarters that the coach was not fair in his action, especially when he had to bring back Joseph Yobo and Osaze Odenwingie to the team despite personal differ-

Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Austin Ejide (right) vies with Scotland’s striker Steven Naismith during the international friendly between Nigeria and Scotland at Craven Cottage in London… on Wednesday. PHOTO: AFP

African Youth Games in Botswana

Team Nigeria’s performance, a morale booster for Sports Minister, says Anugweje

By Gowon Akpodonor

A

board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Dr. Ken Anugweje, believes that Team Nigeria’s giant strides at the on-going African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana, will boost the confidence of Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo.

Danagogo led the team to Gaborone with a charge on

the athletes not to let the country down. The African Youth Games will end tomorrow, but Team Nigeria has so far won considerable number of gold medals, according to Anugweje, is a sign of better things to come from the administration of Danagogo.

“I have been following the performance of Team Nigeria in Botswana and I want to say

NBBF roles out plans for final phase HE Nigeria Basketball FedT eration (NBBF) has released plans for the

Action at a recent Zenith Bank Women Basketball League game.

DStv PBL: Union Bank, Oluyole Warrior clash

By Adeyinka Adedipe HE battle for final eight T playoffs tickets continue in the DSTV Premier Basketball League as rivals, Union Bank and Oluyole Warriors lock horns today at the sports hall of the National Stadium, Lagos in a week 12 encounter.

When both sides met in the first half of the season in Ibadan, Oluyole Warriors defeated Union Bank 93-82 and today’s games presents an opportunity for Union Bank to have their pound of flesh.

After last week’s victory over Dodan Warriors, the Stallion Boys (Union Bank) moved closer to the final eight and a victory in today’s game would seal Union Bank’s place in the post regular season competition.

Dodan Warriors, who are placed second on the table with seven wins from 11 games, same as Oluyole Warriors and Islanders, will take on Customs. The Border Boys (Customs) will attempt to do a double over Dodan Warriors, who they beat in the first phase.

After slipping from the first to the fourth position on the Atlantic Conference table, Islanders of Lagos must be at their best against Kwara Falcons in Ilorin.

The Falcons are difficult to beat in the sports hall of Kwara Stadium and Islanders must try to save their season with a win in this game.

The Falcons secured their premier league status for at least one more season and still have an outside chance of making the playoffs if they win all their three remaining games, with results in other games going in their favour In the last game of the Atlantic Conference, Police Baton will take on Royal Hoopers in a must-win game for both sides.

Both sides have two wins from 11 games and a win for any of the two teams will ease relegation worries.

In the Savannah Conference, defending champions, Kano Pillars will be at home to Plateau Peaks. Pillars have already qualified for the playoffs with 10 victories from 11 games, but they should pick the two points in this game.

Second placed team, Mark Mentors will be away to Immigration in a game Mentors are expected to take the two points at stake.

Mentors are on a high after they defeated Kano Pillars last week to stay second on the Savannah conference table. In the other games, Gombe Bulls will take on Kada Stars, while Bauchi Nets play Niger Potters.

final-phase of the 10th Zenith Bank Women League slated for June 12 to 22 in Lagos.

In a release from the secretariat of the NBBF showed that eight teams qualified for the final-phase after the first and second phases held in Abuja and Ilorin earlier this year.

The NBBF commended the 16 teams that participated in the two phases of the league, while praising the eight teams that made it from the groups to the finals to be held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.

The federation also lauded the six new teams that joined the league for significantly raising the standard of the competition and urged them to be proud of themselves for making tremendous progress.

The teams that would battle

for the top prize at the final eight are First Deepwater Basketball Club for topped groupA and former champion, First Bank Basketball Club who led group-B. Others are last season’s runner-up Dolphins Basketball Club of Lagos, Sunshine Angels of Akure, Customs Basketball Club, IGP Queens, Delta Force of Asaba and FCT Angels of Abuja.

The teams are expected to arrive Lagos on June 12, while the championship technical meeting holds same day with the first jump-ball slated for June 13.

An All-Star Game, a new innovation, has been added to the 10th edition and it will precede the grand finale.

The All-Star Game is meant to celebrate the best players in the league and give them visibility, like their male counterparts in the DStv Premier League, would be divided into two teams, Ocean Breeze and Sea Waves.

that the young athletes have done well. This performance is good stepping stone for the sports minister because it will boost his morale and give him that zeal to do more for our sports. I just hope the Super Eagles will bring smile to our faces in the fast approaching World Cup in Brazil,” Anugweje said.

Danagogo left Team Nigeria’s camp in Gaborone to cheer the Super Eagles in Wednesday’s international friendly match against Scotland in London, which ended 2-2.

Team Nigeria got three additional gold medals at the end of hostilities on Wednesday’s evening in Gaborone to hit 12 to push Nigeria’s quest to finish the championship on a high.

Nigeria also accounted for strong finishes as well in other categories, grabbing silver and six bronze medals on

the day.

Deborah Ukeh and Adesokan Ajoke won the gold medal in the Badminton mixed doubles while Ajoke Adesokan won her second gold medal of the day in the Badminton girls’ single.

The third gold medal for Nigeria came through a win in the Girls’ C1 Canoe Sprint event. And in other triumphs, Nelson Kingsley powered Team Nigeria to a silver medal in the Badminton Boys’ single event.

Two bronze medals were won in the Canoeing K1 Sprint and C1 Sprint, and another medal came in the Badminton mixed doubles.

Ojo Muyideen Oyakojo won the bronze in Boys’ Boxing’s Light Flyweight 49kg category; Ajoke Ojomu won bronze in table tennis single and Esther Godwin in the Girls’ 63kg taekwondo.

Rainbow FC to hoist Nigeria’s flag at F5WC in Dubai OR emerging winner of the FFive’s qualifiers for the Football World Championships (F5WC), Rainbow Football Club will represent Nigeria at the tournament holding next month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month.

F5WC brings together a global initiative to select talented amateur football players through regional five-a-side qualifying rounds to then compete in the Dubai

Pepsi Football Academy (PFA) scholarship recipient, Onuh Morgan Daniel (Lagos Centre) Consultant, Mr. Iain Nelson, PFA Director, Chief Kashimawo Laloko and PFA Scholarship recipient, Ogunnbubi Abayomi Dada (Shagamu Centre) at the Pepsi Football Academy scholarship selection exercise and press conference held Wednesday at Agege Stadium, Lagos.

2014 finals. According to the organisers, the tournament aims for mass participation amongst amateur football players, who play for fun whilst bringing together countries to celebrate the beautiful game.

To become the flagbearer of Nigeria, Rainbow FC claimed the sole ticket to the global soccer event in Dubai after winning the qualifiers concluded at the Campos Stadium in Lagos Island.

Rainbow FC defeated Koilo FC in the final of the qualifiers, which involved 30 other teams drawn across Lagos to participate in the three-day tournament supported by Surebet For the captain of Rainbow FC, Kingsley Nwoke, the team’s success should be attributed to divine intervention, stating that their making it to the global tournament in Dubai was predestined.

“It has been almighty God all the way, it’s Him alone that deserve the praise because we only aspire and see what we achieved” said Nwoke.

Team manager of Rainbow FC, Samuel Adekunle commended the Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development for giving Lagosians the opportunity to showcase and develop their talents through a lot sports initiatives in the state.

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SPORTS Friday, May 30, 2014

Heroes Of Versatile Ogbimi, who dazzled England, At 46 years, Uthe Ogbimi’slove for cricket has not dwindled, as he still plays actively for the Federal Government College Warri Old Boys team, which he formed with other like-minded individuals in 1995. He has played in Malaysia and England, where he won laurels and was involved with the Nigerian team for almost 20 years. The versatile Ogbimi, who did other sports in his formative years and now coaches the national team, told ADEYINKA ADEDIPEthat he has no regrets playing the gentleman’s game and would be happy to see cricket become more prominent in the country.

THE Ogbimi’s love for cricket is undisU putable. He so much adores the sport that all the decisions he has taken in his life revolve around the game. As soon as he became adept in cricket at the Federal Government College, Warri, he knew he was going to stick with it for life. Though he had the opportunity to study medicine at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) after his ‘A’ level programme at Kings College, he opted for Microbiology, because according to him, he still wanted to play the gentleman’s game even after graduating.

Despite the fact that cricket has become an integral part of his life, Ogbimi started his involvement in sports with football at the Crowther Primary School in Sapele, Delta State. He explained that at that level, all he did with other boys was play football as that was the only sports available to them. He was visible in the inter class football competitions, but he never played for the school team.

At that time, students also had the chance to showcase their skills in the annual inter house sports competition, but Ogbimi didn’t take part, as he stuck to football. He said: “Football was the only notable sports at that time and I was part of the teeming kids who thronged to the pitch to play and learn some skills along the way.

“I was not in the school team, but I played in the annual inter class competition, which gave those who were not in the school team the opportunity to show that they are also good. The school also had the annual inter house sports competition, but my only involvement was the match past. At that time, football was the only sports for me.”

His love for the round leather game, pitched him against his parents. According to him, he was scolded several times after enjoying a game of football with his mates, but was not deterred, as he continued to improve in the game.

On leaving Crowther in 1979, he enrolled into Federal Government College, Warri, where, according to him, he got involved in sports from his first year. The first sport he added to football was table tennis, but he also took up tennis as well as cricket.

