The Nation April 10, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Ondo ACN to panel: uphold our case NEWS

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•Party says INEC has no defence

Robbers raid Ibadan Bureau-de-change •Four injured, N3 million stolen

NEWS

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VOL. 8, NO. 2454 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

EFCC traces N1.1b pension cash to woman accountant Police Pension Office official, six others to face trial today

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•Mrs. Attang

HERE seems to be no end to the Police Pension fund scandal.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said yesterday that about N1, 141, 309, 080.25 has been traced to a chief accountant in the Police Pension Office, Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang.

The fraud was allegedly perpetrated through seven companies. About 20 assets have been traced to her.

The suspect will be arraigned today before Justice Hussain Baba of the FCT

ALL THE SUSPECTS •Veronica Onyegbula •Esai Dangabar •Atiku Abubakar Kigo •Sani Habila Zira •Ahmed Inuwa Wada •Christian Madubuke From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

She is facing trial alongside six others, including a suspended Permanent Secretary, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, and Christian Madubuke.

The other six suspects were arraigned before Justice Abubakar Talba on January 28, but there are indications that all pension fraud cases may have been withdrawn from Justice Talba.

Justice Talba is being investigated by the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the controversial judgement he gave in respect of a pension

fraud convict, John Yakubu Yusuf.

The convict, who admitted involvement in a N32.5billion pension fraud, was sentenced

by Justice Talba to two years imprisonment with an option of N250,000 fine for each of the three counts.

But the EFCC last night said the trial of the woman and six others would begin afresh today.

A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has concluded arrangement

to arraign another major suspect in the billion naira Police Pension scam. Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang will on Wednesday April 10, 2013 be docked before Justice Hussain Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja on charges bordering on stealing and criminal breach of trust.

“She allegedly abused her position to enrich herself while she served as chief accountant in the Police Pension Office beContinued on page 2

Boko Haram victims seek compensation From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja and Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

C

HRISTIANS in the North have set a precondition for amnesty for Boko Haram members. Victims of the sect’s violence must be compensated, the Northern Christians Forum (NCF) said yesterday.

Also demanding compensation is the pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, which lost many of its members.

According to the NCF, Christians beContinued on page 2

10 policemen’s bodies found From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

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HE search for the bodies of the 12 policemen killed by militants in Azuzuama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has ended grimly.

Ten of the bodies were found burnt in a bush. The slain policemen’s arms, ammunition and uniforms were missing.

The bodies were yesterday recovered by security personnel and moved to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

One of the owners of the speed boats used in the movement of the bodies, who pleaded not to be named, disclosed that only the burnt bodies of the victims were recovered.

The bodies were taken to Yenagoa, amid tight security, through the Marine Police JetContinued on page 2

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (right) and Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji (left) consoling the widower, Mr. Lanre Olayinka (left), over the passage of his wife and Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Olayinka, at his Osborne Foreshore Estate home in Lagos…yesterday

Fayemi: I’ve lost my co-pilot

•P AGE 8 •PA

•SPORTS P23 •LIFE P25 •MONEY P30 •INVESTORS P32 •POLITICS P43

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

NEWS

•From left: President Salva Kirr of South Sudan; President Goodluck Jonathan and President Jacob Zuma of South-africa at the inauguration of president Uhuru Kenyatta as the fourth President of Kenya in Nairobi… yesterday

•Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Rep. Isiaka Bawa (left), briefing newsmen on the forthcoming states public hearing on PIB in Abuja…yesterday. With him is the Deputy Chairman, Rep. Samson Osagie.

10 policemen’s bodies found Continued from page 1

ty, close to the Bayelsa Government Jetty, not far from the Government House.

Police and other security agencies involved in the search-and-rescue declined comments on the recovery.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire, had earlier stated that the slain policemen comprised two inspectors, four NonCommissioned Officers (NCOs) and six constables. He did not name them.

The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), codenamed Operation Pulo (oil) Shield, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a telephone interview yesterday, said the security outfit was on the trail of the killers of the policemen.

Lt.-Col. Nwachukwu said: “We will apprehend the gangsters who killed the 12 policemen, to serve as a deterrent to others. The killers will not go unpunished. We are urging Niger Deltans not to panic, but to go about their lawful businesses.”

The JTF’s spokesman also disclosed that the search-andrescue was carried out by operatives of the security outfit,

in collaboration with the police.

The slain policemen were on escort duty from Yenagoa in a speed boat heading for Azuzuama for the funeral of the mother of an ex-militant leader, Kile Torughedi (aka Young Shall Grow), who is also a Special Assistant to the Bayelsa Governor on Maritime Security.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the killing of the policemen, saying it struck because its threat to resume hostilities and sustained attacks, codenamed: “Hurricane Exodus” was ignored.

MEND’s threat was as a result of the 24-year jail on March 26 of one of its leaders, Henry Okah, in a South African court. Okah was sentenced for his involvement in the October 1, 2010 twin-bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, Abuja during Nigeria’s golden independence anniversary.

Twelve persons died in the incident.

The JTF said: “We will not permit any lawlessness that will jeopardise the peace in the region. We again call on all peace-loving and progressive

Niger Deltans to dissociate themselves, their communities and leadership from this gang of retrogrades parading themselves as MEND.” But a new twist was introduced to the incident yesterday, with the state government saying that the recovery of the bodies showed that the killers did not go away with them.

Besides, said the government, the development is a pointer to the fact that, contrary to MEND’s claim, its fighters were not responsible for the attack.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Daniel IworisoMarkson, in a statement, said: “The recent development has put paid to the fact that the attack was carried out by a group of disgruntled ex-militants, who have issues to settle among themselves, but have clearly overstepped their bounds by their action.”

Governor Seriake Dickson, who described the killings as “unacceptable”, noted that there was no truth in the claim that MEND was responsible for the attack.

Restating his administration’s stance on zero tolerance for crimes, the governor assured the bereaved families

and the entire people of the state that security operatives were closing in on the perpetrators.

The Bayelsa State Government also reassured families of the 12 policemen killed in the attack that their deaths would not be in vain. The government is determined more than ever before to bring the perpetrators to book, Dickson said.

The statement warned that the recently appointed State Special Prosecutor and the Special Team is purely geared towards fast tracking the investigation of criminal cases.

“It emphasised that it was unacceptable for persons, who have committed very grievous crimes to only walk the streets as free men, because of lack of adequate investigation and prosecution of such criminals, who after a while return to their bad ways and threaten the peace and well being of law abiding citizens.

The statement noted that, henceforth, anybody arrested for any offence, especially those that are criminally related, are not only going to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, but those that are found guilty made to face the full penalties of the law.”

EFCC traces N1.1b pension cash to woman accountant Continued from page 1

tween 2003 and 2008.

“She is to be arraigned alongside Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, and Christian Madubuke. The other six suspects will be taking fresh pleas, having previously been arraigned before Justice Abubakar Talba on January 28, 2013.

“Attang, who was absent in court when the others were first arraigned, was in charge of the police pension fund when N7.8billion was stolen through 10,863 cheques.

“She was also discovered to have personally signed 1,042 cheques to the tune of N1,

141,309,080.25.

“Investigation revealed that Mrs. Attang used several companies to defraud the Police Pension Office.

“Some of the companies, which she allegedly used, are Royal Diadem Business Logistic Limited, Amazing Grace Property Development Company, Enyiuzo Ventures Limited, Status Symbols Rentals Limited, Status Travels and Tours Limited, Quillponte and Anifon Nigeria Limited.

“Operatives of the Commission have traced more than 20 assets to her, which are currently under investigation.”

Mrs Attang could not be reached for comments last night.

INEC shake-up unsettles workers

A

MAJOR reorganisation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unsettled its workers.

The shake-up, it was learnt, followed the recommendations of PriceWaterCooper, the consultancy firm hired by INEC. In its report, the firm ob-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

served among other things that the Commission has bloated workforce.

The restructuring, which might not be unconnected with the 2015 general elections, has so far seen the redeployment, transfer and Continued on page 59

Boko Haram victims demand compensation before amnesty Continued from page 1

came targets of the sect’s mayhem for supporting the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The NCF described the amnesty offer as “wickedness”, if “nobody is talking about compensation for the innocent people who have been affected”.

It said: “The Northern Christians Forum has been marginalised; deliberately underdeveloped; treated like vassals; seriously brutalised; and slaughtered under the watchful eyes of this regime more than in any other regime before.”

A statement issued in Abuja by the NCF Chairman, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye, said: “Government spent billions of naira on nomadic education, N5 billion on almajiri schools, which is specifically for Muslims, while Christian schools and hospitals taken over by the government without compensation are still being held tight by the government.

“Boko Haram has tried to annihilate us and our Igbo Christian brothers and now

Amnesty is ploy to defraud Nigeria, says Shehu Sani

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IGHTS activist Shehu Sani said yesterday that the amnesty for members of the Boko Haram insurgency is a ploy to defraud the government of billions of naira.

Sani, who led former President Olusegun Obasanjo to visit the members of the sect, told The Nation that the amnesty deal would backfire.

He alleged that Northern elders, who pressured the government into announcing amnesty for members of the sect, did so out of fear of being consumed by the violence.

He said: “The amnesty pronouncement by the government is an exercise in futility. It is more of a scam to defraud the Nigerian state of billions of naira. The amnesty announced by the government will not yield any positive result.

“First, it is ill-intentioned because you cannot just declare amnesty for

the government is talking about granting the sect amnesty without saying a word about the people they bombed, slaughtered and traumatised.

“Who underdeveloped the Muslim North? It is definitely not the Jonathan govern-

members of Boko Haram and expect them to join the next available bus from their bases and drive down to Abuja waiting to see Jonathan. That is a wishful thinking.

“Before you have an amnesty, you need to have a credible committee of persons. It should not be just appointees of government, but a committee that will be recognised by the government and respected by the sect.

“The committee will be empowered to start off a mediation process by first extracting a commitment of ceasefire from the sect and a commitment from the government that all that is agreed to will be implemented.

“When we have a ceasefire of about eight months, the committee will use the period to take stock of the victims of this violence, the orphans, the widows and the destruction that has been caused as well as the greviances and the victims on the part of members of the sect.

“It should also be given access to visit de-

ment. Neither the Christians in the North! It is the Northern Muslim elite that impoverished the Northern Muslim youth.

“The Northern Muslim elite pocketed the largesse that came to the North. Only they and their families ben-

tention centres where members of Boko Haram and their families or those suspected to be members of the sect are being detained. When you go about this thing step by step, you will achieve result. But what is likely going to happen is that members of the sect will dismiss the amnesty, condemn the committee.

“Don’t forget that traditional rulers in the North, including the Sultan, are themselves target of the sect. So, if you make such people members of the committee, I think you have not really gotten neutral persons that will address the problem.

“So, for me, there are people whose idea of amnesty is extracting billions of naira and dollars from the federal government in the name of distributing it to members of Boko Haram who have never made any financial request. At the end of the day, a regime of scam will become the amnesty deal.”

efited. They turned the attention of Boko Haram to the innocent Christians in the North.

“It is even more annoying that instead of the Northern Muslim elite releasing 50 per cent of their wealth to solve the poverty problem of the

Muslims in the North, they are crying and putting pressure and intimidating the Federal Government to set up a Boko Haram commission.

“It is wickedness! Since the post-election violence, thousands of Christians have

•Sani

been killed or maimed; thousands of Christian businesses have been ruined; and hundreds of Churches deContinued on page 59

ADVERT HOTLINES: 08023006969, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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NEWS MARGARET THATCHER (1925 - 2013)

The PM who The late Margaret Thatcher meant different things to different people. In Africa, many will remember her for supporting apartheid in South Africa, writes Managing Editor WAHEED ODUSILE, who had an encounter with her •Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (middle), Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu (left), Chinese Consul-General, Liu Xian Gang (second left), Managing Director, China Civil Engineering Construction Company, Cao Bao Gang (second right) and Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa (right), during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Light Rail Mass Transit Project in Abeokuta…yesterday.

•Anambra State Governor Peter Obi (left) discussing with the DirectorGeneral of the National Action Plan on AIDS (NACA) , Prof.

John Idoko (right), when he led other management staff of the agency to visit the governor at the Governor's Lodge, Amawbia... yesterday.

H

ATE her or love her, Lady Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister who died on Monday at 87, was a person and politician you just couldn’t ignore.

Give it to the Iron Lady, she knew what she wanted and stood firmly on her belief-even when such were unpopular.

Such was the case with her support for the then apartheid regime in South Africa, a position that naturally made her unpopular in Africa, especially Nigeria where there were so many powerful antiapartheid movements and sympathisers, including the press.

But Thatcher had no apologies for that.

So when it was announced that she was to visit Nigeria during the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime, the Press was waiting to question her support for the apartheid regime in South Africa. As the Airport/Aviation Correspondent then for the defunct Concord Group of Newspapers, I was more than determined to ask her that question.

Her visit, we were told, had been on the cards for long, but was fiercely opposed by the then Foreign Affairs Minister, Prof.

Bolaji Akinyemi, who, grapevine

sources then said, insisted that Lady Thatcher would never visit Nigeria as long as he remained minister.

Can’t remember the exact year now but in December that year, Akinyemi was removed and Thatcher visited the following month.

First she made a whistle stop visit to Kano and refused to speak with the local media. The second time she came to the country she came to Lagos, then Nigeria’s seat of government, and was well-received by the government but she again ignored the local press.

When she was to go back, I had my plans kept to my chest. As is customary, the host Head of State and Government saw her to the airport on her way home. Security at the presidential wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja was, as usual, tight and the team of airport correspondents joined by the State House Press Corps was kept in one corner by security agents, far away from the red carpet for the British Prime Minister.

But as one of the most senior correspondents at the airport then, I often had my way with the security agents as they were quite friendly with a few of us, especially some of us considered to be Babangida’s friends among the correspondents.

So it was so easy for me to leave

An Iron Lady’s pragmatic relations with Nigeria

L • Former Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and president, Kings College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), Keem Bello-Osagie, cutting the tape to commission the Astroturf King's College Facility. With him are Mrs. Olugbo Hollist( third right), Prince Aderoju Ademoroti (right) and other members of the KCOBA Exco.

•From left: Head, Credit Control, Rosabon Financial Services, Mr Richard Rotoye, star prize winner, Mr Okocha Chukwudi Uche and acting Head, Treasury, RFS, Lorita Okwuagwu, during the cheque presentation to winners in the Rosabon WinBig-Monthly Investment Note raffle draw in Lagos.

IKE her or hate her - and opinion may vary about her - Margaret Thatcher’s place in British history is assured as one of the most controversial, if not greatest, prime ministers the country has ever had the greatest perhaps since Winston Churchill.

How ironic that it was an African country, Nigeria, that taught her first bitter lesson in foreign affairs when she became Prime Minister in 1979.

It was at the height of Nigeria’s “dynamic foreign policy” when, demonstrating that it was truly “The Giant of Africa”, it took everyone unawares and surprisingly nationalised the Nigerian assets of British Petroleum (BP) and paid every dime of the worth of the international oil company in Nigeria back to its Brittanic House headquarters in the city of London. As if to thumb its finger on the eye of its former colonial master, Nigeria renamed British Petroleum as African Petroleum (AP).

The British establishment reacted with astonishment.

It was a deliberate move by General Olusegun Obasanjo, the Head of State then, to punish Britain for breaking United Nations (UN) sanctions to supply oil to apartheid South Africa - although the true reason for the action was to force Thatcher, famous then as “the Lady who is not for turning” to reach a compromise on the issue of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.

Nigeria’s BP masterstroke came unexpectedly on the eve of the Commonwealth Summit in Lusaka, Zambia. The Iron Lady was so dazed,

By Kayode Soyinka

wrong footed and embarrassed as the news from Nigeria filtered through the garden of the presidential villa in Lusaka where a reception was going on for visiting Heads of Government.

UK’s Foreign Secretary, ever so pleasant, usually a very well polished technocrat and highly respected, Lord Carrington, did not know when he lost his diplomatic calm as he approached Nigeria’s External Affairs Minister, Major-General Henry Adefope, who was the leader of the Nigerian delegation, and swore that UK would make Nigeria regret the action. Prior to the nationalisation of BP, the view of Nigeria at No. 10 Downing Street was that it could “only bark but not bite”.

That move by General Obasanjo set the tone for Anglo-Nigerian relations in the late ’70s and up to the early and mid ’80s.

Things were so bad then between both counties, so much so that it was under Thatcher’s premiership that Nigeria even broke her diplomatic ties with the UK over the issue of the kidnapping in broad day light on London streets of former Nigerian Transport Minister Umaru Dikko.

But due credit must be given to Mrs Thatcher that she later on mended fences with Nigeria, struck a good pragmatic partnership with President Babangida whom she famously described on seizing power from General Buhari as “a man we can do business with”. She lived up to that statement by visiting Nigeria not once but twice when Babangida was president. In one of the visits she came with her husband, Denis. It is important

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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NEWS MARGARET HILDA THATCHER (1925 - 2013)

hurt many in the Commonwealth

towards the aircraft I stayed just about arm’s length from then.

When they got to the point where Gen. Babangida stopped to wave her goodbye, everybody stopped and Thatcher proceeded to the

gangway to climb the aircraft.

At that point, I told myself, “boy, this is your chance, you better take it”. To the surprise of everybody, I just stepped out from the president’s line and was one on one with Lady Thatcher. “Madam, why are you running away from the Nigerian press and why are you supporting the South African government?” I shouted my questions at her.

Unruffled, the Iron Lady just looked at me, ignored my presence and continued her walk towards the aircraft. I stood there watching as she climbed the gangway, turned at the door and waved to her host.

Shortly afters the aircraft door was shut.

“I hope I’ve not got myself in trouble, my mind was saying, but at the same time I told myself, “boy you have tried, at least Thatcher would not go away with the impression that the Nigerian press is docile”.

As the aircraft was pulling back to taxi to the runway, everybody retreated, waiting for the plane to take off. Then one of the BG boys came closer and my heart skipped, “wahala don come, I thought, but the burly man gave me a thumps up instead and said: “Boy, that was a good one; you are doing your job, but don’t try it again because next time I will do my job”.

The message sank, and I said “thank you”. But I was happy Thatcher got a dose of the stuff the Nigerian press is made of.

I don’t know what to wish her soul as she is dead now, but I can only say good night, Madam. You did your best for your people, but in the process you hurt many others in the British Commonwealth.

when Nigeria’s total spend on student on government scholarship in the UK was about £80milllion, jacked up school fees for foreign students.

It was an unpopular move that made countries like Nigeria and Malaysia affected by it to consider cheaper climes like America to send the bulk of their students to. Britain’s loss was thus America’s gain.

Again Thatcher came head-to-head with Nigeria when a new Commonwealth Secretary-General was to be elected. She had pitched her tent in support of Malcolm Fraser, the former Australian prime minister, who was the opponent of Nigerian Chief Emeka Anyaoku. To be fair to her on this particular occasion, it was not Thatcher’s fault that she was against the Nigerian candidate. Chief Anyaoku, who was then deputy secretary-general, entered the race very late - long after Fraser had almost completed his campaign tour of the Commonwealth seeking support. Interestingly, Thatcher was not the only key ally of Nigeria who was against Anyaoku, even President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia was in support of Fraser based on principle that the former Australian premier had been to him first to seek his and Zambia’s support at the election and he had been given his word to the affirmative before Anyaoku came calling.

And, by the way, if Anyaoku had not decided to contest Nigeria too would have backed Fraser in appreciation of his unflinching support to Nigeria and Africa’s stance on issues of Rhodesia and South Africa when he was premier of Australia. Chief Anyaoku, had done the honourable thing by waiting patiently to get the nod from his boss, Sir Shridath Ramphal, that he would not contest for another term before putting his

hat in the ring. In the end, however, it did not matter anymore as Nigeria succeeded in getting enough support for Anyaoku who was elected the first African Secretary-General of the Commonwealth despite Thatcher’s and Kaunda’s support for Fraser.

And finally, it must be said: Mrs. Thatcher was again surprisingly generous in her praise of Nigeria in her memoirs in which she described Nigeria as a very complex country to rule.

In Britain she will be remembered for her social and economic reforms (most especially her controversial poll tax) considered by many Britons to be inhuman - left to her, the social security system of the welfare state would have been scrapped because she did not believe that “the state should do it all” for its citizens. On this her position she was considered too insensitive. Don’t forget that she was also the notorious “Margaret Thatcher the milk snatcher” - reference to her stopping the distribution of free milk at school when she was education secretary. Besides, she will also be remembered for taking on the powerful trade unions and breaking their influence for good. In Europe she will be remembered as the British prime minister who was always the odd man out and ensured that the UK did not join the single currency - the Euro, and the exchange rate mechanism. And in the world, Margaret Thatcher will be remembered for taking Britain to war against Argentina in far away Falkland Island; for her unflinching support for Ian Smith in Rhodesia and P. W. Botha in apartheid South Africa.

May her soul rest in peace.

•Soyinka, publisher, The Africa Today, wrote from London.

‘ Unruffled, the Iron Lady just looked at me, ignored my presence and continued her walk towards the aircraft. I stood there watching as she climbed the gangway, turned at the door and waved to her host. Shortly after the aircraft door was shut •The late Thatcher on the day she became Prime Minister

where the journalists were kept and mix freely with the entourage as they alighted from their limousines and headed for the British Airways DC 10 aircraft that was to fly Thatcher home.

As the visitor and her host moved

•Soyinka

to note that Nigeria was the only African country she officially visited twice as British prime minister. And that speaks volume. For someone who as British Prime Minister was not really a friend of Africa, her coming to Nigeria twice despite the frequent diplomatic rows between the two countries showed the esteem with which she later held Nigeria. Not only that, under her premiership she increased the number of Nigerian students admitted into British universities on British scholarship under a scheme administered then by her education secretary Dr. Rhode Boyson because statistics had shown that Nigerian students had consistently outperformed their peers from the rest of the world.

Shortly before this, she had in a year

‘

Thatcher for burial next Wednesday •Body to be cremated

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ORMER British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, perhaps the most distinctive and divisive British politician since the second World War, will be buried next Wednesday.

Britain said the late Mrs Thatcher would receive a ceremonial funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral with military honors - a step short of a state funeral - in accordance with the wishes of her family. It said a private cremation would follow later.

Baroness Thatcher died Monday morning following a stroke in her suite in the Ritz Hotel in London, where she had been staying since leaving hospital in December after a bladder operation. She was 87.

Tributes flowed in from around the world, with British prime minister David Cameron saying she “didn’t just lead our country – she saved our country” and was “Britain’s greatest peace-time prime minister”.

As prime minister from 1979 until 1990, she was the first woman to hold that office and stridently pursued a transformative policy which pared back the role of the state and opened up new areas of the economy to private business.

She went to war with Argentina over its invasion of the Falkland Islands and, though wedded to Europe’s internal market, was a staunch opponent of the federalist notion of a “European superstate”.

The late Mrs Thatcher held power as the Troubles in Northern Ireland escalated in the wake of the IRA hunger strikes and was uncompromising in the face of persistent Irish demands for a new approach to the conflict.

In 1985, however, she gave Dublin a say in the administration of the North for the first time by signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement with then taoiseach Garret FitzGerald.

Although Taoiseach Enda Kenny noted strains in relations between Dublin and London in the late Mrs Thatcher era, he said the Anglo-Irish accord helped lay the ground for peace.

“While her period of office came at a challenging time for British-Irish relations, when the violent conflict in Northern Ireland was at its peak, the late Mrs Thatcher signed the AngloIrish Agreement which laid the foundation for improved NorthSouth co-operation and ultimately the Good Friday agreement,” Mr Kenny said.

President Michael D Higgins, a strident critic in the past of the late Mrs Thatcher’s contentious dictum that there was no such thing as society, said her place in history was secure and noted that her policies in relation to Northern Ireland gave rise to considerable debate.

“However, her key role in signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement will be recalled as a valuable early contribution to the search for peace and political stability.

“She will be remembered as one of the most conviction-driven British prime ministers who drew on a scholarship that demanded markets without regulation,” Mr Higgins said.

Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose own economic policies bore the imprint of the late

‘

She will be remembered as one of the most convictiondriven British prime ministers who drew on a scholarship that demanded markets without regulation

‘

Thatcher’s philosophy, said she was “a towering political figure” who had changed the world. In Washington, US president Barack Obama said “the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend”.

The late Mrs Thatcher was politically close to then US president Ronald Reagan and was his staunchest ally in the latter years of the cold war.

In Moscow, former Soviet leader Mikhael Gorbachev said she had been a leader of “considerable weight”.

But there was enmity, too, from those still bitter over her role in the year-long miners strike of the mid1980s, in which she faced down the powerful National Union of Mineworkers. One retired union leader said yesterday that her death was “the best birthday present”.

In protocol terms, the funeral will be of the same standard as that accorded to Princess Diana and the Queen Mother, although her coffin will not be put on display in Westminster Hall for public tribute as happened in the latter case.

She left Number 10 Downing Street in 1990 after losing the support of leading figures within her party, which led to bitter internal divisions and played no small role in the Conservatives’ loss of power to Labour seven years later.

Nevertheless, close friends visited frequently to share a whiskey, where on her good days Mrs Thatcher was not slow about expressing her opinions about the Conservative/ Liberal Democrats coalition.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 , 2013

NEWS

Tukur: candidates ‘ll be judged by integrity, performance in 2015 T

HE National Chairman of the Peoples Demo cratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has declared that integrity and performance would be the yardstick for picking candidates for the various elective positions in the 2015 general elections.

He stressed that the impact of the ruling party would better be felt when its elected officials continue to showcase great achievements that touch the lives of the people.

Tukur, in a congratulatory message to the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on the Vanguard Newspapers’ Man of the Year 2012 award, yesterday described the governor as an ambassador of the PDP in terms of integrity and performance, adding that the award would spur him into doing more for the people.

Describing the award as inspiring, the chairman urged other PDP governors and public office holders on its platform to double their efforts in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

He said integrity and performance, more than anything else, would be the yardstick for determining who gets the ticket of the party for elective offices in 2015.

“For me, I prefer that we use evidence of performances by our governors, ministers and other public office holders in form of the award just bagged by Amaechi as a tool for engaging and silencing the opposition who continue to

•Amaechi a strong force in PDP, say Tukur, Anenih

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

grope in the gross illusion of edging the PDP out of power in 2015”, the chairman said.

According to him, the award just bagged by Amaechi was not a fluke. The Governor, he said, had earlier been appreciated by reputable media organisations such as Thisday Newspapers, Independent Newspapers, The Leadership and others.

Said he: “I have at one point or the other verified the stewardship of the Rivers State Governor with personal visit to the state. Amaechi has excelled in the provision of sound education, health services, infrastructure development, urban development projects and welfare packages for workers in the state among others.

“The achievements and stewardship of Amaechi in Rivers State have been quite phenomenal”.

Describing the Governor as his son, Tukur said Ameachi truly deserved the award and that the recognition would spur him into doing more for the people of Rivers State.

“I call Amaechi my son and he has been acting as my son. I am proud of the award given to him by the management of Vanguard Newspapers.

He deserved the award because I have personally verified most of the achievements credited to him. When you enter Port Harcourt, Amaechi’s hands are quite visible.

“My son has revolutionised education and health delivery services in Rivers State. He has been turning around the entire state with urban renewal projects.

“I don’t get to know that workers in Rivers State are picking quarrels with him as he has been level headed, focussed, hard working and always very eager to make the difference.

“I use this medium to congratulate Amaechi, who I very well know will be spurred to do more by this award as a leader and as a faithful PDP Ambassador. I also congratulate other PDP governors who had won similar awards in the past since they have been making us proud at the national secretariat”, Tukur stated.

The party chair added that the PDP and indeed, President Goodluck Jonathan have always been pleased with high performances on the path of public office holders.

Alhaji Tukur said he was particularly happy that the award went to a PDP governor, more so as many governors of the party, according to him, had carted away nearly

all awards reserved for highly effective, performing and dependable political office holders by appreciative corporate organisations both within and outside Nigeria.

He said Jonathan would open more award winning projects in many of the PDP controlled states between now and 2015.

Tukur urged opposition parties to ensure same level of performance among their governors in the interest of progress and development of the country.

Also yesterday, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih described Amaechi as a force and one of the leaders of the ruling party.

Anenih, who led BoT delegation to the Government House, Port Harcourt, said they were in Rivers State to consult with the Governor over important national and party issues.

Anenih said: “We are here this morning to meet the governor of Rivers State to discuss issues that are important to the corporate existence of this country, issues that will help us stabilise the system, issues that will make the PDP stronger and issues that will make us live in a decent society. We are here to consult with him as one of the leaders of the party and again I think I am a part of

Rivers State. “ He praised Amaechi for bringing good governance to the people of Rivers State.

He said: “I want to say that, I was here last year and inspected most of the projects and the ones that were ongoing I’ve seen on my way from the airport that some of the projects have been completed.

We are here also to appreciate the governor for what he is doing for the people of Rivers State”.

Replying, Amaechi said the PDP in Rivers State is peaceful.

He recalled that the PDP supporters gave two million votes to President Goodluck Jonathan during the last election and assuredAnenih that his administration would encourage the people to continue to vote for the PDP during elections.

Amaechi said: “Chairman, we formally welcome you and your delegation. There was no welcome over there; it was just straight to the point.

Now, it is the time to welcome you before my colleagues in government and my friends in the party. Like we did say to you, PDP in Rivers State is peaceful. We also have told you that we produced two million votes for the President.

So, we thank you for coming.

All we are saying to you is tell the party to please treat us well so that we can encourage our people to continue to vote for PDP. We are members of PDP and we will remain members of PDP. We wish you God’s blessings and to say have a safe trip”.

ANPP meets tomorrow on merger From Gbenga Omokhunu Abuja

THE All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) is serious with the merger of all opposition parties, former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, said yesterday.

He said the party (ANPP) will tomorrow in Abuja take a final stand on the new baby–All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sheriff, who is ANPP’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chair, spoke to reporters at the end of the BoT meeting last night.

He said its National Executive Committee (NEC) would meet tomorrow and decide on the merger.

“We deliberated on the reports of the committee on rebuilding our party and that of the merger committee. We are satisfied with what they have been doing. We are also satisfied with what our executives and leaders across the country are doing,” Sheriff said.

On the transition arrangement of APC which favours the ANPP, Sheriff said: “Our NEC will be meeting on Thursday in Abuja and the stand of the party on the merger will be made available to members of the party and Nigerians.”

National Chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu attended the meeting.

Two days after, Leadership editors regain freedom •‘Journalists are not paid to assist security agents’

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HE Police yesterday re leased the detained Group News Editor of Leadership Newspapers, Mr. Tony Amokeodo and a political reporter, Mr. Chibuizor Ukaibe following the intervention of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).

But there were indications last night that the newspaper might sue the Police for illegal detention of its editors.

Three editors and a political reporter were at the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja on Monday .

They are Mrs. Chinyere Fred-Adegbulugbe (former Editor, Leadership on Sunday), a Managing Editor, Mr. Chuks Ohuegbe, Group News Editor (Amokeodo) and Ukaibe.

But Amokeodo and Ukaibe were detained at an annex office behind the Force Headquarters for overnight interrogation.

Although the police claimed yesterday that they were still investigating a story on a “presidential directive” to attack key opposition leaders, the AGF advised the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to guarantee their rights to bail.

A source said: “The two detained journalists were released at about 6.30pm. This followed the intervention of the AGF who advised the police to guarantee their rights to bail irrespective of the nature of the investigation being carried out.

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

“The journalists have been granted bail while the investigation is ongoing.”

Narrating his experience, Amokeodo said the police wanted to know the source of the said official directive.

He said: “We were being kept by three officers from the office of the DIG Peter Gana at the 7th Floor. The three officers asked Chibuzor Ukaibe and I to write statement.

“We told them they could not compel us because we honoured their invitation.

“I simply wrote that we received the document in the course of my duties. I also wrote that when the presidency said the story was false, we published the bromide to authenticate the story.

“When they said I must disclose the source of the bromide, I replied that the ethics of the profession does not permit me to do so.”

A senior Editor with Leadership said: “Our newspaper might still go to court to challenge the illegal detention of our Editors.”

In a statement last night, the management of Leadership Newspapers said: “After 48 hours of nightmare, four journalists with Leadership who were detained by the police on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan were released last night.

“Two of them – Mr. Tony Amokeodo and Mr. ChibuzoUkaibe – were, how-

ever, released conditionally: they have been asked to report at the police headquarters by 10am everyday for undisclosed reasons.

“We wish to restate that these conditions are obnoxious and unacceptable in any democratic society.

“Our journalists do not work for the police and have no business reporting to the police headquarters while earning their pay at Leadership.

“We have it on very good authority that President Jonathan will not be satisfied until the journalists have disclosed their sources and turned in the source document.

“It is ridiculous that Jonathan’s government should be obsessed with having a document, which its han-

dlers said was fictitious in the first place.

“We have no intention of indulging their vexatious desires and insist on our constitutional responsibility to hold the government accountable to the people and the inviolacy of the freedom of information law.

“The police have no right to arrest and illegally detain our journalists – or any other journalist – as they have done; we shall not let this violation go unchallenged.

“If the police have no time to read the law, they should seek its interpretation elsewhere. Under Nigerian law, the two journalists have freedom of expression and freedom of movement, and they

belong to the only profession assigned a role in the constitution to hold the three arms of government accountable to the people.

“Because we do not intend to obstruct police investigations in any way, we advise the presumed agents of the law to take our staff members to court whenever they find anything incriminating against them. As journalists, they have done their job of reporting the news; they have not been paid to assist security agents in their own investigations.

“The Nigerian government must understand that this very crude tactic of arresting journalists and invading media houses is dated. Even smaller African

countries do not engage in those uncivilised acts anymore. And, certainly, no democracy in the world still does it. No doubt, those who arrested our editors are just giving the country a very bad name in the comity of nations.

“We wish to convey our gratitude to the men and women of conscience from all corners of the world that have shown solidarity in their condemnation of the illegal arrest and detention of this newspaper’s journalists by the Nigeria Police acting on the orders of President Jonathan.

“Without their intervention our journalists might still have been in Jonathan’s gulag.”

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (middle), cutting a tape to inaugurate a plaque at the Island Club Quarterly Business lecture he delivered at the Club’s Peacock Hall, Onikan, Lagos...yesterday. With him are the Club’s chariman, Prince Demola Dada (left), General Secretary, Mr Diji Vera-Cruz (second right) and others.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

7

CITYBEATS Morning rain brings pains in Lagos I

T was expected, but a few saw it coming. After weeks of intense hot weather, the heavens opened up early yesterday.

But the downpour which could have brought relief to Lagosians caused many traders, commuters and workers, pains.

For about four hours, the city virtually stood still under the heavy rain.

Lagosians were practically helpless as the rain paralysed commercial activities and vehicular movements.

The rain began around 8 am. " I had a dream about a tornado ripping through the city just a day before and when I saw the dark clouds, I believed it might be the fulfilment of my dreams," said Tosin Orogun, an Information and Communications Manager, at the African Tobacco Control Consortium (ATCC).

Worse hit were Lagos markets where flood prevented many traders from displaying their wares. At many markets, traders spent the greater part of the afternoon salvaging their wares from floods; only very few consumers who needed essential goods made it to the markets.

Mr. Gbade Oke, a newspaper vendor at the popular Ladipo market, said: "The time the rain started was when I wanted to display my papers.

The rain put a stop to that and the result was that I began to display my papers around mid-day."

The result was obvious. At 4pm, Oke said he had made no sales at all. "I cannot lie to you, we are in the same business count all my papers; I have not sold one single pa-

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

• A flooded street after the downpour

By Seun Akioye

per today. But the rain must come, we cannot blame God," he responded.

At Oyingbo, the story was the same. Mr. Charles Umeh, Chairman of Perishable Foods in Oyingbo Market, said the downpour and the ensuing flood deprived traders of their usual early morning sales.

"I could not come to the market as early as possible today because of the downpour that started in the morning," Umeh said.

Mrs Titi Carew, a tomato seller, said the sellers would record low sales because of the large-scale flooding in the area.

"Customers are at home because they can't come out of their flooded

houses to buy things in the market," Carew said.

At Oshodi market, many petty traders could also not display their wares. A petty trader who simply identified herself as Iya Ibeji said she was on her way to the market when the rain started, adding that the bus driver dumped passengers in the rain. "The bus driver just said he was not going again. I had to stay under a small shelter throughout the rain and I got here to the market and it was all flooded. I wanted to go home, but I must try and make some sales," she said.

"Do you know how much we have lost in Lagos today because of this rain? It is millions of naira and because we can still open we have

some hope of making small sales today. In many other markets, nobody can sell today, it is just like we are doing environmental sanitation," said Nike Sofolahan, who owns a store inside Oshodi market.

Commuters also had unpleasant experiences. "Although one should always expect the rain because we are in rainy season now, today's rain came unexpected," Dele Ojoba, a bus driver, who plies Sango-Ota in Ogun State and Oshodi said.

"It is my bad luck that I did morning duty today; we hadn't made sales when the rain began and when it starts to rain you can't get passengers and the owner of the bus doesn't want any excuse," said Ojoba.

Vero Ivoke, who works for a non-governmental organisation in Ogba, Ikeja, said she got to her office at 10am.

"I had to stay put where I was because there was no way I could make it to the office under that condition," she said.

Many parts of the metropolis were flooded. According to reports, many areas in Ikeja, including Allen Avenue, were heavily flooded, making vehicular movements difficult. The roads were almost impassable in some places, especially Agege.

A trader, Mr. Ubani Onuoha, said he had resolved not to complain about the rain. "Are we not in the season of rains?

It is normal for rains this time of the year and human beings should not complain.

Despite the fact that I didn't make any sale, I give God the glory," he said.

Court discharges robbery suspect

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FTER six months in prison custody, an Ikeja Magistrates' Court yesterday discharged an alleged armed robber, Michael Babayemi, 25, following a `no case' advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution.

The Magistrate, Mrs A. OshodiMakanju discharged the accused, saying: "I hereby order, forthwith, the release of the accused from prison custody. He is hereby discharged."

The DPP's advice, dated March 14, stated that after careful consideration of the facts, no prima facie case of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery were established against the suspect.

According to it, the allegation to commit robbery and robbery, which are contrary to Section 295 and 297 (3) of the Criminal Code,

Laws of Lagos State, 2011, were not disclosed against Babayemi. ”To establish a prima facie case of armed robbery, prosecution must prove that there was robbery or series of robbery; that the robbers were armed and the accused person took part in the armed robbery," the advice stated.

The DPP noted that one of the gang members, Nurudeen Jimoh, now deceased, had in his statement to the police, absolved Babayemi of any culpability in the offence.

It said that Jimoh denied knowing the accused and that he was not a member of their gang. The magistrate consequently discharged the accused and ordered his release from prison custody, "as the ingredient of armed robbery were not presented in the case against him.''

Babayemi was arraigned on Oct. 10, 2012 on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery. He had since then been in prison custody awaiting the DPP's legal advice.

The prosecutor, Insp. Samson Ekikere had on the day of arraignment told the court that the accused conspired to rob Pastor Akin Ishola. He said the accused and others at large, armed with a locally made pistol and other dangerous weapons robbed the complainant of his wife's handbag containing a Bible valued at N2,000.

The prosecutor said that the offence was committed on Sept. 25, 2012 at Oko Afa Area of Lagos, and that the offence contravened Sections 1(2) (a), of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap 398, Vol. XXII, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 1990. NAN.

Fashola opens Anyaoku Housing Estate

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N recognition of his service to the country, the Lagos State Government yesterday named the Millenium Estate in Ikeja GRA, Emeka Anyaoku Estate.

Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary General, was 80 on March 30.

Governor Babatunde Fashola said Anyaoku was honoured for his dedication to public service and his efforts towards the return of democracy in the country.

Members of the State Executive Council, he said, unanimously decided on Anyaoku's choice, adding that the octogenarian’s commitment to nation building has not wavered over the years. "After we completed the project, a new challenge arose and it was who the Estate should be named after. And I think that events made that decision very easy. We were resolved that if we had to dedicate any public service and building after anyone whether living or dead, it would be those who have contributed to the development of our nation especially Lagos State.

"So, we simply, in this case, decided

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

to honour someone who has contributed enormously to public service in the country and someone who has played a role in the birth and midwife of our modest democracy. It was, for me, therefore not difficult, to single out Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who recently celebrated his birthday".

Fashola said the site was once a refuse dump, adding that his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, started the project to make a lot of impact on the lives of the citizenry. "We underestimated the degeneration that had taken place here and as the construction progressed, we started observing structural failure."

Replying, Anyaoku said he was humbled by the honour, adding: "My connection with Lagos is deep and longstanding. Although I'm from across the Niger, I started my career in Lagos and I have been married for over 50 years to a native of Lagos, from Egba precisely. This is a great honour for my family across the Niger and also in this part of the country.

Thank you Lagos."

•Anyaoku He lauded the government's investment in housing saying it would go a long way to solve the housing deficiency in the country.

Commissioner for Housing Mr. Bosun Jeje said the estate comprises 10 blocks, nine of which have eight units of Maisionettes each; the 10th block has seven units. "I make bold to say that the structures you have before you will pass any integrity test and stand the test of time", Jeje added.

•Some of the traders during the protest ... yesterday

Anger as market is demolished

S

OME traders in Marina, Lagos, yesterday expressed anger over demolition of their shop, accusing the government of insensitivity.

The traders, under the auspices of the Amalgamated Bags and Shoes Seller Association (ABASSA), whose shops were demolished by the Task Force of the Federal Ministry of Works (FMW), protested the action.

Addressing reporters at their Alakoro Market, Marina, the traders said on March 26, officials of the ministry gave them seven-day quit notice, adding: "We ran to the ministry to see the controller when we got the notice but he was not around. We equally made several unsuccessful efforts to get to him."

Their president, Wilfred Orjiako said when the efforts failed, they wrote a petition to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, the Area Commander, Area F, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ebute-Ero Police Station.

"None of those we petitioned called us for a meeting. On April 5, they came with bulldozers and policemen along with Otunba Dapo Balogun.

Our people tried to explain to them that the move was unfair. On April 8,

By Musa Odoshimokhe

they came again with over 50 mobile policemen with bulldozers."

Orjiako said the police started shooting into the air and forcefully ejected the traders, adding that some of them were beaten.

