April 21, 2014 by The Nation

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Report seeks trial News APC shifts state congresses P6 of ex-Ekiti REC, Sports Osaze gives N1m to insurance P16 Osunbor, 39 others Business SEC tightens fund raising rules P25 NEWS

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Girls’ abduction my worst moment, says governor

ORNO State Governor Kashim Shettima spoke yesterday of his agony over the abduction of more than 100 girls at the Government Secondary School, Chibok. The last one week has been his worst in life and as a governor, he said. Of the 129 girls believed

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja and Bodunrin Kayode, Maiduguri

to have been abducted by Boko Haram, 52 have returned to the school. The governor said the search for 77 others was still on. According to him, both Christian and Muslim students of the college, including the Ameerah (female

president) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), were abducted. Shettima said he had not met with the distraught parents of the abducted girls so as not to interrupt ongoing security operations in Chibok and in the forest. The governor, in his Easter message, urged the people to remain united in grief.

EKITI 2014

The message was released through his spokesman, Mallam Isa Umar Gusau. Shettima said: “Between last night and this evening, seven more girls escaped from captivity, bringing to 52 the number of those with us out of 129 students that were at the hostel on the day of that attack. Continued on page 4

•Fayemi to VP Sambo: Ekiti not a war front •SEE PAGE 14 •Residents back governor •NOA cautions candidates •I initiated social security scheme, says Ayo Fayose

2015: Governors give PDP, Jonathan three conditions Protest votes threat rocks ruling party over automatic tickets, others

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) governors have given three conditions to back President Goodluck Jonathan’s yet-unannounced re-election bid. The conditions are: •allowing outgoing gov-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

ernors to choose their successors; •automatic second term tickets for those running first term in office; and •automatic senatorial seats for governors aspiring to be

in the Senate. Although Jonathan is set to emerge the sole presidential candidate of the PDP, all is not well within the party on how to meet the demands of the governors, a source told The Nation. Some of the governors are

threatening protest votes in their states if they are not allowed to have their way. PDP National Chairman Adamu Muazu is said to be battling to manage the situation. Muazu, who is opposed to automatic tickets, has to de-

vise means of accommodating the agitation of the governors, a source said. Of the 36 states, PDP has 18 governors. APC has 16 governors. APGA and Labour Party have one apiece. Some of the governors believed to have senatorial am-

bition in 2015 or being prevailed upon to go to the upper chamber are Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Theodore Orji (Abia); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) ; Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Martins Elechi (Ebonyi); Continued on page 4

•Pope Francis addresses huge crowds gathered in St Peter’s square in Vatican City when he delivered the traditional Urbi Et Orbi blessing to mark Easter Sunday SEE ALSO PAGES 8&9

•GUNMEN KILL 15 IN TARABA’S BLOODY EASTER P4 •POPE PRAYS FOR NIGERIA P4

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

Nigeria’s big

•From left: Head, Corporate Affairs/Marketing, SIFAX Group, Mr. Oliver Omajuwa; Senior Special Assistant , Group Vice Chairman/CEO, Barrister Ezekiel Ajewole; Executive Director, Admin/Human Resources, Dr. Phil Ofulue, Director General, Centre for Democratic Governance in Africa (CDGA), Dr. Dafe Akpocha and Executive Director, Finance and Admin, CDGA, Mr. Adeniji Omirin at a media Parley/presentation of souvenir on the upcoming Africa Distinguished Gold Service Award for Excellence in Good Governance in Lagos... Photo: Solomon Adeola

•Business mogul Chief Sunny Odogwu presenting a book ‘From Dream to reality the AMAA Legacy’ in Lagos...at the weekend. With him is the Director-General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Sally Mbenefo.

The rebasing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has made it the biggest economy on the continent overtaking South Africa. Will BRICs now become BRINCs creating a space for Nigeria? What is clear is that the challenges will not just go away

HOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS.

•From right: Past Rotary District Governor Richard Giwa-Osagie, Polio Goodwill Ambassador Funke Akindele, Dong Kurn Lee, Dr Tunji Funsho, District Governor Gbemiga Olowu and Mrs Young Lee after unveiling the House in Lagos. PHOTO: NNEKA NWANERI

•Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi and Ex-international Paul Okoku greeting at the launching of the Greater Tomorrow Foundation in Abuja...at the weekend.

IGERIA has always been a “large” country in many ways. With 173 million people, it is by far Africa’s largest and the world’s seventh-largest population. Nigeria is Africa’s largest and the world’s 13th biggest oil producer. The recalculation of its gross domestic product (GDP) to $510 billion, up from $262bn, makes Nigeria Africa’s biggest and the world’s 24th largest economy, a jump from 37th position. This change represents an astonishing 89 percent increase. But does Nigeria’s new statistical strength make a difference at home, in its region, in Africa, and on the world stage? The answer is a categorical YES. On the domestic front, the surge in Nigeria’s GDP does not by any means make its daunting challenges disappear. First, poverty with associated inequality and regional disparities is deeply-entrenched with a significant part of Nigeria’s population earning less than a $2 a day. Even with the new GDP data, the per capita income in Nigeria becomes $3 000. This is less than half of South Africa’s per capita income of $6 620. The recalculated GDP in other words does not change Nigeria’s overall status of a lower middle-income country even if its global per capita ranking has just jumped 15 positions from 135 to 122. The second difficulty facing Nigeria is that it is essentially geographically divided with its northern and southern regions reflecting deepseated conflicts that seriously threaten the country’s stability. The north is affected by the rise of Boko Haram, an Islamic jihadist organisation that seeks to establish a “pure” Islamic state. In the south’s Niger Delta, the decades-long conflict over tensions between foreign oil corporations and the Delta’s marginalised ethnic groups continues. The third challenge is corruption. An example is the ongoing suspension of the country’s Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi for “financial recklessness”. The ousting of Sanusi came after he alleged that a shocking amount of $20 billion in oil revenue vanished. These domestic challenges notwithstanding, Nigeria’s newly earned economic significance should not be underestimated.

•Dr. Jonathan

Crucially, the overnight increase in Nigeria’s GDP is not a result of money scams the country is widely known for. New and fast-growing sectors including telecoms and creative industries are now adequately incorporated in the GDP data – a task neglected since 1990. Manufacturing and services which have been growing in leaps and bounds are now included in economic statistics. Today’s Nigeria, in other words, is a robust economy with considerable capacity to address its development challenges, not least poverty and inequality; this endeavour begins with economic cluster transformation of the kind being observed in Nigeria. With regards to Nigeria’s role in West Africa, even before the sharp rise in its GDP, its size and significant natural resources endowments assigned it a leadership responsibility in the region. Take for example the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the regional group of 15 West African countries founded in 1975 to foster regional integration and serve as a peacekeeping force as well as promoter of good governance. Nigeria’s role in establishing and sustaining Ecowas is illustrated by the fact that it is head-quartered in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, and is largely financed by the host. Further, Nigeria’s military has historically been the backbone of peacekeeping in the region and across Africa. The rise in Nigeria’s economic power consolidates its decades-long leadership in Ecowas. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s continental leadership is equally and widely recognised. For example, Nigeria was the champion of The Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa, 1980-2000, which sought to increase Africa’s self- sufficiency. Nigeria, together with South Africa, was a key mobilising force for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) in the early 2000s. More significantly, Nigeria is a founding member and the largest contributor to Africa’s premier development institution, namely, the African Development Bank (AfDB). Still on the subject of African leadership, it is crucial to highlight the fact that Nigeria’s recent rise comes at a time when there is a vacuum in this vital aspect of the continent’s advancement. This void was recently demon-

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

g economy, gigantic challenges ‘ The five Brics

members are also G-20 members. Will Brics now become Brincs, with “N” for Nigeria added, or will the “S” for South Africa be dropped?

‘

•Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala

strated at the EU-Africa Summit of 2-3 April this year, when leader of the then largest African economy, Presi-

dent Jacob Zuma of South Africa, boycotted the meeting. The European equivalent of this

perplexing sanction would be a boycott of an EU inter-continental discussion on trade and investment by Ger-

man Chancellor Angela Merkel who leads the continental economic giant. As Africa’s economic powerhouse Nigeria is likely to fill the African leadership vacuum with greater legitimacy that comes with its population and economic might. What about Nigeria’s role in global organisations? These aspects of Nigeria’s role will be closely and keenly watched in the coming weeks and months. Begin with Brics, the association of five countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which are distinguished by fast-growing economies as well as considerable influence on regional and global affairs. The five Brics members are also G20 members. Will Brics now become Brincs, with “N” for Nigeria added, or will the “S” for South Africa be dropped? Will G-20 become G-21, thereby accommodating Nigeria but also retaining South Africa, which is now Africa’s second largest economy? Or will South Africa be dis-invited? I would bet on G-21. We can also foresee Nigeria rightly demanding a seat in a reformed United Nations, as Africa’s largest population and biggest economy. Perhaps the most remarkable part

of the Nigerian GDP drama is the story of Nollywood. The re-based Nigerian statistics indicate that this creative industry, with its vast following across Africa, generates more than $5bn, equivalent to 1.4 percent of the GDP. Nollywood is much more important than the money it creates, however. Through determined and resilient creativity and innovation, Nigerian writers, directors and actors are telling Africa’s own stories to African audiences. Nollywood is in fact confirming the connection between individual self-esteem and national self-confidence. And the inclusion of Nollywood into Nigeria’s re-based economic data, however belated, is a not only a crucial recognition of the sector’s growing economic importance but also a sign of national confidence. By extension, the spectacular rise in Nigeria’s GDP, Nollywood included, ought to boost Nigeria’s and African self-confidence – something that should be celebrated by all Africans. •Culled from The Sunday Independent of South Africa

Fed Govt’s roadmap for active SMEs, others

Y most accounts, the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) are aimed at spurring the growth of the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The two programmes were launched by President Goodluck Jonathan on February 11 in Abuja. Jonathan said at the inauguration that the programmes, particularly the NIRP, would provide a comprehensive roadmap for transforming the nation’s industrial landscape, boosting skills’ development and enhancing job creation, among others. According to him, NEDEP alone is capable of creating 3.5 million jobs across the country by reinforcing the activities of MSMEs. Besides, Jonathan observed that NIRP would boost the revenue of Nigerian manufacturers, while fast-tracking the country’s economic and industrial growth. “ NIRP and NEDEP are targeted at transforming Nigerian businesses and changing the lives of the ordinary people. “The programmes will accelerate inclusive growth and job creation, while stemming the drain on our foreign reserves caused by importing what we can produce locally. “NEDEP has placed micro, small and medium enterprises at the centre of our national economic policy; our vision is to take this new model for national enterprise development to all the 774 local governments in our country,’’ he said. Pledging the Federal Government’s commitment to the programmes, Jonathan said that his administration would set up a council, comprising the federal, state and local governments, to regulate the activities of small and medium enterprises across the country. “We will not only sustain the momentum of the NIRP and NEDEP programmes but we will also expand their impacts and reach,’’ he added. Judging by economists’ assessment, the MSMEs sector is one of the most important sectors of Nigerian economy. Analysts argue that the sector comprises a greater percentage of businesses in Nigeria and contributes 75 per cent of the country’s employment. Available data from the National Bureau of Statistic also indicate that out of the 17.2 million MSMEs in the country, over 17 million of them are micro enterprises. Observers insist that in spite of challenges facing the growth of MSMEs in the country, the sector contributes about 75 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides jobs for many Nigerians.

The National Enterprise Development Programme (NIRP), according to the Federal Government, holds the key to strengthening the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. But, how far can this go? Ibrahim Mammaga reports

‘

The programmes will accelerate inclusive growth and job creation, while stemming the drain on our foreign reserves caused by importing what we can produce locally. NEDEP has placed micro, small and medium enterprises at the centre of our national economic policy

‘

Analysts, therefore, agree that a nurtured and well-structured MSMEs sector can contribute more significantly to employment generation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth in the country. They, nonetheless, call for the introduction of pragmatic measures to address some of the challenges hindering the growth of MSMEs in the country. However, Alhaji Bature Masari, the Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), says that NEDEP was initiated to address some of the challenges. According to him, NEDEP is planning to generate about five million direct and indirect jobs between 2013 and 2015. “The entrepreneurship training/business development service component is being implemented on the platform of ‘One Local Government; One Product’. “The access to finance component is overseen by the Bank of Industry (BOI), while the skills acquisition programme is handled by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). “The ‘One Local Government; One Product’ programme is guided by research that is based on the experiences of successful similar enter-

•Oputu

prise development initiatives in Africa and Asia and pilot projects in Kano State and Niger,’’ he says. Masari says that SMEDAN recently conducted sensitisation/needs’ assessment programme in 22 states, adding that agro-allied products were selected in each of the local government areas of the selected states, based on their comparative and competitive advantages. He says that arrangements have been concluded on when to implement the programme in the remaining 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “The agency has also conducted baseline surveys and value-chain analyses in six pilot states — Benue Anambra, Lagos, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Kano — while plans are underway to conduct this activity in the remaining 30 states and the FCT,’’ he says. Masari says that cooperative societies and trade associations are being formed, registered and assisted to develop bankable business plans, as a prelude to plans to give them access to finance, markets and equipment. “More than 2,500 out of 21,834 cooperative societies across the country and their business plans have been handed over to BOI for ap-

•Masari

praisal and eventual financing,’’ he adds. The director-general says that SMEDAN is also planning to build the capacity of the various cooperative societies that benefited from NEDEP nationwide. On the sustainability of the programmes, Dr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, stresses that NIRP and NEDEP should adopt inclusive structures, which involve other government agencies and the private sector, to ensure adequate policy synergy. He, however, pledges his ministry’s cooperation with all the stakeholders in efforts to ensure the successful implementation of the programmes. Although the general consensus of opinion is that NIRP and NEDEP are vital economic development tools, analysts, nonetheless, underscore the need for timely and adequate funding of specific schemes of the programmes. They insist that a strong political will and adequate funding of the programmes will spur wealth creation, poverty alleviation and massive rural industrialisation in the country. •Mammaga is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

•President Goodluck Jonathan (second right) with (from left) Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Philip Aduda, Senator Smart Adeyemi and FCT Minister Bala Mohammed during the Easter Day homage to the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

•Lagos State Internal Revenue Service celebrating the Lagos Aquatic Splendor at the Regatta VilPHOTO: OMOSHIN MOSES lage, Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi...yesterday.

Jonathan: we’re changing approach to Boko Haram Abuja blast: Baby Goodness

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan promised yesterday that Nigerians will witness a new approach to the battle against Boko Haram. He said activities of the Islamic sect or other international terrorists “cannot disintegrate Nigeria”. Dr. Jonathan spoke while receiving a delegation on Easter homage at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Suicide bombers killed no fewer than 75 people last week in Nyanya, near Abuja. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack. Noting that the nation is going through some challenges, the President said there is hope and that the country would over-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

come them. The President also promised that his administration would do everything possible to continue to bring development to every part of the country. But he harped on the need for the three tiers of government to work collectively to solve the problems. He said: “Easter is the most important ceremony in Christian faith. Without His resurrection, our faith would have been in vain. His resurrection gives us hope. You will have tribulations but there is hope for you. Today we are marking that resurrection.

“Yes, as a nation, we are having tribulations but surely, Nigeria has hope. Surely, we will overcome these tribulations. Even those who think that this country will divide, those who think the country will be divided into North, South, East and West, no way. Boko Haram will not disintegrate this country. “Most of you are aware that when Nyanya was bombed, Nigerians from all religions and tribes participated in the evacuation of people who were injured even before the security arrived. People donated more blood than required. “That shows that no criminal group, funded within or outside this country, can separate us. No

criminal group will disintegrate this country. Boko Haram will come and go. We are working very hard, we are changing our approach, God willing, we will end Boko Haram. “To you my brethren, I thank all of you for your prayers and I promise that we will work to do our best to bring development to this country. We have challenges. We have the issue of unemployment. Not too long ago, there was this ugly development at the Immigration Service, because of the level of unemployment and partial employment. “Some are doing jobs that do not meet their qualifications; they are partially employed. So Continued on page 60

Gunmen kill 15 in Taraba’s bloody Easter

T was a bloody Easter Sunday in Taraba State yesterday. No fewer than 15 persons died when unknown gunmen attacked Gidin-Doruwa village in Wukari Local Government Area. Twenty residents were injured. Residents said over 52 houses were torched, including the family house of Daily Independent’s reporter Janet Audu, in Jalingo during the attack. The attack came barely 24 hours after Acting Governor Garba Umar visited Wukari to plead for peace. Eye-witnesses said the gunmen opened fire on the town at about 1:30a.m on Sunday when Christians were still celebrating the Night of Light to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the residents, confused

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

and scared, began to run, their attackers set their homes ablaze. Churches were almost burnt. A source said when the CRCN Church caught fire, the youth in the neighborhood started destroying some mosques. Fleeing residents said the attackers came from “all corners” and cordoned the town before they started shooting without provocation. They sustained the gun fire till yesterday evening. The arrival of riot policemen and soldiers did not deter the assailants who came in large number, carrying sophisticated weapons. One resident said: “The situation here is so bad that some of the security personnel may have decided to retreat. Police spokesman Assistant

Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joseph Kwaji, said the arrival of riot policemen from the state command could not end the shootings, and the command got reinforcement from Mopol 34 Squadron, Gombe and 14 Squadron, Adamawa State. Kwaji told The Nation that he was still expecting reports from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) on the casualty figures. “I am trying to get detailed information from the DPO. We are aware that a village in Wukari has been attacked, but I can’t precisely tell the media the number of casualties, the injured and houses burnt now. “Today’s (yesterday’s) attack and killings were carried out by unknown gunmen,” he said. The Divisional Secretary of the Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Lucky Navokhi, was also not certain about the casualty

figure and other fatalities. “Hostilities are still on so we don’t have accurate information to make public now,” he said. Umar has condemned the killings as “unfortunate, barbaric and unacceptable”. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Aaron Atimas, the acting governor promised that “government would do everything possible to protect lives and property of the citizenry. “The perpetrators of the crisis must be brought to book. Government cannot fold her arms and watch her citizens die in the hands of heartless people,” Umar said and appealed to the people to be calm. Commissioner for Information Atte Sale Kundu said he felt sad that in spite of the acting Continued on page 60

reunites with mum

EN-MONTH-OLD baby Goodness who survived the Nyanya bomb blast in Abuja last week has been reunited with her mum. She was discharged from the Asokoro Hospital where she was treated for a hit on the face to reunite with her mother at the Wuse General Hospital where she has been receiving treatment . Doctors said the baby did not suffer any major injury. The government said 75 people died in the explosion while over 200

Pope prays for end to brutal terror attacks in Nigeria

IGERIA came yesterday under focus as Pope Francis prayed for an end to the Boko Haram insurgency in his Easter message to faithful and to the World. The head of World’s Catholics, mentioned close to a dozen countries in the Papal homily to mark the resurrection of Jesus. “We beg for … a halt to the brutal terrorist attacks in parts of Nigeria,” he prayed.

“This means 77 students are yet to be found. I once again call on parents and guardians, like we have been doing, to return any student that might have run home on the day of that attack, so that we can take records to ascertain our missing students. “So much is being done by rescue teams; there is a very high commitment on the part of the Federal, state and Chibok local government authorities in working for the freedom of these innocent daughters of ours that are future leaders and mothers of future leaders.” The governor said the last one week had been his worst days either in life or as a governor. He added: “I have seen very serious moments since I became the governor of Borno State in 2011 at a period of insurgent crisis. I have seen many innocent lives lost for no reason and I mourn every life lost with empathy and high

•52 girls back from Boko Haram enclave

sense of responsibility. “But the last one week has been my worst days as a governor and even the worst in my life. I am troubled as a father, as a leader and as a politician. “First, as a father, any time my young daughter comes around me in the last one week at the Government House, my heart beats very fast, my heart becomes so heavy and I develop serious headache because when I look into the eyes of my young daughter, I wonder how the parents of these our students feel when faced with the harsh reality that their loving daughters are either in the hands of abductors in fear and desperation for freedom or wondering somewhere looking for safety while parents do not know the status of their children. “I took a sympathetic note of one particular parent who reportedly said he preferred seeing his daughter’s body than

the trauma of having her abducted. It is my very strong hope that all the students will come out of abduction safely. “But as a father to a girlchild, I know exactly what is currently troubling the minds of parents and relations who are yet to see their children. I am deeply pained and I very much share the agony of parents. “More than everyone, as the leader, in whose area of governance this unfortunate incident took place, I am very anxious to have our daughters freed because I know very well that the most important obligation of any government, be it at the Federal, state or local government level, is to ensure the safety and welfare of its good citizens. “Every good citizen deserves safety as a fundamental human need and right under a democratic system of governance. On why he had not met with

the parents, Shettima said: “As a leader and politician, I am also troubled that I have not had the important opportunity to meet the anguished parents of these girls in Chibok because I have, on a number of instances, been advised to hold back the trip in order not to interrupt security operations as well as search and rescue efforts which are our topmost priority,especially now. “I am very much aware that Chibok is one of our communities with high population of our Christian parents, brothers and sisters. It is, therefore, easy for unpatriotic and divisive elements to make issues out of the delayed visit for whatever motive that will be unhelpful. As a leader,I have always believed and displayed fairness to all citizens, regardless of ethno-religious backgrounds. “I hold that the Borno State Government has a responsibility towards every citizen of the

A suicide bombing at Nyanya motor park in Abuja claimed 75 lives last week. Besides, 129 pupil girls of Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State were abducted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. The Pope also prayed for the end of acts of violence in South Sudan and the conflicts in the Central African Republic. “Enable us to care for our Continued on page 60

2015: Governors give PDP, Jonathan three conditions

Continued from page 1

Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Babangida Aliyu(Niger);

Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi); Jonah Jang(Plateau); and Isa Yuguda(Bauchi) Those seeking second term

School girls’ abduction my worst moment, says governor Continued from page 1

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

were injured. Four victims with serious cases have been referred to the National Hospital, it was learnt at the weekend. Those with minor injuries have been discharged. A few are still under intensive care. At the Maitama Hospital, 14 of the victims are receiving treatment. The Federal Government has promised to pick the hospital bills of the injured.

state, young or old, irrespective of religion, ethnic group or place of origin. I very much share the grief of parents and the entire people of Chibok. “We must at this time strengthen the Borno blood that exists among us to work towards the freedom of our daughters. “The insurgents threatening us target us irrespective of our religions. I am also very much aware that the girls abducted consist of not just those with origins traced to Chibok but also from other parts of the state and the country, which is typical of a good secondary school that should unite Nigerians. “I am also aware that the abducted students include both Christians and Muslim faithful. I am made to understand that the Ameera (spiritual head) of the Muslim Students Society in the school is among those abducted and yet to be freed. She was abducted alongside her Christian and Muslim colleagues without the insurgents worried about the religion any

are Henry Seriake Dickson(Bayelsa); Ramalan Yero(Kaduna); Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe); Idris Wada( Kogi)- when due; Acting Governor Garba Umar ( Taraba); There has been disquiet in the party on the demands of the governors. Continued on page 60

•Shettima

of the students practise.” The governor pleaded with the people of Borno State to remain united in grief and pray for the release of the remaining girls. He said: “We must, therefore, remain united in our shared Continued on page 60

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THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

‘Alison-Madueke, NNPC to submit documents A to House panel’

HEAD of the April 28 probe into the alleged spending of N10billion on chartered jet, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) yesterday said it has been working with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke on documents required by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts. The corporation said it has no plan to thwart the ongoing investigation by the House into the chartered jet. It also said there is no rift between the Minister and the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Engr. Andrew Yakubu on the chartered jet.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

The NNPC made the clarifications in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, against the backdrop of allegations that the Minister of Petroleum Resources was trying to frustrate the probe. The Minister was yet to respond to queries from the House Committee on Public Accounts as at press time. But NNPC said neither it nor the Minister has anything to hide. It expressed confidence that the Minister and NNPC would be vindicated at the end of the investigation by the House.

The statement said: “The Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of NNPC board, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Engr. Andrew Yakubu are in harmonious working relationship and dismissed insinuations in some quarters of a phantom frosty relationship between the two key figures in the oil and gas industry. The reports on the rift are a figment of the overheated imagination of the authors. “The Minister of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC

in the last few months have heeded countless number of summons from the National Assembly wondering why the media would go to town with the report that the Petroleum Minister was doing everything to thwart the proposed investigation into the alleged N10billion purportedly expended on the charter of jets by the Corporation. “The Minister and the Corporation are putting together all the documents that the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts had requested for. At the end of the probe, the Minister

and the Corporation would be vindicated. “The GMD of the Corporation was in London last week for the board meeting of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, saying the NNPC would remain focused on its core mandate of guaranteeing energy sufficiency for the country. “The NNPC dismissed the reports in its entirety and implored media practitioners to adhere to the ethics of journalism which holds facts as sacred and recommends that when in doubt, leave out. The statement said the Minister of Petroleum Resources has reeled out measures to ensure round-the-clock availability of premium motor spirit across the country.

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (third right), Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona (second left); Deputy Speaker Ogun House of Assembly, Hon.Tola Banjo(right); the three new Islamic chiefs of Ijebuland, Chief Imam, Alhaji Imam Abdur Razaq Salaudeen(third left), Chief Naibul Imam, Alhaji Imam Miftah Gbadegesin Ayanbadejo(second right) and the Chief Eketa Adinni,Alhaji Imam Nuraeni Eyinfunjowo (left) at their installation and turbaning at Ijebu-Ode,Ogun State...yesterday.

Port concessioning yielding result, say senators

HE Senate Committee on Commercialisation and Privatisation said concessioned ports have started yielding higher revenue for the country. This is contained in a statement by Head, Public Communications, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Chigbo Anichebe in Abuja on Sunday. The statement said the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Olugbenga Obadara, said this during an oversight visit to Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos. In it, Obadara said the purpose of the concession had been achieved as services at the ports had significantly improved and were also contrib-

uting immensely to the revenue base of the Federal Government. “The concession fees paid by the concessionaires contribute to the nation’s annual budget as against the pre-concession period when the Federal Government allocated huge sums of money to maintain the ports. “The Federal Government through BPE concessioned the ports to ensure development and efficiency which in turn would yield high revenue for government as it is applicable in other countries with ports’’, he said. Managing Director of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Alhaji Habib Abubakar said

the authority was collaborating with the ports’ concessionaires to ensure that the ports were fully developed. He said that a well developed port would bring about efficiency as well as guarantee high tonnage ýin import and export services which would lead to increased revenue for the federal government. Abubakar added that the NPA was in the process of drawing up a 25-year development plan for the ports. Earlier, Mr. Fulwood Bizzaro, a Port Facility Manager, said despite several challenges, the concessionaire had ensured strict adherence to the covenants it signed with the

Minister asks security agents to intensify search for abducted students

HE Minister of State for Power, Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, has urged security agencies to intensify efforts at finding the remaining abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.. Wakil, who stated this in a statement yesterday in Maiduguri, also urged other stakeholders to join hands with the security agencies in securing the release of the girls. “I think that there is a need for concerted efforts to secure the release of the remaining students. There is also the need for a new strategy to contain attacks on soft targets such as schools and hospitals’’, he said. He stressed that attention should henceforth be paid to schools, hospitals and other soft targets. “As the insurgents are now avoiding well defended hard targets, we should design new approaches to securing identified soft targets.’’

The minister sympathised with the parents of the kidnapped female students. He advised that an inventory of likely soft targets should be taken by relevant authorities and contingency plans put in place to secure exit routes in case of attacks. “An alarm and warning system should be put in place in all likely soft targets across the conflict areas. “This system will trigger early response and abort attacks as was the case of the foiled plans to attack the NNPC mega stations on Dambua-Biu road,’’ Wakil said. He described the increasing assaults on innocent students as inhuman and unIslamic, saying that attacking women and children as part of a soft target strategy was condemnable and reprehensible. Wakil appealed to insurgents to lay down their arms and enter into negotiation with the government.

BPE and (NPA). Bizzaro, the Port Facility Manager of Five Star Logistics Limited, concessionaire of Tincan Island Port, said the company had developed 16-17 square metres of land for container and cargo stacking to handle the increased vehicle importation in the country. According him, the development was in line with the concessionaire’s development plan for the port terminal. General Manger of Josephdam Port Services Limited, Mr Dimon Travers, said the recent five-year lease extension on Tin-Can Island Port Terminal would ensure additional development of the terminal. He expressed optimism that at the expiration of the concession period, the terminal would had been fully developed and operated as a worldclass terminal. “Cargo throughput is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. In the first quarter of 2014, there was a 29 per cent increase as against the 12.6 per cent in 2013’’, he said. Travers said his company had remitted all throughput and lease fees to the NPA up to the first quarter of 2014. The Federal Government in May 2006 concessioned TinCan Island Port Terminals for a period of 10 years. In March 2014, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) approved the extension of the concession period by five years.

The statement added: “Under the arrangement, the Minister has approved the allocation of a total volume of 1, 854, 314 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit known as petrol as supplementary volumes for first quarters 2014 and second quarter 2014 June only delivery. “The supplementary volume for Q1 quota is 750, 000 Mt and the Q2 June only volume is 1, 104, 318. “Whilst the first quarter supplementary volume is designed to complement the earlier allocation in addition to covering any under delivery by marketers due to unforeseen financial challenges, the Q2 (June only) quota is in consonance with the national consumption pattern of 40 million litres per day. “The Q2 quota also captures a 23 percent upper tolerance in the event of default or slippage into July. “There are 27 oil marketing companies with proven performance records enlisted in respect of Q1 deliveries. For Q2 (June only), there are 40 marketers with good performance records and whose facilities are functional. “The idea of June only is to revert to the normal quarterly sequence, i.e. July-September and October-December,’’ he said. On measures to ensure zero fuel queues, NNPC said: “Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency(PPPRA), the body with the statutory responsibility in this regard has inserted a provision in the allocation document which allows for the deduction of equivalent volume from the defaulting marketer’s subsequent allocation in event of slippage or default.”

TETFund boss pledges tranparency

HE new Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof Suleiman Bogoro, yesterday pledged to ensure sustained provision of vital infrastructure in tertiary institutions. Bogoro, who made the pledge in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the organisation would not compromise in making the institutions better and well equipped to provide qualitative knowledge to students. According to him, lack of basic infrastructure remains a major challenge in tertiary institutions, and needed to be seriously addressed. The Professor of Animal Science at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, pledged to ensure due process in running the affairs of the organisation. “We believe we will remain focused in terms of basic targets and the judicious use of funds while following due process,” he said. Bogoro acknowledged the promptness with which companies pay part of their taxes to the Funs and expressed the hope that it would continue. He described his appointment as a call to service, and thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for the opportunity.

Lawyers to telecom firm: pay our client N500m

AWYERS to a former employee of Multi Links Telecommunication Limited, Mrs. Ifeoma Ekeh, are seeking N500million damages from the telecom company for portraying her as “a thief, fraudster and conspirator”. The telecom company declared Mrs. Ekeh wanted for alleged forgery, conspiracy and stealing. Mrs Ekeh was accused by her former employer of conspiring with Easy and Quiet Nigeria Limited to take over its Owerri branch under a dealership franchise of forgery and stealing. But in a notice of action dated April 18, Mrs. Ekeh, through her solicitors, Benatokwu Chambers, also wants the telecommunication company to within seven days retract the publication. Mrs Ekeh also is seeking that the retraction must be done with a profuse apology which must disclose unmistakably “your eternal regrets for the damage the said publication has caused our client’s image including the anguish suffered by her husband, children particularly her undergraduates children, family members and well meaning friends.” “Our client had never been sought for by you and was never found, and had never had any prior invitation by the police in Imo State or any of its departments on this matter or any other matter whatsoever talk less of failure to honour such invitations, that could warrant declaring her wanted,” said her lawyers.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS APCON backs LASAA on African expo

Dangote to train building material dealers

HE Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the apex regulatory body for advertising practice in Nigeria, has supported Lagos to host the first international African Outdoor Advertising Sign Expo Lagos, in June. The regulatory body has promised to work with the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA). APCON Registrar/Chief Executive, Alhaji Bello Garuba Kankarofi, spoke on the commitment of the body when a team from LASAA, led by its Managing Director, Mr. George Noah, visited him. Noah said: “The visit to APCON is part of our wider consultation and awareness effort to get the buy-in of all major stakeholders within the advertising industry on the forthcoming Signage and Outdoor Advertising Conference and Exhibition (African Sign Expo 2014) Lagos. “We have come to APCON on this courtesy visit, having recognised the pivotal role of the council as a major institution in advertising and in furtherance of our collaborative effort from time past.” Noah explained that the visit was to keep APCON abreast of “our initiatives and activities, which we believe are all aimed at promoting the advertising industry”. Kankarofi thanked the LASAA team for visiting the council to brief it on its lofty initiatives. He said: “It is important we meet frequently, considering our past close relationship. Your visit has cleared the air on your many initiatives, particularly the recent misconstrued formation of fellow state outdoor advertising regulatory association, ORAAN.”

•SON hails firm

Genocide worst than Rwandan genocide imminent in Nigeria unless... From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

NGLICAN Bishop of Kaduna, Rev. Josaih IdowuFearon, has said the nation is heading towards a genocide that might be worse than Rwandan’s, if the government fails to address the problems facing the nation and stop terrorism in the land. The cleric spoke yesterday in Kaduna when he delivered the Easter sermon at St. Michael’s Cathederal. Idowu-Fearon said it would be sad if Nigerian leaders turned the country into another theatre of genocide in Africa. The cleric said peace would return to parts of the country if the leaders and followers turned to God. He said: “Indications point to the fact that the leadership in the country - political and religious has imbibed the doctrine of materialism instead of services to mankind and God. “We are the major problems of what is happening to us as a nation. This is because we have become so materialistic that we sold our conscience for a peanut. We need to go back to the teaching of Christ. “The problem of Nigeria today is not ethnicity but religion. We have become to religious at the deterement of the teaching of Christ. Today, you find church leaders trying to compete with politicians and traditional rulers in the areas of who drives the best car, who flies in his own private jet and who has the largest castle in Abuja.”

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (middle) with, from left: Senior Lecturer, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Ismail Ibrahim; President, University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA), Alhaji Sikiru 'Lere Alimi; Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Mrs Jumoke Monsurat Sunmonu and Vice Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Rahamon Bello, at the sixth reunion and luncheon of UNILAG Muslim Alumni at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH

AYODELE

APC postpones state congresses

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed its state congresses scheduled for Wednesday, April 23. The party said the postponement is to allow its governors attend the rescheduled expanded National Security Council meeting, which was fixed for that day to discuss the security situation in the country. In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the postponement was a confirmation of its stand to be part of all genuine efforts to end the insurgency in the country. APC also said the post-

•Action to enable governors attend security meeting By Olamilekan Andu

ponement was part of its strong belief that bipartisanship must replace the crass partisanship of the Presidency and the ruling party, if the security crisis was to be overcome. The pary reiterated its earlier warning to the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to politicise Nigeria’s security, and to desist from seeking to profit from the current state of widespread insecurity in the country. It said: “Cunningly edging out the APC governors from Thursday’s meeting of the ex-

panded National Security Council is a bad strategy because, despite belonging to the opposition, our governors are not any less of stakeholders on our nation’s security than governors of the PDP or its satellite parties. “As a matter of fact, three of the states, which are worst hit by the insurgency, are being presided over by APC governors, hence they are indispensable to any serious effort aimed at ending the security conundrum.” APC wondered what the governors of the PDP, Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance

(APGA) could have discussed with the President at Thursday’s surreptitious meeting that they did not want APC governors to know about. It said: “Every trick in the book was employed to give APC governors the impression that the meeting had been called off, only for those who believe they are the ‘real stakeholders’ to go ahead with the meeting, and then attempt to deceive Nigerians into believing that APC governors shunned the meeting. Unfortunately for the deceivers, truth - as always - has prevailed and they have fallen on their own swords.”

Polio: Rotary ambassador to make more donations

OTARY International Polio Ambassador, Sir Emeka Offor, has promised to make additional donations to the organisation. This followed the plan to eradicate the disease from the country by June. Offor said: “A lot of success has been recorded and, as it is now, we are still hoping that by June we will be able to eradicate it.” The frontline businessman addressed reporters in Abuja after the launch of the Rotary International Polio Ambassador’s office at Maitama. He donated the building to the global organisation. Offor noted that the only challenge that might delay the project is insurgency, which has been preventing polio workers from doing their job in the hinterland. The polio ambassador, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Chrome Group, said: “Apart from unforeseen circumstances, the only challenge is that the insurgents don’t allow the polio workers to go to the hinterland to do their jobs. But the government has been very supportive.” He promised to announce soon an additional donation to continue the war against polio. The businessman said he was spurred to spearhead the battle against the polio scourge following his discovery of the devastating effect it had on its victims. “We need to talk to their

Rotary inaugurates polio house, mobile billboards

FORMER Rotary International's President and Chairman of The Rotary Foundation Trustee, Mr Dung Kun Lee, has said Nigeria is among the polio endemic countries in the world though with few recorded cases. He said following the concerted efforts to rid the country of the disease, the nation might not be too far from becoming polio-free. Lee spoke at the weekend when he inaugurated the Polio House in Ikeja, the Lagos Rotary Club head office, and some mobile billboards on the disease. This was to spread the campaign for the eradication of the disease across the globe, beginning from Nigeria, to other West African countries. The chairman of the Nigerian National Poplioplus Commission (NNPPC), Dr Tunji Funsho, who led the inauguration of 15 of the billboard trucks, told reporters that the materials were part of Rotary's tools to fight polio. The buildings were refurbished to provide space for workers and volunteers of Rotary to From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

parents, we need to educate them to immunise their children against polio,” Offor added. The polio ambassador, who is the highest African donor to the organisation, was silent on the amount he would donate. Offor toured some technical facilities and the Family Health Clinic in Garki, Abuja, where polio workers immunised a number of children. The Minister, Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke

By Nneka Nwaneri

enable them coordinate the eradication of the disease. The building, which cost N10 million, was completed in eight months. The building would serve as a legacy structure which would be preserved after the eradication of polio as a memoir and archive on the disease. Dr Funsho said: "The trucks will go the North, South and all the nooks and crannies of the country and other West African countries to spread the message. "There was a time we were having over 2,000 cases in the country. As of last year, the number reduced to 63 cases. One case of polio is one case too much. So, until we get that last child immunised and protect them against polio, our job is not done. "So far this year, we have had only one case of polio in Kano State. We are hopeful that this year, we will see the last case of polio." The agency chief noted that the advocacy would encourage parents to immunise their children against the polio virus.

and the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Osita Chidoka were present at the launch of the office. A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Haward Jeter; a former Rotary International President Doung Kurn Lee, and Reggy Asseo, Rotary International Director of Campaigns, among others, also attended the ceremony. Duke said it would not be good for the nation’s image that Nigeria remained among few countries with the disease, despite all the funds the

government had expended on efforts to eradicate the disease. The minister hailed Offor’s effort to eradicate polio from the country. Duke said: “There is need for well-meaning Nigerians to use different platforms of corporate social responsibility to augment the efforts of government.” Chidoka said: “Basically, my attitude to an issue like this is that it is more beyond the government. There is more that all of us can do to make our lives better.”

IGERIA’S foremost cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement, has expressed its willingness to partner members of the Lagos State Bricklayers Association (LSBA) to eliminate the spate of collapsed building in Lagos. The company has also collaborated with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to train building material dealers in Benin, the Edo State capital. The Regional Manager for Marketing Services of Dangote Cement Plc, Johnson Olaniyi, spoke on the partnership at the inauguration of the new executives of LSBA in Lagos State. He said the company’s new product, Dangote 3X Cement, was developed to enable builders build with peace of mind. According to him, the new 42.5 3X cement is quick setting and comes with more strength than other brands in the market. Highlighting the advantages of the new Dangote 3X Cement and other brands in the market, Olaniyi said: “The 3x is an acronym for more profit to all users of cement while allowing the builders to build with peace of mind. The product comes with more yield, more strength and more life.” The regional manager promised Dangote Cement’s willingness to partner the union’s new executive, led by Abel Kayode, to train new bricklayers and retrain old hands to adapt to modern standards in bricklaying. The training, he said, would reduce the spate of building collapse in Lagos State. Olaniyi said Dangote Cement would provide the bricklayers with basic tools to enable them do their jobs more efficiently. He advised interested members to become distributors of Dangote Cement. Kayode hailed Dangote Cement for sponsoring the inauguration of his executive. The union leader promised to work with the cement company to eliminate building collapse. Also, the Edo/Delta zonal office of the SON has hailed Dangote Cement for partnering the agency in training members of the Cement, Iron and Asbestos Free Products Dealers Association (CRADA) in Benin City, the Edo State capital. SON’s Head for Edo/Delta, Mr. O. I. Akogun, spoke at a seminar for CRADA members. He noted that though several organisations were approached to sponsor the training, only Dangote Cement responded. The SON official praised the company for introducing the new 3X cement. He urged participants to buy the products because they had been approved by SON. Dangote Cement’s representative Johnson Olaniyi said the company’s sponsorship of the seminar was part of its strategy to collaborate with stakeholders to promote standardisation of the building and construction industry. He said CRADA members formed a vital link in the distribution network of Dangote Cement. The company chief promised that all their demands would be met. About 300 dealers attended the training.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

Stop blackmailing Osun REC, governor’s aide tells Omisore

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State and its candidate in the August 9 governorship poll, Senator Iyiola Omisore, have been urged to stop “blackmailing” the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). In a statement at the weekend, the Director of the Bureau of Communications and Strategy in the Governor’s Office, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said Omisore lost the right to condemn the REC when he failed to ap-

proach the tribunal after he was defeated in the 2011 National Assembly election. Okanlawon said if Omisore had evidence of bias by the REC, he should have approach the election tribunal. Describing Omisore as an unpopular politician, he said: “It was the 2011 election that exposed the electoral weakness of Omisore, who could only win his polling booth in his ward with just 45 votes. “He did not only lose the election but lost woefully. One would have expected an arro-

gant politician like Omisore to challenge that humiliating defeat at the tribunal, so as to show his credibility as a twoterm senator, but to the chagrin of all, he could not even go to the tribunal to challenge the election and prove his point of electoral worth. The same man now wants to use cheap blackmail to manipulate the electoral process to his advantage. “A man that could not challenge an election that thoroughly humiliated him is not fit to comment on the person

who conducted the election? He has lost all moral rights to do so. You cannot leave the known legal way of seeking redress and seek redress through the back door. “The REC’s competence or otherwise can only be determined by the credibility of the election he conducted and this has not been violated or indicted by any means known to law. The only person that went to the tribunal among the PDP contestants was Mr. Wole Oke and he lost.”

Ogun spends N1.353b on WAEC fees

•Omisore

Why we honoured Olubadan, by CEO Africa

HE Chairman of CEO Africa, Mr. Cletus Ilobanafor, has explained why the magazine unveiled a docu-drama and magazine to mark the centenary birthday of the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I. The docu-drama, titled: Olubadan of Ibadanland: The living legend, The pride of Africa, was unveiled yesterday at the ancient Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Addressing reporters after the event, Ilobanafor said: “We are keen on celebrating Africa’s living legends and projecting Africa’s image. The Olubadan is a living legend and he needs to be celebrated. “Olubadan is the oldest living monarch and that is why we are trying to put his name in the Guinness Book of Record. There is no firstclass monarch in the world that is up to his age. We are packaging him so that the world will begin to celebrate our own. We want to project personalities, qualities, characters and others to the world, so that they will join us in celebrating him. “During our research, we found out that Oba Odulana has a passion for education, believes in justice and you cannot buy him with money. Such people are rare in our society. I believe

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

in the unity of this country and if a Hausa man can do a project on an Igbo man, if a Yoruba man can also do a project on a Hausa man, there is no doubt that the country will be united.”

President, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Bayo Oyero said the Olubadan’s centenary celebration is history in the making, adding: “We are grateful to CEO Africa for the great job it has done to honour our monarch be-

cause it is not an easy task to compile all this materials on a man that has lived a meaningful life.” Dignitaries at the occasion include, the Otun Olubadan, Chief Omowale Kuye; Mr. Seyo Makinde; former Secretary to the Oyo State Gov-

ernment Chief Sarafadeen Alli; President of Jerico Business Club Ismaila Bello; Aare Alasa of Ibadanland Chief Lekan Alabi; CCII Vice-President Chief Wole Akinwande and Chief Olatunde Aboderin, among others.

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (middle); his wife, Bisi, and the widower, former Bishop of Ondo Province and Ekiti Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Samuel Abe; during the funeral service for Mrs. Abosede Abe at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Iju, Ondo State…on Saturday.

I joined PDP to protect my followers’ interest, says senator

ENATOR Bode Ola has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State. He said he joined the PDP to assist his supporters and move the state forward. When Ola was a member of the defunct Action Congress (AC), he lost the Ekiti Central Senatorial election in a controversial election to Senator Femi Kila of the PDP. Ola won a protracted court

•APC: Bode Ola deserves pity From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

case and was in the Senate for almost two years. At an event held at Ward 6 in Okeyinmi, Ado-Ekiti, Ola said: “I brought AC, which later became Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), to Ekiti and nurtured same with my sweat. When other party members were discouraged, I encouraged them. All these I did with my

money, but none of them appreciated me.” On assurances that his interests would be protected in the PDP, Ola said he believed the PDP knew he was not a joker and that his defection was to protect his people’s interests. He said: “The PDP is not a party of ingrates. They have accepted me. I am sure I am joining a party of realists, where I would be honoured according to my weight as a

politician and my readiness to support the party to win the coming governorship election. “Politics is a game of interests and if the interests of my followers are not being considered in any arrangement, I would not be wrong to call it quits with such a party. I have done them (the APC) good and they have rewarded me with evil. The bible says ‘Do good to the wicked, he will not tread the path of righteousness’. But he who pays good with evil,

evil will not depart from his house.’ I can only say congratulations to the PDP.” APC spokesman Mr. Segun Dipe said Ola’s defection “is predictably doomed”. He said: “He (Ola) actually deserves our pity than criticism, knowing what befell those who went before him, like Olubolade, Adeyeye, Arise, Alabi and Olowoporoku. We wish him luck in his misadventure and await his return from dreamland.”

HE Ogun State government has spent over N1.353 billion on the payment of West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees in three years. Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Segun John Odubela spoke in Ifo while inspecting senior secondary schools. Odubela said when Governor Ibikunle Amosun assumed office, he declared free education in primary and secondary schools. Under the policy, the government provides textbooks and other instructional materials for pupils and pays their WAEC fees.

Ondo LP sues INEC From Damisi Ojo, Akure

HE Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State has instituted a suit to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare its candidate in the April 5 Ilaje/EseOdo Federal Constituency by-election, Mr. Kolade Akinjo, winner of the poll. The poll was declared inconclusive by INEC because the difference between the majority votes scored by the LP candidate was lower than the number of voided votes and because about 28,000 registered voters could not vote on the election day. INEC is planning to conduct a supplementary poll in units where election did not hold, but the LP approached the Federal High Court, Akure, seeking that its candidate be declared winner. The defendants are INEC, the Returning Officer, Advanced Congress of Nigeria (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA). No date has been fixed for hearing.

Fashola advises mothers By Adeyinka Aderibigbe

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola has urged nursing mothers to help build a healthier nation by nurturing their babies exclusively with breast milk. Fashola spoke to a crowd of mothers at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja at the Ninth Afribaby Pre-Easter Baby and Mother Care Expo, which ended yesterday. He said modern science has proved that babies fed exclusively on breast milk grow strong and fortified against diseases and are healthier than their counterparts raised on infant formula.