He stated: “I got involved in organised sports in my first year in the secondary school. I showed great interest in sports and the Physical Education teacher, Mr. Nwokolo, was the driving force. He encouraged us to do two sports every term and by the time, I was in form two, most of us had done all the major sports.

“Table tennis was the first sports I picked up when I got to FGC. I played for my house and I also moved on to tennis and we played a competition, we tagged local Wimbledon. And that was how I started doing well in those games. I could remember that I got my first bat when I was in form one after I started playing table tennis.”

At that period, a classmate of Ogbimi, Udong Essien, who had been exposed to cricket before coming to FGC, with the support of the PE teacher, started teaching other students how to play the game. Ogbimi became proficient in so many sports, but avoided hockey, basketball, volleyball and athletics.

One of the games that still stick in his memory was a novelty match against Sir Ademola Adetokunbo, which was used to open the Kings College’s tennis court. According to Ogbimi, there was no major school tournament that year, but they played friendlies with the football team.

After his one-year sojourn at Kings College, he got admitted into the University of Lagos because he felt it would give him an opportunity to do sports. He said: “Before choosing a course, my youthful analysis was that if I was going to do medicine, I would not have time to do sports, so I decided to settle for Microbiology. “ At the University of Lagos, Ogbimi went back to tennis and played the preliminaries for the Nigeria University Games (NUGA) in 1986, but did not qualify for the competition.

However, in 1988 he teamed up with the UNILAG’s cricket team at the insistence of one of his mates at Kings College, who was convinced he would be valuable to the school’s cricket team. After joining the cricket team, according to Ogbimi, he has never looked back since then.

He said: “My initial decision was to continue with tennis, but after I failed to qualify for the NUGA and my former school mate dragged me back to cricket, I knew it was time for me to take cricket more seriously.”

In 1988, he was in the UNILAG cricket team that went to Ife for the NUGA. The team went with the hope of retaining the title it won two years ago, but it was stunned by the University of Ife team, which had the likes of Okon Ukpong, Bunmi Olufawo and Makanjuola Akinyemi.

According to Ogbimi, it was painful losing to Ife because his school team was strong and everyone thought that it would pick the gold.

“We had a strong team and as the defending champions, we thought we had the ability to win the gold, but Ukpong and his teammates surprised us with a spirited display that earned them the gold. It was a sort of revenge for the Ife bimi team that lost in the final to the UNILAG team was in the in 1986.”

FGC’s cricket The UNILAG team had future national team team that won stars like Bassey Etim, Oladipo Idowu (capbronze in the Natain), Tana Runo, Youdouwi, Chuka Ahutional School Sports competition, losing chogwu, Nnamdi Nwaojigba and Ogbimi, to eventual winners, King College, Lagos who were the key members of the team. in the semi final. His appearance at the Also in 1988, he was called to the Bendel State competition played an important role cricket team to play in the national league. when he was in search of a school to do his The following year, which was his graduating ‘A’ level programme. year, Ogbimi represented his state in the NaHe continued playing cricket in his final year tional Sports Festival (NSF) in Lagos and won at FGC and became the vice captain of the bronze. His performance was enough to earn school team, despite that he was yet to be pro- him a call up to the national team, an opporficient in the game. However, his potential tunity he took with both hands. was strong enough to earn him the vice cap“It was exciting to play for my state at the NSF tain’s position. In 1984, he graduated from the in 1989. I played against some of the best playFGC and went to Kings College for his ‘A’ level. ers in the country, but we lost to Lagos, the During the interview, the school games mas- eventual winners of the gold medal. And the ter recognised Ogbimi as one of the players experience prepared me for the task ahead,” who played against his team at the school Ogbimi added. sports festival in Kaduna and recommended After his mandatory one year National Youth him for admission. Also, his former principal’s Service Corp (NYSC) programme, Ogbimi’s good recommendation worked in his favour. first competition for the country was the At Kings College, he played cricket, Tennis Quadrangular Games in Banjul, Gambia. and football.

Apart from Gambia and Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana also took part in the competition.

Nigeria won the competition, but it was an eye opener for Ogbimi, who referred to himI got involved in organised sports in my first year in the secondary school. I self as the baby of the team. showed great interest in sports and the Physical Education teacher, Mr. Nwokolo, “Playing in Banjul exposed me to what I was the driving force. He encouraged us to do two sports every term and by the would experience in the national team and at international competition. The time, I was in form two, most of us had done all the major sports. Table tennis was playing team had Yinka Gbotosho, Bayo Thompson, the first sports I picked up when I got to FGC. I played for my house and I also Donald Ovberedjo, Kome Aghodo, Kofi Sagoe, Idowu, Okon Ukpong, Johnson Onuoha, moved on to tennis and we played a competition, we tagged local Wimbledon. And Dipo Chris Sokoya, Uche Ntim, Chuka Ahuchogu that was how I started doing well in those games. I could remember that I got my and Austin Egbunike.

“I was sick in the competition, but played in first bat when I was in form one after I started playing table tennis.

“As I was growing up, I was leaning towards the non-contact sport except football, which I started playing as a boy. My exposure to different sports during the Physical Education classes also gave me an idea of the sports to stick to.”

He continued: “Engaging in sports gave me a sense of fulfillment and I was able to rub shoulders with other kids, but I never lost sight of my education. However, at this point, I decided that nothing would come between me and sports, not even my quest to bag a degree in the university.”

In 1983 in Kaduna, Og-

Friday, May 30, 2014 71

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

School Sports Malaysia with his cricket skills It was really a good time for the team after winning the championship. Personally, I also won the man of the season for four seasons, while I played in the lower division. After winning the premier league, the team group photo was taken and it is still hanging on a wall at the clubhouse till today. My exploits with the team has opened door for other Nigerian players like Endurance Ofem, who has played for the club for three years. They also consult me before signing on Nigerian players.

Ogbimi (left) teaches players how to spin the ball

Ogbimi (middle)with players at a trainning camp one of the games and I was withdrawn by Coach Ewa Henshaw after scoring 59 runs. I got a resounding ovation after hitting 50 runs, which is considered a milestone in cricket. It was after the competition that I knew that I was actually on the right part,” Ogbimi added.

After the Banjul event, Nigeria won the quadrangular in 1992, hosted by Nigeria, in 1993 in Sierra Leone, but the competition could not hold in 1994 in Ghana due to lack of sponsorship. The competition returned in 1997 in Nigeria and the Nigerian team won again.

The competition was also used to select the West African team that took part in the Associate World Cup in Malaysia.

Unfortunately, Ogbimi did not make the

team, but he travelled to the competition as an observer with the sponsorship of Nihal Samarasekera, the proprietor of Ilupeju Lions, a club Ogbimi played for during his illustrious career.

While in Malaysia, he made some contact and he found out that some teams were ready to take him on to play in the country’s semi-professional league.

According to Ogbimi, his move to Malaysia opened a new vista for his career. His first team was the Armed Forces team in the second division, and with his effort and that of his teammate, they gained promotion to the first division. In 1988, he joined Negri Senbillan State and played for Sarawak State in 1999.

“At that time, I was scoring 50’s and was contributing greatly to the success of my teams,”

he added.

On coming back to Nigeria in late 1999, he joined the Federal Government College, Warri Old Boys team, which he formed with others in 1995. He was again invited to the national team in 2000 to play at the African championship, higher than any competition the country had attended. He also won the National Championship in his final season at St Gregory College Old student team in 1995.

The African Championship in Uganda presented a fresh challenge for the Nigerian team, which was competing at that level for the first time. It was rated below most of the countries at the championship. Apart from the host, Uganda and Nigeria, other countries that participated were South Africa, Kenya,

Tanzania and Namibia. At that time, Ogbimi had become one of the senior members of the team, which had new members Wale Adeoye and Ameh Edebor, among others.

However, the Nigerian team could not do much as it only defeated Tanzania at the competition. “It was a difficult competition because all the other teams were well ahead of Nigeria. We, however, could only defeat Tanzania, but we learnt a lot from that experience.”

After another appearance at the Quadrangular Games in 2002, Ogbimi was off to England where he played for the Blackheath Cricket Club in the Kent Premier League. He played for five years and in 2006, won the Kent Premier League with the club’s main team for the first time in 100 years.

While playing for Blackheath, he worked at a wine manufacturing company, the only time he worked outside cricket.

“It was really a good time for the team after winning the championship. Personally, I also won the man of the season for four seasons, while I played in the lower division. After winning the premier league, the team group photo was taken and it is still hanging on a wall at the clubhouse till today.

“My exploits with the team has opened door for other Nigerian players like Endurance Ofem, who has played for the club for three years. They also consult me before signing on Nigerian players.”

On returning to Nigeria in 2008, he was invited to the national team, which travelled to Benoni in South Africa and qualified Nigeria for the World League division seven. That was his last competition for the country and he was made the coach of the under 19 team. He started coaching in Bendel State while playing for the state team in the league so he had no hassles coaching the team.

On retirement, his involvement in private coaching caught the eyes of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) who made him the Regional Development Officer for the SouthSouth region, where he coordinated, inspired coaches and helped cricket development in the region.

In 2012, he was made the national team coach in acting capacity and in 2013, took the team to the World Cricket League Division Seven Championship where it gained promotion to division six.

That same year the team qualified for Division five, went to Malaysia, but survived relegation to remain in the division.

