The Nation Aug 06, 2013

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Fashola’s dad dies at 80 NEWS Page 8

•Jonathan, Tinubu, others mourn

News Jega: why INEC registered APC Sports Joseph Yobo rejects bench role Business 30,000 jobs lost to oil theft

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VOL. 8, NO. 2568 TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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35 die in military, Boko Haram clashes •Sect committing war crimes, says ICC

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From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

HIRTY-FIVE people, including two soldiers and a policeman, were killed in two clashes on Sunday night between security forces and Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State, it was learnt yesterday.

Also yesterday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Boko Haram activities amounted to crimes against humanity.

A spokesman for the military’s Joint Task Force, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said Boko Haram launched two attacks — one against a police base in Bama and the other against a multinational Joint Task Force station in Malam Fatori.

The military spokesman said the gun battle in Bama led to the death of one policeman and 17 Boko Haram militants. Two soldiers were wounded.

He said in a separate clash in Malam Fatori, two soldiers and 15 militants died.

There was no independent confirmation of the casualties.

Director of Defence Information Brig.Gen. Chris Olukolade, who confirmed clashes in two places, said: “That figure of Continued on page 2

•Oyo State Deputy Governor Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo (right) condoling with children and Mrs. Omolara Oluwanike, widow of Mr. Olatunde Oluwanike, one of the officials of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who died in a road accident in Osu, Osun State last Friday, at their Awotan, Ibadan home…yesterday

Senator earns N12m yearly, says RMAFC

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Rivers PDP kicks as Lloyd gets bail

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By Seun Akioye

SENATOR earns N12,766,320 yearly, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has said.

Legislators’ pay has been the subject of a big controversy, with some critics alleging that a senator earns as much as N29.8 million yearly.

This, said the RMAFC in a newspaper advertorial yesterday, is not correct.

In a statement signed by the Acting Secretary to the Continued on page 2

•Mark

ETAINED Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly Chidi Lloyd was yesterday granted bail in the sum of N5million by Justice Charles Wali of Ahoada High Court in Ahoada East Local Government Area.

But the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested, saying Governor Chibuike Amaechi is trying to

•It’s in order, says Ake From Bisi Olaniyi and Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

shield Lloyd from prosecution.

Lloyd, a member representing Emuoha Constituency, was arrested on July 23 at the Force Headquarters, Abuja where he went to report after being declared wanted in connection with the fracas on

the floor of House on July 9.

Lloyd must have one surety who owns landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. He (the surety), should submit the particulars of the property to the court, he said.

He also ordered the PoContinued on page 2

Rivers crisis: EFCC quizzes detained House Leader Govt protests alleged plan to change charges against lawmaker

W •Amaechi

ITH Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives visiting Port Harcourt to quizz the detained Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, the crisis in Rivers State seems to be taking a new shape.

The deployment of EFCC operatives, to observers of the political row, signposts a breakdown of the ongoing reconciliation talks between Pres-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja and Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

ident Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

A source in the state said the coming of the EFCC operatives was a ploy to implicate Amaechi and pave the way for his impeachment .

But the EFCC yesterday said its operatives were in Rivers State as part of

an ongoing investigation.

It was gathered that the EFCC operatives stormed Port Harcourt at the weekend to look into the financial activities of the state government and House of Assembly.

The operatives reportedly made Lloyd’s police detention camp their first port of call.

For about two hours, the operatives interrogated Lloyd on some financial

transactions between the Executive and the Legislature.

A source in the anti-graft commission said: “We are looking into allegations of diversion of public funds, outright graft and financial crimes against Lloyd and some public officials in Rivers State.

“I cannot give you the details to avoid disclosures which could prejContinued on page 2

•ABC OF HOW LAGOS, ANAMBRA AGREED ON RETURN OF INDIGENES P59

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

NEWS 35 die in military, Boko Haram clashes Continued from page 1

•Headquarters of Union Homes, at Onipanu, Lagos Mainland sealed off by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over staff welfare…yesterday Story on page 55

PHOTO: NAN

Rivers crisis: EFCC quizzes detained House Leader Continued from page 1

udice ongoing investigation because our operatives just got to Rivers State.

“Already, the operatives have met with Chidi Lloyd at the facility where he is being detained. They are going to interact with other officials connected with allegations against Lloyd.

“It is not a personal thing against Lloyd; if nothing is found against him, we will let the public know.”

The Rivers State Government yesterday raised the alarm over the Federal Government’s “desperation” to take over Lloyd’s prosecution through the EFCC. It alleged that the operatives of the EFCC were acting on the instructions of two prominent citizens involved in the crisis to change Lloyd’s charge from attempted murder.

The Amaechi administration also accused the Federal Government of playing dirty, stressing that attempted murder, the allegation with which Lloyd has been charged, is under the state’s purview.

Commissioner for Information and Communications

‘

The Federal Government is playing dirty.

They have brought in the EFCC to interrogate and investigate the House of Assembly’s Leader

’

Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said: “The Federal Government is playing dirty. They have brought in the EFCC to interrogate and investigate the House of Assembly’s Leader, Hon. Chidi Lloyd (a lawyer, who represents Emohua constituency).

“They want to take over the prosecution by ulterior means and so plan to change the charge from attempted murder, which is under the state’s purview, to EFCC. “They have planted something in Hon. Chidi Llyod’s house, which would be against

•Dr. Jonathan

the governor.”

A government source said: “They have designed a plot to detain Lloyd perpetually. With this, it is apparent that they intend to arrest other members of the G-27 who are loyal to Amaechi.

“Since they failed to impeach Amaechi with five lawmakers, they have opted the ambush method by framing up Lloyd and the 26 lawmakers in the state.

“Once they are able to arrest the 27 lawmakers, the five proMinister Nyesom Wike’s lawmakers can then sit and im-

peach Amaechi.”

Another source spoke of some stakeholders being against the reconciliation plans between the President and Amaechi.

“It is clear that the so-called peace talks were mere shadow chasing to gauge the mind of the governor,” the source said.

EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said: “Some of our operatives are in Rivers State over an ongoing investigation.

I think there is a link to the Majority Leader Chidi Lloyd.

“But the operation is not just a Port Harcourt or Rivers State thing; it is about investigation of some allegations in some states in the Southsouth.”

It was learnt that Amaechi summoned a meeting of the State Executive Council, obviously to discuss the latest development.

A third source added: “The governor has been meeting with his executive members on the invasion of the state by EFCC operatives.

“The governor and his team have nothing to hide but it is evident that the EFCC is falling into a trap of being used for political vengeance.”

30 deaths was not confirmed but we had clashes in those two places.”

A security source, who spoke in confidence last night, insisted that the death toll was 20.

The source said: “What happened was that the Boko Haram insurgents regrouped and invaded a police station in Bama in order to take over the place and turn it into a base.

“The Special Forces, however, resisted their invasion, leading to the death of 10 people, including two soldiers.

“The truth is that Bama is a notorious base of the sect, with many cells. The locals have not been able to assist the troops because they know that the sect was wellentrenched in that axis.

“The locals do not want to risk their lives because of past incidents where many of them were killed for serving as informants.

“As for Malanfatori, the sect members made spirited efforts to overrun a military position vital to their regrouping but the troops en-

gaged them in about 45 minutes battle.

“About 10 people, suspected to be Boko Haram members, also died but there was no casualty on the part of the Special Forces.

“There were injuries on both sides and the greater part of Monday was spent to take stock.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “These incidents have reinforced our refusal to restore GSM service in Borno State.

“A total cleansing of Borno State of insurgency is vital to winning the war against Boko Haram. The troops have been mandated not to relax at all.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said after a preliminary investigation she believes that acts attributed to the Boko Haram are likely crimes against humanity.

“Information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that since July 2009 Boko Haram has launched a widespread and systematic attack that has resulted in the killing of Continued on page 60

‘Senator earns N12m yearly’ Continued from page 1

Commission, Usman I. Garndawa, the RMAFC said: “The attention of the RMAFC has been drawn to an avalanche of media reports concerning the current remuneration package for political, public and Judicial office holders in Nigeria.

The said reports further quoted RMAFC as the source of their information.

Accordingly, the Commission, therefore, considers it most appropriate and necessary to provide the actual details of present remuneration package for political, public and judicial office holders to avoid misinformation and misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading citizens and members of the international community.”

In a recent study, the

United Kingdom (UK) based Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, IPSA and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as reported by The Economist , a Nigerian legislator, it was alleged, earns a basic salary ( excluding allowances) of about N29.8 million per annum. The report also suggested that the salary is 116 times more than the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, per person, which has been pegged at about N251, 200.

Expectedly, the report generated local and international uproar with civil society organisations calling for an immediate review of the ‘jumbo package”.

The RMAFC said a senator earns N2,026,400.00 as annual basic salary, which translates to N168, 866.70 Continued on page 60

Rivers PDP kicks as House Leader Lloyd gets N5m bail Continued from page 1

lice not to re-arrest him, after he has been released.

One of his lawyers, Emenike Ebete, said Lloyd would be released this morning after the order is served on the police.

Asked what would happen to his matter before Justice Latan Nyordee today, he said he would still be in court for his matters today, but he will now come to court, a free man, not under heavy police security as was the case during his last appearance in court.

“A high court in Ahoada has granted bail to our client Chidi Lloyd.

“We approached the court to enforce his fundamental human rights, having been detained for about two weeks now. And following his doctor’s medical report on his deteriorating health condition in which he said if no serious and urgent attention is given to him, it might lead to his death.

“Based on these, the court

granted him bail and ordered that the police should not rearrest him over this charge, and adjourned the case till August 12 for hearing.”

Lloyd was transferred to Port Harcourt on July 26 to face his charges in court, and probably be released on bail.

He is yet to be arraigned.

However, efforts by his lawyers, led by Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN) to secure his bail release over the weeks were aborted.

Two courts at the Port Harcourt High Court complex adjourned his matters till today for ruling.

Justices Esor Teetito, which he initially approached to enforce his fundamental human rights and to get an injunction to stop the police from arresting him, adjourned till this morning to rule on whether or not the police should be restrained.

Justice Nyordee will be ruling on whether or not it was ripe for the Attorney-General of the State(A-GS), Worgu Boms, to take over and continue with the prosecution of

Lloyd in the six-count charge preferred against him.

Lloyd is to be tried on a sixcount charge of conspiracy, attempted murder, assault and malicious damage.

The leadership of the PDP in Rivers State, however, expressed shock and utter disappointment on the bail granted Lloyd.

The Obuah-led PDP said: “This is a vindication of our fears and alarm that the representative of Obio/Akpor 2 Constituency, Michael Okechukwu Chinda (one of the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers, who was injured in the July 9 fracas and still receiving treatment in a private hospital in London) cannot get justice in Rivers State.

“Alarmed by the seeming contradiction in the face of the ongoing sanitisation of the judiciary by the NJC, the party describes the bail and order stopping further arrest and prosecution of Chidi Lloyd made by Justice Charles N. Wali, sitting in Ahoada, as a travesty of justice.

“What is the logic behind the order by Justice Wali, in a case properly before another judge of coordinate jurisdiction in Port Harcourt, who is handling the matter and has adjourned it till Tuesday, August 6, 2013.

“We note with disdain the plot to drag and further implicate the state’s judiciary, in a clear criminal case of attempted murder.

“This has confirmed our earlier claim and fears that Governor Amaechi and his cohorts are doing all within their powers, using the governor’s office, to want to let Lloyd off the hook, while his victim (Chinda) is dying in a London hospital.

“Why run to far-away Ahoada when the offence for which Hon. Lloyd was arrested, was committed in Port Harcourt.

“The presence of Amaechi’s Commissioner for Agriculture (Emmanuel Chinda) and top aides to the governor of Rivers State in court today (yesterday) was premeditated to set Lloyd free.

“The Rivers State High Court in Ahoada, presided over by Justice Charles Wali, lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter and above all lacks power to order the release of Chidi Lloyd in a criminal case that the suspect is not before him and plea not taken.

“This development is most unfortunate, shameful and unacceptable to Rivers people. Governor Amaechi, Chidi Lloyd and Justice Charles N. Wali belong to the same camp and share the same sentiments.

“We urge the NJC to as a matter of public importance initiate an immediate inves-

APOLOGY Due to production hitch, we could not run the concluding part of the Major Raphael Iluyomade interview last Sunday. We apologise for our inability to run it as promised. The interview will now be published on Saturday. Editor

tigation into the activities of Justice Wali, with a view to unearthing the reasons behind the order, which was further ridiculed by succumbing to change the earlier condition that Lloyd should be stripped of his international passport, to only handing in the photocopy of it, so that he would proceed overseas for medical checkup, as argued by his lawyers.

“We should also not lose sight of the far-reaching implications of this abuse of the judicial process, where an application touching on an attempted murder suspect, who is under another Continued on page 60

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

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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NEWS

•President Goodluck Jonathan (right) presenting a gift to the outgoing Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria Chris Houter at the State House Abuja...yesterday.

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN.

Borno…

Its motto is the ‘Home of Peace’, but since Boko Haram began its reign of terror, Borno State has become the ‘home of violence’ to many. The government says it will return it to its good old days, writes Abu Dan’azumi, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

“H •From left: Secretary, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mrs Augusta Ogakwu; Director, International Cooperation and Protocol Mr Oluwole Uzzi and Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, at the experience-sharing and confidence building conference on the voter register and continuous voter registration in Abuja...yesterday.

• From left: Minister of National Planning Dr. Shamsudeen Usman; Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission Ms Arunma Oteh and Minister of State for Finance Dr Yerima Ngama at an Infrastructure Round Table in Lagos...yesterday.

•From left: Specialist, Products and Services Division, Etisalat Nigeria Doubrapade Koroye; Associate Professor of Physics and STEM Education, St. Catherine University in Minnesota Dr. Kaye Smith; Founder, WAAW Foundation Dr. Unoma Okorafor; Team Lead of Yellow Team and pupil of Airforce Secondary School, Adesola Adegeye, and STEM Camp Director, WAAW Foundation Frances Van Sloun, at the WAAW Foundation Award Ceremony for science and technology project participants selected from 8 all-girls schools across Lagos State at Laureates College...at the weekend.

OME of Peace’’— the catchphrase for Borno State — is not out of place, according to its governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima.

The governor, in a recent media interview, said the motto was coined after a thorough consideration of the state of affairs in Borno, which shares border with countries, such as Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon.

“Borno is the gateway of Islam into this part of the world; a confluence state, a melting point of ideas and the citadel of Islamic scholarship.

“We have always been a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, while peaceful coexistence and tolerance have always guided our relationship with other nationals. We cherish peace and we don’t discriminate against strangers,’’ he stressed.

Malam Usman Chiroma, the General Manager of Borno Radio Television Corporation, corroborated the governor’s viewpoints, saying that different ethnic groups across the country and even foreigners had been living in peace in Borno.

However, analysts have been wondering whether the “Home of Peace’’ catchphrase for Borno is still relevant, considering the current security challenges facing the state.

They note the violent activities of the Boko Haram, describing the bombing of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Bulumkutu, Maiduguri, in 2010 as the threshold of violence in the state.

Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, the Shehu of Borno, said the sect’s activities since then had been worrisome, as every member of the society was affected by it’s campaign, irrespective of ethnic or religious background.

“Boko Haram makes no deliberate attempt to attack a particular interest group; if it does, they wouldn’t have attacked me,’’ he said.

According to him, most activities in the state, including businesses, have been paralysed due to the fear of Boko Haram attacks.

Irked by the growing security challenges facing Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in those states on May 14, as part of structured efforts to restore peace there.

Jonathan said: “After wide consultations, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of Section 305, Sub-section 1 of

•Soldiers on operation in Borno State taking instructions from their superior

the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I hereby declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

“I urge the political leadership in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states to cooperate maximally with the armed forces and the police to ensure that the exercise succeeds. We call on the citizenry to cooperate with our security agencies to ensure a return to normalcy within the shortest possible time.’’

Months after the declaration, observers laud the President for the action which, they note, has been effective in efforts to restore normalcy to the affected states.

Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF), said in a statement that the Boko Haram insurgents had been in disarray with no central authority, coordination or administration.

“Most of the terrorist commanders and foot soldiers have either been arrested or killed in their daily encounter with the JTF. We have been able to destroy all identified Boko Haram camps and have discovered many arms, ammunition and improvised explosive device materials,’’ he said.

According to Musa, the JTF has been able to restore peace and order in the affected areas, as people could now move about freely, while schools and other public institutions have reopened.

“The situation has also created socio-economic relief and it has led to the emergence of youth vigilante group, popularly known as “Civilian JTF’’, which has created serious impact on the society.

“We are monitoring, guiding and regulating the attitudinal disposition of members of the group, in terms of the way they display their weapons and approach members of the public,’’ he said.

The army officer said the involvement of youths in the security operation was a testimony that the people of the state were appreciative of the JTF and its activities, adding that “they have been very supportive’’.

Musa expatiated that the youths had assisted the JTF with useful information which facilitated the arrest of confirmed or suspected members of the Boko Haram group.

In spite of the security measures put in place, Shettima stressed that in efforts to address the Boko Haram crisis, “we have to attack the causes of extreme poverty, illiteracy

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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NEWS

Sorrow, tears, blood and…peace

•Jonathan

and hopelessness.

“We have to create jobs, empower the youth in order to bring this problem to a final end.’’

The governor pledged his administration’s determination to plan adequately for the members of the youth vigilante group, insisting that unless a proper framework

was put in place to engage them meaningfully, there would be no progress.

“It is part of our post-conflict management strategies to create jobs in public works, particularly in construction, vocational skills and agriculture.

“Those that have the capacity to

further their education will be supported, while those with limited skills will be assisted to enhance their skills so that they can become better citizens,’’ he said.

Shettima said the state had spent more than N15 billion on agricultural schemes to ensure aggressive grassroots socio-economic develop-

•Shettima

ment.

“I am for dialogue and I will always be for dialogue; I will always support any Nigerian who wants peace, and we support the Federal Government’s dialogue with Boko Haram. Borno is ours, we have no place to call our home, we have a duty to re-invent and rebuild

Borno’s shattered peace; this is a task which we must all work very hard to achieve,’’ he said.

All the same, observers note that the declaration of a state of emergency and the JTF’s security operations in Borno have certainly facilitated efforts to restore peace to the state in a pragmatic way.

Despite difficulties, oil giants sink more money into the economy

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IGERIA is something of a trouble spot for the oil industry. Though Africa’s largest oil producer, blessed with ample hydrocarbon resources and a large infrastructure network, security problems in the country’s oil-rich Niger Delta plague companies operating in the region, causing frequent supply disruptions.

The earnings reports of Europe’s oil majors this quarter were littered with references to the difficult operating environment in the country and the impact oil theft and sabotage has had on companies’ production.

However, a quick run-down of the figures suggest things aren’t actually that bad.

Italian oil major Eni SPA (E) lost just 30,000 barrels a day of oil equivalent in the first half of the year as a result of oil theft and flooding in Nigeria, that’s equivalent to 2% of the company’s overall production in the period. France’s Total SA (TOT) said increased incidences of theft and sabotage in Nigeria had offset an increase in production as a result of better security in Yemen in the second quarter of the year, but at the same time, the restart of the country’s Ibewa field helped boost output by 2%.

Even Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN), which said it lost 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the second quarter due to the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, only took a $250 million hit to its earnings as a result of the disruptions. That’s peanuts when compared with the $2 billion write-down it took on the value of its shale assets in North America.

Royal Dutch Shell posted a drop in its 2013 second quarter profit to $4.6bn, compared to $6bn in the same period of 2012, primarily due to oil thefts and gas supply disruptions in Nigeria and the weak Australian dollar.

Shell CEO, Peter Voser, said oil theft and disruptions to gas supplies

For some time now, oil giants, such as Shell, Total, ENI and Chevron, have been complaining about the difficulties of working in the Niger Delta, but as the Associated Press reports, they are sinking more money into the country

‘

Higher costs, exploration charges, adverse currency exchange rate effects and challenges in Nigeria have hit our bottom line.

These results were undermined by a number of factors but they were clearly disappointing for Shell •Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke

in Nigeria are causing widespread environmental damage, and could cost the Nigerian Government $12bn in lost revenues per year.

“Higher costs, exploration charges, adverse currency exchange rate effects and challenges in Nigeria have hit our bottom line. These results were undermined by a number of factors but they were clearly disappointing for Shell,” Voser added.

In June, the company said it was considering the further sale of assets in the eastern Niger Delta, where it has security problems.

“On a current cost of supplies

‘

•Shell MD Mutiu Sunmonu

(CCS) basis, the company’s earnings were $2.4bn for the second quarter of 2013.”

Voser further said Shell could not solve its problems in Nigeria by itself and needs the support of the government.

The company recently launched strategic portfolio reviews in both Nigeria onshore and North America resources plays.

Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was $12.4bn, compared with $13.3bn in the same quarter of 2012, while capital investment for the second quarter of 2013 was

$11.3bn.

The company has completed divestments worth $21bn in the last three years and some $4bn in the last year alone.

Meanwhile, even as companies loudly publicise the difficulties of operating in Nigeria, they’re sinking more money into the country.

In June, Total said it had got final approval to develop Egina, an oil field in deep water offshore Nigeria that the company predicts will produce 200,000 barrels a day.

Shell, which has sold off several of its assets onshore Nigeria in recent

years, has also made fresh commitments to the country. The company’s planning on spending $1.5 billion to build a new and more secure loopline for a major pipeline in the Niger Delta and a further $2.4 billion on five new gas projects in the country. It has also expressed interest in buying several oil licenses Chevron Corp. (CVX) has put up for sale.

So despite the various difficulties, the European oil majors aren’t jumping ship. But they are looking to move their money into assets less easily targeted by oil thieves and saboteurs.

THE NATION TUESDAY AUGUST 6, 2013

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NEWS Tinubu on medical leave FORMER Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu is on medical leave abroad, his media office said in a statement yesterday.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain has been absent from public engagement in recent times.

The statement reads: “Based on previous sports injury on one of his knees and recent aggravation on the knee as a result of rigorous political and family-related activities, he has been advised by his doctors, despite his persistent reluctance that orthopaedic surgery is necessary at this time”.

The statement added that Tinubu would resume his normal political activities and public engagements after clearance from his doctors.

Thursday, Friday are holidays From: Gbenga Omokhunu and Grace Obike, Abuja

THE Federal Government yesterday declared Thursday and Friday, as public holidays to mark the Eid-elFitri Salah celebration.

Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Moro, who spoke on behalf of the Federal Government, enjoined Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to extend the spiritual benefits of Ramadan, which are love, joy, peace to their daily living and through this, contribute to the development of the nation.

Moro also advised Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the holiday to reflect on the imperative of peace in nation building.

He wished all Nigerians a most rewarding and peaceful celebration.

Jonathan greets Mugabe From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday congratulated President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on his victory in last week’s presidential elections.

Mugabe was announced winner at the weekend amidst protest by the opponent.

Jonathan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, urged Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF to rededicate themselves to working for the well-being and progress of all Zimbabweans.

He also called on President Mugabe to ensure that all persons and parties who oppose the conduct of the polls and the results are given every opportunity to seek lawful redress as allowed by the country’s electoral laws and constitution.

He welcomed the decision of the main opposition leader, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai to avail himself of these avenues of peaceful and legal redress instead of resorting to unlawful actions that could lead Zimbabwe down the road of political instability.

Fed Govt to provide special incentives for sugar producers

•Managing Director, UBA Foundation Ms Ijeoma Aso (middle) greeting Chief Medical Director, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof Micheal Ibadin when the Foundation donated incubators to the hospital in Benin...at the weekend.

With them is UBA‘s Regional Bank Head, Edo 2 Mr. Basil Damisah

T

Jega: why we registered APC

•Party can ‘contest November governorship poll in Anambra’

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HE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, spoke yesterday on the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC)—the platform on which the progressives will fight the 2015 election.

He said APC was registered as a merger party because it met all the requirements.

He stressed that the registration was “done right under the law”, adding that the commission would appeal against a court judgment which nullified its decision to de-register Fresh Party and others.

Jega was answering questions at a stakeholders’ conference with media professionals and civil society organisations on Voter Register Optimisation and plans for continuous voter registration.

He said it was not yet time to release the 2015 general elections timetable.

Jega said: “With regards to our registration of APC and what informed what we have done, it is clear to us that the parties that intend to merge have met all the legal requirements of merger and we have done all the internal

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

processes or processing application for merger and we have taken the decision to register them and we believe we are right to do so under the law.

“I cannot comment on other issues because those issues are subject to litigation but we are satisfied that what we have done is right under the law and that is why we did it.”

Replying a question, the INEC chairman said APC could participate in the November governorship poll in Anambra State.

“As to whether the merged party will contest election in Anambra State, given the fact that the registration should be done before the election, again, you have forced our leaders to quickly look at the law a party must be registered 90 days before any election and I can give you the section so you can look it up.

“If you look at the Electoral Act, Section 84(6), it is 90 days before any election and I think they have been registered 90 days before the Anambra election.”

On the nullification of deregistration of parties by a court, Jega said INEC had asked

its legal team to file an appeal against the judgment of a Federal High Court which reversed the deregistration of Fresh Party.

He said: “With regards to party registration, obviously the laws are very clear as to under what condition we can register parties and under what conditions we can deregister political parties and we have been doing our best to register as well as to deregister.

“I think you are talking about the court judgment about a week ago or so. But people are forgetting that we had three other court judgments that had thrown away those who have gone to contest our deregistration of political parties.

“So, this is the first judgment which seems to now favour a deregistered party. So, really as far as we are concerned, it’s a case that we have to appeal and, in fact, our lawyers are processing the appeal.

“So, I think it is misunderstanding and misrepresentation to say that the court has overturned our deregistration of parties because out of four judgments, three are in favour of INEC. So, really the jury is still out on this deregistration and we

should not misunderstand the import of that judgment.

On the timetable for 2015 elections, the INEC chairman said: “We will issue a timetable.

There is a legal time frame in which we have to issue a timetable for general elections and we are still within that time and it is too early to issue the 2015 timetable now.

“So, we will stick to the requirement of the law and issue the timetable when the law says we should issue it.”

He, however, explained that a lot had been done to put INEC in shape for a free and fair poll in 2015.

Jega said: “Specifically, we have undertaken some programmes to reposition INEC for greater efficiency in conducting free, fair and credible elections. Since the 2011 General Election, we have done the following, among others: “We have internally reviewed the conduct of the elections through retreats involving Electoral Officers, RECs and Admin Secretaries, and National Commissioners.

Through this process, we have learnt from the field officers our strengths and weaknesses in the conduct of elections and we have been introducing appropriate measures to improve the process.”

By Toba Agboola

HE Federal Government has said that it would provide special incentives for investors in the sugar industry, especially those that have keyed into government’s Backward Integration Policy.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, spoke during his tour of existing facilities of major sugar refineries in Lagos.

The refineries are : Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Sugar Refinery and Golden Sugar Refinery.

Aganga noted that the incentives would be similar to what was given to investors who had keyed into government’s Backward Integration Policy in the cement industry, adding that the move would help the country to achieve self sufficiency in sugar production for both domestic consumption and export.

The minister said: “We are fully aware that the processes of optimising the whole value chain in terms of moving from sugarcane to sugar, take quite some time and require huge investment. That is why we have asked the operators of sugar refineries to provide us with their strategic and detailed action plans on backward integration in terms of what they want to do in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. In addition, we want to see the practical demonstration of their commitment to the implementation of the policy.

“So, based on their demonstration of commitment to those things in their backward integration plans as it relates to moving from sugar cane to sugar production, we will give them special incentives. This is similar to what we did during the implementation of the Backward Integration Policy in the cement sector until we got to the point where we saw a significant increase in local cement production and we tied importation to production to bridge gap between supply and demand.”

2015: INEC may weed out 7m multiple registrants from Voters Register •Agency uncovers 100, 458 multiple registrations in Anambra

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ARRING last minute hitches, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may eliminate about 6-7million eligible voters out of 73.5million from the nation’s Register of Voters.

The affected voters had engaged in multiple registrations in order to corrupt the electoral process.

The commission also said the first phase of the production of 40million Permanent Voters Cards is almost completed.

INEC’sDirector of ICT, Chidi Nwafor spoke at an interactive session between the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, media professionals and Civil Society Organisations in Abuja.

He said the exercise had so far revealed between 6% and

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

20 per cent of duplicates in each state.

Nwafor explained that about 100,458 multiple registrants out of 1,718,165 registered voters had been uncovered in Anambra State.

He said the 100, 458 multiple registrations in Anambra State represented 5.6% of the registered voters.

He said: “In 2011, tentative figures were declared based on feedback from the field and the commission declared a total of 73.5million registrants nationwide.

“After the successful conduct of the 2011 elections, the register of voters has been undergoing several processes to improve its quality to ensure a flawless Register of Voters which is the basis for freer, fairer and more credible

elections in 2015.”

He said the deployment of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has led to the elimination of multiple registrations.

He added: “We adopted the Standardized Biometric solution developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“The AFIS software allows the commission to execute a de-duplication process on its database of registered voters.

This de-duplication process identifies multiple registrations and appropriately flags such “The exercise has revealed between 6% and 20% of duplicates in each state. About 34 states have been run successfully, we have only Lagos and Kano left and the process

will be completed before the end of this month (August 2013).

“So, we are looking at eliminating about 6 -7million multiple registrants from the nation’s Register of Voters after the completion of the exercise. I will prefer to give you the accurate figures when we finish.

“In Anambra State, our data consolidation showed 1, 811, 519 but AFIS revealed 1,718, 165(leaving a difference of 93, 354 or about 5.2 per cent). And when we applied business rules, we finally arrived at 1, 711,061 voters with additional difference of 7,104 bring the percentage of multiple registrations to 5.6 per cent in Anambra State.

On the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC), Nwafor said: “The first phase of PVC to print 40million voters’ cards

•Jega

is almost completed and the delivery of these cards to the commission is ongoing.

“The PVC second phase to print 33million voters’ cards has been awarded and it is ongoing.

“INEC has employed the services of an Independent Card Assessor to confirm that card quality meets specifications.”

When a stakeholder raised, the ICT Director said: “The PVC has ten years durability and it can be used for electronic identification and authentication of voters during general elections.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY AUGUST 6, 2013

NEWS

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PDP BoT member: APC is huge threat

BOARD of Trustees (BoT) member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Benjamin Apugo, has said the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC) is a huge threat to the PDP. He said the ruling party has been riddled with irreconcilable crises.

Addressing reporters at the Owerri Airport, Imo State, the founding member of the PDP said he embraced and celebrated the APC long before it was registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because of its prospects for advancing Nigeria’s democracy.

According to him, the performances of the PDP have been difficult to assess because of the absence of a formidable opposition.

Apugo said: “It has been difficult to assess our party because there was no opposition.

This is why I am happy that the APC has been registered. I know the people there: they are men of integrity and strong character, like myself.”

Reacting to PDP’s prediction to rule Nigeria for the next 60 years, Apugo said: “There is nothing wrong with an assumption. If the PDP will rule, let it be by the votes of the people. It is the party that respects the rule of law, that recognises the aspirations of the people and does the right thing that the people will want.

“I embraced the APC because of the calibre of people in the party. Sincerely speaking, I know the people. I have seen APC governors perform: they look after their people, they create jobs and develop infrastructure, which is the es-

‘Mobilise new members for APC’

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CORES of supporters of the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC) at the weekend met at Iju, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, for the inauguration of the party in the local government.

The event was hosted by a former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Chief Tayo Alasoadura. Members were advised to shun discrimination within the mega party.

A Christian and a Muslim prayed for the victory of ACN governorship candidate in last year’s election, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), at the Supreme Court.

Alasoadura noted that members of the new party need a level-playing field to enable them contribute to the growth of the party.

He said the meeting was to sensitise the people on the emergence of APC. According to him, the new party is the only panacea for the poor masses who have been languishing in poverty and starvation.

Alasoadura said there were various ills plaguing the society, adding that APC is the solution to make life better for Nigerians.

The former commissioner promised that the APC would tackle unemployment, insecurity and other national challenges.

The politician said the APC is a national party which accommodates all tribes, adding that unity is its hallmark.

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

sence of governance. But the PDP-led administration in my state, Abia, has failed totally.”

Taking a swipe at Governor Theodore Orji, the PDP chieftain disagreed with the state government’s claim on projects.

He added: “Since Orji came to power, no viable project has been completed in Umuahia,

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

He said: “This is a new party, but all members are equal. It is on ‘no master, no servant’ philosophy. What should be our priority now is how to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the centre and Labour Party (LP) in the state.”

Alasoadura urged the people to support those who will emerge as its chairmen at the state, local and ward levels.

He said more people should be mobilised for the progressives’ train.

Another chieftain of the defunct ACN in Akoko, Chief Bode Sunmonu, said APC’s emergence was the best thing, because it would deliver the nation from the shackles of poverty of the ruling PDP. He expressed delight about the massive turnout of the people at the meeting, adding that the APC would bring succour to the people, particularly in Ondo State.

A former National Deputy Women’s Leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Mrs Opeyemi Fagbamiye, expressed delight at the registration of APC. She described it as a welcome development.

The women’s leader urged politicians to shun selfish interests and work for the nation’s progress.

According to her, APC has come as a divine intervention to rescue Nigeria from the sinking ship of the PDP.

the state capital. There is no airport in the state, no stadium.

Yet, the PDP-led administration claims to have met its target in the state. But the truth is that the projects only exist on the pages of newspapers.”

On the clamour for Igbo presidency, the frontline politician stressed that the zone is eminently qualified to occupy any position in the land, in-

cluding that of the President.

He, however, noted that the Igbo nation must unite under a common front to achieve the goal.

Apugo said: “We should not deceive ourselves: we should do everything possible to be united first. We are qualified but we should get back our allies. So, let’s forget about deceiving ourselves for now.”

Council autonomy: NULGE threatens protest over Senate’s ‘conspiracy’

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From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

HE National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, has said the union will organise a mass protest, if the National Assembly opposes the proposed amendment of the constitution for local governments’ autonomy.

Khaleel spoke at the weekend at the fifth Quadriennial State Delegates’ Conference of the Ekiti State branch of the union in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

He said: “The perceived unenthusiastic response of both the Federal Executive and National Assembly members to the issue was an indication that the NULGE must gird its loins, if the autonomy would see the light of day.

“After our nationwide warning strike, we realised that the governments and lawmakers were not in any way perturbed by our action, hence the need to change gear to mass protest.”

The NULGE president recalled that “all the 360 federal constituencies in the country voted in favour of local government autonomy during last year’s public hearing”.

He hailed the House of Representatives’ members for supporting autonomy for local governments, saying: “The union will scale the hurdles during harmonisation of the dissenting positions of the two chambers.”

‘Voting against councils’ autonomy is anti-masses’

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From Muhammad Bashir, Lokoja

HE Kogi State Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Tom Abutu, said yesterday that any vote against the proposed local government autonomy is a vote against the masses.

Abutu spoke with The Nation in Lokoja, the state capital.

He expressed disappointment at the role of the Senate during the constitutional ammenment debate on local governments.

The Senate had voted against the local government autonomy, though the House of Representatives voted in its favour.

Abutu argued that those who voted against the law were selfish.

He said: “Some of them are aspiring to become governors of their states. All they are interested in is to create a soft landing for themselves when they become governors. I want to declare that anybody who does not wish the masses well will never achieve his or her ambition... in Jesus’ name.”

On the fear that some governors could frustrate the arrangement when the bill gets to the states, Abutu said: “If the Senate can vote against the act, because of their ambition to govern their various states, I will equally advise members of the Houses of Assembly to vote in favour of the Act, who know they might be called by their people to become chairmen of their local governments.”

The NULGE chief noted that teachers would be the better for it, if the Act is signed into law.

DEATH OF NUJ OFFICIALS

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APC condoles with NUJ, others

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has condoled with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as the families of the three journalists who died in a road accident in Osun State, last week.

The party said it was deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely deaths.

“Please, accept our condolences on the demise of your colleagues and family members. We pray that God will grant repose to the souls of the departed and give all those they left behind the strength to bear their irreparable loss,” the party said in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It extended its best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured in the accident.

APC said one of the best ways to ensure that the committed journalists did not die in vain is for their colleagues to mount a sustained cam-

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Ajimobi, CJ, Alaafin, others visit ailing NUJ officials

ASUU commiserates with union

HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU) has commiserated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the death of three journalists in a motor accident near Osu, Osun State, last Friday.

In a statement by the ASUU President, Dr Nasir Fagge, the union urged journalists to remain strong to overcome the trauma the incident has caused.

The union said members of the academic community in Nigerian universities shared in the journalists’ sad moment.

The statement reads: “I received the news of the death of our people in the NUJ with shock. I had thought the accident would only end with injuries and not death. But only Allah knows best.

“We, in ASUU, are pained and hurting that those who offered themselves to serve their profession would exit the world this way. I sympathise with the national fraternity of jour-

paign for measures that can help reduce the rate of road accidents in the country.

“Road accidents are among the top 10 leading causes of deaths in the world, claiming nearly 3,500 lives per day in 2011, according to the latest figures by the World Health

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna and Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

nalists in Nigeria and in particularly, Oyo and Lagos States’ NUJ councils. May Allah comfort the families of the departed.”

The ASUU President prayed God to grant the families of the departed the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

He added: “We can only take solace that only Allah knows best. God gives and He takes. It is only unfortunate that these versatile members were cut short in their prime.”

Also, the Chairman of the University of Ibadan (UI) ASUU branch, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, expressed shock at the death of the three NUJ officials.

He said: “Our friends have gone; we are sad.

But we should take care of their children. We should not cry and forget their families. I will urge the union to develop a scheme to assist the children of the deceased.”

Organisation (WHO). No country is free from these untimely deaths.

“Journalists are among those who face the highest risk of deaths and injuries from road accidents, because their job requires them to be on the move constantly.

This is why they must be at

the vanguard of efforts to curtail road accidents.

“We also urge the authorities to ensure that the nation’s roads are in good condition, and road safety officials ensure strict compliance with measures that will enhance safety on the roads,” the party said.

Plateau NUJ opens condolence register

HE Plateau State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has opened a condolence register in honour of the three Lagos and Oyo Councils’ officials who died last Friday in an accident in Osun State.

The state NUJ Chairman Katdapba Gobum said the death of the three journalists was saddening.

He said the register would give sympathisers the opportu-

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

nity to condole the families of the deceased.

Gobum said: “The death of the committed journalists has touched so many Nigerians, including those residing in Plateau State. This is why the state council considered it essential to open a condolence register, so that those coming to pay their condolences would sign. Members of the state council would also sign.”

•ACN condoles with NUJ

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan •Ajimobi

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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi; the Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Bolajoko Adeniji and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III yesterday visited the ailing Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the National Treasurer, Comrade Gbenga Opadotun and Alhaja Fatimah Abdulkareem at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

The Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Chief Sharafadeen Alli and the company’s Group Managing Directo, Mr. Adebayo Jimoh also visited the journalists.

Opadotun and Abdulkareem were among the 10 survivors of last Friday’s motor accident in Osun State in which three other journalists died.

The journalists were returning from an official assignment at their national secretariat in Abuja when their vehicle crashed near Osu in Osun State.

Ajimobi, who was represented by Deputy Governor Moses Alake-Adeyemo, condoled with Oyo NUJ. The governor requested for the best of medical treatment

for the survivors and restated the commitment of his administration to foot the medical bills of the duo.

The Alaafin was represented by the Basorun of Oyo and other members of Oyomesi, including the Caretaker Chairmen of Oyo West and Atiba, Soji Ojoawo and Prince Akeem Adeyemi.

Alli, Jimoh and other management workers of the company presented a letter of condolence to the NUJ Chairman, assisted by his Secretary, Comrade Rotimi Babalola.

Executive Council members of the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Ayobami Ajayi, also visited the survivors.

The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State condoled with the NUJ on the death of its members.

In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Dauda Kolawole, the party’s Chairman, Chief Akin Oke (JP), described the incident as shocking.

The party expressed appreciation to the medical personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the police and officials ofn the Oyo, Osun and Lagos States’ Governmrnts for their support.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

8

NEWS PA ADEMOLA FASHOLA (1933 - 2013)

Fashola’s dad passes on at 80

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OVERNOR Babatunde Fashola’s dad, Alhaji Ademola Fashola, is dead. He died in Lagos yesterday at 80.

The late Pa Fashola, who worked with the defunct Daily Times of Nigeria Ltd for many years and rose to the position of an advertisement manager, had been ill for some time, it was learnt yesterday.

A statement by the Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Lanre Babalola, reads: “In total submission to the will of Almighty Allah, we announce the passage of our husband, father, grandfather and great grand-

Ajimobi condoles with Fashola

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•Funeral holds today in Lagos

By Miriam Ekene- Okoro

father, Ibrahim Ademola Bayo Fashola, which occurred on August 5 at the age of 80.

“He is survived by wives, children and great grandchildren. He will be buried at Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday, August 6th at 1pm.”

The Nation learnt that Fashola, who is observing Umrah (lesser hajj) in Saudi Arabia, has cut short his pilgrimage and is expected in Lagos today to witness his father’s funeral.

Civil servants at the state’s secretariat, Alausa were seen in groups discussing the incident. They sympathised with the governor on the death of his father, whom they described as “jovial” and “amiable”.

A reporter recalled how the late governor’s father entertained him when he wanted to interview him.

“I went to his house to interview him, but to my surprise, Baba refused to grant me the interview. But he received me well and entertained me. He lived a simple life. I pray that God should

•The late Pa Fashola

grant him eternal rest.”

A member of the House of Representatives representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, Bush Alebiosu, said: “We have lost a gem. May Allah give the Fashola family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Jonathan consoles Fashola

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday consoled the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on the death of his father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President urged the family and people of Lagos State to give thanks to God as the

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

octogenarian lived an exemplary and accomplished life.

The statement reads: “On behalf of himself, his family, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan conveys sincere condolences to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on the death of his father, Pa

Ibrahim Ademola Fashola earlier today in Lagos.

“As they mourn Pa Fashola, President Jonathan urges Governor Fashola, his family and people of Lagos State to give thanks to God Almighty for the octogenarian’s exemplary and accomplished life.

