April 4, 2014

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•No abandoned projects, says Fayemi •MORE ON PAGE 8 •Bamidele: I won’t take salary•’No temporary card’ •APC alleges member shot by Fayose’s men

•Pupils of the Police Children School, Ikeja, Lagos on parade at the inauguration of an ICT laboratory at the school…yesterday

Court awards Sanusi N50m for illegal arrest, seizure of passport

Rivers CJ sues NJC From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

S

USPENDED Rivers State Chief Judge Justice P.H.C. Agumagu has sued the National Judicial Council (NJC) and three others over his suspension and threat to sack him.

In a suit he filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Agumagu is challenging NJC’s decision to suspend him and praying the court to restrain members of a panel set up to investigate the allegations against him from taking any further steps in respect of his case until the deterContinued on page 4

PHOTO: NAN

T •Sanusi

HE Federal High Court in Lagos awarded yesterday N50million damages to suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Mr. Justice Ibrahim Buba held that his arrest and detention as well as the seizure of

By Joseph Jibueze, Senior Correspondent

his international passport by security agencies acting for the Federal Government violated his right.

The judge ordered the State Security Service (SSS) and the police to release Sanusi’s

passport immediately.

Justice Buba dismissed the allegation of terrorism financing as the basis for arresting Sanusi and seizing his passport. He described the allegation as an afterthought.

The respondents are to Continued on page 4

19 shot dead at funeral Fulani allege ethnic cleansing

A

•Gen. Olukolade

LL was tense yesterday in some parts of Nasarawa State following the killing of 19 Fulani herdsmen at a funeral in a settlement near Keana town in Keana Local Government Area .

The incident occurred at a Fulani settlement on Giza Road, Gidan Ardo Sodangi axis in the local government.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the umbrella body of Fulani herdsmen, said last night that the killings might affect the ongoing reconcilia-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

tion between farmers and herdsmen in 10 states.

Residents accused soldiers of carrying out the killings.

But the Defence Headquarters said although it had not received any report on the killings, the incident was being investigated.

According to one of the eye-witnesses, the soldiers stormed the Fulani settlement on Giza road, Gidan Ardo Sodangi and opened fire on

We’ll investigate, says military mourners.

The source said 15 died at the funeral. Four others died in the hospital.

He also said the “soldiers” invaded Secretariat Road in Keana where they allegedly killed two more herdsmen behind the Federal Government Girls College.

The source said: “The soldiers stormed the settlement where the mourners had converged on the house of the Fulani Community leader, Ardo Sodangi Saudi.

“The mourners had assumed that the soldiers were around to sympathise with them only for them to open fire.

“This led to the instant killing of 15 people on the spot. Others died while being evacuated to Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia.

“No one suspected such bizarre killings because Keana area had witnessed peaceful coexistence between farmers and Fulani herdsmen. We cannot understand why these troops Continued on page 4

•RELATIVE REUNITES WITH ANOTHER IBADAN ‘HORROR FOREST’ VICTIM P9

THE NATION FRIDAY APRIL 4, 2014

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NEWS NATIONAL CONFERENCE

How •Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle), General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Major Gen. Tamunomieibi Dibi (left) and Commander, 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala Barracks, Ogun State, Brigadier Gen. David Ahmadu when the GOC visited the governor in his office in Abeokuta...yesterday.

• Festus Okoye (left); Achike Udenwa and Mrs Chidinma Uwajumogu... yesterday

Titbits Delegates bicker over titles, quality of food

I

•L-R: Head, Human Resources, Nestle Nigeria Plc Mrs Marie Ige Owoniyi (left) Corporate Affairs Manager, Dr Samuel Adenekan; MD/CEO, Mr Dharnesh Gordhon and Business Manager, Maggi, Mr Guy Kellaway, after a news conference on the launch of Maggi Chicken by Nestle Nigeria Plc in Lagos...yesterday.

•L-R: NNPC Community Relations Manager, Alhaji Alibaba Mohammed; representative of NNPC Managing Director, Mr Vitalis Ugochukwu and the President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, during NNPC Day at the ongoing 25th Enugu International Trade Fair...yesterday.

•Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Prof Joy Ogwu (left); All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Women Leader Sharon Ikeazor and UN Special Adviser at the just-concluded UN 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, Mrs. Amina Az-Zubair

NADEQUACY of food during lunch was an issue yesterday as the Vice Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, informed delegates that a member wanted to raise a point of order over the issue. But the delegate was advised to suspend his observation till the Chairman returned to the table. And by the time the delegate raised the issue, it was monetisation of the lunch for delegates, a request that was turned down.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Women Leader Josephine Anenih said events had overtaken the complaint as the quantity and quality of food served for lunch have improved. She said she saw people eating Chinese food while her type of food was also served at another point, adding that if money was given instead, the opportunity of delegates to interact during the break would be lost, as some delegates would go out to eat and not come back.

Another delegate •Mrs disagreed with Mrs. Anenih Anenih on the improvement of the food, saying not all delegates eat at the banquet hall. But the delegate agreed that it should not be monetised. “What I will suggest is that the secretariat should improve. I didn’t eat yesterday, but I didn’t come here to eat,” he said.

The Chairman agreed, and put the question, which was carried amidst yes and no.

Adoption of minutes of last meeting turned to a comic relief as speaker after speaker took to either correcting grammatical errors or the spelling of their names and titles.

Despite warnings from the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, that delegates should endeavour to address the substance of the minutes rather than insignificant matters of grammatical errors, the correction went on. After several delegates made their points correcting the letters of the minutes, a traditional ruler took objection to being addressed in the minutes as ‘His Royal Highness.’

The paramount ruler said the correct title is ‘His Royal Majesty’ and the minutes should read so.

And in a sharp response to the ob-

servation of the monarch, Prof Ishaq Oloyede said for purposes of correct English, using the title of ‘His Majesty’ requires no addition of ‘Royal.’ Members could not help but laugh over the new information, but the royal father made no further comment on it. Then it was the turn of Anenih who also complained that her traditional title of ‘Iyom’ was omitted from the records.

Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi wondered what could be the problem as ‘Mrs.’ was pronounced before the name, but the Federal Government delegate took time to educate her colleagues on the implication of the omission.

She said omission of ‘Iyom’ from her name amounted to a demotion of her status “because Iyom is a graduation from Mrs.” Expectedly, this drew laughter from the delegates until the Chairman called for the adoption of the amended minutes. Anenih volunteered to second the motion and the Justice Kutigi, in his characteristic jocular manner, said “Iyom, second the motion,” paving the way for another round of hilarity that tore through the hall. After the seconding the motion, amidst torrents of laughter in the hall, the Chairman put the question rather comically again, saying, “Those in favour of Iyom, say yes.” More laughter followed after which he asked if anyone was against.

And no one objected to “Iyom.”

Former PDP National Chairman Amodu Ali raised a point of order on the use of slangs during debate, citing the use of the term the ‘Wet e’ by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa to buttress her point on the need for the unity of the country. Ali said not everybody understood the term and that delegates should try to explain whatever slangs they are using for everyone to understand. Ita-Giwa responded immediately, saying having been a lawmaker for 23 years, she was aware that ‘wet e’ is an acceptable term in the history of the country. Voices of “yes, yes” filled the auditorium as delegates laughed over it, but the Chairman advised delegates to desist from using slangs during debates nonetheless.

THE NATION FRIDAY APRIL 4, 2014

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KUTIGI 2 CROPPED

NEWS NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Nigeria should be restructured

•Alayemore of Ido Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo (left); Owa Oye of Oke Imesi, Oba Gbadebo Adedeji and Olu of Ilaro Oba Kehinde Olugbenle...yesterday.

•Justice Kutigi •Justice Kutigi

A

S the debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s speech entered its third day yesterday, focus shifted from issues raised in the speech to matters central to the National Conference and what to make of them. Opinions and counter-opinions flowed as delegates deliberated on issues of corruption, security, economic development or the lack of it, religion, and ethnic nationality with focus on the minority and majority question.

While some of the speakers suggested that corrupt officers, especially those in public service, should face death sentence, others agreed that economic development with the practical consequence of job creation will check insecurity.

Former Secretary to Government of the Federation Chief Olu Falae said Nigeria’s problem started when the military, in 1966, did away with regional government, which had served as a tonic for development of zones across the country, and introduced unitarism.

The elder statesman also said that abolition of parliamentary system of government where power was with the entire cabinet and replacement with presidential system where powers lie with an individual had caused serious political crises in the country.

Femi Falana, SAN, in a moving contribution, said the Conference, though not sovereign, has provided Nigerians with a

‘Nigeria is at war with itself. Security remains our greatest challenge. We must stop playing politics with it. We here must do what we ought to do’

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Group Political Editor

window of opportunity “to find out why we are poor in the midst of plenty while a microscopic minority of the population is rich and smiling to the bank.” He added that corruption had endangered the corporate existence of Nigeria, and advocated political, social and environmental justice.

Dalhatu Bashir from Jigawa State noted that Nigeria, at creation, came with a promise and it was that promise that moved the country in the right direction.

For instance, he said the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo, was born in Zungeru in Northern Nigeria, grew up in Igboland but went ahead to win election in the heart of Yorubaland. It was his view that if at the end, the outcome of the National Conference makes it possible for any Nigerian living anywhere in Nigeria to have equal rights of citizenship, then it would justify the reasons it was convened.

Describing the President’s speech as stimulating, comprehensive and forthright, Ibrahim Bunu said delegates should not fail to negotiate, but cautioned that they should not negotiate out of fear since Nigeria belongs to everyone.

On security, Abubakar Chika Adamu from Niger State said: “Nigeria is at war with itself. Security remains our greatest challenge. We must stop play-

ing politics with it. We here must do what we ought to do and leave the President to do what he has to do to solve this problem.” On corruption, he observed that Nigerians have moved from mere stealing to looting and have graduated from looting to mass looting, but suggested that a soft-landing should be created for those who stole public funds to return them without being prosecuted.

“We must be serious about fighting corruption,” said Magayi Dambatta; adding that for Nigeria to succeed in this, there was need to reorganize the anti-corruption agencies followed by diligent prosecution. A representative of Nigerian youth, Ben Dontoye demanded legal backing to the adoption of capital punishment against corruption, saying this would be the only way to drive fear into people who have taken to corrupt practices.

Former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie cited absence of sincere leadership at different tiers of governance as one problem that Nigerians are worried about. Added to this, he said, was the intolerable level of insecurity in the country. He suggested that agencies constitutionally charged with maintenance of security in the country should be restructured and funded to achieve result.

Retired General Muhammed Mansur Dan Ali informed the Conference that out

•Comrade Yinka Gbadebo(left); Jaye Gaskia and Hon Mrs Binta Massi PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE Garba at a session...yesterday.

of the 36 states of Nigeria, 33, if not more, have soldiers deployed to the streets. He said the National Conference should recommend complete restructuring of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies for effective performance of their duties.

Senator Seidu Dansadau made one appeal: that Jonathan should ensure that the recommendations of the Conference are implemented and not allowed to go the way of other recommendations in the past, saying it was time for delegates to re-examine themselves, “not just to say that we believe in the indivisibility of Nigeria but to practically demonstrate it.”

His position was supported by Professor Godini Dara who insisted that the lofty ideas and recommendations expected at the end of the Conference must be implemented to free Nigeria from the grips of economic apartheid. On corruption, he said there was need to establish ethical standards; and on the economy, Dara strongly urged the President to free Nigeria from what he called the “witchcraft of the World Bank” while industrialization should take the front seat both in budgeting and planning.

Both Illiya Danga and Burus Daleng remarked on the courageous decision of the President to go ahead with the Conference in spite of oppositions and wished that with the same courage, the President would implement the decisions of the Conference without fear or favour.

Sale Dauda from Bauchi State attributed insurgency in every part of the country to the failure of states and local government who he said were totally dependent on what the federal government would do, instead rising to their responsibilities of providing leadership and governance. He said in some parts of the country, it has become difficult and even impossible to buy a piece of land for the purpose of building a church for worship and that those responsible for such pro-

hibition were the elite.

Francis Doukpolagha from Bayelsa State told the Conference that the failure of the Nigerian State stemmed from the fact that democracy has become government of the people by the people but not for the people. Ignatius Kevin Edet lamented what he called inequality and imbalance in the creation of local government areas in the country and urged the Conference to use the opportunity of the dialogue to correct the anomaly. He suggested the application of capital punishment as a check against corrupt practices by public office holders, a position enormously canvassed by other speakers.

Veteran journalist, Ray Ekpu, said the President’s speech constituted a new thesis for the reconstruction of Nigeria and that Nigeria as it is today requires a new architecture. Ekpu noted that Jonathan seemed like someone who does not want “this house to fall,” still he said the house called Nigeria was too rickety and weather-beaten to be left on the wish list of a permanent structure. He said for a country that has had 14 different administrations in 53 years, “that is cyclical stability. There is no way a country can grow in this manner.”

Dr Silas Eneyo from Rivers State likened Nigeria to a building with collapsed pillars and advised: “Let us not pretend to be painting a building whose pillars are collapsing.”

Gary Enwo Igariwe said Nigeria is bleeding and down on its knees, urging delegates to identify reasons for conflicts and address them. He cautioned against selective solution, adding that “when you solve a problem in a particular area and ignore the ones in another area, you have not done anything; you are merely relocating the problem.” Igariwe said most of the problems can be easily resolved through restructuring of the country; advising that delegates should leave their ethnic standards and discuss Nigeria.

Labour, CSO delegates reject elders’ committee

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ELEGATES on the platform of labour and civil society organisations (CSO) at the ongoing National Conference have protested the reversal of a decision of the Conference. The protesting delegates are insisting on restoring the powers of the conference to appoint the leadership of standing committees rather than the selection committee headed by the Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi.

The bone of contention was Order 6 rule 6 (a), (b) that. “The Chairman shall, in consultation with the Deputy Chairman and Secretary, appoint the Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Committees. The Chairman shall have the powers to review the performance of Chairmen and Deputy

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

Chairmen of Committees and remove them in consultation with the Deputy Chairman.”

The Conference had, on March 20, rejected the proposal but the 49-member elders’ committee, after consultations with the conference leadership, later overturned the decision in favour of the proposed order. The elders’ committee was formed earlier by the Chairman to resolve the impasse generated by the controversial voting method of 75 percent or three quarter of members present and voting if consensus cannot be reached on an issue.

However, while the recommendation of the elders was brought before the delegates

on the voting method, it was adopted. The question on the selection of Committee leadership was also put and the elders’ recommendation was carried, despite protest from a delegate that the elders were not mandated to deliberate on the matter.

At a press briefing yesterday morning, the protesting delegates said they would insist on the reversal of the adopted decision. Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President, Abdulwaheed Omar, who was flanked by other labour and CSOs delegates, said the conference was manipulated by the leadership on the issue. He said though the reversal would be contested on the floor, Nigerians should be alerted to the fact that the outcome of the Conference might be manipulated after all. “This pro-

test is not an afterthought because we raised an objection just before the vote was put, but we were ambushed. Even the question was ambiguously put with many not understanding what they voted for.

“Conference leadership has manipulated us on this subject but we need to inform Nigerians that such conduct of deception is dangerous and can affect the report of the Conference. With this singular act, we need to look at the character of the leadership of this conference and this showed that we have to be very careful in trusting them.

We need to watch out as Nigerians because it is possible that the outcome of this conference is manipulated already.

“Why should this conference be different? In the 2005 conference, it was the del-

egates that picked the leadership of Committees. We demand the restoration of the original decision of the plenary session that committees should choose their leaders.

The leadership should desist from taking the taking for granted delegates to the conference,” he added. But reacting yesterday, Confab leadership said due process was followed in all that was done, saying it breached no rules on the adoption of Order 6 rule 6 (A), (B) as contested by labour and CSO delegates. According to Akpandem James, Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, the delegates were fully involved in the adoption of the recommendation of the 50-member elders’ committee that intervened on the matter.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS Rivers CJ sues NJC Continued from page 1

•From left: Out-going Zenith Bank GMD/CEO and CBN Governor-designateGodwin Emefiele; Zenith GMD/CEO-designate, Peter Amangbo and Adaora Umeoji, Executive Director, Adaora Umeoji at the 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank in Lagos

Court awards suspended CBN boss Sanusi N50m Continued from page 1

pay the N50million to Sanusi as exemplary damages for unlawfully detaining him and seizing his passport.

Justice Buba delivered the judgment in the fundamental right enforcement suit filed by Sanusi, who was detained on February 20 after his removal as CBN governor.

Apart from the damages, the judge also ordered the respondents to “jointly and severally” issue a public apology to Sanusi for the “unlawful arrest, harassment, intimidation, withdrawal and seizure of his passport.”

He held that the respondents, acting through the SSS, lack the power to withdraw and seize the applicant’s passport “for any reason”.

The judge said: “An order is made restraining the respondents, their agents, privies, representatives or other law enforcement agencies of the government of the federation from further interference with or violation of the applicant’s right to personal liberty, freedom of movement and right to personal liberty.”

He declared that the respondents, through the SSS, did not comply with Section 5(1) of

Passport (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap 343 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The provision, according to the judge, empowers only the Minister of Interior to conditionally seize or cancel a person’s passport.

Mr. Justice Buba said the respondents’ action constituted an infringement of the applicant’s rights as guaranteed under Section 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

They also violated Articles 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9 LFN, 2004.

The court held that Sanusi’s detention “without any allegation of commission of crime or charge” amounted to restriction of his personal liberty and unlawful violation of his rights to personal liberty.

It agreed with Sanusi’s counsel, Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN), that the respondents gave conflicting reasons for the arrest of the applicant and for the seizure of his passport.

Justice Buba said the first defendant (the Attorney-General of the Federation) and the third respondent (the SSS) were “not on the same page”.

“The court observes that surely, it is either there is no syner-

gy between the respondents or the respondents are only singing discordant tunes as afterthought,” the judge held.

The respondents failed to put any material before the court to back the allegation of terrorists financing.

“The applicant has made out a case of rights infringement,” Mr. Justice Buba held.

The judge, who granted eight of Sanusi’s nine prayers, however, did not grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the law enforcement agencies from arresting, harassing or intimidating him without recourse to the law.

The court held that such order was not necessary as the applicant could always return to the court if any form of rights infringement arises in the future.

Mr. Justice Buba dismissed the respondents’ preliminary objection by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Its lawyer, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

The objection adopted by the SSS and the police on the basis that by the virtue of Section 254 (c)(1) of the Constitution, only the National Industrial Court had the jurisdiction to hear the

suit because it was employment-related.

But Justice Buba assumed jurisdiction in the case, holding that the suit was not about an employment dispute but about rights violation through passport seizure.

“This is not a labour or labour-related matter. There is no relief relating to employment. There is no relief inextricably tied to employment other than the seizure of passport.

“This court can only come to the irresistible conclusion that this preliminary objection is misconceived, lacks merit and it is hereby dismissed,” he said.

The SSS said last night that it will appeal the judgment immediately.

Deputy Director Public Affairs of the SSS, Ms Maryln Ogar said: “We are going on appeal immediately”.

The SSS on February 20 arrested Sanusi and seized his passport at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on his way from Niger Republic where he attended a meeting of central bank governors of ECOWAS states.

The police, through its counsel, Mr. David Abuo, during the hearing, said they had no case against Sanusi and were not aware of any allegations against him.

We’ve respect for judiciary, says APC

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) said last night it has “profound respect” for the judiciary.

It said after obtaining the certified true copy of the judgment

by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High court (Abuja Division) on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) versus defecting lawmakers, it found out that most of the statements credited to the judge by media reports were not contained therein.

The statement by APC Spokesman Lai Mohammed from London, the United Kingdom, said: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has a most profound respect for all institutions especially the Judiciary. It is precisely because of this respect that we are always worried and concerned whenever we perceive anything capable of jeopardizing the integrity and independence of that great institution.

“The obiter credited to Justice Adeniyi Ademola advising the 37

defecting legislators to vacate their seats and the manner the judgment was reported by a large section of the media was alarming and capable of tarnishing the image of the Judiciary and that is why we expressed our strong disavowal and disappointment. We also want to put on record that we were not the only ones scandalised by this judgment.

“Happily whether it was as a result of the mass disavowal that Continued on page 58

Continued from page 1

Responding to a question, another source said: “We learnt the soldiers arrived in Keana at about 10.30pm on Wednesday in six Hilux vans and two armoured tanks, in preparation for the attack on the Fulani settlement.

“We suspected a premeditated attack on the Fulani settlement. This is unfortunate.”

The National Secretary of MACBAN, Alhaji Sale Bayari, who is a member of the Fulani Herdsmen-Farmers Peace and Reconciliation Committee raised by the Inspector—General of Police, said: “These Fulani herdsmen were in a settle-

ment , which is less than 10 kilometers to Keana to mourn an old man who died. They were just finishing the burial, only for the military to open fire. They shot over 20 but 15 had been buried.

“On Monday, we began a reconciliation tour of 10 states. We had visited Benue and Nasarawa states. But. Barely got to the third state(Taraba) on Thursday when this incident happened.

We thought we had achieved a ceasefire only for this military intervention to draw us back. This incident will affect the ongoing peace process.

“It had been in the media that Mr. President had ordered deployment of troops in some states but we did not know it

would turn out this way. Now the agenda of the military looks different. The thing is appearing to look as if it is ethnic and religious cleansing.

“We are appealing to the government that it is not in the interest of this country for Fulani to be militarised because the situation could be worse than we may imagine. We are doing our best to calm down the aggrieved Fulani who were agitated over the killings in Keana.

“Fulani herdsmen should not be targeted for elimination by troops. The consequence will be grievous because about 87 per cent of the beef being consumed in this country is provided by us.”

under the chairmanship of the honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Muktar, considered the purported appointment, confirmation and swearingin of Justice P. N. C. Agumagu as the substantive Chief Judge of Rivers State on March 18, 2014.

“In the course of deliberations on the matter, council noted as follows: *That it is expressly provided in Section 271 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) that:- The appointment of a person to the office of the Chief Judge of a state shall be made by the governor of the state on the recommendation of the NJC, subject to the confirmation of the appointment by the House of Assembly of the state. *That the NJC did not, at any time, make any recommendation to the Governor of Rivers State that Justice P. N. C. Agumagu, President, Customary Court of Appeal be appointed the substantive Chief Judge of Rivers State.

“Council therefore resolved as follows:*That the NJC does not and will not recognise Justice P.N.C. Agumagu as the Chief Judge of Rivers State. *That the general public and all concerned in the matter, particularly the Governor of Rivers State, the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Judiciary in Rivers State, be notified and informed that the NJC will not deal with Justice P.N.C. Agumagu as the Chief Judge of Rivers State; *That a query be issued to Justice P. N. C. Agumagu to explain in writing within four days, why he should not be removed from office as a judicial officer, for his failure to abide by his Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution and laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“In the meantime, council, in exercise of its powers under Paragraph 21 (d) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, has suspended Justice P. N. C. Agumagu from office as a judicial officer with immediate effect.”

CORRECTION General Sani Abacha’s looted fund in custody of the US is $500 million and not $500 billion as erroneously published in our editorial yesterday. The mix-up is regretted.

NDDC builds complex for NYSC •Mohammed

Fulani accuse military of shooting 19 dead at funeral invaded a peaceful area.”

mination of the suit he filed.

Sued with NJC are Justices Babatunde Adejumo, Jubril Idris and Comwell Idahosa (Chairman and members of the panel set up by the NJC to investigate allegations against the applicant (Justice Agumagu).

He is, by the suit, praying the court for “an order of certiorari, removing to this court for the purpose of being quashed the query and letter of suspension from office of the applicant as a judicial officer, Ref. No. NJC /S.32/ RV.CCA/1/1/36 dated March 26, 2014 written by the 1st respondent to the applicant”.

The applicant also seeks “an order of certiorari, removing to this court for the purpose of being quashed, the minutes of the decisions reached by the 1st respondent at its emergency meeting of March 26, 2014 concerning the applicant.”

Mr. Justice Adeniyi Ademola, before whom the case is pending, on Monday heard an ex-parte application by the applicant and granted him leave to serve processes on the respondents. He adjourned the hearing till April 10.

The NJC announced on March 27 that it will not accord any recognition to the newly appointed Chief Judge.

The council said it would not deal with him in that capacity, and also elected to suspend him as a judge.

It issued Justice Agumagu a query, directing him to explain, in writing within four days, why he should not be removed from office as a judge for his alleged failure to abide by his oath of office to uphold the Constitution and Laws of the country.

NJC, at its 10th emergency meeting held the previous day, concluded that due process was not observed in Justice Agumagu’s appointment.

NJC’s Acting Director, Information, Soji Oye said in a statement that “At its 10th Emergency Meeting, which was held on March 26, 2014, the National Judicial Council,

He went on: “For this kind of jungle justice to be meted out is unfair and inhuman.”

The Director of Defence Information at the Defence Headquarters, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, who spoke at 10 pm with our correspondent, said: “On the claim that soldiers killed people in Nasarawa State, no such report has been received from anywhere.

“It will be investigated to confirm if those you said carried out the attack are soldiers indeed.

“This is certainly not the purpose of the operation there. You have to be sure that the incident was not one of the atrocities of the armed gangs. This is being investigated.”

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HE Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has built a 44chalet complex to house 88 corps members posted to Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Taking the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Dr. Christy Atako, round the new corps members lodge, the Director, Bayelsa State office of the commission, Dr. Princewill Ekanem, said the facility was customised to meet the needs of young men and women serving their country for one year.

He said the complex, in addition to the chalets, has one large conference room and an Information Communications Centre (ICT).

Atako expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done in the building and gave kudos to the contractor for working within the scheduled time for the completion of the project.

She said the NDDC was in

the process of identifying completed projects that would be commissioned in the coming weeks to erase the wrong impression that it was not doing enough to develop the Niger Delta.

A representative of the NYSC members, who would be the direct beneficiaries of the accommodation, Mr. Michael Abisha, commended the NDDC for the project, which he said would go a long way in helping them to serve to the best of their ability.

He, however, appealed to the NDDC to add sports facilities to the complex to further enhance its value.

The NDDC boss also inspected the 16-kilometre internal roads network being constructed by the commission at the Federal University, Otuoke.

ADVERT HOTLINES 08023006969, 08052592524

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS N1.8bn suit: Court orders MTN to produce documents

By Joseph Jibueze

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HE National Industrial Court in Lagos yesterday directed the MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to produce documents demanded by its former worker, Mr. Paul Odunewu, an engineer.

Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi said MTN should make the papers available within 48 hours.

Odunewu sued MTN Group Limited, South Africa; MTN Nigeria and MTN International, Mauritius, demanding N1.8billion for alleged wrongful termination of his contract.

The claimant’s lawyer, Mr Oluwakemi Balogun, told the court that his client would be “placing heavy reliance on the documents at the trial.”

The documents he demanded include MTN Nigeria’s letter dated February 6, 2004, extending Odunewu’s contract till December 12, 2005; MTN International’s letter for contract extension, which was never issued to the claimant, and the defendants’ board approval for the claimant’s contract extension.

The claimant also demanded a breakdown of management/professional fee paid to MTN International by MTN Nigeria between 2002 and 2006 in respect of the claimant’s service, which is in possession of MTN Nigeria.

CNPP: Jonathan has hidden agenda of constitution T HE Deputy Senate President and Chairman, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, came under fire yesterday on the floor of the Senate over the introduction of a Bill to amend the 1999 Constitution.

The move, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said, has unveiled President Goodluck Jonathan’s hidden agenda towards next year’s elections.

CNPP said it had nothing against the amendment of the constitution, adding: “We, however, frown at any move to include a proviso for the President to initiate the process for a new constitution. This can be done by the national and state assemblies with the present constitution.”

CNPP said in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu that it also disagreed with a provision to empower the Independent National Electoral Commis-

sion (INEC) to deregister parties.

The statement reads: “The Bill to amend the 1999 Constitution introduced in the Senate yesterday by the Deputy Senate President and Chairman, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Ekweremadu, without iota of doubt, unveils President Jonathan’s hidden agenda.

“The President, during the inauguration of the National Conference, hinted on the possibility of the use of a referendum in ratifying the outcome of the conference.

“It our considered view that it is fundamentally against the doctrine of the separation of powers espoused by a French philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu and checks and balances, which stabilise liberal democracies.

“Secondly, the proponents of the proposal to include the President in the initiation

process and not the ratification process of constitutional amendment or new constitution are constructing an imperial president, hence according to Lord Acton, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

“Let’s we forget, this is the origin of African Big Men, as President Jonathan is not going to be the last president of our dear country. Therefore, we must guard against the entry of a despot. History is awash with how despots play on the gullibility of the people to scuttle democracy.

“We are at a loss why Senator Ekweremadu and his cohorts did not initiate this proposal last July when they came up with a view that Section 9 did not make provision for how a new constitution came into being, therefore placing the cart before the horse. The insertion proposal could have been on the

table before the National Conference.

“CNPP also disagrees with a provision to empower INEC to deregister parties, which fail to win presidential, governorship, chairmanship of a local government or a seat in the National or State Assembly.

“We stand by the provision of the 1999 Constitution on freedom of association, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court on this matter.

“The National Assembly should stop President Jonathan’s hidden agenda, before we swallow the dangerous bait from those who are gripped by next year’s elections’ phobia. A poll they fear is a referendum on systemic and pervasive corruption of the regime. Consequently, the Joint Committee of the Constitution Review of the National Assembly should look elsewhere and avoid any plan to derail next year’s elections.”

Bulgarian trade team coming From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigeria is looking forward to receiving a trade delegation from Bulgaria to boost economic relations between both countries.

Speaking during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 4th European Union (EU)-Africa Summit in Brussels, Belgium with the Bulgarian President, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, Jonathan said the time was ripe for the revitalisation of the Nigeria-Bulgaria Bi-National Commission, which had its last meeting in 1989.

He recalled the cordial relationship between both countries in the 70s, during which the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, which he described as “a national monument”, was built by a Bulgarian company.

Jonathan hailed Bulgarian companies for equipping Nigerian secondary schools for technical education during that period.

“Let us increase trade and investment between the two countries,” he said, adding: “Nigeria has a vast area for investment. We believe we must add value to gas and crude oil, which is the only way to create jobs.”

The President said his administration encouraged the private sector to invest more in the economy.

The Bulgarian President, lauding the 50 years of diplomatic relations between both nations, stressed the need to deepen and expand the bilateral relations.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN, (left), with Mrs. Margaret Olayinka Ajayi, the widow of legal icon, Chief G.O.K. Ajayi (SAN) and Chief Bode Ogunlana, during a condolence visit by the governor to their family home in Surulere, Lagos...yesterday

The Nation reporter wins award

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SENIOR correspondent with The Nation, Mr. Adedeji Ademigbuji, has been declared the winner of the maiden edition of the Media Awards on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa.

According to a statement from the African Press Organisation (APO) yesterday, Ademigbuji will receive his prize in France at a ceremony, which will take place in the presence of Mme Tracy Garner - Global Anti-counterfeiting Manager - Schneider Electric, who sponsored the award to eliminate counterfeiting of electrical products in Africa.

“Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, today (yesterday) announced the winner of the first edition of the Media Award on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa, which recognises African journalists, who publish or broadcast outstanding investigative reports on issues relating to electrical counterfeiting in Africa.”

Ademigbuji won with a story, “Checking the menace of fake electrical products”, published in The Nation.

A Senegalese journalist, Birame Faye, a reporter with Le Quotidien in Senegal, also won an award with his story written in French, “Electricité - Usage des produits contrefaits : De l’insécurité dans notre confort domestique”.

“Schneider Electric is proud to award the first Media Awards on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa. We were impressed by the quantity and quality of entries. Judging was a difficult process, but we were unanimous in our decision that Adedeji Ademigbuji and Birame Faye were worthy winners. On behalf of Schneider Electric and personally, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to these two talented journalists,” said Mohammed Saad, President of Schneider Electric in Africa.

Ademigbuji is the winner of the 2013 Social Enterprise Reporting Award (SERA) in the CSR category and the Nigerian Media Merit Awards (NMMA), Coca-Cola Prize for the Brands & Marketing category. He was also a runner up in Newspaper Reporter of the Year and Telecoms Reporter of the Year categories.

Senate to place burden of proof on INEC

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Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act 2010 to give additional power to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 2014”, scaled second reading at the Senate yesterday.

Senator Hadi Sirika (Katsina North), who sponsored the Bill, said if passed into law, it would place the burden of proof of the regu-

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja larity of any election before any election petition tribunal or courts on the shoulders of INEC, instead of the litigants.

He said it would also reduce the difficulties petitioners face while trying to get documentary evidence in support of their petitions.

Sirika noted that the pro-

cess of proving the regularity or otherwise of an election was burdensome, as it was vested in the petitioner, who did not conduct the poll but only participated in it.

He said: “The onus of proving the regularity of an election ought to be a burden to be discharged by the body or organisation, which prepared and arranged for

the conduct and thereafter went ahead to conduct the poll.

“It is settled under the law of evidence that ‘he who asserts must prove’. However, this bills seeks otherwise, that is, that the burden of proof of the regularity of the conduct of an election must first of all, shift to the body that conducted the election. “

•Ademigbuji

Bill increasing penalty for WAEC offences scales second reading

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BILL, which revises upward the penalties for malpractices in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

It seeks to amend Section 19 of the principal law to include more penalties.

The Executive Bill, which was brought before members by the Majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP), was referred to the

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

House Committee on Education by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, after it was passed yesterday.

Presenting the bill before members, the Majority Leader said it was to act as a deterrent to examination malpractices.

According to the lawmaker, because of the high rate of examination malpractices, the council thought it fit to amend Section 19 of the

principal law by providing the offences constituting such malpractices to include: “Illegal possession of examination papers; having foreknowledge of the contents of an examination paper or making use of an examination paper or the contents of it/in any manner whatsoever without lawful authority.

“The Bill also provides through the amendment of sections 20 and 21 of the principal Act, a stiffer penalty of

N200.000 fine instead of N2.000 and provision for disqualification and prohibition of a candidate, notwithstanding criminal prosecution of such cheaters.”

The Majority Leader said the passage of the bill “will further guarantee the standard of examination, which is at its abysmal level at this point in time. There will be examination standardisation in Nigeria through the effective supervision by WAEC, which hitherto had been

eroded.”

Akande-Adeola said Nigeria is a heavy contributor of fund to the council, with considerable number of representatives on it, but is yet to domesticate the 2003 convention.

“Notwithstanding the fact that Nigeria has ratified the convention, it is the only country out of the five constituting the council membership, which has not domesticated the convention.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

6

NEWS

•Oyo State Governor Ajimobi (fourth left); former Abia State governor, Dr. Kalu (fifth left); Deputy Governor Moses Adeyemo (third left) and others during the visit...yesterday.

PHOTO: FEMI ILESANMI

World Bank supports Global Distance Learning with $20m From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor, Abuja

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HE World Bank has supported Nigeria’s Global Distance Learning Institute (GDLI) with $20 million.

Speaking at the inauguration of the institute in Abuja yesterday, the Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, said the former President of the World Bank in 2005 had a dream to connect the world through knowledge-sharing.

While the former World Bank President was still looking for countries to connect, she said she quickly submitted Nigeria as one of the countries because the institute would be supported

by World Bank with $20 million.

According to the minister, about 75 companies went through the selection process and at the end, AfriHub emerged as the best.

She said the mandate of the institute was to train Nigerian youths and provide them with jobs, which prompted the government to partner the private sector.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala stressed that about 1.8 million youths entered the labour market every year and government had provided jobs for 1.6 million, while about 200,000 youths were yet to be employed and an additional 5.3 million unemployed youths had accumulated over the years.

The Finance Minister said programmes, such as YOUWIN had created over 27,000 jobs since it was launched and over 90,000 youths had applied for the Graduate Internship Programme.

Kalu: Nigeria yet to get true leaders

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ORMER Abia State Governor Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu said yesterday that Nigeria is yet to identify altruistic leaders, who are not driven by opportunism.

He decried the over-representation of men in their 80s at the National Conference, who are trying to determine a future suitable for the millennial generation, who have been shut out of the conference.

Kalu said there would not be credible leadership until old people withdrew and allowed the y o u n g e r generation to take over.

The ex-Abia governor, delivering a lecture in Ibadan, Oyo State on the centennial celebration titled: “Nigeria: A nation in quest of Credible leadership”, noted that the coun-

Akande, Tinubu, APC governors •’Support Ajimobi to promote good governance’ to honour Olusi From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

try needs leaders, who can make a difference and improve people’s standard of living through poverty reduction.

He said: “The essence of credible leadership is to ensure a better and secure life, a peaceful environment and a prosperous future for the citizenry. We need a credible leadership that will foster the country’s unity. Such leadership will connect the people with the resources and harness our potential, while ensuring the betterment of the society.

“The present leaders seem to be failing the nation and the people are becoming doubtful if we have leaders. To worsen the mat-

ter, first generation leaders are mostly the ones still calling the shots.”

According to Kalu, identifying a credible leader is a precondition for credible leadership.

The publisher of The Sun, who described the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a credible leader, who impacted on his people in a manner no other leader had done, wondered if the country could ever have a leader like Awolowo.

“The late sage remains a symbol of credible leadership not just in the Southwest, but also in the country. He is a reference point.

His efforts led to massive education of the people in the Southwest. This is the hallmark of leadership,” he said.

The former Abia governor, who noted that the opposition must be vibrant to evolve a credible leadership, said absence of credible opposition might make the ruling party to become complacent.

Kalu has urged politicians across the divide in Oyo State to support Governor Abiola Ajimobi, to promote good governance and leadership.

He spoke yesterday during a visit to the governor in his office in Ibadan.

According to him, Nigerians should shun party sentiment in the process of choosing leaders, stressing that parties should no longer be the focal point in the selection of leaders, in order to move the country forward.

Senate faults open drains in Abuja

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HE Senate decried yesterday the building of open drains on the multi- billion naira Abuja highways and the modern ring roads in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said the development was not in tandem with modern global practices.

Ekweremadu’s comments followed the second reading of the N271.1billion FCT budget proposal for 2014.

Deputy Senate Leader Abdul Ningi, who gave a breakdown of the proposed budget, said N49.2billion was

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

earmarked for personnel cost, N62.8billion for overhead cost and N159billion for capital projects.

Ekweremadu lamented the presence of open drains on the major roads leading to Abuja and the ring roads and urged the FCT authorities to address the architectural defects.

He said: “I am not an architect or an engineer, but I am sure many of you will understand what I am saying. I don’t believe it is a modern design to have these open drainages.

Once it rains, you find that vehicles end up in the drains.

“We need to do something

about it because it is very embarrassing in the 21st century to have this kind of design.

Something needs to be done about it.

“This is very important because Abuja is not just a city for Nigeria. Every person in Africa considers Abuja as an African city, which they are all proud of. So, we must ensure that we maintain that status.

“We must also be sure that we are doing exactly what those people are doing, including Brazil that is developing a new city, Brasilia, Canberra in Australia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

“They have moved their capital to a place outside the

current capital, which is being well developed. Even within Africa, there is also a development in Cote D’ivoire in Yamassoukrou. But in all these, it seems to me to be a deviation on our part, in some aspects.”

The Deputy Senate President said the FCT administration was not doing enough to regulate the activities of private estate developers and the Federal Housing Authority.

He noted that the developers had been helping in developing the FCT, but that it appeared that they were not being well regulated, adding that most of the property they had developed were lacking in basic infrastructure.

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CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi, OON, will on Sunday be turbaned by the Council of Imams and Alfas in Eti-Osa area of Lagos State.

The event, the 2nd Eti-Osa Turbaning Ceremony, will hold at the Eti-Osa Islamic Centre on Lekki Road, opposite Eleganza, Ikota, EtiOsa by 10am.

A spokesman for the organiser said a N500million appeal fund for the Eti-Osa Islamic Centre would also take place at the event.

He said the chairman of the occasion is the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; while the special guests of honour are Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN; and Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Also expected are the APC Interim National Chairman Chief Adebisi Akande, Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and APC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The chairperson is Alhaja Sekinah Olusola Yusuf. Chief host is Alhaji Abdul Yekini O. Bakare, while the principal host is Muhammed Bello Oyinlomo Danmole.

Witness’ refusal to testify stalls trial of Kogi lecturer, terrorism suspects

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HE Federal Government suffered a setback yesterday in the prosecution of alleged terrorists, as the refusal of a prosecution witness to mount the witness box stalled the planned commencement of the trial of the accused.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole had in a ruling, partially granted an application by the prosecution for a secret trial of the three suspected terrorists, including an Islamic scholar and a lecturer at the

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Kogi State University, Dr. Muhammed Nazeef Yunus, Salami Abdullahi (aka Asta) and Musa Umar.

He declined a secret trial and allowed the witnesses to testify during the public trial, but agreed to shield their identities. He promised that the court would make arrangement to shield the identities of the witnesses during the public trial.

Justice Kolawole said care must be taken not to expose

witnesses to attack by any group or individual and create a problem.

After the ruling, the judge directed that a shield, in the form of a cubicle, should be placed around the witness box, to prevent the audience from seeing the witnesses.

But despite the shield, the defence lawyers and the accused could see anyone in the witness box.

The inability of the cubicle to fully shield the witnesses from everyone scared them and they declined the

invitation by the prosecution led by N. B. Jones-Nebo to mount the witness box.

Jones-Nebo told the court that her witness refused to come out because he was afraid that his identity was not fully shielded.

She said the witness demanded to be allowed to wear a mask before he could testify.

The defence team led by Hassan Liman (SAN), opposed the prosecution’s request that the witness be allowed to wear a mask on the

grounds that such provision was not contained in the judge’s ruling.

Justice Kolawole adjourned till May 6 for the beginning of trial.

When it became obvious that progress was impossible without the witness, the judge advised the prosecution to either appeal his ruling or apply for a variation of his decision.

The accused were arraigned last year on an eightcount charge bordering on alleged terrorism, an offence

punishable under Section 17 of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013 (as amended).

They were said to have conspired to commit terrorist acts. They were accused of possessing two AK 47 rifles, which they allegedly used in terrorising people in Kogi State.

They were said to have allegedly attended a meeting convened by the Boko Haram in Ayimgba, Kogi State and recruited people for training as members of the sect.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

7

NEWS Interior minister gets ultimatum to refund recruitment fees

By Adebisi Onanuga

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AGOS lawyer Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has asked the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro to refund the N700 million recruitment fees collected from job applicants into the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Falana gave the minister seven days within which to refund the money to the applicants failure of which he threatened to sue him for extortion.

“Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to our request, we shall not hesitate to initiate legal proceedings against you for extorting N700 million from the job seekers on behalf of the Federal Government which ought to have secured employment for them. It is hoped that you will not compel us to resort to litigation in the circumstance as it will expose the Federal Government to untold embarrassment”, he stated.

The activist claimed that since the National Assembly did not pass any money bill authorising the collection of the recruitment fee or levy of N1,000 per applicant, the action of the minister is a violation of Section 59 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which provides that there shall be a bill “for the imposition of or increase in any tax, duty or fee or any reduction, withdrawal or cancellation thereof”.

“In view of the imposition of the recruitment fee or levy without any appropriation by the National Assembly we are compelled to request you to refund the said sum of N700 million to the applicants including the bereaved families of those who lost their lives within seven days of the receipt of this letter”, he said.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, Falana claimed to have confirmed that the minister extorted the sum of N700 million from hapless Nigerians who recently applied for employment in the Ministry of Interior in spite that there was no plan to employ the majority of the applicant.

He noted that , the said sum of N700 million was obtained under false pretenses.

“In spite of your official negligence which led to the tragic death of 20 of the applicants, you stated that the Federal Government had not ordered you to refund the said sum of N700 million. You have therefore decided not to refund the money or forfeit it to the Federal Government”, he further stated.

APC, LP, PDP battle for Ilaje/Ese-Odo by-election

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S the people of Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency prepare ahead of tomorrow’s House of Representatives by-election, Ondo State Governor Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has relocated to the area to ensure victory for the Labour Party (LP).

Investigation showed that the governor had been to the coastal area more than four times lately, to inaugurate projects, as part of strategies to woo voters for the LP’s candidate, Mr. Kolade Akinjo.

On Monday, the governor moved members of the executive council to the coastal area to canvass votes for the LP candidate.

Virtually, every political office holder has relocated to Ilaje/Eseodo for aggressive campaign in an election they see as a must win.

The Governor was still in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government, with his aides.

Many people in the area accused him of neglect and alleged that he had failed to execute any project in the coastal communities in the last six years, to merit their votes.

•Obanikoro, Kuku storm Ondo for PDP From Damisi Ojo, Akure

It was also learnt that the Governor is fighting the battle of his life, as the PDP members are bent on recapturing the area.

The Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency became vacant following the death of Raphael Nomiye. He died in Abuja last year.

The PDP has begun aggressive campaigns to ensure that they recapture the area.

Tomorrow’s by-election will prove to President Goodluck Jonathan who owns the state between LP and PDP. Government sources said: “As I am talking to you, our governor has relocated to Ilaje/Ese-Odo to convince voters to vote for LP. “His relocation became important to prove again to President Jonathan that LP is in charge of the state.”

Three parties will slug it out at polling stations tomorrow.

They are: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP)

and All Progressives Congress (APC). Adewale Kukute is the standard-bearer of the PDP, while Adewale Omojuwa, the former OSOPADEC chairman, is the APC candidate.

PDP is leaving no one in doubt that it is seriously in the race.

The Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, stormed Ondo State yesterday to drum support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in tomorrow’s by-election.

Speaking at the Akure Airport, on their mission in the state, the men, who were on their way to the riverine communities for the final rally of their party, said the PDP was determined to win the poll and they were in the state to ensure this.

Obanikoro said the people of the riverine area always supported the party, adding that the good work of the Federal Government would be considered by the indigenes in voting for PDP during the

•Bishop, Diocese of Remo Methodist Church of Nigeria, Rev. Michael Olusegun Akinwale (left) and the guest preacher, Bishop of Remo, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rev. Michael Olusina Fape, at the 2014 yearly synod of the Methodist Church hosted

by Sabo Sagamu Circuit, Remo, Ogun State

Ultimatum for vehicle owners

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HE Lagos State Police command has warned owners of abandoned and accident vehicles parked at Alausa and Ketu Police Stations to remove them or lose them to members of the public through auction, two weeks of this publication The vehicles are Nissan bus XO869SMK; Man Diesel truck XL426APP; Honda Accord CN809GGG; Nissan unregistered and Nissan Sunny BF509Epe.