Ogbimi says apart from cricket, he pastors a church in Benin, which has given him more opportunity to impact on people’s lives. He still works with private schools in Edo State while his three sons are cricketers.

Sad that the game remains unpopular among Nigerians, he is looking forward to a time cricket would become a household name in the country. He, however, said that it would be realisable if a cricket-loving person becomes the number one citizen of the country.

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Friday, May 30, 2014

SchoolSports Milo African U-13 Championship

Future champions begin journey to stardom

By Alex Monye HEY are the future of the T game in Nigeria. These lads, hardly 12 years old, are already having a taste of what being a future champion can bring. They are students of St. Barnabas LGEA, Ilorin, who are Nigeria’s representatives at the third Milo African U-17 Championship which kicks off today.

It is not possible to describe the transformation being part of the event has brought to their lives and as confessed by team’s captain, Olakunle Olusegun, when he said, “I don’t know how to describe my life since we started camping at the Kwara Football Academy because it is something I have never experienced but I am

very very happy”.

But like other kids their age, most of the players admitted to being home sick and would have loved to have their parents, brothers and sisters around. captain of the team, Olakunle Olusegun and Adams Mustapha were the first to express a desire to have close relations around but also noted that the fact they have been together from Ilorin has made them develop brotherly affections.

Olusegun reasoned that “ we started being together from school but then we were coming from our homes until we were camped at the Kwara Football Academy and now here. I am sure my parents would have loved to be

around, I also miss them but we are fine as a team and already relating as brothers”.

After a trip to Lagos for a Media launch of the tournament activities organized by Nestle PLC at the Protea Hotel, Maryland, the players returned to Ilorin to start a two weeks camping exercise managed by Paul Adams Odey, one of the Coaches at the first of its kind football academy in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Odey is a widely travelled Coach and have overseen the rise of many youngsters to prominence in football as a coach of some former top league clubs. The exercise initially scheduled to last a forthright extended to over another week as the General Manager

of the Academy, Mutiu Adepoju accepted to have the lads stay on before their next itinerary which was another camping exercise at the International Sports Academy in Wasinmi, Ogun State founded by yet another ex-international and captain of the then Green Eagles, Chief Segun Odegbami (MON).

During the duration of the camping in Ilorin, the kids were conditioned for competition playing quality friendly games against youth teams within Ilorin and they came off with good results, testifying to the quality of drills they have been put through.

Assessing the performance of the team after one of the numerous friendly games, Odey had this to say, “I am satisfied with the performance of the boys, you know they are very young and their mind is very impressionable at this period of their development, so we took them through the basics to provide them the needed grounding to become all round players in the future” Tope Omodara is only 11 years old and prior to the trip to Lagos for the media presentation of the team hasn’t made such long trip outside his native Ilorin. Tope who plays

as a forward and has aspirations of playing professional football is already looking forward to the competition. This confidence received a boost when the team was paid surprise visits by two of Nigeria’s illustrious former national team players, Emmanuel Amuneke and Nwankwo Kanu, both former Winners of the African Footballer of the Year Award.

Amuneke, presently the Coach of the National U-17 team preparing for the African Youth Championship was the first to arrive the camp and he had his routine cut out. The former Barcelona of Spain player took the boys out to the field and complimented the efforts of the team’s coaches in an early morning drill that lasted until about 11am. Not done, he sat the lads down and offered motivational talks, leading them through his own career path and admonishing them to work hard, be determined and play for each other.

Amuneke afterwards shared his impressions thus “those were wonderful kids that brought back pleasant memories of how began from the school to play football. In our time, there was nothing like

an Academy such as where the boys are camped but we played on the streets ,open grounds and God made us achieve what we became. So, it was a huge honour for me to have shared experiences with the boys knowing that one day they will also enjoy the opportunity that I have had with them”.

Papilo as Kanu is fondly called dropped in after Amuneke and according one of the players, Timilehin Oluwaniyi, “ Kanu told us to be confident in ourselves, to be focused, determined and work hard and we can achieve anything we want to”.

South Africa, Ghana and Kenya are the other three countries that are represented at the tournament which began in 2010 in South Africa.

Nigeria won the first edition in South Africa through Ashegun School, Oyo State and the second edition was hosted and won by Ghana with Nigeria’s representatives, St. Stephens School, Lagos finishing second.

Explaining Nestles involvement in the youth development tournament, Managing Director, Mr. Dhamesh Gordhon said it was aimed primarily to promote cross cultural ties and discipline

Greensprings’ youngsters dazzle at African Youth Games in Botswana National Under-17 team coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, leads students of St. Barnabas LGEA Kwara State School to a training session ahead of the African Under-13 Championship, which kicks off in Lagos… today.

Lagos to reward gymnasts with academics scholarships Enitan Oshodi, the scintillating eight gold, six silver and three Wahid performance of its athletes bronze medals in the event Commissioner for Sports, for Fat OLLOWING the provision of a world class the maiden DAWN Games, the Chairman, Lagos State Gymnastic Association, Adebamke Oloko, says the association will reward its gymnasts with scholarships to enable them further their education.

An elated Oloko, whose gymnasts top the gymnastics medals table with 17 medals –

said the gesture would gear the athletes to work harder in a bid to record an excellent performance in subsequent competitions, stressing that that they must not relent in their efforts to make the state proud in any organised national championship.

“I thanked Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and

Gymnasts displaying their skills at the just-concluded DAWN GAMES.

equipment. The current equipment is a world class standard and the association had used it to its advantage. Our athletes have cultivated the use of the equipment and they have mastered it to their advantage. We want to start attending international competitions so as to have a view of what is expected in the world of Gymnastic.

While thanking Governor Babatunde Fashola for making available world class gymnastic facilities, said plans were in top gear to feature Lagos State gymnasts in international competitions so as to expose them and also prepare them ahead of the future.

She said the overwhelming victory was a raw demonstration of skills, passion and healthy competition ahead of the National Youth Games and the National School Sports Festival in Makurdi, Benue State, adding that the association have a potent and effective” Catch Them Young Programme” for kids between ages four and six and also for other class f junior gymnasts.

HE profile of Greensprings’ T duo of Musa Alli and Elvis Onyenze continued to swell after the youngsters dazzled in the football event of the African Youth Games (AYG) held in Gaborone, Botswana.

Alli and Onyenze have been exceptional with the after Team Nigeria surmounted Tanzania 2-0 on Tuesday.

The players were products of public school in Lagos Island, but after securing scholarships to further their studies at Greensprings School, their fortunes on and off the pitch have changed positively.

The Nigeria’s U-15 football team at the African Youth Games in Gaborone has lived

up to their rating having won three matches and drew to top the five-team event.

As members of the team, the duo has been outstanding contributing immensely to the success of the team.

Prior to the tournament, Alli led the Lagos State team to the national U-13 championship held in Abuja and his performance ensured that Lagos made it to the final before the team finally lost to Niger.

But the exceptional display of Alli was recognized and he was awarded the most valuable player (MVP) award of the competition.

It was also their skills coupled with their conduct outside the field that earned their scholar-

ship during the second Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp in 2013 to proceed with their studies courtesy of the management of Greensprings School.

Alli’s performance at the national U-13 tournament held in Abuja also earned him a callup to the national during the build up to the AYG. Also to support the aspiration of the less-privilege, the management of Greensprings Schools again this year awarded scholarships to Murtala Toheeb and Haruna Hadi to further their studies after their exceptional display at the 2014 edition of the Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp.

Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Oshodi (second right); Divisional Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Dr. Nino Ozara (left); National Basketball Coach, Ayo Bakare and Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola during the Honeywell-sponsored Youth Alive Community Basketball Finals in Lagos… yesterday.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

SPORTS Friday, May 30, 2014 73

French Open

Halep too good for Watson EATHER Watson’s French H Open campaign ended with a battling loss to fourth seed Si-

Nadal

Nadal still the master in Paris AFA Nadal put one of the Murray, others win R young pretenders firmly in his place at the French Open when he crushed rising Austrian Dominic Thiem with a masterly display to reach the third round.

The eight-time champion showed flashes of his intimidating best in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win that was tougher than the scoreline suggested but was never seriously in doubt.

While world No.1 Nadal improved his Roland Garros record to 61-1, prospective semifinal opponent Andy Murray cruised into the third round by outclassing Marinko Matosevic.

Fifth seed David Ferrer, one of three players to beat Nadal on his favoured claycourts this season, also wasted little energy reaching the last 32, demolishing Italian Simone Bolelli 6-2 6-3 6-2.

After the seismic shock of defending champion Serena Williams’s second round exit on Wednesday the women’s draw was relatively incident free on Day Five, with Jelena Jankovic among the seeds to progress.

Perhaps wary of the 20-yearold Thiem’s reputation as a rising force in the men’s game Nadal quickly stamped his authority on Philippe Chatrier Court.

“His ball is so high he was able to hit strong he has completely everything to become a champion,” Nadal, who appeared to be getting in the groove, told reporters.

“I think today I played a solid match, I knew that if I didn’t I would be in trouble.”

He briefly was in the third set when Thiem, who stunned world number three Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Madrid Masters this month, broke and held serve to lead 3-1.

His booming inside-out forehands briefly put Nadal on the back foot but Nadal quickly re-

sponded to the challenge and won the remaining games, ending the contest on his second match point when the Austrian sent a forehand long.