“The President urges them to be comforted by the knowledge that Pa Fashola is

returning to his creator as a very blessed and fulfilled man, who lived to see his son become a two-term Governor of one of Nigeria’s most populous and vibrant states.

“President Jonathan joins Governor Fashola, members of his family and the people of Lagos in praying that God Almighty will grant Pa Fashola peaceful and eternal rest from his labours on earth.”

Tinubu: he died a fulfilled man

•Tinubu

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Asiwaju Bola

Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday commiserated with Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on the death of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.

In a statement, he said: “When in the United States of America (USA), I received the news of the death of Pa Ademola Fashola, the father of the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, with great shock and deep sadness.

His demise even at the ripe age of 80 is a hurtful one. We have indeed lost a true, hon-

est, steadfast and dependable father. “Pa Fashola, a man of integrity, is a father no one would want to lose at a time like this. My family and I send our heartfelt condolences to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on this great loss.

“We must seek solace and take comfort that Baba lived a fulfilled life and passed away with the knowledge that he gave his best to his family, Lagos State and Nigeria. There is no greater testimony to this than his son, Babatunde Fas-

hola, the Governor of Lagos, who has given a new meaning to good governance and purposeful leadership.

“Pa Fashola, Lagosians thank you. Nigeria thanks you for giving us a son like Babatunde Raji Fashola.

Governor Fashola must remain strong in the face of this great loss of a dotting father, especially as his siblings look up to him for strength and courage. May Allah (SWT) be his consolation and grant him peace at a time like this.”

Death stirs mixed feelings, says Aregbesola

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SUN State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has commiserated with his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, on the death of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.

In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Governor Aregbesola said the

death of Pa Fashola would create a vacuum in the extended Fashola family as well as in Lagos social and political circles.

The governor said the death of Alhaji Fashola would deny him and his colleagues the elderly counsel and wisdom they had enjoyed from him.

Said he: “The exit of Papa Ademola Fashola has caused

mixed feelings.

“His death reminds us of the ephemeral nature of our existence on earth.

“It is a thing of joy that Pa Fashola led a befitting, courageous and instructive life worthy of emulation.

“He demonstrated to us that he is a worthy father, a father in a million, one every child would love to have and call a

father.

“Certainly, Papa led a fulfilling life. We thank Allah for his life. We offer our sincere and heart-felt condolence to the immediate and extended family of Pa Fashola and Lagosians.

“We pray that Allah should give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. May He repose the soul of Papa in Aljana Firdaus.”

OVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has condoled with his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, on the passing away of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola, in the early hours of yesterday at the age of 80.

Ajimobi, in a statement in Ibadan yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, described the demise of the patriarch of the Fashola dynasty as a great loss to the family.

“Papa was a devout Muslim, a community leader and a shining example of humility and

His death a great loss, says Amosun

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GUN State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun has mourned the death of Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola Fashola, the father of the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).

He said he was shocked by the news of his death, describing it as a great loss.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, Amosun described Papa Fashola as a model of industry, discipline and integrity.

“He was a dedicated family man and a devout Muslim,

who trained his children in the way of Allah. It is not surprising that one of his children, Mr. Raji Fashola, later rose to become the governor of Lagos, where he has recorded outstanding successes,” the governor said.

Amosun commiserated with the government and people of Lagos State, family, relatives and friends of Papa Fashola, “especially my brother governor, on the exit of our beloved father, who led an exemplary life.”

He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant Papa eternal rest in Aljanah Firdaus.

Take heart, Fayemi tells Fashola

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KITI State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi has commiserated with his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) on the death of his father, Alhaji Ademola Fashola.

Fayemi, in a statement yesterday, said he understands what Governor Fashola is going through, having tasted the same experience of losing his father four years ago.

The governor said although his Lagos counterpart would feel the pain of losing his father, he urged him to be consoled by the fact that the deceased lived a fulfilled life and to a ripe age.

He said: “On behalf of the government and good people of Ekiti State, the Land of Hon-

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our, I commiserate with my friend and brother Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, on the peaceful transition of his father, Alhaji Ademola Fashola.

“I also commiserate with the entire Fashola family and the Lagos State Government. I pray Almighty God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Dr. Fayemi said the late Alhaji Fashola’s death marked a glorious end to a life well spent in the service of Almighty Allah and humanity.

He described the deceased as a devout Muslim, a community leader and a philanthropist, who dedicated his life to the good of others and the development of his community.

Obi sends his sympathy

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi has condoled with his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Babatunde Fashola and the people of Lagos State on the death yesterday of his father, Alhaji Ademola Fashola.

Governor Obi said he was saddened to hear of the death of the senior citizen at 80 at a time he could have been reaping the fruits of his labour.

The Anambra State governor said although he did not know the late Ademola Fashola, he could distill enough of his character from the personality traits of Governor Fashola and from what our leader, who was his

L •Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina (middle), addressing reporters during a news briefing on Ward Breast Feeding Week Celebration, held at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. With her are Director, Family Health and Nutrition, Dr. Modele Osunkiyesi (left) and Deputy Director, Nutrition, Dr. Abimbola Ajayi.

PHOTO NIYI ADENIRAN

philanthropy, as he shared virtually everything he had with the needy, irrespective of where they came from,” he said.

Although the governor said the deceased would be missed by his immediate family, the people of Lagos State and indeed the whole of Southwest, he, however, admonished Governor Fashola and his siblings to seek solace that he lived a fulfilled life.

Senator Ajimobi prayed for the repose of the deceased’s soul, and that God should grant the Fashola family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

intimate friend, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, told me about him.

“This is a sad moment for the Fashola family, the people and government of Lagos State and their friends. They have lost a father, brother, counsellor and guardian. I extend to you my deepest sympathy and that of the government and people of Anambra State on the painful loss.”

Governor Obi urged Governor Fashola and the people of Lagos State to seek solace that death awaits every man and that the deceased was the human source of the good season reigning in Lagos State today.

Lagos lawmakers pray

AWMAKERS in the Lagos State House of Assembly have commiserated with Governor Babatunde Fashola on the demise of his father, Alhaji Ademola Fashola.

They said the death of Governor Fashola’s father was a great loss. The legislators prayed that God should grant the governor the fortitude to bear the loss.

By Oziegbe Okoeki

Mr. Saka Fafunmi representing Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 1 said: “It is unfortunate that it happened during the Ramadan.

He was a good ambassador of peace. We will miss him.

“I did not know that he was old because of his good looks and physique. I pray that God Almighty will give Governor Fashola the fortitude to bear the loss.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

9

NEWS

PDP chieftain challenges Minister

Fayemi: my administration has KITI State Governor Dr. benefited all Kayode Fayemi has

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said over 200 communities have benefited from the people-oriented programmes and projects executed by his administration in the last 33 months.

The governor, who said this in Usi- Ekiti during the town’s day celebration, added that the N300 million grants-inaid-fund recently disbursed to 82 communities for self-help projects is part of the ways to develop the communities.

He said the fund was given to the communities for the execution of their projects.

Governor Fayemi said the grants-in-aid initiative, conceived to enable communities execute priority needs, is another way of ensuring participatory and accountable government as the communities choose contractors and determine the pace of work on their projects.

He stressed that the initiative has received commendations as people believe that the funds cannot be embezzled by any individual because they are meant for the communities.

The governor said efforts are in top gear for the distribution of funds to the second batch of beneficiaries.

He listed other projects that the communities have benefited from to include the 5km road projects in the 16 local governments.

According to him, the

Jonathan, governors for Obadare’s funeral

By Taiwo Abiodun

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, six governors, clerics, such as Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel), Pastor Enoch Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and others will attend the funeral of the late Pastor Timothy Oluwole Obadare.

The renowned cleric, who founded the World Soul Wining Evangelistic Movement (WOSEM) died on March 12.

Members of the funeral committee said they are planning to give the late cleric a befitting burial.

The five-member committee are Prof. Oyebode Ayeni, Rev. Toluwani Paul, Elder Akindeko Felix, Pastor Edward Folorunsho, and Pastor T. Lawal According to the committee, Obadare’s journey to the great beyond would start on August 8 when the body would lie-in- state at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, at noon.

It said on August 12, there would be commendation and service of songs at the All CAC Coordinating Council Headquarters at 4pm, and on August 15, his body would liein-state at Koseunti Prayer Ground, opposite Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, Ondo State.

The body will be interred on August 17 at WOSEM International Conference Ground (WOSEM SHILO), Ilesa, Osun State.

“We are building a mausoleum where he will be buried. We want the place to become a tourist centre, a place where people will go for holy pilgrimage,” a spokesman for the committee, Prof.

Oyebode, said.

building of an 80 km road would begin before the end of the year, as the first round is almost completed in the benefiting communities.

He assured of the security of life and property of citizens through the provision of a peace corps to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police.

Oba Adedayo Akande of Usi-Ekiti hailed the Fayemi administration for the grants–in-aid, which the town is benefiting from.

He said progress is being made on the projects for which the fund is earmarked.

At the event were the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adetunji Orisalade, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Kehinde Ojo, among others.

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From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

•From left: Deputy Director, Safeguard, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Prof. Olukayode Taiwo; Environmental and Safety Officer, Mrs. Adenike Oginni; Dr. Mike Dibor of Hope Worldwide Nigeria; and Aderonke Omorhirhi, Social Safeguard Officer, LAMATA, at a seminar on health, safety and environment for workers and artisans on the Mile 12 to Ikorodu BRT extension.

Killing of EKSU student: Family demands Coroner’s Inquest

HE family of a student of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Mr. Seyi Fasere, is requesting a Coroner’s Inquest to ascertain what caused the student’s death.

It said this in a letter dated July 30th, issued on its behalf by Mr. Durodola Olabode, a lawyer, of the Philip Olu Ojo Chambers.

According to the letter copied to Governor Kayode Fayemi, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Fapohunda and the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sotonye Wakama, the Chairman of Oye Local Government has 30 days to institute the inquest lest he would face a legal action.

In the letter titled: ‘Demand for Justice’, the fami-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ly said it decided to “demand the true cause of Seyi’s death to remove the doubt in some quarters that he was a member of an armed gang that robbed a bank” on the day.

The letter said if the police could parade the deceased’s body around town, saying he was an armed robber after same had been denied by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fasere, “a Coroner must be brought in to clear Seyi’s name.”

Fasere, a part-time Business Administration finalyear student of EKSU, was

believed to have been killed by the police in OyeEkiti after a bank robbery in the town on February 28.

According to reports, Fasere, who had gone home for his tuition fees, was returning to campus with N100,000 meant for the payment of the fees when he died. It was said that none of the valuables on him at the time of the incident, including the money and mobile phones, was recovered.

The petition reads: “Take notice that if your office will fail, neglect, refuse and or ignore to perform this statutory responsibility thrust on your local gov-

ernment within 30 clear days of your receipt of this letter, our clients will use all legal powers within their reach to enforce the extant laws as duly passed by the Ekiti State House of Assembly.”

The letter hailed Governor Fayemi for his “zero tolerance for extra-judicial killings”, urging him to support the family in exposing the circumstances of Seyi’s death.

The petition said a police officer attached to Oye-Ekiti Divisional Police Station told Seyi’s parents that their son was an armed robber, which they had denied.

‘Outside forces, individual interests fuelled Ekiti PDP crisis’ F

ORMER Minister of Education and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has said “outside forces” combined with “individual interests of aspirants” fuelled the crisis in the party in Ekiti State.

Adeniran, a former Ambassador to the Republic of Germany, said the opposition capitalised on the “small cracks within the party over disagreements on the adoption of a consensus candidate” for the 2014 governorship election.

Describing the print media as “patriotic partners”, he hailed them for their objective reporting, saying: “I have followed reports in the dailies and found them a fair repre-

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From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

sentation of the events as they unfold in our party.”

Prof. Adeniran spoke yesterday at a media parley in Ado-Ekiti in respect of the latest move to broker peace among aggrieved members.

The state chapter of the PDP has been enmeshed in a crisis on how its standard-bearer in the 2014 poll will emerge.

Factions have made issues out of this. They have also quarrelled over whether the party should hold primaries or go for a consensus candidate.

The matter came to a head

three weeks ago when members of the factions engaged in a combat, using dangerous weapons in the early morning showdown at the party’s secretariat in Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti.

Agreeing to a “consensus” option, the former Minister noted that the situation in the party called for a candidate who could rise above personal ambition to ensure success in the governorship election.

He said: “At a time like this, our appeal to patriotic and selfless members of the party is to show restraint and stay focused on the noble and unifying ideas being canvassed

by the party leadership. We want to take steps that will lead our party out of the wilderness into a fine pasture of scenic beauty and glorious limelight.

“I am convinced that this is not the time for members to put personal interests above the collective interests of the party as it remains a vehicle for the realisation of the legitimate aspirations of individuals.

“The reconciliation committee set up by party leadership has begun work in Abuja, but here in Ekiti, acrimonies must stop.

There is need for cohesion, temperate language, civility of behaviour and altruism in thought and in action.”

LASU V-C presents scorecard

HE Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof.

John Oladapo Obafunwa, yesterday urged stakeholders to put heads together to make the institution a model.

He spoke to reporters during a briefing at the LASU Senate Chamber.

Prof. Obafunwa said the greatest achievements of his administration in the last one and a half years is the re-accreditation of eight departments and the Faculty of Law once axed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

By Adegunle Olugbamila

He recalled that on assumption of office, the de-accredited programmes became his administration’s headache.

Said he: “One of the biggest tasks of this administration when we assumed office was to ensure that all the courses formerly de-accredited by the NUC were accredited.

“The cheering news today is that our great university has been given a clean bill. You are already aware that 16 programmes were accredited in March of the 17 initially deaccredited by NUC. “Besides,

another 18 programmes, some of which were on interim status, were recently presented for re-accreditation. Although the official results are being awaited from the NUC, we remain optimistic.

“Following the accreditation by the NUC and the approval of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the university can now admit students for all the programmes in the 2013/2014 academic session and beyond.”

Prof. Obafunwa said the current administration has held two convocations, the last being in February where over

11,000 students graduated with 7, 400 graduating students drawn from the university’s external campus.

The Vice-Chancellor was assisted at the briefing by his two deputies, Prof. Sena Bakre (Academic) and Prof. Omolara Bamgboye (Management), Registrar, L. O. Animashaun, Bursar, Olapeju Awoluyi and other top management staff.

He said new academic programmes, such as Aeronautic Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Science as well as Film and Cultural Studies would soon be introduced.

A CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji AbdulRasheed Adebisi (aka Olopoeniyan), has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs. Olajumoke Akinjide, to publish the result of the 2011 election in her polling booth.

He promised to do same to prove to her that he is not a faceless politician as being alleged.

Adebisi spoke recently when he addressed reporters in Ibadan over the minister’s allegation that he is unknown in the party.

He said: “I don’t need to prove to her that I’ve been in the PDP 10 years before she joined the party. As a grassroots politician, I’ve always delivered for my party. If she does not believe, I challenge her to publish the 2011 election result in her polling booth for the public to peruse.”

RCCG holds 61st convention

By Precious Igbonwelundu

MILLIONS of people across the world yesterday started trooping to the headquarters of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for the church’s 61st annual convention, which has begun.

The week-long event presided over by the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, will end on August 9 with a vigil.

Pastor-in-charge of Province 14, Lagos, Jide Akiode, in a statement urged Christians to attend the convention and celebrate Jesus.

He said: “I urge Christians and non-Christians, irrespective of their positions in life, to attend this great event, which offers the opportunity to appreciate God for loving us and sending his son to die on the cross for our sins.

“Choose to make Jesus the Lord of your life and he will sure make you the kind of person that you want to be.”

Ex-Abiola’s aide mourns VETERAN journalist and former Special Assistant to the late Chief MKO Abiola, Lisa Olu Akerele, has described the late Alhaji Ademola Fashola, father of Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, as a great man, who bequeathed a great son to Nigeria.

In a condolence message to Governor Fashola, Lisa Akerele said the 80-year-old, who died in Lagos yesterday, lived a life worthy of emulation.

He prayed that Almighty Allah should grant him Aljanaah Firdaus.

Akerele said: “Pa Fashola, a devout Muslim, lived a simple life devoted to serving his people. This he transferred to his son, Governor Fashola, who has been doing a wonderful job in Lagos since he assumed office as governor of the state.

“His death is not only a loss to the Fashola family and Lagos State, but to Nigeria as well. I pray God to grant the family in particular the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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NEWS RAMADAN KAREEM

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SOLAT TIME (Oyo) Fajr Zuhr Asr Magrib Ishai

– 5:20 – 12:51 – 4:10 – 7:04 – 8:15

(Anambra)

(Niger) Fajr Zuhr Asr Magrib Ishai

– 5:06 – 12:42 – 3:59 – 6:58 – 8:10

am pm pm pm pm

Fajr Zuhr Asr Magrib Ishai

– 5:08 – 12:38 – 3:58 – 6:50 – 8:00

Ramadan 28st, 1434AH

am pm pm pm pm (Source: Islamicfinder.org)

Ramadan tests German Muslim athletes

BSTAINING from food and water for 15 hours a day, German Muslim athletes are taking the challenge of observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan and keeping their training courses.

“I always hear the same sentences, like ‘Don't you need a drink?' or how can you do it?' Suleyman Baysal, a 21-year-old Muslim soccer player at YEG Hassel team, told Deutsche Welle.

“I don't need to drink right now. Really, I don't,” he responds as usual.

Like other German Muslims, the 21-year-old student of English and philosophy is observing Ramadan fasting from sunrise to sunset.

Baysal breaks the fast with his family around 9 p.m. and sets an alarm for 3 a.m. to drink another litre of water before dawn.

Baysal coaches a team of nine- and 10-year-olds, and the kids respect his commitment and try to hide water bottles, so he won't see them drinking.

“I say, ‘You don't need to do that - just drink, it doesn't matter,' but they are so friendly,” he said.

In 2010, the German Football Association (DFB), The German Football League (DFL) and the Central Council of Muslims declared that professional soccer players were exempt from fasting during Ramadan.

Some Muslim stars chose to fast, including Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery from France, who sets inspiration for other athletes.

RAMADAN GUIDE WITH FEMI ABBAS

e-mail: femabbas@yahoo.com Tel: 08122697498

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am pm pm pm pm

Alhamdu Lillah

OR any good Muslim, coming out of Ramadan is like coming out fresh from Hajj. Both are spiritual cleansers and erasers of sins. Whoever passes through Ramadan or Hajj with genuine intention and abides by their rules scrupulously is sure to become like a new born baby devoid of sins.

If anything should be called a clean slate (Tabularasa), here on earth, it is either Ramadan or Hajj. The one is open to all. The other is limited to a few according to the condition by which it is to be performed. Both Ramadan and Hajj constitute the rarest opportunity for living Muslims to renew their covenant with Allah on an annual basis.

Through Ramadan, we came to know about Tarawih and the reinvigoration it entails; about Sahur and the discipline it instils; about Iftar and the relief it ensures; about I’tikaf and the spirituality it encourages; about Laylatul Qadr and the great hope it brings; about Zakatul Fitr and the spirit of kindness it accentuates as well as about Eidul Fitr and the happiness it disseminates among believers.

Through Hajj, we came to know about the very first house on earth which is called Ka’bah; about the circular nature of the world which Tawaf represents; about the necessity of endurance in life which Sa’y portrays; about the great assembly of the Final Day which Arafat exemplifies; about the damnable character of Satan which the throwing of pebbles at the Jamrat demonstrates; about perseverance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which the visit of pilgrims to Madinah recalls and the everlasting universality of Islam which the meeting of races in the Holy Land confirms. Yet, without the Qur’an, we would not have known Ramadan and Hajj. Neither would we have known Islam and its three other pillars. This confirms that Qur’an is the main compass of this world and the life hereafter which shows mankind the way on the turbulent high sea of life.

With the last two pillars of Islam so heavily loaded with spiritual well being and jointly forming an estuary of fortune for the other three pillars it may be concluded that the traces of life hereafter are vividly clear in this very life on earth. The details of this will come up in another edition of this column in the near future.

In sha’a Llah.

We thank the Almighty Allah for granting us the opportunity to sail through another Ramadan without scratch. Some people who had the same opportunity last year are no more this year.

Some who started the month with us this year fell by the way side.

Some who are alive and would have wished to sail with us in that spiritual ship of life have been precluded by circumstances beyond their control. With life, health and freedom still intact why wouldn’t we be grateful to Allah?

•Members of the NASFAT during their Laylatul Qadr in Abuja

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Ouattara urges reconciliation

VORIAN President Alassane Ouattara has urged Muslims to use the holy season of Ramadan to pray for true peace and reconciliation in the country.

This is contained in a statement from the presidency on Monday, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The statement said Ouat-

tara made the call during the celebration of the Laylatul Qadr (Night of Destiny) in Abidjan.

The Night of Destiny, which is celebrated on the old nights of the last nine or 10 nights of Ramadan is used to ask for forgiveness of sins.

Ouattara said religious leaders owed the nation a duty to pray fervently for di-

vine intervention and guidance for the leadership. ``Looking at where we are coming from, we will continue to ask that we pray ceaselessly for the country, its people and its leadership. We need to live as one people, prayers have become necessary at this time in our history,’’ the statement quoted him as saying.

Southsouth Muslims decry neglect

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USLIM leaders in the Southsouth geopolitical zone have called on their political leaders to give Muslims a sense of belonging.

The South South Muslim Forum (SSMF) said, being political leaders, the region's governors should not be seen to be biased against Muslims since they are also part of the citizens of the region.

The group, after an emergency meeting held in Warri, Delta State, regretted that Muslims from the region have always been at the receiving end of political appointments.

The leaders, drawn from Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers

From Dele Anofi. Abuja

noted with concern the apathy of some state governors to Muslims in the zone and urged them to integrate Muslims into the state and local polity to justify religious equality as enshrined in Nigeria constitution.

While commending the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar for his efforts to finding peaceful solution to the security challenges in the country, the group enjoined Muslims to utilise the opportunity of Ramadan to pray for peace and unity.

Besides, all Muslims are advised to be law-abiding citizens, while exhibiting tolerance for one another, as ex-

emplified by Prophet Mohammad.

The group urged President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint Muslims from the Southsouth zone into the cabinet, boards and other relevant institutions.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha, the group also called on the Federal Government to fulfil the agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of University to ensure students return to school The Muslim leaders called on the Senate for the quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill to ameliorate the suffering of the masses especially the people of the Niger Delta region.

Malawi Muslims dedicate I`tikaf to country

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ALAWI Muslims have gathered in mosques across the country for i`tikaf, using the last third of Ramadan to intensity prayers for Allah to alleviate their country's political and economic challenges.

“As Muslims, we have seized this opportunity to pray for numerous challenges affecting our nation,” Dina-

la Chabulika, National Coordinator for the Islamic Information Bureau (IIB) told OnIslam.net.

“At the moment, the country is going through economic reforms, which are affecting both Muslims and nonMuslims.We have taken the lead to turn to God for solutions, during the last 10 days of our special month,” Chab-

ulika said It is customary for Muslims to perform i`tikaf (spiritual retreat), spending the last 10 days of the month exclusively in the mosque.

“Life can't go on like this.

Life is becoming difficult for every Malawian. It is therefore the responsibility of every Muslim during this time to pray over this,” he stated.

The statement also quoted Alhaji Traore Mamadou, the Imam of the Rivera Mosque as saying that Muslims would continue to pray for peace and stability in the country. ``The importance of prayer for the enthronement of peace in Cote D’Ivoire is known to every Muslim,’’ he said.

Muslim youths sue for peace From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE National Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO) in Ondo state has urged Nigerians, especially Muslim, to pray for the nation in this month of Ramadan with their spiritual status.

Besides, the Council equally enjoined them to pray for the leadership of the country, as prayer is an essential tool that could change the nation’s present predicament.

A statement issued in Akure, the state capital by the chairman, Political Awareness Committee, Imam Ismail Ododoloto and Secretary, Olukayode Adesuyi urged citizens and residents to pray for peace.

The committee reminded the public of the 2015 elections and the need to pray for divine guidance to choose leaders and representatives that would fear Allah.

It appealed to the Muslims in the state to bear with the committee, stressing that necessary steps are being taken to ensure Muslims are well represented politically.

The statement reiterated that the development of youth is pivotal, for it stands as foundation for the growth and development of the country.

RAMADAN DIET

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allâh and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is well acquainted with what you do.”

–– (Suratul Ma’idah 5 verse 8) Sponsored by HON. ABDULRASHEED ABIODUN & ALHAJA OYEDOYIN MAFE, Chairman, Mosan-Okunola LCDA, Lagos

BUSINESS

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Naira rises on oil firms’ dollar sale

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HE naira rallied to its strongest level in more than six weeks against the dollar after oil companies sold the U.S. currency, boosting supply.

The currency appreciated a second day, gaining 0.6 per cent to N159.65 per dollar, the highest on a closing basis since June 24. The move was the biggest gain yesterday among 24 African currencies tracked by Bloomberg.

“A combination of foreignexchange sales from oil companies and corporate dollar supply supported the currency,” Samir Gadio, a London-based emerging-markets strategist at Standard Bank Group Limited., said in an email.

“Additionally, the market expects state-owned oil company foreign-exchange flows to hit the system in the short term.”

Oil firms which sell the U.S. currency mainly at the month’s end to meet domestic expenses, are the second-biggest supplier of dollars after the Central Bank of Nigeria. The apex bank auctions foreign exchange on Mondays and Wednesdays. It sold $598 million this week, little changed from the $600 million it sold in the previous five days.

The CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee left its benchmark interest rate at a record 12 per cent for an 11th consecutive meeting on July 23, to protect the naira.

It introduced a 50 per cent cash reserve requirement on public-sector funds after warning about the risk of excess liquidity.

Also, yields on Nigeria’s $500 million Eurobonds due January 2021 fell two-basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 5.5 per cent. Borrowing costs on local-currency debt due January 2022, rose seven basis points to 13.75 percent yesterday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$107/barrel Cocoa-$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N10.6 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -9% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending -22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $48b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

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

-Dr Joseph Odumodu, DG, SON

DPR’s half-year revenue hits N470b, say Reps T HE Department of Pe troleum Resources (DPR) raked in N470 billion revenue in the first six months of the year, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) has said.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Muraina Ajibola, who stated this during the committee’s oversight visit to DPR in Lagos, yesterday, said the figure exceeded the target given the agency.

He said the revenue target given DPR for the period was N383.754billion, while the agency exceeded its revenue target by over N86billion within the period.

“I am happy to tell Nigerians that after our proper scrutiny of their papers, we discovered that DPR has generated a total sum of over N470 billion. Of course,

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

clearly they (the agency) have exceeded their target by a total sum of N86 billion.

“Except for the capital implementation of budget 2013, where the performance appears a bit low, but in totality, the agency is doing well towards revenue generation,” he added.

Ajibola said the Committee and DPR discussed issues on Internal Revenue Generation to aid the agency in its operations, which he explained, is always on the increase, adding that the DPR has agreed to articulate its responsibilities and requested for ways to assist it in passing a bill to allow the agency generate revenue internally.

He urged the Federal Government to implement the recommendations and resolution of the Committees set up by the House to address crude oil theft in the country. He said the committee has asked the government to assign dedicated telephone lines to DPR and make it public to curb issues of pipeline vandalism and oil theft. The lines should be recorded with the security agencies, he said.

Ajibola also advised that all export terminals be manned by security personnel to identify oil thieves, adding that government should also introduce scientific mechanical readers to monitor the pipelines.

He said “We advised the Federal Government to allow the host communities to assist

in informing relevant authorities on oil theft and pipelines vandalism in the country.”

In his remarks, the Director, DPR, George Osahon, expressed appreciation for the visit of the committee and its promise to assist the agency.

“I am particularly grateful to the Committee on their observation towards allowing the agency to internally generate revenue to support its operations.

“We are constrained due to the limited sources of fund that we have, which affects our operational system. We will appreciate the Committee in assisting the Department in addressing salient issues affecting it.”

Osahon urged the agency to address crude oil theft in the country, saying the Committee is in a better position to assist the Department in achieving its objective of effective regulation.

Jonathan praises $2b trade with Canada From Augustine Ehikioya,

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Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday welcomed increasing level of trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Canada.

He said the level has risen from about $600 million three years ago to over $2 billion presently.

Jonathan, who spoke with the out-going Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Chris Cooter, also welcomed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation between both countries in other areas, such as education, electoral reform and polio eradication.

He praised Cooter for working very hard to improve relations between Nigeria and Canada during his three-year tenure in Abuja.

“You have done wonderfully well here, and I assure you that our relationship will continue to grow from strength to strength,” Jonathan said, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati.

30,000 lose jobs to oil theft

By Akinola Ajibade

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• From left: Executive Director, BUA Sugar Refinery, Mr Siva Kumar, BUA Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr Chimaobi Madukwe, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, and Managing Director, BUA Sugar Refinery, Mr Godwin Isibor at a meeting of the National Sugar Development Council in Lagos.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

N452t infrastructure funds from capital market coming T HE Federal Govern ment will source the largest chunk of about N452trillion required for various infrastructure projects under its long-term development plan from the capital market.

Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, who disclosed this yesterday at an infrastructure roundtable organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said government will turn to the capital market to source the estimated $2.9 trillion required for Nigeria’s infrastructure development over the next three decades.

He said government will require an average of $25 billion per annum from 2014-2018, compared to between $9 billion and $10 billion currently being spent.

By Taofik Salako

Government will have to aggressively increase core infrastructure stock from 35 to 40 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 to 70 per cent by 2043 in order to close the current infrastructure gap and reach desired optimal investment, he said, adding that the recourse to the capital market, was due to inadequacy of budgetary resources in view of the large financing requirements for infrastructure developments.

Usman said government will have to source funds from the private sector, noting that recent privatisation trends demonstrated that the private sector can take

about 48 per cent share.

He said the private sector investment requirement is projected to increase from 46 per cent, to 48 per cent during the first operational plan, 2014-2018, while public sector investment is projected at 52 per cent, adding that only about 15 per cent of public sector funding is projected to be from the treasury, while the balance of 85 per cent will be sourced through the bond market.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, said the infrastructural development plan is part of the long-term plan for stimulating Nigeria’s economic growth, and launching the country onto a path of sus-

tained and rapid socio-economic development.

He outlined that the development plan serves as a capital allocation framework, which identifies the required investments to bring infrastructure in Nigeria in line with the country’s long term growth aspirations.

“It is a medium-term economic transformation agenda for realising the Federal Government’s economic growth agenda for 2011 -2015,” he added.

Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh, said the Commission has been working to develop the domestic bond market, by enhancing the framework for bond issuance, developing rules on book building and shelf registration.

BOUT 30,000 workers have lost their jobs to oil theft in the past two years, the Petroluem and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has said.

Speaking during a visit to The Nation, its spokesman, Seyi Gambo, said the affected workers are from different segments of the industry.

He said the decision of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to divest their stakes in the industry, among other problems, has resulted in the loss of about 30, 000 jobs.

Gambo said there has been confliciting reports on the issue of oil theft since 2011 when it broke out.

“For years now we have been having problems with oil theft. In 2009, the United Nations said that Nigeria was losing about 150,000barrels per day to illegal bunkering.

It was last year that the Finance Minister said it’s about 400,000 bpd that we were losing, so that is the problem.

“So you understand that this is a very big problem This is because Shell, Agip, Total are telling Nigerians that the process isn’t as safe as it was before, and the way we operate is not the way other unions operate because of the level of our education.”

He said the union is doing a lot of backdoor negotations to prevent a situation whereby more people would be thrown into the labour market.

He said the decision to award contracts to ex-militants to safeguard the waterways has not helped matter as oil theft, pipeline vandalisation among other activities continues.

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•The estate during Gov Fashola’s visit.

Many of the buildings in the Lagos State Low Cost Housing Scheme popularly known as Jakande Estate at Adeniji Adele on Lagos Island are weak. During a visit last week, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the estate would be rebuilt. Welcoming the idea, some of the residents canvassed for “proper relocation” by the government before the renovation, reports SEYI ODEWALE.

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A stitch in time...

T was a surprise visit, but it was welcomed by residents of Lagos State Low Cost Housing Scheme popularly known as Jakande Estate at Adeniji Adele on Lagos Island. The buildings are threatened by flood and many are already showing signs of distress. So, when Governor Babatunde Fashola visited the estate last week, the residents were happy to receive him. The governor, they reasoned, had come to address their plight. Many of the houses are leaking, with sewage running through some of the compounds.

A shocked Fashola said he would not stand by and watch until the buildings collapsed before doing something. He said he would relocate the residents and even give them money to rent houses, pending the

rehabilitation of the estate.

Ade Fakoya, who lives in the estate, agrees with the governor.“The way residents of this estate, especially Adeniji Adele, managed the place has left so much to be desired. The place, apart from being over-crowded, is not fit for humans. Is it the pile of dirt that usually blocks the canal beside the estate you want to talk about or the impunity with which the residents deface the place that you want to talk about? Everywhere in that estate, you will agree with me must be rebuilt,” he said Built about 30 years ago, the estate, which has four phases, was among those built by the administration of the first civilian Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, to ease housing problems, especially of middle and low income earners. The idea

paid off as many keyed into the project, which simultaneously took off in almost every part of the state. They included Lekki, Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Alapere, Iyana-Ipaja, Ikorodu and other areas.

Recalling with nostagia when the estate was newly built, Fakoya said: “You needed to see what it looked like when it was newly built.

It was very decent, clean and habitable. How and when decay set it, to me, is a matter of conjecture, because it did not come suddenly.

The decay grew over the years.”

But over the years, the estate, like its contemporaries in the state, has suffered a lot of abuse and neglect by its owners. Aside, there are other factors that, unfortunately, eroded the integrity of the buildings in the estate.

These include the land on which they were

built and the circumstances under which they were erected.

“Every time we look at those buildings that are distressed, we must also look at the background of how those buildings got there. There was no land in that place. The impression of land was created by the construction of the Third Mainland Bridge, which necessitated sand filling of the area.

And the era when Alhaji Jakande constructed those buildings was when the Federal Government and the state government were struggling over landed property. Before it was being used for wasteful exercises the state government came in, and we needed those houses then,” said Com•Continued on page 18

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Planned cities coming in Ogun, says commissioner

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S part of its cardinal programmes, the Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration intends to have planned cities across the state, Commissioner for Physical Planning Adebayo Fari has said.

During an interview, he said: “We have been strict with the monitoring of property development by ensuring compliance with the master plan. Residents have been complying and cooperating with us. There has been improved voluntary compliance which is necessary in the enforcement of any law. ‘’We have identified some black spots but with the support of the governor, we are on the path of correcting the mistakes of the past.”

He said the government encouraged some problems, adding: “One hurdle we faced on assumption of office as the commissioner for the environment was flooding. It created a lot of challenges for the government because of the unregulated property development across the state. Mostly affected were Ifo and Ota local government areas.”

On compliance, Fari said: “The sincerity being exhibited by this administration has really helped us. With what the people have seen in this government, I believe they have made up their minds to cooperate and give maximum support.

We have done series of sensitisation. The government ac-

By Ernest Nwokolo

quired a number of vehicles and branded them Build right initiative and the modus operandi of this programme has been to go into the nooks and crannies of the state to engage communities in dialogue on the need to adhere to the master plan and the need to also visit our offices for first-hand information on land status and the consequences of not getting necessary permits before building.”

He said the governor planned that in the next 10 years, more people are liekly to moved into the state because of the onging developmental projects.

“This is why most of the roads we are constructing would be inaugurated in a short time. Most of them are six lanes. With a projection that the population of Ogun State will hit between 10 million and 11 million in another 15 years, we should be providing for that population now. That informed the massive investment in road infrastructure, in education, in urban and physical planning among other sectors. We are also doing a lot to make sure that everything is in line with the visions of the founders of the state,” he said.

On the menace of land speculators Omo-Onile, he said: “We have noticed this and I want to admit that the government created an avenue for it in the past. What we

have seen is that the government after acquiring large parcel of land and went to sleep thereby, giving room to land speculators (the OmoOnile) to take advantage of this to encroach and resell such land to un-

suspecting members of the public.

The unsuspecting allottees will come forward to argue that they bought the land from someone who claimed to own it and then start to build. What should have been done

is that immediately government acquires a parcel of land, it should go ahead and do a layout of the place and start allocating to people and provide the necessary infrastructure to make it habitable.”

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite during inspection of Ago-Iba/Itoku/Sapon/Ijaiye Road in Abeokuta.

A stitch in time...

•A distressed building at the estate.

•Continued from page 17

missioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Toyin Ayinde.

The hurried manner with which the estate was built, Ayinde told The Nation, gave no room for soil test.

This, however, undermined the government’s efforts as the building after some years began to sink until most of them showed some signs of distressed.

“So, those houses came within that circumstance and the necessary soil tests were not done then because they were in a hurry to put up those buildings for people to move into them. Obviously, over the years, structures like that would be distressed,” Ayinde said.

Fashola’s pronouncement has, however, sent jitters down the spine of many residents as they are not clear on how sincere the government will be and how it wants to go about it.

“The news about the government coming to demolish our estate is not in any way new to us. We heard it about two years ago. But what we are not clear with is how government wants to go about it. We have been told that we will be relocated pending the time the estate will be rebuilt, but where are we going to be moved to?” asked Hon Gbenga Akinnubi the estate’s Phase I residents’ chairman.

This fear, among others, he said, is causing a lot of discomfort among residents who would not want to be dislodged from the kind of life

they are used to on Lagos Island.

“Majority of our children were born in this estate, even some of the older generation cannot live their lives outside Lagos Island. So, if we are all relocated to another place, which we feel will definitely be outside Lagos Island, most of our people will find it difficult to adjust, knowing that the exercise will last until the buildings are reconstructed and completed. And this in the minds of our people will take months,” said Akinnubi.

He continued: “We appreciate the government’s concern about the state of the buildings and we are in support of the move to regenerate them. It is just that our people need to be assured that they will not suffer unnecessarily for their houses.

You may wish to know that we have since paid for these houses. We own them.”

Akinnubi made a suggestion: “We would love it if the government could just develop a section of the Phase II of the estate, which has some space, to serve as a transit camp for us. What will just happen is that we will be moved in phases as soon as the buildings are completed. If they move residents of five buildings to the camp, their apartment would be phased and when completed, they would be settled in them and others would follow suit in that order.”

But the Physical Planning Commissioner assured residents, saying they have nothing to fear. “Government intends to rebuild those buildings and endeavour that those liv-

ing there come back. To do a sustainable building in that environment for now would take one no less than 35 metres depth below the present ground level; meaning that you would have pile foundation.

Now if the existing buildings were erected on piles it is not very likely that we will have the present situation now,” he said.

Akinnubi’s statement was corroborated by the chairman of the estate, comprising all the four Phases, Alhaji Wakili Anbali, who said the plan goes with their aspiration. “We have been crying for about nine years to the government to come to our aid in this estate. And when they eventually came, we had no choice than to welcome them. It is okay with us,” he said.

He said a portion of land between phases II and III could be used to settle residents in phases pending the time the project is completed.

“If they take some people there now, their former apartments would be done and after that they take them back for others to take their turns,” he said, adding: “We would not want to be taken to far places outside Lagos Island, like Agege, IyanaIpaja or some place like that,” he added.

When the commissioner was asked if the scheme would take after that of Isale-Gangan, where the government rebuilt the place for its owners with a promise of giving them their buildings back when completed, Ayinde said: “IsaleGangan is a different case, but a regeneration exercise. It is different in the sense that people, who have their different properties, then pulled their small land area together and were being supported by the government and each of them will get back their apartments,” he said.

The scheme, he said, is not denying the owners of their properties, but to assist them in making the place habitable. “I don’t know if you have been to that area lately, you will see why we are most concerned.

We don’t want cases of building collapse again in Lagos and virtually all the buildings there are weak and distressed. Not only that, the area is

prone to flooding because of the blocked canal by the estate. So, all these will be done to make the place fit for living again,” he assured.

But Adeniji-Adele, the commissioner was told, is not the only estate in that category that was distressed. “Of course, we know that there are others like that. It will be extended to them, but we must also not forget that every exercise like this requires funding. In matter of funding, we talk about prioritising.

Don’t forget that housing is not the only need of Lagos. We also need to intervene in education, health, transportation, road infrastructure and expanding water provision.

“So, there are a lot of things competing for the limited resource and never ever forget that Lagos State has the largest population of all the states in Nigeria and all of these have to be balanced. That is part of the challenge we have. But let me also say that we have private sector participants who are showing interests in collaborating with the government to develop such estates.

They want to come in, do the relocation for those who are there, build the structures for them to occupy and probably develop others for commercial purposes,” he said.

Asked if the exercise would require the owners to pay some additional cost to regain their apartments, the commissioner, who first said no, later added that by the time the project is completed value would have been added to the buildings at some costs.

“No, no, no, no. I will take Adeniji, for example; we have a proposal by private sector participant who plans to relocate them at no cost to them, of course, if they don’t yield their tenancy up and leave those buildings. Let us not forget that every one of the flats in that estate belongs to some people; they bought them.

And if, perhaps, they have cooperated in maintaining them, it would not have got to that level. We must also recognise our bad maintenance culture, not just in Adeniji Adele, but for us generally as a people. As somebody said: “You don’t have a piece of engineering structure on ground and refuse to maintain it.

Nowhere is it done in the world.

So, it’s about the ability for them to yield. Once they yield, the plan is for them to come back there without any payment. Although we must note that it’s an added value, definitely they (the buildings) would not come back at their original value,” Ayinde said.

He, however, decried the misconception among some sections of the society that Governor Fashola’s administration was demolishing buildings arbitrarily in Lagos, noting that those who share the view are pessimists. “It is just like looking at a glass of water to say either it is half empty or half full. When you look at it and say half empty, you are seen as a pessimistic person, but when you say it is half full, it means that you are optimistic and hopeful that the glass will, eventually, get full. So, I think the message should change; it should be a message of hope. Have you been to the area lately? And what is your impression? If you have been there, you will know what we are talking about. We are bringing to them a message of hope and better living environment,” he said.

When The Nation visited the estate, it discoverd that it needs urgent attention. Entering through Phase I by the Taxi Park, it met with images that assaulted its sensibilities.

The state of most buildings, the untidy state of its inner roads and attachments, such as shops and kiosks could also make the place a haven for criminals, especially when night falls.