PDP chieftain embraces Obasanjo’s olive branch

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HE Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has welcomed the olive branch extended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and others who offended him.

Obasanjo said on Sunday that he had forgiven Atiku and others who offended him.

In a statement in Lagos, Kashamu, who has been quarelling with the former President over some issues, said: “Baba Obasanjo’s offer is a welcome development that should be embraced not only by all those who offended him but also by those he (Obasanjo) had offended.

“Although some doubting Thomases have said they are waiting to see him walk the talk, I strongly believe that this is one opportunity that we all must not allow to slip off our hands.

“It is in the light of the above that I hope to see a rapprochement in the days ahead between Chief Obasanjo and I on the one hand; and between him and the present administration on the other hand. On my part, I have embraced our Baba’s offer and will do all within my powers to keep the peace. I have equally forgiven him and others who might have offended me.”

‘2015: Why Ajimobi will defeat opposition’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Itesiwaju Local Government of Oyo State, Mr Niyi Adeagbo has expressed his confidence in the ability of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to defeat the opposition in the forthcoming elections.

Adeagbo, spoke yesterday in Itesiwaju while urging members to support Ajimobi.

The APC chieftain highlighted the governor’s unprecedented performance as one of the major factors that would defeat the opposition.

He said that the Governors innovative, focused and purposeful people oriented programs and projects were evident for all unprejudiced eyes to see.

“The great people of Oyo State are not blind neither are they untouched by this administrations activities and are intelligent enough to make the right decisions when the time comes. “it will be very usual to see a human being that can record a 100 per cent success in a behavioural or performance assessment test.” He said Adeagbo stated that Governor Abiola Ajimobi had performed above average and that he would score him excellent in performance.

According to him, what is most important is good management and understanding among all stakeholders and the leadership.

election.

He said the party had executed developmental projects, which would improve the standard of living of the people.

Commenting on the belief in some quarters that the Federal Government had been supporting the Labour Party (LP) to win elections in the state, the Minister said: “There is no doubt that the government here is a friendly one, but we are PDP and we have a candidate for the election, so we are determined to win.

“This election is not just a byelection, a representative at the national level is a serious position and don’t forget that the general election is less than a year away, so any election that holds now, we have to take it serious because there is need to ensure that the President is re-elected to enable us continue his transformation agenda.

“The empowerment programme of the PDP is sufficient for the people of Ilaje and EseOdo to know that ours is a government, which has the interest of the people at heart.”

Another ‘baby factory’ discovered in Ogun

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HE end came yesterday for another operator of a suspected baby factory in Ogun State. The Police rescued five children and three expectant teenagers in a ‘factory’ in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The police also arrested the wife of the suspected operator.

Thousands of angry residents of Akinremi Estate in Adigbe, Abeokuta thronged the compound to catch a glimpse of the rescued victims. Many of them were surprised at the discovery of the ‘factory’ in their neighbourhood.

A detachment of policemen from Adigbe Divisional Police Headquarters, had a hectic time

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

containing the angry youths who protested by setting the building on fire.

Also torched were two vehicles; a Toyota Camry salon car marked (Lagos) EKY 942 AJ as well as a Mitsubishi salon car marked (Lagos) AGL 971 BH parked within the premises. It took the intervention of officials of the Ogun State Fire Service to put out the fire.

It was learnt that one of the expectant teenagers had escaped from the factory earlier taking refuge in a building located about 200 meters away.

She pleaded with the occu-

pants to save her from her captors.

The teenager, it was gathered, confided in her helpers that her sister sold her and her unborn baby to the operator of the facility at N100, 000. The residents informed the police before the raid was carried out.

The irate youths said to be students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic while searching the building discovered several fetish items, international epassports and identity cards of Junior and Senior Secondary School pupils of Sacred Heart Catholic College, Oke -Ilewo suspected to have been abducted and killed by “ritualists”.

The Command’s Deputy

Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident said two persons were rescued.

Two others were arrested.

Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), gave the names of the rescued victims as Jennifer Goodluck, who is still nursing a two months’ old baby and another lady that is in advanced stage of pregnancy.

The Command’s Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye and Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Elizabeth Sonubi visited the scene to assess the situation. They pledged that the girls will be rehabilitated.

Court admits 26 EFCC documents against Daniel

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STATE High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital has admitted as evidence 26 title documents in the trial of former governor Gbenga Daniel for corruption and other economic offences.

Daniel is standing trial before Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje on a 38- count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charges include stealing of over N200 million, diversion of public land to his personal use during his tenure.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the EFCC brought in two officials of the State Bu-

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

reau of Lands and Survey as witnesses and were led in evidence.

They were also crossexamined by both the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and Daniel’s lawyer, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN).

Giving evidence, the first witness, Mariam Bolanle Ademoye, who is the Chief Registrar of the Bureau told the court that all the exhibits tendered before the court were certified true copies of title documents produced by her office upon request by the anti - graft agency.

The exhibits concerned properties that were allegedly

acquired illegally by the former governor and others said to have been unlawfully allocated to the governor, his wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel and other companies where he (Daniel), allegedly has vested interest.

Also testifying, Mr. Isaac Akogun, a Deputy Director in the Bureau faulted the process the said lands were acquired, saying it did not follow due process.

Akogun claimed he was ignorant of the process that led to the acquisitions even though he was the Assistant Director, Lands Services at the Bureau.

He cited plots of land where Daniel built his house (Asoludero court, Sagamu), his father’s church, Regeneration Church

of God, and other properties in Abeokuta where the acquisition did not satisfy due process.

He said: “Four plots were merged together to form the bigger plot that was allocated to the church and upon further examination, two of the plots have subsisting interests while the remaining two were revoked.”

However, Daniel’s counsel, Osipitan asked for adjournment, arguing that he needed some documents with which to help him cross-examine the witness.

The case was adjourned till April 29 and May 30, for the continuation of hearing.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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NEWS EKITI 2014

Why I reconciled with Fayose, by Adeyeye

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N Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has said he will work with former Governor Ayodele Fayose, the party’s candidate in the June 21 governorship poll.

Speaking with reporters after a parley organised by the Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) and the Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation office in Ado-Ekiti, Adeyeye said: “The collective interest of the party overrides individual interest.”

Urging other aspirants to support the PDP’s effort to reclaim the state, he said: “The next thing for every genuine member to do is to work for our victory in this election. No one is more aggrieved than I am and if I have reached this stage, others should follow.

“I have heard some others

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

say they will join the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am not a prostitute. I cannot go anywhere. I believe PDP holds the key to developing this state. Let me appeal again that all parties should join this effort to salvage our party.”

On whether he was working with Fayose because of the promise of a ministerial position, Adeyeye said: “If I am appointed, it is good. But it is not a condition for working for the progress of the party. The party is greater than any individual or group.

PDP must move forward.”

Fayose described Adeyeye as “a formidable figure in the PDP, whose influence and interests cannot be wished away”.

He urged President Jonathan to appoint Adeyeye a minister to replace Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade (rtd).

Bamidele: I won’t take salary if elected

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KITI State Labour Party flag bearer in the June 21 governorship election Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele has said he will not collect salary and allowances, if elected.

He spoke yesterday while campaigning at Igede-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area.

Bamidele, a member of the House of Representatives, said his salary and emoluments would be used to cater for vulnerable persons in the society.

He said his salary and allowances at the National Assembly were being used to care for the needy and the vulnerable.

Bamidele said: “I have been blessed by God in all areas of endeavour. The best way to appreciate God is to give back to the people.”

He pledged not to seek a second term, if elected, adding that four years was enough for anyone to implement his programmes.

Bamidele said though the administration in the state had done its best, he was in the race to do better things for the people.

No voting with temporary voter HE Independent Na- card, says INEC

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tional Electoral Commission (INEC) has said no one will be allowed to vote with a temporary voter card in the June 21 governorship poll.

INEC Chairman Prof.

Attahiru Jega spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti at a conference on coming elections.

The conference was organised by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Jega, who was represented by an Assistant Director in the commission, Paul Ayaeze, said INEC planned to conduct subsequent elections in the country with the permanent voter card.

He said steps were being taken to upgrade the voter register and correct errors in it.

TMG Chairman Ibrahim Zikirullahi urged parties to intensify efforts on voter education to forestall rigging and other electoral vices.

Zikirullahi said: “The Ekiti election is upon us and the tempo of election activities is gathering momentum by the day. For stakeholders in the electoral process to make the desired impact in the Ekiti and Osun elections and beyond, it is incumbent upon us to up our games towards making the elections models for 2015 and future elections.

“As parties intensify their campaigns in Ekiti, they should keep in mind that ultimate power resides with the

From Bukola Amusan and Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

people and until the people are adequately educated, sensitised and encouraged to participate in the process, the outcome may not be far from what obtained in previous elections.”

Also yesterday, INEC said it had taken measures to prevent mistakes made at the Anambra State governorship election.

It said it adopted a series of processes aimed at fine tuning the voter register meant for the election in its bid to deliver a free and fair election in Ekiti State.

Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hussaini Pai spoke in Abuja at an event organised by a group, the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), to assess INEC’s preparedness for the poll.

•Jega

•From left: Former Secretary to the Ekiti State Government Chief Afolabi Ojuawo; Adeyeye; Fayose and PAAM DirectorGeneral Kolawole...yesterday.

APC member shot •Fayose’s camp denies involvement

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N All Progressives Congress (APC) member in Ekiti State, Mr. Babatunde Ogunleye, has been shot by suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the Director-General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, said: “The Presidency is behind the problem in Ekiti. Suspected PDP thugs were responsible for the gunshot fired at Ogunleye, one of our members, when former Governor Ayo Fayose’s procession entered the capital on Wednesday.”

Daramola said the Coaster bus in which the victim was driving was shot at around Adebayo at 7:28pm, adding: “Babatunde narrowly escaped being killed by the bullet of the evil men.”

He said the hoodlums earlier vandalised an APCbranded bus parked on the premises of Fayemi’s Campaign Office at Ajilosun.

The House of Representatives’ member accused President Goodluck Jonathan and officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) of “over-deployment of security operatives to give

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

Fayose cover” on Wednesday.

Daramola said: “Babatunde was returning from Oye-Ekiti around 7pm where we held our rally when the incident happened.

The guy could have been killed. He came within whiskers of death.

“I believe a script has been mapped out to turn this election into an orgy of violence, if not, what did Fayose, who claims to be popular, need such a contingent of SSS and policemen for?

“If there is any script being acted in this Ekiti election or 2015, we make it clear that Ekiti people will bungle it. President Jonathan has an opportunity to write his name in gold. He can make himself a statesman and allow the people to decide.”

The Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation debunked the allegation, saying: “Our supporters, who were being guided by security agents, did not have the time to branch at the APC secretariat.”

A statement, signed by Fayose’s spokesman, Idowu Adelusi, said: “Besides that, our supporters were instructed by Fayose not to be

•Ogunleye violent or react to any provocation by the APC as they move from Ikere to Ado-Ekiti and they kept to

the instruction. What the APC is claiming is strange to us. Let it beam its search light elsewhere.”

Ours is not a govt of abandoned projects, says Fayemi

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has hinged the success of his administration on respect for the traditional institution and elders.

He spoke yesterday in Ijelu, Oye Local Government, at his re-election campaign.

Fayemi said rather than desecrate the traditional institution as was once witnessed in the state, his administration had elevated the social status and well-being of monarchs, such as the health outreach to palaces and the distribution of brand new cars to them.

He said: “We are going to win. We are a successful government. We were not chased away for electoral fraud or state-sponsored terrorism.

We do not lock up traditional rulers in the booths of cars or disrespect elders.

“We take care of our elders by giving them stipends

•’Monarchs deserve respect’ From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

monthly. We gave brand new cars to our traditional rulers and we are not a government of abandoned projects.”

Fayemi said of the requests made by Ijelu, the only one yet to be granted is the repair of the Ijelu/Itapa road, which has been incorporated in the 2014 budget and would be done before December.

At Omu, he urged those yet to obtain their permanent voter cards to do so at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices in their local government areas.

The governor, who visited traditional rulers, said the voter card is the greatest weapon with which the people could engender the con-

tinuation of good governance.

He said his administration was able to bring about change in all communities because it never discriminated.

The governor listed projects executed by his administration in Omu as school renovation, 3.6 km Omu/Ilemeso road, Ifon/ Abudo/Temidire Street road and the renovation of open market stalls.

Ongoing projects in the town include the construction of the Owajumu’s palace, 5km township road and 22.5km Omu/Gede/Ayede road.

At Itapa-Ekiti, some of the community’s 70 beneficiaries of the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly thanked him for his concern for their wel-

fare and prayed that God would give him long life and victory over his opponents.

Some Labour Party (LP) members in the town defected to the APC. They said they were attracted to the APC by Fayemi’s “outstanding performance”.

Other towns visited by the campaign train included Osin, Ilupeju and Ire. In all the towns visited, the people rolled out the drums and welcomed the governor with dancing and singing.

On the campaign train were Deputy Governor Prof.

Dupe Adelabu; Ekiti APC Chairman Chief Jide Awe; Director-General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation Bimbo Daramola; Secretary to the State Government Ganiyu Owolabi; Chief of Staff to the Governor Yemi Adaramodu and commissioners, among others.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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NEWS

Osun PDP aspirant rejects ward congress result •Omisore, Adeleke clash •Beware, APC warns residents

•Omisore

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ITH two days to the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) primary election in Osun State, a governorship aspirant, Mr. Oluwole Oke, has rejected the result of Wednesday’s ward congress.

Oke, a former chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Defence, alleged that the state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, manipulated the congress in favour of Senator Iyiola Omisore.

In a statement by the Wole Oke Campaign Organisation (WOCO), the aspirant said the selection process for elec-

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toral and returning officers was not transparent, adding: “Electoral and returning officers were selected solely by Olaoluwa. Those selected were members of the Omisore Youth Solidarity Forum (OYSF) and Omisore Grand Mobilisers (OGM).

The equitable thing to do would have been to allow local government party chairmen to nominate people to the state party secretariat.

“Our proof of this allegation is rooted in the fact that as grass roots politicians, we know ourselves and we recognise the individuals involved. The electoral and returning officers did not report to the party chairmen in their local governments but to Omisore’s council coordinators, who simply filled the result sheets with prepared names.

“In about 95 per cent of the local governments, agents of other aspirants reported that there was no voting but manipulation and falsification of results by Omisore’s thugs.

“Representatives of other as-

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

pirants reported that the electoral and returning officers used photocopied result sheets instead of the originals required by the rules. This, they gave room for the manipulation and distortion of results. The state secretary, who was supposed to sign and vet results, remains suspended by Olaoluwa against an instruction from the National Working Committee (NWC) to reinstate him.

“Considering the fact that the failure, success and credibility of the primary depends on the outcome of the ward congress, it is clear that the manipulation of Wednesday’s congress by Olaoluwa has skewed the primary in favour of an aspirant. The so-called congress was not transparent.

It was unfair and not credible.”

On Tuesday night, there was a clash between Omisore and Senator Isiaka Adeleke, a PDP aspirant.

Investigations showed that Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, believed to be

a staunch supporter of Omisore, allegedly ordered his escorts to search Adeleke’s aides at a hotel in Osogbo, where PDP aspirants assembled to meet a five-man electoral committee from Abuja to oversee tomorrow’s state congress and primary.

It was gathered that around 11pm, Adesiyan allegedly ordered his escorts to seize the hand-sets and some items from Adeleke’s aides on the excuse that he suspected they were thugs.

Adeleke, who was said to have arrived at the venue a few minutes later, was reportedly unhappy with the development.

It was learnt he challenged Adesiyan and Omisore for undermining his aides and supporters, including Taiwo Akeju, former board member of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC).

Adeleke walked up to Omisore and Adesiyan, and was quoted as saying: “Was it you, Adesiyan, who instructed your men to beat up my

aides?” and to Omisoro: “Is it because you made Adesiyan the minister that he is beating and arresting my aides.”

At a point, Omisore and Adeleke’s supporters were said to have resorted to a freefor-all.”

Commissioner of Police Ibraheem Maishanu said Adeleke reported the case to the police, adding that it would be investigated.

Speaking yesterday at his Ede country home, Adeleke said he and his supporters were beaten up by Omisore and Adesiyan’s men.

He said: “Adesiyan, Omisore and Sogo Agboola slapped and beat me up. Their supporters also beat up my security aides, protocol officers and driver.”

Adeleke said one of his supporters, Taiwo Akeju, was almost stabbed.

Head of Omisore’s media team Prince Diran Odeyemi accused Adeleke of bringing thugs to the venue of the meeting to attack Omisore and his associates.

He said the assistance of se-

Lagos APC slams Obanikoro for land grabbing

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has criticised the Minister of State for Defence, Musliu Obanikoro for using soldiers to stop the housing project of the state government at Ilubirin.

Dismissing Obanikoro’s claim that the land belongs to the Federal Government, APC asked if Obanikoro was made a minister to “further the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) battle to stifle Lagos and a fifth of Nigeria’s population because Lagos has refused to join the PDP bandwagon”.

In a statement by its Interim Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, APC said Obinokoro’s claim was ridiculous, adding that the state government had reclaimed the land.

It said Lagos would be intimidated by “such primitive tactics” and warned Obanikoro to steer clear of the land.

APC said: “We are yet to understand the basis upon which Obanikoro is claiming that a part of Lagos, which was reclaimed by the state government, belongs to the Federal Government, as well as his obnoxious use of the military to stop a housing project of the Lagos State government.

“This is an illegal use of crude means to overwhelm and annex Lagos, since the state refused to sign up to the decadent politics of the PDP and its decrementing values. We see

Obanikoro’s effort as just another greedy, illegal land grab that will fail, as there is no basis for such reckless impunity.

“Lagos APC is now being made to understand that Obanikoro’s appointment as a minister was to create crisis in Lagos, engage in a battle of forts with the legally constituted authority and obstruct the globally-acclaimed feat by the Lagos State government.

“We are convinced that the

perpetration of illegality and employment of brute force to mount an illegal quest for territory in Lagos has become such an attractive fad with successive PDP governments and we assure Obanikoro and his masters that just as previous efforts failed, this one too will.

“We are aware that what Obanikoro is doing today has no legal basis or backing, but as an average PDP man, he believes that a sophisticated state

Deposed monarch urges court to stop selection of Deji

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HE deposed Deji of Akure, Oluwadare Adesina, has urged the Court of Appeal sitting in the Ondo State, to restrain the state government and Akure kingmakers from selecting a new monarch pending the determination of his appeal before the court.

Adesina, in 2010, sued the state government, Akure South Local Government and kingmakers for deposing him and installing the late Oba Adebiyi Adesida.

The case was struck out by the Chief Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, in December 2012, on the ground that “it lacked diligent prosecution by the plaintiff”.

Adesina appealed the ruling early last year, urging the court to strike out the judgment.

The Deji’s stool became vacant again on December 1, when Oba Adesida died.

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

Six princes from the Osupa Ruling House, which Adesina belongs to, showed interest in the royal seat.

In a motion filed by Adesina’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo, he urged the Appeal Court to stop the respondents from going ahead with the selection process for the Deji.

At the sitting yesterday, one of the respondents’ counsel, Soji Adedeko, urged the court to give them more time to respond to the applicant’s motions, explaining that they were informed about it a few days ago.

Adedeko told the court that the 24th respondent, the late Oba Adesida, had been replaced by the Regent of Akure, Princess Adetutu Adesida-Ojei.

Justice Denton West adjourned till June 24 to enable the respondents file their reply.

Ibadan kidnap victim reunites with family O NE of the victims of the Soka “forest of horror’ in Ibadan, Oyo State, simply identified as Nafiu, has been reunited with his family.

It was learnt Nafiu’s relation, a staff of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, visited the hospital on Monday to confirm if Nafiu was her relative after seeing his picture in the media.

On sighting Nafiu, it was learnt she said: “Yes, he is my relation. We did not know he was the one here.”

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

Nafiu confirmed she is his relation.

None of the seven victims, who are now in stable condition, can be released to their families without police and government clearance.

The decision, it was learnt, was to enable investigation of the kidnapper’s den.

The victim’s relations are expected to produce their identity cards, police report show-

ing the family reported the loss of the victim, photographs and other documents as may be requested by the police.

Nafiu is the second victim to be reunited with his family.

Wale Atoyebi was reunited with his uncle, Mr. Atoyebi, and his wife last week.

Atoyebi said his nephew had been missing for three years.

Many people, armed with photographs of their missing loved ones, besieged the hospital shortly after the victims were taken there, but left disappointed.

as Lagos could be overwhelmed by the use of brute force and misuse of the military. Lagos will certainly show him that such tactics have no place in a democracy, even with the misuse the PDP has subjected it to.

“We warn Obanikoro and whoever he represents in his present obnoxious quest to an-

nex Lagos land to steer clear of this act, for Lagos will not sit idly by and watch such annoying perpetration of illegality against it by an overzealous agent of backwardness. We urge Lagosians to rise up and condemn this illegal act as it portends grave danger to the interests of Lagosians.”

curity aides saved the day.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned Osogbo residents, especially its members and supporters, to stay away from the PDP secretariat on Gbongan road, where the party’s primary will hold tomorrow.

In a statement by its Publicity Director, Kunle Oyatomi, APC said there were fears that the primary could turn violent.

APC said: “A PDP aspirant has been reported as saying that any aspirant who stands in his path at the contest, would be dealt with. This threat among the contestants, coming 72 hours before the primary, is a clear indication that all will not be well at the PDP secretariat tomorrow. At least, it is now common knowledge that at a PDP meeting in Osogbo on Wednesday, Adeleke, a former governor, alleged he was beaten up by another aspirant, who is desperate to become governor.

“If at that level, the PDP can exhibit such a mean behaviour, one can only imagine what might happen tomorrow at their primary. It will, therefore, be foolhardy for APC supporters or any peace-loving resident to venture anywhere near the PDP secretariat, because they could suffer fatal collateral damage.

“Besides, the PDP could turn around to frame up any APC supporter seen around the PDP secretariat as the cause of its bloody primary. Therefore, anybody who makes himself a victim of the PDP’s violence by going anywhere close to the party’s secretariat would have himself or herself to blame.”

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THE NATION FRIDAY APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS Bayelsa Assembly probes bank fraud From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

BAYELSA State House of Assembly has begun investigations into allegations of illegal deductions of N25billion by banks from government accounts.

The probe followed an audit by the Committee on Public Accounts to reconcile bank charges and deductions on government accounts from 2007 to 2012.

The member, representing Kolokuma/Opokuma I, Tonye Isenah, said the investigation followed public outcry on allegations of unethical practises by banks.

The House, in a threepoint resolution, urged the commissioners for Finance and Justice to recover all excess charges and deductions from defaulting banks.

‘Leave other aspirants alone’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

A CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Rasheed Adebisi Olopoenia, has urged former Deputy Governor Gbolarumi Azeem to be fair to other governorship aspirants.

Olopoenia, who spoke in Ibadan, said Gbolarumi could only make case for himself as an aspirant. “He cannot be a player and an umpire at the same time.

Gbolarumi is an aspirant; I don’t think he has any right to also act as an umpire in a game he will participate.

“I want to appeal to him to only sell himself as an aspirant and leave the other aspirants to the party hierarchy to decide the criteria to pick the governorship candidate.”

Suspect arrested for Clark’s son’s kidnap

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OLICE in Delta State have arrested a suspect in the kidnap of Ebikeme Clark, the second son of Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark.

Police spokesperson Celestina Kalu said: “An arrest has been made and a car recovered; so we are transferring it to the state anti-kidnap unit for investigation.

“The suspect was arrested near the waterside and his vehicle was recovered.”

She said the police had not been informed of any contact by the kidnappers or a demand for ransom.

The search for the young-

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

er Clark has continued to generate tension in Ijaw land.

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) told the Clarks not to pay any ransom.

Ebikeme, who contested for a National Assembly seat on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in the 2011 elections, was reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday at Kiagbodo, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

The Nation gathered that Ebi, as he is fondly called, was at the site of the E.K. Clark University of Technology, when he was abducted.

Efforts to get his father to speak failed.

The elder Clark’s counsel, Dickson Bekederemo, said the Ijaw nation was upset by the development.

He said: “It was done in collaboration with some Urhobo boys and one of them has been arrested.

“He’s from Aladja. They are yet to contact the family, but efforts are being made to ensure that he is rescued at no cost.”

The IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Eric Omare, said it would work with security agencies in Delta and Bayelsa states to secure Ebi’s

freedom.

It said: “The preliminary investigation by the IYC reveals that Ebi Clark was taken to the kidnappers’ hideout through the Kiagbodo River, which connects the Ramos and Forcados Rivers in Delta and Bayelsa states.

“To that extent, IYC clan officials in Oporomo, Ingbelebiri, Mein and Seimbiri Clans of Bayelsa and Delta States have been mandated to trace and fish out the kidnappers. The IYC officials would work with security agencies in Delta and Bayelsa States to ensure his release.”

Edo teachers: we won’t write competency test

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HE Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Edo State said yesterday that its members would not sit for any competency test conducted by the government.

The Chairman, Mike Uhunmwangho, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, said NUT members would not sit for any test because a court had restrained the government from conducting the test.

“The next court sitting comes up on April 12 in Akure, Ondo State,” he said.

Uhunmwangho said those who sat for the as-

sessment test were not teachers but government officials.

“Those of them who went for the test are commissioners, including other government officials.

“We are not going to write any test, even if given a second chance,” Uhunmwangho said.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole, while receiving the report of the Teachers Assessment Committee on April 2, said the test was compulsory.

Oshiomhole said any public school teacher, who had not taken the assessment test would not remain on the payroll of the gov-

ernment.

He added: “There is no stopping the teachers’ assessment test.”

The governor said the government would conduct another assessment test for those who were yet to sit for the test.

The governor gave the teachers two weeks to comply.

Uhunmwangho said the NUT was waiting for the government to sack those who did not take the test.

“It will be a world headline that the Edo State Government sacked about 17,000 teachers in primary and secondary schools because of their refusal to

write an assessment test.

“He already sacked 925 teachers.

“Why are Nigerians not asking that the same measure be used for other workers on the state’s payroll?

“Why is it that it is only teachers that are affected because all the workers in Edo State participated in the biometrics?

“If he believes he cannot follow the law that brought him into power, we leave the issue to the people who know the law better,” Uhunmwangho said.

He added that there were no chairs, tables and laboratories in most of the renovated schools in the state.

Mama Oladeinde dead THE Head of the JiboluTaiwo Family of Egbaland, Mrs Christiana Ibijoke Oladeinde (nee Coker) is dead.

She died on March 20. She was 88.

There will be a service of songs at 33, Raz, on April 6 at 4pm.

On April 10, a wake will be held at the Chapel of the Healing Cross, Idi Araba, Lagos, at 6pm.

The funeral service will hold at the chapel on April 11 at 11am. Her remains will be interred at the Vaults and Garden, Ikoyi, Lagos.

She worked in health •Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole (second right), Deputy Governor Pius Odubu (second left), Deputy Speaker, House of Assembly, Festus Ebea and Commissioner for Youth and Sports Chris Okaeben at the 12-km “Walk For Life” keep-fit institutions in the defunct exercise in Benin City...yesterday.

Western Region and rose to the Chief Health Tutor/ Principal School of Hygiene in Oyo State before her retirement in 1987.

Security tightened for Jonathan’s daughter’s marriage

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•The late Mrs.Oladeinde

ECURITY was tightened yesterday in Yenagoa and Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in preparation for the wedding of President Goodluck Jonathan’s foster daughter.

Residents of Yenagoa have kicked against the obstruction of some internal roads, leading to the President’s Yenagoa home.

Passers-by and motorists were unhappy that roads

•Bayelsa residents kick against roadblocks From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

close to Jonathan’s house in Kpansia area were closed to traffic.

Security operatives took over the roads and diverted traffic, leading to traffic problems in Yenagoa.

All security commanders, the police, Air Force, Nigerian Security and Civ-

il Defence Corps (NSCDC), relocated temporarily to Otuoke, the hometown of the Presiden, to ensure a hitch-free ceremony.

The First Lady, Patience Jonathan and the Chief of Staff, Aso Rock, were said to have arrived in the state.

The President is expected to arrive today.

Investigation showed that motorists were groan-

ing over the traffic gridlock.

The wedding was said to have taken toll on commercial activities as a popular market at Kpansia, which holds on Saturday, was reportedly closed.

Traders from neighbouring states usually gather at the market on Isaac Boro Road to do business every Saturday.

Model schools to open in September From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

M

ODEL secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State are to open in September.

The schools were built by the past administration in the state’s three senatorial districts.

Governor Godswill Akpabio announced this yesterday at Ikot Akpa Nkuk at a town hall and constituency briefing for Ukanafun Federal Constituency.

Akpabio said a committee set up by the government to ascertain contractual obligations had submitted its report awaiting an action by the State Executive Council.

Akpabio, who was responding to a question by Senator Itak Bob Ekarika on the delay in opening Model Secondary School, Ikot Ntuen in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, assured that classes would commence soon.

Two killed in Cross River From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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WO people were killed in an accident on the Calabar-Ugep Highway, when a truck conveying cows skidded and fell off the road, it was learnt yesterday.

An eyewitness said the accident occurred about 10am at Ehom Central in Biase Local Government in Cross River State.

The victims were two Hausa men who were in the truck - the driver and his assistant.

Some other people were injured when their vehicle ran into the fallen truck.

Several cows were also killed in the accident and others injured. They littered the road. Traffic was stuck.

The victims were rushed to the Ugep General Hospital.

SSS arrests eight suspects

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IGHT kidnap and Internet fraud suspects have been arrested by officials of the Department for State Security (DSS) in Edo State.

Four of them are university undergraduates. Two of them are in their final year.

Parading the suspects before Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday, the State DSS Director, Bello Bakori, said the suspects confessed to the crime.

“Three of them are kidnap suspects. Two of them kidnapped an American.

“The other five are ‘Internet fraudsters’, whose mission was to dupe the public through various scams.”

Oshiomhole, who hailed the security agency, assured the officers of the government’s assistance in their fight against crimes in the state.

He said: “As a government, we will continue to give you the support you need to continue to do your best.

“Your men and officers are working to make our state safe.

“People who risk their lives to make others safe, only God can compensate them.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Boat mishap: Death toll rises to 10

Commission unveils website

•Two expectant mothers among victims

EXECUTIVE Secretary, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs Tanwa Koya, has said that street taps is no longer an ideal means of providing water for the people.

“Returning to street taps will be a sad development. It was okay in the 60s because of the level of our development in the country,” she said.

She spoke at the unveiling of the commission’s signage, website, toll-free lines and complaints box at Ikeja.

Mrs Koya assured that the commission would ensure that water providers are regulated at the point of production and in line with national drinkable water policy and the standard set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A member of the commission’s board, Prof Lanre Fagbohun said the key responsibilities of the commission are effectiveness of service, appropriate pricing of water and quality of water supplied to Lagos residents by the providers.

He said the commission was discussing with the corporation how to reactivate the water works.

Chairman of the commission’s board, Mr. Taiwo Sebioba, unveiled the signage, while Sina Badaru unveiled the website.

The toll-free lines and complaints box were unveiled by Mrs Sola Salako and Hon Funmi Philips respectively.

By Precious Igbonwelundu, Staff Correspondant

water; we begged the fishermen to help us retrieve them, but they refused. I sell shoes on Lagos Island.”

According to Mrs Abimbola, over 25 people were on board and some of them are still trapped in the water.

Efforts to reach the boat company through one of its staff, Ben Kalejaiye, to ascertain the number of passengers on board failed as calls to his telephone were unanswered.

Southwest spokesman, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, said Kalejaye’s earlier claim that 20 passengers were aboard was “incorrect” since Akere is still missing.

“It means the information

by Mr. Ben Kalejaye that there were only 20 passengers on board is incorrect. Relations of a couple planning to wed next weekend have just informed us that the couple was in the ill-fated boat. The body of the wife was found in the morgue, while the husband was not found. Two expectant mothers, a girl and five men died. The search for others continues,” he said.

Also yesterday, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) said the passengers’ failure to use life jackets was responsible for the deaths.

Its Managing Director, Mr

,

T

HE toll in Wednesday’s boat mishap on the Ebute Aro-Ikorodu waterways in Lagos rose to 10 yesterday.

The victims include two expectant mothers and a woman whose wedding is billed to hold next weekend.

Her fiance, Isaac Akera is said to be among those missing.

Other victims are a teenage girl and five men.

A Toyota Corolla car marked APP259CN, said to belong to the would-be couple, was parked at the Bell Marine jetty in Ikorodu.

An eyewitness, Mrs. Bunmi Abimbola, claimed to have lost N350,000, adding: “There was another woman who lost N1.2million. She was supposed to travel today (yesterday). The boat was overloaded and over-speeding. I was seated at the back, but I complained.

“I was shouting that what the driver did was wrong, but he did not listen. Then, when we took off, the driver was over-speeding. We all complained, but he refused to listen to us. By the time we got to Iyana Oworo, the boat hit something and the wave was too much. That was how water filled the boat and it sank.

It was after about 30 minutes that some fishermen, who were passing by, came to our rescue.”

“We saw our belongings being carried away by the

The driver was over-speeding. We complained, but he refused to listen to us ... the boat hit something ... that was how water filled the boat and it sank

,

Olayinka Marinho, said: “The passengers failed to fasten their life jackets properly” He said that those who were

• A car belonging to one of the missing passengers

rescued alive by LASWA’s rescue team had been taken

to the General Hospital in Ikorodu for medical attention.

‘Ten men slept with me daily’

A

19-year-old girl told a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday how she was led into prostitution.

Rosemary was led in evidence by Mrs. Anthonia Mgbemeje of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) during the trial of two men, Christian Awanebi and Ariwayo Olowede, for alleged trafficking before Justice Saliu Saidu.

She told the court that she was eager to work abroad, following which she was led into prostitution in Burkina Faso by Awanebi of Pagilaidi-Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Olowede

•Teenager tells court how she was forced into prostitution

By Precious Igbonwelundu, Staff Correspondant

of Block 337 Flat 2, Ilasan Estate, Lekki.

The teenager said she was a sales girl in Victoria Island before she was taken to Burkina Faso in 2011 by the duo who promised to get her a job at a big mall.

“But instead of giving me the job, I was made to sleep with men to raise about N200,000 to repay them for the expenses incurred in taking me to Burkina Faso. I had to sleep with more than 10 men a day and I got an

equivalent of N5,000 per client. I was forced to enter into blood covenant that I would not tell anyone my ordeal,” said the teenager.

Defence counsel Mac Johnson sought an adjournment for cross-examination.

Justice Saidu adjourned the case till April 10.

At their first arraignment on March 27, last year, Mrs Mgbemeje told the court that the accused committed the offence sometime in November 2012 at Ilasan Estate, Lekki. She said the offence contravened Section 15(a) of the NAPTIP Act 2003.

NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

Nigerian Idol: Stage set for another set of 3

A

S the race for the grand prize of N7.5 million continues in the Etisalat-sponsored Nigerian Idol Season 4 contest, the situation appears tense, following last week’s result, whereby some of the judges’ preferred contestants such as Evelle and Daniel Buba were rated low by voters.

Indications emerged yesterday, that the remaining 20 candidates from the Top 30 stage have been canvassing for votes vigorously; knowing the next set of three to go into the Top 12 stage will be picked among contestants with the highest public votes.

It was a day of mixed feel-

Stories by Victor Akande ings, tension and surprises, last Saturday, as Lisa Omoregebe, Jesse Okonkwo and Elvis Ejiro became the first three contestants to make it to the Top 12.

Safe for the choice of Ejiro, last week’s result left the judges; Dare Art-Alade, Nneka Egbuna and Dede Mabiaku shocked at the audience’s decision to vote out some of the contestants they saw as promising talents.

Reacting on behalf of the judges on the evicted contestants, Nneka as she is fondly called said that the eviction of some of the contestants is

• L-R: Nigerian Idol Host, Ill Rhymz; Manager, Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Orah Egwu; Nigerian Idol’s Season 4 first Top 3 contestants to make it to Top 12 stage, Jessy Okonkwo, Lisa Omoregebe, Elvis Ejiro and Manager, Events, Etisalat Nigeria, Ufuoma Dogun, at the Dream Studio last Saturday.

the biggest surprise she has witnessed so far on the show. “Frankly speaking, I

am very surprised with the result of the votes gathered.

I am really shocked seeing

AMAA 2014: South Africa tops nominations

T

WO South African films, Of Good Report and The Forgotten Kingdom, have shown strength of dominance, as contained in the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) nomination list, which was released Wednesday night, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The two films will contend with Accident (Nigeria), Potomanto (Ghana), and Children of Troumaron (Mauritius) for the Best Film diadem at a ceremony, which will take place in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on April 26.

Prior to the release of the nominees list, Of Good Report

has made a remarkable outing at notable film festivals, where it reigned with controversies.

Although not much has been heard of other contenders in that category, they must also be carrying some strength to have been so listed.

Of Good Report became famous after it was banned in July by the Film and Publications Board (FPB) of South Africa on the grounds that a sex scene between a school teacher and a pupil amounted to child pornography.

Although the ban was later overturned by the Board’s appeal tribunal and a 28 million Rand damages

suit against the FPB, the profile of the movie has been on the rise, with its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September; and later, at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Nigeria, where it opened a debate on artistic expression and went ahead to win the Best Film award.

Its director, Jamil X.T Quebeka, will also contend with countryman, Andrew Mudge, for The Forgotten Kingdom; Nigeria’s Teco Benson, for Accident; Ghanaian Shirley Frimpong Manso for Potomanto and Mauritius’ Harrikrishna and

Sharvan Anenden for Children of Troumaron.

In the 26 categories of the AMAAs, Of Good Report also got not less than 13 nominations followed by The Forgotten Kingdom and Potomanto with about nine nominations each, while Accident and another Nigerian film, Apaye, also got about six nominations each.

Interestingly, two categories, Efere Ozako Award for Best Short Film and Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language, were named after two late film industry heroes of Nigerian and Senegalese origins.

some real good contestants leaving the show today because they got few votes. We will do all we can to bring some of them back using our wild card.”

Nneka went on to charge the audience to vote for their favourite talent as this is a critical stage for the contestants.

Following the Saturday’s show, the second set of 10 contestants in the top 30 stage performed on Sunday with obvious zest, having been faced with the reality of eviction. Some of the impressive performances came from Eye-D, Henry Mc-John, Xolani, Victoria and Jahtell as observed by the judges.

They however urged the contestants to exercise more enthusiasm and stop “playing safe” with their performance. The other five members of this group include

Shola, Nex2, Joy, Dawn and Miss Oge. The fate of these 10 will be decided this Saturday, after collation of votes. As usual, viewers are expected to dial the number of their favourite contestant on an Etisalat line or send the contestant’s number to 33680 via SMS. Title sponsor, Etisalat, has within four years of operations, become a major industry player with a growing subscriber base of 15 million in a highly competitive market. For its outstanding performance since it launched its commercial operations, the brand has won the Nigerian telecoms industry’s first ever ‘’Excellent Service and effective Collaboration with the Consumer Affairs Bureau to ensure access to Customer Care Help line’, among other laurels.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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PEOPLE THE NATION

A SIX -PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

• The celebrator, Asiwaju Tinubu (fifth right) assisted by his wife, Senator Oluremi; Gen Buhari (fourth left); Rev Ademowo (third left) Mrs Funso Amosun (right) and some of the ‘Common Man’ to cut the cake

It was the 62nd birthday of former Lagos State governor and All Progressive Congress (APC) leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu last Saturday. But, it was no time for a revelry. The 6th Bola Tinubu Colloquium to mark the event focused on the common man, who feels mostly the effects of bad governance.

Report TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO and OLATUNDE ODEBIYI

•Chief Dooh

•Mr Mgbatogu

•Alhaji Daudawa

•Sopriye

PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI

A leader’s birthday for the common man W

HEN the Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium was conceived by close friends and associates of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, little did the common man know that the event would one day focus on him.

Last Saturday, when the Jagaban Borgu turned 62, the event was dedicated to the less- privileged.

The 6th Bola Tinubu Colloquium was tagged: The Summit of The Common Man.” Since its inception six years ago, the colloquium has been a platform to discuss salient national issues.

Tinubu's campaign for a better society was vindicated, with the elite audience getting emotional as the downtroden spoke of their agony.

It was a gathering of heavy weights where the ‘common man’ was the speaker.

According to the organisers, the colloquium sought to focus on the 70 per cent of Nigerians who live below the poverty line.

The organisers said: "There are 20.3 million unemployed youths; 75 per cent of Nigerians have no access to primary health care, 10.8 million children of primary school; age are out of school; 24.4

•Tinubu at 62 million Nigerians would be homeless by 2015 and 55,000 women die annually during childbirth."

The event began, with the showing of historical video clips of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium, followed by the National Anthem and opening prayer.

The Most Reverend Ephraim Ademowo, who chaired the event, described Asiwaju Tinubu as an uncommon man.

Tinubu, he said, "is a consummate and tested politician. A master strategist and a libertarian par excellence. He is kind to a fault."

When the 'common man' from different parts of the country took turns to relive their struggles, the crowd was spellbound.

The speakers included Mallam Nasir Bala; Mr Ron Mgbatogu; Bethesa Home for the Blind; Chief Eric Dooh; Mrs Elizabeth Unah; Mallam Musa Ali; Adamu Baba, Mallam Yusuf Audu and Sopriye Victor.

Mallam Bala, who runs Risan Agro Allied Farms says he still has challenges accessing loan like many farmers across the country.

Speaking on the state of agro-business allied, he said the country has over 84 million hectares of arable land but only 42 per cent is being utilised for farming. Nigeria, he notes, spends over N630 billion importing agricultural products. Farming, he said, provides employment to 70 per cent of the population, yet farmers cannot access loans from the government. They also contend with storage and transportation challenges.

Mr Mgbatogu, a 68-year-old pensioner, says he receives less than the amount that can sustain him.

He spoke on his experience as a retiree, canvassing for the creation of social welfare programmes for senior citizens.

He called on the government to assist the common man to be better person.

For Chief Dooh, a 45 -year-old fisherman from Goi community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, trouble started when he lost his business to oil spill. He is now unemployed.

He expressed his frustration with life, adding that there is no good source of drinking water in

his area.

Forty-one-year-old widow Elizabeth Unah, from Ebonyi State, lost her husband to an inferno in their house in December 2009. A fruits trader, she now struggles to raise six children.

"It has not been easy surviving. I have to borrow money from people to take care of my children and send them to school; and the money I make from my fruit business is never enough for our livelihood," she said.

She called on the government to institute a widows’ forum and provide scholarships for their children.

Adamu Buba appealed to the government to do something fast about Boko Haram.

Twenty-five-year-old Sopriye Victor, from Bayelsa State, is the face of the 47.8 million Nigerian youths searching for jobs. A 2010 graduate of the Niger Delta University, with a Second Class honours in Chemical Engineering, she faces the grim reality of unemployment like the 360,000 Corps members that pass out every year.

Sopriye spoke of job scams; low pay job offers; •Continued on page 14, 49, 50 and 51

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

14

SOCIETY TINUBU AT 62

•Alhaji Abubakar (left) and APC Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande •From right: Governors all - Rotimi Ameachi (Rivers); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo)

•From left: Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, his wife Alhaja Sherifat and Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (left) and APC Interim National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed

•Mr Fashola and his wife, Abimbola

•Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu

•Former Ogun State Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba

•Ogun State Deputy Governor Prince Segun Adesegun (left) and his Osun State counterpart, Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori •Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and her husband, Abiodun

•APC Lagos Central District Leader Prince Tajudeen Olusi (left) and Chief of Staff to the Osun State Governor Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola

•From left: Lagos State Security Trust Fund Chairman Fola Arthur-Worrey; former Lagos Commissioner for Health Dr Leke Pitan and his Information and Strategy counterpart Mr Dele Alake PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI AND MUYIWA HASSAN

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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THE NATION FRIDAY,APRIL 4, 2014

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIAL

When Shepherds Go Deluxe

NJC vs. Rivers •Judicial council should appeal judgment instead of throwing its weight around

T

HE National Judicial Council (NJC) appears determined to resort to self-help in its disagreement with the Government of Rivers State, over the choice of the chief judge of that state. That road, in our view, is undemocratic and against the principles of rule of law. While the Rivers State Government went to court to challenge the extent of powers of the NJC to choose the chief judge for the state, which case was determined in its (Rivers State) favour at a Federal High Court, the NJC has administratively resisted the appointment of Justice Peter Agumagu, as the new chief judge, instead of appealing the judgment by Justice Lambo Akanbi, which the state government relied on to clear and swear in Justice Agumagu.

The crux of the disagreement is who has the powers to choose the chief judge of a state, between a state judicial service commission, legislature and executive government on one side, and the NJC, a federal executive body, on the other side.

While section 271(1) of the 1999 constitution as amended provides that: “the appointment of a person to the office of Chief Judge of a state shall be made by the Governor of State on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council subject to the confirmation of the appointment by the House of Assembly of the State”; Paragraph 21(c) of Part 1(i) of the Third Schedule provides: “the NJC shall have power to recommend to the Governors from among the list of persons submitted to it

by the state Judicial Service Commissions persons for appointments to the offices of the Chief Judges of the States…”

We view the disagreement as a crisis bordering on the abnormality of our peculiar federal constitution. As applicable in other countries, federalism is defined by world acclaimed Professor K. C. Wheare as “the method of dividing powers so that the general and regional governments are each within a sphere co-ordinate and independent”. While ordinarily the appointment of a state chief judge should be within the sphere of a state government, the relevant provision of our constitution strangely puts a federal executive agency, the NJC, in a pole position. The disagreement in Rivers State is over the extent of powers and influence of the NJC, and the institutions of the state, in the appointment of a state chief judge.