Nadal, who next faces Argentine Leonardo Mayer, is on a quarterfinal collision course with last year’s runner-up and compatriot Ferrer.

“My season on clay has been good (when asked about beating Nadal on clay this season).

I have a good feel.”

Seventh seed, Andy Murray of Britain, the Wimbledon champion, produced a masterclass to win an entertaining, although one-sided, match 6-3 6-1 6-3 against Matosevic who was playing in the second round of a grand slam for the first time having previously lost 12 first round matches.

Wimbledon champion Murray, who will have a sterner test against Germany’s 28th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in round three, was inevitably quizzed yet again on who would be his next coach following his split with Ivan Lendl.

“There have been a lot of different names that people mention,” Murray, who seems to be doing perfectly well on his own, said.

“Obviously Amelie (Mauresmo) this week, there was (Mats) Wilander, there has been (Jonas) Bjorkman, John McEnroe, (Martina) Navratilova, Leon Smith, who is the Davis Cup captain, Bob Brett.

“When the time is right I will make an announcement.”

In the absence of the Williams sisters, both beaten on Wednesday, 15th seed Sloane Stephens raised American spirits by easing past Slovenian Polona Hercog 6-1, 6-3.

Stephens followed her teenage compatriot Taylor

Townsend, who on Wednesday became the youngest player to go past the second round at Roland Garros since 2009.

The 21-year-old Stephens blazed through the opening set before running into a spot of bother midway through the second as Hercog upped her game but the American ended the contest on her second match point with a crosscourt forehand.

Sixth seed Jankovic was forced to battle hard in the first set by Japan’s Kurumi Nara before the Serbian fomer world No.1 raced away for a 7-5, 6-0.

“It was not easy, she is returning a lot of balls and the court is heavy and the conditions are heavy,” Jankovic said.

“There are still a lot of great players in the draw, every round is going to be tough.

The opponents get more and more difficult.”

Russian former champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 27th seed, laboured to a 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Italian Camila Giorgi, setting up a meeting with former Wimbledon champion and Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova, a 6-4, 6-4 victor over New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic.

In the men’s draw, Croatian 16th seed Ivo Karlovic reached the third round with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over Andreas Haider-Maurer.

American Donald Young knocked out Spanish 26th seed Feliciano Lopez in straight sets.

“I have actually never won a match outside of the U.S. on red clay. So to win two here at the French Open, it means a lot,” Young, once tipped as the future of U.S. men’s tennis, said after reaching the third round.

He will play Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez next after he followed up nicely on his first-round defeat of third

seed and Australian Open champion Wawrinka by beating France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-0.

mona Halep on Court One. The Romanian broke serve five times in a 6-2 6-4 second-round win that took one hour and 19 minutes.

Halep is the second-highest seed left in the tournament and now faces Spain’s Maria-Teresa TorroFlor.

Watson, who had won her previous nine matches, will regain the British number one ranking from the injured Laura Robson next month.

The 22-year-old from Guernsey had enjoyed a terrific run of form that saw her win 11 matches in May alone as she battles her way back up the rankings after illness and injury last year.

Halep proved too much for the Briton, however, her accuracy keeping Watson constantly on the move and giving her very little to attack.

Watson recovered an early break of serve but slipped behind again in game five and, despite the encouragement of Argentine coach Diego Veronelli sitting courtside, she was finding the going increasingly heavy.

Halep, 22, began to dominate the Watson serve, winning nearly 60 per cent of the points, and another break gave her the opening set in 34 minutes.

Watson hit a rasping backhand winner down the line to stave off an early break point in the second set but again the Romanian got the better of three breaks to take control.

There was no chance of Watson throwing in the towel and she had one last opportunity with a break-back point when Halep served for the match, but her return found the net.

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SPORTS Friday, May 30, 2014

Countdown To Brazil 2014 World Cup

Spain are the defending champions of the FIFA World Cup.

World Cup success requires the right players, not the best ones ARCELLO Lippi won the 2006 World Cup for Italy M by placing an emphasis on his system, not talent.

Marcello Lippi had been chewing over the question for months. Italy had been contemplating it — or a version of it, at least — for decades. It was something that Lippi, that cigar-chomping silver fox, found an answer to; a solution that would allow him to secure the greatest triumph of his garlanded career.

It is also one that strikes at the very heart of one of football’s most lingering misconceptions: that international football is somehow exempt from what is considered best practice in the club game, that it is a world apart, that it is intangibly but very definitely different.

The problem, for Lippi, was this: he went in to the 2006 World Cup possessed of two wonderfully gifted playmakers. There was Alessandro Del Piero, Juventus’ iconic No. 10, a little past his best at 31, perhaps, but still a player blessed with sumptuous control, flaw-

less technique, preternatural vision and impudent imagination.

And then there was Francesco Totti, home-town hero at Roma, the man they called “Er Pupone” — The Big Baby, although they meant it affectionately — and one of the most gifted fantasistes the Italian game had produced. He was two years younger than Del Piero and at what seemed to be the peak of his powers; certainly, Lippi was not to know as Italy decamped into a fairy tale Bavarian castle, their base for the 2006 tournament, that Totti would end up getting better with age.

Much of the build-up was dominated by how Lippi would include both in his starting XI. It was a question that had perplexed Dino Zoff and Giovanni Trapattoni, his predecessors. It was also one that reminded the nation of the debate that had raged over two of the nation’s previous golden boys, Sandro Mazzola and Gianni Rivera.

Going into the 1970 World Cup, manager Ferruccio Val-

Marcelo Lippi guided Italy to victory at the 2006 World Cup.

Going into the 1970 World Cup, manager Ferruccio Valcareggi had toiled to answer the same question: how to get both players — extravagantly talented, but seemingly blunted by the other’s presence — into his side? He devised a system he called la staffetta: the relay. Mazzola would play the first half, Rivera the second. It worked, by and large: Rivera inspired wins over Mexico and West Germany and only that immortal Brazil side beat the Italians in the final.

careggi had toiled to answer the same question: how to get both players — extravagantly talented, but seemingly blunted by the other’s presence — into his side? He devised a system he called la staffetta: the relay. Mazzola would play the first half, Rivera the second.

It worked, by and large: Rivera inspired wins over Mexico and West Germany and only that immortal Brazil side beat the Italians in the final.

The problem, of course, was that the system was too rigid: Rivera had been the hero against the Germans in what became known as the “game of the century,” but because of la staffetta, he was back on the bench for the final.

Such an approach is almost unthinkable in club football. If you have two players who occupy broadly the same position, the one who is playing best starts; everyone knows that. If that is unsatisfactory, one of them is sold. The team comes first. The team is everything.

In international football, though, different parameters seem to be applied. The national team is an amalgam of all of that country’s talent, so goes the logic, so the best individuals have to play no matter whether they fit into an effective structure or not.

For a decade, England doggedly clung on to the idea that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard had to be shoehorned into the same team, despite all available evidence suggesting that they could not combine effectively.

At the club level, such a dilemma would not have lasted — one of them would, ultimately, have been sacrificed either by being shifted into a different role or by being sold off — because club managers prioritise system, not personnel.

Lampard and Steven Gerrard have manned England’s midfield side by side for years with little success.* Their counterparts with national teams do not seem to be allowed to do that. They must

select the finest talents the country can produce. Everything else is secondary.

Lippi solved the problem by simply ignoring it. For a while — after Totti broke his ankle in February, four months before the tournament in Germany began — it looked as though he would not have to make a decision. But by the time the first game with Ghana rolled around, the Roma player was fit enough to start. Del Piero would be a substitute. There would be no staffetta. There would — more importantly — be no attempt to change the system so as to accommodate both. The team would come first. Who comprised it would be a secondary consideration.

The Juventus man would start the Round of 16 game against Australia; Totti would start the quarterfinal against Ukraine and the semifinal with Germany but it was Del Piero whose introduction turned that game and inspired victory in extra-time, in what remains one of the finest matches in World Cup history. There was an echo of Valcareggi in Lippi’s selection for the final — Totti started again with Del Piero a late substitute — but that aside, the message was clear. Lippi ran Italy like a club side, and it w o r k e d .

This is not rocket science. It is not claiming to be some grand discovery, the unmasking of an elaborate secret. But it is remarkable how powerful and how enduring the idea that international football should be approached differently to the club game is.

Think about all of those managers currently being told that they must solve the conundrum of how to get this player and that player into their side. Then think about how rarely that issue is raised for club managers.

The reason for this, on the surface, would appear to be that club managers can choose their players but then so — perhaps to an even greater extent (unless they’re in charge of England) — can

international coaches. The major nations have dozens of high-class performers from which to select a squad; they should be able to choose the players who suit their system.

And yet we, they and everyone involved seems to think that it is incumbent upon them to select the most talented, the most famous, the most adored. This is counter-intuitive — and counter-productive.

There is an even better example of this from that same tournament: Argentina. No nation so regularly finds itself wondering how to cram all of its individual talent into the same team as the Argentines.

It is Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuaín now; there is such an embarrassment of riches available to coach Alejandro Sabella that Carlos Tevez, with 19 goals in Serie A this season for Juventus, isn’t even in his squad. In previous years, it has been Ariel Ortega, Gabriel Batistuta, Abel Balbo, Pablo Aimar, Juan Sebastian Veron and countless others.