Perennial flooding of the area can also make living there hellish. “Although we are not happy with the flooding, what can you do as an individual when people around you are defiant especially in dumping of refuse in the canal?”asked a resident who, wished for anonymity.

Most residents on the Island, especially Adeniji Adele, he said, do not have an acceptable way of disposing their wastes. “That was why the canal got blocked,” he said, adding: “With the channelisation efforts of the government, living around here would be cool as flooding would have been tackled,” he added.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

19

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

No going back on democracy in Egypt

Toxic export

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•Nigerian judge fired in Gambia for alleged bribe taking

NIGERIAN, Justice Joseph Wowo, who was serving as the acting Chief Justice in the Republic of Gambia, has been sacked for allegedly asking for bribe from one Mr. Andre Klaarbergen, a litigant. According to reports, a video of the dishonourable conduct has been posted on the Youtube; and the sacked judge was reported to have fled from Gambia. Also sacked was the Gambian justice minister, Lamin Jobarteh, who allegedly helped to negotiate down the bribe, after the judge had initially asked for the equivalent of about N12million.

The Nigerian judge joined the

‘Could it be that the cankerworm of corruption that has eaten deep into the present Nigerian judiciary has also been exported to their contemporaries serving abroad?

Could it also be as a result of the breakdown in the moral fabrics of the younger generation, or that the parameters for determining success in the present times have negatively changed? Whatever was the motive or the drive for the embarrassing conduct, the consequences of Justice Wowo’s alleged misconduct will further affect the international perception of our country’

Gambian High Court in 2007 and rose to become President of the Court of Appeal, from where he was appointed acting Chief Justice of Gambia.

Justice Wowo’s alleged condemnable conduct is in contradistinction from the stellar performances of other Nigerian justices who had served meritoriously in foreign jurisdictions over the years. We have Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, who was seconded from the Oyo State judiciary to serve at the Court of Appeal in Gambia, and later as the Chief Justice of Gambia before returning to serve later in the Nigerian Supreme Court; also, Justice Godwin Okechukwu Ihekire who was seconded from the Imo State judiciary and served in the Court of Appeal, Gambia and later the Supreme Court of Gambia.

There was also Justice Akomaye Emmanuel Agim, the predecessor to the disgraced Justice Wowo.

We had Justice Akinola Aguda who served as the Chief Justice of Botswana, and a host of other credible judges who have proved a veritable export from the Nigerian legal system. So, why Justice Wowo who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991, and who chose to start a career in the Gambia, will turn a black sheep, by his alleged conduct, is worrisome. Could it be that the cankerworm of corruption that has eaten deep into the present Nigerian judiciary has also been exported to their contemporaries serving abroad?

Could it also be as a result of the breakdown in the moral fabrics of the younger generation, or that the parameters for de-

termining success in the present times have negatively changed? Whatever was the motive or the drive for the embarrassing conduct, the consequences of Justice Wowo’s alleged misconduct will further affect the international perception of our country, which image is already viewed as steeped in corruption.

Since Justice Wowo was not seconded to Gambia from the Nigerian judiciary like most of his eminent predecessors, it may be tricky for the National Judicial Council to rein in his judicial career, assuming he can still make something out of it, after his sack in Gambia. It may however be necessary for the Nigerian judiciary to watch out, to ensure that he does not move over to Nigeria to continue with his trade. Justice Wowo, as stated by the reports, had previously been sacked as President of the Court of Appeal, and earlier this year, was arrested and charged before a Magistrate’s Court in Gambia, for giving false information that led to the arrest of a lawyer, but was later discharged, and restored to his position.

To counter the damage done to Nigeria’s image, it may also be necessary for us to engage in diplomacy to reassure that country of about 1.7million people, who have over the years relied on Nigeria and other neighbouring countries for manpower, especially in the judiciary.

Such move may be necessary to avoid a backlash for our other distinguished compatriots who are still serving that country meritoriously; and even for those whose service may be in demand in the future.

The hard way

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•What a way to learn! Naval officer bags life sentence over motor dealer’s death

IEUTENANT Baba Adamu of the Nigerian Navy must be ruing the day he physically assaulted Mr. Pedro Ikhajagbe, a civilian car dealer who died in Lagos as a result of the clash in May 2012. Even though he might have felt entitled to his anger at the deceased, the fallout would now haunt him. His conviction by a naval court-martial and sentencing to life imprisonment is a worthy demonstration of the futility of his decision to take the law into his own hands.

It is always necessary to emphasise the imperative of restraint and respect for order in the context of social relations; otherwise, the law of the jungle would take over, undesirably to the detriment of society.

However, the story behind the unfortunate death of Ikhajagbe is also instructive in some other respects. The late car dealer was said to have received $10,000 from the naval officer as payment for a car which he was supposed to deliver, but the vehicle he presented was different from the buyer’s specification. This led to a rejection and agreement to provide another. At this stage, it was a case of “so far, so good.”

Then, according to reports, things went awry as Ikhajagbe failed to keep his word to supply another car, until, one year after the agreement, Adamu, who was serving in Jos, Plateau State, came to Lagos in search of the car dealer who lived around Satellite Town in the city. It is interesting that, initially, Adamu allegedly lodged a report at the Naval Police

Unit at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Wey, but rather than wait for the naval police to act, he went looking for Ikhajagbe.

It is sad that their encounter ended in tragedy. It may never be known what actually happened when he found the elusive man, but reports said there was a scuffle and the officer subsequently rushed the bleeding car dealer to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos.

It is ironic that Adamu displayed such humaneness in the face of Ikhajagbe’s injury, implying that he didn’t really mean any harm but was simply overwhelmed by his sense of the man’s perceived unfairness. Perhaps Ikhajagbe would have survived if the hospital had not required a police report before treating him. Adamu was said to have been at Satellite Police Station, Agboju, Lagos, where he went to get a report, when bad news reached him that the patient had died.

Not surprisingly, the sour development changed his situation for worse, and the police deserve some recognition for promptly arresting him. Also creditable is the business-like involvement of the naval authorities who took over the matter and prompted Adamu’s transfer to a detention facility at the NNS Beecroft. Following a probe by a Board of Inquiry (BOI) constituted by the Navy, and his subsequent trial at a court-martial, Adamu will now have to learn vital lessons he probably didn’t sufficiently imbibe before now, specifi-

cally, that there are formal public structures established to mediate in disputes between members of society, and that it is not in the communal interest for anyone to resort to self-help.

Adamu’s sentencing is reassuring, particularly on account of his status as a naval officer, because there is a general perception in the country that members of the armed forces tend to show contempt for the law in their dealings with civilians, especially when they feel wronged or aggrieved.

There have been cases where military men callously attacked and even killed civilian victims on account of some differences. It cannot be overemphasised that the military uniform should never be seen as a licence to intimidate others.

‘Adamu’s sentencing is reassuring, particularly on account of his status as a naval officer, because there is a general perception in the country that members of the armed forces tend to show contempt for the law in their dealings with civilians, especially when they feel wronged or aggrieved. There have been cases where military men callously attacked and even killed civilian victims on account of some differences’

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YEAR ago, when Egypt’s nascent experiment in democracy led to the election of Mohamed Morsi of the

Muslim Brotherhood as president, thenSecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Cairo. Despite the tensions and fragility of institutions, she declared, “There can be no going back on the democratic transition called for by the Egyptian people.” She added, “They’re doing something they’ve never done in 5,000-plus years of history. They have had -elections.”

In the year that followed, Mr. Morsi was hardly a paragon of democracy; his government mismanaged the country, the economy was in a tailspin and millions of people were disenchanted with his rule. But he was the elected president. In recent weeks, as protests swelled, he was abruptly removed from power by the Egyptian military, jailed and accused of high crimes. It was a coup. Mr. Morsi’s backers rightly feel they have been robbed, and the interim government is showing little sign of compromise or negotiation.

On Thursday, while in Pakistan, Secretary of State John F. Kerry was asked in an interview how the United States — a champion of democracy around the world — can justify supporting Egypt’s military crackdown. Mr. Kerry’s reply was inexplicable. He said, “The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descendance into chaos, into violence. And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgment so far. To run the country, there’s a civilian government. In effect, they were restoring democracy.”

It is one thing to be cautious and avoid using the word “coup,” which could trigger a cutoff of Egypt’s $1.5 billion annual U.S. aid package.

But it is quite another to assert that Egypt’s military is “restoring democracy” when it has just removed an elected president from power.

The White House tells us that the secretary’s statement did not reflect the president’s policy.

Good thing, because Mr. Kerry’s remark was careless and dangerous. No doubt, it will be taken as a vote of confidence by Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and encourage the military to press a campaign of violence and repression against the Muslim Brotherhood. The crackdown has already resulted in hundreds of deaths in clashes between the security forces and protesters, and street tensions are running high.

Even more damaging, Mr. Kerry’s statement will suggest to Muslims everywhere that democracy can be a card trick: Now you see it, now you don’t. The United States has invested great amounts of time and effort to persuade Muslims that democracy is the paramount system for representing and balancing all views in a society, rising above arbitrary and authoritarian rule. Mr. Kerry’s remark will be taken as proof that America likes democracy only when its friends are in power. That’s the worst possible message. It now becomes even more urgent for the secretary and the president to speak out for real democracy in Egypt, one that includes rather than persecutes the Muslim Brotherhood and Mr. Morsi. Last year, Ms. Clinton was right to insist there can be no going back on democracy. It is no less true today.

– Washington Post

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: According Wilson Churchill, “A pessimist will always see difficulty in every opportunity, while the optimist will see opportunity in every difficulty. Putting the Southwest under the same economic landscape in this modern time could be arduous, but I want to commend the Southwest governors for their doggedness and beliefs that there are myriad of opportunity in this seemingly difficult project of regional integration.

During the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo brought the Yorubas under one socio-political and economic structure, even extending to the old Bendel State now known as Edo and Delta states respectively. The wonders that were performed then by the late sage still remain the reference point in Nigeria and Africa at large today. It was then that we had the first Television Station in Africa, Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, Free Universal Primary Education among other landmark policies that put the region on the world map.

I want to believe that this was where the Southwest governors drew their strengths that boosted their determination to re-enact the policy of the old to catapult the fortunes of the region to an enviable position this modern time.

It was so pathetic to remember the military usurpation of 1966 that halted the democratic structures of that time. The region would have been Eldorado of development in Africa today going by the pace of radical economic transformation being undertaken then. Military succeeded in importing the culture of insidious arrogance, hopeless-

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Ekiti and South-west integration quest ness, despondency and desperation into the region’s body polity which did colossal damages to the economic prospect and breakthrough that were already in motion.

I want to salute the courage of these governors, particularly the noble roles been played by Dr. Kayode Fayemi in ensuring that the new economic renaissance is not aborted. One thing really gladdened my heart, that was the statement

made by Fayemi during the maiden edition of the Southwest governors meeting in Ado Ekiti that “this is purely economic rebirth in the Southwest. It is devoid of political or ethnic colouration”. Noteworthy was the fact that the Labour Party governor of Ondo State Dr. Olusegun Mimiko was present at the meeting.

Fayemi posited that nothing impede the region from having the

same economic and administrative policies in governance saying “I think nothing stops us from having the same railway network, same educational and economic policies and way of life, the same Papa Obafeimi Awolowo did”.

But the drivers of the laudable programme should be conscious that deep-rooted political acrimony and the lopsided federating structure operational in Nigeria

IR: The Guideline for Local Government Reform (FGN, 1976) defines local government as government aat local level exercised through representative councils established by law to exercise specific powers defined areas. These powers should give the council substantial control over local affairs as well as the staff and institutional and financial power to initiate and direct the provision of services and to determine and implement projects so as to complement the activities of the state and federal government in their areas, and to ensure, through devolution of functions to these councils and through the active participation of

the people and their traditional institutes , that local initiative and responses to local head and conditions are maximised.

The implications of the above definitions are in four dimensions: Local government must be a legal entity distinct from the state and federal government; it must be administered by democratically elected officials; it must have specific powers to perform a range of functions assigned it by law; and it must enjoy substantial autonomy to perform array of functions, plan, formulate and execute its own policies, programmes and projects, and its own rules and regulations as deemed for its local needs.

Autonomy of the local government includes power to control its finance, recruit and discipline its staff. Based on these definitions, and their implications, could it be said that the local government system in Nigeria is autonomous? Absolutely not. The 1976 local government reform also conceptualised local government as the third tier of government operating with a common institutional framework with defined functions and responsibilities. As a third tier of government (105 International Journal of Advanced Legal Studies and Governance Vol. 1 No.1, April 2010), local government gets its statutory share of allocation direct from the

solar in the last three years has doubled from around 5.5% to over 11.1%. The construction of new wind power generating capacity alone in the fourth quarter of 2012 totalled 8,380 megawatts (MW) bringing the cumulative installed capacity to 60,007 MW. This capacity is exceeded only by China.

Another country that is seizing on the moment of renewable energy is Germany. The Germans intend to have about 35 per cent of its energy sourced from renewables by 2020, 50 per cent by 2030, 65 per cent by 2040; and 80 per cent by 2050. It is not a wild dream because the amount of energy sourced from

renewables, including wind rose from 20 to 25 per cent in the first half of 2012.

Even Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich Gulf Kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, aims to meet one-third of its energy demands by using renewable energy by 2032, setting aside an incredible budget of $109 billion for achieving the goal.

With the stagnancy in our power generating capacity, attaining sufficiency might be a tall dream, but we have an untapped alternative in renewable energy. Unfortunately, while the world is actively awake, Nigeria is still at documentation.

The Minister of Power, said the

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Still on local government autonomy

Why not the Green Energy option?

IR: Over the years, Nigeria has always lagged behind in technological advancement and innovations. Everything integral to human progression often come to us late. This explains why we lag behind in renewable energy to drive sustenance in the energy sector. The energy generated from gifts of nature is considered infinite, free, renewable, eco-friendly and above all self sustaining. All over the world, there are structured reawakening towards this energy generation with negligible negative impact.

In the United States of America, energy generated from wind and

could serve as inhibiting factors in the consummation of the programme. The artificial boundaries created by the breaking of the region into states could affect the psyche of the people, because citizens from each states now see themselves from the narrow perspective of their respective states, rather than the broader Southwest spectrum. They should find a way round them.

But whichever way we look at it, this regional regrouping is quite commendable. It marks the watershed of economic and political liberation of the region.

With this new stride, there is a ray of hope that the Southwest would be re-launched back to the pace-setting position it occupied in the past.

• Dalimore Aluko, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State.

government is still “trying to build a policy on renewable energy and energy conservation”.

The push for renewable energy at this period of our national life is critical because of its abundance and eco-friendliness. Renewable energy can be generated from resources which are continually replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, animal wastes, plants and geothermal heat. Nigeria is one of the very few nation blessed with all the above sources year round, though, we barely use it. So why the waste and darkness?

• Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni, Lagos

Federation account and it is empowered to exercise control over it’s spending. The states, especially, abused some provisions of the 1979 Constitution to suit their selfish desires. State governments neglected or voided aspects of the 1976 Reforms that they were displeased with and distorted those that were merely inconvenient.

The fact is that, rural communities across the country are in abject poverty and state governments have not done anything to alleviate the suffering of the rural people.

There is no rural community, not even local government headquarter, that can boast of these four basic needs of life; water, electricity, primary education and primary healthcare centre that are working optimally. The excuses have been that, the state claims it is the responsibility of the local government to provide these amenities while the local government say they lack financial power to execute such projects thereby leaving over 70% of the nation’s population orchestrating between hope and despair amidst of plenty.

Some states in Nigeria even pay state salary from the local government allocation and then leave a paltry sum which cannot pay local government staff. How then can they execute projects? The quest for rural transformation can only be realized when local governments become autonomous.

• Onogwu Isah Muhammed, Lokoja, Kogi State

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

COMMENTS If you ran away from a death for donkey years, yet you came back to die the same death, then you have lost your care – Igbo saying, courtesy Chinua Achebe.

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the reported pact as no. 37; same pact former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan’s estranged political godfather, allegedly signed as HE opposition column of Nigeno. 1. rian politics is flush with triumph This column has always held – and the reason is clear: the for– still does and will always do mal registration, by the Independent – that the North was cheated National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the zoning formula, on Olakunle of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Prof. Abdullahi based lordbeek1@gmail.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola the first in the country’s political hishis argument. For that, blame tory, is well and truly epochal.

Obasanjo’s perfidy and The victory whoop is understandable: Jonathan’s crass opportunism, at last, an alternative platform to face after the death in office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Umaru Yar’Adua, in behemoth in fierce, face-to-face electhe run up to the 2011 election.

It is the Nigerian elite penity. The PDP is no saint any more than the new APC are toral contest. sinners! chant for short-term selfish gain, leading to long-term colConversely, the ruling partisan camp is muffled with apThat brings the discourse to Nigeria’s latest troubling tenlective pain! parent worry, though Doyin Okupe, presidential spokesman dencies, symbolised by President Jonathan and his emotive Still, what was that professorial crap about the North havhas, as usual, essayed rich bluff and bluster, laced with OkupeIjaw crowd, digging in for 2015; and the opposing “core ing the democratic number to rule in perpetuity? The quesistic cant, claiming it was President Goodluck Jonathan’s demoNorth”, almost hell-bent on uprooting the “minority upstarts” tion is which North? What number? And for what purpose? cratic credentials – not the laws of the land – that ensured and allies.

Prof. Abdullahi easily forgets it was exactly this same “bornAPC’s registration.

It is a classic: power delinquency versus power senility. to-rule” mindset that led to the criminal annulment of That, as usual, was an empty bluff. The law that created the The APC must give these two pernicious tendencies rigorMoshood Abiola’s presidential mandate in 1993, which Presidency created INEC. The same grundnorm set out strict ous thinking, if it hopes to be part of the solution to Nigeria’s marked the beginning of the end of the North’s power heconditions for merging political parties. Creations of the power problems; and not the latest addition to it. gemony. law cannot, therefore, claim discretions in how their Creator Indeed, if the new party fulfils its potentials as agent of Tragically, as Yerima would appear the brazen face of paeworks. It is entirely out of their hands, except of course, they positive change, fortune-seeking stragglers from both camps dophilia for whatever justifications, Prof. Abdullahi would want to criminalise their office which, it must be conceded, would smarm it. If APC doesn’t have a ready formula to sort appear the unfazed face of northern hegemony, no matter past office holders had done and got away with. them out, it would go down with them, like the giffen theory the collective cost to the Nigerian state. Thus, when power This time, however, the forces behind APC were smart in basic economics, where worthless goods drive out the good delinquency confronts power senility, the sure result is avoidenough to follow, to the letter, the law on merging political ones. able national catastrophe. parties. The Jonathan Presidency too was smart enough to Power delinquency comes from a sitting president with his The APC must, therefore, note these destructive power tenknow when it was licked, despite earlier childish manoeuminority backers who, just some four years in power, have dencies and navigate a third but saner way of equity, justice vres on the APC acronym, from whatever camp. INEC too developed the overlord complex so irritatingly common in and fair play. To do these however, it must think less of was smart enough to be strictly guarded by the law and noththe Nigerian power chamber. Though Jonathan’s South-South power and think more of service. ing else. Over all, it is a triangular victory for the democratic lacks the vote to propel him to a second term (even if his Target: it must pare down the present parasitic presidency, republic. performance has been inspiring – and it definitely is not), his which though gobbles the country’s wealth, is not an asset But victory hoop from the opposition? emotive supporters yammer as if just occupying Aso Rock is but a terrible liability: as Obasanjo’s tenure showed; and as Yes, in the sense of a loyal opposition pushing for a partiopen sesame for a win in 2015.

Jonathan’s tenure is showing. That two extremely opposite san environment conducive to free and fair contests for poSome of these excitable fellows (just like the delusion that personalities are delivering similar bungling shows it is a litical power, without the government of the day rigging the gripped the polity that APC would not be registered even if structural problem. system in its favour. it met all the legal requirements), even darkly hint at some“What does APC want?” (June 18) already, on this page, But no, in the sense of unbridled jubilation that suggests thing suggestive of rigging, even if they didn’t exactly spill it suggests how best APC can go about its arduous task, workmere coming together of disparate opposition parties, into a nd out. But pray: if 2 Republic President Shehu Shagari, from a ing on a six-region format; and turning felt needs of those six single more powerful column, is the beginning of the end for northern majority bloc could not hold on to his stolen elecregions into a franchise of service to be implemented with PDP and its infamous power mismanagement. That does not toral booty in 1983, what makes a minority bloc think they despatch if it gains power, pending the country’s constitunecessarily follow. can in 2015, if they make the same mistake? tional restructuring into productive federalism from the Even if that were so, the end of PDP does not necessarily Ranged against this power delinquency is the apparent present parasitic unitary state in federal guise. translate into the end of power mismanagement in the polpower senility of the old North, as espoused the other day, APC must get real. After all its registration euphoria, the

by Ango Abdullahi, an agronomy professor, and party cannot behave like the Achebe man who died the same “When power delinquency con- ironically former vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University. death, even after running away from it for eons.

Prof. Abdullahi said based on a North-South rotation pact, That would be more than the death of a party. It could well fronts power senility, the sure result the North ought to take power in 2015; and that President be the death of a country, given the cliff to which the present is avoidable national catastrophe” Jonathan lacks the moral right to run, since he allegedly signed powers-that-be have pushed this polity.

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epublican ipples

Neither Jonathan nor the North

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NE of the supreme ironies of freedom and comfort is the tendency to quickly forget the unbearable conditions and the ugly past that hitherto pervaded the sociopolitical landscape; which necessitated and triggered emancipation struggles. At the time Governor T.A. Orji took over the reins of governance, Abia was on the bottom rung of the ladder of nation’s politics. The run-of-the-mill performance of his predecessor equally complicated matters.

A major challenge that faced his administration was the issue of insecurity. Abia’s ugly experience and the fine sense of operational strategies adopted to stem the tide became a cloud with a silver lining. At the peak of the first tenure of Governor T.A. Orji, kidnappings and other violent crimes shook the state to its foundation. Abia hit the headlines as hotbed of heinous crimes. In fact, well-to-do individuals and top government officials became ready targets for kidnappings. Banks were shut down during the peak of business hours especially in Aba, the commercial nerve-centre. Ostentatious living became a liability. Those who had the means relocated from Aba and UkwaNgwa axis, where the hydra-headed monster loomed large and appeared intractable. Security agencies lost some of their field men who were confronted with assorted and sophisticated weapons of the bandits.

But the nasty scenario reached a climax when a group of school children were kidnapped on their way to the school in a school bus. As would be expected, the already battered image of the state got messier nationally and internationally. The waterboarding of Abia security apparatus by the bare-faced test of government might occasioned by the abduction of innocent school children prompted a re-jig of security measures.

Governor Orji acquired over 100 patrol vehicles with modern security and information gadgets, and distributed them to all security formations in the state. In an unprecedented manner, security officials were provided with logistics and mouth-watering motivational packages that boosted their morale in tackling the menace of kidnapping.

The healthy working relationship between Abia State government and the Federal Government played a key role in restoring normalcy in the troubled zone. The military was drafted to clean up the Augean stables. The barracks long abandoned in Ohafia, a sub-urban area of the state, was renovated by the state government and this brought about a restoration of the military base with a full complement of artillery brigade. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Onyeabor Ihejirika, who is a son of the soil, collaborated finely with Governor Orji in mobilizing the military to flush out the kidnapping gangsters.

The flashpoints were cordoned off while the thick forests that served as temporary abode for the kidnappers were ransacked by the courageous men of Nigerian Army. Peace automatically returned to the besieged area as the perpetrators took to their heels. Not leaving anything to chances, strategic points in the state have since been manned with Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and combat-ready soldiers and policemen, to contain any threat of resurgence of the violent crimes. Abia has

Orji’s harvest of laurels

By Jasper Uche since acquired the status of investors’ haven as its security architecture in now a model.

The main lesson from Abia State security experience is that with right leadership, agility, rationality, political will and striking of healthy alliances with appropriate institutions, no socioeconomic nay political challenge can remain insurmountable.

Abia is today showered with encomiums on account of her feat in security tending. It was therefore not surprising that the Security Watch Africa in Ghana festooned Governor Orji with the award of the Best Governor on Security Matters in Nigeria in 2012.

Interestingly enough, the management of two reputable national media houses, Daily Champion and Daily Independent Newspapers considered and festooned Governor Orji with the awards of Icon of Democracy in 2012 and Man of the Year Award in 2013 respectively.

The state government runs a tuition-free primary and secondary schools to enable the poor and the vulnerable groups to have access to formal education. The moribund State Scholarship Scheme was also reactivated by Governor Orji to assist brilliant but indigent students in the tertiary institutions at home and abroad. Through the State Youth Empowerment Scheme, Ochendo has equally provided job opportunities for hundreds of idle youths in the transport sector. Hundreds of vehicles (buses and cars) and tricycles are periodically given to the youths across the LGAs without any strings attached. This is besides the monthly payment of N15,000 stipends to about 4500 youths in the state to cushion the harsh economic challenges of apprenticeship and studentship. In workers friendliness, it is needless to belabour the fact that Governor Orji, at the inception of his government promoted all cadres of workers to the next salary Grade Level and it is on record that Abia State pays the highest minimum wage in the country. But the greatest of these accomplishments is Governor Orji’s rare courage in yanking off the affairs of the state from a tiny cabal that held her by the jugular.

Top government officials and political appointees are no longer emasculated with demonic oath-taking to extract subservience needed to service the over-bloated ego of a pocket tyrant with vaulting ambitions.

Good governance indeed has no borders. Of course, with the sophistication of modern telecommunications that has shrunk our world to a global village, peoples across nations can access information from far places on a shoestring with just a click.

Even the Ndigbo in Diaspora (USA) is not left in appreciating the giant strides of the present administration in the State. They gave Governor Orji an Excellence Award in Governance as a result of his pacesetting efforts at rebuilding Abia from the scratch and the preponderance of legacy projects. Abia is today a huge construction site: new office complexes, new government house, gigantic international conference centre, new court halls, e-library complex, new classroom blocks, network of roads, new modern markets and industrial clusters for SMEs and a robust policy of tackling youth unemployment.

In appraising the modest efforts of the administration in building solid road infrastructure, the Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Works, Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi and his team declared during their oversight visit to Abia that the only standard federal roads in Abia are the ones rehabilitated by Governor Orji. Both the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal had equally commended Ochendo’s visionary leadership when they commissioned the new Amokwe Housing Estate and new office complex for the State Environmental Protection Agency respectively.

Recently, the National Association of Optometrists gave Governor Orji the award of the Prime Ambassador of Health Care.

His policies on health matters attracted the newest honour which include but not limited to the building of 250 primary health centres across the State, the building of Abia State Specialist and Diagnostic Centre with seven dialysis machines in Umuahia and Aba, renovation and upgrading of Amachara Specialist Hospital with new structures and doctors quarters; and the erection of nine 100-bed capacity hospitals at strategic locations in the three senatorial zones of the state. The Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu capped these endeavours by commissioning the new dialysis centre on July 22. The dialysis centre will drastically reduce the huge amount of money spent by Nigerians on medical tourism to India.

It is indeed the wish of Abians that this momentum of good governance would be sustained to leapfrog the state from the pangs of underdevelopment.

• Uche, a public affairs analyst wrote in from Isuochi, Abia State.

‘Abia is today a huge construction site: new office complexes, new government house, gigantic international conference centre, new court halls, elibrary complex, new classroom blocks, network of roads, new modern markets and industrial clusters for SMEs and a robust policy of tackling youth unemployment’

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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COMMENTS

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HAVE read with some concern comments from certain sections of Ndigbo on the controversial deportation of some destitute to Anambra State by the Lagos State government. I have read the reaction of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and a more detailed reaction from his Special Adviser on Youths and Social Development, Dolapo Enitan Badru, and I am yet to see any such detailed response from the Anambra State Government. What it did was to send a “strongly-worded” protest letter to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The president is yet to respond to the letter. According to Governor Fashola, who spoke to the media on the issue, “it is unfortunate that my colleague governor has made this a media issue. As I speak to you, I haven’t received any telephone call or letter from him, complaining over the issue and I don’t think that is the way government works. The relationship between Lagos and Anambra has always remained cordial. I remember that on less important matters, he had called me before and we discussed at length.

I know that this is a political season and Anambra will be up for contest. In a political season, unusual things happen and perhaps, we are living in an interesting time”.

Speaking on the matter, Badru said: “We (Lagos State Government) wrote letters to Anambra State Government through its Lagos Liaison Office. It is not just Anambra we wrote a letter to. We wrote to Kano State.

We wrote to Ondo State. We wrote to Jigawa State. We wrote to Katsina State. Every state has its own file. In the same way, we wrote to Anambra that we got some destitute on the streets that claimed to be indigenes of your state.

“We asked the Anambra State Government to send people from their Liaison Office to come and interview the destitute to ascertain if they are actually from Anambra so that we know who is lying and who is not. Some will come. Some will ignore us. If you go to our rehabilitation facility in Majidun, we have more than 1,500 destitute there. The number keeps going up. We keep and feed (them) three times daily. In a place designed for 1,200 people, there are about 2,000 there.

That is a recipe for chaos. When we treat

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HERE is an atmosphere of dreams hanging over the city of Osogbo, the capital of the State of Osun. They are good dreams, romantic dreams perhaps-some sort of highwattage excitement with that too-good-to-betrue feel. Osun environment is the type that has all excuses for failure but one which has stubbornly refused to be ruled by its natural limitations under Ogbeni Aregbesola.

If you had visited a couple of years back when experts in excuses held sway there, limitations were held high by the rulers of the time and the eloquent parroting of them was the distinguished insignia of statecraft. The state and the citizens were offered no option than to “understand”.

Well the government at the time rose up and did something, and it was something that shook up the place, at least. They went to a bank nearby and got themselves a loan of N18 billion naira; only. The usury was around N600 million every month – never mind – but the actors in this state with a paltry Internally Generated Revenue of N250 – N300 million assumed they could cope.

In any case, with the loan they intended to build, of all things, six stadia spread across the state.

After they had conducted six sod turning rituals, several of the indicators turned south. Works halted on the six sites and the builders went home.

After this loan, the state under PDP administration went into margin loan to play stock market. One wonders how a sleepy state with decrepitated hospitals abandoned its social service for commercial selfish individual interests.

The Central Bank decided that Osun State has had it. They placed the state under AMCON, the nation’s official undertaker for banks and individuals in financial ruins, and in this case, since a state cannot be put on receivership in the real sense, AMCON became its Intensive Care Unit.

And out there, since the drains were mostly blocked, floods came in and washed away people, depositing their corpses far downstream as it flattened homes and severed roads and swept businesses away along with rubbish. The local economy naturally folded and new investments were rare. Even the blind could see that the end was near: the very air pulsated with the feel.

On November 27, 2010, the end came, and thankfully, it was a saving end. The government was sacked by a brave court of law and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was installed governor of the state. It has been some 30 months

Still on the deportation saga

By Fred Chukwuelobe them, we try to teach them a trade before we relocate them to their states. But they prefer to go back to the street and beg.

“Anambra State Government wrote us back. The state government asked us to detail the status of those under our care and protection local government by local government. We did it as directed and then wrote the state government back, indicating the status of destitute who claimed to be from Anambra. Since April we have done that, there is no response from the state. We also put through series of phone calls to them, there was no response. We then decided we could not continue to keep these people under our care and protection. We thus took them to their place so that their state government can find a way to re-unite them with their parents.

“We did not forcefully relocate any person to Onitsha; neither did we deport. We are not immigration; neither are we a country that we should deport. What happened is that we actually traced their families one after the other. We went through the Department of Social Welfare of Anambra State.

May I then ask, is it true that Lagos State Government wrote to some states government asking them to come forward and take those identified as their people away from the streets of Lagos? Is it true that that these states came and carried away their own “destitute”? Did Anambra State Government get such a request? Did they make any effort to ascertain if these “destitute” were their people, were truly destitute? Did anybody make any effort to talk to the Governor of Lagos over the issue before the deportation was carried out? Is it true that there was an arrangement between Lagos and Anambra states to meet at Onitsha Head Bridge for the purposes of taking over and taking care of these “destitute” and that when they got to the place there was nobody from the state to meet them?

I ask these questions because they have

been thrown up by the so-called wide-spread anger over the deportation. I have seen the letter from Lagos State Government, the acknowledgement from the Anambra State Liaison officer in Lagos, who went further to request a list of the destitute involved. If the arrangement to transfer them to the state was bungled from that end, do we now blame Lagos for our own inefficiency?

To worsen the matter, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, rather than call his Lagos counterpart to discuss the matter, chose to write a protest letter to President Jonathan, threatening in the process to retaliate. And I ask, retaliate against whom? How many destitute of Yoruba ethnic group do you have in the whole of Igbo land? By writing Jonathan was Governor Obi expecting the President to call Fashola and flog him? Or order him to take back the destitute?

My point is: we ought to be realistic and weigh our actions before we take them. The way some of us have reacted to the development leaves much to be desired.

A lot of folks are being emotional about the issue and are hence guilty of poor judgment. Yet others see it from political angle and hope to score some cheap political point from the unfortunate development.

My advice to all Ndigbo, who feel hurt by the development, is to ask questions and get answers before jumping to conclusions.

I am neither saying what Lagos did is correct nor am I saying it was right to deny any Nigerian the right to freely live, move in any part of the federation. But we must also admit that Lagos has the right to clear its streets of any form of social menace. I also look forward to the day they would stop area boys from harassing and extorting money from people, who buy machines and other private stuffs, and rein in on them to save people like us from constant harassment. My only worry, though, is that these area boys include Igbos too. So, what am I saying? Let us not rush to judgments.

Osun: Erecting a mansion from bubbles

By Wale Bolorunduro

since that day and it makes sense to stand at a vantage position and compare the ‘then’ and ‘now’ pictures.

The Punch of July 25, bore the headline: Osun Tops Primary School Enrolment. When I saw that header, my first thought was the strategic move of the governor to institute a free lunch programme for the elementary school children pupils. He also established a clothing factory floated in partnership with a private concern to make uniforms for free distribution to the 750,000 students in the state of about 3.8million citizens.

That factory is the nation’s largest of its type today, employing reasonable labour and paying off dividends in the jump in school attendance.

The government of Aregbesola somewhere along the line announced the commencement of rehabilitation of 10 roads per each of the 30 local government areas in the state. The job specification called for strictly the use of reinforced concrete in construction of drainages – and that gives an idea of what will go into the road proper. Many of those roads have been completed and commissioned while the rest are all in various advanced stages of completion.

The chapter on road construction in the Aregbesola administration is a long one and the scope has no precedent in the history of the state or in fact, the history of the South-west region since the time of Obafemi Awolowo. Ongoing is the Osogbo East Bypass road, an 18-kilometre axial system that loops traffic round the outer half of the invigorated city. Then there is this ambitious motorway in the works too that links the city with Ikirun and then proceed 45 miles northwards to the gates of Kwara State. The next major roads effort is the dualisation of the allimportant link road between the state capital and Lagos-Abuja expressway with the interception at Gbongan. The 30 kilometre road is under construction and will latch onto the aforementioned expressway with a clean, trumpet exchange flyover opening an ultra-wide gateway

into the state capital. All over the state, in cities great or small, construction firms are busy digging, grading, levelling and laying asphalt, either cutting out new roads or fixing existing ones. The Rural Access Mobility Programme, RAMP is belching smoke in the countryside too, paving roads, building small bridges and culverts to open up rural communities to rapid development and provide a conduit for agricultural products to get into markets in the cities.

Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme was started early by the administration to fire hope and provide some part time employment for young people. Beneficiaries sign on for two years for a stipend and offer services to their communities in form of landscape beautification, traffic control or provision of paramedic services and environment sanitation. The first tranche of 20,000 youths taken on the programme have exited and the current batch of the same number are still in service. In view of the series of the achievement recorded through the programme, the World Bank has recommended it to the federal government to emulate, that is, by putting its money where its mouth is by supporting its nationwide implementation with a 400-million dollars grant.

In health the landscape is changing the chill of the winter of dilapidation and decay being gradually replaced by the bloom of the renewal of spring. The state government in renovating all the nine state hospitals in one fell swoop in a N1.7 billion naira effort. Take the one at Ila for example. It was built in 1972 and was only renovated once until now. All the 15 buildings in the hospital have been re-roofed and being fitted with new windows. The transformation there is second only to what is going on at the State Hospital, Ikirun where the repairs had to start a hundred yards away, the very road leading to the hospital having been severed when flood washed away the culvert. An entire block of about 20 wards is almost being rebuilt. The roof, doors, windows and floor are being replaced.

The kitchen and the laundry are being revamped all the buildings in the big health complex is

Of the 36 states of the federation, Lagos still remains the most Igbo-friendly. And I mean every word of it. It is the only state where an Igbo man is a commissioner; and it is not because his kind is in short supply in the state. Rather they are in abundance not just in the state but all through the South-west geo-political zone. Does this count? Yes. It does.

It’s better to deport me to my state than to continue to murder me and burn, loot my property at the slightest provocation. This has been going on in some parts of the country for years, but definitely not Lagos.

Most importantly, it is not only Igbo destitute that have been removed from the streets of Lagos; only recently destitute from Ondo State were equally moved to their state of origin. These are Yoruba people. So why are Ndigbo reacting as if we are being systematically targeted? Why are we making it look as if everybody is against us?

Having said that, let our government go and interview those “deported”, sieve innocent ones among them and return them to Lagos where they have every right to live according to the laws of the federation and that of the state. Then let them rehabilitate the destitute among them in Anambra.

Anything short of this would amount to naked politicking and shadow chasing in the face of bare facts.

• Chukwuelobe wrote from Lagos

‘I have seen the letter from Lagos State Government, the acknowledgement from the Anambra State Liaison officer in Lagos, who went further to request a list of the destitute involved. If the arrangement to transfer them to the state was bungled from that end, do we now blame Lagos for our own inefficiency?’ being worked on, the first time since the hospital was built in 1982.

Farmers in the state of Osun are getting much more than new rural roads. Up to N2 billion has been spent on different farming support initiatives in the production of rice, chicken, catfish, cocoyam and to boost efforts in cocoa farming.

Over a thousand hectares of land was cleared for farmers free of charges, saving them cumulatively nothing less than 100 million naira. A robust response is underway in cassava production in view of its newfound relevance as composite baking flour in the country. Such is the upbeat in agriculture that the state is gradually becoming a centre of hope for agricultural revolution for the country. If you want to see the rare sight of banks of greenhouses turning out tomatoes in Nigeria, go to Ilesa in the state of Osun.

We return to matters of education, where the government has enshrined as the engine room of its long haul development strategy. The conditions in many of those schools were deemed to have gone too far down the bend that things just had to be remade, not renovated. This called for brushing off the existing buildings before the come crashing down and killing children.

Some of the newly completed modern school buildings are standing out there this moment, tall palaces of learning; eloquent testimony of renewal, rejuvenation and hope for a better tomorrow in the state. School enrolment and raw academic performance has picked up with the state jumping in WAEC results from 34th to the 8th position within the first 18 months of the administration. But the big masquerade that wraps up the festival is the Opon Imo, the oneper-student free tablet computer programme for all senior level public schools in the state. The tablets come pre-loaded with 56 textbooks and a total of 20 years of past question papers from JAMB and WAEC complete with solutions helps. It has hours of video lessons and audio classes. The Opon Imo idea is first of its kind not only in Nigeria or Africa, but anywhere in the world and will probably go down as the Opus Magnum of educational initiative of the Nigerian Fourth Republic. The enthusiasm alone that this has generated among students is electric.

Parents are plucking their wards from private schools to install them in public schools, a very unusual trend in Nigeria since the 1980s.

• Bolorunduro, PhD is Honourable Commissioner for Finance Economic Planning and Budget, State of Osun

INSIDE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

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Alumni to upgrade varsity - Page 26

One great day for the visually impaired

Kuje women to be trained in computer - Page 27

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First Lady for women’s rally - Page 40

HEY got what they needed most: love and hope, not pity or empty platitudes.

It was a day visually-impaired pupils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are not likely to forget easily.

Ministers spoke with them.

Also, a visually challenged lawyer talked with them. And all who spoke were kind, respectful and inspirational. They also left the kids with one clear message: they could be anything they wanted to be only if they worked hard at it, in spite of their physical disability.

The event was put together by the Association for the Eicatio and Aid of Children with Visual Impairment (AEACVI).

The students were excited as words of encouragement and assurance poured in from the speakers.

The visually impaired lawyer gave an account of her personal experience and determination to make a difference.

From Vincent Ikuomola

The atmosphere in the hall was electric but unusual. Though impaired, the students could feel loving hands around them. The voices were friendly and caring.

There was no holding back. The visually impaired students rushed to the hall with smiles, and highly expectant. They were

not disappointed by their disability; instead, they felt challenged. They realised that their society did not forget them after all.

The students took to the floor with their presentation of songs, proving clearly that in spite of their sight loss, they are just like other children. And so the drumming went on complemented by songs of praise to the Almighty.

The speakers left the kids with one clear message: they could be anything they wanted to be only if they worked hard at it, in spite of their physical disability

Some parents and guests at the occasion could not hold back as they joined in the singing and dancing. There was no dull moment.

By their condition, they could be referred to as the most venerable in the society. Not much is usually expected from them, hence parents of such children don’t even bother to invest in them and in most cases they are condemned to street-begging by the simple reason that they are visually impaired. Loss of sight in this part of the world is almost a curse and therefore a reason or licence to forget such an individual.

The president of Association for the Eicatio And Aid of Children with Visual Impairment (AEACVI), Mrs. Ozo-Onyali Ogechukwu succinctly captured the public perception of this category of people in the •Continued on page 26

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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ABUJA REVIEW •Continued from Page 26

society as she rightly said: “When we think of vision loss, people often imagine a debilitating black void filled with isolation and loneliness. For some of us, the thought of blindness evokes the image of the blind beggar often seen on our streets.

Many people have an image of a person imprisoned by darknessstumbling, falling, or groping around in the dark. They imagine a person who is totally inadequate and unable to take care of himself.’ In fact, blindness is the most feared affliction, because the eyes are viewed as the most important sense organ.”

She, however, noted that: “Developed countries have stamped out these stereotypes because they have equipped their schools, from early intervention stage to graduate level, with qualified vision and special education teachers, as well as materials that ensure no child is left behind in the quest for education.”