And where such a disagreement arises, the constitution in section 6(6)(b) clearly vests the judiciary with the authority to provide a solution, when it opines, “the judicial powers vested in accordance with the foregoing provision of this section, shall extend to all matters between persons, or between government or authority and to any person in Nigeria, and to all actions and proceedings relating thereto, for the determination of any question as to the civil rights and obligations of that person.” With such a provision, we are worried that the NJC, instead of appealing the judgment of Justice Akanbi, which ruled against its executive prerogatives in

the dispute, opted to disregard or subjugate the judgment to its administrative powers.

This constitutional crisis once again raises questions on the difficult choice between institutional bulwark and rational choice of men who preside over the institutions, in our match to a functional society. For, while there is the letter of the law, there is also the spirit of the law. Even with the challenges in the provisions of our constitution on the appointment of a chief judge, a rational choice that will not defeat the essential letter and the spirit of the law can still be reached. In pursuit of that, we urge the NJC to resist the temptation to throw its weight around.

‘We are worried that the NJC, instead of appealing the judgment of Justice Akanbi, which ruled against its executive prerogatives in the dispute, opted to disregard or subjugate the judgment to its administrative powers ...

We urge the NJC to resist the temptation to throw its weight around’

Return of Super Stores •Handled right, its glorious past could point the way to a promising future for Nigerian club football

I

T probably boasts more monikers than any other club in Nigeria: Stationery Stores, Super Stores, Flaming Flamingoes, Adebajo Babes and Pooku lowo e (Figuratively, Yoruba for “cheap players, great performers”), after it had fallen on a dry patch: a patrician club, constrained to plebeian means, to make ends meet.

That is the gripping story of Stationery Stores Football Club of Lagos, founded in 1958 by the late business tycoon, Israel Adebajo, as a sporting public relations arm of the Nigerian Office and Stationery Stores (NOSS), a firm that deals in stationery and allied matters.

At the peak of its glory, when it corralled two consecutive Nigerian Challenge Cup (FA Cup, now formally known as Federation Cup) titles (1967 and 1968), it had no less than nine players in the Green Eagles, then the nickname of the Nigerian

‘The Stores of 1958 to 1998 (a 40-year period) was a humongous brand, and could yet re-enact its old glory. For Lagos ball fans, starved for too long of a team of high calibre to identify with, Stores might just fill that vacuum. More than that: A re-enacted Stores, if well run, might just hold the tantalising promise of returning the big crowd to stadia stands’

national team.

Indeed, in the Eagles’ 1968 tour of Mexico, Stores had iconic names like Sam Opone and Peter Fregene, the enduring Nigerian international goalkeeper, who even made the Eagles first 11 in the African Nations Cup, as late as 1982, in Benghazi, Libya.

Other iconic names that passed through its great portals included the incomparable Haruna Ilerika (of blessed memory), he of silky skills and one of the most skilful Nigerian football players ever, Yakubu Mambo who was in the Eagles squad that won gold in the 1972 2nd All Africa Games in Lagos, and of course Muda Atanda (nee Yomi Peters), the stormy long-serving captain of Stores, now the club’s team manager, under the chairmanship of Adetilewa Adebajo, son of the late founder.

Israel Adebajo was perhaps the first of an illustrious line Nigerian business royals that invested in sports, among others being MKO Abiola, the late ‘Pillar of Sports in Africa’ and proprietor of the defunct Abiola Babes, based in Abeokuta, and Alhaji Yusuf Salami (also late), founder of Alyufsalam Rocks, based in Ilorin. Adebajo, the Noforija-Epe, Lagos State-born tycoon, inspired an entertaining and captivating style of football that matched substance with style, and made the club the toast of Nigerians of its generation.

The return of Stores is a toast to the irrepressible human spirit. It is also a rekindling of hope for the revitalisation of the Nigerian local league, now that contemporary Nigerians, patrician and plebeian, are hooked to the sweet poison of foreign leagues: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern

Munich, etc.

Not too long ago, the passion in the sporting scene was the famous derbies between Stores and ECN (later NEPA) FC in Lagos, and the crowd-pulling contests between Stores and IICC, Stores and Rangers; and even along the West African coast, Stores Vs Ashanti Kotoko, or Stores Vs Accra Hearts of Oak, both of Ghana. Now, all that is but gone!

Stores is a club of great history and character. Like the present-day Arsenal of London, England, it boasted great developmental policies, such that even players that cost virtual peanuts wear the club’s famous white, gold and maroon jerseys, and they suddenly become great performers.

Stores is back in the National League ranks by buying Union Bank FC’s slot in that league. But the directors must be conscious of the sibling “civil war”, between Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser and Adetilewa (the current chairman) that nearly consigned the club to history. They should therefore broaden the ownership base of the club, and perhaps invite its supporters to co-own the club, as it is done in many European leagues.

The Stores of 1958 to 1998 (a 40-year period) was a humongous brand, and could yet re-enact its old glory. For Lagos ball fans, starved for too long of a team of high calibre to identify with, Stores might just fill that vacuum.

More than that: A re-enacted Stores, if well run, might just hold the tantalising promise of returning the big crowd to stadia stands. That would provide more jobs for talented local youth, and offer welcome relief from this era of stifling foreign leagues.

A

NY Roman Catholic prelate who missed the message from Pope Francis that he wanted “a church which is poor and for the poor” certainly had to pay attention last month when the Vatican forced the resignation of the bishop of Limburg, Germany, because of his taste for opulent housing worthy of the Holy Roman Empire.

Scandal arose when Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was discovered spending at least 31 million euros, or nearly $43 million, to renovate his princely home, right down to a new •15,000 bathtub. The Vatican found that the bishop had tried to hide the true costs from his flock, and he was unceremoniously forced to resign for some humbler station.

Though the verdict is still out on Francis’ impact on the hidebound Vatican bureaucracy, which he hopes to reform, he is obviously galvanizing the church laity to complain about the double standards and hypocrisy in the lush lifestyles of their shepherds. In the United States, Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Atlanta, apologetically announced this week that he would not be moving in to a new $2.2 million, 6,000-square-foot mansion he had custom built. Archbishop Gregory conceded that he had second thoughts after being rebuked by lay Catholics “struggling to pay their mortgages” even as they faithfully heeded his pleas for church donations.

Leaders of a half-dozen other American dioceses have moved to plainer surroundings as Francis keeps up the pressure, urging simple runabouts, not limousines, as preferable transportation for priests and nuns.

How far will the pope go in his refreshing demand for an unpretentious lifestyle for the global church? By coincidence, the centuries-old church of St. Francis at Ripa, in a less elegant part of Rome, is in a state of impoverished disrepair, forced to appeal for support on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter as tourists begin showing up by the busloads because the new pope chose the name of Francis. The saint stayed there in a cell that contains a stone he is said to have used as his sleeping pillow.

No word yet on whether Pope Francis thinks it is time to prescribe stone sleeping pillows for dedicated church workers.

– New York Times TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

• Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •General Manager (Abuja Press) Kehinde Olowu •AGM (PH Press) Tunde Olasogba

•IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness •Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) •Press Manager Yomi Odunuga Udensi Chikaodi •Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu •Legal Counsel John Unachukwu •Dep. Business Editor Simeon Ebulu • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye •Group Sports Editor Ade Ojeikere •Acting Manager (sales) •Editorial Page Editor Olaribigbe Bello Sanya Oni

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: Nigeria is not in a war situation. Yet, the present condition of its economy as evident in the continuously dwindling allocations to states since last August suggests otherwise. Well, where incompetent persons are saddled with responsibilities larger than their natural endowments, avoidable social and economic crises akin to those feasible in war situations will always atrociously make living a lot more hellish for the people. This is a fact that media reports from across the states of the federation prominently highlight.

It is against this backdrop that one must really sympathise with the pensioners in Osun State, who

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

Thinking with Osun pensioners media reports in the last few weeks capture their ringing laments, poignant frustration and freezing angst in their protests against the state government over unpaid pensions. These are people who had given their all in service to the state.

They had laboured in the morning of their lives so that at twilight they would not be sorely buffeted by the

fatal blows of privations. These elderly citizens deserve their pensions without any excuse. And every reasonable person with the ounce of human feeling will agree that no effort must be spared in ensuring that these people collect their dues.

But all that people of understanding need to have laden in their minds are the actions the state gov-

ernment had taken in the recent past for the benefit of the pensioners.

The automation payment system which ensures that each pensioner captured in the system gets their money directly could not have been introduced by a government willing to subject retired persons to hardship. If anything, that arrangement frees the retirees from the in-

Lopsidedness in electricity distribution

S

IR: As kids in the late 70s and early 80s, we were made to

understand whenever there’s power outage that must have been a major technical fault occasioned either by an environmental interference or weather induced. I still remembered vividly that whenever there was a prolonged power outage, announcement would be made on radio and television with apologies rendered to the public with assurances to rectify the hitches which were usually done within the shortest possible time.

The reverse is now sadly and unfortunately the case. “Crazy bills” has now become the order of the day as the public are made to pay as high as N10,000 to N15,000 per month for electricity bills for a two or three bedroom apartment. Nigerians are often harassed into paying bills for electricity they never used. Threats of disconnection have often coerced many into paying for what they didn’t use just to save face and maintain their pride in their

communities. “Inherited bills” now seems to have come to stay, as new tenants of a particular apartment are forced and harassed into clearing any outstanding bills been owed by the former tenant.

The introduction of prepaid meters few years ago came as a relief to many; but hopes were dashed when many were made to understand that those meters were actually meant for VIP Customers. Some Nigerians had to pay through their nose just to get a prepaid meter but after paying as high as between N50,000 to N100,000 some have waited endlessly with no hope of getting it.

The electricity transmission companies often shy away from taken responsibilities or measures at restoring or repairing power installations whenever occasion arises, either due to a natural disaster or activities of vandals. The affected communities are usually made to bear the brunt of such; oftentimes, electricity consumers are made to contribute certain amounts of

money to fix even the minutest faults even though they still have to settle their bills at the end of every month.

The fact that some parts of the country enjoy almost an uninterrupted power supply daily while majority hardly enjoy a four – hours electricity supply per day clearly shows that a lot needs to be done as regards to power distribution in Nigeria. With particular reference to the Kwara State capital, Ilorin where I live, communities like Airport, Asa-dam/Dangote, Agbo-oba, Ganmo, Ita-alamu, Olunlade and some parts of Osere and GRA usually have almost 24 hours uninterrupted power supply at the expense of all other communities which constitute almost 70% of the state capital, even though the billings doesn’t reflect this disparity and lopsidedness.

It doesn’t really matter the quantity of electricity Nigeria generates; what matters is how much of electricity a household enjoys. Even if the country generates one million

megawatts of electricity, it wouldn’t make any sense to the average Nigerian if at the end of the day he/she doesn’t get to enjoy it. Hence, the need for the power transmission companies to look urgently into their modus operandi to resolve and rectify the anomalies and lopsidedness in electricity distribution.

Electricity consumers should have value for their money. Some people shouldn’t be enjoying electricity for almost 24 hours daily while others would only be paying for bills for electricity they didn’t use. Nigerians are calling on the relevant agencies like the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and indeed all other major stakeholders in power transmission and distribution sectors to come to the aid of the common man with the aim of addressing the issues and to ensure that the right things are done to move this country forward • Hussain Obaro, Ilorin – Kwara State.

sufferable burden of having to go from one office to another in search of their entitlements. Some even yield up the ghost in the process while a number of them ended up without any dime for years. With the automation payment order, transparency, efficiency and orderliness have replaced bureaucratic holdups, fraud, delays, and leakages.

The protesting Osun pensioners also seem not to understand that the 40% shortfall in the monthly allocations to all states is one excruciating burden that weakens the financial strengths of the states. While some of the states have cut salaries and many more now owe their workers many months’ salaries, Osun is among the very few states that still manage to meet their statutory obligations and keep projects going. One is of the opinion that the justly cross Osun pensioners need to reason with government on how to solve this unpleasant event.

Surely, if the government meets certain obligations in spite of the heavy cut in allocation, it will soon fulfil its responsibility to the pensioners. Abuses, insults and all forms of embarrassment are not the appropriate response to this present ache.

The appeal to the state government is to do all within its powers to make these retirees happy again – yes, in spite of the financial trouble the incapable Jonathan administration is subjecting Nigerians to.

But the Osun pensioners must not forget that they also have the responsibility to show understanding. As that profoundly deep mind, Thomas Paine, once said, these are the times that try citizens’ souls.

They call for understanding, reason, and patience. May the present adversity bring sweetness in the end.

• Daniel Akinkunmi, Odeomu, Osun State.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014 16

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COMMENTS

Tired wings? (1) (Travails of travel with Arik Air)

Email: tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk 08038551123, 08111845040

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RIK Air is breathtaking for once and only once; just at the moment when its aircraft lifts off the runway to soar into air or while perching in the heart of its destination’s city centre. In that space and at that hour, you get to see what its founder, Sir ArumemiIkhide had dreamed years before the airline’s establishment: “To make Nigeria proud of its aviation industry” by offering “a superior level of customer service” while delivering “on all promises made” to the airline’s customers.

The airline’s purported bid to reinforce its corporate vision and mission statements has seen it weather a challenging timeline spanning its birth in 2002 till date. However, cruising with Arik Air, you get to see the perversion of that dream.

Travelling with Arik Air today is like wishing on the false hope of an artful dodger. Disappointment is around the corner more often than not. Undoubtedly, every customer of Arik Air would have a different story to tell in testament of the airline’s efficiency or otherwise; some of such stories will be identical in praise of Arik Air and many more, I presume, will be identical sob sto-

ries of customers unfortunate enough to have been on the receiving end of the airline’s inefficiency.

Here is my sob story: following several upsets and disruption of plans occasioned in my life by Arik Air’s characteristic flight delays, two years ago, in the first quarter of 2012 to be precise, I rebelled against reason and purchased a flight ticket to Monrovia, Liberia for a two-week editorial assignment. Unfortunately, I arrived 10 minutes after passengers were checked in and thus had to pay a penalty of N15, 000 to join another flight to Liberia two days later.

On the day of the trip, I arrived at the airport within stipulated checkin time but to my chagrin, I, alongside several passengers, was granted first row ticket to Arik Air’s theatre of insensitivity to clients.

We were made to wait five hours longer for a flight that should have taken off in the morning. Predictably, many of us (travelers) were angry but in the face of intimidating reality of our hopelessness, we resigned to fate and the devices of Arik Air. By the time we were called onboard the aircraft, nobody of-

‘Sadly there is no effective legal mechanism and consumer rights protection agency to defend the rights of their helpless customers every time they are cheated, oppressed or forced into compromising and vulnerable situations by the almighty Nigerian ‘big businesses.’’

T

HE renewed bid by Chris Okotie-led Fresh Democratic Party (FRESH) to assert its right to function as a political party in Nigeria after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to honour the court verdict that nullified the party’s deregistration, is set to take another turn. The party had won the battle against its deregisteration by INEC on June 29, 2013 at Justice Gabriel Kolawole’s Federal High Court 5, Abuja. The judge overturned the deregistration of the party as announced by the commission on December 12, 2012. But curiously, INEC has still not recertified the party whose certificate was cancelled.

The foregoing intransigence would possibly explain the commission’s failure to include FRESH on the current ballot papers for the forthcoming elections in some states. The situation has fuelled suspicions in the camp of the party that there are surreptitious moves to ensure that Okotie does not contest the 2015 presidential election. A press conference was recently organised by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to publicly protest INEC’s refusal to abide by the judgment that reinstated the party as a legitimate contender for political power in Nigeria, while FRESH’s legal consultant, Fred Agbaje, has equally threatened to resort to legal action to compel INEC to respect the verdict.

Shortly after the court verdict, the Chief Press Secretary to Prof. Attahiru Jega, Kayode Idowu, had told the media at a press conference that Fresh,”is back to the stable of recognised parties.” But in a strange twist of events, INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of the South-west, Prof. Lai Olurode, in response to FRESH’s press conference, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “deregistered political parties could not field candidate come 2015, unless they seek re-registration… there was no law that said that no legal provision precluded such political parties from reapplying to be reregistered provided they met the requirements.”

He also said: “If a deregistered party has not gone to court or the power of INEC has not been described as illegal by a court of law, that party cannot field a candidate come 2015.

The only exception is if the party has gone back to seek reregistration, which is possible under the law. There is no law that says you cannot apply as a de-registered party if you think you have complied with the requirements of registration. For a party to be recognised as a political party as enshrined in the constitution, that party must be in compliance with the laws, rules and regulations. The laws, rules and regulations must be as laid down in the constitution and in the Electoral Act.” Olurode again said that “if the court ruled against the exercise of the powers given to INEC, the commission had no choice but to obey the rulings of the court with regard to specific provisions of the law.” The commissioner, however, said that “for whatever reasons, the court could not rule that INEC ought not to have de-registered a party.” Olurode also added that “this was so especially if the party was able to

fered apology; when we complained to an Arik Air staff, she pleaded that we understand. I seized the opportunity to remind her that Arik Air refused to be understanding when it imposed a penalty f N15, 000 on me for arriving 10 minutes late after check-in time two days earlier. She simply grinned and marched off in brisk steps.

And just recently, I purchased a return ticket to Gombe from Arik Air. As usual, the airline dropped me in Abuja to join a connecting flight to Gombe. I would not dwell on the delay suffered as it has become characteristic of the airline but what I find appalling was the airline’s inability to inform me about a change and delay in flight schedule of its Gombe-Abuja-Lagos bound flight.

On arrival at the airport, I was told by an Arik Air staff that the flight had been delayed till 7 pm although t was supposed to take off earlier. It was even more confusing to note that while my flight ticket bore 3.15pm departure time, I received a message even before leaving Lagos that the return flight had been postponed till 4.15pm.

While in Gombe, I placed a call to Arik Air’s help desk, and I was made to understand that the departure time from Gombe-Abuja-Lagos had not changed; I was informed that departure time was still 3.15pm.That had to be confusing. It was. Notwithstanding my complaints that I did not receive any text message, call or email notification that the flight had been delayed till 7pm, Arik Air operatives simply informed me that there was nothing they could do. Few minutes after I stormed out of the air-

line’s Gombe airport desk, the airline sent me a text message that the flight had been delayed till 7pm.

That was hilarious.

Further calls to the establishment’s help desk yielded no positive result as four of Arik Air’s help desk officers craftily cut me off the line perhaps in realization that there was no structure or dependable measure in place to assist any traveler that’s left stranded due to the airline’s inefficiencies.

Exasperatedly, I tried getting a refund of money paid for the return flight but that proved abortive as Arik Air staff informed me that I won’t be given a refund until I produced the teller I was issued at Arik Air, Lagos airport desk, as evidence of payment. At this juncture, I asked the officer attending to me if Arik Air had details of my flight itinerary, and he said they do; three online help desk officers also confirmed that Arik Air had my flight itinerary yet they all stated that I would not be given a refund because I could not produce the teller which to them, was the only evidence that I truly paid for the Arik Air ticket with which I had completed the first leg of my contracted air travel with their establishment.

I could not understand what was going on; Arik Air made a good show – at the beginning of the year – and still makes a big deal of its elevated and technologicallydriven operations; if the airline’s operation is truly as sophisticated and as it touts it to be, why was it difficult for Arik Air staff to confirm if I indeed paid for the ticket with which the airline issued me boarding pass throughout my first part of the trip? Why should such minor detail pose an accounting

problem if the airline’s transactions and operations are truly driven by avant-garde technology?

Eventually, I found the teller and presented it to Arik Air but I decided against getting a refund. I opted to wait till 7pm to join the Arik aircraft out of Gombe. The plane landed in Abuja and from there I joined a flight to Kano from where I joined another connecting flight to Lagos. It was indeed a hellish experience that saw me hopping on three flights from Gombe to Lagos between 7pm and 10.30pm.

In retrospect, I cannot single out the happenstance that portended the grisliest horror to me; from the airline’s inability to communicate change in its flight schedule in advance to the gross unprofessionalism and insouciance of Arik Air’s online help desk staff, terror bloomed like a medieval troll at its prime.

Arik Air is not the first or the last Nigerian enterprise that inefficiency continually leads to defile the hallowed sanctums of trust. Several organizations spanning the aviation, telecoms and banking sector frequently maltreat their customers knowing they would always go scot-free.

Sadly there is no effective legal mechanism and consumer rights protection agency to defend the rights of their helpless customers every time they are cheated, oppressed or forced into compromising and vulnerable situations by the almighty Nigerian ‘big businesses.’

Arik Air’s case however, is particularly confounding given its penchant to evoke filial and nationalistic bonds with prospective Nigerian customers.

• To be continued…

Of triumphant FRESH and adamant INEC

By Ohio-Michael Elakhe

show that the commission had not complied with certain provisions of the law.”

But Prof. Olurode’s ambiguous and contradictory statement failed to directly address the issue of INEC’s position on FRESH’s recertification, the purported request for a temporary registration, or an application for re-registration by Fresh Democratic Party. It will then appear that INEC, which claims to be a law-abiding institution and a law-governed institution covered by the laws of the country, has resolved to ignore the verdict of a competent court. One wonders if this position of self-conferred immunity by a government agency is not tantamount to emasculating the judicial system, and taking us back to the days of the military juntas.

An editorial titled A registration ordeal, published in the Daily Independent of March 24, stated that “…Ordinarily, in a democracy the freedom to associate should be all encompassing… the registration, deregistration or could it be ‘decommissioning’ (to use the appropriate military expression since the military mindset still appears to prevail) of political parties has no place in a democracy. We had thought that the valiant effort of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi had put this matter to rest. Unfortunately, it has not. The ghost of authoritarianism has not, alas, been laid to rest.

“For this reason, we believe that political parties such as the Fresh Democratic Party have a democratic right and indeed a political responsibility to engage in another round of legal tussle with the Independent Electoral Commission(INEC) over the commission’s refusal to recognise the party after it recorded a legal victory over its deregistration last year.

“The party and others sidelined have every reason to be disconcerted. For instance, their supporters were disenfranchised during the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election, due to the non-inclusion of the party’s name on the ballot papers. The ballot paper for the Anambra election was released more than 30 days after the party had secured its landmark judgment. The non-inclusion of the party is a clear violation of the spirit and rule of the law. It is also in contempt of the court.

“Of course, they have every reason to fear that this trend will repeat itself in the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states. In addition, Fresh Party’s members could also find themselves unable to vote for their presi-

dential candidate in the presidential election. This will be most unfortunate, running as it were against the democratic ethos.”

It could not have been better put. This new display of governmental immunity appropriated by INEC, which is supposed to be a non-partisan umpire, may become a reference point in government’s bid to emasculate the judiciary and the legislature. The judiciary should be the last resort in the quest for justice, but when INEC unabashedly refuses to recognise a court verdict, which it had the right to appeal, any hope of free and fair elections may be gone with the wind.

Following the comments by Prof. Olurode, FRESH’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Kola Dopamu, responded in a press statement, saying: “I think it is very unfortunate. I do not see FRESH going back to beg for registration. It appears the Prof. (Olurode) is not abreast with the real issue. He wants a baby that is already born to go back into its mother’s womb and be born again. Impossible! It is an attempt to frustrate the gains of the judgment, and we must resist it.”

FRESH’s press conference and decision to pursue a legal course of action may just be well timed, as any delay in seeking redress in court may be tantamount to allowing a precedent which will haunt this nation for a long time.

Like the infamous June 12 saga whose scars are yet to fully heal, another long-drawn battle is in the making, unless the judicial and executive arms of government intervene to ensure that another dark hole is not created in our nascent democracy.

• Elakhe wrote in from Lagos

‘FRESH’s press conference and decision to pursue a legal course of action may just be well timed, as any delay in seeking redress in court may be tantamount to allowing a precedent which will haunt this nation for a long time’

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2013

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COMMENTS ‘A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an instalment plan - Martin Luther King Jr. S Boko Haram Nigeria’s Armageddon in the making? This question has become pertinent in view of the recurring spate of violent killings, especially in the northeastern part of the country. It is disquieting that the news of such killings has become routine. Perhaps, it is daily expected to find published stories/pictures of killings and violent attacks in the newspapers. When a day passes without such unsettling stories, people become apprehensive of what the Boko Haram insurgents may have up their sleeves. Routine incidents of kidnapping/ abductions, mostly for ransom - and armed robbery - have become the signpost of the time.

These are surmountable challenges but what is worrisome is the usual deceitful stance of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, which is accustomed to the nauseating refrain: “Something is being done to arrest the situation.” Recently, the President revealed some truths that he did not intend to admit even when he privately understands them to be true and knows the dire consequences of saying it. He berated some unnamed state governors over their utterances and actions he perceived to be against his government. He reportedly retorted while granting audience to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from the North-Central that recently paid him a solidarity visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja: ‘If 50 per cent of the governors in the country talk and behave the same way these governors do, we would have vacated this seat for others to come and manage the country.’

The reality is that the president would not have uttered this statement if he truly wants to know that over half of governors in the country had negative impressions about his unimpressive style of governance. What other evidence does he want other than to check the electoral result sheet of last year’s Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election through which Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State became its chairman at the expense of Jonathan’s preferred candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State? This column vividly remembers that the outcome was Amaechi’s 19 votes to Jang’s 16. Yet, the President’s group, with the backing of the presidency, wants the nation and the world to believe that 16 erroneously out-number 19. Haba, Mr President! The president ought to have honourably resigned then if indeed public opinion still means anything to him.

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S

OMEDAY historians and political scientists will oblige us with some books as to why the federal government just would not allow the internal political dynamics of Ekiti—a state with no drop of oil, no access to the Atlantic, and neither a gateway to the world—to play themselves out during elections in that state without its heavy-handed intervention. The federal government would rather fight rough and dirty in that state’s elections even with the predictable outcome that it is more likely going to leave the scene limping with bruised body and a bloody nose. It’s amazing why the federal government is always willing to invite self-inflicting wounds on itself and its integrity further damaged, not only before Nigerians at home and abroad but also in the international community. The emergence of Ayo Fayose, a former governor of the state as the flag bearer of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the June 21 governorship election may very well be a strong indication that there probably will be a sequel to the 2007 classic Ido-Osi drama in which Ayoka Adebayo, the lead cast of characters, played the fantastic role of both the protagonist and antagonist in rapid succession. The storm is,

‘As a war strategist, it’s a given that Fayemi knows that the best guarantee for peace is to prepare for war.

He may therefore have to constitute a ‘war cabinet’ within his campaign organization to nip in the bud any impending violence or other forms of brigandage usually characteristic of Nigeria’s elections’

07011117777

Feeble leadership in troubled times

• Jonathan

• Suswan

But because he still wants to continue to mis-rule the country, he devised regional divisive method which he acknowledged when he said governors from the northcentral “… have been able to help stabilise the whole country. When the Governors’ Forum became a monster and we had a lot of challenges, it was the North-Central that came on board to stabilise the Governors’ Forum. So, we will continue to work with this zone, we will continue to encourage you.

As we approach elections next year, let us know the problems on time. We will work with you to ensure PDP continues to maintain the zone.”

From the above, it is quite apparent that the president is politicising the grievous

issue of Boko Haram inflictions on the nation.

To him, what matters is not the issue of dividends of democracy, genuine peace and stability, but how to win that part of the country for the PDP at whatever cost. Why should any president with the milk of human kindness in him be talking about winning an election that is about 11 months away when innocent blood was being made to flow by these callous insurgents? Or is Mr. President not seriously disturbed that the degree of Boko Haram onslaught on the country is quite terrifying? This column wants to know what his government is doing to curb the audacious rape on the North-east by insurgents that reportedly received arms and ammunition, food and medical supplies

Ekiti: The gathering storm

By Femi Odere once again, gathering.

Fayose’s emergence as the winner of his party’s primary election was at best an electoral decoy and at worst realpolitik in its raw form. Either way, these two trajectories are intended not to terminate at the water’s edge of Fayose but that of Opeyemi Bamidele, a credentialed progressive renegade and a potential Labour Party (LP) flag-bearer. The two, who will eventually become conjoined political twins, are to be the main catalysts in both the micro political component of winning Ekiti State – however unrealistic – and securing the constitutionally required 25 percent of the votes from Ekiti State for Jonathan in 2015, which is the macro political agenda. If this grand scheme works, Ekiti will then become the guide to be used to forcefully pry open the impregnable South-west (minus Ondo State) geo-political zone for the one-quarter of the votes necessary for Jonathan’s re-election. This is the end game, and most certainly the most important to the party.

Ayo Fayose emerged the PDP flag-bearer not only because he has managed to build an aura of political indispensability around himself –rightly or wrongly believed by his party – but the party also (s)elected him because he’s well-suited to play the leading role in the thuggish component that rigging needs in order to thrive. It is pointless trying to draw President Jonathan’s attention to the dangers that the emergence of Fayose portends by concerned Ekiti groups, however well-meaning because reversing course by the party will negate its predetermined goals. Every political space has its own realities that its gladiators must either deal with or change. Because Nigeria is still very much at the rudimentary level in its democratic political evolution, thuggery and rigging, unfortunately, are

some of the “known knowns,” that will remain part of the body politic for some time. It is therefore important for the Fayemi administration to factor-in this egregious human political behavior not because it’s willing to participate but because it wants to mitigate.

As a war strategist, it’s a given that Fayemi knows that the best guarantee for peace is to prepare for war. He may therefore have to constitute a ‘war cabinet’ within his campaign organization to nip in the bud any impending violence or other forms of brigandage usually characteristic of Nigeria’s elections. This will no doubt be very tasking in light of the fact that ‘David’ Fayemi will face ‘Goliath’ Jonathan, by extension, in a political duel. Since he did not ask for this looming war, Fayemi’s chances of victory are quite high not only because of his strong performance records, but because the June 21 electoral war would be won not with brawn but brain, which the ruling party has demonstrated repeatedly that it has very little of. What then are the options available to Fayemi and/or this ‘war cabinet’? He must choose one of these three strategic policies which are Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), Balance of Terror (BOT), and Containment.

MAD is a non-starter. It is suicidal and Fayemi cannot compete with the federal government for the materiel needed for this option. The Balance of Terror strategy is appealing because it would force the opponents to seriously weigh the implications and consequences that their actions would have on their own safety not to talk of their overall objectives. Though it seems appealing, the problem with this option is that it would not only be out of character for the Fayemi administration to raise a terror machine equal to that of his opponents but that this option would give the opponents cover to do that which they

through helicopter droppings in their strongholds.

Furthermore, what has been Mr. President’s response to the development whereby a convoy of about 20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles recently moved freely without being detected despite the fact that there is curfew in that part of the country? Can the president as the Commander-in-Chief defend a situation where the Maiduguri Air Force Base was attacked unnoticed by insurgents that reportedly de-mobilised and set ablaze aircrafts and other military facilities even with the existing state of emergency and curfew in place? Let him tell Nigerians why security personnel were reportedly withdrawn from the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, few hours before the recent attack that claimed the lives of over 59 innocent children.

Is it thinkable in a country with purportedly fortified security apparatus to believe that the Shilka Tank, a multipurpose self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery weapon that was officially stationed to secure the famous Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri failed to function at the hours of need which avoidably resulted in serious calamity for both the civilian and military in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents? When the president could not on the home front provide effective answers for these empirical observations, it is quite laughable too that at the ongoing Fourth European Union (EU) – Africa Union (AU) Summit in Brussels, the Belgian capital - he reportedly said that it is the collective responsibility of all nations to identify sponsors of terror groups, such as Boko Haram. Has he done this in Nigeria? The answer is NO!

‘When the president could not on the home front provide effective answers for these empirical observations, it is quite laughable too that at the ongoing Fourth European Union (EU) – Africa Union (AU) Summit in Brussels, the Belgian capital - he reportedly said that it is the collective responsibility of all nations to identify sponsors of terror groups, such as Boko Haram’ Has he done this in Nigeria? know how to do best: rigging. And this is self-defeating. Containment is probably the best option. Simply put, it is the concerted efforts to make it impracticable for the opponents to carry out their nefarious activities. But its implementation can be equally tasking. Since Fayemi will no doubt be fighting on three fronts (local, Ondo, and the federal), he will need a good dose of financial resources and the involvement of a good chunk of his people for effective intelligence gathering, which will play a central role. The governor and his ‘war cabinet’ must know who is coming to town now more than ever and who they are visiting. Ekiti State may have to maintain outposts in its borders most especially with Ondo and Kogi states in order to keep track of official vehicular movements coming from these states and where they go once they’re in the state. The containment strategy is not to restrict anyone’s movements but to let those coming into the state with the intention of wreaking havoc that they’re being watched. This option is best because it also places the Fayemi administration on a higher moral ground.

As earlier said, Fayose may be the PDP flag bearer; his utility value for his party is to spearhead the thuggish aspect of the electioneering which would make rigging to be relatively easy in some areas. It’s also to energize whatever it is left of the party’s support base in the hope that this base will coalesce into block votes. With the votes of PDP supporters solidly behind Fayose, and with Opeyemi Bamidele being able to have raided a significant chunk of the progressive votes from Fayemi, the governorship election would have been goaded into a runoff between Fayemi and Bamidele. With this scenario, Abuja can then throw everything in its arsenal behind Bamidele whom it is hoped could either win the run-off or would have secured enough votes to guarantee the President at least his 25 percent from the state in 2015. Either way PDP will consider itself to have won Ekiti State.

• Odere is a media practitioner. He can be reached at femiodere@gmail.com.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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BUSINESS

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

MTN crashes data roaming rate

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O ensure internet acces sibility at affordable rate while roaming, MTN has slashed its data roaming rate with the introduction of its new roaming package - ‘Roam like Home with MTN One World’.

The MTN One World rates will enable MTN prepaid and post-paid subscribers, who travel out of the country, to have access to the internet on their mobile phones and send text messages, paying a standard home rate of 5kobo per kilobyte and N4 per SMS, as if they are in Nigeria.

This service is available in any of its 19 operating countries.

The firm’s Chief Marketing Officer, Larry Annetts, explained that the key strategic focus for the new tariff plan is to ensure data communication at the most affordable rate.

“We are always committed to deliver a new world of digital experience to our customers and the thrust of this initiative is to ensure friendly roaming tariff rates, where our customers who travel to any of our 19 operating countries can still feel at home, browsing at a standard home rate of 5kobo per kilobyte.

“Our customers traveling to Ghana, Cameroun, Republic of Benin, South Africa and other MTN operating countries can continue to update their profile messages, share pictures and great moments on social networks, as well as read their emails and browse the internet without any differential in data cost.”

Apart from the data rate, customers can also enjoy same SMS home rate of N4, affordable call rates and other affordable friendly roaming services that MTN offers.

At the moment, there is an average of about 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country. This feat was brought about by the implementation of the integrated power sector reform programme anchored on the power roadmap.

- Minister of Information, Labaran Maku

Money laundering, terrorism: NAICOM bars operators on excess premium T HE National Insurance C o m m i s s i o n (NAICOM) has barred operators from charging excess premium on any policy to prevent money launderers and terrorism financiers from using that window to perpetuate crime.

There have been speculations that some unscrupulous operators allow terrorist financiers and others to launder illicit funds through the industry.

Director, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Francis Usani, said despite the training and workshops for insurance and reinsurance firms and brokers, many operators were not complying with the Anti-Money Laundering and Combat of Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) rules.

Usani, who spoke at an AML/CFT training for operators in Lagos, said the Unit would sanction culprits.

Consequently, NAICOM has released guidelines on rebates, commissions, refund and returned premiums.

NAICOM’s Deputy Commissioner (Technical), Mo-

By Omobola Tolu-kusimo

hammed Kari, in a circular titled: Circular on Commissions, Rebates and Returned Premiums to all insurance institutions in Nigeria, said: “For the avoidance of doubt and in line with Article 3(9) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Regulation 2013, no insurer, broker or its agents shall charge or receive premiums in excess of the actual premium on an insurance policy that may result in refunding the excess amount paid or with the intent of returning the excess in any form, by cash or otherwise to the insured, its agents or any party thereafter.

“An insurance institution shall keep and maintain a register of return or refund premiums in hard copy, where transactions are to be entered on the day they are made. The register shall be presented in such a manner to include: i) the date of transaction; ii) policy

number; iii) name of client; iv) Name of insurer/broker/ agent; v) gross premium received with date; vi) Commission paid with date; vii) net premium; viii)excess premium returned/refunded; and ix) reasons for the return or refund premium.

“Similarly, a register of policies cancelled or reversed after the receipt of premium or credit note from the broker must be kept and maintained by an Insurer. A Broker shall also maintain a register of cancelled businesses where the premium had earlier been received, notwithstanding whether it has been remitted to the insurer or not.

“All payments for returned premium which must be approved by the chief executive officer of the Insurance company shall be made in the name of the original insured or proposer. An Insurance Institution shall submit to the Commission a monthly soft copy of the report of Returned

or Refunded Premiums and cancelled/reversed businesses in 3.2 and 3.3 above by the thirrd working day of the succeeding month in the format provided herewith and a Quarterly Report in hard copy not later than 14 days from the end of each quarter. The hard copy above must be signed by the Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Internal Audit of the Insurer and the Managing Director/chief executive officer in the case of Brokers.”

The circular also added: “Where there was no incidence of returned premium in any month, the Institution shall file a “Nil Return” in accordance with Section 3.5 above.

“Any unexplained payment or where the explanation, in the opinion of the Commission, is not satisfactory, such payment shall be deemed suspicious and subject to appropriate treatment under extant laws.”

The commission said any

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$117.4/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢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

• Group Executive Director, BUA, Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu (left) and Managing Director, Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), Mr Saidu Mohammed during the signing of agreement of Gas Sales and Purchase (GSPA) between the two firms, for Edo Cement, Okpella, Edo State at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

LCCI bemoans worsening unemployment

T

HE worsening unem ployment in the coun try, especially among youths, put at 54 per cent, poses great dangers to the economic, social and political stability of the country, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said.

In a communiqué at the end of the chamber’s council meeting chaired by its President, Alhaji Remi Bello, LCCI expressed concern over the situation, warning that there is a correlation among unemployment, poverty and insecurity.

The Council, therefore, called for the adoption of appropriate policies to fix the unemployment problem, especially through the creation of an enabling en-

By Chikodi Okereocha

vironment for the private sector, especially the small and scale medium enterprises (SMEs) to retain jobs and create new ones.

The Council expressed worries that the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises in the economy have been trending downwards, thus affecting the capacity to create jobs.

Acknowledging the various initiatives of the government, such as the Youth Enterprise for Innovation (YouWin) programme, the Council said it believes that given the magnitude of the problem, a more fundamental and sustainable strategy is necessary.

It proposed, among other policy options, support for

SMEs to retain existing jobs and create new ones; critical areas of support include funding and capacity building; the government should accord higher priority to investments in infrastructure to reduce the high infrastructure deficit and moderate the cost of doing business in the economy.

The Council noted that quality infrastructure would improve private sector productivity and competiveness, which in turn, will boost the capacity to create new job.

“Council also called for a concentrated and sustained effort to increase the foreign reserves to enable a downward review of the tight monetary policy to boost credit availability and reduce interest rates, it said.

It affirmed that the stimulation of economic growth is more paramount now to create jobs.

Continuing, it said: “Council proposed that the educational curriculum in the nation’s tertiary institutions should align with contemporary demands of enterprises in the economy.

“There should be a good fit between the curriculum and industry requirements.

“Council stressed the need to promote sectoral linkages to create the desired multiplier that would translate to the creation of more jobs. There should be stronger linkages between the agricultural sector and the industrial sector. Policies of backward integration in all sectors should be accelerated.”

insurance institution that fails or omits to comply with the content of this circular shall be penalised in line with relevant provisions of the Insurance Act, 2003, the NAICOM Act, 1997, It said regulations, guidelines and such other penalties as may be prescribed by the Commission from time to time.

On the commencement of reporting, it noted that the first report as contained in 2.3, 2.4, 3.5 and 3.6 covering the quarter from April 1, to June 30, shall be submitted not later than the July 14, adding that strict compliance was required.

AMMASCO gets SON’s certification From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

T

HE Standards Organi sation of Nigeria (SON) has awarded NIS ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Standard certificate to AMMASCO International at the Grand Central Hotel, Kano, Kano State.

SON’s Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, said the firm has joined the league of quality management system companies in the country and, indeed, beyond the shores of the country.

The SON boss further noted that any company aspiring to gain a respectable position in the market place will have to work hard to satisfy its customers’ immediate needs as well as be ready to break more grounds.

He said: “The ever changing needs and requirements in the provision of quality products and services have made it mandatory for organisations to establish and implement a robust management frame that guarantees effective performance and improvement in terms of customer satisfaction and profit.”

Airtel, Thuraya partner on mobile satellite connectivity

L

EADING mobile satel lite services (MSS) op erator, Thuraya Telecommunications Company, and Bharti Airtel International, have signed an agreement to provide the telco’s customers mobile satellite products and services in Nigeria and 16 other African countries.

According to a statement, the partnership will provide the telco’s customers voice and broadband connectivity through Thuraya’s satellite network across the continent’s most remote areas, adding that with effect from next month, Airtel will sell Thuraya’s products and airtime packages at their retail outlets and through their enterprise account team.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

26

THE NATION

BUSINESS

BRANDS & MARKETING

e-mail: adedejiademigbuji@yahoo.com /mobile line: 08131075667

For adverts, consumers swing to smartphones H

OW many times did you start reading an email on your phone while commuting, and later continued on your laptop at home? Or you saw a commercial for a new car and began searching for its specifications on your tablets? If these sound familiar, that is because they are part of the new norm in multi-screen behaviour which influences how the media select the medium to channel the advert budget and deliver returns for investors.

To help advertisers and their media buyers understand this behavioural change, a global advert reseach firm, Millward Brown, in a survey, quizzed consumers across 30 countries, including Nigeria to know the screen device that engages their time more and understand the motivations that drive sequential usage across screens in order to give marketers an insight into the market. Of the 30 countries sampled, one of the findings revealed that Nigerians spend more time on smartphones than other screen devices to get market information with 193 minutes per day, 31 per cent higher than the global average of 147 minutes daily.

In its report, Millward Brown’s 2014 AdReaction, the firm noted that for advertisers to reach more Nigerians, they must explore the smartphone. According to the firm, consumers in Nigeria spend more time on smartphone screen than other countries. The move to digital screen can become a threat to traditional media, such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines and outdoor publicity.

According to Millward Brown, multi-screen users spend five hours daily consuming seven hours of screen media, hence, providing opportunities for advertisers and marketers to connect with people and drive brand growth.

“All screens, though, are not created equal. The study analyses multi-screen use and behaviour across 30 countries, and explores consumer receptivity to advertising on television, smartphones, laptops, and tablets.The findings help marketers build integrated media plans that take advantage of each screen’s strength and drive brand growth. While we know intuitively that people are spending more time multi-screening, we analysed both the quantity and the quality of screen use to uncover specific insights to help marketers optimise media investments,” Millward Brown’s Global Brand Director for Digital, Duncan Southgate, noted.

“Understanding how much time consumers spend with each screen, alone and simultaneously, combined with their receptivity to adverts is critical to building a media plan in today’s multiscreen world,” he added.

According to the survey, simultaneous multi-screening accounts for 35 per cent of screen time, and includes a mix of “meshing”, the use of television and a second screen for related content (14 per cent), and “stacking”, the use of television and a second screen for unrelated content (22 per cent).

At 65 per cent of screen time, “ sh i f t i n g ” a m o n g i n d i vi d u a l screens throughout the day remains the dominant form of screen use. The study noted: “When consumers port an individual task across screens, they most often begin on television

A survey by a global adverts research firm has shown that Nigeria multi-screen users spend more time on smartphones before switching to other devices for advert receptivity, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

• Multi-screen

and move to a Smartphone, but all screen sequences are possible.”

With consumers simultaneously using multiple screens, it was observed that “just one-third of the time, marketers’ larger opportunity is delivering consistent, integrated campaigns as users shift between screens.”

While revealing how consumers behave in relation to specific screens, each screen has its own advantage, which brand managers can adopt to suit the consumers they want to target. The survey noted that “TV remains strong for brand building, and in particular drives salience and affinity.” While it is no longer the most consumed screen globally, it was revealed that “TV delivers strong reach and enjoys the highest advertising receptivity.

It does remain the most used screen in the UK, France and Spain.”

Smartphones remain the most used screen globally including Nigeria. “With strong daytime use, Smartphone are good for delivering salience, difference and setting trends. While they deliver only moderate advert receptivity globally, attitudes towards Smartphone adverts are much more positive in Kenya, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Multiscreen users in Nigeria report the h i gh e s t time spent on Smartphones, at more than 193 minutes per day, 31 percent higher than the global average of 147 minutes per day,” the survey revealed.

Besides television and Smartphones, the survey noted that laptops deliver salience and

r el ev a nc e f or m a r k et er s a s trends in some countries showed.

“Consumers report 108 minutes of use per day on laptops, the majority (71 percent) being exclusive. However, laptops deliver only moderate advertising receptivity. They are the top screen for multi-screeners in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic,” the survey showed.

Tablets reportedly deliver difference for brands, and nearly half of the tablets used is simultaneous with television accounting for 49 per cent. “Peaking during the evening, tablets deliver difference, but only moderate receptivity. Receptivity to adverts on tablets was notably high in Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines,” the survey said.

The study also showed that “consumers are most receptive to mi-

‘With strong daytime use, Smartphones are good for delivering salience, difference and setting trends. While they deliver only moderate ad receptivity globally, attitudes toward Smartphone adverts are much more positive in Kenya, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Multiscreen users in Nigeria report the highest time spent on Smartphone, at more than 193 minutes per day, 31 per cent higher than the global average of 147 minutes per day’

cro-video; television adverts with interactivity; and television adverts promoting mobile apps, Facebook pages and websites.

Marketing that delivers more entertainment and rewards are generally preferred over multi-screen campaigns which simply offer more information.

“We know that media and technology will continue to evolve and that consumers are leading the way. Marketers who adapt and embrace this change – and understand how to effectively and consistently reach and engage people in a multi-screen world – will benefit from brand growth,” Southgate added.

To stay ahead of the new market challenge, as revealed by the survey done through Smartphone, among 12,000 multiscreen users between 16 and 44 years, the Managing Director of MediaShare, Mr. Dele Odugbemi, told The Nation that going digital would help the media that could be affected negatively by digital revolution.