He said ABASSA had been paying its dues and was surprised that the ministry could take such an action without recourse to due process. He added: "We have the receipts of the payments we made to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Land. Even this 2013, we have submitted our cheque to the ministry."

According to him, ABASSA is one of the largest markets in the shoe business in West Africa. This is one market that deals in indigenous shoes and has projected the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigeria to the world."

He said with over 2000 members and goods worth N2 billion destroyed, the traders and their extended families would suffer. "The police shot over 200 bullets in a manner that scared the people and we became afraid to the point of wondering whether or not we are from this country," Orjiako said.

Some of their placards decried what they called the anti-people policies, noting that while other countries are encouraging their citizens to advance, Nigeria is muzzling its people.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

8

NEWS

I’ve lost my co-pilot, says Fayemi •Akume, ACN, Akpabio, Dickson, others eulogise Ekiti Deputy Governor

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday said he has lost his co-pilot.

He said the death of his deputy, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, could be likened to the plight of a pilot, who loses his co-pilot mid-air.

Fayemi spoke at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while receiving traditional rulers, who visited to condole with him on Mrs. Olayinka’s death.

He said: “It is a lot of challenge.

If you are lucky and do the right things, you will land well.”

The governor said his administration would realise the vision of a greater Ekiti, which the late Mrs. Olayinka believed in.

He said: “We will make her happy by ensuring that her dreams for a better Ekiti are realised.”

The Chairman of the Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Michael Gbadebo, who is the Owa Ooye of Okemesi, urged Fayemi to ensure that the vision for the development of the state, which was jointly conceived with his late deputy, is actualised.

The traditional rulers pledged their support for the Fayemi administration and prayed God to strengthen the deceased’s loved ones.

Fayemi thanked them for identifying with him at “this challenging time”.

Oyo State Deputy Governor Moses Alake-Adeyemo also visited Fayemi.

He described his Ekiti counterpart’s death as “a great loss to the nation, particularly the political class, which she positively impacted on.”

Alake-Adeyemo said the late Mrs. Olayinka was “a very amiable, hard working and courageous woman, whose virtues of loyalty and frankness are worthy of emulation”.

Eminent Nigerians have continued to condole with Fayemi and Ekiti people.

In a statement yesterday, Senate Minority Leader George Akume said: “I am greatly saddened by the news of the death of our illustrious daughter, an exemplary deputy governor, and one of Nigeria’s foremost women leaders.

“I condole with her family, the people of Ekiti State, the Yoruba nation and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora. She was an excellent banker, a political amazon and a reformer, who distinguished herself as a world-class banker, particularly during the reforms in the banking sector.

“She was one of the most supportive and loyal deputy governors in this dispensation and that was why the governor never contemplated any negative action against her when she took ill.

“Her departure leaves a gap in our lives and we will sorely miss her unequalled experience in banking administration and

Ekiti urged to set up Olayinka cancer-screening centre

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HE Ekiti State Government has been urged to set up a cancerscreening centre in honour of the late Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

The Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on Environment and Public Health (ANEPH) made the call yesterday in a statement signed by its officers, Mrs. Feyisike Adeoye and Mr. Kehinde Adegbuyi.

It said setting up the centre in Mrs. Olayinka’s memory is a practical way of honouring a woman, who gave her life to the service of humanity.

The group said: “Cancer is ravaging Nigeria. People are dying. The death of Mrs. Olayinka has further confirmed that death through cancer has no respect for age or status, making every one a potential victim.

“We can make a lot of difference through the timely screening of people, so that the challenge can be tackled at the budding stage.”

ANEPH is a coalition of NGOs in Nigeria working on public health safety.

The group praised the Ekiti State government for revealing the cause of Mrs.

Olayinka’s death to the public, instead of shrouding it in secrecy as is the case with many government officials.

It said: “By making the cause of her death a subject of public knowledge, the Ekiti State government has demonstrated a higher ethical ground as against the awful tradition of secrecy, which does not promote public consciousness in public health safety.

“Knowing the credentials of the leadership in Ekiti, we might be preempting the state government. We are sure Governor Kayode Fayemi realises the importance of honouring his deputy in ways consistent with her humanitarian services throughout her life time.

“She was a selfless advocate of public health safety, who became a victim.

She fought gallantly to defeat cancer, but it was too late. The Funmi Olayinka Cancer-Screening Centre will serve as a life-saver for millions of Nigerians, who stand at risk but have no opportunity to detect it early.

“Statistics show that cancer killed 7.6 million people in 2008 worldwide and there is indication that the figure could double to 14 million in 2030.

“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer accounts for 13 per cent of deaths registered globally. In Nigeria, about 11,000 cancer deaths are recorded annually and 250,000 new cases recorded.

“It is worrisome that only 17 per cent of African countries are said to have sufficiently funded cancer-control programmes, while a small percentage of countries in the world have functional plans to prevent the disease and provide treatment and care to patients.

“However, if detected early, many types of cancer can be cured. WHO indicates that the shortage of a functional cancer-control plan is alarming in developing countries, which account for more than two-thirds of the new cancer cases and deaths yearly.

“We urge the nation’s health authorities to step up cancer awareness, prevention and treatment. Most cancer treatment centres in Nigeria today lack modern diagnostic equipment. Generally, there is a lack of awareness on the disease, especially the causative factors, preventive measures, likely treatment options and facilities where such treatments are available.”

•From left: Fayemi; Oba Gbadebo; Alaaye of Efon, Oba Emmanuel Aladejare; Alara of Aramoko, Oba Olu Adeyemo and Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Alabi...yesterday.

dexterity in governance. However, we are consoled by the unparallelled legacies she bequeathed to us. She was a woman of impeccable character and sound mind, who in her quest to better the lives of Nigerians, was never swayed by intimidating circumstances or challenges. She was amiable and a woman of valour.”

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said Mrs. Olayinka left her “indelible footprints on the sands of time”.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party sent its condolences to her family and prayed that God will give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

It also prayed for the repose of her soul.

ACN said: “The fact that Mrs. Olayinka left her indelible footprints on the sands of time, having excelled in her banking profession and later in politics, gives us some consolation.

“She showed strength of char-

acter and rare courage during the battle to reclaim our stolen mandate in Ekiti. She was in the forefront of the battle, despite the risk to her safety. She never looked back, never regretted leaving the comfort of her previous job and never waivered.

“When eventually we reclaimed our mandate, she worked with her principal to rekindle hope and restore the lost glory of a state known for the decency, integrity and deep knowledge of its people.

“Our party will forever remember her contributions to upholding the standards we hold dear, especially in making life more abundant for the citizenry.”

Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson described the deceased as “a notable politician, whose death has created a big vacuum in the polity”.

Dickson said: “On behalf of the people of Bayelsa State, I condole with Fayemi, Ekiti people and the family of the late

Mrs. Olayinka on the loss of their dependable daughter.

May God grant you all the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, in his condolence message, described the late deputy governor as one of the great champions of gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria.

He said she lived an exemplary life.

Akpabio said her achievements would inspire women to break gender barriers.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Adeniyi Akintola, described the late Mrs. Olayinka as a “brilliant professional in politics, a modest soul and a beautiful spirit”.

He said despite her high office, the late deputy governor’s humility was proverbial.

Akintola said: “The last time we met was on a flight from London. That was last December 24. She was cheerful, caring and humble. She genuflected

and I reminded her that she was Her Excellency now. Her office never got into her head.

“God knows best. He gives and takes life. All we can do as humans is to accept His will and remember her family and the state in our prayers.”

A political group, Ekiti 11 (E-11), said it was finding it difficult to accept the reality of Mrs. Olayinka’s death.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Sanmi Omiata, E-11 said: “We hoped that she would win the fight and regain her health in full, because she was a fighter and a dogged one at that. She stood on the side of justice and patiently waited out the long and dreary fight to regain the mandate of the 2007 governorship election.

“She was a motivator. She always had a positive word of encouragement for all. She was a friend you could depend on. She radiated beauty and grace from the inside. She became the face of Ekiti.

Oyo college lecturers threaten strike over officers

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HE Academic Staff Union of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education (EACOED) in Oyo has given the state government a 21-day ultimatum, beginning from April 5, to provide substantive principal officers to manage the institution’s affairs.

It threatened to go on strike if the government fails to meet its demand at the ex-

•Give govt 21-day ultimatum From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

piration of the ultimatum.

In a statement after its congress yesterday, the union’s Chairman, Dr. Olugbenga Ayena, said: “Based on the indefinite nature of the ‘Standin’ arrangement that should

have ushered in a substantive management within a pre-determined time, the arrangement has outlived its usefulness and become illegitimate, boring, frustrating, and unproductive. It has been in place for about 20 months now.

“The stand-in officials have

no specific terms of reference, tenure and cannot act in a substantive capacity. Other problems include the non-release of capital grants for the 2011\2012 academic session, gross understaffing of some academic departments, both at the main campus and the Lanlate campus,

as well as infrastructural decay.

“The Governing Council has failed to act on these issues, despite persistent complaints. We urge the government to act fast.”

The union affirmed the state government’s achievements in the education sector and the improvement in the performance of pupils in public examinations.

“We shall sorely miss her at E-11, as she was an ardent and committed member, who worked tirelessly for the good of Ekiti.”

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Opeyemi Bamidele, said: “The late Mrs. Olayinka brought about a paradigm shift in Ekiti politics, which made it possible for the people to have confidence in the ability of women to hold and deliver in leadership positions.

“She displayed competence, doggedness and uncommon courage, especially during those days when our party was in the trenches.

This added value to womanhood in Ekiti and Nigeria.”

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) said: “Despite departing this mortal world at the young age of 52, I have no doubt that she lived a full circle and made a huge success of everything she laid her hands on.

“She died without leaving any reproach and I dare say that her life and times are worth celebrating. Let us thank God for Funmi’s life and glorify Him, even for her early departure.”

House of Representatives’ member Mr. Bimbo Daramola described the deceased as “a peace-loving politician, loyal deputy and credible progressive politician bubbling with ideas”.

He said: “When the history of Ekiti rebirth is written, several chapters must be devoted to her activities. She made us proud in the days of the struggle. She defiled the bullets at the political rallies when thugs invaded the venues. She was always visible on the podium, canvassing the alternative route to Ekiti’s redemption. She made her mark as a party woman and focused administrator.”

Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker Dr. Adewale Omirin described her as “a great stabilising factor”.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi described Mrs. Olayinka as humility personified.

He said: “The most appropriate description of her is humility. She did every assignment as though it meant everything to her. She would not act as if she was higher than you, even though she was. She would make her contributions whenever needed in a way that anyone would find agreeable.”

Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs Funminiyi Afuye said: “Mrs. Olayinka would be remembered for her doggedness, which she proved during the near four-year struggle for the enthronement of democracy in Ekiti. Words cannot express this huge loss to the state.”

The Special Adviser to the Ekiti State Governor on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) & Development Relations, Mrs. Bunmi Dipo-Salami, said: “Her death at a time when Nigeria needs competent women in leadership positions is painful. She was a great leader and I consider myself privileged to have worked with her.”

Rivers State Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru described the late Mrs. Olayinka as “a symbol of selflessness, who uplifted the less-privileged”.

Ikuru said: “As the sun sets on this benevolent amazon at this most inappropriate time, when her valuable contributions are mostly needed in Ekiti and our nation, it is my prayer that the Lord will give the government and people of Ekiti State the strength to bear the loss.”

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NEWS

Uphold our case, Ondo ACN urges tribunal T HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State and its candidate in last October’s governorship poll, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), have filed the final written address in their petition before the Election Petition Tribunal.

They urged the tribunal to rule in their favour on the grounds that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which conducted the election and declared Governor Olusegun Mimiko winner, failed to defend itself in the petition or call witnesses to contradict the allegation of noncompliance with the Electoral Act. ACN said its 41 witnesses and 118 documentary evidence were not challenged by the respondents during the trial.

It argued that INEC admitted

•‘INEC is defenceless’

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

injecting over 100,625 fresh names into the 2012 voters’ register but failed to call any witness to give reasons for doing so.

ACN’s expert gave evidence that 164,072 names were injected into the 2012 voters’ register by INEC. The party said the fresh names injected were substantial enough to give Mimiko victory in the poll.

It said INEC also failed to defend the “massive irregularities detected” in result sheets used for the election.

ACN said during cross-examination, Mimiko’s 14 witnesses

confirmed irregularities in their polling units.

It said: “In exhibit p57(b15), Ward 7, Unit 2 in Ondo East Local Government, Human fist was registered as a voter. Invalid names like EwrrRtyy were registered by INEC in Akure South Local Government. In many polling units, there was voting without accreditation. In others, illegal registrants were allowed to vote.

“This was confirmed by one of Mimiko’s witnesses, who said INEC issued two voter’s cards and allowed illegal registrants, whose fingerprints were not captured, to vote.

“In the face of these monu-

mental discoveries of irregularities, Mimiko, who was earlier granted leave by the tribunal to call his expert, failed to call him or tender his report, which had been filed before the tribunal.

“INEC’s and the Labour Party’s (LP’s) pleadings/replies before the tribunal stand abandoned in the face of lack of evidence to substantiate them. What the law requires of petitioners, under this circumstance, is minimal proof, which we have presented satisfactorily before the tribunal.”

ACN prayed the Justice Andova Kaka’n-led tribunal to order a fresh election.

The written address was filed by 52 lawyers, led by Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN). Others include Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN); Wole Aina, Adekola Olawoye, Michael Lana, Kazeem Gbadamosi, Oluwagbenga Olatunja and Titiloye Charles, among others.

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HE Ogun State Government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) on the light rail mass transit planned to link major cities in the state.

Signing the MoU in his office in Abeokuta, the state capital, Governor Ibikunle Amosun said there could be no development without putting the necessary infrastructure in place.

He said: “We have been doing our best on roads, but it is high time we paid attention to rail as well. We are starting the mass transit within Abeokuta metropolis. This will be extended to other major towns, including the Ado-Odo/Ota axis which will encompass all border areas with Lagos.

“Our first focus is intra-city rail mass transit. After that, we will link the cities together. In the next couple of years, you will begin to see the results of what we are doing to make the transportation of goods and services easier.”

CCECC Managing Director Cao Bao Gang assured Amosun that the project would be executed in adherence to international standard. He said it would create jobs.

Also yesterday, the Ogun State government debunked the allegation that it obtained a

Ogun signs MoU on light rail •‘We didn’t obtain N85b secret loan’ From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

secret loan of N85 billion without legislative approval.

Speaking on the floor of the House of Assembly, Commissioner for Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said the claim was a plot by mischief makers to discredit the Amosun administration.

Mrs. Adeosun said: “The beautiful thing about number is that it is verifiable. We have only borrowed N27 billion for capital projects that you and I can see in 20 years time.

“Amosun is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and I am a member, so we cannot engage in shady financial transactions. In the last 22 months, we have re-engineered the state’s finances by blocking revenue leakages and encouraging residents to pay tax.

“This effort has yielded positive results, as the state’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased from N750 million to N3 billion annually.”

College expels 26 students From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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HE Tai Solarin College of Education in Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State, yesterday expelled 26 students for alleged violence and cultism.

The college’s Registrar, Mr. Tunji Kanimodo, told reporters that the expulsion would not interfere with the ongoing examination.

Federal laws limit states’ performance, says Ajimobi

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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday said the contemporary federal practice in Nigeria has hampered, rather than advance development in states.

He highlighted areas in which the federal practice had constituted a clog in the wheel of progress of states to include the “lopsided revenue allocation formula, the constitutional delineation of power between the federal and state governments and the issue of security”.

Ajimobi spoke on The Challenge of State Development in Federal Nigeria at a business session organised by the Island Club, Lagos.

On the revenue sharing formula, he said while the Federal Government takes 52.8 per cent

of all federally-collected revenue, the 36 states and the 774 local councils share 26.72 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Ajimobi said: “The implication of this is that the Federal Government is surfeit with resources while state governments face serious financial challenges.

“This is in spite of the fact that the states are responsible for the basic needs that impact on the social well-being of the citizens and the development of the states.

“For instance, the federal government caters for about 50 secondary schools and 40 universities. Oyo State alone caters for over 2,000 primary schools, over 700 secondary schools, one college of education, one college of agriculture, one polytechnic and one university.”

Bureau-de-change robbed in Ibadan From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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WO armed robbers yesterday stole about N3 million from a bureau-de-change operator, popularly called Bature, and a motor dealer, Wasiu Gbadamosi, at Idiape in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Four persons were injured.

It was learnt that the robbers operated with a motorcycle.

The incident occurred around 1pm in front of the Odu’a Shopping Centre.

Eyewitnesses said Gbadamosi and Bature went to change some foreign currency to naira at an undisclosed place and were trailed by the robbers.

An eyewitness said: “As Gbadamosi and Bature alighted from a motorcycle and the motorcyclist sped off. As they moved towards their office, another man alighted from a motorcycle and moved towards Bature. He shot Bature in the leg and seized the bag containing the money from him.

“As the robber was about to mount the motorcycle, on which the rider was at alert, Gbadamosi dragged the bag with him and clutched some packs of N1,000 notes.

Police spokesman Bisi Ilobanafor confirmed the incident.

She said the sound of gun shots alerted the police, adding that one of the robbers was shot in the back.

Mrs. Ilobanafor urged the public to alert the police if they encounter anyone with a gun shot injury in the back.

She urged residents to stop transacting business with cash and embrace internet/mobile banking.

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NEWS Heavy rain, storm delay flights at MMA

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ARLY morning rains and heavy winds yesterday delayed flights at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The natural forces forced airlines to adjust their morning flights as the downpour reduced visibility for aircraft both landing and taking off at the airport.

The downpour, which was accompanied by strong winds, flooded the MMA Road.

At the international wing of the Lagos Airport, the gust blew off some construction

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

materials for the expansion of one of the fingers at the airport.

The materials, including the foams used for the floor of the terminal, littered the road connecting the first floor into the Departure Hall. They forced motorists to manoeuvre their vehicles to avoid hitting the objects.

Some billboards and signboards on the airport road were also damaged by the strong winds.

CPC: PDP has destroyed Nigeria with corruption, fraud

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HE National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Prince Tony Momoh, yesterday accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of destroying Nigeria with corrupt practices, fraud and indiscipline.

If not voted out of power in 2015, Momoh said, the PDPled Federal Government would continue its impunity on the nation.

The CPC chairman said with the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by leading opposition parties, the PDP would have no chance in the 2015 general elections.

According to him, the APC has come to redeem the country.

Momoh spoke in Abuja when he inaugurated a 122member Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the CPC

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

to plan the party’s nationwide membership mobilisation.

He said: “It will be criminal on the part of the PDP to plan how to rig the 2015 elections.

But I can assure you, the plan on 2015 is for the opposition parties and not for the PDP. PDP’s plan to undermine us is part of strategy, but it will fail.

“First of all, the PDP says APC does not meet; that we do not have a manifesto and a constitution. It said our members are quarrelling. But you can see why the PDP moves from one wrong step to another while we in the opposition parties are moving on with strength to redeem Nigeria. This is because the PDP has destroyed Nigeria through corruption, fraud and indiscipline.”

Akande calls for policy emphasis on Science, Tech T HE National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, has called for a policy that would emphasise Science and Technology development in Nigeria's education curriculum.

The frontline politician spoke in Igbajo, Osun State, at a development fund-raiser for Igbajo Day celebration and the town's polytechnic.

He noted that a polytechnic that is incapable of training "students to use their hands in chemical, electrical, mechanical, civil, auto, soil or agricultural engineering technologies would merely be producing dummies to boost the present high rate of unemployment in Nigeria".

Identifying the ills that have weighed down the education sector, the former governor of Osun State from 1999 to 1983 said laziness, indiscipline, unwill-

ingness to yield to instructions, lack of focus and commitment on the part of authorities were the real hindrances to an effective educational system in the country.

Akande sought the support of all men of goodwill to the noble idea of establishing and nurturing a technologically-oriented Igbajo Polytechnic.

According to him, pioneering efforts in education by the Igbajo elite and other residents is not new because the Kiriji Memorial College had similarly been established in the early 1950s.

The ACN National Chairman said the singular move paved the way for fast development of education

among Igbajo residents, Osun North East and its environs as well as Nigeria.

He promised to contribute his quota to the development of the polytechnic, as requested by Pa Olajide Oyewole, who invited him to the event.

Information and Strategy Commissioner Sunday Akere said the Rauf Aregbesola administration has achieved much in education and other sectors for the social-economic development of the state.

Akere, who is an indigene of Igbajo, said the distribution of Opon Imo (The Table of Knowledge) to pupils who are about to write the West African Examination Council (WAEC), was a deliberate attempt to make room for improvement in the number that will pass

Seven missing, property destroyed as soldiers invade Benue community

· EVEN persons were yesterday declared missing while property worth thousands of naira were destroyed in Moon District, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, following the invasion of soldiers.

Dewua Mfaityo, a victim, said the attack was believed to have been targeted at Imande-Debam Market because the invasion happened at the height of commercial activities in the market.

The villager said five truck

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From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

the examination and move on well in their academics.

The commissioner also said the renewal of schools' infrastructure was another deliberate attempt to improve the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that pupils pay good attention to their studies.

According to him, the initiative would also ensure that pupils concentrate and come out in flying colours in their examinations.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Secretary in Osun State, Prince Gboyega Famodun, also an indigene, said Osun State had never witnessed massive infrastructural development as they have in the last two years.

The politician assured the residents of fair government patronage, including the possibility of locating a local government headquarters to the town when it is created by the Aregbesola administration.

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

loads of armed soldiers stormed the market and started brutalising the villagers.

Mfaityo said the villagers ran helter-skelter to escape the soldiers’ assault.

He said: “…When they finished from the market, they proceeded to people’s houses where they broke in and carted away whatsoever they

wanted and left.”

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said he identified a Colonel as the leader of the operation as well as a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and a Security Adviser.

A community leader, Abo Utah, said the residents complained about missing relatives. He wondered whether

they were taken away by the soldiers or went into hiding or had been killed.

Efforts to reach police spokesman were unsuccessful. His phone could not be reached at the time of filing this report last night.

Residents of Moon District recently petitioned the Nigeria Army over what they called “persistent acts of aggression and unprovoked attacks by soldiers”.

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NEWS for debt servicing Bankers’ Committee mulls lower N591.8b too high, says Ibru interest rates for businesses T •Urges Fed Govt to continue structural reform

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HE Bankers’ Committee has resolved to reduce interest rates to macro, small and medium enterprises in support of government’s efforts aimed at reducing social tension in the country.

The Managing Director, Diamond Bank, Alex Oti, stated this while addressing reporters at the Bankers’ Committee’s meeting and retreat in Abuja yesterday. He said the banks have “underscored the need to support these sectors of the economy for the simple reason that it will help in reducing social tension by generating a lot of employment and also by empowering a lot of people in the economy”.

He said the banks also discussed ways of reducing, interest rates to these sectors “which they believe are the life-wire of the economy.”

The Diamond Bank chief said discussions were on-going

From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor

on how the banks could make lending cheaper, or lower in the industry so that they could encourage enterprises to thrive and generate employment, reduce inflation, social tension and increase productivity in the economy. He added that these efforts were designed to support the real sector, the retail segment of the market and the macro and small industries.

Oti, who did not disclose how much credit would be extended to the sector, however, stressed that banks at the Bankers Committee’s retreat, came up with strategies to address the issue.

He said the banks were discussing and interfacing with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on how to implement the proposals. He assured that in a couple of weeks, the financial institutions

would come out with modalities on how would happen.

“As banks, we decide to give part of our profit back. We have taken a principled stand to focus on this area. It is more or less a moral suasion for the simple reason that banks are private institutions, you lend to where you think you will make the highest profit,” he said, adding that the banks have decided to vote a chunk of their lending to enterprises. “But we want to agree that these are the modalities under which we would work,” he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Citi Bank, Omar Hafis, said the committee has urged the Federal Government to continue with its structural reforms with specific details on power, oil and gas, privatisation and the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to their logical conclusion.

He said the measure would result in inflows from short term flows to long term Foreign Direct Investments (FDI).

He said is important, because flows into the country are in form of portfolios, which are in short term and head either to fixed income as bonds and Treasury Bills or to equities market.

The bankers, he noted, “agreed that these portfolio funds are important in their own capacity as they bring in substantial liquidity into the system and their exit can cause Foreign Exchange (FX) fluctuations.”

The structural reforms, the bankers argued, “will ensure that these money that come into the country are not just short term money or hot money, but rather are long term money that move towards FDI as opposed to portfolio flows.”

HE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( LCCI) has said the N591.8billion earmarked for debt servicing in the budget is too high, adding that it is affecting the economy negatively.

LCCI President, Goodie Ibru, who stated this yesterday at a media parley on assessment of the economy in the first quarter in Lagos, said the figure was equivalent to 36.5 per cent of the capital budget for 2013.

H e said: “ The cost of debt service is on the high side, in the 2013 budget; N591.8billion was earmarked for debt service. In 2012, the amount was N559.6billion.”

Ibru said out of the country’s public debt which stood at $48.5 billion, in December last year, domestic debts account for $41.97 billion (86.5 per cent), while foreign debts stood at $6.53 billion(13.5 per cent), which makes domestic debt posing a bigger challenge to the economy.

He said the figures by the Debt Management Office (DMO) do not capture the entire ramifications for the national debt. He noted that debts owed local contractors by ministries and agencies, which run into billions were not captured, adding that the contractors unpaid and the bonds issued by AMCON, which are over N4 trillion, is also not captured.

He said if these debts were brought into the picture, the true position of the public debt and its sustainability would be better appreciated.

Ibru said for the economy to develop, economic diversification is the panacea, as recent developments in the global economy underscores

By Toba Agboola and Ajose Sehindemi

the urgent need as the risk to sustainability of current levels of oil prices is real.

He said: “Demand side issues arising from recession in Europe, declining economic growth in Asia and America, and, more importantly, acceleration of energy independence programs in the advanced economies, especially the United States of America should be considered.”

He said the need to diversify the economy and rely less on crude oil was due to supply side issues, as many countries are discovering oil in commercial quantities, such as Ghana, Uganda, Cote D’Voire, Angola, Brazil and USA, which will lead to increase in supply of crude oil thereby putting a downward pressure on prices.

Ibru said the agricultural sector suffered declines, possibly as a result of the security situation, especially in the northern part of the country, adding that this was aggravated by the incidence of the flood experienced last year.

He said the chamber was concerned about the weak impact of the growth performance of the budget on the private sector.

“We are concerned about the weak impact of the growth performance on the private sector and the welfare of the Nigerians. Virtually all business segments lamented the harsh operating environment.

“The power situation deteriorated as we now have a relapse into a chronic power failure. The refineries are still underperforming; unemployment level is still high and cost of fund is still high,” Ibru lamented.

EU provides 26m euro for ECOWAS project •From left: Technical Director, African Foundries Limited, Mr Ravi Sharma; Chief Exective Officer, Mr Sanjay Kumar; and Executive Director, Corporate Affairs/Company Secretary, African Industries Group, Mr Uche Iwuamadi, during the press conference, at Ogijo in Ogun State ... yesterday.

PIB: Reps set for zonal public hearings

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HE House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is to start a zonal public hearing on the bill, its Chairman, Ishaka Mohammed Bawa, has said.

Bawa told reporters yesterday that the public hearings, billed to start on April 22, would hold in all the geo-political zones of the country.

The lawmaker said the bill is the life-wire of the country, because 90 per cent of its revenue come from oil. For this reason, he said, the public hearing is mandatory.

“We cannot sit in our office and decide for the country, that is why we are sending it out to the people for their input.

“Having interacted with the industry elites in Lagos, the Committee intends to take the process down to the grassroots so as to enhance consultations and broadbased participation.

“This is to be achieved through public hearings slated for the six geo-political zones, and are to be held

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

simultaneously on April 22 and 23, 2013. Lagos will host the Southwest public hearing, P/Harcourt for the Southsouth and Enugu for the Southeast. Kaduna is the centre for Northwest, llorin for Northcentral, while Gombe will host the Northeast.

“The public hearings will also provide ample opportunity for state governments, state legislatures and professional interest groups to par-

ticipate in the crafting of a Petroleum Industry Legislation that will hold something for everybody,” he said.

Bawa explained that the Abuja hearing is intended to provide the final opportunity for the Committee to collate the views of other stakeholders who might have been left out of the zonal hearings.

He said the public hearings will be capped by a three-day grand finale slated for Abuja.

At the conclusion of these hearings, the committee will move to the next stage of ex-

amining the Bill based on the views collated at the public hearings and distilled from the memoranda to be submitted to the committee, he said.

“You may note that this is an onerous task considering the voluminous nature of the Bill and that the Committee will have to examine it clauseby-clause, word-by-word, punctuation-by-punctuation,“ Bawa said, adding that the committee was not under any pressure from the international oil companies over the bill.

‘Nigeria, Canada to strengthen trade relations’

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O boost trade relations between Nigeria, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga yesterday said Nigeria would further strengthen its investment drive.

Speaking with State House Correspondents, Aganga said an investment forum had been scheduled for Toronto, Ontario in Canada next month.

According to him, there is a healthy business relations

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

between the two countries.

He said: “There are three things happening between Nigeria and Canada. One is the bi-national commission between the two countries, which is going to hold and which is going to be chaired at the Vice President’s level with the ministers who will look at it and implement it.

“The second big thing happening between Nigeria and

Canada is the investment forum which is going to take place between May and 4, 2013. The preparations and the business relationship between the two countries are going on extremely well.”

The Canadian government and its private sector, he said, have shown interest in doing business in the country while about 70 Nigerian firms have also expressed willingness to participate in the business forum in Canada.

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HE European Union (EU) has given 26million euro to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its free movement project.

The agreement on the deal was signed at the Ninth edition of the ECOWAS/Development Partners yearly coordination meeting in Abuja yesterday.

President of ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, signed for the Commission while Head of Delegation of the EU to Nigeria, Ambassador David Macrae, signed for EU. Macrae noted that the money is for the project aimed at maximising benefits from the free movement of persons within the African region.

The project’s specific objective is to improve free movement of persons and migration management in West Africa by supporting the effective implementation of the ECOWAS free movement of persons’ protocols and the ECOWAS common approach on migration.

With the signing of the agreement, EU ambassador noted that the three implementing agencies, the International Labour Organisation, International Organisation for Migration and International Centre for Migration Policy Development are ready to state their

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

work, which will be supervised by the ECOWAS Commission.

He also hoped that the project would strengthen relations between West African countries on one hand and between ECOWAS and the EC on the other.

He thanked the Commission for its partnership with the EU. He also added that EU seeks to support mobility between African countries, associated with a better management of borders. Stressing that an adequately managed, migration can be an important factor of regional economic integration and West Africa development.

In his remark, Ouedraogo said the financial support would contribute to maximising the development potential of the region.

“As you may wish to recall, free movement of persons remains the bedrock upon which the integration agenda is founded.

“For us to realise the dream of economic growth, regional development and integration, the community citizens’ rights of entry, residence and establishment must be fully guaranteed, and migration labour mobility must be effectively coordinated and managed,” he said.

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EXHIBITION

GESTURE

Farmers dazzle at agric feast

Al-Makura donates N10m to fire victims

Rivers

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Nasarawa

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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SECURITY

Army boosts anti-kidnapp ing war Anambra

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Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

Amosun’s wife trains widows

T •Mrs Amosun

HE wife of Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, has stepped up her efforts to reduce poverty through skill acquisition.

At a three-day workshop she organised, widows were taught how to make soap and body cream.

The workshop was facilitated

by Mrs Amosun’s Uplift Development Foundation.

Addressing participants at the programme held at her South-

west Resource Centre, OkeMosan office in Abeokuta, the governor’s wife described capacity building and empowerment programmes as germane to the effort of eradicating poverty and growing the nation.

She underscored the need for well-to-do members of the society to always spare a thought for the less-privileged, particularly widows, who might not have a reliable source of livelihood, hav-

ing lost their breadwinners.

She said the training programme was her modest contribution to the mission to rebuild the state and help put a smile on the faces of the participants, restore their hopes and give them a new lease of life to enable them “fish and become good fishermen”.

“My mission and goal is to support efforts of the state government in its mission to rebuild

Ogun State and uplift the lives of needy widows who do not have anybody to help them. It is expected that at the end of this training programme, we would have helped in increasing small- and medium-scale entrepreneurship both at the urban and grassroot areas of the state,” Mrs. Amosun said.

While enjoining them to take advantage of the training to be self-sufficient and independent, she disclosed that at the end of the three-day programme, participants would •Continued on Page 45

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OY is in the air in Iseyin, a town in the northern part of Oyo State. The traditional ruler, chiefs and residents have been celebrating the transformation of their community.

Their most important road, Oyo-Okeho Road, which runs through the community, is being reconstructed and converted to a dual-carriageway by the Abiola Ajimobi administration.

The work is progressing at a fast pace, triggering joy among the locals. They are particularly excited that the town, which is centrally located between Ibadan and Oke-Ogun as well as Ibarapa areas of the state, is witnessing a major developmental project for the first time in decades.

A total of 6.53 kilometres of the road is being reconstructed and dualised, as many reckon that it will boost the economy of the area. The length of the town is covered by the road construction, starting from IbadanOyo Junction and terminating at Oke-ho Junction at the outskirt of the town.

The construction work, which commenced in November last year, is due for completion in May next year.

The road was in total disrepair for decades. But the Oyo State government has taken a bold step to reconstruct and dualise the road.

When The Nation visited the town, the traditional ruler, Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdulganiy Salau, and his chiefs lauded Ajimobi for the project, saying it was gladdening that the town was remembered during his tenure.

“We are not politicians. But this is a very laudable project. It is a project this entire town will not forget. It is clear that the road construction will greatly improve the economy of our people. We are happy; we are grateful to Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his team,” the monarch said.

Oba Salau said that the entire town has no problems with the “little demolition” being carried out to achieve the widen-

•The road

Ajimobi transforms community Iseyin gets dual-carriageway Traditional ruler, residents hail governor From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

ing of the road. He affirmed that all owners of the houses are happy, adding that they all appreciate the fact that it was a developmental project that would bring benefits to all residents. He emphasised that it was more gladdening that government had begun enumeration of those affected so that they could receive their compensation with ease.

The Principal Resident Engineer, Ministry of Works and Transport, Mr. Razaq Olayiwola, who is supervising the project, explained that the construction would take a long time because it is a township road, necessitating relocation of utilities including telephone, electricity and water facilities already laid on the old road.

He gave the data of the road as 26.3 meters wide with one meter by one meter reinforced concrete

drainages on both sides.

The Project Manager of the construction firm, Mr. Bradley Viglino described residents as “good and warm”, adding that they are helpful. He said they are helping and cooperating particularly during demolition. He said the road will last for a minimum of 20 years before any major reconstruction can be done on it.

The Vice Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport •Continued on Page 48

•Governor Ajimobi

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792 houses for Kano flood victims

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•Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (second right); wife of the governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola (right) and Mr Tunji Braithwaite and his wife at the funeral service of Mrs Rosetta Adebisi Braithwaite, at St Pauls Church, Breadfruit, Lagos at the weekend.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

Plateau urges private participation in tourism T

HE General Manager, Plateau Tourism Corporation, Mr Michael Pam, has called for more private investments in the tourism sector.

Pam, who briefed journalists in Jos, said that tourism business was a huge revenue earner.

He added that it was only in Africa that the sector was left solely in the hands of government.

“In the western world, private individuals invest handsomely in the sector, especially the running of museums. This is because they value its contributions to the links between the young and old generations.

“There is a war museum in Enugu and Umuahia, for instance, which should be tourist sites for the military, but nobody is ready to invest in keeping it functional. Not even the military itself.

“Here in Plateau State, we have a lot of tourist attractions, but because we are waiting for government, nobody wants to invest in the sector,’’ Pam said.

According to him, an old residency museum situated in Calabar where the colonial masters lived during their rule in Nigeria has been

Plateau

abandoned because everybody is waiting for government to develop it.

He explained that museums and other tourist sites were saddled with the onus of preserving old traditions and culture, adding that they were also recreational centres where people could relax after a hectic day’s work.

“I know Africans; particularly Nigerians appreciate their culture and tradition so much.

So, we believe it is good to visit museums to take a view of our rich cultural heritage.

“All work without play makes Jack a dull boy. People need to relax after a stressful working day or week.’’

He said Plateau State was blessed in all segments of tourist attractions.

Pam urged Nigerians to take advantage of the endowment that nature bestowed on the state and invest heavily in the sector to improve its economic potential and and that of the country.

‘We’re committed to welfare’

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HAIRMAN of Iba Local Council Development Area, Lagos State, Hon. Princess Ramota Adedayo Adeyeri– Oseni has reiterated her administration’s committment to the people’s welfare.

She said the council’s leadership will step up its infrastructural upgrade as well as ensure that residents have improved healthcare this year.

Adeyeri-Oseni added that pupils will also enjoy better educational facilities.

She was speaking at the presentation of the 2013 Appropriation Bill to the legislative arm of the council at Iba, its headquarters.

The council chief said the Bill, tagged “Budget of Rehabilitation,” focuses on socioeconomic development.

Adeyeri-Oseni promised to provide more infrastructural facilities for the people and

ANO State government is to construct 792 houses under the second phase of its assistance to flood victims in three local government areas.

Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso stated this at the launch of the construction of the houses held at Government House, Kano.

The three local government areas selected for the project are Warawa, Kunchi and Makoda.

Kwankwaso said that under the first phase of the project, the government had constructed 366 houses in the three local government areas of the state.

The governor further said that out of these houses, 148 were constructed in Warawa, 122 in Kunchi while the remaining 96 houses were sited in Makoda Local Government Area.

He said the state government had decided to construct the houses for the victims free in order to cushion the effects of their suffering.

According to Kwankwaso, each of the twobed room houses will cost the state government N800,000.

He also disclosed that the state government had so far spent N243.2 million on the project,

By Emmanuel Udodinma

leave a lasting legacy.

Her administration proposed a budget sum of N2, 387,000,000, with which it aims to improve the people’s welfare through infrastructure and enhanced education and healthcare services.

The council chief said that an additional Area Office has been created in Iba to complement the two existing ones in Mebamu and Okoko in revenue generation.

“It is the hope and wish of this administration to uplift the living standard of our people by upgrading and rehabilitating some roads, construction of drainage and culverts, provision of educational as well as health facilities while also taking into consideration adequate and conducive sanitation of the environment,” Adeyeri–Oseni said.

••Hon Adeyeri-Oseni (left) presenting the budget proposal to the Leader of the House, Hon Olohunkemi Ismaila

• From left: Chairman, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, Hon Kemi Semiu Surakat, ViceChairman, Hon Dapo Salami; Secretary, Local Education Development Association (LEDA) Prince Edalere and Mr Arashi E. Ashiru at the distribution of desktop computer machines to schools at the council secretariat.

Cleric urges Christ-like behaviour HE General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, Pastor Lazarus Muoka has urged Christians to recognise their position in Christ as doers of the word. He also said that they should equally be aware of the reason why Jesus Christ came, suffered and died. The recognition of these facts would make them live a fulfilled Christian life.

Ministering at a two-day crusade with the theme: He came that We Might be Blessed,” at Chosen Revival Ground, Ijesha, Lagos, Pastor lazarus challenged Christians to live right according to the words of God so that their lives will be shining example to others. He said Christians are called to practise the commandment of God so that the death of Jesus will not be in vain.

The two-day Great Easter Crusade aimed at empowering Christians with the promises of God. The first day of the programme was a deliverance service and ministration of songs from the church’s choir while the last day was devoted to testimonies from people.

The cleric called on Christians to acknowledge the influence of the spirit of God upon their lives, noting that Christians need not struggle or complain like unbelievers but just believe and pray because words of God remain a guiding light to keep them away from dangerous circumstances in life.

He advised believers against get-rich-quick syndrome but to engage in legitimate endeavours that will edify the body of Christ.

He warned pastors to desist from collecting what he called “blood money” from members but to preach the undiluted word of truth that would make members turn to God. Pastor Muoka urged Christians to grow their faith in God, saying that the presence of God in the heart of man is central to solving life’s prob-

T

Al-makura donates N10m to fire victims T

Kano in addition to providing relief materials for the victims. ‘’All we need from you is to give the state government the necessary cooperation to achieve the desired objective’’, Kwankwaso said.

In her remark, the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafiya commended the state government for initiating the project which, she said, was the first of its kind.

She said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure adequate provision of modern stoves to check indiscriminate felling of trees for use as firewood. ‘’The provision of modern stoves would provide alternative for the use of firewood and this will also check desertification,” she added.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi said the agency had met with various stakeholders with a view to sensitising them on how to prevent flood disaster in the country.

He re-affirmed the readiness of the agency to partner with the Kano State government on disaster prevention and management.

Sidi commended Kwankwaso for taking the bold steps to relocate the flood victims in the areas to safer places.

NAN reports that the three selected local government areas for the project were the worst hit during the last year’s flood disaster.

lems. He said: “Life is not all about struggle but the gift of God. Increase in crime, cultism, killing and all manner of insecurity in the society are due to lack of obedience to the word of God and living in the flesh. The solution is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Many that attended the programme gave great testimonies of what God did for them. For instance, God broke the yoke of 15 years barberries and restored many broken marriages. Frequent passing of urine was healed and people with ulcer ailment had cause to smile. People that were formerly jobless came to thank God for providing employment for them, the same for many that came on wheel chairs but received their healing.

•Governor Kwankwaso

HE Nasarawa State governor, Alhaji Umaru Al-makura, has donated N10 million to victims of the recent fire at Karu Orange Market in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area.

Al-makura announced the donation when he visited the area to inspect the ongoing construction of Mararaba-Gitata-Panda Road as well as the damage done by the fire.

‘The state government was deeply touched by the plight of the victims and shared in the feelings of those who lost their belongings in the recent fire outbreak that affected the market,” the governor said.

He said that the donation would cushion the hardship which the affected traders experienced. He assured them that they would be considered for allocation of shops when the Karu International Market was completed.

The governor also sympathised with trad-

Jigawa gets 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser T HE Jigawa State government said it has awarded contract for the procurement of 6,000 tonnes of assorted fertilisers for distribution to farmers for the 2013 cropping season.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture,Alhaji Rabiu Isa, who stated this to newsmen in Dutse, said that the contract for the supply of the commodity had been awarded to three indigenous firms.

He said that under the contract agreement, some 3,000 tonnes of NPK; 2,000 tonnes of Urea and 1,000 tonnes of organic brand of fertilisers would be supplied to the state, respectively.