Under Jose Pekerman in 2006 — he’s in charge of Colombia’s array of attacking talent this summer — they put system first. Pekerman decided to build his side around Juan Roman Riquelme and construct a team that could make the most of the lethargic magician’s sublime passes. It worked. Argentina were — for this observer’s money — the best team in that competition, boasting the look of

likely winners until their quarterfinal against the hosts, Germany.

With the game seemingly in hand — Roberto Ayala had put the Argentines ahead just after the break — Pekerman decided to withdraw Riquelme with 20 minutes to play, throwing on the more industrious Esteban Cambiasso. The move was partly preventative — Pekerman needed Riquelme fit for the semifinal with Italy — and it was partly conservative; Cambiasso would provide more control, more energy, more bite.

It backfired. It afforded the Germans the initiative: Miroslav Klose equalised eight minutes later and the Germans went through on penalties. But one misjudgment should not be allowed to obscure the overall impression. It is a lesson that many of the teams preparing for Brazil this summer would do well to heed, too: structure and system must come first, not some vague desire to prove how gifted your nation’s players are.

International football is not different at all. It is about finding the best way of winning, nothing else. *It is an irony — not entirely dissimilar to that with Totti — that as time wore on, Gerrard and Lampard became significantly more effective as a partnership; as each became altogether less dynamic, less marauding, they became more suitable to the other’s game.

•Culled from espn.com

Playing Stephen Gerard and Frank Lampard together has been a problem for successive England managers.

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SPORTS Friday, May 30, 2014 75

Countdown To Brazil 2014 World Cup

Pele confesses Brazil must avoid Spain, Germany to win cup RAZIL legend Pele believes B Germany and Spain will provide the biggest obstacle to the host nation winning a sixth World Cup this summer.

The 73-year-old is confident his own country can add a title to the trophies won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 in a tournament for which they have home advantage.

Pele played in three of those World Cup-winning sides and feels the 2014 squad can go all the way in this summer’s competition.

He feels current holders Spain, and particularly Germany, who themselves have won the World Cup three times, will be the other contenders.

“This moment is important for us because Brazil are going to play at home,” he told Sky Sports. “So it could be a beautiful moment for us.

“I think Germany is one of the best teams at the moment, and so is Spain, that’s what I think.

“Brazil has a good defence and a good team and it would be fantastic if they got to the final with Germany.”

Brazil open the tournament on Thursday June 12 when they play Croatia, before taking on Mexico and Cameroun in their other group games.

The second round pairs the winners of group A against the runners-up of group B, which contains Holland and Spain, meaning two of the

England’s coach Roy Hodgson (middle) talks to his players during a training session as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

PHOTO: AFP

Scholes suggests Liverpool’s style for England AUL Scholes believes EngP land must play like Liverpool if they are to have any chance of winning the World Cup. An English core helped Liverpool come within a whisker of winning the Barclays Premier League last season, and Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and Glen Johnson were rewarded for their form in the campaign by being called up to the England World Cup squad.

Scholes, who won 66 caps, admires the attacking style of play Liverpool have adopted under Brendan Rodgers and he thinks all five Reds players should start for England in their World Cup opener against Italy.

“It would be refreshing for England to adopt Liverpool’s attacking mentality in Brazil.

Really go for it,” the former Manchester United midfielder wrote on his Paddy Power blog.

“That means certainly four, and possibly five, Liverpool

players in the England starting XI against Italy on June 14.

Check out all of Sky Bet’s World Cup markets “South Africa in 2010 was so negative with boring draws.

Nothing seemed to happen.

England fans, and myself as an England fan, would rather 3-all games than dull, nil-nil draws. I’d love to see Roy be brave enough to play like Liverpool (or Man United teams of the past).

“The thing I admired most (about Liverpool) was the swagger of their play and how they terrorised opponents, which reminded me of United at their best.”

Scholes’ former manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed in his autobiography that he did not sign Henderson for Manchester United because he was concerned his running style would cause him problems later in career. Scholes, however, believes Henderson is a “diamond of a lad”.

“He’s a player others appreciate having around them on the pitch,” Scholes added.

“He’ll sacrifice himself for the

attacking talent in a team like Liverpool. He’s not what you call ‘world class’, but Henderson could be key to England controlling the ball and using it effectively.”

The only player in the Liverpool quintet who Scholes thinks may not be up to the job is Johnson.

“The question mark is Glen Johnson at right back,” Scholes said. “It’s probably Phil Jones’ best position right now, even though Jones could still develop into a great centre half.

“Johnson had just two assists for Liverpool last season so did not provide a genuine attacking threat, whatever the perception.”

Scholes is positive about England’s chances of doing well in Brazil, but he is worried about a lack of cover for Gerrard, who turns 34 on Friday.

Scholes thinks 35-year-old Frank Lampard lacks the energy and discipline to carry out the deep-lying playmaker role Gerrard has now assumed for club and country.

He thinks Roy Hodgson should have therefore included his former team-mate Michael Carrick in his 23.

“Not bringing Michael Carrick is a mistake,” the 39-yearold said. “If there’s an injury to Gerrard nobody jumps out to replace him, assuming Roy considers the Liverpool approach. I don’t see Henderson, Frank Lampard or Jack Wilshere playing Gerrard’s role.

“At a certain age, you can’t bomb forward any more. If you have the talent, you learn to stay back and dictate the pace of a match, and your game. That’s the big difference between Steven and Lampard, for example.

Pele

Kim Jin-soo out of South Korea’s squad AINZ full-back Park Joo-ho M has been called into South Korea’s 23-man World Cup

Godin believes Three Lions will be very tough RUGUAY defender, Diego U Godin, says Group D rivals England are a team to be feared at this summer’s World Cup. The Atletico Madrid man, who scored in the UEFA

Godin

Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid, has lauded Roy Hodgson’s squad and emphasised the danger of the other two teams in the pool - Italy and Costa Rica.

Godin said: “We have been

given a group with very strong teams.

“England do not talk much but I think it is a very strong team with players going through a great time.

“They are at a high level and it is going to be very difficult.

“Italy are always a favourite to win in past World Cups and we faced them in the Confederations Cup. “And Costa Rica is our debut match in Brazil, the first game is always difficult and it is a grand final because it is so important for the group.”

On his reaction to the news star striker Luis Suarez may miss some matches of the tournament following knee surgery, the 28-year-old added: “I took it the same way we all took it, like a bucket of cold water.

“Nobody expected it but from the moment I contacted him I have been serene, because his message was upbeat and positive.”

Jin-soo

Injury scare for Mexican goalie EXICO goalkeeper Jesus M Corona had an injury scare as Miguel Herrera’s team beat Israel 3-0 in their final home friendly before the World Cup. Mexico’s players celebrate their first goal against Israel Corona collided with teammate Francisco Rodriguez, taking a heavy blow to his face, and had to be substituted in the second half.

However, it was later confirmed Corona will be fit to travel with the team to their United States training camp.

National team director Hector Gonzalez Inarritu said:

“All protocol was carried out to see if there was bruising but thank God there is nothing. He is fine.”

In a match that featured 41year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco for the opening 38 minutes, the veteran forward making a farewell appearance to the national team, Mexico won with two goals from Miguel Layun - both helped by goalkeeping errors from Ariel Harush - and one from Marco Fabian.

Mexico, who beat New Zealand in a play-off to reach the World Cup, will face hosts Brazil, Croatia and Cameroon in Group A.

squad after an injury to Kim Jinsoo.

Albirex Niigata defender Kim has been struggling with an ankle problem and the 21-yearold has finally admitted defeat in his efforts to be fit for the showpiece in Brazil this summer.

His place goes to the more experienced Park, a surprise omission from coach Hong Myung-bo’s original selection after a consistent season in the Bundesliga.

Fellow defender Hong Jeong-ho suffered an ankle injury of his own during Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Tunisia but remains with the squad.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Jung Sung-ryong (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Seunggyu (Ulsan Hyundai), Lee Bumyoung (Busan I’Park).

Defenders: Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg), Hwang Seo-ho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Kim Changsoo (Kashiwa Reysol), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Lee Yong (Ulsan Hyundai), Yun Suk-young (QPR), Park Joo-ho (Mainz).

Midfielders: Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Han Kook-young (Kashiwa Reysol), Ji Dong-won (Augsburg), Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea), Kim Bo-kyung (Cardiff City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton), Park Jong-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Son Heungmin (Bayer Leverkusen).

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SPORTS Friday, May 30, 2014

European Football Spurs ‘eye Forster, Krul as replacement for Lloris’

De Gea wants Fabregas at Man United

OTTENHAM are believed T to be lining up either Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster or Newcastle’s Tim Krul should Hugo Lloris depart White Hart Lane this summer.

The French international is said to be a target for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ahead of the new season and is thought to be keen on a move to obtain Champions League football.

‘My future? It’s a good question. I want to concentrate on the World Cup and deal with my future after,’ he said earlier this week.

And now Spurs are looking at alternatives in case they can’t convince the 27-yearold to remain in north London, with Forster and Krul – both set for the World Cup – topping their list of options.

Forster has impressed in his four years at Celtic, the first two of which were on loan, making his England debut last November.

Meanwhile Krul is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers and may be keen on the prospect of European football next term.

• Southampton won’t sell Shaw, Lallana AVID de Gea says he has D been doing all he can to talk Cesc Fabregas into joining him at Manchester United.

The Barcelona midfielder emerged as a top target for United last summer, with David Moyes eager to add proven Premier League experience to his ranks.