“Radio and TV continue to thrive because they have incorporated digital media into their offering, so a radio station can interact with its audience via its facebook page or twitter account. Digital media raises the game. Media Innovation is a noteworthy reason for the increase in media spends in Nigeria,” Odugbemi added.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

27

Brandnews

That Dangote Cement ‘Big Boss’ campaign theme T

HE marketing communication industry has seen a lot of interesting campaign themes for brand positioning. As appealing as the themes are, they have become an anthem among consumers. Though the intention of the brand engineers is to use the themes to position brands ahead of competitors, those themes also show new value propositions being introduced into the market with the brand.

In the brewery market, some campaign themes, such as ‘Chairman,’ ‘Honourable’, ‘Legend’, ‘Oga’ have been adopted to confer market leadership on some beers to show their niche, and when at the bar for drink, consumers often call for their preferred brand with the names. However, such campaign theme has not really been common in cement marketing communication until recently when Dangote Cement unveiled Dangote 3X 42.5 Grade, a newly repackaged cement brand from the staple of Dangote Cement, with a campaign theme, “BIG BOSS”, a style brand experts believe is strange in cement market.

In the past, when unveiling their market offering, most of the known cement brand often come with a campaign theme that only communicates brand promises without making an assertive theme that is daring while their packaging, which often bore the users with some content names that are too botanical to understand, hardly communicate the value propositions in their product information. For instance, Lafarge Type M Cement ad was crafted with a campaign theme, ‘A new Solid Look’ across all the media. Also, Dangote Cement had weaved past campaigns around a theme ‘A promise of strength’ campaign theme.

Also, in their packaging, Larfarge Cement is labelled “Larfarge Cement, Portland Limestone Cement” with other product informational and regulatory quality assurance information without touch of creativity, the same way its presented other cement brands from its stable.

A top manager at a global marketing research firm, Mr. Mike Umogun said brands use these themes for different reasons, part of which is to hype the major values associated with the brands. “Brands use these names for various reasons, but the major reason is to hype the major value associated with the brand. This attribute may be real or imaginar; what is important is the believability of the name or claim. Brand users inspire some of these name to per-

sonify the brands,” he explained.

However, in a latest move to capture the market, perhaps, as a result of overall instability and weakness of the market, Dangote Cement Plc is offering a new creative approach to cement marketing in Nigeria, from packaging, labelling, value proposition, to the campaign creatives and use of the media.

In its latest unveiling of repackaged Dangote Cement, the group is adopting new style and assertive or bold campaign theme, BIG BOSS to launch onslaught against competitors whose brands have been in the market for longer time.

As daring as the campaign theme is, Dangote Cement has also redesigned its product packaging, crying out with its ‘3X’ value proposition, which, according to the Group Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Oare

Ojeikere, means “Xtra strength; ‘Xtra life and Xtra yield.”

Beyond that, the brand in its communication of the unique value proposition is entrenching its brands essence by telling the end users and building contractors that against the backdrop of concurrent collapse of building, desperation to optimise profit at the expense of molding quality blocks using enough cement, the brand is offering the market a 42.5 grade cement which gives higher yield than the 32.5 available in the cement market.

Ojeikere said: “In our latest campaign, product unveil for Dangote 3X, we are offering the market a lot.

3X’s means higher strength characteristics with 42.5 grade cement which gives higher yield than the 32.5 available in the cement market. We will explore 360 degree communication to promote the new market offering. We will be using radio, TV, press, billboards and other platforms to promote this unique brand.”

On the campaign theme, he said: “We have decided to use the theme ‘Big Boss’ to differentiate our brand from others in terms of leadership, values and quality such that if you go to the market, all you just need to ask is I want to buy the Big Boss.”

Describing the features of the “The Big Boss, Dangote 3X 42.5” cement, he said there is difference between the 32.5 and 42.5 cement grade. According to Ojeikere, 42.5 cement grades is 30 per cent stronger than the 32.5 cement grade, adding that the 3X is designed according to the block maker’s specification.

He said a higher grade of cement is vital to ending building collapse in the country, adding that it is about time Nigeria joined other countries in the sub-region to move away from 32.5 cement grades to 42.5 cement grades.

Nigeria set for Cannes Lion Festival

A

FTER intensive tutoring, brainstorming and competition, Chini Product, a representative of Cannes Lion International Festival in Nigeria, has unveiled a group of creative young admen that will represent Nigeria in the Young Lion category of the global advertising festival holding in June in France.

Though Nigeria has not been able to produce a winning entry at the global festival since it started participating in the global award, a situation that still worries experts, considering that countries, such as South Africa, Kenya and some African countries have become regular winners in the competition, but industry have been making effort to ensure that delegates from Nigeria to the global advertising festival

continue to increase yearly.

However, for this year’s award, talented, young and highly creative professionals have emerged winners across various categories in the just concluded 2014 National Competition, which climaxed at the Cannes Lions Nigeria Dinner and Awards held at Planet One, Maryland Lagos.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chini Production representatives of the Cannes Festivals in Nigeria and organisers of the event, Nnamdi Ndu said it’s been a busy week of competitions for the Young Lions, Roger Hatchuel Academy and the Miami Ad School Scholarship candidates and their handlers.

However, he said the organisers and the various juries are encouraged as the quality of materials re-

ceived and judged keep going up every year, a great sign that the industry is making progress.

“We must stop seeing world-class as western. I must say that judging from what we’re seeing from materials created by the Young Lions and even students in Roger Hatchuel Academy, there is hope.

Year after year, we see bolder and more creative presentations from our youth. I hope that as the world gathers in Cannes this year, our voice will sound stronger and louder and our story will come through the clutter,” he added.

As Nigeria prepares for the festival, Nnamdi advised: Storytelling should be the focus. “Even in our digital age, this ancient art is well and alive. And that is because it’s an expression of our humanity.’’

MediaShare gets MD

T

O make its media arm compete effectively with other top media agencies, Prima Garnet Africa Group has appointed Dele Odugbemi, a former Business Director at Carat South Africa, as the new Managing Director, MediaShare, a media independent/management agency.

He worked with Aegis Media Group in South Africa and was responsible for the growth of the General Motors Account Team in South Africa.

He also served as the Media Director of Ogilvy Africa Media.

He was part of the team that contributed to the early success of MediaReach OMD, the largest media buyer in Nigeria before he left to take up an appointment outside Nigeria.

Odugbemi, an MBA holder in Technology Management, has over 15 years of experience in multinational media account management and has managed key clients such asVirgin Atlantic, MTN, Diageo, SuperSport, MNet, Nestle, Unilever, Motorola,

I

Airtel at both local and international levels. The media management veteran also worked with the OMD Network where he rose to become Head of Planning and Innovations at MediaReach OMD Nigeria.

Odugbemi, a strong unconventional media placement professional, has been involved in some significant transactions within and outside the Nigeria, and as the MD of Ogilvy Africa Media, did extensive work on the Airtel and other key accounts across many markets within the region.

The MediaShare boss has broad complementary competencies covering media sponsorships, digital media management and senior account management.

A former lecturer/consultant on Technology Policy, Odugbemi is a regular speaker at advertising industry programmes across the continent.

He is expected to bring in vast and varied industry experience into the company and the group.

Maltina unveils Laugh.Out.Loud

N line with its ‘Sharing Happi ness’ payoff, Maltina brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc has unveiled a new activation platform called Laugh.Out.Loud (LOL).

The activation platform was kicked off in Lagos with a sponsorship deal for two of Nigeria’s most exciting comedy shows, AY Live and Gbenga Adeyinka’s Laffmattaz. Both are billed to thrill consumers this Easter, on April 20, in Lagos and Ibadan.

The Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Kufre Ekanem, said: “Three years ago, Maltina was relaunched with the payoff line ‘Sharing Happiness.’

This gives the brand more leeway to ensure that more consumers get to feel the brand at various consumer touch points. Now, Maltina

is broadening its ‘Share the Happiness’ message to a broader audience embracing comedy, a very relevant and widely accepted platform via a new campaign tagged ‘Maltina Laugh.Out.Loud’. We are pleased to announce that we are partnering two great comedy shows in happiness: AY Live anchored by AY and Laffmattazz anchored by Gbenga Adeyinka 1st.”

Ekanem said AY Live has been voted the comedy event of the year in the last three years, and has gained a large following on social media.

He noted: ‘’Laffmatazz, the Gbenga Adeyinka & Friends Comedy and Music Concert is an experiential platform for the family, which features notable Nigerian entertainers in its fourth edition, tagged ‘The Evolution.’’

INDIGO becomes PRCAN member

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NTEGRATED Indigo Limited, a budding Public Relations Con sultancy firm in Nigeria, has joined the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN).

Indigo was admitted as a member of PRCAN at an induction, during the association’s Quarterly General Meeting at the ADNA Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

PRCAN President, Mr. Chido Nwakanma said the firm was enlisted into the association, having met all requirements for the practice of Public Relations.

Nwakanma also said the Membership and Accreditation Committee of the association headed by the Vice President, Mr. John Ehiguese carried

out the on-sit inspection of the office premises and certified that the agency okay for membership.

The Principal Consultant, Integrated Indigo Limited, Mr. Bolaji Abimbola described PRCAN’s membership as remarkable.

“The PRCAN membership is a very significant milestone for our company as this is a very symbolic way to celebrate our one year of existence and practice of public relations as a company and adding value to clients businesses,’’ he said.

Abimbola thanked the association for the induction. He promised that the firm would continue to uphold the PR ethics and contribute its own quota to the development of PRCAN.

Legend Stout wears new look

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O deepen its market penetration in the dark beer market category, Nigerian Breweries Plc has once again changed the look of Legend Extra Stout which now comes in a Staniol cover with metalised labels.

In addition, the leading brewer has also announced this year’s edition of its REAL DEAL National Consumer Promotion.

Speaking at the event, the Sales Director, Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Hubert Eze, described the new Staniol as a milestone in the lifespan of Legend Extra stout, which he described as one of Nigeria’s most enduring brands.

Eze said the rich history of Legend Extra Stout is replete with innovation because the brand continuously focuses on optimum consumer satisfaction.

“What we just unveiled today is the culmination of one of the most successful social media campaigns which kept Nigerians guessing for weeks. We also had a tour bus traversing the length and breadth of Lagos, creating awareness about this unique packaging re-launch. We presented the BlackREALvolution as a movement; and it is, indeed, a movement for consumers that yearn for more in terms of satisfaction and quality.”

FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

28

THE NATION

BUSINESS SHOPPING

E-mail: toniaitose@gmail.com

Sms : 07035302326 Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

e-payments in slow, steady acceptance by shops Before now, many had thought that the cash-less initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would not achieve much success as it has within the short span of its introduction. However, the success story is that retailers have embraced the initiative in business transactions, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN.

“S

TORE owners, who imbibe the cash-less payment system using any of the payment solutions, are assisting the country drive its yearning for cash-less society,” says Country Manager, West Africa Mastercard, Mrs Omokehinde Ojomuyide.

She said the advantage of the internet era is that people can buy and sell items of all sorts through the website. ‘’For instance, transactions like payment of utility bills, school fees, hotel bookings, house rent as well as many other monetary transactions can take place via the internet. Also, customers can make payment that run into millions using funds transfer from a customer’s account to a retailer’s account, or via electronic transfer using the customer’s ATM card, on any of the electronic channels provided by a merchant,’’ she said.

Mrs. Omokehinde described the process as creating a world beyond cash where cashless transaction will assist in improving the lives of consumers and remove the risks associated with carrying, using and handling cash.

Visits to some shops within the Lagos metropolis, showed that merchants have fully come to terms with the e-payment initiative.

They now ask their customers to make use of other means of payment other than cash after making purchases. Like most of them would say “please make use of your payment card, to avoid the stress of having to look for change’’ Those retailers who used to be pessimistic about the whole idea of a cash-less economy in the country, are those who now ask their customers for their ATM cards at the point of

• Shoprite staff using the POS machine

• POS machine

payment.

Investigations have revealed that about 60 per cent of retail-shops in the metropolis parade at least a POS machine. On the other hand, few still have ample reasons to hold on to their conventional ways, not because the policy is not good, but because they give room for doubts on its workability for their kind of business, or its location.

For the shopper, he no longer wants to risk his life carrying cash; he now has a full understanding of what cash-less payment means. Kudos to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other stakeholders for implementing the e-payment policy and doing a lot in terms of awareness campaign. Some prefer now to shop with e-payment solutions to enable them keep within the CBN daily cash limits, thereby saving money instead of spending cash

• POS machine

uncontrollably.

The e-payment solutions which works in a simple way of authorising payment after a purchase is made, and the value of what is bought is electronically transferred to the retailer’s bank accounts, has other benefits like; ability to eliminate cash handling risks and loss through human error, fast and convenient

means of processing transactions, reduction in robbery incidents, and increase in people’s access to banking services beyond normal banking working hours.

On how far awareness has gone on the policy, operators said it is very intense with adequate advertisements and public announcement, especially at the grassroot.

e-commerce’ll drive IGDP, say experts

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HE Economist Magazine, in collaboration with several partners, have held the Nigeria Summit at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos.

It was aimed at discussing opportunities available to Nigeria to develop at a fast pace.

The Minister of Communication, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Managing Director of Investments and Secretary of the Investment Committee, Wendell Group, Stephane Bacquaert, and Director, Mckinsey & Company, Acha Leke, spoke on a panel moderated by Vladmir Duthiers, International CNN Correspondent on the theme “Nigeria and the digital revolution”.

Key to the conversation was the role ecommerce plays and a lot of the discussion flowed around what would make up and increase the internet’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The focus of the panel which was on “Nigeria and the digital economy” kicked off with a 15-minute presentation by the Minister of Communication Technology, where she talked about some of the activities of her ministry and the efforts by the crop of hard working Nigerian entrepreneurs.

Responding to a question on how Information Comunication Technology (ICT) can drive employment, business and GDP, the Chief Executive Officer, Konga.com, Sim Shagaya, talked about how ICT is providing jobs for Nigeria’s youths.

“Today, Konga has been able to bring a significant part of its technology development to Nigeria, hiring fresh engineering graduates from Nigerian universities, linking them with relevant technologies and giving them exposure that is helping them build long-lasting technologies for Nigeria.’’

Shagaya emphasised on the new Konga Marketplace, a revolutionary platform created to help Nigerians become entrepreneurs

and expose its entrepreneurs to the opportunities to reach bigger and wider audience.

“The zero-commission based marketplace is the first of its kind in Africa and will be a force to truly unlock the potential of Nigerians. The marketplace has the capacity to provide thousands of jobs for different classes of citizens with its interconnected systems.” he said.

Acha spoke on the levels that Internet’s contribution to total GDP need to reach in Nigeria/Africa to truly make a difference. For developed economies, internet contributes about three per cent of GDP, in Africa, about 1.1 per cent, while in Nigeria, about 0.8 per cent.

Mrs. Johnson dwelt on the importance of collaboration between the government and private sectors to bring about sustainable growth and development in the ICT sector.

According to a Mckinsey report in November, last year titled: ‘Lions go digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa,’ Africa’s IGDP (which measures the Internet’s contribution to overall GDP) remains low, at 1.1 per cent—just over half the levels seen in other emerging economies.

But there is significant variation among individual countries. Senegal and Kenya, though not the continent’s largest economies, have Africa’s highest IGDPs, and governments in both countries have made concerted efforts to stimulate internet demand. Without a doubt, the undeniable impact of the internet as a determining factor of Africa’s emerging economy can only be forecast as one that will be monumentally progressive.

Shagaya added that GDP attribution to internet, would be relatively big in Nigeria, and ecommerce would be a dominant component of IGDP. The UPU Ecommerce Conference is holding in Switzeland where Konga.com will be sharing lessons from the Nigerian e-commerce experience.

• From left: Marketing & Activation Lead West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Tola Elauyi; Ozokwor (Mama G ) and Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser, Oguzhan Silivrili at Dettol 50th market storm in Lagos.

PHOTO BOLA OMILABU.

Dettol rewards 50 customers at 50

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ETTOL, a brand of Reckitt Benckiser, yesterday rewarded 50 loyal customers at Oke Aarin Market, Lagos, with gift items, such as plastic chairs, T-shirts and fez caps.

It was at an event that was organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the product in Nigeria.

Speaking during the event tagged Your health, your success, Dettol Brand Ambassador and Nollywood Star, Mrs Patience Ozonkwor (aka Mama G), described Dettol as a unique product with efficacy, adding that it was great to be chosen as its ambassador.

Mrs Ozonkwor who stopped at 50 different points in the market to present gifts to loyal customers, said she is addicted to the

By Wale Adepoju

product as she uses the big pack of Dettol, adding: “I don’t even use the small ones.”

She said she is proud of the brand because it is good and it has brought joy and health to people for 50 years. “I will give my heart to it,” she said.

Mrs Ozonkwor said customers were rewarded because they saw the good quality of the product.

“They should transfer the culture to their children and their children’s children just as my grandmother transfered it to my mother and I’m tranfering it to my children,” she added.

She said she is so glued to Dettol that she doesn’t even try other products.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHSOUTH STATES

Amnesty trainee’s body returned to Nigeria without brain, heart

UNICEM’S PLANS

From Shola O’Neil, Southsouth Regional Editor

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EARLY 10 months after the death of Deck Cadet Godwin Ezebri, an amnesty trainee, in Panama, South America, his remains are still lying at the morgue of the Military Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos.

The young, promising seafarer’s burial is delayed by the suspicion that he may have been murdered.

There is also the delay in returning some of the vital organs removed from his body during an autopsy carried out in the South American country last year.

The young man, popularly called Akaba or Bribinya, was described as very bright and promising. He carried the hopes and aspirations of not only his family, but of his community and kinsmen as well as of his country.

The bubbly 27-year-old left Nigeria in 2011 to study at Gdynia Maritime University in Poland as part of the Federal Government’s amnesty programme. He was one of the first set of beneficiaries of the divisive programme.

Ezebri was aboard the maritime vessel MV Green Guatemala as part of his training in maritime technology when he died abruptly. Medical records obtained by our reporter indicated that he “slumped and died”, ostensibly from heart failure, on June 6 (or 7) 2013.

Some of his relatives, who spoke with Niger Delta Report shortly after his death, said they were not convinced by the story of his death, adding that they suspected foul play.

“We are curious because just hours before his death, as claimed by the crew, he had chatted with his brother on Facebook. He wanted his younger brother’s bank details so that he could send some money to Nigeria. Only for us to be told that he had died from heart attack.

It is suspicious,” a family source told our reporter.

More intriguing for the grieving family was that the incident occurred when Godwin was the only Nigerian aboard the vessel. Two other Nigerian cadets who were also attached to MV Green Guatemala had left the boat just days earlier.

His remains were ferried back to Nigeria in July – barely a month later. They came without the heart, brain and other organs, much to the chagrin of his family members.

Attempts to repatriate the missing organs, it was gathered, have dragged on for several months.

Expectedly, the delay led in gaining the parts and inability of the family to bury the young man led to tension between them and the agents to the shipper.

The accompanying autopsy and, later, a coroner’s report signed by Dr. Omar A. Zapata Coroner Coordinator of the Legal Medicine and Forensic Science Institute, Province of Colon, have failed to assuage the angst and suspicion of the Ezebris.

•Continued on page 30

•Lenoir

•PAGE 34

PAGE 29

CONTR OVERSY CONTRO

IN the Southsouth, UniCem, the Cross River-based cement company, is well known in the construction industry. It is planning to double its production capacity from 2.5 metric tonnes to five million metric tonnes yearly.

•Family alleges murder

FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

RIVERS STATE-BORN Supervising Minister for Education Nyesom Wike is never afraid of controversy. Some say he even courts it. The latest in his controversial offerings is a curious endorsement for governorship.

•Wike

•PAGE 34

CORPS MEMBER ‘PARALYSED’ ON INEC ASSIGNMENT

‘I’m tempted to commit suicide’ •Begs Dickson to fund N5m for surgery abroad

•Oyintarila before the accident

•Oyintarila on the hospital bed

’

•Oyintarila now

She was knocked down by a fast-moving vehicle, sustaining multiple fractures of the hip, separation of the pubic symphysis and multiple open fractures at the distal half of the left femoral bone, just above the left knee joint

’

SEE STORY PAGE 30

• YOU HAVE STORIES FOR US? PLEASE CONTACT US ON 07066954441 OR 08123521990

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

30

NIGER DELTA REPORT COVER

‘Paralysed’ Corps member: I’m H

ER friends turned down the offer to help the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) register voters in 2011. But she accepted it out of her love for her country. Perhaps, in the spirit of the old saying that one good turn deserves another, Miss Ekade Oyintarila now needs the help of her country.

For now, nobody has come to her rescue. But she believes that if everybody eventually fails her, Governor Seriake Dickson, whom she describes as a humane gentleman and believer in youths, will come to her aide.

All is not well with Oyintarila, a beautiful young woman, who hails from Tarakiri clan, Agbere Town, Sagbama, Dickson’s local government area. People knew her as a good sprinter. But for about three years, she has been quarantined.

She is confined to a small room at Akenfa, a suburb of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. It is with difficulty and excruciating pains that the 27-year-old graduate of Economics at the Niger Delta University (NDU) carries her feet. Downcast and forlorn, she broke down in tears when the Niger Delta Report visited her.

In fact, life has become so meaningless, hopeless and helpless that Oyintarila attempted suicide many times. “Sometimes, I even get tempted to commit suicide because of the situation I’ve found myself. I have tried suicide not once,”she sobbed.

Her journey to tragedy started in 2010 when she was posted to Rivers State by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the compulsory one year service to her fatherland. With accredited number NYSC/NDU/2010/188405, Miss Oyintarila’s dream of a better future as the first daughter and child of her father was rekindled. NYSC posted her to the Community Secondary School Akuku Toru as a place of her primary assignment.

“When I became a graduate, I felt I had achieved one of my dreams in life. I got my NYSC letter and went to camp and came out . What I

wanted to do after my youth service was to get a good job, be useful to the society, my family and myself”, she cried.

But a decision she took to further serve the country in the capacity of INEC ad-hoc employee seems to have robbed her of her dreams. She worked for INEC as a registration official during the 2011 voters registration exercise. She registered voters at Abisa in the monthly exercise. But she was later called by INEC for a preview of her work.

So, she obediently left for the last lap of the exercise. During the oneweek preview, her travails started.

“I had an accident. On the last day of the preview, we submitted all our computers, tools they gave to us and also collected our allowances. Actually, I was on the way to collect the allowances when I had the accident,” she recalled.

Oyintarila was being conveyed to the place by a commercial motorcyclist. A bus hit them from behind.

The impact was so much that she became unconsous.

“I later discovered myself in an ambulance. I asked the man with me what happened. He told me it was an accident. He asked me of my people’s address. It was only my father’s phone number that was on my head then.

“He called my dad immediately and I spoke to my dad. My father asked me not to worry, that I was going to be okay. That was the last thing I remembered. I went back into a coma”, she narrated.

When she eventually regained consciousness, she found herself at Keme Hospital at Mile 1, Diobu. She was in a terrible state as the doctors battled to save her from bleeding to death. Her pelvic and right leg were all damaged. She went under the knife for series of surgeries and different types of iron were fixed on her by the surgeons. She spent about two months at the hospital.

Oyintarila thought she had a glimmer of hope at some point. She found herself in the same ward with the former President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). Being an Ijaw girl, she mistook it for a divine coincidence. But her hope was dashed.

“I was at the recovery ward, the INC former President was even in the same ward and some government officials were coming to see the man. I tried to get their attention – to let them know what was happening to me and that I needed help - nobody was willing to help”, she said.

From February 24, 2011 when the accident occurred, Oyintarila was catered for by the hospital. But on first week of April, she was discharged and she came back to her family in Yenagoa.

Indeed, it has been a tale of woes since she came back home. Life has been tortuous. Even with various walking aides, she finds it difficult and painful to move beyond her room.

There is, however, some silver lining in the sky. In his desire to make her daughter bounce back to her feet again, Deacon Gesiye Ekande, took her to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa following referral by the Keme Hospital.

After examining her, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Chibuzor Peter, wrote: “The patient was knocked down by a fastmoving vehicle sustaining multiple fractures of the hip, separation of the pubic symphysis and multiple open fractures at the distal half of the left femoral bone, just above the left knee joint.

“She has had external fixation of the fractured bones with only little improvement. She still cannot walk unaided. She will benefit from total hip and knee replacement which we do not have facilities for here.

Kindly grant her any necessary assistance due her to enable her do these surgeries abroad”.

In the spirits of the recommendations, Ekande started hunting for for an orthopedic hospital abroad that could solve his beloved daughter’s problem. He took his search to India through inquiries and later settled for Aditya Brila Memorial Hospital. But he was shocked. He must raise N5million for the treatment. The hospital assured him that his daughter would walk again after the treatment.

Without mincing words, Ekande

•Miss Oyintarila

and her daughter are at a crossroad.

He has no money again having already committed about N2million to her daughter’s treatment. He, however, has optimism that Dickson, the governor of the state and other philanthropic individuals will come to his aide.

He wrote a letter to the governor requesting for assistance. The letter dated July 29, 2013, appealed to the governor to assist her daughter walk again. “Since the accident occurred, she has been undergoing treatment and has not recovered even though l have spent over N1million for her treatment.

“Therefore, l appeal for N5million to cover medical expenses for her and one attendant, visa expense, tickets and accommodation”, the letter begged.

The governor received the letter and sent acknowledgement dated August 15, 2013 and signed by the Chief of Staff, Mrs. Dido WaltsonJack, to the family of Ekande.

Dickson further sent his Commissioner for Health, Dr. Anapurere Awoli to visit Oyintarila and assess her condition. The commissioner visited the family and rekindled the hope of the victim.

But Oyintarila’s hope has been

Amnesty trainee’s body returned to Nigeria without brain, heart •Continued from page 29

M

ORE worrying for the family and the amnesty office was conflicting report about the time of death and reports that Godwin had indicated his will to disembark at the nearest seaport.

The crew master of the vessel, Capt L. Sapelevics, in his report, said he said he wished to “sign off/disembark at the next port”.

What happened between the time he expressed that indication and his death are contentious, at least for the family.

He reported exclusively obtained by NDR stated: “Two hours before his death the master of the crew ordered a check of his blood pressure, pulse and temperature which were all normal.”

Two hours later, though, he “slumped and died”.

A family source told this reporter that as soon as the body arrived Lagos, agents working for Green Reefer, owners of the vessel, made an offer of “N500,000 financial assistance” to assist his family with his burial.

The family said they rejected the offer because they felt “there was more to the death than the company was revealing”.

The family’s protestation delayed his burial - first by days, then by several weeks and now by nearly a year.

The family, led by Pax Ezebri, demanded a fresh autopsy to ascertain the actual cause of death. He also protested perceived shoddy handling of the death of the promising 27-year-

old by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta The aggrieved family expressed their displeasure in a petition to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over the matter. The petitioned raised posers about the conflicting time of death contained in the reports of Sapelevics and the coroner’s.

They also slammed the amnesty office, saying it never at any time officially informed them officially about the death of their brother but were “only requested by phone call to come to Lagos to receive the remains of their brother and the sum of N500,000.00 for burial assistance.”

NIMASA waded into the issue, leading to the performance of a fresh autopsy by a team of experts from a reputable hospital (names withheld) in Lagos.

“When they opened his skull, they found that his brain was removed and replaced with a towel, which we think was a ploy to fool us. His entire heart was also missing, while other organs were sliced and shredded,” a relative of the deceased told our reporter.

Series of meeting were held at NIMASA office in Lagos, where OSAPND, the vessel owners represented by a renowned legal firm, and Global Oil Service, which handled the placement of the deceased on the vessel.

At one of such meetings at NIMASA office on Burma Street, Apapa Lagos on Friday, November 8, all the parties attended the meeting with a team of medical experts.

Rather than make headway, it was reliably gathered that

the meeting was rowdy and almost degenerated into a physical conflict between some of the parties.

A source at the meeting said one of the brothers, identified as Ebiakpo Ezebri, who is a former councillor in Burutu Local Government Area, wondered why the committee was still bothering about report of the autopsy when it was clear that his brother was killed.

Speaking further, Ebiakpo reportedly stated: “What happened was clearly a murder in Panama. What we want to know is why was our brother murdered?”

Our source, who attended the meeting, said the family, also demanded the return of all the missing body parts. “The lawyer told the chairman of the committee that other organs returned along with the body were slashed and cut to pieces.”

Also expressing displeasure with the situation, Pax Ezebri, the deceased’s older brother reportedly slammed the Amnesty Office for its initially handling of the messy situation, noting: “If we had taken the corpse and gone to bury as the Amnesty Office wanted, we wouldn’t have known about missing brain and other body parts.”

It was further learnt that the family warned that they have options on how to avenge the death, adding that they were only waiting and hoping the government got to the bottom of the matter.

“At the end of the stormy deliberation, it was resolved that other amnesty trainees aboard the vessels be brought to the next session slated for November 22, to tell the committee what really transpired,” our source stated.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

31

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

m tempted to commit suicide ‘ NYSC and INEC abandoned me at my critical time in hospital and now. Most of my colleagues are all working now but l am still on clutches. Please, sir, help me so that l can go for the final surgery in India to enable me work and contribute my services to the Restoration Agenda

••Miss Oyintarila

hanging. She has not heard from the governor despite the claims by the commissioner that he forwarded a memo of his recommendations on the victim’s condition to his office on August 21, 2013.

In a letter dated November 12, 2013, Oyintarila thanked the governor for sending his commissioner to her. She reminded the governor that the file of her case had been sent to his table.

She begged: “His excellency, l now have a renewed hope that l can walk again as my file is on your table for approval. I am a hardworking girl. I was serving my na-

tion Nigeria on INEC assignment as a corps member when l had an accident.

“But NYSC and INEC abandoned me at my critical time in hospital and now. Most of my colleagues are all working now but l am still on clutches. Please, sir, help me so that l can go for the final surgery in India to enable me work and contribute my services to the Restoration Agenda.”

In fact, as contained in his letter, Oyintarila insisted that neither INEC nor NYSC had come to her aide. During her period at Keme Hospital, she said only NYSC Local

‘

Inspector identified simply as Sandra visited her.

She regretted that the accident prevented him from familiarising herself with other officials of NYSC and discharging her duties at the place of her primary assignment.

“Sandra was always coming around. Sandra was the one telling them what actually happened. After I came back home in Yenagoa, she came about three times. I asked what I was going to do with my situation.

“She said they were working on my matter and they would see what they would do. But she stopped

The late Ezebri (middle) and friends in Poland However, four months after that meeting, Niger led to Ezebri’s death.

Delta Report authoritatively learnt that the missing Our findings showed that the Green Reefer told parts have been neither returned nor any headway the family that they could not secure agents or airmade in the investigation to unravel the incident that lines willing to repatriate the organs to Nigeria.

coming. Since then, NYSC has not shown interest anymore” While praising Keme Hospital for its efforts, she said the hospital treated her free throughout the period she was there. But she is optimistic that her benevolent governor in the spirits of the restoration agenda will restore her health.

“I know the gov is not aware of my plight. He is a man with heart of gold. But he is not aware. I am appealing to the governor to help me to be able to walk again.

“I feel so terrible. I feel so abandoned because I never believe that more than two years now, I can’t walk knowing full well that I was not at home when I got the accident.

I was on duty for my nation.

“I had some friends that did not do the INEC registration but I volunteered myself. Leaving me at my point of need is so frustrating, so painful. If my parents had the money to send me out, I would have been freed from this. That is why I am begging public spirited individuals and govt to help me.

“Right now, I am just helpless. I am here like somebody who did not go to school. In the morning I wake up, eat and sleep. No help from anywhere. So it is frustrating. The psychological effect I am going through is unimaginable”, she lamented.

Oyintarila is sure that the Indian hospital will make her walk again.

“I know someone that had a similar problem after my own. The family was able to send her to India and she is back fit. I know that if I go, I will be bouncing back on my feet again.

Also, the father of the victim appealed to the government, INEC and NYSC for assistance. He recalled that he as a politician played a crucial role in the process that led to the emergence of Dickson as the governor.

Describing Dickson as his friend, he said they were so close that they fondly called each other by the title, Angadiowei. Identifying himself as a stalwart of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) Ekande said people should not abandon him at the time of his need.

“The help I need from people

now is to come to my aid to see how I came take my only daughter out of this country to India for surgery.

She had this accident when she was serving the country – doing her NYSC. When she had the accident, she was on her NYSC uniform.

“So I am calling on NYSC, INEC, Rivers State Government to come to my aid so that I can take her to India. I contacted clinics and hospitals in India and I have been assured that her case is what they could handle.

“Her hip bone needs replacement because her bone is not growing to join. It is disjointed – it is growing out of proportion – one leg is shorter than the other leg.

“The knee cap needs a replacement. The knee cannot bend. That knee cap is broken and it needs replacement. Doctors and specialists have indicated interest that they could do it.

“From their profiles on the internet, I have seen cases they have done. I am convinced it is something they can do. So the constraint now is the fund. On my own, I wrote the bayelsa state governor appealing for assistance and and the governor has directed the commissioner for health to prepare a memo and send to him.

“The file or memo is stuck in between the commissioner and governor’s office. I am appealing to the governor to graciously assist by asking for the file.

“I am a peace-loving man. If it were some people, they would have gone to court, to let the world know what happened. I am using peaceful means to see how nysc, inec and state govts – bayelsa and river can assist.

“I have spent over N1.3m for different orthopedic consultants, xray treatment. When she came back, she came back in a terrible condition where she had iron all over her body – stomach, leg and waist.

“At her hip bone, you see iron there. We thank God. You heard what she said that she attempted suicide. I did not know that. If not I would have lost her.”

The late Ezebri In one of the communications between the company and NIMASA, the shippers said: “Regarding repatriation of the organs, most airlines simply refuse to carry same considering it as human

waste, even though same would be sent dry packed which means they would be basically dehydrated.

“The travel agent is still working with courier companies however this is proving very difficult,” the email, which was obtained by our reporter, added.

Contacted, Pax Ezebri confirmed the development in a telephone interview with our reporter on Saturday morning but added that he had received assurances through an email from the legal representative of the shipping firm that the organs would reach Nigeria by Wednesday (two days ago).

“They sent me an email yesterday (last Friday) that they have secured an airline willing to bring the organs.

So we are expecting them.

Our doctors and the professors who will conduct the autopsy are prepared. We want to know what happened so that we can get it over with once and for all,” Pax Ezebri added.

32

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

Uduaghan, others bid farewell to true Warri Boy Pa Akporiaye L

AST Saturday, prominent Nigerians and dignitaries from all walks of life turned up at the First Baptist Church on Mission Road, Warri, Delta State, to pay their last respects to Pa Nawe Eric Akporiaye, who passed away at a ripe age of 92 years.

Leading the long list of eulogies for the late Pa Akporiaye, who was the father of Dr Leslie Akporiaye, Medical Director of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan said the late Pa Akporiaye lived his life as a true “Warri Boy”, who eschewed tribalism and worked for the peace and unity of the Oil City.

Those who knew the deceased spoke eloquently about his dedication to society causes, his dedication to the Rotary Club and Boys Scout as well as his zeal and love for the Oil City of Warri.

One of his children reflected: “He never failed to attend a Rotary meeting, even when he was travelling away from home.”

Governor Uduaghan commended his steadfastness to peace and unity among all the ethnic groups in Warri and environs.

The governor remarked that the late Akporiaye represented a generation of Warri indigenes that stood for unity and harmony among the ethnic groups that dwell in the city.

He urged the various ethnic groups in the country to forge a common front towards making Nigeria a great a prosperous nation.

Lamenting the ethic distrust and suspicion that now prevails in the city, Uduaghan noted that Warri became famous not necessarily because of industrialization but because of people like Akporiaye, who he said “were worthy ambassadors of the city.”

He urged the various ethnic groups in the state and Warri in particular to borrow a leaf from their progenitors and learn to live in unity and join hands with his

B

From Shola O’Neil, Warri administration’s determination to restore the lost glory of the city.

The Governor assured that his administration was committed towards transforming Warri into a modern city that would be the envy of others in the country.

Dr. Uduaghan explained that the State Government was executing an agenda, ranging from traffic control, junction improvement, road rehabilitation and expansion, general improvement in transport infrastructure, waste management as part of measures towards transforming the urban areas and cities in the State.

Uduaghan decried poor sanitary habits, indiscriminate trading and parking on walk ways and on streets, warning that the State Government would soon come out sternly against such practices.

In a sermon, the officiating minister, Reverend Justin Okoroji (Junior) charged the living to take the biblical water of life and live right to enjoy divine favour.

He emphasised that man would certainly account for his days before God hence the need to be sure we finish well on earth.

In his homage, the DELSUTH Medical Director, Dr Akporiaye noted that the news of the death of his father, who died just eight years short of a century, did not come unexpectedly after years of ill health, but noted that it still “hit us like a ton of bricks.”

He recalled that his fathered worked hard during his life time and “always put in 100%. This is one of the most important lessons we learnt from him. He taught us to be self-sufficient and to work hard to realise our dreams.” ”Friends and associates knew dad as a gentle soul with quiet sense of humour. But even though he was gentle and reserved, he had a distant serious side that sometimes kept those around him at a distance,” he added.

Speaking further, Dr Akporiaye said his father was no yeller, but

•Oyibode with the Asagba of Asaba, Prof Chike Edozien

A •Governor Uduaghan, Dr. Leslie Akporiaye, Prof Emmanuel Akporiaye and Mrs Esther Akporiaye during the funeral.

•Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr Mofe Pirah (3rd left) with other guests

still had his way of ensuring discipline. “His silent treatment

was more effective than the worst beating one could imagine.”

He may have been soft spoke, but he loved to tell stories and

•Cross section of family members

•Cross section of guests

teach us songs from his childhood.

We cherish those special weekend

outings. Nobody has ever sighted the governor in suit or any corporate outfit. How he will look in a pair of trousers, shirt and tie only exist in one’s imagination.

Dickson once directed that all civil servants and government appointees must wear Ijaw attire to work every Friday. The governor frowns on anybody who flouts the order.

The Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs (a novel ministry created by Dickson himself), Dr. Felix Tuodolor, has vowed to enforce the directive which is within the jurisdiction of his ministry.

Therefore, last Friday Tuodolor set out to observe the level of compliance of the governor’s pronouncement. His monitoring team chose the Ministry of Energy. They paid the ministry a surprised visit.

But he was dissatisfied. He observed that some persons dressed below the expected standard. He

was, however, happy that the Commissioner in charge of the ministry, Mr. Francis Ikio, stood out. He decorated him with the state emblem and gave him an umbrella.

Others who were encouraged with similar gifts are the Permanent Secretary, P. E. Gede; Head of Petroleum, Christmas J. Brass and Human Resources Director, John Diepreye Appah. They were adjudged the best dressed in the ministry.

But persons whose outfits were said to be of partial compliance were denied the two gifts. The commissioner encouraged them with either the emblem or the umbrella.

Ronima Joseph of the Accounts Department received an umbrella while Monday Godfrey of the commissioner’s office got an emblem.

Tuodolor reiterated that he was in the ministry to assess the level of compliance of civil servants to the subsisting order on Friday’s dress

code. He asked Bayelsans to be proud of their culture, their language, dishes and cuisine.

“Since it is a directive, we don’t want to inform anybody in advance that we will come. And to encourage those that are traditionally dressed, we prepared little reward for them. We always give the best five we come across in any ministry these gifts”, he said.

Felix further observed that people in the state had not been sensitized enough on the need to wear the Ijaw outfit. He said more awareness would be created in the state.

He said: “I believe what we are doing today will further sensitise the people and further make them know it is good to be proud of their culture. We had radio jingles even on television on these issues, advertising it and telling people to be culturally compliant to their culture, be proud of their language and cuisines and so on. We think it is not

outings, bird hunting, taking photographs and if we were lucky,

‘

Bayelsa dangles the carrot to promote Ijaw culture

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has never hidden his passion for Ijaw culture. His zeal to create cultural awareness for the third most populous ethnic group in the country at the beginning of his administration was seen by some as having a secessionist agenda.

His efforts have produced an anthem, a coat of arm and a flag as identifying marks of the Ijaw nation.

So, it is not out of place to see Ijaw flags hoisted and flying beside the Nigerian flag in most public institutions including the Government House. The Ijaw cultural flag is also embossed on the governor’s Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) each time his long siren-blaring convoy sets out for any journey.

Though the Ijaw anthem is not popular, the nation’s attire has significantly stood out. Dickson does not pay lip service to Ijaw attire. He wears it, especially in all his public

Delta 2015: I’m the solution to zoning, says Oyibode

We want to encourage all Ijaw people to comply with this little directive, it is not a witch-hunt. It will encourage many facets of the economy.

The local textile industry will grow. Cuisine industry, the hotels, the food and the arts and culture will grow. If we put more effort, it will be exported which can generate revenue.

•Tuodolor decorating Okio (right)

enough, we need to do more”.

He said the action was not designed by the governor as a witch-

hunt but to encourage people to love their culture. He said apart from civil servants, Bayelsans must develop

‘

longing for their attire and export same to people within and outside the state.

eating his “pepperless” Sunday lunches.”

“We want to encourage all Ijaw people to comply with this little directive, it is not a witch-hunt. It will encourage many facets of the economy. The local textile industry will grow. Cuisine industry, the hotels, the food and the arts and culture will grow. If we put more effort, it will be exported which can generate revenue.

“We are complete when we have our hat and working stick. Culture does not only mean the dressing but also your language and dialect. Encourage parents to speak Ijaw language to their children. Encourage those who have not been complying to comply”, he said.

Ikio appreciated his culture counterpart for the surprised visit. He said it had become part of him to dress in Ijaw attire every Friday even when outside the state.

Gede also said he appreciated the directive and said he was so in love with the attire that he wore it throughout the week.

He emphasised the need for civil servants and the Ijaw to be proud of their culture. While Brass said he would remain proud of nature, community and environment, Appah urged the commissioner to continue with the surprised visits.

MID the agitation for power shift to the north senatorial district of Delta State and the determination of the Urhobo of Delta Central determination to win back the power they lost in 2007 when Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan became the first Deltan of non-Urhobo extraction to govern the state since 1992 when Delta State was created, Ambassador Gabriel Chukwuma Oyibode has emerged as a possible candidate to assuage the feelings of both sides.

The real estate mogul is one of the dark horses in the race. Born by an Urhobo mother from Kokori, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State to late Chief Sampson Oyibode, Ogwu of Ezionum Kingdom in Ukwuani Local Government Area, Oyibode stands well placed in the ethnic and zonal scales. The young ambitious politician entered into the cluttered field of contenders and pretenders in the race to the Government House in 2015 with a declaration: “I am not afraid to declare support for whichever platform I want to support nor afraid to declare to the people the party (that) I am interest in. I am a member of the PDP; I believe in the ideology of the PDP. So far, I know there are challenges and many odds.”

How he uses his expertise as a dispute resolution specialist to win the Urhobo - his maternal kinsmen - and the Delta North from where is father hails is yet to be seen.

Born in April 1968, the University of Massachusetts, Boston-trained Alternative Dispute Resolution also has an accounting diploma, HND in Estate Management, BSc in Business Administration and nearly a dozen certificates in conflict/dispute resolution as well as others.

On his plan for Delta State, he said: “I will ensure infrastructural renewal and expansion because these are the backbone of growth both in business and social development. I will also provide free technical education and revitalise the agriculture and build agro-allied industries. I strongly believe that technical education holds the key to Nigerian industrialisation.”

Beyond that, Oyibode vowed to lead and economic and industrial revolution in the areas of seaports and transportation to harness the drive and entrepreneurial spirit of Deltans, adding, “By the grace of God, I see industrial revolution across Delta state.”

On his plans for the state, he said his programme include attracting Deltans from all over the world to invest and partake in the growing of the state economy and the attendant profit and development that could result from it.

“We will provide world class health care and eradicate travelling abroad for medical check-up. Besides, the drain it puts in our economy through capital flight, going to India

From Shola O’Neil, Southsouth Regional Editor

and other parts of the world for medical tourism does not tell well on our country. It portrays us as a people not yet able to cater for its citizens and we are determined to stop that.”

He has also been involved in youth empowerment programmes. He has organised several events and promotion that have endeared him to the youths.

“We, the youths, see him as one of us and an example of the generational change we have craved since the present political dispensation. If Nigerians and Deltans truly desire a breath of fresh air, we should support young, vibrant men and women who aspire to political offices,” Mr Dan Amraketa of the Delta Political Patriots, said.

How far is laudable programme and his auspicious background can take him in the race to the Government House, Asaba remains to be seen but there is no doubt about his capability and zeal for the race ahead.

If he fails, it will not be because of lack of determination. For while his counterparts are yet to declare their intention, Oyibode had crisscrossed the length and breadth of state; he has met traditional rulers from all the zones, consulted with various groups and planted his billboards on all corners of the state.

On the downside, many doubt that the young politician can survive the murky and atrocious fight that the race could turn out to be, particularly within the ruling PDP, which has ruled the state in the past 15 years.

An insider in the PDP told our reporter that Oyibode “is mostly seen as an outsider and he is not one of those being considered by the governor and power brokers for 2015.”

It was also gathered that the aspirant’s efforts to curry the favour of Uduaghan have attracted very little success.

Others in the party see him as one of those flying a flag with the intention of “getting something at the end of the day” to step down for another candidate.

But one of his close associates debunked that theory, stating: “Oyibode is not prepared to play the politics of settlement. He has said it severally that he is not in the race in order to withdraw for somebody to settle him or promise him a political appointment. If the people reject him, he will go back to his private practice and re-strategise. For him, it is not a do-or-die matter because his intention is to serve his people.”

How long his propitious background and easygoing, down-toearth disposition takes him in the race can only be determined by time.

Now he is on the spotlight is enjoying his form.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

34

NIGER DELTA REPORT INTERVIEW

Multiple taxation killing businesses, s The United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UniCem), Nigeria’s third largest cement manufacturer, is located in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The company recently announced plans to double its production capacity from 2.5 metric tons to five million metric tons yearly. NICHOLAS KALU met the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Olivier Lenoir, who spoke on this and other issues affecting the cement industry.