Isa explained that 3,000 tonnes of the commodity would be supplied by Assab Standard while Masalaha Seeds and one other firm would supply the remaining 3,000 tonnes.

The commissioner said that about 14 supplying companies had participated in the bidding exercise conducted in March.

Isa said the state government had made adequate provisions in the 2013 budget to facilitate procurement and distribution of the commodity.

“We applied due process principles in the award of the contract.

“I call on contracting companies to ensure delivery of the commodity to enable the government achieve its objective of providing farmers with fertilisers and other inputs on time”.

Isa said the state government also distributed 6,000 tonnes of fertilisers to farmers during the 2012 farming season.

He noted that the measure was to comple-

Jigawa

ment the Federal Government’s effort at enhancing access to the commodity.

The commissioner said that practical measures had been put in place to ensure availability of fertilisers, seeds and other inputs.

He said the measures were to enhance farmers’ education and support programmes.

Nasarawa

ers and residents of Mararaba and other areas of Karu Local Government Area over the losses they incurred as a result of the demolition of structures in the area.

He said that government was deeply touched by the plight of the people but explained that the demolition was not meant to cause them hardship but to ensure sanity in the area.

The governor commended the contractor handling the road project for carrying out the work according to specification.

Al-Makura said that the state government was committed to ensuring that the project was completed together with the urbanisation of Karu area.

Earlier, the chairman of the Traders’ Association in Karu, Mr Baba Ali, commended the

A

DESPITE the harsh operating environment and stiff competition among insurance companies, the Nigeria Liability Insurance Pool said it has faired well.

Speaking on the growth of the firm during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, Chairman of the company, Mr. Richard Borokini, explained that the company had experienced steady growth since its inception in 2010.

Since its emergence in January 2010, the Pool had continued to experience steady growth in the areas of core operations as well as continually maintaining cordial relationship with its members. In spite of the challenges of the operating environment and with the fact that the p ool had operated for just two years, it recorded a Gross Premium Income of N858.148million with Net Premium of N799.654 million.

By Risikat Ramoni

“the more you compete, the better for you.

The more you read and memorise the Qur’an as well as take part in such competitions, the more you excel in your course of study.”

In his remarks, chairman of Oto Awori Local Council Development Area, Hon. Bolaji Kayode advised the students to “believe and build confidence in yourself. If you win in any competition, give glory to Allah and if you lose, don’t despair, rather, work hard because of another time.”

After the competition, Islaudeen Arabic School in Iwo emerged winner while Allahu Moyi College, Isolo and Toyibat Comprehensive College, Gbagada took the second and third positions respectively.

•Al-Makura governor for assisting the traders.

Ali pledged the support of the association to government in its efforts to develop the state.

Lawmaker empowers constituents

BOUT 500 people smiled home a fortnight ago, when they received sums of money from the House of Representatives member, Hon. Rafeequat Onabamiro to start their own personal businesses.

Mrs. Onabamiro who represents the Badagry Federal Constituency, said the ges-

By Musa Odoshimokhe

ture was to take the youths and other people off the street. She noted that if the money was judiciously used the beneficiaries will in due course open avenues for others.

The people who gathered at the Town Hall Quarterly Dialogue and Economic Empowerment meeting, were urged to think big and start small. She explained that though some of them received money not as large as they expected yet asked them to apply wisdom in the usage of the money.

Recalling what she had done in the past to enhance the standard of living of the people, she said: “I have been in touch with the people, I bought buses for them to enhance their lives, these they have been using for commercial transportation.

“We have equally built markets which the people have been using; I have no doubt that these have equally enhanced their standards.

The volume of commercial activities in the markets has definitely increased and the people have taken advantage of that.”

While appealing to those who are yet to benefit from the gesture to exercise patience, Onabamiro expressed the hope that most people in the Badagry Constituency would be carried along in her constituency projects.

“I want to appeal to those who have not benefited from what we have given out so far to please bear with us, in due course, many people will benefit from it.”

She explained that plans were underway to provide some amenities to the people which would make significant impact. “There are plans to provide transformers, boreholes and other social needs.

“I have been trying my best to ensure that Badagry gets its fair shares in national distribution of resources, by the same token, I must say what we have given out to the people today have gulped about N14 million.”

C

Firm holds meeting

Foundation organises competition for students T HE 13th annual Islamic quiz/Quran competition has held at Immaculate Heart Comprehensive High School, Maryland with over 18 schools in attendance.

The President of the foundation, Alhaja Idaya Bola Muse said that “the competition was organised by Bomarah Foundation to encourage children to improve their knowledge in Islamic past and present issues and mastery of the Qur’an.”

She stressed that the competition was meant to test the students’ skills and make them study harder.

In his speech, the chairman of the occasion, and former Minister of Sports, Pof. Taoheed Adedoja commended the organisers for their contribution to the development of education in the country.

He urged the students to study hard and participate in more competitions, adding that,

47

•From left: Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Onabamiro and Wawu of Badagry, Tajudeen Ayipe at the event.

‘We are committed to safety’

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HAIRMAN, Ikeja Local Government Area, Hon Wale Odunlami has said that his administration is committed to the safety and security of lives and property in the area.

He stated this while receiving the Director-General of Lagos State Safety Commission, Mrs Dominga Odebunmi, during the commission’s safety campaign visit to the council’s secretariat.

He stressed that the issue of peace and security should always remain crucial and of primary importance to any responsible government because, this will help reduce loss of lives and property and engender unity and progress in such area.

Earlier in her speech, Mrs Odebunmi emphasised the need for safety in every aspect of life, governance and interaction among individuals. She stressed that safety and security promote life and sustain existing infrastructure.

She also said that the Lagos State government is fully prepared to respond to every emergency case in order to accord the residents full benefits of good governance.

The visit was rounded off with enlightenment campaign on safety which involved the Community Development Associations, women groups, market and

By Duro Babayemi

youth associations and other stakeholders in the council.

•Hon Odunlami flanked by Mrs Dominga Odebunmi (right) and a woman leader in the council, Mrs Iwashokun

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APIRL 10, 2013

19

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Flying blind

“

• Government bailouts for the airline industry are not the answer

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OR a Federal Government that has ceaselessly preached the gospel of deregulation, it is surprising that the policy of providing bailouts for the ailing real sector of the economy is an unquestionable article of faith. The latest manifestation of this contradictory thinking can be seen in the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend soft loans to the country’s troubled airlines.

The CBN measure is apparently aimed at ensuring that Nigeria’s airspace is operated by indigenous airlines which can offer efficient and cost-effective services on a par with global best standards. While those intentions may be honourable, recent experience has shown that it is not an effective strategy.

The soft loans being contemplated by the bank are just the latest in a host of interventions aimed at the beleaguered aviation sector. In 2010, Nigerian airlines were beneficiaries of the N500billion bailout fund approved for the manufacturing sector in response to the cash crunch emanating from the global financial crisis of 2008. In 2012, N300billion was given to airlines to refinance their debts to banks. Late last year, the Federal Government announced that it would purchase 30 aircraft to be distributed to local airlines to be paid for in instalments.

Such sustained interest in the well-being of the aviation sector is not misplaced.

The tragic air disasters of the recent past are a sobering reminder of the unacceptable consequences of mismanagement, corner-cutting and infrastructural inadequacies. However, the desire to reposition the airline industry does not mean that money should simply be thrown at perceived problems. It is strange that no

attempt has been made to find out why previous bailouts failed so spectacularly to achieve the intended effects. Some airlines took bailout money and promptly went under; others used the money for purposes other than what it was meant for. Nor has there been any efforts to apprehend and sanction those who misused bailout funds meant for their companies.

To make matters worse, the underlying problems facing the airline industry are as formidable as ever. Vital inputs like aviation fuel, spare parts for aircraft, landing, parking and maintenance charges remain very high. Regulatory oversight is bedevilled with unanswered accusations of corruption, nepotism and inefficiency.

A series of strikes has shown that labour relations in many airline companies are not conducive to operational efficiency.

If the Federal Government is sincere about its desire to help the aviation sector to overcome its problems, it must focus less on dubiously distributing money and more on tackling the roots of the crisis.

Greater effort must be made to reduce the operating costs of indigenous airlines which rank among the highest in Africa.

Instead of continual bailouts, the strategy should be to create an enabling environment in which the airlines can thrive. For example, reducing tariffs on imported spare parts, lowering airport fees and charges, and establishing special longterm, low-interest loan facilities in banks would help to make the airline business more profitable and more sustainable in the long run.

The bailout policy has not succeeded in the other sectors of the Nigerian economy where it has been tried. It has not done

much to resuscitate the comatose textile industry. The trillions poured into the banking crisis have achieved negligible results; an additional N500 billion bailout for banks was stopped by the House of Representatives in 2011. Indeed, far from representing a viable direction in economic policy, bailouts have apparently become the new system for funnelling huge amounts from government to private pockets, especially given the fact that there appears to be no desire to investigate how such funds were spent.

It is time for the Federal Government to realise that the bailout strategy can only function effectively as part of a comprehensive programme of reform which must be implemented with honesty, diligence and efficiency.

‘If the Federal Government is sincere about its desire to help the aviation sector to overcome its problems, it must focus less on dubiously distributing money and more on tackling the roots of the crisis. Greater effort must be made to reduce the operating costs of indigenous airlines which rank among the highest in Africa. Instead of continual bailouts, the strategy should be to create an enabling environment in which the airlines can thrive’

Soldiers of love Mass wedding shows that not violence alone but also love thrive in barracks

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EFORE God and man, at the St Peter’s Military Church (Anglican) 25 soldiers tied the nuptial knots in a special mass at the Nigerian Army 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Anambra State on Easter Monday. As a matter of fact, they must be having their honeymoon now. So, what’s the big deal about soldiers wedding? As journalists say, when dog bites man, it’s no news; but when man bites dog, then that is news!

In other words, there is nothing special about soldiers getting married. As a matter of fact, there is nothing spectacular about mass wedding. It is commonplace,

‘We admonish the newly married soldiers to let the new life pass through them and not just to pass through it. The new sense of responsibility should reflect in all they do; officially and in their private life. Since they have voted to live responsibly, which is what they have done by deciding to marry, they should make use of the pieces of advice that they got during their wedding. But beyond this, the marriage would help the army to easily sort out the issue of the soldiers’ next-ofkin’

especially in the Pentecostal churches, and the idea is basically to save cost and not necessarily make wedding cost centres. Indeed, mass wedding now cuts across religions, with the Kano State government marrying off 100 widows and divorced women in a mass wedding held in the Emir’s palace in May, last year.

What is novel in the Onitsha soldiers’ wedding is that it was the first time soldiers would be doing such mass wedding in the country. As the Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment, Col Taritimaya Gagariga noted in a goodwill message to the ceremony, “It is a thing of great joy for me to see 25 soldiers getting married at the same time. I am overwhelmed with joy that soldiers under my command will want to live responsible family lives.’’

He was not alone; there was great joy in the cantonment, with the soldiers’ colleagues savouring every moment of the occasion. The mammoth crowd of relatives, friends and well wishers of the new couples who came from different parts of the country to witness the ceremony also shared in the ecstasy. It was indeed a sight to behold, with the couples looking resplendent in their wedding dresses.

We congratulate the newlyweds and wish them a happy and prosperous married life. By their decision, they have put a romantic face to a military institution that is usually associated with war and blood. What the action shows is that sol-

diers are also human; they are capable of feelings and emotions like any other human being; the difference is in their stern posture which is a reflection of their orientation and training.

We admonish the newly married soldiers to let the new life pass through them and not just to pass through it. The new sense of responsibility should reflect in all they do; officially and in their private life. Since they have voted to live responsibly, which is what they have done by deciding to marry, they should make use of the pieces of advice that they got during their wedding.

But beyond this, the marriage would help the army to easily sort out the issue of the soldiers’ next-of-kin. This has always posed a problem to the military authorities when the untoward happens and they have to pay compensation to the victims’ families. At least Col Gagariga too said that much.

We want to see more of this type of wedding, particularly in the military.

Soldiers who are single and are scared of marrying because they see wedding as a project over which they must spend fortunes can now see that times are changing.

One of the couples, Sgt and Mrs. Chindo Larai, who spoke on behalf of the others thanked God for giving them the opportunity to be united in love through wedding and promised to use the new status given to them to make a better society. So help them God.

Margaret Thatcher: In every sense a leader

U

NLESS we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant memory of an offshore

island, lost in the mists of time like Camelot, remembered kindly for its noble past.” Margaret Thatcher, never given to understatement, presented that grim vision for Britain in 1979, the year she became prime minister.

Then, for the next 11 ½ years — almost as long as three U.S. presidential terms — she worked with fierce determination and unrelenting stubbornness to dispel it. By the time she left office, reluctantly, in 1990, there was not much talk anymore of Britain’s inexorable decline. Lady Thatcher had changed not only her country’s direction but also its standing in the world. She continued to be passionately detested by some and admired and respected by others long after she left office, and her record will be debated for decades, or centuries. What is hardly debatable is the proposition that she was, in every sense of the word, a leader.

Margaret Thatcher was a new kind of Conservative in British politics, a true-believing, Friedrich von Hayek-quoting enemy of what she saw as the excesses of the welfare state, of the unions that seemed to run it and of the mass of socialist encrustations that had formed on the Labor Party’s left wing in the years after World War II. She thought that statism was crushing the nation’s economy, destroying the morale of its people and rapidly diminishing its standing in the world. Apparently a good many Britons agreed with her, though not necessarily with her fervent embrace of the total conservative ideology. The country was ready for a break with the postwar past, and Mrs. Thatcher’s party had the good sense to see in her the forcefulness, conviction and eloquence that could bring it off.

Mrs. Thatcher’s great domestic battles as prime minister were waged against the institutional left and its supporters among the British intelligentsia, which meant of course that they were extremely entertaining. They were fought on the same issue that divides Europeans to this day: When does the people’s demand for security become so all-consuming that it overtaxes the economy, saps initiative and buries the state under a mountain of debt? She worked for deregulation, privatization of state enterprises, tax changes and other domestic reforms she felt were desperately needed, many of which worked real hardship on the country’s poor, at least in the short term.

But outside Britain she will be remembered primarily as a world figure. She strengthened Britain’s ties with the United States, bolstered its military, supported placement of intermediate-range missiles in Europe (an extremely controversial move at the time) and spoke out with undiplomatic boldness when she took offense at some countries’ actions. She saw a great divide between freedom and the various forms of tyranny in the world, and she made it clear, always, which side she was on. She voiced harsh criticism of the the Soviet Union, but then also, like her good friend Ronald Reagan, moved to engage its new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.

She made her name in the world a few years into her first term, when the military government in Argentina sought to whip up popular support by invading the nearby Falkland Islands. It was a largely unpopulated place, but those who did inhabit it had no desire to live under the Argentine regime of the time, and Mrs. Thatcher had no intention of letting the invasion stand.

Against the advice of many, she ordered a military invasion of the Falklands and retook the islands. Eight years later, after another act of aggression in another part of the word, she reinforced President George H. W. Bush’s resolve to drive Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait.

Mrs. Thatcher, who was raised in the family apartment over her father’s grocery store in Lincolnshire, and who thought that everyday upbringing an ideal preparation for political life, officially became a “lady” (a baroness) after she left office. She was pushed out by divisions within her party on several issues, the most important being the rapid pace of European integration, of which she was skeptical. For some years afterward, she continued to write, speak and agitate. The first woman to serve as Britain’s prime minister, she held the post longer than anyone else in the 20th century, and she might have held it even longer had she been a bit more flexible. But then of course she wouldn’t have been Maggie Thatcher.

“I can’t bear Britain in decline, I just can’t,’ she said in an interview shortly before her election as prime minister 32 years ago. She did what she thought necessary to stop that decline, and she didn’t really seem to have much worry about what anyone else thought of it. Her toughness in negotiation exasperated and even enraged adversaries. “I’m extraordinarily patient,” she once told an interviewer, “provided I get my own way in the end.”

– Washington Post

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile •Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon •Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina •Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) Yomi Odunuga •Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu •Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APIRL 10, 2013

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: If there is any thing the President Goodluck Jonathanled administration has gained popularity for since inception, it is its penchant for administrative inconsistency and policy somersaults.

It would appear, with a very strong suspicion, that his administration may have abandoned the much touted “NV20: 2020”. The ground for this assumption is not far-fetched.

Minister of National Planning, Usman Shamsudeen, had told the State House correspondent after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting last week, that the government target (of Vision 2020) was to make the nation one of the top economies “by size of Gross Domestic Product” and not among the best economies in the world, as most Nigerians have come to believe.

To be sure, the so-called “Nigeria Vision20: 2020” (NV20: 2020) is an economic blue-print of the Federal Government targeted at “launching

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net

Shamsudeen’s pontification on Vision 2020 the country onto a path of sustained and socio-economic development”.

The document itself is more explicit on this as it captures its goal in the following words: “... an expression of Nigeria’s intent to improve the living standards of her citizens and place the country the Top 20 economies in the world with a maximum GDP of $900 billion and a capita income of $4000 per annum”. It is mischievous for Dr Shamsudeen to have said that the plan was never targeted at making the country’s economy the best among the world: for to say

so now clearly means that Nigerians had been deceived ab nitio by the government.

It is even more amusing and disturbing for the minister to say that the target was the size of the country’s GDP and not the economy itself. What, perhaps, the government does not understand is that the GDP of any country and its economy are like Siamese Twins: the two cannot be separated from each other. As a matter of fact, the GDP has become a globally acceptable tool of measuring a country’s economy. The argu-

ment by the minister, that the country’s GDP would grow in size while the economy still remains in the bottom list of world’s best economies cannot be sustained by any stretch of proposition. The reason for this is simple: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the market value of all the officially recognised final goods and service produced within a country in a given period of time, and usually the healthiness or otherwise of any economy, is largely determined by its GDP. Therefore, it is just as unimaginable as it is unacceptable

When violence pays

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IR: From the very beginning, the Nigerian state has suffered violence and the violent have often had his way. Our leadership positions have mostly been occupied by the strong but not necessarily the competent. There have been coups and counter coups in which one strong man deposed another. Even in the present democratic dispensation, many who emerge as leaders are those who were only able to out-muscle or out-rig others during elections. Some persons have remained relevant in the polity for no other reason than the number of thugs in their employ and thus the magnitude of violence they could wrought.

Decades of gross injustice forced Niger Delta youths to take up arms against the state. When government could not crush them, it resorted to amnesty. The amnesty program has been hailed a political masterstroke.

However, a major fallout of that episode is the notion it spread that violence is not only the most viable means of pursuing one’s objectives but also the only language government understands.

Presently the greatest security challenge facing the country comes from the Boko Haram Islamic sect. While their aim still remains ambiguous, there is no gainsaying the fact that they have committed heinous crimes against both the state and individu-

als in its pursuit. The question has remained how to tackle them and in this regard some have suggested amnesty as a means of containing or better still appeasing them. It seems government has made up its mind to adopt this approach. I wonder what will happen if every aggrieved citizen resorts to violence. Already there exists the notion that if one could be able to engage the government in a violent face-off long enough, he will eventually wring out

concessions for himself. Presently, many are not into violence not because of their respect or love for the rule of law but either because they are yet to pluck up enough courage or have access to the necessary hardware. Government must be wary of the consequences of emboldening the ‘cowards’.

When citizens begin to see violence as the most viable means to obtain their desires or achieve their aims then a terrible cataclysm is not

far off. The existence of a government presumes that members of a society have agreed to relinquish their right to use of force to the state in exchange for protection and preservation of their lives, properties and interests. If they, however, start retrieving this right, then the society is definitely heading back to a state of nature. Let us search for the black goat while it is still day.

• Nnoli Chidiebere Aba, Abia State.

to hold that the GDP of a country would grow in size without the corresponding effect on its economy. At best, such scenario could be described as a voodoo economy. To accept Dr Shamsudeen’s theory is to accept the usual Nigeria governments dubious claims of a booming economy amidst hunger, unemployment and decrease in the well-being of the citizens.

Rather than make such a deceitful claim, it would have been more appropriate and acceptable if the minister had admitted that the blueprint was no longer realisable given the present circumstance. It suffices to state that any discernible mind would have known long ago that the so-called Vision 2020 lacks vision itself and therefore not feasible- at least, not with the continuous pilfering of our collective wealth by those in power, high rate of unemployment, epileptic power supply, dearth of competent leadership amongst other disturbing indices.

It is practically impossible to see how such an economic blueprint would succeed where our national budget continues to give priority to recurrent expenditures at the total neglect of capital spendings.

The minister should also know that Nigerians have overgrown such dubious economic proposition he wants to force down on us. He should better gear his energy at working out better and more feasible economic plans that would take the country out of the its present wood.

• Barrister Okoro Gabriel, Lagos

A note before the amnesty

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IR: Following pressures from some Nigerians, the federal government has constituted a committee for Boko Haram amnesty. I am concerned about which Boko Haram the amnesty is meant for. The President has made two contradictory statements on Boko Haram. First, he said that some are in his government. Secondly, he referred to them as faceless or invincible. Now if actually they are part of his government, then amnesty is not necessary since they already enjoy financial and other benefits. And if they are faceless and invincible like the President said, then also amnesty is not necessary.

This is because you cannot give amnesty to an invincible/faceless group. Except those proponents of

amnesty can identify them, otherwise this might become another “Nigerian Project” (conduit pipe for steeling public money).

Since the President has gone ahead to constitute a Boko Haram amnesty committee, then fairness and equity demands that he should also constitute Compensation Committee to pay the victims and surviving family members of those attacked/killed/displaced by the Boko Haram. However, to achieve a balance, this proposed committee should also pay the innocent victims and surviving family members of those attacked/killed/displaced by the MEND etc. A look at the money spent so far on amnesty to, and rehabilitation of MEND members, would give an idea on how much

that could also be spent on Boko Haram. I understand that no amount of compensation can replace loved ones etc, but it’s also their right to demand compensation, after all, the primary responsibilities of every government is security and welfare.

Failing in these duties, means that the federal government should accept some responsibilities.

Both the American and United Kingdom governments paid compensation to the victims of terrorists’ attacks of 9/11 and 7/7. I suggest that innocent families of those attacked/killed/displaced by both MEND and Boko Haram institute a class action against the federal government. This brings to mind the request for N495 million compensation made by the Kano

luxury bus operators to the federal government for the loss of nine buses during the March 18 bomb blasts. The step by luxury bus operator(s) is a positive step; it is what others should do. They should consider legal action if the federal government fails.

Having accepted amnesty for MEND and Boko Haram, which goes with high monetary inducements, the federal government should be prepared to start negotiations with other groups or new ones that might spring up. After all, what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

• Chinedu Vincent Akuta United Kingdom

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APIRL 10, 2013

COMMENTS

Cutting MDAs; UNESCO’s 26%; ‘Amnesty’ for amputees? FRSC: the new police?

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TREAMLINING M i n i s t r i e s Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is welcome if money saved improves infrastructure in education, health, Tony security and power. To Marinho free its citizens from the financial demon of electricity power insufficiency and failure, Nigeria urgently needs 100,000Mw. We should meet UNESCO’s 26% of budget invested in education infrastructure. The MDA cuts needs similar cuts in obscene political ‘Salaries and Perks’ which are ‘SAPping’ Nigeria dry. How about part-time legislators?

Amnesty is not just amnesty pay-outs to retired bombers.

How about ‘Amnesty for Amputees’ with pay-outs for all bomb victims? Amnesty strategies should go with compensation and care for amputees and other victims.

The North under-developed the South through federal manipulation and forgot to develop itself to catch up with the stunted South. Where is that money? If Ibori and Alams had billions what did other governors have? There are few saints, military or civilian, North or South of the Rivers Niger and Benue. Happily the North embraces the train after killing it for 30 years of road transport. Kano announced a 4-year Chinese construction of intra-city monorail. This will be a near-replica of Lagos State’s ‘Jakande-rail’ truncated by Buhari/Babangida at a cost of $183m for breach of contract 30 years ago. Forgive me if I do not clap for ‘progressive’ Kano. Better get Buhari’s permission. But perhaps being Kano, you do not need it, abi?

Congratulations to government for the Ore-Benin road.

Friends said they ‘did the road in an hour instead of the 5-24 hours last year’. Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Works, can take off her orange overalls and stop weeping on NTA. However with good roads come responsibility to drive safely, conscious of one’s cargo, passengers and other road users. The loss of between 45-80 precious Nigerian lives is a blood-stained testimony to the need for less haste and more speed control. Unmindful of tyres, obstacles or state of

I

T came like a bolt from the blue.

That is how best I could describe the news of the Federal Government’s apparent resolve to scrap some of its agencies, which made headlines last week. The government is believed to have made up its mind to scrap the agencies in line with the white paper submitted by a committee set up last year to study the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.

In April 2011, the Oronsaye-led committee had recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, the merger of 52 and the reversion of 14 departments in the ministries, from which they were initially carved out. This move, the committee suggested, would save the nation more than N862 billion between 2012 and 2015.

In addition, the committee said the recommendations were aimed at helping the government to effect a drastic reduction in the size of its bloated bureaucracy, eliminate duplication of functions and lower the cost of governance.

Among the agencies which have now been placed under the government’s potential sledgehammer are the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), National Examination Council (NECO), Public Complaints Commission, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, among others. Nigerians seem to be focusing more attention on the fate that awaits NECO and UTME. It is expected that with the scrapping of the UTME, individual universities in the country would henceforth conduct their own admission examinations and admit students. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, will only set standards and ensure compliance as it will now act

mind of the driver, high speed kills worldwide and inflammable cargo like petrol is begging to ignite. I have always dreaded passing through Ogere during those endless stand-till go-slows. How many of the thousands of us stuck there would be burnt in a holocaust if 1 or 1000 of those tankers had caught fire or been maliciously ignited to coverup a petrol theft? Such a conflagration, funeral pyre, would have been seen by the cosmonauts in space just as the Ogere go-slow is a talking-point for pilots on the Lagos-Abuja and Lagos-London air route! The FRSC struggled for 30 years with Ogere before December. Can NISER calculate the cost of ‘Ogere Traffic Mismanagement’ in financial losses and the trillions of man-hours? It is only when, in two minutes, you drive through a nightmare like Ogere or a deadly pothole, where you spent countless hours of misery during 30 years, that you look back in anger at those who refused to make the road passable for 30 years. So as we clap today, we remember the suffering and death we have endured due to government and MDA maximum incompetence and a lack of love for Nigeria.

Potholed roads injure Nigerians including Great Achebe and claim lives but so do smooth new roads. But at a point we blame the drivers not the road. Tanker and trailer drivers seem above the law with ‘might is right’, wrong lane driving, poor parking and overloaded axles. For the commercial vehicles driven with a death wish, NURTW has been more efficient at providing the fifth column army for violent party politicking than queuing, driving within speed limits and obeying the Highway Code. Infringements are more often ‘bribed’ and it seems ‘FRSC stop and search’ has crept into the vacuum left by cancelling the police checkpoint. The FRSC must reverse this public perception to further justify the recent award from NASS and international outreach plans.

In Ibadan, just before the Secretariat junction coming from UCH, there is a daily 7am FRSC ‘Road Marshals checkpoint’.

Perhaps they have the highest moral goals. But if I was a commercial driver, I would feel annoyed and destabilised at the delay of a methodical ‘particulars and vehicle inspection’. At that time ‘FRSC operation Keep Moving’ is better than FRSC ‘Go Slow’ particulars check. Are they

authorised? The authorisation should be withdrawn as it is giving FRSC a bad name. I have been flagged down on the expressway for ‘particulars check’ on 10 occasions to fill ‘a quota of arrests’. Once, unsolved murdered late Uncle Bola Ige was my only passenger. As a foundation FRSC Road Marshal, I believe this is a misapplication of powers and responsibility of FRSC. FRSC cannot become the new police checkpoint and FRSC should not allow its staff, from boredom, lack of supervision, seeking financial gain, wickedness or ‘quota catching’ to take up checkpoint duty cancelled by IGP Abubakar! If they do that near Secretariat what happens in the hinterland? Keeping FRSC’s reputation clean is a glorious accolade for FRSC management. So far the NSCDC seems, in public perception, the cleanest organisation. There is room for more ‘My oga[s] at the top’ of the honesty tree. Forgive that man. At least he is honest. As roads improve, educating tanker, trailer and NURTW drivers, enforcing right hand driving, speed limits, parking off the road, axle weights, and holding waking/services for the dead road users in the motor park where the NURTW vehicle originated, will become more important than ‘particulars checks’ for cutting deaths!

‘As a foundation FRSC Road Marshal, I believe this is a misapplication of powers and responsibility of FRSC. FRSC cannot become the new police checkpoint and FRSC should not allow its staff, from boredom, lack of supervision, seeking financial gain, wickedness or ‘quota catching’ to take up checkpoint duty cancelled by IGP Abubakar!

NECO? Wait a minute! as a mere clearing house. In the same vein, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) is expected to take over the functions and vast infrastructure of NECO. This means that WAEC would now conduct two external examinations in a year with one holding in January while the second would be conducted in November of every year.

Expectedly, the move to tamper with NECO and UTME has attracted controversy across the land. While some people have applauded the government for attempting to tinker with the two bodies, others have vehemently kicked against the move. For instance, while some say the scrapping of NECO will check duplication of examination by secondary school leavers, others maintained that allowing the examination body to exist side by side with WAEC has broken the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by WAEC as well as provide an alternative for students. Their argument is that while WAEC is a regional examination body, NECO is a wholly indigenous and national body that is well positioned to assess students in Nigeria. Nigeria picks 54% of the bill for running WAEC. Some people have also been quick to go into history. Their argument is that NECO was established in April 1999 when Nigerian students were suffering untold hardship in the hands of WAEC. The establishment, they argue, was in line with decisions reached at the 49th meeting of the National Council of Education. The establishment of the Council at that time, they noted, was in response to the outcry of Nigerian students over the problems they were encountering with the examinations being conducted by WAEC in the country, especially the Senior Secondary Certifi-

‘The government may tinker with NECO for the purpose of enhancing productivity and efficiency but certainly, there is no justifiable reason to scrap it’

cate Examination and the General Certificate Examinations.

With its massive infrastructure and permanent site located on the outskirts of Minna, the Niger State capital, NECO has recorded many successes. But like every other successful venture, the body also had its own teething problems at inception. It was initially confronted with several daunting challenges that sought to undermine its examinations. Most of these challenges have been surmounted. Unfortunately, in the last few years, Nigerian students have successively recorded woeful results, especially in English Language and Mathematics in both WAEC and NECO examinations.

These results have attracted a lot of public reaction and discourse. Commentators seem to agree that the results reflect the current state of Nigeria’s educational system and that something urgent needs to be done.

Public discourse has also been engendered at various seminars, workshops, and conferences on how to proffer solutions to the inadequacies that affect students, teachers, educational administrators and policy makers in the country.

However, the problem of mass failure in school certificate examinations, though not limited to NECO, is believed to have arisen because due diligence may not have been carried out at the marking venue by the examiners marking the examination papers.

There’s no doubt that the provision of a valid and reliable assessment of students’ performance is the only way to ensure that stakeholders in education could begin to see examinations as a means of restructuring and reviving the moribund educational system in the country. This will ensure the credibility of examinations taken by candidates in Nigeria, as well as engender global trust in results issued on them.

The idea that one examination body is better or preferable in Nigeria has been there all along. But what I think should engage the attention of our

policy makers is the increasing number of candidates who could not obtain the mandatory pass marks in both English and Mathematics - a prerequisite for admission into the university - in the last few years. Many of the candidates could not also secure the mandatory credit-level pass mark in five subjects needed for admission into tertiary institutions. This has created a big problem in the education sector.

In my opinion, it is the standard of education that has fallen to unimaginable level and not the standard of the examination bodies. In that case, NECO cannot simply be scrapped because WAEC is there standing by.

If at all the government has identified any problem with NECO, it should put necessary mechanisms in place to strengthen it rather than scrap it. Like the Yoruba say, “Ori bibe ko ni ogun ori fifo”, literally translated to: “Cutting off the head is not a cure for headache”.

Besides, it is clear that with the infrastructure it has put in place in the country, NECO seems to be better positioned to conduct final examination for Nigerian candidates than WAEC. Now, how do you ask a Tilapia to attempt to swallow a whale? Absolutely impossible. With about 37 offices located in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, it is obvious that WAEC has no capacity to take over and manage the assets and or liability of NECO. Besides, about 5,000 people are said to be employed by the body. In a country where unemployment has soared to high heavens, how will government manage the high unemployment figure that may arise from scrapping NECO? This is because there is no way WAEC can immediately absorb even a quarter of that number.

This will surely increase the number of unemployed Nigerians roaming the streets and who would likely be easy prey to criminal activities and criminality which the security agents are already suffused with.

Dele Agekameh At any rate, rather than take hasty actions that will further compound the problems in the education sector, it is imperative to overhaul the country’s educational system through appropriate and dynamic learning skills for pupils and effective teaching methods for the teachers. We should properly monitor the students from the kindergarten through the primary school, the junior secondary school and the senior secondary school levels. This way, any fundamental error in their growth process could be quickly redressed.

Above all, there is the need to make sure that we have qualified teachers to teach such compulsory subjects as English Language and Mathematics.

The current situation where a whole school with SSS1 and SSS3 student population of about 1500 students may just have only one teacher tutoring students in the subjects does not augur well for good education standard. It all boils down to channeling adequate funds to education through provision of necessary infrastructure and teaching aids as well as constant training and retraining of the teachers.

The government may tinker with NECO for the purpose of enhancing productivity and efficiency but certainly, there is no justifiable reason to scrap it. So let it be!

Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APIRL 10, 2013

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COMMENTS ‘April Fool has long disappeared in Nigeria. It has become April bomb and gun shooting across the land. In those days, we did watch American film tricks on television performing April Fool, but in Nigeria ours is April shoot. We can no longer go to the motor park for travelling; the fear of bomb has become the beginning of wisdom in travelling by plane; even walking barefooted is no longer safe in Nigeria of today.

April Fool has been lost in Nigeria because it is not longer at ease. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapa Dockyard Lagos’

• Achebe

For Segun Gbadegesin Yes, Ayekede should be allowed to go home. If not in the spirit of Easter, then in the spirit of moral justice or, at least, because of his ingenuity. What of those using sea vessels to steal our oil or those raking in millions from oil subsidy? From Samuel Ekohimi (Lampese, Edo State) In a decent society where mothers teach there children the words of God and how to behave and relate well with people, moral revolution cannot be reversed. Today, we are in a society where moral values have been abandoned; we don’t respect our culture any longer; we are no longer emulating our fore fathers; corruption has eaten deep into our system. Decency is no longer in our society.

From Hamza Ozi Momoh Dockyard Apapa Lagos.

Re-Reverse moral revolution. At first, one would want to disagree with the title of your write-up as encouraging moral decadence, but having gone through the write-up, you were really saddened by what moral decadence had turned the society to. Teachers in Nigeria could not be apportioned any blame for children, pupils and students’ negative moral revolution since our society copied the Western world by abolishing capital punishment. It really molded most of us, at primary and secondary schools. At the tertiary institutions, we were not taught how to be well-behaved. Lanre Oseni.

Re: The world has become a global village

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with the internet as the village square. The media has a strong influence on the information age perception of morally-right traditions and what is not nowadays. It takes a highly discerning mind for a youth of this information era to be able to know the difference between what may be wrong though a lot of people are doing it and what is morally right and be able to stand out from the crowd. Purposeful mentorship, ladened with examples and not precept is the key. From Olumide Soyemi Bariga.

For Olatunji Dare When you point an accusing finger at somebody, the rest four are pointing at you.

Dismissing Awolowo as a mediocre or the Nobel as inconsequential says how small Achebe’s mind was. Anonymous.

The literary vacuum Achebe left behind will be very difficult to fill. His Things Fall Apart inspired the whole world. May his gentle soul rest in peace. Good night. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Docyard Apapa Lagos.

I presumed that when the Arrow of God (death) came calling, Chinua was No Longer At Ease. For him, Things have Fallen Apart and The Anthills of the Savannah stood up in awe for A man of the People. Indeed, The Trouble with Nigeria is that: There Was A Country and, There was an Achebe. From Temitope Vincent, Akure Re-Achebe: A literary titan and his times. The late Chinua Achebe popularised Igbo culture.

He popularised Nigerian culture. He did these through his prolific prose writing. Achebe did his best but his best was inadequate to earn him a Nobel Laurete. That was a matter best known to the Stockholm panelists. No doubt, almost all benefited from Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God. May the late Achebe’s soul rest in peace, Ameen. I foresee a day, the late Achebe would be posthumously awarded the

HE unfolding events in Ogoniland in the past few weeks show that we are yet to draw living lessons from by-gone times. They are absolutely disturbing. There is calumny in this season of political calm weather invented by a few to discredit Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and our own son – Senator Magnus Abe. Human beings can identify and recognize talents lost to the eyes of incendiaries.

Magnus has been a key player in government and a survey conducted some time ago came up with the following: “We scouted for brilliance and found it in him. We searched for discipline and found it in him. We hunted for conscientiousness and found it in him. We looked for robust vision and found it in him. We checked out for courage and principles and found them in him. We kept a tab on patriotism and found it in him. We probed for incorruptibility and found it in Magnus. By all considerations, he is an administrative technocrat, with multifaceted steering attributes”.

These qualities first beamed on my mental screen even when Magnus was leader of opposition in the Rivers State House of Assembly between 1999 -2003. They are the rare talents that the Peoples Democratic Party PDP willingly tapped and still taps.

Magnus is a public officer that liberates himself from the shackles of ethnicity, totally de-ethnicised and yet ensures his kith and kin draw maximally from the dividends of democracy and appointive offices.

This is a season of healing and goodwill. Even the PDP is giving room to reconcile all aggrieved parties. From the farthest stretches of the sun-smitten desert north to the fertile verdant glow of the ancestral forest, the nation is enveloped in palpable reconciliatory energy.

Voices are in unison to forge a common front for peace and harmony to grow.

Did I hear President Jonathan is even considering forgiveness of the sins of Boko Haram as an option?

Every ethnic group too is awakening a consciousness to take up leadership role in 2015. It has become an instinctive compulsion.

Knowing what human nature is, only Magnus Abe knows what he wants in the years ahead. He is still serving in the senate.

Ogoni sons had aspired to govern the Rivers State since the days of late Chief Edward Kobani. We are yet to get the result. What’s amiss?

Regrettably, some Ogonis prefer the second fiddle.

The possibilities of an Ogoni son arising from the ashes to lead the people towards the longed-for political height are looming out larger. A negligible few, however, hold their leaders in deepest despondency. It means the dark memories of yesteryears appear

Nobel Prize causing literary war songs between Soyinka’s fans and the late Achebe’s admirers. From Lanre Oseni.

Thanks for your piece on Achebe. The problem with Achebe was that he never believed there was a good person outside the Igbo. This tribalist tint tainted his literary status and reduced him to an Ibo town crier before his demise. From Kura Marcus, Kaduna.

Your essay on Achebe in The Nation of Tuesday, April 2, 2013, was very remarkable and cultured but devoid of prose which your essays normally portray. In fact, you wrote like Soyinka. From Engr Charles, Calabar That Achebe wrote Awo was a tribal leader meant he was so in the real?Is it so because Achebe said it ? Opinions are opinions. From Nse Williams For Gbenga Omotoso April Fool has long disappeared in Nigeria.

It has become April bomb and gun shooting across the land. In those days, we did watch American film tricks on television performing April Fool, but in Nigeria ours is April shoot. We can no longer go to the motor park for travelling; the fear of bomb has become the beginning of wisdom in travelling by plane; even walking barefooted is no longer safe in Nigeria of today. April Fool has been lost in Nigeria because it is not longer at ease. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapa Dockyard Lagos A call for change in orientation...somebody and nobody syndrome (swagz and learner tinz). Anonymous Indeed, there is no April fool again. We Nigerians have seen and heard of terrible events and incidents. What more can we expect. Anonymous I like reading your write-ups. The story of have nots is not limited to Nigeria. Its really sad to see how men dressed in a little garb of

•Jonathan authority make angels weep. It’s worse in countries such as India and other SE Asian countries!!! Anonymous Gbenga, your write up, April Fool amid Easter blues is a true reflection of our society today.

How about the police pension thief that got a slap on his back as his sentence by an Abuja judge for stealing N32bn. Lord have mercy.

From Chief Benson Nwobum, Kaduna Re-April Fool amid Easter Blues. April Fool had been part of Easter festivities. However, that colouration was terminated in Nigeria consequent upon Boko-Haramic’s continued destruction. May President Jonathan get assistance from God to move swiftly to conquer unrest in the nation and power electricity in the country, uninterrupted, ameen. May God help him to conquer oil thieves of 32,400 litres of petrol, drown kidnappers and stabilise justice. He should rise against indiscipline and deal with corruption as well as thuggery and those who kill and destroy at will! From Lanre Oseni.

Thanks for your wonderful write up.

Nigeria is a very funny country where every day is a mind-boggling April Fool. The real April Fool has since been buried. Watch out, that April Fool may cost your life. From Wisdom I. From Doka, Kaduna

Calumny in a season of growth in Ogoniland

By Unwo Ubeta Akpu vanished, but never inwardly experienced with a possibility of a repetition.

In this season of candour and openness, some with hideous prejudices have surrendered themselves as mercenary hirelings hence I wish to ask the following questions.

The Ogoni ethnic nation visited Governor Chibuike Amaechi on Tuesday, March 25, at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

The journey attracted a lot of goodwill for the Ogoniland, and bashes from a disgruntled few. The visit was led by the retired Justice Peter Akere – President of KAGOTE. Please note that KAGOTE is an acronym for Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme LGAs that make up the Ogoni ethnic nation. KAGOTE was formed in 1948.

In the journey was the Chairman Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, and Gbenemene Tua-Tua Tai, HM King Godwin Giniwa. King Giniwa is also the Chairman Rivers State Council of Traditional rulers. He led the chiefs.

Marvin Yobanna is the African representative in World Youth Assembly. He was there with the leadership of Ogoni youths.

The chairmen of the four Local Government Councils in the area were present. The clergy, the CDCs and opinion leaders were also there, so where do names such as Chief Peter Zorie Deebari, Elder Komene Gbarabe, Comrade Simeon Ndonake, and Dr. Mrs Blessing Oluyi come in the Ogoni leadership? Or are they pseudo-names?