Thus, she said, today you will find people with vision loss from these countries specialising in different areas of science, engineering, technology, space science and robotics.

But this has not been the case in this part of the world. However, Ogechukwu said that with proper education, the children could be provided with skills and opportunities to build their future so that they can have true independence to live a happy

One great day for the visually-impaired and successful life”.

Ogechukwu explained that the association was borne “out of the struggles she and her husband went through after receiving their daughter’s diagnosis”.

She noted: “We went through the grieving process, feeling of isolation and desperation and then we were faced with the challenge of getting educational materials to assist her in school and at home. Having gone through this, we now appreciate what other families go through, so we decided to effect a change.”

These children, when supported and educated, could become history makers and world changers, such as, Stevie Wonder, a highly successful musician, Helen Keller, an advocate for people living with vision-loss, and most currently, Governor David Patterson, who became the

first blind governor in the US and also the first African-American to become the governor of the New York State. So everything is possible.

The founder of the Albino foundation Mr. Jake Epelle, however stole the show as he assured them of the foundation’s support.

Epelle was emphatic as he told the pupil that though they might be without their sight that does not make them blind, explaining that a blind person is one that is without a vision or dream. So he challenged them to have dreams and should not see themselves as being limited by their lack of sight.

Also, Miss Callister Ugwuaneke, visual impaired lawyer told her story entitled “My world, the drive so far” Minister of Health, Professor

Many people have an image of a person imprisoned by darknessstumbling, falling, or groping around in the dark. They imagine a person who is totally inadequate and unable to take care of himself

Onyebuchi Chukwu encouraged parents and families bearing the burden of care for the visually impaired child not to give up. He said: “Never give up, because by careful training, the blind can make better use of the perceptions of hearing and touch and thus overcome much of their handicap.”

But hear this, the Minister of Health, Professor Christian Onyebuchi said that over one million Nigerians are blind while over three million are visually impaired. Only a few of them are educated. (SightSavers International) He attributed blindness and

Parents, kids revel at graduation ceremony

I

T was a joyful scene. Parents were clearly excited by the academic performance of their children at First Age Private Schools, Kubwa, which marked its maiden graduation ceremony.

The occasion which also doubled as the school’s prize-giving day, left some parents dumbfounded after their little wards displayed uncommon dexterity while entertaining the guests.

The event kicked off with the school choir rendering sonorous tunes.

•University of Abuja

T

HE University of Abuja Alumni Association has said it will soon embark on the renovation of infrastructure at the school’s permanent site in Gwagwalada.

The body has also scheduled its maiden convention for Abuja at the end of the month.

Habeeb Abulkadir who is chairman of the convention planning committee said in Abuja that the association is poised to strengthening itself and contributing significantly to the progress of its alma mater.

During the event, there will be a reunion dinner and election of officials into the alumni body.

“The association also plans to build an office on the campus.

Alumni to upgrade varsity From Bukola Amusan

We’ll build students hostels and give them out at affordable rates,”

Abdulkadir stated.

The association which started in 2008 has now got a strong membership including governors, legislators and other

Dr Abubakar Umar Kari who headed the alumni association’s committee on repositioning the alma mater identified long culture of impunity as cause of the university’s woes

visual impairment to uncorrected refractive errors, cataract, glaucoma, corneal scarring from Vitamin A deficiency, measles, ophthalmitis os in the newborn and harmful traditional practices.

He said: ”To stop this from happening, governments at all levels are executing programmes such as measles immunisation, vitamin A supplementation and nutrition education. Midwives and traditional birth attendants are encouraged to clean the eyes of newborn at birth. Teachers, parents and pupils are encouraged to avoid causing injuries to children at the time of discipline.”

top government officials across the country.

On the crisis over nonaccreditation of some science courses in the university, the alumni expressed gratitude to the pro-chancellor of council, General Samuel Ogbemudia for working tirelessly and getting the courses accredited.

Dr Abubakar Umar Kari who headed the alumni association’s committee on repositioning the alma mater identified long culture of impunity as cause of the university’s woes.

From Dele Anofi

Little angels of Play-Group also ensured that they were not outdone by their bigger nursery and primary school seniors, captivating the audience with their own presentations.

The cultures and traditions of different ethnic groups in the country were not left out, with Calabar, Yoruba, Edo, Hausa and Igbo dances displayed with remarkable mastery.

The school orchestra was another surprise, just as a dance drama and a story teller engaged the crowd.

The band stand was made up of the pupils attracted parents to the stage during the ethnic cultural display.

An elated Mrs Adeleke, who is the Proprietress of the school, spoke the mind of the parents when she thanked God that the school which began with four children in 2007 in a three-room building has grown to more than 540 pupils in at its own permanent site.

The highlight of the day was the recognition of the first set of graduates from the school and prize -iving for deserving pupils.

According to a parent who spoke with Abuja Review, with the display of uncommon courage and composure by these little children, no parent would regret starving to send his or her child to the school.

The cultures and traditions of different ethnic groups in the country were not left out, with Calabar, Yoruba, Edo, Hausa and Igbo dances displayed with remarkable mastery

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

27

ABUJA REVIEW

T

HE Federal Capital Territory Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Management Sciences for Health, has designed an electronic health policy and strategic development framework.

The Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat Dr. Demola Onakomaiya said that there was an urgent need for an electronic health policy and strategy to create the enabling environment and provide the needed direction for the development of the health sector.

Onakomaiya said that the rise of social media has given a new impetus for the use of ICTs and egovernment to foster citizens’ participation and engagement as well as increase transparency and restore trust in government; a situation he said leads to an increased efficiency of government services in line with the yearnings of the citizens.

FCT gets e-health plan From Bukola Amusan

He stated that e-health will provide a useful platform that will entrench a more effective and sufficient healthcare delivery

system through increased access to quality healthcare, reduced cost, improved timeliness, enhanced health promotion and disease surveillance, enhanced planning and prompt decision making by

The FCT Administration has built a draft document on the existing FCT e-health pilot and has exploited the benefits of inter-departmental and inter-agency co-operation and collaboration needed to create the enabling environment that will revolutionise the system

health administrators.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the FCT Administration in using information and communication technology to produce a rapid transformational change that will positively impact on the health sector in line with global best practices and the National Health Strategic Development Plan.

The representative of the project director, Management Sciences for Health, Mr. Uche Ezeh said that the FCT Administration has built a draft document on the existing FCT e-health pilot and has exploited the benefits of inter-departmental and inter-agency co-operation and collaboration needed to create the enabling environment that will revolutionise the system.

•Dr Onakomaiya

Kuje women trained in computer

T

HE FCT Administration is training women in the territory, especially women of Kuje Area Council, in different skills including computer literacy programme.

The FCT Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide stated this while inaugurating the Women Development Centre in Kuje.

The centre, which is a project under the social development secretariat of the FCT, will train women on different vocational skills and acquisition programmes. Some of these programmes are an ICT room for •Oloye Akinjide

Stories from Gbenga Omokhunu and Grace Obike

computer literacy and skills development, fashion designing and instruction room and hair dressing and demonstration component.

Also included is catering and catering service facilities and jewelry making techniques.

She assured them that the administration will do everything possible to support women in the FCT. She also infprmed the women

that: “On August 15, women all over Nigeria will be honouring Mr President here in the Federal Capital Territory with a march led by the First Lady, Patience Jonathan. I urge women of Kuje to come out en masse and support the President.”

The secretary, Social Development Secretariat, Blessing Onuh, in her speech explained that the project is one of the many women empowerment programmes embarked upon by the FCT Administration. They aim at breaking the cycle of poverty among women in Kuje

Area Council and the whole of the FCT. She said: “We believe that with women taking advantage of these skill acquisition programmes, the impact will be visibly felt in their families as this will improve their socioeconomic circumstances.”

The leader of Market Women Association in the FCT, Blessing Sani, expressed her appreciation over the social development in the areas, even as she said that it is no small job in bringing up women.

‘APC registration will open up political space’

O

N a courtesy visit to The Nation office in the FCT, the Citizens Network for Peace and Development (CNPD) has said the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will help to open up the political space and deepen the nation’s democracy.

The CNPD led by its Director General, Comrade Preye Dressman, lauded INEC for operating strictly within the law in approving the merger.

The group also urged politicians to play by the rule and avoid political violence.

The CNPD, while condemning the killing of innocent citizens by the Boko Haram sect and other sects in Borno, Kano and Nasarawa State, urged the members of the sects to sheathe their swords and embrace peace and reconciliation being offered by the Federal Government.

“We condemn in totality the senseless killing of innocent citizens by Boko Haram in Borno, Kano and Nassarawa State; no nation can advance under this kind of violence”.

“We therefore call on Boko Haram insurgents to sheathe their swords and embrace peace and reconciliation being offered by the Federal Government.”

•Visit to The Nation office by Citizens Network for Peace and Development From Bukola Amusan

“We also aim to develop creative and effective solutions to national problems and issues by providing a platform for analysis, dialogue and advocacy,” he added.

The Director-General who stated that the network is working towards monitoring and evaluating government pro-

grammes and policies added that its aim is to ensure that peace reign in every part of the country.

The Deputy Editor, Nations Capital, Mr Yomi Odunuga who received the group, promised that the organisation will give adequate reportage to all groups’ programmes and activities without any bias, noting it is the responsibility of the media to reflect all voices regardless of their political leanings.

We also aim to develop creative and effective solutions to national problems and issues by providing a platform for analysis, dialogue and advocacy

28

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

ABUJA REVIEW

Artiste urges investment in music industry

H

IP-HOP star, Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, has urged the Federal Government to design programmes that will boost the country’s music industry. This, he said, will help in improving the talents in the country.

D’banj said this when he paid a visit to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke.

He said that the youth in the country were endowed with music potential that should be harnessed.

“Nigeria’s entertainment industry needs support and I am committed to being a part of efforts toward achieving this. Everything about us should not be

T

HE six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received the sum of N1, 937,036,351.75 from the Federation Account being revenue for the month of June, 2013.

The revenue represents a shortfall of N276,462,344.70 (about 12.5 per cent) over the N2,213,498,696.45 received by the six area councils of Abaji, Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali for the month of May, 2013.

Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, who disclosed this at the meeting of the FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee, said the area councils received N147.62 million from excess crude account.

Akinjide, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, FCT, Engr. John Chukwu, gave the breakdown of the allocations from the Federation Account as follows: Statutory Revenue Allocation, N1.024 billion; Value Added Tax, N682.48 million; N56.77 million from Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and

From Frank Ikpefan

about oil,” he said.

He also spoke about the need to promote the country’s image in the international community through music and entertainment.

“We can achieve this through establishing a collaboration that will offer support for young and up-and-coming musicians who have the talents to showcase the country to the world.

“There have been a lot of wrong perceptions about how we are. When you spend the

Nigeria’s entertainment industry needs support and I am committed to being a part of efforts toward achieving this. Everything about us should not be about oil...We can achieve this through establishing a collaboration that will offer support for young and up-and-coming musicians who have the talents to showcase the country to the world

whole day, you will understand.

I want everyone to come and see how great Nigeria is. People will get to see,” he also said.

D’banj also described the entertainment industry as an employer of labour, adding that it was capable of keeping the youth economically engaged and out of social vices.

Duke called on musicians across the country and in the Diaspora to strive to be role models.

According to Duke, the Federal Government is determined to “strengthening the country’s entertainment industry with support from stars such as D’banj.”

He urged him to use his popularity and talent to attract international partners to promote the country’s music industry.

Area councils share N1.93b From Gbenga Omokhunu and Grace Obike

N25.54 million being refund by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The area councils had, in the preceding month, received N1.059 billion from VAT, N821.59 million from Statutory Revenue Account, N250.35 million from Excess Crude Account and N56.77 million from SUREP. The FCT Area Councils Joint

Account Allocation Committee, according to the minister, approved the transfer of N892.46 million to the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers in the six area councils.

Other statutory transfers approved by the Committee included N95.04 million for the FCT Area Councils Pension Board (ACPB) being 15 per cent pension fund, N89.93 million for LEA Teachers’ Monetisation Entitlement, N44.27 million for

The FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee…approved the transfer of N892.46 million to the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for the payment of salaries of primary school teachers in the six area councils

•Registrar, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Mr. Augustine Ebisike (right); Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide and Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory, Mr John Chukwu when officers of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria visited the minister in Abuja

health insurance contribution, N30.87 million being contribution to sanitation in the six area councils, and N19.37 million for the FCT Area Councils Service Commission which represents one per cent training fund.

The Abuja Municipal Area Council received the largest share of the revenue for the month of June. It received N176.81 million as against N199.85 million it received in the preceding month.

Gwagwalada and Bwari area councils got N132.45 million and N128.72 million, respectively, as against N157 million and N169.12 million respectively for the month of May, 2013.

The FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee also distributed N113.77 million, N113.09 million and N99.22 million to Abaji, Kuje and Kwali area councils.

Abaji, Kuje and Kwali had received revenues of N138.59 million, N151.35 million and N138.61 million respectively for the month of May.

•Caught snapping

•Oyebanjo

The JAAC meeting was attended by the Secretary of Area Council Services Secretariat, Alhaji Yahaya Ibrahim Gwagwa; Director of Establishment and Training, Alhaji Nuhu Ahmed; Chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council, Hon. Micah Jiba; Chairman Bwari Area Council, Hon. Yohanna Peter Ushafa; Chairman Kuje Area Council, Hon. Ishyaku Tete Shaban; Chairman Kwali Area Council, Hon. Daniel Ibrahim; Chairman Abaji Area Council, Hon. Yahaya Garba Gawu and Chairman Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri.

Others at the meeting were Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Area Councils and Resettlement, Alhaji Yusuf Tsaiyabu; Auditor-General of the FCT area councils, Dr. Fred Omaka; Director of Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA), Alhaji Tukur Ibrahim; Head of Environment, STDA, Mr. Segun Olusa; Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Environment, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin and Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Area Councils, Alhaji Ibraheem Ibraheem.

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

‘What is affecting us in this country is that we leave what

should be done in time undone. If legal opinions are given at the proper time, there will be nothing like prison congestion at all See page 34

’

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

INSIDE: How a defective justice system freed Major al-Mustapha

Last Tuesday, some activists were set to march on Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, but they were stopped by the police, which described the planned rally as illegal. Heavily armed policemen blocked all major roads with armoured tanks and vans. The activists have described the development as an assault on free speech and freedom of association. What does the law say on protests?

Was the police action justifiable? JOSEPH JIBUEZE sought lawyers’ views.

Lawyers: right to protest non-negotiable

-Page 32

‘Law is an instrument of social change’

T

HE July 9 fracas in the House of Assembly compounded the crisis in Rivers State. Since that incident in which five of the 32-member House attempted to remove Speaker Otelemaba Dan Amachree, the state has been on edge.

Riled by the development, some rights activists planned a rally. But they got what they did not bargain for.

Before the rally day, a militant group, the Ijaw Freedom Fighters (IFF) and a non-governmental organisation, Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), asked the activists to steer clear of Port Harcourt.

The groups were said to have specifically named Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka and activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) as those whose safety could not be guaranteed.

They said: “We met and observed with interest the... statements credited to civil activists such as Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana and many others, on the crisis rocking the Riv-

-Page 33

How to write legal advice, opinion -Page 34 • Abubakar

NBA: lawyers need continuing education -Page 35

Democracy and socio-economic imbalance in Nigeria: The role of law

-Page 36

‘Nigeria’s obligation under the Rome Statute’ -Page 37

‘Courts have power to formulate issues for parties where justice demands’ -Page 38

ers State House of Assembly.

“While we blame the political class in Rivers and Abuja for allowing such comments due to their indiscretion and show of shame, we will not allow non-Niger Deltans to add insult in a matter that can be settled without bloodshed. We have listened to the name-calling and tongue-lashing of the president and his wife by civil society organisation but what we will not take kindly to is the invasion being planned by the non-Niger Deltans in Rivers State.

“If the people of Rivers want to protest, they should protest and demand for what is right. But when it is shown, as clearly displayed, that it is targeted to ridicule and further discredit the Southsouth and its quest for Presidency in 2015, we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety again.

“We are not interested in who impeached whom but we will not fold our hands and allow the spon• Continued on page 30

The National Judicial Council (NJC) at its 63rd meeting recommended the compulsory retirement of Abia State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Shadrach Nwanosike for alleged age falsification. Is his retirement enough punishment? PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU reports

Is retirement enough for alleged age falsification?

T

HE National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended that Abia State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Shadrach Nwanosike, should proceed on compulsory retirement for alleged age falsification.

The NJC took the decision at its 63rd meeting held on July 17 and 18.

By the alleged falsification, the judge’s retirement age was unduly extended.

Justice Nwanosike, however, is yet to react publicly to the allegation, which many consider weighty.

Our correspondents’ efforts to reach him or get the Abia State judiciary failed at press time.

Although the NJC’s decision has been described as a step in the right direction, some observers believe that retiring him is not enough deterrent if the allegation is true.

However, the question on the lip of many is: Is it not a court of law that should determine someone’s guilt or otherwise of perjury?

Having accused him of age falsification and recommended his retirement, should the matter end with the NJC decision?

While some believe that compulsory retirement is enough punishment, others have called for more sanctions to deter others.

To them, Justice Nwanosike, if indeed the allegation is true, should be made to face trial.

Some lawyers believe that should he be found guilty by a court, he should be made to refund all salaries and benefits received after his genuine date of retirement.

• Justice Mukhtar

The allegation against Justice Nwanosike is not the first of its kind.

There was the case of former Kwara State Chief Judge Justice Saka Yusuf (rtd), who was retired by the NJC led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais, after he allegedly spent almost 20 years extra.

Justice Yusuf was brought from the Kano Judicial Division by former Governor Bukola Saraki, when the tenure of Justice Timothy Oyeyipo as Chief Judge lapsed, instead of appointing the • Continued on page 31

• Justice Nwanosike

PHOTO: Ugochukwu Eke

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

30

LAW COVER CONT’D •Continued frompage 29 sored onslaught in the Niger Delta under the guise of civil society gathering. We cannot guarantee the safety of anyone interested and plotting to throw Rivers or any other Niger Delta States into turmoil.”

Lawyers: right to protest non-negotiable

Rally thwarted The activists were not deterred by the threats.

They went on with the rally, but got what they did not bargain for.

Rather than protect the protesters, the police laid a siege, deploying surveillance helicopters, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and patrol vehicles to prevent the “Defending democracy rally.”

There was a heavy deployment of policemen at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa – apparently to prevent pro-democracy and human rights activists invited from other parts of the country from getting to the rally venue.

Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) Chairman Anyakwee Nsirimovu and other members of the coalition who planned the rally, however, tried to outsmart the police by changing the venue.

Nsirimovu said in the coalition’s letter to Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu to provide minimal security, Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, was indicated as the rally venue, but they converged on Liberation Stadium.

But the police said they stopped the rally to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

As early as 6 am, battle-ready, riot and regular policemen, backed by APCs, sealed off the Isaac Boro Park while the coalition’s members were already gathering at the Liberation Stadium for the rally that would have taken off at 9 am.

The policemen, having waited till 9 am without seeing any activist, rushed to the Liberation Stadium with two APCs and many patrol vehicles when they got the hint of the venue change.

The main gate of the stadium was immediately sealed off by the policemen with the two APCs and many vans. Passers-by were made to frog-jump, having been mistaken for members of the coalition.

The invited activists and members of the coalition from the nine states of the Niger Delta, who had gathered at the stadium, were dispersed. Nsirimovu and other leaders were asked to leave immediately.

‘Remove Mbu’ Nsirimovu described the police action as impunity and abuse of the rule of law, saying: “The Police are not neutral in Rivers crisis.

Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu must be immediately redeployed – in line with the resolution of the National Assembly.

“We planned a peaceful rally, but Mbu’s policemen took over the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt – in a show of force, intimidating lawabiding citizens, who fought for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria. It is a bad day for democracy in Rivers State.”

Members of the coalition have alleged of a plot to eliminate them over their stance in the political crisis.

The group, in a statement by Nsirimovu, said the threats began with their bid to hold the rally.

“The threats have been fronted by faceless socalled militant groups, letter-headed based sectional organisations and representatives of the factional Peoples Democratic Party Chapter in the state, using all manners of threats and blackmail strategies to stop the rally from holding.

“NDCSC wishes to make it categorically clear that it will not succumb to this primitive and senseless intimidation, a hallmark of tyrannical demagogues bent on sliding democratic progress in the state,” the group said.

Protest against the law?

The 1999 Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Lawyers said a police permit is not needed before protesting or having a rally in a democracy.

Falana said it was settled law that protest is an inalienable right. He drew the attention of the police and other security agencies to the celebrated case of All Nigeria Peoples Party v Inspector-General of Police (2008) (12 WRN 65) decided by the Court of Appeal on December 12, 2007.

In that case, the court upheld his submission that Nigerians have the fundamental right to stage rallies and protests without police permit.

In the leading judgment of the Court of Appeal Adekeye JCA (as she then was) held: “The incident captured in the Guardian newspaper edition of October 1, 2005 where the Federal Government had in a broadcast made by the immediate past President of Nigeria, General Olusegun Obasanjo publicly conceded the right

• Soyinka

of Nigerians to hold public meetings or protests peacefully against government or against the inrease in the price of petroleum products. The honourable President realised that democracy admits of dissent, protest, marches, rallies and demonstations...

“A rally or placard carrying demonstration has become a form of expression of views on current issues affecting government and the governed in a sovereign State. It is a trend recognised and deeply entrenched in the system of governance in civilised countries— it will not only be primitive but also retrogressive if Nigeria continues to require a pass to hold a rally. We must borrow a leaf from those who have trekked the rugged path of democracy and are now reaping the dividend of their experience.”

In his brief contribution to the judgment Muhammad JCA said: “In present day Nigeria, clearly police permit has outlived its usefulness. Certainly, in a democracy, it is the right of citizens to conduct peaceful processions, rallies or demonstrations without seeking and obtaining permission from anybody. It is a right guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and any law that attempt to curtail such rights is null and void and of no consequence.”

Falana added: “Those who wish to demonstrate against official policies considered inimical to their interests should be made to realise that there is a corollary duty on them to conduct themselves peacefully. Otherwise, they may run foul of certain provisions of the criminal or penal code and be liable to prosecution.”

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also reminded the government authorities on the need not to interfere in peaceful rallies.

It said: “The right to assemble freely and to protest or demonstrate peacefully is a human right recognised and guaranteed within Sections 39-40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Articles 9-11 of the African charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is domestic law in Nigeria.

“In addition, under Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is also party, ‘no restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.’

“Peaceful protest is a duty of citizens and an essential characteristic of an open and democratic society. Article 13 of the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance, which Nigeria has ratified, requires government to ‘take measures to ensure and maintain political and social dialogue, as well as public trust and transparency between political leaders and the people, in order to consolidate democracy and peace.’

“In implementing this obligation, government has a duty to encourage its citizens to channel or express their grievances in a peaceful manner.

“Therefore, individuals or groups should be free to express their views, offer their criticisms, canvass their ideas for democratic change and improvement, and assemble or protest for these purposes provided they do not seek to propagate these ideas by violent means or in a manner that disturbs public peace, safety or security.”

• Mbu

Protest ban unconstitutional, say lawyers Lagos lawyer and law lecturer at the University of Lagos Wahab Shittu said the action of the police cannot be justified.

“The action of the Police banning further protests in Rivers cannot be justified having regard to the elements of the democratic tradition, chiefly of which is the recognition of free speech and the right to peaceably assemble.

“It is also the law that citizens do not require Police permit to stage peaceful protests. The tragedy of our circumstances seems to be that we have a seeming democracy in place but sadly without democrats.

“In a democracy, the Police is bound to respect the rights of citizens and conduct affairs only in accordance with the rule of law.

“The on-going human rights abuses can only be stopped not through a policy of ‘sit-don-look’ but by a proactive collective engagement by all stakeholders including the press. “‘The man dies in him who keeps silent in the face of tyranny (apology to Professor Wole Soyinka)’,” Shittu said.

A Constitutional lawyer, Mr Ike Ofuokwu, who is also a leader of Anioma in Delta State, said it was wrong of the police to stop the rally.

“One really wonders when the police would stop being partisan and concentrate on their cardinal objectives of maintaining law and order.

Its all about the preservation of democracy and it has nothing to do with the person of Governor Rotimi Amaechi whose ego, arrogance and antimasses posture he displayed during the fuel subsidy debacle has made many good people adopt a “siddon look” approach on the Rivers crisis.

“The police have no business banning any peaceful protest or rally under whatever guise.

The conduct of the police is not only an assault on the rights of the people but it constitutes a grave infringement on the rights of the protesters and a violent rape on constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of freedom of expression and that of peaceful assembly and association.

“If the truth must be told, the Nigerian police by their very act in Rivers state are creating anarchy and chaos.

“With all the armoured tanks rolled out, there may be a temporary setback but there is no way the voice of the people can be silenced for too long. It is an abuse of state power and this impunity should be called to order immediately.”

An activist-lawyer and Managing Partner of Lagos-based law firm, T.C Akanwa and Co, Mr Theophilus Akanwa described as shocking the scuttling of the rally.

“It is so shocking, surprising and embarrassing to hear that a peaceful protest planned by the civil society organisation in Rivers State was disallowed and scuttled by the Nigeria Police in a country governed democratically.

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, has guaranteed the freedom of assembly of the citizens of Nigeria and our courts have also pronounced that it is legitimate to have such assembly.

“It is, therefore, not healthy not to abide by the provisions of the Constitution and pronouncements of our court.

“It is based on this premise that I once again call on the Inspector General of Police to act on the directive of the National Assembly by removing the commissioner of police in Rivers State.”

Lagos lawyer Mr Jonathan Iyieke said the police was going outside its constitutional man-

• Falana

date by stopping the rally.

“The essence of establishment of the Nigeria police force by Section 215(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution is for public safety and order within the state. It’s not to embarrass, intimidate and harass innocent citizens in the society.

“By virtue of chapter iv, particularly sections 39 (1), 40 and 41 (1) of our Constitution, every person shall be entitled to freedom of assemble freely and associate with other persons and move freely throughout Nigeria without interference respectively.

“The deployment of heavily-armed policemen with armored tank to stop peaceful protest in Rivers State is undemocratic and unlawful. We have no law that despises peaceful protest.

“The peaceful citizens in River State are entitled to participate in the government by the virtue of section 14 (2) (c) of the Constitution. The denial of these constitutional rights of the people to express their views, assemble and move freely in our society is an aberration. It is crude, archaic, vindictive and unauthordoxical.

“Until the Federal Government retract its coercive attack on the corporate entity of River State, and respect the democratically elected authority, its ill-action remains unlawful in the eye of the common man and indeed the spirit and intendment of the 1999 Constitution.”

Ikechukwu Ikeji said: “I doubt if the Police can by mere announcement derogate from a constitutional provision. A law is to be passed either by the House of Assembly of the State or by the National Assembly in the form of an Act. Anything less does not, and cannot, qualify to derogate from the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly and procession. It has even been held by the Court of Appeal that you do not need Police permission before embarking on peaceful protest.

If the Police suspects that a planned procession may lead to a breakdown of law and order, it is very much within its powers to approach the House of Assembly, in this case the National Assembly who had taken over the legislative duties of the Rivers House of Assembly, to make a law for that purpose. I am not aware of any such law in operation and that means that all the Police was entitled to do in the circumstances was to monitor the said procession with a view to ensuring that there is no breakdown of law and order, and not to insist that permission must first be sought and obtained from them. At best, the planners of the procession may inform the Police asking for their presence for purposes of protection and not for asking for permission.

Lagos lawyer Emeka Nwadioke said the police action smacks of rascality, urging the presidency to call the force to order.

“It is quite strange that the Nigeria Police will ban protests and demonstrations in an emerging democracy such as Nigeria. It is even more worrisome that the ban is coming on the heels of an anti-Chibuike Amaechi rally which was not disrupted by the police, indicating some level of police partisanship. Equally troubling is that this is happening under the watch of IGP Mohammed Abubakar who could be said to have started well.

“It is long settled that Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) secures the Right to freedom of expression and the press. Even more importantly, Section 40 CFRN 1999 guarantees the Right to peaceful assembly and association. It is said that the inevitable corollary to this later right is the right of protest and demonstration, both of which are also forms of expression.

“Articles 9-11 of the African charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights also guarantee the Right to peaceful assembly and association. Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights warns governments not to place restric• Continued on page 31

31

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

LAW & SOCIETY

Is retirement enough for alleged age falsification?

• Continued from page 29

most senior judge in the state then, Justice Fola Gbadeyan.

Justice Yusuf threw in the towel and left office. He was neither prosecuted by the state, nor asked to refund salaries and allowances he collected ‘illegally’ for over 20 years.

Efforts to clarify Justice Nwanosike’s exact retirement date of the judge met brickwalls as the state’s judiciary Public Relations Officer, Friday Ikeoha, said he did not have the details.

He said: ‘‘I do not know. You have to ask the CJ himself because I do not have details of his retirement.

“It is an NJC matter and I do not keep his personal records. I do not have the Chief Registrar’s number, you may have to come to Umuahia.

“The NJC only recommended to the governor to retire the CJ, it is left for the governor to decide.’’

So, what happens to those decisions taken after his legitimate retirement age? Should he be charged to court?

• Ngige

• Adekoya

• Quakers

• Eze

not listen. How would one explain this that a judicial officer of that caliber could find himself in such a messy deal? This goes to show you how rotten the system has gone.”

To Agbaje, the judge is not illegible to stay in office a day longer, and should be prosecuted because falsification of age is a criminal offence.

Eze said the punshment was insufficent and non-deterent, just as he insisted that aside being prosecuted, Justice Nwanosike should be banned from using the title.

He said: “It is evident that Justice Shadrack falsified his age so as to remain in office to exercise more power and make more money to the detriment of the State, litigants, and citizens of Abia State! This is corruption simplicita and it is one of the forms of corruption that section 15 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) has enjoined the Nigerian State to eradicate or abolish.

“The appropriate authorities should proceed to deny him the use of the word “Jus-

tice” against his name; also, he should be charged to court for the offence he has been alleged to have committed. If convicted, he should be sentenced to terms of imprisonment in accordance with the law.”

“The alleged falsification of age, if proved, will amount to a crime. But it is not the responsibility of the NJC to prosecute.

Rather, it is the duty of the ministry of justice to decide the question of prosecution after proper investigation of the surrounding circumstances by the police.

“Though one admits it will be extremely sad to see any member of the bench stand criminal trial, but if it is part of the price we have to pay for the ongoing effort to sanitize the administration of justice system, so be it.

“The prosecuting authorities should therefore not shy away from initiating the process, if indeed there are compelling reasons for prosecution, and in the absence of a sincere error of personal judgment by the learned Judge. But it will amount to a mis-

Lawyers’ reaction

Lawyers hold divergent views on the matter. While some said the retirement was severe enough and would deter others from such acts, others were of the view that the judge should be prosecuted.

Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN); chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja, Monday Ubani, his Aba counterpart, Charles Eduzor; constitutional lawyer Dr. Fred Agbaje; Akintayo Iwilade and Chukwuemeka Eze said besides retirement Justice Nwanosike should also be tried.

They said it was unbecoming of a judge to falsify their age.

Ngige said: “I do not see the rationale of allowing somebody who committed a very serious crime as perjury to go home on retirement. It is like a slap on the wrist. The man should refund all salaries and allowances he collected for the three years he overstayed as a judicial officer to government coffers.

“In addition, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) should arraign him for the offence he committed. It is high time a judicial officer was sent to prison to serve as deterrence. The judgments he delivered while he overstayed are not affected by the age falsification saga. The judgments or decisions he delivered are protected by defacto officer doctrine.

“By this doctrine acts or official functions performed by an illegal occupant of a public office are deemed in the eyes of the law to have been regularly done. The doctrine is meant to ensure stability in the public service.

But the doctrine does not immunise the illegal occupant from prosecution for his criminal conduct.”

Ubani said: ‘‘Judges are not God but they perform some duties exclusively reserved for God. Therefore, they are like God. For such a person with grave responsibilities to be involved in offences like forgery, fraud, corruption and such like, portends danger to the state. ‘‘Retirement as a form of punishment for a culpable judge is not enough. He should be prosecuted in order to deter many judges who fall into this category of age forgers. Judges are not and should not be above prosecution for alleged criminal offences that pollute the temple of justice.’’

Eduzor described the development as an embarrassment to the state, which will be difficult to erase. He recalled that a Customary Court of Appeal judge in the state was also sacked for the same offence, adding ‘‘it showcases both the state’s judiciary and civil service in bad light.’’

He called for such actions to be extended to other arms of government in order to bring sanity into the civil service.

He said: ‘‘It was for this reason that NBA, Aba branch insisted that the state government should not only appoint a seasoned and practicing lawyer who would advise her aright as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, but also appoint persons to the office of Chief Judge based on merit and seniority. ‘‘If the state government had followed the order of seniority in the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge, which would have been Hon Justice (Mrs.) Ijeoma Offornry, Justice Nwanosike would not have found himself in this mess.

“Nobody should be happy that this is happening to the state at this point in time, but we warned them beforehand that they should appoint a substantive Chief Judge for the state based on merit and seniority, but they did

‘I do not see the rationale of allowing somebody who committed a very serious crime as perjury to go home on retirement. It is like a slap on the wrist. The man should refund all salaries and allowances he collected for the three years he overstayed as a judicial officer to government coffers’

placed responsibility to expect the NJC to assume the prosecutor’s role. That public duty and discretion lies with the police and the ministry of justice after proper advice.

However, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN); Funke Adekoya (SAN) and Norrison Quakers (SAN) said Justice Nwanosike’s retirement was enough punishment for the offence.

Sagay said: “It is a good omen for the judiciary. I think the punishment is enough.

Let him go and savour the disgrace that he has been thrown in.

“For a judge to falsify his age is a form of moral turpitude. It means he is not a reliable person, he is dishonest, and his judgment can be influenced. In such a situation, there is nothing more befitting for such individual than a sack. I give kudos to the CJN for her bold step in sanitising the Nigeria judiciary, and I am optimistic that soon, issues of corruption in the judiciary will be a thing of the past. ‘‘I think his compulsory retirement or probably the forfeiture of his pension in addition, will be enough. If proper sanctions are constantly meted on erring members of the judiciary, it will, in turn, send warning signals to other officers who are guilty of such corrupt practices.’’

Adekoya said he should not be prosecuted as his compulsory retirement was fit for purpose and enough embarrassment for him and the judiciary as a whole. ‘‘In my view, even the money should not be recovered because he worked for it. He worked those extra periods he spent in office,’’ she said.

To Quakers, what is happening in the judiciary is a function of leadership and the present CJN must be commended for the efforts at sanitizing not just the judiciary but the legal profession as a whole. ‘‘The recommendation of compulsory retirement as punishment for falsification of age handed down by the NJC against Justice Nwanosike, in my view must have taken into consideration a number of factors before arriving at this decision and I am in no position to fault both the findings and the consequent recommendation, save to say that there were no allegations of corruption or corrupt enrichment. ‘‘But the question that will agitate one’s mind is why did his Lordship falsify his age? Was it done for the perks of office or for the love of the bench? Whatever the reason is; falsification of document by a judicial officer is weighty and raises issues of integrity. ‘‘It is not the function of the NJC to initiate and commence criminal prosecution, the work of the NJC has been effected, it is for the Attorney General and Commissioner Justice of Abia State to make recommendations to the Governor of the State on the findings of the NJC with a view of initiating and commencing criminal prosecution, or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the prompting by way of a petition to investigate with a view to prosecuting the erring judge either for corrupt enrichment or abuse of office. ‘‘It is only in the doing of this that same can serve as a deterrent against judicial officers, but I do not think as a country and a people, we possess the will to prosecute erring judicial officers. If we take the route of subsequently criminalizing the act or conduct of the judge, it will have a backlash and far reaching consequences including decisions or judgments delivered, after the age, when his lordship ought to have retired, but stayed back. ‘‘In my view the recommendation of the NJC should not be altered or tinkered with, against the backdrop that this is not a clear case of corruption or corrupt enrichment or abuse of office.

Lawyers: right to protest non-negotiable • Continued from page 30 tions on these rights “other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

“A plethora of actors have endorsed the Right to peaceful assembly and association. The Court of Appeal in AGF & Anor v All Nigeria Peoples Party noted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly conceded the right of Nigerians to hold public meetings or protests peacefully against the government. The court then

struck down the Public Order Act Cap P42, LFN 2004, noting that the law “which insists on police approval for rallies or peaceful assembly infringed on the fundamental human rights provided for in the 1999 Constitution.”

“Instructively, the Nigeria Police had earlier conceded the right of Nigerians to peaceful protest. Former AIG Zone 7 Ivy Okoronkwo had in so doing said concession made the police not to disrupt the rallies organised by Save Nigeria Group and the Future Nigerian Groups in Abuja.

The police cannot be allowed to approbate and reprobate. Their only duty is to give adequate cover to protesters.

“Peaceful protest is at the heart of the demo-

cratic process. Dissent has driven human progress for ages. The Arab Spring drove away many sittight dictators. In stalling peaceful protest, the police may inadvertently fuel an implosion or conflagration. It is the height of rascality for the police apparatchik in Rivers State to jettison a clear and unambiguous judgment of the Court of Appeal and proceed to ban protest and demonstrations.

“For starters, the affected persons and groups can proceed to court to vindicate their rights against the Nigeria Police. More importantly, The Presidency – assuming it is not complicit in the matter – should rein in the police high command in the state to avoid a recurrence and needless bloodletting.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

32

LAW AND SOCIETY Lagos lawyer and activist Femi Falana examines the trial for the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola’s murder of former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Gen. Sanni Abacha, Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha, who has been freed.

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

How a defective justice system freed Major al-Mustapha

with

By Femi Falana

• Al-Mustapha

Introduction

U

NDER the Ibrahim Babangida junta politically motivated killings were rife in several parts of the country. The refusal by the police to investigate such killings lent credence to allegations of official involvement. The gruesome assassination of a prominent journalist, Mr. Dele Giwa by a parcel bomb in Lagos on October 19,1986 was covered up by the junta. The gallant attempts by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) to ensure the prosecution of those who were suspected to have masterminded the nefarious deed were officially frustrated. However, the Sani Abacha junta devised a dubious method of shielding official assassins from being exposed.

Whenever any opposition figure was killed by the Strike Force accusing fingers were quickly pointed at the family members or political allies of the deceased . Thus, sequel to the brutal murder of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola in Lagos on June 4,1996 by unknown gunmen, some members of the Abiola family and chieftains of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) were hurriedly arrested, detained and interrogated by the police on suspicion that they committed the heinous crime!

The indictment of the murder suspects Upon the restoration of civil rule in May 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo instituted the Special Investigation Panel which probed the

murderous activities of the Strike Force from 1993 to 1998. Some of the operatives made confessional statements on the murder of Mrs Abiola, the attempted murder of Chief Alex Ibru, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Mr Isaac Poubeni etc. In particular, it was disclosed by the suspects that they carried out the iniquitous crimes on the orders of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the exChief Security Officer to the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha. Upon the completion of investigation the Police charged the former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi; the former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. James Danbaba; Major Al-Mustapha; Mr. Mohammed Abacha and Mohammed Aminu with the murder of Mrs Abiola before an Ikeja Chief Magistrate Court in November 1999.

The prosecutor in the matter was Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, who later became the pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The case was taken over by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in 2000 which terminated the matter at the Magistrate’s court and charged the defendants for the same offence at the Lagos High Court. In his oral testimony before Justice Ade Alabi, the star prosecution witness, Sergeant Barnabas Jabila (a.k.a.Rogers) gave a vivid account and description of how he collected two uzi guns from Major Al-Mustapha. He also disclosed that Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan gave information on the movements of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola while Mr Mohammed Abacha lent his Mercedes Benz car and allowed his driver, Mr Mohammed Abdu (a.k.a Katako) to drive the killer gang to the scene of the crime. Although Mr Mohammed Abacha did not deny the fact that he also gave $20,000 to two members of the killer squad to flee the country (to escape arrest and prosecution) the Supreme Court set him free in a split decision of 4-1.

In the majority decision of the court read by Alfa Belgore JSC (as he then was) it was held that “The Appellant (Mohammed Abacha), in normal matter of course visited the first accused (Al Mustapha) not in course of any business. He saw Al Mustapha whispering to Jaabila

(a.k.a Rogers) but not knowing what they discussed. He saw two guns taken out of a bag and given to Jabila. Al Mustapha was Chief Security Officer and Jabila worked with him. Certainly he would not know what the mission was...

Katako drove to the scene with Jabila and others where the unfortunate and gruesome murder was committed by Jabila, at least on his own confession of firing the shots at Mrs. Abiola.”All the other four justices on the panel of the apex court made similar profound findings based on the proof of evidence before the trial court. Even the late Olufemi Ejiwunmi JSC who delivered a dissenting opinion had this to say: “There was evidence that the appellant allowed his driver Katako to drive Rogers; and that the said Rogers fired and killed Kudirat while being driven by Katako. The appellant had seen AlMustapha, the first accused hand over machine guns to Rogers and his boys.” In dissociating himself from the decision of his learned brethren that the appellant had no case to answer, Justice Ejiwunmi described the verdict of the court as “ a tyranny of majority”.

Before the judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered on July 11, 2002 Sergeant Rogers had appeared before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Panel on Human Rights Abuses which sat at the old National Assembly building at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos.

In the detailed evidence given by him sometimes in 2001, Sergeant Rogers confirmed that he fired the shot that snuffed life out of Mrs Kudirat Abiola as part of the atrocities perpetrated by the Strike Force on the orders of Major AlMustapha. He revealed that General Jeremiah Useni who was in the hall visited him and other members of the Strike Force in North Korea when they were training on how to kill the “enemies of Nigeria”. When asked by Justice Oputa if he regretted his action he said he did and he proceeded to ask for forgiveness as he burst into tears. Curiously, Major Al-Mustapha and others who were indicted by Sergeant Rogers could not challenge the witness even though they were present at the proceedings.