Y

OU recently announced plans to double your production capacity. Why did you decide to do this?

Cement demand in the country has continued to grow. Nationally and regionally (southsouth and south-east regions) the demand is currently growing at about 12% per annum. To meet the growing demand, we are investing N84 billion naira in an additional 2.5m metric tons (state-of the-art) cement line project to double our existing capacity to 5 million metric tons per annum by 2016 as well as consolidate our position as Nigeria’s third largest manufacturer in the industry. This project has a lot of economic and social benefits; creation of direct and indirect employment, growth of local economy and people development. UniCem has a strong commitment to develop local capacity. Through various initiatives such as the ‘UniCem Community Development Initiative’ (UCDI) and ‘Graduate Trainee Scheme’, we have been enlisting and training young people from the community as mechanical technicians and the training of young Graduate Engineers to fill the local manpower gap. Sinoma Group of China is constructing the 2.5m metric tons new cement line. The company is reputed for cement

plant construction across the globe with track record of project delivery from previous projects handled around the world. The project includes the building of a new 45 megawatts Captive Power Plant (CPP) by Wärtsilä Nigeria Limited.

Work on the project has already started. UniCem is getting technical expertise and support for this project from its shareholders who are global cement majors. The N5 billion 20km Cement Evacuation Road which we are building will be a support infrastructure to cater for the expected traffic increase and reduce the movement of articulated vehicles with the Calabar metropolis when the project is completed.

Cement price per bag is between N1900 and N2000.

What is responsible for the hike in price?

Prices have generally been stable for more than a year and among the lowest in the country in Southsouth and Southeast. However, some External factors: Road levies, high cost of energy, poor road infrastructure with attendant impact on cost of transportation and general inflation in the country has resulted in the slide increase currently experienced. Demand and Supply balance have also a direct impact and distributors play a key role in re-

tail prices.

What is your view of the cement market in terms of growth and development?

There is good demand, steady growth of 15 per cent in 2013, primarily driven by the need of housing and infrastructure.

Total cement consumption has reached about 21m tons as at 2013 as against 9m metric tons in 2005.

The backward integration policy of the government along with the strong support of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment has been a catalyst for the growth of the cement sector. It should be emulated in other manufacturing sectors as a role model. However, Nigeria’s per capita consumption per annum at 110 kg, is lower than many other developing countries. It has potential to grow higher to transform Nigeria into a developed nation. UniCem, as Nigeria’s third largest cement manufacturer and the leader in SouthSouth and South East regions, is well placed to meet the growing regional demand, with its current capacity of 2.5 million tons and doubling to 5.0 million tons by 2016. UniCem is proud of its role in development of manufacturing in the region and recognition as Quality cement provider. The cement industry in Nigeria has a

positive future.

Dangote has announced the production of 52.5 cement grade; are you also thinking in that direction?

UniCem has a state-of-the art, modern manufacturing plant with capability to produce quality cement of all types. All our products meet the SON requirements and are fully MANCAP certified by them. We produce cements of 32.5 and 42.5 strength grade to meet the customer needs for their various applications ranging from housing, commercial buildings to infrastructure projects like bridges and roads.

UniCem is fully supporting free competition and product differentiation for the customer to choose based on his requirement. If there is a requirement•Ol Lenoir to supply 52.5 grade cement in our region, we will do so. turers (including UniCem) fully What is your view on the comply and are certified by recent media reports on col- SON. At UniCem, we take lapsed buildings and concerns pride in our Internal Quality of substandard cement in the standards, which are very strinmarket? gent. Since introduction of First of all, conformity of all UniCem in the market, there cement products to the Nige- has been no quality complaints rian Cement Standard is man- linked to it. In fact, in his recent datory by law (similar to visit to UniCem, the DG of SON NAFDAC certification for commended it on its quality medicines) and fully enforced products and standards. On the by the ‘Standards Organsation unfortunate occurrences of of Nigeria’. There is no substan- building collapses, the causes dard cement manufactured in have been well stated and Nigeria. All Cement Manufac-

documented by leading experts: Poor or no design – most buildings in the informal sector are done by unqualified persons, who cut costs and do not involve qualified professionals, e.g. absence of soil testing and designing, leads to foundation failures in coastal regions.

Poor construction practices– not following the correct construction methods and lack of proper supervision, e.g. concrete is properly mixed, inadequate formwork and scaffold-

Oil spills in Bayelsa comparable only to O N

ATIONAL Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has said environmental pollution arising from crude oil spills in Bayelsa State could only be compared to similar disaster in Ogoni, Rivers State.

A team of NOSDRA delegates led by the agency’s Director-General, Peter Idabo, were in the state of President Goodluck Jonathan recently to assess spill sites in various communities.

Though the Federal Government has yet to implement the report of the United Nations Environmental Protection (UNEP) on Ogoni, there were indications that the government would consider Bayelsa as a special case.

Idabo and his team first visited Well 12 operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) near Imiringi in Ogbia Local Government Area.

“Pollution in Bayelsa is very rife, it is like what is happening in Ogoniland,” he said. He, however, observed that Well 12, where a truck discharged pollutants last year, had been cleaned.

He said the visit of spill sites in the state was part of activities lined up by the agency in its tour of oil-producing states. He said the agency would consult and cooperate with the

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

Governor Seriake Dickson to tackle problems of oil spills in the country.

As part of the activities, he said the agency would hold town hall meetings with stakeholders on oil spill. He noted that the meeting would help the agency to identify other spill sites and their impact on the people.

The state has witnessed many cases of crude oil spill in the Niger Delta region, most of which were the handiwork of saboteurs.

The NOSDRA team reportedly visit Ikarama and Biseni communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area during its two-day tour of the state.

Ikarama community has been described as one community that has experienced more oil spills than any other oil producing community in the Niger Delta region.

The team which was later joined by the Chairman of NOSDRA, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), paid a courtesy visit to Governor Seriake Dickson.

Dickson called for a law with severe punishment against continual abuse of Niger Delta environment through oil exploration and exploitation. Describing pollution of the region as environmental terrorism, the governor said stringent environmental laws should be promulgated by a relevant legislative organ to protect

•Dickson (left) presenting a souvenir to Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd) and Dr. Idabor at Government House, Yenagoa.

and preserve the environment from such terrorism.

He said oil companies were fond of abandoning crude oil spill sites without properly cleaning them. He said such sites had ravaged environment in the region citing Bayelsa State

as the worst hit.

He emphasised the need for international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to protect the environment. He said an environmental summit would be organised by his administration soon to discuss

ways of mitigating the effects of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the region.

He expressed his administration’s commitment to collaborate with NOSDRA to facilitate the speedy passage of the amended Act of the

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

35

NIGER DELTA REPORT NEWSMAKER

says UniCem MD ‘ UniCem has a

state-of-the-art, modern manufacturing plant with capability to produce quality cement of all types. All our products meet the SON requirements and are fully MANCAP certified by them.

‘

ing leads to building collapse during construction itself. A sad case is of the building collapse in Nsukka recently this month, where few persons lost their lives. A three-storey building collapsed during construction when the roof was being put up. As we are expecting the final investigation report from the experts (COREN/other), all pointers are towards the usual causes of collapses – lack of design and supervision & non-

involvement of qualified professionals.

As UniCem, we go beyond manufacturing and supplying high quality products. We are committed to play our part in ensuring sustainable construction through a twopronged approach. Training and skills developmentpartnering with the SON, we run certificate programs for block makers and building artisans, imparting practical demonstration and training to them. This year we will cover 5,000 artisans within our selling region of south-south and south-east Nigeria. We also distribute free educational literature to them. Improvement of regulatory framework and practice in the construction sector.-we engage with government institutions (Ministry of Works/ Housing, SON) and professional bodies. (e.g COREN, NSE, NIA and NISE) regularly through seminars and meetings to improve the building specifications and their enforcement.

What are the challenges faced by UniCem as cement industry operator?

Cement manufacturing is highly energy dependentconsistent and adequate supply of gas is a must. We experience frequent interruptions, leading to loss of production and increased cost. Poor infrastructure- The absence of rail and poor condition of Roads in our operating region is a big handicap – this result in slow and costly movement of incoming raw materials and dispatch of finished goods (cement) to the customers.

Taxes in Nigeria are not

harmonised. This exposes operators to multiple taxes over one product by government at different levels.

Nigeria cement sector is relatively young, and lacks in skills and experience workforce. UniCem has a strong plan in place for training and development of its employees and also people from nearby communities to meet the challenge.

As a key priority, we are also focusing on safety, putting in place best practices and standards at the plant. On road safety we are working with all stakeholders, especially the Federal Road Safety, our dedicated transporters and other in the promotion of road safety.

Last September, the Cross River government introduced Road Maintenance levy which was highly decried b the industry operators in the state.

Has the Government rescinded on that policy?

Government has not changed its tax policy in this regard. We are confident; in the future this will change due to the impact of the policy on investment generally.

What will be your advice to the government to support growth of the cement industry in Nigeria?

They should take steps to address energy supply in the in the country. Nigeria will grow faster if energy concerns are addressed.

Address infrastructure issues on priority-Roads, rail and promote water transportation so that transportation of bulk goods like cement can be made easy and harmonisation of taxes to reduce the current experience of multiple taxes in the country.

Ogoni, says NOSDRA ‘ When you look at all of these and particularly listening to your chilly statistics, which I believe is only a tip of the iceberg, one is really left with no other conclusion than that, we are actually facing a case of environmental terrorism.

‘

agency, which had undergone its first and second readings at the National Assembly.

The governor explained that, health hazards arising from such environmental pol-

lution were the reasons behind the establishment of the toxicology institute.

He granted the request of NOSDRA for a functional office in the state and called on the agency to site its headquaters in Bayelsa. He described the state as the host to the bulk of oil and gas operations in the region.

As part of efforts to address environmental problems, Dickson proposed that the Federal Government should build receptacles to evacuate crude oil recovered from illegal refineries.

Dickson while addressing members of NOSDRA said: “I have said it before that what has been going on in Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta and in all oil-producing areas concerning the levity with which oil companies treat the issues of the environment and the maintenance of environmental and health standards.

“When you look at all of these and particularly listening to your chilly statistics, which I believe is only a tip of the iceberg, one is really left with no other conclusion than that, we are actually facing a case of environmental terrorism.

“What has been going on in the Niger Delta since the discovery of oil; a situation where more than one spill takes place in Bayelsa every day, going by what your statistics is telling us and all these sites are treated with reckless abandon and the environment is left to fend for itself, the livelihood and in fact the lives of the people and the ecosystem are not attended to.

What then is more of terrorist action than this?”

He also asked the government to design mechanisms for effective and proper remediation of impacted areas.

“This is an opportunity again for us to remind ourselves that we all have a duty to work together as government to government and it is also an opportunity for us to call on all stakeholders especially the oil companies, regulatory agencies and everybody to be alive to the need to protect our environment”, he said.

In his remarks, Chairman of NOSDRA, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), explained that the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing collaboration between government and the agency on efforts at curbing oil spills and its attendant effects.

Wike...Rivers’ Mr Controversy

S

UPERVISING Minister of Education Nyesom Wike does not run away from controversy. Some say he deliberately courts controversy. Some days back, a group said it has endorsed him as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 election. Many stakeholders, especially the chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have dismissed the endorsement as a huge joke.

Some Ogoni leaders: Dr. Fred Kpakol, Olaka Nwogu and Chief Monday Ngbor, through the “Ogoni/Orashi Alliance,” claimed to have endorsed Wike as Ogoni’s choice for the 2015 governorship election.

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), however, dismissed the claim by the few “self-serving” Ogoni politicians that the supervising minister of education had been endorsed as a governorship candidate.

MOSOP, through its President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, called on all Ogoni people and the members of the public to discountenance the spurious, deceitful and misleading claim, declaring that Ogoni had not endorsed any politician, warning the persons bent on causing confusion to stop forthwith.

A PDP chieftain from Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Prince Emma Anyanwu, claimed that the people of Etche Ethnic Nationality, comprising Etche and Omuma LGAs of Rivers, had endorsed Wike, as Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s successor on the platform of the PDP in 2015.

Anyanwu said the endorsement of a two-term Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers state (Wike) followed his detribalised nature, capacity and integrity to lead Rivers state to the Promised Land.

The Rivers Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Okey Amadi, an Etche indigene, however, dismissed the purported endorsement of the supervising minister of education by the people of Etche ethnic nationality as governorship candidate, insisting that majority of Etche people belong to the APC. Amadi insisted that a Godfearing person, with the interest of Rivers people at heart, would succeed Amaechi in 2015.

The members of the Rivers PDP Third Force Movement, through its General Secretary, Oprite Amachree, also declared that the PDP would lose Rivers state, if Wike was imposed on the peace-loving people as its standard bearer, with his purported endorsement described as null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

Describing the endorsement of the supervising minister of education as highly condemnable, the group stated that it would make a caricature of the principle of equity, justice, fairness and adequate representation practised by the party.

The Rivers PDP Third Force Movement declared that no sane, dedicated and rightthinking PDP member would wish to adopt or support Wike as the governorship candidate for 2015, stating that no

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

amount of force, intimidation or oppression would make them to accept the purported endorsement of the supervising minister of education.

Members of the group maintained that they were certain that presenting the supervising minister of education as the governorship standard bearer of the PDP in 2015 would lead to a definite failure at the polls.

As law-abiding citizens, they also called on Wike to resist the temptation of vying as Rivers state’s governor in 2015.

The Rivers PDP Third Force Movement urged President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP to immediately start the process of restructuring the party in Rivers state, to reflect the interest of all the stakeholders.

It also asked President Jonathan, Muazu and other leaders of the PDP to call to order, Wike; the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, an indigene of Ikuru in Andoni LGA of Rivers state and the Rivers PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, thereby halting their alleged plans of disintegrate the party in the state, owing to their personal and selfish agenda.

The group, as a matter of urgency, admonished some leaders of the PDP, including a former governor, Dr. Peter Odili; Chief Ombo Isokariari; the new Minister for Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo; an ex-Rivers governor, Sir Celestine Omehia; former Transport Minister, Dr. Abiye Sekibo; Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs and Navy Capt. Ibim Princewill (rtd.), among others, to liberate the state’s chapter of the party from darkness.

Wike, who is from Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state, was the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and also doubled as the Director-General of Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011, before being inaugurated as minister of state for education on July 14, 2011, is also the grand patron of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI).

The MOSOP president, however, stated that while Ogoni recognised the right of citizens to freedom of expression and association, saying the people were concerned that the approach of some of the politicians smacked of desperation, while stressing that the Ogoni Project 2015 could not be undermined.

Pyagbara said: “It is a shame that while our people have collectively resolved to move from the Egypt of political marginalisation to the Canaan of effective political representation, as adumbrated in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, some short-sighted Ogoni politicians still want to hold our nationality hostage with their slave mentality of subservience and deadly acquiescence for a pot of pottage in Egypt.

“We want to remind them that evidence abound that our people are unanimous in their desire to lead Rivers State come 2015 and we do not see how

• Wike

Ogoni would contemplate endorsing a non-Ogoni over the Ogoni.”

Anyanwu, however, insisted that Etche people decided to endorse the supervising minister of education, after a careful scrutiny of the persons who had either declared their intention or those rumoured to be nursing governorship ambition, maintaining that Wike remained the best man for the job.

Anyanwu said: “The Brick House, the seat of the Government of Rivers State, is not vacant for any other candidate, other than Chief Wike, who possesses all the attributes and capabilities that have earned him the trust to govern the state.”

The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience, an indigene of Okrika, headquarters of Okrika LGA of Rivers State, has not relented in pushing for the candidature of Senator George Thompson Sekibo, who represents Rivers East Senatorial District, as the next Rivers governor.

Sekibo, who hails from Ogu, the headquarters of Ogu/Bolo LGA, is banking on the First Lady’s support, since Okrika and Ogu people are the same and speak the same language, but separated by a river.

In the Rivers PDP, besides Wike and Senator Sekibo, the then representative of the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Senator Lee Meaba, an Ogoni and former Speakers of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara and Chibudom Nwuche, among others, are also aspiring to be Rivers governor in 2015.

The Rivers chairman of the PDP prefers Wike to other governorship aspirants, having supported him to emerge as the party’s helmsman, through the judgment of an Abuja High Court of April 15 last year, which the sacked Chairman, Chief Godspower Ake, is still challenging at the Court of Appeal.

Amaechi does not want the supervising minister of education, an Ikwerre like himself, as his successor in 2015, preferring somebody from another ethnic group or senatorial district.

Wike, however, claimed that Amaechi is from Ikwerre North, while he is from Ikwerre South and is thus qualified to be Rivers governor in 2015.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

36

NIGER DELTA REPORT COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

HE image of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, in my head formed out of my two visits is that of a great city.

It is a beautiful place, with hotels in almost every nook and cranny. Its cleanliness charmed me.

I have not been there in the last few years.

But from reports, Calabar has not lost its hotels; neither has the cleanliness gone.

The mention of Calabar conjures the image of a great place, where fun walks on all fours and where enjoyment is unlimited. The Calabar festival, for instance, become so popular that many, within and without, mark it out on their calendar and will not miss it for anything. Of recent too, many remember it as the home of EbonyLife Tv, that baby of the delectable Mo Abudu. The activities of General Electric have also put Calabar on the front burner in recent times. And to be candid, the state government has not been doing badly.

I am, however, worried for Calabar. One of the sources of my worry is Tinapa Resort.

Conceived as a resort and shopping centre of no mean repute, it held a lot of promise. It was planned as a place where families could come to for the weekend, have nice accommodation to sleep, have great shops to shop and leave with a great sense of fulfillment.

About a month or so ago, the Area Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in charge of Akwa Ibom, Cross River and the Calabar Free Trade Zone Command, Bamidele Akande, visited the Cross River State Security Adviser. Akande, who had just resumed, wanted to familiarise himself with the state government. During the visit, he said businesses were dying in the state.

He pointed out that with a viable seaport, businesses should be booming. The Tinapa Resort was one of the businesses he spoke about. Investors in the resort are bailing out because business has not been what they expected. Some of the traders in Tinapa say most times they stay from morning till night and see no customer.

But what is the problem? I have been informed that the problems are not much.

They are all about failing infrastructure.

Topping the list are the shallow Calabar channel and the bad condition of the CalabarItu federal highway, which is a major link road linking the state to other states. The bad sections of the road are adversely affecting economic activities in the state. It has made businessmen from Abia and the neighbouring states to stay away from Calabar.

The dredging of the Calabar Channel is another cause for concern. Those in the know say if something is not done about it urgently, things may go worse. The shallow nature of the Calabar channel has led to a situation where goods destined for the zone have to

OLUKOREDE YISHAU

ABOVE WHISPERS

•A weekly intervention on Southsouth matters

olukoredeyishau@gmail.com

Calabar, oh Calabar ‘ The bad roads leading

out of and into Calabar must be fixed and the dredging must also be completed. Both must be done at once so that the envisaged increase in container business may be realised. If the dredging alone is done, the bad road will still prevent the importers from the Southeast and Northcentral states

•Imoke

berth in Onne in Rivers State, a development which has created several logistic problems for business. The Federal Government must dredge the Calabar Sea Port; after all, others in the country are frequently being dredged.

The Calabar Free Trade Zone has not

THE WEEK’S QUOTE

‘

What has been going on in the Niger Delta since the discovery of oil; a situation where more than one spill takes place in Bayelsa every day, going by what your statistics is telling us and all these sites are treated with reckless abandon and the environment is left to fend for itself, the livelihood and in fact the lives of the people and the ecosystem are not attended to. What then is more of terrorist action than this? __

‘

Governor Seriake Dickson.

I

T started last month and it has not quite gone. Filling stations across the country were closed because they had no products. Drivers sat for up to eight hours waiting for fuel.

Other stations upped the price as much as 50 per cent.

This scarcity has brought up the issue of whether or not the several illegal refineries in the Niger Delta should be legalised.

The illegal refineries are scattered all over the Niger Delta, especially in states such as Bayelsa and Rivers. At the refineries, sights of men pouring oil under locally made burners to keep the fire going are common.

Security agents, especially the Joint Task Force (JTF) have burnt down hundreds of such oil refineries in recent months. The operators are fond of replacing the refineries quickly. Last year, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps destroyed 813 illegal oil refineries and arrested over 1,590 oil-related criminal suspects. 1,549 of the suspects were undergoing prosecution as at the beginning of the year. 44 had been convicted.

This year, the Navy said it has destroyed over 200.

Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the country is losing 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily to illegal bunkering and oil pipelines’ vandalism. That means a whopping 20 per cent of the daily production capacity of two million barrels is creamed off by daredevil criminals. She spoke during her appearance before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Appropriation/Finance in Abuja on July 16, last year.

‘

played the role it was established for because of the Calabar channel’s challenge. People who bring in their goods or want to take out their goods go through hell. The Calabar Port, one of the oldest ports in Nigeria, which used to attract shipping lines, is a shadow of its

LAST WORD

old self.

Major clients of the Calabar Port, such as Flour Mills, Unicem and Dangote, have been unable to bring full cargo to Calabar. Usually, they drop half of the load in Lagos before heading for the Calabar Port. What this means is that a cargo ship load that could have come at once per voyage ends up being conveyed to Calabar Port in two or three voyages. We all know this increases operating cost and by extension cost of the end product.

Most of the businessmen in the Free Trade Zone usually have their goods coming either through Lagos or Rivers State ports. No shipping line is, in the real sense, operating this route because they say there is no adequate traffic, and thus cost is higher.

It is like double jeopardy for the traders.

One, the port is not fully functional and the road that could have helped out on the way from Onne Ports is also bad.

The two major challenges crippling businesses in Calabar are not immediately within the reach of the state government.

From information at my disposal, the intracity roads are in good state. It is the link road (which is a federal road) that is in a sorry state.

The non-completion of the dredging of the Calabar channel to 9.4m meters is also not the business of the state government.

The drop in performance in general cargo and container volumes are purely caused by the non-completion of dredging and Maersk line’s pull-out of container services from Calabar. The withdrawal of Baco Liner Services from the Calabar Port means it is now completely without a container service. What this means is that all the cocoa exporters are trucking to Lagos. This is loss of revenue to the Cross River State, whose share of monthly pay-out from the Federation Account has dwindled like many others.

These challenges and others have also made Tinapa not the viable business that Donald Duke conceived it to be. After years of being unable to kick off because of policy matters, it took off but bank facilities with which it was built had so built up that now the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken it over and is shopping for new managers. One hopes this will yield a good fruit.

In the meantime, this is my plea: the bad roads leading out of and into Calabar must be fixed and the dredging must also be completed. Both must be done at once so that the envisaged increase in container business may be realised. If the dredging alone is done, the bad road will still prevent the importers from the Southeast and Northcentral states from bringing in their cargo through Calabar.

And if the road alone is done, container business will still be stagnant and Onne may be the beneficiary of this.

•Last Word is Niger Delta Report’s verdict on Southsouth affairs

Don’t legalise illegal refineries She said: “We are losing revenue; 400,000 barrels of crude oil are lost daily due to illegal bunkering, vandalism and production shut-ins. I have to clarify that it is not as if the entire 400,000 barrels is stolen, no. What happens is that whenever the pipelines are attacked and oil is taken, there is a total shut down. All the quantity of oil produced for that day will be lost because it means government cannot sell it and it means a drop in revenue.”

The Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, sounded a note of warning, saying a further revenue drop could hurt the nation’s economy beyond repair.

Rewane said: “If indeed about 400,000 barrels of crude oil are lost every day, that’s about 20 per cent of daily oil production. Remember, crude oil is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

If they take away 20 per cent of your salary, you know how that will affect you. Nigeria cannot survive on what will be left if that amount of revenue is lost every day.”

Rewane’s stance makes more sense when juxtaposed with the fact that although the government has repeatedly maintained that it is committed to measures to diversify the economy, oil export still accounts for more than 80 per cent of nation’s revenue and 95 per cent of the foreign exchange income.

Many in the Niger Delta are poor and the pol-

lution of their land and fishing waters have contributed to their woes. This state of things is said to be responsible for the massive theft in the area, which has, however, further worsened the pollution in the land.

One of those leading the campaign for the legalisation of these refineries is Edward Oforomeh, a lawyer and former police superintendent.

This is his argument: “We have been reading every day, every day that they have been destroying the refinery, destroying the refinery.

And they come back. Is this not a vicious cycle?

We are just going around the periphery of the whole issue. Solve it by legalising them, licensing them so they would be able to contribute to the coffers of the government.”

This argument obviously does not take into cognisance the other side of the coin. It also raises posers. Will someone who is sued to stealing fuel for free want to buy from government? What are the health hazard of this crude method of refining fuel? Does legalising the practice bring about no harm to the environment? Are we sure this will curb the loss of much as $1 billion a month to oil theft? What about environmental impact assessment? Will the untold pollution associated with the unrefined method stop?

We dare say to regularise the illegal market will contribute to impunity.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

37

SHOPPING

Jumia: First retailer to offer next-day delivery

Price slashes on grocery items for Easter

J

UMIA, Nigeria’s e-commerce giants, is offering the fastest delivery ever on items bought from its website.

Following the launch of a new fashion store for Nigerian designers, Jumia has introduced a faster-delivery option for customers to enjoy their shopping experience online.

The Jumia Next-day delivery is only open to Jumia customers within Lagos. Customers can order fashion items from Jumia.com and get it delivered within 24 hours, if they order before 6pm the previous day.

The firm has the largest fashion collection in its fashion store with over +20,000 fashion items in stock. For all last-minute shopping, all kinds of occasions, even if it is for weddings, Jumia can deliver within 24 hours.

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Jumia Nigeria, Nicolas Martin, said: “Our aim is to continue

• Jumia’s deliveryman at work Stories by Tonia ‘Diyan

to increase our productivity and give customers the best shopping experience. With Jumia offering 24 hours delivery, customers can

look forward to a better shopping experience and get their products faster from Jumia.

These delivery options will soon extend across Nigeria, but for now, we are starting off in Lagos.”

Day mothers went shopping

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CE musician Stevie Wonder, said: “Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.’’

The words of the great song writer and musician, goes a long way in describing the importance of a mother, and Nigeria’s Largest Online Marketplace, Konga.com was able to inspire a new type of gift-giving, love and sharing for mothers with a whole bouquet of offers from special discounts, to spa giveaways, competitions, amazing prices on gifts and lots more.

Head, Marketing of Konga.com, Gabriel Gab-Umoden, said: “Mothers-day represents a special opportunity to truly give our mothers something special. The true power of this day lies in what we do with it and how we appreciate the true leading ladies in our live.”

Konga packages

Few people would have placed a bet on the possibility of Nokia fans ever having access to Android apps and functionalities, but with the newly launched Nokia X, users can now have an Android, Nokia and Windows experience all together at an affordable price.

With really amazing features such as; a really strong/capable camera for taking amazing pictures, access to apps available on android like BBM and Instagram; an amazing user interface, a very capable processor, an

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excellent battery, dual sim, as well as coming in a range of colours that can go with any fashion accessory, shoe or dress.

According to a recently released survey by the International data corporation on Operating system penetration around the world, Android Smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 207.6 million units worldwide during 4Q12, up 70.2 per cent from the 122.0 million units shipped during 4Q11. For calendar year 2012, Android and iOS combined for 87.6 per cent of the 722.4 million Smartphone’s shipped worldwide, up from 68.1 per cent of the 494.5 million units shipped during calendar year 2011.

In Nigeria, the share of Android powered devices surpasses that of IOS and other operating systems considerably and Nokia as a customer facing company has decided to create a device that meets the needs of its consumers.

Umoden added: “We are happy to announce the launch of the Nokia X at the price of N19, 200 on our website, which is the lowest price anywhere online and offline, it competes favourably with international pricing and comes in four different colours. Our aim is to meet our customers’ needs, and we are constantly entering new partnerships with the sole purpose of achieving this.”

A night-food market for Mile 2 residents

HERE is a market at Mile 2, Lagos where cooked food is sold mainly between 6pm and 12.30am. The market has been existing for 12 years. There is no permanent structure for the market, but fleet of cars at the car park every night is enough evidence that the residents appreciate it.

Mrs Isiaka Tolulope is one of the traders at the market. She attested to the fact that patronage is high and that the market has be-

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• Mothers during shopping.

come a regular hangout for workers who close at night.

Mrs Isiaka said: “I have been in this market for four years, I have had many customers and no regret so far. Business has been very profitable and enjoyable.”

According to her, to own a space as a trader, one will have to pay for canopies, chairs and tables to fit into the portion given to him or her. She added that most of the food vendors

at the market live within the premises, to be able to return home safely and quickly when they close for the day.

People living in this vicinity say they no longer cook in their houses because of the night food market.

One of the regulars at the market called David Alluya said:“The food is irresistible, I have patronised this place for two years. I no longer cook dinner when i return home from work.”

Haven Homes opens in Lekki

OR many who are familiar with the name, Haven Homes, it has become not just the foremost luxury home-builders in the country, but has given Nigerians the opportunity to realise their dreams of owning truly luxurious and magnificent homes, the types seen in foreign movies. The developers of life styles homes have spent many years following their passion to seek out unrivalled property designs and space functionality for all their units.

Haven Homes’ expert-eye for perfect finishing has established itself to become the first choice in home acquisition in the country.

Meticulous research into the needs of home owners and an entrepreneurial spirit has led the company to specialise in the highly profitable world of home acquisition.

Most recently, the company’s flagship estate, Richmond Gate in Lekki, was fully sold-out on

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

all the homes being built and the ones yet-tobe built have an unprecendented waiting list of subscribers awaiting allocation of their own prestigious units.

Joining the Haven Homes waiting list attracts a fully refundable deposit of N2 million which can either be used to offset the purchase price of the unit allocated or can be refunded at any time before allocation. Such is the trust that potential buyers have developed over the years and has made Haven Homes reputation to soar amongst potential home buyers.

Haven Homes has raised the bar higher by opening an ultra modern show home in Richmond Gate, Lekki, Lagos, where the members of the public will discover firsthand the numerous benefits of owning a Haven Home. The new ShowHome, exquisitely furnished by internationally renowned Interior Architects, Ledyvine, has opened for viewing recently.

The event was graced by government officials, members of the public and celebrities. Note able individuals include 2 Face and Annie Idibia, who themselves are proud homeowners in the prestigious Haven Home estate. Doors were open by noon.

Property investing with Haven Homes means more than just securing a property, they are about creating a trusted partnership that will bring its home owners continued prosperity.

Haven Homes also has a relationship with its home owners that go beyond the handover of a set of keys, as a rule in Haven Homes, great attention is paid to the well being of the home owners even after they have acquired their units.

The firm is always available to support and resolve any building related issues that occur after the customers move into their homes, for a period up to six months from the first day of occupation.

Mcvitie’s rich tea biscuits 300g- N249 Beacon bantam Easter eggs 4’s- N349 Golden phoenix frozen chips 2.5kgN999 De Rica tomato paste 70g Each- N29 Fanice Ice cream assorted 500ml TUBN299 Golden penny premium Rice 25gN5799 Food town tomato ketchup 680g- N449 Zwan chicken luncheon meat 340g N429 Bama mayonnaise 473ml- N499 Heinz salad cream 285g- N299 Pringles potato chips assorted 165kg Each - N399 Power horse energy drink 250ml - N159 Lucozade boost energy drink 150mlN39 Clover tropika fruit juice blend assorted - N189 Aquafina still water 1.5cl- N79 Beacon chocolates assorted - N399 Keror assorted non-alcoholic wine 750ml- N579 Coca-cola / fanta / sprite 500ml each N79 Country fresh whole chicken per kg N649 Futuna fresh eggs 30’s – N979 Beacon hollow Easter eggs 4x42g – N 549 Honeywell spaghetti/ Pasta assorted 500g Each –N99 Essential corded kettle 1.7l – N1799 L & Z pasteurised fresh milk - N699 Blueband goodstart margarine – N279 The laughing cow cheese wedges 120g –N229 Vitamilk soy milk– N129 Mcnichols family sugar cubes 90’s – N189 Lipton yellow label tea bag’s 25’s- N119 Heinz baked beans in tomato sauce 200g- N129 Milo beverage 500g Sachet- N579 Peak evaporated milk 170g- N129 Knorr chicken stock cubes 400g- N399 Nestle golden morn cereal 500g- N389 Mcvitie’s all butter shortbread biscuits 200g- N349 Jacob’s cream crackers 200g- N149 Beacon Easter eggs strip 3’s- N349 Bobo fruit flavoured milk assorted 200ml Each- N39 Farm fresh drinking yoghurt assorted 1c- N819 Milo sardines in vegetable oil 170g -N99 Indomie instant noodles assorted 70g Each- N29 Haribo sweets assorted 160g Each- N279 Veleta sparkling non- alcoholic juice Aasorted 750ml Each- N429 Klein dasbosch merlot 750ml- N1749 Cook’s white blush/ Brut sparkling wine 750ml Each- N999 Castillo wine assorted 750ml EachN599 Castle milk stout 500ml NRB- N159 Maltina non- alcoholic malt 330mlN89 Kiss mix vodka/Gin energy mix 250mlN169 Thornton’s chocolate liqueur 750mlN2,399 Jagermeister liqueur 700ml- N2,499 Jameson irish whiskey 700ml- N2,379 Huggies gold disposable nappies 16’s/18’s/20’s Per Pack- N1,099 Johnson’s baby powder 500g- N499 Johnson’s baby oil 500ml- N649 Listerine mouth wash assorted 500mlN849 Close up deep action tooth-paste 160ml- N169 Dettol antiseptic liquid 750ml- N1599 Always sanitary pads ultra 14’s/16’s Per Pack- N349 Dettol anti- bacterial bath soap assorted 70g- N99 Axe aerosol for men assorted 150ml Each- N399 Morning fresh multi- surface cleaner assorted 500ml- N309 Morning fresh dishwashing liquid assorted - N339 Cobra touch furniture polish assorted 275ml- N449 Harpic active toilet cleaner assorted 750ml- N449 Ariel micro booster powder 1kg- N499 Baygon Insecticide 500ml- N799 Air wick air freshener set each- N1,399.

38

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS

AGRICBUSINESS

e-mail: agrobusiness@thenationonlineng.net

To address poverty and unemployment among women and youths, the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, has organised a lecture on how they can be useful in the agricultural sector. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

How to empower women, youths in agric

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OR young men and women, finding opportunities in the tough economic climate is a challenge.

Mrs Eka Esu (not real name), a farmer, in the South had a nasty experience.

She has been trying to access a piece of land to boost her meagre crop output. But it has been easy for her because she is a woman. In her part of the country, is tradition forbids her from owning land.

All over the country, attitude to land ownership makes it difficult for women to access land. Most people with vast acres of land are men; there are hardly any woman who own land. The village land ownership procedure gives men the upper hand. Most women, who have access to land, do so through male relatives. The single ladies, widows and divorcees are often “bullied” by their male relatives.

Presenting a paper titled: Gender inclusion and youth empowerment for agricultural transformation in Nigeria, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Nigeria, Dr Louise Setshwaelo, said securing women’s land and property rights are crucial to alleviating poverty and improving food security.

According to her, women make up 65 per cent of Nigeria’s population who live below poverty line.

She added that women provide over 50 per cent of the agricultural labour.

As producers, Mrs Setshwaelo said women have weak property and contractual rights to land, water, forests and other natural resources.

She said gender gaps in rights to land have negative consequences for household food security and nutrition, contribute to differences in productivity between male and female farmers, and it is a major cause for poverty among female producers.

On the youth, she said the young labour force (15 -35 years) presents an untapped resource and opportunity that if properly harnessed, can move the agriculture sector forward.

She said: “About 69 per cent of this young labour force resides in the rural areas where unemployment is close 26 per cent according to 2011 statistics.”

For her, securing decent and productive employment for millions of young people in rural areas isn’t just important, it’s indispensable.

She said rural youths have enormous potential as “engines of development,” but their potential can be unleashed only if they find attractive opportunities for a decent livelihood in agriculture.

•From left: Prof Olawoye; Chairman, ARMTI, Goodluck Opiah, Mrs Jolayemi and Mrs Setshwaelo at the event.

She reiterated the fundamental challenge at hand: how to keep young people in rural areas and make careers in agriculture and other rural industries attractive to them.

Therefore, Mrs Setshwaelo said a lot of work had to be done, as unemployment and underemployment are among the main barriers to development. Not only does the exclusion of young people from the labour force perpetuate poverty, it breaks social cohesion, adding that it can be associated with higher levels of crime and violence among idle youths.

According to her, a decent and productive job not only contributes to attaining fundamental individual and family well-being, but also spills over, contributing to society’s broader objectives, such as poverty reduction, economy-wide productivity growth and social cohesion.

She said millions of productive jobs in the sector need to be created to include youths who are expected to join the labour market yearly.

According to her, Nigeria and other African countries have registered high rates of economic growth in recent years, but this has not translated into new jobs.

She said FAO was ready to partner with the government to promote decent and productive work for youths living in rural areas.

According to her, boosting employment creation and enterprise development in the agric sector calls for support to production based on local resources, access to land, funding, materials and, and technical/ legal support for self-employment and local enterprise development.

A rural sociology expert, Prof Janice Olawoye said much of food security depends on women realising their untapped potential.

According to her, rural women are an important part of this, not just as farmers, but also in processing and preparing food, and local markets.

Mrs Olawoye said redressing the gender gap in assets is key to improving agricultural productivity.

She said policies and programmes that strengthen women’s assets are likely to have long-term effects because they not only increase women’s ability to adopt improved technologies or engage in more remunerative livelihood strategies, but also contribute to women’s empowerment in the household and the community.

According to Mrs Olawoye, changing attitudes and culture at village levels is difficult, but the formation of a women’s group provides an opportunity for women to bond socially and help each other in times of difficulty and also to make their voices and concerns heard. Instead of being isolated at home, the women now have a view of the world that extends beyond their village.

She urged the government to support microfinance institutes to make loans available to poor women She said the government should improve on women’s access to resources, their status and rights.

‘Gender gaps in rights to land have negative consequences for household food security and nutrition, contribute to differences in productivity between male and female farmers, and it is a major cause for poverty among female producers’

She said the land tenure continues to shut women out of land ownership. Despite strong laws prohibiting the practice, women farmers still face discrimination.

Traditionally, ownership of land is granted only to men. This means that a married or divorced woman, a widow or single woman heading a household has no effective independent rights to land.

The Acting Executive Director, ARMTI, Dr Comfort Jolayemi, expressed concern over increasing the number of youths roaming the streets for jobs.

According to her, youth unemployment poses a major threat to the economy and will lead to crime if it is not tackled.

She said there is ‘an urgent need to address long-simmering economic problems’, such as long-term unemployment.

According to her, “People, particularly the youth, need to be productively employed, or we will witness rising crime rates, stagnating economies and the deterioration of the social fabric”.

She said no solution to hunger and rural poverty can be found without providing secure and gainful employment to young people, whether on farm, off-farm.

Dr Jolayemi said the lecture is one of institute’s ways of contributing to enhance better and effective management of agriculture and rural development.

She said these are tough times for youths searching for jobs, as about 70 per cent are said to be unemployed even after obtaining relevant qualifications.

“We are all living witnesses to how youths roam the streets in search of what to do to survive.The recent recruitment of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a case in print.”

According to her, the frustration of unemployment has led many youths into various vices that threaten peace and development.

One way of addressing this, she said, was getting youths to acquire and develop practical skills and knowledge to make them employable or self-reliant.

She said ARMTI had taken the responsibility to train produce youths for agricultural development.

A key requirement for any escape from poverty and hunger, she stressed, is access to productive resources.

For the women, she said, land and financial resources are of importance. However, technology, seeds and fertiliser, livestock and fisheries, irrigation, marketing opportunities, and off-farm employment are also essential, she added.

‘Meteorological early warnings vital to farming’

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HE government has been urged to improve on weather warnings for farmers, if it is to stem the losses caused by climate change.

Chief Operating Officer, Centre for Cocoa Development Initiative, Mr Robo Adhuze, said hectares of farmlands lost to land erosion and floods, could have prevented if there were early warnings to farmers and the local authorities.

By Daniel Essiet

With the likelihood of poor weather conditions hitting farm businesses, Adhuze said farmers need to be informed to prepare for poor harvest, adding that exceptional climatic challenges could affect performance.

He attributed the destruction of agricultural farms to poor information and communication, adding that timely information can help farmers

to make crop-saving decisions, such as planting weather-appropriate crops and early harvesting.

He said: “If the farmers had received information on time, they could have saved their crops and harvested beforehand.

“We cannot avert natural disasters but we can make the farmers better prepared with the help of timely information through an efficient communication system.”

The sector, he reiterated, is dependent on the climate.

In recent times, he said climate change has threatened food security of rural population, with yields declining and crop losses increasing due to extreme weather.

To reduce the vulnerability of smallhold farmers, who are mostly affected, Adhuse urged the government to facilitate rural access to agro-meteorological forecasts and advice by

establishing an early warning and agro meteorological information system.

He called on the government to create an agricultural information management system tailored towards farmers.

This, he explained, would assist government agricultural extension workers to provide information to farmers about the forecasts and instruct them on how to save their land.

39

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

AGRICBUSINESS

‘Cassava is cash cow’ For years, some farmers only cultivated cassava as a staple food. Recent events have, however, repositioned the food crop as one of Nigeria’s major cash crops. In this interview with BUKOLA FASUYI, National President, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Segun Adewunmi, says cassava, if fully developed, is a money spinner.

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E grew up knowing cassava and a lot about its by products. Why the sudden fuzz around the crop and the enormous attention your organisation seems to be getting?

I thank you very much for the observation. As you rightly pointed out, the sudden fuzz and attention is the by product of the new consciousness that our organisation is spreading across Nigeria. Over the years as you said, many of us knew cassava for its staple capacity and the knowledge did not transcend that level, but today, we have surpassed that initial ignorance in bounds and that is why we are rapidly spreading the gospel of cassava farming and processing.

What is special about the cassava awareness that your organisation is taking so seriously?

Let me start by saying that cassava is one of the most productive crops in the world today. I am sure you know that most African countries have various staple foods made from cassava. In Nigeria alone, almost all the tribes have one staple food or the other that is a by product of cassava, such as Kpupuru popular among the Ekiti and Ondo; cassava flour, which is well loved by the Oyo, Egba, and Ibadan; of course, there is fufu and tapioca, which are universal in the West African sub-region.

You will agree with me that with the proper management of the crop as a food crop, we can effectively push food insecurity into the dustbin of economic history. On the other hand, recent researches have shown an unprecedented growth in cassava research, which has greatly enhanced the usefulness of the crop.

We can derive highly sought ethanol and industrial starch from the crop. So, basically, that is why we are encouraging more people to imbibe the cassava consciousness.

Aside from these uses that you have highlighted, what other benefits can we derive from cassava?

As I have said, cassava can single- handedly battle the food insecurity that has suddenly become a global menace and Nigeria can be a major stakeholder in the new trend. Aside from providing the various foodstuffs and more that I have not mentioned, it can provide about four million jobs for Nigerian youths from the various geo-political zones without any bias.

More so, the opportunities for investments are numerous and open to all. You can invest in various aspects of the trade with your little capital and still smile to the bank regularly. So for me, like death is the social leveller, cassava is the ultimate economic leveller.

You mentioned investment opportunities and I am sure many people will want to hear about that. How and where can one put his money and be guaranteed return on investment?

Across the world, people require industrial starch and ethanol, two globally recognised by products of cassava and people with the requisite technology buy cassava chips for creating both; so, the investment opportunity starts with a farmer who can provide large quantities of cassava regularly.

There is also the opportunity for those who have the capacity to produce cassava chips for those who require it for their process-

• Pastor Adewunmi

ing and there is also the opportunity for those who are into processing for the production of ethanol and Industrial starch. And that is on the face value alone, not to talk of the many other areas which time will not permit us to discuss here. Let me also say here clearly that the government can reduce drastically the reliance on oil revenue as the tax and other revenues accruable from the internal and international activity around the crop can solve the problem of dependence on oil revenue, which has been a blessing and our major problem. Nigerian spends close to N350 billion on the products that can be derived from cassava.

Your proposal on cassava farming and processing looks so beautiful and one would expect Nigerians to have embraced it. What are the challenges and why the low acceptance?

There is no doubt that things can get better as times go on, but I am not in doubt that the slow acceptance has been due to the poor availability of information on the latent capacity of cassava. However, about the challenges, I will say that the main challenge is mechanising our farming in Nigeria, which applies to all forms of agricultural practices. Cassava planting can get better, if government can provide adequate support in terms of infrastructural development, such as good rural roads, rural telephony, electricity and other social amenities and mainly a specialised loan scheme for farmers with a special credit line management for cassava farmers. You will agree with me that with the banking system and its credit extension system, agriculture cannot grow.

Another issue that has hindered agriculture in Nigeria is that of nomadic herdsmen and their herds. How has this affected the growth of cassava production and its by products?

Today, what we have is an itinerant farming system, which has no room for the multi-culture that agriculture is. You will agree

with me that animal husbandry is an important arm of agriculture. Although nomadic practices are archaic, but have we created the requisite alternatives? Certainly no, so what we need to do is the creation of blocks of between five and ten hectares of demarcation and the creation of fire tracing which will prevent fire incidents and protect farmers from the menace of the cattle rarers.

Sometimes ago, the government expressed some enthusiasm about the development of cassava and its by products, but there seems to have been a lull. What has happened so far?

Permit me to disagree with you that there has been a lull. What we only need to do is to move to the next stage, which is public response. Today, how many of us bother or care to know if our bakers are meeting the demand for the infusion of 10 per cent cassava flour in the bread we eat.

You will recall that some years ago, President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced the cassava flour concept and mandated all flour mills to install 10 units millers with the capacity to mill 240 metric tonnes per day between now and 2015, which I learnt most of them complied with. The government is also collaborating with various stakeholders to install about 30/ 240 metric tonnes capacity, but have we all played our own part of the bargain? So, it is not just about the government, there are rolls bestowed upon us as individual members of the society, we need to up our game if we want to move forward.

What do you think Nigerians, both in and out of government, should do to improve the cassava revolution?