Late Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu in his book, “Because I am Involved” may have wept for the Ogonis, if he was still in flesh.

It reminds me of the lamentations of Cardinal Wolsey in the service of King Henry VIII. It says, “Had I served my God with half the zeal, I served my King, he would not in mine age have left me naked to my enemies”.

The Ogonis should look inwards and would find where the tilt beckons.

Anyway, Senator Abe has record of transparency in Nigeria and has been loud against looting.

These charlatans in the borrowed name of “Ogoni Ethnic Nationality” cannot love President Goodluck Jonathan more than the erudite Senator Abe. President Jonathan knows the fickleness associated with sycophants and bo otlickers, such as the

signatories of the so-called Ogoni Ethnic Nationality (OEC).

Ogonis should uncover them and drag them before the law for using the sacred name to besmirch the Ogoni people. Is it a loose association?

The Ogoni have gained more in Amaechi’s administration than others and if mediocres have decided to dissociate themselves from an Ogoni cause, it is safer, so that they don’t drag the Ogoni rising profile of transformation to the gutters with the envy, venom, treachery and spiteful denigration they wear.

To them, nothing is sacred. The governor must be thrown to the cleaners forgetting that Amaechi is the epitome of Rivers State.

As you attempt to rob him of honour, you are attempting to rob the entire Rivers State of honour. If you degrade the president, you degrade the governed including these prattlers.

To them, everything and anyone can be hurled into a pit of odium and obloquy, even the one trying to bring honour to the people is maligned in some benighted prejudicial quarters. It is reminiscent of the Jews failing to recognize the “messiah” in their midst.

Power must seek guidance from the governed. It is this recourse that has engendered the multifarious articulations from all the constituents of Rivers South-East where Abe holds sway as Senator.

Despite the startling changes of the moment, despite the quiet unobtrusive sweeping and dismantling of the ugly past by the progressives in Ogoniland, despite the rigorous canvassing and relentless overtures for a modern Ogoni nation, there are still these rabble rousers who hurl savaging salvos against the tools of power. They should be viewed with pity, as lunatic rebels of growth and changes. Power comes from God, hence “many are called but few are chosen”.

It is a season of rebirth, so the current changes blowing across the Ogoni Nation are not just peripheral, but long lasting. So persons as Deebari believe in nothing, save their repetitious dogmatic irrelevance. They scoff at every symbol of unity and frown at every progressive agenda, deriding every suggestion, contemptuous of every goodwill emanating from progressive thinking. These persons vegetate, all progress being impossible.

Let them have a re-think for we must heal the wounds, as the sons of light have now come with the redeeming grace of heaven.

And in the end with equity, love and balance, this isle-the Ogoni ethnic nation shall remain one, indivisible entity.

• Ubeta Akpu

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

Life

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The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Text only: 08023058761

‘Wisdom has kept us together’ As stars, there is no need to be rude when men make advances at us. We respect them but discharge them (one-time), politely. It’s all about wisdom...

– SEE STORY ON PAGE 38 Nigeria’s culture house opens in South Africa – Page 27 •SAVED ON MAC 62 & Mac 27 - LIFE Feb 13 FOLDER

Glamour, glitz at Lagos heritage festival – Page 37

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

• Painting of some slaves

• Equaino

Ever wondered why Africans are found across the globe? Well, it is because of the transatlantic slave trade. If you think slavery ended in 1800, think again. Over two centuries after, the world is fighting for liberty, campaigning against all forms of slavery. The documentary entitled: The Slave Route: The Soul of Resistance by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) captures the evil of slavery, EVELYN OSAGIE reports.

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HE hall was silent. The atmosphere was tense. Screams and wailings of children, women and men filled the air. Heads bowed in deep reflection.

Some raised their eyes upwards looking at the ceiling. Many tried hard to fight back tears.

It was no funeral wake but the screening of a film, entitled: The Slave Route: The Soul of Resistance. The 36-minute documentary showed the sufferings of the era, focused on the transatlantic slave trade. It reconciled the history, influences and rationale behind the various characters involved in the era.

The screening was part of the activities marking this year's International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic slave trade organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, in collaboration with African Anti-Slavery Coalition (ASLAC).

This year's theme: Forever Free: Celebrating Emancipations reechoed the age-long advocacy for freedom, especially by the victims of slavery.

As guests walked into the lecture hall, they were first confronted with the pictures and stories of some of the heroes of emancipation like Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Olaudah Equiano (an ex-lbo slave who was kidnapped from Isseke Village in present-day Anambra State), Frederick Douglas and more.

But nothing prepared them for the film.

According to the organisers, the screening was meant to involve the young generation in the campaign against slavery. UNIC Officer incharge, Mrs Olajumoke Araba, who read the UN chief's speech, said: "The film paints an apt picture. And we can see that there are lessons for everybody learn from what happened during the period, especially the pupils. It is hoped that involving the young ones would ignite in them the need to carry on the fight against all forms of racism and slavery. Even though the programme fell during their examination period and when many schools are on holiday, we were glad for the ones that came. Each watched with deep concentration and I'm sure it has improved their knowledge of history."

The era, sad as it was, produced great minds like Wheatley who became one of the most accomplished writers, it was learnt. She published her first poem at age 12. Born in Senegambia in 1753, she was sold into slavery at the age of 7 and transported to North America. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, who

Sad memories of slavery ADVOCACY

Advocating through film

taught her to read and write, and encouraged her poetry when they saw her talent.

Despite the rare opportunities she had as a slave, she probably would have preferred to be free, it was said. Perhaps that is why the United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon describes slavery "as a global crime against humanity".

Wheatley and other key figures, who fought to eliminate slavery, with many losing their lives in the process, he said, are heroes and heroines of the emancipation. And the day is a tribute to the struggles of that era.

Ki-moon said: "On the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we tell the world to never forget this global crime against humanity… As we reflect on the contemporary consequences of this tragedy, let us remember the bravery of those who risked everything for freedom and those who helped them on that perilous path.

“Their courage should inspire us as we struggle against contemporary forms of slavery, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. On this day, let us pledge to honour and restore the dignity of affected people and to intensify efforts to eliminate the slavery that persists in our world”.

The film's heartbreaking scenes of sufferings and maltreatment of African slaves not only painted a vivid picture and degradation of the era, but also buttressed Mr Olufemi Phillips, a human rights activist’s the lecture by on the theme at a forum before the screening.

Beyond the academic rigour, Philips, who is the co-founder of ASLAC, had a unique story to tell. He is a descendant of one of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, who returned during the abolition. Reflecting on the period, he said, brought back sad memories that are better forgotten.

He recounted: "The transatlantic slave trade can never be erased from the memories of some Africans, especially those whose great-greatgreat-grandparents or ancestors were victims.

My late great grandmother was captured during the Ogedengbe war at Ikole-Ekiti. She was a princess from lloti compound, forced to trek from Ikole-Ekiti up to Badagry coastal area, where she was sold to Brazilian slave traders that transported her and others to Bahia, Brazil.

My great-grandmother survived the slavery and during the abolition of slave trade in Brazil, she returned back to West Africa where she first settled at Greenhouse present day Republic of Benin and later on traced her son's home at 177, Igbosere Road, Lagos Island. There are

‘The era can never be erased from the memories of some Africans, especially those whose greatgreat-great-grandparents or ancestors were victims. My late great grandmother was captured during the Ogedengbe war at Ikole-Ekiti... However, it is sad that Africans are no longer sold against their will or forced into slavery but are freely giving themselves to all forms of enslavement’ - ASLAC chief

‘On the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we tell the world to never forget this global crime against humanity…let us pledge to honour and restore the dignity of affected people and to intensify efforts to eliminate the slavery that persists in our world’ - UN chief

•Mrs Araba many returnee slaves such as Do-Regos, DeSouza, Delfonso, Pinheiro, Da-Rocha, Jorge Campos, Da -Silva, Da-Costa, Martins, Ferreira, Pereira etc."

He described the era as being an "ugly incident that had brought Africa back retrogressively". He, however, lamented that unfortunately Africans are still experiencing all sorts of enslavement, noting that the worst of it is, "self-enslavement", which he linked to bad governance. He said there is the need for all-round emancipation, while calling for a proactive approach involving the government, civil societies and the public, so that better results can be achieved.

He said: "However, it is sad that Africans are no longer sold against their will or forced into slavery but are freely giving themselves to all forms of enslavement. Every day, many, especially the young, are constantly crossing their borders to enslave themselves because of poverty. We see history repeating itself with the case of Equiano, who was kidnapped from his homeland into slavery; centuries later, nothing has changed. The place is still plagued with many cases of kidnappings.

"Young ladies are constantly being tricked into enslavement in the guise of employment. And this is the offshoot of bad governance and corruption in Africa. Africans are not enjoying the dividend of democracy that is why many are freely opting for enslavement abroad. Corruption has become a dreaded virus in our system.

•Continued on page 27

2013

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Adjustment, communication vital in marriage

Nigeria’s Culture House opens in South Africa

By Olatunde Odebiyi

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UOYED by the success of Nigerian cultural centres in Brazil and China, the Federal Government will open a similar Culture and Information Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, this year, Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Minister Edem Duke has said.

Duke spoke after an inspection of the former Nigerian Chancery in Johannesburgwhich will be used for that purpose.

Accompanied by the Ministry's Director of Culture, Goerge Uffot, Deputy Director (Bilateral) Mrs. Dayo Keshi and officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa led by Head of Chancery, Mr. Jonathan Eze, the Minister took a thorough look at the property and the environs and concluded that the premises would serve the purpose of promoting Nigerian culture while also providing general information about the country.

The Minister pointed out that the centre, which is the first to be opened by Nigeria in Africa, would be used to strengthen cultural relations not only with the government and people of South Africa but also with other countries in the southern part of the continent.

Explaining why Nigeria has decided to site her first Culture House in Africa in Johannesburg, the Minister said: '' We recall the very elaborate and robust relations between Nigeria and South Africa, especially in the years of struggle against apartheid as well as the leadership role the two countries are playing in the advancement of the cause of Africa globally. This choice is also in recognition of the role Nigeria played and continues to play in the history of Southern African countries''.

The decision was also influenced by the fact that there are many Nigerians living legitimately in South Africa and contributing to its socio-economic development as well as the maintenance of bilateral relations. Having a Nigerian Culture and Information Centre around them will enhance their activities and also complement the operations of the Nigerian High Commission. The Minister disclosed that Nigeria was working with South Africa to

• Nigeria’s Culture House in South Africa

By Taiwo Oladokun

TOURISM facilitate the opening of a South African Tourism Outpost in Nigeria stressing that the Culture House will partly serve a similar purpose.

On the specific functions of the centre, Duke said ''As with similar centres operating in Brazil and China, this centre will be a mini melting-pot of some of the elements of our history and heritage as well as a platform for sociocultural engagements not only for Nigerians but also for nationals of other countries who, through the centre, will have a deeper insight into what makes the biggest and most populous nation in Africa what it is. There will be a regular showcasing of Nigerian artifacts by our various parastatals and agencies and other interest groups from home. We intend to have a permanent photo exhibition that will speak to and reflect the various aspects of Nigerian culture"'.

The centre will also have a store where arts and craft from Nigeria will be available for purchase. These will include fashion accessories in realisation of the fact that Nigeria is a leading light in music and fashion. Also envisaged within the operations are specialised exhibitions and a function area where government officials, especially governors, can interface with their citizens.

Duke also believes that the centre in will be a major stride in the advancement and definition

•Pupils at the event

Sad memories of slavery •Continued from page 26 We, members of the civil societies, in collaboration with government, security operatives and the public, need to do more in our campaigns, to address the precedence."

The film, he said, brought to life the pains of that period. As the audience, who were mainly pupils, history teachers, diplomats and the media, watched with mixed emotions, it was evident that scenes borrowed from diverse slavery films, such as Roots, perhaps helped to drive the plot. But unlike those films, its characters, consisting slaves (women, men and children), those born into slavery, man hunters, slave traders and more, told their sides of the story as if trying to convince the audience in a debate scenario.

The accounts of Juan, a boy born into slavery in Cuba that saw his father, who had made several escape attempts, hanged; Lala, a girl from

the kingdom of Congo, was captured by man hunters while trying to gather firewood to cook dinner and Musa, who was waiting for his initiation to become a hunter like his ancestors, was captured and sold to an Arab merchant and died during the operation when he was being castrated to become a eunuch, which was very expensive in those days.

The young speak out for emancipation At the end of the screening, guests, especially the pupils did not take the experience with a pinch of salt. Apparently moved by the film, they spoke with deep emotions against slavery.

After watching the film, Tolulope Oke, SS Three, Kings College, was heartbroken. "Going by what we saw, it was also embarrassing to see that people were treated like animals," he said. "I asked myself: "how would they have

of cultural diplomacy, African brotherhood, greater bilateral understanding, economic growth and winning the hearts of South Africans and nationals of other countries in the region in the interest o Nigeria. According to the Minister, ''Nigria is playing a frontline role in the maintenance of peace and stability in Afica and other parts of the world as Nigerians also continue to make significant contributions to knowledge wherever they are found. In order to sustain all of these, the establishmen of Nigerian cultural centres as a major platform of diplomacy in strategic parts of the world is expedient.''or some South Africa based Nigerians among whom are journalists, businessmen and students who engaged the Minister on various issues during the brief visit, a Nigerian Culture and Information Centre in Johannesburg will be a rallying -point that is long awaited and will make them have a constant feel of their culture and the governance process.

The Minister assured them that the Jonathan administration is committed to the cause of Nigerians wherever they are based across the world and will protect their interests at all times.

•Oladokun is Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation. felt then?' It was quite heartbreaking to see an African being maltreated like that. It enlightened me more. It also taught me how to fight back when being oppressed and how to face challenges of life."

Tofunmi Ajao, Dowen College, was enraged.

She said: "Watching the film has helped me acquire more understanding of the period. I felt very sorrowful watching it. It is an experience you'd wish the whites would never start all over again for whatsoever reasons. And for some reasons, you'd wish that we could retaliate because it's just as if they went away with it.

I heard certain mitigation was made, especially financially; but money is not enough, did you see what they did; money can't cover all the pain they caused."

On the part of Olayemi Awolade SS2, Dowen College, the film awakened in him a sense of advocacy. "Watching the film, we saw the slavery in a different light; and that it is our time to change things and end all forms of slavery."

For History tutor, Dowen College, Ogundeji Elijah, the film is a good teaching aid where the pupils were able to see what they were taught in class. This, he said, would give them a better understanding of how to tackle the period.

DJUSTMENT and communication are essential for the success of a marriage, says Revd Olufemi Adesina, a marriage counsellor. He spoke in Lagos during a couples programme, Marital Adjustment and Communication. The programme was sponsored by Power and Prosperity Ministries. Adesina said the programme was borne out of a burden for families and also in response to the increasing rate of divorce and the challenges faced by most families arising from lack of understanding of some biblical and common-sense principles. This, he said, is to help heal the cracks in marriages and restore the missing oil and wine in many homes.

Adesina said every marriage will always require adjustment. "Adjustment is a change you need to make in your life to make you suitable before your spouse," he said. Citing Philippians 4:13 which says, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, the clergy said adjustment is possible in all marriages if both spouses are ready to pay the price.

He observed that there are no two people that are 100 per cent compatible in marriage, hence adjustment is needed for peace to rule.

"No single person can make a marriage work and work perfectly. Marriage involves two people working together. Adjustment is dealing with somebody at his/ her own level of understanding until the person comes of age."

He noted that there may be some thing's you will not be able to change in the life of your spouse till death do you part, so it is safer to adjust to each other in the maximum way you can so that the marriage will stand.

"Everybody came into marriage with different expectations, while we all believe that marriage is good and necessary, all of us came into it with different mentalities.

A woman has her view of what marriage should be. The man has his own view. If divorce will not come in, then the gap must be bridged."

He identified the areas of adjustment in marital relationship to include; background, career, temperament, cultural beliefs, decision making, eating habits, friendship, social attitudes, games, interests and sexual life.

On communication in the home, Adesina said communication is the bedrock for every fulfilled standing marriage, which means talking to each other and talking sense.

Explaining the process of communication, he said for communication to be effective, there must be the source, message, receiver and shared understanding.

The celebrations of emancipation In the same vein, this year's celebration was particularly unique as it marked several global milestones in the eradication of slavery. They include the 150th year anniversary of Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing millions of African-Americans from enslavement; the 180th anniversary of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 in the British Empire; also in 1833, slavery ended in Canada, the British West Indies and the Cape of Good Hope.

Others include the Indian Slavery Act of 1843 signed some 170 years ago; in France, slavery was abolished 165 years ago; Argentina (160 years ago) and the former Dutch colonies (150 years ago), among others.

• Femi Adesina

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

28

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013 LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013 LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013

Diamond Bank rewards young artists

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HESE are as masterful as Picasso. I am not pretending that we are having geniuses here, but we are identifying some of them. In fact, I was fascinated by the kids' works, their consciousness and interpretative skill."

Those were the words of Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka at the award and gala night for winners of this year's Vision of The Child Painting Competition held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.

The painting competition, which is sponsored by Diamond Bank Plc, is one of the events of the annual Lagos Black Heritage Festival. The theme for the competition was One thousand faces of corruption and it featured 32 students drawn from Lagos State schools.

Festival Consultant, Soyinka however urged parents to allow their children and wards to freely participate in the competition warning that any candidate whose parent bother the organisers on issues other than materials and venue of the competition, stands disqualified.

Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr. Disun Holloway, said he felt sad when he saw how masterfully the kids captured the many faces of corruption in their paintings. He said as adults Nigerians should reflect on what the kids have painted of corruption. "We see value in things like this, and we thank Diamond Bank for keeping faith," Holloway noted.

Former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Tola Wewe who led the team of jurists, said selecting the final six winners was not an easy task as almost all the entries were master pieces. He said he was not surprised at the technical proficiency of the kids adding that their art is from unpolluted minds.

"But what baffled me is how they handled the theme. It shows that kids in Lagos are well informed about goings on- they paint about police, Boko Haram, Niger Delta and many more. To arrive at this stage, we first screened the entries down to the best 10, before picking the last six.

And to do this, we considered the technicality, aesthetic quality, among others," Wewe said.

Other members of the jurists include Chief Nike Okundaye, a renowned artist, CEO of Nike Art Gallery and Mr Tunde Afolayan, a US-based renowned artist.

Nine year-old Precious Tiamiyu of Legacy Preparatory School, Sha-Sha, won N250, 000 as the overall best winner, while 10 year-old Alli Bakare of Onitolo Community High School, Surulere won N200, 000 as second place winner, and Samuel Yomi Faseun, 12, of the Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Anthony Village, won N180,000 as third place winner.

• Overall winner, Precious Tiamiyu with Soyinka

• Top six winners with Soyinka and other guests.

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor, (Arts)

FESTIVAL The fourth position went to Somtochukwu Okoli, 12, of Badagry Jnr Grammar School. He went home with N150,000, while Bolaji Olaniran,11, of Onitolo Community High School, Surulere N120,000 as fifth place winner. Twelve yearold Oluchukwu Nwaokorie of Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls School, Yaba won the

sixth position and got N100,000. Apart from the cash prize, all the kids went home with a copy of Jimi Solanke's book, Kindle and Kindle fire each, which is pre-loaded with books, games and applications for 8 to 12 year olds. These, according to the organisers, is to promote and cultivate reading culture that is practically non-existent in the lives of today's Nigerian child, while the games are to stimulate the mind of a child and expand the depth of their curiosity and creativity. Also, Diamond Bank promised to open individual savings account for the

32 kids.

Guests at the gala night were thrilled to musical performances by an up-coming female singer, Jemiriye and Olumide who presented some of their popular songs.

Among guests that attended the award ceremony included Erelu Dosumu, Chief Yemi Ogunbiyi, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Executive Director, Diamond Bank, Carolina Anyanwu, Mrs Eliza Larkin Nascimento and the MD/CEO, WaveTek Nig Ltd, Mr Ken Spann.

LBHF: Redeeming African culture

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•Prof. Soyinka

FRICAN culture can be preserved by regularly hosting events, such as the Lagos Black Heritage Festival, a culture activist, Erelu Abiola Dosumu, has said.

She said the time had come for Nigerians to show their pride and beauty and also to attract people from other parts of the world more than ever before. Since Nigerians travel to other countries and create more income for those countries' tourism, “we should also encourage tourism in our country”, she said.

Erelu Dosumu, who praised Governor Babatunde Fashola's administration for beautifying Lagos State, urged other state to emulate him to develop a Nigeria that will attract tourists.

She spoke at the Lagos Black Heritage Festival at Freedom Park, Broad Street,

By Olushola Orebajo

Lagos.

Dosumu said: "Freedom Park, Lagos was a prison during the colonial period, but it is now a place of attraction to people. It means an unimaginable piece of land can be turned into an event park, not even bothered by what has beendone on the land before".

The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Culture & Tourism, State of Osun, Hon. Oladipo Soyode stressed the need for the preservation of the nation's cultural heritage, saying, the Black heritage is an event necessary because we have gone through different slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism and all that make a black man lose confidence in his tradition.

According to Soyode, cultural imperialism has actually eaten deep into African society. "For example, a child can't speak his/her local dialect. Our culture is what makes us human beings. So, anyone that abandons his race cannot prosper," he said, noting that Africa has a very rich culture, especially Nigeria.

He said Yoruba culture exists in some South American countries such as Brazil, Cuba and parts of Argentina.

The festival which opened last Monday has The Black In The Mediterranean Blue: The African Colours Of Brazil as theme. Among the states that featured at the festival were Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun. The annual festival places emphasis on showcasing and preserving African culture.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

PHCN privatisation: unions bar investors from successor firms

Forecasts Niger Insurance Gross Premium - N2.73b Profit after tax - N212.95m Mutual Benefits Gross Premium - N2b Profit - N885.633m Regency Alliance Gross Premium – N812.596m Profit after tax – N256.437m Learn Africa Turnover - N1.06b Profit after tax - N58.336m Total Nigeria Turnover - N46.676 b Profit after tax - N942.1m MRS Oil Nigeria Turnover - N51.20b Profit after tax - N712 m Eterna Turnover - N27.64b Profit after tax - N563.834m Okomu Oil Palm Turnover - N2.667b Profit after tax - N1.044b Stanbic/IBTC Bank Net operating income N16.805b Profit after tax - N2.737b ASL Turnover - N1.084b Profit after tax - N101.355m GT Assurance Gross Premium - N3.892b Profit after tax - N710.62m Cornerstone Insurance Gross Premium - N1.223b Profit after tax - N80.01m Oasis Insurance Gross Premium N562.500m Profit after tax - N79.868m African Alliance INS Gross Premium - N1.215b Profit after tax - N107.213m Berger Paints Turnover - N976.303m Profit after tax - N88.258m SCOA Nigeria Turnover - N835.0m Profit after tax - N18.200m Dangote Sugar Refinery Turnover - N38.251b Profit after tax - N3.49b Studio Press Nig. Turnover - N3.375b Profit after tax - N20.422m Julius Berger Nig. Turnover - N80.125b Profit after tax - N2.55b Intercontinental Wapic Ins Gross Premium - N1.41b Profit after tax - N250.450m Equity Assurance Gross Premium - N2.45b Profit after tax - N287.283m Standard Alliance Insurance Gross Premium - N2.142b Profit after tax - N475.964m Continental Reinsurance Gross Premium - N6.917b Profit after tax - N805m PRESCO Turnover - N2.60b Profit after tax - N800.9m RT Briscoe Turnover - N4.553b

NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what I am told, the company has invested $13 billion so far since inception, and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government.

-Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

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HE expected take-over of successor companies of the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by the preferred bidders may have run into a hitch as electricity workers’unions have directed their members to prevent the investors from having access to the assets they paid for.

The unions last week instructed their members to present investors from commencing shadow mangement until labour issues were resolved.

Shadow management in financial parlance means allowing investors to have access to its property to observe and understand the operations of the business they have invested in.

General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who confirmed the directive, said it was not an empty threat that workers should prevent take-over of the successor companies.

He said: “No investor can just pay 25 per cent and move into the company. We will not allow it. What happens to the workers? Who will pay them?

The electricity workers must get their money in full, otherwise, there’ll be no takeover.”

There has been protracted crisis between the Federal Government and workers over severance benefits following the privatisation of the power sector.

There have also been several failed negotiations between the government and the workers, but lately the two parties reached agreement.

•47,000 workers demand N384b •Union wants N700b

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

The new development came as a surprise to stakeholders in the industry as the government had earlier said the assets would not be handed over until they were fully paid for and workers benefits fully addressed.

The unions, however, alleged that the government wants to short-change them

by not paying their entitlements in full.

The Nation gathered that there is discrepancy between what the electricity workers’ unions, especially the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) are demanding as severance package with what the workers of the successor companies of PHCN want, and what the government has offered.

NUEE, it was learnt, is demanding N700 billion as benefits, against PHCN’s 47,000 workers’ deal of N384billion severance package. When prompted to justify its figures, the union could not give a breakdown on how it arrived at the amount.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), said all the preferred bidders for the 15 PHCN successor companies

that have been privatised met the deadline for the payment of the mandatory 25 per cent of the offer value of their bids, and received $559,445,573.96 from 14 bidders for the 15 successor companies.

The preferred bidders have to complete payment of the remaining 75 per cent value of the assets, which is $1,678, 336,721.88 before the assets would be handed over to them.

•From left: Group Head, e-business Sterling Bank, Mr Fatai Amoo; Tossa Monday, winner of Led TV and Head, Cards Unit, Abidemi Asunmo, during the presentation of gifts to winners of the just concluded verve card promo at the corporate head office of the bank in Lagos ... at the weekend.

IMF hinges low inflation on Central Banks’ autonomy

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S the dust raised over the autonomy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) settles, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said preserving central banks’ independence is key to anchoring inflation.

The Fund, which made this known in its April, this year’s World Economic Outlook released yesterday, noted that the growth performance of Low-income countries (LICs) has improved markedly in the past two decades, with a rising share of strong growth takeoffs.

The National Assembly had attempted to remove the autonomy of the CBN by either compelling it to submit its budget to the National Assembly for scrutiny and approval to whittle down its power.

But experts, including the Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismark Rewane; the DirectorGeneral of the West African Mon-

Banks’ profits may fall over revised charges, AMCON levy

- P 30

By Ayodele Aminu, Group Business Editor

etary Institute (WAMI), Dr. Joseph Nnanna; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Koyinsola Ajayi, and the Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Isa Aremu, have urged legislators not use the controversy surrounding the N5,000 banknote to cut the powers of the CBN. They warned that the economy would be suffer if the legislators succeed.

Rewane, who noted that there is empirical evidence globally that the economy suffers when the autonomy of the CBN is removed, said once the lawmakers have powers to approve the budget of the CBN, it means that they have finally succeeded in taking away its autonomy.

“There is empirical evidence that the more independent the Central Bank is, the better the economy of the country per-

forms. Take a look at countries, such as Switzerland and Canada, which are some of the countries where the Central Banks are completely independent. The economies of these countries are very strong and that is why they are not affected by the Eurozone crises.

“I want to assure you that once the autonomy is infringed on, the economy will suffer. What the legislators are trying to do will be judged by history,” Rewane said.

Dr Nnanna also said once the autonomy of the CBN is compromised, it would not be able to respond effectively and promptly to macro-economic and monetary policies.

He said once this happens, the mandate of the CBN, which is to grow the economy and maintain price stability, will also be compromised.

The World Bank had also warned against tampering with

Pension funds may be invested in mortgage banks - P31

the apex bank’s autonomy, saying it had dare consequences for the economy.

The autonomy of the apex bank has helped in reducing inflation, which rose slightly to 9.5 per cent in February, from nine per cent in January, although still within the CBN’s single digit target.

Historically, from 2006 until this year, Nigeria’s Inflation rate averaged 10.65 per cent reaching an all-time high of 15.60 per cent in February of 2010 and a record low of three percent in July of 2006.

Meanwhile, the IMF has expressed concern over the sustainability of the growth performance of LICs. The Fund, however, said: “There is concern about reversals. Although dynamic LICs in both generations tended to see their income per capita rise by 50 to 60 per cent in the 10 years following takeoff, some dynamic LICs in

the previous generation slowed sharply over time and even experienced reversals in income gains.

Thus, a key question for today is whether recent takeoffs are less vulnerable than those in the past.

“Take-offs highlight the key roles of capital accumulation and trade integration in development: take-offs in both generations were accompanied by higher investment and saving rates and larger export growth compared with LICs that did not take off.

“However, dynamic LICs in the second wave will benefit from a stronger economic footing compared with those in the previous generation. These LICs experienced declines in inflation and debt after take-off, and their real exchange rates were more competitive, whereas the previous generation experienced widening imbalances after take-off.”

NSE to sanction firms for breach of online disclosures -P 32

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

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MONEY

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Banks’profits may fall over revised charges, AMCON levy

ANKS’ earnings may fall this year following the implementation of the revised Guide to Bank charges by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The implementation of the policy, which has been in the pipeline since 2004, began last week.

The policy slashed Commission on Turnover (COT) from N5 to N3; by 2016, no COT will be charged. It also reduced some of the high charges collected by banks. The offshore Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fees was cut from N1,000 to N240, among others.

These are expected to eat into the banks’ profits.

Also likely to affect banks’ earnings is the increase in the levy paid to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). The raise from 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent represents about three to four

Stories by Collins Nweze

per cent increase in banks’ total operating costs. These factors, analysts said, will make it difficult for interest rates to be reduced from current 12 per cent within the year.

Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm, in a report, said despite these hitches, the year started off on a strong note for banks, especially in terms of share-price performance. It projected a stronger Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 7.1 per cent in 2013, from an estimated 6.6 per cent in 2012. It said inflation will moderate to 10 to 11 per cent

this year.

The firm also forecast a relatively stable naira, with an average exchange rate of N158 to a dollar, owing to a stronger external sector. However, it expects the cash reserve requirement (CRR) for the banks to be maintained at 12 per cent, which could continue to hold back loan growth. This, according to the firm, is also another minus for increased earnings.

On loan growth, it said in the absence of developments in the power sector or upstream oil and gas projects, Tier-one banks are likely to see similar levels of loan growth to those they achieved last

year. However, it said power projects could propel growth into the 15 to 20 per cent range, and with expectation that the Tier-two banks could grow faster.

RenCap said analysis on Net interest margins (NIM) showed that, as yields doubled between 2011 and 2012 and have retreated about halfway, banks are unlikely to give up all their NIM gains.

Meanwhile, Guaranty Trust Bank full-year 2012 profit jumped 69 per cent as loans and deposits grew.

Profit after tax and income from discontinued operations, rose to N87.2 billion through December from N51.7 billion a year earlier.

Revenue advanced 22 per cent to

N221.9 billion as loans and advances increased 11 per cent to N783.9 billion. Deposits grew 10 per cent to N1.17 trillion.

Also, Zenith Bank Plc’s Net income rose to N100.68 billion in 2012 from N48.7 billion a year earlier, as its cost-to-income ratio fell to 54 per cent from 63 per cent.

“Zenith’s operating efficiency showed material improvement” driving earnings higher, Muyiwa Oni and Rele Adesina, Lagosbased analysts at Stanbic IBTC Holding Co said.

Access Bank Plc said full-year profit more than doubled as customer deposits increased. Net income advanced to N38.6 billion in 2012 from N14.5 billion a year earlier. Revenue rose 54 per cent to N208.3 billion as loans and advances to customers climbed five per cent to N604 billion. Deposits grew nine per cent to N1.2 trillion.

How Nigeria’s economy can overtake S’Africa’s

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• From left: Head Publicity and Communication, Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT), Ebele Felix; Coordinating Secretary, Yahaya Abubakar; member Publicity Committee, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mary Ekpe; Eze and Assistant Director, Corporate Services, CITN, Gbolahan Bilewu during the visit.

CITN, Tribunal to collaborate on tax administration

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HE Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) are to collaborate on areas of their operations that will benefit tax payers.

In a statement issued after visiting the cordinating secretariate of TAT on the issue, CITN Council members said the areas of collaboration border on capacity building for tax professionals to ensure they understand proceedings at tax tribunal, technical input into operations of TAT as well as inter-organisational publicity.

The Publicity Chairman of CITN, Chukwuemeka Eze, said partnership with TAT would add value to tax payers especially those that have cases to resolve at the tribu-

nal.

TAT is an administrative tribunal, he said, established pursuant to Section 59 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2007 as the foremost alternative dispute resolution body in the tax system in Nigeria.

He said TAT operates in eight zones – one in Abuja, one in Lagos, and one in each of the six geo-political zones. The commissioners, who dispense administrative justice at TAT, work on parttime basis while each zone has a secretary who is a permanent staff member of TAT. TAT Coordinating Secretary, Yahaya Manga Abubakar, agreed with the CITN that given the fundamental positions of both agencies in the tax system, it became

imperative that they partner to create a tax system as contemplated by the National Tax Policy.

He acknowledged that there was need for a closer relationship between two bodies since the activities of the two organisations are complementary, and not mutually exclusive.

He said since the focus of CITN is to produce qualified and competent tax professionals and that of TAT is to resolve tax disputes between taxpayers and tax–collecting authorities in a fair, just and equitable manner, an interactive relationship between the bodies will serve the interest of taxpayers better. He said the tax payers will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a functional and efficient tax system.

UGE investment in infrastructure and entrenchment of sound corporate governance in the execution of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) must be achieved for Nigeria’s economy to overtake South Africa’s in 2020, Bode Augusto, Founder Augusto & Co, has said.

He spoke during the launch of EPIC Learning & Development Limited in Lagos. The Augusto & Co boss said although economic development is expected to improve in Nigeria in the next decade, an investment in infrastructure and proper implementation of PPP projects in Nigeria will place her ahead of South Africa.

He said such practice will also put Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ahead of that of South Africa.

“There is need for significant investment in infrastructure. There is a lot of work to be done in infrastructure investment to enable Nigeria to realise its potential,” he said. He said in PPP, the government does not have any business in business, except by acting as a regulator to the system.

Augusto said PPP projects typically involve the delivery of infrastructure to the people and needs regular budgetary allocations for repairs and maintenance after completion.

He said because political considerations outweigh economic considerations when planning and executing these projects, competitive users fees are not charged and used for the maintenance of these assets.

He insisted that the key to improving the governance of major projects in Nigeria’s public sector lies in reforming the operating model for the executing, man-

aging and delivering these projects.

He advised that when executing major projects, particularly infrastructure projects, the government should partner with the private sector because by doing so, economic and social considerations will outweigh political considerations.

It also makes funds available to the project to improve while reporting will be more open and transparent he added. “There is also tendency that projects will be subject to timely independent audits annually while government will be able to act as a truly independent regulator,” he said.

Augusto said the biggest PPPs in the country are found in the oil and gas sector, telecoms and Internet and electric power sectors. He said the PPPs that work in Nigeria are usually modelled as ownership structure, the government does not own majority stake in the equity, but can be largest single shareholder.

“Government acts as independent regulator and encourages fair trading, including competition.

Contract Includes clause to sell down and list on the stock exchange at a later date in licensing agreement while taxation, government provides fiscal incentives to the project to improve project economics,” he said.

The expert said that when these steps are taken, the sector would attract new investment from both local and international and the output of the industry will grow significantly. Such would create a lot of new jobs, the sector pays more taxes to the government, corporate, spending and personal.

e-clearing of cheques may begin in third quarter

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LECTRONIC clearing (e-clearing), which is being implemented only at banks’ headquarters, will be extended to the branches between July and September.

The extension is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), The Nation has learnt.

The policy, which became effective last August, could not be decentralised to all the banks’ networks because of technical hitches and infrastructure needed for its seamless take-off.

An executive of Sybrin Systems Limited, Daniel Parreira, said provision of sophisticated payment solutions, adoption of fully integrated

management systems and anti-fraud mechanisms by banks would enable them to achieve the feat.

Decentralisation to branches, he said, would further reduce the pressure on clearing centres at banks’ headquarters. Sybrin Limited, a software technology firm based in South Africa, provides e-clearing services and other payment solutions among Africa’s leading banks, clearing houses and corporations. e-clearing involves stopping the physical movement of the cheque and replacing the physical instrument with the image of the instrument and the corresponding data contained in the Magnetic Character Ink Character Reader (MICR) line.

The cheque details are captured, typically by the bank presenting the cheque or its clearing agent and electronically presented in an agreed format to the clearing house for onward delivery to the paying bank for payment. Unlike the more common form of presentation where a cheque is physically presented to the paying bank, a truncated cheque is typically stored by the presenting bank electronically.

Clearing period under the new rule would allow cheques clear on a T+1 basis such that customers receive value in the morning of T+2 even as the clearing house is also expected to operate three sessions.

Besides, the images of all the in-

struments in a batch/file shall be duly captured along with MICR data using scanners set up for the purpose. The amount needs to be captured/keyed in to complete the data record.

“The incoming images are subjected to validations. The images, which fail validations are rejected with an appropriate response file.

The bank may rescan the instrument and present in line with bank’s internal processes/control procedures.

The member banks have to maintain control over such re-presentments,” it said.

Besides, banks are expected to plan transmission of their outward presentation by taking into ac-

count presentation volume, the bandwidth of network with the clearing house, and the session window. In the event of an exchange file being received at the clearing house within a session time but not passed to the clearing house, the clearing house would unbundle the exchange file, and reattach to a new session.

In case validation of digital signature of presenting bank fails, paying bank may return such items with appropriate return reason codes. The introduction of the truncation process changes the roles and the responsibilities of the various participants in the clearing system and may lead to introduction of certain risks.

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MONEY CBN to MfBs: put structures in place Pension funds may be T invested in mortgage banks T HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will soon adopt a comprehensive reforms package for mortgage banking to reposition the sector for growth, spokesman Ugochukwu Okoroafor has said.

Okoroafor said the reforms would not only be all-inclusive, but would transform the practice of mortgage banking.

The reforms, he said, would address risks management, funding system, capacity of the mortgage firms to use another investment outlay for growth and corporate governance structures.

He said: “Through the reforms, we will provide a refinancing package for the mortgage banks.

We will create a strong secondary market for mortgage banks soon so that they would seek and explore other means of growth.

Most pension assets are idle because there is no alternative window or destination through which they can be utilised. We are trying to see how mortgage institutions can tap into the opportunities.”

The discovery of illiquidity, low profitability, and weak corporate governance in the balance sheets of the banks necessitated the reforms, he said, adding that other short comings include loss of con-

Stories by Akinola Ajibade

fidence and gradual extinction of some of the firms.

He said various regulatory bodies are coalescing to see how the mortgage industry can become a panacea for economic growth, adding that as many options as possible would be explored to improve the growth of the sub-sector.

Okoroafor said: “We are working with the World Bank, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Mortgage Bankers of Nigeria (FMBN), National Pension Commission (PenCOM), and Debt Management Office (DMO) to revive the mortgage operations. These regulators are coming together to provide their input on how the operations of mortgage bankers can be made stronger and competitive.”

He said the CBN was not concerned with recapitalisation of the banks alone, arguing that there are others issues that they are of importance to the growth of the mortgage companies. Okoroafor said the apex bank is awaiting for the deadline to expire at the end of this month before taking the next step.

“Let’s wait till the end of April before we can talk about the issues of companies that would meet the recapitalisation deadline or not.

When we get to the bridge, we

would know how to cross it,” he said.

Meanwhile, operators are upbeat about the April 31 recapitalisation deadline for them to shore up their base to N2.5billion and N5billion for those that want to play at the state and the national levels.

The Managing Director, Skyfield Savings and Loans Limited, Mr Kola Abdul, said the mortgage firms are eager to raise the capital because of its benefits to them.

Abdul said the deadline is sacrosanct because CBN has promised not to change it. He said the major issue facing the companies is how to get the required capital and make good returns.

He said banks that are able to recapitalise will be able to compete favourably for business, expand their operations and improve their profitability. He said the recapitalisation signals a good omen for the sector that is struggling to survive.

In a related development, the President, Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria(FMBN), Mr Abimbola Olayinka, had predicted that 25 mortgage companies would scale the deadline, stressing that there would not be any need for extension. He added that the recapitalised banks would have capacity to absorb shocks.

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has advised microfinance banks (MfBs) to adopt structures to encourage growth.

Speaking during a stakeholders forum in Lagos with the theme: “Microfinance banks and the challenges of growth”, CBN’s Senior Bank Examiner Nelson Amuwa said banks need to focus on the needs of their customers, if they want to achieve their goals.

He advised banks to provide Management Information System (IMS) that would contain vital information about their operations.

He said MIS must contain the clients’ data, portfolio performance, cost structures, and internal control mechanism to foster growth.

He urged the banks to put in place managements that can buy into corporate governance process, provide good oversight functions, clear strategic vision for the institutions, and be committed to lead the team.

“This will help in repositioning

•CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi

the banks for improved performance, and make them compete favourably in the country. That is the utmost desire of the regulators for the banks, among other operators in the industry,” he added.

Support sought for cash-less banking THE Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Philips Oduoza, has advised the lenders to embrace cash-less banking initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying it is convenient, safe and secure.

Speaking at a customers’ forum of the bank in Lagos to announce its banking products and services, he said the initiative was meant to ease the financial transaction needs of its customers.

He said the forum became necessary for the bank to know its numerous customers and hear from them directly where they have challenges or how they want to be served better.

He introduced new banking products to the customers of the bank. They include Cashless UBA, UBAlerts, U-Mobile, U-Direct, Point of Sale (PoS) as well as UBA ATM. “You can become cashless simply by picking up debit cards or prepaid cards, activating and doing transactions via U-Mobile and U-Direct and making payments on the Web and PoS,” he said.

According to him, the products will enable customers to keep track of their transactions as instant alerts are sent by SMS and email using UBAlerts.

He said the UBA Cards (Debit and Prepaid) are the keys to go cashless. “They enable you to manage your account without visiting a branch. The debit cards include the ‘Pay-as-U-go Verve card, Mastercard, Visa single card and Visa Dual Currency (DCDC),” he said.

IASeminars, Deloitte partner on IFRS

• Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (third left) cutting the tape to inaugurate the Dugbe, Ibadan branch of Heritage Bank Plc. With him are Chairman, Board of Trustees of the bank, Mr Sola Akinfenmiwa (second right), Managing Director, Mr Ifie Sekibo (second left), Chief of Staff of the Governor, Dr. Adeolu Akande (left) and a director of the bank, Alhaji Tijani Ibraheem.