Benign jaw tumour patients get four-day free surgeries in Ekiti

HE Ekiti State government has sponsored surgeries for individuals with benign jaw tumour, an infection that defaces patients by leaving a part of the lower jaw twisted. The government partnered the Health, Education, Works and Shelter (HEWS) Foundation, a non-government es-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

tablishment, to carry out the surgeries at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti (EKSUTH). The surgeries lasted four days. Speaking at the opening of the event, Commissioner for Health Prof. Olusola Fasubaa said: “I thank the HEWS Foun-

dation for accepting to come to our state at this period when the state government is doing so much to bring free health care to the door steps of our people. “I remember that your Foundation also provided free cleft lip and palate surgeries for our people shortly after I assumed office nearly two

years ago.” The President of the Foundation, Mr. Remi Adeseun, said it seeks out governments that show commitment to free health care, adding: “Since we found that in the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi, we have been coming. Part of reasons those who have the ailment

do not attend to it for long is the high cost of the surgery and this is why we are picking up the bills.” Adeseun said lower jaw tumour had been linked to infections of the teeth and mouth, which were left unattended to by patients. EKSUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD) Kolawole

Ogundipe said what attracted HEWS to the hospital were its sufficient facilities and medical personnel. At the programme were Dr. Obitade Obimakinde, a consultant plastic surgeon, who spoke briefly on the ailment, and a representative of Sahara Energy Group, Mr. Tomiwa Adesida.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS Your time ‘ll come to pass, Bishop tells Book Haram From OSemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

HE Bishop of the Akoko-Edo Diocese of the Anglican Communion in Edo State, Rev Jolly Oyekpen, has said the intention of insurgents in the Northeast is aimed at destroying the area. The cleric said Boko Haram’s violent activities would not endure. He urged Christians to be conscious of the second coming of Jesus Christ for rapture. According to him, happenings across the world point to the signs predicted in the Holy Bible that would herald Jesus’ second coming. In his Easter message during the service at Igarra, the Diocese’s headquarters, Oyekpen alluded to the activities at the National Conference. He said: “Our destiny is not in the hands of those at that National Conference. They are already sleeping with our destiny. “Our destiny is not in the hands of Boko Haram. Aas Jesus rose from the dead and his disciples met an empty grave, it is an indication that the plans of the enemy for Jesus were fulfilled with his rising from the dead. “Our destiny is in the hands of God Almighty. If Jesus did not remain in the grave, Nigeria would never be like this forever. Jesus will intervene in the life of Nigeria. There is going to be a turnaround.”

Gbemi Saraki to Nigerians: pray for nation From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

HE senator who represented Kwara Central during former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Gbemisola Saraki, has urged Christians in Nigeria to pray for the country. In a statement by her media aide, Sola Shittu, on the Easter celebration, Ms Saraki said the country needed the prayer of not only the Christian faithful but those of other Nigerians as well. She noted that what the country was going through required that all religious groups, politicians and other Nigerians should ensure that the nation survived the trying period. The statement said: “Nigeria is going through a lot now. What is happening is not peculiar to any part of the country, whether in Borno or Lagos. What is important is that we make up our minds to boldly face our challenges.” She said that Nigeria is at the threshold of greatness and like a pregnant woman in labour, she is going through a lot of pains and agonies associated with it. “What this means to each and every one of us is that there is light at the end of this dark tunnel. The pains and agonies of labour may seem too much for us to bear, but it cannot be compared with the bundle of joy that will follow such pains. I am very sure that we will come out of this trial very strong. “Many great nations of the world have gone through the same thing and, in fact, some countries are still going through their own like Nigeria. Peace is very fragile in the world today and it is the most expensive commodity in the world now. We must seek peace.”

EASTER CELEBRATION

Insecurity: Mark urges Nigerians to have faith in nation

ENATE President David Mark has urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country. He said though the insecurity in the land constituted a trying moment, it would be overcome. A statement in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, quoted the Senate President as saying the nation should not lose hope in having a Nigeria with a better future. He said nothing would be left to chance in the fight against terrorism, adding that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. Mark said: “Nobody can pretend or deny that we have serious security challenges. But we can all make a huge difference, if we cooperate

and collaborate with each other towards finding a lasting solution to the problem. “From militancy in the Niger Delta to kidnapping and insurgency, none of these engenders progress or development. “We must resolve to say no to all these evil machinations drawing us back; otherwise, development would be elusive.” The statement added: “Addressing his Benue South constituents from the nine local government areas making up the Benue South Senatorial District in his Otukpo, Benue

State country home yesterday, Mark urged them to continue to keep the peace and live in harmony with their neighbours. “The Senate President, who turned 66 on April 8, promised to work for God and humanity for the rest of his life. “He reminded the people to work with authorities to sustain Nigeria’s democratic project because it is the only form of government that is truly representative and capable of bringing dividends of democracy to the people. “In a manner akin to giving account of his stewardship,

Mark assured that he would strive hard to attract more infrastructural developments to the area. “Only recently, the Federal Government approved the establishment of University of Agriculture, Markurdi, Otukpo campus, to accommodate all science and medical courses; a multi- million naira Otukpo/Otobi water dam project to address the water needs of the people, as well as Otukpo-Oweto road project, among others. “Mark prayed for wisdom and knowledge to do the needful for his people. “...Interior Minister Abba Moro thanked the Senate Pres-

Nigerians. He said there was need to be vigilant to stop crimes and lawlessness. Fashola said the virtues of embracing peace and tolerance constituted the cardinal focus of the ministry Jesus Christ established. The governor said there was no greater way to celebrate the death of Jesus and his resurrection than to establish peace, tolerance and peaceful co-existence among

the people. Fashola said: “The significance of Easter, which we commemorate yearly, lies in the unselfish love that Jesus Christ demonstrated with his evangelism that seeks to draw all humanity to God and the ultimate sacrifice that He made for humanity, irrespective of ethnic, tribal and religious differences. By so doing, he left a legacy of untiring commitment to love and sacrifice.”

The governor urged Nigerians to embrace this legacy and translate it to selfless love and sacrifice for the country. He added: “Let us all be committed to playing our roles as good citizens by embracing ethnic, tribal and religious tolerance in whichever part of the country we find ourselves. It is the only way to realise our true potential as a nation and build the Nigeria of our collective dream.”

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Fashola urges vigilance, tolerance

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has advocated tolerance, vigilance and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians to solve the nation’s sundry challenges. In his Easter goodwill message to the people of Lagos, the governor said only the resolve to live and co-exist peacefully as well as tolerance for one another, without minding ethnic and religious differences, would solve the communal conflicts among

Akpabio calls for love, forgiveness among Nigerians

KWA Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has urged Nigerians to allow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to inspire them in striving for a world knit together by love and driven by justice. The governor also urged Nigerians to pray for the repose of the souls of the children who were murdered by insurgents and the safety and quick recovery of abducted children. Akpabio spoke yesterday in Uyo, state capital, in his Easter message broadcast on radio and television stations. He said: “Let us spare a moment during the celebrations to pray for our dear country so that God will help us to overcome the current security challenges. “The death of Jesus Christ stands out as a perfect example of unconditional love. Let

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

us, therefore, give unconditional love to all of God’s children in Akwa Ibom State and key into the spirit of this season by sharing gifts with our neighbours and the less-privileged. “As blessed people, let us

take our destiny in our own hands and take decisions today that our posterity will be proud of. Let us, by our decision today, build bridges to include all our brothers and sisters in the Akwa Ibom project, and that way lay a solid moral foundation for our future generation. “Easter is a time to reflect

on Christ’s suffering and ultimate victory. It is a time to recollect how the anguish of the cross gave way to the triumph of resurrection. It is a time to remember that by his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ gave us victory over death, and liberated us from its fear.”

NOA chief Omeri enjoins mutual love

HE Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, has advised Nigerians to exemplify in their dealings with fellow human beings the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, which Easter symbolises. Omeri gave the advice yesterday in his Easter message to Nigerians. The NOA chief said Easter without demonstrating the love that Christ showed, by giving His life to save mankind, would have no meaning. He said the resurrection of Christ is regarded as the greatest event in Christen-

dom. Omeri urged Nigerians to emulate Christ by tolerating and showing kindness to people around them in this season and after. The NOA chief explained that if everyone emulates Christ, all the violence and bloodshed across the country would be brought to an end. “Let us use Easter to reflect on our relationship with our fellow human beings. Let us ask ourselves if we truly love our neighbours as our own selves and let love be our motivation in all things,” Omeri said.

ident for providing leadership to the Idoma nation.” The minister noted that Mark’s comportment, candour and steadfastness in managing the affairs of the Senate gave every Benue man a sense of pride. The statement added: “Moro added that as the forthcoming elections draw near, the Idoma people would also require direction from the Senate President” because we know he will never mislead us. “In their separate remarks, representatives of the nine local government areas of Benue South Senatorial District paid glowing tributes to Mark for the quality representation in the Senate which they attested has brought good tidings and dividends.”

Shonekan calls for prayers By Nneka Nwaneri

ORMER Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, has urged Nigerians to forgive one another and seek God’s forgive for their sins. He said the fights among Nigerians were unnecessary because they constituted onefifth of the population of the black race and the largest economy in Africa. The former leader noted that among every four Africans, there would at least be a Nigerian. Shonekan spoke yesterday in Lagos as the guest of the Apostolic Faith Church’s Easter Sunday concert at its Anthony Village headquarters. The theme of the celebration was: The Gains of Calvary. The West and Central Africa District Superintendent of the church, Rev Adebayo Adeniran, urged Nigerians to see one another as creatures of God who cannot have any hiding place because they would one day give account of their deeds and misdeeds. He said: “There is need for a change of heart because this (Easter) is all about redemption. There is still room at the cross for those who want to turn back to him. He lived for others. Let us live for one another for change to be in the society.” Present were former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Dr Tunde Lemo; former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and other elder statesmen and government functionaries.

•From left: Senator Helen Esuene; former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana; his wife Lucy, the groom, James, and bride, Jessy; Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, at the traditional marriage of Prof. Gana’s son in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State...on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

EASTER CELEBRATION •Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Most Rev Adebayo Akinde (middle); Dean, Cathedral of St Jude Cathedral, Ve. Feyi Ojelabi (left) and Chancellor, Justice Ibikunle Adesalu after a service at the Cathedral of St Jude Anglican Church, Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID

•Anambra State Governor Willie Obianor (middle) with one of the babies of some inmates of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Onitsha during a Special Easter Service in Onitsha...yesterday. With him are Obiano’s wife Ebele (left) and Archbishop of Onitsha Catholic Diocese Rev Valerian Okeke.

•Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire greeting Bishop of Lagos/ Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rev Ephraim Ademowo after the service in Lagos... yesterday. With them are Registrar, Catholic Church of Christ, Marina, Chief Rotimi Williams (left); Legal Secretary, Folashade Adetiba and Deputy Registrar, Diocese of Lagos Olusegun Ajayi. PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

•Worshipers at the Easter Sunday Service at the Aso Villa Chapel in Abuja...yesterday.

•Mr Anthony Anujuka, who acted Jesus Christ (when he was being carried on the cross to the Calvary) on Good Friday organised by St Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

•Senior Special Assistant to Osun State Governor on Community Forum, Mr Tunbosun Oyintiloye (second left); Chairman, Obokun Traditional Council of Obas/Owa Ooye of Imesi-Ile, Oba Enoch Akinyemi (middle); Minister-in-Charge, Methodist Church of Nigeria, Otapete Circuit, Reverend Abel Sao (second right) and others, during the 2014 Easter Celebration in Imesi-Ile, Osun State...yesterday.

•The Congregation, at the Easter Sunday Service of the Holy Ghost Cathedral Parish in Enugu...yesterday. •Children riding the horse at the Trans Amusement Park Ibadan, Oyo State...yesterday.

•First Holy Communicants during service of The Holy Ghost Cathedral Parish in Enugu...yesterday

•Children having fun at the Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan...yesterday.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

CITYBEATS

Police go after fleeing suspects By Jude Isiguzo

THERE has been no respite for operatives in Orile Iganmu Police Station in Lagos since they recovered some arms and ammunition from some fleeing robbery suspects who had been terrorising residents of the area. The operatives, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Dickson Onyeka, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), were on routine patrol of the area when they accosted a Mazda 323 car marked SMK907CM around the Orile bus stop about 6.30am. It was gathered that immediately the four male occupants of the vehicles sighted the police patrol vehicle, they jumped off their vehicle and fled through different directions. Their abandoned vehicle was taken to the police station and after searching, five mobile telephones, three live cartridges and a big bag containing various kinds of cloths were found. A police source at the station said the suspected armed robbers might be returning from an operation. The source said the police are making efforts to arrest them, adding that the DPO had been doing everything to make the area crime-free. It was gathered that since the CSP Onyeka was posted to Orile, peace has returned to the once troubled area, thus reducing crime rate drastically. Meanwhile, two ladies who are among those raped and robbed by a gang which specialises in raping and robbing prostitutes in OrileIganmu, Kirikiri, Coker and Ajegunle areas have made statements at the police station.

FRSC chief advises motorists By Olalekan Ayeni

THE Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Ogun State, Mr Adegoke Adetunji, has urged motorists to consider the safety of children in their vehicles. Adetunji, who spoke with The Nation on Saturday, while on patrol at the Alapako, Ogere Unit Command, with other officials, to ensure enforcement of traffic rules during Easter period, said: "The nonchalant attitude of motorists without considering children either in their vehicles or walkway has somewhat increased accidents." He implored motorists to use seat belts and place children safely in the vehicle while loading and ensure utmost discipline on the wheel during this Easter period. "People travel during festive periods than ordinary days and it is only a few motorists that consider the road rules and regulations; such errors often increase the number of crashes on the roads," the FRSC chief said. He also warned against over-speeding, overloading and drunk driving, adding that the FRSC would not tolerate any form of indiscipline from any driver during and beyond the period. "No driver should be in a hurry to get to their destinations because whether they speed or not, they will surely get to where they are going," he said.

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Ejigbo LCDA gets fire station, other projects

S part of activities marking 2000 days in office of the Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, (LCDA), Lagos State, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, the council inaugurated yesterday a fire service station, potable water reticulation and an abattoir. The other projects are: Dele Alake Public Primary School, Ailegun and Ibrahim Nass, Double Star, Kayode Powerline and Jubril Olabisi roads. Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Mr Dele Alake who inagurated the fire station, said Bamigbetan had justified the creation of LCDAs in the state in 2003. He praised the chairman for bringing the dividends of democracy to the people of Ejigbo and its environs. He said being the chairman

• Mr Alake (2nd right) cutting the tape to open Ailegun Primary School in Ejigbo ... yesterday. With him are Bamigbetan (left) and other dignitaries. PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID By Wale Adepoju

would definitely not be Bamigbetan’s last post because he should be recommended by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for other posts. Alake described the council chair as “a leader of men”,

adding that he should do more as “reward of hardwork is more work”. Bamigbetan described the projects being inaugurated as people-oriented ones designed to reduce suffering and make life easy for the people. He said the inaugurated primary school was named

after Alake to show gratitude to him for what he and other information managers did to actualise the LCDA in the state. The chairman said: “Without their engagement and relentless defence of the primacy of popular rule, we might not have an Ejigbo LCDA to call our own. And

the opportunity that 36 other chairmen and I got to add value to the lives of the people might never arise.” Alake promised a donation of N500,000 to the council for the establishment of an eLibrary in the school to assist pupils in their pursuit of academic excellence.

Panel probes ‘DPO who raped detainee’

HE Inspector General of Police (IGP), M o h a m m e d Abubakar, has ordered investigations into the alleged rape of a woman detainee by a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Lagos. A panel of three senior police officers drawn from the Lagos State Command’s XSquad, Human Rights Section and the Public Relations Office has been set up to investigate the case. A non-governmental organisation, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRI), had petitioned the IG over allegation of rape of Miss Idowu Akinwunmi (31), by the DPO, Onikan Police Station, Adekunle Awe, a Superintendent of Police (SP) in his office on April 15. The victim, who informed NOPRIN that she works at

Excitement as council, firm train workers

By Jude Isiguzo

‘Abua Mamaput & Bar’ (makeshift restaurant) at 11, Keffi Road, Ikoyi, said she was arrested by police operatives attached to the division on April 15 about 1am at the place over a complaint lodged against her at the police station by her employer, Mrs. Pelumi Idowu. While she was being detained in the cell, Inspector Ajiduwe allegedly took her to the office of the DPO about 10pm, where she was raped. The victim alleged that the DPO forcefully had canal knowledge of her without protection and threatened to send her to prison if she mentioned it to anyone. She alleged that she was released the next day after the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Inspector Taiwo, took N10,000 from her. She said after her release, she started suffering severe stomach pains following the alleged

‘With the confirmation of the narrative by the victim ... especially her description of the DPO’s office and the illustration made of it ... there is no doubt about the veracity and credibility of the victim’s claims sexual abuse by the police officer. The National Coordinator of NOPRIN, Okechukwu Nwanguma, lauded the IGP’s prompt intervention, noting that the IGP had by his commendable action, indicated his commitment to checking police abuse of

authority and impunity for human rights violation within the police. He said NOPRIN had continued to follow up the progress of the investigation, adding that it was satisfied that the investigating team had made far-reaching efforts to unravel the truth and recommend appropriate disciplinary and remedial actions. “With the confirmation of the narrative by the victim in her statement to the police, especially her description of the DPO’s office and the illustration made of it; and with the conflicts in the various statements made by the DPO and other detained police officers on duty on the day of the incident, there is no doubt about the veracity and credibility of the victim’s claims. “We call on the investigating team to remain focused, steadfast and professional and resist any pressure to

• IGP Abubakar

compromise investigations. We expect that investigation should be concluded early and the report be made public and appropriate sanctions imposed on the culprits, as deterrence. There is need to send out a strong message that rape will no longer be tolerated and that perpetrators will no more escape justice,” Nwanguma said.

ORKERS at OtoAwori Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos have expressed happiness over a threeday Information Communication Technilogy (ICT) training organised for them. Mr Omoniyi Olufeyimi, Managing Director of KlassCom Technical Global Limited, whose company sponsored the programme in conjunction with the LCDA, praised the council’s chairman, Mr Bolaji Kayode Robert, for his commitment to lifting the council and the people. He hailed Robert’s achievements in infrastructure, health,

• Officials of the council, the firm and the beneficiaries ... after the session

education and grassroots development, including his vision to inculcate ICT culture in the council. Olufeyimi, who also supplied the LCDA with new

By Basirat Braimah

computer systems, said that information technology enables individuals and organisations to work more effectively and productively.

He said faster communications, electronic storage and the protection of records are of great advantage to entrepreneurs and their businesses. “We are very happy and we

have gained a lot; in fact, God bless our chairman and take him to greater heights for such impartation,” Suenu Uthman, an administrative officer of the LCDA, said.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Police, group debunk council chief’s allegations

OMMUNITY Policing Youth Vanguard (CPYV), an anti-crime movement set up by the Lagos State Police Command to assist in crime fighting in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area (LGA), has denied allegations of wrong doings levelled against it. The council’s chairman, Comrade Adewale Ayodele accused the group and the Area Commander of Area ‘E’ Police Command in FESTAC, Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner (ACP), of threatening his life. He alleged that residents of the area are now in fear as insecurity has deepened. CPYV’s spokesman, Gbenga Akinbinu told The Nation on Saturday: “We have four local government areas LGAs under ACP Dan Okoro’s watch. Why is it that it is only the chairman of AmuwoOdofin that is having a problem with the police? He wants to control the police. He should face his job of administering the local government LGA and allow the police to do their job of providing security.” Expressing his group’s commitment to ensuring that FESTAC community and its environs are secure, Akinbinu said: ”The council chair-

‘The Man O’ War men in the AmuwoOdofin LGA are impersonators. They wear mobile police uniforms, belt, beret, jack knives ... when they commit crimes like collection of bribes and performing illegal duties, people in FESTAC think it is the riot policemen ...’ By Jude Isiguzo

man has been peddling all sorts of lies against us. He said we beat up members of Neighborhood Watch, which is a big lie. Neighbourhood Watch was set up by the state government; how can we beat up and machete its members? There is no single reason we should attack them. Some Neighborhood Watchers are even our members. “He only hates us because we refused to work as his thugs. We are called Community Policing Youth Vanguard (CPYV). The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Manko inaugurated us. Our mission is to assist the Area Commander, ACP Okoro and the divisional police officers within the area to fight all forms of crime in our community. After the Cynthia Osokogu murder incident, we discovered that crime rate was on the increase in

FESTAC and its environs. And the Lagos State Police Command set up our group to assist the police and be the eyes of the command in the community.” Akinbinu alleged that Adewale had always fought any police officer posted to FESTAC who refuses to be used for his political gains, adding: “He had urged us to remove the word “police” from our name and be on his pay-roll, but we refused. He has been calling us hoodlums because he knows we are formidable and that we are doing the right thing. Since we started assisting the police, crime rate in FESTAC and its environs has dropped. He knows he cannot fight us because almost all our members are graduates and intelligent people. What we are doing in Festac is giving the residents joy.” The Neighbourhood Watch of-

•Adewale • Akinbinu

ficer in the area, Mr Odusanya Odeyemi, who was reportedly attacked by the Youth Vanguard, debunked the report, saying: “Yes, I had an injury, but it was not the Youth Vanguard that inflicted it on me. I sustained the injury at my duty post at Alakija a long time ago. I was embarrassed to see my picture in a publication alleging that the Youth Vanguard was responsible. I was attacked by area boys at my duty post. I do not even know those who attacked me.” Lagos Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), debunked Adewale’s allegations against Okoro, stressing that the council chief was only giving Okoro a bad name in order to hang him.

She condemned the excesses of Amuwo Odofin Man O’ War, which she claimed, are impersonating the police in dressing and usurping their duties. Braide said: “Okoro is an educated, trained and disciplined police officer. There is no way he will encourage trailers to drive against one way or encourage the habit of taking bribe because he knows the implication of such nefarious activities. “The Man O’ War men in the Amuwo-Odofin LGA are impersonators. They wear mobile police uniforms, belt, beret, jack knives and usurp police duties. In most cases, when they commit crimes like collection of bribes and performing illegal duties, people in FESTAC think it is the riot policemen because of their dressing. They are impersonators.”

Agencies, LASAA for June exhibition in Lagos

FFORTS by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) to host Africa’s biggest outdoor conference and exhibition in June have got a boost with the participation of the world’s biggest outdoor agency, JCDecaux. The Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux (Southern Europe), JeanSébastien Decaux, has confirmed the agency’s participation, and indicated his willingness to share his wealth of experience with other international speakers and delegates at the conference. The African Outdoor Advertising Conference and Exhibition (Africa Sign Expo) is will hold in Lagos between June 25 and 27 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Victoria Island. The event, which is being organised by LASAA, will focus on trends, best practices, innovations

• A part of the community damaged by flood

and challenges within the Nigerian and African context. Expected participants include advertising agencies, outdoor practitioners, media owners, signage fabricators, printers, advertisers, regulators, government Officials, event companies, outdoor protection services, retailers, franchisees and marketing professionals. The event is expected attract over 4,000 visitors, 300 exhibitors and conference participants from over 30 countries drawn from Europe, Asia, America, Africa and within Nigeria. Managing Director of LASAA, Mr George Noah, who lauded the development, said: ‘’Mr JeanSébastien Decaux’s presence would add more pep to the intercontinental flavour of the conference owing to his wealth of experience in European markets.”

Save us from flood, residents plead

ESIDENTS of Alagbado, a flood-prone suburb of Lagos, have cried out to the state government to save them from devastating effects of flooding and erosion. The Chairman, Isale-Odo Alagbado Landlords Association, Mr Tiamiyu Lawal, said: “Our problem started about five years ago, but got worse after the Old Ota Road was constructed by a contractor who diverted water channel without properly finishing the drainage. Ever since, we have been battling with flooding and erosion because once the road is flooded, the water diverts to our community. “Due to poor channelisation of water, the flooding recently swept away a man and two children; brought down a mosque and destroyed a number of shops in this community. Some of the streets affected include: Owodunni,

By Basirat Braimah

Omisesan, Bakare and Old Ota Road, which are usually impassable whenever it rains,” he said. Lawal explained further: “The Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) said the problem was beyond what it could handle and after we appealed to Lagos State authorities to come to our aid, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Lateef Ibirogba and his counterpart in the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, over a year ago, visited our community to inspect the extent of damage with a promise of immediate intervention by government. But nothing has been done while the situation worsens. We now want to remind the state government of our pathetic situation as the rainy season is here because our children are not safe if it rains while we are away.”

• Members of the Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA), Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) chapter, led by its Chairman, Nze Aloy Igwe (right) and vice, Alhaji Bola AsiruBalogun (left), at the handover of security apparatus to its security team in Lagos.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS Robbery scare: Police deploy troops in Anambra From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

HE Deputy InspectorGeneral of Police Zone 9, Jonathan Johnson, said yesterday that kidnappers and robbers have left Anambra State and relocated to other areas since the Joint Task Force (JTF) was inaugurated. Police Commissioner Usman Gwary has deployed 400 policemen to major roads, following a robbery scare yesterday in Awka. The Nation gathered that the robbers operating in Enugu State and were heading for Anambra State. The command, on getting the information, mobilised and embarked on a stop-and-search. Briefing reporters yesterday in Awka, Johnson said the police were ready for combat. He said they had arrested many criminals. “We sent our men to identify the homes and communities of these hoodlums. “We have arrested kidnappers, robbers, drug barons, following the order by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, that we should relocate to Anambra. “We thank Governor Willie Obiano for the support and the IG, who deployed more troops in the state.” ‘’We implore the people to provide information to gett rid of these criminals.’’

Obiano, bishop fete inmates

Normalcy returns to Oko as council sets up probe

HAIRMAN of Orumba North Local Government Area in Anambra State Chief Okey Enekwe yesterday set up a five-man Panel of Enquiry into the mayhem in Oko, on Saturday. Enekwe announced this shortly after inspecting burnt vehicles, motorcycles and vandalised houses by hoodlums suspected to be youths from the community. The panel is headed by Chief Paul Nwafor, former president-general of Awa. Chijioke Onuorah, a lawyer, will serve as secretary. Other members include Bundus Oguejioffor, Dr G.U Nweke, Chimezie Ezechukwu and a representative of the State Security Service (SSS) and police. On Saturday, a masquerader was shot by a soldier, and two vehicles belonging to the ruler of Oko, Igwe Laz Ekwueme, were razed. Youths, led by Evangelist Hillary Ezeokafor, have called on the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to arrest the monarch for allegedly unleashing terror on the community. They also called on the state government to dethrone the ruler for plotting against his subjects. Also yesterday, the management of the Federal Polytechnic in Oko told reporters that the institution had

•Monarch’s whereabouts unknown •Oko youths call for ruler’s dethronement •Poly has no hand in mayhem, says management Police: Igwe’s houses vandalised, not burnt

Anambra State Police Commissioner Usman Gwary has said calm has been returned to Oko, following Saturday’s violence. But he said contrary to reports, the ruler, Prof Laz Ekwueme’s houses were not burnt. Gwary, who admitted that the houses were vandalised, said only the Igwe’s vehicles were burnt. Orumba North Local Government Chairman Chief Okey Enekwe, speaking after setting up a five-man panel to probe the violence, said: “Governor Obiano wants peace, unity and solidarity from the 177 communities, not war and protests. ‘’Everybody should be calm and support the peace and growth of their communities. The governor is peace-loving and wants peace in Oko.’’ Igwe Ekwueme escaped being lynched on

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

Saturday. Three of his choice vehicles were burnt., including 10 motorcycles and other valuables belonging to others. A guest house allegedly belonging to a non-indigene worker at the polytechnic, Chukwudi Nwankwo, was vandalised. Enekwe said the Igwe, last week, wrote his council banning the masquerade performance at this year’s Afia Olu festival. He said masquerades had been banned at some communities in Orumba, including Oko, because of their dubious activities. The chairman saidthey could only perform with permission from the council.

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

nothing to do with the atrocity. Public Relations Officer Mr Obini Onuchukwu said the polytechnic should not be involved in the matter, adding that linking the institution to it was misleading. Onuchukwu said: “The crisis has nothing to do with the Federal Polytechnic, Oko or its Rector, Professor Godwin Onu. The rector is a focused person and has nothing to do with such issues.”

On Saturday night around 8:30 p.m., some persons were alleged to have invaded the palace of Igwe Ekwueme and set two of his vehicles ablaze for allegedly deploying soldiers in the community. The Nation gathered that Igwe Ekwueme engaged soldiers to stop the Afia-Olu festival and in the process, a soldier shot a masquerader. Aggrieved indigenes went to the palace and set the monarch’s vehicles ablaze.

The whereabouts of the monarch is still unknown yesterday. Briefing reporters yesterday in Awka, the Oko Youth Movement (OYM) said they were not an affiliate of Oko Masquerade Society, describing the allegation linking them as a fallacy. The youths alleged that the plan was hatched by the monarch with five others. They further alleged that the people planned this mayhem about two weeks ago when they solicited assistance from the Oko Pro-

NAMBRA State Governor Willie Obiano yesterday provided food

and materials for about 1,000 inmates of the Onitsha Federal Prisons. He donated N100,000 to the musical group in the prison. Obiano and the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Rev. Valerian Okeke celebrated Easter with the inmates. About 892 prisoners participated in the morning service. It was the first time a governor of the state is attending Easter service with the prisoners. In his sermon, Archbishop Okeke enjoined the prisoners to always see their confinement as an experience. The archbishop said virtually all humanity were prisoners, pointing out that while some were confined to prison yards, others were outside having their experiences. He said prisoners must know they had been freed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Okeke hailed the governor for identifying with the inmates. The archbishop stressed the need for Christians to always remember the reason for Easter. Eight bags of rice were prepared with one cow for the inmates, with assorted types of beverages and toiletries provided. Deputy Controller of Prisons in Onitsha Mr Azuka Ndupu hailed Governor Obiano and Archbishop Okeke for their concern. He said the Onitsha Prison was overcrowded, saying the prison, meant for 300, has 892 inmates. He appealed to the governor to assist the prisons with schools .

Onitsha-Owerre road cut off as bridge collapses From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

gressive Union (OPU) to assist them to raise funds to clamp down on the OYM for supporting the second term of the rector . Onuchukwu said the management would seek legal redress if the presidentgeneral of the OPU failed to retract the statement linking the rector to the crisis. When The Nation called the monarch on phone yesterday, his telephone line was unavailable. The Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar had warned the monarch to stop causing confusion in his domain, adding that the police would deal with any monarch who does. The warning followed a complaint at the Women Development Centre in Awka, at a security summit, organised by Governor Willie Obiano. Igwe Ekwueme complained that the police had not been assisting him since crisis erupted in his community. Oko youths have also called on the Federal Government to remove the monarch as the chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), adding that he would be a bad influence to the students.

•Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu (second right) speaking at the inspection of road rojects in Enugu...yesterday. With him are Ebonyi State Deputy Governor Dave Umahi (third right), Project Engineer of Setraco Construction Company Fayez Khalaf (right) and members of the National Assembly PHOTO: OBI CLETUS

Policeman defiles teenager in Anambra

POLICE sergeant has raped a 13-year old girl at Ukpor in Anambra

State. The girl, who is the daughter of a popular pastor, has become pregnant. She alleged that the policeman threatened to kill her if she told anyone. But she told her mum when she was experiencing ‘’stomach upset.’’ The man initially denied that he was responsible for her condition. It was learnt the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ukpor Ndidiamaka Oguamalam has transferred the case to the Criminal Investigation De-

• Force impounds cars abusing sirens From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

partment (CID), Awka. Sources said the parents petitioned a human rights group and the commissioner of Police. They said the policeman later accepted to pay the family N20,000 monthly. But the father demanded N300,000. The policeman was said to have raped the girl at gun point on her way from school, but he claimed she gave her consent. Police spokesman Emeka

Chukwuemeka confirmed the incident. ‘’The matter is under investigation and I will brief you later’’, he said. Speaking to reporters earlier, Chukwuemeka said police recovered more arms and ammunition from the arms dealer, Mr Alphonsus Ngwu. He listed the items as 241 rounds of G3/Lar; 20 rounds of K-2 ammunition; 50 rounds of AK47 ammunition and three Pump Action guns. The police also impounded some vehicles flouting the order by the Inspector-

General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, on the abuse of siren. Abubakar directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police of E Department Jonathan Johnson at Governor Willie Obiano’s first security summit to monitor the use of siren by top officials in the state. Johnson relocated to the state and set up a special team. The inspector-general warned that he would impound vehicles flouting the rules guiding the use of sirens by unauthorised persons. Chukwuemeka confirmed that many vehicles were impounded.

KIJA Bridge in Anambra State collapsed y e s t e r d a y , resulting in thousands of motorists being stranded. The collapsed bridge cut off the popular Onitsha-Owerre Federal Highway by Okija junction in Ihiala Local Government Area, near the Madonna University road. Following the collapse, commuters now use one lane. The road was constructed many years ago by Consolidated Construction Company (CCC). Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) are having a hectic time controlling traffic. The bridge, it was alleged, collapsed when the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) officials, in a bid to chase away a mad person from under the bridge, allegedly burnt the rubbish belonging to the mad person. This, sources said, caused the bridge to heat up, leading to a part of it collapsing. Policemen from Okija, firemen from Okopko and Onitsha Main Market in Ogbaru and Onitsha North council areas battled the fire for 18 hours. FRSC Ihiala Unit Commander Mr. Nnamdi Dan Asanya said he saw the bridge on fire as he was going from his office at Ihiala to Onitsha between 5.30-6 p.m. on Friday. He said he could not stop, afraid that it could be a long vehicle, which fell into the bridge. Divisional Police Officer in Okija Mr. Danjuma Ragga was said to have contacted the Nnewi Fire Service, which allegedly did not respond, afraid it might be a bomb. Ragga confirmed the incident, saying he mobilised his men to protect commuters from being attacked by hoodlums. Efforts to reach FERMA failed.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS EKITI 2014 Residents root for Ekiti governor

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ESIDENTS of communities in Ekiti State are praying for the success of Governor Kayode Fayemi in the governorship election. Speaking in Iro-Ekiti, a resident, Madam Rachael Ayantunde said the governor has done a lot to make her happy, adding: “I can point to three things which he has done for me. One is that since the death of Saliu Adeoti, he has been feeding me and when they brought the Owo Arugbo (money for the elderly - Social Seciurity stipend), they have been giving me; he has supported me to complete my house which you can see there. Generally, he has assisted us with our palace project. They will soon finish the palace.” Mama Alice Akanni, a resident of Osun-Ekiti, thanked the governor for his programmes. Another beneficiary of the social security scheme, Baba Afolayan Awogbami, said Owo Arugbo is reason why many elders in the town has not died, noting: “So many of our people would have died without the money. Fayemi, you are a child to us and we are praying for you. Whoever plans evil for you shall reap evil as profit. You will win this election and continue to win in life.” Madam Akanni, 60, explained that although she was not receiving the N5000 monthly stipend for elders, she was impressed. “What I have seen about him (Fayemi) is too much. Since I came to this world and living in this state, I have never seen a government like Fayemi’s. I can say so many things. He has been assisting the people,” she said.

•Dr Fayemi addressing leaders of all town union associations in the state during the quarterly meeting with Community Development Associations in Isan-Ekiti...at the weekend.

Fayemi to VP Sambo: Ekiti not a war front

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has taken exception to Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s description of the state as a war front, saying that the remark is unbecoming of the number two citizen. He said the pronouncement, which was reminiscent of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “door-die” slogan, may directly or indirectly provoke insecurity, ahead of the June 21 governorship poll. Describing the statement as worrisome and unfortunate, the governor said the state needed a cogent assurance by the Independent Natio0nal Electoral Commission (INEC) that it would conduct a credible poll. Fayemi spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, at the weekend on the preparations for the election and implications of the Vice-President’s statement. He said: “The Vice-President is someone I relate with very well. He and I are on the board of the Nigeria Integrated Power Project (NIPP). He chairs the NIPP and I represent the Southwest in the power project in the country. Through that, we meet fairly regularly. “ The Vice-President has every right to push for his party in any election. That is his legitimate right. But, what the media reported him to have purportedly said was quite unfortunate because we are not at war in Ekiti. We have been here three and a half years and Ekiti is one of the most peaceful states in this country today. So, for somebody who occupies one of the highest offices in the land as our Vice President, to reduce the importance of his office and promote insecurity, either directly or by subterfuge, and in this case it is pretty much directly and it wasn’t used figuratively, he

•We need assurance that INEC will conduct credible poll

NOA urges candidates not to kill to be governor

HE Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri, has urged governorship candidates in Ekiti State not to engage in killings to realise their ambition. Omeri urged religious leaders to join the campaign for mutual tolerance and peaceful co-existence across party divides. Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Agency in Oye-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state at the weekend, Omeri also noted the traditional rulers equally have a role to play in ensuring peace before and during the polls. He said: “All of us are members of this same community and whatever harms one person harms another person. The conduct of a free, fair and credible election is the responsibility of all. Particularly, the religious leaders and traditional rulers must sensitise their subjects on evils that are associated with electoral violence. “The youth and women groups also must be alive By Emmanuel Oladesu, Group Political Editor

used it in a matter of fact that he was going to a war front. “It is very reminiscent of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s door-die statement, which is really unbecoming of the person who occupies the number two office in the land. I still would like to take the Vice-President on himself. I hope he would deny saying that and it would be some form of reassurance. I think it is the underlying text that should worry us.” Fayemi said the statement should be taken seriously by lovers of democracy and sanctity of the ballot box, in view of the unfolding alleged unruly behaviour of prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in the Southwest. He added: “ All of us also saw what happened at Ilaje-Ese Odo and the

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti to their responsibilities. They should ensure that the young people are not recruited by politicians as thugs to destabilise the system”. The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Halilu Pai, said the commission would be transparent and neutral. Pai said: “We don’t have a favourite. Our commission is the umpire and we will ensure that we do what is right so that the outcome of the election will be acceptable to all stakeholders. The Chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers in the State, Oba Adamo Babalola, urged the people to participate fully and actively in the electoral process and elect a leader that would bring development to the state. Oba Babalola, the Onitaji (Monarch) of Itaji Ekiti, appealed to all external forces not to meddle in party affairs in the state, noting “External forces should steer clear and allow Ekiti people to decide their leader.”

role played by a minister of government, who does not even come from the state and has no responsibility in the state. The Resident Electoral Commissioner came out openly and said ‘let them challenge what I’m telling you in your report. This was what this person did.’ “The INEC ought to be sending a very strong signal to Mr. President himself that we would not take kindly to this kind of interference by the minister of state in an election that we want as a precursor for the 2015 presidential election”. The governor alleged that certain unscrupulous elements are sewing fake uniforms for fake soldiers and policemen, ahead of the election. Fayemi said: “Ihe Ekiti election is even far more important than the 2015 election because, if confi-

dence is lost in INEC’s preparation and eventual implementation of the Ekiti election, that will rub off terribly on the 2015 election. I mean the INEC is already on the tenterhook. We know what happened in Anambra. “I think INEC together with Inter Agency Committee and Security that would be involved in the election to give people a lot of reassurance,, following the Vice President’s statement. I think it is very unfortunate. I think it is unbecoming of his office. “I think the Vice-President really ought to withdraw the statement and reassure Nigerians that the agenda for Ekiti election is not going to be determined in Aso Rock but by Ekiti people because it is a referendum on the performance of the current government in Ekiti. It is not a national election. It should

not be reduced to a national election. So, that would be my reaction to the unfortunate remark of the Vice President”. Fayemi urged political leaders to learn from the lessons of history to avoid a repeat of the past tragedy that shook the nation to its foundation. He warned against bungling Ekiti poll as the INEC did in Anambra State, stressing out that the Ekiti will definitely react differently. He added: “This is Ekiti and people who are familiar with the history here would know that this is not a very good place to rig election. You can afford to manipulate elections in Anambra because Anambra has a lot of rich people who are even richer than the governor. “My friend, Peter Obi, used to say to me when he was still the governor that there were so many people with mobile police and security that they throw him off the street, even when he was still governor. So, election is not what Anambra people see as a big deal; yes, they are interested but it is not for them any big deal. In Ekiti, you will discover that everybody is interested in what happens because we have 2.5million governors in this state. “Every single indigene believes he has what it takes; that he understands government and that he knows how to govern. So, you can’t say such a person does not have an opinion. And when you try to manipulate elections in a place like Ekiti, the result has not been palatable. Whether you refer to 1964/65; Ekiti was even more of a resistance zone than Ikenne and, of course, when you talk of 1983, we all can remember what happened here. Even though our son was the person that perpetrated the crisis, they still did not spare him and his supporters.”

I initiated social security scheme for the elderly, says Fayose

HE governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has said he started the social security scheme for the elderly people in the state during his tenure as governor. Fayose spoke at the weekend while on campaign tour of wards in Ayegbaju and Oye Ekiti. “It is not true that Fayemi started the monthly payment for the elderly in the state,” he said. On the train with Fayose were Senator Ayo Arise, Dr Jimi Oke, Hon Duro Faseyi, Senator Clement Awoyelu and others. He urged the electorate to vote

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

for him in the June 21 election to enable him continue the progrmme, adding: “I will improve upon the existing programme as being implemented by Fayemi and bring life to more people in the state”. But, the spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti, Mr. Segun Dipe, said Fayose did not initiate the scheme. He said: “No one in this state knew what our elders now know as ‘Owo Arugbo (Money for the elderly or social security scheme) programme until Fayemi came

•APC: he’s lying to win cheap favour with it over three years ago.” Fayose said N2,000 was given to elderly individuals as allowance every month from 2003-2006 apart from special package for the widows. He said: “Though, I don’t want to engage in any controversy with anybody over any issue, the records are there for anybody to see. I started the social security scheme for the elderly in this state at the various local governments. “Elderly people were then given the sum of N2,000 on monthly basis and the widows were equally taken

care of, aside the fact that l pay salary to workers, including teachers, on 20th of every month. Given another opportunity, I will improve on this.” Fayose said God has ordained him to return to power on October 15. The former governor urged his supporters to get their voter cards and embark on a house-to-house campaign. Dipe said Fayose lied on “the spirit of both the living and the dead by claiming to have given the elderly people social security benefits”, noting that all the programmes of the former governor were “half hearted

and poorly implemented”. He said: “Fayose has again resorted to lying to win cheap favour. Let us ask him (Fayose) where exactly he implemented his social security scheme and for what category or class of people.” The monarch of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju, urged Fayose to ensure peaceful and violencefree election. Ademolaju said: “It is the view of we traditional rulers in this state that we want election devoid of acrimony. Fayose has said he does not want violence. To you his followers, please do according to his wish; don’t create unnecessary tension.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NATION SPORT

ENYEAMA remains Eagles’ guardian angel

ONCE upon a time we witnessed as England went in search of a goal against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Paul Scholes received the ball in Nigeria’s half as Michael Owen made a decoy run. The Manchester United midfielder let fly from 25 yards. Vincent Enyeama, in goal for Nigeria, dived full length to make a stunning save to tip the ball into the crossbar and out for a corner kick. That save by the young goalkeeper, made the highlight

“If my club gets a Champions League spot for instance, it will help me focus properly for the World Cup and I know Nigeria will do well, trust me.”

reel of the 2002 Japan/Korea FIFA World Cup. A star was born, a star that will be making his third appearance at the FIFA World Cup when he files out with Nigeria in Brazil. Vincent Enyeama has come a long way from that save in 2002. The man, who is tipped to start for Nigeria when the World Cup kicks off in Brazil has come full circle from his days at Ibom Stars in Nigeria to being a hero at Ligue 1 side Lille Metropole. Thrown into the deep end by Festus Onigbinde after Ike Shorunmu ( who is the current goalkeeper trainer) was rested in the last group game in Japan/ Korea, he kept a clean sheet against England as Nigeria exited the tournament, and received plaudits from home and abroad. That was the beginning of a journey for Enyeama, as he got more success at home with Enyimba Football Club where he won the domestic title as well as being part of the Enyimba side which had players like Musa Aliyu, Onyekachi ‘Tico’ Okonkwo and Obinna Nwaneri that won back to back African Champion League titles in 2003 and 2004 ,before taking his trade to Israel. His sojourn in Israel took him to Bnei Yehuda, Maccabi Tel Aviv and a loan spell at Hapoel Tel Aviv from parent club Lille, whom he signed for in 2011. He has been ever present for Nigeria from 2002 and has raked up more than 80 caps along the way. Enyeama, 31, will be remembered for his heroics between the sticks as Nigeria was beaten 1-0 by

Argentina in the first group game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. His plethora of saves against a Lionel Messi led Albiceleste of Argentina proved that he was the man for the big occasion. This season hs been a huge success for the former Enyimba man as he has been in imperious form for Lille in the french Ligue 1 , he has kept 11 successive clean sheets and 20 in total, amassing nearly 1, 520 minutes without conceding as the league winds down. Enyeama was a key element in Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup as he captained the Super Eagles throughout the qualifiers and made numerous saves to help Nigeria clinch her fifth World Cup appearance. The Lille goalkeeper is expected to continue in Brazil as coach Stephen Keshi’s first choice in goal barring any unforeseen circumstances, and his wealth of experience should come to bear. Nigeria will look to break its Argentina hoodoo when they clash for the fourth time in five with Enyeama going face to face with the Argentine attacking brigade of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, but the soft spoken shot stopper says he is not fazed by any opposition he faces. “You have to play whoever you are paired with, I respect all teams heading to the World Cup. We will do our best to make Nigeria proud at Brazil 2014,”Enyeama told supersport.com in Calabar, shortly after Nigeria picked a ticket for the

tournament after seeing off Ethiopia. Enyeama, though confident of an improved performance from the first round ouster at South Africa 2010, he revealed to supersport.com that he will only think about the tournament when the French Ligue 1 ends. “(I am) fighting for a place in the Champions League (with) Lille,” he stated. “So for many of us, we don’t want to discuss the World Cup at the moment, what we want is a good placing for our club sides and then we can shift focus to the World

Cup. “If my club gets a Champions League spot for instance, it will help me focus properly for the World Cup and I know Nigeria will do well, trust me,” he said. The Super Eagles of Nigeria will go into the World Cup as African champions, just like they did in 1994 but will be hoping this time out they will be able to break the glass ceiling and beat Argentina for the first time in five encounters at the football fiesta. With Vincent Enyeama at the peak of his powers, that surely can’t be ruled out.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

I N T E R V I E W ...

NATION SPORT

•Sabella

OU have already been to one FIFA World Cup, as Daniel Passarella’s assistant at France 1998. Can you compare the buildup to that tournament to this one? Alejandro Sabella: It’s totally different. There’s always pressure but there’s more on the coach than on his assistant. All I did before was try to help the coach and be on hand to give him what he needed, but now I’m the one who’s making the decisions and has to live with them. It might be the same tournament but the job I’m in now makes everything else totally different. Is there anything that happened on that occasion that you’d try to avoid this time round? I’d make sure the players save their energy at certain times of the tournament. We had a problem at that World Cup. A day after the Netherlands beat Yugoslavia in extra-time we beat England on penalties. The adrenaline was flowing because they’re old rivals of ours, and there was extra-time, a shoot-out and everything. We really celebrated because it’s hard not to with a win like that. Then three days later we went and played the Dutch in over 30-degree heat. If the same thing happened again this time, I’d try to calm the players down as much as possible and let them get their energy levels back up quickly. In an interview with us two years ago you said that Spain and Germany were the best sides in the world at that time, before adding Brazil to that list. Would you give the same answer today? I’d put Brazil on the same level as Spain and Germany now. I wasn’t surprised by how well they did at the Confederations Cup. They never

Sabella: Brazil has always been No. 1 In part two of his exclusive interview with FIFA.com, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella looks back at his previous FIFA World Cup experience, assesses Brazil’s form going into the world finals and ponders how the Brazilian climate might affect Europe’s contenders, all this before signing off with one of his trademark replies. surprise me, in fact. There’s a reason why they’re five-time world champions. If you look back at history, then you can see that they’ve always been the best. They’ve got the lot: physical ability, athleticism and fantastic technique. They’re always favourites and even more so this time, with them being hosts. The pressure of playing at home didn’t seem to affect them. That was the one thing I wasn’t sure about. Being at home is a doubleedged sword and it tests the character of players. While it’s always better to be the home side, there are times when it can work against you. They had that pressure on them at the Confederations Cup and they handled it really well. [Luiz Felipe] Scolari had a big part to play in all that and I think they can perform just as well at the World Cup. Some people are already thinking about the possibility of a Final against Brazil at the Maracana. Can

you sense that at all? I know it’s there and the question always comes up. And if you look at the draw, there’s a chance it could happen. I can’t get involved in all that, though, because I’ve got other things on my mind right now. Even so, I hope it happens, obviously. There are a few European teams in among the favourites. Do you think the Brazilian climate will be a factor during the tournament? It depends. Playing in North and South America is not the same. It’s one thing to play in Mexico, where heat and altitude come into it, and another to play in Chile or Argentina, where World Cups are held in the winter. Brazil is in between and it’s almost a sub-continent in itself. There are venues where the temperature is 24 or 25 degrees, which is not the same as getting 33 or 34 degrees with high humidity. Maybe players won’t feel it on the day but they will in the next game. It all depends, then,

on how they respond over the tournament as a whole. Let’s move on to a specific issue with the Argentina team right now, which has to do with the form the goalkeepers are in, with Sergio Romero, Mariano Andujar and Agustin Orion all seemingly off their game a little. Was it not a big risk to name them in the squad so early? The thing is I haven’t named them. What I said was that those three were “almost certain” to make the squad. And the situation hasn’t changed: they’re almost certain to be the three. They’re all good keepers and it’s a position where you have to give them a little bit more confidence. You need to have healthy competition in every position, though, and you can’t go from one extreme to the other. You have to show faith in the first-choice player without making him believe that he’s always going to play, because that can lead to a lack of competition within the squad.