Well, I strongly believe that government should diversify the economy to rely less on oil revenues, which over the years has brought us so much acrimony stemming from its uneven distribution and you will agree with me that almost every nation has become oil producing in one way or the other, while alternative fuels is one of the most researched topics across the globe. We can make more revenue from cassava like Malaysia is making from palm trees and even go one notch further. The people also have to embrace government initiatives where the intentions are good or we can redirect the benefits to ourselves. We really need to up the cassava game if we don’t want to be dependent on other nations for our survival in the next few years and the key to unlocking this potential is our youths, who are busy chasing unavailable white collar jobs.

Finally, I wish to emphatically say that cassava is the new crude oil of the world and as a nation blessed with the necessary resources to take charge of the market; we must not miss the opportunity like we did with palm trees.

‘Cassava can single-handedly battle the food insecurity that has suddenly become a global menace and Nigeria can be a major stakeholder in the new’ trend’

Fed Govt, Ogun collaborate on fish production

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O bridge the gap likely to be created by the ban on fish importation, the Ogun State government and the Federal Government are set to introduce the ‘’cage culture system’’ to enhance natural fish breeding.

The cage system is where nets containing fishes would be placed in flowing rivers and guarded with floating materials to make the fishes grow in a controlled environment and protect them from being washed away even when the river overflows.

Inspecting the pilot cage that was presented to the Adigun Fishermen and Fish Sellers Cooperative Union, Iwopin in Ogun Waterside Local Government, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun said the government would continue to take steps to enhance food production.

Stories by Daniel Essiet

She said the method would take only four months for fish to reach its maturity as against longer time that would be needed for other methods, pledging that more of such cage would be provided for more fish farmers.

“We believe that this will make fish farming easier because our fishes will be protected in the cage, then sorting and harvesting will also be an easy task. It will also increase production because fishes in the cage will grow faster than the ones in the river,” she said.

Earlier, the Fish Farmers’ Coordinator in the area, Mr. Stanley Awe expressed appreciation to both the Federal and state governments for providing cage system, assuring that the farmers would make good use of it for the benefit of the people.

Farmers requests for loans rising

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HE number of farmers seeking help for financial hardship is increasing, an expert, Prof Abel Ogunwale, has said.

Ogunwale, a consultant with World Bank, said the situation is critical.

He explained that agriculture is different from other industries in that it requires long-term investment but the investors can make returns.

The farm output, he added, depends on the weather, ading that it is not something that most industries face. Pests and disease also bring uncertainty and risk.

In farming, Ogunwale said land purchase is the largest contributor to the increases in farm debt. He said farms have large debts as they

bought more land He said some farmers are struggling with operational pressures.

These has to do with banking services and maybe some reluctance by the banks to help extend overdrafts and to carry on supporting farmers.

Ogunwale said farmers in the North are battling with water shortage and so require the government is building irrigation capacities in the area. As a result, he said severe droughts have led to calls for increased government assistance.

Recent droughts in some regions led to similar financial stress. The concern is that droughts may also be long-term.

Ogunwale stressed the need for the government to make guaranteed loans to farmers.

CADP partners farmers

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HE Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) has called on farmers to identify with it to boost the production and sales of its produce within and outside the country.

Its Marketing Officer in Kaduna, Mr Samuel Tanko, made the call in Enugu in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the ongoing 25th Enugu International Trade Fair.

He said such collaboration would provide them with information on how to process, preserve and package their produce for export.

Tanko said the CADP operates in five pilot states, namely Cross River, Enugu, Kano, Lagos and Kaduna to provide technical support to farmers.

He said: “The project is targeting farmers that are really involved in commercial agriculture who are into

processing, packaging and marketing of their produce.

“The project will give farmers the capacity building and the technology required for planting, harvesting and processing of produce to get maximum yields.

“Our expectation at the fair is that we should be able to make linkage with uptakes including accessing loan facilities to enable farmers enhance their businesses.”

He continued: “In Enugu, we have a lot of poultry producers while in the north; you can find large growers of maize and other grains.

“At the other end, they can push down their end products to the north and vice versa.

“Our mission is not just to display our products at the fair but to liaise with one another and create market linkages and sell our products.”

Expert urges farmers to adopt mechanised cultivation

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N expert, Engr Ikechukwu Azogu has called on farmers to embrace agriculture mechanisation and other innovative technologies to ensure sustainable food production.

Azogu, Executive Director, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Kwara State, in an interview, said smallholder mechanisation is a means to produce surplus crops.

Stressing the need of urgent farm mechanization to boost the agriculture sector, he said the nation’s s per hectare use of horsepower and yields of crops is much lower vis-àvis the global benchmarks.

According to him, growth in the agriculture sector will not only stimulate domestic demand for industrial goods and other services but also a key support in foreign exchange earnings. For the country to have sustainable food supply, he said it needs to emphasise extensive mechanised farming. The success, Azogu said can be attributed to many factors. These include farm-

ers gaining confidence in their ability to get ‘more from less’ by modifying their crop management practices. In the process, they are enhancing the quality of their soil resources and are buffering their crops against the temperature and precipitation stresses of climate change.

To achieve this, Azogu said the sector would have to adopt latest technologies; increased availability and efficient use of biological, chemical and hydrological inputs; whereas the role of mechanisation would be pivotal in all farm operations starting from field preparation to crop harvesting and storage.

He encouraged farmers to adopt irrigation, use fertilisers and plant disease and drought resistant crops that help enhance production.

He added that the private sector should be ready to play a big role to help turn around the sector.

He said the centre is working with stakeholders, including local government and co-operatives at the grassroots, to ensure better output.

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IMF: Cyprus economy stabilising after recession

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YPRUS’S economy is adjusting following the 2013 recession, which was “not as severe as anticipated”, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

“Signs of stabilisation are emerging in the banking sector,” said the IMF in a report.

Cyprus agreed to a 10billion-euro ($13.8bn; £8.3bn) bailout with the European Union and the IMF last year. Cyprus’s second-largest lender - Laiki Bank - was closed down.

Although the recession was not as severe as expected, there may be more pain to come, warned the IMF. “The outlook remains challenging, with rising unemployment, falling credit, and increasing non-performing loans,” it said. At Cyprus’s banks, non-performing loans - ones where payments have been missed - reached 50 per cent of all loans, worth 22billion euro.

Cyprus had to seize money from big savers, many of them Russian, as a condition of its bailout and capital controls are still in force. The current crisis in Ukraine may also add to the country’s woes, the IMF said. “The Ukraine crisis may lead to capital flight from non-resident depositors of foreign banks in

Cyprus, which may affect the business service sector.” Cyprus was nearly bankrupted after Greece’s financial crisis in 2010.

The country’s banks were hit heavily but its government did not have the funds to issue a bailout. Slow economic growth and the stance of international lenders, who stopped offering loans, added to the pressure on the country’s finances. The head of the Cypriot Central Bank, Panicos Demetriades, resigned last month. He reportedly experienced difficulties with Cyprus’ government and had been criticised for his handling of the country’s rescue package.

The IMF report is the first since the collapse of a coalition government in February. Political support for the rescue plan, or lack thereof, is a risk, the IMF noted.

The global bank maintained its forecast of a 4.8per cent contraction in Cyprus’s economy this year, before picking up to growth of 0.9per cent in 2015, helped by rising exports. Exploiting offshore gas reserves, and the reunification of the island could raise the economy’s long-term growth potential, the IMF said.

•From left: Sales Manager, JCB, Mrs Mariam Kahloun; Representative of Vita Construction Limited, Mr. Rodoalpho Dehoedt; General Manager, Leventis Motors, Mr. Vivek Deshmukh, and Head of Sales, JCB, Mr. Yogesh Tripathi; at the launch of new JCB equipment by Leventis Motors in Apapa, Lagos.

Nokia takes X series to Nigeria

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OKIA has announced the introduction of the Nokia X Smartphone into the Nigerian market a few weeks after it was launched to wide acclaim at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The dual subscriber identity module (SIM) android compatible device comes with a fresh, tilebased user interface inspired by the Lumia family as well as Fastlane to simplify and enhance the consumer experience.

Speaking during the launch, Head of Marketing, Nokia West and Central Africa, Debbie Shepard explained that the Nokia X device combines beautifully crafted design, quality hardware with access to the android app ecosystem to provide consumers with an affordable dual SIM smartphone in a range of exciting colours.

“We believe this unique combination will resonate with consumers around the world and set a great precedent for the level of quality that can be achieved in the fast-growing, affordable Smartphone segment. Users will enjoy signature Nokia experiences including free* HERE Maps, with true offline maps and integrated turnby-turn navigation, Microsoft services such as Skype, One Drive and Outlook email as well as chat applications including BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and WhatsApp,” she said.

She added: “ The device comes with a 10.4mm slim, durable monobody design further enhanced by 4” scratch-proof display and an exchangeable back cover that come in a variety of statement colours. The device runs on the Nokia X Software Platform and is powered by a 1Ghz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.”

Undergraduate wins car in Etisalat’s Cliqfest

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TISALAT, has made 40 undergraduates of various institutions of higher learning in Nigeria proud owners of brand new cars through its student empowerment initiative, ‘Cliqfest’.

Arthor Obi, a final year political science student of the Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus, emerged the 40th winner of a brand new car at the raffle draws during Etisalat Cliqfest held at the Institution on March 28, 2014. The draws, the climax of a two-day festival of sports, entertainment and education was led by the Vice Chancellor, Anambra State University, Prof Fidelis Okafor cheered on by what he described as ‘the largest gathering of our students at any particular event in this Institution.’

While thanking Etisalat for choosing to bring the fiesta to the Institution, the vice chancellor lauded the telecommunications company on ‘its quality services that has endeared it to all. Etisalat is my favourite network because one cannot ignore the innovativeness, flexibility and user friendliness of Etisalat,’ he pointed out.

He enjoined the students to “ease-off their

communication and academic challenges by subscribing to Etisalat so as to take advantage of the flexible offerings on the network to stay in touch and do their assignments at affordable rates. At the rate with which Etisalat is growing by meeting subscribers’ expectations, I see the company becoming the leading telecommunications network in Nigeria in no distant time,” the vice chancellor noted.

Winner of the brand new car, Obi said, ‘I feel on top of the world for winning this car.

Etisalat has changed my life. This is a remarkable reward; I only bought two SIM cards for N200 to enter for the raffle draw.

Good enough they called my name as the winner! I can’t forget today.’

The Cliqfest sought to awaken the giants in the students with Niyi Adesanya’s motivational presentation, tagged ‘success activation.’ The event was spiced up with performances from popular Nigerian artistes including Terry G, Mr. Raw, Ruffcoin Nwaba and first runner up of the 2013 Nigerian Idol, Debbie Rise. It was also an opportunity for the students to compete in a 5-a-side football competition and win several prizes.

BUSINESS

‘Insurgency ’ll affect environment’

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XCEPT the government moves fast to end the activities of the Boko Haram in the Northast, the damage to the environment would not only be felt now, but also in future, an environmentalist, Valentine Otis Opone has said.

Opone, who is the Managing Director, Accappocco Global Services Limited, an environmental firm, told The Nation that the situation in the Northeast is so terrible that the damage of the sect on the environment has started affecting the people.

The damage, he said, includes its effect on the ecosystem; that is, on fora and fauna now and in years to come. For instance, some of the places might remain unhabitable if such activities persist, he warned.

He said the effect of toxic fumes, such as carbon monoxide or Chlorophoro Carbon (CFC) and other gases, which emanate from the emissions of the weapons that were deployed by either the sect members or even government troops, are enormous and catatrosphic.

“The danger that this portends is that it goes further to pollute the lithosphere (soil), the atmosphere and hydrosphere,” he said.

He continued: “The toxic gases or waste from the weapons are deposited on the soil and these affect its morphology, thus making the soil infertile.” He recalled the toxic known as Canadium found in China, which resulted from waste from a textile industrial area, adding that after a long time, the land was used for rice farming,but its products became toxic, causing diseases. “This shows that chemicals can be injurious to health.”

“Similarly, the chemical deposits from bombs or bullets can also be washed away by erosion into underground water or surface, thereby increasing its biodegradable substance or chemical deposit, leading to death of aquatic life. Of course, we know the importance of this menace – some people will lose their jobs; for example fishermen,” he added.

He appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action to end the insurgency in the northeast, warning that environment decay knows no boundary. “This is because a phenomenon in the north pole can easily affect that of the south pole in a matter of days,” he said.

“So, many deposits in the atmosphere can also lead to child deformity. I appeal also to the Boko Haram members to lay down their arms, if for not anything, but because of the environment. Because from the environmental point of view, the deployment of war equipment should not be the best approach to vent grievances.

The best approach, he suggested, is dialogue. “They should make their grievances known, rather than destroy the environment. For example, after the civil war, the Ibo suffered many diseases because their environment was worst hit.

On his advice to the National Conference, he said, the Nigeria Environmental Society’s (NES) contribution to the confab would be geared towards providing a green environment. “That is, an environment that is just for both fora and fauna. So, that will be our drive. “Papers on how to stop gas flaring, population, waste attributed to mismanagement, deforestation will be presented at the conference,” he said.

On how to tackle e-waste, he said: “These are waste that emanate from electrical/electronics gadgets, vehicles, fans, radio/video sets and birosetc. All these find it difficult to decompose easily and all the components inside them have either nuclear or chemicals. And because some of these gadgets are

•Opone

By Joseph Eshanokpe

working, some people buy them. At the end, these impact on the environment through diffusion and or wasting away by water.

These have no way to escape. They become what we call global warming. That is, the overheating of the earth crust and causing the melting of the glacier. The danger is that the sea level is increased. It leads to incessant rainfall due to much evaporation.

Thus human beings stand the risk of losing their lives due to earthquakes, Tsunami, floods, as a result of too much pressure on the earth.”

What is his advice to the Federal Government on e-waste management? “It should destroy new imported Tokunbo products.

But before this could be done, there should be palliatives, such as not seizing the ones already here. Also, the government should increase taxes on new ones to discourage their import. Three, there should be long term planning for total ban and production at home. Four, the government should encourage the building of recycling firms as done in advanced countries.”

Besides, because of the relationship between the environment and polulation, Opone advised that because census figures are used for planning, they should not be falsified.

“It is not ideal to falsify figures. It is wrong for people to falsify them and get away with it. Besides planning, census is also used for representation. Here we are talking of boundary delineation. For example, in Delta State, you have the Ndokwa, Urhobo, Oshimili, Itsekiri, Ibo, Ijaw, etc. Any bounndary adjustment for state, local, ward creation, must take these ethnic groups into consideration. As it is in Delta, so it is in other parts of the country.

On how to get reliable census figures, he recommended the deployment of aerial photography. “The advantage of this system over others is that we do not have to waste man-hours. It can give us an estimate of the people or population in a place. This method works like this: ‘You take the photo of a place’. What you see is the imagery, not the people. These have been coded. When these are transferred to the central processing unit, they will be interpreted by the computer to get an estimate of the place’s population. The essence of a census is to get an estimate, not exact figure.

“But, in Nigeria, census is used for political reasons. But these factors are secondary; planning is the best of all. To get the best result, as I said earlier, you take the aerial photo. It helps to know the people very well; that is, their occupation, their crops, the morphology of the environment. That is why environmental studies play role in census.”

‘

The toxic gases or waste from the weapons are deposited on the soil and these affect its morphology, thus making the soil infertile Similarly, the chemical deposits from bombs or bullets can also be washed away by erosion into underground water or surface, thereby increasing its biodegradable substance or chemical deposit, leading to death of aquatic life

‘

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

POLITICS Social critic Emmanuel Ubani, contends that, since the rotational principle has never shaped the governorship election in Ebonyi State, proponents of zoning may not succeed in their bid for power shift in 2015.

Ebonyi 2015: Elechi and politics of zoning

S

UCCESSION politics is on the front burner in Ebonyi State. In the last few weeks, stakeholders have been canvassing for power shift to Ebonyi South. While one school of thought based its argument on flimsy and non-existent power rotation arrangement, another school holds the view that, based on morality, justice and fairness, the slot should automatically go to the South. Although it can be argued that people have their inalienable right to freedom of expression, such political tokenism is not the solution to the political and economic development challenges confronting the state.

Those Ebonyians who are resident in the state will readily perceive such warped political analysis as the handiwork of some few disgruntled politicians living outside the state who feel they cannot make it to the highest position in the state without hiding under the banner of primordial sentiments.

Since the advent of democratic governance in 1999, the emergence of any governor in Ebonyi State has always been rancour-free, regardless of the bloc or senatorial zone the candidate comes from.

Ebonyians are highly perceptive and rational people, who always rally behind the best candidate instead of resorting to primordial sentiments.

Any discerning person who is conversant with the politics of the state would not subscribe to the above thesis or postulations because such permutations have no place in the politics. The terms and expressions such as zoning, power rotation or “it is now our turn” are yet to find accommodation in the state’s political lexicon.

Therefore, it should be seen by all and sundry as an aberration and an ill-wind that blows nobody any good and should be discarded forthwith.

Going down memory lane, one also recalls that, way back in 1999, Dr. Sam Egwu from Ebonyi North contested alongside other candidates like Dr. Emmanuel Isu (South), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (South) and Hon. Nwagu Onele (Central). In the same vein, in 2011, the same scenario was re-enacted when Chief Martin Elechi from Ebonyi Central contested against Sen. Julius Ogbuenu (Central), Sen. Agboti (South) and Polycarp Nwite (North). This has been the trend in past elections.

It is therefore, instructive that, from 1999 to 2011, there was no consensus candidate, rotation principle or zoning. All candidates, regardless of their zones and political persuasions, went through the electoral process. They participated at the primaries in their respective parties and general elections where voters voted their candidates freely without any imposition or prodding from any quarters.

Political gladiators in our beloved state should move away from divisive politics by insisting on the best candidate who in their estimation will provide the needed leadership to move the state forward, instead of looking at candidates from the mosaic of where they come from. The name of our dear leader, Governor Martins Elechi, should not be dragged in to the mud by power mongers, who are bent on promoting anarchy and bringing backwardness to the state thus rubbishing the lofty ideals built by the founding fathers.

Ebonyians have never toyed with the idea of rotation. Is it now after the state has become a model of democracy and good governance under the able and dynamic leadership of Martin Elechi that they will begin to drag the state backward by saying “it is now our turn”. No, Ebonyians are so enlightened and politically sophisticated to be dragged into primordial and prebendal politics. At this juncture of our democratic journey, it will be fruitless to drag the governor of the state into the cesspit of divisive politics. We should remember that, had our founding fathers allowed divisive tendencies in their ranks, the name Ebonyi State wouldn’t have seen the light to the day, as acrimony amongst the political class would have denied us the state.

Dragging the name of Governor Elechi, a man whom everybody agree is above board, given his pedigree and antecedents, is maladroit as the Akporunkashi will never succumb to such cheap blackmail being orchestrated by paper tigers who believe that, without rotation, they do not stand a chance of winning elections. Chief Elechi is known for his democratic credentials and political astuteness and he cannot fall prey to such shenanigans.

Instead of rotating mediocrity, corrupt and undemocratic tendencies, let’s rotate and replicate good and visionary leadership that will ensure the consolidation of good governance and democracy dividends recorded by past and present administrations.

Even, if some individuals want to embrace the principle of power rotation at a time when the state has made giant strides in democratic governance, there should be consensus building where all the political elites from all zones come together to agree on what line of action to follow.

As a democrat, Governor Elechi should not lend his weight behind any tendency that portend danger for the state but will always prefer to identify with the wishes and aspirations of voters who ultimately decide at the polls who becomes what.

Any attempt by the PDP not to respect internal democracy is a recipe for anarchy and a bait for the opposition to take over power on a platter of gold.

• Elechi

EKITI POLITICS

‘PDP, LP can’t dislodge APC’ The Director General, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, is a member of the House of Representatives from the Ekiti North Constituency 1. He spoke with SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN the proposed election and other issues.

H

OW far with the campaigns?

The Dr. John Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has not started any form of campaigns. We are waiting until INEC blows the whistle. If you see posters out there, billboards on Facebook, they are from people who are eager to translate or to give expression to their beliefs and convictions that we collectively nurture. They have chosen to do that via all kinds of mediums; some have used posters, others billboards, and so on. But let it be known that the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has not officially flagged off campaigns.

What is the much-talked about Fayemi phenomenon really all about?

I would give you a picture of the man Fayemi. One, I have the privilege of going to the same secondary school with him; he was three years my senior in Christ School, Ado-Ekiti way back to 1978. I was in class one when he was in class three. From there, we got to know ourselves and later more intimately as ex-students of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti. Two, I have also come to respect the man, the personae of the man called Kayode Fayemi on the basis of what he has also done outside of government and I lay claims to the fact that as an intellectual, he has proved himself where it mattered and matters. Don’t forget, by digression, this is one Governor that the world also celebrates. If he is a man who does not have content, nobody would invite him to come and present speeches at those fora abroad. Even though some people in opposition have said he (Fayemi) is always traveling, they have also forgotten that those things have a way of attracting values. When people know that this man who has just presented a speech that is bordering on development and his government has been giving expression to that.

Are you now surprised that UNDP and other international donor agencies have returned to Ekiti. It is on the basis of the reputation that he has built over the years.

Again, note that if he is an empty barrel, nobody would invite him to come and present speeches to knowledgable people out there; sharing platforms with the likes of Bill Clinton. So, it is also a pride to us that our governor is not a governor who the world is afraid of associating with and embracing.

On the basis of all these, he has earned my respect.

How did Fayemi arrive on the political scene in Ekiti?

The story would be told one day that it was indeed Otunba Niyi Adebayo who actually headhunted Governor Kayode Fayemi not any other person.

When I leave government, this is the kind of a person I want to succeed me, Adebayo was credited to have said. So, the credit that KayodenFayemi has today could also be attributed to Otunba Niyi Adebayo.

Coming back to the preparations towards the election, what is your assessment of INEC’s registration?

To speak about the registration at this point in time, I placed an advert on radio recently because I kept on getting feedbacks that ‘Oh,

•Daramola

in some wards they got 291 cards, and this and that. I attended the INEC engagement session presided over be Prof Attahiru Jega, and one of the things that he said, or alluded to, did actually come in to play. For example, the impression I came off from that meeting was that the number of cards that would be available would also be number of those whose names would be in the register and whose pictures would be pasted for all to see. But, it turned out that the number of cards that came unto the filed did not match the number on the voters’ register.

Does this not raise fears, as we have witnessed in previous elections, that INEC may not match words with action once again?

I am not too sure that there is an applause for INEC at this point in time.

Are we saying we already have grounds to fear that things may go wrong with the Ekiti election?

No. I don’t want a situation where people would say, oh yes it’s an APC thing, to cry the wolf when there was no wolf in sight.

Let me safely say that there is still room to correct existing lapses.

But, the point is this: Jega, before he announced the date, is he not aware of the fact that there are

‘It is on the basis of the reputation that he has built over the years.

Again, note that if he is an empty barrel, nobody would invite him to come and present speeches to knowledgable people out there; sharing platforms with the likes of Bill Clinton. So, it is also a pride to us that our governor is not a governor who the world is afraid of associating with and embracing’

steps to be taken? If you want pounded yam, you know it won’t just land in front of you to be eaten. You will have to go to the farm or the market and get the yam, peel it, boil it, pound it and then serve. You went ahead, naming the child still at conception.

So, what I am saying is that in as much as Prof. Jega gave us a date for the exercise that is going on, he should have the presence of mind to ensure that every intention of the commission does not cast aspersions on the process. Our greatest fear in this election is not with the people. By the grace of God, John Kayode Fayemi and Ekiti people are on the same page of the same book, vis-a-vis where they want to go, how they want to see themselves in another four years. That is not in contention.

We have crossed that border. Even the guys who have not made up their minds are already getting to know that we are not just looking for second term as a fashion or as a fad. But we are obligated to to let the people of Ekiti know that the only threat or one of the threats that may compromise the process would be the institution that has relevance regarding this election, including INEC and the police.

Is there anyway in which Nigerians can bring INEC under some form of control, so that it won’t be a situation where INEC would be at liberty to do it the way it likes?

Let me say something to you. We would respect institutions as a party. We would respect institutions as Ekiti people. We would respect institutions as a campaign organisation. But the institution must earn the respect. You cannot expect me to respect a policeman who is drunk.

In a way you are saying INEC has already started getting things wrong?

It appears as if INEC would not want to learn from its past.

Anambra does not do Prof. Jega any good. Delta election is a minus for him. But there is always a day of recompense. I went to New York in September last year for United Nations General Assembly (UNGAS).

I stayed at Hilton Metropol. Guess who I met at the reception, waiting to get into the room, Prof. Maurice Iwu. He was all by himself alone and his God and the work of his hands. The ideal thing was to go and hug him and say this is a man who has entered into hall of fame by what he has done, just like the professor who conducted the June 12, 1993 election,aqnd who insisted that Abiola must be declared winner..

Nwosu?

Prof. Humphrey Nwosu. But Iwu lost the moment and I am saying this as Bimbo Daramola and as the Director General of Governor Fayemi Campaign Organisation, that Prof. Jega must quickly, in quick turn around time, he must change and make things work the way of sanity, order, fairness and progress.

Ekiti election is the election of the people.

But there are beliefs that Jega himself does not really have a final say.

“Bi’aba fi eniyan je oye awodi, o ye k’ole’gbadie” (meaning if someone has been decked in the honour of an eagle, such must be able to dive to steal chickens). If it is not possible for him to change and make things work, he can resign.

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NEWS •All Progressives Congress (APC)chieftain and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (left) representative of Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa Daniyan Keffi during the former Vice President’s visit to Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

•Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed (right) presenting a N1million (dummy) cheque to a beneficiary –– (Mrs Funke Idris) of the N215 million Kwara State Agric Loan to farmers in Ilorin.

With them are Deputy Governor Peter Kisra (second right) Acting Grand Khadi, Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal (left); Justice Olohuntoyin Mohammed and Chairman, Kwara State House Committee on Agriculture, Abraham Ashaolu.

•Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole (middle) cutting the tape to inaugurate the DawsonUrubi-Uselu Road ...on Tuesday. With him are a community leader, Mr Isaac Aighafua(left) andEsogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri.

•Abia State Deputy Governor Emeka Ananaba (left); DirectorGeneral, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs Sally Mbanefo and Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere at a reception for Mrs Mbanefo at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri.

•Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Sale Dunamo, an engineer (second right); Makurdi Airport Manager, Mr Olatokunbo Arewa (left); Mallam Mauzu Dahir; General Manager, Business Development, Mr Abubakar Achimugu during the inspection PHOTO: ISAAC AYODELE JIMOH of Makurdi Airport by FAAN management.

•Director-General, Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Lagos, Mrs Olubunmi Fabanwo (middle) speaking at the induction for new teachers in Lagos State at the PSSDC, Magodo, Lagos. With her are Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension, Mrs Florence Oguntuwase (left) and Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL.

•Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii (middle); Senior Medical Health Officer for Canada, Joshua Porter (left); Senior Regulatory Officer Mr Bobby Chauhan; Senior Scientific Evaluator, Dr Dean Smith and Director, NAFDAC’s Registration and Regulatory Affairs, Dr Monica Hemben Eimunjeze, at the Health Canada PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS and NAFDAC Mentorship Training Workshop in Lagos.

•L-R: Zonal Head, Southwest 1 of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ayodele, presenting the documents of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to Mrs. Saidat Ajitena, the winner of the vehicle at the grand finale of the Southwest Regional draw of the FCMB 30th Anniversary Promo...on Tuesday. With them are the bank’s Retail Head, Southwest, Mrs. Leticia Igna-Igboko and the Branch Manager, Challenge, Mr. Abiola Alli.

•Grand Knight, Mater Christi Sub Council, Sir. Bamidele Famure (right); Supreme Treasurer, Sir Lawrence Okonofua and Metropolitan Grand Knight, Lagos Metro Council, Sir Charles Mbelede at the celebration of the feast of Annunciation held at Marian Shrine, St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos.

From left: Chairman, Ikeja Local Government, Wale Odunlami, council Manager, Mr.Samson Sedoten Ogabi and Leader of the Legislative Arm, Edward Aragbonfoh during the monthly environmental sanitation.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4 2014

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COMMENTARY

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HERE is something strange about prophecy which remains a puzzle to mankind. It is like the night which is invisibly pregnant but delivers wonders in the day. Genuine prophecy is neither by coinage nor by pretext. Its roots are firmly planted in the rich soil of divinity.

And only Allah appoints prophets for an appropriate nation with an appropriate mission at an appropriate time. But this has been bastardised by self-styled prophets of the modern world who see prophecy as an umbrella of fortune under which they can hide to mine gold and silver. Such people only sooth-tell satanic dreams to their ignorant and parochial victims who are callously milked in the name of prophecy.

Except for King Daud (David) and his son King Sulayman (Solomon) who were divinely guided to show the world how wealth is legitimately acquired and managed, no prophet of Allah was stupendously rich. This can be compared with today’s situation where prophecy is measured in terms of billions of dollars or naira at the disposal of fraudsters parading themselves as prophets. Today, prophecy in religion has been fully turned into a platform for preaching prosperity rather than posterity at the expense of godliness and humanitarianism.

FEMI ABBAS ON femabbas756@gmail.com 08115708536

Fake prophecy

Genuine Prophecy

It is not by clandestinely predicting the number of Kings who will die in a locality in the coming year or the governors who will lose their seats to opponents that a person can proclaim self a prophet. Genuine prophets are known not by words of mouth alone or amount of wealth they possess but by the exemplary actions that may serve humanity in good stead for many, many centuries. Prophets Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (SAW) are good examples of this.

Prophecy, therefore, is not to be judged on the basis of yearly predictions. Virtually all the religious tenets and regulations in Christianity and Islam today are reflections of the prophecies of the two great men mentioned above in the past two millennia or thereabout.

In contrast, however, fake prophecy today is a product which finds a large market in Nigeria. Ignorant and parochial people queue up in multitudes before fraudsters with the intention of moulding their future to suit their wishes or solve insuperable problems. Such people are forced to carry out satanic instructions which eventually bring ruins to them and pave ways for those fraudsters to zoom into material fortune without any care for conscience. Most broken homes and criminal activities of Nigerian youths today are traceable to fake prophecies and insensitive display of wealth in Churches and Mosques in this country.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had forewarned the Muslim Ummah, over 1400 years ago, against the calamity which false prophecy could bring to them. Addressing his disciples on a particular occasion, he said: “There will be calamity!” He repeated this three times. But rather than asking him of its cause, the disciples simply asked for the solution. They had no cause to doubt him.

And he told them to look for the solution in the legacy he was leaving behind. That legacy is the rule of law contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Rule of Law

The Prophet emphasised to them that nothing besides the rule of law would ever bring them the needed harmony in the world. He described the Qur’an as the alltime permanent solution to the various problems of all times reiterating that only individuals, groups or nations that hold it (Qur’an) tenaciously would never go astray.

The Qur’an, according to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the mirror with which to view the past retrospectively and draw a lesson from its experience. It is the effective compass with which to find the way in the hazy wilderness of the present. It is also the impeccable telescope with which to view the future. In other words, the Qur’an is an everlasting prophecy recalling the occurrences of the past, serving as the guidance of the present and tuning focus on the future.

By asking the world to follow the rule of law in all their ways, the Prophet never aimed at rising from his grave to govern any particular nation or region of the world.

Neither did he leave any heir behind who would inherit the governance of the world.

•The late Yar’Adua

His objective, according to the mission he bore, was for the world to be in harmony.

And, it is only in the interest of mankind to uphold the rule of law for the sake of their harmonious co-existence.

To marry according to the rule of law; to divorce, if need be, according to the rule of law; to raise families according to the rule of law; to transact businesses according to the rule of law; to play politics according to the rule of law; to give judgment according to the rule of law; to conduct elections according to the rule of law; to legislate according to the rule of law; to govern according to the rule of law, these and more are the elements of the mission preached by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). And, is there any individual, group or nation not affected by all these in the world today?

Every aspect of life has its rule of law. We work in the day and rest in the night not by our own volition but in accordance with the natural rule of law that guide our existence.

The sun rises in the East and sets in the West to obey the rule of law that controls its operations. Fishes live in water. Plants grow generically and are fed by their roots in obedience to the natural rule of law that governs them. Harmony becomes disrupted when deviation occurs in any of these.

Carnivores like lions, vipers and eagles will never voluntarily feed on plants. Neither will herbivores like elephants, camels and goats, feed on flesh. To force them to do otherwise, in the name of experiment, is to cause disharmony in the animal kingdom.

Cause of Disharmony

The world is in disharmony today because of deliberate deviation from the rule of law by those in power. Stronger nations want to dominate weaker nations as in the case of America in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Governments want to enslave the governed as in the case of Nigeria between 1999 and 2014. Groups want to exploit individuals as in the case of the business elite and the consumers. It is all an evidence of dogs eating dogs in the stable of greed. Why won’t disharmony prevail?

But Allah so much loves mankind that He does not leave them permanently in the hands of devilish pirates. From time to time, Allah sends conscientious individuals either as rulers or as counselors to rescue the oppressed people. That was the fortune of Nigeria when Umaru Musa Yar’Adua emerged as President.

His insistence on rule of law first sounded odd to some lawless elements who took such stand for granted because they never experienced rule of law in Nigeria. But that is the blessing which our country needed as a solid foundation for a strong building. Rule of law is the first sign of sanity in a society. It is an evidence of decency in a people.

Remembering Yar’Adua

In beaming the light of rule of law on Nigeria, Yar’Adua was not a mere touch-bearer he also recognized the fact that one did not necessarily have to be governed by Shari’ah

to abide by rule of law.

What the Qur’an teaches which the Prophet emphasised is for everybody to follow the rule of the law by which he or she is governed. To do this is to follow the guidance of the Qur’an.

If we had a President in Yar’Adua who could voluntarily return his annual security vote of about two billion naira to the national treasury because he did not see the need to spend it and he did not see it as a personal booty; if we had a President in him who could return the budget to the National Assembly for amendment because he felt it was unnecessarily inflated at the expense of the populace; if we had a President in him who could promptly react positively to the cry of the people on high cost of food items in the market, who could cause the price of cement to crash in favour of the downtrodden masses and suspend any increase on price of petrol indefinitely until his death, it was only because he had the fear of Allah at heart.

Thus with him in power it was becoming crystal clear that Nigerians were beginning to appreciate the fact that harmony was truly in sight. And such great gestures which had eluded this country for a long time before he became President came to add greater values to the lives of Nigerians. Rule of law is about conscience and decency of character.

It marks the difference between man and beast.

If Yar’Adua did not achieve anything beyond establishing the rule of law in Nigeria that singular achievement was great enough for posterity. And what is more, he achieved much more by bringing a ray of hope to millions of Nigerians in less than two years of his leadership in a country where the sky had been dangerously cloudy. No sane person will sensibly compare sleep with death.

Lost Paradise

Prophet Muhammad never spoke in a vacuum. His utterances were divinely guided. And the Qur’an confirms this thus: ‘’He (Muhammad) never spoke out of sheer whim; his expressions are no other than inspired revelations; he is taught by the One who is mighty in power...”

Nigerians of today have become like the Israelis of yore who after being rescued by Prophet Musa (Moses) from the scourge of Pharaoh, showed ingratitude to Allah and were thrown into the wilderness of life. Having suffered in the hands of a blind and deaf Nigerian Pharaoh for eight terrible years and having been liberated by an unexpected Moses, it only behooved conscientious people to be grateful not necessarily to that Moses but to God who used him for this divine gesture. The sharp difference between the road to hell and the one to paradise which Nigerians have experienced within one decade had shown how wonderful Allah is in His deeds. It also confirms the genuineness of Prophet Muhammad prophesy as attested in Qur’an 20 verse 124 thus: “When my guidance is revealed to you, he who follows it shall never err nor be afflicted; but he who gives no heed to My warning shall live in distress and be raised blind on the Day of Resurrection...”

In his message to the nation on the occasion of Mawlidu-n-Nabiyy and Easter of 2008, President Yar’Adua appealed to Nigerians, with humility, to exercise patience with his administration saying there was need for thoroughness and decency to take off. He neither used any abusive language that was the hall-mark of his predecessor nor did he ask Nigerians to continue to bear the unbearable while his own family lived aristocratically.

Having a man like him at the helm of af-

fairs while he was alive was a special blessing of Allah which Nigerians only came to realize after his demise. And today, that reality is a lost paradise. The Qur’anic verse quoted above must always be a reference point for all decent, law-abiding people.

From all indications then, there was a sign of light at the end of our tunnel. When one compares the governing style of today with that of yesterday and weighs the one with the other, it will be obviously realised that the difference is clear. It is impossible for a man to give what he does not possess. For both the rulers and the ruled the only panacea to Nigeria’s plight, especially in a situation where ordinary feeding has become a luxury, is the rule of law. Anything contrary may only pave the way to waterloo. For rulers and politicians, to rely on fake prophesy, as now prevalent in Nigeria, is to cling desperately to a sinking straw. Those who did it in the past are now part of the debris of history. The dreamers of today cannot be different tomorrow. Let those who have ears heed this axiomatic warning.

“Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change what is in their hearts. If He seeks to afflict them with a misfortune, none can ward it off. Besides Him, there is no protector (for any rational being).” Q.13:11. God save Nigeria!

Watch Out!

In an effort to rejuvenate the Nigerian Muslim Ummah educationally against the ongoing emasculation by the power that be, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has started a quarterly Magazine titled ‘Prime Renaissance’. The magazine being packaged by the Media Committee of the Council has a variety of issues that will serve the Ummah in good stead. And yours sincerely is its Editor-inChief.

To know some details about the aims and objectives of the magazine, please read the opening of its maiden edition entitled ‘OUR MISSION’ below: Intention is a mission upon which every human action is based. This fact was emphasised in the very first Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in which he said that: “all actions are surely based on intention and everybody’s action shall be judged according to intention...”.

The intention of this timely noble magazine is to genuinely carry out the three basic objectives of journalism: Information, Education and entertainment which have been grossly abused and even bastardised by agents of bias through the colouration of politics and religion. This modest effort is aimed at putting the records straight by bringing genuine, unpolluted knowledge and correct information to the teeming population of Nigerian Muslims and others who are desirous of genuine and undeniable facts and figures. And this is why the magazine is rightly titled ‘PRIME RENAISSANCE’....

In the course of our publications, we intend not only to right the wrong in terms of information and education dissemination but also in terms of character building in our youths and harmonisation of the society, especially the Ummah, for the purpose of peace and tranquility.

Thus, the activities of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) as well as those of the regional or provincial Muslim organisations in the country will be projected and highlighted for the generality of Nigerian Ummah. Muslim women in Nigeria will occupy their rightful place in this magazine as much as the Muslim children, the handicapped, the underprivileged and the crème de la crème of Nigerian society.

This magazine shall be purely religious in contents and in outlook.

But religiousness here does not mean that such areas as politics, economy, social events and international trends will be non-Grata.

Every aspect of human life is encompassed in Islam and none shall be compromised in this magazine for whatever reason. It is our mission to make this magazine a compendium of knowledge and genuine information that will serve as a worthy reference for generations of yet unborn Nigerian Muslims...

With this unprecedented step from the apex body of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, one of the hitherto missing points can be said to have been found. It is hoped that sustaining it should not be a problem.

Readers, Muslim and non-Muslims alike, are welcome on board of this new ship as it cruises on the storming sea of this era.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS The Dangote 3X cement hit the market with a bang.

To those in the building and construction industry, the “Big Oga”, as it is called, should be the cement of first choice because of its invaluable properties. Assistant Editors CHIKODI OKEREOCHA and OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE report.

Raising the bar in cement trade

F

OR operators and stakehold ers in the building and con struction industry, the long search for quality and standardisation in the cement industry is over.

The unveiling of the Dangote 3x Cement , the first of its kind in Africa, has rekindled hope of a major boost for cement manufacturing companies. It has also positioned the local cement brands for the much-needed international competitiveness. The new brand and latest addition to the stable of Dangote Cement Plc comes in a 50 kilogramme bag of 42.5R grade.

With three unique characteristics of strength, extra yield and extra life, experts say that Dangote Cement has leveraged the 3x brand to realise its goal of becoming a truly pan-African champion in the cement sub-sector, capable of competing globally with the largest cement firms in terms of quality and standard. Already, the standard for cement production all over the world has moved to 42.5 grade of cement, which is why Dangote 3x, tagged ‘Big Oga’ is seen by experts as attesting to the firm’s resolve to raise the bar on cement standards.

As Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Devakumar V.G. Edwin, pointed out at the launch of the cement in Lagos, the extra strength and rapid drying property of Dangote 3x make it the first choice for builders and contractors.

Already, the government of Senegal, a country adjudged to have the highest cases of collapsed building in Africa because of the prevalence of 32.5 cement brand, has banned 32.5, insisting on 42.5 grade to checkmate the menace.

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s building and construction industry are no less upbeat that the new cement is capable of halting the rising incidents of collapsed building in the country.

President, Lagos State Bricklayers Association, Deacon Abel

Olusegun Kayode, echoed the hope of bricklayers when he said over three million bricklayers in the state use an average of four bags of cement daily. He said the improved cement formula is stronger and, therefore, a major factor in checking the incessant cases of building collapse. He added that 3x brand, which is 42.5 grade, dries faster, making building quicker thus, creating more income to bricklayers.

General Secretary of the association, Mr. Akinmoladun Olaniyi, could not agree less, stressing that the new cement brand has improved their block making and income generating capacity.

Olaniyi, who could not hide his excitement on the improved quality and standard of the new cement, went a notch higher, calling on other cement manufacturing firms to follow suit and raise the bar to improve on their performance. According to him, the improved 3x 45.2 cement grade is stronger than other varieties in the market.

Similarly, a representative of Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), Mr. Toyin Eniola, gave the initiative

by Dangote Cement the thumbs up, assuring that the association would engage the brand in its various construction in all states.

Decrying the rate of building collapse and the housing deficit, which he put at 17 million, he said the optimism that the 3x, 42.5 brand would check building collapse and also quicken housing delivery.

Eniola urged the government to encourage other cement manufacturers to follow in the footsteps of Dangote. His position aligns with that of the Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Oare Ojeikere, who described the new and improved cement brand as timely. According to him, the brand is coming at a time there are lots of expectations from the recently launched Mortgage Refinance Company where developers can access fund on a single digit in-

•Dangote 42.5 grade cement

‘

Every product we produce is to specification.The 3X brand is a market leader as we put in a lot of innovation to not only meet current demands, but also future needs

terest rate.

He observed that this is unlike what obtains where banks give funds at double interest rate, which has not only stifled construction and home ownership, but also widened the housing gap to over 17 million units. He said the new product would attract new users, especially now that there is heightened awareness on the need to check collapse of building.

The new 3x, 42.5 cement grade has ben okayed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). An official of the agency’s Civil and Building Department, Mr. Onipede Adeoye,

‘

said the new Dangote cement grade met standard specification and parameters for quality.

He also urged other manufacturing firms to do so same, stressing the readiness of SON to eradicate building failures caused by poor quality cement.

Adeoye said since the world is a global village, Nigeria must not be left behind in standards specification. He urged Dangote Cement to join forces with SON to train bricklayers and other artisans in the sector on the proper mix of cement with water and sand to have the highest quality of blocks.

The Honorary Adviser to

President, Dangote Group, Mr. Joseph Makoju, said the new cement is a product of long years of research and development.

He said a bag of the new 42.5R variety is equivalent to one-anda-half bag of the regular bag. He advised the public to patronise the new brand to get better results.

The new product is enjoying patronage. A dealer in cement, Chief Iheakandu Emerole in Ikotun/Igando a of Lagos suburb, told The Nation many property developers are asking for the new product. He, however, expressed fears over possible backlash on other brands that fail to upgrade immediately. He said such brands may be hit by low patronage.

Noting that the market has generally not been good in the last six months, he advised the government to build the necessary infrastructure to help the cement sub-sector. He called on Bank of Industry (BoI) to grant loans to other cement firms who may not muster the kind of financial muscle that Dangote has to save the industry.

A cement importer, who declined to have his name in print, wondered why local cement producers should still be allowed to produce 32.5 grade when all over the world standard has moved to 42.5 grade.

He argued that if cases of collapsed building must be checked, there is need for other cement manufacturers to expand their infrastructure to produce the higher grade of cement.

He said if the government is serious about the backward integration policy in the sub-sector, it should ensure that the right thing is done, which is to encourage cement manufacturers to emphasise quality and standard.

He, however, argued that by insisting on the importation of only 42.5 grade while allowing local manufacturers to produce 32.5 grade, the government is unfair to importers most of who are genuine business men in their own right helping to bridging the gap in cement supplies in the building and construction industry.

He urged those who are still producing the lower grade cement to scale up their operations.

Executive Director, Stakeholder Management & Corporate Communication, Dangote Cement, Ahmed Mansur, said the product would meet the needs of its customers.

He said: “Every product we produce is to specification.The 3X brand is a market leader as we put in a lot of innovation to not only meet current demands, but also future needs.”

Govt pledges support for agro-allied industry

T

•Adesina

HE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has praised Notore for bringing fertiliser to rural farmers.

He spoke during the opening of the Al-Yuma Ventures state-of-the-art warehouse in Jigawa State and launch of the Notore Small Pack Distribution Enhancement (SPaDE) project.

The Minister said the Federal Government would continue to assist agro-allied industries to contribute to the Nigeria’s agricultural growth and economic development.

Adesina, represented by a director

By Chikodi Okereocha

in his ministry, Alhaji Yahaya Tanko, described Notore’s innovative ideas as formidable steps in moving the nation’s agriculture forward.

He said the innovation brought about by the intervention of firms, such as Notore would remain unquantifiable, considering its role in bringing fertiliser and other farm input closer to local farmers.

The Managing Director , Chief Executive Officer of Notore, Mr. Onajite Okoloko, said the firm was set up to develop the capacity of over two million farmers across the

country and expose them to modern farming techniques between this year and 2015.

He said Notore as an ago-allied firm committed to making its input available to grassroots farmers across the country.

“The Notore fertiliser plant is the only urea fertiliser plant in Sub-Saharan Africa. We produce urea and blended NPK fertiliser products. We are also proud to say that we operate an effective and world-class supply chain structure with over 100 distribution partners reaching 1.8 million farmers across Nigeria,” Okoloko said.