No shortage of exam resources, says CIBN T

HE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has refuted the claims that it does not have enough resources to conduct examination for current and prospective bankers in the country.

The refutal is coming amid allegations that the body cannot conduct examination for its students, because of lack of resources.

The immediate past Chairman, CIBN, Lagos Chapter, Mr Bayo Olugbemi, said the body had started conducting examination for students in The Gambia to improve banking practice in the country.

He said the institute would soon open a branch in Ghana, as part of efforts to make banking more professional in the region and Africa in particular.

He said: “If it is training, it is easier for CIBN to do. We just finished our examination last week.

We are the current President of the

African Association of Institute of Bankers. This has given us the opportunities to conduct examinations in different countries and help in making the industry better and stronger.”

He said Nigerians were once certified by London Institute of Bankers, noting that one cannot become a banker unless he/she was trained by the institute.

“What the London Institute of Bankers was to Nigeria before, is what we are trying to be to other countries in Africa. We want to help in improving the practice of banking in other countries. To achieve this objective, we register their bankers,” he added.

Olugbemi, also the Managing Director, First Registrar, said efforts are being made to make banking a highly professional job in the country. He said various

courses have been introduced to enable students to choose from and further improve themselves.

Also, the Chairman, CIBN Lagos state branch, Mr Bolade Agboola, said everything humanly possible is being done to rid fake or noncharlants out of the industry.

He said efforts are being made to ensure that bankers have knowledge of critical components of banking in Nigeria.

Agboola said risk management is vital to the growth of banking industry, arguing that bankers that are bereft of risk management skills are going to perform badly.

He urged Nigerians to take advantage of courses handled by the institute, adding that they can only practice well when they have the prerequisite skills.

According to him, banking has entered a new dispensation globally where only the ‘fit and good personnel can cope with the pressure in the industry.

IASeminars, a United Kingdom(UK)-based company specialising in international accounting seminars around the world and Akintola Williams Deloitte have announced their collaboration in training courses on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

“IASeminars is proud to be working with Deloitte to service the IFRS training needs of Nigeria and of the wider African market.

Having provided IFRS and other financial training over the last 10 years to many clients in Europe and North America, we look forward to being of service to an African clientele,” said Marc Gardiner, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IASeminars said in a statement.

Also, Oduware Uwadiae, Partner - IFRS Services, Deloitte West & Central Africa said his firm is pleased to be working with IASeminars to provide a comprehensive range of IFRS training solutions. “Our technical IFRS knowledge added to the IASeminars international training expertise represents a premium IFRS education opportunity for the West African market,” he said.

The statement explained that under this arrangement, a wide range of IFRS courses have been scheduled in a number of African locations, as well as abroad and also online. Topics available include IFRS Immersion, US GAAP to IFRS comparison, IFRS Updates, and industry-specific courses such as Oil and Gas, Financial Services, and Public Sector Accounting (IPSAS).

How to fight money laundering THE Registrar/Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Accountants Nigeria (ICAN), Olutoyin Adepate, has emphasised the need for improved skills among accounting experts to tackle money laundering and financial crimes in the country.

At the induction of new members of the Association of Accounting Technicans (AAT) in Lagos, Adepate said the promulgation of the Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism laws demanded specialised expertise to deal with emerging issues in the banking and economic environment.

He said accounting technicians need to develop skills to assist the government in the crusade to curtail the growth of the practice.

With the government making legislations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, Adepate urged accounting officers to ensure the soundness, integrity and stability of the financial system is not compromised.

Adepate stressed the need for officers to acquaint themselves with international accounting standards to institutionalise greater transparency in financial reporting.

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NSE to sanction firms for breach of online disclosures

OMPANIES, which violate the rules governing the newly introduced online information-disclosure portal of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) would be liable to a fine of 50 per cent of their yearly listing fees, according to the draft rules on the use of the issuers’ portal obtained

by The Nation.

Companies will also be required to indemnify the Exchange for damages or loss it may suffer as a result of any inaccurate, misleading, false or deceptive statement contained in the information they submit to the NSE through the issuers’ portal.

The Issuers’ Portal, otherwise

By Taofik Salako

known as X-Issuer, was launched on March 26, this year. It aims at enhancing transparency, trading, information dissemination and fair play for stakeholders to build and grow their businesses.

The draft rules on the use of the issuers’ portal, already approved by the council of the NSE, is being subjected to review by stakeholders, especially quoted companies, which the rules directly affect. The

final draft will then be submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which will authorise the final rules on the use of the issuers’ portal.

The issuers’ portal rules will become effective immediately after approval of SEC and publication of the rules on the website of the NSE. However, sanctions relating to earnings reports, forecasts and other disclosures will only take effect on January 1 after the approval by SEC.

According to the draft, it’s compulsory for quoted companies to use the issuers’ portal for submission of information to the Exchange in compliance with the listings rules, unless such information falls within an excluded category as the Exchange may in its sole discretion prescribe from time to time.

The draft designates the issuers’ portal as the single gateway for filing all periodic and structured and continuous disclosures. The draft described periodic and structured disclosures to include audited and unaudited financial statements, earnings forecast and corporate actions. Continuous disclosures were described as notifications of material information including notice of annual general meeting, notice of board meeting, notice of change of auditors, notice of change of company secretary, notice of change of name and registered address, notice of change of registrars, notice of completion board meeting, notice of court ordered meeting, notice of directors dealings, notice of extra-ordinary general meeting and notice of resignation and appointment of directors.

Rule 8 of the draft requires companies to publish the same information on interim and audited earnings report, forecasts and corporate actions that it submitted to the issuers’ portal on its corporate website not later than the close of business on the day after the company submits such information to

the online portal. Besides, the rule mandates companies to ensure that such information remains on their corporate websites for a period of years from the date it is posted thereon.

Any company that fails to comply with Rule 8 would be liable to a fine of 50 per cent of its yearly listing fee.

Also, any company that fails to submit its periodic and structured information as well as continuous disclosures through the issuers’ portal would be liable to pay a fine of 50 per cent of its yearly listing fee.

The draft requires every company to appoint and duly notify the NSE of a designated user, who will be the sole authorised user for posting of information to the issuers’ portal. Every company or issuer is required to exercise all reasonable care to ensure that any information it submits through the issuers’ portal is accurate, not misleading, false or deceptive and does not omit any material facts likely to affect the import of such information.

The draft also specifies the formats for information disclosures and requires all companies or issuing entities to comply with such formats.

In the event of any misleading, false or deceptive disclosure or omission of any material fact as well as dereliction in terms of rules governing designated user and failure to comply with stipulated format, the company or issuer shall be liable to pay 50 per cent of its yearly listing fee as a fine.

Custodian absorbs Crusader

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• A pupil receiving a co-branded Access Early Savers-Dora the Explorer Lunch Box by Nickelodeon from Access Bank’s Head, Product, Sale and Management, Mrs. Adeola Kusemiju, at the bank’s exhibition stand during the just concluded Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Financial Literacy Fair and Exhibition in Abuja.

Exchange council approves new rules for brokers HE Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has approved many new rules and made amendments to the rules governing dealing members.

In a notification entitled: Additions and amendments to rules and regulations governing dealing members and invitation for comments, sent to licensed stockbrokers, the NSE indicated that the new rules included the order entry and execution rule, obvious error rule and churning, fictitious or deceptive trading pattern rule.

Head, Legal and Regulation, Tinuade Awe, said the Exchange embarked on the review of its rules and regulations in order to improve them to international standards.

According to her, the NSE strives to create a globally competitive market by enacting provisions that enhance the transparency of its operations - through which it aims to sustain and promote stakeholder confidence in the Nigerian capital market.

She, however, added that the rules and amendments are subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Part of the new rules included article 87, which contains amendments to trading parameters and now makes provisions for lot sizes and display of quotes and orders.

Also, Article 88, which contains amendments to trade types, makes provisions for order entry parameters, entry of limit and market orders, contents of orders, time-in-force limit orders while it also provides for time stamping of orders for ranking and then processing of orders.

A major amendment under Article 90 makes provision on suspension of trading. The Chief Executive Of-

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By Tonia Osundolire

ficer of the NSE is empowered to halt or suspend trading when he deems such action necessary or appropriate to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors, or otherwise in the public interest. However, the chief executive officer must notify the council of the Exchange as soon as possible.

A new rule under Article 95A provides procedures for dealing with obvious errors. The new rule empowers the NSE to cancel or adjust transactions that arise out of obvious errors, cancel or adjust pending bids and offers in that regard or halt trading in one or more securities pending the resolution of an obvi-

ous error.

Article 100 contains amendments to the provision on pricing methodology and provides that securities shall trade in price increments of one kobo. It also makes provisions for determining the opening and closing prices of securities on any trading day, price movements and price limits; and small trades.

Besides, the NSE amended provision on fine for unauthorised sale of securities by imposing much larger fines to deter unethical practices among dealing members. In addition to the larger fines, a dealing member, which has previously engaged in unauthorised sale of securities, shall also have its dealing licence withdrawn by the council of the Exchange.

‘African equity investments have better prospects’

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QUITY investments in quoted companies in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone and other Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries offer better prospects of higher yields and returns than indirect investments either through South African companies or multinationals with exposures to African economies.

In its report entitled: African equity exposure-Direct investment is superior, Renaissance Capital, a leading investment research firm, stated that though there were drawbacks to direct investment in illiquid SSA’s markets, direct investment approach remains the better option for higher returns.

In the analyst’s equity strategy report signed off by Herman van Papendorp, Renaissance Capital outlined the rationales for investing in

Africa’s equity and debt markets to fundamentally include Africa’s positive structural demographic dividend, rapid urbanisation, improving political stability, commodity wealth, the broadening of its economies beyond commodities, improving regional integration, positive macroeconomic settings and the deepening of its financial markets.

According to the report, the diversification benefits of Africa’s relatively low, and often negative, correlation with developed and emerging markets, the attractive relative valuations of African equities and debt and the relatively poor risk-return opportunities available in developed markets are additional rationales for investing in Africa’s financial markets.

OLLOWING the conclusion of the business combination process, Custodian & Allied Insurance Plc has taken over the assets and liabilities of Crusader Nigeria Plc. The enlarged entity would be known as Custodian & Allied Plc. In a statement made available to The Nation, Brand and Communication Manager, Custodian and Allied Plc, Chukwudum Ofomata, said the merger has created integration of skills, information technology (IT) and back office processes, which would be to the advantage of the customers of the company.

According to him, customers can take advantage of the company’s increased spread, improved opera-

tional efficiencies and expanded product portfolio.

“The merger between Custodian & Allied Insurance Plc and Crusader (Nigeria) Plc leverages on 79 combined years of insurance and financial services experience. The merger has created invaluable integration of skills, information technology and back office processes. All these to the benefit of our customers and other stakeholders,” Ofomata said.

He noted that the strengths of Custodian & Allied Plc lie in its stronger balance sheet, financial capacity, improved operational efficiencies and an expanded product portfolio adding that the company has expanded its scope of services with the merger with Crusader (Nigeria) Plc.

‘Nigeria consumes 100m 50kg bags of rice’

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IVE million metric tons of rice, amounting to about 100 million 50kg bags of rice, is consumed yearly in the country, figures from the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) have indicated.

The figures available to The Nation showed that 2.1 million metric tons of rice is imported into the country yearly. This amounts to 42 million 50 kg bags of rice worth N360 billion.

It is, however, doubtful if the balance is produced in the country. However, the product is still smuggled in daily, through the borders, especially at Seme.

Cheap rice imports have continued to take a larger share of the market, while local variants struggle.

This cheapness of imported rice is, in spite of the recent 10 per cent import duty and 100 per cent levy imposed on it by the Federal Government, in January. The price of imported rice is still lower than the local one, due to the adequate infrastructure for farmers in the foreign rice producing countries, and subsidies on rice production by foreign governments.

By Toba Agboola

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, said Nigeria’s rice consumption is projected to reach 35 million tonnes by 2050, from five million tonnes, rising at the rate of seven per cent yearly.

He said rice production calls for immediate strategic approach, which entails raising rice yield, without which the country will be unable to meet the future rice needs in the next 35 years.

He said efforts were being made under the Agricultural Transformation Action plan (ATAP) to reduce importation to zero this year and achieve 2.1 million metric tonnes local production over the next 12 months.

He added that as part of its agricultural sector transformation strategy, which is hoped would drive diversification of the economy from oil and particularly ensure the nation’s food security, the government has planned to ensure that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in rice production by 2015.

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Presco vs Okomu Oil: Same weather, different planters

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GRICULTURE is the main point of national transformation agenda. It’s also a major rallying point at the stock market. Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Presco Plc are the two dominant stocks in the agriculture sector.

With market capitalisation of about N72 billion, the two stocks account for some 90 per cent of total market capitalisation of the five stocks listed under the agriculture sector. With hectares of palm oil plantations, they represented the vast agriculture potential of Nigeria. Both Okomu Oil Palm and Presco are integrated agricultural companies with oil palm plantations, palm oil mills, crushing plants and oil refining plants. They engage in cultivation of oil palm and extraction and refining of palm oil into finished products. They are major suppliers of specialty fats and oils to several large and medium companies. Besides similarity of business operations, the two companies shared several similarities including the location of their farms in Edo State and substantial foreign shareholdings. They are also companies of nearly the same size and run the same business year.

Okomu Oil Palm, the older and the larger of the two companies, was incorporated in 1979 and listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1991, the same year Presco was incorporated.

Okomu Oil Palm opened yesterday with a market capitalisation of N46.26 billion, nearly twice the market value of Presco Plc, which opened at N25.38 billion. Besides, Okomu Oil Palm has a larger balance sheet; including total assets and net assets.

Presco became a public limited liability company and listed its shares on the NSE in 2002. With total assets of N28 billion and net assets of N17.1 billion, Presco still boasts of substantial capacity in the largely small-sized operations that dominate the agriculture sector.

But though they share several similarities, latest fundamentals of Presco and Okomu Oil appear to be illustrating the proverbial rain that showers on sugarcane and bitter leaves farms. While the audited reports for 2011 had shown striking fundamental similarities with all key indices of the two agricultural stocks jumping to new highs, latest audited reports and accounts for the year ended December 31, 2012 show striking fundamental dissimilarities.

From turnover to profit and returns, Presco extracted itself as the better of the two companies, and with sustained growths, assumed the leadership of the industry in terms of turnover and profitability. Both actual and underlying profit and loss measures placed Presco ahead with its real operational profit twice that of Okomu Oil. Okomu Oil failed to sustain its growth momentum as decline in sales coloured the bottom-line negative. With the bumper harvest in 2012, Presco now outpaces competition in all key averages, setting long stride that will require equally jumpy growth by the competing stocks to catch up.

Sales Generation Okomu Oil Palm could not sustain its previous jumpy sales growth as sales revenue dropped by 8.8 per cent in 2012 as against impressive growth of 82.7 per cent.

Average sales growth in the past two years thus stood at 36.95 per cent. The top-line performance in 2012 was the poorest in recent years. It had increased sales by 52 per cent in 2010.

Presco grew its turnover by nearly a third, sustaining year-onyear impressive growth in sales that had seen the top-line expand-

erage assets in 2012 as against 10.9 per cent in 2011, indicating average return on total assets of 21.5 per cent over the years. Return on equity-to shareholders who provided the equity funds, also improved from 9.6 per cent to 50 per cent. This indicates average return on equity of about 30 per cent.

Okomu Oil Palm’s returns generally fell below average in 2012 with average returns of 14 per cent and 14.1 per cent on total assets and equity funds respectively. Returns on total assets and equity funds had stood at 20 per cent and 21 per cent respectively in 2011.

Average returns on assets and equity thus stood at about 17 per cent and 17.4 per cent.

The Bottom-line

By Taofik Salako

ing annually by an average of 45 per cent in recent years. Presco’s gross incomes rose by 32 per cent in 2012 compared with increase of 58.5 per cent and 35 per cent in 2011 and 2010 .

Profitability Both actual and underlying profitability indices of the companies showed the same colouration as the top-line. Presco consolidated its profitability and leveraged on higher sales and increasingly efficient cost management to displace Okomu Oil Palm as the highestprofitable agric stock. Okomu Oil Palm’s actual pre and post tax profits dropped marginally, although the underlying profit-making capacity remained steadied.

Presco was clearly in better grip of cost management and profitability. Gross profit doubled by 107 per

Facts to Facts Turnover growth Gross profit growth Pre-tax profit growth Gross margin Pre-tax profit margin Net profit growth Return on Assets Return on Equity

cent in 2012 as against increase of 84 per cent in 2011. Profit before tax leapt by 229.8 per cent in 2012, consolidating 93 per cent recorded in 2011. After taxes, net profit jumped by 378 per cent in 2012 as against 55 per cent in 2011.

On the other hand, Okomu Oil Palm recorded a decline of 6.7 per cent in profit before tax, a reversal from impressive growth of 136 per cent recorded in 2011. Net profit after tax also reversed with a negative of 8.5 per cent in 2012 as against growth of 141 per cent in 2011.

On the average, Presco significantly outperformed its competitor with average pre-tax profit growth of 162 per cent as against Okomu Oil Palm’s 65 per cent.

Presco’s average net profit growth in recent years stood at 216 per cent compared with 66 per cent recorded by Okomu Oil Palm.

Besides, there was significant improvement in the profit-making

capacity of Presco compared with almost flat position of its peer.

Presco’s gross profit margin improved from 47.5 per cent in 2011 to 74.3 per cent in 2012, indicating average margin of about 61 per cent. Pre-tax profit margin also more than doubled from 32 per cent to about 80 per cent, representing average pre-tax profit margin of about 56 per cent. Okomu Oil Palm’s average profit margin has steadied at 42.35 per cent in recent years, hovering between 41.9 per cent in 2011 and 42.8 per cent in 2012.

Actual Returns Returns to shareholders and other stakeholders also showed similar patterns to profit and sale trends. While Presco improved underlying returns considerably, Okomu Oil Palm’s returns dwindled to their recent lows.

Presco returned 32 per cent on av-

There is no doubt about the immediate, medium and future prospects of the agriculture sector. In spite of the pervasive influence of crude oil on national income, agriculture remains the dominant sector of the Nigerian economy.

With estimated land area of 910,768 square kilometres out of a total area of 923,768 square kilometres, Nigeria is largely an agrarian economy with agriculture the largest sector and biggest employer. Nigeria’s arable land use stands at more than 33 per cent. From the North to the South, from West to East, Nigeria’s climate and terrain are suitable to cultivation and breeding. Notable agriculture produce across the regions include Cocoa, Peanuts, Palm oil, Corn, Rice, Millet, Cassava, Sorghum, Yams, Rubber, Cattle Sheep, Goats, Timber, Fish among others.

Over the years, agriculture has shown considerable resilience and it has increasingly become a major catalyst for Nigeria’s growing Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

Government’s fiscal policy measures aimed at encouraging domestic agricultural companies also appeared to be impacting positively on the sector. The Federal Government has granted several incentives to agriculture sector including a zero duty on agricultural machinery and equipment with effect from January 31, 2012. Besides, many agricultural companies had benefitted from financial incentives from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which helped to reduce financial leverage and pressure on the bottomline. More than before, there is a strong linkage between the central government and the private agric operators, which enabled Nigerian farmers to make input and directly benefit from government’s policies.

The performance of Presco and Okomu Oil reflected the differing potential of each operator, although the macroeconomic environment generally remains positive. The difference appears to lie in the growth and investment plans of the companies. Presco has maintained a meticulous investment programme which included planting and replanting of new and existing plantations and expansion of processing capacity.

Okomu Oil 2012 % -8.8 -6.7 42.8 -8.5 14 14.1

2011 % 82.7 79 136.3 61.6 41.9 140.8 19.9 20.6

Presco Average % 36.95 39.5 64.8 30.8 42.35 66.15 16.95 17.35

Turnover growth Gross profit growth Pre-tax profit growth Gross margin Pre-tax profit margin Net profit growth Return on Assets Return on Equity

2012 % 31.8 106.5 229.8 74.3 79.8 377.9 32 50.2

2011 % 58.5 84.1 93.4 47.5 31.9 54.5 10.9 9.6

Average % 45.15 95.3 161.6 60.9 55.85 216.2 21.45 29.9

34

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 , 2013

EQUITIES WATCH

Email: taofad2000@yahoo.co.uk

After waiting for dividend for more than 16 years, investors in Costain (West Africa) Plc still have to contend with declining fundamentals. The company's share price has stagnated for nearly one and half years. The release last week of another negative earnings report further compounds the company’s outlook, writes TAOFIK SALAKO

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QUITIES have in the past 15 months made substantial recovery. Average equity return has been in double digits, underlining positive real returns for investors. The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark value-based index that tracks prices of all quoted equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), indicated average full-year return of 35.4 per cent last year. In the first quarter of the year, average equity return closed threemonth period at 19.4 per cent. Increasing inflow of largely impressive earnings report has sustained the upbeat at the stock market. The ASI opens today with a yearto-date return of 21 per cent, reflecting the upswing in the last four trading days.

With several stocks hitting all-time-high prices, the generally positive market situation at the Nigerian stock market belied the grueling experience of investors in ailing stocks. While the market has witnessed major rebound in the past 15 months, investors in Costain have conversely seen significant deterioration in values.

Costain's share price has stagnated at N2.66 per share, its opening price for 2012.

It had in 2011 lost N3.1 billion out of its market value of about N6 billion, almost thrice the average loss in the market during the period. Since 2008, the construction company's market consideration has been on the topsy-turvy. From a high of N26.55 in January 2008, the share price had descended almost in a free fall to close 2009 at N3.80, representing a loss of 86 per cent in market worth. Against the background of the short-lived general market recovery in 2010, Costain recovered to a high of N9.79 per share before closing 2010 at N6.49.

Pricing as mirror of fundamentals But shareholders are not only losing in stock market valuation, the share price reflects the worsening fundamental position of the construction firm. Year-on-year, the much-vaunted turnaround and benefits of new core investors appear to be vanishing in thick layers of losses. Latest audited report and accounts for the year ended March 31, 2012 showed a generally negative performance outlook. With declining sales, increasing losses and negative working capital, significant erosion of the net assets underlined concerns about the prospects of the construction company.

Total turnover dropped from N9.20 billion in 2011 to N7.39 billion. Total cost of sales and administrative expenses stood at N9.11 billion in 2012 as against N8.39 billion in 2011, setting the background for the huge increase in loss before tax from N880.82 million to N1.93 billion. Loss after tax rose to N1.85 billion in 2012 compared with N1.25 billion in 2011. On this, each ordinary share carried a loss of N1.71 in 2012 as against N1.15 in 2011. With this, shareholders' funds dropped by N1.93 billion from N6.61 billion to N4.68 billion.

This implied reduction in net assets per share from N6.10 to N4.32. The company struggled with a negative working capital of N1.10 billion in 2012 as against N1.02 billion in 2011.

The latest report, though worse, followed similar fundamental pattern since 2008.

For hundreds of thousands of sharehold-

Costain: When will the dividends come?

But between 2008 and now, Costain's turnaround hopes have fizzled into thick sense of despair. Costain neither realised the forecasts nor made any returns to shareholders tal base that was supposed to be the building blocks for the much-vaunted turnaround is now being eroded by sustained losses.

Between the company and industry

ers that had taken in the company's message of restructuring and turnaround in 2007, it's not only the recent losses that count but the entire pervasive sense of hopelessness that has taken over a company which they bought into its corporate message of turnaround and public offer at N13 per share. With the emergence of Shoreline Energy International Limited as the new core investor in Costain, the company had floated a combined rights and public offer in December 2007 with a view to raise N8.04 billion. Nearly three-quarters of the shares were offered to pre-qualified existing shareholders under the rights issue at a discount of N11 per share. New investors paid N13 per share to buy into the public offer. As the application lists closed, investors watched eagerly as their share price hit a high of N26.55 per share by the end of January 2008.

Failed turnaround or deception?

But between 2008 and now, Costain's turnaround hopes have fizzled into thick sense of despair. Costain neither realised the forecasts nor made any returns to shareholders. In the wake of the 2007 combined supplementary issue, the board and management had made a three-year forecast indicating that profit before tax would rise from N114 million in 2007 to N538 million in 2008 and subsequently jump to N2.25 billion and N4.5 billion in 2009 and 2010. Profit after tax was projected to rise from N141 million in 2007 to N514 million in 2008 and subsequently leap to N1.7 billion and N3.2 billion in 2009 and 2010

respectively. With these, the beleaguered shareholders of Costain, whose last cash dividend was in 1997, were promised a dividend per share of 65 kobo in 2009 and more than a double in 2010 at N1.50 per share. From the first year in 2008, Costain failed to meet all key projections. Profits before and after tax came in below targets at N380.5 million and N353.2 million respectively. And shareholders have since never got a dime in dividends.

Why did a company that seemingly was on course for turnaround suddenly returned to loss-making after securing new equity funds? In the immediate period preceding the offer period, Costain had seemed to be on a rebound with the return of net profit of N141 million and 171 per cent growth in turnover to N3.02 billion in 2007. This rebound and turnaround was the major selling point and the contrast from the losing streak of previous years imbued shareholders with hopes of future returns. Costain had struggled all through this century. While it had won awards as a major quoted company in the 1980s and early 1990s, Costain turned into the new century as a troubled stock. Net loss after taxes built up from N42.6 million in 2003 to N469 million in 2004 and spiraled from N281.3 million in 2005 to N1.5 billion in 2006. By 2005, sustained losses had completely eroded the shareholders' funds with a deficit of N143.5 million. This later built up to net deficits of N1.43 billion and N1.29 billion in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The new equity funds were to rebuild the balance sheet and support the operations of the company. In a crude irony that make investors to gnash their teeth, the new capi-

While both the fundamental and technical indices of Costain clearly show a troubled company, not so many analysts will disagree on the robust prospects of the building and construction industry. With the Government focus on infrastructure and private sector initiatives in housing and infrastructure, Nigeria has strong potential for the development of the construction sector. The largest country in Africa, with some 170 million population and in critical need of development of infrastructure, the need for capital projects especially in housing and roads has continued to grow year-on-year. With steady Gross Domestic Products (GDP) growth, the outlook for the construction industry remains bright as it is generally accepted that the level of GDP per capita positively correlates with the level of construction activity. The nationwide demand for building and construction has seen entry of many foreign construction firms.

No doubt the fragmented nature of the industry and the entry of new companies have increased competition, but Costain has a long-established brand that could serve as support for its competencies. Established in Nigeria in 1948, Costain is the first construction company to be quoted on the NSE. An iconic global and national brand, Costain- as a subsidiary of Costain (UK) Plc, was construction company of first choice. There is hardly any state in Nigeria where the company had not done major works including buildings, roads, dams, bridges and other civil works. Costain's iconic projects included the University College Hospital, Ibadan; Oyo State Waterworks and Erinle Dam, Oyo State; Necom House, Lagos; Shell Housing Estate, Abuja; Kano State Water Treatment Plant, Tamburawa, Kano State and several roads and other projects that till today bear the distinctive 'C' corporate mark of the company.

Costain needs to rekindle its winning brand, reassess its turnaround strategy and restart on a new path of hopes and returns to all stakeholders.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

35

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP

‘I started Complete Football with N6,500’ Sunny Ojeagbase started the first sports newspaper in the country, Complete Football, in October 1984. Today, the paper has a strong following. He shares his inspirational story with DANIEL ESSIET.

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O make a success of a newspaper business is not easy. It requires gut, determination and a resilient spirit to run a newspaper. Dr Sunny Ojeagbase seems to have all these attributes.

He started the first sports newspaper in Nigeria, Complete Football, in October, 1984.Today, the paper has a strong following.

He relives his humble beginnings to The Nation: “When I joined The Guardian, I was 32. I had this belief that if by the time I turned 40 I had not found my feet, I might just forget it. At The Guardian, I knew that as the sports editor I had arrived at my bus stop and there was nowhere else to go.

I asked myself what next. So, that question got me thinking about what to do next. That thought was at the back of my mind when I visited my uncle, Bishop George Amu. That was in December 1985.

“My wife and I visited him and his family in their home. I saw some books in his house and two titles caught my attention. One of them was a book entitled: Think and grow rich. The other was a companion book co-authored by W. Clemence Stone and entitled: A Positive mental attitude. I took home those books and read them.

“Think and grow rich, gave me the inspiration to dare and to think deeply about entrepreneurship.

Until I read the book, it never crossed my mind that I could become an entrepreneur. By the following January, I was all over this Lagos approaching everyone I knew that I believed had the money to fund my idea of publishing a sports newspaper.

“Before then, it had occurred to me that I had travelled to many parts of the world and there was no country that I ever visited that did not have a sports publication.

I realised that in Nigeria for all the interest we had in sports, we had no such publication. So that was it. I began to investigate why there was no sports newspaper in Nigeria. Then I discovered that the people who tried before us didn‘t establish it as a company.

What they did was come to you and say write about boxing and this and that. And because they

didn‘t have a deadline for submission of the stories, what they eventually published would be stale.

“You know, stale news has no value. So, I decided that if I had to do this, I would have to do it the way The Guardian or Punch did their thing. That was how the idea came. Eventually, when I came back from the Olympic Games in the USA with about six cameras, I gave them to my sister with an instruction to sell them at Oshodi market.

“She sold them for N4,000.

Then, I borrowed N2,500 from the late chairman of our company, Chief Olufemi Olukanmi and I had N6, 500. That was the takeoff capital for what is known today as Complete Communications Limited.”

Ojeagbase said entrepreneurs shouldn’t expect overnight success and must be prepared to stick with the project during the rough patches.

Starting a newspaper from scratch may seem like a daunting task. Not so Ojeagbase. He still believes in newspapers when the market conditions are right.

Part of his strategy, is simply to stay one step ahead of his competitors. When competitors are slow, he moves fast. He digs deeper and provides a broader perspective of the issues. He wants his product to stand out from the rest of the pack. His priority is greater emphasis on quality writing.

He urged new entrants to push the pendulum back and commit to learning the craft. It’s self-satisfying, appreciable in the marketplace, chicks dig it, and against all other principles of life, writing can improve with age.

He advised aspiring newspaper entrepreneurs to “stay focused on serving local businesses, keep product management focus on where readers and the competition will be in three to five years, stay away from distractions, keep the overhead down, outsource whenever possible, and focus the time of the publisher and top managers on selling ads.”

By this strategy, he has been able

•Ojeagbase (right) with Comedian Ali Baba at an event in Lagos.

to become profitable in a short amount of time. His success is largely due to low overhead and paying employees on an incentive/performance basis.

And so with N6,500, he started publishing the first Nigerian weekly sports newspaper, Sports Souvenir with himself as the vendor selling the paper at the National Stadium, Lagos. A year later, he published Complete Football, the first Nigerian allcolour monthly football magazine, and in 1995, he came out with Complete Sports, which is the first daily sports newspaper.

Also in 1995, with his wife, Esther, he started a pet project that will enable them to teach Nigerians how to come about change in their lives. Thus Success Attitude Development Centre (SADC) was born, an NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) with a mission to raise and nurture entrepreneurs whose success in business is driven by the fear of God, and a burning desire to care for their families and unquenchable thirst to do good in their communities.

It was under this NGO that Success Digest Magazine – one of the highest selling magazines and Nigerians number one lifechanging magazine – came out in 1995.

Today under SADC, are such national events as the Success Digest Entrepreneurs Awards, Success Digest Entrepreneurs Conference, Success Digest

Ashaka Cement trains 70 youths

A

SHAKA Cement Company in Gombe State has trained and resettled 70 youths as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives in its host communities.

Participants were trained in welding, plumbing, poultry, masonry and electrical works.

Speaking at the graduation of the trainees in Ashaka, its Managing Director, Mr Neeraj Akhoury, said the idea was conceived two years ago when he assumed office.

“I started thinking on what I will do to help our host communities because we have been doing the same programme when I was working in Lafarge Cement Company, in India,” he said.

He said since the first training was successful, the company will employ another batch of 200, adding that this would go a long way in reducing youth restiveness and poverty.

Learning and Development Manager of the company, Malam Tukur Lawal, who also oversees the training, commended the participants for conducting themselves well.

He said the graduates started well, adding that the participants would be issued two certificates, one from the company and one by the Federal Ministry of labour.

Lawal said 700 people attended the interview, while only 70 were admitted.

The Director of the National

Orientation Agency in Gombe, Mr Ado Solomon, commended the company, adding that what the company was doing was in line with the administration’s efforts to end youth restiveness.

He advised the participants to use the equipment given to them to become employers in future.

The District Head of Bajoga, Alhaji Garba Mohammed, said this was the first of its kind in the area and assured the company that the youths would do what was expected of them.

Malam Mohammed Yaya, thanked the company for creating such training and promised to use the items in a productive way to create employment for others in future.

Business Opportunity Expo, Success Digest Leaders’ Club and SO Wealth Library.

Ojeagbase has touched so many Nigerians, both young and old, his story has served as an inspiration to many who would have given up due to lack of a university or any other tertiary educational qualification.

He brought about the idea of making money from whatever one could do. From snail farming to chalk production, from professional proof-reading to soap making. From bee keeping to carbonblack production. From building wealth in stock market to packaging for export. Name it, those hitherto not able to do anything, have suddenly found themselves being their own bosses and employing others.

Ojeagbase is a success story in entrepreneurship. From a humble background, he managed to enrol into St. James’ Primary School, Osogbo, where he secured his First School Leaving certificate in 1962. At 17, he enlisted into the Nigerian Army, after working as an apprentice mechanic for two days, a trainee stenographer for six months and almost five years as a trainee printer.

His joining the army was a desperate act to run away from poverty. Pools betting became his second pre-occupation in the military, a habit that nearly ruined his life. The turning point came when he found God and reading the book The Seven Laws of Success by Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of Worldwide Church of God. He voluntarily discharged from the army in 1978.

In 1976, he enrolled from home for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and two correspondence courses in journalism at 26. Of the four subjects he entered for , he made two papers (Credit in Economics and A in English).

The A in English fired up his desire in sports journalism. He began to invest in any sports material he could lay his hands on and then to study the style and presentation of sports writers in the materials.

His very first attempt as a sports writer was in June 1976, when he, as a freelancer, wrote a sports report for Herald, owned by the Kwara State Government.

He became a sports reporter working for Daily Times from April 1, 1979; Concord, 1980 and The Guardian, 1983.

Unemployed youths can get jobs in real estate, says expert

U

NEMPLOYED youths can exploit the real estate business for jobs, a property consultant, Mr Adewebi Olumide, has said.

In an interview in Lagos, Olumide, the Managing Director, Vantage Habitat & Estate Company, said an individual could be self-sustaining with hard work and commitment. “The real estate industry has many facets that need little or no formal education to earn enough money from,’’ he said.

Olumide said estate agent, or real estate agency, were some aspects of the business that did not require experience to do.

“Although property management requires some elements of training and education, it can easily be embarked upon by unemployed youths.

“By managing a small property, a youth can charge commission on rent collected as well as bill the property owner for doing some physical

maintenance for him, or her.

“Operating a real estate agency requires little training and the business is highly lucrative; it is that aspect of the industry that has been infringed by nonprofessionals.“ Olumde said the government has a role to play in regulating the agency business.

“Not everybody, Dick and Harry, must be allowed to go into real estate agency. The government needs to regulate charges on the buying and selling of property.

“A free-for-all determination of percentages on property sold or bought can have grave economic implications if not properly regulated,`` Olumide said.

He said more focus by government on the real estate sector could bolster entrepreneurship skills of unemployed youths.

Olumide also called on government at all levels to place premium on youth empowerment by helping young people to be selfreliant.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

36

MARITIME

Congestion looms at port over T tax number F

Shippers’ Council partners USAID

RESH crisis is looming at the Lagos ports over the introduction of Tax Identification Number (TIN) by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Customs.

According to Customs, the provision of TIN is now a prerequisite for importers to clear goods from the seaport.

Investigation showed that over 50 containers and several vehicles are now trapped in the port because the owners could not provide their TIN. Consignments belonging to an individual, who does not have the TIN, may be forfeited unless the authority addresses the issue.

For instance, Mr Adelaja Oguntulu (70), whose son Goke sent him a vehicle

• 50 containers, vehicles trapped Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda Maritime Correspondent

from Germany, could not get the vehicle out of the port because he does not have TIN. The clearing agent, the septuagenerian alleged, told him that the document for his vehicle could not be processed because he does not have TIN. FIRS and the Customs, he said, would create congestion at the port if they continue to apply the TIN policy to individuals.

Oguntulu said he retired over 10 years ago and has

not received his gratuity from his employers. His children, he said, are responsible for his up-keep, yet the Customs want him who is not working to give them Tax Number.

“Which tax number do they want me to give them?

I am not working and do not receive salary from anybody or is it from the money sent to me from my children living abroad they want me to pay tax? I hope this people are not planning to send some of us to our early graves because they want to collect money by all means,” Oguntulu said.

When The Nation called him on phone, the President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs agents (ANCLA), Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said every Nigerian above 18 years must have TIN to clear goods from the port.

Shittu said Nigerians above 18 years can go to FIRS to obtain their TIN whether they paid tax in the past or not.

The ANCLA boss also said once an individual has paid his tax to the Lagos State or Federal Governments, for instance, the TIN will be given to him to transact his business at the ports.

He warned clearing agents to stop payment of duty for importers, as Customs will always ask for the TIN of the affected importer.

HE Nigerian Shippers’ Council is partnering the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa Trade Hub to reduce barriers and facilitate trade in the region.

The Council and USAID are collaborating to encourage intra-Africa trade and eradicate barriers that are affecting international trade.

Speaking at the Seme border, the Council’s Director of Commercial Shipping Services, Mrs Dabney Shall Holma, said there was the need for the collaboration.

She added that trade within the regions was not favourable because of border constraints.

She said the NSC was established to facilitate trade and as a member of African Shippers’Council, it felt that it was its responsibility to address border trade.

Mrs Holma said Nigeria accounted for 70 per cent trade in West and Central African regions.

“We felt there is the need for this collaboration; hitherto, we had a situation whereby the countries in West and Central Africa are not gaining from each other and we want to encourage that intra-Africa trade.

“We have looked at the disconnect; we have looked at the lack of connectivity; we have looked at so many issues on the path of trade and found out that all the gridlocks are man-made and if they are man-made, man can remove them. We felt at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council that this was a responsibility that we should take seriously,” she said.

Also, the USAID Business Environment Director, Dr. Sola Afolabi, said the collaboration was aimed at providing assistance to shippers at the border.

He said the partnership will ease the flow of border trade among shippers, adding that it cuts across the West African states.

Lawyers seek friendly policies

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ARITIME lawyers have asked the Federal Government for policies to promote the industry.

Speaking with reporters in Lagos, the lawyers said the dearth of human and material capacity have been a source of worry in the sector.

They called on relevant government agencies at the port to complement stakeholders’ efforts in capacity-

building.

Speaking on behalf of others, a maritime lawyer and consultant in the industry, Mr Frank Simpson, said the dream of the youth, who seek employment, can only be realised through job creation via the sector and human capacity building.

He said the country can be the number one maritime nation in Africa if human capacity building is taken seriously.

Group demands coast guard

T • The smuggled rice loaded inside the trailers

PHOTO: OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

Customs seizes 13 trailer loads of rice in Lagos

O

VER 13 trailer loads of rice worth N96 million have been seized by the Customs.

The items were hidden in wooden boats on their way from Gbaji Yeke in Badagry Lagos State to Ere in Ogun State.

Gbaji-Ere River is a smuggling point where the smugglers use wooden boats to ferry rice, vehicles and other prohibited items into the country at night.

The river runs through Cotonou, Owode-Apa and Ere River in Ogun State; and Badagry Lagoon up to the Atlantic Ocean.

When The Nation visited the area, Customs officials were supervising the evacuation of the rice from the locally made boats into the trailers.

‘Rize Parboiled Premium, Origine Thailande, Exclusive Distribution in Benin, Prodena Saril, +22921315352’ and World Rice Thai Parboiled Rice 100 per cent sorted, Grade A Quality were inscribed with red and black paint on the white 50kg bags of rice. Its expiry date is 2014.

Customs National Public Relations Officer Mr Wale Adeniyi said the seizure was made by the Federal

Operation Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja in collaboration with the Western Marine command.

Mr Uche Ejesieme, the command’s Public Relations Officer, said Customs officers intercepted the smuggled rice at Badagry creeks.

He attributed the success of the operation to what he called careful planning.

The team that laid ambush for the smugglers, he said, was led by Yusuf M. A. and other officers for almost 13 days.

Ejesieme gave kudos to the people of Gbaji, mostly the Baale of Gbaji Yeke, Chief Emmanuel Kunwakalu, for their support.

But a member of the Gbaji community, who spoke with The Nation under the condition of anonymity, alleged that majority of those who

engaged in the rice smuggling are ex-security officers and a few serving ones that have arms and ammunition.

He said if not for the involvement of the military in the evacuation of the rice, the exercise, would have led to a battle between Customs and the smugglers.

“The people that are involved in the business are very deadly and they have wasted so many people that have threatened their business. This river goes to Ere, in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

That was where the boats were going before they were intercepted by the Customs.”

“That axis,” I was told, “is more difficult for Customs to penetrate than this area because of its terrain.”

He attributed the surge in

rice smuggling to the high price of the commodity in the market.

The Baale said the number of youths that have taken to smuggling has increased because of unemployment and urged the government to address the problem.

Smuggled goods, the monarch said, include second hand vehicles, textile materials, used cloths, bags, shoes, tyres, rice, frozen chicken, frozen turkey, vegetable oil, soap, furniture, sweets,” cigarettes, apples, pineapple and palm oil.

The President, Rice Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN), Mr Tunned Owoeye, also told the newspaper that the country lost over N32 billion to rice smugglers last year.

HE Seafearers Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to establish a coast guard to tackle sea robbery and piracy.

Its President, Captain Thomas Kemewerigha, said seafarers work without protection, adding that this has made them vulnerable to sea robbers.

The Navy, he said, has failed in the face of incessant attacks on seafarers.

He called on the Nigeria

Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other stakeholders in the sector to assist seafarers in solving their problems.

Chairman of the National Seafarers Welfare Board of Nigeria, Otunba Kunle Folarin, said the board has been able to provide free training for 21 Nigerians to be members of the International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare (ICSW) licenceship visitors’ volunteers.

Boat owners make case for fuel stations

L

AGOS State Governor BabatundeFashola has been urged to build fuel stations along the waterways.