When it comes to finalising your squad, how do you go about the job of telling a player you’ve been working with that they’re not going to the World Cup? The way I am it’s very difficult to prepare for that. It’s tough, and don’t forget that I was a player too. It’s traumatic to have to think about telling someone who has that dream that they’re not going. But it’s just another of the responsibilities that come with the job, and I knew that when I came into this. Is it too early to ask how you’d like to be remembered in the history of Argentinian football? (Pauses) Well, I don’t know if it’s too early for that. I suppose I’d like to remembered as a professional, a hard worker, as someone who tried to do the right thing and got it right sometimes and wrong others, who tried to bring people together rather than keep them apart and who devoted his energies to football in everything he did. Would you like them to write it before or after the World Cup? Whether you like it or not, they always write it at the end of your career.

It’s traumatic to have to think about telling someone who has that dream that they’re not going.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

Message of Easter •Nigerians, irrespective of religious persuasion, must imbibe the lessons of the season

HY do you seek the living among the dead? He is not “ here, but he is risen!” These oft-quoted words, central to Christianity, are in season again as followers of the faith not only ponder but also celebrate the post-crucifixion resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter, more than any other period in the Christian calendar, emphasises the redemptive power of divinity and the ever-present possibility of God’s forgiveness in the context of human repentance. It is important to stress this underlying significance of the commemoration lest people gloss over it and get carried away by the superficialities of festivity. It is worth mentioning that the celebration marks the climax of a 40-day concentration on fasting and prayer, and it would amount to missing the point if the sobri-

“

‘It is noteworthy that the activities of Jesus also condemned a much more subtle form of violence, the sort that callously promotes social impoverishment and misery by the abdication of leadership responsibilities and the omissions of headship, especially in the political arena. He demonstrated genuine compassion for the people, which is a desirable quality that is unfortunately in short supply among the country’s leaders’

ety expected to be engendered by the spiritual exercise is ended perfunctorily at Easter. Regrettably, this particular Easter has been marred by destructively violent incidents, notably the shocking bombing of Nyanya Motor Park in the federal capital, Abuja, resulting in the reported loss of at least 75 lives, with 164 people injured, and the outrageous abduction of 100 students at the Girls Senior Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, all within two days last week. At a philosophical level, these evil acts, tragic as they are, transcend linkage with the Islamist terror militia Boko Haram; the overriding point, which should not be lost on anyone, is that the wickedness targeted humanity, irrespective of religious loyalty. It is instructive that the life and times of Jesus represented an essential counter-point to such inhumanity, a fact that is underscored by his appellation, “The Prince of Peace”. Without doubt, the lessons of this spiritual icon go beyond the narrow limits of religious sectarianism; and indeed deserve to be well learned and practicalised by society at large. It is noteworthy that the activities of Jesus also condemned a much more subtle form of violence, the sort that callously promotes social impoverishment and misery by the abdication of leadership responsibilities and the omissions of headship, especially in the political arena. He demonstrated genuine compassion for the people, which is a desirable quality that is unfortunately in short

supply among the country’s leaders; he was not given to scandalous materialism and exhibitionism, which are the very obscenities that these leaders enjoy. In addition, official corruption, which observers have identified as possibly the bane of the land, is certainly not Christlike. Furthermore, and this is a pivotal point, Jesus exemplified humility, a feature that many players in the country’s power loop observably treat with disdain as they would rather highlight their own sense of self-importance. This explains, for instance, the desperation for political office with an attitude that betrays egoistic thinking illustrated by the question, “If not me, who else?” In the spirit of this season of redemption, and implied renewal, it would be a heart-warming development if the example of Jesus prevailed in the various sectors of society and across the country. Among the valuable aspects of religion, it should be pointed out, is its capacity to inspire goodness and virtuous living. It is hoped that Easter will be better appreciated as an opportunity to show greater sensitivity to spirituality and the implications for individual enlightenment as well as the pursuit of social good in all ramifications. Particularly in these times when the country is faced with increasing religious tension, the truth is that its multi-religious composition need not be a source of intolerant contention. To grasp the message of Easter is to recognise the path of harmonious cohabitation not only in the religious realm but also in the secular sphere.

Presidential gaffe

•The president’s stand on the 2007 polls and campaign funds is ridiculous

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan was recently at his goofing best when he received the outcome of the National Stakeholders Forum on Electoral Reform chaired by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani. In one breath during the occasion, he bemoaned the shoddy results of the 2007 presidential election that produced himself as vice president and late President Umar Yar’Adua as president. According to him, that election was an embarrassment to him then as second-in-command, within the international community. In another breath, he damned the recommended limitations on campaign funds which he described as unrealistic. The forum, among others, recommended that there should be regulation of campaign finance. His words on the 2007 elections: “I was embarrassed when the international observers complained that there were certain breaches in the 2007 polls … Each time one travelled abroad, people asked all kinds of questions that even got one angry. That was when I promised myself that if l could have the opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria, no other President or Vice President should suffer that kind of harassment from the international community … And I promise that 2015 elections will be better.” His position on regulation of campaign expenses went thus: “I’m a realist and I’m a practical person, and that’s why I behave differently. I don’t pretend. I believe that even the laws or even regulations must not be designed in a way that it’ll pretend. In some countries, if you’re

getting funds from government, then you must set restrictions; but if you’re generating your own funds, then you’ve no restrictions.” We ask: who is the president trying to impress? Could it be himself or the hopelessly deprived Nigerians? This is why we query him for weeping louder than the bereaved on issues bordering on the 2007 elections – After all, late President Yar’Adua publicly admitted that the election that brought him to office, despite judicial seal of affirmation, was flawed. Moreover, it was consequent upon that premise that he instituted the Electoral Reforms Committee headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, with Professor Attahiru Jega, the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as one of its members. Again: what hypocritical point is President Jonathan trying to make other than to indirectly cast the blemished mandate of his late boss in renewed bad light? The enormous challenges facing the nation, and begging for his personal attention, should be faced squarely and solved rather than for him to be making statements that are capable of unnecessarily overheating the polity and also disturbing the spirit of the dead leader. We equally regard his opposition to the recommendation for restriction of campaign funds by the forum as a scandalous direct presidential support for electioneering graft. Without being oblivious of the recent United States of America’s apex court decision that removed the seal on individual donations for political campaigns, we make bold to say that this is

not America. The level of political maturity in that country cannot be compared with what obtains in our clime. How can the president be saying that a move meant to bring financial discipline and institutional checks on currently odious campaign spending in the land is not practicable? The president’s position is an invitation to politicians of his mould in power to dip their hands in the public till in their bid to raise stupendous money for election campaigns simply because government is not the one giving funds for that purpose. We state in unequivocal terms that the presidential aversion to campaign funds restriction and his needless re-awakening of the ghost of the 2007 election are immoral and uncalled-for, especially under his regime where routine oil graft/electoral fraud has now been elevated to the level of state policy.

‘We ask: who is the president trying to impress? Could it be himself or the hopelessly deprived Nigerians? This is why we query him for weeping louder than the bereaved on issues bordering on the 2007 elections – After all, late President Yar’Adua publicly admitted that the election that brought him to office, despite judicial seal of affirmation, was flawed’

Words and Deeds From the Pope

ACH time Pope Francis speaks out, he seems to be evolving in his view of how well the Roman Catholic Church has been dealing with the grave historical legacy created by priests who raped and abused children. Last month he was decidedly defensive about a United Nations report that criticized the church. Francis insisted “no one else has done more” than the church to address the scandal, “yet the church is the only one to have been attacked.” This month, on the other hand, the pope took a different tone in stepping forward to stress his own responsibility as a leader “compelled to personally take on all the evil” that some priests — “quite a few in number” — committed against children. Without being specific, Francis promised the imposition of sanctions, presumably against those who committed or covered up the abuses. He offered no concrete measures, though he did venture a step beyond his Vatican predecessors in personally taking responsibility for confronting the problem. “It is personal moral damage carried out by men of the church, and we will not take one step backward regarding how we will deal with this problem,” the pope promised in impromptu remarks at the Vatican to a French children’s welfare organization. “On the contrary, we have to be even stronger, because you cannot interfere with children.” As welcome as the pope’s words were, advocates for abused victims properly asked whether and when they will see deeds to go with the talk. “Until he takes some actions, it’s hard to believe that his request for forgiveness is serious,” said Barbara Dorris of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Pope Francis has created a special commission to advise him on the protection of minors and the reform of church procedures. One glaring area that must be addressed has been the Vatican’s failure to punish members of the church hierarchy who took part in the widespread, systematic cover-up of the pedophilia scandal and shielded priests from being charged in the criminal courts. For all the pope’s heartfelt comments, his and the church’s record on this shameful issue will depend considerably on whether Francis calls diocesan leaders to account for their crucial role in perpetuating the scandal. - New York Times TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: The gory sights of hapless victims of the Nyanya bomb blast, including children, would make even a heart of steel melt. Such was the crude nature of the bomb blast of Monday April 14, that has shattered dreams, aborted hopes and forever murdered sleep. One thing that cannot, however, be disputed is that these are tough times for motherland. What obtains presently is akin to happenings in a state of war. No one knows when and where the next tragedy would happen. No one knows who the next victims would be. The bottom line is that no one, perhaps with the exception of the lucky few who have the luxury of military and police protection, is safe again in the country. Sadly but typically, in the midst of the chaos and sorrow that characterized the Nyanya bomb blast, our leaders have continued in their usual style of trivializing serious national issues. While the Ameri-

can Ambassador to Nigeria James F. Entwistle and other concerned individuals were offering to donate blood for surviving victims of the blast, our leaders were busy making unguarded and infuriating statements that gave them away as opportunists and self-centred characters. It is amazing how our leaders have become so obsessed with power that human lives no longer mean anything to them. It is no longer news that we have become accustomed to politicizing sensitive national issues in this clime. But how does one rationalize the politicization of human lives?

In our customary penchant for cheap talks, everyone has been talking about nothing. The airwaves are being bombarded with all manners of talks. Our elders at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja are equally not left out in this national past time of unfruitful blabbing. Everyone wants to be seen to be saying something, no matter how insignificant. Sadly, despite our penchant for idle talks, we can’t fix elementary challenges such as making our roads safer, making our hospitals work, safeguarding lives and property, ensuring regular power sup-

ply, protecting investments among others. Hypocrisy and deception have become a national past time. Can there really be any meaningful progress in a society where falsehood has relegated truth to the back seat? We have become a people without conscience to whom all that now matters is power, wealth and fame. That is why we brazenly dance naked at the graveyards of our compatriots whose lives were cut off in avoidable manners and circumstances. Irrespective of our predilection for superfluous talks, if we refuse

INEC warned eleven states over the non conduct of council elections, adding that the ugly scenario contradicts the 1999 constitution. The affected states are Abia, Bauchi, Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Imo, Kano, Katsina, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. For too long Nigerians have been treated with disdain by those who are supposed to be our servants. What is going on at the local council level is just intolerable. The state

government should hand off the affairs of the councils and the way to begin is to regularly conduct council polls. If the tenure of the councillors and council chairmen are two years, it should be well spelt out. The danger in usurping the functions of the local council is that progress and growth are denied the people of grassroots administration. Today local councils cannot take care of markets, primary

health centres, motor parks and the clearing of refuse. The pillaging of the councils must stop and that we as Nigerians owe it as civic duty to insist those councils‘ elections are regularly conducted. This is not the best testimony of our democracy and that state legislators should be ashamed of themselves by failing in their duties. • Akpoyibo Unutemeta, Asaba.

to learn our lessons and act decisively, nothing will change. We need to stand up together and act decisively against terror. Those who are waging war against our nation have demonstrated that they care less about mundane dividing factors such as ethnicity, religion and politics. Religion, ethnic and political affiliations simply means nothing to these agents of death. The various security agencies in the country need to do more than they are presently doing in the management of the country’s security situation. Inasmuch as it is true that terrorism is becoming a global challenge, our security bodies need to exhibit more decisiveness and professionalism in their handling of the situation. One primary duty of governments, all over the world, is the protection of the citizenry. The present trend that exposes Nigerians to unhindered horrid attacks and premature deaths, is, to say the least, intolerable It is rather distasteful that a few days after the horrific Nyanya incident, about 100 girls at the Girls Senior Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, were kidnapped by men of the Boko Haram sect. Without doubt, we need a new approach in our fight against terror. But, perhaps, more crucially, we need to unite as a people against terror. We need to rise above divisive selfish and parochial dynamics in order to confront terror as one strong united people. • Tayo Ogunbiyi Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa-Ikeja

ficiencies across the land. This is a war we must work together to win. All of us: young and old, boys and girls, men and women, partisan and non-partisan, Christians and Muslims, traditional worshippers, religious and irreligious must creatively come up with solutions. We must bring peace back to our nation, ‘’for without victory, there is no survival’’. During and after 9/11, all Americans irrespective of political, ideological and religious affiliations became united. Americans rose up as one and stood firmly behind President George Bush and later President Obama to defeat terrorism – Al-Qaeda and allies. No one

engaged in any form of blame game. For us to achieve victory, the blame game must stop. When we engage ourselves in the blame game; we help the terrorists and their sponsors to achieve their goals – the destruction of Nigeria. Neither Christianity nor Islam supports the killings of innocent citizens. No matter the claims of some devilish individuals, terrorists neither represent nor speak for any faith. Similarly, no socio-political region in Nigeria or any part of the world will plan the killings of its own people. No region will plan the direct destruction of its economic strengths. The current challenges of insecu-

rity, poverty and infrastructural deficiencies must bring out the best in all of us. We must never be divided. We must rise up as one against the challenges. We must never accept defeat. We must win the wars against poverty, terrorism and all forms of insecurity. Our collective creativity towards solving our problems must be brought to the fore. Our commitment must be unquestionable. Our passion for a greater, prosperous and united Nigeria must be unquenchable. Our goals to bring back Nigeria to peace, freedom, unity and prosperity must be absolute. Victory is inevitable. • Akinlolu, Abdulazeez Adelaja, University of Ilorin.

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Bomb blast and blabbers

Usurping local councils‘ roles

IR: The eternal beauty and alluring attraction of democracy is that periodically the electorate are given the opportunity to choose their leaders. Curiously at the local council level of governance, this role to choose chairmen and councillors are usurped by some state governors with the state legislators highly impotent to call the erring governors to order. The 1999 constitution, the fundamental law that guides the operation of our representative government, clearly states that local council chairmen and councillors should be periodically elected as enacted by the State House of Assembly. Unfortunately in most states of the federation, the legislators have failed in this direction. Therefore the presence of unelected caretaker committee or the head of personnel management running the affairs of the council is strange to the letters and spirit of the constitution. These disturbing trends must have agitated the minds of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Arising from a two day conference on best practices in election management in Kaduna,

Nigerians must unite to fight terror

IR: Nigeria is at the most sober moments of her sociopolitical history. Thousands of lives of our people are continuously wasted to terrorism of different modes, kidnapping, armed robbery, militancy and other criminal activities. Security agents are killed at will. Innocent lives are lost regularly. Our children, the future leaders of our nation are not spared. Orphans, widows, and the disabled are created at a terrifying rate. Family and community are broken at will. The heart and souls of our nation are being destroyed. The socio-economic consequences are innumerable. We are faced with real poverty and infrastructural de-

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

COMMENTS

OR sheer theatricality, the spectacular emergence of Mr. Ayo Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates in the approaching elections in Ekiti and Osun states respectively was evocative of the 1921 “absurdist metatheatrical” play Six Characters in Search of an Author by Italian dramatist and 1934 Nobel laureate in Literature Luigi Pirandello. The core of the drama is the invasion of the stage by six outsiders who demand to enact their own story. Although in the specific instances of Fayose, 53, and Omisore, 56, it is about an obsessive quest for power, nevertheless their antagonistic entry and seizure of space, with the associated absurdities, must qualify them for positions in the realm of the fantastic. Beyond the surface, at a more profound level is the fact that in Pirandello’s plot the characters interrupted the rehearsal of a play called The Rules of the Game, a dimension that has a serious implication for the political ambitions of both men in an environment with a reputation for scandalous and unconscionable electoral fraud. Against the background of protest by co-contestants that both men allegedly triumphed at the party primaries through dubious means, the question of fidelity to rules is of instructive significance. With the foundation of alleged impropriety, it may not be out of place to consider whether the gubernatorial contests in the two states will be free from corruption. Will the fundamental principles of “free and fair election” and “one man one vote” be allowed to prevail, given that the very processes leading to the elections were reportedly perverted and subverted? Speaking of the absurd, Fayose’s contested endorsement at the primary reflected a basic ridiculousness on account of the fact that he is still facing trial for alleged financial misconduct while in office as governor of Ekiti State from May 2003 to October 2006, his four-year tenure having been shortened by impeachment. Not surprisingly, he has understandably and quite correctly taken refuge in the fact that his guilt has not been judicially established, which technically makes him unencumbered. However, even legalism has its limits and limitations, for Fayose , no doubt, labours under an undeniable moral albatross. It is both puzzling and disturbing that he doesn’t seem to appreciate the weakening implication of his situation, and has been busy trumpeting his self-perceived strengths without the sense of sobriety that would have been expected of a power-seeker in his demystified circumstances. He asked, possibly gleefully, in an interview, “Don’t you know that in law, a man is adjudged innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction?” It is food for thought that he emerged as standard-bearer despite the moral burden on his shoulder, suggesting that his party is unbothered by that factor, if not dismissive of it. He is likely to go into the election with the unresolved issue of his alleged fraudulence, and it would be interesting to observe voter perception and behaviour in such context. Remarkably, he seems to have unwittingly given the elec-

INCE the days of the Pharisees, so many have not been so comfortable with accepting the fact that Jesus Christ is divine. In fact, the controversy over Jesus’ divinity started right within the Jewish community of Jesus’ time. The Pharisees did not find it funny that the little son of a poor carpenter, whose descent was well known by his kinsmen, would all of a sudden be called a Messiah come from heaven, the liberator of Israel. Within the framework of the Messianic expectations of their time, the assumptions of Jesus Christ that He had come from heaven was at best annoying to every average Jew. In the first three centuries of the Church, the controversy regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ rocked the Church like a ravaging tornado. In the modern and contemporary era, there have also been several attempts, especially among the modernists and the secularist humanists, to deny the divinity of Christ at all levels, as well as extinguish the mystery of religion in modernity. Most times, whenever the divinity of Christ is attacked, the resurrection is always an interest zone. As many as there are who deny the divinity of Christ, so also are there millions who do not find any reason to believe that after three days, an already dead Christ rose from the dead, without any devious aid. So many scholars provide many arguments to buttress the point that Christ did not actually rise. I have once read a book in which the author in analysing the events of the passion peddled the thesis that everything that happened during the drama of the passion of Christ aided Christ’s possible release or escape. According to him, the knees of Christ were not broken like that of other thieves and, as if that was not enough, He was buried in another person’s tomb. Some few years ago, a group of some modernist archaeologists in Italy claimed (although falsely) that they had found the tomb of Jesus Christ and had in fact unearthed some of Jesus’ skeletal remains. If that were to be true, then the resurrection would have been proven to be a

‘In the face of all these rationalistic attacks, the question that remains to be answered therefore is “why does the Church insist that Christ rose from the dead on the third day.” Who saw Him rise? Can the Church be emphatic about her claims regarding the resurrection?’

Two characters in search of power torate a clue on how to vote, that is, against him. “I am assuring them that the Fayose they were afraid of is a better Fayose,” he said, adding, “He is more mature and more responsive. If you say I’m a bad man, I say I’ve changed. I am appealing to them that I am a changed man.” Of course, change, positive or otherwise, is always a possibility in the dynamic flow of life, but the people would expectedly and rightly need more persuasive proof than mere declaration of transformation, especially when his record is contrasted with the widely acknowledged superior governmental performance of the incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is pursuing a deserved second term. Absurdity was also a central aspect of Omisore’s materialisation; and in his own case the narrative is extremely scarier. A former deputy governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and two-term senator from 2003 to 2007 and 2007 to 2011, he is as well seeking, probably illusorily, the glory of political helmsmanship in a state where the incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola of APC, has overwhelming advantage to achieve a second term in office based on popular endorsement. Of course, he is entitled to his ambition, however dreamy, but it is alarming that he allegedly resorted to unbecoming violence in the situation. Incredibly, his involvement in the intra-party struggle for the ticket reportedly betrayed undesirable qualities that can do the polity no good, and which the people should reject in unambiguous terms. The picture of behind-the-scenes bestiality painted by Isiaka Adeleke, a co-aspirant and ex-governor of Osun State, is damning and disqualifying. According to Adeleke who alleged that he was dangerously manhandled by Omisore and Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, possibly to discourage him, his attackers are “un-

fit to live in a civilised society.” Should any individual described in such language be encouraged to aspire to leadership? Adeleke recounted, “When I got to the hotel in Osogbo last week, I met about five people lying face down. The police put guns to their heads claiming that they were thugs. I checked them out and discovered that they were my people. One of them was a former council chairman in Ede North.” He continued, “I told the police that they were not thugs and were my people. They later released them to me and I went inside to ask what was going on, but rather than explain, Adesiyan, Omisore and Sogo Agboola started beating me. At a point, about seven guns were pointed at my head.” He said further, “I am going to press charges against these people. They put off the light in the hotel so that the cameras would not be able to record their atrocities. Thank God we use infrared to aid our recording. This they did not know. They said I had been bought over by the All Progressives Congress but that is a lie.” These portraits of Fayose and Omisore are useful for an understanding of the major characters that will be challenging the progressive camp in Ekiti on June 21 and in Osun on August 9. Even the otherwise assonantal appeal of their names, which is certainly inadequate for election purposes, loses beauty in the light of their essential unattractiveness as governorship candidates. All things being equal, it should be expected that the sovereign electorate will decide against them.

‘Against the background of protest by co-contestants that both men allegedly triumphed at the party primaries through dubious means, the question of fidelity to rules is of instructive significance. With the foundation of alleged impropriety, it may not be out of place to consider whether the gubernatorial contests in the two states will be free from corruption. Will the fundamental principles of “free and fair election” and “one man one vote” be allowed to prevail, given that the very processes leading to the elections were reportedly perverted and subverted?’

Who saw Jesus rise? By Emeasoba Gabriel Uche farce. And, the truth is this - destroy the resurrection, then everything goes down, including Christianity. And this explains why it is under attack. The mystery of the resurrection remains a very strong foundation upon which the Catholic Church (and indeed, modern Christianity) is built. In the face of all these rationalistic attacks, the question that remains to be answered therefore is “why does the Church insist that Christ rose from the dead on the third day.” Who saw Him rise? Can the Church be emphatic about her claims regarding the resurrection? Yes, the Church is certain that Christ rose from the dead. No wonder she has continued to teach this to her children across the centuries. The Church has received her motif for the belief in the resurrection from what God has revealed of Himself (especially of His death and resurrection) in the Sacred Scriptures. There are around four major areas from which the Church has drawn her motif for the belief in the mystery of the resurrection. The first is known as the “pre-resurrection predictions.” Before the death of Christ, Jesus Christ told his apostles many times that He would be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and that He will be killed and buried, and that on the third day, He would rise from the dead. The Christology of the Gospel of Mark brings this out very clearly at the climactic point of that Gospel. There is a second motif for belief in the resurrection – the evidence of the empty tomb. All the synoptic Gospels are in agreement with the Gospel of John that on the third day being the Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb (as she had been doing since Christ’s burial) but could no longer find the body of Christ. In the first case, the stone used to close the tomb was rolled out; the clothes used to wrap His sacred body were separated apart, no longer cladding the body. Matthew, Mark and Luke record also of the presence of the angels wearing white robes at the tomb explaining to Mary Magdalene who was in a confused state the implications of what she had seen at the tomb: He is no longer among the dead, He had risen; He is alive! So many things have been said about the absence of Jesus’ body in the tomb that early Sunday morning, apart from the thesis of the Church over the years. Starting with the Jews, and even up till today, there are still so many who still believe that the body of Christ was stolen by His disciples after the burial. But there are also many arguments proving this to be false. One must remember that due to the fact that Jesus predicted His resurrection, the news went round among the Jews that He said He would rise. As a result of this rumour, after the burial of

Jesus, Jewish soldiers were placed to guard the tomb to prevent any of the apostles from coming close. The question is: how come they came and stole Christ away without being caught? It must even be remembered that by this time, the apostles had dispersed out of fear in hiding. How come those who had no courage to defend their master alive now summon so much courage to defend His body after His burial? But the truth of the matter is that the presence of the soldiers at the tomb further enhances the mystery of the resurrection. All physical powers could not stop the power of the Spirit with which Christ rose. No human power could stop the resurrection. There is also a third motif for the belief in the resurrection. If the conviction of the Church stopped merely with the evidence of the empty tomb and nothing was heard again about Christ thereafter, the resurrection may have been defended with lesser vehemence. But there is also the evidence of “post-resurrection appearances.” Speaking about Christ, the Acts of the Apostles (1:3) intimates us that ‘for 40 days after His death, He appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that He was alive.’ After the resurrection, Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, many times to the apostles, including the appearance at Lake Tiberias and to the two disciples travelling with disbelief to Emmaus in Luke 24. He ate with them and He allowed Thomas touch His wounds (which He retained in His transfigured body as tokens of His triumph over death). He was in fact with them until the day of His ascension. The apostles saw all these and believed. They were eyewitnesses and this could explain the way they spread the Good News with conviction and were able to give their lives to be killed for the sake of the Gospel. The post-resurrection appearances confirm the Church’s belief in the resurrection. Lastly, the presence of Christ in the Church is the final motif the Church has for her belief in the mystery of the resurrection. In Luke 24, Christ appeared to the disciples going to Emmaus and disappeared when they recognised Him at the breaking of the bread. After the Pentecost in Acts 2, the presence of Christ amongst the Church manifested itself in the different miracles which He performed in the midst and with His community. This started with the healing of the lame man by Peter at the gate of the temple, at Joppa and the great work at the house of Cornelius, and the works done by God through Paul. Christ was alive in the New Testament Church and in fact fed them with His own body. The living presence of Christ in the Church continues to be the source and centre of the Church’s vitality and ministry. • Uche writes from Surulere, Lagos.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

COMMENTS

HOSE who revel in forced marriages to juveniles must be shocked to the marrows by recent events in Kano where a child-bride, Wasila Umar allegedly poisoned her husband and three others in protest against the union. Reports had it that Wasila 14, who had just been forced into a marriage 17 days earlier opted to poison her husband Umar Sani to register her disapproval for the marriage. According to the child-bride, on that fateful day, the senior wife had prepared the meal and passed over to her as it was her turn to serve her husband in keeping with the polygamous family tradition. Instead of serving the meal as it was presented by the senior wife, she rather bought rat poison for N100 and mixed it with the local delicacy. Even the return of her husband with some of his friends could not persuade her to abort that deadly plan as she went ahead and served them the poisonous meal. Umar and three of his friends died on the spot after the meal while 10 others who partook of the meal were hospitalized. Recounting what led her to the devilish act, Wasila said “I have never enjoyed the opportunity of going to Islamic school or acquiring western education. My father forced me into this mess by stubbornly forcing me into a relationship I was not prepared to live in”. Blaming her action on youthful exuberance, she said it dawned on her shortly after, that it was a joke taken

‘Even as we condemn the action, society would have gained nothing if we do not internalize the lessons this tragedy serves humanity. It is a hard way of drawing attention of governments especially in the north to the debilitating poverty and attendant practices in that region that accentuate forced marriages of juveniles’

Emeka OMEIHE 08112662675 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Child marriage gone awry too far to resolve a forced marriage question. The child-bride, who said she felt normal and slept after the incident, confessed that the gravity of the offence dawned on her only after she was picked up by the police and promised to rededicate her life in seeking Allah’s forgiveness. A very chilling and heart-rending story indeed! It is very puzzling that a girl of that age could contemplate killing for whatever reason. But that is the uncanny reality that has played out in the instant case. As condemnable and indefensible as Wasila’s action is, it has brought to the fore the inherent contradictions in forced marriages especially those involving the underage. It is obvious from the account of the suspect that she embarked or her mortal mission without realizing the overall consequences of her action. Or how else do we rationalize the fact that even after administering the poisonous meal, the young girl still went to bed and slept very normally. The same reason accounted for why she did not discontinue the evil plan when it dawned on her that rather than her target husband, other innocent people were going to suffer from her action? Perhaps, had she the maturity of mind, she would have come to terms with the futility in going ahead with her plan now that some other people were going to take the poisoned meal. But that was not to be. She went ahead, served the meal and went to bed as if nothing had happened. We are now left with the unfortunate situation where apart from her husband, three others died while 10 were hospitalized from her act of indiscretion.

OME time around the time of independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria began to be referred to as the Giant of Africa, a promise that soon fizzled out in the wake of a civil war and a succession of military dictatorships. Today Nigeria is once more hailing itself the continent’s new colossus. An update of its gross domestic product estimates places it as Africa’s biggest economy, overtaking Johnny-come-lately giant South Africa. The country has become a favourite among international investors including Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment company, and Atlas Mara, a venture of former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond. Much attention has been paid to the restructuring of the national economy revealed when the government nearly doubled estimates for GDP. The services sector is now thought to contribute half of GDP while agriculture and oil and gas have fallen significantly. Nollywood, the homegrown film industry, has finally been officially acknowledged. Manufacturing has also increased. But this is only part of the story. Differences in poverty and unemployment rates across the country’s 36 states are remarkable. Ninety per cent of the total value of cash transactions in Nigeria are accounted for by only seven states, according to the central bank. Ali Mohammed Pate, a former health minister, points out that there is a 14-year gap between life expectancy across the country’s states. Average poverty rates range from 30 per cent in the wealthier south west, where cities such as Lagos are located, to 60 per cent in the impoverished north east. When the rebasing is interpreted on a state-by-state basis, the disturbing gap between the country’s frontline states and its laggards – of which there are several – will become even more stark. Consider Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest state economy and the hub of the banking and telecommunications industries, home to the country’s biggest port complex, and also its most populated state. Renaissance Capital, the investment bank, estimated that it contributed about 12 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP between 2009 and 2011. That statistic may have changed as a result of the rebasing exercise. But if not, it implies that the Lagos economy is worth $61bn. That is one-and-half times Kenya’s out-

What can be discerned from the above narrative is that Wasila was desperate to do away with the marriage irrespective of its mortal consequences. So if it took getting rid of her husband and any other who constitute an obstacle to the plan, so be it. That was why she went ahead with the plan despite the fact that some other innocent souls will die in the process. That is the bestial level some juveniles can go to show their resentment for being forced into early marriages. There are hard lessons from the above even as despicable and inhuman as the action is. Wasila has been charged to court where she pleaded not guilty. She may at the end of the day be convicted for the offence. But the reality of this case must draw our attention to the inherent dangers in forced or child marriages. By no means, child marriages are not peculiar to Nigeria as UNICEF rates it a global phenomenon. By the accounts of the Fund, about one third of women aged 2024 in developing countries were married as children. Most of this people are in south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Child marriage is a serious human rights and pressing global development concern. It is largely associated with high incidence of domestic violence and serious health complications arising from early sexual activities and child bearing. Many countries of the world have laws and other civil society incentives to delay early marriages. It is also very instructive that those countries where child marriages are the order of the day rank very low in the development matrix.

Child marriages are more prevalent in societies with high level of poverty. That is why Asian and African countries rank very high in this index. Even within a country, the practice varies from one place to the other. In Nigeria where Wasila comes from, the north is more prone to this practice than the south. And the reason for this can be located in their culture, belief systems and religion. Northern elite have for the umpteenth time told who cares to hear that much of the socio-economic and political problems in that part of the country stem from debilitating poverty. The current insecurity in the north-east has been rationalized along the same lines. That has been the main reason the federal government has been encouraged by the northern elite to engage the insurgents. The whole idea is for the government to identify those objective conditions that give rise to violence and address them. In effect, they are saying that military force alone without addressing the material conditions of the people cannot prove a successful therapy to insurgency. And there is some point there. It is a trite statement to say that there is ravaging poverty in the north. It is for the same reason that a high percentage of children of school age there are out of school. Child marriage thrives abundantly within such settings. And as can be seen from the case in point, part of Wasila’s anger was that her father neither sent her to Islamic school nor exposed her to western education. What she got instead was a forced marriage to a man she did not like. Her protest against that union is the deaths we have now harvested. This writer condoles with the families of those who died from the unfortunate incident. My sympathy also goes for the 10 others who survived the food poison. The action of the young girl stands to be condemned in very strong terms as it shows scant regard for the sanctity of human life. But even as we condemn the action, society would have gained nothing if we do not internalize the lessons this tragedy serves humanity. It is a hard way of drawing attention of governments especially in the north to the debilitating poverty and attendant practices in that region that accentuate forced marriages of juveniles. Wasila’s case has shown that child marriage has become a time bomb. What it requires are proactive policies and programs that discourage the kind of circumstance that put Wasila into her current pass.

Rebasing highlights Nigeria’s inequalities By Tolu Ogunlesi put, and larger than all but a handful of African countries. In Kano, the commercial hub of northern Nigeria built around agriculture and manufacturing, rebasing indicates that the state economy rivals Ghana’s. This might make investors rethink the widespread view of the north as nothing more than a benighted haven for the Islamist terrorists of Boko Haram, blamed for this week’s deadly bomb attack in Abuja and the kidnap of more than 100 girls from a school in Borno state. But securing a perch as Africa’s largest economy means little to the tens of millions struggling with routine power cuts, recurring fuel shortages, persistent unemployment, and rising inequality. The country’s Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, rose from 0.429 in 2004 to 0.447 in 2010. In GDP terms Nigeria may have shoved South Africa to second place, but the real achievement will lie in jumping up 32 places needed to meet South Africa on the UN Human Development Index. The new GDP figures shine a spotlight on the alarming gap between Nigeria’s potential and its reality. It is, for example, a glaring anomaly that the world’s 26th largest economy has one of the lowest levels of electricity consumption per capita, well below the African average, and occupies 147th position on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index for 2014 – nine spots down from 2013. The percentage of the total population living below the poverty line is far higher than in the major emerging economies. Fewer than 10 per cent of Nigerians have any form of health insurance. Nigeria needs to focus less on economic abstractions and more on improving the lives of ordinary citizens. Even if government claims that 1.6m jobs were created last year prove accurate – youth groups are not con-

vinced, and are demanding evidence – this would hardly make a dent on an unemployment rate approaching 24 per cent. Forty thousand households can now claim conditional cash benefits, but this too is a drop in the ocean. If Nigeria is to become a real economic giant, it needs to stand on its own two feet. At the moment, this colossus is shuffling along on feet of clay. • The writer, a Lagos-based journalist contributed the piece to The Financial Times

• Okonjo Iwe-ala

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

BUSINESS

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

JOBS

ISSUES

Making sugar, creating jobs - P. 37 News Briefing CBN, contractors bicker delayed payment The wind of change blowing through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has seen contractors lamenting the delay in the payment of the jobs carried out for the apex bank. –Page 26

Coleman votes N7b for expansion Coleman Technical Industries makers of Coleman Wires and Cables has earmarked N7billion for expanding its production line to include the production of high voltage cables that is up to 33 KV that will rank it as the first manufacturer in West Africa, its Managing Director, Mr. George Onafowokan, has said. –Page 26

BokoHaram:NIAurgesFed Govtoncompulsoryinsurance Director-General, Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), Mr Sunday Thomas has advised the Federal Government to implement the compulsory insurance policy owing to the recent insecurity in the country arising from the Boko Haram menace. –Page 36

We want a SONCAP programme that would serve its purpose; a programme that would be dynamic, where all the identified loopholes would be effectively plugged thereby making it difficult for the plaque of substandard products to continue to dominate the Nigerian business space. -Dr Joseph Odumodu, DG, SON

Let there be light - P. 32

SEC tightens fund raising requirements

OMPANIES and insti tutions seeking to raise funds will henceforth have to own up to liability and boldly draw attention of investors to the relevant statutory provisions relating to false or misleading statements, according to additional rules on disclosures on fund raising in the Nigerian capital market currently undergoing review by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A 13-page document on additional disclosure requirements on capital issue, otherwise known as fund raising, prepared by the SEC indicated major amendments and additions to existing capital raising rules. A reliable source at SEC said the amendments and additions were intended to enhance the disclosures with a view to ensuring transparency and fairness. Issuers, for both equity and debt, will now be required to provide more details about

By Taofik Salako

their shareholdings and vested interests while there will now be a review of the key financial and operational information in the prospectus by an expert. However, many amendments were made to existing rules to provide greater flexibility for issuers. In a major change, SEC plans to replace the current requirement for a five-year financial summary with only a reporting accountant report. Also, companies and other issuers can seek approvals for utilisation of additional proceeds and amendment to the purpose of utilisation. The existing rule prohibits change in the purpose of utilisation. Besides, where an issue is not fully subscribed, the issuer must provide a revised utilisation of offer proceeds schedule along with the basis for approval by SEC. According to the proposed rules, the prospectus must contain an advisory clause that

states thus: investors are advised to note that liability for false or misleading statements or acts made in connection with the prospectus is provided in sections 85 and 86 of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA). Besides disclosing their individual and institutional shareholdings, directors of the company will now be required to provide detailed information on beneficial interests including details of any family relationship or associations between the substantial shareholders, promoters, directors, key management or key technical personnel. Another new requirement provides that a corporate issuer of equity should provide descriptions of and level of dependency on major customers and suppliers, especially those that contribute 10 per cent or more of turnover and purchase for each of the last three financial years and the latest financial period. Another rule seeks to provide investors with clearer

expectation on dividends. Issuers will now be required to provide a description of its policy on dividend distributions and any restrictions thereon in the offer document. According to the new rules, a prospectus must now contain excerpts from, or summaries of, opinion expressed and conclusion recorded in any expert’s report included in the prospectus. The expert must state whether or not the report was prepared for inclusion in the prospectus. “The expert’s report must be signed and dated within a reasonable time of the issue of the prospectus to ensure that the contents are substantially relevant. Where valuations of property assets have been carried out for inclusion in a prospectus, a summary of the valuation must be included in the prospectus. Where the offering involves sukuk, the Shariah pronouncement including detailed reasoning/justification from the Shariah adviser must be disclosed in the prospectus,” according to the rule.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil

-$117.4/barrel

Cocoa Coffee Cotton

-$2,686.35/metric ton - ¢132.70/pound - ¢95.17pound

Gold

-$1,396.9/troy

Sugar

-$163/lb MARKET

CAPITALISATIONS NSE

-N11.4 trillion

JSE

-Z5.112trillion

NYSE

-$10.84 trillion

LSE

-£61.67 trillion RATES

Inflation -8% Treasury Bills -10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -1% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $45b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

• From left: Executive Director, World Bank, Dr. Mansur Mukhtar; Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Acting Governor, Dr. Sarah Alade and Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at a briefing at the just concluded World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings in Washington DC, United States (US).

MAN blames Fed Govt for power crisis

HE Manufacturers As sociation of Nigeria (MAN) has blamed the Federal Government for the power crisis in the country. It said instead of investing oil money on developing infrastructure, government shares the money. Speaking in Lagos over the weekend, Chairman, Infrastructure Committee, MAN, Reginald Odiah, lamented that the recent dip in power generation by 963 megawatts (Mw) from 3.463.40(Mw) to 2,500(Mw) has worsened the woes of manufacturers in the country as most of them have been forced to move into sectors where they make mini-

By Akinola Ajibade

mal use of electricity. Odiah said the drastic drop in electricity generation last month occasioned by gas problems made many operators to take flight to areas they would get comparative advantage. He said many manufacturers use machines that are energy-intensive, lamenting that the machines are now sitting idle as a result of power problems. This, he said, made the Organised Private Sector (OPS) without the wherewithal to continue production to look elsewhere. He said the energy requirements for Ikeja, Lagos is 900 megawatts (Mw), noting that

only 200 Mw is supplied for both individual and industrial consumption. He said: “Already, there is a shortfall of 700Mw (over 60 per cent loss in energy requirements for the area). “Who are you going to hold responsible? Of course, it is the government. It has failed to do the right thing. The government is wasting what it is supposed to plough back into infrastructure projects. Oil money is not meant for sharing. It is meant for infrastructural growth. “The government should be blamed for the challenges in the energy sector, not the 15 power generation (GENCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs). The firms are do-

ing the little they could to justify their existence. Once the GENCOs cannot get gas to power the thermal plants, they cannot generate electricity. Also, the DISCOs have nothing to distribute than to rationalise the ones at their disposal.’’ Odiah noted that manufacturers have for long stopped relying on the national grid due to the nature of their production. Many use coagulated materials that are vulnerable to destruction. Once there is power outage, the materials become waste. This is a loss for manufacturers that are burdened problems such as huge cost of foreign exchange, tariff and other macro –economic issues.

CBN plans special clearing session for defaulters By Collins Nweze

HE Central Bank of Ni geria (CBN) said a special clearing session would be introduced to cater for exigencies that fail to meet first clearing session timeline of 8am daily. The CBN said some deposit money banks (DMBs) appealed for the extension of between five and six minutes before 8.00 a.m. with reasons associated with data transmission. It said the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) often obliged these request because turning down such requests would mean that the bank(s) would not be able to present cheques for clearing on that day, as fresh cheques are allowed only in the first session. However, such time extension, the CBN said, always put pressure on all other banks that have completed data transmission well before the 8am deadline, and such banks would not have access to their respective clearing report until noon. Explaining further, CBN Director, Banking and Payment System, ‘Dipo Fatokun said in a circular to banks that the practice puts the lenders under much pressure to return unpaid cheques by the third clearing session of 4.00 to 6.00 pm. “There is, therefore, an urgent need to minimise the risk of wrongful return of financial instruments. Consequently, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) is hereby directed to close the first session at 8.00 am prompt daily, and open the 9.00 to 10.00 am special session for late transmissions of clearing instruments,” he said. Fatokun said bank(s) that transmits cheque instruments in special session will be charged a late transmission fee of N100,000 to prevent abuse. However, National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) instruments would be permitted in this special session without any additional charge. This is to further promote electronic payments. The CBN director also said the use of presentation stamps on papers-based instruments shall be optional. Presentation stamp, which hitherto was mandatory, is no more relevant in the present dispensation, and is hereby made optional. However, usage of crossing stamp is compulsory.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

BUSINESS NEWS

Flight Schedule

EMS, others collaborate to tackle counterfeit power materials, equipment

MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00

1. 2. 3. 4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1. 2. 3. 4.

LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40 08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20 12.15 12.45 09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

1. 2. 3. 4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik 1. Dana

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

08.00 18.00

LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

• From left: Access to Energy Education Coordinator, Viviane Mike-Eze; Executive Director, Field of Skills & Dreams Vocational and Technical Training Academy, Omowale Ogunrinde; Country President, Schneider Electric, Marcel Hochet and Communications Manager, Schneider Electric, Anne Ezeh, after signing a manpower development partnership agreement in Lagos.

CBN, contractors at war over delayed payment

HE wind of change blowing through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has seen contractors lamenting the delay in the payment for the jobs executed for the apex bank. A source outside the CBN told The Nation in confidence that payments to contractors have been delayed since the suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the governor of the apex bank and that the Federal Government has mobilised consultants to look into the activities of the bank as a fall out of the suspension of his Sanusi. Some senior workers of the CBN were said to be uncomfortable with the nosy activities of the consultants, alleging that they were being harassed while others are indifferent and actually welcome the probe by the consultants. A source in the CBN said the management of the apex bank has opted to “err on the side of caution” and wait for the arrival of the new CBN Governor Mr Godwin Emefiele to know what direction the bank will take. The source said the affected contractors are those whose jobs have “encumberances” and for which some top shots of the banks may have questions to answer. As a re-

From Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor), Abuja

sult, the bank has opted to be cautious and allow proper investigation to be carried out to clear all misgivings. However, another senior official of the CBN said the bank has been paying contractors and that the bank is solvent and has been promptly paying contractors whose jobs have not raised any question with the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC). Sanusi was suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan based on the report of the FRC, among other reasons. The report noted what it called the “persistent refusal and/ or negligence to comply with the Public Procurement Act in the procurement practices of the Central Bank of Nigeria.” According to the FRCN, “by virtue of Section 15 (1)(a) of the Public Procurement Act, the provisions of the Act are expected to comply to ‘all procurement of goods, works and services carried out by the Federal Government of Nigeria and all procurement entities.’

This definition clearly includes the Central Bank of Nigeria.” The FRCN, however, said it was “regrettable that the Central Bank of Nigeria, under his (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) leadership, has refused and/or neglected to comply with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), one of the primary reasons for the enactment of the PPA was the need to promote transparency, competitiveness, cost of effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system”. The council said: “Available information indicates that the Central Bank has over the years engaged in procurement of goods, works and services worth billions of Naira each year without complying with the express provisions of the PPA, and by deliberately refusing to be bound by the provisions of the Act, the CBN has not only decided to act in an unlawful manner, but has also persisted in promoting a governance regime characterised by financial recklessness, waste and impunity, as demonstrated by the contents of its 2012 Financial Statements.”