Fabregas made it clear, though, that he had no intention of leaving the Nou Camp at that time.

His stance has not changed, with the former Arsenal man having worked hard to secure a return to his home-town club in 2011.

There have, however, been reports that Barca may be prepared to offload the Spain international as they look to rebuild in the wake of a trophyless campaign.

Were the door to be opened to a big-money transfer, United goalkeeper De Gea hopes United and new boss Louis van Gaal can be at the front of the queue looking to get a deal over the line.

He told La Sexta while on preWorld Cup duty with the Spanish national side: “I’m trying to convince Cesc that he should come to United.

“But it’s hard because he is doing well at Barca and it’s his home.”

Meanwhile, Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger says the club have no need to offload the likes of Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana this summer.

It has been speculated that bids have already been tabled for the most highly-prized assets at St Mary’s.

Liverpool and Tottenham have both been linked with Lallana,

while Chelsea consider his England team-mate Shaw to be an ideal long-term replacement for Ashley Cole at left-back.

Manchester United are also said to remain keen.

Krueger, though, says sales will only be sanctioned if the deals on offer are beneficial to all concerned and will help Southampton - who are looking to appoint a managerial successor to Spurs-bound Mauricio Pochettino - to strengthen in the long run.

He told the Daily Echo: “First of all, it’s very clear that we are in control. We are in control of all the player transfers. All the top players are under long term contracts.

“Any transfers that take place will be under our terms. We will decide the terms to potential transfers in and out of the club.

“We will involve the manager.

That is important for everybody to know. That’s why we have been able to not agree to any transfers to date, because we have control of the situation, and anybody who is saying anything else doesn’t understand that we are in a strong position with the Saints.”

Krueger added: “We, after many months now, are extremely pleased with the foundation that we have here. We said from the start that we have to roll up our sleeves and work very hard and we have been doing that behind the scenes.

There are some things that aren’t really sexy for the fans but are really important for the health and stability of the club.

Fabianski was Arsenal’s ‘worst’ goalkeeper of last 10 years RSENAL fans may have bid play, he recorded the lowest A a fond farewell to Lukasz save percentage of Arsenal’s Fabianski after he completed main four goalkeepers since his free transfer to Swansea, but statistics show he was the Gunners’ least reliable pair of hands in the last ten years.

The 29-year-old left the Emirates after failing to ever really establish himself during a seven-year spell at the club which was blighted by injuries.

However, when the Pole did

Fabianski

2003.

Invincible shot-stopper Jens Lehmann topped the list with 73.2 per cent, followed by the much-maligned Manuel Almunia (72.2).

Current no.1 Wojciech Szczesny records a marginally better save percentage than the departed Fabianski, with 69.8 per cent.

Fabregas

Fabianski leaves Arsenal to join Swansea WANSEA City have signed Sfromgoalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski Arsenal.

The 29-year-old Poland international will join the Swans on a free transfer when his contract with the Gunners expires at the end of June.

Fabianski’s last game for Arsenal will prove to be the FA Cup win over Hull City, bringing a seven-year spell with the club to an end.

“The main reason I came to Swansea was because I want to be the number one goalkeeper,” he said.

Fabianki’s arrival at the Liberty Stadium will increase speculation over the future of firstchoice keeper Michel Vorm.

Michel Vorm could soon be reunited with former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool Vorm, 30, has been Swansea’s first-choice keeper since joining in 2011, but has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.

Reds manager Brendan Rodgers brought the Dutchman to the Liberty Stadium from FC Utrecht and is looking for a goalkeeper to provide back-up for Simon Mignolet.

Swansea insist Liverpool have not been in touch over Vorm,

who has two years to run on his contract, but Fabianski’s arrival could alter the situation significantly.

Despite playing in the FA Cup final, Fabianski had played second fiddle to fellow Pole Wojciech Szczesny, five years his junior, for the past three seasons.

In February, Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner said it was likely Fabianski would leave at the end of the season in search

of more regular appearances after rejecting an offer of an extended contract.

Fabianski, who joined Arsenal from Legia Warsaw in 2007, made only one Premier League appearance in the Premier League this season - the last league game of the season against Norwich City.

His other 13 appearances came in cup competitions, playing a starring role in the FA Cup semifinal against Wigan Athletic by

saving two spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out.

He also saved a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in March as Arsenal bowed out of the Champions League in the last 16.

“I want to play week-in, weekout. It’s going to be a real fight, but I’m not afraid of that,” Fabianski told the Swansea City website. “Competition is always good, so I think everyone will take positives from that.

Italian FA clears Minala of age cheat, Benatia snubs Roma offer HE Italian Football AssociaT tion (FIGC) has ruled Lazio midfielder Joseph Minala did not lie about his age.

A report earlier this year stated that the Cameroonian was 42 and not 17 as he had claimed to be, which prompted an investigation from the league’s federal prosecutor.

“The investigation did not show any need for disciplinary action,” said a statement on the FIGC’s website.

Minala joined the Stadio Olimpico outfit last year, making his Serie A debut in the 2-0 home win over Sampdoria on April 6.

Meanwhile, Mehdi Benatia has expressed his disappointment at the salary increase Roma have offered him, but insists that does not mean he wants to leave the Serie A club.

The Moroccan defender has been heavily linked with Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona after an impressive debut season at Roma.

The 27-year-old recently hinted he was tempted to move to a top European club this summer, but has now sought to play down those comments.

“I only said that anyone dreams of teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City,” Benatia said to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I never said I wanted to leave, I want to reiterate this.”

Nevertheless, Benatia admits an improved salary offer from the club has fallen short of what he had been hoping for.

Benatia joined Roma from Udinese last season and has a contract with them until June 2018.

“My agent is doing his job, I could leave but I could also stay and finish my career at Roma,” said the defender.

“I’m in love with Rome, I’m very happy here, but my mis-

Minala

take was to be too correct with the club and too honest.

“Last summer my agent advised me to sign for Roma. The wages were lower than with respect to other offers I had.

“I nevertheless signed because I liked the idea and I believed in the project. I have never regretted it.

“Before I signed for Roma they (club executives) told me they knew I deserved more and that they were aware I had turned down a lot of money.

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014 SPORTS 77

Browns QB Johnny Manziel: ‘It’s my life’ LEVELAND’s celebrated C rookie quarterback said he’s surprised about the reac-

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (left) waits to run a play during organised team activities at the NFL football team’s facilPHOTO: AP ity...on Wednesday.

Eugene: Record attempts, Rudisha’s return the main focus T the IAAF Diamond A League meeting in Eugene, which opens with a handful of events today and continues with the main programme tomorrow, all eyes will be on the men’s 800m, specifically for the return of world record-holder and Olympic champion, David Rudisha.

The Kenyan, who missed most of the 2013 season and the Diamond League season opener in Doha with a knee injury, will be making his Prefontaine Classic debut and is looking to confirm his fitness against a loaded field.

He will be up against Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman, who won gold in Rud-

isha’s absence at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Botswana’s Nijel Amos, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist and world junior record-holder at 1:41.73, Abubaker Kaki of Sudan, who has beaten Rudisha five times in 13 meetings, world leader Duane Solomon, who could be looking to chal-

‘Heineken UEFA Champions League spectacle has opened our world’ HE five lucky Nigerian conT sumers sponsored to the final match of the UEFA Champions League at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, Portugal last Saturday have commended Heineken for the wonderful experience they had while in the Iberian nation.

The Consumers, Usurhyel Auta, Sopuluchukwu Benjamin Ezugorie, Jayne Nelson Uzegbu, Olufunsho Michael Akintoye and Nonye Christie Chalokwu, who were part of the thousands of fans in the stadium where Real Madrid secured the much awaited La Decima feat in a flattering 4-1 win over city rivals, Atletico Madrid, said the premium experience extended to them has opened their world to several possibilities.

The travelling crew touched down at the Murtala Mohammed Airport a day after

the match with fond memories of their stay while at the Heineken sponsored UEFA Champions League event last weekend.

Akintoye, who won via the SMS competition held during the successful UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour in Lagos, confessed that the ‘Lisbon Experience’ has opened his world to the reality of modern day networking with people he can share his potentials with.

“It was a wonderful experience to be part of that spectacle at the Stadium of Light but beyond football, this trip sponsored by Heineken has opened my world on how I can exploit my potentials following my interaction with people from other parts of the world.

“Aside the fact that we were given first class treatment throughout our stay, we vis-

ited some interesting places before we joined other consumers around the world for the final match at the stadium,” he narrated.

Sopuluchukwu Ezugorie recalled the orderliness exhibited by the massive crowd within and outside the stadium all through the matchday. He was marveled by the experience of being among the huge crowd without any record of stampede nor rowdiness.

“It was awesome. I have never been part of such a huge and orderly crowd in my life. The atmosphere at the stadium when we entered made me to feel I was in a trance. I enjoyed the way the supporters of the two teams sang and danced all through the match without any incident that would draw policemen to the stands.

Heineken lucky consumers live at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, Portugal during of the final match of UEFA Champions League… last Saturday.

lenge the U.S. record of 1:42.60, and two-time European indoor champion Adam Kszczot.

The 800m is the penultimate event on the programme and will be followed by the meeting’s signature event, the Bowerman Mile. This year’s field boasts a stunning collection of talent and is led by world champion Asbel Kiprop. The Kenyan has broken 3:50 in the mile five times in Eugene and is the current 1500mworld leader with his 3:29.18 clocking in Doha.

tion to his weekend trip to Las Vegas.