President, National Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters (NATBOWAT) and Chief Executive Officer, Tarzan Jetty, Maroko, Lagos, Mr Ganiyu Balogun, made this call in a chat with The Nation.

He said building fuel stations along the waterways would enable boat operators to have easy access to fuel.

Fuelling their boat engines, he said, is one of the challenges facing the boat operators.

“We need fuel stations on

our waterways for re-fuelling our boats, but they are not there yet,’’ he said.

Balogun said the debris in the waters also hinder their operation, urging the government to remove them.

He also raised the alarm over the poor state of the water.

“The major challenges facing water transportation in the state has to do with the dirty nature of the waterways. In the past, you could not throw things in the water. But today, the control is gone. If you look around, you would see many of our engines that have parked up because of the debris on the waterways,’’ he said.

NPA, Police collaborate to secure ports

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HE Police and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) are partnering to protect the ports against terrorism and other crimes.

Executive Director, Marine and Operations, NPA, Mr David Omonibeke, told The Nation that the NPA ap-

preciates the crucial roles of the Police, and will continue to cultivate, maintain and sustain a mutual working relationship with them.

NPA, he said, would continue to support the port police by providing necessary logistics to enhance

their operation in securing the ports.

Omonibeke noted that the new Commissioner of Police, Mrs Sherifat Disu Olakoju, has made remarkable changes since she assumed office.

The General Manager, Se-

curity, NPA, Col. Jamil Tahir (rtd), said the seaports had not been attacked by terrorists because of the synergy between NPA and security agencies.

The Ports Police Commissioner, however, said that a lot more needs to be

done to improve security of the ports facilities.

She urged NPA to support her officers in marine training, provision of patrol vehicles, accommodation, communication gadgets, sniffer dogs and a host of other equipment.

THE

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

37

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013 LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013 LAGOS BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2013

• Carnival participants during a colourful performance

With a colourful carnival that attracted a huge crowd at the Tafawa Balewa Square, the curtain was drawn on the Lagos Black Heritage , MIRIAM EKENE-OKORO reports.

Glamour, glitz at Lagos Heritage Festival

C

ULTURE. Tradition. Glamour. You name it. All were on display. The huge crowd had a swell time watching the cultural displays. The groups came from various parts of Lagos State. They gathered to mark the fourth edition of the Heritage eritage Week.

Cultural activities were held in different parts of the state, climaxing with a Boat Regatta and colourful carnival at the Tafawa Balewa Square(TBS) last Monday.

By 8am, different groups in beautiful costumes paraded routes on Lagos Island, Victoria Island and Ikoyi dancing to beats from a live mobile band.

The groups include Campos, Lafiaji, Epetedo, Oko Faji, Olowogbowo, Locomotion, Obalende, Isale-Eko, Woro Group, Mushin, Ikeja, Ebute Metta, Alagomeji, Sango-Ago Egba, Araromi Fanty, Odi-Olowo, Sports City, Surulere, Kilo, Ilasamaja, Agege and Epe. They were made up of youths.

Pupils from some public schools also participated in the children category, thrilling the large spectators to various dance steps.

A large music band strategically located at the centre of the stage, provided the background music as the carnival contingents' paraded and danced round the square before a team of selected judges and fun seekers that rated their performance.

Governor Fashola in his short remark said the annual carnival is getting bigger and better, adding that a collaborative effort of the private sector is needed to keep it running.

Fashola said the event has significant economic impact on the lives of the citizens as all the costumes used were locally produced by the students of the state skill acquisition centre.

The governor said hotels are filled up and businesses recording higher sales, stressing that the tradition of the carnival means a lot to residents.

He said the state has achieved a global calendar that now makes it the choice destination for tourists during Easter.

"Our hotels are full and our streets are busy and happy. I can say we have proceeded from a very clear vision, the mission is on course, the dream is in the making and Lagos is prospering," he said.

He thanked the leaders of the various groups for agreeing to have one carnival, adding that 'four years ago when the Lagos Carnival was about to start, there were so many small groups, but the government decided to have one big carnival on a unique date at a unique time in a unique place.'

"It is the sustenance of a tradition that dates back over 100 years. It is a handing over, a torch passing moment of a strong cultural heritage of our grand and great grand parents to us and now to you. I hope that one day, one of you here will also pass on the torch", he said.

Fashola said the carnival is also helping to re-connect bridges. "This carnival also helps us to connect our brothers and sisters in some of their roots in South America and especially Brazil where there have been a large Brazilian participation in this year's carnival", he explained.

He hinted that the state wants to have a blast of a carnival with very strong Brazilian content later on next year preparatory to the World Cup in Brazil and the Olympics in 2016.

According to him, the Lagos carnival has helped to spread the roots of Lagos across Africa as some tourists from Zimbabwe are also attending the 2013 carnival first to understudy what is being done in Lagos as the strongest carnival on the African continent and also demonstrate the African spirit by donating a gift and a prize to the Lagos carnival Beauty Queen which includes an all expense paid trip to Zimbabwe.

He also said there is a strong economy that is in the making as all the costumes used at the carnival were made in Lagos by young men and women, boys and girls, adding that it is a wholly home grown local economy that can get bigger.

Mrs Aduke Gomez, the chairman of the junior carnival, described the event as a fantastic opportunity for the youths

to get involved in the social economic development of the state.

"We have schools from all over the six divisions of the state. We have over 30 schools as far as Epe and Badagry. We believe they are all here to share in the heritage of Lagos State.

Carnival is not new in the country, because we have being doing it since 1860 and it is an opportunity to share our heritage with Lagosians and the world.

On the economic impacts, she said: "I think you can see the great economic opportunities around the carnival venue.

All the costumes were made here in the Lagos State school acquisition centres. I think this year is more fantastic compared to that of last year.

"The costumes I am wearing symbolises such a joyful exposition of colours," she added.

Prominent among those, who witnessed the colourful displays were the Deputy Governor, Hon (Mrs) Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, former Governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba of Ogun State, members of the State Executive Council, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and several tourists from within and outside the country, including a delegation from Zimbabwe among other countries.

• From right: A musician, Ige Kachia; Pastor, Capstone Church, Tokunbo Johnson; his wife Funmi and Pastor Faith Praiz during an Easter Concert in Lagos.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

38

The Midweek Magazine ‘Wisdom has kept us together’

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

They cried, smiled, sang and danced together. For years, they weathered the storms. Today, the all-women folk singing group, Adunni & Nefretiti, is a household brand in folk singing. The rough part of their journey is the ingredient that has defined their mission. To mark their exciting seventh anniversary on stage, the group is celebrating with its fans.

EVELYN OSAGIE writes.

T

HEY sang their way to the hearts of many. They gave an exciting zest to folk music. Now, the spotlight is on them. Adunni & Nefretiti is seven.

Founded by Orobiyi Motunrayo Abiodun a.k.a.

Adunni, the all-women folk singing group has worked hard these past seven years, thrilling fans with folksongs from South-west, some part of the South-south.

Whether it is a capella or in the accompaniment of traditional instruments, it is always ready to thrill fans. The group has also been around the world, promoting African culture and values through theatrical medium, leveraging on its richness.

Their colourful costuming, makeup, voices and genre of music always leave the audience captivated with positive media hype following the troupe’s performances.

To mark its seven-year anniversary on stage, come Friday and Saturday, the troupe will hold a concert in Yoruba. It will be celebrating culture through music, poetry and drama at the Amphi-Theatre, Freedom Park, Lagos. The show, the organisers say, is an indigenous project for Nigerians and Africans at home and in Diaspora It will feature performances they have done across Nigeria and abroad. It will also showcase prominent artistes, old members of the group, musicians, actors, traditional instrumentalists, African oral poets and dancers.

There will also be a play Iyan Lounje by the late Femi Fatoba, featuring an operatic performance in total theatre style involving an infusion of music, dance and drama.

According to Adunni, the show is a start of a new era in their promotion of African culture and values. “W e enjoy and love our genre of music because it is classical; it attracts and excites people’s scene of creativity and is for the matured minds.”

But, how has it managed to stay on top of its game all these years with the challenge of other modern genre of entertainment , such as hip-pop, she was asked.

Hear her: “Hip hop? No wahala! We are up to the challenge.

Bring hip-hop on, we’ll sing with our local language; it’s no big deal. We have a root/source deeper than such contemporary music - our folkore such as waka, oriki, etc. Although some call it local/primitive, that primitive genre of music has taken us round the world. “ Adunni, like the other women in the group, is a bundle of talent. She acts, sings and writes songs. This graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is peaceful and strict at the same time.

As young women on the spotlight, advances of the opposite sex are inevitable, but, Adunni said: “As stars, there is no need to be rude when men make advances at us. We respect them; but discharge them (one-time), politely. It’s all about wisdom.”

Wisdom, she added, is the ingredient that has kept the group together all these years. “Managing human beings is the most difficult thing in life, not to talk of managing an all female group. But the watchword is wisdom,” she said.

She has numerous productions to her credit. As a woman bubbling with creativity, her theatrical journey began with Crown Troupe of Africa by Segun Adefila in 2006, after which she branched out to form her own. “I worked with Toyin AliBalogun (my first manager), and other wonderful ladies at the early stage of the group: such as Christy Okosun, Rita Benedict, Iyabo Payne (my P.A), Agnes Okogie, Imisioluwa Maria Oyebanji-Tofowomo, Nneka Emeka till this present members – Yemisi Julius, Shade Orobiyi, Barbara Babarinsa, Moni Eniafe, Bukola Orobiyi. We have come a long way, travelling all over the world with Tony Allen, at the Olympic, London 2012, Shakespeare’s Globe to Globe with Wole Oguntokun , Prof Femi Osofisan, Biodun Abe, lgwe Laz Ekwueme to mention, but a few,” she said Since 2006, the group has performed at high-profile events across the country and abroad. They have performed at Macau with MGM at Royal Opera House London, on Europe tour with Tony Allen and others; Itan Oginnitin (winter’s tale in Yoruba dialect) at Shakespeare Theatre (Globe to Globe), London Olympic, with Renegade Theatre by Wole Oguntokun); Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his 60th Birthday both at the National Stadium and at Eko Hotel and Suite; at the 70th Birthday ceremony of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; at the yearly Felabration organised in honour of late Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and African Queen Amina with Masoma Africa, Lagos; the 80th birthday party of Walter Carrington former US Ambassador to Nigeria; The Kennedy Centre, US, by Don Pedro Obaseki, an Evening of Arts with Olaniwun Ajayi Law Practice as she clocks 50 and more.

Becoming a household name, she said, has been the dream of every member of the group, adding that the rough road brought them to where they are today. “We couldn’t have predicted

•The group

CELEBRATION where we’re today. The journey has been smooth and rough but all glory be to God,” she said. “Still, we love the rough part of it. Because it is what has prepared us for the present and the future, to know more about life and the business aspect of what we love doing. It is not all about money. Our motto has been: “Slow and steady wins the race” i.e. it is about patience, focus, determination, humility and hard work. And it has paid off because through it we have been all over Nigeria, West Africa, and abroad; and we’re still counting,” she added.

The choice of name, the founder said, is deliberate. “Africa’s civilisation is centred around Egypt. The choice of name after Queen Nefertiti also known as Nefretiti, goes to show our music/group is not mainly for our tribe (Yoruba) but to represent Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She co-ruled with her husband, she was the most favourite, the most favoured, and the most sacred wife of King Akhenaten. As young women and mothers, representing womanhood in our appearance and in teaching morals etc to our generation through singing, we are without colour/language/ethnic barrier,” she said.

Other members of the group Aside from being members of the group, each are involved in other profession such as marketing, fashion designing, event planning, costuming and printing and more.

Eniafe Moninuola’s love and zeal for arts and culture brought her to the group and has been a part of many performances and productions. She is a melody singer and also an event planner, costumier and into creative works. She is a graduate of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos.

Orobiyi Folashade Deborah is a soprano and tenor singer.

She started her musical career with the group and after going through series of trainings, she established herself as a professional artiste within and outside the group. Apart from singing, Deborah, who is an undergraduate of creative arts at University of Lagos Akoka, Lagos, also performs the role of the welfare/logistics officer in the group. She has taken part at

Kole Omotoso is 70

P

ROFESSOR Bankole Omotoso, short story writer, novelist, dramatist, critic, actor, biographer of Nigeria, founding General Secretary and a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will be 70 on April 21.

Omotoso's arrival at the biblical three-score-and-10 offers us an opportunity to draw attention to and appreciate his many-sided commitment to the literary arts as well as celebrate those with whom his path has crossed. At the heart of the celebrations is Akure, his hometown where The Kole Omotoso exhibition - Akure to Jo'burg will hold from April 19 to 21.

The exhibition, to be donated to a cultural establishment in Ondo State after the celebrations, is to motivate a permanent means of attracting literary enthusiasts to the city that has featured so much in his many novels and short stories.

Showcasing his contributions to civic education and the development of popular culture in Nigeria and South Africa, the exhibition will round out the motifs that have given Akure a place as one of Africa's cities of literature.

There is a need to view Omotoso's achievements as a creative writer in the context of his role as a pioneering activist in literary journalism. His literary editorship of Afriscope in the 70s, his Writer's Diary in West Africa magazine, his travelogues in National Concord, and his Uncle Very Very series in the now defunct Daily Sketch, bear witness to his durable performances. Omotoso's especial creativity in these areas remain benchmark performances to which must now be added to his continuing conversations with Nigeria - in the columns he has maintained on the pages of The News magazine and Vanguard newspapers.

productions, studio recordings and life performances such as Abuja Festival in 2006; Lets’ Dance organised by Mnet, Nigeria; Performance with Total Nigeria Plc among others.

Julius Oluyemisi Esther is an excellent make-up artiste and doubles this with her role as an alto/melody singer in the group. She has several studio recordings, stage productions, band and stage performances to her credit. She is an undergraduate of Business Administration at Lagos City Polytechnic, Ikeja Lagos State. She has performed at Republic of Benin premier of Awoulath Alougbin’s album entitled Ife in 2013 and Oshodi Tapa both written and directed by Wole Oguntokun, among others.

Orobiyi Oluwabukola Odunyemi, from Ogun State, is a graduate of Marketing from the Lagos State Polytechnic, Surulere, Lagos. She has been a member of the group since its inception. She is a singer and also doubles as the Personal Assistant for the group since 2007. She loves printing and does it to the best of her ability. She has since performed in Ajai The Slave Boy written and directed by Wole Oguntokun; Moore Harlequin produced for the Black Heritage Festival 2011 and Oshodi Tapa written and directed by Wole Oguntokun, among others.

Payne Iyabo Sandra is an graduate of Creative Arts and has a Masters degree in Managerial Psychology both from the University of Lagos, Akoka Lagos. She has been a member of Adunni&Nefretiti since its inception in 2006 as a singer and personal assistant. She later became the Administrative Personnel. She created the concept for an ‘Evening of Arts’ during the 50th anniversary of the firm ‘Olaniwun Ajayi Law Practice’ in 2012 and 7th Macmillan Literary Night in 2009, among several other successful performances of the group.

Babarinsa Barbara Iyaniwura, a graduate of Creative Arts, University of Lagos. Barbara is a melody/alto/tenor singer in the best female singing folkloric group ‘’Adunni&Nefretiti’’.

Besides, she’s an actress, dancer and a choreographer. She’s the group’s choreographer and the public relation officer with several productions to her credit such as Women of Owu by Prof.

Femi Osofisan at the National Arts Theatre; Moremi Ajasoro

by Lekan Balogun; Olurombi for Nigeria 50th independence by Aboriginal productions; Launch of MTN’s ‘Go join the Winning Team’ and Stanbic IBTC pensions rebranding at Abuja, etc.

So far, he is one Nigerian writer who has done a full length biography of Nigeria in fiction and faction.

His Just Before Dawn, remains a special intervention in literary and civic engagements with the national odyssey.

It is understandable, therefore, that on his 70th birthday, many scholars, friends and colleagues would have much to say about Omotoso's place in, and impact on, African literature and culture as well as his interface with the literatures and cultures •Prof Omotoso of his country-in-laws in the Carribbean and the Arab world. It is also an opportunity to engage the continental tilt of his literary activism since he relocated to South Africa where he has had a unique involvement with the international culture of mobile phone usage. All these clearly present a rationale for a Festschrift to engage his private and public persona.

Contributions, which may cover events in the 70th birthday celebrations, may be written as reminiscences or random narratives encompassing his early years from Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, to King's College, Lagos; the •Continued on page 40

39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

‘The story of U S A L V I my life’ T R A

“W

ELCOME. Come share my life, my story", appears to be what the smiling, elegant, traditionally attired Dame Virgy Etiaba is saying to you.

That, indeed, is the impression you get as you take the beautifully finished book off the shelf.

The clean, clear photograph of the lady is set on a black background, with both name and title embossed in gold.

I looked for this book, in my quest for answers to nagging questions about Etiaba's brief tenure as Governor of Anambra State. There had been rumours that humongous sums of money, in the billions, had been spirited away in a matter of weeks! It must be quickly noted here that Anambra has probably the most vibrant, productive rumour mills in the world, so I had to be cautious. If however, in just 100 days of her 'reign' as empress, Etiaba flagged off several road projects and invested heavily in the state's Orient Petroleum company, where were the billions left to be spirited away? How many 'billions' did Anambra State have, in the first instance? We would get answers from the book after all!

I wanted a clear picture of the process that led to the emergence of Peter Obi as governor, especially in the light of the common belief that uncle Peter did all the electioneering work and that Mama Anambra was just the token face of the female race! I also sought insight into WHO vivacious Dame Etiaba really is, especially in the light of her lawyer son, Emeka's attempt to succeed the administration his mother served in, as Executive Governor.

Did Mr. Peter Obi actually vow not to contest for a second term? Was this Emeka's raison d'être? Did Dim Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu endorse Emeka Etiaba for Governor?

Why did Ojukwu later capitulate and swing in favour of incumbent Governor Peter Obi? Was the fact that Emeka Ojukwu, jnr worked in Government House, a factor here?

Or did Mr. Obi present a better 'package', when he decided he wanted a second term, after all?

Etiaba is the only person I know of any where In the world, who has served as Deputy Governor, Governor and then Deputy Governor again, in the same administration. Since Mr. Peter Obi is yet to give an account of those interesting times, this book would thus provide an invaluable firsthand account, whatever biases there might be, if any. And, wait a minute, did Dame Etiaba really leave APGA to join PDP? How could she have survived such apparent political harakiri?

Few people would have placed a bet on the duo of APGA's Philosopher/Trader Peter Obi and 'School M'am' Virgy Etiaba, winning the gubernatorial election in Anambra State, the home and strong hold of the People's Democratic Party.

Not a few were shocked when they eventually won, fair and

T

BOOK REVIEW Title: Author:

My life, my story - Autobiography of Nigeria's First Female Governor Virgy Etiaba

Reviewer: Prince Osita Ike Publisher: Pages:

Gallery Publications 2012 320

square. Etiaba has given an interesting, illuminating account of that process. She also examines the developments that followed, barely seven months into their tenure, as Governor Peter Obi received his political baptism of fire in an impeachment that was later reversed. For the first time, I read the peculiar Impeachment Notice served on 'Mr. Peter Obi and Dame Virgy Etiaba'. A process that created TWO Speakers in the same House of Assembly. Of significance is the fact that the Impeachment Train took off in full steam after the visit to Anambra State by the amiable, foxy Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR! A newspaper review is too short to highlight the myriad issues, events and experiences captured in this largely historical 320-page narrative dedicated to Dame's beloved late husband, Bennet 'BMC' Etiaba, Esq. It examines some aspects of education, lauding strides in girl child education, which Dame notes she benefitted from. Community health, social welfare, nationhood, nationalism, ideology, politics, religion and religion-in-politics are also dwelt upon in different contexts. Dame signed Anambra State's Child Rights bill into law as Governor and flagged off 'Suba kwa Igbo', an attempt to stop Igbo language and culture from sliding

Book brings Queen Esther to life

HOUGH many might have read about her story on the pages of the Holy Bible, but a fresh breath of air was blown upon the character of Queen Esther in a new book, From an Orphan to a Queen Esther recently launched in Lagos.

The book, written by Mrs. Titi Horsfall, a PR and Communication professional, is a novel that draws inspiration from the Biblical Esther but laced with a lot of fictions and historical accounts. The book, which took 15 years to complete, chronicles the exceptional contribution of Esther to the deliverance of her people, the Israelites from bondage.

The book infuses with historical information that develops the storyline in such a way that the reader is constantly learning new things about ancient culture and expanding their knowledge of antiquated Biblical history. These facts are seamlessly integrated, making each new discovery delightful and informing while adding strength to the story itself. It is a well-researched piece of literature in terms of ancient culture, geography, monarchies and biblical exactness.

The presentation in Lagos was a star-studded gathering to

•From left: Group Executive Director, Refinery and Petrochemicals, NNPC, Engineer Tony Ogbuigwe, Mrs Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Mrs Horsfall and her husband, Onamari at the book presentation of From An Orphan To A Queen Esther.

celebrate a budding author, who is determined to contribute her quota to the revival of the reading culture and for the imbibing of the enduring virtues of the book’s major character, Esther.

Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda, former NTA broadcaster, MrsAdesuwa Onyenokwe, corporate executives, Mr. Mike Ikpoki, CEO, MTN Ghana, Mr. Tony Ogbuigwe, Executive Director, Petrochemicals, NNPC, Mr. Oliver Nnona, CEO, Profiliant Development Resources, traditional rulers from Bayelsa State, among others, were at the occasion.

The author said writing has become a passion for her, adding that the motivation to beam the searchlight on the virtues of Esther and to encourage the readers to imbibe these timeless qualities were the driving force for writing the book.

“I am convinced that the society has a lot to learn from this wonderful character called Esther. I decided to write this in order to show my readers that being from a disadvantaged background is not a death sentence. Esther was a slave but she used her poor status as a stepping stone to greatness.

“The book is a lesson in courage, perseverance, determination and faith in God. And if you look at it critically, hardly will anyone manifest these qualities and not triumph above the vicissitudes of life. That’s the message I am trying to pass across through this book” she said.

Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, identified three key lessons in the book. These include the power of the woman to accomplish near-impossible tasks, history of God’s faithfulness and the critical role that parents play in the character formation of their children and wards.

The reviewer, Mr. OnochieUche Izuora, said the book is “a work in a class of itself, rich in drama, engaging, inspiring, informative, educative, deeply spiritual and scriptural.” He said the work is a celebration of God’s mysterious disposition in elevating the underdog to the top dog status.

“You will also read in this novel how it seems “irrevocable laws” made by men unwittingly attract the interest of the Almighty God, who alone uses all laws and principles as mere tools for His eternal cause. He picks up the poor from the dirt, rescues the wretched who has been thrown out with the trash, seats them among kings and in places of honour with the brightest and the best,” Izuora added.

irreversibly into extinction! It was thus not surprising that the altruistic Dame set up the philanthropic Dame Virgy Etiaba Foundation that has catered to widows, orphans, the physically challenged, prisoners and the less privileged.

The book's thirty five chapters, divided into five parts, run through her childhood, education, her spiritual journey and family life. It records the battle with cancer, challenges of widowhood, on to Nigeria's variegated history, the economy and expectedly, politics and religion, from the vantage position of a major player. A generous dose of photographs and the selected speeches of some Nigerian heroes make this book an invaluable reference work. Sadly some of our present national leaders do not appear to learn from history or want to avoid making the mistakes others made, so I shall not bother to recommend the book to them.

For instance, not many Nigerians have actually read the speech Major Nzeogwu made, so they cannot understand the patriotic zeal and passion he embodied. His speech and other speeches made by Gen Odumegwu Ojukwu and Gen Effiong at critical moments in our nation's history, need to be reexamined if we hope to get through our present bomb-blasted tragic circumstances. If only we had heeded the advice of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria's first President, who in a statement issued in London in January 1966, noted among several pertinent facts, that 'Violence has never been an instrument used by us, as founding Fathers of the Nigerian Republic, to solve political problems'.

Ironically, Nzeogwu dreamt of facilitating the emergence of an equitable nation, a utopia of sorts. He had then solemnly declared that 'We are not promising anything miraculous or spectacular. But what we do promise every law-abiding citizen is freedom from fear and all forms of oppression…We promise that you will no more be ashamed to say you are Nigerians'.

Today, can we say we are no more ashamed to be called Nigerians? Are we free of fear and oppression? How did Awolowo's "One Pound' compensation at the end of the war, really work out for the Biafrans, in spite of Gen Yakubu Gowon's pledge that there were 'No victors, no vanquished'?

Are Ndi Igbo marginalized and treated as vanquished people, more than forty years after the Gowon Declaration? Etiaba offers interesting insight.

The book's Post Script's introductory quote is most apt for a nation planning to celebrate its centenary. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, 'To call women the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength you meant brute strength, then, indeed a woman is less brutal than a man. If strength is moral power, then a woman is immeasurably a man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not got greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, a man could not be.

If non violence is the law of our being, the future is with a woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than a woman?" I shall thus pray for Nigeria with a woman as President, a woman as IGP, a woman as Chief of the Army, Air Force and Navy and we shall see , as we say in pidgin, "Who born Boko Haram dem"!

I shall end where I started - the rumours of billions of airborne naira…The answers, my friends, lie in the book.

Grab a copy, all ye women, activists, Anambra aspirants, Aso Rock spin doctors and lovers of good books too. Enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Minister denies plan to sell, convert National Theatre to hotel From Bukola Amusan,Abuja

T

HE Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke has denied plans of selling the National Theatre, Lagos or converting it to an hotel The Minister who spoke with newsmen yesterday in Abuja said the relocation of some key parastatals away from the National Theatre was to give way for the renovation of the 37 years old edifice.

He described the reported sale of the National Theatre to a “Niger Delta big man” as reported in the media as a false.

Duke who solicited the support of the private sector in the renovation of the edifice, said its renovation was necessitated due to the collapse of roads and services around it.

“Nobody is being given the National Theatre to convert to an hotel. The media should not embark on a campaign of calumny against the Federal Government.

“The main structure is to be rehabilitated, a committee made up of various stakeholders in the Culture Ministry to ensure the rehabilitation of the National Theatre under the Public Private Partnership.

“The National Theatre is to be upgraded to a more functional theatre, its masterplan, which was developed in 1976 now requires ancilliary services to support its activities as it is being done in other countries of the world,” he said.

He said arrangements had been made with the Lagos State Ministry of Land and Housing to relocate all the agencies under the Culture Ministry that operate in the National Theatre to a befitting location pending the renovation.

The General Manager of the National Theatre, Mr. Kabir Yusuf, said the decision to chase away all the hawkers around the vicinity of the theatre was to give access for the renovation scheduled to begin soon.

40

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Some dancers at the Black Heritage Festival in Lagos

Adichie's AMERICANAH now in Nigeria

F

ANS of award-winning writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie waiting to read her novel, AMERICANAH ,will not have to wait for long. The Nigerian edition will be released on April 21 in Lagos by its publisher, Farafina Books. Adichie is also expected to embark on a national book tour with stops in

By Olushola Orebajo

major cities across the nation.

AMERICANAH is a story that unfolds across three continents, keenly highlighting themes on race, identity and what it takes belonging in the global landscapes of Africans and Americans.

It is about independence, integrity, community, love and what it takes to become a human being. Critics have described it as "a fearless novel set in Nigeria, England and America, it boldly takes on issues both big and small: love, race, home, hair, Obama, immigration, and self-invention. In the early 90s, under Abacha's government, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love.

People are leaving the countryand Ifemelu leaves for America, where alongside defeats and triumphs, she confronts the inevitable question of race.

Obinze, unable to join her in America, goes on to live as an illegal immigrant in London.

After several years they have both achieved success -- Ifemelu as a popular blogger about race, and Obinze as a wealthy man in the now democratic Nigeria. When Ifemelu decides to return to Nigeria, she and Obinze must both make the biggest decision of their lives".

According to the publisher, the novel will be available in bookstores across Nigeria and will cost around N5,000 for hardback and N2,500 for paperback.

Port Harcourt team for London fair

A

FTER emerging as the UNESCO World Book Capital City 2014, the Nigerian metropolis of Port Harcourt will host series of events lined up under the theme; Books: Windows to Our World of Possibilities. But in London, the team behind Port Harcourt's historic bid for the World Book Capital City title will be at this year's London Book Fair from Monday April 15 till Wednesday 17, to share their vision of literary programmes and interactive activities designed to celebrate Nigeria's literary culture, promote reading and broaden the horizons of the nation's young people.

Port Harcourt was best known as the hub of Nigeria's oil and gas industry but in recent years, it has emerged as a significant literary destination in sub-Saharan Africa, partly due to the success of the annual Garden City Literary Festival, which draws writers, publishers, academics and the reading public from around Africa to a week-long celebration of literature and the arts.

Port Harcourt is the first sub-Saharan African city to hold the title and the first African city to win by public bid.

It will be the 14thWorld Book Capital City when it takes over from Bangkok in April 2014.

As 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the creation of Nigeria, the city will be celebrating with a range of events including initiatives to inspire young writers, engaging the community in literary and arts exhibitions, promoting the

publishing industry, building capacity for the running of libraries and book clubs and the creation of collaborative publications such as The Walking Book and an anthology of 100 Nigerian writers entitled Nigerian Literature: A Coat of Many Colours. The emphasis is on empowering Nigeria's greatest resource - its youthful human capital.

Kole Omotoso is 70 •Continued from page 40

University of Ibadan to the University of Edinburgh; the University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) to Stellenborch in Cape Town, South Africa. The reminiscences and academic essays on and around his creative writing and criticism, his works and days, may be sent before May 20, 2013, to the Kole Omotoso at 70 Committee, c/o the following email addresses: odia55@yahoo.com, l a o y e a y e o l e @ y a h o o . c o m , omoluabi@yahoo.co.uk.

The celebrations will take off as a Special Reading, Kole Omotoso in Person at Jazzhole, 168 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, in Lagos on April

17, 2013 at 4.30pm. The Kole Omotoso Exhibition - Akure to Jo'burg will be on display from noon on April 19 to 21. A Reception, An Evening for Uncle Very Very's Nephew will be held at the Cultural Centre, Akure on the same date, April 19. The core celebration begins with a Special Birthday Lecture, Radicals, Literature And Nigeria: Just Before 1914 which will be delivered by Professor G.G. Darah of Delta State University, Abraka, and will be chaired

by Professor Akinwumi Isola, at the Cultural Centre, Akure, on April 20 by 4.30pm. It will be immediately followed by Kole Omotoso's South African play, Yes And 'Know' To The Freedom Chatter, directed by Felix Okolo and produced by Hornbill House.

Literary forum is born

By Seun Adeyemo

T

O encourage and promote new Nigerian and African writings, a new literary organisation known as African Writers Forum (AWF) has been founded.

AWF is a non-governmental organisation set to promote research in Pidgin English and indigenous languages and the translation of literature from English to Nigerian languages. According to its president, Mr Hyacinth Chukwunwike Obunseh, the forum will also be discovering and encouraging emerging talents.

Also, it will work with other associations at home and abroad that share similar aims and aspirations, organise conferences, workshops and seminars and publish a literary journal. It has as members of its Board of Trustees - Dr Ngozi Chuma-Udeh as the Chairman, Mr Obunseh as its secretary, Professor Sunnie Ododo and Mr Philip A. John as members.

To host the forum, an interim executive council has been established, headed by Obunseh as the president.

Others include Anna Ijeoma Obunseh (General Secretary), Kelechi Nwafuru (Publicity Officer), Philip Agholor John (Treasurer), Odili Ujubuonu (Auditor), Isaac Attah Ogezi (Legal Adviser), Jacinta Chizoba Ogbonna (personal assistant to the president).

Obunseh said: "We intend to celebrate two literary icons and publish a literary journal before the end of the year. We also seize this opportunity to state that we are not in competition with any group that we severally or jointly belong to. We respect the rule of law and will keep our activities open to the general public."

42

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

43

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu spoke with reporters in Lagos on the Jonathan Administration, national security and the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

How to prevent disintegration, by Kalu Y

OU said security agencies are responsible for throwing bombs in the northern part of the country. What informed your opinon?

What I said is not new. Even, President Goodluck Jonathan once indicted the security agencies by saying there was Boko Haram in his cabinet. So, if there is Boko Haram in his cabinet, they should work on it. It is beyond carrying guns and standing on the road. I want the President to take the issue of insecurity seriously because it pains me as an Igbo man. It pains me as a southerner; it pains me as a Christian. It pains me because whenever there is a problem in Pakistan, they will go and kill Igbo in the North. They kill the southerners and kill the Christians for doing nothing. Whenever there is a problem in my village, Igbere, about Islam, they go and burn Igbo shops. This is unacceptable. I mean, we have lost more people than we did during the civil war. We cannot live in the same country and not go anywhere we want to go. The constitution gives us the right to live anywhere and go anywhere. I am calling on service, military and security chiefs to work on this matter. People should stop trivialising this matter because it is a serious one. President Jonathan came out openly and said there is Boko Haram in his cabinet. So, the security agencies should work on that and stop paying lip services to it.

There was a prediction in the past of a possible break-up of Nigeria in 2015. Is this not worrisome to you?

We have a lot of problems, but I have always said that, if we are all part of the problems, we should all be part of the solution. We should not allow a country like Nigeria to break up.

We cannot allow that because it is not the right thing to do. We must understand that this country is our country and we must try and keep it together, no matter the price we have to pay.

We have fought a civil war and no country that is intelligent enough fights a second civil war.

We should talk about how to stabilise our economy. If our economy is stabilised, we can then talk of stabilising the polity. We are going front and backward because we have no strong economy.

2015 is around the corner and people are saying there might not be 2015 elections...

The person who made that prediction is a very good friend of mine, Mr John Negroponte. It is not only him that said that. Most American diplomats have been saying that over a long time.

John Campbell has been warning Nigeria to be very careful. I am disturbed because the indices on the table show that if not properly handled, what the Americans are saying might come to pass. That is why I said we are all part of the problem and we should also be part of the solution. It is not too late to find a solution.

Apart from the issue of insecurity, what are the majors problem bothering you?

The massive corruption in the system. People

‘We should not allow a country like Nigeria to break up. We cannot allow that because it is not the right thing to do. We must understand that this country is our country and we must try and keep it together, no matter the price we have to pay.

We have fought a civil war and no country that is intelligent enough fights a second civil war’ • Kalu

are at all levels of government, from the local government to the Federal Government level, there is corruption everywhere. Besides, hunger is a major problem here. I am only telling those who claim to be leaders to lead with conscience. They should give the middle class and the poor justice. In any system that there is no fairness and justice, that system will collapse.

In Nigeria, there is no justice and fairness.

But there are so many anti-corruption agencies in the country fighting corruption.....

Most of those agencies are not even doing any work. They are not even addressing the issues involved at all. If people like me are taken to court, it means there’s no anti-corruption because I have no reason to be in court. They know those that are supposed to be there. I leave everything to the court, since the matter is in a court of competent jurisdiction. I accept it as my fate. Even the day I was born, God knew I will go to court for these things.

You are coordinating an anti-corruption war in Africa. How is the programme?

We are still working on the programme. We are supposed to be in South Africa in May. We are working out the modalities with all stakeholders- the European Union, the United Nations, some diplomats from the United States and other Western countries. Since government agencies in Africa have failed to fight corrup-

tion, we are trying to use the non-governmental agencies to fight corruption. You can see people who became ministers, governors and President who never owned anything. They have never been in business. You see retired Army Generals, who own billions of naira; their salaries couldn’t have been that. So, it is everywhere. When we talk about corruption, people think it is only those in government. If you see what is happening at the federal and state government levels, you will know that most of the things they say are jokes. It is not good for people you entrusted with public funds to begin to steal it. It is not good and I never supported such. If you are for the government, they will not prosecute you. If you are saying the truth; because I can never be against the government; every other thing will fail but the truth will remain the truth. We fought third term; we said no to third term and I am sure those are some of the reasons I am where I am today but it’s not a regrettable thing.

You were in office for eight years and you can be said to have seen it all. As we match towards 2015, what are your fears?

My fears are that Nigerians might march out one day and what happened in Romania will happen here. If our leaders are not able to come together and address our problems. My fear is that we are gradually coming to a point where

anybody can do anything he likes. That is what we are seeing. There seems to be no more law and order, which is not supposed to be. We must have a strong Army and a strong Police. For any country that wants to survive must not play politics with the Armed Forces. It is the pride of any nation. Any nation that does not give its Armed Forces a place of honour is not a serious nation.

So, we should just stop using the army for little things. They should be on standby. We should have a quality mobile police force and enforce law and order to ensure the growth of our society.

In 14 years of democracy, what have politicians done to restore hope for the future?

They have done nothing. They are even worse today. That’s the truth.

What are the qualities of the president you are looking for in 2015?

Well, most of you continue to think of civil servants and all these people but the president I am looking for is one that can make a decision; a president that can stand and say I have made this decision, whether it is right or wrong.

Do you agree that the governors have constituted a very powerful cabal?

I do not agree that they are very powerful. The constitution has given them very powerful roles to play. The seat of the governos is very powerful and that of the President of Nigeria is the most powerful in the world. The president can wake up and do anything he likes. I have called for a review of the powers since I became a governor in 1999.

How do we remedy that?

The National Assembly is not making laws that will benefit the people. They are making laws that benefit themselves. Until the National Assembly makes laws to put themselves in part time, abolish one chamber of the Assembly and have only one chamber, we cannot make progress. We cannot be spending 25 per cent of our income on only 469 people. Even the US Congress is not earning the kind of money we are spending here.

Our lawmakers should be able to sit on part-time basis.

Your support immunity clause removal...

They should remove immunity. Even as a sitting governor, I called for the removal. If a governor has committed an offence, he should go to court. They said they will have many lawsuits, why not? The minister, does he have immunity?

Has he had so many lawsuits? People must respect the laws of the land. The Constitution must specify how anybody does anything. I don’t believe there should be immunity for anybody. You should be prosecuted if you do anything. When Bill Clinton was President, he was prosecuted.

That immunity did not stop them. I believe we should start being an open society. We are too closed; we are not a communist country. We should be open, not claim to be open. If we continue this way, what people are saying might happen. There might be a re-think of Nigerian ethnic groups, which is not good for the country.

‘Amnesty not answer to Boko Haram’

H

UMAN rights activist and lawyer Dr Tunji Abayomi has opposed the proposed amnesty for the members of the Boko Haram sect, saying that they are terrorists.

He advised the Northern leaders to secure the assurance of peace from the sect members before negotiating for amnesty.

Abayomi declared in a statement in Lagos that amnesty is not the solution to terrorism in the North.

He said: “Let the leaders of the North do the negotiation; let them secure the assurance of peace from their children. Let them do what is needful for the North. Let them do something new for Nigeria”.

The rights activist supported President Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to grant amnesty to the group on the group that its members are

invisible.

Abayomi maintained that Nigerians must not surrender their liberty to the killers.

He stressed: “I agree with President Goodluck Jonathan, but for a different reason. I am against amnesty, not because Boko Haram is invisible. To the contrary, Boko Haram is very visible in the bombed United Nations (UN) House and the international workers that died, in the thousands of Nigerians already murdered in cold blood, in the churches that have been burnt with helpless worshipers, and in the schools senselessly razed down.

“It is very visible in the many that are terminally wounded in this one–way unprovoked war declared on us. It is visible in the amputees, in the young children and

the foetus in the womb who are denied the right to life. It is visible in the horrible reputation imposed on our nation. Boko Haram is very visible in the shattered buses and bodies of Kano.

“It is not because Boko Haram is invisible that am against amnesty.

It is for the simple reason that we must not as a people or as a nation surrender our liberty to mass murderers”.

Abayomi challenged the pro-amnesty campaigners to explain the grievances of the sect members for the purpose of defining their focus.

He said: “Those calling for amnesty should tell us what Boko Haram wants so that we can find a subject matter upon which negotiation can be erected.

“They should tell us what to ne-

gotiate with the extremists whose principle is to murder innocent citizens in cold blood simply because they belong, not to their religion, which they disrespectfully misunderstand and misapply”.

Abayomi disagreed with those who claimed that the Boko Haram menace was due to poverty. He challenged such people to point to any state or region in the country that is not ravaged by poverty.

He added: “Is there any part of this nation that knows no poverty?

Must we wage war on life to conquer poverty? Those who are genuinely poor don’t manufacture bombs. They don’t carry AK – 47.

They don’t boast of evil on the internet. They don’t cut people’s throat while desecrating the Koran by reading it in support of cold blooded murder. Poor people that

• Dr Abayomi

I know in the North and all over Nigeria don’t maim the poor. What they do is to work in pursuit of freedom from poverty like the ones that helped my mother to give me education. Poverty cannot justify the choice of evil.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

POLITICS Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is putting its house in order, ahead of the 2014 governorship election. The reconciliation of the factions within the party is yielding dividends, reports NWANOSIKE ONU.

‘Why some governors want Tukur to go’

Anambra 2014: PDP factions reconcile T

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is putting its house in order in Anambra State, ahead of the next year’s governorship election.

The leaders of the party have woken up to the reality that the five factions cannot win power, unless they fuse together as a united group.

When the converged at Awka, the state capital, recently, how to forge unity and settle their differences were on the front burner.

The party chairman, Mr. Ken Emeakayi , the members of the State Executive Committee and party elders reminded the party faithful that only a united front can confront the ruling All Progresssives Grand Alliance (APGA) and effect power shift.

In the last eight years, the PDP has taken a back seat in Anambra politics. Apart from APGA, the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is waxing stronger than the PDP. Nothing attests more graphically to the declining electoral fortunes of the party than the last February 6, 2010 governorship election.

The PDP came a distant third. It was a shocking defeat, considering the political heavyweights who are member of the party.

The reason was not far fetched. Besides taking the electorate for granted, the party chieftains played the politics of bitterness such that the unwritten code of “if not me, then, it should never be you” was evident at the end of the election. Party stalwarts had worked against the interest of the party.

However, party leaders appear to have woken up from their slumber.

At the Awka rally, they spoke passionately about the need for the party to forge a united front, reconcile all factions and work together to avoid defeat.

Emeakayi, who set the tone for the rally, said the days of imposition of the candidates were over in the party.

He said that President Goodluck

• Emeakayi

Jonathan has given the assurance that he would not allow imposition of candidate during the electioneering.

He urged aspirants to go to their respective wards and gird their loins.