Coleman votes N7b for expansion

OLEMAN Technical Indus tries makers of Coleman Wires and Cables has earmarked N7billion for expanding its production line to include the production of high voltage cables that is up to 33 KV that will rank it as the first manufacturer in West Africa, its Managing Director, Mr. George Onafowokan, has said. He said when the fund is injected into the firm, it will allow it to produce high capacity cables that will fill whatever gap that may be existing for the new generating companies (GENCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs), all successor companies from the bundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). According to him local production of the cables will save the nation the much needed foreign exchange and grow the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). He said the products will not only be cheaper, it will also save the time wasted by the power firms while awaiting the products to come from abroad. He said an additional investment of N200million be would dedicated towards expanding the production lines to include Coxial cables, CAT 5 and 6 cables used for computer networking and others making them the first in the country too. Onafowokan said if given the

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

enabling environment, cable manufacturers will not only build capacity but will put the nation in global reckoning terms of the quality and standards of the products manufactured thereby creating jobs in the process. He advised the public to stop patronising imported cables because of the dangers of fire outbreaks in homes and offices. He urged the Federal Government to set aside more intervention fund for cable manufacturers in particular, noting that it is only through such interventions that the sector could make significant input into the economy. According to him, the intervention fund is needed in the sector because operators have deployed

previous intervention fund to capacity utilisation and quality improvement making the nation’s cables the best for the purposes they are made for. He said from studies, it has been proved that houses or offices that experienced fire incidents patronised imported cables and wires which are not made to specifications and also not suitable to the weather conditions in the country. On ways to discourage making the nation a dumping ground for sub-standard cables, he said such products should not be allowed into the country from their countries of origin. He commended the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for their effort in checking the importation of fake and substandard materials into the country.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

O ensure compliance with the use of standard materials and equipment in the electricity industry, the Electricity Management Services Limited (EMS), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), India, have stepped up collaboration. The Managing Director/Chief Executive, EMS, Peter Ewesor, who was on a sensitisation and inspection visit to some electrical materials and equipment manufacturing firms in Lagos, told The Nation that such deal had become imperative to rid the country of substandard electrical equipment. Ewesor and his team visited four pole manufacturing firms - Bahamas Associate Limited at Odogunyan, Ikorodu; Datamax Nigeria Limited, Ijede, Ikorodu; Ucak Nigeria Limited, Lekki; Brunelli Group of Companies, Orile-Iganmu; Meter test station, Oshodi and two electricity distribution companies – Ikeja and Eko. He said: “EMS is set to tackle materials and equipment that are being used that are not of the right quality. For instance, electricity conductors that are of lower standard and cannot deliver the power intended to deliver. “We visited some manufacturers of electrical materials and equipment including electric pole manufacturers to sensitise them because we have national electric concrete pole directory, which we try to revalidate. The directory was approved and published in 2010 and after the revalidation, we expect the pole manufacturers to check the directory and ensure they manufacture their poles in line with approved standards. In ensuring compliance, we visit their sites to see what they do. “We also visited Ikeja and Eko Electricity Distribution Companies to let them know where to make improvements because by the policy of the government, we will be handling investigation of electrical accidents and proffer solutions to prevent future occurrences, provide technical support and applied services, which are commercial in nature and statutory inspection and certification.” Ewesor said he recognised the issue of technical gap and technical regulations but noted that the gap do exist because, industry is coming from government regulated environment to an independent regulator. He said the meter test station is in working condition but promised that it would be upgraded. He said: “On the meter test station, it is in working condition and I can actually prove the efficacy of any meter that is coming into the country. We are going to modernise the place, check the equipment and the accuracy levels that have been set. The obsolete equipment will be replaced and we are forming collaboration with the CPRI of India.

‘Agric requires fresh finance’

F the agricultural sector is to re main viable, then the injection of new finance is necessary, an expert, Prof Martins Antekhai, has said. Speaking with The Nation, Antekhai,a former Dean, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University (LASU), said the sector is confronting the need for increasing investment to confront challenges. These challenges include: inad-

By Daniel Essiet

equate infrastructural development, technology transfer and food security. To resolve them, he maintained required increased investment. Urging the government to encourage investment to foster growth in food processing, livestock and fisheries, Antekhai stressed the need to establish in-

frastructure to enable farmers to get more involve in agric exports. This, he added, would enable the industry grow and build the capacity of producers to compete at the international market place. For the sector to be stabilised, the don stressed that the government should recognise the importance of the sector and give impetus to its development through implementing special initiatives.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE CEO Despite the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), there has been no improvement in electricity supply. Companies are still generating their power or relying on generators. This is not good for business, says Mr. Kayode OluwasegunOjo, Managing Director of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCo) Plc. In this interview with KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR, he argues that inadequate power is a “private-sector problem, which is affecting NAHCo a bit”, adding: “We sincerely hope that with the privatisation of power, we will see its impact on our cost profile and we can become more profitable and give our shareholders more dividends”.

• Mr. Oluwasegun-Ojo

‘Poor power supply not good for business’

HAT has been the experience running NAHCo, after 35 years of its existence? It is a remarkable feat that the company is still doing well after all these years. Many companies that started about the same time have fallen out of business. Though I was not here when the company started, it has come a long way in doing what it knows how to do best. That is just the first perspective, general business, in relation to an industry where we provide a service, in the aviation industry. I would like to remind stakeholders that the aviation is about the youngest service industry around the world, compared to either the banking industry or others. Even, the brewing industry is older. The aviation industry started about the time the first aircraft was airborne. In Nigeria, KLM Airlines is about the oldest. So, if you situate the 35 years of existence

Profile Institutions attended

University of Ife.

Qualifications

B. Sc Economics; Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN)

Previous positions

General Manager,Associated Discount House

Present position

Managing Director.NAHCO Aviance

Experience

Over 30years.

of NAHCo within the context of how old the aviation industry is in Nigeria, you will agree that the company has done well. What factors are you using as the benchmark for performance? Generally speaking, I think aviation in Ni-

geria has done well. Just as NAHCo in the period under review has done well also. One of reasons we believe we have done well is the industry is international and we have carried out operations within the parameters of international standards . We have

transformed over the years from being a former state-owned enterprise to a publicly owned company. The government used to own 60 per cent equity in NAHCo. But today, the company is fully quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and has alliance with an international brand – the Aviance Group, a global leader in ground handling. Our alliance partner operates in over 117 airports across the world. We have after the privatisation of the company obtained and retained the international ground handling certification – ISAGO certification. As a global leader in the business, others have followed us in Nigeria to pursue same certification. NAHCo is the first in West Africa to secure the ISAGO certification. •Continued on page 28

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE CEO

‘Poor power supply not good for business’ •Continued from page 27

What are your plans? Our plans for the future is to continue the transformation by diversifying into other areas of related business as well as expanding along the West and Central African Coast to replicate similar business of ground handling and passenger ramp services . We are planning to extend to these countries what we have done successfully in Nigeria since the past 35 years. What has been the winning strategy for NAHCo after its privatisation years ago? The hand of God has been upon this company. This is aptly so because I am a man of faith. The second factor NAHCo has moved from one level of accomplishment to another is the corporate policy of insisting on certain standards of services we render. We follow as much as possible high standards of corporate governance. This has helped us to finetune our processes even in the recruitment of key persons from competitive sectors of the economy . In NAHCo we pursue issues that are value based. This singular strategy has accelerated the growth of NAHCo. It moves in the direction where it can yield returns on investments. So, we always look out for what will give us the best in Nigeria; that I think is responsible for our achievements as a company. What is the relationship between the level of success and adherence to the principles of corporate governance? We have policies that are value driven. This is how we pursue the policy of corporate governance in our operations. About four years ago, NAHCo voluntarily invited a team from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to put in place the process that led to our international certification. That, for us, is a strategy for international benchmarking. Iy required opening up our operations to a lot of standards, rigours and that has helped us to achieve some success. We have also done some local adaptations, but it does not tamper down the standards of our operations. All these have helped us to attain some level of success. In our line of business, the minimum standards of safety must be maintained for our clients, who insist on global standards anywhere their aircraft require handling by our personnel. We must not compromise on safety and security of our operations . We must strive at all times to keep to our operational standards . What is the relationship between NAHCO and Nigeria Customs Service at the Lagos Airport, in view of the recent closure of your bonded warehouse over allegations of poor documentation of cargo? We are working hard to engage all stakeholders in the sector including the Nigeria Customs Service. Last year, the warehouses of NAHCo and SAHCOL were shut down over a lot of procedural issues, and the processes of running the warehouses. After that experience, we sat down with officials of Customs and other stakeholders, including cargo and clearing agents, and signed a memorandum of understanding stating how we would operate, including the dos and don’ts. From that time till date, we have been adhering to the template of the agreement we signed as a guideline. One thing I want us to take on board is that if you operate in a bonded Customs warehouse as we do, there must be some level of cooperation between all operators and personnel of the Customs. Such cooperation NAHCo has enjoyed in the past 35 years and will continue to enjoy. So, we work hand-in-hand with them to ensure things are done properly in line with international standards. We would ensure that neither NAHCo nor Customs loses out to other stakeholders. How has the influx of foreign airlines, especially since 2008 impacted on your busi-

•Mr. Oluwasegun-Ojo

‘We are in the secondary end of the value chain; the primary decision to fly an airline is taken by passengers and the primary decision to consign goods is taken by a consignee. We do business with the airlines; we are the service providers and not at the retail end’ ness? What is your projection for the future? We are in the secondary end of the value chain; the primary decision to fly an airline is taken by passengers and the primary decision to consign goods is taken by a consignee. We do business with the airlines; we are the service providers and not at the retail end. However, of the over 30 foreign airlines that come in, we handle 85 per cent of them including their cargoes. You are right that since 2008, a lot of airlines have come in and I would say we have been able to maintain the same ratio in terms of keeping ourselves at that top. On outbound passengers, we will still benefit because we are at the secondary end of the market. As far as we still remain a prosperous country of 170 million people, who have the means to fly for leisure, business and education, we are still on ground as it were to deal with the request of the airlines to be carrying those passengers. In fact, we will say that our joy will be to see a lot more of local participation without compromise for international standards. Our pride in NAHCo is that we are a Nigerian company; we have been working with foreign airlines for 35 years, delivering services in a local context, but with international standards. What are the major challenges confronting your business? This is not a NAHCo alone problem, but a significant problem for the private sector. It has affected us a bit. We run several generators and provide some infrastructure around the airports such as Closed Circuit Television (CCTVs), and a lot of other things. At the end of the day, because the primary issue in this industry revolves around safety and security, we cannot but do these things because if we don’t, we might not be in business. If you look at our results in 2011 and 2012,

at the profit and loss, you will see that we have been spending lots of money to maintain those things. It’s part of the cost of doing business, but we sincerely hope and pray that with the privatisation of power and other reforms being undertaken by the Federal Government, we will see the impacts of those things on our cost profile and we can become more profitable and give our shareholders more dividends. How secured are your warehouses across the country? We have moved away from the manual disposition of the pre-2010 era. We are using technology and have recorded a lot of gains. For obvious reasons, I won’t tell you more than that. We are no longer relying on human beings to find out when things occur. This has prevented a lot of things; it has also detected a lot of things. If you go to our Lagos warehouse, you will notice that there is an inscription that says “this place is covered by CCTV.” You can do whatever you like, but we will definitely catch up with you. How are you tackling the challenge of luggage delay at the airport? There are a few clarifications we have to make in this area. First of all, we are a ground handling company, which means we provide service at an infrastructure owned by the Federal Government. So, we do not own the carousels, which take the luggage to customers. However, we have strict service level agreement with our airlines and I am somebody who flies pretty regularly and I also have people who do mystery shopping for us in NAHCo. I want to tell you that in the last five to six months, there have been significant improvement in terms of timing of when people get their bags. However, if there is power outage in the whole of a terminal

building, that remains a challenge. But in terms of people getting out their baggage on time, I believe this has improved significantly. How do intend to extend the frontiers of the business in Africa and beyond? In terms of the geographic expansion, it our plans for expansion will be aviation and aviation related areas of business. One of the best ways to solve a problem according to mathematics is to move from the known to unknown areas. So, our approach is to start from what we know , which is aviation ground handling into other areas of business. In the first instance, we will stay within our industry competence, before we will seek to enlarge other opportunities, as they present themselves on a case by case basis. NAHCo is one of the few companies that are successful after privatisation and is one of the few publicly quoted in aviation industry. What is the relationship with shareholders? The first objective of a company is to preserve and build value. This exactly we have done. The performance of the company is good in the stock market. We have tried to keep faith with our shareholders. We are a profit oriented company. In 2005, nahcoaviance was privatized and subsequently listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2006. The company is now owned by over 80, 000 shareholders, including two international airlines – Air France and Lufthansa; as well as local investors; Sycor Private Investment Limited and Rosehill Group Nigeria Limited. The company’s stock exchange symbol is “NAHCo”. We have always place the interest of our shareholders first and we try to satisfy them. We pay dividends. Though the shareholders will always ask for more. We have the confidence of our shareholders. The performance of the company in the stock exchange is ok. NAHCo has a strong alliance with aviance. How has that impacted your business? NAHCo has developed strategic global alliances through its membership of aviance, the alliance of 10 reputable airport service providers operating from 112 stations in 17 countries. We have a cordial relationship with our partners and we have abided by the MoUs we have with them. The partnership has made us a global player and helped us to maintain international standards. The partnership has helped to train our staff. How much has the company invested on training and equipment? Prior to transformation the budget for training and equipment was small. But, we have increased that now significantly. We have invested more than $50 million in equipment and modernising our warehouses. Training has helped us to retain our international clients. In the last three to four years, we have invested more than N600 million on local and international training of our staff. We are a service provider and so, training is key. We provide value and build value through training. When I took over as the Chief Executive of the company, most of the company’s equipment were more than 20 to 30 years old. In the last three years we have invested heavily in equipment and I am proud to say that our equipment are now less than three years old. What is your market share of the ground handling operation market? There are many airlines that fly into Nigeria. We remain the leader in the market. We have achieved this through innovation, trust and integrity. We are the first company to expand facilities and pursue certification. Our competence and integrity have helped us to remain the leader in the market. We are passionate about service as a company. We will continue to leverage on improved services as a way of retaining our position as a leader in the service sector. This has helped us to maintain a leading position. We control 85 per cent of the ground handling operations. The company serves more than 35 airlines at seven airports across Nigeria, with plans to expand operations to other African countries. What are the biggest challenges? Infrastructure at most of the airports. Power supply is the biggest challenge. It has increased the cost of operations. We are hopeful that with privatisation of the power sector, things will improve. We are also recommending to the government that there should be an independent power project for the airports. This will enhance power supply to the airports. Also as a leader in ground handling operations in Nigeria, we are the target of attacks by our competitors We are, however, not averse to healthy competition.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

MONEYLINK Taxation remains bedrock of economy, says CITN chief

Enterprise Bank is Okpekpe road race banker

•Calls for improved standards

IGERIAN economy needs input from taxation to boost its revenues and create development for the citizenry, Chairman, Ikeja District Society of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Segun Fagbulu has said. Fagbulu who spoke during his investiture as the sixth Chairman of the Ikeja District Society in Lagos, said government at all levels are realising the benefits of taxation, and giving it priority. “In overseas, we have similar institutes, but in Nigeria, this is the first time the CITN is taking a wider scope that is actually appreciated because taxation is the bedrock of the Nigerian economy,” he said. Fagbulu said he is interested in setting enviable standard in the way tax institutes are run in Nigeria. “I am for standard. I want to create an enviable standard in the country, and internationally. We want to set up a standard that is also internationally acceptable,” he said. Speaking on his investiture, he said he was extremely happy and fulfilled to have gotten to this stage in his life especially in a profession that is quite new in the Nigerian environment. The CITN President, Anthony Dike advised Fagbulu to pay more attention to training and capacity building. Dike, who was represented by Agbeluyi Olushola, a tax consultant, described Fagbulu as a man with diverse experience, which the institute will benefit from . “He is a man with great character, coming with lots of experience. The institute has a lot of things to benefit from him,” Olushola said. He said although the chairman has

Stories by Collins Nweze

his tenure to run, but he should pay more attention to training. “We have tradition in Ikeja. Because CITN is a professional institute, we place lots of emphasis on training. We are not an institute that carries certificates, we place lot of emphasis on capacity building. We expect him to follow suit. I advise him to carry everybody along. If you are a leader and you have all manner of people around you, carry them along and also spend lots of time to explain issues to them as members,” he said. The guest speaker and representative of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Banke Akanni, who spoke on transfer pricing, explained that there is need to improve on documentation requirement on the policy. She said the FIRS has a pricing regulation that ensures that profits from foreign direct investments are not unnecessarily taken out of Nigeria. “We are talking about the documentation requirement of the Nigerian pricing regulation. This is because we now have a pricing regulation in place to curb any form of mispricing between entities in a group,” she said. Akanni explained that transfer pricing is a profit allocation method used to attribute a multinational corporation’s net profit (or loss) before tax to countries where it does business. “Transfer pricing is actually when you say, you transfer prices, between entities in a group, because these entities will transfer goods, services, and intangible properties. Now,

•Fagbulu

there is nothing bad in them doing those things, because they want to take advantage of globalization the way it is now, or division of labour,” she said. Akanni said FIRS seeks to ensure that those transactions that members of a group do not form any form of mispricing when you compare them with transactions done by other independent parties. “Our interest is that at the end of the day, where there is any form of mispricing, we will be able to make adjustments and ensure that profits are not unnecessarily taken out of Nigeria. We want to ensure that profits that are meant to stay in Nigeria, stay. We want to ensure that profits are not shifted out of the country because developing economies like ours need a lot of revenue,” she said. She said the process would not discourage foreign direct investments, but even as they come in, there is need to ensure that when they make profit, that profit is not taken out of the country, but should stay in Nigeria.

Access Bank wins Credit Card Product of the Year award

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

DATA BANK WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33

NIDF

OBB Rate

Price Loss 2754.67

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

Date 28-04-2012 “

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 17-4-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

AGLEVENT STERLNBANK NPFMCRFBK MAYBAKER STANBIC RTBRISCOE FIRSTALUM WAPCO HONYFLOUR MANSARD

1.44 2.29 0.84 1.72 20.45 1.15 0.50 106.00 3.81 2.25

1.58 2.40 0.88 1.80 21.36 1.20 0.52 110.01 3.94 2.32

0.14 0.11 0.04 0.08 0.91 0.05 0.02 4.01 0.31 0.07

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00%

LOSERS AS AT 17-4-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

OKOMUOIL 39.90 MRS 54.44 COURTVILLE 0.70 LEARNAFRCA 1.77 OASISINS 0.59 COSTAIN 1.19 LIVESTOCK 3.16 NESTLE 1,185.00 MCNICHOLS 1.37 DIAMONDBNK 6.20

C/PRICE 36.02 51.72 0.67 1.70 0.57 1.15 3.06 1,149.90 1.34 6.10

CHANGE -3.88 -2.72 -0.03 -0.07 -0.02 -0.04 -0.10 -35.10 -0.03 -0.10

category. The lender emerged winner of the prestigious award through an online voting by members of the public after its nomination by a penal of judges comprising of individuals with knowledge of the cards and payment services drawn across Africa. Segun Ogbonnewo, Group Head, Channel Services, Access Bank said “the award is recognition for the Bank’s investment in its card products and channel services, creativity, innovation and value to its customers.”

CCESS Bank emerged overall winner in the ‘Credit Card Product of the Year’ category at the annual Card and e-Payment Africa Awards ceremony held at Sandton Johannesburg, South Africa recently. In emerging winner in that category, the bank’s credit card was adjudged to offer the most value to customers in relation to that of FBMA Bank, Tanzania, ABASA Bank, South Africa and Banco De Fomemto (BFA) Angola nominated alongside the Bank in the Awards

FGN BONDS Tenor

mote good health in the Okpekpe environs through its malaria eradication programme. Not too long ago, the bank organised a Walk-for-Life physical fitness programme for its staff, their friends and family members that included an 8kilometre walk, led by the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Ahmed Kuru, from the Onikan Stadium, through Awolowo Road, Falomo Bridge, Akin Adesola Road, Bar Beach, to its corporate head office in Ahmadu Bello Way. The Okpekpe Road Race 2014 will feature participants from over 10 countries and has a total prize money of about $117, 000 or N20 million. The winner of the men’s race will take home $15,000 or N4.13million while the second and third place winners will have $15,000 (N2.5million) and $10,000 (N1.7million) respectively.

NTERPRISE Bank Limited has extended its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vote for wellness and physical fitness of Nigerians to the 10kilometre Okpekpe Road Race as the official banker. The annual international event, which has been endorsed by the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) is on its second edition and will take place on May 3, 2014 in Okpekpe Town of Etsako Council, Edo State. The bank’s sponsorship of the 2014 version of the race stems from its desire to promote a healthy lifestyle amongst Nigerians through a programme of eating right and engaging in physical fitness, a position, which complements the CSR initiative of the race organizers, Pamodzi Marketing Company Limited, to pro-

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96%

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

Date 2-5-14 2-3-14 1-29-14

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

NSE

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name Offer Price AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 154.22 ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.09 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.17 CANARY GROWTH FUND 0.71 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CORAL INCOME FUND 1,634.20 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,061.91 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,063.29 FBN HERITAGE FUND 114.62 FBN HERITAGE FUND 115.39 FBN MONEY MARKET FUND 1,087.30 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 INTERCONTINENTAL INTEGRITY FUND 1.05 KAKAWA GUARANTE ED INCOME FUND 143.11 LEGACY FUND 2.50 NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND 1,910.24 NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND

Bid Price 153.47 9.08 1.07 1.17 0.72 1.33 1,631.63 1,061.01 1,063.01 115.44 114.59 1,087.00 1.62 1.03 142.62 0.76 2.44 1,903.64

• UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

1.2524 1.2952 0.9090 1.1574

Movement

1.2636 1.2952 0.9261 1.1574

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000

Movement

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 17-4-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 17-4-14

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

EQUITIES

NSE introduces new pricing model for large companies

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has decided to replace the current single pricing methodology with a dual pricing methodology that allows variance in pricing according to the initial or subsisting price of a stock. The need for the new dual pricing methodology became evident last week, following the listing of the first upstream company on the stock market. The NSE recorded a milestone last week with the listing of the first upstream company, SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc, an indigenous inde-

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

pendent oil and gas company. The listing of Seplat activated the exploration and production subsector of the oil and gas sector and added N313 billion to the aggregate market value of quoted companies. About 543.3 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each were listed at N576 per share. Manager, rules and interpretation, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oluwatoyin Adenugba, said the listing of Seplat exposed a lacuna in Exchange’s current rule on

pricing methodology. According to the NSE, the relevant rule on pricing, Article 100, does not set forth a pricing methodology for determining the price movement where a new security is priced above N100 at the time of listing. Adenugba said the NSE has then decided to take the most reasonable step in the interest of investors and the capital market by treating the newly listed Seplat as “Group B” securities. As a “Group B” security, a trade of 10,000 units will lead to a change

Investors hunt for penny stocks in tight market W

ITH relatively low dividend yield on highly capitalised stocks, investors appeared to be turning to lowpriced stocks as the stock market dithered between profit-taking and bargain-hunting. Several low-priced stocks, otherwise known as penny stocks, traded at significant premium above market average last week, underlining the increased investors’ appetite for several low-priced stocks with potential for dividend-payment. Average gain by investors at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) stood at 0.58 per cent last week. Investors in low-priced stocks however recorded better bargains with many low-priced stocks closing with double-digit gains. Penny stocks dominated the top gainers’ list. Honeywell Flour Mills led the bullish stocks with a gain of 11.30 per cent to close at N3.94 per share. AG Leventis Nigeria followed with a gain of 10.49 per cent to close at N1.58. CourteVille Business Solutions rose by 9.84 per cent to close at 67 kobo. University Press returned 9.46 per cent to close at N4.05. RT Briscoe added 9.09 per cent to close at N1.20. Ikeja Hotel chalked up 7.02 per cent to close at 61 kobo while Vitafoam Nigeria’s share price rose by 5.0 per cent to N4.20. Meanwhile, three large-cap stocks made the top 10 gainers’ list, including Forte Oil, which rose by 10.14 per

cent to close at N148.99; Access Bank that increased by 6.17 per cent to close at N8.26 and CAP, which added 5.96 per cent to close at N40 per share. The benchmark index at the NSE, the All Share Index (ASI), recorded a modest return of 0.58 per cent at 39,311.60 points as against its week’s opening index of 39,083.66 points. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities rose by N374 billion from N12.554 trillion to N12.928 trillion. The significant increase was partly due to the listing of SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company during the week. Seplat had on Monday listed about 543.28 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N567 per share. While there were 42 decliners to 31 gainers, gains in the highly capitalised sectors boosted the overall market position. Sectoral indices for the dominant banking, oil and gas and industrial goods sectors closed on the upside. The NSE 30 Index, which tracks the 30 most capitalised stocks, recorded a week-on-week return of 0.34 per cent. The NSE Banking Index gained 1.14 per cent while the NSE Oil and Gas Index recorded the highest weekly return of 2.75 per cent. The NSE Industrial Goods Index recorded a weekly return of 1.46 per cent. The NSE Insur-

ance Index indicated average return of 0.47 per cent. However, the NSE Consumer Goods Index depreciated by 0.76 per cent. Turnover during the four-day trading week stood at 1.53 billion shares worth N14.31 billion in 17,704 deals as against a total of 1.64 billion shares valued at N23.16 billion that were traded in 21,620 deals in the previous week. The market closed on Thursday. The government had declared Friday as public holiday in commemoration of Good Friday. Analysis of the transactions showed that the financial services sector remained the main driver of market activities. Financial services stocks accounted for 1.33 billion shares valued at N10.39 billion in 10,582 deals; representing 86.7 per cent of aggregate turnover volume. The conglomerates sector occupied a distant second on the activity chart with a turnover of 102.92 million shares worth N578.97 million in 1,198 deals. Consumer goods sector placed third with 28.98 million shares worth N1.73 billion in 2,218 deals. On stock by stock basis, the trio of United Bank for Africa Plc, UBA Capital Plc and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc were the most active stocks. The three stocks accounted for 800.38 million shares worth N4.77 billion in 2,373 deals, contributing 52.3 per cent of total turnover volume.

Global shares edge higher on good earnings

LOBAL equity markets rose on Thursday, boosted by solid United States (US) economic data and upbeat results from some US companies, including General Electric, while the dollar rose after a joint call by major powers for an end to the fighting in Ukraine. The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 45 nations, rose 1.15 points or 0.28 per cent, to 410.53. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 16.31 points or 0.1 per cent, to 16,408.54, the S&P 500 gained 2.54 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 1,864.85, and the Nasdaq Composite added 9.291 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 4,095.516. Morgan Stanley reported a 55 percent jump in first-quarter earnings,

General Electric posted a 12 percent rise in overall industrial profits, and both earnings and revenue of Goldman Sachs beat market estimates. “The market is digesting the sharp move we’ve seen this week and is doing its best to ignore the results from IBM and Google, which didn’t look great,” said Steve Sosnick, equity risk manager at Timber Hill/ Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Connecticut. The number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless benefits rose less than expected in the latest week and factory activity in the US mid-Atlantic region expanded in April at a faster clip than expected. The US Labor Department said ini-

tial claims for unemployment benefits ticked up 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 304,000 for the week ended April 12, near the 6-1/2-year low touched the prior week. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index rose to 16.6 from 9.0 in March. A reading above zero indicates expansion in the mid-Atlantic region’s manufacturing. European equities finished higher. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed up 0.46 percent. Brent crude settled down 7 cents at $109.53 a barrel. U.S. crude settled up 54 cents at $104.30 a barrel. U.S. COMEX gold futures for June delivery settled down $9.60 at $1,293.90 an ounce.

in the published price of Seplat. Also, in order to provide for similar instances in the future, the Exchange shall seek amendment to the Article 100 of the Rules and Regulations Governing Dealing Members to include a clause on categorization of a new listing that is priced above N100 as a “Group B” stock. According to the proposed amendment, for purposes of calculating price movements and price limits, equity securities traded on the Exchange shall be classified as follows: “Group A” shall consist of eq-

uities with a primary market maker that are not classified in Group B; and “Group B” shall consist of equities with a primary market maker, that are priced above N100 per share for at least four of the last six months; or new security listings that are priced above N100 at the time of listing on the Exchange. With the amendment, the “Group A” stocks now include Dangote Cement, Nigerian Breweries, Nestle Nigeria, Seplat, Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria, Forte Oil, Total Nigeria and Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc.

PZ Cussons grows Q3 profit by 32% to N5.2b

Z Cussons Nigeria Plc has become more profitable in recent period as latest operational report showed substantial increase in the profit-margin of the conglomerate. Key extracts of the interim report and accounts of PZ Cussons for the nine-month period ended February 28, 2014 showed that average pretax profit margin improved to 9.83 per cent by February 2014 as against 7.59 per cent recorded in comparable period of 2013. The improvement in the cost management enabled the conglomerate to optimize its modest sales growth of 2.04 per cent into 32.3 per cent increase in pre-tax profit. Group turnover stood at N52.59 billion in 2014 as against N51.54 billion in 2013. Profit before tax meanwhile rose from N3.91 billion to N5.17 billion. Profit after tax also rose by 33.3 per cent from N2.90 billion to N3.87 billion. PZ Cussons had recently distributed N5.16 billion from its general reserve as a special dividend to shareholders. A breakdown of the special dividend indicates that shareholders will receive N1.30 per share. PZ Cussons had also, for the first time, paid an interim dividend of about 20 kobo after posting 53 per cent increase in profit for the half year ended November 30, 2013. Gross turnover rose from N31 billion in 2012 to N32.46 billion in 2013. Profit before tax rose by 53 per cent to N3.1 billion from N2 billion. Profit after tax also rose from N1.515 billion to N2.317 billion. PZ Cussons had ridden on the back of improved cost management and internal efficiency to double net earnings in the immediate past year, prompting the company to distribute N2.22 billion as dividends to shareholders. The gross dividend of N2.22 billion represented a dividend per share of 56 kobo, an increase of 30 per cent on 43 kobo paid for the previous year. Audited report and accounts of PZ Cussons for the year ended May 31, 2013 showed that while sales

slipped by 1.12 per cent, profits before and after tax jumped by 77.6 per cent and 110 per cent respectively. The improvement in the bottom-line impacted on the underlying returns to shareholders as earnings per share increased from 61 kobo in 2012 to N1.23 in 2013. Turnover closed May 2013 at N71.34 billion as against N72.15 billion recorded in 2012. Profit before tax meanwhile rose from N4.31 billion to N7.65 billion. Profit after tax also doubled from N2.54 billion to N5.32 billion. The performance in 2013 represented a major recovery for the fast moving consumer good company, which had suffered significant decline in the previous year. Audited report and accounts for the year ended May 31, 2012 had shown turnover of N72.16 billion as against N65.9 billion in 2011. Gross profit however dropped to N16.18 billion as against N18.45 billion. Profit before tax also halved to N4.31 billion compared with N8.03 billion in 2011 just as profit after tax dwindled from N5.7 billion to N2.5 billion. PZ Cussons appeared to have benefitted from extensive cost restructuring and internal efficiency management. With costs constraints and efficiency issues becoming evident in its performance, the global conglomerate had started global restructuring of its operations including closure of manufacturing operations in several countries and concentration in some countries including Nigeria. The global restructuring project was sequel to high costs of operations that have increasingly impacted on the global profitability of the conglomerate. According to a document on the global restructuring operations with details for West Africa, PZ Cussons group developed the global restructuring programmes to ensure that its supply chain cost base remains at a competitive level given sustained rise in raw material costs together with significant wage inflation in emerging markets.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

ISSUES

•Olorunsogo Power plant

Six months after the coming of the distribution and generation companies, DISCOs and GENCOs, power supply and generation remain absymally low. The privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) seems not to have solved the epileptic power problem. What is the way out? The DISCOs and GENCOs say it is by sacking the inherited PHCN workers, who they believe do not measure up. They plan to inject fresh funds into their operation after the planned sack; writes Assistant Editor, EMEKA UGWUANYI.

Let there be light

HEN private investors acquired the assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) last year, many electricity consumers felt their prayers had been answered. They thought that the era of blackouts, excessive load-shedding, power rationing and paying for electricity not consumed was over. But things have not gone that way. Shortly after the generation and distribution companies GENCOs and DISCOs took over, supply dropped and has since remained so. Then came the blame game. The Federal Government blamed the GENCOs for not supplying enough electricity for transmission and distribution; the GENCOs berated the government for failing to wheel enough gas to run the turbines. Since gas is the feedstock for the turbines, it is difficult to run

them without it. However, the power sector is undergoing a paradigm shift. To meet consumers’expectations, The Nation gathered that the investors are set to implement their agenda for improving power.

Current investment/operational plans

Initially, investors in the 11 DISCOs had an understanding with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to invest $1.8 billion between last year and 2017 as capital expenditure (CAPEX) to improve supply on sustainable basis through repairs and replacement of damaged and obsolete equipment. A breakdown of the investment shows that Ikeja Electricity

Distribution Company (IKEDC) requires an average annual investment of $58.737 million for five years to improve power supply, Eko and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Companies, $45.17 million and $43.865 million yearly, and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, $36.606 million. Others include Kano DISCO, $30.379 million; Kaduna DISCO, $29.96 million; Enugu DISCO, $27.23 million; Port Harcourt DISCO, $25.514 million; Benin DISCO, $24.314 million; Jos DISCO, $22.755 million and Yola DISCO, $13.133 million. What they met on ground, however, has made them to restrategise. Before their takeover of PHCN assets, the investors had an agreement with labour groups in the power sector to retain the workers of the former state-run power firm for six months. But, when the investors took over, they discovered that the wage bill was “too huge” for them to bear and as such they disengaged some workers. The workforce is still large. To get the right size, they decided to further reduce the staff. • Continued on page 33

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

ISSUES • Continued from page 32

The investors, it was learnt, have concluded their staff auditing and, penciled down for sack former PHCN workers deemed to lack the requisite skills. It was also learnt that some of them hired KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the auditing to ensure transparency and professionalism. The workers may be asked to go by the end of this month. An official of one of the DISCOs, who spoke to The Nation in confidence, said: “We have concluded our staff auditing. You are aware that the six months agreement will expire by the end of this month. Some of us have engaged reputable auditing firms, such as KPMG and PwC, to carry out the exercise. The essence is to ensure transparency and professionalism in carrying out the exercise and the truth is that the era of family connection as a criterion to secure job in the power sector is over. “We have decided to sieve the workforce, keep those that have the required skills, prepare those who have the motivation to move the company to the next level, and have the operational excellence to give power to the man on the street, and disengage those without the required skills. In fact, the auditing was both scientific and professional.” The GENCos and DISCOs have new investment plans following a facility inventory showing areas requiring attention. For instance, the management of West Power and Gas Limited, owners of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), said it has drawn a N42 billion investment plan for the acquisition of transformers, feeders and other equipment to strengthen its network and reinforce electricity supply within five years. Its Chairman, Charles Momoh, and a Director, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, said the company is being repositioned to serve customers better. They added that because of poor power supply from the national grid, the company is exploring possible off-grid supply. The Chairman, Sahara Energy Group, owners of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and Egbin Power Generation Company, Mr. Kola Adesina, said he could not give the amount the group would invest because of what it plans to achieve. He, however, noted that a substantial investment is being planned to improve supply and customer service in both companies.

Let there be light

Finding solution

•NERC Chairman Sam Amadi

•Amoda

• Momoh

•Ige

Gas supply challenge

The Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr David Ige, confirmed that the corporation has gas supply challenge. He said the complaints of the investors are genuine. Ige said: “There is truth in their complaints. Over the last two to three years, we have seen a big growth in our gas supply development. “We have maximised our efforts in infrastructure; every day we are building new pipeline infrastructure. Gas supply has grown from 500 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) three years ago to 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscf/d). But we are having serious short time challenge and there are two things responsible for that. “The first arises mostly from vandalism. So, at every point in time, we are repairing one pipeline or the other. Last year, EscravosLagos Pipeline System (ELPS) was down for seven months. Now ELPS is back, Trans Forcados is down. At every point in time, we have been experiencing one major outage or the other. And the way our system works is that the pipeline artery connects major gas supply assets. Trans Forcados pipeline is connected to Oben, Sapele and Pan Ocean gas plants, so when it is down, we lose three plants at once. “When ELPS is down, we lose Escravos, so we are truly struggling with these outages and because it happens repeatedly and there is almost no time one of them is not down, all the efforts that we have made in terms of bringing supply up, the consumers never have been able to see the full benefits. This is because there is always one problem or the other.” The other problem, Ige said, is that of supply shortfall. He said facilities working normally need regular maintenance but this is made difficult by the high rate of vandalism and the few facilities available. This, he said could cause serious disruption in the system. Ige continued: “By not taking them out on maintenance, they are also turning over more than expected. So, we are suffering a little bit of short term challenge. We expect that

cause we can put as much security but we have got over 5,000 kilometres of pipeline. So, how many security people are we going to put on every kilometre?”

‘

The power sector investors are jittery right now. There is no doubt about it but the (gas supply) challenge is a short term challenge because the fundamentals are there, the gas pipelines are being built. We have never put as many pipelines as we are putting right now and the supply is being developed as well through the course of this year, they (power investors) would have had more gas supply. “Really, the problem now is a short term stabilisation problem. I agree we haven’t built supply to the full capacity of demand for gas but we have always known the gap would be there until next couple of months. We are going up in gas supply and they (power suppliers) are going up. There is a gap but we are closing the gap over the next couple of months. That has always been in our plan but our biggest challenge is that the supply we have brought to bear is like at any point in time we are struggling with unplanned outages. “I think the power sector investors are jittery right now. There is no doubt about it but the (gas supply) challenge is a short term challenge because the fundamentals are there, the gas pipelines are being built. We have never put as many pipelines as we are putting right now and the supply is being developed as well.

’

“Hopefully, we will get to a point where we will overcome this very short term issue and people would see the benefits. A lot is going on in the background that will make that happen.” On whether the Joint Task Force (JTF) is not doing its job of policing the pipeline as vandalism is getting worse, he said: “Everybody is doing his job but it is a very difficult problem to deal with and, ultimately, you need a social re-engineering. “These pipelines are hundreds of kilometres long and it is impossible to man every kilometre 24/7. We really need to get to the people who are doing this to change their attitude. “Social re-engineering will contribute significantly to solving the problem because people need to know that there cannot be a sustainable solution in their attacking a national infrastructure; it doesn’t solve their problem. There has to be a better way of agitation. For those who break crude oil pipeline, we really have to reorientate them be-

The investors are facing the challenges of meeting customers’ power supply needs and recouping their investments. But, with the state of power supply, it is clear that they need alternatives to remain in business. Currently, some of the DISCOs cannot pay for their supplies from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) from the national grid. Lagos, Eko and Ikeja DISCOs are contemplating sourcing power from captive power generators and other embedded generators (generation outside the grid) to be able to meet the power demands of customers. Adesina said grid supply has become insignificant, adding that the management of Ikeja DISCO is sourcing about 230 megawatts (MW) from off-grid supply. Mr Yeom Gyoo Chull, Managing Director, Korea Electric Power Nigeria Limited, Sahara Group’s technical partner, said management has been discussing the transformation of Egbin plant. He said the power firm is to restore Egbin to its full capacity of 1,320MW this year and build more turbines that will provide additional 1,350MW. He added that the construction of the 1,350MW additional capacity will begin within three years, promising that on completion, it will bring the combined output of Egbin to 2,670MW. He noted that the target is to achieve a total capacity of over 10,000MW in the next decade if the demand permits. He said: “We intend to collaborate with our partners in Nigeria to initially restore Egbin to its fully built capacity of 1,320MW within the year and provide additional projected capacity of 1,350MW commencing within the next three years, thus at completion, we’ll have 2,670MW, with the aim of achieving a total capacity of over 10,000MW in the next decade if the demand permits.” The Managing Director, Egbin Electric Power Plc, Mike Uzoigwe, said only one turbine of the six-turbine power plant is not working. The six turbines generate 220MW each but the plant generates far below what it is supposed to generate. He said Egbin can generate 1080MW but gas supply constraint has limited output to just over 600MW. The Chief Executive Officer, Eko DISCO, Dr Oladele Amoda, told The Nation that the management was exploring other options of getting power outside the grid for distribution to customers because of gas supply challenge. Amoda said: “We want to get power from embedded generation. The main purpose of this initiative is that we will not continue to rely on the power that we get from the grid because it is not constant; it fluctuates. Besides, in the past five months, we have not been able to get more than between 250 and 260 megawatts (MW) and even sometimes less than 100MW while we have the capacity to take 700MW, which is the demand. You can see the difference between an average of 200MW and 700MW daily. “The consequence of this huge supply gap is rationing of available power and massive load-shedding going on now. The power supply gap, according to the GENCOs, is due to inadequate gas to run the power stations following pipeline vandalism and sabotage. “So, that is where we are now. But going forward, we are looking at about 400MW from embedded generation that will be under our control and will not be subject to grid supply. This will enable us to offer our customers a measure of stable power supply. “The initiative will enable us plan maintenance of our facilities when necessary by having a regulated load-shedding programme that everybody will know but currently, we cannot do any reasonable load-shedding programme. “We hope to roll out the first PPA Power Purchase Agreement) and actual embedded generation into our system between July and August this year. Currently, we are also discussing with companies that have excess captive power such as Flour Mills and Honeywell as well as other companies in Apapa and Agbara that are generating more than they need. That one will come on very quickly. We have Island Power where we get 1.5MW. The Island Power arrangement is ready but we get the 1.5MW during off-peak period (10pm to 6am daily), so we target some companies that will take the power. The Island Power deal will come into operation by the end of this month.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS INSURANCE

Boko Haram: NIA urges Fed Govt on compulsory insurance

IRECTOR-GENERAL, Ni geria Insurers Association (NIA), Mr. Sunday Thomas, has advised the Federal Government to implement the compulsory insurance policy owing to the recent insecurity in the country arising from the Boko Haram menace. He said the government must also work on law enforcement to prevent waste of resources belonging to the state and the citizens. He also said there could be collaboration between insurance companies and the government in which case, a fund will be provided for insurers noting that

Stories by OmobolaTolu-Kusimo

when it is catastrophic in nature, then the government takes over. Referring to the Iyanya Motor Park in Abuja bomb blast that killed about 100 people with vehicles burnt and damaged among others that have been carried out by the Boko Haram sect, he urged Nigerians to take advantage of insurance. He said though insurance companies do not provide cover for terrorism, riot or wars as standard policy because it is excluded, the industry however made provi-

sion, adding the insured had to pay extra premium on an existing policy on life and property. He said if the victims of acts of terrorism have an insurance policy that has an extension, their insurers could review their policy and compensate them. He lamented that majority of Nigerians do not have any form of insurance cover He said: “The insurance policy is in packages and if you pay some extra premium to cover some of the things that are excluded under the standard policy, the insurance company will oblige.

“These are trying times and whatever we need to do as a group to secure our future, we should not consider it too much. We live as if there is no tomorrow and as such there’s no provision in case the unexpected happens. This is not good for us as a country. The government cannot meet every need. “Usually in most policies, civil commotion, war and riots are not covered but it is an area insurance companies are exploring. But as it is today, there is nothing like that. “There is not likely to be any insurance liability that has ac-

crued from such. “Terrorism is new in this part of the world and we didn’t think we will have it in this magnitude. So, I don’t think there is any company that is offering terrorism insurance. “But I am aware that at a point in time, the platform of the association, working with some foreign reinsurance brokers tried to sell the idea to the industry but the process is not concluded. “But the fact is that people still don’t think they need to set something aside to protect themselves against losses arising.’’

AIICO achieves N31.7b premium in Q1

IICO Insurance Plc said it has achieved a target of about N31.7 billion premium in its 2014 first quarter (Q1) result. Its Executive Director, Technical, Jide Orimolade who disclosed this at the underwriting firm’s Q1 media briefing in Lagos, said in terms of its top-line figure this year and judging by the unaudited results, the firm has been able to meet its target in Q1. In terms of claims, he said the firm is mindful of paying claims promptly and has so far paid a ratio of 29 per cent on its General Business, 25 per cent on Individual Life and 15 per cent on Group Life. He explained that the Life and General Business yielded cumulatively N8.616 billion in the period under review. He said: “A breakdown of the N31.7 billion premium shows that a total of N2.9 billion was generated under the General Business; N1.7 billion was generated for Individual Life, N916 million was generated on Group Life and N3.15 billion on Annuity. “With these extracts for the first quarter, it is quite possible to see that we have done well and will possibly continue in the second quarter to translate these into profit for our shareholders. It is however important to note that these are unaudited extracts.” Speaking further about Q1, Orimolade said: “We all know that for us to be able to plan, we must have a working budget in place; however the 2014 budget has just been recently approved. For us at AIICO, we have been able to set our target for ourselves and to a large extent, we have been able to perform reasonably well and are set to achieving them, judging from all that has happened in the first

VEN people who know very little about the laws of phys ics will find few surprises on the 2014 edition of the best and worst cars for preventing passenger injuries, just released by Insure.com. The 10 best cars for preventing passenger injuries are not cars at all, but large, costly trucks and sport-utility vehicles like the Ford F-350 and Cadillac Escalade. The 10 worst cars for preventing passenger injuries fall into precisely the opposite category: small, lightweight cars that stress low prices and fuel economy. Dominating this list are subcompacts like Toyota’s Yaris, Fiat’s 500, Nissan’s Versa and Chevrolet’s Spark. The list also includes two of the best-selling midsize sedans. Higher claims for injuries result in higher car insurance rates

quarter so far. “Looking at the financial environment in terms of what has happened in the first quarter so far, from the micro insurance point of view, the government has been able to keep the inflation rate down to single digit. In terms of growth, it is about seven per cent right now and this tells us that there are a lot of potentials and opportunities for the insurance industry in the market. “On the political terrain, there have been a lot of security issues which has affected us in terms of lives and properties especially in the northern part of the country where the ‘Boko Haram’ situation has become a menace. “This also tells us that on our own part, we are expedient and have created an extension in terms of the Fire and Special Peril. Opportunities are there to grow the market. “The recent privatisation of the power holding which has been structured into the DISCOs (Distribution Companies) and GENCOs (Generating Companies) has shown some growth projection in this sector. Their assets will ultimately be insured and it will boost the insurance sector. The new owners will definitely employ, thereby creating opportunity for the Group Life business. “On the Micro level, our regulators have been able to assist the industry, the ‘No Premium No Cover’ policy has helped us, the claims in the books of insurance companies have reduced, and there is a boost in cash inflow of most insurance companies. Insurance companies all over the world look at their investment returns and also underwriting profits, so with more cash coming in, there are possibilities of good returns”, he said.

•From left: Egwu Kenneth, representative, National Insurance Commission; Shoderu, Adetunji and Executive Secretary, NCRIB Fatai Adegbenro at the workshop in Lagos.