Describing how the initiative being launched began, he said Alhaji Ali Yusuf, a well-known businessman and Notore partner in 2011, while seeking more profitable business opportunities, realised that a gap existed in the fertiliser market.

The managing director explained that Yusuf saw how local farmers lacked quality and affordable agricultural input, especially fertiliser and seeds, and decided to register as a Notore distribution partner.

Since joining the Notore family, his sales volume increased from about 5,000 metric tonnes in the first year to over 25,000 metric tonnes later.

49

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

SOCIETY

Tinubu at 62 missed entrepreneurship opportunities due to lack of funds and the apparent lack of social welfare packages for the unemployed/underemployed youths.

She said: "I finished my NYSC in Lagos with the mindset that I would get a job; but I did not. So, I returned to Bayelsa to start a business. All the goods in my shop were wiped out by flood."

She called on the leaders to assist graduates.

"The country is rich enough to give us jobs and provide funds for us to start business, only if our government can bring up policies to reduce unemployment," she said.

After their presentations, the memorial video of the common man was aired, showing how Nigerians are suffering to make ends meet.

The event also showcased the achievements of some APC states.

APC governors, according to Mr Ade Ipaye, Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, who moderated the event, are doing well to change people's perception about governance.

Short documentaries of the giant strides in Ekiti and Osun states were shown as examples of what await Nigerians should APC take control of the central government.

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola proposed the toast.

He described Tinubu as a “common man,” who has the courage to pursue his convictions and win his own battles.

Fashola said despite the problems confronting the common man, he remains the highest employer.

He urged the electorate to be mindful of those they elect.

"You must pay critical attention to the people you vote for. I know that we have employed somebody for the top job in this country. But when we asked him about his qualifications and experience, he said he had no shoes. You must decide whether you want someone who spends most of his time in church or mosque, or the man who is ready to spend his time on the job," he said.

Fashola said Tinubu had solved problems, built an array of leaders and passed the torch.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said only the APC can give succour to the common man.

Atiku, in a chat with reporters, said the theme of the colloquium, which featured presentations of the challenges of everyday living by ordinary Nigerians, was in line with the manifesto of the opposition regarding poor Nigerians.

Asiwaju Tinubu flayed the Federal Government, saying it is responsible for the country’s woes.

The APC leader said the 15-year reign of the PDP had brought untold hardship to Nigerians. The APC , he said, is out to rescue the country.

"They are so shameless that the number of years they have ruled does not matter to them. Don't change the subject matter. Account for the missing money or go. All the explanations they gave about the missing money were just unconvincing. They steal from pensioners. We must kick them out," he said.

He urged Nigerians to reject the PDP in the next general elections starting from the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states later this year.

"We have heard the frustration and pains of our people. Poverty is not a shameful thing but it is not acceptable. The change is now. To make it real, you have to defend your vote," he said.

He cut his birthday cake with the common man and later the guests.

Asiwaju Tinubu's wife Senator Oluremi fed him a piece of the cake and they sealed it with kisses to the admiration of the gathering.

There was light music in the background as guests took turns to congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu before leaving.

•Senator Chris Ngige and former Lagos Stae Deputy Governor Mrs Sarah Adebisi Sosan

•Hon Olawale Oshun

•Senator Olorunimbe Mamora

•Senator Ajayi Boroffice (left) and Mr Ayo Opadokun

•Senator Ahmed Hassan-Barata and Hon Binta Garba

•Senator Abu Ibrahim

•APC Sokoto State Organising Secretary Bello Mohammed (left) Akin Fatunke

•Prof Pat Utomi

•One-time Lagos State Finance Commissioner, Mr Wale Edun (right) and Mr Luqman Edu

•Senator Ganiyu Solomon (right) and Oviation publisher Dele Momodu

•From left: Hons Abiodun Mafe; Benjamin Olabinjo and Olatunde Adepitan

•Human rights lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) (left) and Mr Salami Agbaje PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI AND MUYIWA HASSAN

50

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

SOCIETY TINUBU AT 62

COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS

Tribute Speech

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•Justice George Oguntade (left) and Alhaji Rasak Akanni Okoya

•Mr Bayo Onanuga and his wife, Toyin

•Senator Gbenga Ashafa and his wife, Shade

•Lady Maiden Ibru (right) and Mrs Anike Adekanye

•Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (left) and Chief Lere Paimo

•Member House of Representatives, Hon Moruf Akinderu-Fatai (right) and Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Budget and Economic Planning Alhaji ‘Bade Adeshina

•Former Lagos Electoral Commissioner Alhaji Musibau Oyefeso

•Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly Adeyemi Ikuforiji

•APC Lagos State Women Leader Toun Adeniran (left) and Alhaja Qudrat Dada

•From right: Ex-Vice Chancellor Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof Wale Omole; Dr Amos Akingba and Chief Pius Akinyelure

•Prince Abayomi Daramola (left) and Alhaji Adewale Adeniji PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI AND MUYIWA HASSAN

ELCOMe to your regular column on public speaking. I trust that your week has been fulfilling so far. Last week, we started on a new topic, brief remarks. Brief remark is the last type of speech we shall be considering for now. We defined it as a short speech that is directed towards appreciatAMODU LANRE OLAOLU ing someone or something. ( Ph.D) sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com.

Brief remarks are very impor07034737394 tant because they are usually @lanreamodu delivered by icons about icons. Brief remarks are reserved for very special occasions. If your organization wants to launch a new product and you invite your State Governor, you may want to give him a special recognition. In such a case, you will require a highly placed official (an icon) in your organization to make a brief remark about the Governor (an icon). This is because it is believed that it takes a remarkable person to appreciate the virtues of another remarkable person.

Today, we shall be examining the Tribute Speech. Tribute, in this context, can simply be defined as something given, done or said to express esteem for someone or something. 'Someone' in this definition refers to anyone who is distinguished and worthy of recognition while 'something' refers to anything outstanding such as laudable ideas, events, architectural pieces, awesome natural elements and any other thing considered to be positively unusual.

Tribute speeches are very unique in their own way. Though all types of brief remarks are largely similar, tribute speech is still different because of its purpose, content and style. Let us briefly examine some of the characteristics of tribute speeches: •They are narrative in nature: tribute speeches are mainly narrative. Since your aim is to appreciate an outstanding individual or thing, it is extremely necessary to tell us why such a person or thing deserves the honour. Hence, you will need to tell us some stories that will actually make us know that they are worthy of the recognition. This, of course, must be within a few minutes. We need not mention that the person giving the speech must be a good story teller who will be able to summarize a long story and yet bring out all the relevant aspects of it.

•They are emotional: well, you may find the tribute speech sharing this quality with several other brief remarks. The point here is that to create a sense of appreciation for someone or something, you have to stir up the emotions of your audience.

In Nigeria, for instance, we yearly pay tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives for the unity of the country during the civil war. Speeches delivered on such an occasion must appeal to the emotions of the listeners so that they can appreciate the sacrifice the soldiers made for the unity of the country. By the time reference is made to their parents becoming childless so that other parents can keep their own children, and some women becoming widows so that some others can keep their husbands, people will start getting emotional. That is the major purpose of a tribute speech; to make the audience know the contribution of the person or thing to the quality of live being currently enjoyed.

•They are inspirational: more often than not, tribute speeches end on an inspirational note. As a matter of fact, it will be an unusual speech that will not be inspirational.

This is because the person or thing being appreciated is being paraded as an example to be emulated. Hence, listeners are encouraged to take after the good works and become better people. They are encouraged to make their little contributions to making the world a better place so that they can also be remembered for good works.

There are also some very important things you have to keep in mind when developing a tribute speech. Here are a few of them: •Don't exaggerate the tribute: some people, in a bid to make the audience truly appreciate the recipient or simply to create humour, they exaggerate their speeches. This can really be uncomfortable because it can seem like a mockery of the entire event. It can also be embarrassing for the recipient when you praise him for what people know he didn't do. If you want to be humourous, be as careful as possible.

•Focus on the recipient: remember I said earlier that brief remarks are made by icons about icons? Good! The icon making the speech must be humble enough to focus on the recipient rather than himself. Some people, particularly if they have had similar achievements, start to talk about their own experiences and almost completely forget about the recipient, this is very wrong. It is not about you; so, let someone else tell your own story some other time.

•Be sincere: let the tribute come from your heart. If it is halfhearted, the audience will realize it. No need to pretend about it, if you feel you can't do the honours of delivering the speech, passes it on to the next person.

Dr. Amodu teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ogun State.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

SOCIETY TINUBU AT 62

•From right: Prof Yemi Osinbajo; Sharon Ikeazon and Mr Yemi Cardoso

•Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Mr Tunji Bello and his wife, Prof Ibiyemi

•Lagos State SolicitorGeneral Mr Lawal Pedro

•Former Lagos State Deputy Governor Mr Femi Pedro

•Doyin Group of Companies Chairman Chief Samuel Adedoyin

•House of Representatives Minority Leader Hon Femi Gbajabiamila (left) and Hon Abduol Baq Ladi-Balogun of Lagos State House of Assembly

•Yeye Oge of Lagos Chief Opral Benson (left) and Hajia Abba Folawiyo

•Ayangburen of Ikorodu Oba Salawudeen Oyefusi and his wife, Olori Muhibat

•Justice Ibrahim Olorunimbe (left) and Bashorun Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy

•Prof Adebayo Williams (left) and Dr Adesola Taiwo

•Hon Kehinde Bamigbetan

•Comrade Olabode Ola

•Member House of Representatives Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa

•From left: Alhaji Jubreel AbdulKareem; Hon Hakeem Bamgbola and Chairman, Lagos Drain Duck, Alhaji Akeem Apatira PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI AND MUYIWA HASSAN

52

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

SOCIETY Mr Olatunji Joshua Olugbodi, Managing Director of Verdant Zeal, an advertising and events management agency, joined the golden club last week. A lavish 50th birthday party was held for him in Lagos, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

A golden call H

E started as a reporter, but today he has carved a niche for himslef in advertising, where he rubs shoulders with the high and mighty. Joshua Olugbodi celebrated his 50th birthday in a big way in Lagos last Saturday.

Having emerged Best Graduating Student in the English Department of Ogun State University, AgoIwoye, Ogun State in 1987, Teejay as Olugbodi is fondly called, cut his footh in Journalism before rearing into advertising.

He won Promoserve Staff of the year Merit Award in 1990; Team Leader Recognition, Econet Project, 2002; coordinated and won a pitch for a West Africa campaign for British American Tobacco (BAT) launched in Burkina Faso in 2005 and launched the design for Main One, Africa's pioneer fibre optics company among others.

Guests including politicians, captains of industry, media and advertising giants came to share in his joy.

The Haven Events Centre in Ikeja GRA, Lagos venue of the celebration, was alive from noon till night. It was a day of fun, entertainment and encomiums.

Anchored by Comedians Gbenga Adeyinka and Helen Paul (A.k.a Tatafo), with music supplied

by Ayo Balogun-led band, Oludare and Disk Jockey (DJ) Jimmy Jatt, it was a day to remember.

The live band entertained guests for a while, before the ceremony started a few minutes to 2pm.

Deacon Gbenga Alamu set the ball rolling with a prayer.

Vanguard Publisher Mr Sam Amuka-Pemu, who chaired the event, described Olugbodi as his son and friend. In a speech laden with Pidgin English, he said:"Teejay could be my son; I fit born am. But we are friends. He is just a brand, a maverick brand. Teejay has always been part of Vanguard and would continue to be in the future”.

Amuka-Pemu supervised the cutting of the cake.

The five-layered cake was designed with Arsenal Football Club logo.

Olugbodi was the buet of jokes over the 6-0 drubbing of his team

by London rival Chelsea two weeks ago.

Olugbodi, looked unperturbed by the jibes.

The celebrator and his wife, Biyi, before hitting the dance floor went theatrical.

The drama was about how they met at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Benue State.

"It was raining that day, she was wet and I offered her my handkerchief. When she returned it, it was washed and properly ironed.

Since then I have taken interest in her," Olugbodi said.

His wife, corroborated the story.

According to Olugbodi, it took one-and-half years to get her to accept his proposal.

•Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi flanked by Olugbodi and his wife, Biyi

•Mr Biodun Sobanjo (right) and Bisi Olatilo

•Governor Fayemi (left) exchanging pleasantries with Mr Amuka-Pemu

•Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi and his wife, Wunmi

•Mr Abdulahi Gbolahan-Toriola and his wife, Tawa PHOTOS: ADEJO DAVID

The loving couple danced to the old tunes dished out by DJ Jimmy Jatt.

They returned to their seats for a while for tributes from friends and family members.

National Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Customs Service Mr Wale Adeniyi, set the ball rolling.

Adeniyi, corroborated the handkerchief story, adding that three years later, they (Olugbodi and Biyi) consummated their union.

“Tunji,” Adeniyi noted, "is a go-getter; when he sets out to accomplish something, he gets it. He has eyes for excellence and knows

how to get trendy things."

Michael Banjo, a friend of three decades, hailed Olugbodi's ability to manage crisis and propel people towards success.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who arrived after Mrs Olugbodi's remarks, described the celebrator as an epitome of excellence and someone to be celebrated in many ways.

"Our path crossed at The Guardian in the 80s. I went back to academia and now in politics but he continues to move round journalism," he said.

Governor Fayemi presented a book Building a life for integrity and excellence, written by Ayodeji

•Demola Haastrup-Laniyi

Ayopo to commemorate Olugbodi's birthday.

He urged him to continue toe-

ing the line of excellence.

Mrs Olugbodi described her husband as a man of many parts.

"He is a loving man, caring, Godly, gentle and humorous.

Teejay has a fault and his greatest weakness is work, work and work.

It is not fun working with Teejay because nothing is impossible with him. You (Olugbodi) have given me so much joy, may God continue to bless you," she said.

Others who showered encomiums on him were Mrs Folasade Oyinlola, a former neighbour; Yinka Olugbodi, Chris Alabi and Mrs Bola Thomas.

The event was rounded off on the dance floor.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

53

BUSINESS EXTRA Why govt is funding TCN, by board chair From Tayo Johnson,

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• From left: General Manager, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mr Bunmi Onafowokan; Managing Director, Mr Chandrasheker K. Thampy and Executive Director, Mr PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA Kunle Ade-Ojo at the unveiling of new Toyota Corolla held at Toyota Headquarter, Lekki, Lagos.

Fed Govt disburses N1.1b facility for rural empowerment

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HE Federal Govern ment through Rural Finance Institution Building (RUFIN) Programme, under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said it has disbursed N1.1 billion as loan facilities for rural empowerment and development.

RUFIN National Coordinator, Mr. Azeez Olumuyiwa, disclosed this while making a presentation on RUFIN’s Programme Implementation Report for the 8th Supervision Mission, yesterday in Abuja.

Glo showcases new services

S

ECOND national opera tor, Globacom, has or ganised a live demonstration of over ten brand new products and services.

The demonstration covers a broad spectrum of its offerings aimed at improving the way its subscribers live, work and play.

The live demonstration of the products and services which took place at Mike Adenuga Tower, Victoria Island was graced by Glo Ambassadors, WAJE, Naeto C, Bez, Chee, and Omawunmi, as well as a security chief, the Divisional Officer, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos, Mr. Sunday Olaiya.

Some of the services demonstrated include Glo Family and Friends Finder, Glo Game Store, Glo Medicare, Glo Mobile Newspaper, Glo Directory, Glo Borrow Me Credit, Glo Security Tips, Glo Love Zone, Glo Property Tips, Glo Daily Inspiration and Glo Legal Adviser.

According to Globacom’s Marketing Coordinator, Mr. Adeniyi Olukoya, the various offerings came out of rigorous research that spanned several months.

• ‘20,460 jobs created in 12 states’ From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

Olumuyiwa said the money was disbursed through micro-finance banks which were linked with the rural people who had access to the loan facility to develop their businesses and farms, thereby raising their standard of living.

He said: “We are working closely with 11 financial nongovernmental organisations in the 12 RUFIN states. We are also working closely

T

with 65 micro-finance banks, and 12 financial cooperatives.

“What we do for them is to develop their capacity, linking them with the rural people, farmers in 36 local government areas, linking them to the source of finance. Between 2013 and 2014, they have been able to mobilise and give credit worth N1.1 billion to the rural people.

“So they have been able to disburse this money to the nook and cranny of the oper-

ating states.”

He added that the programme has created 20, 460 jobs in the 12 states of Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Benue. Others are Edo, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Imo, Oyo and Zamfara.

He said: “The number of jobs created as a result of linkage and access to finance facilitated by RUFIN programme is 20,460 jobs in the 12 participating states.

“In Lagos for instance many groups in Epe LGA after linkage and credit from LAPO but 2 canoes per per-

NNPC seeks accelerated passage of PIB

HE Group Managing Director (GMD), Nige rian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu, yesterday appealed to the National Assembly to accelerate the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law.

Yakubu made the appeal during the NNPC Day at the ongoing Enugu International Trade Fair.

Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Port Harcourt Refin-

eries, Mr Vitalis Ugochukwu, the GMD said the bill, when passed into law, would facilitate the competitiveness of the NNPC in the global market.

“The PIB is change legislation which promises to offer our corporation all necessary incentives to enable it excel.

“The bill proposes the incorporation of the NNPC as a limited liability company which will be subject to the Companies and Allied Matters Act,” he said.

Yakubu said it is necessary for the new NNPC to be run as a pure business concern adding that it would enable the NNPC to raise funds from the capital market and pay dividends to its shareholders.

The bill, he said, would separate the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) into two entities, Nigerian Gas Transmission Company (NGTC) and the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC).

“In the same vein, the cur-

Railways’ bill scales second reading

A

son and employed 2 person per canoe to fish for them. A lot of other similar stories run through the various states.

“In the various participating states, 18,720 beneficiaries have been lifted out of poverty as a result of enhanced access to financial services and increase in income from Agricultural and Micro Enterprises”, he added.

According to him RUFIN does not give loan directly to rural people, rather work with the micro-finance banks and financial NGOs in order to surpass the N1.1 billion of 2013 in 2014.

BILL seeking to reposition the Nigerian railways system as key driver in the transport sector with capacity to create 60, 000 jobs, yesterday scaled second reading in the Senate.

The bill entitled: “An Act to Repeal the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and to Enact the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act 2013 for the Efficient Railway System in Nigeria and Other Matters” was sponsored by Senator Andy Uba (Anambra

• 60,000 jobs likely From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

South).

In his lead debate, Uba said the bill was aimed at reestablishling the railway as a key driver in the transport sector by transforming the NRC from a non- performing and debt-ridden corporation to a dynamic player in the transport sector.

He said the development would be achieved through strategic investments, new

policy initiatives and encouragement of private sector investment.

According to him, the thrust of the new law is to streamline the board membership, make provision for infrastructure concession arrangements for effective rail transportation within the railway system, provide for the development and implementation of the National Railway Policy and also provide for effective management of the railway transport sub-sector of the Nigerian economy, among other things.

rent PPMC (Pipelines ans Products Marketing Company) will be split into two entities, namely the National Transportation Logistics Company (NTLC) and the Product Marketing Company (PMC),” he said.

Yakubu also said while the NTLC would be wholly owned by government, the PMC would be wholly owned by the NNPC Ltd.

Ibadan

HE Federal Govern ment has said it is pre pared to provide funding to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN’s) facilities’ upgrade to improve power transmission across the country.

The Chairman, Supervising Board of TCN, Mr. Ibrahim Dahiru Waziri stated this yesterday when he led other members of the board to a facility tour at Ayede sub-station of TCN in Ibadan, Oyo State cpaital.

He spoke against the backdrop of the request of the TCN Oshogbo General Manager, Mr Vincent Aligwara who had earlier explained identified funding as the major challenge confronting the organisation.

Waziri who was represented by Peter Apeh (SAN) said: ”The challenges confronting our sub-stations are not new to us, but our greatest challenges is inadequate funding.”

He said the government will work out modalities on how to fund the organisation with the private operators who recently took over the company.

PUBLIC NOTICE OGUNYEMI I formerly known and address as OGUNYEMI EMMANUEL KAZEEM Now wish to be known and addressed as ALLI-KAZEEM ABIODUN. All former documents remains valid, general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE AGUBATA

I, Formerly known and addressed as MISS. OBIAGERI AGUBATA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OBIAGERI AGUBATA NDULUE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE ALIAGHA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss ALIAGHA CHISOM KINDNESS, Now wishes to be known and addressed as Mrs CHUKWUMA CHISOM KINDNESS. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

54

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 03-04-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 03-04-14

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

55

EQUITIES

A

Africa Prudential sure of stable returns

FRICA Prudential Registrars (APR) Plc is implementing long-term strategic plan that will create long-term and sustainable value for its shareholders.

Chairman, Africa Prudential Registrars (APR), Chief Eniola Fadayomi, gave this assurance yesterday at the annual general meeting of the company in Lagos. The assurance came on the heels of approval of dividend payout of N700 million by shareholders.

Fadayomi said APR has been able to surmount operating challenges and steady itself for impressive growth citing the 82 per cent growth in profit before tax from N667.5 million in 2012 to N1.2billion in 2013.

According to her, APR has put in place strategy to provide clear-cut direction to fully explore its resources and create value for shareholders.

“The company’s vision is to create long-term and sustainable value for our shareholders in our chosen markets. In order to realise this long-term objective, the company is making every effort to identify and take advantage of every investment opportunity that will

•Shareholders approve N700m dividend Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market editor

complement its long-term strategic objective,” Fadayomi said.

Managing director, Africa Prudential Registrars (APR) Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade said the company has witnessed different shades of positive turnaround with many notable giant strides in 2013, which won the company international recognition within a short period.

Shareholders commended the dividend payout of N700 million dividends, which translated to a dividend per share of 35 kobo.

National coordinator, Shareholders United Front (SUF), Mr. Gbenga Idowu, urged the management of the company to sustain the impressive profitability while ensuring that shareholders continue to reap from their investments.

National coordinator, Shareholders Renaissance Association of Nigeria, Mr. Olufemi Timothy described the dividend per share of

35 kobo as very encouraging, urging the company to sustain this feat.

“The 35 kobo dividend is highly impressive. It is a new company and this is the company’s first dividend. It is indeed commendable but the management should ensure that as the revenue increases, shareholders reward will increase as well,” Timothy said.

Audited report and accounts of the company for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that gross revenue rose by 78.6 per cent while pre and post tax profits jumped by 81 per cent and 63 per cent respectively.

Group turnover rose from N1.03 billion in 2012 to N1.85 billion in 2013. Profit before tax nearly doubled at N1.21 billion in 2013 compared with N667.54 million. After taxes, net profit rose from N561.65 million to N914.46 million. With earnings per share at 46 kobo, the company will be paying 76 per cent of net earnings to shareholders.

The balance sheet position of the company also emerged stronger as total assets grew by 91 per cent from N91.4 billion to N16.42 billion. Shareholders’ funds grew by 33.6 per cent to N4.33 billion as against N3.24 billion in previous year. Total liabilities had increased from N6.96 billion to N12.09 billion.

APR, formerly known as UBA Registrars, was unbundled from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group and its shares distributed to UBA’s shareholders in 2013. It subsequently made history as the first and only share registration company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

May & Baker records modest growth amidst financing pressures

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Fidelity Bank’s profit drops to N9b

F

IDELITY Bank Plc recorded a profit before tax of N9.03 billion in 2013 as the bank struggled with loan loss expenses and reduced income streams due to the monetary tightening policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Audited report and accounts of the bank for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed profit before tax of N9.03 billion, representing a 57.7 per cent decline from the N21.35 billion recorded in 2012. Gross earnings increased slightly by 6.5 per cent to N126.92 billion in 2013 as against N119.14 billion recorded in 2012.

Net interest income had dipped by 16.3 per cent to N30.81 billion as against N36.81 billion in previous year, as the bank struggled with spillovers that emanated from tightened

monetary conditions, which increased cost of funds. Non-interest income meanwhile recorded a modest growth of 4.0 per cent to N40.66 billion in 2013 compared with N39.10 billion in 2013. This was also impacted by the new tariff regime introduced by the CBN in second quarter of 2013. The report showed that operating expenses rose by 8.1 per cent to N54.82 billion as against N50.71 billion.

Meanwhile, the balance sheet of the bank firmed up as total assets rose by 18.2 per cent from N914.36 billion in 2012 to N1.08 trillion in 2013. Total customer deposits increased by 12.5 per cent from N716.75 billion to N806.32 billion while net loans and leases grew by 23.3 per cent to N426.08 billion as against N345.50 billion in previous year. Shareholders’ funds closed the year at N163.46 billion.

The bank noted that the increase in cost to

Kogi State to list companies on NSE

K

OGI State plans to restructure existing state-owned companies and private public partnership projects with a view to listing their shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State disclosed this yesterday during a visit to the NSE in Lagos. Kogi State had secured approval for a N5 billion 15 per cent Fixed Rate Bonds Series 1 due 2020 under the government’s N20 Billion bonds issuance programme. Wada said the second tranche of N5 billion of the bond issuance programme will take off in June, 2014.

He said Kogi State is seeking to partner with the capital market in building a virile state economy that provides opportunities for small and medium enterprises.

According to him, the state is looking forward to restructuring some of existing stateowned companies and private public partnership projects to make them viable for future listing on the NSE. He said the government has signed agreements with domestic and international investors to reposition these companies and bring them for listing on NSE in the future.

Wada said the net proceeds of the bond issue would be used to finance some projects

•To raise N5b bond in June scheduled for the current fiscal year.

According to him, the State will be raising a total of N20 billion through bond issuance for infrastructure financing. The bond exercise will be in four tranches of N5 billion each depending on the progress of the projects being undertaken.

He said that the first tranche was used for mass housing project and construction of roads in the state, expressing optimism that the second tranche will be oversubscribed.

He outlined that projects that are expected to substantially benefit from the second tranche of N5 billion include building of a hotel resort, renovation of all the historical centres in the state to boost tourism, housing projects and roads construction.

He assured that the funds would be utilised to address ongoing infrastructural projects which would add value to the state economy and support the growth of small and large scale enterprises.

“We are seeking to build an economy in Kogi by improving infrastructure facilities as this will bring people and investment into the state,” Wada said.

income ratio to 85.9 per cent from 71.1 per cent was due to increase in cost of funds due to tightened monetary conditions, increase in Asset Management Corporation of Nigerian (AMCON) levy from 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent of total assets, one-off N4.4 billion loan loss expenses related to clawback on loans earlier sold to AMCON, one-off N1.8 billion increased provision on gratuity and pension obligations, and the new tariff regime by CBN. Managing director, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, said the year was challenging as the business environment experienced increased volatility in response to the CBN’s tightened monetary stance and its impact on overall liquidity.

“Nevertheless, we are confident that an already expanding customer range, a growing loan book now focused on the retail segment will counter the impact of such costs in the future. We expect that this will provide strong momentum for wealth creation for all our stakeholders while we pursue new strategies for propelling our share of the Nigerian banking market,” Okonkwo said.

AY & Baker Nigeria Plc recorded appreciable increase in sales and midline profits in 2013 with controlled costs and improvements on its administrative and operational expenses. However, the bottom-line was constrained by increasing financing charges.

Key extracts of the audited report and accounts of the company for the year ended December 31, 2013 made available by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday showed a growth of 12.3 per cent in sales. Total sales rose from N5.67 billion in 2012 to N6.37 billion in 2013. Gross profit also increased by 9.2 per cent from N2.07 billion to N2.26 billion.

The company boosted its operating profit with 6.2 per cent reduction in administrative expenses. It controlled distribution, marketing and sales expenses to record a marginal increase to N1.29 billion on the N1.26 billion recorded in 2012. Administrative expenses reduced from N588.5 million in 2012 to N552.09 million in 2013.

With these, operating profit jumped by 172.1 per cent from N232.95 million in 2012 to N633.80 million in 2013. The achievements in midline profit was made despite a staggering provision of almost N240 million as provision for depreciation for the new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant recently built by the company.

While gross profit margin was steady at 35.5 per cent in 2013 as against 36.5 per cent in 2012, operating margin, which measures average profit on each unit of sales before deduction of taxes and finance charges and addition of non-operational incomes, more than doubled from 4.1 per cent in 2012 to 10 per cent in 2013.

However, the company remained under pressures from financing charges, the main downside to the huge new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, which was financed largely by loans. Finance costs rose by 34.3 per cent to N630.71 million in 2013 compared with N469.63 million in 2012, leading to a negative pre-tax profit of N11 million.

May & Baker had raised her capacity to produce more products with the construction of a world class pharmaceutical centre known as the May & Baker PharmaCentre located in Ota Ogun State. The PharmaCentre is one of the few Nigerian pharmaceutical facilities seeking international certification by the World Health Organisation.

Fed Govt praises DMO on $1b Euro bond

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HE Federal Govern ment yesterday lauded the Debt Management Office (DMO) for ensuring the effective utilisation of the proceeds from the issuance of the one billion dollars Euro bond ($1 billion) issued last year.

Vice President, Namadi Sambo, who is also the Chairman of the DMO board, gave the commendation at the 15th Supervisory Board Meeting of the DMO held at the State House, Abuja.

He expressed optimism that the proceeds would impact positively on the growth of the Nigerian economy and that it would provide the much needed funds in the areas of power generation, distribution and transmission, as well as in the agriculture, gas and aviation sectors.

He charged the DMO to continue with its good works as it was a key institution in the Transformation Agenda.

Speaking earlier, the Director-General of the

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

DMO, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo had briefed the meeting on the utilisation of the proceeds from the issuance of the Eurobond, which he noted was being disbursed to targeted sectors of the economy as directed by government.

Dr. Nwankwo also said in order to surmount the challenges, the Office had organised workshops and special training programmes for top policy makers and debt managers, aimed at institutionalising international best practices.

While thanking President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo for their commitment to the success of the activities of the DMO, he assured that the Office would continue to ensure effective management of the country’s debt profile.

The Board during the meeting ratified the appointment of an external auditor for the financial operations of the DMO, Messrs Sada Idris & Company, following the expiration of the tenure of its current external auditors.

56

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

MONEYLINK

Africa faces $40b yearly infrastructure deficit

E

CONOMIST and former Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O’Neill, has said Africa needs to bridge the $40 billion per annum investment deficit in the continent.

He spoke during the African Finance Corporation (AFC) conference on infrastructure held in Lagos.

O’Neill said infrastructure in general has been estimated to have the potential to add an average of two per cent to Africa’s economic

Stories by Collins Nweze

growth rate over the next decade as investment is brought to bear to bridge the deficit.

He said Africa’s future depends on the continent’s policy makers doing the right thing. “That is working to create better governance, reducing crime, fighting corruption and delivering improved infrastructure. Infrastructure development is both a defin-

ing challenge and a standout investment opportunity for Africa and investors around the world,” he said.

He said that Nigeria is growing at seven per cent despite poor access to power; decent power could boost economic growth to 10 to 12 per cent adding that there is no reason why the country should not become one of the G20.”

The conference attracted more than 500 leading thinkers from government, academia, business and fi-

nance, fuelled energetic debate on both the opportunities and the challenges of the African infrastructure landscape.

He said that infrastructure in general has been estimated to have the potential to add an average of two per cent to Africa’s economic growth rate over the next decade as investment is brought to bear to bridge the current approximately $40 billion per annum investment deficit.

Officer, Andrew Alli said there is great potentials in Africa which investors are keying into. “Our vision at the AFC is to bridge the infrastructure divide and seek a strong return for our shareholders at the same time. We believe our core role comes at the earliest stage of project conception and development. While international capital will be fundamental in bridging the investment divide, that capital will have nowhere to go if Africa does not focus on the development of bankable, sustainable projects,” he said.

Stanbic IBTC grows profit by 116 per cent TANBIC IBTC Holdings, a unit of South Africa’s Standard Bank, said yesterday its 2013 pretax profit rose to N24.62 billion, an increase of 116 per cent from N11.41 billion a year earlier.

Gross earnings grew to N111.22 billion during the period, compared with N91.86 billion in 2012, it said in a filing with the Nigeria Stock Exchange. Stanbic IBTC proposed a dividend of N0.10 per

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share, the same amount it paid in 2012.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, a member of The Standard Bank Group, is a full service financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth Management.

Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets. It is

Ghana raises bank cash limits to boost currency

rooted in Africa with strategic representation in 19 countries on the African continent, and headquartered in South Africa. Standard Bank has been in operation for over 150 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground banks in chosen countries in Africa and connecting other selected emerging markets to Africa and to each other, applying sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, globally.

HANA’S central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, while raising the cash reserve requirement for lenders to help curb inflation and bolster the worst-performing African currency this year.

The Monetary Policy Committee left the rate at 18 per cent, Governor Kofi Wampah told reporters today in the capital, Accra.

That was in line with the forecasts of five out of nine economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The rest had predicted an increase of 1 to 2 percentage points, following a 200 basis-point raise at an emergency meeting in February.

“The committee is of the view that the impulses of the recent monetary policy hike are still working through the system,” Wampah said. “The reserve requirement is meant to achieve quicker results. It’s not a tool we use often.”

Ghana is struggling to curb inflation that’s surged to a four-year high, fueled by a currency that lost a fifth of its value against the dollar last year and has already plunged 12 percent since the beginning of January. “The risk to inflation remains high,” Wampah said. “We did discuss raising the rate, it was a very tough decision.”

The rate increase on Feb. 6, which came a day after introducing currency controls, didn’t stop Fitch Ratings from lowering Ghana’s debt outlook last week to negative from stable, five months after downgrading the rating by one level to B, the fifth-highest non-investment grade.

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Firms propose uniform accounting practices

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HE Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) have proposed a comprehensive framework to bring consistency to management accounting practices around the world.

This, they have done through the launch of international consultation on new management accounting framework to be carried out in 177 countries.

CIMA regional director for Africa, Samantha Louis, said the

framework would help organisations make smarter, faster decisions for the long-term amidst growing complexity and change.

He said the draft framework, titled ‘Global Management Accounting Principles: Driving better business through improved performance’, is now out for consultation with feedback sought from businesses and institutions across the world – public and private, small and large. “Management accountants have the abil-

He said the draft principles outline the values and qualities that represent best practice management accounting on a global scale.

They include guidance on preparing relevant information, modeling value creation, communicating with impact and establishing the professional values of management accountants. The framework will include a diagnostic tool to help businesses and institutions ensure that they are making the most efficient use of key information.

ity to make objective, ethical decisions that are in the public interest.

Our principles enable organisations to leverage on financial and non-financial data,” he said.

Chairman of the International Integrated Reporting Council, Professor Mervyn King said: “I am pleased to see a framework that provides disciplined management accounting practices and ensures that reporting is fit for the 21st century. In an era of a gradual return to economic growth, integrated thinking is essential for sustainable value creation”.

DATA BANK

FGN BONDS Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

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

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market NIDF

N8250.00

5495.33

Price Loss

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

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

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

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

NEIMETH NPFMCRFBK OANDO TOTAL UBN TRANSEXPR OASISINS FLOURMILL NAHCO ROYALEX

1.21(1.45) 0.89 15.70 172.95 10.00 2.26 0.54 68.00 5.09 0.60

1.45 0.97 16.48 181.45 10.49 2.36 0.56 70.50 5.26 0.62

0.24 0.08 0.78 8.50 0.49 0.10 0.02 2.50 0.17 0.02

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

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 03-04-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CADBURY 116.84(75.00) 73.00 CONTINSURE 1.00 0.95 INTBREW 27.80 26.41 CAP 40.62 38.62 AVONCROWN 1.48 1.41 PAINTCOM 1.72 1.64 UBCAP 2.58 2.46 CUTIX 2.58 1.88 FIDELITYBK 2.02 1.93 UTC 0.53 0.51

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

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012

7 Days

9.0417

10.17%

30 Days

9.6667

11.46%

60 Days

11.2917

11.96%

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 155.16 ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.09 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.17 CANARY GROWTH FUND 0.68 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CORAL INCOME FUND 1,618.91 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,090.40 FBN HERITAGE FUND 114.02 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 0.78 NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND 1,898.70 • • • •

CHANGE -43.84 -0.05 -1.39 -2.00 -0.07 -0.08 -0.12 -0.09 -0.09 -0.02

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

NSE

Name

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 03-04-14

Date

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12

2754.67 Currency

OBB Rate

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

UBA UBA UBA UBA

Movement

BALANCED FUND BOND FUND EQUITY FUND MONEY MARKET FUND

1.2636 1.2952 0.9261 1.1574

Bid Price 154.40 9.08 1.07 1.17 0.67 1.33 2,616.04 1,090.11 113.22 1,087.00 1.62 1.03 142.62 0.76 1,894.36 1.2524 1.2524 0.9090 1.1574

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000

8.5000

Movement

57

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS

Reps, Gemade allege use of chemical weapons in Benue T HE House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons by Fulani herdsmen in Benue State.

This followed the adoption of a motion by the Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Ms. Christina Alaaga.

The House called on security agencies to ensure adequate security on the Makurdi-Nakka Highway, which has been abandoned due to sustained attacks in the last few months.

It directed the Department of State Security (DSS), the Army and the Police to arrest the perpetrators.

The lawmakers called on the Federal Government to compensate farmers, who have lost their crops, and source of livelihood.

The lawmakers urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to victims of the attacks.

Ms. Alaaga said a dangerous dimension had been introduced into the attacks, with the alleged use of chemical weapons.

She said: “If this deadly practice is not stopped, the

Troops clear three Benue councils From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

T

HE Defence Headquarters said yesterday that soldiers have cleared three local governments in Benue State of armed bandits in a mission, tagged: ‘Operation Restore Peace’.

A statement by the Director of Defence Information, MajGen Chris Olukolade, said the troops have restored normalcy in Guma, Gwer West and Agatu local government areas. The spokesman added that the troops also made some arrests.

The statement said: “The mission has also resulted in the destruction of militant camps, arrests as well as recovery of arms in Shendam area of Plateau State.

“Two AK 47 rifles were recovered after an encounter with troops of Special Task Force (STF) and armed gangs in their enclaves in Shimanker in Plateau State.

“In Kaduna State, militant camps in Ladduga near Kachia were destroyed; arms were equally recovered in Maigungume Hills in Niger State.

“Formation commanders of the Army have moved to the various states in their area of responsibility to conduct the operations aimed at addressing deteriorating security situation in parts of the North Central.

“General Officers Commanding (GOCs) are directly supervising these operations in their areas of responsibility in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger states as troops comb forests in the mission to apprehend members of armed gangs and destroy their enclaves.”

From Onyedi Ojiabor and Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

consequences will be catastrophic.

“We are presently faced with a humanitarian crisis

Rainstorm kills two in Benue •100 electricity poles destroyed

T

WO people were killed and property worth millions destroyed in a rainstorm at Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday. The storm pulled down many trees.

The victims died at the Northbank area of Makurdi when an electricity pole fell on a bungalow.

A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mike Aondoakaa, was worse hit as his rice milling plant collapsed.

The roof of the plant was blown off and this affected the air compressor, ware house, parboiling unit and elevator. Processed rice worth N100 million was destroyed.

The Makurdi Business Unit of Jos Electricity Dis-

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

tribution Company said more than 100 electric poles were destroyed.

The business manager, John Emeruwa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the company had sustained “colossal damage”.

“The storm caused colossal damage to our facilities in Otupko, Ugbokolo and Makurdi.

“More than 100 electrical poles were destroyed in Makurdi. The damage is immense; we have informed our head office in Jos. “Otukpo and Ugbokolo also had similar incidents but it was not like that of Makurdi. This is going to cost a lot to fix.”

Emeruwa assured the company’s customers that full electricity supply to Makurdi and environs would be restored soon.

of internally displaced persons.

“It is pathetic to see women and children moving enmasse on the roads

Police, Navy clash in Kwara

A

POLICE patrol team and some naval personnel attached to a former chief of naval staff clashed yesterday at OmuAran in Kwara State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the clash, which started before mid-day, caused residents to scamper for safety.

A military patrol team on a special assignment in the town stopped the brawl after more than 30 minutes of confusion.

NAN reports that canisters of tear gas were fired before the warring parties could be dispersed.

Vehicular movement on Aperan Way, the major road linking the state with neighbouring Ekiti State, was blocked as a result of the brawl.

An eye-witness said the police patrol team from the Omu-Aran Police Command accosted a navy personnel, who had escorted

Society holds annual Maolid Nabiyy today

T

HE Ibadullahi Lil-ir-Shad Society of Nigeria, Ifo, Ogun State, will mark the annual Maulid Nabiyy today.

The theme is: The Way to Peace and venue is the N.U.D Playing Ground, Olose, Ifo. The event will feature a special prayer for the peace of the community, state and Nigeria and a fund raising for the com-

pletion of its mosque.

Imam Ibraheem Salmin Ajilogbaaso is the chief host while Sheikh Rasak Aduagba will be the guest speaker.

Other guests expected include: Alhaji Tajudeen Bello as Father of the Day, Alhaja Suwebatu Adeshete, Mother of the Day, the Olu of Ifo, Oba Samuel Atanda Oladipupo and Alhaji Mubashiru Bisiriyu.

Outing service for Princess Oyadele

A

•The late Princess Oyadele

N outing and thanksgiving service for Princess Felicia Gbelewele Oyadele, nee Oyewale Alabi will hold on April 19.

The service will be held at the St Moses Orimolade Cherubim & Seraphim Church, Ijabe OdoOtin Local Government Area, Ogun State at 10am.

carrying what little belongings they could salvage.”

Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning, Barnabas Gemade, said there was the need to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons because “injuries caused by such weapons had become widespread” in the affected areas.

Gemade called on soldiers deployed in the state to abide by their rules of engagement, eschew indiscipline and demonstrate professionalism and impartiality.

In a statement by his media aide, Benji Ugba Uyeh, the senator thanked the Federal Government for deploying soldiers in the state.

The statement said the Senate called for an action to curb the activities of the invaders.

It said the Senate also made a case to “ensure that the victims are returned to their homes and farmlands to forestall famine”.

Gemade urged affected communities to cooperate with the soldiers to ensure that normalcy is restored in the state.

Guests will be entertained at the Aladura Primary School field, Ijabe Odo-Otin, Ogun State.

Princess Alabi died on December 4, last year.

She was 120.

She was buried the following day in Ijabe OdoOtin Local Government Area, Ogun State.

his boss’ wife to the market.

“I was standing right here and the police patrol team accosted the navy personnel, who had come to the market with the wife of retired Vice-Adm. Samuel Afolayan.

“I think there was a kind of misunderstanding between them and within few seconds the disagreement turned physical before the intervention of the army,” the source said.

The Divisional Police Officer in Omu-Aran, Adamu Zawah, said the situation had been put under control.

Zawah urged residents to go about their businesses.

Kwara to establish grazing reserves

T

HE Kwara State government announced yesterday that it will establish grazing reserves to stop incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

The government said it has identified the masterminds of last year’s clash between herdsmen and some villagers in Alapa, Asa Local Government Area.

Commissioner for Information and Communications Tunji Moronfoye said this after the state’s executive council meeting.

He said the names of five persons had been forwarded to the police for further investigation.

Moronfoye said anyone found culpable will face the wrath of the law.

“I want to make it clear that

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

the administration of Abdulfatah Ahmed will not tolerate any infringement on the law.

“We intend to keep the peace, keep Kwara as the State of Harmony, which it has always been.

“We are going to get grazing reserve and there is going to be stock routes, which would be followed so that they don’t affect farms and produces, which will ensure food security.

“The stock routes where these cows and live stocks will go through is going to be clearly defined and this grazing reserve would be established everywhere in Kwara State.”

Kano hoteliers sue Hisbah board

H

OTELIERS Association of Nigeria in Kano State has instituted a N100 million suit against the State Hisbah Board for reportedly attacking, disrupting and confiscating the property of its members.

The hoteliers sought an order of perpetual injunc-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

tion, restraining the Hisbah Board from attacking, brutalising and breaking into hotels.

The group’s president, Augustine Ebeziamako, alleged that the Board raided many hotels, thereby infringing on the rights of its members.

Camps for IDPs in Benue

T

HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday it had established 11 camps for 100,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from eight crisisridden local governments in Benue State.

NEMA Coordinator for Northcentral Mohammed Abdulsalam, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, said: “Each camp has a minimum of 8,500 IDPs. “The camps are just too populated and we are thinking of establishing more because more people are trooping into Makurdi from areas that have not been attacked.

“People trek tens of kilometres in rural areas with children and loads on their heads to nowhere in particular because of the fear of the unknown.

“The people said the attackers pounce on them without any notice, so, it is better for them to relocate to Makurdi.’’

Kwankwaso destroys fake drugs

F

AKE drugs worth N318 million have been destroyed by Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso at Farawa, a suburb of Kano city.

The governor said the drugs were seized at Tannery warehouse, Bompai, Airport road by Raccah and some markets in Kano me-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

tropolis.

“It is only in Nigeria that people sell medicine anyhow and in unauthorised places,” Kwankwaso said.

He said if such measures were not taken, youths would be exposed to drug abuse and its related consequences.

58

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

NEWS Niger Delta master plan impracticable, says Minister

T

HE Niger Delta master plan, launched by the Federal Government with fanfare cannot work, Supervising Minister of the Niger Delta Darius Ishaku said yesterday.

According to him, the plan is not practicable.

He said what is needed to accelerate infrastructural growth and development of the oil-rich region is not a master plan but a physical development plan.

Ishaku, who as Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, was part of the Master plan which was launched last year in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, when Mr. Godswill Orubebe was minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja while receiving the leadership award of Grand Commander of Niger Delta and Peace Medal on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, from the Niger Delta Peace Initiative Project, (NDPIP).

He said: “ Last year, we launched the Niger Delta devel-

A

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

opment plan, but I keep on saying repeatedly that what they called master plan is not a master plan, I am a planner, and I have told you that in my years of experience in this profession, what we need in Niger Delta is a Physical development plan.

Physical development plan is a plan that tells you physically what is on ground. What and what needs to be done and when to do it and how to do it.

“So that at the end of the day, if the parts are fixed together, you develop from all parts and at the end of it, if you put the different parts together, you will realise that you have made more progress.