He noted that the true custodians of power are those at the grassroots, who also have the right to choose the candidates of their choice.

“We are here to start anew. We all know what happened in the last governorship election. We don’t want to be sidelined again this time. It is now almost eight years that we have been out of power in the state. It is not that we do not have the calibre of people to lead the state; not that we do not have the material or means to campaign, but we frittered away the opportunity because of disunity, internal wrangling and factionalisation.

Enough is enough”, he said.

Emeakayi added: “We have decided to come together as united and indivisible family. We are here to start anew, having forgiven one another; to work for the good of our people.

We have thoroughly reappraised ourselves and we now agree that only in unity and oneness can we make it happen”.

To make good the plan to unite all factions in the state chapter, a Peace, Reconciliation and Harmonization Committee has been set up. It is led by a retired jurist, Justice Paul Obidigwe. Other members are the former Idemili North Local Government Chairman, Chief Okey MuoAroh (Secretary), Mrs Beatrice Ekwueme, Mrs Chika Ibeneme, Mr Bright Nnebedum and Chief George Okoye. The committee was also given free hand to enlarge its membership, if that would help it achieve its objectives.

The Committee’s first duty was to register and re-issue a new party card to one of the national grand patrons of the party, Prince Arthur Eze. The brief ceremony was led by Emeakayi. Eze decried the division within the the party and expressed hope that the committee will return the party to victory. He also canvassed support for the Jonathan, saying it has the capacity to foster peace and cohesion, if it is given the support it needs.

But the question is how far can the Emeakayi-led executive sustain the unity anthem it has begun? For a party that has five factions led by Senator Andy Uba, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, Emeakayi,Chief Mike Nwakalor and Chief Chris Uba, the task ahead is Herculean.

The PDP has a big opportunity of reviving its political structure in the state at a time the APGA is in a war of attrition in APGA. But PDP also have another hurdle to cross. The ACN is not relenting in its efforts to win the next election. The party boasts of people like Senators Chris Ngige and Annie Okonkwo, who are great political warriors.

Time will tell, if the PDP will bounce back in the state or not.

‘No plan to extend Lagos council tenure’

T

HE Lagos State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Mr Taiwo Kolawole has said that the House has no plan to extend the tenure of local government chairmen.

According to him, there is no such bill before the House. He explained that what is before the House is a bill to consolidate all the existing laws on local government administration in the state.

He however, conceded that the bill contains a clause on the tenure extension of elected officials at the local government. He also disclosed that the bill has just passed the second reading.

Kolawole expressed disappointment over the attempt by some highly placed individuals in the society to pre-empt the outcome of the delibration by the House.

Referring specifically to the reaction and comments of rights lawyer Femi Falana, who threatened to sue the House and state governor, should the bill become law, Kolawole said Falana could go to court, since it is part of what makes democracy interesting.

He said: “Mr. Falana is not supposed to warn us. Lawmaking is not his duty. He is a social crusader and rights activist. There’s nothing new in challenging our laws. We have not categorically said we are extending the tenure of council chairmen in the state. He cannot read the mind of the House. So, he

By Oziegbe Okoeki

is wrong, even though I do not want to join issues with anyone on this.”

He pointed out that the House is made up of 40 members whose opinions count on every issue relating to the policies of the state adding that, if those clamouring for extension are in the majority, there is nothing anybody can do about it.

Kolawole added: “Falana has the ample opportunity to go to court and challenge that. It is still a lawmaking process, but he must not pre-empt us. That is wrong and unfortunate for our democracy.”

Falana, had condemned the proposed extension from three years to a six-year term for council chairmen and councillors, threatening to sue the House and the state governor, if the proposal, as contained in a bill seeking to consolidate all laws on Local Government Administration scales through and becomes law.

The activist lawyer had warned that, “if the dangerous bill is passed by the House and signed into law by Governor Raji Fashola, we shall not hesitate to challenge its legal validity in court without any further notice.”

Falana argued that the three-year tenure of chairmen and councillors fixed by the Lagos State LG Law, 2001 cannot be elongated by any amendment whatsoever, adding:

“It is pertinent to remind the members of the Lagos State House of Assembly that their predecessors unanimously kicked against the tenure elongation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo through a fraudulent constitutional amendment.”

By Augustine Avwode, Assistant Editor

HE insistence by some state governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the removal of the national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for peace to reign in the party has been attributed to the struggle for the party’s 2015 presidential election ticket.

A chieftain of the party from one of the Southsouth states told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the governors involved in the plot are actually locked in the stifling battle with the chairman over his perceived favourable disposition toward President Goodluck Jonathan flying the party’s flag in 2015.

It was learnt that most of the governors elected on the platform of the party are clearly averse to the ‘moves’, which seem to indicate the intention of the President to scheme for a second term, although he is yet to openly declare his ambition.

“The national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is strongly in favour of the President flying the party’s ticket and he has been doing everything to drum support for him at every opportunity. For instance, the chairman has not allowed the governors to seize the control of the party in their states; he rather thinks the Presidency should take absolute control of the party, no matter whose ox is gored.

“It is this iron cast position of Alhaji BamangaTukur that has locked him in a battle of wits with the PDP governors. This is novel. It has never happened in the history of this party before. The governors want Bamanga sacked so that they can take absolute control of the party and its soul so that they can dictate to the President and frustrate his ambition of having a go at the Presidency in 2015.

After all we know those who are bent on succeeding the President by hook or crook among the governors” the party stalwart said.

When reminded that the President has not told anybody he is interested in 2015, he dismissed it as ‘political naivety’ to say that the President is not interested in 2015. According to the source, all was well between the governors and the national chairman of the party until he came up with the idea of the Presidency having full control of all the organs of the party. For him, it is the only guarantee for the President is to succeed with his 2015 agenda.

“Initially, when information filtered out about the plans of Alhaji Tukur taking control of the national organs of the party for the sake of the president’s ambition, most of the governors considered him as a joker because the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party are populated by nominees of the governors.

“However, following a court decision on the congresses of the party in the Southwest as illegal and the swift reaction of the national executive of the party to the court decision, and replacement of the National Secretary of the party, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, then the eyes and ears of the governors in the party executive, got the governors to climb down on their high horses. The battle line was drawn and part of the plot is to get Bamanga Tukur out at all cost,” the source revealed.

The source named the recent revelation of the alleged agreement signed by the President to do only one term and the prominence given to the crisis in the Adamawa State chapter of the party as some of the immediate reactions of the governors in their bid to “harass and brow beat the chairman are all part of the strategy of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang”.

But the embattled national chairman is said to be enjoying the confidence and backing of the Presidency. “What those who are against the leadership of Tukur has failed to realise is that any revolt or opposition against Tukur is an open declaration of supremacy war on Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.

“Clearly, all the so called transgression of Tukur for which they have vowed to get him removed are all to the benefit of the President. Therefore, he has all the support he needs from the Presidency to take on those opposed to the desire of Goodluck Jonathan to contest in 2015,” the source said.

• Tukur

• Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio presenting a plaque to Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah during a courtesy visit to Government House, Uyo ... yesterday.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

45

Lagos inspires women at International Day

W

IFE of Lagos State governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola and the state Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire have urged women to continue to play their natural roles as home and society builders.

They challenged women to be role models to their children in order to ensure peace on the home front as well as the larger society.

They spoke at this year’s edition of the International Women’s Day held in Lagos with focus on agenda setting for women emancipation.

Women from different strata of the society attended the two-day event which held at NECA House Ikeja. There, women were groomed on mentoring responsibilities, volunteering and other issues that aid their development.

Fashola, while addressing the women, said the celebration of the day gives women the platform to educate and enlighten others on issues that affect their collective interest and development.

She said discussing and sharing

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

their experiences will enable them take stock, draw up plans for the implementation of necessary actions on issues of violence against women.

“The celebration of International Women’s Day is a day set aside by the United Nations to recognise the achievements and to accord all women the required recognition globally. I believe that it is also a month for women to take stock, share best practices and resolve to renew our commitment towards overcoming the female gender challenges,” she said.

She challenged them to address key issues such as mentoring and grooming, conflict management and resolution and violence against women and girls in any form because of their relevance in the society.

The Deputy Governor in her contribution, said reports from some communities indicated that women were subjected to some forms of dis-

Amosun’s wife trains widows •Continued from Page 17

be given stipends to assist them start up their own businesses on making liquid and bar soaps, body cream and disinfectants.

In her welcome address, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Elizabeth Sonubi commended Mrs. Amosun for the initiative, saying it was a development that would go a long way in contributing to the growth of the State’s economy.

She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportu-

F

ARMERS in the Southsouth have proved their resurgence, posting an impressive harvest, despite of last year’s devastating floods.

The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) Ltd, which is hosted by communities in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta as well as Imo states, praised the farmers whose commitment paid off with a remarkable yield.

The growers produced enough foodstuff to showcase at the NAOC-Green River Project (GRP)

•The items exhibited

nity in order to start up a trade immediately after the training, pointing out with this, they would be able eke a descent living and become better mothers to their dependants.

Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries drawn from the 20 Local Government Areas of the State, Mrs Olaide Adebanjo thanked the Wife of the Governor for giving them a new lease of life through the empowerment programme, promising that they would make judicious use of the training.

•From left: Dame Abimbola Fashola; Lagos Deputy Governor, Hon Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Tayo Oduntan at the celebration of International Women’s Day organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation at NECA House, Ikeja crimination, intimidation, violence and abuse, stressing the need to set agenda that would help tackle these challenges.

She explained that the state government has taken proactive steps to ensure that women and girls are protected and empowered through the enactment of Child Rights and Domestic Violence Laws.

She said the event was necessary as it further rekindled the commitment towards the reduction of violence in our homes, community, state and country.

“We must reflect on where we are and where we want to be. This will enable us to re-set the agenda so that we can accelerate our momentum towards achieving the goal of gender equality and women empowerment and other related goals of the Millennium Development Goals,“ Orelope-Adefulire said.

She stressed the need to re-invest in girl-child education, emphasising that support must be given to poli-

cies, procedures and practices that will significantly increase the number of girls in schools.

“There must also be a conscious effort to eliminate all forms of cultural, social and economic barriers to girl-education and progress in our society. As mothers, parents, guardians and teachers we must protect, train and mentor our children and shield them from all forms of abuse and danger.”

The Deputy Governor noted that the theme for the seminar: the gender agenda: gaining momentum, is in line with policies of the state governments and part of the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals, with particular attention on Goals 3, 4, and 5, which place pay particular attention to women.

She admonished women to reflect even as they celebrate the successes of the years past and also mark the Year 2013 celebrations, noting that investing in girl-child education should be given priority attention

Farmers dazzle at agric feast From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

Farmers’ Day and the launch of the 2013 farming season.

The Managing Director of NAOC, Mr Ciro Antonio Pagana, who made this commendation in Obie-Obrikom, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State

during the 17th edition of the GRP, also promised that his company would continue to impact lives in areas such as multiplication and distribution of planting materials as well as various agricultural services in partnership with non-governmental agencies.

Represented by the General Manager, Human Resources of

NAOC, Engr Namaan Dienye, the MD who listed the key areas the company had assisted farmers in 2012 as well as the activities carried out for the improvement of cultivation materials also said that they had provided extension services and training to 54 cooperative societies and 22 secondary schools across the company’s host communities.

The NAOC Boss also said that during the period under consideration, the company in partnership with Community Development Foundation disbursed a total of N20.8million to 41 farming cooperative societies, women and youth organizations in its micro credit programme.

To further ameliorate poverty in its host communities, the company also engaged 548 youths in various skills under its skills acquisition programme.

While commending the efforts of research institutes in the

by all mothers and guardians. ”Investing in girl-child education must particularly engage our attention. We must all support policies, procedures and practices that will significantly increase the number of girls in schools.

She said the state government has taken step to ensure the protection and empowerment of girls and women through the enactment of enabling laws, added that government will continue to create awareness and provide sensitization against domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and child labour.

Guest speaker Mrs. Bimpe Martins stressed the need for women to support one another so as to address issues that affect their collective interests.

She tasked them to give parenting and mentoring top priority so as to invest in the future of the coming generation. “We need to empower their mind to know who they are and what they are suppose to do” she added.

Southern states of Nigeria, he also lauded the governments of the four states where NAOC operates for being of “tremendous assistance to us and our various extension officers operating in these states.”

In his welcome address, the General Manager District of NAOC, Mr Giovanni Salvini also praised the farmers “who despite the great challenge of 2012 flood disaster, weathered the storm to still provide the agricultural produce we see today.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Boma Oruwari, who said he was involved at the inception of the GRP also urged Nigerians to take interest in farming because food is important.

Oruwari who is also the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt also expressed happiness with the crop of young men who took part in the exhibition of their farm produce noting that “the GRP is getting better and better.”

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A

Plateau lawmaker donates borehole

REPRESENTIVE of Kanke constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Golu, has lifted the spirits of worshippers in Rayfield, Jos. The lawmaker who is also the Chief Whip of the House, donated an electric powered borehole to the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in the area.

Hon. Golu said the church is his spiritual constituency and that he took it as his personal responsibility to also provide social services to the place where he worship every week.

He said: “I am from Kanke constituency in the central senatorial zone of Plateau; that is my primary constituency but as a lawmaker, I reside in Jos, the state capital. I stay in Rayfield and worship at COCIN Church every week. As much as I owe a duty to my primary constituency, I also owe a duty to my spiritual constituency, my church.

“I would have constructed the water project at the COCIN headquarters but due to technical hitches I had to establish the project at the compound of COCIN Rayfield for the benefit of the church, worshippers, the school children and members of the surrounding communities,” Golu said.

Speaking at the inauguration of the borehole, the state Deputy Governor, Ambassador Ignatius Longjan, described the law-

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O create an environment fit for free, fair and credible election, youths in Anambra State have gathered in Awka, the state capital, to deliberate on ways to consolidate on the peace and political stability in the state.

During their deliberations, they realised that money politics and political thuggish behaviour have been the bane of the state since its creation.

The youths, therefore, expressed their willingness to work towards a violence-free state during the forthcoming governorship election slated for the later part of the year.

The gathering, the second in a week, brought together youths from the 21 local government ar-

The project is his token of appreciation and thanks giving to God for what he has done for his life and members of his family From Yusufu Aminu Idegu,

maker as a vibrant, dynamic, visionary and focused leader who is always committed to alleviating the suffering of his people.

Longjan also challenged other lawmakers and well-meaning individuals to emulate the kind gesture of the Chief Whip by providing succour to the people in their immediate communities, adding that access to clean water and hygiene will definitely improve the health condition of the people.

•Deputy-Governor Ignatius Longjam turns on the tap after inaugurating the borehole

State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mallam Idi Waziri, in his remarks at the occasion, commended the lawmaker for the initiative, adding that the project had no political undertones.

He enjoined others to partner with the state government so that it can achieve its MDGs target of water for all by 2015.

The Chief Whip, who spoke shortly after the commissioning, said apart from providing water

Youths tackle vice culture From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

eas.

The event took place at King David’s Hotel in Awka. The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr Edozie Aroh represented Governor Peter Obi at the event which was organised by Golden Morning International (GMI). Its theme was “Youth against Thuggery and Money Politics in Anambra 2013.”

Speaking at the event, the Director of GMI, Anthony

Aniegbue regretted that those whose dead bodies floated on Ezu River were the youth and not the aged, adding that if what happened in Anambra State had happened in a civilised world, security agents would have resigned en masse.

He added that the governorship election which will take place later in the year would be violence-free as the youth would be seriously involved.

Prof. Mercy Anagbogu, in her speech, said it was a pity that in the past 21 years, youths of the state had not been given oppor-

tunity to participate actively in governance.

“2013 is the year the youth in Anambra State will rise up against all evils; and if this opportunity slips from them, then, there will be problem. We pray that such a thing will never happen,” she said.

Governor Peter Obi, represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Dr Edozie Aroh, stated that it was not the youth who had been in thuggery and money politics, rather the adults who pay them to perpetrate such acts.

He opined that stopping such act would be through legislation, adding that the youth should be mindful of the politicians who use and dump them

for his spiritual constituency, he has sunk so many boreholes for his people.

He added that the project is his token of appreciation for what God has done for him and members of his family. after elections.

A governorship hopeful, Dr Chike Obidigbo said that 80 per cent of this group lives in communities where economic, civic and social opportunities are insufficient to address their diverse needs.

He said: “What makes the youth prone to thuggery and money politics can easily be changed through genuine initiative like what we are having today.

Such initiative, I believe stems from that love and faith for sustainable good governance which brings us to the theory of change.

“The youth, who are hungry, unemployed, and have no skills for self-sufficiency are likely to be engaged as political thugs, in kidnapping, shooting and snatching of ballot boxes during elections as these have become their sources of livelihood,” Obidigbo said.

The youth, who are hungry, unemployed, and have no skills for self-sufficiency are likely to be engaged as political thugs, in kidnapping, shooting and snatching of ballot boxes during elections as these have become their sources of livelihood

•A jute and rope seller attends to customers at Nabordo Market in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

We would maintain strict professionalism as there would be no room for misconduct. We would continue to maintain the cordial military-civilian relationship for the benefit of our great country and her people

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HE governments of Southeast states have found a formidable ally in the battle against kidnappers. The new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major-General Adebayo Olaniyi, boosted the anti-kidnapping onslaught as he toured the region.

Gen. Olaniyi said said that one of the primary responsibilities of the Army is the defence of the country against any external aggression.

However, he added, it would not shirk its responsibility of complementing efforts of other security agencies in their quest to ensure that internal enemies who may want to disrupt societal peace and cause harm to others are checked.

He expressed his worry over the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers who hold people of the Southeast to ransom.

He pledged the commitment of officers and men of the 82 Division to ensuring that those who perpetrate evil against the society do not go scot-free.

Gen. Olaniyi promised that military formations under his division would assist in combating violent crimes and checkmate kidnapping and other vices in the zone.

On indiscipline among Army personnel, General Olaniyi said it would not be business-as-usual as he warned that acts would no longer be tolerated.

The general spoke when he visited the 302 Artillery Regiment Onitsha and 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha, as part of his familiarisation tour of military formations under his command.

Gen. Olaniyi visited 302 Artillery Regiment; 14 Field Engineers Regiment; vehicle repair stand, cantonment barracks building and its ongoing renovation work; Cantonment Mess and new naval out-post station in Ogbaru, among others.

During the visits, Gen. Olaniyi held discussions with Col. Taritimiye Gagariga, Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment; Lt Col Bayode Adetoro, Commanding Officer 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha and Captain Godson Ohaeri, Officer in charge of Military Police at the cantonment.

Their discussions were based on how to improve the integrity of the Nigerian Army, and increasing security surveillance in Anambra State and the regiments that make up the 82 Division. He was particular about improving security of life and property by preventing kidnapping and

•Maj.-Gen. Adebayo Olaniyi, GOC 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu (middle) with senior officers of Onitsha Military Cantonment during his tour

Army boosts anti-kidnapping war From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

violent armed robbery. He also discussed improvement of Army and civilian relations.

Retired Colonel George Molokwu, the Security Adviser to Governor Peter Obi, represented the governor at the event. Colonel Gambo H. A., Media Relations Officer, 82 Division Enugu anchored the interaction.

Olaniyi, who was Corps Commander, Nigerian Army Engineers before his new appointment, assured that the Ihejirika administration has concluded plans to resuscitate the moribund water treatment plant in the barracks.

On the Army Bridge which the Lt.Col. Adetoro-led group of Army engineers are constructing at Ugbenu for the Anambra State government, Olaniyi said it is part of efforts at enhancing civil and military relationship.

Noting that the bridge is about 60

per cent completed, he thanked Governor Obi for his support to the military in Onitsha as well as a council chief who promised to renovate the Army Primary School.

He advised officers and men of his command to maintain high level of discipline.

He said: “You must not extort money from members of the public.

“Any one of you caught extorting money from the public as well as engaging in any form of misconduct would be appropriately dealt with.

“As disciplined men of the Nigerian Army, you must take care of your weapons and I will be very happy if you don’t indulge in any form of undisciplined behaviour.

He commended Governor Obi for donating patrol vehicles to the Army as well as other logistic supports.

“The governor deserves commendation from the Nigerian Army for his unrelenting support in various ways. We are hopeful that he would

•Chairman, Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, Hon Bolaji Muse Ariyoh, shaking hands with One-Day chairman Miss Elizabeth Ajala at the council secretariat, Oshodi.

fulfill his promises to the effect that he would resuscitate some of the social amenities here,” he said.

The GOC, however, urged the governor to redeem his pledge of resuscitating the water scheme and re-constructing roads in the cantonment.

He equally commended Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment and Commanding Officer 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha Col. Taritimiye Gagariga and Lt Col. Bayode Adetoro respectively for their steadfastness in maintaining military standards.

“I am proud of the officers here.

You are steadfast in your operations.

You are also meticulous as mani-

fested by the facts on your records.

Olaniyi also thanked the residents of Anambra State for maintaining cordial relationship with the Army in the discharge of their duties which he said are taxing.

Responding, Col. Taritimiye Gagariga, assured the GOC that the cantonment would continue to maintain high standard and the tradition of discipline for which the Nigerian Army is known.

“We would maintain strict professionalism as there would be no room for misconduct. We would continue to maintain the cordial military-civilian relationship for the benefit of our great country and her people,” Gagariga said.

Community transformed •Continued from Page 17 Workers (NURTW) in Iseyin, Mr Mutairu Akande, praised Ajimobi for the project. He said several previous administrations abandoned the road leaving motorists and commercial vehicles at the mercy of potholes.

He said: “We are so happy with this governor because several previous administrations abandoned us. The new road will enable our vehicles to last longer. Bad roads force us to repair our vehicles too regularly. We just appeal to them to please complete it on time. We love this government. May God help them to complete it.”

The Head of the Market Women at Bola Ige Shopping Complex, Mrs Muibideen Oladoyin, who spoke on behalf of market women also praised the state government for road construction.. She said: “Bad roads have been preventing suppliers from bringing their stock to Iseyin. It also prevents more customers to patronize us in spite of the fact that we produce very large quantity of yam, garri and aso-oke here.

While thanking the government for the road, she hinted that residents were having it good under the Ajimobi administration as the

governor’s wife was also assisting traders with funds to boost their business. This, she said, was in addition to the completion of the Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) located in the town as well as citing of a satellite campus of a tertiary institution.

The Chairman of Iseyin Local Government, Mr Saheed Yusuf, described the project as a welcome development.. “It is a step commended by every son and daughter of this town. It has been neglected for so long but this administration has paid attention to it, for the first time, dualizing the major road. We are aware of the multiplier effect on the economy of the town and the state as a whole.” He said.

He disclosed that the council had already rehabilitated feeder roads that will serve as alternative routes for motorists while the construction lasts.

According to him, the road was constructed in 1948 and has since been abandoned as it was never reconstructed.

“This is a federal road. But Governor Ajimobi does not care about the owner. He only cares about the welfare of the people. He just wants things to change. We are solidly behind him.” Yusuf said.

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NEWS •The Anglican Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Augustine Omole(left); Bishop of Ika Diocese Rev. Peter Onakpe; Rev. Emmanuel Ogundana (rtd); Rev. Samuel Sowale (rtd); outgoing Bishop of Lagos West Diocese Rev. Peter Adebiyi, his wife, Caroline, incoming Bishop of Lagos West, Rev. James Odedeji, at the second session of the fifth Synod of the diocese at the Bishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA, Ikeja...last weekend PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID

•Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (second left); Deputy Chief of Staff, Lagos Government House, Kofi Sagoe (right); Mr Koye Rhodes (left) and Bola Payne, at the thanksgiving mass/ reception for Iyalode of Lagos, the late Mrs Elizabeth Abimbola Rhodes, at the Ikeja GRA, Lagos home of the Rhodes…last weekend.

•Pastor Shade Olukoya, representing her husband and General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Daniel Olukoya (middle) and Prof. Akin Osibogun (right) presenting a cheque to Miss Ojemekele Osebhahiemen, (a beneficiary) when the church gave out N40million to First Class graduate members of the church.

•Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and his wife Roli receiving an award from Fr. Francis Akkhidue of St. Benedict Catholic Church, Ubiaja for his contributions to God’s work during a Patron Feast Day Award by the Church in Ubiaja, Edo State

MRS. FUNMILAYO OLAYINKA (1961-2013) •Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State signing a condolence register opened for the late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka in AdoEkiti ...last weekend Behind him are his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (left), his wife, Bisi (middle) and Mrs. Florence Ajimobi.

•Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko taking his turn.

With him are his wife Oluwakemi (right) and Mrs. Fayemi •L-R: Minister for Special Duties and representative of President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Kabir Tanimo(left) presenting an award for showcasing a good business disposition and recognition of his contribution towards the growth and development of Niger Delta Region to Chairman, Arik Air and Managing Director, Rockson Engineering, Sir. Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide and his wife Mary, at a Gala Night organised by Niger-Delta Young Professionals (NDYP) at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos... last weekend.

•Chief Press Secretary to the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Paul Odenyi (right) receiving his Certificate after his induction as member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. With them are Dr. Dennis Ekemezie, Vice President, (left); Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi, President, and Dr. Stephen Adebayo, Registrar/Secretary of the council.

•L-R: Former Governor of Old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; Dr Fayemi and Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Ekiti State chapter, High Chief Jide Awe, when they visited Fayemi ...on Monday.

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NEWS 500 enjoy free health screening

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IVE hundred women have benefitted from the free medical screening conducted by the Women of Destiny Group of the Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos.

The group’s representative, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Soneye, said the screening was to assist women who could not afford the cost of checkup for common diseases.

“We are conducting this exercise to assist women undertake screening for common ailments like chest and cervical cancer, cholesterol level, and so on.

“Today we are conducting chest examination, cervical screening; blood pressure and sugar level.

“As you can see, there was a seminar on stress management, infertility treatment, child spacing, weight management and dealing with menopause. The programme is not only for church members but as many people as turned up,” Soneye said.

She encouraged women, especially those who were sedentary workers, to find time to go for regular checkups, at least once a year.

She also urged women who are above 35 years to ensure that they go for chest examination and men above 40 to go for prostate cancer screening.

About 1,500 women were present at the post-screening seminar.

• Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola speaking at the inauguration of the Emeka Anyaoku Housing Estate Ikeja...yesterday.

With him are: (third right) jointly commissioning the estate. With them are: Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (left), Senator Ganiu Solomon (second left), former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Emeka Anyaoku Secretary to the State Government, Special Adviser to the governor on Housing Jimoh Alao (second right) and Commissioner for Housing, Mr Bosun Jeje (right).

Umeh, Okwu in war of words

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ACTIONAL National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Maxi Okwu yesterday described the court re-instatement of Victor Umeh as the party’s national chairman as a hoax.

He insisted that the Enugu State Appeal Court ruling had no legal implication on the newly elected national officers of the party.

Okwu was elected on Monday during a convention held in Awka, Anambra State.

But a few hours later, the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution on the judgment of an Enugu High Court, which sacked Umeh and other members of the APGA National Working Committee on February 8.

Okwu, who spoke to reporters at Achi in Oji River Local Government of Enugu State, said the ruling had no effect on the newly elected executive of the party.

He spoke shortly after he received the title of Ogbaturu Enyi, (one that conquered a giant) from the ruler of Akwunobi kingdom, Igwe Ginger Ibeneme.

He said before the Appeal

•’Reinstatement a hoax’ •Umeh: Awka convention a nullity From Chris Oji, Enugu From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

Court ruling, the High Court order had been executed, paving the way for the convention.

“Anyone who knows how the court operates knows that you can’t stay a declarative judgment, such as that of the Enugu High Court.

“You also can’t stay a judgment that has been executed.

The judgment was executed as early as 8am on Monday and around noon, some people started talking about order for a stay of execution.

“So, that ruling is an exercise in futility; even a firstyear law student knows that you don’t stay an order that has been executed.

“We have a new baby, which is the APGA executive and it can’t be aborted again,” Okwu stated.

He said he was committed to re-positioning and restructuring the party. “ Next year’s governorship election in Anambra State is

one the party would win convincingly.

“Governor Peter Obi has done so much in Anambra State.

“He restored sanity to the state, so I’m optimistic that Anambra people would vote for APGA again.”

Embattled APGA National Chairman Victor Umeh has described the party convention held by the Governor Peter Obi-led group as a nullity.

Umeh, flanked by the Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman Emeka Ojukwu (Jr), among other loyalists, visited the tomb of the party leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Umeh said APGA has never conducted any convention in the night, arguing that those who converged on the Women Development Centre, Awka, that Sunday night/Monday morning performed rituals and not a convention.

“The purported convention by Obi and others was a non-event.

Those perpetuating injustice against APGA have failed, they have no alternative than retaining me”, he said.

Speaking on the Enugu Appeal court judgment, Umeh said: “I am dedicating the victory to our late party leader. We are his political representatives. We have come to pray at his tomb, to inform him about the victory.

“I told him I am back and assured him we are working with him. We invoked his spirit for guidance. I am working with his son, Emeka. People are spreading propaganda that they are for Ojukwu, but they are sabotaging his name.”

The factional National Chairman also debunked insinuations that Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has left APGA, insisting that the governor is a strong member of the party.

“Okorocha is still a member of APGA. He is a governor produced by APGA. Okorocha said they are talking about merger. For now, Okorocha is an APGA member and enjoys all right of APGA”.

One killed in Kogi/Anambra clash

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NE person has been reportedly killed at the boundary between Aguleri-Otu in Anambra State and Echonwa/Ideke in Kogi State.

Friday Ugbede was allegedly killed when Anambra youths ‘invaded’ a farm at

From Mohammad Bashir, Lokoja

Echewno in Ibaji Local Government and attacked some residents working on their farms.

A resident, Benjamin Adiku, said Anambra youths on Monday allegedly at-

tacked the people of Echenwo community.

“Our people went to their farms as usual without any inclination that Anambra youths would attack them.

“We were surprised when the youths started shooting sporadically,” he said Adiku said one of the farm-

ers, Friday Ugbede, was killed and several others injured.

Police spokesman Romanus Nwanere said information is still sketchy, though the area is calm.

He said the command had deplored personnel to the area to assess the situation.

Police: no American kidnapped in Abia

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HE police in Abia State have refuted reports that an American woman was kidnapped and had died in the hands of her abductors at Onicha Ngwa in Obingwa Local Government.

Commissioner of Police Usman Abubakar said she is a Nigerian.

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

He said there was no truth in the media report about the kidnapped lady’s nationality.

“The lady is an indigene of the state, who lives with her mother; a teacher in England.

She is not an American.

“She visited Onicha Ngwa

in Obingwa Local Government for Easter with her boyfriend, where she was abducted by the hoodlums.”

The police chief said the kidnappers were demanding N20million from her mother.

He said the police had intensified their hunt for the hoodlums and rescue efforts

were on to secure the release of their victim.

“Her body has not been seen. The body is not a paper that can easily fly and be seen. Besides, she is not dead.

“What I can assure you is that efforts have been intensified to track down the hoodlums and to rescue the lady.”

‘Be security conscious’

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HE Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State governor on Christian

Religious Matters, Rev. Sam Ogedengbe, has urged Christians to be security conscious.

Ogedengbe spoke at the opening of a one-day Security Awareness Seminar/Prayer for Churches and Christians, organised by the All Christian Leaders/Ministers Forum (ACLMF) in Lagos.

He said Christians, regardless of their denominations, should as ensure that their churches, homes and offices have security devices.

The governor’s aide, who is also ACLMF president, urged individuals and corporate bodies to complement gov-

ernment’s efforts in making the state safe for residents.

A security expert, who is also the group’s general secretary, Rev Chukwu Emeka, said the seminar centered on the security of all Christians at home, office, church and indeed, everywhere.

He said gone are the days when one would take security with levity but maintained that nowadays, every Christians should make security an integral part of their daily activities.

The group’s Women Leader, Pastor Mrs. Atoyebi Rachael, said though God is the ultimate protector, Christians need to be vigilant.

Ministry denies selling baby •’No one was arrested’

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HE Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development yesterday denied the allegation that it sold a baby girl, Favour, for N750,000.

It denied that a director in the ministry was arrested by the police.

The police also denied arresting anyone and appealed to the public to disregard the publication.

Police spokesperson Emeka Chukwuemeka said the command never arrested a director in the ministry.

“We did not arrest anyone for selling any baby. There was a mix-up. Please disregard the report.”

The commissioner, Dr Henrietta Agbata, said the report rattled her ministry and embarrassed the government.

She said the governor’s wife, Mrs Margaret Obi, ordered that the allegation be investigated.

The commissioner said Baby Favour was rescued by the ministry in 2010, when she was four years old, from an illegal home at Ojoto, in Idemmili South Local Government.

“She was brought to the Model Motherless Babies Home, Awka.

“Her mother later came to demand for her child. By this time, she had been put in a foster home.

“Favour’s foster parents directed the woman to the ministry and the police.

“After much interrogation, the police ordered the child to be released to her mother.

“There was no monetary transaction between the ministry and the foster family.

“Favour has since been united with her biological mother.”

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 09-04-13

Regulators alert on wonder banks

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INANCIAL services regulators have alerted the investing and financial publics on the resurgence of phony banking and investment schemes, cautioning investors and depositors to be wary of unregistered institutions, especially those with high-sounding returns.

The Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal Fund Managers and ‘Wonder Banks’ yesterday indicated that there has been a resurgence in the activities of fraudulent and unregistered operators, which parade themselves as investment and financial services institutions.

The Inter-Agency Committee comprises of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

Illegal fund managers and ‘wonder banks’ are also variously referred to as ‘ponzi’ schemes and ‘ummana ummana’.

The committee alerted the investing and banking public, that in spite of several efforts to curb their illegal activities, the ‘wonder banks’ and ‘ponzi’ investment schemes have continued to

•Equities lose N231b

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

mushroom in different forms and styles in various parts of the country.

“The unscrupulous illegal operators offer extraordinary returns on deposits or investments placed with them, only to disappear after sometime, thereby jeopardising the funds,” the committed noted on the mode of operations of the fraudulent schemes.

The committee said that huge amounts of funds are trapped with illegal investment schemes and ‘wonder banks’.

It advised investors and depositors to conduct due diligence and check with appropriate regulatory authorities on the veracity of the licence of any institution, in which they seek to invest.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian stock market suffered a reversal yesterday as investors dumped influential banking stocks and other highly capitalised stocks.

With nearly two decliners to every advancer, total market value of all equities dropped by N231 billion from N11.14 trillion to N10.91 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), the main index

that tracks all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), slipped by 2.07 per cent from 34,810.25 points to 34,089.01 points.

Nearly two-thirds of quoted banks were on the losers’ list including Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, FBN Holdings, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Access Bank, Diamond Bank, Skye Bank, Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank, Unity Bank and Wema Bank.

The market was also impacted by losses by highly stocks such as Dangote Cement, which recorded the highest loss of N9 to close at N156. Julius Berger Nigeria dropped by N1.80 to close at N51. Presco lost N1.38 to close at N24. FBN Holdings dropped by N1.35 to close at N19.80 while NCR Nigeria and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria was down

by N1 each to close at N17 and N10 respectively.

On the upside, Nigerian Breweries led the gainers with a gain of N6.02 to close at N164.99. Nestle Nigeria rallied further by N3 to close at N970. Unilever Nigeria added N1.92 to close at N52.10. BOC Gases rose by 79 kobo to close at N7.94 while Ashaka Cement gained 50 kobo to close at N24.50.

Investors staked N4.6 billion on 408.2 million shares in 6,914 deals. Banking subsector accounted for a turnover of 232.71 million shares valued at N2.08 billion in 3,302 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 09-04-13

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MONEY LINK

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West African bloc to grow 6.5%

IFC moves to de-risk SMEs’ lending in 10 banks

HE International Finance Cor poration (IFC) is partnering with 10 local banks to de-risk lending to the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) in the country.

Speaking at the SME Toolkit Global Partner conference in Lagos, IFC the Corporation, Nigeria Country Manager, Solomon Quaynor said the Corporation has realised that banks do not want high risk transactions, synonymous with lending to SMEs. He said the SME Toolkit launched in the country by IFC, IBM and EDC Pan-African University, would enable the entrepreneurs effectively manage their businesses.

Consequently, the IFC boss said the the corporation has stepped in to derisk such loans by providing financial infrastructure and developing collateral registry that will assist banks in lending to the subsector.

Quaynor said that since a lot of the SMEs do not have landed assets, except receivables, IFC is working with the Corporate Affairs Commission

Stories by Collins Nweze

(CAC), to build a registry system that should include the ability of SMEs to borrow from banks.

“We are working on getting the SMEs to use toolkit, so that banks can be more comfortable lending to the subsector. Our focus is not about giving money to the banks to lend to SMEs. It is about building their confidence in the SMEs so that that subsector can easily obtain loans from lenders,” he said.

Mr. Quaynor said the corporation spends a lot of time training the banks to understand SME, by designing products for the subsector among other things. It is not about the money we are providing for banks, but that we are getting them to be more careful in lending to SMEs. He said the corporation is investing broadband services to ensure that the right communication platform needed to reach more entrepreneurs across the country is made

available.

General Manager, IBM Africa, Taiwo Otiti said the SMEs tools help entrepreneurs manage their businesses properly, and in the process, making it attractive for banks to grant them loans.

“The SMEs Toolkit will help entrepreneurs input their financials, making it easier for banks to understand and take lending decisions on their account positions,” he said.

Mr. Otiti said SMEs remain engine of growth for the economy, adding that they are the largest employer of labour within the economy. He said that when the SMEs businesses are run well, they will have the capacity to employ more people.

He said that as the economy grows, the ability of banks to loan funds to entrepreneurs also grows, adding that the presence of credit bureaux have also raised banks’ appetite to lend to the SMEs’ subsector.

G

ROWTH in the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union will hit 6.5 per cent this year thanks to a postcrisis recovery in regional powerhouse Ivory Coast but governments need to press ahead with reforms, the Central Bank chief told Bloomberg.

Tiemoko Meyliet Kone said strong commodities demand from emerging economies such as China and India would help the currency bloc shrug off the effects of an economic slowdown in Europe, traditionally its main trading partner.

The currency bloc’s $80 billion economy grew by 5.8 per cent last year as Ivory Coast - the world’s largest cocoa producer - bounced back from a brief civil war, growing by 9.8 per cent.

“Faced with the current slowdown in global growth, Africa is an important region for both emerging and developed economies,” Kone said. erview. “In 2013, the West African Monetary Union expects growth of 6.5 percent despite the current difficulties in Mali and Guinea Bissau.”

The central bank, which has its headquarters in Dakar, serves Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo and GuineaBissau.

• CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan African University, Peter Bankole said that minimum 80 per cent of jobs created in Nigeria are from small businesses. “The National Bureau of Statistics survey conducted last year showed that SMEs sector will continue to play dominant role in job creation in the economy,” he said.

ICAN advocates improved accounting standards

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HE Institute of Chartered Ac countants of Nigeria (ICAN) has called for improved accounting standards in the country.

ICAN President, Adedoyin Owolabi disclosed this yesterday during the recognition of some of its newly accredited tertiary institutions, polytechnics and training centres in the country.

He said the accreditation is meant to improve the standard of learning among students in the recognised institutions.

The ICAN boss said the accreditation followed the need to initiate quality control and improve the level of pass rate of students in its various

ICAN examinations.

He said the major causes of students, poor performance remain poor preparation by students, inadequate teaching personnel in terms of number and quality, decayed infrastructural and instructional facilities in many institutions, poorly articulated curricula for accounting related programmes and poor library facilities among others.

He said the accreditation exercise was designed to reaffirm the institutes’ commitment to high technical standards as well as facilitate the choice of academic institutions /tuition centres by students in their quest for accounting knowledge.

“The accreditation exercise is one of the quality control measures designed to align the quality of knowledge dissemination by these institutions to global standards,” he said.

Among the institutions recognised were Adamawa State University, University of Lagos, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi; Federal Polytechnic Nekede among others.

Dean Social Sciences, Adamawa State University, Dr. Abdusalam Jubril said the accreditation will go a long way in entrenching higher level of accounting practice in the

universities. He said ICAN has taken a bold step in recognising institutions that have upgraded their learning standard in line with set policies.

Bank wins EMEA Finance awards

S

TANDARD Bank Group has been recognised at the 2013 Europe, Middle East, and Africa- EMEA Finance Achievements Awards.

The lender was named best merger and acquisition (M&A) house, best securitisation house and best syndicated loan house in Africa.

A statement from the lender,

FGN BONDS

DATA BANK

Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount

NIDF NESF

OBB Rate Call Rate

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 09-04-13

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

IPWA BOCGAS PRESTIGE PAINTCOM WAPIC UPL LIVESTOCK EVANSMED UNILEVER NB

0.60 7.94 0.62 1.59 1.06 4.50 3.00 1.70 52.10 164.99

0.66 8.73 0.68 1.74 1.16 4.90 3.14 1.77 54.02 171.01

CHANGE 0.06 0.79 0.06 0.15 0.10 0.40 0.14 0.07 1.92 6.02

DIAMONBNK UBA ETERNA AGLEVENT COSTAIN JAPAULOIL FIDELITYBK UNITYBNK ABCTRANS CCNN

O/PRICE 7.00 8.01 3.51 1.61 2.66 0.77 3.00 0.73 0.95 11.00

C/PRICE 6.30 7.21 3.16 1.45 2.40 0.65 2.71 0.66 0.86 10.00

Amount

Exchange

Sold ($)

Rate (N)

Date

350m

150m

150m

155.2

2-7-12

350m

138m

138m

155.8

27-6-12

350m

113m

113m

155.7

22-6-12

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD NGN GBP

147.6000 239.4810

149.7100 244.0123

150.7100 245.6422

-2.11 -2.57

NGN EUR

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

Bureau de Change 152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

(S/N) Parallel Market

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N)

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

153.0000

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY • ARM AGGRESSIVE

LOSERS AS AT 09-04-13

SYMBOL

Amount

Offered ($) Demanded ($)

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

some of the notable transactions for which EMEA Finance recognised Standard Bank in 2013 were the group’s work on Tiger Brands’ acquisition of 63.35 per cent of Nigeria’s Dangote Flour Mills and China’s Jinchuan Group’s $1.3billion acquisition of JSE listed copper miner Metorex in 2012.