Manziel took advantage in a break from the Browns’ organised team activities to take a well-documented outing to Vegas, where he hung out poolside with Patriots partying tight end Rob Gronkowski, attended a UFC fight and enjoyed the nightlife.

“I don’t really feel that it’s a story,” Manziel said Wednesday following practice, surrounded by reporters and cameras. “It was a little bit of a break for us and I got to enjoy it and relax.”

Manziel is aware of criticism about his decision to leave town. However, he isn’t going to let outsiders dictate how he spends his free time.

“I don’t live my life according to you guys or according to what other people think of me,” he said. “I’m going to live my life to the fullest and con-

tinue to be committed to this game and committed to what I need to be doing here, and trying to earn my place in this locker room and with these coaches and this organisation.

“If I want to go out and have some fun and it doesn’t hinder what my main goals in life are, then I really don’t care what anyone has to say.”

Browns first-year coach Mike Pettine said Manziel’s trip was “a non-issue” for the team, adding he will not micromanage players outside the building. Pettine said Manziel, who was drafted in the first round last month, informed the team of his weekend plans before leaving town.

“My advice to him was to have fun,” Pettine said. “He’s a young guy. He’s done everything that we’ve asked. The playbook has not been an issue for him. So I know a big deal was made of it, but internally we have an expectation for all of our players outside of the building to act a certain way, and it’s really a non-issue.

78 Friday, May 30, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

GolfWeekly

President of the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) and former captain of the IBB Golf and Country Club, Abuja, Dr. Peter Deshi, during the maiden Glo West Africa Tour at Otukpo Golf and Country Club, Akpegede, Benue State PHOTO: ENO-ABASI SUNDAY.

Six months after inauguration, NGF still on the drawing board Stories by Eno-Abasi Sunday IX MONTHS into its fouryear tenure, the newly constituted board of the Nigerian Golf Federation (NGF), is still in sleep mode and yet to make any appreciable impact in the country’s golf milieu, despite promising to do just that.

In fact, so far, the biggest achievement of board, which says it has been busy working on the technical details of its planned programmes, has been sending four teenage golfers to be part of the ongoing African Youths Games in Gaborone, Botswana.

The four golfers who made the 115-man Nigerian team that departed Abuja few days ago for the championships are United States-based duo of Tokunbo Pedro and Anita Uwadia as well as Diana Osmond and Yusuf Sunday, who are both home-based.

But despite this, the federation is awarding itself very high marks, insisting that it has done well considering the fact that it met nothing on ground and had to start

S

building from scratch.

Shortly after his emergence, President of the federation, Peter Deshi, had said that a lot of work was required to turn around the fortunes of the sport in the country.

“We came here with an open mind and we will be glad to work with all those, who are genuinely interested in the development of the game here in Nigeria,” Deshi, an aide of Senate President David Mark had told a national daily.

In March, Deshi in a telephone chat with The Guardian, said the federation was working on a number of programmes that would soon be made known to golfers and members of the public. He refused to give an insight into what those programmes were.

“When we came on board, we met nothing on ground and so had to start from scratch to prepare templates for all these things we are doing. You will agree with me that if you want to be successful, you have to take some time to prepare the technical aspect of anything

that you want to do,” said Director of Marketing and Sponsorship of the federation, Lanre Issa-Onilu.

When accosted with claims by many that the federation, as presently constituted, has had a sloppy start with sending the four teenage golfers to Botswana as the only “major achievement,” IssaOnilu said, to the contrary,

“we have performed creditably well.”

Asked to list other achievements within the period under review, he said, “We have sent four Nigerian youths to participate in the ongoing Africa Youth Games in Botswana. This is the first time that Nigerian junior golfers are taking part in that championship and it is a big

achievement for us. We are starting a 30-minute golf only sports programme on television, we are planning to host a national summit on golf, where we will invite golf stakeholders within and outside the country to come and talk. We are also planning to start a national quarterly golf journal. In addition to these, we are also planning to host

the President Cup. Planning all these things take time and also costs a lot of money.”

Even though Nigeria is not going to be part of the golf event at the next Olympic Games (on account of not having any qualified golfer to field), Issa-Onilu also listed preparations for the Olympics as one of the things that NGF was busy doing.

Odoh combs Libreville for another win in Central Africa TILL basking in his first win at the Cameroon SInternational Golf Championship, which ultimately pushed Nigeria’s total trophy haul at that championship to three, current thirdplaced player on the log of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria (PGAN), Oche Andrew Odoh, would be the centre of attraction as the Libreville Open tees off in the Gabonese capital The tournament is slated to run from June 6th to 9th. And the former Nigerian’s number one golfer says he is returning to another Central

African country to gun for another trophy, which may become his second in less than five weeks from the region.

The slim-built player who is feeling good about the prospect of a second trophy from the region said, “I have never won an event here before, but the victory in Cameroon on May 10 was something very soothing and my form is quite better. I just hope that things will go right for me.”

Olapade Sunday, the runner up in Cameroon and Gift Willy who placed third are all

expected to be in the mix in Gabon. Other Nigerians billed for the 72-holes contest are: Mike Ubi, Chidi Tobias, Liadi Jaiyeola and Kingsley Oparakwu.

Former Nigeria number one, Gboyega Oyebanji has already pulled out the event citing poor form. “I will prefer to stay back and work on my game for now. There are quite some aspects of my game that I still need to perfect before I resume international competitions. I am not in my best shape right now.”

Other players that would give the Nigerians a good chal-

lenge for the title are Togo’s Agbavon Kosivi, who is also a member of the Nigerian Tour.

Kosivi is the defending champion of the Libreville Open and has lived in Gabon in the last five years. Emos Korblah and Vincent Torgah are also expected to represent Ghana in the international meet.

Others are; Augustine Kafumpa from DR Congo, Desire Ebela of Cameroon, Richard Kouku Kwame from Cote D’Ivoire and homeboy, Brice Moukagni.

The winner of the event is expected to pocket 10, 000 Euros.

GolfWeekly Friday, May 30, 2014

THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com

79

‘Why Woods can still win a major this year’ INEHURST will host the 2014 P U.S. Open in June, but world number three, Tiger Woods won’t be there to chase his 15th major.

Woods announced Wednesday that he will not play in the tournament, as he is still recovering from surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back.

Earlier this month Woods said he’s back to chipping and putting, but he’s not yet taking full swings.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be there because I’m not yet physically able to play competitive golf. I’d like to convey my regrets to the USGA leadership, the volunteers and the fans that I won’t be at Pinehurst.

The U.S. Open is very important to me, and I know it’s going to be a great week.

Despite missing the first two majors, and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this year and my future.”

After yet another setback, it’s easy to think that Woods’ career may be in a tailspin, but there are still three reasons Woods can return to snap his winless streak at majors this year.

He’s still one of the top five golfers in the world when healthy Here’s what the official world rankings looked like back in June of 2008, back when Woods won his last major: 1.

Woods, 2. Phil Mickelson, 3.

Adam Scott, 4. Geoff Ogilvy, 5.

Ernie Els. In 2014, only Adam

Scott remains in the top five along with Woods. Despite failing to win a major in 2013, Woods won five PGA Tour events, topped the money list, and was named the Player of the year for the 11th time in his career. Although his back injury is a major setback, it’s not as if his game has fallen off a cliff. When healthy, Woods has proven he’s still capable of dominating the PGA Tour. It’s just a matter of time before that translates to a major victory.

Majors at Royal Liverpool and Valhalla The 2014 British Open will be played in July at Royal Liverpool. Only one active golfer has won a major championship at Royal Liverpool: Woods in 2006. The next month, the PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla in Kentucky, where Woods won the 2000 PGA Championship in a playoff over Bob May. No one else is dominating golf (yet) With Woods out of the mix, the field is wide open at every single tournament. Rory McIlroy was expected to take over golf, but he stuttered in 2013 (he got back on track last weekend with a win on the European Tour). Bubba Watson is a great pick at Augusta, but a wild card everywhere else. Adam Scott broke through in 2013 and sits atop the world rankings, but he’s only won three tournaments since the end of 2011, and the list goes on. If Woods can return at full strength, he has as good a chance as anyone else.

Too soon to say if McIlroy will go public again ORy McIlroy hasn’t devotR ed too much thought yet to how he’ll handle his next

Li

Prodigy Li, hits 20 drives in a row, set to become youngest-ever player at US Open UCy Li is set to become Lpetitor the youngest ever comat the US Women’s Open next month, and a quick glance at a recent video of her unleashing drives aged just eight shows why.

Li, who is now just 11 years old, completed a runaway victory in the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in her native California last Monday.

But she was already quite a talent three years ago, as the video shows. Li hits 20 superb drives from balls teed up in a long line at a driving range and, even

more impressively, she does not pause for breath once.

Li’s swing remains in motion throughout until she has clattered off the last ball in the line, swinging through each drive before stepping forward to the next ball, swinging back inside it and then unleashing her next shot.

A total of 1,622 women representing 46 American states and 51 other countries entered the qualifying process for the chance to play at Pinehurst next month, so to win her own 36-hole marathon by seven shots was some achieve-

ment by Li, no matter what her age.