“Physical development plan means man sits down and conceives ideas of the areas based on the problems and the relations he has based on the fact on the ground, then he puts a physical project. When you are developing an area, you will go in the sequence of five years, 10 or 15 years, all the parts come

together. As it is now we are developing differently. “ The minister also spoke on the East-West road which he said government is committed to its completion.

He said government had taken necessary steps to ensure that the project is delivered by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Ishiaku blamed lack of funds for the postponement of the completion date for the project.

He said the ministry was yet to access the N93.9 billion Subsidy Reinvestment Programme, SURE-P allocation to it for this 2014, saying: “We only accessed the ones of 2012 and 2013.”

He added: “We are presently approaching the Infrastructural Development Bank (IDB), to source for loan; we are expecting the remaining 50 per cent of the ADB loan and the SURE-P. So, by the time we put all these together, the road will receive adequate funding.”

He added also that the ministry was making progress in the construction of skill acquisition centres, youth empower-

ment, which according to him, has contributed in reducing the incidence of militancy in the region.

The minister added: “Being able to engage the minds of our youth is very critical. Our skills acquisition centres are used for this purpose.

“The trainees will be held in factories and those who wish to set up their own businesses after the training will be empowered to do so.’’

“A total of 500 youths will be mobilised for training in various skills at the commissioning of the skills acquisition centre in Otuoke,” he said.

Ishaku recalled that the ministry in 2008 initiated the establishment of skill acquisition centres in the nine oil producing states of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa Rivers, Edo, Ondo, Imo and Abia.

President of Niger Delta Peace Initiative Project (NDPIP), Mr. Julius Enehikhuere urged the Federal Government to review upward the annual budgetary allocation to the ministry.

Senator Ngige testifies before tribunal

LMOST six months after the November 16, 17 and 30, 2013 Governorship election in Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to release ballot papers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate Senator Chris Ngige for analysis.

Bona Oraekwe, one of the witnesses, stated this yesterday at the Anambra State elections petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka.

He spoke on the day APC candidate Dr. Chris Ngige testified.

He was in the dock alongside

Kingsley Ezenwenyi, a collation agent of the APC during the election.

Besides, the tribunal received some evidence from Ngige and his party, which were tendered

by Oraekwe in 10 Local government areas including Orumba North, with 13 units which were admitted in evidence, Anaocha, Ekwusigo, Njikoka, Onitsha South, Awka North, Awka South, Idemmili South and Nnewi North.

Four voter’s registers for Ogbaru Council area were also tendered.

The documents supplied to the tribunal by Oraekwe were those he identified as having one fault or the other during the said election which were Certified True Copies (CTCs).

Ngige whose evidence was disrupted by objections from opposition lawyers, told the tribunal how a letter was written to INEC complaining of wrong doings during the said election on November 16, 2013.

When the letters were sought to be tendered by Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), they were opposed by the defendants

After a heated argument, the tribunal rejected the first letter from the petitioners to INEC on the basis that it was not certified true copy.

The ruling on the second letter written by APC on the 17th November, 2013 a day after the election was deferred to today (Friday) for ruling.

Ngige dressed in navy blue traditional dress remained calm all through the proceeding.

The tribunal resumes sitting today for continuation of Ngige’s testimony.

Six die of cholera in Jos

S

IX people have died of cholera in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Over 113 others are on admission at various hospitals.

The outbreak was noticed in parts of Bassa and Jos North local governments between Tuesday and yesterday.

It was gathered that four persons died in Rukuba village, Bassa Local Government and two others in Jos North Local Government.

The family of Ayuba Larab was said to have lost a 65-year-old woman; six other members of the family have been hospitalised.

Deputy Director, Epidemiology in the Ministry of Health Dr. Raymond Juryit, said the incident in Bassa has been confirmed but that of Jos North was still being investigated.

He said the case in Bassa was professionally handled and was responsible for the lesser number of deaths recorded.

Juryit said: “A woman suffered from diarrhea and was admitted in the hospital and she died the following day. In the course of preparing food for the funeral, some members of the family de-

•113 hospitalised From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

veloped the same symptoms.

“We cannot conclude now that it is cholera because we have taken the samples and those with the symptoms have been admitted at Plateau Specialist Hospital. “The samples were being analysed, but we cannot wait for the result before we start treating them. We are suspecting cholera and have put them on that routine, but the full confirmation will come with the results.

“That of Rukuba in Bassa has been brought under control and there is no danger in that place now. I am happy about the way it was handled because it was done professionally. If people report to the hospital, this can be treated because it is a simple disease.

“It requires replacing the fluids and electrolytes that the patient has lost in quick time.”

He advised people to observe simple hygiene by washing their hands before eating and keeping their environment clean.

We’ve respect for judiciary, says APC Continued from page 4

trailed the judgment or by whatever strange coincidence when the enrolled order of this judgment was finally received by our counsel it did not contain any part of the offensive obiter advising the defecting legislators to vacate their seats.

“Once again we wish to reiterate our position that we have nothing but the most profound respect for the Judiciary.

“We however once again warn the PDP led Jonathan ad-

ministration to stop compromising and destroying all our institutions.

“The humiliating treatment the former President of the Court of Appeal Justice Ayo Salami received in the hands of President Jonathan-led administration is still fresh in the minds of all Nigerians.

“Therefore if anyone is guilty of compromising, intimidating and humiliating the Judiciary, it is President PDP-led Admnistration.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

59

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

60

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, LAGOS DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

S/N

NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON:

1. Mrs. Fidelia Ezeh otherwise known as Fidelia Urama. Late of Block 300, Amuwo Odofin Esate, Mile 2, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of September, 2010 at Lagos.

2. Pa. Adefioye Adama Bademosi. Late of No. 16, Adeyemi Street, Orile, Iganmu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of September, 2000 at Lagos.

3. Edith Usenbor (Mrs) otherewise known as Edith Aghariagbonse Isibor. Late of AI, Street, Apeka Esate, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 2nd day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

4. Racheal Bolanle Adenuga otherwise known as Chief Mrs. Racheal Bolanle Adenuga. Late of No. 3, Ogunsiji Close, Off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 19th day of July, 2012 at U.S.A. 5. Mr. Oshodi Toyin. Late of No. 32, Oshodi Street, Lagos Island. Who died intestate on the 6th day of August, 2002 at Lagos.

6. Alhaja Jarinatu Asabi otherwise known as Jarinatu Asabi Folami. Late of 15A, Oke Oyinbo Street, Lekki, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 21st day of June, 2008 at Lagos.

7. Nnamani Jude Chizoba otherwise known as Etiokwe. Late of No. 32, Ogunmade Street, Teni, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

8. Halim Peter. Late of 16, Ojo Kadiri Street, Olive Park Estate, Oko-Ado, Ajah. Who died intestate on the 11th day of October, 2012.

9. Lanre Rasaq Ajimati. Late of No. 6, Alhaji Ajala Street, Orile Iganmu , Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of July, 2012 at Lagos.

10. Ohiafi Sedi. Late of No. 29, Freeman Street, Lagos Island. Who died intestate on the 7th day of August, 2013 at Lagos.

11. Mr. Julius Ekundayo Komolafe. Late of No. 6, Jaiyesimi Street, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

12. Mr. Christopher Ugwunna. Late of 14, Alukago Street, Okokomaiko, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

13. Mr. Obatimehin Adeleke. Late of N0. 18, Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of December, 2009 at Lagos.

14. Mr. Herbert Anijekwu Ikechukwu otherwise known as Anijekwu Herbert Ikechukwu. Late of No. 49, Western Avenue, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of September, 2013 at Lagos.

15. Miss Adebayo Remi. Late of No. 39, Orisan Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of June, 2011 at Lagos.

16. Miss Adebayo Bolanle. Late of No. 39, Bankole Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of January, 2012 at Ogbomoso.

17. Miss Aigbiro Victoria. Late of No. 16, Olayiwola Owoya Street, Oworonshoki, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 1st day of July, 2013.

18. Adele Victoria Oluwole. ;ate of N. 11, Adeyinka Street, Ilupeju, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of July, 2013.

19. Obi Izuchukwu Aloysius. Late of No. 6, Tejumola Street, Alafia Orile, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

20. Theresa Adedigba Marques. Late of Block 380, Flat6, Ilasan Housing Estate, Jakande, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

21. Mrs. Ebele Angel Eke otherwise known as Mrs. Ebele Angela Eke. Late of 15, Lateef Rufai Way , Liverpool Estate, Ijegun, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

22. James Rider Amarteifio. Late of No. 41, Dipo Olubi Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

23. Adedigba Shuarau. Late of No. 10B, Ismail Lane, Sari Iganmu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

24. Mr. Musa Garuba. Late of road 10, Wetip Lekki Ajah, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

25. Mr. Emmanuel Mabin Aleji. Late of No. 2, Abiye Street, Iwaya, Yaba, lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of Ocotber, 2008 at Ogoja.

26. Ojikwu Kudirat otherwise known as Odunewu Kudirat Mojisola. Late of No. 38, Obun Eko Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 1st day of November, 2013 at lagos.

27. Mebinuaye Folorunsho. Late of No. 17, Olanrewaju Street, Ejigbo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of September, 2013 at Lagos.

28. Quadri Suarau Olaitan otherwise known as Suarau Olaitan Quadri and Quadri Olaitan Suarau. Late of 1, Ondo street, Aguda, Ogba, Lagos.

29. Mrs. Funmilayo Onimole. Late of No. 81, Church Street, Makoko Yaba, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of December, 1997 at lagos.

30. Akeju Aderemi Adetoyobo. Late of No. 8, Aderemi Akeju Street, Gbagada Sholuyi, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 11th day of March, 1991 at Lagos.

31. Mrs. Anthonia Adeyemi. Late of No. 105, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 12th day of December, 2002 at Lagos.

32. Alhaji Fatai Ademoritan Dosumu otherwise known as Alhaji Dosumu Fatai A. late of No. 95, Ladega Street, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 5th day of Janaury, 2011 at Lagos.

33. Olufarati Babatope Micheal otherwise known as Olufarati Babatunde Babatope Micheal. Late of No. 1, Unity Avenue Gasline, Agbado, Ogun State. Who died intestate on the 11th day of November, 2011.

34. Mrs. Sarah Oyenike Oguntinde. Late of Block 114, Flat 57, Iba Housing Estate, Ojo Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of August, 2009.

35. Ighoche Johnson. Late of Obhdibo L.G.A. Benue State. Who died intestate on the 28th day of January, 2011.

36. Nnoduo Felicia. Late of No. 66, Tunner Eradiri Street, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of January, 2009 at Port Harcourt.

37. Oni Afusat. Late of 202, Idewu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of August, 2013.

38. Mr. Babatunde Jonah Olowe. Late of No. 22, Azeez Olasoebikan Street, Orile, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of December, 2012.

39. Mr. Jaja Sonny Williams. Late of No. 41 Road, A Close , Block 2, Flat 2, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of January, 2013 at Lagos.

40. Mr Awoniyi Elkanah Ayotunde. Late of 32, Ogunleye Street, Bariga, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 5th day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

41. Faith Nwosu. Late of 16, Ogunleye Street, Okorube, Ikotun, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of September, 2013.

42. Osinowo Oyedeji Emmanuel. Late of No. 22, Alabi Street, Shomolu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

43. Sado Daniel Afebuamhe. Late of No. 11, Akintoye Street, Off Bale Aiyetoro, Ajegunle, Apapa Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of December, 2012.

44. Mrs. Ajala Mosidat Abiodun. Late of No. 8, Sosanya Street, Onipanu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of March, 2012 at Lagos.

45. Abiola Raheem otherwise known as Abiola Raimi Olaiya. Late of No. 8B, Ojo Oniyun Street, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of June, 2008 at Lagos.

46. Mr. Ishola Sulaimon Omoniyi. Late of No. 9, Ibari Street, Ifako Agege, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

47. Alhaji Rahman Adekunle Liafisi otherwise known as (A.S.P). Late of No. 22, Olofin Street, Epe Lagos State. Who died intestate on the 12th day of April, 2013.

48. Elimian Monday Okojie otherwise known as Ozomoya. Late of No. 21, Bola Street, Isheri, Oshun Alimosho, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 3rd day of May, 2013 at Lagos.

49. Alhaji Abdulateef Ayodele Ibrahim. Late of No. 7, Imama Dauda Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of February, 2009 at Lagos.

50. Salami Rosaline Omoaregha (Mrs.). late of No. 6, modupe Adewoye Close, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of July, 2013 at Lagos.

51. Olajorin Peter. Late of No. 15, Sarki Street, Mahuta, Kaduna State. Who died intestate on the 14th day of December, 2013 at Kaduna State.

52. Bode Olugbayo. Late of No. 23, Afinjuomo Street, Mile 12, Ikorodu Road, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of May, 2013 at Lagos.

53. Mr. Lawrence Chinaka Ibezim. Late of No. 6, Eket Close, Area 8, Garki Abuja. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of May, 2010.

54. Mrs. Martha Nwachukwu. Late of 3, Daramola Street, Isheri, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 19th day of November, 2013 at Lagos.

55. Abdul Adejoh. Late of No. 6, Iya Oloye Crescent, Maryland, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of February, 2012 at Lagos.

56. Joshua Esogunum. Late of No. 7, Sanusi Street, Ajegunle, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 11th day of September, 2009 at Anambra State.

57. Ogbonna Joshua. Late of No. 15, Kushimo Street, Itire Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of April, 2010 at Lagos.

58. Musili Salami Agbaje. Late of No. 46, Araromo Street, Oshodi, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of May, 2011 at Lagos.

59. Ekarume Mosunmola Mrs. Late of No. 4, Obokun Close, Ikeja. Who died intestate on the 6th day of July, 2005 at Lagos.

60. Lady Florence Duronike Oluokun. Late of 108, Abibu Adetoro Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of November, 2012 at Lagos 61. Shonoiki Wahabi Banjoko. Late of No. 36, Lagos Road, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

62. Mr. Abubakar Omoniyi Suberu. Late of No. 1, Ojerinde Street, Mushin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 27th day of May, 2008 at Lagos.

63. Mrs. Oluremi Josephine Enitan Adeosun. Late of 26, Sam Shonibare Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

64. Hakeem Atanda Balogun. Late of 5th Avenue, G Close, House 6, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of May, 1999.

65. Mr. Adegbenro Adefolaju Olayinka otherwise known as Adegbenro Olayinka. Late of 3, Moleye Street, Yaba, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of September, 2000.

66. Mr. Boniface C. Chukwujekwu. Late of 7, Olayemi Street, Mazamaza, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 13th day of June, 2012.

67. Ejikene Onwumere. Late of 11, Braimoh Street, Bariga, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of January, 2012.

68. Nwaorgu James. Late of 19, Ogunbowale Street, Ilasamaja, lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of July, 2012.

69. Mrs. Margaret Ugbone Renner. Late of House 11, G Close, 21 Road, 2nd Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 13th day of February, 2011.

70. Mrs. Adenrele Olubunmi Victoria Nee Adegbenro otherwise known as Olubunmi Adegbenro. Late of 37, Adeshile Street, Mushin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of December, 2009.

71. Adelabu Taiwo Adegoke otherwise known as Adelabi Ajani. Late of 6, Ifidi Close, Signboard Bus-stop, Ado, Ajah, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 17th day of August, 2013.

72. Mr. Johnson Nwokeocha Ijioma. Late of 22, Alhaji Nuru Street, Lawanson. Who died intestate on the 3rd day of October, 1989.

73. Mrs. Maria Mogaha. Late of 10, Obanikoro Compound, Obanikoro, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of March, 2010.

74. Otunba Olukoga Oluwunmi. Late of 17, Yusuf Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of April, 2003.

75. Muritala Abayomi Twins. Late of No. 2, Sir Micheal Otedola Crescent, G.R.A. Ikeja. Who died intestate on the 11th day of July, 2013.

76. Ogede Efeubhobo Smart. Late of No. 21, Silver Street, Olodi Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of October, 2012.

77. Pa. karimu Ajagbe. Late of No. 85, Broad Street, Layeni Court. Who died intestate on the 1st day of January, 2013.

78. Osarobo Osayi, otherwise known as Evbuomwnan Osayi Edward Osarobo. Late of No. 59, Buhari Street, Ogudu Ojota, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of July, 2011 at Lagos.

S/N

NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT

1. Onyebuchi Eze (Mr.) and Mrs. Victoria Agwu (Nee Urama), of Block 300, Amuwo Odofin Estate, Mile 2, Lagos and 28, Akogu Street, Orilowo Ejigbo, Lagos. Widower and sister to the deceased.

2. Mr. Adebiyi A. Bademosi and Mrs Ikusika Modupe A. Both of No. 18, Idowu Bashorun Street, Idimu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

3. John Usenbor, Elizabeth Esohe Gbokoyi and Fidelis Osa usenbor. All of No A1 Street, Apeka Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Widower and children to the deceased.

4. Dr. Babafemi Adenuga and Miss Ayodele Adenuga. Both of No. 3, Ogunsiji Close, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

5. Oyeronke Ajike Amoniyan and Iyabode Oshodi. Both of No. 32, Oshodi Street, Lagos Island. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

6. Alhaji Sikiru Oladipupo Folami and Mr. Olugbenga Odusanya of Block 97, Flat 5, Jakande Esate, Ilasan and No. 15A, Oke Oyinbo Street, Lekki, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

7. Mr. Nnamani Festus, Mr. Nnamani Chinedu and Mrs. Nnamani Adaobi. All of No. 27, Agbebeji Street, Abule Ado, Lagos.

Brothers and widow to the deceased.

8. Mrs. Halim Osaki, Mr Peter Junior Halim and Mr. Paul Halim. All of 16, Ojo Kadiri Street, Olive Park Estate, Oko-Ado, Ajah.

Widow and children to the deceased.

9. Mrs. Toyin Ajimati, Miss Damilola Ajimati and Femi Mude of No. 6, Alhaji Ajala Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos and No. 60, Akobi Crescent, Surulere, Lagos. Widow, daughter and brother to the deceased.

10. Alidu Ohiafi and Saliu Ohiafi. Both of No. 29, Freeman Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

11. Niyi Komolafe and Shade Komolafe of No. 9, Owoduni Street, Onipanu, Lagos and No. 76, Apapa Street, Shomolu, Lagos.

Children to the deceased.

12. Mrs. Veronica Ugwunna and Franklin Chinasa Ugwunna. Both of No. 14, Alukago Street, Okokomaiko, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

13. Mr. Obatimehin Seun Oyetakin and Mrs. Obatimehin Evelyn. Both of No. 81, Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

14. Mrs. Rita Anijekwu and Miss Benita Anijekwu. Both of No. 8, Jakpor Street, Jakande Estate, Okokomaiko, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

15. Adebayo Adekunle Gbolahan and Adebayo Babatunde. Both of No. 39, Orisan Street, Lagos. Father and brother to the deceased.

16. Sunday Adebayo and Olusola Adebayo. Both of No. 39, Bankole Street, Lagos. Two brothers of the deceased.

17. Mr. Aigbiro Ebenezer and Miss Aigbiro patience. Both of No. 4, Ajoke Street, Iwaya Yaba, Lagos. Brother and sister to the deceased.

18. Matthew Adele and Olushola Adele of No. 2, Oyero Street, Off Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

19. Mrs. Angela Obi and Celestine Obi. Both of No. 6, Tejumola Street, Alafia Orile, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

20. Mrs. Gbemisola Moradeyo, Bamidele Olatokunboh .C. Ajayi and Vitalis Otunba Payne. All of Block 380, Flat 6, Ilasan Housing Estate, Jakande, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

21. Anthony Ikechukwu Eke and Augustine Ndubusi Anachunam. Both of No. 15, Lateef Rufai Way, Liverpool Estate, Ijegun, Lagos. Widower and brother to the deceased.

22. Theresa Ackom and Mrs. Mercy Asabre of No. 41, Dipo Olubi Street, Surulere, Lagos and No. 39, Adigun Street, Ijesha, Lagos.

Widow and junior sister to the deceased.

23. Mrs Risikat Adedigba and Alhaji Jami Abiodun of No. 10B, Ismail Lane , Sari Iganmu, Lagos and No. 22, Ijero Road, Apapa Road, Ebute-metta, Lagos . widow and brother to the deceased.

24. Mrs. Moria Garuba and Amuda Garuba. Both of Road 10, Wetip Lekki, Ajah, Lagos. Widow and one of the children to the deceased.

25. Mrs. Celilia Mabin Aleji and Alfred Mabin Aleji. Both of No. 2, Abiye Street, Iwaya Yaba, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

26. Odunsi Akinola Kazeem and Sidikat Adebisi kazeem. Both of No. 38, Obun Eko Street, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

27. Mrs. Ebiare Folorunsho and Olamide Folorunsho. Both of No. 23B, Iwamimo Street, Ejigbo, Lagos. Son and Spouse to the deceased.

28. Mr. Latifu Quadri and Miss Ganiat Quadri. Both of No. 1, Ondo Street, Aguda Ogba, Lagos. Two of the children to the deceased.

29. Mrs. Ajoke Alayande, Mr Olugbenga Tiamiyu, Mr. Babatunde tiamiyu and Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olofinbiyi of No. 27, Olumo Street, Onike Yaba, 4th Avenue, G Close, House 13, Festac Town, Lagos, No. 4, Ijaoye Street, Jibowu, Lagos and No. 1, Olufemi Olofinbiyi Street, keke Ijanikin, Badagry, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

30. Mrs. Akeju Busola, Akeju Adeleke. Both of No. 8, Aderemi Akeju Street, Gbagada Sholuyi , Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

31. Modupe Abiola Popoola and Adewale Abimbola Adeyemi. Both of No. 105, Awolow Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

32. Mrs. Adesola Dosumu Jimoh, Mr. Quadri Adebola Dosumu, Alhaja Sekinat Oyenuga Dosumu and Mr. Yekini Olatunji Aregbesola. All of No. 95, Ladega Street, Ikorodu, Lagos. Children, sister and nephew to the deceased.

33. Olufarati Adebayo Johnson, Olufarati Samuel Olufemi and Mrs Olufarati Jumoke. All of No. 1, Unity Avenue, Gas Line, Agbado Ogun State. Widow and two of the children to the deceased.

34. Mrs Olatunji Oluwatosin, Mr Oguntinde Hakeem Oyeniyi, Mr. Oguntinde Olukayode Habeeb and Miss Oguntinde Damilola Abayomi. All of Block 114, Flat 57, Iba Housing Estate , Ojo, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

35. Matthew Ighoche and Emmanuel Ighoche. Both of No. 2, Olagbon Close, Alagbado. Brothers to the deceased.

36. Nnoduo Cletus and Nnoduo Gloria. Both of No. 66, Tunner Eradiri Street, Ojo Road, Ajegunle Lagos. Brother and sister to the deceased.

37. Lukman Oni and Layiwola Oni. Both of 202, Idewu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos.

38. Adeola Olowe and Olorundare Olayinka. Both of No. 22, Azeez Olaosebikan Street, Orile Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased.

39. Jaja Sonny Gift and Jaja Mitchell. Both of 41, Road, A Close, Block 2, Flat 2, Festac Town, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

40. Temitope Elizabeth Awoniyi, Micheal Adebola Awoniyi and Adesola Dickson Awoniyi. All of No. 32, Ogunleye Street, Bariga, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

41. Anozie Anaba and Kelechi Anozie. Both of 16, Debora Ogunleye Street, Okorube, Ikotun Lagos. Widower and brother-inlaw to the deceased.

42. Mr. Oladipo Osinowo and Mrs. Abosede Ogundipe. Both of No 22, Alabi Street, Shomolu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

43. Daniel Christopher Sado, Patience Philip and Mrs. Ketumu Daniel Sado. All of No. 11, Akintoye Street, Off Bale Aiyetoro Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased.

44. Musiliu Olaoluwapo Ajala and Rukayat Oluwaseun Ajala. Both of No. 8, Shosanya Street, Onipanu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

45. Mrs. Hawawu Abiola and Mr. Tajudeen Abiola. Both of No. 8B, Ojo Oniyun Street, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Widow and one of the children to the deceased.

46. Mrs. Racheal Omoniyi, Mr. Oluwaseun Omoniyi and Mr. Olalekan Omoniyi. All of No. 9, Ibari Street, Ifako, Agege, Lagos.

Widow and children to the deceased.

47. Abdul Rasheed Rahman, Idris Abiodun Rahman and Aina Rahman. All of No. 22, Olofin Street, Epe, Lagos State. Children to the deceased.

48. Elimian Omonigho Blessing and Elimian Okojie Omozokpie. Both of No. 21, Bola Street, Isheri Osun, Alimosho, Lagos.

Children to the deceased.

49. Omodele Ibrahim and Mr Abiodun Ibrahim. Both of No. 36A, Fola Osibo Street, Lekki, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

50. Salami Omotola Judith and Salami Tayo Jude. Both of No. 6, Modupe Adewoye Close, Ikorodu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

51. Olajorin Abosede , Olajorin Tunde and Olajorin Omolola. All of No. 34/36, Opeloyeru Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

52. Mrs. Bisi Muhammed of No. 23, Afinjuomo Street, Mile 12, Ikorodu Road, Lagos. Mother to the deceased.

53. Mrs. Joy Ogonna Ibezim and Mr. Chidozie Joseph. Both of No. 6, Eket Close, Area 8, Garki Abuja. Widow and son to the deceased.

54. Mr. Ugochukwu Ahunna and Miss kelechi Ahunna. Both of No. 8, Emakpare Street, Coker Orile, Lagos. Brother and sister to the deceased.

55. Usman Aliyu and Matthew Richard of No. 24, Adebiyi Street, Shomolu and Camp 2, Block 55, Room 10, Ojo Cantonment, Lagos. Brothers to the deceased.

56. Mrs. Josephine Azuka Bini (Nee Esogunum) and Comfort Samson (Mrs) (Nee Esogunum). Both of Block 9, Plot 11, Flat 4, Iba Housing Estate, Ojo Lagos. Sister and one of the children to the deceased.

57. Ogbonna Anozie .K. and Mrs. Ogbonna Rose. Both of No.15, Kushimo Street, Itire Surulere, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

58. Alhaja Iyabode Allison and Mrs. Lawal Iyabo Amuwo. Both of No. 59, Onatoro Lane, Surulere, Lagos. Nieces to the deceased.

59. Busola Banjo and Mrs Margarat Banjo. Both o No. 55, Jubril Martins, Surulere, Lagos. Sister and mother to the deceased.

60. Dr. Ayodeji Ibrahim Oluokun and Engr. Olatunde Tesilimi Oluokun. Both of No. 14A, Olusegun Aina Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

61. Shonoiki Taiwo Oladele Fatai, Gbadebo Ganiat Ajoke (Nee Shonoiki) and Famosa Olabisi Ibironke ( Nee Shonoiki) of Block 107, Flat 5, Phase 2, Adeniji Adele Road , Lagos Island, Block 18, Flat 2, Phase 2, Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos Island and No. 15, Akapo Street, Lagos island. Children to the deceased.

62. Mrs Sidikat Abubakar and Mr. Ismaila Abubakar. Both of No. Ojerinde Street, Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos. Widow and one of the children to the deceased.

63. Mr. Adefolarin David Adeosun and Mr. Oluwarotimi Adeosun. Both of No. 26, Sam Shonibare Street, Lagos. Widower and son to the deceased.

64. Mrs. Faosat Morayo Da-Silva (Nee Balogun), Mrs. Nimota Oluwakemi Akindele (Nee Balogun) and Mrs. Abibat Yewande Adams (Nee Balogun). All of 5th Avenue, G Close, House 6, Festac Town, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

65. Mrs. Christy Adegbenro and Mrs.Adenike Babalola. Both of 3, Moleye Street, Yaba, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

66. Mrs. P.N. Chukwujekwu and Mr. C. Chukwujekwu. Both of 7, Olayemi Street, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

67. Mr Godwin Onwumere and Friday Onwumere of 9, Michael Onifade Street, Ilewe Meiran , Abule-Egba and 48, Odunsi Street, Abule-Okuta, Bariga. Children to the deceased.

68. Ekene Franklin Nwaorgu and Chitachi Nwaorgu. Both of 19, Ogunbowale Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

69. Prof. James kweku Renner, Mr. Kofi Omare Renner and Miss Roseline Chima Osisiogu all of House 11, G Close, 21 Road, 2nd Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos. Widower, son and sister.

70. Mrs. Folashade Oluwatoyin Ladipo and Abosede Modupe Adenrele. Both of 3, Moleye Street, Yaba, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

71. Adedayo Akinsele and Mrs. Ajani Ttilayo Taibat of 54, Mosafejo Road, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa and 6, Ifidi Close, Ado Ajah, Lagos. Brother and Aunt to the deceased.

72. Mr. Nnamdi Nwokeocha Ijioma, Dr. Ibeabuochi Nwokeocha Ijioma, Mr. Ekebike Nwokeocha Ijioma and Rear Admiral Nwokeocha Ijioma of No. 1, Benson Akinyele Oke-Afo, Isolo and 6, Shipeolu Street, Shomolu, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

73. Mr. Paul Mogaha, Mrs. Elizabeth .N. Michael and Miss Gloria Mogaha all of 14, Oluwole Street, Atewolara Mushin, Lagos.

Widower and daughter to the deceased.

74. Mrs. Olubowale Adekunle and Mrs. Olufunlola Odusanya of 17, Yusuf Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

75. Seidat Funnilayo twins and Ibrahim Babatunde Twins. Both of 2, Sir Micheal Otedola Crescent, Ikeja. Children to the deceased.

76. Davies Ogede and Lawrence Otobo of No. 21, Silver Street, Olodi, Apapa, Lagos and No. 3, Adekoya Street, Ojo Road, Lagos.

Son and brother to the deceased.

77. Buraimoh Ajagbe and kayode Ajayi. Both of No. 15, Asimowu Bakare Street, Itire Surulere, Lagos. Only surviving son and 78. Mrs Titilayo Juliana Osayi and Mrs. Helen Alfred. Both of No. 59, Buhari Street, Ogudu Ojota, Lagos. Widow and sister to the deceased.

I.O.AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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FOREIGN NEWS Obasanjo Commission to meet stakeholders in South Sudan

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HE Obasanjo-led AU Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan has resolved to meet President Salva Kiir, and other stakeholders in a fact finding mission before the end of April.

The other stakeholders included Kiir’s former Vice President, Reik Machar, and other key actors.

“The commission has firmed up its first round of travel to South Sudan slated for before the end of April with a planned meeting with President Salva Kiir.

“The commission will en-

gage with other actors in South Sudan, including former Vice President Riek Machar,’’ it said in a statement on Thursday in Addis Ababa.

The commission said it would also hold talks with key leaders in the region, including Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, President Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.

The commission resolved to hold series of meetings with the regional leaders and stake-

holders during its second meeting in Addis Ababa chaired by former Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Other members of the team included Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, Ms. Bineta Diop, Prof. Pacifique Manirakiza and Justice Sophia Akuffo, President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in attendance.

The statement said the meeting revised the commission’s work plan, agreeing on working methods and activities to be conducted as part of its inquiry into the crisis in

LENTEN MESSAGE Theme: Expecting the unexpected

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HE Bible is replete with several examples of innocent people that fell into trouble without having a part in sin (Psalm 34:19). Naboth got into trouble in the hands of covetous King Ahab and his devilish wife, Jezebel when they desired his inheritance, employed services of sons of Belial to lie against him and stoned him to death and forcefully took possession of his land but the unexpected happened. God sent a word of judgement to both of them through Elijah the Tishbite (1Kings 21:1-24). Joseph too was lied against by Potiphar’s wife and sentenced by the Egyptian jury until the unexpected happened and his prison tenor was cut short for his lift up (Gen. 39:7-20; 41:38-41).

From our text, Apostle Peter entered into trouble that was supposed to take his life because King Herod stretched his hands

Text: “...when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night .....behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him......and raised him up....” Acts 12:6-7

By The Revd. Henry O. Adelegan

towards him to kill him after Easter as he did unto James the brother of John. When the church decided to take the matter to God in prayers, the unexpected happened, an angel came from heaven and he was liberated from the gallows of the bloodthirsty King.

After the chains had been miraculously cut asunder and he had put on his garment and sandals another unusual miracle happened to him as doors opened to him of their own accord (Isaiah 45:1-3). The angel of God then led him from the prison to the street until he got to

the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where they were still praying for his release.

There, another unexpected happened to the prayer warriors as they exclaimed that the man they saw couldn’t be the Peter they were praying for. The unexpected didn’t end there because in the King’s fury, his employed guards that were supposed to keep watch over Peter in prison were ordered to take his place in death (cf Isaiah 43:4).

Naaman was another man that was afflicted with leprosy and was believing God for mere healing but when he obeyed the man of God’s instruction to go to River Jordan and dip himself into the river seven times, he

Pakistan’s former President Musharraf escapes death

South Sudan with visits to victims, refugees, detainees, IDPs and members of civil society groups.

T he statement said that the commissioners had held talks with former Director of Political Affairs of UN Mission in Juba, South Sudan and former Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defence Forces.

Others are Chief of Staff of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel on Sudan and South Sudan; a civil society expert working in South Sudan and former UN Force Commander in Abyei.

ORMER Pakistani’s president yesterday narrowly escapes death on the way home from the hospital, when a bomb set up along his route home failed to hit its target. This is not the first time the former president has survived such an attempt.

According to the Associated Press, police official Mohammed Hayat said the blast went off along the road Musharraf had traveled on when heading to his Islamabad home from the military hospital in Rawal-

got more than he bargained for - the unexpected happened! The Almighty God restored his lost years and he became like a little boy - he was fresh, tender and beautiful (2 Kings 5:1-14).

Obedience is a vital key to receiving the unexpected (Isaiah 1:19). Simon was a failure in business and assumingly miserable, having done everything in the books as a professional fisherman but caught nothing through the night. At the point of washing his net; a mark of surrender, he had an encounter with the King of kings. Jesus asked for him to surrender his boat for evangelism which he did. Consequently, He asked him to throw his net to the right side. When he obeyed, the law of nature was reversed, where he had failed before he suddenly became a huge success. Peter got more than enough to the extent that his net broke and he became a blessing to other fishermen and eventually a blessing to the world (Luke 5:1-11).

Beloved, we are at a terrible stage in our beleaguered nation that news filtering from the radio, newspaper and television every minute come with a mixture of terrible news of murder, manslaughter, rape, wickedness, corruption, mishaps of monumental dimension, wars and threats of wars. In same vein, there have been trickles of good news coming in from Nigerians in diaspora, economic progress from people saddled with that responsibility and sports exploits. The good news is that the Almighty God is still in the business of doing the positively unexpected for individuals, corporate bodies, states and nations that obey Him and are positive-minded in the place of prayers.

As you obey God and continue in the place of prayers during this season of Lent, the mountains of limitation shall be removed from your life and our nation. The current tide of terrible happenings in families

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pindi: Musharraf’s convoy had crossed a bridge entering the capital when the bomb exploded shortly after, Hayat said. He said the blast was caused by 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of explosives, adding that it was not clear whether it was a remote control or time device. Hayat said Musharraf appeared to be the target of the blast but it was not immediately clear how far his vehicle was from the explosion.

No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack.

•Revd Adelegan

and our nation, chiefly the Northern part of the country, shall be halted and the positively unexpected shall manifest.

What eyes have not seen, what ears have not heard and the things that are yet to come to the imagination of men are in His hands and they shall manifest in your life this season in Jesus’ name.

Prayer: Lord, I know that all powers belong to you. Father, I promise to be obedient to you, visit my life in an awesome way and let great things happen in my life in Jesus’ name.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

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FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

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HE National Conference is under way.

Delegates represent a variety of interest groups-ethnic nations, professional associations, trade associations, political office holders, political parties, student groups, among others. Every group, but especially the ethnic nations, has interests to protect and promote. Thus far, this has played itself out in the matter of the adoption of procedural rules. Thanks to the wisdom of the elders, it did not explode. The expectation of the president as convener is for delegates to think of and privilege the national interest in all their deliberations to the point that were there to be a conflict between the private interest and the national interest, the latter must prevail.

The question that has not been addressed is "what is the national interest?" and how does a delegate or group of delegates know it when an issue is presented to them for deliberation and decision? Take a concrete example: Whether they are for it or against it, resource control is certainly a burning issue in the minds of many delegates and the groups that they represent and it will surely come up in the following weeks or months. What exactly is the national interest in this matter? And how might a delegate be guided by considerations of national interest in his or her contributions on the matter?

This is an age-old issue.In the age of monarchical rule that preceded our republican constitution, the national (aka community) interest was variously interpreted depending on the balance of power in the community. With a powerful ruler, the community was the king. This was what Louis XIV of France meant with his infamous "L' tat, c'est moi" (I am the State) declaration. He meant he was the absolute ruler who had the authority to determine what the national interest was. That was not the case in most traditional Yoruba communities where the king was surrounded by a traditional council of chiefs capable of dethroning him and requesting his demise. Our military past was not radically different from the Sun King's idea of the state as the property of the ruler. While one single military ruler may not have been in a position to make that claim, the supreme military councils came close, if not in words, at least in practice.

They determined what the national interest was.

That explained why a nation that deliberately went for a federal structure at the dawn of independence was transformed into a unitary system almost overnight.

Thankfully, we passed that stage, and I am confident that no delegate to the National Con-

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘...what has been Mr. President’s response to the development whereby a convoy of about 20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles recently moved freely without being detected despite the fact that there is curfew in that part of the country?’

MOBOLAJI SANUSI

VOL.9 NO.2,808

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

National interest

•Jonathan

ference would wish the country go back to the era of dictatorial pronouncements on national interest in our new, even if imperfect, democratic setting. If this optimism is shared by all, the question then is "what is the national interest and how is it to be determined?

A simple answer is that the national interest is NOT the interest of an abstract entity called the nation because there is no such abstract entity. The nation is "US", the flesh and blood human beings that make it up. Our interests constitute the interest of the nation, that is, our interest, if you forgive the tautology. An abstract entity doesn't have an interest simply because an interest is something that only sentient beings have.An interest is a generalised means of satisfying our wants. It is what Philosopher Rawls refers to as "primary goods."

In this sense, a foremost interest of any one citizen of this great country is security. For security is a generalised means of satisfying each citizen's wants. And this explains why when government fails to provide adequate security, individuals find their own ways of ensuring security for themselves and their families.

We engage in myth-making when we proffer the idea that there is some "national inter-

est" located in some ethereal realm beyond the loci of individual interests. Surely, the interests that we have as individuals are many and may run into conflict. For a politician to win an election his opponent has to lose and the satisfaction of one interest cancels out the other.

What should not be lost out of consideration in this apparent conflict of interest situation is that they both have a common interest in the system of elections.

National interest, then, is nothing more than the common interests of the nationals. Nigeria is a nation of individuals and groups. President Jonathan invited these groups and individuals to meet to fashion out a road map for the Nigeria of their dreams. They will come, indeed must come, to the conference hall with their various interests at the top of their minds.

To expect the opposite-that they will drop their individual and group interests at the entrance to the conference hall-is to expect a miracle. It will not happen.

What we can expect, and must demand of the delegate, is to be prepared to negotiate in good faith, focusing more on their common interests than on the divergent wants and desires.

For it is the nature of interests that each is capable of serving as the means of satisfying many divergent wants and desires.

Let us take the extreme example of resource control. The question is how has the policy of federalising or centralising the control of resources served individuals, states, and communities well in the almost fifty years since it has been adopted as national policy in the "national interest?" We know that prior to 1966 every state was almost, if not totally, financially solvent. Each was doing well educationally and industrially. We adopted resource control as a means to uniting the country and we ended up with resentment and visible division along ethnic nationality lines. None, except those clos-

est to power at the center, can claim to have benefitted from the policy of nationalising resources. The dictate of our common interest as national interest appears clear in this regard.

How about security? I must assume also that there was good intention behind the centralisation of security. Fractious political climate in the First Republic was a serious concern for the military leaders that took over. Of course, it was under their watch that hell broke loose and a civil war ensued. Their prescription for unity and peace was for the central government to take charge of security because the states were "politicising" police functions. We continue to hear this same charge even when it seems clear that the federal government cannot conscientiously absolve itself of culpability in the matter of politicising the police. Since we all have a common interest in adequate security of life and property, delegates must set aside their political affiliations and come to an agreement on the decentralisation of the police with effective antidotes against politicisation.

Education is another area of interest and it should be clear that every group and family have an interest in good education for their children. But it is an understatement that our educational system has crumbled completely under the weight of over-centralisation. The president recently expressed his frustration with state governors for not doing much about primary and secondary education while expressing satisfaction with the federal government's handling of tertiary education. We know, however, that the number of universities established by the federal government is just one aspect of the story. Another aspect deals with how these institutions are faring. What types of students are they producing? Do they have the resources they need to do their job well? Delegates to the national conference have a responsibility to rub minds on this important issue of how best to educate our children and prepare them for the 21st century economy.

Finally, it all boils down to national (common) interests in the issue of restructuring the country.If we ask the question: which individual, group, ethnic nation, religious group or denomination, gender is benefitting from the present centralisation of resources and administration of the country since 1966, I am sure only a few citizens can answer in the affirmative. The North has clearly stated that it has suffered more than other regions with the present arrangement. It is time then to let our common interests, rather than our fear of the unknown, chart the course of the future. This is national interest.

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

Confab: The merry makers in Abuja

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HIS column will not be distracted by the on-going grand revelry in Abuja which most of us have been deceived to think is a national conference. As has been noted once before in this column, it is indeed more for me a national cake sharing conference than a serious meeting of minds by people in a troubled nation needing urgent catharsis. I dismissed this jamboree first because the chief convener, President Goodluck Jonathan, is not particularly interested in a conference or any scheme to lift Nigeria from her current morass; two, he does not really appreciate the fact that the country he oversees is in extremely dire straits; three, there are a few quick actions he could take in his capacity as the numero uno which will begin to set the country aright, but has neglected to take; four, he could have dredged up the reports of over half a dozen past confabs, (back to Aburi) and set up a small committee to pick out some of those crucial matters troubling us.

Finally on why I think this conference is a ruse, should it by any chance conclude that a certain Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the crooked log that upsets our bonfire, would Mr. President gracefully stand down and allow an interim government set our dear country aright?

You guessed it!

We are back on that worn path that we have walked aimlessly since after the civil war.

When each head of state reach the end of his tethers and has no more tricks in his bag, he plays the final gambit: set up a talk show; assemble all the politicians and kakistocrats in the land and throw in a sprinkling of the so-

STEVE OSUJI

EXPRESSO

steve.osuji@yahoo.com

called progressives and critics; dole out enough money for them to revel for a few months while the head perfects his next move.

The scheme is working quite fine so far: so many compatriots who have never seen a million naira in one bunch in the last decade; people whose bank accounts have been cold and forlorn for years suddenly find their treasuries leap to life and a series of glad-tiding alerts warm their hearts every forth-night.

Wow! What a fresh lease of life, what good life, what good fortune! In the ensuing licentious three months, the city of Abuja would hear it from some of our nouveau riche delegates; those who love strong drinks would get bacchanal and quaff the quaff of their lives, while those who are hot in the tail will find solace in the bosom of the city's Cleopatras.

The real story of the Jonathan confab will however be told in the winter of the years to come.

We want to wager that this talk show has the potential to turn out worse than previous ones because of the set of people attending now. We are a more thoroughly dumbeddown nation now. Very few in that hall understand the enormity of issues at stake and the attendant urgency; half the people are gerontocrats who would sleep through the show while many couldn't care less whichever way it goes - they are there for the money and would do anything (including filibustering) for even more money. Lastly, how many other countries have had as many conferences and still remain in the doldrums? Could it be that we suffer collective mental impairment and require conferences upon conferences be-

fore we can sort basic questions of nationhood?

power hub. Brilliant idea if we were operating at the magnitude we ought.

Do we really want to wire power from Congo DR, across three countries to Nigeria?

We can't even transmit all of 5,000 mw today if we generated it! Who will bankroll this seeming outlandish scheme? Just like in energy, the power sector is in a state of chaos and we need all the investment we can get at home. It is like sending troops to Afghanistan when a war is raging at home. We must quit playing games with our country.

The power paradox

While we indulge in what one wants to consider as inanities, important matters that affect the very soul of the polity are passing us by. The other day in far away Windhoek, Namibia, we were told that President Goodluck Jonathan, while on a visit, signed a MoU for the setting up of a refinery in the tiny southern African country. According to report, it would be a private venture between Nigerian and Namibian businessmen. This was all the information made available. But we ask, does it require a bilateral MoU if some businessmen seek to expand their frontiers? Why Namibia which has no crude oil and not Nigeria which has crude but no refineries? If our president could catalyse the building of a refinery in a distant land, why has he not done so for his country that has been embroiled in energy crisis even to this moment? There are so many questions to be asked which suggest that something is fishy, if not phony, about this refinery.

From Namibia to the Democratic Republic of Congo where yet another MoU has been reportedly signed by Nigeria for the importation of electricity from the Inga Power Dam Plants. According to Mr. Mohammed Wakil, Minister of State for Power, Inga hydro plant being built on the Congo River is expected to generate about 40,000 megawatts on full exploitation. Nigeria is expected to take a chunk of the power to form a West Africa regional

BOOK BLURB:

Blood on the Niger

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HE full title of the book is actually: BLOOD ON THE NIGER: The Untold Story of the Asaba Massacre during the Nigeria-Biafra War, by Emma Okocha. Recently released is the revised edition, the first edition having been published in 1997. It is the gory story of the Igbo on the western side of the River Niger, who were caught up between the Biafran and the Federal troops.

They were victims of their geography and language and split identity. And they bore to the full, the brunt of the civil war.

Okocha, a delicate writer and an ardent researcher re-presents 20 years of work which is probably the best book on the Biafran war and certainly the most gruesome and blood-chilling account. It is a graphic account of genocide and the needless decimation of a defenseless people by rampaging Federal troops. Every Nigerian must read this blood-cuddling book, especially the account of the October 7, 1967 Ogbeosowa killing field and the mountain of dead bodies that rose in its wake.

Is it possible that the innocent blood that almost turned the River Niger red in 1967 is the reason for so much trouble bedeviling Nigeria? Blood on the Niger is the most tragic book on the Biafran war; it will make you weep. For enquiries about the book, call Toyin on 08065289740 and Adedeji on 08060205914.

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