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 138.34 152.72 0.80 1.14 1.10 100.00 1,000.00 1,786.88 15.58 1.39 1.87 10,855.53

9.08 1.00 137.92 153.03 0.78 1.14 1.09 100.00 1,000.00 1,781.87 14.82 1.33 1.80 10,528.92

• KAKAWA GUARANTEED

CHANGE 0.70 0.80 0.35 0.16 0.26 0.07 0.29 0.07 0.09 1.00

• STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUNDARM AGGRESSIVE

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous

Current

04 July, 2012

07, Aug, 2012

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

THE NATION WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2013

57

NEWS Dantata to head AMAA committee

Knocks for PDP over Oshiomhole’s age

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AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has appointed Sayyu Dantata as Chairman of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2013 fund-raising dinner, which is scheduled to hold on April 16 at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

Dickson said the choice was informed by the need to involve and encourage private sector participation in partnership with the government to support the growth of the African movie industry.

“The fund-raising dinner will help raise the stakes higher and indeed, provide a unique platform for corporate Nigeria to leverage on the vast opportunities that the African movie industries offer to promote African businesses and to re-brand the continent.

Rivers Assembly quizzes three commissioners HE Rivers State House

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of Assembly has summoned three commissioners to explain their roles in the Flood Management Committee set up by the government.

Appearing before the House yesterday were Commissioner for Special Duties and Deputy Chairman of the Flood Committee Dickson Umunnakwe, Environment Commissioner Onyema Weli and Commissioner for Information and Communications Mrs Ibim Semenitari.

The lawmakers were not satisfied with the rehabilitaion carried out by the committee, which is headed by Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru.

They said the committee did not visit most of the affected communities in the four local governments – Abua/Odual; Ogba/

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

Egbema/Ndoni, AhoadaEast and Ahoada-West.

The lawmakers said the post-flood palliatives claimed to have been given to the displaced farmers were insignificant.

They said they gave some farmers just two suckers of plantain each.

The lawmakers said al though the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) prediction on rain this year did not include the state, “there is no plan to contain the flood, if it occurs again in the state.”

The Speaker, Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, directed the committee to prepare against flood this year and compile their reports on last year’s flooding.

S

OME members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State yesterday asked the party hierarchy to concentrate on winning next week’s council polls rather than “chasing shadows” on the birthday of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Also, a group, the League of Young Edo Professionals, described the comments of the PDP Chairman, Dan Orbih, as needless distraction from the major developmental issues confronting the state, especially at the grassroots.

General Secretary of the League Osatohamen Nosakhare, in a statement yesterday, said the governor clarified the issue of his age before the representative of President Goodluck Jonathan and his colleagues during the birthday colloquium.

Osatohamen quoted the governor as saying: “Let me give you a shocker. You know one of the problems

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

of being a public officer is that every year in the newspaper you find, whether you like it or not, people place adverts on your birthday and make statements about you.

“The truth of the matter is, today I am 61. That is my official age and nobody hardly notice because year after year people keep changing the age.

“I don’t know where they started counting and I used to ignore it. I ought to have celebrated my 60th last year.

This year, I am 61.”

The group urged PDP to restrain from deliberate actions that could heat up the polity on an issue that is flimsy and mundane.

The statements reads: “We should be more concerned about the welfare, wellbeing, development and growth of our dear state.

“As professionals, we are encouraged and motivated by the developmental initiatives of the government so far.

‘The loss of all the elections in the state since 2007 gives cause for worry and we expect Orbih and his exco to be on the field, mobilising votes for our party’ “We feel the governor needs our support to actualise and utilise his mandate with the Edo people.”

The PDP members, led by Aisulimhen Ighodaro, said they were shocked by the black attire worn by Orbih and other party leaders during the briefing.

He said: “We want to express our disappointment with the Orbih-led exco because our party is yet to get its act right.

“The loss of all the elections in the state since 2007 gives cause for worry and we expect Orbih and his exco to be

•Oshiomhole

on the field, mobilising votes for our party rather than carrying advertorials on Oshiomhole’s birthday.

“As party chieftains, we expected that the second coming of our Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman Tony Anenih would rekindle the interest of our party in the state, rather what we see is another shadow boxing, which did not yield any fruits in the past.”

“It is rather unfortunate that Orbih did not do his home work well and in the process, exposed himself and the party to ridicule because Oshiomhole had at the lecture told the world that he was 61.”

Olukogbon for burial Friday

•The late Olukogbon

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HE REMAINS of Mr John Abayomi G b o l a h a n Olukogbon, 56, former general manager, Seven Up Bottling Company, Ibadan, would be interred on Friday.

According to the funeral programme released by the Olukogbon family of Iga-

Ebiti in Ota, Ogun State, the late Olukogbon, who died on March 24, will be buried at Ebony Millennium Cemetery, Atan, Yaba after a farewell service at the New Estate Baptist Church on 57, Adisa Bashua Street in Surulere, Lagos.

A service of songs will hold tomorrow at the New Estate Baptist Church from 5 to 7pm and a lying-in-state at the same venue between 8.30-9.30am on Friday.

Popularly called JAG by friends and admirers, the late Olukogbon was born into the family of late Pa Julius Kusimo Olukogbon and Mrs Mary Abeke Olukogbon (nee Akinyele) of Iga-Ebiti in Ota, Ogun State on February 27,1957.

Remembrance for printer REMEMBRANCE service was held for Oyo artist and printer, the late Ademola Fadele ( aka Rex), at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Solution Parish, Agbowo UI, Ibadan. Rex died in March after a brief illness. Speaking after the ceremony, the widow, Kehinde Fadele, said she was yet to recover from the shock of her husband’s death.

She described the late Ademola’s death as shocking and painful. “I take solace in the fact that he is resting in the bosom of the Lord.”

Until his death, Ademola was the CEO of Flourish Printing and Publishing.

A

•Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi (left) congratulating the Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government, Augustine Ahiamadu, during his swearing-in in Port Harcourt.

Controversy hits Delta water transport scheme

S

OME investors in the Delta State water transportation scheme have raised the alarm that about 130 boats procured to ease riverine transport may have been diverted.

Some cooperative groups claimed to have paid a deposit of N1 million each to government.

The Nation gathered that some of the boats docked in

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

Asaba, the state capital, were removed by unknown persons last year.

The boats were delivered with 50 luxury buses.

The three cooperative groups and two individual investors claimed to have met other requirements as stipulated by the Ministry of Transport.

Group to Anenih: allow Tukur to work

A

GROUP, Forum for Equity and Justice, has urged the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, to allow the National Chairman, Dr Bamanga Tukur, to do his job.

In a statement in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Enitan Ayelabowo, the group told Anenih that his duty as PDP BoT chairman was advisory.

It said the tour by Anenih and some members of his team to governors was unnecessary, adding that it could further polarise the party.

The statement reads: “We have noticed the way and manner our respected BoT Chairman is going about his tours to governors as if he was the chairman of the party.

“Though as the chairman of BoT, we understand that he needs to be acquainted with happenings in the party.

But his visits to the governors before his election and after, especially in Abuja, are enough for him to know the feelings of the governors on the crisis rocking the party.

“He does not need to embark on clandestine visits to the governors. The vis-

its are causing tension in the party as there are those who are of the notion that the Anenih team is usurping the functions of the members of the National Working Committee (NWC), led

by Tukur.

“We appeal to him to shelve further visits, more so when he is not reporting his findings to the national leadership of the party.

“We appeal to the National Leader, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to halt further visits by Anenih to the governors as this is also causing ripples in the party, both at the national and state levels.”

But the Commissioner, Ben Igbakpa, who confirmed that the boats were yet to be distributed, said prospective investors were yet to complete the procedures for the release of the boats.

“We acquired130 boats, 40 investors have started the process and they are yet to complete them.

“We have a standard and that standard must be respected.

“We have asked them to pay N1 million to the bank and then come with two sureties, who must either be members of the House of Assembly, permanent secretaries or first-class traditional rulers.

“They will also need to sign the lease agreement with the Ministry of Justice.

“These are the processes and most of them have not fulfilled them.

“I cannot call the governor to come and inaugurate about 20 boats of 130 and af-

ter sometime, invite him again to inaugurate another set.

“Government business involves procedures because it took us two years to procure those boats.

“Nobody is diverting them; they would be deployed for the benefit of the people.”

But an investor, who claimed to have completed the process, called on the government to release the boats to them, adding that the facility was depreciating.

His words: “If they want to help the people, they should facilitate the release of the boats because it is depreciating keeping them upland.

“Boats are not meant for upland, it is for water and keeping them in Asaba is also creating mutual mistrust among members of various cooperative groups, which have paid their money.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

58

NEWS

20 die in Yobe road accident

SURE-P denies Kolade’s resignation

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HE Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) yesterday said its Chairman, Dr Christopher Kolade, has not resigned.

In a statement in Abuja by SURE-P’s Communication Officer, Mr Delani Ashamu, the agency said reports on its chairman’s alleged resignation in the social media were speculative.

“Some of the reports alleged that Kolade, who was dissatisfied with the direction the SURE-P programme, ‘angrily tendered his resignation letter’ to President Goodluck Jonathan,” the statement said.

Ashamu described the purported resignation as untrue and ill-conceived.

‘JTF soldiers not killed in Yobe’ From Duku Joel, Damaturu

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HE Joint Task Force (JTF) in Yobe State yesterday denied the report by a national newspaper (not The Nation) that five of its soldiers were killed in a clash with suspected Boko Haram members at a village near Geidam in Geidam Local Government Area.

In a statement in Damaturu, the state capital, the JTF spokesman Lt. Lazarus Eli said the four bodies of the dead were those of suspected Boko Haram members dressed in military uniforms.

Eli said JTF lost only an officer during the clash while two others were injured.

The statement reads: “I can confirm to you that the four soldiers reportedly killed …today (Tuesday) were suspected Boko Haram terrorists dressed in military uniforms. They were casualties of the encounter.

“JTF, however, lost an officer in the attack; he is not a Captain.

Two soldiers sustained injuries and are responding to treatment.

“JTF will not rest on its oars until it brings terrorist activities to an end in Yobe State.”

Immigration repatriates 130 foreigners from Gombe

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WENTY people on Monday evening died in an auto crash at Dazigau village, seven kilometres from Potiskum, the commercial hub of Yobe State.

The accident involved an 18-seater bus, which rammed into a stationary truck at the village.

An eyewitness said all the 20 occupants of the bus, including the driver, died.

The Nation gathered that the accident occurred because

the driver was speeding to beat the 6pm curfew imposed on Potiskum.

The Yobe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Alhaji Shehu Umar, confirmed the incident.

He said: “The accident was reported to have occurred at 6pm on Monday when a bus ran into a truck, killing all the 20 occupants.

“You know, due to the security challenge in Potiskum, we were forced to suspend operations in the area. We could not offer rescue assistance.”

Umar noted that the accident could have been caused by excessive speeding.

“Although we do not have all the details, but accidents on this road have always been caused by speeding and reckless driving.

“The 18-seater bus, which

was carrying 20 people from Kano, was speeding to beat the 6pm curfew in Potiskum when it rammed into a truck belonging to a construction firm. All the passengers and the driver died.

“Following the suspension of operations by the FRSC, victims of road accidents on the federal highway are left at the mercy of good Samaritans whose assistance comes a little too late,” he said.

Activist urges Jonathan to sack Oteh

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N activist, Comrade Timi Frank, yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to comply with the House of Representatives’ request that the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arumah Oteh, be sacked.

He noted that the President needs to take the action to save the Capital Market from collapse.

In a statement in Abuja, Frank said the refusal of the

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Presidency to heed the lawmakers’ call portents negative consequences for the nation’s economy.

The activist also condemned the arrest and detention of four Leadership Newspapers journalists by the police, for doing their job of informing, educating and holding government accountable to the people.

He urged the police to re-

lease the journalists immediately and seek redress in court if they have any case against them.

Frank, who is also the Director of Outreach Services of the Anti-Corruption Network, said it was wrong for the fate of an institution to be tied to the fortunes of an individual.

He said: “Suffice it to say that it is unheard of that because of one individual, a whole institution will collapse

or not function properly.

“The SEC cannot obviously be built around any individual, lest the system fails to function effectively and efficiently as should be the case.”

Frank urged civil society organisations, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) to brace up for a protest to save the Capital Market.

Filmmakers hold tribute for Esiri

From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

By Mercy Michael

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HE Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has said it repatriated 130 illegal immigrants from Gombe State between 2011 and last year.

The NIS Comptroller in PUBLIC NOTICE Gombe State, Abubakar KaI, Mr. ISREAL ADEKUNLE oje, spoke on Monday in GoOLUBUNMI wish to affirm to the mbe, the state capital, when general public that the woman who he visited Governor Ibrahim claims to be Mrs. FUNKE ISREAL is Hassan Dankwambo. not my wife, that my wife is Mrs. TEMITOPE ISREAL. Offa Kaoje said 113 of the illecommunity RCCG community, Afaogal immigrants were repatEkiti community and general public. riated in 2011 while the others were sent to their counLOSS OF DOCUMENT tries last year.

I, Mr Nick Onyebuchi Omoeye of 71A Lafiaji He explained that ImmigraWay, Dolphin Estate Ikoyi. Lagos hereby notify tion’s duties were being hamthe general public that I have applied to the pered by logistics problems.

LSDPC for its consent to change ownership The Comptroller sought of a property at Block 52 Flat 1 Kosofe Road assistance from the state govDolphin Estate, Ikeja, which was originally ernment to enable the federal allocated to Nnenna Usman. I have made series of efforts to contact Nnenna Usman agency experience less difficulthe Assignor from whom I brought the ty in its duties. property, but all efforts have proved abortive.

Governor Dankwambo diI hereby indemnify the corporation against rected the Secretary to the State any future claims that may arise if my Government (SSG) to liaise application is granted, and undertake to pay with the NIS to ensure that the cost of any dispute that may arise on same. agency’s logistics problems LSDPC, Nnenna Usman and the General were addressed. public, please take note.

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

•The late Esiri

I

T was a night of nostalgia, as filmmakers, on Monday, converged on Ojez Arena at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, to pour encomi-

ums on the late actor, Justus Esiri, who died on February 19.

Put together by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), the thespians, most of whom were clad in white attires, stormed the venue in great numbers.

They rendered songs, comedy and emotional speeches in memory of the late actor, who many referred to as a mentor.

The late Esiri, of the Village Headmaster TV series, died at 71.

The deceased’s son, Sidney, a singer, described his father as humane but thorough in his

profession.

He said: “I remember my father used to tell me that if you do not want to be forgotten after you leave this earth, it is either you do something worth writing about or you write something worth reading. I believe my father did just that.

From now till the end of the world, my father will forever be remembered for his contribution to Nollywood.”

Fidelis Duker, the Director of Abuja Film Festival, described himself as one of the numerous benefactors of the late actor’s benevolence.

Actor Kanayo O. Kanayo said the late Esiri would not

forget his lines.

He said: “There were just two actors that I know in this industry who did not only master their lines on set but who also mastered the lines of others playing with them. They would correct you when you made mistakes in delivering your lines. These two actors are late. They are Justus Esiri and Sam Loco Efe.” The funeral rites continue today with a lying-in-state at the Esiris’ Mafoluku, Lagos home.

A service of songs will hold in Warri on April 11 and another lying-in-state and interment will hold in Oria-Abraka, on April 12.

CBN governor’s ‘impersonator’ arraigned for alleged forgery

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HE trial of a 39-year-old man, Awili Victor, who allegedly impersonated the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, while attempting to defraud an American of $20million (about N3,120,000,000) has begun at the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Victor before Justice Ebenezer Adebajo on four counts of alleged forgery and

By Joseph Jibueze

possession of documents containing false information.

Besides claiming to be Sanusi, the defendant also allegedly claimed to be a member of the Contract Evaluation Committee of the Presidency, with its office at 105, Federal Secretariat, Wuse II, Abuja.

EFCC said when the suspected fraudster was arrested on December 2, 2010 at his Gbagada, Lagos home, SIM cards, internet

modems and a laptop were recovered from him; several scam mails were also allegedly found in his computer.

According to EFCC, the accused forged a document, dated October 16, 2008, which he mailed to Dudley Smith, an American, with the heading: Re: Payment valued at $20,000,000 only. Victor allegedly claimed it emanated from “the Contract Committee”.

The commission averred that to enhance his plan to defraud another person, John

Valero, the accused, also forged a document dated June 7, 2009.

He allegedly claimed it was “Very Important” and purportedly emanated from Sanusi.

The alleged offences contravene Section 1 (3), 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act Numer 14, 2006, and Section 467 of the Criminal Code, Cap C17, Vol. II, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.

Rep assures ACN supporters of APC merger’s success

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HE member representing Buruku Federal Constituency of Benue State at the National Assembly, Orker Jev, has assured supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other opposition parties in the state that the merger of progressives under the All Progressives Congress

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

(APC) would be successful.

The lawmaker told The Nation in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has brought hardship and insecurity the nation through its misrule.

He said the APC would throw the PDP out of power in 2015 and liberate the people from hunger and deprivation.

The two-term House of Representatives member urged the people not to be discouraged by the tough talk among PDP leaders.

He said the PDP is a drown-

ing party, adding that Nigerians should remain vigilant to oust the party’s misrule in 2015.

Jev said: “The people should not be intimidated by the government-in-power syndrome. Don’t forget that sitting governments have been sent packing in several states.”

Bauchi High Court sacks district head

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BAUCHI High Court, presided over by Justice Yalim S. Bogoro, yesterday sacked Alhaji Sanusi Umar as the Head of the newly created Isawa District in Giade Local Government Area.

The new district is under Katagum Emirate Council of the state.

The court awarded N10,000 cost against the defendants.

Muhammad Yaya Abu-

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

bakar, Ahmad Abubakar and Umar Abubakar, on September 19, last year, filed the suit against the Katagum Emirate Council, Bauchi State Governor, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bauchi State Local Government Service Com-

mission and Umar In an originating summons, filed by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Rabiu Garba, the three Abubakars prayed the court to determine whether or not the appointment of Umar as the District Head of Isawa was lawful, with regard to Sections 5 [1] (c) and 5 [2] of the Bauchi State ‘Administrative Districts and Village Areas Law 2011’

They also wanted the court to determine, among others, whether or not Abubakar (first plaintiff) was supposed to be appointed the District Head of Isawa, as contained in Section 5 [2] of the Administrative Districts and Village Areas Law, 2011.

Naseer Mohammed Jumba, counsel to Umar, promised to appeal the verdict.

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NEWS

Kano attack not directed at any ethnic group, says governor Continued from page 2

stroyed or closed down for supporting the Jonathan administration.

“Contemplating granting amnesty to the people who have wrought wanton destruction of lives and properties in this nation is a call to other interest groups to rise up in arms against their fatherland, in order to be blessed when such an action should be treated as treason!

Till date the killing continues!

Intimidating the Federal Government to grant amnesty is the highest display of hypocrisy and lack of patriotism. Are such people not indirectly admitting that they are the shadows or ghosts behind the Boko Haram?

“We totally object to even discussing amnesty when nothing has been done for the victims of the Boko Haram.

“Let all who collude or sponsor Boko Haram or refuse to come to the help of Christians for political or economical reasons know that heaven is watching and nobody will go free! The blood of the Christian martyrs is crying to haven for justice.

“Rev. 6:9-10 says that ‘When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

‘And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, o

•Kwankwaso

Lord, Holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’

“We totally object to Paul Unongo and his friends speaking on behalf of the Christians, challenging the authority of the Christian Association (CAN) President. The Christians in Nigeria know their leaders. Definitely their teams are not among our leaders.

“Northern Minority Commission is overdue. Do we need to take up arms before our plight comes before government?

“The return of all schools

and hospitals taken from the Christians and compensation paid for ruining them; release of N5 billion for Christian schools as done to muslims; henceforth, equal amount must be allocated to us as given to them yearly; and the setting up of Northern minority commission and a minister to be in charge.”

Ohaneze Ndigbo supported yesterday Federal Government’s decision to consider amnesty for Boko Haram (Western education is a sin).

The leadership of the group, which dropped the hint in Kano, said amnesty should be granted to the sect if the action would address the insurgency ravaging the North.

But it demanded compensation for victims of the Kano New Road Motor Park bomb attack on Lagos-bound luxury buses.

Led by its President, Chief Carry Nnachi, the group was on a condolence visit to Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso over the March 18 attack .

But their host said the Kano Motor Park bombing that claimed more than 30 lives was not targeted at any ethnic group.

The governor described the tragic incident as simply terror, which has no borders.

The Ohaneze team also commiserated with the Emir

of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and the Igbo community in Kano.

Nnachi described the attack as “vicious, unfortunate and irresponsible”, which must be condemned by all peace-loving Nigerians.

He said: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo supports all that can bring peace to the country.

We support whatever efforts put together to restore peace and unity in the country.

“We want Kano to continue to be in peace. Therefore, we must avoid tendencies that are inimical to this project by weighing our actions so that we can sustain our corporate existence as a people.

“What has happened has happened. Therefore, we should all put it behind us and move forward.”

The Ohaneze president stressed the need for the victims to be compensated.

Speaking through his Commissioner for State Affairs, Abdulsalam Aminu Gwarzo, Kwankwaso noted that the nation has been passing through a trying period.

He urged people to be cautious of their utterances, pointing out that the victims of the New Road Motor Park attack cut across all the ethnic and religious divides.

The government has been doing everything within its power to tackle the security challenges.

Major shake-up in INEC unsettles workers

•Jega Continued from page 2

retirement of some of the 67 directors.

It was learnt that the shake-up has reduced INEC’s departments to nine from 26 and its directorates trimmed to 10.

Besides, directors who have less than two years left in service were asked to consider the voluntary retirement option.

Confirming the development, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, said that by reducing the departments, the commission now has fewer departments to be headed by efficient hands.

According to Mr Idowu, the merged departments include: the civil society; gender; voter education; and public affairs. He said they

were rolled into the department of voter education, public relations and civil society.

He also spoke of a plan to reconfigure the departments’ leadership because the commission has many directors in the system, pointing out that a lot of options are on the table for them.

Mr. Idowu also said the new departments would be headed by directors with directorates under them.

He said the commission can no longer retain all the directors presently on its payroll, even as he assured that no officer would be shortchanged in the ongoing reorganisation.

The reduction in workforce notwithstanding, Idowu argued the commission required strong workforce due to its scope of work across the country.

Justifying the need for more hands, he informed that the continuous voters’ registration in the country’s 8,809 wards will soon begin.

Argu that the commission’s workforce was inadequate, Idowu said: “If you are looking at the number of wards, everybody at INEC will be fully utilised.”

He said when the commission did the recruitment exercise in 2012, only 1,500 people were recruited, explaining that nd to do the exercise there was need to deploy more workforces across the country.

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FOREIGN NEWS Darfur: Rebels advance as confab rakes in $3.6b for devt

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EBELS in Sudan’s Darfur have moved within kilometres of a key town in the violence-racked region, local media have reported.

The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) confirmed that Sudan Liberation Army’s Minni Minnawi faction had “attacked and seized” two towns over the weekend.

The fighting came as protests continued in the region against a two-day donors’ conference in the Qatari capital, Doha that raised $3.66 billion to rebuild Darfur.

Rebels had taken the Ashma village, 8km from the South Darfur state capital Nyala, the AFP news agency reported on Monday.

Ashma was “occupied by our forces”, said Hussein Minnawi, of the Sudan Liberation Army’s Minni Minnawi faction.

The latest developments come as donor countries in Qatar pledged $3.6bn to develop Darfur.

The funds will help push a development strategy intended to move the region away from handouts and emergency aid by focusing on building infrastructure.

Magdi Hassan, Sudan’s minister of finance and economy, told Al Jazeera the talks would set the momentum towards improving the situation in Darfur.

But Minnawi said the Doha conference was not a solution to Darfur’s problems.

“This is what they say on paper,” he said, dismissing the effort and calling instead for a solution within the context of what he called Sudan’s wider crisis “which is mainly from the centre”, Khartoum.

I

Arabia North Korea warns about ‘an Saudi denies paralysis punishment all-out war’ N S •Wants foreigners to leave South ORTH Korea intensified threats of an imminent conflict against the United States and the South yesterday, warning foreigners to evacuate South Korea to avoid being dragged into “thermonuclear war”.

The North’s latest message belied an atmosphere free of anxiety in the South Korean capital, where the city center was bustling with traffic and offices operated normally.

Pyongyang has shown no sign of preparing its 1.2 millionstrong army for war, indicating the threat could be aimed partly at bolstering Kim Jongun, 30, the third in his family to lead the country.

The North, which threatens the United States and its “puppet”, South Korea, on a daily basis, is marking anniversaries

this week that could be accompanied by strong statements or military displays.

The warning to foreigners in the South, reported by the KCNA news agency, said once war broke out “it will be an allout war, a merciless, sacred, retaliatory war to be waged by (North Korea).

“It does not want to see foreigners in South Korea fall victim to the war,” the agency quoted the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee as saying.

“The committee informs all foreign institutions and enterprises and foreigners, including tourists...that they are requested

AUDI Arabia has denied reports that a court in the kingdom has ordered a punishment of paralysis for a man who caused the paralysis of a friend.

A Saudi justice ministry spokesman said the reports about the sentence were completely false.

The justice ministry said on its twitter account that the judge in the case decided to dismiss demands for such a sentence.

Reports of the sentence sparked widespread condemnation.

Amnesty International, the human rights organisation, called for the sentence to be annulled.

Britain’s Foreign Office described it as “grotesque” and a spokesman insisted that such punishments were prohibited under international law.

Japan deploys missiles over North Korea threat

J

•Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) lays a wreath during a ceremony marking Israel’s annual day of Holocaust remembrance, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem Monday where Israel commemorates the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust during World War Two. (Gali Tibbon/REUTERS)

Uhuru Kenyatta sworn in as president of Kenya

Iran unveils new uranium sites

RAN says it has begun operations at two uranium mines and a uranium ore processing plant, furthering its capacity to produce nuclear material.

Low-grade uranium ore will be extracted at the Saghand mines and turned into purer uranium, known as yellowcake, at nearby Ardakan.

It can then be enriched - a process which the West wants Iran to curtail.

The announcement comes days after talks between Iran and major powers over the nuclear crisis failed to make progress.

Tehran insists its enrichment activities are solely for civilian purposes, while the international community suspects Iran wants to be able to use it for nuclear weapons.

The Saghand uranium mine and Ardakan facility are the largest in the country and will be able to produce 60 tonnes of yellowcake a year, state television said.

The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus, says the exploitation of these mines underscores Tehran’s determination to master and operate the full scope of the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium extraction, processing, enrichment and ultimately the manufacture of nuclear fuel.

The announcement, coming in the wake of the failure of the latest diplomatic effort to engage with Iran on its nuclear programme, is evidence yet again that Tehran intends to stick to the path that it has already chosen, he adds.

5 UN troops, 7 others killed in South Sudan

A

to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety.”

The warning, read out on North Korea’s state television in a bulletin that interrupted normal programming, was the latest threat in weeks of high tension following U.N. sanctions slapped on Pyongyang for its latest nuclear arms test.

In a previous appeal, its authorities urged diplomats in Pyongyang to leave on grounds their safety could not be assured beyond Wednesday.

None appeared to have taken any such action.

Also featured in broadcasts

were country-wide reports of celebrations marking Saturday’s 20th anniversary of the current leader’s father, Kim Jong-il, taking over North Korea’s leadership and next Monday’s birth date of his grandfather, post-World War Two state founder Kim Il-Sung.

A government source in Seoul said a North Korean medium-range missile, reported to have been shunted to the east coast, had been tracked and was believed to be ready for launch.

World leaders have expressed alarm at the crisis and the prospect of a conflict involving a country claiming to be developing nuclear weapons.

China, the North’s sole diplomatic and financial ally, issued a new call for calm and restraint, though Beijing’s leaders have shown increasing impatience with Pyongyang.

RMED rebels that South Sudan believes are backed by Sudan opened fire on a United Nations convoy on Tuesday, killing five U.N. peacekeepers from India and at least seven civilians, officials said.

South Sudan’s military spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer, blamed the attack on fighters led by David Yau Yau, a rebel leader South Sudan’s military has battled for months.

The top U.N. envoy in South Sudan, Hilde Johnson, said in a statement that five peacekeepers and seven civilians working with the U.N. mission were killed. She said at least nine additional peacekeepers and civilians were injured and some remain unaccounted for.

Aguer said the attack took place on a convoy traveling between the South Sudanese towns of Pibor and Bor yesterday morning.

“Definitely this attack was carried out by David Yau Yau’s militia,” Aguer said. “They have been launching ambushes even on the SPLA for about six months now,” he said, using the acronym for South Sudan’s military.

South Sudan ended decades of civil war with Sudan in 2005 and peacefully formed its own country in 2011. But the south is still plagued by internal violence and shaky relations with Sudan.

Leaders in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, deny that they are arming Yau Yau.

•Kenyatta

U

HURU Kenyatta was sworn in as the Kenya’s fourth president Tuesday in a stadium filled with tens of thousands of Kenyans and a dozen African leaders.

Uganda’s president and Kenya’s new deputy president used the swearing-in to take clear swipes at the ICC and at a U.S. warning before the March 4 election that a Kenyatta win would carry “consequences” for Kenya.

“I want to salute the Kenyan voters on one other issue - the rejection of the blackmail by the

C

International Criminal Court and those who seek to abuse this institution for their own agenda,” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told the cheering crowd, adding: “They are now using it to install leaders of their choice in Africa and eliminate the ones they do not like.”

Deputy President William Ruto noted that he and Kenyatta won in the first round of voting despite the U.S. warning.

A jubilant crowd swathed in Kenyatta’s campaign color of red loudly interrupted the swearing-in with rapturous cheers.

The ceremony stood in stark contrast to a rushed ceremony closed to the public five years ago to swear in outgoing President Mwai Kibaki, whom political opponents accused of stealing the 2007 vote. Those suspicions set off weeks of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

The U.S. ambassador and

European ambassadors were in attendance at Tuesday’s ceremony, and analysts say they doubt the pre-election warnings will amount to very much.

Kenya is the lynchpin economy for East Africa’s economy and the West’s most vital security partner. Kenyan troops are helping battle alShabab militants inside Somalia, and Kenya hosts a U.S. military base near the Somali border.

Kenyatta - the son of Jomo Kenyatta - beat seven other presidential candidates with 50.07 percent of the vote. That slim win was challenged by outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga - who got 43 percent - and civil society groups that complained of myriad anomalies in the voting process. The Supreme Court upheld Kenyatta’s win after nationally televised hearings.

Chelsea Clinton won’t rule out politics

HELSEA Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton, has left the door open to running for office one day, in an interview with NBC’s Today show.

In recent days Ms Clinton, 33, took on a more visible role at her father’s Clinton Global Initiative University.

She said her grandmother had encouraged her public service ambitions.

She also said she would support her mother, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,

if she decided to run for president a second time in 2016.

Ms Clinton said in the interview: “Right now I’m grateful to live in a city, a state and a country where I strongly support my mayor, my governor, my president and my senators and my representative.

“If at some point that weren’t true and I thought I could make a meaningful and measurably greater impact, I’d have to ask and answer that question,” she said.

Ms Clinton spent part of her

•Chelsea Clinton

childhood at the White House while her father was in office between 1993-2001.

She also works as a special correspondent for NBC News.

APAN has deployed Patriot missiles in its capital as it readies to defend the 30 million people who live in greater Tokyo from any North Korean attack, officials have said.

Two Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air missile launchers were stationed at the defence ministry in Tokyo before dawn, a ministry spokesman said yesterday.

Itsunori Onodera, Japan’s defence minister, said “we are proceeding with measures including deployment of PAC-3 as we are on alert”.

Local reports said batteries would be deployed in another two locations in the greater Tokyo area.

“The government is making utmost efforts to protect our people’s lives and ensure their safety,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Tuesday morning.

“As North Korea keeps making provocative comments, Japan, cooperating with relevant countries, will do what we have to do.

Libyan PM abducted aide freed

T

HE Libyan prime minister’s chief of staff has been freed after eight days in captivity by a militia, according to a senior Cabinet official.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdel-Salam al-Qadi told The Associated Press yesterday that Mohamed Ali Ghatous was released late Monday.

He gave no further details about the kidnapping or release.

Ghatous disappeared shortly during a period of escalated tension between Libya’s government and some of the country’s armed groups, largely composed of rebels who fought to oust the country’s longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The government often depends on the militias to fill the security vacuum, but has also tried to bring them under its authority and criticized their abuses.

Days before his chief of staff’s abduction, Prime Minister Ali Zidan was besieged in his office by militiamen over remarks he made threatening to summon outside help to confront the armed groups.

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TODAY IN THE NATION

'The government may tinker with NECO for the purpose of enhancing productivity and efficiency but certainly, there is no justifiable reason to scrap it’ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

DELE AGEKAMEH

VOL.8 NO.2,454

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

P

REDICTABLY, last month’s call for amnesty for Boko Haram by the Sultan of Sokoto and nominal head of Nigerian Muslims, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, and its initial outright rejection by President Goodluck Jonathan have provoked strong avowals and disavowals. Of all these avowals and disavowals, three have stood out because of the prominence of the religious leaders that have made them and the way they seem to have traded places in their disparate positions.

First was Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, son of the renowned late Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, and himself a leading light of the Izala sect founded by the father. In its lead story of three Wednesdays ago, the up and coming Abuja based Blueprint newspaper exclusively reported him to have dismissed the Sultan’s call as “hypocritical.” This was clearly against the grain of the apparent widespread support in the North and among Muslims for the Sultan’s call.

Boko Haram, said Sheikh Gumi, is an ideology that respects no law, “not even the Qur’an or Hadith or scholarly fatwa.” There is, he said, therefore no basis for dialogue with its adherents, much less granting them any amnesty. “It is,” he avowed, “a creed that must be crushed.”

Two weekends ago, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, issued an Easter message that couldn’t have disagreed more with Sheikh Gumi’s position. To reject amnesty for the sect, he said, was to operate at the same (disagreeable) level with its adherents. The offer itself, he said, may not solve all our problems, “but it will bring us closer to a new dawn.” Those who have rejected the amnesty, he also said, have focused more on how the issues involved “fit the survivalist instinct of the president and his ruling party.”

The same weekend, Bishop Kukah’s highly respected senior in the Catholic hierarchy, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, spoke in the same vein in his own Easter message. “The call for amnesty,” he said, “would seem to me quite appropriate and even necessary.” Useful and necessary as the security response has been, he said, it has obviously not been enough on its own.

Overall, the cardinal’s Easter message was more measured and more cautious than the bishop’s but it was the latter’s that received wider media publicity.

This position of the two senior Catholic clergy is obviously at variance with that of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) under Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and possibly with that of the majority of Nigerian Christians. CAN, as we all know, has been vehemently opposed to any form of accommodation with Boko Haram which it has accused of committing genocide against Christians in the North, with at least tacit support of the country’s Muslim leadership.

The position of the cardinal and the bishop, though consistent with the religious doctrine of forgiveness, clearly exposes them to a charge of appeasement. However, from the consistent manner they have stuck to that position in spite of the fact that the Catholic

People and Politics By MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Amnesty for Boko Haram: between Gumi and Kukah (I)

•Kukah Church, probably more than any other, has borne the brunt of the alleged Boko Haram mass killings of Christians – alleged, because Boko Haram has apparently since become a franchise used by criminals and possibly rogue elements in the security services alike for their own ends - it is obvious that this is a cross that the two are prepared to bear.

In his dissention from the popular Muslim and Northern support for the Sultan’s call for amnesty for Boko Haram, Sheikh Gumi seems to be in total agreement with the country’s authorities. For example, speaking at a seminar in Lagos last Tuesday on “Enhancing MilitaryMedia Relations towards Improved Security” in support of his Commander-in-Chief’s initial rejection of the Sultan’s call, the rather bellicose army chief, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, said in effect that force must remain the principal, if not the only, weapon for fighting Boko Haram.

“There is no country where terrorism has been curbed,” he said, “that force was not applied. There is none in history...I talk so much about force because that is my own line of business. I am to destroy the terrorists, if I am able to find them.” (National Mirror, April 3).

Sheikh Gumi and the authorities may agree on what they believe is the need to crush Boko Haram, but General Ihejirika’s position clearly defines the limit of that agreement. For, whereas both the general and his boss obviously believe they can destroy the sect

militarily, the sheikh believes they simply can’t. Their government, he said, lacks the competence and, by killing and terrorising more people than Boko Haram through its Joint Task Force Operations, it also lacks the moral strength to succeed.

His own solution? “A select Muslim high ranking officer, good intelligence, special strike squads (and) genuine cooperation of the civilian population,” he said.

Of the four elements of the sheikh’s formula for the defeat of Boko Haram, most people, I guess, would agree with him on the last three, in so far as they are simple common sense. By the same token, however, hardly would anyone agree with him that “a select Muslim high ranking officer” is necessary for success in the war against Boko Haram.

On the contrary, it is more likely to further divide an already divided military along religious lines and weaken it even more. Indeed with good intelligence and cooperation from the civilian population, it matters little, if at all, what the religious or ethnic affiliation of the field commander - and even of the commander-in-chief - is, so long as both are men of good faith.

The fundamental problem with government’s apparent over-reliance on the use of force in tackling Boko Haram is that it cannot win hearts and minds. General Ihejirika may, as he has said, be in the business of using brute force to solve problems but as he has also acknowledged, albeit with little conviction apparently, brute force alone, or even as the principal weapon, has never solved anybody’s problems. If it did, all terrorists would have since been wiped off the face of the earth given the overwhelming force governments the world over - especially that of America, the world’s self-appointed global police and its only superpower – have deployed, and continue to deploy, against terror organisations.

Every problem requires good intelligence and the cooperation of all and sundry for a viable solution. Above all, every problem requires good faith on the part of all parties involved, but especially on the part of those in authority. None of these three requirements can be secured by relying on brute

HARDBALL

“W

HEN the curtain goes down on a play,” remarked former United States president Richard Milhous Nixon, “members of the audience file out of the theatre and go home to resume their normal lives. When the curtain comes down on a leader’s career, the very lives of the audience have been changed, and the course of history may have been profoundly altered.” Few epitomised Nixon’s pithy remark as poignantly as Baroness Thatcher, former British Prime Minister who passed away at 87 on Monday. She had been hospitalised last December to remove a growth on her bladder, and had suffered from dementia since 2005. Considering her age, the speculation was not on how many more years she had to live. What overwhelmed commentators was a feeling of weariness about her impending departure, and the difficult obituaries to be crafted by writers to capture what she represented to Britain and

Thatcher: 1925-2013 or 1979-1990 the world.

In the end, she fooled everyone by departing suddenly, just when many were beginning to think she would stay for a little longer.

That she was a divisive figure nationally and globally is not in doubt. What with the bitter war she waged on equally intransigent trade unions which had both paralysed British economy and subverted parliamentary rule.

Her economic policies, which came to be dubbed Thatcherism, also proved deeply contentious even up till today, and were blamed for the impoverishment of many and the enthronement of an unfeeling variant of modern capitalism. Nor was a large part of Africa enamoured of her foreign policy, especially because it exhibited either a tinge of racism or indefensible sentiment in its support for apartheid and for the Khmer Rouge, and con-

stituted an undertow to her vaunted campaign for democracy and freedom both in the Falklands and Soviet Union.

Thatcher’s leadership might have been divisive; but whether you admired her or detested her, you could not deny she was an iconic leader, a strong leader with an intuitive grasp of the nuances of public policy and the dynamics of international strategic imperatives. No matter how much reviled she was, few doubt that she was both a trailblazer and an enigmatic leader, the likes of which are getting increasingly fewer in the world. Enlightened opinion of her leadership will ineluctably zero in on her iron will, political sagacity, supreme confidence both as a person and on behalf of her country, and charismatic understanding of what leadership should ideally be.

force only or in the main, especially of the kind deployed in Borno and Yobe states since 2009, following the extrajudicial killings of several leaders, and even many more suspected members, of Boko Haram.

This brute force was similar, perhaps even worse, than that used in the Delta against the region’s militants before they were granted amnesty in June 2009, more specifically the kind of brute force former president, General Olusegun Obasanjo, inflicted on the Odi community in Bayelsa State, President Jonathan’s home state, about 12 years ago; a brute force which Justice Lambo Akanbi strongly condemned in his judgment last month and for which he awarded the community N37.6 billion against the Federal Government as compensation.

There may well have been some politics behind the size of compensation the court’s compensation. But politics or no, it is still legitimate to ask, as The Guardian did in its editorial of March 11 about the judgment, “Why would a government unleash violence on its defenceless citizens in the name of maintaining law and order? Why would such a horrendous havoc be wrecked on a community because of a few bad elements as though there is no single innocent and law abiding citizen in the community who deserves government’s protection?”

Breath of fresh air indeed!

W

HEN President Goodluck Jonathan promised during his campaign for the 2011 election that his administration would usher in a “breath of fresh air” into the country, I thought it was no more than one of those empty sloganeering politicians over-indulge in during campaigns. Nothing the administration has done - or not done - since then has proved my scepticism wrong. On the contrary, the degree of insecurity from arbitrary use of power by the authorities and the scale of corruption in the land alone have enveloped the land with so much stink you can barely breathe.

Two days ago, the administration enhanced its reputation for doublespeak when it picked on Leadership newspaper over its exclusive story last week about an alleged presidential directive to its operatives to use all means, fair or foul, to frustrate the emergence of All Progressives Congress as a formidable opposition to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

After four of the newspaper’s staff honoured a police invitation for questioning, it released two of them in the night but detained the other two reportedly with instructions from “the oga at the top” to keep them incommunicado until they reveal the source of their story and of the documentary proof which they published to back their story.

This is outright Gestapo style out of the book of Hitler’s Germany. Some “breath of fresh air” indeed! The other two were released yesterday night.

•For comments, send SMS to 08023211188

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above Her place is secure in the annals of Great Britain. But much more than that, the world will remember her not simply for her firsts, such as winning three consecutive elections, or being the first and only woman Prime Minister, nor for her ripe old age, nor yet for some of her questionable and controversial economic policies which left many Britons and even Irish poor and bitter, but for being one of the 20th century’s great leaders, quite in the mould of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Conrad Adenauer of Germany, and Shigeru Yoshida of Japan, among others. After she left office, no British Prime Minister has been quite like her, especially considering how difficult it is for a leader to make a huge mark in peacetime. Indeed, it will take quite a while to find someone who would replicate the massive impact she left on the world in the closing decades of the 20th century.

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