• To be continued next week

We did not ‘neglect’ injured worker, says firm

T

HE employer of 17-year-old industrial accident victim, Master Izuchukwu Kanu, has denied ‘neglecting’ or refusing to compensate him.

Kalu had asked the company, Trisa Nigeria Limited, to pay him N50 million as compensation.

He also petitioned Senate President David Mark, urging him to intervene in what he said amounted to treating a citizen with “disdain” by a foreign company doing business in Nigeria.

“Our client’s right hand has been so badly damaged and violated by this injury that he is not reasonably expected to work with it again in his life time.

“We were informed by our client’s relatives that Master Izuchukwu Kanu was less than 18 years of age while at the employment of Trisa Nigeria Limited.

“We urge you to use your good offices to direct the company to do the needful and adequately compensate our client for the permanent injury he sustained while working as a factory worker in Trisa Nigeria Limited,” Kalu’s law-

By Joseph Jibueze

yer Mr Ifeanyi Onyejiaka wrote.

But Trisa Nigeria, through its lawyers–Chike Okoro and Umeh Ezeh-said the allegations were not true, adding that a report on the issue may have created an “ugly impression” in the minds of the reading public.

The firm said: “The lawyer (Onyejiaka) seems not to be interested in the welfare of his client but imagines he can trade with the health of the young man. Every effort to get his client to submit to proper treatment has failed.

“Also, every effort to get his client to take benefit of the insurance cover by the company has failed. It is difficult to understand what he wants. He has refused medical treatment. He absconded from hospital.

He has refused to fill the necessary insurance forms for payment if found due.

“It is surprising that the lawyer has chosen the path of intimidation and blackmail and threats. He has threatened not only to use the press but even to hire thugs which he called

members of the family of his client.”

The firm denied the allegation that Kalu was under 18 when he was employed by Trisa.

“The records available to the company show that Izuchukwu is an adult and of working age.

“The company has undertaken and is willing and ready to ensure proper treatment for him if he makes himself available for treatment. The company has a good and proper insurance cover for all categories of its workers in genuine cases of fault on the part of the company,” Trisa said.

In a letter to Onyejiaka, dated December 20, 2012, Trisa Nigeria said its record did not show that Kalu was its employee.

“The name of the said Izuchukwu appeared in the category of workers under daily hire as independent contractors or workers.

“The company did not employ the said Izuchukwu to work or handle any equipment or machinery, as the company has and maintains a qualified and trained staff for all its equipment and machinery.”

gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

Congratulations to APC

T

HE announcement by INEC, last week that it has approved the effort of a group of political parties that came together to form the All Progressive Congress (APC) should gladden every true democrat in Nigeria. This is because the organised democratic enterprise which we borrowed from the western countries has survived most where there are two strong political parties, acting as a check on each other, and as an alternative for the electorate. The United States, Germany, Britain and France, are good examples in this regard. My earnest hope going forward is that the new party will become a real alternative for the abused Nigerian electorate.

To achieve that, the new party must as soon as possible publicly define a progressive national vision and mission, and work hard to engrave them in the hearts of its disparate members, and woo other Nigerians to join that platform. That process will most likely be more arduous than the merger- project, which is a no-mean feat in itself. For I sometimes wonder for an instance, how a man like Senator Ahmed Yerima, formally of All Nigeria Progressive Party(one of the merged parties), and an unrepentant religious extremist, can in good conscience claim to be a progressive politician, simply by belonging to a party that touts such prodigious ideals. And they are a handful of such peddlers across the parties that joined to form the new party.

Despite these challenges, it is gratifying that an alternative party to the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) has finally arrived, hoping that the chased away detractors will not use the judiciary to further disturb the process. As we relish the possibilities with the new party, it is of paramount importance, in my humble view, for APC to immediately define its position on those national issues that has held our country down. For instance what is the position of the party on access to quality education, employment and housing?

What will the party do with our lopsided federation, with regards to the ownership of natural resources, national infrastructure, federation account and cost of governance, police and the so called indigenship?

Will APC show courage and progressive ideals, or will it merely seek to take control of political power, to continue our nation on the part of a stunted growth? It will be exciting if the new party can be woven to appeal to the younger generation, as one of its cardinal objectives. If it can truly achieve that, then it can tamper the disillusionment of the average Nigerian youth over their future in their country, arising principally from the calamity that the exercise of public power has turned to in Nigeria.

In the meantime let the political realignment begin. Let those with the political inclination, (apologies to Gen. Babangida) of a little to the left of the political divide move over to the APC and those of a little to the right of the political divide, move over to the PDP. As the USA’s Democratic Party’s trajectory will teach, nothing is sacrosanct, as the test of the pudding will be in the eating. For now, I think it is proper to offer congratulations to the arch-leaders of the new party, particularly Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Gen. Mohammad Buhari, the principle gladiators of this feat.

An evening with Gov. Peter Obi Governor Peter Obi’s famed frugality has always been in the news, but nothing prepared me for the excitement of the essential Peter Obi, which I got firsthand last weekend. It was at a meeting of professional colleagues in Lagos, at which the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, Okwute, was the guest speaker. He spoke on Ethics in life and politics.

I confess that I was very impressed. He drew anecdotes from his immediate family, political colleagues, business experience, his political odyssey, his religious inclination and other issues we can easily relate to. I guess he may have spoken for nearly two hours, but he got the over 100 participants craving for more. The interaction can pass as a personal life story intricately woven around moral lessons and the essentials of ethics and hard work. Not reputed in the public mind for his oratory, Governor Obi was able to vividly deliver the moral punches that can last one a long time; particularly against the ethical infidelity that pervades our nation’s landscape.

His Excellency declared without equivocation that the office of the first lady is unconstitutional and that on assumption of office, he advised his beloved wife of 20 years plus, not to add to the bedlam that Anambra politics is, by establishing such an unconstitutional office. He also told a story of how on a visit as the Governor in his state, somebody ordered some youths to forcefully carry his official car off the road, so that the fellow can drive into the arena with a limousine. Meanwhile like Governor Fashola of Lagos State, he moves around without sirens, and he told the story of a host who was saddened, that he may have to swear that the Governor visited him.

Okwute told us how his only son is shielded from the maddening excitement and lavish life style that his personal wealth and office can easily provide. He explained that the courts are responsible for the failure to conduct local government election in the state. By the way Obi came to the ceremony without any official aide, and he said that is his style, whether as a billionaire businessman or as a Governor. I privately wished he could influence his colleagues, particularly his close pal, President Goodluck Jonathan.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

33

LAW & SOCIETY Prof. Ernest Ojukwu is the immediate past Deputy Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus. He is the pioneer chairman, Governing Council of the Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) and Projects director of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) programme. In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU,he speaks on the standard of legal education, the forthcoming annual general conference of the NBA, globalisation of legal services and sundry issues. Excerpts:

‘Law is an instrument of social change’

I

T is generally believed that the quality and standard of legal education have dropped, what is your reaction to this?

I do not like to get into the argument on whether the standard of legal education is falling or has fallen.

If you do some mapping on standards, you will find that the country has indeed provided rules since 1990 to raise the standard of legal education than what we had before that period. Unfortunately, the 1990 reform introduced by the National Universities Commission (NUC) minimum standards have not been built upon or even reviewed to meet the minimum best practices in legal education accepted globally So we have continued to toddle behind developed nations on legal education and this below average legal education has been with us since Independence.

Why are they just manifesting now?

What has made it look very bad now or made the weaknesses manifest very obviously, are many other challenges created by ourselves or omitted to be addressed.

What are these?

They include the following: •Astronomical increase in the number of law students. Lecture halls are over crowded.

•Very poor staff-students ratio that does not permit any meaningful student centred learning.

•Poor staff conditions of service •Too many poor quality law teachers that have no reason to be hired as teachers in the first place; •Growing corruption and unethical conduct of some law teachers and some law faculties. This includes the growing tendency of many law teachers to abandon their lectures for most parts of the semester.

•Archaic and ineffective traditional law curriculum, with no skills and value contents.

•Failed traditional teaching methodology. Most lectures have become note dictating exercises; •Unstable academic calendar caused by too many labour strikes and other interruptions.

•Very poor infrastructure and facilities. Most law faculty buildings (even ones built in the last two years) are shameful expression of university academic buildings.

•Poor funding, etc . One of the saddest things for legal education is that the stakeholder, the NBA which has the biggest interest on the matter has since many years shown al-

most total disinterest and only pays lip service, at many times sheds crocodile tears on the state of legal education.

Some people have called for Law to be made a second degree course to improve the standard of legal education, what is your reaction to this?

I do not see how making law a second degree can help to improve standards in the profession. I have just listed for you, the reasons why we are unable to come close to addressing best practices in legal education. If you change the learners and you still have these challenges, how will the standard improve.

And you remember that what we are talking about legal education extends to other disciplines. So, if we change our law students and now admit those who have also gone through our very poor education system in other disciplines, what miracle do you think will happen? Law is a five years programme and another one year Law School programme. If we mean business, I do not see why we should not be able to train lawyers ready to stand and work very well on graduation.

One of the 10 cardinal points agenda of the Wali-led administration of the NBA is to improve and raise the bar on continuing legal education of Nigerian lawyers, consequently, he has organised several seminars, conferences and workshops in which credit points are awarded to participants, when shall we begin to reap the benefits of those credit points so awarded.

When we get a walking database of the NBA, we would be able to publish the credits earned by Nigerian lawyers. I have been briefed that the NBA contractor would complete the data base project before the end of this year . Let us hope it becomes a reality, then some of these programmes and points will become fully operational.

How does the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) programme of the NBA work?

That would be a long lecture.

How it works is contained in the MCLE Rules approved by the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC) about five years ago. It is on the NBA website, but before the end of the year, we shall publish an annotation explaining the rules better.

As one of the founding fathers of the Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) what is your appraisal of the Forum now, do you think it has achieved the aims and objectives

in Calabar?

Well, I expect that it will be well organised and very successful at the end of the day. I hope members would actually participate in the working sessions and gain from attending the conference.

How do you feel about the globalisation of legal practice and the call for foreign lawyers to open shop in the country?

Globalisation is a phenomenon beyond our control. We can control its immediate impact on the foreign lawyers’ incursions front as we can’t stop it ultimately. Our own lawyers are setting up shops abroad too. So, we have to develop our capacity to meet the challenges of a globalised world.

Law has always been described as an instrument of social engineering and a catalyst for economic development, how has this applied to Nigeria and how do we improve the quality of our laws?

Our Law students and lawyers have to be well educated to understand that law is an instrument of social change before they can translate that into the type of advice they render to governments and the society in general. Our legal education is poor and not deep.

How do we resolve this recurring face off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) so that we can have a stable academic environment in the universities?

Government should adequately fund education. They have made some progress along this line, but the effort so far is still below average. It is only proper funding that can improve the universities and guarantee stable academic environment.

• Prof Ojukwu

of its founding fathers?

Surely it has grown very well.

The Forum has also set an example on how democracy works. The third administration is in place now since we founded the Forum in 2004. And I hope that it will keep growing from strength to strength.

People have called for the separation of legal practice into solici-

tors and advocates as obtained in England and other Commonwealth jurisdictions, what is your reaction go this?

It will serve no useful purpose.

People should on their own specialise in any area of law if they so desire.

What are your expectations from the forthcoming NBA conference

‘If we change our law students and now admit those who have also gone through our very poor education system in other disciplines, what miracle do you think will happen?’

Firm sues Minister over alleged planned revocation of N1.7b contract

A

FIRM, Chemtronics Limited has sued the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and the ministry over an alleged plan to revoke a N1.7billion contract awarded to it four years ago.

The firm said the contract for the construction of a Skill Acquisition Centre in Iguelaba town, Edo State was awarded to it on March 15, 2010 at N1, 799, 914, 251 following an approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

It said the Minister, allegedly acting on a report of purported slow pace of the contract’s execution, instructed the Acting Director, Housing and Urban Development in the ministry, Mr. Builder Jube Jemide to terminate the contract.

In the suit filed before the Abuja High Court, the firm also faulted the ministry’s purported advertisement for fresh bids for the same

• Defendant accuses plaintiff of default From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

contract.

It insisted that the purported slow pace of work in the contract’s execution was not sufficient ground to terminate or revoke a contract legally awarded with a binding agreement on the two parties.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Max Ogar said the contract was awarded to his client on March 15, 2010 and that an agreement to that effect was signed on March 22, 2010.

He said in line with Article 8 of the agreement, the ministry appointed Architect Julius Akpovoka of the firm of Efeakpo & Co. Consult as an architectural consultant to the project.

Ogar added that in line with Ar-

ticle 6.1 of the contract agreement, the ministry also paid his client 15 per cent mobilisation fee for the contract, and that his client had since been on the contract site.

The plaintiff stated, in a supporting affidavit, that it was on ground and firmly in control of the contract site where work was progressing.

It added that to ensure smooth execution of the contract, it sought and secured a contract finance facility from Sterling Bank Plc to execute the contract.

The plaintiff faulted the ministry’s decision to advertise for bidding and procurement of the contract already awarded to it, and even when the existing contract had not been terminated.

It, therefore, prayed the court for

among others. ”A declaration that the plaintiff remains the bonafide contractor in charge of the contract for the construction of a Skill Acquisition Centre (Lot 1) in Iguelaba, Edo State as awarded to it on March 15, 2010.

“A declaration that the defendant’s advertisement of the contract covered in the plaintiff’s award letter as published in The Guardian newspaper of April 9, 2013 and another publication of July 29 are illegal, null and void.”

Besides, the plaintiff is also seeking an order restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns and privies from taking and bid relating to the contract covered in the plaintiff’s award letter.”

The plaintiff has also written to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim over the case and drawing his attention to the financial implication to the

Federal Government in the event of its case succeeding and damages awarded against the ministry.

The defendants, in a statement of defence and counter claim, filed by B. N. Udonsi of the ministry’s Department of Legal Services, said in line with Article 1 of the Contract Agreement, the duration of the contract was 12 months from the date of the execution of the agreement.

They averred that the agreement was executed on March 22, 2010, adding that the plaintiff was expected to have completed the contract and handed over same of the Ministry on or before March 21, 2011.

The defendants averred that the work done on site was still at the level of excavation/foundation and FPF level.

They said there was the need to terminate the contract and allow another contractor to take over.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

34

LAW & SOCIETY The Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) has held its 2013 course for legal advisers and law officers.

Writing legal advice and opinion in criminal cases and commercial transactions dominated the discussions, reports JOSEPH JIBUEZE

How to write legal advice, opinion

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IGERIA’s criminal justice system is faced with nu merous challenges, among which is prison congestion. Many have been in detention for years and are yet to be brought to trial.

What could be the reason for this anomaly?

A former Akwa Ibom State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Chief Harrison Ataide, blamed it on a faulty criminal procedure, beginning with the police – which he said sometimes takes so long to conclude investigations before releasing the case files to the directorates of public prosecution (DPP) for legal advice to be issued.

Sometimes too, the DPP leaves what ought to be done on time undone, he said.

Ataide was one of the resource persons at the Government Legal Advisers and Law Officers Course, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in Lagos.

Participants included law officers from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Deposit Insurance Cooperation (NDIC), the Federal Character Commission, the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC), the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Supreme Court, among others.

The former DPP delivered a paper on the topic: Writing Legal Opinion and Advice.

“Most problems we have in this country are due to improper advice,” he said.

“What is affecting us in this country is that we leave what should be done in time undone. If legal opinions are given at the proper time, there will be nothing like prison congestion at all.

“But how will the opinion be written when the police will take longer time than necessary to complete their investigation? When they hold onto the case files, there is no way the DPP will be able to write opinion on that.

“Some of the cases that are referred by the Magistrate Courts to the DPP, the case-files are to be transferred by the police to the DPP’s office. That may take months.

“A DPP legal advice can be issued within one week. It is possible.

When that is done, all those that were remanded in prison custody and police cells will be released or charged to court and the prisons will be decongested.

“So, it is not doing what we’re supposed to do that has been the cause of the problem of prison congestion.”

Addressing the participants, Ataide said legal advice/opinion writers ensure that they express themselves concisely and coherently, avoid excessively long sentences and use the active rather than the passive voice.

He said all legal opinion must be based on applicable laws, while the writer must be fair. “Anybody who’s writing a legal opinion must be well-versed. If you write based on law, you can damn the consequences.

“Pressure can come from political quarters or from your bosses to

•Albert Amadi of the Federal Character Commission, Jamila Sambo of CAC, Daniel Momah of Delta State Ministry of Justice and Sanusi Ramalan of NAFUND

•From left: Patrick Asuquo and Olepongete Akan of the Akwa Ibom Ministry of Justice; Nengi Douglas, Suleiman Kuku and Onyeche Nosegbe, all of the NNPC

•From left: Martin Mwelfwang of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Itoya Ese and Tolulope Aderounmu of the NNPC and Fada Pwashikan of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)

•From left: Jerome Okoro of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Halilu Adamu of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Alhassan Umaru and Roseline Ugbane of the INEC and Adama Oyekan of the NNPC. PHOTOS: JOSEPH JIBUEZE

write wrong opinion. Avoid political or monetary inducements that can lead you to compromise,” he warned.

“In general, legal opinions/advice must be presented in clear, lucid, plain language to elucidate understanding, with all the material contents thereof.

“It does no one any good to produce a legal opnion/advice that is incorrect and unacceptable. It dents the writer’s image and may go further to cause irreparable damage in event of being used for whatever purpose it was meant for,” he said.

He said legal advice not written objectively could lead to undue de-

tention of suspects in police or remand custody or lead to the release of hardened criminals.

“In other jurisdictions such opinion writers who give incorrect advice may be held liable in damages,” he said.

According to him, legal or opinion writers must avoid long sentences, verbiage – using more words than necessary; double negatives, unfamiliar words, lack of precision and clarity, poor organisation and vague analysis.

“It is not uncommon to see legal opinion that indicates prior knowledge of the applicable laws and stating only the conclusion or resolu-

tion of the matter involved on the presumed knowledge of the applicable law. This is wrong.

“A legal opinion that omits the steps necessary in reaching a wellconsidered conclusion/recommendation fails to serve its purpose,” Ataide said.

He said the writer is expected to proffer an objective analysis of the issues, presenting them in line with legal principles, rules of law and precedents. First, the writer must be clear on the purpose.

“Generally, legal opinion is to determine whether to litigate, prosecute, defend or enter into a transaction on not. It can be compared to

feasibility study in business,” he said.

A legal opinion, Ataide said, has a heading, an introduction, facts of the matter, issues, legal provisions, analysis of the factual and legal issues, conclusion/recommendations.

“The primary concern of a legal opinion/advice in criminal prosecution is whether an offender should be prosecuted and for what offence.

“The determining factor is only and only whether a prima facie case (factual and legal grounds for bringing a person to trial) has been made out against the suspect.

“In criminal cases investigated by the police and referred to you for legal opinion, after going through the facts contained in the whole case file, including those from the originating police station, if there are facts that might have been relevant or useful in the prosecution of the matter that have been advertently or inadvertently omitted because of shoddy or incomplete police investigation, and you believe that such facts are crucial to the central legal issue to be resolved, it is your duty to identify such additional information (proof of evidence) and request for same.

“The proper procedure is to return the case file to the police with a letter from the DPP requesting the investigating police officer (IPO) to furnish the office of the DPP with such missing information through further investigation, if that would be necessary.”

Speaking on the topic: Negotiating and Vetting Agreements: Role of the Legal Adviser, former NIALS Director of Research, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, said negotiation of commercial agreements is linked to economic development.

So, poorly negotiated agreements or poorly implemented agreements stultify development, he said.

“The negotiation process is, therefore, important to development. The negotiation process in international commercial agreements is a mix of legal and political factors.

“The obligations of the parties are established on legal parameters. The reference point between the parties is the agreement which is a legal document,” he said.

Owasanoye said Federal Govermment’s guidelines on negotiations and drafting of agreements recognises the country’s disadvantages vis-à-vis negotiating with transnational corporations.

It advices pre-negotiation steps, which includes preliminary meeting of parties to the contract, determining comparative benefit of the project and considering project capacity and utilisation.

It involves selecting the appropriate technology, determining best sources of funding, establishing availability or otherwise of local capacity, composition of a competent team of not just law officers and knowing the other party, its needs and negotiators.

Research professor at NIALS, Paul Idornigie, said a major decision to be taken in commercial transaction involving overseas firms is whether local or foreign lawyers should be used.

According to him, local law firms need training in the technical aspects of the reform programme.

“It is preferable not to recruit foreign lawyers to draft legislation but the foreign lawyer can give advice and make comments on the draft based on experience from other jurisdictions.

“Globally, it is not uncommon for local and foreign law firms to work together. Local firms contribute their knowledge of the country and legal machinery and business practices while the foreign firm offers its experience with similar operations in other jurisdictions.”

Other speakers included Prof Ademola Popoola, Prof Lanre Fagbohun, Prof Animi Awah, Chief Awa Kalu (SAN), Mrs Joy BobManuel, Dr Abiola Sanni, Dr Adebisi Arewa and Mr Ibisola Ogayemi.

35

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

NATIONAL BAR The Nigerian legal education system, according to those who should know, does not meet the challenges of the 21st century. To bridge this gap, the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) insists that lawyers must continue to educate themselves to be abreast of developments, writes ADEBISI ONANUGA

NBA: lawyers need continuing education

O

NE message which the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has continued to impress on its members is that of continuing legal education. The advice is to ensure that lawyers continue to educate themselves in all areas of human endeavour and to keep themselves abreast of developments across the world.

It was in realisation of this need that informed the maiden “International Negotiating Skill and Audit Certification Course in Africa” organised by Guardian and Spot Legal Consulting held between July 23 and 26 in Lagos.

The senior consultant/Programme Officer Guardian and Spot Legal Consulting Limited, Mr. Charles Ayaunor, in an opening remarks noted that Africans over time have mostly been at the receiving end of unsatisfactory bargains at international levels owing to the various tactics deployed during negotiations between nations, businesses and individuals occasioned superior and inferior deals.

While admiting that negotiation is a very common tool engaged by everyone regardless of age or education, Anyaunor lamented that competent negotiation is a rarity.

He said that this was why his company decided to collaborate with the Dispute Resolute Centre of Bond University, Australia in achieving the overall goal of bringing a course to Nigeria, that will perfect the negotiating skills of participants and make superior Negotiators out of Nigeria’s legal practitioners and other professional negotiators.

The main resource person at the programme was Prof Mr. Patrick Cavanagh of the Bond University Negotiation Project, Queensland, Australia.

The professor of negotiation in his paper titled: Evolution of negotiation practice took the participants through the rudiments of hard bargaining tricks which often result in a win or lose situation and its accompanying problem-solving and co-operative bargaining which result in a win-win situation.

Cavanagh described negotiation as persuasion, communication and selling.

He said the process of negotiation is often determined by who should open the negotiations, what is being offered for negotiation, the language being used and who should and should not be present during negotiation among other factors.

He said when issues in negotiation are viewed from a hard position, it tends to escalate conflict

for inexperienced negotiators as such a negotiator would be seen to be totally unreasonable and greedy adding that the negotiator would miss opportunities to settle since he is focusing on a single issue or concern. To him, distributive bargaining strategies and tactics are quite useful when a negotiator wants to maximise the value obtained in a single deal and when the relationship is not important.

The don if a negotiator allows the opposition to be aware that he was lacking in options, then one should be prepared to be exploited with high payments or minimal settlements.

Where negotiation is becoming difficult, he advised that the negotiator must make effort to identify the real problem that is preventing resolution to issues at hand stressing that unless one is personally connected with his opponent, there will be no deal.

He said most people have the erroneous impression that negotiation succeeds because it is about substance. He explained that negotiation succeeds where the people account for 55 per cent of the issues of negotiation, while the process adopted to attain resolutions and the substance of the issue accounted for 37 per cent and eight per cent respectively.

On communication tips , he said a good commercial negotiator keeps communicating, do more of listening than asking questions, avoid apportioning blames, summarise discussion as much as possible, should be dispassionate, articulate in his goals and be firm on issues without damaging relationship. He stated further that a negotiator look for the right signals before making his moves, discuss perceptional differences, make consultations before taking decisions, focus on what he can control and must avoid debating on who is right or not.

He said that the outcome of any negotiation is said to be successful when the set goals are met, there are derivable advantages and benefits for all parties adding that such an outcome is better than having a no deal situation.

In a vote of thanks delivered on behalf of other course mates, Chief Uwensuyi-Edosuyi(SAN) described the programme as a training that will make a huge impact in expanding the frontiers of their respective legal careers and improve their output as single and multi-party negotiations.

He said prior to their attendance, most of them nursed skepticism about what new thing could be learnt in negotiating, since negotiation forms a constant interface

• From left: Mrs. Susan Izie, Mr John James, Mrs. Funke Sule-Amzat and Mr. Bello Gwama

• From left: Mrs. Amope Omolade Jadesola, Mr. Abodunrin Etti, Mr Henry Muogho, Mrs. Shola Adegbonmire and Chief Uwensuyi-Edosomwan

• From right: Mrs. Paullete Edokpayi, Mrs. Chiori Abegun, Mr. Obinna Ogbuagu and Mr Femi Adekunle

• From left: Prof. Cavanagh, Mrs. Ola-Nneka Ijemba and Mr Ayaunor

in their daily practice as legal practioners. “But the last four

days have proved me wrong and I have realised how little I knew

Adoke, NHRC Chair, others seek enhanced application of FoI Act

J

USTICE Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the Head of Service, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji and the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof Chidi Odinkalu have enjoined public servants to be open in handling government affairs.

They said the growing need for accountability in the conduct of public affairs had made it imperative for public officers to detach themselves from the culture of secrecy brought about by the Official Secret Act. They said civil servants must now learn to marry the responsibility imposed on them by the

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Freedom of Information (FoI) Act with the requirement of secrecy under the Secret Act. They spoke in Abuja at a two-day workshop held to examine two years of the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

The workshop, which drew participants from the civil society and the public and private sector was organised by a group, the Right to Know Initiative (RKI). It had as its theme, “Nigeria’s FoI Act 2011 two years after: Challenges and prospect.”

Adoke said President Goodluck Jonathan signed the FOI Bill into

law in view of his belief in openness and transparency in the conduct of state affairs.

The Minister said the reluctance by state officials in government agencies and ministries to utilise the FOIA would frustrate the commitment of the administration to transparency.

He urged government agencies to appoint information officers who would handle requests for information.

Aji, who was represented by Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi said the “reluctance or lack of desire by public officers to shift from a culture of secrecy to one of transparency has also been identified as a militating factor against the im-

plementation of the Act.” He said effort were being made by his office and the AGF’s office to encourage and demand that public bodies go beyond servicom and establish FOI units and help line for public use.

Aji noted that there had been challenges in the implementation of the law.

He advocated the extension of the time limit for compliance with FoI request from the current seven days to 14. This he said would afford public officers time to comply.

“The system is not yet fully digitalised to cope with this. It may therefore be necessary to review the time limit. I recommend its re-

about effective negotiation’, he added. view from 7 to 14 days within which information under the Act may be disclosed,” Aji said Odinkalu commended the President Jonathan and the National Assembly for enacting the FOI Bill into law.

He noted that compliance with and utilisation of the law remained very low.

Odinkalu said the FOI Act provided a foundation for realizing the constitutional promise of equality and implemented the political declaration in section 14(2)(a) of the constitution that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria.

Odinkalu said despite the identified challenges, there was the hope that the FOI Act would produce positive impact in governance in the country.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

36

BAR DISCOURSE

Democracy and socio-economic imbalance in Nigeria: The role of law Text of a keynote address by Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) delivered at the Law Week of the Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held at Fourteen Eighty Five Marquee, Benin City, Edo State.

• Continued from last week

S

INCE our democratic dispen sation in May 1999, socio-eco nomics would reveal how Nigeria has progressed, stagnated or regressed and if imbalance is a feature of the economy, to what extent law can be used to redress the imbalance. This is because socioeconomic balance is necessary for a country’s democracy to thrive.

The characteristics of a democracy allow for socio-economic balance which is essential to the survival of the democracy itself as a total breakdown in law and order is imminent if the hinges come off a country’s socio-economic programme.

The recent insurgencies in Europe and some Arab countries are prime examples. In Nigeria we now have more thugs, robbers, illiterates and destitute persons. This can be traced directly to poverty which stems from the near-absence of socio-economic rights in Nigeria. The status of socio-economic rights in Nigeria will be discussed at length as we move on.

(d) Generation of rights; socio-economic rights Since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their entrenchment in successive Nigerian Constitutions, we have taken such rights for granted. These are the first generation rights. We shall contend that despite their entrenchment, their actualisation has been a mirage.

The term ‘socio-economic” basically qualifies social and economic concepts, most especially socioeconomic rights. While all rights that accrue to a human being help in achieving social balance, it is the existence of socio-economic rights that helps the society to achieve socio-economic balance. Socio-economic balance refers to a near-perfect state of affairs in a country. The citizens have access to the basic necessities of life; the very things that make life bearable like education, health facilities, housing facilities and water. In more advanced countries, there are social security programmes which aim to ensure that jobless and uneducated individuals (they will always be a part of every country) are afforded the benefit of socio-economic rights as well. The United States of America is a perfect example.

When a country finds itself unable to adequately provide these socioeconomic rights (and by extension, socio-economic balance) to its people, then there is a problem.

Socio-economic rights exist only

on paper in Nigeria as they are non-justiciable rights. In Nigeria, Boko Haram in the North and Militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region were direct off-shoots of socio-economic imbalance. The rise of these groups could be attributed to criminal tendencies and misguided religious inclination but one cannot deny the fact that poverty must have played a substantial role as well. An educated individual who is gainfully employed and can feed himself would not be so easily persuaded to unleash mayhem on the society. We have more diseased individuals, such disease stemming from lack of basic amenities, and lack of basic health care, a fall-out of low purchasing power.

allow for true quality to shine through as better qualified individuals are sometimes left out in favour of less qualified individuals who are simply lucky to hail from the same state as “the man at the top”. The average Nigerian does not see himself as a Nigerian first; he is Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba first. National figures who are meant to advise against such nuances encourage same in their speeches and disposition. This creates an encouraging platform for ethnic battles and pogroms where members of a particular ethnic group are rendered jobless and poor. For as long as we have jobless, uneducated individuals in the society, we will never lack trouble makers whose stock in trade is crisis.

e) The Nigerian Federal structure The power structure in a country can take various forms – federation, confederation, imperial or unitary. The structure can also be parliamentary or presidential. In Nigeria, what we have is a federal structure with a presidential system of government. Thus we are in a federation of thirty-six states and seven hundred and seventy four Local Government Areas. In a federation, the task of governance is shared between the federal government and the federating states.

A cursory look at Nigeria will reveal that there are socio-economic imbalances arising from the availability of natural resources, absence of basic infrastructure, access to opportunities and the development of the various states in the Federation. Many states in the North and some parts of the south suffer from educational disadvantages while the reverse is the case in terms of basic infrastructure as the north is ahead of many southern states in this regard (better roads, more of a federal presence).

Some States are more developed than others. The introduction of concepts like ‘quota system’ and ‘13% derivation’ are ways through which the successive governments have tried to address the socio-economic imbalance prevalent in Nigeria. We will later look at the other ways through which law can be used to address this imbalance.

2. Socio-economic imbalance in Nigeria: Causes.

Nigeria may statistically be a source of joy to all, but beyond the recent, impressive financial projections, a good number of Nigerians still live on less than $1.00 (One dollar) a day, which is about

• Gadzama

N160.00 (One Hundred and Sixty Naira), and more Nigerians have taken to a life of crime with some becoming ready tools in the hands of some politicians. Poverty reduction and job creation have not kept pace with population growth, implying social distress for an increasing number of Nigerians. One does not envisage a society in which everyone will be rich but it is expected that the vast majority will be able to afford the bare necessities of life. In ascribing reasons for socio-imbalance in Nigeria, it would be important to note that these reasons are cumulative and have collectively brought us to where we are today. (a) Ethnicity Even though we hate to admit that this sad vice exists in our polity, it has continued to wax stronger. The average Nigerian government official is self-centered and adjusts every situation to conform to his parochial needs. If he is asked to empower someone from the country, he automatically chooses someone from his state. If he is asked to pick someone from his state, he picks from his Senatorial District. If he is asked to pick from his Senatorial District, he picks from his Local Government

• From right: Executive Secretary, Lagos State Judicial Service Commission, Mrs Ayodele Odugbesan; representative of the Attorney-General, Mrs Tola Akinsanya; the Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips and Commissioner 1 of the commission, Mr Taslim Animashaun at the swearing-in of 29 new Customary Court Judges at the High Court, Ikeja.

and if he is asked to pick from his Local Government, he picks from his village. Hilarious as this scenario may sound, it is definitive of the average Nigerian government official. While it merely supports the popular saying that even if you give a madman a hoe, he will drag heaps towards himself, it does not

(b) Religious intolerance It was Karl Marx who described religion as “the opium of the people”. Nothing intoxicates an individual more than when he thinks his religion has been spat upon.

There are Christian employers who are uncomfortable with Muslims and vice-versa. Some of these individuals are highly placed and thus in a position to materially influence the balance of employment, literacy and by extension, poverty levels. Such actions lead to distrust and disharmony, thus paving the way for religious riots and similar vices. Poverty-stricken Nigerians who have nothing to lose, readily spearhead such destructive ventures, the seeds having been sown through religious intolerance.

• To be continued next week

Court orders lawyer to refund client’s fee

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N Abuja High Court in Maitama has insisted that a lawyer, Amobi Nzelu refund N1million paid to him by a client for a service he failed to render.

Justice S. E. Aladetoyinbo, in a ruling last Thursday, refused Nzelu’s application for a stay of execution of the court’s March 5 judgment.

The judgment was on a suit by Nzelu’s aggrieved client, Dr. Charles Anekwe.

Nzelu, in the application, prayed the court to stay execution of the judgment pending the determination of his appeal.

Justice Aladetoyinbo dismissed Nzelu’s application becuase it was incompetent, having been wrongly filed.

The judge held that Nzelu failed to comply with the requirement by not attaching to his application, a copy of the judgment he sought to stay its execution.

“The absence of the judgment to be stayed in the application, renders the application incompetent. It is hereby dismissed,” Justice Aladetoyinbo held.

Anekwe had sued Nzelu in a bid to retrieve the N1m advance payment he made to the lawyer, who he had briefed to handle a case for him.

Anekwe had briefed Nzelu on March 7 last year, to help file a case against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, who allegedly demolished his house unlawfully.

The house was a twin duplex located at First Avenue, Gwarimpa 2 Federal Housing Authority Estate, Abuja.

Anekwe stated that the lawyer demanded N1m advance payment, which he paid, and also handed

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Nzelu all documents relating to the property.

He averred that two months after, the lawyer failed to take any step towards filing the case, a development that informed his efforts to retrieve the advance payment.

On his part, Nzelu admitted collecting the N1m. He stated, in an affidavit accompanying his “notice of intention to defend,” that he actually took steps towards filing the case in court, but was hampered by the plaintiff’s failure to make 50 per cent advance payment of the N5m he charged him.

Nzelu stated that he had prepared court processes, (which he exhibited) but could not file them in court because Anekwe failed to pay N1.5m balance of the 50 per cent advance payment he (Nzelu) requested.

Justice Aladetoyinbo, in his judgment of March 5 held that it was wrong for Nzelu to have accepted the N1m from his client and held on to it when he knew it was “too small as an advance payment to move him to commence the land case of the plaintiff.”

The judge described Nzelu’s attitude, in respect of the case, “as capable of eroding the sobriety, dignity, integrity and credibility associated with the legal profession.”

Justice Aladetoyinbo ordered Nzelu to refund the N1m paid by Anekwe, which would attract annual 10 per cent interest from March 25 this year, till the judgment is liquidated.

The judge also ordered the lawyer to return to his ex-client, “all documents, including receipts he obtained from the plaintiff to enable him file the case, which was never filed.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

37

NATIONAL BAR

‘Nigeria’s obligation under the Rome Statute’ Amid the dust generated by protests by Nigerian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) against President Goodluck Jonathan for not arresting Sudanese President Omar Al- Bashir and handing him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution during his visit to Nigeria, Chukwuemeke Eze examines the implications of this action on Nigeria’s obligations under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention

T

HE United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of the International Criminal Court took place in Rome from June 15 to July 17, 1998. On July 17, 1998, member states of United Nations (UN) overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Rome Statute of the ICC, creating the treaty establishing the first permanent international criminal court capable of trying individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The treaty adopted during that conference is known as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Among other things, it sets out the crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC, the rules of procedure and the mechanisms for States to cooperate with the ICC. Article 1 of the Statute establishing the court provides thus: An International Criminal Court (“the Court”) is hereby established. It shall be a permanent institution and shall have the power to exercise its jurisdiction over persons for the most serious crimes of international concern, as referred to in this Statute, and shall be complementary to national criminal jurisdictions. The jurisdiction and functioning of the Court shall be governed by the provisions of this Statute.

Sixty countries were required to bring the treaty into force. On April 11, 2002 the 60th ratification necessary to trigger the entry into force of the Rome Statute was deposited during a special ceremony at UN headquarters, and the treaty then entered into force on July 1, 2002.

The International Criminal Court investigation in Darfur, Sudan or the Situation in Darfur, Sudan is an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into criminal acts committed during the War in Darfur. Although Sudan is not a state party to the Rome Statute, the Situation in Darfur was referred to the ICC’s Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council in 2005. As at 2012 seven suspects have been indicted by the court: Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb, Omar al-Bashir, Bahar Abu Garda, Abdallah Banda and Saleh Jerbo, and Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein.

The Darfur conflict was a guerrilla conflict that took place in the Darfur region of Sudan from 2003 until 2009–2010.

The conflict began when the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement began attacking the Sudanese government in response to perceived oppression of black Sudanese by the majority Arab government. During the conflict government forces and Janjaweed militia have attacked and massacred black Sudanese in the Darfur region. These actions have been described as genocide by a number of governments and human rights groups. Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, has denied that his government has links to Janjaweed.

The Security Council referred the Situation in Darfur on March 31, 2005 after the passage of Resolution 1593. The resolution was passed by a vote of 11 in favour and zero against, with four abstentions. Argentina, Benin, Denmark, France, Greece, Japan, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom voted in favour and Algeria, Brazil, China, and the United States abstained. The

Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, formally opened an investigation on June 6, 2005.

Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, was indicted on 4 March, 2009 with five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes: attack against a civilian population pillaging, murder, extermination, forcible transfer of a population, torture and rape.

On July 12, 2010 he was additionally charged with three counts of genocide of killing, constituting a crime of genocide in violation of article 6(a) of the Rome Statute; causing serious bodily or mental harm, constituting a crime of genocide in violation of article 6(b) of the Rome Statute; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, constituting a crime of genocide in violation of article 6(c) of the Rome Statute.

Nigeria signed the Rome Statute on June 1, 2000, and ratified it on September 27, 2001, becoming the 39th State Party. A Workshop on National Implementation of the Rome Statute was convened in Nigeria in November 2002.

The Workshop resulted in a plan of action for the development of domestic implementing legislation.

The Ministry of Justice sent an executive bill, entitled “The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Ratification and Jurisdiction) Bill 2001” to the National Assembly for adoption (pursuant to Section 12 of the 1999 Federal Constitution). On 1 June 2004, the House of Representatives passed its own version of the bill. The bill was re-submitted by the executive arm of government in 2003.

On May 19, 2005, the Senate passed a legislation implementing the Rome Statute. The Bill was never signed into law by the President.

• President Jonathan

• To be continued next week

NNPC loses arbitration battle at Appeal Court

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HE Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos Division last week vacated an injunction granted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by a Lagos High Court to halt an ongoing arbitral process.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Centus Chima Nweze, said the Federal High Court was wrong to have granted the injunction when NNPC had entered into an agreement to resolve all disputes through arbitration.

Justice Okechukwu Okeke (now retired) granted the NNPC’s request to halt the arbitration proceedings between it, Statoil (Nigeria) Limited and others.

By John Austin Unachukwu

In a unanimous decision, the court held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case in the first place.

It consequently set aside the injunction granted the corporation.

The court held that nowhere in the Nigerian Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA), 2004 is a court empowered to stop arbitral proceedings through the issuance of an injunction.

It submitted that based on Section 34 of the ACA,2004, it was clear and unambiguous that the corporation ought to have gone to court in the

first place how much more, secured the order.

The restraining order by the NNPC fell under the exception to Section 34 of the ACA 2004, adding that it was clear that getting the order would defeat the intendment of the legislature that the court cannot intervene in arbitral proceeding outside those specified in the Act. NNPC, Statoil (Nigeria) Limited and Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf Limited had entered into a production sharing contract. The contract provided that disputes would be resolved through arbitration.

• Members of the committee during the visit.

NBA seeks legislations to make chapter two of the constitution justiceable

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HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the National Assembly to make Chapter two of the constitution justiceable in order to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

The Chairman, NBA Constitution Review and Law Reform Committee, Chief Charles Edosomwan (SAN) during a visit to the Nigeria Law Reform Commission in Abuja said it had

By John Austin Unachukwu

become imperative to make the chapter justiceable.

Edosomwan said NBA had monitored the ongoing Constitution Review Process, adding that it must be a people driven process to bring the exercise to completion. The reason for this stand is that, the National Assembly has embarked on a widely scoped agenda that

can only be described as sweeping.

“Our mandates on law reform generally make the NBA a ready partner to your Commission in the several ongoing projects that are already grinding through your mills. After all the fuss, the hype and the serious business of achieving a new or reviewed constitution, it is important to bear in mind that legislation and case law decisions are two

veritable ways of bringing its principles nearer to the people.

Seriously, the people’s aspirations expressed in Chapter 2 of the Constitution need legislations to bring them to effect in the lives of citizens because when its provisions may not be ordinarily justiciable, government is in place to effect them when possible. This is one the reasons why the government is the organising committee of

mass society to fulfil its aspiration” Responding on behalf of the Commission, Prof. Cyprian Okonkwo thanked the NBA for its efforts in upholding the rule of law in the country and assured the committee of the commissions’ readiness and determination to work with relevant agencies and organisations to make sure that our laws meet the aspirations of Nigerians.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

38

LAW REPORT

‘Courts have power to formulate issues for parties where justice demands’ b.The constitution of that committee cannot be impugned in anyway because their composition was in accordance with chapter 6 Clause 10 of Exhibit “D”. c.The composition of the Central Disciplinary Committee and the actions taken by the Director of Personnel are in accordance with Exhibit D and everything was properly done as prescribed by Exhibit “D”.