NCRIB trains brokers on IFRS

HE Nigerian Council of Reg istered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has commenced training of its members on the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), its President, Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu has said. According to him, the training will be carried out in tranches, begining in Lagos then moving to Abuja and Enugu. While declaring open the pilot training in Lagos, Shoderu disclosed that the IFRS was designed as a common global language for business affairs so that companies’ accounts are understandable and comparable across international boundaries. According to him, IFRS is a consequence of growing international shareholding and trade and is important for companies that have, or angling

to have dealings in several countries. He said: “The IFRS behoves on accountants in broking firms to maintain books of accounts which are comparable, understandable and relevant. The scheme required that operators be more transparent and meticulous in their financial accounting formats. “We are all aware that the global environment in which we operate has posed greater challenges to us to be more ethical and eschew unprofessional conducts if we want to remain in business,” he said. He said the Council has engaged the services of leading IFRS consultants under its shared services scheme to reduce the cost burden on individual operators. He enjoined its members to check the website of the Council for their

All about car, accident insurance Insure.com analyzed insurance rates for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Medical Payments (MedPay), the coverage that pays for injuries to your passengers in a crash. Using insurance rates for more than 750 vehicles in our annual car insurance comparison study, we identified the vehicles with the lowest and highest costs for PIP and MedPay coverage. Vehicle size and weight affect injury risk substantially, says Russ Rader, spokesman for the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Heavier vehicles more effectively protect passengers, he says. In a headon crash between a lighter and heavier vehicle, the heavier vehicle will drive the lighter one backwards, increasing

the forces on the occupants in the light vehicle and reducing forces on the occupants in the heavier one. The Ford F-350 weighs three tons, nearly three times what a Toyota Yaris weighs. In crashes with roadside objects, such as trees or poles, it’s more likely that a heavier vehicle will be able to move the object, reducing the severity of the crash for the occupants. In addition, larger vehicles have more “crush space” in the front end, which helps vehicles keep the forces of the crash away from the seating area. More crush space means it takes longer for the vehicle to come to a complete stop in the crash. This helps an occupant ride down the crash over a longer

period, reducing the severity of the impact on the body. Asked which vehicle he would buy, Rader says, “We can’t single out one vehicle as being the safest. If safety is a priority, consumers should avoid the smallest, lightest cars available. It’s better to start with midsize or larger models with good crash test-ratings from the Institute and the federal government.” Why the price tag matters Least safe for passengers: Toyota Yaris. Pete Leiss, head of the crash practice at Lancaster, Pa.-based Robson Forensic, agrees that larger vehicles provide better protection against passenger injuries. “It’s not just the size, but also that there’s more room between the

names to know when it will be their turn to attend the training. Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, represented by an Assistant Director of the National Insurance Commission, Mr. Egwu Kenneth, commended NCRIB for being the first insurance group in the country to take the initiative of shared services scheme under which its members are being trained for the IFRS. Similarly, the Lead Consultant of Netherwood Consulting, Mr. Adeyemi Adetunji said the new tempo of global accounting standards required that all business operators make their accounting and financial reporting transparent. He said it is imperative for insurance professionals to imbibe the new reporting format, considering the nature of insurance as a global business. occupants and what they will interact with,” says Leiss, whose company specializes in expert witness services in courts of law. In addition to heavier vehicles, higherpriced luxury cars offer the most protection to the passengers riding inside them, according to Leiss. “We see a lot fewer injuries when you start talking about European luxury cars,” he says. “That group of vehicles typically includes those to which newer safety features are first applied. That goes back to the introduction of air bags and encompasses the major safety developments since the 1980s, including electronic stability control, pre-tensioned seatbelts, forward collision warnings and also basics like strong safety cages around the vehicle’s occupants.” •Culled from Insure.com.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

BUSINESS MOTORING

Chanrai Nigeria Limited, dealer on Mitsubishi model of vehicles in the country, has introduced two new models into its selections - the Attrage and the Space Star. TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO reports

Attrage, Space Star hit market

has an outstanding fuel economy and easy manoeuvrability. Its surprisingly roomy interior and wide-ranging amenities reach far beyond its class to enhance driving pleasure. The Space Star looks compact in terms of quality and economic. Dynamically styled from friendly face to expressive sides and tapering tail, it blends smooth aerodynamic curves with sculpted, edgy styling to create a refreshing balance and reassuring sense of stability. Murai in a chat with Motoring correspondents described the two cars as class leaders in the compact car segment. He promised to give the required marketing support to the

•Attrage

products dealers to grow the brand in the coun-

•Space Star

HE declaration of the nation's economy as the largest in Africa has continued to attract manufacturers' interest in bringing their products to the country. Last week, Mitsubishi Motor Corporation (MMC) introduced the new Attrage and Space Star into the nation’s automobile market. Courtesy of Chanrai Nigeria Limited, dealers of Mitsubishi model of vehicles in the country, the new models coincided with the

visit of the Mitsubishi Nairobi Laison office General Manager, Mr. Taiki Murai, to Chanrai's office on Victoria Island, Lagos. The Attrage (saloon) and Space Star (hatchback) with starting price of N2.1m and N2.4m have further opened competition for the budget vehicles. The Attrage is a 1.2-litre 4-door GLS sedan with optional equipment for customers to choose. For the outlet, the modest car

try. He expressed satisfaction with market presence and after sales services by Kewalram. Space Star The Space Star was introduced in 2011 and launched in 2012 as a sort of replacement for the Colt. Even though in the United States, it bears Mirage, in Europe, the car is still being sold as the 'Space Star'. The new vehicle is animated by small engines, ranging from a 1-liter DOHC petrol unit to a 1.2-liter DOHC MiVEC unit with power outputs between 68 and 78 HP. Being a budget car, the only gearbox available is a 5-

speed CVT unit. Compact hatch backs and superminis have a cross-generational appeal owing to their price point and nature of intended use so there will undoubtedly be those who consider the rear spoiler to be too sporty and 12 inch alloys as not nearly sporty enough. Mitsubishi have provided enough for everyone and have successfully avoided pigeonholing the Space Star in either gender's camps. The interior threatens to feel completely austere but is saved from harsh criticism by the piano black dash and supple leather steering wheel. The Space Star comes in two trim levels; Invite and Intense. Sticking with the model on test, the 1.2 Intense's creature comforts are plentiful and range from aircon, bluetooth, keyless push button ignition, stop start (or Automatic Stop & Go in Mitsubishi vernacular), an auxiliary and USB port for MP3 connectivity, leather steering wheel and gear knob (which is a touch bulbous and arguably out of place), front fog lights and daytime running lights. Attrage The Mitsubishi Attrage is a very small four-door sedan designed for the global market. The lightweight body and smooth aerodynamics contribute to class-leading fuel efficiency, as well as smooth and stable acceleration. Traveling is more affordable, eco-friendly and enjoyable in the new Attrage. When you demand acceleration, the new Attrage responds with spirited torque and horsepower while maintaining impressive fuel economy. Intake valve timing is continuously optimized in response to driving conditions to ensure smooth powerful response at all times. The new Attrage is streamlined based on advanced computer simulation to slip through the wind with a class-leading that lowers noise and enhances handling stability. The weight-optimized body is one of the lightest in its class, thanks to the ample use of hightensile steel that also offers impressive strength and rigidity that contribute to safety and excellent handling. An extremely tight turning radius, one of the smallest in its class, makes the new Attrage easy to manoeuver through narrow city streets and crowded parking lots. Drivers of every experience level will find the new Attrage/MIRAGE G4 simple to handle. Chanrai Nigeria Limited Executive Director Mr. Raju Salwani said customers' demand for a powerful compact car from Mitsubishi, below the Lancer necessitated the introduction of the cars. He says this is the first time Mitsubishi will be unveiling two cars into the market at the same time. The introduction of the cars, he explains, reflects Mitsubishi's commitment to the Nigerian market Sawlani hailed the Japanese auto maker for its support to Chanrai through the provision of quality vehicles with good backup of spare parts and training opportunity for the local technicians handling the cars. "People hardly come for warranty claims on Mitsubishi vehicles because they are always built to the highest industry quality," he said. The graphic presentation of the new Attrage and Space Star models was done by Omprakash Ramkrishna of Chanrai marketing division.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

MOTORING

Toyota Nigeria orders parts for recalled vehicles

OYOTA (Nigeria) Limited (TNL) said it has ordered spare parts of the vehicles it plans to recall. The parts, TNL said, will arrive the country between three and four weeks. TNL Executive Director Kunle Ade-Ojo, said at a press conference in Lagos that the Nigerian recall was to allay the fears of their customers. Flanked by Head, Service and Technical, Mr Victor Connaway and Assistant General Manager, Dealer, Development/Special Project ,Mr Henry Ojuoko, Ade-Ojo announced the recall of the 2005-2010 Hilux and the 2006-2008 Rav4 vehicles from

Stories by Tajudeen Adebanjo

the market in order to replace a malfunctioning spiral cable. It also said the 2006-2008 Toyota Yaris would be recalled to fix its seat track that was found to be unstable in some of the units. TNL announcement is coming on the heels of the Toyota Motor Corporation’s last week announcement of recalling nearly 6.4 million vehicles worldwide. He explained that the recall was often undertaken by the manufacturers as a safety measure and a mark of responsibility and genuine concern for the welfare of the

customers. “This is to show that the safety of our customers is paramount to us,” he added. According to him, no records of accidents from the spiral cable malfunctioning and seat track problem had been reported. He said not all units of the three models sold in Nigeria were affected, adding that the firm was still compiling a comprehensive list of those involved, in conjunction with its accredited dealers. The TNL boss said the chassis numbers of the affected vehicles would be published once the list was ready to further alert the own-

ers and indicate where to take the vehicles to. Ade-Ojo said once their customers brought the vehicles for repair, it would take just about an hour to fix the cable, adding, “All we need to do is to remove the cable and replace it.” According to Ade-Ojo, the cable connects the switches on the steering wheel to the horn and the airbag, and is responsible for transmitting electrical signals to those points. He explained that owners of vehicles with such defect would usually get alerted through a signal light on the dashboard. For the Yaris, he said the prob-

•From left: Chanrai Nigeria Limited Executive Director Mr Raju Salwani; Mitsubishi Nairobi Laison office General Manager, Mr Taiki Murai and Mr Hidehiko Nishikawa during Murai’s visit to Chanrai’s office in Lagos.

Toyota opens multi-million naira workshop

OYOTA (Nigeria) Limited (TNL) has opened a new workshop in Oregun, Lagos called – Body Repair and Paint Centre. The centre is to sustain the brand as the first, not only in sales, but also in all segments of the after-sale services in the country. It is valued at $2 million. TNL Managing Director Mr Chandrasheker Thampy, said it was meant to give the after-sales service a new meaning, describing it as a turning point. He noted that it was designed to give users/owners of Toyota vehicles in the country real value for their money, essentially by keeping cars on the road longer than they imagined in their original shining beautiful look. According to him, the centre will also serve as training ground where

skill will be passed on to their dealer workshops. Thampy said the body and paint repair segment, traditionally called panel beating, was largely an untapped market in Nigeria, having been operated in an unorganised manner, adding that a professional touch would be given to it under the new arrangement. He enjoined TNL dealers to take advantage of the facilities at the centre for the new after sales services that would ultimately benefit the endusers of Toyota vehicles. “We are transferring high-tech skills to the dealers to satisfy our customers,” he added. Manager, Training and Workshop, Mr Nishant Sasidharan, said the TNL came up with the idea of body and paint workshop to increase the dealers’ technical skill

level and help them to attain the Toyota Motor Corporation’s certification’s standard. Sasidharan in a presentation said, the company, under the new arrangement, will encourage more B&P workshops in all the dealers’ service network; establish good business relations with its B&P business partners and request the dealers to conduct regular in-house and external audit and create a healthy competition among the dealers. The essence of the initiative, he said, was “to ensure that Toyota remains number one in all aspects and make the dealers to be employee-friendly and customer service-oriented.” It was also aimed at introducing Kaizen activities in all B&P areas, he added.

lematic seat track made the seats to move back and forth, which could cause some discomfort and injury to the passengers. He absolved Toyota of any blame for the delay in identifying the problems. ‘“Toyota has a culture of continuously assessing its vehicles. And when we identify cases like this, the TMC will call for a detailed investigation and take steps to address the problem,” he said. He promised to reimburse customers who have paid auto mechanics to repair the affected parts after through investigation.

Motor fair to thrill visitors

RGANISERS of the Lagos Motor Fair’ and Autoparts Expo Nigeria, BKG Exhibitions Limited have boasted that the year’s fair will be a landmark and a benchmark in auto show business in the entire West African sub-region. Visitors, BKG said, ‘’are billed to have a rewarding experience.” The fair will hold at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, between May 1 and 7. Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, at a press briefing, said almost all the major vehicle manufacturers and dealers in Nigeria are participating at the fair. Notable banks, he said, and insurance companies; major oil companies; manufacturers and dealers in auto-accessories have indicated interest and are preparing to participate in the event. Agwu, BKG Exhibitions Limited Managing Director said: “Each of the seven days that the fair will last is loaded with activities and events that will make this edition remarkably different and we intend to improve and add on this

in subsequent editions.” On parade shall be unique ranges of automobile products from notable companies from the Asian Continent dominated by Japanese, Chinese and South Korean auto- firms. Here, products from Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Kia, Nissan, etc, will be on display. The European and American Continents will equally be there with products from the stables of Ford, Mack, Mercedes, Chevrolet, Volvo, BMW, Skoda etc. From the home front, PAN Nigeria and National Trucks Manufacturers Limited (NTM) will showcase the latest in their ranges of products. “These products range from personal choice exotic cars, SUV’s, CUV’s, Jeeps, light and heavy duty haulage trucks, and buses of various capacities for corporate and mass transit businesses. Feelers from most of the firms indicate that visitors to the various stands will enjoy lots of goodies. Some have packaged gift items, lucky dips and many other forms of entertainments, which according to sources, will last all through the fair,” he said.

Honda wins ‘Best Overall Brand’

OR the second consecutive year, new car buyers voted Honda “Best Overall Brand” in Kelley Blue Book’s annual Brand Image Award study. The company also took the “Most Trusted Brand” honour for the third straight year. Kelley Blue Book, also known as KBB, gives out awards in 13 categories. Strong consumer perception of the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey helped drive Honda’s success in earning the top honour among all automakers, KBB said. “Considering Honda has also won the award for Most Trusted Brand among non-luxury shoppers three years in a row, this win isn’t a huge surprise,” the publication noted. Jeff Conrad, Senior Vice President/

General Manager, Honda automobile division for America said: “A brand is really built over the long haul through consumers’ experiences with its products, and Honda is committed to delivering class-leading vehicles that provide lasting enjoyment and value to our customers.” He added that “Honda simply embraces the challenge of being a brand that people can trust.” In the luxury category, MercedesBenz captured the sales crown from BMW who last year was crowned. Mercedes obtained the top average Brand Watch factor scores among all luxury makes and was “highly regarded with its strong lineup and performance AMG variants,” KBB stated.

SAFE DRIVING

Ridicule of job creation and road safety management

T is good to hear that the Federal, State and Local Governments have created millions of jobs in the past two or three years. Some of these jobs include Nigerian Graduates employed by construction companies for two years road construction contracts at a salary of N600.00 (six hundred naira only) per day. Some of these jobs include youths trained in various trade areas but without start-up tools kit for them to become self employed (virtually all of them still remain unemployed). Some of the jobs include road shoulder clearing, sweeping and cleaning at a salary of N10,000.00 per month (from which they are to feed, settle house rent and other expenses). Some of the jobs include youths offered vocational training in trade areas that cannot pass the tests of profitability and sustainability. The Finance Minister recently said that over one

million youths join the labour market annually. The ILO and NBS report also confirmed high youth unemployment in Nigeria. Several of our leaders have traveled to Malaysia. They only looked but did not see the benefits of using the legal set backs on all Nigerian roads to plant various cash crops and medicinal plants that have great and continuous economic values among other beneficial policies that can be profitably emulated. Which of the governments (Federal, State and Local) has passed the test of real job creation in Nigeria? By my own personal research and assessment, there is none. How long will the governments continue to play the politics of figures? In the same vein, the rate of road crashes and fatalities still remain high in Nigeria because of the high degree of insincerity among the governments, government agencies and other stakeholders. Their focus is predominantly on revenue

generation and egotism rather than on disaster prevention and life saving. The United Nations decade of Action for Road Safety (2011 - 2020) has entered the fourth year but Nigeria is still very far from taking any serious and result-oriented action on the Pillars of the UN Action plan which include the following: Pillar 1: Road Safety Management - "Adhere to and fully implement UN legal instruments and encourage the creation of regional road safety instruments. Encourage the creation of multi - sectoral partnerships and designation of lead agencies with the capacity to develop and lead the delivery of national road safety strategies, plans and targets, underpinned by the data collection and evidential research to assess countermeasure decision and monitor implementation and effectiveness". Pillar 2: Safer roads and mobility - "Raise the inherent safety and

proactive quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users, especially the most vulnerable (e.g. pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and tricyclists). This will be achieved through the implementation of various road infrastructure agreements under the UN framework, road infrastructure assessment and improved safety conscious planning, design, construction and operation of roads." Pillar 3: Safer vehicles - "Encourage universal development of improved vehicle safety technology for both passive and active safety through a combination of harmonisation of relevant global standards, consumer information schemes and incentives to accelerate the uptake of new technologies." Pillar 4: Safer road users - "Develop comprehensive programmes to improve road users behaviour. Sustained or increased enforcement of laws and standards, combined with public awareness / edu-

Jide Owatunmise Registrar / Chief Executive, Professional Driving and Safety Academy

cation to increase seat - belt and helmet wearing rates, and to reduce drink - driving, speed, over speeding and other risk factors." Pillar 5: Post Crash Response "Increase responsiveness to post crash emergencies and improve the ability of health and other systems to provide appropriate emergency treatment and longer term rehabilitation for crash victims."

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS JOBS

•Workers on combined harvesters on a sugar cane field

Making F sugar, creating jobs The Federal Government has unveiled the NonSugar Master Plan (NSMP). Under it, thousands of jobs will be created, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

OR sugar industry, nothing can be so sweet than the $2.570 billion expected from some key play-

ers. Dangote Sugar is coming up with $2 billion investment in six states through the Savannah Sugar Plc in Numan, Adamawa State. Its target is 1.5 million metric tonnes (MT) and expansion from the current 6,500 hectares (ha) to 21,000 ha to produce 100,000 tonnes of sugar yearly by 2018. HoneyGold Group, on the other hand, is to invest $300 million on two sites in Adamawa State, with the target of producing 200,000 tonnes of sugar annually; while Crystal Sugar Mills is investing $30 million to expand its operations to produce 60,000 tonnes of sugar per annum from its acquired 1,500 TCD sugar plant at Hadejia, Jigawa State. Confluence Sugar Company is investing $240 million in Kogi State to produce 200,000 tonnes of sugar per annum on about 37,000 hectares of land at Ibaji. Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has invested about N160 billion in its sugarcane farm and

refinery in various parts of Nigeria. For massive job creation, the government has unveiled a New Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), which the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, says has the objective of harnessing the immense potential in sugar production to encourage value addition in its production and processing. About 170,000 jobs will be created under the master plan, according to Aganga. The plan, in addition to ensuring self-sufficiency in sugar production, is also expected to help the nation conserve about $350 million yearly in foreign exchange. The minister said the country has attracted $3 billion (about N480 billion) investment into the sugar sector since the beginning of the implementation of the NSMP. Aganga said the development of the master plan by the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has opened the sector for fresh local and foreign investments, adding that the ministry was

‘An important feature of the industry is that there is employment in rural and deep rural areas in job starved regions where there is often little other economic opportunity. Direct employment occurs in both the sugar cane field and the sugar mills and cuts across a diverse array of skills from farm labourer to agricultural scientist. There is also direct and indirect employment through numerous support industries in the provinces where sugarcane is grown and processed’

committed to working together with the state governments and the private sector to ensure the successful implementation of the backward integration programme (BIP) in the sugar industry. He said: “The new sugar policy has opened up the sector for new investors to come in to invest in the sugarcane to sugar value chain. Currently, we have a number of interested investors from Brazil that are partnering with local investors and we already have two new green fields in addition to other interested investors that are doing their feasibility studies. This shows that the implementation of our policy of backward integration in the sugar is gaining momentum, and is in the right direction.” The minister commended the sugar refiners for the progress recorded within the time frame. The Executive Secretary of the N SDC, Dr Abdul- Latif Demola Busari said the commencement of the implementation of the master plan has done a lot of good to the sub sector and is still optimistic that it will continue to assist in impacting maximally towards achieving full capacity utilisation in the subsector. Busari said the first set of objectives of the master plan are to raise local sugar production to attain self-sufficiency in the nation; create investorsspecific fiscal incentives to attract investment into the sector, implement BIP with support incentives and robust monitoring and evaluation of BIP. He identified the second set of objectives •Continued on page 38

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

JOBS

Making sugar, creating jobs •Continued from page 37

of the plan to include-stemming the tide of high level importation of sugar, which he said could be achieved through high graduated tariff structure; import quota allocation benchmark on local production and regulation of the entire regime of sugar importation through quota allocation. It is also to create huge number of job opportunities, which would be achieved through significant increase in cane area and factory milling capacity, re-invigorating and expanding the out grower scheme and enlargement of sugarcane value chain players. Experts see a positive development in the economy through the sector in terms of job creation. One of them is John Beverley, farm manager, Sunti Farm, Mokwa, Niger State. The farm, owned by Flour Mills of Nigeria, comprises a 10,000-hectare sugar estate and a mill that produces raw sugar, and a refinery for higher-value white sugar. This, he said, has made the sugarcane industry a major employer. He added that industrial sugarcane farming will create more jobs for Nigerians. Beverley said the revived sugar industry would make a positive difference to the lives of million of Nigerians in the sugar producing belt through the creation of employment opportunities. Job windows for contract farmers, agricultural managers, extension service agents, products inspectors and purchasing and sales agents will be opened. There will also be the need for experts in crop science, agronomy, crop advising, soil science, plant pathology, and weed science, among others. Most of the top jobs will require candidates who have an agricultural or science biased qualification.

• Aganga

•Gbededo

New sugar plantations will need farm managers. Beverley, a South African, is an expatriate farm manager. To work as a farm manager, one needs a BSc Agriculture with a certificate in sugarcane agriculture. Practical farming and/or horticultural experience as a manager as well as a mechanical aptitude will be beneficial. The Human Resources/ Admin officer, Golden Sugar Company, Sunti, Mokwa, Chief Chatjok Chom, said the sugar industry provides a full spectrum of job opportunities that range from a field hand to jour-

ney worker to electrician to chemist and even an agriculturist, all integral in ensuring the business success. Expressing faith in the potential of the industry, the Group Managing Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Mr Paul Gbededo said Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has invested about N160 billion in its sugarcane farm and refinery in various parts of the country. This, according to him, is part of its efforts to expand its agroallied division as a response to government’s directives on backward integration in sugar production.

He described the sugar processing as a lareg business which involves manufacturing raw sugar, liquid sugar and refined sugar from sugarcane, raw cane sugar and sugar beets. To keep the factory running, he said the industry acquires its raw material from sugarcane growers. This creates jobs for contract farmers. He said sugar refiners like Dangote are going to buy raw sugar from millers. This raw material is processed into a range of sugar products for industrial and consumer uses. This opens opportunities for operators to perform milling operations from the extraction station or milling train, through all processing stages to produce raw sugar, molasses and fibre. An important feature of the industry is that there is employment in rural and deep rural areas in job starved regions where there is often little other economic opportunity. Direct employment occurs in both the sugar cane field and the sugar mills and cuts across a diverse array of skills from farm labourer to agricultural scientist. There is also direct and indirect employment through numerous support industries in the provinces where sugarcane is grown and processed. Gbebedo said Sunti Sugar farm is a-17,000 hectares farm. He said: “But out of that, about 10,000 hectares is for sugar cultivation. We have cleared about 5,000 hectares of land and planted about 2000 hectares already. 10,000 hectares will give us 100,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar and one million metric tonnes sugarcane.” He said 5000 farmers will be engaged in the company’s sugar business.

‘The revived sugar industry would make a positive difference to the lives of million of Nigerians in the sugar producing belt through the creation of employment opportunities’

‘Fake jobs conviction, wake-up call for recruitment industry’

HE chair of United Kingdom (UK), SAFERjobs Keith Rosser, the recruitment industry body tasked with combating employment fraud, say the recent conviction of a recruitment consultant for fraud is “a wake-up call” for the industry. Following the conviction of Exeter recruitment consultant, David Reed for creating fake jobs, and then invoicing two companies for £3,400, Rosser says the case serves as a warning to the industry to take internal fraud more seriously. He said: “Sometimes people give the impression that they don’t put fraud in the same bracket as other criminal activity. This will remind some people who may have thought of doing something similar that actually it is quite a serious thing to do.” According to the charges against him, Reed “created fictitious job vacancies with Tremlett and Turner and Cleaning Commercial Services between May and October 2013 and then purported to try and fill them, intending to cause loss to Penguin Consultants UK, or to expose them to a risk of loss”, reported the Exeter Express and Echo. Reed, who admitted two counts of fraud by false representation, said he found workers for jobs at two companies and submitted invoices for £3,400 to those firms — even though he knew the “jobs” were fake. Following the trial, Reed — who had no previous convictions — was given a 12-month community order with 90 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay costs of £145. Rosser called on recruitment agencies to do more to stop this type of fraud, which he says continues “to crop up now and again”. Rosser says he is aware of fewer than 10 cases involving “fake jobs” in 2013, but adds that this type of fraud “never seems to go away”. Rosser advised companies to improve their training, particularly for new staff. He also urged them to improve their internal governance to identify any fraudulent practices as quickly as possible. “That could be sampling a number of jobs and a number of invoices [to check they are genuine],” he said.

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Fishing out your dream job: You need a game plan (III)

OLD-calling, the art of uninvited job-hunting involving calling/calling on employers directly, is possibly the most powerful, yet difficult strategy to get your foot in the career door of your choice. A lot of people consider it demeaning. It should not be so. “Cold-calling” is often a very difficult task for most people unless you’re born with a sales talent and a “thick skin”. Cold calling means making contact with people whom you have not had any previous contact and selling yourself in such a way that you set up an interview for yourself or convince them to keep you at the top of their minds should a position come up in future. Some people say it’s like a radio ad: Concise, to the point, focused at meeting the employer’s needs, charismatic and informative about yourself. The key to cold calling is to be prepared for anything. At any point in the process, you could find yourself dealing directly with the person who is responsible for hiring. You must always be ready to sell yourself and your skills. So, how so I jump – start this? There are several parts of the cold-calling process, each part has

By Olu Oyeniran

some similarities to what professional telemarketer do when preparing to market their product: Make a list of potential employers The first step in this process is compiling at list of all companies that you would be interested to work with. The more, the merrier; the longer the list, the better your odds at success. You can source for this list via your personal network, the yellow pages, corporate websites, newspaper adverts business listings from industry publications and even your local Chamber of Commerce directory. You could create this list of companies by focusing on a specific geographic area, a particular industry, corporate rankings, or the like. Do some research into the career opportunities in your field of profession with each company as far as possible before progressing further. Get your pitch down pat Your pitch is your personal introduction. To ensure you’re not tongue-tied at the crucial point of a telephone conversation, prepare a short script to guide you on your self-introduction to the prospective employer.

A simple outline includes an introduction, an explanation of your purpose, summarising three top skills you possess pertinent to the type of job you are inquiring about, finding about immediate or potential vacancies, asking if you might send them a copy of your Resume or arrange an interview date. A pitch allows you to relax and focus on what you need to say and how to say it prior to calling an employer. Be sure to relate your previous professional experience with what this flew company needs. Practice makes perfect Telephone etiquette is extremely important in cold calling as this is your first point of contact with the prospective employer. So don’t get sloppy! Here are some tips to help you get it right: • Practice your script either with a friend or another job seeker; • Tape/record yourself to ensure you come off as calm, deal and confident; identify yourself. If you were referred by someone else, mention their name; • Talk to the right person (the hiring authority) at the right time. Be aware that businesses have busy or inconvenient times when they

would not appreciate a phone call: for example, 12:00 noon just before lunch or at the end of the mouth for accounting firms; • Keep control of the conversation; • If the person you want is not in, never leave a number and passively wait for your call to be returned, inquire about another time to call and promise to call again later; • Put on your good phone voice. Don’t mumble or shout. Talk at a moderate pace. Be friendly and precise; • Take control of your anxiety to be heard, don’t forget to listen - it’s a two-way thing. Remember, you need to motivate your listener to pave the way for you, so listen when they are speaking; • Ask for a meeting (interview) at a definite time, yet do it as ‘lightly’ as possible. Give them alternative options, for example: “Would Wednesday morning or Thursday afternoon be more suitable for you, Mr. ________?” if the employer informs you that there are no positions available, ask for an informational meeting to find

out more about the company. That will help you get to know more people within the company and make connections for future use; and • Get it down on paper. Write brief notes while on the phone to record what was discussed and agreed upon between you and the contact and when it took place. Memory is a fleeting thing. Don’t rely solely on your memory. Transfer this to your job cracking sheet so that you are always on the right page should a contact call back. Prepare your cold call toolkit Before you picks up the telephone, make sure you have the following in hand; your pitch, company research notes, a copy of your relevant Resume, a calendar, pen and paper, your “contact tracking sheet formatted for notes on the date, time, person, company, address, telephone, reason in calling, follow-up date, interview date/time, and comments.

•Oyeniran is Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Associates. He can be reached on Jobsearchhow.com.ng Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

Morgan Stanley’s profits jump, Weibo shares surge on US debut Goldman Sachs’s fall S

NITR States banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reported contrasting results for the first quarter of the year. Goldman Sachs’ net earnings fell to $2.03billion from $2.26billion after a drop in revenues from its bonds, currency and trading business. However, Morgan Stanley’s profit rose to $1.45billion, compared with $981million a year ago. Revenues rose in all of its three business segments. Goldman Sachs makes most of its money from trading and investing in capital markets. In the first quarter, its revenue from fixed income, currency and commodities trading fell 11 per cent

to $2.85billion compared with a year earlier. “We are generally pleased with our performance for the quarter, given the operating environment,” said the bank’s chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein. “Market sentiment shifted throughout the quarter, constraining client activity in various parts of our franchise,” he said. Investment banking and investment management “generated solid results”, he added. The bank’s net revenues from investment banking were $1.78bilion, 13 per cent higher than the first quarter of last year. Its financial advisory service saw 41 per cent higher net revenues, of

$682million. Goldman’s results follow a big drop in profits in the fourth quarter last year. Morgan Stanley’s trading, mergers and acquisition advisory and stock sales division grew the most during the first quarter. The division, called institutional securities, earned $1.2bilion, compared with $1.1billionn last year, Earnings for its wealth management division were $691million, compared with $597million a year ago, and investment management income jumped to $263million from $187million. The bank’s strong results come after a fourth-quarter reduction in bond trading revenue that more than halved its earnings.

Gulf Coast crude oil inventories reach record level

RUDE oil inventories on the United States’ Gulf Coast (USGC) reached a record high of 207.2 million barrels (bbl) on April 11, a result of the continuing strong crude oil production growth, the opening of TransCanada’s Marketlink Pipeline and a drop in crude oil inputs at USGC refineries as a result of seasonal maintenance, reports the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). While USGC crude oil inventories typically build during the beginning of the year, EIA says that this year’s increase has been particularly notable. It said: “On January 10, USGC inventories were 161.0 million bbl, 1.4 million bbl above the five-year average. Since then, they have increased 46.2 million bbl (29 per cent) to the current level, which is 24.2 million bbl above the previous five-

year average and 22.2 million bbl above year-ago levels. Typically over this period, USGG crude oil inventories build only 23.4 million bbl.” The main driver of recent USGC crude oil inventory, notes EIA, is the start-up of TransCanada’s 700,000-bbl-per-day (bbl/d) Marketlink Pipeline, which runs from the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub to the Houston, Texas, area. TransCanada completed the first delivery of crude oil via Marketlink to USGC refineries in late January, and crude deliveries via the pipeline could average 525,000 bbl/d in the year. Meanwhile, EIA notes that a “seasonal drop in crude oil input due to maintenance at USGC refineries resulted in lower demand for crude oil in the past two months.” For the four weeks ending January 17, crude in-

puts at USGC refineries were 8.3 million bbl/d, which then dropped to 7.7 million bbl/d on average for the four weeks ending March 21, but have increased again in recent weeks. During the same period, crude oil imports actually increased slightly. Finally, EIA says that additional USGC sources of crude supply are coming from increasing regional production, which has kept inventories high in recent years. In the 106 weeks since March 2012, USGC inventories have been above the previous five-year average in all but seven of those weeks. EIA notes that crude oil production growth in the Midwest has averaged 278,000 bbl/d from March 2012-January 2014. And with more USGC production and transportation of Midwest crude to the region, more storage capacity has been required to meet logistical challenges.

HARES in China’s Weibo, a Twitter-like service, rose by almost 20 per cent on their first day of trading on the US stock market, after a lukewarm start. The company’s flotation on the Nasdaq stock exchange had initially raised a less-than-expected $286million (£170million). However, investors flocked to the shares, and they ended the day at $20.24, after opening at $17. The number of Weibo users fell after China’s censors strengthened control of online discussions last year. The China Internet Network Information Center said in its annual report that almost 28 million people abandoned Weibo in 2013. It can only be used by Chinese citizens who verify their account with a mobile phone number. The sale is a big test of demand for Chinese internet stocks ahead of an anticipated listing by Weibo’s co-owner, the Alibaba group. China’s internet market has grown to become the world’s biggest with more than 500 million users. With major global social networking firms such as Facebook and Twitter blocked in the country, domestic companies have benefited the most from this growth.

Ex-BP employee fined $224,000

FORMER BP employee, who oversaw the cleanup of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, will pay $224,118 to settle an insider trading charge. Keith Seilhan was accused of selling $1milion of shares in BP after receiving information about the severity of the spill which was not publicly available at the time. BP shares fell almost 50 per cent once the magnitude of the disaster became known. The 47-year-old has neither admitted nor denied the allegations. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people and resulted in 4.9 million barrels of oil being discharged, threatening marine life and hundreds of miles of coastline. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which investigated Mr Seilhan, says the Texan was then a crisis manager in BP’s incident command centre in Houma, Louisiana, and coordinated the initial cleanup operations. The SEC alleges he “received non-public information on the extent of the evolving disaster, including oil flow estimates and data on the volume of oil floating on the surface of the Gulf”. Mr Seilhan then sold his family’s entire portfolio of BP shares totalling $1m - in just two days, before the information hit the public domain.

Ford, IBM to face lawsuit over ‘apartheid’

ORD Motor Co (F.N) and IBM Corp (IBM.N) will again have to face a United States (U.S.) lawsuit claiming they encouraged racebased human rights abuses in apartheid-era South Africa, despite a series of recent court decisions limiting the right to pursue such cases. Reviving a 12-year-old lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan accepted an argument from a group of plaintiffs that corporations may be held liable under a 1789 law, the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), that lets non-U.S. citizens pursue some cases in U.S. courts over alleged violations of international law. “No principle of domestic or international law supports the conclusion that the norms enforceable through the ATS ... apply only to natural persons and not to corporations,” Scheindlin wrote. Her decision came in a case that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, also in Manhattan, in August had said should be dismissed. “Obviously we’re thrilled,” said Diane Sammons, a partner at Nagel Rice law firm in Roseland, New Jersey, representing some plaintiffs. “Judge Scheindlin is not taking the word of the defendants that corporations are not liable for human rights abuses under the ATS.”

‘Telkom Kenya not for sale’

K •Co-operative store

Co-op Group makes £2.5b loss after ‘disastrous’ year

HE Co-operative Group has announced losses of £2.5billion for last year, marking the worst results in the group’s 150year history. The group said most of the losses stemmed from the Co-operative Bank, which amounted to £2.1billion. That included a trading loss of £1.44bilion for the year to December, when the group lost control of Co-op Bank to US hedge funds. Chief Executive Richard Pennycook said last year had been a “disastrous” year. He added: “These results should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who doubts just how serious the challenges we face are.

He also criticised the lack of transparency within the bank, which he said he believed had failed to communicate effectively with the group board. “As a former public company finance director, I would not have been comfortable running with debt levels the bank was running with. So I do think there has been a lack of transparency,” he said. The Co-op Group chief executive told the BBC’s business editor, Kamal Ahmed: “What we have found is a period of poor performance from management. The last five years in our proud 150-year history have been very difficult. It was not just an accident at the bank.”

He said in those five years the group had become bloated in terms of its costs and strategy, and was now in need of wholesale reform if “inexorable decline” was to be avoided. Mr Pennycook added that had the Co-op Bank not been rescued by its bondholders in December, the taxpayer would have been left with a bill for £5bilion. He also said he believed it would take 10 years for the Co-op Group to fully recover from the events of 2013. The group has already announced £100m of cost cuts this year but Mr Pennycook said he expected cost cuts would eventually amount to £300m.

KENYA’S third largest mobile operator Telkom Kenya has dismissed acquisition reports, saying it plans to inject $29 million to transform its operation to enhance service delivery and increase market share. The firm’s Chief Execitive Officer Mickael Ghossein refuted reports that its parent company, France Telecom, has put its Kenyan subsidiary up for sale, clarifying that it was looking for a strategic investor but not a buyer. “Telkom is looking for a strategic investor and not a buyer,” Ghossein said in Nairobi. A local media reported that France Telecom/Orange has notified the Kenyan government of its intent to sell its 70 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya. Orange is already said to be in talks with several buyers.

Total discovers oil in Cote d’Ivoire offshore

RENCH oil giant Total has announced the discovery of oil in Saphir-1XB exploration well in the deep offshore west of Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa. “Drilled in an abrupt margin play, this first well is the first discovery in the San Pedro Basin, a frontier exploration area in Cote d’Ivoire. “ Having confirmed the presence of a petroleum system containing light oil, we will next evaluate this very promising find and focus on its extension to the North and East,’’ Marc Blaizot, Senior Vice President, Exploration at Total stated. The group said that the offshore in which Total enjoyed 54 per cent interest, was located in 2,300 metres of water and drilled to a total depth of 4,655 metres. In line with its intensive exploration programme in the area, Total planned to drill two wells by the end of theyear.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

TAXATION

Assessment procedure(1)

HE overriding objective of assessment function is to ensure that all taxpayers, within a defined tax jurisdiction, are brought into the tax net and assessed correctly in order to plug all possible leakages. Generally, taxpayers are categorised according to the legal status of their businesses which includes the following: • Individuals/Enterprises, usually sole proprietorship or selfemployed • Partnership, association of two or more persons coming together in business to make profit. • Corporate entities/public companies, usually limited by shares • Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), usually unlimited or limited by guarantee. A brief description of each of the above business entities will help in the understanding of their respective duties and obligation under the tax laws. Individual/Enterprises: This is a taxable person who is chargeable to tax in his own name or in the name of a receiver, or his agent. Usually, the tax affairs of this category of taxpayers are to be handled by the State Internal Revenue Service (SIRS), where the taxable person domiciled or resides. Individuals are assessed to tax under the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA). Partnership: This category of businesses is assessed to tax under the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) in the same manner as individuals/enterprise. In Nigeria, Partners are assessed in their individual names, based on the share of partnership profits allocated to them. Non-Governmental Organisations: These are non-profit making organisations which are qualified for income tax exemption under Section 23(1)(i) of CITA C21 LFN, 2004). They are often unlimited or at best limited by guarantee. These types of organisations have duty to apply for exemption. The form in which NGOs are registered determines which Tax Authority will handle their tax affairs. Corporate Entities/Public Companies: These are limited liability companies or public companies registered with profit – motive in mind. Their tax affairs are being handled by the Federal Taxing Authority. Assessment function in an Integrated Tax System is agreed to include filing and assessment duties with respect to all taxes being collected by that office among which are: PPT, CIT, VAT, WHT, CGT etc. Classes of assessment Assessments are normally raised on the Income or Profit of companies or corporation raising from trade or business carried on in Nigeria. Assessment is to be imposed on the ‘‘Profit’’ of an enterprise in relation to an accounting period. There are two (2) principal classes of assessments, namely; Self-Assessment:- This assessment scheme aims at shifting the duty of raising of assessment to the taxpayers themselves. Under this system, the taxpayer is expected to accompany its tax returns with self-assessment notice and an evidence of payment to the FIRS through appropriate designated collecting bank. Government Assessment:- This is an assessment raised on behalf of the Government by the Tax Authorities, examples of which are: • Assessment raised in accordance with audited accounts and computations filed by the taxpayers. • Administrative assessment based on physical assessment of the company or profit perceived to be fair and reasonable. • Protective/jeopardy assessment. • Amended/additional assessment. Types of assessment Assessments based on taxpayers’ returns These are assessments based on the information contained in the taxpayer’s returns. The tax computations together with the capital allowances computations are enclosed along with the audited accounts and such assessment could either be self-assessment or government assessment. Minimum tax Minimum Tax is payable by every company in Nigeria when the total profits of the company from all sources have produced on tax, or tax payable which is less than the minimum tax specified by the law. However, the followings are exempted from the payment of minimum tax: • Companies engaged in agricultural trade or business. • Companies with at least 25 per cent imported equity capital. • Any company for the first four (4) years of its commencement of business. The rates applicable to companies which are liable to minimum tax is the highest of any of the following: • 0.5 pwe cent of Gross Profit • 0.5 per cent per cent of Net Assets • 0.25 per cent of Paid-up Share Capital • 0.25 per cent of Turnover of up to N500, 000. If however the turnover is higher than N500, 000, the minimum tax payable will be the highest of the above plus 0.125per cent of the excess of the turnover above N500, 000. Treatment of Capital Allowances when Minimum tax is applicable It is important to note that in any year of assessment when minimum tax is chargeable, the capital allowance due in that tax year must be adjusted against the profit of that year along with the unabsorbed balances brought forward. This treatment is adopted to ensure that the charging of minimum tax does not preclude the deduction from assessable profit and the utilisation of capital allowances for that year. The position of the law is that capital allowances should be deducted as far as possible, from the assessable profit of that year and the unabsorbed portion, if any, shall be carried forward. Minimum tax on dormant cases Minimum Tax is justified on the theoretical premise that every

asset should generate an income and it is applied as an anti-tax avoidance measure. This tax is sometimes referred to as asset tax. Already, it is being applied in that manner during periods of dormancy in the sense that minimum tax is computed and charged on net asset or share capital, whichever is the higher of the two. The aim of this clarification is to ensure uniformity in the application of the law on minimum tax with respect to dormant cases. Minimum tax should be computed although the assessment may be raised when the business eventually recommences. Best of judgment assessment This is raised where audited accounts and other relevant returns are not submitted within the stipulated time in line with the tax law. It is usually based on “fair and reasonable’’estimate of income/ profit of the preceding year’s results reported by the company. Amended/revised assessment Where accounts are submitted and the basis of the assessment is faulted, the original assessment earlier made is revised or amended in line with the new information as disclosed in the tax computations. Additional assessment The Board is empowered to examine the returns submitted by taxpayers in order to ensure that the presentation of the accounting details conform with provisions of the Income Tax Act. Unapproved claims and allowances discovered are disallowed and added back to profit. This, in addition to other information will form the basis for additional assessment. All rules and regulations governing other assessments also apply to additional assessments. Jeopardy/protective assessment These assessments are raised on the ground of expediency. If the relevant tax authority is of the opinion that such assessments are necessary for any reason of urgency, which may include the following: • Where a case referred to the Board for ruling is yet to be determined. • Imminent liquidation of a company or an intention to dispose of its valuable assets, the result of which may cripple its operation. • Imminent sale or transfer of trade/business of the company to another. • Intended remittances to foreign partners. • Payment being made to a taxpayer who had hither to been evading tax. • Imminent escape by a taxpayer to foreign counties. • in all other cases of emergency. Assessment on turnover Under Section 30(1) (a) and (b) of CITA C21 LFN, 2004, the Board is empowered to assess on the turnover of the taxpayer’s business. Where it appears that the trade or business produces no assessable profits or declare turnover that is less than might be expected to arise from such trade or business. Such an assessment is made by assuming a fair percentage of turnover as assessable or adjusted profit for the year to which capital allowances and other deductions are charged before arriving at total profit, And then applying the current rate of tax to determine tax due for the year. Assessment levied on dividend provision where no tax is computed or payable Section 19 of CITA empowers the Board to raise assessment on amount of dividend paid to shareholders as if such dividend

• Acting Executive Chairman, FIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi declared is the total profit of the company for the year of assessment to which the accounts relates. Such a situation may arise where a company declares dividend to its shareholders when it has no tax payable reported as a result of: • No total profits; or • Total profits which are less than the amount of dividend paid. In all case where dividend is declared, officers should always compare the total profits to the amount of dividend declared. Other assessments/levies There are other levies or imposition usually encountered in the course of assessment duties, among which are: Penalty for late returns: Penalty is normally imposed when a taxpayer’s audited accounts and tax computations are submitted late to the Revenue Authority. The amount of penalty at present is N25,000 for the first month in which the failure occurs and N5000 for each subsequent month of failure. It is a form of assessment raised whenever the returns are submitted late. The amount is subject to review from time to time at the discretion of government. Pre-operational levy: This is levy imposed on companies which fail to commence business within six months after their incorporation. The levy is N20, 000 in the first instance and N5000 for any other year, if it still has not commenced business. It is to be levied when the taxpayer applies for the Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC). Pre-operational levy should not be imposed for any previous years when the company did not apply for TCC; neither should it be raised in arrears to cover earlier years. Education tax levy: This is a levy being imposed on all taxable companies in Nigeria to assist Government in the development of education in Nigeria. It is charged at the rate of two pwe cent of the assessable profit and should be assessed alongside the normal tax assessment for each year. Pioneer Companies are usually not assessed to Education Tax in view of the income exemption status from tax payment that they enjoy during the pioneer period.

NEWS • From left: Ayoade, Alhaji Aliyu; Onimole; Associate Consultant, DACA Consults Ltd., Mr. Salaudeen Adekanmbi, and Chairman, Board of Fellows, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and SupplyManagement of Nigeria (CIPSMN), Mr. Niyi Fadipe, at the maiden edition of the academy in Lagos.

‘Procurement vital to management’

N institute DACA Consults Procurement Academy has held its maiden human resource development programme in Ikeja, Lagos. Its Managing Consult, ‘Bayo Ayoade, said because procurement experts play a vital in an organisation, there is need to train them continuously. He said the school would operate in three phases: hold-

By Joseph Eshanokpe

ing monthly programmes, a professional institute and a research centre. Speaking on theme Examining the legal framework of public procurement management in Nigeria, he said for transparency, the Federal Government enacted the Procurement Act 2007, as recommended by the World Bank, and that 10 states so far have domesticated the

Act. They include Lagos, Ekiti,Niger, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Cross River and Alkwa Ibom. President, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN), Alhaji Mohammed Jimoh Aliyu, canvassed professionalism as a panacea for the ‘rapid development’ of Nigeria, noting that his colleagues should be given a major role in a top management. He be-

rated professionals who dump their core values for the filthy lucre. General Manager, Lagos State Procurement Agency, Niyi Onimole, said procurement has a bright future, adding that chief executives are vital to the industry. He urged his colleagues to attend to complaints and put in place a review mechanism to handle problems that might arise from tenders.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

•President Goodluck Jonathan (right) receiving a letter from a Special envoy from the Saharawi Republic, Mr Abdulfatah Mahmod Jadod, in Abuja.

•Governors: Gabriel Suswam, Benue (left); Emmanuel Uduaghan; Delta; Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) and Idris Wada of Kogi State at a National Security Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN.

•Chairperson, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State, Hajia Aminat Yusuf (left), swearing-in the Secretary to the Oke-Ero Council, Mr Michael Olaiya, at the Council Secretariat in Ilofa, Kwara. •From left: Mother of the groom, Iyalaje of Oyo, Mrs Titi Orija-Adesoye, the couple, Adeola and Omobolanle bride’s father and mother and Royal Ambassador to Alaafin of Oyo, Aare Ayandotun Ayanlakin at the wedding of the couple, at Iperu monarch’s palace, Ogun State... at the weekend.

•L-R: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal, Alex Badeh, Executive Director, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo, Director of Procurement, Major General Tukur Buratai and Principal General Staff Officer to CDS, Air Commodore James Gwani during a courtesy visit to the Chief of Defence Staff in Abuja. •President, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes(CCII) (left), Chief Bayo Oyero; eldest son of the Olubadan, Prof. Femi Lana; member, Olubadan Centenary AnniversaryCommittee, Chief Tunji Adio, at the Olubadan Centenary Symposium on ‘Ageing, Longevity and God Ordained Prophecy’ in Ibadan.

•Senior District Head of Gombe, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abubakar(left) with Gombe State Director, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Alhaji Abdulkadir Mairiga, at an Advocacy Sensitisation Forum for Stakeholders of SURE-P on Maternal and Child Health in Gombe

•Intending couples waiting to be married at the Wedding Fatiha of first 100 couples in Kaduna...yesterday.

•Chairman, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka (right) presenting House Loan cheque to Mr Olusola Ibikunle. With them is LASIEC Permanent Secretary Mr Yinka Jeje.

•From left;Vice-President’s wife, Hajiya Amina Sambo; Chairman, Wedding Fatiha of 100 couples, Alhaji Ishaq Al-madani and Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero, during the wedding...yesterday.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

POLITICS

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

ABIA POLITICS Abia State Governor Theodore Orji will step down next year, after completing his two terms of eight years. The succession battle is gathering momentum in the Southeast state. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines the chances of the aspirants and the issues that will shape the governorship poll.

Abia 2015: Who succeeds Orji?