Li also got to putt on the 18th green at Augusta National in April as the runaway winner in her age division in the club’s first Drive, Chip and Putt Championship for juniors, but now she will get to play in a full-blown major, as the youngest-ever qualifier.

Li got into golf only four years ago, and then it was by chance. She was bored waiting for her brother and cousin, who were playing in a tournament, so she hit a few balls on the driving range.

It wasn’t long before she became a student at the Jim McLean golf school in Florida. Five months after picking up her first club, she was finishing third in her first tournament.

The youngest females to play in the US Women’s Open before Li were Americans Morgan Pressel and Lexi Thompson, who were 12. The obvious danger is that such bright lights will be extinguished by the time their teenage years are over, but Pressel, 25, and Thompson, 19, have both avoided burn-out to become major champions in their own right.

relationship after breaking up with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

Asked Wednesday at the Memorial Tournament if he intended to allow any subsequent romances to play out in public, McIlroy smiled sheepishly as he said, “I don’t know. It’s only been a week, so I’m not thinking that far ahead.”

The answer broke up an uncomfortable moment for the Northern Ireland star, who declined to discuss the details of the end of his engagement.

McIlroy, ranked sixth in the world, revealed at a news conference last week that he and Wozniacki, ranked 13th in women’s tennis, had separated. They had been planning their wedding.

The 25-year-old McIlroy was asked if he second-guessed himself for revealing the breakup at a news conference.

“It’s one of those things that it was a very public relationship,” he said. “And I thought it was best that instead of letting it linger and (feeding) rumors, just to have it right (out) there as soon as possible.”

Wozniacki, the 2009 U.S. Open runner-up, lost in the

first round at the French Open within a week of the breakup.

McIlroy won the European Tour event at Wentworth over the weekend. He hopes to use this week’s Memorial Tournament as a springboard to the U.S. Open two weeks later at Pinehurst.

The couple had frequently posted pictures on social media of themselves together, traveling around the world while attending each other’s tournaments.

Without mentioning the relationship in so many words, McIlroy said such situations help people grow up.

“There’s been a few things that have happened in my life in the last couple of years that have been huge learning processes, whether it be splitting with a management company or new equipment or whatever else that it may be,” he said.

“Every time you have some sort of adversity like that you learn from it and you become more mature and you make better decisions the next time. And in that way I’m definitely learning and I’m maturing.’’

He added, “I’m pretty mature for a 25-year-old. If you were to get a few of my friends up here talking to you, they’d probably say the same thing.”

TheGuardian www.ngrguardiannews.com

Friday, May 30, 2014

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Steve Arowolo GREW up in the North Central part of Nigeria, in an area that is predominantly populated by Muslims. This is because my father, an Anglican church elder had reason to live and work amidst people of different religious and ethnic orientation. Growing up was peaceful and I am filled with memories of companionship with my Muslim friends; we played on the streets, watched movies together, we attended the same schools and I grew up learning to read in Arabic.

We attended ‘Ile-kewu’ (A place where one learns how to read Holy Quran) together; we had fun to the extent that we were oblivious to what some saw as obvious differences in our names, religion and tribes.

My memories of Ramadan seasons in our Muslim neighbourhood are those I can never forget: We broke the fast together, we shared the meat and milk together, and many other such pleasant memories experienced as a young boy from a Christian family growing up in an Islamic neighbourhood in Nigeria. We had peace living together as people, as human beings and one Nigerian family. During the Easter and Christmas season, we shared the delicious rice and chicken with our Muslim neighbours, some of my Muslim friends often followed me to the Christmas carol and special Christmas events; we felt at home living together as Nigerians.

Yet now I often wonder: Whatever happened to peace? As a fresh university graduate from the Western part of the country, I remember being posted to the North to serve the Nigerian nation under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme, I received the letter with joy, and the mandatory one year of service mostly spent among Muslims in the Northern part of Nigeria was peaceful and filled with pleasant memories.

Recently, a group of people who are collectively referred to as Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad, known the world over as Boko Haram, an extremist religious sect in Nigeria are creating chaos across the country and this group has completely altered the peace we once enjoyed together as a people under one nation. Its vicious attacks on government offices, corporate organisation’s offices, police headquarters and churches threaten to subvert the country, and jeopardise the peace and unity of our dear country. Series of conflicting tales have developed around Boko Haram, and the group’s origins, motivations, and intentions remain a subject of discussion. My intention in this article is not to amplify the horrors and the errors of Boko Haram but to reflect on the past and situate my point on peace for the Nigerian state.

I write with deep concern for our people, and for our collective existence as a nation, and I sympathise with the families of those who have been victims of the horrific Boko Haram’s murderous escapades. Nigeria has suddenly become known for being violent; religion and ethnic violence have become the norm. How did we get here? My experience revealed Islam as a religion of love and peace; like most Nigerians, our experience living together was never that of violence and trepidation. The ‘Boko Haram’ insurgence is alien to our religious landscape, and I have a strong feeling that this group of individuals are being used to destabilise the progress Nigeria has been making.

A Nigerian friend of mine recently shared his experience with me for instance. He is a student at a foreign university and when he was asked to introduce himself like every other student in the class at the beginning of a new course, he did as appropriate. The lecturer surprised my friend when he asked him jokingly: ‘I hope you are not a Boko Haram? Everybody laughed it off but my friend picked up the undertones inherent in that message. This demonstrated the enormity of damages being done to our national image that is spreading beyond Nigeria at an alarming rate.

Nigerians in the Diaspora might not be direct victims of the perpetual ‘Boko Haram bomb blasts, but the psychological effect of being identified with a nation notorious for corruption, drug peddling and recently ‘boko-haramism’ is enough to make anyone sick and tired of these

I

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Audacity of terror: Boko Haram and the plight of a nation

negative hyphenations. While no one could argue with the facts that there are few Nigerians in the Diaspora who negatively represent our national image; there are many who are in fact contributing in no small measures to building our image, in the various countries they are domiciled in.

Our plight as a nation should be directed towards building our nation’s image because clearly the Nigerian brand is currently suffering. Some of our honest businessmen are affected, the moment you speak and your accent reveals your nationality, then they start asking questions; even merely introducing yourself as a Nigerian could scare some people away. Many Nigerians back home might not be able to relate to this but no doubt a Nigerian living in the Diaspora will appreciate what I am trying to say.

Ours is not a nation of terrorists and terror-

ism and we as a people must reject these terminologies in strong terms and without equivocation. We must reflect on the cord that bounds us together as people and we must reinforce the respect we once had for our individual differences. Some are seriously agitating for the disintegration of our nation as a panacea for peace, some people think that the Muslims and the Northerners are the trouble, but I differ completely with these schools of thoughts.

I strongly believe that the factors and forces reinforcing Boko Haram are exogenous, while I might not be able to substantiate this hypothesis; I draw my conclusion from past experiences both personally and nationally. I am not of the belief that Boko Haram represents Islam, at least not the Islam that I know. Let us reflect on our past in order to gain insights into our future, as we seek solutions to our present challenges.

The YOUTHSPEAK Column which is published daily is an initiative of THE GUARDIAN, and powered by RISE NETWORKS, Nigeria’s Leading Youth Development Centre, as a substantial advocacy platform available for ALL Nigerian Youth to engage Leadership at all levels, engage Society and contribute to National Discourse on diverse issues especially those that are peculiar to Nigeria. Regarding submission of articles, we welcome writers‘ contributions by way of well crafted, analytical and thought provoking opinion pieces that are concise, topical and non-defamatory! All articles (which are not expected to be more than 2000 words) should be sent to editorial@risenetworks.org To read the online Version of this same article plus past publications and to find out more about Youth Speak, please visit www.risenetworks.org/youthspeak and join the ongoing National Conversations’’.

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E-mail letters@ngrguardiannews.com; www.ngrguardiannews.com

Editor: MARTINS

OLOJA

.

ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)

During my years of growing up it never crossed my mind that a day will come in our history as a nation when some group of people will set a church or a mosques ablaze, or kill each other for the sake of their religion.

How could one have thought that innocent lives would be slaughtered on the altar because of religious differences? We had the audacity to respect and value one another in an atmosphere of peace, and this should continue to be our collective responsibility, change is possible!

Nigeria is a nation that is already loaded with too many vices and adding terrorism to our already dented image is inflicting more pain on our collective psyche. The way forward is to have the courage to embrace peace. I dream of a Nigeria where respect for our individual differences will be restored, where people will be free to practice their religion without prejudices; nowadays, people go to church to pray with one eye open, while the other is closed in prayer, for the fear of being attacked in the place of prayers.

There are furthermore political and economic challenges our nation is facing, our education sector is deteriorating; the electorates are not fully enjoying the dividends of democracy: the crime rate is on the rise, and now we have religious and sectarian violence, where do we go from here? The plight of our nation for sound economic growth and development is plagued with diverse challenges, and Boko Haram is complicating these issues through perennial bomb blasts and intimidations; foreign investors are scared and even some multinational corporations are leaving the country, too much trouble for a growing/struggling economy like ours.

During my years of growing up it never crossed my mind that a day will come in our history as a nation when some group of people will set a church or a mosques ablaze, or kill each other for the sake of their religion. How could one have thought that innocent lives would be slaughtered on the altar because of religious differences? We had the audacity to respect and value one another in an atmosphere of peace, and this should continue to be our collective responsibility, change is possible!

• Arowolo wrote from University of Cape Town, South Africa.