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Date: April 19, 2013 SC. 135/2004, 2013(4) LEDLR-16 Before their Lordships CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL CHUKWUMA ENEH IBRAHIM TANKO MUHAMMAD SULEIMAN GALADIMA NWALI SYLVESTER NGWUTA STANLEY SHENKO ALAGOA BETWEEN ALHAJI RASAKI ABIOLA EKUNOLA

APPELLANT

AND CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

RESPONDENTS

ALHAJI SAIDU MOHAMMED (Director of Personnel, CBN) SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA •Continued from last week

T

HE learned Justices of the Court below failed to hold that the issue of whether the plaintiff discharged the burden of proof raised suo motu by the trial judge became the kernel of the case and as such must be guided by the law in lrom v. Okimba (1998) 56/ 57 LRCN 3077 that a court must invite the parties to address him when the issue raised suo motu becomes the kernel of the case.

GROUND EIGHT: The learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law in finding that:“The complaint of the appellant on the composition of the Central Disciplinary Committee of any consequence”, and that “Although the Deputy Governor General Administration is the chairman of the Central Disciplinary Committee, he has power to delegate his authority to the Director of Personnel to preside over meetings.”.

PARTICULARS OF ERROR i. The finding failed to advert to and consider the:a. The demands of S.36 (1) of the Constitution as to incidence of independence and impartiality in deciding fair hearing of the Appellant. b. Decision in Haruna v. Univer-

sity of Agriculture, Makurdi (2005) 2 NWLR (Pt.912) 233 which was cited during oral expatiations on the brief in court. c. The uncontroverted oral evidence of the appellant that he appeared before selected committees of 2nd defendant against the detail of Exhibit “D” on disciplinary procedure of 1st respondent. ii. There was no pleading or evidence on record on why the Central Disciplinary Committee that tried Appellant was not the Standing Committee but one Selected by the 2nd Defendant. iii. The learned Justices of the Court of Appeal speculated and conjectured on why the Deputy Governor (General Administration) as Chairman was not on the panel and whether his power was delegated to the 2nd Defendant. iv.There was no evidence on record of actual delegation of the 1st Respondent’s power to the 2nd Defendant.

GROUND NINE: The learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they held severally that:a. “lt is clear that it was the Central Disciplinary Committee that investigated the allegations made against the Appellant and the number required to form a quorum was complete”.

PARTICULARS OF ERROR 1.The learned justices of the Court of Appeal failed to:- a.advert to the pleadings and consider the Appellant’s evidence on record that he “appeared before a selected Disciplinary Committee not the Standing Disciplinary Committee’. b. relate chapter 6 clause 10 of Exhibit “D’’ to the facts and evidence on record. c. Consider the submissions and judicial authorities advanced on the point of quorum and approval of actions of a delegate vis-a-vis fair hearing of the Appellant.

GROUND TEN: The learned justices of the Court below erred in law when they held that “by the tone of Exhibit “F” the Appellant had no iota of doubt that the query (Exhibit “E”) which was issued to him had the stamp and authority of the 1st Defendant. Similarly the letter of suspension (Exhibit “C’’) the invitation to appear before the Central Disciplinary Committee (Exhibit “L1”) the one summoning him to appear before the Inter-Departmental Committee (Exhibit “J”) emanated from the 1st Defendant/Respondent”.

PARTICULARS OF ERROR i. The pleadings and evidence on record (oral and documentary) before the court particularly the evidence of DW1 is that “Exhibit “E” was issued from the Personnel Department which office has the responsibility of handling staff matters. ii.The finding failed to look at the manner Exhibit ‘’E’’ “G” ‘L1", ‘’L’’ and “J” were signed and follow the judicial authorities on the point. iii. The learned trial judge took evidence did not make the finding but merely stated that “the acts of the 2nd “Defendant can be attributed to the 1st Defendant” which finding the learned justices affirmed. iv.The learned justices of the Court of Appeal: a. failed to hold that the 2nd Defendant has no power in the disciplinary process

Falana urges ICC to probe killing of Egypt protesters

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CTIVISTS lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has asked the Interna-tional Criminal Court (ICC) to institute an inquest into the killings of Pro-Morsi protesters in Egypt.

His request is contained in a letter titled, Request For Inquiry into the brutal killings of Pro-Morsi Protesters in Egypt addressed to the Special Prosecutor, ICC, Ms Fatou Bensouda.

The activist pointed out that unless the ICC acceded to his request, without further delay, the illegal and on-going killings will continue unabated in Egypt.

He suggested that in the interim, the prosecutor may apply to the ICC to issue a warrant for the arrest of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for crimes against humanity.

“Since the Egyptian military authorities sacked the democratically elected government headed by President Mohammed Morsi on July 3, 2013 there has been a crackdown on unarmed demonstrators in several parts of Egypt. In particuar,

By Adebisi Onanuga

genocidal attacks have been targetted at the members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood who have been demanding for the reinstatement of the dissolved democratic structures. In the process, scores of unarmed protesters have been killed by the Egyptian security forces.

“As the protests have not stopped in spite of the killings, the head of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been inciting the supporters of the military backed Interim Government to stage counter-protests which have since led to further bloodshed and killings”, he said.

The activist stated further that “on Saturday, July 27, 2013 the pro-military protesters who staged their protests in Cairo were protected by the security forces while the pro-Morsi demonstrators at Nasr City were violently attacked by soldiers.

At the end of the unprovoked attacks the soldiers killed 120 people and injured about 1,500 others.

“The government of the United States which funds the Egyptian armed forces to the tune of $1.3 billion per annum has merely expressed “concern” over the killings.

Falana noted that though Egypt which signed the Rome Statute on December 26, 2000 has not ratified it, the law of treaties require states which have signed the Statute to refrain from acts which would defeat its object and purpose until they declare that they do not intend to become parties to the Statute. Egypt has not made any declaration not to be a party to the Rome Statute.

“In the light of the foregoing I am compelled to request you to use your offices to conduct an inquiry into the genocidal attacks and illegal killing of members of the Muslim Brotherhood by the Egyptian security forces contrary to Article 6 of the Rome Statute”, he said.

save only to communicate disciplinary measures taken by the 1st Defendant against staff. b.Noted that the Appellant “described the actions taken by the 2nd Defendant as unauthorized and done without lawful authority” but failed to decide the point on the evidence on record.

GROUND ELEVEN: The learned Justices of the court of Appeal erred in law by holding that “it was therefore an afterthought for the Appellant to allege in paragraph 15 of the Amended statement of claim that the 2nd Defendant has removed or caused to be removed all available documents he would have used for his defence.”The Appellant turned tacitum to accuse the 2nd Defendant of removing the document’’.

“A clear case of grave misconduct was established against the appellant and instead of bracing up against the situation, he turned round to accuse the 2nd Defendant as the architect of his misfortune”.

PARTICULARS OF ERROR i. The findings did not arise from the pleadings neither from the findings of the trial court. ii.The Court below failed to evaluate the evidence but read exhibit ‘F’ in isolation and drew wrong conclusions about the LPOS. iii. It is clear that it was the Central Disciplinary Committee that investigated the allegations made against the Appellant and the number required to form a quorum was complete. iv. The constitution of that committees cannot be impugned in anyway because their composition was in accordance with chapter 6 clause 10 of Exhibit “D”. v. Since he denied that the signatures on the LPOS were his own,

he had a duty to produce the originals. vi. Failed to consider the totality of the Exhibit ‘F’ and the oral evidence of the Appellant on his general complaint.”

If I may come again, I have deliberately set out the eleven grounds of appeal raised against the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal for what they are worth particularly in a case of this nature based on the objection taken against each one of them.

They each of them, speak for themselves. No doubt they are prolix and proliferated and one cannot help raising the question of tautology against the manner of couching them. In so many respects these shortcomings have been the bane of the appellant’s case at the trial court and in the appeals and so much so as portraying a confused state of affairs of what his case has been as pleaded and as found by the lower courts as per the pleadings on which issues have been joined as the appellant shunts his case from pillar to post, thus making nonsense of the principle of pleadings and accepted evidence which are the means of crystallising the issues in a matter between the parties in civil matters. See: Okolo v. Union Bank (2004) 1 SC (Pt.1) 1 which case has made the point that litigation must follow some restrictive order and not open-ended to save the time of the court as well as the litigants themselves. It is in this respect that I approve and adopt the crucial finding of the court below as expressed poignantly to the effect that appellant has totally misconceived his case.

•To be continued next week

LEGAL JOKES

A

jury is a collection of peo ple banded together to de cide who hired the better lawyer.

Applying for a job, a new lawyer was asked if paying back his law school tuition would be any special problem. He replied that he paid it back right after his first case. When asked how he managed that, he said, “Well, my dad sued me for it and won.”

What’s the difference between a lawyer and a rooster? The rooster clucks defiance.

A man took a trip out West after a harrowing divorce proceeding.

He stopped in a bar, and after a few drinks, stated to no one in particular, “Lawyers are horses’ asses.” One of the locals spoke up on hearing this: “Mister, watch what you say. You’re in horse country.”

The lawyer wandered home at 3 AM. His wife became very upset, telling him, “You’re late! You said you’d be home by 11:45!” The lawyer replied, “I’m right on time. I said I’d be home by a quarter of twelve.”

Did you hear about the lawyer who stepped in cow dung, and thought that he was melting?

A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented. The physician said, “Remember that, on the sixth day, God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession.” The engineer replied, “But, before that,

God created the heavens and earth from chaos and confusion, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine.” Then, the lawyer spoke up, “Yes, but who do you think created all of the chaos and confusion?”

Lorenzo Dow, an evangelist of the last century, was on a preaching tour when he came to a small town one cold winter’s night. He entered the local general store to get some warmth, and saw the town’s lawyers gathered around the pot-bellied stove, discussing the town’s business. Not one offered to allow Dow into the circle.

Dow told the men who he was, and that he had recently had a vision where he had been given a tour of Hell, much like the traveler in Dante’s Inferno. When one of the lawyers asked him what he had seen, he replied, “Very much what I see here: All of the lawyers, gathered in the hottest place.”

A young lawyer, starting up his private practice, was very anxious to impress potential clients. When he saw the first visitor to his office come through the door, he immediately picked up his phone and spoke into it,” I’m sorry, but my caseload is so tremendous that I’m not going to be able to look into your problem for at least a month.

I’ll have to get back to you then.”

He then turned to the man who had just walked in, and said, “Now, what can I do for you?”

“Nothing,” replied the man. “I’m here to hook up your phone.”

Lawyers are safe from the threat of automation taking over their professions. No one would build a robot to do nothing.

39

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

ABUJA REVIEW NEWS

•From left: Director-General Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr Emeka Eze; Minister of •President Goodluck Jonathan and the First Lady, Dame Patience Goodluck, welcoming Anioma State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide and FCT Minister Sen. Bala Mohammed during the delegation from Delta State, led by the Asagba of Asagba, Prof. Chike Edozien, on a condo- Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja lence visit to the State House Abuja, on the death of the First Lady’s mother

•From left: Director General Infrastruture Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Aminu Diko; Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; member ICRC, Hon Janet Adeyemi and former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani during the inauguration of ICPC board at the State House

•From left: Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire, Daniel Kablan Duncan; Vice-President, Namadi Sambo; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru and Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martins Uhomoibhi at a dinner in honour of Cote d’Ivoire Prime Minister at Transcorp Hilton

•From left: Former NBA President, Thompson Okpoko; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN); President Goodluck Jonathan; National President, Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali, Mrs Priscilla Kuye; former President of NBA, OCG •Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi; Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina Okocha and others during NBA courtesy visit to the State House, Abuja PHOTOS: AKIN OLADOKUN and Minister of Information, Labaran Maku at a meeting in the State House, Abuja

•Bride’s parent, Chief Adegboyega and Funmi Awomolo (SAN), couple, Sandy Inioluwa and Alexander, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Maryam Aloma Mukthar and Groom’s parent, Chief Austin Mercy Tadaferua during the wedding of Sandy Inioluwa and Alexander Tadaferua in Abuja

• Representative of the Liberian President and Liberian Ambasador to Nigeria, Prof Al-Hassan Conteh (right); Liberia First Secretary/Consul, John Howard and honouree, Dr Farid Abou Hassan during the conferral and admittance of the honoree into Human Order of African Redemption with the grade of Knight Commander by the PHOTOS: ABAYOMI FAYESE president

40

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

ABUJA REVIEW

First Lady for women’s rally

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HE National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) is set to organise a mass rally and carnival to celebrate what it described as “an unprecedented empowerment of Nigerian women.”

According to a statement released by the National President of the NCWS, Mrs. Nkechi Mba in Abuja, the theme of the rally is “Celebration of Nigerian Women for Peace and Empowerment.”

Mrs. Mba urged Nigerian women to come out “en masse to celebrate and honour those who have demonstrated commitment to our cause as women.”

From Gbenga Omokhunu

Highlights of the two-part event scheduled for Thursday August 15, 2013, include a

Road Show/Rally and Award Dinner.

Mrs. Mba noted that the Carnival Float by women from across the states of the federation would start from 7:00

The Carnival Float by women from across the states of the federation would start from 7:00 a.m. from the Old Parade Ground, through designated routes in the FCT and to terminate at the Eagles Square

•Dame Patience Goodluck

a.m. from the Old Parade Ground, through designated routes in the FCT and to terminate at the Eagles Square.

An Award Dinner scheduled for same day would also hold at7:00 p.m. at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Mrs. Mba said the event promises to be an epoch-making one in the annals of women movement in Nigeria.

The First Lady, Her Excellency Dame (Dr.) Patience Goodluck Jonathan, is expected to be the mother of the day at the event while the Special Guest of Honour is Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo.

The colourful event, according the NCWS President, would feature performances by popular artistes, including Onyeka Onwenu, Yinka Ayefele, Iyanya, and Sani Danja.

I

T came to accomplish two goals: generate revenue and keep the roads tidy, but instead, the Abuja park-and-pay policy is running into one bump after another.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in order to control reckless parking of cars in the city centre, and also increase its revenue, introduced the park-and-pay policy.

Under it motorists part with a little sum of money for parking in a commercial or business district for a stipulated time. It was simply to generate money for the capital city as well as bring orderliness to the bustling streets.

The administration is not the first in the world to introduce or adopt the park and pay system; countries like the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America, etc, have been applying the system for years.

Since the introduction of the system last year, however, people have either been complaining bitterly about it and the officials paid to man it or have grudgingly accepted their fate and moved on.

There was a little commotion a few months back, a development which residents and motorists have become familiar with in Abuja. At Wuse II area of the city, opposite one of the famous lounges, a Siena minibus was being towed while a plump park-and-pay official in charge of the area was busy giving directions on how best to clamp the car.

A few minutes later, a tall man ran out of a close-by building and started yelling for them to stop, although his car by then was already in the air being fitted to the towing lorry. The official when confronted, insisted that the man insulted her before leaving, which made her refuse to collect his money or give him a ticket but instead to call for his car to be towed just to teach him a lesson.

Have the officials been turned into demigods or so they simply love making trouble, or is it that they hate their job?

Motorists like Ameachi, who is a banker, accepts that it will not be bad to park and pay because it is here to develop the city but insisted that it is the government which does not use it effectively, as is the case in countries where the taxation works for the people.

On the other hand, Elias, a driver with one of the banks, explained that everything in life is based on understanding.

Most times, it is the way the officials work that brings about the confusion.

•Abuja park

Bumps before park-and-pay From Grace Obike,

For example when you park and in some cases do not find the officials in sight to buy your ticket, instead of hanging around and probably missing your appointment, you rush off with the hope of paying when you return only to find that your car has been clamped.

They will insist that you pay N5000 and if unfortunately you do not have that much money on you, your car will be towed to their office where you will then be required to pay as much as N15,000 and the

money will be increased by N1000 everyday it spends in their office premises.

In their defence Peter, one of the ticketers of the park and pay who has been on the job for about six months, explained that some of them are actually graduates who take the job even with the low salary they are paid. In addition, to the insults from commuters and late payment of the merger salaries just to avoid sitting back at home.

He explained that they do not deliberately make themselves scarce as most motorists allege

Some motorists tell lies about not having change when they do and end up driving off without paying.

Supervisors might come around and they will clamp any car they see without tickets, without bothering to ask the ticketer in charge

but insisted that they might be attending to a customer and another comes and is not patient enough to wait their turn.

He agreed that situations where they cannot find change, they allow motorists to bring along the money when they come out but some motorists tell lies about not having change when they do, end up driving off without paying or his supervisors might come around and they will clamp any car they see without tickets, without bothering to ask the ticketer in charge.

A diplomat, Ambassador Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that the policy is not new because other countries practice it especially in London, where you do not only pay for parking but also toll gate fees. He said that the FCT administration would have handled the policy itself for a few months to understand how much is made in a day or month before contracting it out.

With the knowledge of the system firmly under the belt, the administration will be able to avoid a situation where the private consultants try to en-

rich themselves.

The head of mass transit under the transport secretariat of the FCTA, Mr. Adewale Alebiosu denied knowledge of a fraud against the administration and insisted that the four private consultants, Platinum Parking Management Services Ltd. Nagek Nig. Ltd. Integrated parking and the Automatem Baumen Nig. Ltd are doing a good job under the close supervision of the administration.

He insisted that it is not the job of the ticketer, to go about looking for change but that motorists who know that they will need to pay for the policy need to come along with their change and not make the ticketer leave his duty post in charge of change.

Alebiosu said, “We Nigerians simply like problem, if you know that you are going to a place and may spend up to two or three hours, why won’t you just pay it and save yourself the embarrassment?”

He insisted that the FCT administration always sanctions erring officials or firms which do not abide by the rules and himself and other officials visit sites everyday, unannounced to make sure that the park and pay policy works appropriately.

POLITICS

TUESIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

43

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

In the First Republic, he was a member of the House of Representatives and Federal Minister of Education. In the Second Republic, he was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elder, spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE on the Rivers State crisis, constitution amendment, agitation for Ibadan State and the clamour for power shift by the North.

‘Why power should not shift to North’ H

OW can the Rivers State crisis be resolved?

The Rivers State crisis is an internal matter. About two weeks ago, I was at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, and when I finished and was about to go, the court advised me not to go because the outside was tensed. I thanked them, but I did not accept the advice. I was to go to the airport to take a flight because I had to be at the Supreme Court the following day. Twice, I tried to leave, but the police sent me back. Twice again, I tried to take another route to the airport it was not possible. I had to go back to the court, I was to come to Lagos and take a flight to Abuja. So, I had to change my ticket. I then took the 8 o’clock flight to Abuja that day because I was having a very important matter at the Supreme Court. I must confess that I don’t know the internal reasons for the problem in Port Harcourt, but I suspect they are political reasons. Well, from all information at my disposal, I understand they are trying to settle the matter now.

And I hope they will settle it amicably because the President is a very good person and the governor too. So, there is no reason for them to fight. Both of them are in the same political party. It is a family quarrel and sometimes, family quarrel becomes too acrimonious. It could be dangerous, if not properly controlled.

19 governors voted for Governor Rotimi Ameachi, but the PDP said that Governor Jonah Jang, who scored 16 votes, is the NGF chairman. Again, five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly tried to impeach the Speaker. As a former parliamentarian, how do you view these scenes?

The whole matter is political and such matters, at that level and of that nature, you don’t settle by votes because sometimes, what votes settle may not meet political expedience. You might win your vote politically and you might also lose politically. The good news is that I heard that the matter is now being settled. And very soon, we are going to hear very good news so that there will be peace and friendship in the Rivers State.

What are the PDP elders doing about the national crisis that has engulfed your party?

I don’t accept that a national crisis has engulfed the party. Politics consist of conflict and politics without conflict is not politics.

What is going on happens in all political parties. So, I will not relate what is going on at that level of conflict as much of a conflict. So, let us accept it because similar things happen in the USA, France, England and many African countries. It is part of political evolution.

How can the party avoid a rancorous mini convention this month?

Rancor will not be part of it. That will not happen; the convention is going to be peaceful. It is going to go on very well and those who are wanted would be elected. I am not worried about that at all.

Your party wants to bounce back in the Southwest. What is the prospect of the PDP in 2015 election in the region?

The prospect is excellent. I have reasons to believe that the party will do very well in the elections. In the last election, which the PDP lost, it was politically manipulated. The power of the judiciary and other manipulations were at play, but I will not comment further on that. Those who should not lose election lost election. In the next election, you will hear good news in the Southwest on the political scene.

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) warned recently that, if the crisis going on in PDP is not resolved, what happened in Egypt would take place in Nigeria. What is your reaction to this?

I did not read about that but I want to say such a thing will not happen here at all. What happened in Egypt was promoted from abroad. And I don’t want to say more about that. I have traveled extensively in the Middle East, and what they called the Green Revolution that is going on in the Middle East, families rule countries there, there is monopoly of power by limited groups. The situation in the Middle East is quite different from the situation in black Africa or in Europe. I will not compare Middle East with Nigeria. I have respect for General Abubakar (rtd) but what he predicted will not happen. We are going to have good news, good government, good politics and good political succession.

Certain northern leaders are clamouring for the return of power to the north and the Southsouth is saying that Jonathan should remain in office beyond 2015. Now, how do we manage the situation?

I think we should stop talking about regional politics. Before independence and after independence, through election and through military rules, the north ruled Nigeria for almost 40 years. And I expect many of their leaders, who complained of lack of power not to do so. People who can complain of lack of power are the Delta people, the Igbos or the Yorubas and some other people. At the right time, power should go to certain people in the north, but it is important not to equate politics with sections. We should not be talking about Yoruba or Igbo President. We should talk of Nigerian President. We should forget sectionalism.

How do you assess the Jonathan Administration?

It is excellent. Jonathan came from a very difficult situation and

•Akinjide

you will remember that nobody from his area has ever held that office. He is the first person to hold that office and it is not an easy thing to do. It is very difficult and challenging and I believe that he has done extremely well.

Mrs Jonathan responded to Soyinka’s criticism of her involvement in Rivers crisis with derogatory remarks on the literary icon.

What did you make of this?

I did not read them, but I will not equate the politics going on in the Rivers with the First Lady. I have been involved in Rivers affairs politically and professional for almost 50 years. The politics there is more complex; you cannot simplify it or equate it with the First Lady. I believe that the problems of the Rivers State would be solved amicably and there is going to be peace there.

Why are we having volatile situation in Nigeria, as exemplified by the Boko Haram?

There is nowhere in the world that you don’t have security problems. We have it in Europe, the US, all over Africa. So, politics is conflict resolution and politics without conflict is no politics. That does not worry me at all, it is just part of the political equation. In spite of what we are saying, do you know that Nigeria is now one of the fastest developing countries in the world? If you look at the World Bank reports and you look at the IMF reports, Nigeria is doing extremely well. What we need is to develop our roads, airlines and other sectors of the economy.

How do we reconcile this promising economy with the rising unemployment and lack of food for the ordinary man on the street?

The unemployment in Nigeria was inherited; it was not created by the present government. And the steps are being taken to put all these things behind us. What we should avoid is to tie our economy with Europe and America. We should be global in our outlook.

Look at China; it is doing extremely well. Look at Singapore, Malaysia and India they are making progress. If you take the Middle East right from Syria to Japan, their economy is doing very well. If you go on the Nigeria streets, you will see India cars and lorries being sold. That is what Nigeria should do. We should produce our own bicycles, our own telephones. We should forget the colonial past and embrace modern development.

‘I think we should stop talking about regional politics. Before independence and after independence, through election and through military rules, the north ruled Nigeria for almost 40 years. And I expect many of their leaders, who complained of lack of power not to do so.

People who can complain of lack of power are the Delta people, the Igbos or the Yorubas and some other people’

Would Nigeria have been better, if there was no military incursion?

Much better, one of the things that destroyed this country was military intervention. I am not aware of any country in the world, which had the intervention of the military and has done well. Nigeria is not an exception and I hope the military will not intervene in our politics again.

What is your position on the creation of Ibadan state?

I support it. When we presented positions at the National Assembly. I was there. The Ibadan State is overdue and should be created as soon as possible. It is not only Ibadan, Ogun State too should be broken into two, Ijebu Ode has always been a provincial capital. Abeokuta has always been a provincial capital. these are the two that are denied their own states. I believe Ijebu Ode should be given a state and Abeokuta should be given a state too.

Does the ongoing constitution amendment meet your expectation?

What aspect are you talking about? There are so many things being discussed.

The underage marriage and immunity clause...

Under age marriage, I think that is a big joke. We have more serious things to discuss. I don’t think we should waste our time on that. Immunity yes, I don’t see why anybody should be immuned from prosecution, no matter what political office you hold. In America, President Richard Nixon was to be tried, Bill Clinton was to be tried as Presidents. And if you look at the political history of other countries, political office holders, are either tried criminally or you resign from office. So, why should Nigeria be an exception? That immunity was absurd and should be removed.

The state police…

That is rubbish. When we had state police, it was causing trouble.

It was being used for politics. We don’t, need state police. There should be one police in the country. But the commissioner of police; should be working hand in hand with the governor of the state, no matter the political situation. We should not politicise police, they are the first port of call in crisis moment. Therefore, they are very important for our stability and for our peace.

True federalism and local government autonomy…

True federalism depends on the people. What is critical is not the structure of your constitution. What is important is the attitude of your constitution; doing the right thing is the most important thing and the sky will not be the limit for us. Local government autonomy is important but the biggest problem is the governance. When money is voted for local government, the governor will collect it and spend it on their behalf. I think that should be abolished. So, local government should have their own autonomy as far as possible. Again, at the same time, the governors should not interfere in the affairs of the local government.

APC has vowed to dislodge your party in 2015 election, what is your reaction?

That is a big joke and it will not happen, in the next election.

PDP is going to win overwhelmingly, I have no doubt about that. We are working hard on that and it is going to happen.

With the ongoing crisis in the party?

Conflict resolution is synonymous with politics. It wakes people up. PDP’s progress is not in limit. We are going to overcome the challenges. And we are going to win the next election.

What is your perception of the sanitation exercise going on in the judiciary?

It is excellent, the Chief Justice of Nigeria has been excellent, I have my greater respect for her. We need very clean judiciary, that will deliver true justice not political justice, I believe things will continue to work very well.

You are part of the team that defended Nigeria at the World Court over Bakassi. Can the matter could be revisited in the interest of the indigenes who are now scattered and homeless.

What is your stand?

Well, that judgment of the World Court was unfortunate because that particular land belonged to Nigeria. The people who caused the problem for us were the British. The British signed a treaty with France, the Anglo -French Treaty, in which they transferred the land to France. But the truth is that the land does not belong to Britain. In international law, the protectorate land belongs to the people of that place. And that place was a protectorate. So, Britain had no legal basis to sign a treaty with France and transfer it to them. The people of that land are the owners of the land and there are aspects of international laws, which support Nigeria. Having said that, that is the judgment of the International Court of Justice, but what I think we can do is to negotiate with the Cameroun.

Nigeria is celebrating her 100 years of amalgamation…

That is not independence; many commentators don’t clearly understand what that event means. That event was done by the •Continued on page 44

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THE NATION TUESIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

POLITICS The Speaker of Gombe State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Conference of Speakers, Hon. Inuwa Garba, spoke with VINCENT OHONBAMU on the position of the group on the crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

‘Rivers crisis is a threat to democracy’

W

HAT is your reaction to the Rivers State crisis?

The Conference of Speakers is condemning the action of the five members of Rivers Houses of Assembly because we are men of integrity and we are representatives of the people of Nigeria. This kind of ugly action is not acceptable to the entire member of the Conference and it is very, very unfortunate that they are members of the Conference. But we don’t support that kind of injustice and we do not support disrespect to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the integrity of the legislators in the state. We cannot allow this kind of disrespect to the constitution to continue. We are surely going to take appropriate action on that. Right now we are planning to convey an emergency meeting so that we can move on with the appropriate action we want to take on the matter.

Why has the conference not spoken before now?

First of all, the action of the Conference is not late because the Conference of Speakers of State Legislature must have to first make our findings before taking any action as regards to what happens in any State House of Assembly. So, we went to get information and collate the information and before we began action. This is because we do not want a situation where two wrongs could happen at the same time; and of course you know two wrongs can never make a right.

• Garba

That is why we had to wait to see what actually happened, hear how it happened, and make some internal investigation on what transpired.

The Mace as a symbol of authority in the House of Assembly seems to have lost its respect among the members. What is the Conference doing to restore the dignity of the Mace?

About the dignity of the Mace, it is not the individuals or the various Houses that gave the Mace its dignity; it is the constitution. The only thing you would say is that we are not taking enough measures to see how we can protect the dig-

nity and integrity of that symbol of authority, which is the Mace in the Houses of Assembly. As I earlier said, we are planning to take an action, which will serve as a measure to protect the integrity of the legislature and the Mace itself will not be an exception; we will include all other areas to see how possible we concretise the activities of the state legislators in Nigeria.

If the House enjoys autonomy, will it prevent crisis?

The issue of the autonomy of the state legislators has definitely contributed negatively to the activities of state legislators in Nigeria and it has reduced the impact of that institution in the democratic setting. But I am assuring you that we are going to partner with all and sundry to see that this time around, we are able to achieve the noble objective; not just for our Houses of Assembly, but for Nigerians. The National Assembly has collated the views of Nigerians on what and what people wish to be part of the amendment and the issue of autonomy of state legislature overwhelmingly enjoyed a lot of support by Nigerians. And in seeking our autonomy, we are doing it to have better state legislature for the sake of Nigerians. So, we are going to partner with all the stakeholders in the amendment process to see that we achieve that goal of autonomous state assembly in this coming proposed constitutional amendment.

‘Why power should not shift to North’ •Continued from page 43

British for its political and economic interests. That is very important.

Lugard was involved. Also, the Royal Niger Company and the Colonial Secretary. Those were the three critical characters who did the amalgamation for the British economic and political interests and not Nigeria’s interest.

They discovered that there is a lot of minerals in Jos, a lot cocoa emerging in the South, palm kernel coming up and also in other part of the country, we have other minerals. Colonialism is synonymous with economic exploitation; Britain did it for its economic interest and not for Nigeria’s economic interest. And that is it. It was an unwelcomed marriage. But we have done the marriage and now divorce is out of the question. We have to work together as a nation and make the best out of it.

It is being held that a return to parliamentary system will make Nigeria better. What is your view?

I don’t accept that. Parliamentary system means that a member of parliament, being Prime Minister, would preside over the country. I prefer where we have the President, who is voted for by the whole country, not by one constituency. I prefer the French and American system whereby a person emerges by the vote of the people of the country. Those who are talking about parliamentary system want to pull the hands of the clock backward. We should not accept that.

Do you regret not being governor of Oyo State?

Well, I don’t. I would have been happy, if I did. But why should I regret? I was in parliament before independence. I was in parliament at the time of independence, and I was in parliament after independence. And after independence, I was a Federal

Minister of Education under Balewa. I enjoyed it and like it very much. I later became Attorney General. So, the sky is not the limit and I am quite happy with what I got. I think Nigeria has been very kind to me and I have been kind to Nigeria as well.

You were appointed commissioner in the defunct Western State. Why did you not accept the offer?

Well, three times, the governor of the state in the military era invited me to come and join and three times I declined. I said I do not want to be misrepresented, it was a very good gesture but it was not acceptable to me. And at that time I was the President of the Nigeria Bar Association and also I was handling a very big brief for a Swiss Bank, which involved a lot of money. You know that the military government is easily overthrown by the military and, considering what I was doing then, I didn’t want my name to be linked to anything that had to do with lack of accountability. That was one of the several reasons why I declined. But having travelled to Geneva to collect my fees from the Swiss Bank, the governor announced my name. And further more, I had just bought a property in London and when I start declaring all these in my asset, people will be saying it is government money; that I have taken. Whereas it is not government money, it was money from my professional earning, it was better for me at that time to remain in the profession.

You were behind the 12 2/3 judgment by the Supreme Court. If a similar situation arises, will you take such, a brief?

I will do exactly what I did, but what you must know is that I argued the case. I propounded the principle but I did not write the judgment. There were seven justices; six accepted to

the doctrine that I propounded, one did not accept. It was the judgment of the court. So, why should anybody blame me for anything when I did not write the judgment. It is part of the law of the country now. And it will remain part of the law of the country for ever.

Your daughter is now a Minister.

People are saying that the polity is designed for the projection of the children of the legends...

You get what you deserve and you deserve what you get. The question is, does my daughter deserve it? In London, she read Law and had first class. After finishing in London, she went to Harvard to do post graduate in Law and was one of the best. So, do you blame her for that? That my daughter, Jumoke’s daughter, Olayinka, went to theUniversity of Oxford to study and she had double first class. Three of my children read Law in Cambridge and three of my children also read in Harvard and one read in Oxford. So, why should you blame me for that?

How do you access your governor in Oyo State, Senator Ajimobi?

I regard Senator Ajimobi as a governor and Jumoke as federal minister.

The two of them are my children, though myself and the governor are not in the same political party, but I hope one day he will come and join my political party.

What is your position on the clamour for Sovereign National Conference (SNC) ?

I believe in the National Conference not the SNC. The Sovereign National Conference will be the government of the country, but if we have a conference, which is not a government of the country, I accept that. Many people don’t understand a national conference and SNC. The word sovereign should be taken away from it. Conference yes, SNC no.

‘APC has bright future in Ondo’ Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain Hon. Femi Adekanmbi spoke with LEKE AKEREDOLU on the prospects of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the next general elections.

H

OW is life outside politics?

Well, I have not really been out of politics because, if you remember I was the Director of Security for ACN during the last governorship election in the State.I Just decided to face my business, my family and have enough time for myself. Politics has come to be part of me, having mastered the “ABC Alphabet” in politics of how to love the people, loyal to your party and never fail in your promises to the masses. With these, it shows that I am active in politics. Mind you, I contested during the last 2011 general election for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, but lost. I am not stopping there in my political career, I will definitely contest the House of Representatives seat in my constituency in 2015, if my party picks me.

How prepared is the opposition for the challenge of merger in Ondo State?

I want to assure you that we are fully prepared for the merger. All Progressives Congress (APC) is a new party entirely and we have welcome everybody and I can assure you that the political terrain of this country will never remain the same again, once APC is registered.

So, we in Ondo State are fully prepared. Our leader, Asiwaju BolaTinubu has directed all the state leaders to go back to their state and preach the gospel of APC to the masses and also ensure that all our members embrace the merger. No division must take place and we all must follow the agreement reached by our leaders with other merger groups. Let me tell you this. By 2015, the PDP will be shocked by the massive vote APC will garner during the election.

We are aware about their plans to destabilise us, frustrate the registration of the party, use their usual illegal ways to win election. But, don’t worry, it is now clear that Nigerians are tired of the PDP government; they are all clamouring for a change of power. 14 years in power, Nigeria as a nation has been retrogressing but only witnessed development in poverty, hunger, unemployment, poor infrastructures, poor power supply, corruption, insecurity and others. I

• Adekanmbi

‘Political godfathers still want to remain relevant in politics at all cost. Imagine, if 35 governors could not conduct a free and fair election that is an indication that Nigeria Politics is retrogressing on daily basis. What a shame among just 35 governors , they could not agreed on who won the poll’ believe, by 2015 general elections, Nigerians will rise up to vote against PDP’s administration.

Why is politics a do-or-die affair in the country?

To me, I have seen desperate moves of the Nigerian politicians to occupy positions of power and where those who are in power are making all frantic efforts to remain in power. This has already started again, we are in 2013, when the President and all governors are supposed to be busy on how to fulfill their promises to the electorate who voted them in, they are now focusing on an election which will be held on 2015 neglecting their primary role why they were voted for.

The President is already warming up for 2015 re-election, making a clearing way for himself to remain in power, wielding his big stick on those members of his party who refused to support him. The atmosphere is now tensed. Governors are divided; some of them have political ambitions to contest higher posts.

Political godfathers still want to remain relevant in the politics at all cost. Imagine, if 35 governors could not conduct a free and fair election, that is an indication that Nigerian politics is retrogressing on daily basis.

What a shame among just 35 governors! They could not agreed on who won the poll.

Like I have earlier said that is the implication of what we should be expecting by 2015. But we in the APC are ready for the game and will fight the battle for the poor masses.

In 2011 and 2012 elections, your party failed to win any seat.

What is your assurance that the party will win in 2015?

I disagree with you on this. The PDP occupied the same percentage of what you mentioned now before Labour Party took over from them. So, that is not a basis for winning an election. The most important thing is work with the grassroots people, show them your love and sincerity of serving them. Presently, in the state, the ACN has come to stay. Presently, we have two federal lawmakers, Senator Ajayi Boroffice and Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde who defected from LP to our party before the election and I can assure you that, with the ongoing merging, the Party will win more seats.

HEALTH

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

‘A world-class kidney care debuts’ Kidney failure is becoming a major health issue in Nigeria. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on how Dr Emmanuel C. Anekwe, an interventional nephrologist, is standardising dialysis and kidney diseases care.

I

BRAHEEM Gafar (not real name), a 47-year old banker with end stage renal failure, is full of praises for Kidney Solutions Limited (KSL) - a dialysis outfit. The centre is barely a month old but its reputation is spreading fast among experts, patients and stakeholders in renal care.

Clients and experts in kidney care say the firm has a human face and is highly professional in its services. Gafar, who is awaiting kidney transplant, had been to some dialysis centres and noticed how clients were treated. He said the centres’ focus was on money; their handling of other issues is poor. Before he undergoes transplant, Gafar may shift to Home haemodialysis (HhD), which is an edge that KSL has over other outfits.

Gafar said he was treated to services obtainable in developed countries as KSL. He said: "I experienced compassionate care. On offer at the centre is hemodialysis, using the latest dialysis technology in partnership with Gambro and Baxter (Dialysis machine providers oversea.) I browse a lot on my condition and know exactly what to look out for. I had been to most facilities, public and private to undergo dialysis and can say this new entrant has a touch of human. I was contemplating travelling abroad for the transplant, but now, I and my consultant are having a second thought, and possibly we will stick with this centre."

When The Nation sought out the brain behind the initiative, Dr Emmanuel C. Anekwe, he said he is not in the venture alone but with three partners with the aim of changing the face of renal care in the country.

He said his outfit is changing the face of dialysis in Nigeria by introducing home dialysis (HD-HemoDialysis at home).

“We can take our DaVita machine to the clients’ stables. The rural dweller who can't afford transportation is helped to obtain vintage renal care at no additional cost. And the high profiled patient also has the ability to travel for work or leisure, while on treatment. The newest home hemodialysis machines are designed to take up less space and require less required storage space. These equipments are portable and designed to provide more portability. In recent years, many people have found that doing HD at home has many benefits.

The new dialysis machines are smaller and easier to use, the size of a brief case, making home HD more practical. We are undaunted by the challenge of epi-

leptic energy supply and other challenges like security, but driven by the passion to set the standard because Nigerians with end renal failure are humans, and their situation is not contagious and must not be discriminated against."

He said: "This was borne out of the inadequacy of the service during our medical training and internships, the exposure to what should be consistent with international standards, the desire to give back to a potentially great country in a sustainable way that is long term and the support of great spouses are the things that motivated us to take huge financial risk and emotional stress to set up this facility. Nigerians are not second class citizens. They deserve the best without having to cut corners with them.

“We took stock of the business environment including the energy situation and we factor in a lot of challenges, and we still realised that quality and affordable services can be provided. So, the new Gambro dialysis machines and high flux-high efficiency dialysis filters; ultrapure water for dialysis, tele-medicine in consultation with specialist partners in Arizona, USA, plus flexible scheduling and private treatment service in a clean and serene environment like this do not have to be expensive. Nigerians should not be ripped off.

He said: “Unfortunately, out of 50,000 patients who should ideally be on dialysis, fewer than 1,000 are on dialysis as at today. It is worrisome."

Shedding light on the implications of 'under dialyzing', Dr Anekwe said: "The best bet is to avoid kidney failure. If three time session of a week is observed, only 15 per cent of what a normal kidney function does is obtained. So three times a week gives a 15 per cent clearance. So once a week or a month dialysis is highly injurious with grave implications. The financial cost is a major concern not only in Nigeria but globally. Developed countries set out to capture more patients for lesser fees; we are setting out to do that as well, as a centre. If you consider money for trips to foreign facilities and the cost of dialysis itself, you will conclude that it can cover more dialysis sessions here locally with getting the same expertise from us here."

He said: "Granted, a lot of patients have compliance issues which are economically draining. But the standard should not be compromised. Kidney transplant is a 'permanent' solution to kidney failure. There are two types of dialysis-

•One of the dialysis machines

•Dr Anekwe

hemodialysis and peritoneal. These are not curative but supportive. They are renal replacement therapy. From the financial aspect, transplant is better. But in a situation when dialysis is needed, it must be done three times in a week. Some do once a week or thrice in a month, but the less you do, the more likely you are to end up with more far reaching complications such as cardiac arrest; coronary heart disease amputations.

His worry is that most Nigerians

PHOTO: OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA

now embrace Westernisation in their lifestyle, especially nutrition.

“The diet system has increased the rate of hypertension and diabetes mellitus as fuels for kidney disease.

The rate is exponentially high. We already have a clinic to counsel people, even patients with chronic kidney disease because that is still reversible with the right counsel and action. So, anyone who is in any of the five stages of chronic kidney disease is managed to get to the stage where need for dialysis is prevented.

He desired that the government should take up a significant portion of the cost of kidney care as obtained in other climes.

The Managing Partner said management of kidney patients is multi-disciplinary, which explains the plethora of experts in the centre, and as experts they desire to work with the best tools.

"That is why we have taken cognisance of rural dwellers and executives in the urban who prefer to get treated at the comfort of their homes and still carry on with their work.

He said the outfit is not a close ended one, "As we are ready to partner with like minds that have the compassion to reach out to renal kidney patients.

The company intends to collaborate with health care providers to provide convenient, unique, structured, timely and efficient kidney disease and dialysis care.

‘Why ambulance service, emergency response don’t work’

M

R Adekunle Ojo (not real name) was driving along a road, on the outskirt of Lagos, when the bridge he was trying to cross gave way.