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abia State chapter, has resolved to zone the governorship to Abia South Senatorial Zone in 2015. This decision also enjoys the backing of Governor Theodore Orji. The zone is populated by the Ukwa/ Ngwa ethnic nationality, which has not produced the governor, since the state was created 22 years ago. Orji has reaffirmed this decision at different fora. When the people of the zone organised a reception for him at Aba, the commercial nerve centre, and when he hosted Ukwa/Ngwa professionals from Lagos and Abuja to the Government House Umuahia, he reiterated that the decision on power shift was sanscosant. Many stakeholders have applauded the governor, saying that he was laying a solid political foundation based on equity, fairness and justice. The decision, they said, would give a sense of belonging to the zone. In 1999, Dr. Orji Kalu from Abia North Senatorial Zone was elected and he served for eight years. Orji is from Abia Central Senatorial zone. By the time his tenure elapsesnext year, an indigene of Abia South is expected to mount the saddle. Eyes are on Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Gen Azubuike Ihejirika. But, there are other aspirants in the race. Orji returned to the People Democratic Party (PDP) after a brief stint in the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He has demonstrated a strong political will to unify all the political divides and this has culminated into the oneness and unity that remains the strength of the PDP in Abia State. Unless there is a political miscalculation, it may be difficult for any other political party to upturn the political fortunes of the PDP in the state. Orji has managed to carry the majority of the political stakeholders along in his administration. As a result, his ruling PDP remains a party to beat. For the PDP, the searchlight for Orji’s successor has been beamed to Abia South where many governorship aspirants have indicated their interest in the number one position. Among those eyeing the job are Hon. Uzor Azubuike, Mr. Friday N. Nwosu, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and Nkechi Nwaogu. Hon. Acho Nwakamma, Chief Emeka Wogu, Dr Okozie Ikpeazu, Ambassador Okey Emuchay and Chief Marc Wabara. These gladiators are from Abia South, except, Hon. Uzor Azubike and Senator Nkechi Nwaorgu, who are of the Ngwa ethnic nationality, but geographically located in Abia Central. Senator Nwaogu is representing Abia Central. She will complete her second term in the Senate next year. She was a member of the House of Representatives. She was born in Umuapu in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area and married to a gentleman from Osisioma Local Government. Both communities are located in Abia Central Zone, but are part of Ngwaland. Her co-traveller in this race is Hon. Uzor Azubike. He is from Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area in Abia Central. He is representing Aba North/Aba South constituency in the House of Representatives Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State, has always been populated by non-indigenes. This makes the city politically vibrant. Orji is believed to have demonstrated enough political will and sagacity in the

• Abaribe

• Orji

Aspirants • Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika • Uzor Azukuike • Friday Nwosu • Enyinnaya Abaribe • Nkechi Nwaogu • Acho Nwakama • Emeka Wogu • Okozie Ikpeazu • Okey Emuchay • Marc Wabara last seven and half years and he may leave power on a blaze of glory, if he makes good his promise to give the 2015 governorship ticket to an aspirant of Abia South extraction. But, in the view of many observers, if the PDP leadership offers the ticket to either Nwaogu or Azubike, it would mean denying Abia South the ticket and the opportunity to occupy the position. That, they say, would amount to retaining the position in Abia Central, thereby denying Abia South a sense of belonging. The odds may favour either Nwosu or Abaribe, Wogu, Emuchay, Nwakamma, and Nwabara, to succeed Orji. Nwosu is a legal luminary from Umuora

town in Obingwa Local Government Area. He is one of the strongest contenders to the number one seat. He is believed to have made wide consultations within the state. He has been involved in various political activities of the PDP, at the local, state and federal levels. He has also excelled in all party functions, activities and responsibilities enthrusted on his shoulders. He is a lawyer to the registered Trustees of Nigerian Governors Forum and he successfully defended the forum in the case of Lagos State Governor vs Jonah Jang of Plateau State. Nwosu was the PDP counsel at the Abuja High Court which set aside the order of injunction restraining the PDP convention of August 2013. Nwosu is a team player, who can be confided in. He is detribalised and non controversial. Abaribe, another contender for this position, is a two term Senator and former deputy governor. He contested for the governorship on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003. He is currently the spokesman of the Senate. He hails from Obingwa Local Government Area. Nwakamma, was the deputy governor to Kalu and Orji. He is also from Obingwa Local Government Area. He contested the senatorial election in 2007 under the PPA and lost to Abaribe.

‘Apart from these PDP aspirants, it is expected that other political parties willing to make any impact in 2015 will to zone their governorship tickets to Abia South. This is to ensure equity and assuage the feeling of marginalisation in the zone’

• Wogu

Wogu is the Minister of Labour and Productivity. He is from Aba South Local Government Area. He was the former vice chairman and later, chairman of the council. Ikpeazu is the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) in charge of Aba and its environs. He is an in-law to one of the aspirants and former Deputy Governor Acho Nwakamma. His aspiration seems to have severed his relationship with his in-law. Also, his rumoured support for the son of the Governor, Mr. Chinedu Orji, has not gone well with many chieftains and leaders of the PDP. The speculation about imposition may tear the PDP apart. But, the governor has refuted the rumour that his family had endorsed him as his successor. Ambassador Emuchay and Chief Nwabara are from Azumini and Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area. The former is the country’s Consular General in South Africa while the later was former chairman of the defunct Hallmark Bank. But, beyond the political pedigree of these aspirants, other factors that will shape or determine the emergence of a candidate include the ability of the candidate to forge unity in the chapter. However, some of these aspirants are employing various methods to get the governor’s endorsement. Others are working hard to market themselves to the party leaders and members. But, all of them would be judged based on their performances. But, apart from these PDP aspirants, it is expected that other political parties willing to make any impact in 2015 to zone their governorship tickets to Abia South. This is to ensure equity and assuage the feeling of marginalisation in the zone.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

POLITICS Dr. Claimz Enamhe is the Special Assistant on Youth Development Matters to Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State. He spoke with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU on the 2015 general elections and other issues.

‘We need stiff penalty for electoral offenders’

HE resolution of electoral disputes is a major challenges facing our electoral system. What is your view? This brings to the fore the clamour for electoral courts or tribunals to deal solely with electoral matters. There is a strong need for the creation of Electoral Offences’ Commission to discourage or reduce electoral offences and fraud in our system. The beauty of it is that, being a specialised court, it will be time conscious so that cases before it will be disposed of before the swearing in of elected officers. What minimum penalty do you recommend for those found guilty of electoral offences? Well, if people get as much as 10 years, depending on the nature of their offences and people see judgment being administered in the first election, it will serve as deterrent to others and by the second or third election, people will fall in line. The conventional courts drag matters for so long and we can’t find people being punished for electoral offences. The electoral fraud commission should run independently and have competent judges of high integrity. If this is done, it will seriously help our electoral process and confer on our elections the much desired credibility, if the culprits are made to serve jail terms and, in some cases, barred from holding public offices or from contesting elections for a period of 10 years our democracy will be the better for it. Don’t you think that the decline in the judicial budget will hamper the courts in the discharge of its duties? The decline in the judicial budget

ultimately would seriously affect judicial policy implementation. For instance, if judges budget for a proceeding recorder and their budget decreases, they will keep taking records and writing with long hands. This will definitely lead to delay in judgement delivery because their salaries remain constant. The job suffers because the monies should ordinarily be meant for cars for the judges, transportation for judicial staff, refresher courses for both judges and bailiffs. So, I strongly advocate for increased budgetary allocations for the judiciary. I foresee that, with the continuous decrease in their budget, especially in an election year, with the burden of pre-election and post-election cases, the country will suffer for it. There has been persistent calls for specialisation in law practice. What is your reaction to this? Specialisation is ideal in law, but would it bring the necessary changes in the practice because some lawyers have made some reasonable success in commercial law practice, others in criminal law, and some in election petitions? Well, the beauty of specialisation is that at every given time, the lawyer is on top of his game and this makes research easy. What is your reaction to the defection of PDP chieftains to the APC?

•Dr. Enamhe

Well, it is all part of democracy. When you feel that your party does not serve your interest, you are free to change and go to where your interest is protected. Right from the beginning, politics has always been a game of interest. So, nothing drives the politician more than his political or group interest. Having said that, we are not ignorant

of the challenges of leadership in our party. That was the reason for the change of our party chairman. We went for a younger person that has the drive, the passion and the strategy to mobilise and reposition the party. What is your assessment of your new chairman? Well, Adamu Muazu is a very deep person that has this pleasant and welcoming mien. His gift is in his smiles. He is very soothing and very consoling for the game, a changer who within the short time that he has been at the helms of Wadata Plaza, has shown clearly, his dispute resolution skills, after speaking with him last time, I was amazed to find out that there is no town in the 774 Local Government Areas of the country that he does not have a friend. Do you know that he keeps in touch with his friends at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria till date. The PDP will grow with him and win the 2015 general elections. I can also say without equivocation that, under him, most of the defectors will find their way back into the party. In fact, the return journey has commenced Why do you still remain in the PDP, in spite of the allegations of misadministration and poor leadership? Well, the PDP is a very responsible party and cannot degenerate to the kind of First Republic style attack by

‘The conventional courts drag matters for so long and we can’t find people being punished for electoral offences. The electoral fraud commission should run independently and have competent judges of high integrity’

the opposition. Our National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, is a highly cultured and experienced attorney, who has a great knowledge of law and politics. Very soon, the opposition will chew their words because enough is enough. Your boss is a lawyer. How do appraise his performance in office as the governor of Cross River State? Today, as we speak, in Nigeria, Senator Liyel Imoke is the only politician with a truly good heart. He has no political enemy and can work with anybody on his developmental programmes. Even with little or no resources, Cross River State is more developed than Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. So, you can imagine what he would have done with resources, his cabinet has members of the opposition, youths and 35 per cent of women starting from the wards to the councils. Every local government area has at five women in a 10-man legislative council and where there is a man as a Chairman and a woman is the Vice chairman. He has a listening ear and his government is participatory. Are you contesting the governor-ship election in Cross River State when the incumbent finishes his tenure? Well, I am not in charge of my political destiny. My people would decide, if my antecedents, my attitudes to the electorate can allow them to invest in me in any elections, not necessarily the governorship. Our governor, Senator Liyel Imoke in his rare wisdom just inaugurated the northern senatorial caucus led by Chief Linus Okom. He said we should jaw-jaw and put our best foot forward, I can say on good authority that the Governor means

Fayemi: We‘ve fulfilled our campaign promises

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who is seeking a seond term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is on the camapaign tour of 130 towns and villages constituting the state. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, who has been on the campaign trail, examines some issues that have made the campaign unique.

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi kicked off his re-election campaign, following the release of the guidelines on the June 21 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The umpire had set March 23 for the commencement of the capaign. As a leading candidate determined to renew his mandate, Governor Fayemi, who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is already ahead of his rivals in the race for the number one seat with vigorous campaign rallies in the hinterland. In every community visited, the governor reiterated that he has fulfilled his campaign promises. He said the renewal of his mandate will make him to continue the good work. The first day of the campaign period March 23, was a special day in Mr. Governor’s campaign diary. He kicked off the campaign with a special church service at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Isan-Ekiti, his hometown. The event was to thank God for the successes recorded by Fayemi in the last three-and-half years and to commit his bid for second term to the hand of God. The day was rounded off with a massive rally by indigenes of Isan under the aegis of the Home Support Group to announce to the whole world that Fayemi’s kinsmen are solidly behind him. This was followed by a Grand Rally on March 27 held at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti in which Governor Fayemi was joined by eight other governors from the APC bloc who came to show him solidarity and endorse his candidature. The crowd that thronged the Grand Rally was unprecedented in the history of the state and bore eloquent testimony to the popularity of the governor in the state.

‘In every community visited, the governor reiterated that he has fulfilled his campaign promises. He said the renewal of his mandate will make him to continue the good work. • Fayemi

On April 2, Fayemi commenced his community-by-community rallies which would take him to all hamlets, villages and towns that make up Ekiti State in a bid to feel the pulse of the electorate and ask for their votes in the June 21 poll. It is on record that only the governor and his party has unfolded a hamlet-by-hamlet, village-by-village and town-by-town campaign, which is being implemented religiously as the election day draws nearer. The governor has his legacies across the state made up of life-changing policies, tangible and verifiable projects, which have boosted the standard of living of Ekiti people since his ascension to power in October 2010. Fayemi has been able to showcase his achievements in his campaign trail while candidates of other parties are only making promises, some realistic and others unrealistic. Beneficiaries of the policies initiated

and executed by the Fayemi administration, like the payment of the monthly stipends to the aged people, have formed themselves into independent campaign groups selling the governor’s candidacy to other people. In all the communities visited, beneficiaries of the Social Security Scheme for the Aged came out in large numbers and prayed ceaselessly for the success of Fayemi at the polls and urged other Ekitis to vote the man that has delivered them from old age poverty. Fayemi’s re-election bid has been receiving the support of the various interest groups, who have endorsed his candidacy in the various local government areas visited so far. It has been unprecedented welcome for the governor in his whistle-stop outreach to the grassroots ahead of the polls with the appreciative electorate promising to give their votes to the APC flag bearer on Election Day. These interest groups include the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in

the LGAs, student bodies of the communities, market women associations, youth organizations, farmers, ethnic nationalities resident in the communities, traditional institutions, renowned artistes among others. During the governor’s campaign tour to Efon Local Government Area, the Iyaloja of Efon Alaaye, Mrs. Asunke Ojo, said all market women in the state are solidly behind Fayemi because of his care for women, youths and aged people. The market leader said he various empowerment initiatives of the wife of the governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, has turned around the fortunes of the womenfolk in the state. During Fayemi’s campaign rally in Omuo-Oke, Ekiti East Local Government Area, an indigene of the community, Mr. Olusegun Otutebi, said he came home to drum support for the APC standard bearer because of the “great things” the governor has done for his people. Otutebi, who donated a bus in support of Fayemi’s campaign, hailed the governor for the massive renovation carried out in his alma mater, OmuoOke High School, from where he graduated 31 years ago. He told the crowd that he could not recognise his former school again because of the touch of modernity given to it by the Operation Renovate All Schools in Ekiti (ORASE) carried out by the Fayemi administration. During Fayemi’s campaign tour to Ise, headquarters of Ise/Orun Local Government Area, an officer of the United States Army who hails from the community, Captain Sunday Adebomi, joined his kinsmen to canvass support for the re-election bid of the governor. It is believed that many Ekiti in Diaspora will join Fayemi’s campaign train as the D-day draws nearer judg-

ing by their comments on the various pan-Ekiti Internet portals. Fayemi’s ongoing campaign tour to Ekiti communities is not about politicians or members of the APC alone but members of the public who don’t belong to any political party but those who appreciate an excellent performance in office and ready to reciprocate with their votes at the poll. One of them was Mrs. Bimilade Abe, a native of Ise, who told the crowd that thronged the rally in her community that Fayemi’s leadership has brought change to the lives of people. The governor’s rallies in the communities visited also witnessed the defection of a good number of chieftains and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP). They were attracted to the APC by the good work of Fayemi who has spread dividends of democracy to their communities and kinsmen. The Director General of the Fayemi Campaign Organization, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, is adding spark to the governor’s campaign rallies as he is always at home with the youths who are important component of the rallies. Daramola and the youths always add color to the rallies with their razzmatazz as the House of Representatives member is ever ready to mobilize them for door-to-door campaign. As Governor Fayemi continues his campaign rallies in more communities in Ekiti State, he has set tone and raised he bar on how a candidate should run a campaign. No abuses, no lies, no distortion of facts and grandstanding and purely issue-based. The governor speaks on what he has done which are verifiable and what he will still do if re-elected.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

DISCOURSE

Yoruba must not die: Our children must not lose their identity Conclusion of text of a paper delivered by Mrs.Taiwo Makinde (Ph.D), Associate Professor of Public Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife at a lecture series organised by the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Integrity and Good Governance on the need for the preservation of the Yoruba Language at St. Charles Grammar School, Osogbo. •Continued from Friday

Consequences of the failure of our children to speak and write Yoruba HE greatest consequence is T that of loss of identity. You are your language and your language is you. You think and act your language. However, when a child is not familiar with his/her language, his thinking will wobble because he will neither be here nor there. He/she will not fit into his society very well and the tendency is that such a child will misbehave. He will be a stranger in his own land. He/she will not be able to interact with those in the family who cannot speak English. These include some baba agba and iya agba. Where he is expected to prostrate to an elder person, he will stretch his hand for a hand shake. Such a child will bring shame to his parents because he can be referred to as “abiiko”, that is “an untrained child”. It also affects the way the children dress as they will consider the foreign outfits superior to their own. The music, as we have it today, has been influenced by foreign culture and this is why music of nowadays has no meaning, unlike the music of the Yoruba artistes such as Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade, Hubert Ogunde, Victor Olaiya, I. K. Dairo and others which remain evergreen in our memories because the wordings are meaningful. Failure of our children to speak

and write Yoruba means that we cannot warn them of an impending danger in the presence of non-natives without letting others know what we are talking about as parents, because you will have to communicate such instruction to him/ her in the English language which will be a general knowledge to all present. Such a child may not even understand “sign language” which is sometimes used by our parents to speak to us. In line with the opinion of Akinwumi Isola, such a child may not be referred to as an “Omoluabi”. According to him, We the Yoruba are very lucky because we have what to sell to the world. We have what is called Omoluabi to sell to the world and if it is imbibed, the world will be at peace because “omoluabi” is all about being cultured to do good. I don’t know how to translate Omoluabi to English. We have accepted standard of right and wrong . Among the Yoruba, we know what is right and wrong. For example, If somebod is fighting with your child and you discovered that your child did what was wrong to the other persofighting him or her, you will not support your child, you will punish him. That is Omoluabi Act. What is the way forward? Kini ona a ba yo? With all said and done, the important question should be asked: What is the way forward? Kini ona a ba yo?

We cannot allow Yoruba language to die. This is to ensure that Yoruba people do not lose their identity. We must start with the parents who consider English language as being superior to Yoruba, thereby enforcing its usage at home, unfortunately, as mother tongue. It is unnatural and such a pity! This idea must stop. This is a lesson we can learn from Professor Akinwumi Isola who, in an interview conducted on him, stated thus: I stopped my grandchildren who come to visit me from Lagos from calling me “grandpa. I told them to address me as “baba agba”. I told them that anybody in the four corners of my house must speak Yoruba because English language is banned in my house. As parents and grandparents, we can enforce the use of Yoruba language in our respective homes in order to prevent the incidence of glottophagia. In this connection, I may add, quite humorously that, in most cases nowadays, we hear of children calling their mama or iya “mumsy” and baba “popsy”! But I have been told that “popsy” is the name of a dog. It may just be the case that “mumsy” is the name of a cat! Scholars should be encouraged to work in the areas of lapses identified under challenges to ensure that Yoruba is brought to a level that it can be used in the teaching of vari-

•Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola

ous academic disciplines. Yoruba language, as an academic discipline, must be made compulsory in all primary and secondary institutions, at least, in the State of Osun. This will enable more students to offer the subject for JAMB, thereby providing opportunities for more students to study it at the university level. Teachers of Yoruba language should be encouraged to improve themselves through the processes of training and re-training. Most importantly, there is need for re-orientation of the people – young and old – to sensitise them to appreciate the beauty of the Yoruba language as a language we should be proud of. Conclusion We have discussed the history of Yoruba language where we discovered that the language is spoken even outside the shores of Nigeria. Our discusssion also shows that

Yoruba is rich in culture, values, and morals. The challenges confronting the language are identified to include what we call self colonization of both parents and children, while the language consists of moral, academic and social benefits to both the young and the old. We also looked at the consequences of relegating Yoruba to the background which include loss of identity, nationally and internationally. At the end of it all, Yoruba appears to be qualified to be referred to nowadays as an endangered specie. But, we cannot fold our arms and allow this rich language to go into extinction. Yoruba ko gbodo ku. This is to ensure that we do not lose our identity – we and the generations coming after us. At this juncture, I would like to commend the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola who is contributing his own quota to the upliftment of Yoruba and its culture. In fact, I am proud to be from the State of Omoluabi where we have accepted standard of right and wrong. This is why I would want to end this talk with the wordings contained in the State of Osun Anthem which I consider to be very stimulating and worthy to be recited in our different homes in Ipinle Omoluabi. Shall we all then rise and sing this anthem while at the same time we internalize every line of the four stanzas. Ise wa fun ‘le wa Fun orile ibi wa K’agbe ga, k’agbe ga K’agbe ga f’aye ri. Igbagbo wa nipe Ba se b’eru la b’omo Ka sise, ka sise Ka sise, ka jola Isokan at’ominira Ni keje k’ama lepa ‘Tesiwaju, opo ire A‘tohun to dara Omo Odu’a dide Bosi ipo eto re Iwo ni, Imole Gbogbo adulawo Thank you for listening.

NEWS

‘Youths look for short-cut to success’

HE get-rich-quick syndrome among many Nigerians has impacted negatively on the success of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), it has been learnt. A former Director-General of the agency, Oba Samuel Adelodun, said many Nigerian youths never took the programmes of the NDE seriously because of their penchant for short-cut to success and wealth. Oba Adelodun spoke at the weekend in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State at a skills acquisition programme organised by Mike Omotosho Foundation. The monarch, who is the Owalobo of Obbo Aiyegunle, Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, added: “I retired as the director-general of the NDE some eight years ago. The programme of the NDE is a genuine attempt by the Federal Government to assist the youth to be on their own through skills acquisition. “When I was there, it was possible for the NDE to identify 81 fields for the sons and daughters of Nigeria to learn. Throughout my stay, all the states of the federation benefited from the programme. “The difference now is that our youths seem not to take the programme seriously as they are looking for short-cuts to success. This is because of the way we are living in Nigeria. Nobody wants to work.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

‘What we are witnessing today is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, given the growing incident of youth unemployment in the country’ We have not been able to encourage our youths to believe in their handiwork; to live within their means without necessarily having to look for short-cuts. And because of the political environment we find ourselves, it has been possible for politicians to assist

them temporarily for them to enjoy this short-cut approach to success. “After the tenure, the youths would revert to nothing. What is important is that the NDE is not only to give you money but also to teach you how to fish yourself and live a good life. “What we are witnessing today is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, given the growing incident of youth unemployment in the country. This is different because the week-long skills acquisition has focused on the youth. It is also different because God is using a Nigerian to empower our young unemployed graduates.

“Politicians might have been doing that but they are not using their personal funds to finance this

type of empowerment. This gesture is an assistant for the less privileged and the jobless in the society.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21 , 2014

NEWS Several factors determine where funds spent on advertising by government, corporate organisations and individuals go. Managing Director/CEO, Media Perspectives, Dr Tayo Oyedeji says agencies need the right strategy, transparency, quality manpower and technology to deliver right value for clients. He speaks with COLLINS NWEZE.

‘Transparency key in solving agency debt crisis’

HAT is your assessment of Nigeria’s media buying business? I don’t think we are in the media buying business because buying is a commodity. Anyone on the street can walk into a media outlet and buy advertising. We are in the media planning and strategy industry. We help our clients develop media planning strategies that would identify the media outlets that would best reach their target audience and follow that with a strategic buying process that negotiates best-in-class discounts for our clients and optimizes the advertising spend of our clients. What distinguishes Media Perspective from other players in the industry is our strategic expertise. We are audience data specialists who use our esoteric skills to deliver value for our clients. What do you mean by strategy as your differentiating factor? Do you have software that is unique to you? Yes, we have a bunch of software and tools that are proprietary to us. Those tools ensure that we effectively target our clients’ consumers. For instance, I can tell you how many people aged 18 to 25 watched television at 7:15pm in Kano or Lokoja. Apart from our proprietary tools, we also use some industry tools and research studies to analyse audiences. However, the difference between us and others is the quality and depth of our data analysis. I come from an analytical background and have ensured that our people are being trained to become the industry specialists in delivering value to clients via effective audience analysis. For instance, we have started the Media Perspectives School of Media, which is a full academic institute for developing media planners and buyers. As you join Media Perspectives, what new things are you bringing to the company? I think my16 years work experience across many industries and many continents is a significant value for our

agency and clients. I have also studied media management up to the PhD level at the top mass communication school in the world, – University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Journalism. I also have an MBA from Oxford University, which gives me the general management breadth to lead the organization. So I am bringing both technical knowledge and general management knowledge to the table. Aside from the MP School of Media, we have also invested in a new research offering for the industry that will be released sometime during the year. I am a firm believer in the research-driven science of adverting. The days of guess work and heuristics are over, we (media agencies) must be able to deliver consumers to our clients at the cheapest possible cost. How would you assess competition in the industry and what are you doing to stay ahead of competition? I worked at various media agencies both in Nigeria and abroad, and I think Nigerian agencies are gradually closing the gap between them and their global counterparts. in Nigeria, Mediacom, MediaReach, Starcom, Capital Media, Initiative, Universal and a few other agencies have done well. We (Media Perspectives) have also done quite well and I think the future is bright for us and for the industry. Some of those agencies I mentioned earlier are good at planning while others are better at execution but I don’t think anyone of us has put together a complete package to delight the clients. My goal is to make Media Perspectives the first agency to offer excellence across our entire value chain to clients. We just signed an agreement to develop the next generation media Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP) to improve our operational efficiency so that we don’t just excel at audience data analytics but are also the best at media execution. I am very excited about the future of our industry and think that Media Perspectives

•Dr Oyedeji will play a leading role in shaping that future. What is the implication of New Media on media buying and advertising industry? We have not fully plumbed the depth of digital media in Nigeria. We are still dipping our toes in it. But we hope to lead the industry towards a holistic approach to media planning that recognises the increasing importance of the digital ecosystem to consumers. In Nigeria, digital media spend is currently about 4.5 per cent of clients’ budget while it is closer to 30 per cent in more sophisticated media markets. I led the digital media initiative at Mediareach OMD before moving to Media Perspectives and will bring the expertise I deployed for clients at the agency to my new workplace. Why is Ad spend so low in the face of high internet and mobile penetration? It is because Nigerian media agencies have not built the prerequisite expertise to challenge many clients’ apprehensions about the digital space. So we need to do a better job of selling the value

Schneider Electric, FSD partner

CHNEIDER Electric has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Field of Skills and Dreams (FSD) Vocational and Technical Training Academy, Lagos, for the training of Nigerians in electrical installation and maintenance. FSD’s Executive Director, Mrs. Omowale Ogunrinde said the partnership is aimed at developing local skilled workforce to effectively compete with foreign technicians as well as curb unemployment, adding that the training, which would be carried out in the academy, will be interactive and will focus on practical experience at a laboratory fully equipped with Schneider Electric

training solutions. She said: “Schneider is one of the world’s leading energy management companies with notable expertise in vocational training brought into the development of this programme, whereas FSD has been offering effective technical and vocational training for 10 years. With international recognition and awards, FSD’s capacity has been tested and proven to be effective in providing its trainees with jobs and setting them up.” Mrs. Ogunrinde said the training, which commences June, is an upgraded course for people with minimal, or no experience in electrical works and for electricians, students and graduates with

need for further practical training, stating that Schneider’s involvement is part of the company’s decision to help in promoting standards in electrical installation manpower development. Schneider Nigeria’s Country President, Marcel Hochet, said he was excited about the possibility of replicating the firm’s’s training initiative and access to energy, through FSD. “I am particularly delighted that this collaboration will empower many Nigerians to get employment and contribute to the country’s growing power sector. This is a step further towards our aim to massively develop skilled manpower in electricity,” he said.

of digital media to clients so that more budgets can be allocated to that space. For example, Nigeria has one of the highest Click-Through Rates (CTR) in the whole world. So it is absolutely important for any campaign with a call to action of any sort to harness that tendency in the digital space. Could you give us an outlook for Ad spend for 2014 taking into consideration many activities lined up for the year? Media spend will increase by about 25 percent relative to 2013. The core drivers will be Nigeria’s participation in the World Cup and a slight inflation in media rates. What new accounts are we looking out for from Media Perspectives? We are about to start working for some new clients but are bound by a an existing confidentiality agreement. We will make the required announcements shortly. What is the impact or relationship between below-theline (BTL) and media planning business?

Category leaders build brands while strivers focus on promotions. In the 80’s, a particular soft drink brand (name withheld) focused almost entirely on promotions at the expense of Above The Line (ATL) brand building advertising while its major competitor focused on building its brand. The promotions yielded short term sales that seemed to justify that strategy but 20 years later, the brand is struggling while the ATLfocused brand is still as strong as ever. Advertising theory and market realities is clearly on the side of brand building. Is the industry ready for more media planning businesses? Yes. The more the merrier. There are so many global media agency brands that are not yet in this market so there is definitely room for more. The increased competition will lead to more innovation in the industry and deliver better value to clients. We are in this industry to satisfy the client so I think more agencies is definitely a good thing from that perspective. The

good news is that a multiagency world will also allow the best agencies to clearly differentiate with clear values and capabilities beyond others. What are the challenges in the industry? The number one challenge is the quality of our tools and processes. The industry’s tools are not sufficiently sophisticated to provide value to clients in a really dynamic market like Nigeria. The processes in the industry are also too manual. Virtually every process is manual leading to high error rates and even fraud in some cases. Like I mentioned earlier, we have invested into a tool that will automate virtually all our processes so that our operations can be more efficient. Another challenge is issue of debt/payments to media owners. One of my commitments is to find a way to work with all stakeholders in our industry to expedite payments for jobs confirmed to be completed by media owners. We (media agencies) need a more transparent process will give clients, media owners, and media auditors access our system. Media agencies should not be a black box but a transparent system that serves every stakeholder. Media Perspectives has made integrity and transparency a core value that will drive everything we do. We will actively lead the entire industry into a more accountable and transparent model. The question is how would the industry not Media Perspective solve the media debt? It’s an industry problem so Media Perspectives alone cannot solve it. But we will take the lead by consistently doing the right things and hope that others will take a cue from us. I think it is more of a process problem than malice or negative intent. Therefore, the more we create transparent processes and disciplined operations, the easier it would be to resolve the debt issues affecting the industry.

Carter Centre hails foundation

HE officials of The Carter Centre (TCC) has commended the founder and the Executive Vice Chairman of Chrome Group, Sir Emeka Offor, for his financial and material support to the fight of River blindness also known as Onchocerciasis in Africa and especially in Nigeria. The Carter Center is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. A team of epidemiologists, entomologists, public health advocates and officials from The Carter Center paid a courtesy visit to Offor at the Group’s headquarters in Abuja. The Group Communication Chief, Dr Edwin Ndukwe, said the team said

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

that one of the biggest supporters in the fight and elimination of Onchocerciasis in Nigeria is Sir Emeka Offor and asked for continued financial support. The team said: “River blindness also known as Onchocerciasis has become the most endemic disease in Nigeria, which accounts for as much as 40 per cent of the global disease burden. An estimated 27 million Nigerians live with the disease in different parts of 32 states and need treatment. In 2012, the Center provided health education and Mectizan treatments to more than six million people in more than 8,100

villages. This initiative has however received quite an appreciable number of supports in the last couple of years from organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) based in Nigeria through partnership with the Center in the fight against Onchocerciasis. While thanking Offor for his continued support, TCC Country Representative, Dr. Emmanuel S. Miri, said that a thorough mapping of the seven endemic states in Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, and Imo) had been completed and that the Carter Center is poised to scale up its treatment target to reach about 35 million people.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Finalised (9) 7. Employ (3) 8. Tear (3) 9. Succeeded (3) 10. Consumed (3) 12. per Unit (4) 13. Bird (4) 14. Beer (3) 16. Imitate (3) 18. Bed (3) 19. Resort (3) 21. Justly (9)

DOWN

1. Correspond (9) 2. Pinch (3) 3. Sexual Desire (4) 4. Ourselves (2) 5. Moisture (3) 6. Discourage (4) 10. Expression of Surprise (3) 11. Get with Difficulty (3) 15. Enumerate (4) 17. Bird (3) 18. Taxi (4) 20. Father (2)

MISSING LETTERS

All the words in the columns below have lost their first letters as indicated by the blank spaces above them. You are required to find and affix them. When done, all the first letters will form a 9-letter, sexually offensive word or action. Happy Puzzling!‘

Sands of Time AALIYAH

Produced by the successful singer R. Kelly, the album quickly sold a million copies and eventually earned platinum status based largely on the success of two hit singles, “Back and Forth” and “At Your Best (You Are Love).” Later that year, tabloid reports surfaced claiming that the sultry teen singer had married the 27-year-old Kelly, but Aaliyah denied the union and the marriage was reportedly annulled.

Natalie Portman

Singer, actress. Born Aaliyah Dana Haughton, on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, the young singer competed unsuccessfully on the television program Star Search at age 11. Later that same year, she performed with R&B legend Gladys Knight, the former wife of her uncle and manager, Barry Hankerson, at a five-night stand in Las Vegas. In 1994, at the age of 15, Aaliyah catapulted onto the R&B charts herself with her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number”.

Pep Talk

While a student in the dance program at Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts (she graduated in 1997), Aaliyah released her sophomore album, One in a Million (1996). Helmed by the well-known pop producer Timbaland and featuring rap performer Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, One in a Million portrayed the 17year-old singer as a sultry hip-hop chanteuse with a selfconfidence well beyond her years. The album garnered favorable reviews and sold two million copies. In 1997 she recorded “Journey to the Past,” the Academy Award-nominated theme song to the animated feature Anastasia and performed the song for the Oscar telecast in 1998. Her next soundtrack effort, “Are You That Somebody?” for 1998’s Dr. Dolittle, starring Eddie Murphy, went to No. 1 on the R&B charts and was a pop crossover hit, earning Aaliyah her first Grammy Award nomination. In 2000, Aaliyah made her acting debut in the surprise action hit Romeo Must Die, starring opposite martial arts star Jet Li in a Romeo and Juliet-inspired story set in modern-day Los Angeles. She was also an executive producer of the movie’s soundtrack and performed the hit single “Try Again,” which netted her a second Grammy nomination as well as two MTV Music Video Awards for Best Female Video and Best Video From a Film. Aaliyah was killed on August 25, 2001, when a small Cessna passenger plane carrying the singer and her video crew crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Abaco Island in the Bahamas, where they had just completed work on a video. The plane was headed for Miami, Florida. Aaliyah and seven other people, including the pilot, were believed to have died instantly, while a ninth passenger died later at a Bahamian hospital. Aaliyah was 22 years old at the time of her death. She is survived by her parents, Diane and Michael Haughton, and an older brother, Rashaad

HUMOUR True Believers The two thousand member Baptist church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church. One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons. The one in the middle announced, “Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!” Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor. After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit. The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, “All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service.”

Getting Into Fights A young couple drove several miles down a country road, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument, and neither wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, the husband sarcastically asked, “Are they relatives of yours?” “Yes,” his wife replied. “I married into the family.”

Our ideas like orange plants, spread out in proportion to the size of the box which imprisons the roots. – Edward Bulwer Lytton

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

COUNTRY CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1.German City (6) 3.South American Country (4) 5. Top European City (6) 8. Republic, formerly of Denmark (7) 10. Country, SE of Europe (7) 13. World Power, abbrv.(3) 14. W/A Country (6) 15. Sovereign Entity (5) 16. First Capital of Nigeria (7) 17. Eastern Nigerian City (3)

HUMOUR sHoWBlITzz Fleetwood Mac announces 2013 concert tour

Rock band Fleetwood Mac kicked off its 34-city United States concert tour April 4 in Columbus, Ohio, Live Nation has announced. Tickets go on sale Dec. 14. The “Fleetwood Mac Live 2013” arena tour included stops in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees last took their show on the road in 2009 with the sold-out “Unleashed” concert tour, Live Nation said. The new tour also marked the 35th anniversary of the release of their classic “Rumours” album, which has sold more than 40 million copies. “Having started Fleetwood Mac with John McVie in 1967, it has always been so gratifying that despite the various incarnations, the band has survived. Throughout the years, though, the one thing that has remained constant is our fans. I am looking forward to getting back behind the kit, reconnecting with the fans and sharing the stage with my fellow band members,” Mick Fleetwood said in a statement . “After spending four days at Lindsey’s house working on music and one really fun day doing a crazy photo session, I am quite excited about next year. Everything seems to be falling into place. 2013 looks like the year of Fleetwood Mac,” Stevie Nicks said

Pep Talk

People & Culture VIETNAMESE PEOPLE

The culture and people of Vietnam are very hard to describe unless you have actually experienced them. As I am not Vietnamese, and although I am interested in Vietnam, have never been there, I had to keep these reports on the people and culture to the facts I found in numerous references. If you wish to get a more personal view of culture and life in Vietnam, please go to our Viewpoints section. The people of Vietnam have a unique and fascinating culture that has been shaped by thousands of years of history. Their culture has been influenced by many other civilizations: the ancient peoples that once inhabited the land, the Chinese, the French, and most recently, the Americans and Russians. From all these outside influences, and centuries of war, oppression, and hardship, they have formed, and maintained their culture. The people of Vietnam are hard working and feel strong ties to their families. They are well versed in the arts, and have made several contributions to the world of literature. Aside from their painful history, the Vietnamese people have a culture and many customs, all their own.

DOWN 1.Western Nigerian City (5) 2.Where Julius Caesar Reigned (4) 4.Nigerian State (3) 5.Nigeria’s Commercial Capital (5) 6. Central American Country (9) 7. Fmr. US Colony (6) 9. Coca Growing Country (8) 10. Fmr. Unit of USSR (6) 11. Spanish City (6) 12. French W/A Territory (5)

HUMOUR pastor and a church sister were Being

Intimate under a tree,not knowing,a smoker was up on the tree hiding & smoking. After the act,the sister asked the pastor, did u use condom? Pastor: no!!!! why? Girl: supposing i get pregnant who will take care of the baby? The pastor replied,“let’s leave it to the one above. Suddenly the smoker jumped down and shouted, U DEY CRAZE? LEAVE WETIN 4 WHO? NA ME bleep AM? An American, an English man, and a Nigerian were on a ship. Suddenly the Devil appeared and said, “Drop anything in the sea, if I find it I will eat u, If I can’t, I will be your slave!” The American dropped a pin, the Devil found it and ate him. The English man dropped a coin, the Devil found it and ate him too. The Nigerian opened a bottle of water, poured it in the sea and said, “Na today be today, go find am!”. *A Nigerian man fainted outside Mr. Biggs (an eatery). Soon a crowd gathered around him and someone suggested, “Give him some water, it will help.” Hearing this, the man opened one eye and said, “Commot from here, if na water I wan drink, I for go faint for water board…” (Translation: “Get lost! If I needed water, I would faint in front of a water facility) *A man sits on the balcony having drinks with his wife, and he says, “I love you!” She asks, “Is that you or the beer talking?” He replies, “It’s me… talking to the beer.” *A husband comes home from Church, greets his wife, lifts her up and carries her around the house. The wife is so surprised and excited! She asked with smiles, “Did the Pastor preach on being romantic?” Out of breath the husband replies, “No, he said we must carry our cross.” A man brought his elderly father on visit to Lagos from the village for the first time. After dinner, the son asked the father: Son: “Father, should I bring you Coca-Cola?” Father: (not knowing what Coca-Cola means), “You can bring the Kola now, but as for the Coca, you can keep it till later.”

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. – Johann Gottfried Von Herder

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS (SHOWBIZ) Bunmi Davies stages go, San or vad Hugh Masekela, Asa, Sal PlaysbyBunmiDavies others serenade at Calabar Jazz Festival N OTABLE producer, Bunmi Davies, will today host the second edition of his annual PlaysbyBunmiDavies series at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Tagged: Once upon a mad man, the play is written by Idowu Nuel Koffi and directed by Bunmi Davies. Davies, who has been sharing different photos of the play on instagram, said: “This is a special one; it’s a must to attend! The first edition was amazing and we are ready to deliver quality performances.” He made his debut last year with “Anger of Unfulfillment” written by award-winning poet, playwright and banker, Jekwu Ozoemene. Once upon a mad man, which has been generating a buzz

•From left: Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, former Minister of FCT, Barrister Solomon Ewuga, Chief Gersom Bassey, Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke and Commissioner for Information, Chief Akin Ricketts being thrilled by Jazz maestro, Jimmy Dludlu, at the Calabar Int'l Jazz Festival, Calabar, Cross River State.

HE Easter weekend in Calabar, Cross River State presented yet another holiday of fun for Jazz enthusiasts who travelled from far and near for a threeday musical concert that paraded a huge list of Nigerian and foreign stars. The shows, which started last Friday, ends tonight, with notable South African artiste, Hugh Masekela and Nigeria’s lady of voice, Yinka Davies anchoring a private peace concert to be hosted by the state governor, Sen. Liyel Imoke. The session is expected to highlight the killings in some parts of Nigeria. “Having endured the horrors of Apartheid, we feel it is fitting to have Hugh Masekela help us to highlight this disturbing new trend in parts of our beloved country, even as we search for solutions. We must never forget the victims,” said Imoke. For a holiday ‘therapy’, the musical thrill and serenity of the Cross River State capital had attained yet another feat as a leading tourism destination in Nigeria. Interestingly, an unusual number of Arik Air fleets were dedicated to the Calabar

By Victor Akande

routes at the weekend, with several others finding space at neighbouring airports of Uyo, Port Harcourt and Owerri from where passengers found their ways to Calabar. The Jazz festival was a part of the annual Calabar Christmas Festival, until it became standalone last year, as a way of revamping the jazz culture in Nigeria. With an impressive lineup of artistes, the concert has lit up the night at Calabar’s Cultural Centre with smooth jazz, R ‘n’ B and African dance music. Though the show on the first day was late in starting, enthusiasms were lifted by the time the Kinetic Band mounted the stage, as the group delivered a medley of popular African sounds. And with Eddie Isaac, a multi-instrumentalist in action, just about the time the state governor and his entourage were entering the hall, there was no telling that the great applause that greeted the dexterity of the home-grown talent was a taste of other great offerings the festival had in store. Therefore, when Salvador Sango came up with his Afrofuss-

ion style of music, his eclectic mix of Yoruba music with various Western styles took the energy a notch higher. Salvador, a white man, serenaded the crowd with amazing Yoruba titled songs like ‘Aduke’ and ‘Aiye Kooto’, among others, rendering amazing stagecraft with his band. This further confirmed his versatility as a man who had a stint with Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s musical band back in the days. However, nothing compares to the feeling one gets when a young and contemporary Nigerian artiste like Emmanuel Bezhiwa Idakula, a.k.a Bez, is fast becoming a King in a distinct genre that is anchored on pure live performance. The talented multi-instrumentalist and singer was the cynosure of all eyes, as he brought creativity to bear effortlessly. He was one of the late additions to the star-studded lineup, having gained a slew of new fans with his performance at the show’s maiden edition with his ‘Stupid Song’, among other hits. To crown the first day’s show, South Africa’s Jimmy Dludlu, a protege of Hugh Masekela, was every inch a show man. With

mannerism similar to that of his master, he took the crowd through popular tunes, which he performed interactively. From Victor Uwaifo’s ‘Joromi’ to Michael Jackson’s variety, the artiste, whose band included a Yoruba talking drummer, made a good show of his artistry, earning nods from everyone. As Bukola Elemide, aka Asa, who headlined Saturday’s night show mounted the stage, the crowd was already in high spirits for a good time. The soul singer wasted no time in returning their accolades by engaging the crowd in a beautiful sing along style through a medley of some of her favourite songs like “Fire on the mountain’, ‘Bimbanke’ and ‘Be my man’, among others. Her show was preceded by performances by two great bands: Ayo Kunle from Nigeria and Micasa Music Band from South Africa. The show continued last night with American superstar, Keyshia Cole, headlining a session that included Nigeria’s Darey Art-Alade, South Africa’s Liquideep and UK’s Gwyn Jay Allen.

Ghana’s guild decries influx of Nigerian actors

HE leadership of the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) has expressed concern over what it described as the influx of Nigerian actors into the Ghanaian movie industry. Consequently, it has placed a new regulation on Ghanaian movie producers in Kumawood who intend to involve foreign actors in their movies. According to reports, any producer who wishes to feature a foreign actor in his or her movie would be expected to pay a certain levy to the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) and the Actors’ Guild. The measure, according to Asare Hackman, president of FIPAG, is meant to protect the Ghanaian movie producers and the industry as a whole. He, however, stated that it was not intended to “scare foreigners”. At the moment, a few Nigerian actors have been spotted in some famous Kumawood

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

movies, a situation which appears to be gaining grounds in Ghana. The FIPAG president said: “The coming of Nigerian actors and actresses into Ghana to shoot our local movies is a worry to me and FIPAG as well. It is a worry basically because most of our local films are not in English. You know, we have a huge market for Twi mov-

ies in Ghana and if we allow these artistes to come and take the role of Ghanaian artistes, it means that we are depriving our artistes here in Ghana from getting jobs.” According to Hackman, the new trend was due the absence of any regulation to check the situation “making it look like it was free for all.” He further stated that “At least, what we have put in place now will check the situ-

ation. People are starting to be cautious about the foreign artistes they bring down. Indeed, some producers can afford to pay all the sanctions, but what we are trying to do is to try to put some measures in place to check the industry. We should be careful about the seed that we are sowing as producers; otherwise, the likes of Lil Win and Kweku Manu will start to charge as much as our local producers pay the Nigerian actors.”

•Davies By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

in the past few weeks, features Ogbolor, Sege ‘Westsyde’ Adeniji , Tosin Adekunle and others live on stage.

Sophia Chikere launches perfume line

•Chikere

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

OLLYWOOD actress, Sophia Chikere, the ex-wife of top movie director, Tchidi Chikere, has revealed her plans to set up a perfume line called Sophia Secret. The mother of three, who stated this on her Facebook page recently, described the perfume as “unique with a wonderful fragrance that will compete fairly with known brands in the market.” She added that it would be available all over the country as well as the West African sub-region. According to her, “This is a dream come true. God, I bow down before you and I worship you.” It appears the actress has resolved not to live in self-pity, following the breakup of her marriage to the respected movie director. It will be recalled that she was in the news recently when Tchidi tied the knot with his lover of many years, actress Nuella Njubigbo, in a traditional wedding ceremony held in Anambra State.

MUSIGA gets commendation

HE chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Ghana, Mr. P.V. Obeng, has commended the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) for its initiative to establish the primary foundation for the future development of both the music and the larger creative arts sectors.

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

He said this at the recently held Stakeholders’ Validation and Review Forum of the draft report on the comprehensive study of the Ghana’s music industry. He also urged all the existing creative groups in the entertainment sector to emulate

MUSIGA by working to improve and create the needed opportunities for what he described as “clearer policy decision-making options and adoptions for easy implementation.” The NDPC boss further assured the group that he would facilitate the early release of government’s allocated bud-

get to the sector, adding that government would also provide the needed infrastructure for the creative arts sector. According to him, the hitherto moribund National Commission on Culture centres scattered all over the country would be resuscitated. He, however, called for unity among all members within

and outside the creative sector. The forum was attended by stakeholders in the Ghana’s music industry, policy makers, artistes’ managers, events organisers, manufacturers, executive producers, publishers, film makers, marketers, educationists and the media, among others.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

Mudi honours Keshi

T was, indeed, a memorable evening last Wednesday when Mudiaga Enajemom, the CEO of Mudi Couture, honoured Nigeria’s football ambassador and Super Eagles coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, amidst pomp and circumstance. The event, which held at the magnificent corporate headquarters of Mudi Couture in Lagos, was put together to honour the living legend whose immense contributions to the development of football in Nigeria have placed the country on the world map. Anchored by popular comedian and master of ceremonies, Bovi, the event kicked off on a happy note. Mudi gave reasons for hosting the football legend, whom he described as a patriotic Nigerian. He said: In a country where people are mostly recognised and respected when they are dead, we at Mudi Africa decided to change that trend. Coach Stephen Keshi has done a lot for this country and we felt that we don’t have to wait for a statue to be erected after he is gone or a street named

By Babatunde Sulaiman

after him before we honour him. This man has brought smiles to the faces of Nigerians; made the Super Eagles a force to be reckoned with in African football and made Nigeria an envy of others in the global world of football. He sure deserves much more than we are doing for him right now.” In his speech, Keshi said:”I never knew it was going to be like this. Mudi has been on this matter for a long time; but for time, we could not really make the arrangement possible. But if there is anything I want you to know today, it is the fact that I am nothing without my fellow coaches and that is the reason I kept begging that we hold on until these fine gentlemen can attend this event. Daniel Amokachi, Ike Shorunmu and Coach Valerie have been and will continue to be my backbone. They are the boss here. They take the decisions, but mine is just to review and then we implement. My aim is to bring smiles to Nigerians’ faces, and that is what we work tirelessly for every day to achieve. I am most grateful to you all for all you have said and most especially to Mudi for making today possible. Thank you for your support for the team. But one thing I ask of you is your prayers. Pray for the boys and pray for us also. This is because with your prayers and support, we believe nothing is impossible.” It was attended by a number of celebrities, including Deji Omotoyinbo, Deji Tinubu, Dede Mabiaku, Jimi Disu, Daniel Amokachi, Ike Shorunmu, Valere Houandinu, Hon. Festus Eweribo, Chairman of Ika East Local Government in Delta State, Moziz Praiz, Azuh Arinze, Tushotz, Bunmi Davies and Buchi, among others.

•Mudi

Tunde Kelani laments piracy of new work

ARELY 24 hours after ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, released his latest movie, Maami on DVD last Monday, pirates have recreated the imprints and the jackets of the film on cheap DVD for sales across Nigeria. Kelani, who is palpably worried, said some of his fans called him to draw his attention to the activities of the pirates. The original copy marketed by Ajimson Integrated Services Limited is mastered on DVD in a laminated jewel box.

By Victor Akande

Reacting to the incident, Kelani said: “Sadly, this may be my last release in Nigeria. Barely 24hours after the release of Maami on Monday, they have pirated the film such that it has flooded every nook and cranny of Nigeria. Interestingly, everyone quotes this miracle data about the development of Nollywood and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product. What a lie!” According t to him, Nigerian film industry will continue to experience the men-

ace of pirates, while investors suffer due to lack of infrastructure, especially when physical distribution channels are infested by pirates whose dangerous activities are unchecked. “In the last 10 years, I have tried everything to survive the attacks. I have relied on donors and well- wishers to continue to make films. But each time, I lose all the investments. Therefore, I cannot continue to live the rest of my life in this dangerous place called Nigeria,” he added. He also expressed joy over

the choice of the professions of his children. He said: “They have witnessed all the insecurity and uncertainty in the film industry and I don’t blame them for looking at other careers for development. “I pity young Nigerians aspiring to become filmmakers and my advice to them is to seek other media, if they have the talent or they can go to agriculture because Nigeria will one day need to feed itself. Nigeria that Fela Anikulapo called the Big Blind Country (BBC) is finally here!”

Breakup rumour: fans worried for P-Square

HERE are strong indications that the relationship between twin singers, Peter and Paul Okoye of the P-Square fame, may have been strained by their new status as married men. The friction, which sources link to Lola, wife of Peter, has also reportedly affected their business relationship, as their elder brother and manager, Jude Okoye, announced on Friday via his Twitter handle that he was quitting the twins’ record label. The frosty relationship between the twins was said to have gone bad that both engaged in a fiasco last Wednesday, a situation that necessitated their invitation to a lawyer to facilitate the legal splitting of their assets. Peter, it seems, is the one pushing for separation because the other family members are not too happy about his choice of wife. It will be recalled that Jude was absent during Peter’s wedding to Lola in Lagos, last year. A popular blogger, Linda Ikeji, reported that Peter had moved out of their Squareville mansion in Omole, Lagos and now lives in Lekki Phase 1 with his wife, Lola Omotayo and their children. But another source, who did not feel the relocation was due to the quarrel, said it was normal for Peter, who got married first, to move to another

place. Quoting a source, LIB reported that although Peter was at Paul’s wedding in Port Harcourt a few weeks back, he has not been partaking in their company’s activities for a while. The source, according to the report, said: “Forget that he was at his brother’s wedding, things are not good between them right now. He said Paul and Jude are sidelining him. He said if they push out 200 songs, 199 would be songs done by Paul. He said people are now calling him a dancer in P-Square. Peter is really angry. He’s even the cool and friendly one between the brothers. And then, he accused his brother, Jude, of disrespecting his wife. Peter and Jude haven’t spoken in weeks. Peter said Jude had been disrespecting Lola for years and he was done tolerating it. In fact, Peter said that not only is Lola older than Jude, but that she’s also pregnant and Jude was upsetting a pregnant woman. If you notice, Jude didn’t attend their wedding last year, despite the fact that he was in Nigeria. Jude asked Peter why he didn’t marry Lola when their mother was alive. Jude said it’s his wife that is pushing him and they will need to pray for him. In fact, nobody in the Okoye family likes Lola and they didn’t support the marriage. The brothers are really angry at each other. The Police are now even involved. This week, either the

commissioner of police or someone from his office visited their house. The worst part is that they have invited a lawyer to come and share their property. They want to share everything. The lawyer was at their house, I think, on Thursday. Peter said no more P-Square joint ventures. You know, they own everything together, including houses in Omole, Parkview and Atlanta. Except something is

•P-Square

done fast, P-Square is about to be finished. But I know that people have been intervening and begging them to reconsider, that they are the biggest musical duo in Africa. Nobody will benefit if they split. The power to make money is in their togetherness. It is Jude that people are begging to keep the brothers together. But after what he tweeted yesterday, it may truly be over for P-Square. Jude has re-

ally tried for his brothers, so for him to give up may mean it’s over for them. He practically put his entire life on hold for his brothers; and he even sold his first car to shoot their first video. However, all that is about to come to an end, as he tweeted. The only thing that can save the situation is if, by a miracle, Jude and Lola settle their differences. But I don’t see that happening.”

Already, the social media is abuzz with fans’ reactions, with many are decrying the separation. When asked about the possibility of a split, Peter, in a chat with The Nation in Malawi last year, said only their late mother had the power to make them split. “Peter and Paul are not perfect; we quarrel like normal siblings do, but we don’t let it affect our business. Even with Jude our brother, in business, he is our manager and he respects us as the artistes he manages. But when it comes to family matters, he is our elder brother and we give him that respect. Only our late mum had the power to make us split and she wouldn’t have done that. So, if there is to be a split, it will not be as a result of quarrel, but on mutual grounds. Group splits are not out of place, but our blood ties keep us strong and our background won’t even allow us split. We understand each other very well,” he had said. It is obvious that the death of their mother accounts for why things have gone awry. “We haven’t sat down to do an album because she was usually there with us in the studio. As a pastor, she used to pray about everything we do and even pray on our album a week before it was released. We don’t know how we will do it this time, but we hope for the best,” he said.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

•Bauchi Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Salihu Halilu (left) receiving a hand-over note from his predecessor, Alhaji Mohammed-Dhamina, in Bauchi

•Children playing football at the Millenium Park during the Easter celebration in PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE Abuja...yesterday.

•Displaced persons in Konduga, Borno State taking relief items distributed by the National Emergency Management Agency

•Yam seller waiting for buyers at Mile 12 Ikorodu Road in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Gibraltar blast and fire hits power supply

N explosion and fire on Gibraltar left much of the British territory without power yesterday. Local media reported a generator at Waterport Power Station caught fire and exploded due to a mechanical failure. No-one was injured but the outage shut down the online betting operations of several firms, including William Hill and Ladbrokes. Online gambling is an important part of Gibraltar's economy - because of the territory's low taxes. The communications network Gibtelecom was down for hours. Emergency services rushed to the scene after the

•Resident Optometrist, Clinic Care Medical Services, Dr Ohuonu Enyinnaya, attending to a staff member of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), during free eye screening at the agency in Abuja

Brazil cars torched in protest

ESIDENTS of a poor neighbourhood near the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have set fire

Cross River communities praise agency

OME Communities in Cross River have praised the World Bank-supported Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) of the state government, for its development initiatives in the rural areas. In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)yesterday, some members of the communities said that the CSDA projects in their communities had impacted positively on their lives. Mr Celestine Okim, a community leader in Ohana, Obubra Local Government Area, told NAN that

the agency established a health post and staff quarters, VIP toilets, as well as a solar-powered borehole in their community. Okim said that the projects were worth celebrating, because they had given the people a new lease of life and a sense of belonging. “We have, for years, walked the streets like people without a destiny. Governments have come and gone, without any appreciable impact. Today we have every reason to celebrate, ‘’ he said. Mr James Amatey, a traditional ruler of Akpet 1, Bi-

ase Local Government Area, said that the agency had become a veritable instrument of rural development in the state. Amatey said that the construction of a science laboratory block, four VIP toilets, a well and a culvert in Community Secondary School Akpet 1, would enhance the performance of science students in the school. “These projects will enhance the teaching of the sciences, as well as improve the performance of students offering these subjects in West African School Certificate (WASC) and National

blaze erupted. The power station was evacuated and the fire quickly extinguished. William Hill, which has offices close to the station, tweeted: "Please be aware that all services are currently down. We are aware of the issue and we are working extremely hard to fix it. We do apologise." Betfred and Ladbrokes also took to Twitter to update customers on its technical difficulties. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo praised the emergency services for their response. He also tweeted: "Power restored to whole of Gibraltar. At last. Power outage too long. New plans must reflect lessons of such incidents so we never repeat."

Examinations Council (NECO) examinations. “The culvert will improve access to farmlands, to ease the evacuation of farm produce to the markets, thus boosting the economies of the villages,‘’ he said. Also, Mrs Tina Apie from Okwabang, Boki Local Government Area, thanked the state government and the World Bank for setting up the agency. Apie described the establisment of the agency as a step in the right direction and called for its retention, to ensure continuity in the development of rural communities in the state.

to vehicles in protest at the deaths of two people in incidents involving the police. One of the victims was outside a church with his family on Good Friday when he was hit by a stray bullet. He was caught up in a shootout between police and suspected drug dealers. Amnesty International says some 2,000 people die every year in Brazil in careless and violent police actions. Residents of the Caramujo shanty town set fire to four buses and three cars, calling for justice. The death of 21-year-old Anderson Santos Silva as he was about to attend a special Easter ceremony angered the community, local media reported. "The young man died trying to protect his mother and sister," said Niteroi's Catholic Church in a state-

ment. The second victim, identified as 17-year-old Emanoel Gomes, died on Friday night when his motorbike crashed into an armoured police vehicle in a nearby area. There are concerns about security in Brazil ahead of the football World Cup, which will take place between 12 June and 13 July. The city of Rio de Janeiro will also host the 2016 Olympics. Earlier this month, nearly 3,000 soldiers and police took control of one of Rio's most dangerous shanty towns, the Mare slum complex, near the main international airport. It had been in the hand of some of the country's most notorious and violent drug lords for decades. Troops are expected to remain in the area until the end of the World Cup.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS Emulate Christ, Akume urges Senate Minority Leader George Akume has called on Nigerians to emulate Jesus Christ. He said the need to follow the saviour has become expedient with the happenings in the country. In a statement yesterday, Akume said: “This Easter has met Nigeria in very difficult circumstances. The challenges of nation building, such as ethnicity, corruption, electoral malpractices, have been compounded by insecurity in the country. “We are faced with robbery, kidnapping and terrorism. The government that took an oath to protect lives and property appears to be incapable of fulfilling that solemn obligation. “As we celebrate Easter, I call on all Nigerians, irrespective of faith and ethnic background, to draw lessons from the exemplary life of humility, self-abnegation, love and self sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “We must remember his teachings, particularly his admonition to all his followers to love their neighbours. “As we go through this period, we must remember that Jesus Christ humbly died on the cross to redeem mankind. “This is a wonderful example for us to make sacrifices for our neighbours. Nigerians should pray for the restoration of normalcy in our country.”

Communities hail agency SOME communities in Cross River State have lauded the government’s World Bank-supported Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), for its development initiatives in the rural areas. In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday, some members of the communities said the CSDA projects in their communities had impacted positively on their lives. A community leader in Ohana, Obubra Local Government Area, Celestine Okim, told NAN that the agency established a health post and staff quarters, VIP toilets, as well as a solar-powered borehole in their community. “We have, for years, walked the streets like people without a destiny. Governments have come and gone, without any appreciable impact. Today, we have every reason to celebrate, ‘’ he said. The traditional ruler of Akpet 1, Biase Local Government Area, James Amatey , said the agency had become an instrument of rural development in the state. Amatey said the building of a science laboratory block, four VIP toilets, a well and a culvert in Community Secondary School Akpet 1, will enhance the performance of science students in the school.

Minimum wage arrears paid From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

•Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (left) chatting with Bath Nwagboso after the inauguration of an eight-classroom block at Amakama Central School built by Nwagboso.

PDP warns Akwa Ibom elders against anti-party activities T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State said yesterday that it has not authorised elders to speak on the 2015 governorship election. Some PDP elders, led by Senators Effiong Bob; Ita Enang; Aloysius Etok; Otuekong Sunny Jackson, had last week gathered in Uyo, the state capital, to chart a new direction for the 2015 governorship poll. They congregated under the banner of Akwa Ibom State PDP elders and stakeh o l d e r s m ee t i n g , wh i c h was chaired by former Envi r o n m e n t M i n i s t e r D r Imet Okopido. At the meeting, four issues were on the front burner- President Good-

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

luck Jonathan and 2015, the 2015 governorship election should be an open to all aspirants, PDP primaries must be open, free and fair and the PDP state executives under the leadership of Obong Paul Ekpo should be re-structured.. Opposing zoning, the elders and stakeholders urged the PDP national leadership to caution Governor Godswill Akpabio against destabilising the state and the PDP. Akpabio wants to zone the governorship seat to Eket Senatorial District, a move The Nation gathered did not go down well with

some party members. The governor is said to favour Secretary to State Government Udom Emmanuel to succeed him. Speaking yesterday after the inauguration of the Finance and Building Committee for the party secretariat, Ekpo condemned the elders’ meeting. He said the state chapter has not constituted a PDP elders’ forum. Ekpo warned the elders to desist from all activities and actions that could affect the party’s unity. “It is pertinent to remind us that the times we have found ourselves, as a party, are the times we must think as men and women of

action and act as men and women of thought. “A few dissenting voices should not distract us. We must uphold the principles of justice, fairness and equity that are enshrined in our party’s constitution. “Let me condemn the purported meeting by people who call themselves PDP elders. “The state chapter of our great party has not yet constituted PDP elders in the state. “The PDP in Akwa Ibom State strongly warns those who parade themselves as PDP elders to desist from all activities and actions that can adversely affect the unity of our great party. “Any further attempt will be strongly resisted by the party.”

Uduaghan urges vigilance as gay club is discovered in Delta A

GAY club has been discovered in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has said. The governor broke the news while delivering the Easter Sunday Message at the First Baptist Church, Warri. Uduaghan urged residents to be vigilant, saying parents and guardians must keep an eye on their wards. “These youths who engage in criminal activities are our children. Right here in Delta State, at Enerhen Junction we just discovered that we have children between 15 and 18

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

years, who rent rooms around Enerhen Junction and at night men come to look for them. “These are boys and men come to sleep with them in their rooms. These boys called themselves ‘Yansh’. “So they belong to a cult called Yansh. This is right in our society here. It was through the Edu Marshals Programme that we discovered homosexual homes right here.

“We used to know about female harlots but we now have male harlots. “Unfortunately, they are young boys. They are our children. Yes, there is much the government can do, but there is much we can do as parents,” he said. According to him, everyone has roles to play in stemming the rising insecurity. The governor said the state was facing the challenge of herdsmen, whose activities have prevented some farmers

from going to their farms. Uduaghan, who has inaugurated a committee on the movement of cattle rearers, said the government would take measures to curtail the excesses of herdsmen. “We are taking measures to deal with those issues. Those who will come and will not make us comfortable, we will not allow to stay. “Those who will come and will give us problem we will not allow them to stay. “So when you see me acting, please know that it is for the common good of our people. These are very trying times,”he said.

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has begun the payment of 18 per cent minimum wage arrears owed to civil servants. There were insinuations that the government had concluded plans to complete the payment in four years. The Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council, Pere Weridongha, said yesterday that the payment had begun, adding that sooner than expected every employee would be paid. “The Ministry of Education, office of the head of service and a few others have been paid their arrears,” he said. He said the arrears were being paid in full, contrary to speculations that they would be paid in installments for four years. Weridongha said the government is passionate about workers’ welfare. He said after the payment of the minimum wage, other outstanding arrears would be negotiated and paid to all deserving workers. “The restoration administration of Governor Seriake Dickson is determined to give civil servants a sense of belonging in the state,” Weridongha said.

Five robbery suspects killed From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

IVE robbery suspects have been killed in a shootout with the police in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State. Eyewitnesses said they counted at least five bodies after the encounter. Police spokesman Hogan Bassey, who confirmed the incident yesterday, would not corroborate the figure but said “a good number of them were killed”. Bassey said no policeman was hurt but that a police vehicle was damaged. He said a gang of robbers were carrying out a raid in the area when they ran into the police and a gun battle ensued. “They were dangerous men and they met their waterloo,” the policemen spokesman said.

Downpour slows down Easter fun in Lagos

HEAVY downpour in Lagos prevented yesterday many picnickers from enjoying their Easter Sunday fun in various centres across Lagos, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. On the Bar Beach, Victoria Island, many families that came to enjoy the festivities remained inside their vehicles; others scurried in search of shelter. Mr Adewale Esan, a civil servant, who lives at Onikan, said he brought his family members, who were

visiting Lagos for the first time, to catch fun at the beach. “My family is just visiting this place for the first time but it is unfortunate that the heavy rainfall has denied us the opportunity to catch fun here. “Anyway, we can still come around here tomorrow, if the weather condition is conducive,” he said. Mrs Stella Okeke, a food vendor, said the rain had prevented them from making good sales. “Most of our customers

have left, due to the heavy downpour. “There is water everywhere; I don’t think that majority of the picnickers, who left here, will come back again. “Yesterday, we recorded good sales and that encouraged us to cook more food today but see what the rain has caused us,” she lamented. At the National Theatre, Iganmu, the situation was the same as families were seen under Nigerian Brewery kiosks, sheltering themselves from the rain.

Some of the picnickers told NAN that they were waiting for the rain to stop, so that they could return home. Mrs Florence Akinfenwa, a resident of Surulere, said the rain had prevented her from relaxing with her family. “As you can see, what I did was to take my family inside Mr Biggs eatery at the theatre and buy them snacks. We can’t blame God for the rain. “We are travelling to Abeokuta, Ogun State, to celebrate with my in-laws

tomorrow,” she added. Mr Tunde Jinadu, a trader, said even with the rain, he would still enjoy the holiday. “I have prepared myself for the rain; I will not leave this National Theatre, until later in the night,” he told NAN. The rainfall was heavy, causing flash floods across the city. Many roads were impassable, having been overrun by the flood. There was heavy traffic on the roads. A few hours later, the floods disappeared.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS

‘Emir of Gwoza hale, hearty’

HE Caretaker Chairman of Gwoza Local Government in Borno State, Jumba Ahmed, has denied an online media report that the Emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, was killed by Boko Haram insurgents. An online media report last week claimed that the monarch died in an attack by insurgents on Gwoza-Damboa road. Ahmed, in a statement in Maiduguri yesterday, dismissed the report as false and misleading, stating that the monarch was alive. “I wish to state without any fear of contradiction that the Emir of Gwoza is sound and healthy. He is effectively steering the affairs of his community as usual. “The Emir of Gwoza was never attacked or killed by insurgents on the GwozaDamboa Road as alleged last week. The entire story is false and misleading.”

Gunmen kill five-year-old in Bauchi

HE police in Bauchi State have said suspected gunmen set ablaze some houses in the staff quarters of the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Yana, killing a fiveyear-old girl yesterday. Police spokesperson Haruna Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the gunmen burnt a telecommunication mast in

•Attack school the town. He said they stole a car belonging to the head teacher. The spokesman assured the public that the pupils were safe. Mohammed said: “Unknown gunmen attacked the staff quarters of GGSS Yana, Shira Local Government

Area at 2.30 am yesterday. “They set the school bus ablaze; and in the process, a five-year-old girl was killed. They destroyed the vault of a bank,’’ he said. The spokesman said a combined team of security forces are on the attackers’ trail. On April 15 , the police confirmed that some gunmen snatched two United Nations

vehicles, marked 206 UN and 139 UN in Soro, Ganjuwa Local Government Area. On April 17, the police said a team of security forces foiled an attack on Misau, Misau Local Government Area. Mohammed said some suspected robbers had snatched a vehicle belonging to the State Television Authority, marked 04C-04 BA.

CAN declares three-day fast

HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State has declared a three-day fast to seek divine intervention for the release of the abducted pupils of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok. The Chairman, Rev. Titus Pona, announced this yesterday in Maiduguri, saying: “We are calling on all Christians in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and even beyond to begin a three-day fasting and prayer session today to seek God ‘s help for the release of the abducted girls. “The continued stay of these girls in the abductor’s camp has created worry in the minds of the parents and other Nigerians. “We pray that through prayer, God will touch the hearts of the abductors so that they will release them, ’’ Pona said. The CAN Chairman called on the insurgents to dialogue with government, if they had any grievances. “We call on the insurgents to please lay down their arms and dialogue with government, either at the state or federal level.”

Jigawa to train workers

•Oluwaseyi Ogunnaye and former Miss Nusirat Lai Mohammed cutting their wedding cake at the Ark Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos...yesterday. With them is the Chairman, Arc. Ademola Taiwo. PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

Police arrest 24 in Taraba after clash

HE Police in Taraba have arrested 24 suspects at Wukari Local Government. Police spokesperson Joseph Kwaji told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo yesterday that the suspects will be charged to court soon. “The command has arrested 24 persons in connection with the Wukari crisis. “ I can assure you that the suspects would soon be prosecuted,’’ he said. The senator representing Taraba Central, Emmanuel

Bwacha has urged the government to find a solution to the recurring farmers/ herdsmen clashes in Wukari Local Government Area. Bwacha made the call yesterday when members of the Abuja chapter of Ugondo Mdema Development Association visited him. The senator also urged the Federal Government to provide adequate security in the area to prevent further escalation of the crisis.

Bwacha appealed to the victims to pray for an end to the crisis ,rather than retaliating. He said they should use the Easter period to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, who is the symbol of peace. “My appeal to my people is for them to take their complaints to God, especially at this period. “I also appeal to them to forgive one another and continue to reflect on the death

of Jesus Christ, who is the symbol of peace, and God will fight the battle for them. “I urge the government to be proactive on security measure and to spread the security network to prevent an escalation of the crisis,” Bwacha said. Crisis broke out in Wukari town last Tuesday, following protests by youths over alleged killings of villagers by herdsmen. Acting Governor Garba Umar imposed a 24-hour curfew on Wukari immediately after the clash.

Umar has failed God and Taraba, says senator •Govt: she has lost touch

From Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse

HE Jigawa State government has signed an agreement with Ahmed Zakari and Co Consultancy to train 666 civil servants on International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Signing the agreement on behalf of the government, the head of civil service, Mustapha Aminu, said the workers would be drawn from the three arms of government. Aminu said the government will pay N33.5 million, while the 27 local governments would pay the balance of N15.2 million. He said the government had computerised payroll to address ghost workers. According to him, establishing the due process directorate and computerising the payroll has save the state over N11billion.

•‘Find solution to clashes’

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

•Umar

HE senator representing Taraba North, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, has taken a swipe at Acting Governor Garba Umar, saying he has failed the state and God. Alhassan, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP), is now a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) . She is aspiring to be governor next year. She said she left PDP because the government continued to fail the people. Her words: “Both the Acting Governor Garba Umar and his boss, Governor Danbaba Suntai, have not fulfilled their promises to the people. But Umar has failed even God. “Poverty, hunger or starvation and deaths have taken over the centre stage in Taraba, because the government has deliberately refused to impact positively on the lives of the citizen-

ry. “You all know better than I do because you live with the people here; there is hunger, there is poverty and people are suffering and dying, because the leadership in the state has failed. “More unfortunately, the acting governor, who was brought by God, seems to have forgotten how he came onboard.” The senator said all the sectors in the state were grounded. “The hospitals have neither drugs nor equipment; schools are mere shadows of their former selves. “They keep saying there is no money, and I wonder what is happening to the federal allocations that accrue

to the state monthly. “The money Taraba receives every month is enough to pay salaries and make life worth living in the state. The Senior Special Assistant to the acting governor on Media and Publicity, Aaron Atimas, said Alhassan’s utterances were campaign propaganda to get the attention of the masses. He said: “It is campaign strategy to make people believe she has a better package for them. “Senator Alhassan has lost touch with the state, maybe because of her present assignment, but the people on ground know that Taraba is not the same: roads, hospitals, schools and many sectors have received the desired attention of this administration.”

Borno records first rain MAIDUGURI, the Borno State capital, recorded at the weekend its first rain. The light showers lasted about 45 minutes. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rain started at about 3.30 pm and ended at about 4.15 pm in most parts of the city. Some residents, who spoke to NAN in Maiduguri, expressed delight at the rain. The residents said the rain would reduce the high temperature that had prevailed for some time in the town. “We are very happy with the early arrival of the rains this year. “I believe it is a sign of good omen, especially regarding the prevailing Boko Haram crisis facing us,” Auwalu Farouq said. “ I think that the arrival of the rains will help reduce the heat that had prevailed in the town for some time now,’’ he added. Another resident, Mala Asheikh, said:“Sleeping has been very difficult in the night due to the high temperature; most times we sleep outside due to the heat in the rooms. “But with the coming of the rains, I believe that the temperature will reduce tremendously now,” Asheikh said. He lamented that the Boko Haram crisis had made it impossible for farmers to cultivate crops, despite the fertile land in the state. `` I own a large farm in Mafa Local Government Area where I used to cultivate crops such as maize and beans. `` But with the crisis, I do not think it is possible to cultivate the land this year,'' Asheikh said.

No flights to Kaduna Airport By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

FLIGHTS to Kaduna Airport have been temporarily suspended, following a fire which razed the tower and destroyed air traffic control facilities. The General Manager, Public Affairs of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Supo Atobatele said NAMA had issued NOTAM (Notice To Air Men), informing airlines of the development. He said the fire was caused by a power surge. All the personnel on duty were safely evacuated. NAMA’s Managing Director Ibrahim Abdulsalam has directed the deployment of the agency’s mobile tower in Abuja to the airport to resume services by today. “There is no cause for alarm as we are on top of the situation. Our mobile tower is capable of handling normal traffic as it is equipped with necessary ATC,” Abdulsalam said.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS French hostages tell of Syria basement ordeal

•The journalists (from left to right) Edouard Elias, Didier Francois, Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres were met by President PHOTO: AFP Hollande and Foreign Minister Fabius...yesterday.

Afghan poll: Abdullah 'extends lead' as count continues

FGHAN presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has extended his lead over his rival Ashraf Ghani, according to latest partial results from the presidential election. Dr Abdullah, a former foreign minister, has 44% of the vote while Mr Ghani has 33%, election officials say. About half the votes have been counted. About seven million people voted across 34 provinces in the 5 April poll. A runoff will take place in late May if no candidate gets a majority. Final results are expected on 14 May. Independent Election Commission chairman Ahmad

Yousuf Nouristani has warned that the current statistics are "partial" and "changeable". Speaking after the latest results were announced, Dr Abdullah said he was ready for a second round. "It's important that the process is a free and fair one," he told AP news agency. "If it goes to the second round in accordance to the rule of law, we are ready for that as well. At this stage, we believe that another round might not be needed." Zalmai Rassoul, another former foreign minister, who is believed to be President Hamid Karzai's preferred successor, has 10% of the vote from the first round.

The Taliban failed to disrupt the first round but warmer weather, at the height of the socalled fighting season, would make a second round more of a security challenge, the BBC's David Loyn in Kabul reports. If this lead widens further as more results come in, then Dr Abdullah's ability to form a government on his terms would be unstoppable, our correspondent adds. Possible electoral fraud has been a concern, but the election body responsible for dealing with complaints has previously said that it would be weeks before it rules on the issue. There were allegations of large-scale fraud when Mr Karzai was re-elected in 2009.

•Abdullah

Dr Abdullah came second in that poll. Mr Karzai is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. The next president will face several challenging issues, including the expected withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan and ongoing attacks by the Taliban.

RENCH journalists released from captivity in Syria have been speaking about their ordeal at the hands of suspected Islamist rebels. Didier Francois said the four men were chained to each other and kept in basements without natural light. His colleague Nicolas Henin added that they were “not always well treated”. Mr Henin and Mr Francois, along with Edouard Elias and Pierre Torres, were greeted by their families and President Francois Hollande on arrival in France. They had been found by Turkish soldiers on the Syrian border late on Friday. The jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has been accused of kidnapping them. Television footage after their reappearance in Turkey showed the men looking unkempt, with beards and long hair, but in good health. They had shaved by the time they arrived at Villacoublay military airport, outside Paris. Mr Francois, 53, told reporters it was “a great joy and an immense relief, obviously to be free. Under the sky, which we haven’t seen for a long time, to breathe the fresh air, walk freely”. “It was a long haul, but we never lost hope,” he added. “From time to time, we got snatches of information, we knew that the world was mobilised.” He told his own radio station, Europe 1 that they had spent “six whole months in basements without seeing daylight, and for two-and-a-half months we were chained to each other.” The journalists were found blindfolded and handcuffed in a no-man’s land in Turkey’s

border province of Sanliurfa and were taken by Turkish soldiers to a police station in the nearby town of Akcakale. The men went missing in two separate incidents last June. Mr Francois, a veteran war correspondent, and Mr Elias, a photographer, were abducted in early June on their way to Aleppo. Mr Henin, who was working for Le Point magazine, and Mr Torres, reporting for French-German television channel Arte, were taken later that month near Raqqa. Welcoming them, President Hollande called it a “day of great joy” both for the four journalists and for France. Negotiations with their kidnappers had been going on for several weeks but it is not known if anything was offered to them in return for freeing the men, the BBC’s Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius denied a ransom had been paid or that weapons had been delivered to the kidnappers.

Algeria militants kill 14 soldiers

SLAMIST militants have killed 14 Algerian soldiers in an ambush on a convoy in mountains east of the capital Algiers, security officials say. Reuters news agency reports the troops were searching for militants in Tizi Ouzou region when they were attacked. It is believed the attack was carried out by fighters from alQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim). It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Algerian military for several years. The attack came days after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 77, was re-elected for a fourth term.

FOREIGN MUSINGS

Ukraine :The quartet ‘s parley in Geneva

KRAINE has been in our radar for quite some time now following the overthrow of its former pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych by forces in Kiev, the nation’s capital. Events quickly escalated in this game of international intrigues where we say; there are no permanent friends but permanent interests. On March 27, Russia organised a referendum for Crimean peninsula which they resoundingly won by ninety six percent of the votes among its two million people; setting the stage for Russia’s effective annexation. The international community and Ukraine of course shouted foul, illegality and all warts. In the meantime strange armed paramilitary separatist forces, opposed to the change of guards at Kiev began to surface and occupy Ukrainian government buildings and military formations, yet Moscow continued to deny they were acting on its order. By the time the troops were massing at the border with Armoured Personnel Carriers, in their hundreds, it became impossible to deny any direct involvement abd plan of military action by Russia against Ukraine should the latter attempt to resist the annexation. Unfortunately, it took the shooting death of three pro-Russian separatists, sanctions from the West on key identified Moscow officials who participated in the insurrections, travel bans and risk of freezing their economic interests in the West among other measures. The die is now cast as Putin wasted no time in jacking up the price of oil to an economically struggling Ukraine. So what essentially started as a choice of spheres of influence for Ukraine between shifting west to European Union for help and Russia and skewed by the leadership of former President Yanukovych against the wish of the people now has the unfortunate tendency and drift to war. It is against these backgrounds that the international community decided on convening a peace conference in Geneva last Thursday to cool things down and find a way out of the impasse. Present were the American Secretary of State- John Kerry; Russian Foreign Minister-Sergei Lavrov; Ukraine acting Foreign MinisterAndrii Deshchytsia and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton. After six hours of deliberations, the meeting rose with announcement in their press conference that some

agreement reached. The details are still fuzzy but”initial concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and restore security”; it called for a broad national dialogue and constitutional reform; called in the OSCE to monitor the situation; and, most critically, it addressed all those separatists holed up in government buildings across southern and eastern Ukraine. ”All illegal armed groups must be disarmed. All illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated.” There were talks of immunity for separatists by Ukraine except those who have committed capital crimes. Above all, the measures and agreements are to be monitored for compliance by the Organisation For Security and Cooperation in Europe, a body which actually lacks enforcement capability. But it is noteworthy that the two words ‘“agreement reached” were put in quotes leading analysts to suggest that only time will tell if the parties will keep their parts of the agreement. Three things happened after the agreement that put the whole arrangement on a somewhat shaky ground. One, only yesterday morning, a Ukraine nationalist security shot and killed a Russian soldier sparking furore from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

‘

All illegal armed groups must be disarmed. All illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated.” There were talks of immunity for separatists by Ukraine except those who have committed capital crimes

’

Global Focus DAYO FAKUADE, Foreign Editor sms 08134230367

daborgu@gmail.com Second, while the talks were on-going, President Vladimir Putin himself has reiterated that he still retain the right to launch military attack on Kiev. Thirdly, the leader of the separatist group Denis Pushilin has said from his base in Donetsk, has said that he has no intention of respecting the diplomatic agreement reached in Geneva. The partiality of the West was never in doubt through out the course of events. At the press conference, U.S. Secretary of State Kerry and the EU representative were effusively praising Ukraine for its restrain while the stand-off lasted, while still insisting the sanctions against Moscow officials will still go on. How this will elicit compliance from Moscow is yet to be seen. Also there was no concrete talk about the crushing oil price increase slapped on Kiev by Moscow. All these are significant impediments which can turn the whole effort in Geneva into nullity. But as it is the details is in the devil and only time will tell how useful the exercise will go in preventing hostilities among the two nations. In other news The two tragedies we carried in the past weeks continue to have a less than promising outcome..Malaysian plane MH 370 is unfortunately nowhere in sight after 44 days prompting Malaysian authorities now to be issuing Death Certificates. Also hope is fast waning on the South Korea ferry with hundreds on board . Search for more lives is intensifying with little chance for more lives being rescued. 58 have already been confirmed dead, 174 rescued and 244 still missing. It is your globe let’s keep it green. Plant a tree in your neighbourhood and by so doing we can all breathe easier and live longer. See you next week.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS

Ukraine: Russian outrage at fatal shooting

USSIA’s foreign ministry has expressed outrage at a fatal shooting incident in eastern Ukraine which it blamed on Ukrainian nationalists. Russian state media reported that five people were killed in a gun attack on a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian activists near the town of Sloviansk. Ukraine officials said three died in a clash between “two groups of citizens”. The incident comes as proRussian groups continue to occupy government buildings defying a deal to leave. Ertogrul Apakan, who heads the special mission of the Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe in Kiev, said his deputy would be in Donetsk to try to get them to comply with an agreement reached on Thursday to ease the crisis. Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US agreed during talks in Geneva on Thursday that illegal military groups in Ukraine must be dissolved, and that those occupying government premises must be disarmed and leave. But the separatists’ spokes-

man in the city of Donetsk said that the Kiev government was “illegal”, and vowed they would not go until it stepped down. TV pictures showed what was described as the aftermath of an attack on a pro-Russian checkpoint at about 01:00 local time (22:00 on Saturday GMT), including the body of a man under a cover. The BBC is unable to verify the footage. However, a Reuters journalist at the scene reported seeing two bodies in a truck. The Russian foreign ministry said the Ukrainian far-right group Right Sector was behind the attack. A business card with the name of its leader Dmytro Yarosh appeared in the unverified Russian TV pictures. “Russia is indignant about this provocation by gunmen, which testifies to the lack of will on the part of the Kiev authorities to rein in and disarm nationalists and extremists,” it said in a statement. Right Sector said in a statement on its Facebook page that it had nothing to do with the events in Sloviansk, which bore the hallmarks of a provocation

by Russia’s Federal Security Service. Ukraine’s interior ministry said that details were still being established, but that three people were killed and three others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. This is the first fatal incident in the region since Thursday’s agreement, prompting Sloviansk rebel leader and self-proclaimed mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev to call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to send peacekeepers. But the BBC’s James Reynolds in Donetsk says that the Geneva deal is already in trouble and events in Sloviansk will do little to change that. Meanwhile in an interview to be aired in full later on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to “restore the Soviet Union”. If Mr Putin succeeded, Mr Yatsenyuk says, it would be “the biggest disaster of this century”. Ukraine has been in crisis since President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in Febru-

ary. Russia then annexed the Crimean peninsula - part of Ukraine but with a Russianspeaking majority - in a move that provoked international outrage. The annexation followed a referendum in Crimea that backed a move to join the Russian Federation. Pro-Russian activists then occupied buildings in several eastern Ukrainian cities, many calling on Moscow to support them. Ukraine has said that operations against the pro-Russian militants have been suspended over Easter. Ukraine’s interim authorities have appealed for national unity and promised to meet some of the demands of pro-Russian protesters. These include the decentralisation of power and guarantees for the status of the Russian language. But the US has warned the next few days will be pivotal and has threatened more sanctions against Russia if it fails to abide by the agreement. US Vice-President Joe Biden is set to visit Kiev on Tuesday.

UN envoy, Israel in Easter ritual access row

HE UN’s Middle East peace envoy has criticised Israeli authorities for allegedly preventing him from reaching an Easter ritual in Jerusalem. Robert Serry said the delay was “unacceptable behaviour” and called on all parties to “respect the right of religious freedom”. Israel said it was a “microincident” and questioned Mr Serry’s judgement. Thousands of Christian pilgrims took part in the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Mr Serry said that he was held up at a checkpoint along with other diplomats and dozens of Palestinians trying to make their way to the ceremony. He told Reuters news agency that he might have been trampled had he not eventually been allowed to pass. “It became really dangerous because there was a big crowd and I was pushed against a metal fence the police put up there, the crowd tried to push really hard,” he said. “This wasn’t something you associate with a peaceful pro-

•Walls collapsed and trees fell in the Chilpancingo, near the quake's epicentre...at the weekend

PHOTO: AFP

South Korea ferry disaster: Families’ protest

AMILIES of passengers on a sunken South KoSouth Korea ferry disaster: Families’ protestrean ferry have protested angrily over the rescue operation. Police stopped up to 100 people trying to leave Jindo island intending to march to the country’s capital, Seoul. After more than three days, divers have now finally entered the ferry, retrieving 26 bodies and bringing the death toll to 58. However, another 244 people are still missing from the Sewol ferry, which sank on Wednesday. Some 174 passengers were rescued. There was grief, anger and desperation as dozens of relatives tried to push through a massive police cordon. They said they wanted to march to the capital and occupy the presidential house. It was a purely symbolic act as Seoul is a fivehour drive away but yet another example of the frustrations of the relatives. Many parents of the missing

students accept that their children are not coming back. Down at the port, boats are bringing more bodies ashore. Families are being taken to a temporary morgue to identify the corpses. I heard one woman sobbing loudly from inside. With more than 200 bodies still trapped inside the ferry, this recovery operation will last for several days. The families still waiting are now calling for the operation to be speeded up. Since the capsize, many of the relatives of those on board have been on Jindo, in the south-west of the country. Hundreds have been camping at a gymnasium on the island, awaiting news from the rescue operation. Scuffles broke out when some family members tried to cross a bridge to the mainland, reportedly to march on the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, some 420km (260 miles) to the north. “Bring me the body so that I can see the face and hug my

child,” shouted one woman. Lee Woon-geun, father of missing passenger Lee Jungin, 17, said: “We want an answer from the person in charge about why orders are not going through and nothing is being done. They are clearly lying and kicking the responsibility to others.” Relatives are anxious for the bodies to be retrieved before they decompose. The BBC’s Jonathan Head on Jindo says even the prime minister came down to try to dissuade the protesters from marching on Seoul, with officials worried that the controversy could turn into a national political issue and harm the government. Jonathan Head: “This is still a very slow process, painfully slow for the families” Boats carrying 13 of the recently retrieved bodies arrived at Paengmok Port on Jindo on Sunday. About 200 ships, 34 aircraft and 600 divers have been taking part in the search operation, our correspondent says.

Squid fishing boats with powerful lights have been brought in to help the divers operate at night. But the currents are still strong and the visibility remains challenging. Coastguard official Koh Myung-seok told a briefing that divers had discovered a number of routes into the ferry, and found bodies in different locations. The captain and two other crew members are in custody and have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law. Officials said on Saturday that the ferry was being steered by an inexperienced third mate in unfamiliar waters when it sank. The captain of the ferry, 69year-old Lee Joon-seok, was not initially on the bridge when the ship ran into trouble. The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew, capsized during a journey from the port of Incheon in the north-west to the southern holiday island of Jeju.

cession for Easter.” he said. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said Mr Serry had displayed “a serious problem of judgment” and that any attempts to limit access were carried out for safety reasons. Spokesman Yigal Palmor praised “the dedicated work of the Jerusalem police”. A foreign ministry statement added: “Had any harm come to the pilgrims due to uncontrolled crowd movements, Mr Serry would have been prompt to cast responsibility on the same police which he now condemns for doing its job properly The Holy Fire is considered a miracle occurring every year on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Worshippers say the flame appears from Jesus’ tomb inside the church to show he has not forgotten his followers. The ancient church is believed to be built on the site of his crucifixion, burial and resurrection. In keeping with tradition, the church was unlocked by a Muslim family which has held the keys for centuries.

Mexico shaken by powerful earthquake

POWERFUL earthquake has hit Mexico City, shaking buildings for at least 30 seconds and causing widespread panic. The magnitude-7.2 quake was registered at a depth of 24km (15 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. Its epicentre was in the western state of Guerrero, near the seaside resort of Acapulco There are no reports of casualties or significant damage, but frightened residents across the Mexican capital fled their homes as the tremor began. The earthquake was felt in several southern and western Mexican states at 09:27 local time (14:27 GMT). Windows were broken and trees fell in Chilpancingo, capital of Guerrero. In Acapulco, where many tourists were enjoying the Easter holiday, there were scenes of panic. “People were turning over chairs in their desperation to get out, grabbing children, trampling people,’’ 59-year-old Enedina Ramirez Perez told the AP news agency. Like many tourists, she was having breakfast when the quake struck. Mexico lies on top of three continental plates and is regularly shaken by tremors. In 1985, at least 10,000 people were killed in Mexico City by a magnitude-8.1 earthquake. The quake was more powerful than recent tremors, prompting Mexico City residents to rush into the streets Walls collapsed and trees fell in the Chilpancingo, near the quake’s epicentre A hospital was also partially evacuated in the city of Puebla, outside the Mexican capital.

Malaysia’s Government to issue MH370 Death Certificates

•As search about to end

HE Malaysian government will issue death certificates for passengers of missing Flight MH370 and provide financial assistance to families still hanging onto hopes of their loved ones being found alive, officials said on Sunday. Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainudin appeared at pains to show that officials were trying to be fair to all relatives of those who went missing when the Malaysia Airlines jet went missing on March 8. “When we talk about financial assistance, we have to be fair with everybody,” he said during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. “The only discussion that we talk to currently is to the next of kin in Malaysia and to representative from China. So, we don’t only talk to Malaysia next of kin. We’ll talk to everybody.”

“We realize this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board,” added Zainuddin, who heads a committee overseeing the needs of the next of kin. He said that he would soon visit Beijing to shore up bilateral relations between Malaysia and China. Two-thirds of the missing plane’s 227 passengers were Chinese, and many of their family members have been angered by Malaysia’s handling of the investigation. Despite the fact the search has yielded no evidence of survivors, some families clung onto hope that their loved ones would be found alive. “We couldn’t find it in the sea and we couldn’t find it on a land. It’s only logical that they’re alive,” 60-year-old Salamat Omar, a relative of one of the passengers, told Reuters.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS Navy deploys 29 officers to end maritime insecurity

O curb maritime insecurity, 29 naval officers have been posted to strategic units and commands to stem the tide. The 29 officers graduated from the Officers Long Course (OLC). At the graduation held at the headquarters, Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin said their training and posting was to underscore the force’s commitment to end security challenges both at sea and terrestrial environment. Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda, Jibrin praised the officers for recording impressive results despite the rigours of the OLC conducted at the Nigerian Navy Ship Quorra, adding that five First Class, 16 Second Class, seven Third Class and a pass degrees were recorded by the batch. “After 14 months of rigorous training, which has prepared them to face their professional duties, they are now specialists in their various field of training such as Above Water Warfare, Under Water Warfare, Navigation and Direction, Communication and Information Technology. “Thus, consolidating the objective of the course-to improve on the knowledge already acquired during your Sub–Technical Course to face the serious job ahead in the Navy and the

By Precious Igbonwelundu

nation at large. “You are now ready to carry out your various duties as may be assigned in the future. Accordingly, I expect a high sense of dedication and discipline in your various units and establishments,”he said. NAVTRAC’s Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Goddy Anyankpele, said the course is aimed at raising a force better positioned to tackle contemporary challenges. “This is not the first time we are recording first class students. On resources for training, it can never be enough but within the available resources, the CNS truly as a father yielded to us a lot but there is room for them to do more,” said Ayankpele. Commander Quorra, Commodore Adeoye Adegboyega said challenges faced included shortage of instructors and lack of an ideal learning environment. Admoniting the officers, Adegboyega said: “as you have moved a step further in your career, the expectations of the service from you will also be higher than what it used to be. Therefore, I charge you as you go into the field, to put all that you have learnt from this course into practice. “At the same time you must not forget that you are rendering service to the nation and that your ultimate responsibility is to protect lives and properties.”

Power outage as TCN loses four towers to rainstorm

HE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said yesterday that four Transmission Towers - numbers, 48, 49, 50 and 51 were destroyed as a result of heavy rainfall at Corner Mariga after Tegina, Niger State, causing power outage in the area. According to a statement by the Assistant General Manager (Public Affairs), Dave Ifabiyi, the company has mobilized to site necessary materials for the building of a transmission byepass which would temporarily replace the 132kV transmission line from Tegina to Kotangora in Niger State, which was destroyed by heavy rainfall and wind on Friday, 18th April, 2014. TCN said Four

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

TCN explained that sequel to the loss of the four transmission towers on Friday, 18th April, 2014, occasioned by heavy rainfall and wind, it could not transmit electricity power on the 132kV transmission line from Shiroro to Kotangora. Detecting the fault area on the line, TCN lines engineers promptly isolated the defective axis of the 132 kV transmission line from Tegina to Kotangora and re-energized the line from Shiroro to Tegina. Also, TCN is making concerted efforts to restore supply to Kontangora and Yawuri Towns by constructing a byepass that would divert power

temporary from the fallen towers to Kontagora, Yawuri and environs. The statement noted that 132 poles are already in Kotangora and are being moved to the various construction sites along with other materials that would be used for the construction of the temporal transmission line byepass. The company stated that the areas initially affected by the incident include Meriga town, Tegina town, Birinin Gwari as well as Kotangora and Yawuri towns. However, due to the quick response of TCN lines engineering team, the Shiroro-Tegina 132 kV transmission line was restored on the same day of the incident, causing power

supply to be restored to Meriga, Tegina, Birinin Gwari and suburb. Power supply, TCN noted, would however be restored to Kotangora and Yawuri towns within 10 days, when the construction work on the 132kV transmission line bye-pass from Tegina to Kotangora is expected to be completed. TCN regrets inconveniences the incident has caused the government and people of Niger State and has pledged to fast track the construction of the transmission bye-pass to ensure prompt restoration of power supply to the affected areas while it plans the permanent reconstruction of the affected towers.

Islamic group organises mass weddings in Kaduna

O fewer than 100 couples were yesterday joined together in a mass wedding at the Almannar Jummaat Mosque in Kaduna Islamic group Darul Rahma organised the weddings attended by Governor Ramalan Yero and Mrs Amina Sambo, wife of the Vice President. The governor said the government would back subsequent mass weddings, saying even the Christians would benefit in future. The reception was held at the Shehu Yar’adua hall. Some of the grooms were marrying second wives. It was gathered that the group did the matchmaking in some of the instances.