An emergency response unit was contacted but it didn’t arrive until he died 50 minutes later.

People at the scene were crying instead of applying first aid. But because they didn’t have what it takes to respond as first Aids/health care responders; they couldn’t help him.

Another victim, Mr Yinus Olayiwola couldn’t get help when a building collapsed, his body was buried among debris for hours until the emergency response arrived. Although they recovered his body it was a little too late, as he too died.

Many factors are said to be responsi-

By Wale Adepoju

ble for the inability of the safety team to reach the victim.

Chief among the reasons: Ambulance service don’t get to the scene of accident on time. According to a Senior Commissioner and Head, St John Ambulance Nigeria, Dr Patrick Orumbie, “bad roads and traffic jam, especially in major cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja are responsible.

“The other is inappropriate use of sirens, which are meant for the police and ambulances, but today are being abused by politicians and government officials, as other motorists are not willing to honour and give way. Non stationing or outright unavailability of ambulance bus close to location of

accidents is another factor.

He said ambulance service and emergency response are quite expensive to run, stressing that it should be included in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Federal Government should subsidise its cost.

“When this is done it will not go the way the critical service response (CSR) went,” he said.

He said the media should help raise awareness, adding that dedicated telephone lines should be made available to the public to seek help during emergency.

The cost of training, he said was quite expensive: “The officials at various levels of ambulance service need to be trained on how to apply the first aid and other safety and health interventions.”

Briefs NGO gives tips on breast cancer prevention

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ARLY detection and lifestyle changes have been recommended for the prevention of breast cancer.

According to the Group Managing Director, Skye Bank, Mr Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, women’s way of life and the food they eat are very important in the fight against breast cancer.

Durosinmi-Etti, who spoke when his bank donated two ultra sound scanning machine to a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Care, Organisation, Public Enlightenment (COPE) to screen women free for breast cancer, said the disease was worrying, adding that women should embrace good lifestyles such as exercising and having a balanced diet.

He called for more awareness to ensure that women stay healthy.

“We have been supporting breast cancer initiatives for many years.

COPE needed to move to another stage, which is why we are supporting it,” he added.

COPE Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs Ebunola Anozie said the equipment would ensure women get screened for breast cancer so that they can save their lives and breasts.

She said 10 out of 50 women screened had lumps, stressing that further checks were usually advised to know if the lumps were cancerous.

She said the disease prevalence was on the rise because many women under 40 years were coming down with the disease. This, she said was unlike in the past that it was limited to women above 50.

Mrs Anozie enjoined women to take advantage of the equipment to get screened for breast cancer.

LASUTH O and G to open soon

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YINKE House, popularly known as ‘baby factory’ situated at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) may soon be opened for obstetrics and gynaecology care.

According to LASUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof Wale Oke, in an exclusive chat with The Nation said: ”The state’s Ministry of Health is putting finishing touches to the over 100 bed-structure and procuring the equipment. Government is working hard to ensure that it would be completed before the year runs out.”

He said the teaching hospital consultants who had been temporarily transferred to Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital’s Maternal and Child Centre (MCC) and other MCCs across the state will be recalled back to LASUTH when the facility becomes fully operational.

Improved access to vaccine

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• Dr Orumbie

Orumbie said the Federal Government and everybody needed to be involved to make sure ambulance service was available.

N an effort to improve vaccine accesibilty and forge a dramatic way to improve vaccine supply chains in Nigeria. GAVI Alliance has approved N3.2b. The partnership aimed at scaling up routine immunisation.

The funds will be used by Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency to procure vital equipment for storing vaccines and to improve data collection, which have been identified as key pillars in protecting children’s lives as enshrined in the government’s Saving One Million Lives initiative.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

ENERGY

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

Consumers groan over increased electricity bills

H

OW much should be the ap propriate electricity bill for a consumer without a metre per month? This is the question many consumers who believe they are being charged, what they called crazy bills are asking.

Consumers who live in mini-, twobedroom, or three-bedroom apartments were made to pay between N12,000 and N14,000 per month, depending on the areas and policies of the Distribution Companies(DISCOs).Those who live in duplexes pay about N20,000.

Early last year, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) imposed N7,000 and N10,000 on occupants of three-bedroom and duplex apartments in Egbeda suburb, Lagos.

These bills include Value Added Tax, meter maintainance charge, even though most consumers do not have meters. Also included is the reconnection fee of between N1,000 and N2,000 charged consumers who were disconnected for not presenting bills.

Sources said PHCN officials are delaying the issuance of pre-paid meters to enable them generate enough revenue for their districts or zones.

A consumer, Mr Adeoye Lawal, a lawyer, said he was paying N13,500 on his three-bedroom apartment in Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos until early this year when he secured a single-phase pre-paid meter.

Adeoye said efforts to get the meter was abortive until January when he threatened to expose some PHCN officials. ‘’From my observations, PHCN officials are hoarding the meters.

Though they may not have enough, they are hoarding them to make money. I applied for a meter three years ago. Where did they get the one they gave me after the threat? he asked.

Also, a staff member of the Nigerian Bottling Company in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, Mr Ibrahim Akana, said consumers are burdened by huge electricity bills, adding that consumers who do not

A

•Prof. Nebo, Minister of Power Stories By Akinola Ajibade

have meters pay heavily.

He said getting pre-paid meters was a big problem because PHCN officials demand bribe before they issue them. ‘’Perhaps there would be changes in electricity supply when the distribution companies start operations in the last quarter of the year. Consumers are waiting for improvement in metres and power supply as the privitisation process continues,’’ he said.

A consumer said: “I do not see why I should be made to pay additional N12,000 per month for using a television set, a refrigerator, iron and few bulbs. This is corruption of the highest order. This matter should be investigated to save people from the agony of paying for unconsumed electricity.”

While justifying the huge bill, a senior official of PHCN Abule Odu, Lagos District, who spoke on condition of annoymity, said the inability to determine the consumption level

•Amadi

of users made PHCN to review the bills on several occasions.

He said: ‘’It is easier to look at analog meters and know the amount of energy consumed by the users.Those that use pre-paid meters know how much they have consumed because they buy cards and load it. However, consumers without meters are given estimated bill as determined by the PHCN district offices. It is not possible for our officials to be entering the rooms of our consumers to count their electrical appliances. Though some consumers use lesser energy, others use much more. As a result, we rely on human judgement while charging consumers. ‘’Each district office is given a target; this puts them under pressure. To meet the targets, we have to increase the bill and disconnect light randomly to make consumers pay their bills. Nobody is ready to lose his/her job. if you continue to give excuses that you are unable to meet the targets due to one reason or the other, you could be sacked. That is the reason heads of

• Amoda

PHCN zonal offices have a strong revenue generation drive,” he added.

According to him, some consumers, especially those living in twostorey and enclosed buildings are happy paying estimated bills. ‘’The reason is because they are using objects that consume electricity heavily, according to our investigations. Such consumers know that they would pay higher when they use pre-paid meters.

If you tell them to apply for meters, they would be reluctant to do so. The only way to make our money is to give a flat rate. Some people have to pay for the sin of others,’’ he added.

The Chief Executive officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Oladele Amoda, said the zone had implemented Credit Advance Payment for Metering Installation(CAMPI) to enable customers to access electricity.

He said the idea would help in preventing shortage in prepaid meters.

Akpabio seeks relocation of Total Headquarters to Uyo

G

OVERNOR Godswill Akpabio has expressed worry over the reluctance of TotalFina Elf, a French oil company to relocate its headquarters to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He called for a change of attitude.

Akpabio, speaking at a Gala Night the government organised for Consul-General of French Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Francois Sastourne, hinted that the company drilled 75 per cent of its crude oil in the country from the shores of the state.

He reasoned: “Already at the shoreline of the state, the French companies are here. TotalFina Elf has almost 75 per cent of their operation is in Akwa Ibom. I will start to report that they don’t have an office in Akwa Ibom. So, you may wish to discuss with them that to whom much is given, much is expected. We look forward to working with a lot of French companies.

“Consular-General, we require assistance to further promote education. We have declared free and compulsory education from basic education of our children but we have opened it up to all Nigerian children

How Nigeria can raise oil output, by experts

resident in Akwa Ibom. Because of that, we have over 1.7 million children in just primary and secondary schools alone in a population that is less than five million. The facilities are stretched, we have built thousands of classroom blocks but we don’t have enough teachers to go round all and we need assistance in any way you can help us,” the governor said.

Akpabio further said: “We have built the best e-library in Africa and we need to take the facility to the nook and cranny of the state. We must ensure that every school, every community is linked so that our children can become Information Communication Technology (ICT) compliant. That is the only way we can produce children who will be employed in the modern society.

According to him, “We want cooperation in the area of health. We are building a first-class international hospital at Itam. That hospital, I understand, is larger than the National Hospital, Abuja. But one could ask, ‘why should a state undertake such a venture?’ It is because we want to be the leading light towards Nigeria’s greatness. So, we are preparing for that

day. Outside that, I have mentioned other areas of cooperation, talking about the deep seaport, the repair, maintenance and overhaul facility and the need for us to have a second operator coming in to run our second five-star hotel.

“There are areas of co-operation in agriculture. We are going to be designated as perishable goods airport by the Federal Government. Just few things for us to add, we are adding the taxi way which could also operate as a parallel runway. We are going to add a brand new international terminal which is being fabricated in Italy and then we add an underground fuel storage facility and we can go totally international.”

He added: “It is my belief that under my administration, we should have international flight from Uyo to Dubai and back to Uyo. It might interest the Consular-General to know that from Dubai to Uyo is six hours and from Dubai to Lagos is seven hours. So, if you fly from Uyo, you are cutting one hour and so many people will like to travel from Uyo instead of going to Lagos.

Responding, Sastourne expressed

readiness of the French government to cooperate with Akwa Ibom in education, saying “As I said, education is the key to future, the key to development not only economic development but human development, total development. It is really the key that opens the door. So, we will try to improve the development of French language in the state.

“I saw the keenness to learn the French language. I saw students eager to learn the language of their neighbouring countries. We need to encourage them and help them. We will really do that. I am sure that any French company that comes here to invest will be able to do justice in the direction of financing education.

“We will also endeavour to have development exchanges between highlevel education university from here and France, not only in the French language, but in other fields such as human science, Political Science, Engineering and whatever fields you can think of. We will like to train more Nigerians in France, have more students in terms of higher education, train the people who will nurture and make our future relationship alive.”

NALYSTS have given an insight into how the coun try can increase its crude oil production from 2.3million to 2.6million barrels per day(bpd).

According to them, it can be increased through the repair of destroyed oil facilities in the Niger Delta, production from deepwater projects, exploration of new oil wells, creation of infrastructure in oil producing areas, and passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and stability in the fiscal regime.

The President, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria(PETAN) Mr Emeka Eze, and energy expert, Mrs Funmi Akinluyi, said when the government stabilises its fiscal regime programmes, more foreign investments would come to the oil and gas industry.

Investors, he said, were not interested in oil and gas because they are not sure of the government’s next action and that crude oil production will increase when there more investments in the industry.

He said the passage of PIB would quicken local content development, adding that the development would lead to improvement of indigenous capacity.

Eze said: ‘Most Nigerian oil service companies are not well capitalised. Many oil blocks are left untapped because there is no adequate capital. Nigeria should bring more money into the sector and further grow capacity, just as Brazil and Malaysia did 10 years ago. Nigerian oil service companies have no where to go than to stay and help in improving crude oil production in the next few years,’ Mrs Akinluyi said there should be a long-term stability in the Niger Delta to improve crude oil production.

She said steady increase in production from two million barrels to as high as 2.6 million bpd in the future is possible if necessary mechanisms are put in place.

“The long-term stability of the Niger Delta will remain a major factor to consider as we approach the election year, “Nigeria’s production has been plagued by years of attacks on vulnerable pipelines and platforms in the Delta, which increased in intensity from mid-2006, allowing Angola briefly to become the continent’s top crude oil producer.

“But an amnesty last year brought a halt to sabotage attacks helping push Nigeria’s crude output above two million bpd. Production has risen gradually since the amnesty and has averaged more than 2.1 million bpd so far in the second half of the year, according to Reuters’ data, far eclipsing Angola’s planned production of 1.68 million bpd over the same period. Angola’s crude exports peaked near 1.9 million bpd earlier this year but summer maintenance and production glitches pulled this back to below 1.7 million bpd in the third quarter, according to data collected from trade sources,” she added.

The Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, said the reforms in the PIB would be passed soon, adding that targets for implementing this legislation have been repeatedly missed.

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MARITIME

Customs ready for implementation of T Pre-Arrival Report HE Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) is gearing up for the implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), which will replace the Risk Assessment Record (RAR) being operated at the ports.

The Customs said the Ministry of Finance had approved the pilot scheme of the PAAR, which, will prepare it to takeover from service providers. The service providers carry out destination inspection at the ports on contract and their contract will end in December.

Customs Public Relations Officer Wale Adeniyi said the testrun of PAAR would soon begin.

He urged ports’stakeholders to bear with the agency during the test running.

Adeniyi, who represented the

Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi, Assistant Editor

Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi, at the maritime reporters’ colloquium, said the Customs would soon plant the port where to test-run the scheme.

He said: “During the test-run, we will run the information communication technology (ICT) platform parallel with what the service providers are doing now. It is going to be a parallel service so that we will implement the eth-

ics associated with the switching off of (RAR) and the switching on of (PAAR)” The purpose of the test-run, he said, was to achieve a seamless transmission, within six months.

Adeniyi said the Customs was set to take over destination inspection from the service providers after seven years, adding that stakeholders should expect some hiccups during the test-run.

He noted that in 2005 when RAR started with the service providers, as established as the system was, there were some hiccups but

as time progressed, people started getting used to it.

The seven years’ contract of the three firms providing scanner services and generating RAR in the Destination Inspection scheme ended last December and their service was extended by six months, which ended in June. It was further extended by another six months, which will end by December.

To ensure efficiency, the Customs is training its personnel at the facility of Smith Detection in France, makers of the scanner machines, being used by the service providers.

The ICT platform would generate PAAR six hours before the arrival of the cargo as against the six days it currently takes the service providers to generate the RAR for processing cargo clearance. All activities in PAAR are to be carried out by Nigerians, the Customs said.

Adeniyi said: “We are not just ready we are far ahead of the service providers with regards to the currency of our technology.”

He dismissed as baseless the fear that the agency would revert to 100 percent physical examination of cargoes when the service providers leave because of al-

leged incompetence of its officers and men in operating and maintaining the scanners.

To show its preparedness to take over from the service providers, the Customs unveiled the gigantic ICT platform, named Nigerian Trade Portal to reporters in Abuja, and demonstrated its operation.

The equipment, it said, was capable of completing the processing of trade good documents in six hours before arrival, if the shippers make genuine declaration and issues are resolved with other agencies of government, such as National Agency for Food Administration Drug and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

The multi-million dollar ICT infrastructure located at the ‘Customs Rule Centre,’ headquarters of the agency in Abuja was developed by indigenous ICT experts drawn from over 900 ICT graduates employed by the agency from universities at home and abroad.

The ICT platform is being funded by the agency for now while all government agencies are connected to the server including the Central Bank of Nigeria. “But when the system transits to the Single window information system, the responsibility of funding will become that of the Federal Government,” Adeniyi said.

Ibaka Seaport will enhance economy, says Akpabio

A • Akpabio (left) receiving the architectural design of the port from Bing during the visit.

1,300 containers moved to bonded terminals T HE Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, Mr Charles Edike, has explained why 1,300 containers were moved to bonded terminals.

He said the action followed the build up of containers at the AMP Terminal, Apapa, caused by the untidy handover of scanner operations to Globalscan by Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited.

Edike said the Command had to evacuate excess containers to inland terminals to prevent delays in processing their clearance and the revenue due to the federation account.

He said the action would help in meeting the N39 billion monthly revenue target of his Command, which he said was

paramount.

Edike, who spoke on Seamless shipping in Nigeria, prospects and challenges, at a forum in Lagos, said he placed premium on the Service target rather than his Command’s, adding that he would strive to meet the Service target.

He said: “I have N39 billion to collect every month for the Federal Government, but I do not see my target as above that of the service. If I collect N39 billion in the month when the other terminals or commands couldn’t collect theirs, our service wouldn’t be seen as making progress. The Service target is much more im-

portant than my target.”

He said to ensure the target was met, the Command had issued a marching order to operators of AP Moller Terminal that all containers in Apapa should be moved out.

He said: “Therefore, we told APMT to make sure that all the containers in Apapa are moved out of Apapa. We advised them; we instructed them and we commanded them to move the containers to the inland container depots (ICDs).”

He said the order has been respected as the Command moved about 1300 containers out of Apapa. He described it as a no mean achievement as no Customs Area Controller before him did that.

KWA Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has restated his commitment to the Ibaka Deep Seaport project.

He expressed the hope that a substantial part of the project would be completed before he leaves office.

Akpabio spoke at the presentation of an architectural design of the project to him by the Managing Director of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr Shi Hong Bing and the management team in Abuja.

Akpabio said he was elated with the Chinese firm’s interest in the maritime industry because, according to him, the Ibaka Deep Seaport represented the future of the industry.

Akpabio said: “I see a future for Ibaka in the Gulf of Guinea.

It will help to decongest existing ports in Nigeria and also make it the attractive destination for shippers. It will become a major trans-shipment destination because of the depth of the water.

“It will also be of advantage to countries bordering Nigeria

along the coastline. Akwa Ibom State has the largest and longest coastline in the country and we are glad that your company is interested in making use of these numerous advantages.”

Akpabio noted the reception the Chinese government and CCECC gave to President Goodluck Jonathan during his visit to China, saying he was delighted by the cooperation between both countries.

Bing thanked Akpabio for his confidence in the company and pledged his commitment to maintaining standards in projects in the state.

He said the Speaker of the Chinese parliament would visit Nigeria from September 18 to 20, adding that he looked forward to using the visit as a platform for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the project to facilitate the sourcing of funds from financial institutions.

Bing said: “The first phase of the project is estimated to cost about $3 billion so we need more investors to partner CCECC and Akwa Ibom State government to make the project a reality.”

‘Corruption, infrastructure deficit bane of Maritime’

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ORRUPTION and infrastructural challenge have been identified as the bane of the shipping and clearing arm of the maritime sector.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Best AirCargo and Shipping Services Limited, Mr Jerry Jay, the resolution of these issues would see shipping and clearing making huge contributions to the economy.

Speaking when he visited the headquarters of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Jay told The Nation that he came home to establish a branch of his company in

By Uyoatta Eshiet

response to President Goodluck Jonathan’s appeals that Nigerians in the Diaspora should bring home their businesses and expertise to help build the country.

He, regretted that the government has failed to provide basic infrastructure and tackle corruption.

“Nigerians in the Diaspora have the expertise, resources and connection that can help develop this country but the country is being strangulated by corruption, policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure and other evils. These

discourage them,” he said.

He said in China, the government builds houses and makes other provisions for its citizens in the Diaspora who were willing to relocate and invest in China while in Nigeria there was no form of encouragement, no matter what you want to do.

Jay said having stayed in Asia for 16 years, he has gained enough expertise that would enable him bring about a positive change in shipping and cargo clearing in Nigeria, but he was afraid because of too much corruption and infrastructural decay at the ports. He said, there was no

port in Nigeria that compares to what is obtained in Asia.

“In China or Hong Kong, you can have your container released to you in two hours once it arrives the port and this is at a cost equivalent of between N5,000 and N10,000 whereas in our ports, for your container to be released, it takes several days to weeks and costs several hundreds of thousands of naira or more than a million naira in some cases, despite the President’s effort at reformation.

“In Asia, everything works systematically and you can plan successfully. But here, there are lots of policy somersaults; things are not

organised for sustainable growth and most Nigerians in the Diaspora find it difficult to cope with this kind of system after experiencing the best way things are done in other countries,” he said.

On shipping in Nigeria and Asia, Jay said there was no basis for comparison. “In Nigeria, there is no good equipment at the ports, there is no stability or continuity of policies whereas in Asia, the economy, the currency and every other thing is planned and this is what investors want to plan their businesses.

It is not easy to set up anything in Nigeria because there is no reliable system in place.”

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FOREIGN NEWS

Zimbabwe: MDC accuses Zanu-PF supporters •42 families attacked

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UPPORTERS of ZANUPF party celebrate their party's election victory with a coffin wrapped in a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) flag in Mbare township, outside Harare.

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko The Movement for Democratic Change alleged yesterday that 42 families have been attacked by Zanu-PF supporters and have taken refuge in Harare.

"They were attacked by ZanuPF supporters. They were evicted from their flats," MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told dpa by telephone from Harare.

"We are aware of further retribution measures planned against MDC members, especially polling agents," said Mwonzora, calling it an "extreme provocation" by the rival party, headed by President Robert Mugabe.

The official said the MDC was urging restraint.

Mugabe was declared the winner in the polls, securing 61 per cent of ballots cast, compared to MDC candidate Morgan Tsvangirai's 34 per cent.

Zanu-PF also secured 152 of 210 seats in parliament, giving it a two-thirds majority able to change the constitution.

Following the 2008 polls, MDC supporters were attacked in a nationwide campaign of

•Police warn against protests

violence that left 200 people dead.

While African Union election observers deemed this year's poll free and fair, Western nations have criticized it as not representing the will of the people.

The United States called it a "deeply flawed process," while Australia has urged fresh polls.

Johannesburg - In a clear warning to Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai,

Zimbabwean police have warned politicians who incite public violence as a means to raise election-related grievances that they would be dealt with "accordingly".

Police Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba on Sunday said mass protests would not be tolerated.

This came amid fears that Tsvangirai's supporters may stage Egypt-style protests after the MDC leader publicly re-

fused to concede defeat to President Robert Mugabe at the weekend, alleging voterigging and irregularities.

"The streets are not there for unlawful gatherings and demonstration. Once again, police will not sit back and watch politicians breach the law. All offenders and perpetrators will be arrested," Charamba said.

Hours before the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission declared the Zanu-PF leader as the winner of the highly contested presidential elections, a subdued but defiant Tsvangirai had told a media briefing at his Harare home that he would not legitimise the "fraudulent" and "stolen" election. He said he would challenge the outcome in court.

T

E

•Morsi

The authorities said 30 of those who fled were "hardened militants" jailed for involvement in suicide bombings and other serious attacks.

Hundreds of inmates escaped from two jails in Iraq Abu Ghraib to the west of Baghdad and Taji to the north - on 22 July.

Bombs and mortar fire were used to break into the prisons. Al-Qaeda members were among those housed in the facilities.

There were several hours of fighting after the jails first came under attack and at least 20 members of the security forces were killed.

Five days later, some 1,200 inmates broke out of a jail in the restive Libyan city of Benghazi.

A

•St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, Russia, is seen from the air in the city centre, an area listed

by UNESCO as a world heritage site...waoh! What a breath-taking site.

PHOTO: AP

closed until the Muslim festival of Eid on Thursday.

The decision to close the embassies comes as the US government battles to defend recently disclosed surveillance programmes that have stirred deep privacy concerns.

Western governments are taking seriously the perceived threat from alQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), because the group has an established track record of highly innovative bomb plots. The

bulk of its members are Yemeni militants with a local, Yemeni agenda, but the group has also attracted experienced alQaeda operatives from Saudi Arabia with more regional and international ambitions.

These include the elusive Saudi bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, who sent his brother to blow up a prince with a bomb concealed on, or possibly even inside, his body. Further plots from Yemen have followed, all thwarted, in-

cluding the Nigerian Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to detonate a bomb in his underpants on a flight to Detroit in 2009.

AQAP's leaders have been intensively targeted

by US drone strikes in recent years, but by hiding out in remote tribal areas, they have managed to remain largely beyond the reach of the authorities and to continue to plot attacks.

A state department global travel alert, issued on Friday, is in force until the end of August.

Mediation efforts gain pace in Egypt

GYPT'S army-installed interim government said on Sunday it would give mediation a chance to resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, but warned that time was limited.

That could complicate efforts by international envoys and Egyptian factions to launch a political process, encourage national reconciliation and avert further bloodshed.

The National Defence Council, made up of civilians and soldiers, said in a statement it backed mediation "that protects the rights of citizens regardless of their affiliations and that spares blood, as long

NTERPOL has issued a global security alert linked to suspected alQaeda involvement in recent prison breakouts.

Interpol cited prison escapes in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan, and asked its members to examine if they were connected.

The police agency is also asking member countries to "swiftly process any information linked to these events".

In the most recent escape, 248 prisoners were sprung from a jail in north-west Pakistan.

Taliban militants used automatic weapons and bombs to break down the walls of the jail in Dera Ismail Khan on 30 July. At least 13 people were killed, including six police.

SAfrica: 1999 arms’ deal enquiry starts

US Embassy closures extended over threat fears

HE US says it will keep a number of embassies in North Africa and the Middle East closed until Saturday, due to a possible militant threat.

Twenty-one US embassies and consulates closed on Sunday.

The state department in Washington said the extended closures were "out of an abundance of caution", and not a reaction to a new threat.

The UK said its embassy in Yemen would stay

I

Interpol issues global security alert

•As US, EU envoys visit Cairo as that happens in a defined and limited time."

It did not specify a deadline.

The statement was issued one day after US and European envoys met separately with members of the new government and allies of Morsi.

The crisis has led Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, to its most dangerous days since a popular uprising in February 2011 ended US-

backed strongman Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and raised hopes of a new era of democracy.

Morsi became Egypt's first freely elected leader in June 2012. But fears that he was tightening an Islamist grip on the country and his failure to ease the economic hardships afflicting most of its 84 million people led to huge street demonstrations, culminating in the

Australia: Rudd calls for election

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USTRALIAN Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called an election for Sept. 7, with polls predicting a tight race for the votes of an electorate sharply divided over refugee policy, the economy, education, and global warming.

Since taking over from Julia Gillard just six weeks ago, Prime Minister Rudd has resuscitated his centre-left Labour Party's fortunes with a series of popular policies and he's gambling that the time is right to cement

Labour's position. The opposition led by Tony Abbott is currently favoured in the polls however.

"Australians now face a choice. And the choice couldn't be starker," Rudd said shortly after meeting with the Governor General to set the Sept. 7 election date. "Right now the only thing standing between Australia and an Abbott-led government is you, me, and as many Australians as we can rally to fight for the kind of nation we all want to live in."

army ousting him on July 3.

The military has laid out a "road map" to elections in about six months and promises a return to civilian government. The Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that spent decades in the shadows during Mubarak's rule, had spurned the road map.

SOUTH African commission of inquiry into a multibillion dollar arms deal surrounded by corruption allegations has started after a five-month delay.

It was adjourned for two weeks so documents could be declassified.

Allegations of bribery have dogged the governments of both President Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki.

Mr Zuma announced the investigation in 2011. His former financial advisor Schabir Shaik was convicted of corruption over the 1999 deal.

Mr Zuma was also charged but the case was dropped before he took office in 2009.

His supporters have always maintained that he had been the victim of a political smear campaign.

Mr Mbeki is among those expected to be called as a witness.

The BBC's Mohammed Allie in Cape Town says the inquiry's start has been hit by the resignation of three key officials.

One of the three judges Frans Legodi, resigned on Thursday citing "personal reasons".

Earlier, senior investigators Norman Moabi and Kate Painting quit amid allegations that the commission was not being transparent - a charge that has been strenuously denied.

A

Sierra Leone: Court issues warrant for Taylor's ally

JUDGE in Sierra Leone has issued an arrest warrant for a top ally of former Liberian President Charles Taylor recently discovered living in Freetown.

Tonia Mbawa issued the warrant yesterday after Ibrahim Bah failed to appear in court. Bah has been accused of arranging arms and diamond deals between Taylor and Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebel group during the country's 11-year civil war that ended in 2002.

Bah was believed to be in Burkina Faso when he was placed under a U.N. travel ban in 2004, but U.N. experts located him in Freetown earlier this year.

Despite pressure from rights groups, Sierra Leone's government has not pursued charges against Bah. The warrant was issued for a case

PUBLIC NOTICE INDOMITABLE STARS UNITED CLUB OF NIGERIA Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above social club has applied to CAC lagos for registration under part C of CAMA 2004.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Ezeh Monday 2. Idoor Monday 3. Orucha Amechi 4. Ede Oruchukwu 5. Febian Ikechukwu AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To promote welfare of her members 2. To aid the development of the youths 3. to instill entrepreneur consciousness in the youths 4. to inculcate good leadership qualities in the youths Any objection(s) there to should be forwarded to the registrar general CAC. Area 11,Garki Abuja.

John Nwokwu (Esq) (Solicitor) 29, Olufeso Street, Iloro Agege off Cement B/S Agege Lagos.

Tel. 08033357139

brought by a private citizen on charges including kidnapping and assault.

PUBLIC NOTICE

FALANA I, known and addressed as Miss Falana Victoria Olanike now wish to be known as Mrs Shodipo Victoria Olanike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

OYOR I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. NKAJIMA DORATHY OYOR, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NKAJIMA MOSES GOMBA EJIREOBE. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

LANA I, known and addressed as Miss Lana Oluwafisayomi Omawumi now wish to be known as Mrs Kolade Oluwafisayomi Omawumi.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

AKINOLA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Folashade Hairat Akinola, now wish to be known as Mrs. Mrs Folashade Hairat Sogunle. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

ADRI I, known and addressed as Miss Adri Abeni Mojisola now wish to be known as Mrs Daud Maryam Abiodun. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

JIMOH I, formerly known and addressed as MISS JIMOH ADENIKE KUBURAT, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADESINA ADENIKE KUBURAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-08-13

Profit-taking halts equities’ rally

I

NVESTORS opened the stock market with a flurry of open sale orders to monetise and lock in recent substantial capital gains by several stocks, tilting the overall market position to the negative.

Sustained bullish rally had added N405 billion to the aggregate market value of all equities last week.

Investors on Monday turned to several stocks that had built up substantial capital gains to lock in their values. The widespread portfolio rebalancing overwhelmed market’s enthusiasm over earnings reports.

With 32 losers to 21 gainers, losses by several highly capitalised stocks further orchestrated the market decline.

Aggregate market value of all

By Taofik Salako

equities at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) dropped by N23 billion to close at N12.145 trillion as against its opening value of N12.168 trillion.

The All Share Index (ASI), the common index at the NSE, dropped by 0.19 per cent to close at 38,350.96 points as against its opening index of 38,424.34 points.

Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria led the losers with a drop of N8 to close at N100.

Julius Berger Nigeria followed with a loss of N3.69 to close at N80. Dangote Cement lost N1 to close at N195.

Stanbic IBTC Bank dropped by 84 kobo to N18. Livestock Feeds declined by 51 kobo to close at N4.68 while Ashaka Cement lost 50 kobo to close

at N25.

Sectoral review showed that the Industrial Goods Index dropped by 3.16 per cent to close at 2,297.59 points. The Lotus Islamic Index depreciated by 0.97 per cent to close at 2,677.12 per cent, while the NSE 30- index declined by 0.12 per cent to close at 1803.41 points. The Oil and Gas index fell by 0.09 per cent to close at 209.90 per cent, while the Alternative Securities Market index remained flat.

On the upside, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria topped the gainers’ list with a gain of N3.50 to close at N63.50. Nigerian Breweries followed with a gain of N1.43 to close at N179.33 while Beta Glass added N1.09 to close at N11.99 per share.

Total turnover stood at 375.4 million shares valued at N3.02bn were exchanged in 5,550 deals.

Banking subsector accounted for 216,23 million shares valued at N1.54 billion in 2,084 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-08-13

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MONEY LINK

NEITI defends audit report T

N

IGERIA Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), yesterday defended its 2009-2011 oil and gas report presented last week.

Its Director of Communications, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, in a statement, countered the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency’s (PPPRA’s) denial of the report, saying NEITI, “stands by its report.”

Orji explained that all the companies and government’s agencies covered by the independent audit, including PPPRA, were fully involved and participated actively in the audit process from conception, and design of the audit templates, through the population of the templates with information and data to the stage of

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

data and information, reconciliation and validation exercise.

Besides, he said, all the companies and agencies including the PPPRA, “signed off” on the report before it was published.

The statement reads: “The response by PPPRA is therefore strange, misplaced and unfortunate.

We do not understand what PPPRA means by ‘secondary data.’ We doubt if the Executive-Secretary of PPPRA, received adequate briefing from his team who worked directly with NEITI on the project. I therefore think that the time has come for an important agency like the PPPRA, to develop time and interest to ensure that its management under-

Union Homes’ workers protest

W

ORKERS of the Union Homes, a subsidiary of Union Bank of Nigeria yesterday shut down the operations of the Corporate Headquarters and branches of the mortgage institution nationwide in protest against breach of agreement by the management.

The workers led by their parent union, Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institution (ASSBIFI), among other things, noted that they were picketing their establishment to force the management pay up the Legacy funds accrued to N1.3billion as directed by the Pencom, and unlawful termination of employment of over 400 workers within five months and other sundry issues.

The workers who resumed in front of the headquarters of the Homes in Onipanu, in mainland of Lagos as early as 5.30 a.m, occupied and locked the entrance gate, which denied both the staff and the customers

By Toba Agboola

of the Homes entrance to the premises.

The General Secretary of ASSBIFI who led the picketing, Comrade Obukese Orere lamented that the issues would not have degenerated to the level of closure if the management has been sensitive to the agreement signed with the workers.

According to him, the problem that snowballed into the crisis has been on since 2009, but the management has been laickadasical about it.

“Collective agreement should be seen as supreme and respected. If it’s breached, it means everything between management and union has been broken. If workers must lose their jobs due to no fault of theirs, employers must pay certain things as stated in article 5 of the agreement”, he said.

HE United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has been lauded for its role and support for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless banking initiative. Speaking at the launch of UBA All About U Debit MasterCard, Vice President & Area Business Head, MasterCard Worldwide, Omokehinde Ojomuyide said the bank has continued to play a significant role in ensuring the success of the cashless banking initiative through its innovations.

She said UBA has done well by introducing innovative e-banking products and services geared towards making banking transactions seamless for Nigerians.

Ojomuyide said the product will make electronic banking attractive and convenient for customers of the bank. “This is a commendable innovation and we are thrilled to partner with people and institutions that are at the forefront of technology, like UBA Plc,” she added.

Deputy Managing Director, UBA, Kennedy Uzoka said the product gives customers the opportunity to create a special card with their favorite photograph or image – allowing them the privilege of branding their payment card. He explained that alternatively, cardholders can choose from a gallery of contempo-

stands how NEITI / EITI process works.

He said the NEITI Secretariat, is already providing “this enlightenment to the management and staff in other agencies and companies covered by NEITI mandate.”

This enlightenment, he explained, is necessary for shared -learning and exchange of ideas to build common understanding and knowledge of the process and benefits with a view to reducing inter-agency friction.

He said to erase any doubt, NEITI audit process is simpler, uniquely different from the usual audit that the Executive-Secretary of PPPRA is used to, adding that the audit report is based on information and data primarily, voluntarily, but mandatorily provided to NEITI by PPPRA during the audit exercise.

He explainedthat NEITI, under the EITI global principles and standards, does not manufacture either information or data, saying our audit process is built strongly on factual data, integrity and openness.

Orji, said the credibility of our report remains solid and one that can be taken to the bank, he added.

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

P

HARMACISTS under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) have called for improved funding and radical innovations to boost health care delivery in the country. The groups have also endorsed Reload range of multivitamins.

President of PSN, Olumide Akintayo, in his address at the just concluded 32nd CPN annual national conference held in Calabar, Cross River State, said every profession in the quest for relevance and

survival continues to dig deep in search of radical innovations geared towards enhancing service delivery in the best interest of the public and ACPN is not exempted.

Akintayo said: “Pharmacy as strategic profession in healthcare cannot continue to be an exception in its quest for relevance and survival and that is the reason we’ll continue to dig deep in search of radical innovations geared towards enhancing service delivery in the best interest of the public. Pharmacy has much to offer in helping to meet rising expec-

NIDF NESF

OBB Rate Call Rate

Current Market 5495.33 N552.20

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Offered ($) 350m 350m 350m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 5-08-13

SYMBOL BETAGLAS PRESTIGE RTBRISCOE GLAXOSMITH UNITYBNK PORTPAINT UPL AFRIPRUD WEMABANK UBA

O/PRICE 10.90 0.50 1.45 60.00 0.54 5.64 4.26 1.90 1.17 8.42

C/PRICE 11.99 0.54 1.55 63.50 0.57 5.90 4.40 1.95 1.20 8.60

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

CHANGE 1.09 0.04 0.10 3.50 0.03 0.26 0.14 0.05 0.03 0.18

Year Start Offer

Current Before

Current After

CUV Start %

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

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

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

O/PRICE

TRANSEXPR NEIMETH PHARMDEKO LIVESTOCK DEAPCAP VONO ABCTRANS WAPCO COSTAIN MAYBAKER

1.00 1.50 2.03 5.19 1.34 0.93 0.96 108.00 1.39 2.68

C/PRICE 0.90 1.35 1.83 4.68 1.21 0.84 0.87 100.00 1.30 2.52

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

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

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

CHANGE 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.51 0.13 0.09 0.09 8.00 0.09 0.16

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Amount Demanded ($) 150m 138m 113m

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 5-08-13

SYMBOL

tation, not only in promoting better health and preventing illness but also in contributing to the effective delivery of care closer to home and in the communities where people live, which are the very ideals of the National Primary Healthcare Agency.”

Chairman of the Occasion Dr. Mrs. Dere Awosika paid a long visit to reload range of multivitamins stand with other executives of ACPN. Awosika commended the initiative of having product displayed at the conference.

DATA BANK

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Quotation Price N8250.00 N1000.00

rary pre-selected images available at the specialised product portal and these designs can be adjusted to their satisfaction.

He said the product blends in the lender’s brand with the customer’s creative imagination, making the customer a ‘partner-in-design’ while creating a sense of loyalty and enhancing affinity.

Uzoka said before the product was launched, the lender went through a very rigorous process. He said the product has been tested and approved to add value to customers.

Divisional Head, e-Banking, UBA Plc Dr. Yinka Adedeji said the bank has over seven million customers that are known individually. “So we thought that their debit cards should be made to be a reflection of their personality. If there is anything that catches your fancy, we allow you to have that on your card,” he said. He said the lender noticed that pictures are very critical to the young generation, as seen in the facebook or other social media.

PSN seeks improved funding for healthcare delivery

FGN BONDS Tenor

UBA e-product excites customers

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 9.08 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE INVE 140.65 140.16 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 158.75 158.54 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.80 0.78 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.16 1.16 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.17 1.18 FBN MONEY MARKET FUND 100.00 100.00 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,000.00 1,000.00 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,837.37 1,835.83 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 14.73 14.01 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 1.33 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 1.80 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 11.386.29 11,045.54 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUNDARM AGGRESSIVE • OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

57

NEWS Edo workers protest ‘sack’

Council chairman sworn in From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

W

E

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday swore in Saturday Ogbeide as the chairman of Esan West Local Government Area.

Ogbeide became chairman, following the death of the chairman, Henry Irumudumu, on July 26.

The governor urged the chairman to have the courage and strength to deliver good governance to all the wards.

Oshiomhole said: “Let me advise you publicly that since it has pleased God to make you the chairman, I ask you to resist the temptation of undoing any of the things your predecessor has done.”

Group invokes FoI Act

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

A

NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisation, One Love Foundation (OLF), has invoked the requirement of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to request the Edo State Government to clarify the Airport Road, storm water design and Central Hospital projects.

It said it is making the demand in accordance with sections 1, 3 and 4 of the FOI Act 2011.

In letters dated July 20 and 31 through its solicitors, Matthew Edaghese & Co and addressed to the Commissioner for Works, the group demanded the contract sum, contractors, time-frame for the project and reason for the delays in its execution.

The letter said the government has seven days to respond to the applications.

Rivers panel holds inaugural sitting From Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

M

EMBERS of the commission of enquiry set up by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to investigate the cause of the July 9 and 10 crises at the House of Assembly have called for memorandum.

Chairman of the comm i ssi o n B i o bel e Georgewill made the appeal during the inaugural sitting at the State High Court complex in Port Harcourt, the state capital yesterday.

Lawmakers on July 9 engaged in a free-for-all, following the attempt by five lawmakers, led by the member representing Ogu/Boloto Local Government, Evans Bipi, to impeach the Speaker, Otelemaba Dan Amachree.

Georgewill reiterated the pledge to ensure justice, fairness and equity in the proceedings and appealed for calm.

“All parties shall be treated equally and fairly in all the proceedings before the commission.

Amaechi on July 15, at the Government House, set up a nine-man judicial commission of inquiry to probe the crises.

They were given till October 15 to submit their reports. The session was adjourned till August 12 for hearing.

•Dr Precious (right) and Mr and Mrs Joseph at the police headquarters...yesterday.

Police smash baby factory in Rivers

T

HE police in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday paraded a fake In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment service provider, Dr. Chinyere Emeka Precious, for allegedly inducing fake pregnancies.

Also paraded were a coupleJohn Ndubuisi Joseph and Favour Chioma Joseph- who allegedly sell day-old babies to her.

Mrs. Precious reportedly owns and operates the God’s Gift Maternity/Hospital at Elelenwo in Port Harcourt Local Government Area.

She was said to inject desperate barren women with substances to make them appear pregnant. She would then arrange a stolen baby for the women.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (DSP) Jovinus Iwu, who led the operation, said the suspects were arrested at 1am last Saturday.

Iwu said a day-old baby boy and a woman purportedly in labour were “detained”.

But the suspects denied the allegation.

Precious said she was a qualified and licensed doctor, who has been practising for several years.

From Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

She said: “I have never defrauded anybody and the crime they say I committed I know nothing about it. I am a licensed doctor and have been in practice for several years.

The police have all my licences. My number is 348 from the Nigeria Medical Council, Abuja.

“In this country anybody can frame anyone, but God is watching and He will vindicate us.”

She declined further comments.

Joseph said: “My wife was ill. So, I took her to Dr. Precious who has been our family doctor for about one year.

Let me tell you that she gave birth to a baby boy last Thursday, “We have accommodation problem; so I suggested to her to let us sell the baby for N300, 000 to get a house.

“The baby is mine and I did not steal it.