Boko Haram: Nyako fires back at Jonathan

DAMAWA State Governor Murtala Nyako yesterday launched a counter attack on President Goodluck Jonathan. He described the Jonathan administration as the “most arrogant, corrupt and confused ever.” It was a response of the governor to the reply by Senior Special Assistant to the President Doyin Okupe to the memo by the governor to his northern colleagues in which he indicted the federal government in the Boko Haram insurgency. He accused the federal government of committing genocide in its battle against Boko Haram, saying the government is behind the sect which it described as “a phantom organisation.” But Okupe described Nyako’s position as “an unmitigated leadership disaster.” “Nyako’s action is a pathetic embarrassment to the Nigerian military, from where he derives his career antecedents,” Okupe added. Yesterday, Nyako said the response to his memo by Okupe lacks substance. He said in a statement by his spokesman Ahmad Sajoh that

the Presidency failed to respond to the issues he raised but merely did name-calling. “The response by the Presidency to Governor Nyako’s memo to Northern Governors has further proved that those running the Federal Government are arrogant and confused. They arrogate all knowledge and wisdom to themselves alone. We hold the statements we released as true and challenge those who claim to have a sense of history to cut-off the use of jaundiced semantics to address the issues raised in this and several other documents before it. “By telling black lies about the attack on Governor Nyako which was never investigated no ascertained, the Presidency is providing further proof that it knows more than it is willing to admit in the whole saga. Feeding the public with untruth is becoming a new culture in Abuja. “If indeed the Presidency is not complacent about the killings in the country how come the President went dancing a day after several citizens were killed in Abuja? If they claim that Nyako does not deserve to be governor, are they fit to be where they are?

• Mr. Akin Oluwaleye, representative of Fountain Holdings Limited, Investment Company of Ekiti State (middle) and Group Internal Auditor, at the handing over of the MoU establishing Fountain Duck Farm in Ekiti. With them is Rev. Gabriel Ayorinde

Boko Haram represents evil, not Islam, say Aregbesola, Saraki O SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has condemned those behind the Boko Haram insurgency, saying their actions are evils that have no place in Islam. Aregbesola spoke on the background of the bombing of Motor Park in Nyanya, Abuja and abduction of secondary school pupils in Borno last week. He spoke yesterday at the sixth Reunion Luncheon of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA) held at the Eko Hotels and Suites. A visibly angry Osun State Governor called on Muslims to rise against atrocities perpetrated by the fundamentalist group in the name of religion. “We must protest seriously against the sycophants who hide under religion to perpetrate evils in our land; it must be done nationwide. We reject everything that Boko Haram represents; our religion rejects everything these evil characters project in the name of Islam. We must not be silence because Boko Haram represents evil,” he said. Aregbesola asserted that military forces cannot nip the nefarious activities of Boko Haram and other terrorists groups in the bud. He frowned at the Federal Government looking for external forces to help tackle the

•’Military can’t solve terrorism’

insecurity menace. Nigerians, he said, must sit and device means of securing their nation. “It is not a good thing to run after our colonial master for solution to our problems; let’s look inward for solution,” he said. He proffered Yoruba model of co-existence as panacea for religious intolerance. “Here is a region where you have Muslims living peacefully with Christians and Traditionalists for longer years without fighting one another,” he said. He also said reduction of unemployment could reduce

insecurity to a maximum level. Former Governor Kwara State and Senator representing Kwara Central District, Senator Bukola Saraki decried frequent bombings and killings of Nigerians by the sect. Saraki, who was represented by the commissioner for Works, Alhaji Kola Shittu, described the current political atmosphere in the country as unpalatable to many Nigerians, saying the brand of democracy currently practiced by the political leaders in the country is anti-people and insensitive to the plight average Nigerians. According to him, the pervasive instability and uncertain-

•Aregbesola

•Saraki

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

ty within the polity have strengthened culture of impunity with the government at the centre. Saraki said: “What should be done is that we only need to step back and ask the following questions: What were those things that use to give us hope in this country? What was it about this country one upon a time that attracted outsider to our economy? What has gone terribly wrong that is difficult to put right? Kidnappers, armed robbers and murderers and the political leadership cadre is populated by mischief makers. We should ask ourselves what kind of country do we want? What future do we wand for Nigeria? What do want this country to be in the next fifty years? These are the pertinent questions we should ask ourselves. It is time to create fresh opportunities for hope and stability as we are in dire need of one. “Three things create wealth in successful economies, innovation, productivity and technology. Nigeria must begin to put machinery in motion towards these if at all our economy must develop,” Saraki added. Saraki urged Nigerians to go back to the history in order to search for the missing values that have led to insurgency and other causes of political instability in the country.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

NEWS Pope prays for end to brutal terror attacks in Nigeria Continued from page 4

•From left: Nicholas Okoye; AMAA CEO Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, Tunji Lardner and George Anyiam Osigwe during presentation of the book From Dream to Reality The AMAA Legacy at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Rights commision seeks trial of ex-INEC chief Ayoka, ex-Governor Osunbor

HE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has recommended to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the prosecution of 41 persons for violating electoral laws. Among them are former Edo State Governor Oserhiemen Osunbor, a professor of law and former senator; a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Clarence Olafemi; a former Ekiti State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Christopher Oloyede. The commission’s request is contained in a recommendation sent by its Governing Council to the AGF. Also listed are political parties and their officials, police officers, INEC officials, lawyers and politicians. They were said to have been indicted by various election petitions tribunals and courts. They were alleged to have been linked to offences related to forgery, perjury and breach of trust. The NHRC attached to its letter to the AGF, copies of the judgments where those listed

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

were indicted. The commission said the recommendation was pursuant to its power under Section 6 (1) of the NHRC Act 1995 as amended. The recommendations followed the council’s consideration of an independent review of evidence of gross violations of rights to participate in government. The NHRC Council said, in a covering letter to the recommendations to the AGF, that its action was intended to address impunity during elections. The letter, signed by NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, said that “the recommendations followed Council’s consideration of an independent review of evidence of gross violations of rights to participate in government, to public service and to fair trial through the election process in Nigeria. “The main objective being to address impunity by ensuring that individuals and groups indicted for various electoral offences are brought to justice to serve as a deterrent, to uphold sanctity of the ballot and to ensure greater respect for demo-

cratic values amongst citizens. “The commission, therefore, in exercise of its mandate under Section 5 which empowers it to refer any matter of human rights violations requiring prosecution to the AGF or of a state, hereby respectfully forwards to the AGF list of persons and institutions indicted for various offences committed under the Electoral Act, 2006 for prosecution and further necessary actions.” NHRC had before now, set up a Technical Working Group (TWG) comprising of academics in the field of law to carry out a general review of those indicted for electoral offences by the courts. The group submitted its initial report, where individuals and institutions indicted by the various election petition tribunals and courts of record were identified. The report showed that none of those indicted was prosecuted. NHRC’s inclusion of Osunbor was in relation to the finding of the election tribunal in the petition by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, where the tribunal came out with criminal and administrative indictments against the respondents in the case. The case against Mrs Ade-

bayo was in relation to her role in the election in Ekiti State as captured in the tribunal’s finding in the judgment in the petition by Governor Kayode Fayemi against Mr.Olusegun Oni and others. In the case of ASP Christopher Oloyede, the Court of Appeal held that “the evidence on record showed that a policeman, ASP Christopher Oloyede, signed an election result sheet as a party agent on behalf of the PDP. This is an illegality and violation of electoral rules both by INEC and the police. “ASP Oloyede behaved disgracefully and abused his position. Neither INEC nor the police could defend the illegality that ought to have been sanctioned.” On Olafemi, the report referred to the judgment of the electoral tribunal, where it was stated that “the petitioners have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the 1st respondent, Hon Clarence Olafemi, leading his agents and thugs did commit acts of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act by disrupting the conduct of election, harassing and intimidating eligible voters who were sent away from polling units without voting.”

2015: Governors give PDP, Jonathan three conditions Continued on page 4

A governor said: “All the governors are united in their demands to have a say on who will succeed them and second term tickets for their colleagues who still have the opportunity of another term in office. “They said if the President can enjoy automatic second term ticket, it should spread across the board. “The party is thinking that such a development will shut out other good hands in the party. “But most of us do not buy into that argument at all. We believe whatever is sauce for the goose ought to be sauce for the gander.” Responding to a question, the source said: “The likelihood of realignment of forces and protest votes cannot be ruled out.” Another governor said there was no way the party would not make concessions to allow the second term ticket of the President to sail through. “The PDP leadership may say there is no automatic ticket but there will certainly be negotiations to make certain things to

work. Mark my words, the PDP governors cannot allow Jonathan to have his way without anything in return. This is politics,” said the governor, who requested not to be named. “We are back to the 2003 era when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted the second term ticket. Governors want to be politically relevant after leaving office and fairness demands some concessions. “We have been making our demands known to the party. We hope it will accommodate these agitations to keep the party intact for 2015 poll.” The National Publicity Sec-

retary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, was unavailable last night. His mobile lines were switched off. But the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu had on January 28 declared at the National Assembly that there would be no automatic tickets for members seeking offices in 2015. Muazu spoke at a session with PDP members in the National Assembly. At the meeting were Uduaghan, Imoke, Shema, Yero, Aliyu and Orji. Muazu said automatic tickets were only given by parties that were undemocratic.

“We have a democratic process and we will go through that; those that deserve it will surely get it,” he said. Muazu stressed that he inherited no records of any promise made by the immediate past national chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, of giving automatic ticket to any member. A member of the NWC, who spoke last night, said: “Neither Muazu nor PDP has changed its position; there will be no automatic ticket for any member in 2015. “I can tell you that our position against automatic ticket has not changed.”

‘Girls’ abduction my worst moment’ Continued from page 4

grief to pray vehemently for our girls as well as the patriotic security agencies and civilian volunteers currently in relentless search and rescue efforts. “I call on our Christian parents, brothers and sisters to use

the Easter period to intensify prayers for the freedom of our daughters, the return of peace in Borno and rest of Nigeria. “I also urge all of us to sacrifice our time to support grieving parents and relations, we should be our brothers’ keepers in sacrifice and forgiveness which is what the Easter sym-

bolize “ I pledge the resolute commitment of my administration to the search for peace and sustainable progress and count on the continued support and prayers of all citizens so that together we make Borno great again.”

brothers and sisters struck by the Ebola epidemic in Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and to care for those suffering from so many other diseases which are also spread through neglect and dire poverty,” he said. Celebrating Easter Sunday, Christianity’s most joyous and hopeful day, Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine and Syria. More than 150,000 tourists Romans and pilgrims, young and old - turned out for the Mass he celebrated at an altar set up under a canopy on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. So many came that they overflowed the huge square, which was bedecked with row after row of potted daffodils, sprays of blue hyacinths and bunches of white roses. Waving flags from the pope’s native Argentina as well as Brazil, Mexico, Britain, Poland and many other countries, they filled the broad boulevard leading from the square to the Tiber River. Francis noted that this year, the Catholic church’s celebration of Easter coincided with that of Orthodox churches, which have many followers in Ukraine. Invoking God, he said: “We ask you to enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine, so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, will make every effort to prevent violence.” Tensions between pro-Russian supporters in Ukraine and those loyal to the interim government in Kiev have sparked bloodshed in recent days. Francis also prayed that all sides in Syria will be moved to “boldly negotiate the peace long awaited

and long overdue”. Since March 2011, Syria has been wracked by a civil war that has cost 150,000 lives and forced millions to flee the country. Francis makes a pilgrimage to Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Israel next month. On Easter, he prayed that hopes sparked by the resumption of Mideast peace negotiations be sustained. But Francis’ Easter message also stressed that people pay attention to the needy close to home. Reflecting the priorities of his papacy, he said the “good news” of Easter’s joy and hope means “leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast”. Cheering and applauding, the crowd tried to catch a glimpse of the pontiff as he circled around in his white popemobile at the end of the ceremony before he went to the central balcony over the basilica to deliver his commentary on the violence and poverty staining the Earth. A rainstorm had lashed Rome on Saturday night, with thunder competing with the sound of hymns when Francis led a vigil service in the basilica. Dawn brought clear skies and warm temperatures for Easter, the culmination of Holy Week, the day which marks the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Reflecting the worldwide reach of the Catholic church, faithful read aloud prayers and passages from the Bible in Hindi, French, Chinese, German, Korean, Spanish, Italian and English.

Jonathan: we’re changing approach to Boko Haram Continued from page 4

when you talk of employment in Customs or Immigration, you will see everybody rushing there.” On the need for cooperation among the tiers of government, he said: “States are semi autonomous. The President does not control states or local governments’ resources. Governors and local government chairmen control their resources. If all of us work in concert, we will solve most of our problems instead of trading blames. Government is one. God willing, we will get to where we want to be.” The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, who led the delegation, presented an Easter card to President Jonathan. Senator Smart Adeyemi, chairman of the Senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said: “We are happy to have a President who trusts in God. Nigeria will triumph over its challenges. Mr. President, you will succeed.” In the delegation were: the Primate of Anglican Church, Dr. Nicholas Okoh, Senator Phillip Aduda, officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Chief Imam of Central Mosque, Abuja. First Lady Patience Jonathan was not at the homage visit. She also was not at the church service where the President recited the 2014 memory verse of

the chapel from 1st Peter 5: 6 to 7. The first lesson was taken by the wife of the Aso Villa Chaplain, Mrs. Onwuzurumba, from the book of Leviticus 23: 9 to 14. Mr. John Kennedy Okpara took the second lesson from 1st Corinthians 15: 9 to 14. There was a prayer session for the first family, the congregation and Nigeria as a whole. The Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba maintained that only God can make somebody president. In his Easter Sunday sermon he said it was not a position anyone could just wake up and desire to fill. In his message titled: “Let’s celebrate”, Ven. Onwuzurumba said there was every reason to celebrate despite the bad and sad stories in the media. He said: “It takes a lot to become a President. It is not easy. It is not something you desire; it is what God gives.” He took the congregation through Romans 5: 12, 1st Corinthians 15: 19 to 29 and Ephisians 2: 12. Continuing, Ven. Onwuzurumba said: “When we celebrate, it is a way of showing appreciation of what God has done. We are celebrating Jesus today because he is the hope of the world. “This world does not offer us any hope. It is only Jesus Christ that brought hope to the world.”

Gunmen kill 15 in Taraba’s bloody Easter Continued from page 4

governor’s appeal to the people to embrace peace, the crisis was still far from over. “We don’t know where the problem is coming from,” he said. For several weeks, Southern

Taraba has been a theatre of war. The violence started from Ibi, Gassol and Takum local government areas and now concentrated in Wukari. Police said last Tuesday, 24 persons were feared killed, 34 injured while 99 houses were torched during hostilities in Wukari.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

SPORT EXTRA

Solskjaer: No regrets letting Osaze leave

•Super Eagles’ players celebrate after scoring a goal at the AFCON in South Africa

ARDIFF CITY manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that he does not regret allowing Super Eagles’ striker, Osaze Odemwingie to leave the club. Osaze left Cardiff in January to join Stoke City in a deal which saw Kenwyne Jones arrive in the Welsh capital, before going on to score four goals in 11 appearances for his new club. However, Solskjaer believes that the striker has nothing to prove ahead of the game between Cardiff and the Potters on Saturday. “When players move away from a club, they sometimes have a point to prove,” the Norwegian told reporters. “But then again, I don’t think this is the case. “First of all, I am looking forward to meeting Peter. He

is a good lad, a very good player and has done really well for them. “There are certainly no regrets in letting him go. That’s football. You move on.” Odemwingie was sold to Cardiff by West Bromwich Albion last summer.

•Solskjaer

Abdul Sule rues Kogi United’s loss to Wikki

Salami delighted with strike rate

ARRI WOLVES striker Gbolahan Salami has expressed happiness after he scored his fourth goal in as many matches on Saturday against Enugu Rangers in Nigeria Premier League. Salami said he was happy for the victory he gave Wolves in a must-win match against visiting Rangers. The former 3SC star said: “This is my month and this is the best year for me. This is the year I won a medal with the national team at CHAN 2014, the year I scored four goals in four matches. It has been wonderful to me. “I promised to score in the mid-week game against Nembe City which Allah answered my prayers and I also promised to give my fans in Wolves a birthday gift and Allah answered it again. “It shows that all my requests to Allah would be answered this year.” He added: “I really thank my team mates for their support because without them these goals wouldn’t have come, I just want to say thank you to them. “I also want to give kudos to all my fans across the country for the support I’ve been receiving from them, I vow not to disappoint them in any way. I will still try my best to score more goals for me to achieve my targets this year.”

•Salami

2014 WORLD CUP:

Nigeria’s semi-final target not feasible—Udi

ORMER Super Eagles and Grasshopper Club Zürich of Switzerland striker Duke Udi has ruled the Super Eagles out of reaching the semi-finals stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The World Cup kicks off next month in Brazil and while a section of Nigerian soccer pundits has tipped the Eagles to surprise the world by hitting the semi-finals stage that has never been achieved by any African team at the World Cup, the former Shooting Stars Football Club striker believed the current squad of the Eagles best chance is the quarterfinals not semis. “Realistically let’s face the big truth, football is not played on paper, football is played on the field of play. We are just getting there. You know when you start comparing Nigeria to Spain, Argentina and Brazil, for its like we are dreaming. “The Super Eagles should just

•Tips Eagles for q/finals

go to Brazil have fun and enjoy themselves. If er get to the quarter-finals its a great achievement for Nigeria. “We are also lucky that we are in a group that we can come out from. Take from instance if we are in the Ghana’s group I will tell you it will be very difficult to come out from the group. “Thank God that we are drawn in a very good group that we can manage to come out from. At the end of the day if we get to the quarterfinals stage then it would be a great success for Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. On Nigeria’s soccer fans fears over Eagles regulars not enjoying regular playing time in their respective clubs abroad, Udi who enjoyed

professional stint in Switzerland “One thing I will tell Nigerians is this we must inculcate team play and dissociate ourselves from individualistic play pattern. Nigeria’s problem is this collectively we are poor. We don’t normally adopt team play and this has been Nigeria’s problem for a long time and it is still evident in our play in the senior national team. “Mikel Obi and Victor Moses are top class players so if they are not playing regularly for their clubs now that won’t affect their quality while playing for the national team. Its now left for the Chief Coach to make the players play as a team by positively utilising the players’ individual talents and quality”, Udi told NationSport in Abuja.

have faced in the last few games,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. “I thought we showed character there. It was always going to be a tough match - the

fans, obviously, were expecting better from us and for the large part, I thought we did that.” Newcastle return to Premier League action next Monday when they travel to Arsenal.

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

Ameobi: Newcastle are United

UPER Eagles ace, Shola Ameobi has insisted that spirits remain high at Newcastle United, despite the team’s recent poor run of form. The Magpies were beaten for the fifth game in a row on Saturday as a late penalty from Wilfried Bony saw them lose 21 at home to Swansea City in the Premier League. While Newcastle are struggling to pick up points heading into the final few weeks of the season, Ameobi stresses that there is still a positive mood among the players at St James’ Park. “It’s been tough for us, obviously, but one thing that has remained is that spirit to want to work hard for each other and to fight, to keep on fighting despite the adversity that we

•Ameobi

ECHNICAL Adviser of Nigeria National League, NNL side, Kogi United FC, Abdul Sule has described his team’s 2-0 defeat to Wikki Tourists in the Week 11 encounter as unfortunate. Kogi United let in two goals in the 18th and 27th minutes from Sanni Usman before they could pick up their pieces. They dominated the proceedings all in the second half with much of scoring chances but could not get past the disciplined defence of Wikki Tourists. Abdul Sule who described the two goals his team conceded as silly, noted that a number of positives were taken from the match adding that the Wada Boys would get it right soon. “It was unfortunate to concede those goals. They were silly goals. We couldn’t deal with their long balls earlier and that cost us this

match”, the former Super Eagles’ defender begin. “But after those goals, we came out with good composure and fighting spirit. Unfortunately, we couldn’t score a goal to reflect that performance. This match has really afforded us the chance to identify our major challenges and we will go back to make amends”, said Sule. Abdul Sule ,however, expressed optimism that the club would get better as the season progresses, just as he called for continued support from supporters and fans of the club. His counterpart fron Wikki Tourists, Tunde Abdulrahman who admitted that Kogi United gave his side a good fight said Wikki was lucky with those early goals. Kogi United still remained with 15 points from possible 33, and will next host Adamawa United in Lokoja.

Kwara Utd demands suspension of AR Hannah Elaigwu

WARA UNITED FC of Ilorin, has demanded the immediate suspension of Assistant Referee (AR), Hannah Elaigwu of the FCT Council for her display in week 11 Nigeria National League (NNL), game involving it and Plateau United in Jos on Saturday. The Club in a Statement on Sunday said her continued involvement in the game in the future would bring the game to disrepute and deny. The statement expressed the belief that Elaigwu who was the AR 2 in the match was firmly against the team, harassing the players unnecessarily from the dressing room of the visitors. It said Elaigwu disallowed a goal the Centre Referee (CR), Ibrahim Musa from Katsina had pointed at the centre for a goal. The goal according to the statement was scored from a free kick taken by Obadaki Halilu whose cross had found Hamza Rasheed after Plateau United goalkeeper had missed his chance to pick up the ball on the air before Segun Alebiosu found the back of the net. The statement explained further that after the poor display by Elaigwu in

disallowing the goal, she then also denied the visitors another scoring opportunity after another Kwara United player had been brought down in front of the 18yard box, which was suppose to be a free kick. The Club also asked Hannah Elaigwu to explain why she ran to the security men immediately after the blast of the final whistle if she has not done anything wrong during the course of the game. The Club in the statement said similar incident had happened to it in Kaduna against DSS where a goal was scored and the centre referee disallowed the goal and awarded the host a 87th minute dubious penalty. Kwara United was however, full of praises for the Centre Referee, Ibrahim Musa from Katsina. The Club expressed the confidence that such display Musa put up in the match is further needed in the course of the league as the NNL remain the bedrock of the Premier League. The statement urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and NNL to closely monitor the progress of the nation’s lower league cadre.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

SPORT EXTRA Determined Angels edge past Bayelsa to remain on top

AFCON champions to dominate R World Cup squad—Official A FCON 2013 Super Eagles squad will dominate the country’s 2014 World Cup provisional list expected to be announced by coach Stephen Keshi on Tuesday, according to the team’s spokesman Ben Alaiya. Speaking on a TV programme in Lagos, the Super Eagles’ media officer Ben Alaiya, however, said there could be a few surprises when the list is made public. “We should expect the players who won the 2013 AFCON to dominate the World Cup list, I can say 90% of the World Cup squad will be from AFCON team,” Alaiya disclosed. “Coach Keshi knows these players well and they know him, they understand his body language, what he expects of them at a particular time. “Otherwise, there will be some surprises in the squad.” The big posers would be whether Keshi will soft pedal on his decision to overlook Villarreal striker Ikechukwu Uche, who he said has lacked tactical discipline when playing for the Super Eagles. Stoke City striker Osaze

Odemwingie has made peace with the coach and he looks likely to be given another chance with the national team. It would also be of interest to know how many players

from the domestic league will get a chance to fight for places on the final 23-man squad for the World Cup. Azubuike Egwuekwe, Ejike Uzoenyi and Chigozie Agbim are favoured to be

listed. Keshi is expected to defend his provisional squad for Brazil 2014 before the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ogbonda explained the reasons behind his substitutions. “The difficulty came as a result of the players that came from the national camp. They were affected by fatigue due to the training they were made to undergo,” said Ogbonda. “The midfielders were unable to give good passes to the attackers. When I realised ,I made the double changes and at the end of the day,we were able to get an opportunity to score a goal,he concluded”. Former technical adviser of Bayelsa United, Chief Ekete was happy with the result. “In a game, a team can play well and lose, a team can play well and win,a team can play badly and lose and a team can play badly and win. We played well but lost the game”, he said. “We came with the intention to pick three points but unfortunately we lost but as far as am concerned we will win the FA cup and the league trophy”, Ekete said. Rivers Angels will next play against another south south rival, Pelican Stars at the Unical Sports Complex, Calabar.

Rueben Gabriel sent off in Belgium Y •Super Eagles’ players lifting the AFCON trophy in South Africa.

Falcons’ coach sure of World Cup ticket

•Okon

IVERS Angels fought hard to get a 1-0 home win to remain on top of the Nigeria Women Premier League (NWPL) table against Bayelsa Queens on a wet pitch at the Liberation stadium, Port Harcourt. The home team found it difficult to create clear cut chances more or less converting the few chances created in the game. Asisat Oshoala was the worst culprit as she failed to make use of the few chances created and in other cases,she was perpetually caught offside. The deadlock was broken in the 80th minute when the Ghana born striker Elizabeth Addo who came on as a substitute towards the half time break ,scored a superb goal from 25 yards to give Rivers Angels the much desired win. The goal scored by Elizabeth Addo was her third of the season. Rivers Angels remain unbeaten and remain firm on top of the table with 18 points from 8 games. After the game, assistant coach of Rivers Angels White

HE Chief Coach of Super Falcons Edwin Okon has expressed optimism that the team will not only do very well at the African Women Championship (AWC) in Namibia but qualify for the World Cup. Insisting that his team is work in progress, Okon said that the plan is to go to Namibia and win the AWC trophy they lost in 2012 in Equatorial Guinea and go to the world cup in Canada as African champions. He said his optimism stems

from the progress the girls have made over the last three weeks, adding that Super Falcons are on their way to regain their lost glory in African football. “I am impressed with the way the players have responded to what we have been teaching them and by the time we are through with the rebuilding of the Super Falcons, they would be unstoppable. “We shall begin to have a clearer picture of a new Super Falcons after the Cameroon friendly match. I

am sure Nigerians would love the new Falcons by the time we are through with the rebuilding process” he stated The Rivers Angel coach said he is aware of the opposition they would face at the AWC in Namibia but stressed that their target is to win the cup and qualify for the world cup. He said countries like Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon and defending champions Equatorial Guinea will also be angling for the AWC title, his girls would not lose focus.

ESTERDAY was a day to forget for Nigeria’s Reuben Gabriel, as the Super Eagles’ international was sent off in Belgium’s top division game between Waasland-Beveren and Gent. Gabriel, who joined Waasland-Bevereen in January after terminating his contract with Scottish outfit Kilmarnock, was sent for an early shower in the 24 minute for a hard challenge on Belgian youth teamer Hannes van der Bruggen. The game ended 4-2 for the visiting Gent side, despite being just 1-0 for Gent when Gabriel was expulsed. Ivan Trickovski scored a late brace for Waasland-Beveren, but couldn’t help his club as Mouhamadou Habibou

netted a hattrick for Gent and handed his side a victory. It was a painful defeat for Waasland-Beveren, as it was a deciding game in Europa League play-off group and Gabriel’s club could qualify for the competition if they won the match. Still, it’s a good achievement for Waasland-Beveren as they ended the regular season on just 14th position and were just a little step from European football. It was a second red card for former Kano Pillars defensive midfielder this season as Gabriel also received one while playing for Kilmarnock earlier in the campaign.

MILO AFRICA CHAMPIONSHIP

Nestle pledges steady support for Youth Development

ESTLE Nigeria Plc has promised to continue to support youth development programmes in the country through sports, to ensure a steady line of intelligent, healthy and active future leaders. The assurance was made at the unveiling of plans for the 3rd Milo Africa U-13 Football Championship in Lagos on Wednesday by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestle Plc, Nigeria, Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon who explained that the Milo African Championship (MAC) aims to promote cross cultural ties, and discipline through football. According to Gordhon “Nestle Milo is pleased to be one of the major private sector contributors to the development of sports in Nigeria, as part of our commitment to promoting physical activities and enhance the quality of life through sports” He expressed satisfaction with the contributions of the Milo brand to sports development

By Bowale Odukale in Nigeria and pledged that the company will continue to create beneficial platforms for youths to engage and find expression for their natural sporting endowments. “Nestle Milo has been at the forefront of grassroot sports development through various sporting platforms like Nestle Milo Secondary school basketball championship,

Nestle Milo football clinic and Nestle-IAAF Kids Athletic programme and we are now bringing the African U-13 Championship to Nigeria to demonstrate our long-term commitment to enhance quality of life of youths”, the Nestle Plc Chief Executive noted. The 3rd Nestle Milo U-13 African Championship will hold in Lagos from May 29-31. The biennial football event was first hosted by South Africa in

2010 and saw Nigeria’s representative Ashegun school, Oyo State lifting the trophy. In 2012, Ghana hosted and won while Nigeria was represented by St. Stephens School, Lagos. St. Barnabas LGEA, Kwara State will fly Nigeria’s flag with Ghana, Kenya and South African all expected to participate. The Nigerian team was flown into Lagos from Kwara and presented to journalists at the press conference.

Ikhana turns down Giwa job again

ORMER Super Falcons manager, Kadiri Ikhana has informed to supersport.com that he would not be joining Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) newcomers, Giwa FC. Reports this weekend claimed that the experienced coach is on the verge of joining the Jos-based club, but Ikhana has rubbished the report when speaking to supersport.com.

On Wednesday, Abdullahi Biffo resigned as Giwa FC’s technical adviser after guiding the side to their first top flight campaign, and it has been widely reported that Ikhana would replace him. “There’s no plan for me to join Giwa FC and I don’t think that anybody can convince me to go to Jos because age is no longer on my side. “I am only playing an

advisory role to the club just because I have a good relationship with the proprietor of Giwa FC. “I have advised them on what would help them in the NPFL, and I’m sure that Giwa FC would soar this season in the league,” Ikhana told supersport.com Last season, Ikhana was on a rescue mission at Nasarawa United and he’s at present in Abeokuta with his wife.

•Rueben Gabriel

Abia Warriors beat Sunshine 1-0

NDO state representatives in the Glo Nigeria professional Football League, Sunshine Stars of Akure have recorded their second defeat of the season. In a week seven match played at the Abia Township Stadium in Umuahia, Sunshine Stars lost 0-1 to Abia Warriors. The first half of the tension soaked encounter ended goalless as both teams could not find the breakthrough. On resumption of the second half, both teams made a

number of tactical changes, but it was the home team that got the only goal in the 70th minute through Peter Onyekachi. Sunshine Stars created a lot of good scoring chances in the match that witnessed a heavy down pour, but could not convert any. The heavens opened up before the match before and during the match, a situation that made the match difficult for both teams. The Akure based team will face FC Taraba in its next match on Wednesday in Akure.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

SPORT EXTRA

•Everton players celebrating their victory over Manchester United

Everton too strong for United on Moyes’ return

VERTON secured a Premier League double over Manchester United and former boss David Moyes with a 2-0 victory at Goodison Park. Leighton Baines and Kevin Mirallas got the goals on Merseyside to earn Everton who prevailed by a one-goal margin at Old Trafford back in December - a first six-point haul against United since the 1969/70 campaign.

Victory on Sunday also keeps Roberto Martinez’s side in the hunt for UEFA Champions League qualification - as they sit one point adrift of fourthplaced Arsenal - while United remain’s six back on Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for sixth and a guaranteed Europa League berth. Everton ensured that it would be another painful afternoon for Moyes - and

former favourites Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini - as they once again displayed the kind of passion and determination which has carried them to eight successes in their last nine outings. They had already seen one penalty appeal waved away by referee Mark Clattenburg and Steven Naismith fire over the crossbar when well placed by the time Phil Jones slipped inside the box and handled a

Romelu Lukaku shot shortly before the half-hour mark. Baines made no mistake from the spot as he preserved his perfect conversion record in Premier League competition by drilling down the middle as David de Gea dived away to his right. That lead was doubled two minutes before half-time as Kevin Mirallas sprung the offside trap and crashed home from a tight angle.

Wenger delighted with ‘big win’ as Arsenal stay fourth

RSENE Wenger praised a patient performance from his Arsenal side as they saw off Hull to remain on course for Champions League qualification.

•Wenger

Hull started brightly at the KC Stadium but Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a 31stminute lead and Lukas Podolski’s double secured a 30 win for Wenger’s men. That ensured they would hold on to fourth place in the Barclays Premier League ahead of Everton and Wenger said: “It was a big win. “The first half was very physical, played at a very high pace, our defenders needed to be very strong on crosses in the air. “We looked dangerous when we went into their half and took advantage of that. “In the second half, when we

scored the third goal we controlled the game completely.” Ramsey’s goal capped an impressive first league start since Boxing Day for the Welshman, while Wenger was also able to recall Mesut Ozil for his first appearance since March 11 following hamstring trouble. And the manager said: “We were having problems scoring goals away from home and (Ramsey) and Ozil give us a cutting edge in the final third that makes us much more dangerous. “Ozil has always the timing of the pass, the incisiveness of

Madrid boosted by Ronaldo’s return

EAL Madrid have been boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to training ahead of their Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old missed Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final win over Barcelona with a knee injury and looked set to be absent for the first-leg of his side’s last four European tie on Wednesday. However, he could now be available for the clash with Pep Guardiola’s side after

coming through the first part of Sunday’s training session. Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will also be encouraged by the participation of Marcelo, who emerged unscathed from the practice having been sidelined with a hamstring problem. Copa del Rey hero Gareth Bale was also present following his match-winning heroics in midweek, while defender Sergio Ramos worked alone inside the club’s training facility. The news that Ronaldo will

be back for the crunch clash will not only come as a relief to Madrid, with Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitting that he was eager to see the Portuguese face his side. “When Real Madrid play Bayern Munich, then the whole world will be watching. I always want the best players to be on the pitch,” he told TZ. Real Madrid and Bayern face one another at 20:45CET on Wednesday.

the Liga title race. The Argentina international is under contract at Barca until 2018, but has long been expected to sign an improved deal at Camp Nou. And Bartomeu is adamant that the club will offer the 26-yearold an extended contract, defending Messi’s performances this season. “We are being unfair to Leo,” Bartomeu told Esport3. “Our club members need to understand

that we must take care of Messi. “He has made such an important contribution to this club and he will continue to do so. “That’s why we have no doubt that he will lead the future of the club. He is young, he is the best player in the world, and we believe in him. “We want to improve it (his contract) because he deserves it and to adapt it to football’s current circumstance.”

Bartomeu: Barca must take care of Messi

ARCELONA president Josep Maria Bartomeu feels critics are being unfair to Lionel Messi and reiterated a desire to give him a new deal. Messi has come in for flak for his form in a damaging streak of three straight defeats for the Catalan club that has seen Barca eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, lose the Copa del Rey final to arch-rivals Real Madrid and slip off the pace in

his passing helps you turn quickly from defence to offense. “Football is down to quality of the players and you could see that today.”

RESULTS EPL Tottenham 3 - 1 Fulham Aston Villa 0 - 0 S’ampton Cardiff City 1 - 1 Stoke Newcastle 1 - 2 Swansea West Ham 0 - 1 C/ Palace Chelsea 1 - 2 Sunderland Norwich 2 - 3 Liverpool Hull City 0 - 3 Arsenal Everton 2 - 0 ManUnited LA LIGA Atlético Madrid 2 - 0 Elche Osasuna 1 - 1 Valencia Levante 0 - 0 Getafe R/Sociedad 2 - 1 Espanyol Almería 2 - 4 C/de Vigo R/Vallecano 3 - 1 Real Betis Sevilla 4 – 0 Granada SERIE A Genoa 1 - 2 Cagliari Atalanta 1 - 2 Hellas Verona Parma 0 - 2 Internazionale Milan 3 - 0 Livorno Udinese 1 - 1 Napoli Catania 2 - 1 Sampdoria Chievo 0 - 1 Sassuolo Lazio 3 - 3 Torino Juventus 1 - 0 Bologna Fiorentina 0 - 1 Roma BUNDESLIGA Borussia Dortmund 4 - 2 Mainz 05 Werder Bremen 3 - 1 Hoffenheim Freiburg 4 - 2 Borussia M’ gladbach Augsburg 0 - 0 Hertha BSC Eintracht B’weiger 0 - 2 Bayern München Hamburger SV 1 - 3Wolfsburg Nürnberg 1 - 4 B/Leverkusen Stuttgart 3 - 1 Schalke 04 LIGUE 1 Saint-Étienne 0 - 0 Rennes Monaco 1 - 0 Nice Bastia 2 - 1 Ajaccio Bordeaux 5 - 1 Guingamp Lorient 4 - 4 Montpellier Reims 0 - 1 Sochaux Valenciennes 2 - 6 Nantes

Eaglets hold special prayer session

HE Blue Angel abode of the Golden Eaglets in Lome was turned into a prayer ground on Sunday as the Nigerian Under-17 team once again committed their participation at the WAFU B Under-17 Tournament into the hands of God. Though prayer by both Muslims and Christians are usual routine before and after each training sessions that of Sunday was a bit special since it coincided with the celebration of Easter. The team was led in prayer and worship by the coordinator, Prince Udofia who incidentally is an ordained pastor of Jesus Restoration Ministry in Port Harcourt. Speaking on the lessons of Easter amongst other things, Udofia said his choice of topic Being Thankful- for the occasion was apt in view of what the team has went through. “We have to be thankful and give glory to God for what he

has done for this team,” Udofia told the audience. “As a team, getting to this level has not been easy but we have to thank God for assisting us all this while and we must remain thankful at all times.” Officials attendance at the Sunday’s worship include coach Emmanuel Amuneke, Goalkeepers’ trainer, Emeka Amadi who was once a student of Catholic Seminary, Team Physician, Dr. Deji Olarinoye; team’s Administrator, Mr. Tayo Egbaiyelo as well as players of the Christian faith. Udofia later disclosed that the players are ready for the task ahead and are rearing to go against Mali on Monday: “The morale of the team is good and the players are in high spirit. We don’t have any injury problem and having committed our participation into the hands of God, we are confident of victory against Mali on Monday.”

•Amuneke

SUNSHINE STARS TO WARRI WOLVES

Don’t blame match officials for your woes

UNSHINE stars International Football Club of Akure is determined to always set high standards for other teams to follow in the area of administration and management and will continue to pursue its ambition of excellent performance in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League, instead of paying attention to detractors. According to a statement by the Media Officer of the team, Wahab Bankole, the two-time semi-finalist of CAF organised competitions, will not join issues with anybody, group of people or teams. Bankole who is also the Special Assistant on MEDIA to the Chairman of the Ondo State Football Agency,

By Kayode Williams Hon. Akin Akinbobola, advised the chief coach of Warri Wolves, Paul Aibogun to concentrate on his team’s welfare instead of blaming match officials for their own misfortune. According to him, the coach and management of Warri Wolves have done a good job to assemble good players who are capable of winning the league title, but said the team should blame itself for the 3-2 loss it suffered in the hands of Sunshine stars in a week 6 match in Akure. He added that Sunshine stars coach, Henry Abiodun and the Team manager, Gabriel Aborowa are working hard to build a team capable of conquering Nigeria and Africa.

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 9 NO 2,825

WHO SAID WHAT ‘Even as we condemn the action, society would have gained nothing if we do not internalize the lessons this tragedy serves humanity. It is a hard way of drawing the attention of governments, especially in the north, to the debilitating poverty and attendant practices in that region that accentuate forced marriages of juveniles’ EMEKA OMEIHE

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

HAT shall we say now, but shall we continue in silence so that violence may abound? We forbid. Many will contend that all have been said of the Federal Government’s impotence in tackling Boko Haram. We have heard, now as before, that we are witnessing a failure of intelligence. But what we have not established is whether the failure derives more from naivety or corruption. We know it is certainly not equal parts. We just don’t know in what measure naivety and corruption share the ignoble pie. We have said also that President Goodluck Jonathan falls shy of appreciating enough the gravity of the epidemic. Not just because of the cavalier fatalism of his speech that it will all vanish someday. His deeds show it. Barely two years ago he flew across to Brazil after Boko Haram bombs and guns made carrion flesh of human lives at home. His men said in a world of e-governance, he could direct affairs from anywhere. He resonated more with the samba of Brazil than with the heartbeats of the bereaved. Last week, he did same. His face wrinkled with grief in a hospital the day 75 persons died from the Nyanya bus terminal explosion in Abuja. The next day, he danced on their wounds at a campaign ground in Kano and jetted to Ibadan to clink birthday glasses with the Olubadan. So who is the real Jonathan, the one with compassion or the campaign man with a will to power or the merry man at Ibadan in the ambience of champagne? No one wanted the President to donate blood, but the soulless act of the Kano visit came to high relief when a diplomat was donating blood to the victims in Abuja. On that day, the president revealed he gave money to delegates through Kano State Governor Kwankwanso to give to delegates to ease his electoral victory in 2011. Sin upon sin, this time the sin of inducement for electoral victory. But that was not the time for such detonation of angry words when others, including Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and former Governor Bukola Saraki paid visits and donated blood. Again, the PDP spokesman and Goebel’s mock reincarnate, Olisa Metuh, said the opposition APC was responsible for the bombing. Neither the president has publicly called him to apologise nor has the party sanctioned him for such reckless effusions in mimicking Hitler’s publicist. This is not the sort of drama from the presidency that affirms a sense of sobriety and aggressive thinking in stamping out Boko Haram. If the president acts with such Janus-faced devotion to war, what do we expect from the intelligence agencies, the military and the other staff involved in the combat against the bigots. That is why no one has a right to be silent about the weaknesses in the fight against terror. Lives are being lost, markets shut down, schools in paralysis and societies on hold. Terror was the matter the same day he danced

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchnation@gmail.com 08054501081(sms only) Twitter: @samomatseye

Nyanya and other storms

‘

He resonated more with the samba of Brazil than with the heartbeats of the bereaved. Last week, he did same.

’

• President Goodluck Jonathan in Kano and joyed in Ibadan when 129 girls were whisked away by the red-blooded militants. Was that news not enough to call off any such matter? Was it out of place for the president to say that the nation was in sackcloth and dour moods and no time for barnstorming and birthday revelry? Even his supporters in Kano, who are no strangers to such bloody inanities, would have understood. Ditto the Olubadan. The story of the girls became another narrative of lies and distortions. The army headquarters said it rescued over 80 of them. The news reporting in the media should have been more wary because the army’s own story did not show any rescue. In their footloose account, they reportedly found the girls already free. You don’t rescue free people. The girls who fled in defiance were the heroines of the tale. The army recanted but it calls in question how much of earlier press releases from the army about captured militants and weapons impounded

RIPPLES OBANIKORO LEADS SOLDIERS TO STOP LAGOS PROJECT–News

Yes, just as there are AREA BOYS, there are ‘SENIOR AREA BOYS’, too!

bear credibility. All of these reports tell us how shabbily we are fighting this war. Again, Saturday Punch of April 19 reported that N76 billion was wasted on technologies to monitor the terrorist mischief in Abuja. All of it has broken down. Is this accountability or corruption or incompetence? According to the report, the programme did not cover the area of the Nyanya bombing even if it worked. Year after year, princely sums are devoted to defence, specifically against Boko Haram. What has happened to all of it? The APC has called for a summit with neigh-

A literary tear for Marquez

he news came over the weekend of the passing of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude. He was an enchanter of a writer and an author that nobody worth his or her literacy should pass this earth without reading. Some critics said his marquee novel, which won him the Nobel Prize in 1982, was the best since the book of Genesis. Others say, his is the best book written in Spanish since Cervante’s Don Quixote, which ranks as the best novel of all time. His other works like the Autumn of the Patriarch and Love in the Time of Cholera, show him a writer of rare gift. He popularised a technique called magical realism that we have seen here with Fagunwa and Tutuola. He was a writer’s writer, powerful in narrative, picturesque in scene, titillating in philosophy, creating wonder at the end’s tale. He had the kind of creative gusto of a Wole Soyinka and the prose spirit of a Vladimir Nabokov and the subtlety of a Victor Hugo. A thunder just passed at 87, but his echo will turn into many melodies for many generations to come. Good night, Marquez.

HARDBALL

HEY have done it again. I bet they are clinking glasses now and patting themselves on the back. This must be their biggest haul of bodies and limbs. The cold, calculated dawn attack on an Abuja crowded motor-park last Monday April 14. Call it the Nyanya massacre that fetched nearly 100 bodies and about 200 casualties in one fell swoop. It is a huge Nigerian tragedy, a black Monday. But it is of course the joy of the cowardly mass murderers; the masked sponsors and authors of innocent deaths and senseless killings. They must have savoured some charred fleshwiches that Monday morn? Two-faced serpents, they laugh with us in the day and plot our destruction at night. The slitherers, perhaps they are part of the blood donation photo-ops by Tuesday morning? Their children and wards are ensconced in highbrow schools abroad, they enjoy undue share of the national cake but they tell the poor, wretched and unschooled kids that “book is harmful”. They trick them to kill, destroy and pulverize themselves in order to earn virginal pleasures in the clouds beyond. But their children are reading all the books available and supping their

bouring countries, including Chad and Niger. Those countries can help, but the nation ought to wring the hands of France. Our neighbours are, at heart, still French satellites, a decision they made in the years of President Charles de Gaulle. France has not taken the matter as seriously as it has deployed forces and diplomatic pressures on French-speaking nations on the continent like Mali. The insurgents there have been subdued. But the issue of summit barely addresses more fundamental issues. If the neigbouring countries fail to rein in the militants from entering our country, is it now their responsibility once they are in Nigeria? Where are our cameras to monitor the movements of these militants and the personnel to react? What role do the civilian JTF boys play these days? The insurgents attacked two schools in about a month. How was it that cameras could not track them down, if they were available? Lagos State has established a model for all of Nigeria with real-time cameras covering vital arteries and institutions in the state. The governor of example, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has showcased this and it has worked with evidence in tackling criminals and unearthing cells in the state. It is a sharp contrast to the N76 billion extravaganza. As the penman of conservatism, Edmund Burke, once asserted, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In this case, is it that our government is doing nothing, or they cannot do the right thing? I weigh with the latter. It is not as if we don’t have the resources or potentially the men. The point is, the government is not ready. Declaring a state of emergency was hailed last year. Clearly it is hard to call it a success when the group clucks defiantly while we bleed and weep. They lull us into false triumph with strategic retreats and wake us into horror with bombs, shootings and abductions in their macabre rhythms of silence and thunder. Said Winston Churchill who knew about winning a war that seems hopeless: “no one can guarantee success in war, but only deserve it.” Our government still doesn’t know how to deserve it.

Ode to the grim harvesters pleasure here and now, day and night. What extreme wickedness; fiends from hell! No human would annihilate unless his spirit was first annihilated. The cowardly death merchants would first zombify and drug the suicide bomber and then have him go merrily to hell in small bits and pieces under a cloud of smoke and a mangle of metals. The spiteful heathen would hide under the cover of religion to pervert the world. They trick the simple to purvey small pyrotechnic of hell fires, in which they are consumed and with which they maim and destroy. But the real hell is not a child’s play; it’s no fireworks for callow kids crying over candies. It’s not a one-off fire-cracker or IED; it’s an expansive eternal torment. It will shame yee flame-throwers and your improvised bangers would be inconsequential sparks of light on the due day. Yee hateful cowards, for your thirst and idiosyncrasy you maim and murder the

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above defenseless, the innocent, the law-abiding, who go about his business. You take the life you never made; you shed blood as if it were waste water, just to salve your megalomania? What would you tell your maker when you face him and you are faced with a collage of the skulls you harvested? Perhaps you have no maker; you made yourself or you are self-made? Which implies that you will never have to answer to anyone, now or forever? Perhaps you will never die; you must be immortal; yes, no mortal would waste so much souls; no man with a pint of blood in him, who feels and feeds, would thirst for so such blood. And to what end by the way; for fame and affluence; for power and glory? But even King Solomon expired. Who had more fame, more wisdom, more wealth and more glory, yet all these came to an end. Vanity he called them all. Everything will come to an end someday anyway, so nothing really is worth the killing of so many innocent people. The presidency will come to an end too; so will all the oil dollars vanish, even all the gold and silver in the vaults of England will cease to be someday. Yes, everything will pass someday, but what shall we answer?

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