“What I told DSP Iwu in his office was that my wife put to bed on Thursday. I have accommodation problem, so I took the baby to the doctor to sell him for N300,000.”

At the briefing, the officer in charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit narrated how the syndicate was tracked down.

“On August 3, at about 1am, the unit got information about a baby factory syndicate, which specialises in selling of day-old babies at Elelenwo, in Port Harcourt.

“On arrival, we met Mrs. Precious, who claimed to be a medical doctor and runs the factory.

“We found a day-old baby boy, who was concealed behind the theatre. There was also a woman there who was reported to have been delivered of a baby.

“When we confronted the woman, she claimed to have under-gone fertility treatment with the doctor.

“But in actual fact, she was not pregnant, and was never pregnant. Rather what they do is hypnotise these women, who believe that they are pregnant. They are injected with substances which make their stomach swell.

“They will then be placed on treatment for nine months. Before delivery, this syndicate makes arrangements to procure the babies, and once the arrangement

clicks, they will take the women to the theatre or labour room.

“At this point now, they will inject her with drugs that will make her unconscious; when that is done, she will now be laced with blood all over her body, including her private parts.

“The same blood will also be used on the child, so when she regains consciousness they will now handover the baby to her, claiming that she has delivered.

“Then they will start the second round of treatment to deflate her stomach.

“Unfortunately, most women have fallen victims and it has been going on for so many years.

“What we saw at the clinic was unimaginable. You see innocent women from as far as Abuja, Kaduna, Calabar, among others, all under going the quick fertility treatment.

“These things are done at an exorbitant price. Prices range between N1.5million to N6million per child.

“We are hoping that at the end of the day, the syndicate will be charged to court.”

The recovered baby is at the motherless baby’s home at Borokiri in Port Harcourt.

Hezbollah: Court refuses application to reopen sealed firms

A

Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday refused to hear an application seeking to reopen two companies sealed by the Federal Government for allegedly being used by the owners for terrorism activities.

The companies - Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park Resort, which are located in Abuja are charged with their Lebanese owners, who are standing trial on for terrorism-related charges. They are accused of complicity in the unlawful importation and storage a large cache of arms and ammunition discovered in May in a house in Kano.

They are also charged with being members of Hezbollah, a terrorist organisation.

The Lebanese are: Mustapha Fawaz (49), Abdallah Thahini (48) and Talal Ahmad Roda (51).

The trial ended in the case yesterday. The defence closed its case after calling four witnesses, including a Lebanonbased lawyer, Youssef Finianos, who was invited to explain the status of Hezbollah

•Parties to adopt written addresses, September 30 From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

in Lebanon.

Fawaz and Thahini, while testifying yesterday, denied involvement in any terrorism activity.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola turned down a request by the defence lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), that he consider an application seeking the reopening of the two companies sealed by security operatives following the arrest of the Lebanese in May. Raji had complained that the continued closure of the companies was at a huge loss to the owners, because some of the equipment and goods were beginning to go bad from disuse.

Following an indication by the lead prosecution lawyer, Simon Egede, that he would file a counter-application to oppose the defence application, the judge expressed his preference for the continuation of the trial instead of considering an interlocutory application.

At a point, the parties

agreed to a compromise, which requires that representatives of the companies and officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) would jointly inspect the facilities at the companies twice a week Tuesday and Thursday. The judge adopted the arrangement.

Justice Ademola also directed that the companies make available to the DSS the names of its workers who would participate in the inspection and the time of the exercise a day before the inspection.

Testifying earlier, Finianos denied that Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation in his country. He, however, admitted that the European Union (EU) recently declared it a terrorist organisation.

The Lebanese explained that back in his country, Hezbollah was seen as a resistant movement, with the primary responsibility of preventing the occupation of southern Lebanon by Israel.

Finianos, who testified as

the second defence witness, said Hezbollah was not declared a terrorist group in his country.

He admitted that there were unproven cases in the past where the allegation of violent crimes had been made against the group.

Fawaz and Thahini denied being members of Hezbollah.

They claimed to have been interrogated at the DSS office by some foreigners, who they claimed were members of Israeli’s intelligence outfit, the MOSSAD. Although Fawaz admitted undergoing 30 days’ training under Hezbollah on weapon usage, Thahini denied ever receiving any such training.

Fawaz, who was the third defence witness, admitted making video recordings of the aerial view of Abuja from atop Sheraton Hotel.

At the closing of the defence’s case, the parties agreed to return on September 30 for the adoption of their final written addresses.

ORKERS recruited under the Edo Youth Empowerment Scheme yesterday marched on the streets of Benin City, protesting the alleged sack of 4,000 workers.

They also protested the non-payment of their threemonth salaries.

The protesters said they were informed that over 4,000 names were deleted after the completion of Edo YES staff audit by the government.

They said they were afraid that they might not be paid as the names of those cleared by the ICT unit have not been made public.

A source said many ghost workers were discovered among the Edo YES staff.

The source said those sacked were found to have falsified their ages, presented fake results, especially first school leaving certificate, among other offences.

Managing Director of the State Rapid Response Agency Mujaidu Dako said the staff audit was to ensure that the workers are real.

Dako said they learnt that some of the supposed workers were coming from outside the state to collect salaries in Edo. He said: “The governor ordered the audit to know those working and to check their educational qualifications.

“This exercise has been concluded. It is those who know they are guilty that are crying round town that they have been sacked. We want to make sure those employed are not ghosts.

“We want to make sure that we are not paying people who are not working. I am not aware that the state is broke.

This exercise is to make sure that the workers are those we employed. There is need to sanitise the system.”

The director said the government would begin payment of the salaries this week.

Kidnappers demand N50m for teachers From Osagie Otabor, Benin

K

IDNAPPERS of three primary school teachers at Orhogbua Primary School in Ekenwan village are demanding for N50million, it was learnt yesterday.

Patience Osadolor, Momodu Aisha and Patience Oroghene were snatched at gunpoint during school hours on July 30.

One of the victims is said to be a wife of a police officer.

It was gathered that the gunmen shot sporadically to scare away on-lookers.

Activities have been grounded at the school as other teachers have refused to report for duty, until their colleagues are released.

State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Patrick Ikosimi said the kidnappers contacted the victims’ families at the weekend.

Ikosimi said primary school teachers have not been paid in the last two months.A teacher, Peter Kalapolo, said they were still in shock.

“Everybody knows that teachers don’t have money.

What will the kidnappers get?”

Police spokesman Moses Eguaveon said the police are still investigating and promised that the teachers would be rescued unhurt.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

58

NEWS Okupe used to work for me, says Ikimi •Seeks overhaul of INEC personnel

T

HE Chairman, Merger Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tom Ikimi, yesterday said he has used the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, to do many things.

Okupe, in a statement on Sunday, described leaders of the new party as expired analogue party men of yesterday.

Responding yesterday to Okupe’s statement, Ikimi said: “Well, water is seeking its own level. I am glad you have described my good friend, Doyin Okupe, as my former Publicity Secretary. I have an excellent relationship with Okupe. I speak to him on the phone regularly.

“I believe he is doing the job that he is being paid to do in the rank of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and in his office. I have used Okupe before to do various things and I believe the President is now finding him useful to do some of those things. But this time, they’re negative things.”

The APC chieftain said he was satisfied with the successful outcome of several attempts to unify the opposition in Nigeria over the years.

He said: “To me, the news brought a great feeling of personal accomplishment as I had for several years

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

looked forward to a scenario where there would be two dominant parties in Nigeria, as in the case of most civilised democracies.”

Ikimi said the briefing was to acknowledge the zeal of APC leaders - Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the 88 politicians who worked in the merger committee.

He hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ignoring the machinations of APC opponents to register the new party.

The frontline politician noted that the task before the commission was enormous.

Ikimi said: “They (INEC officials) have to deliver free and fair general elections in 2015. We must move away now permanently from the aberration of the 2007 elections. Accordingly, Prof Attahiru Jega must ensure that INEC personnel from the top to the bottom is urgently overhauled and biometrics, which was partially introduced in 2011, is fully implemented in 2015.”

The APC chieftain explained that the mandate of the merger committee was to conclude a merger with parties, groups and individuals.

• Justice Gbadeyan (top left) with members of the commission during their sitting in Lafia, Nassarawa State...yesterday

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Nasarawa killings: Panel accuses Ombatse lawyers of contempt

T

HE Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the killing of security personnel in Nasarawa State, Justice Joseph Fola Gbadeyan (rtd), yesterday said the withdrawal of some lawyers from the proceedings of the panel is “contemptuous”.

Seven lawyers, repre-

•NBA chief apologises to panel •We didn’t envisage this charade, says lawyer From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

senting various Eggon communities, last week, announced their boycott of the commission’s sittings.

The lawyers accused the commission of bias and alleged irregularities in the conduct of proceedings.

But the Nasarawa State Government, through its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lagi Innocent, said the boycott would not affect the work of the commission.

Some of the lawyers, who announced their withdrawal from the panel, include Chief Ayas Bako Aya, appearing with Aliyu Anzewu and representing the District Head of Bassa; Chief Joshua Daudu and Mr Ovye John, representing Eggon Communities in Barkin Abdullahi (BAD) and Randa.

Others are: Mr Anthony Jatau, representing the Ward Head of Eggon in Arutu village of Doma Local Government Area; Mr Ayuwulu Baba Ayuwulu, representing Eggon community, Kadarkoc in Keana Keana Local Government Area; Mr Gambo P. Assiku, representing Eggon Cultural Development Association (ECDA) in Bassa Zarengi; and Mr Harry Dan Anyuanbaga, representing Mada community of Bassa in Kokona Local Government Area.

Governor Tanko alMakura constituted the panel, following the killing of over 50 policemen and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) allegedly in an ambush by members of the Ombatse Militia Group (OMG) in Lakyo village, on May 7.

The counsel, who filed f o r m al ap p l i c at i ons t o withdraw their memoranda, last Friday, failed to show up before the panel yesterday to defend their actions.

Justice Gbadeyan struck

out the applications following the absence of the lawyers at the panel when the cases were called.

He said the memoranda would be heard at the appropriate time, even though the authors and their counsel have abandoned them.

The panel chairman said the lawyers “did not follow due process” in withdrawing their appearance.

Justice Gbadeyan said: “When we are faced with serious business that has affected the lives of so many humans beings, they (lawyers) are only interested in stalling the entire proceedings.”

The commission’s chairman told the Chairman of the Lafia Branch of the Nig er i a n B a r A ssoc i a t i on (NBA), Mr Eric Irehovbude, that he was disappointed with the conduct of the counsel.

Irehovbude apologised to the commission on the conduct of his colleagues.

He said: “I have received complaints from some of our colleagues that some of our members appearing bef or e t hi s c om m i ssi on have been a bit unruly. I want to, on behalf of the Bar, apologise for any such misconduct to this commission. I’m happy that, as I was informed, some senior colleagues have apologised to the commission. But I felt a sense of responsibility to come personally and apologise to your Lordship.

“I will like to add that if the misconduct is such that it can be referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar, we will support it, as we won’t tolerate anything that will bring the profession to disrepute.”

T he L eg a l A d v i ser t o Ombatse Group, Mr Zachary Zamani Alumaga, told The Nation that the lawyers representing Ombatse withdrew because they lost confidence in the commis-

sion.

He alleged that the commission was constituted to persecute the Ombatse group.

Alumaga said: “We said it from day one that the commission, if anything, is not properly constituted to do the job of an enquiry stipulated by law. The commission is not a court; it has no right to administer penal sanctions.

“It is only a fact-finding mission, so that its recommendations could be made to the appropriate quarters upon which they may decide. This appropriate quarter is the government.

“But because this commission has come up with a focused mind to prepare a First Information Report (FIR) and send us to jail, it is overzealous. I raised the issue of its lack of jurisdiction to that effect.

“Now that we have understood its antics, we decided to pull out. If they are still so desirous of convicting us because they have gone beyond intimidation now, then they should go ahead and convict the lawyers for their so-called contempt.

“It is unheard of that somebody makes himself available to the court and then says he is withdrawing in writing. Yet, you say the person must come before you. What do you want to do with him?

“Let me repeat this once again: we are not afraid of justice. If we are found wanting, we will be grateful for all the consequence that will follow. This charade is not what we envisaged, as the justice of this case. “ S ec u r i t y oper a t i v es have died and the world wants to know what happened. But all these booby traps set for us by the government and the commission will not allow for justice at the end of the tunnel.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

59

NEWS

How Anambra, Lagos ‘agreed’ on return of indigenes

Court seals Wema Bank over N81m ‘debt’

A

detachment of armed policemen and bailiffs of the State High Court, Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday took over a branche of Wema Bank Plc at the popular Roundabout in Mokola, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, over alleged N81.205.660.71 debt.

The action was said to be the enforcement of a court order, which directed Brodllers Engineering Works Limited to take possession of the bank’s branch.

The company had secured the order to compel Wema

’From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

Bank to pay its debt or forfeit some of its branches in Ibadan.

Brodllers Engineering Works Limited, last year, took the matter to the court, asking Wema Bank to pay its debt.

The court’s judgment was contained in a suit on the February 17, last year.

Copies of the court order were pasted at the gates of the bank and other property within the premises.

SURE-P fetes Imo residents

O

VER 3,131 beneficiaries of the Subsidy ReInvestment Programme (SURE-P), under the community service and Women/Youth empowerment programme, have received N34.17 million from the Federal Government.

In a statement by the Information Officer, Onuoha Emma, Imo is one of the focal points of the SURE-P programme, adding that 500 women and youths received N10,000 in the pilot phase between January and March.

Some of the beneficiaries thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for the initiative,

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

which they described as a lifeline.

They, however, appealed for prompt release of the grant, noting that it has gone a long way to alleviate economic hardship.

The state Chairman, Dr Jasper Ndubuaku, said: “These funds, which were gotten from the partial withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, should not be buried under conventional ministries and departments but should be released directly to intervene in the lives of Nigerians.”

Mark mourns Fashola’s father

S

ENATE President David Mark yesterday condoled with Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on the demise of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.

Mark,in the message to the Governor, Government and people of Lagos State, said Pa Fashola lived an eventful and accomplished life worthy of emulation.

He said: “I received the news of the death of your beloved father with shock and sadness at a time his wealth of experience and wisdom is most needed.

“I am, however, consoled that your father lived an exemplary life and left a legacy of selfless service to the community.

“Your track record of

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

achievements, especially your excellent performance as the governor, bears eloquent testimony that your father left a legacy of integrity and excellence.

“I can only urge you to continue in that stead and live up to the billing as a further testimony that Pa Fashola lives.”

Mark in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh in Abuja, further stated that history will be kind to Pa Fashola for his meritorious services and contributions to the development of the community, especially in Lagos State.

‘Know your HIV/AIDS status’

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MEDICAL expert, Dr Mike Dibor, has urged Nigerians to know their HIV/AIDS status to check the prevalence of the pandemic.

He said migrant workers need to abstain from casual sex, adding that they should protect themselves against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), where they cannot practise abstinence.

Dr. Dibor, who works for a non-governmental organ-

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isation (NGO), Hope Worldwide Nigeria, spoke at a health, safety and environmental seminar organised by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) for workers of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

The construction firm is handling the Mile 12-Ikorodu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) rail system.

Rivers to ‘deport’ beggars

HE Rivers State Government is to remove beggars and destitute from streets.

Mrs Stella Toby, permanent secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, made the announcement in an interview in Port Harcourt yesterday.

She said beggars, destitute and mentally-ill people were constituting problems in some major streets and roads in the state.

Toby said the government had set up a special committee to restore sanity in major areas of the state.

“Most of the beggars are from neighbouring states and I can assure you that they will be removed from the streets and repatriated back to their states,” she said.

The Chairman of the committee, Mina Jamabo, said about 113 beggars, destitute and lunatics had already been removed from the streets.

He said some of the affected persons had been taken to the state’s rehabilitation centres for treatment.

Jamabo said non-indigenes had since been repatriated to their various states, while the indigenes would be treated by the government, until they are fit to re-unite with their families.

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HE governments of Lagos and Anambra states agreed on how to reintegrate beggars and destitute with their families, letters exchanged between the two states have shown.

There has been a raging controversy on the resettlement of 67 people from Lagos to Onitsha, Anambra State.

Governor Babatunde Fashola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have described the row as

“political”.

Former Anambra State governor Chris Ngige, in a letter to the Igbo group, Aka Ikenga, explained that the issue had nothing to do with deportation, but a social welfare intervention.

But the letters showed that Lagos and Anambra worked together to re-integrate the indigents.

Lagos, through the Special Adviser, Office of Youth and Social Development, on April 9, wrote to the Anambra Liaison Officer, remind-

ing him about its Social Welfare Policy and informing him about the “rescue of beggars/destitute” from the streets of Lagos It urged Anambra to come and identify 14 persons, who claimed to be from the Southeast state “towards evacuation and integration with their families.”

Anambra’s Liaison Office, through a letter dated April 15, responded, requesting that it be furnished “the particulars of the 14 persons”.

It said the information

would “facilitate their integration with their families, if they are from Anambra.”

Lagos, in a letter dated April 29, forwarded the list containing the particulars to Anambra Liaison Office.

The state added: “Your presence at our Rehabilitation and Training Centre, Owutu in Ikorodu might be necessary to conduct a physical identification through your interaction with these persons.”

Anambra Liaison Office acknowledged receiving the letter, as one of its officers signed a copy.

The Nation learnt that the practice of returning homeless indigenes to their states is not unusual.

The newspaper obtained a letter from the Akwa Ibom State government to Lagos State with the heading: Repatriation of lunatics, beggars and destitutes to their home state, dated July 23.

In the letter, Akwa Ibom informed Lagos about its bid to rid the state capital of lunatics in line with its transformation policy.

“In view of the fact that they are indigenes of Lagos State and have no relations in Uyo, we have decided to refer them to you for further medical management/ treatment and necessary action, please,” Akwa Ibom wrote.

Sympathisers throng Fashola’s family home

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RIENDS of the Lagos State Governor Baba-

tunde Fashola, officials of the state government and sympathisers yesterday thronged 31, Oladipo Olabinjo Street, Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos home of the late Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola Fashola to sympathise with the family.

They were received by the governor’s siblings and his wife, Dame Abimbola Fashola, who wore a blue Ankara.

Among those who visited were the Lagos State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Henry Ajomale, Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Oluranti

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

Olugbile, Commissioner for Justice and AttorneyGeneral, Mr. Ade Ipaye, wife of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs. Mayowa Ikuforiji, among others.

Head of the Fashola family, Alhaji Bolaji Fashola, said he was shocked when he received the news of the death of his brother about 10am yesterday.

He said: “I was sad because he was my younger brother. I saw him yesterday and we couldn’t talk much because he was breathing heavily. I didn’t know he was going to die.

Before I left the house, he

wanted to sleep.

“I will miss him a lot because we were very close. I cannot remember the last time we quarreled.”

He, however, did not disclose his brother’s illness.

Music icon, Sir Victor Olaiya, who was also at Pa Fashola’s home, described him as “a nice man, a humble, unassuming and respectful man.”

Olaiya said: “That was why the news of his death came as a rude shock. He was a gentleman. I remember the good times we had together.”

Chief Ajomale described the deceased as a nice person. He prayed for the repose of his soul.

Justice Ipaye also prayed for the repose of the deceased’s soul.

Other state executive members, who signed the condolence register, described the passing away of the governor’s father as a great loss.

Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business District, Mrs. Derin Disu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr.

Ganiyu Johnson, elder statesman and Chairman of Toyota Group, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, showered encomiums on the deceased.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

NEWS Senator earns N12m per annum, says RMAFC Continued from page 2

per month.

According to the RMAFC, this has been the official remuneration package since February 2007 till date.

However, there are other regular allowances which have been calculated as: Motor Vehicle Fuelling and M a i n t e n a n c e , N1,519,800.00; personal assistant N506,600.00, Domestic Staff N1,519,800.00; E n t e r t a i n m e n t N607,920.00;Utilities N607,920.00; Newspapers/Periodicals N303,960.00, Wardrobe N506,600.00; House Maintenance N101,320.00 and Constituency allowance N5,066,000.00 making a total of N12,766,320.00 as the salary per annum for a Senator.

The breakdown monthly– basic salary and allowances - a senator takes home N1.063.860.00 monthly.

Other allowances, which are paid annually or once in four years and when applicable, are: Accommodation N4, 052,800.00, which is paid annually; furniture allowance N6, 079,200.00 which is paid once in four years. Also, there is Duty Tour Allowance, DTA (per night), which is N37,000.

Estacode (per night) is $950.

Recess allowance is N202,640.00 and severance gratuity, paid after a successful completion of tenure, is N6,079,200.00. A Senator could also apply for a car loan of N8, 105,600.00 which must be repaid before the expiration of his tenure.

A member of the House of Representatives earns slightly lower than a Senator, with a basic yearly salary of N1,985,212.50, divided into a monthly salary of N165,434.40. However, the total salary, including the regular allowances, is N9, 529,038.06. This is outside the other allowances, which include: Accommodation N3,970,425.00; Furniture N5,955,637.50; DTA N35,000; Estacode $900; Recess N198,521.25 and Severance Gratuity N5,955,637.50. A Representative can also apply for a car loan of N7,940,850.00.

A member of the House of Representatives takes home N794,088.83 only.

According to the RMAFC, the emoluments for ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service and Chairmen of Constitutional Bodies are close to those of the Senators with a basic annual salary of N2, 026,400.00 and a total annual take-

home pay of N7, 801,640.00 minus other allowances which include: Accommodation, furniture, DTA, estacode, severance gratuity, leave bonus and car loan all amounting to about N24, 695, 40.00, per annum.

Minister of State and members of constitutional bodies earn an annual basic salary of N1957, 580.00 and a total annual salary of N7, 536,683.00. Like the Minister, the Minister of State also earns special allowance package, which includes: Accommodation N3,915,160.00, Furniture N5,872,740.00, DTA N30,000 (per night), Estacode $900 ( per night), Severance Gratuity N5,872,740.00, Leave Allowance N195,758.00 and a car loan of N7,830,320.00.

The RMAFC said the remuneration package, which is contained in the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders Salaries and Allowances etc, (Amendment) Act of 2008, states the actual amount being paid to legislators and other public officers, adding, however that “any other allowance (s) enjoyed by any political, public office holder outside those provided in the Remuneration Act of 2008 is not known to the Commission and the Chief Account-

ing Officer should be held accountable”.

The Economist compared the salaries and allowances of Nigeria’s public office holders with those of the developed countries, concluding that Nigeria’s public office holders are the highest paid in the world, followed by Kenya, Ghana and Indonesia in that order.

The public officers in Norway, Spain and Sri Lanka earn the lowest in the world.

However, some lawmakers have come out to counter the outrage sparked by the publication, describing it as misleading.

According to Zakari Muhammed, spokesman of the House of Representatives, the report is an exaggeration. “Whatever is being written is mere exaggeration and does not reflect what is accurate. They fail to realise that what we take as salaries is different from what we use in running our offices.”

The RMAFC, in faulting the figures published by The Economist, said: “It is, therefore, wrong and misleading to add up allowances irrespective of whether they are regular, refundable or non-regular, as the regular annual emoluments of political and public office holders.”

Two soldiers, policeman, 32 others killed in Boko Haram, military clashes Continued from page 2

more than 1,200 Christian and Muslim civilians in different locations throughout Nigeria,” Fatou Bensouda wrote in a report issued yesterday.

She said the potential crimes against humanity include murder and persecution. But she said she will only move to a full-fledged

investigation after further study and depending on whether Nigerian authorities themselves are willing and able to prosecute “those who appear to bear the greatest responsibility.”

Her report was based on evidence gathered through December 2012.

Nigeria declared a state of emergency on May 14 to

fight an Islamic uprising by militants in the northeast who want to impose Islamic law across a country divided almost equally between the predominantly Muslim north and mainly Christian south.

Boko Haram’s centre of power is in the northeast, but last month Nigeria’s army arrested 42 suspected

Islamic extremists in the southwest states of Lagos and neighbouring Ogun.

Bensouda noted that while that government forces may also have violated human rights while conducting operations against Boko Haram, as of December 2012 there was no evidence they were targeting civilians.

Rivers PDP kicks as House Leader Lloyd gets N5m bail Continued from page 2

court, is made exparte, heard and its requests granted intoto the same day and even went beyond the prayers sought, to foreclose further prosecution of the matter.”

The ruling party also described the development as a serious matter that must not be left to lie.”

But the GU Ake- led PDP faction hailed the judgment that gave bail to Lloyd.

Publicity secretary of the faction, Mr. George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, dismissed the “propaganda being peddled by Jerry Needam, the media aide to Felix Obuah.

“I advise Obuah and his co travelers to respect our justice system and not to play politics with it as it remains the last hope of the common man. They should allow the rule of law to prevail.

“Too many unguided utterances will only destroy our party and the needed peace we all pray for in our dear state,” the statement added.

The Chindah family has petitioned the NJC over what they termed the undue interference of the Rivers State Chief Judge Justice Iche Ndu in the matter.

According to a statement

by Chief Evans Chindah, elder brother of Chindah, the family resorted to the petition against the Chief Judge to ensure that justice is done in the case which the Amaechi Government in Port Harcourt is twisting to give the impression that his brother was at fault and deserved the violence that Hon Chidi Lloyd visited on him.

Chief Chindah said their family was particularly surprised and sad that instead

of pursuing the course of peace, the Chief Judge and Amaechi do not want the case to go on.

In the petition to the NJC, Chief Chindah raised the alarm that the glaring irregularities in the case since Lloyd was brought to court speaks volumes. Both the Chief Judge and the Judge, Justice Letam Nyordee, are trying to defeat justice through the back door.

Lloyd was brought to court on a six-count charge of conspiracy, attempted murder and aggravated assault, among others.

He said that owing chiefly to the desperation of the Amaechi administration to take control of the case prematurely and free Lloyd, the arraignment ran into a hitch. The court adjourned the matter till August 6, for ruling on the interlocutory argument of whether or not the police can engage a private counsel to prosecute the accused person.

“Surprisingly and in a twist of fate, the chief Judge, the presiding Judge and the state government, unknown to the defence counsel, refixed the case to be heard again on July 31, 2013 instead of August 6. The court heard and ordered exparte that Lloyd be produced in court by the police, knowing full well that the short notice was inappropriate. As predicted, Lloyd was not brought to court and we went home dejected.”

It is on this ground that the family is pleading with the NJC to call the Rivers State Chief Judge and the presiding Judge to order because justice is not a oneway traffic. All sides to the case deserve justice and that is what our family is asking for and no more,” he said.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

CITYBEATS Hole-in-heart boy survives surgery, but ...

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OUR-YEAR-OLD Praise-God Olafisoye is alive. He survived a hole-in-the-heart surgery in May at Kishna Institute of Medical Sciences Limited, Secunderbadi, India. He had borne the agony of the disease for almost four years.

He needed N2.5m for the surgery to save his life then.

The story was published in The Nation on February 19.

A health report from the Indian hospital, which was signed by Dr Anil Kumar, a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, confirmed the report of a complete repair of his Congenital Heart Disease (Tetralogy of Fallot).

However, his family cannot yet roll out the drums in revelry. Reason: It lacks the financial capacity to nurture him to full recovery.

His father, Mr Olafisoye, said the ailment started few months after his birth. "We noticed different abnormal signs in our son. His head swelled up and he started bending down often; his tongue turned blue-black and he became

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

By Olatunde Odebiyi

lean…he was breathing very fast and he loss of appetite".

He said he first took his son to a Primary Health Care (PHC) centre in the Agege area of Lagos State from where he was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

"It was from there that it was discovered that he had a hole in his heart after an x-ray and echocardiograph test. Then, we were asked to take him to India for the surgery. Praise-God was admitted at the Indian hospital for 30 days," he said.

Recalling that the surgery, which was performed on May 21, lasted three hours, he said: "Praise-God slept off for five days, with the support of a machine. He was only fully awake on the seventh day."

Olafisoye said about N1.7million was realised from kind-hearted Nigerians, adding that "we spent all on the surgery."

He said: "I thank all those who helped me to give my son the chance to live again. With-

• Praise-God out their assistance, my son would have died because my job and that of my wife can never earn us the millions needed to save our son."

Now, he wants more wellmeaning Nigerians to help his son to full recovery as the family cannot bear the cost of his medication.

Praise-God is undergoing treatment in Cardiology department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Saying that a First Bank account under the name: PraiseGod Oluwaseun Olafisoye, with number: 3065255475 is still valid for prospective helpers, Olafisoye said he could be reached through: 07062033976 or his em a i l : femiolafisoye@gmail.com.

Civil defence men arraigned for ‘murder’

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MAGISTRATE's Court sitting in AdoEkiti, the State capital, has remanded three officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in prison custody for the alleged murder of a commercial motorcycle rider, Ogunrinde Michael, two weeks ago.

The suspects - Ajayi Amos Adesanmi (39), Adeleye Odunayo (34), Ayeni Michael Oluwaseun (35) and others, who are said to be at large, were arraigned on a five-count charge, pri-

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OME members of the Omega Fire Ministry have arrested Pastor Abel Majodemu for allegedly using the picture of their General Overseer, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, to extort money from the public.

Abel was said to have printed Suleiman's picture on a programme poster of his church, Alpha Prayer Assembly, without authorisation.

He was said to have told his members that the Apostle

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From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti marily bordering on the murder of the deceased on July 16 at the Olora Junction, Adebayo.

The offences were said to be contrary to and punishable by Section 320 and 355 of the criminal code Cap C16 Laws of Ekiti State.

Police prosecutor Femi Falade, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody pending legal advice of the

Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Ministry of Justice. He added that the charges were capital in nature.

A plea for bail was made on the suspects' behalf by their lawyers, led by Mr. Okai Felix, but it was denied by Magistrate Patricia Ajibade, who ordered them to be remanded until the availability of the DPP report.

The case was adjourned till Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the victim was at the weekend, buried at Iyin-Ekiti, his hometown.

Pastor held for alleged extortion From Osagie Otabor, Benin would preach at the programme. He also allegedly demanded money from members wishing to sit on the front row to get 'quick anointing'.

The leader of the Omega Fire team, Apostle Azemhe Azena, said they took the action to prevent further extor-

tion of innocent citizens with the picture or name of their General Overseer.

He said the suspect had been extorting money from unsuspecting members of his church, adding: "The name of Jesus is enough to win souls.

Why use our pastor's name?

We caught a pastor some time ago collecting N50, 000 from people that Apostle Suleiman was coming to his church."

Igbo community honours son

IGH Chief Innocent A k a c h u k w u Obiechefu, Eze Akuoma of Ebenator will be honoured with the title of Traditional Prime Minister (TPM) of Lagos State on Saturday.

His Royal Highness, Eze John Nwosu, Ezekwesiri Eze 1, Ezendigbo of Mushin and his Council of Chiefs, led by the Obi Eziokwu Ndigbo of Mushin will perform the ceremony Nwosu said the honour is aimed at uniting the Igbo people living in the state and ensuring a lasting peace among all them.

Among dignitaries expected at the event are: Oba Fatai Ayinla Aileru 11, the

By Ambrose Nnaji Olu of Mushin; Hon. Olatunde Babatunde Adepitan, Chairman, Mushin, Local Government; Hon. Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, member, Lagos

State House of Asembly; Chief (Sir) Oliver Akubueze, President, Ohaneze Ndigbo of Lagos State; Chief Ebere Ubani, President General, Igbo Community in Lagos State, and many others.

'Who set man ablaze in Enugu?'

THE Police in Enugu State Command yesterday appealed to the public to assist them with information that would lead to the arrest of those who allegedly set a man ablaze in Nsukka.

Command's spokesman Mr Ebere Amaraizu, said the man, Sylvester Ezema, was ambushed at Akpa Edem on August 3 and set ablaze with petrol. He said the police already had a suspect in its custody.

Amaraizu said the victim was rushed to a hospital in Nsukka by sympathisers, but he later died.

He said the corpse had been deposited at Bishop Shanaham Specialist Hospital Mortuary in Nsukka.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013

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TODAY IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

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ENERAL TY Danjuma, former Chief of Army Staff, former Minister of Defence, and most recently chair of Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential Advisory Council, lived up to his reputation for blunt talk this past June when he was turbaned Jarmai Zazzau, in Zaria.

In Hausa, the title, conferred by the Emir, Alhaji Shehu Idris, translates into “The Brave One”.

For Danjuma, it was a second homecoming.

Several months earlier, he had his first homecoming when he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by Ahmadu Bello University, the successor institution to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, where he had studied for his ‘A’ levels before opting to join the army instead of pursuing a degree in history.

On that occasion, he donated N2 billion to the university’s Endowment Fund, probably the largest single donation ever made by a Nigerian to an academic institution in Nigeria.

Almost every person of consequence in the North was in attendance at the second homecoming, the installation, which was to have culminated in a durbar. But Danjuma had demurred, citing the prevailing security concerns and the misery he saw all around him.

Instead, he parlayed the occasion into a platform for one of the most forthright speeches in recent times on the state of the nation. The bluntness was vintage Danjuma.

Nigerian society and economy were in tatters, due among other factors to leadership failure, he said. The masses of the people, he went on, were “chained down in dehumanising and grinding poverty” while the nation continued to maintain “a few islands of false prosperity in a turbulent ocean of penury and squalor.”

Peace and harmony were unattainable in such a setting, he warned.

He told his fellow Northern elders that they were talking too much and doing too little.

They needed to think more, pray more, plan more, work harder, relate better, and talk less, because battles were better fought and won through wisdom and strategy than through “inflammable pronouncements and political tantrums.”

More poignantly, he warned that, by failing to adequately educate their young men and women, they were handicapping them in the competition for opportunities in a globalised world where knowledge itself had become the prime resource.

General Danjuma told them they had failed to rise to that level of patriotic statesmanship where they could deploy their wisdom and experience to give the country a clear sense of purpose and direction. “When elders become decadent, the youth are bound to become delinquent.”

I personally cannot recall an occasion during which such an assemblage of persons of great consequence were treated to such blunt, forthright talk.

VOL. 8

NO.2,569

‘When power delinquency confronts power senility, the sure result is avoidable national catastrophe’ OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

‘The spirit of Zaria’

• Gen Danjuma

Yet, what ran through the speech was not self-righteousness nor condemnation, nor yet resignation, but a challenge, a summons to collective action to help pull a failing nation back from the brink.

“I still believe that Nigeria can be reawakened and rebuilt to achieve greatness,” he said. “If we renew our minds and reconcile with one another, if we coordinate our determined efforts, we can make northern Nigeria self-reliant and self-sufficient, while enhancing the unity and prosperity of all Nigeria, but first we must be at peace.”

The part that moved me most was where Danjuma called on his fellow Northerners and Nigerians in general to try to recapture “the spirit of Zaria.”

I know something of that spirit.

I had had my secondary school education in St Paul’s Secondary School (now Kufena College), in Wusasa, Zaria from 1958 through 1962. Some four decades before then, Wusasa had been the center of the Anglican Church’s missionary activity in the far North. It was home to St Bartholomew’s School, of which General Yakubu Gowon, the late Professor Ishaya Audu, Danjuma himself and a host of

distinguished Northerners were products.

St Bartholomew’s Church, where General Yakubu Gowon’s father, Pa Yohanna, served as a catechist, is reputed to be the oldest church in that part of Nigeria, dates back to 1929.The first ordained priest in Northern Nigeria, the Rev Henry Miller, father of the ace musician, Bala Miller, came from Zaria and lived in the walled city.

By the way, it was from the younger Miller, lanky and lithe, visiting from swinging Lagos, that I first saw a demonstration of how to do the Twist, in Zaria, in 1962, in the home of Daniel Gowon, an official at St Luke’s Hospital, Wusasa, reputedly the first missionary hospital north of the Niger.

St Paul’ s roll included students from all parts of Nigeria, with surnames like Abdulkadir, Abui, Adagba, Adebayo, Achimugu, Ahmed, Akaas, Akeju, Aken’Ova, Alausa, Alheri, Anyaegbu, Babatunde, Bature, Beckley, Carew, Coker, Dandaura, Dauji, Donli, Efobi, Egunyomi, Ekong, Fajana, Fakai, Gana, George, Gbadero, Gowon, Hassan, Halim, Ibitoye, Ibrahim, Ikwue, Igweonu, Jebak, Jiya, Kitchener, Kyari, Kogbe, Legbo, Mabadeje, Mbaeru, Mayuku, Mosugu, Nwakalo, Nnaji, Nunu, Odiwo, Okoye, Oloruntoba, Olusegun, Ohiomokhare, Obakponovwe, Olumodeji, Runsewe, Shiawoya, Soyebi, Spencer, Sule, Taidi, Uchegbu, Thomas, Udoh, Vincent, Wey, Yisa, Yusuf, and Zakari.

Muslim students were excused from Christian worship.

Some two miles or so away, between Wusasa and Tudun Wada, lay the famous Government (now Barewa) College. Right within the city walls lay the Provincial Secondary School. Zaria was also home to the Nigerian Military School.

All four institutions competed in athletics, soccer, hockey and cricket with keen rivalry and good sportsmanship.

Further down the road from Barewa was the School of Pharmacy. Farther still, in Kongo, across from Tudun Wada, was the Institute of Administration, where civil servants of all cadres were groomed.

On the other side of St Paul’s, across from Kufena Rock, in Samaru, lay the Nigerian

HARDBALL

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URRAy, Nigeria eventually has an appropriation document to run with as the National Assembly (NASS) finally approves this year’s budget. This is coming in the third quarter of the year when most other countries are fine-tuning their 2014 budget. You may argue that the budget had been running but that must be only on a crutch as the executive and legislative arms of government engaged in a protracted battle of (no) wits. As our governments are wont, no explanations were proffered as to the root of the crisis; as to why the economy had to run at half capacity for the better part of the year. As in most other things, we are only left to our conjectures.

Even in the best of times when our budgets suffered no high-wire altercations and horsetrading, our fiscal documents virtually amounted to naught; now it seems doomed on delivery. What was at issue? The untold story is that the executive arm would not ‘accommodate’ the NASS, especially as concerns their allocations for constituency projects. The sums proposed by the lawmak-

Finally, the 2013 budget is parsed ers were viciously slashed by the presidency team. In an angry reprisal, NASS reached for a machete and recklessly slashed the Bill almost beyond the recognition of its owners.

In some cases, the sharks cut so deep they almost crunched bones. This naturally left the document in tatters leaving the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy (CME) in pitiful distress.

The lawmakers couldn’t be bothered, they in fact went ahead to pass the Bill in such miserably inoperable state warning that they would not entertain any supplementary Bill.

But this particular one, they let it be known, was subject to adjustment after all concerned have ‘reasoned’ together. This was exactly what happened: some constituency funds not less than N50 billion was released, to be warehoused and disbursed by the Minister of Special Duties. The Ministry of Works and not the legislators would award and execute all the constituency projects accordingly.

(Aside: they could tell that to the marines; Nigerians know better than that). The important point to note here, however, is that it was only after this uncanny ‘accommodation’ was reached that the NASS went back to the vomit of a budget they refused to pass and passed it after some rapid sessions.

If you thought that there were some reasons, principled or not, why the lawmakers held the country to ransom for seven months, there is not a single one. At least that is what came out when they eventually re-passed the Bill on July 25. Both the rejected Bill and the one just passed are estimated at N5 trillion.

The difference between the twain is just about N162 million. The NASS simply reinstated the portions of the budget they had chopped off in anger.

Now you see why our budgets hardly work: they are often not based on sound economic bases; personal interests often override patriotism and reason. Too much viruses

College of Arts, Science and Technology, later Ahmadu Bello University, that awarded University of London degrees in engineering and diplomas of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Also in Samaru was the School of Agriculture, with a pan-Nigerian student body, and St Peter’s College, for the training of primary school teachers, later relocated to Kaduna. St Enda’s College, a teacher-training school set up by the Catholic Church, Advanced Teachers College, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre would come later.

Tudun Wada was the home of the North Regional Literature Agency (NORLA), which promoted literacy in English and indigenous languages and nurtured it with supporting reading material. It was also home to Gaskiya Corporation, publishers of The Nigerian Citizen, now defunct, and Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo, probably the oldest indigenous-language in newspaper in Nigeria in continuous publication, and by far the most influential.

Gakiya Corporation was in turn home to Abubakar Imam, the legendary editor and literary scholar, the subject of Haroun Adamu’s fascinating doctoral thesis for Ahmadu Bello University, and home also to the famous columnist and political journalist Bisi Onabanjo (Aiyekooto) during a stint as editor of The Citizen.

Down south, in what used to be called southern Zaria, missionary activity was just as strong, and as unconstrained. The Sudan Interior Mission, the Sudan United Mission, the Catholic Church and Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) ran schools that received grant-in-aid from the Regional Government in Kaduna for the education and training of young men and women.

I must not forget the only manufacturing plant in town, the cigarettes factory of the Nigerian Tobacco Company which provided direct and indirect employment to a host of residents, and the bustling railway station, a staging post for passenger and freight transportation Expatriates in the educational and the commercial establishments commingled with residents from all over Nigeria – persons of many tongues and creeds — lived together in peace and harmony and mutual acceptance, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and shared ideals.

That conflation was what Danjuma, with a touch of poetry, called “the spirit of Zaria.”

Most if not all of those institutions and establishments that made Zaria a beacon are still there in one form or another, but the spirit that once animated them is long gone.

To recapture that spirit, as Danjuma enjoined his Northern brethren and Nigerians in general, is going to be a formidable task.

But therein lies the path to true nationhood.

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•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above are injected into the document that it is diseased and probably dead by the time it reaches implementation stage. Do you see why year-on-year the budget increases yet our infrastructure shrinks and we borrow even more? Can you begin to fathom why our lawmakers are the highest paid in the world by miles? Yet they earn so much for doing no work as a recent report show that about one-third of our senators have not sponsored nary a bill after two year in office. They probably have been absentee lawmakers hardly attending sessions yet their bank alerts would ring frequently like a busy supermarket’s cash register (mind you they don’t use those noisy analogue machines anymore!).

To think that this matter we toy with is the most important business of our lawmakers. You see why we are in perpetual crises, you see why our youths are unemployed; you see why see why the country is in perpetual retreat? Our leaders mess around with the most important task we have assigned them.

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